6/4/26: Pratt Slips In LA Mayors Race, Lebanon Ceasefire Falls Apart, US Oil Reserves 22 Year Low

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hi, I'm Steph, and I work at United Health Care. When I think about United Health Care members, I think of my own family. My niece was diagnosed with an ultra-rare genetic disorder. I know how hard it is for families at United Health Care. We can make it easier. I'm Brian.

I care because I know what it's like to not speak the language. It's not easy. Health insurance is complicated. I would say our job is to make everything easy for our UXCB. members. I work for UnitedHealthcare. I'm committed to care. OnDEC is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDex loans up to $400,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A-plus by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five-star trust pilot reviews.

OnDec delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at on-deck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDec or Celtic Bank. On-Dec does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amount subject to lender approval. Welcome to hear something good on women's health and longevity, brought to you by Seneca in partnership with Life MD. Each week, we talk to leading experts about the issues shaping women's health in midlife. From hormone therapy and weight management to sexual health and more, these conversations take a comprehensive look at the whole woman, exploring the latest science and practical steps women can take to support their long-term health and well-being.

Hey guys, Saga and Crystal here. Independent media just played a truly massive role in this election, and we are so excited about what that means for the future of this show. This is the only place where you can find honest perspectives from the left and the right that simply does not exist anywhere else. So if that is something that's important to you, please go to breakingpoints.com, become a member today, and you'll get access to our full shows, unedited, ad-free,

and all put together for you every morning in your inbox. We need your help to build the future of independent news media, and we hope to see you at breakingpoints.com.

Good morning, everybody. Happy Thursday. I have an amazing show for everybody today. What do we have, Crystal? Indeed, we do. So we're going to give you a little quick update on what is going on in California as ballots continue to roll in and apparently will for several weeks.

I don't know. In any case, we'll tell you what we know there, which is honestly not a lot. Trump has been asked if the ceasefire is still on, given that we've had increased hostilities. We'll show you his answer. War powers resolution passes in the House for the first time in a significant rebuke of the direction the president has taken the country in. Scott Bessent was on Capitol Hill yesterday, me gave a fool of himself, trying to defend what has been done to this country in the world economically because of the Iran war.

Trump actually taking a number of ELs recently that we want to take a look on things like his ballroom, backing off on some things on immigration. Kind of interesting. So we'll dig into that and see if we can tell what is happening there. There are mass protests in Albania over this very sketchy Jared Navanka deal. They have acquired apparently, or at least they are trying to acquire, their dream private island. How nice for them, but the people of Albania, not super psyched about it. And Ken Klippenstein is going to join us to talk about the gerontocracy. Ted Liu did a very effective job grilling Marco Rubio about Trump falling asleep all the time.

But we also wanted to dig into this case of Tom Keene. He's a Republican congressman from New Jersey, who has been missing. in action for over three months now. He just got re-nominated that he had his primary this week. Congratulations to him wherever he is and whatever he is doing. Zero transparency about this. So very weird case going on there. Yeah, and he's been missing for literally like weeks, as you said.

Nobody knows where he is. What did his staffer say where Tom is, there's no camera? Yeah. I'm like, bro, what? Are you dead? Mike Johnson. Are you alive? Mike Johnson yesterday was like, he's working remotely.

That's not actually a thing when you're in Congress. You have to be in person to vote. Literally the only thing you can't do when you're in Congress. You can't work or vote remotely. They even tried during COVID, and they wouldn't do that. So, yeah, that's where we are. Thank you to everybody who's been subscribing to the show, breaking points.com. We've got a lot of big things that are launching this month.

For those of you who are preem subscribers, if you have any issues whatsoever, let us remind you support at supercast.com. That's the only email that you can send to, and we will get you all connected. We only have maybe a few dozen cases or now at this point of people who are still having issues. Also, please hit the subscribe button on YouTube if you're watching there and listen to a podcast. If you're listening, please share an episode with a friend. It really helps other people find the show. But let's get with a little bit of California update.

Yeah, so I just wanted to quickly update you guys on where the numbers stand this morning and how things are looking. We can put a one up on the screen. So you all remember, California has this jungle primary system. So this was the primary, but everybody, Democrat, Republican, runs in the primary. And then the top two go on to the general election. So here is where things stand as of now. It continues to be Steve Hilton, the Republican, in first place with 27.6%.

Xavier Becerra in second place with 25.6%. And Tom Steyer in third place at 19.8%. However, as more and more ballots have come in, Tom Steyer has been closing the gap. Xavier Becerra has been surging into the lead. It looks very much. Xavier Becerra has already been declared, you know, he's going to be able to go on to the general election. He is likely to be first, obviously, second right now, but the ballot trends show that it is almost impossible for Steve Hilton to maintain that first place that he stands in right now.

And so as these ballots have continued to be counted, Tom Steyer has been closing the gap. Now, I'll show you some of the math in a moment. It's still going to be tough for him to be able to fully close that gap and knock Hilton out of that second place and have, you know, two Dems going into the general election. But the later ballots have favored him. him significantly and they have found in California, there are a lot more ballots outstanding than were initially estimated and anticipated. Let me go ahead and put a two up on the screen. Very similar dynamic here in the L.A. mayoral race. Karen Bass has secured the top spot. She again has already AP and whoever has declared, okay, she will advance. And then the question

is the number two spot. So as of right now, Spencer Pratt is in second place. 30%. Nithya Raman, who is the left wing, she's not actually backed by DSA, but she is sort of like DSA-ish, anyway, she has 23 percent. And like in the California governor's race, as the ballots are counted, these later ballots that are being counted favor her. So she, too, is closing the gap with Spencer Pratt. The dynamic is very similar in terms of expectation of who was going to make it into the top two. Predictably, Republicans, Ron DeSantis, and Trump, and and others have been, you know, finding this very suspicious. We can put A3 up on the screen.

Ron DeSantis implying that this is fraudulent. This is not the case. People were predicting ahead of time. Basically, the dynamic here, Sager, is that Republicans knew who their candidates were. Like, if you were a Republican, you knew you were voting for Spencer Pratt in L.A. Whereas Democrats had a whole bunch of candidates. A lot of people were kind of waiting to see what was going to shake out in the race if they needed to strategically vote for one candidate or another if someone surged late.

So the Democratic ballots came in later and were more likely to happen in either the late mail or on election day. Very similar dynamic for governor. Steve Hilton was very clearly the leading Republican candidate. He was backed by Trump. And so Republicans have known for a long time, there is another Republican in the race, but he fell off a while ago. So it was clear, like Steve Hilton was the guy you were going to vote for. And so very similarly, and it also seems that Tom Steyer sort of surged at the end, even vis-à-vis Xavier Becerra. So very similar dynamic here.

Analysts were predicting this. There is nothing sketchy about this. Yes, it sucks that California has the system that takes weeks and weeks. That's another conversation for another day. But we all knew that going in, and that is how California always does things. In fact, they have changed some of the rules to make it so that it hopefully goes a little bit faster. But still unconscionable that it's going to be probably at least another week before we really know who is going to move on. It's nuts.

Yeah, exactly. And, you know, look, I'm pro-mail-in-valid. I know that's not popular with a lot of concerns. people. Yeah. But it's because I like voter participation. But the problem with California is I didn't realize all these convoluted-ass rules that they have around balloting where they have to signature, verify, they have to match, they have to give the ability of the voter to have a response. And then the way that even with the postmark, by the way, the previous system was nuts where you had to, what is it, postmark ballot as of election day that comes in. I know things changed because of the

Supreme Court ruling, but they didn't update their election infrastructure now currently. I will say, as you just said, David Dayn had flagged earlier that a lot of Democrats held their ballots until very, very late. It is, you know, we should say, let's put A5 up there on the screen. It's not a lock for Tom Steyer necessarily. So he points out here, based on our, this is Zachary Danini, based on our current turtle turnout estimate, roughly 52.7% of the vote was early. 47% will be late-counted ballots. Hilton carried the early vote by 8.2, which means Tom Steyer needs to run about 17.2 points better than Hilton statewide to overtake him. However, because of Democratic-leaning counties

are expected to make up a larger share of the outstanding vote, our county-adjusted estimate is that Tom Steyer needs to improve by about 15.5 points within each county. So far, he has improved by a weighted average of 10.5 short of the pace he likely needs,

but still a strong shift in that direction. Only about 4% of the late mail-in balance even came in. That was yesterday that he's put in, so the picture could change substantially larger batches tomorrow. So that's something to keep in mind. also for Nithya Raman. I was reading a little bit about this. This is razor tight. So she says,

he says after tonight's votes remaining in L.A. County, Vote Hub has up expected turnout to 850,000 votes. This would leave 33,000 votes remaining from L.A. City, meaning Raman would have to win them by Pratt over by 11.2%. Raman had won today's drop. That was yesterday's drop by about 10.4. So if that is expected, it would basically mean it would bring her within around 2,700 votes or a 0.3% margin. So absolutely razor tight in terms of what all of that means for the L.A. election. Look, yeah, and I just want to reiterate what you said.

I think it's nuts. It also does leave a significant amount. I mean, look, you know, it's easy to imply that things are being cheated on when it literally takes weeks in order to count ballots. Like, we have got to change this. Isn't New York the same way? I believe, well, there's rank choice.

It was a little bit different. True, yeah. It took a while, if I remember with the Democratic primary, but, you know, look, Brazil, India, I mean, many third world countries, literally, they're able to count ballots and put it out, you know, very, very, very quickly. India, you know, the elections take a month and they still have the election day. Oh, really? Yeah, it takes forever.

And, you know, it's the largest democracy and the largest number of people who vote in the whole world. And they're still able to count ballots. And there's not a lot of questions over there, but like, oh, you know, it's stolen or whatever. I get it. We live in a federalist system. You know, different states get to regulate how they will.

But California, for your own sake, like, why would you want to run things this way? I just think it's totally nuts. And I get it, mail-in ballots, et cetera. I know Oregon is the same way, which, where they have all mail-in balloting, it's a smaller state so they're able to do it a little bit easier. But, please, you know, for our own sake. Especially if California would ever become remotely competitive, can you imagine the level of nuts, you know, madness that would happen something like that?

It would be horrible. I mean, if Hilton and Pratt both end up after all of this getting knocked down, or either of them, there's going to be a whole meltdown over it. I mean, I get it in California. They really err on the side of giving it. people every opportunity to vote up until the last minute. Actually, the Supreme Court just said, because they previously held that if you mailed in your ballot before Election Day, then that counted. Now the Supreme Court says it has to be received by Election Day. So that should actually shorten

the window. I don't know if that's, you know, positive or not. It's going to disenfranchise some number of voters. But in any case, that should shorten the window. But they just err very strongly in the side of we'll give you every opportunity to vote. It seems like there should be some sort of happy medium here where the elections are counted in a reasonable time period, but also people can What's your, I mean, I think two days. Like, I think two days. And look, it's the richest. You know why it's the richest state literally in the country, like a G7 nation for their economy. Spend the money. They, you know, look, it's a democratic state. They don't care about appropriating funds. Like, whatever cost, just make it cost, whatever it needs to, so that we don't

have to live this way. I think it's crazy and it really, I genuinely think it does undermine a lot of faith because for a lot of people, like you said, if Pratt and Hilton end up losing after these like very, very late things, people can accept losses on election day, but yeah, being declared losers or winners like a week later, means of assent, I highly recommend the book about how Johnson stole the election in Texas, happened, just went on day six after a dump. So look, it's not like it's unprecedented in American history. Yeah, but just to be clear, there's no sign of this, and I know you're not saying that, but I just want to be really clear about that because you do You have the president who not only in this election, but any election that doesn't go the way that he wants to, always claims that it's rigged, including in his own election, 20-twink, but 8-7 up on the screen, already out there claiming that this is rigged.

There's big cheating by the Democrats in California. Votes are all tied up, may not be in for weeks under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. Why the vote counting delay again. We all know why. This is not a mystery. It was not unexpected. This is the way that California conducts business. The last thing that I will say here with some shame in my voice because I hate to cite these sorts of things, but just as an indicator of where the betting markets are thinking that things are going. In the governor's race, they have Hilton at a 70% chance to move on. So they still have Tom Steyer at a 30% chance to be able to overcome Hilton and be in the top two. but the betting markets at least at this point are favoring Hilton hanging on to that number two slot. However, in the L.A. mayor's race, and this really surged overnight, it's the reverse. They have Nithya Raman favored at 69 percent to knock Spencer Pratt out of the top two and go on and move on to the general election. Spencer Pratt has a, they have him at a, oh, I'm sorry,

I'm looking at the, no, no, I'm right. I'm right. I'm right. It just surged in the last, like, overnight. And Pratt is at 33.6% to be able to move on. So they're, however the vettors are looking at the odds, they're anticipating that ramen is going to be able to overtake Pratt. Yeah. I have some shame as well by even citing it.

But, yeah, I mean, yeah, there's skin in the game. I mean, who knows, skin in the game, et cetera, for what we know. We intentionally didn't make it in an element. Yes, that's right. We will not be giving free advertising to these scumbags. Look, I don't know. I will say if both Hilton and Pratt are knocked out, that's a huge blow to California GOP. David Dayn was explaining, I didn't really realize, look, because I was like, why do they even care? Because it's not like they're going to win. Well, I mean, maybe Pratt, I don't know, but at least with Hilton, like, he's not going to win.

What he explained is that they need a candidate on a statewide ballot because there's all these, like, propositions that are on the ballot, including the billionaire tax. But there's all kinds of this stuff that they're like, no. No, no, no, no, no. This actually, we would have a chance potentially of winning. So we really need Pratt, you know, a candidate like Pratt, which would potentially bring out, not just Republicans in L.A. County, but all of these, like, nonvoters, non-traditional types, social media, et cetera, try and recreate some of the 2024 stuff on top of all these. I mean, look, I checked the data. 30% of L.A. voted for Trump. Like, it's a decent amount. You know? Yeah. This is, Spencer Pratt discourse is kind of driven me crazy because I'm like, yeah.

Well, the reason you're pointing out, there's, oh, my God, is, like, doing so well. And it's like, he never, even if he gets 30%. Yeah, that's just what Trump got in L.A. Like, there are Republicans in L.A. This is not some crazy unknown phenomena. So, anyway, I feel like that has been missing. Also, the fact that once you get into a general election versus either Karen Bass or Nithya Raman, you are going to get destroyed because L.A. is overwhelmingly Democratic. And Republicans are losing in places like,

Texas and Ohio. You think you're going to win in L.A. in this year? Like, it's not happening. So L.A. for us is like Texas for the Democrats. Or maybe even more. It's one of those where like we idealize it. It's like, it's Las Angeles, the greatest, most beautiful city. And you're like, why do these people want to live in a failed state?

We have a different system. But what we fail to realize is that many of us, and I'm telling you this as a Larry Elder guy, as a guy who fell for Larry. I really believed. I believed Larry Elder would win. I was there for it. And then when Gavin got sick. 60% of it, I was like, okay, I don't understand what's going on in California. You know what? I don't live there. So it's one of those where sometimes, part of my general frustration with a lot of these races is that we have people who live in like Rochester, New York, who are like diehard Spencer Praff, which is fine. I understand it. But at the end of the like, guys, we don't live there. If they want to live in their own filth, that's their own business at the end of the day. And you know, they probably hate the way that we live or, you know, other places. So be it. That's the country.

One last mention here, friend of the show, Ro Khanna, Congressman of the show, his friend just because he's the most willing to come on. He was challenged in the primary by this billionaire-backed candidate, Ethan Agarwal. And, you know, they put a bunch of money in, or I don't remember who was boasting about. He was boasting about, oh, he's going to defeat Ro Khanna, blah, blah, blah.

And there was all this, you know, online chatter about this from the billionaire class. Right now, Agarwal stands at 6.2%. Ethan Agarwal. Is he Indian? I have an Indian. Agarwal is an Indian name. Ethan? Maybe.

Maybe he's a Christian. Maybe. Anyway. 6.2%. So that's how the billionaires did. And this is their district. This is Silicon Valley that Rochano represents. I mean, we never thought that he was going to be able to take off.

I don't pretend to understand this place. Because Schweikot, we had him here on the show. The guy spent, what, $10 million of his own money? Let me say something about that. He had blown out. He genuinely, and this is per someone with knowledge of the campaign, as they say. The Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thing fucked him over. Wow.

Hardcore. They had polling leading up to that. And I think the Nancy Pelosi endorsement of Chan also. Yeah, that was. But they had polling that had him pretty much even with Scott Weiner and leading Connie Chan by quite a lot. And then once Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wouldn't endorse him and then sort of like, you know, was loki throwing shade at him, they used that. They put millions behind pumping that into the district. And you can understand why it would be impactful because he was really running on like I was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's

chief of staff and that's my political identity. And I'm the progressive in the race. So it really, really did damage him. So, yeah, I mean, take from that what you will. And I also say, we'll say with Tom Steyer, clearly. Like, but Sarah is the corporate of all corporate candidates. Like getting money from every industry you can possibly think of, right? Was in the Biden administration was one of the worst.

cabinet members in the entire Biden administration, which is pretty impressive. And Bernie and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, neither one of them backed Tom Steyer. And if he narrowly loses out of the top two, you know, I think you can point to them. You can also, of course, point to like Katie Porter staying in the race for no reason with no expectation that she's going to win and getting like her 6% or whatever. Yeah, there are a lot of Dems and district where none of the Dems will consolidate. And now the Republican and the Independent are at the top. It looks like a dem is, as the ballots are being counted, going to end up in the top two.

But there was a genuine risk. That they would get shut down on the top two. In this very blue district. Right. Because you had like 80 Democratic candidates and no one could like put their ego aside and consolidate. So yeah, it's, yeah. One party states are bad, guys. They really are bad.

From Texas to California, there's just like, I don't know. There's something about it where this machine bread, I saw like Madaglacius been like, oh, I really appreciate Bracerra in a well-run place. I'm like, guys, no, this is horrible. I'm like, he's literally the most anti-charismatic politician. We played that clip with David Dayham. Yeah, the interview one. I'm like, what the fuck?

Yeah, where he's like, I thought this is a profile. No difficult questions. It's like, you're running for office. What is that? You want to be governor. The level of entitlement is unbelievable. You want to be governor of the most populous state in the union with the G7 economy. And you don't want to answer a tough question.

You want to be the governor of the entire state. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. How many people live in California? 40 million? It's great. Anyway, all right. Now I'm turning one of those people who doesn't live in California and has too many opinions on.

It's an important state. We have to care about what happens in California. We have a big audience out in California. California, I'm always rooting for you, even if you're not rooting for yourself. Okay, let's get to Beebe. Hey, it's Amy Brown here from Feeling Things with Amy and Kat. Okay, quick break. This is for any parent or caregiver of a child that experiences

allergic reactions from food, medicine, insects, or other allergy triggers? This time of year can feel like a lot. Summer activities, camps, travel, and getting ready for back to school. You're doing everything to make sure that your child is safe wherever you are, educating coaches, teachers, other parents on your child's allergy, scheduling doctor's appointments, filling out camp and school forms, and the million other things that come with managing your child's allergies. But at some point, you have to trust that they'll be okay if an allergic reaction happens when you aren't there, which is why I want to tell you about Nethy, the only needle-free epinephrine nasal spray for those who weigh 33 pounds or more. It's used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.

Neffi works as well as a needle injector and delivers the same trusted epinephrine. It's designed to be safe and easy to use at first sign of symptoms. So in a high-stress moment, your child or someone, someone else can act quickly to treat an allergic reaction, even if you're not there. Neffi is also small, discreet, and easy to carry, including in a backpack, lunchbox, or sports bag. So your child is prepared anywhere the day takes them. Pay as little as $0 for at least four Neffi devices. Two packs.

Through the co-pay savings program with commercial insurance, if eligible. Patients should not pay more than $199 for Neffi. If you have medical conditions or take certain medicines, your condition may worsen. Tell your doctor about nasal, heart, thyroid, or kidney issues. High blood pressure, Parkinson's, diabetes, if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and all medications. Side effects include nasal discomfort, headache, runny nose, shakiness, and throat irritation. These are not all side effects. Does your child need a new epinephrine prescription or refill?

Don't wait. Ask a doctor about needle-free neffy today. Visit neffy.com or call 877 My Neffy. to learn more. That's n e-f-f-y.com. Cash flow crunch. OnDek's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds up to $200,000, right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat. With flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment, get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at ondeck.com. Funds

could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business. business loan may be issued by On Deck or Saltic Bank. Ondek does not lend in North Dakota. All loans an amount subject to lender approval. Okay, not so fun fact. Autoimmune skin conditions are actually on the rise. Cases are climbing nearly 20% every year. I know.

Terrible opener for a podcast ad. But here's the thing. I'm Holly Fry and our skin exists precisely because of stats like that. because more people than ever are living with conditions like psoriasis and hydrodinitis superativa, and most of them are doing it alone, without answers, without community, without anyone to tell them what the heck is actually going on. You know, not that many people knew about it and I felt kind of alone, like am I an outcast? That's where we come in. We talk doctors.

We talk appointments that are, well, a disappointment. We talk about the flare-ups and the breakthroughs. Then we dive deep into the wild, occasionally gross, always fascinating history of how humans have tried to understand our skin over the centuries. Spoiler alert, we did not always get it right. Listen to season three of Our Skin, a personal discovery podcast on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Turning now to BB and Donald Trump's with the latest updates on the ceasefire. He was asked about it yesterday in the Oval Office and definitely described what ceasefire means in the Middle Eastern context. Let's take a listen.

This latest attack on Kuwait, is the ceasefire with Iran still on? Well, you know, there's a reason for everything. And we hit them pretty hard the night before and actually last night. And what it was explained to me, I said, all right, so we'll do that. But we've been hitting them pretty hard. How do you mind, ceasefire? Pretty much the way it is. It's a different part of the world.

You're not saying that part of the world ceasefires when you're shooting in a more moderate manner. Well, if you define it that way, yeah, I mean, technically true. It's the Israeli definition of ceasefire where you cease and they fire, right? It's just, I guess, though, in this case, the Iranians also get to continue firing. And, you know, I mean, look, I had laugh. It's not funny. A person was killed in that Kuwait International Airport attack. It's not a joke.

I mean, people, you've got ships in the Straits of Hormuz, which are being hit. You know, we didn't have this in the show, but I was reading about it this morning. Marco Rubio, literally, when he testified before Congress, I think they might have covered it yesterday. He testified that a large portion of the Strait of Hormuz has been mined. And then Trump was asked about it. He's like, oh, there's no mines. I'm like, well, your Secretary of State just said that there were. As we all know, demining the strait will take literally months because even if Iran knows where they are,

it's not that easy to go and get. U.S. mine sweepers, not that simple, to go and to get them out. So I'm just highlighting here where, you know, we're stuck totally in stasis. There's a new Wall Street Journal story, again out very, very late. Yeah. Last night where Alex Ward reported that Trump's, you know, current positioning is that unless an American soldier dies, that there will not be a resumption of full-on war. Well, I mean, that's not exactly like, that's not comforting in the sense where there's no pressure for a deal necessarily other than oil prices. They don't seem to care where it is all right now.

And then at the same time, you have Trump basically desperate to maintain this current status quo without having to admit a complete failure in the war itself. And that's why you have him brushing off. I mean, it would be unthinkable to live in a world. Trump has become the archetype of what I remember all the neocons. I'm ashamed to say I was even part of this crowd back in the day where, you know, Obama, you know, remember the Iranians like kidnapped all those sailors that drifted into water. It was like an international humiliation. John McCain, all these people are like, oh, we're the laughing stock of the world. We have Iran here firing ballistic missiles at Kuwaiti, at Kuwaitis, at U.S. air bases, shooting into the

Strait of Hormuz. The entire Strait of Hormuz is closed, and he sits there and he's like, oh, it's not that big of a deal. The negotiations are proceeding carefully. I'm like, dude, like, you know, Obama didn't even allow this level of humiliation, especially now after a war where you sought to destroy the entire regime. It's, I mean, it's just such a disaster. I know, I'm sorry, it's repetitive, but it really is. Like, you just, you have to marvel at it where the American president is like, yep, that just means we're shooting in a more moderate manner. It's like, wow, this is really bad for the continuation of this entire conflict. The JCPOA is, in my opinion, the best thing that Obama accomplished in office, and Trump immediately ripped it up.

And it's been, you know, he's been a catastrophe on Iran policy ever since, and especially, obviously with this all-out war. But yeah, I mean, I guess I'm glad that he at least has this line of someone, an American service member, has to get killed before I go back to all-out war. Although, you know, what Iran is saying is they're not going to just tolerate this status quo where the U.S. can, you know, send a hellfire missile at a cargo ship, an oil tanker, or, you know, attack on Keshim Island or do whatever they want to do. And Iran is just going to escalate in kind. They're saying, no, if you hit us, we are going to hit back quite a lot harder.

And so, of course, there's significant risk for American service members. It's very easy to imagine. In fact, it's rather miraculous that more American service members have not been killed that we know of in, you know, this war since it's beginning. So hardly a comforting statement there from Trump. And it just shows you how much of a knife's edge this whole thing hangs on and how unsustainable the current status quo is, which is a good setup for Benjamin Netanyahu's call with Trump. than what he's saying about it. So Benjamin Netanyahu was asked yesterday by CNBC. Is it true that Trump cursed you out, said I saved you from jail, that you, everybody hates

Israel and said, what the fuck do you think you're doing? He basically confirms it. Let's take a listen. Let's talk about the call that you had with him this week, which is getting a lot of attention. The president confirmed that he said, you're effing crazy. How did you react to that? What really happened in that call? Well, I'm not going to get into details of our conversations.

We've had thousands of, well, a lot. a lot of them. And if you think this is a crisis, you should be in some other conversations. But we've always found a way, we have so many agreements. We agree on the main things. We want to get Iran, the nuclear program in Iran finished. We want to make sure that Iran doesn't pose a threat to Israel, to the Middle East, to America, that it doesn't develop nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, not only to Israel

and to every capital in Europe, but to every city in the United States. That's our common goal. That's what we set out to do. and to expand the circle of peace as the president and I did in the Abraham Accords together. So we have common goals. Sometimes we have as in the best of families. You have these tactical disagreements. We always find a way to work them out.

And we do so as great friends. We can disagree in the morning and by the afternoon we have common action. So there you. Just like a family that argues sometimes. Trump also, by the way, just confirmed it outright. When asked by the New York Post, let's take a listen. Did you speak to him in those times? I did.

I always say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. You know, at some point I said, maybe we've got to stop this. You got to stop it. But I have a very good relationship. We've done well, done well together. He always says we could never have done it, but everybody knows that we could have never done it with that the United States. But we've, we've, I've worked very well together. I like

Benjamin Netanyahu a lot. And I've worked very well with him. We had a, you know, where he, I'm a wartime president. He's a wartime prime minister, very important part of the world. And I think we've done you know, very well. We've, we've gotten along very well together. He's like, yeah, like I'm getting a little frustrated with Lebanon and, uh, yes, I talk to him a little bit like that. The only question, I mean, this is where the Biden stuff starts to become too clear where, oh, Biden, you know, cursed him out behind the scenes, but the bear hug strategy. He hung up on him. He was so mad. When we hold a weapons delay to Israel, call me. Call me when something like that actually happens. Until then, it's very, like the weapons

flows continue. The Israel lobby remains incredibly powerful here in the U.S. You know, you found this story, which I really found shocking. Let's put B3 up there on the screen. This is from Harat, some Israeli media, which aggregated actually Lebanese sources. And they say Israel has evaded six or seven ceasefire proposals that have been put forth in their talks between the U.S., Israel, and the government of Lebanon. The Three Sides Party to Talks discussed their views regarding the end of the United Nations interim force in Lebanon's peacekeeping operations, but they say specifically negotiators avoided committing to a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire after six or seven proposals were put together during Tuesday's U.S. mediated talks

that was as of yesterday. Now, this does come on the heels of a a new report actually out from the Lebanese government, where they are claiming that a ceasefire has been reached between Hezbollah and Israel. But the details are, you know, they're very, very sketchy. Like, for example, they say that Hezbollah has agreed not to attack Israel and also not to attack Israeli forces south of the Latani River.

You're effectively saying there that they're acquiescing to the de facto occupation of half of their country and a significant portion of their terrorism. If true, I don't really know how Hezboa could ever be a credible fighting force in the future if you were to agree to that diplomatically. Well, and Haretz this morning saying that the Hezbollah chief has rejected the ceasefire in Lebanon and a letter that was sent out to their followers. So, yeah, you know, whatever negotiations have happened. I mean, and this is where to go back to this alleged phone call and whatever was said between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, which really doesn't matter if there aren't corresponding actions. Like, we have been in this place before where Trump told Israel and posted it on true social

that you must stop now. You must stop attacking in Lebanon. And that'll hold for a couple days. And then Israel go, oh, well, they're attacking. We have to respond. And then they just escalate and escalate. So, you know, until you see, okay, there's an actual ceasefire that's agreed to and is actually holding.

And Trump is willing to, you know, commit to putting the pressure on applying the pressure that is required in keeping his focus on to continue to stop Israel attacking in Lebanon, until we see that, I think everyone should be very, very skeptical. Yeah, I completely agree. Continuing here with what happened, let's put B4 up there on the screen. Not a lot of the Western press paid attention, but Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran, sat for a long interview with Al-Arabia English that came out yesterday. I'm going to read some of the details here, which were released in English by the state Iran media.

Our country's foreign minister, if Israeli aggression against Beirut continues, our armed forces are fully prepared to resume the war and target targets inside of Israel. So that's big news. They're basically saying if they bomb Beirut, then we're going to bomb Israel. Second, communication with the Americans has not been cut off. Messages continuing to be exchanged regarding the need to stop the aggression against Beirut. But no tangible progress has been made in a negotiations process. I mean, that's a huge headline, which again, the Western press is really ignoring.

If the foreign minister is saying, quote, no tangible progress has been made, despite all of these protestations by Donald Trump, including this morning in reaction to a war powers vote where he said that we're actually near the finish line. Then return to the negotiating table is conditional on securing the rights of the Iranian people and end to the war in Lebanon and the end to tensions in the region. And then finally, in the last 40 days, the Americans have clearly seen Iran's power and capability in this war. So no tangible progress is by far the most important part of that. Hey, it's Amy Brown here from Feeling Things with Amy and Kat. Okay, quick break. This is for any parent or caregiver of a child that experiences allergic reactions from food, medicine, insects, or other allergy triggers. This time of year can feel like a lot. Summer activities, camps, travel, and getting ready for back to school. You're doing everything to make sure that your child is safe wherever you are. Educating coaches, teachers, other parents on your child's allergy, scheduling doctor's appointments, filling out camp and school forms and the million other things that come with managing your child's allergies.

But at some point, you have to trust that they'll be okay if an allergic reaction happens when you aren't there, which is why I want to tell you about Nethy. The only needle-free epinephrine nasal spray for those who weigh 33 pounds or more. It's used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Neffi works as well as a needle injector and delivers the same trusted epinephrine. It's designed to be safe and easy to use at first sign of symptoms. So in a high stress moment, your child or someone else can act quickly to treat an allergic reaction, even if you're not there. Neffi is also small, discreet, and easy to carry, including in a backpack, lunchbox, or sports bag. So your child is prepared anywhere the day takes them.

Pay as little as $0 for at least four Neffi devices. Two packs. Through the co-pay savings program with commercial insurance if eligible. Patients should not pay more than a hundred thousand. $199 for Nephi. If you have medical conditions or take certain medicines, your condition may worsen. Tell your doctor about nasal, heart, thyroid, or kidney issues. High blood pressure, Parkinson's, diabetes, if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and all medications.

Side effects include nasal discomfort, headache, runny nose, shakiness, and throat irritation. These are not all side effects. Does your child need a new epinephrine prescription or refill? Don't wait. Ask a doctor about needle-free neffy today. Visit neffi.com or call 877 My Nephi to learn more. That's nef-f-y.com. Cashflow crunch.

On-Dex small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds up to $200,000 right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat. With flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment, get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at on deck.com. Funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDec or Celtic Bank.

OnDec does not lend in North Dakota all loans an amount subject to lender approval. Okay, not so fun fact. Autoimmune skin conditions are actually on the rise. Cases are climbing nearly 20% every year. I know. Terrible opener for a podcast ad. But here's the thing. I'm Holly Frye and our skin exists. precisely because of stats like that. Because more people than ever are living with conditions like psoriasis and

hydrodinitis superativa, and most of them are doing it alone, without answers, without community, without anyone to tell them what the heck is actually going on. You know, not that many people knew about it and I felt kind of alone. Like, am I an outcast? That's where we come in. We talk doctors. We talk appointments that are, well, a disappointment. We talk about the flare-ups.

and the breakthroughs. Then we dive deep into the wild, occasionally gross, always fascinating history of how humans have tried to understand our skin over the centuries. Spoiler alert, we did not always get it right. Listen to season three of Our Skin, a personal discovery podcast on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We do have this War Powers Resolution passage Let's put B-9 up there on the screen. Trump reacting to the House of Representatives passing the war powers resolution. What he says is, yesterday in a meaningless vote, the House voted for bad Republicans and all Democrats to limit my war powers right in the middle of my final negotiations

to end the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Who would do such an unpatriotic thing? They know where the negotiations stand. The Democrats are... What is this? Whatever. He keeps spelling it differently. Are fueled by Trump derangement syndrome. They would rather have our country fail

then give me another of my many victories. The four Republicans, that's a whole other story. They're grandstanders. They should be ashamed of themselves, MAGA, President D.J.T. And this came, as I said, P8, up there just to show you, the first time that Congress actually just voted to circumvent Trump and to end the Iran war. In the process, it would create conditions for a big legal battle if the Senate Democrats actually were to pass it along with some of the Republicans also, to move it past the filibuster. As David says, it really is a big deal if we could actually get somebody in the Senate to vote for it. But thanks to John Fetterman, who previously had a chance earlier, didn't pass.

So there you go. Yeah. Well, you do have a number of Republican senators who either, like Thom Tillis is going to be out of there, Susan Collins, under a lot of pressure in Maine. So, you know, and you've got a Rand Paul who's sort of skeptical of these things to begin with. So there are a number of them, what Bill Cassidy, who lost down in Louisiana, I don't know. I mean, I think he is probably a neocon and ideologically aligned with it.

I think he might have voted for it. Anyway, one of the risks of Trump's strategy of taking out some of the incumbent Republicans is then you have these lame duck Republicans who have nothing to lose, who are hanging out in there. And now there are a few of them. So it's not crazy to imagine you could have enough Republicans crossover in the Senate, too, to make up for the fact that John Fetterman is, you know, constantly hoarding for war, apparently. So in any case, the fact that it even got through the House is a significant message.

and if it were to pass through the Senate, then Trump, this is not something that Trump can veto. This is because of the way the War Powers Act is structured. They just have to pass it through the House and the Senate. And what David Serra there at the lever is pointing to is the fact that that would then set up this gigantic legal battle because the process for this has never really been fully litigated through the courts. And certainly it would be challenged.

And then, you know, whether or not the – and that will take. forever, and we all know that in the meantime, Trump will just continue to go and do whatever he wants to do. So, but in any case, it's more important as sort of a political message and a sign of the discomfort, increasing discomfort, even of Republicans who see the gas prices and see the upset and see their own polls tanking, that this was able to pass the House and have a shot in the Senate. No question. And last thing, let's put B7 up here just as a final reminder. Look, everybody knows this, but I read this with great interest. War games and warnings on the Strait of Hormuz when unheeded by Trump. So one of the long-held talking points

by the administration was that they were fully prepared for what was going to happen. Everybody knows that that's not true, but it very clearly says in here that the war games that were conducted routinely by the Pentagon had always predicted that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed by Iran. They concluded they would respond to a major American attack by closing the Strait of Hormuz. They flagged it for the top leadership over at the Pentagon. knew it. It was definitely told to Trump before the war happened, and they just thought it wouldn't happen. A quote, a look back makes clear Trump underestimated Iran's ability to shut down the strait and overestimated America's ability to reopen it if necessary. While the White House has not

disclosed the details of its planning, experts and former officials say they publicly available evidence suggests several likely culprits. I would say number one is just their general lack of, their general lack of faith that the Iranians could mount any real military defense. But Two is just drones. I think drones changed everything. And what is so unforgivable about the drone, what happened with the drones, is that we literally all watch this every day on the battlefield in Ukraine. Every single day. I log on the telegram every day. But you know why? To stay abreast of exactly things like this. I mean, these new drone killers at the Russians, it's craziness. Drones swine on the sky. Russian guys, but, you know, some sort of anti-dron killer, which just shoots up. And I mean, it's like science fiction.

which is out there. Do you see what happened in St. Petersburg yesterday? No. The Ukrainians bombed, I mean, literally St. Petersburg, like one of the crown jewel cities of Russia and a major oil refinery, you know, totally on fire. So, first of all, that's nuts, you know, just from a, you know, literally nuts. It's a dangerous game we're playing. Right, exactly, when you're attacking a nuclear armed power. But, too, I mean, just look, like Russia, not exactly like a third-rate military power.

You know, clearly like a second world country at best, a decent amount of investment. now five years to think about drones, they can't protect their flagship cities from Ukrainian drones. So this is very obvious. And it's one of the reasons why our forces have to stay so far away from Iran, has all these logistical problems.

It's part of the reason that the bases have all been under attack. The Kuwaiti International Airport. We have a video of that, actually. Can we put B5 here on the screen? Just to show you again, like this is really scary. We have the VO. This is the Kuwaiti Airport,

which was damaged. All of this is drones. To be clear, the Iranians are saying that it was a misfired patriot interceptor that caused this damage. Sintcom says this not true. You believe who you want. But, I mean, regardless, you know, you look inside of this. This is an international airport terminal. So fires, people are, somebody died.

And several people were injured. Eight people were injured and flights were suspended, I think, for about 24 hours or so, just to show you, again, the drone threat. But, I mean, that is what terrifies me more than anything, watching the battlefield in Ukraine. is just the amount. And then even these FPV footage that Ryan and Emily played from Hezbollah, I don't want to see that. I really don't.

Yeah. Think about it from our old guys. These fiber optic cables, you know, drones that are, and that way they can't be jammed, and it's this little, you know, tiny wire that they're connected to, and then you've got a drone operator who's able to, you know,

just they're like one-way attack drones. And Hezbollah has been able to mess Israel up pretty good in terms of this fight. And obviously Israel is one of the top militaries. We give them everything that we have, et cetera, or almost everything that we have. And it's been really quite deadly and damaging for them. They're sort of bogged down. Okay, let's get to Econ.

Hey, it's Amy Brown here from Feeling Things with Amy and Kat. Okay, quick break. This is for any parent or caregiver of a child that experiences allergic reactions from food, medicine, insects, or other allergy triggers. This time of year can feel like a lot. Summer activities, camps, travel, and getting ready for back to school. You're doing everything to make sure that your child is safe wherever you are. Educating coaches, teachers, other parents on your child's allergy.

Scheduling doctor's appointments, filling out camp and school forms and the million other things that come with managing your child's allergies. But at some point, you have to trust that they'll be okay if an allergic reaction happens when you aren't there. Which is why I want to tell you about Nethy. The only needle-free epinephrine nasal spray for those who weigh 33 pounds or more. It's used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Neffi works as well as a needle injector and delivers the same trusted epinephrine. It's designed to be safe and easy to use at first sign of symptoms. So in a high stress moment, your child or someone else can act quickly to treat an allergic reaction, even if you're not there.

Neffi is also small, discreet, and easy to carry, including in a backpack, lunchbox, or sports bag. so your child is prepared anywhere the day takes them. Pay as little as $0 for at least four Neffi devices. Two packs. Through the co-pay savings program with commercial insurance if eligible, patients should not pay more than $199 for Neffi. If you have medical conditions or take certain medicines, your condition may worsen.

Tell your doctor about nasal, heart, thyroid, or kidney issues. High blood pressure, Parkinson's, diabetes, if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and all medications. side effects include nasal discomfort, headache, running nose, shakiness, and throat irritation. These are not all side effects. Does your child need a new epinephrine prescription or refill? Don't wait. Ask a doctor about needle-free neffy today.

Visit neffy.com or call 877 My Nephi to learn more. That's neffy.com. Cashflow crunch? On-deck's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds up to $200,000 right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat with flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment. Get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at on deck.com. Funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by On Deck or Celtic Bank. OnDak does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amount subject to lender approval.

Okay, not so fun fact. Autoimmune skin conditions are actually on the wrong. rise. Cases are climbing nearly 20% every year. I know. Terrible opener for a podcast ad. But here's the thing. I'm Holly Fry and our skin exists precisely because of stats like that. Because more people than ever are living with conditions like psoriasis and hydrodinitis superativa. And most of them are doing it alone, without answers, without community, without anyone to tell them what the heck is actually going on. You know, not that many people knew about it and I felt kind of alone. Like, am I an outcast? That's where we come in. We talk doctors. We talk appointments that are, well, a disappointment. We talk about the flare-ups and the breakthroughs. Then we dive deep into the wild, occasionally gross,

always fascinating history of how humans have tried to understand our skin over the centuries. Spoiler alert, we did not always get it right. Listen to. Season 3 of Our Skin, a personal discovery podcast on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Turning now to the economy, the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified before Congress yesterday, assuring Americans that inflation is just a slight blip. He was also asked about Trump's infamous comments about how he doesn't care about Americans' financial situation. Let's take a listen. Secretary Scott Bessent, in May the president said, that he does not think about Americans' financial situations. Do you think about the financial situation of the American people? I do, and as the ranking member distorted my statement, as he often does,

I had prefaced my statement with we understand that these are challenging times for the American people, that we will get over this, and that at present, the average household has paid about $200 more in gasoline. We think about this every day. Well, I'm glad that you do. Do you think your boss should, too? I believe his remarks were taken out of context. No, look, here's what he said.

He said, quote, I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. So I'm asking you, that's the direct quote. Do you think about how the American people are paying more for gas, groceries, and utilities since the president clearly said he didn't? And you speak with the president regularly. Are you trying to tell him the truth about how much costs have increased for the American people? Well, Senator, I'm going to have to disagree with you on some of that because I have groceries are going down.

Economic data is very strong. And she, I believe, that's Maggie Hassan, right? Granite State is New Hampshire. So they don't even have sales tax. So those people are actually doing even better than the rest of us. But yeah, man, this is, I just don't know how they can possibly think they could get away with this talking point, except for inflate. Imagine if Biden said that. They would destroy them.

Oh, absolutely. I mean, it's like they've recreated all of the problems of Bidenomics, except this time it's genuinely entirely their fault whenever comes to the Iran war. And they won't acknowledge it. They're like, nope, everything is perfectly okay. On the oil front. And the numbers are worse, too. Just be clear. I mean, because we have the inflation, but also during the Biden, partly, you know,

we're coming out of the COVID recovery and there was a lot of stimulus spending. But job growth was going bananas. You know, I mean, this is now we have this anemic, anemic job growth. Yeah, wages are now back behind inflation where that, you know, we turned that corner during the Biden administration. And to your point, it's all because of Trump's own economic decision making, which, by the way, he's got a new tariff scheme that he's implementing as well at this same time because that's based on, you know, human rights and protecting against forced labor,

which we all know is something he really deeply cares about. It's very committed to. It's only because forced labor is one of those provisions in the law, which they pass, which is they're able to implement tariffs. My wife actually used to work exclusively on this, and I was asking her about this. She's like, yeah, this is insane. We can put C-7 up there on the screen. Trump to impose tariffs on dozens of nations citing claims of forced labor, a total of 60 trading partners, including the EU, China, Japan, and Britain would be affected.

So, yeah, I'm sure they have a lot of forced labor in Japan or in Britain. But, you know, what do I know? Clearly, it's just a single, simple workaround. It's going to, it will almost certainly not survive. Significant court challenge. But the one thing I really wanted to flag was oil, because, you know, we've been a broken record. I'm sure on oil. Some people are like, oh, a lot of these prognostications haven't worked out. The reasons for that are actually fascinating. I'll get to in a second. But let's put C3, please,

up on the screen. Yesterday, the Iran War has now drained U.S. oil stocks to the lowest level since 2004. Total stocks of crude and petroleum products fell by 10.6 million barrels last week to 1.57 billion barrels. That is the lowest level since 2004. The sharp fall has triggered new warnings from industry analysts that oil prices are poised to move sharply higher again within weeks. The U.S. oil price rose 2.6% in afternoon trading on Wednesday to some $96 per barrel. Now, Bob McNally, he's the president of a Rappan group, former White House advisor, said the prices will reach $200 a barrel this summer unless the Strait of Hormuz was reopened to tanker traffic. You start to raise the risk of spillover into other sectors.

And what they're pointing to is that the petroleum inventory has hit a 22-year-old. low, but you also have the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which I believe is at the lowest level since the 1980s. And obviously, even if we had to refill it, would be a bit of a problem. The combination of low oil inventory and a low amount of reserve in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve basically just means there's no more like slush, like extra oil, to fulfill demand. Now, the reason why this has not actually happened earlier, and this is so interesting, I've been spending a lot of time reading about it, is that China, as a lot of the United States, of this morning has now plunged their oil imports by 40% compared to 2025. And nobody

knows why. The Chinese government has not issued any explanation. And so I can come up with only three answers. Number one, it's a way to basically get a significant amount of soft power with Japan and South Korea. Be like, listen, you guys are heavily relying on LNG. So as a gift to you, and perhaps for some future deals, we are going to import way less oil. They have a massive strategic petroleum reserve. And so we're going to draw that down. We're going to ban our jet fuel and other exports, and we're just going to use what we have here.

So that's one, that's bad for the U.S. Number two is that they did it at the behest of the U.S., which basically means Trump, perhaps, in some sort of deal, which she said, look, man, you guys drive down your SPR and you buy me a lot more time in Iran so that I don't have to face a significant crisis. Because the current analysis is that if China was just importing at normal levels, that it would be just importing

would put the price around 130, 140. So that's a very different landscape here in the U.S. where maybe what, $6 a gallon, $5.50, something like that, the historic price, right? Much more so than normal. The third answer is basically they're just showing it as a flex to say, we're massively energy independent. We can do whatever we want. We filled up our SPR when the price of oil was very, very low. Might as well use it. We'll let the rest of you suckers pay the premium at $100 a barrel. All three, I think, are signs of weakness. And you know, you could criticize me for saying that, but like, if China's using as a soft power gift to the critical U.S. allies of Japan, South Korea, and the rest of Southeast Asia, that dramatically undermine.

So they're helping, we're hurting. Number two, the idea that we have to do it at the behest of the U.S. basically means what? It means that we have to go to them hat and hand and say, please bail us out of this problem. Number three is a flex just to say, huh, you're a joke, your inventory, down to 2004 levels. Your price of oil is very, very high. You're exporting all your oil to the rest of the world, which is great for Chevron. Chinese consumers, they're doing okay, a lot better than the rest of you. All of them, I think, undermine our image. And it really, it also just demonstrates where this talking point about net oil exporter has come back to bite us in the ass. Because who cares if you're exporting a ton of oil if the price is still

damn high? Yeah. It only matters in their context where they just banned a bunch of exports and are basically keeping the price generally low for Chinese consumers relative to Japan, to South Korea, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Well, the other thing is China has invested massively in renewable energy. They're the global leader in renewable energy. And by the way, their exports of solar panels

have skyrocketed as not just China, but other countries around the world seek to replace some of their fossil fuel infrastructure and fossil fuel energy generation with renewable energy. Because, yeah, I mean, that is the real lesson of all of this. is it doesn't matter if you're a net energy exporter.

If you're participating in the global oil markets, you are also going to be subject. Your consumers are also going to be subject to those price pressures. The only real energy independence is from renewable energy. That is quite the opposite, though, of what the message has been coming from Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who is saying that actually the high energy prices are not because of the Iran war at all.

No, no, no. They're somehow because Democrats wanted green energy. Let's go ahead and take a listen to that. We're in the middle of solving a 47-year-old problem. That's a growing problem about a nuclear-armed Iran. I've never met anyone, not even a Democrat, who's comfortable with a nuclear-armed Iran. But the bigger problem, the even bigger problem

with gasoline prices, electricity prices, heating prices is Democrat green policies. They've done everything they can for 20 years, to drive energy prices up, and now they're upset about high energy prices. I'm glad I hope they keep that attitude going forward and it'll work with us to drive energy prices back down. So you can understand how an explanation of that would be necessary. The president told Miranda Devine that prices will come down in the not too distant future.

He's referred to that recently. They'll come down when the conflict ends. Average gas today is 426. a week ago, it was 445, so it's come down in a week. But here's from a New York Times piece now. They went out and talked to Trump voters in the state of Michigan and state of Maine, and here's how they feel about high gas prices. Here we go now.

Last time I filled up, I was like, oh, this hurts. It's affecting me in a lot of ways. It's been rough for the last couple of months. Those are the quotes to them. You say what, Mr. Secretary? Oh, we feel your pain. We absolutely want to drive energy. prices down.

We feel their pain. I mean, this is just the polar opposite of reality. In fact, if there had been more investment in renewables, then you had more Americans driving EVs, you had more renewables who were fueling the electricity grid, we would be in a better position than we are right now. And the American prospect did a good piece on exactly what we've been talking about. All of the reasons why the gas price crisis has not been even worse than it is right now. We can put C5 up on the screen here.

something is going to snap. So far, the closure of the street of rumors has not led to a major economic disaster, but that won't last forever. And the factors that he identifies Ryan Cooper here, who's the journalist behind this piece, are, as Sagar was saying, the fact that you have a lot of nations who are drawn down on their strategic petroleum reserves. So you have levels in those reserves reaching the proverbial bottom of the barrel. So that is not something that can be kept up indefinitely.

Another factor that he does identify is the incomplete but significant transition to green energy, which has helped to serve as a buffer. Chinese exports, the rights of solar and EVs are soaring, even very poor countries, buying in bulk for a nation like Egypt whose oil imports have been a crushing burden on a struggling economy. Renewable energy is not about hippie-dippy environmentalism. It's a matter of life and death. Same thing happening in Cuba, by the way, right now because of our blocking of oil imports there. And then the other thing that he points to is the fact that you have had a lot of countries, in particular in Asia, multiple, like several dozen countries around the world that have cut back their consumption already through rationing and other controls.

So they already can see the writing on the wall. They're already implementing these restrictions so that you can, you know, help to stave off the worst of the price hikes. Obviously here in the U.S., we haven't taken any such measures. we're just relying on the market prices getting so high that demand destruction, as it calls, happens naturally. Yeah, I mean, look, even, you know, still 424 a gallon, about 597 in California, which means something $6 or so in the major metropolitan areas. It really is just so bad for so many. Let's put C6 up there on the screen. This is actually quite interesting. The OECD just released a new report saying even if oil prices peak soon, the global.

global economy will stall this year. The conflict is significantly disrupting the world's supply of energy and critical commodities, slow economic growth and raise inflation through 2027. Global economic growth was slow to 2.8% this year from 3.4 before recovering to 3.1 next year. Projections assume energy prices have peaked and then will gradually fall. So this is the assumption that you will have a slowing of economic growth worldwide, even if oil prices have peaked right now, which is in no way a guarantee. As we say, earlier, I just want to confirm your point about Hasbola, they have officially come out and said, absolutely not, we're not doing those ceasefire terms, which means if those ceasefire terms

are not locked in, that means that no ceasefire terms with Iran can be locked in either. I always found it hard to believe. How could you sign on to a ceasefire? We said, yeah, half of our country will be occupied, effectively in perpetuity. That would be nuts. Well, and a lot of times what seems to be having to be curious to hear Jeremy's reporting on all of this is like the U.S. and Israel will talk to the official government of Lebanon. And then Hezbole will be like, we didn't agree to this. You know, no, we're not withdrawing in the IDF can stay in southern Lebanon. That's not happening.

So certainly appears something of that nature occurred here. Actually, literally as we were talking, siren sounding in northern Israel amid a Hezbollah rocket and drone attack. Oh, boy. Okay. All right. So price of oil, I wouldn't hold my breath anytime soon. Let's get to Trump.

Cash flow crunch. OnDek's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds up to $200,000 right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat with flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment. Get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at on deck.com. Funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDec or Celtic Bank.

OnDak does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amount subject to lender approval. If you're chasing data down instead of seeing it in one place, you need the Intuit ERP. Intuit Enterprise Suite. All your data in one place with built-in AI for real-time insights. Learn more at intuit.com slash ERP. Dry eyes still feel gritty, rough or tired,

With MyBoe, eyes can feel... Mybo, for Flurohexyl octane ophthalmic solution, is the only prescription dry eye drop that directly targets the number one cause of dry eye, too much tear evaporation. Mybo mimics the way the protective outer layer of a healthy tear film fights evaporation, allowing you to keep more of your own tears.

It can help the surface of the eye heal when used consistently as directed. So eyes can find relief that's... My bow. Don't use if allergic to mybo. Remove contacts before using and wait at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. Eye redness and blurred vision may occur. For more info, talk to your eye doctor.

Call 1-844-Mybo-ya or visit mybo.com to find an eye doctor near you. What does treating dry eye differently feel like? My-bo. This is an eye-heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Thank you.