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G2 Smiley World, write happier. From the principal Toyota Studios, it's morning in Memphis with Todd Starns. And good morning, everybody, and hope you are ready for a very busy Friday. A lot of news happening across the Mid-South, and we're going to get to all of it. And of course, today marks the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
That is the day that Muslim terrorists waged jihad on American soil.
Something that your kids are not learning in their local public schools. We're going to get to all of that today, but a number of services and memorials happening across the Mid-South. And the most poignant one is expected to happen later today, later this morning, in just about 90 minutes at the Firefighters Museum in downtown Memphis. They're expecting hundreds of people to come out for that memorial service. It starts at 8:30.
So if you're anywhere near the downtown area or if you want to drive out to downtown to be a part of that 25th anniversary commemoration, I would Encourage you to do that. Commander Chuck will have your report on the roadways here momentarily. Also, we're going to be taking your calls. Do you remember what you were doing? Where were you during the 9-11 terrorist attacks?
Our telephone number this morning, 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. And we're going to be taking your calls this morning here on the morning show, here in the Principal Toyota Memphis studio.
Now, there was a lot of political news happening, of course, last night, the final night of the Republican National Convention, the midterm convention. And I'm just going to tell you, it was a pretty powerful experience. Two nights of powerful speeches, great messages, an enthusiastic crowd. People are fired up. But here's the problem.
Not many people were actually watching on their TVs.
So the question is: will this actually make a difference? Will this motivate people to get out and vote on Election Day? And that's the big unknown because, again, there were so many other things competing for eyeballs over the past couple of nights, including two big NFL games, that most people were not watching. And the rating numbers, ratings numbers coming out, and it was just not a good time to hold this convention. Nevertheless, there was still a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of excitement.
Now, I want to get to a story locally here that's causing. Quite a bit of controversy, and this actually involves Bartlett High School.
Now, there have been a number of schools around the nation that are teaching a skewed version or a whitewatched version of what happened on 9-11. As a matter of fact, in Fairfax County, Virginia, teachers were actually given instruction. Not to mention anything about Islam, not anything about Muslims during 9-11. As a matter of fact, they were told specifically: do not assume students' feelings. Um ignore statements rooted in bias, hate, and racism.
Center the extremist or the acts of the extremist and create an emotionally do not create an emotionally stressful learning environment for any student.
So, what Fairfax County is trying to do, and keep in mind, 25 years.
So, anybody who is, let's say, under the age of 30 really has no true concept of what happened on that day. They cannot relive the horrors of that day that all of us went through. Memphis International became one of those places where travelers were stranded, and it was just really a shocking moment for all of us. And I think every person, every adult and teenager in this country at that time, knew exactly what they were doing the moment they heard about the terrorist attacks. And people just had no idea.
We had no idea what was coming next. None whatsoever. And it was a scary time for this country.
So 25 years later, now a Muslim, a Ugandan national, is the mayor of New York City. The entire city has been overrun by foreign nationals. And the families of the 9-11 victims are so enraged that Mayor Mamdami is going to be at the event today. And not because he is a Muslim, but because he has associated himself with radical Islamists, some of whom have actually defended the 9-11 terrorist attacks. As a matter of fact, Hassan Piker, a close ally of the mayor, actually said that America deserved 9-11.
And so that's why that's and so the schools are not telling this story. And so that's why this is important. And what just happened at Bartlett High School. is a great example of that.
So yesterday, someone at Bartlett High School posted on the official page, and we we have to imagine it was some sort of a school administrator But regardless, a Bartlett High School person, whoever that person was. Posted something that was just absolutely bizarre. Instead of noting a commemoration, they were going to make today a celebration. They called it happy fourth of July. And I'm just going to read to you what they were planning to do at Bartlett High School today.
Join us as Bartlett High School celebrates Independence Day Recognition Day. What does that mean? They go on to say on September 11th, Students will take part in activities focused on the history, meaning, and impact of Independence Day. and the birth of our nation. To help celebrate, we invite all students and staff to wear red, white, and blue as we recognize the freedoms and opportunities that have shaped our country.
Let's learn, reflect, and celebrate together.
Well okay, well, first of all, there's nothing wrong with celebrating the Fourth of July. There's just one problem. There's already a holiday for that. It's called the Fourth of July. Today is really about a time of mourning and reflection.
And remembering. And that's the big thing here: is that this country has a memory problem. We forgot. We forgot what actually happened. You know, George Bush is out there doing an interview, former President Bush, and I like President Bush.
I thought he did a lot of good. I also thought he did a lot of bad. One of them getting us involved in wars we had no business getting involved in. But President Bush came out in an interview and said that they did their very best not to say anything about Islam in the aftermath of the attacks.
Well, that was a problem because the Islamists, the radical Islamists, are at war with the United States of America. To this day, by the way, to this day. And for Bartlett High School not to acknowledge that, for Fairfax County Public Schools not to acknowledge that, not only does it do a great disservice and it makes the kids more ignorant, but it also puts all of us in grave danger. And this is why you have a lot of these LGBT folks with the nose rings and the magenta hair. And they're marching in solidarity with the Palestinians.
They don't understand and they don't know that overseas they would throw those people with the magenta hair and the nose rings off of building tops. That's the reality, but nobody wants to talk about that.
So we understand that parents raised holy, you know what? I am so proud of the Bartlett community because you guys stepped up to the plate and you said, hey, wait a second, we're not doing this at Bartlett High School. We're not going to allow the radical leftist to do something like this. I don't know what was really behind this, but I have my suspicions, folks. And you would do well to make sure, ask your kid, your grandkid, if you're a teenager listening to us this morning, we'd like to know exactly how your school commemorated 9-11, the 25th anniversary.
All right, we've got a lot, a lot to talk about today. Lane Provine is going to be here. Also, we have some other special guests coming up as well, along with your calls. 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.
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Read the classics. Study the West. Hillsdale.edu slash start now. All right, welcome back, everybody. This is Morning in Memphis.
I'm Todd Starns, and we're broadcasting in the Principal Toyota Memphis studio. And by the way, big, big show happening tonight. Collierville High School, the theater department, one of the best theater departments in the country, by the way, they do some great work out there, and it's a great family-friendly show, How to Train Your Dragon. That's starting tonight, opening night at Collierville High School and their great theater program.
So, if you want to have a great you go out to eat somewhere and take the kids and have a fun night and a very inexpensive night as well.
So, good luck to the kids down there at Collierville High School. I also want to remind you about the big event happening at 8:30 this morning. This is at the Memphis Firefighter Museum. That's in downtown, and there are They're expecting several hundred people to attend the Ferry Museum of Memphis. This is the 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony.
Admission, by the way, to the museum is free today, and they're going to be serving refreshments following the service, which again starts at 8:30 this morning. Also, I want to remind you: well, as a matter of fact, if you're driving anywhere around the Tennessee Air National Guard base, you will see a lot of people running.
Well, that's because at this moment, the 9-11 Memorial 5K run is happening. This is sponsored by the 164th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard.
So be sure to look out for those folks. They have a lot of runners and walkers to honor and remember what happened on 9-11. All right, 901-260-5926. We're taking your calls as well. Where are you?
What were you doing on September 11th, 2001? We're going to be talking about that and also talking to a reporter who was the very first to announce the attacks on America. Robin Walensky joins us at 11 o'clock right here on the Mighty 990. All right. I want to move to politics here.
There is a critical. Crazy story. involving the gubernatorial race.
Now Senator Marsha Blackburn has made it official. She will not be doing any debates with any of her opponents in the general election.
So she's not going to be debating the Democrat nominee, Jerry Greene. She will not be debating anybody, including the independent candidates who are in the mix as well. And that includes David Hatley.
Now, Hatley is an independent. He has a lot of money. He is an incredibly wealthy person. businessman and entrepreneur. And what's really interesting about Mr.
Hatley is that the Blackburn campaign is very concerned about. About what he could do and the fact that he could draw Republican votes away from Blackburn. And so the Blackburn campaign has launched a website. Called deadbeatdave.com. And they're making all sorts of accusations going all the way back to the 1990s and laying out the fact that he committed criminal acts, that he was a bad guy, that he's been married and divorced several times.
I mean, laying it all out there. All of the dirt has been released by the Blackburn campaign. And they make no bones about it. As a matter of fact, the DeadbeatDave.com website, if you scroll down to the bottom, you will see that it is paid for by Marshall Blackburn's campaign.
So Hatley is coming out now, and he's responding to all of these vicious attacks coming from the Republicans, Cut 45. Hello everyone. I wanted to hop on here and address something that my opponent did in the last few days. She's now created a website that's trying to smear my reputation. I would like to say I'm surprised, but this is how politics works.
And this is why I'm in this race. She's talking about things that Ari wrote a book about. Mistakes that I made as a young kid. old tax disputes that have long been settled. She's not talking about issues for Tennesseans.
I'm out here in Greenbrier, Tennessee. I just met with people that have real problems. And they need real solutions.
So while Senator Blackburn wants to sit around and spend money, Trying to demolish me and tear my reputation down, she can't take away. From what I've done after I made that mistake, the jobs that I've created, how I've taken care of my people, my family. And now, how I have a plan to take care of Tennessee. Marcia. You've just started a fight that you better be ready for.
Let's see who the people of Tennessee choose as their next governor. Thank you. Da da da da da. It's the one and only Digo Double G. La da da da da.
You know what happened with your D R E Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, there you go.
So, the website that Marcia Blackburn created here shows Dave Hatley wearing prison garb.
So, they're all AI-generated photos and everything.
However, what is not AI-generated is the fact. That this guy has a record. He does. And by the way, David Hatley is going to be in studio with us either next week or the week after. And he's open to talking about all of this.
But there again, Marcia Blackburn is alleging that Hatley was convicted of federal bank fraud. He passed bad checks for two years, and he lied to an FBI agent. Whatever he did, if that was when he was 21 years old, he went to jail and lost his voting rights. Hatley was um he served federal prison time, was ordered to pay thirty seven thousand nine hundred and fifty eight dollars and thirteen cents in restitution. And this was back in the 1990s.
And Blackburn is saying Tennessee cannot afford a felon to run the state. She goes on to say Hantley lost his right to vote after the felony conviction, and he did not get those voting rights back. Until 2025.
So, none of this is in dispute, by the way. Everybody acknowledges. And so, the Blackburn campaign is saying we don't need a felon running the state.
So my question is, why in the world is the administration Why are or rather the Blackburn team, why are they worried about this guy? 901-260-5926. Let's go to Orange Mound this morning. Doug is on the line. Hi, Doug.
What's going on? Hey, I wanted to thank you for Um making uh Making a thing, a deal out of this 9-11 thing. There are over 3,000 A variety. citizens that have lost their lives in that event. And the tragedy that these families that had to experience the loss of a loved one.
from our country because of that event. And uh Their lives need to be memorialized and remembered. Not made fun of And Uh Basically But cheapened. Because of uh Uh People wanting to sensationalize Yeah uh or to to not offend other people. Um The truth is the Wonderful.
If Those who don't know over the last 25 years because of their age. or otherwise If they could know the Facts. of what occurred. through a venue like your venue, and I appreciate that. That you're doing that.
Um And then maybe Give a moment of silence. to remember these people. Over three thousand Americans And think of all the families. Yeah. I appreciate that because This is a big Big is it?
Doug, this was the worst attack on American soil. And this was a heinous thing. And just, you know, we cannot allow this to go and just be forgotten. And that's really what the media wants, and that's what the nation's education system wants. And that's only because the nation's education system has been co-opted by the political Islamist.
As well as the communist.
So, all right, we've got to scan out. Doug, thank you for those kind words. We would do a moment of silence, but in radio, if you have a minute of silence, bells and whistles and warnings go off.
So, we can't do that. But we are remembering today and we're taking your calls. 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. I'm Todd Starnes, and the principal told you at a Memphis studio.
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Lots of high school football games underway tonight across the Mid-South. Be sure to bring plenty of beverages with you wherever you go. It's going to be a hot one out there tonight. All right, we've got an update to a story we first told you about yesterday, and we have the actual video now at kwamradio.com. Last night, several hundred students at UT Knoxville turned out on campus to celebrate the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the one-year anniversary.
It was really despicable. As a matter of fact, this is what a little bit of the event sounded like. Take a listen. Oh, Charlie Kay, we can be the flavor.
Okay, we're done here. Yeah, we're done. We're done. Um Those are those are your your kids. being educated.
At a taxpayer-funded school.
Now, the university yesterday put out a statement condemning the planned party. They said they didn't know anything about it. That's ridiculous. They literally had a band set up and a stage set up on campus.
So I'm not sure what the university administration is trying to sell us or pull one over on us, but this is outrageous. And quite frankly, every state lawmaker needs to rise up. They need to haul the chancellor down. And we need to figure out if our tax money needs to go and needs to fund stuff like this. This is outrageous that you had students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, celebrating someone's murder.
By the way, could you imagine if that had been, I don't know, MLK and you had a bunch of white kids out there celebrating the assassination of MLK? It would be wall-to-wall national news coverage. And by the way, this was not the only school that this was happening at, but this was the one in our state that we've got to pay for. By the way, Mississippi State University, they had celebrations as well. Shame on you, folks.
Unbelievable. Your phone, you ought to be lighting up the phones at UT Knoxville today. And you also need to be calling your state representatives. That would be John Gillespie, Mark White, who is chair of the Education Committee, State Senator Brent Taylor. Give them a call.
Tell them that you don't want your tax money funding this sort of garbage. 901-260-5926. Our telephone number. Let's go to Collierville. Justin is on the line.
Justin, good morning. What's on your mind today? Hey, good morning. First off, I want to say how far and fast we have fallen since Charlie Tollykirk was martyred for his freedom of speech. But that's not why I called this morning.
But equally disturbing is today of 9-11. I was a senior in high school at Millington Central High School. I just walked into my economics class. If you can remember the big old T V s we used to hang up on the wall. I walked in and uh You know, the second tower is getting hit by a plane.
And everybody in my class started crying because if you know Millington, Tennessee, Majority of the kids there were military kids. They knew at that time. that our country Was it was at war? And then as soon as that that happened, they came over the intercom Uh, they said the base was closed, they were sending buses, none of the kids could return because at that time the bases were open, you could just drive on them.
So we were. at um high alert.
So me being motivated as I was because I seen how much, you know, those kids it emotionally affected them of how much sacrifice was gonna going to be asked out of their parents. I went to the recruiting station and I uh I joined the Marines because of that event, and the majority of the people that I went to boot camp. uh were from the east coast i was one of the very few southern boys Um, there and they were pissed off, they were mad, and these are. all kinds of different kids from New Jersey, New York. you know, Dominicans, whites, Italians, blacks.
We were all pissed off and we We made a vow that we would take vengeance on the people that did that to our country.
So I don't know where Where that's at. Like, it may have been because right after that, we did the whole invasion of Iraq, but. You know, how dare we let people you know, spit on us. You know, talk down to us. When they came over here and killed 3,000 of our own people, that was the most united moment I've ever known.
You know, a citizen of the United States. We were all united because we understood we were all Americans. Justin, it really amazes me to, and I remember those days and the number of young men who the next day, or some of them actually went that day down to the military recruiting station and they signed up to fight. They didn't even know who they were fighting. It didn't matter.
Our country had been attacked, and these young men were going to do something about it. And I, you know, it's. I don't know what happened to those days, but the idea now that you've got schools that are somehow teaching kids that America was to blame for what happened, that's outrageous. No, we weren't to blame at all, but there's a big generation that is my age. You know, they're late 30s, early 40s.
That we remember.
So eventually, that generation is set to rise up. uh and take over and put this whole America first. First, like protect our citizens. If anybody wants to do us harm, you need to get them the hell out of this country so this never happens again. I just worry.
And this isn't talked about as much as, again. Like we are still You know It's still a possibility. We could have another terrorist attack on our soul. We're not that far removed from it. We need to take all these things seriously, especially if there is a radical group within our country that wants to do us harm.
And we've invited half of the world to live here that hates our guts. You know, Justin, I've had about two dozen members of Congress on our show nationally, 11 o'clock to 2 o'clock. And 201, they tell me it's not a matter of if, but when, because, as you pointed out, our open borders, we've had some very bad people, sleeper cells, that have been able to get into the country.
So it's a very dangerous time. And you're right. I mean, this is a very real possibility, which is why we've got to make sure that we have strong borders and that if there's somebody here illegally, they need to go back to where they came from. It's really that simple for me. Justin, thank you for serving and thank you for being a great American patriot.
And we appreciate all the great work you're doing in the Mid-South as well, my friend. All right, Justin Johnson out of Collierville, Tennessee. Again, we're taking your memories to your calls, remembering back to that day when the Muslim terrorists waged jihad on American soil. 901-260-5926 is our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926.
You know, a lot of folks may not realize that Memphis International Airport, actually now Fred Smith International Airport, played a very important role in the aftermath, the immediate aftermath of the attacks. At some point, There was no way of knowing how many airplanes had been hijacked. And so the decision was made by the FAA, and this was right around, it would have been 8:42 a.m. our time. The FAA ordered every civilian aircraft in U.
S. airspace to land. And it anybody coming from overseas, they had to divert to Canada. And it was interesting because Memphis International at the time were expecting, I think, 11 flights arriving that day. More than 40 aircraft within 100 miles of Memphis landed at Memphis International Airport.
Unbelievable, the amount of traffic coming into Memphis International. And those controllers in the tower really were extraordinary heroes on that day because they had to organize a massive flow of aircraft into the airport, bringing down all sorts of jetliners.
So it's an amazing story and one that really hasn't been, you know, it's not well known the role that Memphis International played on that day. And of course, the other big story coming out of 9-11, the entire FedEx fleet was grounded. On September 11th and September 12th.
So that is, it was just one of those rare moments. 901-260-5926 is our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926. As we remember, 9-11 here in the Mid-South. We'll be right back.
All right. Welcome back, everybody, on this 25th anniversary of the Muslim terrorist attacks on America. I'm Todd Starnes. We're broadcasting in the Principal Toot of Memphis studio today. Just a reminder of the ceremony that's happening at 8:30 this morning in downtown at the Memphis Fire Museum.
They're expecting hundreds of people. I would encourage you to get there. We need to have a big crowd out there to remember and to show our support for the families of those who lost loved ones. on nine eleven, twenty five years ago. And you do wonder if there's also a role for all of us to play.
Making sure that our children and grandchildren understand what actually happened on that day. It would almost as if it would be almost like schools back in the 1940s teaching the children that America was responsible for Pearl Harbor. and not the Japanese.
So again, there is an education problem here in this country, as evidenced by whatever was going on at Bartlett High School. And we understand that the offensive post has been taken down off of social media. But for me, that's not the end of the story. We need to know who was responsible for posting that message, who was responsible for signing off on that. Was this something that was just randomly done by a teacher or an administrator?
And we need to find out if there is some sort of a radical employed in the Bartlett school system. Because clearly something's not right at Bartlett High School based on the message that was posted marking today as the 4th of July and a celebration. Come on now. 901-260-5926 is our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926.
We had the chance to sit down with Lane Provine, one of the great Republican strategists here in the Mid-South. Let's take a listen. President Trump mentioned to a very that crowd, they were fired up last night. The president mentioned Jon Thune, the Senate majority leader, and here's how the crowd responded. Fine person, too.
And John Thune is here from the Senate. Where's John? Where is John? No, no, John is working hard. He's got great opposition.
He's got great opposition from the Democrat Schumer and these guys, they're terrible. Yeah, Elaine, I don't think they were trying to buy what the President was selling last night. But I do think that the response to that name is one of the reasons they're holding this convention because the base needs to be rallied right now. They're a little frustrated and a little upset. I think that's absolutely the case.
You know, Senate majority leader is a challenging job. We've all heard that it's like herding cats. And I think that's really true. Whoever the Senate majority leader is, is typically not going to be particularly popular with the public. But obviously, he doesn't run in a nationwide election.
He runs in one state. And as long as he's popular in that state, then he's likely to get re-elected. But it is a very difficult job in Senator Thune's defense. Lane, it's unusual to hold a midterm convention like this. What do you think the strategy behind it is, and do you think it's going to work?
You know, I think the strategy is twofold. I think, first of all, it's to define some of these Democrat candidates, like Tall Rico in Texas, Al Syed in Michigan, maybe to a lesser extent in Nixon in Florida. Those of us here in Tennessee, you know, you kind of look like at a Justin Pearson running for the House. I think that is much of the reason behind the convention: to define these far-left Democrat candidates so that the voters have a better idea of who these people really are rather than who they want to package themselves to the voters, try to sell themselves as moderates. I think much of the goal of this convention is to define them as people who are captive of the far left.
It's also designed to motivate Republican voters to boost Republican turnout.
So, both to define the Democrats being further to the left than their rhetoric and to energize Republicans and thus boost Republican turnout. We heard the president talk a lot about the Fact, he's not on the ballot, but encouraging his voters to vote as if he was on the ballot. And that is much of the objective of the convention: to generate interest and to boost Republican turnout. How do you think they've done thus far?
So far, so good. You know, it's a unique idea. I don't believe Republicans have ever had a midterm convention. And I think the last time the Democrats did, you and I were kids in the 1970s. And so it's unusual, but I think it fits Donald Trump's style.
He likes the rally. He likes the big crowd. He likes to share his mind with those folks. And so I think this is very fitting. And the timing is good.
Eight weeks before the election, a good opportunity to try to generate turnout, generate interest, and motivate Republicans who haven't been particularly motivated so far in the spring and the summer of this year. I know that the state of Tennessee is front and center, of course, redistricting, and there's a chance for the Republicans to pick up a new seat. That would be out of the old 9th congressional district, where Steve Cohen was the outgoing congressman there. There's some polling. Data that came out of Elaine.
One of the rules of thumbs when I talk about polling, I always find out: okay, does this polling company skew to the right or to the left? And this is a left-wing polling company, a heart research. And they have the race with Brent Taylor and Justin Pearson. They have Senator Taylor at a four-point lead there. Just curious to hear your thoughts on that.
And again, I think Senator Taylor is going to do very, very well on Election Day. But your thoughts thus far in the race? I don't think the race is that competitive. I think it is somewhat competitive, probably more competitive because we're in a presidential midterm. We have challenges of inflation and the conflict in Iran.
Not only is it presidential midterm, but it's midterm of the president's second election.
So, for Republicans, many of these races are going to be closer than they normally would be. But I don't buy that that's a four-point race. I think it's two or three times that much of a margin in that race. And I think that's what you're going to see out of a lot of the Democrat polls that are going to try to make races appear more competitive than they are, or perhaps a race where the Democrats are leading that may try to make people think that the race is not competitive, that the Democrat has an insurmountable lead. And I don't buy that.
Well, I love the messaging that Speaker Johnson spoke about in the last hour, where he said that we really do need to be concerned about the rise of communism in this country. And it was very evident that this is happening right here in the 9th congressional district in Tennessee, where you had Justin Pearson leading a rally of about 1,000 people with AOC, members of the squad. The pastor got up and said that Jesus was a socialist, and all of us ought to be socialists, too. That is dangerous rhetoric out there. And the idea that even in Tennessee, Red Tennessee, you've got that kind of ideology.
That ought to light a fire under the voters here. Absolutely. And we're seeing it all over the country. We're seeing it in red states, pink states, and blue states and purple states. You're seeing it literally everywhere, whether it's Tal Rico in Texas, who's tried to walk back some of his past comments here in the last day or so, comments he made over the last few months or years.
He's tried to walk those back. We're seeing that across the country. Democrats who are to the left or perhaps way to the left who are playing like they're moderates now. I don't know that that will work. It may work in some places, but I think in red districts, I think the voters will come home as we get closer to the election.
That again, Lane Provine, and you can listen to the entire interview at kwamradio.com. We're going to have to leave it there, ladies and gentlemen. 11 o'clock, the Todd Stern Show. Remembering September 11th. Have a great morning.
