Wired In: Presidential Knockouts & Vance's Communion Tour

Summary

Podcast Summary: Wired In – Presidential Knockouts & Vance's Communion Tour

Host: Cabot Phillips (The Daily Wire)
Date: June 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Wired In delivers a lively, jam-packed rundown of the day’s most significant stories in politics and culture. Cabot Phillips discusses a recently foiled terror plot at a UFC event on the White House lawn, breaks down the latest on President Trump’s foreign policy and the controversial Iran deal, dives into political scandals involving California Governor Gavin Newsom and the SPLC, and spotlights the cultural moment surrounding the historic UFC Freedom 250 event. Guests include Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, UFC star Bo Nickal, policy advocate Michael Burkentin, commentator Benny Johnson, editors Ben Domenech and Batya Ungar-Sargon, and Professor Brad Wilcox.

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Key Segments & Highlights

1. Foiled Terror Plot at the White House UFC Event

[00:00–10:15]

• Breaking News: The FBI arrested five men across multiple states who planned a complex attack at the White House UFC event, involving explosive drones and sniper ambushes.
• Details of Plot:
  • Attackers aimed to herd attendees toward sniper sites after drone detonations.
  • Authorities found evidence of significant planning, maps, target photos, and online radicalization.
  • Main suspect, Tyson Proper, reportedly radicalized online, with anti-Semitic motives.
  • Targeted lawmakers, notably Marsha Blackburn, using images from Track AIPAC (04:42).

“Some of the tentacles of anti-Semitism…do have fruits in real life. And we can see them in, in instances like this.”
— Mary Margaret Olohan [04:50]

• Law Enforcement Response: Swift FBI/Secret Service intervention; suspects charged with attempted murder, conspiracy, and violent crimes.
• Parallel News: DOJ charging Antifa activists with violence at ICE facilities, emphasizing Trump admin efforts to “crack down on far-left radicalism.” [06:22]

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2. The Latest on Trump’s Iran Deal & G7 Diplomacy

[07:40–10:15]; [34:31–49:15]

• Diplomatic Confusion: Multiple, conflicting accounts of what's in the new Iran deal; frustration with secrecy and lack of congressional briefings.

• Criticism Across GOP Spectrum: Both “hawks” and “America First” senators unsure how to defend the deal.

• Bhatia Ungar-Sargon Analysis: Compares JD Vance’s role in promoting the Iran deal to Kamala Harris and the “border czar” — seen as politically risky and thankless.

  “Trump has border czar’d JD Vance. He’s hung this ridiculously terrible deal around his neck…”
  — Batya Ungar-Sargon [37:27]

• Key Issues:

  • No clear verification in agreement.
  • Perceived as similar or worse than the Obama-era JCPOA.
  • Anger that the U.S. is seen as having capitulated at a moment of Iranian vulnerability.
  • Domestic political urgency—Trump wants the deal “in the rearview” ahead of midterms.

“If it was good, we would have seen it immediately.”
— Ben Domenech [43:06]

• Middle East Dynamics:
  • Trump publicly criticizes Israeli military decisions, suggesting Israel let Syria handle Hezbollah [45:35].
  • Discussion of U.S.-Israel relations and the U.S. president’s pivot away from unconditional support.

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3. UFC Freedom 250 on the White House Lawn & Masculinity in America

[10:16–22:25]

• Bo Nickal’s Knockout Victory:
  • Nickal describes the surreal experience: “It’s pretty crazy when you train that long and it only lasts four minutes.” [11:38]
  • Noted for sharing his Christian faith post-fight and honoring military service members during his walkout [13:15].
  • Recalls jumping the cage to thank President Trump, completing a circle since their first meeting in 2019 [14:30].

“My faith comes first. That’s my foundation… I have a lot of gratitude in general.”
— Bo Nickal [16:19]

• Culture & Faith:
  • Michael Burkentin and Nickal co-authored a Daily Wire piece emphasizing masculinity, faith, and community.
  • Emphasis on accountability, Bible study, and resisting victimhood.

“Young kids are starting to wear cross necklaces in high school, and people are going back to church in droves.”
— Michael Burkentin [15:20]

• Broader Impact:
  • Discussion of shifting American culture toward traditional values and away from left-wing influences.
  • Light-hearted discussion of “ginger pride” and how Nickal’s success impacts bullied red-haired kids [19:55].

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4. Benny Johnson: Culture, Scandal, and Satire

[22:25–34:35]

• Cultural Restoration: Benny Johnson frames the UFC event as a turning point away from “drag shows for children” and “feminist demolition.”

“It was like a restoration of Western civilization, which was always built on masculine conquest.”
— Benny Johnson [24:21]

• Newsom and SPLC Scandals:
  • Discusses DOJ investigations of Gavin Newsom and wife for financial misconduct and nonprofit irregularities [25:55].
  • Satirizes the Southern Poverty Law Center scandal involving alleged payments to a neo-Nazi lover [30:31].
  • Jokes about political hypocrisy and cultural absurdities; references “Seinfeld” and lighthearted Star Wars theater anecdotes.

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5. Fatherhood in America – Trends & Myths Debunked

[50:21–59:10]

• Guest: Prof. Brad Wilcox, University of Virginia
• Main Findings:
  • The stereotype of American dads as “deadbeats” is increasingly inaccurate.
  • Dads spend 3x more time with their kids than in the 1960s; dramatic spikes post-1970s and since COVID [51:36].
  • Increased engagement linked to changing workforce patterns (“feminism and more moms heading into the workplace” [52:29]) and pandemic home life.
  • Households with involved fathers see substantial benefits: lower incarceration, higher graduation, lower depression/pregnancy rates in teens [53:47].
  • New study links smartphone adoption to a sharp drop in birth and dating rates among youth [55:28].
  • Calls out the “player” ethos promoted by influencers like Alex Cooper and Andrew Tate, noting the correlation with high divorce rates [56:42].
  • More young men from working-class, liberal, and secular backgrounds opting out of fatherhood — trend highlighted in upcoming IFS report [58:31].

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Notable Quotes

• On terrorism plot:
  “…he began to engage with certain people online. He was very fixated on Epstein, on Israel, on the pro Israel lobby.” — Mary Margaret Olohan [02:41]

• On American masculinity:
  “It was like bringing the Coliseum forward. It was like a restoration of Western civilization, which was always built on masculine conquest.” — Benny Johnson [24:21]

• On the Iran deal:
  “They stopped too early because people got skittish about how long it was going to go. And then we’ve ended up with a deal that I just think…has more similarities than differences with the Obama deal.” — Ben Domenech [42:20]

• On changing fatherhood:
  “We’ve seen kind of dads spending three times more with their kids and their families today versus 1960s…Sum up the amount of time…both dads and moms…are spending about 63 hours per week on all those things…” — Prof. Brad Wilcox [50:28, 51:23]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Terror Plot Details, FBI Response: [00:00–05:08]
• Antifa Crackdown and DOJ: [06:22]
• Iran Deal Confusion and Political Fallout: [07:40–10:15]; [34:31–49:15]
• Bo Nickal UFC Interview & Cultural Commentary: [10:16–22:25]
• Benny Johnson Cultural & Scandal Analysis: [22:25–34:35]
• Father’s Day Special, Fatherhood Myths and Data: [50:21–59:10]

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Tone & Language

• The episode is conversational, often humorous, but pointedly critical of progressive activism and what the speakers view as cultural excesses or political mismanagement.
• Bo Nickal’s segments are humble, faith-centered, and focused on gratitude and values.
• Commentary from Benny Johnson is irreverent, high-energy, and satirical.
• Policy and data segments are direct, data-driven, yet accessible.

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In Summary

This episode offers a vivid snapshot of ongoing political, cultural, and social battles in America—balancing high-stakes analysis (terror plots, international diplomacy, and scandals) with personality-driven explorations of faith, masculinity, and family. Not only does it recap major news but also frames them in terms of deeper cultural trends influencing the national conversation.

Transcript

[A]

Good evening, everybody and welcome to Wired In. I'm Cabot Phillips coming to you from Daily Wire hq. We've got a packed show today, so let's just get right to it. The FBI says they foiled a complex terror attack that intended to target the White House UFC event this weekend. The details involved explosive laden drones, sniper outposts and more. We'll get the latest there. President Trump is huddling today with world leaders at the G7 summit. We'll hear from the White House about what he's looking to accomplish. California Governor Gavin Newsom says he and his wife are under investigation by the Department of Justice. We'll tell you what he's up against. Left wing SPLC boss is being accused of funneling more than a million dollars to her lover who happened to be a member of a neo Nazi hate group. We'll tell you all about the latest on that crazy story and we'll be joined by a star UFC fighter who just scored a viral knockout this weekend at Freedom250. He'll tell us what it was like fighting on the White House lawn. And Then Vice President J.D. vance just appeared on the View. Yes, that View will get you the highlights from that fiery. Sit down. All right, let's do this thing. Roll that graphic. And just a reminder for all you lovely folks at home, Wired In Live is now streaming live at 4pm Eastern Monday through Thursday over on the Daily Wire. Get daily coverage of the news happening right now, why it matters, and insight from experts who are actually in the story, not just sitting around talking about it. Become a member and join the live [e-mail] subscribe well, the FBI announced this morning that they arrested five people in connection with a sprawling terror plot targeting Sunday's UFC event at the White House. The DOJ says the attackers plan to attach explosives to drones and and target multiple buildings in the vicinity of the White House. They hoped to trigger a mass evacuation towards a group of snipers who would then target those fleeing the scene. Officials say a quote, second wave was allegedly planned as part of that attack, which would involve storming the White House gates to target politicians and others gathered for the fight. One of the suspects allegedly spent thousands of dollars buying ammunition rifles and bulletproof plate carriers. According to that Suspect's father, the 19 year old had recently quit his job to meet up with individuals he'd met online for the purpose of, quote, missions and recons. Five men have since been arrested in California, Nebraska, Ohio and Missouri. At least two have already been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan joins us now with more. Mary Margaret, a terrifying story here. What are you hearing from the Trump administration today about this plot?

[B]

Hey, Kevin. Yeah, I think when we talked about how much fun this event was on Sunday, we didn't really have any idea how closely apparently we came to such a dangerous event. So, like you were just sharing this was a plot to kind of herd the attendees into a space where they could be shot at. Thankfully, the FBI arrested these guys. They learned of the plot on June 10, which was not too long ago, maybe about six days ago, thankfully put a stop to it. But what we know is that the FBI was working with the Secret Service in order to quickly get deal with this issue as this event was rapidly approaching. We've heard that these guys were charged with attempt to commit murder. We also obtained a criminal complaint showing that they're charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the US Attempted murder of an officer, possession of a firearm to furtherance of a violent crime, and so many more charges. We're learning more and more. Cabot Run right as we're speaking, I got a bunch of affidavits about the other criminals who are involved in this. The individual that we know the most about, though his name is Proper, first name is Tyson Proper. This guy was from what appears to be a good Christian family. He appears to have been radicalized by people online. Like I said, we're still learning more about him, but from what we do know, he began to engage with certain people online. He was very fixated on Epstein, on Israel, on the pro Israel lobby. And as we know, he wanted to target a number of people specifically because he felt that they were beholden to the Israel lobby, that they received money from Israel. One of those people in particular was Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who I'm sure has come on the show before on Daily Wire, has done many interviews with her in the past, as well as another number of other lawmakers. And one thing I found disturbing about this Cabot is that among the documents that the FBI was looking at, they talk about in this criminal complaint, it appears that there were photographs of these lawmakers that these individuals were targeting and they were taken from the website Track aipac. So it just shows you, at least in this instance, that some of the tentacles of anti Semitism that we have seen of people becoming really obsessed with this, with Israel, with different matters pertaining to Israel do have fruits in real life. And we can see them in, in instances like this.

[A]

And it's worth pointing out There are times where we hear stories of the feds busting potential terror plots. And then you go back later and look into the details, and it's a few guys, you know, sitting around a campfire throwing out crazy ideas. No one actually seems intent on carrying out those crimes. This story seems different. If you read through some of these text messages that individuals were exchanging, you saw conversations about maps. You saw a lot of clear planning that was going on. They were discussing specific outposts where snipers could talk. They were talking where snipers could be. They were talking about lines of fire. They were talking about specific plans for, as you said, herding crowds into almost, you know, death zones where they'd have clear shots on people. And there were allegedly, according to the FBI, specific plans for this group to meet up in Virginia, I believe, in Fredericksburg in the week leading up to this event. So this does seem like it was something that was quite serious. The FBI were grateful that they were able to step in. But all of this comes as the DOJ has recently today announced new charges against antifa rioters and antifa organizers who have been staging demonstrations and violent riots outside of ICE facilities. Tell us about the latest there.

[B]

Yeah, so the officials today announced the arrests of a number of people who were involved in these incidents in Minnesota. And they charged them for, you know, disorderly behavior and attacking officers and all of these other heinous acts that we saw as ICE was attempting to do their jobs in Minnesota. Now, this is all part of the President's plan to crack down on this far left activity. We've heard a lot of talk about this. This is something that Trump and Kash Patel and J.D. vance and a lot of other members of the Trump administration have been very vocal about in the need to crack down on far left radicalism. I think Stephen Miller is also a voice we've heard on this many times as well. I think it would probably also highlight the rise in transgender violence that we've seen in recent years, particularly, you know, in the Annunciation Catholic shooting and even in the death of Charlie Kirk. But in this specific instance, this is far left, antifa, anti fascist radical activity. And the Trump administration is cracking down on that. And I think we can already guess just from having this conversation that there's going to be a lot of outcry from the left as it pertains to these protesters who many people on the left believe were doing a good thing as they resisted and harmed ICE officers.

[A]

Yeah, I want to get to the Iran deal that's also dominating the Conversation there at the White House. Have we learned anything else about what is actually in this thing that has been the big debate? The Iranian state media saying one thing, American media saying another. Mary Margaret, you're talking to the White House all day. What is actually in this deal?

[B]

So we've heard what we know at this point is that we will allegedly see the deal by Friday. Lots of things are supposedly going to be happening by Friday. I think we talked about this yesterday, how the President says that the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be open by Friday and that we will get the deal itself by Friday. What we're hearing a lot from American media is more concerns that this deal is not so much a deal, but more negotiations preparing us for more discussions of places that we will go to hopefully reach a final deal. Now, we don't know that for certain. That is just a lot of the takes that we're hearing on this. But we are also hearing a lot of pushback from American officials saying, why would you trust Iranian media? Why would you trust Iranian sources? And in some cases even, why would you be paying attention to Israeli media and not listening to what American media and American officials are telling you? So, a lot of controversy, a lot of backlash online. Some of the president's fiercest defenders, such as Alex Brushowitz, who is one of the president's top advisers, he's definitely a social media strategist, has just been online eviscerating people all day long for criticizing the president, criticizing his plan. And it's a little bit of a dicey time, Cabot, as the president is in Geneva participating in the G7 summit. And we're hearing a lot of back and forth. But, you know, we were briefed by Trump administration officials yesterday who told us, you know, the top lines on this deal, especially stressing that it does fulfill what the President had said that he always wanted, namely that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, that we're going to get those enriched materials out and more. So some of us, you know, for my part, we're kind of waiting and hoping that we get this deal sooner than we think. But at the end of the day, hopefully by Friday, it makes me feel

[A]

a little better that you don't know what's in the deal because you're like, you know, a White House reporter, and you're there every day, you're talking to everyone. So I feel less out of the loop that you also don't know. So, message from Trump. Basically, we have a deal, but the deal might be to make negotiations to make the deal. That might be what we're getting right now. We will wait and see. Mary Margaret Olahan, Daily Wire White House correspondent, thanks so much as always for joining us.

[B]

Thank you for having me.

[A]

All right, guys, if I appeared tired on yesterday's show, it's because I was. It's because I stayed up until one in the morning Sunday night watching UFC Freedom 250. I called every person I know in Washington trying to get a ticket, but alas, this was apparently a pretty exclusive event. However, our next guest had no trouble getting into the event because he was actually fighting in it. Have a look. Nickel loves that. Drop down right hand out of range on the last offering, the kick partially gets home. That's a huge right hand dunk. Covering up, big elbow. That'll do it. Bo Nickel coming up large at the White House.

[C]

Bo Nickel with another knockout.

[A]

Every time I watch that video, I just start involuntarily chanting, usa. I'm fired up. That was rising UFC star Bo Nickell he's not even a rising star. He's UFC star Bo Nickel. He joins us now with his longtime friend, Michael Burkentin, partner with the America First Policy Institute's Make Housing Great Again initiative. Gentlemen, it's great to have you both. Bo, I'll start with you. I gotta ask, how many times have you watched that highlight since Sunday? Because I trained MMA the last few years, and I would win, like, a white belt jiu jitsu match in a local high school gym, I'd stay up all night watching my own highlights. How many times have you watched it?

[D]

You know, I don't really watch my own highlights too often, to be honest. I probably watched it three or four times. But, yeah, it was an unbelievable experience. I'm super grateful to my team, my family, everybody that supported me through these last seven months of prep for the fight. And it's pretty crazy when you train that long and it only lasts four minutes. But I had fun out there, for sure.

[A]

This is the difference between you and me. I'm the least humble guy ever. You're the most humble guy, you're saying? I've seen it a few times. I love that. Michael, obviously, senior buddy get a knockout on the biggest stage in UFC history was the highlight. But can you walk us through what it was like actually being there in person for this entire thing?

[E]

Yeah, it's an epic event. And congratulations to Bo and his family for doing an incredible job there on the White House lawn. This is such a historical event, and to have a knockout on the White House lawn and do what he did. And what you did, Bo, is just simply incredible. And I think the best part of the evening was your messaging around God right after you won.

[A]

Yeah, that was inspiring. My wife is not the biggest UFC fan, but she was sitting on the couch with me, and her words were, this guy is so likable. I love that when you. When you start talking, I was pumped up. Hearing you share the gospel a bit, was really cool. The other really cool part was seeing your walkout, which for folks who didn't watch, started in the actual White House. So can you give us a little background? Like, what went into that? Did it throw you off at all, being in that environment?

[D]

It was amazing. You know, hats off to the ufc, Secret Service, the White House crew, for, you know, making that possible. Thursday, we did a run through of it, and I was literally goosebumps, chills the entire time because I was just imagining what it was going to be like with 4,000 people there and the President and everybody. And I think the coolest part was getting to walk out with a service member as well as the Medal of Honor winner and just pay a little bit of a tribute to our military. And that was just such a surreal experience. I feel like I'm still kind of in awe of it. And just. Did that really happen? It was just such a blessing.

[A]

We're all in all the same way. And you mentioned President Trump. He's a longtime fan of yours. I know you guys met first, I believe, in 2019, when you won the national title, Penn State wrestling. But after your win, you jumped the cage, you had a moment with him. I want to play that tape and then hear your thoughts on it. Wow, that happened fast. That happened fast. So Jason Herzog stands the fighters up, and Bo Nickell takes matters into his own hands, greets President Donald Trump. Just an iconic moment. What was that conversation like?

[D]

I just told him, thank you for making this happen and how appreciative I was. And I just kind of took him back to 2019, when we first met. And I'd actually told him at that point, you know, I was just graduating college. I had never done any MMA training before, and I told him I was going to fight in the ufc. And I just said, look at us now. Here we are. And just pretty cool just to be able to kind of come almost full circle from that first moment to now. And, yeah, it was unbelievable.

[A]

Yeah, pretty big deal having POTUS in your corner. Now, Michael, you've been outspoken about young people, men in particular, you and Beau actually co authored a new piece on the Daily Wire called the Bigger Story Behind Trump's White House UFC Event. This went up last week. Everyone should go read it. It's fantastic. Can you just tell us the message that you wanted to get out to Americans, especially young people?

[E]

Yeah, I mean, President Trump has created such a culture of excellence around, you know, believing in Jesus and following Jesus. And, you know, we see this cultural shift happen, and, you know, 42% of Americans are moving to Jesus, and things are really starting to aspire. You know, young kids are starting to wear cross necklaces in high school, and people are going back to church in droves. And Bo and I just, you know, we're really passionate about, you know, getting masculinity and faith back rejuvenated into the, you know, the culture. And we're just happy to really push that message.

[A]

Yeah, and one of the things you guys talk about in your piece is how our culture has kind of tried to shame their version of masculinity. But, Bo, you encourage young men to embrace real masculinity. What does that look like to you? What's important for achieving that virtue of true masculinity?

[D]

Man, I think that I'll just go off my experience, but something. One of the most cool parts of the weekend for me was the fight being on Sunday, attending church with my family and friends and everybody that morning, and being able to kind of really put in perspective what's important in life. And my faith comes first. That's my foundation. And I feel like because of that, I'm able to have gratitude in big moments like this and be able to really focus on, again, what's important. My faith, my family, my wife, my two kids, being a great husband and a great father to them, and really just living my life in a way that resembles Christ as best I can. Right. We all sin and fall short, but it's that effort to continue to try to be a better person and emulate Jesus as much as possible. And I think that he's just blessed me so much in life that I have a lot of gratitude in general,

[A]

and I thought it was cool. You guys talk in the piece about the importance of community and the importance of accountability that comes with that. Y' all talk about your Bible study there. Bo, can you give a message to. We got a lot of young people that watch the young people. It's for everyone, but especially the young people, about the importance of having that accountability and that, you know, that. That community aspect when it comes to a Bible study or whatever it is, 100%.

[D]

I started attending Bible studies, you know, probably when I was 16, in high school. And actually post flight, I mentioned a verse that I had memorized in high school, and it's John 10:10. It says, the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come to give you life so that you may live it to the full. And, you know, I feel like I'm living a full life. And a huge part of that is being accountable, being around other Christians, guys that have the same values as you. You know, Mike's been a great example to me and somebody that I can lean on and trust in a lot of different ways. And I think that when we are there for each other and we're able to support each other and lift each other up, try to become better people, you're just going to be happier, more fulfilled in life and just, you know, have more gratitude and, yeah, get more fulfilled again.

[A]

Everyone go read this piece on Daily Wire. It's fantastic stuff. And, Mike, you talk here about encouraging young people, young men in particular, to remain hopeful, to not fall victim to or to not fall prey to victimhood. And one of the things that makes them feel pessimistic about the future is the cost of living. The housing crisis. I know that you're working with the America First Policy Institute on the Make Housing Great Again initiative. What's going on there? Sounds like cool stuff.

[E]

Yeah, it's fantastic stuff. So America is short housing right now, which is really lopsided affordability. So we've been working with the White House in hopes to change the culture in America and keep pushing President Trump's agenda in that we need to create families in a different way. So family formation, taking the first time home buyer age from 40, getting it back into the 20s, and just driving home faith and religion and making sure that fathers are being strong out there in their faith and passing it on to their sons and daughters at a young age. I think it's super, super critical.

[A]

Yeah, Bo, obviously this win means a lot for you personally, but you know this. You're representing a bigger community in that octagon Gingers. I have a buddy of mine who's a ginger and he texted me, he's like, you got Bo on the show. He's like, tell him that this means so much for the ginger community. Think of all the young ginger kids on the playground who are not going to get bullied because they can say, look what Bo Nickel did. What does this mean for your ginger brothers and sisters out there?

[D]

Oh, it's huge. You know, since a young age, that's always been something that, you know, people. People give you flack for. And I think for me, it just. It made me tough, and it made me, you know, kind of embrace who I am and own it. And really, you know, when you go into any situation and people have something to say, you feel like maybe you have something to prove a little bit, but it's helped, you know, no pun intended, but keep that fire in my belly and keep me pushing and trying to improve.

[A]

My takeaway is that my two sons who are blonde haired, I need to maybe dye their hair red before they go to school. Like, it's going to toughen you up, man. It's going to force you to build character. Bo, you know this by now, I'm sure, but just a few hours ago, you cracked the UFC rankings for the first time, so congratulations. A huge accomplishment. That means two, maybe three fights away from the belt. So walk us through what your path looks like over the next year or two.

[D]

My path and plan is just to keep improving, getting better. You know, I think I started competing at five years old in wrestling, and I knew very, at a very young age that I wanted to be, you know, the best in the world at whatever I was doing. And so, for me, the way to do that is not be focused on the end goal. It's just to focus on the process and keep committing myself to my craft daily and improving, and the results will come. So just getting back in the gym. I'm healthy, luckily, and I'll be back, you know, training. I wanted to get in today, but my wife told me, you know, take some time, spend, you know, with. With my boys and her, which I was happy to do, but I'll be back in the gym tomorrow.

[A]

I love that. I have one final question, Bo. If you were in a fight with me, Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, and Ben Shapiro all at once, they close that octagon cage. Could we beat you? Could the four of us beat you?

[D]

No shot. I'm sorry, guys.

[A]

Who are you knocking out?

[D]

Once we get in there, it's all business.

[A]

Are you knocking out? Going for me first? I'm probably. Me or Matt's the biggest. I think Ben could probably. Ben would have some good takedowns. He's got a low center of gravity. He could. He could shoot pretty fast, I'm guessing. I don't know. Just a thought.

[D]

Whoever seems the most confident, that's what I'm going for.

[A]

Okay. All right. I definitely would not be the most Confident. Gentlemen, thank you guys again so much for making time for us. We really appreciate it. And, Bo, congratulations on the big win. Mike, thank you so much for your work. Again, everyone, go read Beau and Mike's piece over on the Daily Wire. Gentlemen, pleasure to have you.

[E]

Thanks, Kevin.

[A]

All right, we turn now to Benny Johnson, host of the Benny Show. Benny, it's great to have you. I know you were with Beau on Sunday before his fight, and you guys were talking, and he accurately predicted exactly. He predicted exactly what was going to happen. Both said, hey, I'm going to get a knockout. I'm going to jump the cage. I'm going to dap up President Trump. So congrats on getting that scoop before it even happened.

[C]

Did the same. I mean, it was like cinema, dude. It was absolute cinema. It was amazing to be there. You know, when you're at the event, when you're covering these events live, you can't actually take in. It's almost like, impossible to take in the awe and the beauty of the entire event. I've rewatched it twice. It's crazy. I've, like, rewatched the whole fight. You know, you like. You know how the fights are going to go, but it's the entertainment value on this. I don't think people quite understand the majesty of it and also how important it all was to see every single fight. And in a ko, to see Beau go there and dap up the president, to see Michelle Obama be called a man. I mean, this is what this country is built on. And it's like, that's a joke. But also, everyone, like, relax. It is literally a joke. What was more important here, Cabot, was what we were saying to the culture, which was that the culture is ours now. Enough troons and trannies dancing around, stripping, drag shows for children on the White House lawn. We're done with that. Like, the era of controlled American demolition and destruction from, like, the feminist Longhouse is officially over. And now I do want to see Bo Nickel kick Ben Shapiro's ass and Matt Walsh and yours in, like, you know. And of course, you would go for Michael Knowles first. Everyone knows that would be the correct answer. That's what we wanna see. The reason we wanna see that is because that's how the country was built on violent conquest and on men doing honorable and dignified and extremely heroic things. And so it was like bringing the Coliseum forward. It was like a restoration of Western civilization, which was always built on masculine conquest. And it was really neat to see what I saw from the final Thing I'll say on this, what I saw from my vantage point, which I'm not sure could be translated on tv, is there were so many rappers there, so many rock stars, so many tech titans, so many actors, actresses, they gathered from all realms of culture to go there to the White House to celebrate this and to effectively say the path of American decline is over. Like, we don't. We don't approve of that anymore. Patriots are going to be in control and stay in control. And I think that's why Mark Zuckerberg was there, to be perfectly honest with you. Like, that guy has access to a lot of data. I think he's making a huge bet, along with Elon Musk, that we are ascendant and that patriots will remain in control in this culture.

[A]

Please don't hate on Michael Knowles and his fighting abilities. I'm convinced that he could whip off his cardigan. He could use it as a choking instrument. I don't know. Just a thought, Benny. I had Mark Halpern on the show yesterday, and he asked the question, which Democrat could you ever see hosting a UFC event? And I couldn't think of an answer, but we know who would not. And it's Gavin Newsom. He's in the news this week. Gavin Newsom, alleging that the DOJ is investigating him and his wife. What do you make of this story?

[C]

Well, there's a lot to investigate. And I. Yeah, I mean, I like who, like, if, if, if Democrats were. Again, like, if Democrats were going to. If Democrats were going to stage a fight on the White House lawn, it wouldn't be a UFC fight because there's no more testosterone in the Democrat party. It would have to be a sumo wrestling fight between Chris Christie and J.B. pritzker. So that, like, you'd. That's what you'd have to do there. There wouldn't be any other option because

[A]

they wouldn't have any fighters now, though. So I don't know. There's.

[C]

There are no fighters.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

My brother in Christ, I just saw Chris Christie a day ago at Union Station in dc. He is not on Ozempic or he needs to sue Ozempic. If he is in fact on it. Yeah, he needs to get his money back, bro.

[A]

What do you think about that? No, there's some investigation. Yeah.

[C]

The Gavin Newsom story is brilliant because there's a lot of very strange things that have gone on. And this, I think, is the most important thing because this is all under grand jury subpoena and seal right now. So we don't really know the details. We just know, like the rough outlines. We know that the Newsoms own multiple multimillion dollar palatial mansions. We know that Gavin Newsom's income does not even remotely sufficiently supply for the furnishing of the mortgages on those mansions. Nobody's quite sure this is exactly how you get yourself an IRS audit. When your income doesn't match your spending. No one's quite sure why. That's how. Yeah, so I think that's. That's what's happening in the first round now. There's multiple investigations. In fact, Mary Margaret Olahan, I think, had this for the Daily Wire. The other investigation centers on Jennifer Sibyl Newsom's nonprofit, which has some shady deals also going on. And no one can quite explain it. And then where is all this coming from? Well, it's coming from the Sacramento DOJ office. Accordingly, whistleblowers from Gavin Newsom's own office. Now, this is where it gets really dangerous, because Gavin Newsom's former chief of staff just admitted that due to guilt to multiple tax and paperwork crimes for Gavin Newsom while he was working with Gavin Newsom. So is he flipping. Are they flipping people on Gavin's team? I mean, this is in perilous. Everybody I talked to from California politics, Rick Grinnell was at the UFC fight, for instance, says this is like, everybody knows that this has been going on with Gavin Newsom and that he's in extremely hot water. I just want to say one other thing to Gavin, which is that he's sitting here bitching and crying about somebody going after my wife. You go.

[D]

You.

[C]

You're going after my wife? How dare you. I'm going to be the vanguard and protectorate of. Of women and honorable wives. But the moment that I went to California to go investigate Gavin Newsom's mass fraud, and we did prove mass fraud, and warned everyone they were gonna use the homeless crisis to rig elections. They did exactly that. Gavin Newsom attacked me and my family and my wife with lies. And so I'm not buying this at all. Gavin Newsom immediately attacked Nick Shirley and called him a child predator. Could get Nick killed. There's a man who was just. Just pled guilty in federal court, a California man for trying to kill my family, sent me threatening letters threatening to murder us. He just pled guilty. This man was effectively parroting the same attacks that Gavin Newsom used on me. And so Gavin Newsom's never reached out. He's never apologized for any of this. Gavin Newsom doesn't give a damn about families under threat at all. Gavin Newsom's wife, by the way, is the one who victim blamed when Gavin Newsom was banging his married secretary, which was married to his chief of staff at the time. So Gavin Newsom did all these things. He admitted to all these things. Cybil Newsom. Don't even look into what she did with Harvey Weinstein, man. Reading the court documents there keep you up at night. No, these are not honorable or good people. They're trying to like LARP as that they should be called out. It's despicable. They deserve everything that they're getting right now. And yeah, I hope they burn.

[A]

I'm gonna cut that answer and just put it on a loop and I'm gonna play it as I. As I drift off to sleep at night. It warms my heart to hear you giving it to Gavin Newsom. I had one more story. I could listen to you on Gavin Newsom for the whole hour, but I have one more story I wanna get to cuz I just saw it. I said I gotta ask Benny about this one. The splc. There's a new report from the New York Post alleging that one of their top officials funneled more than a million dollars to her lover. Said lover happened to be a member of one of the neo Nazi white supremacist groups that her group was claiming to combat. What do you think's going on here?

[C]

Yeah, so when they, when they say you're in bed with the enemy, that terminology. When they, when they say you're under the sheets with the enemy. I didn't know the sheets meant KKK robes. Like that's what I didn't. I did not even read that far into it. And if they don't, I think Matt said, Matt Walsh posted this. They need to make a rom com here was like the white doughy liberal woman who's trying to fight racism married to a neo Nazi, by the way, I would watch, ok? I would click. I would watch. I would be must see tv. This is a genius story. I love it. I love it because it says two exciting things about our culture and America's fun. America should be fun. It says that there is a major supply and demand problem when it comes to actual hatred in this country. It's an awesome country that the left who claims that they're constantly under attack, that they actually are going to have, they're gonna. For that to be even remotely true, not only are they gonna have to fund those people, they're not only gonna have to Take them out to dinner. They're gonna have to take them home and get romantic with them to keep them burning their crosses and wearing their white sheets. And so, like, again, it's hilarious. It's funny. It's like a Tim Dillon sketch. I just can't believe it's real. It's like a Shane Gillis joke or like something you'd see on Kill Tony, but it's happening. Or like a Seinfeld, like a Seinfeld episode. Didn't Seinfeld. There's a Seinfeld episode where he dates a neo Nazi. He like dates a white supremacist. And he's like, you're legitimately watching a Seinfeld episode play out right now. And so I think that's great. And it makes this country fun. It makes it entertaining. These, all these people should go to jail. And I'm laughing all the way. I think it's great.

[A]

Well, we know that there are a lot of of white pride neo Nazi gang members in prison. So maybe we could send this woman to prison and she could find more men to fall in love with.

[C]

It was George 1. It was George. Maybe your producers can pull it up. It was George. Come on, somebody help me out on this. You guys. There's got to be Seinfeld fan on the show.

[A]

I'm not a Seinfeld fan, George. I just love George fell in love.

[C]

George fell in love. Like, like fell in love or was mistaken for like a neo Nazi leader and was like, like went to a neo Nazi rally. Like, as like some mysterious. Like.

[A]

It was a great. It was great.

[C]

I'm great.

[A]

I'm getting in my ear that it was George. I'm not the guy to thank you. Seinfeld reference. I just love that you spent the last two minutes racking your brain for this. Before I let you go, I just have to say one final thing for people at home watching, thinking, is Benny always like this? Is he always this high energy? What's he like when the cameras are off? Allow me to answer that question. Back in 2015, I went to a screening of Star the Force Awakens. Before the movie starts. I see a gentleman walk into the theater with like a seven foot long light up lightsaber. And he's running up and down the aisles doing this with his lightsaber. He's pumping up the crowd. He's saying Star Wars. I'm like, I go to my friends, I'm like, who is this guy? And someone goes, you don't know Benny Johnson? That's Benny Johnson, it's not me. It was you. It was you. Yes, it was.

[C]

Do you not remember Force Awakens? The Force Awakens is fine. The Force. The Force Awakens was passable. I think everybody, like, accepted that the Force Awakens was a. Okay. Like, if you had told. Like, I. I'd be. I'd be turning off my zoom right now. If you told that story about Return of the. About, like the other subsequent Star wars sequels.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Well, this was before the movie, to your credit. You hadn't seen it yet, but that was my introduction.

[C]

Force Awakens was fine.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Force Awakens. Force Awakens was fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was the last Jedi.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, if you. Yeah, the last. Like that. That ruined everything for everyone and. Well, yeah, that. That. That man is dead. That man is dead.

[A]

Well, your. Your lightsaber. Your lightsaber rendition made the movie for me. So, Benny, great to have you on, as always. We appreciate it. We'll get you back anytime, really. App.

[C]

Kill the past. Bury it if you must.

[F]

Right?

[C]

Isn't that the line? Okay, Kylo Ren.

[D]

Good.

[A]

And I'll start watching Seinfeld now that you're gone. Benny, thanks for being here, man. See ya. All right, well, President Trump and Iran's lead negotiator signed a preliminary agreement this week to open up the Strait of Hormuz and end the war in Iran. But the full text of the agreement still has yet to be released. We continue to hear different versions of the deal from the White House and the irgc. The diplomatic rollercoaster has sparked new infighting within the GOP and looms large with midterms fast approaching. Here with more is Daily Wire opinion editor Ben Domenech and Bhatia Ungar Sargan, author and host of Bhatia on News Nation and also author of the new book the Jews and the Left. Guys, great to have you both. Ben, we'll start with you. In the early days of this conflict, it seemed like the more hawkish wing of the GOP was cheering Trump on. It was the doves who were urging caution. Now things have kind of flipped, with many GOP hawks saying that Trump is making a bad deal that's going to embolden the Iranians. Where do you stand?

[G]

Well, I would slightly differ with you there, because I think it's not just the hawks who are upset right now. If you look at Capitol Hill, there are a lot of America first types, people who got elected to the Senate, for instance, after Donald Trump won the first time. We're kind of looking around Going, are we supposed to defend this without knowing what's in it? I mean, when John Thune is saying he hasn't even even been briefed on it. And so yes, there was always the cheerleaders. Lindsey Graham was always going to be for this. Okay. But I think that what's different this time around is that the nature of this deal is such and because they've kept things behind the scenes that even some of the president's more close, allied, you know, America first as they define themselves, politicians feel like they're caught on their back foot. They don't know how to defend this deal, especially because we already see the situation with, with Iran able to sell oil again, which means that they're getting money already. They the spigot is already getting turned on. That was the most leverage that this administration had to be able to prevent the Iranians from doing that. And to give it up basically puts us, I think, in a much weaker position when it comes to future negotiat. I'll say this though. The vice president clearly is out there owning this deal, advocating for it. He clearly believes in it. He thinks that it's something that's going to remake the Middle east and he's defended the interests of the Gulf allies that we have now, that kind of thing. I mean that's a pretty heavy matzo ball. As long as we're making Seinfeld references to own. If this is the JD Vance deal and it's remembered as it, then I think people will assess it when it comes to his political future.

[A]

Ben, you bring up the vice president. Bhatia, you have a new piece up on Substack where you say that J.D. vance is being border Czar'd. Can you explain your argument in that piece?

[H]

Do you guys remember when the border was open under Joe Biden and one day he woke up and decided to make Kamala Harris the border czar to put her in charge of the most important brief in the nation. A woman who had no capacity to handle any of her portfolio, let alone that. And it became this albatross around her neck, this extremely important issue which she was utterly ill equipped to deal with, was not empowered to deal with it, but also was not capable of doing so given her talents and her gifts, such that they are. And I feel a little bit like Trump has border czar JD Vance. He's hung this ridiculously terrible deal around his neck and is sort of sending him out there to defend it when it is utterly indefensible. Trump had one job here and it was to make the deal be in arguably better than the jcpoa, so that when Scott Jennings goes on CNN and all the ghouls say this is not only the same as the jcpoa, but worse than it, he can laugh in their faces and tell them the truth. But this is actually exactly the same as the jcpoa, if not worse, because we're so close to victory. I mean, there has never been a nation as strong as the United States is right now. We are the world's greatest and only superpower, the strongest nation to ever exist, and we have been brought to our knees by a few minds. And as an American, I cannot stand that. I cannot stand saying that sentence, but it is utterly true. And what's worse is exactly as Ben pointed out, they will never be weaker than they are now. They're about to get all their money back, and so in 60 days, they're gonna be even less likely to give us anything that we're asking for. I just wanna say one more thing. Nobody wanted this to end more than I did. I cannot stand how broke Americans are right now. I've been using my show on NewsNation every week to call for help for working class Americans because they voted for Trump because he promised to put money in their pockets. And they are broke. Right of this war. I cannot stand that. But there are a million ways the president could have helped them domestically that didn't involve the greatest superpower in the history of humanity being brought to its knees by a few minds. He could have given stimulus checks. That's what I suggested. He could have put controls on oil exports. We are a net exporter of oil and gas. We're exporting oil and gas while Americans are paying 450 at the pump. It makes no sense. He had so many things he could have done domestically to help the working class, who are the only reason that I do politics at all, their access to the American dream. So I just feel like when you're assessing whether the juice was worth the squeeze in this situation, you have to ask yourself, the last four months of working class Americans staring at the ceiling instead of sleeping at night, knowing they can't pay their bills, right? Was that worth it for this deal? And I just feel like the answer is just obviously no from everything that we know about it.

[A]

Ben, do you think a lot of this was President Trump feeling pressure to get this thing done as quickly as possible so that it can kind of fade into the rear view as midterms approach?

[G]

He's literally said that he wants to put this in the rearview mirror, talking at the G7. And I think that that's something that just betrays the domestic political situation here. That was really driving. Wrapping this up in the way that it has been, you know, obviously speaks from a position of intelligence and fury on the outcome here. From my perspective, as someone who was skeptical that this was going to end up being a good outcome from the get go, I think that one of the big mistakes they made was that they made the promise of what they were going to try to achieve way bigger than what the initial sort of conversation was around this. Marco Rubio came out about three weeks after the beginning of hostility, the beginning, I'd say, beginning of hostilities, the beginning of the conflict, and said, you know, we saw that they were achieving a level of dominance when it came to their ballistic missile program that would have prevented us from ever being able to stop them from building a nuclear weapon in the future. Okay, That's a much smaller thing than what was promised by the president. That is not the same as what President Trump was saying and what other figures within this administration were saying about what we could achieve. And then it turns out to Baja's point, that we need the Europeans for apparently the one thing militarily they can still do, which is sweep for mines, which is just kind of hilarious, but it is the thing that they're good at. And the Europeans were mad at us and they didn't want to give us

[F]

any of these ships.

[G]

And then the Gulf states got scared because they thought that the oil infrastructure that they have was going to start getting hit. And look, at the end of the day, you can point to all the different damage that was done to the Iranian military, to the Iranian ballistic missile program, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. I think that this was a real situation where they needed to continue bombing. They needed to continue hitting them hard for another two weeks. They stopped too early because people got skittish about how long it was going to go. And then we've ended up with a deal that I just think you're just putting. I mean, I've said this, but I think you're just putting like a big bald eagle on a deal that has more similarities than differences with the Obama deal. And look, we still haven't seen it. I think if it was good, we would have seen it immediately.

[A]

Bhatia, what would be a deal that you would view as positive? What would be the red lines for you?

[H]

First of all, for them to have signed something, apparently, according to J.D. vance in his interview with Sean Hannity last night. The document they've signed does not include anything about verifications. Like, I'm just like, what are we even doing here? Like, that was the problem with the jcpoa. Is this worse than the jcpoa? You know, like, to me, that's just

[G]

like it's the Simpsons steamed ham sketch. Can I see the aurora borealis? No.

[H]

You know, I just. Like, to me, the fact that the Iranians came to the table at all shows how weak they are. It shows how at the end of their rope they are. And the fact that we're letting up on the gas at exactly this moment when they are most vulnerable is crazy. The fact is, I think that the document itself, I've seen sort of what I think is a legitimate draft of it because it tracks with the talking points that the White House put out. And I've been watching every single one of JD Vance's appearances, including the one on Megyn Kelly where he said that apparently Tucker Carlson is still a precious member of the coalition that got Trump elected. Good thing for us all to know he feels that way. And it just seems like it's got everything that the Iranians wanted and just very little by way of commitment to what we wanted. Trump keeps saying very proudly, they've told me they will not pursue a nuclear weapon. As if they didn't tell Obama that. It's just wild. And again, it was like his job was to get a deal that was. Was inarguably better than the jcpoa. Not something that every Democrat could credibly say, like, they're so evil to him, they are so unfair to him, they are so unjust to him in their criticism. And the idea that he would be handing them on a silver platter, something to take to voters which is legitimate. As a supporter of this president, I find that utterly unbearable.

[A]

Ben, a big part of this deal, particularly from the Iranian side, hinges on Israel and Hezbollah stopping their war in Lebanon. To that point, President Trump had some harsh words again this morning for the Israelis. Let's play that clip.

[I]

Fighting Hezbollah too long and too many people are being killed. And you don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartments, carbon houses, and they're not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you. And I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think they do a better job of doing it.

[A]

Ben, what do you think?

[G]

I think that this the Ending to this conflict, the ending to the Iranian conflict is going to really put the test to the relationship that Donald Trump has with Israeli leadership. I think that we've seen them be able to achieve some really impressive things militarily throughout this process. But it's also clear that he's soured on the decisions that they've made and that I think, you know, he's been frustrated in terms of his relationship with Bibi in a way that. That we haven't necessarily seen play out in public as much before. I'll be interested to see what happens next. Bacha probably has some more thoughts on this, but I do think that one of the things that, you know, has to come out of this is this president really does want to be known as a president of peace. I understand that. I respect what he's been able to do when it comes to the targeted use of military assets to achieve great aims. Venezuela is incredible in terms of what he was able to do. And I think that, frankly, he put the Russians back kind of. He's limited them. They've lost so much during this war. He's put China in a position where I think they actually feel less emboldened. They didn't step in to help the Iranians the way that they could have as someone who has a proxy there. And I think that this is something that all looks good in terms of his foreign policy record, but there's a lot of damage that can be done by making one really bad decision. And I think that this is a bad decision that people will look back on and say, what did we really get out of that?

[A]

Bhati, I'll give you the final word. What are you thinking?

[H]

I don't have a problem with Trump getting annoyed at Bibi. I don't have a problem with him sort of saying, you guys overpromised and under delivered. We're great allies, US and Israel, but our interests are not identical. They frequently converge and they sometimes diverge. And if this was a great deal for the United States and a bad deal for Israel, I would not necessarily have a problem with that. If this was a real America first win, I would be cheering it on. It's Israel's job to try to get the most they can out of us, to squeeze us for as much as they can. And it's our job to say yes when it's in our interest and know when it conflicts with our interests. So I don't really have a problem with Trump sort of getting frustrated with Bibi. I don't have a, like, I haven't seen anything that's bothered me. In fact, it's funny when the left says, you know, like, you know, we don't have a problem with Israel, we just have a problem with, you know, Netanyahu, I'm like, no, no, no. That's the conservative position. So I haven't been upset too much by anything that I've seen. I'm really just as an American, the idea that we have been brought to our knees over this is very, very horrifying to me, especially because of the cost that working class Americans have already paid for it and already invested in victory here.

[A]

Yeah. Well, we will have both of you back on next week when hopefully we will finally have the full details of this deal, if the deal is, in fact, signed. It's supposed to be Friday in Geneva. We shall see. Bhatia and Ben, thank you guys so much. Pleasure to have you.

[G]

Gotta sign it to know what's in it. Gotta sign it to know what's in.

[H]

God bless. Cavett. Thank you so much for having me.

[A]

All right, thanks, guys. Just a reminder, everybody. If you're watching Wired in live on the Daily Wire plus app, thank you. If you're watching on Apple and Spotify, I love you, but I don't love you as much as I would if you were over on Daily Wire. That's where you should be. The Daily Wire plus app is how you get push alerts when we go live, breaking news as it happens, and the latest from our investigative reporting team. The app is free and available now on the App Store, Google Play, Apple tv, Roku, Samsung lg. Well, Father's Day is this weekend, and I've already told my wife, honey, I don't need a fancy gift. All I want is a few hours to go sit alone on the riverbank behind our house, catch some catfish. Some would call that laziness. I think it's more recharging the battery so I can be as present as possible with my wife and kids at home. But around the country, there's a stereotype that dads are not pulling their weight when it comes to household duties. Our next guest says that is a myth. Joining us now is Brad Wilcox, professor of sociology at the University of Virginia and fellow at the Institute for Family Studies. Professor, great to have you back.

[F]

Good to be with you today, Cabot.

[A]

So tell us why you think it's a myth that dads are dropping the ball.

[F]

You know, we often hear in the pop culture, on social media and some academic circles that today's Dads just don't kind of measure up. They're not kind of doing enough. And of course, there are certainly dads out there who aren't doing so well on the home front. But we see kind of across the country is that in general today, Cabot, most dads are really doing quite well. They are much more engaged than dads were, say, you know, three generations ago. We've seen kind of dads spending three times more with their kids and their families today versus 1960s. And we kind of sort of sum up the amount of time that dads are spending on work and then on kids and household chores. Both dads and moms, on average, who are married are spending about 63 hours per week on all those things that kind of go into making a family work. So kind of for the average out there, what we're seeing is a lot more engagement on the home front. I think that generally renowns the benefit of their marriages and their kids.

[A]

Can you walk us through that trend? What it looks like some of the specific numbers over the last few decades, just how much of an increase we've seen? Has it been a steady increase? Was there one period of time where it spiked? What does that trend look like?

[F]

Yeah, we do see, really, from the 1970s to the early 1990s, a pretty big spike in the amount of time. Time that dads are devoting to their kids. And then what we see is that there's a kind of further spike, really, from 2020, around the time of COVID to the present today. So there's sort of like this first wave in the 70s, 80s, and early 1990s, and then a more recent wave in the last sort of six years, if you will, where dads have been kind of devoting more to their kids and their families.

[A]

So what's causing it? Is it like reverse psychology, where the culture is saying, hey, let's start the rumor that dads are all deadbeats, and then dads will want to say, no, I'm not, and spend even more time. What is, in your view, driving this?

[D]

Yes.

[F]

I mean, I think a lot of it in the 70s and 80s was just kind of both the impact of feminism and more moms sort of heading into the workplace. And so there was just, I think, a real kind of push and a need for dads to do more on the home front. I think that was a big part of it. But I think more recently, a lot of dads were at home with their kids during COVID as we all can recall. For those of us who had kids during COVID time. And I think what we discovered and we appreciated for all of the downsides to Covid, was that sort of being with our kids, spending time with them was a real opportunity. And so I think in the wake of that experience, a lot of guys have kind of continued to sort of lean into the fatherhood role in ways that have been good for them and for their families. And then too, we have seen moms working more from home in the wake of COVID And so I think in some cases, couples are kind of like renegotiating how they're doing things to kind of make that work as well.

[A]

CABOT I don't need to pour over all the data to know that households with an involved father and mother have better outcomes for children. But that's why I bring on a professor of sociology to actually give us some of the numbers. So in celebration of Father's Day, can you just talk to us about the disparate outcomes between households of kids without an involved father and those with one?

[F]

So I think there are really two ways to think about this. Kevin One is just is the father present in the home? And what I see in my work in terms of kind of father presence is that, you know, kids who are growing up in intact families, who, with a dad on the home front are about half as likely boys, in this case to land in prison before they turn 30 or jail, you know, compared to their peers who are being raised in some kind of non attack situation. And they're about twice as likely. This is true for both young men and young women to graduate from college as well. So it can kind of consume when it comes to things like education, incarceration or depression. Kids who are being raised without their married mom and dad in the home are about 50% more likely to be depressed from my research. So there's just no question that kind of dad's presence in the context of a stable married family is great for kids. And then we see too, it's not just his presence, but sort of the quality of his engagement. Dads who are more affectionate, who are doing more with their kids are more likely to have kids who are not depressed, not delinquent, and their girls are much less likely to end up getting pregnant as teenagers. So we can see that both kind of his presence matters just being there at all, but also kind of the level and quality of his engagement is also linked independently to kids outcomes across America.

[A]

PROFESSOR for years, people have claimed fertility rates were falling because men were not stepping up at home, as you've laid out. It appears that's not the case. But. But we've started to see compelling data this month, and really for years now, that seems to imply the invention of the iPhone and smartphones could be a major contributor to declining birth rates. Can you walk us through some of those numbers and trends?

[F]

Yeah. So I think everyone's been sort of aware of the ways in which the iPhone has had a big impact on American social life. We've seen, for instance, in our work at the Institute Family Studies, that the introduction of the iPhone and the digital revolution more generally seems to have driven down dating among high school students by about 50% in the US is kind of one example. But we haven't seen until recently convincing evidence that the iPhone was kind of definitively linked to declining fertility. And there's a new study out from Middlebury by an economist and a colleague of hers that indicates that the introduction of the iPhone reduced fertility in America by between about 30 and 50%. That's a big effect. So this is kind of giving us sort of like the smoking gun, basically, that the iPhone, or in the smartphones or social media are basically, in a sense, acting as forms of contraception.

[A]

Now, one person who, surprisingly, is helping to combat the declining birth rate in America is Alex Cooper, host of the raunchy Call Her Daddy podcast. She spent years encouraging her listeners to sleep around as much as possible. You've been outspoken about how that message comes at a cost to those who actually do end up getting married and having kids. Can you elaborate on that?

[I]

That.

[C]

Yeah.

[F]

So when she got engaged and married and then had kids, there was obviously some commentary about that. And the point that I made was that the sort of the tragedy in her case was that her podcast, her platform, has really been about kind of celebrating women as players when it comes to sort of sex and relationships. In fact, her show actually advertised, I think, a T shirt that said cheat on him. So she not exactly kind of advocating for a reasonable approach to relationships. And I mentioned that we actually have pretty convincing data that young women who have especially nine or more partners are just way more likely kabba to get divorced. And some of the people responding to my commentary online about that was they were sort of suggesting that I was calling her out in some kind of unfair way or calling women out in some unfair way. But it's important to note that this research done by a colleague named Jesse Smith at Ohio State suggests that both actually women, young women, and young men who have nine or more partners are just way More likely to end up getting divorced. So taking Alex Clark approach to relationships or Andrew Tate's approach to relationships for both young women and young men looks like a path to dramatically increasing your odds of ending up in divorce court.

[A]

I just have to correct you real quick. You said Alex Clark, our friend over culture apothecary. I know you've been on her podcast. We love Alex Clark. I hope more women listen to Alex Clark's advice. You meant Alex Cooper. We all know that. But I wanted to save you some problems with your friend Alex.

[E]

Yes.

[F]

Thank you.

[E]

Sorry.

[A]

Of course. There we go. Professor, that's all the time we have today, but it's always such a pleasure having you on. You're welcome here anytime. And I know I understand you guys have some new reporting, a new report coming out. Tell us about that.

[F]

Yeah, so we have a new report coming out and there's a lot of good news in terms of the dads who are out there are just doing a lot more than their grandparents were. The dads were. But the sort of more sobering news that we're kind of discussing tomorrow in a new report on IFS is that we're also seeing a record share of young men not becoming dads. Especially more working class liberal and secular dads are kind of seeing their father numbers just fall precipitously. So more on that at the IFS website tomorrow morning.

[A]

I would encourage everyone to go check that out and go follow Professor Brad Wilcox on X. He's constantly posting fascinating data, helping explain the world and our culture. Professor, a pleasure again. Thank you so much.

[F]

Okay, thanks, Khaled. Appreciate it.

[A]

All right, guys, we will end things there. Just a reminder, please go follow Wired in on Spotify and Apple podcasts if you haven't already. And please give us a five star review. Following and giving us a five star review is the best way to help this show spread. And it would just mean a lot to our entire team and to me, if you could do that. And just a reminder, the show is only over if you're on Spotify and Apple. If you want more, if you want to join our live Q and A, where I take live questions from our audience, you got to go over to the Daily Wire. So go become a [e-mail] subscribe, get in on the action, and join us on the Daily Wire. Sam.