Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay - Why Would ESPN Lay Off Ryan Clark? Plus, Mayor Mamdani’s Netanyahu Strategy.

Episode Date: July 24, 2026

Van and Rachel react to both ESPN’s decision to lay off Ryan Clark and LeBron’s decision to drag out free agency. Then, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he can’t arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Trump administration freezes Medicaid funding for CA and MN. And finally, a debate about the placement of a controversially titled book on a former NBA head coach's desk. (0:00) Intro (27:42) Ryan Clark and the ESPN layoffs (1:00:07) Mamdani’s message to Netanyahu (1:21:25) Medicaid funds frozen (1:46:21) House GOP advances plan to fund SAVE America Act (1:56:14) George Karl and displaying the book 'N-----' Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay Producers: Donnie Beacham Jr. and Jade Whaley Social Producer: Bernard Moore Video Supervision: Chris Thomas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yo, yo, yo, thought warriors. What is up? Higher Learning is on, is Ivan Lathan Jr.? And it's me, Rachel and Lindsay. I'm in San Diego for Comic-Con. I get excited for you when you go to Comic-Con. Even though I don't understand it and I don't know much of what goes on,

I told you when I worked for Extra, it was on my request list because I am fascinated that there's this whole world out there and people get dressed up and they look forward to it every year and I know nothing about it. And when I went, I, like, walked the floor.

I looked at all the costumes. I just think it's such a fascinating experience. You go every year. You probably are over it at this point. Do you guys, do the Midnight Boys dress up? No, we don't dress up. I mean, dressing up, I think, I think dressing up is like a part of Comic Con

that is like, it's a part of the festivities that I think have become, like, the whole thing. for people who are observing Comic Con. But Comic Con is much more now to me because it's actually a comic convention. Like when I go down there, like, I buy books and stuff. But it's actually much more now to me of like a, it's like a industry expose.

It's like a, to me it's more a pop culture exhibitors thing. How can I put it? So do you feel like it's lost its... like authenticity? No, but it's very, very corporate and like Hollywood. It's a big opportunity for everybody that has something coming out or something on now to just like drum up excitement for it with the people that are going to be supporting it. So it's like I wouldn't say that it's lost anything,

but I will say that like Comic Con is very meaningful just for the industry now. Movies and TV. If you did dress up, what would you be? I got to know. No, here's the thing. I got to know. Here's the thing. You know, it's actually kind of limiting, right?

For me, at least. There are some tall, there's some tall characters. They're tall characters, but the question is, how many are black? So you got Mace Window. Are they race? You got Blade. Yeah, it's race. But you could be like Hulk.

And there's no race to that. You could be Hulk, but that's like a tough costume. right? Like you gotta, what you do? Normally what you see is, like, if you do Hulk, what you got to put big green stuff on, I guess you got to, you could be Hulk. But a lot of the niggas here, when you see them, it's a blade, mace window world.

It's blade, it's Mace Windu, it's Black Panther. It's not great. You could do, you could do like anime stuff, but I'm not as deep into that world, right? So you could, I don't know, it's a lot of blades. There's less blades in their word before, but there used to be a lot of blades for the brothers, a lot of blades. Petition for you to dress up next year.

Like, I feel like this is a lost opportunity for the midnight boys. I also, nobody dresses up for the midnight boys. I'm shocked. I'm shocked. You would think, you would think that Steve would be the one. If I had to pick one, it would be Steve. A lot of people dress up, but, you know, it's not as many people dressing up as you would think.

It's not like everybody. dressed up. Have I told you that when I went, I got, at first I was fascinated and then I got nervous with how many people wearing costume because I just was like, there's so many people, something could happen, you know, everyone's dressed up. I don't know, like then I just got in my head and it was time to go. It was time to go. I don't know what it is about me as well that a lot of people in costumes, it fucks with me.

I don't know that it should, but I don't feel comfortable. with somebody with like fangs next, it's just weird. It's like, you know, but I think that it is awesome to see Comic-Con because people from all over the world are there and everybody is super excited about that thing that they're into. Some years are bigger than other years, right? Some years are gigantic when big, huge movies are coming out. Some years are a little bit more muted.

I think a lot of people this year are wondering what people are going to have to show because we're at Comic-Con right now. Spider-Man comes out next week to do as they train. dropped earlier, what does Marvel have up their sleeve for the people here at Comic-Con? And the fact also is that, like, you know, D.C. is not here at all. So there are some things that people are wondering, like, what this Comic-Con is going to end up being. But also, for the nerds here,

for a lot of the, you know, the people that come here, there's also, like a big love connection. I totally see it. Come to Comic-Con that get their fuck on. Yeah, the Reddit chat comes to life. The group chat comes to life. see it. I, I, it makes a lot of sense. I actually think it's a fantastic idea. They should do like speed dating or some kind of like love show. You should be, you should host this. This would be great. Love at the con? It's the winner. The carnal, carnal con. And like at the end, they have

to take their mask off. Like Netflix kind of had a show like this, but not really. It was like people. Wait a minute. Hold on, huh. So you want to, this show was actually even better. Now. So the show you want to do is like Black Panther is fucking with Gene Gray. And at the end, you take your mask off and then you see who's really under the black. We should do a love show at Comic Con that's just basically based on how good your costume is. And then at the end of the love talk, you take the costume off and you see who the person is under the costume. Right. Now the question is, do they stay in character while they have the costume on? Like, are they Black Panther? Are they? Who did you say, Jen Gray? Like, are they these people? Green Gray, yeah. Or are they themselves just with the mask on? I think they have to be themselves.

But I love this. I love it. I think they have to be themselves too. I don't really like when people are actually Spider-Man. Like, if I take a picture with you and you got a dope-ass Spider-Man costume, yeah, go like that. But then if I say, yo, man, what's going on with you? Say, yeah, I can't wait to get back to New York. Aunt May is all by herself.

That's too much. Like, you know what I'm saying? It's like it's like it. That's hilarious. See, I'll for that. No, that's too, that's too much. Like, if you actually talk to somebody and, you know, they're dressed up as Black Panther and they go, I must protect Wakanda. Nigga, you from Detroit.

So, like, I don't want to, I mean, that don't go too far with it. You know what I'm saying? Like, just be regular. When I was in Italy a few years ago, I'm sure this was a violation. But the hotel I was staying at was there for a few days. So it's the smaller hotels. So you get to know the people who work there. You start talking to him.

There was a guy there who would moonlight a Spider-Man. And not just, but he didn't have the red and blue. It was the black version. And he didn't just moonlight, like walking on the street and taking pictures. He was actually giving me, I might have one. So Polaroids of him, like climbing up light poles or like scaling a building. Like, he really committed to. And when he would talk to me, he would talk as if, like, by night, he really was Spider-Man.

I thought about calling the manager, but then I just let it ride. Right. I thought about it just let me right. So he would dress up as the symbi-up version of Spider-Man. Yes. And at night would really be him. Like, really be doing the stunts. What are you talking about?

Like, he would jump around the- There were pictures of him, like, hanging off poles or scaling a wall. Oh, I see. And they were Polaroids. And he had, like, had to do it. a signature and everything on them and he would pass them out as if like you know I had the pleasure of meeting

Spider-Man. The actual Spider-Man. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like he was like revealing who he was. You know, things go too far. That's a part of life. You know, things go too far and people get caught up in it. But I also think that there are people who this weekend at Comic-Con for them is

the most them that they get to be. Yeah. Yeah. They get to show their ingenuity. They get to show their enthusiasm. It's the most of them they used to be. That's it. No, but see, I love that. I think that is so endearing,

which is what I wanted to go see at Comic-Con. I told you this. I'm fast. It's like I'm going into somebody else's world. I know nothing about it. There's this whole world that happens that so many people are into, and I'm just on the outside of it.

So it's like a moment to peek in. And I like that. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink. Pre-K drop off. Then straight to the gin. Back home to meal prep before heading to the fire station for my shift. When the three alarm comes in, I'm ready. CELSIUS, live, fit, go.

Grab a cold, refreshing Celsius energy drink at your local retailer. Or locate now at Celsius.com. enjoy Celsius responsibly. Designed for occasional energy boost, not as part of your daily diet. Please adhere to recommended serving limits. You know what? I got an announcement to make, man. Yeah.

And we're talking about a lot of stuff on higher learning. There's two things that have happened in my life recently that I want to speak to. Number one is that, you know, I'm sort of becoming disillust. with everything. I just want to, I want to express this. I have a deep feeling that all of this is actually bullshit. What is? Can't be more specific.

Everything. Existing? No, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no. It's like, you know, the uphill, I don't think we understand the uphill battle that is giving a shit. You wake up in the morning and if you give a shit,

by noon you're being told that you're not giving a shit in the right way. By three, you're being told that you're giving a shit about something that's not even real. And by five, you're being told that there's a whole host of things that are more important

than the thing that you give a shit about. The people that are actually winning, right now in society don't fucking care about anything. I'm this is a this is a the people that are actually winning that are actually winning or the things that they care about are so surface level

and like kind of insignificant that it's a it's their sports team or they care about like I don't know I don't get to But it's like the deeper you, the deeper I get into all of this stuff, the system, not just our system here culturally and politically, just every system is so fundamentally broken that it almost makes sense, more sense for your personal peace to ignore it. Okay.

It literally does to me. Two things. One, are you jealous of that? Are you jealous of what? That there are people who get to do that and can do that, that can't attach, that can not care, that can live in a space where maybe they aren't fixated on some of these issues that you feel burdened by. Are you jealous of that or envious of that? I am, but only for one reason. Okay.

I know that my care is kind of synthetic. Keep going. I actually do care, but the reason why I care is because of what's wrong with my brain. My ADHD makes me hyper reactive. It makes me hypersensitive to notions of justice. Same. It makes me fixate on people that are like losing battles in society and, And so yesterday on tailgate, someone hit Joel up with all of these symptoms of ADHD.

And one of them is a hyperfixation on justice. It's a hyper fixation on fairness. And then there's a reactivity that goes along with that that sometimes stops me from being able to live outside of the worst thing that's happening to somebody like at the moment. Right. And so whereas I've always, I went back and like did this sort of reflection on my life. Like in the sixth grade, I was picking fights and arguments with my classmates. They ever, when I started, when things started happening for me, I would get emails from people and they would be like, hey, do you remember me? Like, hey, man, I do remember you.

Yeah, blah, blah, blah. And they would be like, you haven't changed. So there's something that like, there's something that like literally people that went to Best Buy He's like, man, do you remember that day that we stood outside of Best Buy and you fucking talked for three hours about the Iraq War until they made us leave the parking lot? It's funny because that day when they made us leave the parking lot, I had done this whole thing about fucking Fallujah and the Iraq War and all of that stuff. And then when I tried to get in my car and leave, I did this walk away and it was all dramatic.

and then when I got my car my car wouldn't start I indicted everyone because it was a bunch of George W. Bush fans you you this and I had a great somebody had to give me a ride back to my apartment but I got in the car and my flywheel on the car had the flywheel

so it wouldn't it wouldn't the fucking thing wouldn't it wouldn't fucking the ignition wouldn't turn so I got in there and I'm like fuck And then they walk over there as a van. Let me bring you home, man. Blah, blah, blah.

But yeah, so it, you know, even then it was like, you know, and the same thing at TMZ, the same place everywhere. I'm 46. I'm stressing myself out. Everybody is just like they're living their lives and not being concerned about this shit. I'm telling you guys, the favorite person that you love doesn't give a fuck about you. There are some conversations that I've heard over a past couple of days. No, that's true.

You mean like a public figure? Throughout the whole spectrum, I'm talking about your favorite politician, your favorite person on your favorite show, your favorite thing. They don't, they give a fuck about them. And if it benefits you, great. And so I don't know that I'm not indicting anyone to feel like that's different, but it's like, I don't know, man. I'm having, I want to spread this on a podcast because I want to have,

I'm having a moment in my life right now. I got to be honest with you. I understand, first off, with the symptoms of ADHD, it shows up, everybody has, not everybody, but people who have it, have different experiences with it, particularly if you're a man or a woman, particularly the environment you grow up in, and also where you are. in your life, like your age.

It all, like, it impacts you in a different way. But going back to the not caring thing, I don't know if I want to be the person who just doesn't care. Not I don't. It's not even I don't know. I don't want to be that person. Because to me, for you to live in a space of, I just don't care. Like, I don't care about those things.

My biggest concern to use your example is about my favorite team. or what I'm wearing this weekend or a vacation. I don't want to just live in that space because obviously in order for you to have such a nonchalant or cavalier disposition means that you live in a place of privilege. You are at a level where the things that are happening within our country, outside of it, within these broken systems, don't impact you. You're above it because of your privilege. And I don't know if I want to be so above something where I have, I no longer possess

the emotion of feeling what other people who aren't similarly situated feel. I want to feel. And if that's a burden at times, I think I would rather take it than have the place where I'm so detached where I feel nothing. I just don't want to be that person. And so I understand everything that you're saying. and at times, and we've talked about this on the podcast, I do look at some of my friends and I'm like,

oh, it must be nice to be, you know, like skipping down the street and posting, you know, your outfit of the day and I do this too sometimes, or like your food or whatever it may be, and live a life where you just aren't even aware of the things that are going on because you don't have to. I don't want to be that person. I think I'd rather be stressed out in burden than feel nothing. Okay.

So I get it. Just so Rachel was talking about how ADHD shows up differently for people. I want to let people know what I'm talking about. Justice sensitivity in ADHD is a psychological condition that's an intense physiological, overwhelming emotional response to perceived unfairness, inequality, or broken rules. The ADHD brain processes emotions deeply in struggles with regulation. Witnessing or experiencing injustice can trigger profound frustration, anger, or moral outrage. there's four types of sensitivity

that ADHD victims are that people that suffer from it are well attuned to victim sensitivity they say here it doesn't say victim there I put that in it so victim sensitivity observer sensitivity beneficiary sensitivity guilt over an

unfair advantage which I certainly have had and perpetrator sensitivity shame over causing harm and so when I started to look at this two things that started to do when I started to kind of get into this. One, it started to make me think if any of these feelings or me are actually real.

Or if I've been dealing with something neurological for my entire life, that's made me read a bunch of books and hyper fucking fixate on something that when you get to a certain point, people go, man, can we just enjoy the party in peace? I'll give an example of something, though. So I give an example of something of a difference that we have, right? You and me. The squatters thing. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I mean you. Like the squatters thing, right? So it, I don't give a fuck about, like, I'll just, so just to revisit it real quick, I don't give a fuck. Like, I legitimately don't care about a landlord's right to, like, charge somebody for a place to live. I don't care. Like, every time I pass somebody, like, I walk through the thing and I walk up and down the streets here, even in San Diego, and I left here, and I see people on the street. And I just fucking freeze up and go, why should you? they have to live like that.

Like, well, it, it blows my mind. I almost can't make it back to the hotel. Now, I don't do shit. There are a bunch of people that would actually do something, right? Like, you know, I get back and I'll help out at a soup kitchen or I'll do all of that stuff, but I do that stuff just to soothe this overwhelming feel of existential dread that pops up in my mind because somebody is walking around on the street with no fucking shoes on, and I think about it all morning.

And by the way, if that person goes and, like, lives in your house and then, doesn't pay you any rent, I don't care. I don't, I really don't fucking care. And so I do think that there is a break when I'm even talking about this and that there's a part of it that I'll be honest with you, I don't think it's very healthy. And it's for sure. Yeah, and it and it makes me like hyper fixate and all of that stuff. When at the end of the day, there's, there's really no way to like be consistent about it, right? And like, you end up picking a bunch of battles that honestly aren't really even yours. They're really not even your battles.

You end up like involved in a bunch of shit when you should be playing the video game or writing or doing something else. Yeah, you can't fix everything. You have to. Well, I mean, it's not even about, it's not even about fixing it. Because like fixing it would be me going,

okay, I'm going to like actually do something to like try to influence this or do something else. Yeah. It's, but like, so I don't know. So I've been, I've just been thinking about like, especially when I got some of this information, I've been thinking about like how much of this is actually real because you can't. And, and also, nobody is difficult for people to see. So it's difficult for people, people can't, it's like if we have the, if we have like that squatters

argument, what I hear back when I'm going back and forth for people about that is that, no, some people should be homeless. But that's not how I feel. But like, I just don't. That's not how you. I just, when I go back and forth with you, it's we think about going about it in a different way. That's really what it comes down to. And my, and

that's the thing I'm trying to say. The way I look at that is so drastic that I go, if it's between somebody being homeless and them living in, and them taking over a spot that you should be charging them for, then, yeah. You know? But I don't know. I've just been thinking about that recently.

and you know, I think you guys are going to see it here on the podcast. I think you're going to see. I'm just going to, I'm just going to chill for a while. I'm just going to chill for a while. So this is why I'm glad you're where you are because I feel like this is a good escape for you.

Just, just chill. You know, just relax. Hey, hey, hey, it's the new. The voice isn't necessary. Hey, hey, hey, hey, what you? Hey, Van, Van. What's your, what's your, other than the game, What's your creative escape?

Like what's your... I got all kinds. What's your... Yeah, like we need to tap into some of this. Like when you start going down this... Yeah. I got a bunch of... That's not the thing.

I got the game. I got the right... I got big news in my writing. Big news and stuff that I... The big stuff that's happening right now. I got all kinds of stuff. But you know what? Ask me about a world issue.

Ask me about something. Chill Van. Ask me about a world issue. Ask me about something. Should it be a topic we're supposed to talk? about? Just ask me about something and just choose something. Ask me about it. Okay.

What should we do? A world topic. Well, Trump is saying that we don't need the straight of Hormuz. How do you feel about that? We don't need it. I hope it works out. You know, I got a lot of

things going on today. I'm playing MLB, the show. currently Shoahe Otani is sitting on 73 homers with about four games left to play and so I'm really concentrating on blasting that last homer to knock Barry Bonds off his perch

pray for the troops pray for everything to work out try something else you know what will make you feel that way though too to like have these type of response shrooms shrooms oh shrooming it up ask me something about blacks

Blacks? Black, black Negro Americans. Oh, what's going on? What's going on? Bernard's over here laughing. Bernard is very tapped into what you're saying. What's going on? Just give me something.

What's, um... Throw something out there. Come on. That's interesting that you can't conjure something right now. Well, I'm just trying to think of, make it something like... Have thoughts. Go for it. Oh, I have...

Oh, because I can't think of anything. Yeah, so what's going to? on man like what's happening with you right now what's going on like are you are you are you to the point where you don't care anymore or are we negotiated your care just throw out there i have i am really good at compartmentalizing to the point where it can be of a fault which is why i stay in situations longer than i should maybe like i'm i'm quick to overlook things um because i'll compartmentalize because otherwise i will spiral like i a hundred percent will fixate on something and I will spiral and I will get very emotional

and I have a temper which I have it is over the years I have really honed in like yes yes very much so so I'm really good at just being like I have to detach and not care about that right now I talk to myself all the time and that's honestly the way and obviously therapy and stuff I'm able to do it. What's a black issue? What's going on? Bernard said streamers university.

Oh my God. This is another thing that's really getting me off this. We got to start to show. Another thing that's getting me off this is Bernard. Not this Bernard. The kids are all into Streamer University. I asked y'all for a black issue It's led by a black man.

It's led by a black man. Streamers University. Man, what's going on to Streamers University? Hey, you know what? Shout out to Streamers University though. You just got to round up. I was like, what happened to call? You got me riled up.

Bernard said what happened to call man. Good job, Bernard. And y'all, it was all the facade. Streamers University. Is Donnie there? I am. What's up? Donnie, we're going to have to start like keeping like a tally of Bernard's

responses. Bernardism. Bernardism is where we're going to call them. We're going to have to keep it. I asked you out and Bernard said street, that's hilarious. See, that's what I wake up in the morning for. But see, that's what Bernard is tapped into. People are worried about what's happening in Iran. People are worried about about funding being taken away from states and the Democrats are already talking about how the, the Republicans are going to interfere with the midterms. And Bernard said, streamer university. Streamers University, man. Bernard, that's what I'm going for.

Way to bring it all together, Bernard. That was great. I'm going for the biggest issue being streamers university. Black issue. Black issue. Hey, just go down there and you go to the prisons. You're in the prisons. You're talking to the brothers.

Like, man, how are you doing? And they go, man, I don't need no help with my bill. I don't need no help to avoid recidivism. What I want to know is about Streamers University. What Kai got going? on, man. What the fuck. Fuck Target Boycott. All right. Let's fucking start talking about this. This would be interesting

conversations, people we know involved here. Yeah, ESPN, there were some layoffs this week. Most of which reportedly is this is from a memo from Chairman Jimmy Patero is related to the company's deal to take over NFL network. Among those who are being let go

by ESPN is a longtime commentator Carl Ravage, NFL network reporter Tom Pellisaro, NFL analyst, Cam Newton, and Ryan Clark. And the athletic reported that Clark was informed of his being let go while the show, I believe NFL Live was on the air. And he was not present for the closing segment of the program. Yeah, it looks like they took him off air in real time. It seems that that happened.

Yeah, like TMZ had put up a story that said that he was not because, you know, it was being reported that he, that he, got the news and he did decide like didn't come back and you know like was forced off and then TMZ reported that he wasn't forced out and then Ryan actually was like oh I wasn't I got the news I said you know should I continue and or should I you know like leave and they were like yeah yes you should go yeah um feel for him in that regard when me me and Mike had our dust up on TMZ. It was in, TMZ Live was being shot. So TMZ live was being shot when that happened. And I walked over to them. We had our back and forth. Charles told me to leave and I never stepped foot back in TMZ ever again, my last time, like on TV.

So when people got had the video and stuff of it, of it, it was because things were still happening. They were still going, even in the commercial break. like you can see stuff. So in the middle of a broadcast is a unique way to meet your end with the company that you've been with for a long, long time. I'll tell you what, I did not think, even if there were mass layoffs at ESPN, I did not think that we would see Ryan Clark as being a part of them. I did not.

I'll say straight up with no hesitation at all that if Ryan Clark, would not have been so outspoken, was not so outspoken about issues relating and regarding black people both on air at ESPN and with the things that he does with the pivot and other places, I do not think that he would have lost his job. I do not think so. I know that there are a lot of economic situations that are happening at ESPN. They're playing some of their top, they're paying some of their top level talent, enormous sums of money. And there's not always, enough to go around. I do also realize that there is a new show

that's coming to ESPN with some people and they probably have to make a little bit of room for that. What new show? What I would... Well, I mean, like, there's a new football show. The Bussing with the boys guys and Josh paid have a brand new football show.

Oh, okay. Is that under a part of the merger with NFL network? Because that's, you know, what they're also couching all of this under, too, is making room for that. It might be, but that's college football. So there's a new college. Football Show. College?

Okay, I didn't realize that. I thought it was a problem. Well, I mean, I think this particular show, don't let me, this just legitimately came out. Let me see here. This just came. ESPN is launching a new weekly college football show with Josh Pate and Busts with the boys, co-hosts Will Compton and Taylor Luan. So sources tell front office sports.

So there's a lot of new stuff that they probably have to clear up some money to do, all of that type of shit. But I'm telling you right now, the stalwart on that network to me right now, we talked about it with Dave Roberts. The best show on there is the football stuff that they're doing. And Ryan is a gigantic part of that with everything that he was able to accomplish in the NFL. And he has become, throughout his time at ESPN,

an absolutely sublime football analysts. He is a great mind when it comes to the sport. And he is fantastic on air. One of the best that they have, right? and he is also something else. If you look at some of the other names that were involved in this, like, you know, Carl Ravik has been along, Ravich's been ESPN doing baseball forever.

But outside of that, like, he doesn't really have any type of cultural footprint. Like, he's not somebody that's, that's, like, talked about. Ryan Clark is a legitimate celebrity in this space beyond ESPN. but I think he's also a Thornton Network side because oftentimes he challenges a sort of status quo with some of the things that he says. So when they're looking for people to kind of cold

in a situation like that, they're going to take some people that aggravate them with how much they care about things that put ESPNs in the crosshairs. Because remember, when you work at your, when you're at your place of employment, when you work there and you say the thing that you say, you talk about the thing that you talk about.

The first thing that these people online do when that happens is they say, hey, at ESPN, well, I hate you. They go, hey, at ESPN, is this the kind of guy that you employ? This guy that's talking about this black shit. So when it's time to do all of this, the first person that has to clear out their locker is somebody that has taken these fights on, Whether you agree or not or whatever,

I do think that had Ryan Clark not made the decision to get involved in so many of those issues and talk about so many things like that, that they would not, would not have made him a part of these layoffs. It doesn't make any sense to me from a television business perspective. Well, it doesn't make any sense from a talent, popularity, television perspective. From a business perspective, it depends on what kind of business are you trying to build?

And that to me is why I'm not surprised. For all the things that you just said, I'm not shocked that as a part of these layoffs, and I actually think it's strategic. I think with, you know, a lot of people are pointing to what happened last fall with Peter Schrager. I didn't even think that was that big of a deal.

That was one incident. But with the NFL network merging with ESPN, this is a perfect way to let go of people, additional people, because shout out to Stefanya Bell, a dear friend of mine who also, who's been at that company for almost 20 years, who was let go. There's a lot of people who've been there for years and years and aren't getting talked about in the same way, obviously like a Ryan Clark, which again speaks to his popularity. But I just lost much, oh, I believe that this was a perfect way for them to say, oh, well, we have to clear out space. We have to let go

of bigger contracts to like under the guise of that's why we're doing it instead of something that feels more personal. There's a couple of things here which is which is also why I say I'm not surprised within the last year we've seen on social media Ryan Clark apologize for certain things that either maybe he said on social media that were about a former employee at ESPN were on air with an employee at ESPN, maybe something that was discussed as a topic on the pivot. We've seen him have to, not have to, I shouldn't say that, because that's me assuming it, but we've seen him go to social media and apologize. And I would see a lot of people be like, why does he have to do that? Why does he feel that that's necessary to do when he's just speaking his mind or talking about something

he's passionate about when there are other personalities on ESPN that do the very same thing? when I saw that him having him continuing to do that that also marks to me something of hmm does he feel like that is something he necessarily has to do because it's not for the pivot it's not for social media it's probably it's a corporate thing that maybe he feels like oh he needs to make some sort of comment on it because it's sparking controversy it's having people you know talk about things going back and forth in his comments outkick it would he was a favorite topic of outkick and they constantly, anytime he'd said something that was off the, they felt was off the beaten path or had to do with politics or had to do with race or had to do with social

issues, they always were calling for, I won't say for him to be let go, but also calling out kind of like you say what people do on social media, trolls do, hey, at ESPN, look at what your talent is doing. He was always a topic of conversation with that. I also think that with the it, he became even bigger. I mean, he's been at ESPN for what, almost 10 years, if not more. And as he started to build his platform outside of it, corporations don't like that. Like, they want you to be known for what they are and not as something even bigger. Like, even as big as Stephen A is, he is still ESPN. He is still tied to that more than like Ryan was becoming this, and has become this big cultural and important voice outside of ESPN on his

own platform. I don't think corporations like that either. I think that they feel threatened by that. But that aside, that's why I'm not surprised from a business perspective. From a talent perspective, of course, it makes no sense. This is somebody who's been nominated multiple times for Emmys, has won Emmys. It's a staple when it comes to morning programs, afternoon programs, and then doing Monday night football. He was continuing to rise. It's almost going to be weird to even watch ESPN and not see his presence there.

It's why we're still talking about it because so many people are now saying, well, I feel no need to watch. Dave Roberts was just here. Dave Roberts was saying how people watch these programs now for a personality. People were watching particularly for Ryan. They'll probably, they will follow Ryan

whatever he decides to do next and continue to follow him on the pivot. But the last thing I'll say on the bill, perspective of it is when you look at the leadership change at ESPN as well it feels like whoever was you know like it's like coaching you're that person's guy you're that person's if you're a coach underneath the head coach you know you're under their tree the same thing works on a network like this and I feel like the person who might have been his cheerleader his champion all of that got was changed back when um who was

there when he first, Skipper, when John Skipper was there, I felt like, I feel like the structure was more decentralized. And now that Pataro is there and they've let go of like, well, Dave Roberts is retiring and like a Stephanie Drulley who used to be there, who's no longer there, she left in 2024, those, it became more of a power-centered structure where if you don't, if they're not rooting for you, if you're not their guy, then you're, then you're on the chopping block. And I also feel like that's something. I don't know this for a fact. But when I look at how the power structure has changed at ESPN and the way they run things and the way they've moved people like a Norby and a Stephanie and a Dave Roberts are no longer a part of the company, I feel like

whoever is leading it is not a fan of Ryan. And there's already been reports of like the number two guy allegedly leaked it to Outkick. And that's its own conversation right there. I just or I just talked about Outkick and how they cover Ryan Clark, the fact that that was leaked allegedly, or it's being reported, to Outkick, well, what's your purpose in doing that? What kind of story, like this, what kind of, what kind of narrative is the best way I can say it?

What kind of narrative are you creating if that is in fact true? So, yeah, I think there's a lot of things at play here, but all that to say, I'm not surprised, but it is disappointing and very unfair and unprofessional how they handled it. So this is what I'll say. Number one, the fact that it was lead to outkick, I have no problem with, when I say I have no problem with, I vehemently disagree with, but I have no problem with outkicks coverage of any of the people that are talking or doing whatever that they're doing. No problem with it. No problem with it.

The problem with that I have is from a substantive standpoint. But the fact that there is a right-wing place that is criticizing things that they don't agree with politically or culturally, I have no issue with that at all. We are essentially a left of center place, a left of left place that criticizes those same things. I think those types of dialogues are healthy. But I'll tell you one thing, no. Somebody being inside of ESPN and leaking it to outkick a place that has been. and directly critical of Ryan Clark tells me that they were trying to hurt him. And that transcends anything that has to do with business.

That's a decision made not to leak it to front office sports, which I just cited, not to leak it to page six, not to leak it to any of those places. It's a decision made to give somebody a head start to spin a narrative on him, a place that has been outwardly critical of him. The reasons why they are critical might be cultural or political or whatever. But that is a decision made to hurt him. And I'll say something else. This is not in the vacuum.

This is along the same lines of people like Jamel Hill and Bomani Jones and other people who have existed at ESPN and had a certain social, cultural, political standpoint and stance and the way that they were treated when they got a little bit outside of the box there. A lot of the top level talent there that was seeking to re-contextualize political conversations as they relate to sports got treated like ass at that company. And that's a fucking fact. And the thing that I'm talking about is the fact that when we look anywhere across the fucking spectrum, anywhere across the spectrum, if you are a black person and you exist

at a place like ESPN and you. start to pull on the thread of your blackness to too much, they sometimes have a way of reorienting what the expectation not just of the audience, but also of the talent is. And the way that you do that is by creating a chilling effect around that. People can't help but think about their mortgage payments,

where they're going to go and what they're going to do before they say something. And I'm not about to say that this is just something that exists on this side of it. There is a side of this that has happened, like in all political discussion. Well, I see it happen all the time. I see it happen with people who are quote-unquote woke or whatever. Somebody gives a tape that they don't like. They run to your employer.

Is this what you're employee? I get it. I understand it. Sometimes, I mean, obviously, I'm not going to defend people calling people niggas and all of that type of shit like that and being verrely racist. I'm not going to defend all of that stuff. But I do think if I bring it back to this specific incident right here, what happened to Ryan Clark? This is the type of shit that I'm talking about.

You work at a corporate place. You get to a specific spot. You talk your shit. You want to say what you feel like you're compelled to say something to do something because it's in the interest of a people that you care about. And then there is a way that structures like this just come along and say you can't do that. They don't have to say shut up and dribble. They don't.

They can just take your microphone. Yeah. Like when she said shut up and dribble, she was talking to LeBron James. That's LeBron James. That's the whole ball of wax. He's going to be able to make that decision. But see, everybody else, they can just take you off the air. And then they can put you in the ether and make you find out how you're going to get it out the mud,

which, by the way, there's enough talent now, and I've said this to so many people, I'm just going to say it publicly. There's enough talent now that used to be ex-ESPN for them to go out and get some VC money and see what they could really do because it really might be exciting if they did that, right? It might be exciting if that was a thing. That is incredibly hard to do.

And really, in our space, there's only, like, one guy really doing it at a huge level, and it's kind of, it's Roland who has built a network, a thriving one that is rivaling some of these other right-wing networks. Love rolling, hate rolling,

agree with Roland, don't agree with Roland. He's a boss down there doing this thing. And you have to, you have to fucking respect that. Right? But like what I'll say just to tie all of this up is the group of people that were let go in this situation, there was one guy of all of these people that had all of these things to me. One is a long, long time at ESPN. Two, somebody who's in their professional zenith right now, legitimately at the peak of what it is that they're doing professionally. And then three also is a voice on the show that has a lot of credibility with the individual sports fan that watches the show. This is not me comparing or talking about anybody else and saying that they, like, I'm not saying that anyone was a natural or understandable candidate to lose their job.

I'm not saying that at all. But the reason why it was news that he was a let go is because he was in. in a specific position at ESPN in relevance, in FaceTime, and with tenure with the company. And it's like, whoa. And I don't think that I was just business. Well, I don't think that it was business. I think that that was something that was done to get him out of it.

I think he was annoying people with how vehemently he was talking about these issues. The new powers that be. He was annoying. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, that is why. For everything that you just spelled out, all the things that he is and represents, it's why you know it has nothing to do with a merger. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with something else. And all the other reporting that's coming out about it, trying to tie it to one specific incident, that it happened while he was on air, that it was leaked to an outkick, who it was allegedly leaked by, it all.

It's all pieces to the puzzle of somebody did not want him to be there or somebody's did not want him to be there. I'm good, my man. All right, before we get to the next thing, I want to say something real quick. I've been drinking all the water I drink now, Rachel, is basically hot. You mean room temperature? No. Hmm. Is there a benefit?

I'm like, it's been benefiting me in one specific way. Mm-hmm. I'm talking about. Yeah. I'm going crazy. Just hot water, like not hot water with lemon or anything like that? Nah, man. Now, this is getting less hot because I put it in this.

Oh, shout out to the people over here at the content factory studio San Diego. Shout out to Raymond right now. Who's over there on the ones and twos for us. Raymond's a DJ here in San Diego. Shout to Raymond. Raymond. What's your Instagram? Radio Raymond T.

Follow at Radio Raymond T. If you get a chance, shout out to Raymond. He got me hooked up today. Oh, I want to say something else. Before we get to it, I had a second announcement. Hope it's as important as hot water. I can't. I don't know.

What's the second announcement? It's what you do. Stuff. The second announcement is I'm officially not fat anymore. Van, congratulations. I've hit a specific weight. You hit your goal. No.

No, no, no, no, that's not true. So I had, I had, you know, boom, boom, boom, boom, different categories. So these were the categories. Nigger, you fat. Okay. Was the first one.

And then the second was, hey, bro, you're doing a little bit better. The third one was, hey, nigga, don't fool yourself. You're still fat. The fourth one was, you're not fat anymore,

but damn, you sloppy. That's where I'm at now. These feel like they're getting worse. These titles are getting worse, man. But it's not, but you got to, okay. And then the last one is you're in shape and then you're in great shape. So I'm not fat anymore.

Still sloppy though. I can tighten up. Not fat anymore, but I'm about 10 pounds and a little bit of muscle away from being in shape. Then after that, I'll be back in shape. I can definitely tell that you're like doing your thing. It's when I see you outside of the, podcast.

Because we podcast, we sit here, whatever. But then when I see you like out in the wild, I'll see you from a distance, I'm like, look at Van.

I can tell. Like, you're really putting in work and doing your thing. So good for you. Another, another reason why you can't tell is because like,

when we're doing higher learning, for you, every angle is great. It's rage time. For me, the angles that make the clips is let's make Van look like Sherman Clump

at every chance that we can get. We're just not shooting me in a way that is like, you know, it is what it is. Can I be honest? I think it's the chairs. I'm trying to look right now. I think it's the chairs.

I think because of your height and the way these chairs are, they don't put you in the best position. That's really what it is. Like it causes you to kind of have to slump because of the mic-to-chair ratio. That's not an indictment on you, by the way. I'm full of compliments right now.

Donnie, what's the next thing, sports, before we get out of sports? Yeah, let's stick to sports. The Miami Heat posted a link to a scheduled live stream titled LeBron James introductory press conference, followed by the date July 27th to its YouTube channel. The team spokesman spoke out and said that it was a mistake. That spokesperson told ESPN's Sham Sharania on Tuesday that the club's social media department was preparing for the possibility

of his signing and mistakenly posted the link to the team's YouTube page and later deleted it. You believe that? Incredible. So, so Braun's going to the heat. It's incredible. That's incredible, man. Just this whole thing.

This whole LeBron shit has just been fucking incredible, man. What a bunch of bullshit this entire thing has been. Oh, wow. Let's keep going. Say more. I feel like I can't okay

why is it which part of it has been the bullshit to you do this whole thing is bullshit this entire thing is bullshit right because you know where he's going no it's not because we know where he's going like do you remember the end of John Wick

which one do you remember the end of John Wick where John Wick is talking and he's talking to Vigo and he was like, you know, my wife died and she got me this dog. Some semblance of reality, of good feeling, of hope. Your son took that from me. Your son robbed that for me.

You can tell me where he is or you can die screaming next to him. And then they put the plastic thing over it. Sometimes I feel like my ability to talk about this has been took from me and robbed from me because I just got to be honest with you we have colleagues at the ringer now who are kind of running this and so it's like running it in which way running the conversation his agents yeah yeah and I like those guys I like they're good to work with that cool and LeBron is cool and you have a tremendous amount of respect for LeBron James and his entire career, what he's done, particularly the fact

that he has never shied away from off the court talking about issues that are really important. I still think we don't talk about the I promise school enough in what it actually means and what the school did. I think it's fucking fantastic. All of this stuff. I think LeBron James is phenomenal. I also would just like to say that I think it's a real ding to, LeBron James's legacy that he is taking us through this fucking circus holding up the actual

schedule of the NBA at 42 years old, basically, with picking this team. Like this entire thing reeks of some of the most unforgivable vanity that I have seen with anything. The decision made sense. I think he's overhated for that. The decision made sense. LeBron James didn't get to go. Well, he didn't get to go.

He never went to college. So he was drafted into the NBA. He didn't get a chance to get recruited for everybody to show people just how much they want LeBron James. I'm sure the shoe companies did it. I'm sure companies are coming to LeBron James at all times going, hey, LeBron, we want you and all of that stuff. So somebody's always trying to sweet talk, LeBron.

But for him to go around and get all. all of those pitches and stuff like that, I felt like his station in the league and who he had been denoted that. Right now, this don't. LeBron James is no longer a player that you're going to put on your team and him be the best team and go get you a championship.

LeBron James can't be the best player on the team that's going to make a deep playoff run. He is still, do not get me wrong, a fantastic NBA player, but he is not the type of NBA player right now that all of his, this should be about. Like, it's, when you are going to do your farewell type shit, what you should do,

hey, this is my last year, then let everybody love on you and tell you how much they love you and stuff like this. This right here, this shit is kind of whack. Fucking pick the team so we can move on and do our fucking thing and enjoy the whole deal, man. I don't get this. Wow. To me, I wouldn't expect.

anything less. I wouldn't, I'm not at all shocked that this is dragging on. I'm not at all shocked. When I saw this, I was like, of course, like that stories are being created around it, that there's dramatics with it, that the conversation is, where will he go? Who will he play with? What kind of impact will he have? Will he be the same? Will being on a new team, you know, like the Lakers weren't that. Like, will he be better? Will he have this resurgence on a new team? I'm not shocked at all.

I think that that's part of what comes with the LeBron package. So the fact that this is where we are, you really thought that he was going to believe the Lakers and it was going to be like, and now I'm going to this team, just like that. No, this is what comes with the LeBron of it all. And to your point, if he's not going to go to a team where he's going to be the best player,

then what he will be is the most culturally relevant. So what comes with that? The dramatics and the story and the buildup and the excitement and keeping people on the edge of their seat and making him a topic of conversation because if that is what he is more than using your point than being the best player, then this goes in line with it.

But that's not what's happening right now. People are annoyed with this. Are they? The decision, yeah, yeah. Are you? I follow all the relevant, I talk to all the relevant NBA people, follow all the relevant NBA YouTubers and stuff like that. This is getting annoying.

Like the decision was one of those things. When we talk about the decision, obviously the, I mean, maybe the prime time fucking special, maybe you look back as a blemish. But all of that stuff, that's cool. I mean, he's earned the right to go out, however he wants to go out, with every, with every team that he wants to go out with, but this right here is just straight up annoying. It's annoying.

It's annoying. Okay? And it is. All right. It may be. I'm not the only person that feels like that. I don't think you are. He's got so much,

he's got so much goodwill with everyone, earned goodwill, that it is, but it's incredible. Not this stuff. Who, I think this could even be subterfuge. Like this,

I don't even know what to believe. Know what to believe. Just, you know, come on now. God damn it. I just think it's a changing of the narrative. It wasn't great. The ending of leaving the Lakers was not great. That's not the energy and the conversation you want going to wherever it's next.

And I just think that that's what they're trying to do. I don't, I don't even really pay it to it. I'm just like, just tell, let me know when he decides where he's going. And then we can evaluate from there. Yeah, well, what team do you want to go to? I think Miami's fun Because what are they saying? Where are they saying right now?

Caves, Sixers in Miami? Is Chicago in there? No. Maybe the Golden States in there? Chicago. Oh, I thought, yeah, I remember the Golden State at the beginning. But. There was some real Golden State smoke to where people thought that that was heating up.

I like Miami. You like Miami? Yeah. I think that would be an interesting place for him to go at this point. I think that that would be like, I don't understand why that would happen. You do understand. I do not. Oh, you do not understand.

Well, where do you want them to go? The wars. Just want to go to the wars. This is fucking, just go to the wars. Go to the wars. It's right there close to home. It's an hour away on a plane. And they, they like end up being put all the old guys together and see what they can do.

But, you know, to me, personally, it's just, you know, I don't know. Just the whole fucking thing is like, just fucking, at this point. Just attach. He's your third best guy. If you go to Miami, I guess not. Oh, maybe. So you're putting Bam over him? Is Bam?

I don't know. I don't think that's right. I don't think that Bam out of bio is better than you. I don't think so either. Got Janus right. So they got Janus. They got Bam. I don't think that,

I don't think right now that is Bam out of bio better than LeBron James? I don't, I don't think that Bam out of bio is better than LeBron James. I don't think that he is. I think LeBron James probably a little bit better. Oh, your favorite guy's talking. Your favorite dude, Donnie. You love him. He said this week that the New York City would not be able to execute an arrest warrant

issued by the International Criminal Court for Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. But in a speech, he urged the federal government to do so. Let's hear from the mayor. As human beings, we have spent generations building a shared understanding that there are crimes so grave they offend all of humanity. Anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience should red. recognize the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law. As I've said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes,

as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC. My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority. to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.

And I want to be equally clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large. While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people. That is my commitment to you.

He's good, man. Yeah. He's a good politician, like good at being a politician. He really is. Do you can't, I mean, he, this is simple for me. I mean, I don't really have much to say other than he knows what he ran on. He knows what he promised New Yorkers. And he now knows that he cannot act on that promise.

He now knows that legally he does not have the authority to arrest him. And rather than a headline running away with, you know, something like Mumdani, you know, fails on campaign promise or Mumdani is like backing down or something, he takes control of the narrative and says he can't, he's not allowed to, but you know who is the federal government? And you know who should be doing something? The federal government. And he shifts the blame and the responsibility to the federal government and says he's still, staunchly against it. We should protest against it. He's not welcome here.

But legally, he can't do the things that he wants to do, but if he could, he would. He's good. He's good. He's good. And he's definitely good, but I need to call a couple of balls and strikes here. That the next time that

somebody, and I wish that you know, we had a, we had a, we had a media at the top levels of it that was interested in knowing things rather than performing for whomever their funders are. Because then the question to ask Mayor Mandani is, was he mistaken when he pledged to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu? Did he not know that he could not do that? I think it's the latter. Is he just whipping? Or was he just whipping people up?

I don't think he knew he could do it. So, right. So then why the fuck are you saying it? Don't do that. And that's a problem I have with politicians. Like, it is the, I think two things about this. It's masterful political theater, like you're saying, knowing that you can't do that or knowing,

or maybe you don't even want to, right? How do I know? I don't know. And I don't know what this is in the guy's heart. And so you use your political superpower, which is the ability to address people. And we just got to say it. He's the best since Obama. And he's creeping up on the level of being able to communicate with people in that way.

But my question always is, when I see something like this, is did you actually think that you could do that? And now you're learning that you can't. Or did you always know that you could not? do that and you were saying that to get the kids on your side and to whip up the sentiment and to have that be a part of whatever your platform is. Because when politicians do that, I don't like it no matter how much I like them. I don't like just saying shit that you know that you can't really get done and then given a very impassionate walking back of that thing once you've got the power that you want it.

I'm not into that. Like I feel like some years ago when, you know, people, and you know what, I indict myself over this because when we were talking about how important it was to vote for Warnock and vote for Asoff to get the 50-50 tie with Kamala Harris breaking the tie as a vice president or president of the Senate like we did not inform the office excuse me we did not inform our audience

of the reality of the filibuster in that regard we in talking about that over and over again talked about how important it was to get the majority the slim majority in the Senate and then we would get voting rights and we would get the Justice of Policing Act but we

I'm not I'm going to speak for myself I did not come back and say, hey, you know, there's more votes that are needed here or else you're going to need to destroy the filibuster. We also didn't talk about the fact that they were rogue agents inside of the Democratic Party and cinema and a mansion that wouldn't even vote for it. But I say all that to say that that promise, though, as it was made to people, was a little disingenuous in a way. We know more about the filibuster and the rules inside the Senate than we ever do.

did. But the fact that the matter is, outside of anything that's budgetary, you need 60 votes or whatever to get that done or else you've got to kill the filibuster. So I do think that there were other places that did a better job and sort of laying that out for people than I did. But back to the original thing was that like the promise in it of itself and the way that that was framed in a lot of ways was disingenuous. And so I think that it's fair to hold Mayor Maldani accountable for the fact that a lot of people got into this specific thing and then it turned out that he couldn't even do it. So with all, okay, go for it.

I disagree in the sense that I don't think that that statement of him saying that he would arrest Netanyahu if he became the mayor of the city is the overarching reason as to why people voted for him and never said that well no I'm not I'm not done but you're you're talking about like the younger people it was a it was a talking point it got the younger people excited and so I'm saying that I don't think that that was a main reason as to why people voted I think what was important was and this is why I disagree is the sentiment which hasn't changed you know he would arrest him if he could and the sentiment is he believes he's a war criminal under ICC he believes that war criminals on either side because he's spoken about you know

Hamas leaders too he believes that any war criminal on that is somebody's been designated a war criminal should be arrested and so the sentiment is still there I still think he goes with his pro-Palestine beliefs and it to me I understand exactly what you're saying, and I'm not saying you're wrong. I just don't think, I don't see it as big of a deal that he can't because to me,

the sentiment he was trying to express is still there. He's not taking anything back. This disagreement is fundamental. It's a fundamental disagreement. I'm glad we get to talk about it surrounding this story. First of all, just for clarity's sake,

I do not think that there's anybody that went out and voted for Mayor and Moundy because they wanted Benjamin Netanyahu arrested. I did not mean to say that. If I intimated that that was the reason why I think people voted for Mary Mum Dani, I do not. I think they voted for Mayor Moundy because of, number one, because of Mayor Moundy. I think because of the way he was able to communicate and sort of distill his vision to people, I think that they really, really responded to him more than anything other than that. Also, the affordability promise, some of the pledges, the way he re-centered the needs of every day and average New Yorkers is why he is the mayor.

Okay. Now, I will say this, though. What I am saying to get back to it is that he was asked by the New York Times, a bunch of different places, Are you serious about arresting Benjamin Netanyahu when he comes to New York City? Are you serious about that? And he has said, that is something I intend to fulfill. He had said earlier in the mayor's race that he would arrest Netanyahu. He was interviewed by the New York Times.

He says, that's something I intend to fulfill. There is a greater conversation to me about the way politicians and political figures position themselves in order to gain support for people about shit that they really can't do or things that don't line up with the political reality that we live in. And what I am saying is all the stuff that he could promise,

that he could do, right? Or even the stuff that was going to be hard. This, it's fair to say that he was bullshitting here. Well, we... It's fair to say it's... And if he... Okay, let's say that he wasn't bullshitting. Let's say that he didn't.

What if one lawyer told him, yeah, it's possible. Like, we don't, we actually don't know. I assume that he just, I'm assuming that he just maybe didn't have those conversations, which is wrong. Okay. The only problem with that is I'm reading this article that I read from the New York Times in order to get ready for this. They lay out the fact that there were already people then telling him he couldn't do that. So if, unless he didn't read, real quick, unless he didn't read the. the New York Times article that he himself sat down for after it was out, which is very unlikely,

that there were already people saying, hey, that's not going to be a possibility, saying that I would love to arrest Netanyahu, saying that I would want to arrest Netanyahu, saying that arresting Netanyahu is something that should happen, but directly saying I'm going to have the NYPD arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, when he comes here, as much as I love Mayor Mamm Dani and my love for Mayor Mamm Dani is still what it is.

I do not like when politicians do this because personally, I think this leads into some of the bullshit and the disappointment on the backside. On this issue, that's not going to happen because to your point, there's not a fundamental issue with Mayor Maldon's like mayorship in New York.

It's not a fundamental issue. It's not. But then there are times when dealing with politicians that they do with people of, do overpromise on issues that are fundamental and then they rely on how much we like them on the back end

as to how much we hold them accountable for the shit that they said that they were going to do that they knew they couldn't do. You're not wrong. The New York Times article, which obviously I saw, but from my understanding, did that come out in 2024

or did that come out more recently? because I might be wrong on this part. This article is from September 12th, 2025. Okay, okay. And since 2025, he has, I thought he made those comments in 2024, like I'm literally looking at a 2024 comment. I thought December 2024, that was his original pledge of when he made that comment about arresting him if he's mayor.

I don't, I did not see, and this could be my fault, that post the New York Times article that he continued to say. that he would arrest him. What difference does that make? Because to the point of you said in the New York Times article, there were people telling him, so I'm assuming around the time the article came out in 2025, which is why I was asking you, in 2025 that he can't do that.

So I'm saying the original statement was made in 2024. Were those people telling him then? Did they tell him around the time this article came out? And then my question is, was he continuing to say it after September 2025? That's the part I don't know. And so then I'm saying to your point, you're right, if when this article came out with the New York Times, and then he continued knowing now that people were telling him,

you can't do that, and he continued up until July 26, then I understand what you're saying. I'm trying to get the timeline right. So let me ask you a question, and this will be the last thing I have to say. Are politicians and political candidates responsible for knowing what they can and cannot do? I'm not disagreeing with you. Of course. I'm at I'm at I'm at so then why would it even take somebody but so I'm just speaking to the one point that you made of did once people were telling you're right he should have known from December 2024 when he said it at first but you made the point that the New York Times article which you pointed out you read in preparation which I understand I did as well I'm having a gap in between what I don't know the question that's what I was asking is when that article came out they were saying they were saying

saying people were telling him, which I'm assuming around that time, 2025, you can't do it. Did he after still continue despite that? Because that's what I thought the point you were making was to say, I'm still going to arrest him, knowing now that he couldn't. So my point was this. That was an aside. Okay. That was, in this article, at least there are people that are laying it out and saying that you can't do it, right?

Yes. I don't know if he was asked again. Maybe this is the first time. And I don't either. But beyond that, though, beyond that, I'm not doing any work on his behalf because he should have known. And you were right. You're right.

Like, he should have known that that's something that cannot do. So what I look at, look at that video as is I'm looking at that video as a really incredible piece of political theater that is essentially. him addressing a campaign promise that nobody asked him to make and that now he can't deliver on. I'm just being for real.

I'm just being for real. I've not disagree with you on this. That nobody asked him to make and now he can deliver on. And just at the point that I'm at right now, as much as I fuck with him and I fuck with him the long way and as much as he struck the right cord in what he was talking about,

I would just like to initiate some type of at least rhetorical consequence just so they stop doing that shit. You're not wrong. Like just so they stop doing it. Like, you know what I'm saying? So like, that's the only thing that I was saying.

No, no. You are right. We're in a space where we are demanding more from our politicians. And that includes the very point that you are making here with don't make a promise that you have not fully researched. And maybe you thought it out, but you didn't research it out if you even have the power to do such a thing. you're not wrong with that.

And maybe what I'm doing is what we do too often as, you know, people who like a politician of, well, because that's what I was thinking too in my head was, well, if he had completely changed his mind on Netanyahu or how he feels about war criminals or even the fact of him welcoming him into the city and, you know, he's standing there with a handshake, that to me would be the thing that is just like so incredibly opposite from what you said on the trail. And I shouldn't do that just because he's a politician that I like. You are correct.

That shouldn't be, we shouldn't excuse that. We should hold them accountable for the promises they make. I get you. I get you. Yeah. I think he did it in an irresponsible way. Yeah, I don't know that he was like, you know, I just would, I get it.

You got to say some stuff. You got to do whatever, man. But he's good. in the way he came out with the video. Like I said at the beginning. Yeah, the video, the video was great. He's a good politician. But at the same time,

No, I mean, to your point, he knows what he's doing. Yeah, he's coming to your city. And then Yahoo going to go, Ninthiahoo now is going to go to fucking New York. He's going to go to McDonald's. And he's going to be like, look, bitch, I'm at your shit. There's nothing you could do.

Because there's nothing that he could have done in the first place. The rules about how and why people are arrested from warrants from the ICC, it's almost completely at the discretion of the actual country that the person that has a warrant on them is under. 2024 Mongolia hosted Putin. They didn't detain him or anything as an ICC warrant against Putin. So like there's like all of that stuff from the beginning

was just like whipping people up and talking. But it's the only reason why it's even a deal. It's not that big of a deal. Is it something that I just want everybody to remember that these people are politicians. And it is up to you to call out their inconsistencies and things that they said that they're going to do and they're not going to do. And you do not have to just like a ton of excuses for them. This is because you like them. And I just think we're getting into that a little bit.

Even with Mary Mamdani, I like him. He's doing a great fucking job. But this was an unforced error to me that didn't need to that. He never had to do it in the beginning. Yeah. Well, I do hope Netanyahu has a lettuce-filled meal sprinkled with garlic powder when he comes. You want them to get the runs.

Yeah. But then if that happens, he's just going to lose weight. And then he's going to be, people are going to be like, look how good Netanyahu looks. He'll be inside. He'll be inside, though. He won't be parading around. He'll be inside.

He'll definitely be inside. You know, I want to have a conversation about a video that I watched that I shouldn't have watched. And I want to have a conversation about how the UAE is in the middle of what's going on right now in the Gulf. And we've talked a lot about the Gulf countries

and the UAE and stuff like that. But the UAE also is, backing and funding the genocide in Sudan. Backing and funding the genocide in Sudan. The UAE is. I've talked to a lot of people about the situation. I think a lot of this in Sudan is being framed as a civil war, but there's something that's happening there.

And it's happening, although their official denials from the government there in the UAE, all of the evidence points to the fact that they're, are directly complicit in the brutality and the tremendous and dramatic loss of life that is occurring in Sudan. The UAE, I don't know if people know that. Saw that. Interesting that.

It's watching Democracy Now. This lady did a documentary. She talked about it. And then I went and peruse a little bit of what I could peruse and a lot more about it. I wasn't up on that as much as I should have been. Maybe we should talk about that later. Maybe there's somebody can come on and discuss that with us. Maybe her.

Maybe the woman's documentary. Yeah, yeah. Well, what else we got? What else we got to fucking talk about? Let's talk about the Trump administration and Medicaid. They are pausing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota over alleged fraud concerns. This marks the second time that Trump has targeted the two states for alleged Medicaid fraud. I mean, I don't even want to talk about it.

man I look it was a it was you know it's a topic it's a topic it's a topic but it's like the same stuff over and over again right and it's just further showing that Trump will weaponize federal resources if you don't fall in line this isn't the first time first off them coming and making this announcement of claiming that there's fraud or putting money on pause for all of this it's old stuff that they've done from before and they didn't provide any new evidence to withhold these new funds. Trump and his administration, it is well documented that this isn't the first time that they have threatened or actually withheld federal resources and funds from Minnesota and California. This is authoritarianism at its best. This is, you know, him showing that when you oppose the government, it carries a material cost. And it's just it's just a blatant threat and a total disregard for the people who need it. Medicaid is already taken a huge hit with the big beautiful bill and now here you are taking away aid from some of the most less fortunate people within these states who need it and you don't care because they're

disposable to you and it's punishment of the very politicians you don't like in our state and the fact that they won't bend the need to you in every sort of way. Meanwhile, you're trying to incentivize other states to pass, to do the Save Act, and you got $10 billion that you're putting on the table for that. But fuck people's health care. Fuck people's just like everyday needs. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing that is interesting about this stuff to me, is that there hasn't been an American president in my lifetime, at least from what I can think about, that has weaponized human suffering to the degree that Donald Trump has. So when you look at Medicaid funds in Minnesota and California, we think about it in terms of dollars, right? But if you think about this in

terms of people and what people won't get. Yep. What the president is doing. And remember he did the same thing when he refused to pay people's snap during the government shutdown. You shut the government down. Okay, well, I'm going to starve out the people. And then we're going to, you know, leverage their emissoration against this, in the

middle of this political fight, which, you know, most times in the past, people just wouldn't, like, wouldn't do it. There are things that you, like, wouldn't touch things you wouldn't bother and stuff like that. But Donald Trump is willing to directly immiscerate people in their fundamental needs in a way that I haven't seen. One billion dollars in Medicaid funds is something that is existential to a lot of people in Minnesota and California. and there will be a cost. And this level of political warfare is the sharpest

and most careless that I think that I've ever seen. But you know what's funny about it? Please tell me. Another thing, not funny, but interesting. Another thing about the cult, the cults, book on Colts that was reading, is that one

one tenet of cults is the idea of benevolent punishment, of religion period. But it gets turned up in cults, benevolent punishment. You're happy to be punished by your God. Because you think that wins favor for you in the end. That punishment is fellowship. That punishment is a part of your existence. And there are people who get fucked by Donald Trump

and they like it. He's got a ball gag in so many different people's. Like if you were a, if you were a war hawk or if you were, if you were a neocon, Donald Trump bust your ass until he became one of you. Donald Trump, I don't know. I don't even have this fully flushed out. But no president, no president punishes their people like Donald Trump. And then to get them out of the feeling of being punished, he punishes somebody.

else. So you're walking around, your snaps fucked up. And you're like, I don't know what the fuck is going on. My snap. Like, I can't get my prescription drugs, whatever the fuck is going on, what's going on. But then you go, you see somebody get hemmed up by ice and you go, oh, well, look, God's will is being done. When I say, it's like directly punishing people who need Medicaid, a billion dollars. And those people are going to feel good that the golden shower is raining on them. Yeah. Yeah. They like the taste of the piss. They enjoy it. Yeah, they bathe in it for sure.

Yeah, they like it. So, you know, there are a couple people who have jumped off of the train that just think it's too much, but it's never, I don't know, he just, he knows how to, he knows, he just knows how to get in there. And he's a president of punishment more than anyone else. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. for the less fortunate. And they just, I don't know, it's a cult.

So, you know, to the points you've made before, it's really like what can be done. Well, you broke it down, I don't know if it's last podcast or the podcast before, that there's two different types of people in cults, but it's just so outright in your face. And I don't know if, maybe it's not, though, Van, to bring it all the way back to the first topic

that we were talking about, the conversation of people who are just detached, and who can move through life without any kind of care, they don't even know that this stuff is going on. Like the people that I know that are like that, I'm guarantee you if I ask them about this stuff, they'd have no idea that they're withholding Medicaid aid to the very people that need it just to survive and be healthy

and have no idea that on the flip-in, a bill just passed in the house, that so you're being punished for not bending the knee. But if you're loyal, you get 10, we're going to give money to your state and grants if you adopt this Save Act voter ID style thing rule that's on the table. So now we don't have the money.

You only get it if you're loyal to us and implement the things that we want. Otherwise, you die. It's literally what it is. You die. You get the money. And there are people. You're paying hundreds of millions of dollars for a ballroom. The list goes on and on and on.

And I think a lot of it is to the first topic we were talking about. People just don't pay attention. They just don't care. They don't even know some of this stuff that is going on, even though it's happening right in their faces. Kennedy, the speckless coward, says that if Gavin Newsom or Governor Walls wants this funding release, all they have to do, all they had to do was provide basic documentation showing that these services are legitimate and not fraudulent.

They want to, but this is Minnesota and California. These are the two states that are the biggest sort of, they're sticking in Trump's craw. They're thorn in his side, this is what I was looking for. Minnesota directly rebelled. Minnesota didn't resist. Minnesota rebelled against ICE. And obviously, California represents, at least for Donald Trump,

the complete antithesis of his political project. Where's Gavin Newsom been? He's mad at us. He was very mad. You bring that up. There was no reason to be mad. It was a fair conversation. There's no reason to be mad. I don't think that Gavin Newsom will ever come back on higher learning

because of the interesting, interesting thing. He's mad. He got back to me that he was mad. That's fine. I actually tried to reach out and like, you know, hey, whatever because I want the governor back on I want people back on we're going to ask the questions we have to fucking ask we're asking the questions I don't give a fuck

but he's mad he's mad he was mad at higher learning he was mad about the question and so I haven't seen him around lately I think that the Democrats are in a real real conundrum with their presidential candidates well everybody's hot on off right now so it's very hot on them but also they're at the day in a honeymoon stage with him They're in the honeymoon stage for sure. Al-Sov hasn't had to answer the real questions yet.

It hasn't really done it. Alsop is being very smart in that, at least from what I'm seeing right now, he's doing a lot of talking to people, but not a lot of being talked to. Because what they're doing to the different candidates is, number one, they're sitting down and they're going straight up. how do you feel about the base of the Democratic Party moving away from Israel? And it doesn't really seem like a lot of candidates have compelling answers on the state of that relationship.

They kind of boil it down to Benjamin Netanyahu, which is kind of the seems to be the thing that's coming right from the DNC. Just Netanyahu, blame Netanyahu. There's not a grander examination of the U.S.-Israeli relationship that's happening legitimately, everywhere except in the Democratic power base. It's happening everywhere. And everyone's starting to do that. A lot of these guys are still kind of feeling it out, kind of seeing what's there. Like they float out their ideas and see how people respond to them.

And then they go, psych, I don't really think that. You know what I mean? So I think over the next six months, probably, there's going to have to be a candidate. put that issue to the side that's going to step up and have to give Americans actually something to vote for. Yeah. Yeah.

I'd say six months after the midterms. Yeah. But I'll tell you something, though. It's White Boy Day. Oh. Remember that? White Boy Day? No, I don't remember that.

Oh, it's White Boy Day. You remember White Boy Day from, like, what is that from? That was from Training Day, right? Training Day. It's White Boy Day. Did you say that? Did you say that? I don't know.

I've seen that movie forever. Not from Training Day? You're probably right. Don't base it off of what I said. I'm pretty sure that's in training day. Like White Boy Day, it's White Boy Day in America right now. Oh, no, excuse me, that's not Training Day. I'm sorry.

I'm tripping. That's true romance. True romance. You know who got it first? Bernard. Bernard. Who? Bernard.

Bernard. Thank you, Bernard. My old brain. True romance. You thought it was white boy. Day. That's one of the craziest role Gary Oldman said. But right now, in America right now, it's White Boy Day.

It's never kind of not been, but it's more directly White Boy Day right now than it's ever been. It's White Boy Day at ESPN. It's White Boy Day at ESPN. Okay? Is White Boy Day with the Democrats? Well, I'm telling you, the Democrats are going to run

like Ron Howard for President. They're going to get the whitest white boy that they could get. They go like the, it's white boy day. The Democrats are going to go, this is going to be the whole Democratic field. They're going to go, hey, man, look, I need y'all to pick a white boy, man. Just pick a white boy. Let's go in here and let's get this. We got a young white boy that's up and coming.

We got an older white boy that's been around with some small in his name. We got a white boy that you can relate to. And we got a white boy that's going to do it. that's destabilizing. But what you will do is pick a white boy. It's White Boy Day. I mean, we talked about the Tala Rico thing. That's White Boy Day.

It is. Yeah. It's White Boy Day for the Democrats, man. You don't think so? Of course it is. And they'll say, we tried. It didn't work. We're going back to what we know.

We tried, nigger night. It did not work. We going back. Y'all didn't come to nigger night. Okay? We sold tickets to nigger night. and nobody showed up. All right, we sold tickets to nigger night.

We tried to do nigger night. We tried to do many nigger nights. And nobody came. So now that the nigger night didn't work, you're not trying to listen to the spinners. We put rubber band man on for y'all. Y'all didn't like the record. Right?

That's a great record. Rubber band, man. The spinners are so great, though. When the rubber band starts to jam. When you had a real black party, so y'all think y'all had a black party because they play in future freak holes and all of that stuff.

But you had a real black party, they're playing the spinners at that bitch. They're playing cooling the gang at that bitch. They're playing Kevin Campbell. They're playing Kevin Campbell. They're playing Kevin Campbell. They're playing Frankie Beverly. Alexander O'Neill, Frankie Beverly, Ohio players.

Frankie Beverly, the Ohio player. That's real. When you had a real black party, that's what they're playing. When you had a real black party, you're going to hear records that you haven't heard in a long time. You go right here, I saw you and him walking in the rain by Orange Juice Jones.

Do you remember that record, Rachel? I saw you and him. Walking in the rain. I told them. You was holding hands, and I'll never be the same. Let me talk about that record. At the end of that record,

one of the funniest things that- Johnny know that record. Donnie, you know that record? I saw you and him. I followed you today. In the rain. It was holding hands, and I'll never be the same.

My favorite part of the Orange Juice Jones walking in the rain record is at the end because the juice man has been waiting for his woman who was cheating on him for this whole record. He's seen her out and stuff like that.

And then she comes home. And then he lays the law down. He's like, oh, no, don't get comfortable. Don't get comfortable. Don't sit down. Don't sit down. Them credit calls? Yeah, I cut all them things up.

Remember that mink I bought you? That mink? I threw that in the trash. Orange Juice Jones gets his revenge at the end of walking in the rain. And I used to love, I used to love watching that. I don't know if the Jews man is still around if he's still with us. But that's a black-ass record right there. Like you're in there with your family and everybody, like, they're old and everybody got a different tape.

He is still alive, by the way. Orange juice, man. Shut out. You know what? We don't talk about him. Donnie, you like that record? I do. And you're right.

That's the best part. He's stalking her, which is problematic. But he's like, I miss you. Thank you, Doddy. Donnie, is that stalking? Is what Orange Juice Jones was doing? It sounds like he knew her every move. I missed you.

I missed you so much that I followed you today. That is creepy. Thank you, Donnie. Okay, so look, though. Let me look at these lyrics. Let me look at these lyrics. So wait, wait a second, though. He does say that.

Donnie, see, Donnie knows these records. Okay, so look, he says, I miss you so much that I followed you today, but he's not stalking her per se. he's following her to get evidence that she's holding hands and he will never be the same. He has to see if it's real.

Does that count as stalking? Yeah, that's a good question. Maybe not. I'm asking. He's following up. Yeah, you're right. I don't know. I don't know.

These are, yeah. I'm sorry, are these some of the lyrics? Wait a minute. Am I looking at the same song? Well, it's orange juice joan. Surely that could not have been correct. because what I just saw was and my first

hold on it keeps going away yes was the cold bust you in your mouth for something his first instinct was to slap you in the face was to run up on you and do a Rambo whip out the jammy and flat blast both of you okay but he didn't want to mess up his

but he didn't want to mess up his links coat this is a pimp I get it I'm starting to rethink this I think he might have been her pimp Oh, man. See, look, now we're doing this to Oranger Jones. And it sounds like he was losing some money over the situation. He said, that's right.

Now, close your mouth because you co-busted. Listen how he talks to her. Sit down here. I'm so upset with you. It's 1980 fucking four. You know what this? Donnie, what was the clip that... It's 1980s.

80s. 80s. Donnie, what was the clip that Van made us watch that time where it's got, oh gosh, I love him so much as an actor. What is his name? Glenn. Glenn's in it and he's possessed and he's possessed. And Van made us watch it.

This is right up here with that. J.D.'s revenge, bro. This is right up here with it. Yeah, I fucked you. Listen to the control he has over her. I went to the bank. I canceled the credit cards. I stuck you up for every piece of jewelry I ever bought.

This feels like a pimpos situation. But you know what's the funny thing about that? The funny thing about what you're saying is if the rolls were reversed, because I bet you, I bet you, do you have a problem with the song, hit him up style? By, uh,

Hey ladies, if you may, if your man want to get, wow, just go on him up style. I didn't really pay it to you to all the lyrics. Okay, so what happens in the record is,

obviously she finds out he's doing something wrong, that you go run up all his credit cards. It's the inverse of Orange Juice Jones is the different thing, right? And if the woman was in this situation was taking care of the man, if the woman was taking care of the man and was doing all of this stuff for him, and then he was holding hands with somebody else and she will never be the same, you don't think that she'll cut all his credit cards off and do all of that stuff? Would you be against that?

If somebody was taking care of somebody else and, like, Orange Juice Jones, you wouldn't be against that? That's too much? Sorry, because I'm reading further lyrics and I can't stop laughing. Hey, you've got to get out of here with that alley cat, wearing hush puppy shoe wearing trump cake. That's where I am. That's right, silly rabbit.

Tricks are made for kids. Don't you know that? You without me like cornflake without the milk. It's my world. You're just a squirrel trying to get a nut. Now get out of here and don't touch that coat. That's orange juice Jones, man. That's the juice.

This is hilarious. I don't know if it's quite the same. I have I got to listen to it but I am unfamiliar with this you already before Donnie why do you know it because you're even younger your rage My music taste I've said this several times on a podcast is older I have an uncle and auntie taste The list that we were going through before is my playlist

Like it's very cookout barbecue fish fry friendly That's what I'm talking about I like it too but this one I did not know This is what orange juice Jones said Use with the juice I gave you silk suits Gucci handbags blue diamonds I gave you things you couldn't even pronounce Now I can't give you nothing but advice

Because you're still young That's right, you're still young I hope you got a valuable lesson from this You know someone day Gonna find somebody like me one of these days Until then you know what you're gonna do Get your ass out of here with that alley cat coat wearing hushed puppy shoe wearing crumb cake

I saw you with You just give an advice Anyway The cover art for this has him standing over her. She's sitting at his feet. He's over her with his fur coat looking at the camera and she's looking at him.

Yeah, it's the juice man. Okay, it's Orange Juice Jones. It's a different time. It's 1986. But my point is that if you had a real black, if you had some truly black, that's the type of shit that they played, that you're going to hear.

I can never remember the name. You know what? What is it called? whatever man these are the records that you're going to hear if you had a real and that the spinners is one of them but the problem is we're not going to hit them records no more

because we have officially gone it's white boy day okay we we have officially gone from nigger night where you're going to hit a spinners now you you go into the party and kid rock gonna be playing at that bitch or Maroon 5

what what songs play at White Day? I was thinking Journey, Neil Diamond. Oh, Donnie. Those are the ones. Bruce Springsteen. Bruce Springsteen. Bill Diamond. You said Journey, right, Donnie? Journey. Yeah. These are the, these are the. Yeah, I was tripping. I was tripping. That stuff is not going to play at White Boy Day. That stuff is going to play at Bon Jovi. Yeah, these are, yeah, yeah.

So, so Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, because like you go, what's going to have, they're going to play Bruce Springsteen, born in the USA at White Boy Day? And then somebody's going to lean over to you Because they like to talk to you like you're fucking stupid So they're gonna say hey out I don't know if you know but this a protest song This is actually not a patriotic song Like born in the USA I want you to learn on this a protest song You'll be like yeah I know that I've listened to the lyrics of the song

Get the fuck out of my face You gotta here I know it's white boy then I have to be here because the Democrats are doing White Boy Day Right but I don't need you to display born in USA to me today Here on White Boy Day White Boy Day let's pick a white boy and move on with it That's what they're going to ask you to do.

We'll see. We'll see what happens. I have to have a conversation. I need to get on the phone with Mandela Barnes pretty soon. Because I want y'all know, y'all say whatever y'all want. I'm talking to all the non-white boys and see if there's any way to get around this. I'm talking to all of the non-white boys. I want to shout some people out.

Garland Gilchrist, Mandela Barnes, Michael Tubbs, Corey Bush, Jamal Bowman, Summerlee. It's a lot of people out there that, you know, are still in these situations, but it's tough. Maxwell Frost, it seemed like his, it seemed like his white boy day. I can't believe you.

You tried to smirch you to juice like that. You tried to woke school. We just uncovered something, and honestly, Donnie led the way. Tossing and Turner, another sleepless night. The rain crashes against my window pain. Boy, boy, the 80s was,

the 80s was on fire. Damn, the producers on this record. Donnie, look at the producers on this record. Look at the producers, the producers on this song real quick. On Orange Juice Jones record. Look at the producers. Look who produced it.

Where are the producers? Why don't I see it? Russell Simmons. Okay. Damn. Let's go to the next topic. Say less. What an indictment.

All right. We're sticking to politics. The House adopted a GOP-backed budget blueprint on Wednesday that will provide an up to $95 billion in funding for the Iran War, A to Farmers, and parts of Trump's voting regulations bill known as the Save America Act. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it the GOP's best shot to enact as much of the Save America Act into law as possible. Okay. So just so people know, the things that. they seem to have made up that are in the Save America Act that are in here are a national voter ID requirement which is stricter than most existing state laws proof of citizenship

requirements for new and updated voter registrations uh registrations driver's licenses alone won't suffice voters would need a passport or birth certificate mandatory frequent voter list purges and a requirement that states hand their voter rolls over to DHS across checking against its database. Okay. There are a lot of states, honestly, a lot of red states that are in a deep disagreement about handing their voter rules over to the federal government. Congress has tried this before. They, the standalone voter ID Act into a separate bill on congressional stock trading. So they're trying to put the bill in something else that they feel like people will vote for. So some of those provisions or actually the Save America Act seems like it's being Frankenstein politically. They can't get the entire package across the finish line because it puts the Senate Republicans in too much of a catch-all where they have to get rid of the filibuster for it. So essentially the administration seems to be trying to do is to Frankenstein different parts of this bill through different vehicles all in time to do.

directly influence and hamstring the midterm elections? Yeah, I mean, they don't have the mail-in voter part of the Save America Act. So that's one part that they took out. But I don't know if they're going to be able to get away with this because obviously they're trying to do it under a reconciliation thing so that they can not have the 60 votes. but they're kind of smuggling in election law and attaching that to a budget, which is what I referred to earlier with incentivizing states by saying,

hey, there's a $10 billion budget to give grants for you if you do these things. And they're trying to tack on something that has to not do with a budget at all, but they're doing the $10 billion to try to circumvent it. And I don't know if that is actually going to work and is going to like pass the the, them being able to do 50 votes instead, or a majority vote instead of 60 votes. And there's talk that they might not even have the majority vote because

there are certain Republican senators who still do not want any part of the Save Act to move forward. So I don't think this is going to be successful. But man, again, it just shows, one, how relentless they are in following their cult. leader to get across the things that they want. Two, it shows still how much money they're willing to spend and throw at the things that Trump wants, but not throw money towards supporting you in an economy where so many people are suffering. And then three, just, I mean, what we've always said about, like, how they continue to do things to take away your voting rights. And this is just another thing on the table. And they're more concerned with this than they are concerned with you,

which is just a running theme of pretty much everything that we talk about when it comes to this administration. Oh, and that's what I was going to say. Three, man, it shows how creative they are. They are so creative in the ways that they will come up with things in order to circumvent a rule, a law, and pass things in Trump's favor in ways that I just don't see the Democrats doing. When I saw, they're creative. Because it's existential. They're fighting for their lives. I think that's a, in order for me to,

I would almost have to be certain, have to be certain. Because I could give the Democrats credit for stuff like, you know, Biden tried to get student loan forgiveness pass, couldn't get it passed, had to do it a different way. I guess I don't know. I'm not disagreeing with you, but I would have to look more deep.

into things that they wanted and things that they tried to do in different ways and if they put pieces of a bill and other I'm sure that that's happened. I'm sure they have but I'm not as well versed in it either. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'd have to kind of look into that but what I will say to your point is that the reason why

they're being so aggressive about this is it's existential. I think or at least they feel like it is right? So right, because in the midterms the Trump administration is fighting for, I mean, MAGA is, no matter what people think. I know it's so difficult for people to, like, admit

when they've experienced a win. Like MAGA is kind of on the ropes right now. This war is really, really testing the limits of what the coalition will put up for. Now, the diehard Magites, the ones that are in that just unbreakable, 33 to 34%, right? They're not going anywhere.

We all know that, right? It's something that they believe in Trump, with the in a different way. But the coalition that exists right outside of that is being stressed. The president is very unpopular. The economy is slow, if not in the dirt, right? If not for China doing some really creative things with their oil consumption, we'd almost probably right now be in an oil Armageddon, which is probably still going to happen along the war drags out. It seems as if We're getting to a point to the only thing that is feasible for the Trump administration to pull a victory out of the war if they want the straight to be secured is to go in with ground troops. And once that happens, it is going to be a fuck stick situation for them.

I do not see how Americans reconcile ground troops on Karg Island or along the coast or any that stuff. I don't see how that happens, but who knows? What the fuck do I know? all of that to say that the Trump administration has got to win the midterms or

the political experiment of MAGA is dead if they don't fix the election in the fall MAGA dies. It doesn't die as something that we have to contend with. It

doesn't die as something that allows people to kind of contextualize their political beliefs and find community in it. There'll still be people that do that. But as far as a power-wielding political organization, MAGA dies in the fall if they lose the elections. It's over. President Trump will be politically neutered. Everything after that will be just window dressing. And once it loses that race, once that happens, you'll see people scurry. Like it's going to be a real interesting couple of years for J.D. Vance would not be surprised that if the election is lost in September, if J.D. Vance doesn't resign. Because if he wants to have a political future, not immediately, but at some point after that,

if J.D. Vance wants to have a political future, he's going to have a really incredible dance to do. with his support of this war, how he really feels about Israel. I watched him on Joe Rogan and he can't say anything. He can't talk about anything. Like he was so happy

when Joe was talking about like how the left is kooky and how California sucks and how San Francisco sucks. It legitimately felt like when they were having those conversations, J.D. Vance was like, okay, this is what I'm here for.

Fuck, man. Yeah. Gavin Newsom sucks. L.A. sucks. San Diego, San Francisco, these places. He didn't say it about San Diego. But these places are like fucking holes in there on the ass. I agree with you. I agree with you. But when Epstein came up, when Israel came up, when Iran came up, when all of these things came up, he was deeply, visibly uncomfortable with having to talk about that stuff.

And it seems like he was negotiating his own. political future because the last guy that was in his situation almost got hung. And so he doesn't want to be in that. But I say all that to say that existential battle that I saw J.D. Vance having, a lot of people are going to have it after the midterms in the fall. It'll be interested to see what people do when the coattails of the president aren't quite what they used to be. So they're going to fight though.

They're going to fight tooth and nail. They're going to fight. It's a digital. It's like the Cedger. Gregus believes in the art of living in choosing the pleasurable over the practical.

It's why we craft our premium vodka in France using pure spring water from Jensack. And why you hear the celebratory club of our quirk reminding us to make every martini cocktail count. So go on and make every moment count because there's no bad.

Better time than now. Gregus. Make time, wait. Cip responsibly. The Central of the Democratic Party is going to fight against the left of the Democratic Party because that fight is existential in a way that's not even against Maga.

One thing before we go. Yeah, former Denver Nuggets Head Coach has responded to this clip that's gone viral of J.R. Smith from last year. He was on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast and spoke about what he saw. saw in George Carl's office. Let's hear from J.R. first.

This man got, had a book in his, in his office called, Nicky. What? What? What? Like, on the shit for you to sit, like, you sit down and the shit is, I'm like, man, that's tough, really? What? You know, that's a big time book.

I know the book. That's a big time book. I never read it. I don't know about it. I didn't even look at it. I didn't look it up. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He just had it on display when he walked in the office.

That's weird. That was weird. That was wild. It was, you know, not- That's a sci-op, Chair. Not even part of the other books, it was just buy itself. I mean, see, I was switched, I wasn't going to take it this. That's crazy.

That's a little crazy, you know. But think about this, though, and this is not, you know, whatever it is, the situation. This is 20-some years, two years ago. You walk into an office of a particular person, a white man, right? Young, 20, 21, 21, 22. I know me. I knew a little, I knew my history a little bit.

I knew what happened. I knew, I never was, and my neighbor, it wasn't that. It was black and white. You knew black, you knew white. It wasn't no, that racism. We ain't really see that, me personally growing up. So I never, I know my history though. So, but to see that, I ain't no fool, nigga.

That book, don't sit right. This is wrong right here. I don't know what that book right there don't sit right. And now reading the book years later is like, holy shit. How the fuck you had like I want to know the mentality behind that because it's two different mentalities. It's two different perspectives you can have on that, having that book and reading that book as you in that position,

as you of who you are. And with your experience with them. You have two experiences for reading this book. but this can even make you matter and like go left or it can give you a whole understanding on how to deal with niggas

that's the name of the book this is a fascinating fascinating situation to me I think what makes it more fascinating is George Carl's response to the clip which was he tweeted

go ahead sorry donnie no no donnie you got it he tweeted it's a good and important book by professor Randall Kelly that everyone should read including J.R. Smith's and he added him he added J.R. Smith by the way

yeah so um okay so let's let's unpack this I have not read this book I did read race crime and law though okay

I have not read this book though I haven't read this book I don't you know what when books have titles like that I typically get like scared away I just I haven't read a lot of book with like subversive titles like that you know I'd like I haven't

I have not read that book okay so I don't know I don't think that the book seemingly what it's about being on somebody's shelf is indicative of anything. And I don't know how I feel about any of this. The one thing that I'm

wondering, though, is when they saw the book, did anybody ask him what the book was? That makes a difference to you. Well, I would wonder why you didn't. So, sure. But. Like, if I, like, so you, he has the book, right?

did anyone like did anyone when they're sitting there in front of them and this is kind of the thing that I would take away from this Gerald's a great man he's like a legitimately great guy

but what I would wonder with this is if you find yourself in that position and you see that book on the shelf what to me what should happen there is what is that and then

and then like you like what's that right there like get that like get that book off the shelf get that book off the shelf and then then have a conversation about the book to contextualize why a book with that type of title

would be on the shelf of a coach that has a deal with black players. Number two, what the book is about, like deep in your understanding of that situation. First of all, just the reaction should be if you see that just to ask about it. And I wonder if anybody did. Okay. So I think this is extremely problematic. And that is how you would handle the situation. That's how I would handle the situation. I would also describe us as confrontational people. If I'm a young player, or I'm a player trying to make this team or my, my, not good enough. Not everybody has handled situations the way you would. And to walk into your coach's office and to see a book, because when you see it, It's jarring.

It just says nigger on it. And so if you walk into a white man, your coach, somebody who has authority over you and you see it, I would like to think that everyone would say, what is this? But some people might not, might feel intimidated, might feel scared, might already assume something when they see it. It is a huge statement to have a, when you,

he didn't have his whole book library up there. He chose the books he wanted to put up there. It is a statement. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on. What do you know about the bookcase? I would imagine is it's not his whole library. Regardless if it is, if it was, you chose to put the book up there and it was noticeable enough. So it's not like it was drowning in a sea of 100 books.

It was noticeable enough to where players saw it when they walked in. It's a statement for you to choose to put that book when you have a majority of black players and I'm sure coaching staff too, on your shelf, what's the statement that you're trying to make? I have the book. I purposely put the book out because I want somebody to say something about it. George Carl's a white man with a book on his shelf that says nigger,

and you don't know if people have read the book, have any understanding. They just see a book that says nigger, nigger on your bookshelf. That is so problematic. And then his tweet is even more dismissive, because my question is, did you read the book? Did you read the book? How can you go through reading the book

that talks about law and literature and history and reclaiming this word and the ongoing debate on whether or not we should use it? As a white man to read that whole book and then put it on your bookshelf for black men or women to come into your office and be subjected to that and not have an explanation?

It's one thing if you own the book and you read it and you're having a discussion and you're like, hey, I read this book. But without any context, and it's just sitting up there and I'm in your office and I'm sitting there and all of a sudden I see nigger.

I mean, come on. That is so... What is the book? What's the book about? I just told you. It's like, it's written by a black man. It's a Harvard law professor and he's like tracing the words history.

He's tracing the words history through law and through literature and culture and like how it's been used throughout society. You know, it's like a, like the ongoing debate of like, should we use it, should we not? And like reclaiming the word and like how you feel about it. It doesn't matter. It's-

Go ahead. That's your question. Is it a book that white people should read? Yeah. Then I have no problem with it. I didn't say he shouldn't. Okay. All right.

No, I'm, no, we can have a difference of opinion on this. I mean, you might as well put you, like, I honestly see no difference in that. then you having a framed poster with the word nigger on it and be like, well, I read this book. Here it is as well. Like, it's just. That's good. The difference is that the frame, the difference is to me,

the difference is to me that the frame poster, there's nothing behind it. Without any context. Like, I know you would ask, I would ask too, but not everybody is like that. to be in a white man's office and to see nigger sitting behind him is jarring. And he knows it. And he knows it.

Can we go back? Okay, cool. Can we go back? So without any context, without any context, it's problematic. Okay. Okay, so this is the deal. Let's go back. I'll ask one question.

Is the book a book that white people should read? Yeah. Okay, cool. So the book is, so just. just so we know, the book in it of itself is a book that, because I haven't read it, the book in it of itself is a book that, like, white people should read. Yeah. Because it, why is the book a book that white people should read?

Because it's about the history of it. When you have so many people who say, well, you use it, why can't I? Well, this person sings it in this song and says it. Why can't I? Well, this black person doesn't have a problem with it. Well, so why, why, you know, like, why is it a problem if I say it? Or I grew up in this, like, it gives you. historical context,

which I always think is important when there's something that's rooted in history. So then owning the book in and of itself is not offensive. I don't think so. But displaying the book is.

Without context, as a white person is. Like, I don't think it's wrong for me to have it on my shelf. Okay, this is my, we have hit my fun my fundamental issue that I'm running into everywhere right now.

So when you say, let's say that you're seeing the N-word in a Raps song that you buy. Well, if you've seen the N-word and the Raps song that you buy, right, then you are like performing the N-word.

You're performing it, right? So when you perform the N-word, you are doing two things. You're co-opting a culture, that is adopted the world word for self-preservation, you're also saying a word that has crossed, you're crossing a social line. Those two things, that's a double whammy to me of inappropriate, right?

Number one, crossing a social line, a clear social line, breaking what to me is a cultural truce that you don't say this word is one thing. Another thing is you're kind of trying to be a nita by getting into it like that. That appropriation is problematic to me, right? if the book itself is a book that is edifying to the history of the word,

if you are better white folk or better whoever because you've read the book, then to me, owning the book and putting it on your shelf, whatever, now if it was a whole bookshelf with one book and it was nigger, I'd be like, what the deal? We don't know.

That was asked and nobody said anything. They was like, well, I don't know. I don't know. These are the things. How about it stood out enough? However it is on the shelf, it stood out. So it was out. And to me, my thing is this.

If you have enough of a problem, once again, not about JR. I'm saying this, guys, I know J.R. I like J.R. Not about J.R. Not about Mellow. Not about anybody. If you have enough of a problem with the book, I know you 21. I know that you're young.

If you have enough of a problem with the book that is up there, that somebody owns it, you have to investigate what the book is in the moment. At some point, he played for the, he played for the, he played for the Nuggets for a while. And look, and look, and even more, even more than that, if the book, the book is written by a black man, the book is expressing the nuances and the realities, to your point, I haven't read it, of the culture of that word, if the book makes you better, why should you be ashamed? of owning it. Yeah, I could not agree with you more.

See, the display, it's not, it's not about owning it. Okay, yeah, sorry, Les. It's not about owning it. It's the display of it, and it's how comfortable you are with the display of it that bothers me. That is what I can't get past. I have a problem with you owning it. I don't have a problem with you reading.

If I walk into your office and I just see this, I don't know if the book was out like this, I don't know if the book was out like this. I don't know if the book was like this because this has a subtitle right? This doesn't so if I'm looking at your bookshelf and I see this you comfortable with the word nigger just floating around your office

there's not context behind it I'm telling you what's in the pages of the book The context is in the pages of the book again but I don't see the band we'll just agree to disagree I understand what's inside the book I'm talking about the display of the word and how comfortable you are with it.

Reading the book should not make you comfortable with displaying nigger in your office with when your majority black people are around you. Even if white people are around you, it shouldn't be okay. It's written like this for shock value. Right. For shock value.

So who are you shocking? So even if you're right, you should ask the question, why should it be on the person who sees a word that they find offensive to then investigate why you got nigger on display as a white man. Because that's what it is. That's what, okay, because there's two different ways to look at this.

I'll tell you what I think. One is, this book is written by a black man who's investigating the history of the word, right? Like now, if the, to me, the more interesting question is, is if, not the more interesting question. The question I guess I would be more interested in is if George Carl says, hey, I got a book for you to read. called nigger. Like the actual performance of the word, I would be like, hmm, I don't give a fuck what it's called.

You know that you're not trying to say that, right? That you shouldn't say that to me. I actually don't in any way understand if the, how can I put this? When I say that this is like my actual issue, my actual issue, this is a fundamental thing. And I'm blabbering a little bit because I'm trying to make sure all the appropriate sensitivities are in what I'm about to say. This is just pussy. The book itself, like the book itself is written by a black man to investigate the entire history of a word. You're saying it.

And it is supposed to be an edifying piece of material to deconstruct some things based upon what you're saying. It is a book that white people should read. I don't think it's deconstruction innocent. It's about the history. It's about racism, though. Right. The book is about racism. But, okay, I haven't read it.

But it's a book that white people should read, right? So if you read the book and you put it up there and there's nothing inside of the book that in and it of itself is a problem, right? If the problem with the book is the title and somebody has a problem with the book, then the actual way to get to an understanding in a situation. where you see that book is to investigate it. And what I, and what, hold on, and what I always want is an actual understanding. What I always want is in any situation to get smarter.

Like, I want, like, and so, and so to me, if that book is something that is actually achieving that, and it's a black man who wrote the book for a reason, a black man who I would assume would want all. different types of people to write and understand the book, then the simple fact of owning it and displaying it, like, to me, there can't be anything like nefarious about that. Man, the reason the book has value is so,

and I say white people should read it, is because I don't think you can walk away from reading the book without understanding why the word is highly offensive. It's not to make, I don't think, I don't know how as a white person you could finish it and say, wow, I understand it now and I'm just more comfortable. No, you should not feel comfortable with this word. And let me just throw this out there too. We don't know if he read that book. We just know it's on display.

You're assuming it. Did the tweet say? He said it's a good, he said it's a good and important book. that don't mean you're right so so so look if he didn't read it then all of this is different but that's insuming in a tent and a scenario that doesn't seem to really be backed up by very much reality it's just making space for it like even even based in the fact that he said it's a good and important book i would assume that he read the book like i don't even have an opinion on george fork and carl other than the fact that his teams could never get over the hump

I don't have an opinion on George Carl But what I would say is Like what I would say is Honestly I would actually If I'm to play this out to the if degree I think it's actually Probably a really positive thing

That he read that book If he is going to be around A bunch of black players They're going to use that word all the time If that book sets any type of construction Or any type of limit Or deepens any type of understanding Of that

being that he's going to be around that so much. Sure. It actually probably is like almost a feather in the cap of George Carl that he would have read it and owned it. Now, if you're telling me that you can read it and you can own it, but you can't have it as part of your bookshelf because black people are going to be around, I'm a probably tell, like, I wouldn't tell this to you, but I would probably be like, if somebody told me that, let's say we were somebody else, I wasn't talking to you. Somebody told me that, I'd be like, grow up. because this is like and I would and I would say that because this is kind of the thing just have the conversation or don't have the conversation but what happens is now 15 20 years later the thing that you've internalized and not investigated at all becomes your reality

now you don't know why he had it now you don't know anything and now you're just talking about it and putting everything together the burden then it becomes the it shifts to the person who becomes offended it. All I'll say is, is, if you read the book, if you read the book, then you understand the sensitivities and still how highly offensive the word is. So when somebody sees it, that's what they feel. I hope he read the book. It doesn't make sense to me that he would have, it'd be different if, and maybe they left this out. Well, I don't, well, I don't think they left this out. They would have it. It'd be different if he had the book on display and somebody comes in, it's like, oh, by the way, I read this book

blah blah blah blah blah blah you get everything you need but that's not what it sounds like is happening so it just to me feels like a contradiction based on what the book is about but maybe he had a different interpretation let me ask you a question

last question does an offended person have any responsibility yeah I think but it's a matter of the weight of the responsibility There's some responsibility. Absolutely. I think an offended person has a responsibility.

But I think it is the person who is offending them who has more responsibility. Okay. So do you think, so in that regard, so then you have more responsibility if you're offending someone, right? Do you have responsibility to alert somebody that you're offended? Or can you just, so listen, can you just be offended by something? saying can you just be offended by something you take that offense and let me tell you why let me tell you why I ask this because I do think that I think if it's so offensive to you be like hey in the moment boom not going to work now I am of a different disposition and I understand

yeah I'm with you right so what I'm saying is hey a lot of people like that but in that situation what I don't like though what I don't like and what I'm directly railing against in all situations is leaving a situation like that and then making up the story for yourself. Because if you did not do the work in the moment to get to the bottom of it, then to me, making up a story for yourself about why that might exist, to me is the way, that is the warm blanket of sort of dissonance that we are lying under, I use the term dissonance slightly incorrectly just because I don't want to say anything that's more indicting because I don't think it's that big of a deal.

But it's the warm blanket of dissonance that we are allowing ourselves to live in so that we can continue to silo ourselves and not have to actually do the work to understand. And that's the only thing I'm saying. Yeah, that's an offensive word. And the reason why the book was written about it is because it's an offensive word and also a word that is charged with hundreds of years of history. If the book is actually something that's edifying for a white person to read,

the number one, you want to read it. You want to promote that you've read it so that other people read it if they should. Now, if you got black guys that are walking into the office and they have a problem with the book, what I would say is then and now, make your problems with the book known so you can understand deeper the man that's sitting in front of you that you have to work with, A, and then deeper, like, what's in that book? Because maybe you read it and then you get something from it. But if we shy away or run for the heels for everything that is the least bit uncomfortable, I just think that there's a cost.

And not only do I think that there's a cost, I know that there's a cost, and we're paying that cost every single day with the things that we don't say. And so, like, if this book was, like, nigger, and then in the, in the, in the, book, the book made some different case on why white people should be able to say the word nigger or like how you dress your nigger or how you get your nigger ready for work on the plantation. That's one thing. But if it's a book about the troubled history of the word, now I'm going to read it and all of that stuff, I just don't see, I guess I don't see the problem. Okay. Like I don't, I don't see the issue. Okay. But we could we definitely

disagree. Yeah, definitely agree to disagree. Now, you know, the book was prominently featured in the episode of Boston Public in which a white teacher played by Michael Rappaport. God damn it. Always. Attempted to employ the book to teach his students about the history and controversy surrounding the world. Never read this. But I guess I should have. The only reason why I read the other one is because your brill made me. It's very funny story behind that, but we don't have time. All right. So George Carl, racist.

No, see, that's not even close to what I'm saying. That's what I won't do. I was asking. No, I'm not going to say he's racist. I just think it's insensitive. But I'm not going to go, I don't want to keep going back and forth. It's the same argument. Okay.

It's the same thing. I think it's insensitive. All right, we're out of here. Insensitive. Insensitive. I get it. All right. We'll tell you the response was insensitive.

Yeah, the response was, it's a good important book by professional Randall Kennedy that everyone should read, including at the real J.R. Smith. I think you've got to be better than that. Yeah. But at this point, it seems like there's something between J.R. Sounds like a person who puts a nigger on their shelf. That's what that sounds like. Sounds like a person who did not get the book, but it's fine. It's fine.

Yeah. Just to me, some shit about it. But, you know, I wouldn't have personalized this much, but the first part of the message is good and important book by Professor. Randall Kennedy that everyone should read. I don't really have a problem with anybody owning it or displaying the book, but I get what you're saying. I get what you're saying. But, you know, come on, guys. Let's get ready for the, let's get ready for it. Let's get ready for the fight.

That's it. You have anything that you want me to do, like, at Comic Con? Something here? No, no. I wanted you, side note, I need to go to the bathroom. I wanted you to wear a costume. You didn't do it this year. We'll work on it next year in addition to LoveCon. Okay, Love Con.

What we call? Love at the con. Love at the con. Love at the con. I also want to come to Bravo Con too. You would have a blast. I'll dress up like the Grand. I'll dress up like the Grand Dame. You have a blast and you would be a hit. Yeah. I can't wait. All right. We got to go. We all have to use the bathroom, including Donnie. Shout out to Orange Juice Jones. Shout out to Randall Kennedy. Shout out to everybody out there. Tell you think caps off, but do not stop my. I'm Van Lake and Jr. I'm Rachel and Lindsay. Bye, guys. Thanks.