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From the mighty 990 Broadcast Center, you're waking up in Starnes Country with Todd Starnes. And good morning, everybody. I'm Todd Starnes. Welcome to Starnes Country. Hope you're starting off your day a lot better than I am right now.
Great to have you with us, everybody. We have got a lot, a lot going on across the Mid-South today. And also in Phoenix, where we ought to be simulcasting the show. Because I think a good portion of the Mid-South, actually right now in Phoenix, getting ready for the Fiesta Bowl. Ole Miss fans, what a great day for you.
and we're going to be checking in, seeing what's happening down in Phoenix later on in the show. Also, we're going to be checking in with our good friend Randy Hutchison from the Better Business Bureau. He drops by in just a little while.
So yesterday we told you about a big story that had been developing involving a restaurant over in Orange Mound known as Da Sammich Shop. That is the that's the way they spell it. S-A-M-M-I-C-H, a little remedial English there. The Samet shop accusing the National Guard and the Memphis Safe Task Force of all sorts of debauchery. That is just unacceptable.
The way they've been going after a National Guard troops, ICE, all the federal agencies. And so anyway, as the story goes, the owner of the establishment, which is an orange mound in this little strip mall, said that ICE agents, law enforcement, were not allowed to enter his restaurant, and he simply refused to serve them food. And just to be honest with you, based on the photographs I've seen of the restaurant, that's actually not a bad thing. I'm just saying it's not all that bad at all.
So anyway, it's caused all sorts of controversy within the Memphis media. And as a matter of fact, there is now an update. I want you to hear how Channel 5 actually described the situation. The Memphis Police Department was at the scene Sunday night along with dozens of Memphis Safe Task Force members outside this restaurant with a no ICE agent policy. They had it.
Ho, ho. These cowards are going to go. This video was shared by activists protesting the National Guard's presence outside the sandwich shop on Port Avenue, saying the owner asked the troops to leave. Tyler Foster with Memphis Interfaith Council of Action and Hope says the restaurant owner has been outspoken against the Memphis Safe Task Force and argues the owner had the right to ask them to leave. He did not feel comfortable with them directly in front of his business.
Their presence was very clear to people passing by, potential customers. And so he just politely asked him to step away from his business. And the fact that they brought in dozens of additional federal agents and MPD stood idly by and even facilitated the federal agents presence on the premises just shows that this is not about safety. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement responded Wednesday, posting on X that the National Guard troops were staging at the location.
And MPD was called as a protective measure as crowds gathered. The owner of the sandwich shop says their restaurant has received a mass of community support following the incident and had to pull menu items because of growing demand. All right, so now we know, ladies and gentlemen, it's not true. None of it is true. As a matter of fact, Immigration and Customs Enforcement releasing a statement saying that all of these activists are outright lying, that the reason why they were there is because the National Guard was using that shopping center area as a staging point.
When a large crowd started to gather, they called in the Memphis Police Department for reinforcements. That's the only thing that happened here. The owner of the diner had absolutely no right to tell those National Guard troops to go anywhere.
So again, and we told you this yesterday, the local media coverage is going to be anti-cop, anti-law enforcement. That's built into their DNA. The reality is there's always another side to the story, and that's why it's important to get all that information out there. And so I wanted to bring you an update there. But again, ladies and gentlemen, the question is, who do you side with here?
Do you side with the criminal thugs and the Democrats, or do you side with President Trump and law enforcement? And yesterday marked the 100-day mark of the Memphis Safe Task Force being here in the Mid-South and specifically in Memphis. And according to the numbers released by Senator Marshall Blackburn, we've had nearly 5,000 arrests, 800 illegal guns seized, and over 130 children, missing children, have been located as a result of the efforts of President Trump and the Memphis Safe Task Force.
So the question, really, you have to be asking yourself is, why is it that Mayor Young and Mayor Harris allowed this type of situation to fester? Every single Democrat running for office, and hear me on this, Gabby Salinas posted a video. Our good friend from Collierville, Justin Johnson, sent it over to me early this morning. And Gabby Salinas is saying that this has to be a campaign issue for Democrats and the Democrats running for sheriff.
Now, hear me on this, folks. The Democrats running for sheriff have to promise that they will not cooperate with ICE. In other words, Gabby Salinas and all these other Democrats here in the Mid-South, they want Memphis to become what's happening in Minneapolis right now. They want these activists to get out there and to try and stage these attacks, to physically block with their bodies and their cars, to use their vehicles as weapons, to stop ICE from doing their jobs. That's what's happening here.
And we're going to be calling them out on it, folks, because I don't know about you, but I want to be able to go outside. I want to be able to go downtown and enjoy all the great things. And I think you do, too. You want your kids to be able to get out there and have a great time without worrying about whether or not they're going to get shot.
So again, we all have choices, and you're going to be hearing a lot of rhetoric as we get closer to Election Day. and you need to understand which side is pro-public safety and which side is not. All right, our telephone number this morning, 901-260-5926. Again, that number, 901-260-5926. We've got a lot of ground to cover.
We're going to give you the very latest on what's happening in Minneapolis. Also, some exciting news for you folks in Millington with the raceway groundbreaking yesterday. It's just really a great, great thing that's happening. Hang tight. let's check in with Commander Chuck.
All right, welcome back, everybody. It is Stearns Country. I hope you're having a great start to your day. Our telephone number this morning, 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.
Well, of course, the big story nationally, what's happening in Minneapolis where, thank goodness, an ICE agent is going to recover. He's recovering from his injuries after an enraged 37-year-old lesbian tried to kill the man yesterday with her SUV. All of this captured on video from multiple angles. And what's really shocking about all of this is that the Democrats up in Minneapolis don't want you to believe what your eyes are seeing for you. Here is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Since Governor Walz has been in charge of Minnesota, we have seen homicides go up by over 50 percent. That's also during Mayor Fry's tenure as well. Since President Trump took office, Governor Walz has released over 470 violent criminals back onto the streets here in Minneapolis. He has another 680 of them still within his jurisdiction that he could give to us today to face the consequences for their crimes. Because Governor Walz and Mayor Fry refused to protect Minnesotans and instead they protect these criminals, that's why we are here.
And we didn't just show up yesterday. We've always been here.
Well, there you go.
So, by the way, this has become a national story for, well, just about really everybody and an important story here in the Mid-South. And my apologies, I'm a little discombobulated. We've had some tech issues this morning. We're trying to get it all straightened out for you. But I will say this, ladies and gentlemen, the reality is what's happening in Minnesota could very well happen here in Memphis, and we just don't want that to happen.
So it's important for all of us to pay attention because the Democrats have no regard for law enforcement. That's really the broader story here. You know when you look at what happening there in Minneapolis with the governor with the mayor telling ICE agents to get the blank out of town This is you got the governor basically saying that he is at war with the federal government right now So it seems to me that the administration has some choices they've got to make here, and they're not good. I mean, these are going to be some tough choices. Do you send in more federal troops?
Do you declare an insurrection and send in the military, maybe another option is to just immediately suspend all federal funding until they agree to follow the law of the land. Maybe that's the play here.
So we're going to keep an eye on this story. It's far from over. Last night, lots of protests, people marching in the streets. We cannot allow Minneapolis to burn down again. And if they do burn down Minneapolis, we should not be under any circumstances using any federal dollars to rebuild it.
I mean, That's really the bottom line. All right, our telephone number again, 901-260-5926. Yesterday on the National Show, just had a wonderful, wonderful interview with a young history teacher at a Christian school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. As we begin to celebrate America 250, lots of celebrations happening. And we had an interesting conversation about a study that shows an overwhelming number of American kids don't have a clue about the basic foundational history of our nation.
I want you to take a listen to our interview with Gabe Delaney. Honestly, folks, the biggest problem we have facing our country right now is our public school system, is our nation's academic system.
Well, I want to go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, welcome a brand new friend to the program. Gabriel Delaney is a history teacher near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and joins us on our Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Gabe, good to have you with us today. Hi, good to have you. Thanks for having me.
All right, well, let's just jump right into this, because you're literally a history teacher, and you're talking to us, I hope on what, lunch break or something there at the school? Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I am. When you decided that, you know what, I'm going to be a teacher, Why did you decide history, and why is history important for you?
Well, I think civic illiteracy is a huge issue in today's society. And one of my first experiences with that was I was working a bus route at my church, and in order to help pass the time, I decided to do a trivia game and ask them some history questions. And one of my first questions was, who was the first president of the United States? And I had quite a few high school-aged bus riders, and none of them could answer the question. And I think it was in that moment that I realized how badly our modern public school education system is failing not only the citizens of today, but the citizens of tomorrow as well.
And that's when really I decided to get into history more. I'm stunned by the findings here of this survey. More than 70 percent of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz on topics like the branches of government, the number of Supreme Court justices and other basic functions of democracy. Gabriel, now that you're in the education world, have you noticed that has there been some sort of a dumbing down of our society maybe? There has for sure.
I'm honestly surprised. I've taught history for going on three years now, but this is my first year teaching government and economics. And it's surprising to me how little knowledge the students have going into the class, and it feels like I really have to start at ground one. And that's even here at a Christian school. I couldn't even imagine how much more that would be at a public school, just the overwhelming lack of civic illiteracy and how little people actually know about what goes on in our government and how it works.
And from that study that you sent me, there was it's crazy. They didn't even know that there was three branches of government or they don't know how many congressmen they have or even who's representing them at the time. It's just the amount of information that people don't know is kind of alarming because we do need to be an educated society for sure. When you see these kinds of studies, you understand, well, this is why the country is in the position it's in. And I remember in the pandemic when all that happened and people were just willing to surrender their civil liberties.
And I'm like, what are you people doing here? Have you not read your history books? Do you not know? And I guess they never actually read their history books. Yeah, yeah, that is true for sure.
It's crazy how history doesn't necessarily repeat itself in the exact way, but it does for sure follow a pattern. And we can follow that pattern to help us learn more and make better decisions in the future. But you can't make the better decision if you never read history in the first place. We have a guy that calls in. We call him Professor Murph.
He is a retired history teacher. He taught in public schools in Germantown, Tennessee. And he calls in on a pretty regular basis. And it just breaks my heart to know that a lot of kids, they're never going to know what it's like to have a teacher like that.
So to have you, a person like you in the class, you're kind of like a younger Professor Murph. You know, you're out there. You're just teaching American history like it should be taught. Yes, sir. Gabriel Delaney is joining us on our Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line today.
He is a history teacher in the Murfreesboro, Tennessee area. What is it about the kids, you know, that you've found that really connects? You know, you're talking about the old guys with the powdered wigs and all that kind of stuff. How do you make that relatable to these kids? Yeah, I think the best way, a question you get a lot when you teach history classes is, why do I need to know this?
They cast that very, very often.
So I always try my best to relate it to them personally. I do that through a few different ways. I try to begin each class giving them some sort of tidbit of news, a little news update. And I always try to tie that into what we're learning about American history, Whether it's this branch of government, and then we can go back and say, oh, well, where did that branch of government even begin? Or we can look at some similar patterns in how presidents lead our country, and we can look back in history and see other situations that are similar.
But I always try to keep it up to date for them and relate it to where they are at. I also use some other things as well. I try to do debates as often as possible. I think being able to have an opinion and also be able to articulately argue that opinion is very, very important.
So we do a lot of stuff like that in order to keep them interested and active inside of learning the history class rather than just memorizing facts and dates.
So here you are in year three, and that's a great point. It's not just a matter of memorizing but understanding context as well, right? Yes, sir. I'm just curious. three years into this, have you noticed the kids, are they taking an interest?
Are they getting the content? Yes, sir. I have noticed that. A lot of students come back to me and no praise to myself, but they have found that they now love history. And if anything, that's not praise to me, but that's praise to how awesome history can be when they are digesting it the right way.
I'm curious about faith. And you're teaching at a Christian school, which I strongly encourage people to get their kids in a Christian school or homeschool. But when you talk about the founding of the nation and the role that Christianity had in the founding of the nation, how do you approach that for the students? I start my government class and U.S. history class by teaching that America was founded on Christian principles.
I think that is obviously blatant throughout all of American history. You can go back as far as the pilgrims or even, you know, more recently as well. The Declaration of Independence mentions God for different times. It's literally impossible to teach American history without teaching the Christian heritage that we have as well. And I think that's one thing that the left wants to move away from.
And that's one thing that our public school system is trying to pull us away from is this Christian heritage that we truly do have. Calvin Coolidge, and I'll just paraphrase it, but he said that our country was founded in the church house, and our country was founded for a Christian and a moral people. And we are founded as a Christian nation, and I think that's one of the most important things that can be taught through a history or government or civics class. All right, that was our interview with Gabe Delaney, who teaches at Franklin Road Christian Academy there in the Murfreesboro area. All that to say, I know that we panic a lot because we see what's happening in the public schools and even in some Christian schools.
But there is hope. And if we had could you imagine if we had dozens of of history teachers just like Gabe Delaney here in here in the Mid-South?
So I think it would really revolutionize the country, because what's ultimately happening here is we've raised a generation of young people who don't know anything about their country, except they've been taught to hate their country, and they've been taught to believe that America is responsible for all the bad in the world, when in fact America is responsible for all the good in the world. All right, got to take a break here. 901-260-5926. This is Stearns Country in the Principal Toyota Memphis studio. And welcome back everybody this is Stearns Country in the principal Toyota Memphis studio by the way a lot of you folks may be wondering are there going to be any watch parties tonight for the big football game a kickoff 6 30 tonight Ole Miss taking on Miami and the answer to that question is yes, we understand the Rebel Club of Memphis is hosting a fiesta bowl watch party at Restaurant Iris tonight in South Haven.
10th inning sports bar and grill at Snowden Grove. They've got food and drink specials, giveaways, and Bog and Barley in East Memphis and Neshoba at Carriage Crossing. They're also hosting watch parties with lots of great food and drink specials. Got to get the fish and chips if you're going to Bog and Barley and order some extra tartar sauce. You're going to thank me later.
I want to bring into the conversation our good buddy Randy Hutchison from the Better Business Bureau. Randy, this is exciting. The last time I think they won a championship, national championship, was in the 1960s. Was it?
Okay. I didn't know that everyone won one at all. And you got to give a shout out, by the way, to Delta and Southwest. They've been doing direct flights and everybody that's been sending me messages, they say that Delta and And Southwest have been doing a great job. Having a lot of fun getting into the football spirit.
Good. Got to love that. Let's talk mail theft check fraud. From football to mail theft check fraud, we understand that this is a big, big problem. And we understand that a joint alert has been issued by the FBI and the Postal Service.
Yeah, they say that reports of mail theft check fraud doubled from 2021 to 2023. I guess the 2024 numbers, 2025 now, are not in yet. But mail theft-related check fraud occurs in several ways. Of course, this is crooks stealing mail from different places.
Some they steal. Probably the easiest for them is to steal it from residential mailboxes. People put mail in their own mailbox. There may be a check payment to someone. May put the flag up.
That's sort of a, if you will, red flag for the crooks that there may be something there worth stealing.
Some of the crooks are able to steal from the blue collection boxes outside the post office.
Some actually steal mail from inside postal facilities.
Some rob postal facility employees or postal service employees. And unfortunately, there have even been cases of crooks bribing postal employees or postal employees colluding in the theft. You would think they would not be able to actually, if they were successful in stealing the checks, they wouldn't be able to cash the checks. But they are. In many cases, they use a process called check washing, check washing, in which they use common household chemicals to alter the payee and or alter the amount, and then they deposit it and they get the money.
Some stolen checks are simply fraudulently signed and deposited. You know, federal regulations require financial institutions to make funds available before many checks clear. And so in many cases, by the time the account holder and or the financial institution determines that mail has been stolen, the check has already been cashed.
So let's talk about this then, because we need to make sure that people have some tools necessary. What are some ways that people can avoid becoming victims of this and having their mail hijacked? First, pick up incoming mail if it's going to be in your own personal mailbox. Pick it up as promptly as possible, which lessens the opportunity for a crook to get to it before you do. If you're depositing outgoing mail, again, better not to leave it, and many people do it, but better not to leave it in your own mailbox.
Take it, if it's mail that has a check in it, take it to the post office. Best to go inside the post office and deposit it in one of the letter slots there. If you're going to use one of the blue collection boxes outside the post office, drop your mail off as close to the posted pickup time as possible before the last collection of the day. Again, then it's not sitting in that box for crooks to possibly loot. And certainly if you're going out of town, have your mail held by your local post office, maybe picked up by a neighbor or a relative, but don't just leave it sitting there for a long period of time.
This is good common sense stuff. I just I can't remember the last time I'm sitting here trying to think back to the last time I actually wrote a check and didn't pay for something, you know, online. But the reality is a lot of people still do write checks.
So what can they do, you know, if in fact they are still in the check writing world, What can they do to protect themselves?
Well, the first advice from the post office is use pens with indelible black ink, which makes it more difficult for a criminal to wash the check. Makes it more difficult for them to alter the payee or alter the amount or alter both. Don't leave blank spaces in the payee or amount lines that may allow them to perhaps add an extra zero or add something else to change the name. Really, as you said, use mobile or online banking whenever possible to avoid having to write a check. If you're going to be writing checks, you can use those systems to check on them and be sure that they've been deposited and paid in the appropriate manner.
Consider using, again, ACH automatic payments, e-check, other electronic and or mobile payments. And when you're using checks, be sure you're using checks that have security features to limit the effectiveness of check washing. You know, it used to be you got your checks from the bank. These days you can order them from other vendors. Just be sure that whatever checks you're using have the appropriate security features.
I love it. And, again, we appreciate you guys at the Better Business Bureau looking after everybody here in the Mid-South and making sure the bad guys can't get your money, which is what it's all about. Where can people call if maybe they have questions? They can reach out to you guys. They can call us at 901-759-1300.
But the quickest, easiest, best way to check out a company, file a complaint about a company, file a review about a company, good or bad, anywhere in the country is to come to BBB.org, BBB.org. All right, Randy Hutchison, everybody, with the Better Business Bureau. And again, that telephone number.
So if you have questions about this story, this issue, or you just want to check out to see if a business is on the up and up, or maybe you have a complaint that you need to file, go to BBB.org or give them a call 759-1300. That's 759-1300. All right, Randy Hutchison, good to see you, sir. All right, folks, hang tight. We've got to take a quick break.
But first, Aidan Pettit standing by with your entertainment report. All right. Welcome back, everybody. This is Starts Country in the principal Toyota Memphis studio. It is 59 degrees, a little foggy out there in places.
The high today, 72 degrees, and the rain's moving in. Should have some heavy thunderstorms coming in later tonight and tomorrow, but the severe threat, not all that major. In the event we do have some bad weather, We'll break in and let you know about it. The emergency alert system will immediately sound, giving you and your family plenty of time to take shelter. But again, it seems as though the major threat is going to be well to the south of us and then over into the east, into middle Tennessee.
That's going to be the danger zone tomorrow. But anyway, it's just going to be mighty, mighty warm until later this weekend. And get this, folks, Sunday night, the low is going to be 22 degrees.
So a bit of a roller coaster when it comes to the weather here in the Mid-South. I want to go back to Minneapolis and give you a little bit of the backstory of what happened that led to yesterday's shooting, where this domestic terrorist, a 37-year-old lesbian, tried to kill an ICE agent, and instead she herself lost her life. And look, it's a tragedy, no doubt about that, and you certainly hate it. You don't want anybody to lose their life. But when you decide to use your automobile as a weapon and you aim that weapon at a law enforcement officer, there's a pretty good chance you're going to be going home in a box.
And that's exactly what happened to this 37-year-old in Minneapolis.
So Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference last night, And it turns out that this woman had been stalking and interfering with ICE agents throughout the entire day.
So this was not some sort of a random thing. She had been targeting them earlier in the day and throughout the day.
So according to Christy Noem, the agents told her she was actually using her vehicle to block the roadway, which is why the agents got out of their vehicle went over and you can see this on the video told her to get out of her car She refused to do that As soon as the agent reached in one of the agents reached in she put the car in reverse slammed on the brakes and then put it in drive and hit the gas And that's when the agent, there was another agent in front of the car telling her to stop and get out of the car. And Christine Um says this is a case of domestic terrorism, that this woman weaponized her vehicle and tried to run over the law enforcement officer.
Now, I know many of you have seen the videos, and we have them over on my website, toddstearns.com. You can see them for yourself. We have it from several viewpoints, several advantages. And I'm wondering, who was at fault here? Was it the ICE agent or was it the domestic terrorist.
901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.
The mayor says that he saw the same videos, and he says that the ICE agents are in the wrong.
So did the governor. Tim Waltz. Tampon Tim. He says, hey, look, that he's at war right now with the federal government. I don't know what that's all about, but Governor Walsh yesterday said that he was thinking about even calling in the National Guard to protect citizens against ICE agents.
And I'm telling you, this is, it is a very dangerous thing what these elected leaders are doing. And we were talking about this last night on Newsmax. If you're an elected official, you know, these two are talking like they're, I don't know, Justin Pearson or Jasmine Crockett. I mean, they are really trying to just pour gasoline onto the fire. And if you're an elected leader, you can't do that.
At least a good elected leader would not do something like that.
So anyway, I'm just curious if you've had a chance to see the video. Did anybody do anything wrong in those videos? Our telephone number this morning, 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.
Had a good conversation yesterday with Congressman Derek Van Orden from Wisconsin, neighboring state. Here's what the congressman had to say about what happened. A very disturbing situation that is unfolding right now in Minneapolis. First, I want to get your reaction to the rhetoric that's been coming from the governor and the mayor.
Well, listen, this is a tragic event that could have been avoided if the radical left had not been demonizing our law enforcement officers. There's been a 1,300 percent increase of attacks on DHS officers who are simply following and enforcing federal law.
So it is completely, it's irrational and it's irresponsible what the governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis have been saying and how they have been saying it. And I think it's important for people, Congressman, to actually hear from Mayor Fry himself responding to this shooting. Let's take a listen to what he actually said. I do have a message for our community, for our city, and I have a message for ICE. To ICE, get the f*** out of Minneapolis.
We do not want you here. Your state's some kind of safety and you are doing exactly the opposite. You know, Congressman, what do you make of what he's saying? It seems like he's just pouring gasoline on the fire. That's exactly what he is doing.
Now, listen, that mayor, you know, more to follow on his involvement in these incredible scandals that are taking place in Minnesota right now with the Somali community and defrauding the federal government of 18 or more billion dollars.
So that man has zero credibility to discuss anything. He should resign and shame, as should Governor Tim Walz. And I'm telling you, the things that these people are saying, there is power in rhetoric, and they are weaponizing people and radicalizing people against the folks that are there to actually protect them. And it is shameful. You know, Congressman, just moments ago, New York City Mayor Zonron Mamdami issued a statement on X, and he accused ICE of murdering that woman, that member of the mob.
At what point, I mean, what is the end game here? Do they want Minneapolis to burn down? Are they hoping for more of these violent interactions between these mobs and the ICE agents?
Well, they certainly fueled the flames during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis. And Zoran Mondami has to understand that he's the mayor of New York. He's not the secretary of state. He's not the president of the United States. And he's not the secretary of Homeland Security.
What Mondami needs to worry about is fixing the potholes in New York and getting rid of the crime that is rampant in that city due to radical left governance.
So that dude needs to stick to New York and pray God not turn that into a socialist nightmare like Venezuela was. Yeah. By the way, you mentioned the Homeland Homeland Security Department. Secretary Kristi Noem speaking on the shooting. She was actually in Texas for another event.
Let's take a listen to what she had to say. It was an act of domestic terrorism. What happened was our ICE officers were out in enforcement action. They got stuck in the snow because of the adverse weather that is in Minneapolis. They were attempting to push out their vehicle and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.
These vehicle rammings are domestic acts of terrorism. We're working with the Department of Justice to prosecute them as such. You know, the reality here is if in fact this is a domestic, of an act of domestic terrorism, Congressman, at what point does the president have to step in, declare an insurrection and send in the military to put down this rebellion? Because that's, it's a pretty dangerous situation right now in Minneapolis. It is very dangerous.
Listen, I trust the secretary known to do her job. I trust the president of the United States to do his job. I'm a member of Congress. That's legislative branch, my job is to write policy and to fund government. And so what I try to do is focus on what I am supposed to be doing.
And just like Mondami and that mayor and Governor Wallace, if they actually focused on what the hell they're supposed to be doing, things like this would not be happening around the country. They just would not. They're fueling the flames and it's grossly irresponsible.
So they simply need to do that. They need to fix potholes. They need to fix windows and they need to make sure that they help enable the federal government to help protect them. If they had been doing that from the beginning, this would not have happened. All right, there you go.
A conversation with Congressman Van Orden from Wisconsin yesterday. Hey, look, I want to share this info with you. I got this in the email last night. There's going to be a celebration and gratitude rally for the liberation of Venezuela. This is a pretty exciting event.
It's going to be a lot of fun, community artists and speakers. This is going to be happening Sunday, this coming Sunday, 3 o'clock at the Cordova Pit Food Truck Park. That's at 8555 Macon Road in Cordova. Again, that Sunday at 3 o'clock, the Cordova Pit Food Truck Park, 8555 Macon Road, a celebration and gratitude rally for the liberation of Venezuela and gratitude to the United States of America. I love that.
And I'm telling you, the only people that are upset in America over the ouster of Nicolas Maduro are the communists. That's pretty much it. Also, yesterday, some exciting news out of Millington, groundbreaking for the renovations at Memphis International Raceway. Our understanding is every building is going to be torn down, and there is going to be a beautiful facility built in its place. and the restoration of all the facilities, including the Circle Track.
They're going to be putting in an amphitheater as well, and the amphitheater is expected to seat as many as 40,000 people.
So this could be a – you could expect some really, really big concerts coming up at this new beautiful facility that was acquired by the International Hot Rod Association.
So a lot of people really excited about the potential there and what's coming next, and especially the Chamber of Commerce. I know Chris Thomas and all those folks up there are just incredibly excited about what's happening. But they are saying that all the buildings have been vandalized, the glass knocked out, rain, weather causing – so everything is coming down. The buildings on the drag strip side, there will be new ones built, and everything will be replaced. We also understand when it comes to the amphitheater, this will be an entertainment venue expected to seat between 20,000, 40,000 people.
And they're going to be offering not only drag racing, stock car racing, but also bull riding, tractor pulls, and a whole lot more.
So it sounds like they've got a big plan as the International Hot Rod Association not only buys that facility, but a number of others across the nation.
So that's going to be a lot of fun. All right, we've got to scoot out of here, folks. I apologize for the tech issues this morning. 11 o'clock, the Todd Stern Show comes your way. Going to be a lot of fun.
This is Stern's Country in the Principal Toyota Memphis studio. Have a great day, everybody. Hotty toddy.
