WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:06.759 It's Night Side with Dan Ray. I'm w BZY Boston's Radio. 2 00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:10.560 All right, welcome back. We apologize for that last guest 3 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:14.919 last hour. Very infrequently do we have the no show guest, 4 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:17.600 but that's we had last hour. We have a great 5 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:21.320 guest this hour, though, who's going to take your phone calls? 6 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:25.920 As a matter of fact, I have been following her 7 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:29.000 time with The Boston Globe with a great deal of interest, 8 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:33.719 and I'm delighted to introduce to all of you Kareeen Hajar, 9 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.799 who is the one of the editorial writers and an 10 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:43.039 opinion writer at The Boston Globe. Kareen Hajar, Welcome to Nightside. 11 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:43.560 How are you? 12 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:46.439 I'm good, Thanks for having me on. Thanks for a 13 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:47.240 nice introduction. 14 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:55.280 Well, I've just started because you have written on foreign policy, 15 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:02.280 on deterrence, on all sorts of issues, including immigration issues. 16 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.799 You are someone who grew up in the Greater Boston area, 17 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:14.239 went to a wonderful high school, Ursuline Academy, matriculated at 18 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:18.159 Harvard University, graduating in twenty twenty one, if I'm reading 19 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:23.120 your resume correctly, and then you went on and did 20 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:27.000 a lot of different things, working in a Senate office, 21 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:32.040 in Washington, working at National Review and at the Wall 22 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:37.319 Street Journal, all of which are pretty right of center organizations, 23 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:41.439 you know, you know, somewhat right of center, and now 24 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:46.159 you find yourself at the Boston Globe, no less the 25 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:53.040 editorial Board's that's a pretty interesting career path here, kareen 26 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.040 to end up at the Boston Globe. Can you sort 27 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:58.400 of sort that out for us if you will? 28 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:02.719 From your perspective, Yah, Well, it's great to be at 29 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:05.319 the hometown paper. You know, growing up, the Globe was 30 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.759 a constant presence. I had a lot of family members 31 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:11.159 that I had to drive to DC High back in 32 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:13.479 my high school days, and you know, passing the Globe 33 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:16.319 office and now getting to go downtown and go to 34 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:18.719 the Globe office is sort of a, you know, an 35 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:22.960 iconic Boston feeling. But I came on to be a 36 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:26.560 different voice, and I've enjoyed that my colleagues on the 37 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:29.439 opinion side are incredibly open minded, and I think our 38 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:33.400 page presents a diversity of opinions on a lot of issues, 39 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:36.919 and you know, I enjoy getting getting to be just 40 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:41.080 another perspective there. But you know, bringing along those experiences 41 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:44.280 from the journal, from National Review, I think it sort 42 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:45.280 of brings a different flavor. 43 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.439 Well, I think credit to the Boston Globe they have 44 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:55.759 had over the years occasional Well, Jeff Jacoby, our mutual friend, 45 00:02:56.199 --> 00:02:58.759 you know, writes pieces from the Globe for the Globe 46 00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:03.560 from a conservative slash, I think, libertarian perspective. But to 47 00:03:03.639 --> 00:03:10.120 be in this group of of editorial writers, you told 48 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:14.240 me today that it is a group that represents pretty 49 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:19.479 much eight to ten different people within the Globe. Are 50 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:24.280 those conversations pretty friendly and respectful? 51 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:26.840 I would hope they sure are. 52 00:03:26.919 --> 00:03:27.120 Yeah. 53 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:30.800 I mean I feel comfortable to bring different viewpoints to 54 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:32.919 the table, and I really enjoy the meetings. I mean 55 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:35.840 I felt the same way, and I felt a similar 56 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:40.000 way in college, where Harvard's obviously an extremely left leaning campus, 57 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:43.879 and being in those sort of being in those places 58 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:47.280 forces you to really consider your ideas and to hone 59 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.039 your opinions, and I enjoy that exercise. I think it's 60 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:52.280 I think it's good for everyone to sort of expose 61 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:55.520 themselves to different opinions on a regular basis and have 62 00:03:55.639 --> 00:03:57.560 to really defend the way they think. 63 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:01.199 Yeah, that's one of the things that always has bothered 64 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:02.919 me Korean, and that is that in a lot of 65 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:07.879 the institutions that stress a diversity. The one type of 66 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:12.560 diversity that they are not particularly interested in is diversity 67 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:16.360 of philosophical opinion. And they even don't even they don't 68 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:22.000 recognize that within some of the groups that they perceive 69 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:26.600 as being marginalized, whether it's women, or or or Black 70 00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:31.519 Americans or Hispanic Americans or Asian Americans, there's genuinely diversity 71 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:34.519 of viewpoints within those groups. None of those groups are 72 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.879 you know, monolithic, And yet as they stress diversity, they 73 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:44.240 seem to focus upon people from different groups, but all 74 00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:47.319 of whom think the same. I see that as as 75 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:49.920 incredible irony. I don't know if you share that few 76 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:50.920 I suspect you may. 77 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:54.079 Yeah, sure, I sure do. And I think, you know, 78 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:59.000 one of the central ideas in conservatism is you know, individualism, 79 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:02.720 individual freedom, and the idea that you know, I think 80 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:05.240 it's important to have this idea that the individual can 81 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:08.279 have all types of different ideas, regardless what they look like, 82 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:10.319 where they come from, how much money they have, what 83 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:13.879 race they are. I had a great conversation sort of 84 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:17.800 in that vein with Glenn Lowry, which I wrote up 85 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:23.040 for our idea section, and Glenn Lowry obviously a heterodox thinker, 86 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:28.480 an iconic professor and black conservative. You know, you can't 87 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:31.160 put him in a box. He has these interesting ideas. So, 88 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:34.040 you know, as a young woman who's conservative, speaking to 89 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:36.560 someone like Glenn Lowry was just a fascinating conversation. 90 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:41.160 Yeah, yeah, And is that sort of perspective that I 91 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:48.240 think the Globe would do well to to even find 92 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:52.480 more more different voices. So let's talk about some of 93 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.240 the work that you've done recently, because it certainly came 94 00:05:55.279 --> 00:06:00.279 to my attention recently that it was your f it's 95 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:07.920 that produced the redacted, the fully redacted reports on some 96 00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:12.920 of the migrant shelter serious crime. And I believe that 97 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:16.360 the Globe actually produced an editorial which I suspect you 98 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:20.279 if you didn't write, you probably help craft that basically 99 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:24.120 called the Healy administration out for not being as transparent 100 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:26.319 as they would like us to believe they are. 101 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:31.720 Yeah, we you know this. The unreducted version came from 102 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:36.079 John Featherston, who was a shelter operator in Marlborough at 103 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:40.040 the Holiday and Shelter there. He previously worked there and 104 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:43.000 you know the state it took months, but the new 105 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.079 side had been pushing. I know other groups like Mattheop 106 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:48.680 and a Herald had been pushing for the serious incident 107 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:52.920 reports in the various hotel shelters and emergency shelters. We've 108 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:56.439 had proliferate across the state because we sort of knew 109 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:59.199 something was going on there. You had fires at some 110 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:02.920 you had different incidents at others, and we wanted to know. 111 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:06.160 You know, tex Players are spending a billion dollars and 112 00:07:06.199 --> 00:07:08.800 we're putting the state. We'll say, you know, we're putting 113 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:11.279 migrants there, vulnerable migrants. We want to know if people 114 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:14.000 are safe, if communities are safe. We finally got those 115 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:18.079 records after a long time of acting, and then they 116 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:21.759 were extremely redacted, and the line was that they were 117 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:25.519 redacted to protect the safety of migrants, the safety of 118 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.600 residents in these emergency shelters. The problem is that, you know, 119 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:32.759 people were not safe and we didn't know about it. 120 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:35.839 So having the details and just being able to show 121 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:40.120 the details of one example of domestic salt that happened 122 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:42.240 in one of these shelters was really telling. 123 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:46.879 Yeah, the thing that that's troubling is that, Okay, political 124 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:50.160 decisions are made where we're going to become you know, 125 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:53.680 a de facto a sanctuary state, even though the governor 126 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:57.600 says we're not a a sanctuary state. Many communities are 127 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:03.279 de fact are day jury in fact act, you know, 128 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:06.759 either welcoming cities or sanctuary cities. And if we're going 129 00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:10.560 to invite people in some form profession to come here 130 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:16.920 and promise them shelter, that shelter should be adequate and 131 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:21.720 their children and they should be protected. So you're on 132 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:23.600 the side and the globe, and this one was on 133 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:27.360 the side of the angels, and the Heally administration with 134 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:34.279 all of the redactions were basically absolutely non non transparent 135 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.080 and arguably had engaged in a cover up. I'm not 136 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:41.200 saying that that the governor was the one with the 137 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:45.080 magic mark er real blacking things out, but some one 138 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:47.519 of their functionaries were. And I'd be loved to know 139 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:53.320 if the functionary has ever served any sort of a 140 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:55.799 punishment for that sort of behavior. 141 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:56.360 Was it? 142 00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:58.879 Did you guys look at that as to if anybody 143 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:02.799 was called to task for being overreacted the reports that 144 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:03.720 had been requested. 145 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:08.639 Not that I know us, but it's you've given me 146 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.480 an idea of something to look into. I mean, I 147 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:14.320 doubt that anything's happened to that effect, I would doubt. 148 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:16.759 I would doubt that that's my instinct. I don't know. 149 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:19.600 I also, when we get back, I want to talk 150 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:26.600 about not only the news story of the weekend, at 151 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:30.200 least in Boston, the shooting of the individual inside the 152 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:34.879 Boylston Street eatery uh and comments that Mayor Wu has made. 153 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:39.799 But she finds herself in this fight with the Homeland 154 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:43.600 Security Director Tom Homan, and you wrote a really interesting 155 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:49.200 piece last week which basically says that Holman should be 156 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:54.480 bringing hell to Beacon Hill and and not necessarily attacking 157 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:58.039 the police commissioner in Boston. I want to I want 158 00:09:58.039 --> 00:09:59.919 to walk look at that a little bit and all. 159 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:01.480 So I want to invite people to call if you 160 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:06.320 like to join the conversation and ask anything of Kareem 161 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:13.759 Hajar again, a Massachusetts native who now finds herself in 162 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:16.679 a position of real influence as a member. You don't 163 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:20.240 have to like the Boston Globe listeners. You may disagree 164 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.600 with the editorial policy. I like the Globe because I 165 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:26.080 think that it has the best sports page in the country. 166 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:29.639 And now that I know that Korean has is there, 167 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:32.320 I'm going to read the editorials even more carefully than 168 00:10:32.679 --> 00:10:35.840 I have before. Six one, seven, two, five, four ten 169 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:38.799 thirty six one seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. I'll 170 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:42.039 continue my conversation, hope you'll join us as we talk 171 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:47.879 with Boston Globe editorial writer and opinion writer Kareem Hajah 172 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:49.600 back on Nightside right after this. 173 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:53.799 Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World 174 00:10:53.919 --> 00:11:00.279 night Side Studios on WBZ the News Radio. 175 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:02.799 With me is Boston Globe opinion writer and editorial writer. 176 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:09.399 She is She's a young woman who graduated from Ursuline 177 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:13.759 High School here in Milton in Denham, excuse me. Grew 178 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:18.679 up in the Great Boston area, graduate from Harvard twenty 179 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:21.200 twenty one and as a conservative and as a member 180 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:25.360 of the editorial team at the Boston Globe. She has 181 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:28.799 worked journalistically for the Wall Street Journal and for National 182 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:33.840 Review magazine. And we're talking about, you know, her experience. 183 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:36.120 I think it's great that the Globe has reached out 184 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:39.840 and we were talking a little bit about some of 185 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:46.440 the work that Korean Hajar has done dealing with immigration issues. 186 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:48.600 Those issues I think are going to come to the 187 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:55.000 forefront this Wednesday when Mayor Wu is appearing in Washington. 188 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:58.559 You've worked in Washington. What sort of of a situation 189 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:00.600 do you think Michelle Will was going to find yourself? 190 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.720 And I also want to bring in to the conversation 191 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:07.840 your criticism or your suggestion to Tom Holman that he 192 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:11.279 should lay off of the city of Austin and basically 193 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:13.879 focus his fire on Beacon Hill. 194 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:16.120 Yeah. 195 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:19.480 I mean, look, tomorrow is going to be Wednesday. Rather 196 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:23.440 her hearing in Congress is going to be quite the spectacle. 197 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:24.279 I think. 198 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:28.879 You know, Republicans generally have a winning issue here. They 199 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.720 see the disorder in places like Massachusetts, they see sort 200 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:33.919 of the disaster we've seen in the shelter system. But 201 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:37.559 that doesn't necessarily mean they're always putting the blame in 202 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:42.000 the right place. So with the Tom Holman fiasco at Seapack, 203 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:45.840 for example, I mean, he's generally right that there's disorder 204 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:49.600 in Massachusetts in Boston, but that's there's really nothing that 205 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:52.840 Commissioner Cox or mayor Wu can do about it. Their 206 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:57.440 hands are pretty much tied by by s JC ruling 207 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:01.919 from twenty seventeen, the one decision that says that you know, 208 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:07.279 federal or state law enforcement cannot hold a migrant either 209 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:13.240 charge or convicted of criminal activity solely based on an 210 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:18.120 immigration detainer. So if anyone wants to change this or 211 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.639 create an avenue for ICE to be working with state 212 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:23.000 law enforcement, it would have to be the legislature. The 213 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:25.600 justice is said that quote. The prudent course is not 214 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:27.600 for this court to create an attempt to define some 215 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.159 new authority they go want to say. The better course 216 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:32.480 is for us to defer to the legislature to establish 217 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:35.639 and carefully define that authority. So the pressure really needs 218 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:38.039 to be on a Democrat led legislature to make any 219 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:38.759 changes here. 220 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:44.279 But it's going to take quite a while for the 221 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:49.039 leadership of this legislature and for this governor to do that. 222 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:54.120 I think they have no interest in doing that, And 223 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:57.120 it will be Mayor Wou that will take the heat 224 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:03.840 on Wednesday and washed Uh. Now I'm wondering if she, 225 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:09.720 being more of a political player, she will survive that 226 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:15.759 crucible more effectively than the former president of the great 227 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:21.759 University from which you graduated, Claudine Day, successfully uh dealt 228 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:22.799 with those issues. 229 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:27.240 The sense of that, I mean, I'm sure she very 230 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:32.279 closely studied the Claudine Gay hearing and is trying to 231 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:36.200 avoid some of the similar similar pitfalls there. But you know, 232 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:40.039 especially now that were going into sort of re election 233 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:45.080 season campaign season, it's also a chance for her to 234 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:48.080 to sort of back up some of these progressive bona 235 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:51.360 fides and and uh, look like she's fighting back against 236 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:56.080 an administration that isn't that popular back in Massachusetts. And 237 00:14:56.600 --> 00:14:59.720 you know, it's it's quite easy for her to say, hey, look, 238 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:03.639 hands are tied. There's nothing I can do. Point at 239 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:07.120 the Lund decision. We don't have the authority to do so. Now, 240 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:09.799 if the Republicans in Congress want to be smart about 241 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:11.960 their questioning, they will hone in on that and they'll 242 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:14.039 put her on the spot and they'll say, okay, well, 243 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:18.559 would you support a bill that would potentially give Boston 244 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:21.480 police and just law enforcement the power to work with ice, 245 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:24.200 even if it's a narrow bill, even if it's just convictions. 246 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:26.200 That's what they should do if they really want to 247 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:26.960 put her on the spot. 248 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:32.840 Yeah, and I suspect that she wins and loses no 249 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.320 matter how she answers that, or she loses no matter 250 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:39.279 how she answers that. If she says no, I wouldn't 251 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.639 support that legislation, which would you know, overturn or redefine 252 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:48.320 the Lund decision. She's going to be blasted by her 253 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:53.320 progressive base, should be supported by her progressive base, I 254 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:56.519 should say, But then it will reinforce in the minds 255 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:59.279 of people that no matter what the law was, she 256 00:15:59.320 --> 00:16:02.080 would stand in the way of that, and if she, 257 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.600 of course went the other way, then she would potentially 258 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.720 alienate her progressive base in a mayoral election. I think 259 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:11.080 it was James Pindell of your newspaper who wrote that 260 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:14.879 this is a gift to Mayor Woo, that that the 261 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:18.240 Republicans are giving her by putting her on the griddle 262 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.679 during you know, an election season when she's running for reelection, 263 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:27.399 And I think that that can be argued pretty effectively 264 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:30.399 as well. Your thoughts on that. 265 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:34.039 Yeah, I think it certainly can be gift. I mean, 266 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:36.080 she's going to go up there and again it's going 267 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:40.120 to be, you know, WU a progressive champion up against 268 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:45.399 the Trump administration or you know, Trump allies a Republican 269 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:50.080 led Congress, and that plays well in deep blue Massachusetts, 270 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:54.159 that plays even better in deeper blue Boston. So I think, 271 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:58.919 you know, if she can avoid any particularly pointed gotcha questions, 272 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:01.240 she'll get some good clips out of that. But again, 273 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:04.200 Republicans can put her on the spot if they ask 274 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:08.519 the right questions. These can't just be general questions about 275 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:12.119 why aren't you working with ICE? Why is this individual 276 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:15.000 or that individual being released? It has to be do 277 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:19.240 you support some type of legislation that allows law enforcement 278 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.400 to work with ICE? 279 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:26.880 I agree with you. A friend of mine works in 280 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:31.480 a program that you may not have a lot of 281 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:40.319 familiarity with. But we have a program where medical personnel, doctors, nurses, 282 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:46.920 pharmacists are always on twenty four hour notice to rally 283 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:52.319 and to provide medical support, nursing support, et cetera, pharmaceutical 284 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:58.759 support in areas of crisis like Hurricane Katrina, domestic situations 285 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:03.160 like the Los Angeless. And it's an all volunteer force. 286 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:06.839 And this friend of mine has been dispatched not only 287 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:10.799 to places in this country, but also to Haiti uh 288 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:13.240 and Too Iran for an earthquake a few years ago. 289 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:17.839 He informs me today that he was sent a memo 290 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:22.680 that their membership these are volunteers, okay, volunteers that they 291 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.839 have to comply with the Elon Musk. Tell me five 292 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:32.319 things you did last week, which to me sounds absolute overkill. Now, 293 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:34.960 I know I'm opening up another area of conversation here, 294 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.000 but I would like to get your response when when 295 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:42.920 when we come back after the news break as to 296 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:47.359 whether or not the administration, the Trump administration has been 297 00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:53.960 preps a little too aggressive, uh in terms of this 298 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:57.880 this doge activity that that you know as matter of fact, 299 00:18:57.880 --> 00:19:00.480 have a minute, just give me a quick risk spons 300 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:03.920 if you could to how has the Trump administration been 301 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:07.839 too heavy handed, too quick and made too many mistakes 302 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:11.240 with their doge their early doge efforts. 303 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:14.319 In your opinion, it's almost hard to keep up with 304 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:17.319 what's been happening. You know, every day there's a new cut, 305 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:21.160 a new mandate. But I think, like with the point 306 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:23.200 that you make about the five points in the email 307 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:26.359 with Elon Musk, on one hand, it just it can 308 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:30.039 strike you as sort of unnecessary trolling and easy red 309 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.000 meat for the base. But on the other hand, it 310 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.279 gets you to sit there and think, huh, is it 311 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:36.759 really that hard for somebody to think about five things 312 00:19:36.759 --> 00:19:38.880 they did they've done over the last week. 313 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:41.559 Let me let me just interrupt you because I'm coming 314 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:44.480 up on a CBS news break. I will finish by saying, 315 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:47.200 when you talk about volunteers who can be called on 316 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:50.200 a moment's notice, maybe they haven't done anything the last week. 317 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:54.480 We'll be back with Kareem Hajar, the Boston Globe editorial staff. 318 00:19:55.839 --> 00:20:00.559 It's Night Side with Dan Ray Boston's Radio. 319 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:06.799 We're joined by Kareem Hajar. She is a Boston Globe 320 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:12.519 editorial writer. Harvard graduate twenty twenty one. She's worked for 321 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:15.480 The National Review for the Wall Street Journal. Also worked 322 00:20:16.279 --> 00:20:20.319 in Washington in the halls of Congress. And we're talking 323 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:26.880 about the immigration fight that is going on. Kareean, as 324 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:31.640 as you look at all of this, and we look 325 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:35.839 at some of the the actions that the Trump administration 326 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:38.599 has taken in the first six weeks, and of course 327 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:42.880 tomorrow night he has his speech to Congress. Do you 328 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:50.759 anticipate any surprises in that speech tomorrow night? Obviously you all, 329 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:52.799 it's not a State of the Union address, it's a 330 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:57.680 it's a speech to Congress. What do you think if 331 00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:02.160 you were advising Donald Trump he should what tone should 332 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:06.000 he strike? I mean no, he struck a tone on 333 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:12.119 Friday with Zelensky. President Zelensky, which in the short run 334 00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:18.880 has I think been problematic. Today he followed on with 335 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:21.920 the tariffs or pledged to follow on with the tariffs 336 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:24.200 despite the fact that Mexico is ying to stand that 337 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:28.079 has handed over some of the members or the leaderships 338 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:32.519 of cartels. I'm not quite sure what he's trying to 339 00:21:32.599 --> 00:21:35.200 prove at this point. Do you have a reading that 340 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:37.680 you would like to share with me as to what 341 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:39.200 do you think is in his mind? 342 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:44.119 After being on the campaign trail and during a presidential 343 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.079 this last presidential election, I've learned not to try to 344 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:49.960 anticipate what President Trump is going to say. 345 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:53.000 That's a solid position to take, yeah, ahead of or 346 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:54.039 otherwise go ahead. 347 00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:59.400 But you know what I think a lot of Trump 348 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:04.119 Republicans would say is that he's trying to be extremely 349 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:08.000 strong right off the bat to have favorable terms to 350 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:12.039 negotiate that sort of whether or not that is a 351 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:15.160 pre planned strategy or just a rationalization of what is 352 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:19.720 happening is to be determined. But you know, I think 353 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:22.960 the president is going to I don't. I don't expect 354 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:28.400 him to take on a more a softer tone. I 355 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:30.680 guess in the way he addresses Congress, I think it's 356 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:35.319 going to be strong, decisive, Uh, He's going to stand 357 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:38.200 by everything. He's done because he he hasn't backed off 358 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:38.680 on anything. 359 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:45.000 There's some suggestion that Zelensky may have met with Democratic 360 00:22:45.880 --> 00:22:50.000 Senate leaders on Friday before he went to the White House. 361 00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:53.880 Have you have you heard that that suggestion. 362 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:58.200 To be honest, I haven't seen details about that, but 363 00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:02.160 I'm sure that he's meeting with anyone and everyone who 364 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:04.640 could sort of help his cause or you know, potentially 365 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:08.559 sway public opinion. And he's been doing this, you know, 366 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:11.119 media tour, government tour everywhere. 367 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:15.720 But what I don't understand, and again I've watched it 368 00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:18.759 for a long time, but I don't understand is how 369 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:22.240 you can have a signing ceremony that can blow up 370 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:26.400 on everyone's face that all of that stuff is supposed 371 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:32.039 to be litigated and dealt with, and every I has 372 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:35.559 dotted and T is crossed and those papers should have 373 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:38.279 been sitting on the desk for them to sign when 374 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:42.240 they emerged from the you know, the behind closed door meeting, 375 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:47.880 and it it looked to me as it was, it 376 00:23:47.960 --> 00:23:50.680 almost seemed embarrassing. I mean, it was like almost amateur 377 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:53.279 hour as this. And I think that the president, I 378 00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:59.160 think he enjoyed the the confrontation. I really think he 379 00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:04.160 enjoyed the confortation, which said to me, why do that's 380 00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:08.119 what's gained by that? If Celenski didn't want to sign, 381 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:10.240 why would you even bring him to the White House. 382 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:15.119 Yeah, you know, I've been asking myself a lot of 383 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:18.920 similar questions, and something that President Trump said is pretty 384 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:21.240 telling that this is going to make great television. I 385 00:24:21.240 --> 00:24:23.599 think he likes the clips. I think he likes the 386 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:27.240 sound bites. I think he likes that these instances go viral, 387 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:29.640 and I think a lot of people in his camp 388 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:32.400 feel that it gives them leverage to ask even more, 389 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:35.440 not just of Zelensky, but also of the Europeans. This 390 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:37.880 is sort of a similar argument that they've made about 391 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:41.720 NATO in the past. You know, Trump's made these really 392 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:45.240 scathing comments about NATO, even making some people fear that, 393 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.640 you know, will will the US exit will it not? 394 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:53.720 And then in turn European countries contribute more of their 395 00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:56.920 GDP to their defense. So that's sort of the rationalization 396 00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:01.160 we're seeing from the MAGA world. But I'm curious to 397 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:02.759 see how this will play out and if he does 398 00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:05.559 actually get better terms from what was, as you said, 399 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:08.400 you know, quite a shocking exchange. In the White House 400 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:10.559 and sort of the type of exchange you expect to 401 00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:14.640