7/8/26: Arizona Candidate Says Israel Buying Elections, Ryan's DSA Friend Runs For Mayor

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2:10So Brad Parscale is a former top Trump campaign official and is now a registered foreign agent for the state of Israel and appears to be linked to this project. Now, interestingly, I was with a friend recently, and they got a text message that was very similar to these. They come in asking about Israel, and as you respond, it then goes back and forth about your positions on Israel. So joining us now is Kai Newkirk, candidate for the 4th Congressional District. Kai, thanks so much for joining us here. Great to be with you. Good morning. Yes, good morning. So this is quite an extraordinary kind of turn of events in American politics.

2:52We're very used to, of course, AIPAC or a Democratic majority for Israel or any number of other PACs that are headquartered here in the United States and are funded by American citizens who are supportive of our relationship with the state of Israel. Now, AIPAC often takes direction, and it is publicly known that the Israeli government speaks directly with AIPAC routinely, which a lot of people argue, say, means they ought to be registering under FARA. They do not have to. They're an American-funded organization. This, though, is something different. So what is going on in Arizona? What did you guys uncover?

3:33Well, we don't know, to be honest yet, what exactly is happening. All we know is as much of the information that you reported there, that we started getting these text messages asking if we wanted to talk about the U.S.-Israel relationship. And then when people would engage what we think is the AI chatbot in that conversation, it was clear that it was that program was pushing for deeper military and government integration. At a time when most Americans are saying we don't want to be sending endless unconditional military to Israel, we don't want to be complicit in this genocide, it's arguing, no, you're seeing it wrong.

4:10We need a deeper partnership. Israel's the best ally, et cetera. And then when people started asking the chatbot questions about who was behind it, what was going on, we got some information that we could then follow back to the website that, to my great surprise, said right there at the bottom, This is on behalf of the state of Israel. I mean, this is not some conspiracy theory. This is just the facts of what the people doing this are saying. And then the public reporting that's from various outlets saying that it was Brad Parscale who was behind Cambridge Analytica and all of that stuff on Trump's campaign is doing it.

4:49So to me, it's shocking. We saw it in our district and then we've seen it happening in other places around the country. I think we don't know exactly what all they're trying to do. But to me, it's clear that a foreign government is trying to interfere in our elections and our politics using this AI political persuasion texting program. In my view, that's clearly illegal. It's something that needs to be responded to. It's not just about my election, but it seems from those that are looking into it that they may be targeting areas where AIPAC is more invested or where these issues are more at stake.

5:22And that's very much the case in my race because I'm taking on one of the most powerful corporate dems in the country, whose top contributor, according to Open Secrets, this is not me, Open Secrets is AIPAC. Yeah. Tell us a little bit about your race and why the state of Israel might have an interest in it. Yes. As I said, Greg Stanton, co-chair of the New Dems that I'm taking on, AIPAC is his top contributor. He has been, in my view, actively complicit in the genocide in Gaza. We've been pushing him on this for years, but he's refused to take any step to hold the extremist Israeli government accountable.

5:58not only voting for endless unconditional military aid, but pushing back when anybody tried to do anything else. When Biden paused the 2 ,000-pound bomb shipments, you'll remember, Stanton spoke out against that, said he needed to resume those illegal arms sales. When the International Criminal Court indicted Netanyahu, Gallant, Hamas leaders for war crimes, he voted to sanction the International Criminal Court. So he's pushed back on every front. I've been a leader in the fight to try to stop that genocide, to secure Palestinian freedom and human rights for all the people in the Holy Land. And this is a huge fault line in this election.

6:31So it would make sense that this would be one of the areas that they would target with this persuasion program to influence voters. We don't know for sure, but we know enough that we filed this complaint with the attorney general. I called to follow up, as you saw in the video on Monday. We haven't got a response yet, but we trust that she will do something. She's been great on standing up for integrity of Arizona elections, and we hope that she will now. And your primaries on July 21st. I saw that you've been getting a little bit of attention recently because people have noticed that you've been arrested something like 25 times.

7:05For people who don't know, I've known Kai quite some time because I cover these types of protests. And every time I look up, you were getting arrested for some protest or another. You talk a little bit about your background. Usually when voters find out that somebody has been arrested 25 times, it's a press conference and they're resigning from office or they're dropping out of the campaign. But for you, it's actually, I think, kind of propelled your campaign in this moment. So give people a little flavor of how you got into politics and what you've been doing up until this. Absolutely. I've been a community organizer in many different nonviolent movements for a long time, going back to the anti-war movement as a college student.

7:50what we called the global justice movement, to the labor movement, where I was a shop floor leader in union, to immigrant rights movement, climate justice. And what I'm best known for is the work I've done in the democracy fight, trying to end the big money corruption of our politics and protect voting rights with 99 Rise in Democracy, leading a march from Sacramento, from LA all the way to Sacramento, 500 miles, 12 straight days of sit-ins at the California capital from the Liberty Bell all the way to D.C. and then mass sit-ins at the U.S. Capitol there in 2016. And I have been arrested over 25 times in nonviolent civil disobedience.

8:26Everyone to me is a badge of honor, not a mark of shame. And I look to people like Dolores Huerta, presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, who's been arrested 25 times or more, Martin Luther King Jr. 29 times, John Lewis over 30 times. And it's an act of deeper fidelity to the law because it's fidelity to the spirit of the law, which is about justice, which is about what is right. And when that's in conflict, sometimes we have to break the law. And we've done so nonviolently and peacefully. And I've been encouraged by what people say at the doors, you know, because people want someone who's going to fight and stand up to Trump's authoritarianism.

9:00And I've proven that I will put my freedom and my safety on the line to stand up for justice many times. And that's the kind of leadership people want when we're taking on oligarchy authoritarians and war criminals. And I'm going to take them on and stand up to them no matter what. to win an Arizona that we can afford in America that's free of ISIS cruelty once and for all in a world where genocide never happens again. We talked to Will Lawrence last week on Breaking Points. He's running in a competitive, you guys may know each other, competitive primary in Michigan. And he was saying that the issue that has really propelled his campaign was opposition to data centers, which is a big issue across the country, but particularly in Michigan.

9:41He has two corporate backed candidates. And even though they may recognize which way the political wind is blowing, they're tied back and they're not allowed to put their sail up in that direction. Is our data centers an issue where you are and where are you on AI and the Bernie Sanders backed kind of an AOC backed data center moratorium? Yes. Well, I love Will. We know each other from the Sunrise Movement. So go, brother. And this is an important issue here in the district. Absolutely. They're trying to build, Meta is trying to build an AI data center in the district in the Ahwatukee neighborhood as part of Phoenix.

10:17I've been standing with the community there. We've helped to organize protests. We've been pushing back. The incumbent, Greg Stanton, has been silent on the issue. He takes a ton of corporate PAC money and including money from the big tech companies that are driving this. And this is being built right within residential neighborhoods. It's homes across the street on every side. A zone commercial should be like a shopping center. Instead, it's going to be this industrial mega industrial facility. If it gets completed, we're fighting to stop it. But I think that Bernie Sanders and AOC are right that we need this moratorium on new AI data center construction to make sure that if they are being built right, they're being built in a safe way with clean power, that they're not creating issues in terms of water or local pollution, etc.

11:04but also that this transformative technology, artificial intelligence, that I think has constructive purposes we're already seeing with scientific and medical research, for example, but has, according to experts in the industry, existential risks also. We need this moratorium, and we need, in my view, negotiations toward an international treaty, bringing all the world together to create a regulatory framework to make sure that this technology benefits all of us, not just the oligarchs, and to address those existential risks. In my view, democratic socialists like myself should be thinking about how we could make something like this useful to bring down to a 30-hour work week, right?

11:40To be able to shift. We're being more productive as a society. Let's have that wealth go to all the people because really AI is a product of the collective sum of human cultural endeavor across generations. And so the benefits of that should flow to everyone, but that's not going to happen unless we stand up to the oligarchs and the military leaders, military industrial complex that are the ones driving this right out of either greed or fear to say that, no, we're going to have a democratic process led by wisdom that is going to decide what this technology is going to be and how it's going to be used and what the framework is for that.

12:13So I think it's a critical issue standing up locally in terms of impacts with data centers. It's another corporate power versus democracy and people issue, but also on the bigger front of AI. And it's moving so fast. We've got to make it a priority, even if it feels more distant in places where the data centers are not an issue. So I'm in that fight. My incumbent is not taking money from those interests. It's another reason why people are coming to support our campaign and why I believe we can win. And last question for me, I'm curious, kind of as a democratic socialist in this rising movement, rising moment, when you are coming across a voter on the street, handing out literature, you're knocking on a door, and you're trying to get them to vote for you and the kind of democratic social agenda, like, how do you frame like what's the 15 to 30 seconds, you know, when you've got a voter's attention, like what you stand for and like why you're different than the new damn corporate Democrat who's in office?

13:11Well, look, I say if we're going to deal with this cost of living crisis, if we're going to stand up to Trump's authoritarianism, we need leaders that aren't beholden to the same corporate interests that are screwing the working class over, that are running independently, that can fight, stand up for us to shift power from the oligarchs to the working class and give us a better life from Medicare for all to freezing utility rates, to getting ice off our streets forever, disbanding that agency and ending our complicity in war crimes. Democratic socialism doesn't come up very much, to be honest, but it does.

13:43I talk about Dr. King. I wrote an article about Kingian democratic socialism in 2021, pointing to his legacy as something we needed to follow in the left. And he said, as Zoran said in his campaign, call it democracy, call it democratic socialism. We need a better distribution of wealth for all God's children. We have to focus on that. I don't care what you call yourself. I'm going to be honest about what I call myself, but I'm focused on change for you and your family, for basic justice, for democracy in our country. And that's what we're doing in this race. There's no other primary in the country this month, right?

14:16We have a chance to be the next big victory following on Colorado, on New York, to continue this wave of momentum. And we're asking people from around the country to join us in this fight, to go to kaiferazy.com and be part of this. We can take out one of the most powerful corporate Dems in the country, and AIPAC is its top contributor, and continue to send a message to the Democratic Party. We don't want to be beholden to corporations anymore, or AIPAC. We want to go in a different direction. We want to start now. I can say, as somebody who's been in Washington for too long, if the chair of the New Democrat Caucus, which is basically the kind of pro-corporate wing of the party, lost on July 21st.

14:55It would be a shockwave here in Washington. So we'll find out. Kai, thanks so much for taking some time. Really appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Have a great day. Appreciate it. You got it. Take it easy. If your best finance people are doing expense reports, chasing receipts, or spending time on month-end close, it's time to get Brex AF, a gentic finance that eliminates that work before it starts. Learn more at brex.com slash AF. My name is Arnold Bogarty, and prior to me, enrolled in Rasmussen to become a nurse. I spent 16 years in the military, 12 in Special Forces, as an Army Green Beret, and I was recommended to Rasmussen by a former student.

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16:17Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. Initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes. May slow when network is busy. See terms. Joining us now is State Representative Dave Morales, who is a candidate for Providence mayor and may be the next kind of DSA-backed mayor after New York and Seattle. Are there any others that we know of? Well, we have to keep the movement going. As of right now, again, I think those are the prominent examples that we have of executive officers that have that backing of being democratic socialists.

16:52Rhode Island is such an interesting state. I will speak ill of it so you don't have to, but it is our smallest state. That's great. And by population, quite small, yet also has two senators, just like every other state. And the senators, from a Democratic kind of grassroots perspective, are often good on some things, often bad on some other things. And being a one-party state, whether it's Republican or Democrat, creates an interesting kind of political economy. because the reactionary and corporate forces have to go somewhere. And if there's only one party, then they create kind of a massive faction within that party.

17:37And for many years in Rhode Island, a very corrupt, I would argue, faction of democratic politics has been just hegemonic. But I've been covering this push in Rhode Island for almost, you know, it's been going on more than a decade now to say, wait a minute. Like, what are we doing here? Like this state's small enough. We should not actually be getting run over by just a few. Like if the many of us joined together. So Rhode Island's left has done this in fits and starts. Like, give us the kind of the insight into how you got into this and like how we got to a place where DSA might actually now, you know, take control of the most powerful position in the city, in the state's biggest city.

18:28Yeah, so I'm happy to share that there have been strides around the progressive movement all across Rhode Island really since the start of 2020. We saw a wave of state representatives and senators get elected that sent shockwaves to the political establishment. That is correct. Yeah. So we had at the time what was known as the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, which was running a slate of candidates in addition to DSA being actively involved, as was the Working Families Party. And that led to systemic change in the sense that we were able to shift the culture inside of the statehouse. I was very proud to have been elected in 2020.

18:58and during that time frame, being able to pass bold legislation around raising the minimum wage finally towards$15, being able to guarantee health care coverage to every child in our state regardless of immigration status. Like those are meaningful victories that we've been able to have and in large part, it was because of the electoral results of getting more progressives in office between 2020 to 2022. But we have seen the pendulum swing on the other side where the status quo in the political establishment has doubled down to try to stomp this progress out. Now, I'm happy to share that over the course of the last several years, our Providence City Council in particular has gotten a lot more progressive and policy oriented than ever before.

19:36This year, they put forward rent stabilization, which would cap rent hikes at 4 % a year. They passed it. Unfortunately, it was vetoed by the current mayor, who is the corporate-backed incumbent that I'm taking on. And it goes to show the strength that we've been able to demonstrate, not just in the form of more representation, but actually in the form of delivering when it comes to meaningful change. And so I'm running for mayor because right now Providence is becoming far too expensive for so many working people. And we've been building a movement unlike any other in our city where we have hundreds of volunteers that are actively knocking on doors, feeling inspired by our message of building a Providence for All.

20:12And in large part, we're doing it alongside a coalition of other council candidates and candidates for state legislature because we want to make sure that all levels of government have that level of representation of those that align with the principles of democratic socialism. And one reason I wanted to talk to you about all of this is because obviously a lot of our audience is in New York City because a lot of the public is in New York City. But it's a vast minority of the overall number of people in this country. And a lot of people who've been watching the success of the DSA and the left more broadly, populist more broadly in New York City are like, how can I do this where I am?

20:50Like how like I want to be involved in politics and I want to be able to throw overthrow the old guard. Now, Rhode Island is Rhode Island's labor movement has historically been. And you tell me how much of this is a caricature associated with the mob with kind of broad organized crime elements. Um, how yet organized labor seems to have become a real battleground for this, this fight. Um, how have you, so how, how has DSA been able to kind of DSA and the cooperative and your movement more broadly been able to kind of influence and penetrate organized labor in, in Providence? And how true is that caricature today?

21:38Does it vary by union? What is the situation with organized labor in Rhode Island now? So the same way that we've seen a shift in terms of the culture we see at the statehouse, where there's more progressive representation and action that is being met with urgency, we're seeing the same trend across organized labor. I'm really proud to share that we've been endorsed by the SEIU State Council, which represents thousands of health care and home care and child care workers. Which is kind of crazy, right? The first time in over 15 years that they had engaged in a mayoral primary in Providence. The fact that they're flexing this muscle as a part of this race speaks volume.

22:14In addition to that, we have the Providence Teachers Union that, again, in a shocking turn of events, is not supporting the incumbent. But instead is supporting our campaign because it speaks to the vision that they want to align with, which is one centered around progressive values. And that has a lot to do with some of the shifts that we've seen in organized labor in terms of leadership. So I certainly believe that that's helped contribute, but also the fact that... So you've been challenging, like, your folks, your movement has been, like, winning leadership positions in the unions and, like, organizing the members themselves.

22:45Like, what's, how have you gotten to this place? I think what we have seen over the years is just rank and file speaking up. Rank and file speaking up and recognizing that there are legislators and that there are advocates and activists on the ground. These new young people coming into the unions or these are older people who are, like, just sick of how things have been going? It's a mix of both. It's a mix of both. Those who have been a part of the union and want their union to be a lot more active and engaged as a part of the electoral process. And also beyond that, also seeing a wave of new younger members also being part of the union as well.

23:17So, again, I'm very proud to just share that SEIU State Council, the Providence Teachers Union and Local 26 from Unite here have been actively supporting us. And again, these are unions that, generally speaking, might have just stayed neutral when it came to a mayoral primary, but instead have gone behind our movement. And so I give a lot of credit to the shift in the leadership that we've seen and also their willingness to take what is otherwise seen as a quote unquote political risk, which is going up against an incumbent that is backed by corporate interests. You know, and as people organize, go door to door and like, you know, they run campaigns, volunteer for campaigns.

23:53They know that they're taking risks professionally. They're taking, you know, they're giving their time. But in some cases, like there's an actual threat going on. And I'm curious if as as your movement has grown in Providence, if any anybody has been kind of threatened or like the power structure there. where like we're saying, like, this is not a small town council where you're just going to like, they're just going to like say, oh, it seems like the political wind's blowing their way. They got more votes. I guess we're going to, you know, fold up shop here. I would imagine that they are fighting back and might be fighting back in ways beyond just the ballot box.

24:33Like, have you been threatened? Like, what's, what has it been like for people who are trying to stand up for their communities here? So power concedes nothing without demand. And we have watched as a status quo will fight tooth and nail to try to prevent any shift. Like literal tooth and nail? So what we have seen are certain city council members that essentially have corporate backed challengers. And I am talking specifically around large developers and industrial facilities that have been polluting our waterfront. These are corporate interests that do not want our movement to move forward because they don't want a cap around rent increases.

25:10They don't want us to transform the waterfront and tax industrial polluters at a higher rate. And so what we've seen are members of the Providence City Council who voted, advocated, and spoke up in regards to rent stabilization are all now facing challengers, and some of whom we are actively backing and supporting as a part of our campaign. So it's been exciting to watch that despite the fact that, yes, the status quo and the political establishment is now going on the offense, we're ready. We're ready to defend these existing legislative seats while at the same time also running candidates for open seats and recognizing that the establishment also has their series of candidates.