Trumping the Bible, Biden's Trans Proclamation, and Air Force One's Vanishing Act

WEBVTT

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Calarogu Shark Media from Washington, DC, where the only thing more sacred than

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the Constitution is apparently Donald Trump's autographed
Bible. It's time for Ballot, the

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podcast that dares to ask the hard
questions like why is the ex president selling

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a sixty dollars Bible? And who
stole the fancy plates from Air Force One.

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Hey there, Ballot believers, We've
got a jam packed show for you

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today. We'll be diving into the
wild world of politics, where apparently nothing

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is off limits, not even the
good book itself. It seems like some

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journalists have been getting a little too
cozy on Air Force One. After President

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Biden's visit to the US West Coast
in February, an inventory check revealed that

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several items had mysteriously vanished from the
press section. We're talking branded pillowcases,

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glasses, and even gold rimmed plates. But here's the thing. Taking items

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from the plane is a big no
no. The White House Correspondent's Association had

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to send out an email last month
to remind reporters that such behavior reflected poorly

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on the press pool and must stop. Apparently this isn't a new problem taking

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items with the Air Force one logo, including cutlery and towels has been commonplace

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for years, according to reports.
Now, before you start pointing fingers,

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let's be clear. Journalists are sometimes
given small packages of M and M's chocolates

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decorated with the presidential seal as a
souvenir. That's totally acceptable, but some

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reporters have taken it to the next
level. Take Misha Komodowsky, White House

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correspondent from the Voice of America,
for example, He's gathered a subtle collection

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of items from his trips on the
President's plane. I didn't embarrass anyone or

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commit any wrongdoing to put this collection
together, he told BBC News as he

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held up a paper cup with the
Air Force one logo he simply forgot to

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throw away. Sure, Misha,
we believe you. But wait, there's

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more. Gomadovski also has a box
of the presidential m and ms with mister

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Biden's signature. Spoiler alert. They
are regular m and ms in a nice

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box. He said, well,
that's a relief. We wouldn't want the

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president to be handing out subpar chocolate. Did you see Trump is selling bibles?

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Jordan Klepper asked, how does that
thing not burst into flames immediately.

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Klepper added, I know people will
say that you're not supposed to mix the

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Bible and the Constitution, but what
you have to understand is Trump has never

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read either of them. Trump getting
into business with God can only mean one

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thing. God is going to end
up bankrupt and serving a three month prison

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sentence for lying under oath. In
a scathing commentary for The Daily Beast,

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Jim Wallace accuses Donald Trump of idolatry
and heresy for his latest venture, the

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bless the USA Bible. Trump is
selling this Bible for fifty nine dollars ninety

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nine cents, a price higher than
most Bibles, and pocketing the proceeds.

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The launch of this product in the
middle of Holy Week has drawn sharp criticism

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from Wallace and other faith leaders.
Wallace asserts that Trump's focus on Blessing the

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USA contradicts Jesus's instruction to make disciples
in every nation, effectively turning nationalism into

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a form of idolatry. He also
accuses Trump of heresy, stating that the

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former president's mega movement denies the core
teachings of Jesus, such as his concern

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for the poorest and most Vulnerable,
as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount

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and Matthew twenty five. Meanwhile,
President Biden issued a proclamation recognizing March thirty

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first as Transgender Day of Visibility.
Seems pretty straightforward, right, Well,

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not if you're a Republican looking for
something to be outraged about. During Easter

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weekend, Trump's campaign accused Biden of
being insensitive to religion, with Press Secretary

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Caroline Levitt demanding an apology to millions
of Catholics and Christians across America. House

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Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, took to social media to declare that

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the Biden White House has betrayed as
a central tenet of Easter betrayed. Really,

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did Biden put the Easter eggs in
the wrong basket or something? Now,

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let's be clear, Biden is a
devout Catholic who attends Mass regularly and

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even got the Pope's Seal of approval, but that hasn't stopped conservative Christians from

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getting their robes in a twist over
his support for gay marriage and abortion rights.

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Even Caitlin Jenner is mad at Biden, tweeting I am absolutely disgusted that

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Joe Biden has declared the most holy
of Holy days, a self proclaimed devout

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Catholic, as transgender day of visibility. The only thing you should be declaring

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on this day is he has risen. Meanwhile, the Bible selling, Easter

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loving Donald Trump is gearing up for
a criminal trial on April fifteenth, where

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he's charged with improperly covering up hush
money paid to an adult film actor.

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This week's event at Radio City Music
Hall featured big names like Barack Obama,

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Stephen Colbert, and Lizzo. SNL's
Michael Chay shared, as well as lesser

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known celebrities like President Joe Biden.
Ouch. Just moments later, he referenced

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Biden's plans to visit the site of
Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, explaining

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that the purpose of the visit was
because, like that bridge, Biden is

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no longer connecting with black communities.
We're going to take a quick break to

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recharge our batteries and maybe see if
we can snag some of those coveted Air

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Force one chocolate candies with the m
on it. All right, folks,

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buckle up, because we've got a
doozy of a story from Politico that's sure

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to make you question everything you thought
you knew about third party politics. It

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all starts with a group called No
Labels. They've been trying to cobble together

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a centrist third party ticket for the
White House, and they've got the money,

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the consultants, and the ballot access
to prove it. The only thing

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they're missing a willing candidate. No
Labels has been courting everyone from Joe Mansion

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to Mitt Romney to Larry Hogan,
but so far, no one's biting,

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And according to Politico, that's because
No Labels is looking for political insurgents in

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all the wrong places. The article
argues that successful political disruptors are usually flamboyant

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entertainers, athletes, or larger than
life personalities with showy hairstyles and Olympian egos.

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Think Donald Trump, Ross Perrot,
or even Ukraine's Voladimir Zelenski. In

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other words, a Mansion Romney ticket
just isn't going to cut it. So

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who does Politico suggest No Labels should
nominate? Instead, Brace yourselves, because

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this is where it gets wild.
Their top picks include Dave Chappelle and drum

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Roll Please Julia Louis Dreyfus, who
played the vice president on the TV show

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Veep. Now, before you start
drafting your Julia Louis Dreyfus for president fan

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fiction, let's take a step back
and consider what this says about the state

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of American politics. When a respected
news outlet is seriously suggesting that a comedian

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who tells stories about hanging out with
strippers and Mick's marginalized groups would make a

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better candidate than a sitting senator,
it's clear that we've entered a new era

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of political absurdity. But hey,
who knows. Maybe Selina Meyer is exactly

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what this country needs to offer some
continuity with change, or maybe we should

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just stick to watching her on HBO
and leave the real politics to the professionals.

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Well, that's all the time we
have for today's episode of Ballot.

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We've covered everything from Trump's Holy Hustle
to Biden's proclamation predicament and Air Force one's

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missing inventory thrown in for good measure. As always, our goal is to

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bring you the most entertaining and informative
takes on the week's political news, even

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if it means ruffling a few feathers
along the way. We couldn't do it

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without our amazing team, including our
talented writers, producers, and of course

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the assistance of some cutting edge AI
technology. So until next time, keep

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questioning authority, keep laughing at the
absurdity, and keep believing that somehow,

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someway, we'll make it through this
crazy thing called democracy