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Smerconish

Example For Democrats Or Example Of The Democrats?; Rep. Laura Gillen, (D-NY), Is Interviewed About Censuring Al Green; DJ Daniel, Democrats, Republicans; Do More Democrats Need To Meet Republicans Halfway?; Future Of NATO Is No Longer A Given. FBI: Sextortion Cases Targeting Teen Boys On The Rise. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired March 08, 2025 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Before we go today, daylight saving time --

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh no.

JIMENEZ: -- begins tonight, which especially for us, the clock springs forward an hour, which 2:00 a.m. becomes 3:00 a.m. --

SCHOLES: Yes.

JIMENEZ: -- less hours (inaudible).

SCHOLES: (Inaudible) travel baseball this weekend.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

SCHOLES: Losing hour.

JIMENEZ: Well, thank you all for joining us for CNN This Morning Weekend. If I'm an hour more grumpy tomorrow, you'll know why. See you at 6:00. Smerconish is up next.

[09:00:34]

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR: I've got a prescription for progressives. I'm Michael Smerconish in Philadelphia. That Democrats have yet to find that effective means of fighting President Trump was plainly evident at his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. And watching, I thought maybe James Carville was right when he recently recommended for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party, roll over and play dead. Allow the Republicans to crumble beneath their own weight and make the American people miss us.

Instead, they offered mixed messages and seemed out of step with mainstream America. Some wore blue and yellow in support of Ukraine, others pink to protest Trump's policies, which they say are negatively impacting women and families. The Black Caucus, well, wore black. Many carried paddles. They had messages like Musk steals, save Medicaid, protect veterans. Among them, no constant theme. And then roughly five minutes into his address, Texas Democrat Al Green heckled Trump, shaking his cane and ignoring Speaker Johnson's calls for him to sit down. He was physically removed from the chamber by the sergeant at arms. And then two days later, even 10 of their own voted for his censure. That became a major story in a week dominated by Trump's radical reversals on everything from tariffs to terminations. Even their silence, though, was out of step, like when Trump acknowledged in the balcony a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor named DJ Daniel or the family of firefighter Corey Comperatore who was killed during the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania last summer.

How do you sit indifferently to the mention of the gruesome murders of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley or 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, both killed by undocumented migrants? Or the announcement of the capture of the presumed terrorist involved in the 2021 bombing in Afghanistan where 13 U.S. service members were killed? Don't take my word for it. Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman tweeted that Democrats presented a sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance that only made Trump look more presidential and restrained.

Trump's genius lies not, as he once told us, in his stability, but in his ability to reach routine Americans, especially low information voters. Don't misunderstand, I know that Trump was elected for promising border control, stopping endless wars, and controlling inflation. But there's another part of his appeal to many, torn straight from an old T.V. script for Seinfeld.

You remember season four, Monk's Cafe, Jerry and George, they plotted a T.V. show pitch to NBC. And what was the show supposed to be about? Nothing. It was an inside joke, because Seinfeld itself was about nothing. Meaning it was actually about everything. The aspects of life in which we all have an opinion, but not one predicated on political party or ideology.

Just think about it. The Chinese restaurant episode, it was all about waiting for a table, like we all do. And how many of us have a friend like Elaine who makes ordering at a restaurant too complicated even if there's no soup Nazi. The countless chronicles of dating issues. Is it OK to break up over the way that somebody eats their peas?

Or the size of their hands, dry cleaning, forgetting where you parked, toilet paper shortages, bad haircuts, low talkers, unreturned library books? We've all been there. And don't even get me started about shrinkage. Seinfeld turned them all into sitcom gold. And while Democrats wear pink, carry paddles and sit on their hands for gold star families, Donald Trump is spinning nothing into political capital.

Pennies are a problem. Why would we continue to make them if they cost more than two cents each? Paper straws, pardon the pun, they suck. That new NFL kickoff rule, Trump is right, it's weird. Declaring English to be the official language of a country founded by England Cast Offs, it kind of makes sense.

And he's not alone in thinking that Harry has his hands full with Meghan or the toilet and showerhead pressure not what it used to be. And why not put Pete Rose in the hall of fame, where his 4,256 hits are the most ever? And after all, he's not even alive to see it. Trump calls this his common sense agenda.

[09:05:08]

Now listen, if you're rushing for your phone right now to send me a nasty tweet to say that I'm normalizing him or minimizing his risk to democracy, then you're not understanding my message. I'm not embracing his policy. I'm explaining his edge. And it's this, Donald Trump was born of privilege. The son of a wealthy real estate developer.

He graduated from an Ivy League institution. He likes to eat at McDonald's. But I doubt he ever worked a minimum wage job or that he's ever hitchhiked or taken a long distance trip on a bus or owned a pickup truck or gone fishing or camping or watched an episode of Dr. Phil all the way through. Thank you, Charles Murray. Those are straight from your quiz.

But somewhere along the way, he's acquired a keen understanding of people, especially working class people. He knows the rhythms of everyday life for many, even if he's been waking up in 500 thread count sheets all of his life. And he uses that knowledge to reach people willing to vote against their own self-interest just to be for him. And so far, Democrats have no response.

Some took to social media on Thursday pretending to be video game characters in a video parody of choose your fighter. It was silly and ridiculous, devoid of any connection with common people. It just wasn't sponge worthy. Look, if you're going to not take James Carville's counsel, if you're not going to roll over and play dead, then Democrats, maybe you need to call Larry David for advice. Until then, yada-yada-yada.

Which brings me today's poll question@smerconish.com, which must the Democratic Party improve most to effectively confront President Trump, issues, is it messaging or is it leadership?

My next guest stood out in the crowd on Tuesday night. New York Congresswoman Laura Gillen war pink standing with some of her other Democratic colleagues. But she stood alone in many ways on Tuesday night. I just mentioned this moment in my commentary with regard to young DJ Daniel. She was one of the few Democrats who did stand.

And she wasn't done, she broke again with the majority of her party, was one of 10 Democrats who voted to censure Representative Al Green's outburst during the speech. So, is this another example of a fractured party or does Representative Gillen have the key to winning? She did flip a red district.

The congresswoman for New York's 4th district, Representative Laura Gillen, joins me now. Thank you so much for being here. Why did you vote to censure fellow Democrat Al Green?

REP. LAURA GILLEN (D-NY): Well, I was not in Congress when I watched Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert heckle President Biden. I thought that was disgraceful conduct. I think they should have been censured for their behavior. And if Kamala Harris was the president and someone was heckling her, I certainly would vote to censure that person as well. So I think if we're going to have a level of civility in the House of Representatives, it must be applied equally to both parties.

SMERCONISH: There's that image, and I think you used it in your social media that clearly shows you standing amidst your colleagues. They're all in their seats. You're on your feet. Question, were you surprised when you looked around and saw that you were one of the lone folks doing so among Democrats?

GILLEN: Well, I was a little bit surprised and disappointed. It's hard to be the only Democrat to stand up. But when you have a little boy who just got over brain cancer, the decision to stand was pretty easy for me because I'm glad that he survived brain cancer. I think it's nice he wants to be a police officer. And the same was true for Officer Jonathan Diller's widow.

Her husband was killed in the line of duty. Her little baby son is never going to know his father. And she made -- her family made the ultimate sacrifice to try to keep us safe.

SMERCONISH: Congresswoman, you're a New Yorker. I'm going to take for granted that you've got an encyclopedic knowledge of Seinfeld. What did you make of my pitch in saying, see, I see the smile. That must be the case. What do you make of my point that, you know, put tariffs and the threat to democracy aside, they're very serious issues.

But the president has a knack for reaching people on the everyday that I maintain Democrats do not. Your thought?

GILLEN: Well, look, I think he does have an appeal. We can see he got reelected and he has an appeal to common men. But what we should have been talking about and what we should be talking about was what was not in his speech. What was not in his speech was a roadmap to how we're going to lower costs, how we're going to fix our economy, how we're going to bring down inflation. He wasn't addressing how his constant threats of trade wars are really impacting our markets and impacting the global economy.

[09:10:11]

That's what I wanted to hear, and that's what we should be talking about. Not about distractions and disruptions and stunts done at the speech. We should be talking about the issues and how they're hurting the American people right now.

SMERCONISH: You flipped a district. You won a close race. Here's a piece of the commercial that perhaps led to your victory. Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GILLEN: I'm Laura Gillen and I'm here at the border of Nassau County with 2,000 miles from Mexico, but we're feeling the migrant crisis almost every day. So I want you to hear me loud and clear. You send me to Congress, I will work with anyone from any party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMERCONISH: You send me to Congress, I'll work with anyone from any party. And then you articulated specific areas, including border control. Do more Democrats need to take a page of your book and be willing in certain circumstances to work across the aisle? Is that a key to the future of the party?

GILLEN: Well, I think the American people are sick of hyper partisanship, and that certainly was on display at the presidential address. They want us to go and do our job and they want us to work with the administration if it's going to get things done for the American people. And they want us to push back if they're not doing things for the American people. I am trying to reach across the aisle and get some wins for my district, and that is what I'm going to continue to do, but push back when necessary. I had a budget presentation with my colleague who also shares Nassau County with me, Tom Suozzi.

Just outlining in a purely factual way the dramatic impact that the proposed cuts would have on our district and on the people living here, on health care, on special needs community. We talked about the real impact of these mass firings. We had a young woman who is seven months pregnant, was claims processor doing a job at the IRS, and now she has no job and no health insurance and she's about to have a baby in a month. So presenting that and pushing back where necessary, but trying to find ways to get things done in a bipartisan manner.

SMERCONISH: And a quick answer, if you're able, to the extent that the president has Democrats on their heels, where do Democrats need to up their game? Is it on issues, is it on messaging or is it in leadership? Messaging, leadership or issues? Which would you select?

GILLEN: I would say messaging because we're on the right side of most of the issues.

SMERCONISH: OK. Thank you, Congresswoman. Appreciate your being here.

GILLEN: Thank you.

SMERCONISH: What are your thoughts? Hit me up on social media. I'm found on all the platforms. I'll read some throughout the course of the program. What do we have?

But Curb and Seinfeld were T.V. shows. This is our country.

Yes, I get it. But the genius of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld was in recognizing how to reach people. Why were they so popular? Because we loved what they said about the nothings of everyday life where you don't have to be on the left, you don't have to be on the right, doesn't matter if you're Republican or Democrat like we get it. They're the things that matter.

Again, spare me the complaints. I'm not discounting the seriousness of our times. I'm just trying to explain his political genius. Not stable genius. Political genius.

By the way, the congresswoman just answered today's poll question. Here it is. Go to smerconish.com and cast a ballot on this. Which must the Democratic Party improve the most to effectively confront President Trump? Issues, messaging, that was her choice, or leadership?

Go vote. I'll give you results at the end of the program.

Up ahead, is NATO on the brink? The U.S. has halted military aid to Ukraine. Europe leaders are now scrambling European leaders for a plan B. And Trump allies are openly questioning the alliance's future. So, what happens if America pulls out of NATO?

Who better to ask than the former Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis, who will join us in a moment?

By the way, last week's poll question set a record. We had over 112,000 responses to the question of who was to blame for the Oval Office standoff, President Zelenskyy, President Trump or Vice President Vance, or all of them equally. You're not going to believe how many countries we had votes from. I'll tell you that in a moment.

And don't forget, sign up for the newsletter at smerconish.com. Jack Ohman drew this exclusively for the newsletter. Love that. And I've got one more to show you. Quick take from Steve Breen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:18:57]

SMERCONISH: Russia just launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine, a massive strike with nearly 70 missiles and 200 drones days after the U.S. cut off military aid. And as Ukraine scrambles to defend itself, President Zelenskyy now pushing for a partial cease fire with European leaders, not the U.S., taking the lead.

In negotiations in Poland, the response has been swift. The government is now moving to train every adult male for military readiness, part of a massive defense buildup aimed at countering Russia. And as the U.S. pulls back, France is floating a plan to extend its nuclear deterrent to the rest of Europe. Poland, meanwhile, openly debating whether it should pursue its own nuclear capability.

In a new opinion piece for Bloomberg, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis calls a U.S. withdrawal from NATO a mistake of epic proportions. The admiral warns that if the U.S. steps back, Europe will be forced to build a new defense alliance, potentially shifting its strategic alignment away from Washington. So is a post NATO world imminent? And what would that look like?

Here to talk about it is CNN Senior Military Analyst Admiral James Stavridis. He's a former NATO supreme Allied Commander, partner at the Carlyle Group. That's a global investment firm. He's also co-author of the novel, "2054," which comes out in paperback next week.

[09:20:13]

Admiral, to what extent is NATO dependent on the U.S.? And can it survive without us?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Yes, I think it can survive without us. I hope it never gets to that point. But Michael, let's just do the numbers for a minute. You know, our population, 350 million, there are 450 million Europeans. Let's talk about active duty military, U.S. has 1.5 million.

Europe has 2 million troops under arms, active duty. And by the way, many of them highly experienced in combat. They are highly blooded armed forces because of the forever wars where they deployed alongside us in enormous numbers. So yes, Europe has a capability. And finally, could they build a significant defense industrial base? You bet.

Look at the 25 largest defense firms in the world. Ten of them are from the U.S., eight from Europe. So that's the good news. Here's where NATO would struggle without the United States, intelligence, space operations, logistics, maintenance, training, all that back office stuff is where the U.S. is a real heartbeat inside NATO.

SMERCONISH: I sense that the perception of some, Admiral, is one of whether we'll do Naito the favor of continuing to remain in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. So I want to hear you answer the question of, what's in it for the U.S. by virtue of being a NATO member.

STAVRIDIS: I'm going to take a wild guess that you're a fan of Warren Zevon. So you've probably heard the song "Lawyers, Guns and Money." Let's think about it that way.

SMERCONISH: Love it.

STAVRIDIS: The lawyer piece -- the lawyer piece is the values, the democracy, the freedom of speech. Every time we go up in the world, we have the backing of the Europeans because we share those legal values. But maybe more importantly, it's the guns, it's the defense. You know, pop quiz for the audience, what's the second largest defense budget in the world after the U.S.? It's not China, it's not Russia.

It's the collective defense budget of Europe. They are the guns, 2 million active duty troops. And then third, the money. The largest economic trading relationship in the world is U.S. to European Union.

And oh, by the way, Michael, as we've talked about the money for defense, it's also money that's used across the board to create stability for us and to our advantage. So, I would argue NATO's pretty good value for the money.

SMERCONISH: If Vladimir Putin is watching this conversation or later briefed on it, you know, the very idea that a former Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral James Stavridis, is contemplating a world where the U.S. is not in NATO, Putin is thinking what?

STAVRIDIS: He is so happy. You know, his tactical objective, frankly, is to conquer Ukraine. He wants all the resources, the gas, the potash, the oil, the strategic minerals that we're maneuvering to lock up. He wants all of that, plus he wants 40 million Ukrainians because he's lost a million Russians in combat. His population is declining.

Michael, that's his tactical objective. His strategic objective is to break the transatlantic bridge, to push the U.S. out of Europe. And that opens the field for Russia not just to conquer Ukraine, but to lean in on the rest of Europe. That's why the Poles are going to a semi conscription system. And that's why the Poles, who have a long, bad history with Russia, are spending 4 percent of their GDP on defense, the highest in NATO.

SMERCONISH: So, let's finish up by circling back to today's news, the news of Russia increasing its assault against Ukraine. I imagine this is all with an eye toward when the game of musical chairs ends and the boundaries are what the boundaries are. Putin wants to be a position of having garnered every last inch. Is that fair?

STAVRIDIS: It is. And anyone who's negotiated anything knows before you start the negotiation, you want to be in the strongest possible position. That's why I object to the Trump administration cutting off weapons and particularly cutting off intelligence to the Ukrainians at this particular moment.

[09:25:01]

I do give President Trump credit for last night calling out the Russians for these attacks and talking about increasing sanctions, increasing pressure on Russia. We need more of that balance if we're going to seriously get these two to a negotiating table.

SMERCONISH: Admiral Stavridis, I've read "2054." Good luck with the paperback version. It's terrific. And it's prescient. Thank you.

STAVRIDIS: Thank you, Michael.

SMERCONISH: Social media, you can find me on all the platforms. This is some of what's come in during the course of today's program. Zelenskyy has ridden the gravy train long enough. He never had a chance of winning. Whoever put that thought in his head should reevaluate.

Well, he had a chance of keeping the Russian bear at bay. But let me read on. At this point, deal with the reality. Forget childish words, win or lose, put on your big boy pants and go to the table.

OK, Lin47, but I think that we've compromised Zelenskyy's, me, this is my opinion, we've compromised his ability to get to the table. I'll use the president's words, Trump's words, with as many cards as he could have been holding when he was thrown under the bus in the Oval Office a week ago Friday.

I try, I spend lots of time trying to understand what might I be missing. What could be the benign explanation for the emasculation of President Zelenskyy a week ago Friday in the Oval Office? None that I can see. Where's that tone and tenor directed toward Putin? You never hear it.

So we put Zelenskyy in short pants in front of the -- for the world to see and somehow there's supposed to be advantage in that? None that I can discern.

I do want to remind you, however, to go to smerconish.com and vote on today's poll question, which must the Democratic Party improve the most to effectively confront President Trump? Did they need help on issues, on messaging or leadership? And no, you can't say all of the above.

Still to come, a devastating online crime is targeting teen boys and it's costing lives. Sextortion scammers blackmailed 17-year-old Gavin Guffey. And just weeks after his funeral, his father received sickening messages. Now he's fighting to stop this from happening to other families. Representative Brandon Guffey will join us.

And then your social media reaction to my commentary. And what exactly is the right prescription for progressives as the clock ticks toward the midterms? Wow, are we already talking about the midterms?

Be sure you sign up for my smerconish.com daily newsletter for which Scott Stantis drew this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:31:57]

SMERCONISH; Hey, I want you to see something. That is actually last Saturday's poll result. We had huge voting, 112,000 plus who voted. I was just talking about the Oval Office encounter between President Trump and Zelenskyy and Vice President Vance. We asked the question, who bears the most responsibility for that argument that transpired? And you can see that it was 92 percent thought either Trump or Vance.

But this is now what I want to tell you that I think is really cool. We had 100 and -- hang on, hang on, I'm not there yet. Throw that camera back on me. This is this is a big moment in the show. There we go.

We had 176 countries represented in that voting. One hundred and ten thousand plus voted but they came -- how many countries are there? I should have Googled this. I think it's just under 200.

So, we had representation from 176 different countries in last Saturday's poll. Thank you, CNN International. OK. Today's poll question is this. Now we can get to it. OK.

Which must the Democratic Party improve the most to effectively confront President Trump, issues, do they need help on messaging, is it leadership? And no, you can't say all of the above.

And now here's some social media reaction to today's program. What an introduction to -- yes, OK. There it is. I knew it. I knew it -- to normalize the abnormal. This country is facing the most aggressive and damaging regime. But you have opinions about Meghan and Harry? Again, you missed the whole point. I was explaining to you why Trump is eating the lunch of Democrats. There was no cohesive response to him on Tuesday night, and I expressly said, I spend all week long on radio talking about tariffs, talking about Ukraine, as I just did with Admiral Stavridis, talking about the dismantling of government.

I'm ignoring none of it. What I'm explaining to you, and you're welcome, is that how is he able to have an approval rating near 50 -- 51 percent against that backdrop? It's because, among other things, he has got a knack for knowing what buttons to push, because breaking news, not everybody is paying attention to tariffs. Not everybody is transfixed by what the ultimate border between Ukraine might be with Russia.

But everybody does understand when you say, let's ditch the penny. Everybody does understand when you say, those paper straws, they really don't work. And everybody does understand, in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, that kickoff in the NFL, it looks a little weird.

So, say what you will about Donald Trump. He gets it and there's no Democratic response to any of that. They don't have a response to it. Wear whatever color you want. Hold up whatever paddle you're going to wave. You're not reaching people you need to reach. But I knew there would be emails like that. I knew it.

[09:35:00]

One more if I have time. Sorry, I got long-winded, Catherine. I just had to make that point.

Smerconish is now and always has been, a major Trumper, right. The end.

Yes, OK. Because Smerconish -- because Smerconish is willing to think outside the bubble, because Smerconish is not sitting here on a Saturday morning just reading the talking points like, he's a Trumper. Why do -- OK. Do we have one more? Go ahead, stick another one. I mean, we have thousands more. Go ahead quickly. Another one. I'm on a roll now. Now, they pushed my buttons.

Once the U.S. walks from NATO, it will be over. Just saying.

What will be over? What will be over? I think it would be disastrous. And the point that I appreciated Admiral Stavridis explaining is, as I said, there's this perception of like, hey, are we going to continue to do NATO a favor by remaining in NATO?

NATO came to our aid, may I remind everybody, post-September 11. It's a two-way street. It's not a one-way street. OK, serious subject now.

Still to come, hundreds of teenagers are actively being targeted online by cyber predators looking to extort them for money. It's being linked to at least 30 deaths of teen boys by suicide since 2021. Who is sounding the alarm on this public safety crisis? You're about to meet him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:22]

SMERCONISH: If you have teenage sons, this subject needs to make it to your family dinner table. You need to discuss what we're about to discuss.

The FBI is warning that sexual extortion schemes targeting underage boys are leading to an alarming increase in suicides. The crime is called sextortion, and it happens when scammers threaten and coerce minors into sending sexually explicit photos through social media.

It's the fastest growing cybercrime against kids in North America. At least 30 teen boys have died by suicide since 2021 after being targets. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, boys take their lives at three to four times the rate of girls.

Brandon Guffey is a South Carolina lawmaker. His 17-year-old son, Gavin, died by suicide in 2022. Guffey soon after discovered his son had been a victim of sextortion. A scammer on Instagram posing as a teenage girl, began chatting with Gavin and persuading him to send nude photos.

The sextortion began almost immediately after photos were sent. Scammers threatened to publish them if Gavin did not send money. He Venmoed the scammers the only $25.00 that he had and pleaded for more time but the threats kept coming.

Two weeks after his sons funeral, Guffey received private Instagram messages himself, taunting him and demanding money in exchange for nude photos of his son. Anyone with their shared last name who was a follower of Gavin on social media also got these despicable messages.

In one truly horrific DM, an anonymous account on Instagram, sent him a laughing face emoji and asked Guffey, did I tell you your son begged for his life? Earlier this year, a 24-year-old Nigerian man was charged after investigators discovered texts on his phone that he sent to the Guffeys and at least nine other people. He was charged with multiple counts, including child exploitation resulting in death. He faces up to life in prison if he is convicted.

According to the FBI, most cases are traced back to predators in West African countries and Southeast Asian nations. In 2022, the FBI issued a national public safety alert about sextortion schemes. Over 3,000 minors like Gavin were targeted across the United States.

Joining me now is Gavin's father, South Carolina lawmaker Brandon Guffey. Brandon Guffey, godspeed to you and your family. Please tell us about Gavin.

BRANDON GUFFEY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE: Thank you, Michael. Gavin had just graduated high school. He was just, I'd like to say that he was living his best life.

There were no signs of any stress or anything of that nature. And all of this happened in one night starting at midnight. And by 1:40 a.m., he had taken his life.

SMERCONISH: I know that you contemplated leaving public service, certainly we can all understand how you'd given that consideration. Your wife held you back. How come?

GUFFEY: Well, whenever -- Gavin took his life, you know, my focus -- your entire priorities change. It's the best way to state it. And, you know, I wanted to walk away, and I figure out what to do in my life. And my wife said, absolutely not. You're one of the few people that can get in and make a difference. And go and stop this from happening to the next Gavin. And so that would be my focus --

SMERCONISH: Tell me about your t-shirt.

GUFFEY: So, less than three sign is the last symbol that Gavin sent out before he took his life. And it was a heart emoji to tell his friends that he loves him. And then the goop sign was Gavin's nickname. So, everywhere that I go, I typically have a less than three sign on me. That way people can ask, and it helps raise the awareness of what sextortion is and how common this has become.

SMERCONISH: So, Representative Guffey, I feel like this is a public service announcement, our conversation today. What is it you want to convey to parents? Obviously to teens, but frankly, more parents than teens are watching this program. What is it you want to tell them?

GUFFEY: The biggest thing is for parents to understand that while we as parents, it's our job to protect our children, and we're used to locking our doors, we're used to keeping an eye on our children. But we literally have predators going into your child's bedroom and attacking them at night within your own home.

You know, there has been over 40 deaths since Gavin that I'm aware of. I know some are public, some are not due to sextortion.

[09:45:00]

It is targeting teenage boys, but girls are involved as well. And it is a lot more common as I go around talking to students and parents across the country, we're finding that, you know, very rarely do I speak to a class that does not have a person sitting in that class that has been extorted.

So, our biggest thing is trying to raise awareness and getting parents to understand that you were once a child, too, and were going to make mistakes, and that we have to offer that conversation with our children to let them know that no mistake is worth taking your life over. And that you will always be there for them.

SMERCONISH: And it's a two-fold message, right? I mean, of course were going to say, don't share the images, followed by -- in the same way that we used to tell ours when they were younger, don't drink.

But then we would also follow it up by saying, but if you find yourself in this position, for God's sakes, don't get in the car. And I guess that's the corollary that you would share as well. GUFFEY: That that is a perfect example, Michael, of what the way the conversation needs to happen with our children, because it's very easy for us to say, don't send images. But this entire generation is a completely digital generation, and they are used to -- I call them the Snapchat gen. They wake up and they share images on a daily basis.

So having online relationships is not uncommon. And if they do, you know, end up sharing images which now you don't even have to share images. These criminals are using artificial intelligence to create images just to create this shame for children.

SMERCONISH: Finally, what do you know of his tormentor?

GUFFEY: So, Mr. Lawal, I can't remember the whole last name because it was very long. He is currently, you know, facing, or been arraigned to the United States, and we will have a court hearing coming up soon. And we will figure out how that goes.

Now, there are additional people involved in this case, too, but those names are still sealed. So, this case is still ongoing. But, you know, this is the third extradition that I'm aware of from Lagos, Nigeria. And I am confident that justice will be served. We just have to get through this trial period.

SMERCONISH: I hope folks keep you in their prayers. Thank you so much for your willingness to tell the story.

GUFFEY: Thank you so much for helping share the message and save another teen.

SMERCONISH: Representative Brandon Guffey. You still have time to vote on today's poll question, which now seems so less important, doesn't it, after that.

Which must the Democratic Party improve the most to effectively confront president Trump, their issues, their messaging, their leadership? Subscribe to my free and worthy daily newsletter and you're there. You'll get editorial cartoons from the likes of Rob Rogers.

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[09:52:22]

SMERCONISH: So, there's the result so far at Smerconish.com. Which must the Democrats improve the most to effectively confront Donald Trump? Ah, their leadership, say, 44 percent. Their messaging 39 percent, followed by issues. Right now, at 43,328.

If you haven't voted at Smerconish.com keep voting. Not only do I want to see the final vote total, I also want to see how many nations are represented, 176 last week. Pretty cool.

OK, social media reaction that has come in during the course of this program. What do we have? Messaging and leadership are irrelevant if the Ds back the wrong issues like transwomen in women's sports that now has 79 percent of Americans opposed, according to a CNN poll.

Well, it's absolutely true. They're on the wrong side of some issues, like border security, right? Border security and the whole -- can't we -- can't we walk and chew gum at the same time? Can't we be respectful and inclusive in aspects of life of the entire trans community? But in certain circumstances, like athletics, where there's an unfair advantage, say, in this instance, you know, that's something we can't do.

I think we can do both. I think we can do both. More social media reaction. What else do we have?

Smerconish, you're right, but you are missing the line that best defines Trump in Seinfeld. George Costanza's it's not a lie if you believe it.

OK, not as well known, perhaps as, is there a marine biologist nearby? One more. I think I've got time for. Let's see what else we have. I love those whole Seinfeld lines. I mean, lead my whole life by thinking of that show.

How about this part? Identify a leader. The current crop has failed. Schumer, Pelosi, Nadler. Schiff. Who's the rising star? Who speaks the truth? Believe it or not, John Fetterman. Now, someone please buy him a suit or at least a nice-looking track outfit.

I have to say, Dave, the person who has most distinguished himself in the House or Senate as a as a Democrat thus far, by willing -- being willing to step outside the box is Fetterman in a way that used to infuriate, you know, Democrats when it was Manchin as an independent who would caucus with the Ds, having that willingness as well.

But you're right. I'm hard pressed to identify a different person beyond Fetterman and didn't think I'd be the one saying that. OK, one more I think I've got time for it. Here we go. Love all your social media. Find me wherever you are.

Messaging? The American electorate are not idiots. They heard the democratic message and they rejected it.

Donald Trump won this election based on immigration, based on the economy, and based on the level of condescension that was directed toward him.

[09:55:03]

The over-the-top hysterical reaction to Trump, the four indictments, the one criminal conviction, all of the things that if you just landed here from another planet, you'd say, well, he is done.

But the vehemence with which they went after him boomeranged and was to his benefit. Big issues, OK? I've clearly said that now, right, immigration, border, the economy. But don't overlook what I laid out at the outset of this program today. His ability to reach the every man or every woman. OK.

Hey, I want to thank you for watching this program. Listen, here's an announcement. Eleven years ago today, March 8, 2014, was the launch of this. In fact, there I am on day one with Al Snyder.

Do you remember this case? He lost his son, Matthew Snyder, in Iraq. And then those degenerates at Westboro Baptist showed up at his son's funeral. He was like my lead guest the first day on CNN 11 years ago today.

I also want to announce my latest project, "The Mingle Movie." "The Mingle Movie" deals with a lot of the themes I was just talking to Representative Guffey about, 7:00 p.m. on YouTube, Tuesday night. If you missed the program, you can find us wherever you get your podcasts. OK. Thank you.

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