The Philip DeFranco Show - The Trump Tucker Carlson MAGA Civil War Just Got Worse

Episode Date: March 3, 2026

Kickstart your passion project with a free trial today: https://www.Squarespace.com/Phil  & enter offer code “Phil” to get 10% off your first purchase!  Join & Support @ https://DeFrancoForFulton.com  Learn more & join Lindsay's newsletter @ https://LindsayForFulton.com  LISTEN TO THE SHOW iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-philip-defranco-show/id1278424954 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ESemquRbz6f8XLVywdZ2VWATCH CRASHING OUT w/ PHILIP & ALEX Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCergKLoy-Yv9zlPk3XQYK7Q?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DkU87umhGH9mH1z24Bi9w?si=6sSdjhVNQjyVeBQDLiXcyg Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crashing-out-with-philip-defranco-and-alex-pearlman/id1843429519 WATCH/LISTEN TO MY NEW PODCAST w/ ADAM FRIEDLAND Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CePXwDrvdQTes844wflKp?si=55a6b6049c4841ed Youtube: https://youtube.com/acw?sub_confirmation=1 iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-good-faith-with-philip-defranco/id1827016835 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY 📸Instagram: https://instagram.com/PhillyDeFranco  🐦Twitter: https://twitter.com/phillyd  🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@philipdefranco  TODAY’S STORIES 00:00 - 700+ Killed in Iran, U.S. Death Toll Rises to Six, U.S. Consulate in Dubai Bombed 15:35 - Sponsored by Squarespace 16:35 - Kristi Noem Testifies in Front of Senate in Combative Hearing 22:25 - Heated Footage From Clintons’ Depositions on Epstein Released THE TEAM Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks, Matthew Henry Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Chris Tolve, Star Pralle, Jared Paolino   ———————————— #DeFranco #Iran #TuckerCarlson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At Desjardin, we speak business. We speak equipment modernization. We're fluent in data digitization and expansion into foreign markets. And we can talk all day about streamlining manufacturing processes. Because at Desjardin business, we speak the same language you do. Business. So join the more than 400,000 Canadian entrepreneurs who already count on us. And contact Desjardin today.

We'd love to talk. Business. Six American troops are dead. Over 700 Iranian civilians are dead. Dozens more are dead across Lebanon and the wider region. And the president who started this war without congressional approval now says it might last longer than he initially promised while also refusing to rule out boots on the ground. And no one in his administration can give a straight answer on why this started or what the actual fucking objective is. So let's talk about and break down what's happening right now.

Starting with, you know, one of the biggest developments today is that Israel struck the building that houses Iran's assembly of experts, the 88-person body responsible for choosing the country's next next. Supreme Leader. Something they're having to do for the first time since 1989 because the U.S. and Israel opened this war by killing the previous one along with dozens of top military and intelligence officials. And at least as of recording, it's unclear whether any members of the assembly were actually in the building when it was hit, right? You have Iranian media downplaying the strike, claiming that it was an old building that wasn't even used for meetings anymore. And so we'll need more information and we'll have our eyes on that. The message here is hard to miss.

Even the process of choosing new leadership, that's not safe. And you know, in the meantime, strikes have continued across Iran, not just in Tehran, but nationwide. You're saying the Iranian Red Crescent Society, now reporting at least 787 civilians killed since the conflict began. You've got Israel saying that it's targeted industrial sites throughout the country used to produce weapons, including ballistic missiles. And you've got the International Atomic Energy Agency confirming that buildings at the entrance to Iran's primary uranium enrichment site have been damaged. But also, here's something that's worth paying attention to. The target list goes well beyond conventional military infrastructure. The U.S. and Israel, they have also been hitting police stations, detention

centers, intelligence offices, and other facilities tied to Iran's internal security apparatus. These are the agencies that have carried out brutal crackdowns on protesters killing thousands over the years, and you have experts saying that this may actually be deliberate, part of a strategy to weaken the regime's ability to suppress its own people and encourage Iranians to rise up. And strikes, they've apparently been focused on security forces in Iran's largely Kurdish Western regions, and that's not random. Kurdish minorities have been among the most active participants in anti-government protest, and they have long-standing ambitions for regional autonomy. Several Kurdish groups have also armed affiliates across the border in Iraq. And that matters because officials from two Kurdish militias in Iran told the New York Times that they're preparing to send operatives. You know, outside of Iran, the war is expanding.

Israel's escalating attacks in Lebanon and responds to Hezbollah's retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader. As of recording, Israeli airstrikes targeting southern Lebanon and Beirut have killed 52 people and displaced at least 30,000. Today you also had Prime Minister Netanyahu and his defense minister approving a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, with the military issuing new evacuation orders for dozens of locations. And this is all happening roughly a year and a half after both sides signed a ceasefire to end months of fighting that killed thousands. So that ceasefire also never fully held, Israel's been launching strikes on a mere daily basis. But still, this is a significant new escalation and it's sparking fears of a full-scale war picking back up. People are fleeing their homes, sheltering in parking garages, schools, and mosques.

Some are heading to the Syrian border, trying to get out entirely. And opinion on the ground, it split. Some Lebanese are angry at Hezbollah for drawing them into another conflict, though. Others feel like the group's response was justified, and they're pointing to Israel's repeated ceasefire violations and continued occupation of villages in the South. And then, of course, you know, we can't talk about all this without mentioning the West Bank. After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Attention shifted to Gaza.

the West Bank saw surge in displacements, illegal settlements, and violence against Palestinians. And now, since the strikes on Iran began, tensions over settler activity is reportedly intensified again. Yesterday, you had Israeli settlers shooting and killing two Palestinian brothers, which this is not a footnote, it is a part of a pattern. And then on the other side, you have Iran firing back with hundreds of missiles and drones targeting countries across the region. Yesterday, Qatar officials said that their Air Force shot down two Iranian bombers jets, the first reported instance of Iran attempting to attack a Persian Gulf neighbor with warplanes,

which you know is a new and significant escalation there. Now, the vast majority of Iranian attacks, those have been intercepted, but The interceptions haven't all been clean. Right, falling debris is deadly, and the strikes that do get through, they're doing real damage. Death and destruction have now been reported in at least nine countries. You also had two drones hitting the American embassy in Saudi Arabia with the U.S. now closing that embassy, as well as the ones in Kuwait and Lebanon. And then, just as I was getting today's show ready for you, it appears that a drone may have hit the U.S. consulate in Dubai,

with video posted online showing the complex on fire. Now, as of recording, it's not clear yet how much damage there is or exactly what happened, but Marco Rubio said all U.S. personnel is accounted for. You've also got the State Department urging Americans in 14 Middle Eastern countries to get out if they can, citing serious safety risks. And Assistant Secretary of State, Dylan Johnson said today on social media that the Department is now actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for Americans looking to leave. And the ripple effects, they're hitting everywhere. At least 11,000 flights to and from Middle Eastern countries have been canceled, affecting more than a million travelers. And while some flights have started back up on a limited basis, airline stocks have taken a beating.

American Airlines, United and Delta all falling more than 6% at one point. Though that drop may actually have less to do with canceled flights and more to do with energy costs. Right, oil and gas prices, they're surging, and that's based off of expectations as well as seeing things like Iranian attacks hitting energy installations in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It's anchor in the Gulf of Oman and three commercial ships in the street of Hormuz. And yesterday, you had a senior Iranian military official threatening to set on fire any ships traveling through the straits, saying not a single drop of oil will leave the region. And that ends up being a meaningful threat because roughly 15% of the world's oil and 20% of its liquefied natural gas passes through that waterway. And while the U.S. is relatively insulated since it produces so much of its own oil, it's not immune. And so with that, you had gas prices jumping 11 cents overnight, according to AAA.

Stocks and bonds have also dropped significantly this week with the S&P 500 falling 1.5% is trading open this morning. You know, if you're wondering how worried the people who study this for a living actually are, you had a former chief economist at the IMF and current Harvard professor, putting it this way. He said we are in a very precarious period then comparing into asking what the economic consequences would be after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, having no idea what was next. And adding, when World War I started, everyone thought it would end in a month. Also, with everything going on, yesterday you had the White House hosting an event honoring veterans

of Vietnam and Afghanistan, and you had Trump using part of that to acknowledge the American lives lost in Iran. Today, we grieve for the four heroic American service members who have been killed in action and send our love and support to their families. In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people. For some important context, I'd argue, The time that he gave to those four troops, it was actually roughly the same amount of time that he spent talking about the new curtains that he had picked out for the White House and a new ballroom. So since then, two more American troops have been confirmed dead from an Iranian strike on a military facility in Kuwait on Sunday, which brings a total to six. You also had Trump repeating the claim that Iran would have missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America, but U.S. intelligence agencies believed that Iran was as much as a decade away from that capability.

He then also mentioned for the first time since the war began, his decision to pull out of the Obama-era nuclear deal, calling it a horrible, horrible, dangerous document that would have given Iran nuclear weapons three years. years ago. The worth noting there, Iran was largely abiding by the agreement until Trump withdrew from it and even with no restrictions after that, they still didn't build a nuclear weapon. And then on the timeline of this war, you had Trump saying that the initial projection was four to five weeks, but the U.S. has the capability to go far longer than that and adding, whatever the time is, it's okay, whatever it takes. And yesterday, he told the New York Post, he wasn't ruling out boots on the ground and neither is Hegset and neither is Rubio. You had also had Heg Seth taking questions of the Pentagon and spending a significant

portion of time berating reporters rather than actually answering them. Or when one reporter He said, people want to know what they're sending their men and women to war for and asked whether he was worried about a wider conflict. Hegeseth responded, Do you not hear my remarks. I mean, we're ensuring the mission gets accomplished, but we are very clear-eyed as the president has been, unlike other presidents, about the foolish policies of the past that recklessly pulled

us in to things that were not tethered to actual clear objectives. But the irony there being that this administration is yet to give a consistent answer on what its own objectives are or when this ends. They've been all over the place on regime change. And today, you would Trump saying most of the people they had in mind to take over Iran are dead now, as are most of their backup options. And then all of that, it brings us to the Rubio disaster,

which is just on a whole other level. Well, speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill yesterday, he said that what we've seen so far is just the beginning. But the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now. But that's also not what got the most attention,

because in that same briefing, Rubio offered yet another competing justification for the war, one that directly contradicts what the administration has said before. Rubio claimed that the strikes were a response to an imminent threat, but then described them as preemptive, saying that they were only necessary because Israel was going to strike Iran first. We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces.

And we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties. There absolutely was an imminent threat. And the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran, was attacked, and we believe they would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us. And then, in the same breath, he pivoted to a completely different rationale that has nothing to do with imminent threats. Going back to the purpose, the purpose of this is to destroy that missile capability.

Why does Iran want that ballistic missile capability? What they are trying to do and have been trying to do for a very long time is build a conventional weapons capability as a shield where they can hide behind. That is what they were trying to do, is put themselves in a place of immunity, where the damage they could inflict on the region would be so high that no one can do anything about their nuclear program or their nuclear ambitions. Okay, so we have to unpack this first on the nuclear claim, as we covered yesterday, top nuclear authorities and U.S. intelligence have found no credible evidence that Iran has an active nuclear weapons program. And now, three plus days into the conflict,

as you have the Washington Post noting, the strikes have largely left Iran's main nuclear installations untouched, which seems to suggest that those sites are not currently seen as a priority threat. And second, on the missile shield rationale, experts say that if that's the real reason, and it actually undercuts the administration's legal authority to act without Congress. Right, a president can take unilateral military action against an immediate time-sensitive threat. But dismantling a long-term missile deterrent, that's where the legality gets murky. But then also, third, and I would argue most importantly, on the claim that the U.S. had to act because it couldn't stop Israel, either that's horrifying or it maybe falls apart.

But Israel has openly said that it worked with the United States for months to plan the strikes. U.S. intelligence was reportedly key to making the initial leadership strike possible. Netanyahu has been pushing Trump to act since December, and Israeli officials have told reporters that, he wouldn't have moved without Trump's direct approval and would have postponed if Trump wanted to continue talks. Netanyahu himself told Fox News that Trump can't be dragged into anything, and today you had Trump directly contradicting Rubio's entire framing. I think they were going to attack first, and I didn't want that to happen. So if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand. So you have the Secretary of State saying that the U.S. had to act because Israel forced the situation. The President saying he actually forced Israel's hand. And as we talked about yesterday, Pentagon officials told Congress that there were no signs that Iran was going to attack

the United States forces first. So now this total failure to provide a coherent justification is now generating outrage from both sides of the island. Are you with Senate Democrats coming from a private meeting with Rubio and other top officials yesterday saying that explanations there were completely inadequate? Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, saying, there was no imminent threat

to the United States of America by the Iranians. There was a threat to Israel. We equate a threat to Israel as the equivalent of an imminent threat to the United States. then we are in uncharted territory. But it's also not just the Democrats. The contradictions have triggered another MAGA civil war, and you had Megan Kelly attacking the preemptive strike claims directly.

Does it make any sense to you that Iran was planning preemptive strikes against us and our civilians, knowing full well of the massive military assets we had moved into the region, the aircraft carriers, and so on? Obviously it doesn't. But then Kelly accusing the administration of fighting Israel's war, not America's. My own feeling is no one should have to die for a foreign country. I don't think those four service members died for the United States. I think they died for Iran or for Israel.

And then you also had Marjorie Taylor Green going on Kelly's show and just going off. All of them promised it. And we're a year in, a year in, and we're in another fucking war. And we've got American troops being killed. I think it's time for America to rip the band-dend. off and we need to have a serious conversation about what the fuck is happening to this country and who in the hell are these decisions being made for and who is making these decisions? And then finally, we've got to mention Tucker Carlson who went even further than anyone else

on the right has so far directly accusing Trump of fighting Israel's war. This happened because Israel wanted it to happen. This is Israel's war. This is not the United States's war. This war is not being waged on behalf of American national security. objectives to make the United States safer or richer. This war is not actually even about weapons mass destruction. Nukes.

Kambayo. No, this war is waged purely because Israel wanted it to be waged. It's hard to say this. But the United States didn't make the decision here. Benjamin not Netanyahu did. Three Americans just died for BB in a war that nobody wants in a war designed to hurt the United States. Here's where it gets really interesting.

Trump hit back directly, not at the Democrats, but rather at Tucker and Megan, with him telling a reporter, I think that MAGA is Trump, MAGA is not the other two, and then adding, MAGA loves what I'm doing, every aspect of it. This is a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe frankly. And so, you know, with all this, there's going to be a lot that we're going to have to keep our eyes on, whether it be what's actually happening on the ground, what's happening in the skies, what's happening with this MAGA Civil War. The final thing, and this part, you know, all that was the new is this part's my opinion.

Shifting justifications are insane. They're crazy. We have, what, three plus justifications. and three plus days, how many more are they gonna add? And one of these last ones that Israel forced our hand is incredibly concerning. Whether it's a lie and a deflection or the truth, horrifying in different ways.

Because if Netanyahu is actually the one calling the shots, right, the tail is wagging the dog, instead of telling Israel, don't do that, we just say, oh no, we're being forced, we have to. That's not defense, that's being dragged into someone else's war and calling it a choice. And the argument that there was an imminent threat, that seems bogus when you have Netanyahu on video

because of this saying, this coalition of forces allows us to do what I have yearned to do for 40 years. Netanyahu doesn't even look like he's pretending. This was about an imminent threat. This is a man celebrating the fulfillment of a lifelong personal ambition, and he is thanking the American president in military for making it happen.

And so I echoed the question that we saw from Senator Ruben Gallego, a combat vet, and a Democrat saying, what the fuck happened to America first? I ponder along with Stanford professor Michael McFall, who asked, so BB gets a say as to whether the US goes to war, but the US Senate and the American people do not?

Or because we already give Israel over $3.8 billion a year in military, a $21 billion since 2023. We provide the intelligence, we provide the diplomatic cover at the UN, and we seemingly have our Secretary of State slipping, and it turns out Benjamin Netanyahu, a foreign leader, got to decide

when American service members were put into harm's way. Not Congress, not the American people, just a guy who told the world that this was his 40-year dream. And so I'm left hoping that more and more people realize, America first for Trump, it was always a slogan, it was never a principle, and all the people that carry Trump's water for him here,

that switched up, that even people like Matt Walsh, far right Matt Walsh are calling out going, Did everyone have their brain chips taken out? We were all against this, but then Trump says, actually we're not, and then you switch up. And understand, I'm also eyeing some Democrats here. Chuck Schumer, he slow walked the war powers resolution before the strikes, his statement. He didn't even condemn this. A lot of Dem leadership, they're fine with this.

They just want, if it goes the bad way, for Trump to take the blowback. And I also say Dem leadership, because I don't want to make some false equivalency here. And I also want to note, individual Dems are speaking up. Gallego, Jacobs, Kane, Lou, AOC, Taleb, Kim, Van Hollen, Sanders. And also to credit some of the Republicans, Thomas Massey. He's standing with Rokana on the war powers resolution. So, you know, I got to give credit where it's earned. And so, you know, I'll just, I'll close this by saying this.

I try not to go on rants, but then when I go on them, I have a hard time stopping. No foreign leader should determine when Americans go to war. Fucking full stop. Not Netanyahu, not anyone. If this war needed to happen, make the case to Congress and the American people first. That is not a weakness. It appears that there was no imminent threat. That is how a democracy is supposed to work.

And the fact that they didn't, it tells you that they knew that their case wouldn't hold up. And these now three plus days of shifting justifications, it proves it. And then there's more we're going to dive into in just a minute. But first, let me thank a sponsor and say, you know, the hardest part of launching something, it's usually not the idea. It's getting out of your own way. Right, think about it. And if you've been waiting for the right time to launch your side hustle or business site,

that times now. And I get it. Building your website, it can feel way bigger than it actually is. But thanks to today's sponsor, Squarespace, my book club was a someday project that went live in under an hour. How my team even used a Squarespace for our daily dip newsletter where tens of thousands of y'all get your PDF fix in your inbox every single day. News polls, giveaways, PDS, show notes, all run through Squarespace.

And like clockwork, a daily dip issue went out to everyone this morning. Your project, it could be next. And it couldn't be easier to start, whether you're just showcasing stuff or you're selling content, courses, physical or digital products, whatever you've been dreaming up. You want one-time payments, subscriptions, both, done and done. And their templates, they're beautiful and they make it look like you hired a designer and their fluid engine editor. It lets you drag, drop, customize, no coding, no stress, no excuses.

So take that first step today with a free trial at Squarespace.com slash fill or scan that QR code. Today is launch day. And just when you're ready to go live, use code fill to get 10% off and let them know we sent you. But then diving right back into the news, the people that are breaking into homes and masks and throwing people into unmarked cars or at the Trump troopers, over 900 of them

went through a training program that had 40% of its instructional hours gutted. And then when DHS Secretary Kristy Noem was finally questioned about it in front of Congress, she ended up spending most of her time dodging answers and blaming Biden. So we need to jump into that and break it down. And we'll start is by noting that last week,

you had former ICE agent Ryan Schwank giving testimony to the Senate that laid this out in detail. I am here because I am duty-bound to report the legally required training program at the ICE Academy is deficient, defective, and broken. For the last five months, I watched ICE dismantle the training program, cutting 240 hours of vital classes from a 584-hour program, classes that teach the Constitution, our legal system, firearms training, the use of four, force, lawful arrests, proper detention, and the limits of officers' authority. Twank also testified that supervisors gave him blatantly illegal orders and pressured him into following

them. I was instructed to read and return a memo in my supervisor's presence, which claimed ICE officers could enter homes without a judicial warrant. Incredibly, I was being shown this memo in secret by my supervisor who made sure that I understood that disobedience could cost me my job. Now, DHS, they denied the claim at the time saying that no training hours have been cut, but then they immediately contradicted themselves by saying that training had been, quote, streamlined without sacrificing basic subject matter content.

You know, that didn't add up then, and it definitely doesn't add up now because you have the Washington Post now obtaining previously unreported records that corroborate Schwank's story. With the post, finding that ICE removed about 240 hours from the basic training program more than 40% of its instructional time. And most of the cuts, they happened in August right around when AG Pambandi directed law enforcement in D.C. to cooperate with immigration enforcement. So as ICE agents were being pumped into sanctuary cities, proper protocol was being pumped out of their training. The documents also show that ICE eliminated three quarters of the hours dedicated to evaluating

recruits practical skills, including firearms handling. They cut all driving tests. They cut all 26 hours used to evaluate recruits' grasp of immigration enforcement and deportation operations, like the entire block gone. By the start of this year, where the 900 ICE officers completed this truncated version of basic training, which, by the way, the agency claimed that the two-week reduction was due to removing a Spanish language requirement, which just the one problem, Spanish wasn't even one of the required basic training classes. You know what, sir, now talking to you, seeing, hearing that you have an accent? I have reason to believe that you are not born of this country. So you're just making a nonsense?

What country are you from? And everything that we're talking about, right, it's not theoretical. The results of under-trained agents operating with less oversight, it's already showing up. Mass has become a standard part of the ICE uniform, and the agency's been involved in reckless driving that resulted in death. They've been involved with senselessly escalating confrontations and involved in numerous unlawful arrests. And all of this, it serves as a backdrop for why Nome was finally questioned by Congress today. the first time that she's actually appeared since the killings of Alex Pruddy and Renee Good by ICE agents. In this hearing, it also came as DHS has been operating under a funding lap since February 14th,

with both parties battling over how to reform the administration's immigration operations. Senate Democrats who've chosen not to fund the department and have held this department hostage. As a result, critical national security missions, including border security, immigration enforcement, aviation security, disaster response, cybersecurity, and the protection of critical infrastructure are all being strict. Now, you had Senator Grassley opening up by praising Nome and the Trump administration while slamming what he called Biden's open border policy. He also said that transparency brings accountability to government, which is also worth noted because Noam's strategy for the rest of the hearing was essentially the opposite of transparency. On immigration, the hearing leaned heavily into fear-mongering rather than addressing democratic proposals on funding.

Who's this guy? He is the man that conducted the horrific act down in Austin. Okay, what country did he come from? I think Senegal. Okay, and he was killed in Austin, Texas, right? He was. And the shirt said what? Property of Allah.

Property of Allah. And when you went to his house, you found a what kind of flag? Iranian flag. Iranian flag. Wonder how many people are like that here waiting to pounce. A nice conduct. You had Senator Amy Klobuchar pressing Nome on agents dragging elderly people out of their homes and freezing weather and nothing with their underwear, though Nome really didn't offer much.

Then on the killing of Alex Prady, Nome denied calling him a domestic terrorist, claiming she only classified his actions as domestic terrorism. When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism. This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism. Yeah, so the distinction there is that enough to see through. And then on whether ICE could show up at polling places in November, she wouldn't rule it out. Will you rule out the deployment of ICE or CBP to polling places? November. There are no plans to have ICE officers at our polling locations. And I'm glad to hear that, but would you rule it out? Would you say it will not happen?

Do you plan on illegal aliens voting in our elections? Which for the record, even though I sound like a broken record, evidence of undocumented immigrants voting, it remains virtually non-existent. Then on Schweng's testimony about the training cuts, you had gnome brushing it off saying that she didn't know how he could speak on how ice training used to work since this individual was only detailed there for a short period of time. Then on the broader pattern of complaints against ICE, she blamed mischaracterizations and the demonization of their quote heroic work. So ultimately for now, it seems like we're gonna have

more and more agents who are under-trained, operating in communities across the country wearing masks and carrying out arrests. When the person running their department was questioned about all of it, under oath, she deflected on the training, refused to rule out agents at polling places, split hairs over calling a man,

her agents killed a terrorist, and spent most of her time blaming the previous administration. Just in my opinion, an unserious person doing serious and dangerous shit. Well, obviously we're gonna have to keep eyes on gnome and just the whole situation. with DHS from here, we should also then talk about another hearing.

Because we just got the footage from both Hillary and Bill Clinton's Epstein depositions, and now we can finally check the spin against the tape. Republicans said Bill Clinton exonerated Trump, Democrats said that he raised new questions, and turns out both sides appear to be kind of stretching it. And the Hillary Nancy Mace Exchange that was described as unhinged screaming, you can watch it for yourself now and let's break it all down. Because as we talked about yesterday, the Clintons wanted their hearings broadcast live, just like Nome's congressional appearance.

But they were denied, and so the depositions happened behind closed doors, which gave every representative in the room time to walk out and craft their version of events before anyone could actually see the footage. And that is exactly what you saw happen, especially around what Bill said about Trump. Or when he was asked whether Trump should answer questions before the committee, he said,

That's for you to decide, but he didn't know him well. And I once had a brief discussion with him about it. And then when the session was about to move on, Bill added, Never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper. But then describing a conversation where Trump approached him on a golf course,

apparently aware that Clinton had flown on Epstein's plane. He said, you know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out, all because of a real estate deal. And he said, I'm sorry it happened. That's all. Now, that's notable for a couple of reasons. You know, it doesn't exonerate Trump the way Republicans claim, but it also doesn't implicate him the way the Democrats suggested.

Instead, what it does do is contradict Trump's own prior claims that he cut ties with Epstein because he was a creak. According to Bill Clinton, Trump described the falling out as being overreact. a real estate deal and he expressed regret about. And then as far as Hillary, she was more direct, right? She said that Trump should absolutely be deposed. Donald Trump has been held civilly liable for sexual assault by a jury of his peers. That is behavior.

That fits a pattern if one were looking for a pattern. And then, you know, with all this, a lot of the headlines about Hillary, they sent her on the interaction with Representative Nancy Mace because last week you had Mace claiming that she chewed Hillary up so badly. that she became, quote, unhinged and combative. Well, now that we have the video, you know, you're looking at it, there were definitely moments where Hillary was clearly frustrated with being prodded after repeatedly saying she had no information.

But then things really escalated when Mace brought up Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik. And then how do you know Howard Lutnik? I know Howard Lutnik because when I was senator on 9-11, the firm he headed, Cantor Fitzgerald, suffered the greatest loss of life. As I recall, something like 650. of his employees were murdered by terrorists that day. Howard Lutnik missed being a victim because he was delayed dropping his child off to kindergarten. You asked the question. I'm going to answer your

question. This was what I spent my time doing. I'm a survivor trying to look out for other survivors trying to take on them. And I was taking care of the people who lost three thousand lives at World Trade Center. You asked me about Howard. Epstein survivors. I'm a survivor myself. You have emails. You've denied that Jeffrey Epstein that you try to get Jeffrey Epstein to give money to you. I did not. Howard Howard Luckman emailed to Epstein's people and Epstein to get him to come to your intimate event at Canter Fitzgerald, a very small event. And so I'm not going to put it. You want to yell at me. That's fine, but I'll yell right back. I am very sympathetic to your personal situation. I very much sympathize with not only what you went through, but appreciate your effort to stand up for survivors.

I was a senator representing the people who were murdered on 9-11. Nobody lost more people than Howard Lutnik. So whether it be those clips, whether you want to watch a whole thing online, I'll link to it. Was it the unhinged screaming that Mace described? You can judge for yourself and online, we're definitely seeing the reaction splitting exactly how you'd expect.

You've got people on the right thinking Hillary got caught lying, people on the left thing that Mace embarrassed herself by interrupting Hillary while she was talking about 9-11 to focus on a single email about an event. And then also the deposition hitting a wall when Representative Lauren Bobert shared a photo from inside the closed door hearing with conservative media personality, Benny Johnson,

who then posted online. Excuse me, can I interrupt? I have photos that are being released of the secretary as she is testifying from inside this room. Can you please advise me as to whether or not that's permissible and consistent with the rules, particularly given that we have asked for a public hearing. If there are photos that are being released of the secretary, she is testifying,

can you please explain how that can occur? I'm done with this. If you guys are doing that, I am done. You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home. This is just typical behavior. We will go off the record. Oh, for heaven's sake. So I would like to before the hearing was.

It doesn't matter. We all are abiding by the same rules. I will take that down. Yeah, well. I would like to take a break at this moment. I'd like to have a . But the deposition then pausing, but eventually restarted. And for the bulk of her deposition,

you had Hillary maintaining that she doesn't believe she ever met Epstein had no connection to him in question why the committee deposed her at all when there are people with far more documented ties. How can I answer questions about a person that I don't believe I ever even met, although maybe I was in the same room once, who gave money to a joint funding committee

that I did not have knowledge. It was not on my radar. He was not somebody that I had any, connection to. Then you had Bill, who does have more documented ties, saying that the relationship was cordial, but limited. claiming that they met through his Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers, that Epstein wanted to discuss economics,

and in exchange, Lent Clinton is playing for foundation-related travel. We were friendly, but I didn't know him well enough to be saying we were friends. I don't believe we ever talked about anything, but the work we were doing. But Clinton also said that he never saw underage girls on the plane and never witnessed any crime. He was also asked about the photo showing him in a hot tub with a redacted individual. I don't know who they did. And there you had him saying that it was taken at a hotel in Brunei during a foundation trip that Epstein was president. Everyone in the pool area was likely part of his traveling party, including Secret Service.

I sat in the hot tub for five minutes, I think of whatever it was, and I got him and went to bed. And then I have to ask this, did you engage any sexual activities with this person? Thank you. You know, a big thing with all of this is that both of these depositions were hours long. So really, we're kind of just talking about some of the highlights. But here's where we stand. Bill's comments about Trump, they don't exonerate him and they don't implicate him. That said, they did contradict Trump's own story about why he and Epstein stopped talking.

And then as far as Hillary, she maintained that she has no relevant information and spent much of her time asking why she was there instead of people with actual documented connections. Or whether it be Trump or Lutnik. But again, the footage is out now. You can watch it. You can form your own conclusions. You know, for me, in the meantime, I'm kind of just kind of two thoughts. One, I'm just still wondering, does any of this actually get us closer to actual accountability for fucking anyone? It feels like if anything, especially the Hillary deposition, like this is like being used as a political weapon.

There's been so much sketchiness and weirdness about like files being removed, what's redacted, unredacted, the reasoning. But then also secondarily, it made me look at Hillary Clinton and go, oh man. I had kind of a, did you watch, did you watch the movie Interstellar with Matthew McConaughey? Spoiler alert, but also the movie came out in 2014, so I don't know why I have to say spoiler alert. There's that scene where he's in that place where he's looking back at himself years before he went on his mission. He's pounding on the wall trying to scream at himself, don't go! I have that around the 2016 election. Wanting to shout to myself, the polls are wrong.

She's not, she doesn't have it in the bags. Spend last time saying it's cringe. She said people need to Pokemon go to the polls and maybe get people to Pokemon go to the polls herself. She's pretty much right about all the things Trump is trying to do. Don't treat this like a piece of entertainment. It's actually one of the most consequential elections in your lifetime. Yes, she and her team did a shit job campaigning. But if you watch like the full deposition, just watching her do laps around people.

Well, she still might not have been my initial candidate of choice. Like if I went back to the primaries, it does make me want to, for the 30 seconds I look back, I very much believe in forward thing, but when I look back of what, how things could have gone, maybe, rather than just smash everything with a sledgehammer and have no plan for what comes next, which seems to be what we're living through now. But that, my friends, you beautiful bastards, is where your Tuesday, Philip DeFranco's show, dive into the news is going to end. Thank you, as always, for being a part of these daily dives into the news, being a part

of this community. Also, if you're new here, definitely subscribe. We got these daily dives into the news. Of course, remember, I'll see you right back here tomorrow.