Topic: White House

A 2016 clip of Barack Obama discussing a hypothetical "third term" via a front-man with an earpiece is compared to recent footage of him ignoring Joe Biden at the White House. The hosts conclude the episode by thanking final donors and sending "Mo Karma" to listeners facing health challenges.

The Biden administration released OSHA rules requiring companies with 100 or more employees to ensure full vaccination or weekly testing by January 4. Dr. Anthony Fauci testified that mandates work, citing a 99% compliance rate at United Airlines and the Houston Medical Association. The hosts critique the phrase "mandates work," suggesting it refers to the effectiveness of coercion and firing workers rather than improving public health outcomes.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discusses a "90-day sprint" to address bottlenecks at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. He admits that the issues may persist into January, potentially missing the Christmas deadline for many packages. The hosts mock the idea of telling a child that Santa will arrive on the 27th when the container finally unloads.

Speculation persists regarding whether Kamala Harris will surpass Nancy Pelosi as the most powerful woman in Washington, D.C. Observers noted the presence of Valerie Jarrett, a long-time advisor to Barack Obama, at recent White House meetings, suggesting the "Obama wing" of the Democratic Party is actively managing the Biden administration. This influence indicates a long-term strategy to position Harris or potentially Michelle Obama for future presidential runs.

Continuing the Tavis Smiley analysis, the hosts discuss how "too much deference" to Obama's symbolism prevented Black leaders from pressing a substantive agenda. They contrast this with the success of other interest groups, such as the LGBTQ community and Wall Street, who secured concrete gains during the same period.

The hosts revisit the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, where Barack Obama and Seth Meyers publicly mocked Donald Trump. They argue this event provided the "ultimate revenge" motivation for Trump to run for president and created a shared animosity between Trump and Black men who felt similarly lectured by Obama.

In 2011, Barack Obama released his long-form birth certificate from Hawaii and used the White House Correspondents' Dinner to publicly ridicule Donald Trump. Trump, who was in the audience, was mocked regarding moon landing conspiracies and his reality television career. The hosts suggest this public humiliation was the primary catalyst for Trump's serious resolve to run for president in 2016.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, reports on significant adjustments to pandemic fatality models originally produced in the United Kingdom. The Imperial College model's projection of 500,000 deaths was revised down to 20,000, a shift that the hosts argue received minimal mainstream media attention. They suggest that while Wall Street and CNBC provide more honest data due to financial stakes, other sectors like the pharmaceutical industry maintain fear-based agendas.

The Coven of the Raven Moon and other groups have organized global rituals to cast "binding spells" on President Donald Trump to prevent negative energy. Trump has frequently used the term "witch hunt" to describe investigations into his administration, which practitioners find offensive given the historical marginalization of actual witches. The hosts joke that the spells may have backfired given the strong economy.

Malcolm X explains that because white voters are often evenly divided, a unified black voting block holds the strategic power to determine who goes to the White House. The hosts apply this 1964 logic to the 2020 election, suggesting that the "monolith" of the black vote is its most valuable asset. They discuss the potential for a "negative vote" or staying home as a form of power.