No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen - Shocking update on Trump's Air Force One escape

Episode Date: August 12, 2026

Trump’s Air Force One escape takes a wild turn when you find out who he took with him and who he left behind. Brian interviews Bernie Sanders, Norm Eisen, and Abdul El Sayed.Please order my new book, THE DAY AFTER: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/thedayafter Support Abdul: https://abdulforsenate.com/Written by Brian Tyler CohenProduced by Sam GraberRecorded in Los Angeles, CASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump's Air Force One escape takes a wild term when you find out who he took with him and who he left behind. And I've got three interviews, Bernie Sanders, Norm Eisen, and Abdul al-Sayed. I'm Brian Tyler Cohen, and you're listening to No Lie. We have a huge update here following up on the reporting from yesterday about Donald Trump secretly swapping off Air Force One in a catering truck using that plane as a decoy during an Iranian assassination threat. Well, we've now got the follow-up reporting on exactly who Trump brought with him into safety. and who he left behind. And this is a pretty telling organizational chart, if I've ever seen one out of this White House. So here's the breakdown.

The people who got smuggled off in the catering truck and flown to safety with Trump on that small, secure C-32A include Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth. That was the only cabinet official who made the cut, plus personal aid Natalie Harp, longtime bodyman, Dan Scavino, and Walt Nauta, who you might remember from helping Donald Trump move boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago. That's it. That's the safety list. Heg-Seth and three of his closest personal staffers.

Now, importantly, here's who got left on the other plane that was, by definition, still publicly identified as Air Force One, although that was a plane that the alleged Iranian threat believed the president to still be on, meaning it was essentially a bait plane. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Besson, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, communications director, Stephen Chung, deputy national security advisor, Mike Needham, and staff secretary, Will Scharf, along with, of course, the entire White House press pool. Now, for a White House built on loyalty and yes men, I would imagine there's something pretty telling about who Trump needed with him and who he decided was expendable. And remember,

this comes as Trump rebuked reporters just days ago when he was asked about reports that he wanted Vance to be the 2028 nominee, his heir apparent. He couldn't even get behind his own vice president, so he rebuked those reporters. So already, the loyalty is a one-way street, as Donald Trump prepares to watch Vance square off with Rubio and God knows who else is going to be in that primary. But the fact that he left every cabinet member other than Hegseff twisting in the wind on that bait flight really does say something. And that brings us right back to the themes that mattered from the very first version of this story, because none of them have changed. For example, this is still a White House that treats everybody who isn't named Donald Trump as expendable.

Only now we know that the circle of trust is so small. It doesn't even reliably include his own cabinet or his own communications director. This is still the story of a plane that Trump swore was safe and modern enough to be worthy of the presidency, that he personally refused to fly on the second real danger was on the table, thereby proving that whatever that Katari jet actually is, it was never about security. And this is still ultimately, a story about a guy who has never once in any context, to any capacity, put anyone else's safety ahead of his own, not his staff, not the press, and now we know not even the people who are

supposed to be running the country alongside him. And once again, it's worth noting here that while Donald Trump engages in all of this behavior, this self-dealing and self-serving behavior, Republicans could stop this. They could step up. And yet, they have decided to contract all of their autonomy over to Trump. Remember, they have majorities everywhere, House Senate White House, they have oversight power, they have subpoena power to demand real answers about who knew what, when on all of these scandals. And yet, once again, they won't use any of it because holding Donald Trump accountable has simply never been the point for this Republican Party. Protecting him, even if it means

sacrificing their own physical safety, their own lives, has always been not just the top priority, but the only priority of today's GOP. Next up are my interviews with Bernie Sanders, Norm Eisen, and Abdul Al-Sayed. But one quick request. As you know, all of my content is free. It's never paywalled. But I'm going to ask for a bit of financial support this once. If you haven't yet grabbed a copy of my new book the day after, it is available now.

I'm going to put a link right here on the screen, also in the post description, in the comments. So if you would like to support my work, if you'd like to support independent media more broadly, this is the perfect way to do so. I should also note that I'm going to try this week to land on the New York Times bestseller list. So any help that you're able to give me is really, really appreciated. Thanks so much. Okay, here are my interviews with Bernie Sanders, Norm Eisen, and Abdul Al-Sayed. No Lie is brought to you by SimplySafe. So as we get closer to the midterm elections, we're naturally going to hear more about public safety and crime.

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at Simplysafe.com slash BTC. That's 60% off at Simplysafe.com slash BTC. Plus, when you order, write in our show name in the How Did You Hear About Us survey to let them know that I sent you. Don't forget, there's no safe, like simply safe. I'm joined now by Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator, I wanted to get your take on some news before we delve into some recent election victories by some very progressive candidates.

And that is that there was this reporting that Donald Trump had slipped out of the Air Force one that he had flown to the NATO summit to and instead took a military jet, while at the same time leaving some White House officials and a raft of journalists on that plane to basically serve as a decoy for what they thought was an Iranian threat against Trump's life. Can I just have your reaction to this idea that, you know, while he was apparently important enough to move on to a different plane, that other White House officials and journalists were perfectly acceptable bait for what they thought was going to be an attack against Donald Trump? Well, what can you say about Donald Trump and his contempt for other human beings and his

consistent lying, obviously that is outrageous to know that there is a possible threat and to allow your colleagues, journalists to possibly be attacked is beyond comprehension. But not surprising, given who we have in the White House right now. So I want to move over to some election results that we've just had, Rebecca Cook, Abdul-Said, Peggy Flanagan. Can I have your reaction to what finally feels like a move away from just these de facto establishment candidates into candidates who are actually willing to fight for some progressive positions that enjoy the majority support across this country, positions like Medicare for all, positions like expanding voting rights, you name it. Brian, I think what we are seeing is that the American people, and by the way,

it's not just within the Democratic base or the independent base, Republicans do. They understand that the system is fundamentally broken, right? You look around you. Do you have an economy in which working people are struggling? The very rich are getting richer. And then people say, well, if I can't afford my groceries, I can't afford health care, I can't afford housing, I can't afford somebody get to college. Why isn't Congress doing something about it?

and then you look at a campaign finance system, which is corrupt. And that is, as a result of Citizens United and Super PACs, billionaires are able to spend as much money as they want to elect their candidates who end up representing their interest, not the interest of working families. So people look around and they say the establishment ideas and policies are not working. The system is broken. We need real change. And when you have candidates like Abdul al-Sayyed, like Peggy Flaggin, who acknowledged that reality.

And so, you know what, it's time we took on the oligarchs and big money and created an economy and a government that works for all, not just a few. Guess what? They start winning elections, despite the enormous amount of money being spent against them. Add up those two campaigns, Brian, over. $80 million in Super PAC money spent against Abdul. Peggy, we won, they lost. Quick side note here. As you know, I've been making videos like this for a decade now. I have never paywalled any of my content. I never will. But this is the one time that I'll ask for some support. I'd like to try and hit the New York Times bestseller list this week

for my new book the day after. If you haven't yet grabs a copy, please click the link on this screen in the post description in the comments or go to Brian Tyler Cohen.com slash book. I really appreciate it. What should be the top priorities if and when Democrats gain a majority in Congress? And not necessarily for 2026, but if Democrats actually have the ability to pass legislation with a Democratic president, what does, you know, the first 100 days look like? What would you like to see in terms of priorities? I can't give you a definitive answer to something that we are working on. It's the right question.

And what we have got to be is clear. And what we have got to be is bold and address the needs of working families. Let me tell you off the top of my head, some of what I think. I think for a start all over the country, everybody knows that our current health care system is broken, dysfunctional. We are spending double what other per capita of what other countries are spending. I think we should move aggressively and pass a Medicare for all single-payer system, guaranteeing health care to all people. And in the first year, what we could do is part of that. You lower the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 55.

You expand Medicare to cover dental vision and hearing. You include all the children following your year go lower, lower, and then everybody's in. I think that would be wildly popular, just enormously popular. That's number one. Number two, from a structural political point of view, we have to end the corrupt campaign finance system. And that is, we can do that. While we move to end, Citizens United, we can get super PACs and billionaire money out of elections. We've got to do that.

We've got to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, whether it's $20 an hour or more. We can argue. But clearly, we've got millions of workers today who are struggling economically, can't make it on $12, $14 an hour. We've got to make it easier for workers to join unions. We have got to deal with the reality of climate change. we're seeing July as the warmest record, warmest month ever recorded. We can create millions of jobs transforming our energy system. We've got to deal with AI, which on so many levels is frightening the American people.

Those are some of the issues we've got to put out there. But your point, we've got to move within a hundred days, make things happen. On this issue of Medicare for All, and I want to ask this question, I know I've asked you this question before. I'll continue asking because I think it's important for posterity. because there are going to be people who say, well, we couldn't possibly afford to do something like this. Just as a quick side, every other industrialized country in the world has the system that I think that you're advocating for. And nobody is trying to go to an American system.

So I think that's just worth noting right off the bat. But what do you say to the critics who say, you know, even as we heap billions of dollars into the Middle East, even as we give Donald Trump endless sums of money for all of his vanity projects. We apparently don't have enough money for something like- Not the answer, Brian. That ain't the answer. The answer is we are already spending twice as much per capita on health care as the people of many other nation.

I'm talking to you 50 miles away from the Canadian border. Somehow or not, they spend half of what we're spending over 15, thousand dollars for every man, woman, a child. They're spending half of that. They provide health care to all people. Why? The function of the American healthcare system is what? It is to make huge profits for the insurance companies and the drug companies. You expand Medicare, a non-profit entity. We can provide health care to all of our people without spending a nickel more. That's the answer to that question. And by the way, I am the child of, of, of, you know, two registered nurses, both of whom will be as quick as possible to tell you that their bosses

and the hospitals they've worked in exist only to increase profits for those hospitals and not to make sure that they have the highest level of care. And I've heard that my entire life. That is the issue. That is the issue. It's a broken system. It's priorities are backwards. And we can create the best system in the world. We don't have to spend any more on health care. Over $15,000 every man, woman, a child is more than enough. The question is getting insurance companies, drug companies, out of the system, create a high-quality system-guarantee health care to all as a human right. You had mentioned something in the list of priorities that we have to tackle within the first hundred days that you have been one of the only voices beating the drum about.

I know that you're early on this. I know that come 2028, this is going to be the principal issue that most people are talking about, but on the issue of AI, you and I spoke just a few months ago about this idea of the AI developers that there will come a point where they lose control of the products that they're building. And I think, you know, in a shorter amount of time than probably you or I even anticipated, we're already there. So can you give just kind of an overview of that phenomenon and the letter that you wrote to a bunch of heads of these AI companies? Brian, I'll tell you, this is an issue that does drive me nuts. AI and robotics are the most transformative technologies in the history of humanity.

And they are moving at rocket speed every day. There is a new development. Now, what you're just talking about is that what we have learned, God knows what else is going on, what we have learned in the last few weeks is that open AI, anthropic, and meta, have all reported AI models escaping their control, hacking into other computers. We've also learned that AI has developed something like 15 new viruses. This should scare the heck out of anybody. And what we have got to do on that regard is to say, you know what?

We want human beings to be able to control AI. and when we lose control, we are opening up the possibility of cataclysmic impacts all over humanity. So what I have asked the leaders of these three major companies to do, stop your development of this type of growth. We cannot continue a situation where human beings are losing control over the technology. We've got to work with China and other countries to control it. That is what that letter was about. Have they been receptive or is there a pushback from these companies? As of this point, I do not believe, I have not heard from my staff that we have received

a response. The media reports that they did not comment on it. But interesting enough, what these guys have said in the past is, look, if it becomes too dangerous, in a sense, we will promise you that we will slow it down. We don't want to lose control. That's what they have said. we want to hold them to their word. I mean, I have talked to people like Jeffrey Hinton.

I know he's one of the godfathers of AI Nobel Prize winner in physics, who told me that he thinks that as AI becomes smarter than human beings, there is a real likelihood it will become independent of human control. And when that happens, we don't know what will happen. But it is, you know, it's no longer science fiction. it is possible there could be cataclysmic impact on humanity. We should not go to that edge. We should stop it right now, get international cooperation on it.

In terms of, you know, look, asking the companies, these companies to do the right thing very often yields a very predictable result, which is that the companies are not going to do what's best for humanity. They're going to do what's best for them in their bottom lines. And so to that end, what about the Congress's willingness on a bipartisan basis to rein this in? Is there buy-in from both Democratic and Republican colleagues? I think there's beginning. And by the way, in my letter, what I said, look, I'm asking you to do it. Please do it. If you don't stop, we'll do it for you.

Yeah. But having an uncontrolled AI is a threat to humanity. We cannot allow that to happen. I think, you know, what has amazed me, Brian, from the beginning of my first. my involvement in this issue is how little urgency I am seeing on the part of the Congress on it. But I think now there is a growing understanding, even on the part of the Trump administration, that it's now, as I understand it, prepared to sit down with China to figure out how we can come up with some international regulations and how we can make sure there is not

a global catastrophe. Even among Republican colleagues, though, is there some understanding or acknowledgement of the danger that's being posed? I think there is among some, yes. Okay. And then what about foreign countries? Has there been buy-in from a country like China to cooperate with the U.S.? China is an authoritarian country and so forth and so on. But Chi has made it clear that he has spoken out on AI. My understanding, he is prepared to engage in discussions about how we can. control the technology. And I would look forward. I would hope that the Trump administration can sit down with them and work out some guidelines to protect humanity.

Last question here. And this is going back to the raft of progressive candidates that are starting to win in races across the country and these primary races across the country. Can I just have like how does how does it make you feel as as the kind of like the godfather of the progressive movement in the United States, in the Democratic Party, to, you know, look, I, I, I remember casting a ballot for you in the primary in, in, what was it, 2016. And so this is a fight that you've been waging for, for decades now. I mean, when I came into the political process a decade ago, that is what brought me in. And so, and so what is it, what is it, how does it feel to see this movement finally take hold where you have Canada?

that it's that are now espousing the ideas that you've been pushing for certainly my whole career in politics? Well, on a personal level, I got to tell you, one of the things that inspires me the most makes me feel great, is to see the kind of great young people who are running for office and often winning. So when people get depressed about the future of America, where are we going? Man, if you see the people that I see at all levels. So we have attracted, Brian, you know, so many wonderful young people.

And in this election, as you indicate, we're doing better than we ever had. You know, back in 2016, I talked about a political revolution. I talked about the demand that the Democratic Party has got to open its door, allow young people working class people, people call it into the party. It cannot simply be a top-down party controlled by big money. And that is precisely what is happening right now. So on a personal level, I feel very good. More importantly, though, on a policy level,

it means that we're going to have more and more people in Congress prepared to stand up and fight for the working class of this country. Well, grateful for your voice and your leadership in these moments. Senator Sanders, I appreciate your time. Good. Thank you very much, Roy. Keep up the great work. We now have insane new news from the Department of Justice

where it looks like the former U.S. Olympian David Hearn, who the Department of Justice had dropped charges again. just days ago, maybe again in the DOJ's crosshairs. I'm joined by Norm Eisen, the indefatigable Norm Eisen, who represented David Hearn in this previous case. Norm, can you explain this update here and why the DOJ may be looking into yet another prosecution attempt against David Hearn? I would explain it as outrageous, retaliatory, harassing, and wrong.

Davey Hearn, who my colleagues and I at Democracy Defenders Fund have been representing, got the news from reporters today that after DOJ dropped his case and admitted there was no evidence. The U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. made that extraordinary. filing to dismiss the case, and the judge has dismissed the case. According to media reports, the Department of Justice has been asked to look at whether he could be charged again, perhaps with a misdemeanor. It's so outrageous. I hope DOJ won't do it. Davy hopes they won't do it.

But my co-counsel and I, Mary Dorman at the Washington Litigation Group, and Steve Levine at Steptoe are ready to continue doing battle. It's all the more reason that we're asking the court to dismiss Davies case with prejudice. That means DOJ can never bring it again. Boy, they really provided Exhibit A for our moment. with these news leaks today. Quick side note here. As you know, I've been making videos like this for a decade now.

I have never paywalled any of my content. I never will. But this is the one time that I'll ask for some support. I'd like to try and hit the New York Times bestseller list this week for my new book the day after. If you haven't yet grabs a copy, please click the link on this screen in the post description in the comments or go to Brian Tyler Cohen.com slash book.

I really appreciate it. You know, this has become a recurring theme with this administration where they're they have done the same thing that they're doing with your client, Davy Hearn, to Kilmour-Abrego-Garcia, where they have a federal official go into court and say that his deportation was the result of administrative error, and then the Trump administration goes after him anyway. And so can you talk about the difference here in the chasm, I should say, between what a normal DOJ should do, which is try to prosecute these cases on the merits when it's worth doing, and what this Department of Justice does,

which is just try to make an example out of people who ultimately just hurt Donald Trump's ego by virtue of acting as a counter to his narrative. Well, Davy simply touched the reflecting pool and starting the day after he was charged, we filed motion after motion proving that he was innocent. Our very first motion, July 10th, had photographic evidence, including relying on the Department of Justice's own evidence,

showing that the pool was unchanged before and after he touched it. And then we filed motion after motion, hammering that his innocence was well established. Then DOJ, the U.S. Attorney's Office finally agreed. That's when they dismissed the case. Now they gave a baloney excuse, Brian. They said, oh, we didn't realize he was innocent until the Department of the Interior gave us information showing that the actual cause of the damage

was a botched, rushed installation of the new lining, of the reflecting. Well, come on. We had established that in our filings. Everybody in America knew that was the cause. So they gave that phony reason. But they did throw the case out. The judge has signed an order saying the case is dismissed.

The only question now is, will it be dismissed with prejudice? That means can never be brought again. Or without prejudice, which would allow these kinds of shenanigans that DOJ is up to of scapegoating an innocent man. And this is more proof it should be dismissed with prejudice. Let's have an end to this. But I'll tell you what, Brian, they picked on the wrong guy. My client is a three-time Olympian, many-time world champion, a canoeist, and he's used to stress, and he's hanging in there, and he's fighting back.

If they can charge him, the government could charge anybody, and we're not going to let them get away with this. You know, you laid out exactly why this case is going nowhere, why it was going nowhere in the criminal prosecution and why it would go nowhere if they tried to charge Davy Hearn with a misdemeanor. You have the Department of Interior that came out and already admitted, already conceded that the reflecting pool lining coming up was the result of a botched job, not the result of vandalism. So this thing is done. And so what does the administration get by continuing with this circus, even recognizing that the outcome is. doomed? Is it just to harass and cost him money and cost him stress and make an example out of him? Yes. The process is the punishment. As you say, and let's distinguish, the Department of the Interior provided the information. Then the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, part of the Department

of Justice said, based on all this Department of the Interior information, it's clear the cause of the damage was a botched rushed vandalism. But it's very embarrassing for the administration. The president is openly angry, disagrees with his U.S. attorney, Janine Piro. And now they're going to torment Davy Hearn, an innocent man, harass him, and torment the country, Brian, just imposing that form. of punishment. It's a kind of torture. But Davy Hearn is tough and as difficult and stressful as this is.

He is fighting. He's going to prove his innocence. His lawyers are going to stand by him, come what may. And the American people are standing by him. And even Trump's allies are saying, this is too much. So it exemplifies the cruelty of this authoritarian regime and its impact on average people. It's horrible. Norm, on the initial idea of the indictment even existing for Davy Hearn, that came as the result of Janine Piro

bringing an indictment that was based on false pretenses, bringing an indictment that she herself claimed she had, quote, tremendous evidence for that we now know didn't exist. And so I know there's been some talk of disbarment of, filing a complaint with the Bar Association for Janine Piro, what are next steps on that front? Well, right now, Brian, we're focused on getting the case dismissed with prejudice. All legal options are on the table. I think some of the important ones are to demand an independent investigation of what happened here, this miscarriage of justice. Our friend Jamie Raskin, You know him well also, champion of justice.

He's called for an independent investigation. And the Senate has done the same. Senator White House followed this case closely, together with Senator Heinrich, asking for that we need Office of Inspector General investigations. We need Office of Professional Responsibility Review and other legal remedies too. There's nothing American law abhors more than targeting an innocent person.

But for now, my focus is getting this dismissal with prejudice, and then we'll consider what other review and steps are necessary. Everything's on the table. Well, I will put a link right here on the screen and also in the post description. And for those who are listening on the podcast and the show notes, to Democracy Defenders Fund, to support the invaluable litigation that you're bringing on behalf of not just folks like Davy Hearn, but Americans across the country. So thank you for the work that you're doing, as always, and thanks for taking the time today.

Thank you, Brian. Always great being with you. I saw this early on, and I've seen proof of it, where they have a vaccination that looks like the size of a bottle of soda poured into a little child's body and bad things happen. in many cases, in too many cases, because this is an explosion. This is an epidemic. So at year one, you should have five separate visits for vaccines rather than giving them all in the same day. That was Donald Trump upending the vaccine schedule as we know it. I'm joined today by Dr. Abdul al-Said, who is now the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan. So first off, congratulations on your win in the primary. I have to ask first and foremost for your reaction

from an actual physician's perspective to what Donald Trump is spewing here. Yeah, Brian, first of all, thanks for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity to discuss what is yet another assault on the public's health, on the part of administration that is uninterested in the science and is more interested in pursuing what is ultimately an ideological fetish led by RFK Jr., who I can't wait to grill when I'm in the U.S. Senate. But I just want us to step back and think about what this means. right now, in order to have herd immunity against measles, you need about 95% coverage.

Measles is the most transmissible virus known to humankind. Every case will create upwards of 17 new cases among unvaccinated people. And the fact that we're at 92.5% suggest to us that we're in the circumstance where measles can start spreading like wildfire. And that's exactly what's happening. You're seeing more and more caseloads over time as we head into the back-to-school season where you want kindergartners getting those first vaccines. Now, rather than trying to play to human nature where we tend to want to bundle the things, like it's not like you go shopping for your milk and then leave and then come back and go shopping for your bread and then come back. And there's a reason that we bundle the things that we need. And MMR was a brilliant approach

to bundling the vaccine schedule so that folks got the vaccines when they needed it without having to have multiple trips. But it's not like we're just doing this in, your daddies or your mom's era when you didn't have huge co-pays or deductibles to get your health care. We live in a moment right now where the median deductible is about $4,500, where families are now being expected to pay out of pocket. And what's coming is Medicaid cuts. So who do you think this is going to hit the hardest? It's going to be the lowest income families where parents are having to work two jobs often,

can't always get the time to go see a doctor. And he wants them to have to come back over and over and over again to get these vaccines. This is nothing but an assault on vaccines. Meanwhile, we're all still trying to dodge lettuce in Michigan because they doged so much of the part of the FDA that was supposed to keep us healthy. So there's that. Quick side note here.

As you know, I've been making videos like this for a decade now. I have never paywalled any of my content. I never will. But this is the one time that I'll ask for some support. I'd like to try and hit the New York Times bestseller list this week for my new book the day after. If you haven't yet grabbed a copy, please click the link on this screen in the post description in the comments

or go to Brian Tyler Cohen.com slash book. I really appreciate it. Well, you know, the irony is, and I was on a news nation show just the other day where I was arguing with both Trump's attorney and the host, Katie Pavlach, because they wanted to push forward this idea that Anthony Fauci should be prosecuted.

And of course, they have to relitigate COVID from 2020 and 2021 because they can't run on anything that they're doing with full control of government right now. But something that none of them seem to acknowledge when they're saying that Anthony Fauci is responsible for all of the outcomes that came as the result of a once-in-a-generation pandemic is that there is no accountability.

There should be no accountability for somebody like RFK who is in charge of our nation's health apparatus and is presiding over, as you said, a cyclospora outbreak and record number of measles cases. That's apparently A-OK, but we have to put our full focus on Anthony Fauci as it relates to COVID. Do you know who did Operation Warps Feed? I think it was Donald Trump, if I'm not mistaken. If you're not mistaken, that was Donald Trump. Donald Trump did Operation Warp Speed. So the idea that you are going to, you're going to pursue Dr. Fauci over this witch hunt

when it was Donald Trump who did Operation Warp Speed. In fact, it's like one of the few things that he did in his first administration. I was like, good job, man. Like slow clap you out of the room. Except for he's trying to distance himself out of it. And under his second administration, he's trying to prosecute another elderly man for the thing that he made possible, which is the vaccines. Let's just call that what it is.

And then you think about what RFK Jr. is doing and the long-range consequences of what that's going to mean for the public's health, all of the kids who are going to be infected with measles. And let's be clear, even if you survive measles, there's a long-range version of measles that happens because the virus takes root in your body that shows up in an extremely scary neurological ailment in your teens. Like, this is the kind of thing you don't play around with.

And all of our parents' generation understood that because they watch people die of vaccine preventable illnesses, except for here we are now trying to take the lid off of Pandora's box yet again. But the last thing I want just to remind you is that this is all about distracting you. RFK Jr., he came to prominence as a prominent critic of the kinds of environmental pollution that I really wish he'd go after, except for all the same corporations who are buying off. all of the Republican politicians, including Donald Trump, don't want that done. So he's out there missing the boat on protecting us from environmental degradation and pollution and all the ways that that can make us sick or protecting us from additives in our food environment or the power of agribusiness to make it so that all we grow in this country is corn and soy instead of healthier foods that we should be subsidizing or the power of huge corporations like Unilever to keep feeding us. ultra-processed foods. These are all things I agree with. I would love him to go and pursue that.

The problem is that he and Donald Trump are cowards who bend the power and don't want to upset the corporations who pay to get elected all of their friends. People like Mike Rogers, who I'm running against here in Michigan. So the game right now is, why don't you change the vaccine schedule to try and feed something out to keep Maha moms on board who are really frustrated because RFK is not doing the things that he was supposed to be appointed to do, right? He's backstopping a administration that wants to put a data center in your backyard. And so he's trying to placate with this ridiculous approach that's just going to be making people more sick.

And by the way, that is the recurring theme of this MAGA Republican Party is that they promise one thing on the campaign trail that they have no intention of delivering on. And then when they get into office, they basically flaunt the fact that they're not willing to deliver to the American people who put them in that position in the first place. I mean, Trump himself ran on this idea that he was going to lower cost and said he started a trade war that sent the cost of everything surging. Promise that gas prices were going to be low. They're higher than they've been in years. Promised inflation would go down. It's 30% higher than when public enemy number one on inflation. Joe Biden left office.

Promise no new wars were in a brand new war in the Middle East. Promise the Epstein files would get released. They've been suppressed by the federal government. So talk about the fact that you've got somebody like Mike Rogers in this Republican Party where they are so focused. on saying one thing during the campaign, hoping people don't recognize when they get into office and not delivering, how is that manifesting itself right now yet again on the campaign trail? Is he presenting himself as this independent voice?

Is he presenting himself as this populist? He's presenting himself as good old Mike. Just a normal guy who voted to raise your prescription drug prices 19 times, who helped the architect the opioid epidemic when he was in Congress the first time, who made $14 million and moved to a McMansion in Florida after his years in service, trading off of his relationships to the government. I mean, this man is a sock puppet.

He's there for the taking for whoever wants to insert their corporate or Trump hand inside of him to make him speak. Like, that's what this man is. I mean, it's fitting that his name is Rogers because whenever he gets an order from a corporation, Mike, we want you to put a data center in their backyard. Roger, Mike, we want you to raise prescription drug prices.

Roger, Mike, we want you to green. green light of war we shouldn't be fighting. Roger, Mike, we want you to completely disobey science and continue to push an agenda that we know is going to make people sick. Roger, like, that's who this man is. And so it's showing up on the campaign trail. I've challenged him to five debates. He still won't say anything about him.

So now what we're saying is, look, we're going to agree to the debate times. He doesn't want to show up, then I'm just going to have a town hall on TV. So, Mike, one more time, if you're watching, and I know you're watching, because you've got thin, skin, you can't help yourself. Five debates. Let's have the conversation in public. On one of those issues that I know that you have been a champion of, this is something I've advocated for for the entirety of my time doing political commentary as well, the idea of Medicare

for All. Talk about why right now is the time for Medicare for All. On the backdrop of the government spending yet more money on wars in the Middle East, spending yet more money on Trump's vanity projects, spending yet more money on, you know, a Qatari jet that apparently wasn't even safe enough for Trump himself to take when he was posed according to, to new reporting with a threat from Iran going from Turkey to London, that brand new jet that taxpayers paid for wasn't even safe enough to get into, why we have the money for all of those things, but not Medicare for all? It's an open question. We have money for those things because those are the corporations who spend money to make sure that they can buy politicians who do their

bidding instead of ours. But look, healthcare has just got more expensive. There was a time in this country when we talked about Medicare for all. It was really about providing health care for low-income people. That's not the case anymore. If you're a middle income American, your median deductible is $4,500. $4,500. That's for a family of four earning $80,000 a year, which is the median income for a family of four. That means you're foregoing a whole paycheck. You're talking about middle class people who have to pay an added paycheck for the health care they thought they paid for with every paycheck. And that's the reality of health care in this country. It is vastly becoming a sustainable because our system is built to siphon yet more money off the top. So this system is becoming

more unsustainable on its own terms and people are starting to realize that above and beyond having to pay through the notes for their groceries or for their rent or for their mortgage or for their car note, healthcare is that one place where it really is life and death for a lot of people. And it's one of the fastest growing costs in an already unsustainable budget. And so this is the time to be having the conversation. And why can't we have it? Well, because big pharma CEOs want to make tens of millions of dollars, big insurance CEOs, big hospital CEOs, we could have durable, guaranteed, reliable health insurance for far less than we pay now. In fact, a recent study just came out, literally hot off the presses, showed that it would save about 114,000 lives a year and it would cost

us a trillion dollars less as a society. And that's the thing about it. We've got to choose whether or not we want to continue to collectively pay a trillion dollar. more for the privilege of holding $225 billion in medical debt that we hold in this country so that CEOs can make huge amounts of money, this is the time for the conversation. And I'm looking forward to using my seat in the U.S. Senate to have that conversation. Because here's the thing. For the last 15 months, I've been able to travel my state. Go to places where you would expect that people don't want to hear about Medicare for all. And you know what I hear? People come up to me almost everywhere I go.

They say, you know, I voted for Donald Trump, two, three times, but I'm voting for you. And I ask why, and they're like, because I think you really want me to have health care and I really want to have health care. Yeah. People want this. They understand how unsustainable this is. They understand that they're one accident,

one illness away from potentially losing their life or losing their finances. And you shouldn't have to choose between those things in the richest, most powerful country in the world while they're wasting your tax dollars on everything from ice to a war that we have no business fighting. Perfect place to leave off.

For those who are watching and listening right now, where can they go to support your campaign? Abdulfercenaic.com. Check us out. We need you out here. year, we have less than three months left to go. And the choice could not be more stark. A rubber stamp on Trumpism, a corporate shill who's raised prescription drug prices, or voted to raise prescription drug prices 19 times, or a doctor who rebuilt the health department in the largest,

predominantly black, one of the poorest cities in the country, moved to eliminate up to $700 million in medical debt, putting Narcan in vending machines for free. We've got an opportunity to get money out of politics, but money in your pocket, past Medicare for all. I hope folks will support us. put that link right here on the screen and also in the post description. For those who are listening on the podcast, I'm going to throw it in the show notes. Abdul, thanks so much for taking the time. Best luck in the campaign trail. Brian, thank you so much. And keep going with the McDreamy hair, man. I'm killing it. Thanks. Thanks again to Bernie Sanders, Norm Eisen and Abdul Al-Sayed. That's it for this episode. Talk to

you on Sunday. You've been listening to No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen. Produced by Sam Graber, music by Wellsey, and interviews edited for YouTube by Nicholas Nicotera. If you want to support the show, please subscribe on your preferred podcast app. and leave a five-star rating in a review. And as always, you can find me at Brian Tyler Cohen on all of my other channels, or you can go to bryantaylorcoen.com to learn more.