Full Show: Stephen A. isn’t holding back! House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Super Bowl Champs and White House visit? Superstar WR drama on social media.

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up, everybody? Stephen A Smith here.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Recently we made news because the great Bill O'Reilly announced
a tour that's coming nearest to you in the very
very near future. Get your tickets now for this. It's
called Three Americans Live, March thirtieth at Live Nation's Flag
Star at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Don't
miss the very first show as myself, Chris Crolomo, and yes,

(00:25):
that man Bill O'Reilly take our different ideas, our different backgrounds,
our different beliefs across the country to demonstrate that respectful,
meaningful and even fun conversation. Those are the things that
make America as great as it should be. The show
will be spirited, unscripted, and all three of us will
let it fly as we discussed the topics everyone is
thinking about these days. There'll also be questions from the

(00:48):
audience We're not running. Tickets are officially on sale now
with pre sale code USA at three Americanslive dot com.
VIP packages are available with the opportunity to meet and
take photos with myself and both those fellas. That's Three
Americans Live, March thirtieth at the Westbury Music Fair on

(01:08):
Long Island. Additional dates in cities to be announced. Don't
miss it. Trust me, you'll get a kick out of it. Whoa,
there was a big time basketball this weekend. It's a
big time basketball this weekend. I'm getting excited, you know why,
because I'm sensing I might not end up in some
boring ass city for the NBA Finals, not.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
For what I saw this weekend. Not for what I saw.
That's one of the things I got to get into.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Plus I'm gonna get into a little politics because i
got the House minority leader in the House coming on
a shout. Obviously, the Eagles are another matter. They didn't
even want to go to the White House. But that
ain't nearly as crazy as the stuff that I got
to tell you about whys cheating on their husbands and

(01:55):
what the potential fallout can be.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Wait until you see what I'm talking about. This The
Stephen A. Smith Show in the House where Anything's possible.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
What's up, everybody? Welcome to the latest edition of The
Stephen A. Smith Show, coming at you over the digital
areas of YouTube and of course, iHeart radio as I
love to do it the very least.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Three times a week. Thanks again to all my subscribers.
And followers.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
We've now eclipsed about one point one million. Can't thank
y'all for the love and support enough. Keep it coming,
because you know I'm gonna keep on coming, and of
course the millions of downloads we received over the last
few months courtesy of iHeartRadio. Gotta show love to my partners.
That's what it's all about. To continue to like and
follow the stephen A.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
Smith Show, just.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Click the bell for all of our newest content, and
you too shall consider yourself the latest member of the
stephen A. Smith's your family. And while you're doing that,
please make sure to pick up a copy of my
New York Times best selling book, Straight Shooter, a Memoir
of second Chances and First Takes, now in paperback. Just
go to Straight Shooter book dot com get yourself a copy.
Once again, that straight Shoot the Book dot com to

(03:04):
get yourself a copy. I got a lot of stuff
to get into the day, as I alluded to in
the cold Open, So let's get right to it. We're
gonna get started with the National Basketball Association, or.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
As they say, the Association, where.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
I want to talk about a few teams that made
moves before the trading deadline.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
And their chances of making a deep run in the playoffs.
We'll start with the Lakers.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Who snapped a nine game losing streak to the Denver
Nuggets on Saturday, beating them one twenty three to one hundred.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Luka Doncic dropped thirty two points.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
On the Nugget's home floor, putting up his best game
by far as a Laker. And on top of that,
Los Angeles never trailed, winning in Denver for the first
time since April of twenty twenty two. In case you forgot,
the Lakers have lost thirteen to their previous fourteen games
against the Nuggets. So let's not forget that. There's two
things that I'm noticing. Number One, Lebron James. Listen, Michael

(03:52):
Jordan is my.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Goal, but I will openly confess with.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
The kind of stuff that you're seeing from Lebron James
at age forty, his twenty second season in the National
Basketball Association, the brother's just phenomenal. Okay, you got to
give it up where it's due, and considering how he
looks his physical prowess, the speed, the athleticism, the agility
and everything that comes with it, there's no denying his

(04:17):
greatness and what he brings to the table. And that's
the reason why I can say what I'm about to say,
and that is that the Lakers are not a team
to ignore.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
In this championship equation.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Because now that they got Luka Dunic, we assumed that
they were gonna be potent offensively. We assumed that ultimately
Luca would get loose. We assumed that with those things
going on, that the Lakers would win more than they
lost because of what they're doing offensively. Here's what we
didn't assume. We didn't assume that they would elevate defensively.
We thought they were undersized with their front line. And

(04:50):
you see, whether it's hatchamor whether it's at Austin Reeves,
whether it's Dorian Finney Smith or anybody else. They've got
size on the wing. So they got enough big bodies
the front opposing big bodies, okay, or to at least
create some kind of impediment along with the speed and
athleticism and agility to get out to defend against perimeter
and three point shooters as quickly as possible. It's made

(05:13):
to one of the top defenses in the game over
the last ten games and that's the team that showed
up against Denver on Saturday night.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
If that team.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Shows up for the rest of this regular season into
the playoffs, the Lakers are gonna be a top four
seed in the West. They're gonna have home court advantage
in the first round of the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
They're gonna have a shot to advance to the conference finals. There.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
I say, ladies, gentm we gotta pay attention to Los
Angeles Lakers because with the ball being in Lucas hands
as it was Saturday night in Denver, Lebron James was
freeing the room, freeing the cut, free to cut, free
to roam, free to do a lot of different things
that his athleticism and his superior talents would allow.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
He can be off the ball and do major, major damage.
And Luca is better with the ball in hands because
we know.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
He ain't cut into the basket. We know he's not
gonna have a lot of moving without the basketball. So
if they found that formula, and that's something that Lebron
James is willing to embrace like he did Saturday night,
ladies and gentlemen, the Lakers are officially a problem. A
problem which brings me to the other team that I

(06:27):
didn't think was gonna be a problem at all. And
you know who that is. That's the Golden State Warriors.
What the hell am I talking about? You'll find out
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Speaker 1 (06:45):
Okay, folks, that needs you all to stop what you're
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Speaker 2 (06:48):
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(07:33):
the Charlotte Hornets and.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
The Sacramento Kings. So let's get right to it. First up, well,
the Charlotte.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
Hornets, LaMelo Ball score more or less than twenty four
and a half points. The brothers got the ball in
his hands. He's a point guard that's looking to shoot.
He's got free reign. Charlotte Hornets ain't winning much. He's
the only entertainment they got. Even though Bridges can ball
and all of this other stuff, I'm gonna go with
more on this because we're talking about LaMelo ball.

Speaker 1 (07:54):
Next up with the Charlotte Hornets, Miles.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
Bridges score more or less than twenty three and a
half points.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
This brother can play. He's not a scrub.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
Okay, you kind of wonder when they're gonna get things
going in the right direction. I mean, they lose three
times more than they win. We get that part. But
they got brothers that can put the ball in the hole,
specifically two of them. This is the other brother, Miles
Bridges right there. I'm gonna go with more on this
one as well. Next up, well, the Sacramento Kings. DeMar
DeRozan scored more or less than twenty one and a

(08:24):
half points. He's missed the mid range himself. We keep
forgetting that this brother is an all Star caliber player.
He's a professional scorer, not a big time three point shooter.
But he gets to the hole, gets to the free
throw line, and put the ball on the court, can
create his own shot. He could play with his back
to the basket, play face in the basket. He can
score twenty one and a half points against anybody, especially
to Charlotte Hordens.

Speaker 1 (08:44):
We're going with more on this one as well.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
Finally, well, Sacramento Kings, the Montes Sabonis score more or
less than eighteen and a half. I'm gonna go with
more as well, primarily because he's playing against the Hornets.
It's really that simple. There's no intrigue here. It's the
Kings versus the Hornets. By the way, there's urgent. See
the Kings are trying to make the postseason. We'll see
what they do. They gotta win games like this, Okay,

(09:08):
they can't be like the Lakers the other day losing
to the Hornets, even though they came back and beat
the Nuggets.

Speaker 1 (09:11):
But that's a different story for another day.

Speaker 2 (09:13):
That's what you got when you're talking about prospects. You
see it, LaMelo Ball, Damar Deroz and Miles Bridges, Demanta Sabonis.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
More and more and more and more.

Speaker 2 (09:22):
We like that on prospects because we were talking about more.
We need more money in your pocket.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
Welcome back.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Now, let's get to the Golden State Warriors, who acquired
Jimmy Butler before the trading deadline. The Warriors beat the
Dallas Mavericks last night one six to one oh two
and are now five and one since trading for Jimmy Butler.
By the way, Butler made his home debut in that game,
scoring eighteen points. He continues to make a difference for
the Warriors with his ability to get to the free
throw line. Butler was eight for eight from the line
and has attempted fifty five foul shots.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
Through his first six games with the Golden State Warriors.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
See that's the key element right there, Because listen, y'all
think about this. Steph Curry is the greatest shoot of
God ever created. He can dance on you and create
his own shout off to dribble and launch from thirty
forty feet with ease. This is who we're talking about,
the great Steph Curry. Having said all of that, is
very very important to point this out. One of the

(10:18):
greatest attributes he has is his conditioning. You've had people
that have had to go to the hospital after games
just to get some oxygen because of having to defend
against his brother, because he got them running around all
day every day. Here's the difference. He is approaching thirty
seven years of age. He's not the youngest spring chicken anymore.
And so when you take that into consideration, you have
to understand that you need to give him a break

(10:40):
any chance you get. Well, guess what Sometimes that means
going out and getting another body and getting the other
body that could sell for him so you can bring
him on a bench and give him some rest. Well,
guess what the Golden State Warriors did they want up
that because by getting somebody like Jimmy Butler and making
him the second most used offensive player, his usage rate
is at twenty three percent. Compare the Curry's usage rate,

(11:01):
which is at twenty nine percent. Because it's like that,
Jimmy Butler's in the situation where he's getting his looks
as the secondary offensive option, but he gets to the
free throw line and so you talk about sixty to
ninety seconds, it may take you to finish your free
throws if you're Jimmy Butler, and when that happens, that's

(11:21):
exactly the kind of break that Steph Curry needs to
stay in a game without coming out of the game,
which means that the Warriors are able to utilize him
even more so as a threat. That's what Jimmy Butler
does for them.

Speaker 1 (11:36):
That's one of the reasons they're five and one. That's
one of the reasons you have to.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
Look at them. With the other teams in the Western Conference.
Maybe not okay, see, maybe not.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
Demver because of your kitchen, but you got La, Yeah
you got the Clippers. Yeah you got Dallas.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
When Dallas comes back with Anthony Davis healthy and Daniel
Gafford healthy, look out for Dallas.

Speaker 1 (11:53):
Let's not forget them.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
But if you're Memphis, if Houston, if you're Phoenix, Sacramento,
stuff like that.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
Can you get interesting, You can get interesting.

Speaker 2 (12:04):
It's gonna be real interesting to see what Golden State
is gonna do, especially since Draymond Green said.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
We are going to win the NBA Championship.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
Everybody's gonna hold him to that. At the very least.
All he has to do is make it interesting.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
Make sure they don't get bounced out in the play
in or the first round. Golden State worth the look.
Somebody I thought was worth a look.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
May not necessarily be so it might not even get
as far as they got last year.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
Take a guess who the hell I'm talking about. I'll
tell you who that is.

Speaker 2 (12:38):
After another work from our sponsors.

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Speaker 1 (13:34):
Run your game. Welcome back.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
Unfortunately, I got to talk about my New York Knicks,
who lost yesterday to the Boston Celtics. Final scores one
eighteen to one oh five. Look y'all, this team doesn't
have a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. Yes,
the New York Knicks are the third best team in
the Eastern Conference and they don't have a chance of.

Speaker 1 (14:02):
What should I say?

Speaker 2 (14:05):
They're not gonna be bought to the Cleveland Okay, I'm
gonna admit it.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
They're just not gonna do it.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Cleveland kicked there. It's Friday night. It's pretty damn bad.
I mean, they busted a living as Us just romped them,
and that was without I mean, I'm just looking at
the miss Donovan Mitchell just doing what he wants to do.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
And they picked up DeAndre Hunting.

Speaker 2 (14:38):
They still got Mobley, and Mobley and Allen are so
formidable defensively, and then you could take Hunty and put
them out on the wing.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
They still got Max Strews.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
They're gonna have Darius Garland, who is out over the weekend.
I'm just saying, here's the interesting thing to say about
the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks from a
talent respective is better than him.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
What they were last year.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
They don't have the same grit, they don't have the
same dog in them.

Speaker 1 (15:08):
They don't have that. Carl Anthony town is the best
shooter shooting big man in basketball, without question.

Speaker 2 (15:18):
I hate seeing the brother put the ball on the
floor because his knees are high and every time he
jumps he comes down and it's awkward and then all
of a sudden you see those knees hurting. I just
don't trust it.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
He needs to be in the.

Speaker 2 (15:28):
Post with his back to the basket or away from
the basket.

Speaker 1 (15:31):
Catching and shooting. He does not need to.

Speaker 2 (15:33):
Be putting the ball on the floor because he's six eleven.
He's putting the ball on the floor, all of those
legs being exposed, and he's gonna get They're gonna low
bridge and they gonna.

Speaker 1 (15:42):
Cut up under him.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
He's gonna get hurt and we don't need that problem somebody.
I don't know if he wants me to tell y'all
list he's a superstar. He's very famous person in America,
in Hollywood, and I won't tell you who he is,
but I want to say he hurt my feelings. And

(16:04):
when I tell you what he said, he knows who
he is when I repeat it, because he knows what
the hell he said to me this morning. It really
hurt my feelings. It really made me want to question
our friendship, considering the fact that he knows how much
of a diehard Knicks fan I am, and he would
say something like this to me because it really hurt me.

Speaker 1 (16:19):
It hurt my heart. You know what he.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
Said when a New York Knicks traded Julius Randall and
Dante Divencenzo, even though they ain't doing so great with
that trade either, my friend said to me, the New
York Knicks traded two dogs for a cat. That shit hurt.

(16:53):
Because Karl Anthony Towns is a bad brother. He can play,
and I'm happy to have him as a New York Knick,
But when I see the person that transplant the grit
that was there last year that there was no longer there.
See the New York Knicks last year, don't get blown
out like they did this weekend.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
Dun Brothers were scrappy, Knicks are talented, and you know
how you know that's true.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
When did we ever think we would see a Tom
Thibodeaux team have one of the worst defenses in basketball
and the absolute worst against the three point shot? When
did we ever believe we would see that. I'm just
asking a legitimate question. There's no way around it. We
have to pay attention to that. Okay, we just do.

(17:42):
Coming up, He's a native New Yorker, a Knicks fan,
and he happens to be the House Minority Leader of
the United States of America. So what is the democratic
agenda going forward as Donald Trump tries to shrink the
size of the federal government.

Speaker 1 (17:55):
I'm talking to the one and only a King, Jeffries.
He's here next with yours truth that what mourning me.

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Speaker 1 (20:01):
Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show.

Speaker 2 (20:03):
My guest represents the eighth Congressional District in the Great
State of New York and is serving his seventh term
in the United States Congress. I'm honored he's taking time
out of his very busy schedule to come on this show.
Please welcome Democratic House Minority Leader, the one and only
Hakim Jefferies. Good afternoon, sir, How are you. How's everything?

Speaker 3 (20:22):
Good afternoon? Great to be with you.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
Listen.

Speaker 2 (20:24):
First of all, I'm in a bad mood. I'll tell
you why. We'll get to it later. My next I
have to watch them this week and a very upset
about that the Yankees, they're having press conferences over facial here.

Speaker 1 (20:35):
I'm very upset about that.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
There's a lot about New York sports that's getting on
my nerves right now. We'll get to all of that
stuff later, because I know that's something that you want
to talk about as well, and I'm looking forward to
talk to you about it. But the first question for me,
obviously was so much going on in the nation's capital
right now. How do you feel about where things are
specifically overall and just as important with the Democratic Party

(20:57):
at this moment in time, Well.

Speaker 4 (20:59):
This is a moment for the country. What we've seen
over the last several weeks is a flood of extremism
unleashed on the country coming out of the White House
and from the Trump administration. In many ways, the Parade
of Horribles is really designed to try to orient and
discourage and depress people. And we're going to have to

(21:21):
show a level of resilience to get the country through
this very tough moment. That's exactly what we as House Democrats,
partnering with Senate Democrats, partnering with governors and attorney generals
all across the country need to do.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
The American people want.

Speaker 4 (21:35):
Us to solve problems on their behalf, particularly the core
challenge of unaffordability in the United States of America.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
The cost of living is too high.

Speaker 4 (21:45):
The American people clearly in November indicated that they want
us to do something about it. We're prepared as House
Democrats to address that issue to lower housing costs, lower
childcare costs, lower grocery costs, lower insurance cast and lower
utility costs. Unfortunately, President Trump has been more of a
chaos agent over the last few weeks and not shown

(22:09):
any interest whatsoever in dealing with the unaffordability that many
everyday Americans are confronting all across the country.

Speaker 2 (22:16):
When when you call them a chaos agent, be specific
about what you think he is doing that's creating chaos.
I want to know from one of the leading voices
in the Democratic Party, when you utter the word chaos,
be specific about exactly what you believe he's doing to
cause chaos.

Speaker 4 (22:31):
Well, we've seen more than forty or so different executive
orders that have been issued as it relates to things
that are clearly either unlawful or unconstitutional, designed to be disruptive.
You have hard working federal employees who are being targeted

(22:55):
in ways that it's creating a lot of trauma for them,
their children, and for their families. We've seen statements made
by President Trump related to President Zelenski, who's not a dictator,
he's actually a champion for democracy, for freedom, and for truth.
And instead you see the Trump administration playing foot set

(23:17):
with Vladimir Putin and Russia, their sworn enemies of the
United States of America. That is actually not helpful to
our national security.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
It's chaotic.

Speaker 4 (23:29):
And what we've seen in connection with all of these
unlawful and unconstitutional executive orders is lawsuit after lawsuit filed,
actually more than seventy five at this tickler point in
time against these unlawful and on constitutional executive orders, and
the courts are siding with America and the Constitution over

(23:53):
and over and over again, not the Trump administration. So
instead of advancing legislation designed to actually solve problems, I
think it's fair to say what we've seen is chaos
being unleashed on the American people.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
What about those out there who would say the Democrats
have contributed to the chaos because you had President Joe
Biden in office over the previous four years with Kamala Harris,
the Democratic nominee as his VP. Obviously, there are things
that were going on over the last four years. When
we talk about inflation, when we talk about the borders
and how open borders obviously was something that was problematic

(24:27):
for this nation. So many of those things contributed to
the demise or dare I say the chaos that you're
alluding to? Now people would look in the face of
the Democratic Party and say, what about you guys, You
guys had everything to do with this.

Speaker 1 (24:39):
How do you answer that?

Speaker 4 (24:41):
Well, certainly, I think Joe Biden and his administration was
anything but chaotic. It dealt with a lot of different
challenges that he had to confront upon taking office. In fact,
if you look back on it, in January of twenty
twenty one, President Biden inherited both a public health crisis
around COVID nineteen, an economic crisis connected to the shutdown

(25:05):
of the economy, a democracy crisis related to the violent
attack on the capitol that had occurred on January sixth,
and then shortly thereafter, an international crisis related to Russia's
unprecedented brutal attack on the people of Ukraine. So he
was trying to manage a lot, doing the best job

(25:26):
that he could over that particular period of time. Now
there's certainly it is certainly the case that there are
issues that the American people are asking us to decisively
tackle that we need to figure out a way to
do common ground where possible around driving down the high

(25:46):
cost of living, and as you mentioned, stephen A, as
it relates to the border, Look, we have to secure
the border period full stop. We have a broken immigration
system and it needs to be fixed, and we should
do it in a bipartisan, in a comprehensive way, So
there's some permanence to the resolution. But at the same

(26:07):
period of time, we have to protect dreamers, protect farm workers,
and protect families, people who are contributing to the American
way of life in community after community after community. And lastly,
i'd say that we can all agree that we have
to keep our communities safe and certainly some of the

(26:28):
actions that we've seen.

Speaker 3 (26:29):
You referenced my concern with the chaos.

Speaker 4 (26:32):
It's chaotic to pardon more than fifteen hundred violent criminals,
many of whom attacked police officers on January sixth, and
brually beat them and then unleash those folks into the
community to go back home and at least threaten some

(26:53):
with harm.

Speaker 3 (26:53):
That's problematic.

Speaker 4 (26:55):
That doesn't make America safer, it actually undermines public.

Speaker 2 (26:59):
Say so many Republicans, and I'm sure you've seen me
on a political circuit talking a little bit. Let me
say state right here with you on the record, I
am no politician. I have no desire to be a politician.
I'm not on a level of a King Jeffreys.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
I'm not on a.

Speaker 2 (27:13):
Level of Joshapiro, who I've interviewed. I'm not on the
level of a Westmore. It'll be a snowballs chance in
hell that I ever get to that point. For crying
out loud, I've actually called the pathetic that I'm a
candidate in people's eyes for some president for the presidency
because I'm not qualified. But I feel the frustration of
the American people when they're talking about the state of

(27:33):
affairs that exist in this country and the role both
parties have played in it. So I would ask you
right now, speaking specifically about the Democratic Party, how do
you feel about where the Democratic Party is right now
in the eyes of the American people? Particularly when the
latest polls, I think it's Quinnipiac polls showed that congressional

(27:54):
favor in terms of representatives in Congress from the Democratic Party,
it's like a twenty percent if I remember correct, The
Republicans are at forty for CEP for Crime out Loud,
You guys are twenty percent.

Speaker 1 (28:04):
How concerned are you about the Democratic Party?

Speaker 2 (28:05):
How are you feeling about where the Democratic Party is
right now in the eyes of the American people.

Speaker 4 (28:11):
Well, first of all, when it comes to the presidential
aspirations that are being ascribed to you, certainly you're doing
a height in the polls, and that's a testament, uh
to how you keep it real and connect with the
American people. That said, in terms of where the congressional
Democrats are at, listen polls all over the place. You're
correcting what you just mentioned as it relates to one

(28:33):
particular poll. There was a Washington Post pole that just
came out earlier today and it asked the American people,
who would you prefer is in charge in the next Congress,
House Democrats to serve as a check in balance on
Donald Trump or House Republicans who you know are going
to continue you to just go along to get along,

(28:55):
and by thirteen points the American people said, How'smocrats.

Speaker 3 (29:00):
I think it was fifty four to forty one.

Speaker 4 (29:04):
We clearly have work to do, but I also think
that the American people are increasingly starting to recognize that
in this country that we have you need common sense
public servants who are willing to try to solve problems
to make life better for hardworking American families. And that's

(29:25):
our commitment, and we're going to have to do a
better job of convincing the American people that that is
what drives us to make life better for every American
and every single community in every corner of the country.

Speaker 2 (29:36):
Well, what's the impediment to the Democratic Party doing a
better job?

Speaker 1 (29:39):
Let's speak specifically about that.

Speaker 2 (29:41):
Because you're the House Minority leader, you're one of the
top two Democrats in the country, and I'm looking at
the party and I'm seeing these protests for DEI and
other things, and I got to tell you something right now,
I didn't have an.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
Issue with the protest.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
I had an issue with the behavior that I saw
during the protest, people screaming, screaming expletives at the president
at Republican officials, etc. I'm saying they sound like they're
on a campaign, sir. The sounding like the same way
they sounded during the campaign, and clearly the election showed
that's not going to work. Why are they continuously doing it?

(30:15):
It's not only getting in.

Speaker 1 (30:16):
The way of the party itself.

Speaker 2 (30:17):
I think it's getting in the way of somebody like
you doing the best job that you could possibly.

Speaker 1 (30:21):
Do, having to deal with this nonsense. How do you
feel about that and what do you say about it?

Speaker 4 (30:26):
Well, I think if we can take a step back, Okay,
So it relates to what the fundamental challenge is in
America for people all across the country.

Speaker 3 (30:35):
People, whether you're on the left.

Speaker 4 (30:37):
And the center or on the right, all points in between,
the system is broken befar too long.

Speaker 3 (30:45):
Right.

Speaker 4 (30:46):
We've seen everyday Americans unable to get ahead, and many
can barely get by. This was exacerbated, of course by
inflation and the high cost of living, but that's not
a final on just from the last year or two.
That's been the case for decades.

Speaker 3 (31:03):
We've seen our jobs go in the wrong direction.

Speaker 4 (31:07):
We've seen the ability for people to provide a comfortable
living for themselves and for their families be eroded. What
we've seen, of course, are you know Americans who no
longer believe in many instances that their children or grandchildren
will be able to do better than them. When you
and I were coming up, that was basically a core

(31:28):
principle of the American dream. We had to struggle, had
to work hard, but there was that sense that that
opportunity would be available for all of us. And that's
gone in many instances, and so as a result, you
see frustration, you see concern, You've see anger from people
all across the land.

Speaker 3 (31:47):
That's one of the reasons why Stephen A.

Speaker 4 (31:48):
I think that the political pendulum continues to swing.

Speaker 3 (31:53):
You go from George H. W.

Speaker 4 (31:55):
Bush to Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton and George W.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
Bush, George W.

Speaker 4 (31:59):
Bush, Barack Obama, Barack Obama to Trump, Trump to Biden,
Biden back to Trump, and the likelihood is it may
swing again in twenty twenty eight. Why Because there's an
underlying frustration with Washington's core and ability to make life
better for everyday Americans, to bring the American Dream to life.

Speaker 3 (32:19):
And that is real. That's something that we have to tackle.

Speaker 4 (32:22):
We have to convince the American teachers that we're all
in on improving their lives.

Speaker 1 (32:29):
Representative Jeffrey Isaac.

Speaker 2 (32:30):
I just have to ask, how could you possibly pull
that off if both sides of the hour refuse to
get things done, to compromise to some degree. I've said
this often, you could go on the campaign trail. That's
where the real work is. I do certainly don't need
to diminish what you're doing. Please don't take don't get
it wrong. I'm saying literally, if I'm a Democrat, once

(32:52):
I'm elected, what what did the other side do? I'm
gonna do the opposite. I'm a Republican, what did the
other side do? I'm gonna do the opposite. That's the
impression that the American people have received over the last
decade plus, if not considerably longer, and the way folks
talk about one another, it's clearly a diminist level of
interest in possibly working together. So when you say what

(33:13):
you just said, how can anybody possibly believe that is
possible to happen, that people are going to work together
to get what's done in the best interest to the
American people.

Speaker 4 (33:23):
Well, listen, I certainly get that the impression that comes
out of Washington that the clear perception is that everybody's
fighting all day, every day and no one's actually trying
to get anything done for the American people. If you
take a step back and look at President Biden's track record,
certainly during his first couple of years in office, before

(33:43):
we got into a more polarizing campaign season, he got
a lot done.

Speaker 3 (33:48):
And many of.

Speaker 4 (33:49):
That that he accomplished was actually bipartisan. Right the infrastructure
investment and jobs at creating millions of good pain jobs
for people all across the country and blue states and
red states and in purple states, that was actually bipartisan.

Speaker 3 (34:04):
We were able to get the.

Speaker 4 (34:05):
Chips and Science Act done to bring our domestic manufacturing
jobs back home to the country, stand up a semiconductor
industry so that America is more competitive, so that we
can actually make things once again in the United States
of America.

Speaker 3 (34:19):
That was bipartisan.

Speaker 4 (34:21):
We passed gun safety legislation for the first time in
thirty years. That was bipartisan, And we actually stood up
for our veterans who were dealing with painful exposure to
toxic substances burn pits, agent orange, and that was bipartisan
as well, strongly led by Democrats in each and every instance.
So there's actually bipartisan work that can be done. In

(34:44):
the first term of Donald Trump's presidency, I was both
an impeachment manager and the lead Democratic sponsor of the
First Step Act, the most sweeping criminal justice reform legislation
that the Congress has passed in a generation, and it
was supported by Democrats, Republicans, the House, the Senate, that

(35:05):
left the right, the NAACP, and the Koch Brothers, and
ultimately signed into law by Donald Trump.

Speaker 2 (35:12):
So is that your way of saying, since We've got
so much stuff done across the aisle, donald Trump's presidency
poses a different problem because you're apprehensive that folks on
the right would be as willing to work with the
Democrats on the other side.

Speaker 1 (35:29):
Because Donald Trump is back in office. Is that your
way of saying that?

Speaker 4 (35:33):
No, No, what I'm saying is that this particular presidency
does threaten to upend that.

Speaker 3 (35:39):
Because that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (35:41):
There's so much outrageous stuff, so much extremism, and a
lack of willingness to actually try to solve core problems
for the American people. Listen, Donald Trump's biggest strength. On
the first Tuesday of November last year, was the American
people thought that he would be able to deal with
the economy and to actually bank life more affordable for

(36:02):
everyday Americans. What did the polls say right now? It's
his biggest weakness. His poll numbers aren't going up, they're
going down. Why because the American people can see he's
actually not focused on driving down the high cost of living.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
Let me ask you this, what if Trump defies these
federal orders that is possible?

Speaker 1 (36:21):
What if he does that? What's the what recourse do
you have available to you?

Speaker 4 (36:26):
Well, actually, so one of the things, it's a very
important question. And actually we've launched a Rapid Response Task
Force and Litigation working Group in part for this very reason.
And so I've asked the best lawyers in the House
Democratic Caucus, led by Congressman Joanan Goose who's from Colorado,
great young brother, does this thing?

Speaker 3 (36:47):
Brilliant lawyer?

Speaker 4 (36:48):
And Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee,
who's helping to lead this effort along with Jerry Connley
and others, to actually continue to map out the litigation strategy.

Speaker 3 (37:00):
And that has been important.

Speaker 4 (37:02):
We're pushing back against all of these unlawful and unconstitutional
executive orders. But to understand, this is the early part
of the process.

Speaker 3 (37:10):
There'll be appeals.

Speaker 4 (37:12):
Ultimately we'll get to the Supreme Court, and then ultimately
we have to figure out how do we ensure compliance with.

Speaker 3 (37:19):
The rule of law. That's what the American people want.

Speaker 4 (37:21):
To see, right But we've got to have a strategy
an the A Litigation Working Group is working that out
right now.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
I think one of the best ways to pull that
office to have a voice attached to it, a very loud, loquacious,
vaciferous voice that that that's just combat of as.

Speaker 1 (37:37):
Hell and ready to fight.

Speaker 2 (37:39):
Which is why I was surprised that Alexandria Ocassio Cortez AOC,
as she's affectionately called, is not.

Speaker 1 (37:46):
Leading one of these committees.

Speaker 2 (37:47):
I didn't disagree with the decision because I happen to
think as bright as she is, as accomplished as she is,
as feisty as she is, and as conscientious as she is,
sometimes I don't think that's needed. Her style is needed necessar,
But based on what you described, why isn't a voice
like that more prominent on these committees? As far as
Democrats are concerned. How do you answer that question.

Speaker 3 (38:10):
Well, she has a big role to play, no doubt
about it.

Speaker 4 (38:14):
Alex has she's smart, she's thoughtful, she's got a great
capacity to connect with everyday Americans, and she'll continue to
be prominently featured in a wide variety of ways. You know,
she was just put on one of the most powerful
committees in the Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee, which
has jurisdiction over one of the core issues that we're

(38:36):
going to be battling about over the next few days,
in the next few weeks, Medicaid.

Speaker 3 (38:40):
You have a situation, for instance, and Alex.

Speaker 4 (38:42):
Will be a big part of this committee is led
by Frank Plone. On our side, you have a budget
that we're going to take up tomorrow where Republicans want
to authorize four point five trillion dollars worth of cuts
in taxes for their billionaire and wealthy and well connected
corporations and at the same period of time, stick everyday

(39:06):
Americans with the bill by slashing and burning things like medicaid.

Speaker 3 (39:10):
Actually, the bill.

Speaker 4 (39:11):
Authorizes about eight hundred and eighty billion dollars impossible cuts
to Medicaid that will be devastating for people all across
the country close, rural hospitals, shut down, nursing homes, hurt children,
hurt families, hurt people with disabilities. The American people don't
support it. Republicans are trying to jam down down the

(39:32):
throat to the American people, and we'll have a variety
of members across the ideological spectrum, across the Democratic Caucus
being able to push back.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
I get with that.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
American people might not necessarily want Medicaid Medicare compromise.

Speaker 1 (39:45):
In any way. I get that. Don't get me started
with Social Security. I understand that part.

Speaker 2 (39:49):
I guess what I'm wondering about is that I know
there's no way in hell that the American the people
are against identifying waste and excessive spending. So when DOGE exists,
you know government efficiency and we know that whole story
with Elon Musk in theory, I haven't met any Americans
that have a problem with that idea in theory. They

(40:10):
might have a problem with him overseeing it, but they
don't have a problem with that in theory. Where do
you fall with as a Democratic party fall as it
pertains to the existence of DOGE and how Elon Musk
has behaved since Trump arrived in office on January twentieth.

Speaker 3 (40:28):
You know, it's not a serious effort. It's an erratic effort.

Speaker 4 (40:30):
And what you see is the targeting of hard working
federal employees.

Speaker 3 (40:37):
Who helped make this country run.

Speaker 4 (40:39):
And he's not just targeting them, he's targeting their children
and targeting their families. Now, with respect to waste fraud
and abuse, you can find it in any organization in
the country, and so we're all in generally as it
relates to a thoughtful, responsible, reasonable effort to try to
identify waste fraud and abuse so we can save taxpayer

(41:03):
money and make sure that it's spent effectively, efficiently, and equitably.
We're all in on that effort. That's not what this
has turned into right now. In fact, when you go after,
for instance, waste fraud abuse, here's the thing. The average
person on Social Security receives sixty five dollars a day

(41:29):
and benefits the average person grandma, grandpa sixty five dollars
a day. Elon Musk right now has eight million dollars
a day in federal contracts. But ain't nobody looking into
that in terms.

Speaker 3 (41:40):
Of the DOGE effort.

Speaker 4 (41:43):
And so how are we to take this particular thing
seriously and see it as an effort to actually meaningfully
root out waste, fraud, and abuse.

Speaker 1 (41:54):
That's a fair point.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
Let me move on from there, because your time is valuable,
and I thank you for the time that you've given
me already, sir. Let me ask you this. I want
to know two things from the Democratic Party. Number One,
when we gonna let go of January sixth, we gonna
let that go because he I mean, the man was
impeached twice, convicted on thirty four felony accounts, and still reelected.

(42:15):
I mean, at some point in time, somebody like Senator
Derbin and others who was asking Pam Bondy about you know,
or were you willing.

Speaker 1 (42:23):
To admit he lost the election? It's like enough of that.

Speaker 2 (42:25):
Because the American people clearly have spoke. At least seventy
seven plus million of them has spoken. He won the
electoral college vote, he won the popular vote, he won.

Speaker 1 (42:32):
The swing states, et cetera. They've said what they've had
to say. When are y'all gonna let that go?

Speaker 2 (42:37):
And number two, how are you going to go about
not coming across as being at the mercy of the
progressive left and I'm asking you that question specifically because
in a lot of American people's eyes, you're seeing as
somebody who centered left, more of a centrist, more reasonable
than some of the folks that have been the most

(42:59):
outspoke for the Democratic Party.

Speaker 4 (43:02):
Well, I think in terms of January sixth, look, it's
not something that the American people should ever forget because
it was an extraordinary event. I was there when we
were debating, as Congress does the certification of the election,
and we were told that a mob has breached the Capitol.

Speaker 3 (43:23):
They are on the second floor.

Speaker 4 (43:24):
There are a few steps outside of the House chamber,
and hit the ground and be prepared to secure the
gas masks that are underneath your seats, because they were
people who were trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
And this is the greatest democracy in the history of
the world. So we can't forget January sixth. I'm not
suggesting that it's a core issue moving forward in terms

(43:46):
of how we are making our case to the American people.

Speaker 3 (43:50):
But we also can't ignore.

Speaker 4 (43:52):
The fact that in one of his first acts, President
Trump chose to pardon violent fells who brutally assaulted and
beat police officers are they the party of law and order?
That's actually lawlessness and disorder. We can't ignore it. I
know they want us to. And actually the American people,

(44:13):
as I travel the country all across America, are appalled
that that actually could happen. Why because they know it
doesn't make them safer when you are partning people and
sending a signal that that kind of violence is all right.
But you are correct that the core issues that we

(44:34):
have to connect with the American people on relate to
making their life better.

Speaker 3 (44:39):
Listen.

Speaker 4 (44:39):
I think that the American people simply want to live
in a country where when you work hard and play
by the rules, you can live a comfortable life. You
can provide a comfortable life for yourself, for your family,
educate your children, purchase a home, go on vacation every

(45:01):
now and then, have access to healthcare that's affordable, and
one day retire with grace and dignity, which means protecting
Social Security and Medicare.

Speaker 3 (45:12):
That's not too much to ask.

Speaker 4 (45:15):
And I think there is a lot of frustration in
America because for far too many people it's struggling to
live paycheck to paycheck, can't get by, can barely can
barely provide or that lifestyle that's consistent with the American dream.
Now in terms of you know, center, the left, the right,

(45:38):
I think what the American people want type of leader
that that I'm trying to be is a common sense leader.
Solve problems, get things done, make life better for the
American people, and defend the constitution, defend democracy, defend the

(45:59):
American way of life. At the same time, which does
mean aggressively pushing back against the far right extremism that's
coming from the administration, in the Congress, in the courts,
and in the community.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
What about aggressively pushing back for the far left because
they lost.

Speaker 1 (46:15):
You the election.

Speaker 2 (46:17):
See, I'm thinking about winning representat Jeff, I'm thinking about winning.
I'm like, okay, how do I mean? The midterm is
incredibly important. We got musked that some people think is
running the damn country. And I'll get back to him
in a second with some of the stuff that he's
doing that you've alluded to earlier, Right, But I'm also
thinking about what lost you the election. I'm going to
repeat seventy seven million votes. He beat Kamala Harris Ball

(46:39):
over two and a half million votes. He won the
electoral College vote, the popular vote, all of swing states.
I mean, he gave a run for money in New York,
they gained ground in California.

Speaker 1 (46:53):
Anybody worth their sort will tell.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
You the extreme left had a lot to do with
pulling y'all back.

Speaker 1 (47:00):
From the momentum.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
One would argue you had obviously in twenty twenty.

Speaker 1 (47:05):
What about pushing back against your own party.

Speaker 4 (47:08):
Well, listen, extreme left protest me more than they protest
Donald Trump, because they I mean literally wherever I go.
So I think in part because I've declined, I've refused.
I've chosen not to bend the knee to either people
on the far left, and certainly not to Donald Trump

(47:33):
and the far right. We all have a responsibility to
serve the people we were elected to represent.

Speaker 3 (47:41):
And the country and the constitution.

Speaker 4 (47:44):
And I certainly have not been bashful and will not
be bashful and disagreeing with people who are trying to
take this country in a direction that doesn't lift everybody up,
whether that comes from the right, whether that comes from
the far left.

Speaker 1 (48:01):
Who's the face of the Democratic Party?

Speaker 2 (48:03):
Does it need a face? I look at West Wall,
look at Josh Shapiro, I look at you. I can
ask you the same question about yourself. But it's really
all I see because with the cult like following Donald
Trump has I mean, if the Democrats don't do something
about it, you're gonna lose in the midterms potentially, and
Lord help us. If you're gonna win, you're gonna lose
again in four years. What's the plan. Who's the voice,

(48:24):
who's the face of the Democratic Party?

Speaker 3 (48:26):
Listen, we're gonna win in the midterms.

Speaker 1 (48:28):
You're gonna win.

Speaker 4 (48:29):
We're gonna win, and we have no choice but to
be successful in the midterms. But we've got to get
through the first one hundred days, then the first year,
and then of course get to the midterm elections. And
we've got to stop bad things from happening governmentally, like
the reckless Republican budget that will be debating on the
floor this week. Slash and burn medicaid, that's what they

(48:51):
want to do. Slash and burn you know, nutritional assistance
for children and families, Slash and burn veterans benefits. Do
nothing to actually address the afordability crisis in America. We
got to stop bad things from happening and then articulate
our affirmative vision. Of course, for making life better for
the American people, which is what will continue to do,
particularly as we get through these first one hundred days

(49:13):
or so in the flood of extremism that is directed
at the American people. What I would say about the
Democratic Party is that it's all hands on deck. That's
what the moment requires, because you've got a Republican president,
a Republican House, and a Republican Senate, and so it's
going to take all of us. That's Democrats in the House.
It's my honor to be the House Democratic leader and

(49:36):
a critical voice in Washington and hopefully across America as
it relates to what we're all about, what we're trying
to do, and what we're pushing back against. Working with
my colleagues in the Senate, and then of course, you know,
working with democratic governors all across the country, and as
you mentioned, there are many people who are doing their

(49:56):
thing in state after state. I was just communicating with
Wes Moore a little earlier today. We got democratic governors,
of course in battleground states throughout the Midwest. We got
democratic governors in red states like in Arizona, for instance,
or a Kansas, a Kentucky we got a Democratic governor
that's new in North Carolina. Our governor in New York,

(50:19):
Kathy Hochel, is fighting hard for the people of New York.
And we got a Democratic Attorney General, Tis James. Shout
out to Brooklyn. She's doing her thing in defense of democracy.
We got a lot of folks on the battlefield right now.

Speaker 3 (50:33):
Now, we do.

Speaker 4 (50:34):
Have to make sure we're all coordinated, right that we're
huddled up, we come out of that huddle and we're
executing plays seamlessly and together on behalf of the American people.
And I look forward to continuing to play a leading
role in helping to orchestrate that.

Speaker 2 (50:51):
And my last question of that would be because I'm
thinking about the Republican Party and they've got a quarterback.
His name is Donald Trump. In twenty fifteen, he came
stroll down the escalators and the next thing you know,
he's dominated the Republican Party for the last decade. They
don't even want to see anybody else unless it's Donald Trump.

Speaker 1 (51:08):
So much so that you have representatives.

Speaker 2 (51:10):
All over the Capitol Hill that capitulate to his every
win because they're scared their careers are going to be
over if they don't. The Democrats don't seem to have
anyone that has that kind of impact that can affect
the party and make sure everyone falls in line. I'm
trying to figure out how you're going to alleviate that concern.

Speaker 4 (51:33):
Yeah, listen, I mean you pointed out correctly that Donald
Trump has engineered a hostile takeover the Republican Party. These
people on the other side of the AIH, they're running scared.
They're not actually upholding their constitutional oath in many instances
serve as a check in balance or independent voice as
relates to the people that they represent. They just take

(51:53):
orders from Donald Trump. And now Donald Trump and Eli Musk.

Speaker 3 (51:59):
Now on our side, listen, we're a coalition.

Speaker 4 (52:02):
We're a big tent party that of course has its
challenges because you got a lot of voices, a lot
of enthusiasms within the Democratic tank. But it also represents
the gorgeous mosaic of America. And what is clear is
that we of course have to make sure that we're
connecting with voters of every race, of every religion, of

(52:28):
every gender, of different sexual orientation right across the spectrum
in a way that people feel comfortable that we're fighting
to address their core issues, their core challenges.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
May I suggest the way to go about doing that,
because I'm certainly not rooting against y'all, is to get
folks to stop complaining about twenty twenty, stop complaining about
Trump in the past, and their policies are predated with
anti Trump stuff all the time. The American people, in
their eyes, have already spoken and they're ready to move on.
So let him try to do what he's gonna do

(53:06):
and expose every little thing he's gonna do along the way,
and perhaps you will in the midterm. That's just where
I'm coming from.

Speaker 1 (53:13):
But what do I know. First of all, thank you
for your time.

Speaker 2 (53:15):
Before I let you go, I got to switch to
sports while I've got the minority leader of the House
here with me, a New York native right here. My
next got their butts with not once but twice this week,
and it hurt my feelings to watch what they happened
to them against Cleveland on Friday night Boston yesterday. And
even though they're the third best team in the East,
I look at them as having no chance of getting

(53:38):
to the NBA Finals.

Speaker 1 (53:39):
It depresses me, how about you?

Speaker 4 (53:41):
Yeah, it was a rough weekend in terms of the
next and seeing what happened with Cleveland and Boston, although
I will say that it looked like they were out
of it and then they made a little run in
the third quarter, right, I think they closed it to four.

Speaker 3 (53:53):
Showed a little heart.

Speaker 2 (53:54):
Seventh seventh, Yeah, closest, Yes, it was the seventh, yep.

Speaker 4 (53:58):
But the big challenge I thing is the lack of
defensive prowess, which is strange because Tibbs is known for
being a great defensive coach. And the hope, of course,
as you've pointed out stephen A, is that when Robinson
comes back, if he could stay on the court, that
that will actually enhance the ability OG is back.

Speaker 3 (54:18):
You know.

Speaker 4 (54:18):
Now of course, Bridges is known as a defensive stop
or three and D person. So you know, I ride
with the next look the city. The city is in
a better mood when the Knicks are good. And it
certainly hasn't been you know, a great run over the
last twenty or twenty five years, but it's been a
pretty good run over the last four or five, uh,

(54:40):
And I'm still riding with them. I look forward to
the playoffs and hopefully we'll see you know, a better
capacity to deal with teams like Boston and Cleveland, which
are the ones that are in front of them. Another
thing I will say, though, is that Saint John's is
doing its thing.

Speaker 2 (54:56):
I was going there the Knicks, I said April, and
may might not be for but March, Mike, with the
way Rick Potino's got Saint John's looking at twenty four
and for this year, they're doing their thing, I'm quite surprised.

Speaker 1 (55:08):
I didn't expect that from them. But they're doing well.

Speaker 3 (55:11):
They're doing real well.

Speaker 4 (55:12):
Patino's a bad boy, uh in terms of his coaching capacity.
And you know, to watch that game against Yukon, I
was able to catch the second half Dari Richmond again
shout out Brooklyn actually started out at Midwood High School,
high school that I graduated from.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
He's doing this thing in Zoobie and r J.

Speaker 4 (55:32):
It's a fun team to watch and I'm excited for
what's to come in terms of the Big East Tournament
in March Madness.

Speaker 3 (55:41):
You know, these are.

Speaker 4 (55:42):
Things that everybody's got to lean into, whether it's sports
or other forms of entertainment. Family, of course, church, as
we navigate what are challenging times here in Washington, DC,
across the country and throughout the world, and so I
appreciate what you do in that regard because you know,

(56:05):
it's an important part of just living everyday life, every week,
every month, getting through the year.

Speaker 3 (56:11):
It's gotta be more than politics.

Speaker 1 (56:13):
Listen, man, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (56:14):
I'm not gonna get into the Yankees because I'm pretty
ticked off that, you know, the ownership had a press
conference to discuss facial here. I mean, we ain't won
a World Series since two thousand and nine, and that's
what he's having a press conference, law, even though they
got a pretty good team coming in this year and
maybe they could get back to the World Series. I'm
gonna put you on the spot before I let you
get on out of here. You're usually on the spot
for politics. Let me put you on the spot for

(56:35):
basketball right now.

Speaker 1 (56:36):
I'm gonna test your knowledge here.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
Top five point guards in the history of New York City.
NARDI leader Hakim Jeffrees. The floor is yours. I'm testing
you right now.

Speaker 1 (56:47):
Top five point guards in the history of New York City.
Give them to me, all right.

Speaker 4 (56:54):
So I'm gonna go Mark Jackson, okay, because I'm rocking
with Saint John.

Speaker 3 (57:00):
He went to Bushop Blacklands. Assist God, that's my brother.

Speaker 1 (57:04):
I got it.

Speaker 4 (57:04):
Okay, go ahead, I'm gonna go Kenny to jet Smith,
Kenny jet Smith.

Speaker 3 (57:11):
All right, I'm gonna go Rod Strickland.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
Oh God, keep going.

Speaker 2 (57:19):
Oh oh, there's there's a good list.

Speaker 4 (57:23):
Oh.

Speaker 1 (57:24):
I might challenge you, but go ahead, go.

Speaker 4 (57:26):
Ahead, give me to give me to I think I
gotta I gotta represent c I and Stephan Marberry.

Speaker 1 (57:32):
Okay, okay, okay, and right, one more, one more.

Speaker 4 (57:40):
And in terms of the top five, you know that fifth,
that fifth. God, you know I'm tempting to throw it up.

Speaker 1 (57:51):
You're the minity leader. I mean the hesitation. I need more,
I need I come on, because it's two names that
you're missing. I can't believe you ever mentioned him yet.
I'm just giving you a chance.

Speaker 3 (58:02):
Go ahead, yeah, tiny Archiball.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
Oh see you went way back. I can't I get you.
I get you.

Speaker 2 (58:11):
I got Nate, Tiny Archiball. You gotta throw them in there.
Let me throw two other names for you that you
left out. All right, Kenny Anderson, did you forget about him?
Same spot as Kenny Smith Archbishop with Lloyd That brother
was something special. Most people will put him on the
list ahead of Kenny to Jet Smith.

Speaker 4 (58:31):
I was listen, I was thinking about it. Okay, he's
the lefty, right, Georgia Tech. That's right, he did his thing. Yeah,
play for the net.

Speaker 3 (58:39):
Yes, but you know, Kenny Smith did win two championships.
So listen, at the end.

Speaker 4 (58:44):
Of the day with Houston and at the end of
the day NBA Championships, we're told, well.

Speaker 1 (58:48):
You're talking about the overall resume.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
I was talking about the greatness that it was Stephan
believe it or not, steph On Marlbury to me probably
number one, considering how phenomenal he was. The name is
the greatest show in the history of college basketball.

Speaker 1 (59:06):
Pearl Washing, Wayne Pearl Washington. See, that's what I'm saying.
That's what I'm saying. All right, So I mean now
I might have to move Rod Strickland out, I know,
and then DePaul and all of that. Kenny, the Jet,
Rod Strickland right.

Speaker 2 (59:23):
There, but the Wayne Pearl, Washington, Kenny Anderson, Steph R.

Speaker 1 (59:27):
Marlbury, Nate Tiny Archiball. I get what you're saying.

Speaker 3 (59:31):
Not bad now what you said.

Speaker 4 (59:34):
Now, if you would have said best high school point cards,
I think Pearl Washington, boom right at the top of
the list. Even I give you best college point guards.
He was killing it in Syracuse.

Speaker 3 (59:45):
That's true. Uh, you're right.

Speaker 4 (59:47):
I'm gonna get grief when I get back home to
Bedford Stuyvesant that i left the Wayne Pearl Washington.

Speaker 1 (59:53):
And I'm leaving that in. I'm not cutting it out.

Speaker 2 (59:55):
I'm not cutting I'm leaving that in so everybody can
see that you missed that one Menardie House Leader, the
one and only are King Jeffrey's honored and privilege to
have you said, thank you and feel free to come
back anytime. You always got a voice on this show.
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (01:00:07):
Thank you man.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
All right, coming up, I'll share my thoughts on the
conversation you just heard. Plus, the Eagles will reportedly decline
a trip to the White House and people have.

Speaker 1 (01:00:17):
An opinion on it. Trust me, they do, including me.

Speaker 2 (01:00:22):
Next right here on Steven natesemichef don't go away. What's up, everybody,
Stephen A. Smith here. Recently we made news because the
Great Bill O'Reilly announced a tour that's coming nearest to
you in the very very near future. Get your tickets
now for this. It's called Three Americans Live March thirtieth

(01:00:45):
at Live Nation's Flag Star at the Westbury Music Feel
on Long Island. Don't miss the very first show as myself,
Chris Croomo and yes that man Bill O'Reilly take our
different ideas, I different backgrounds, I different beliefs across the
country to demonstrate their respect, full, meaningful and even fun conversation.
Those are the things that make America as great as

(01:01:05):
it should be. The show will be spirited, unscripted, and
all three of us will let it fly as we
discuss the topics everyone is thinking about these days. There'll
also be questions from the audience We're not running. Tickets
are officially on sale now with pre sale code USA
at three Americans Live dot com. VIP packages are available

(01:01:26):
with the opportunity to meet and take photos with myself
and both those fellas. That's Three Americans Live March thirtieth
at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Additional dates
and cities to be announced. Don't miss it. Trust me
you'll get a kick out of it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Going back to Steven A. Smith show.

Speaker 2 (01:01:49):
Before we get to a few other headlines, I want
to give you my thoughts on the conversation I just
had with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. First of all,
impressive man. Obviously knows what the hell he's talking about.
He's been around for quite a wait while, an individual
that was endorsed by Nancy Pelosi. If you're somebody on
the left, you're perfectly comfortable with that. If you're somebody
that's center left, Okay, you'll tolerate it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:11):
Let's see how it goes.

Speaker 2 (01:02:12):
But in the aftermath of what transpired with this election,
I just think that even though I was impressed with him,
and there's a lot that he had to say, it's
important to point out that the Democratic Party looks a
bit discombobulated. Yes, you want to get on Trump. You

(01:02:32):
want to point out Elon Musk and what he's doing
with those You want to point out Trump and how
a radicky appears at times.

Speaker 1 (01:02:40):
You saw.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
Leader Jeffries bringing up everything from the economy and inflation
and the course of living, to Trump's relationship with Putin,
to Trump taking the position that he's taken against the Lensky, etc.
You've seen and heard all of this stuff. You heard
his concerns about Medicare and Medicaid along.

Speaker 1 (01:03:01):
With a bevy of other things.

Speaker 2 (01:03:04):
If you are the Democrats, stick to those issues and
stick to attacking Trump on the issues as opposed to
bringing up the twenty twenty election, as opposed to bringing
up you know, comments about you know, being a king
and all of this other stuff that you're trying to use.

(01:03:26):
It falls in line with the same old stuff you're
abloviating about during the campaign.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
It's not going to work. What you're going to have
to do is.

Speaker 2 (01:03:37):
Show, is illustrate in very very conspicuous fashion, the flaws
in his plans for America, how it works against your interests,
and how what you're proposing will work for your interest
It's not enough anymore to engage in demagogery about the
other side. What are you going to do and how

(01:04:00):
are you going to convince us to believe you? You first
gotta find somebody that's worth believing.

Speaker 1 (01:04:06):
And I'm not denigrating Leader Jeffries in any way.

Speaker 2 (01:04:09):
But when you think about a national voice for the party,
who is that person? It's non existent right now, mister Carville.
I said it again, it's non existing right now.

Speaker 1 (01:04:18):
Not the talent. You might have talent, but who's gonna
resonate you.

Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
Better find somebody. You better find somebody soon. Now I
want to transition, and I'm talking way way way left
to touch on a delicate subject that's blowing up on
the internet. That's the only reason I'm talking about it.
Former All Pro wide receiver Steve Smith Senior was accused
of having an affair with an unnamed woman who's a

(01:04:44):
member of the Marching Ravens, the Baltimore Ravens marching band,
that is. The accusation came from a social media user
with the handle Tony Martinez, who posted and then deleted
the accusations on x The post also included screenshots of
alleged text between Smith and the woman. Again, this is
blowing up all over social media.

Speaker 1 (01:05:02):
The only reason we're touching it.

Speaker 2 (01:05:03):
Martinez also posted a video which showed him confronting a
man believed to be Smith over the phone. The individual
recording the video accused a man of having sex with
his wife and asked, what do you have to say
for yourself? The man on the phone replied, quote sorry,
end quote.

Speaker 1 (01:05:22):
Now I know y'all expect me to comment.

Speaker 2 (01:05:26):
Steve Smith cool brother does work for the NFL network.
Got a chance to be in the Hall of Fame
as a wide receiver with this year's starring for the
Carolina Panthers.

Speaker 1 (01:05:38):
Before he went to Baltimore. Ravens let me be very
very clear. I have no comment.

Speaker 2 (01:05:44):
About his situation, a legend situation with whomever. My comment
is about the husband. What the hell you calling him for?
Whether that was really the smith, seen you or somebody else,
What the hell are you calling him for?

Speaker 1 (01:06:03):
He ain't your wife, He ain't.

Speaker 2 (01:06:07):
The one married to you. He ain't the one that
allegedly did something that violated his vows to you.

Speaker 1 (01:06:20):
What calling him for?

Speaker 2 (01:06:23):
See, Once again, I'm touching on something from a generic
and general perspective, and I want everybody to be clear
about where I'm going with this because it was not
similar in actual incidents, but along the lines of what
I was trying to do.

Speaker 1 (01:06:40):
When I was joking around.

Speaker 2 (01:06:42):
About Serena Williams dancing on stage, and I was saying
about the husband, not even about him, about any man,
How do you feel if your wife is showing energy
towards the ex even if it's negative energy, you'd be like, yo,
what's that about?

Speaker 1 (01:06:58):
Forget him?

Speaker 3 (01:06:58):
You with me?

Speaker 1 (01:06:59):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:07:00):
I was trying to say, but we were joking about
that because there's no crime and that is no big deal.
We're not joking about this, fellas, ladies, if you.

Speaker 1 (01:07:11):
Have a spouse.

Speaker 2 (01:07:14):
That's cheating on you, it's kind of weak to show
more energy towards the person they were doing it with
that didn't espouse marital vows to you handle home first,
handle home, period because in the end, she's the one

(01:07:37):
or he's the one. Meaning if you're a woman and
your man's did it in this case, is a man and.

Speaker 1 (01:07:42):
His wife did it, that's your business.

Speaker 2 (01:07:46):
And one last thing, why everything got to be put
on social media? Why it's none of anybody's business, so respectfully,
and I won't get into the things that was said
on that phone via text or voice. I won't get
into the text you read and how graphic that was.

(01:08:11):
But based on that, she don't really want you, you
feel me? Just think about that. That's all I want
to say. Now, let me get to the Philadelphia Eagles,
the reigning Super Bowl champs, are apparently going to skip

(01:08:32):
a trip to the White House. Donald Trump was the
first president to attend the game, where he supported the
Chiefs to win. However, Kansas City was blown out forty
to twenty two by the Philadelphia Eagles. Now I missed
the speculation of the Eagles not going to DC. A
White House spokesperson says an invitation was never extended to
the team. Meanwhile, Meghan Kelly took the X to express
her dissatisfaction with the Philadelphia Eagles. The former Fox host

(01:08:57):
reacted to a post from a user that sided a
report about the snub that read quote, wish I had
known this before the Super Bowl, I wouldn't have wasted
my time rooting for them. Eagles fans, your team sucks
end quote. As for Kelly, she wrote quote saying, go
f yourselves Eagles end quote.

Speaker 1 (01:09:25):
I like Megan Kelly.

Speaker 2 (01:09:28):
I think she's and our standing journalist. I think she's
very capable. She's got a show on Serious Sex Sam
every weekday from twelve to two pm ri airs on
YouTube is and another platform. I've been a guest on
her show. I'm schareduled to be a guest so much
I don't even know when's my next guest of parents,

(01:09:49):
I mean, she asked me to be a guest next
week because we had a scheduling conflict coming back from
the Super Bowl. I am a fan of Megan Kelly's.

Speaker 1 (01:10:00):
Was that necessary though?

Speaker 2 (01:10:03):
I mean, really, you know, they ain't feeling Trump, so
was seventy four million plus people wasn't feeling Trump? F
them too? Come on, Megan, you don't need to do that.
You don't need to do that, you know, I mean,
it's just not necessary. Eagles ain't feeling them. And by

(01:10:23):
the way, if there is any team that's justified not
to go to the White House to see Trump, even
though his team said the White House said they didn't
extend an invitation, that's a different story. Well, why wouldn't
you extend an invitation? That's what usually is supposed to
happen when you win the Super Bowl, the White House
to send you an invitation. Why would you not extend
the invitation?

Speaker 1 (01:10:41):
White House? What's that about?

Speaker 2 (01:10:44):
But in the case of the Philadelphia Eagles, Megan Kelly
and all you folks on the right that want to
get be up in arms about.

Speaker 1 (01:10:51):
This, excuse me.

Speaker 2 (01:10:52):
If any team was justified in not wanting to show
up to the White House, it would be the Philadelphia Eagles.
Do you know why, because when as a president openly
rooted against the team for the Super Bowl, he was
openly rooting against the Eagles, and he uninvited them last

(01:11:16):
time they won. I mean, damn if any team was
justified and saying, nah, we'll pass on the White House,
it would be them and Megan Kelly. If it's gonna
be f the Eagles, could it come from someone other
than you?

Speaker 1 (01:11:35):
I mean, you're great. I'm not gonna lie. I learned
some things from watching Megan Kelly. I mean, she she
knows us tough, and she's very compelling and very interesting.
I enjoy talking to her. I enjoy listening to her.
I enjoy watching her. But was that necessary?

Speaker 2 (01:11:55):
Don't let people bring you down to their level.

Speaker 1 (01:12:01):
I mean, I have gone to that level before. We're
not gonna front. I'm not gonna be APO critical here,
but damn it, they deserved it. The Eagles, come on,
come on, Megan. They didn't deserve that. They didn't deserve that.
They got uninvited before and he was rooting against them.

Speaker 2 (01:12:21):
Now, you weren't ruling for Taylor Swift, but he was
rooting for the teams all day every day. That's why
he came to the Super Bowl to watch them win
and for the Eagles to lose.

Speaker 1 (01:12:35):
Usually presidents are.

Speaker 2 (01:12:36):
Quiet about that unless it's their home team.

Speaker 1 (01:12:39):
Trump ain't from Kansas City. So I'm just saying.

Speaker 2 (01:12:45):
Respectfully in a very very nice way, because I am
a fan Megan Kelly, be nice, be nice, and see
soon on yes show. By the way, you owe me
a visit on mine too. You forgot about that. You
forgot about that, but you do owe me. Before I

(01:13:07):
get on out of here, I wanted to take a
moment to bring up a new soap opera that's coming
out courtesy of CBS, and it's called Beyond the Gates.

Speaker 1 (01:13:20):
Now why would I bring this up? For several reasons.

Speaker 2 (01:13:24):
Number One, as you know, I'm a soap opera guy.
Someone says soap opera star, but I mean I would
never say that about myself. Bricks General Hospital, That's what
That's who I am, you know. But again, no start,
I'm attached. I leave that to others to judge. That
would be number one, because I love my soap operas.
Number two, one of my dearest friends is the star

(01:13:44):
for Young and the Restless, mister Eric Braden. So that's
another reason I'm connected to the soap opera world. Because
Maurice Minard plays Sunny Carinthus or General Hospital. Steve Burton
plays Jason Morgan. That's my dog right there. Laura Wright
plays Carley. I mean, I love these people General Hospital.
I love Eric braden On Young and Arresteds. That's to
be another reason.

Speaker 1 (01:14:05):
Another reason beyond the gates is being mentioned is because
it's a black lead soap opera.

Speaker 2 (01:14:15):
Now, I'm quite sure there will be others that are
on the soap opera.

Speaker 1 (01:14:19):
But to see a soap opera.

Speaker 2 (01:14:23):
With black folks in prominent leading roles on network television,
let's just say that's a damn aberration. So it's gonna
be really interesting to see how this goes. And that's
a special thing. But last, but not least, person who
played the role in its creation.

Speaker 1 (01:14:43):
There's a producer on the show.

Speaker 2 (01:14:45):
She said, wonderful lady by the name of Sheila Duxworth.
She happens to be a very dear personal friend of mine,
a phenomenal producer, incredibly talented young lady who's been around
for quite a while doing big things, and this is
just the latest. Just want to say congratulations, that I
love you dearly, and then I'm wishing you all the best. Girl,

(01:15:08):
do your thing, do your thing, and I will see
you soon. That's it for this edition the stephen A.

Speaker 1 (01:15:15):
Smith Show.

Speaker 2 (01:15:16):
I'll higher at y'all in a couple of days. Until then,
a piece of love everybody, God bless

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