How geopolitics impact American families and gas prices

It's six eastern. It's three o'clock Pacific. This is a president of action. Coast to coast and around the world from the America out loud talk radio studios. If he says he's serious about something he means it's time for the truth be told with Booker Scott as we start this Monday night we have to consider we're only mere hours away from a deadline that Donald Trump

put on the Iranian government this weekend. He said open the street of four moves and if you don't I'm going to put out your lights. We wait for that here in the next few hours. I'm Booker Scott. This is the truth be told as always on Mondays we have Matt Palumbo and Matt joins the conversation every Monday night with Mondays with Matt and Matt it was a busy week last week. I think we're going to have more of the same coming up this week. It just seems to never stop.

I think so. But yes, you're 100% correct. Well, we're going to get into the Iranian situation. By the way, there are 12 Americans dead now in that conflict that's taking place over there. We're going to get into that in a few minutes. But I want to start the hour with the death of Robert Mueller. He died over the weekend. He was 81 years old. And Donald Trump put this post out. I'll read this. I'll also have it in a clip here in just a few minutes as well. But this is what he said. He said Robert Mueller just died.

Good. I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people. And that's from President Donald J. Trump. What do you think of that comment from Donald Trump over the weekend? There's a few things that surprised me when Trump says something and the liberals are all freaking out. Like, can you believe he said this in that? And I'm like, well, if you've seen the guy for the past 40 years, of course, you would say that. This is one of those rare exceptions where I even I was surprised you said it. And I'm wondering.

What changed where this is someone he would say because obviously it's not the first time one of his enemies has died. I have a thought. You know, he was very, very close to Charlie Kirk. And he obviously probably saw thousands. If not hundreds of thousands of anybody who've been that many people celebrating his death and attacking his widow. And I'm wondering if that is what motivated it to some extent to say you're going to do it to us. We're going to do it to you. You know, listen, I.

Give it how vicious the left is. I can't say I care that much. But to be speaking objectively, it's not exactly the kind of behavior I want to see from the president. Yeah, I agree with that. But Robert Mueller had a really good career when it came to Vietnam. And then he was the FBI director. There may be some questions there. I think the part that he has a problem with is the Russian hoax investigation. A Mueller investigation. Here is a clip from over the weekend with Scott Beset. And this was on face the nation.

First by President Trump from yesterday responding to the death of former special counsel Robert Mueller. He posted this quote Robert Mueller just died. Good. I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people. Do you think it's appropriate for the president of the United States to celebrate the death of an American citizen, someone who's a bronze star, purple heart recipient and who served in Vietnam.

I was with the president of Green Room at Davos and there was a video playing of the what may have been an illegal raid on his home at Marlago. They are going through his wife's wardrobe. And I watched the look in his eye. And I think that neither one of us can understand what has been done to the president and to his family.

To the question of the president's post, I mean Robert Mueller didn't order that raid. Is it appropriate for the president to celebrate the death of any American citizen?

I think that given what has been done to President Trump and his family, it is impossible for either of us to understand what he has been through.

So you don't think that there's anything wrong with the post saying. And she's going to keep trying their mat, but she's going to be unsuccessful. Yeah, she gets nowhere with Scott descent.

And I would suggest that that is probably the reason why we're seeing what we're seeing from Donald Trump. We had that raid on Marlago where they went through his wife's underwear.

And I don't think that that's going to be forgiven by Donald Trump any time ever. I really don't. And if you go back to Erica Kirk and when Charlie Kirk died, I remember Donald Trump saying this on the stage in his memorial that, you know, you're better at forgiving than I am. It's just not something I would do. And I think we're seeing that in this.

Yeah, and we have to remember too. I mean, I know 10 years ago in political years, there's like a million years, but it did sort of overshadow his entire first time. Every single thing he did or said was reported on basically every network instead of Fox and, you know, I'm talking TV particularly at every other network as, oh, this is the benefit of the Russians that has to do with food and blah blah blah.

And even it was just the number one talking of what he ends up and also something they were trying to put him in jail over and Robert Mueller's report, you know, did basically end up exonerating him, but it was the process that was the punishment.

It was, you know, they tried to make mother it's this like super hero Ted character with Avonotti and it is hilarious that Avonotti is now in jail and, you know, he was the one they thought was going to put Trump in jail. I see that find better heroes. But, um, the fact that mother's report ended up finding nothing and basically exonerating Trump.

There was no narrative shifts from the left to, oh, dang, I guess we got that one wrong. We put all our themes in this one guy and he just proved us. No, the myth continued. So the fact that his report ended up finding Trump did nothing wrong is kind of irrelevant. He still led, you know, helps further a witch hunt. And the left suddenly talk about it that much anymore, but you still will see the, you know, memes or arguments that Trump's embedded with food and all that and he's clearly not.

Well, we knew when Robert Mueller was doing that investigation that his mind was gone a lot anyway at that point. Soon after it, he was put in memory care facility. So I think that we all knew what was going on. And he was put in that position. He really had nothing to do with it. It was Jack Smith and those attorneys that were doing things. Here's a Devon Nunes. He was obviously a big member of the House of Representatives when all of that was going on. He's the CEO of Truth Social. Now, here he is.

He is from the way back machine. It wasn't just about all the corruption that they did to create and manufacturers, the Russia hoax. The Mueller investigation itself was a hoax and was illegal. When, when Mueller walked into that door, how many times did I say it? He said, where are the Russians? Oh, sir, there are none. Why didn't Mueller leave? Why did all those people work for years? Why did they hide the information from Congress for so many years? I think you're going to find many of those top level lawyers and FBI agents, as Cash said.

They did not conduct themselves in a professional manner. And I think if interviewed again, you could maybe get to the bottom of it. But look, you have two guys that want to get to the bottom of it. I have every faith that they will.

And he is referencing their cash Mattel and Dan Bongino. Bongino no longer with the FBI. But don't forget, there is a grand jury in South Florida that is investigating this whole thing.

Comey Jim Comey was subpoenaed last week for that grand jury. Yeah, I mean, hopefully something will stick with Comey at this time. And unfortunately, we were, I mean, I would say humility with the way the last charges went.

Also a definite as fun fact, he's also running his own line company. I didn't know that I'd be on true social. That's excellent. Good to know Matt brings all types of things.

I can't remember who reached out to me that worked for him years ago. Well, they put me on some of this. Every Christmas, they get wine from different units. And I'm like, Oh, yeah, I forgot about that guy. Cool.

Well, we started this hour with what is coming in Iran. Donald Trump puts out a post over the weekend that says, if you don't open up the straight of her or muse, we're going to come. And we're going to bomb your energy. We're going to come after you.

And that's going to put a lot of people in the dark in Iran. I don't know if that's good or bad. Here's my question. As I've been thinking about it over the weekend, since this started, he put a 48 hour time limit. That time limit comes up Monday night around 9 o'clock. If you're listening on a podcast, we're already past that. So maybe you already know what happened. If you're listening live, obviously, we're still a few hours away from that.

How do we know when the straight of four moves is going to be open? Because the straight of four moves is closed because of the proximity to the land of Iran, where they can shoot drones and missiles into ships. It's not like there's a gate. And they almost have no Navy left. So how are we going to know that that has taken place?

I guess they have to tell us if they take the word for it. Well, they've already said they're not going to. They have the thing. If they were going to feel new way. I mean, I'm not. I don't think bomb energy infrastructure is the right way to go about it, just because there is going to be mass panic in the markets in the aftermath. And I don't want to be spending $12 a gallon for gas. You benefit as a short-lived thing.

Listen, I mean, we've been doing pretty well in killing every single leader and person of power in the country. I think you can have very credible threats in that realm if you want to threaten these people.

Well, they're running out of military targets. They are. They are down to about 118 wheelers with missiles on them over the weekend. We found out that Iran lied again back on March 8th when the foreign minister said our missiles, our ballistic missiles,

can not go over 2,000 kilometers, which is about 1,200 miles. Diego Garcia was bombed over the weekend, which is more like 2,500 miles, 4,000 kilometers. So that puts Europe and NATO in to the path of a possible ballistic missile coming from Iran. And then you have to wonder, is that an imminent threat?

Is there intelligence somewhere that Donald Trump had that said, hey, they have these missiles. They can go there. They have told us they have 60% enriched uranium and they have a lot of it.

Who knows? Maybe they were only weeks away from having a nuclear weapon. And maybe that's why we're seeing what we're seeing.

Yeah, I mean, our intel must have found something, although I think, you know, we might be answering the question of like, you know, who opened the strand of our moves and how will we know? I mean, if they're close to being militarily decimated, if we get to the point where they can't defend it, then that also is the same as opening it.

Yeah. And I think there are a lot of lone wolves, guys and John Boats and an outboard that are going around causing problems out there. And I say, John Boats, their speed boats, their Navy is pretty much decimated at this point when it comes to ships and ships that would put minds out there. Those are sunk. They're at the bottom of the ocean there.

Let's go to Margaret Brennan and let's get into the way the American people are feeling. You brought up paying $12 a gallon for a gas. Nobody wants to do that. And most Americans are against this.

Here at home, the most measurable thing seems to be the price at the gas pump. How are people feeling about the economy?

They have noticed the increase in gas prices. Of course. Big, big number. See now they've gone up. But it's the impact more broadly on the economy.

They think the war is having both a short-term impact on gas prices and weakening the economy. But also I asked about the long term.

Because you hear the argument out there, well, it'll just take patience and let's ride this out. But even in the long term, folks are not convinced that there's going to be an improvement in the economy.

And also that larger increase in gas prices. The other part of this too is they see this as a war of choice as opposed to necessity.

And what that does is it comes back to this. Are you willing to have patience right now? At least as far as gas prices are concerned, most people say they don't think Americans should be willing to pay higher prices for it.

And Matt, I think most Americans feel that way. And I believe most Americans would feel that way. And the poll would come out the same way regardless of what war it is.

Americans just don't want any more war. We spent 20 years in the Middle East already. They don't differentiate this from that. Do they?

No, and the polling I've seen is basically two to one against it overall. Now among Niagara Republicans, it's like basically 100% in support among Republicans who don't call themselves Niagara Republicans.

It's a two-thirds support. But overall, so I should say, we're probably not going to be losing Republican votes in the midterms over this.

But the rest of the country that is not Republican is very, very unpopular. And at first, it was probably more popular just because there weren't any noticeable consequences.

It was, okay, cool, we took up the IOTO, like, great. Now that there's a cost for it and we're seeing it out of the pump.

And actually, you know what in the past episode two, the costs are a bit premature and that it should not the lag between

when oil prices go off and then when it translates to the pump usually, you know, can take weeks to month.

It's four to six weeks. I did research on this years ago. Yeah, it's four to six weeks.

So this happened pretty much instantly. So, you know, sellers basically decided, all right, we're going to bake in the cost now.

They are exploiting it to some extent. But within a few weeks, it will become, you know, a quote, actually a real price, whatever you want to call it, it's going to be solidified.

So, you know, I do think it would be in the best interest to wrap this up relatively quickly and chalk it up as a victory.

I don't know if this turns into like, you know, I rack or I get a sand, it is going to be a stand on the president's scene and we'll cost us on the road.

I had Lieutenant Colonel Dan Gobb, Darren Gobb. I'm sorry. He's been on the program five or six times. He was on last week.

And he's a military planner, intelligence guy. And he was talking about boots on the ground. A lot of people are fearful of that.

And he made a really good comment that I had not thought of. And you may not, well, you're not going to remember it because you don't remember the first Gulf War.

But in the first Gulf War, there was a huge buildup of troops. It took two months. We had half a million people in the desert in Saudi Arabia before we went into Kuwait to move Iraq and Saddam Hussein out of there.

We're not seeing any of that. So that should come as a comfort to those people that believe there's going to be boots on the ground.

Because I don't see that that's going to happen. Here's some sound from the weekend. Scott Bassett with Kristen Walker.

NBC News is reporting the President Trump is considering sending troops into Iran. Will the administration use troops to secure the straight of her moose or for any other reason, Mr. Secretary?

Again, as President Trump said during the press break yesterday when he was going out to Marine one, he's not going to give away what we're going to do.

He's as President Trump always does. He's leaving all options on the on the table. We had a very successful bombing campaign against the military installations of Carg Island, the nexus for all the Iranian oil supply.

What could happen with Carg Island? We'll see. And again, just to be clear, the command and control system of the Iranian regime is in chaos.

This is Hitler's bunker. Hitler's dead. Himmler is dead. Goring is dead. Most of what you were seeing are lone wolf activities.

This the mid-range ICBM that was shot off these two missiles yesterday. That's out of desperation, Kristen.

I see it that way too, Matt, that they are pretty desperate right now.

Yeah, I see it that way as well. And then they also have to who's the guy they're now claiming his gaze and then they get a PR battle on their.

Yeah, the guy in charge who he was missing a leg. He's missing a leg or two also.

Trackable leaders. We've gone to eat in a week. So not only the destiny, they now have to evade some high school bullying and are on the media's behalf.

Well, Scott Bessent is pretty sharp. I believe we didn't get another rate reduction from the Fed and Jerome Powell's leaving pretty soon anyway.

And that's a good thing. Another thing I want to bring up about Scott Bessent, something he said months ago that you and I talked about.

I think we talked about it briefly on a program one night. I think we talked about it privately additionally.

And that was the big tax returns that so many were anticipating. We're going to be so much higher. They kept talking about the, you know, the tax breaks and the big beautiful bills going to bring much bigger refunds.

And I kind of push back at the time said, well, the only people really are going to get a bigger tax refund are going to be those that worked a lot of overtime because there weren't additional tax cuts in the big beautiful bill other than $200 child care.

And that was pretty much it. You had no tax on tips and that really doesn't affect the tax return or refund. And then you had no tax on overtime and social security.

Those were really the three things that were different from what we had and what I am seeing right now. I did some research on this last week that I think that we were right because right now the average refund is about $200 more than it was last year.

And now the American people are having to spend that money on gasoline that we just said they have been gouging us on over the last three weeks.

I got a little lucky this year. I got a little more than I was expecting, but it's because I forgot account for the fact that I just have a kid had a child. So, you know, how to defend into add on. But without that. Yeah, I would say my tax are pretty much what would they have been before. But yeah, I'm not, you know, earning tips.

Unless I can figure out how to reclassify all my income as tips, which would be.

The thing I could do probably would go to jail, but you would. Yeah, we would all like to figure that out.

We have we have more of the conversation coming up. We're going to stay here with the Iran conflict when we come back.

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That is Matt Pulumbo's walk up music every day I write the book he has written 11 of them you can find them at Amazon and Barnes and nobles and pretty much anywhere book is sold.

Yes some great books go check him out when you go to Amazon put his name in there that is Matt M. A. T. T. Pulumbo P. A. L. U. M. B. O. Matt let's get back to the conversation and Iran overall I think that Donald Trump has to get out of there real quick and I think he has to do it for the gas prices for the economy and I think he has to do it for the midterm this thing cannot drag on for a long period of time.

Well yeah I think the midterm is that we're going to be a challenge even before this where this is just another layer on top of it a the war but then you know be the one to punch of.

And also the gas prices on top of it you know when you ran when you run on cost of living I don't think you should be like it obviously looks discrediting or bad when gas prices are going up even if it's only going to be a short term thing but hopefully it is only a short term.

People need to understand that this is not because there isn't product it's because the product can't get to where it's supposed to go so if the straight of four mues has opened up the product is going to get there and the product is continuing to be brought out of the ground and by the way I saw that the LNG production of one of the nations there I don't remember which one it is in the Middle East they got hit pretty good and America is going to replace that production.

So there's plenty of production of the energy throughout the world it's just a matter of getting it to where it needs to go.

Kristen Walker she was with Scott Beset over the weekend she talked about the Russian sanctions and the fact that the administration has lifted those sanctions so other countries can buy that oil.

The administration did these oil sanctions on Russia earlier this month you had initially defended imposing those sanctions calling Russian exports quote oils it funds the Russian war machine.

If the point of the sanctions was to stop funding the Russian war machine why is the administration effectively rewarding Russia again Kristen you're missing the point which the which is better.

Does Russia get more money if oil goes to 150 and they get 70% of that that's 105 or if oil stays below 100 so they're getting less money our analysis shows our analysis shows that the maximum extra amount the Russia could get would be $2 billion which is one which is one day of the Russian Federation's budget.

But understood but they wouldn't have gotten any of that with this.

Kristen Chris I don't know who ever would they have done any of that in place.

Whoever does your research you should get rid of because they would they were getting it it was going into China China was buying over 90% of the Russian oil.

But what's the point of sanctions if not to punish Russia if not to punish countries again we have no ability to do that to China.

If China wants to be a bad actor but we were substantially able to the degrade there.

Matt I agree with him that whoever does her research is dumber than a box of rocks.

I don't even know if they should be fired I think that that's just the way they think because you put sanctions on Russian oil doesn't mean people quit buying it.

Look at India I think India is a good example they didn't quit buying it then Trump said I'm going to put a higher tariff on you.

They said we don't care we're still going to buy their oil because even with the tariff on the amount of trade we do together it's cheaper for our people to have the cheaper oil from Russia.

But I think Basant makes some really good points there if the oil went up to $150 a barrel then Russia is just going to make more money because they're going to sell their oil.

And for whatever reason NBC and Kristen Welker they couldn't get it through their thick head on that.

Yeah no that was really good. I can't even call it ban it's just the fact there was actually a very smart answer.

And then plus the fact that you know quantifying it as okay it's only one day of her budgets.

What is like a quarter of a percent it was funny that you came back with well it could be zero and it's like it basically is.

So fire yourself.

Yeah she is not very smart I don't think then we bring in the NATO stuff the NATO countries.

And you had those ICBMs that we talked about earlier they went a long way they could actually reach panzeas macron at this point.

They can reach Spain, France, Germany with those missiles.

And now do you think they're going to change their tune and actually come help.

I'm sorry can you say France?

I did say France I said Germany I said Spain and of course Spain Spain is on their own anyway.

But the point is that these missiles can reach Europe.

Well I think they should have from the beginning and then be helping also with the string of our muse and that we're all sort of in this together.

But yeah I think so and it is bizarre we didn't know ahead of time that they were lying about their range on their missiles.

I mean we did but they didn't make it public but I feel like the odd we didn't know that in the first place.

But another part about that lie is if they're lying about that and most of the things that we hear from them what else are they lying about?

Are they lying about nuclear weapons?

You know and then that it could be an imminent threat which we always get back to the imminent threat because of the War Powers Act and that whole debate that's going on.

Let's go to some sound here with Donald Trump on NATO.

Very important thing he said here last Tuesday.

I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake and I've long said that you know I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us.

So this is a this was a great test because we're in there.

What do you think Matt is this a real test for NATO? Have they showed us who they really are at this point?

Well yes in the fact that we're funding the whole deal.

Well we found everything for NATO.

Expecting yes some more some more help from them some more solidarity.

Well we have 150,000 troops on the ground in Europe right now.

You know we are their army and we get into something like this that really protects them as well and they're nowhere to be found.

They've all got feed yes of course.

Let's go to Margaret Brennan she had the head of NATO in there.

Mark Rude who seems to be it may be an ass kisser but he seems to be very supportive of Donald Trump.

I'm not sure which one it is. Maybe he was the same way with Joe Biden.

But he's really positive on Donald Trump and here's what that exchange was.

Are you worried that this is going to hurt NATO's goals elsewhere?

What I know is that we always come together. It was under President Trump's leadership that we had the extremely successful summit in the Hague.

We agreed to spend 5% of our GDP's on defense and therefore equalizing for the first time since Eisenhower.

So this is quite some time back in history equalizing what Europeans are spending and what Americans are spending.

Not only because it is fair that we all spend the same and this was a wish from Trump 45 and now it's Trump 47.

He got this done but also because we need it because of the Russian threat and our other adversaries.

Then on Ukraine it is again the US providing critical intelligence support and a weapons flow working together with Europeans to secure Ukraine's fight against the Russians making sure they have what they need.

And now with Iran I'm absolutely convinced and I understand the President's frustration that it takes some time.

But again I also ask for some understanding because nations had to prepare for this not knowing and for good reasons about the initial attack on Iran.

But now coming together to make sure that we can be able to secure this data for a motion.

We are three weeks into this mat and it's taking them this long to activate and come help.

Who is that guy talking?

That's Mark Ruth the head of the NATO.

You saw in a good game I slightly were saying my past comment.

It's nice to see Europeans like actually be appreciative for the fact that we're the only reason their countries can afford all their generous welfare programs.

There's been really subsidized the hell out of them and I don't know maybe what I'm saying online but I feel like I don't know they talk down to us quite a bit.

Well he is very supportive of Donald Trump and like I said going into the clip maybe he's just kissing Donald Trump's ass I'm not sure.

Let's change gears now let's leave Iran there as we wait for some response from Donald Trump on Monday night because the straight of Hormuz is not open.

We just sit and wait what that response will be who knows I guess Donald Trump knows when and where he will do it and real quick before we do leave Iran.

I want to comment on and I want your comment to mad because I think there's too much expectation that Donald Trump and the administration should be telegraphing and telling people exactly what we are going to do.

That is stupidity in war you don't do that.

Is that Pearl Harbor clip getting cute up?

I don't even have it ready.

Now for the two people who haven't heard it Trump was asked while he was with the prime minister of Japan by a Japanese reporter basically along those lines of why aren't you talking more about like your plans that I ran and when she comes back with why didn't you tip us off about Pearl Harbor which was I don't know one of the funniest things Trump has ever said.

The joke kind of bombs in front of who you know who's telling it to but I thought it was one of his best lines ever but no it is a common sense point in that no we don't want the enemy to know what we're doing.

Even certain senators should probably be excluded from certain meetings because like people like you know live with war and or probably any real Democrat would leak any information to the media or enemies.

I guess indirectly to the media but or maybe even directly who that knows at this point and then even people like Joe can I think we're going to talk about soon.

But we have leakers on both sides so no it is good that this information is intel is being kept in a very small group of hands.

Yeah I agree let's leave Iran there will come back to Joe can Tucker Carlson here in just a little bit let's go to the government just down we're about 40 days into this.

People are going nuts over the weekend it spring break they're standing in line for hours at airports TSA people are calling in sick they're calling in they're not coming to work they're about to miss another paycheck here is Democrat Jason Crowe from Colorado.

But as a Democrat I mean look at Denver airport near your district they're asking people to donate gift cards for TSA agents to make ends meet the airport says you know this is a huge generator in terms of what the airport does for the region.

This is hurting your community how do you continue to defend the shutdown.

I'm going to be really clear that this is every public and shutdown.

Full stop right just yesterday just yesterday the US Senate held a vote.

In Senate Democrats put up an authorization to fund everything except for ice and CBP that's Coast Guard that's TSA that's cyber security every single Senate Republican voted against it.

In the House we actually have a bill rose at Delaro and he came Jeffries we have a clean bill that would force a vote to open up everything to fund everything except for ice and CBP Republicans are stopping it they're not.

Let me point out that ice is already funded for the rest of the fiscal year of 2026 so I don't know what the Democrats are doing here it's a political game that the American people just don't like.

Regardless of your politics whether you're Republican or Democrat independent there are people going without paychecks.

We watch our government we watch the chambers of Congress not be able to get things done for the American people and it's frustrating.

I think people are done with it all Matt.

Well the frame was idiotic because it's a Republican shutdown you know we agreed to everything except the part where you know except the part where we fund the whole reason Donald Trump got elected

to remove tens of millions of criminals and murderers and illegal rapes out of our country besides that we wanted to fund everything.

Well that's okay so it's a Democrat shutdown that it was bizarre to hear say it's a Republican shutdown and then described in detail why it was a Democrat responsible.

Right all they have to do is pass it and everybody gets paid lines will shrink at the airports.

Let's go to the Senate majority leader John Thune in some comments he made on this.

Do you think that that's going to be enough pressure right now to get a deal done?

It should be I mean I think the Democrats you know for 35 days now I've kept the department shut down.

The White House and Republicans have tried repeatedly reached out sent them off her sheets at one offer sheet it took 18 days to respond to.

They don't seem serious I think they think this is a political winter forum but it's a losing issue for this country and for the American people.

So there was a meeting yesterday Tom Holman showed up and you know they put all the issues on the table and it's going to be up the Democrats now to see whether or not.

We're going to find out whether they're serious real quick here because if they don't respond today with some sort of a counter proposal or at least a willingness to get back at the table.

I think it's suggest that they aren't there they want to continue to play politics.

And I hope that that's not the case.

The Democrats do come to the table and get this over with because Matt this is what's happening across the country at airports.

Scores of TSA workers have been calling out sick due to miss paychecks and that has slowed things down.

This is what it looked like at LaGuardia earlier this morning.

This is the pre-check line. This is supposed to be the easy security screening.

It's not just here you can look at airports across the country because if you go somewhere you got to get back.

You got to get through the security line in Atlanta or Fort Lauderdale or Raleigh or Los Angeles.

Flyers around the country have been dealing with wait times of up to two hours at some airports.

And all those people in lines, Matt they are Democrat Republicans there.

They don't care. They want to get where they want to go.

They want to do it safely and they're tired of this whole government shutdown thing.

Yeah and you know you were saying before I asked sort of action spoke into the last clip.

You know what we hope Democrats do the right thing and not playing politics.

And I hope the same and have no evidence whatsoever for that hope.

Yeah and Matt there's a bigger story here I think that we need to talk about.

It's something I brought up a couple of times I've written about it.

And I hope that it's on the Republicans radar because this has to do with the midterm election.

That if the Republicans are not working on the 27th fiscal year budget right now.

Getting it to a point of doing another reconciliation like the big beautiful bill so that they can pass it all together as an omnibus.

Prior to September 30th then that means another continuing resolution.

That means another government shutdown and it will last until the election in early November of this year.

And it's going to be just terrible for the Republicans.

You mentioned earlier that it's an uphill battle anyway already for the midterms.

I see it that way too.

If I had to put a number on it right now I would say that the Republicans will probably lose the 35 seats.

That's where I see it.

Which would be the same that Ronald Reagan lost in 1982.

But if the government is shut down it could be worse than that.

And you could also lose the Senate which I really don't think the Republicans are going to lose the Senate completely.

They may lose a seat or two but I don't think they're going to lose power unless there is another government shutdown, more continuing resolutions.

And if the Republicans do not get this done with another reconciliation it's going to be trouble.

It's unfortunate that I fortunately I have to agree but yeah that's pretty much what it's like now.

We saw last election cycle.

I mean I don't know if it was just the government shutdown but the Democrats did deliberately let it bleed into November.

We saw a lot of blowout elections all the Democrats favor and you know to have that set up again will be kind of strong.

As to the Senate I don't think we'll lose it but it was the other day like at 50-50 and pulling markets.

So there are some people placing bets that it's like 50-50 odds that we'll lose it.

I think they'll be wrong but we could lose a seat or two yet.

Yeah I agree with that.

And I think we should probably explain to people what polymarket and Calche these other ones they are predictive markets.

Explain how that works Matt because I think a lot of people don't really understand that it's not a bookie that you're betting.

It's just what the what people are feeling and that's a little bit different than betting at Las Vegas.

Yeah so yeah I mean I should promise this by saying that I think you and I are the only two people left that are not getting paid to do advertising for them.

Hang on just a minute.

They did pay me in full disclosure they did pay me in November and December to do posts on social media.

So I'm the last one.

I'm doing this for free.

You need to reach out to me.

All right so anyway don't gamble but the way it works is you can bet on you know you can probably bet on the weather.

Nowadays you know give it how gambling is everywhere which I think is actually a very bad thing.

But one of the benefits is that betting odds tend to be very predictive in that if you look on election day and you know there are 10 candidates that have an 80% chance of winning.

I'm generally speaking on them when you know once the polls come back probably eight of them will win.

And it's because you know that the real reason that the explanation people would give a few years ago was well when people put their money where the their mouths are.

You know people who are more knowledgeable are going to be placing bets so you have a very informed market and it makes it predictive.

I think the real reason is because insider trading is legal and these types of markets so you know the odds are always going to be influenced by whales who have inside information.

Now the way the odds are calculated it's basically just how much money is on favor of something versus again so if there was $100 bet on a race and you know $90 is bet on you $10 is bet on me.

The implied odds are that you have a 90% chance of winning and I have a 10% chance of winning you know you get paid out depending on how much money is bet on each side.

So if you were taking the bet that I would win and I've got a 10% chance well because there's nine times more money against it you would win nine to one.

So that's basically the overview but they're just very useful markets to look at for making predictions about the future.

Yeah and I don't I don't gamble on these myself I actually I just have one potential bet that I might that I might end up placing that we talked about it for like was the Democrat by presidential candidate.

Yes yeah we were going to bet like I make a long ship bet an annual year but I you know I myself generally refrain from placing any bets because you know in markets where insider trading is legal you're pretty much guaranteed to lose to those people but they're you know they're very useful in making predictions and and because there are people that know things you know like I'm just a bag of second you know if you could bet that you know there's going to be a strike on Iran the day it happened and the odds went from 1%.

You know 70% in an hour it's probably because someone on the inside knows it's going to happen in place to bet and you know with with races.

You know maybe it can pay manager knows that October surprise is going to come out maybe he has access to internal polling that other people haven't seen so it's just a much more efficient way of looking and making predictions than traditional polls but that being said they're you know they're also wrong all the time it's just that they're more accurate in the polls.

Well we're up against a break we're going to get into that and when we come back we're going to talk about Joe Kent Tucker Carlson Tulsi Haberd and we'll see where else the conversation goes it's coming up right after the break.

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And welcome back to the truth be told on a Monday night I'm booker Scott alongside Matt Palombo tonight let's get into the Joe Kent Tucker Carlson thing Joe Kent was a big story last week Matt he out of nowhere resigns but there's more to the story I believe and let's talk about it let's talk about him first being taken out of the Pentagon in classified information that happened weeks ago he was under investigation he still is.

And now he comes out and says he's against the Iranian war and he sounds like he is Tucker Carlson he sounds identical to him what's going on here.

Well this happened and I think we talk about this last week with Tucker he was claiming that his texts were being read by the CIA and maybe there's going to be far charges with Joe Kent it was odd to see him quit over the Iran strikes because even on his Twitter account you can just search his name and I ran find previous posts where he's talking about Iran.

As an imminent threat. So it's just bizarre to see so he resigns then we find out he's been accused of leaking classified information but the accusations and the investigation into it goes back well before he resigns so it seems like he resigned in response to that so maybe he was leaking to Tucker that could be possible the one of the first things he did was going Tucker's podcast and he is.

It's just odd to see him Candace this one woman who is a beauty patient who was on the religious Liberty Commission who resigned a lot of these people they're just.

They all sound identical talking points they're making against Trump where I don't know they're trying to push this whole maggot is dead narrative and.

Or Joe Kent the weirdest part of his resignation letter was you know he was claiming a claiming Israel the influence of the Iran strike and you know my position is more like in this specific case we had an aligned interest with Israel it wasn't like Israel egging us on but when Joe Kent was talking about his wife who's a service member being murdered by ISIS.

He said she was murdered in a war for Israel and if I recall I believe Israel caution does against going to war with Iraq it was just a bizarre thing to then try to make ISIS about Israel it was I so I don't know if these people are all being paid off if he realized the walls were coming in so I'm going to do the counter signaling podcast circuit or what but a lot of these sort of right wing influencer types are.

Very noticeably gravitating towards this same sort of weird almost third world this ideology and I say that as someone who is you know I think your total I think it's fair to criticize Israel I don't think it's inherently anti-Semitic but these people who make every ill in the world about Israel and Jewish people are a plague on our cause I agree.

I agree 100% with you on that and let's go back to Tucker Carlson real quick because maybe the CIA was listening to him and reading his messages because if you remember I saw this on social media I have not there's no way to corroborate this yet but Tucker Carlson was at the White House there was a picture of Tucker and Donald Trump in the Oval Office and that was just weeks before the bombing started and then he leaves there and what does he do?

I don't know maybe he calls his people over in the Middle East and maybe that's what the CIA was listening for so there may be more to the story there may be more to Tucker Carlson than just registering as a foreign agent.

There might be a little bit more there we'll have to wait and see let's listen to Bill Mar he's talking about this Joe Kent situation.

You have now this guy Joe Kent he quit this week it was a big story I think he was the counterintelligence guy and he said I can't go along with this because you know what he's been listening to too much Tucker Carlson it's you know the Jews made us do it it's just another version of anti-Semitism that comes out first it was BDS then it was their colonizers and genocide which it wasn't and all these other reasons like you can't have a state in the world that's based on religion.

Even though there's like 46 Muslim countries that are based on religion some have the name right in the title of the country but whatever it is you have all these and now the big answer is no Israel made us do it where Israel's bitch.

I don't think we're Israel's bitch I think we're Israel's ally but you know if I have to be on one side of this magazine either Trump or Tucker Carlson Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes I'll be with Trump on this one.

Good points there Matt I think Bill Maher made some good ones there but especially about the anti-Semitism because I am seeing Tucker Carlson Candace Owens the names that he just mentioned there they're anti-Semitic everything is hating the Jews just for being Jewish.

Yeah like listen if they were to say hey listen you know we're giving you just three billion dollars a year you know is the intel really worth it so we really want foreign countries hanging us on to these conflicts and influencing us that's a fine debate to have it's just you can then see every other thing they have to say and somehow the Jews are behind it in some way no matter how absurd like they'll eat like they're talking about things like the USS Liberty incident which was a mistake and it's just a different thing.

It was a mistake in attack by Israel and a US ship that Israel immediately acknowledged and apologized for and paid reparations for but will like try to present it as some sort of like hidden history or will I mean well I don't even have to really describe you can just go on their fees and see it themselves but if they they use it as sort of like a getting the foot in the door for a thousand other conspiracy theories.

And I was sure if we went through history we could find a bunch of things Israel's done that were totally not okay with I just don't then conclude that you know there's they're pulling the strings and every possible thing that happens like the whole like Jewish face lasers thing I'm coming to think they actually believe some of this stuff.

I think they do believe it. I think that's how far they are gone.

Let's stay here on Joe Kent Tulsi Gabbard she was in a hearing this week or last week I should say and Capitol Hill this was in the House of Representatives.

A least if on it was asking the question.

I also wanted to ask this because this week there was a high profile resignation of a director of National Counterterrorism Center.

Now I want to be clear from the outset I've communicated directly with President Trump my support for Operation Epic Fury and I was very not only disappointed

but how inappropriate this letter was and I want to read a statement that and get your personal assessment whether you agree or disagree with that.

And that's this early in this administration high ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America first platform and pro war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.

This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and that you should strike now.

There was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic these Israelis used to draw us into a disastrous Iraq war.

Now I cannot say how much I disagree with that statement. Do you agree or disagree with what this letter was put out by former director Kent?

He said a lot of things in that letter ultimately we have provided the president with the intelligence assessments and the president is elected by the American people and makes his own decisions based on the information that's available to him.

But do you agree with does that statement he made blaming Israel concern you? Yes.

It should concern her I think mad and I have seen that Tulsi Gabbard may be resigning. I don't believe that I think that's just a rumor on social media I believe.

What do you make of Stefanik's question there of Tulsi Gabbard?

Well obviously Tulsi is an awkward position in that you know she she was campaigning on no war with Iran and now is in a position where I guess she's either disagreeing with her own.

I guess disagreeing with the infill community on their own assessment that she's in charge of so yeah it's definitely an awkward position she is and I don't know how I would necessarily play that if I was her but I thought a response to that question was fine and the whole Israel angle was absurd and as you were playing and I was just googling to double check what is it earlier.

And this they have on Israel warned us against Iraq invasion US official says this is back in 2007 so so the tying the Iraq word Israel makes no sense.

Well let's move on from Joe Ken who was the counter intelligence person there underneath the DNI director Tulsi Gabbard let's move on to someone else that Trump has appointed by the way I think Joe Ken was way over his head in that I'm glad he's gone.

Now we have Mark Wayne Mullin as a possible DHS director and he's going to be replacing Kristi Nome if he gets confirmed maybe a problem here here's Rand Paul and Mark Wayne Mullin from a hearing this weekend for the confirmation.

I think there are angry issues I think there's a lack of contrition both about the violence that portrayed on me really the violent episode he was involved in and said a committee where he's told the media frankly that he doesn't regret it.

He's also told the media there and he said it again today that there's historical precedent for violence that can you do and happen all the time.

And I pointed out well it was the illegal 170 200 years ago it would actually flee and they would do it in areas they can find with the law didn't reach sometimes they would actually go to Canada sometimes they go from one state to the other but the mass of civilized response even in 1850 to 1830 was against it.

That's why Dueling was made illegal in fact they can't bring himself to say that you know really we shouldn't settle political questions with violence.

I think that would be a terrible example for ice and for our motor patrol agents.

And that's Rand Paul coming out of that hearing where he is not going to support Mark Wayne Mullin in that confirmation process who knows whether Mark Wayne Mullin will be confirmed for that DHS position.

But let's go back in history and understand why Rand Paul feels the way he does about Mark Wayne Mullin.

The reason why is because when he was attacked Rand Paul was attacked by his neighbor in Kentucky.

Mark Wayne Mullin said he understood why the guy did it because he doesn't like Rand Paul.

That was when Mark Wayne Mullin was actually in the House of Representatives.

He is now a senator from Oklahoma. Here is the exchange in that hearing between the two.

With a phone call was made I made it to you and I tried to talk to you. You didn't engage at all.

In fact you said get your paperwork in. It's got to be at three days in between.

You offer no apology sir.

And you offer no apology today and no regrets.

I don't want to apologize. I haven't heard the word regret.

I haven't heard I misspoke and it was heated and I made a mistake.

Actually, maybe those words.

Actually, it wasn't heated and I'm not apologizing for pointing at your counter.

Good. Good. So you're jolly well fine and you want the American public and the people up here to vote that may or may not vote for you to know that you supported the felonious violent attack on me from behind.

I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it. There's a difference.

By calling you by calling that means you really didn't approve of it. Just completely understand it.

Let me just say right now, Mark Wayne Mullin is full of crap.

I don't like the guy. Yeah, it is politicians answer.

Mark Wayne Mullin is full of crap. He knew exactly what he said.

Why he said it? This is not going to be a good hire by Donald Trump.

It's going to be another one. His liberty score, by the way, is 32.

Every year Oklahoma has two bad senators.

Mark Wayne Mullin is another one.

At least he'll be out of the Senate. Hopefully, hopefully he'll do okay at DHS.

I just don't see it. I think it's way over his head and we're to the end of our our mat.

We covered a lot of ground this hour.

I suspect we'll have more to cover next week because there is a lot happening always.

What do you look for this week?

The price of gas. I was going to end up with Mark Wayne Mullin by saying,

DHS Secretary is one of those things where I actually wouldn't mind having kind of like a brawler type guy.

Give him the type of job and the work you're doing.

And it seems like a federalman will be a yes vote.

The only reason he got her vans out of the committee was because the federalman without that, he would have failed.

Let me say this, Mark Wayne Mullin is a let me say this, Matt, because I came on a hard on Mark Wayne Mullin.

He's a good family man.

And that should be said about him.

He has that going for him.

Unlike Christy Nome, who has Corey Lewandowski.

And two, there was a Rand Paul mentioned this, but he almost got in a fight with the president of the team.

There's like a few years ago.

Yeah.

There are friends now.

They've got on each other's podcast.

So he is capable of turning enemies to their friends so that the Rand Paul few would must be a bit deeper than we know.

But just to answer your actual question, I guess I ran, I ran, I ran government shutdown.

I guess sort of the same as last week.

Yeah, I agree.

That's what we're going to be looking for this week.

I'm Booker Scott.

That was Matt Palombo.

Thank you so much for joining us.

And don't forget, you were told 2000 years ago that you are the salt of the earth and salt without flavor.

It has no value.

So whatever you do, keep being salty.

Have a great night.

There is only one truth.

You've been listening to The Truth Be Told with Booker Scott on America Out Loud.