[00:12] Good morning, John. Welcome to Drogram with Ted Roll and John Kuryaku. Uh, how's it going? >> Good to see you, man. It's going well. I was in New York all day yesterday and Ted, it was so cold when I left Washington that the train was delayed 40 minutes because two of the train doors were frozen in the open position and they had to get a crowbar to >> oh my god try them um uh away from you
[00:43] know being frozen against the train itself. 40 minutes we were late. An hour and 15 minutes late coming back. I didn't get home till one o'clock in the morning. >> See, this is why we should have good relations with Russia because the transit authority in New York could call their counterparts at the Trans Siberia Railroad >> and see how the heck they handle this. >> Yeah, exactly. >> Oh my god. >> Uh it is Tuesday, December 16th, 2025. Uh please like, follow, and sh uh share the show. We're here Monday through Friday, 9:00 am Eastern time. Um, today
[01:22] what happened? >> I bumped I did knocked myself out. >> Oh, I was going to say I just said that swipe thing. You know what I mean? But like >> Oh, yes. >> That iOS uh you know, Steve Jobs, if you weren't dead, I would kill you. Um, okay. So, let's uh So, let's see. among other things. I mean, we've been asked why are we not why do we not have on the rundown Trump's remarks about Rob Reiner? We can talk about that. Um, so so today, >> yeah, >> so we have this near miss over the skies
[01:55] uh over Venezuela. Apparently, US planes are flying around without transponders over there. And a JetBlue plane had a near miss with um with a uh US military refueling plane. Um, and the JetBlue pilot is furious. Um, and and saying that basically the US is being reckless and it's outrageous. Um, Chile, they just became the latest country with a right-wing in Latin America with a right-wing uh, president. Uh, Trump just designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass
[02:27] destruction. And there's a new lady head of MI6, Bla1 Metrowelli. I think I'm pronouncing her name correctly. Um anyway, so she's her she just gave a important policy speech and her emphasis was unsurprisingly but maybe I am surprised that it was unsurprising uh just basically Russia Russia Russia. Yeah. >> So >> anyway um and we have some questions already uh in the chat. So um I like this first I I would just go straight to
[02:58] this question if you're okay with this. John uh Lauren Featherston is asking um says uh she loves the show. Thank you. Um, how would we rate and grade this administration's first year in office? You can see why I like this question. >> I'm going to let you answer it then because [laughter] >> Well, you also you need to give it straight A's. >> Yeah, I have to. Yeah. >> Yeah, go for it. >> Okay. So, I I think um there there's obviously, you know, it depends on what what metric you're looking by looking
[03:28] at. Um are you looking at it from a standpoint of American history? Um, are you looking at it from a standpoint of effectiveness? Are you looking at it from a standpoint of, you know, what do the American people want and need? Um, are you looking at it from a standpoint of what did the administration have in mind when they first came in and are they have they accomplished it and are they close to accomplishing it? I'm going to start with the with the with the last one first. Um, the administration had an a very ambitious agenda. uh and basically their their
[03:59] primary strategy has been to do u to do everything that that they can with as quickly as possible without bothering to uh with Congress with the uh and and basically let the fall the chips fall where they may. Um it's an interesting very untraditional approach to governance. Um, and I would say uh right now the jury is still out, but I don't think I think that they've made a lot of big sweeping changes that are going to in the long run be easy to replace
[04:30] because they weren't enacted with um, you know, with congressional approval and because they weren't enacted uh, with the support of the public. They, you know, there was no buy in really. And things that you do quickly without getting popular buyin tend to be easy to get rid of. So, we'll see. You know, I I guess the point is it's like, you know, Joan lie. It's too early to tell. Um but uh I I'm I'm pessimistic. I would say that the administration's probably not likely to leave sweeping changes behind it. Um and then in terms of what you
[05:03] know, whether it's good for the American people, I think it's it's been uh I would have to say the letter grade there would have to be a D. And we'll we'll talk about the new economic statistics just broke um just as we were going on the air. Um the uh we have we're up 41,000 or 46,000 jobs, something like that. Uh you need 200 or economists like to see 200 or 300,000 jobs added to the economy every month. This is after some previously low months. Unemployment is now rising to 4.6%. Um pretty
[05:34] substantial. Um and that's not including all the people who've given up looking for work. Um, I think the econ I think this this administration has taken its eye off the ball, which was the economy and um and they uh that's why they're here. That's why Biden lost. And uh I think also their execution on the immigration issue has been lacking because it's been basically like let's go with the lowhanging fruit, the people dropping their kids off at school and and the day laborers at Home Depot. Um and that's not what the American people wanted to start with. They wanted to
[06:06] start with the scumbags, the, you know, the rapists, the murderers, the gangbangers, and that's not what they're doing. So, um, I would say, you know, incomplete on the first metric, you know, probably like a D on the second. It's not too late to turn it around, though. Um, you know, by any means. I mean, it's, you know, they they have pretty much the next six months, I'd say, to get their act together. They could fix a lot if they if they got serious on healthcare. They could they could really staunch the bleeding. I'm gonna add to that too and say that I
[06:38] think the reason why the administration hasn't done better uh in in this first year of the second term is the complete and total failure of the Republican leadership in Congress. M >> um there was a piece in the Washington Post this morning, Ted, saying that, and I'll preface it by saying, you remember Republicans used to jump up and down because Barack Obama was signing so many executive orders. Donald Trump um set a new record in his
[07:08] first term, signing more than double the number of executive orders that Barack Obama ever signed. and he's doubled it again by signing more executive orders in his first year of the second term than he signed in his entire presidency in the first term. So, he's having to do that. I'm not blaming Donald Trump. He's having to do that because Mike Johnson is the weakest and the worst speaker of the House in American history. >> That's true. and because there is no
[07:41] stomach on the Senate side to initiate legislation. So, he's got to do it by executive order. But one other thing, Robbie said in our in our private chat that as a as a conservative, he ranks the first year of the second term as a failure. And I I'd love to hear why. >> Okay. Well, let's spring. >> Yeah. Hi, Robbie. What's here? >> Hi. Well, I mean, first of all, what Trump did is that he ran as a populist and he's governing as a Republican. We
[08:12] didn't elect a Republican. >> That's a good point. >> We elected someone who went in with the promise of blowing the system up and starting over with the hard reset. And the promise that he had was that he was that he made that he was going to listen to the voices of the normal everyday worker. That was that was what he ran on. That's why the man had the had had the support of what he had. Uh right-wingers like me. Uh no, people are moderate. Know even people on the left came out and they supported Trump and all three times
[08:45] that he ran. >> That is true. >> But he governs as if he's just a typical Republican. So just at this point, what's the point of having the man? What has he changed fundamentally? What has he done? He's g us more debt. He's created more inflation. He's strengthened the power of the executive. If you want a small government like I do, that's the last thing you ever want. >> Well, he's militarized the streets of American cities. That that's been the main uh the main thing that has affected, I think, you know, from an
[09:15] ordinary American perspective. If you live in a city, you're now likely to see National Guardsmen or ICE guys on a raid. >> Yeah. And that's something else. No, personally, I support what ISC is doing. I think needs to be done. But I I am 100% opposed to a to a militarized police force. I don't want to live in the Soviet Union. So, let's not do that. >> You know, by the by the way, the Soviet Union didn't really have a militarized police force. Their their cops were not on didn't have guns for the most part.
[09:47] >> They they just carried like >> stand around. Yeah. >> Yeah. With and maybe a flashlight. >> I'll take I'll take y'all's words for it. That was never there. Yeah. All right. Even though they were called the Malitzia, it's just a misnomer. Okay. Um let's uh let's do another question. Uh this this one uh this I I referred to this. Uh Ryan Haymon says nothing in the rundown about Trump basically tap dancing on Rob Reiner's still warm corpse. >> Yeah, that was not cool at all. >> Tasteless beyond belieion standards.
[10:18] Yeah, it was it was it was low. A >> and people are people in the Trump orbit are speaking out against it. It it was classless. >> I mean, the thing is it's sort of like, okay, so Rob Reiner was a big Democrat. Sure. But like, you know, I know basically Donald Trump likes to make everything about him and this was that that's what this was about. >> And uh I mean, in that sense, it worked. >> But >> it's just like, you know, honestly, you know what it is? It's the equivalent of liberals who made fun of Charlie Kirk's
[10:49] death. >> It's exactly the same thing. >> I think it's exactly the same. And it's just it's just it's just not cool. >> Um >> yeah, I agree completely. >> Uh thanks for the buck from Fuso. How's the CIA involved in Venez in the Venezuela invasion? >> Ah they have you do what they would what would they have had you do if they had sent you? >> There are lots of moving parts when trying to overthrow a government. Mhm. >> Uh, first of all, the CIA is 100% yes,
[11:20] involved in whatever it is that our government is doing right now in Venezuela. So, what you what you need to do is operationally put pressure on Maduro to to just run away. You want Maduro to run away. But we know that Trump's idea was to make him think that he could run away. >> Yes. And I say that because we now know that the CIA tried to recruit his private pilot
[11:50] >> so that were he to run off like to Havana, >> the guy would actually land the plane in Key West and we grab him and put him on trial for drug trafficking. Allah Manuel Norier, >> which by the way would mean that no other um target of American regime change would ever have caused to believe anything that we promised in the future. >> That's exactly right. Number two, so you well so you have to secure the the presidential palace whether Maduro is in it or not. Um number number two, you
[12:23] have to um either co-opt the military or bombard the military if they can't be co-opted. Uh number three, you have to take control of the television and radio stations, at least the ones in Caracus. >> And these are CIA operations or would these be military operations? They would be it would be joint operations. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Since 9/11, most of of these kinds of operations would be joint with special forces. >> And then third, you have to take over the the main intersections of the
[12:54] capital. But like I've said in the past, like like we talked about on Friday, overthrowing the government is the easy part. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> It's governing. >> It's governing. That's the hard part. What do you do the next day? >> Right. That's exact that's exactly the issue, right? And I mean, I guess you would also need to um now there would be a there would be cyber attacks against Venezuelan internet infrastructure, right? They'd probably crack want to tank the internet, >> right? >> And shut down the w the banking wire
[13:27] system so that regime officials can't send their money overseas. >> Exactly right. >> Um Okay. >> Hey, can I add one thing one thing too about this near miss between the JetBlue uh Let's talk about that because we should just go to it because it's, you know, it's related. >> This this is bad policy. You can't just announce on Truth Social that you're shutting down airspace and then not really do it, right? You can't you can't just tell the Pentagon, go ahead and just fly wherever you want to fly, you
[13:57] know, buzz the coast or violate Venezuelan airspace or whatever and not tell civilian aircraft to avoid the area. If you're serious about overthrowing this government, you have to shut down the airspace, >> which means there shouldn't be any jet blue flight in the area. >> And it's like, nobody's taken this seriously. You're either going to do it or you don't do it. You can't talk about it and then just pretend that you know that that's the plan. It doesn't work. >> And what the pilot said is is, and I think it's maybe not a main story, which
[14:28] is why I'm glad we're talking about it. It ought to be a main story. It's really chilling. Um the pilot said that this um that this milit US military plane without a transponder appeared two miles ahead of him. Uh I assume that he only knew about it visually. >> Right. >> At the same altitude. Now 2 miles >> Yeah. >> 2 miles is about three or four seconds. >> Yeah. Two miles is a long way when you're driving at 40 miles an hour on the road, but these planes go at 600 miles per hour. >> Exactly.
[14:58] >> So yeah. So literally um the you know that I'm sure he had to you know the passengers had a jolting experience as he veered the plane uh to avoid and he was absolutely rip and a lot of these >> international pilots are military they're US Air Force veterans so they know very well that you know this is not how you this is no way to run an you know an air force. It's it's crazy. Um, do you think I mean this is and also I
[15:30] guess the thing is I have to bring up what happened in Washington you know with which still hasn't really been addressed uh you know at Reagan National Airport the American Airlines plane the tragedy that claimed uh what Kansas >> almost 100 lives >> and then uh you know with the US with the um uh the Air Force uh helicopter that that inter that hit it. It was clear the it was the Air Force's fault. My understanding is that the administration is trying to blame the airline and >> they they are trying to blame the
[16:00] airline and on Thursday of this past week they well in the immediate aftermath of the of the accident uh they restricted military helicopter flights in the immediate area of um National Airport. National Airport is literally next to the Pentagon. Right. On Thursday, they went back to the old rules again. I live directly underneath the flight uh path for landing. The airport's three miles
[16:31] from my house. As I'm looking out the window, I see a plane right now that's that's flying into land. Every few second, that's not true. Every few minutes, you'll see military helicopters, too. Ospreys, Hueies, they're they're all over the place. Um, it's a miracle that they don't hit each other more frequently. They're all in the same airspace. >> Yeah. I think people don't really understand how intermingled all that stuff is. And also, if you're haven't flown into Reagan National, it's really
[17:01] in town. Oh, yeah. >> It's on the metro system. >> It is. It's on the metro system. Yeah. >> Which is, by the way, makes it a great airport to fly into. >> I try to fly exclusively or almost exclusively in and out of Reagan. I mean, it's even more in in town than LaGuardia. New York. I mean, it's more like the old u if for old New Yorkers will remember the Eastern Airlines terminal on the upper east side on the east side of Manhattan. >> Um that it's like that. That's what Regan National is more like.
[17:32] >> That's right. >> Um so, yeah. No, it's it's it's it's really reckless. Um we're g you know, people have to die before we take things seriously. But now people have died and we're still not taking it seriously. Um Uh question for you, John, from Zakaria. Uh I don't think it's Far Reed. Uh did you hear about Desiree Fixler, the whistleblower about the WF? Uh is it possible that justice won't serve these demons? Hope you get pardoned. >> Oh, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I've
[18:02] been I've been kind of tangentially [clears throat] following her um her revelations and whistleblowing. You know, she's she's a serious person. You can you can disagree with some of the positions that she's taking, but but she's a serious person coming right out of the WF. Um, we don't get very much news about her because she's based in Europe, but yeah, she's she's legit. I I have respect for her. >> Okay, cool. And Robbie, uh, we'll we'll
[18:33] take that ad whenever you're ready. Have we heard? Nicholas Franco wants to know of this recent controversy between Dan Krenshaw and the podcaster Sean Ryan. >> Oh, I have. It's so much fun. >> Dan Krenshaw, first of all, as we've said multiple times, is a scumbag >> and everybody says it >> and you know, he tricked so many people. He ran for he ran for Congress in 2018 and there were like eight people in that race in Texas. He ended up winning with whatever 20some percent. But he was I
[25:21] rare. There have been six successful discharge petitions in the last uh 12 months. >> That's crazy. >> And it's because there's no leadership, >> right? and and so independent not independent but individual members of Congress are are sponsoring discharge petitions just to get stuff out of committee. I mean, John, if I could snap my fingers and be a member of Congress without having to run or anything, I still wouldn't want the job. >> I wouldn't want it. >> Yeah. No. >> Yeah. There's like literally it's it's like it's pointless. It's a waste of your time. There's like literally
[25:53] nothing. And and a lot of people have quit recently and said exactly that. >> That's right. Um, uh, Mana the cat's asking if there's any chance we can get a Perplexity sponsor for your and our shows. >> That would be very greatly welcome. >> Yes, it would be welcome here, too. >> Uh, Wolfen Fighter wants to know, "How is Greece's relationship with Albania? I know a little bit about the relationship with other neighbors, but I have no idea about Albania." It's correct, as they
[26:23] say, not warm, but it's correct. >> Uh, >> that's a very European word. >> Yeah. Things things really went down the toilet in 1991 when Prime Minister Antony Samaras, who's he was a member of the Conservative Party. Now he's a he's the leader of his own little like very conservative party. He opened the border. Uh, Enver Hoja had died in 1986. uh the the communist government fell apart. Samaras opened the border and
[26:54] more than a million it was like 1.2 million Albanians crossed the border and entered Greece looking for work. That was a trauma at the time because it put Greeks out of work and because Albanians were for the most part undocumented, uh they drove wages down. Sometimes they didn't get paid at all. It was a big mess. Well, here we are now almost two generations later, one and a half generations later, and they're they're an integral part of Greek society. In
[27:27] fact, most of them that came were ethnic Greeks anyway. And the reason I'm bringing that up is that that's what the problem is now in relations between Greece and Albania. The southern third of Albania is not called Albania in Greece. It's called northern Epidos province >> because it's traditionally claimed by Greece. It's >> ethnically Greek for the most part. The mayors of the towns have Greek names. The Greek Orthodoxy is the religion while the rest of Albania is Muslim from
[27:58] Ottoman times. >> Are the signs in Greek or >> the signs are are both in Greek and Albanian? Yes. >> Okay. Um, and so the Greeks are constantly putting pressure on the Albanians to to lighten up on the on the ethnic Greek community. They they're they're harassed. They're discriminated against. Frequently, ethnic Greek political leaders are are jailed. A lot of those mayors are in jail now. So, it's it's difficult. But both sides realize they have to live with one another. And I
[28:30] mean, and obviously temperamentally and politically, those countries couldn't be more different, right? >> Seriously. >> Um, okay. So, I want to, you know, pick your brain a little bit about the Chilean election results. Yeah. Um, so Jose Antonio Cast >> basically has replicated a uh a sort of Latin American Trump kind of anti-immigrant uh anti-rime kind of template. Uh obviously, you know, the politics are specific to Chile, but now
[29:03] it's Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador are all right-wing countries. Um obviously the big the biggest one of them all, Brazil, is leftwing. >> Y >> um but uh you know, so Latin America tends to go in waves politically, right? In the 70s it was right-wing military dictatorships like Austo Pinocha and then uh and then then in the you know the as we saw you know the whole um you know Lulu kind of leftwing Hugo Chavez
[29:35] kind of uh thing and now we're pivoting back right. Um what's going on in Latin America? Chile is unusual in this respect in that cast election is a result of um of the Chilean people just being tired of corruption. The the left has been just notoriously corrupt and people are tired of it. And so here's this would be strong man saying give me
[30:08] this election and I'm going to clean the place up. So, I think that there's not necessarily any great love of the of the right or the far right in Chile so much as it's this anger with the left for just being a bunch of crooks. But you're right. You're right about waves. >> And there's something to be said about uh Malay in Argentina. Yeah. He's a right-wing populist. He's made nice with Donald Trump. Trump sends $40 billion in bailout money. And the Chileans are like, "Hey, I'd like to have a piece of
[30:40] that." That pisses me off. It really does. I [laughter] mean, we have people in this country. I mean, like, even as we speak, John, you and I are both renewing our health insurance. Yeah. Through the Affordable Care Act, and there's no subsidies for for you and me, right? And it sucks. And we're going to be paying like three times more for the same shitty plan that sucked before at a third of the price. Uh, anyway, Ray C 2020, thanks for the five bucks. Uh, can the president descertify federal labor
[31:11] unions if their workers are openly plotting on Zoom calls to sabotage the administration? Federal Unionists network has been infiltrated and streamed last night on tour. >> Interesting question. So, a couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump signed an executive order, which he does almost every day, um banning the uh the federal union asked me, uh from uh from the federal workspace. And interestingly
[31:42] enough, I I just I just read the executive order yesterday because I wrote an op-ed that included it. Um he specifically said that he didn't want to allow prison guards to be unionized. That that's what started this whole thing. It's all about the prison guards. So the the the question the answer to the question is it's unclear. It's unclear whether he can descertify the union. I think probably no. Um but he's
[32:12] certainly within his his rights to say um I don't want any union involvement in in federal uh contract negotiations. >> Who certifies unions? Is it is that the NLRB? >> Say that again. >> Who certifies labor unions in the US? I didn't realize they had to be Is that the uh Department of Labor? Is that the NLRB? What is it? >> Yeah, it's it's the American Federation of uh what's it called? Uh what's stand for? state the American
[32:43] Federation of State. >> Well, that's the union. >> That's the union. >> Yeah. But who's certified? I mean, >> like I mean I know that like in order to be recognized, you have to be as a union, you have to have a certain number of of uh members who sign cards and are willing to pay dues and all that stuff. >> But who who does that? What lab? I mean, it seems a little silly to me. It's almost like so in the same way that like if we have first amendment rights, why do we have to get a parade permit to have a demonstration on the street?
[33:14] >> Yeah. >> Right. From the police. I don't understand that. Either you have first amendment rights or you don't. And if we have >> if we have the right if uh if we have the right to organize uh and u you know collectively bargain against our employers, why do we have to go to the government to get permission to be recognized as a real labor union? Why can't we just do it? It doesn't make sense. That's a good question. And you know, federal workers, listen, you know, you know how stridently pro- union I am.
[33:44] I'm very proud proudly, again, a union member right now. I just paid my dues a couple of weeks ago. Very proud to be a member of the union. Um, I was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. My my mom was in the American Federation of Teachers. my dad, the uh National Education Association and the American Brotherhood of Musicians. My grandfather on my dad's side, the uh American Brotherhood of Meat Cutters and the Steel Workers Union and my grandfather on my mom's side,
[34:15] steel workers union. So long union tradition at my house. >> Clearly, >> I never joined the Federal Union because federal workers are forbidden from striking. >> Mhm. >> So >> there's no point. There's no point in >> And by the way, I don't think federal workers should be forbidden from striking. >> No, I I agree with you. >> I mean, it's like that's that's then at that point you've got slave labor. >> Exactly. >> Um you should always have the right to withhold your your labor. >> Absolutely. Yes. >> Um so yeah, I just I don't think there should be any exceptions to that. Uh by
[34:46] the way, um I'm a I'm a probably still a member of the probably the most unsuccessful union in in American history, the cartoonists union. Um, and they they they had a national strike back in during World War II in the 40s. Uh, and uh, you know, cartoonists were quite rich and there were a lot more more of us. There were thousands and thousands. Um, anyway, the thing is as soon as they they basically all turned into scabs as soon as the jobs opened up, >> they're they're such a bunch of lone wolves, they just decided to just take
[35:18] whatever jobs they could get. Um, so it sucks. No solidarity in the in the cartooning world. Yes. Yes. >> Um so all right. Um well so uh let's talk about this Trump declaration um of street and fentanyl as a WMD. Um so yesterday also at the same time it's worth noting that the US military blew up three more alleged drug boats. This time in the Pacific Ocean. Yeah. Um, according to the Pentagon, they killed
[35:50] uh at least eight unknown civilians, unidentified people, supposedly narot traffickers. They're not calling them narot terrorists in this particular press release. Um, so I mean, John, the thing that I keep coming back to is and and it I don't understand unforced errors, right? So, this president uh ran successfully uh in a Republican primary against the Iraq war after the fact and he basically and you know we all know how the Iraq war started out predicated
[36:23] the excuse that was that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. We know that wasn't true >> and it was all a lie and we now know the war was a huge mistake. Well, here we are in Venezuela and again, we're going to use weapons of mass destruction as an excuse. And again, we know it's not true, but we're going to define at least when Bush accused um you know Saddam of still having weapons of mass destruction. At least we knew he was talking about either chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons as
[36:54] defined under international laws, WMDs. Here we're redefining a drug as a weapon of mass destruction, which by definition can't be because a weapon of mass destruction is an individual weapon that goes off and kills lots and lots of people all at once. Like no drug can do that. Um so it's like, you know, you can give drugs to lots and lots of people. You could poison the water supply with drugs. That still wouldn't make it a weapon of mass destruction. So, >> um but I guess he can do this. And I
[37:25] mean, why I guess the whole thing is if you're trying to overthrow Venezuela, why go about it in the same way that your adversary failed to do the same thing. >> I I I I don't understand it. And not only do I not understand it, I disagree with it because declaring fentinel a weapon of mass destruction so cheapens the process
[37:56] that it makes the whole process kind of laughable and ineffective. You know, like declaring Antifa a terrorist organization. Did you see this video? I I posted it on Facebook yesterday. It's these two It's these two guys. They're both uh military veterans and they they're filming themselves. They go up to FBI headquarters and they said, "Hi, we're both um Antifa field commanders. We want to turn ourselves
[38:26] in." [laughter] And the FBI agent's like, "Uh, I'm not really sure what to do. Hang here." And they won't they won't take them. They're like, "Well, the president declared it a a um a terrorist group and we're both anti-fascist and so you know I we're both from command." >> Yeah. And the FBI is like, "We we don't know what to do. You should just leave." [laughter]
[38:59] >> Same thing. >> Fentinel weapon of mass destruction. >> Come And it's like and and we're not and fentinyl that Venezuela doesn't make fentinel. >> No, it doesn't make >> and whatever they're sending, which is probably cocaine, is not going to the United States anyway. >> No, it's going to to Western Europe. >> Yeah, [laughter] it's just weird. Uh, thanks a lot for the 20 bucks, uh, Soden, over on YouTube. >> Oh, thank you. >> Good morning. Been under the weather for the last few days. Yeah, there's been a
[39:31] flu going around. A lot of people have gotten it >> a lot. >> John, before before Putin blew his former friend out of the sky, >> do you think the Vagner commander was a CIA asset? He almost made it to Moscow in his march. I don't think he almost made it to Moscow, >> but I take the point, >> right? >> I mean, actually, what do we think happened there? I mean, it's I mean, I think it's reasonable to assume that, you know, he had like a convenient Paul Wellstone like accident. Um, but
[40:04] probably, right? >> Yeah. Yeah. I I Yeah, I think Putin probably just shot him right out of the sky. >> It's like you've got to go. I mean, he was I mean, he was the dude was a traitor and >> Yeah. So, okay. But anyway, so do do we think he was a CIA asset? >> No. CIA isn't that good to be able to recruit somebody like him. They're just not that good. >> Is Is he kind of Was he un He was also so rich. I mean, he's kind of like doesn't have vulnerabilities, right? I
[40:34] mean, >> no. See, >> you can't really offer him money. >> That's the thing. It's It's not uncommon to just not be able to identify a vulnerability in a person. >> You know, there are a lot of people that I would love to have recruited, but that there was just no hook. >> Yeah. Yeah. Like if the person's like they they're not chasing they don't need money. Exactly. Or you know there there was one guy there was one guy his vulnerability was that he was deeply in love with his
[41:06] wife. And the reason that was a vulnerability was because she got breast cancer. And do you do you want her to be treated in this crappy country we're in or do you want her to be treated at the Mayo Clinic because I can make that happen tomorrow. That's the hook. >> That's interesting. Yeah. No, that makes sense. That's terrifying, though. Um, >> it's awful. By the way, uh, thanks you to thanks, uh, to the, uh, person who, um, let's see, who is this? Elliot, uh, confirms that it's the NLRB, the
[41:36] National Labor Relations Board. >> Oh, of course. >> Certifies your ele your your union after you hold a union election. >> You know what? I of course it is. I And we should have known that. I wasn't even thinking of the NLRP. So, um, yeah. So, yeah. No, and by the way, yeah, Robbie and I, Robbie and you were kind of having it in the chat about unionization. Robbie says, "Didn't the unions fail when they allowed the industrialization of the country?" Um, >> Robbie, >> and you commented that it was capitalists who encouraged the industrialization that wrecked the
[42:07] unions. Yeah, that's that's that's what happened. The unions didn't fight back, though. >> No, they they didn't. They should have all gone on strike and they should have had a na they should have all co collaborated and worked together and they didn't like in France when there's a like if if like the if the postal union goes on strike the teachers go on strike the the cops go on strike you know >> the everything's on strike together. I'm commenting now uh uh to Robbie. He said, "But uh the unions
[42:39] folded like little girls." And I just texted that is true. Unfortunately, I've I've talked a couple of times, Ted, about >> my memory of the beginning of the end in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio was in in 19 um 78 >> when or 77 when the Youngsttown Sheet and Tube closed. 77 and half of the kids in in in junior high school dumping. >> Yeah. Japanese dumping is what did it. But half the kids in in junior high, their dads lost their jobs. Kids were
[43:10] crying in the halls. Next thing you know, >> they've all moved to Florida, North Carolina, and they and the dads all took non-union jobs. They had to >> because they had to. They you had to feed your family. >> Yeah. Yeah. No question. Um, let's talk a bit about this um MI6 lady, Bla1 Metroelli. She's the first um the MI6 is old. They said I didn't realize it was 116 years old. Yeah. Um, according to uh the press, she's the first woman to run
[43:40] MI6 and she gave a big policy speech and basically she went on and on and on about how the biggest threat to I guess the UK and to Europe in general is Russia and specifically it all comes down to the Russo Ukrainian war. Um, I thought that was some pretty I thought that was really kind of sad. She talked a little bit about uh AI and the uh how it can be used for you know as it'll how it's a threat but also how it can be useful also and you know so she she seems like she comes from the tech side
[44:11] of things but it didn't seem like very did not seem I guess what did you think of her analysis is my question not convincing not convincing yes AI is a very big problem but you can't say that Russia is the gravest threat uh to you know freedom and democracy on the face of the earth. Where do you come up with that? Um misuse of technology could be China could be Russia is practically bankrupt. It has a population that is shrinking to
[44:44] the point where at its current birth rate there will be no Russians in a 100 years. [snorts] >> Obviously that won't happen but that's that is a funny factoid. [laughter] Um, well, they'll have and whoever's left will have a lot of room. >> A lot of space. >> Yeah. A lot of space. Lot. >> But no, I this I I'm just not seeing Russia as this, you know, in-your-face global immediate threat that has to No, I I just I'm not >> I mean, do you think any nation state is
[45:15] even China or is it is it I think that the real threats are going to be more amorphous like climate change. Yes. Which may not be specific nation state versus nation state. >> That's right. That's right. you you know in at at the very very beginning of the Clinton administration um Al Gore was the guy who he was the point man for intelligence in the Clinton administration. Bill Clinton wasn't even vaguely interested in intelligence. >> Interesting. So Gore came to the agency and he created, you know, we have the
[45:45] counterterrorism center, the counter intell counter intelligence center, counter narcotics center. Now there are one or two others, but at the time he created the um environmental center >> to to plan for um you know the effects of climate change on stab global stability. And the day that George W. Bush came into office, they zeroed it out. That's really I mean just yesterday we talked about this story about the lost nuclear generator in the Himalayas
[46:17] in northern India. >> That's a climate change story. It's a threat, right? I mean because literally if that glacier hadn't been melting it it that thing could have stayed up there for another 10,000 years. It would have been no big deal. >> Yes, that's exactly right. Another thing too, I remember in the very very early 90s um there was discussion about making um AIDS a tier zero uh uh threat, right? So it would be terrorism,
[46:50] China, and AIDS as the three biggest um >> wow biggest threats. And the Bush people weren't interested in that either. I mean, HIV wasn't the problem in 2001 that it was in 1991 or 1993, >> but um the Bush people just weren't interested. They're like, "Yeah, it's it's in Africa." I remember I won't say the country, but I remember >> although it's funny because because Bush himself did end up taking an interest in AIDS in Africa. the end in the end >> there was a
[47:21] I I won't say the country but at the beginning of the Clinton administration what spurred Clinton to do this was a report that there was one African country where every member of the cabinet was HIV positive >> Jesus Christ >> and they were like how can how can Africa survive like this >> no it can't >> no that's that's insane yeah >> [snorts] >> uh I mean I also have to give Bush some credit for, you know, when the apparently he had a pandemic um paper uh
[47:52] white paper that that he put together that kind of anticipated a lot of the stuff. I guess nobody read it after it came out. It's too bad we really weren't ready for co and >> no, >> we should have had warehouses full of masks that should have been, you know, seriously, we should have had boxes with the old civil defense logo full of masks landing on every doorstep in America like the day it started. >> Indeed. Um um thanks for the five euros uh Rod and Goo. Um we don't have Rumble here in
[48:22] France. We can make it hard to support the show when I can't catch up with you live on YouTube. Um well, we we do take PayPal. I'll put the pay. It's also our email address so you can reach out. It's uh you can PayPal us via deprogram podcast atgmail. Uh I put it up on the screen. It's dprogrampodcast@gmail.com. >> And and Nick Nick Brachia76, uh, thank you for the $5 and thank you for that question. John, have you considered
[48:52] developing a oneman show? Something that could tour similar in form, not content, to what Mike Tasa did. Starting in February, baby. Yes. [snorts] >> Stay tuned. We're starting in Santa Fe, then going to Branson, Missouri, Charleston, South Carolina, Dallas, uh, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. That's going to be the the first set of events, and we're going to go all across the country. I did this in the UK in January and February, and it was very
[49:22] successful. I can't wait to get started again. Can't wait. >> Very, very cool. Uh, five says, "Robbie would likely be a great union leader." I think that's true. I think that's true. >> Yeah, >> I think that's true. >> Yeah. >> Robbie, you want to you want to you want to run away? >> If you go to if you go on strike against you that will have you droned. >> Well, I mean ultimately the sole purpose of a government, doesn't matter what government it is, is to
[49:53] take care of its people. The welfare of the people who live in your borders is the most important thing. Mhm. [snorts] >> And no one can explain to me why outsourcing your all your jobs, your industrial capacity, while at the same time you're throwing your borders open, depressing wages is a net benefit for your for your people. If you if you want to if you want to destroy your country, that's how you do it. >> Yeah. No, I mean, the only I had to sort of guess this because it's never been explained to me either, Robbie. Uh the only advantage of de-industrialization, and it wasn't pitched this way, to me
[50:25] would be less pollution. That's about it, maybe. I mean, no one ever No, no one ever claimed that. >> Well, I guess if you have record high suicide rates and you have 100,000 people dying every year from drug overdoses, I guess you can make that claim. But >> hey, we need that's that's where we're going to get our fertilizer. >> No, but also though is serious question. Y'all both older than me. Y'all both been in New York. I've never been there. Is New York cleaner now than it was 40 years ago? Well, I was I was here 40 years ago. 40
[50:57] years ago? Yeah. >> And it that's so that's we're talking about 1985. >> Yeah. Is Washington DC Washington DC things cleaned up in the 90s for sure. Uh the 80s were gross. >> Yeah, the 80s were pretty gross. >> I mean, because it was a hangover from the bankruptcy in the 70s and all that. >> It's it's cleaner now. That's what he's saying, right? Or did I misunderstand? No, I think Go ahead, Robbie. >> No, what what I'm asking is is it clean is New York City or Washington DC or any
[51:28] major city. Is it cleaner now in terms of just trash, garbage, wet destruction? Is it cleaner now? >> Absolutely. Yes. In Washington. >> Well, you know what the big difference is? There's no newspapers anymore. >> That's >> so newspapers [clears throat] used to be everywhere on the street. people would just throw them on the ground and like they used to start track fires in the subway like all the time. Um, and they're not here anymore. >> So, the way I've always thought about this and y'all could and I could 100% be wrong on this. If people are so
[52:00] concerned about how am I going to pay my bills or take care of my family or even can I even have a family because I can't afford to get married. How then can you think about about a bigger pol a bigger issue like foreign policy or the direction of the government if you're so consumed about just surviving the dayto-day? How could you possibly ever think about anything bigger? I don't see how you can and I think I think this is all by design. >> Well, I I don't know if it's all by design. I mean certainly there's been
[52:31] hostility towards labor. That's always I mean just think about it like you know if if roughly twothirds of your of your uh of your cost as an employer is employment obviously you're always going to be thinking about ways to get that down. You're always going to want to keep uh wages low that they're just after that. And you know I mean in fact I'm starting to write a column about that for this week. >> That's why you have a union, right? I mean, basically the Americans, we've been pitched now like, you know, we we we've been talked to as consumers, which we are. We're all consumers. We all buy
[53:02] things. And it's like, oh, we're going to get your prices lower, but we're also workers and we need a higher and we need a higher income. No one is Democrat or Republican, is is arguing that we need higher wages, right? They're just addressing us as consumers, not as workers. I think that's the problem. And we've put up with it. It's like, "Oh, yeah. Well, you know, you get a a t-shirt for made in Indonesia for 18 bucks at the Gap. That's really cheap." And yes, it is. But we might be better off if that same t-shirt were 60 bucks and it were made in in Iowa instead.
[53:34] >> I I just I don't know. I don't know how you get there. I I don't know how you how you keep the country from just being completely hollowed out more than already is. I don't >> It's capitalism. It's the nature of capitalism. Markx had said all said all this was coming 175 years ago. >> Yeah. But the problem is that Marx doesn't have a solution for any of it. I mean >> Yeah. >> And what does that mean? So I mean >> well basically the the workers have to the workers have to control the
[54:04] production. Workers are their own bosses. >> But that's my point. I mean that's what that's why I have a union >> and no when the union know when all those jobs are hollowed out. Honest to God, seriously, serious question. Where were where's was the automotive union? Where was the steel union? Where were all these different unions? Where were they getting paid off and bribed? >> The Marx is wrong because the unions are supposed to be owned by the by the workers. That's the whole point. That's why you pay dues. >> But you can't have like a little island of Marxism in a sea of capitalism and expect it to live. And that's what a
[54:35] union was. A little island of of socialism surrounded by a vast ocean of, you know, sharkinfested capitalists. >> You know what I mean? >> We should honestly this is as a Rumble premium episode one day just because I'm serious. I want to learn about this >> because my big my biggest enemy it's not China. It's not Russia. It's not North Korea. My enemy are John. They're two miles away from your house. >> Yeah. >> Those are the people that I hate. Of [laughter] course not.
[55:05] >> All right, Robbie, we'll we'll we'll we'll take this up later. Okay, so thanks everyone for tuning in. You've been watching the program with Ted Roll and John Kuryaku. We're here Monday through Friday, Eastern time, 900 a.m. We'll be back tomorrow. Tomorrow is Wednesday. John, always a pleasure. Good to see you, Ted. >> Please stay tuned um to on Rumble and tune in on TMI uh on uh YouTube to the TMI show with me, Ted Ra, and Manila Chan. and uh we'll have a lighter take on the news. See you later.
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