All language subtitles for 1 1 Real.Time.with.Bill.Maher.S24E19.480p

Start the clock.

Thank you very much.

Wow. This is a great show. That is a
pumped up crowd.

Scaring the shit out of me.

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

Finally, a deal with Iran.

I love this deal. We got everything we
wanted except for

everything we asked for.

It's actually a very simple deal.
They're going to stop enriching uranium,

Trump is going to stop enriching his
family.

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
Cup so we can beat them at something.

Because this... First of all, it's not a
deal.

It's a memorandum of understanding.

It's about as legally binding as the
sign in the break room that says, please

clean microwave.

It's nothing.

I mean, you know, we started with
unconditional surrender, Operation Epic

Fury, and now it's memorandum of
understanding.

Last thing that got hosed this bag was
my dog. I mean...

So much...

Where's the

big deal maker?

What happened to the art of the deal?

This is his big clothes?

I got news for you. The emperor has no
clothes.

I tell you, Donald

Trump, when he gets tired of a
relationship, he's just out.

I think he just said to the Supreme
Leader, you know, I think we should take

break.

I just want to bomb other countries.

Yeah, other countries, they're looking
at this. They're seeing all that Iran

out of this. They're getting $300
billion plus sanctions lifted, assets

unfrozen. They're all like, bomb us.

Bomb us.

Remember when Obama unfroze money? It
was like the worst thing that ever

happened in the history of the world.

$300 billion, which apparently is going
to come from our Gulf allies.

Where have I seen this strategy before?

Oh, yeah, I think I would call it the
Stormy Daniels strategy.

It's the third party's going to send you
money, and then we're going to pretend

this never happened.

Got things in this deal it never had
before.

The straighter her moose is a moneymaker
now.

You seen that?

First they had that whole thing about
they started tolls. They never had tolls

there. We said, you cannot have tolls,
and they agreed.

No tolls.

Fees.

Fees. Oh, you know what?

I ran.

You think you can scare us with this? We
invented bullshit fees, okay?

Wait till you can't get through the
Strait of Hormuz unless you get your

at Ticketmaster.

Okay, then talk less about bullshit TV.

And... But I know what you're saying,
Bill. Is there any good news? Yes,

it's Father's Day Sunday. I think
that's... Well...

It's good news for me. I'm not one.

I just love, it's a wonderful thing,
Father's Day and fathers, and everybody

gets in the mood. I see that Kristi
Noem's kids call her, call

their father Pop, because that's what
happens when his balloon tits hit

something sharp. Oh, I kid.

But, no.

Here's some good news. You want good
news, Bobby?

Bobby Kennedy is getting rid of the blue
M &Ms.

All right, it's something.

Yeah, the blue dye in the M &Ms is very
bad for you, and they're going to get

rid of the blue dye out of the M &Ms and
pour it directly into the Lincoln

Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Have you seen what's going on

with that, with the reflecting pool?

Drain the swamp?

Now there's one in the middle of town.

I mean... So, if you haven't been
following this,

Trump thought that the pool was looking
a little tired. You know, it used to be

a ten.

And it was like a six. Okay, so you know
what? I'm not against biffying up the

Capitol, but is there anything they try
to do that they don't fuck up?

I mean, Trump wanted it bluer, and now
it's green with algae.

And they can't figure out how to get the
algae under control, but they did get

it to sign a memorandum of
understanding.

Okay, we've got a great show. We have
Representative Ro Khanna and Jonathan

Martin are here.

But first up, he is the creator, writer,
and director of Euphoria, one of my

favorite shows, and you're streaming now
on HBO, Sam Levinson.

I've been bored of 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

your show deserves pimping.

Because it just touches on so many real
issues that are in this country of ours

and this world. But before I get to
that, I have to say, when I told people

were coming on this week, everyone said,
you've got to ask them, is there going

to be a season four of Euphoria?

Nope, this is it. I think in terms of
what we set out to do and over the

of three seasons, you know, we told the
story we wanted to.

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

craft people, crew members, and feels
like the natural conclusion.

Yeah, I agree.

Three is a good number. Two was good for
The Godfather.

Is part of it because it's tough to film
in LA? Because I've

been reading how difficult it is that
people will go halfway around the world

film something that is supposed to be in
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.

Part of the equation of why you're...
Yeah. Okay. But that's not the reason

we're not doing a full season. Yeah. But
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 what 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

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.

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.

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 Rue.

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, then...

It was the right thing to do, and if it
can, you know, give people a pause

before they take a pill, then... Yeah,
she died, but you didn't.

Yes.

Right, and you spent most of your high
school years in rehab. Yeah. 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...

I had a couple of different issues at
the time. You know, I struggled with

obsessive -compulsive disorder, all this
stuff. And I got put on a lot of

medications when I was younger.

And then I started sort of experimenting
with them.

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, and some of it does, I'm

sure, require that kind of intervention.

But when you start messing with the
kid's mind, I mean, look, I'm no one to

about drugs. I've done a lot of drugs in
my life.

But I didn't start until I was 19.

I didn't know what it was like to bend
reality.

So I felt that... If you start it when
you're 11...

Or even before, if they were giving you
medications, of course they talk about,

you know, what's the gateway drug? Is it
pot? Is it beer? It's whatever the

first thing you ever do is it goes, oh,
there's reality, and then there's this.

Yeah. This is kind of cool to live over
here.

Isn't that what happened to you? I mean,
by and large, yeah. I mean, my gateway

drug wasn't weed. It was pills. It was
pharmaceuticals.

That the adults gave you. Yes.

Okay. Yeah.

No, I mean, look, I think there's
obviously certain people who need

for certain reasons, but there's no
doubt that it is overprescribed and is

messing with people's brain chemistry at
a very young age.

Well, I'm glad you lived through it
because I love the show.

I know.

I was surprised to learn that the
network with The Sopranos and so many

shows is the second most watched show
HBO has ever had after this. Yeah, no.

Oh, it's not that funny.

All right. After a game of thrills. But
I want to get to the other issue, which

I think is almost as big an issue as the
addiction one. I know you got a lot of

heat for it. Like, OK, so you had the
first two seasons and then we had the

pandemic. So there was a lot of gap
between when they were in high school,

started out as a high school show. Yeah.
And then it became this other thing.

And, okay, so now they're out of high
school by three or four years, and you

them in, I mean, one works at a strip
club.

Yeah.

One is on OnlyFans. 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. I did an
editorial there, one we called the

masturbation economy. Yeah. A lot of
this economy.

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 OnlyFans is. That's what
strip clubs is. That's what all of this

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 OnlyFans, 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 going,
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

start taking photos of myself.

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

What happens when...

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
desire,

that kind of fast cash, was an
interesting thing to kind of explore.

at the same time, we caught a lot of
criticism for it.

You know, there's a part of me that
wonders if the show kind of affirmed

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.

Yeah. I always thought both the actress
and the character were my favorites.

She's wonderful.

Yeah, and she's the one who says, I
forget what the scene was, but she says

this, I guess, to the other one, I'm not
a hooker.

Right. Because I'm not a hooker.

And I feel like that said it all. Yeah.
Like she kind of, and she was

participating in it to a degree.

She was managing the girls, which is a
whole new industry.

It's sort of light pimping.

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 scroll through

Pornhub, I hear.

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

criticize you or not. And also the sort
of grooming of social media. Yeah.

You think, I mean, that's something I
didn't have as a kid. I don't know if

did. No, no, I didn't have social media
as a kid.

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, OK, I'll let you go. But I want to
know what you think about these new

movies that were out that did so well.

Obsession and Backrooms that were made.
I mean, this is something you can

comment on probably better than anybody.
You're an auteur 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

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 in 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

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, you know, these...

This kid, you know, 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 in Hollywood. I don't know

lot of people aren't. So we're going to
have, like, 70s movies again.

Oh, that's the dream.

Or, like, movies like your great father
made.

Yeah. You sound just like him, by the
way. Tell him I said hello. I will.

Thank you for the great work. All right.
Sam Levinson, everybody.

Let's meet our panel.

Hey. Hi, guys.

All right. He is the senior political
columnist for Politico. Wow. And host of

the podcast On the Road with Jonathan
Martin. Jonathan Martin, welcome aboard.

What's up?

And you know this guy, a Democratic
congressman representing California's

Silicon Valley, ranking member of the
House China Committee, former co -chair

Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign, Ro
Khanna.

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 economies who aren't China.

Can we put it that way, get together to
write the seven biggest economies in the

world? Okay. And you know who else was
there?

Sam Altman from OpenAI.

Dario Amodei 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.

Ro, 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... Some
of your best friends.

Not all my best friends. Some of them
don't like me.

They spent a lot of money trying to
defeat me. But the point is this. As we

approach 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...

They're entitled to rule.

One of the reasons they don't like me is
I've called for a billionaire or

trillionaire tax.

Think about this. For one tax on Elon
Musk, 5 % tax on Elon Musk, you could

for child care $10 a day for every
American.

You could pay for free public college
for every American. They don't want to

a few percent tax.

Well, I mean, there's very few people.
In fact, there's nobody like that. He's

five 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, that'd be a start. That'd
be a start.

You know?

Okay. What do you think?

You've been traveling the country. I
mean, is there any part in America,

gone all over, Pennsylvania, Michigan,
Wisconsin, where if you said you want to

tax these billionaires or a trillionaire
a few percent, they'd 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, are coming together in their deep

dissatisfaction with the tech oligarchs.
And it does remind, I think, a lot of

people of the 19th century and the rail
barons because they had so much power,

not just culturally, but economically.

politically, too.

Bill, I think about when Trump was
inaugurated a second time and had to

inside because of the cold in D .C.

Who was behind him? It wasn't the CEOs
of Caterpillar or ExxonMobil. Who was

It was the top execs 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

dictate their own rules going forward.
Okay, well, information is a little

different than AI.

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

is trying to get, is it a Modi's
company?

No. Not to release.

Okay, it's called Fable 5 or Mythos 5.
These are the people who make Claude.

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...

A handful of on -the -spectrum incels.

Excuse me.

Don't hold back. Well, Elon is not an
incel. What?

I said Elon is not an incel. There's
evidence about that. Yeah, that's right.

Okay, but, I mean, how are we going to
get the cat back in the bag? I mean,

these people already have this kind of
money, and I assume this kind of power.

assume if they're inviting them to the
G7, they're already afraid of them.

They're already calling the shots. I
think it's going to be maybe the central

issue of the 2028 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

real and what's not. You know, there's
an old quote that everybody... title to

their own opinion but not their own
facts pat moynihan said that well now

entering this world where we are sort of
living in our own version of reality

and every day that goes by the deep
fakes are getting better and better and

not just going to be people who are
elderly who can't figure out what's real

what's not it's going to be us trying to
figure out is that video real did that

guy just say that is that commercial
actually legit and it's getting harder

harder every day you know but if we want
to regulate them maybe we start by not

having three 80 -year -old presidents in
a row.

We need someone who actually understands
technology.

You had Mark Zuckerberg. Well, that's
ageist, first of all. Well,

fine. It is, but it's interesting the
way the Democrats, who are also always

against the prejudice, that's the one
prejudice that's okay. You're fine with

having another 80 -year -old president?
I think it's a case -by -case basis when

you're 80. I've certainly known people
who are 80, which I'll be in 10 years,

and I don't intend to be like Joe Biden.
Are you going to announce?

No, you first.

What's fascinating is this issue
squeezes both parties because Trump has

sort of laissez -faire about this. And
Vance knows that. And Vance is going to

have to take a much more populist 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's whole strategy is let me just
contradict everything the president's

doing. War in Iran? Oh, I was against
it.

Releasing espionage? Democrats,
obviously, are the party of California.

their economic base. So both parties are
going to have to pick a side here. It's

not going to be easy.

I'm talking about guardrails. This is
really what we're talking about. Both

sides are talking now about guardrails,
at least talking.

But it's moving so quickly.

And are you, who represents them, going
to be able to have the strength to

actually implement those guardrails? 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

AI regulatory agency?

Look, if you think this is... Why don't
we? Well, because people are putting

money in, and Trump said, I'm an
accelerationist. China's going to eat

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 guardrails
and regulations.

Here are three things we should be
doing. First of all, you hire someone.

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. Change the tax code.

Actually tax the GenTech AI.

Then you want to make sure that we
actually have a regulatory agency like

have for nuclear energy or electricity.

We need people who understand
technology, who have the guts to stand

and who are going to be on the side of
the workers, not the tech billionaires.

Only 16 % of Americans now think AI will
work. positively impact society, which

it definitely will.

It definitely will. It'll probably make
80 -year -olds sharper.

The numbers don't lie. But, Roe, you
guys can barely keep the lights on in

Congress and fund the government. How
are you going to do a sweeping new

regulatory agenda to regulate this
massive industry when it's hard enough

keep the government open in Congress?
And secondly, if you look at other

countries around the world, Bill, places
like Australia, the U .K. are banning

social media for 18 - and under -year
-old kids.

So I just don't see it. that level of
activism and that political possibility

happening here because the congress is
so gridlocked even when one party's in

power like it is now well we need
leadership i mean donald trump ran and

give these tech billionaires all that
they want and elon musk poured 300

dollars into getting him to 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 then what 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 the federal government?

What we lack in this country is
leadership.

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

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 there's 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?

going to take a period of months,
protracted war, damage to the economy,

point having to put troops on the
ground. He was never willing to do that.

there could have been an uprising.

They just missed the timing, I think. I
just think they should have done it

while the people were in the streets.
January, February?

Yeah, instead of waiting until they all
got shot and then doing it. Anyway, it's

fucked up now.

Here's the bright side of it, I think. I
don't think the Republicans are scared

of Trump anymore.

For the first time in, like, almost ten
years.

I don't think they are. I mean, when you
read the quotes from the Republicans,

they sound like Democrats.

Ted Cruz, he said, dollars to theocratic
lunatics.

John Kennedy of Louisiana, unless you
were homeschooled by a day drinker.

He says...

No one's confident that Iran is going to
do anything.

Bill Cassidy said Reagan is rolling over
in his grave. I don't remember them

ever doing this. It took Trump ending a
war to get Ted Cruz to start criticizing

him. No, go do more and more.

Losing a war.

Losing a war, yes.

How about even you agree, Bill? We 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 that money in Pennsylvania
and Ohio?

What happened to America first? We're
giving $300 billion to Iran? That's what

I'm saying. That's why he's lost.

I mean, he's two years coming up and two
years from 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 going

look like?

I mean, certainly it's got to be an
opportunistic moment for the Democrats.

So I think there's one of two
approaches. How are they going to blow

the more likely approach is that this is
going to be a protracted, ugly

subpoena and investigation, Phil, and
court battles because Trump and his

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 impeach 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 beyond
cleaning out their fucking pool, which

isn't going so well now, right?

And so Trump, if Nixon goes to China and
tries to do a big immigration bill with

a Democratic majority in Congress,
because Democrats like Roe are savvy

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 would be a fascinating effort
because Trump would sell out Stephen

Miller and his party so fast to get a
big legacy walking away. Because right

now, what is his second term legacy, at
least domestically? I'd be open. If he

wants to have a pathway to citizenship
for hardworking immigrants who are

taxes, there'd be people who are open to
that. Secure borders and do that. What

are you talking about?

Here's the farthest thing from his
radar.

He closed the border. He thinks he won
this. This is over for him.

I'll tell you what will happen.

First of all, the crack in the Trump
coalition was when Thomas Massey and I

passed the Epstein files. They have J
.D. Vance in the Situation Room covering

it up. We're going to get those files
released, and we're going to make sure

get justice for survivors. Then we're
going to start passing bills, raising

minimum wage, child care for all
Americans, paid family leave.

figuring out how we get people homes by
35.

And let him either veto them or sign it.
He lost the immigration issue when he

enacted Stephen Miller's policies and
had ICE agents going to get housekeepers

and gardeners and throwing them in jail,
and then had two Americans killed in

cold blood in Minneapolis.

He lost the best issue he had. He
doesn't have any issues now

he's going to need a legacy.

I think it's unlikely, but I'm just
saying if there was one issue where the

parties could get something done in the
final two years, I think it's that. You

know who gets to crow about it? And

look,

there were 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 options.
And now we know that they have the

leverage, which is closing down the
strait. And they can turn that on and

anytime they want. So any future
American president threatens Iran, goes

into Iran, well, guess what? We'll close
the straits down.

We'll jam you on gas prices.

back home politically, and we'll wait
you out. There's no midterms in Iran,

right? It's not just about scoring a
political point. I mean, like Jonathan,

was at the Obama Center and Obama's
speech, and I think here's the lesson

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

resolution that actually had enforced
inspectors. Now we don't have enforced

inspectors. We don't know. But they've
gotten a weaker deal.

You agree it's a weaker deal. It is. Oh,
absolutely.

No, it's a terrible deal. I mean, either
deal, the Iranians are going to fudge

the nukes, right? We kind of know that,
I think. Okay, so another issue. Down in

Texas, there's a race going on. I'm sure
you're watching it closely. Everybody

in politics is.

We had him on the show, James Tallarico.
He's a charismatic new Democrat.

And he could be the next Beto O 'Rourke
in Texas.

Or he could be the guy who finally flips
Texas. Anyway, you know, you mentioned

deep things. That's not 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 this

Ken Paxton ad that Ken has been running
against James Tallarico. 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 Tallarico said.

It's just not all he said. He cut off
the part where he went, there should be

giant welcome mat out front and a lock
on the door.

He cut that part off. That small thing,
yeah.

That's how you run a dirty campaign.

And that's not the only one. Would you
like to see some other examples?

There are other times where he just
showed part of what Tallarico said and

didn't show the whole thing. So I'm
going to show you both. I'm going to

you what he showed and then what the
whole comment was. Ready?

Okay. For example, he has Tallarico
saying, I think a lot about children.

Having good schools.

He showed him saying, I want Texas
grandmothers to know I'm hard.

And work protecting Social Security.

Christmas makes me want to throw up.

Some tinsel and light.

Nikki, guys, every time I visit our
classrooms, I come to the conclusion

can do better.

I wake up every day to a big black cock

flowing outside my window like most
rural Texans.

God blows.

A strong wind of faith that guides my
life.

And, uh... White people need to get the
hell out of

the sun, I'm telling you.

All right, so... So,

you mentioned deepfake.

Let's show that one. There's a Tallarico
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 move people in elections.

Show that. This is not him. This is a
deepfake of James Tallarico.

Boys in white dresses with blue satin
sashes.

Girls stuffed with hormones till they
grow mustaches.

See, they're trying to.

This is Texas, and they're trying to say
he's gay. I got that.

But they're leaking stuff about his past
girlfriends. I don't understand that.

You've got to pick one side.

Right. They're tripping. They're calling
him a vegan, too. The poor guy's

cardiologist is going to be so mad at
him because he's had to eat barbecue

day the rest of the campaign to show
he's not a vegan.

It's incredible.

So that's what goes on in a state like
Texas. Let's talk about California,

because this is your state.

And I was reading Fareed Zakaria's
column this week. Well, I'm sure you

sure it wasn't good news to you.

Now, look, they call California a
progressive laboratory for a good

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 Brownback. Remember this? And he

did the opposite. He did the Republican
laboratory, which was... cut taxes for

everybody, and magically will grow more
revenue. Of course, it was a giant

disaster, and we had a lot of fun
calling it out. And Democrats won ever

there, yeah.

What? Democrats have won ever since
there. 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 the
stats in Fareed'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?

Isn't that what one -party rule has
given us in this state?

Look, it's a mixed bag.

On the one hand, we've done certain
things right. We have excellent higher

education. The UCs, the California
states, and it's led to, of course, a

innovation. $20 trillion in my district,
right? Education, health care.

That's where 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,
in my view, be the biggest failure. And

that's what Fareed 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

Democrats in 28, because you'll see a
lot of folks in his own party who aren't

from California use the stats and the
images against him. And certainly you'd

see it in the fall as well.

Look, it's a tradeoff, I think, you
know, in exchange for getting great

great schools, opportunities.

What's that?

Higher ed. Higher ed. Higher ed. How do
we know they're so great?

Well, the UC system is, you know... I
don't know who's coming out of it and

they're learning. I mean, from what I
see from the elite schools on the East

Coast, they're shit.

Right. The UC has produced a lot of
Nobel laureates just this past year.

take a lot of kids who are first in
their families to go to college. I mean,

UC system genuinely is working. Cal
State is working.

K -12, there are issues. I mean,
honestly, there are issues there. I

demonstrating for Hamas. And there are
structural challenges going on, too. And

there are structural challenges, too.
And it's very simple, the cost of

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

housing is the key issue. It's the
biggest cost of living. And then the

care cost. If you can get...

universal child care, and if you get the
health care costs down and you have

housing policy, it would help move the
state forward. But gas being seven bucks

is kind of hard, too. People in this
state do think that it has been a

I mean, even in this city, even the
Democrats. This is why this guy Steve

Hilton, who's running for 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 go on Fox.

You go on, yeah, right. And that's good.
I'm glad you do.

No, I always encourage Democrats to do
that. I'm doing it Sunday.

Good for you.

If this was not a, I think, big
Democratic year based upon Trump

race would be a lot more interesting for
governor. If it was about state issues

and the performance of the state and
direction of the state, and you had a

better, I think, GOP candidate.

I think that would be a very competitive
race, the most competitive it's been

here in a long time. The problem, Bill,
is all politics is now national, and

everything's about Trump. It's a one
-man election about Trump. And so all

Becerra is going to say is Trump, 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

competitive race, but you can't do that
in the Trump environment. But the other

thing, Jonathan.

Obviously, Schwarzenegger was a larger
-than -life personality.

Hilton's not a celebrity. But
Schwarzenegger had the common sense to

going to be pro -choice.

I'm going to say that climate change
exists.

I'm going to be for gay rights and
equality.

And you keep having these Republicans,
and they keep running pro -life, who

don't give up on, want to bash gay
people, who want to deny climate

Just run someone.

Schwarzenegger showed you how to
compete.

The same reason. All politics is
national, so that candidate can't get

the primary, or what counts as the
primary here, because their hardcore

won't allow it. So you're left with
these candidates who are Trump -lite,

are walking the line on those issues,
who aren't viable in the fall. It used

be a moderate candidate for governor in
California or Vermont or New York was

acceptable and won't have a chance to
win, but you can't do it anymore

politically. I think you're exactly
right. The problem is that I used to

about the toxic D, why Democrats just
are not competitive in so many ways.

states in this country.

But there's a toxic R, like in
California.

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. They will vote for failure over
someone with an R by their name. My

advice to Steve Hilton 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'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 deed. Democrats can't compete
in half this country.

And the reason why they're never going
to have an enduring Senate 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. I think we can compete

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
any state.

And if Gavin Newsom is the candidate?

Gavin Newsom, with all the California
baggage, is 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

do with equity, and it made the kids
stupider. You know, we didn't want to

the homeless they have to get off the
street because that would be, I don't

know. interrupting their lives? I think
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
trans issue. He's moved on that more to

the center politically. So I think he'd
be willing to do it. The challenge is,

are the votes and quotes, as they say,
from his path.

And they hold that against him because
previously he said other stuff. You

that's the challenge. I'm a Pennsylvania
born and raised California

representative.

Okay. I got that. That was a big brag.
Why?

I love Pennsylvania.

I think you need to have, I think
whoever, I think for the democratic

need to make sure that it is California
in the service of the country. It can't

be California lecturing the country. You
guys were both at the Obama library.

Do we have a picture of the Obama
Library? Because it looks like something

aliens built in Dubai.

I liked it. Top affair. Why do it cost
$850 million?

Yeah. I don't understand why
progressives like this.

Couldn't that, you know, money be better
spent on something else? Who's going to

go to this? Why do we need a president?
Yeah, well, what do you think? Why does

anyone need a presidential library?
These monuments to somebody's ego out of

office. I don't, I, are you, anybody
here in this audience planning to go to

Obama presidential library? There you
go. Really?

Come on.

At a time that Elon

Musk is talking about sending people to
Mars, you're telling me that spending up

to a billion dollars, one billion
dollars on commemorating the first and

African -American who's ever been
president isn't worth it? We don't need

building to do that. That's in our
hearts and minds. That already happened.

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 hurled at Barack Obama.

Insults were hurled at Barack Obama. And
he never lost his cool. He never gave

in to a temper. And he showed that hope
and patience and aspiration can overcome

that.

We didn't know that story without the
building?

Like unless you go to the building? Like
Obama, who was he again?

It's not that $850 million versus going
to Mars. I don't want to go to Mars

either. It's $850 million going to the
real causes of people who really need

That's the money I'm talking about.

You know, we spend money on a lot of
frivolous shit. I'm just saying, you

be a hypocrite. I don't think most
presidents need libraries. I do think

Obama's story is unique. I'm biased. I
work for him. But it's a unique story of

telling the possibility in this country
of someone who had no shot. You know,

when I was in law school, when I
interned, they said to me, Roe, you're

American. You're of Hindu faith.

Go to the Capitol because you'll 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

the building, but thank you. All right,
time for new rules.

Okay, new 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

the first to say this marriage will
never last.

Not because they'll fall out of love,
but because this kid is going to kill

in your sleep.

Another 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.

It wouldn't be the weirdest thing he's
ever done.

Neuro, stop going down into caves.

Every year, there's another cave tragedy
story and a dangerous rescue mission.

And why?

You know what's down there? More caves.

Unless it's where you keep wine, stay up
here with us.

And if you still feel the need to get
stuck in a dark hole, try grad school.

I'm kidding. I'm sure the colleges will
win.

No, we'll stop acting like Americans
were horrified when a broadcaster on

World Cup pregame show called James
Corden a full -kit wanker.

First,

we barely remember James Corden.

Second, we have no idea what that means.

And third, we weren't watching the
Knicks were on.

Now that Florida Congressman Byron
Donalds was out this week promoting

programs with a misspelled word on his
sign, you have to

admit it kind of proves his point.

But good on you for trying, Byron. Don't
let it stop you from making America

great.

And finally, no, everybody has to start
getting a little more excited for

America's birthday. Come on, our big 250
is coming up. It's on July 4th for the

kids in our public school.

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.

I even bet that on Kalshi.

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's employee.

And the message could be that America
isn't actually his, and that no one's

gets to own being psyched about the
country. So I'm not down with this

of, well, we're having a party, but if
Trump's going, I'm not.

That's so high school it should be in
the Epstein file.

Go to the party. It's a big celebration.

You probably won't run into him.

This country's 3 .8 million square
miles, and that's without Greenland.

Look, I'm not saying Trump doesn't want
to muddy the distinction between himself

and the country. He sure as shit does.

That's what wannabe authoritarians 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

get to. Still free enough to let me put
the word nonsense next to the

president's name.

You know, you do know

it's not that way everywhere.

Now, am I worried about creeping
authoritarianism and attacks on free

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 is 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 pliant Supreme Court checked
him on tariffs. A court made him take

name off the Kennedy Center, and he
didn't fight it.

Ten more days.

Some more days, please.

Here's the budget cuts to key
departments Trump wanted in his second

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

is also everything that keeps Trump from
being the king he wishes he were.

So...

So this 4th 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

afloat, like those tall ships I remember
from 1976.

Oh, yes, I remember. I was 20, and I
wore a bicentennial T -shirt that whole

summer.

Yeah, man.

I wore it every day, and nobody thought
it meant that I loved Nixon.

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

Abbie Hoffman was the quintessential 60s
radical, and when he had to appear

before the House Un -American Activities
Committee, he wore an American flag

shirt, which some cops later ripped off
his back.

Because the message that most threatens
authoritarians isn't America sucks.

It's America is ours, too.

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?

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,

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

Love Lucy reruns.

The closest thing we had to euphoria was
Three's Company.

RAI was Cliff Notes.

Women had just won the right to get a
credit card.

without their husbands signing off on
it. And there were no women on the

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.

You think filling up your tank is a
headache now?

Back then, being online meant you were
waiting for gas.

Everything had lead in it, which fucked
up kids' brains even worse than TikTok.

People smoked inside planes, and drunk
driving was considered driving.

The hot car that year was the Pinto
because it was on fire.

And since there wasn't any internet porn
yet, if you wanted something to

masturbate to for free, you had to wait
for a streaker.

L .A.

had smog days.

Buildings had asbestos.

Radio had disco duck.

Things were bad, man. So bad, I was
forced to sell everyone drugs just to

them up.

And yet, and yet it didn't stop us from
making 1976

one big P. Did he freak off for America?

Because ask Joe Biden, you only turn 200
once.

So come

on, it's the

fourth. Don't let this year's fourth
become another excuse for partisan

Let it be an excuse to be really
hungover on the 5th.

All right, that's our show. I want to
thank Jonathan Martin, Rotana, and Sam

Levinson. Club Random drops every Monday
on YouTube, or listen wherever you get

your podcasts.

Now go watch Overtime on YouTube.

Thank you very much, ladies and
gentlemen.