UNBIASED - Trump TV Explained + What the Court Ruled on Trump’s Media Ban | PLUS GOOD NEWS.

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Starting point is 00:00:22 free of charge. BetMGEMGEMP operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming, Ontario. Welcome back to Unbiased Politics. It's Thursday, September 24th. And we are, of course, talking about the latest with the media ban. We're also talking about an FBI data breach. We're talking about some of the more notable moments from the UN General Assembly and much, much more. We also have rumor has it in today's episode. And we're ending today's episode with a good news segment because I don't know about you, but I am feeling like we need to break up the news cycle with some positivity. So don't miss that. That'll be at the end. of today's episode. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe if you're watching on YouTube and share with a friend. If you're listening, audio only. I do keep the show completely free. So one of the best ways that you can support me is by doing any one of those things I just mentioned. So thank you in advance. All right. Since we initially spoke about Trump's media ban on Monday, we've had a few developments. So Monday night, Trump TV was announced yesterday. There was a court

Starting point is 00:01:22 hearing. And then late last night, I guess technically really early this morning, the judge went ahead and temporarily restored White House access for CNN, MS now, and Politico. And then, of course, the most recent update is that those outlets did file a request for an emergency hearing today after some of the reporters were still denied access to the White House despite that court ruling. So we're going to go in chronological order. We'll start with Trump TV. Monday night, the White House launched something called Trump TV, the Essentials Station, which is essentially a, it's a 24-7 live stream of Trump and the Trump administration. It's currently streaming on the White House's YouTube page, but you can also watch it through

Starting point is 00:02:06 the White House website and app. And according to the White House's digital strategy director, the idea is to show what he called Trump's greatest hits unfiltered. Now, despite the name Trump TV, okay, this isn't cable news, at least not right now. So far, it's basically this continuous. stream of Trump's speeches, his bill signings, his executive order signings, White House events, other videos either produced or chosen by the administration. So when the stream kicked off Monday night, it was replaying Trump's July speech at Mount Rushmore. When I checked in on it last night,

Starting point is 00:02:44 it was playing Trump's speech from Tuesday's UN General Assembly. So it's just a constant stream of Trump-related events. Now, of course, the timing of it caused a lot of conversation because Trump TV launched the same day that the five major television network suspended their pooled coverage of presidential events because of the CNN and Politico and MS now banned. And for this reason, I mean, the timing has really led critics, including Democratic politicians and press freedom advocates, to call Trump TV state-run media. And I think it's worth explaining the arguments on both sides of that claim. The argument that it does resemble state-run media. It's pretty straightforward. Trump TV is being operated by the White House. The administration

Starting point is 00:03:31 decides what goes on it, and the content is specifically being chosen to highlight Trump and his administration. There doesn't appear to be an independent newsroom or editorial board deciding what gets covered. So critics say that you have the government controlling both the platform and the messaging, which is one of the main characteristics people talk about when they refer to state-controlled media, and therefore they're calling this akin to state-run media. The argument on the other side is that this isn't really a news organization at all. Rather, it's an official White House communications channel. They argue that, you know, presidents from both sides have long had government websites

Starting point is 00:04:10 or social media accounts or live streams where the administration chooses what information and footage to put out. Trump TV packages that same type of content into a 20, hour continuous stream. It's not sending reporters out to cover stories. It's not presenting itself as an independent news organization. So on that side of it, this is not state run media at all. So that's the deal with Trump TV. Again, it's on YouTube. It's on the White House's website. It's on the White House app. It is a continuous stream of Trump's various actions. Then yesterday we had the first court hearing over the media ban. Remember CNN, MS. Now and Politico, as we talked about on

Starting point is 00:04:51 Monday, sue the administration on Monday, and asked the judge for a temporary restraining order, which, if granted, would immediately give their White House access back while this lawsuit continues to play out. Well, Judge Kelly heard arguments yesterday afternoon, but he did not rule right away. Shortly after midnight, he granted that temporary restraining order and ordered the administration to immediately restore the outlet's hard passes. That order lasts for 14 days while the case continues. And I'll talk about what happens once those 14 days are up as we get closer to the end of this story. What I want to do is start with the hearing itself and the arguments presented on both sides. Then we'll get into what Judge Kelly ultimately ruled, why he ruled

Starting point is 00:05:34 the way he did, and what we can expect from here. So this hearing was valuable in the sense that we learned quite a bit about what the administration's legal argument is. When we talked about this on Monday, we knew what the argument was from the outlets. We knew that they were mainly setting forth a First Amendment and a Fifth Amendment constitutional argument, which we covered in Monday's episode. But we weren't really sure where the administration stood on it. We just knew that Trump had said that he was taking this action because these outlets report fake news. So what we learned at the hearing was that late Tuesday, after the outlets had already been banned, the White House sent each of the outlets a letter explaining why their credentials had

Starting point is 00:06:19 been revoked. The letters essentially said that having a White House hard pass comes with certain expectations of professionalism and trustworthiness and conduct and that all three of these outlets violated those expectations through reporting that either threatened national security or spread false information. And just so we're all on the same page here, a hard pass is a specific White House credential that lets a reporter come and go from the press area without having to get a new day pass and be escorted in every time. So again, specific type of press credential. So in these letters, the White House then gives specific examples of reporting that it says either threatened national security or spread false information. For CNN as an example, it pointed to CNN reporting

Starting point is 00:07:07 about a quote unquote top secret bunker beneath the East Wing as well as as separate reporting about U.S. munitions levels during the Iran War. For MS now, it pointed to reporting about an alleged FBI leak investigation. And for Politico, it pointed to reporting that disclosed details about planned secret service security improvements connected to the White House ballroom, as well as reporting on the Iran War. Now, that's not an exhaustive list. Each letter gave anywhere from, I think it was like three to five examples per outlet. But those are just some of the examples. Now, Politico's reporting on the Iran War cited a senior administration official. And a lot of people are talking about this one.

Starting point is 00:07:48 because reports say that the official cited was actually Vice President Vance. Yet the administration is now saying that that reporting is what in part contributed to this ban, right? Vance's comments were reportedly made on an authorized White House press call where the press was told to refer to Vance only as a senior White House official when reporting on the things that he said on that press call. nonetheless, the administration ended each of these letters by giving each outlet in opportunity to respond and contest the decision they had until 5 p.m. Friday to do so and then at which point a final decision would be made. So the administration's argument in court yesterday was that access to the White House is a privilege. It's not a constitutional right. And that the president needs to be

Starting point is 00:08:40 able to take immediate action if he feels that somebody who has access to the White House creates a national security concern. The DOJ pushed back on the argument that Trump banned these outlets simply because he doesn't like their coverage. They pointed out that Trump criticizes plenty of other outlets like ABC and the New York Times and that those outlets still have White House access. CNN, MS now and Politico, though, argued, well, no, Trump said he banned us because he didn't like our reporting.

Starting point is 00:09:11 When Trump initially announced the ban, he said he was doing it. because the outlets reported what he called fake news and fiction and lies. So the outlets argue that this national security explanation that they're setting forth in court came after the fact, or actually in the letters that were submitted to the outlets, came after the fact. And that the real reason they were initially banned was because Trump didn't like their reporting. And that gets us back to their two constitutional arguments, right? First, they argue that this ban violates the First Amendment because in their view,

Starting point is 00:09:43 the government is discriminating against them based on the content or viewpoint of their reporting. And then second, they argued that the way their access was taken away violated their Fifth Amendment right to due process. Now, there is a little bit of nuance here because as I just mentioned, the administration is giving the outlets an opportunity to respond before it makes the revocations final. So again, the administration's argument is that these are just preliminary revocations. We've now told the outlets why we believe their access should be revoked. They have an opportunity to respond and then we'll make a final decision. The outlets, though, I mean, they're saying, yeah, but you took away our access first. Our credentials were disabled and confiscated on Saturday.

Starting point is 00:10:29 We were blocked from entering the White House and then three days later we received these letters explaining the alleged violations and giving us an opportunity to respond. So their position is that the due process problem had already happened before this new process ever started. That's that's the bit of nuance here. Then there's another part actually of due process, which brings us back to the cases we talked about on Monday. It's not just about whether you eventually have an opportunity to defend yourself. There's also a question of whether you had fair notice of what conduct could get your press pass taken away in the first place. And this is where the actual rules for hard press passes become relevant. The written rules say that

Starting point is 00:11:13 that reporters with hard passes are expected to act professionally while they are on White House grounds. You know, this includes things like respecting other reporters, White House employees, guests, people of that nature, following restrictions about where they're allowed to go and not interfering with briefings or events. And absent some sort of security concern or emergency, the rules lay out a process where a reporter can first receive a written warning and eventually had their hard pass suspended or revoked for subsequent violations. But what's interesting is that those written rules are focused on a reporter's conduct while they are at the White House. They don't specifically reference publishing a story off White House grounds, or the rules don't even say that publishing sensitive information can result in the reporter

Starting point is 00:11:58 losing their hard pass. The administration, though, argues that national security concerns are different and that this doesn't need to be written in the rules. National security is important enough to where, you know, the president has to be able to act immediately when he feels that sensitive or classified information is involved. So in its court filing, the DOJ specifically argue that protecting classified information and enforcing minimum standards of professionalism give the president compelling reasons to restrict access. And that gets us to the cases Judge Kelly was focused on yesterday. So remember the case we talked about Monday. That was Cheryl V. Knight. That was where a federal appeals court in D.C. said the White House,

Starting point is 00:12:39 can make rules about who gets a press pass, but once the government creates this system where journalists are given access, it can't just take that access away without some sort of fair process. At minimum, the journalists need to know why their access is being denied and needs an opportunity to respond. And then there's also another case from Trump's first term that says something similar. In 2019, the White House temporarily suspended reporter Brian Kareem's press pass after an argument in the Rose Garden. The federal federal Appeals Court heard this case and said that the White House had not given Kareem fair notice that what he did could result in his credential being suspended. So if the government is going

Starting point is 00:13:19 to punish you for breaking a rule, you have to have some reasonable way of knowing what that rule is before you break it. And because Judge Kelly is a federal district judge and those decisions that I just referenced came from the federal appeals court above him, those cases are binding on him. That means he has to follow them unless a higher court changes the law. Now, during the hearing, Kelly seemed pretty skeptical of the administration's due process argument. He said that he thought it was fair to say that the due process required by those cases we just mentioned was not followed here. And when the DOJ cited the letters that those outlets received on Tuesday, Judge Kelly questioned how a letter received after a press

Starting point is 00:14:06 pass had already been revoked, tells the outlet ahead of time what standard they were supposed to follow. Then a few hours later, Kelly issued his ruling and explained that the due process issue is ultimately why he temporarily restored their access. He found that CNN, MS now and Politico are likely to succeed on their argument that their hard passes were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process and therefore granted this temporary restraining order. Now notice how I use the word likely or the phrase likely to succeed. Keep in mind this is a temporary restraining order we're talking about. We're not talking about a final decision on the merits. To get a temporary restraining order, these outlets had to show, among other things, that they are likely to ultimately

Starting point is 00:14:51 succeed on at least one of their claims. And Kelly said that they did that with the due process claim. And that's ultimately why he granted this temporary restraining order. Now, his actual reasoning tracks with what we just talked about, right? Kelly pointed out that the administration doesn't dispute that the outlets lost their access before they were given notice and an opportunity to respond. Judge Kelly also said there weren't any relevant formally articulated rules in place beforehand telling the outlets that this type of reporting could even result in their hard passes being revoked. And then as far as the letters the administration sent on Tuesday saying, you know, that the outlets had violated these standards, Kelly called that.

Starting point is 00:15:31 that standard, quote, so vague it hardly does the trick, end quote. Kelly also pointed out that CNN's Betsy Klein's hard pass was actually renewed several months after she published some of the reporting identified in the letter, which Judge Kelly said, quote, undercuts any argument that she or her employer had the requisite notice that the conduct at issue violated a relevant standard, end quote. Now, as I mentioned before, the administration was also relying on this national security argument, that national security created the kind of extraordinary circumstances where it should be allowed to take the passes away first and provide due process after. But Judge Kelly

Starting point is 00:16:13 rejected that argument, at least based on the circumstances currently in front of him. He noted that some of the stories cited by the White House were months or even years old, which undermined the argument that there was some sort of immediate emergency requiring the White House to act before giving the outlets a chance to respond. So that was Kelly's ruling. But But then today, these outlets requested an emergency hearing after reporters were refused access to the White House. It is about that time where we have to take an ad break so we can hear from the sponsors that help keep the lights on around here. So let's do that. And when we come back, we'll finish this discussion by talking about the reason for this emergency hearing request and what we can expect from here.

Starting point is 00:16:53 Welcome back. Okay. So before the break, we said that CNN, MS. Now and Politico requested an emergency hearing after reporters were refused access to the White House. I do have a bit of an update that I just checked on during the ad break, and that is that CNN was, in fact, allowed back into the White House today at noon because of that court order. And that happened after some staff were denied entry earlier today. So just to kind of touch on this a little bit, earlier today, CNN reporter Betsy Klein and a photojournalist were denied access to the White House grounds despite multiple attempts to enter. there was one attempt around 6 a.m., another attempt around 9 a.m. There was a CNN producer who was allowed to enter the White House using their pass after 6 a.m. This morning, though.

Starting point is 00:17:39 So it's not, it's not clear why some CNN employees are being or were being denied access, but another employee was allowed in. But following that, and also I should mention, reporters from MS. Now and Politico also said that they were denied entry this morning. Now, it wasn't immediately clear why they were denied access. it wasn't clear whether this was an intentional action action to deny access or, you know, whether the press credentials just hadn't been updated. It wasn't really clear. But MSN, Politico, and CNN went to Judge Kelly asking him to hold an emergency hearing either by phone or video as soon as possible.

Starting point is 00:18:16 They said time is of the essence because CNN is scheduled to serve as the TV pool for President Cheez's visit to the White House later today. And as of that point, because CNN was still being denied. access, the TV pool, the five networks that are part of that TV pool, we're not going to be covering the president's meeting with Chi. So they filed this emergency hearing request, but like I said, the latest update that just came out is that CNN was allowed back into the White House on Thursday. I'm not quite sure what that means for the emergency hearing request. It may just mean if there's no issue anymore, if Politico and MS now and CNN journalists are allowed back

Starting point is 00:18:57 in and have been allowed back in, then there would be no need for an emergency hearing. If there is still an emergency hearing just to cover that hypothetical, then we would just expect the judge to hear from the administration about why reporters are still being turned away and determine whether anything else needs to be done to enforce or clarify his order. So as of right now, CNN, MS now and Politico do temporarily have their White House access back, or at least they should per the court's order. that order stays in effect for 14 days. During those 14 days, the court will consider whether to issue a preliminary injunction, which would keep the outlets access restored for longer while the lawsuit

Starting point is 00:19:39 continues. So again, this is not a, we don't have a final ruling that decides whether Trump's media ban is constitutional. We are only talking about temporary relief here. This is something that seems to be changing by the hour. So just keep an eye on it. But this is the latest as of the time I'm recording this episode. All right, moving on. The FBI is investigating a possible cyber attack after a hacking group claims it stole a ton of sensitive information about FBI employees, including names, home addresses, social security numbers, family information, and details about the work that some of these employees actually do for the FBI. Now, there are parts of the story that have been confirmed by the FBI, and then there are parts that have not been confirmed and are

Starting point is 00:20:23 therefore still claims from the hackers. We know that somebody got into the FBI jobs website, FBIjobs.gov. And we know this because the website was actually defaced on Tuesday. So somebody got into the site, replaced FBI pictures with a picture of a Pokemon that this particular hacking group uses as sort of a mascot. The FBI says it's investigating what it calls unauthorized activity involving the jobs portal and says it's trying to figure out whether the breach happened within the FBI's systems or through one of the outside companies that help support the website. What we don't

Starting point is 00:20:59 know yet is whether the hackers actually stole everything that they say they stole, right? So the group claiming responsibility is called shiny hunters. They're a cybercrime group that's been connected to really a bunch of high profile hacks over the years, including hacks involving ticketmaster and AT&T and 7-11, plenty of other big companies. And according to shiny hunters, not only were they able to get into FBI jobs.gov, but they were then able to use that access to get into other FBI systems. The group told NBC News that it stole somewhere between two and three terabytes of files, which is equivalent to roughly 2,000 to 3,000 gigabytes of files. And it claims those files contain personal information on almost all FBI agents, along with people who have applied to work for the FBI. That claim has not yet been verified.

Starting point is 00:21:49 It's still merely a claim from the hacking group. However, we do know at least some of the data appears to be real. So Shiny Hunters actually gave news organizations a sample of data that they hacked. The sample data contains about 5,000 records. And those records include the information that they say they stole, like names and home addresses and phone numbers and birthdays and social security numbers, emergency contacts, all of these things. And in some of those cases, the files identify exactly where the person works inside the FBI. So, for example, some employees were specifically listed as working on Chinese intelligence.

Starting point is 00:22:28 Others were specifically listed as working on Russian intelligence. Some were listed as working on surveillance technology, et cetera. Now, some of those files, those sample files that this hacking group gave to the news organizations have been independently matched to employees within the FBI. but not every record has been verified as legitimate. Now, if you're wondering why a hacking group would go after the FBI and then announce it publicly, there's actually a little bit of a backstory here. Back in May, the FBI put out a public warning about shiny hunters. In that warning, the FBI described shiny hunters as a cybercriminal group that specializes in stealing

Starting point is 00:23:08 large amounts of data and then extorting its victims. The FBI also warned that the people associated with shiny hunters can exactly, exaggerate what information they've stolen, threaten or harass victims, and falsely claim that they have embarrassing information on people in order to pressure them into paying. Well, Shiny Hunters did not like that warning from the FBI. And when it announced this FBI breach, it gave the FBI one week to remove or correct that warning. If the FBI does not remove or correct the warning, shiny hunter says it will release the information it claims to have stolen. So that's what this seems to be about it doesn't really seem to be about money. It seems to be about that prior FBI

Starting point is 00:23:50 warning about shiny hunters. Like I said before, there's still a question over how the hackers actually got in. Shiny hunters claims it got through the FBI's jobs portal and then moved into other systems. The FBI says it doesn't know whether the breach happened with an FBI system or through a third party provider connected to FBI jobs.gov. All right, moving on, world leaders are in New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly, and there have been a few notable moments over the last few days that I feel I should catch you up on. Now, just a little bit of context first, the UN General Assembly is made up of all 193 UN member countries. Every year it holds what's called the general debate. That's where presidents, prime ministers, and other representatives

Starting point is 00:24:31 from around the world get up and lay out their country's positions and priorities, right? So it's a bunch of speeches where leaders get up and say what they want to say about their country, what's going on around the world, what they want for the future, et cetera. So let's start with Trump's speech. He addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday and arguably the biggest headline from his speech involved Iran. Trump laid out two possibilities for what could happen next with Iran. He said Iran could reach an agreement with the United States or he could, in his words, quote, annihilate the Islamic Republic. And quote, here is a snippet of that speech. I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever

Starting point is 00:25:19 was before? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? But then, just a few hours later, Trump sounded a lot more optimistic about the situation. He had met with Britain's prime minister. And after that meeting, he told reporters that he thought. an agreement with Iran would be reached and said Iran had actually been talking with the United States that day. So that was that was Trump's really the main headline from Trump's speech.

Starting point is 00:25:50 Then yesterday the president of Iran gave his speech and kind of went at the United States in the same way that Trump went at Iran. The Iranian president said that Iran would not surrender to the United States and accuse the United States of terrorism against Iran. The U.S. delegation actually walked out at the beginning of his speech. The Iranian president also said Iran believes, still believes that diplomacy can end the war and that Iran, quote, extends its hands towards the world, end quote. So both sides did still leave the door open to some sort of agreement. Another notable moment came from French president, Emmanuel Macron, who pushed back on Trump's description of what's happening in Gaza. Trump had pointed to his administration's Gaza peace agreement as a foreign policy success.

Starting point is 00:26:39 But McCrone argued that the reality on the ground still doesn't match Trump's description and pointed to continued restrictions on humanitarian aid and continued violence. McCrone also pushed again for a two-state solution. Then Greenland. Remember the Greenland agreement we talked about on Monday? Well, it's now officially been signed. Trump, Denmark's prime minister and Greenland's prime minister signed the agreement Tuesday on the sidelines of the General Assembly. As we talked about on Monday, this is the agreement that allows the United States to expand its militaries in Greenland and establish more defense areas, while also at the same time prohibiting non-NATO countries from establishing a military presence there. However, signing it does not mean it immediately takes effect. It does still have to go through the required parliamentary processes in Denmark and Greenland. Yesterday at the General Assembly, Ukrainian President Zelensky, focused on trying to get some sort of limited C.

Starting point is 00:27:38 fire with Russia ahead of winter. One of the ideas being discussed is an agreement where Russia and Ukraine stop attacking each other's energy infrastructure, specifically. Zelensky met with Trump on Tuesday and said they discussed possible steps toward de-escalation. And then during his UN speech, Zelensky said that if Russia doesn't agree to some sort of energy agreement, Ukraine will continue striking back. AI was also a pretty big topic yesterday because the UN Security Council held a special meeting on artificial intelligence. Some of the people building these AI systems showed up to request that countries work together on this. The CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic both warned that increasingly powerful AI systems could create risks that individual countries are not

Starting point is 00:28:26 going to be able to handle completely on their own. And they both called for more international cooperation on things like testing advanced AI systems, sharing information about emerging risks and creating common safety standards. And what makes that particularly interesting is that it came just a day after Trump took the opposite position on international AI oversight. Trump said the United States rejects what he called, quote unquote, globalist schemes to control AI. So you have the Trump administration warning against international rules that would slow American AI development, but then you have some of the biggest American AI companies that are saying, you know, countries need at least some coordinated safeguards in place. So those are probably the biggest things

Starting point is 00:29:10 from the first few days. The general debate will continue today tomorrow and Saturday. It'll wrap up on Monday. So we still have several more days of speeches from world leaders. And then we also have those meetings that are happening on the sidelines. So that AI meeting, for instance, today leaders are meeting specifically about rising sea levels. Tomorrow there's a meeting on pandemic prevention and preparedness. So obviously, if anything major comes out of any of those speeches or meetings, we'll talk about that on Monday. Let's do some quick hitters. Paramount Skydance has reached settlements with 12 states and the Writers Guild of America resolving lawsuits that tried to block its acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery. As part of the state settlement, Paramount

Starting point is 00:29:51 agreed to increase U.S. film production, contribute money toward workers affected by the merger, and create an independent board to monitor editorial independence at CNN and CBS. The company also committed to releasing at least 30 movies per year for the next two years and 32 per year for the following three years. So these settlements remove the remaining major legal challenges to the merger. Okay. So there's a big legal hurdle that is now out of the way. However, the agreement does still need the final approval from a judge. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cal says eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group attempted suicide during its extended deployment.

Starting point is 00:30:34 The eight sailors were assigned across the carrier, its air wing, and accompanying ships, and no service members died by suicide during the deployment. Cow also said the rate of suicide attempts was roughly consistent with the most recent available rate for the broader active duty Navy. Discussing the extended deployment, he also said some food options were temporarily reduced because of limited resupply opportunities during. in combat operations and acknowledged temporary plumbing and water production problems earlier on in the deployment. This disclosure came in response to questions from Democratic Senator Kirsten

Starting point is 00:31:12 Gillibrand. Senators Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Kassar are introducing legislation that would permanently ban the development of artificial superintelligence and create a new federal department of artificial intelligence. It would also temporarily pause development of the most advanced AI systems until new federal safety rules are in place, after which those systems would need government approval before they could be deployed. This proposal faces an uphill path in Congress. And speaking of AI, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson is emerging as a possible choice for President Trump's new AI czar position. That's according to three people familiar with the discussions. Besson has already been involved in the administration's AI policy and this week actually

Starting point is 00:31:56 discussed a possible U.S.-China system for communicating about AI-related national security incidents. He discussed that with the Chinese Vice Premier. The White House, though, said reports about personnel decisions that haven't been officially announced should be treated as speculation. And some more AI news, attorneys general from 23 states, along with Washington, D.C., and American Samoa are urging Congress to create federal rules for artificial intelligence. In a letter to congressional leaders, they called for stronger oversight of AI safety testing and more. coordination with other countries over how quickly advanced AI systems are developed. The officials say recent incidents involving AI systems show that existing laws may not be enough to address potential

Starting point is 00:32:37 risks to areas like critical infrastructure, the financial system, and national security. States are already using their own laws to oversee AI companies, but the attorneys general say federal standards are also needed. The Education Department has released the FAFSA form for the 2027, 2028 school year, earlier than ever before. The department says the updated application uses simpler language, removes confusing jargon, and now takes about 15 minutes on average to complete. Families can also invite someone helping with the application by text or email. This is the second year in a row. The form has been released before the October 1st deadline set by Congress. All right, let's take our second and final break here. When we come back,

Starting point is 00:33:19 we do have to finish with a few more quick hitters, and then we'll do rumor has it, good news, and critical thinking. Visit BetMGM casino and check out the newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly.

Starting point is 00:33:38 If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2,600 to speak to an advisor. Free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Welcome back. Let's do a few more quick hitters. Vice President Vance announced that the White House Task Force to eliminate fraud, which he chairs, will remove about 750,000 people from Affordable Care Act insurance plans after determining they were improperly enrolled. The administration says some people were signed up without their knowledge, while others didn't meet eligibility requirements. The task force estimates the removals will save taxpayers about $2.2 billion.

Starting point is 00:34:20 Vant says another 419,000 enrollees are undergoing additional verification. and that the government is contacting people before removing coverage when eligibility is in question. And the Trump administration plans to admit up to 17,500 additional white Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees over the next 12 months. That's according to a notice sent to Congress. The State Department says the refugee slots will quote unquote primarily go to Afrikaners and estimates the resettlement effort will cost the federal government about $500 million. The administration says Afrikaners face first. racial discrimination, threats to property rights, and disproportionate violence in South Africa,

Starting point is 00:35:00 while the South African government disputes that and says that they are not being systematically persecuted. The ICE officer who shot 28-year-old Wilbur Rafael Garces Perez in Austin on Sunday had been issued a body camera but was not wearing it at the time of the shooting, according to DHS officials. Garces Perez says the bullet remains lodged in his back and that a specialist has recommended that he get surgery to remove it from near his spine. Gartez Perez also said that he initially didn't realize ICE officers were trying to stop him and that he was ultimately shot while still in his car. But footage released by Austin police showed that he was initially stopped and speaking with

Starting point is 00:35:39 officers before a short car chase ensued. Another ICE officer was wearing a body camera, but officials say that footage did not capture the shooting. The White House is denying a report that the administration is preparing a 90-day ban. on U.S. diesel exports. Politico, citing five people familiar with the discussions, reported that officials had been considering the idea and were still working through the legal process for implementing a ban. Some Republican lawmakers from agriculture-heavy states have pushed for limits on diesel exports as fuel prices rise, while Republicans from several oil-producing states

Starting point is 00:36:14 have raised concerns about this proposal. And President Trump and Chinese President Xi are meeting at the White House today for their second in-person meeting this year. The two leaders are expected to discuss trade, AI, Taiwan, and the war with Iran, along with China's restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals that are important for U.S. manufacturing and defense. Ahead of the meeting, the U.S. and China agreed to extend their current trade truce until January 10th, temporarily keeping some tariffs and other trade restrictions from increasing. Trump is also expected to push for additional Chinese purchases of U.S. Well, China has raised concerns about U.S. technology restrictions and arms sales to Taiwan.

Starting point is 00:36:55 She arrived in Washington yesterday for a three-day visit, his first visit to the U.S. Capitol in more than a decade. And the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to $197,000, which is the lowest level since mid-July. Weekly jobless claims are often used as a measure of layoffs, and they have remained historically low for most of the year. At the same time, hiring has been relatively modest, with employers adding an average of about 80,000 jobs per month so far in 2026. The Labor Department will release the September jobs report next week, and economists expect the unemployment rate to remain at 4.1%. And here's one last quick hitter for you. This one just came up. I have the news pulled up on my computer today. I don't usually do that. But it says breaking news is that mortgage rates have topped 7% for the first time since January 2020. that is their highest level during either of Trump's presidential terms. It says the average 30-year

Starting point is 00:37:54 fixed mortgage rate climbed to 7.03% this week. That's up from 6.95% last week. It's also the fifth straight week of rising mortgage rates. All right, now it is time for rumor has it. This is my weekly segment where I address recent rumors submitted by all of you, and I do my best to either confirm them, dispel them, and or add context. we have three, two of them actually have to do with the media ban. So first one, rumor has it that Biden revoked 440 press passes while president. We got to add context here. So back in 2020, the Biden administration changed the requirements for getting a permanent White House hard pass, which as we talked about earlier, is that specific White House credential that lets a reporter

Starting point is 00:38:40 come and go from the press area without having to get a new day pass and be escorted in every time. Before the 2023 change, hard passes were being automatically renewed. But under the new policy, all of the existing hard passes expired at the end of July. And anyone who wanted a new one had to reapply and meet a specific set of requirements. So they had to work for a news organization. They had to have an address in the D.C. area. They had to regularly cover the White House and have accessed it for work within the previous six months. they have to have had press credentials from Congress or the Supreme Court and undergo a

Starting point is 00:39:18 secret service background check if necessary. At the time, the White House said it made the change in part because there were too many unused hard passes in circulation, which they said created administrative and security concerns. So after everyone reapplied under those new rules, the number of hard pass holders dropped from 1,417 to 975. That means 442.2,000. That means 442,000, to fewer people had hard passes. So the number of hard passes did drop by roughly 440 under Biden, but saying Biden revoked 440 press passes leaves out some pretty important context. Next, rumor has it that Obama banned Fox News from the White House or White House events, similar to what Trump has now done with CNN MS Now Politico.

Starting point is 00:40:04 Again, let's add some contacts. Back in 2009, Obama and his administration officials had criticized Fox News, with some of them saying that Fox News should not be treated the same way as other news organizations. They called into question Fox's legitimacy as a news outlet. Then in October 2009, the administration put together a series of interviews with Kenneth Feinberg, who was the official overseeing executive compensation for companies that had received bailout money. And those interviews were being offered to members of that five network television pool that we keep talking about.

Starting point is 00:40:35 So ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox. But Fox was initially left. out. The other four networks ended up pushing back. They said they would not participate unless Fox was included. And the Obama administration ultimately allowed Fox to take part in the interview as well. So the Obama administration did try to exclude Fox from that specific interview. And Obama also chose not to appear on Fox for some other interviews that he gave to other networks. But Fox wasn't banned from the White House. Fox didn't have its press credentials confiscated or disabled. Next. Rumor has it that Stanford University used AI to edit a picture to show more diversity amongst students.

Starting point is 00:41:17 Now, it is true that Stanford used AI to edit a picture of students, but we don't know why it was done. So the actual picture was taken in 2024. It was taken by a Stanford photographer who took a picture of these three students that were eating at one of the dining halls. And one of those students, the student on the right in the picture, was Billy Ramirez, who's Hispanic. Well, earlier this month, Stanford's residential and dining enterprises, which is the part of the university that handles housing and dining, use that same picture on promo material around campus, except Billy wasn't in the picture. Instead, it was an African American female. It's also worth noting that the other two students in the picture also look different from the original picture, but the differences are not as stark as the change made to Billy. Stanford has since confirmed that residential and dining enterprises used AI to change the appearance of the students in the picture. And Stanford's public relations director wrote in a statement that the picture was changed with AI in violation of university regulations. She wrote quote, Stanford's AI policy is clear.

Starting point is 00:42:22 The use of AI in producing or altering images of Stanford people, events, research, facilities, or achievements is strictly prohibited. Both the alteration and lack of disclosure in this case violate that policy. We are working to provide additional training for all staff and ensure proper review of all materials. So it's true that Stanford edited this image using AI, but we can't definitively confirm whether the change was made specifically to make the university look more diverse. All right. I don't know about you, but I need some good news this week. So let's do it. First good news story.

Starting point is 00:42:55 A foundation just committed $250 million to help more Americans afford veterinary care for their pets. The Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation announced what it's calling. It's big bet for pets. It's a five-year initiative aimed at expanding access to affordable veterinary care across the country. The foundation estimates that cost keeps roughly 50 million dogs and cats from getting routine, preventative, or even life-saving care. So over the next five years, that $250 million will go toward nonprofit and community veterinary organizations that help families who otherwise might not be able to afford care for their pets. One program will hand out 250 grants of $10,000 each to non-profit veterinary care providers around the country. And another program will make $10 million available to established nonprofit clinics that want to expand,

Starting point is 00:43:46 maybe by opening another location, adding a mobile clinic, hiring more staff, things like that. Cheryl and Dave Duffield also founded Maddie's Fund, which has become one of the largest private foundations supporting companion animal organizations, particularly shelters. Their foundation says this latest effort is specifically focused on filling the gap between families who love their pets and the veterinary care they simply can't afford. Next up, actor Christian Bale has officially opened a foster care village in California that he's been working on for years. The idea behind it is to keep siblings from being separated when they enter foster care. So this project is called Together California. It's in Palmdale, which is in Los Angeles County. And the village has 12 individual family homes.

Starting point is 00:44:31 each home is designed to accommodate up to six siblings living together with a full-time professionally trained foster parent. There's also an 11,000 square foot community center with services for the kids and families, along with recreational areas and support staff on site. Together, California says about three out of four sibling groups in foster care are separated, so the entire model is built around trying to prevent that whenever possible. Bale says this has been a passion project for him ever since he and his wife had their first daughter and started learning more about the foster care system. Notably, too, the village isn't just designed for kids. It's also, it also includes temporary housing for parents who are working

Starting point is 00:45:12 toward reunification with their kids, along with housing for older foster youth who are transitioning into independent adulthood. And then one more just because this one is really cute and heartwarming. So a hotel in Sicily went above and beyond after a guest accidentally left behind her childhood stuffed animal. This was an 18-year-old. girl named Julia who was staying with her mom at the four seasons in Sicily, and she had brought her stuffed bear Rosie. Apparently Rosie goes everywhere with Julia. Julia's had Rosie since she was a little girl. Well, at some point during the say Rosie got picked up with the bedding by housekeeping and Julia headed home without Rosie. Julia's mom later reached out to the hotel with a picture of Rosie

Starting point is 00:45:53 asking if anyone had seen her. The hotel did find Rosie, but instead of just putting her in a box and mailing her back, the staff gave her this whole extended vacation. They took pictures of Rosie hanging out by the pool, sitting at the bar, hanging out with the hotel staff at the front desk, relaxing in bed. And then they mailed her home with a letter written from Rosie explaining everything she had been up to while she was gone. All right. Now, as much as I would love to end this episode on a positive note, we do have to do some

Starting point is 00:46:23 critical thinking. So let's go back to Trump TV. First, was your view of Trump TV? impacted by the timing, by the fact that it launched at the same time that major TV network suspended pooled coverage of presidential events and around the same time that Trump banned CNN, MS now, and Politico. And if so, how did the timing change your view? And should timing affect how we evaluate something like this?

Starting point is 00:46:49 Or should we instead judge Trump TV or the platform only by how it actually functions? And then at what point does an official government communications channel become media? Where is that line for you? If there is a line, is it when, you know, maybe it's when it runs 24-7? Is it when it starts choosing the content? Is it when it adds commentary? Or is an official government channel fundamentally different from a news organization no matter how much content it produces?

Starting point is 00:47:21 That's what I have for you. Thank you so much for being here. I really, really appreciate each and every one of you. I hope you have a fantastic weekend. And I will talk to you on Monday. If you want a $3,000 a month payday for life, what would you feel free to do? Maybe take a long weekend, every weekend, or try a bunch of new hobbies. Would you feel free to upgrade and listen ad free?

Starting point is 00:47:45 Don't worry. We get it. Every $20 ticket could win you $3,000 a month for life and supports life-saving cancer research at the Princess Margaret. Feel free to buy your payday for life ticket today. Raffle number RAF 157-3916. Please play responsibly.

UNBIASED - Trump TV Explained + What the Court Ruled on Trump’s Media Ban | PLUS GOOD NEWS.

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