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Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's favorite gun totem, Bible-clanging, deplorable America. Right. I love Love is American. Touch start.
Well, hello, everybody. Welcome to the Todd Stearns Radio Show. Great to have you with us. Happy Hump Day. Hope you had a great.
St. Patrick's Day celebration, everybody. And wow, do we have a lot happening on today's program? Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, who is President Trump's replacement for Uh for uh Christy Noam and Homeland Security. uh is and uh pardon me while i uh switch out some headphones here but Anyway, he is undergoing confirmation hearings right now up on Capitol Hill, and it's getting a little spicy.
We're going to get to all of that in just a little while. And, guys, if somebody could just bring me in some replacement headphones, that would be super helpful. Also, we have a load of guests coming up. Liz Peak's going to be here. Also, Michelle Tafoya, who is running for the Senate from Minnesota.
We're excited to have her joining us as well. Our telephone number, by the way, is 901-260-5926. Again, that number, 901-260-5926. We'll be taking your calls today as well. We're also following a hearing featuring Tulsi Gambard, who is sort of kind of on the hot seat right now after what happened and what went down with Joe Kent.
Joe Kent, of course, announcing his resignation yesterday. We're going to To get into that a little bit later on in the program, there are a lot of accusations being slung around, but here's what you need to know about Joe Kent. The first interviews that he's agreed to do are with Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, so you can sort of figure out. Exactly, what his thinking is. Right now, a lot of people are condemning Kent.
President Trump has been sort of hands-off as far as I mean, he said some nice things about Kent, but the reporting that we are getting is that it's been very clear for quite some time that Kent was leaking. He had been banned from some of the intelligence meetings with the President. And at that point, a lot of people are wondering why he was still employed there. Why did Tulsi Gabbard not do anything about that? And is it possible that Tulsi Gabbard's job could be on the line here?
Caroline Lovitt earlier today was asked about that during a sort of a White House scrum there outside. Uh the um on um what they call Pebble Beach, where all the reporters gather. And she said ultimately, that decision is up to the President.
So not exactly a ringing endorsement. Speaking of the President, got a call last night From the White House, and President Trump is going to be coming to Memphis. President Trump will be arriving in the Bluff City on Monday, and he's going to be touting the incredible success. Of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
So looking forward to being with the president, and we'll tell you more about that as it happens on Monday's program. But you know, it's interesting, what's happened here in Memphis is not getting any national media attention. And the reason why is because this city has literally been transformed. You had a city that was the deadliest in America. People were afraid to go grocery shopping.
You had nine and ten-year-old children that were out carjacking folks. And a lot of that kind of crime has been completely Eradicate it. As a matter of fact, I mean, some estimates that I've seen crime down something what, like seventy percent. In some categories, it's remarkable. The work that the president has done here.
And again, this is a city that was oppressed. It was a city that had been turned into a war zone. One of the big problems, though, that we're now facing is we have a George Soros-style DA by the name of Steve Mulroy. And this guy is actually I mean, he's they're not prosecuting a lot of the people that that need to be prosecuted. And so a lot of these criminal thugs that the task force is rounding up, they're putting right back out onto the street.
Now I can tell you that what's happening here in Memphis is a beautiful thing. And honestly, if you are looking for a great weekend vacation getaway, this is the place to visit. There's so much.
So much to see and do in Memphis. But don't take my word for it. I know we have a lot of listeners in our flagship station, KWAM. And I'm sure that a lot of them will attest to the fact that this is a much safer city.
Now that President Trump sent in the task force. And so the president's coming to town, and he's going to be touting all of that.
Meanwhile, you have Democrats here, and this is the only, we are the blue buttocks of Tennessee. And I mean it is a dark it is a dark blue butt. And the reality is, the Democrats here got us into this situation because the Democrats love criminals. The Democrats love chaos. The Democrats want you to live your life in fear.
And so they created an environment in Memphis where crime was you guys just don't know. How bad it, I mean, it was. Bad. It's The idea that you couldn't even, I don't know, go to the grocery store without, you know, you had to make sure you had your gun and you had to make sure that when you got out, you were looking around and you. It's almost like people were zigzagging through the parking lot to get.
to get to the grocery store. It's insane. And you don't have to do that anymore.
Now you can play music and you can. You can get out of your car. You don't have to wear Kevlar. You don't have to worry about making sure you've got all your affairs in order just to go get, I don't know, a carton of eggs. It's like a whole new day here, and a lot of people didn't think that could happen.
Now don't get me wrong, we still got people getting shot. But the reality is, they're not shooting at just innocent people going to, I don't know, get a Chick-fil-A sandwich. They're not robbing people. They were literally carjacking people. I don't know if you remember this.
They were carjacking people in the drive-thru of the McDonald's.
So not only were they stealing your car, they were stealing your Egg McMuffin. And if you got a kid's meal, then they stole the toy, too.
Son of a biscuit eater. Yeah. I hate those criminals. I hate the thugs.
So now President Trump, you know, he stopped all of that. And it all started right here on this radio program, right? We had the president on, and he was talking about how great things were going in Washington. And I said, Mr. President, Yeah, I w that's great.
But you gotta you gotta see what's happening here in Memphis. He was not aware. He said he was going to look into it. And a couple of weeks later, he said, Yeah, we're, geez, hello, Starge. We've got to send the National Guard in.
Well, no, I don't think he said Jeezaloo, but I imagine that he would say Jeezaloo. And he did. And of course, the Trump family is very involved here in Memphis. They are massive donors to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
That does not get a lot of attention, they don't ask for it. They really don't. But it goes to the heart of who President Trump is and the values that he raised his children with. That they want to be donors and they want to be great supporters of a hospital like St. Jude.
So, God bless. God bless President Trump. And again, you folks in Memphis, look, there are already statements coming out. You've got Democrats that are saying the President's not welcome. Are you glad?
Memphis, Tennessee, that President Trump sent the National Guard to your community. Our telephone number 901. 260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. You know, it's interesting.
I was uh we were talking yesterday on the show, and and we're gonna it's just sort of there's a nice tie-in here. We were talking on the show yesterday about Spring Breakers Gone Wild. And we did a segment last night on the Newsmax show with our good friend Kay Smythe Hill and Mary Walter. And we actually came up with a solution for For what's been going on. With the um with with the spring breakers and we're going to get to that in just a little while but One of the problems in America, and one of the problems in Memphis, Tennessee, by the way, which a report came out, and I think we've lost almost 45,000, 50,000 citizens that have moved away.
And it wasn't just because of the crime, but it was also because of the education system. 70% of the kids in public schools in Memphis cannot read at grade level. And so when you are planning on relocating your family, one of the first things you're looking at is: okay, is there a lot of crime in the neighborhood? How are the schools? And if you've got.
If you've got serious crime and if you've got lousy schools, chances are you're not going to relocate your family to a place like Memphis. And for the past couple of years, we've had City Hall telling us, oh, it's just a perception problem. It's just a perception crime, it's a perception problem. All the people moving away, it's a perception problem.
Well, now Tennessee is about to reconfigure how taxes are handed out to local municipalities, and a lot of it's going to be based on population.
So guess what?
Now all of a sudden, the Democrats are squawking about how many people they have lost, and it's probably a lot more than forty five, fifty thousand people, to be perfectly honest with you. But the reality of the schools, I want to get back to the schools here. I mean, it's you've got. All these kids, and I've noticed this trend across the entire nation, where these kids are walking out of class and they're marching in the streets, they're hating ICE, and they've got all these signs, and Lord love them, the kids are so dumb. They can't even read what's on the signs.
Because they're not at reading level. They're not teaching the kids how to read. They're not teaching the kids how to write. And in a lot of schools, the kids basically run the program. Hands off, and teachers have to be hands-off, otherwise, they get sued or they get thrown in jail.
But we came to the conclusion as we've been watching all of these thugs and thugettes and thugglings rioting, and there's a common denominator in all of them. Whether you're at a Chuck E. Cheese or a Red Lobster. or an olive garden. Or a TGI Fridays, or a Wawa, or a 7-Eleven, or a Walmart.
Or a Kroger, or the Rodeo at Houston, Texas, or downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina, or Miami, Florida, or Daytona Beach, Florida, the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., Tom Lee Park in Memphis. There's a common denominator between all of the thugs and the thugglings and the thugets.
Well, okay, maybe two. But the one I want to talk about, they're all utes. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. They're all Teenagers. And it dawned on our panel that maybe the problem here is that parents are just simply not parenting their kids.
I mean, if your child is out on the streets. At any time past dark, that's on you, mom and dad. And quite frankly, mom and dad, you belong in jail. And mom and dad, if you're a little thug or thuggling, If your child is responsible for looting a store, then you ought to be personally responsible for all of the damage that your child does. But anyway, our panel, and I love this because Kay Smythe Hill, who is she is, is she from Australia or England?
I think she's British.
So, Kay is out there saying, and she agreed with me. And I said, the problem is that we're not engaging in corporal punishment anymore, that many moms and dads. Many moms and dads no longer use the belt. And my My suggestion of just based on what we've seen over the past five or six days, With with all hell breaking loose at the spring break events. Is that we need a good old-fashioned nationwide butt whooping?
And I'm not talking about one of those highfalutin butt-whoopings with the G. I'm talking about a good old-fashioned butt-whooping that's with an N, no G apostrophe. A good old fashioned Go get me a switch button whoopin'. Or some people prefer the belt. But I think that's a big problem here: is that we're just not disciplining our kids.
Have you been to a restaurant and you've seen kids raising holy, you know what? That's insane. I can promise you that did not happen back in the day. It just did not.
So, anyway, a weird way to start the show: 901-260-5926 coming up. We are going to get the very latest Mark Wayne Mullins, who is right now going through confirmation hearings.
So, also. You folks in Texas, you better listen up. James Tallarico The guy who wants to be your US Senator wants to implement a meat ban.
So, this guy wants to ban brisket. We're going to tell you all about that. We've got the audio. We've got a lot happening, folks. Again, our number, 901-260-5926.
This is the Todd Start Show. It's midnight. Sirens Blare. You only have seconds to grab your child and run.
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Under fire. Call 888 488 IFCJ. That's 888 488 IFCJ or go online if CJ.org. All right, we're we're trying to figure out here um And I did tell the White House team yesterday. I'm not going to share our text messages, but I will say this.
I did say, guys, if you need recommendations on where to get some great barbecue, you've got to let me be the guy that gives you that guidance. But. There may be some things, and again, we have a lot of Memphis listeners. President Trump is coming to Memphis, which is a huge deal. All of that's going to happen on Monday.
Maybe you have some recommendations if the President wants you know, normally he makes a pit stop somewhere. Where do you recommend the President make a drive-by? I mean, I've got, you know, Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street would be. I think terrific. Then you've got.
Let's see here. Oh, well, Dales is in South Haven, which is great, but that's in Mississippi. No, this is Memphis-centric.
So you got Central BBQ, you got the Commissary. We got to get the President some banana pudding.
So anyway, oh, would it not be great? We've got to call our good friend Rachel Bells. Her family owns the Peabody Hotel. Maybe we get President Trump to walk the Peabody ducks. You know, that's a big honor.
And I think the president would have a grand time with that. They give you a nice Duck-themed walking stick.
So, anyway, we'll figure all of that out. All right, ladies and gentlemen, want to remind you, and for those of you that are new listeners to the program, welcome to you all. But we're very excited getting into our brand new book mode. My brand new book, I've been working on it for the past, gosh. Six, seven months.
It's called The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America. And the book not only celebrates all the incredible accomplishments. That President Trump has had thus far in office. But it also looks ahead. What does the movement look like after Donald Trump leaves office?
Who is going to carry on the mission of America first? And I did a lot of thinking and put down a lot of thoughts on how we can continue the movement and what we have to do as individual patriots to make that happen.
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And so they want to make sure that they have ample books. And one of the ways they judge that is by doing pre-order sales.
So books, rather, Barnes Noble, you can pre-order. Barnes and Noble go online. Books a Million, you can also pre-order, of course, Amazon. And if you have an independent bookstore that you love, You know what, go do some business with them. That's a tough business, and they would certainly appreciate your help.
And, of course, you're also helping out the conservative cause as well. The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America. We'll be right back, everybody. Folks, if you're looking for a romantic comedy that's actually funny, uplifting, and safe to enjoy with your family, well, this is it. Angel Studios has done something special with Solo Mio, a film that proves Hollywood can still tell a great love story without crudeness or compromise.
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This is the Tod Stearns Radio Show, proudly broadcasting on more than 130 radio stations around the nation. And we always love adding more stations, and we'll be doing that very soon and announcing some of our newest affiliates. By the way, our telephone number, if you'd like to weigh in, 901-260-5926. Again, that number, 901-260-5926. Well, I want to go right away to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.
Of course, we are looking at the midterm elections, a lot of key races around the nation, and of course, a lot of people are focused on Minnesota. And our next guest is running for the U.S. Senate. She is a former NFL sideline reporter. Our good friend Michelle Tafoya.
Michelle, good to have you back with us. Oh, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. You know, it's interesting. We've been watching over the past week or so the Governor, Tim Waltz, testifying up on Capitol Hill.
And it's just every single time this guy opened his mouth, it's almost as if what in the world were the people of Minnesota thinking? Yeah. It's amazing, and we could say that now about Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, these Democrats who position themselves as moderate and very sort of right middle of the road are showing their true colors once they get into positions of power. And unfortunately, Tim Walls has gotten a pass here in Minnesota because our local media did not vet him. You notice when he was suddenly catapulted into the vice presidential nomination alongside Kamala Harris, suddenly the national media started to vet him and things became much clearer.
And so now I think the vast majority of Minnesotans are very embarrassed by this governor. I talk to Democrats and Republicans who feel that way.
So that is why he's stepping out of the race. He was going to run for a third term, and he no longer is, because he knows he cannot win. You know, I know Minnesota. I've traveled there a lot. During my time at Fox News Channel on the Campaign Trail, and just so many good, decent, hardworking, salt of the earth folks there.
And they have to be so enraged to know that their hard-earned money was going to fund a lot of these fraudulent agencies run by mostly Somali Americans. It is Thickening. It is sickening. And I can tell you that this is something that I talk about on the trail all the time, whether it's northern. Minnesota, southern Minnesota are right in the cities.
People are outraged. And I think now they're at the point where they're not only outraged that it's happened to them. But they're waiting. Patiently to see if anyone pays the price. Is Tim Walls Complicit, figure it out, and let's punish accordingly.
Same with our Attorney General, Keith Ellison. We have him on tape. Saying things that are very untoward for an AG and potentially illegal. We need the U.S. Attorney's Office here in Minnesota.
We need the DOJ to continue to press on this. I think people are. even more angry that no one has been held accountable. We have some of the fraudsters in prison, but the amount of money That has gone out of this state, Todd, and it's federal money too, as you mentioned, is astonishing. We don't even think we've seen the end of it yet.
We're sitting at around $9 billion. There are projections from Dr. Oz that it's going to be $18 billion. Medicare, Medicaid, all kinds of fraud, and people are ticked off and they're ready for change. And that's one of the big reasons I got in this race.
Michelle, I think that the jaw-dropping, and as jaw-dropping as those numbers are, that's just in Minnesota. I mean, we haven't even begun to look at, for example, California, New York, Illinois. Stephen Miller was actually doing an interview, gosh, a couple of days ago. He said that. that if we were to eliminate all of the fraud just within these federal programs, it would generate enough money to balance the budget.
I mean, that's what we're talking about here. And that's where I think you would be so strategic being a member of the Senate. Listen, one of the things I will sign on to immediately is the Deporting Fraudsters Act, which Mike Lee and Ted Cruz are part of. And what it would say, Todd, is that if you are a guest here in this country, And you defraud American citizens. you will be deported and you cannot come back.
Furthermore, if you're an American and you defraud Americans, no more just white-collar crime punishments. There should be mandatory minimums in prison because what you're doing is you're really you're violating people. You're taking their earnings. You're stealing from the American people. This is all of our money.
It's happening in these various states, but so much of it is federal dollars. And that's the other part. The Senate can strip these states of this funding unless they have these anti-fraud mechanisms in place to audit. Claw back and to stop the fraud from happening to begin with, we shouldn't just be funneling. a ton of money into any particular state or program.
Uh unless we got the receipts first. I don't know about you, but when I do my my expenses for work, I I I put them on a card, I pay cash, whatever, I turn in the receipts and then I'm reimbursed. And that should be the way it works for the states as well. There's been a lot of frustration up in the Senate, and a lot of it is being directed at Republicans. And there's a lot of frustration over the Save America Act.
Probably. And I tried to prepare my audience. I just don't think it's going to happen. I hope it does, and it should. But the reality of it, you've got Republicans that are entrenched there that do not want to budge.
If you were in the Senate right now, what would your vote be?
Well, listen, they don't want to budge on a filibuster. There are a lot of people who say, oh, just bust this filibuster. Let's get this through with fifty one votes instead of the sixty necessary. Then there's the option of the talking filibuster. Let's let everybody stand up there and talk until they're exhausted.
But that would prevent a lot of work from getting done. I'm not in favor of breaking up the filibuster. And I know that might disappoint some people, but to do that, you're just abandoning all of the reasons that it was put in to begin with. And so I'm on the side of sticking with the filibuster. Let's make this a talking filibuster.
Let's let these Democrats stand up there and preach to the American public why it's a bad idea to have voter IDA, why it's a bad idea to have American citizens being the only ones to vote. I mean, those are the crucial parts of this bill. And here in Minnesota, where we see not just fraud, but voter fraud, At a scale that is hopefully to be exposed, our Secretary of State will not turn over the voter rolls to the DOJ. That should tell you something. We want to see our votes matter.
We want people to feel enfranchised, not disenfranchised. We want people to go to the vote knowing that their vote counts. And I just think that's one of the most basic things that you can offer people and to stand in the way of that For these various Jim Crow 2.0 excuses that Chuck Schumer and company are making is embarrassing.
So I say let them stand there and try to defend that. Yeah, I'm good with the talking filibuster, but the reality is the Democrats are going to blow this up if they ever get control again. And unfortunately, there's still a lot of the president's agenda that is backlogged and it's not getting through the Senate. The president is getting frustrated. He says, let's nuke the filibuster.
My concern is this could have blowback on everybody come to midterm elections. What are you hearing from people in Minnesota? Yeah, I think it's pretty split here in Minnesota in terms of, yes, people are in patience. They are. Did we lose Michelle?
We still got Michelle.
Okay, there we go. You got me? We got you.
Okay. you know we're in a a a An environment where consumers can buy things instantly, right? You get stuff delivered to your phone, delivered to your door.
So watching this excruciatingly slow process in the Senate. Is hard for our nature. But I think what's so important is keeping the Senate in Republican hands. And I would love people to help me at MichelleTafoya.com. It's Michelle with OneL, T-A-F-O-Y-A.com.
And make sure that, look, we have an extraordinary Opportunity here in Minnesota. We have had single-party rule for a long time. We currently have Tina Smith and Amy Klildeschar, two Democrats representing us in the Senate. Tina Smith is stepping down. It's an open seat.
We can take it to the Republicans. That is why Tim Scott has endorsed me. That is why people like Mark Wayne Mullen have supported me.
So we know we can do this here in Minnesota. We would love help because it's not just. About Minnesota and our voters. It's about holding the Senate and maybe even increasing that lead in the Senate.
So I would love everyone to go and chip in a few bucks at MichelleTafoya.com. Absolutely. And Michelle, before we let you go, what would you say are the big issues? I mean, you're out there talking to voters. Aside from the fraud, what are some of the big issues on the minds of voters there in Minnesota?
Well, yeah, you know, look, we've all been told that the word affordability is key, and it is. And right now, I would say, look, we had gas prices at a five year low, and we were really enjoying watching that. And now here we are in a conflict in the Middle East, which is bringing gas prices up again. I know it's frustrating and I know it's hard for people. What I would say to them is we've lost some service members over there.
Who have put their lives on the line to protect us, to protect the region, protect America's friends in the region. We can all you know, it used to be during the past wars, especially World War two. Americans got behind our servicemen and women, and we did little things To show our support for them, we collected metal, you know, we recycled stuff, aluminum, so that we could, you know, help in the war effort. I think right now, at least just kind of keeping a stiff upper lip. Maybe you take one less trip to Starbucks, and so that gas goes a little further.
Until this thing is over and these gas prices come back down again. Let's just try to be. patriots about this. Whether you agree with it or not, we're there. And we've got to support our men and women in uniform.
That's a big one.
So, again, that kind of connects with the affordability stuff. Iran is a big topic. Immigration continues to be a big topic. We like that the border is closed, but people are still concerned about criminal illegals who are here. Heck, we've even seen, as you know, Todd, some naturalized American citizens here commit atrocities against people.
And so, it's a rough time. It's a challenging time to be in America. People want Stability, they want change. And I really believe that people, particularly on the Republicans and Independent side, Want to see this president's agenda continue to go forward. And in order to do that, these midterms are going to matter in a huge way.
All right.
Well, Michelle, we're going to leave it there. And again, folks, go to her website. She's got all sorts of information. You can see her platform, MichelleTafoya.com. That's Michelle with one L, MichelleTafoya.com.
Michelle, we're going to get you back on between now and Election Day. Good luck to you out there on the campaign trail. I thank you so much for the time, Todd. Have a great day. All right, you too.
There you go, everybody. Michelle Tafoya, former NFL sideline reporter.
Now, look, I'm with the president. I think we have to nuke the filibuster. She clearly is on the side of keeping the filibuster and making it a talking filibuster. Curious to hear from you on that because, as she said, there is a split among voters in Minnesota on whether or not we should nuke the filibuster. What say you?
901-260-5926 is our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926. Well, I've got to talk to you real quick before we go to break about Social Security benefits. There is a new study out there: 70% of Americans are not getting the full benefits they deserve. And Social Security expert Michael Allen wants to do something about that.
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All right, let's go right to the phone lines: 901-2-60-5926. Our number, Richard in Florida, listening to us on WOCA. Richard, what's on your mind? Thank you, mister Todd, for taking the call. I just heard your interview with Michele.
And with all due respect to the lady, I disagree with her 100%. Uh I think that same attitude is a Spineless jellyfish backbone attitude. If they don't nuke the filibuster, nothing's going to get done. And it's not Trump agenda, this is the American agenda. The thing that America wants this Save America Act was like what high seventies or eighties Voter approval.
And if they don't fix that, then there's no hope for the country. And her attitude. of just doing it the way she was saying, let people get up and talk. All the Democrats want to do is put up people that's going to get elected in their precincts no matter how they vote. It's just going to be a mess.
No, the only way to do it is come out fighting, and I'm not for her at all. I hope she don't win the election. I hope they put somebody else in her place, but I'm totally against what she's saying. And I think they need to nuke the filibuster and go come out fighting. Here's my issue, Mr.
Todd. I believe. The Republicans don't want to do it because then they're going to have to stand up and be counted. As long as they can blame the Democrats and say, oh, we're all for, but they're against it, then it makes don't make them look bad. But if we nuke the filibuster, then every one of them's got to vote for this Save America Act.
And I think there's a lot of them that don't want to themselves.
Well, I think there are a lot of Republicans who are just lazy. But I think the bigger problem is they're scared. They just have not spent a lot of time in power in Washington. They're always the minority party, and they are more comfortable, I think, being the minority party. But they've got to stand up to these Democrats because the Democrats are nothing more than great big bullies.
And we've got to do to them as they have done to us. And I'm telling you right now, Richard, when the Democrats gain control, And they will end up gaining control of the Senate. The first thing they will do is abolish the filibuster, and they will shove every single bit of their agenda right through the Senate, and we won't be able to do anything about it.
So we need to go ahead and take care of business now. And again, the overarching issue here is providing integrity and stopping the cheat at the ballot box. That's why this is so vitally important. Because when you take away the cheat, when you take away the votes from the illegal aliens and the dead people, then Republicans end up winning where typically the Democrats win. This is why it's just so vitally important.
I didn't mean to interrupt, but go ahead and finish your thought, Richard. No, Mitch. I'm 100%. Not too many yes, man, but I see it 100% like you do. It's vitally important, and we have to do it.
There's no other way we're going to win if we don't. And it's the right thing to do. And 75-80% of the American people see it and realize it. And I think we have to force the Republicans either to do it or throw them out of office, one of the two. If they don't want to fight, they need to go home and take a job digging ditches.
And let us put somebody in their place that'll fight for America. Yeah. Look, it's a great thought there, Richard, and I appreciate the call. Thank you. We got to leave it there.
Look, let me just say this about the Democrats. They are out for blood. And right now, and we'll go over the numbers from yesterday in Illinois, but the reality is they're motivated right now. For the U.S. Senate race, for example, in Illinois yesterday, well over a million people voted on the Democrat side of the aisle.
Barely, I think, three, maybe 400,000. We'll look at the official final numbers during the break, but about 400,000 people turned out to vote for the Republican candidates.
So, you can see there is an enthusiasm gap right now.
So, we've just got to figure out how to get our side of the aisle enthused. How do we enthuse you guys? I mean, you're the ones that are not going to the polls.
So, how do we enthuse you? 901-260-5926. This is the Todd Starring Show. Here's something most people miss: Investors don't usually lose money because they're reckless. They lose money because they hear about opportunities after the biggest players have already positioned themselves.
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Planwithoxford.com. Again, that's planwithoxford.com. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's common sense conservative commentary from Todd Stars. I'm so Love is American. All right.
Hello everybody, welcome to hour two of the big show. May may I just May I ask you a personal question here? You know, before we get to that, Dylan, I have news to share with you.
So, um I you know, the lovely Miss Kristen, she shows up every day right about the same time and uh she gets my uh my uh hair and face um appropriate for national television. You know, we don't want to frighten the children. You're caked up, is what they say. What is it? You're caked up.
I am caked up. Yeah, I look good. I'm very tan. I'm not as bronze as.
Well, some people in politics. Right. But appropriately toned. Yeah, toned. Thank you.
So, anyway, yesterday we told you about the. You know, about the endorsement offer I've been made. And we had the, it's the, it's not champ stick, it's called the lip balm. is what it's called. And it's all organic, and it's very delicious, and it smells of peppermint, which apparently keeps the Asian ladybugs at bay.
Did you know that? Yeah, we we figured that out together. I haven't seen one, by the way. They're not near us. This chat GPT is great for all sorts of things.
It is, yeah. Anyway, somebody told me your lips looked rather supple yesterday. Wow, mm-hmm. Wow. I'm glad this is starting to get noticed.
Yeah, I just there you go. This is something that hasn't been mentioned that much. I didn't realize. I always thought it was my eyes that was my strongest feature. Who would have known?
Or then my eye after the incident. But I still have two good working eyes.
Well, once the eye happened, then they had to find something else. Yeah, so it's the lips. The lips. They're supple. Yeah.
Okay, I digress.
So I meant to tell that to you. Anyway, can we talk about something here, folks? Because this has been. Yeah. Driving me nuts.
So I love being a conservative. I'm more of a conservative than I am a Republican, but I joined the Republican Party because I support Republican candidates by and large, and so I do, and I've got no problem with that. But here lately, I don't know, is it just me, or this may just be a unique. Memphis, Tennessee issue. But I it just seems to me That Republican politics is just getting mean and nasty and dirty.
And I've been observing all of this from a distance. And I've been watching people that I know, some of the most kind hearted people, some of the most giving people, folks that are out there at every single Republican event. And anytime they need a volunteer, these folks just show up. They're the grassroots of the party. You may know people like this in your community.
And those are the folks that I have great respect. Respect for because they're not looking for fame, they're not looking for glory. They don't have a million dollars to donate to the Republican cause. But they care about their country. They care about the country they want to leave for their kids, and so they get involved.
and they volunteer. and they're not looking for applause. They do the work that needs to be done. And more often than not, and I've seen this happen in other places. These people inevitably get shoved to the side.
When it comes time for them to take on a leadership role, they're told they're not welcome. Their kind is not welcome. They're not bona fide. When in fact they're more Republican than most of the people that are in leadership positions. And so I've noticed, you know, so I've been defending, you know, I try to keep all of the politics.
You've got a personal Facebook page.
Well, you're young. Do you still do the Facebook, or is that like a boomer thing? I use it to see other people's lives, not post my own stuff.
So you don't post your own stuff. I have it linked to my Instagram.
So whatever I post on Instagram also goes to Facebook.
Okay, that makes sense. No, that makes perfect sense.
So, I post a lot. I don't post a lot of political stuff on my personal page. I mostly, you know, we've got almost a half a million followers on our Facebook fan page, and I just put all that there. We've got a private group that's got almost 80,000 people.
So there are plenty of folks if they want to debate politics. But but every now and again I've posted stuff on my personal page. And all hell breaks loose. I mean some of the nastiest comments. You know, I'm out there trying to defend these good good-hearted grassroots people.
And I finally decided. Enough was enough. I have made a decision just on my personal page. I I am not posting any more political conversations. And I want to share with you what I wrote.
And maybe you guys may disagree with me on this. And if so, I want you to read me the Riot Act. But this is what I just wrote. After much thought, I have decided to ban political conversations on my personal Facebook page. I'm a conservative and a Christian, and apparently that triggers people.
And by the way, if you It triggers my Facebook friends. These are friends. I don't know. You know, let me stop here for just a moment. I heard That's a lot of people, like back in 2016 and moving forward, a lot of people lost longtime friends because you voted for Donald Trump or you happen to be a Republican.
And people would unfriend you and say, I can't be associated with you anymore because of your political beliefs. And I'm like, what the hell are these people talking about? You're just a far-right extremist. Stunned? I'm gonna go, what does that mean?
And no, I didn't write all that. I put a pause here, so I'm going to get back to what I wrote here. But just think about this for a moment. Todd Starnes is there are people in Memphis who consider me within the Republican Party here to be a far-right extremist. And I'm trying to understand what that means.
Oh, by the way, Dylan, you know our logo for KWM, the Mighty 990? Do you know what the Democrats call us? What is that? The White E990. Of course they do.
I'm like, what does that even mean? What does that mean? We have more black callers to the Todd Stern show than any other national radio show in America. Didn't black people start the Republican Party in Memphis? That is true.
And I wish they would take it back over. They're so smart. I'm telling you, it's these people. They don't They don't get it.
So anywh what was I s oh so so I thought to myself, what is it that makes Todd Starnes a a far right extremist? You've heard of her Trump.
Well, Trump's actually a populist. He's nowhere near far right. Because he's mean.
Okay. Well, okay, but how does that impact me? Help me understand that.
So I got to thinking about that. All right.
Well, I believe that I am.
Well, I'm a conservative. I believe in free speech. And I believe that also includes Democrats.
So, if you say something that I disagree with, then I'm going to defend your right to say it. Does that I guess that makes me a far right extremist. I believe in freedom of religion provided that your religion doesn't want to blow my religion to smithereens. I guess that makes me a far right extremist. I believe that life begins at conception.
So therefore, I guess I must be a far-right extremist, according to the local Republicans. All right.
I'm getting off on a teens. I didn't even want to talk about this, but. I got to get this off my chest.
So here we go. Back to what I wrote. I never imagined that local politics would be more cutthroat than national politics. Man, it is ugly, ugly. I'll temper my words here, but I completely understand why my side of the aisle has a hard time winning elections.
They're too busy stabbing fellow Republicans in the back. It's been incredibly disappointing to see good and decent grassroots folks being dragged through the mud and maligned by ugly whisper campaigns and threats. the intolerance of diverse opinion is simply un American. And some of the most awful behavior has come from folks who profess to sit in a pew on Sunday mornings. Oh, geez, let me tell you something about that.
These Republicans Christ, you far-right extremist. Geez a Lou. You know, it gets so bad, Dylan, that you think, you know what? I don't need this. I don't need this chaos and anxiety in my life locally.
I don't need it. It gets to the point where you don't want to go to a Republican event or to church. You just want to stay inside. It gets to be a bit much, you know what I mean? Let me continue.
Yeah. All that to say. If you want to offer political commentary, You can do it on my show page. Thank you for your attention to this matter. You know what?
And I should have said this. And if you got a problem with me being a conservative and a Christian, Feel free to unfriend me. Because I don't know who half these people are anyway. That's a lot of baggage to release. Does it feel better?
I feel, you know, I feel like a load has been lifted. Yes. Not to worry about other people is nice. It really is, because I hate to say, and I mean this in a very loving way. I really don't give a damn what you think.
I really don't. It's a good mindset for a lot of things. I could really care less. And you know, and these are the same folks that come out. Would you mind supporting my party?
Would you buy a ch would you buy a table at our dinner? No, I'm not buying no, I'm not spending money with you. I'd rather go to Tonko Bell. At 9 o'clock at night, right before bedtime, and get a horrible case of acid reflux, then go to one of your freaking parties. Oh wow, I do feel better.
Mm. Thank you, Dellin. Yeah. 901-260-5926 is my telephone number. That's 901-260-5926.
No, it doesn't mean. No, no, no, it does not mean that I'm not going to support candidates. I will. But I'm going to, you know what, there's some good independent candidates out there running, and I'm going to support those folks. I think it was a mistake.
to join a political party. is what I'm getting at. And I think my dad was on to something. Because he was never really a, he was never a member of any political party. He always voted for the man.
He said, that's who you need to be. You need to look at these individuals, and maybe that's the solution to what's wrong with America right now. Is That we need to start, and just think about this for a moment. You know, Kevin Kiley down in Southern California, longtime Republican. Running as an independent.
I don't know. Maybe maybe if we had fifty or sixty or seventy Independence. up on Capitol Hill. Kind of makes you wonder if we might be able to get some things done and get some things accomplished. I'm just saying.
All right, let's go to the phones. 901-260-5926-MARI. In Memphis, listening to us on KWAM. Hi, Mary. What's on your mind today?
I'm Mary, and I'll be listening every day.
Now, uh, You were talking about the churches and how they rebuke people who have a difference of opinion, right? Yes. Okay. Remember that the Democrats gave these churches, especially the Southern churches, faith-based initiatives. money from the government, so Whoever comes to a church with a different opinion than a Democrat, they.
bagged up against the wall. No way in this. They got money from the governor, the Democrats, remember? I do remember that. Yeah, basic initiative.
That's why he's he's reading all the bad. Uh, opposition that that you know that's being hurled at him in the churches, he can't go to the churches. They got government money. They got government handouts. They they stole out.
Mary, you know what I'm impressed by is that in Memphis right now, for example, all the Democrats running, they're getting ready for the primaries. Just about every single debate and every single town hall has been held inside a black church congregation.
Meanwhile, on the Republican side, diddly squat, nothing's happening.
Well, it's parcel of course. You know, they go where they send the money to. They go where they send the money to. You're absolutely right about that. Yeah, right.
All right, Mary, thank you for calling. We have a little bad phone connection there, but we'll try to get that worked out for next time. But God bless you, Mary. We love it when you call in, and we thank you for being a loyal listener to our local affiliate, KWAM. All right, we're going to take a break here.
We're going right to the phones: 901-260-5926. Have you lost friends? Do you have relatives that get triggered by your politics? And if so, how do you deal with those people? I just say, do you rip him out like a bad tooth?
What do you do? 901-260-5926. This is the Ton Stern Show. All right, let's go to the phones. Gary in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Gary, I understand you want to weigh in on the relatives triggered by religion. Yeah, it's Religion and a combination of politics. I pretty much stay off the grid as far as. Any uh faith my wife does that but she she's on the grid, she likes the Facebook and all the social media, but it's uh with the coming of Trump and at the end of uh Russell and Buzz wonderful career. I became a fan of T-shirts that would speak to how I felt.
And the funniest story was as far as triggering a relative. who lives way north of the Mason Distin. Rush was promoting his Betsy Ross jacket. And they have the flag and Russia's signature on the sleeve.
So I invested in one of those jackets and we were going out to dinner with uh uh a family member that and She says to me, You're going to wear that jacket out to dinner. And I said, Absolutely, why? And she goes, It's it's so racist, I can't imagine it. And she'd spent about eight years in college and A lot of degrees and I said, why is my jacket racist? She is Except the Confederate flag on it.
I know you live in Florida, but you're wearing a jacket with a And I said, you think that this This flag here is the Confederate flag. And she goes, Well, it is my children spoke up and said it's Betsy Ross, there's a it's it's not the Confederate flag. And it just it made me realize on how the assumptions and how people uh how uh crazy people have gotten. Yeah, and it's so sad. And people call it Trump Derrangement Syndrome, TDS.
I think we're watching a lot of people getting stage four TDS, but also. And I was getting in the break, I was getting some messages from folks in other parts of the country that say they're dealing with the same issues on their local Republican level. And I think one of the things is that a lot of these establishment folks, they went into the closet. During the Trump years, and now they're coming out. They're thinking they're going to be able to regain control and move the party back to the squish middle where they do the bidding of the Chamber of Commerce and big business and going back to more of a Rockefeller Republican party and not the party of Trump, which is more of a populist party.
So I think that's a lot of it. Gary, thanks for the call. And I just hate it. Again, for the relatives, especially, I mean, if you're going to lose friends, seriously, you know, if you've got a problem with me because of my politics, yeah, you're good. Just hit that unfriend button.
We're good. Don't let the door hit somewhere. The good Lord split you. All right, hang tight, everybody. Got to take a quick break.
901-260-5926. We're going to get to your calls. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back. Wow, Lisbea.
Her Twitter feed is smoking hot today, everybody. Welcome back to the Todd Stearns Radio Show. And I want to go right away to our Patriot mobile newsmaker line, Liz P, joining us. Liz, where to start? There is so much to talk about today.
Hope you're doing good. I'm just great. Thanks for having me on.
So, one of the big stories you've been following, of course, are Richard Blumenthal. He's now saying that he doesn't necessarily know where his birth certificate is. Again, this argument is that somehow Americans do not have proper forms of identification. Yeah, I mean, this is just a tired story and so stupid. If you go online, if you are missing your birth certificate, and hey, you know, most people don't keep track of it.
Perhaps they should. It's about as easy as crossing the street to get a new one, get a copy of one. But also, you know, I think passports are also pretty good proof of citizenship. And, you know, here's the deal: if you're a citizen, you can prove it very easily.
So I just think there's so much dishonesty, honestly, Todd, coming from the left constantly. My favorite thing recently was Gavin Newsom on some podcast or in some interview saying, oh, California is a much lower tax state than Florida and Texas. What's he talking about? It's just lies and more lies. I mean, Dick Bluenthal obviously has a pretty good history of lying, but I you know, it just makes your head explode.
No, it does. And the amount of disinformation that's coming not only from Democrats, but even in the media. When you look at what's happening with the war, I think Rasmussen Reports has a new survey out that shows most Americans actually believe the war is going quite well. President Trump is succeeding. And as is if Iran has not been a threat to the world since 1979.
Yeah, I mean, it's very disheartening that reflexively the left-wing media and Democrats just naturally oppose anything that's going on that is shepherded through by Donald Trump, including obviously the war in Iran. How many Democrats have intoned solemnly, whether it's Kamala Harris or Hillary Clinton, or just name a Democrat, that we would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon?
Well, what did they think was really going to stand in the way of that? Certainly, Obama's JCPOA, the joint agreement with other nations, had no impact on Iran moving towards a nuclear weapon. And we all knew it at the time, remember? I mean, B.B. Netanyahu came and addressed Congress and said this is not going to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
It is only going to delay it slightly. And that's really basically what happened.
So I find, again, this sort of idiot. Flank of the Democrat Party, by which I mean two-thirds of the Democrat Party, which is just saying, oh, there's no strategy, there's no There's no imminent threat. Thank you for that because an imminent threat, I guess, would be an ICBM loaded with nukes ten seconds out from New York City. I mean, what are they talking about? This is truly a righteous thing that we're doing.
And if you don't believe it, look how many countries have been under attack by Iran in the last two weeks. They have no allies other than China and possibly Russia But this is, in the broader scheme of things, a way to defang the worst element of the Middle East. The reason the Middle East is constantly erupting in chaos is because of Iran, because of the Houthis taking on Saudi Arabia, and because of the Hamas people slaughtering Israelis. And obviously, because of Hezbollah, who had made the wonderful country of Lebanon a nightmare.
So this is the right thing to be doing. Is it uncomfortable for a few weeks? My God, America. Gird your loins. You know, we can withstand this.
Our economy is strong. Our nation is strong. I'll tell you, the countries that are being hurt by this. Are countries like Germany, where they are teetering on the brink of recession because why their energy prices are so high, because they have decided to go to windmills and sunshine instead of actually exploring and exploiting coal and fossil fuels that are actually indigenous to Germany in some cases. You know Um Look, people should be critical.
They should be assessing whether this is going well or not. If you tell me that we went to war and degraded our enemies' air power and Navy and leadership all in two weeks, I think that's a pretty credible response. I've never heard you say gird your loins before, Liz Peake. I'm somewhat speechless.
Well, I mean, honestly, I just feel like we've all gotten so. I'm look, I understand. High gas prices is a real problem for a lot of people. Not all people, but it's a real problem for a lot of people. It will, I think, be temporary.
And the minute the Strait of Hormuz is somehow secured, which I think they will be doing in the next couple of weeks, oil prices are going to come right back down again.
So this is a temporary phenomenon. And I hope that people are willing to make a sacrifice in order to, again, preserve our country, because our country was going to be threatened by Iran. From these mullahs. They're bad people. And look, and I think it's important.
Again, the media is always going to focus on the people that are making the most noise. And I know the British and the French and Spain, and everybody's all upset. And I get that. But I think what we ought to be focusing on, the people who are not complaining, and those would be the Arab nations, because they know exactly how dangerous Iran is. And they haven't said a word about this.
And I suspect they're all very privately very happy that President Trump is doing what he's doing here. Yes, they have been intimidated and bullied by Iran for decades, and they are, by the way, under enormous attack by Iran right now. I mean, this really isn't being covered very much in our media, but the Wall Street Journal uncharacteristically had a very lengthy piece about all the incoming in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, et cetera. I mean, they're all under attack.
Gutter and others that historically have been sort of playing cat and mouse with Iran and unwilling to take them on. I think Iran has really done something stupid here because they've turned the entire Middle East into A ring of enemies, and they are surrounded. They don't have any friends there. They've even been gone after Turkey, which is pretty extraordinary.
So I think you're right. We do have coalition partners, and some of them have actually been involved in some of the military activities, not many, but you know, I think you're right that those countries are are delighted to have these fomenters of terror Basically, being wiped off the map, and the leadership is indeed being taken out.
So, that's good. Liz, before we let you go, and I know this story just dropped a little while ago, but I saw that you had mentioned it on X. There is great controversy right now on the left. Cesar Chavez, the New York Times, doing an investigation that alleges he was sexually abusing women, including underage girls. This is really a remarkable story.
We understand that some Texas cities have actually canceled their Cesar Chavez Day events as a result of these allegations. Yeah, another hero to the left falls off his pedestal. It is interesting because I'm surprised the New York Times did it, frankly. Uh and good for them. But uh this is really a terrible story.
And yeah, I mean, I don't know if I have to say, Todd, you have to become incredibly careful about what is real and what is not on X and all these other sites. But supposedly, Joe Biden had a bust of Cesar Chavez in the Oval Office. I don't know if that's true, but that showed up online. Uh he is a hero. to those who lead the labor movement.
You know, he is currently being defrocked. There's no question about it. Terrible story. And, you know, good for the times for putting it out there. Absolutely.
And yeah, you're absolutely right. President Biden's Oval Office, they had a bust of Chavez right there in the Oval. Yeah. All right.
Well, you know, remember, Joe Biden was a big champion of organized labor. Oh, yes. And, you know, here's one of the guys that he revered. It's pretty amazing. That's incredible.
All right, Liz, always, always good hearing from you, my friend. Thank you for having me. Take care. All right.
Great, great writer, right there. Great American patriot, ladies and gentlemen. Liz Peake. And yeah, we'll do a little deeper dive into the Chavez allegations in just a moment. I do want to go to the phone lines, though.
We've got a lot of folks wanting to weigh in. 901-2-60-5926. Let's go to Bob in Fayette County, Tennessee. Bob, what's on your mind today?
Well, uh the first thing you saw on my mind is I just delivered another cat.
So the farm is going good. Oh, so I think we should qualify for our national audience here.
So you have a farm and you guys just had a baby calf. Yeah, 20 minutes ago.
So, gotta love it. God's creation is amazing. Listen, I wanted to I'm so appreciative to you, Todd, for having a your last caller in because One of the things that people don't understand is that one of the great alliances that was taking place in our hemisphere was between. The Ayatollah Iran And Maduro is Venezuela. And the reason that is so essential for us to grasp is that Yes.
Iran were to base ballistic missiles in Venezuela, The flight time. from launch to impact from let's just say Caracas to Memphis is about eight seconds. There's no time to shit it down. It's that fast. And Bob, not only is there no time, I was reading a report a couple of weeks ago, and you may have more information on this than I do, but I was reading a report that, you know, the The technology that is needed to shoot those things down has not really worked well for us.
So that could be very problematic.
Well, exactly. And I'm talking about when I'm doing this calculation, I'm looking at what we pretty much knew Iran had on hand. which is nineteen eighties technology Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are flying at around Mach eight point three.
Well, the newer models are faster.
So I this reminded me of Neville Chamberlain coming back from Berlin in nineteen thirty nine and getting off the airplane and holding up a piece of paper to the people of England. and saying, I have met with mister Hitler, and we will have peace in our time. And six months later, the world was at war. In the nuclear age, there's no time to hesitate. If your enemy, is stockpiling nuclear weapons or even trying to, and they're calling for your death.
They have to be stopped.
Well, and and Bob, going back to the Cuban missile crisis, I mean, even Kennedy understood there's no way that we're going to be uh we're going to allow the Russians to introduce nuclear missiles into the theater. That just simply cannot be allowed t to happen. If you launch from Tehran, Iran, and try to hit Washington, D.C., you're looking at a flight time of about 25 seconds. If you're launching from excuse me, twenty five minutes. If you're launching from Tehran and trying to hit Los Angeles, you're looking at another ten, fifteen minutes.
A flat time. If you're going to detonate that weapon over the Atlantic Ocean as it's crossing the sea, you've got to intercept it as it's flying to you with a missile that's flying toward it in enough time. To blow it up, and that means there are seconds. It is a calculation on which there's no time to deal with bureaucracy. The best way.
to push this threat back into the Stone Age where it belongs. Yeah. To deal with it proactively. And I applaud Mr. Trump for doing that.
You know, Bob, I heard somebody say it's, you know, because you can, I mean, it is possible to shoot down an ICBM, but it's extremely difficult. And what is it they're saying? It's like hitting a bullet with another bullet. That's exactly what it's like. And you better hope that they haven't developed any kind of radar jamming or countermeasures for that missile.
that's coming in down because you don't have time to shoot a second one. Your first shot has to hit. Bob, I know you guys are hosting a huge event, a big Reagan dinner coming up. And I know we have a lot of listeners in the western part of Tennessee. Give us the lowdown.
What's going on? Yeah, a quick pitch here in just here in rural Fayette County, just outside of Shelby County, Memphis. We are having our Reagan dinner, our annual fundraiser Uh we have invited Tim Burchett. who is one of only two U. S.
congressmen who voted to Make sure that the sexual indiscretions are not covered up by Congress. Uh and uh So he's going to be here, two congressmen from Tennessee anyway. And we're also having the three candidates for governor, Marsha Blackburn. Uh Monty Fritz. and John Rose.
They'll each been given some time to make a pitch and try to earn your vote. And we're going to have a great night celebrating what it means to be an American patriot. We're going to auction off some left firearms because we are Second Amendment adherents out here. And we're going to have an awesome time. I love this.
Bob, are you going to make them all sit at the same table? That would be fun. Yeah. Proximity thereof.
Okay, all right. Yeah, I take away the cutlery, but I would definitely, that would be fun to watch. Yeah, uh, we, uh, if folks are interested, if you're in West Tennessee or you're going to be in the neighborhood, northern Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, we'd love to have you come. It's uh real easy to order tickets. We're almost sold out.
which is really unusual for a Republican fundraiser. But we're almost sold out, so you need to order them quickly. It's at Fayette. T-N-G-O-P.org. That's Fayette T-N-G-O-P.org.
You can purchase your tickets online, and we would love. To see any American Patriots who want to show up and show support for our party. I love that. And you said there are going to be some guns there so people will be able to, what, is that like a raffle? Oh, Doty.
Well, you know what we're going to do is a live auction, and we have three really amazing collectible firearms you'll want to pass down to your children and great grandchildren. We have a Donald Trump AR-15. It's a copper-finished lower receiver, an upper receiver, and hand guards, and it's Glazer engraved with a number of really cool images of Donald Trump and the White House and so forth. Yeah, they 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun wrapped in the American flag that we're going to auction off. And we have a Cowboy-style 22.
Caliber Henry collectible firearms, fully operational. Libre action rifle. We're going to be all auctioning all these off Henry is engraved with Fayette County Republicans also.
So we'll have some other surprises for the night. We're trying to make it really rewarding.
So love to have folks out there on Saturday in Somerville. All right, good stuff.
Well, Bob, thank you for calling in and good luck there. Folks, that's pretty darn exciting. And again, the website address, if you'd like to get information, getting a ticket. And wow, a Trump AR-15. That sounds pretty awesome.
Go to their website. It's Fayette County. It's Fayette T-N-G-O-P.or-R-G for their big Reagan dinner. And, you know, if you guys are having a big event somewhere, you know, we're happy to let folks know about that.
So all you have to do is just give us a call. But we've got to take a break now. Hang tight. We've got Charles in North Carolina, German Shepherd on hold as well. We'll be right back.
All right, coming up tonight, 5 o'clock Eastern on the Todd Stern Show on Newsmax, Newsmax 2. You can watch us on YouTube, Facebook, and a lot of the OTT platforms. Senator Mike Rounds from South Dakota is going to join us. Also, Ben Ferguson, a host of the Ben Ferguson Show. Our good friend Matt Schlapp, who is the chairman of CPAC.
Of course, CPAC happening next week, and I'll be one of the speakers at CPAC. Looking forward to that. And we've got a right versus left panel, Ashwani Jane, the Democrat, and Gene Valentino. The Republican. That's going to be a great conversation.
Also, a live report from Tel Aviv. Our good friend John Huddy is boots on the ground there, and Alana Austin up on Capitol Hill. All right, we've got to take a quick break for your top of the hour news. When we come back, your calls, we're going to get the very latest on Capitol Hill. Folks, it's just a lot going on today.
What can I tell you? A lot going on. And don't forget, pre-order my new book, The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America. You can do that right now at Barnes Noble. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's conservative blowtorch.
That's right. I love this American Touch. Stars, oh, yeah.
Well, hello, everybody. Welcome to hour three of the big show. We have a lot going on this hour of the program, by the way. Kathy Lee Gifford. Everybody remember Kathy Lee from, wow, Regis.
And Kathy Lee, and then she was on the Today Show. And if you're old school, you remember Kathy Lee from the cruise. What was the name of the cruise ship she used to sing and dance for? Anyway, Kathy Lee Gifford is going to be joining us. She has a brand new book out, and she'll be with us tomorrow on the radio show.
Looking forward to that fun conversation. Also, a little bit later on, this hour. Guess what? We are exactly one month away. from tax deadline day, april fifteenth.
And our good friends at Strategic Financial Partners are going to be here to answer your questions about taxes.
So if you have a question, I want you to give us a call, 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. All right, two big stories happening right now simultaneously up on Capitol Hill. One is the Save Actor. We're going to get to that in just a moment.
But Rand Paul is going at it. He's really upset at Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, his confirmation hearing underway, and Rand Paul is having none of it. Let's take a listen to what happened. Yeah. Uh call me a liar.
Sir, I think there's everybody in this room knows that I'm very blunt and direct to the point, and if I have something to say, I'll say it directly to your face. If you recall, back in my house days, we actually did have this conversation because the remarks that I made. Um you were in a room. I simply addressed that I said I could understand because of the behavior you were having. I can understand why your neighbor why the neighbor did what he did.
As far as my terms, the snake in the grass, sir. I work around this room to try to fix problems. I've worked with many people in this room. Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us. I did address those remarks.
I did explain your gimmicks by the amendment you put forth. And as far as me saying that I invoke violence, I don't. I don't think anybody should be hit by surprise. I don't like that. But if I do have something to say, Everybody in this room knows, I'll come straight to you.
I'll say it publicly and I'll say it privately, but I'll never say it behind your back.
So for you to say, I'm a liar, sir. That's not accurate. And I got proof to say that because you have spent millions of dollars in my campaigns against me. Because we just don't get along.
However, sir, that doesn't keep me. At all. from doing my job. I can have difference opinions with everybody in this room, but as Secretary of Homeland, I'll be protecting everybody, including Kentucky, as much as I will my own backyard in Oklahoma. It's bigger than the partisan bickering that we have.
It's bigger than the political differences we have. The truth is, I have a job to do. And I don't like to fail at anything. At all. So I can set it aside.
If you're willing to set it aside. Let me earn your respect. All right, that was Mark Wayne Mullen.
So all of this goes back to, I mean, we're talking years ago, when Mark Wayne Mullen apparently called Rand Paul a freaking snake. And then said he completely understood why a neighbor beat up Rand Paul in his yard. Oh, that's not funny. But anyway, it's just back and forth. Apparently, Rand Paul refused to allow Senator Katie Britt of Alabama to introduce.
Senator Mullen to the committee. Regardless, I still think Mullen has the votes, but Ram Paul is going to make it extremely difficult. You see, this is I want to go back to the last hour for a quick second. That's what I was talking about: that Republicans don't know how to win The day. They don't know which, they don't know, they don't know which hill they want to die on.
That's the problem. And it's always the wrong hill. A 901-260-5926 or a number that's 901-260-5926. Let's go to the phones. Say hello to Charles in North Carolina.
Hi, Charles. What's on your mind today? Well, Todd, the save act is on my mind today. I was watching those. the debate yesterday and not surprisingly thought My home state senator Tom Tillis, who co-authored the Save Act a year ago.
was a no-show yesterday. which just goes to show you that a lot of these Republican senators that give it voice support. It's just all performative and it's not reality. Uh but that was just the ultimate uh cowardice. Uh in my opinion type.
But um What I wanted to ask you about and talk to you about is this speaking filibuster. You know, President Trump has really gone out there by saying this is the most important thing that Congress can vote on. He's not going to sign any other piece of legislation until this is passed. And it's one of those The equivalent, Todd, of what Abraham Lincoln. Did in 1865 demanding that Congress pass the 13th Amendment, you know?
Uh and I think that President Trump is going to have to go after demand passage with the same Uh, vigor that Lincoln did with the 13th Amendment.
So here's what I think he should do, Todd. I don't know if there's going to be a speaking filibuster. I would demand it. But I would just go ahead, if I were the president right now and say, until this is passed. All leads are canceled.
You're not going home for Easter. I'm calling an emergency session. You're staying in session all year. I don't care if that means you got to stay here Memorial Day, all through the summer, all through your August recess. You guys are gonna stay up here and you're gonna, and you're gonna.
Do a speaking filibuster, and this bill is going to pass. Otherwise, you're not going home.
Now what do you think would happen if he tried that posture?
Well, I think there would be chaos, but that's okay because he would be protected under the Constitution. My memory may fail here, but I think it's Article 2, Section 3 of the Constitution. The President, that gives the President the authority to convene both houses of Congress.
So he can either keep everybody in session or he could just keep the Senate in session. You know, I like that idea. The President is allowed to do that, and under really and it's under his terms. I mean, there doesn't have to be a specific reason, but he has that within his power in the executive branch. Yeah, I like that idea.
Yeah, and just demand that there's a speaking tilibuster, not the 60-vote threshold. I forgot the adjective people use. Call that one. But just demand that the Democrats get up there and Uh and and if they're gonna fill a bus till they have to speak. And even even Republicans.
I just think that would put enormous pressure on these senators. If they couldn't go home, if they couldn't raise money for their reelection campaigns, I just think that would put the fear of God in them and put a lot of fire under their feet. And I think that would be effective. I mean, I know it's kind of like a street fight, but You know, this is without the Save Act code, nothing else really matters. Because we're if without that, Republicans are going to lose elections.
And once the Democrats get power, you know what they're going to do. They've already said what they're going to do.
So this is just there's nothing more urgent in my opinion than this right here at the State Bank. Yeah. I think so. And again, going back to the talking filibuster, you still have to have, I mean, to stop the filibuster, to break the filibuster, you've got to pass a cloture motion, which would still require a 60-vote supermajority. But at the same time, it would force the Democrats, they would physically have to stand up.
There's no sitting down. They would have to stand and they would have to speak.
So the question is, are we you know, is that where Is that where we're going to go?
Well, I hope so because I mean, this is the line in the sand. This is the red line. Is the hill to dial on? I mean, you look at what they've been trying to do to President Trump and Republicans since 2016. with Russia gate, and then you had twenty twenty, all the election interference.
You had the law fair. where they try to bankrupt him, throw him in jail. Then, you know, you ha on the heels of that, you got uh twenty twenty four where he two assassination attempts I mean, it They will do anything and everything they can, the Democrats, to rig and steal an election if they will do everything that I just mentioned. And the only way to prevent them is to pass the stay-back because once they get power, They'll come back with a vengeance and they'll come after Trump and all of us, including me and you, Todd, because you've got a big platform too. Yeah, yeah.
All right, Charles, thank you for that. 901-260-5926 is our number. Let's go to German Shepherd. German Shepard, what's on your mind today? Hey, Mr.
Todd. I uh emailed Mr. Tillis yesterday and uh express to him how angry I am at him for not voting at all for the Save America Act when Here in North Carolina, we just passed the ID law to vote in North Carolina. It makes no sense. And it's ridiculous and it just comes to mind Deuteronomy twenty three, one, where it says that uh If your stones are wounded or missing, you can't be in the assembly of the Lord.
And, you know, Tom Tillis, I look forward to him leaving the Senate. Because he doesn't have a pair. You know, I'm just tired of it. Yeah, I mean, it's really unfortunate. You can tell how he crosses his legs.
I think you're right there. But, you know, Tom Tillis has exposed himself for being a Democrat, and that is just simply unacceptable. And I certainly hope, I certainly hope that Michael Watley is going to be able to have the money he needs and the support he needs to win that Senate seat. It is going to be an uphill climb for you guys there in North Carolina, German Shepherd. Yes, sir.
And I feel for you. My social media page got me in trouble at my church, and they stripped me of all my ministry there.
So I come to the conclusion through other mentors that if I can't do what God's called me to do there, we just go somewhere else and do what God called us to do. Yeah, look, I mean, I hear what you're saying. This has nothing to do with the church I go to, but I'm just talking about Christians in general. They profess Christ and then they behave like heathens. And I got a big problem with that.
But German Shepherd, hang in there, and thank you for calling in. I got to talk about James Tallarico, and I don't know what's going on with you folks in Texas here. But this guy, it's really funny. I I think the Democrats there in Texas got snookered. In all honesty, the Democrats, I'm just thinking as a Democrat here, so bear with me.
If I'm a Democrat, Jasmine Crockett is the better candidate. But they went with James Tallerico. And yeah, she's look, she's a blowhard. I get that. But James Tallarico.
This guy's dangerous. But it turns they thought that he kind of looks like oh, what's the guy in the Mad Magazine Alfred what is it, Alfred E. Newman? Is that the guy's name? The Mad Magazine guy.
So he looks like very harmless And you know, he's got the He doesn't have facial hair. I don't think he's hit hit puberty yet. He's the theologian, right? He's the preacher. And He's got all this radical nonsense about the church.
And I think a lot of evangelicals and most people in Texas are Baptist, even the Catholics are Baptist in Texas. I mean, it's that predominant of a religion. I think his theology is a big problem. But I think maybe for the average Texan, they're not into that theology stuff, so that doesn't bother them a lot. But what I'm about to play for you should bother you, Texans, because this guy apparently wants to ban brisket and barbecue.
Take a listen. We have, I think, heard more and more issues of animal welfare. I think not just because it's the right thing to do and the moral thing to do, but also it's, as all of you know, necessary to fight climate change. It is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption and that we try to respect animals in all aspects of society. And so I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign.
So we have. We are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses.
Some of you may know Big Nonas. They were Lil Nonas, and then they opened up Brick and Mortar, some of their Big Nonas. But we just got our pizza from there today. And so the point is that I think all of us, not just policymakers, but everyone, has to take personal responsibility in this effort. I'm sorry, he lost me at non-meat campaign.
What is that all about? Who, in their right mind, would think this kind of a Democrat could get elected and, of all places, Texas? Where steak is the official food. I mean, babies, they don't even do bottles in Texas. You guys just give them a what, a ribeye or a T-bone.
I think it's a T-bone, so they can teeth. I'm je I've never heard such nonsense coming out of a Texas politician, because even the Democrats, by and large, are meat eaters in Texas.
So you've got Tallarico, who, by the way, delivered this comment back in 2022 with a face diaper on. And the guy saying, yeah, we need to go vegan in the great state of. Of Texas. Of course, this is the same guy who says that God is non-binary, and putting prisoners into a jail is a form of Violence. Oh, he also said that the the birth of Christ is Is really what a metaphor for abortion, abortion rights.
Unbelievable.
So, anyway, I'm just curious, ladies and gentlemen, is that going to play here? Are you guys getting a lot of vegans moving into the Lone Star State? You know, that's how it starts, Dylan. That's how it starts. You see, the vegans move in, and then everything goes to hell in a handbasket.
Then all of a sudden, Chick-fil-A has a cauliflower chicken patty on their menu.
Son of a biscuit eater. It's that easy. That's what happened to Asheville. They started serving barbecue tofu, and you know.
Now they got drum circles and everything smells like patchouli oil. Got to take a break. We'll be right back. Yeah. All right, welcome back, everybody.
Good to have you with us. Here's Congressman Brandon Gill out of Texas. Take a listen to Cuddle Oven. Sharia law and radical Islam have no place in the United States. You know, there's a fundamental truth.
that I think we've got to recognize, which is that Not all cultures are created equal and they are not all equally compatible with America's governing framework. The reality is that Radical Islam is a political ideology. Mm. Has a very different conception of freedom of speech than we have in the United States, a very different conception of freedom of religion, of separation of Church and state or of mosque and state. Islam as a political ideology is inherently imperialistic and we see that now, unfortunately, all over the Western world.
Yeah, no doubt about that.
So well said, Congressman Gilt, and he is speaking truth. To uh His colleagues up on Capitol Hill. This story out of Arkansas, University of Arkansas, the Turning Point USA chapter there has officially broken ties with the national group and they have reorganized under a new name. They're now going to be known as Young American Revival at the University of Arkansas. The student chapter, they're posting a message on social media.
And they're saying this was the decision of the entire club. He said that Turning Point USA, the organization, had lost sight of what is truly important. They're no longer focused on the guiding North Star, which is fighting for conservative policy principles and values. They say that they've been consumed with metrics. Creating viral cultural moments and chasing relevance.
He said that TPUSA has become reactionary when, in fact, they need to be proactive.
So, TPUSA not commenting on this. Let me just say, they're not going to be the only chapter to part ways. I'll just leave it at that for right now. Got to take a break. If you've got questions about your taxes, 901-260-5926.
We'll be right back. All right.
Welcome back, everybody. Looking forward to seeing everybody at CPAC next week. I'll be speaking down there. We've got Matt Schlamp coming on the Newsmax show later this evening. A lot of you have been concerned about your taxes, and I get it.
Everybody gets all riled up and gets, what's the clinical term, puckered when it comes to tax season.
Well, fortunately, we have a solution to all of that, and we're going to be talking about taxes today. And maybe, just maybe, you have a question. I want you to go ahead and give us a call, 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. Always a pleasure every Wednesday to welcome our friends from Strategic Financial Partners, the website strategicfinancialpartners.com, Anna Martin and Chris.
Loft is joining us, guys. Always good to see you. Absolutely. So, I take it we were talking in the break here because the weather, it's like 10 degrees one day and 85 the next.
So, you're in short sleeves. Short sleeves. Probably don't want to get in the pool just yet. No, I wouldn't advise doing that. But at least it's cooler outside, is what you're saying.
Yes, yeah, it's a nice, nice, subtle breeze. And, you know, you might be able to get a little bit of a tan on for the sunshine. You know, it's that false spring, unfortunately, this wonderful Memphis weather. Yeah, my TV makeup artist gives me my tan. And the Dylan.
Supple lips.
So for the we got to stop that. Yeah, we got to. Yeah, that's that kind of creeped me out. Guys, we're talking about the tax deadline coming up April 15th.
So we're officially what today, one month out. A little bit less, actually. Yeah, yeah. We're coming up on it. Jeez, a loose.
So we're talking today about being proactive. Right, and not waiting until the last minute. And also something called Tax planning, qualified tax planning. I haven't heard of that phrase before. What is that?
You know, that's a great question. And first, let me just clarify: we're not providing tax advice today. Listeners should always consult with their qualified tax professional regarding their specific situation. But when we think about qualified, proactive tax planning, what we're really thinking about is what can we take advantage of before the tax deadline? Because there are a lot of things that we can do that could help your financial or your tax situation.
So if we're really wanting to maximize contributions into an IRA or Or any kind of other qualified plan and reduce our taxable income, this is a good opportunity to think what can I take advantage of before April 15th.
So, what are some of the moves that people can still make before the tax deadline?
So, if what we're wanting to look at is: hey, I earn a lot of money and I want to reduce my taxable income, what's a way that we could kill two birds with one stone?
Well, that could be let's, if we qualify, we should contribute to an IRA. Because for every dollar that we put into that Pre-tax IRA, we can reduce our taxable income by that amount, and it can be considered a prior year contribution.
So we're in 2026 now, but if we make this contribution before April 15th, it can be a 2025 contribution.
So what happens if somebody hasn't maxed out?
So if they haven't maxed out, then basically what they're on the hook for for paying their taxes is just that.
So what we want to look at is how can we reduce it if you're looking or you're facing a big tax obligation and you're like, how do I reduce that?
Well, it could be as simple as let's make a contribution, and if we can, let's do the maximum contribution to that qualified retirement account. On the other side, you've got the contributions to like a traditional IRA. Will that help somebody this close to tax time? Yeah, absolutely. And one of the things that I can add here, and I'll let Adam finish out that question, is this is a great time to look at your finances in review, right?
Especially if you're looking at kind of a big tax bill. And this kind of gives you an opportunity to, like Adam said, kill two birds with one stone. I actually have quite a few people who are asking, hey, since we're already meeting, can we go ahead and start planning in advance for 2026? And I was like, absolutely, we can. It actually makes great sense.
So you have a lot of people who are already looking ahead, taking advantage of their time with us and any of their tax professionals. That way they can go ahead and say, okay, we've got everything taken care of on a review mirror. Let's go ahead and put some things in place for the rest of this year so that we're not playing catch up this time next year. Yeah, Adam. Yeah.
So, you know, I think about the individual that we're discussing here.
So, you know, looking at somebody who may be 50 and older, there are things like ketchup contributions that this is a great time to be talking about that.
So they get to add $1,000 more. Into a qualified retirement plan because that is the catch-up provision.
So, this is just a time where we want people to pump the brakes a little bit, not really look at, hey, I just want to just get a tax return or get this burden off of my back. I want them to really be thinking of a strategy of how does that reduce my taxable income but also help me with my retirement savings. All right.
We've got Adam Martin and Chris Loftus with us from Strategic Financial Partners every Wednesday answering your questions. StrategicfinancialPartners.com is the website and the phone number to call in: 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. You know, Adam, a lot of small businesses, and it's not just individuals. Everybody's got to pay their taxes.
A lot of small businesses listening. What about them? Are there any planning opportunities that are still on the table for them? Absolutely. So I love working with small business owners.
And you probably either have like a solo 401k or a SEP IRA. These are particular individual vehicles that we call them specifically for those small businesses. And depending on how their business is structured, when they go to file, this is an opportunity for them to work for their CPAs and work with their CPAs and say, how do I stay compliant but maximize the opportunity? Because SEPA is a very important thing. Have higher income or contribution limits than a regular IRA does.
So, this could be a very good way for that business to lower their taxable impact because they can contribute a much higher amount. And same for the solo case, when we look at that, that's a particular investment vehicle where we can do more things like an employee contribution and an employer contribution.
So we're doubling how much we can take advantage of the tax code. You know, a mistake that I think we see a lot of, especially when it comes to small business owners around this time, is waiting until the last minute and focusing solely on minimizing taxes instead of building long-term wealth, right?
So sometimes in the rush to reduce taxes, individuals could overlook strategies that could benefit them in the long term. But if they have a structured retirement plan or risk management, that could be something beneficial to think about in the long run. You know, I know a lot of people. I found myself in this situation a few years ago. You end up owing more than you expected to owe.
What should someone like me be thinking about for maybe next year?
Well, here's what I always tell people when they get a refund. You essentially gave the government an interest-free loan, and they paid you back nothing in the way of interest.
So I want people to be thinking that if you're getting a refund, maybe you should talk to a financial advisor or a CPA and say, you know, I know that they're giving me this money back, but they didn't pay me any interest, and you could have taken the same amount and put it into an investment vehicle that gave you some interest back.
So that's just a mindset change that we really want to work with the listeners out there to be thinking about.
Well, let's talk about planning considerations for investors. What should they be thinking about right now?
So planning for investors, what they should be thinking about is can I or do I qualify to make a contribution to an IRA or is there a way that I can add this to my qualified retirement plan and reduce my taxable income?
So that's really what we want to do is to get you invested in the market with money that you might be subjected to pay taxes with, if possible. You know, any adjustments that need to be made, any investment decisions, they really need to be closely aligned with the individual's risk tolerance, right? You know, time horizon and financial objectives, I mean, these are all things that really need to be evaluated and course corrected pretty routinely instead of making it just a once a year thing. Because that way it allows you to be in the know about what your own assets are doing, right? We got to talk about charitable giving.
I've got to get this in, but I've got a funny story. There was a pastor, and I'm not sure where this happened, but a lot of people, when they're doing their income taxes, they fudge a little bit on their church giving, their tithe numbers, right?
So he made the congregation bring in their IRS documents so that he could verify. He wanted to know where the gold was. He wanted to see if it matched up. Otherwise, people were going to have to be writing checks. Divine checks and balances.
Oh, there it is. I love that. But what about charitable planning and how does that fit into, you know, again, being proactive for tax season? That's a very good question. And I do a lot of this for my clients.
So there's one thing I want to mention on qualified charitable distributions. That deadline is actually December 31st. It's not April 15th. And that is because most of the time, qualified charitable distributions are coming from required minimum distributions. You reach age 73, the government says you can no longer defer paying taxes on your qualified money, you have to take a distribution.
Well, what we see a lot is they take this distribution and then just fund the church or their charitable organization with money that they pay taxes on.
Well, here's what I want them to think about: if you don't need those dollars, you don't need your RMD and you want to tithe and you want to give it to your charity. Why don't you send them the RMD directly to the church, and it's considered a qualified charitable distribution, so there's no taxable event to you or to the charity? Oh, I like that. That's a great idea. Real quick, guys, what about What about scams?
You know, there are a lot of scammers out there, bad guys. How do we avoid all of that?
So earlier you asked about qualified tax planning, and that essentially means using strategies that are fully compliant with the IRS. We see a lot of things on social media and the Internet that Are the too good to be true? And I always want people to think if it sounds too good to be true, it generally is. Proper planning is not about align, you know, it is about aligning with regulations and documentation that's suitable for the clients in the IRS. And so that's where working with your CPA, they're going to tell you what's the IRS code and this is how you do it.
And same for the financial advisor. We're going to say this is how you stay compliant.
Well, on top of that, so Todd, I've been willing to guess that most of your listeners have probably gotten a call from somebody claiming to be the IRS. You know, I know it's happened to me. I'm sure it's happened to you. It's happened to you. The IRS, something to be important to note, they will typically only reach out to you via mail.
All right.
So that's a real easy way. They will very rarely, if ever, I do not believe I've not heard of this, call you directly by yourself. It will be in the form of some approved mail. That will be very easy to identify. And so you see a lot of people who fall victim to that mindset, especially around this time of year when you have people panicking about meeting a deadline or not.
Mm-hmm. Fair enough. Fair enough. All right, guys. A lot of great advice.
And folks, if you have further questions, I want you to go to the website, StrategicFinancialPartners.com. Get something to write down. I want you to write down phone numbers in just one second. But again, strategicfinancialpartners.com. Adam Martin, financial advisor.
Adam, how can our listeners reach you? You can give me a call at 901-260-2438. Or you can email me at adammartin at strategicfinancialpartners.com. All right.
And Chris Loftus, Financial Services Rep, how can they reach out to you, Chris? My phone number is 901-657-3324. And you can reach me at C Loftus at strategicfinancialpartners.com. All right, guys. Great to see you.
Good to see you. All right.
Hang tight, everybody. We'll be right back. Yeah. All right, welcome back everybody. This is the Todd Sterns Radio Show.
By the way, had an opportunity to speak with California Congressman Tom McClintock on Newsmax last night. Let's take a listen. Joining us now to discuss Congressman Tim McClintock, a great Republican from California. Congressman, good to see you.
So the majority leader seems to think that it is still a possibility that we could get the 60 votes in the Senate. What say you? Well, most Americans strongly support, by 80% margin, support of a voter ID. Most Democrats support it in the rank and file level.
So hopefully a few of their elected officials will feel the heat and see the light. You know, one of the things I appreciated, Senator Ted Cruz just moments ago delivering a pretty impassioned argument there in the Senate. And he said, hey, look, you know, they're calling this Jim Crow 2.0. The reality is it was the Democrats who passed Jim Crow 1.0.
Well, True. And there have been a lot of studies between states with voter ID laws and those without, and they've discovered no difference in turnout.
So there's no data to support the claim that this is voter suppression. But I think it's absolutely critical for a democracy. In every election, somebody wins and somebody loses. Democracy depends on whoever loses being able to trust that the election was a fair and accurate reflection of the will of the majority. But in recent years, many states of the woke left have torn down all of the safeguards that we built into our process.
Mail-in ballots where there's no chain of custody, counting ballots week after election day, accounting ballots in secret, ballot harvesting, turning election day into election month, incident registration, forbidding proof of identity. All of these make cheating easy, but even worse, they destroy the public's confidence in the process. And Congressman, I've got a couple of concerns, and I want to get your thoughts here on this. The first one is that I think the average Republican voter, they're watching what's happening right now in the Senate, and they see Republican lawmakers who appear to be either sabotaging or slow marching the president's agenda here. And I'm concerned that that could have blowback on the Republicans in the midterm elections.
What say you? Well, that's always been the nature of the Senate. You remember the story of George Washington explaining to Thomas Jefferson that the Senate was the saucer. In which the hot tea of the House was to be cooled.
So it's always a more restrained process, which is very frustrating when you're trying to get something done. But the founders created a process where they wanted it to be very difficult to make laws, to make decisions. They wanted these issues held up to every conceivable light. They wanted to create a consensus across the country. And that's very time-consuming and it's very frustrating when you're trying to get something done.
But it served us well over the past two and a half centuries.
Well, it has, but I know President Trump is getting frustrated. He's weighing in on a true social. Get your senators, Republican or Democrat, to vote yes on the Save America Act. I will never, ever endorse anyone who votes against Save America. Does the president, does he have a fair point here?
Oh, I believe he does. And as Everett Dirkson said, when they Feel the heat, they see the light. The more heat brought on them, the more light they're going to see.
So bring it on.
Well, as you and I are talking here, we're also watching a debate happening live on the floor of the Senate as they work through all of this. I know several House Republicans, by the way, have pledged to vote no on all Senate bills until the Save America Act is passed. Do you support that?
Well, I have a very simple policy. I vote. Yes, on all of the good bills, and I vote no on all of the bad bills, and then I go home, brush my teeth, and go to bed.
Well, you can't get much more common sense than that, can you, everybody? All right, that was Congressman McClintock from California, and we certainly appreciate his great work. Hopefully, he'll be returning to Congress. You know, he's one of those districts that got nailed by the Democrats out there, Governor Kevin Euscomb, and the Dems.
So, a lot of work today on Capitol Hill. We're still monitoring a lot of those hearings, and we'll bring you the very latest again tonight at 5 o'clock on the Todd Stern Show on Newsmax 2. Ladies and gentlemen, just a reminder: if you missed the conversation earlier in the program, we are encouraging you to pre-order my brand new book. It's called The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America. It is available for pre-order now at Barnes Noble online, also Books a Million, and of course on Amazon.
You can also pre-order your local bookstore, but we're really encouraging people to load up at Books. A million. The prices are all the same, so it's not going to matter one way or the other.
So we would love for you to get that at Books A Million. Pre-order a copy. It'll officially be in bookstores in late April, but you can pre-order right now. All right, it's been a lot of fun today. Thank you again for joining us noon to 3 Eastern right here on the Todd Starn Radio Show.
Be sure to listen to your local news radio station for breaking news. And we'll see you back here tomorrow, noon o'clock on the radio. Be good, everybody.