GOP Shuts Down Congress as It All Hits…

Republicans are now shutting down the House of Representatives early as we predicted. They are now going into recess. Maga Mike Johnson says the reason he's shutting down the House of Representatives has nothing to do with the fact that a war power's resolution was just passed, rebuking Donald Trump's catastrophic war in Iran. It has nothing to do with the fact that Thomas Massey is pushing forward the Epstein Transparency Act 2 and doing it as a discharge. petition. Maga Mike says no, it has nothing to do with the fact that a Republican Thomas Massey put forward articles of impeachment yesterday. No, it's nothing to do with that. It's just this Congress has been so productive. Maga Mike Johnson says that we got to go back and we're so excited to tell our constituents how great we did. Here, listen to what he has to say. Play this clip. We're going to modify the House schedule by day and let me explain to you why the House has done its work. You've seen the statistics we've been talking about for the last few days. This House has been the second most productive in terms of legislation and the history of the institutions in 1789. We passed over 900 pieces of legislation. Right now, about 700 of those bills are sitting in the Senate awaiting action. We'll pass over 70 bills this week alone, including the Rape Air Protection Act and the Russian Sanctions Bill. We have CRAs. We have anti-fraud measures. Really important meaningful legislation, but the House has done so much of that for the last 19, 20 months or so and a lot of it is just a waiting action in the Senate. So it's time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case the American people to go and explain all the great things we've done. You've seen the record. You've seen what we've delivered. We gave them this con. And finally, Maga Mike Johnson says we are so thrilled to go back to our congressional districts. This is just what we're really excited to do. There's so much great stories about how amazing America is doing right now. So that's what we're going to say here. Play this clip. An extraordinary record of achievement. And so I'm excited for my Republican colleagues to go home and talk to the American people working their districts and explain to them not only serving their constituents, but explaining to them all the great things we've done for them and all the things we're going to do in the days ahead. So that's the modification of the schedule. We just sent out a whip with notice, uh, changing it by the way, while he's doing that, you have JD Vance who sadly are vice president. He was out there on these like right wing tech bro crypto bro podcasts or whatever. This is all in. Um, and he's like, okay, my message to the voters is, please, please give me another chance. Please get me another chance. This is for real. How pathetic is this here? Play this clip. Immigration. We pursued H1B reform that prioritizes American workers over foreign nationals. There's a lot of good that's been done, but there's a lot of work left to do. Don't give power to the people who cause the problems that we're fixing. Give us another chance or give us another couple of years to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years. And as all of this is going on, we learned earlier today that the federal reserve was raising interest rates by 25 basis points to 3.75 to 4% as the range with one other rate hike likely this year, perhaps even two as inflation continues to surge. Donald Trump brought in Kevin Warsh to be the chairman of the federal reserve after threatening the prior chairman of the federal reserve Jerome Powell with criminal prosecution for not lowering interest rates. Donald Trump brought in an interest rate hawk who raised interest rates. Great job, Donald. This is what Kevin Warsh said moments ago. Let's play this clip. Yet for more than five years, inflation has been running above target. So our predominant focus is on the price stability side of our mandate. The plain fact is that inflation is too high and has been for too long. This summer's inflation readings do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved. Based on the most recent CPI and PPI data, the 12-month change in total PC prices likely was around 3.6% in August. Core PCE and CPI prices running at about 3.2 and 2.4% respectively. Too many categories are still posting increases above 3%, on both a sixth and 12-month basis. Now we are learning that there were actually other Republican Congress members who were getting ready to sign the discharge petition for the Epstein Transparency Act #2, like Maggar Republican Congress member Ralph Norman. He signed so there was 217 votes for Epstein Transparency Act #2. So of course, MAGA Mike is going to shut down Congress one day before they would likely get all of the signatures. Watch what Ralph Norman has to say, play this clip. Congressman, you were the 217th vote on the Epstein Transparency Discharge Petition. Why was it important for you to sign that? I'm tired of the Epstein files being delayed, delayed, delayed, and he should have gone through a committee I didn't sign it before because with the discharge petition, as y'all know, it avoids all the committees. But I'm not so sure at this point wouldn't need to be known. It needs to come out. So I had no problem signing that and I think we'll get the last one more vote. Now, if you're wondering, Ben, what's Epstein Transparency Act 2? Well, the first Epstein Transparency Act didn't have in it a provision that said the survivors are entitled to bring their own private cause of action. It was basically implied in it. But the Trump regime's DOJ took the position that survivors or anybody else don't have standing. The only people who have standing to enforce the Epstein Transparency Act is Trump. And Trump's DOJ and they're not going to enforce it because they're lying and saying we've released all of the files where we know there's at least five to 20 million files, perhaps even more, that are still being concealed. So the point of this next discharge petition was going to allow the survivors to expressly have the ability to sue Todd Blanche. But of course, Maga, Mike, and Donald Trump want to continue to cover up child sex trafficking while they cause our diesel prices to surge to record highs while they cause gas prices to surge to record highs. Oh, we tried to catch up with Maga Republican Congresswoman spars in the halls of Congress. And here's what she had to say here, play this clip. Congresswoman, real quick, Donald Trump has said that we're entering a golden age, or that we're in a golden age. Do you agree? Nothing. Oh, I guess she didn't want to talk to us. Okay, very interesting. What about I do appreciate this. The Republican Congress member Thomas Massey, he was spilling the tea, knowing that this would be the last time he'd be able to speak on the House floor. Of course, he lost his position because the Trump regime and Maga Mike and all the Republicans attacked him because he wanted to help survivors of sex trafficking and sex assault victims. And that was a bridge too far for Maga Republicans. You can speak out in favor of survivors. And in favor of transparency around Epstein, Donald Trump says that's going to hurt him and his friends. So they got rid of Maga. They got rid of Massey. The Maga's got rid of Massey. And here's what Massey had to say. He goes, didn't three weeks ago, Maga Mike Johnson said that I'm stupid for saying that we were going to shut down the House early. Here he is shutting down the House early. He will play this clip. Roughly three weeks ago, the Speaker of the House said, let me tell you how stupid Thomas Massey's comment is. Then an article said that Johnson says Republicans are here to work and will remain in Washington throughout September according to the House calendar. He goes on to say, that is a nonsensical statement by someone who is not participating as a full member of the Congress. And it's really sad that he doesn't, unquote. Well, I'm here today to let you know that I'm in full participating member of the House of Representatives. In fact, when other people want to go home, I'm here to work. I'm here to get justice for the Epstein victims, the survivors. I am here to get the price of food and fuel down for our constituents. We've got solutions. We just refuse to pass them. It's always a good time to stay fresh from sun up to sundown with Mac Weldon's AirNidX fabric. It all started with underwear designed to wick moisture, fight odor and give you maximum airflow. Now they're expanding the best seller to a full line of essentials. 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Mac Weldon's clothes are designed to fit your style and demands of modern life. They look like regular clothes but feel like the latest in modern comfort. Over 10 years Mac Weldon has designed timeless, innovative menswear to help you move through the day with confidence. Even if you're just hanging in your underwear, don't sweat the heat this summer. Feel as effortlessly cool as you look with Mac Weldon. Go to MacWeldon.com and get 20% off your first order of $125 or more with promo code Midas. That's m-a-c-k-w-e-l-d-o-n.com code Midas. - More from Massey over here saying, I'm still a little bit confused. Like, what are we whining about? We're whining about elections. Our rig, we control all the branches. When you're talking about what's rigged here, you're whining that you can't pass certain laws. Like, you control the branches. What are you talking about? Watch what he says, play this clip. - We're in the majority. Why are we whining about the Save Act? I voted for the Save Act two or three times, many times since you wanna put it on the floor. Sin is not gonna pass it, but we won the elections. Why are we saying the elections were stolen if we won them all? We have a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. We have a Republican in the White House. We have a Republican majority here, a Republican majority in the Senate. We're complaining that the elections were stolen. And we are calling off Congress? Calling off Congress and we're in the majority? I would implore my Republican colleagues to take that up with our leadership, but I would implore all of us to take it up with the leadership. Why are we gonna be denied a debate on whether this should be an impeachment or not? - He then says also that Magga and Congress is complicit in the genocide in Palestine. Here, play this clip. - But I've drawn attention to that. I've drawn attention to a war in the Middle East where 75,000 people have been killed. 50,000 civilians, girls, boys, just wanna live their life. I think it's a genocide, I call it a genocide, but I've also called attention to it. And I've worked across the aisle on war power. - War from Thomas Massey over here who says, and now you're trying to act like you're helping our ranchers by bringing in mystery meat from foreign countries that don't go through the process that our ranchers deal with here and you're undercutting our ranchers. - What am I doing now, too? Right now, that was in 2014. Have you heard about this beef product, ground beef product that's gonna come from a foreign country at 75% of market price? How do you get something at 75% of market price? Well, I tell you what, I think grade A prime, if it's 75% of market price, somebody else didn't wanna buy it. And that's what they're talking about, bring it 300,000 metric tons, they tell you in tons so you don't realize that's 600 million pounds. That's a billion, that's two billion quarter pounders folks. That's how much they're gonna bring here to this country. Is that gonna help farmers? No, it's not gonna help farmers. It would never intended to help farmers. It's not even gonna help consumers. 'Cause what it's gonna do is gonna run more farmers out of business in this country. And when we run out of the 300 metric boat loads or whatever it is of ground beef product, they won't have their own farmers here, they won't survive through these manipulations of them. So I guess you can see why Maga Mike wanted to shut down the house, right? And he did, he shut it down before he did it, and Massey also said, "Let me explain to you how Congress rigs committees, let's play it." But the day I got here and realized that this game was rigged, I said, "I'm not playing this game." I am gonna tell people what is going on up here. I'm gonna tell people how they sell committee seats. Yes, it's actually kind of a misnomer. I shouldn't tell you the committee seats are for sale. They're for rent. If they were for sale, maybe I could collect enough equity and get on to ways and means. But I don't wanna pay the rent on ways and means. That's what they tell you when you get here. Don't get on this AA committee. By the way, why is the Veterans Committee a C committee? I never, well I know why they call it a C committee up here. 'Cause the Veterans don't have money falling out of their pockets here in Washington, DC when they come to visit. They're asking for better health care. They're asking for the people who are in the military to be treated right. So that's the way it is. People get up here, the game's rigged. I decided not to play the game. And then he says, "You know, it's fascinating to me also. We're running against socialism in the Republican Party, but we're like the most socialist there are here play this clip." I believe what I say. And so when I go out there and talk to reporters, they ask me questions that nobody else will answer. Sir, why don't you do the $5,000 before the election? By the way, isn't that interesting? We are, the Republicans are running against socialism in November. And what are we promising if we win? Socialism, everybody's equal. We're gonna take from the people that have more and give to the people who have less. Actually, we're gonna give everybody money. - Time has expired. - And I would say that I am a fully participating member in spite of what the speaker said. This is just a few of the things that I've done since I've been in-- - Time has expired. - Thank you, and God bless, I yield back. - Then state regime media tries to bring on a guy who will spin the rising interest rates and the horrible economy and the markets crashing. White House senior deputy press secretary, he goes on. And he's like, we all know the main reason that prices are really bad right now and aren't record high. It's the Linsky's fault. It's Ukraine's fault. - And it's gonna raise more or just raise for everyday Americans. It's gonna punish businesses who are trying to expand and grow. And again, none of that gets at the core of the issue here which are energy prices. Well, let me follow up on that because you were talking about energy prices and Kevin Warsh did say that this came as a result of uncertainty that remains elevated owing in part to geopolitical developments. And we've been watching gas prices. We'll put it up on the screen here. The current average for regular is at 437, a gallon right now. Diesel, I believe, is pretty up there too. Around six bucks, a gallon, cushion. There is the thought that diesel prices, especially, energy prices do drive up inflation. Are you disputing that? - Well, the thing here is that, again, energy prices, you mentioned diesel friends and that it really has to do with what's going on between Russia and Ukraine. As the president has noted, Ukraine has attacked, Russia's ability to refine diesel and Russia has accordingly put on and export ban on diesel. That's driven up diesel prices proportionally higher than energy prices than oil and gas prices. And so the point here is that raising interest rates does not change all of prices, does not affect energy prices. All we're doing right now is making it more expensive to buy a home, more expensive for businesses to grow and to add employees and to manufacture and invest here in the United States. And none of this gets up the root of the problem here, which are all the prices. The president has been very focused on energy abundance. The United States is the largest oil and gas exporter and producer in the world because of this president. He's worked with our allies, whether it be getting the UK to drill in a South Sea. We'll be working with our partners in Venezuela to increase global supply. He met with refineries here at the White House a couple of weeks ago to get more refining capabilities in the United States. This has been an ongoing effort by the president, by the administration. And how our interest rates really have nothing to do with it, will not really change this, the calculus whatsoever. And finally, we had a reporter asking the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh. So I know you're saying that you think that you can get inflation under control short term, but based on everything that Donald Trump has done, the earliest will get inflation back to 2% right now is 2029. That's if everything now traverses course from what it's happening. So how do you justify that wash your play this clip? It's because today you say, today's policy action will support a timely return to the committee's 2% target. And yet in the summary of economic projections, the median pushes the 2% target achievement out to 2,029 in other two years. And I'm wondering how you can square those two things. One easy way to square that, Mike, is those aren't my forecasts. Those are the forecasts of my 18 colleagues. And I tried to represent them due to flee to you. My business is to not give forward guidance. But my commitment in June was to reaffirm to the American people, to anyone listening that we will deliver price stability. My commitment in July was to say, we want to buy a little bit of time. We want to evaluate what's happening across a range of dimensions. And what I said in Jackson Hole in August is we're committed to a discipline, not to a decision. Today's action starts to show we're serious about this. And we will deliver on the price stability objective. And as the statement said, we'll do it on a timely or basis. That's our decision. And when we continue our discussions over the course of the next several weeks and months, we'll have more to say about it. But I'm ill-prepared to prejudge those future actions. Yeah, he doesn't justify it as all. So that's where we are right now. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks everybody for watching. Before you go, our book WTF America is available for pre-order now. It's the story of how we got here and how we fight our way back. To pre-order, scan the QR code, or click the link in the description. Let's do this. [MUSIC PLAYING] (upbeat music) (upbeat music)