Reclaiming Patriotism and Civic Engagement

It's more than just a chance. It's a statement of priorities and principles. And like everybody was saying it. and it went viral. What went viral from Trump's UFC fight insults, a racist horrible insult to the former F lady of the United States. I'm Jane Koston, and this is whatoday The show shouting out the New York Knicks for casting out the bad vibes of President Donald Trump to win its first NBA title in fifty three years in San Antonio on Saturday Naturally, everyone in New York kept it very chill de mir even Mayor Zuran Mamdani announced that the victory parade will be on Thursday in case you needed a New Yorker to do anything that day Sorry On today's show, we talk about Trump's UFC birthday spectacular with Alex Wagner, host of Crooked Media's Runaway Country before we get into Here's what we're following today, Monday, june fifteenth. I think it's a great day for the American people because what this deal does fundamentally is two things. It immediately reopens the straits of Hormuz. We're already seeing in the past twenty four hours more traffic flow. you see oil prices coming down But you also have the long term commitment that Iran will never develop or procure a nuclear weapon. Well, that sounds familiar Vice President Jaie Van spoke to CNBC today about the initial agreement reached between the U. S. and Iran The agreement would extend the shaky ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormz which we closed Hooray for the Trump administration trying to fix a problem it created Pakistan, which has been mediating, said the deal would be signed on Friday in Switzerland. But even if the strait fully opens then, it will likely take months for the global energy crisis to ease Still, significant challenges remain to ending the war. including whether Israel will continue its offensive in Lebanon I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now. Trump started his visit to the Group of seeven summit in France today by hailing his agreement aimed at ending the Iran warar as a potential breakthrough for global security He also made clear that he arrived with the wind at his back for talks with G seven leaders, including some who haveve been critical of how he's managed the war, which has led to a surge in global energy prices while sitting next to French President Emmanuel Macron during a bilateral meeting The rand deal that we made is going to bring A lot of lot of success to the world because The oil was really clogged up there for a while. He would call me on occasion and say, come on, please. Let's go the o przes Unsurprisingly, Macron congratulated Trump on the agreement, saying it's important for world peace. because Macron knows Trump Loves peace Ukraine officially started negotiations to join the European Union today launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of political reforms, even as it continues to fight a Russian invasion Meanwhile, Ukraian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a cathedral in one of Eastern Orthodox Christianity's most sacred landmarks was set ablaze early Monday. as Russia bombarded Ukraine's biggest cities elensky said at least eleven people were killed The attack came after Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke separately by phone with Trump on Sunday Leaders at the G seven summit are also set to discuss the war in Ukraine in talks tomorrow thousandousands of parents say their children are addicted to social media It can leave them trapped in a cycle of endless scrolling that displaces play, sleep and time with the family harm their mental health. And frankly, parents need our support on this UK Prime Minister Kir Starmer announced that Britain will ban children under sixteen from using a range of social media apps like Snapchhat, TikTok and YouTube. Ironically, he posted his announcement on Twitter. The ban, which is expected to take effect early next year, makes the UK part of a global movement to tighten online safety for children Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia have also introduced legislation or announced age based rules for children's access to social media. thinking about a certain orange eighty year old who also might need to be barred from social media And that's the news Let's talk about Trump's big White House birthday basash. Tune in to Paramount Plus to watch the UFC Freedom two fifty fight on the White House lawn because you had better things to do Here's what you missed The fights were delayed an hour by terrible weather And the winner of the heavyweight bout, who appeared to vomit during his wayigh in, celebrated his victory by calling former First Lady Michelle Obama a man So yeah It was pretty terrible and very trumpian In fact, the entire two hundred fiftieth celebration of America's founding has felt remarkably Trumpian, implying that the only way to be an American is to be a Trump supporter whichich isn't true. Not even a little bit So, how can those of us who love this country but hate this bullshit Respond To find out, I talked to Alex Wagner, host of Grouker Media's Runaway Country Alex, welcome back to Way. Oh, Jane, it's so great to see you on this two hundred fiftieth birthday of America Speaking of which, yesterday, the White House hosted the UFC Freedom to fififty Fight. It was in theory for America's two hundred fiftieth anniversary because America loves people getting kicked in the face We all know it was an eightieth birthday celebration for Trump. Did you watch it? Because I did not. I watched Six to seven hours of World Cup socc As you should. I have a Paramount plus subscription And I did not watch it becausecause I like everybody else who is still, I don't know tethered to a more equitable and peaceful existence. Wed to watch the Wor Cup? The beautiful game, The the game the rest of the world is watching. And it did not disappoint, Jane. However That did not mean the spectacle of Trump's birthday celebration did not reach the shores of my conscience There have been a lot of takes about this because of course there are And what got me is that people acting as if like, oh, yo, America Real America Lves M. I've watched a number of fights. I've been a fan, fine There are so many more popular sports in the US. Like so many more I was suggesting to my producer, I'm like, you know, they could have done a baseball game like a big American baseball game on the White House lawn. I think like the grounds, I think it could have worked What are your thoughts about this being the first pro sports event at the White House Yes, it could have been baseball game, but Trump by nature, first of all, he's a fight promoter. He always has been. He's the you know, he is our Don King. And he has been one for decades and it I suppose should surprise nobody that the kind of pastime he enjoys most is not a pastime of skill and artistry, but one of brute strength, blood and gore. and one that conveniently is a good promotional vehicle for cryptocurrency, monster energy drinks, RAM trucks and budlight Bud lightight and maybe Mster Energy drinks could find a home at you know in the fourth inning of a NATs baseball game, but cryptocurrency in particular seems very UFC adjacent. So maybe that's one of the reasons, but really it's constitutionally, I think Trump is really interested in sports where people are hurt and bloodied and Either win or lose and that's it We'll get back to my conversation with Alex in a moment because our ground game is peerless But if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a f to review on Spotify Apple podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads What today is brought to you by fast growing trees Did you know Fast growring trees is America's largest and most trusted online nursery, with thousands of trees and plants and over two million happy customers They have all of the plants your yard or home needs, including fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and houseplants. all grown with care and guaranteed to arrive healthy. 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Wellness exams, birth contontrol SGI tests and more In fact, one in three women in the U.S. have been to Plned Parenthood for care It kind of blows my mind that lawmakers are trying to permanently shut them down They already passed a law that blocks patients that use Medicaid from getting the affordable preventative care they need And now they want to make that law permanent No one benefits when people are getting fewer exams, paying more for care, or just skipping the health carere they need And we know that's happening. Planned Parenthood Health centers have reported that fewer patients are getting basic care like breast exams and STI tests since the Trump administration and their backankers defunded planlned parenthood. Patients shouldn't suffer because of their laws. Our communities deserve better. To getet involved, text update two two, four, two two Let's get back to my conversation with Alex Wagner. It feels as if also sical of the event seemed to overshadow the fact that for people I know and was reading about who watched the fights, they were like the fights weren't very good Yeah, well, I think that was kind of aseside the point. The point was the cage. The point was the jets flying overhead. The point was the blood on the floor. The point was this kind of relentless Jingoism styled as patriotism. The point was promotion, the point was to give a you, a freebie to the Allisons. The point was corporate over indulgence You know, it really was never about the actual phhysical artistry, if we can even use that phrase for UFC, but it wasn't about elite athletic performance, it's about brute strength and the most toxic displays of masculinity all rolled into some version of like, I guess, celebrating America's two hundred fiftieth, but really servicing the malignant narcissism of Donald Trump. And by the way to your point owning you know, giving a middle finger to anybody who feels outside of this. Like the sort of violent exclusion is also the point. And that's why one of the fighters got up there and ended his screed about his, I guess, faithfulness and his belief in Jesus by saying, also Michelle Obama is a man Like that's the like level of quote unquote patriotism that Donald Trump had on display. P desecrating the I don't even know how to sort of really phrase this, but desecrating the reputation of a first lady who lived in that very same house with her daughters and husband. Yeah. And I think it's also telling that Danel White, the president of UFC, was like, ye, this isn an event for everybody. He wanted super bowl level numbers this event and I think if I were a UFC fan, I'd be very concerned about this. The entire thing was like, this is just for Trump supporters.. This was Eidently for one group of people One specific group of people And it wasn't, you know, everyday Americans because they probably don't have Paramount plus. Yeah. It wasn't for a whole host of people who were either priced out of the event who were pushed pushed to out of being a part of this becausecause not just because of the cost, but also because of the obvious politics Well, it wasn't even an event for Republicans. I think The polling, the writers IPOS polling shows that like thirty one percent of Republicans approved of this gruesome spectacle on the White House grounds. It was incredibly exclusionary, but I also think made even more so by the Nick win on Saturday and the World Cup on Sunday really can feast your eyes and your heart on what America of today in the future looks like, which is a proud of people that are economically diverse, racially diverse, politically diverse, a truly unifying moment when you see people out in the streets of New York City, where cops are celebrating with, you know, immigrants are celebrating with men and women, trans communities, straight community. It was literally a win for the honestly, I know it was a New York game, but it really felt like just an incredibly unifying thing to happen on the eve of such an exclusive And and again, like punitively exclusive event on the White House, which makes it so appalling, right? It's the peopleople's house. I mean, if anything should be bringing the country together in the context of America's semi cesquintennial, I think I got that right, it's something at the White House. But in fact, and by the way, the owner of the Kns was at the White House, so we'll just set that aside for the moment. You know the NBA actually did a better job of celebrating America than the Trump White House. and FIFA riddled it is with corruption and scandal and many other bad things. But the World Cup also shows us what a diverse and unifying moment looks like. And it's a shame that know our country has chosen to elect this man and this is how he's sort of taken the notion of patriotism and the celebration of the history and the rich heritage of this country and sort of degraded it to be an exercise in toxic white masculinity. Yes, as I Yise Sage once said, My mayareor still Muslim My bagel's still Jewish. The pope's on our side. Yeah. Nixon five. I watch that six times. Six times Like and one just just over and over again. I will be writing about it on my substack, How the Hell with Alex Wagner. I am very moved by that. In many ways, it's more than just a chance It's a statement of priorities and principles. And like everybody was saying it. and it went viral. What went viral from Trump's UFC fight insults a racist horrible insult to the former F Lady of the United States. I'll take I'll take the next chant over that any fucking day And to your point, in a few weeks, America will celebrate its two hundred fiftieth birthday, all of America Hopeless from Uug, Oregon to Baton Rouge, Louisiana This is for the whole country. But President Trump will celebrate with, as he put it on True social quote, the most spectacular Trump rally of them all eight tribute to America becausecause he put it in quotes and so will I I think that this is indicative of how we have, I mean, this has been the challenge And this is something I've talked a lot about I'm a very patriotic person. I love this country. I believe in this country. I have embraced like cool dad patriotism. I love a lot of like books about World War two and talking about tanks. And I believe that this country can be improved, but I believe that it is a wonderful place and that I love it very much How can people who love this country and hate everything that's going on right now. T this milestone back Number one is do not see the ground of patriotism to the toxic right For sure. My mom made bumper stickers with the flag on them that said proud Democrats And I am all about reappropriating the signs and symbols of not nationalism, but patriotism in a national sense. But I also think part of being a good citizen is civic engagement. So maybe that's a day of service, maybe that's protest, maybe that's writing something, maybe that's talking to your neighbor, but it is doing something specific and concrete to sort of ret tether yourself, I think, to this country. And I think not giving up on democracy is all about making choices and making reinvestments in your sort of like, we're given this moment in this extraordinary you know spin cycle of history and I do think in large part about sort of planting quite literally a flag in the ground and saying this is what America means to me and this is how I'm celebrating it, but to not let it go unmarked. I mean, I do because I do think We need to remind each other what this country is all about because the guy at the top who's not notionally leading the country certainly is not interested in the presidency or the country in a sort of in the biggest picture, he is interested in the power that you can accrue in the office of president. And so the job of like real patriotism falls to the citizens. And that's why I think it's about making a conscious decision to reclaim the symbols, to decide what kind of citizen you're going to be and to engage with the democracy in a way that feels authentic and meaningful. And that's what I would suggest people do in and around the two hundred fiftieth celebration. Maybe again, like maybe that's service, maybe that's debate, maybe that's protest. I don't know what it is, but do something Yes like the Japan fans in Texas. Maybe go get ste Enjoy yourself totally. Have some apple pie in Seattle. Exactly. Go take a couple hours at you know, a soup kitchen in Tallahassee. But like there is a need for us to knit ourselves back to each other and reaffirm sort of shared humanity and shared citizenship, even if people don't have papers And like no better time to do it than in the shadow of Trump's monstrous two hundred fiftieth celebrations. Alex, as always, thank you for joining me Thanks for having me. I love going off about soccer in the Nicks That was my conversation with Alex Wagner, host of rununaway Country Before we go please tell us they are here to protect us, but what if their original purpose was something else altogether Join Crooked ideas in New York City for an immersive two hour walking tour through Lower Manhattan, inspired by the award winning podcast Empire City This on the ground storytelling experience takes you to real locations featured in the series exposing how power struggles, political forces and discriminatory policies shaped policing Tores run monthly beginning Saturday, june twenty seventh through Thanksgiving weekend. Tickets are just ten dollars. Reserve your spot today at crookedideDas. org slash Epire City That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review. Be glad you didn't bet a million dollars on Spain beating Cape Verd today, and tell your friends to listen And if you're into reading, and not just about how Cape Fared, the smallest country buy land to compete in this year's World Cup held Spain scoreless and one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history. Like me What a today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crickut dot com slash subscribe I'm Jane Koston Don't bet on sports Water Tay is a production of crooed media. O show is produced by Kaiten Plummer, Emily F four, Erica Morron, and Adrian Hill. Our team includes Hay Jones, Greg Walter, Matturg, Joseph Dutrich, Joanna Cays, and Desmond Tayl. O music is by Kyle Murdock, and Jordan Canter. We' had helped today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Wrerers Gild of America East