Welcome to the Commentary Magazine Daily Podcast today's Thursday July fifteen, twenty twenty one, I am jump on horse the editor of commentary bags in returning to our microphones, it senior writer Christine rows of high Christine Hygiene, having spent two days away. Doing at your talk, why? Yes- and if you don't know what that means, you haven't read enough history of self help in America, my team century entertainment,

This is a big thing that happened in amazing century entertainment, which were lengthy speeches by important people given and giant amphitheatres. In particular. state New York and there you are and what would you spoil rue? Speaking on, I speak about free speech and cancel. Culture is really it was. It was actually an honour to be invited, it's a wonderful audience of people who are some of whom go for the summer and stay and listen to all sorts of different speakers in Europe. These activities. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed myself a lot of course here, holding down the fort with Christine gone. And back with us today, as ever. Executive editor, a green waldheim hygiene and associate edited harassment, Heine our Asia, so I don't even know where to begin There seems to be yet again one of these overly

labourer. It theories of political games and ship according to which the Democrats are playing for dimensional chess once again, with Bernie Sanders, DIS ingenuously, demanding six trillion dollars in in in budget spending, so that it can look moderate for Biden to come out with three and a half Biden Schumer and the Democrats come up with three and a half trillion dollars in budget spending, so Brenda doesn't really mean it, and he knows perfectly well that for an afternoon that was a lot of money, but now biting sale. You say I held back the crazies. I'm spending three and a half trillion dollars in new money, and I don't buy it for a minute that there is some kind of a conspiracy and other people in politics do not sit around coming up with these schemes.

M plans. This is a delusion based on people who make me billions of dollars. Plotting television shows and movies and suspense thrillers about politics, things are much more haphazard. People in politics are often as thick and as dumb as you think they are from watching the month. We, including the leaders in the White House and all of that some of them are while some of them are not. This is the year in Tropic result of Democrats We have power and we need to spend as much money as we possibly can. We're gonna have to come up with some way to pay for it in order for it to only need fifty one books instead of sixty blah blah blah, and this is what happened and they said they had it. They said they had full democratic agreement on this three and a half trillion dollar budget, and they don't because mansion

then the matter both have been very non committal about whether they would support this and, of course, if they don't supported than they can talk about. But money like this until the cows come home and yes, there Democrats and yes, they feel pressure from their Democrats, blah blah blah blah blah. That's not gonna happen. it's happened here- is some kind of ay, a thing that came out and maybe it'll be law. Maybe you won't be war, but any idea that we're we're watching here is a fantastic bit of brilliant forced cited planning to put Republicans in a corner and put put conservative democrats on life and death not buy it for a minute looming. Talking a lot about process at the process of getting this pass into reconciliation committees and all happen. We haven't really talk about. What's in it,

I- and we really should be talking about- what's in it, because it's it's staggering, it's a behemoth build that includes basically the entirety of their domestic agenda and, like you said some of its gonna be carved out some members are gonna wanna do parliamentarians can away and say this doesn't really a budgetary but whatever, but the document has been established and it's never gonna disappear. It's an exercise and republican messaging and We should go through the bullet points and it uses mark. I can't we ve got you ve got explain what you mean by you mean that its it it's. Basically, Handing Republicans you know rope to hang Democrats with in twenty twenty two and two twenty four laced with bravado too I mean like daring Republicans to do something about it- is that they wouldn't welcome every opportunity. So are these. The many priorities that are included in this, for example, is an expansion of medical or Medicare?

mercury market on to include Ergo, dental and visual vision coverage and hearing care. And you know that sounds all well and good, if only in theory, but Medicare Hospital Insurance Fund goes insolvent and twenty twenty four a presidential election year, their democrats, you can have, but I am arguing for their expansion. The Republicans are gonna, have arguing against the curtailment of benefits for senior them and they ballooning other hospital bills and includes universal pre keg and free Allah Genus two year Community College, which is again something Republicans, should be able to argue against what they should get up at the business, especially given the organic outpouring of hostility towards racial curricular, that's advocated by teachers, unions. It says it includes a ton of environmental provisions include the tariff on imports from countries that don't mean arbitrary, carbon emissions levels, which coincides coincidentally, the day of

a similar provision that was announced by the European Union. It would create a quote civilian climb core, which essentially creates jobs and climate activism taxpayer for new jobs and climate activism. It would impose limits on public utilities and force them to produce a certain amount of clean energy provision brought to you by the people who gave you rolling blackouts in New York in California. It gives you a in alarm the pro act and imposes the pro act on you wish they couldn't get past the road through an actual legislation, so they're just gonna, do it this one's house which basically forces you into union affiliation of your anywhere near a union. Shop doesn't load, opt out and they also included basically immigration for increases green cards and give some illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, and then they conclude with a threat, they say How can you better pass this physical infrastructure, but they already lost the messaging, were run infrastructure right? This is supposed to be emphasised,

was everything and anything announce the Republicans already one that fight that carved off physical infrastructure away from every else. Democrats wants another say or Republicans. You will pass this physical infrastructure beyond bipartisan basis that we're just gonna. London with this, which the parliamentarians are, we ready to do it's true This is gonna, be an even bigger deal. Is that a threat or a promise, I Republicans would say go ahead. This is all where all lapse easy lay up. If they can't argue against this bill, which makes all the arguments for them, then they should get in Washington on its clearly a bill that is has made. Even the progressives, which have been very impatient and anti about This commitment to their ideas happy, and I think it's notable that and when they had- Each meeting with all the Democrats when they were unveiling all this Biden received several standing ovation according to politico and but to know his point

it was actually in Admit mansion, zoomed right in on the fact that it seems to want to argue the bill argues for the eventual elimination of fossil fuels. He's like that's very disturbing. So if, if you're, if your important vote right, there has already decided that there's something very disturbing about this, you should probably not be giving standing. Ovation too, should be thinking about how to persuade and compromise on some, but in political terms, its too late. It's too late. Even if mansion manages to cleave that provision obligates its left on cutting room floor, it's never going to disappear from the political argument against what they're trying to do here. Republican shouldn't, let it ok so Abe, a column the near posted. It says you know the media announced that there was democratic agreement on this bill. And then Mansion and Cinema said she g cabins variant, still bill. They got there. I'm gonna wanna see what the consequences of it are

and so there was a supporter of fourteen hours. Democrats all agreed to this framework so soon after Linda Framework guess what they didn't so Why are the media reporting that they did? And my my supposition here is that this is where the rubber meets the road and media bias. We can time at me by still the cows come home a book, but part of it is credulous nests about claims that reinforce the priors of the mainstream media, which are they want this bill. They like this bill. They want Democrats see they want there to be big government spending and they want Republicans to be humiliated, and so, when shimmer, when people comments, I guess what we haven't they're, like gray haired? What we're lit we're gonna tell everybody that we have. You have a deal as opposed to, like really did mentioned as one of the fifty like.

Fifty you need all every single democratic, salaried workers record again they robbing about so is mansion one of them and if they got well, I tried man should mean I do I mean he look, we have a framework and then they can say well, you have mentioned is not one of them. Maybe we really shouldn't go out report. That Democrats have agreement on the three and a half trillion dollar package, but they didn't ask that question or the people who reported it credulous Lee didn't even do that elementary. Okay, I'm supposed to be skeptical, so I'm going to the sceptical question, even though I don't want to hear the answer and then they'll get the answer in months ago. Crap. Ok, I guess I have to say that I really have a deal. So don't ask the question. You don't have to get the answer, and here we are. It is now two days in and we're talking about this, though, as though it

A done deal, and it is not a done deal, so you think this is yet more brilliant, inter party gamesmanship that that that you know that accounts for the further for the differences, in the end it in the two realities. No, no, I mean I agree with you in it and then the thing about this with the cheering press here is that not only is it a bad to have a media that does this and for all sorts of reasons, including that we don't get the actual news, but even if you wanted to be a partisan and strategic at these things. If doing things like that kind of reminds me of when an election is coming in one sides, one side there's trouble, there's gonna be trouble, offers one candidate, but they don't see it and instead of sort of see figuring out the lay the land we calibrating and and and trying to fix things they push forward the date.

they grab for sort of every happy pull that they can enter, create this reality. This is what's going to happen as if that will somehow actual that that reality I mean there's also like the phenomenon. We saw this and twenty eighteen with Trump pushing the caravans, the caravans, the caravans are coming, and this is so scary and trumpet activating fear of immigration to turn things around twenty eighteen right and then people go. They must know something what they must have. Look, there's a giant operation, they raised a billion dollars. There are two four hundred and thirty five congressional seats up. There are thirty three Senate's eats up. I mean they must know something and have a lot of data the Europe we better take this seriously, like some big, is going on here. People

really worried about these caravans and guess what nobody cared about. The cat was not there was no, it wasn't a strategy. Knit was Trump thinking that p knew that there was a strategy on going. Ok, you mustn't everyone's like while he must now they must. They must all know and there's a lot of this in politics where it is presumed that people are doing things based on serious sitting down cold I'd, hard reflection with data in their hands, trying to make sure that they know. What's what and what's going on, and in fact mostly people are talking out of there ass, I mean I hate to put it this way, as I was trying to think of a synonym to say it, but I couldn't think of a proper send them, and so I dont know how else to put it, like,

we'll just that your intuition is correct, but you don't have to over think this right. Democrats want a big bill. And it's now the middle of July and they gotta put it forward, and so somebody said, let's say we have agreement and they did it and what's more, what they do know is that the press is friendly, and what that means is that Republicans, no Republican say we have a. We have legislation to me, sure that voting goes back to the way it wasn't. Twenty twenty and Republicans instantly, no, the meteor gonna say this is Jim Crow to like, and so that does become part of us How did you so it's like good argument because go ahead I'll, just give you a brief example of this. Is that new times right up of the singer sprawling smorgasbord and progressive priorities at the end of it. They say, and this is going to be fully funded by not Democrats claim. This is gonna, be fully funded by

mechanisms that in no way in the history of anything, could possibly remotely approach fully funding this thing without being deficit funded by? That's it just now, we find it. You couldn't possibly be too even to fail to a tribute that to a claim which they almost certainly would under the circumstance. The parties were reversed and circumstance river. Just reflexively were reiterated. Democratic talking point there, even though it doesnt pass even the most basic scepticism is just not apply when I'm gonna give you another example from from what I was reading yesterday, and this is a very complicated issue involving drug pricing and it all has to do with whether or not the government can use its power as the Medicare and Medicaid purchaser of prescription drugs to negotiate with drug companies on the prices of drugs which Bay

sickly government is not allowed to do now. What it is allowed to do, what what what Medicare make a do do is set prices on doctors, visits procedures, hospital stays that sort of thing in which there is a there's like a schedule of payments for that stuff, but drug prices are different and have been in a different place. and maybe they shouldn't- and this is a very complicated issue. So somehow this is being woven into Medicare. Medicate reform in this bill. with the idea that it's fantastic because a government will now start negotiating over prices and be, we can then use the fact. The government will do this because we passes in the spill to save six hundred billion

trillion dollars and that's gonna pay for part of the bill. Now that savings should not be public exactly I mean it shouldn't go to paying for this bill. It should go to shoring up Medicare Medicaid and their trust funds. In theory, because the money that is being saved is money for better care medicate that money is supposed to be set. So and all for the entitlements. Medicare Medicaid and Social security are supposed to have separate funding mechanisms and funding pools that are set out which that they don't really. But you understand what I'm saying here is that there is not supposed to pay for universal child care. If you say

if money on medical medicate, it's supposed to be for the purposes of saving Medicare medicate, so they are saying this and then again, reporters are are announcing this in a way that you can see if the circumstances were reversed and some bizarre form of creative accounting were being used by Republicans. A budget bill in this fashion. There is no way that they would get away with it from more than twelve seconds without some wonky were what are some good away? The minute I mean that, is it your double counting here, because effectively they are double counting has. Of course, there is no said there are no savings and maker their running in deficit in they're, gonna go insolvent and all that, but it is effectively double counting to say you can use it to write down the cost of this large piece of legislation,

and so were seeing it real time, there's a weird way in which I think the binding administrations messaging to the american people about what they're doing It reminds me of someone who is really in debt to kind of a mean bookie and keeps trying to give him give people little bit over money. If you just keep from setting. Is thugs roughing em up. So, like you guy, I sent you guys. You know you got. Every one Moroccans got a letter from Biden with a return on blood from Internal Revenue service. Unfortunately open up that letter when it comes in the mail- and it was an I think you know well were giving you some money per child. You have the big package. Everybody gets a certain amount of money, so they're saying friends, are getting that Americans are getting all these promises about college and about being a universal pre k, but they're, not the did. The part that's not being talked about is what it's actually gonna look like for the average American. If a tax increases in their view, when inflation is potentially also on the rise. There there's been more concern, principally by business Ios. Lately about that. So I feel like you.

Throwing little bits of money here and there and promises here and there to kind of just keep people. Quiet infers, hung his plausible, but the the media's role here is, as you say, to actually run the numbers and to get some sort of semblance of an idea of when the bill will come to fruition. This large and I have a question that biogas cancer exist under the answer. This child tax credit its attacks. yeah. It's an advance on your taxes that you pay me presume deduction they can get at the end of the year. So it's taxable in Now I believe years now so here's the story. As I understand it. Ordinarily, you have a refundable tax credit, which is what this is. You would get it next year, you get it, you follow your taxes do get to Apply the number to your bottom line and presumably if your bottom line is appropriately close to zero,

will actually get a cheque from the government for the amount of the refundable tax credit which is not taxable so that that is a refundable tax, whether it is not a it is not a tax which it's not term. What what? What do you call it, But when you get when you get your money back from the government of Sudan so longings, I got a really thought like you, so it was a stimulus like the two thousand. Seven stimulus right need similar stubbornness, your tax refund right and, if you ve, never return yeah writing give back exactly. But in this case it's not a refunded essay, refundable tax credit witches, which means that, if your, if the number is you know less than zero, you get the money back, you get it, that is designed to give you money. That's what the early income tax credit is, and all of that ok constrained to your bank account deposit directly and you're. Ok,

so ordinarily, that would come as a result of your filing. Your tax return, what they are doing here, and this was enough it is. You know one another twenty years ago or something is there they're doing it now and then do it monthly instead of you now, instead of annually so you'll get this three hundred dollars each month, posited from from the? U S, Treasury, as your advance on your child, tat credit, but that's the marketing, partly right, like look at what President Biden is doing literally putting money in your bank account your money, but if it we'll know, but I mean that is look that is that the wild card of large scale government spending of this sort that we don't know is, will that you know well. Odin and will Democrats and waited twenty to say. You were thirty six

dollars, richer per child. Because of us and you you know, and we pulled as you keep hearing, we pulled fifty million children out of poverty through this payment and if people believe it like this is why Republicans fear the demo Rats have the upper hand if they want to hand out for if they want to hand out money right, witches, who's, gonna turn it down and aren't you gonna be, Grateful that you got it right. That is, that is the end. You know, Carl Rove believed that COBRA wanted to do in two thousand three for Bush and by it did it and now binds doing it, and presumably every president from all time now is going to do something where they can say. hi, I'm. The president here is money for you attach to the point about the lifting children out of poverty. There is a huge logistical hurdle that we will have to watch to see if the binding ministration figures out how to overcome with this particular policy.

Which is that it is for people if you ve, already set of automatic, following with the arrest where they take the money. You own taxes on your bank account when you finally return. That's fine. They just put they have that information. Your bank deposit, your money, but most the kids who live in poverty, are also living in families are households where the family owes no income tax right. They there below the wine was actually gonna, o income tax or the question of how they get the money in the hands of those families salon pretty large number of people, and it is of course, the ones that they want to boast about. Having helped, I will see how they do that cause. That strikes me as one of those things were the bureaucratic mechanism. The federal government trying to get money into people's hands might not end up being successful. However, somehow, if but we can get money from the government. They figure out how to receive it. I mean that, as you know, the people who don't

Bank account still get money that they can take to attack ashen, placing them cast cash, the Czech, so they have disability they vessels. I they have. Whatever it is, they have and they there is up informal banking system, they use- and I'm sure, I'm sure, that'll that'll kick in here, but that all proceeds. This is all money from the Koran of Virus emergency bill that money for child poverty or further to the child task credit having nothing to do with this right- and this is here we are. We finally got in the house, the Senate and the presidency, and we are going to poor as much money as we,

Can you not rain down the money on America or of on our conception groups? Our favorite causes as much as we can if we can get it through before the door slammed shut again in next November and conventional political reality would say two things about this, one of which is This is the very same and sensible strategy they have at their time limited. They got their shot, they should do whatever they can to get whatever they can get because the doors gonna shot, and so you know they're they're pushing what they can push and the other is-

binds in a weak position. Democrats are weak position; they ve never had no party in power on Capital Hill has ever had a weaker hand. Then the Democrats have right now for forced seat majority in the house. Fifty fifty Senate only possibility of actually it's fifty forty eight to with Republicans having fifty Democrats having forty eight and then to independence, the Caucasus with them none the less Harris can break a time. This is a weak hand, an order narrowly. When people play we cans, they play them prudently. They don't you know it, you know if Europe were hot, if you're a two hundred hitter with five home runs, you don't come up to the plate and try. They had a grand slap. You just try to get your bad on the ball.

because that nor or walk or you know, do something because scope unlikely to get the home run, but an ok but thereupon not a great, and I know it's a fire to find out how could limit? Who is now or never let alone for the interface for then we were thereupon, ECHO is on their own team. That's the issue here, the sake, alas, are soak when presenting its talks about this answer from protection scheme kind of the others. This shakedown kind of appearance of the bottom illustration ears were paying off paying off for protection, and I think that very apt, because do they have to please here is: is that good administration has pleaser, as is the left flank of the Democratic party. I.

and I think there's no way other way to play this without a huge public spectacle in which the parties seemed to be in total disregard. If, if, if, if they ve been straight in place, very prudent hand. Here, I think all hell would break loose among among the peoples to its left, so wait a minute. Progressive, they're gonna be satisfied by this exercise in overreach, in which certain Democrats kill this in the parliamentarian. Kills that and the rest of it fails in the parties. Right. That's what we're desert progressive, they're gonna reward written there. they they would be, there will be less had to go after their own I don't know their very plainly magical thinking they would. They would convince themselves that some, so

forests are another, could have gotten all of this done. If only driving a will to pursue it. I don't know, I think I think Abe. As I mean. I don't see the point here. That is a version of the pub and twenty eleven saying fight, fight, fight, fight fight, in other words like if you, if you get it for you, I'll get it you. At least you didn't you now you didn't term castrate yourself, you didn't you weren't playing on the other teens, terms, you weren't you now you weren't letting rob Republicans get into your head and force you to censor yourself before you said what it is that you wanted to say right. That's aid! That sort of where, where where your logic lies here get out in those the kind of things that the people you know the liberals are restless. About the Obama administration. You know what makes him after they weren't saying a door

and I say that- because you know after the twenty Twond election, I wrote this piece for commentary right the day after the show lacking and which I said, will now. If the democratic left you know, if it will now if Obama is, is genuinely in trouble, if there is a left, is challenged. in twenty twelve. The way there was a left this child. There was a right wing challenge to to George W Bush in ninety ninety two and that Feingold golden Senator from from Wisconsin was the obvious person to be that person to say: Obama has disappointed us. He has not been the progressive that we wanted him to be. He has not done what we needed to do. He has not delivered on the problem

does that he made and in fact, for all kinds of reasons that never happened and Obama kind of you know stumbled his way into us into a second tied him. Anything really stumble, but you know he did not run a re election campaign by saying boy. I was really successful. He said very bad Romney. As a dog the roof of the car. He wants to kill you which vain capital- and you know, I'm still, I'm still the guy that you voted for in two thousand and eight the upon the thing is, we should remember, this about Biden and the decisions he's making. I find it interesting I just as a sort of an aside in some larger article about how the West Wing is running. Now, from a few weeks ago, there is mention made of the fact that Biden replace the portrait, the painted portrait, George Washington, that I think the last four or five presence of all kept in the oval office replaced with

Fortunate Sdr Miss was supposed to be very symbolic of how he's envisioning the importance of his administration, but I think it too, what about Obama and kind of his second term in the progressives being upset. I mean really is trying to fix that right. That's it. He sees himself as the corrective to what Obama did wrong right, so he's. Finally, it's his turn and he's going to get it right. This time he puts us to Europe there and he talks about a new big new. You know great society new deal type type language, but, as you said many times job, he doesn't really have the political power uncover helped to get it done so right. Well again, so if they pull off some major bill, you know a major budget spending bill that is several trillion dollars and size. If it's six or if its three or something like that, it will be a real accomplishment, it'll be something that

You know, people who think that there are grievously calamitous ideas you know enshrined in and are going to have to spend a decade trying to unravel Then why did you could even say that it's worth the effort? It's worth a try but half its but it's still a battle and again just to get back to the originating point. Here. a all tried to pull a fast one over everybody by pretending that it was a done deal, and it is very, very far from a done deal doesn't mean that its or it. I don't know whether it's more likely to happen that not or in eighty percent of the format we see then, or something like that, but it ain't. No done deal and an once again people. You know who want to hear it as a done deal heard it that way.

we're happy and then your people, like the walls which are less well paid to at least four for the purposes of rhetorical arguments, said it's probably a done deal and boy is America in trouble. It also one where the other, but it I just it, is not. It is not a done you and you know, I know a lot of what I know about the workings of Congress analysed from reading our friend you ve all events, remarkable work and new vow is on the most recent

The sound of our friend Dan Seymour's podcast Post corona. The package that has, since the beginning of the year attempted to offer a picture through interviews end and you know, with with exports of all over the place of what America is gonna be like and what the world will be like after the pandemic is over, and so damn really did kind of shift into total posts corona about you know a couple weeks ago, obviously now? Well, I think all little were worried that that the Post corona a moment is a little further away than we thought it was, but his conversation with you ve all which you can download it apple podcast, the church Google play wherever it is really a sensational discussion of the costs of locked down and the experience that people have gone through and the

ideas that we ve heard about how the work places forever change the workplace as result of corona has now altered itself. So much that people will be staying home and you know they won't have to commute napkins be home for their kids baseball practices or do whatever they have to do at home. It's really great and you Vall makes the point that this is a much more ambiguous positive. Then people are realising because you know remote work under my work as he says you can still exchange information with the people. You work with overdue men overtaxed and over. Emails, and you can exchange information and exchange the things. They are basic knowledge that you need to know. What's going on inside your company, reorganization or whatever

But there's no way to bill community over zoom there's no way to build commonality over zoom that the informal contacts, the informal connections, the informal things that happen over the course of a day at the workplace are immeasurably important and all speak. To this epidemic that we keep reading about of loneliness, particularly by the way male loneliness in others, although these owes stuff in the last week about how increasingly men report, they have no friends and am and that they they don't have anyone. They have no intimates too, who, with whom they contact and or

you know, or work unburden themselves or whatever, and that the workplace is one of the places where you can establish the kinds of connections, but between people that make life worth living? He calls it communication versus communitarianism that we can still communicator it will have no commute, will have no community sharing experiences. This is a brilliant conversation, the Damn conducts with you all following a long conversations he's had with Neil Ferguson and Adam grant and Billy Beam and I answer: why all kinds of people who have been been incredibly regulatory about what we ve gone through and what we can expect to go through when we

leave the one we serve leave the world in which corona is the number one fact hovering around our head. So that's dancing, I suppose Corona Apple Podcast, Google placed at your wherever downloaded. Listen to the episode with you value will be happy that you did so two things relating to the military one the collapse of Afghanistan and in other government Afghanistan. The military forces in Afghanistan has of course happening way faster than supposedly. We had any reason to spect tell better now like openly assassinating military leaders in in the in the country very little fight back, as you can imagine,

given that nobody in the afghan armed forces knows why on earth are gonna, whether it be fighting for any more if the government can stand up and George W Bush yesterday in an unbelievably rare insertion of himself into the until the common political discussion came and said this was a grievous mistake, what Biden was doing that in women? We're gonna go back the chains and envy macerated and uneducated, and there was the slaughter on a large scale and and why? Why is this happening? And you know, You know that he made a very conscious decision, both during the Obama and the Trump years to keep himself out of the of the conversation but clearly

thought that this was so morally important men in some sense, so non partisan. So not a partisan issue that that that it was necessary to come out and and and talk about it. I don't know they will have me impact or effect. I do know too late. There's no effectively had ninety five percent of american forces are withdrawn from of casting Rover, but I mean oh by the way that polling- as you know, as as I suppose, was to be expected because it happens all the time polling, bushes. Poland was bad. Obviously, when we left office remain reasonably bad during Obama years and then, of course, Trump used him as a whipping boy and out and then to beat up on an republic now, apparently his numbers are getting pretty good, but its it. It's just important that there be a marker of what happened here, that that

ain't. You had an observation the other day that you should go into about media coverage of this. Rather, they have cast out from here. I've just been struck by a special unit as much as we beat up on the media, here for to review Noah praising everything by administration does or covering it so vaguely that whatever criticisms might arise. Don't its coverage of the of the withdrawn Afghanistan. I think it largely on time at mainstream Alice has been, I think, a lot less money than one would expect they are their reporting on a lot of fear at the Pentagon and among all sorts of american officials and

fear among people on the ground in Afghanistan about exactly the kind of horrors at that that this may invite its. It was shot in me, and I think part of this has to do with the fact that it is such a genuine problem that that policy makers who have been involved in Afghanistan with all these years, Are we willing to talk? Will talk to anyone in the media to get this message out that, my god, we are making a colossal mistake and they and the message actually got through. I even heard reporters mainstream quarters, including embassies, Richard angle, saving unthinkable that this isn't even really a war guys hasn't been a war for a long time? We ve just been lit? U S this is happening and really been on the ground with afghan forces are pretty much behind walls. The lesson have an american casualty in eighteen months.

And that's a sword, but I'm disinclined to give the press any sort of credit here, because this is Twentieth Party Congress stuff. Now the truth can be told when it stated in the course of irreversible. This is the sort of thing that could have should have been done during the campaign when this was an issue, but at least now being an unvarnished count of the horrors where our leisure and another lose relate to the. U S military. We have leaks from. I think it's terribly unex book about trumps last days or last year, an office or something like that that Mark Milly, the term of the joint Chiefs of staff. It became convinced that Trump was going to this was the we were I tromp was going to try to

cool and take over, and it was the Reichstag in the Reichstag, fought like it was my Weimar, the Reichstag fire and the chair to end Hindenburg and dubbed we're paper. You know like every illiterate sort of thing. You can say that relates to the rise of Nazi Germany somebody who doesn't actually know anything but the rise of Nazi Germany. So after the fact he is now reporting that he was very concerned, the Trump was going to take over the country and that dumb, I he got a call from friend who told him that this was gonna happen. He wasn't gonna, let it happen, dad dad gum it and then, when he saw Michelle Obama at the inauguration. He said you can't see my face behind this mask, but I'm smiling more broadly than I have ever smiled before more talk about how he told reporters that he had talked long prison and his flee

colleagues in the Pentagon to be on guard for what might come and they're gonna ring the city in not prevent anything else. You know. That's, that's gonna happen from January six, likings, really on top of that sort of thing. The Pentagon's time line of events here doesn't really back up the kind of urgency that he's talking about they had all public record, they had some meetings on July. Second, they can generate back in January. Second, they talked with the D c, the type of nearby early offered and national Guard the that their National Guard desert climb back tops couple help. Please offered support couple he'll policed good decline, and that was the extent of the chairman's involvement in preparations for the sort of thing. So I mean maybe he was talking like a resistance hero behind the scenes, but the record doesn't suggest anyone. Unlike what they're talking about here, but I do recall this letter that went out after January six from the joint cheese to view s military, do you remember

this sort of reminding them that that their role is to defend the. U S, constitution at TAT. You know and do their duty and not enough this is- this sort of like behave, don't don't you know it, I just don't don't turn into troms army or something. This is exactly the sort of Europe. I think that came out of the what he described as a conversation with Nancy Pelosi were closed. Like alike on he's crazy here, were how we stop him. If he wants to launch a new clicking, either that the post January six panic mood understandable to some extent. But do you know the high purple that emerged in those forty eight hours was something- and I think that was his wrist. But the response to that fear. I guess, but I have to say, reading the book eggs or it's almost like if these writing himself into a Tom Clancy novel right. You know it's like I'm. The sooner strong stern hero who did all the right things and set everything in this very succinctly. Forceful way,

you didn't happen that way, but I'm with no, I think, there's there's some doubt about the because your own narrative, that's crafted by a lot of people who, at the time, perhaps didn't behaved away. They wish they had look. You know it is possible to hold various ideas about January six in your head. At the same time, but most people seem unable do it, which is that it was a disgraceful show of mob violence that it was this you know either and swarming capital the utter disrespect shown to, Now the institutions of government by this unruly unsavory and you know, criminal mob that behave them unspeakable fashion. It was not

October nineteen, seventeen- they were not going to overthrow the regime and rain and installed uninstall trumpets, as as as the universal dictator, it's complicated. If that seven hundred lunatics a lot of them were lunatics, allow rioters sail them more organised. Some of them were it insurrection, airy, it's not binary right, I'm not saying it's binary. Sing, what's binary is, could the system withstand them? Guess a despite what happened? The system did withstand them to some extent hundreds of them have been arrested. We have this bizarre circumstance in which people who are appalling just for Trump are now trying to rewrite what we've seen with our own eyes and say it wasn't so bad. What are you talking about night and really realise actually Babbitt's saint? Who was assassinated,

and blah blah blah blah blah, and all of that is disgusting, but I have to say that the hysterical rhetoric about the threat to are the threat to our way of life that we saw that threat America could could really have been taken over on January six now granted. Look it's weird. There are these. There were these elector papers somewhere that I suppose tat if they had been seized

the physical manifestation of the electoral college that had to be presented to MIKE Pence. If they had been seized, then fuck fuck surround with our no would have happened, then granted ok, but they were, they weren't sees that no one knew where they were and maybe and in any case the in out the fact that the paper work you know. I know that if you play golf and then you don't hand your card in with your proper scoring, then maybe you could get disqualify, but somehow its strikes me that really wouldn't have happened on J with six of our election. Nonetheless, it was a terrible, horrifying event that suggests to me, you know a kind of sickness in the american body Politic that we are that it was a manifestation of that we are nowhere near the at you, know the end of and that we don't know what the final consequences are going to be, but we were not living through

You know a revolutionary moment in part because they didn't have control them, sparing in part, because the term of the judges of staff from what he is saying was thinking about. This is, though, he needed to counter Coup Trump ACT. I think it's hard to take the chairman's comments here that is making to reporters any absence of an open very reluctant to weighing on this event, even though it was somewhat disturbing, but the chairman sparring with representative MAC Aids gets aeroplanes, gazed at the showman. I still haven't even internalized his name. That's that's help and support of chauvinism.

Apparently in that they have the sparring over critical race theory, because West Point was teaching a lecture. A rather teaching cadet saw no white rage and seen a hebrew mixed. Kennedys theories are part of all this and he General Milly went back and forth with them saying you know we teach Marxism. We teach us alive. That doesn't mean we embrace Marxism. We teach a variety of critical theories of his new. The theories also quote: I want to Stand white rage and I'm white may want to understand it. So what is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to turn overturned the constitution? The United States? What cos that I want to find that out, implying that this was a race right away, a nationalist race, right wing. sort of exactly what critical race theory teaches as a framework Jungle Burke has said this in a very strange way. It's there's a big difference between treat teaching Marxism as a theory and teaching

Marxism as a framework for understanding the world, because Marxism suggests that all of human history can be soon, into an understanding of dialect of materialism and class conflict and that's the problem and that the distinction that needs to be made and milling make no effort to make the distinction. Quite the opposite. In fact, you seem to agree with the prospect of a framework here with this theory is critical theory and all this together. This very resistant, see twitter, progressive language coming out of the term of the trunk she's. A staff in concert with this event during this hearing leave me with limited confidence in the generals capacity to execute his duties in a dispassionate way. I just sigma experiences, political generals rise to the top in this way are very, very, very conventionally minded when it comes to ideas about a mirror.

They dare not like. We were represent old time, virtues of Rio, respected Marshall in this and that their like you know they there, there liberals their cultural liberals, because they that's how you that's, how you make your way through the thickets and email. The thicket of the military over the last three years has featured things like tail hawk, and you know issues actual assaulted, the military and questions of who is being promoted, knowledge that and that you know you climbed to the top of the recent poll in the military is a very, very complicated, very, very elusive thing and the people who do it have political skills where they do not. They will not be controversialists who challenge you know the exists, existing ideas, because some woke in a pre before woke, but some work

journalist will say they have retrogressive ideas about women or something like that now that that will be the end of them You also London, the level two stars eleventh restart and they won't get any further at the american public loves liberal military brass in like a set its. I take it you know it's like seems to be this, this this Anna, but shouldn't exist in the dozen hey is not so great. You know exactly so guys not to not to move from. You know from men in uniform to men without clothing on, but I'm going to do just that and talk to you at Tommy, John's, newest and most advanced men's underwear, yet APOLLO with a performance grade, Drirelease fabric,

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Cuba, let's serve end on Cuba, so President DE as is softening, is rhetoric apparently saying the protesters have, some merit in their complaints and is apparently letting try I've learned come in with a lot of goods may because now he's essentially hoping for some kind of private import system that will help him at least have people come in when they fly in his tourists and make an hands stuff out to people on the streets of a make them happier. There was a very

interesting suggestion from run the Santos yesterday that oughta how this would work, but Rhonda Santas, suggested to President Biden. That Biden do what he could to release the internet in Cuba that that these efforts deserve bring the internet down limit internet access in Cuba if there were some way that we know of to help the cuban people continue to communicate with each other through the air, that we should do so. I have no idea how this of work- I don't know- do- you know that in nineteen sixty we had a plain that could fly from New York to LOS Angeles and sixty minutes, and we did know about a forty year. So for all. I know you know there are ways that we can and we can let. People in Cuba have the internet that I don't. about, and so I just think that's it

there are obviously things that we can do to help under the radar. But quite literally, or under some version of you now government blocking devices and that's why I say like its of low cost us, maybe high return, yeah the short ban signal of radio Marquis satellite internet broadband alone, covert CIA funding, that's the sort of thing that scares the pants off of liberals who don't want us involved in any sort of covert operation, covert activism and The has been the loss of Venezuela Israeli, the loss of around twice the loss of Hong Kong. We should be satisfied with the that the outcomes of our hands off approach- and this thing reaction from the world of pop political figures to the cuban outlets, arrange a rather unrest, an average spend them surprising and quite heartening in fact,

I mean the stories that you're getting from Florida, our young who are arguing over whether or not they should organise flotilla bands to deliver food or the organised armed on insurrection, dissidents, strain media outlets. You have people like people, the partners, a figure who had a statement, put other statement yesterday on video statement. That was emotional, uncompromising, demonstrating in support of the freedom that we take for granted here that these people want The sort of thing you with your republican set and all this must be taking the progressive left completely by surprise. They have internalize the notion that nobody really cares about communism, Q, animal and their Deborah has as agency comments of yet I know she she didn't you in for a lot of still hasn't now. The squad in general, who spend notably silence, especially for a group that that will in instantaneously start denounced,

Israel whenever Gaza Attack so either we do get a black my organs and get firmly in defence the regime of the regime. Yet so for all of you, earnest people who gave your mom. into black lives matter last summer. I hope you appreciate that its being spent

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singer in the world in America today at the White House to try to promote vaccination among America's use. People are the podium said a who are you exactly because their forty and they don't have kids or something they know who Olivia Rodrigo is people on Twitter were like? I don't know who this is so fine? You don't know who she is you you don't need to know who she is

I'll. Tell you she is. She is the number one singer in the world. She is the biggest start America right now, and this is exactly what the White House should be doing. This is exactly the kind of thing if what we need to do is boost vaccination rates, particularly among the young. This is what the white this is. Democrats have access to pop culture figures. Republicans, do not Republicans. Never have. Democrats have access to the leading figures of you know influencers all over the place, that's whom they should be put drawing on.

Make this happen and Jim the guys. Who thinks that the council has like what fourteen and a half million instrument followers I mean her following is vast, and this one thing about having a younger pop star. Do this someone who yes, definitely a russian press or had no clue who she was? Is that she's not coming off his preachy? I mean the problem with the Democrats. Relationship of Hollywood celebrity is the date. They are too often allow this lever. is to talk as if they know anything about policy review. Roger go came like I'm here to just say: go get accident. She stuck to the message is extremely talented, appealing person. She did a great job, so Yonah we shouldn't bright. The right, wingers remark here in the left from you shouldn't, be, you know, acting surprise. It was pretty Bobby. I think you know what you know. She is Google or listen to drivers licence, and if you don't like it, you can go jump in the lake, because it's a fantastic song

She sings the hell out of it. She, somebody she's somebody we're gonna, be watching for another fifty years, and it is a great thing that day that they'd deployed her in this way, and I want to see more of it. Let them do more of it. Instead of having stupid meetings, you know You know with, I don't know who you know at the I'd. So if Biden should go out of ice cream with every single leading cultural figure in America, they should like ice cream together and then they should say, go get vaccinated. That's then he gets his ice cream coverage and the media get a picture of him licking on the ice cream and if they don't know who anybody is, it doesn't. at our, because they'll have to mention them and the people who need to know what they are, can reports that material

Stu Gram and Tik Tok and Facebook and deems whatever, and- and maybe that will have the effect that we wanted to have an don't walk. Forensic. Who are you exactly like real He pointed to the baron yourself. I gave a rope recall that this is a press corps that lives in a town where they themselves into people. They cover frequently begin those conversations with. Don't you know who I am so there is an error like. Oh, I don't know these, their yeah? I'm in the media journalism? asked so they should know she is there? No, no, no. The only reason why I know who she is, because I have kids or over the age of six who wash your media products if Europe parents, or not apparent at all. You might not even encounter Sat on the radio, and then you wouldn't even know who she is made because they don't introduces. I didn't you never saw me- may not know the artist that sort of thing she was on ass, an l like six weeks ago, and it was one of the greatest musical

foremans is ever that's all. I'm gonna say you know what you're sitting the press room, they say. Oh look, here's Olivia Rodrigo you gotta Iphone. Your hand, Google, her name, you lame third rate. Hacks Google. Her name will be back tomorrow for Christine Paper. No I've John passports, keep the gavel burning.