1 00:00:17,879 --> 00:00:21,679 We're back with another edition of The Federalist Radio Hour. I'm Emily Johnski, 2 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,199 culture editor here at the Federalist. As always, you can email the show 3 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:27,839 at radio at the Federalist dot com, follow us on Twitter at fdr LST. 4 00:00:28,039 --> 00:00:31,600 Make sure to subscribe wherever you download your podcasts as well. Today, 5 00:00:31,679 --> 00:00:34,679 I'm really happy to be joined by my friend Christian Daytok, who was a 6 00:00:34,719 --> 00:00:39,159 White House reporter at the Washington Examiner. I'm going to preface this episode by 7 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,159 saying, like Christian kindly was doing it in the pouring rain, as it 8 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:45,719 was sort of a remarkable feed. He was standing outside the White House. 9 00:00:45,759 --> 00:00:49,479 You don't get really good service if you're in the White House basement, because 10 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,719 he was waiting for today's briefing, so Friday's briefing with Kurran Jean Pierre, 11 00:00:53,039 --> 00:00:56,560 and it started to just pour halfway through the interview. I don't think you 12 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,759 can hear it. Maybe you can, but just if you hear the sort 13 00:00:59,799 --> 00:01:04,840 of the light sounds of a summer rain, or maybe hopefully just the light 14 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,719 sounds of a gentle summer rain, you'll know that it's the sound of that 15 00:01:08,799 --> 00:01:15,599 rain hitting his umbrella, which he sort of definitely brought and knew just to 16 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,359 be prepared for when he went outside to do this addition of Federalist rain new 17 00:01:19,359 --> 00:01:23,640 hour. I'm also out of the office, so not the usual surist and 18 00:01:23,719 --> 00:01:30,439 seven B set up. That's my favorite microphone, So it's it's was had 19 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,959 the opportunity to talk to Christian this afternoon and wanted to take it and bring 20 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:38,480 that conversation to all of you. So just if it sounds like I'm out 21 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,599 of the office and out of the studio, that is absolutely correct. But 22 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:45,000 sometimes the opportunity to talk to guests is just too good to pass up, 23 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,159 and I got to grab the travel mic. So that's what's going on today 24 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,959 as well. I also want to say I think it's not often that we 25 00:01:49,959 --> 00:01:55,799 actually check in on the White House itself, so his insights are super helpful 26 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:04,400 and interesting towards the dynamics of what's happening behind the closed doors. If you 27 00:02:04,439 --> 00:02:07,439 saw what I saw right now, because we're over zoom, he's actually standing 28 00:02:07,479 --> 00:02:10,360 outside of the side of the White House. So we appreciate you joining Christian, 29 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,719 and it's a big week for your beat. In particular, I want 30 00:02:14,719 --> 00:02:19,240 to start with the President's push for Bidenomics. First of all, the name 31 00:02:19,319 --> 00:02:23,199 Bidenomics. Do we know who coined that? Is they're reporting on who coined 32 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,039 that? And secondly, tell us just a little bit about how this push 33 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,960 has been going for him, what he's kind of in, what his intentionality, 34 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:35,319 and what we know about the intentionality behind this campaign from the last week 35 00:02:35,879 --> 00:02:38,240 or Emily Well, this is coming out of the big brain trust in the 36 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:44,000 West wing. That's Louisa Terrell, Steve Baschetti, and Anita Done. We 37 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,719 don't know who actually came up with it, but of course it harkens back 38 00:02:46,759 --> 00:02:52,400 to the policies of Reaganomics from former President Reagan's two terms in office, which 39 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:54,319 the Biden team is, you know, trying to flat out refuge for the 40 00:02:54,400 --> 00:03:00,319 last for years, we've heard this president talk about how trickled down doesn't work 41 00:03:00,319 --> 00:03:05,639 in this day and age, and they're trying a quote bold new strategy to 42 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,719 build the economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Now, some 43 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:15,439 of these policies that the Biden administration is talking about, extending childcare to people, 44 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:21,280 eliminating some student debt, on their face, those policies pull pretty well 45 00:03:21,879 --> 00:03:25,319 when you look at them in a vacuum but given President Biden's poor approval ratings, 46 00:03:25,879 --> 00:03:30,400 the sort of cracks who've seen in the jobs market not only in June, 47 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,039 but over the last couple of months, this push is really struggling to 48 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,840 pick up traction. And you've seen President Biden goes to a lot of these 49 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,280 states that were critical in twenty twenty that Democrats think are again going to be 50 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,599 critical in twenty twenty four. I'm talking at you know, Wisconsin, I'm 51 00:03:46,599 --> 00:03:51,039 talking to Pennsylvania. He was in South Carolina, which of course kick started 52 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:55,639 his big Super Tuesday back in twenty twenty just yesterday. So they're committed to 53 00:03:55,680 --> 00:04:00,360 the brand essentially, and what it is it's a punchy tagline that lets the 54 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:05,199 Biden team sort of cover up some of this negative pulling about the president itself 55 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:11,439 and talk about issues that at least the base of a Democratic Party, you 56 00:04:11,439 --> 00:04:14,879 know, they really care about. Given the fact that we're three years removed 57 00:04:14,919 --> 00:04:18,319 from COVID now in the economy, while it boomed pretty early in twenty twenty 58 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:24,519 one and twenty twenty two as flat out stagnated while prices have made incredibly elevated. 59 00:04:25,319 --> 00:04:27,879 Yeah, I want to talk about that trickle down question. Because I 60 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,279 have mentioned him kind of harp on that a couple of times, and you 61 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:34,560 know, there's a potential ups strike looming there is. Yes, it's a 62 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:39,120 tight labor market, inflation is still really high. So as he goes and 63 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:44,279 makes this pitch for byonomics, I guess, tactically, how are they dealing 64 00:04:44,319 --> 00:04:47,439 with those questions of inflation, those questions of the labor movement. You know, 65 00:04:47,439 --> 00:04:50,920 it's a certainly not a perfect economy, and there's probably no such thing 66 00:04:50,959 --> 00:04:54,759 as a perfect economy, but for a lot of people, those gains or 67 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:59,079 those jobs that they may have gotten, or any sort of gains to earnings 68 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,439 are really the inflation levels are still really hurting them. It is a real 69 00:05:03,439 --> 00:05:06,720 problem, and I think it's one that the White House hasn't necessarily got a 70 00:05:06,759 --> 00:05:12,680 full handle on how to tackle. Again, I think when you talk about 71 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,199 strategy, their first and foremost move. You know, when you talk about 72 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:20,199 I know you're Wisconsin Badgers fan, every team has like fifteen scripted plays that 73 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:24,319 they run at the beginning of every game. Well, any time this White 74 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:28,040 House encounters a question that they don't want to talk about, they either shield 75 00:05:28,079 --> 00:05:33,079 themselves using the Hatch Acts anything tangentially related to the election, or if it's 76 00:05:33,079 --> 00:05:36,680 on the side of the economy. They say, we're still recovering from the 77 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:43,720 pandemic, and even though President Biden has authored and ushered in all of these 78 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:48,720 historic legislative spending packages, we still need more time or making American families to 79 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:54,279 really feel the sort of downstream effects that this team is trying to harp on. 80 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:56,879 Now again, you might say, well, the downstream effects. That 81 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:01,600 sounds a lot like trickle down economics again, but they're trying to highlight the 82 00:06:01,639 --> 00:06:05,879 subset of the population that they say have been sort of left out by the 83 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:11,759 free market expansion that we've seen over the last thirty years. We're talking about 84 00:06:12,319 --> 00:06:16,959 black and Hispanic families in the inner cities and communities that have been underserved. 85 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,639 We're talking about tribal nations. And again they're really trying to zero in on 86 00:06:21,759 --> 00:06:27,199 these young gen Z voters, many of them who have you know, dozens, 87 00:06:27,199 --> 00:06:30,279 if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. All these 88 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:36,680 people have not necessarily seen any of the economic progress that that we've experienced as 89 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:42,120 a country over the last four decades. So it's not even necessarily a strategy 90 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:47,279 of rebutting this criticism or rebutting the slow economic progress we've seen with facts. 91 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:51,279 It's dovetailing into an entirely new approach, and they're just saying, well, 92 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,959 there's no way to know if our plan won't work because we haven't given enough 93 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,959 time. It's very similar to what Nancy Plomacy told people when they pass Obamacare. 94 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,879 If you want to know what's in the bill, you got to read 95 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:05,360 the bill. If you want to see these doubtail effects, you're going to 96 00:07:05,399 --> 00:07:10,279 have to give us time to try and implement more of this legislation. That's 97 00:07:10,319 --> 00:07:13,279 super interesting. And actually, I know you've been reporting on the student loan 98 00:07:13,399 --> 00:07:18,040 situation. There's there are big political questions. There are also obviously just major 99 00:07:18,079 --> 00:07:21,680 policy questions that are looming over this for the Biden administration, especially now that 100 00:07:21,879 --> 00:07:27,959 any support action on a policy that they pursue, maybe the Higher Education actles 101 00:07:27,959 --> 00:07:31,040 what a lot of left activists are hoping that the Biden administration will pursue after 102 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,920 the Supreme Court's ruling one student debt. What's your sense of how the White 103 00:07:34,959 --> 00:07:39,480 House is approaching this? And then that's just sort of on the policy level, 104 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,680 and then on the political level, how have they been handling it so 105 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,759 far? Well, I'm going to talk about the political angle first, because 106 00:07:46,879 --> 00:07:49,720 even though they got dealt this big loss at the Supreme Court last week, 107 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:56,199 they're sort of looking at the ruling as a win politically. Namely, if 108 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:01,079 we look at how the Supreme Court abortion ruling from last year sort of, 109 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:05,879 you know, reinvigorated some of those you know, white liberal elites in you 110 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,800 know, important states in the midterm elections that allow the Democrats to hold the 111 00:08:09,839 --> 00:08:16,199 Senate and minimize their losses in the House. They're saying that this ruling should 112 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,120 again especially energize those young voters heading into the next cycle. So politically, 113 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,199 even though it's a policy loss, this could be a win for President Biden 114 00:08:24,879 --> 00:08:30,160 once ballots are cast in twenty twenty four. Now, from a specific policy 115 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,639 angle, and you cited the Higher Education Act already, there have been a 116 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,720 couple of new steps that were announced by the Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and President 117 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:43,519 Biden himself last week after that ruling was handed down. The first sort of 118 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:48,600 proponent of this of this phase two plan we'll call it, is what we 119 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:56,240 call IDRS, income based deferral Programs which allow certain borrowers, depending on how 120 00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:01,080 much money they're making, to essentially pay a zero dollar minimum payment on their 121 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:07,559 loans and not be preferred to creditors. Now, right now, because of 122 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,559 the law, the Higher Education Act, again, Secretary Cardona has unilateral authority 123 00:09:11,799 --> 00:09:16,639 to set an income level for that zero dollar payment. Right now, that 124 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,080 salary is I want to say, thirty three thousand dollars a year, but 125 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:24,000 it does leave the door open for him raising that threshold so that more people 126 00:09:24,399 --> 00:09:30,960 could potentially not be paying anything per month for their student loans. Now, 127 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,600 the important part about this plan comes, you know, two decades down the 128 00:09:33,639 --> 00:09:39,279 line. Anyone who's enrolled in the program at at the end of that twenty 129 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:43,759 year period, they had the remainder of their debt forgiven. So this is 130 00:09:43,799 --> 00:09:50,840 a potential move that could see upwards of you know, the four hundred billion 131 00:09:50,879 --> 00:09:56,840 dollars President Biden's original debt forgiveness, you know, wipe off a table. 132 00:09:56,879 --> 00:10:01,080 That number could be even higher depending on how many students enroll into this program 133 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:05,360 over the next you know, five, ten, twenty years or so. 134 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,360 So again, politically, even though this was a policy loss for the Biden 135 00:10:09,399 --> 00:10:13,240 White House, the people that I'm talking to who are keyed in on the 136 00:10:13,919 --> 00:10:18,080 education insider to talk with the administration. Believe that this could invigorate the base 137 00:10:18,279 --> 00:10:22,360 and politically could be a win for the president. And folks should go read 138 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:24,120 your story over at the Examiner on this, because you you dive into it. 139 00:10:24,279 --> 00:10:30,080 I also would just want to ask the President said he always thought the 140 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,840 Heroes Acts as a post nine to eleven law that they used to justify conditioning, 141 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,039 you know, student loan forgiveness up to twenty thousand dollars for certain borrowers. 142 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:39,399 He always said, He said, he always thought that would be a 143 00:10:39,399 --> 00:10:46,879 faster, a faster tactic to provide relief to borrowers and to graduates. But 144 00:10:46,799 --> 00:10:50,519 I mean that's actually always been questionable too. I guess I'm curious if you 145 00:10:50,519 --> 00:10:54,600 had a sense that they were surprised by this ruling, or that, you 146 00:10:54,639 --> 00:10:56,360 know, some people, especially people with tens of thousands of dollars on the 147 00:10:56,399 --> 00:11:01,799 line, might have a really cynical approach to this. He was playing with 148 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,519 their futures and their livelihoods and their bank accounts. I was sort of playing 149 00:11:07,519 --> 00:11:09,159 politics with them, and kind of knew that this was going to get struck 150 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:13,440 down so why didn't he try something else first? How are they dealing with 151 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,120 those issues? And what's your sense of how they've sort of thought about that 152 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:20,240 even from the beginning when they went to the drawing board and figured out how 153 00:11:20,279 --> 00:11:24,840 to do this. Well, I think those two statements aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. 154 00:11:24,879 --> 00:11:28,720 Emily, I do think that this was the most expedient way that the 155 00:11:28,759 --> 00:11:33,000 President could have extended relief because of how the Hero's Act is structured. Of 156 00:11:33,039 --> 00:11:37,679 course, this second plan, too, whatever we're calling it, there is 157 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:43,279 a negotiated rulemaking process which could take months even potentially years to implement, as 158 00:11:43,279 --> 00:11:46,840 opposed to the executive authority granted by the Heroes Act. So that would have 159 00:11:48,039 --> 00:11:52,080 had it not been challenging court, which obviously it was, extended that relief 160 00:11:52,879 --> 00:11:56,600 merely immediately. We're talking, you know, essentially six months from when President 161 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:00,960 announced it, and you know, around the summer of twenty twenty two up 162 00:12:01,039 --> 00:12:03,759 until you know, when people would be seeing that debt come off the books. 163 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:09,200 So I don't think it's necessarily fair to say that President Biden was giving 164 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:15,159 these people false hope. This was and again, even at the time when 165 00:12:15,279 --> 00:12:18,720 the President announced this action, it was viewed as legally dubious, but it's 166 00:12:18,759 --> 00:12:22,679 certainly if it would have been allowed to stand, would have been the fastest 167 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:26,960 way to get people money. Essentially, Now when it comes to the Heroes 168 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,440 Acts again, and I think I sort of touched on this before, this 169 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:37,440 is a law that grants the Secretary of Education unilateral authority to oversee how these 170 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,000 loans are structured. He can't go in and wipe off debt that's off the 171 00:12:41,039 --> 00:12:46,720 books, but he can structure the programs so that once the normal or excuse 172 00:12:46,759 --> 00:12:50,799 me, the negotiated rulemaking process plays out, that is locked in stone, 173 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:56,399 and it would not be challenged or would not be able to be challenged legally 174 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:03,360 by opponents of the plan. So I guess politically, and again this is 175 00:13:03,399 --> 00:13:05,799 coming from conversations I'm having with you know, folks at the DNC, with 176 00:13:05,879 --> 00:13:11,440 Biden campaign officials. Politically, they're trying to make the case that we weren't 177 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:16,360 trying to prey on people's hopes heading into the midterms. We viewed this as 178 00:13:16,399 --> 00:13:20,559 the fastest option, but now we're going to our backup plan, which is 179 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,879 the safest option, And even though it doesn't extend as much relief in the 180 00:13:24,919 --> 00:13:28,639 immediate future, as you step one might have. We're sure that this will 181 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:33,879 stand and that you know, we won't be receiving another loss at the Supreme 182 00:13:33,919 --> 00:13:37,480 Court or at a lower court in the near future. Again, because of 183 00:13:37,639 --> 00:13:43,399 how far we are out from the general election, I think people will sort 184 00:13:43,399 --> 00:13:46,399 of forget about the immediate pain. And when I say people, I'm talking 185 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:52,360 of course about the Democratic base. I don't think necessarily Republicans or Conservatives will 186 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,960 have their opinions flipped on this right now. So any sting that the Democrat 187 00:13:56,039 --> 00:14:03,759 voters are currently feeling should probably be alleviated by the time the general election swings 188 00:14:03,799 --> 00:14:07,679 around, if not the primaries early next year. I'm kind of fascinated by 189 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:09,440 the internal dynamics of the White House in some ways. They remind me of 190 00:14:09,519 --> 00:14:13,879 what was happening in the Trump administration, where you had this push poll between 191 00:14:13,919 --> 00:14:16,399 the establishment, people who are aligned more with the establishment, people who are 192 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:20,360 aligned more with the conservative activist base, and you can, I mean, 193 00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:24,519 I guess if from the outside sent some of that. In the Biden administration, 194 00:14:24,559 --> 00:14:26,240 you have people who are you know, richetty, people who are aligned 195 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:30,320 more with a democratic establishment. But I've heard, you know, on student 196 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,320 loan debt. I've heard on Bidenomics. I've heard actually on China too, 197 00:14:33,679 --> 00:14:37,720 that there's a real push and poll kind of ideologically playing out behind closed tours. 198 00:14:37,799 --> 00:14:41,159 And you see some of that also, I think just in the policies 199 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:46,519 themselves. So is there am I right? You know that he has people 200 00:14:46,519 --> 00:14:50,200 that are kind of in both camps, pushing in both directions. The fact 201 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,879 that he did student loan debt in and of itself, I think it's a 202 00:14:52,919 --> 00:14:56,279 real win for the activist base. But is that a correct assessment of those 203 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,759 dynamics. Is that happening to at least to some extent behind closed doors. 204 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:03,399 Yeah, that's certainly happening on the economic issues, Emily, I think on 205 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:05,759 China, and I'll just be quick on this, but because you brought it 206 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:09,720 up, I would say that's the one area where there's real by partisan accord 207 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,679 and you know, trying to address the looming threat coming from Beijing. It 208 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,279 might not be you know, a full overlap then diagram when it comes to 209 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:24,559 actual policy, but on its space, this is really the only area where 210 00:15:24,559 --> 00:15:28,759 we're seeing collaboration between the White House, Republicans on the hill and Democrats on 211 00:15:28,799 --> 00:15:31,399 the hill. I think a lot of that is due to the way that 212 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:37,919 converse by Gallagher from Wisconsin is sort of running that China Select Committee. But 213 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,879 that's enough about that. And when it comes to economics, and I mean 214 00:15:41,919 --> 00:15:48,000 again, in the Trump administration, President Trump was was certainly the outsider. 215 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:52,120 He was, you know, far to the right of the Republican establishment, 216 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:58,039 and we've sort of had the reverse happened in this administration. You mentioned Steve 217 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:00,519 Richetti. I mean, I'm just looking at President Biden himself. I mean, 218 00:16:00,679 --> 00:16:04,840 I don't know if there's anyone who's been more synonymous with the Democratic establishment 219 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:11,360 over the past five decades than you know, senator turned Vice president turned President 220 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,279 Biden himself. And again, I think this all goes back to, you 221 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:21,200 know, where is the new core of the Democratic electorate. It's it's much 222 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:25,240 to the left of where President Biden has spent the majority of his political career. 223 00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:29,399 So that's certainly a poll that they're feeling, but it's you know, 224 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:33,519 one that's sort of hampering in the actual policy making because again, you know, 225 00:16:33,559 --> 00:16:37,240 this is a split Congress. The Democrats have a you know, the 226 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:41,799 most narrow of narrow majorities. When it comes to Vice President Harris having to 227 00:16:41,799 --> 00:16:47,879 break a record number of votes in the Senate in her role as as as 228 00:16:47,919 --> 00:16:51,120 you know, President of the Senate. But like, this is not an 229 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:53,240 issue that's going to go away. And again, I think it's one that's 230 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,840 going to hamper President Biden even more in a potential second term because a he'll 231 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,960 be viewed as a lame duck by the Republicans and they're not going to want 232 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:03,960 to reach across the aisle and work on anything. And b because they're going 233 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,000 to have these activists say, Okay, well, we've only got four more 234 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:11,799 years. Do we need to get everything we can while we've got the opportunity. 235 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:17,119 And it could hinder some of those more center moderate policies that President Biden 236 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:23,799 has backed really his entire career. Every year, children are trafficked around the 237 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:27,400 world. And now there's a new movie aimed at raising awareness to this often 238 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:33,720 unseen horror. It's called Sound of Freedom from Angel's Studios. Sound of Freedom 239 00:17:33,799 --> 00:17:37,440 is based on a true story. It shines a light on even the darkest 240 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,839 of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal 241 00:17:41,839 --> 00:17:45,559 agent learns the boy's sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous 242 00:17:45,599 --> 00:17:48,599 mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and 243 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:53,079 journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free 244 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:57,319 her from a fate worse than death. Starring Jim Cavizo, the actor renowned 245 00:17:57,319 --> 00:18:03,480 for his Unforgettable portrayal of Jesus and the Passion, and Academy Award winner Mira 246 00:18:03,599 --> 00:18:07,119 Sorvino, the film is directed by Alajandra Monteverde. It's rated PG thirteen. 247 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:11,720 Again It's based on a true story and it will be theatrically released in the 248 00:18:11,839 --> 00:18:15,960 US on July fourth, twenty twenty three. You can buy your tickets online. 249 00:18:17,039 --> 00:18:19,720 New theaters are being added daily, so check out the website for current 250 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:26,599 information and that is angel dot com, slash Freedom and listen. I've seen 251 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:29,440 the trailer. Check out the trailer. I think you're gonna want to go 252 00:18:29,519 --> 00:18:33,599 see this film, especially in theaters. Just a fascinating glimpse at again, 253 00:18:33,839 --> 00:18:38,400 something that is a true story. It explores these themes of human trafficking, 254 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:42,279 bravery, and justice. By supporting the movie, you contribute to raising awareness 255 00:18:42,279 --> 00:18:48,480 and propelling a movement to save children around the world. It's also a pay 256 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:52,920 it Forward initiative. That's a concept where generous individuals provide free tickets for others 257 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,000 to see the film. If you want to pay it forward so that they 258 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,079 can pack the theaters the week of July fourth, you can do so once 259 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:03,200 again at angel dot com slash Freedom. And if the price of a ticket 260 00:19:03,279 --> 00:19:07,240 is keeping you from going, generous fans have paid it forward tens of thousands 261 00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:11,079 of free tickets worth of money, so you can you can see the film 262 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:15,039 opening week and you can get a free ticket also at angel dot com slash 263 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:19,400 Free Tickets help spread that message worldwide. Sound of Freedom is coming to theaters 264 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:23,440 July fourth, so you can buy your tickets today to reserve a spot opening 265 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,839 week, and the more theaters are sold out, the more awareness is raised 266 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,960 on this issue that so often does go unnoticed. Find a theater near you 267 00:19:32,079 --> 00:19:36,839 by visiting angel dot com slash freedom. Get your tickets today at that same 268 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:45,160 website once again. That's angel dot com slash Freedom. Now for the Cocaine 269 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,880 and Mistress portion of our conversation, which I say, as I say, 270 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,759 you know, sort of laughing, but I think you've rightfully covered this as 271 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:55,960 more serious than it probably sounds at first plush. In fact, you have 272 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,200 a really good story in something a lot of people in the legacy media, 273 00:19:59,799 --> 00:20:03,359 the left media, have ignored and have I think allowed the Biden White House 274 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:07,119 not to really talk about it at all, which is Joe Biden's seventh grandchild. 275 00:20:07,759 --> 00:20:11,839 I want to start there and then we can move to the cocaine portion. 276 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,920 What on earth is going on with that situation? It seems from the 277 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:18,319 outside like incredibly sad. I know your reporter, and so you're focused on 278 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:22,079 the facts of the situation. What are those facts right now? Where it 279 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:26,079 stands well, I mean, this is an incredibly sad story. We hear 280 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:30,440 a lot about President Biden as being a family man, and you know that's 281 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:36,559 why Hunter Biden and Natalie Biden and his other grandchildren oftentimes a company. I'm 282 00:20:36,559 --> 00:20:41,519 on these you know, lavish trips overseas and to Camp David or their home 283 00:20:41,519 --> 00:20:45,920 and rehobic on the weekends. But it's one that really sort of is a 284 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,799 glaring hole in that record, and it's one that obviously former President Trump and 285 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:55,920 a number of the Republican primary presidential candidates are are trying to, you know, 286 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,000 to Widen at the moment. But I just can't understand why the President 287 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:06,640 won't recognize this young girl from Arkansas as a legitimate grandchild. Of course, 288 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:11,079 she was you know, born out of wedlock. Hunter Biden is married to 289 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,480 his second wife now and the woman who he had a relationship with back in 290 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:19,759 twenty nineteen, London Roberts, you know, was down in Arkansas, and 291 00:21:19,799 --> 00:21:26,000 she's I think for her unfortunately, been getting some legal advice and you know, 292 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:30,640 support from folks who are I think the best way to put them would 293 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,880 be, like you know, Maga adherence. Garrett Sigler, who of course 294 00:21:34,039 --> 00:21:37,440 used to work in the Trump White House, was called as a as a 295 00:21:37,519 --> 00:21:45,119 key witness in the latest you know, not paternity suit but the latest child 296 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:49,200 support suit that Hunter Biden London Roberts just just settled, I think two weeks 297 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:52,720 ago. But again, this is one that no one in the White House 298 00:21:52,799 --> 00:21:56,200 is really asking about. The paternity test has come back. We know Hunter 299 00:21:56,240 --> 00:22:02,160 Biden is the father of this child, we know he's paying her child support, 300 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:07,279 and that the mother has dropped forbid to have her daughter adopt Biden as 301 00:22:07,279 --> 00:22:11,039 her last name. But again, like I we criticized former President Trump for 302 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:15,799 claiming to be you know, pro family values while he obviously had a long 303 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:22,799 litany of affairs. I don't understand why President Biden hasn't recognized this young girl 304 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:26,599 as his granddaughter. It's not one that we really have any answers on, 305 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,240 and I think it's a story that's really only going to pick up steam and 306 00:22:30,559 --> 00:22:36,000 be hammered not only by you know, Republican candidates, but of course be 307 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:38,960 picked out by the mainstream media the closer we get to twenty twenty four. 308 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,440 Obviously there's a lot of intrigue around the cocaine story, which continues to evolve 309 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:48,039 and in ways that seemed to be worse and worse for this White House. 310 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:52,960 You know, shortly after they confirmed that they found a cocaine in the found 311 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,000 a small bag of cocaine in the West Wing on Sunday, we learned the 312 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,680 president. I guess we'd already known the President was gone from Friday until I 313 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:04,720 believe Wednesday. Is that right? They talked he got back in town on 314 00:23:04,759 --> 00:23:11,400 Tuesday for the Tuesday celebration. Yes, okay, And so then you have 315 00:23:11,519 --> 00:23:15,200 a law enforcement official talking to Dan Littmann at Politico saying it's very unlikely that 316 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,160 we'll ever find who did this because it's a highly trafficked area and you know, 317 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,279 you have tourists potentially coming in and out of that area. But it 318 00:23:22,319 --> 00:23:26,799 seems like, actually we know that it's it's more specific and it's it's probably 319 00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:30,799 not a highly trafficked area. But maybe maybe I've misread something where I'm confusing 320 00:23:30,799 --> 00:23:37,240 boomers for like confirmed fact. What do we know about this cocaine right now? 321 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:41,240 Well, what we know is that this bag was discovered in the West 322 00:23:41,279 --> 00:23:47,079 Executive Entryway. That's for those who are familiar with the geography of the White 323 00:23:47,079 --> 00:23:52,559 House, not a public entrance. It's located east of Tubble Driveway, where 324 00:23:52,599 --> 00:23:56,759 you see a number of you know, foreign dignitaries deriving for bilateral meetings. 325 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:03,640 It's right where everyone shoots their live shots looking at the White House, you 326 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:08,519 know, facing southwest. So that's probably where you're not far from where you're 327 00:24:08,519 --> 00:24:11,599 standing right now as you talk to us. Yeah, No, it's it's 328 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:15,079 about it's about two hundred feet where I am right now, Um, and 329 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:18,079 it is not a highly trafficked area. This, you know, was sort 330 00:24:18,079 --> 00:24:21,680 of an about face from the Secret Service because originally we had heard it had 331 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:25,920 basically been picked up at you know, one of those um you know, 332 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,119 trays for your keys or your phone, at an X ray machine at a 333 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:33,799 public entrance, which again those are highly traffic It's not only media and staffers 334 00:24:33,799 --> 00:24:37,000 who use those, but people who come in on tours, people who come 335 00:24:37,039 --> 00:24:41,240 in for meetings with a variety of White House officials from the lowest level all 336 00:24:41,279 --> 00:24:45,200 the way up to the cabinet level. So there's only a select number of 337 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:51,160 people who really use that entrance. It's operated by Secret Service, it's you 338 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:55,799 know, it's it's utilized by White House staff and of course those visiting for 339 00:24:56,039 --> 00:24:59,839 dignitaries. We haven't had any visiting dignitaries except for actually, I guess i 340 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,400 Ida, the Prime Minister of Sweden this year, so it's possible that you 341 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,359 know, this is this is due to their team. But again it looks 342 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:08,960 like, you know, it's got to be someone in the White House or 343 00:25:10,039 --> 00:25:15,039 someone who uses that entrance you know, quite frequently. And I'm not trying 344 00:25:15,079 --> 00:25:19,279 to speculate here, but because this criticism is out, there's a number of 345 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:26,319 you know, presidential candidates Republican lawmakers who have suggested, you know, is 346 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:30,240 this hunter Biden's bag if we caame essentially, and I think this is an 347 00:25:30,279 --> 00:25:34,359 issue that's not going to go away. It's one that according to our good 348 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,839 friend Dan Littman, you know, the Secret Service probably isn't going to release 349 00:25:37,839 --> 00:25:42,359 a name of who is responsible for the bag, but it's one that you 350 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,799 know is clearly going to hamper President Biden. It's one that has been asked 351 00:25:45,839 --> 00:25:51,200 about in the briefing room and on an Air Force one for the last three 352 00:25:51,279 --> 00:25:55,000 or four briefing since it was discovered. And it's one that their response, 353 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:59,000 you know, we're parking back to those fifteen called plays earlier in this interview. 354 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:03,759 It's one that getting the hatch Act explanation for, and it's you know, 355 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,440 it has nothing to do with the election. But again, because President 356 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:11,640 Trump is one of the people making these critiques or asking if it's Hunter Biden 357 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,240 the bag, they're using that to shield themselves on a question that I don't 358 00:26:15,279 --> 00:26:18,880 really think they want to give an answer on. Can you explain the hatch 359 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,319 Ack saying a little bit more because I've heard that a lot and I haven't 360 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:25,079 like fully to open into it. When when they're sort of using the hatch 361 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:27,240 Act in that way, what does that mean here, Well, essentially, 362 00:26:27,279 --> 00:26:32,160 the Hatch Act would prevent any White House official other than the President who is 363 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:36,519 not subject to the law from using their official position, meaning speaking from the 364 00:26:36,519 --> 00:26:41,079 White House briefing room, speaking in front of any West Wing insignia or presidential 365 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:47,240 emblems, from you know, lobbying for or against any candidate. In particular, 366 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:52,319 Karine Jean Pierre uses it to avoid most questions that we have about Republican 367 00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:56,400 bobmakers, whether they are sitting or running for office right now. And it's 368 00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:00,440 also one that we really saw it from rust into the four front of the 369 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:06,799 conversation. During the previous administration, Kaylee mcinanny faced a number of hattacked you 370 00:27:06,839 --> 00:27:11,240 know, inquiries regarding her rhetoric in the briefing room. And I think it's 371 00:27:11,319 --> 00:27:15,519 one that the Biden team has made a calculated decision and said, look, 372 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:19,720 we're being cautious, We're trying to restore, you know, the rightful rule 373 00:27:19,799 --> 00:27:26,519 of law essentially to this White House, and they're using they're using it as 374 00:27:26,519 --> 00:27:32,599 a shield. The Biden administration pledged transparency when they first entered office, and 375 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:36,799 I think this is an issue that not only folks on the right, but 376 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,960 in the mainstream media. We're also starting to take issue with because at the 377 00:27:41,039 --> 00:27:44,200 end of the day, why are we having press briefings, Why are we 378 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:48,160 having press gaggles? If the top ranking officials at the White House aren't actually 379 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:53,200 going to answer questions, it's a disservice to journalism at large. But it's 380 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,599 also a disservice to you know, American voters who care about these issues. 381 00:27:57,799 --> 00:28:02,799 And when we can talk all we want about how the political life and the 382 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,359 policy life is separated here in Washington, you see, but we all know 383 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:10,920 that's not true. Everything is political in this day and age. And it's 384 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:15,119 a shame that this White House isn't being more forthcoming with these answers, which 385 00:28:15,319 --> 00:28:18,240 you know don't necessarily impact policy, but I do think would impact how they 386 00:28:18,279 --> 00:28:23,599 look at President Biden as a man of character and again just as someone who 387 00:28:23,839 --> 00:28:29,839 they feel comfortable voting for or again. And there are a couple of are 388 00:28:29,839 --> 00:28:33,000 there are many reasons for this that you could imagine, but a couple of 389 00:28:33,039 --> 00:28:34,880 serious ones. I want to ask you about. One. People have speculated 390 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:41,400 that Hunter Biden's recent settlement could be affected if he is personally implicated in this, 391 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,240 and you know, members of the Biden family, Naomi Biden, Hunter 392 00:28:44,279 --> 00:28:45,559 Biden whose rumor drew up, and living at the White House. But I 393 00:28:45,559 --> 00:28:48,799 think it's confirmed that Naomi Biden and her new husband live at the White House. 394 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,119 There are any number people who aren't Hunter Biden who could be responsible for 395 00:28:53,119 --> 00:28:56,279 this, But on the chance that it is Hunter Biden's, it's probably not 396 00:28:56,319 --> 00:29:02,400 the worst chance in the world, but that possibility, it seems like that 397 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:04,559 could actually have implications for his recent settlement. The other thing I can think 398 00:29:04,599 --> 00:29:10,000 of is, just in May, was it that Jake Sullivan, national Security 399 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:14,720 Advisor, his house was broken into? He had twenty four hour security essentially 400 00:29:14,839 --> 00:29:18,039 at his house, a drunk man breaks in and isn't caught until he's in 401 00:29:18,079 --> 00:29:23,119 the house, And so potentially this is a problem of security failures that the 402 00:29:23,119 --> 00:29:26,000 White House would have to answer for, from mismanagement and secret Service, for 403 00:29:26,039 --> 00:29:30,839 missmanagement at the White House itself. What do you make of, you know, 404 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,759 for whatever you know particular reasons there might be and maybe those potentialities in 405 00:29:34,799 --> 00:29:38,279 particular, what do you make of why the White House might not want to 406 00:29:38,279 --> 00:29:42,039 talk about this if it's essentially just a dimebag, but some you know, 407 00:29:42,079 --> 00:29:48,599 tourist or you know, random White House staffer left behind. What could really 408 00:29:48,599 --> 00:29:52,880 be going on here? Well, on its face, I think, you 409 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:56,039 know, there's a very simple answer for why they don't want to talk about 410 00:29:56,039 --> 00:30:00,119 this, and it's because it takes away from the President's Biden I'm explosi right, 411 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,200 he's in campaign mode. He doesn't want to talk about scandals involving members 412 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,519 of his family or White House staff or even just you know, friends or 413 00:30:07,559 --> 00:30:10,640 family who are visiting the White House grounds. He wants to talk about, 414 00:30:11,119 --> 00:30:15,599 you know, what he wants to do for the economy moving forward. Now, 415 00:30:15,599 --> 00:30:18,039 when it comes to Hunter Biden, and I'm not a legal expert by 416 00:30:18,079 --> 00:30:21,680 any means, I don't think this would complicate his plea deal. Of course, 417 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:26,000 that's for the tax broad charges. But what this could complicate is his 418 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:32,480 path moving forward with the felony gun charge. Now again, Hunter Biden pledged 419 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:36,880 guilty only to the tax charges, not the gun charge. I'm not exactly 420 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:40,880 sure what happens moving forward, but I would have to imagine that potentially, 421 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:45,640 you know, bringing drugs onto federal browns would complicate that process, and it 422 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:48,720 might even pull that path out from under him entirely. When it comes to 423 00:30:48,799 --> 00:30:53,640 Jake Stullivan and the Secret Service. This is an investigation that is still being 424 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,160 investigated. Excuse me, a situation that is still being investigated, and it's 425 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:03,200 one that I think sort of belies the failings of law enforcement here in DC. 426 00:31:03,319 --> 00:31:06,559 Now. I don't think it was that long ago when on January sixth 427 00:31:06,559 --> 00:31:11,279 there was some serious confusion with Capitol Police, with Secret Service, you know, 428 00:31:11,319 --> 00:31:15,519 with the National Guard, about how to react to these types of situations. 429 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,960 And I think, you know, the Secret Service being the monolith that 430 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:22,799 it is, there's there are thousands of officers and agents operating in DC every 431 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,359 day, both at the White House and other federal buildings, but also, 432 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:30,160 like you mentioned, at the home, at the homes of some of these 433 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:34,079 political VIPs. This is a serious failing, especially given the sort of you 434 00:31:34,079 --> 00:31:38,279 know, vitriolic atmosphere that we find ourselves in. I think it was just 435 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:44,359 last week when one of the January sixth defendants was arrested outside of President Obama's 436 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:48,720 home here in Washington, DC. And again, I don't really necessarily have 437 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,880 a policy outlook for this, but I think it's one that should be concerning 438 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:57,119 two Americans of all political stripes. I don't really see us moving forward as 439 00:31:57,119 --> 00:32:01,400 a country, either to the left or to the right until we can sort 440 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:07,759 of tone down this rhetoric and these threats of violence, because they're only worsening 441 00:32:07,759 --> 00:32:15,319 the situation each one that comes up. The Watchdolt on Wall Street podcast with 442 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:20,960 Chris Markowski every day Chris helps unpack the connection between politics and the economy and 443 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,920 how it affects your wallet. Is America not number one anymore? Sometimes it 444 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:28,400 takes admitting we have a problem to'll be able to fix it. Between parental 445 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:31,119 rights over their children or the government paying big tech for your private info, 446 00:32:31,319 --> 00:32:35,559 how can we right our wrongs to go back to being the shiny city on 447 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:37,279 the hill. Whether it's happening in DC or down on Wall Street, it's 448 00:32:37,279 --> 00:32:40,720 affecting you financially. Be informed. Check out the Watchdot on Wall Street podcast 449 00:32:40,759 --> 00:32:45,039 with Chris Markowski on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. 450 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,359 But one more question and then I'll let you get out of the rain, 451 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:57,119 because again, if you could see data actually unfolded an umbrella, like halfway 452 00:32:57,119 --> 00:32:59,680 through this interview, because he's outside of the White House, he's waiting on 453 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:01,960 the bridge. Today's briefing, I would be so kindly standing in the rain 454 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:07,200 and talking to us for Federalist Radio Hour. But my last question is really 455 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:09,279 simple a Christian and that's just what has it been like to cover this White 456 00:33:09,279 --> 00:33:14,400 House? You've covered previous white Houses? And I don't think we've checked in 457 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:17,359 with you since the Biden White House, since you've had a lot of time 458 00:33:17,799 --> 00:33:22,279 covering the Biden White House. What's it like? What's this house White House 459 00:33:22,319 --> 00:33:25,160 like? How does it compare to others, well, other than the past, 460 00:33:25,319 --> 00:33:28,359 you know, a few weeks or so, I would say it's been 461 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,799 wholly boring. And that might sound silly to some of the folks back home, 462 00:33:32,119 --> 00:33:37,400 but this administration is incredibly tight lit, especially when you look at how 463 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:42,680 they stack up against the Trump administration. It's not only our policy level staff 464 00:33:42,759 --> 00:33:45,880 or is not willing to talk to the media, but even when we talk 465 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:49,640 to folks about new programs that they're rolling out, all of that is on 466 00:33:49,759 --> 00:33:52,720 background. None of that is on the record necessarily, and that's a problem 467 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:58,119 for outlets like the Associated Press. Certainly not someone that we would say falls 468 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,839 into the conservative you know, meet you can, they're not allowed to use 469 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:05,400 any background sources. They have to quote folks on the record. So again, 470 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:09,320 when one of the most storied media institutions in the country is not able 471 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:15,400 to cover policy announcements as they come out because again the administration behind those policies 472 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:17,960 aren't willing to back up those words with names and faces. I think that's 473 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:22,559 a real problem. So when I say it's boring, I don't necessarily mean 474 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:25,440 that we're not doing our jobs or that, you know, things aren't happening 475 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:30,960 here in Washington. It's just that the flow of information has really, you 476 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:34,440 know, sort of slowed down to a trickle. And again when it comes 477 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:38,039 to informing the electorate, when it comes to giving voters ample opportunity and all 478 00:34:38,039 --> 00:34:44,000 of the information that they need to make an educated decision at the voting booth, 479 00:34:44,559 --> 00:34:47,079 that's a real problem and I hope it's one that changes in this next 480 00:34:47,119 --> 00:34:52,400 year of of the Biden administration. Are you still hosting Joint Session? You 481 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,400 know, I am. We're on a hiatus right now, but you can 482 00:34:55,840 --> 00:35:00,239 check us out at Joint Protession pot And we're definitely going to be picking up 483 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:05,800 for twenty twenty four part of the plod because my co host is having a 484 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:08,880 baby and I Coore is getting married in September, so we got a lot 485 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,280 of things going on. But for all the stands the pod. You can 486 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,119 catch us back in time for the election next year. Nothing like your early 487 00:35:15,159 --> 00:35:19,119 thirties. Well yeah, check out joint Session. He'll, like, like 488 00:35:19,199 --> 00:35:22,079 day Tech said, they'll be back for things kicking up in the election. 489 00:35:22,159 --> 00:35:25,320 But you also absolutely should follow his work at the Washington Examiner. You can 490 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:29,840 follow him on Twitter, at Talk radio as same at Instagram and talk as 491 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:34,320 t oc like day Talk. Very clever, Christian, Thank you as always 492 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:37,440 for joining the show. No problem, Emily. Thanks again. Of course 493 00:35:37,679 --> 00:35:40,320 we'll let you get to the briefing. I'm Emily, just says a culture 494 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:44,559 editor here at Federalists. You've been listening to another edition of Federalist Radio Hour. 495 00:35:44,599 --> 00:35:46,519 We'll be back soon with more. Until then, the lovers of freedom 496 00:35:46,599 --> 00:36:01,360 and anxious for the fray heard a famous a reason and then I faint it away.