The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

As world leaders gather for the United Nations General Assembly, Steve Yates examines a question most Americans rarely ask: what does the United Nations actually deliver for Main Street America? Looking at the UN's origins, America's role as its largest funder, the Security Council veto system, and case studies from Korea to the South China Sea, Yates evaluates whether the institution still advances U.S. interests or has become more theater than tool.
Listen for a practical framework to judge global institutions the same way Americans would evaluate any contractor: did the work get done, what did it cost, and would you hire them again?
Follow Nation States with Yates for clear, common-sense insights where Steve Yates serves as your personal national security advisor, breaking down world events in ways that matter to Main Street, not just Washington. Connect with the show at Feedback@NationStatesYates.com and follow on X @NSWithYates.
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Senator Marsha Blackburn joins Lisa Boothe to discuss the fight over Title IX and women’s sports, artificial intelligence, public safety, and the future of Tennessee.
Blackburn explains her push to protect female athletes through the Title IX Clarification Act, including concerns about competition, scholarships, privacy, and locker rooms. She also discusses the political battle surrounding women’s sports and what could happen to Title IX protections if control of Washington changes. Pasted text Pasted text
The conversation then turns to artificial intelligence and data centers, with Blackburn outlining how Tennessee could capitalize on AI, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, health care, agriculture, and logistics while protecting children, creators, intellectual property, and consumers from higher utility costs. Pasted text
Plus, Blackburn discusses the Memphis Safe Task Force, its efforts to combat violent crime and gang activity, and why she believes the federal, state, and local partnership could serve as a model for other American cities.
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Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Clay and Buck lead with President Donald Trump’s White House meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, examining the stakes of the U.S.-China relationship and what they describe as one of America’s most consequential foreign-policy challenges. They discuss China, Taiwan, U.S. arms sales, trade and tariffs, artificial intelligence, fentanyl precursors, military-to-military communications, Iran, and the Russia-Ukraine war as potential issues surrounding the talks. The hosts place particular emphasis on the accelerating U.S.-China AI race, arguing that maintaining American leadership in artificial intelligence, data centers, energy production, and advanced technology is essential to national security.
Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Clay and Buck dive deep into President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S.-China relations, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, trade, fentanyl, Iran, and national security with China expert and former White House national security official Stephen Yates. Yates assesses Trump’s diplomatic approach to Xi and argues that Washington should remain skeptical about promises from the Chinese Communist Party. The conversation covers the wide range of issues confronting the United States and China, including AI competition, energy, Russia, Iran, fentanyl trafficking, global supply chains, and Taiwan security. Clay also raises the imprisonment of Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, with Yates describing Lai’s detention as a test of Xi’s willingness to show mercy and arguing that Trump should press for his release. Turning to Taiwan, Yates discusses Beijing’s desire for the United States to halt arms sales to the island and makes the case for continuing to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The discussion also examines whether the possibility of Chinese military action against Taiwan is increasing, with Yates describing the situation as a holding pattern marked by continued Chinese coercion against Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines while suggesting internal changes within China’s military could push the most dangerous period farther into the future.
A major portion of Hour 2 centers on mortgage rates, Treasury yields, the national debt, inflation, housing affordability, and the cost of borrowing. Clay reacts to mortgage rates moving above 7% and discusses a 10-year U.S. Treasury yield of roughly 5.15%, raising the question of whether the country’s approximately $40 trillion national debt could produce a prolonged era of higher borrowing costs. Clay and Buck discuss the mounting cost of servicing federal debt and the danger they see if interest payments increasingly compete with or surpass national defense spending. They connect today’s economic pressures to the inflation and high-interest-rate environment of the late 1970s and early 1980s, including a caller who recalls paying mortgage rates in the double digits before rates eventually declined. The hosts compare Joe Biden’s presidency with Jimmy Carter’s, while Buck also argues that pandemic-era economic shutdowns and government payments contributed to subsequent inflationary pressures. They additionally question proposals for large direct government payments, arguing that injecting more money into the economy could itself be inflationary.
Clay and Buck welcome Travis Hall, a former Special Forces military working dog handler and founder of Second Chance K9 Service Dogs, for a conversation connected to the Brad Pitt film Heart of the Beast. Hall recounts his real-life experience deploying to Iraq with his military working dog, Bear, and explains how elite military dogs assist Special Operations forces through explosives detection, tracking, and apprehension. He describes the intense bond between a military canine and its handler, the dogs’ intelligence and specialized training, and how a working dog can dramatically expand a Special Forces team’s capabilities in combat. Hall also explains the use of breeds including Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, and Labrador Retrievers, the extensive training involved for both handlers and dogs, and the circumstances under which injured military dogs can receive titanium replacement teeth. Drawing on four deployments with Bear, Hall praises the film for portraying important elements of the relationship between Special Operations personnel and their canine partners. He also discusses being invited to the Tennessee premiere and the importance of telling stories about Global War on Terror veterans, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, military working dogs, and the veteran community as that generation grows older.
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In Hour 1 of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Clay and Buck lead with President Donald Trump’s White House meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, examining the stakes of the U.S.-China relationship and what they describe as one of America’s most consequential foreign-policy challenges. They discuss China, Taiwan, U.S. arms sales, trade and tariffs, artificial intelligence, fentanyl precursors, military-to-military communications, Iran, and the Russia-Ukraine war as potential issues surrounding the talks. The hosts place particular emphasis on the accelerating U.S.-China AI race, arguing that maintaining American leadership in artificial intelligence, data centers, energy production, and advanced technology is essential to national security.
They cite polling about higher AI adoption and trust among Chinese citizens and discuss allegations of Chinese online influence campaigns targeting American attitudes toward AI, data centers, energy costs, and tariffs. Clay and Buck compare the competition for AI dominance to the nuclear arms race and the Cold War, with callers extending the analogy to the Manhattan Project, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Harry Truman, and America’s race against Nazi Germany to develop the atomic bomb. The discussion also expands into climate policy and the Paris Climate Agreement, as the hosts contrast U.S. and Western environmental restrictions with China’s energy strategy and debate whether fears surrounding AI could similarly lead the United States to restrain itself while geopolitical competitors continue advancing.
Later in Hour 1, Clay and Buck pivot to the news media after CNN and MSNBC regained access to the White House grounds following a judge’s order, criticizing the amount of coverage the networks devoted to their own press access while Trump and Xi were meeting. They debate the modern value of White House press access and access journalism, arguing that presidents, politicians, sports teams, and other public figures can now communicate directly with audiences through social media and other digital platforms instead of relying primarily on traditional reporters as intermediaries.
A clip featuring Karoline Leavitt and Sean Hannity prompts a broader discussion of anonymous sourcing, alleged media bias, Washington journalism, and the relationship between reporters and presidential administrations. Clay and Buck contend that dependence on continued access can make reporters less willing to challenge the officials or institutions they cover, drawing comparisons to sports journalism and discussing media coverage of the Obama and Biden administrations. They also revisit questions surrounding journalists’ coverage of Joe Biden’s health and fitness for office, using that debate to question whether physical proximity to the White House necessarily produces better reporting.
The first hour also briefly previews new battleground-state polling and an Alaska U.S. Senate race involving Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, including reports about complaints and leaked communications from staffers connected to his Democratic opponent. That exchange develops into a joking discussion about differences between Democratic and Republican Capitol Hill staffers before turning briefly to the Lindsay Clancy case and the hosts’ concerns about how mental-health or temporary-insanity arguments could affect criminal responsibility in future cases.
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In Hour 2 of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Clay and Buck examine the rapidly changing worlds of artificial intelligence, political media, the 2026 midterm elections, interest rates, the housing market, and the U.S. economy. The hour opens with a discussion of CNN and MSNBC regaining access to the White House, which leads to a broader debate over the future of journalism in the AI era. Clay and Buck question how artificial intelligence could disrupt traditional news organizations, wire services, political commentary, and even talk radio, before turning to the growing challenge of AI-generated political deepfakes. Looking ahead to the 2028 presidential election, they predict increasingly realistic fake videos could make it difficult for voters to distinguish authentic footage from fabricated content. They also consider the flip side of deepfake technology, where politicians caught on legitimate video could dismiss genuine evidence as AI-generated. The hosts argue that this environment could make political rallies, live events, firsthand experiences, and footage from multiple camera angles increasingly important as voters search for ways to establish authenticity.
The political focus then shifts to new 2026 election polling in Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Texas, and Florida. Clay and Buck analyze polling showing Susan Collins leading Troy Jackson in the Maine Senate race, noting Collins’ history of outperforming polls. In Michigan, they focus extensively on the Senate contest between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, particularly El-Sayed’s overwhelming support among voters under 30 compared with Rogers’ strength among older voters. The hosts discuss whether young voters will turn out in sufficient numbers, referencing Zohran Mamdani’s success mobilizing younger voters in New York City, while also examining El-Sayed’s performance among Black voters and the possible effect of Republican gubernatorial candidate John James on GOP turnout. Clay argues that James could potentially strengthen the Republican ticket, while Buck focuses on economic affordability, gas prices, mortgage rates, rent, and other kitchen-table concerns that could influence Michigan swing voters. They also discuss criticism surrounding El-Sayed’s association with Hasan Piker, as well as the limits of ideological attacks when voters are primarily concerned about economic conditions.
Clay and Buck also assess New Hampshire politics, where they see the Sununu family name and strong local political identity as potential advantages for the Republican candidate, and they discuss prediction markets as an imperfect guide to elections. Clay points to previous races where overwhelming favorites nearly lost or were defeated, arguing that long-shot betting odds should not be interpreted as certainty. The conversation extends to the Texas Senate race, where the hosts express concern about Republican prospects against James Talarico and urge Texas conservatives not to take the state’s Republican advantage for granted. Later, they turn to Florida polling, discussing a Stetson University survey showing Byron Donalds with a double-digit advantage over David Jolly in the governor’s race and Ashley Moody with a double-digit advantage over Angie Nixon in the Senate contest. Buck and Clay argue that Florida remains a major Republican stronghold and discuss Jay Collins’ endorsement of Byron Donalds and the competitive comparison between Florida and Texas as leading red states.
A major portion of Hour 2 centers on mortgage rates, Treasury yields, the national debt, inflation, housing affordability, and the cost of borrowing. Clay reacts to mortgage rates moving above 7% and discusses a 10-year U.S. Treasury yield of roughly 5.15%, raising the question of whether the country’s approximately $40 trillion national debt could produce a prolonged era of higher borrowing costs. Clay and Buck discuss the mounting cost of servicing federal debt and the danger they see if interest payments increasingly compete with or surpass national defense spending. They connect today’s economic pressures to the inflation and high-interest-rate environment of the late 1970s and early 1980s, including a caller who recalls paying mortgage rates in the double digits before rates eventually declined. The hosts compare Joe Biden’s presidency with Jimmy Carter’s, while Buck also argues that pandemic-era economic shutdowns and government payments contributed to subsequent inflationary pressures. They additionally question proposals for large direct government payments, arguing that injecting more money into the economy could itself be inflationary.
The housing discussion expands into the structural problems facing the U.S. real estate market. Clay and Buck explain the mortgage-rate “lock-in” effect, in which homeowners with mortgages around 2.5% to 3% have little incentive to sell and replace those loans with mortgages carrying rates closer to 7%, reducing available housing inventory. They discuss the nationwide median home price, the challenges facing younger and first-time homebuyers, down-payment requirements, credit standards, and lessons from the subprime mortgage era. Callers add competing perspectives, with one arguing that larger down payments and greater personal savings could reduce excess housing demand, while a realtor and investor stresses that today’s affordability problem reflects the combination of much higher home prices and elevated interest rates. The conversation also touches on property taxes and local mill rates, before Clay concludes that America fundamentally needs more housing supply, especially in major metropolitan areas. He identifies restrictive zoning rules, building codes, permitting requirements, and barriers to new construction, citing San Francisco as an example and suggesting housing supply and affordability could become major political issues in the 2028 election cycle.
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