Tucker Carlson made a little trip over to Israel with the express intent of interviewing the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. Now, Huckabee and Tucker had been trading barbs online because of the fact that Tucker, a devout Christian, is not happy about the ways [00:00:16] Reilly's treat Christians in Jerusalem. In the West Bank, the only Catholic church in Gaza was bombed by the Israelis. And he feels that as the US ambassador to Israel and as someone who purports to be Christian, Huckabee has done nothing to protect [00:00:34] the Christian population in the area. And so they were going back and forth about this online. And then finally, Huckabee argued that I think it'd be best if we sat down and had a debate. And so that is why Tucker Carlson, in my opinion, risked his life to go to Israel. [00:00:51] And why do I say risked his life? Because Israel assassinates people all the time. Okay. And not just in their own country. I'm talking about assassinating people outside of Israel. Okay, so it is risky as hell to be a vociferous critic of Israel. [00:01:08] As Tucker Carlson is and decide. No, you know what? That conversation with Huckabee is really important. So I'm going to go ahead and take that risk. So he flies over there and, he never left the airport. So according to Tucker Carlson, he was unable to leave the airport [00:01:26] because of the fact that upon arrival, he and his colleague who was with him had there they were separated. They had their passports confiscated. And then, while they were detained, they were asked all sorts of questions about why they were there, what the interview was about. [00:01:44] Right. At that point, by the way, I should note. So the interview happened, I guess, at the airport. Tucker claims that he didn't even leave the airport. Interview happens. And then they ask about, you know, what was the context of the interview? What were you asking him? Now, what's hilarious about this story is the fact that the US embassy in Israel [00:02:03] has tried to debunk what Tucker is claiming here. I'll get to their claims in just a second, but let me just read you verbatim what Tucker Carlson told the Daily Mail. The Daily Mail got an exclusive interview with him about this matter. Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled [00:02:22] our executive producer into a side room, and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about. It was bizarre. We're now out of the country. Now, again, as the Daily Mail reports, you know, before the interview even happened, [00:02:38] Carlson had posted a photo on social media on X of himself and his business partner Neil Patel, in front of Ben Gurion Airport. And I'm glad that he did that because it's, you know, sending the world a signal, a little sign I'm in Israel. [00:02:56] Anything happens to me, you know where I've been. At least that's what I think he was doing there. Maybe not. Maybe it was just an innocent, like posting of a picture and not not a big deal at all. But now let's go to what is being claimed by the US embassy in Israel, which I think is as credible as, I don't know, Ghislaine Maxwell. [00:03:16] Like no credibility at all. I'm not really interested in what you have to say, but to be fair, I'll go ahead and read their debunking of Tucker Carlson's claims. So the US embassy in Israel denied Carlson was detained in a statement, [00:03:33] which said that Carlson received the same passport control questions that countless visitors to Israel, including ambassador Mike Huckabee and other diplomats, receive as part of normal entrance and exit from Israel. It did not, it is not accurate that Israel only was going to let Tucker [00:03:52] into the country for the interview. The only engagement the embassy had with Israel about his visit was to coordinate his private plane landing as part of facilitating a seamless visit. Okay, so the argument that no, no, the terrible way that Tucker Carlson [00:04:10] was treated at the airport is just standard operating procedure for us. That this is what we do to everybody. Is that is that a good is that a good thing? Is that supposed to make you look good, that you like separate people who are traveling together, take their passports and then start [00:04:28] asking them probing questions. And we know how how Israel feels about journalists, especially those who like to cover their atrocities. And, look, the main reason why I want to cover this story is not because it's like, oh, we're so worried about Tucker Carlson. [00:04:43] He's fine. He left Israel. He's okay. I wanted to bring this up to ask one specific person, Bill Maher, whether Israel is really the place that people like me can go to to feel safe. Am I really going to feel welcome in Israel, bill Maher you will. [00:05:02] You definitely will because you're on your knees for Israel day in and day out. But for me, I would venture to say that it would not be a friendly, welcoming place for someone like me. Now, he asked me that question because he was hoping that I would say, oh, Tel Aviv is the only capital in, in, [00:05:20] in the Middle East where someone like me would feel safe, where someone like me can wear a dress and not be harmed in any way? No, I think I would be harmed in Israel. I would not feel safe in Israel. I'd feel safe in Beirut as long as the IDF isn't bombing it. Of course, I'd feel safe as an Armenian, even in Istanbul. [00:05:39] But I would not feel safe in Tel Aviv. Just ask the Armenians who live in Jerusalem how they feel with the way Israelis treat them. And they don't even run their mouths like I do about the Israelis. [00:05:54] So just something to think about. All right, it's time for New Year's resolutions. We all make them. But I'm not making any big, flashy resolutions that are going to crash and burn by February. My reset is much simpler. It's about giving myself a break in the kitchen, not by eating less. Don't be crazy. But let's be honest. [00:06:10] Thinking about what to eat, shopping for, cooking it. It's a drain, and when you're drained from cooking, you can't focus on the work that matters. And that's the work right here. That's where Cookunity comes in. It's been my way of cheating. Like I have a personal chef, a very fancy that way, but without the insane cost, [00:06:26] restaurant quality meals on my schedule. So I ordered a bunch of things that I loved. So we got the pepperoni pizza. I love pepperoni pizza, I love naan. You put it together. It's genius. Golden chicken schnitzel. It's schnitzel, but it's golden. Okay, this stuff is all so good. New Orleans shrimp and grits. [00:06:43] They have sausage in there too. Love it. 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[00:07:48] Look, I know the system feels broken and it's hard to engage with the news right now, but it's not the time to tune out. That's just letting the system go unchecked and unchallenged. We need to know what Trump and the Republican Party are up to, and we need Democrats to understand how they even got here in the first place. [00:08:06] That's why I'm working with ground News. There, They're an independent app and website that allows you to see through mainstream media narratives and keep both sides in check. For every story, you can swipe to see which news sources are reporting on it. Even independent ones left out of the mainstream media bubble [00:08:23] with visual breakdowns of their political bias, credibility, and who's funding the conversation. Compare coverage and reveal essential stories that the left and the right aren't discussing. Take a break from the chaos, but don't check out and let others shape your future. [00:08:39] Demand transparency in the leaders who are supposed to serve you and the news to accurately inform you. Go to Ground News or scan the QR code to take advantage of ground news. Biggest sale of the year you can save 50% on their top tier vantage plan, [00:08:57] which is what we use, and stay informed without getting overwhelmed by what's going to happen in the next four years. Because we are the power behind democracy, not just bystanders in a rigged game.