Less is Macklemore

Lovett or Leave It

Jon Lovett delivers a sharp, satirical take on recent political developments, including Trump's attacks on the Supreme Court and Kennedy Cen

Key takeaways

• Trump's public rebukes of Supreme Court justices reveal his frustration with judicial independence despite appointing them.
• The Federal Reserve defied Trump's pressure to cut rates, signaling institutional resistance to political interference.

Main topics

• Trump's political attacks on institutions
• Supreme Court independence vs. presidential influence

Notable quotes

You might not like it, but well-behaved men seldom make history.

If the Revolutionary Guard of Iran can call Trump's bluff, why can't we?

Conclusion

The episode ends with a powerful call to action, urging listeners to m

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) You might drink it every day, but did you know that the history of tea is steeped in skullduggery, colonialism and industrial espionage? I'm Greg Jenner, host of You're Dead to Me. We're the comedy show that takes history seriously. And in our latest episode, we spill the tea on tea. Join us to unpack the ancient Chinese origins of the drink and find out how it became the national drink of modern Britain. Listen to You're Dead to Me wherever you get your podcasts or watch us on YouTube. Speaker 7 (0:32) For many of us, going further isn't a choice. It's a feeling we can't ignore. Because ambition has a way of outgrowing where it began. Turning dreams into direction. Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond Borders. Speaker 6 (1:16) What's up, Los Angeles? Speaker 6 (1:20) Welcome to Love It or Leave It, live from Hollywood to MSNOW viewers. I am not a random guy. I was actually once a presidential speechwriter, and now I do this. I'm Jon Lovett, and welcome to the nation's number Speaker 1 (1:29) one late-night political gay live comedy podcast. Let's get into it. What a week. Speaker 1 (1:36) On Monday, the Supreme Court blocked President Trump's plan to use the post office to potentially withhold millions of mail-in ballots, which would have been so messed up. If Democrats lose the midterms, we should not have to wonder if it's because of missing mail-in ballots. We should know without a shadow of a doubt that it is because of Hassan Piker. Speaker 1 (1:56) While this ruling did not come with a vote count, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, while Brett Kavanaugh issued a concurring opinion, or as he'll be known at the next No Kings rally, the notorious BMK. You might not like it, but well-behaved men seldom make history. Speaker 1 (2:13) Brett, Brett, Brett, Brett, Brett, Brett, shame on you. All right. Trump then singled out the three justices he nominated, Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett, saying, quote, these are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court. They are merely a shell of their original selves, added Trump. You are not the people whose names I picked off a list presented to me by the Federalist Society who saw me as a useful idiot to stack the court with right-wing ideologues who I then talked at for an hour. You were nodding. Speaker 1 (2:43) This wasn't the only rebuke by a Trump nominee. Two weeks ago, Trump issued an ultimatum to the Federal Reserve, cut interest rates or he will cut off U.S. trade with the world, which would obviously be terrible for the economy. It was a smart threat since if you work for the Fed, you probably really like the economy. Trump wrote on True Social, lower the rate or I'll stop trading with countries with which we have a deficit, along with an AI photo of Trump holding a leash attached to former Fed chairs Jerome Powell, Janet Yellen. and Ben Bernanke as they crawled like dogs. Now, I made the photo up. That didn't happen, but it's plausible, and that tells you where we're at. And yet this week, the Fed, now led by Trump's pick, Kevin Warsh, raised interest rates for the first time since July 2023. If the Revolutionary Guard of Iran can call Trump's bluff, why can't we, shouted a board member, let's be as brave as the Ayatollah, making several other members of the Federal Reserve quite uncomfortable. Now let's go to Trump and see if you can catch how he subtly tried to save face. Speaker 7 (3:47) Yeah, I do. I mean, I'm relying on Kevin, but he's got, you know, a very tough board. He's got a board that was put there by a lot of other people. And the interest rates are too high. They're not appropriate. And I told I talked to Kevin and I said, you might as well vote with the board because it's not going to matter. Speaker 1 (4:04) Look, when I'm sitting in the cuck chair, it's like I'm it's like I'm part of it. It's really my idea. And that's a big reason why I feel so good about it and not upset when it's happening. The act. And then on Tuesday, a federal judge once again blocked Trump from adding his name to the Kennedy Center, said the judge, hey, my ruling is this is too stupid for a society. The Kennedy Center is a literal memorial. And even if it weren't, demanding your name be added to a building is very embarrassing. And even if that weren't true, it obviously requires Congress, which created the Kennedy Center, to pass a law. Am I a judge? Is this real? Did I die? The judge, Christopher Cooper, actually said, simply put, the defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing. Unlike John F. Kennedy, this judge is obviously very close-minded. Speaker 1 (4:55) In retaliation, the Trump-stacked Kennedy Center board voted to close the art center completely, effective immediately, which is too bad because tomorrow night's Kennedy Center performance was going to be Macklemore. Oh man, that guy cannot catch a break. Trump is now explicitly saying he will not allow the planned $257 million renovation to proceed with the name change, telling reporters Wednesday. Speaker 7 (5:16) So for the Trump administration, for me, to get involved and to take that on long term. and to carry it or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down. It's in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape. Speaker 1 (5:38) Why save something if you can't put your name on it? It's like how Jane Goodall carved her name into every single one of those chimps. And look, buddy, none of those other buildings with your name on it actually filled the void, huh? Should we try something else? Should we try calling your son, who is also named after you, just to say hi? A son is like a building that can love you back. And then on Wednesday night, Trump was photographed through the window of his Qatari Air Force One, looking at a big signboard with a picture of the D.C. skyline, above which, in big letters, it said, Kennedy Center demolished. Many wondered if this was a way to bully the judge into allowing the name change, when in fact the real explanation is far more innocent. This is his porn now. Yet there is one last Trump bastion on earth not willing to call the president's bluff, and that's the Republican Congress. On Tuesday, Republican gadfly Thomas Massey introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Ugh, said Hegseth. This is just like that time my friends and family ambushed me to read a bunch of lame letters about how much they love me or whatever. Massey's charges against Hegseth include violating the War Powers Act, retaliating against critics like Senator Mark Kelly, kidnapping Nicolas Maduro, and committing extrajudicial killings. Well, it's five o'clock somewhere, said Hegseth, before bombing a school. Yep, that's right. Massey told CNN he hid his impeachment resolution from Republican leadership so they wouldn't try to stomp him in the only place they'd never look, the Epstein files. Said Massey, So I didn't want to show my hand. I didn't show it to anybody. I was afraid that they would do something to subvert me getting on the Speaker 4 (7:12) floor for an hour and 20 minutes and reading these articles. Speaker 1 (7:15) And subverting Massey is exactly what the GOP did. After all, this isn't House Speaker Mike Johnson's first rodeo because he's a frigging clown. I got rodeos. Speaker 1 (7:28) To avoid having to call a vote on the resolution, Johnson ended the legislative session early, effectively preventing a vote until after the midterm, similar to when Johnson prevented a vote on the Epstein files last July by sending Congress home early for the summer. Pulling out before anything happens is Johnson's favorite move, and he also uses it in Congress. Ending the session early also means that the House left town without taking any action on a number of AI safety bills. But here, too, Johnson is following Trump's lead, echoing the AI backers who have his ear. Trump has come out against any regulation, a sentiment repeated by J.D. Vance to the AI investors who host the All In podcast. Speaker 5 (8:03) What I would say to those people, if you're building Frankenstein, stop or maybe build, you know, if the cat is out of the bag, then build the defensive mechanism against Frankenstein. Speaker 1 (8:16) Look, if there's a lesson from Mary Shelley that she was trying to convey in Frankenstein, it's that Victor needed to stop being so emotional and just build a bigger, lonelier monster to protect him from the murderous one. Frankenstein 2, practice makes perfect. Meanwhile, Nate Silver has Democrats up 8.2 % with likely voters according to the latest average. We just got to keep our heads down, do the work, and avoid blowing it, said Chuck Schumer before heading out on stage to open for Ed Sheeran. Speaker 1 (8:46) Now you have Republicans trying to remove Trump's name from their websites and putting out last minute ads criticizing Trump on immigration. But it's hard to distance yourself from Trump when you spent years enabling mass deportations, the war in Iran and shocking brazen corruption. So J.D. Vance is left making pleas like this. Give Speaker 5 (9:03) us another chance or give us another couple of years to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years. Speaker 1 (9:09) Give us another chance. Bitch, you didn't get drunk and kiss your work wife at the office Christmas party. You lost a war in Iran. And then to really close the deal, Vance tried this. And Speaker 5 (9:19) the second argument I'd make is, even if you don't agree with us on every issue, the other party is consumed by craziness. Speaker 1 (9:26) Craziness, I tell you. Anyway, gotta go see about blowing up the National Performing Arts Center. And speaking of performances that are blowing up, last week, Ben Haggerty, better known by his stage name, Macklemore, opened for Ed Sheeran, better known by his stage name, Ed Sheeran. Macklemore played his protest song, Hins Hall, accompanied by graphic images of Gaza and this statement. Speaker 7 (9:47) One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here. on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart, free Palestine. Speaker 1 (10:07) And look, we have to be able to separate the art from the artist in the sense that the songs are bad, but the message is good. Soon, Robert Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where the tour was set to appear, threatened to cancel the show unless Sheeran dropped Macklemore. Kraft also rallied other stadium operators to make the same demand. And as a Jewish American myself, thank you, Robert Kraft. The best way to fight anti-Semitism is for a Jewish billionaire to join forces with a cabal of other wealthy stadium operators to prevent audiences from hearing a pro-Palestinian statement by a performer largely regarded until now as a brand-safe version of fucking Eminem. Macklemore then announced he was no longer part of the tour, calling Sheeran a friend who wanted to avoid taking sides, a stance which, like Sheeran's hairline, wasn't holding up. And I'm allowed to say that because I have had three hair transplants. A wave of anger and condemnation followed. Even Fox News host Jesse Waters was sympathetic to Macklemore. So Speaker 5 (11:03) what did he say that was bad? He said, free Palestine? Is that all? He went on and on. No, it was Speaker 8 (11:09) genocide. Speaker 5 (11:11) Okay. Okay, well, all I heard was Speaker 1 (11:15) free Palestine. I don't Speaker 5 (11:16) think that's hate speech. Speaker 1 (11:17) Say what you will about Jesse Waters, but he was wearing the hell out of that keffiyeh. On Tuesday, Sheeran issued a statement claiming it was his promoter's decision to remove Macklemore and not his own. And I appreciate Sheeran's transparency of his skin. The statement was embarrassing. Said Sheeran, I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them and that I don't care. He then specified that the song Shape of You was actually about Israel returning to its 1967 borders. It must be frustrating for Sheeran. Dolly Parton never had to take a position on Israel and Palestine, but she had the bazongas to pull it off. By the end of the day Tuesday, Sheeran's other opening acts for the remainder of the tour, Roe, Graham, and Phineas, all announced that they were dropping out in solidarity with Macklemore. But Sheeran has managed to replace them with, it says here, Ben Shapiro playing the clarinet. That's tough. On Wednesday, McLemore announced that he was donating the $1 million he made from the tour to six organizations aiding Palestinians, adding, I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Then Kraft responded, saying that before McLemore challenged him to match the donation, Sheeran asked him to commit $2 million, saying that Sheeran was reaching out to other venue owners in order to build bridges. Sadly, Israel has since bombed those bridges. Speaker 1 (12:35) And finally, Lady Gaga welcomed her new baby into the world. The name, Rose Bean. She's named after her father, Mr. Bean. All right, we've got a great show for you tonight. And we'll be right back with Ahsan Paiker. Speaker 5 (12:49) Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love It or Leave It coming up. Speaker 6 (12:53) Love It or Leave It is brought to you by Willie's Remedy. If you want to de-stress after a long day but don't love the idea of a hangover tomorrow, now you can have fun and relax without the regrets thanks to Willie's THC-infused social tonic. I love Willie's. We had Willie's at our wedding. It's my favorite. 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Try Quo for free plus get 20 % off your first six months when you go to Quo.com slash love it. That's Q-U-O.com slash love Speaker 1 (15:40) it. And we're back. Please welcome to the show, the star of this year's midterm elections, America's sweetheart, Assam Piker. All right, let me just... I do want to get this out of the way. I denounce you. I Speaker 3 (16:00) was about to say. Thank God. I denounce myself as well. Great. That's so Speaker 1 (16:04) important. Thank you for doing that. Oh, that's a big... I need some more questions. All right. So I see online today that you're