Ep. #734: Sam Levinson, Rep. Ro Khanna, Jonathan Martin

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Applause] Oh, I appreciate it. [Applause] Thank you. [Applause]

Thank you very much. Wow, that's a good one.

“This is a, this is going to be a great show.”

That is a pumpkin up crowd. We want that. [Applause] Thank you. Just carrying the shit out of me over here.

[Laughter] I know why you're happy. We have an Iran deal.

Finally, a deal with a Iran and I...

[Applause] I love this deal. We got everything we wanted except for everything we asked for. [Applause] Uh, taxi...

[Applause] Talk to you very simple, Dale. They're going to stop enriching uranium and Trump is going to stop enriching his family. [Applause] No.

We didn't even get that. We didn't get that. We didn't get anything. I just hope we play Iran in the world cups so we can beat them at something. [Applause]

Because this... [Applause] That's a law. It's not a deal.

It's a memorandum of understanding.

“It's about as legally binding as this sign in the break room.”

It says, "Please clean microwave." [Applause] It's nothing. [Applause] I mean...

You know, we started with unconditional surrender, we should epic fury, and now it's memorandum of understanding. [Laughter] Last thing I got to hose this bag was my dog. I mean...

[Applause] So much... [Applause] Well, where's the big deal maker? What happened to the art of the deal?

[Laughter] This is his big clothes. He's like a news foyer. The emperor has no clothes. [Applause] I say, yeah.

[Applause] Donald Trump, when he gets tired of a relationship, he's just out. [Laughter] I think he just said to the supreme leader, "You know, I think we should take a break."

[Laughter] I just want to bomb other countries. [Laughter] Yeah, and other countries, they're looking at this. They're seeing all that Iran got out of this.

They're getting $300 billion plus sanctioned listed. Lifted assets, unfrozen. They're all like, "bomb us." [Laughter] "Bomb us."

[Applause] [Applause] Yes. [Applause]

“The moment Obama unfrozen money was like the worst thing”

that ever happened in the history of the world. And now $300 billion, which apparently is going to come from our Gulf allies. [Laughter] Where have I seen this strategy before? Oh, yeah.

I think I would call it the stormy Daniel strategy. It's the third party's going to send you money

and then we're going to pretend this never happened.

[Applause] [Applause] I mean, Iran got things in this deal it never had before. The straighter her moose is a money maker now. You see that?

First aid that whole thing about, they started to tolls. They'd never had tolls. They said, "Do cannot have tolls and they agreed. No tolls. Fees."

[Laughter] Fees. Oh, you know what? Iran. [Applause]

You think you can scare us with this? We invented bullshit. Fees, okay? [Laughter] We'll see you can't get through the straighter her.

Or a moose unless you get your ticket at tick a master. [Applause] But I know what you're saying. Bill, is there any good news? Yes, it's Father's Day Sunday.

I think that's... [Applause] It's good news for me. I'm not one. [Laughter]

No, I love poop.

Father's Day and Father's.

And everybody is ever to get to the mood. I see that Christy Knom's kids call her. [Laughter] Call, therefore, their pop.

“Because that's what happens when there's a balloon tits.”

[Applause] It's something fun. Oh, I can. [Applause] But, no.

Here's some good news. You want good news? Bobby? [Laughter] Bobby?

Bobby Kennedy is getting rid of the blue having ends. [Laughter] All right. It's something. Yeah, the blue die in the M&M's is very bad for you.

And they're going to get rid of the blue die out of the M&M's and poured directly into the Lincoln Memorial reflecting the pool. [Applause] Have you seen what's going on with that? But the reflecting pool?

[Laughter] Drain this swamp. Now there's one in the middle of town. [Laughter] So, if you haven't been following this,

Trump thought that the pool was looking a little tired. You know, used to be a 10. [Laughter] And it was like a six. But, okay.

So, you know what? I'm not against spiffying up the capital.

“But, is there anything they try to do that they don't fuck up?”

[Laughter] I mean, Trump wanted it blueware, and now it's green with algae. [Laughter] And they can't figure out how to get the algae under control.

But, they did get it to sign a memorandum of understand. [Laughter] Okay, we got a great show. We have representatives, Rokana and Jonathan Martin are here.

But first up, he has to create a lighter and director of euphoria.

And in my favor, it shows, and you are streaming now on HBO. Sam Levinson. [Applause] Oh, come on. [Applause]

How are you? [Applause] I've been forwarded this for a while. It's great to be able to talk to you for more than two minutes at a party. And, you know, usually I don't do stuff with an HBO show,

because, you know, you get accused of pimping for your own stuff for your own network. But I feel like your show deserves pimping. [Laughter] [Applause] Because it just touches on so many real issues that are in this country of ours and this world.

But before I get to it, I have to say when I told people you were coming on this week. Everyone said, "You've got to ask him. Is there going to be a season for a euphoria?" Nope, this is it.

“I think, in terms of what we set out to do and over the course of three seasons,”

you know, we told the story we wanted to.

We gave birth to a generation of actors that are incredible.

Crafts people, crew members, and feels like the natural conclusion. Yeah, I agree. Three is a good number. Yeah. Two was good for the Godfather.

[Laughter] I can't do it. Yeah. It's part of it because it's tough to film an LA because I've been reading how difficult it is that people will go halfway around the world to film something that is supposed to be an LA

rather than actually do it in LA. I mean, it definitely has its complications. I think the price, the price season one has almost doubled between season one and season three. And the amount of red tape, the kind of bureaucracy, the permitting, it's all very difficult. So part of the equation, why are you?

Yeah. Okay. So that's not the reason we're not doing it. I guess season. Yeah.

Let's talk about the ending. Yeah. Because you know, it's funny. Everybody in the world has an idea for a movie. You know, they don't have an ending.

The ending is the whole thing. Yeah. Because an ending has to be somehow paradoxically a surprise and also inevitable. And I feel like you accomplished that with this. Because it's a show about addiction.

And so spoiler alert, you had to kill the main character. Yeah. I mean, look, it's doing drugs today is not like it was when I was a kid. When you were a kid, it's a whole different beast. I think, you know, 2023, you had over 100,000 people die of fentanyl overdoses.

And the number is still enormous. I think now it's maybe 60,000, 70,000. So you're talking about one decision, one pill that can just wipe you out. And I think it felt like the responsible thing to do. If you're experimenting with drugs today,

the likelihood that it'll kill you is extremely high. And I know how much the audience loves this character of real. And I thought, if I can put the audience in the shoes of family members who have lost their children, their parents, their brothers, sisters,

And if it can give people a pause before they take a pill, then we set out. But you didn't. Yes. Right.

“And you spent most of your high school years in rehab.”

Is that not right? Yeah, from 11 to 19. 11. Yeah. 11.

11. Holy fuck. Yeah. That just shows the difference in our generations. Well, you know, yeah.

I mean, look, I had a couple of different issues at the time. You know, I struggled with a obsessical pulse of disorder all the time, and I got put on a lot of medications when I was younger. And then I started sort of experimenting with them. And medications like pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals.

Yeah, don't you think that's a lot of the problem.

Is that yes, kids are always going to be confused and have problems.

Some of it does. Yeah. I'm sure require that kind of intervention. You start messing with the kids mind. I mean, look, I'm no one to talk about drugs.

I've done a lot of drugs in my life. But it didn't start until I was 19. I didn't know what it was like to bend reality. Yeah. So I felt that.

If you start it when you're at 11 or even before it, with they were giving you medications, of course. They talk about what's the gateway drug. Is it pot? Is it beer? It's whatever the first thing you ever do is because, oh, there's reality.

And then there's this. Yeah. This is kind of cool to live over here. Is it not what happened to you? I mean, by and large.

Yeah, I mean, my gateway drug wasn't weed. It was, it was pills. It was pharmaceuticals. That the adults gave you. Yes.

Okay. Yeah.

“No, I mean, look, it's, look, I think there's obviously certain people who need medication for certain reasons.”

But it is, there's no doubt that it is over prescribed. And is, you know, messing with people's brain chemistry at a very young age. Well, I'm glad you live to work because I love the show. I know it's the, I was surprised to learn this. Oh, Gary, the network with the sopranos and so many big shows.

It's the second most watch show.

HBO has ever had after this. Yeah. No. Oh, it's not that funny. Oh, I have to again, but, but I want to get to the other issue, which I think is,

almost as big an issue as the addiction one that I know you got a lot of heat force. Like, okay, so you had the first two seasons and we had the pandemic. So there was a lot of gap between when they were in high school. It started out as a high school show. Yeah.

And then it became this other thing. And, and, okay, so now they're out of high school by three or four years. And you put them in, I mean, one works as a strip. Yeah. One is a, on only fans.

Yeah. One is kind of a sugar baby with a sugar daddy. I thought this was the exact right choice for the America I see. Yeah. Not personally, but what I see.

No, but I did an editorial there when we called the masturbation economy. Yeah. A lot of this economy is, it just looks like a lot of young women who don't go to college. They wind up in some form of the masturbation economy. Making older men who have money masturbate.

Somehow. That's what only fans is. That's what strip clubs. That's what all of this is. And I feel like that was the right place to put these girls who didn't go to college.

Well, it's also, look, if you look at only fans, it is making as much money as Hollywood. I mean, essentially, it's on par. It's not a niche business. It is a massive enterprise. And so if you're young and you're gone, you know, look, I don't want to go work.

You know, nine to five at this place or that thing. Well, maybe I can just start taking photos of myself.

“And, you know, the question is, what are the long-term consequences of that?”

What happens when, you know, as a young person, you're on Instagram and these things? And you're told that you're the product, you're the brand. And now you're out, you're 18 years old and you're going, "Well, how do I make money?" And I just thought chasing that, that desire, that kind of fast cash was an interesting thing to kind of explore. And also at the same time, you know, we caught a lot of criticism for it.

But, you know, there's a part of me that wonders if the show kind of affirmed this life and how empowering it was, whether we would get the same criticism.

You know, we take a fairly critical look at it.

It hollows out the individual. It's, you know, you're constantly just depending on the likes and external validation. I thought the moral center of the thing was always the maddie character. I know she wasn't the one that got the most heat from the press.

I always thought both the actors and the character were my favorites.

And she's wonderful. Yeah. And she's the one who says, "It's so I forget what the seamless." But she says to the other one, "I'm not a hooker." Right.

Because I'm not a hooker. And I feel like that set it all. Yeah. Like she was participating in it to a degree. She's managing the girls, which is a whole new industry.

It's sort of light-pumping. [laughter] But it is astounding how much of this economy and how many people are in how many young women are involved in this. I mean, if you can, you can scroll through porn hub, I hear. [laughter]

Like endlessly, and you will never see the same girl twice. It looks like every girl who didn't go to college is doing this for a living.

“I mean, that's why I thought it was an important point to make,”

whether they criticized you or not.

And also the sort of grooming of social media. Yeah. You think that, I mean, that's something I didn't have as a kid. I don't know if you did it. No, I didn't have social media as a kid.

But it's, I mean, if you're constantly taking photos of yourself and selling yourself online, it's the natural evolution of it. It is the natural evolution of it. That's right. So, okay.

I want to go. But I want to know what you think about these new movies that were out. It did so well obsession and back rooms that were made. I mean, this is something you can comment on probably better than anybody. You're an autar who just does the whole thing yourself.

And now we have people who just went right from TikTok to $100 million opening weekends. What do you see as the future for this industry? You're optimistic about it? Is that a good thing? I'm extremely optimistic about it.

I think, look, we've gone through this kind of strange period in Hollywood, where I always think about it this way. In the country, we've gone through maybe the most politically and socially tumultuous time and recent memory for the last 10 years. Yet the artistic response to it has been rather timid.

“And I think that that's starting to break away.”

And whatever the future holds, I think that a lot of new voices are going to come in who don't care about the old rules, who just want to make something great, something entertaining.

The fact that these kids made a movie, $750,000, and it's made, I think, over 200 million is incredible.

And I think we're going to start to see more of that. I'm very bullish on the future of storytelling and Hollywood. I don't know why a lot of people aren't. So we're going to have like 70 movies again. Oh, that's the dream.

Well, like movies like your great father made. Yes. That's just like him, by the way. Tell him I said hello. Great to see you.

Thank you for the great work. All right. Sam Robinson, everybody. Let's greet our panel. [ Cheers and applause ]

Hey. Hi, guys. All right. He is the senior political columnist of Politico. Wow.

“And host of the podcasts on the road with Jonathan Martin.”

Jonathan Martin. Welcome aboard. Let's go. And this guy, a Democratic Congress in representing California, Silicon Valley, ranking member of the House, China Committee, former co-chair of Bernie Sanders,

2020 campaign, Rokana. [ Cheers and applause ] All right. So you are in the news right now if you don't realize it, because you represent Silicon Valley.

And I was looking -- I mean, this week was the G7 meeting. If you're not familiar, that's when the big -- The big economy so aren't China. Can we put it that way? Get together.

The seven biggest economies in the world. Okay. And you know who else was there? Sam Altman, open AI. Dario Amoday from Anthropic.

The dude from Google DeepMind. Alex Wong from Meta. In other words, the AI guys are now sitting at the table at the G7. Well, are you proud of this or alarmed? Alarmed.

Let me say this. I know these folks. You represent them. I represent them as we're approaching the -- So you're --

Not all of my best friends. They don't go like me. They spend a lot of money trying to defeat me. But the -- one is us. We approached the 250th year anniversary of this country.

Let me just say this. We didn't fight a revolution to be ruled by tech billionaires. And right now, let's have EC folks that are acting like they're entitled to rule. One of the things one of the reasons they don't like me is I've called for a billionaire tax. Think about this.

For one tax on Elon Musk. 5% tax on Elon Musk. You could pay for childcare $10 a day for every American. You could pay for free public college for every American. They don't want to pay a few percent tax.

Nobody like that. He's 5 times more rich than the next richest guy in the whole world. That's incredible. So we're talking about maybe just an Elon tax? Well, I mean, even --

No, I just -- You think -- You've been traveled to country. I mean, is there any part in America? You've gone all over Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin.

Where if you said you want to tax these billionaires or a trillionaires a few percent -- They say, no, no, no, don't do that. No, it's an obvious populist issue.

“I think it's sort of the horseshoe theory far right and far left.”

Our coming together in their deep dissatisfaction with the tech oligarchs. And it does remind, I think, a lot of people of the 19th century in the railbar and because they had so much power, not just culturally but economically and politically, too.

Bill, I think about when Trump was inaugurated a second time.

I had to move it inside because of the cold and dc. Who was behind him? It wasn't the CEO's of caterpillar ex-son mobile. Who was it? It wasn't the topic's ex at the information economy companies, right?

That to me was symbolically so important. Because it told me a couple of things. Trump knows where the power is today. And also those folks know that access to power themselves is everything to take their own rules going forward.

Okay, well, information is a little different than A. I mean, obviously they cross over. But this is a whole different kettle of fish here. I mean, this week we had a situation where the administration apparently is trying to get.

Is it a Modi's company? Not to release. Okay, it's called Fable Fiverd, Mythos Fiverd. These are people who make Claude. And they say it's just not safe that it can penetrate

almost all of the government's classified systems. I mean, is it too late already? Don't these.

I mean, you know, you know, it's just a handful of on the spectrum

in cells. Excuse me. Don't hold. What are you on? What?

I said, Elon is not a new cell. There's evidence about that. Yeah, that's true. Okay.

“But I mean, how are we going to get the catback in the bag?”

I mean, these people already have this kind of money. And I assume this kind of power. I assume if they're inviting them to the G7, they're already afraid of them. They're already calling the shots.

Yeah. And I think it's going to be maybe the central issue of the 2020 campaign is because the AI impact, not just on the economy, but also on kids and what kids are seeing. And also the basic fact of what's real and what's not.

You know, there's like old quotes to everybody's entitled to their own opinion. But not their own facts, Pat Moynihan said that. Well, now we're entering this world where we are sort of living in our own version of reality.

And every day that goes by, the deep banks are getting better and better. And it's not just going to be people who are elderly who can figure out what's real and what's not. It's going to be osteuphographic growl.

Is that video real? Did that guy just say that? Is that commercial actually legit? And it's getting harder and harder every day? You know, but if we want to regulate them,

maybe we start by not having a 380 year old president in a row. We need someone who actually understands technology. He's now here. No.

You've had more Zuckerberg. But that's ages. First of all. Fine. It is.

But it's interesting the way the Democrats are.

We're also always against the prejudice.

That's the one prejudice that's okay. You're fine with it. I'm not saying another thing.

“I think it's a case by case basis when you're 80.”

I mean, certainly known people who are 80, which I'll be in 10 years. And I don't intend to be like you. Can you announce? No. No.

You first. You know what? This issue squeezes both parties. Because Trump has been sort of lazy fair about this. And Vance knows that.

And Vance is going to have to think a much more popular hard line because he knows the votes in his party are much more skeptical of AI than Trump has been at the same time. Vance is whole strategy is let me just contradict everything the president's doing.

Warren Iran. Oh, I was against it. Okay. Realizing. That's obviously are the party.

The party of California. This is their economic base. So both parties are going to have to pick aside here. It's not going to be easy. I'm going to show my guard rails.

Yeah. We're really what we're talking about. Both sides you're talking now about guard. At least talking. But it's moving so quickly.

And are you who represent them going to be able to have the strength to actually implement those guard rails? Is anybody? Yes, because I've stood up to them. I stood up to them on the billionaire tax where they went against me.

I've stood up to them and said, why don't we have an AI regulatory agency? Look, if you think this is this, why don't we? Well, because because people are putting money in and Trump said, I'm an accelerationist. China's going to eat our lunch.

Let them do whatever they want. And how are you going to defeat that? We're going to defeat it by telling the American people you have a vote. And we should be voting for sensible guard rails and regulations. We should be voting for sensible guard rails and regulations.

There are three things we should be voting. You can hire someone. You hire someone on your staff. You've got to pay their payroll tax and you've got to pay their health insurance. But you want to automate them with a robot.

No tax. We actually incentivize the elimination of jobs.

Actually, tax agentic AI. Then you want to make sure that we actually have a regulatory agency like we have from nuclear energy or electricity. We need people to understand technology who have the guts to stand up to them.

“And who are going to be on the side of the question?”

I don't know. Only 16% of Americans now think AI will positively impact society. Which it definitely will. It definitely will. It will probably make 80 year old sharper.

The numbers don't lie. But you guys can barely keep the lights on in Congress. And fund the government. How are you going to do a sweeping new, you know, regulatory agenda to regulate this massive industry.

When it's hard enough to keep the government open in Congress. And secondly, if you look at other countries around the world bill, places like Australia, the UK or Banning Social Media for 18 and under your old kids. So I just don't see that level of activism and that political possibility happening here, because the Congress is so gridlocked.

Even when one party is in power like it is now. Well, we need leadership. I'm in Donald Trump ran and he said, give these tech billionaires low that they want. And yet you'll unmask $300 million in beginning into win. But if you had leadership that said, you know, we have a nuclear energy regulatory commission. We have it for electricity.

Let's do it for AI. You don't need Congress doing all the details. You need an independent agency doing that. And that would about a jobs program. All these young people, they can't get a job.

Why not have a work for America, where you hire young people into a job to rebuild communities, or rebuild a federal government? That will be that. And this country is leadership.

Either people don't know AI or they're afraid to stand up to these billionaires.

“And now we're entering, I think, an era of lame duckness.”

Really? I think we can talk about the Iran War, although I doubt this is going to be a lot of debate about it, because even those of us who thought it might be a good idea to try to defang Iran as we've been saying for so many years, they just fucked it up so badly.

Trump never was going to have the attention span to get that done.

Right? It was going to take a period of months. Pro-tracted war, damage to the economy. As some will have to put troops on the ground. He would never want to do that.

No, they could have been in uprising. They just missed the timing, I think. I just think they should have done it while the people were in the streets. Did they do the work I wore? Yeah.

Instead of waiting until they all got shot and then doing it. Anyway, it's fucked up. No. Here's the bright side of it, I think. Yeah.

I don't think the Republicans are scared of Trump anymore. It's just time in like almost 10 years. I don't think they are. I mean, when you read the quotes from the Republicans, they sound like Democrats, Ted Cruz. This did I said dollars to theocratic lunatics.

John Kennedy of Louisiana. Unless you were homeschooled by a day-drinker. [ Laughter ] He says, "No one's confident that Iran is going to do anything." Bill Cassidy said, "Regard is rolling over on his grave."

And I don't remember them ever doing this because they would. It took Trump ending a war to get Ted Cruz to start criticizing him. No. Bill, do more more. [ Laughter ]

I mean, it's a bloody losing one. Yeah. But you know, and even you agree, Bill.

You can't be giving them $300 billion.

He says it's not taxpayer money. It's money from the coast. What happened from the Gulf countries? Why not put their money in Pennsylvania and Ohio? What happened to America first?

We're giving $300 million.

“Well, that's what I'm saying. That's why he's lost.”

I mean, he's two years coming up until you're some out of office. They're going to lose the midterms. And he's not that popular with his own party. So what is that two years are going to look like? I mean, certainly it's got to be an opportunistic moment

from the Democrat. So I think there's one of two approaches. How are they going to blow it? Well, the more likely. [ Laughter ]

The more likely approaches is that this is going to be a protract. It's actually subpoena an investigation, fill, and court battles, because Trump and his family are not going to want to testify, and his allies aren't going to want to either. And Democrats are going to be out for blood.

And the pressure on the liberal base to it. And peace Trump will be immense. That's the most likely scenario I think. Especially if Trump tries to fuck around with the election this fall. That's only going to further radicalize Democrats.

The other scenario that's possible, I think unlikely, Bill, is this. Trump is desperate for a domestic victory. He needs a legacy going forward behind cleaning out the reflecting pool, which isn't going so well now, right? And so Trump is next and goes to China and tries to do a big immigration bill

with a Democratic majority in Congress, because Democrats like Rowe or Savvy enough to know you're probably only going to fix immigration in this country with a Republican president. Just because the politics of it are so hard.

I think that's unlikely, but that'd be a fascinating effort. Because Trump would sell out Steven Miller in his party so fast to get a big legacy walking in a way.

Because right now, what is his second term legacy?

At least domestically. Very much, I'll be open. If he wants to have a pathway to citizenship for hard-working immigrants or paying taxes, that'd be people who are open to that. That's a kill in borders and do that.

He's the father's thing from his radar.

He closed the border. He thinks he won this. This is over for him. But he'll tell you what'll happen.

“First of all, the crack in the Trump coalition”

was when Thomas Massey and I pass the Epstein files. They have JD Vance in the situation room covering it up. We're going to get those files released and we're going to make sure we get justice for survivors. That we're going to start passing bills.

Raising the minimum wage. Child care for all Americans. Page family leave. Figuring on how we get people homes by 35. And let them either beat them all.

But he lost the immigration issue. What he enacted, Steven Miller's policies, had ice agents going to get housekeepers and gardeners and throw them in jail. And then had two Americans killed and cold blood.

Many apples. He lost the best issue he had. He doesn't have any issues now domestically. So he's going to need a legacy. I think it's unlikely.

I'm just saying if there was one issue where the two parties could get something done the file two years. I think it's that. You know, who gets to crow about Iran? Obama.

He does. And even Biden, with the way they got on him, the way he got out of Afghanistan. At least he got out of Afghanistan.

But especially, I mean, I was always trying to defend that.

When I talked to Trump, I was defending that. And look, there was reasons why it may not have been the right thing because they probably were cheating the whole time. But it turned out Obama was right. There really is no other better way to do this.

You know, it's always the the best of the worst possible option. Well, and now we know that they have the leverage, which is close to none of the straits. And they can turn that on and off any time they want. So any future American president,

if threatens Iran goes back into Iran, we'll guess what? We'll close the straits down. We'll jam you on gas prices back home politically. And we'll reach out.

There's no midterms in Iran, right? It's not just about scoring a political point. I mean, like Jonathan, I was at the Obama Center. And Obama's speech.

“And I think here's the lesson for Americans.”

That sometimes tough diplomacy is better than chest thumping brute force. Obama got the enriched uranium out. 97% of it. Trump's agreement. It's simply dilution.

We don't even get it out.

Obama got a United Nations Security Council resolution that actually had enforced inspectors. Now we don't have a enforced inspector. We don't know. We don't know.

We don't know. We don't know. We don't know. We don't know. You agree.

It's illegal. It is. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. No, it's terrible deal.

I mean, either you'll be Iranians or going to fudge the news. Right? And that's just. We kind of know that. I think.

I don't know if it's the best price. I don't know if that's what I want. Streamer on the 13th of April parallel to U.S. is a new episode. That's the problem.

And you're talking with the devil. Give that a try. Follow me. Follow me on Twitter. Like "House of the Dragon."

And "Wicked". All of it is only 2019. Streaming was not so wow. All of it became your best form.

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You have your time. A shop-Aboteek-Alp-Runter-Laden and direct one-listen. Good-Chain-Bedingungen. Okay.

So another issue. Down in Texas is a race going on. I'm sure you're watching it closely. Everybody in politics is. We had them on the show.

James Tolerika. We used charismatic, new Democrat. And he could be the next beta-Rourke in Texas. [ Laughter ] He could be the guy you find late-flips check.

His anyway. You know, you mentioned deep things. That's the only way you can cheat with advertising because he's running against this guy Ken Paxton down there.

And I want to show you the Ken Paxton ad that Ken has been running against James Tolerika. Take a look. This is Texas. This is not.

Our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front. Okay. That's what he ran. And that is what James Tolerika said.

It's just not all he said. He cut off the part where he went. There should be a giant welcome ad out front and a lock on the door. He cut that part off.

That's the whole thing, yeah. That's how you run a dirty campaign.

Would you like to see some other example?

[ Applause ] Because there's just -- [ Applause ] There are other times where he just showed part of what Tolerika said.

And then didn't show the whole thing. So I'm going to show you both. I'm going to show you what he showed and then what the whole comment was. Ready?

Okay. [ Applause ]

“Yes, Tolerika saying, I think a lot about children.”

[ Laughter ] Having good schools. [ Laughter ] [ Applause ] He showed him saying, "I want Texas Grandma.

There's to no I'm hard." [ Laughter ]

And work protecting social security.

[ Laughter ] [ Laughter ] Christmas makes me want to throw up some tensile in lights. [ Laughter ] This guy is such a sneaky guy.

Every time I visit our classrooms, I come. [ Laughter ] Until the conclusion that we can do better. [ Laughter ] [ Laughter ]

I wake up every day to a big black car. [ Laughter ] Flawing outside my window, like most little Texans. [ Laughter ] God loves us.

A strong window fake that guides my life. [ Laughter ] Oh, this is white people need to get the hell out of the sun. I'm telling him, all right.

So -- [ Cheers and applause ]

So, you mentioned deepfakes. Let's show that one. There's a tele Rico deepfake that's going around. And this is, you know, I could tell that this is not really him, because I think it's ridiculous.

But, I mean, what I've seen moved people on our elections, show that this is -- this is not him. This is a deepfake of James Delereco. Boys and white dresses with blue satin sashes. Girls dust with hormones till they grow moustaches.

See, they're trying to -- [ Laughter ] This is Texas, and they're trying to say he's gay. I got that, I thought, yeah. [ Laughter ] But I'm going to be eating stuff about his past girlfriends.

I don't understand that. I don't think I got to pick one side. Right. They're trying to -- They call him a vegan, too. Poor guy's cardiologist, I mean, he's so mad at him,

because he barbecue every day the rest of the campaign. This is not a vegan, you know? [ Laughter ]

“So, that's what goes on in a take-like Texas.”

Let's talk about California, because this is your state. And I was reading to read, it's a courier's column this week. Well, I'm sure you did. I'm sure I wasn't good news to you. [ Laughter ] Now, look, they call California a progressive laboratory.

For a good reason, it is a progressive laboratory. It made me think about something I covered many years ago, maybe 10 years ago, Kansas. There was a governor there, named Sam Brown back. I remember this.

And he did the opposite. He did the Republican laboratory, which was cut taxes for everybody. And magically, we'll grow more revenue. Of course, it was a giant disaster,

and we had a lot of fun calling it out. And Democrats, whatever sense there, yeah. What? Democrats have won every sense there out. Yeah, that's right.

Okay. But the progressive laboratory. If it is a laboratory, that means it's doing experiments. We do need to have to call them out when they fail. Hasn't a lot, and I can go through these stats in Parade's column,

and I've read them everywhere for years now. I mean, it's not good. We constantly take more money from the people and get less results. Is that not true?

Is that what one party rule has given us in this state? Well, it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, we've done certain things right. We've even, we've have excellent higher education. The UC's, the California states,

and it's led to, of course, a lot of innovation. 20 trillion dollars in my district, right? Education, healthcare. But we've spent all the AI guys are. That's what that money is.

Well, it's been more. There's been a lot of innovation. Technology, but we've messed up housing in this state. We have too much regulation zoning where we don't build. We've made it very, very hard to build,

and that's been a failure. I mean, and any person being honest about it, needs to acknowledge that we've put roadblocks onto building housing. And that would be, in my view, be the biggest failure.

“And that's what Farid was saying that the housing policy here has been bad.”

It's going to be a big challenge, I think. If Governor Newsom is the nominee for Democrats in 28, because you'll see a lot of folks in his own party, who are from California, used the stats and the images against him,

Look, it's a trade-off, I think, you know,

“and it's changed for getting great weather, great schools,”

you know, opportunities schools. What's that? The schools are at higher ed, higher ed, higher ed, higher ed. How do you know, there's so great? Well, the industry's just almost, you know,

I don't know who's coming out of it and what they're learning. I mean, from what I see from the elite schools on the East Coast, there's shit. Right. The UC's produced a lot of noble laureates just this past year.

They take a lot of kids who don't are first in their families

to go to college. I mean, the UC system genuinely is working. Cal State is working. The K through 12, there are issues. I mean, honest, even there are, there are issues.

I think it's demonstrating for Hamas, but I'm sure this is a total challenge going on too. And a structural challenge is too. And it's very simple, the cost of living. People are voting with their feet,

going to Arizona, going to Nevada, going to Idaho, because it's cheaper to live there and they can sort of see their dollar go farther. And until California addresses that, they're going to have a serious challenge.

I agree with that. I think the housing is the key issue. It's the biggest cost of living. And then the child care cost. If you can get universal child care.

And if you get the healthcare cost down, and you have housing policy, you would help move this day forward.

“But you have to be in some box kind of hard to.”

People in this state do think that it has been a failure. I mean, even in this city, even the Democrat. This is why this guy Steve Hilton, who's running for prison. No, I'm referred governor here. I don't know much about him.

He was on Fox News. I don't watch Fox News generally. They're assholes on Fox News. I don't want Fox. You go on.

Yeah, right. And that's good. I'm glad you do. I always do. No.

I always encourage Democrats to do that.

I'm going to get Sunday. Okay. Good for you. If this was not a big Democratic year based upon Trump backlash, that race would be a lot more interesting for

governor. If it was about state issues and the performance of this state and direction of the state. And you had a better, I think, VIP candidate. I think that would be a very competitive race.

The most competitive it's been here and a long time. The problem bill is all politics is now national. And everything's about Trump. It's a woman. Exactly.

And so all of a Sarah is going to say is Trump. Trump. And that's all the ads are going to be. If you were to litigate the actual direction of the state, it would be a competitive race, but you can't do that.

In the Trump environment. The other thing, Jonathan. Obviously, Schwarzenegger was a larger than life personality Hilton's not a celebrity. But Schwarzenegger had the common sense to say,

"I'm going to be pro-choice." Right. I'm going to say that climate change exists. I'm going to be for gay rights and equality. Right.

And you keep having these Republicans and they keep running. Who don't give up on what when a Bash gay people like who wanted to deny climate science just run someone. Schwarzenegger showed you how. The same reason.

All politics is national. So that can't get through the primary, or what counts as the primary here. Because their hardcore base won't allow it. So you're left with these candidates who are Trump light,

who are walking the line of those issues who aren't viable in the fall. It used to be a moderate candidate for governor in California or Vermont in New York. Was acceptable when we have a chance to win, but you can't do it anymore.

That's, I think you're exactly right.

The problem is that I used to talk about the toxic D.

Why Democrats just are not competitive in so many states in this country. But there's a toxic R like in California. As long as long as Trump is president, no matter how bad it gets in California, no matter how many people think.

And a lot of people do think it's a failure. The city is a failure. The state is a failure. It's still not. They will vote for failure over someone with an R by their name.

My advice to Steve Houghton would be distance yourself from Trump.

“If you want to have any chance of winning in this state.”

And you don't think he'll ever do that? I'm skeptical, A because Trump would lash back at it. But also because he's helping. But he'd alienate the hardcore GOP voter in the state if you don't have them.

If you don't have your base, you can't win in the fall. But you're right, Bill. And by the way, the same thing still applies. That toxic D. Democrats can't compete in half this country. And the reason why they're never going to have it

and during set-up majority, unless they change, is because they can't compete in places like the Dakotas or like Texas or Oklahoma because of that same challenge plan. I think we can compete in 26 and 28 because most of this country doesn't want us in foreign wars.

Most of this country wants us focusing on the manufacturing and economic building here. And Trump has failed that. He said I was going to focus on America. There are no factories.

There's no economic rebound in Ohio and Pennsylvania and Michigan. Wisconsin, if we run on economic renewal of the Heartland, no more wars, invest in team America. I think we can win in almost anything. And it's Gavin Mason. There's the candidate.

I think-- I mean, if Gavin Mason with all the California baggage, just trying to try to win over America, isn't he going to have to say some version of our two woke policies just didn't work here? We wanted less testing because that would be something to do with equity

and it made us the kids stupider.

they could get off the have to get off the street because that would be, I don't know, interrupting their lives.

“He's flexible enough that he would do it in the general election.”

If he thought that that was the direction to win, I think he'd be up for that. Look at the transition. He's moved on that more of the center politically. So I think he'd be willing to do it.

The challenge is are the votes in quotes, as they say, from his past. And they hold that against it because previously he said other stuff. You know, that's the challenge.

I'm a Pennsylvania born in race. California representative. But okay, what? I got that. That was a big brag. Why? I don't like Pennsylvania.

I love Pennsylvania. I think it needs to happen. I think for the Democratic Party, we need to make sure that it is California and the service to the country.

It can't be California lecturing the country. So you guys were both at the Obama library. Do we have a picture of the Obama library? Because it looks like... It looks like something aliens built in Dubai.

(laughter) I like it.

Why do it costs $850 million?

I don't understand my progressives like this.

“Couldn't that money be better spent on something else?”

Who's going to go to this? Why do we need a person? Why do we need a presidential library? These monuments to somebody's ego out of office. Now, anybody here in this audience planning

to go to the Obama presidential library? There you go. I'm a little close. I'm a little close. I'm talking a lie.

(laughter) You're not going to the Obama library. Time at a time. You think we're going to go? Elon Musk is talking about sending people to Mars.

You're telling me that spending up to a billion dollars one billion dollars on camera rating. The first and only African American was ever been president isn't worth it. First of all, you don't need that building to do that.

Well, that's in our hearts and we're going to have it. But this is to inspire people. You know, Michelle Obama gave one of the greatest speeches. I'm telling you, don't listen to me. Just listen to her five minutes.

And here's what she said.

Racism was hurl at Barack Obama. Insults were hurl at Barack Obama. And he never lost his cool. He never gave into a temper.

“And he showed that hope and patience and aspiration”

can only come back to doing the building. Bill no tells that story. The building? So we didn't know that story without the building. Well, they're like unless you go to the building.

Oh, Obama. Who was he again? Well, you know this is about education. No one said for education. But it's not, it's not that you're in $50 million.

Versus going to Mars. I don't want to go to Mars either. It's $50 million going to the real causes of people who really need it. That's the money I'm talking about.

You know, we spend money on a lot of footballer shit. I'm just saying, you can't be a hypocrite about it. I don't think most presidents need libraries. I do think that Obama story is unique. I'm biased.

I work for him. But it's a unique story of some telling the possibility in this country of someone who had no shot. You know, when I was in law school, when I entered, they said to me, "Well, you're Indian American.

You're a Hindu faith. Go to the Capitol because you never get elected to anything." That's what I heard. And then Barack Obama happened. And he changed the direction of this nation for millions of people.

Again, nothing to do with the building. Thank you. Alright. Time for rules. [ Cheers and applause ] Okay. No rule.

Now that we've all seen this hilarious viral photo of Mom and Dad getting married while their three-year-old daughter is just not having it.

Let me be the first to say this marriage will never last.

Not because no fall out of love, but because this kid is going to kill you in your sleep. [ Cheers and applause ] I know now that Jack Schlossberg, the latest Kennedy to run for office, says RFK Jr, appeared to him in a dream

and told him he'd win a seat in Congress. He has to consider the possibility that it wasn't a dream and that Bobby really was in your bedroom while you were sleeping. [ Cheers and applause ] It wouldn't be the weirdest thing he's ever done.

[ Laughter ] No rule, stop going down into caves. Every year, there's another cave tragedy story at a dangerous rescue mission and why. You know what's down there? More cave.

[ Laughter ] Unless it's where you keep wine, stay up here with us. [ Cheers and applause ] And if you still feel the need to get stuck in a dark hole, try grad school.

[ Laughter ] I'm kidding. I'm sure the college won't be here. No rule, stop acting like Americans were horrified when a broadcaster on Fox's World Cup pre-game show

First, we barely remember James Corden.

Second, we have no idea what that means. [ Laughter ] And third, we weren't watching the next one on. [ Cheers and applause ] [ Cheers and applause ]

No rule, now that Florida Congressman Byron Donalds was out this week promoting literacy programs with a misspelled word on his sign. [ Laughter ]

“You have to admit it kind of proves his point.”

[ Laughter ] But good on you for trying, Byron. Don't let it stop you from making America great. [ Laughter ] [ Cheers and applause ]

And finally, new rule, everybody has to start getting a little more excited for America's birthday. Come on, our big two-fifty is coming up. It's on July 4th for the kids in our public school. [ Laughter ]

And I think that's a pretty big deal. Problem is, there's kind of a stink on it because you know who is president right now. So, the left half of the country fears he'll make the anniversary about him.

Of course he will. [ Laughter ] I've been bet that on calcium. [ Laughter ] The question is whether we all will help him do it.

We shouldn't. This is about America. He isn't America. He's a temporary caretaker of America. America is employee. [ Applause ]

And the message should be that America isn't actually his. And that no one side gets to own being psyched about the country. So, I'm not down with this attitude of "Well, we're having a party, but Trump's going, I'm not."

[ Laughter ] That's so high school that should be in the Epstein file. [ Laughter ] [ Cheers and applause ] Golden the party, it's a big celebration.

You probably won't run into him. [ Laughter ]

This country's 3.8 million square miles.

And that's without Greenland. [ Laughter ] Look. I'm not saying Trump doesn't want to muddy the distinction between himself and the country. He sure is shit does.

“That's what want to be a authoritarian's do.”

They try to blur that line. Don't be an accomplice. Especially since, for all of Trump's nonsense, America is still here. Still incredibly prosperous by world standards.

Still the place people want to get to. Still free enough to let me put the word nonsense next to the president's name. [ Laughter ] You know -- [ Cheers and applause ]

You do know it's not that way everywhere. Now, am I worried about creeping authoritarianism and attacks on free speech and politicizing the Justice Department and enemies lists? Yes, as I have been since 2016,

when I first used the term slow-moving coup. But we're 10 years on now. And while Trump wanting to act like a king in many ways is still a story, so it was the fact that he's also been checked. In 2020, he became the first president to flat out,

not concede losing an election as I predicted. And yet, he didn't stay president either. In cases where a court has ruled for Trump or the plaintiff, Trump is winning less than one out of ten. Even the client's Supreme Court checked him on tariffs.

A court made him take his name off the Kennedy Center and he didn't fight it. 10 more days. 10 more days. 10 more days.

Please. [ Applause ]

“Here's the budget cuts to key departments.”

Trump wanted in his second term,

and here's what actually happened.

Almost no change. Congress didn't go along. America may right now be the country Donald Trump is president of, but America is also everything that keeps Trump from being the king he wishes he were. [ Applause ]

So this fourth of July, let's celebrate the genius American idea of checks and balances, which, yes, is threatened, and yes, is taking on water. But it's still a float. Like those tall ships, I remember from 1976. Oh, yes, I remember.

I was 20, and I wore a bison, tenial t-shirt, that whole summer. [ Laughter ] Yeah, man.

Because 50 years ago, liberals didn't concede patriotism.

Abby Hoffman was the quintessential 60s radical, and when he had to appear before the House on American activities committee, he wore an American flag shirt, which some cops later ripped off his back, because the message that most threatens authoritarian isn't America sucks. It's America is ours too.

[ Applause ] Every election year, Democrats seem to remember patriotism for about an hour at their convention when they're trying to win back swing voters. The whole message of Kamala's speech in 2024 was take back the flag.

“That's why she talked about America like a pageant contestant.”

The greatest privilege on earth. The privilege and pride of being an American. Hard to believe she lost, huh? [ Laughter ]

Well, you can't take back the flag in an hour

if the rest of the time you treat patriotism as something vaguely embarrassing. It shouldn't be, even though we are far from perfect. You know, in 1976 when I was wearing that t-shirt with my nuthugger shorts. [ Laughter ] America wasn't exactly crushing it then, either.

Inflation was around 6%, mortgage rates were almost 9. There was actually a thing called the misery index. The average person earned far less than they do today. They had a smaller house and watched a tiny TV that had three channels, mostly I love Lucy reruns.

[ Laughter ]

“The closest thing we had to you for you was three's company.”

[ Laughter ] R-A-I was cliff notes. [ Laughter ]

Women had just won the right to get a credit card

without their husband signing off on it. And there were no women on the Supreme Court and only 19 in Congress. Infant mortality was three times higher. And we had just been through Vietnam and Watergate

for which President Ford pardoned Nixon before pardoning Crooks was cool. [ Laughter ] You think filling up your tank is a headache now? Back then, being online meant you were waiting for gas.

[ Applause ] Everything had lead in it, which fucked up kids, brains even worse than TikTok. [ Laughter ]

“People smoked inside planes and drunk driving”

was considered driving. [ Laughter ] The hot car that year was the Pinto because it was on fire. [ Laughter ]

[ Applause ] And since it wasn't any internet porn yet, if you wanted something to masturbate to, for free, you had to wait for a streaker. [ Laughter ]

[ Laughter ] L-A had smog days. Buildings had asbestos. Radio had disco duck. [ Laughter ]

Things were bad, man. So bad. I was forced to sell everyone drugs just to cheer them up. [ Laughter ] And yet...

[ Applause ] And yet, it didn't stop us from making 1976 one big p-ditty freak off for America. Because asked Joe Biden, you only turned 200 once. [ Laughter ]

So, come on, it's the fourth. Don't let this year's fourth big of another excuse for partisan soaking. Let it be an excuse to be really hung over on the fifth. All right, that's our show.

I want to thank you. I've been Martin Rokana and Sam Levinson. But we're ready to drop every Monday on YouTube. Or listen, maybe you get your podcast. Now go on to overtime on YouTube.

Thank you very much. [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you guys. [ Cheers and applause ] [ Applause ]

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