How to Stop the War, the Bill & the Trump Regime with Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Summary

We Can Do Hard Things
Episode: How to Stop the War, the Bill & the Trump Regime with Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Release Date: June 19, 2025

In this compelling episode of We Can Do Hard Things, hosts Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle engage in a profound and urgent dialogue with Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. As a leading progressive voice and advocate for consumer protection, Senator Warren brings clarity and actionable insights to some of the nation’s most pressing challenges, including the looming threat of war with Iran, the controversial “big beautiful bill,” and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This episode serves as both a wake-up call and a strategic guide for listeners to actively participate in safeguarding American democracy.

Introduction to Senator Elizabeth Warren (03:51 - 04:03)

The episode opens with a warm welcome to Senator Warren, highlighting her historic role as the first woman elected to the Senate from Massachusetts in 2012 and her pivotal work in establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The hosts underscore her commitment to defending democracy and fighting against corruption.

The Threat of War with Iran (04:16 - 09:15)

Amanda Doyle raises a critical concern about President Trump’s rhetoric and actions suggesting a potential military confrontation with Iran. She questions whether Trump will involve the U.S. in Israel’s aggression against Iran and the implications of his hardline stance on the nuclear deal.

Notable Quote:

"Only Congress can declare war and Congress funds war. That is where you get the money for all of the activities." — Sen. Elizabeth Warren [06:24]

Senator Warren responds by emphasizing the constitutional checks in place that require presidential actions to go through Congress, thus preventing unilateral declarations of war. She highlights the bipartisan opposition to engaging in another Middle Eastern conflict and urges listeners to actively push back against any attempts to escalate tensions.

The “Big Beautiful Bill” and Its Implications (10:43 - 16:12)

The conversation shifts to the “big beautiful bill,” a legislative proposal that threatens to dismantle essential social programs, including healthcare, food assistance, and utilities, while funneling resources to billionaires through massive tax giveaways. Amanda Doyle expresses deep concern over the bill’s provisions that could undermine judicial authority and constitutional checks.

Notable Quote:

"Half of those babies and their mamas and then as their little toddlers, taking that away." — Sen. Elizabeth Warren [12:18]

Senator Warren passionately outlines the detrimental effects of the bill, emphasizing how it would strip healthcare from millions, increase living costs, and strain vital services like hospitals and nursing homes. She argues that the bill prioritizes the wealthy over the well-being of ordinary Americans and calls for united action to oppose it.

Military Aid to Israel and Humanitarian Aid to Gaza (26:33 - 30:36)

Listener Julie raises a poignant question about U.S. military aid to Israel and its role in the conflict against Palestinians. She voices heartbreak and concerns over the moral implications of funding what she terms a “war” or even “genocide.”

Notable Quote:

"Our best role here would be to keep pushing, pushing, pushing toward negotiations." — Sen. Elizabeth Warren [26:33]

Senator Warren responds by detailing her efforts to oppose offensive arms shipments to Israel and advocating for humanitarian aid. She emphasizes the importance of pushing both parties towards a negotiating table to achieve lasting peace and protect human rights.

Strategies and Calls to Action (29:02 - 35:33)

The hosts and Senator Warren delve into actionable strategies to combat the ongoing threats to democracy. Elizabeth Warren shares insights from past legislative battles, including the pivotal role of grassroots mobilization in saving healthcare millions rely on.

Notable Quote:

"This is the moment when you could have not only a dramatic effect on whether or not millions of people keep their health care, you could be the one to create the crack in this Republican wall." — Sen. Elizabeth Warren [16:12]

She urges listeners to make persistent phone calls, send texts, attend town halls, and hold their representatives accountable. Warren recounts the critical moments when individual actions collectively led to significant legislative victories, such as the preservation of the Affordable Care Act.

Midterm Elections and Future Strategy (31:54 - 35:33)

Addressing concerns about the effectiveness of current efforts, Senator Warren reassures listeners by outlining a two-pronged approach: immediate legislative battles and long-term electoral strategies targeting the upcoming midterm elections.

Notable Quote:

"The work starts today. That's how I would describe it." — Sen. Elizabeth Warren [35:16]

She highlights the importance of preparing for the elections by mobilizing voters, holding officials accountable, and continuing to build momentum through ongoing legislative efforts.

Calls to Action: How You Can Make a Difference (47:40 - 52:23)

In a powerful call to action, Amanda Doyle outlines three critical steps for listeners to take:

1. Contact Your Representatives:

   • Use Congress.gov/members to find your senators and congresspeople.
   • Urge them to:
     • Vote no on American involvement in the war with Iran.
     • Vote no on the big beautiful bill.
     • Vote no on providing additional weapons to Israel.
     • Vote yes on opening humanitarian aid to Gaza.

2. Use Specific Messaging:

   • Amanda provides scripts for listeners to communicate effectively and assertively with their representatives, emphasizing the specific actions they expect their elected officials to take.

3. Sustained Effort:

   • Emphasizes the necessity of repeated and consistent outreach to ensure that representatives hear and prioritize the constituents’ demands.

Notable Quote:

"This bill will take health insurance and food assistance away from tens of millions of people, makes tax cuts for the rich, and includes clauses shielding Trump and his administration from the consequences of violating court orders. I expect you to vote no." — Amanda Doyle [55:47]

Conclusion: Building Collective Strength (45:15 - 56:44)

The episode culminates with reflections on the power of collective action and perseverance. The hosts commend Senator Warren’s unwavering commitment and encourage listeners to integrate these advocacy efforts into their daily routines, drawing inspiration from public figures like Sheryl Crow who incorporate activism into their lives.

Notable Quote:

"Let us add a moment of collective protection that will protect our wellness and safety, I might dare say, even more than the serum." — Abby Wambach [56:23]

The hosts reinforce the message that defending democracy and fighting systemic injustices require ongoing effort, solidarity, and strategic action from every individual.

Final Thoughts

This episode of We Can Do Hard Things serves as a clarion call for Americans to engage actively in the political process to prevent the erosion of democratic institutions and social safety nets. With Senator Elizabeth Warren’s expertise and the hosts’ passionate facilitation, listeners are equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to confront and overcome the formidable challenges facing the nation.

Key Takeaways:

• Constitutional Checks: Understanding the importance of congressional authority in declaring war and funding military actions.
• Legislative Advocacy: The critical need to oppose legislation that undermines healthcare, social services, and judicial independence.
• Grassroots Mobilization: The power of individual actions combined to effect significant political change.
• Electoral Engagement: Preparing for midterm elections by holding officials accountable and supporting candidates who prioritize democratic integrity and social welfare.

Listeners are encouraged to take immediate action by contacting their representatives, staying informed, and participating in the collective effort to uphold the values of democracy and justice.

Transcript

[Glennon Doyle]

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[Abby Wambach]

I know more than anyone on this entire planet that having the right therapist to talk to can make a life changing difference. That's why I think ALMA is so cool. ALMA connects you with real therapists to understand your unique experience. You can use their directory to search for someone who specializes in the areas that matter most to you, whether that's anxiety, relationships or anything else. And what stands out to me about Alma is that 97% of people seeing a therapist through Alma say their therapist made them feel seen and heard. You know, I love that that level of connection isn't something you can get from scrolling through online advice or following social media. It's about finding someone who truly understands your journey and is dedicated to helping you make progress. Better with people, better with Alma. Visit hello Alma.com hardthings to get started and schedule a free consultation today. That's hello a l m a.com hardthings welcome to We Can Do Hard Things. We are so glad that you are here. We are so glad to be doing this very difficult American moment alongside of you. Today, we are asking questions of Senator Elizabeth Warren. We have collected your questions. All of your questions were based around the things we are seeing happening in the news and what the plan is to stop this fascist regime from destroying our democracy. We are asking those questions directly to Senator Elizabeth Warren today. She has brought us a plan. We're going to keep all of the questions we didn't get to to inform future episodes and we are going to get these answers and live them out together. Elizabeth Warren, the senior senator from Massachusetts and top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban affairs, is a fearless consumer advocate and one of the nation's leading progressive voices. Before becoming the first woman ever elected to the Senate From Massachusetts in 2012, Elizabeth led the fight to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency established in the aftermath of the financial crisis to protect consumers from predatory financial practices. Elizabeth lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband Bruce, and their golden retriever, Bailey. Welcome to the pod. Senator Elizabeth Warren.

[Amanda Doyle]

Senator Warren is here.

[Elizabeth Warren]

How are you?

[Amanda Doyle]

Oh, wow. That's a loaded question. I'm very happy to see you, Senator.

[Elizabeth Warren]

It's so good to see you. I miss you.

[Amanda Doyle]

Ugh.

[Abby Wambach]

I miss you. I just wish.

[Amanda Doyle]

I just Wish there were 150,000 of you is what I wish.

[Elizabeth Warren]

And same back at you. So that's why we stay in these fights. They are important, and we don't give up.

[Amanda Doyle]

We don't give up. We can do hard things. Senator Warren, we have asked you to come here today to talk to us in this terrifying time of chaos and corruption and the dismantling of our democracy because you have always been someone who distinguishes yourself from other leaders in not only talking about the crisis, but actually having a plan for that. And on behalf of a very scared community right now, we are just really hoping that we can hear and understand from you what our plan for that is to hold on to our democracy, what our leaders are doing, doing what we need to be doing so that the American experiment does not end on our watch. So our first question that we need to ask is something that has kept us up all night last night, which is, can you please tell us what is happening with Iran right now? Is this president going to drag us into Israel's roar against Iran? Because it seems very scary right now with. With him basically saying it's Iran's fault for not signing the nuclear deal, even though Israel assassinated the lead negotiator that was working with us on the nuclear deal. And he's calling the attacks excellent, telling Tehran to evacuate, and that he says he's, quote, not really in the mood to negotiate with Iran. Like, we're moving tankers and aircraft and additional warplanes to the region. So we have been assured by this man that he is never going to take us into war. Also that he was going to end the war in Ukraine and the war against Gaza in day one. What the hell is going on? Is that a real risk that we will become part of this war?

[Elizabeth Warren]

So, as of late last week, we were firmly committed on negotiation, and Donald Trump was behind that. Republicans were behind that. Democrats were behind that in the Senate, in the House, and pretty much across the country. So there was a path here. And then Prime Minister Netanyahu, basically, right in the middle of these negotiations, frankly, in just threw the elbow at Trump and threw aside the negotiations, decided to go ahead and bomb Iran. And Trump now seems to be doing cheerleading for that. But understand two things. First, one is good old Constitutional Law 101. Only Congress can declare war and Congress funds war. That is where you get the money for all of the activities. So he's got to come back to Congress now. That's how it is on paper. There are also. That's part two. There are actions he can take to try to drag our country into a war in the Middle East. But he. Here's a place where in the House, in the Senate and in the country, we don't have a lot of difference between Democrats and Republicans on this. There are a lot of Republicans who were saying, I don't wanna do this, and a whole lot of Democrats saying, I don't wanna do this. And so this is the moment for pushing back, for saying, no, no, no, no, no, and doing it by phone, doing it by email, doing it by text, doing it by showing up at a town hall and asking a question, doing it by holding a sign. Because this is the moment now, you and I, as we sit here right now, where it's kind of the ball is up in the air, and Trump needs to be with the rest of America on this, with people in Congress, with people around the country. And I think Democrats are really strong on this. But I really want to say again, there are a lot of Republicans who think it would be a mistake. Look, that election, everybody wants to talk about, what was the election all about last November? But one thing I guaran t it was not about was how do we get America entangled in another endless war in the Middle East? And that's the reminder we need to give Donald Trump right now.

[Amanda Doyle]

Okay, do you feel like. And there's so many domestic things we need to talk about, but do you feel like. Because his MO has always been foment or manufacture or pretend there is a crisis, pretend there is an emergency, and then act upon some kind of emergency powers. We know that Israel cannot take out Iran's nuclear capabilities unless they use our capabilities. It's only our bunker busters that will do it. Is there a world in which he uses. Because we know he goes beyond the scope and wherever he wants to, to do that without congressional power.

[Elizabeth Warren]

Well, look, he is commander in chief. That's the consequence of the election last November. But there's going to be a lot of pushback on that and a lot of people in place to push back. But let me, let me offer you one more thought here about part of what's going on. Notice where you started this. You said we're all worried about this. It's classic Donald Trump. He's losing in other places. He faces terrible problems. So let's swing everybody's attention over here. Where were we just before this? We were all talking about what happened in Los Angeles. Right. And violence and political violence. Where were we before that?

[Amanda Doyle]

The bill.

[Elizabeth Warren]

Yes. And what's happening right now, I mean, literally right now in the United States Senate. Is this what he calls big, beautiful bill, this big ugly bill is rolling forward. And this is the bill to try to reshape a key part of America and who we are. This is the bill that says take away health care from more than 16 million people, take away one of the programs that helps make groceries more affordable, drive up the cost of your utilities. Why do all those things? To try to gather some resources so that he can give giant tax giveaways to a handful of billionaires. And so this is a moment where Americans are starting to tumble to what this big, beautiful bill is all about. And here's the deal. When people hear about it, they are very much opposed to it. And that's true. Democrats, Independents and Republicans, no, no, Americans do not want to say that newborn babies will be denied access to health care so that Jeff Bezos can buy a third yacht.

[Amanda Doyle]

Was it half of American babies, half of the babies born in America rely on Medicare. Half.

[Elizabeth Warren]

Half of those babies and their mamas and then as their little toddlers, taking that away. So Jeff Bezos can buy a third yacht. Are you kidding me? Those are not American values. That is not who we are. And that's pushing back right now. And by the way, I want to make sure, because I want to make sure everybody understands just how personal this is. It's about little babies and their healthcare and anybody listening to us have a neighbor who needs a wheelchair to get around, a neighbor who relies on Meals on wheels, a neighbor who relies on having a home health aide come by so that they get some help, so that they're able to live independently. That's another group that gets targeted, taking away that help from people with significant disabilities. And so that Mark Zuckerberg can buy another Hawaiian island. That's the trade off. This is a transfer, a transfer from People that we've tried to help so they can grow up these little babies so that people with disabilities can live independently. Same kind of thing going on with nursing homes. About half the people who live in nursing homes across this country, they rely on the Medicaid program to pay their nursing home bills. Why? Because they got nothing else. That's it. They got their Social Security. It's not enough to pay for the nursing home. Medicaid comes in and helps pay. They want to cut that. And what that will mean for these folks is where are they going to go? Are you going to set them out on the street corner? Is your grandma going to have to move into the dining room in your house because there's no more space for her in the nursing home? That's the direct impact we're talking about on millions of people. And now I want to add another layer to it. Once you take away that support for the health care, once you take away, across the board, this support, the rest of the system starts to crumble. So for anybody who's listening to us who relies on a rural hospital or a community hospital, boy, this is the bill that's going to force a whole lot of those hospitals to close. When they close, they don't just close for Medicaid patients, they close for everyone. Those little hospitals are running on profit margins that are that wide right now. So if Medicaid gets taken away, so when that baby comes in to be delivered, when the mama comes in to deliver a baby, when the baby comes in with the ear infection, if there's no compensation for Medicaid, that's just known as uncompensated care for the hospital. Hospitals, they don't have the space to offer uncompensated care. So those hospitals close up. And that means maybe you had to drive 14 minutes to get to the closest hospital. From where you live now, it moves to what, 52 minutes. And for some people, this could be the difference between life and death. This is about where people go when they have chest pains, where you take someone when the child on the playground fell and looks like needs 126 stitches, where someone is having a stroke. These are our frontline delivery of medical care to people all across this country. And all of that is now at risk for just breaking and falling apart. Just close it all up.

[Amanda Doyle]

Is it going to pass?

[Elizabeth Warren]

Oh, so I know. I know you. Let's go back where we started. We have a plan. Okay? This bill has not passed. It passed the House by one vote. One vote. That means. And by the way, not a single Democrat voted for it. Okay, so you got all these Republicans who voted for one vote. You persuade one Republican to flip from a yes to a no on that bill, and it stops dead. Right now. The bill is over here in the Senate. But understand it'll have to go back to the House because the two are not going to match. But we're in the Senate, and it's even more, more up in the air in the Senate right now. We've got multiple senators on the Republican. Democrats are easy. We say we are not taking away health care from people to help Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. We're just not doing that. But even Republicans are saying, whoa, this bill is a real problem. Taking away health care is a real problem. There are already some Republicans who said, I can't vote for this. So what we're down to now is this is the moment. This is the moment for us to make those phone calls, to send those texts while it's all still up in the air. It's this week, next week, maybe the week after. But now is the period of time. And for anybody who's listening to us and says, oh, but I already did that. Do it again and then do it again and then do it again and then do it again. Because here's a story I want to remind everybody of 2017. It was summer, just like this, and the Republicans came after the Affordable Care act, taking away health care for millions of people. You remember this? The House passed it. And then, I don't know if you remember, they go over to the White House. Donald Trump is president. The Republicans are in charge of. They pass around the bruskies, right? And celebrate. Because what's not to celebrate about taking away health care from millions of Americans. Bill comes to the Senate, and the Republicans had an even bigger majority in the Senate then than they have now, right? Everybody says it's going to pass. But here's the deal. People made those phone calls, people sent those texts. People showed up here in Washington. My personal favorite were the littlest lobbyists, little babies with complex medical needs whose mamas pushed them through the halls here in Congress. Some of them were pulling wagons, I still remember, with the special breathing equipment and special feeding equipment because these were babies who have real challenges and who rely on Medicaid. There were wheelchair brigades here who showed up in Congress. Lots of people showed up to say, healthcare for all of us is worth fighting for. And you may remember, came down to the floor of the Senate A lot of people remember John McCain famously holding up his thumb, and nobody knew how it was going to go. I couldn't even sit down, I was so nervous. And he ended up voting no on the bill. And that saved health care for tens of millions of Americans. But understand this. It wasn't just John McCain thought this up in his head. It's that we created the weather together that put him in a place to make that decision. That is exactly where we are today. So, yeah, I got a plan. And the plan is now is the time to put the full court press on your senators. I don't care if they're Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. Make sure they're hearing from you. And get your friends to do that, particularly your friends that you went to school with who now live in states that are represented by Republicans. Get them to call, get them to text, get them to show up at the senator's office. Now is the moment when you could have not only a dramatic effect on whether or not millions of people keep their health care, you could be the one to create the crack in this Republican wall, the crack that lets us save our democracy. The crack that shows we are still government by the people and that the people's power ultimately matters.

[Abby Wambach]

So at the end of this, we're going to put who to call, what to say as what we're going to do. We're going to use our agency, put the pressure on. When we travel, we don't want to feel like a tourist. We want to feel like we belong. That's why we've always loved Airbnb. It helps you unlock the real, local side of every place you visit. And it's not just about where you stay. Airbnb experiences let you connect with people, try new things, and see a city from the inside out. Food, tours, hikes for Abby, art walks for me, even live music for both of us. It's all there and it's all real. We actually got to host one of Airbnb's experiences with Angel City fc, and it was so fun. Abby talked soccer. We connected with Angel City fans, and we gave folks a chance to see the game and the community up close.

[Glennon Doyle]

Even if you didn't know a ton about soccer going in, we made sure everyone felt, well, welcome. We broke down the basics, shared some laughs, and created something that felt both fun and meaningful. Tune in on June 24th to hear all about our first Airbnb experience. Summer's here, and honestly, I want to feel good. I want to feel clear, energized, and confident. In my skin. And that's why Symbiotica has become a total staple in my summer wellness routine. Last year, I hit a wall. I felt sluggish, foggy, and my digestion was just off. I wanted something simple but effective. A friend introduced me to Symbiotica, and now it's part of my daily ritual. Everything's in liquid form, so it absorbs fast and actually tastes really good. And I have a new favorite. Symbiotica just launched Shilajit Liquid Complex. I've taken it in the morning instead of coffee, and it's like flipping a switch. I feel so alert, and my mood is instantly lifted. Plus, it's infused with Brazilian honey and Peruvian cacao. Tastes so good. Be the first to try Symbiotica's new Shilajit liquid [e-mail] Glennon and get 20% off plus free shipping. That's symbiotica.com Glennon for 20% off. Symbiotica's new Shilajit Liquid Complex.

[Abby Wambach]

Hi, it's Glennon. You ever notice how we expect summer to feel light and easy? Like the world is telling us to relax, unwind, soak it all in. But sometimes it's just not that simple. Behind the sunshine and vacation, summer can bring its own kind of pressure. Juggling, changing schedules, childcare, financial stress, and all the expectations of what the season should feel like. And when it doesn't match up, it can leave us feeling off, overwhelmed, even down. It's called the summer blues, and it's actually a form of seasonal affective disorder. So if that's you right now, just know you're not alone and you're not broken. That's why I want to talk to you about Alma. Alma exists to help you find the support you need. Not just any care, but the right care for you. The kind that fits your goals, your values, and your real, messy, beautiful life. You know how much therapy has meant to me. It's saved me. It is still saving me. But I also know how hard it can be to find the right therapy therapist. Someone who really gets you, who can hold space for your family stuff. Your faith, your fears, your joy, your identity, all of it. That's what makes Alma different. They believe, like I do, that human connection is at the heart of mental health care. Not bots, not algorithms, not viral advice from strangers. Online, ALMA makes it easier to find a therapist who doesn't just look good on paper, but someone who sees you truly. And therapy through Alma is affordable. Over 95% of therapists on Alma, accept insurance, including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, many more. And people who use ALMA to find in network care save an average of 77% on the cost of therapy. So whether you're navigating the summer blues, stress, loneliness, or just trying to keep your head above water, ALMA can help you find a therapist who gets you. You can Even schedule free 15 minute consultations with as many providers as you need until you find your fit. And ALMA lets you filter by everything from ethnicity and language to life experience and spiritual background. Because all those pieces of you matter in your healing. You deserve support that fits you. We all do. Browse Alma's free directory today at hello Alma.com we can. That's hello A L M A dot com. We can. We can do hard things. And yes, getting support for your mental health is one of them. But you don't have to do it alone. Let Alma help. I want to ask you a question that is on so many of our hearts and minds right now. This is a question that came to us from Julie. She says what can be done about cutting US Military aid to Israel? I'm a Jewish Massachusetts resident and love Elizabeth Warren, but I'm heartbroken. We are funding and enabling the war against Palestinians. Julie uses the word war. I respect that. I use the word genocide based on what so many humanitarians are saying right now. How many innocent people have to die before we hold our government accountable? Many thanks, Julie. What's the plan for that?

[Elizabeth Warren]

Julie? Let me start by saying I'm grateful to Julie. Even in the midst of everything else that's going on to continue, we've got to not let this slip out of our line of sight. Look, I have voted repeatedly for what's called the Joint Resolution of Disapproval for sending offensive weapons to Israel that Israel can then turn around and use in Gaza. We don't have a majority and so we've lost those resolutions. But we keep fighting and we keep bringing them up. With the arms shipments overall, we know where we need to go. We need to stop the violence. It needs to stop. We need to get humanitarian relief into Gaza and we need to push the parties toward the negotiating table. I know that sounds like it's so far off, but we got to remind people there is a way to resolve this. We need to get the parties to the negotiating table and to work out a solution where people can live different people can live side by side with respect, with security, with self determination. Those have to be the key goals. And I repeat this every chance I get. Because I worry that we just slip into a. There's nothing we can do again, that we don't have as much power as we want. But that's not the same as having no power at all. So I'm going to stay with the joint resolution of disapproval on the arms sales. But. But I'm also going to stay with the very specific things we need, and that is to call on Prime Minister Netanyahu every chance I get to open up humanitarian aid. How can we let it go forward that there are people are not getting food, clean water, medical care, open up and let the humanitarian aid flow and then sit down and negotiate with the Palestinians who are in Gaza, with all of the Palestinians and the United States, our best role here would be to keep pushing, pushing, pushing toward negotiations. So thank you, Julie, for the question. And we stay in the fight.

[Abby Wambach]

I heard you on the first one. What we can do, we can call. We can say no to the big beautiful bill. We can say no to the war in Iran. We can push so much pressure on those Republican Congress people that they feel more pressure from us that they might lose their jobs than they do for maga. That's the whole ball game here.

[Elizabeth Warren]

That's the idea.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, what do we do? I heard all the things that you said, but what do we do as citizens who are outraged by what is happening to innocent Palestinian people on the ground? What do we do? What do we say to our congresspeople when we say no to the bill? No to war in Iran?

[Elizabeth Warren]

Yeah, I think it's. This is why I try to talk in very specific things like joint resolution of disapproval or humanitarian aid, that the general. I hate what's happening there. It's deep felt. I understand that. But asking for something specific in all of these cases, in all three of the things we've talked about today, saying specifically, do not go to war in Iran, that's not what anybody in this country wants saying specifically vote no on Trump's big beautiful bill. Do not cut health care so that billionaires can get a handout. And asking people specifically to vote against sending offensive weapons that are used in Gaza and open up for humanitarian aid. We have not forgotten. I think asking for the specific at least puts some muscle behind what we're trying to do.

[Amanda Doyle]

Senator, we had so many questions, and I would say that a majority of them stemmed around this idea that. And I'll read you a couple flavors from some of them. But this perception that we are hearing a lot of Trump is bad and we hate what he's doing from Democratic leadership, but we don't have the sense that there is a plan. We don't have this sense that there is other than this is a real shame. He's crazy that the Dems are united with an actionable plan to fight fascism. So I'm actually just wondering, you know, Kelly says we just want to know what is happening that possibly we can't see because these are horrendous times for everyone. How are we supposed to stand it for the next three years? Jill from D.C. says my members of Congress are all Democrats. They say they're doing all that they can do to fight back, but we don't ever hear or see evidence of that outside of their newsletters. What can I do to encourage more action and accountability? Ana from Denver, what is the party doing to regain lost ground? Why does it feel like there's no unified strategy among the left to fight fascism?

[Elizabeth Warren]

Okay, there are two answers simultaneously.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay.

[Elizabeth Warren]

One answer is it's all hands on deck, thing by thing, in exactly the things we've been talking about. Right? Thing by thing. So right now it's all hands on deck on this tax bill. And the reason for that, this big beautiful bill, is because people are going to lose their health care, right? Millions of people are going to lose their health care. Groceries are going to be more expensive, and that means there are going to be some people are going to go hungry, some kids. So it's an all hands on deck. Democrats are completely united on this. And our plan here. Here we go. Our plan here. The best way to describe this is when people learn about what the Republicans are up to, they hate it. That's what I talked about earlier. It's very unpopular, the problem. Only one out of every four has heard about it. So what is our plan? Our plan is to make it two out of four. And if we can get to two out of four, it's to make it three out of four and four out of four because that's, it's like a weather system. You make it stronger, you make it bigger, you make the wind blow harder. That's how we're most likely to have impact. And what's Donald Trump's countermeasure is. Let me see if I can get you off on something else.

[Amanda Doyle]

Of course.

[Elizabeth Warren]

And look, some of it is outrageous. Of course we've got to stop and pay attention to what's happening in Iran. Of course we do. But the point is we've got this thing. We need to drive and we got to also cover what's happening. In Iran and we've got to cover what's happening in Gaza. And. Right. And, and right. So that makes it hard to see the plan, but it really is. We are fighting the biggest battle is the legislative battle right here in Washington, because this is the one where the ball is up in the air and Donald Trump doesn't get to decide it all by himself. And if we can peel off some Republicans here, I think that's a huge crack in the dam and that has profound impact. So that's the most immediate. But I said there were two answers simultaneously. Other answer is November of next year.

[Amanda Doyle]

Yeah, mid 20.

[Elizabeth Warren]

So we are a year and a half out, Right? Well, from the election, less than that. Now we are pushing these issues now. We're trying to have everybody organized on accountability so that it's completely seamless as we roll in to the election. This is it. This is not a drill. This is the moment. You want to save your democracy. Let's work on the legislative part right now, because we can. But by golly, we got to make these Republicans understand that they cannot follow Donald Trump and the voters will just vote for them again and again. Remember, everybody in the House of Representatives will be up for reelection and more than a third of the Republican senators will, will be up for reelection. And that is. I'm not doing my math fast in my head. What will that be 15 months from now?

[Amanda Doyle]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Warren]

So the work starts today. That's how I would describe it.

[Abby Wambach]

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[Glennon Doyle]

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[Amanda Doyle]

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[Abby Wambach]

Senator Warren what is different about the work? This is just for me. It's not from a writer, but as I'm listening to you, I'm thinking the definition of insanity is doing things the same way over and over again. We've been told get to work. We've been working. We've put our jobs aside. We have been in the streets. We have been knocking on doors. We have been doing everything that the Democratic Party has told us to do, and it has not been working. So what do we do? We trust you. What do we do differently this time as we prepare for midterms that might bring us a different outcome, and we don't see clear leaders emerging. Who are those people? What do we do differently now?

[Elizabeth Warren]

So let me give you a couple of parts to this. Don't say it's not working. I get it hasn't worked as well as we would like, but don't say it's not working. What the Republicans want us to do, Donald Trump wants us to do, is to say none of this works. I'm putting a blanket over my head. I'm turning off the news. I'm doing nothing but just my little corner of the world. I let him do whatever he wants to do with my country. That's what not working looks like. And then, Katie, bar the door. I mean, he's off and running. We have put up resistance over and over and over and over and again. I don't want to overstate here. No, we have not won all these. But you know what? Watch what's happened in the courts. Just start there. In the first month, we lost, what, a little over half the suits. In the second month, we won around half. I read that in the month of May, we won more than 90% of our suits in the court. And that matters. It matters a lot. But Doge came through with the chainsaw, right? Look, we organized and they were going to close down a bunch of Social Security offices. Remember that? They were going to fire half the people at the Social Security Administration. They claim Social Security is riddled with fraud and they were going to cut off a bunch of Social Security payments. We pushed back and proved that that was all just lies, that it was not true. They haven't closed those Social Security offices. Indeed. Right now they're trying to hire people back to Social Security to get it functioning again. It's not a giant headline. It's not saving everything in our democracy, but, boy, you're a senior who relies on Social Security. That's a big damn deal. And you got a problem and you need some help getting it fixed. The fact that, that they didn't shut down the phone lines and they didn't shut down the office near you, that is a big deal. And it's piece at a time. We got our toes on the line to win in the Veterans Administration to keep them from privatizing the va. We're not quite all the way there, but I'm liking our chances. Right. So I want to remind us. I'm trying to think. It's like following somebody who's running through a giant department store. We're on the first floor where all that breakable stuff is, and he's just breaking stuff right and left, and we're picking stuff up as we go along behind, and it feels like, gee, we haven't stopped him from breaking stuff. It's true, we haven't. He finds new things to break. That had occurred to us he was going to break.

[Amanda Doyle]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[Elizabeth Warren]

Exactly. Taylor told us. And have nice.

[Amanda Doyle]

Because he breaks them, we have to take them away.

[Elizabeth Warren]

Exactly. But that's what we're doing right now. We are doing this at different places, and sometimes we have better tools to land it. Social Security was nothing but the people who listen to this podcast and other people around the country, we had no separate tools. VA is nothing but the vets and people who care about vets who've gotten out and organized to push back public schools.

[Amanda Doyle]

Thank you for doing that.

[Elizabeth Warren]

Yes. Our schools, our public school teachers on this. So I get it. Oh, man, do I get it. I live it every single day. This is hard. But do not tell me, do not tell me that what you've done hasn't mattered and hasn't had any effect or any impact. By dollar. You've had a lot of effect. And that means we got to build on this and keep ramping up. Let me tell you one other quick story to remind you. In 2017, Donald Trump tried two legislative initiatives. The first was the ACA that I was telling you about, and we stopped him on that. The second one was the tax battle. There the tax battle was separate from the health care battle. Second was the tax battle. We lost that fight. We mobilized, we raised hell, we set off fireworks, did everything we could, and we lost the battle. But we made the Republicans pay for it. We made them own it. We made them have to admit that, yeah, they had given what was then about $2 trillion in tax breaks, mostly sucked up by millionaires, billionaires, and giant corporations. And what happened when they ran for office 15 months later? Not a single Republican around the country ran on. And I got tax breaks. In fact, they all ran against it. The tax ads were run by Democrats who said, that's what that jerk did. And do you remember what happened? We took back control of the House. We improved our position in the Senate and put ourselves in a place where in 2020, we had the House, the Senate, and we knocked Donald Trump out of office. So the winning battles and the losing. I don't want to lose any. But I'm just saying even the losing battles can give us the muscle memory, the jet fuel to mix my metaphors here so that we are ready to go in the midterms. And now we're talking about real accountability. So we have power. Our only mistake here would be to failure to pick it up and use it.

[Abby Wambach]

Damn, you're good, Senator Warren, you're so good.

[Amanda Doyle]

The goodest. We are so thankful for you. Thank you for using your life in this way. It's a deep honor to be with you. And we continue to just send you all of our energy. Thank you for using your life in this.

[Abby Wambach]

In our phone calls and our phone calls and our texts, we're going to send them to you like the kids send energy to their little video game things. So we're going to send them to you. Thank you, Senator Warren.

[Amanda Doyle]

I'm so thankful that Elizabeth Warren exists. That's all. I knew you have no response for that.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, I thought you were pausing dramatically. I do do that a lot. You do that a lot of dramatic pauses. I don't know when the hell I'm supposed to jump in or just honor the pause.

[Amanda Doyle]

Honor the pause. No time for pausing. Clearly. You heard the woman.

[Abby Wambach]

How about blink twice if it's a dramatic pause?

[Amanda Doyle]

Okay. So you know what's so wild about this is that I get all the anger at the Democrats because it's like, what the hell are you all doing? I have a job and I wake up every day and I do it, and I can't just be like, well, damn, my boss sucks. So. Because there's nothing I can do, yeah, I can be like, my boss sucks and I still do my fucking job. So I get that anger. And also, I think what I am hearing from the senator is that they are doing things that even the things that don't come out the way that we need them to, our job is to use that as accountability for the future, to not let people forget or rewrite the future. And that it really is. As much as we want it to be someone else's job, it is our job as citizens to reach out and to put the pressure on. And it really sounds like beyond these calls that we need to make and need to continue to make and need to encourage our people to make, which we will give you scripts for in just a moment, that the whole ball game is on midterm elections in November. If we don't Win those. I don't know honestly that we're going to be able to withstand two more years after that with unchecked power. So we need to start getting a plan together for that.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. And it makes sense. You know, I understand the feeling of there's a deep fear beneath that call to action in even because many of us feel like that is predicated upon that there will be free and fair elections. And what a big fear is is that they are dismantling that as well. And yet it feels that what I heard Senator Warren saying is all of these people who if you think they represent us or you think that they represent their own interests and their own desire to stay in power, either way, what works is them feeling like there are more people who want one thing of them than people who want the other thing of them. Right. Whether they're trying just to stay in power or they actually believe in their duty to represent the people and to honor the Constitution. Either way, what will work is so much pressure that they feel like if they don't do what we the people want, they will lose their job.

[Amanda Doyle]

Exactly. Even if they're utterly self interested and that's their only interest. We have to make it work for us. Well, if you're worried about free and fair elections, which I understand and we all should be, that is all the more reason that we need to get super mobilized behind shutting down the so called big beautiful bill because we didn't talk about this with the Senator. But what is further terrifying about that bill is that when it was passed by the House of Representatives, it included a provision that, you know, this is supposed to be all about spending. Right. It included a provision that limits judges ability to hold the administration in contempt for violating court orders. It's unconstitutional, the provision of the bill. Right. And then when it went into the Senate, the Senate Judiciary Committee changed it to not only say not holding them in contempt, the Senate Republicans revised the language to limit the judge's authority to even issue injunctions and restraining orders against the government. So there is a constitutional redraft in this bill. And the courts have been the only ones who have been able to hold the line and keep the administration from doing patently illegal things thus far during the second term. So they are using this bill to basically say that the courts don't have the power to stop the administration from doing whatever the administration wants to do.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, so what I'm hearing you say is in addition to all the reasons that Senator Warren just told us to call our Congress people and oppose this quote, big beautiful bill. If what we are concerned about is also the chance to elect different officials who will undo all of what they are breaking, we also must oppose the big beautiful bill.

[Amanda Doyle]

Well, if you're concerned about any check on power.

[Abby Wambach]

Right, right.

[Amanda Doyle]

Of this administration, the courts have been the only effective check. So if you're concerned about, if you're concerned about upholding the Constitution and the balance of power and, and lawfulness, which is all that the courts are doing is enforcing laws and enforcing what the Constitution says, if you're interested in any of those things, this bill needs to be destroyed because it is an end route around the constitutional balance of power and the idea that an administration is subject to the laws of the United States.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, do you have any idea when this vote is? When is the big beautiful bill decided upon?

[Amanda Doyle]

Well, it has to go through like all the reconciliations. So there's not firm date so far as I know. It's going to take a couple weeks for it to go through these processes. So it'll be in the Senate then because the Senate bill will be different than the House bill. It has to go back to the House. So it's like they've got to all agree on the same thing. So it's going to take a minute. So we have a couple weeks to put the pressure on and we need.

[Abby Wambach]

To Amanda, tell the pod squad if they're with us on all we've talked about today, what should they do today?

[Amanda Doyle]

So we have three calls to action. We have three things that we can ask our representatives to do. So our first thing that we're going to do, if you need to your representative's phone number, ways to contact them, you are going to go to Congress C O N G r e s s.gov members you're going to go to congress.gov members there you can type in where you live, you can find your representatives, you can find your senators and your congress people and their phone numbers. When you have that there are three things that the senator talked about, you want to tell your people that you want them to say no to war on Iran. To say I expect you to vote to not bring America into war and in fact to do what you need to do to prevent American involvement in war. Number two, I expect you to vote no on the so called big beautiful bill. I'm going to walk you through a script on that one specifically in a moment. Number three, I need you to vote to stop sending weapons to Israel that are being used against civilians in Gaza. I want you to Vote to open humanitarian aid to Palestine.

[Abby Wambach]

Great. Can I say this back to you?

[Amanda Doyle]

Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay. I'm going to say the website again, congress.gov members, I'm going to find my congressperson. I'm going to call the phone number. I'm going to say, my name is Glennon Doyle. I'm a resident of. Blah, blah, blah. I am a constituent of Blah, blah, blah. I am calling you to say, vote no on American involvement in the war with Iran, vote no on the big beautiful bill, vote no on providing weapons to Israel, and vote yes on opening all humanitarian aid to Gaza.

[Amanda Doyle]

Correct?

[Abby Wambach]

Correct.

[Amanda Doyle]

And if you want a more specific one on the big beautiful bill, and you can add the other two to that. I got this from Indivisible San Francisco. I personally use Indivisible for a lot of things that I need to find out in my local chapter. But you would say, hello, my name is Amanda. I am a constituent of yours or of Representative so and so, Senator so and so. My zip code is. Give your zip code. I am calling today to urge the senator or the congressperson to vote no and to speak out and strongly condemn the Republican reconciliation bill that will prevent court injunctions against this administration from being enforced. You can say that. You don't have to say that. You can just say vote no on the big beautiful bill. If you want to say the following, you can. This bill will take health insurance and food assistance away from tens of millions of people, makes tax cuts for the rich, and includes clauses shielding Trump and his administration from the consequences of violating court orders. I expect you to vote no.

[Abby Wambach]

Great.

[Amanda Doyle]

So that's what you can do.

[Abby Wambach]

I have an idea, and I like to propose this to the Pod Squad. We have been sold for a very long time. These wellness projects or these routines follow me on my morning routine as I put serum on my face and I cold plunge and I do my 12 minute meditation. And all of this is a get ready with me fucking individual wellness program. So let us add a collective wellness moment to our morning routines. I recently saw this cool interview with Sheryl Crow where she said that every single morning she calls her representatives, but that is part of her morning routine. Let us add a moment of collective protection that will protect our wellness and safety, I might dare say, even more than the serum.

[Amanda Doyle]

Oh, don't be crazy.

[Abby Wambach]

Cluttered. Let's just call our representatives every effing morning as part of our morning routine.

[Glennon Doyle]

Oh, God.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay. We love you, Pod Squad. We're gonna be bringing you lots more information and lots more things you can do with it. Okay, thanks for doing hard things with us. Thank you to Senator Warren. Thank you to everybody who is showing up. See you next time. If this podcast means something to you, it would mean so much to us if you'd be willing to take 30 seconds to do these three things. First, can you please follow or subscribe to We Can Do Hard Things? Following the POD helps you because you'll never miss an episode, and it helps us because you'll never miss an episode. To do this, just go to the We Can Do Hard Things show page on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Odyssey, or wherever you listen to podcasts and then just tap the plus sign in the upper right hand corner or click on Follow. This is the most important thing for the pod. While you're there, if you'd be willing to give us a five star rating and review and share an episode you loved with a friend, we would be so grateful. We appreciate you very much. We Can Do Do Hard Things is created and hosted by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle in partnership with Odyssey. Our Executive producer is Jenna Wise Berman and the show is produced by Lauren Legrasso, Allison Schott and Bill Schultz.