Welcome to the August 18th, 2022 edition of the Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar premium newsletter. The live show is only a month away, so make sure to get your tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0E005CD6DBFF6D47. If you would like to buy a bundle of tickets please email james@breakingpoints.com.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be restructured after its repeated failures in responding to the covid pandemic. Agency director Rochelle Walensky acknowledged their shortcomings in battling covid in her pledge to improve the accountability, timeliness, and communication of the CDC. Their guidance on masking, isolation, and other mitigation efforts often generated confusion and lagged behind the trajectory of the virus. The changes will include the laboratory division reporting directly to the director and restructuring agency communications. Making the CDC less academic and more focused on response is a top priority. The CDC is also hoping lawmakers will provide more funding and authority on data collection from states. These changes come following an independent review by an HHS official that included interviews with over 120 staff. The review laid out a multitude of problems within the agency; among them are transparency, turnover, slow pace in data publishing, and turning data into policy.

Notable mistakes by the CDC on coronavirus information include delayed acknowledgement of airborne transmission, early confusion surrounding masking, and delays in covid testing. The agency recently relaxed guidelines surrounding schools and covid exposure months after Americans resumed normal life. Lifting quarantine requirements, deemphasizing screening for asymptomatic carriers, and eliminating a test-to-stay recommendation for schoolchildren are the primary changes. It acknowledges the new reality of covid exposure in a highly vaccinated population and more transmissible variants with reduced severity. Protections from vaccination and widespread natural immunity combined with weaker variants have dramatically reduced covid death tolls. Schoolchildren are among the least vulnerable populations to severe symptoms from covid. Additionally, the CDC is taking heat for its handling of the Monkeypox crisis primarily with gay Americans. The limited vaccinations and a controversial vaccination plan by the FDA could exacerbate the criticism of public health authorities’ response to the disease.

The FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago to obtain classified documents from the Trump residence reportedly targeted a personal stash of documents held by Donald Trump. The FBI collected everything pertaining to the US government even though they had a more narrow target in mind. Documents being collected by Trump since early in his administration These specific documents deal with a variety of intelligence matters, most notably the Russiagate scandal related to the 2016 election. Officials believe he kept materials he believed could exonerate him from charges of collusion with Russians to alter the 2016 election. After an extensive investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, no indictments were handed down for collusion or a conspiracy to collude. Due to the chaotic nature of Trump’s White House exit, 27 boxes of documents were shipped to Mar-a-Lago containing classified information. The president refusing to believe he had lost the election complicated the transition process out of the White House. This led to requests and subpoenas from the National Archives and Justice Department officials to turn over classified documents from Trump’s residence. Previous visits and requests had largely been cordial before a confidential source told the FBI about Trump’s private stash he did not intend on returning. Trump kept the documents he was interested in that DOJ officials fear he could weaponize for personal gain. The former president was particularly fixated on the Russiagate scandal and officials were concerned he could use the information to boost a 2024 presidential campaign. Officials believe the FBI’s accidental seizing of Trump’s personal passports could be an admission of targeting Trump’s personal safe.

Former vice president Pence condemned the rhetoric from his party about defunding the FBI after their raid of Trump’s home. He equated GOP calls to defund the FBI with calls on the left to defund the police, and called for transparency from the Justice Department on the FBI search. His statement is a break from the most fervent MAGA warriors in the GOP who believe Pence betrayed Trump by not backing ‘stop the steal’ election claims.

As Krystal and Saagar reacted to yesterday, GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney was defeated in a primary for the state’s lone seat. The daughter of former VP Dick Cheney, she has been hailed in mainstream media for standing up to Donald Trump. Cheney has participated in the Jan 6th House committee and has frequently criticized Trump in the media. She was defeated by longtime conservative lawyer Harriet Hageman who Trump had endorsed. In a highly produced concession speech aired in primetime, Cheney compared herself to Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. She hinted at running for president in a subsequent media appearance after reports surfaced about liberal billionaires gearing up to fund her campaign. When covering her loss, the mainstream media emphasized what it means for American democracy and fawned over Cheney. She was defeated overwhelmingly by Republican voters in a democratic election largely due to absentee representation and defiance of Trump. The daughter Cheney has defended the invasion of Iraq and CIA torture programs orchestrated by her father in the George W. Bush administration. For more on this subject, see Saagar’s monologue later in the show. Linked below is the rundown the hosts taped remotely yesterday.

REACTION: Liz Cheney CLOBBERED As She Floats 2024 Run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of_lNH_Ie-Q

Donald Trump’s son in law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner has a new book out about his time in the White House. The book is titled Breaking History and it has been panned by critics across the political spectrum. A strong critical New York Times review called it soulless and selective, comparing Kushner to a mannequin. Book critic Dwight Garner called out Kushner for beating his own drum about his record in the Trump administration by including examples of colleagues heaping praise on him. Other harsh words were directed towards the writing quality of the memoir and Kushner’s personality. During the Trump term, Kushner was his father-in-law’s point person on a range of policy issues from foreign policy and government reform to criminal justice and opioid addiction. He became a leading policy maker and a shadow diplomat in the administration. He and his wife Ivanka Trump have stayed out of the spotlight after the White House, briefly making headlines for testifying to the Jan 6th Committee.

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro wrote a fierce critique of Kushner’s tenure in the Trump White House for a right wing publication. He lamented that Kushner’s worldview as an elite liberal New Yorker combined with his influence over Trump hamstrung the former president. Navarro claims Kushner got in the way of implementing the agenda Trump ran on in 2016 with various issues such as immigration, trade, and foreign policy. He blames Kushner for the inertia of the Trump administration and relative weakness of the former president’s campaign in 2020. He called the memoir a work of self serving fiction that obscures the damage he did to Trump’s tenure. Ultimately, it’s on Trump for listening to Kushner and he serves as a great excuse for the failures of the Trump administration.

Rachel Maddow’s primetime replacement Alex Wagner’s new show began last night with a noticeable hiccup. After exchanging pleasantries with colleague Chris Hayes and heaping praise on Maddow, the teleprompter malfunctioned causing Wagner to be visibly confused. She was trying to kick off her news coverage about the Trump documents before shifting gears to talk about Liz Cheney when the prompter began having issues. Later in the A block, she addressed the technical difficulties before she went to break. Wagner’s debut came on Tuesday because Maddow is still hosting primetime once per week on Mondays. Ratings dropped significantly during Maddow’s slot when she was off the air during an extended vacation. On her first day, Wagner’s ratings were 27% lower than Maddow’s at two million viewers. With the key 25-54 demo, she had 183,000 viewers compared to 404,000 for Hannity and 176,000 for CNN tonight. It remains to be seen whether Wagner will be a ratings success and keep Maddow’s audience entertained.

In Krystal’s monologue today, she spotlights the major battle between railway workers and their bosses that has led to Biden siding with the industry. The workers have been battling for a better contract over years of negotiations over wages and working conditions. Railroads are vital to American commerce and issues with the industry have contributed to supply chain woes. Companies slashed their workforces during the covid pandemic leading to staffing shortages. Remaining workers have faced grueling schedules, including a draconian attendance policy at Warren Buffett’s BNSF railways. Workers are only given two days off per month and there is no room for weekends or unexpected emergencies. The railroad business is booming and profits are hitting record highs. Since 2010, railway companies have spent $46 billion more on stock buybacks and dividends than maintenance or better worker pay. This set of circumstances pushed workers to the brink during covid and authorized a strike.

Railroad labor relations are governed by a special set of laws because of the industry’s role in American commerce. So after mediation failed, President Biden set up an emergency board to propose a solution to the dispute. The Presidential Emergency Board just released their recommendation to resolve the conflict and responses have been mixed. A journalist from Labor Notes analyzed the major provisions in the deal that increase wages and leave scheduling policy unresolved. The 24% compounded wage increase would be favorable relative to the past 30 years of labor history, but far below the demands by workers. Not addressing sick leave or attendance policy sidesteps important issues about working conditions.

The railway titans are supportive of the PEB’s recommendation and are hoping to finalize an agreement with the union leaders. Rank and file workers have issued scathing responses to the PEB proposal. One worker called it unacceptable and cited the healthcare costs, wage increases, and safety issues. Another worker said he did not see a single win in the proposal. It’s unclear what will happen next with the 115,00 workers involved who could vote down an agreement. Even if they reject the deal, Congress is authorized to step in and legislate a contract that is forced on the workers. The Democratic congress would almost certainly undercut the workers to protect their fortunes ahead of the midterm elections. One worker told Breaking Points that Congress is likely to force an agreement on workers, generating more resignations and an inability to hire. Corporate greed in the railway sector and other parts of the economy has been bleeding workers dry and contributed to the fragile, unstable supply chains of today. Workers at other companies like Amazon and Starbucks have been making noise with historic unionization efforts, but they are only just beginning to flex their muscles.

After the monologue, Krystal and Saagar consider the importance of the railway worker deal being completely ignored in the mainstream media. Labor history from the 19th and 20th century lacks the national interest in the same way stories about worker activism are routinely ignored. Biden and his team intervened to back the railway bosses and Congress is almost certain to take a similar approach. Railway workers were crucial in the pandemic and were not living comfortably or taking time off. Scheduling issues and working conditions were not included in the contract, even though it played such a central role in the workers’ issues with the company.. Very little discussions about the supply chain crisis focus on workers like these.

In his monologue today, Saagar gives his perspective on the current nature of the Republican party. Liz Cheney lost resoundingly in her primary, a predictable result that generated a flurry of media reactions. With her defeat, 80% of the GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump have either lost or retired. It demonstrates how the only thing that matters in American politics today is Trump and people need to make peace with that. John Bolton Tweeted after Cheney’s loss diminishes the Republican Party and notes that attacks based on disagreement with Trump must end. The party he is thinking of died in November of 2016 and disagreement with Trump is all that matters in today’s primary. The women who defeated Cheney will have a nearly identical voting record with the lone difference being allegiance to Trump. GOP primary voters have made it clear that they love Trump, and if you don’t they will vote you out. While in office, Trump pretended to care about policy but after January 6th he made it clear fighting for his election conspiracies is all that matters. For example, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was a persona non grata for Trump because she is a neocon who opposed Trump’s border wall, voted for DACA, and voted for the equality act. Supposedly everything the Trump movement was opposed to. But now she fights for Trump by going on TV and opposing his impeachment on January 6th. Trump lavished praise on Stefanik back in January and now believes she could be his successor. Now the MAGA warriors are donating to and supporting her for reasons divorced from policy. Counter arguments might point to Gov. Brian Kemp and Brad Raffensperger in Georgia, who both won GOP primaries despite Trump’s fury. The difference is that both refused to criticize Trump and ran as MAGA candidates. Kemp even said he would back Trump if he were to run in 2024. Voters did not see Kemp or Raffensperger as opposed to Trump because they did not vote to impeach him or criticize him in the media. The delusions about the GOP go beyond neocons like Bolton. Republicans who hate the left, distrusted pandemic authorities, and are repulsed by wokeness similarly delusional. Take Elon Musk, the epitome of this kind of new Republican, who has said he would support DeSantis but believes Trump is too divisive. The pro-DeSantis, ant-Trump folks that hate the personality of Trump do not realize that GOP voters love this most about him. Being a Republican is not a lifestyle brand, it is a major political party in US politics. Today, the force behind the party is Donald J. Trump and nothing more. He trumps all policy and makes elections about him personally. Democrats are only held together by their opposition to him. It’s best to acknowledge this reality and not live in a delusion.

After the monologue, Krystal and Saagar try to understand the DeSantis supporters who delude themselves about Trump and the neocons who have joined the media uniparty. Calling yourself a Republican means supporting Trump no matter what, and for Democrats the anto-Trump image is at the party’s core. Policy issues matter deeply and yet it all gets ignored when everything becomes scrambled around Trump. It is hard to find a way out of it through the two party system we currently have now and certain electoral reforms could open America up to more choices. The pro-Trump firebrands are shameless and honest about their support for Trump unlike other Republicans who want the party label to mean something more.

Krystal and Saagar are joined by political commentators Ryan Grim & Emily Jashinsky to talk about the midterm elections. New senate polls out in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania put Democratic candidates in comfortable leads ahead of the GOP opponents. Especially in Pennsylvania, concerns are growing about Dr. Oz’s inauthentic campaign bringing the GOP down. Even though they are outliers, the numbers should still be alarming for Republicans especially in Wisconsin. Ryan believes there has been a massive midterm swing in the past month or so after the Dobbs decision once Democrats figured out their response. The Democrats were deeply demoralized until abortion became an issue and the Kansas vote brought even more energy to the party base. Signing the Manchin legislation, passing gun control legislation, CHIPS act, and the action from the party is bringing back the party base. Emily believes Dr. Oz has been an atrocious candidate who was ironically viewed by Trump as the most electable. Trump misunderstood why he was successful; he did not run away from all the money he made. Oz has tried to be an everyman with disastrous results instead of bragging about his wealth. When more money comes in at the end of August, it could change the midterm race again, though Kansas showed Democrats the right way to message on abortion for swing voters. Numbers in Pennsylvania will probably hold more than Arizona or Wisconsin where the GOP has better candidates. Wisconsin’s Marquette polls tend to be outliers and Ron Johnson is a well known incumbent who has maintained popularity in the state. His MAGA transformation has been more authentic than other Republicans who have run on the Trump line. Putting his name on Russiagate investigations and Hunter Biden investigations will boost him with the base. High gas prices in Wisconsin will give Johnson a further boost in Wisconsin. Ryan sees Ron Johnson’s radicalization as a product of the Koch brothers and Mitch McConnell abandoning his 2016 senate campaign against Russ Feingold before he stormed back to win. This coincided with Trump’s election so he had a vehicle for his fury against the Republican establishment. The question becomes who will be able to pull the independents in the state, especially when Johnson ties his candidate to defund the police activists of the left.

Ryan and Emily believe that the massive divergence of candidate quality will affect the broader national environment that appears to be very favorable for the GOP. From the McConnell perspective and the Trump perspective, there are dual frustrations about candidate quality. Some are from the establishment wing and others are purely there from the Trump litmus test. The latter has led to a changing senate map because the Trump litmus test is a poor quality of the candidates he chose. Blake Masters is the Trump candidate in Arizona and will be against a strong candidate in Mark Kelly, and JD Vance is underperforming in Ohio as well. The numbers have created a difficult position for Republicans in the senate demonstrating the multiple ways one can be a bad candidate chosen by Trump. Ryan believes Masters will be painted as radical and is not a good candidate for a swing state. Though it depends on what Masters talks about in the general election, whether it is popular policy or fringe cultural position. The same dilemma exists for Democrats and both parties are not serving constituents because of how candidates in primaries are forced to float towards polarizing positions. All of the midterm elections will be very difficult to predict.

Thank you for reading the latest Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar newsletter. Remember to buy your live show tickets and send feedback. The next show will be on Monday and check out the weekend content in the meantime!