TPUSA: Conservative Influencers Ware War to Replace Charlie Kirk

Hey girl, yes you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts. Anne talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey Girl, from K-Love Books.

Get your copy today at klove.com slash books. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's conservative blowtorch. That's right. I love this American. Time.

Stars. All right, so we got to talk about what's going on at Amfest. Hello everybody, welcome to the Todd Sterns radio program. Broadcasting from our beautiful studios in Memphis, Tennessee, border to border, coast to coast, across the fruited plain. And you've got about they're saying anywhere between 10 and 30,000 conservatives are gathered in Phoenix for AmFest.

And this is the first AmFest since Charlie was assassinated. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Big event for Turning Point USA. Erica Kirk says that her husband considered this to be his Super Bowl. And so a lot of people are turning out some pretty emotional speeches, some pretty moving speeches.

And it is very exciting to see so many young people, especially that are fired up. They're passionate about the conservative movement. They're passionate about this country. And they want to make America great again. And that is something that really, really encourages me and gives me hope for the future.

And we're going to play a lot of audio from today's Amfest.

Well, it started last night. We'll go through the weekend. And also, we're going to be talking to some folks boots on the ground. Michael Wilson, our friend from Patriot Talk 920 in Houston, is at Amfest, and he'll check in with us. Also, Jackson Heberlin from the University of South Carolina, or rather Clemson, is going to be joining us.

He's the president of the TPUSA chapter there, and we'll be getting some intel, some reports, boots on the ground. from Jackson a little bit later. Also, Joe Messina, going to drop by, our good buddy, every Friday. Joe weighs in on what's been happening out on the left coast. But I want to start here with some of the speeches last night.

And I I posted an item that's getting a little bit of uh chatter. On social medias, social media rather. And I want to go through some of the things that. that have raised some alarm bells. Because right now, there's something very ugly happening, and it's unfair to every student, it's unfair to every conservative, any of you who have given money to TPUSA.

Who have backed a lot of these conservative social media influencers? It's unfair to all of you. And it is incumbent upon somebody in the conservative world. to call out what happened last night. Because This is a dangerous game that the conservative media influencers are playing.

And I'm talking about folks like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson and Megan Kelly and Ben Shapiro. It is unseemly. And I understand that everybody wants to be the next Charlie Kirk. I get that. And it's almost as if this weekend is shaping up to be some sort of a.

Of a gladiator style, you know, winner takes all, fight to the death match to figure out who's going to replace. Charlie Kirk. And I'm just going to answer that question for everybody and hopefully save everybody from a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Nobody else. Not a single person in that room on that stage is going to replace Charlie Kirk, who's going to be the next Charlie Kirk.

We all have a role to play in the future of the country. And some people have large followings, and I think that's wonderful. We have a very large following, and I'm honored for that. But that doesn't make me the next Charlie Kirk. It did not make me the next Rush Limbaugh.

Or Paul Harvey. I'm Todd Starnes. And Ben Shapiro should be Ben Shapiro. And Tucker ought to be Tucker. And the go down the low.

You know, you understand what I'm saying here. We have a very intelligent audience.

So anyway, um, Ben Shapiro. Used his platform and he Let me just, well, this will all make sense. This will all make sense at the end. But But so I'll just walk through all of this. Ben Shapiro started out his speech by By condemning every conservative influencer who has refused to condemn.

Candice Owens and Tucker Carlson and Megan Kelly. And he said, if you have not used your platform, so and In essence, he didn't say this, but in essence, he's saying, Todd Starnes, if you are not using your platform, your radio show, your massive digital presence to attack And disparage. all of these people, then you're the problem.

Now, I will just say that Megan Kelly is free to say whatever she wants to say on her platform, and same with Candace, and same with Tucker. We all have that right. And I think I've been pretty clear and pretty open on this show when I found something to be dis you know that I disagree with them on. But again, it's look, it's their show. I'm not going to nitpick their show, it's their show.

They have an audience because people want to hear what they have to say, just like I have an audience, and you folks want to hear what I have to say. And by the way, these people know nothing about barbecue or any good eating, so you guys come to me for that as well. You're welcome, America.

So I'm not sure why Ben Shapiro thinks and let me just say this: good that that does not make good radio. I mean, if I spent three hours attacking Megan and Tucker and Candice, well, you know what's going to happen? You guys are going to start listening to Megan, Tucker, and Candace to figure out what they're saying. That's so offensive. But Ben Shapiro last night Went after everybody.

And it's interesting because When Charlie was alive, Ben was not welcome at Turning Point USA events. Just want to point that out. But he was invited. yesterday and he was given a very prominent position To attack everybody. Cut number five, please.

It's the job of those of us who try to shape public opinion to hold politicians to account and to hold them accountable to our values. We must not let fear of audience deter us from telling the truth. We must not let fear of other hosts deter us from telling the truth.

So For example, If Candace Owens decides to spend every day since the murder of Charlie Curtis, So, if Candace Owens decides to spend every day since the murder of Charlie Kirk. Casting aspersions at TPUSA and the people who work here, who worked with Charlie every single day, his best friends, to cast aspersions at Mikey McCoy and Andrew Colvin and Blake Neff and Tyler Boyer and yes, at Erika Kirk. and to imply or outright claim complicity in a cover-up over Charlie's murder? To spew absolutely baseless trash implicating everyone from French intelligence to Mossad to members of TPUSA in Charlie's murder or a cover-up in that murder. Then we, as people with a microphone, have a moral obligation to call that out by name.

Erica Kirk and TPUSA never, never should have put in the never should have been put in the position to have to defend themselves against such specious and evil attacks, particularly in a time of mourning. And the people who refuse to condemn Candace's truly vicious attacks, and some of them are speaking here, are guilty of cowardice. Yes, cowardice. The fact that they have said nothing while Candace has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense into the public square for years is just as cowardly.

So Ben Shapiro, so if I'm not attacking Candace Owens every day on this show and Tucker and Megan, that makes me a a coward, according to Ben Shapiro.

Now, look, I um and I don't know where those pe I mean, the way it's being framed is that they say the you know, Ben Shapiro eviscerated Candace Owens and the crowd erupted. Are they applauding him or booing? I don't know if they're applauding him or her or booing. It was a it seemed like it was a mixed bag. I I can't figure that out, but it really doesn't matter because it doesn't change my view on this.

And I think that there's truth there. But the idea that I have to somehow stand up and turn my show over, stop talking about everything else that matters. Like, for example, the drunk raccoon and the liquor store in Virginia, and I've got to shove that aside.

So I can just attack. These conservative influencers. Why would I do that? That's not what we do on the radio. And by the way, Well, I'll get to that.

I'll get to the the whole point of t the talk radio movement in just a moment. I've got a lot to say on this.

So I don't necessarily disagree with the way the way he's interpreting the actions of Candice and Tucker and others, and we've been talking about those within certain stories and certain contexts. And I think it is important to have those conversations. But again, this idea that we've got to silence and deplatform people, I've got a big problem with a big, big problem with it. And by the way, Shapiro Is out there and as soon as he gets off the stage.

Well, they bring out Tucker Carlson. And well, here's We're going to play this, and it's a little long. Um, you know what? We'll wait. We'll wait because I want to make sure you hear the entire thing.

So we'll take a break and then we'll get back to what Tucker had to say. But Tucker is now out there. calling out all of you people who oppose Islam. And we've got the audio. We'll play it.

You'll be able to hear it. He's also calling out all of you pastors who are supporting Israel. Not condemning what's happening in Gaza. Tucker, I I thought he was at the DNC. Honest to goodness.

I'm hearing him speak, and I thought he was at the DNC. There there's some crazy stuff going down. Crazy stuff going down. at Amfest. And it's a mess.

And here's one I wrote on Acts We're going to take your calls on this. But I had a few questions after watching those speeches last night. And here's the reason why. My mind is going a million miles an hour today over this because this is a danger zone. It is a danger zone for the midterm elections.

It is a danger zone for the entire conservative movement, and especially young conservatives. Who can become completely disenchanted and demoralized by the movement if this kind of garbage continues? Because right now, conservatism is a big business, a big business, and a lot of the names I've just named are really not conservative. They're not. They're just using the platform to make a fortune.

That's what's going on here.

So they really don't care if their rhetoric Causes a division. They don't care if their rhetoric ends up dividing the entire party. They don't care about that. And it's not about fixing anything. It's not about educating the next generation, which is, by the way, what TPUSA should have been about all along.

But if you've been deep into the movement, you've known for a very long time that turning point threw a great party. And they do. But that's not the point. The point is mobilization.

So here are my questions as we go to break. Ben Shapiro is calling for these people to be deplatformed.

So my question is, is he now volunteering to be the gatekeeper of the conservative thought movement? Are we going to form a committee? To determine who gets deplant formed? And I'm I'm just just profoundly confused by Tucker's fondness for Islam. Is that authentic or is that paid?

And how does that square with Charlie Kirk's view that Islam is not compatible with Western civilization? And you say, well, Todd, Charlie was all about the public, the free exchange of ideas. No, actually, he wasn't. And we're going to play some audio of Charlie literally castigating college kids for daring to ask questions that might offend people. We're going to play that audio so you can hear it for yourself.

So my question is, how does Tucker's view square with what Turning Point USA believes? And does the conservative movement really want to embrace a crackdown on speech that might be offensive? I find much of what Tucker has been saying of late to be very offensive. But do I want to cancel Tucker Carlson? No, I do not.

Doesn't the First Amendment protect even the vilest of speech, including those who twist the Bible to justify their hatred of the Jews?

So maybe instead of de platforming the Muslim apologist, And the Jew haters, why don't we utilize tools that each of us already have available to us? It's something called the Mute button, the Unfollow button, and the Unsubscribe buttons. And I just want to throw this out there, but is it. Is it very well possible? That the entire conservative influencer culture, of which I am not a part and I am proud to say it.

Is it possible the entire conservative influencer culture is just one big giant grift? Our telephone number 901-260-5926. Again, that's 901-260-5926. This is the Todd Starn Show. Every so often, a film comes along that challenges us to look closer at what's happening in our own backyard.

Sexploited is that film, a gripping new four-part docuseries that uncovers the reality of sexual exploitation happening in every community in America. You will hear from survivors, law enforcement, and advocates who are fighting to expose and end this modern-day slavery. It's not easy to watch, but it's something every American needs to see. You can stream Sexploited right now or purchase the DVD by visiting sexploitedfilm.com or SalemNow.com. That's sexploitedfilm.com or SalemNow.com.

Watch it, share it, and stand with those working to bring freedom and justice to the exploited. All right, welcome back. Ha ha ha. No, I know. I'm getting a lot of hate mail.

It's all good. I got reamed out by Speaker Mike Johnson's crew last night.

So it's one of those weeks. But you know what? It is well worth it because we don't bow down to anybody on this. Radio program. We don't read off anybody's talking points.

This is my opinion. You have your opinion. And we do not censor on this program. Let's go to Frank in North Carolina starting off our day. Frank, what is on your mind?

I agree with you 100%. If we do not stand up for everyone's and I mean everyone's constitutional right to speak freely, carry our weapons freely, if we don't stand up for their rights to speak what we totally disagree with, we're next, one hundred percent next. History proves it and history confirms it. And that's all I got to say about that. Frank, when you hear somebody like Ben Shapiro out there saying we've got to start deplatforming these people.

I mean, man, that is a dangerous place to be. That is 100% true because if we don't support their right to say whatever they want to say, once again, we are next. In fact, they're already trying to silence us and let them speak as they will.

So Again, let them say what they want to say. You can mute them, you can unfollow them, you can do everything. And if you don't give them an audience, There has to shut up. But in the meantime, support their constitutional rights. Our forefathers died for it.

Many, many men and women died for it, and our armed forces are protecting our rights. we as citizens need to confirm that and honor that. Frank, I appreciate you calling in, my friend. And look, folks, and here's the deal on this program. If you disagree with me, you go right to the top of the line because we love having those conversations here.

But this conservative influencer war Could very well damage our midterm elections, and it is bringing disunity to the party. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't be having these conversations, but my question to Amfest is: why would you platform some of these folks? Right? They've got their own giant platforms.

So why are you mainstreaming a lot of this these ideas? I mean, the idea and Tucker Carlson is saying that Christians are treated so well in Muslim countries. What is he smoking? This is insanity. Just sheer insanity.

All right, 901-260-5926, our telephone number. Again, that's 901-260-5926. By the way, you can watch the show over on our website, ToddSterns.com, but we would prefer that you listen to us on the radio because we're a radio show. All right, hang tight, everybody. We'll be right back.

My Pillow is excited to announce they're having their biggest three-in-one sale ever with a limited edition product, a back-in-stock special, and a close-out deal you won't find anywhere else. My Pillow bed sheets, only $29.88, any color, any style, any size, even Kings. Regularly priced at $119.98 and now only $29.88. Once they're gone, they're gone for good. My Towels, finally, back in stock, but not for long.

Get a six-piece MyTowel set. Normally priced at $69.98, now only $39.98. And for the first and only time, get their limited edition premium MyPillows made with Giza Cotton, Queen $17.98, Kings, only $19.98. Also, for a limited time when your order is over $100, you'll receive free shipping plus $100 in. Free digital gifts.

So go to mypello.com or call 800-839-8506 and use promo code STARNS. Use your promo code for the best offers ever. Quantities are extremely limited, so order now. That's promo code STARNS. All right, Merry Christmas to you, America.

This is the Todd Stearns Radio Show, broadcasting across this great nation, and we're so honored that you are hanging out with us today. I want to go back to some things that Tucker Carlson said about. And this is pretty fascinating. He has done such a reversal and such a pivot on so many of the major issues over the years. And I don't know why that's look, he has to explain that to his followers and to his His audience But here's what Tucker had to say about, first of all, Ben Shapiro, and Ben Shapiro saying that you got to start deplatforming folks like Tucker.

Cut number eight, please. I just got here and I feel like I missed the first part of the program. I hope I didn't miss anything meaningful. But I just want to say, I don't think I did. No, I'm just kidding.

I watched it. I laughed. I laughed, that kind of bitter, sardonic laugh that emerges from you when like upside-down world arrives. When your dog starts doing your taxes, and you're like, wait, it's not supposed to work this way. To hear calls for like deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, I'm like, what?

This is hilarious. Yeah, this is hilarious. Actually, one of the clips I was listening to myself. Thinking as I often do when I hear myself speak, which is never because I never watch myself, but at these events, they always play like the role of you. And I'm like, That guy is pompous.

Sorry about that. We don't see ourselves clearly. But the prediction that at some point when Republicans took power again, which I Did everything I could. Uh you know to help. And I really felt that was important.

I still think I was right. But I really thought that the impulse to de-platform people, or even to use the word platform as a verb, which it's not. It's a noun, don't steal my nouns. Deplatform and denounce, why haven't you denounced somebody else? The whole like red guard cultural revolution thing that we so hated and feared on the left.

that we did everything we could to usher in a new time. Where you could have an actual debate. I mean, this kind of was the whole point of Charlie Kirk's. Public life. And I think that um I think that he died for it.

I really believe that. And I know a lot about it because the last several months of Charlie's life were devoted in part to arguing about this event, in fact, this speech, in fact, my speech here. Which he asked me to do earlier this year, this summer, and was immediately put under just immense pressure from people. Who give money to turning point, I would assume good people, but who wanted him to take me off the roster. And this has all become public, and the whole thing is so sad that I never talk about it except to say.

Charlie stood firm in his often stated and deeply held belief. That People should be able to debate, and that if you have something valid to say, If you're telling the truth, you ought to be able to explain it calmly. And in detail, to people who don't agree with you. and that you shouldn't immediately resort to shut up racist. You shouldn't immediately go to motive.

By the way, shut up racist is the number one reason I voted for Donald Trump. And because they're just sick of it. I mean, first of all, if I was a racist, if I was a bigot, I would just say so.

Okay, it's America. We're good. They're allowed to be with us. All right, I want to play the part of what Tucker had to say. And look, I agree with Tucker there.

Look, no matter how crazy your ideas may be. Uh you have a constitutional right to spew your vial. That's my take on it. Here's Tucker speaking out against all of you Christians. Who may be supporting Israel?

Take a listen to cut number three, please. Most people agree with that. Most Americans have more in common with each other than they Disagree on, and almost everybody agrees on that, and almost everybody is willing to tolerate a good faith argument about how to get there. Except a few, and they're the ones running around calling everyone an anti-Semite. But everyone else is like, yeah, of course, that should be the debate.

And they'll vote for you. They want that because they know they haven't had that. That's the fact. And what you're watching now, attacking people on the attacking millions of Americans because they're Muslims? It's disgusting.

And I'm a Christian. I'm not a Muslim. I'm never going to. I know there's a lot of effort to claim I'm a secret jihadi. I'm not.

You should not attack people on those grounds. And you're seeing it from Republic. What the hell are you doing? What you're doing is trying to divide the country. And I've lived through fifty years of this crap.

All these fake race wars that they're always promoting. Oh, go hate each other while we loot the treasury. That's exactly what's going on. And most people are totally sick of that.

So, yes, there is a possibility for a huge coalition of decent people once they free their minds from the traps set for them by others and realize, wait a second, we all want to make this country better. And the 15% or 30% who don't, okay. You know, good luck in Maryland or wherever you wind up. But the rest of us would like to fix it. All right.

So there you have Tucker Carlson, and he is definitely staking his point.

Someone just texted me from Amfest, and they said, look, it's. It's pretty much split. I mean, TPOSA is split between those who support. Ben Shapiro and those who support Uh those who support Tucker Carlson. And again, if Ben Shapiro's got such a problem with platforming people, why didn't he?

And hear me on this, and I mean this with. Do not take this the wrong way. But Ben Shapiro is coming out there and attacking folks like us.

Well, we're not the ones who platformed Tucker Carlson at Turning Point USA Zam Fest. That would be Mrs. Kirk.

So, Ben Shapiro, if he's got a problem, he should have taken that up with her. Instead of attacking all the rest of us. But he did not do that. For whatever reason. And I don't care.

I really don't care, folks. What I do care about is the movement. And the conservative movement has to work and it has to advance because we've got far too much at stake. And if you've got people like Tucker Carlson out there saying, oh, you know what? The Muslims, they're good people.

Why are you hating on the Muslims? I mean, this is insanity. Just insanity. 901-260-5926. Let's go to the phone lines.

Our good buddy, Joe from Ella J. Hi, Joe, what's going on? Todd, listen, you have a great show, and I just want to wish you a Merry Christmas. You are a great fighter for Donald Trump and the American taxpayers, and I agree with you that everybody ought to be allowed to speak, and you certainly concur with that. And I just want to say how much I appreciate what you're doing for the conservative cause.

You're definitely a conservative champion, and we love you down here in LAJ, Georgia.

Well, Joe, I appreciate that. And look, I don't like having to take sides, and I'm not taking a side. I can't side with Ben Shapiro because I disagree with him. I disagree with Tucker Carlson as well. And again, that's the whole point of being a conservative is, you know what, you listen to the all the arguments and you decide where you stand on it.

That is your decision. I don't want anybody in the conservative movement telling me what I can and cannot think.

Well, you're doing a great job, and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. I enjoy watching your own news, Max, and you're doing an incredible job, and wish you a Merry Christmas. Keep up the great work you're doing.

Well, Joe, thank you for that. And we appreciate you and all of our great listeners. 901-260-5926. By the way, President Trump's going to be making an announcement from the White House in the next little while. We'll let you know what that's all about.

We're also going to be taking your calls during the break. I will be answering your questions in our YouTube live stream. If you'd like to watch that, just go to ToddSterns.com and you'll see all that information there. But watch us live in the break on YouTube. We'll be right back.

Hey, girl, yes, you. You are seen. You are loved. And you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts, and talks about.

Real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.

Okay, finally. They finally found that guy and um New Hampshire, what is it in a storage unit? Welcome back to the Tom Stearns Radio Show. This is the craziest story.

So it turns out. That a homeless guy Had been the one who actually broke this story. He's the guy, the homeless guy, kept trying to alert authorities that he knew who the shooter was at Brown University. But nobody paid him any attention.

So for whatever reason, they finally started looking into to the what the guy was saying. And sure enough, it turns out the homeless guy was a better cop than the the DEI hires over at the Prozid Providence Police Department. I don't know if you caught the press conference late last night when all of the city leaders came out, the mayor and said, We got him, boys. We got him. No, actually you did not.

As a matter of fact, they didn't the guy had already killed himself before Providence police figured out who he was.

So, the Providence Police Department did absolutely nothing.

However, however, The Providence Police Department's And competence may have very well led to the murder of this MIT professor because they aren't telling us now those two incidents are somehow connected. They're not giving us any intel at all. There were dueling press conferences, and I don't know if you had a chance to switch over and watch the press conference out of Boston.

So much more information coming out. You could tell they knew actually knew what they were talking about compared to what was happening over in Providence, Rhode Island. That was just absolutely bonkers insane. They were trying to ask all these questions, and the reporters were actually getting frustrated. And I appreciate their frustration.

And you know why? Because that's what the press is there for. The press is there to ask. All of the tough questions. And they clearly weren't having it.

Oh, social media.

So they're telling us they don't think the shooter had any social media presence at all. At all. And when somebody trying to ask a follow-up question of that, The mayor cut him off, said, nope, you can't talk. You cannot talk about that.

So they clearly still know a lot more about this guy, about why he did what he did. Apparently, the professor and the shooter went to school together back in Portugal, so there is a connection there. But otherwise, we really don't have any other any other information. 901-260-5926. Our telephone number.

That's 901-260-5926. Hopefully, we'll get some more intel later today. We shall see. Let's go to Rick in Iowa. Wants to weigh in on Amfest.

I Rick, what's on your mind? Hi, Todd. I listened to you on KX Dale at night when I get off work. But I also listen to you on the app, and that's what I'm listening to you on right now.

Well, thank you. But you're welcome. The thing about Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro Excuse me for a second, I got a call. Oh my. Yeah.

It's just, I get dry when I talk. Take a recall off. Yeah. Ha ha ha ha. No, but uh when I was in the military When I went over to Saudi Arabia and to those to Bahrain and stuff like that, we were told.

We could carry our Bibles, but it had to be at the bottom of our, what they call a seat bag. It's our bag that you put all of your clothing in and stuff needs for essentials for. the time you spent in those countries.

So they did not want the Christians to be there. And uh Just in a little added thing. the holidays like Christmas and stuff like that, they did not want us to celebrate. But when it came to um October the thirty first, Halloween. They would say you do whatever you want.

They were worshiping devils and stuff like that.

So. you know, they don't know what they're talking about. Us military members do and They do not want us around and Um I'm not defriending anybody because I have a friend that I work with who's a Muslim and I can't. cherish this friendship a lot and uh Being a Christian, you just want to be a friend and let there's two ways of witnessing by verbalizing or by how you act. And I try to do it.

the way I act and uh I cherish my Muslim friend a lot. He's a nice guy, you know?

So, Rake, do you do you find yourself leaning more towards Ben Shapiro or Tucker Carlson? You know, I don't know. I don't listen to them both. Um Okay. I just listened to both of them and say, why are you saying things like that?

You're trying to destroy. The party and trying to get Yeah. That really bothers me. I mean, you know, we voted him in to do some things. And granted, they're trying to do, he's trying to do things, but there's like there's roadblocks and.

We don't need Ben Sapiro or Tucker Carlson to From the roadblock. May they don't understand. us military members who have been to those countries and See that, hey, they really don't want us Christians. Their whole thing there is to. Um Make us into Muslims because they say that we're not a Muslim, we're gonna go to hell.

And their Quran says we need to be killed because we're an infidel. I just You know, I I I've read it in their Koran and I just you know God God loves them too because they came from uh Abraham. And Ishmael Or Hagar, excuse me, and then Ishmael was born, and that's how the uh well, I I don't want yeah, I don't wanna go down the the biblical rabbit hole just right now on this 'cause we don't have a lot of time, Rick. But but let me just say this. They want to kill us, and I don't believe there's anywhere in the Constitution that says we have to bring in, we have to import a religion that wants to kill all the Christians and all the Jews.

The problem is, what do we do now that we have, and we're watching all these terrorist attacks happen? Can we do something? Congressman Randy Fine says we've got to deport all of them because the real radical Muslims are the ones who don't want to kill us, and those are a very small minority. Or do we just deal with it? And we just have to hope and pray that our Christmas celebrations don't get blown to Smither Reigns.

No, I agree with the congressman. I think that if they're not going to assimilate into the United States like they did back in the nineteen twenties and stuff, I think they should be gone. Be ya. Don't let the door hit you on the backside. Yeah, Rick, I appreciate the call, and thank you for listening.

And we love all of our great listeners here in Iowa. Let me just say. When it comes to that, At the very least, all immigration from Muslim countries must come to an immediate halt. And if you are a Muslim who is already here and you've been marching. Against our country, you've been fomenting hate against America, you gotta go.

You're gone. Any imams, any mosques that are preaching Sharia law, that are teaching and advocating for Sharia law, those mosques have to be shut down. And they've got to if they're naturalized, send them back to where they came from. We're going to have to play hardball here. Otherwise, we are going to be in a world of hurt.

Alisa writing in our YouTube live stream: I really do not like what Tucker is saying. And my question is: Is Tucker truly being authentic or is he being paid for this opinion? Because he is very influential and he really does. He's got a lot of followers.

So so what happened? Why why the change? And again, I keep going back, and everybody forgets this. They're like, well, if we're not careful, we're going to have a full-blown. Jihan, we're going to have a holy war in America.

We already got one. And it started well before September 11th, 2001. But September 11th, 2001 should have been the wake-up call, not just for the nation, but really the world. And Nobody wanted to go down that path. Nobody wanted to talk about it.

All right, we've got to take a break here. During the break, head over to our YouTube live over at ToddSterns FNC, and you can access it at our website, ToddSterns.com. I'll be chatting back and forth.

So, if you don't want to call in and you'd rather chat with us online, we're going to be doing that during the break over on our YouTube channel. You can access that at toddstearns.com. All right, hang tight, everybody. We're going to take you live to Amfest. Also, Joe Messina dropping by for the big stories of the day.

We'll also get into what's happening in Minnesota. $8 billion. In corruption, ladies and gentlemen, unbelievable. We'll be right back, everybody. Hey girl, yes, you.

You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, shark-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts, and talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey, girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.

Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's favorite gun totem, Bible-clinging, deplorable America. That's us! That's right! Yeah. I love Love is American.

Todd starts. Scott, good morning to you. I was with Listening to you. And I think the issue is this whole thing about people wanting you to take. Side.

and not respecting that you carry your own side.

So you keep going. mister Starnes, you keep you going on your own side, and you give us That perspective, so we can compare with other perspectives. You're darn tootin' right there, Ed from Texas. Thank you for that, by the way. This is the Todd Stearns Radio Show.

Great to have you with us. Of course, Ed is using our app. He's listening to us on the app and send us a shout-out, which you're able to do if you download our free app, and you can do that at ToddSterns.com. Great to have you with us, everybody. Want to say hello to all of our listeners.

You know, one of the things we had been doing for a long time is broadcasting the show on Facebook and X. But you know what? We decided to sort of narrow it down to Rumble and YouTube. And we are launching today on YouTube. And we'd love for you to go and check out at Todd Stearns.

And you'll see our live stream there. And we have a live chat going. As a matter of fact, Joe Messina, who's going to be with us in just a few moments, is already in the live chat.

So, Joe, good to see you. And we would love for you to be a part of our growing YouTube community. By the way, our telephone number, 901-2600. 260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.

Well, I want to go right away to our Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, and we're honored to talk with Jackson Heberlin, who has been a regular on our Newsmax show. And Jackson is from Clemson University. Jackson, we never hold that against you. I just want you to know right out of the gate. It's good to hear.

Thank you.

So, Jackson, we know you're at Amfest. Is this your first time there? And what's the mood like? Set the scene for us. I mean, it it is my first time here at Amfest, and the energy is totally electric.

I've never seen so many young conservatives so motivated to be out here and meet people who are like-minded. I think with this time of. Clear deprivation of humanity from the left. People are really anxious to meet fellow conservatives because it's pretty obvious what we have in common now. Even people I know who have been to previous Amfest are saying that this one is one like no other.

Yeah, I mean they're saying upwards of 30,000 people there. Are you is it pretty much wall-to-wall people? Most definitely. I had times in the media row, and most definitely in the event hall, it is absolutely packed. I know the event hall was.

uh full at capacity and many people are barred from entry even. Wow, this is well, I'm surprised to hear that. But again, they were expecting a big crowd. This is the first time since they've had a gathering like this since Charlie was assassinated. Jackson, I'm curious, what is the mood there among college students?

Are they enthusiastic? Are they fired up? I mean, college students are really enthusiastic. They're very fired up. I think for a lot of people it's a bit of a homecoming because you spend so much of this time in this messed up modern climate where people either want you to die or want you to suffer, and then you go to Amfest and you realize that you are a normal individual and that like minded people are here.

So I think For many people, it's very nice to actually be in a friendly, conservative environment where being conservative is not just tolerated, but it's um. Yeah. Now I know you've had a chance to watch the big speeches, and it seems like the big controversy from last night was Tucker versus Ben Shapiro. What was your take? And I'm curious just to kind of hear the mood.

What are people you know, are they taking sides? What's the mood there at Amfest? I mean, obviously, I don't have all of the inside information, but from most of the people in my age group and the people that I've talked to, the consensus is generally that Shapiro's criticisms are not necessarily being received very well. I know a lot of people that I talk to find it strange that Shapiro was fully silent, or at least not exceeding the criticism or criticizing of Tucker whenever he interviewed people like Vladimir Putin. But then over recent, there's no shortage of criticism.

So I think for many people it feels uh motivated by things other than ideological truth seeking.

Well, it's yes, I I think this is a battle. And do you sense that this is like people trying to jockey for position to be take not necessarily taking over TPOSA, but really taking over the platform that Charlie had? It's no secret that after the assassination there's a bit of an opportunity for a changing of guards. people are rightfully threatened by that and rightfully trying to stake out their position. I think with Daily Wire being such a stronghold on the right and with the culture in some ways moving away, but the platform still remaining a really strong a really strong platform, I think there is a level of really unshaking ground and trying to find your balance.

Eisenhower's pretty apt to take on it. Here's my concern, Jackson, and you can tell me if I'm off the mark here. You're not going to get in trouble. We actually enjoy free speech here. We don't de-platform anybody on this program.

Great to hear. But again, my concern is that this could fracture the movement, and we need unity here. I don't know what's going on with Tucker. I disagree with a lot of the stuff and a lot of the positions he's been taking, but I will defend his right to say what he wants to say. And it is not my place to deplatform him from TPUSA.

That job is whoever's running TPUSA. That's on them. And I don't think Ben Shapiro needs to be becoming the arbiter of what is the right position for a conservative to have. I think that just flies in the face of what it means to be a conservative. I undoubtedly agree.

And I think, in some ways, with some of the sentiment that we're seeing against Ben Shapiro, it's like the chickens that come home to roost. If you are willing to. If people already believe that you are ideologically motivated and are trying to basically ramrod your position into the base, that's a lot of the criticism of Ben Shapiro's positions, then why is your response to try and censor those who are expressing that criticism? It's so antithetical to appearing like a likable and free speech having individual. I I fully can understand the criticisms, but I do fully agree with you that attempting to censor the speech itself is really strange and It draws a dividing line to this issue, as for others, because I feel like in the past, Ben has been someone who was willing to stand up for that free speech.

So here's the thing: you were probably a cool kid in high school, but this is what it all reminds me of: this battle of the conservative influencers. It's like junior high school all over again. And like you're, you know, me, I'm at the nerd table, okay? And, you know, you've got all the cool kids in the Caffa gymnotorium, and it's a free-for-all. And that's what it feels like right now in the conservative movement.

I I couldn't agree more. Um, I it definitely feels in some ways childish. And it's just I don't see how in any way, whenever Charlie Kirk died and Charlie Kirk was almost equidistant from all of these fronts, That he dies, the guy who's holding everyone together, and people don't take that as an opportunity to say, Hey, we need to fill in for what he did and sort of. You know, like kumbaya, like get together on this. I find it strange that anyone would take this as an opportunity to fracture.

Because my immediate result was, you know, while I obviously have a stake in, you know, the different factions of the conservative movement like anyone else, I know for a fact what I'm not, and it's the people who are, you know, screaming and cheering for the guy who just got murdered.

So it's like, where is the sense of commonality that we had in October? Or sorry? Yeah, in September, sorry. Yeah, no, look, it's a great point you bring up. And again, you know, where are those conversations being had at, you know, from the stage at Amfest?

And I think we do need to remind people who the bad guys really are, and it's not your fellow conservatives. I fully agree. I think I like the fact that And many of my peers were mentioning this even before, how a student in my chapter said it felt like Ben Shapiro's was a speech on Tucker and Tucker's was a speech on America. It's we need to be focused on the issues right now because we're approaching midterms. We are really starting to pick back up on some of the lost momentum, and that needs to be a we need to take that in a unified push.

I can't feel stronger about that. I know you're really involved in the Republican Party there in South Carolina. You guys are going to be having a lot of big races, gubernatorial race. What are some of the big issues facing college age voters going into the midterms? I mean, there's a lot.

I mean, when it comes to the gubernatorial race, a lot of people are split between what they see as riskier, more ideological options or more stable, like very proven, but maybe less ideologically charged options.

So I find that's a lot of the A lot of what's on the mind of uh my youth voters. And I find that for the Senate race, it's really just a debate over: you know, can people But will this sort of uh Climate against the, I guess, what's the term I'd prefer to use? Maybe the legacy GOP candidates like Lindsey Graham. It's sort of is that going to move away towards a more modern and um uh I guess, younger focused right on the Senate campaign. A lot of people want to unseat him.

A lot of people don't because they think he's had a good tenured career.

So it's a really big debate on both those fronts. All right.

Uh Jackson, so you guys are there. What uh so I mean, uh do you just go to meetings all day? Are you guys hitting the party scene? How what are you guys up to out there? Unfortunately, I'm quite a nerd.

I'm not doing too many partyings. I've just been meeting with some people who have a. Known online, but I know for me at least most of the day is spent at the convention center, uh, checking out the booths, doing some interviews, and um Just talking around to see what people are thinking and meet some conservatives who I've known online for a long time. All right.

Well, Jackson, we're going to see you again tonight on the Newsmag show. And we're adding I believe we've got another Turning Point USA Vice President who's going to join you for the panel.

So that'll be a lot of fun. And we appreciate you spending some time with us on the radio show today. Absolutely, Todd. Thank you so much for having me. I'll see you then.

All right, Jackson Heberlin, everybody, strong conservative over at Clemson. Man, they were, I mean, he was the subject of a lot of these attacks early on in the aftermath of Charlie's assassination.

So we're going to be talking to him. Also, a young lady who has been really instrumental in launching a high school TPUSA chapter. They call those Club America. And she is from the Memphis area. She's out there in Arizona as well.

So we'll have live reports from all of those folks. All right, we're going to take a quick break here: 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. Coming up tonight again, 5 o'clock Eastern, we're going to have live reports from Anfest, also the very latest on the Brown University shootings. Got to tell you, President Trump is right.

Millions of people are now watching Newsmax on cable, our streaming channel. Newsmax 2, and they're downloading a free Newsmax app on their smartphones and TVs. Reuters says we're one of the top news brands in the nation. And I want you to watch us. Find out why Newsmax is the fastest growing news channel in the country.

Make the switch today and join our news revolution. Get Newsmax on cable, on streaming, and download the free app today. Takes just seconds to start and let President Trump know that you stand with Newsmax, real news for real people. Hey girl, yes, you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more.

Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts, and talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey girl, from K Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.

No. Uh All right, welcome back, everybody. This is the Todd Stearns Radio Show. I want to say hello to all of our friends over in our YouTube live chat.

So we have been. We've been trying to figure out the whole digital thing we do. And we've been doing Facebook, and it was like all of our audience was sort of balkanized on digital from Facebook to X. And so we've settled on, we have finally settled on YouTube, and we've had great conversations. With our friends at YouTube, and they seem to be more lenient now and more accepting of all of us when it comes to the conservative world.

So head over to we're at Todd Stearns, and you'll be able to watch us live there. We have a link on ToddSterns.com, but Joe Mazzina is hanging out with us in the live chat along with Greg. Greg says, Hey, Todd, enjoying the show. Greg, good to see you in our live chat. Didi says, I'm glad to see your live show here.

Strangely enough, about 30 minutes ago while cleaning, I was just wondering if you were airing live anywhere besides the apps.

So, De Dee, great to see you and take a break. Grab yourself a big old thing of iced tea and put your feet up. Enjoy the rest of the show. And even Pastor John out in Kentucky is hanging out with us over on the YouTube channel.

So great to see you. Great to see you there, Pastor John. And we'll be giving other folks a shout out. And during the commercial breaks, I like to go on and we have a little bit of a conversation there.

So anyway, all right, 901-260-5926. It is Open Line Friday, ladies and gentlemen. And that means we're going to have a lot of fun taking your calls. Whatever you want to talk about, we're going to talk about. Today.

I want to play this audio. This is from California. A little third grader. She's very upset because they're telling the little third-grade girls at this California elementary school they have to share a bathroom. With little boys.

Cut number 16, please. I'm a third grader at Herbert Hoover Elementary School, and I do not like that we have to share a bathroom with boys. At Hoover, a boy has punched me in the stomach and spit on me. I really do not feel comfortable in an all-gender restroom. When I come to the bathroom, I do not like that there is pee on the seats and toilet paper on the ground.

It feels very uncomfortable. I was at Hoover in previous years on um the seats and no toilet paper on the ground. It was cleaner and more sanitary. My friends and I do not like that there are boys in the bathroom.

Some of my friends and I try not to go to the bathroom when they have to. There should be girls, boys, and all gender restrooms. Oh. I can ask That staff will make sure that bathrooms are clean in the new construction, and I'm sure staff will make sure that they're. Procedures in place to make sure the bathrooms are clean.

I think that's a a fine comment to make. And I visited the school today and went over that with Principal Manu. who is absolutely on top of it. Mm. All right, Dylan, I think the school board there, I think they missed the point here.

It wasn't that the bathrooms were dirty. Yeah, they missed it by a smidge, yeah. You had boys in the girls' room. Oh, really? But it is true, though, right?

I mean, you know, you got how many times did your mom tell you growing up, you know, be sure to lift the seat up and put it back down when you're done? At least twice a day. Yeah. I had a problem. It's an issue.

I don't want to talk about that on the radio, but yeah, no, it's an issue. Dirty. I felt bad for the girl. You couldn't even see her. She was so tiny.

There was like, she couldn't, they didn't have like a chair for her to stand on.

So you just heard this voice. I feel so bad for that little girl. Oh, the worst part, though, for the girls, and we used to, you know, again, I've heard this. Is when you forget to put the seat back down and they get a batte. Yeah.

It happens. Everyone should have a bidet. I would want. Hey, for Christmas, Todd? First time I ever saw one.

You know, I'm from the South. We don't do bidets down in Dixie. Yeah. And so I was a grown man. I was covering the Obama campaign.

And on Christmas night we were staying at Caesar's Pal no, Halloween night. We were staying at it was Halloween night. We were staying at Caesar's Palace on this trip in Vegas. And I remember going up to my hotel suite, my compatriot over on the the John McCain campaign, they were staying at a Hampton Inn. But I was, I literally had two bathrooms in my suite.

Nice. And one of them, I had never seen him. I'm like, I hit this button, and the next thing I know is like a water, a stream, a jet of water, just blast up into the air. Yeah. It doesn't even ask for permission.

It just goes. I'm like, what the heck? I thought it was a water fountain. I'm like, what's going on here? I didn't know what that was.

I wouldn't trust a bidet. I would have to, like, check its work. Like, I would have to, like, make sure. You know, it got everything. By the way, everybody was dressed in costumes, and I was walking.

You had to walk through the casino to get to the hotel there at Caesar's Palace, and there were these two women in full body stockings. Oh, wow. And they were each dressed as one half of a breast, a woman's boob. Wow. And I stopped, and I just couldn't help but chuckle.

So I went back and I asked the ladies, I said. I'm sorry, but what is your costume? And they said, we're two women walking abreast side by side. 901-260-5926. Our telephone number.

That's 901-260-5926. Head over to YouTube, join us in the chat. We'll be right back. Hey girl, yes, you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more.

Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts. Anne talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.

Have I said, Dylan, lately, have I said today that I love Christmas? It's my favorite holiday. I think today's the first time you've said that. I just love it. I really do.

There's just something about it, it's just people are in a good mood. They're out Christmas shopping. And I will say this in Memphis. I've got to play this before. You know what?

Let's bring Joe Messina in because I want him to weigh in on this. Our good buddy, the nationally syndicated radio host, Joe Messina. All the way out in Santa Clarita, California. Joe, how's it going? Oh, it's wonderful out here in North Venezuela.

Very fun. North Venezuela. I want to play some audio for you here. They just announced yesterday that the National Guard is going to be sticking around Memphis pretty much indefinitely, which is not a bad thing because they have completely changed the entire vibe. Of Memphis, and there were a couple of guys, and they were doing a podcast together, and they were they were just getting real.

And I want you to take a listen. This is cut number one, please. Do you think Memphis needs a National Guard here though? Do I think Memphis needed? Yeah, it needed the National Guard and the Fed, all the people they got here now.

Man, what I'm finna say, I think I'm going to get a little backlash for it, but you know, I ain't never cared. They said they gonna see it. They might see it on the internet, but they ain't gonna say it around me. Oh. Memphis had got so bad that we needed something.

You know, um. It's one thing to hustle. and to try to get some money. But it's another thing, man, to be out. Just robbing people or taking people's cars.

Then, if they come to the door about their car, you're going to kill them about their car. Looking out the window at the yeah, my money they can't even peep out the window and you're gonna talk about you gonna shoot them in the face. What if somebody did that to your mama? Mm-hmm. Or your you know, your sister, how would how would they feel?

You know, and it's just you know, so with that being said, it ain't got out of control, bruh. And uh You know, if we didn't need the National Guard, we needed something. You know, and I'd be joking with people all the time. You know, I know a lot of people. A lot of my supporters, and you know, they hate Trump or whatever.

But one thing you can't say, one thing, one thing you can't not. And then Memphis to South Haven in two weeks. Man, I seen some I seen some I seen some white people jogging on South Parkway. Man, come on, you gonna continue to see that? I was like, I just saw two white ladies jogging out South Parkway.

It's You know before the National Guard got here, you wouldn't see white people jogging. They'd be running away from a crime scene.

Well, first I got to say, for us Yankees, you need to run like a closed caption line underneath so we can understand every word saying that let me defend Memphis because the rest of the South is probably saying the same thing. We have our own language in Memphis.

So, Dylan, help us out here because Maine is like a thing, right? Yeah, Maine is man. Come on, Maine? Yeah. It's man, really.

That's the main one. I'm from Boston, so I shouldn't really talk, but man, I'll tell you what. But and South Haven is a Memphis suburb across the state line of Mississippi, which is basically a refugee camp, but instead of tents, everybody has mansions.

So they're saying that Memphis is like been just changed, and it's so safe that even the white people can go out and jog. God bless America. You know. I'll tell you what, I hope they believe that the National Guard, God bless those guys too. I believe that they do make a major difference.

And, you know, we have them in LA. They're being fought here as well. They're being fought in Chicago. This is, it's really ridiculous. Interesting, if you really want to nail the Democrats, why is it that you enjoy crime so much?

Every place the National Guard has been put in place, you've seen crime take a nosedive. And people are out there, as this man said, they're walking the streets, they're at restaurants in D.C. I'm sure you heard the clips that people were elated that they felt safe sitting on a sidewalk, you know, restaurant kind of situation.

So there's something in the air in some of these state houses that these legislators aren't getting. Oh, yeah, look, and here's the thing: what I just played for you, that will never appear on local media or national media. But I'm telling you, and we're a majority, minority city here. That's the majority opinion of the majority and the minority. We're all just breathing a sigh of relief.

I've got to play this. This is a very short clip here. You're going to hear a National Guardsman telling his wife that he's been deployed. And I want you to hear, just take a listen to Cut Two. That's why they send the National Guard down to receive me for deployment, baby.

They're gonna tell you to deploy me and where you going? Yeah, I suppose we doing two years in Memphis. Two years? You asking Afghanistan or something? It is Afghanistan.

Miffghanistan. They sending us down there to Miffghanistan. Yeah, they seen a nine-year-old with a Draco. What are you doing with a Draco down there? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

It's Joe, it's a different world down here. But I'm telling you, the the Memphis Safe Task Force, Trump sent all the alphabet agencies down here, and they've got the gangbangers running scared, my friend. As well, they should be. I mean, my God, they should be afraid of the regular police. I don't know what's going on in Memphis when it comes to the police departments and how they're being handled, but as you know, in LA, you know, they've been told to stand down, they've been told not to support ICE in their endeavors.

You know, I've got friends in the police department, and they're totally disgusted. And they're actually thinking about leaving and going somewhere else, going to a different police department.

So they are getting the order. Oh, and the illustrious mayor of Los Angeles, who have told these people to not stand down, she's running for re-election again. Joe, I want to pivot over to your old neck of the woods, which is Massachusetts. There's been the crazy I mean, what happened last night with the that press conference? They found the guy.

He's dead in a what, a a storage shed in New Hampshire. It's just shocking the level of incompetence that we saw in Providence, Rhode Island. Yeah, the funny thing about this, or it's not a funny situation, but I think you heard that a homeless man did a better job than the police did. Down there, and he was able to identify the car and tell them what it looked like and all that other stuff. And as far as the, I watched the other press conference at the time where they had all the out of New Hampshire, where they had all the heads of, I don't know, the CHP or they don't have a CHP, but state police, local police, feds.

They had everybody there doing their. They're looking at how great we are, and we're glad that we worked with so-and-so and such and such. I was like, come on, guys, just get down to the facts, will you? I understand that the Boston one, though, was very much to the point. uh and explained what went down and how it went down.

But I'm don't know if I hear it in your voice. I'm having a hard time believing that this guy Took out the MIT guy and then went to his storage set and shot himself. Yeah, I'm th there's a lot that doesn't make sense here. And so it sounds to me, maybe was this guy a professional hit guy? You know, was this a hit on the nuclear scientist at MIT?

What role does the you know, why specifically the Republican leader? At Brown University, just a lot of unknown questions, a lot right now. Yeah. You know, I heard you talking earlier, and I am 1,000% and agree with you that we're being let down by our people. And I'm having a problem with Speaker Johnson as well in what he's doing.

And it's just making me nuts. We need to step up. You and I talked about this a while back, where even though we have a majority in the legislature, they don't do anything. They're not doing their job. They're not doing what they're supposed to be.

I think Speaker Johnson should be following Trump around. And every time he signs an EO, bang, let's write up a bill right then and there. I don't care if it's a page or a page and a half. Let's get these things on the floor. Let's show the Democrats or let's let the Democrats show truly who they are and what they stand for.

There is absolutely no excuse for them to be calling in an early week, you know, calling in an early weekend and sending everybody back home today. They had to have, there were votes scheduled today, and they did not take those votes. And the Speaker is pretty, he's really upset. I know his people reached out, but I stand by every word I said. And the way I framed it on X, which is what really pissed the speaker off, I said this do-nothing Congress started this session of Congress the same way they're ending it by doing nothing.

Bingo. one hundred percent. Again, did you really honestly, in your heart of hearts, did you honestly believe that these guys were going to make major inroads this year and get some solid laws on the books?

Well, no, but I did expect I expected it to at least try, right? I mean, try.

Well, you heard them. They are trying.

So they say. And the Democrats are stopping them because they don't know how you know, I think every Republican should serve in the Democratic Party for at least a year or two so they learn how to get around the law, how to get these bills in, how to sneak information in and get it pushed through. Joe Messina joining us on our Patreon mobile use maker line. And you can also chat with Joe in our live chat over on YouTube, which is a lot of fun. You know, I was um...

Going back to Anne, I want to go back to Anfest for just a second. And Erica Kirk announced yesterday, and I was really surprised by this. They're all in with J.D. Vance. Turning Point USA has just thrown their support.

And she endorsed J.D. Vance as Donald Trump's replacement. Um in the in the White House. Uh y your take on that. I think, listen, I like J.D.

Vance. I was not a big fan of his at first, but to see how strong he's been, how strong he's come out, and the things.

Now, I want to see him do. What he's talking about. I want to see him find a way to actually. I know the VP doesn't have a lot of power, but he has a lot of influence.

So let's see what he really does. Let's see what he goes out and how he whips our team together, gets behind true Republican conservatives that will go ahead and make differences in the laws and bring the bills forward and pound the bills home. I think he needs to take more of an active role in that. Because right now, you've got a lot of Republicans that are backing away from Trump or acting like they're lukewarm on Trump.

Well, Susie Wiles, you know, in the Vanity Affair piece, which was weird, but she called out J.D. Vance and said that he really wasn't authentic. His decision to become America First was really all about politics. Yeah, I'm I'm having a hard time with that article. I'm having a hard time 'cause you know as well as I do, sometimes that stuff is is uh tweaked, spun, pieces left out.

I I'm not a big fan of hers, wasn't when he m you know, mentioned her as being his chief.

So You know, again, I don't know. J.D. Vance has worked hard. He's come from a place that a lot of Americans have respect for, being poor and working his way through.

So he does kind of show the American dream. Who else do we have? Our our teams are getting thinner and thinner and thinner. Here's my concern about J.D. Vance, and this is, I'm just going to use his own words.

In 2016, let me ask you this. Let's think back to 2016, Joe Messina. Are your viewpoints, your belief system, Is it still the same today as it was in 2016? I mean, just the base, you know, not, you know, not just like, you know, tangent, you know, tangential stuff, but the base of your core beliefs. Yeah, God, family, country.

Yeah, those are all the same. Those are all solid.

So it never changed in less than, you know, in less than 10 years, it never changed. Correct.

Now, my viewpoint on some people changed a little bit in watching their actions as opposed to just listening to them.

So, J.D. Vance in 2016. With Charlie Rose, all right, so this is a very thoughtful, you know, thought-provoking conversation, called himself a never-Trump guy. said he never liked Donald Trump. told NPR in 2016 that I can't stomach Trump.

And then wrote an op-ed for the New York Times titled Mr. Trump is Unfit for Our Nation's Highest Office. And then Vance said he did not vote for Trump in 2016. And his former roommate shared, well, his former roommate shared an image of a text message Vance sent him that year in which he called Trump cynical and said he could be America's Hitler.

Now, I'm going to dismiss that because that is technically hearsay. But all the rest of it is on the record. And I'm just kind of curious. How does somebody go from likening someone to Hitler? to now, you know, being the the standard-bearer of the Trump movement.

My sure. My short answer is he got offered the job of VP. I changed everything. But my long answer is, I have to believe to a point. That we've had millions and millions of people change their mindset on Trump.

Millions of people seeing him in action, working on what's going down. And they've changed their minds.

Now, maybe he hasn't come all the way back from those thoughts. I'm not so sure he believes that Trump is the worst thing that ever happened. But again, I say to you, where's our team? Look who's coming up. But, Joe, can I tell you, my issue with Vance is not what he said at all.

It's not, because I think a lot of people have felt that or thought that about Trump. My issue is who he said it to. And if you're a conservative, what the hell are you doing on Charlie Rose, writing in the New York Times, or going on National Public Welfare Radio? That's my issue. No, no, you've got a valid point there.

I would watch my words. I'm not as advanced as he is, but I would watch my words too if I was on any of those shows. I was a regular on CNN, and I just kept feeding it to them. I kept just hitting them with their own words. And that's what I would have done if it was him.

But you're right. That was not the place to spew that. All right.

Well, we've got to leave it there, my friend. Have you done your Christmas shopping, got Mrs. Joe something nice? I got a whole weekend, not a problem. Yeah.

Yeah. A problem. I got a whole weekend to go shopping to hit those sales. I wait till we get to like 50, 60% off. Todd, I'm cheap.

Dylan's laughing here. I think the deals don't go into like after Christmas, though. It's like hello. No, no, no, no. You got those guys at the little kiosks in the mall, and you go, Do you really want to take all that stuff home with you?

Come on, give me five of those. Give me five for the price of three. Come on, dude. I'll give you cash. All right, Messina, you cheap skate.

The guy dies a jaguar for crying out loud, Dylan. A jaguar.

Well, that's why I'm cheap. Oh, well, fair enough. All right, Messina. Good hearing from you. Merry Christmas, my friends.

Yeah, guys, God bless. Merry Christmas to all you teens. All right.

Good guy, right there. Got to take a quick break. We'll be right back. Hey, girl. Yes, you.

You are seen. You are loved. And you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts. Anne talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you.

Hey, girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.

All right.

Let's uh go to the phone line, San Francisco. One of the prettiest towns in America.

So the Democrats got a hold of it. Let's go to David. David, what's going on? Oh, thanks, Todd. And I'm going to get all radical and wish everybody happy holidays.

I think uh shortest night of the year is is it tonight or tomorrow night? What day are we in Han are we in Hanu are you a Hanukkah guy or a Christmas guy?

Well, Yahweh, I pay attention to all of them. And as a matter of fact, I think I remember some biblical scholars have looked at the history of that tax raising season when Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem. And that would have been in March. And or what we think of as March. And so basically, what we think of as Christmas is really the famous You remember the constellation the Southern Cross?

It go it lowers and lowers as the days get as the days get shorter, and then it hangs in the sky for three days and then it rises again.

So the traditional idea of a Savior being born in a manger or born in a poor circumstances And then the idea of dying and rising again. That legend is is same for Brahma, for Buddha, for Jesus, for I think there are nineteen different deities throughout history that have that same legend.

Well, let me stop you. Let me stop you there, David, because I can't I can barely afford Christmas, much less all the others holidays. I just want to know if I should have said Happy Hanukkah or Merry Christmas. That's all, Dave. That's all I wanted to know.

That's all. And unfortunately, we got to leave it there. David, give us a holler back. This is the Top Star show. I really need a drink.

Hey girl, yes, you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts, and talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.

Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's common sense conservative commentary from Todd Starz. That's right. I love this American Well, hello. Everybody, welcome to hour three of the big show. It is open line Friday.

That means you get to call in, and you can talk about whatever you want to talk about. That's what we do on Fridays. And our telephone number, write this down: 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. Well, I want to go to our Patriot mobile newsmaker line, our good friend Michael Wilson from Patriot Talk 920 in Houston.

We have a lot of listeners in that part of the country. Michael is boots on the ground at Amfest. Michael, first, good to have you with us. Hope you had a good trip over to Phoenix. Yes, actually a lot of my friends first took a flight 'cause Phoenix To Texas may seem like it's only a state over, but it's something like a 20-hour drive.

I drove that, so that was incredible. Seeing all the mountain ranges as you get out through West Texas, it was great. And then, of course, getting here, the momentum and the energy is just off the charts. I was getting the report numbers as a press member that we have like 31,000 people in attendance. The fire marshal shut down the inside area of the conference center that nobody else could get in, with hundreds, if not thousands, of people still waiting outside watching the TVs and the live stream.

It's insane. Good grief.

So you would think they would have had, you know, they would have figured that out and they would have had like overflow rooms with the giant screens that people could watch. Yeah, you know, they actually did. They had one overflow room that had a big, giant screen, and it was filled up kind of like if you've ever been to the library when they do the kids' gatherings, everybody's just sitting on the floor watching the big TV. That's exactly what was going on in the main outside room. And then there were people in more overflow rooms that only had smaller TVs.

I don't think they ever expected when they sold out of tickets like two months ago, I don't think they ever expected this many people to show up to America Fest. I mean, this is unbelievable. I was here two years ago, and there was something like 15 or 16,000 people in attendance, so they've doubled it in just a couple of years. Of course, a lot of people are here to honor Charlie Kirk, obviously. And so that's been a big piece of momentum for Turning Point and for this conference.

I'm curious, Erica Kirk, I've got so many questions here. Erica Kirk was pretty quick to announce right off the start of the festival is that. They're backing J.D. Vance. He's their guy in the next presidential election.

How did that go over? To be honest with you, I think a lot of people, I think it went one of two ways, and I think we're gonna get into this a little bit, that you kind of see, it'll say two factions, but people with two different perspectives of what's going on in the political spectrum right now, especially on the right. And of course, Bench Barrow and Tucker Carlson are also kind of part of that conversation. I think a lot of people. Even who like the campaigning of J.D.

Vance, who like the purported policies of J.D. Vance. Still have a lot of questions because we're only a year into the Trump administration, not even a year into the Trump administration right now. And JD Mance is still a relative newcomer to the political scene. And so I think a lot of people have a lot of questions as to, okay, well, do we want to have longer conversations over the next three years, even if we like JD Vance now, as to what we're expecting come twenty twenty eight?

And it seems like a big move for Turning Point to already be having that conversation and getting in the jump for JD Vance. Yeah, it's that to me, but I mean, it was pretty, she was pretty emphatic. He's the guy. And so now you wonder, okay, what does that look like? Because, you know, there are plenty of other folks out there that have been talking about running Ron DeSantis.

You've got Youngkin, Glenn Younkin out of Virginia. You've got Brian Kemp out of Georgia, who's now being mentioned. And of course, Marco Rubio. And all of those, I think, would be great choices. They have years and years, decades of experience.

And to your point, J.D. Vance has not. You know, he has not even done, I don't believe he did a full term in the Senate before he was picked to be Trump's vice president. knows two years in the Senate, got vice presidency, and now immediately we're jumping to president with a total of less than six years in politics at all. It seems a little bit it seems a little bit hasty to me.

I'm not going to lie. I'm going to be honest here. I like JD Vance a lot. I like a lot of what JD Vance says. I think he's very well spoken.

I especially love how he handles debates eloquently, as we saw during the nice presidential debates. But if I'm being honest, I think it's a little bit odd and a little bit hasty for an organization, especially already as set as a turning point, to be backing a candidate come 2028 when there are a wide field of, and let's be honest, really good candidates. Ron DeSantis, undeniably, the worst decision Ron DeSantis ever made was just running against Trump. Ron DeSantis has been absolutely incredible as governor of Florida, one of the best governors, if not the best governor in the nation. And so I think a lot of people are wondering.

Usually we have a nomination process where we get to see it out, have debates. And for these big organizations to be coming in and already saying, no, this is the guy who's a relative newcomer. It feels a little bit hasty to me. That's, yeah, for me, that's when you got to tap the brakes a little bit and just remind: hey, folks, you know, you're not running America. This is an organization, a conservative organization, a great organization, but you're not the decision maker here.

And that was a little eye-opening. The other part of this is the. It seemed to be more about Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro and Candice and Megan Kelly than Charlie Kirk or even Turning Point USA last night. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I want to tell a story.

So, John Christ, a Christian comedian. And this is, of course, hearsay because he said it.

So I'm repeating what he said. He was talking about a party he went to, a Christmas party relatively recently, where he saw a large group of these people all in the same room. And he said, they all are hanging out, talking, shaking hands, giving each other hugs. He said, and I saw them on social media yesterday, all going after each other in a variety of ways. And so I'm not, I can't verify the veracity of that story.

What I can say is For this conference to come out here, right, which is supposed to be, that's why everyone's here, honoring Charlie Kirk. When I was checking in yesterday, everybody's wearing shirts that say honor Charlie Kirk. They're wearing CK hats, Freedom shirts, right? That's why a lot of people are here. And look, I get it that we have to have conversations about what we want the right to look like, what we want conservatism to look like.

But it seems like the conference is almost being co-opted as a faction over who's going to have the power now. And I almost think that's the most dishonoring thing we could be doing to Charlie Kirk's legacy. Because Charlie Kirk, if he was good at anything, he was good at maintaining a sort of feast. For us conservatives and maintaining a level of coalition building and building strategy. And for everyone to immediately turn around and start going after each other in the conservative movement at the first conference since his passing, I think is incredibly, in my opinion, I think it's incredibly dishonoring to his legacy.

And again, I don't, you know how things are. People are being deified, and I get that. It happens when these, I get that. The reality is that turning point has not been exactly all that about free speech. And I say that because several years back, there was a young lady who raised questions to Tommy Lahren about being pro-choice, and that girl was shut down.

There was a young man who, and I disagree with how he framed the question because it was an offensive way of framing the question, but he asked Charlie Kirk a question about gay marriage, and Charlie just shut that guy down. And then I want to play this because this was brought up last night about the USS Liberty and Israel bombing the ship. And this is how Charlie dealt with that same issue, Cut 14. Sure.

So I have a question.

So from America first perspective, why do we give $3.8 billion to Israel, which is more aid than we've given to Africa, more aid than we've given to South America, and more aid than we've given to the Caribbean combined, which is home to a billion poor people, especially when they deliberately attacked. The USS Liberty in the 1970s. That is incorrect. Do not pedal conspiracy theories in our event. That is not acceptable.

Do not say that.

Okay, very good.

So again, I just know revision is history, but this is how they dealt with things they disagreed with.

So again, I think Turning Point is a fine organization, but still, when you look at the Ben Shapiro. Tucker Carlson, Megan Kelly, Candace Owen stuff. You really wonder: is this really about Turning Point or is this about finding out who's going to run Turning Point moving forward? Right. And not just Turning Point, but what Turning Point is supposed to stand for, right?

Which is a level of like, here's the coalition of the right. Here's how we can get people energized for the entirety of the movement, that we can have some minor disagreements within the party, but here's the movement of the right and that we want everyone to be moving. That's what Turning Point at least is supposed to kind of represent. And so I think that what's going on with the infighting right now is people deciding who's the boss, really. And my whole take on all of this, Todd, if I'm being honest with you, and I've been talking about this on my show recently, because it's kind of made an appearance, especially with the infighting right now.

It seems like rather than us caring so much about policy and about points and about logic, people have just started listening to these political pundits as if they are God, as if these people are actually kings. We say, we say, you know, we're a republic, but we listen to these people, we don't critically think, we don't examine the things we're saying. And because of that, when somebody gets something wrong or they get it right, we have to disavow the person rather than the belief. And we have to choose sides in an ongoing war that's just about, you know, who has who has the better policies. And I think it's getting to a point where I think a lot of people, and I was talking to people yesterday here at America Fest, I think a lot of people are just fed up with it.

And that's what I was curious about. What what's the mood of the people there when it comes to all of this stuff? I'll be honest with you. I got three main answers. And the third group was by far the largest.

The first answer was just the Ben Shapiro supporters. They think Candace Owens is crazy and they need to kick out Tucker Carlson and don't ever mention Nick Fuentes' name again. You can't even talk about him. Don't think about him. And then you have the group that says, no, no, no, we've won all of that.

We love Tucker. We love Candace. I'll listen to Nick, whatever. The biggest group, to my surprise, by the way, the biggest group of what I was hearing, and of course, this is anecdotal of who I was talking to. The biggest group are people that just say, why can't we all just get along to a degree and have our disagreements without this needing to be the level of calling each other charlatans and evil and liars?

Why can't we just disagree? Why can't we just have debates? And have conversations. That's what the right claims used to be all about. And it seems like we've lost that a little bit.

Yeah, I'm with you there. It's all just off-putting to me. And I don't like that whenever folks have asked legitimate questions about turning point the organization, the accusations of financial irregularities and all that kind of stuff, you're being told, shut up, be quiet. You don't have a right to answer those questions. We're all grieving.

And I'm sorry, but when you're posting videos, Casket side and releasing those very private, intimate moments. And because you want people to feel sympathy, which we all do, and you don't have to release that video to make that happen, when you're sending out fundraising data and information, getting people to give money, then I believe you should be able to ask those questions. And not only ask those questions, Todd, and this kind of I think gets also into the heart of what a lot of what's going on. Of course, we all understand this, especially all being in politics. It's a nasty business.

And a lot of it is about: well, who's the most entertaining? Who's the funniest? Who can say it the best? Who's the best orator? Who's producing the best drama?

Who's getting the most views? And so instead of it being about what's best for America, right, instead of it and this is this is this is, I think, the point of America first. Instead of it being about, hey, what can we do to make this country great? How can we all figure out the best way to return to a time of American greatness? It's become how can I get more views than that other person that I want to be better than?

And that, I think, is a real danger. For people that are supposed to be helping lead this country, no, I think it's that's and that is a great point. But you're right, it's big business, there's so much grift, and I bristle when I hear the term conservative influencer because half of the people we're talking about aren't even conservative, and that's that's what gets me. But better than you know, more importantly, you know, I know that Shapiro is out there saying that if you're not condemning all of these people on, you know, on your platforms, then you're the problem.

Well, you know what? And with all due respect to Ben Shapiro, how come he wasn't chewing out Erica Kirk because she's the one who invited Tucker Carlson to come and speak at Amfest? I know. I mean, if you want to have that conversation. I know, and that's that's what's crazy to me, is is We're sitting at a point in American history where we're dealing.

I know that we feel like maybe to a degree we've kind of beaten out the crazies. Are we forgetting what we're still fighting on the left? How many people still want to mutilate our children? How the public school system is still functioning? How bad mass immigration, legal and illegal, still is?

Or are we just thinking that right now, well, Charlie is gone, so I guess it's time for all of us to explode, start insulting each other, start grifting more than we ever have before, and prioritize likes and clicks over being genuine people who desire to see this country regrate? This is why I love doing the local Houston show. I don't have this sort of, you know, I'll say influence over the national scale to a degree where there's any sort of temptation there. It's so frustrating to see these people who I, to a degree, looked up to and respected, who are coming out. And you can just tell when you hear them speaking that it's more about what's going to get them the views, what's going to get them people talking, what's going to get people invested in their show that it is about making America great, that it is about prioritizing America.

And that just burns me out, Todd. Yeah. No, I. I hear it. I hear it in your voice.

All right, we got to run for a break here, Michael, but we'll touch base with you. I know we've got you on the Newsmax show tonight. We will continue the conversation then. Anyway, still be safe. And if you can, there's something called a Sonora dog.

And they have him in Tucson. I know you're in Phoenix. But if you can find one, it's a pretty good meal, a Sonora dog. A Sonora dog? I've never heard of it.

I'm going to look it up now. It's like a deep-fried hot dog wrapped in bacon or something. It's very good. It'll clog an artery, but you're young. You'll get over it.

Yeah, I'll live. I'll live. I'll make it happen. You know what? Order a matcha along with it, and I think it balances it out.

Yeah. If I get enough of the green stuff, I should be all right.

Well, Todd, thanks for having me on, and we'll talk to you and update you later this afternoon. All right, the great Michael Wilson from Patriot Talk 920, they're in Houston, Texas. You see, you're not going to hear that any other place because there is. This is all the narrative is very, very tightly controlled over what's going on at TPUSA right now on the Amfest and all of this nonsense out there. Which is why we like to talk to real folks boots on the ground.

Gotta take a break. 901-260-5926. Open Line Friday on the Todd Stern Show. Hey girl, yes, you. You are seen.

You are loved. And you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts. Anne talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey, girl, from K-Love Books.

Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.

Yeah. You know, I just want to listen to Christmas music for a little while, Dylan. Is that okay? Is that permissible? See nothing wrong with that.

Not at all, not at all. Hey, I came across this great little story.

Someone sent this to us. And I just love stories like this around the Yuletide season. That would be Christmas. This is from Hamburg Township, Michigan. Uh there was a lovely lady, her name is K her name was Kay Williams, and for decades she brought cheer to her neighborhood.

And the locals in the neighborhood in Hamburg said that K was sort of the glue that kept the whole community together. But um She's been going through some difficult times uh of late. And um The locals decided to help her out. I mean, she decorates for Christmas these elaborate displays. And I mean, the kids love it.

You know, there's snow everywhere. It's Michigan, so they got a lot of snow. And her little home was a winter wonderland, and the children loved it. For thirty years. misses Williams um set up her her displays.

Well, she's got cancer. And it's been tough. And so the neighbor said, You know what? By golly, we're going to decorate for Miss Kay. And that's exactly what they did.

The neighbors, they went over to the house and they pulled out all the decorations and the lights and Santa Claus, the whole nine yards. And it really was a special moment. Miss Williams, Miss Kay, said, you know, my brother died. The neighbors died. I don't see the kids all that often.

And uh she said her she lost her husband, Jack, a firefighter. And you know, life gets tough and life is tough. And so she's so grateful for the kindness of the neighbors who decided to go that extra mile and bring a little bit of Christmas to the neighborhood there in Hamburg, Michigan. And just again, just a reminder that we got good people out there across this great nation. And we want to salute the good people there in Hamburg Township.

For bringing a little bit of Christmas cheer to a woman who brought Christmas cheer to her neighborhood for decades.

So, good on you, all you fine folks there in Michigan. And maybe you've got a great little Christmas story to share with us. You can do that, 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. This is the Todd Stern Show.

Hey girl, yes, you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts, and talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey, girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com slash books.

Yeah. All right, this is the Todd Starnes Radio Show. And folks, you still have time to pick up some great Todd Starnes show Christmas swag, great stuff, including stocking stuffers like my two devotion books, our Daily Biscuit, Devotions with a Draw, and Star Spangled Blessings, devotions for patriots. You can get copies of all of those at toddstarnes.com or wherever you buy your books.

So we'd love for you to be able to do that. Let's go to the phone lines. Baltimore, Maryland, our wonderful affiliate, WCBM, Jordan is on the line. Hey, Jordan, what's going on? Merry Christmas to you and the staff.

Everybody, excellent. Cassie and Dylan and, of course, Ben Dieter, who isn't there. A Merry Christmas to you. The best of everything in the new year. Your show is always excellent, of course.

I remember Election Night in America, and I was one of the callers on your show because I didn't want to turn on the TV. And you kept me in stitches all the way to 1 o'clock in the morning. And I remember you had to take a little break between 8:30 and 9 o'clock to get some Chick-fil-A. Oh, this is true. Wow.

You have a great memory there, Jordan. That was a fun, fun night. And we love doing election night coverage. And we bring the whole cast of characters out. And you never know what's going to happen, especially with old Ben Dieter around.

Bye now. I know you keep me laughing all the time. You do, and of course. we get your show in the rebroadcast.

So I don't have a computer or don't have apps or anything like that.

So I'm calling you via cell phone.

So I'm watching the clock too because I know when you go in and out, but we get You from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

So I at least get to hear that. But I also want to thank you so much for everything you do. I celebrate Chronica and your views on Israel and saying kudos to Mark Levin. You you've done that all for forever.

So you're just such a nice person. One day, like I say, when I come to Memphis, I'm going to come to meet you. I wasn't able. You were at the Pikesville Doubletree a few years ago, but I wasn't able to make it. When you came to Baltimore, Bradford.

We did a big event. We did a big event years ago. Wow, it's been a while, but we had so much fun. Did our show there from WCBM, and we had a wonderful time there.

Well, Jordan, wow, thank you so much for the kindness. And I have a question about Hanukkah, though.

Now, you guys, do you get the presents? Do you get presents every night of Hanukkah? Is that how it works? It doesn't have to work that way, but when I was growing up, yes, you got something every night, right? You don't have to.

Sometimes it's not written in stone, but that's what they what parents usually did: give their children a gift every night. You know, Jordan, when I was at Hope P. Sullivan Elementary School in South Haven, Mississippi, we had I had a Jewish classmate. And he was really, we were all envious of him because he got all the presents. And so I went home one day and I told my parents, how come we're not Jewish?

I want more presents, mom.

Well wait, remember your title you told me the next book you write, not this one that just came out. It your next title is going to be a bagel with a schmear. Yeah, our daily bagel, devotions with a schmear. That Daily Biscuit was really good, though. I read when I got it, I read it in one night.

Wow. It's good for anybody, even for Jewish people. It teaches you wonderful lessons in everyday life. It does. No, it's a great little book.

Thank you for that. Do you have a copy of Star Spangled Blessings yet? I don't yet.

Well, you know what, Jordan, we're going to take care of that.

So we're going to put you on hold and when we finish up our conversation here, and I'll make sure to send you a signed copy of Star Spangled Blessings in the mail, if that's okay. Wow, that's a real Hanukkah present. You see, that'll be Hanukkah present number one. Oh, God bless. And I wanted a call today.

It's the last Friday before you you know, it's before Christmas. And I wanted a call and S because I don't call that often. But when I do, I just want to make sure it's a great, great call. And you do I wish you were, you know, we heard you from twelve to three. Regular, but I I listen at ten o'clock at night every night.

Well, we have been you know, we've been working with th they're great people at WCBM and they, you know, they are working on that. And I think it would help if our Baltimore listeners, you know, shot them an email or sent them, you know, called up the station and said, Hey, you know, we'd like to have starnes noon to three, but you have helped solve just now, Jordan. And Dylan, Jordan has helped solve a mystery. Because I keep getting these messages, and I thought I was being pranked because they said, Todd, we love going to bed with you in Baltimore. And I'm like, what?

What? What? Who are all these people that are going to bed with me in Baltimore? And it turns out they listen to the radio show. While they're in bed.

Right. I told Sean Casey ever you know, every time I talk to him, we'd like to be you'd be on it. The great Sean Casey. Yeah, great guy there. All right.

Well, Jordan, happy Hanukkah to you, and thank you for calling in. You just made our day. Merry Christmas to you and the family and the staff. Thanks so much. All right.

Well, thank you. All right, don't go anywhere. Don't hang up. We're going to get your mailing address there. Yeah, Dylan, I thought.

Has somebody been slipping me something and I've just forgotten that I have apparently a wonderful dating life? How did you know someone's in your bed every night? Right. I don't have that many my pillows. What's going on?

All right, let's go to Kathy in Salem, Oregon on KYKN. Hi, Kathy. You know, how can you not be in a good mood after a call like that? Boy, that's for sure. Wow.

I wanted to hear that. I hear about that book, Bagel with a Schmear.

Well, I'm working. It was something of a joke, but I may have to write one now. Oh, I thought you did, and I never heard of it. No, no, no.

Well, the story there, Kathy, is it's a funny story because when I moved to New York City, I wanted to get a biscuit, and they don't have biscuits in New York City. They only have bagels. And the first time I ordered one, you know, it looked like a hockey puck. And I order it, and then the guy looks at me, and I'm fresh off the boat from Tennessee. in in downtown New York City.

And the guy says, Do you want me to smear your bagel? And I said, Pardon me, you want to do what to my bagel? I said, I'm from Memphis, Tennessee. You don't smear another guy's bagel where I'm from. I may have embellished that slightly, but.

I wasn't familiar with the schmear. Yeah. All right, Candy, what what can I do for you?

Well, first of all, Have a happy holiday. Have a Merry Christmas.

Well, thank you. You're very welcome. Um I wanted to actually tell My fellow Americans. We need to get educated on Islam. America has been ignoring it for too long.

We even have people in our prison system. that have performed Honor killing. And we need to If we're going to have any intelligent conversations about topic And they're forcing it on us. Then we need to Read up on it. Get educated, folks.

Conservatives And Democrat. were all were all in their front hairs. All of it. Kathy, I think it's a wise thing. And you're right.

I mean, even if you're looking at political ideology, they hate Jews, they hate Christians, they think we're infidels. And my greater concern would be for the, you know, for the gays and the lesbians of America because, I mean, they're slaughtering those people in those Middle Eastern countries. And that just alarms me, especially when you see these folks out there and they're just ignorant. And to your point, they're not teaching kids about Islam. I know Senator, it was it Tupperville or one of the congressmen said it's really not a religion, it's a cult, and it is a death cult.

And I think we need to start listening to people here. And to your point, we've got to educate ourselves. There you go. Don't take my word for it. Don't take Todd's word for it.

Educate yourself. That's it. Read the Quran and see what it says. There you go. And you can do it online.

You don't have to go out and buy one. That's it. That's it. Kathy, great stuff.

Now, do you celebrate Christmas? Do you celebrate Hanukkah? Christmas.

Well, Merry Christmas, Kathy. Hope you and your family have a blessed, blessed day. Thank you.

I'm just starting my baking now. Oh, wait a second. You buried the lead. Wait, what? What are you baking?

I'm making a, it's like a cookie bar, but it's called a carmelito. It's got pecans and Organic oats and caramel and chocolates. And it's in a bar. Kathy, I think you're going to have a lot of people wanting to purchase baked goods from you after this show. How about if I just give them the recipe?

Oh, well, that'll work too. I love that.

Well, wonderful.

Well, Kathy, again, have a great Christmas. And man, those carmelitos sound delicious. Merry Christmas to you and all of our great friends over in Salem at KYKN Country. All right, 901-260-5926, our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926.

Hang tight. It is Open Line Friday. We'll be right back. Hey, girl, yes, you. You are seen.

You are love. And you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts and talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey, girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com slash books.

Yeah. All right, welcome back, everybody. This is the Todd Stearns Radio Show. Can I just give a shout out to law enforcement all across America? You know, we just we take them so much for granted.

But I have to tell you, especially during the Christmas season, many of them are going to be working Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and they're not going to be with their families. They're probably going to be eating something over at the precinct house or the fire station. And Also, in addition to all of the other things you're doing, just to keep us safe. Many of them are going the extra mile making sure poor boys and girls, less fortunate families in the country are going to have a Christmas this year. And in many cases, these officers are reaching into their own back pockets to pull out money out of their wallets to make sure that these kids have Christmas.

And so when you see a police officer, a firefighter, a first responder, Be sure to thank them for the great work they're doing. And I also want to give a shout out to the Memphis Police Department because they have been, it's like. literally giving away thousands of toys. To children, over 4,000 toys to 300 children across the city of Memphis this holiday season.

So, God bless you all for the great work you're doing. Let's go to the phone lines here: 901-260-5926. Wayne in North Carolina wants to weigh in on the Minnesota Somali situation. Hey, Wayne, what's going on?

Well, thank you for taking my call. And I echo about backing the blues, so start out with that. I'm pretty pleased about the accountability And in the direction that we're going right now, especially with the DOJ, FBI, DEA all these people and stuff. And um the problems with the that Somalian fraud in Minnesota which I'm originally from Minnesota, so it kind of bothers me a little more than the most person. But back when um Ilohan Omar Back in like twenty nineteen, when she became a member of Congress, her financial statement said she had a negative net worth of between like fifteen thousand and minus fifteen thousand to minus sixty five thousand net worth.

And today Uh there's there's um estimates as high as thirty million, and I understand she's got a husband You maybe got some businesses. But couldn't they put all this to bed by there should be some serious tax consequences that could easily be proven with all of these numbers and kind of get to the bottom and dispose of the accusations one way or the other. It's kind of an observation, but I do think that. you know, the the tax consequences should be uh a direction that they should go a little faster than they're doing now. What do you think about this idea, Wayne?

What if we all we and we could we've got a great we have great tax people, great accountants in many small towns across America. What if we get like a delegation of those? We'll put together a committee of just small town tax guys or gals. Send them to Washington, D.C., and do a deep dive. They can actually audit.

All of the expenses and all the money coming in from these lawmakers because there's no way that Ilhan Omar is a legitimate multimillionaire. There's something going on there.

So I'd love for a group, a delegation of tax accountants to go in there and do a deep dive into all of their bank accounts, the whole nine yards. I think that's an excellent idea, and it would create some probably better paying jobs for those people doing the audits. And probably the worst case is We stop the fraud. I mean, I don't know that we can what we can recover at this point, but at least stop it. I'm with you 1,000%.

And if nothing else, we can recoup the money by making them pick up trash on the sidewalks or whatever, cleaning some bathrooms. I had one other idea. Real quick, yeah. 'Kay. kicking around with Um, maybe I'm not, I'm not really for deporting all the molions that you know, I think they deserve fairness.

But shouldn't we maybe do a repledge of allegiance and with coming with a warning or something like this and like this is the expectations in the future or else? Yeah, yeah, I've got no problem with that.

So, yeah, good thought. Wayne, thank you for that. Merry Christmas to you. Dylan I'm curious if you've ever heard of this Yuletai tradition. Have you ever have you ever I can't.

I can't. Have you ever hid the pickle? Hid the pickle. Hid the pickle. Where would I well?

You hide the pickle. It is no, it is not a euphemism. This is actually a Christmastime tradition. Where, and I never did understand this because I remember we used to have like a glass pickle on the Christmas tree as like an ornament, and it's actually a legitimate. Old school Christmas time tradition.

Okay. Where mommy and daddy, you have a glass pickle ornament. and you hide the pickle ornament somewhere in the Christmas tree. And the first child on Christmas morning, and it all you always hide it on Christmas Eve when the children go to bed. And then when they wake up and the next morning, the first child to find the pickle gets an extra Christmas present.

That's kind of fun. That's kind of like Elf on the Shelf, but Pickle and a Christmas tree. Yeah. It's pickled. Pickled.

You know, that's confusing in my house, or because My my name is Dylan, so people call me Dill, like Dill Pickle. Oh, I've been given pickle ornaments before, but they've never been, you know, I've never had to go and look for them inside the Christmas tree.

So they'd also recommend that you not actually take an actual dill pickle and put it on the tree. That would be a little messy. Yeah, that's that's probably smart. Yeah, that makes sense. That makes sense.

So there you go. You're learning something new every day here on the Todd Stearns radio. Very fun. All right, don't forget tonight, 5 o'clock Eastern, everybody, the Todd Stern Show on Newsmax. We're going to take you live to Amfest.

We have a lot of great interviews. Also, Congresswoman Mary Miller is going to join us. President Trump is holding a big rally in North Carolina. That's later tonight. You'll be able to watch that on Newsmax as well.

Don't forget ToddSterns.com. Download our free newsletter, our free podcast. And you can buy some great Christmas presents. Love for you to get a copy of Star Spangled Blessings. All right, been a great broadcasting week, everybody.

We're going to do it all again on Monday. In the meantime, you have a great Friday. And whatever you do, be sure to go to church this weekend, America. Hey girl, yes, you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more.

Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts. Anne talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com/slash books.