Welcome to the Bullwark Podcast. I'm Charlie Sykes. I am back after a couple of days off.

I confessed this morning I sat down to write my newsletter about the about to live

forth and I started writing the newsletter with the words American Madness and then I thought

about deleting them because it just seemed too dark for the day after July 4th. But

let's be honest about it. Most Americans spent yesterday having fun going to Parade's fireworks

picnics without having them interrupted by mass murders. There were moments of gratitude,

patriotism, people remembering what the promise of America is. But it is hard to talk about this

particular national holiday without noting that yesterday we had the 309th mass shooting here

this year. 309th with parade goers in Highland Park, Illinois of all places aged 8 to 85.

Had their bodies blown apart by a high powered weapon of war wielded by a 22 year old,

how do I even describe him? Just sick fuck rapper. Then the problem is we're going to talk about it,

we'll forget about it soon enough. We'll go back into the rhetorical doom loop.

I started off by telling our guests that I just apologize in advance because I'm always in a

really bad mood after one of these Adam White joins us again. Adam reminded me that we had previously

had a podcast the day after a shooting. You knew I was in a crappy mood at him. So happy Tuesday I guess.

Yeah, I can't remember. It was the last one was the day after the shooting but I know you and I have

sadly puzzled a shoot on reflected on these issues before and sadly we will again. I will say

Charlie this it's ironic that we're speaking today today's my first day back in Washington after

our family's annual two week getaway to Wisconsin. So who better to talk with than Wisconsin's

very early. Well you were actually in Meckwan you're like a few miles away from me most people don't

even know where Meckwan is and you were here. We were Star Cross podcast. Okay so Adam is a senior

fellow with the American Enterprise Institute. He also co-directs the Seaboyden Gray Center for

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