Lemon LIVE at 5 | D.L. Hughley DESTROYS Donald Trump & MAGA!

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a 100% state tax on Californians receiving money from the '1776 slush fund,' a move met with strong opposition from the Treasury Department, which called it 'stupid.' This action is seen by the host as a direct counter-attack by Democrats against perceived Republican overreach.

Gavin Newsome announced yesterday that he's going to 100% tax on anybody receiving that slush fund money that 1776 slush fund money. He's saying 100% tax. The guy who's in charge of the money, the Treasury Department, he has a few things to say about that. [...] 'Uh there's no cure for stupid.'

The Department of Justice attempted to obtain a list of Don Lemon's YouTube subscribers' names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers. The host and D.L. Hughley interpret this as an outrageous act of authoritarianism and intimidation, drawing parallels to historical McCarthyism, especially as it occurred concurrently with efforts to remove January 6th defendants from similar lists.

The Department of Justice or the prosecutors in this case wanted a list of my subscribers names, addresses, and emails and phone numbers. [...] At the same time they're asking for your list, they're asking to remove the J6ers from those list. [...] I just think it is it's it's authoritarianism 101 and it's just kind of where we are right now.

D.L. Hughley and Don Lemon criticize Donald Trump's focus on activities like hosting UFC fights at the White House or attempting to put his face on a $250 bill. They frame these actions as petty, self-enriching distractions that do not address the everyday concerns of Americans, such as affordability, food, gas, and healthcare, comparing them to Roman games used to distract the populace.

I don't know how arresting journalists or or uh you know uh or attorney generals or you know having UFC fights at the White House or putting itself on a $250 bill or any of those things are have any impact on what is affecting Americans lives every day. [...] it's like the Romans used to have games at the coliseum as the distractive mechanism.

The discussion attributes the U.S.'s perceived underestimation and struggles with Iran to the appointment of individuals based on loyalty rather than expertise in critical defense and foreign policy positions. This 'mediocrity' in leadership is seen as leading to strategic errors and a diminished global standing.

He put the the predicate was never on expertise um or even it was just loyalty him feely to him. If you look at what's happening in Iran um it is exceptional brown men who are fighting mediocre white men. [...] You have someone who has no experience as the secretary of defense. [...] You have people in those positions who um in their definition are DEI hires.

Reese Waters and Don Lemon discuss the Kevin Hart roast, specifically addressing the use of racist jokes, particularly one referencing George Floyd. Waters argues that while racist jokes have a history at roasts, the context of who tells the joke and the ongoing societal suffering related to the subject matter (like George Floyd's death) makes certain jokes problematic and 'hacky.' They also note the disparity in the number of jokes targeting black people versus other groups.

I do think that the jokes were racist. I also think that racist jokes have established a long time home at roasts. [...] It's somebody's mentioning George Floyd in that vein who we know to be of a culture and of a of a strata of society where they view us this way where they have characterized George Floyd in those ways outside of a roast or outside of a comedy show period. That was the biggest issue that I had with it.

Reese Waters criticizes Kevin Hart's visible enjoyment and laughter during controversial jokes at his roast, particularly those about George Floyd. Waters suggests that Hart's reaction was a significant misstep, as it undermined the gravity of the jokes and necessitated subsequent public apologies and explanations, which could have been avoided with a more neutral or serious demeanor.

I think Kevin Hart's biggest error was how he reacted when some of those jokes were told. That was his biggest error because you can't be you can't be smiling and laughing and kikiing when they telling these kinds of jokes. This is how this what's going to happen. You're going to spend the next couple of weeks up at the Breakfast Club going to see going to see Shannon Sharp, going to see you, whatever the case may be, to try and put a band-aid on it when you could have just did a 4 second a and now you absolve.