Original subtitles

Start the clock.

I appreciate that. We have a wonderful show.

Okay, all right.

Thank you.

I love your back.

All that stuff.

I know it's a little reclaimed. I know it's our last show of the season.

It's our... I know it's our Thanksgiving show. I've already started my baking.

No, I'm going to do it myself this year, Thanksgiving. I am.

I probably should not have asked GTP how to do it. I asked him, how do you roast

a turkey?

He said, tell it it looks like a chicken who can't afford Ozempic.

Yeah,

we always have our little winter break. We will come back in January, as always.

We were back January 23rd. Mark said in your book.

And when we do come back, this all will be an incredible ballroom.

I just want to... I...

I did the president. Oh, boy, did you...

It was Muslim week at the White House this week.

No, for...

First he had Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the only

who walks into the White House and goes, not enough gold.

But yes, you know Mohammed bin Salman, they call him MBS,

he was there at the White House. Nothing to do with politics, it was just with

Thanksgiving approaching, Trump thought, who better to carve the turkey?

I kid the Saudis, you know.

There was that little unpleasantness with O'Shea -ing the reporter.

But, you know.

But Trump loved this guy. Oh, what a bromance these two have.

Get a room, you two. I mean, Jesus.

Trump was showing him around the Oval Office. He showed him the, you know,

has that model of a 747. He shows everybody.

And Mohammed bin Laden was very impressed with it. He said, that's

We can't wait to fly it into something.

No, they had a... Now,

MBS, he's not officially the head of state, so it couldn't be a state dinner,

but they gave him a great big dinner. It was, in effect, a state dinner, you

know, where they had, like, celebrities.

You know who was there for the big dinner? Christian Ronaldo, the soccer

The Saudis love soccer, because it's the one sport you can play after they chop

your hands off.

And then today, you know who was there today at the White House?

Mindami, the new mayor of New York.

And Trump said to him, I don't understand you guys.

Why wait for the afterlife to enjoy the 72 virgins? That's what Jeffrey

Epstein's are for on Earth.

It is amazing.

I mean, I don't want to tip my thing at the end of the show, but this is exactly

what I'm going to be talking about. He met him in person, Mandami, and great

meeting. I mean, the night before, just like the night before I went there, he's

an asshole, he's a shithead, you know, he's a communist.

Trump, he's a great guy, great meeting. He said, you know, they asked him, you

know, what about the communist things? Well, you know, he said, maybe he'll

change. My views have changed.

Trump said, I'd love to live in New York under this guy. He might be a great

mayor. See, that's what it is. You've got to talk to people and negotiate.

I mean, they're New Yorkers, you know.

They negotiated.

Mondami, they've got something they want.

Mondami wanted Trump's help on affordability issues, yes, and Trump

guarantee that he can still stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot

someone.

Oh, I did. Always with love.

But yeah, I mean, the Trump, oh, Epstein thinks Trump did a total 180. Last

week, we were all talking about, he won't release the files. This week, it's

like, well, the Epstein files. Oh, sure, we're going to release those.

So they are going to release the Epstein files. But, you know, always the fine

print. They're going to be redacted. So, you know, people are already saying,

what's the point? Epstein got away with it. Well.

Got away with having sex with young underage girls. He hung himself in his

cell. I'm not sure that means getting away with something David

Bowie he

got away with

Trump is very touchy about the Epstein thing, since a reporter asked him, did

you see this this week, I think it was on Air Force One, brought up that issue,

and Trump said to this woman reporter, he said to her, quiet, piggy.

Quiet, piggy. And then, listen to this. At the press conference the next day,

his press secretary, Carolyn Leavitt, spun this by saying, it's actually

admirable.

He said, it's the president being frank and open and honest. That's good.

Well, in that case, shut up, bitch.

I mean, I'm telling you,

if you go near this Epstein thing, he does not like it. I mean, Marjorie

Greene was his biggest ally, and then she was, you know, all in on, we got to

get the Epstein files. And this week, Trump went nuts on her. She's a

She's a disgrace.

She's wacky. She's a ranting lunatic.

All I can say is, Marjorie, welcome to the club.

All right, we've got a wonderful show for our finale. Donna Brazile and

Render, Killer Mike, are here.

But first up, my first guest is a true phenomenon in the world of life

improvement. She is host of the Mel Robbins podcast and author of the number

bestselling book, The Let Them Theory, a life -changing tool that millions of

people can't stop talking about. True dat. Mel Robbins is over here.

I know everybody wants you on their show. They do?

You know they do. And you came here. I can't tell you how much I appreciate

that. Oh, really? Well, thank you.

Wow.

We know this is true.

I mean, to say your book is a phenomenon is an understatement. I mean, this is

an era where people don't read anymore. I know, yes.

Somebody said to me the other day, oh, you know, Barnes & Noble, I always see

people there. Yeah, they're buying a cat calendar.

And the let them theory.

And the let them theory. Yes. I mean, the numbers are just... Off the charts.

If I went into the bookstore, would it be under self -help? Is that still a

that they use? Do you not like that term? Do you not care? Is it still self

-help? Let them. I don't care what they call it as long as people read it.

Let them, yes.

Okay.

But, I mean, that is one of the more popular sections in the bookstore, and

there's a lot of people.

Why did your message resonate so much more than all the other people who were

working that side of the street?

Well, I'll tell you why. There's a number of reasons. First of all, it's a

freaking book. Like, as you read it, you can get through it in a day and a half.

It's hilarious and profound.

Right. And it works.

And you don't need to buy the book. I'm going to tell you how to use the theory.

The theory is so simple. It basically is this. The fastest way to lower your

stress. and to have more peace and control in your life is stop trying to

control everybody else.

Let them have their opinions, their behavior, and take all the power and

that you've been wasting on other people and bring it back here and let me focus

on my thoughts, my actions, and the way that I want to live my life. And life

gets very simple and a lot more peaceful, and you feel more powerful and

control.

And so that's how you use it. Four words, let them and let me. But here's

works. It reduces the number one source of stress, Bill, in everybody's life,

and that's other people. Other people are so annoying.

Right? Their opinions, their close talking, their judgments, their

And the more you try to control them, the less control you feel.

And it's much easier to say, let them.

It is. And it's also the other reason why this thing is spread around the

is when you start to read it, I'm the villain in the book. I'm the control

that's really irritating.

You're either going to see yourself or somebody you love. And so you start to

read it and you feel better about your boss who you hate. You feel better that

traffic isn't getting to you. And then you start to go, oh, my God, my mother

needs this. My sister needs this.

And so everybody is not only reading it, Bill, they're giving it to their

families. And here's what I love.

We all love saying let them.

There's an Irish version of this. I'm not going to say what it is. F them.

Right?

Right? You can say that on basic TV now. Right. That's true.

That's true. This is fucking HBO.

That's true. Okay. So, you know, fuck them is the Irish version of this. And

when you're like, let them, let them, let them, you feel superior.

But then what happens is you now have to figure out, okay, what do I do? I

realize my siblings never call me back, and I make all the effort.

Let them. My friends always go out without me and they don't invite me. My

is rude to me and I don't like my job. Let them, let them, let them. But now

what? Now you say, let me. Let me choose how I'm going to respond to the reality

that I'm dealing with.

And that's where you take your control back. And what I love about this.

Bill, and I love about people using it, is that you first start using it because

you are annoyed with other people. I mean, we have families because it

you how to love people you hate sometimes.

And that's also why people get married. It teaches you that.

But as you start to say let them, you're forcing yourself to learn how to accept

people as they are and as they're not.

And you have to confront how judgmental you are of the other people in your life

and learn how to let them be who they are, let them have the dignity of their

own experience, And you start to recognize how much time and energy you

over the headlines, over people's expectations, over traffic. And it's

because your time and energy.

But not everything is a let them case, right? Everything is.

If you're being sexually harassed at the office, that's not a let them? Okay,

well, here's what it is. Let them do it? Well, no, because they've already done

it. So when you say let them, you're not allowing it. You're forcing yourself to

recognize the situation you're in.

and that you're not going to change what's happening by trying to change

You have to take the power and go, okay, well, let me recognize this is the

situation I'm in. Let me stop gaslighting myself and making excuses

sticking around and beating myself up and let me remind myself that I

get to choose what I do next. Am I going to HR?

Am I leaving this job? Am I hiring an attorney?

All of the energy that you're spending complaining about it, worrying about it,

beating yourself up, telling yourself there's nothing you can do, there's

something you can do.

But that would be more like stop them than let them.

Sometimes let them has to be stop them, no? Of course. In situations where it's

dangerous or discriminatory or somebody's getting hurt, of course you

and stop them if that's your values.

Because the number one rule is you can't change another person. People only

change. when they're ready to change for themselves.

Here you go.

Oh, yeah.

I've learned not the hard way. Yes, you all have, Bill. You all have.

Yeah. Well, I mean, your life was the hard way. I mean, you came from

places that most people haven't been. Deep in debt, drinking, day drinking.

Well, wasn't that what you were doing today?

Not drinking.

And I don't, people think I smoke before the show. I don't smoke right before

the show. That would be wrong.

Well, my husband was like, okay, Mel, I know let them, but don't smoke before

the show, smoke after. I don't want you to embarrass yourself on television.

Killer Mike's here. Trust me, it's going to happen.

Okay. But before we run out of time, let's get to the other part of it

it's not just let them, it's let me. Yes. And you are very adamant in the

over and over. You make the point one does not work without the other.

So let's make sure people understand what the let me part of it is. Right. So

once you start saying let them and you protect your time and energy from other

people and you also force yourself to accept people as they are, you're never

going to change your mom or dad. You've got to learn to let them be who they

are. It'll reduce so much pressure in your life. Now pull it back here and

let me.

Like, take the holidays. If you're going to go home and spend time with your

family, stop gripping the wheel hoping it's different.

These people have been the same their whole lives.

So when you start going, let them, right, you are forcing yourself to

they are who they are. They have their opinions.

I'm just going to let them be. Now let me remind myself, I get to choose what I

think about this. I get to choose how much time and energy I spend here. I

you can get up from a dining room table.

You can get out of a text chain.

You can divert a conversation away from a topic.

You're not a victim here. You're in control of what you do in response.

And if you look at this is how you take responsibility for your life. This is

how you change things for the better. And responsibility, Bill, is the ability

to respond.

That's what that word means. I mean, I feel you're doing my work here for me.

This is like a theme show.

This is, I mean, again, this is going to be the end of my show. It's every year

at Thanksgiving I have to do basically the same theme, which is telling people,

don't cut off your family. No. It's just terrible.

And, you know, and I said this a few weeks, a few months ago, we did an

editorial here on the show where I talked about Trump and the fact that

are things that really still I am very adamant about and I will never stop

talking about.

There are other things.

Where I just, it's like in meditation where they say, just let the cloud pass.

You know, like I see so many people are upset about him building a ballroom. I

could give a fuck.

I don't give a shit about his fucking ball. Well, I give a fuck because we're

paying for it, whether you vote or not.

No, we're not. No, we're not paying for it.

It's private.

First of all, even if we did... Well, it's already bulldozed, so any time

there's been burning up about it, it's already happened.

You have to decide what are you going to do in response to it. And it's not the

thing I want to concentrate on. Okay, that's the point. There are so many

things. That's the point.

consequential, that I don't like him doing. And they tried to gin everybody

about, well, they're knocking down the White House. They've changed the White

House before.

And the White House does actually need a ballroom.

You know, we're a big country.

We were having state dinners, and people were, like, under a tent.

I've had better parties than that.

So I am not, you know, but... I still do think you have to choose your battles.

You have to pick what you get. Yes. So if this were the dining room table and

you're saying something that pisses me off, right?

I'm not suggesting that that pisses me off, but you're at a dining room table

with your family.

You get to choose how much energy that opinion takes up up here.

You get to choose whether or not you allow it to burn you up inside. You get

choose whether or not you're going to engage.

And so what I love about Let Them and Let Me is all day long you have this

and dice that you can do where you force yourself and allow yourself to

recognize what's in your control and what's not.

And when it comes to opinions and families, I agree with you.

The thing that's separating us is our inability to sit with each other.

and allow each other the dignity of their own experience and opinion, even

offends us.

Instead of leaning away, we have to learn how to sit with our upsetness and

toward each other and go, well, why might you believe that? Right, exactly.

me understand that.

So I think I have a self -help book in me. I'm never going to write it.

But I was reading about... Gen Z. And I don't blame them. They are full of

anxiety. And this article was, well, AI. They think it's going to take all their

jobs.

Robots might kill us all.

You know, Trump.

There's going to be no jobs left.

Nuclear stuff.

Climate change. My book would be called, It's Not Going to Be That.

Because...

Then what's it going to be?

At 70, what I've learned in life is whatever you think the future is, it

be shitty.

It's not going to be what you think it is. So stop with the anxiety and just

live your life.

Because it's not going to be that.

That's why I prick on you always.

Well, here's what I believe. I believe that we don't know what it's going to

And if you're going to bother going, what if, what if, what if, you might as

well also go, well, what if it all works out? What if I'm more capable than I

know? Right, exactly.

Anyway, again, I know everybody wants you and you came here. It means so much

me. It's perfect for our Thanksgiving show. I hope you do it again.

Congratulations on the biggest book ever.

No Robbins.

Well, to me, Sue, I hope I get to smoke with you.

I appreciate that. Thank you. All right, let's move to our panel.

Okay.

Oh, my.

Here they are.

All right, he is an entrepreneur and Grammy -winning, I'll say, musician,

known as one half of Run the Jewels and host of the Conversate with Killer Mike

podcast. Killer Mike is over here.

He is an ABC News contributor, veteran political strategist, and former chair

the DNC. My girlfriend Donna Brazile is over here.

How are you?

Hey, Bill. Okay.

Here we go.

I love it, baby. And the first time you really acknowledged our relationship.

I mean, it's, you know. I couldn't hold it anymore. I mean, that self -help

session really allowed you to have a breakthrough.

And if I'm invited over, I'll bake and roast your turkey.

And you know what they say, once you go black,

honey, you'll never go back.

I'll put some in your stuffing that will keep you lit up.

Okay. Tell them what happened when the black woman put her greasy hands in the

bowl and what comes out. When I took them to the blue flame, you were all I

could talk about.

Okay,

look, I know I'm not really needed here tonight.

You know, I do understand that, but just until next season when we'll have the

new owners here, let them, whoever's going to buy this network, let them

have some place.

You know, we're all about job security.

We're going to help you, baby. But it is our finale for the year. We will be

back June 23rd. It's the one time I get to thank my staff. You know, we're very

no to the grind zone group here.

And we don't, I probably should do it myself better, but we somehow are easier

to say we appreciate each other, and I do appreciate them so much and what they

do and how brilliant they are.

Somehow it's easy to say it on the air than in private.

But I want to ask you two, since we are looking now to 2026, we will not be on

again until 2026.

That is going to be, I keep saying Democrats are going to win big. The

power, they always do it. They get drunk with power.

And then people, it creates this backlash.

Certainly this administration has done that.

So let's just go through who might be the frontrunner, because we are going

in 2026, pretty by then, I think, know who was going to

be the Democratic nominee.

Who do you think the Democratic nominee should be for president, and who do you

want it to be?

I'll let this young man go first.

Get your ass in trouble. Yeah, yeah.

Shake up the party.

Come on. Shake it up.

Shake it up, Mike.

I'm going to just bring the old Jewish guy back up, but he's never going to run

again. Shout out to Bernie.

If the Democrats were the party that truly say they aspire to be, Nina Turner

would be the first black woman president, first woman president. She'd

most progressive president that we've seen in the last 20, 25 years. I've lost

lot of my faith in what we say we want versus what we actually want. And I see

the Democratic frontrunner probably being a white man, probably coming out

Midwest. What's my guy in Illinois?

J .B. Pritzker. J .B. Pritzker is probably going to be, I think that

leaning toward white mail them. I think that there's something. Why do we have

to put it in terms of that? Because I'm black.

And it all comes down to that, to be very honest with you. If you want to see

litmus test for how this country is going to bend, look at any given moment

it's treating black or working class people.

A lot of times, white working class people forget they're black, too. Then

get a black moment. They're like, oh, shit, we're all in the same boat

What I mean by that is, when I was a kid, I thought that you couldn't put U

Army and ICE and shit in American neighborhoods, yet here we are.

what's your fucking name, Santiago? It's my middle name. And I'm just like, I

promise my mom just got off a wine bottle. I'm not from south of the

But what... I think that this country...

Sanders said at the end of his last campaign, we need to pay attention to

white working class. A lot of people in my community took that offensively as

though he was ignoring us. And he wasn't. What he saw was the white

class was going to turn the tide. And they did. And they went to the wrong

And that being realized now, I think that they're going to be looking for

another white man. I think he's going to have to identify with some working

class. So the Democrats just can't.

We can't just pick the best person. Because I feel like when they get into

box -checking thing. Yeah. It just leads them astray because, like, Kamala was

like, okay, we had to have someone of color, we had to have a woman, and then

when she gets the job, then she has to go the other direction and pick as vice

president a lame white guy.

We are so lame white guys.

Okay, so we're always balancing it out instead of just... As someone who's

probably worked on more campaigns than I like to admit, we don't really pick...

candidates that way. We don't go and look in a crayon box and say, oh, I

wait to get that little one. No.

We actually have a very rigorous exercise that involves taking candidates

through the early stage.

And Trump made it through that?

Trump can make it through anything.

OK, we know that. But on the Democratic side, yes, we're going to have a

vigorous primary. It's an open season. And you know what happens in open

We get a large number of people who are interested.

So, of course, we will have about eight or nine governors, including Mr.

Shapiro, possibly Mr.

Moore and maybe Mr. Newsom. We don't know. But there are many governors who

interested. Gretchen Whitman, because I want to mention some of the women. Women

are not going to sit back and wait to be. calls. We are going to continue to

march forward. We might also look at members of Congress. AOC is interested.

Maybe Ro Khanna is interested.

We have United States senators, some who've run before, like Klobuchar, like

Booker, like Chris Murphy, who might also decide to run. It's going to be an

open season. We will have plenty of time to really go through it. But I agree

with one thing you said.

It's going to be a great year for Democrats because the American people

time.

They're tired of the overreach.

They're tired of the overreach, and they're going to look for alternatives.

just any Democrats.

And let me say one last thing. I'm going to get myself in trouble. Please help

me out.

We're going to have a generational shift in our country.

Democrats have been for years. We like the candidate with the most experience,

most gray hair.

Bullshit.

We want somebody who is forward -looking, who's young and restless,

for tomorrow with one life to live because the American people want

different. Did I put it all together for you, baby?

As you always do.

And I'm open to dating a young man. I can date anybody now, okay?

You know, bring it on.

My pot is big enough.

I'm not talking about that stuff you're going to do later. I'm talking about...

Oh, I know.

I know. I've never seen you blush this much.

I... Are you going to smoke weed with us later and keep talking like that? Well,

is it legal?

No. Yes.

No, but I still... I'm from Georgia. I'm still scared.

What's up with them trying to ban marijuana now? Like, Trump, we thought

you. Yeah. Like, they're going to get rid of it? Well, he's talked about both.

He's also said we're going to change it. It's not going to be a Schedule 1

anymore. Yeah, let's do that. I like that one. Well, this is, again, why it's

good for people like me to talk to him. Yeah.

And you have an open invitation, right?

You have an open invitation to go back to the White House.

No. Are you sure?

I mean, it's...

It depends on the week. I mean, you know, he still yells at me. Oh.

Yeah. I mean, he doesn't. He yells at everybody. I know, but. But he's never

called you piggy because I know he wouldn't call you piggy. No, he's called

Are you kidding? I have a list of 56 insults that he has called me over the

years. I brought it to the White House and he signed it.

Yeah.

I mean, it's an amazing document.

But, I mean, that list of people.

What do you think of somebody way outside the realm? Because I think, I

you say they want somebody younger. I think we're like post -politician era.

I actually think Stephen A. Smith is kind of realistic.

For president?

Yeah. Well, he talks about it. Or people talk about it. No, LeBron fans are

going to vote for him.

It's not going to be. I love Stephen A. He's won great as a Republican, I think.

But I don't think he's won well as a Democrat.

Oh, I do. I do. I think the Democrats need somebody who doesn't give a shit.

And that's him, who will say the thing.

I like him. He talks bad shit. Yeah, he does.

And also, you know what?

It is good to have a Democratic Party, a black person, because they can... But

why you got to talk about nigger shit?

I'll just break you off. I'll just break you off.

I'll tell you why.

It's the way Obama was able to be a centrist.

able to be more of a centrist. A black guy. In the Democratic Party.

Because Democrats are very, the white Democrats are very afraid of being

racist. That's why we wound up with open borders and stuff like that.

And they can, I mean, Stephen A. Smith can go, have you all lost your goddamn

mind? In a way that Pritzker cannot.

Well, maybe he would add to the sauce.

I don't think he has all the necessary.

I think you've got to think outside the box at this point. I am thinking as far

outside as I possibly can. And I like him. I like him, especially on ESPN when

he talks sports. Just leave my damn New Orleans things alone. I know they're

shitty, but that's nobody's business. They're our business.

He does bring in, and I wore this today just to show solidarity with the working

class in this country. I think he resonates with the working class.

And I think, I do think, and the reason I said it's Christmas, I think that

Americans are going to want to lean into someone. He's willing to call Democrats

on their shit, too.

Charlemagne Tha God would make a great president. We need that.

All right, so we always do this.

Before we have a break, people rely on us to get the news. We're not going to

here for a couple of months. So we do the future headlines. We actually can

you what the headlines are going to be while we're off. Would you like to see

the future headlines that we'll be seeing?

For example, President Trump demands Nobel Peace Prize for ending war on

Christmas.

We will see that headline.

Billionaires admit they were bullshitting about leaving New York.

absolutely true.

They're not going anywhere.

Zoran Mondami, speaking fee quadruples, embraces capitalism.

Yes, I can see that.

AI actress blows AI director on AI couch for role in AI movie.

Trump demands South America change name to South North America.

Ice agents raid nativity scene.

Makers of Ozempic admit it's just speed.

Tylenol unveils Tylenol White with 50 % less oxygen.

And Trump claims dog ate the Epstein files like a dog.

Let me throw up one more name out there that you didn't mention, and she was in

the news this week. Michelle Obama.

She has a book out, a coffee table book. Yeah.

What? I like her. I mean, she said no, though. She said she didn't think the

country was ready for her. Well, that's what we have to talk about. I mean, her

statement, I was rather shocked by it. She said, as we saw in the past

sadly, we ain't ready.

Okay, to me, this is logical fallacy 101.

Just because we weren't ready or didn't like the candidate, Hillary and Kamala,

doesn't, that's, you know.

Doesn't mean we're not ready for a woman. Maybe.

That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running because you are all

lying. You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my time.

You know, we've got a lot of growing up to do. And there are still, sadly, a lot

of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman.

I think it's a bad attitude. I do. I mean, we said we weren't ready for a

president and someone, I can't remember who, maybe she remembers,

said maybe it just has to be

the right one. So maybe we should stop talking about it and just do it, right?

vote for Donald.

If you talk ass shit in the White House like you are here.

I'd love to have you talk in a foreign country. Can I tell you something? I

can't stay in the White House. Man, they got an iron gate. You know, I got to

let loose. You got to let loose.

There's some things you can't hide.

You know, I got to let loose.

First of all, Bill.

America is 250 years old. For 125 of those 250, women did not have the right

vote. Let's start there.

It's taken us longer to get to the starting line. I do believe that

what she did in 2016 with 68 million votes, along with Kamala, what she did

75 million votes, we are ready. 80 % of the American people say they are ready.

In fact, over 84 % of young people under 30 say they are ready.

The idea that America's not ready is bullshit.

They may not be ready for this one or that one, but... Let me

zero in on that second half.

A lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman.

Now, let me... That's what she said.

Okay. Okay.

Trump won the Hispanic vote by one point this last time. Right. And yet, when

Biden was the guy, there was a 34 -point margin.

For him.

Correct.

Okay. So that's a big swing from voting for a man, Biden, for not voting for a

woman, Kamala.

And then similarly, there was a 35 point difference in how black men voted in

2024 versus the 2020 election with Biden. So I

think this is what she's saying, partly. Yeah, yeah.

It's like there are certain people, certain... How do white southern women

Black guys are kind of tired of being in this debate.

We usually vote within points of black women. So, like, when that stat gets

thrown out, we take the blame in our community.

But white southern women are a very peculiar voting bloc. They'll talk the

women's liberation thing, and then their daughters are confederate.

will be the ones who get statues erected in your town. So I would look at the

Southeast in particular, and I would look at white working -class women

looking at the Hispanic vote overall and black male votes. I think that the

white working class in this country is going to have to get comfortable with

women leadership.

And if you're looking at white male podcasts and blogs now, it is a shit

shitting on women. They, you know, whether it's your tapes or your...

fresh and fit guys who are of the darker tone, but all of them are taking time

to point and say women are not leaders. So there's a growing weird sentiment in

this country that seems to be against women leadership. But I come out of a

community where everything is pretty much matriarchal anyway. So I trust a

to lead. The question is, can you convince white working class people to

same? To your point, in the last election on November 4th, women won

gubernatorial. We now have 14 female governors.

Which is the largest ever. So the American people are showing that they

going to support women candidates.

And by the way, the first lady said this the day after the election, when you

saw a woman become the mayor of Detroit. Motown got some kick now.

Syracuse, Albany. Women were winning all over the country. So I think the future

is women. We need to encourage more women to run. We need to get more women

the pipeline.

And like Mexico, Sri Lanka, Namibia.

Japan, we're going to see a female president. And guess what, Bill? I'm

make sure you get invited to the novelty.

You can be my date because I'm going to tell you

something. I know the dates you will bring can't last as long as I do.

I'll pour some.

Let me stop because I don't want to bring you home right now. I got my dog

the hotel. I don't know if I want to.

In Missouri's particular.

Do you think that would be the deal breaker? Oh, hell yeah.

Okay.

So let me ask you about education.

It's going to be a big issue.

Linda McMahon is the Department of Education secretary.

She was talking this week about it. Now, we know the Republicans have wanted to

shut it down since 1979.

Correct. When it was founded. So it's not been there forever.

Not long. Okay.

She said it's mostly a pass -through for funds that are best managed by the

states. This stuff does not sound too unreasonable to me. She says it would

mean ending federal support for education, funding for low -income

students with disabilities.

That predates the education department, and that would continue, as would

protecting students' civil rights.

New York Magazine had an article that came out today. It's called The Big

Here's the quote that we had on the cover. Student achievement has fallen

cliff, and neither Trump nor the pandemic is to blame.

Why do we need the Department of Education if it has done such a shitty

Kids don't come out of school.

First of all, they can't read or do math anymore, and they don't know anything.

I mean, if we went to the blue flame tonight... We'd live.

All those girls working their way through college, they deserve some money

toward education.

But don't ask them about the three branches of government.

But, I mean, I really do feel like the Democratic Party, this has been their

portfolio for a long time, education.

Right. Okay. So I feel like they, if they're going to get back into office,

have to own this issue a little.

Because a lot of the states that are doing better now are like the southern

states. Really? Which one? Mississippi.

Mississippi's been better than Louisiana?

See, you're in a bubble.

I'm in a bubble. You didn't get that story. Well, I'm glad. I'm glad

Mississippi's been better, and I hope Alabama. But look, I don't believe that

this is a Democrat or a Republican problem. This is a whole of society,

I mean, we have put a lot of weight and a lot of pressure on our teachers to do

the job that our parents and our community should also be doing. I am a

graduate of America's public schools. I'm grateful for the support.

It's the great equalizer. Have they fallen short?

some areas? Yes. But to dismantle a huge federal department and to create all

this confusion that the Labor Department is going to do this, Interior is going

to take over indigenous this, we still don't know what is the next step with

dismantling education.

All I know is that we've made a lot of improvements, but we have a long way to

go before we have a society where everybody get a head start and an equal

in life.

Well, we've got to fund them and we've got to give teachers the money they

deserve. We need to stop shortchanging teachers. I agree. I, like Donna, am a

product of public school education.

And uniquely in Atlanta, I'm from a city that's majority black, majority of the

schools are named.

for and inspired by black revolutionaries, black educators. I went

Douglas High School. Our rival high school was Benjamin E. Mays High School.

Benjamin E. Mays was president of Morehouse College, of course, the famous

college Dr. King went to. These schools had a great rivalry because you had

working class kids at school with working class kids, poor kids, and rich

All these kids are black, but they have to sharpen their skills against one

another. There was a spirit of competition.

Before 79 and before education went strictly to test taking and... reading,

writing, arithmetic, they also had trades in their schools. At the time Dr.

went to Booker T. Washington High School, he not only had to learn

writing, arithmetic, he had to learn how to upholster a chair or how to build

something with a hammer. Our educational system needs to look back into when we

were successful.

And prior to 79, you had everything from archery in schools to track. Physical

fitness was there. You had art and music, which Reagan set out in the 80s.

both sides have done. But you have to look at Democrats, I think, on a local

level and say, we need to do a better job. And that starts by... saying, we

fucked up. We fucked up by taking centers. Well, no child left behind left

of kids behind.

School choice pulled the best premium kids out of public schools and left them

alone together.

And then you got a bunch of kids who were aspirationally wanted to be better,

but they didn't have a kid next to them saying, you can do it, who already

understood calculus.

So we failed our kids. And as adults, we need to say, pay teachers more. Give

teachers the lowest home loans you can possible to live in their districts.

Teachers, police, and environment, I believe.

with some strong civil surgery cornerstones.

Our principals need to stay there for longer tenures. When Frederick Douglass

High School only had two principals and had been in existence 40 years, they

were a national school of excellence putting out kids anything from athletics

academics. The minute they went to seven principals within 11 years, they

started to fall.

So we are failing public schools in this country, both parties. We need to

recommit on a very local level. We need to stop being test -taking centers. We

need to re -enter trades back into the schools and prepare our children for...

real life, including financial literacy, as young as fifth, sixth grade, versus

what we're doing now.

Sounds like he's running.

And I support that. I mean, we need a apprenticeship program. I was talking to

my brother, and he said, I'm going to tell my son, if he can't, you know,

up the math, go and get a trade. So we need it all and above.

Shout out to Ponyboy.

You're saying we shouldn't test?

Is that what you said in there? No, we, testing should not be the fight. There

was enough.

They stopped testing, and it got worse. No, no, no.

Testing has become the only thing that teachers worry about because it

determines how much money comes in. So the administration is pressing them.

Some colleges now that a lot of the Ivies have gone back to testing, but

they did.

Yeah, they ain't told that to black kids yet. My baby still had to take the ACT

and the SAT.

My accountant, though, God bless his soul, had his child deemed autistic and

didn't have to. So he was smarter than me. I wish I would have known that

earlier. I would have just told my child, just say you're crazy like your

and we'll get in.

Shout out to my baby at Hampton University.

But what I'm saying is the no child left behind and the focus on are we meeting

test marks did away with education.

True education is when a teacher has a classroom of children and they're

determined to find the talents of those children after meeting our base writing,

reading, and arithmetic things and saying what talent will send you to the

level. And we are not doing that anymore in this country. Okay. Well, we're

going to do it here.

Starting again next.

But right now it's time for new rules, everybody.

The final new rule of the year.

Okay.

New rule. The next time the Russian tech company Idol tries to showcase their AI

-powered humanoid robot, they have to try and make it look a little less like

every drunk girl who's ever passed out at the club.

This is not the way of the future. This is the way to make your Uber driver say

no sorry and drive off.

New old Pete Hegstaff has to explain why all the names of his military

operations sound like gay porn titles.

Operation Rough Rider.

Operation Midnight Hammer.

Operation Southern Spear.

Those don't sound like attack plans. They sound like the awkward pay -per

charges on Lindsey Graham's hotel bill.

Neural, instead of coming up with endless new flavors for Doritos, think

this. Take the existing flavor of Dorito and make every Dorito in the bag taste

good.

Unlike now, when every eighth one has flavor and the others you just eat

they're already in your mouth.

How hard can it be? It's paprika, not changing the quotas at Harvard.

Neural respect. Where respect is due. The kid.

wanted to come up with something that just fucked with adults for no reason,

they knocked it out of the park with their stupid, pointless, meaningless

catchphrase 6 -7.

Even getting dictionary .com to say it's impossible to define.

We're all still trying to figure out exactly what it means. Hey, dictionary

.com, you're a dictionary.

Telling us what words mean is the whole point of you existing.

It's like if you turned on the GPS in your car and it said, shit, we're lost.

No,

you can't put a headline that reads, jelly roll is unrecognizable after 200

pound weight loss right above a picture that makes me say, hey, look, it's jelly

roll.

He's still 350. No one's mistaking him for Ariana Grande.

Please,

daddy's working.

If you really want to fool me with a celebrity I won't recognize, show me

Kanye's wife with clothes on.

And finally, new rule, happy Thanksgiving.

I can't believe that even that now is a political issue.

It is a real shame what's happened to this holiday, which used to be all about

the good Fs.

Food, friends, family, football, fun.

And now it's fuck you.

You're not even invited because you voted for the wrong person.

I'm so tired of liberals ghosting half this country.

Conservatives do it too.

but not nearly as much.

Look, whoever's doing it, it's got to stop because we're at a point now where

politics has broken up more families than letting your wife see your phone.

liberal side there's two camps now the we need to keep talking to people wing

and the go no contact wing that's what they call it now go no contact this

belief that trump voters even if it's your own parents are too deplorable for

human contact and must be cut off you know like scientologists do to

people

A former speechwriter for Obama named David Litt wrote an op -ed this year

called, Is it time to stop snubbing your right -wing family?

Where he admitted he'd had a change of heart and that was the wrong approach.

Of course, then the woke wing tried to banish him for breaking ranks on their

policy of hating people who don't agree with you on everything. Because what fun

is life if you're not cutting somebody off?

Mr. Litt asked the question, what has all this banishing accomplished?

Oh, I know, I know.

A second helping of MAGA, that's what.

Molly McNerney, Jimmy Kimmel's wife and head writer, went public on this topic

recently, so I feel it's fair to comment respectfully in public.

She says she's lost relationships with relatives because...

She wrote them an email before the election with 10 reasons why they

vote for Trump. And some still didn't obey.

So, you know, 10 reasons. I can think of 100.

But I would never present it to someone as an ultimatum.

Ultimatums don't make people rethink their politics. They make them rethink

Somewhere along the way, my values became code for I'm the only one with a

compass. You know what would have been a better exercise?

Write a top ten list to yourself where you try to imagine ten reasons why 77

million Americans didn't want to trust you with taking power.

And I say that as someone who votes Democratic. As I like to remind my very

friends, we voted for the same person. You're just why she lost.

Can we please try to remember, especially at this time of year, that

don't decide their politics.

They inherit them. It's about where you grew up in America, what your parents

taught you, your life experiences, your religion.

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia was here recently, and I was amazed by the

number of people who reached out after the show to say, wow, I kind of like

Yeah. That's been my line for a while.

Everyone's a monster till you talk to them.

On our overtime segment that night, someone asked about the alien spaceship.

Maybe you've been reading about it, the 3 -1 Atlas comet that's headed to Earth

and will arrive on December 19th to wipe out all life as we know it.

It's a joke, don't worry.

And when I quoted people in our own defense department who had said, well,

on, what you think might be aliens actually could be fallen angels or

Marjorie agreed, saying, absolutely.

She said, I'm a Christian conservative, angels and demons, that's what we

believe.

Okay, I think that's not... But you know what? So

is... Is this a girl or a boy? I can't tell by his penis.

I'm not going to go through wokeism's greatest hits now, but, you know, the

safetyism, the open borders, queers for Palestine, whatever this was.

I mean, I could go on, really. There's a lot of stuff. The other side has their

top ten list, too, and some of it's pretty hard to argue with. And I know, I

know the President of the United States called a woman piggy this week, and

you're a better person than me because you hate it more than I do.

But I hate it, too.

Really. as well as a thousand other things about the Trump administration, I

never stop pointing out on this show. But I'm an adult, and in the real world,

there's some people you just can't stop talking to, like your spouse or partner

after a bad fight, tempting as that is.

Like your dick of

a boss.

like your family, and like the president of the United States. This is so

childish, so purely emotional.

The people who got all butthurt because I had dinner with them.

You know, because he's Hitler.

Except he's not.

So unhelpful and dumb.

Trump is the most supportive president Israel and the Jews ever had.

You know, every year I used to ask Larry David to do real time, and he'd always

say, Bill, I can't.

I'm not smart enough about politics to do your show.

Yeah, I get that now.

Because there is no argument here.

There's just the sugar rush that the no contact people get from never coming in

second in a I hate Trump the most contest.

Really? That's your strategy? To go full high school?

Tell the guy with all the power he can't sit with you at the lunch table?

To borrow a phrase familiar to HBO viewers, you are not serious people.

I mean, what exactly is the argument? That by talking to Trump, I'll elevate

him? Oh my God, don't tell me he could become president.

Well, I guess, ma 'am, Donnie...

is going to elevate Trump because he went to the White House today, and look

who's getting along now.

This guy,

MBS, was at the White House this week. Biden thought he could cut him off, but

year later he found out he couldn't.

There's no perfect way to deal with Trump, but not engaging is for sure

Axios wrote a column in August entitled, 11 Ways to Influence Trump, based on

many interviews with people who have done that.

Number eight, get face to face.

The trick is getting in the room, away from cameras and social media. Trump

say or write horrible things, but rarely in person, one on one, where he comes

off kinder, more interested, less erratic.

Exactly.

And there's a bunch of examples of this. Most recently, the CEO of Intel, who

Trump was hating on, but then he met in person, and now he's a great guy.

Trump was going to send the National Guard to San Francisco, but somebody

him out of that. Kim Kardashian, for fuck's sake, convinced him to sign

legislation. Don't you get it?

Do you really not get it at this point? Everything with him is done through

personal relationships.

He's a people guy.

Trust me, he's not at home at night pouring over the briefing books.

This is government by people of saying.

If anything, we need more people like me having dinner with him. You complain

he's surrounded by ass kissers, but your strategy is to make sure no one but ass

kissers are around him? You are not serious people.

Hey, Rachel Maddow went to Dick Cheney's funeral yesterday.

We can do this, people.

It's Thanksgiving.

Do yourself a favor, get over yourself, and go have it with your family.

Thank you very much for a great season. You are the best audience every week

these days. I appreciate it so much.

Thank you, HBO, my wonderful staff. We're back after the holidays on January

23rd. I want to thank Killer Mike, Donna Brazell, and Mel Robbins.

Club Random drops every Monday while we're off.

On YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Now go watch Overtime on YouTube.

Thank you, people.