Monday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Carl Cannon, Tom Bevan, and Andrew Walworth discuss NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani testing his influence by endorsing several progressive congressional candidates in tomorrow’s Democratic primaries, and how the rise of the Democratic Socialists could play out for the Democratic Party in November. The panel also breaks down Tulsi Gabbard publishing new documents about the COVID lab leak on her final day as Director of National Intelligence, and remembers former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who just died at 100. Plus, Greg Swenson of Republicans Overseas UK joins the show to break down Keir Starmer’s resignation, Andy Burnham’s likely rise, and the turmoil in British politics. Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.

00:00 – Opening: Mamdani Wields His Influence Walworth, Cannon, and Bevan discuss New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsement of three progressive congressional candidates, the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America, and whether the party’s leftward energy will help or hurt Democrats in 2026. Walworth begins the conversation, “I just want to note before we start, he starts this speech by quoting Antonio Gramsci, the founder of the Italian Communist Party and really the father of this idea that the communist revolution will come by destroying Western cultural institutions… The full quote continues: ‘Now is the time of monsters,’ and then he goes right into talking about AIPAC.” Watch: Mamdani: “The Old World Is Dying, And The New World Struggles To Be Born” “Are you surprised by that? Mamdani quoting a communist?” Bevan joked. “Democrats have really accepted the line that AIPAC is the sort of bogeyman of Democratic primary politics.” “AOC is the sort of Rosetta Stone. She was the template, right?” Bevan continued. “I can see AOC winning the nomination. I really can. And I think she would be a candidate who Republicans would dismiss at their own peril.” *** 17:05 – What Starmer’s Resignation Means The panel is joined by Greg Swenson, the chairman of Republicans Overseas UK, to discuss UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing that he plans to resign as head of the Labour Party before the next election. Swenson argues that Starmer’s expected replacement, Andy Burnham, is a more natural politician than Starmer but also more left-wing, potentially making him a stronger foil for Reform and the Conservatives in 2029. Watch: UK PM Keir Starmer to Resign: “I Inherited A Labour Party That Was Politically, Financially, And Morally Bankrupt” “This is going to be the seventh prime minister in 10 years,” Swenson said. “It started with Brexit, which triggered David Cameron’s resignation. But it’s similar to the U.S. It’s a 50-50 country, and now, they have multiple parties, so the votes aren’t 50-50. Labour won a massive majority with 34% of the vote, but it’s still really splintered. On the other hand, people are so upset with the performance.” “I think you’ll see a lot more personality from Andy Burnham, but Keir Starmer was just completely useless,” he added. “He had this gift, though, of speaking in platitudes, where he could do a 10 or 15-minute speech and say nothing. You’d come away from the talk knowing nothing you didn’t know already. He was just the king of platitudes.” *** 33:33 – DNI Gabbard’s Fauci Bombshell The group turns to Tulsi Gabbard accusing Anthony Fauci and intelligence officials of suppressing the truth about COVID’s lab-leak origin on her final day as director of national intelligence. Tom Bevan calls Fauci’s conduct reprehensible, while Carl Cannon says the episode shows the dangers of reckless gain-of-function research and the censorship of dissenting voices. Watch: Tulsi Gabbard: Anthony Fauci Lied About Funding Gain-of-Function Research “Fauci turns out to be a really, really nefarious character in this COVID drama,” Bevan said. “He was the main culprit in this whole drama, it looks like, and instrumental in the cover-up. And not only that, he did it with this sort of smarmy indignance. ‘I am science. If you criticize me, you’re criticizing science.’ Just so reprehensible.” “We should remember that President Biden gave him a pardon that goes back to January 1, 2014,” Andrew Walworth added. *** 40:23 – WaPo’s Strangely Timed Tulsi Hit Piece The conversation moves on to the timing of a new Washington Post story about Tulsi Gabbard’s relationship with Hindu leader Chris Butler. Tom Bevan and Carl Cannon speculate about why it appeared just as Gabbard was leaving office rather than during her confirmation hearings or during her time as DNI. Washington Post: “Tulsi Gabbard, Her Guru, And The Mysterious Messages That Helped Shape Her Political Career” “The most interesting thing about it is the timing. She’s leaving office,” Cannon said. “She’s leaving because of her husband’s health. Nobody’s questioning that. She’s not been forced out, that we know of.” *** 43:50 – Legendary Economist Dies at 100 The episode ends with a remembrance of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who died this week at 100. Andrew Walworth recalls being in the room for Greenspan’s famous irrational exuberance speech, while Carl Cannon remembers Greenspan’s role in the Reagan-era Social Security reform effort. “He was a great patriot during the Reagan administration,” Carl Cannon said. “He was the guy who headed the commission that saved Social Security for a time.” “Now it needs another fix. We don’t have Greenspan around now,” he said. “Twenty-five years is a long time in politics to fix a problem. It didn’t last forever, but it was a good fix. And Greenspan was the sort of steady hand who saw it through.”

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