The StoneZONE with Roger Stone - The Stone Zone ｜ 06-26-26

00:00:00.000 A Safer Ontario means more police and prosecutors making sure my car doesn't get stolen.

00:00:05.000 It means building new jails to keep criminals behind bars.

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00:00:21.000 Learn how at Ontario.ca slash Safer Ontario. Paid for by the Government of Ontario.

00:00:30.400 The Stone Zone, entertaining and informative on the Red Apple Podcast Network.

00:00:37.580 You are now entering the Stone Zone.

00:00:40.720 John Bolton, once President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor,

00:00:45.300 who became a backstabber after flaming out spectacularly in that role,

00:00:50.280 has now pled guilty to illegally retaining classified national security information

00:00:55.480 from his time in the first Trump administration. 0.82

00:00:58.180 I used to play in a floating crap game in Washington, D.C. with Bolton. He wasn't much 0.82

00:01:03.540 of a poker player either. Bolton pled guilty to one count under an agreement that could

00:01:08.820 bring up to 60 months in prison and requires him to pay a $2.25 million fine. That amount is

00:01:16.260 nearly equal to the reported sales from his anti-Trump memoir, The Room Where It Happened,

00:01:22.380 which he published in 2020 after leaving the Trump White House.

00:01:26.880 The case centered on classified information that Bolton admitted keeping in a private diary entry.

00:01:33.700 Prosecutors had originally brought an 18-count indictment,

00:01:37.840 accusing him of retaining more than 1,000 pages of classified national defense material,

00:01:43.940 including documents marked secret and top secret.

00:01:46.900 He was also accused of transmitting classified information through personal email accounts that unauthorized family members could access.

00:01:56.140 Now, Bolton had initially pled not guilty, but his attorney, Abby Lowell, who more recently represented Hunter Biden, argued that the records were personal diary material, unclassified, shared only with immediate family and already known to the FBI years earlier.

00:02:14.280 But the guilty plea makes it clear that there was more to Bolton's story.

00:02:19.100 The mustachioed warmonger spent years attacking President Trump and presenting himself as a guardian of national security judgment.

00:02:28.120 The truth is, this guy never met a war he didn't like.

00:02:31.820 President Trump mostly ignored him when he served in the administration.

00:02:35.400 In the aftermath, Bolton weaponized sensitive information tied to his government service for personal gain.

00:02:42.300 No one should be above the law, especially former officials lecturing the country about principle, responsibility, national security, and integrity while being grotesquely corrupt.

00:02:54.040 Let's hope the courts throw the book at Bolton and he has to serve the maximum jail time.

00:02:59.620 Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is showing signs of renewed political momentum heading into the midterm election season, with new polling indicating his approval rating is moving upward.

00:03:09.660 A new poll by Rasmussen puts Trump's approval rating at 46 percent, his highest mark in many

00:03:16.820 months, a notable sign that support is returning as voters weigh his leadership on the economy,

00:03:22.920 national security and foreign policy. While the political environment remains competitive,

00:03:28.320 the numbers suggest that President Trump is regaining ground at a critical moment for

00:03:33.540 Republicans. There's also movement among independent voters. A Quinnipiac poll released

00:03:38.660 Wednesday found Trump's approval rating among independents has climbed to 34 percent, his

00:03:44.100 strongest showing with that group since December. That still leaves room for growth, there's no

00:03:49.180 question, but it marks improvement from earlier surveys that showed independents pulling back

00:03:54.200 over concerns about the economy as well as foreign affairs. The White House says the president is

00:04:00.500 focused on leadership, not polls. Presidential spokesperson Davis Engel said Americans want

00:04:08.540 a commander-in-chief who acts decisively to eliminate threats and to keep the country safe.

00:04:14.480 He pointed out operations Epic Fury and Midnight Hammer and Trump's pledge to prevent Iran from

00:04:20.820 developing a nuclear weapon as examples of that approach. The proposed peace plan with Iran

00:04:27.060 after obliterating the nuclear threat and decapitating the regime is also shown to be 0.82

00:04:32.800 tremendously popular, according to all polls. Voters may disagree on tactics, but they recognize

00:04:38.880 a president willing to act in America's interest to defend national security, close our borders,

00:04:44.760 and project strength on the world stage. The people know that President Trump is not someone

00:04:50.240 who's going to be bullied, and that is something they can respect. As the midterms approach,

00:04:55.120 rising approval numbers give Republicans an important boost and show that President Trump's

00:04:59.720 America first agenda really still has legs. The radical Democrats will be defeated and I think

00:05:06.020 that Republicans will gain in both houses despite what some panicans may be saying today. Meanwhile

00:05:13.360 Trump border czar Tom Homan says the administration is preparing to add 1,000

00:05:18.380 new immigration agents marking another major step in President Trump's crackdown on illegal

00:05:24.980 immigration. Speaking Friday at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Conference,

00:05:31.420 Homan said the administration has already had a historic number of deportations. He told the

00:05:37.380 crowd that 10,000 more agents should be on board by the end of next month, then added,

00:05:42.820 wait until next year. Homan also defended the men and women of ICE, who he said have faced

00:05:48.300 constant attacks from left-wing politicians and activists simply for doing their job and

00:05:53.840 enforcing the law. He sent ICE agents strap on a firearm and Kevlar vests every day to arrest the

00:06:01.060 worst of the worst, only to be smeared by members of Congress as Gestapo or secret police. His

00:06:08.300 response was blunt. ICE is enforcing laws Congress itself wrote. If politicians call agents racist

00:06:15.460 for enforcing those laws, what does it say about the lawmakers who created and voted for them?

00:06:21.360 President Trump also touted his administration's enforcement record, saying ICE and Border Patrol have achieved the highest average daily arrest rate, detention totals, final removal orders and removals of any president in history.

00:06:36.580 He said court delays are slowing down some final orders, but the administration's numbers remain unmatched.

00:06:42.480 There are historical accomplishments that form the core of President's MAGA legacy.

00:06:48.300 After years of open border chaos, America finally has leadership willing to enforce immigration law,

00:06:54.600 back federal agents, remove criminal illegal aliens, and put the safety of American citizens first.

00:07:01.500 ICE is gearing up to do the mass deportations that are needed to save America for generations to come.

00:07:07.360 Any illegals who've been able to evade justice up to now better watch out. 0.96

00:07:11.300 ICE will be coming to their door soon to send them back where they belong.

00:07:16.400 House Democrats, on the other hand, are bracing for a much more radical caucus in

00:07:20.620 2027 as Democratic Socialists and far-left candidates rack up primary victories not just

00:07:27.460 in New York but across the country. The number of Democratic Socialists of America members in

00:07:32.860 Congress is set to more than double after Tuesday's New York primaries. State Assemblymember Claire

00:07:39.820 Valdez won the seat of retiring Congresswoman Nidia Velasquez, the only other Nidia I know

00:07:46.660 other than my wife, Nidia Stone, while extreme Marxist activist Daria Villa of Villa Chevalier

00:07:53.860 defeated Congressman Adriano Espalé. They're expected to join figures like AOC, Rashida Tlaib,

00:08:01.640 and Pennsylvania's Chris Rabb. But the broader left-wing wave goes beyond official DSA,

00:08:09.040 Democrats, Socialists of America members. Progressive candidates have scored wins in

00:08:13.340 New Jersey, Texas, California, and Maine, while several others position to challenge incumbent

00:08:19.480 Democrats yet in primaries coming up in California, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, and Michigan.

00:08:26.960 Democrats are growing increasingly concerned. Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York,

00:08:33.360 actually criticized the mayor socialist mandami for blowing up the democrat establishment if you

00:08:41.340 can't get to the left of letitia james and not fall off the earth where can you go democrats

00:08:47.320 realize that this is a huge problem coming into general elections they're growingly concerned

00:08:54.040 congressman steve cohen uh the only guy i know has a ponytail but he's bald uh warns it'll be

00:09:00.840 difficult to rein in lawmakers who are religion adherents to a socialist ideology. One House

00:09:06.900 Democrat said voters are electing candidates who want to fight but not solve problems. Another

00:09:12.400 warned that they could become Freedom Caucus of the left. Some progressives are already coordinating

00:09:17.480 and talking about using leverage against party leadership, especially if Democrats only hold a

00:09:23.180 narrow majority. This shows that the Democratic Party is not drifting left, it is being held

00:09:27.680 hostage by the far left, which will stop at nothing to achieve more government control,

00:09:32.660 more woke ideological mandates, and fewer moderate common sense solutions.

00:09:37.920 Democrat leaders are figuring out that they've created a monster that now threatens to consume

00:09:42.380 them. As voters get to learn more about these leftists, they will realize that perhaps voting

00:09:46.940 for Republicans is the only sane option. New Census Bureau data shows the South is leading

00:09:52.700 America's population growth, outpacing every other region from 2020 to 2025. According to the Bureau,

00:10:01.120 the South grew by 6 percent over that period, nearly double the national growth of 3.1 percent.

00:10:07.540 Even more telling, the South was the only region where the population under 18 increased, growing

00:10:13.040 by 1.1 percent, while the Northeast, Midwest, and West all saw declines among children. Census

00:10:19.800 officials say the region's gains are being driven largely by metro counties, especially outlying

00:10:25.380 counties surrounding the major cities. Those areas grew quickly across every age group, suggesting

00:10:31.020 the South is attracting and retaining families, workers, retirees, and young adults. Lauren Bowers,

00:10:38.020 chief of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Branch, said shifting migration, fertility patterns,

00:10:43.680 and the aging of baby boomers are changing the country's demographic map. But she noted the South

00:10:49.140 stands out because it's gaining residence in age groups that are flat or declining elsewhere in the

00:10:54.980 country. Conservatives don't need to hear from experts as to why this is happening. It's the

00:10:59.980 result of failed liberal policies. As a result, Americans are voting with their feet. They're

00:11:05.520 moving towards states and communities that generally offer lower taxes, more affordable

00:11:09.780 housing, stronger job growth, warmer business climates, and in many cases, more respect for

00:11:15.780 family life and personal freedom. While blue state leaders piously lecture the country from their

00:11:21.720 ivory towers, regular people are leaving high-cost, over-regulated regions where the laws are soft on

00:11:27.660 crime and building their futures in the greener pastures of the South. Perhaps the folks who say

00:11:32.680 the South will rise again, well, maybe they were on to something after all. A new analysis is

00:11:38.160 demonstrating major political bias in artificial intelligence, finding that several leading chat

00:11:43.080 bots lean left when answering basic policy questions. According to this new report,

00:11:47.420 OpenAI's chat GPT produced the most one-sided responses of any model tested. Its GPT 5.5 system

00:11:56.760 reportedly answered about 80% of political questions using only left-leaning arguments

00:12:01.380 while presenting an exclusively right-leaning position only one time. Anthropics Claude,

00:12:06.900 China's Deep Seek and Ira's Gab also tended to give left-wing answers.

00:12:12.700 Google's Gemini and XAI's Grok came closest to balance,

00:12:17.980 with Gemini offering competing arguments in more than 90% of its responses.

00:12:22.660 Researchers from Stanford and Dartmouth developed the questions

00:12:25.680 covering issues like affirmative action, taxes, health care, campaign finance, and the Electoral College.

00:12:32.600 In examples cited throughout the study, JAT-GPT favored overturning Citizens United, raising taxes on wealthy Americans, abolishing the Electoral College, and adopting a single-payer health care system.

00:12:45.220 President Trump has repeatedly warned that AI must not become another left-wing institution shaping public opinion from behind a screen.

00:12:53.300 His administration has already ordered federal agencies to procure artificial intelligence systems that function as neutral, nonpartisan tools.

00:13:01.260 If Americans are going to rely on AI for information, those systems cannot quietly feed progressive talking points while pretending to be objective or factual.

00:13:10.500 These are the most powerful tools that shape minds and public opinions that have ever been created.

00:13:15.540 AI must be transparent, accountable, and generally politically neutral.

00:13:19.640 Trump administration should not be shy about crafting federal regulations that make sure AI does not become another tool just used for left-wing brainwashing.

00:13:29.440 I'm Roger Stone. You're listening to The Stone Zone. When we come back, the rent freeze that I was predicted before the last mayoral election has happened with the Muslim socialist mayor, Soray Mandemi, leading the charge. I'm Roger Stone. You're listening to The Stone Zone. Don't go away because we'll be right back.

00:13:51.120 The Stone Zone. Entertaining and informative on the Red Apple Podcast Network.

00:13:57.080 And you're back in the Stone Zone.

00:14:00.700 New York City's Rent Guidelines Board is voted 7-1 to freeze rents on roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments for up to two years,

00:14:09.460 handling the far-left Muslim Socialist Mayor Zoran Mamdami a major win on one of his central campaign promises.

00:14:16.200 The freeze applies to both one-year and two-year leases beginning in October, affecting 2.5 million New York City residents.

00:14:24.200 Mamdami appointed six of the board's nine members after taking office in January.

00:14:29.060 Hours before the vote, Landlord Representative Christina Smith, appointed by the previous mayor, resigned and said the rebuilt board had been required to deliver a rent freeze, calling the process nothing more than theater.

00:14:41.620 Landlord groups warned the decision ignores economic reality.

00:14:45.460 The board's own data showed operating costs and expenses for landlords rising by 5.3 percent.

00:14:51.500 Small property owners say a 0% increase will make it harder to maintain buildings, pay mortgages, cover taxes, and keep aging, rent-stabilized housing from deteriorating.

00:15:02.240 Meanwhile, Manadami called the vote a historic victory for tenants, but the inevitable consequences will be government freezing private rents while costs keep rising.

00:15:11.020 Then owners will take the blame when buildings decline in livable housing contracts.

00:15:15.660 This is the problem with socialist housing policy.

00:15:18.200 It promises affordability, but punishes property owners.

00:15:22.220 It discourages investment and expands political control over private property.

00:15:27.620 But Mamdami doesn't care about the results.

00:15:29.780 He's a demagogue and he will explore any crisis to further his anti-capitalist narrative.

00:15:35.160 New York City may be functional for the time being, but Mamdami has only begun to put a stamp on the city.

00:15:40.500 Get ready to endure some of the most incomprehensible policies the nation has ever seen. 1.00

00:15:46.080 New York City will rue the day they trusted this shifty foreign outsider. 1.00

00:15:51.040 High taxes and soft on crime policies will only inevitably lead to a decline in the quality of life and to employers leaving New York City. 1.00

00:16:01.220 Meanwhile, the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is now openly pushing Canada away from the United States and towards Europe.

00:16:07.860 Using familiar language, it should concern every American who believes in national sovereignty.

00:16:13.980 In recent remarks, Carney argued that middle-powered countries should stop competing for favor with America.

00:16:20.520 Instead, build strength among like-minded allies.

00:16:23.760 He described Canada and Europe as a combined force for good, emphasizing human rights, dignity, and pluralism.

00:16:30.440 Carney went even further, declaring a new world order.

00:16:34.080 Where have we heard that one before?

00:16:35.260 His exact term, by the way, will be built starting with Europe and calling Canada the most European of non-European countries.

00:16:42.620 His government is now seeking deeper cooperation with the European Union as trade tensions with the Trump administration continue.

00:16:49.580 This helps explain Canada's basic absence from the key trade talks recently had.

00:16:53.860 Canada is now the only G7 country reportedly facing a recession, while the United States remains the world's dominant consumer market, accounting for roughly 30% of global consumer spending.

00:17:06.260 President Trump's tariffs and trade negotiations are aimed at correcting decades of bad deals that hollowed out American manufacturing under the banner of globalization.

00:17:16.040 Meanwhile, our neighbors to the north are whining and threatening to isolate the U.S.

00:17:21.880 And we should never be strong-armed or manipulated by our inferiors.

00:17:27.020 I'm Roger Stone. You're listening to Stone Zone.

00:17:29.280 Don't go away because we'll be right back to talk about Gavin Newsom. 0.98

00:17:33.060 He'd like to be president, but his hypocrisy is revolting. 0.97

00:17:40.040 The Stone Zone. Entertaining and informative. 0.98

00:17:43.800 on the Red Apple Podcast Network.

00:17:47.100 Welcome back into the Stone Zone.

00:17:49.180 I'm your host, Roger Stone.

00:17:51.340 California Governor Gavin Newsom

00:17:53.180 is trying to have it both ways on taxes

00:17:55.120 as he attempts to worm his way

00:17:57.300 into the presidency in 2028.

00:18:00.420 Newsom says he will vote no

00:18:02.080 on a proposed California wealth tax

00:18:04.440 headed for the November ballot.

00:18:06.640 He argues the measure locks too much money

00:18:08.740 into spending categories,

00:18:10.440 leaves out schools, housing,

00:18:12.060 public safety, health care, and universities, and should not let one advocacy group rewrite the tax

00:18:18.140 code. That part sounds almost reasonable, but then comes the hypocrisy. Newsom does not oppose

00:18:24.000 punishing wealth. He just wants Washington, D.C. to do it instead of someone else so they can take

00:18:29.740 the political hit for the consequences. In the same argument, Newsom calls for a national

00:18:34.860 billionaire's tax, higher corporate taxes, new inheritance taxes, and an attack on borrowing

00:18:40.880 against assets, even a national public equity fund tied to artificial intelligence. So in other

00:18:47.540 words, he rejects California's wealth tax because billionaires might flee to Texas or California

00:18:53.540 or Florida, but then demands a federal version so no one can escape. This is the same Gavin Newsom

00:19:00.440 who governed one of the highest taxed, highest cost states in America, where families struggle

00:19:05.660 with housing costs, businesses are fleeing, homelessness has exploded, and the middle

00:19:11.320 class continues to get squeezed. Now he wants to lecture the country about saving the American

00:19:16.700 dream. It's all clear, except for the most psychotic leftists among us, that California's

00:19:21.880 problems were not caused by too little government or too little government control of their lives.

00:19:27.020 They should be caused, as you know, by too many taxes, regulations, bureaucrats, and redistribution.

00:19:33.480 Newsom's message is socialism with a slicker branding.

00:19:37.000 He's attempting to take California's failed national model, and the American people, in the end, will not buy it.

00:19:43.420 As someone who is a veteran of 13 national presidential campaigns, someone who worked for three American presidents,

00:19:52.480 I have to comment on the performance of Vice President J.D. Vance over the last couple of weeks.

00:19:58.040 In the past few weeks, I think Vice President J.D. Vance has shown precisely why President Donald Trump made one of the most consequential decisions of his political career by selecting Vance as his running mate.

00:20:11.480 Vance has stepped into hostile territory and emerged stronger, defended the America First agenda with precision and positioned himself as the steady voice of a pragmatic foreign policy that prioritizes America interests over endless wars.

00:20:28.040 These performances are not accidents. They're products of a rare political instinct and a rare understanding of the movement that President Trump birthed, considering, for example, his appearance on ABC's The View.

00:20:40.560 Now, this was no friendly forum. Vance walked into a panel where at least four of the six co-hosts approached the segment with open hostility.

00:20:50.400 Questions came rapid fire on the economy, immigration, enforcement, the administration's handling of the Epstein files, his own past comments about President Trump, black history in public spaces, and other topics that make lesser intellect flinch.

00:21:07.440 Vance steadfastly defended President Trump's record, clarified positions without apology, and maintained composure amid interruptions and pointed attacks.

00:21:17.780 Vance handled it all with grace under fire, and that's what defines real leadership.

00:21:23.920 He'd show up, he'd engage directly, and he refused to be rattled.

00:21:28.440 That same day, Vance sat with Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM show to address divisions on the right over the administration's Iran policy.

00:21:38.060 Rather than dismiss skeptics or escalate intra-movement tensions, he explained the strategic rationale, urged critics to remain engaged in the Trump coalition, and made the case that faith in the president's judgment is always warranted.

00:21:53.920 So Vance diffused objections without conceding principles.

00:21:57.480 Few figures can thread that needle, speaking to the base's legitimate concerns about foreign

00:22:03.440 entanglements while reinforcing unity behind America first priorities. These back-to-back

00:22:09.960 appearances showed me a politician operating at a higher level, unflappable in hostile ground

00:22:16.820 while remaining persuasive within his own coalition. You would be wise not to underestimate

00:22:22.860 Vice President J.D. Vance. No matter what anyone says, he is the front runner for 2028 and he has

00:22:29.960 proven just this week that he can hold his own. Texas is moving closer requiring public school

00:22:36.820 students to learn about the Bible's role in American history, literature, and culture while

00:22:42.740 also adding instructions on the historical connection between Islam and violence. The

00:22:48.480 Republican-led Texas Board of Education gave preliminary approval Wednesday to new social

00:22:54.180 studies standards that could take effect in 2030 or 2031 in that school year if finalized.

00:23:02.160 Students as young as six would encounter Bible-related lessons through graduation,

00:23:06.800 including the parable of the prodigal son, the Beatitudes, the story of Adam and Eve, and so on.

00:23:13.180 The change does not violate the First Amendment in any way, shape, or form in its simplest and

00:23:18.160 most common sense. The Bible has shaped American law, literature, art, civil rights rhetoric,

00:23:24.260 and most moral vocabulary of Western civilization. Students cannot fully understand the nation's

00:23:30.660 founding, our culture, or public debates if schools pretend Christianity played no role

00:23:36.380 or does not exist. The board also advanced provisions asking older students to examine

00:23:41.840 Islam through the lens of Muhammad's brutal military campaigns. Leftist critics, such as

00:23:48.460 the lawfare gang with the ACLU, claim the standard favors Christianity and portrays Islam negatively.

00:23:56.240 But public education should not be afraid of historical facts, especially after years of

00:24:02.060 left-wing curriculum that trashed America's Christian heritage while pushing bizarre

00:24:07.740 ideological narratives on race, gender, and identity. The left knows that the classroom

00:24:13.800 is a battleground. They've used public schools to shape the minds of our young people so they

00:24:18.980 can make massive political gains. Now Texas is throwing a wrench into their plans. If the board

00:24:24.580 gives final approval, the lessons will become part of a standardized testing system. While Texas

00:24:30.040 parents, this is a major step forward for restoring honest history and cultural literacy

00:24:35.960 in the classroom. The United Nations is now lecturing the United States over ICE detention

00:24:42.340 deaths after policies enacted by the globalist body have helped fuel the migrant crisis that's

00:24:48.740 harmed America and Europe immeasurably. UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Volker Turk called

00:24:56.140 Friday for independent investigations into the deaths in ICE custody, citing U.S. government

00:25:02.120 data showing 18 deaths in the first five months of the year, plus another reported later this

00:25:08.320 month. The UN said 33 deaths were registered in 2025, compared with 11 in 2024. ICE is now

00:25:16.220 holding more than 60,000 people, up from 40,000 in early 2025, with capacity expected to grow.

00:25:24.160 This is the mandate that President Trump was elected to fulfill. The UN's claim to moral

00:25:28.820 superiority over America is, well, balderdash. For years, international bureaucrats, NGOs,

00:25:37.180 and open border advocates have encouraged mass migration. Then when millions cross illegally

00:25:44.200 and enforcement agencies are overwhelmed, the same people blame America for trying to restore order.

00:25:50.480 ICE is dealing with the consequences of a border crisis created by lawless migration,

00:25:55.500 weak enforcement, and globalist pressure against deportations.

00:26:00.180 The United States has the right and duty to secure its borders, enforce its laws,

00:26:05.720 and reject UN lectures that undermine American sovereignty.

00:26:10.400 The attacks on ICE are just a UN cover to continue promoting open borders globally.

00:26:16.720 They want nations weakened so that supranational bodies can come in and fill the void.

00:26:22.300 Patriots have been warning about this agenda since its inception.

00:26:25.500 We need to get out of the U.N. and evict them from our shores.

00:26:29.140 They do nothing but soak up our tax dollars.

00:26:32.440 Meanwhile, former 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens is preparing a tell-or memoir

00:26:38.420 attacking CBS, Paramount, and new CBS News editor-in-chief Barry Weiss.

00:26:44.500 Owens, who spent 37 years at CBS, quit last week after claiming he had lost editorial independence,

00:26:51.480 meaning his ability to spew one-sided liberal talking points unabated.

00:26:57.040 Now, according to a reviewed book proposal, he's calling Paramount the worst-run media company in America

00:27:02.940 and taking shots at his boss, Barry Weiss, who was brought in by the new CBS owner, David Ellison,

00:27:10.500 after building the free press into an interesting alternative to woke, groupthink journalism.

00:27:16.340 Owens mocked Weiss for asking CBS journalists to explain what they were working on, comparing it to school homework.

00:27:24.320 In other words, the basic accountability measures offended him.

00:27:28.700 Owens' crybaby routine shows the need for these reforms.

00:27:32.960 For too long, elite newsrooms operated like private clubs, pushing narratives, dodging scrutiny,

00:27:39.600 and acting shocked when viewers stopped trusting them or stopped reading them or watching them.

00:27:44.620 Owens also attacked Paramount's $16 million settlement with President Trump over the disputed 60-minute interview with Kamala Harris, calling it corporate cowardice.

00:27:55.740 But in actuality, that was the fake news finally being forced to pay the piper after years of blatantly biased coverage.

00:28:03.240 Scott Pelley has also blasted Weiss, accusing her of destroying CBS News before being fired after a confrontation.

00:28:10.620 the fact that the old guard of CBS News is so offended that Barry Weiss who is best would be

00:28:18.000 considered a moderate is doing proof positive that she is on the right track all these dinosaurs are

00:28:24.140 no longer relevant and their egos far outpace their evidence good riddance I say and I'm sure

00:28:29.620 we'll be seeing your book in the bargain bin at the dollar general stores Americans are finally

00:28:35.620 seeing signs of release on inflation with gas prices easing, core CPI momentum slowing,

00:28:42.180 used car prices moving down, and food inflation beginning to moderate. But a new pressure point

00:28:47.440 is emerging, the massive artificial intelligence infrastructure boom, which some observers see

00:28:53.340 becoming an unsustainable bubble. Apple announced a 15 to 25 percent price hike on Mac computers

00:29:01.180 and iPads after their CEO Tim Cook warned that cost increases were unlike anything

00:29:07.100 he's seen in more than 40 years. The company blamed surging demand for memory and storage

00:29:13.020 tied to the rapid expansion of AI data centers. This is not a small trend. Analysts estimate that

00:29:20.460 five major tech giants, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle may spend $741 billion

00:29:29.780 dollars this year on AI infrastructure, up nearly 75 percent from last year. One Columbia economist

00:29:37.220 estimates the AI build-out could cost as much as eight trillion dollars over six years. Those data

00:29:45.460 centers require chips, memory, storage, cooling system, cables, generators, and enormous amounts

00:29:52.680 of electricity. Already, there's complaints among utility users that their rates will hike

00:30:00.380 once they clip into the grid. Therefore, there is time to look for alternatives when it comes

00:30:06.280 to electrical power. As we have said here on the Stone Zone, there's also major private property

00:30:13.020 concerns related to the construction of these data centers in rural communities. The results

00:30:18.720 of the data center boom is higher prices for electronics components construction labor and

00:30:24.640 power government data shows computer software and accessories up about 15 percent while wholesale

00:30:31.320 economic components rose 27 percent goldman sachs says data centers could drive nearly half of u.s

00:30:40.580 powered growth through 2030, with electricity prices rising around 6% annually in 2026 and

00:30:48.480 2027. Now, we're not Luddites here. We're not technologically hitting nut jobs like

00:30:54.940 Ted Kaczynski. America needs innovation, but we also need abundant energy, reliable infrastructure,

00:31:01.900 and real competition so working families are not forced to pay for big tech's arms race.

00:31:07.400 If we're not careful, artificial intelligence inherently disrupted nature could be cataclysmic for the many as it enriches the select few.

00:31:17.520 President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Truth Social this week.

00:31:21.820 His message was neither subtle nor ambiguous.

00:31:24.720 His words capture what millions of Americans have begun to sense as they watch the nation's political landscape transform at a speed unimaginable even a decade ago.

00:31:33.920 Whether one agrees with every aspect of the president's rhetoric or not, there is no denying that the ideological debate unfolding in America today bears striking similarities to warnings that generations of anti-communist Americans spent decades trying to deliver to a nation that often refused to listen.

00:31:53.080 History has an inconvenient habit of returning to remind us that ideas matter.

00:31:57.740 Nations are rarely conquered by foreign armies before their first weakened from within.

00:32:03.080 Every communist revolution was wrapped itself in the language of liberation

00:32:06.940 before replacing liberty with centralized power, coercion, censorship, and fear.

00:32:12.420 It boils down to one simple fact.

00:32:14.760 Senator Joe McCarthy, who warned so many of us about this decades ago, was absolutely right.

00:32:20.360 If you don't believe me, ask the people of the Soviet Union, Vietnam, Cambodia, Eastern Europe, North Korea, Cuba, and elsewhere.

00:32:28.780 Thanks for joining us on The Stone Zone.

00:32:30.360 I'm Roger Stone, and we'll be right back.

00:32:36.540 The Stone Zone, entertaining and informative on the Red Apple Podcast Network.

00:32:43.600 And we're back in the Stone Zone.

00:32:46.200 History reminds us that civilization often hinges on narrow passages,

00:32:50.940 whether it's the Bosphorus, the Panama Canal, or the Suez Canal.

00:32:54.820 At the top of that list, it's the Strait of Hormuz,

00:32:57.420 a 21-mile-wide choke point through which roughly one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil

00:33:03.120 and vast quantities of liquefied natural gas must flow.

00:33:07.060 This is not just another shipping lane.

00:33:09.260 It is the global economy's jugular.

00:33:11.440 That is precisely why Iran's latest drone strike against a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel

00:33:16.600 should concern every American, whether they follow foreign policy or not.

00:33:21.080 According to U.S. officials, the attack was carried out by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

00:33:27.220 as the vessel exited the Strait of Hormuz near Oman.

00:33:31.600 The drone damaged the ship's bridge,

00:33:34.300 fortunately causing no reported injuries or loss of life.

00:33:37.540 The absence of casualties, however,

00:33:39.280 should not obscure the gravity of what has occurred.

00:33:42.140 A commercial vessel engaged in lawful international commerce

00:33:46.060 became the target of an armed attack

00:33:48.320 in one of the world's most strategic, significant waterways.

00:33:53.120 President Donald Trump correctly described the incident

00:33:55.560 as a foolish violation of the recently negotiated ceasefire and maritime agreement has been

00:34:02.080 painstakingly assembled to reduce tensions, reopen shipping lanes, and restore stability

00:34:07.560 after months of conflict. Those negotiations were never simply about diplomacy. They were

00:34:13.240 about restoring confidence that international commerce could once again flow freely through

00:34:18.400 a vital maritime choke point. Iran's actions now place that fragile understanding in true jeopardy.

00:34:24.860 The significance of this event extends far beyond the region.

00:34:28.840 Stability in Hormuz directly influences energy prices and, by extension, inflation, transportation costs, and the price of everyday goods.

00:34:38.300 Even with the increased domestic production, the United States remains tied to the global energy markets,

00:34:45.020 meaning disruptions or even perceived threats can quickly ripple through supply chains, financial markets, and household budgets.

00:34:52.460 This is why financial markets watch the Strait of Hormuz with extraordinary intensity.

00:34:57.480 Even the threat of disruption can drive up shipping insurance, alter trade routes, and trigger volatility that ultimately raises costs for consumers. 0.93

00:35:07.700 Iran understands this dynamic perfectly.

00:35:10.300 For decades, the leadership in Tehran has recognized that while it cannot compete conventionally with the United States Navy,

00:35:18.020 it possesses one uniquely powerful form of leverage, geography.

00:35:21.920 Iran occupies much of the northern coastline overlooking the Strait of Hormuz from missile batteries, drones, naval mines, fast attack aircraft, submarines, and proxy forces.

00:35:33.480 The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has built an asymmetric strategy designed not necessarily to defeat superior military force outright, but to create enough uncertainty that global commerce slows, insurance rates soar, and political pressure mounts on Western governments.

00:35:49.940 Donald Trump is not going to stand for this for much longer. 0.84

00:35:53.060 We all pray that the MOU that he worked out with the Islamic regime holds together. 0.63

00:35:58.400 But in the meantime, we already have problems in the Straits of Hermos. 0.98

00:36:02.100 This strategy has evolved over decades.

00:36:04.480 Rather than confronting American naval superiority head on, 0.85

00:36:08.360 Iran has consistently invested in capabilities intended to impose economic pain

00:36:12.980 disproportionate to the cost of the attack itself.

00:36:16.080 A relatively inexpensive drone capable of damaging a commercial vessel can trigger billions of dollars in market volatility, that is, strategic leverage of the highest order.

00:36:27.160 The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps deserves special attention because it's not simply another branch of Iran's military establishment.

00:36:34.180 It functions simultaneously as a military organization, an intelligence service, an economic empire, and an ideological enforcement arm and exporter of revolutionary influence throughout the Middle East.

00:36:46.080 Its fingerprints have appeared repeatedly across regional conflicts through support for proxy organizations, maritime harassment, missile development, cyber operations, and unconventional warfare.

00:36:58.260 The IRGC exists not merely to defend Iran's borders, but to protect the revolutionary ideology born in 1979.

00:37:07.660 Donald Trump is not a man to trifle with. We pray that the MOU holds together.

00:37:12.100 But I fundamentally distrust those in Iran and the regime who have signed it. 1.00

00:37:17.400 Thank you for joining us today in The Stone Zone. 1.00

00:37:19.460 I'm Roger Stone.

00:37:20.520 Until tomorrow, God bless you and Godspeed.

00:37:23.860 Thanks for listening to The Stone Zone with Roger Stone.

00:37:27.740 You can hear The Stone Zone with Roger Stone weeknights at 8 on 77 WABC.

00:37:33.980 If you like the podcast, share it with your friends and listen anytime at WABCradio.com

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00:37:51.780 See you next time for a new episode so you never have to wonder.

00:37:55.620 What the heck is going on here?

The StoneZONE with Roger Stone - June 27, 2026

The Stone Zone ｜ 06-26-26

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