In short
The episode attacks Pete Hegseth (described as a devout Christian nationalist and alleged untreated alcoholic) for alleged lies and incompetence regarding the U.S. Iran war, including claims that earlier justifications about nuclear threats were false, and for seeking to rename the Pentagon/DoD as the “Department of War.” It also argues the war’s purpose is to benefit Benjamin Netanyahu and support Trump’s political goals.
Guest backgrounds
No guest names or bios are provided in the transcript; the episode is presented as a commentary/host-driven segment.
Key claims
Hegseth contradicted himself on Iran’s nuclear threat; war costs are minimized/ignored (e.g., $25B estimate for “Operation Epic Fury”); he allegedly disbanded a civilian-casualty investigation office; he would follow illegal orders to deploy troops to polling places; MAGA is portrayed as racist, hypocritical, and pro-militarization.
Notable examples
Clips about “Operation Midnight Hammer” leaving conditions unchanged; questions about strike costs after an Iranian school killing; claims about troops at polling locations; references to Mark Kelly’s legality stance; Axios reporting on Trump urging “surgical” action in Lebanon; claims Netanyahu’s disrespect and alleged Israel war crimes (e.g., “double tap” killing rescue workers).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOCritique of Pete Hegseth's Competence
1:11 to 2:31
Discussion on Pete Hegseth's qualifications and actions in the Department of Defense.
“Devout Christian nationalist and alleged untreated alcoholic defense secretary, we refuse to say the Department of War out of spite and out of respect for our country.”
Lies About the Iran War
2:31 to 4:15
Examining discrepancies in the justification for the war in Iran presented by Hegseth.
“He is unqualified to run the Department of Defense because he wants to call it the Department of War.”
Costs of War and American Taxpayers
4:15 to 6:15
Analyzing the financial implications of the Iran war on American citizens.
“I would simply ask you what the cost is of an Iranian nuclear bomb.”
Hypocrisy in MAGA Politics
6:15 to 8:30
A critical look at the contradictions within the MAGA movement and its leaders.
“In June, we said we obliterated all their ability.”
Military and Law Compliance Issues
8:30 to 11:12
Discussing the military's obligations to uphold the law and the current political climate.
“They just gutted the Civil Rights Act because all of MAGA is a racist regime.”
The Role of AI and Economic Implications
11:12 to 13:08
Exploring the intersection of AI, war crimes, and the economic impact on the stock market.
“Everyday Americans are resisting against this.”
Trump and the Autocratic Takeover
15:28 to 18:03
Analyzing Trump's selection of sycophants and its implications for governance.
“important part as we study the autocratic takeover of this.”
Netanyahu's Disrespect Towards Trump
18:04 to 20:40
Discussing the apparent lack of respect Netanyahu has for Trump and its broader implications.
“And what's so terrifying about all of this is when you get into Palantir, they are embedding themselves into the federal government, the deep state that Trump warned everybody about.”
Transcript
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1:11Devout Christian nationalist and alleged untreated alcoholic defense secretary, we refuse to say the Department of War out of spite and out of respect for our country. Of course, I'm talking about Pete Hegseth. He is so incompetent that he publicly admitted the stated reason for the U.S. getting into the war in Iran has always been a lie. Let's play the clip. ...underground. They're buried and watching them 24-7. So we know where any nuclear material might be. Be claiming my time for just a quick second here. We had to start this war, you just said, 60 days ago because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat.
1:55Now you're saying that it was completely obliterated? They had not given up their nuclear ambitions, and they had a conventional shield of thousands of - So Operation Midnight Hammer, a calm moment, nothing of substance. It left us at exactly the same place we were before. So as you can see, like when these guys get out of their bubble, when they get outside of these sycophantic, brown nosing board meetings with Donald Trump, all of their logic, everything completely falls apart. Here's the thing with Pete Hexeth. He is unqualified to run a nonprofit as he has run to and to the ground. He is unqualified to run the Department of Defense because he wants to call it the Department of War.
2:40And in a time of war that's costing billions and billions of dollars every day, he wants to legally change the name to the Department of War. This is not a serious person. This is a person that loves to watch people die. He has no ability to demonstrate and articulate what the goals of this war are because there are none other than him to feel like he's a big, strong, powerful guy for the first time in his pathetic life. And we're also learning more about the cost of war. Let's play the clip. At this day, we're spending about$25 billion on Operation Epic Fury. Most of that is munitions. There's part of that is obviously O &M and equipment replacement.
3:25We will formulate a supplemental through the White House that will come to Congress once we have a full assessment of the cost of the conflict. So you're saying the full cost at this point is$25 billion? Yeah, that's our estimate for the cost. Okay. Interesting, because I'm glad you answered that question, because we've been asking for a hell of a long time and no one's given us the number. And Pete Hexeth has made it clear that he doesn't give a shit how much this is costing American taxpayers. Let's play the clip. It cost American taxpayers in terms of the strike to the Iranian school where kids were killed.
3:56Do you have that number in terms of the missiles we used? As I've said, that unfortunate situation remains under investigation. You don't know how much it costs, but I wouldn't tie a cost to that to anything. It's a reasonable question. No, sir. I mean, our taxpayer money was going there. Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of the Iran war? I would simply ask you what the cost is of an Iranian nuclear bomb. I'm going to give you that. I would simply ask you what the plane gotcha questions about domestic things.
4:30I'm not you're asking you're saying it's a gotcha question to ask what it's going to be in terms of the increase. Why won't you ask what it costs to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb? I give you that. All right. it's important to point out the hypocrisy here pete hegseth is a jesus guy he's a jesus first guy he always talks about his faith he trots out his crazy uh white nationalist anti-woman pastor he has an idea for america that is eliminating minorities he's already demoting and or firing black people that are far more qualified than this guy will ever be. And so the hypocrisy on stage that MAGA uses to both Christian signal, and at the same time as they get their cult in, oh, we're doing it for Jesus, they do the exact opposite.
5:20They're total hypocrites. And Pete Hexeth, like so many people in the Trump regime, have failed forward. This guy is a failure. but because the color of his skin and the asses that he kisses, he rides coattails and fails forward. This is not a person that is qualified or accomplished. And you can look no further than the fact of who does he want to beat down? Women. He wants to beat down black people. He wants to beat down gay people while at the same time acting so cowardly, he wants to act like a badass. And And this is the crux of the MAGA movement. This is the crux of it. Just layered hypocrisy, layered duplicity.
6:03Pops. The bombastic language that he comes out with is just a script because he doesn't have any answers. And I'll tell you what I've had it with. I have fucking had it acting like Iran was going to launch a nuclear missile at the United States the day they were bombed. In June, we said we obliterated all their ability. Now he's talking about nuclear ambitions. Bitch, my ambition is that you would be impeached. That doesn't mean it's going to happen. This is craziness and throwing so much money at this. And I just want to remind everyone, Pete Hegseth disbanded the office that would investigate how civilians are killed in war.
6:46And I believe he did that because he has absolutely zero give a about civilians being murdered with his bombs because he is bloodthirsty. Yeah, and it's my opinion. I believe Pete Hexeth is a war criminal. I think he is flagrant about his war crimes. And the sole purpose of this war with Iran is twofold. Number one, to placate to Benjamin Netanyahu. And number two, Trump wants to be at war because he thinks that it will help him in the midterms and will help him usurp the Constitution and somehow have some third term. Hexeth was also asked if he would follow orders to deploy troops to the polls if the president ordered it.
7:34Let's play the clips. Follow the orders of the president, yes or no? The president, you like to insinuate that the president issued legal orders. It's a simple question. Who would you follow, the president or the Constitution? I will note that in 2024, troops were depleted. Joe Biden, by the way. Joe Biden, were deployed to polling locations in 15 states. 2024, Joe Biden, troops deployed to polling locations in 15 states. Explain that one to me. All right, this is a lie. He just lied right there. Biden did not order troops to polling locations. Some governors of individual states deployed the National Guard.
8:10They provided cybersecurity support and stood by for potential post-election unrest, largely away from the actual polling places. A presidential deployment order is illegal under federal law. And you have to understand what they're doing. What Trump is doing is he wants to stay in power. The Supreme Court is assisting him. They just gutted the Civil Rights Act because all of MAGA is a racist regime. Full stop, period, end of discussion. If anybody you know still supports MAGA, I guarantee you, under a polygraph and truth serum, it's going to reveal that these people are uniquely and overtly racist.
8:52And Trump and Hexeth and all of the others, they are using ICE to prime the public for a militaristic state. We watched people get shot, called a fucking bitch, no investigations, no arrests, no accountability. So they have shown the public, this is what we get to do. If we don't like what you say, we're going to shoot you, call you a fucking bitch, and we're going to move right on down the road. So ICE is going to be at the polls, but make no mistake. We know from Trump 1.0, he wants to use the military. He wants generals like Hitler had. He is going to use the military against U.S. citizens.
9:36That's why there's so much firing going on at the Pentagon. That's why Hegseth is firing all of these seasoned, experienced veterans that want to uphold the Constitution. In MAGA, upholding the Constitution is disloyal because they are more loyal to a toddler senior citizen than they are to the country. Well, I would just say look no further than Pete Hegseth's reaction to Mark Kelly, the group of them, but particularly Mark Kelly, who is a military. I think he was a I mean, he was an astronaut. He did all these things in the military. Pete Hegseth goes after him because he reiterated soldiers do not have to break the law.
10:21If they are ordered to break the law, they don't have to do it. And the meltdown at the Pentagon and in the Trump administration tells me they have no intention of following the law. They have no intention of following the Constitution because they tried to reduce Mark Kelly's rank and pension because he reiterated what legality is for these soldiers. It's ridiculous. They also tried to indict these Congress people and senators that spoke out. And grand jurors, everyday Americans denied this. And so when this seems overwhelming because they have so much in their arsenal, they have the Supreme Court, which ironically has a black conservative justice that votes against everything that led him to have this powerful position.
11:10They have the military. They have all of these weapons, literal weapons at their disposal. Everyday Americans are resisting against this. And you can look no further than what happened in Hungary, the defeat of Viktor Orban. And so it's important as we feel helpless and hopeless to remember that we, the people still have the power. And just a prediction that I have. Right now, Republicans are still supporting all of the war crimes and illegal activities of Donald Trump because the Magnificent Seven, which are these AI groups, are upholding the S &P 500 and the Dow because they are exchanging trillions of dollars to keep the stock market up.
11:56It's not going to be tenable with the oil situation that's happening in the Strait of Hormuz. And when these stocks plummet, and they will, Republicans always, always, always lead us to war and tank the stock market. That's when the country club Republicans will be upset. And that's when Republican politicians, both in the House and Senate, will be like, oh, yeah, he seems to not be America first anymore. And that's the reason these AI companies are propping up the stock market so much. It's a Ponzi scheme right now, and it is bound to crash and crash spectacularly. While all this is going on, Trump is posting the following on Lye Social at 4 a.m.
12:47Pop this up. Iran can't get their act together. They don't know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better get smart soon. no more Mr. Nice Guy with him in a photo shop holding a weapon. And I just want to point out to everybody, and it's just so exhausting saying this stuff. We had a nuclear agreement that the black president put together that was working. Inspectors were able to go in and it was working. And Donald Trump, everything that Obama touched, wants to rip it up because he wants everything to be his, even your passport. He wants your passport to be his. Well, and here's the deal. This bombastic, I'm such a tough guy.
13:31It works for the lie social people. Like they think it's cool and they think, oh, he's a big guy. I think that the universe at large, like internationally, globally, when this stuff gets out to make sure he just looks like a dipshit. I mean, Iran has rubbed our nose in the shit that we have created militarily, domestically, economically. And so this post just makes him look like the asshole that he is and why he doesn't understand that. I mean, we know why, but it's just, it's stunning to me that no one around him realizes how ridiculous this is. All right, listener, do not freak out, but I know a lot of you sitting here watching and listening have not done jack to get your mother a mother's day gift i have a solution for you immediately head to aura frames or frames are the best gift they feel so personal so intentional basically it's a picture frame that has free unlimited storage you can add as many photos and videos as you want and you can preload them in case your mother is not very tech savvy you can personalize your gift and add a message.
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15:27Well, no, by design, he's picked sycophants and loyalists, and that's a very important part as we study the autocratic takeover of this. There is no sane voice in the room. Nobody is going to say, hey, that post is really immature. That post is unbecoming a president. He learned that lesson in Trump 1.0. I do not want adults in the room. He's admittedly said, I like hanging out with losers. By design, scholars have told us they pick incompetent people. And so this is stunning here. And more than 60 days into the war, Trump still thinks Netanyahu gives a shit as to what he has to say. Here's some reporting from Axios.
16:09President Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should only take surgical military action in Lebanon and avoid a full resumption of the war. Trump told Axios in a phone interview. Why it matters. The ceasefire Trump helped broker in Lebanon is being only partially observed and officials in both Israel and Lebanon are concerned it will collapse entirely before it's due to expire mid-May. There has been no progress in launching Israel-Lebanon peace talks despite Secretary of State Lil Marco Rubio hosting two meetings with the respective ambassadors. years. My takeaway from all of this, growing up in a red state surrounded by a bunch of white country club Republicans that are all about national security and fiscal responsibility, is the MAGA regime is completely displaying American weakness and incompetence all day, every day.
17:11The MAGA Republican Party has exposed fully the lies of the Republican Party that they're such great ambassadors for the economy and they're so fiscal. They're great businessmen. We're white guys. We know how to make some good money. They spend money that they cannot pay. They rob money from working class Americans to give it to the most parasitic bedwetting class imaginable, the billionaire bedwetters who have zero gratitude and are up beyond all comprehension on video all the time that Alex Karp from Palantir always seems coked up. Elon Musk down at K-hole at all times. Peter Thiel is always sweating like a whore in church.
18:01I don't know what the fuck he's on. But these guys think that working class Americans owe them something and they are exempt from anything. And what's so terrifying about all of this is when you get into Palantir, they are embedding themselves into the federal government, the deep state that Trump warned everybody about. They are it. They are the Death Star. They have fired all of the objective civil servants and put in all of these really dark, nefarious forces. You know, it's interesting to me, fascinating really is a better word, that it is so obvious that Netanyahu has zero respect for Trump, that he can do whatever the fuck he wants to do.
18:46And Trump's not going to do anything about it. I'm surprised at this point that that's not more of a topic of conversation in Republican circles, because it is objectively true. Netanyahu doesn't give a fuck what Trump says. And further, Netanyahu doesn't give a shit about America or Americans. He sees us as a piggy bank that can fund his genocide and his homicide. The disrespect and the just downright using of hardworking Americans income that have no choice, no tax loopholes whatsoever, no healthcare, no higher education is so immoral on its face. And then when the money gets over there, what they do with it is jaw dropping.
19:33Pop this up, Kylie. Israel kills three rescue workers in Lebanon. Israel double tap strike kills three rescue workers. This is just war crime on top of war crime on top of war crime. But Trump thinks we should cut this genocidal, homicidal, piece of shit user, Benjamin Netanyahu. He thinks we should cut him some slack. Pop this up. Axios is reporting. Trump claims Netanyahu pardon would make Israel president a national hero. Well, you know, if you notice Trump, the people that he likes and that he admires are war criminals. Benjamin Netanyahu, the guy from Saudi Arabia that dismembered Jamal Khashoggi, put him in acid, disintegrated him and poured him down the drain.
20:27Vladimir Putin, and on and on. This is incredible American weakness on display in the worship of these two-bit fascist dictators. Why? Because our government is now in the throes of becoming a fascist dictatorship at the assist of all of these, you know, Jesus people like Pete Hegg Seth. It's just the hypocrisy is overwhelming. All right, that's all we have. Like, subscribe, and we'll We'll be back later with more news.
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Pete Hegseth floundered and lied in front of congress in hearing regarding the Iran war.
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