Latest news with #HasanMinhajDoesn'tKnow
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Beto O'Rourke stands pat on his past comments of taking away AK-47s and AR-15s
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, told comedian Hasan Minhaj on Wednesday that he does not regret saying during a 2019 presidential debate that he would 'take away' Americans' AK-47s and AR-15s. During a Democratic primary debate on ABC, O'Rourke made headlines with the following declaration: 'Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we're not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore.' Advertisement Three days later, O'Rourke appeared on NBC News' 'Meet the Press,' where then-host Chuck Todd pointed out that there was 'a lot of hand-wringing' about the then-presidential contender's full-throated call for confiscating such rifles. Appearing on the podcast 'Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know' on Wednesday, O'Rourke was asked whether he regretted making the 'extremely unpopular' statement. 'No,' he told Minhaj. 'We talked a little bit about this earlier, but you know, 23 people in my community had just been killed because it is perfectly legal in this country to buy an AK-47.' 4 Beto O'Rourke make the comments on Hasan Minhaj's 'Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know' podcast. Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know / YouTube Advertisement 4 Law enforcement agents ready their weapons during the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. AP The former Texas representative argued that AK-47s were 'designed and engineered for use on a battlefield,' and that such weapons use 'high-impact, high-velocity rounds' that are far more deadly than other ammunition. O'Rourke also made the case for implementing red flag laws for firearms, claiming that they could have prevented the tragic mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in 2019. 'That shooter, when the gun came in, his mom called the cops in Allen, Texas, and said, 'Hey, I don't know what's going on. I don't think my son's okay. He just bought an AK-47. Can you help me?'' he explained. 'And the cop said, 'Nothing we can do. Perfectly legal. You're on your own. Good luck and goodbye.'' Advertisement 4 Democrat Beto O'Rourke speaks alongside elected officials gathered for a rally ahead of a public hearing on the proposed congressional redistricting on Saturday, July 26, 2025 in Houston. Houston Chronicle via Getty Images 4 Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting. AP 'You know, some people may think my saying that is crazy. I think what is even crazier is that after what happened in El Paso, it happened again in Midland-Odessa in Texas. After it happened in Midland-Odessa, it happened in Uvalde.' Following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, O'Rourke gave a fiery speech about gun control after being escorted out of a news conference where he confronted Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, over the tragedy. Advertisement Minhaj asked O'Rourke whether his sentiment that day reflected the 'median voter in Texas,' or the 'median comment' in his social media comment section, because 'clearly, the people of Texas… don't want this change.' The former Texas representative did not directly answer Minhaj's question, but noted that he has been working on finding 'common ground' with Republican voters in his state on the issue of gun control.
Hindustan Times
29-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Astrophysicist says ‘you'd still be dead by 30' even with organic food, clean air or fresh water: ‘Science matters here'
We often romanticise the past, imagining a time when people lived closer to nature, ate only organic food, drank pure water, and breathed clean air. It's easy to assume those were the keys to a longer, healthier life. In a July 28 episode with Hasan Minhaj on the podcast Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson challenges that idea, offering a reality check on what truly shaped human longevity. (Also read: Jimmy Carter, the longest-lived president dies at 100: 7 key longevity lessons from his remarkable, century-long life ) Life expectancy surge linked to science, says Neil deGrasse Tyson, not organic diets. How much has human life expectancy changed Reflecting on human survival over millennia, Tyson explained how dramatically life expectancy has changed, thanks to science, not just clean living. 'When we were all living in caves,' Tyson began, 'half of everyone born was dead before the age of 30.' He went on to explain that even as civilisation advanced, improvements in life expectancy were painfully slow. 'Fast forward to 1840, that number went up to 35. Half of everyone born was dead by the time they were 35. So, in the tens of thousands of years between living in caves and the middle of the 19th century, we gained only five years on that. Just five,' says Neil. Is 'natural living' really the secret to long life What changed after that? According to Tyson, it wasn't cleaner water, organic food, or fresh air, it was science. 'Since then, with advances in medicine, everything changed,' he said. 'And remember, everyone back then was already eating organic. The water was clear. The air was pure. The game they hunted was free-range. Didn't make a damn bit of difference.' 'Science matters here,' he emphasised. 'You can run around eating all the organic food you want, but you'd still be dead by 30 unless some doctor came in and said, 'We can increase your life expectancy using science.'' Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Warren pressed over defense of Biden's mental acuity in podcast interview
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) maintained in a recent interview that she shared what she 'believed to be true' when defending then-President Biden's mental acuity during the 2024 presidential race. Warren was pressed about her past comments in an interview on the 'Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso' podcast, where the host asked the Democratic senator if she had any 'regret' over defending Biden's mental ability. 'I said what I believed to be true,' Warren said in the interview released Sunday. 'You think he was as sharp as you?' Fragoso responded. 'I said I had not seen decline, and I hadn't, at that point,' the Massachusetts Democrat replied. 'You did not see any decline from 2024 Joe Biden to 2021 Joe Biden?' Fragoso questioned. 'Not when I said that, you know, the thing is, he — look, he was sharp, he was on his feet. I saw him, live event. I had meetings with him a couple of times,' she responded. 'Senator, 'on his feet' is not praise,' Fragoso shot back. ''He can speak in sentences,' is not praise.' 'All right, fair enough, fair enough,' Warren responded. Biden's age and mental fitness were key issues during the 2024 presidential race, which Biden eventually exited amid Democratic pressure after a rough debate performance in late June that furthered concerns about his mental ability. The Hill has reached out to Warren's office for further comment. In a previous interview on the 'Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know' podcast that came out in July but was recorded in April, Warren had said Biden was 'sharp' and that he 'knows what he's talking about.' 'I think people ask about age, they've got every right,' Warren said at the time. 'Look, voters can ask about anything they want, they can make any decisions based on anything they want, that's the deal.' 'It's a sharpness and a pointedness about what he is trying to accomplish, and to me, I get it,' she added, speaking about Biden. 'It's like messaging. You can have other issues you want to look at, but the heart of it is, what does he deliver, and he is delivering.' The Hill has reached out to a representative for Biden. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Warren pressed over defense of Biden's mental acuity in podcast interview
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) maintained in a recent interview that she shared what she 'believed to be true' when defending then-President Biden's mental acuity during the 2024 presidential race. Warren was pressed about her past comments in an interview on the 'Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso' podcast, where the host asked the Democratic senator if she had any 'regret' over previously defending Biden's mental ability. 'I said what I believed to be true,' Warren said in the interview released Sunday. 'You think he was as sharp as you?' Fragoso responded. 'I said I had not seen decline, and I hadn't, at that point,' the Massachusetts Democrat replied. 'You did not see any decline from 2024 Joe Biden to 2021 Joe Biden?' Fragoso questioned. 'Not when I said that, you know, the thing is, he — look, he was sharp, he was on his feet. I saw him, live event. I had meetings with him a couple of times, ' she responded. 'Senator, 'on his feet' is not praise,' Fragoso shot back. ''He can speak in sentences,' is not praise.' 'All right, fair enough, fair enough,' Warren responded. Biden's age and mental fitness were key issues during the 2024 presidential race, which Biden eventually exited amid Democratic pressure after a rough debate performance in late June that furthered concerns about his mental ability. The Hill has reached out to Warren's office for further comment. In a previous interview on the 'Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know' podcast that came out in July, but was recorded the previous April, Warren had said Biden was 'sharp' and that he 'knows what he's talking about.' 'I think people ask about age, they've got every right,' Warren said at the time. 'Look, voters can ask about anything they want, they can make any decisions based on anything they want, that's the deal.' 'It's a sharpness and a pointedness about what he is trying to accomplish, and to me, I get it,' she added, speaking about Biden. 'It's like messaging. You can have other issues you want to look at, but the heart of it is, what does he deliver, and he is delivering.'
