‘They’re Making It Up!’ Trump finds new ways to be corrupt

[0:05] Greetings! And welcome back to Clock It! [0:09] Do you like the setups? [0:10] Yes, yes, yes? [0:11] New sets? Look at this. [0:12] Come on. Look at this. [0:13] Come on. It's given longevity. [0:14] Correct. [0:17] They had to paint this. [0:18] Come on. [0:19] It's given employed, Eugene. [0:22] Always. Always. [0:23] For nudes. [0:24] Correct. [0:24] Greetings and welcome back, folks. [0:26] This week, we are noticing some, [0:28] shall we say, differences, right, [0:30] between the wisdom in Washington [0:33] about what's going on, [0:34] and then what people outside of D.C. [0:36] are thinking, particularly when it comes to the president, [0:39] Eugene. [0:39] Yes. In D.C., what both of us [0:41] have been hearing over and over and over again [0:44] is that everyone should be able to see the harms [0:46] of the Trump administration, [0:48] that those harms are so obvious, [0:50] and there is some data to support that. [0:53] A New York Times-Siena poll reports [0:55] his overall approval rating is very low. [0:58] Very, very low. [1:00] Get it, very? [1:01] It's a very white low. [1:02] Oh, I didn't understand. [1:04] I was like, [1:05] where are we going with this one? [1:08] That's okay. [1:09] Low like Barry. [1:10] Correct. [1:11] 37% on his handling of immigration issues. [1:14] A New Quinnipiac poll has him at 57% disapproval, [1:19] which is usually his best numbers [1:21] when it comes to immigration. [1:22] On the war in Iran, [1:23] he's at 61% disapproval. [1:26] Wait, 61% disapproval for the war? [1:29] Disapproval on the war in Iran. [1:30] Oh, wow. That is low. [1:31] That is low. [1:31] Whooping our asses, that's why. [1:33] Even the people that don't drive, apparently. [1:35] Correct. [1:36] You know, it's so crazy. [1:37] There's this thing called the Swing Voter Project. [1:40] You must know about this. [1:42] It is a collaboration between these two research firms [1:45] and NPR, [1:46] and they're actually out with some focus group interviews. [1:48] And the focus group interviews are kind of crazy. [1:50] Take a listen. [1:51] He says he's going to do something, [1:53] he does it, period. [1:55] Whether you like it or not, he does it. [1:57] That's just why I feel like he's a strong president. [1:59] Fix his mind. [2:00] He don't hold his tongue. [2:02] Child. [2:03] That is from last week. [2:04] Now, it's two groups of six North Carolinians, Eugene, [2:08] who voted for Biden in 2020 and then Trump in 2024. [2:12] That's important because there are these Obama-Trump voters, [2:15] people that voted for Obama in 2012, then Trump in 2016, [2:19] and there are also Biden-Trump voters, [2:22] and they have thoughts. [2:23] Here's some more. [2:24] Because I feel like if things weren't going on right now [2:28] the way they are with Iran, [2:29] that our economy would start to even out a little better. [2:33] I know everything feels like it's on the rise right now, [2:36] but it's because everything is because fuel is. [2:39] Debbie, hang on a second. [2:40] Let me play devil's advocate with you. [2:41] The Iran thing is going on. [2:43] Why aren't you more anxious because it's going on [2:45] as opposed to hoping that when it's over, [2:47] it will be better? [2:48] Explain that to me just so I understand it. [2:50] Because I know there's a reason for it. [2:57] Unlike with the other president where it just kept going up [3:01] and up and up and up and up, there was no reasoning behind it. [3:04] Where this is, there's a reason for it. [3:07] So once this is settled, our economy will settle. [3:11] We will be okay. [3:12] Now, I just want to point out, love a voter. [3:15] Thank you, Debbie. [3:16] However, also was the reason that gas was going up [3:19] during the Biden administration. [3:20] That was the war in Ukraine. [3:22] Yes. Yes. [3:23] So like that is that. [3:24] So it's not just like gas just started going up. [3:26] Presidents actually typically do not have that much control [3:30] over oil prices. [3:31] The United States is not a member of OPEC, [3:33] which kind of handles all of the barrels of oil [3:36] and works on that. [3:37] But when you go to war and then the people [3:40] that you're fighting a war with close the strait [3:42] and 20% of the oil can't get out, [3:45] maybe then you are indeed partly to blame [3:48] for the gas prices going up, Simone. [3:50] I mean, clock it, Eugene. [3:52] It's very important. [3:53] Can I just note though, like, I know people will hear Debbie. [3:56] They're going to hear Debbie and be like, [3:57] what's going on with Debbie? [3:59] But Debbie, frankly, is indicative of how a lot of people [4:03] in this country are thinking. [4:06] If you think back to, we've all heard sound of people [4:09] from the gas station, some people who support the people [4:11] and some people who support the president, [4:12] some say, well, there must be a reason for this. [4:14] Because it's hard for regular folks in America to fathom [4:17] that the president of the United States would be doing something [4:20] that doesn't have rhyme or reason to it. [4:23] Newsflash, y'all. [4:24] That's how it happens, okay? [4:25] It's just a bunch of people deciding [4:27] at the whims of the president. [4:29] And this president is a little, you know, [4:31] they like to call it unconventional. [4:33] I like to say a little insane with the actions. [4:36] Look. [4:37] And I will say to Vicky, too, like Vicky, the first one, [4:41] the question is about a strong president versus a weak president. [4:44] Mm-hmm. [4:45] But the other question for me, [4:46] and I think voters might answer this question a little differently, [4:49] is, is this president effective? [4:51] Are they a good president, right? [4:53] That is a different question than strong, I think. [4:56] But I spend a lot of time, like, thinking about this, [4:58] and voters have a lot of stuff going on. [5:00] They have their own jobs. [5:01] They have a bunch... [5:02] They have kids. [5:03] They have... [5:04] The gas prices are high. [5:05] They're figuring out how to put food on the table. [5:07] This is my full-time job, so I can focus on it. [5:09] So I understand why when they're looking at it, [5:11] they're like, strong must mean good. [5:13] Yeah, strong must mean effective. [5:15] Now, here's the thing. [5:16] For Vicky, your point, Vicky, who said he does [5:18] what he says he's going to do, [5:20] I think it is really important for folks [5:22] to connect the dots for the voters out there. [5:24] Frankly, I think this is what Democrats, [5:25] if they're trying to win, should be doing... [5:27] Quickly. [5:28] ...every single day between now [5:30] and the general election and this November. [5:33] The reality is he has not done [5:36] the things that he said he was going to do. [5:38] He said he was going to lower prices on day one. [5:39] He said no new wars. He done started a war. [5:41] He did promise to be retribution though, [5:43] and that seems to be going down. [5:45] They work on that a lot, Simone. [5:47] I mean, I think the thing that's so interesting [5:49] when you talk to Trump voters, [5:50] and this has been true forever, [5:52] in 2018, when I was at Politico, [5:54] I was on the video team. [5:55] Me and Mary Newman, the producer, [5:57] we went to Iowa to a soybean farm. [6:00] I think I've told you this story. [6:01] And we talked to this farmer [6:03] who was losing so much money, [6:04] hundreds of thousands of dollars, [6:06] because of the then trade war with China [6:09] over soybeans. [6:10] And I said, [6:11] do you blame President Trump for this? [6:14] What he said was the same exact thing [6:17] that Debbie said, which is, [6:19] I have to trust that it's going to work out. [6:21] And I think there's a human psychology aspect to this [6:24] that we don't talk about enough in politics [6:26] and political coverage, [6:27] which is that it is very difficult for us [6:30] as human beings to say that we were wrong, right? [6:33] To say that something we did was wrong, [6:35] something that we did, [6:36] the impact of it harmed us and our families. [6:38] That is difficult. [6:39] I don't think that's, [6:40] that to me says that that's a lack of accountability. [6:42] You're trying to say Americans struggle [6:44] with being accountable. [6:45] Humans struggle with accountability. [6:46] I do. [6:47] Don't you think? [6:48] So you think? [6:49] Now, as someone who knows you [6:50] and takes many a call now, [6:52] I'm not going, [6:53] we're not going to pretend in front of these people [6:56] like accountability. [6:58] It's simple for everybody. [6:59] Because when we're on the phone calls, [7:01] don't we, sometimes we have to check each other. [7:03] Don't be hearing me out. [7:04] Don't you have to check me? [7:05] Okay. [7:06] Okay. [7:07] You have to check me sometime soon. [7:08] Well, Eugene, now, [7:09] that was a weird thing for you to do. [7:10] It's not just, [7:11] okay, I don't think that's accountability. [7:12] It's showing someone the error of their ways. [7:14] You know how, like, [7:15] you don't think, [7:16] sometimes on the phone calls, [7:18] I didn't see that perspective. [7:19] Right, right. [7:20] So I didn't even know. [7:21] And now I'm like, [7:22] oh, you know what? [7:23] Would you say it like that? [7:24] Yeah. [7:25] So I think that the American people, [7:27] particularly people who voted for Donald Trump [7:30] this last time, [7:31] they are struggling to see the other perspective. [7:34] Maybe because they don't have all the data [7:36] points, [7:37] maybe because they're in their mind. [7:39] We're so partisan. [7:40] Yes. [7:41] They're trying to make it make sense, [7:42] for lack of a better term. [7:43] Yeah. [7:44] Like, Debbie is trying to, [7:45] she's like, [7:46] there must be a reason. [7:47] And then shout out to Rich, [7:48] who's like, well, hold on, Debbie, [7:49] because the Iran war is going on right now. [7:51] Right. [7:52] But again, [7:53] I think these focus groups are, [7:54] I love a focus group. [7:55] Me too. [7:56] When I used to be a consultant, [7:57] I would always opt for the focus group over the polls, [8:00] because a focus group, [8:01] I believe is a very good snapshot of what voters [8:05] or a group of voters or type of folks are thinking. [8:08] And so shout out to NPR and Rich and these firms [8:12] for giving us a window into some of the voters [8:14] in North Carolina. [8:15] Because you can do a back and forth, right? [8:17] A poll is just a question, right? [8:18] Like the people see it and they answer, [8:19] especially these online polls, [8:21] even the phone calls. [8:22] And they have a script they're reading from. [8:24] Rich can like be like, [8:25] well, hold on now. [8:26] Let me test that theory. [8:27] Now, one thing that the people in these focus groups [8:30] were united on, [8:31] they're concerned about AI. [8:33] And they want the government to regulate it. [8:36] Listen to this. [8:37] I feel like this is something every country needs to get [8:40] on board with the same regulations across the world. [8:43] Be like, hey, [8:44] have the freedom to develop with AI, [8:46] but we, [8:47] we all need to know there's a push red button in case [8:50] of emergency that's going to work. [8:52] Okay. [8:54] How many of you are with Steve on that? [8:55] Global AI Council to regulate all of this globally. [8:58] Show of fingers. [8:59] Who supports it? [9:01] Oh, thanks guys. [9:02] Appreciate that. [9:03] Justice for Steve. [9:04] Yes, Justice for Steve. [9:05] I'm with Steve. [9:06] I support a global AI Council. [9:08] Frankly, I support at least Congress doing something, [9:10] but ain't nobody done nothing yet [9:12] because they're letting these companies run rampant. [9:14] But that's another story. [9:15] The Pope also agrees with Steve. [9:17] On Monday. [9:18] Now, Eugene, I know you're not Catholic, [9:20] but I went to Catholic school. [9:21] So the Pope put out this thing called an encyclical [9:25] and it was his first one. [9:26] And the encyclical is basically, [9:28] it's an open letter to Catholics, [9:31] but with the awareness that other people will read it. [9:33] Right? [9:34] Yes. Like me. [9:35] Yes. [9:36] You are the other people in this, [9:37] in this, in this subtext. [9:39] Well, in this particular encyclical, [9:40] and then remember this is the new Pope. [9:42] So it's his first encyclical. [9:43] He gave this letter a tagline. [9:45] Do you know what the tagline was? [9:47] No, you tell me. [9:48] You tell me. [9:49] The tagline was on safeguarding the human person [9:52] in the time of artificial intelligence. [9:55] Okay. Now, Pope Leo wrote, [9:56] let me get it now. [9:57] Let me get it down. [9:58] Quote, [9:59] the gospel cannot overlook the concrete lives of people. [10:04] And he said, [10:05] it's necessary to establish adequate regulatory tools [10:09] capable of upholding justice [10:11] and curbing the distorting effects of technological power. [10:15] Now, see, when the Pope says it, everybody listens. [10:18] I've been saying this about AI for weeks and months. [10:21] Now, I... [10:22] Y'all been ignoring me. [10:23] Okay, fine. [10:24] You can be right. [10:25] Did you see the Oprah interview? [10:26] Did you see the Oprah interview with Anthropic CEOs? [10:27] No. [10:28] You need to send that to me. [10:29] Baby. [10:30] Baby. [10:31] This morning, I asked Claude, [10:32] what is the most pressing question Oprah Winfrey should ask [10:37] Anthropic CEO Dario Amade in a sit-down interview? [10:42] And Claude responded with this. [10:45] It said, [10:46] you've said there's a meaningful chance [10:48] the technology your company is building [10:51] could cause human extinction, [10:53] and yet you're racing to build it faster. [10:56] How do you justify that to the rest of us [10:59] who didn't get a vote? [11:01] Basically. [11:02] Ooh! [11:03] Claude was like, man, I got a question for him. [11:05] Very interesting. [11:06] Even Claude's like, [11:07] somebody needs to regulate me. [11:08] Please, someone. [11:09] Claude is letting us know. [11:11] So, you know what? [11:12] Maybe you were right, okay? [11:14] Steve was right. [11:15] The Pope is right. [11:16] You know who else was right? [11:17] New York, okay? [11:18] Okay, New York. [11:19] They were right about the Knicks, okay? [11:20] They just played the ten best games. [11:22] Now, I did hear this on the news last night. [11:24] Not the news. [11:25] I did. [11:26] I heard it on the news. [11:27] I was up, you know, this was, [11:28] we had a Memorial Day, like, cookout. [11:30] We're really a cook in, [11:31] cause the grill was raining outside. [11:33] The grill wasn't working. [11:34] But, and the news was on, [11:36] and they were talking about this, like, historic run, [11:38] apparently, that the Knicks were on. [11:40] They just played, like, [11:41] the best ten games in NBA history, okay? [11:43] So, if you go by the difference in points [11:45] between them and then their other opponents, [11:47] that's why, you know, [11:48] the best ten games in history. [11:49] So, it's a historic run for them. [11:51] Okay. [11:52] And the NBA Finals, [11:53] they start next week. [11:54] Will you be watching? [11:55] No, I will not. [11:56] But, you know, Jackie keeps saying, [11:57] um, Knicks Nation are my co-anchor. [11:59] And I'm like, what is she talking about? [12:01] What is the Knicks? [12:02] Because they're winning! [12:03] That's what Jackie's talking about. [12:04] Yay for the Knicks! [12:05] Justice for Jackie. [12:06] Go Knicks. [12:07] So, all that is in the backdrop. [12:10] While people in Texas voted in primary run-offs this week. [12:13] Mm-hmm. [12:14] The biggest result. [12:15] Mm-hmm. [12:16] Completely shocking. [12:17] Ken Paxton defeating the four-term incumbent, [12:20] John Cornyn, in Texas. [12:22] Now, Trump had endorsed. [12:24] Scandal Plague is putting it lightly. [12:26] And his victory, his team called the FBI on him. [12:31] Like, it's crazy. [12:32] And, and he was, he had employed the mistress. [12:36] Ugh. [12:37] And he was, there's a lot. [12:39] There's a lot. [12:40] There's a lot to dig into. [12:41] Um, his victory is more evidence of Trump's sway, control, [12:45] vice grip over the Republican Party, [12:47] and at least primary voters. [12:49] So now, Paxton will run against James Tallarico [12:52] for a Senate seat in November. [12:54] You know, I am not surprised by Paxton's win, [12:57] and I'm gonna tell you why. [12:58] Um, voters in Texas, like, many voters across the country [13:01] have been talking about how they want change, [13:03] something different. [13:04] Yeah. [13:05] Okay, well, when you are an incumbent like John Cornyn, [13:06] you do not scream change. [13:07] But also, people forget. [13:09] You know, we're, we're, we're really pointing out [13:11] all the scandals with Ken Paxton, [13:13] and he got a lot of issues, and some of it feels comical. [13:16] Like, you got a lot of people crying. [13:17] Yeah. [13:18] But he is a star in, in conservative circles [13:22] because during the Biden administration, [13:24] when I worked there in the first year, [13:25] all of the, um, lawsuits that were coming from [13:27] Yeah. [13:28] Republican attorney generals, [13:29] Ken Paxton was leading it, child. [13:30] At the top of the list. [13:31] Yes, it was. [13:32] Every time. [13:33] Every single time. [13:34] Mm-mm-mm. [13:35] Well, we'll be watching that race. [13:37] Uh, James Tallarico. [13:38] A lot. [13:39] We will see how this thing goes down. [13:41] Okay. [13:42] Um, well, Eugene, let's move on. [13:44] I feel like we need like a, a lighter moment. [13:46] There's so much happening in the world. [13:48] At some point. [13:49] Yes. [13:50] Um, so comedian and host W. Kamau Bell [13:53] will join the group chat in just a little bit. [13:55] And you remember him, right? [13:56] From his CNN show. [13:57] Yes, yeah, of course. [13:58] United Shades of America and his docu-series [14:01] We Need to Talk About Cosby. [14:03] Well. [14:04] Well, well, this week we need to talk about comedy. [14:08] Is comedy political? [14:09] Yes, I'm going back to what Byron Allen said. [14:11] Is it bad if it is? [14:13] Is it bad if it's not? [14:14] Who gets to decide what is going on? [14:17] Well, we're going to find out. [14:18] These are all the things. [14:19] Now, we're going to get to some of the comedy with Mr. Bell, [14:21] but first, I would like to discuss the sheer, sheer, [14:25] enormous amount of money that President Trump and his family [14:28] seem to be making while he is in office. [14:31] Now, according to federal ethics filings, [14:33] that means, y'all, that he sent this to the government, [14:36] he and his team sent this to the government, [14:38] during the first quarter of 2026 alone, [14:41] the president or someone on his behalf [14:43] made more than 3,600 buy-sell orders. [14:47] Many of those orders involve companies [14:49] that are directly impacted. [14:50] What is a buy-and-sell order? [14:51] It's like, go buy this, sell that. [14:53] It's very simple. [14:54] It's exactly what it sounds like. [14:55] Now, many of the companies, Simone, [14:57] are ones that are directly impacted [14:59] by his decisions as president. [15:01] Here's a quick example. [15:03] So, the documents show that President Trump, [15:06] or somebody in his name, [15:08] bought as much as $5 million in NVIDIA stock [15:12] just before the AI chipmaker got the go-ahead [15:14] to export processors to China. [15:17] Well, hold on now. [15:19] It's the government that made the decision [15:22] about the go-ahead. [15:24] The Biden administration had blocked NVIDIA [15:27] from selling to China, [15:29] this particular kind of chip. [15:30] And so, the Trump administration [15:32] reversed that, you know, decision. [15:35] I think the thing that's so interesting, [15:37] this is... [15:38] Vice President Vance was asked this [15:40] when he did his press conference last week. [15:42] And they asked him about it. [15:43] He said, do you think the president [15:44] is doing the pushing and pointing at things? [15:46] No. [15:47] However, someone is doing it in his name. [15:50] And I think, like, [15:51] that is the thing that's so important. [15:52] If you talk to ethics czars and experts [15:55] from any other administration, [15:57] what they would tell you, [15:58] Obama and his wife during the first term, [16:01] I think, wanted to put a second mortgage [16:05] on their house. [16:06] Oh, yeah, they wanted to refinance. [16:07] And they wanted to refinance their house. [16:09] See, and what did they tell them? [16:11] Norm... [16:12] Norm Eisen was like, [16:13] you can't do that. [16:14] He was the ethics czar, child. [16:15] He was like, you cannot do that. [16:16] So, even that was something [16:17] that other presidents wouldn't do. [16:19] And yet, President Trump or someone in his name [16:22] is buying and selling, [16:23] and all of the decisions [16:25] these folks look at are being made [16:27] by a government that he runs. [16:28] There's a lot of questions about that. [16:30] I have a lot of questions. [16:32] I'm looking at the... [16:33] Child, I'm looking at the research like, [16:35] what is going on here? [16:37] It's very concerning. [16:38] Federal ethics law... [16:39] This is from Notice, okay? [16:41] Yeah. [16:42] From Notice. [16:43] Federal ethics laws require the president [16:45] to disclose stock trades in broad ranges. [16:48] Now, the White House referred Notice's questions [16:51] about the trades to the Trump Organization, [16:53] which said the president, his family, [16:55] and the organization itself [16:56] don't play a role in the investments [16:58] and don't receive notice of trade... [17:01] Excuse me. Oh. [17:05] What's that? [17:09] That's a sneeze. [17:10] Oh. [17:11] That's what your sneezes sound like? [17:13] Yes, bless me. [17:14] Very sad. [17:15] Yeah, bless you. [17:16] As I was saying, [17:18] and don't receive notice of trading activity, [17:21] a spokesperson said in a statement. [17:23] So, who does? [17:25] Exactly. [17:26] Is the investor on the email chain? [17:28] Mm-hmm. [17:29] Is somebody telling the investor, [17:31] like, the most recent news, [17:33] and then the investor is taking the news [17:35] and then going and saying, [17:36] okay, this is about to happen, [17:37] this is what we need to buy. [17:38] Like, how is it going down? [17:40] This seems like something Congress [17:41] should investigate. [17:42] Jimmy Carter put his peanut farm [17:44] in a blind crust [17:46] because he was so worried about the idea [17:48] that someone would think [17:49] that something improper would happen, right? [17:51] And so, like, this is... [17:53] And for folks who are like, [17:54] well, who cares? [17:55] Well, no, it does matter. [17:56] Because while Republicans like to remind us [17:59] that Donald J. Trump is not taking [18:01] a presidential salary, [18:03] I think it's like 400... [18:05] 400-something thousand dollars. [18:06] Mm-hmm. [18:07] He's not taking the salary, [18:08] but all these trades are happening, [18:10] more trades than all of Congress. [18:12] Well, he's made billions of dollars [18:14] since he's been president. [18:16] Over 400-some days, [18:17] it's been 400-some days [18:18] since Donald Trump has been president [18:20] the second time. [18:21] He has made billions of dollars. [18:23] And his family. [18:24] That's crazy. [18:25] And his family. [18:26] They've made billions of dollars [18:28] while the rest of America, frankly, is... [18:32] Well, unless you're wealthy. [18:33] Wealthy people in America [18:34] are doing very well right now. [18:35] They're doing great. [18:36] But most people in this country, okay, [18:38] who are not, like, in the trades [18:39] and in the stock market, right, [18:40] they are not doing well. [18:42] I just... [18:43] I don't think you should be getting rich [18:44] off the people. [18:45] Isn't that one of the issues [18:47] that people have with members of Congress [18:48] and people in the government? [18:49] All the time. [18:50] It's like, oh, they go into government [18:51] and they getting rich off us. [18:52] That's what the president is doing. [18:54] And what's so interesting [18:55] is these are also the same... [18:56] a lot of these Republicans now [18:58] who are, like, defending this, [18:59] mealy-mouthed about it [19:00] and not condemning it. [19:01] Who's defending it? [19:02] J.D. Vance, for one of them. [19:03] These are people who had a lot of problems [19:05] with Hunter Biden's little paintings, right? [19:07] They had a lot of... [19:08] Which I did, too. [19:09] Very weird. [19:10] Lots of questions. [19:11] But, like, you are not supposed [19:12] to be making money off of the presidency. [19:14] And yet, here we are. [19:15] The president and his children [19:17] are making money off the presidency. [19:18] It's very concerning. [19:19] And his son-in-law, [19:20] according to reports. [19:21] And his son... [19:22] Oh, yes, yes, yes. [19:23] Can't forget about Jared Kushner, [19:24] you know, the non-government employee [19:26] that is apparently negotiating peace [19:28] in the Middle East. [19:29] See how that's going. [19:30] The Strait of Hormuz is still closed, [19:32] but Jared Kushner's gonna get it open. [19:34] Can I just note that this dovetails [19:37] with that, I call it, you know, [19:40] payouts to the president's own personal militia, [19:43] the January 6th. [19:44] Some people call it a slush fund. [19:45] Shout-out to Jamie Raskin's slush fund. [19:47] I just feel like this is in the same vein of that. [19:50] Again, the government says that they don't have [19:52] any money for Medicare, Medicaid, [19:55] they don't have any money for SNAP, [19:57] don't have any money for NPR, PBS. [19:58] Again, what did Elmo do? [20:00] They... Obamacare subsidies, right? [20:03] Childcare. [20:04] Trump said, we just can't pay for that. [20:06] Okay, no money for housing. [20:07] But we have nearly $1.8 billion [20:11] of government funds, our taxpayer dollars, [20:14] to give out to the January 6th. [20:17] It's given grift. [20:19] It's given... [20:20] You got money for wars, [20:21] we can't feed the poor. [20:22] And it's also... [20:23] It's still not super clear [20:25] how did this, quote-unquote, [20:26] as some people have been calling it a settlement, [20:28] which is not a settlement [20:29] because you have to have adverse parties. [20:31] The lawsuit was questionable to begin with. [20:33] And yet, and yet... [20:35] And it was dropped. [20:36] To be very clear, the lawsuit was... [20:37] I don't want people to miss what you're saying, [20:38] because the lawsuit was dropped. [20:40] The government, Trump, withdrew the lawsuit [20:43] when a judge was about to basically rule and say, [20:46] this is insane. [20:47] There's nothing here. [20:48] The judge said, you can't sue yourself. [20:49] Correct. [20:50] You can't sue yourself. [20:51] I didn't, like... [20:52] You can't sue yourself. [20:53] It doesn't even make sense. [20:54] But, yeah, he tried. [20:56] And then, when he withdrew the lawsuit, [20:58] then the government came up with this little scheme, [21:01] and then they said, you know what we'll do? [21:03] We'll call it a settlement. [21:04] We'll do this, da-da-da-da. [21:06] And the people just ate it up. [21:07] I saw headline after headline after headline, [21:09] still have seen headline after headline, [21:11] about how this is a settlement, [21:13] and there's questions about the legality. [21:16] There's nothing that says it's legal. [21:18] Where is it legal? [21:19] They're gaslighting us. [21:20] They're literally making it up. [21:22] And now we're all, as Michael Steele would say, [21:24] doing the backstroke. [21:25] Right. [21:26] Okay? [21:27] Trying to make it make sense. [21:28] It don't make no sense. [21:29] There's no rhyme or reason here. [21:30] The government made it up. [21:32] They got into a room and they were like, [21:34] we'll do this. [21:35] These motherfuckers are never figuring it out. [21:36] Okay? [21:37] They're making it up. [21:39] Now, in addition to all of this, [21:41] the DOJ added a little one-pager to this whole thing. [21:45] It says the federal government is barred forever. [21:49] Forever barred. [21:52] Forever. [21:53] In perpetuity. [21:54] Forever. [21:55] From looking into Trump's tax filings and his sons [21:59] and the Trump Organization. [22:01] Now, I... [22:03] Again, made it up. [22:04] Like, made it... [22:05] Also, I... [22:06] So, I asked Liz Oyer on the weekend, this... [22:09] Just this past weekend. [22:10] I said... [22:11] Liz Oyer was, for people who don't know, [22:13] was the United States' pardon attorney [22:15] until she got fired. [22:16] Mm-hmm. [22:17] There's a lawsuit. [22:18] Um, listen to what Liz said about whether or not [22:20] a new administration can be like, [22:23] we don't care about that. [22:24] Let's say, you know, Chris Murphy or AOC [22:28] becomes president in 2029. [22:30] Why couldn't their DOJ actually just ignore that? [22:34] So, the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, [22:36] has legal authority to bind the United States. [22:39] He's binding the entire country as our acting attorney general. [22:43] Yeah. [22:44] And that would... [22:45] That would mean that the next president, [22:47] the next attorney general, [22:48] they would be limited by what Todd Blanche agreed to [22:50] in the settlement agreement, [22:51] which is one of the things that's so egregious about it. [22:54] I mean, Glenn mentioned that Todd... [22:56] that Donald Trump is not getting any money. [22:58] That's true. [22:59] But the value of that waiver of the United States' right [23:02] to audit him, to investigate him, or to sue him. [23:05] I mean, that's worth potentially billions of dollars right there. [23:07] With all the crypto and all the stuff that him and his family [23:09] are operating in? [23:10] Exactly. [23:11] Lots of questions. [23:12] Griming. [23:13] I'm with... [23:14] Griming. [23:15] I just... [23:16] I mean, Simone, it is... [23:18] Wait! [23:19] I'm confused. [23:20] So... [23:21] You're not confused. [23:22] You're very... [23:23] You're very clear-eyed. [23:24] I think you're one of the most clear-eyed people [23:25] in the media on this. [23:26] You have been calling it a grift from the very beginning. [23:28] Even though it's a grift. [23:29] Even though they are literally making it up. [23:32] The... [23:33] Todd Blanche, who ain't even the real attorney general. [23:35] Acting. [23:36] He's just a stand-in attorney general. [23:37] That's what acting means, folks. [23:38] For now. [23:39] He's just a play... [23:40] He's just a play AG until they find the real AG child. [23:43] And it might not even be him if he don't get it together. [23:45] Mm-hmm. [23:46] So, the acting attorney general could just say, [23:48] Oh, we're not gonna audit... [23:50] Like, no more audits ever. [23:52] On... [23:53] On what basis? [23:54] That's what I don't understand. [23:55] How is it legally binding? [23:56] There's no settlement! [23:57] I... [23:58] At this point... [24:00] I'm looking for the settlement. [24:02] I don't see it. [24:03] Is it in there? [24:04] Is it under the table, maybe? [24:05] The settlement is not... [24:06] The settlement is not with us. [24:07] Because it doesn't exist! [24:08] There wasn't even a ca... [24:09] Like, I just... [24:10] I am, um, vexed. [24:14] My lash is about to fall out. [24:16] I'm vexed about this because this is how they run away with the whole store, [24:24] okay, as the old folks would say. [24:26] Mm-hmm. [24:27] When you... [24:28] When they do these things right out in the open, [24:31] slap some fancy language on top of it, [24:34] and present it to the people, [24:36] and then dare you to question them and then move forward. [24:39] We are acting as though that these are rational people [24:43] operating within the bounds of the law and the Constitution, [24:47] and they have shown us every single day since January 20th, 2025, [24:53] that that ain't them. [24:55] And I think what is so frustrating about this, [25:00] or something that I am thinking about a lot, Simone, [25:05] is that, you know, the American people, [25:08] people in general, [25:09] can, like, turn a blind eye to a lot of things, right? [25:12] Like, in first term, people are always like, [25:15] the Emoluments Clause! He's making money off the presidency! [25:18] They're staying in the little... [25:19] They're staying in the Trump Hotel in D.C. [25:21] and the Emoluments Clause from the Constitution! [25:23] I think people were easily able to not look at that [25:28] and not really care about that kind of grift, [25:30] that kind of, you know, alleged corruption, [25:32] because things were better for them. [25:34] And I think now, as things are worse for them, [25:36] there are people who have talked to our Alex Tabat [25:40] at gas stations, [25:41] who are tying those two things together. [25:43] They're saying, [25:44] you have money for these insurrectionists, [25:46] you pardoned them, [25:47] now you want to give them our taxpayer money. [25:50] Mm-hmm. [25:51] It just bexes me so much. [25:53] But don't take it from us, folks. [25:54] Listen to the people. [25:56] Let's actually play the sound from Alex Tabat. [25:59] He was in Georgia on Thursday, May 21st, Eugene. [26:04] Mm-hmm. [26:05] And this is an interview with Arthur Woods. [26:07] Now, Mr. Woods is 71 years old. [26:09] In 2024, he voted for Kamala. [26:11] Take Alyssa. [26:12] It's impacted me tremendously. [26:14] As you noted, as you said, I do rideshare. [26:17] And last year, Phillip, for me, was $35. [26:21] This year, it's $64. [26:23] And every day, there's some type of additional costs creeping, [26:28] you know, creeping up. [26:30] And now they're talking about this weaponization fund, [26:36] the giving money away, giving money away. [26:41] You know, because in my mind, January 6th, [26:45] that should have been a dead issue. [26:47] In other words, we resolved that. [26:49] They were found guilty. [26:51] Why would we give them some kind of fund to help them along [26:55] when other Americans are starving, [26:57] when other Americans are going through [26:59] the cost of living the way they are? [27:01] Well... [27:03] Clock it, Mr. Arthur. [27:04] Clock it. [27:05] Clock it. [27:06] It seems very clear there. [27:07] Very clear there. [27:08] Very clear there. [27:09] Let's move on. [27:10] My blood pressure side. [27:11] It's too much. [27:12] Let's move on. [27:13] Okay. [27:14] I don't know if you saw, Eugene, [27:15] but this weekend, I wrote an op-ed for MSNOW [27:17] about the two ways that political organizations [27:20] are pushing back against the redistricting [27:22] that we've been talking about [27:23] that's going on in the South in places like, [27:25] or attempting to go on in places like Alabama. [27:27] Georgia said they might be looking at it. [27:30] Mississippi said they might be looking at it. [27:32] It happened in Florida. [27:33] And of course, South Carolina, [27:35] these state legislatures, [27:36] they're just redrawing the congressional maps [27:38] and they're stripping power away. [27:40] They're literally diluting the power of Black voters. [27:42] Not just about Black representation, [27:44] it's about Black voters. [27:45] Correct. [27:46] So the Congressional Black Caucus, [27:47] they came out and they said that its members [27:49] would not be voting for the SCORE Act. [27:52] Now, what's the SCORE Act? [27:53] Jamil Hill went on her livestream, [27:55] Spolitics, on Tuesday, May 19th, [27:57] and she did so right after she watched [27:59] the Congressional Black Caucus' press conference [28:01] on the SCORE Act and the NAACP boycott. [28:04] And let me just tell you, [28:05] she explained it so well on her podcast in this clip. [28:09] Just take a listen, folks. [28:11] Basically, these college administrators [28:14] and power brokers who have come together [28:16] to, quote, save college sports. [28:18] Save college sports, meaning that they would like [28:21] to cap the earnings that these athletes are making. [28:23] They would like to stop the number of lawsuits [28:28] they're facing from athletes over eligibility, [28:30] over compensation, because a few have been settled, [28:33] but there were many more that were on the table. [28:35] So they're trying to stop getting their ass kicked in court. [28:39] That is a piece of legislation that the NCAA wants very badly, okay? [28:45] Well, the same day that the CBC came out against the SCORE Act, [28:48] and to be clear, there's 60 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, [28:52] so they can't hold up legislation if you need Democratic votes. [28:55] That same day, the NAACP also popped out. [28:58] They put out a call for athletes, families, boosters, fans, [29:03] to boycott universities in the South [29:05] where the legislatures are doing this. [29:07] And this has become a huge topic of conversation in the streets. [29:12] Now, my op-ed, let me just grab it, child. [29:16] Because I put it up on my phone. [29:18] A very good op-ed. [29:19] Thank you, thank you, thank you. [29:21] Now, my op-ed argues that I think that the CBC and the NAACP, [29:27] like, I'm glad that they're trying to make silence expensive. [29:31] They are asking the people, that's what's happening. [29:34] They're just not asking the universities to, you know, [29:37] find a conscience or be benevolent or care about democracy. [29:40] They're gonna hit them in their pockets where it hurts. [29:42] And I don't think it's crazy. [29:45] Matter of fact, I think it's smart for the NAACP [29:48] and the Congressional Black Caucus to encourage people and say, [29:51] hey, look, you built these programs, [29:53] programs, frankly, many of them, [29:54] who are built off the backs of Black people, [29:56] you built these programs. [29:57] Not many of them, all of them. [29:58] Come on. [29:59] And use your power to make them hear you. [30:03] So, people have... [30:04] I'm gonna read some of you to you. [30:06] Oh, yes, because I don't like to quote myself. [30:08] Yeah, I know she's trying to... she's not doing that. [30:10] I'm gonna do it for her. [30:11] Quote, in the South especially, [30:12] college football is not just entertainment. [30:15] It is culture, money, political influence, [30:17] and state identity rolled into one. [30:19] Governors campaign on the sidelines. [30:21] State legislatures protect these programs like state assets, [30:25] and entire economies orbit around them. [30:28] If the schools wanted something to be done, [30:31] they could call up the legislature and get it done. [30:34] Yeah. [30:35] Let's play this, what we call in the podcast business. [30:38] Now, we got these setups. [30:39] A waterfall from people talking about the kinds of conversation around this. [30:46] Let's play that. [30:47] My main mission at that age was trying to get to the NFL. [30:50] I think it's really difficult. [30:51] These are real issues that need to be addressed, [30:53] but I think it's difficult for me to push on these 18-year-olds, [30:57] these 19-year-olds. [30:58] Like what Master P said with his son. [30:59] He said when I first went to an HBCU, [31:01] but the facilities, you know, the training facilities, [31:04] the healing facilities, [31:05] to make sure that the players can actually rehab better, [31:08] are better at PWIs. [31:10] That's a lot to ask a kid, you know, for these are grown-up problems. [31:14] The same governor who signs off on maps designed to silence Black communities [31:18] will be one of the first ones to show up on their state college's field [31:21] to celebrate when Black athletes win them a championship. [31:24] If star Black athletes are not playing, why would fans come? [31:27] What are these adults going to do? [31:30] Are you still going to go buy tickets? [31:32] Are you still going to go buy apparel? [31:33] Are you still going to show up at the stadium? [31:35] Wow. [31:37] So that tells you like what the conversation is. [31:40] There are people on there saying it's a lot to put on the student-athletes. [31:42] I am with them on that. [31:44] I think the student-athlete question is a big one. [31:46] I was a full... [31:47] I know the nail polish is confusing nowadays, [31:49] but I played college football, Division I. [31:51] Um, I went to high school and graduated high school in Texas, [31:56] played football in Texas. [31:57] So I understand both of these, both aspects of this conversation, [32:01] which is the Southern part and the college athlete part. [32:04] I think it is a lot to ask of. [32:06] Why? Why is it a lot? [32:07] Because a lot of, a lot of the students... [32:09] For the stars, not just, you know, [32:11] Timmy just barely going to make the team. [32:12] No, but no, but... [32:13] For the folks that are commanding millions of dollars in NIL's money. [32:17] But for the 80-something people who get full-ride scholarships, [32:20] who then go on to maybe get some more money. [32:22] Absolutely. [32:23] But I think that asking them, these kids who are using this [32:26] as an opportunity, many of them, [32:28] to pull themselves and their families out of poverty, [32:31] like, I just feel like that connection is too difficult to make. [32:34] Now, I do think the boosters and the fans and asking them, [32:39] that's different, right? [32:40] I think that's a different conversation. [32:42] I think the student athletes, it might be too much. [32:44] And it does appear that there are a bunch of folks [32:46] who seem to be on that side as well. [32:49] Yo, I mean, it's literally the main piece of pushback to this [32:54] that I've heard. [32:55] Yeah. [32:56] And my take... [32:57] I'ma just read a little more from my op-ed. [33:00] Conservatives predictably attacked the moves [33:03] casting student athletes as pawns in a political game, [33:07] arguing that athletes would rather get a paycheck [33:09] than staying in solidarity [33:11] or just mocking the idea of playing somewhere [33:13] other than a big southern college. [33:15] But young people have always been central [33:17] to movements for democratic change in this country. [33:20] During the civil rights movement, [33:21] students and children marched, sat at lunch counters, [33:23] filled jails and faced police dogs, fire hoses, [33:27] and violence in the streets of the South. [33:29] Young people were not treated as too inexperienced [33:32] or too uninformed to participate in democracy. [33:35] They were often the moral force pushing the country [33:37] to confront what older institutions [33:40] were too comfortable tolerating. [33:42] That history matters now. [33:43] So I hear the people, okay? [33:45] Now, I'm not... [33:46] Again, I'm not saying that, you know, [33:48] Lil Timmy, okay, or Josiah, [33:51] or, um, Kevin, okay? [33:53] I'm not saying that. [33:54] Can we get a Black name, please? [33:55] These are Black names. [33:56] What do you mean? [33:57] Timmy! Lil Timmy! [33:58] Okay, Jamal. [33:59] Okay, thank you, [34:00] because no one was thinking Black [34:02] when you said Lil Timmy or Josiah. [34:03] Okay, or Kaydeon, okay? [34:04] I love that name. That's a good name. [34:06] I'm not... Darnell, okay? [34:08] Yeah, thank you. [34:09] I'm not suggesting any of those folks who... [34:12] This is their only shot, right? [34:15] Right. [34:16] I'm not suggesting that they throw away their future, [34:19] you know, to stand in solidarity [34:21] and on the right side of history. [34:23] But I am suggesting that the people with the power... [34:26] Yes. [34:27] Okay? To be very clear, [34:29] because of rules that the students [34:32] and folks like Condoleezza Rice push for, frankly, [34:35] the NCAA made changes, [34:37] and these student athletes, [34:39] many of them are making thousands [34:41] to millions of dollars right now. [34:44] So I'm saying those people should use their... [34:46] Yes. [34:47] Those people should use their standing [34:51] to at least make a request. [34:53] Y'all ain't even gonna make a request? [34:55] Y'all about to let them carve up Black districts [34:58] and dilute Black political power [34:59] without even just asking nicely? [35:02] It's insane, [35:03] and if people think that they are exempt [35:05] because they like you while you dribbling the basketball, [35:08] or they like you while you throwing the ball on the field, [35:10] you are sorely, sorely mistaken. [35:13] You know what's so interesting? [35:14] Because I think when I talk to young people, [35:16] and I think this is... [35:17] And you do this a lot, too. [35:18] I know you talk to a lot of young folks. [35:20] In college, high school, middle school, [35:22] you have a young child yourself. [35:24] The idea that politics is either the best [35:31] or even one of the best ways to fight [35:35] and have power in this country [35:36] is one that sometimes they don't seem interested in. [35:39] They see that politics has not worked, right? [35:41] That it has not worked for them. [35:43] It hasn't worked for people that look like them. [35:45] So I do wonder if, like, that is part of this. [35:48] Them people here that are like, [35:49] ma'am, now y'all need to do it. [35:51] Y'all in Congress. [35:52] I'm not... Like, politics doesn't actually work. [35:54] So I think, like, it is so interesting, [35:55] the conversations young people have [35:57] about whether politics is a useful endeavor, [36:01] is using their power politically. [36:04] Is it something they should be doing? [36:06] I think they should, but it's interesting. [36:07] Weren't we all just standing in line [36:08] at the airport for hours, not a couple months ago? [36:12] You don't do politics, but you missed your flight [36:15] because of the politics that's going on in Washington, D.C. [36:20] You don't do politics, but all of a sudden you can't vote [36:25] because you don't got the right documentation [36:27] because of the politics going on in Washington, D.C. [36:30] You don't do politics, but the scholarships [36:32] that made it possible for you to attend the school you attend [36:36] no longer exists because, oh, the government said that's DEI. [36:40] You don't do politics, but you're wondering [36:42] what happened to the Upward Bound program [36:44] that you participated in last year [36:46] that got you on a college campus, and you was hoping [36:48] to go back this year. [36:49] Well, the Department of Education said that's DEI, [36:52] so we got rid of it. [36:53] You don't do politics, okay? [36:55] And you're wondering why you used to get free [36:57] and reduced school lunch, and all of a sudden [36:59] now you don't qualify anymore. [37:00] You don't do politics, but your mama's snap got cut in half. [37:03] Shall I go on? It's all political. [37:06] You ate that, as the kids say. [37:09] As the kids say. [37:11] Meanwhile, in South Kekalaki, on Tuesday, [37:15] Republicans in the Senate broke with the White House. [37:18] Now, this is something we have been following a lot. [37:21] Early voting in the state's primaries started that morning, [37:24] so thousands of votes had already been cast [37:26] by the time legislators realized [37:28] there wasn't enough support to push through this new map. [37:32] It's a map that would have eliminated [37:34] the only Democrat, it's important, [37:37] and also the only Black representation [37:40] in the state, James Clyburn's district. [37:43] The implication is, since the map previously passed the House, [37:46] the Senate will start debating it again after the primaries, [37:49] so it seems like, legally, [37:51] it will not impact the 2026 midterms. [37:54] Well, and that's because the people spoke up. [37:58] I want to be really clear. [37:59] Speaking up matters, [38:01] and it's also because the Democrats in the State House [38:04] in South Carolina did not go quietly into the night, okay? [38:08] And they allied with some Republicans [38:10] who weren't willing to go quietly into the night. [38:12] And so representation does matter. [38:15] Speaking up does matter. [38:17] The people who were protesting outside of the State House, [38:20] they matter. [38:21] I really think that all of that came to a head, [38:24] and I'm glad that this failed for now, [38:26] but, you know, we don't know what's to come in the future. [38:30] You're on your way to do some reporting in South Carolina, [38:32] aren't you, Eugene? You gonna find out? [38:33] I'm gonna find out. I'm heading to South Carolina. [38:36] By the time this airs, I would have already been there. [38:38] Mm-hmm. [38:39] I'm gonna do a sit-down exclusive [38:41] with Jim Clyburn to talk about this issue, [38:44] to talk about South Carolina power, [38:47] to talk about South Carolina power [38:49] in the primary for Democrats in 2028, [38:52] Black political power on both sides of the aisle. [38:54] I'm really excited for that conversation [38:57] because I think that, you know, [38:59] one, I'm a child of South Carolina. [39:00] Both my parents are from there. [39:01] And so in 2028... [39:03] I'm an honorary South Carolinian. [39:04] Yeah, exactly. [39:05] My husband is from South Carolina. [39:06] But what I knew and what I still know [39:09] is that in South Carolina, [39:11] that Black, old Black people are still the base. [39:15] They are the ones that move it. [39:17] And frankly, like, if you cannot win Black voters [39:19] on the Democratic side, [39:20] it don't matter about nothing else [39:22] because until old Black people are overtaken [39:25] as the base and foundation of the Democratic Party... [39:27] Can you say that again? [39:28] Can you say that again? [39:29] Until y'all replace old Black people [39:31] as the foundation and the actual base [39:33] of the Democratic Party, [39:34] if you do not have Black voters, [39:36] older Black voters, [39:37] it don't matter about nothing [39:38] that's going on on Twitter. [39:39] I don't care what the hell they saying on TikTok. [39:41] So... [39:42] Thank you. [39:43] Because you better get out there [39:44] and knock a door. [39:45] Exactly. [39:46] You better get out there and talk to... [39:47] Talk to a voter at the fish fry. [39:49] You better... [39:50] You better go to a barber shop. [39:51] Come on, beauty shops and Bible studies. [39:53] Hello! Go to church! [39:54] Go to church! [39:55] Talk to some real people [39:56] because this idea that you can win an election [39:58] on the internet is... [40:00] Well, you can ask some people [40:01] that lost their primaries about that. [40:02] I was gonna say, [40:03] you can ask a lot of people [40:04] who have never been president. [40:05] Well... [40:06] Well, to be clear, [40:07] that's why they are coming for this right here. [40:11] That's why there's an attack on these districts. [40:14] That's why they're trying to carve them up [40:16] and cut them up [40:17] because they understand the power that Black voters have. [40:20] And it's older Black voters, [40:21] but these not-so-older Black voters, [40:23] you know, the mid-millennials like us, [40:26] they are politically tuned in. [40:28] Honestly, at this point, [40:29] we're older Black voters to the youngins. [40:31] I guess so. [40:32] I guess we are older Black voters, child. [40:34] Let me just... [40:35] Let me get my sweet tea and my caftan. [40:38] Correct. [40:39] Exactly. [40:40] Your word is original. [40:42] Out the bottom of the purse. [40:44] So it is... [40:45] This is not abstract, [40:47] and it affects us all. [40:48] And I just... [40:49] I... [40:50] You don't need to be a political professional [40:52] to tap in [40:54] and just ask a couple questions. [40:56] I'm just encouraging people to ask questions. [40:58] You know what I'm saying? [40:59] Make a demand or two. [41:00] Ask the questions. [41:01] Yeah, make a demand or two, okay? [41:03] Y'all got... [41:04] Y'all... [41:05] People stay demanding, you know, [41:06] the Act 3 from Beyoncé, [41:08] they stay demanding a new album from Rihanna. [41:10] People stay demanding, you know. [41:12] Now the people on the internet is demanding [41:14] that Patrick Todd give Esther her flowers, child. [41:17] They stay demanding. [41:18] All kind of other things. [41:19] Why we can't make some demands about democracy? [41:21] That's okay. [41:22] When we back in chains and people at the gulags, [41:24] I'm just saying. [41:25] Take us to break. [41:29] Take a break. [41:30] We gonna take a break here? [41:31] Okay? [41:32] Because Eugene's like, [41:33] I'm not trying to get fired or canceled. [41:34] Take us a break. [41:35] We're gonna talk about canceling in a second. [41:37] We're gonna meet you on the other side [41:39] with comedian and writer W. Kamau Bell. [41:42] And I am asking him about Byron Allen saying comedy [41:45] shouldn't be political, okay? [41:47] You don't wanna miss our conversation. [41:48] Welcome back to the group chat. [41:50] Joining us now is comedian New York Times [41:52] best-selling author and celebrity Jeopardy! champion, [41:56] that's the most important part, W. Kamau Bell. [41:58] He also is a long-time broadcast podcast host. [42:01] His new podcast, Who's With Me?, launched this week. [42:05] Sir, congratulations, welcome to podcasting again, [42:08] and welcome to the group chat. [42:09] Thanks for having me. [42:11] And I hope you... [42:12] Welcome, welcome. [42:13] I hope you enjoy my ACLU commercials. [42:15] Yes. [42:16] That's what Simone has been talking about endlessly. [42:19] You know, the all-black soap opera on CBS. [42:22] Yes, yes, yes. [42:23] You know, I'm into it, child. [42:25] I watch it while I do my nails and everything. [42:26] And every, literally, every other commercial [42:29] is you for the ACLU. [42:31] And I'm like, budget must be big. [42:33] Or you care a lot about the community. [42:36] Either way, I love to see it. [42:38] Yes, we love to see it. [42:39] We care a lot about the community. [42:41] I have not made a dollar off those commercials. [42:43] I think it'd be weird if I had, but yeah. [42:45] I kind of wish they were McDonald's commercials. [42:47] Right, there's money there. [42:49] Now, did you see the Byron Allen interview? [42:53] I mean, I didn't know there was one. [42:57] Is there a V? [42:58] A recent one. [42:59] For Simone, there's one. [43:00] There's a couple of them. [43:01] There's a couple of them. [43:02] There's a couple of them. [43:03] I mean, I did Comics Unleashed back in the day, [43:05] so I have lots of opinions about it. [43:06] You did? [43:07] Okay, okay, so. [43:09] I mean, every comic had the opportunity to do it. [43:11] That is a meat grinder of a television show. [43:13] It is. [43:14] So it's no, I'm not bragging. [43:16] Well, you know, Comics Unleashed has now replaced [43:19] The Colbert Show's spot. [43:20] So that is what is now airing. [43:23] And Byron Allen, again, who is the billionaire, [43:25] who owns a media company, who's doing a lot of, [43:28] you know, buying up a lot of things. [43:29] Just bought BuzzFeed. [43:31] He just bought BuzzFeed, right? [43:32] And he produces and, I guess, stars in Comics Unleashed. [43:37] And he is paying CBS to have this show on in Colbert's spot. [43:41] He has had a lot to say about comedy, W. Kamau Bell. [43:44] And I feel like you have thoughts about this. [43:47] I just want everyone to hear this NPR interview that he did. [43:51] This was on Friday, May 22nd. [43:53] Elsa Chang interviewed Byron Allen last week. [43:56] And I'm going to just play it for you. [43:59] We do this show with nothing but comedians. [44:02] They don't plug anything. [44:03] They don't do anything political. [44:06] Because I said 20 years ago, 20 years ago. [44:09] Yeah. [44:10] Don't do anything political. [44:11] Don't do anything racist, sexist, any of that, right? [44:13] 20 years ago. [44:14] Right, right, right. [44:15] I'm going to jump in because I have a very direct question about that. [44:17] You don't want to do anything political. [44:19] So my question to you is- [44:20] I've got to answer the other question. [44:21] Well, but I really want to stay on this, Byron. [44:23] But I'm going to go today. [44:24] Give me a chance. [44:25] I really want to ask a question about the political part. [44:27] Sure. [44:28] Because I want to know, do you think you got this slot from CBS, [44:33] which is owned by Paramount, because you have said all along [44:37] that the comedy on your show is not going to be political. [44:40] It's not going to be controversial. [44:42] It's not going to go after, say, President Trump. [44:44] Do you think that's why your offer was appealing, in part, [44:48] to CBS and Paramount? [44:49] Because you have been maintaining that your comedy is not going [44:52] to punch anyone all that hard. [44:54] Absolutely not. [44:56] Yeah. [44:57] He's like, do not get me in trouble. [45:02] But how about this? [45:03] Should comedy be political? [45:05] I'm not worried about getting in trouble with Byron Allen, [45:07] believe me. [45:08] I'm just trying to figure out- [45:09] I mean, first of all, I'm trying to figure out which version [45:11] of ChatGBT wrote whatever he just said. [45:14] Well. [45:16] So, Byron Allen's been around for a long time, first of all. [45:19] I don't know if you know, he's basically a Nepo baby. [45:22] His mom was an executive at NBC back in the day. [45:24] So, and he was, like, a young comedian who, because his mom [45:29] had ties in the industry, he, like, was babysat by, like, [45:33] Jimmy Walker. [45:34] And, like, I mean, he was around. [45:35] Oh, wow. [45:36] He certainly was around. [45:37] I'm here for Black nepotism. [45:38] No, me too. [45:39] I'm, I'm raising three Black nepot babies right now. [45:42] My three mixed daughters. [45:43] Okay. [45:44] I'm trying to- [45:45] Okay. [45:46] My sister-in-law is a Black nepot baby, okay? [45:47] Right. [45:48] I'm just trying to say he didn't come out of nowhere is all [45:50] I'm trying to say. [45:51] So, he's been around the industry a long time. [45:52] But, but I also think, I mean, he came up around Richard Pryor. [45:56] Right. [45:57] He definitely knows who Richard Pryor is. [45:59] Probably knew it. [46:00] I mean, I'm sure hung out with him. [46:01] So, the idea that Byron is telling us that comedy should not be political [46:05] is also denying his own history of being around comedy clubs [46:09] and being around comedy. [46:10] And what it is telling you is where his political alliances align [46:14] and who is filling up his pockets. [46:16] And let's be clear. [46:17] Byron Allen didn't replace the Colbert show. [46:20] He bought the airtime. [46:22] Well. [46:23] It's basically infomercials which used to run at two in the morning [46:26] are now slowly moving up closer and closer to prime time. [46:29] And so that's what that is. [46:30] To give him credit, he found a very successful business model [46:33] and he sort of ended up being a billionaire [46:35] because he bought that TV time at two in the morning [46:37] and he's got so much money now that he can buy it at 1130 at night. [46:41] But this has nothing to do with comedy. [46:43] And every comic who has done that show will tell you [46:46] that that show is not a representation of what comedy should be. [46:51] It's fine for what it is, but it is not in any way an avatar [46:55] for what we should be doing when we do comedy. [46:57] I appreciate the truth telling. [46:59] Byron Allen, can I just say that? [47:00] Correct. [47:01] Because there's been a lot of interviews that Byron... [47:02] And you know what? [47:03] No shade on Byron Allen. [47:04] You know, I know him. [47:05] It sounds like there's a lot of shade on Byron Allen. [47:07] I just feel like people should keep it 100. [47:10] How can he be out here doing all these interviews [47:12] where he's saying comedy isn't political [47:14] and people are just like, I'm glad he's buying it up. [47:17] I just feel like just because somebody is from the community, [47:20] it does not mean that they should be without criticism. [47:23] And when he says that, comedy shouldn't be political, [47:26] that sounds like a certain someone may want to hear that. [47:29] Certain someones may want to hear something like that. [47:31] Maybe people who run Paramount. [47:33] And I think there's this question about, like, kind of cancel culture [47:36] and people not being able to say things as if the left is... [47:40] Exactly. [47:41] You just recently, I think, wrote a piece [47:44] and it looked at these four comedians [47:46] that were, quote unquote, cancel. [47:48] If you can't see me, I am doing air quotes. [47:51] But they all popped back up in 2026. [47:54] So talk a little bit about that, [47:56] because I think that's important for people to remember [47:58] that this cancel culture BS [48:00] that they've been tiptoeing around for a long time [48:02] was BS the whole time. [48:03] Yeah. I mean, I think... [48:04] First of all, I just want to go back [48:05] just to the Byron Allen thing for a little bit. [48:07] Yeah. [48:08] I think when you look at a person [48:10] and one of their stated goals is wealth. [48:13] And especially when it's a Black person [48:16] and one of their stated goals is wealth. [48:18] Like, I want to be... [48:19] Especially when they start saying the B word, [48:21] I want to be a billionaire. [48:22] That is automatically letting you know [48:24] I'm going to leave a lot of y'all behind. [48:26] Like that in more than one way. [48:29] I'm just trying to say... [48:31] A lot of the community struggles, I'm going to leave behind. [48:34] Unless I think those community struggles... [48:35] Yeah, he didn't say I'm going to work on... [48:36] I'm going to make sure we look good. [48:37] I'm going to bring Black people with me. [48:38] Yeah. [48:39] I'm going to hire all Black staff. [48:40] That is a very good point. [48:41] And I would also say attached to that is... [48:43] And I'm not... [48:44] If you want to be a billionaire, that's fine. [48:45] But I think that's just... [48:46] We've seen it before. [48:47] And I would also say attached to that is the idea that like, [48:50] when Byron Allen is talking about being rich, [48:52] he starts, we. [48:54] And it's not we. [48:55] It's not we. [48:56] The community does not become wealthier. [48:58] It's that old Chris Rock joke about like, [49:00] when O.J. got off. [49:01] We won. [49:02] We won. [49:03] He was like, where's my O.J. check? [49:04] You know? [49:05] So, if Byron Allen wants to send me a stipend every month, [49:08] then I'll say we. [49:09] I will say we. [49:10] And I'll be happy. [49:11] But he's not, you know, he's not even going to book me on Comics Unleashed [49:13] because I'm too political. [49:14] And I would say that... [49:15] Well, he on them ACLU ads, child. [49:18] Yeah. [49:19] Talk about cancel culture. [49:20] Right. [49:23] They fly me in coach for those ads. [49:25] Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, uh... [49:27] I think that there's a lot made about cancel culture [49:30] when, in fact, most of cancel culture is just the First Amendment [49:34] working correctly. [49:35] You said this, I said that. [49:38] You said this, you doubled down on this, I said that. [49:41] You said this, a lot of people disagreed. [49:44] And a lot of the times the things that people were canceled for [49:47] that they should have been canceled for were crimes [49:50] or credible accusations of crimes. [49:54] But now that Donald Trump is in office and he does have, as my shirt says, [49:58] my mahogany mommy shirt says, he does have 34 felony convictions. [50:01] So... [50:02] Yes, he does. [50:03] Yes, he does. [50:04] So once we decide that that person has the moral fiber to be the president, [50:08] that lets all these other canceled people go, I'm back, baby. [50:12] Like, that means all these other people who were in hiding. [50:16] You know, Louis C.K. has a Netflix special coming out. [50:20] He sort of said, I'm gonna go away for a while. [50:22] And going away for a while, it'll be in less than a year. [50:24] And he was back on the road. [50:25] And he's been back on the road ever since. [50:27] And according to everything I know, he's never made amends. [50:31] He's never... [50:32] He's not done anything for those individuals to say, I'm sorry I harmed you. [50:35] Let me atone for what I did. [50:37] And now, because time... [50:39] We love to think that somebody... [50:42] We love an underdog story. [50:43] So then he becomes an underdog culturally, [50:45] instead of somebody who was shunned culturally. [50:48] And it's like, so people get to go, he's back, yay! [50:51] He was an underdog and now he's back on top, headlining Madison Square Garden. [50:55] Without the idea of being like, yeah, but he did those things and he's not atoned for them. [50:59] My issue with the people that have an issue with quote-unquote cancel culture is that [51:05] I believe that everybody has the right to say whatever it is they want to say. [51:08] You know, like, even the racists got the right to be racist, honestly. [51:11] Go ahead. [51:12] But you can't see his hands! [51:14] Okay, exactly. [51:16] You can say whatever you want to say, but you are not free from consequences. [51:19] And I think it always goes back to accountability. [51:22] There are consequences. [51:23] The First Amendment don't say you can't get in trouble for what you say. [51:26] It just says you have the right to say it. [51:28] And we can't talk about cancel culture in this country without talking about America's first victims of cancel culture. [51:33] Black people. [51:34] Hello. [51:35] Say more. [51:36] Say more, sir. [51:37] Say more on that for the people in the back. [51:39] If we're going to talk about the idea of being canceled for... [51:42] Cancel culture is the idea that you get canceled for doing nothing or you get canceled for living your life. [51:47] So then let's incorporate Emmett Till into cancel culture. [51:50] Let's incorporate George Floyd into cancel culture. [51:54] If we're going to talk about the idea of America turning its back on someone for just living their lives, then we have to talk about the history of this country and how this country has treated the most oppressed groups. [52:04] So the idea that cancel culture is something that only affects the rich and the powerful. [52:09] Well, we hear about them because they have the money to fight back and they have the loudest public microphones. [52:13] So if we're going to talk about cancel culture, let's talk about how this country was built on canceling. [52:18] And cancel is my fancy word for genocide of the Native Americans. [52:21] If we're going to talk about this country. [52:22] This is why he on the ACLU ass. This is what I'm saying. [52:26] Okay, exactly. [52:27] This is what I'm saying. [52:28] Exactly. [52:29] You know, one of the things for, I think for people who know you, and I assume people listening to this podcast do, is that you are one of those thought leaders, comedians that has always been political, right? [52:40] It is at the center of the kind of work that you do. [52:43] And it strikes me, we're talking about like whether or not comedy should be political, whether or not, you know, celebrities should be political, is black celebrities, black comedians tend to lean into that, right? [52:58] Like tend to feel either the compunction to do so, feel a responsibility to do so. [53:04] And for you, as you're like putting things together, whether it's a special or, or, you know, this, the podcast that you're working on, how do you think about the importance of putting politics in the center of everything? [53:15] I mean, it's funny, people often think I was some sort of like, you know, political science professor who's like, how do I get the message to the people? [53:22] It's the hair. [53:23] It's the hair, yeah. [53:24] Especially now that it went full gray. [53:25] Correct. [53:26] I'm in my, my young Cornel West era. [53:28] Exactly. [53:29] Or Questlove's dad. [53:30] You can definitely play him in the biopic. [53:32] Correct. [53:33] Or Questlove's dad era, whichever one you want to do it. [53:37] But here's the thing. [53:39] I wanted to do comedy because I saw Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live. [53:42] That's why I wanted to do comedy. [53:44] I wanted to do comedy because I remember, because I saw a comedian named Bill Cosby do Bill Cosby himself. [53:49] And then I saw the Cosby show and I saw, I was like, and so for me, comedy was always a thing that was smart, intelligent. [53:56] And then as I got older, because I came from a house, I had one thing called a black mom. [54:01] Got one of those. [54:03] Very familiar. [54:04] Got one. [54:05] Very familiar. [54:06] And she was a single parent. [54:07] And so she just took me a lot of places. [54:08] I'm an only child. [54:09] So I heard a lot of grown up discussions about what was going on in the world from a very early age. [54:14] And then at some point, you come across like, you know, because there's the two sides of Richard Pryor. [54:19] This is a very serious and fun side and sort of ridiculous. [54:23] And the other side of the guy who's like, look, people, we need to figure this out. [54:26] Racism is a problem and we need to speak directly to it. [54:28] And I think I sort of was always attracted to that side of things. [54:31] And then you discover across like, come across like Dick Gregory, like I read Dick Gregory's book . [54:37] And so that was just where I got pulled because I came from a household that was fresh out of the Civil Rights Movement. [54:42] My mom was like there for all of it. [54:44] She did every part of the Civil Rights Movement. [54:46] She was almost in the Nation of Islam. [54:48] She was, you know, she marched. [54:50] She did all the things. [54:51] She treated the Civil Rights Movement like a buff fan. [54:53] So I just sort of grew up and grew up knowing that like, you have two jobs as a black person. [54:58] You got the job to like provide for your family and you got the job to try to set your people free in any way you can. [55:03] And I wish I didn't feel that other job as much as I do. [55:06] Right. [55:07] It would be easier to show up at the Kevin Hart roast and just make fun of everybody. [55:11] I'm glad you, I'm glad you mentioned it. [55:13] Okay. [55:14] Can we talk about the Kevin Hart roast? [55:15] What did you think about it? [55:16] I mean, I wrote about it on Substack. [55:18] If you go there, I posted an excerpt on my Instagram. [55:21] If you go there, a lot of the people who are, a lot of the people who are fans of Tony Hinscliffe and those types of jokes. [55:28] I've never been called the N word so much in such a short period of time. [55:31] So I would say this, the Kevin Hart roast has, has made very clear that as much as we want to say free speech is free and you can say whatever you want to. [55:40] Some people are in it for the racism and the hate. [55:44] You've done good though, Kevin. [55:45] The black community is so proud of you right now. [55:48] George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard that he can't breathe. [55:52] And so if you go to my Instagram page, I'm being called all sorts of gay slurs. [55:58] I'm being called all sorts of, you know, all sorts of N words. [56:01] How do you get called a gay slur? [56:02] Why are we in it? [56:03] They just pull it out the pocket. [56:04] You know, it's one of the ones on the list that you start talking about. [56:08] But you know, Kevin Hart, as we, as we were like getting ready to have this conversation, apparently, and we'll play the sound for folks, he was on The Breakfast Club and he defended Tony. [56:16] Maybe it's too far to say he was standing in solidarity, child, but he did not condemn him at all. [56:21] He was like the opposite of Chelsea Handler. [56:23] Tony told a joke. [56:24] It wasn't a tasteful joke to us. [56:27] We didn't like it. [56:28] Okay. [56:29] Hey man, fuck that joke. [56:30] We move on. [56:31] We move on. [56:32] I don't understand why we stand on a hill and it becomes like this, this big thing of like, oh man, the motherfuckers, they do this and they're attacking the culture. [56:42] It doesn't have to be that. [56:44] It literally is either you're a fan of this level of content or you're not. [56:49] And if you're not a fan, then you don't watch it. [56:52] My last note for all attached to this is very simple. [56:57] Okay. [56:59] Whatever the headlines or whatever the dialogue is, my rebuttal is simplicity. [57:04] Remove me from it. [57:06] I didn't say it. [57:07] I wish I didn't care this much, but I do. [57:09] And, you know, like I got a lot of pushback from comedians on my, like not, not on some comedians who are like Tony Hinchcliffe acolytes on my Instagram. [57:20] But I said to them, I was like, look, I get that I'm a woke snowflake liberal Bay Area San Francisco latte liberal, whatever comedian. [57:28] I get that I'm, I'm soft on the inside and the outside, wherever you want to think about me. [57:32] But like DL Hughley also had problems with it. [57:34] And DL Hughley comes from that tradition of roasting the people in the club who are in the front row. [57:39] You know what I mean? [57:40] Like he comes from that. [57:41] So to me, when DL Hughley has a problem with it, forget what I said, I get, I'm an inward gay slur for whatever you want to say. [57:48] But like we're talking, DL Hughley is, is clearly one of the goats of comedy and was, it was on the tour of the kings of comedy. [57:56] One of the original kings of comedy. [57:58] Lonnie Love have issues with it. [58:00] Lil Rel Howery had issues with it. [58:02] So forget Kamau, the soft, you know, whatever, blah, blah, blah. [58:06] But like these are comedians who you don't want to follow them on stage and they had problems with it. [58:10] So I think, I think Kevin's in a position where you're, when you're, who are your peers? [58:16] I think is what the question is. [58:17] Who do you define as the people? [58:19] And then who are your community? [58:21] Like when I walk off stage, if I get a call from people in my community who I define as my community to come out, that wasn't it. [58:26] I'm going to take it seriously. [58:28] Yeah. [58:29] Now for the people on Instagram who call me all sorts of inward gay slurs, you're not in my community. [58:33] So have fun, have that. [58:35] I'm not, I don't, you're not with me as my podcast says, I'm not with you. [58:39] Here's the thing. [58:40] Here's the, here's the, here's the, here's the thing. [58:42] I'm about to clear on that one. [58:43] Gather around children. [58:44] Gather around. [58:45] Kevin Hart. [58:46] The reality is this, like some people just are who they are. [58:49] And Kevin Hart is obviously in the camp of people who do not care about being for the community, who do not care about, you know, standing in the gap. [59:00] Maybe he's in the same class of people as Byron Allen, who, you know, they got enough money and their, their concerns are just a little bit different. [59:07] But the reality of the situation is to tell people to just, Oh, get over it and whatnot. [59:12] You know, who not over it? [59:13] George Floyd. [59:14] Cause he's fucking dead. [59:15] Okay. [59:16] You know, who's not over it? [59:17] The people who were in the streets in the summer of 2020, when this country was literally at its breaking point. [59:23] Okay. [59:24] So I just, you know, it's, ah, the George Floyd family who had, who said the response from Hart was sad for the culture, according to the griot. [59:34] Yeah. [59:35] Let's, cause let's speak here. [59:36] Kevin went to the George Floyd memorial service in 2020. [59:38] Yeah. [59:39] So it just, it just gets complicated. [59:41] Like I know. [59:42] Is it complicated? [59:43] I mean, [59:44] What am I saying? [59:46] Is it? [59:47] No, it's very simple. [59:50] You're right. [59:51] Here's what I mean by complicated, Simone. [59:52] You would think that the guy who said it's just a joke would not also be the guy who was like, went to the, to the George Floyd, to the George Floyd memorial. [1:00:00] And then also the breakfast club was like, didn't really want to take any responsibility for the fact that it was his roast that he produced. [1:00:08] And then Tony Hemscliff said the joke. [1:00:09] And let's be clear, Netflix did edit jokes out of the re-air of the roast. [1:00:13] So they could have pulled that joke out. [1:00:14] So to me, again, it's this thing about who's your people, who are you defining as your community? [1:00:19] Who do you feel like you're responsible to? [1:00:21] And, and the thing I really want to push back on. [1:00:23] Kevin Hart is not responsible to us. [1:00:25] Apparently he is not responsible to black people in America who did not like the joke. [1:00:29] He let us know to on the breakfast club. [1:00:32] He don't give a fly, whatever, whatever. [1:00:34] Okay. [1:00:35] Which is fine. [1:00:36] Okay. [1:00:37] It's fine. [1:00:38] If that's how he feels, he's entitled to that feeling, but you are not entitled to not be criticized. [1:00:42] This is, this has always been, I think, especially for, for black folks. [1:00:47] As our folks started to get celebrity, as they started to get famous, right? [1:00:51] Like I think about, you know, OJ, did we bring up OJ? [1:00:54] What do you mean starting to get famous? [1:00:56] We've always been famous. [1:00:57] No, but, but, but, but when mainstream, when it became mainstream. [1:01:01] We're talking about the eighties. [1:01:02] We're talking about the eighties when black people went global. [1:01:04] Yes. [1:01:05] Yes. [1:01:06] Exactly. [1:01:07] When like, we really started to be mainstream. [1:01:08] The shows, you know, white people were watching the shows and they were listening. [1:01:11] And Michael Jackson, he was the most famous person in the world, was a black man. [1:01:14] At the end of the day, the folks who, as that was happening, the question about what is the responsibility to be political? [1:01:22] What is the responsibility to stand in the gap? [1:01:25] What does that look like? [1:01:26] And there are different paths, right? [1:01:27] There's a path where if you really go ham, you have the possibility of pissing off the mainstream audience. [1:01:34] But if you don't, it's hard to go back to the cookout, right? [1:01:37] And I think like, the, the, those two paths are very different. [1:01:41] And I think they, they, they require, especially in 2026, the year of our Lord Beyonce 2026. [1:01:47] They require like a real different, like a stealing of the spine in a way that a lot of people are uncomfortable with. [1:01:55] I would say this. [1:01:56] I would add to that. [1:01:57] Just the other thing we are living in is that, because I wrote about this in my sub stack. [1:02:00] Yeah. [1:02:01] I wrote about the history of the roast. [1:02:02] The roast used to happen in private rooms where the only people who were there were the people, were the invited guests who wanted to be there. [1:02:09] Then later they happened on TV, but the TV landscape was different then. [1:02:13] You, if you watch the roast on CBS, you, you saw it. [1:02:16] But if you didn't want to watch that, you watched on the ABC and you never heard about the roast. [1:02:20] They were just over there. [1:02:21] But now we live in this landscape where people who didn't want to watch the Kevin Hart roast open up their phones the next day. [1:02:28] And they're served Tony Hinchcliffe's George Floyd joke, whether they want to see it or not, because the algorithm demands that we are a monoculture. [1:02:36] And so if you're, especially if you're, if you're a black person and you pay attention to black culture, then the algorithm goes, this George Floyd is black culture. [1:02:43] And they will just, and you have to see it whether you want to or not, because you're just scrolling on your phone. [1:02:47] So I think Kevin saying like the people who watched the roast knew what they were in for is denying the fact that we live at a time where the algorithm and monoculture pushes us into everybody's thing, whether we want to or not. [1:02:58] So we all hear about shows we don't even want to see because the algorithm is like, no, no, no, Kamal, you care about gay figure skaters. [1:03:05] I'm like, I do. [1:03:06] I didn't know. [1:03:07] This is how, this is how so many people got invested in the summer house drama. [1:03:13] Okay. [1:03:14] Because Sierra was being maligned and they were like, I don't know nothing about this white people show, but what is going on with your sister? [1:03:20] But we ride at dawn. [1:03:21] We ride at dawn for Sierra. [1:03:22] Exactly. [1:03:23] Exactly. [1:03:24] Yeah. [1:03:25] So I think Netflix is global. [1:03:26] So that means that joke was broadcast globally. [1:03:28] And we all know that anti-black racism has also been exported globally by the United States of America. [1:03:33] And then surrounding this, like if the, I think we talk about, Kevin's talking about the roast as if it was in a vacuum. [1:03:38] But surrounding the roast is the United States gutting the Voting Rights Act, which directly affects black people. [1:03:44] So if every black person had a, had all the money they needed, had the education they wanted for their kids, felt safe calling the cops when they were in trouble. [1:03:51] And mass incarceration was over and we had a society that was pro black in every way. [1:03:56] And then they did the Kevin Hart roast. [1:03:58] Oh yeah. [1:03:59] But we live in a time where our government is directly working overtime to dismantle all the institutions that black people rely on and to take our rights further away from us. [1:04:11] And if you think birthright citizenship that they're trying to destroy is only coming for people, Latino folks, you've got it wrong. [1:04:19] Talk about it. [1:04:20] If they end birthright citizenship, all of this stuff rolls downhill towards black people. [1:04:24] This is an attack on our democracy, but they are using black people to do it. [1:04:28] Okay. [1:04:29] Just like to your point about the, the 14th amendment, the birthright citizenship situation that is before the Supreme Court. [1:04:35] And we will have a ruling this June before the Supreme Court goes on summer vacation. [1:04:40] Uh, people think this is just about immigrants. [1:04:43] They think this is just about undocumented people, but it goes so much further than this. [1:04:47] So it's just not the roast. [1:04:48] It's, I think it's, it's, it's now Kevin Hart's comments after the roast. [1:04:51] Like, was this PR tested? [1:04:53] Do PR people literally sat down with your ass, put, booked you in a breakfast club, and y'all said this is what we should say? [1:04:58] Double down. [1:04:59] The cons person in me is like, fire them, fire them all. [1:05:02] But Simone, that is the culture we live in. [1:05:04] And a lot of it is Donald Trump led, which is double down, right? [1:05:07] We're seeing that with Cheyenne Bryant, doctor or not. [1:05:10] Like everybody, everybody who is out there, what, what you're supposed to do is like, ignore the haters, quote unquote, ignore the criticism and move through it. [1:05:20] Because as Kamau writes, like, cancel calls isn't fucking real. [1:05:24] So like, what are the consequences? [1:05:26] If not, we are, we are actually in an age where all press is good press in a way that it didn't used to actually be true. [1:05:33] It used to be like, there were real consequences. [1:05:35] You lose ad buyers and stuff. [1:05:36] But now people just wait because controversy after, after controversy, the news cycle moves so fast. [1:05:42] And so why not say what you want to say? [1:05:45] Which is, yeah, fuck it. [1:05:46] I didn't care about that. [1:05:47] I didn't care about that. [1:05:48] Will Smith for like a word, child. [1:05:49] He slapped one person at the Oscars one time and just has not been able to live in town. [1:05:54] Not one person one time. [1:05:55] I know one person one time. [1:05:57] If it was two, then Simone's like, okay, two's too many now. [1:06:00] He can't go to the Oscars. [1:06:01] My point is that Will Smith is canceled. [1:06:03] So cancel culture, I believe is. [1:06:04] I know he, no, let's, let's be careful. [1:06:07] Will Smith, he did have a bad boys movie come out after that. [1:06:10] That was very successful. [1:06:11] Him and Martin Lawrence did another bad boys movie. [1:06:13] He had an album came out that we all paid attention to. [1:06:15] Did well. [1:06:16] I heard it. [1:06:17] Yes. [1:06:18] The funny thing about Will Smith, I think people want him back. [1:06:20] Cause they like have such a deep well of love for Will Smith, but he's got things to overcome [1:06:24] because the thing he did was outside of what we think Will Smith does. [1:06:27] But let's be clear. [1:06:28] If Will Smith wanted to play a different way, he could have gone full MAGA and he would be uncancelled over there. [1:06:33] He could have been like, that's right. [1:06:34] I slapped black men. [1:06:35] That's what I do now. [1:06:37] That's my new brand. [1:06:39] I slapped black men. [1:06:40] And then he would have been like on the Ben Shapiro network. [1:06:43] And he would have been on like, you know, he'd have been on tour with Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson interview. [1:06:50] Tucker Carlson, the right wing Barbara Walters. [1:06:53] I mean, but he didn't get canceled to your point, right? [1:06:54] I guess you're right. [1:06:55] I guess he did not get canceled. [1:06:56] He's just been ostracized slightly. [1:06:58] He's been ostracized. [1:06:59] He just can't go. [1:07:00] He just can't go to the Oscars. [1:07:02] Yeah. [1:07:03] He just felt shame for doing the thing, which is what you should feel shame for walking up and slapping somebody at the Oscars when you just were going to win an Oscar an hour later. [1:07:10] You know? [1:07:11] I'm not saying it's right. [1:07:12] I'm just saying he slapped one person one time. [1:07:13] It sounded like your pro slap. [1:07:14] You sounded like your pro slap. [1:07:15] Man. [1:07:16] Off the rails. [1:07:17] I think this is a good place to end. [1:07:19] It's a good place to end. [1:07:20] But before we go, I just come out. [1:07:23] You do have a podcast that's starting. [1:07:27] And I guess I'm wondering why now? [1:07:30] And who are your first couple guests? [1:07:33] Well, yeah, I mean, so I've been in the podcast space for years. [1:07:35] Actually, the last podcast I hosted was the ACLU's podcast at Liberty. [1:07:38] And it's funny, I represent that brand like I'm death row in the 90s. [1:07:45] Correct. [1:07:46] All day. [1:07:47] You need a change. [1:07:48] Right. [1:07:49] ACLU is the label that volunteers me. [1:07:51] Correct. [1:07:52] So I've had a lot of podcasts. [1:07:55] One of I've had like, you know, political podcast politically reactive with my friend Hari. [1:07:59] I had a podcast that people, some people know Denzel Washington is the greatest actor of all time period from back in the day. [1:08:04] So I've had a lot of podcasts, but I've never had my own solo podcast. [1:08:07] And from writing the substack for the last couple of years, I've really enjoyed the conversations I've had. [1:08:12] And really the whole idea of the substack is who's with me, which I think is the most important question. [1:08:16] Like if you're with me, we can argue about the details, the nuances of how we're going to overcome everything. [1:08:21] But if you're not with me, then go over there, kill Tony and all those people. [1:08:25] So for me, the podcast is a way to rally us all together at a time where we need a place to rally together. [1:08:32] So the first guest, you know, I live in Oakland, so there's going to be a lot of Oakland focus in the podcast. [1:08:38] First guest is Oakland's own Delroy Lindo. [1:08:40] He's been living in Oakland for 30 years now. [1:08:42] Hell yeah. [1:08:43] And we recorded this after he had lost the Oscar, which he should have won. [1:08:46] We talked about that. [1:08:47] We also talked a lot about Denzel. [1:08:48] Clock it. [1:08:49] We also talked a lot about Denzel Washington and his love for Denzel, which led me in. [1:08:52] That's why I brought up the podcast. [1:08:53] And then the second guest is my Congresswoman, Latifah Simon, who I'm very proud to say is my Congresswoman, who I hope is the part of the future of the Democratic Party. [1:09:01] And then the third week, it's funny related to the roast. [1:09:04] And I haven't said this out loud yet anywhere. [1:09:06] It's Ted Danson. [1:09:07] And this was we did this before all this Kevin Hart stuff happened. [1:09:10] He just wanted to tell the story again because he felt like a lot of young people don't know it of the roast. [1:09:15] So that's week. [1:09:16] That's the third episode. [1:09:17] Well, well, well. [1:09:18] We'll be tuned in. [1:09:19] Locked and loaded. [1:09:20] Okay. [1:09:21] Locked and loaded. [1:09:22] And I agree with you. [1:09:23] I too want a podcast by myself. [1:09:25] No. [1:09:26] You can have one. [1:09:28] See, it be your own people. [1:09:30] It be your own people. [1:09:31] It be your own people. [1:09:32] It be your own people. [1:09:33] It be your own people. [1:09:34] No, Eugene, you know I love you. [1:09:35] You make everything better. [1:09:36] You know, it's so fun. [1:09:37] Correct. [1:09:38] Kamal Bell, you are hilarious. [1:09:39] So funny. [1:09:40] So smart. [1:09:41] Thank you. [1:09:42] Thank you for coming to the group chat today. [1:09:44] Happy to be here. [1:09:45] Okay, W. Kamal Bell. [1:09:47] He always comes to my life. [1:09:48] I thought that was great. [1:09:49] I think the thing that I've always really respected about him is that being funny and finding humor in things, [1:09:57] that is not divorced from being very smart and thoughtful about politics and the state of our world and the culture. [1:10:05] And I think that, like, that's a good reminder that that is something that we can all be doing. [1:10:08] You can be laughing, but you can be care a lot about the things going on in this world. [1:10:12] Yes, you can laugh and you can care. [1:10:14] I just, again, I am very vexed by people that do not show care or concern for any of the communities that they may be a part of. [1:10:24] I didn't notice that. [1:10:25] I didn't notice that in that interview. [1:10:26] Is that? [1:10:27] Did you? [1:10:28] Really? [1:10:29] Not. [1:10:30] I'm serious. [1:10:31] I gotta smoke for everybody. [1:10:32] Someone get this lady a coffee. [1:10:34] They're in solidarity with their communities. [1:10:36] Up the well, broochin. [1:10:37] Get a coffee. [1:10:39] I appreciated W. Kamau Bell for just not, like, he, I felt validated in this conversation that I'm not crazy. [1:10:46] That my concern and my smoke for what Byron Allen was saying was warranted. [1:10:51] That my concern and smoke for Kevin Hart was warranted. [1:10:54] As always, thank y'all for listening to the chaos that is Clock It. [1:10:58] We appreciate you guys. [1:10:59] We love you guys. [1:11:00] Let us know what you think about our new setups. [1:11:02] These are our new home studios. [1:11:05] Yes. [1:11:06] We might not be doing this this week. [1:11:07] Who knows? [1:11:08] Subscribe to MSNOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to get this and other MSNOW podcasts ad-free. [1:11:15] As a subscriber, you'll also get exclusive bonus content. [1:11:19] All episodes of Clock It are also available on YouTube. [1:11:22] Visit MS.now slash Clock It to watch. [1:11:26] Clock It is produced by Frannie Kelly. [1:11:28] Our associate producer is Iggy Monda. [1:11:30] Additional production support from Brittany Ruff, Adriana Thomas, Elasia Gibbs-Jones, [1:11:35] Malcolm Thomas, and Lynn Hilton. [1:11:37] Many thanks to Julia Squilla and to our DP, Joey Ruffini. [1:11:42] Yes. [1:11:43] Our audio engineers are Hazik Ben Ahmed Farid and Bob Mallory. [1:11:47] Katie Lau is the senior manager of audio production. [1:11:50] Aisha Turner is the executive producer of MSNOW Audio. [1:11:53] And Madeline Herringer is senior vice president in charge of audio, digital, and long form. [1:11:59] Our theme music is by Jesse McGinty. [1:12:02] And we're your hosts, Simone... [1:12:04] And we're your hosts... [1:12:06] What's your name? [1:12:07] I hate him. [1:12:08] I hate him so much. [1:12:12] And we're your hosts, Simone Sanders Townsend. [1:12:15] And Eugene Daniels. [1:12:17] See you next week. [1:12:18] See you next week. [1:12:19] Leave me in. [1:12:22] You just have no coordination. [1:12:24] No coordination. [1:12:25] Open the schools. [1:12:27] Open the schools and close the clubs, honey. [1:12:32] Okay.