The Worst Trade Ever Made

WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges, was finally released in a one for one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor "merchant of death" Bout and the guys react to the trade that made it happen.

Topics Discussed:

• Kanye's new song "Someday we'll all be free" that dropped
• Kanye's obsession with his ex-wife
• How many votes is Kanye getting in 2024?
• Kanye banned from Twitter
• Is posting another man's business a violation?
• Brittney Griner released from Russian prison
• Anthony compares Viktor Bout to Iron Man Tony Stark
• Jeff calls the Griner for Bout swap the worst trade in American history
• Celebrity vs. human rights
• Occam's Razor
• Is this Biden's attempt to win the black vote?

Referenced Links:
WNBA star Brittney Griner freed in swap for Viktor Bout (nypost.com)

Brittney Griner trade deal leaves wrongfully detained Americans Marc Fogel, Paul Whelan in limbo | Fox News

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Transcript

Jeff: 0:51

Yo yo yo yo yo we back yo we back and better than ever. Like we never left. I mean it was only one week. But we hear live and direct The Culture.

Anthony: 1:03

Really by the holidays you be tired. Like Look man, life can wait so long though Jeff

Jeff: 1:09

what up? What's going on? Getting closer closer to the Christmas festivities and all of that holiday season?

Anthony: 1:18

You got anything done? Oh

Jeff: 1:19

hos hell no.

Anthony: 1:21

Why do people do this every year? No Christmas. It's the same damn time every day. I'm here. Do my Christmas shopping on Amazon. Fuck that. I think everybody do it. Just don't me two days. No more. We'll get it to you in five. Like all right, cool loans arrives. You know what's funny, like I ordered? It wasn't from Amazon. It was from Macy's not online. I'm like, it's from Walmart. And they delivered it to my house. It was it was literally a candle. And on the thing it says, Is this a gift? And like No, it's not a gift. Like it's it is a gift but it's not. Not realizing like they dropped it off and left it there. There was it wasn't in the box. It was like in a brown box. It was just in the pack. And it said on the step was like, package delivered. See, and I was thinking he could just be a scumbag and take the shit out of the box and say, Oh, it was a box there but there was nothing inside of it. But I have moral so I didn't do that. I was thinking about it though. But it's a fucking canvas with none to worry about.

Jeff: 2:19

But yo, let's start it off. Correct. Shouting out our culture crew started off with Tosh. Thank you. Thank you. We got it lock Helwig Alex so say the one and only in America talking about playoff ship I didn't need to support what you mean a fantasy? Hell yeah. But no one him he's gonna fuck around and win the loser's bracket and then get the first pick next year. But that's what he does. He'll get the first pig look and he'll and then he'll be right back into next year. Shout outs

Anthony: 2:57

Did you get it? But you might make the playoffs though.

Jeff: 3:00

I'm probably not because I mean I got a win this week and then I need people to lose so I want to get that first pick though. Because there's no point and there's no use in making the playoffs just to lose in the first round or some shit

Anthony: 3:15

especially out of the money like everybody got a chance but I mean fantasy is weird and

Jeff: 3:20

it's my shout outs man King causa the third What the fuck was that bro you got people breaking into your house?

Anthony: 3:29

Nah, just some phone on a word. Nothing broke it to some I have to keep the block next I'm armed I'm not worried about that

Jeff: 3:38

can cause it a third what up? Melly Mel. What appreciate you man. Yeah last but not least Mikey sheet.

Anthony: 3:47

Yeah, I need to see some new updated pictures. I guess I might miss you out. It's their hair has grown

Jeff: 3:52

where but yo. Says last time we was on here we got a new review on Apple. We got a new review on Apple by somebody by the name of 10 hands one home.

Anthony: 4:07

I read that it's such a weird thing. But you can go ahead and read it though. It was very nice of them and

Jeff: 4:11

hands one home. I don't know who or what that means or what that is. But it says the title is hilarious banter with basic common sense. And I don't know if that's an insult. But I'll keep reading because they gave us five stars, right?

Anthony: 4:26

Yeah, I'll explain why it's not. Okay. It's not.

Jeff: 4:30

We have basic common sense. He goes he or she goes. This is a pod I want to listen to within weeks of its release, usually because it has great discussion on current events. At may not like guests, but it definitely works when Mike joins for a full spectrum discussion on food and nutrition from lactation to inflation of produce. Spit out my expensive latte with laughter. I told five friends about this show and eagerly await the hip hop erotica series on only fans. Their segment on is it racist is signature part of the show and the way they research and share details about current events is filled with critical thinking and a reasonable amount of ego check. One of the best ways I've wanted to one of the best ways I've wanted to hear about current events since surrendering to late night news with Trevor Noah, keep it going. Well, thank you, Mr. or Mrs. I appreciate that. Appreciate those comments.

Anthony: 5:38

I do too. I do appreciate that. I think the point that they were trying to make about common sense is that you listen to other pods right. And sometimes they just be rambling on other shit like yo doesn't make like it's the common sense thing isn't a negative because sometimes you got to look at things as they are and just just sometimes I'm answered just common sense is the was the term calls outcomes razor conversion means usually, the simplest solution is probably the best one. And sometimes it really comes down to I mean, it requires thought it requires effort and experience and kind of putting your own personal animus about things and looking at life towards it be so probably coming out. So common sense and it's nothing, like amazingly wild, which is the worst when someone like like the thing that we're going to talk about, and you already know what it is because I can see in the title show notes, exactly what we're going to talk about. Like some of the things have been said about that are completely nonsensical, like it doesn't make any common sense. Like it's good for us to have that. We always appreciate Mike being on he gives a different perspective and everything to that degree. It's just racist is your baby, you light them up and knock them down? And yeah, I really, I really appreciate the comment and stuff I know that you really appreciate it. It's really good that they said so and they spread the word and so on so forth. So we try to give them more competence views from our perspective to try to make these people happy

Jeff: 7:11

word. Yeah, we have a polarizing topic that I want to discuss. Before that, please tell me you did or did not listen to Kanye his new song

Anthony: 7:23

that dropped Oh, well, part of a mouthful Don't you understand? I didn't. I stand firm by my word. I said when I'm off I'm off and I know a lot of people heard it and like oh man, he going back to the old Kanye so sample. And I'm like, Man, you hoes it's so easy. That's all that's all it take one one Donny Hathaway flip and you're like, oh, man, this the Kanye I love like he's still a crazy person. But did I listen to

Jeff: 7:46

me? It was old Kanye the lyrics was still new Kanye, you know, I'm saying but the

Anthony: 7:51

right at the front. Here's a funny thing about it. Like he takes a Donny hat that we flip. And think about Donny Hathaway, that he was in this amazing musician, who was deeply depressed and killed. That's food for thought. Yeah.

Jeff: 8:04

And I know, I didn't go out of my way out of my way to go search the song. I saw people posting it like, oh, Kanye got a new song. But the only reason I heard a snippet of it was because I was listening to The Breakfast Club on my way to work in the car. And DJ envy because Charlamagne wanted no parts of it. But DJ envy decided that he would play a little bit real quick, you know, as part of their whatever segment the rumors or whatever it was. And he was like, Yo, Kanye has a new song. Charlemagne was like, Yo, I don't care. And he was like, let me just play a little bit over he played like, maybe 10 seconds of it. And that's where I heard it. I was like, Yeah, I'm good.

Anthony: 8:40

And then, but like I keep saying, Man,

Jeff: 8:43

he told me a couple days before that he had gotten banned from Twitter because he was he went on one of them Twitter tirades or rants or whatever you want to call them. He was just talking Wow, shit, right. And posting wild pictures. He posted a swastika. He was posting like unflattering pictures of fucking Elon Musk. And one of his final tweets was that picture with CP three right with Chris Paul. He puts let's break one last window before we get out of here. I caught this guy with Kim Good night. And then there's like a yearbook picture of Chris Paul.

Anthony: 9:21

And let's let's let's hold that right there. Let's say you're let's say your favorite person right? And you know Kanye West and he doesn't he doesn't you? I don't know. Like you're You're a famous Latin rapper. Let's just your your your bad bunny, but you can actually spit. Now this let's say this patently untrue. Because after that happened, no one said anything about like, kind of like no one cares. Like, are you letting it go? Or like when you see Kanye, we got to run this feed. We

Jeff: 9:47

have to. We have to discuss it at the very least. And I texted you as soon as I saw it. I was like, Yo, why is cp three out here? Catching strays? Yo. And you said something like, Yo, this man is a married man and he's not even he's in fucking Phoenix or whatever he will you know, he's not even like anywhere near where Kanye you. Like, hey, like dawg, I can see if you're still playing with like he's injured like he's rehabbing an injury. He's probably home with his wife. And he wakes up in the morning he probably has to answer to his wife like babe, can you explain this shit to me? Like, you know what's going on? Like, oh, now No, like, how do you explain that shit?

Anthony: 10:20

You don't it's a whole lot of nothing in the bad part. The thing that bothers me more most about Kanye isn't necessarily the anti semitism, which is a big thing all unto itself. These wild 10 Is that it goes on. I'm not blaming on mental health, nothing like that because I respect that community is that he just has this unhealthy fascination with ex wife. He just wants to do everything to destroy her life and she just doesn't deserve that. All she's trying to do is move on with her life. He does not let it go keep you keep dragging the industry she has nothing to do with this at all. And whatever you might think about Kim is your opinion. But I'm just saying I'm just speaking to her as like a woman as a person that seems so wholly unnecessary for him to keep doing the same thing over and over again. And then people are still having his back. Like that's just a dismissal of women. If you're gonna rock with him, that means you really don't care about women because look, I treat him like he treats his wife like that all the time. He's always saying some shit that she did it has nothing to do with whatever else is going on and it's it's just no sad and just weird whether it's true or

Jeff: 11:24

not. What I'm doing is if I'm Chris Paul is I'm sending Kanye some tickets right I'm sending him to floor seats to my game whenever I'm a plate I'm sending him a couple of tickets for seats right and I need them to show up and then when he shows up I'm gonna see you whether it whether it's true or not that's violation son

Anthony: 11:52

I want to go further with that like I'm inviting him like I'm giving him tickets flew aside seats and there's you know, sometimes when they have like that loose ball just like fly that in a way like I'm just firing this hard fucking chest pass right? Or like I'm gonna make sure the ball goes out direction I was going to get the ball right to your area. Absolutely. So if so we're gonna say these hoses easy fan. People's right back on cotton on economy the moment he dropped one zoning, manage this is what No, no, no. I understand separate art from the artists but as stupid as a matter of fact, our Kelly dropped her album today.

Jeff: 12:30

No, but I heard that that I read that that was fake that that wasn't that wasn't him because the title just by the title it didn't matter it was named like I admitted or some shit right?

Anthony: 12:40

It didn't matter they had it up on title for a hot minute they didn't release right on off. They had it on when you had they had it on title. But remember our Kelly, it doesn't pop up in the new shit. Like you got to type his name and it appeared then the yank that shit that what they do

Jeff: 12:54

that is I like some automatic shit like you upload and images. I guess that's how it works. Like you can upload the music and they don't. It's not regulated until they catch it.

Anthony: 13:04

It's not enough that so I wonder if we can put our podcasts on title.

Jeff: 13:09

That's a good question. I wonder I don't know. Because they don't they're not a platform for because I've looked into it. They don't have no podcast. Well, I think you can listen to things like maybe a drink champs episode or something like that, but they don't really have podcasts.

Anthony: 13:22

It's like they got a few what and I think that's a biggest gap like if you like before they broke up like he was able to like put the prodigal boys like specific on title like we'd have like a group or a pod with an audience that a follow you will be worth a shot. I wouldn't mind doing I don't think it's a bad idea. But just it's somebody's gonna put in the back. Couldn't hurt to ask.

Jeff: 13:46

But you know for Kanye, but actually how many books you thinking? Okay, one last thing how many volts you think he won't get in? 2024? Because he got what like 60,000 Last time he ran I will not even be surprised if he gets more this time around if he gets like maybe 90,000 Just out of sympathy. I

Anthony: 14:04

said to I said fam it's a lot of white people out there that don't like juice cheese's bro it's like I said and I always tell people with this about politics is that you can talk especially like when the Black Lives Matter move was kind of at its peak you can change the screen you could put up a little box you can do all that shit and everything else like that. You don't vote in public you vote in private you vote behind a screen when nobody can see you so you can say all that shit in public and vote completely against those things and towards your interest in private. So as you go I have enough to get a nomination now but will more people vote for him? Yeah, cuz there's a ton of people that ended up anyway Oh, he's against Jews are robbing him. I can believe that. And like say it's his campaign run by like a white nationalist and some shit like that. I'm pretty sure he got some false he can throw his way so he wants he might have the blue. Sad but that's America. You'd like to entertain?

Jeff: 15:04

Amen. But let's get down to the nitty gritty. The real reason we're here I don't even know how to start to segment WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges was finally released. And a one on one a one for one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Victor bout to secure grinders return Biden freed arms dealer Victor Bow Bow gained infamy as the merchant of death, and was found guilty for conspiring to sell ak 40 sevens that would have been used to kill DEA agents. And I'm telling you right now, I am calling this the worst trade ever made. Before we go any further, do you agree?

Anthony: 16:02

Privately the second you ever heard of the Herschel Walker trade? They traded the whole draft for Herschel Walker, like Well, I think like Minnesota and Dallas, like so basically, like, Minnesota traded all of their picks to Dallas for Herschel Walker. And what those picks they got like, Russell, Marilyn, like, Hey, guys, write it. That's the worst. Nothing's topping that you trade your whole draft is doing it to help them build it. But this isn't

Jeff: 16:34

the hindsight trade because you trade in prospects and pigs and stuff like that you don't know what they're gonna turn into. So at the time, it doesn't seem lopsided, right. But this has to be the most lopsided trade you know exactly what it is the most lopsided trade in modern world history. Okay. We haven't seen a trade this unfair since Christopher Columbus was taking advantage of natives by trading them little mirrors for gold.

Anthony: 17:02

Okay, that's pimpin? That's not trading.

Jeff: 17:05

I thought it was a new Yo, I read this new read this news. I thought I thought it was a New York Knicks official running the country when they announced this shit, bro.

Anthony: 17:15

Steve mill

Jeff: 17:17

if the USA golf at least worse than the Knicks being fleeced by Messiah Jiri, bro, and we used to make them trays with the raptors, and Matthias come out on top every single time bro, he gave us dudes that in a couple years we're out of the league, bro. And we was giving them all types of pics.

Anthony: 17:35

Well, the worst of Bargnani Ronnie, we would get burned. Yeah. Oh, no. He came in me Knicks fans hate it. Ship is as back to France. Wherever the fun the

Jeff: 17:45

real backlash is. And we'll get into it. The backlash that I see a lot of people is that we couldn't even get you know, my man, Paul Whelan, right? Who's been in Russia. You know, he'd been in jail since like 2018. He's serving a 16 year sentence for espionage. They can't even do that. Yeah, we can't even get a first round pick bro.

Anthony: 18:07

We got two sevens in a in a pack of pools. For for like eight first rounders.

Jeff: 18:12

Yeah, we got an expiring contract B. We can't even didn't even get an expiring contract.

Anthony: 18:18

It's like getting Russell Westbrook. Shit like,

Jeff: 18:21

No, when I texted you to Shane, it was like, Yo, it's a first round the first seven conditional seven.

Anthony: 18:28

Yeah, a conditional. Let's see how to ship work out like

Jeff: 18:31

top five protected, bro. Like if he's a lot like if he's a top five pick. I'll get him back. Like if he goes first or Whoa,

Anthony: 18:37

we get that we get to take them back. Like yes, whatever it takes up. Well,

Jeff: 18:40

you compare you compare this trade to trading a basketball player for the Russian Tony Stark's broke. That was your comparison.

Anthony: 18:47

He is a Russian, right? Like someone that the job was like, What do you mean? I said, if you saw Ironman one before, he comes Ironman, he's he's a he's a he's basically a really well paid gun runner, he creates weapons of destruction. This guy is basically an international gunrunner for gears. Who flown Lily, a pilot who had like a fleet of like military grade planes, like as big as jumbo jet was taking stuff from place to place to place the plate for years. Like basically like, like providing arms to countries in conflict and things like that. And like I said, there's a movie with Nicolas Cage called Lord of War, which is pretty much based upon him. It is not a bad movie, but we look at it in hindsight, like, the guy seems cool in the movie, because I mean, what are we supposed to do? You're not supposed to have your lead character be like, much. But he seemed like, you're right. He just seemed like a businessman. But his business is death. The trades bed. It's weird, because like, the tree is bad, and I'm glad that she's home. But the logical part of my brain is,

Jeff: 19:55

though, that's, I don't want people to misunderstand. I'm happy she's home. You know what I'm saying? I'm happy she's home. But we have people like like the guy I just mentioned Paul Whelan who's a rough Marine, a US Marine. And I know he has a shaky past just like all of us do. You know what I mean? But the do serve this country has been there for four years doing a 16 bit a 16 year Biff for no reason really? And let me put it like this bro. This trade is like DC trading Batman to Marvel and Marvel given them black fucking back fucking Hawkeye like yeah he's cool and all but come on

Anthony: 20:38

who's the worst Marvel character list thing to say? Oh

Jeff: 20:41

guy is other said bro. He's but I if you want to use villains this is like trading the Joker or Lex Luthor, bro. For one of things. As goons not like one of his main dudes, like one of his left hand dudes that he just makes people you know, you go fighting and you die right away.

Anthony: 20:58

You know, he's he's, you know, he's and when the thickness is going to big dude with the hammer who didn't talk, but like he loves and he got he died he got ran over. Like he's basically nobody. Yeah, yeah,

Jeff: 21:13

that's like, you know all jokes aside though but it's like we have to stop back then like celebrities life is somehow more important or more valuable than somebody else's life. You don't I'm saying like this isn't a black or white thing and this particular issue is a human rights thing. Right? Like and you know, we do this as a society. Like I'm not even blaming Biden, I'm not I mean, societally we do this, like a celebrity dies and we're all distraught like, you know, like, if they're above dying, you know what I mean? like, Yo, did you hear such as die? Oh my god, I can't believe it. You know, you destroy like a motherfucker. You know, but your next door neighbor, Mr. Wilson dies horrifically, and we're like, Ah, he was a good man. You know, his lawn was always nice and neat. Our condolences go out to the family. And we move on very quickly. That's it. But did you hear about Kobe, you know, but did you hear about, you know what I'm saying Kirstie Alley rest in peace he just passed away to you. I mean, like people, you know, like as human lives like, we shouldn't be putting more value on one over another just because you know, this person is a celebrity or just because you see him on TV, you know what I mean? Like, am I am I wrong to think like that?

Anthony: 22:17

No, no, we live in a country where we worship celebrity, we don't worship, anything. Really, if you want to be honest about it, I think the issue that you're always going to run into in a situation like this, the reason why the reason why it seems so bad is really this. And we're going to be really, really, really honest about it. It truly comes down to the fact of the tree for the two, that tree was always on the table, but they could have had written out of there months ago. But they were trying to do their best to work on something else get Paul involved, that makes his tracing a bit more fair. Because to understand the thing that is saying about Brittany and her having the vape cartridge, and so on and so forth, and they're like, oh, man, that's nothing man. They can let her off that a letter home for that. But we live in a country where, depending on how your life went, if you have two strikes, you have a small bag of weed and you you're going to jail for the rest of your life. Like that the three strike law still does exist who wrote that? California, you already know who you your man's limb, you know, simple. But he has compensate, though. We right. But we're always trying to say what other countries should do, even though we don't follow the same statutes themselves. We don't show leniency to people of color. When it comes to drug charges. We don't show leniency to people who commit small level crimes, we don't give them rehab, we don't give them a small jail sentence. We give them years for things that we can kind of overlook morally, and say, Can we take a broader look at this and get a clearer understanding of what occurred, we don't do that. But we're trying to blame Russia for how they handle shit. This, we can't tell people how to run their own country, even though we're always involved in foreign wars, which are always a big part of our thing. So therefore, that the problem with Victor quite simply is this, like sit with the prisoner swap. He's not going back to prison, and Britain is not going back to jail here, it kind of cancels each other out. It's not it's necessarily kind like a policy within the United States that we do not negotiate with terrorists. And we literally just negotiated the terrorist, and you putting a man back on the street who's dangerous, and it's only pissing off the law enforcement community, because they knew everything that they had to do. Like, we get a chance to read about the sting that they had to like, set up to actually capture this guy, because he's been doing this for like, decades now. But you know, with the DEA and everything else, that they finally figured out a way to finally trap him. And like we got him you're gonna get all 25 years we're gonna get all these weapons out of the world. This Reign of Terror stops and then you trade this guy who's dangerous whose armaments he paced around in the world that has caused you know, let's just say 10s of 1000s of deaths it's probably more and that you trade this dangerous individual for basketball player and then people say to think like if it was LeBron he they went to did that thing if they have LeBron LeBron or going to a foreign country smoking a week Brian had gone Russia

Jeff: 25:12

Bronwyn lasted there for one week bro they would have got his ass out immediately. Celebrity and this is what Biden said

Anthony: 25:19

now here's the thing if they if they catch LeBron Do you think we think we start a war over LeBron?

Jeff: 25:23

I don't know but I think people that would have been crazy outrage because that's at least here in this country other countries would want to have fuck him you know I'm saying but in this country oh my god that's

Anthony: 25:35

right it he's just a guy if you go to another country break a law you got to go by the discern statutes of their country even if they're fucked up it just kind of how it goes is why shouldn't go into foreign play. I

Jeff: 25:45

was having this conversation with a co worker you know how fucked I would be if I was to go to like Saudi Arabia bro. One of the Isn't Muslim countries where you can drink you can't smoke. You can't, you know, curse. You can't have certain tattoos on your body. I'd be so fucked. I'd be locked the fuck up in jail immediately. You'd be slave labor I'd be writing letters to Biden like yo, Mr. Biden, Uncle Joe, please get me out of here bro. Trade LeBron for me if somebody may

Anthony: 26:14

even get a letter back we have received your we have received your sponsor six spots in four to six weeks. Like fuck. I never getting out here. Like I'm I was going like, call the wife or kid like look ahead, man. I'm not myself anymore. I'm gonna hit convert. I'm going to solidify it over here. I'll send something back when I can. But uh, yeah, and come home in a

Jeff: 26:34

moment. This is what Biden said during the press conference. He said a moment ago. I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home. Mr. Biden said that he was glad to be able to say Britney is in good spirits. And as she was looking forward to getting home. The President dismissed the show trial in Russia that landed her in prison and said she didn't ask for special treatment. He also went on to say we've not forgotten about Paul Whelan. We will never give up on securing his release, US officials told reporters that it became clear in talks with the Russians. That the prospect of securing the release of both Greiner and Whelan in exchange for about was a non starter. The Russian GM just hung up the phone immediately like nah, click. Call me back when

Anthony: 27:23

they was like, what would you give us a Britney? And they were like, we'll give you Victor. But we need Paul. Click Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Today Hello, do we lose sicknote? Click. But I told you that deal for Brittany and Victor was on the table since day one. But they were trying to cheat and get Paul to do a two for one to make it seem more fair. Everybody's pretty much aware of this. They took this deal because it curries good favor. People like the story but it's still going to be a problem because it really comes down to the fact of is fair. And I think it's not a question of fairness, it really comes down to the fact that there's not much you can do in the situation. If you can get her home, you get her home, no matter what it takes, you get her home, you're going to have to deal with the backlash of your choices eventually. Could now you given the Republicans and GOP, a lot of meat to chew on that all he cares about a celebrity or he cares about these people. He doesn't really care about politics or anything else like that. And the thing, the bad part is that you're making a basketball player reading Greiner into a geopolitical figure, which I don't think she wants to do. Now all this weight come falling upon her shoulders to deal with from this point forward, it's going to be so weird from her connections in the conflict that she doesn't want to be in. I don't want to be, you know, a figurehead. I don't want to be the person. You know, that is like a symbol for American freedom and excellence and shit like that. And, and hard work and grit, like, like, we just keep trying to keep fighting, and we're going to make sure our people are safe. I think she just wanted to who, and she got to kind of deal with the consequences of that. It's a lot that kind of goes into it. But again, we traded a bad basketball player for an arms dealer. The trade isn't fair. But we got to be happy with the results of it, which is weird to say out loud, but that's kind of the part of it. I don't, I don't disregard it. It's hard. It's really difficult for me to be like, Man, fuck Britain. I can imagine what someone has to go through when you think of something small. And the whole world falls apart around them. But when the situation like this, like said she didn't get to prison yet, she was about to go to prison that day, they worked out a deal. Like she wasn't in the Gulag for like months or some shit. And so it's a for her when like she was sitting in freezing cold as Russia, and some little last room doing all other kinds of shit. It just, it's weird, but we're talking about the trade. I mean, when you think about your feelings about it, just tell me I want to hear you

Jeff: 29:46

not on I'm just going I'm looking on Twitter. I'm just hearing you know, both sides. Somebody on Twitter by the name of Prophet said, America lost that trade. You can't give up a shooter for a big man.

Anthony: 29:57

Everybody will be affected comedian.

Jeff: 29:59

Now on a serious note, though, a gentleman by the name of NYY fan posted I just can't understand releasing a Russian arms dealer in the middle of this war with Ukraine that we are so financially invested in and didn't even get a military member in return. Now this shows that Russia can arrest any American celebrity in Russia for any reason and extort our government into releasing more Russian terrorists. That's that's valid. Hopefully that that will go transpires. But it's a sign of weakness, right? Like it just makes our country reports every now

Anthony: 30:34

and that's what's it. That's why I said that Paul said you do not negotiate with terrorists, because if you make a deal with them, they know that you can make more deals in the future, and they will ask for more in the future. Like like kidnappers, they'll ask for 10 grand now. 50 grand later, 100 grand later. They can't help themselves. Pretty sure I set a precedent. So somebody come over here and they they run afoul of the law. Okay, so what you're gonna give us now could you are set the window that it there is a deal that can be made, and you made a big deal for something small, no insult to Britain, you made that deal to make sure that you can secure her home period. But how do you deal with this in the future? Yeah, because it could like it's like, like, like the Knicks and the Raptors. If I took advantage on this trade, you think I'm not gonna take advantage on the next rate is going to be even worse. So to what he's saying there's a valid point to what a guy's saying, of course,

Jeff: 31:27

and he goes on to say she better make the most of her second chance at life because people will lose their lives as a result of her release. We gave up an arms dealer to free someone who was in Russian jail for the same crime that 1000s of Americans are currently locked up for. Also, valid point I made a gentleman by the name of dive bar Jesus said, I'm not sure about is still a dangerous guy. But one more international arms dealer isn't going to increase the danger of the world more than spraying an aerosol can at the sky is so that's looking at it from the other side, right?

Anthony: 32:00

That's a man who does drugs. Spraying aerosol scanners guy all of a sudden, like it's like okay, if you hope all your life right and you get older and say you haven't hooked in 10 years. Do you pick up a ball? You might be a little bit rusty, but you know how to hoop so to say oh son the guy's been off the mark for a while like you know he's not gonna go back to arms dealer kind of fuck you think he makes his money? I think he makes a living he's gonna go back to the same shit he does. Why wouldn't go do what you do the best when you're gonna become like a pastor or a priest? You go he'll find the gospel he gonna you know run for Russian Parliament some shit like that. No, he's gonna go back to what he does. He's free. He was free all of this time for

Jeff: 32:40

years that this man has openly spoken about killing Americans right? Like there's no way in hell I'm releasing this dude into population obviously he's in another country but I'm not releasing this man. Like you would have it would have to be an even swap. You know what I'm saying? Like we would have to be trading LeBron for Kevin Durant one. Oh, you know straight up

Anthony: 33:00

you gotta get some money. I was a part of intelligence community Yeah, but a spy or something else like that because

Jeff: 33:06

that's what I got pulled in and then at Paul's a spy use him as leverage now like i We're gonna need these two other rushes yeah got for whale you know, I'm saying they're gonna try to fleeces next watch and the next rate, they're gonna want to like two or three more dudes.

Anthony: 33:21

When you make bad deals, and bad faith, all future deals from that point on will pretty much be like a salt. It's like, we're going to ask you for everything. Because you pretty much gave us everything before for pretty much nothing. So why don't want to change his stance on that? Because if they're here, we don't really care about them. And that person is there like, well, they're not really a part of any things that we have going on. So therefore, why am I going to worry about you? While I'm not going to worry about like how the treatment of whatever prisoner? Why don't want to worry about their freedom. Like, y'all get in touch with us. For the guy that y'all want. We don't care. We like Russia like they fucked up they got caught that's on them. We would like them back but we've not been not bending over backwards forward. They get no caught over in Russia and the feeling changes. It differs. They're more like you know, we got to find a way to get them home. Nice kind of kind of way to set some goals brother get caught up a warship war things happen. People get captured. You get sent in and go to different countries, so on so forth. Like I said the thing we're Britain, people are making out to be a political prisoner. Yes, she was. I can be honest about that. But the truth of the matter is, I can't tell anyone how they run their country, especially come from us because we weren't as all fucked up sometimes. For them to just be like, Yeah, this is a good deal. No one they gotta put in that public face. And I'm pretty sure you won't hear anything about Brittney Griner. The rest of the year at this point forward, because they know they, the public opinion got behind it, the deal came through and this is what occurred. So from that point forward, you got to kind of deal with the fallout of it. That's why you're gonna have this one thing. The next thing to see her like maybe interview her family. If she had started play basketball this year, you're going to see you on the floor. They're going to have this big thing. I think the White House was don't want to be a partisan no more like we did what we had to do. We don't like what we had to do, but we did it. So fuck it. So it's a weird situation. I'm really interested to see how it turns out from here,

Jeff: 35:17

cat turd on Twitter said we just gave Russian back one of the biggest terrorists in the world for a WNBA player who hates our country. Let that sink in. And somebody responded irony. Biden wants to ban assault weapons, release his arms dealer. And look man, I'm not even I'm not even gonna get her get out. Yes, you said some shit about the country. Obviously, you know, like every minority in this country that felt you know, the oppression that's felt discriminated against that's felt the racism that felt like this country hasn't done enough, you know for them or For us, like, you know, even myself, like, you know, I was up to this day, I don't even remember the last time I stood up even in high school, I didn't even want to stand for the anthem, you know, I'm saying, because I didn't really want to represent what it stood for, you know what I'm saying? So I'm not gonna get home and you have in this country, your free, quote unquote, free you, you know, you have the right to talk against the government talking against the flag, you can do that, because you're free to do that. Right. But my question to you is, does her perspective, at least a little bit changed now when she comes back, and she sees the type of freedoms that she has here, that she didn't have when she was in Russia? You know, I mean, that she, you know, certain things that maybe she took for granted. Do you do you feel? Do you think she'll like appreciate her civil liberties a little bit more,

Anthony: 36:35

Nana, now, enough now, because the thing is like this, like, because you go through the experience, it doesn't necessarily change you. Like, think of it in a way where black soldiers went to war and World War Two. And then like, came home to nothing. Like over there. They're conquering heroes, they're fighting, the good fight, there's they're shutting down, no, communism and fascism, and the Third Reich in a whole nother part of the world. And it's sacrificing their lives, their bodies, their minds, for this country. And then they come back home, and they are treated like heroes. So treat like second class citizens. I'm glad you did so much over there in a war, you still got to sit the back of the bus, you still need to drink from that water fan, your kids still get to go to this school, you still cannot live in this neighborhood, you better not be in this neighborhood after dark, even though you help save this country. So for someone who who might be I want to sell the car, Brittany radical, but someone who really understands maybe the the American illness that it is, and I know she understands it, because she's black. She's a woman, and she's queer. So does it deal with those three things, and its current gets it from all individually be one thing, from from everywhere. She's never going to feel right about his country, because it's conscious never done right about any of those three categories. So for her to come back beyond no Team USA rock in a very white and blue, that she didn't go and happen. Like it's kind of like you said about the whole national anthem thing. Like, I haven't been a Giants game in a couple of years. But whenever I go to that state, and they start playing the anthem, I sit right there in that chair, I bet motherfucker, come say something like you disrespecting this country, come test me, you have the right to stand up, I have the right to sit down period. And like I said, those people who fought in those wars, they should have came back home with more fights, more opportunities, they did not. And even though she sat in that jail cell and everything else to that degree, she's not going to actually come out and come home to the same place. The world hasn't changed in those months that she's been there. We haven't gotten better. We've gotten worse, inflation has gotten worse, prices have gotten out of control. The market is stagnating, it's not a better place that she left, it is still messed up to that degree. So what do you expect her to be like, you know, everything's higher, and life isn't better. And we have all these political conflicts. But man, I'm so happy to be here. Now, she just happened to be home with her family. That's it, like anyone else would be sometimes you gotta be like, Man, fuck this country. As long as the people around me love me, and I love them, and I get to spend time with them and enjoy myself with them. Cool, fuck everything else you're talking about. I wouldn't expect him to change his stance, you can't all of a sudden go through a situation like that. And just feel like, you know, I love this place, like not just this place has afforded me particular opportunities. But those opportunities are really because of my status as a basketball player, I probably six foot a black queer woman walking the street, the way that some people like I might make home or live, I might be raped, I might be killed. Because it just like the color of my skin and my choice of sexuality. So that's not going to change anything, it's going to probably make her more resolved. Like, if you're gonna put me into this geopolitical platform, there's some things I need to say about this country that we need to get very, very clear. Before I move forward and do anything, I might go back to huben. I might not but more than anything else, don't think because I went through made me love the us more and maybe look at a us through a very clear vision, that you're still the same, you're only getting worse. If I could do something to make it better. Yes, but I'm not just gonna stand by your side because you got me out of there.

Jeff: 40:12

I am. And I know we'll probably hear more about this for weeks to come. We're gonna keep hearing about the story. But I just felt like it was polarized that we needed to talk about it. You know what I'm saying? You know, I'm happy that she's home. I'm happy that you know, the administration did and I'm hoping that they did everything they could, you know, to try to get her home than to try to get you know, Paul Whelan home, but my opinion still remains it is the worst trade ever made. And

Anthony: 40:42

tell me Herschel Walker's worth what I get you.

Jeff: 40:45

But before we go, I just have one last question for you as a black man in America honest question. Is this like Biden's attempt to win the black vote, or even though Black and queer vote or to get sympathy, you know, what I'm saying is is one of the things he's gonna be trying to do, you know,

Anthony: 41:04

to get reelected. Now, this might go down as one as Biden the greatest mistakes, and it shouldn't be because you were able to free somebody, but it doesn't gain any access to perspective. Because if you wanted to work out this deal you could have did so before, you know, the Senate elections, which would occurred more favor, then do it, after all is said and done, then you go ahead and make the deal itself. As a black person in America, I don't think it's actually going to actually hurt him because now you've given other people ammunition, to say like, why would you do this when there are other prisoners of war in country in that country, that we should have made the steel for that have suffered in Russian prisons and gulags? Because they were doing a job that we as the US sent them over there to do, whether that's espionage or not, we did. So he put them in that place, and it's occurred, you wouldn't do that for them. You wouldn't talk about them, you wouldn't bring them up. And I said, Paul, witness the most famous example. But there are other people that are there. You wouldn't do that for any of them. But you caved in in a public pressure, where everyone wearing T shirts to WNBA and your back, celebrities and your back, everyone on your back to bring free Britney bring Britney home, so on and so forth. You do that. But for what means for what gains what does it change? And it doesn't add, like I said, I think that's a dangerous precedent that he said, was some people because of the horrors that they've done to others. And the terroristic acts that they going on. Like, like, Russia is already in shit right now, because they tried to go in and like gorilla pimp, Ukraine and Ukraine fought back. They're already in a conflict. They're not the good guys, but you have to make a deal with him for her again, and I don't want to seem like I'm shitting on Brittany. Not at all, it really comes down to the matter of fact that that is the big fucking thing that you had to do. And I'm proud and I'm happy that she's home. But at what cost? And I can't answer that. The American people will. Those that vote will those in powerful positions will if they have something to speak on about this. But again, that's gonna happen in due time, but we're gonna say

Jeff: 43:17

like you said, I munition. You know, this is something that like guys like Trump and DeSantis are gonna use when they're running. They're gonna you know, they're gonna throw it in Biden's face like, Yo, we could have gotten Paul Whelan without giving up anything, and I'm saying they're gonna throw it up. And God forbid on Trump or DeSantis manages to make a deal with Russia and brain wheeling back home. Can you imagine some shit like that? Call me Biden like a failure. You're gonna make him look like a goddamn fool.

Anthony: 43:42

I say it's politically tricky. What he's no one understands it might hurt. It might curry favor with a particular audience. But is that audience strong enough or big enough to get you home? Because I understand that people of color and queer people might be happy. And I mean, thrilled about Brittany being home. But again, those are people who are dealing with rising costs and housing and food and gas, inflation, stagnating job market, stagnating housing market, where everything's everything's going up, except for your dollar. You got to deal with that problem. And I don't think Britain is going to help that not one bit.

Jeff: 44:16

But yeah, I'm curious to see what the attendance is going to be for her first game back,

Anthony: 44:22

it might be the most money that the WNBA makes you ever watch a WNBA game and they got like the top row blacked out, because there's nobody there, bro. Now, if she played, they're gonna sell every seat, they might sell seats in the aisle and they're

Jeff: 44:35

gonna increase the prices to minimum is going to be $100 and then ticket is going to be sold out. And it's going to be the most money they've ever made in one single game ever.

Anthony: 44:43

Because who, because that's a bad thing, right? Who could eat like floaties for like 50 bucks, the NBA

Jeff: 44:48

loses money with the web. The other day that the NBA loses some like, I don't know, 30 40 million a year on the WNBA

Anthony: 44:56

it's like they're treating like a welfare system. They never built it up properly.

Jeff: 45:00

But that's our time man. Thank you for tuning in. Send all your friends to theculture.one Hollaback hold up let me find me a quote man damn i forgot. Almost left without a quote.

Anthony: 45:14

And a guy who left a review I'm sorry. This is kind of a one topic thing we'll figure out. Is this racist next time there's tons is Is this is this racist shit going on all the time. Don't worry about that.

Jeff: 45:25

Ryan Holiday said think progress not perfection. The Culture, Peace!