Auto-Pen Strikes Again    

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William! Wherever you're listening across this, the greatest nation God ever blessed, welcome to a Thursday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Coast to coast on more than 150 outstanding radio stations and streaming live at ToddStarns.com. Hello, fellow Patriots. Jeff Stein in the air chair today.

Todd is on the road. He's going all over the place. Liberty University, Texas, probably at a cracker barrel near you as well, but that gives us the opportunity to hang out. It's my privilege to be here, as always, today, tomorrow, and Monday while Todd meets the faithful around the country. Same great conversation, same great phone number, 901-260-5926.

That's 901-260-5926. And today, the Liberty University studio is at my home base, News Talk 1540, KX. In Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa, the 50,000-watt blowtorch scorching the heartland with accurate news and reasonable views. Great to be along with you today, and we've got some great guests coming up. But this hour is dedicated to things that are on my mind and, more importantly, your calls.

Once again, 901-260-5926. If you subscribe to Todd's free morning Substack newsletter, you know that he was talking today. About what we used to call beauty pageants. They just call them. Pageants now, but wannabe females.

Males, we're talking about here, competing in some of these competitions. And we're going to talk about that with someone who has experienced it walking on the pageant runway. We're going to do that in our next hour of the program. And so if you've not yet. seen today's Morning Edition news briefing?

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So as I was preparing for the program today, Yeah. I heard that the former President of the United States, And that's the correct title. He was sworn in. He sat in the chair occasionally for four years, and now he's drawing the pension.

So, regardless of what you think about how he got there, the fact is history will show that Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. did. hold the office of President for a four-year period.

Well, now, of course, there is great concern And again, thoughts and prayers to the former President regarding his physical health condition. His mental health condition as well, I suppose, but we now know more, supposedly. Like we're being told the truth about his physical condition. In any case, There's enhanced concern about his office's use of an auto pen. This is the thing that they use so that the president does not get writer's cramp.

I will point out, by the way, that the host of this program, one Todd Starnes, when you get an autographed book like Star Spangled Blessings, which you get now at ToddStarnes.com, if you get an autographed book, That's because Mr. Starnes grabbed a Sharpie and scrawled out his signature. No auto pen in Memphis, Tennessee, but there is one in the White House.

So Joe Biden issues a statement yesterday.

Now that last sentence, friends, could have been in quotes. Joe Biden issued a statement yesterday. It's in his name. It's posted in his Social media. And we are led to believe that He knew about the statement and actually made the statement.

I find it hard to believe because he has a very hard time forming a coherent sentence when he's speaking. But let me read to you the statement, or portions of the statement, that the former President, the forty sixth President, as history will show this is his statement quoting now I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false. That's the Biden statement. I find that it is at the least curious.

And very likely Suspicious. That the response from Joe Biden is in a written statement. Put out on social media and other friendly platforms. We have absolutely no idea who wrote that statement. But it would not surprise me, and I bet it would not surprise any of you.

learn. That the same person who wrote and authorized that statement on the social media is the same person who controlled the use of the AutoPen. In other words, Biden's declaration in this statement That he made all the decisions, and any suggestion that he didn't is ridiculous and false. I don't know of anyone in either side of the political spectrum who's going to say, oh, well, as long as he's made that statement. That's good enough for us.

We have no idea who made the statement.

Now, if he stood. Before reporters. and made the statement. in live real time. Yeah.

Not a 30-second video that was edited eight times. If he stood there and made the assertion, I'm still not believing it, but at the very least, somehow he was conditioned to deliver the statement. I'll go with that. But there's no level of confidence. that he knows this statement was released.

that he authored it? Just like there's still no evidence that he knew what was going on, When the auto pen was used, constantly And again, we've all seen these mashups that they call it on the video. where they take the signatures from various documents and compare them. And when you look at all the pardon Documents. And Ed Martin is looking at this, to be sure, within the Department of Justice.

All of these pardon documents have the same signature. as in auto pen. Because nobody does their signature the same way twice. The only one that's different. is the pardon for Robert Hunter Biden.

The only one that looks like it's a different signature, like it might have been done by a human. is the one for Hunter. Joe probably knows he did that one. Does he know about any of the others? Not a clue.

I don't like this use of AutoPen for any purpose. And I believe the folks at the current White House have said It's just impossible for a president to meet all of his obligations as people would expect unless you did have something like an AutoPen.

So, for example, the example they gave: a school kid writes in and would love a letter signed by the President for a school project. They would run that through AutoPen.

Well, I don't know that I like that either. I also don't want the leader of the free world sitting there doing nothing but signing documents as if he's a retired baseball player at a card show at ten bucks a throw. That was pretty quaint, right? It's probably fifty bucks a throw. For a Hall of Fame or autograph.

I don't know. What does Todd get? He's a member of the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

Well, now I'm getting off track. In other words, Joe Biden's people issuing a statement alleging that Joe Biden said that Joe Biden knew about everything. Yeah, that's nice. But it's not going to stop the House Oversight Committee, nor should it. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee.

Has asked five senior Biden officials. including the President's physician, To voluntarily appear. Apparently, the physician says he's not going to do it. And the subpoena, I believe he told the folks in the cable news world last night, James Comer did, I believe he said that subpoena is being issued for the doctor.

Now there are folks who say, okay. You know, how does this help me? Make my grocery bill. How does this help me? Fill my car with gas.

Well You can do two things at once. You can, I'm not sure this Congress is able to. Very disappointed in what's going on in Washington in terms of this Congress, but that's a different, we'll get to that. Yeah. If you Don't.

Ferret out. the misdeeds. If you don't find the rot. They'll get away with it. which is bad enough, but they'll do it again.

And that's the thing Where you have to prevent this from recurring.

Now, again, if you are a member of Congress, you need to work for your constituents. Keep these tax cuts in place. Cut spending in a very real way, not through some tortured mathematics. Do the stuff that we need. Put a farm bill together.

You're only two years behind a five-year farm bill, after all, so that our producers know what the rules are, and so folks who truly are needy can get food. You might want to put that piece of legislation out there. But you can do all of that, help the American people while you Expose the wrongdoing. But you're exposing the wrong doing.

So that it never happens again, and these people who did the wrongdoing. are never back in charge. The American people deserve full transparency. This is from James Comer, and the House Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough investigation to provide answers and accountability. Yes.

Absolutely. But we cannot forget That elections are won and lost on what have you done for me lately. Me being a voter. Did you keep the tax cuts in place? Did you cut spending in a very real way?

So that the deficit turns around. Those are the things that we're going to be looking at in 2026. I would say the American people want accountability, yes, but they want their members of Congress to do something for them. There needs to be a record. for Republicans to run on in 2026 and right now This is just not going as well as it should have.

And I do not blame the person in the White House. I blame Congress. That's just me. And as far as Joe Biden saying, here's my statement. I knew everything that was going on.

That is what I think of Joe Biden's statement. Look at that, within the first twenty minutes, and he's using cheesy sound effects. This is going to be a great three day run for Stein filling in for Starnes. 901-260-5926. That actually was me crumpling a piece of paper.

Rush taught us that trick. 901-260-5926. That is how you can join this coast-to-coast conversation in the Liberty University studio. Great guests in hours two and three. Your calls between now and then.

Thanks for being along. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. This is the Todd Starn Show. As you know, my friend Mike Lindell has a passion to help everyone get the best sleep of your life.

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Ah! Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and the Todd Starn Show. 901-260-5926 is how you can connect with us. We'll be joined on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line just after the bottom of the hour by the chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax, the great James Rosen. He has been in that White House press room for multiple administrations, including the last one.

And I want to get his thoughts on the former press secretary all of a sudden declaring her independence. What in the world does that mean? And is it just another. Person on the left trying to cash in. In essence, at Joe Biden's expense, James Rosen of Newsmax, live on this radio program, just after the bottom of the hour.

Coming up to start the next hour, we're going to talk about men competing in beauty pageants. This is a thing, and Todd wrote about it on his Substack today. Frances Floresca Baldwin. She's a policy analyst, reporter, and a current reigning pageant queen. Sash and Tiara, and the whole bit.

We'll talk to her in less than one hour, just after the top of the next hour.

Something that I also found interesting as I was looking at some things with regard to our program today. Shenanigans and hijinks continue in the state of Georgia, and the Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party have issued a joint statement under the names of RNC Chair Michael Watley and Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McCune concerning the Fulton County, that's Atlanta, Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

Now, these are the folks who appoint people to the county election board.

Some of this stuff should be a formality. There's somebody who's serving, they want to be reappointed, and they get reappointed.

Well, here's what has happened down there in Fulton County, if you were not aware. And as we all know, Georgia. Pretty big state when it comes to The balance of power in the Senate, in particular.

So, as the RNC points out, last month the Democrat-controlled Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to indefinitely table the appointments of two Republican nominees to the Fulton County Election Board. One of them is already serving on the board.

So it would just be a reappointment. All right, you say, well, okay, they may want to study it a little further. Not so fast, my friend, at the same time that they indefinitely tabled the appointments of two Republican Nominees, they approved two Democrat reappointments. The Democrat-controlled Fulton County Board. said the Republican nominees' political affiliations alone, as well as their past legal work, justified the delay.

Some of those commissioners in Fulton County. claimed that the nominees were on the far right. Why, that in and of itself is a sin, isn't it? The Board has a legal obligation to include Republican representation. Period, full stop, it's in the law.

And yet they're pulling shenanigans by saying, we will appoint the Democrats. To the election board, but we will indefinitely hold off on appointing the Republicans. All right, settle down, buddy. What's the big deal? You might be saying the election's not coming up for a while.

Well, first of all, there are elections at all levels every year. In my state of Iowa, we have municipal elections this year. We have statewide elections in addition to congressional elections next year.

Okay.

So, having a county election board mandated by law. to have representatives of each party? You need to do that. And when you blatantly reappoint the two Democrats and indefinitely freeze the appointment of two Republicans, one of whom's already serving, That is the most naked form of election interference and aggression you can have. It is very straightforward.

In one respect, I'll give the Fulton County, Georgia Board of Commissioners credit for doing this. in the open and doing it so blatantly. as opposed to under the table. course it makes me wonder if they're doing it this blatantly. This is what they're doing, blatantly.

Imagine what they're doing under the table that we don't know about. But keep your eyes on places like Georgia, Atlanta, Fulton County. We've had problems in these places before. The next election is going to be very important. As I said, there's elections every year, and so that's the foundation of all of this.

But you're going to appoint the Democrats and not the Republicans. Don't tell me elections don't have consequences. The great James Rosen of Newsmax joins us after this break at the bottom of the hour. Jeff Stein in for Todd from the Liberty University studio. And this is the Todd Starn Show.

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Advertisements sponsored by Legal Help Center may not be available in all states. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd for the next few days while he's on the road to Liberty University and other parts. Texas, I think, is in there as well. And as I noted earlier, at probably a cracker barrel near you over the noon hour.

But that gives me the chance to go now to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. And if you want a Body of work as a reporter that is thoughtful, that is nuanced, that puts things into context. Our next guest, well, he goes right at the top of my list, is the first selected for the team. He is James Rosen. Mr.

Rosen is the chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax. He's on the TwitterX machine at James Rosen TV. Mr. Rosen, thank you so much for taking the time. How are you, sir?

Chef, that was very generous. I appreciate it, and I'm always grateful to be with you. When I saw the news yesterday about the former White House press secretary, Corrine John Pierre, you and she had a bit of a history, shall we say, when you were covering the White House on a daily basis. When you heard that she was going to release a book And what they said about it, what was your initial reaction? Mm.

Well, the book is is is titled Independent. And in announcing its forthcoming release in October on her Instagram page, Colleen Jean-Pierre. also announced that she is leaving the Democratic Party. And I forget the exact subtitle of this book, which is being published, as I say, this fall by a lesser known imprint of the Hachette publishing company. It nonetheless, that subtitle avers to the broken politics, the broken Democratic Party.

From what I've read, because obviously I haven't been able to get my hands on the manuscript yet. Although not trying that hard, Jeff, I have to confess. It talks about the betrayal of the Democratic Party to the voters. and so forth.

So this is a kind of an attempted makeover. of Carrine Jean-Pierre that extends beyond the normal activity we would associate with the release of a new book. And in this season of skepticism about the Biden White House, driven in no small measure by the book that is now number one on most bestseller lists, Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson reporting on the decline of President Biden during his term in office. It's going to be difficult, it strikes me, for Jean Pierre to succeed in that makeover attempt. Uh reportedly the preorders for her book which are always carefully watched when you're dealing with a person of national renown.

who has a book announced. uh in the next twenty four hours, how does it look for the preorders? Reportedly, they have been flat in this instance. This may go down as one of the longer book titles in history, Independent, colon, A Look Inside a Broken White House, comma, Outside the Party Lines. She's going to have to write a long book to get that whole title on the cover.

Maybe it wraps around to the backside, but this just feels like an attempt. At personal redemption and a way to collect an ongoing paycheck. Am I being a little too harsh on her? I don't suppose in ordinary circumstances there's anything dishonorable about Looking out for one's personal reputation or earning a paycheck for that matter. Um What's troubling people in this early stage without even having read this book?

is Jean Pierre's declaration of independence from the party that she served across two administrations. And moreover, the The The lack of credibility that she brings to the bookwriting enterprise begin with. This is someone who had difficulty reading successfully from the binder that she brought up to the White House lectern every day. And that's supposed to be the very easiest aspect of the job. It's one thing to lack a gift of GAB.

Clearly, Caroline Levitt exceeds Carrine Jean Pierre in that department. She has a gift of GAB, and Levitt doesn't need to refer to a binder. That's not to say that the answers you get out of Caroline Levitt are all that much more informative than those we received from Jean Pierre, but they're more assured in a sense. Reading the answers from the binder should be the easy part, and yet Jean-Pierre had trouble with that. and it led some to wonder whether there was an undiagnosed or undisclosed a case of dysphlexia at work.

So to now hear that she is the author of a book is surprising. on its own terms. And again, I suspect that while it would be imprudent to ignore what Corine Jean-Pierre has to say about her time in the White House. for anyone studying that period. Uh it won't carry much weight.

similar to the way her briefings were regarded by White House Press Corps. at that time. That's such an intelligent point, I think, where, again, if you lack the credibility to begin with. You're starting in the minus column. And then when this looks to be uh taking down a taking down of the Democrat Party Because of how they treated Joe Biden.

Again, that does seem to be. Loyal to an individual, but not necessarily loyal, I would assert to the truth. or to the Republic. Yes. And so, I also have not purchased my copy, and I'm not looking for that either as well.

There was a video that she released yesterday, and she's holding a mock-up of what the book would look like with an ill-fitting cover that was printed off of the computer. And it just did not seem credible or genuine to me either.

Now, you dealt with her on a daily basis. She smiled more in this video, but I'm not sure I got the sense of, again, let's rush right out and use our Amazon gift card. or our hard-earned shekels. Yeah. One of the revelations of the last twenty four hours Again, as seen through the reporting of Alex Thompson and Axios this morning, where the headline on that article is Just to get it exactly correct for you, Biden World goes scorched earth on Karine Jean-Pierre.

Alex Thompson collected a lot of. Um anonymous quotes from uh Jean-Pierre's former colleagues. And while we all knew that it was no secret that the White House Press Corps during her tenure as press secretary regarded her generally as an ineffective press secretary, as someone who was really not in the know nor even able to deliver the secondary benefit of usable soundbites Um The reporting of Alex Thompson, not only today, but in this book, Original Sin. Uh has exposed how little regard uh her own colleagues tell For Jean-Pierre's effectiveness. and her overall performance.

Uh and even her personality.

So we read in Alex Thompson's reporting this morning. uh quotes from various staffers in Biden World, including one who was An actual communications official, so a direct colleague of hers in the communications office of the White House, quote. The hubris of thinking you can position yourself as an outsider when you not only have enjoyed the perks of extreme proximity to the power, which bestows the name recognition needed to sell books. But have actively wielded it from the biggest pulpit there is, is as breathtaking as it is desperate. It's difficult to see how this is anything but a bizarre cash graph.

And from Still another Biden, former Biden White House official. She had meltdowns after any interview that asked about a topic not sent over by producers. She didn't know how to manage a team, didn't know how to shape or deliver a message and often created more problems than she solved. And others spoke about how often they needed to coddle her, how much time was wasted on this.

So again, it's one thing for a press secretary to receive low marks from the press corps. uh that covered him or her. It's quite another to see an official from any administration discussed in these kinds of terms so soon after the end of that administration. Bye for colleagues. By her colleagues, that's the key point, as you note.

And I wonder, are they afraid of what she might say in the book? I mean, usually, if a certain cadre of people are concerned about what the fallout might be, they try to get out ahead of it and either rebut it or discredit the source. I can't imagine that they really would care much about what she would say necessarily. everything you needed to know about Jean Pierre's tenure as White House press secretary was clear from the earliest days in her very first briefing as the White House press secretary after she succeeded Jen Saki. Um Jean-Pierre stated that the stock market is not something we keep an eye on every day.

And in her first or second or third briefing, she stated moreover that we don't talk to Saudi Arabia about oil production. And in that case, one of the reporters gave her a mulligan and said, Did you really mean to suggest that we don't discuss oil production with Saudi Arabia? And she held fast. And then in the next few days In the middle of otherwise long stem winding answers, to the She inserted, as they say in the law, Sua Sponti of her own accord. A little aside to the effect that of course we discuss oil production with major oil producers.

And of course, we keep an eye on the stock market. And as if that didn't make things clear enough, once the The Russia-Ukraine war started. We saw retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, who was the spokesperson for the National Security Council. being enlisted in daily press briefings. to go first before Jean-Pierre and take all the questions the reporters had on national security and foreign policy subjects.

while Jean Pierre was reduced to playing traffic hop and standing beside Kirby at the podium and calling on different folks.

Now her decision to not allow Kirby to call on reporters himself, and Kirby after all had led briefings Twice at the Pentagon as Pentagon Press Secretary, and once at the State Department as State Department Press Secretary. Certainly knew the reporters, knew how to call on them, and could run his own briefing. The reason she did that was A to consolidate her own power with the reporters, which was to say, if you tick me off in some way or form or fashion, then not only will you be cut off from access to me, you'll be cut off from access to Admiral Kirby in these briefings, but also to demonstrate her power over Kirby. When Kirby's boss, the White House National Security Advisor at the time, Jake Sullivan, would show up to brief the reporters, Jean-Pierre did not presume to run the briefing for him and allowed Sullivan to call on reporters himself. But the presence of John Kirby at just about every briefing.

after the Ukraine war started to handle the foreign policy and national security questions. bespoke an extraordinary, perhaps singular lack of confidence in the White House press secretary on the part of her superiors, and that includes the President, that she wasn't considered capable of answering the full gamut of questions that come from the White House press court. A couple of more minutes with Chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax James Rosen here on the Todd Star and Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Well, if we don't care much about her book, and I would suggest I certainly don't, I will tell you folks: if you want a book, there's one that was released a couple of years ago called Scalia Rise to Greatness, and a guy named Rosen wrote that.

And that's the definition of a book. But let me ask you a role now.

Well, it was a tremendous piece of work, tremendous piece of work. If you're doing a broader beat now as opposed to just the White House, not that that's a small beat by any stretch. I didn't mean that by saying just. But give us a comparison, lastly, of how Washington or this administration, how it is to cover as a reporter now as opposed to either Biden or Biden. or Trump 1.0 because you have experience with all of that.

Ooh.

Well, certainly the greater similarities for Trump 2.0 lie with Trump 1.0 than the Biden years. The contrast between the Biden years and Trump 2.0 are as stark as everyone. Has already concluded them to be. You had a situation in which you had a president undergoing manifest decline cognitively and physically. And whose inner circle of aides decided the best course of action was to try and shield the Presidents of the United States from public exposure.

which is what made the cover up of the bike decline such a quixotic undertaking. at all points. There is only so much Even the most dedicated and craftiest of staff aides can do to shield a president of the United States from public exposure.

So we all saw what we saw anyway. But nonetheless, Uh mister Biden was kept from reporters particularly. Over long stretches of time, and this saw him not only foregoing traditional opportunities for press conferences such as the end of his term or what have you, or at the end of each year. But even when foreign heads of state came to visit, and traditionally you would have at least two questions from each press corps. For any visiting head of state.

And there we saw during the Biden years such eminent figures as Olaf Schultz, then the Chancellor of Germany, who were visiting the White House and not receiving. A news conference with the President of the United States. It just didn't happen.

So here he was, shielded at all costs, at all turns, from reporters. And then in President Trump, Um, with the exception of the last few days where he's been strangely absent. From encounters with the news media. Just about every day, you're getting an hour's worth of exposure to the president for the White House press corps, to the point where it's exhausting and more than we can possibly cover. or more than that for which we can possibly provide the appropriate context.

So it's a big change. A lot of people liken it to drinking from a fire hose, and I think it's an apt metaphor now. The mute on the TV goes off when James Rosen's face comes on. At least, that's at my house. He is the chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax, the great James Rosen.

Thank you so much, sir, for being so generous with your time, and look forward to talking again soon. Thank you, Jeff. And Mr. Rosen was kind enough to join us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. If you're not affiliated with Patriot Mobile yet, well, you need to be, and I'm going to tell you more about that in a moment.

Let's take this break. 901-260-5926 to join the Coast-to-Coast Conversation from the Liberty University studio. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on the Todd Starn Show. Mm-hmm, yeah.

No, no, no. Uh Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Great conversation, as always, with James Rosen of Newsmax, that biography of Antonin Scalia that he released a couple of years ago. Just fantastic.

If you're looking for a nice big book to read through the summer, well, that's not a bad one. I have an even better idea of a book that you should get. And it's not KJPs, it's Star Spangled Blessings, Devotions for Patriots. It's due to be released in about a week and a half. Limited time to get an advanced copy signed.

Go to ToddStarns.com, get it wherever you get your good books, and again, Father's Day is coming up.

Well, the book doesn't come out till after Father's Day, so here's what you do: you go buy a copy online, order online, Star Spangled Blessings. Print a picture of the book cover and put it in the card you give Dad. On Father's Day, and dad'll say, Well, look at this. I raised my child right. He or she.

Not that you don't know. I'm saying it could work for both. Not saying you're confused about whether you're a he or a she. He or she was raised right. I'm getting a Todd Starnes book for Father's Day, and so you get the glory on Father's Day, and then a couple of days later, when the book shows up after it's released, That's a twofer.

You bought one book and you got Big props from Dad twice. I'm just saying, it's a really effective Father's Day gift, ToddStarns.com, star-spangled blessings. And, Mr. Rosen, and all the good guests on this program, join us on the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line. You can help protect your constitutional rights, including the First Amendment, by using your cell phone.

And that's because Patriot Mobile is America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. They support freedom of speech, freedom of religion. And that's why it's a perfect partnership with the Todd Starns radio program. Patriot Mobile offers dependable nationwide coverage, giving you access to all three major networks so you get the same coverage you've been accustomed to, but you're not funding the left. And you switch to Patriot Mobile, you're supporting groups like First Liberty, Alliance Defending Freedom, Concerned Women for America, folks like that, good folks like that.

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Go to patriotmobile.com/slash Todd or call 972 Patriot. And by the way, free activation when you use the offer code Todd. Really simple. Make the switch now, why don't you? PatriotMobile.com/slash Todd, PatriotMobile.com/slash Todd, or call 972 Patriot, 972 Patriot, and again, guests on the Todd Starns program.

Join us on the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line. We'll talk news of the day in the next hour with Luke Symbol. That'll come up just after the bottom of the hour. But after this short break at the top of the hour, we will speak with Frances Floreska Baldwin. She's a policy analyst, reporter, but she is also.

A pageant queen Tiara slash the whole bet, and we're going to talk about these men who are competing in these pageants. Todd wrote about it on his Sub Stack today, and we're going to get more details just after the top of the hour. One hour down on this Thursday, two hours to go. Thanks so much for joining us from the Liberty University studio. This is Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd, and you are in tune with the Todd Starn Show.

Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's common sense conservative commentary from Todd Starr. That's right. I love this American Right. Wherever you're listening across this, the greatest nation God ever blessed, welcome to our two of a Thursday edition of the Todd Starn Show, coast to coast on more than 150 tremendous radio stations and streaming live, among other places, at ToddStarns.com. Hello, fellow patriots.

It's Jeff Stein filling in for Todd for the next few days. He's on the road, taking the message directly to the people, including at Liberty University. And we are coming to you from, as always, the Liberty University studio today, located at my home base, News Talk 1540 KXCL in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa, the 50,000-watt blowtorch, scorching the heartland with accurate news and reasonable views. Privileged to be along with you today, 901-260-5926. That's how you can join our coast-to-coast conversation: 901-260-5926.

And we'll get to your calls in the next segment. If you subscribe to the free Todd Starnes Morning Edition news briefing on Substack, that's ToddStarnes.substack.com, you will have seen a post today indicating that Miss North Florida 2025 has been stripped of her title because she refused to sign a Miss America contract that defined female. as including castrated males. not making this up at all. And someone who has some experience in the pageant world is Frances Floreska Baldwin.

She is a policy analyst reporter, education policy. Work has been featured all over the place, but she also serves, if I have this correctly, as Universe United Mrs. Georgia. And she joins us on the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line. Thank you so much for the time.

How are you? I'm doing well, and thanks for having me. Tell us a bit about your business background, what it is that you do. I said a policy analyst and reporter. Tell us what that means so we get a good sense of who you are.

Yes. So I do a lot on education policy and also family issues.

So I get to talk about everything. And I'm also someone who does pageantry, as you said.

So currently, I'm serving as University United Misses, Georgia. And believe it or not, that's a peasant system.

So University United actually only allows biological natural born women to compete in their system.

So I'm honored to be able to do that. But yes, unfortunately, I have had to compete in a pageant system in the past.

So missed USA, when it comes to missed Georgia USA, competed in Miss Georgia USA last year, they do allow biological women to biological men to compete, and that's unfortunate. And I just decided, look, I need to compete in a system that does appreciates natural born women because we are being silenced, we are being erased, and we need to stand up for what we believe in.

Well, good for you for taking the stand. First of all, not easy to do necessarily, I trust, because there's a lot of well, you put in a lot of time. It's no different than other competitions, whether it's athletics or whatever it is. You put in a lot of time and effort, and then to have someone who's clearly not qualified try to swoop in and steal it. wrongly take it.

I mean, that that's that's got to be very difficult. How pervasive is it with these males who are trying to compete as females? How widespread is this? I mean, right now, we've seen several people win pageants, like whether that's in the Miss America system, Miss USA system.

Some of them haven't won, but they just competed. Like earlier this year, you had someone at Miss Rhode Island, no, Miss Maine or Miss Rhode Island, one of the two, I believe they had a biological man. And in Miss Georgia, USA, there was someone who tried to compete this year, but that person ended up deciding not to compete because this person felt as if the organization didn't represent this person's views. And grateful, I mean, I've spoken out against that. I was like, look, we have to change in a lot of the same spaces as each other.

So having a biological man in that mix in the first place is very dangerous and very scary. And I commend Kaylee, who was Miss North Florida. for being able to stand up to what Miss America has done. And it's interesting in Miss America because they do make it difficult for biological men to compete in the first place. But hopefully, this strikes up a conversation in the organization to outlaw biological men completely.

Frances Floreska Baldwin is our guest. She's on the Twitter X Machine at FrancesAnFlo. Joins us live on the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line on the Todd Starn show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. And the Kaylee you mentioned, Ms.

North Florida 2025, Kaylee Bush. And again, she deserves our respect for standing up for what is right. Explain how pageants have evolved over time. There are a variety of factors that go into the competition these days in most of these. Am I right?

There most definitely is.

So it depends on the patent system.

So in Miss America specifically, they have an interview portion, then they also have a talent portion, then evening gown, and then they have a fitness portion, which is a swimsuit. It's usually fitness gear that they wear on the stage. And a lot of times, especially in the Miss America system, it is very platform oriented.

So a lot of these pageant girls have a platform and they speak up on an issue that they care about. And clearly, it seems as if Kaylee really does care about protecting women's faces.

So I'm so glad she is speaking up on that and speaking the truth. Because I think we need more pageant girls to stand up against this madness in pageantry right now, especially in the larger pageant system. I get a sense that there are more and more. Women and young women. Standing up against these things.

I saw something where, in one of these western states, and I don't know if it was Oregon or California, and I apologize, I don't recall, but the two young women refused to get on the medal stand because a boy impersonating a girl won, and they just said, No, we're not going to participate in this ceremony. And the track officials shooed them away because heaven knows we don't want to bring controversy to the thing. But I get a sense that more and more folks are standing up and just saying, Do you realize how silly this sounds? Do you get the sense that there is growing support for preserving these things for women and young women? There is absolutely growing support, and I am so grateful for younger generations, especially those competing in these sports and activities, that they realize this is absolute nonsense.

This isn't anything about inclusivity. If anything, it's actually harming people. And I am so glad people on all sides are standing up against this nonsense. It's not just a conservative issue anymore. It's a human rights and a protection issue right now because it's dangerous to compete against biological men who tend to be faster and stronger.

You never know when a natural born woman is going to get hurt. This is the thing that I just find striking: is that the very people from a political standpoint who claim to be Supportive of women for generations. They're the ones on the wrong side of the issue, and I don't understand. How right-thinking people, and I don't mean politically right, how right-thinking people don't see that. I mean, it's, yeah, I just, this is one of these things that if you had told me this five years ago, I would have thought it was a Babylon B piece or something like that.

It definitely would see like a Babylon piece over five years ago. And a great respect to a lot of people like Riley Gaines. and other athletes who have spoken up against this nonsense. It has got to stop at this point. And obviously, we have a lot of sports in the in this conversation.

But let's also talk about pageantry. Obviously, we're always talking about women's femininity and letting them speak what they believe in. And I love that space. And in a way, it is like a sport.

So let's protect those spaces as well. Oh, without question. Without question. And again, the sports and other areas have gotten the lion's share of attention. And that's why this was so striking to me, because of the fact that it had just not even occurred to me That That males, I don't even say biological males, males would be trying to compete in these pageants.

Now, let me ask you: as Universe United, Mrs. Georgia. What is it that someone like you derives from this? Is it the personal growth and development and being able to present your positions, et cetera? I know in some of the other pageants there are scholarship benefits, et cetera.

So what drives you at this point? It's really the personal benefit. Last year, my husband was actually deploying, and I felt like I need to do something with my time and show the world that Mothers can do it all, and they can still live their dreams no matter what happens. Because I was so grateful to be able to raise my child and compete in pageantry while my husband was deployed. Obviously, he's back now, and I just do it just to continue improving myself, bettering my health, bettering my public speaking skills.

And I'm talking to you on the radio right now, so having these opportunities to speak the truth and be a voice for the voiceless and be a voice for those who want to stand it. I want to inspire the next generation and other mothers to be able to speak up.

Well, to folks listening, this is the type of individual and family and goal that we should support, as opposed to. males impersonating females in pageants. I'm just going to say, if you put them into this is on the one hand, this is on the other, I know where I stand, and I think the audience does as well. Francis Floresca Baldwin, thank you so much for taking the time and for speaking the truth on this, and best of luck in the future competitions. Absolutely.

Thanks again for having me. And she joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line here on the Todd Star and Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd Today. Francis Ann Flo is her handle on the Twitter. Handle.

What is this? CB Radio, Jeff? How old are you? At Frances Ann Flo is where you can find her. And again, she joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.

Subscribe to Todd's Morning Edition News Briefing. It's free on Substack, ToddStarnes.substack.com. And today he tells the story of Kaylee Bush, Miss North Florida 2025, who lost her title because she would not sign the Miss America contract that says female includes castrated males. Because it doesn't. Just common sense.

901-260-5926. That's how you can join our conversation. Here in the Liberty University studio, we'll take your calls in the next segment. This is Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on this edition of the Todd Starn Show.

Bye-bye. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. I'll be here tomorrow and Monday as well.

Well, what the heck, Starnes? You just taking vacation? Heck no. Todd is speaking tonight at the National Association of Christian Lawmakers National Policy Conference that's at Liberty University. I'm looking at the agenda right now.

And mister Starnes is giving the keynote address tonight.

Well, that's a pretty good deal. Holy cow. A lot of great speakers at that great event. And that's today, tomorrow, into Saturday. Todd Starn speaking tonight, giving the keynote at the National Policy Conference at Liberty University.

And that gives me the chance to be here with you today, tomorrow, and again on Monday. 901-260-5926 is how you can join the conversation from the Liberty University studio. Luke Simbel joins us just after the bottom of the hour to talk about some of the news of the day.

Well, the uh the mainstream, the leftists, they got what they wanted. They got a very public fight between President Trump and Elon Musk. The President was in the Oval Office today with the German Chancellor. He was asked about Mr. Musk's posts on social media, on X, elsewhere, about the reconciliation bill.

The president said he was surprised and disappointed by Mr. Musk's attacks on the bill. Quoting President Trump, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. He later said he was very disappointed in Elon and said, I have helped Elon a lot.

Well, what happened today was that mister Musk started reposting some old tweets from President Trump talking about uh the huge deficit. And Musk basically saying, well, you know, where's that guy?

Now we're getting into the things that really don't make much difference, I guess. mister Trump made the comments about helping Elon. mister Trump said that Elon knew the inner workings of the bill better than almost anyone and had no problem with it.

Well, Elon Musk is posting that that's false. He never saw the bill. It was passed in the dead of night so fast almost no one in Congress could even read it. That's from Elon Musk. Trump says he would have won Pennsylvania.

even if Musk had not endorsed and financially backed him. But mister Musk has now posted, Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be fifty one forty nine in the Senate. Then Elon Ro Musk wrote Such ingratitude Oh, well, like I said. The others had got what they wanted on this one. This is Elon Musk again.

In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that is both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this. Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way. That is Elon Musk posting in response to the comments that were made today by the President in the Oval Office.

Speaker Mike Johnson was supposed to talk to Mr. Musk on the phone, and apparently they're playing phone tag. Not kidding. Apparently, that's the word. They're playing phone tag.

So I guess that happens. President Trump also said that. Elon is not happy about the cut. in subsidies for electric vehicles. in the big beautiful bell.

Elon Musk has responded by saying, don't care about the subsidies. But play fair, how come oil subsidies did not get cut?

Okay.

Well, I'm just here to tell you we're $36 trillion in the hole, people. There's plenty of room to cut everything. And the concept And again, nobody seems to get this. You folks get this. But let's say we're 36 trillion in the hole.

That would mean the federal government would have to operate with a budget surplus. profit, if you will. Of a trillion dollars a year for two generations, and we still won't make up the deficit. And oh, wait, That doesn't even count the interest that would be accruing on all this. That's how far we are in the hole.

We would have to have a trillion-dollar budget surplus every year. For nearly four decades. Just to break even, And we're not talking about the impact of interest. I'm afraid to do that math. To tell you how long it would be.

So we are in such a world of hurt, friends. And if we don't take this seriously, There are going to be problems.

Now, I'm not saying pass a bill, don't pass a bill. I don't know why we couldn't take care of the tax cuts separately. There have been people who say, well, Jeff, you just don't understand.

Well, I'm willing to not understand, but why couldn't you take care of some of these things as opposed to a thousand-page bill that now leads to even some of the President's staunchest supporters saying, well, I didn't know that was in there.

Well now I'm not in favor of it. Yeah, this does not look positive for getting through the Senate and back through the House by Independence Day. We'll see what Luke Simbel thinks about that when he joins us after the bottom of the hour. Liberty University Studio is the place. I'm Jeff Stein in for Todd.

Thanks for being along on the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio. And the Todd Starn show, Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on this Thursday, 901-260-5926. That's how you can connect. With this coast-to-coast conversation, we'll take your calls in the next segment.

But we go now to the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line. If we want common sense, we don't go to either coast, we go to the heartland, the center of the country. And joining us from Memphis, Tennessee, you've heard him on this program with Todd in the past. He's Luke Symbol. Mr.

Symbol is a conservative, an attorney, and a really bright guy based on the posts I see on the Twitter X machine. Luke Symbol, Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd. How are you, sir? Hey, Jeff, doing very well today. It's good to hear you.

We always like when you fill in for talk.

Well, you're very kind, and the check is in the mail.

So, just before the break, we. I was talking about the formerly mainstream media's dream, the Trump-Musk street fight or Twitter fight or whatever. I mean, and it's full-blown today, so we had to cover it. Is that going to be lasting, or is that a quick little hiccup that only folks who want to stir up trouble are going to keep? keep out in the uh headlines.

Look, I think it's a hiccup, and we saw this before when Musk had disagreed with Stephen Miller and others in the Trump administration on some immigration policies and work visas and things like that. There were some differences on immigration policy. But here's something that Elon Musk needs to remember. He may be the richest man in the world. But he's not the most powerful.

And he was part of a movement, a great movement, a great coalition. that was the Trump win in twenty twenty four that you saw people from all different walks of life come together And say we need change in our government, and we are going to elect Donald Trump, who is promising. To drain the swamp for real this time. And when you have a Kennedy coalition with Trump, you had a Musk coalition with Trump, and we knew that these folks did not agree on everything, but they did agree that change was needed. I think it is fine to argue in the battle place of ideas.

That's something that I think is unique to conservatives is that we don't all agree on everything and we're willing to argue and fight about those things. I have a little bit of intellectual honesty, unlike the left that just marches and walks stuff. Um but Here's the thing that I think we need to remember as to this specific issue of the big beautiful bill is This is This is momentum. We are not going to get everything we want. all at once.

Stephen Miller had some very good comments, I thought, last night and this morning about the big beautiful bill saying, look, The way that the deficit is calculated, it's taking tax cuts into account. But what we know from the first Trump administration's tax cuts is the Treasury ends up bringing more revenue in that's not calculated by the initial deficit calculation.

So let's pass these tax cuts. We're going to get this economy roaring. Again, the deficit will decrease and we will continue to focus on making cuts. The White House will send over rescission requests to the Congress, and the Congress can make cuts, continue to make cuts from Doge that way, but we this big, beautiful bill has very important legislation in it to secure our border. to build the wall.

to allow the federal government to make deportations faster. And so is it perfect? No, but I still think it's a big, beautiful bill, and I think we need to get it passed, and we'll continue to make the cuts down the line. One of the big problems in my mind with the tax issue, and we're talking here about the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which had a sunset provision in it.

Now, I cannot for the life of me, other than counting votes and just trying to get something done, why you sunset a provision. I mean, if you're a business owner, you don't need the uncertainty. And I would dare say that knowing that this is the last year, absent some legislation, this is the last year of the current tax system, if I'm a business owner. And I'm worried about my taxes going up 50, 60 percent. I'm sitting on cash.

I'm not hiring new workers. I'm not putting money into infrastructure. The sooner there is resolution on this issue, the better. And the problem, though, is. The Republicans may bleed all over the floor on it.

and get it passed But they're not going to get the credit for it because we didn't see, oh, what if we'd fallen off the cliff, right? I mean, the average American will just see that things went on as usual. as opposed to a huge increase, which then ironically the Democrats would have blamed the Republicans for next year. It's a no win issue, but it's a governance issue. No win issue politically, but it's a major governance issue.

I agree. And look, it just we have to get it passed. And I think you're right that businesses are holding onto cash right now folks who make job hires are holding on to cash because They don't know whether they're going to be paying a lot more money in taxes. I do think if this passes, like I said before, we are going to see more money come into the Treasury than expected. We are going to see the economy.

start lowering again. already are starting to push Um The recession talk down the line. I think already the economy is doing better than people expected.

Some recent reports out in the last few weeks are showing that. But we You know, we we just need to get it done. And again, what's really important to remember when you're looking at these deficits, they don't take. They they don't predict what the economy Is going to be doing when they make these deficit projections. And so, what we saw the first time around, again, before COVID.

was a lot more money coming into the government. And the deficit was not nearly as great as expected, and the same thing is going to happen here. And again, This big, beautiful bill has So much more in it that Than just these tax cuts. It has, again, Provisions in it that allow the federal government to make deportations faster. It has provisions to secure the border.

And if we don't get a grip on the mass migration If we do not deport the millions and millions of people that came in under the Biden administration, we won't have a country in 30 years to be arguing about. We've got to. Um get this taken care of. And again, I don't mind a little bit of public disagreement. Between Musk and Trump.

But Musk does need to understand that the that the the Trump win was more than just Musk's involvement. He was helpful, yes, but this was a movement beyond any one person, and it was to make America great again. And so we need to focus on that mission and let's get this big, beautiful bill passed. And then let's focus on the rescissions that will be coming from Doge and the White House. And Congress can start cutting the ridiculous spending that's already been allocated, can begin cutting it, and that will also help lower the deficit.

you know, there's a lot of work to do. I appreciate all the conversations that are happening right now, but let's get this bill passed. Luke Simbel is our guest. He's joining us from Memphis, Tennessee on the Liberty University studio.

Well, I'm in the Liberty University studio. He's on the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line, and I just can't seem to read from left to right today. Apologies for that.

So. There are a lot of things in this bill, and now it's the Senate's problem. It's theirs to deal with. This is when I think the House should be dealing with the rescissions. And I'm just not getting a sense that the house, and I understand the big, beautiful bill takes the air out of the room.

I get that, but it's now not the house's issue. I'm not getting a sense that they're moving forward with the speed that mister Trump would expect or, frankly, that voters would expect. Am I just expecting too much out of the Republican caucus in the House? Look, high expectations are good. We have got to hold the House's feet to the fire.

I know there are a lot of representatives that want to be working on those precisions. They were waiting on the White House.

So I don't know exactly whether the White House has gotten those over to the House yet. I know the House has been asking. for the rescissions. Um let's let's get it moving. And I don't look, let's Even if it's one rescission vote a day, Let's get the rescions done.

Let's market it. Effectively, you know, there's one conservative fund that I saw on X said that the first Trump administration. was all Talk, not enough action, and that now there's a heck of a lot of action happening, but not quite enough talk or enough explanation. Let's take these easy wins with the recision. Life cycle?

Take the let's defund the drag shows in Colombia or in other parts of the world, and let's just vote on them one at a time. And those are easy wins. It's easy to market. We can point out the ridiculousness and the bloat that our tax dollars are paying for, that I am paying for. And let's chalk up those easy wins.

I agree. I think it's a great idea that while this bill, the big beautiful bill, is being debated in the Senate, let's have the House start passing these decisions. one at a time, and let's have some great media wins. The Sunday Talk shows will be so upset about the draft shows in Columbia being defunded, and ninety percent of Americans will agree with it. That's such a smart play that you just said.

Here's one a day. Because it gives us the focus, right? It really puts a face on the specifics. Because part of the problem in my mind with the start of this administration, a lot of it was the Doge effort. There was so much stuff nobody really got a handle or could grab on to any one thing.

Now, you mentioned drag shows, and it reminded me of a story I found last night here in my home base of Iowa. And I know how I feel as a lawyer, but I'd love to get your feeling as well.

Now, this is the American Civil Liberties Union, that's what they call themselves, the one in Iowa, has sent letters to five Iowa cities. Urging them to drop their bans on drag show performances.

Now, these cities, and the names won't mean anything to the national audience, but they're smaller communities, 5,000, 10,000 people. And these ordinances the cities have put into place restrict performances by female impersonators and male impersonators. classifying them as adult entertainment.

So it is not Banning It is simply saying they're not Open for minors.

So the ACLU sends these lawyer letters. They hold a news conference and they say um We've had success uh Bullying other cities, and you now have two weeks to change the wording of the ordinance. I don't know that they can uh That's going to survive if push comes to shoving a challenge. I mean, if you're simply saying it's not appropriate for miners. Neither's a beer until you're twenty one.

Yes, Tennessee just went through this actually. We Tennessee last year, or maybe it was two years ago, banned cabaret adult performances and drag shows were included in those. for minors. It's very similar to some of these strip clubs or other things where you the government is allowed to regulate where those are located, who is allowed to attend. Minors are not allowed to attend those types of adults performances.

And for some reason, Uh people think that drag shows, which show particular men dressed up as women in risque fashion and dancing was okay for four five year old drag drag queen story hour. It was okay For these little kids to attend, and the government gets to know your local government gets to regulate whether or not minors. See those risque shows. And so Tennessee passed the law, the ACLU and other groups. Yeah.

The sticks Circuit. Said no, the state is allowed to regulate it, it has upheld the drag show ban. And the Supreme Court declined to hear it.

So, what I would tell those Iowa cities is, Stand strong. Do not cave to some scary letters from the ACLU or these other groups that are suing these left-wing organizations. Stand strong and you will be upheld. uh in the quotes. What I loved, and then we have to bring this to a close, at their news conference they said, drag is a form of expression and many types of drag are family friendly.

I guess we have different definitions, mister Symbol, about what family constitutes, but I thought you would enjoy that. Luke Symbol, thank you so much for sharing your expertise. Always enjoy it when you and Todd mix it up, and I'm glad you took the time to join us here today, sir. Thanks for having me, Jeff. Talk to you soon.

Yes, sir. Luke Simbel joined us from Memphis, Tennessee on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, 901-260-5926. That's how you can join the conversation. We'll take your calls in the next segment. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on a Thursday, and this is the Todd Starn Show.

Welcome back to the Liberty University studio on the Todd Star show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. He is on his way to Liberty University, the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, hosting its national policy conference. He is the keynote speaker tonight, and that ought to be really good. There's got to be a lot of great enthusiasm because, truly, and we've been talking about it in so many ways, even with the, shall we say, internal disagreements, it's very clear that the mood of the country has changed.

It is very clear that America is back. And it's high time to stand with a bank that shares your values. Talking, of course, of Old Glory Bank, they support hard working Americans, small businesses, and your constitutional rights. With Old Glory Bank there's no cancel culture, no woke nonsense. Just a bank that believes in faith, freedom, and the flag, just as you do.

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Well, here's a great opportunity for you to join this movement at oldglorybank.com slash starnes. I'll say that again, oldglorybank.com/slash starnes, and you can be part of something bigger. Trust the FDIC insured bank that was created to protect your privacy, security, and liberty. And of course, that's Old Glory Bank, oldglorybank.com slash starnes. We'll have some time for your calls in the next hour as well, so I'll remind you it's the same number as always: 901-260-5926.

Coming up at the bottom of the hour, a return guest to the program. He is a businessman, turned author from the state of Texas. Richard Battle is his name. And the second volume of a series called AmeriCands Who Made America is just set to be released. And his focus is on the concept that This country was founded by Americans, not AmeriCants.

And that's the spirit we need to get back to, isn't it? Yeah. There's a whole group of people who want to tell you how bad everything is, and they're always depressed, and they don't look like they've had a smile on their face in years. and then there's the rest of the folks. Folks like you who make the country actually work.

You produce things. You go to church. It's the foundation upon which this country was formed. And here we are, almost to the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Those folks did not have a can't-do attitude, it was a can-do attitude.

So, we're going to talk with Richard V. Battle about Americans Who Made America. His second volume talks about the 18th or 19th century. First volume was 18th century.

Now he's taking it up to reunification through the Civil War. That is in the next hour. Much more as well. Hope you stay with us. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd.

Thanks for being along on the Todd Starn Show. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. It's America's conservative blowtorch. See? That's right.

I love this American ride. Todd Starns. Wherever you're listening across this, the greatest nation God ever blessed, welcome to hour three of a Thursday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Coast to coast on more than 150 outstanding radio stations and streaming live, among other places, at ToddStarns.com. Hello, fellow Patriots.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. He's at Liberty University to give the keynote address tonight at the National Policy Conference there. And that gives me a chance to talk with you at 901-260-5926. 901-260-5926. We'll take your calls in the next segment.

We are in the Liberty University studio today, located at my home base at News Talk 1540, KXCL, in Cedar Rapids in Waterloo, Iowa. The 50,000-watt blowtorch scorching the heartland with accurate news and reasonable views. We start this hour of the program by going directly to the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line, and we welcome Georgia Congressman Mike Collins, representing the great 10th district of the state of Georgia. Congressman Jeff Stein, in for Todd. How are you today, sir?

I'm doing fine. I appreciate you having me on, Jeff. I appreciate you taking the time. You're a business owner or started a very successful trucking company. How important is it for business owners across America to have a sense of certainty about what the tax policy is going to be in this country?

Yes, and I'll tell you, it was easy for me to talk about the Trump tax policies and making sure that we got those things permanent because I just started this gig. This is my second term. I was in the private sector during the first Trump administration. As a matter of fact, I've been in the private sector. My career started under H.W.

Bush.

So I have been through every administration, including the Biden administration, and those Trump tax policies. They lifted all boats. and they helped all small businesses across this country.

So that has been by far the best administration, the best tax policies I have ever had in my business. to to go through. And the fact that we are teetering here Are not teetering. I'm going to say the sentence taking a little more time than what I would have already done it, but. But we need to make sure that we have certainty out there.

And by making these tax policies permanent, instead of putting them on a four year rotation or whatever they want to put them on or what they were on, businesses can operate a lot easier. You know, it's just like if you if you try to sit down and write a five year business plan and a tax policy expires in four years, it just doesn't mesh and it makes it really hard. And you've got a lot of people sitting. They're sitting and they're holding tight right now. They want to make sure that those tax policies are going to go through, they're going to get passed.

And once they do, you are going to see this place explode.

Now, I got a sense that after Mr. Trump got elected, some people were a little freer with their cash because they had the sense of certainty of what might come. And then, after he was inaugurated, and you folks took the oath again, and we have Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate, I got a sense there were some people who, again, started opening up the wallet. But when the tax cuts were not made permanent, Any more quickly than we are. In other words, didn't happen in the first month, didn't happen in the second month, etc.

I got a sense that the coin purse got snapped shut again.

So that means that if you guys get this done, this is really going to take off, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, you know, and Jeff, you're exactly right. I mean, you know, i if if I'd have had it my way, we'd have had it on the president's desk second right after the Lake and Riley Act. Yes, sir.

Uh, and and got that signed as well. As a matter of fact, I would have stayed there and waited on him to bring it up to the desk. But we didn't, and the American people and small businesses and corporations across this country. They're going to express their opinion, and they do it by holding their pocketbook. Nobody is going to go out there and bet on the come right now.

They're going to want certainty. And that's what we're delivering. But the neat thing about this is, Jeff, we're not only working on a budget reconciliation right now, we're doing appropriations. We're working on rescissions. As a matter of fact, we're voting on rescissions this week, $9.4 billion worth that President Trump says, hey, we don't need this money in that agency, rescind it.

We're also working on codifying his executive orders. It's amazing that Congress can do more than one thing at a time. And right now, we've got multiple balls in the air, and we're juggling them and we're pushing all of these things across. And that is going to help turbocharge this economy. All right, so are the rescues actually coming across?

And here's why I asked it that way, Congressman Collins: is because I had heard that, well, now maybe we won't take up the rescues. Oh, we're going to cancel votes for Friday, et cetera. And I suggested the last half hour that, you know, while the Senate is. Tweaking the big, beautiful bill is the perfect time for the House to keep moving on things like that. Yeah.

No, we're here tomorrow. We're working.

Okay.

We're we're working. Shoot you up, man. If you ask me, just Now, uh, if you wanted the Mike Collins way to do it, we'd be up here on Sunday night and be ready to go to work on Monday morning at eight o'clock. And then we'd quit Friday at 5, maybe, unless the sun was still up, and then we'd keep going. We don't work enough as it is, but we are voting on rescissions now.

Well, and that's great because you're right. I mean, this is the difference between the folks who had businesses of their own, right? I mean, you founded and ran a successful business. That was not an eight to five, five day a week job, was it? No, no, yeah.

You know, I I didn't I missed all my kids growing up. 'Cause I was at work. But that's okay. Then now our sons actually run our operation. And they know the sacrifices that we make.

And that's what we're here to do, is to make sure that the next generation has got they can stand on our shoulders and build something better. And build something more with hard work. But so much of hard work has been lost in our country. Um through entitlements and and and you know DEI and Just a socialistic agenda that's been on a push For decades now, And once we get back to the to people America first. And we get back to that entrepreneurial spirit, and we allow that to happen through easing off of these regulations.

And we can do that, Jeff, through appropriations. Because we have done so many omnibus bills and so many CRs and we write checks and we say, hey, see you next year. There's been no accountability and these people are out of control.

So you push a socialistic agenda, you push people into where they you don't really want them to succeed, you don't want them to work, you don't want them to own a house, you don't want them to own a car, you want to take care of the health care. You know There's no incentive. But once people taste that success, and I honestly believe they tasted that success during the first Trump administration. And people saw, wow, I can provide for my family, I can get ahead, and man. This feels good.

and they want that back. And that's why they overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in November. Mike Collins, Congressman George's 10th District, joins us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line on the Todd Starn show, Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today.

Now, again, I don't want to narrow the conversation too much, but it's not often I get a chance to talk to somebody who. Has worked every day with supply chains like you have in the transportation industry. What are some of the key issues that we have now broadly with regard to Supply chain, transportation, et cetera. I mean, it's hard to find good people, and then you've got bad people who are trying to get in the way of the work you're doing. Yes, it there's a lot of issues in the transportation supply chain.

It's not settled out since COVID. You know, if you'd have asked me right after COVID how long it would have taken, I would have said maybe a couple of years. But this thing is nowhere near smooth like it used to be. It's amazing how We build our businesses based on round trips, and you're always over here, and you pick up over there. COVID disrupted all of that.

And it's been hard to put the puzzle back together to where your trucking is moving smoothly. But we've had so many headwinds in the transportation supply chain issues, everything from frivolous lawsuits. I know we've got a staged accident bill out there now. Jeff, you may not know it, but there is a criminal ring across this country And they are they are staging accidents on the road. And uh then they sue.

And of course, they collect their money and they move on, they stage another accident. And that is not only just causing insurance to go up, but it's putting people at risk. between the frivolous losses, the insurance going up, the industry, who wants to go to work in an industry that you know you're going to get sued? You know, and and Then we up the age on drivers they know across state lines from eighteen to twenty one And I started driving I got my commercial driver's license when I was 18 years old. And trucks today are much safer than they have ever been.

And I'm 58 for those that don't know.

So I got mine a while back. But uh There has been a lot of headwinds on supply chain issues and even on Just take trucking out, put put uh air. Oh, airlines in there. And look at what's happened to the SAA over the past administration. When Biden powers A DEI candidate to run the Department of Transportation.

He almost ran that thing in the group. And so we've got a lot of issues in each mode of transportation, whether it's waterway, railway, airs or roads out there. Your infrastructure is all congested, crumbled.

Well, here's what it comes down to, and you were talking about the former secretary, photo op riding a bike to work after they took it out of the trunk of the SUV or the back of the SUV. I mean, when you're governing by photo opportunity and virtue signaling as opposed to actually working, boy, quite a difference, isn't it. No, yeah. Yeah, and that's all he was doing. Secretary Transfer had no clue what his job entailed.

And he had no when he would come in to do hearings and sit in front of us, he had a folder that was at least eight to ten inches thick with little tabs. You could ask him any question. He would hesitate until he found the right tab, open it up and read the answer. That's what you had up there. I tell people all the time, I believe I'd get more out of s If I went over and beat my head against the wall until it boiled, I'd get more out of it more than I get out of some of this stuff out there.

It makes no common sense. We don't run we we're not running this we are now. We're trying to run it more like a business. But you know, just passing out money Just letting agencies just run amok and do what they want, and that's where you get in the position we've been in.

Well, let's close with that because How difficult is it? to try to run this thing like it should be run when you've got all of these folks and many of them, frankly, that you serve with who don't know any other way other than the government way. I mean, how you're pushing a rock up a hill every day, are you not, sir? We are, but I'll tell you the biggest difference between the makeup of the Congress now and the makeup of the Congress in twenty seventeen You've got over seventy percent of the makeup of the Republican Conference anyway that are America first. They are Make America Great Again representatives.

Many of them are first time elected officials here. Many of them are you're seeing more business people step up, and we're getting the help we need. And we are making the changes that we need to make up here.

So you talk about an exciting time in history to be a member of Congress. It's incredible. I know our approval rating's in the gutter. It should be. but it is a true honor and a privilege To sit up here and to be able to help get this ship turned around and get it ready for the future generations of this country.

Because we are the best country in the world. You said that right when you opened up. And we ought to be proud of that. We ought to walk around with our heads held high, tell people: yeah, we're the big boys on the block. We are number one.

We are America first, and we are the best. And you've worked you come from that angle. Man, you talking about never getting tired of winning. Yeah. And this place will go crazy and explode with opportunities.

Well, do not lose the faith and do not lose the effort because that's the mindset certainly we need. And I agree with you. This three-day workweek stuff, as a taxpayer, I'm not a fan of that, and I like your plan much better. Congressman Mike Collins from Georgia's 10th District, it was a privilege, sir. Thank you so much, and keep fighting the good fight.

Enjoy it. Appreciate your time. Appreciate you. Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line is how we connected with Congressman Collins, and he's there in the middle of the swamp, poor guy. But.

That's the whole thing. I mean, you got to work at it, right? I mean, the Senate did extend a number of workdays this year as opposed to the past. But again. There's a lot to do and not a lot of time for sitting around.

Thanks to Representative Mike Collins from Georgia on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Take your calls in the next segment: 901-260-5926. That's how you connect with us. Author Richard Battle, after the bottom of the hour. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd.

Thanks for being along on this edition of the Todd Star and Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio on the Todd Starnes Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today, 901-260-5926. That's how you can connect with us and continue the conversation. Cassie is waiting to take your calls.

Dylan is in the control room and pushing the buttons and making sure I don't make mistakes. Thanks to them. Thanks to Dalton as well for putting together another fine program. And of course, thanks to Mr. Starnes for being kind enough to accept a speaking engagement at Liberty University to give me the chance to fill the chair today and tomorrow.

Appreciate it greatly. I've been following a bit about the civil trial that Mike Lindell is facing in Colorado simply for telling the truth. And, of course, Mr. Lindell put an awful lot on the line as a true American patriot in speaking truth. And he had a lot to lose because, again, people are canceling his business.

That's been going on for some time. But let's get down to the base level here. Mike Lindell has a passion to help everyone get the best sleep you've ever had. He did it. He just.

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And I said, Well, I'm sure it doesn't work. And she said, Well, you just try it, nothing else has worked. Honest to goodness, folks, first night, boom, great night's sleep. Ever since, great night sleep. And I've tried various thicknesses and sizes of the pillow with the same result.

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Well, here's the important part for you. Mike Lindell is offering the best deal on his Giza Dreams bed sheets, any size, any color. Just $49.98. You can get queens, kings, split kings, California kings, any size, any color, just $49.98. But order now because when they're gone, well, They're gone.

Also, for a limited time, if your order is more than $100, you'll receive $100 in free digital gifts. You don't need to be a math major to figure out this is a great deal. Call 1-800-839-8506. 1-800-839-8506. Use the promo code STARNS or go to mypillow.com.

But again, you've got to use the promo code STARNS for the best deals. For the amazing offer of $49.98 on the Giza Dream Sheets, any size, any color, it's 1-800-839-8506. Promo code STARNS, the great MyPillow, online, mypillow.com. Richard Battle joins us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line to talk about. His latest book in the Americans Who Made America series.

That's coming up after a short break. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on a Thursday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today while Todd is keynoting the National Policy Conference at Liberty University tonight.

I'll be in for Todd again tomorrow for Open Line Friday. Hope you're along for the program as well. Joining us now on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line return guest. He is Richard V. Battle.

Mr. Battle is a Texas businessman-turned author who has been cranking out some amazing pieces, some wonderful award-winning books, and the forthcoming one is the second one in a series that's called AmeriCannes Who Made America. And Richard Battle, thanks so much for taking time to join us on the Starn Show. How are you, sir? Good afternoon, Jeff.

It's my pleasure to be with you. Thanks for having me. It's always good to talk to you, sir. Explain to folks who may not have heard prior conversations how did a guy who was a successful businessman wind up writing books like these?

Well, as I tell people, my English teachers in high school never dreamed I'd read a book. much less write one. I never dreamed I'd write one, much less now twelve. And none of them are coloring books. These are books with words in them, right?

Well, absolutely. And my whole effort is trying to share ideas from my experience and the experiences of others. that can help people today and in the future have better and richer lives and enjoy this great liberty that our forefathers bought for us and have preserved for us and given to us. And hopefully, we will be responsible to pass that along and perpetuate and grow it for the next generations.

Okay.

Now I mentioned in the previous hour, if the audience was listening, that one of your books was called Made in America by AmeriCans, not AmeriCants, which I think is just a fantastic way to phrase it because it's the can-do attitude as opposed to the can't-do attitude that really made America.

So how did we get to these books that you've been doing most recently, this AmeriCans Who Made America series?

Well, that's a great question.

So in 2021, I had a book two-thirds of the way done. And I had an inspiration because I was sick and tired of people telling us what we couldn't do. And it made me think back to all the people in our country that were successful had this can do spirit. They didn't succeed at everything, but they pursued their dreams and achieved higher results because they would have that can-do spirit. They didn't wait for the government to okay things for them to do.

They didn't expect people to bail them out. They lifted themselves up and they made things happen. And that volume was a series of essays. of leadership and how to embrace that can do spirit for individuals. And I shared some examples of people who I think illustrated it.

And then later, after that book was out and I was back on the other book that's two thirds of the way done, I had this inspiration of telling stories about these people in more depth. And so it's a four book series, Americans Who Made America. Last year was the eighteenth century volume.

next Tuesday, the tenth, although you can preorder it now, the nineteenth century volume will premiere, and we're working on the twentieth century volume currently. Richard Battle is our guest, RichardBattle.com. That's where you can learn more about him and all of the other books that he's written. The forthcoming one, Pre-order now, Americans Who Made America Second of the Four Volumes for the 19th Century, and Mr. Battle joins us on the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line.

I am a big fan of history. I think this audience knows that. You know that from our prior conversations. But I'll let you explain in your own words how important it is for young people today, and I'm not just talking about school kids, but I'm talking about folks who are in the formative years of their careers. How important is it for them to hear some of the stories and profiles that you present in the book, Americans Who Made America?

Well, that's a great question.

And first, the adults may know some of the people, not all of them, but I guarantee you, your kids and grandkids. will know even fewer. And so the way I've put these profiles together is what I call it's like a scouting report. I'll illustrate this person's can do attitude and what they achieved. I'll add some quotations from them so they can speak in their own words and have an illustration And it's a great volume for parents, for young people, for teachers, leaders.

people who want to inspire others. From a leadership position because they are success stories. And yes, none of us are perfect. None of these people are perfect, but I want to highlight the positive things people did because they've done things that have gifted us this great country. And I think anyone who aspires to a better life would be inspired by these stories.

And I think there there's a sense sometimes That people are almost too literal. In other words, if you tell a story about someone who was successful in the transportation industry, someone may hear that and say, well, that's nice, but I'm not in transportation, it doesn't apply to me. you're taking the spirit of the story and applying it to your own situation to be the inspiration. I mean, we have to, first of all, develop the the curious attitude to where people can make the connections and extrapolate I wonder if we're losing that these days.

Well, that's exactly right. And we've had a negative spin, if you will, on our American heroes. And we have the opportunity and need to learn from them. Most of the people who are negative have never accomplished anything except dragging people down. And I'm a believer that smart people learn from their experience.

Brilliant people learn from the experience of others. And so I think we could look at these illustrations. Not everyone will apply to us at the present time, but they're all positive and can either help us or we can use them as words of encouragement for other people that we know. And one I would love to share with you is one that I didn't even know about until a couple of years ago. Most people are aware of Houston, Texas, named for Sam Houston, who was to Texas like George Washington.

Commander in Chief of the Army that won the Republic, first President governor, great leader. But I did not know that when he was 19 and going off to war with Andy Jackson down in Alabama. His mother told him that if he was courageous, he was welcome any time back home. If he was a coward, never to darken their door again. And she gave him a ring.

with the word honor inside of it. He wore that ring every day the rest of his life and died with it on. And that ring is at the San Jacinto Museum outside of Houston, Texas today. And I can just visualize him contemplating deep issues and twisting that ring and thinking about what's the honorable thing to do. And the point of this story is his mother, Elizabeth Houston, not only influenced his lives, but influenced the lives of every Texan and every American more so than anybody could imagine.

Wow, that is something. And as you tell that, I can imagine because those of us who wear a ring, for example, we often Play with it, fidget, twist it. Especially as we're thinking about something. And to have a ring with the word honor in it and have that be The key point of that, wow, that is something that you can visualize and can imagine. Yes, and when I speak to groups, I try to encourage them.

as a parent or grandparent. To, I tell them, I wish my parents would have given me a ring with that in there when I was young. because it might have helped me make better decisions. And I encourage people to consider doing that for their children and grandchildren as well. And if so, we never know the effects of that ring that they may have on them and the people in the future.

It certainly sets a tone, though, doesn't it? And do you find and you are on the radio doing interviews all over the country. You have all manner of speaking in your native state of Texas. I'm just wondering, as you talk to people, do you get a sense that there is a hunger for this, perhaps more so than when you first started writing these books? In other words, is there an audience that is receptive to the message?

Because it doesn't matter how good the messenger is, you have to have an audience.

Well, yes, and I do believe that because I think over the last ten to fifteen years, there's been so much. Anti-Americanism from within the country and so much divisiveness. I think people are hungry for positive news. I think people are hungry for encouragement, which I try to do in my writing and speaking. I believe encouragement is the greatest gift we can give anyone.

It doesn't cost us anything. There's no calories. You will never pull a muscle encouraging another person in their lives. And we never know when that one word of encouragement might change another person's life. And so we have opportunities with positive reinforcement.

And I think it's time that we all do that because it took all our ancestors to win this country and preserve it. It will take all of us to succeed in the future. RichardBattle.com is where you go if you'd like to order any of his books, including the forthcoming one, Americans Who Made America, 19th Century. This is the second volume. Yes, you can get the first volume on the 18th century.

Signed copies at richardbattle.com. And let me ask you finally. What have you learned about Yourself or how you have handled things in business, family, et cetera. I know you to be a man of strong faith, et cetera. In marshalling all these stories, learning more about all of these situations, what has that how has that spoken to you?

Well, I think we are blessed to live in this country. One of my heroes and a mentor of mine, former Attorney General of Texas John Ben Shepherd, said to be born free is an accident. To live free is a responsibility. but to die free is an obligation. And we all in our pursuits of our happiness have opportunities to preserve our great country for our children and grandchildren, and we can all make a bigger impact than we think.

None of us can do everything, but each of us can do one little thing to try to help others along the way and repay the favor of the gifts we were given. As noted, the stories give you hope for the future and motivate you to follow what you can make your own destiny. Ordinary Americans Who American Do Efforts, Whose American Do Efforts Contributed to Prosperity? Richard Battle's newest book, AmeriCands Who Made America, 19th Century. It drops, I think you said, next week on the 10th, and you can order it now, richardbattle.com and wherever you get your good books these days.

It is always a privilege, sir, to have the conversation. Congratulations on this latest book, and we're already looking forward to more. Boy, don't you hate that as an author you just give birth to this one, and the guy on the radio says, How about the next one? I can't take the pressure. Yeah.

I think you could take much more than I'm going to dish out. Mr. Battle, thank you so much. Blessings to you and yours. Thank you, Jeff.

Glad to be with you, and God bless America. Absolutely. RichardBattle.com, the website for all of this. And he joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. 901-260-5926.

That's how you reach the Todd Starnes radio program. By the way, I'm a big fan of books. I've written them, I've read them. and I think they make tremendous gifts. and uh there's one that if you have not already Snared your copy.

There's no good reason to wait. Star-Spangled Blessings by Todd Starnes and Michelle Cox. This is going to be a big success based on the pre-order numbers and how quickly these advanced copies have been flying off the shelves. We know this is going to be popular. And so if you've got a Father's Day gift coming up, this is a great, great gift.

Or graduation, or just for someone who, again, as we come near June 14th, is Flag Day, Independence Day. What better gift for a friend or a family member? than a book of devotions Tied to our American patriots. There's just nothing better. Star-Spangled Blessings is the name of the forthcoming book.

And it's released in about a week and a half. Get an advanced copy at ToddStarns.com. Get it wherever you get your good books these days. Buy two. That way when you loan yours to a friend and they're a rat and they don't return it.

then you still have one. I say that not as fiction. I had a copy of a Todd Starnes book. I had a friend who wanted to borrow it. I loaned it.

And I've never gotten it back.

So by two.

So that you can spread the good word and still have it for yourself. And you get it at ToddStarnes.com, Star Spangled Blessings, and all the other good books. that mister Starnes has written. All right, final segment on this Thursday edition of the program from the Liberty University studio. We'll do it after this short break.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on this edition of the Todd Starnes Show. Uh Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. I'll be back again tomorrow, provided today wasn't a disaster.

I always hate to jinx it. I'll see you all tomorrow. And then, you know, have Todd get word of we can't let him host the show again.

Well, we'll see. I did not get much of a chance to listen to yesterday's program, but I did hear a segment in this hour, right about this time yesterday, where Todd was asking you about U tip. at a fast food restaurant. And I started thinking about that. And I don't carry cash.

Now, it's not because I'm some, oh, he only believes in digital money. No, I just don't carry cash. You know, if I want to go to the grocery store or the gas station, I just use a credit card, get cash back bonuses, all that good stuff, and I don't have to mess around with seeing if I have cash. And it also takes away some of the temptation of just having a little money burning a hole in your pocket.

So I started thinking about that and there's a Sub-sandwich chain. in this part of the world. In my state of Iowa. It's not a national chain, it's a regional chain. Really good food.

I mean, they slice the meat right there in front of you the whole bit.

Okay.

And so we tend to go there occasionally. And there'd be times my wife would say, Well, do you you know, just take some money? and I would go pay for it and I would get there and they'd have a jar that said tips right there on the counter. and I find when I pay with cash. They're giving me change for however much.

You know, if it's just a few coins, I'll just throw them in the change jar. But often, if I'm paying with cash, I just walk away. But I found, and I realized this when Todd was talking about it yesterday on the radio.

Now when I go I just use my credit card. And when I put it into the machine, the little screen displays an option for giving tips. And it says, well, would you like to give 15, 20? State your own amount, whatever. I find that when I'm using the credit card, I am much more likely to give a tip.

Because I'm not seeing it. I'm not handing it out. It's not like I hand them a dollar bill or $3 or whatever it would be. Yeah. So I found it was interesting.

Do you tip at a fast food place? I find if I'm picking up a sandwich at the counter to take home and I'm using a credit card, I do tip. As opposed to one I don't. Which is kind of interesting because that's probably how so many people get into credit card problems in this country. I mean, I pay mine every month in full, and I'm all good, but.

It's not real money to them, right? It's like when you order things on these shopping channels or bidding on these auction sites, it's not real money. And that's why sometimes I think the people in Congress must not carry cash, because they act like it's not real money when we've got a $36 trillion deficit and all of these other things.

So it's just interesting that. Look at that, Todd. Todd puts a little bug in your head. Every day for three hours on this radio program.

Well, I don't know if we've planted any seeds or any bugs or anything, but. We hope it was a good three hours worthwhile. Talk to you again tomorrow. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd from the Liberty University Studio on the Todd Starn Show. Have a great day, now.

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