From the Mighty 990 Broadcast Center, you're waking up in Starnes Country with Todd Starnes. Oh, happy spring to you, everybody. It is 60 degrees here in East Memphis right now, heading up to 70 degrees later today. We could have some big thunderstorms and possibly severe weather coming up towards the end of the week. And in the meantime, enjoy the great weather.
It is going to be a beautiful day out there, and hope you're having a great start to your day as well. By the way, we have got a lot to talk about today. Our good friend Joe Garner is going to drop by a little bit later on to help us work through some great mortgage information. We always love our great stable of KWAM experts to help us through the day.
So, where do we start today? A couple of big stories before we get into some of the national news. There has been a lot of controversy over the. The crime numbers here in the Memphis area, here in the Mid-South. And President Trump, just the other day, as a matter of fact, when the President was doing the press conference, I For some reason, I think this happened during the Venezuela stuff.
The President made mention of crime being down across the country and including here in Memphis. Down 77% is the number that the President gave us during that press conference on Saturday. And that's right, it did happen during the press conference. I was watching the press conference, and he said Memphis, and my ears perked. I'm like, wait, what's going on here?
What about Memphis?
So there has been a lot of excitement because crime has been down. And the reason why crime has been down is because the president sent in, gosh, hundreds, if not several thousand of federal agents. And of course, they're complemented by the Tennessee National Guard, which has raised all sorts of controversy among Democrats here in Memphis who would much rather protect the criminal thugs than the actual citizens of Memphis. And I'm telling you, Democrats running for office, I don't care who you are or how well educated you think you are, you will be answering that question if you come on K-Wham. Because this has got to stop.
The idea that we're going to protect the criminals instead of the law-abiding citizen of Memphis, those days are over, at least here on K-WAM, they are.
So, anyway, President Trump coming out with those numbers.
Now, City Hall came out with a statement a few days beforehand, and the mayor is that would be Paul Young. The mayor is taking full credit. For the massive drop in crime, no mention of all about President Trump or the work that President Trump did. And the question this morning, and I want to hear from some of our K-Wham listeners, I'm just curious: who do you credit? For the drop in crime here in Memphis and the Mid-South.
Do you credit President Trump or do you credit Paul Young and the Democrats? 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. And I'm curious to hear from some of you this morning on this issue. And the reason I bring this up, because if Paul Young, let's just take Paul Young and his word for just a moment.
So if, in fact, Paul Young is saying that crime is now at an all-time low. What about his previous statements when he said that really crime was low all along and that we just had a perception problem, that the the issue wasn't necessarily that we had a crime problem. The issue is how you, the good citizens of Memphis, perceived the crime problem.
So I no, you can't make this you cannot You cannot make this up.
So, in spite of all of that. And I don't want to speak out of school here, but Has anybody else noticed? That it seems like we're watching the shootings pop right back up to where they were. And now, a lot of the shootings are happening in areas where the National Guard, where the ICE agents are not located. That would be East Memphis.
And I want to play some audio for you. This happened over the weekend at the Red Pier. This is just a stone's throw away from the K-Wham studios. A very nice seafood restaurant. Never been, but I've heard nice things about it.
The Red Pier Cajun Seafood and Bar on Poplar. And this is what it sounded like the other night. I can't. Oh shit! What the f?
So you had a couple of guys and they were going at it. It was like an old school gunfight right there in East Memphis in a nice restaurant. And this is one of the reasons why people don't like to go out to eat, by the way, anymore, because there's a certain demographic, the criminal thug, that don't know how to behave in public. And I don't know what that's all about. That's a conversation for another day.
But that's one of the, and I know that most of the Memphis restaurant community is on the other side of the political aisle, and I get that. But ultimately, the reason why you're having to shut down your restaurants. is because of that kind of nonsense right there. And nobody wants to talk about it, but that's the reason why. I hate to break it to you, but that's the reason why.
So, anyway, let's go to the phones this morning: 901-260-5926. Dean in East Memphis. Dean, who do you credit with the, I should say, alleged drop in crime here in the Mid-South?
Well, I made a post about it a couple of days ago or whatever. I said if we're we're being totally honest, You got the ear of President Trump. And Senator Brent Taylor has been he I called it He was he's the tip of the spear. 'Cause he got all this stuff going.
So without you, without Senator Taylor, And Trump backing all of this with all the information that's been given to him. None of this would have ever happened. Paul Young has nothing to do with it. He didn't want him here. Uh Lee Harris didn't want them here.
uh e even even our own governor kind of stuttered on it.
So Thank you, Todd. Thank you, Senator Taylor.
Well, Dean, you're kind to say that, and you definitely give credit where credit is due to Senator Taylor, his Make Memphis Matter campaign. I think was a brilliant strategy, and he's not only He's not only marketing that strategy, but he's bringing people to Memphis that can help. Change the direction of our city. And I really appreciate that part of it. And I don't think the guy get he gets no credit from the local media at all, Dean.
But I think, you know, at the end of the day, the people understand, and I hope they understand, who's really responsible. And it has nothing to do with Paul Young. Absolutely. Thank you, Todd. All right.
Thanks, Dean. All right. Be safe out there. 901-260-5926 is our telephone list number. And again, the question, who do you credit for the drop-in crime here in the Mid-South?
That being said, there have been a lot of talk about how long they expect the agents to be here in the city. I think it needs to be for a long time. We're going to have to change minds. We're going to have to change culture and behavior. And that is going to take time.
And I have noticed, especially on the highways, people are popping right back up to 120, 130 miles an hour on I-240. And I don't want to go back to those days. I don't know about you, but that's just me.
So, anyway, we're going to take a quick break here. A lot happening. Also, the Knoxville Symphony is in the headlines. You're not going to believe this. They've got a, well, I'll just say this: they've got a white clarinet player who got booted.
And it's not because of the clarinet. We'll tell you all about that coming up next as well. 901-260-5926. Let's check in with Commander Chuck. A look at traffic.
And welcome back. It is Stern's Country here in the Principal Toyota Memphis studio this morning. Hope you're starting out your day with a nice, cool beverage. It's going to be a little warmed this afternoon. It's highs heading up to about 70 degrees.
By the way, did you see the big protest? This is really not a big protest, but there was a protest outside of Congressman David Kostoff's office in Memphis yesterday. And you had a bunch of angry old women, and they were protesting. Congressman Kostoff's statement supporting the ouster of the The dictator in Venezuela.
So we actually in Memphis have pro-dictator Democrats. Maybe we should not be all that surprised. I don't know. But I'm not even sure these ladies actually understand why they were out there protesting. And when I say hundreds of you weighed in on this over on the K-WAM Facebook page, hundreds of you weighed in.
Ronald says 60s holdover is Jane Fonda in the bunch. That's very clever, very clever. Steve says there ain't no war, just in and out. And that's, you know, that's a great point. And we talked about this yesterday on our national show, which you can listen 11 to 2 here on K-WAM.
And I just imagine for a moment what would have happened if Donald Trump had been president in the aftermath of 9-11. Do you think that we would have had a war in Afghanistan that went on for 20 years? Do you think that we would have been in Iraq and fighting a war there? I don't think so. I think Donald Trump would have been in and out.
just like he uh took out Maduro. Josh Jacobs says, This is the most accurate headline I've seen of the event. And it's true, they had their little walkers. It was just, it was really sort of pathetic. A bunch of old angry white women.
And you know, the problem here is that demographic is going to get bigger. And I hate to say it, but men are not, they're not attracted to that. And unfortunately, you've got a bunch of these purple-haired Subaru drivers out there, and they're lonely. What do you want me to say? It's really sad.
It really is sad.
So, good for Congressman Kostoff, by the way. The Congressman doing a great job posting. A statement in support of the president's actions there in Venezuela. 901-260-5926, our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926.
All right, I told you about this. This member of the, or this guy who wanted to be a member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and he is a clarinet player.
So he's explaining what happened. This poor guy, I want you to listen to his story. He shared it on X last night. Cut one, please. My name's James Immerman.
I'm a clarinet player. You may not have heard of me, but if you've been to Disney World or played video games or watched Netflix, you've heard my playing. I'm a session player in Nashville and I also work in big tech. Before tech, I was principal clarinet of the Nashville Symphony for 12 years, but in 2020 I got canceled for resisting DEI. It's a long story, easy to Google if you feel like it.
So last summer I took the blind audition for principal clarinet of the Knoxville Symphony, practiced like a madman for two months, and won the audition unanimously. I was very pumped. Until two days later when their CEO called to tell me, we heard some things about your time in the Nashville Symphony and refused to give me the job, wouldn't communicate with me, and gave the job to my runner-up, an obvious DEI hire who's still in college. Which is not just uncool, it's illegal.
So, a couple weeks ago I sued them for a year's salary plus $25,000 to compensate me for the 100 hours I spent practicing for the audition they invited me to, with the understanding that they give me the job if I won. But more than that, I'm suing because these orchestras can't keep throwing out their best players to make room for diversity hires and putting race and politics above merit and skill. All this does is lower the quality of the music, alienate audiences, and turn the arts into politics. The Nashville Symphony got away with acting like this in 2020, but maybe the Knoxville Symphony shouldn't be able to in 2025. I wish I didn't have to do this.
I was just looking to get back in the game, put 2020 behind me, and earn money for my kids' college doing what I love, but if I'm blacklisted, it's either pushback against the people in charge or walk away. And if Knoxville thought I was walking away from this, they were sorely mistaken. Hopefully, I'll win my lawsuit and make an example of the Knoxville Symphony, and orchestras will go back to hiring the best players the way they did before DEI ruined the business. It's either that or leftists keep running orchestras into the ground until they're gone completely. All in the Name of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Give me a break.
So, follow me and see how the fight unfolds. I'll be doing some fundraising as well as posting clarinet clips and pictures of bread. Thanks for watching. Wish me luck. All right.
Well, good luck to you there. I mean, it's a crazy story, and you don't think about these kinds of things, but apparently, there are diversity hires within the Knoxville Symphony and the Nashville Symphony. And the guy actually got fired by the Nashville Symphony for raising issues about DEI hires. I'm just going to come right out and say it. If I'm going to a music concert, I'm with somebody who's going to be able to hit every single note.
I'm not looking for a diversity higher. I'm looking for. The best I don't clarinet player out there. Whatever clarinet players do. And the guy sounded pretty good.
I didn't realize that was a clarinet. But anyway, the guy's very good at what he does.
So it turns out that the Justice Department is now getting involved in all of this. Harmee Dillon is saying that they've got some questions.
So it looks as though there may be an investigation coming against The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. And I am glad to see this happening, and it needs to happen. It's and hear me on this. On this radio program in this company that I own. We hire the best and the brightest.
We don't care about anything except whether or not you can do the job. That's it. Skin color does not factor in. I will say this. I'm going to do a caveat here for a second.
If you put your preferred pronouns on your resume, it's not getting read. That's just the way we operate. And I've heard from a lot of other business owners who are now saying that the first warning sign of a woke hire is whether or not they list their preferred pronouns on that resume. And if they do, It's gone. They reject it.
I'm just saying, kids, that's just a word of warning to you out there.
So all that to say, I'm glad to see white people in America starting to stand up and push back. Because for a generation now, white people have been told, oh, you've got to go to the back of the bus. You don't have the same rights and privileges as everybody else.
So your ancestors were able to benefit from being white. You're not allowed to benefit from anything. You go to the back of the bus. And now people are starting to say, wait a second. That doesn't seem very fair.
That doesn't seem very American, right? And so I'm glad to hear that this guy is actually standing up and he's fighting back. I say good for you and good luck. And again, I don't care if you're green or purple or what. But if you're telling me that the symphony orchestra is not hiring the best and the brightest, instead they're trying to fill some sort of a diversity quota, I got a big problem with that.
And I hope that you have a problem with it as well. 901 2605926, our telephone number. That's 901260 5926. I want to play this. There's going to be a big controversy popping up.
Dan Pagino's back on the scene. And he's raging mad now. He can't wait to get out there and tell the truth and expose everything. I'm just kind of curious why he didn't do it when he had the opportunity at the FBI, but whatever.
So, anyway. All these loud voices that you're about to hear, one of them is Megan Kelly. And I want you to listen to what Megan Kelly has to say about, and this will explain the whole conservative social media influencer crowd to you. Cut number two. I really think this is something we need to consider both sides on.
I really do. I don't think. Let me just tell you something. When I was at Fox News, which was a long time, 14 years, I would have known exactly what to do in the wake of Trump's attack. In Venezuela, his retrieval, shall we say, to put it in mild terms, of Nicolas Maduro.
I would have known that I was supposed to cheerlead it. And I turned on Fox News yesterday, and I'm sorry, but it was like watching Russian propaganda. There was nothing skeptical. It was all rah-rah, cheerleading. Yes, let's go.
And that's fine. I love our military as much as anyone, and I believe in President Trump. But there are serious reasons to just exercise a note of caution. before we just get on the raw raw train. All right, I have done that enough times in my career as a Fox News anchor.
to have been embarrassed enough To know I'm going to stay on the yellow light. For this.
Okay, let me stop right there. What Megan Kelly just told you is that she's a sellout. That she got on the air and she sold something that she did not believe in on Fox News channel, and she did it for her multi-million-dollar paycheck.
Now, I'm just going to tell you, I worked in the same building, worked for the same people, and had the same bosses that Megan Kelly had back in the day. And I'm telling you this: nobody ever forced me to say something. Nobody ever forced me to tow any party line. Until the very end, and I refused to do it. And you know what?
As a result, I ended up not having my contract renewed. And that's how it ought to go. And if you can't have a shred of integrity about yourself, I'm sorry, there are some things more important in life than just getting a paycheck. And Megan Kelly just exposed the social media influencer crowd for who they really are. You don't know what they believe because they're going to go with whatever's going to get them the most clicks.
And I've got a big problem with that.
So we're going to talk more about this on the national show at 11 o'clock today. But Megan, Tucker, Candace. Bongino, all of I'm telling you.
Well, we'll talk about at 11 o'clock. All right, got to take a quick break here. 901-260-5926. This is Starnes Country in the principal Toyota Memphis studio. And welcome back to Sterns Country in the principal Toyota Memphis studio.
Hey, I want to give you a quick update on a story we told you about over at ToddSterns.com. Hilton Hotels under fire after Homeland Security announced that some of their agents were denied rooms at one of the Hilton properties there in the Minneapolis area. Hilton releasing a statement last night saying that this was a privately owned and operated brand of Hilton, and the company that owns those hotels is now apologizing.
So it's a big, big controversy. But again, you can read all the latest developments over at ToddSterns.com.
Well, I want to go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, always very excited to have. Our good friend Joe Garner joining us, host of Real Estate Mortgage Shop Saturdays at 11 o'clock, right here exclusively on the mighty 990. JoeGarner.com is the website. That's JoeWithoutThe E. JoeGarner.com is her website.
Joe, good morning. Happy New Year to you.
Well, Happy New Year to you too, Todd. And a lot of exciting things happening to kick off the new year. Headlines from the National Association of Realtors, a lot of other websites are predicting that we could see a nice big rebound in 2026. Boy, I tell you, it's so exciting. You know, it's like.
It reminds me of when you like a popular beach, you know, j but right before peak season. And you go in there, and the weather's already beautiful, you know, like we have this. We have mortgage rates that are at a year all year low. And more people, though, are starting to arrive. You've got the buyers entering the market and Everyone knows that once spring and summer hits, it's going to get crowded.
and expensive.
So um the best choice Todd is showing up early before all those piles and umbrellas cover every inch of the sand.
So let's talk about why offseason and why that can be the the best time to buy a home. You normally wouldn't think about something like that, but why is the offseason the best season?
Well, Todd, the mortgage rates right now are at a one-year low. Today, last year, Mortgage rates were like between a seven and a quarter and a seven and a half. Today, we're between a six and a quarter, a six and a half. That's going to make, you know, like on a um A two hundred and something thousand dollar note, that's going to be Well over $60 a month better. lower payments.
So that That's one reason that makes it more affordable to buy a home. And even though buyers are coming into the market now. Sellers right now, anyway. are still willing to negotiate. And they're even still paying some of the closing costs for the buyers.
But as this market rebounds, Inventory is predicted to get slimmer driving those prices on homes. up again. But our Memphis Area Association of Realtors this this past fall has shown prices already going up. in the mid-south. But Todd, yesterday, just to paint a picture for you.
Yesterday everybody got home, I guess, from Christmas and New Year's. My phone started ringing at 7.30 in the morning and it didn't stop till late last night.
Some of these customers who called me about their mortgage, they had gotten their home purchase agreement. accepted by the seller that very day. They were thrilled. You know, we set up a loan, we set the closing gate. I did have a couple of clients who called.
They were ready to go. They wanted to buy a home. But once we started going over their credit, they realized, oops, I've got a couple things I need to do. before I jump out there and buy a home, it may be a couple of months.
So We have all of that going on right now.
So let's talk about again that spring peak season is when most people think about going out there and buying their home. How do you prepare to buy a home now before the spring peak hits?
Well, I would say do the top three. Number one, Review your credit. And you can do that by yourself. At least once a year under annual creditreport.com. That's annualcredit report.com and you do all three bureaus.
It'll show you If there's any errors, you know, what's going on? You can also call me or text me and give me a little information and I can do what's called a soft pull credit, which will not hurt your credit either. It's just like the Annualcreditreport.com. It won't hurt your credit. But then we could look at it together and put some action plans in place if needed.
The second step would be review your budget. And that makes it seems hard sometimes to people. They go, Oh, that just seems like it's so hard. You know, if you just load up several of your favorite songs on a YouTube mix and hit play for three hours, just three hours. Don't look up.
Just go through your bank statements, your credit card statements, your income. You'll find out where you're spending money, maybe where you could substitute a few things so that. You don't have to give up the joy of life, but you can make more room. to afford a house note. But you're going to know for yourself what is the maximum house payment per month that you're personally comfortable paying and what you're comfortably Hanging down.
Now, you know, I have to ask you, Joe Garner, since you brought up YouTube mixtapes here, uh, what is like what is on the Joe Garner what what is if you were listening to music, do you have like a favorite band, a favorite song? Oh, you know, it depends on the mood. Like, I like a lot of what they they call it epic music with no, you know, it just kind of gets me. in the mood and sometimes I just like to listen to contemporary Christian songs like the Celtic Psalms and Uh no, I like Celtic music. I I I like that a lot.
You see, I'm like all over the place. I like good jazz, but I like old school jazz, none of the smooth jazz. But I also I'm a huge fan of country music, so I'm sort of all over all over the place.
However, I did there was a season in my life where I was into the drum circles, but yeah, that was just like a day, and I was in Asheville. But other than that, you know. I don't do the banging of the bongos. No way. Are you really a drummer?
I really am. That's how I got through Union University. That's how I got my scholarship. And I still love playing. I used to play for my church, Todd, but now the younger people are Coming in there and they sound great.
So I just support them now. I love that's I had no idea. We've learned something new about Joe Garner, everybody. And by the way, Joe Garner, a host of real estate mortgage shops Saturdays right here at 11 o'clock on the Mighty 990.
So look, you know, as we've gone through this and we're preparing to, you know, to buy a house, you've got to also review financing and home buying options as well with your lender and your realtor, which is where you come into the picture here. You know, and pick a lender that is reputable, experienced, a realtor, the same thing. I'd like to. Of course, I'm up for the job as your as your lender. But even if you don't end up buying a home right now, Reviewing your financing options beforehand will equip you With knowing what programs are available out there, there's a lot of good special programs out there.
and some actions that you can take. to be ready when that's right house. comes along.
Well, you you're going to have a great show coming up Saturday. And I know you I you and I, I think, have been doing NyQuil shots all week. Uh and my voice is finally coming out of this. But this weekend not mine. Oh, I know.
I'm taking your elixir. I'm taking the uh hot tea, honey and um And cinnamon, uh, elixir that that Becky told me you use.
Well, it's o there's also some apple brandy in my desk, so we can talk about that later. I'll give you a swig. That's what Grandmother Stearns always recommended. Joe Garner, let's talk about this weekend, though. 11 o'clock, you've got a very, very special guest and topic.
Yes, I do. I have a Donna Roach of Harside Senior living and the Elder Law and Probate Attorney. Matt Rhodes, they're going to be sharing some wonderful resources and insights. for families wanting to prepare their estates and Future care for their loved ones are topic. And I'm going to be talking about some financing options that people.
can use some little known financing options that people can use. Our topic is Aging Well, Smart Housing. and legal planning. But look, if anybody wants to talk either today, even today about their home purchase or or refinance, connect with me. I'm Joe Garner.
You can catch me at jo Garner.com. All right, that's Joe Without the E, jo Garner.com. Saturday, 11 o'clock, real estate mortgage shop, Joe Garner. Get well soon, and we'll have some apple brandy for you. Oof, okay, Todd.
Thanks. All right. Who knew Joe Garter was like a drummer? She could have been like, I don't know, an MTV back in the day.
So this is why I love having these conversations. You never know all those little things about folks you didn't know. All right, we've got to take a quick break here, folks. 901-260-5926, our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926.
This is Starned Country in the principal Toyota Memphis studio. From walking barefoot in the snow to hiking for miles for a view, it feels good to connect with our simpler side. Simplifying your wellness with Kachava's all-in-one nutrition shake feels good too. With 25 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, greens, adaptogens, and more. No fillers, no nonsense, just the highest quality ingredients.
New customers get $20 off an order of two bags or more now through January 31st when they go to Kachava, K-A-C-H-A-V-A.com, and use code News. And welcome back, everybody. This is Starnes Country here on the Mighty 990, broadcasting from our beautiful principal Toyota Memphis studio. Hope you're having a great start to your day out there. It is going to be a cool, warm one, but it's like a scorcher if you're expecting like you know 10 degrees outside.
But I would rather have that than snow, to be perfectly honest with you. By the way, wanted to clear something up in our live stream, and we've got a lot of folks hanging out with us on our Facebook live stream this morning. Um here's the deal. We have a lot of people that want to post comments in our Stop Memphis crime group. And one of the reasons why is we have one of the largest groups that focuses on crime here in the Mid-South.
And people love to come on. And we have a policy, and we had to implement this policy because there was so much abuse going on. People would want to post items, they were selling something, or they have a business and they want to post a link. You know what? We've got no problem with that, but there's something called advertising.
And so, if you're going to, if you have a business and you're trying to promote that business, then you need to do it through advertising. And we're not going to let you just clog up our pages with all that stuff. And we had somebody that was complaining, and they said they were upset because I was not posting. an item that they had shared. And the reason why is Because it was directing people directly to their personal website.
And we don't do that. That's not the point here. And the person said, Are you going to do the right thing and release my KWAM post that contains powerful content on unreported, staggering Shelby County job losses? Excessive tax incentives and the abandonment of economic development practiced by the show. And it goes on and on and on.
Well, no, we're not going to do that. And the reason why is because we want the engagement to happen on the Facebook group. You know, the point of that K-Wham group is not to promote your personal private. website And if we do it for one person, we've got to do it for everybody. And that's the bigger issue.
So, just want to, again, we've got to set some ground rules. Otherwise, it's a free-for-all. And you know that if you get 70 or 80 items from the Stop Memphis Crime Group in your feed, guess what you're going to do? You're going to unfollow the feet. I mean, it's that simple.
So that's why we're very judicious. About the information that we share on the Mighty 990 and on our Stop Memphis crime group. And it's nothing, we're not trying to be mean about it. We're just trying, I'm trying to explain to you. Why we do what we do.
All right, 901-260-5926. Last night. We had a great conversation with Congresswoman Marionette Meeks on my Newsmax show, and I wanted to play a bit of that for you this morning. Take a listen.
So, this was pretty spectacular. We understand it took less than seven minutes for U.S. Special Forces to nab Maduro. Your reaction?
Well, first, let me say, Todd, I love the Jim Croce reference at the start and very much Reagan error, which this reminds me of what President Reagan would have done during his tenure as president. And also, let me say that, you know, Nicholas Maduro getting three square meals a day in prison is probably more than most Venezuelan people are getting now due to the fact that he destroyed that once prosperous nation. And it should be a warning to those in New York that Mandami can do the same by trying to institute socialism and communism into New York City. But as a 24-year military veteran, this was an amazingly brilliant strategic success. It was well conducted.
President Trump, our military, our law enforcement, and intelligence, all of them had to collaborate together. They had to do it without leaking any details out that would have been put in the news and would have given the Q. Cuban guards that were helping Maduro, they would have given him a heads up. It could not have been conducted in the manner it was. It was brilliantly executed, brilliantly planned.
And I would say not only are Venezuelans rejoicing, but Venezuelans in America and those who have suffered under communist regimes are all rejoicing at what has happened, including those countries where Maduro has helped to foment and fund terrorism.
So it's a great historic day for the United States, acting upon the best interest of this country and doing exactly what we campaigned on in 2024, which was to end the scourge of illegal drugs, to do something about the cartels in Central and South America. And one of the things for me, since I was sworn in in January of 2021, is to re-emphasize the Monroe Doctrine and concern about the influx of communism and socialism in South America. I think it's historic day. It's a fair point you raise, and I want to get to the Monroe Doctrine in just a moment, but I'm curious what this says about Pete Hagseth and his leadership at the Pentagon.
Well, certainly, as I said, you know, between our military coordination with law enforcement and with intelligence, this was brilliantly planned and brilliantly executed. And not only that, remember, there were no civilian casualties or military casualties.
So there were no deaths. It was surgically precise. It was effectively both planned and executed. And we should be very proud of both the Secretary of War as well as General Kane and our military law enforcement and intelligence operations. This was well done.
And again, it reminds me of what President Reagan did in extracting the hostages out of Iran. Remember, President Carter tried to do it and failed, but Reagan came in and the hostages had been there over 435 days, I think. We got those hostages out immediately because President Reagan knew the value of our foundational values. He knew the value of freedom. And meaning what you say when you say it.
And he executed that brilliantly, as did President Trump and all of those involved. But it was a coordinated effort. This was not one sole agency. All of these agencies had to be involved in the planning and the execution. Yeah.
You mentioned the Monroe Doctrine, which is something I doubt they teach in many public high schools these days, and it's a shame because young people need to understand why we will not allow European nations to try and colonize countries here in our hemisphere. The reality is, going all the way back to JFK, when he stood his ground and said, We will not allow those missiles, those Soviet missiles, to be placed in Cuba. You've got China, you have Iran, and you still have Russia here. What sort of a message do you think this sends to those three nations when it comes to North and South America?
Well, I think we've had a vacuum of leadership, both under President Obama and under President Biden. They both actually did the exact same things when it comes to other types of missile strikes.
So President Trump did have both constitutional and legal authority to do this. But most importantly, to me, his statements about running the government is a message. You know, it's not what he says. It's what is the meaning of what he says. And when he made that statement, it was to send a message to both other Latin American countries, to the cartels, to the mafia transnational criminal organizations, and especially to Iran, Russia, and China, that they better look out, they better be careful, and they better not try to go in while the new presidential administration is coming into power and that is fairly elected in Venezuela.
And so that to me was a message to other bad actors that they better watch what they're doing. and be careful. And so we now see this may end up toppling the regime, the Castro regime in Cuba. Certainly, we see what's happening in Iran. And I think this is going to have repercussions far beyond Venezuela.
All right, and you can check out that entire interview over at ToddSterns.com. By the way, do you know what today? Today is a huge anniversary in the world of TV game shows. It is the 51st anniversary of Wheel of Fortune, ladies and gentlemen. Can you believe that?
70 in 1975, that's when Wheel of Fortune first debuted. On uh NBC. And a lot of people from the Mid-South have actually been contestants on Wheel of Fortune over the years. including my Aunt Patty from West Memphis, Arkansas. She is like the the famous person in the family.
She got to um she got to be on Wheel of Fortune. I think she won like a year's supply of Tuna helper or something. I don't know, but it was pretty cool still. All right, folks, don't forget 11 o'clock right here on the Mighty Night 90, the Todd Stern Show. Coming up next, Armstrong and Getty.
Get out there. Have a great day, everybody. Be safe.
