On sky Lives Ostrodia.
This is the Wider Panalty Show.
Good evening and welcome to the Reader Panety Show. Coming up tonight. The shockwaves from the Victorian by elections continue, with Federal Labor warning their big counterparts to stop the mad spending on the suburban rail loob Well Prime Minister and the Albanez is lobbing securate tariff back down from President Trump. Will discuss that with Kosher Gata transactivists intensify
their campaign against the Queensland government. Stephney Bastian will be with you shortly discuss, and President Trump gives mass a new deadline to release all the hostages or to cease fires off. Josh Hammer will join me with the latest from the US later in the hour, and Lefty's Losing It features this deranged Karen with a rather unique bit of Super Bowl analysis.
The reason why we get it went because the Trump was at the guys.
Yes, yeah, goddamnit.
Trump should. But first joining me now is News Corps senior writer Patrick Carl and Patrick, let's start with Federal Labor. The MPs in Victoria are not happy. They've had a serious wake up call following the seventeen percent swing against the state labor government in Werribee, a traditional labor heartland seat. That's caused them to demand that Premierson too Alan stopped blackmailing the federal government into providing extra funding for the
suburban rail loop project. They say that the Allen government should instead focus on other projects that voters actually want. It's a novel idea Patrick the Victorian by election on the weekend, Well, there were two. There was one in Paran, one in werribe It certainly sent shock waves through the federal ranks, Labor and the Greeks.
Look, I don't think those results were surprising at all. I mean, the Allen Government's been on the nose for a long time. We've got to wait until twenty twenty six. I think there's a lot of people metaphorically toiling their baseball bat's just waiting for November twenty twenty six to try and change the government. Here at a state level, and Victoria at a federal level is a battleground state for the first time probably since about going back to Bob Hawk a long time ago. There's six or seven
seats that are really going to matter. The suburban rail loop is very unpopular with Victorians. It's deepening our debt. Nobody really understands why we're getting it, and federal later understandably they want to push projects that people actually want and need, such as the airport rail link.
Well, they don't want to keep paying for something that is just seems to be a bottomless pit. Is what is the point of this suburban rail loop project, because like you said, it's not particularly popular yet the Dan Andrews government and now they're just into Alan government and are inflexible about it, and they have taken some shots and refused to abandon it.
Look after. I shouldn't say half, but many members of the cabinet, the state cabinet, the Deputy Premier doesn't seem very keen on the suburban rail loop. It's going to push the debt much further. We are the most bankrupt state in the country by mine. We are holding back the rest of the country at the moment. It doesn't make sense, and it's a bit like the Commonwealth Games where we sort of spent more than half a billion
dollars on something that didn't happen. It seemed like a good idea when it was announced, but we don't finish things in Victoria.
This is the thing with a suburban rail loop. I'm not sure it was even a good idea yet when it was announced, it's never seemed to have had a solid business case. It's always seemed to be something that has been a bit of a mystery. We're wondering why are we doing this? Why are we're sending the state into further debt. Now let's move on to Federal Sports Minister Anika Wells, who's joined Senatility a flaw in siding
with Sam Kerr as she faces court in London. Here's what Anika Wells had to say yesterday.
I think it has been a rocky road for Sam and her partner. The more we find out about that incident, I think the more you can understand why they've acted the way that they have. But being an explayer myself, I would never seek to interfere or comment on a court trial process whilst it's in action. But I think Australia certainly has Sam certainly has Australia.
Behind her Patrick. I don't think this is a great look, particularly when you watch the footage of Sam Kerr unleashing.
They wouldn't do that. You should have spoken to.
Thee Honestly, we are stupid and white.
Yes, some commentary there that was colorful, to say the least. Why do we have politicians? Olivia Thoughte we can understand. I mean, she's just rogue, but what would Annaka well take this position?
Look, I find that strange this has when playing out for more than a week. We keep seeing that footage you just played. Look it's not a Rosa Parks Montgomery bus moment. This is not going to change the world. Whatever the judgment in this case, it's not going to the world is not going to think that Sam Kerr is racist on some fundamental level. If she doesn't. If the police win, then you know, I'm sure that police officer will get over what she said that night in
a way. And you get this grand standing, and that's what frustrates me. You get the lydia thorpes and you get federal ministers actually talking to these I think Sam kerk for what it's worth, I don't think most people think she's racist, but that attitude did come from a place that a lot of Australians would object to. I don't think she's an unquestioned sporting superstar that she was.
And a lot of people would also object to the fact that a lot of these sporting stars are very quick to play the victim, very quick to push the racial card. And if this was happening with any sporting star, and it was a matter of saying substituting the word black for white, then it would be very different. There would be no more endorsements, there would be no more Australian captaincy, there would probably be no more place on
the Australian team. The consequences would be dramatically worse. And I think again a lot of Australians can see the hypocrisy there. Now let's talk about Minister for Housing and Homelessness Clara O'Neill. She's unleashed more content on Instagram. I don't know whether she wants to become some sort of an insta influencer.
I have a look at this output.
I mean, why, just why, who's advising them to do this. I'm sure they've probably got some social media experts or somebody who thinks this is a way to communicate to younger voters. But I just can't see that as been convincing to anybody.
No, look, when you get to a certain age you sort of you learn things and you learn not to sort of post things on social media unless genuinely funny. I'm of that age, so I don't post any things on social media that's sort of faintly trivializing of a very important issue.
Exactly. That's the thing. Also, it's actually cheapening something that your government's supposed to be proud of, and I just don't know, I cannot understand. I'm sure they're rusted on feminists who never think of voting anything other than greens or labor or perhaps tills may enjoy that, but it certainly doesn't have broad appeal.
No, I think it's polarizing potentially. We've been talking about women's health for decades, as we should have been. We should be proud of what we've done. It's not this sort of breakthrough moment. It's not down watching a Grand final quarter or something.
It's a breakthrough popular meme that's kind of doing the rounds at the moment, and that's what they seem to be doing. They're taking it and trying to apply it to federal politics, and more often than not, it misses the mark. Now, let's talk quickly about the cease fire between Israel and her Mass. I'm going to be talking to Josh Hammer later in the program, but it is increasingly on shaky grand as her Maas says. It is delaying the release of captives held in Gaza, the hostages
they've held for more than a year. The Israeli government is raising the alert level of its military and ordering it to be ready for any possible scenario. Donald Trump is also hit out at her Mass.
I suppose I'm concerned if all of the hostages are return by Saturday at twelve o'clock, I think it's an appropriate time. I would say, cancel it, and all bets are off and let hell break out, all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two. All hell is going to break out. And I don't think they're going to do it.
I think a lot of them are dead.
All hell is going to break loose. I think the Israeli government Benjamin Nettina, who knows that Trump isn't going to stand in his way if he wants to eliminate a mass. The Biden administration had a very different attitude. How do you see this progressing? We're in a perilous state right now.
Look, it's been a fragile process, this whole ceasefire, hasn't it. And Donald Trump has come in over the top and sort of said a lot of common sense things, I would argue. I mean, the hostage has just got lost in the rhetoric in Australia, in all the pro Palestine activism for so long, and now we're hearing their stories. They are dreadful stories about sort of hung upside down in chains, in cages. Yeah, finding out that their loved ones are dead. These are terrible stories. And this was
a deal. It was always going to be a fragile deal made by a terrorist organization. So I think the larks of Donald Trump sort of coming in over the top may actually not be a bad thing. And then it actually progresses things, actually pushes things forward.
And he's speaking to them in terms they understand. He's not trying to group up, hug them into submission. He's saying he's going to unleash hell. And I think these terrorists that they respond to language like that. We'll see what happens next. But he also made the point that the last lot of hostages released, the three men who
were starved. Obviously he likened it two Holocaust survivors that the seeds there, and I think they were powerful statements as well, Patrick Carl and thank you so much for your time tonight. Thanks very Joining me now is Women's
Forum Australia's head of advocacy, Stephanie Bastian. Stephanie Insland government's decision to pause so called gender firming hormone treatments for children and launch a review into gender treatments has sparked a fresh offensive from the Australian Professional Association for trans Health, called Project four nine to one. OSPATH claims that the Queensland ban is contrary to the current best evidence based
guidelines and represents political interference in healthcare. Can I please get your reaction there, Stephanie.
Log What we're seeing is activist organizations ignoring the evidence, not even wanting a review into the evidence, and they're now trying to fundraise and do their own thing. I mean this week we saw the doctor who was running the Canned Gender Clinic has now moved to Melbourne and.
Is prescribing puberty blockers via telehealth.
According to the Guardian, a forty minute consultation is all it's taking. So these organizations actually need to be investigated and the government funding needs to be pulled if they're received them.
Now we've had Health Minister Mark Butler come under fire for his response to Peter Dutton's comments about protecting women's sport. Let's remind ourselves what the opposition leader had to say last week in his interview with Peter Kredlin.
I just don't believe in discriminating against anyone, not on the basis of anything. And for young girls not to be able to achieve their Olympic dream, their pathway to a World Cup, or to be displaced from a team because you know somebody has a physiological advantage over them, I just don't think that is that's not in the spirit of sport.
Now, this was Mark Butler's response on Sunday.
What is Slavery's position on trans participation in professions?
Well, I'll have a go. Katie might want to add to this, but this is not an issue in Australia. We're very clear legal provisions in the Sex Discrimination Act, Section forty two says that sporting codes are able to put in place measures to ensure that particular sporting competitions are reserved for in this case, the case you're referring to biological.
Women, Stephanie says, it's not an issue in Australian sport. You mentioned section forty two of the Sex Discrimination Act, but as Senator Claire Chandler pointed out just last year in twenty twenty four, male players won a women's football competition, and when the organizers ask for the government to help protect the safety of their players by reviewing the legislation that is failing to protect women's sport, the Albanezer government ignored them. Stephanie, what do you make of all of this?
Is he just ignorant about what's happening in this country or are they so ideologically captured by the transactivists that they don't want to tackle this issue.
Alog I think it's very clear Mark Butler has his head in the sand. The Sex Discrimination Act actually removed the definition of woman when Julia Gillard inserted gender identity in the twenty thirteen amendments.
That's why we have all these problems.
It should be protecting women in sport, but it's not because it doesn't define.
What they are.
And we have a problem in this country where, particularly at a community and state level sporting bodies have been ideologically captured, prioritizing inclusion and diversity.
Over fairness and safety.
So we've got a lot of women, particularly in say football and soccer, who are being injured. There is a blackout on the media. They don't report the players that are.
Causing these injuries.
And the e Safety Commissioner has actually intervened on international outfits like Redducks who have reported these identities. And if you're someone like Kuriri Lee Smith who has called this out, you slept with the Navy o and vilification claims. So we do have a problem. Our laws are not only coming to protect women, they are actually being weaponized to silence anyone who speaks out.
Now before you go. Pauline Hanson yesterday moved a motion in the Senate to establish a real inquiry into the human cost of experimental child gender treatments in Australia in order to give victims and their families a voice, and of course Labor the Greens, but also a number of Liberals and independent senators like David Pocock, Tammy Terrell and Lydia Thorpe. They all voted this motion down. It's the usual suspects striking against Stephanie.
Look, I was encouraged by the number of Liberals who did vote in favor, but I think Pauline Hanson's motion, the details in that just show how weak and pathetic the current fid Or government's review is.
It outlines a number of issues it calls to review.
The harm done to people like detransitioners, and the whole basis of this crisis. So I think what we need, though, is we need strong leadership from perhaps the Liberal letter Peter Dutton.
This is not going to go away. This is going to be an election issue.
So unless Alban Easy and Peter Dutton both come up with a policy, they're going to be in trouble because the Australian public won't change.
Well. This is just the biggest slam dunk imaginable politically, because it's an issue where right and wrong is pretty clear and the overwhelming majority of the population, the mainstream opinion is very much on the side of fairness, on
the side of respecting biological reality. And yet we've got the activists who have seemed to have spooked both Labor and the Coalition and to backing these radical positions or in the case of the coalition kind of been too scared to even talk about it and to come up with a articulate argument about why what we've got in
place at the moment it isn't good enough. Now before we go, we expect the likes of Lydia Thorpe, the Greens labor to vote down an inquiry like this, But tell me about the liberals who voted against this motion.
Look, I think there are a key group of activists that have taken the wrong position on this, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of ignorance of the.
Political fallout, but it's just not good enough. The evidence is there.
Thirteen countries have now wound back puberty blockers, cross sex womans, and limited gender affirming care because of the lack of evidence. Twenty six US states have done the same, and of course we've got the new executive order that's limiting the funding. The tide has turned globally on this. There are doctors here speaking out and it's just not good enough. They need to come to the table on this as a party and to make some changes.
Stephanie Bastian, thanks for your time tonight to come Lefty's losing it Plus will Prime ministaff In Albanizi managed to convince Donald Trump to drop tariffs against Australian still and aluminum, and patient Gator joins me next welcome back. Now it's time for Lefti's losing it and we can't go a week on this program without including the lunatic ratings of
the ladies of the view. Today it's Anna Navarro's turn, and she was talking about the super Bowl of all things, but as usual, she was obsessed with two things, Donald Trump and her race illusions. Take it away, Anna, You know I don't do sports.
You know, I don't do football, so I wasn't watching the game.
But listen, I.
Think today Donald Trump is going to sign an executive order banning black people from halftime.
And what is she based this delusional fantasy on. She thinks racists were upset by the halftime show, when really it was just people with ears.
Bring the highest to pet.
I was telling maybe in an executive order to ban artists most of the audience has never heard of from halftime shows. That that may be an idea. But let's get back to Ana Navarro's genius analysis.
Talking about whether the NFL was capitulating to Trump by removing the term and.
Racism from the and so on.
Boy did they not capitulate to Trump? When I saw Samuel L. Jackson, Yeah, rested does a black uncles town who then had like an entire formation of all black people making a US flag.
Now, let's be honest. Kendrick Lamar's performance was pretty mid.
As the kids say, Ernest Dowe, don't you care what they would be fashion out right now?
We're hitting for me hit It wouldn't check with these boys trying to hangle me.
Just wait and seem to.
Be Yep, it was pretty mediocre, particularly when we are used to the cream of the crop performing at the Super Bowl halftime shows. But Ken Trick Lamar actually didn't politicize the fourteen minute performance other than to take at Drake. There were no anti Trump, anti Maga, anti America messages. Once Anna and the ladies of the view figure that out,
they're going to be pretty miserable. But the NFL did try to politicize the event by running this ridiculous commercial where a young woman, a young black woman, beats a team of men, a team of brads.
Let's settle this once and for all.
Your best guy, girl, whatever versus our best guy, the Brad.
Right, Brad, I'm brown. I can read all of them. That's what I've thought about.
These are the simpletons who pretend to be pro women, but they throw women under the bus by supporting men identifying as trans women, invading women's sport, and talking about pretending to be pro women while simultaneously throwing women under the bus. Here is a Nike, painfully woke, a Nike running an ad suggesting the real threat to women's sport is sexism. Reminder, this is the same Nike that used Dylan Mulvainy as an ambassador. But please tell me how
much you support girls and women's sport. You can't be emotional. So be emotional. You can't take credit, you can't speak up, can't be so ambition fun, I can't stand out. Whatever you do, you can't win. Now, let's hear from this totally rational woman, probably a fan of the view, who blames President Donald Trump for her team losing yesterday.
And the reason why we did it win because the Trump was at the guys.
Yes, yay, goddamnit, and we'll have plenty more lefties losing it. Content with my next guest, Guy News contributor Kosher Gata Kosher. We will get to that phone call between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanezi shortly, but let's start with the USAID scandal. If you want to know why the left is so committed to this cause, it's not that they care about feeding the IMPOVERI store giving medicines to the Sikh. Those
programs will continue. It's because they found a way to use taxpayers money to push their insane, far left agenda. Here is Trump advisor Steven Miller explaining.
The USAID was a slush fund, first of all, for left wing projects around the globe, like gender surgeries around the world, diversity equin inclusion policies, crazy Green New Deal climate scams. It was funding an army of left wing activists. These NGOs, non governmental organizations, They get billions and billions of dollars and they use that money to that infiltrate Corporate America Free Sattle for example, at taxpayer expends millions
of illegal aliens into this country. This mammoth left wing power structure plus left wing media. It wasn't organic, it wasn't created naturally. It was funded by taxpayer dollars. And that is why they are screaming and screeching so loud. Now, it's because President Trump is cutting off the slush fund to the organizations that hate and hurt America.
And that's the biggest point there, Kosher. These movements were not organic. It was funded by taxpayers and witting tax payers.
Yes, it has been an illuminating couple of weeks, to say the least. We've always known that the US is running thirty three trillion dollar deficits. They have this ridiculous seven billion dollar and a trillion dollar annual budget that they can never seem to cut or shrink government spending.
Now we know that beyond the spending, it is also these sort of insidious, nefarious actions that have created this whole infrastructure, as Stephen Miller's out of NGOs, who, by the way, the proprietors of these NGOs enrich themselves along
the way, they take massive salaries. You can look all of this up when you combine ten ninety nine's with USAAD and then on top of that the sort of AstroTurf, which is effectively what he was seeing these issues domestically and internationally, and it's really illuminating that the groundswell of support that maybe people thought we were battling with left wing ideology, climate anddi and all the rest of it
is actually not really there. There's no grassroots support for it, but it is topped down by definition, funded by USAAD and even other organizations that now Trump is beginning to look.
Into incredible amounts of hoodspa here, using taxpayers money to come up with policies and laws agendas that most people actually do not support, and doing it in this underhanded manner. There's been very little transparency up until now. Now Politico there's supposed to be an independent news organization, but they
pump out a constant stream of anti Trump propaganda. I received eight point two million in US dollars eight point two million US in government funding, and that increased significantly in twenty twenty when Joe Biden became president. How they justifying this kosher because they're not a public broadcaster, They're not PABs or NPR, and this talk that their funding should be cut as well.
Yes, the public broadcasters. That's been a long standing debate around the world. Why do taxpyers fund media for political news? By definition should be objective and now this is again insidious where these are for profit corporations. It's a little bit from Usaaid, but a lot of it is just
straight up subscriptions to their enterprise plan. Political Pose pro is the name of the plan, and it's something like eight to eleven thousand dollars a subscription, and it's just running rampant where there's multiple subscriptions across different agencies like the Department of Interior or HHS or others that are subscribing to this data. And I would add those same people in their private lives. I would not be surprised if they share Netflix passwords with each other.
But here they're.
Subscribing to multiple five figure subscription deals, which adds up to the tune of eight billion dollars for again, an organization that has a very clear political agenda. Trump shut that off and many others like Political which is fascinating to see amount of impact he's having in just a couple of short weeks.
Oh, it's hard to keep up with the pace. This is one of the consequences of just implementing a raft of election promises is that it can be quite difficult to keep up with everything that's happening. Let's turn our attention to tariffs on Australian still and Aliminium. The Prime Minister has had a conversation with President Trump. This is what Anthony Albaneasi had to say earlier today.
So it was a very constructive and warm discussion again with President Trump.
The US President agreed that an exemption was under consideration.
And when President Trump was asked about the conversation in the overall offers, this is what he had to say.
I just spoke to him, very fine man, and he has a surplus. I mean, we have a surplus with Australia. What are the few and the reason is they buy a lot of aeroplanes. They are rather far away and they need lots of aeroplanes, and we actually have a surplus. It's one of the only countries which we do. And I told him that that's something that we will give great consideration to.
This is the most conciliatory the President has been when it comes to these executive orders. Do you see President Trump bending on this given the unique set of circumstances, the close relationship with Australia and the fact that the US enjoys a trade surplus with US.
Yes, I wouldn't dare profess to know what President Trump would do on any given day. But those three points that you mentioned Rita are very unique to Australia. As he mentioned, Australia is one of the only countries that the US runs a trade surplus with and has the
mid twentieth century. So that definitely is music to Trump's ears because the whole premise or philosophy which we do understand about Trump, he's been very clear about it, is leveling the playing field and having reciprocal trade deals where we're not running deficits with every single country. So the
Australia definitely takes that box. There is also the defense relationship where there are big buyers of US aircraft and military equipment and the things in the OFCICE deal, and also the geographic positioning of Australia as a long standing one hundred year ally in this region, proximity to China.
All of that just really.
Positions Australia very uniquely. So I would take Trump at his word that he's going to take all of that under consideration and look at the big picture.
Now, some interesting comments for Opposition later paid to Dutton. He actually took a very strong line against President Trump saying that if he goes through with these tariffs, it's going to put a strain on the relationship between the two countries. Did that take you by surprise that he would interject in such a strong manner in this debate.
It is interesting the specifics of that, but I sort of have see echoes of it with mister Pierre and Canada as well. Who's in Canada is in an election year and same thing where they're sort of maybe trying to create some daylight between the other side and themselves or show that they're sort of strong and they will stand up to anybody, even the leader of the free world. So maybe that's the extent if I had to wager
a guess of where mister Dutton was going. But I think everybody understands whether it's Australia or Canada, the leverage is very clear who holds more leverage in that situation, and so it's better off for smaller countries that are allied with the US to work within this framework and this America first world view that Trump has as opposed to straight up posturing against it, because I just don't think that other countries are going to get very far with Trump's agenda the way it.
Is, absolutely, and I do wonder whether Pido Datin is worried about the left's attacks against him in this country where so much of the media coverage is vehemently anti Trump, and they're likening him to Trump on a fairly regular basis, saying his Australia is Trump, he wants to implement the Trump agenda, and I wonder whether that's something that is causing some worries within the liberals. It shouldn't. They should
be able to counter it fairly effectively. But as we know, sometimes they get spooked Kosher.
Yes they do. And that's a playbook from the left now to try and liken everybody to Trump. But I really hope that they don't fall in that trap. Don't fall into the frame that the other side sets. Just lead on your own merits and maybe agree and amplify. There's much actually about Trump that they could harness and use that to their advantage. About Yes, you know, we
are pro Australia. We believe in Australia first. That might be a better strategy if I were advising people on the right side of the island other countries.
Absolutely, we've seen it happen with Halve Mila in Argentina, he was called the Argentinian Trump. They've done it with Georgia. Maloney called it a female Trump, and they're two of the most popular leaders anywhere in the world. So there are ways to counter this and it can actually be used to your advantage. Now, let's talk about conservative activist Robbie Starbuck. He's been incredibly successful in lobbying big corporations like walmart Ford, Harley Davidson McDonald's to get rid of
their DEI policies. This is even before Donald Trump was elected to his second term, and he's announced his next target is JP Morgan, the largest bank in America, Kosher. We are seeing this massive cultural shift in the corporate sector and the banking industry. Well, they're not going to be immune from it, are they.
They certainly will not. You know, there's a few things happening where the US government is now leading by example, in these two weeks, every DEA apartment across the government DEI contracts with third parties and all of that have been slashed. So that sort of provides political and cultural cover, I think to corporate America, where maybe even if they believed and that they didn't want to cut it or walk away from it before because a mob would come
after them. The second thing is it actually is illegal. The Civil Rights Act specifically and explicitly says that you are not to discriminate labor relationships and employment contracts on the basis of any of these immutable characteristics. And so I think they would expect that the Trump Civil Rights Department and the DOJ under Pambondi might even go after certain violations of that in the corporate sector. And Jamie Diamon, the CEO of JP Morgan, is a very smart guy.
I'm sure he understands all of that, and I think Starbuck might just give him the push that he needs. But even without that, the tide certainly seems to be turning.
Kosher Ga, thank you so much for your time. Tonight still to come. President Trump gives a mass an optimatum release all the hostages by Saturday. All the cease buy is off. Josh Hamma is uploads welcome back. Joining me now is Newsweek's senior editor at Large and Article three projects Senior Council Josh Hammer. Josh will cover President Trump's comments about the Gaza hostages shortly, but Let's start with the furious paced administration is setting. In just over three weeks.
They appear to have achieved more than some administrations do over four years. And what has shocked many, including The New York Times, is the ease which it's all been done, the ease with which so many in the public and private sectors have fallen into line in abandoning critical race theory and DEI practices. As it surprised you just how effective Trump has been in these first three weeks.
You know, reader, at some point over the past couple of years, I think something clipped for Donald Trump. I mean, he was always outside the box thinker. He was always someone who was in there to drain the swamp there. But you know, maybe it was when Joe Biden and Maeric Garland jack Smith were trying to incarcerate him and bankrupt him and generally ruin his life. Maybe he was around the time that Thomas Matthew Cross came within millimeters
of assassinating him in Butler, Pennsylvania last July. But something clicked in this man and he decided to come out absolutely blistering here in these opening few weeks. It kind of reminds me of something that Steve Bannon said back during the first Trump administration, which is that the mentality should be to flood the zone, to basically do a lot in such rapid succession, to try to put the enemy, in this case, that will be the left and the media here in America, to put them on their heels
so that their head is constantly on a swivel. They quite literally can't keep up with everything going on right there. And that I think basically has been the mentality. Now we're starting to see some left wing judges, some lower corst judges that are starting to put on some constitutionally dubious nationwide injunctions. So they're basically resorting to the one tool that they possibly can, which are these forum shop judges,
to try to put a stop in this agenda. But so far you're entirely right, Well, we have seen these in these opening three weeks. Is the most impactful start to a presidential administration, not just in my lifetime, but I suspect in the lifetime probably of anyone who is still alive here in the United States State. It has been remarkable to see and I hope it keeps up.
Frankly, now, the US AID us AID fight is one that signifies the divide between the activists left, who wielded just enormous power, disproportionate power, and pretty much the rest of the country. We'll get to how us AID was complicit in creating the false narratives behind Trump's impeachment, but first, the Vatican just overnight took aim at the Trump administration.
A cardinal closely aligned to Pope Francis urge the administration to remember Christian principles about caring for others, while a Vatican charity put out a statement claiming that millions of people could die as a result of the and I quote here ruthless US decision to recklessly stop us AID funding. Josh, how is stopping funding for the following And I'm going to just list some items. Za going to kill millions.
We've got taxpayers money, forty five million of it going to DEI scholarships in Burma, seven point nine million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid binary gendered language, four and a half million to combat disinformation in Kazakhstan, two million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala, two point one million to help the BBC value the diversity of Libyan society. Ten million worth of USAID funded meals went to al Qaeda, a terrorist group, or it
went to a Al Kaeda linked terrorist group. Five million to EcoHealth Alliance, one of the key NGOs funding that virus research in that Wuhan lab had got. Money going to Armenian LGBT groups. Money going to LGBT advocacy in Jamaica. Two million to promote LGBT equity in Latin America, five point five million for LGBT activism in Uganda. There's a theme emerging.
There, Josh, Yeah, Read, I give you a lot of credit for reading through that entire list and somehow not just bursting down into laughter, because that would have been my temptation if I were in your position there. Unfortunately, the one who is not laughing as the American taxpayer who has been subsidizing all of this stupid crap for the better part of six plus decades.
I mean.
John F. Kennedy established USAID via executive order in nineteen sixty one as a tool of soft power diplomacy at the height of the Cold War. This is the era of the Cuban Missile crisis and mutually assured destruction there. It was one tool in the American arsenal to try to stop the expansion the metastasists of the Soviet Union. But the Soviet Union has not existed literally in my lifetime here and at this point, USAID has been so wildly co opted by far left gender ideologues and racial
identitarians there. Who does the Vatican think they are, frankly to get on their moral high horse and try to tell us what we can and cannot shrim out of
our federal budget. They have no right whatsoever to meddle in our own internal affairs when it comes to how we manage our budget here and for their purposes, they're probably most concerned, if I'm being very charitable, I would imagine they're most concerned about some of the actual rare good things that USAID does when it comes to, for instance, stopping the spread of ebola and HIV and AIDS in Africa.
There.
But the point readA that will continue. It will just get subsumed into the US State Department. This is really just bureaucratic streamlining, and it all redounds to benefit of the US taxpayer. The Vatican has no business, What's so
freaking ever meddling in our affairs. I would kindly suggest, actually that they get our own house in order stop putting Baby Jesus in a bunch of Palestinian kafeas that might give them a little bit more of a moral high ground here to tell us whether or not we can stop subsidizing al Qaeder militants, as we just signed the screen.
And the hypocrisy there as well. Whenever they're weighing on these issues, you look at how the Vatican itself operates the security, the walls, the wealth, and perhaps keep those lectures to yourself. Now, tell me about the manner in which USAID was involved in the impeachment of Donald Trump in twenty nineteen. Investigative journalist Michael Schellenberger has done some
remarkable work uncovering the links. Here, I tell my audience what the involvement of USAID and that CIA analyst was in the Trump impeachment.
So the twenty nineteen Trump impeachment, it's hard to keep track of all this. I mean, we've had all these prosecutions and then the second impeachment was a January sixth impeachment that really stole a lot of the headlines, But the twenty nineteen impeachment was the one that involved this fairly brief phone call with Vladimir's Lensky. Trump famously described that as a perfect phone call. It was a fairly brief phone call. If you printed out a transcript there was,
it was roughly five or six pages long. The entire country of Ukraine, Rita and the aftermath of the Maidan Revolution in twenty fourteen became something of a playground for Western NGOs, for Western liberal Hillary Clinton, George Soros adjacent non governmental organizations there, and you know, in the aftermath of the Cold War, I was kind of just explaining how USAID lost its reason for existing after the Cold War.
It got totally co opted by this constellation of left wing NGOs, and a lot of those NGOs were involved there on the ground in Ukraine, ultimately leading to the bogus impeachment of Donald Trump for this Zelenski phone call in twenty nineteen. By the way, it's worth remembering that that actual impeachment in response to this Pune call. What Donald Trump was doing was he was threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine to make sure that they got their
investigation in order of Hunter Biden em Barrisma. So fast forward actually six years later, and we've seen a lot more details, by the way, about Hunter Biden Embarisma, thanks to the Miranda Divine and Laptop from Hell the New York Post that whole story there. It turned out that Donald Trump was actually totally correct in twenty nineteen to try to limit Foreign Eight's Ukraine in response to their shenanigans with respect to Hunter Biden.
Now, President Trump has made it clear that his patience with her mass is running out. After they released three hostages. It obviously suffered terrible abuse being starved. Here is what the President had to say about that.
When I see that scene that I saw it today, with people.
Coming out of helicopters and airplanes that are emaciated, that look like they haven't had a meal in a month, there's no reason for that.
And I don't know how much longer we can take it.
Do you mean you want to be.
Cast I don't know how how long we can take it.
When I watch people that were healthy people a reasonably short number of years ago, and you look at them today, they look like they've aged twenty five years.
They literally look like the old pictures of Holocaust survivor.
It's the same thing. I mean the same thing, And I don't know how long we're going to.
Take that half forwards there, And earlier today, President Trump gave her Mass a deadline to release all the hostages or the ceasefire would end.
As far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at twelve o'clock, I think it's an appropriate time. I would say cancel it, and all bets are off and let hell break out. I'd say they ought to be returned by twelve o'clock on Saturday. And if they're not returned, all of them, not in drips and drabs.
Josh, how do you see this progressing? Is the Sea Spire in danger of coming to an end on Saturday?
Well, it seems like the answer to that question, Rita, is yes, unless Hamas somehow produces all of the remaining hostages, which if I know anything about Hamas whatsoever, I am quite skeptical that they are going to abide by by Donald Trump's demands here there. What is that going to
meet in concrete terms? I mean, that's kind of million dollar question that I have after seeing that clip I'm not entirely sure that Donald Trump is threatening direct military action in guys, they're Rather I think that he would simply be encouraging Israel and the IDF to basically to
go in and to double down on the refferens. You know, it's worth re calling Rita that the IDF, which by the way, has achieved the most moral and just civilian to combat in death ratio in the history of urban warfare. But one of the reasons that they have been hamstringing their own soldiers so much when it comes to the rules of engagement was back to during the Biden administration, which was constantly threatening them and accusing them of possibly
committing genocide or things like this. There. But if Donald Trump saying, you know, all hell is going to break loose, do what you have to do. You're going to get a more unrestrained, a less restrained Israel defense for US, is that really ought to be very bad news for hermaster at this point there, it seems like Donald Trump has really taken these absolutely appalling auschwitz Asque images of
these freed hostages to heart there, and good for him. Frankly, it seems like Nataniahu's trip to DC last week really paid off in speeds.
And it wasn't just the condition of the hostages, Josh, it was the psychological torture they were subjected to. One of the hostages, Eli Sharabi, was asked what he was looking forward to the shammed crazy scenes that her Mask had created where they're interviewing them, making them hold up certificates, and he said he was looking forward to seeing his family's wife and daughters. He didn't know, Josh that her mass had already murdered them. That just shows you the
depravaty and the cruelty of this terror group. It's just beyond human comprehension. It's beyond decency. Let's end on a lighter note before I let you go, I saw you had some strong thoughts on the Super Bowl halftime show. It's been widely panned, labeled the worst halftime show ever. Tell me why it left you feeling less than satisfied.
Well, it was a really lousy game. Unfortunately, the Eagles absolutely destroyed the Chiefs. It's a very lousy football game here, and it was an even lousier halftime show. So New Orleans, Louisiana is a very special place. Reader, So I clerked on the US Court Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which is the federal appeals court that has Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi. The court is actually based in New Orleans. My brother actually went to university at Tulane University in New Orleans.
I've been to Mariti Gras, I've been to Jazz past. I spent a lot of time in New Orleans over the years. That city, more than arguably any other city in America, which is where the super Bowl is held, has an extra ordinary musical heritage. It is the birthplace of jazz. It has given this country so much when it comes to music there and then during the super Bowl that is there in New Orleans, we get this.
I mean, was that music? I mean, not to sound like too much an old crotchety country music fan, which I basically am there, I mean, if that is music, then my definition of music has to meet a whole new barometer. By the way, it would also seemed like it was something of an implicit middle finger to white America. Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, just doubled down hard on DEI this past week, even after Donald Trump
got back into office. I don't think I saw a single white person on stage in the entirety of the halftime show. I think that's an unmistakable message that the NFL is sending, frankly, to a large part of their fan base. It was total garbage, and frankly readA I want to see Jason al Dean or Carrie Underwood or some MAGA friendly country music start at the super Bowl next year.
If it's not too late, country music at the super Bowl halftime shot, that would be amazing. Can you just imagine one hundred thousand people singing along? And that was what really stood out to me when you look at some of those crowd shots. The crowd wasn't into it. People were on their phones. It was only fourteen minutes I think that performance and if you can't haven't even got the crowd there in the stadium having a look at what you're doing, then you can just imagine what
people at home were thinking. Josh Hamma, thanks for your time tonight.
Thank you really appreciate it.
That's it from me. Don't go anywhere. Newsnight is up next. I'll see you tomorrow at eleven