Breaking Points: FULL SHOW 10/27/22 Fetterman’s debate performance, Ukraine warnings, Elon’s Twitter Buy, Fed lobbyists, more

Welcome to the October 27th, 2022 Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar premium newsletter. As we get closer to election season, we are so thankful for your support in making this show possible. No corporate sponsors or party lines will influence how we cover the final results. Stay tuned for more announcements about election night coverage and personnel!

Now to the 10/27 show: https://youtu.be/tbCORRcsRK8

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/764590649/36f170e77a

On Tuesday night, Pennsylvania Senate candidates John Fetterman and Dr. Oz conducted their lone debate to much national attention. Fetterman’s noticeable difficulties speaking in an articulate fashion after his stroke captured the headlines. Despite being given full captions of the questions, Fetterman consistently lacked the ability to answer questions and follow ups from debate moderators. The expectations were set low due to his stroke and public recovery, but his difficulties managed to be even worse than expected. In contrast, Dr. Oz was able to deliver standard issue conservative talking points and benefitted from his long career on television. All of the notable clips circulated online, and for the sake of time, the closing statements are enough to capture the spirit of the debate. Immediately following the debate, the local Pennsylvania TV station polled viewers on the results, with over 80% of them declaring Oz the winner of the debate. It’s unknown if the debate will have a major impact on the race. Many Democrats have gone to the polls to vote early, and political scientists have questioned the impact debates have on elections. Some have contended that the degree to which Fetterman was unable to speak coherently could affect swing voters in what has become a tight contest. A couple of polls placed Fetterman above Oz by comfortable margins, while a CBS battleground poll put the race at a dead heat. Only time will tell if the debate ends up hurting Fetterman’s campaign.

Afterwards, the media tried the best it could to cover for Fetterman and doubled down on its posture before the debate. They had consistently downplayed Fetterman’s speaking issues, as shown by the angry response to NBC reporter Dasha Burns’ questioning of his fitness a couple weeks ago. She noted that before her interview with the candidate, he had trouble engaging in small talk and understanding what she was saying. Mainstream journalists leaped to Fetterman’s defense and questioned Burns’ integrity as a reporter. They labeled Burns and other critics of Fetterman as “ableist” for going after an individual with a disability. Calls for an apology to Burns grew as the debate went on and her skepticism became vindicated. Many pointed out that support for Fetterman’s recovery ought to be separated from his fitness to be in the senate and the lack of transparency from his campaign surrounding his condition.

On a different note, Georgia Republican Herschel Walker’s personal scandals keep growing. A second woman alleges Walker urged her to have an abortion and drove her to a clinic to obtain one. An anonymous woman says he paid for the procedure in Dallas in 1993 over her objections. She has not provided documentation and fears reprisal if she makes her identity known. Walker and his allies denied the allegation and called it a lie.

President Biden issued a strong warning towards Russia about the consequences for using a nuclear weapon. His comment came in response to the ‘dirty bomb’ claims Russia has made regarding Ukraine that the west has repeatedly denied. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met on multiple occasions to discuss the ‘dirty bomb’ claims a few days ago. No evidence or intelligence has emerged to back up Russia’s allegation. But Ukraine is now alleging Russia is distracting from its own plans for a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ being performed at a captured nuclear plant. Ukrainian government officials stated that Russia is carrying out secret construction at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and blocking UN inspectors from the site. Preparations are being made for a Russian terrorist attack using radioactive waste and nuclear materials storied at the plant.

Relatedly, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated her support for maximalist Ukrainian military objectives at a summit earlier this week. Speaking at an international Crimea summit, she affirmed “Crimea is Ukraine” and the free world’s support for bringing it back to Ukrainian control. Comments by Biden and Pelosi did not deter Putin from overseeing Russia’s annual exercises for its nuclear arsenal. They launched ballistic and cruise missiles from the Arctic to Russia’s far east, and they held up treaty obligations to inform the United States of the exercises.

Elon Musk is closing in on his deal to buy Twitter after months of turmoil. He changed his Twitter bio to “chief twit” and told bankers the deal will be done on Friday in accordance with a Delaware judge’s ruling. The change is a sign of Musk’s intention to be interim CEO of the company when the acquisition is completed. He would only take the position for a couple of months, CNBC reported previously. Current Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal’s relationship with Musk imploded after the battle between Musk and the company over the deal. Yesterday, Musk arrived at Twitter HQ with a sink in a short, extremely viral clip. There are concerns about the company’s future Musk will have to face immediately upon arrival. Internal documents show Twitter is losing its most engaged, active users who are vital to the business. These extremely vibrant accounts make up 10% of the platform yet generate 90% of the tweets and half of global revenue. A heavy Twitter user typically logs into Twitter six or seven days per week and Tweets about 3-4 times per week. Shifts towards crypto and online pornography are the highest growing interests among the heavy users. Additionally, his staff wrote an open letter to Musk urging him not to follow through with his plan to fire 75% of them. He reportedly told employees at headquarters that he will not be firing 75% of the company’s staff after the letter was widely disseminated. Challenges will be plentiful for Elon when his ownership of Twitter begins.

The Federal Reserve is reportedly under intense pressure from commercial banks seeking favorable monetary policy and regulations according to documents obtained by The Intercept. An institution that prides itself on independence, the revelations will draw new scrutiny to who the Fed is serving. Its mandate is built on being an independent group of technocratic economists making decisions based entirely on the numbers. Last year, multiple top bankers in the US resigned after making millions off trading stocks and failing to disclose them. The Fed’s monetary policy of raising interest rates to fight inflation has drawn scrutiny on this show and elsewhere because of how it will affect workers and whether it will be successful. Most of the lobbying of the Federal Reserve is about commercial banking regulations, which Chairman Jerome Powell is opposed to. Under his watch, the bank has watered down key regulations passed in the Dodd-Frank legislation after the 2008 financial crisis. Paid lobbyists for massive corporations are lobbying the Fed on issues ranging from cryptocurrency to mortgage finance and credit card fees. These lobbyists come from former government agencies such as the Department of Defense, Energy, Treasury, and others involved in finance. Other versions of corruption come from communication backchannels from the private sector to the Fed via academic economists and banking conferences.

New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menedez is under federal investigation once again. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have been in contact with individuals connected to Mendendez and issued at least one subpoena. He was previously indicted in 2015 for an arrangement with a doctor where the senator was given lavish flights and vacations in exchange for political favors. The inquiry ended in a mistrial in 2017 after the jury failed to reach a verdict. Sources told news startup Semafor that the contents of the new investigation are similar to 2017 but features a different group of people. Earlier charges against Mendenez were brought by a different division within the Justice Department with less prosecutorial independence than the Southern District. Menedez has been a senator from New Jersey since 2006 and chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

In his monologue today, Saagar questions the Biden administration’s covid vaccination policy and its plan going forward. President Biden received his fifth covid shot in the past two years at a press conference where he delivered remarks and answered questions. Biden encouraged everyone to get the updated booster shot in order to have a safe holiday season. His rhetoric was reminiscent of 2021 where we knew a lot less about covid vaccines, variants, boosters, and more. The administration is sticking with the unscientific notion that getting another booster after already receiving 4 shots is necessary to protect relatives this holiday season. Americans have ignored the most recent booster shot and moved on from covid. But the flaws in the approval process could kill public vaccine campaigns going forward. There was no data from human trials when the booster shot was approved by the CDC and FDA. Pfizer’s version of the shot was presented for approval with data from only eight mice, and the study was finished on the day of approval. The company claimed there was evidence of antibodies but admitted there was no demonstration of covid protections. There was no safety data before the approval process, meaning the FDA is choosing to observe the side effects after rollout for the sake of a speedy process. Separate research from Michigan and Columbia found the fifth vaccine booster adds no significant protection compared to the four previous shots. Their finding directly contrasts data from Moderna and Pfizer claiming early data demonstrated protection against Omicron. These findings were based on a week of data, compared to the university researchers who looked at it 3-5 weeks out. America needs a vaccination rollout with good evidence to show it actually works, or else trust in the public health establishment will further deteriorate. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky getting covid a week after obtaining the new booster is a reflection of the messaging challenges they face in promoting an unproven vaccine. Obese or immunocompromised people should talk to their doctor and think about getting the new booster. But if you’re a low risk individual, regular exercise and improved dietary choices can go a long way in bettering your health. Lifestyle changes can improve your ability to withstand covid and almost everything else.

After the monologue, Krystal and Saagar distinguish between supporting initial vaccination and criticizing the approval process for these boosters. Expedited approval based on minimal data is standard protocol at the FDA, and sometimes it causes problems. For most vaccinations, letting side effects come after the rollout is relatively harmless. But the booster is so different from the original covid vaccination that human trials are required to observe its side effects. Public health officials made calculations about blanket recommendations of vaccination to prevent particular groups from being skeptical. Their course of action has backfired and micromanaging people’s feelings continued to reduce trust in public health. Certain institutions are mandating boosters for students and employees to participate despite not having any data on it. Legal battles have been successful against them because of how the data is shifting. Covid booster requirements are more stringent than any other vaccines including the flu shot, which will kill vaccination campaigns for other diseases in the future.

In her monologue, Krystal takes aim at house progressives over the debacle of their letter to the Biden administration on its Ukraine policy. This incident encapsulated the fecklessness of the elected left, lack of dissent on America’s approach to Ukraine, and the dangerous situation we are facing with Russia. On Monday, 30 members of the progressive caucus released a letter with a mild critique of the Biden administration and a call for diplomacy. They took great pains to explain that Russia is the bad guy, we should be deferential to Ukraine, and any settlement must preserve their independence. It would mean conditioning support to Ukraine based on their willingness to begin negotiations. Liberal commentators and fellow Democrats responded with accusations of colonialism, loyalty to Putin, alliance with the far-right, and other angry screeds. Almost immediately, Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal issued a correction to the letter insisting that it was not meant to critique President Biden. Hours after, she had fully retracted the letter and deflected blame by attributing the mishap to her staff. Her excuse is an obvious bold faced lie, and when the letter first came out she indicated to the Washington Post that it was an intentional effort. Sources familiar with the situation told POLITICO that Jayapal personally approved the letter’s release on Monday.

Jayapal is vouching for a leadership position in the party, meaning that any tension between herself and party elites had to be crushed. She refused to hold her position because of heat on twitter and a desire for approval from the swamp. Little courage was shown elsewhere, as Bernie Sanders trashed the letter that he did not sign. Ro Khanna is the only Democrat defending it, yet his view is the majority mainstream view of the American public. The people support diplomatic negotiations even if it means making a compromise with Russia. Almost half favor conditioning aid to Ukraine on diplomatic efforts with Russia. Actual fringe views on the Ukraine war can be found on twitter and cable news, where elites demand even more aid to Ukraine with no strings attached. There is zero room for dissent within the party in power on a conflict inching towards nuclear catastrophe. A legacy of Russiagate derangement and partisan politics is supplanting any efforts towards diplomacy and coalition building. Jayapal was quick to disassociate herself from any Republicans, which is a sad demonstration of how unserious this nation has become. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was normal for Kennedy to meet with Khruschev, unlike today where a meeting with Putin would be a non-starter. As winter sets in, let’s hope growing public support towards Khanna and others can set us on a different course.

After the monologue, Krystal and Saagar issue their disgust with the situation because diplomacy is completely off the table in Washington. People who have a different view have no representation in the Democratic party and could end up flocking to the far right where calls to diplomacy are growing. Courageous opposition to war in the short term receive heated backlash but can be consequential in the long term. Barack Obama’s opposition to Iraq ended up vaulting him to the presidency and Donald Trump’s critique of the Bush family’s foreign policy was paramount in his 2016 victory in the GOP primaries. But when their critiques were first issued, similarly vicious and intense reactions from political elites came their way. With diplomacy off the table in DC, courageous fighters against the elite consensus could reap the rewards again in the future.

Krystal and Saagar are joined by former CIA Agent and Harvard fellow Rolf Mowatt-Larssen to better understand the Kennedy archive being hidden by the government. A group dedicated to obtaining JFK records is suing the Biden administration and the National Archives to force them to release documents on his assassination. There are 16,000 records assembled under the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 that were supposed to be released until it was postponed by the Biden administration. Members of the Kennedy family, historians, and others have pressed the CIA to release the records and give America the full truth. Our own government in 1979 indicated there could be a conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy but they indicated a government arm was not involved. At the same time, findings showed it was not the Russians, Cubans, or an organized crime unit. It leaves a conspiracy that would have included Lee Harvey Oswald and rogue government agents that documents could help illuminate for historians. They could help us put together all of the information needed to demystify the murder of JFK and continue researching. At the time, the CIA covered up information about a range of issues beyond the Kennedy assassination because they were active in overthrowing governments in latin America and targeting organized crime syndicates. There was no congressional oversight of the CIA until the 1979 Church Committee and they have not given a real stance on why documents continue to be hidden. Mowatt-Larssen became suspicious when he examined the possibility of a CIA operation because of the clear motive and extreme political polarization. He is not accusing the agency of direct knowledge of the plot hatched out, but a few rogue agents within it who collaborated with Oswald. The most disappointing thing about this is how leaders did not tell the full truth and believed Americans should be spared from the full truth. A majority of Americans believe the government is lying to them about the Kennedy assassination and we are now at historic levels of distrust in our political institutions, which is why now would be a great time to release the documents. Hiding details on the Kennedy assassination for 60 years without an explanation is part of why the country has lost faith in the national security apparatus.

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