Send the Right Message

My dough never sees a freezer. Fay Hollis makes the biscuits at Hardee's. I'm up at 5 a.m. every day making biscuits from scratch. Easy there, biscuit lady.

Aught to create the Hardee's two for five dollar breakfast menu. Try the new Oscar Mayer Bologna Biscuit, Sausage and Egg Biscuit, Smoked Sausage Biscuit, Biscuit and Gravy, or a cinnamon roll. The two for five dollar breakfast for a limited time only at participating Hardee's. I got up early. The least you.

Can do is show up hungry. From Memphis, Tennessee, on the banks of the mighty Mississippi, it's America's conservative blowtorch. That's us. That's right. I love this American.

Round starts, oh yeah! Hello, fellow Patriots. Jeff Stein, blessed to be filling in for Mister. Starns today. He continues his tremendous trip to California, taking the place by storm.

We'll tell you a little more about that a little later on. My privilege to be speaking to you from the heartland, my home base in Iowa. KXEL Radio, Iowa's home to the Todd Starn Show. Thanks so much for joining us from the Liberty University studio. Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six is how you can join the coast to coast conversation on this open line Friday.

We have a lot to get to, and I want to go right to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Iowa is a spotlighted state. If the Republicans want to hold on to majority. In Congress, and one of the open seats that folks are looking at is in Northeast Iowa. It is the second district, and joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line is the Republican candidate for U.S.

House in that district. He's Joe Mitchell. JoeMitchell dot com is the website. Mister Mitchell, thanks so much for joining us. How are you, Jeff?

Good to be on this morning. How are you? I'm quite well, but I didn't have to do a debate last night on television. You did, and we should point out to folks this is an open seat because the incumbent Republican is seeking the U.S. Senate.

You've got a voter registration advantage: Republicans over Independents over Democrats. You've got a Libertarian, a Democrat, a Republican, and an Independent four on the ballot. You and the Democrat debated last night. How was that for you? It was.

I could have debated three more hours, Jeff. I was having a good time by the end, and we'll have another debate next week, actually. But it was an hour long. KGAN out of Cedar Rapids, the CBS affiliate. They're the ones that hosted it.

They did a nice job. They were very fair. You know, we got over a lot of topics: agriculture, tariffs, immigration, the economy.

So I thought it went good. You know, we we tweeted out and posted probably twenty different clips from the debate, and so we were you know clipping stuff nonstop, sending it out. And our opponent did, I think, one clip, her answering the Iran War question.

So I think that tells you maybe who won the debate. You know. If you go to Twitter X and you can follow Joe Mitchell Iowa, that's where you find this stuff. Joe Mitchell dot com is his website. I know that you brought up a few things that your opponent, the Democrat, did not have an answer for.

In particular, showing up for work. Yeah, that was crazy. And you know, Ray, who was one of the moderators, Ray Bacari with KGAN, he had to ask her three times. And she had the same canned answer every time, avoiding the question, talking about this word salad of you know she's there for her community and her neighbors. And he had asked her three separate times, point blank.

But Lindsay, did you miss over half of your votes in the legislature? And she would not answer it. And that's where I said she did, in fact, miss over fifty percent of her votes. And now she's asking the voters of this district to give her a job promotion and a pay raise when she can't show up to the job that she's elected for right now. And I said, imagine anybody listening—if you did not show up to your job over half the time, you would be fired on the spot.

And I said, we must fire Lindsey James come November third. And I mean, I think she wasn't very happy after I said that. But it's true. It's like. It's ridiculous for these people, whether it be her or Josh Turek or anybody else in the legislature.

They can't show up for the job they're currently elected for, and they think they're going to then, you know, get a job promotion and go to D.C. and you know get this huge pay raise. It's absolutely absurd. That's what they think. But that's a lot of these candidates on the Democrat side of the aisle now is they're totally out of touch with everyday Iowa.

Joe Mitchell is our guest. He's the Republican running for Congress from Northeast Iowa. JoeMitchell dot com. If you like what you hear, there is a nice subtle donate button to help get him across the finish line. He's joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line on the Todd Starnes program.

That debate you referenced was put on by our friends at the Sinclair Broadcast Group, their local affiliates in Cedar Rapids. You served in the state legislature. I'm gonna take a wild stab that your attendance rate, your voting record, was better than your opponent.

Well, you know, Jeff. To be honest, I thought I had missed maybe two or three votes. You know, I knew I, I didn't think I had made a hundred percent of the votes, and and I probably shouldn't admit that on this on this broadcast. But one of my supporters the other day, they said they looked it up and it said I had a hundred percent voting record. I guess.

But I said that's pretty good, you know. I thought it was ninety nine percent, and they said it was a hundred percent.

So, but either way, it's like I showed up to work each and every day unless there was an absolute emergency, and these people couldn't show up to work over half the time. But the interesting thing is, Jeff, I don't know what's more concerning: the votes that they missed, or the things that they were actually voting for when they were there, because when they were there. Like Lindsey James, she was voting to give illegal immigrants state-funded Medicaid benefits, food stamps, housing assistance. She was voting to allow kids to have sex changes. She was voting for higher taxes.

She voted against almost every single bill to cut taxes when I was in the legislature, whether it was property tax or income tax.

So, I mean, her position on issues are totally out of line with Iowans. And you know we say she's from Portland, Oregon, and I say I don't hold that against her. We don't hold where you're born against you, but she brought her values from Portland, Oregon, to Iowa. That's what we hold against her, and so that's where she's voting for these out-of-control immigration policies. She's soft on crime.

She wants high taxes. I mean, the list goes on and on and on. And this is what Iowans are going to reject come November 3rd. Joe Mitchell, Republican, running for Congress from Northeast Iowa. It is the seat currently held by Ashley Hinson, who's running for the U.S.

Senate. JoeMitchell dot com is the website, and if folks want to learn a little more, you were kind enough to come on my television program. All four candidates in this race were. Folks can see that at IowaTalkingPoints dot com, but. You've built things, not just your own business.

You're a home builder by trade. You're not a career politician, as I understand it, right?

So, you know, I've had a business for the last six years, Jeff. I've been building developments, primarily workforce housing developments around Eastern Iowa.

So I've built stuff in Dyersville, in Clear Lake, in Grinnell. And I build typically duplexes or or townhomes, and they're typically for seniors, for working families. I live in one of my duplexes that I built, and to live amongst you know all the folks that I built houses for, and these are people that are veterans. These are working people. These are you know really just tough Iowans that I love.

And that they're the same people I grew up with because I grew up in small town Iowa, and I still live in small town Iowa. And you know what I noticed a number of years ago is that we don't have the appropriate amount of housing, the quality of housing that we deserve in rural America and rural Iowa. And so that's where I set out to put together sort of a partnership and an investment group to go out and invest. Tens of millions of dollars in rural Iowa, and that's where I've done, and that's where we've built these homes, and it's just been a blessing to be able to, you know, put a roof above people's heads. You know, one of my neighbors, Dick, you know, he's a Vietnam War veteran, and he's an awesome guy, and he couldn't find a zero rent free two bedroom.

Condo anywhere in Clear Lake, and we built these new units. And he moved in probably six months ago, and he talks to me every day about the blessing it is to have something that he could downsize to. It doesn't have stairs. There's nothing else like that in town that he could he could rent.

So, you know, the VA helps him with his housing and everything. And so, you know, these are the stories I get to hear, and I get to work with my contractors. And you, these guys are some of the best people. They're so hardworking, and they get things done, and they have pride in their work. And I just love going through the process to get these things done.

We want progress. And that's what frustrates me about government. It's what frustrates me about Washington. Is they want to stop progress. Every single place you go, whether that be the state government, whether it be the federal government, it seems like they're putting up more hoops to jump through.

And I think we actually need to make it easier to do business, to build things. We need less bureaucrats. Think we need to fire several million more bureaucrats in D.C. that exist there, and that's what I did. I worked for the president, as you know, last year, and I fired a lot of bureaucrats because we have too many of them on the government, you know, payroll, taking your taxpayer dollars, and so we need people that want to get things done.

I don't think you understand how this works. Isn't government supposed to do all of this and do bailouts for people? You're talking about having the private sector see a need and fill it. I didn't think that's how it worked, Mr. Mitchell.

Right.

Well, and that's where my opponent thinks. And if you listen to the debate yesterday, this is somebody who every single answer it was about spending more money. It was about spending more of your money. It was about spending money that we don't have as a country. You know, even if you seize every single asset from every single billionaire in this country, you could not pay for the programs that my opponent is talking about.

And so that is the answer to all these radical left Democrats and what they want to do. They want to seize assets. They want to have higher taxes. They want new programs. And they don't understand how to balance a checkbook, and they don't understand what it means to run a business.

They certainly don't know how to run government because we had just fifteen years ago, before Governor Branstad came back to save the state from the deficit crisis we were in, we had a Democrat-controlled trifecta that ran this state into the ground thanks to Check Bulber. And so, this is the type of governing they want to bring back again. And I tell people this: you know, it wasn't twenty years ago that these people were in charge. It was less than two years ago on the federal level that they were in charge. And you saw what they did.

They spent like drunken sailors. They had more regulation than ever before. You know, they made it hard to do business. They made it hard for workers. I mean, life was tough between 2021 and 2025, and you know, thank God the president came in and they passed the Working Families Tax Cut.

No tax on Social Security, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and so we're letting people have more of their hard-earned money. And I always say the solution is never more government. It's actually less government. Let's get government out of your life. Thirty-two days until election day.

Joe Mitchell, the Republican running for Congress, open seat, Northeast Iowa. JoeMitchell dot com on the Twitter X machine, where they've clipped some of that debate from last night. Joe Mitchell, Iowa is the handle on Twitter X. Mr. Mitchell, thanks so much for taking the time.

Continued success on the campaign trail, and thanks for joining us on the national show on this Friday. Thank you, Jeff. Take care. And Joe Mitchell joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Mr.

Mitchell running for Congress, JoeMitchell dot com. I have a story to tell you about Mr. Mitchell and his background. We'll do it after this break. Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six is how you can join the coast to coast conversation from the Liberty University studio.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on this edition of the Todd Stern Show. My dough never sees a freezer. Fay Hollis makes the biscuits at Hardee's. I'm up at 5 a.m.

every day making biscuits from scratch. Easy there, biscuit lady. Aught to create the Hardee's two for five dollar breakfast menu. Try the new Oscar Mayer Bologna Biscuit, sausage and egg biscuit, smoked sausage biscuit, biscuit and gravy, or a cinnamon roll. The two for five dollar breakfast for a limited time only at participating Hardee's.

I got up early. The least you. Can do is show up hungry. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio in the Todd Starn Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on this open line Friday nine zero one two six zero five nine two six.

If you would like to weigh in, coming up just after the bottom of the hour, we'll speak with the best-selling author Joshua Lysek, Mister Lysek, along with Jenica Pounds. They are the authors of a forthcoming book called Unelected. How you paid a sinister elite to take over America. This is fascinating stuff. He joined me on my Iowa program earlier this week, and when I got the opportunity to speak to you all coast to coast through Todd's microphone, I thought this is a conversation we need to share with you all nationally, and we'll do it after the bottom of the hour.

Joe Mitchell was our guest in the first part of this hour, and Mr. Mitchell had a mentor, as he was a young state lawmaker. He was elected, I think, at age twenty, twenty-one, something like that. And he went to an event in Iowa, where Charlie Kirk was the speaker. They wound up meeting afterwards and struck up a friendship.

That led to Mr. Mitchell being involved with PPUSA at events around the country. Mr. Mitchell announced that he was going to run for Congress on September 8th of last year. The last person who reviewed his press release before it went out was Charlie Kirk.

That's how closely involved Mr. Kirk was in Mr. Mitchell's career. Obviously, two days after Joe Mitchell announced for Congress, Charlie Kirk was murdered. TP Action, Turning Point Action, endorsed him in December of last year.

There was a primary; he was victorious, and he is now in the general election against a Democrat, a Libertarian, and an Independent. This is a key seat because it's held by a Republican, open seat. They've got the voter registration advantage in the district. The Democrats fall far behind. But one of the things in my home state of Iowa, and I talked to Todd on the national show about this last week, we have a lot of non-affiliated voters, independents.

By voter registration, that makes it much harder to predict.

So you can look on paper and say, "Well, you've got a great voter registration advantage. This looks pretty good." Well, as they say, they don't play the game on paper.

So, if you are interested in any of these key races nationally, and you have the means to make phone calls, get friends in the area to turn out, yes, monetary donations. This people say to me all the time, "What can I do?" Well, that's something you can do. You may not have the financial wherewithal to do it, and that's fine. But maybe you know somebody who lives in the area and is thinking of sitting on their hands. The election is too important for sitting on your hands.

They all are, but look at the razor-thin margins, and look what will happen if the Democrats get a majority in either or, heaven forbid, both chambers.

So this is the time, thirty two days away. It is not an overstatement. And if you have a copy of the Golden Age: How Trump Saved America, the great book by Todd Starnes, the current book that's out, you get it wherever you get your good books these days. Toddstarnes dot com, Amazon dot com, Barnes and Noble. And I went through it when I got my copy.

And you know, I hit the high points, and then I sat down when I had some time, and just poured over it, cover to cover. There are so many great examples in that book. It's hard to remember all the things that were bad in the Biden era, and hard to keep track of all of the advancements made in less than two years of Trump 2.0.

So first, go get another copy of Todd's book, The Golden Age. Share it with friends. It's a reminder because we're all busy, and as some of us get older, we don't remember things as well as we used to. But as Mr. Mitchell pointed out, it's only been two years since Democrats held forth in Washington, and look at what a difference.

I mean, we've had a lot of rainy weather here in the Midwest where I live, but today the sun came out. You can just tell everybody's mood is better. You could just tell once that 2024 election was over. Hey, it's not so bad. We might get through this.

Well, let's not take a step back on November 3rd. Do your part. Joshua Lysik, co-author of Unelected, he'll join us after this bottom of the hour break. Jeff Stein in for Todd from the Liberty University studio on the Todd Stern Show. My dough never sees a freezer.

Fay Hollis makes the biscuits at Hardee's. I'm up at 5 a.m. every day making biscuits from scratch. Easy there, biscuit lady. Aught to create the Hardee's two for five dollar breakfast menu.

Try the new Oscar Mayer Bologna biscuit, sausage and egg biscuit, smoked sausage biscuit, biscuit and gravy, or a cinnamon roll. The two for five dollar breakfast for a limited time only. At participating hardies, I got up early. The least you can do is show up hungry. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and the Todd Starn Show.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six is how you can join this coast to coast conversation on an open line Friday. We'll take your calls in the next segment, but let's go now to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line, and I'm pleased to welcome the New York Times best-selling author Joshua Lysek, Mr. Lysek. Is author with Jenica Pounds of a forthcoming book.

It will be released October twentieth. You can pre-order it now at Amazon or wherever you get your good books these days. The book is entitled Un-Elected: How You Paid a Sinister Elite to Take Over America. Mr. Lysik, Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on the national show.

How are you today? I'm well. Thanks for having me on. Tell us about the relationship with the co-author Jenica Pounds. There are folks who know your name from the past books you've written.

They may know her name from a different context, though. Yes, Jenica Bounds is better known. My co-author, she is she's better known as Data Republican at Data Republican or Data Republican dot com. That's where she's she's most popular these these days. She's one of the she's one of the people who collaborated with with Elon Musk and others on the Doge project, the Department of Government Efficiency, and it was through that that it was found that.

Literally trillions of U.S. taxpayer dollars were being handed over via blank checks for the administrative state, together with various foundations, nonprofits, NGOs, charities, an institution set that we call the NGO administrative complex. Doj was the organization that found it was primarily the U.S. Treasury. To and through U.S.

AID, U.S. aid that so much U.S. taxpayer money was being gifted to our enemies, or at the very least to anti-American activities. Rather, rather depressing. But we, of course, are relieved that we found it.

But it was because of so much of this of these findings that Jenica and others associated with Doj were, of course, harassed. All manner of catastrophes and the personal life crises that they that they face by finding this out, you know, they call it being over the target, right? Yeah, absolutely. When they when they start firing at you, then you know that you're onto something here. You know, a fundamental question.

How did it get so bad? And I suppose the answer is well, slowly, then all of a sudden. But this this was not of short term duration.

Some of these folks were playing a long game, were they not, sir? That's right. In fact, the book Unelected, although it may sound like it's current events, it's actually also historical nonfiction because we go back. Almost four hundred years in the classical liberal story, this idea, as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal," sounds kind of nice, right?

Well, take that to its logical end. If all men are created equal, well, then all people and all citizens are created equal. And so now, our administrative elite, our cosmopolitan elite, who deem themselves, of course, bastions and protectors of democracy, women's rights, minority rights, etc., etc., they think of themselves as global citizens, and therefore, because all men are created equal, all citizenships are also created equal.

So even if you are an American. There's no difference between an American and, let's say, a Haitian or a Somali, and if you look at it through the lens of social justice theory, well, the the the white working class Trump voters of Springfield, Ohio, well, who has it worse off, the white Springfield residents or black Haitians?

Well, obviously, we need cultural reparations.

So we need to ship as many thousands of Haitians as possible into Ohio to extract handouts, give me stimies and freebies. That's only fair. That the Springfield residents, the white Springfield citizens, that they pay for it, that they suffer. See, it's a, it's sort of a generational justice. You see, civil justice, global justice.

This is how the NGO, this sort of complex thing. That's why there is so much fraud in the smaller communities of Columbus, Ohio. You can tell I live in Ohio, as well as the Twin Cities area region of Minnesota that Nick Shirley and others have pointed out. And it's simply deemed racist if you if you if you investigate these matters and find that such and such leering center, you know, the typographical error learning center, the leering center is not in fact educating kids.

Well, that's how racist of you to think that a black Somali would be committing a crime. And then we're like, well, well, well. Obviously, this is fraud.

Well, you only say that because you're racist. You see that now.

So you're now stuck in a cycle. No matter what you say or do to defend yourself, you will be deemed racist by our cosmopolitan betters. This is one of many, many myriad things that we found, and it's ultimately late stage in light secular enlightenment liberalism that brought us here. Unelected is the forthcoming book. Jenica Pounds and our guest Joshua Lysek are the co-authors.

Unelected: How You Paid a Sinister Elite to Take Over America. He's kind enough to join us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line on the Todd Stern Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Well, that's fine to say all men are created equal, but the way that I learned it in law school is we're talking about equality of opportunity. Not equality of outcome, and they kind of just blur right over that, don't they?

That's right. Yes, and and part of the sinister components to this is with the great society welfare programs of Johnson and afterwards, the Democratic Party realized they can create a permanent minority voting bloc amongst African Americans where. Depending on the election, they can get between eighty-five and ninety percent of Black Americans in given area to vote Democrat, and they realize it's a lot easier to perpetually make and not fulfill promises politically to minority groups, and so it's a lot easier. To do that than to fulfill your promises to larger populations, like let's say the Union American working class, blue collar, gray collar Americans that have historically been the so-called blue dog Democrats. Those might be you know the sort of people that JD Vance, our vice president, hails from initially.

But it's a lot easier to import. Non-white population blocks from Central America, South America, East Africa, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and so on, and make them all myriad of promises that you gain access to when you become an American citizen. You when you become a voter, and birthright citizenship, citizenship of course, is essential to this this population erasure project, this population replacement initiative. And of course, if you complain, well, obviously conspiracy theories. And then when you present evidence that it is in fact happening and that we're paying for it, well, now you're now it's still a conspiracy theory because you're saying it's a bad thing.

So no matter what you do, you're on the losing side of the of the of the rhetoric of our elites. It's a rather troubling situation, but we do everything that we can in 472 pages. I have a hardcover book to expose all the networks. We we we give you all the names. We name, we blame, and we shame.

The only problem is I don't think these people have any shame. But that's that's a whole different point. This is the key first part, is it not, Mister Lysik? You you identify it and. Put the the light of day on it so that people can respond.

What's a reader to do after they get their hands on this book later this month and they get this information? What can they do? Because it didn't get here overnight, as noted. And you have motivated people who want the status quo to continue. What's the listener to this conversation to do when they are finally armed with this information?

We lay out quite a few things practically that we, as individuals, can do, as communities, as as as as as the culture, and even as a nation, that we can do to fix this problem. And the simplest, the most simple thing that any one person can do is to withdraw your consent whenever you possibly can. Just simply say no. No, this is not okay that you do that to my community. No, it's not okay that this happened here.

No, it's not okay that you require me to say this to do this. No, it's not okay. No, I'm not going to. No, no, no, no. No is the most empowering word in English language, and for far too long, Americans have wanted to be, you know, a nice person, go along to get along.

Kumbaya. But understand what time it is. You know, the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible regularly says what that there is a time for everything, a time given for everything under the sun. Right.

Well, now it's time for Americans. Each of us to say no. And that's so hard to do because, again, it is colored in this language. Not just the part where they blame you or they tag you as a racist, but I'm talking about, well, why wouldn't you want to help your fellow man? You know, we are the world.

All of these platitudes, all of this squishy stuff, that when you don't have substance attached to it. It sounds okay. How could you possibly be against you know sunshine and nice weather? The reality is, however, that that's that's just a mask. That's just a pleasant looking facade, and the real evil is behind it.

And that's why it's going to take a while to recover because we've been so used to just kind of going along and and being in your case, in my case, midwestern nice. That's right. Yes, and the the good news, and and I and my my coauthors and other projects and other people that we've we've been spoken with this about, and I also I've mentioned the Haitian community of America migrated here several times. I have a book also on the Haitian migration situation, Springfield, better known as the eating the cat, eating the dog, eating the fat. Do you remember that story?

Yes, sir.

Well, what what I had I I've had this conversation many. Time with Springfield residents who who share exactly that concern of well we're we're actually not a racist community we're a welcoming community but we've been taken extreme advantage of and what I've told them in person is as follows no is a complete sentence you do not have to explain yourself you do not have to prostrate yourself you do not have to say no but I promise you I'm not racist no I am an in good excuse but no no is a complete sentence. You do not need any reason to want your community to stay. Your your community. I grew up with visions of a Norman Rockwell heritage America, and as I look out across my state, Ohio, across my region, the Midwest, and the nation, I see that being fast taken from us, and we are paying for it, like Jenica and I have documented.

I just love that. No is a complete sentence. I don't have children, but I think I would use that in parenting. We need to we need to treat the liberal elite like they are children and just say no, no, we're not doing that. No, period.

Well, they are whining an awful lot. Joshua Isaac is the author of Unelected. Only got a couple of more minutes. Give us a sense of as you marshaled this evidence with Jenica Pounds, the co-author. What jumped out?

Where you kind of, even after everything you'd seen, you kind of sat back and said, "Wow, that's new," or that surprises me. Yes.

So the one of the most interesting aspects of this is. During the Cold War period, and then following that, the War on Terror period, and then the Arab Spring—kind of those three distinct periods of American foreign policy—the NGO administrative complex, so the so-called deep state, we also know it, or perhaps the swamp—it has been around for more than sixty years. In some cases, approximately seventy-five years. This organization has been active to run color revolutions. Cultural revolutions in other countries to destabilize them due to Soviet or radical Islamic political ambition and influence, but following the election of President Donald J.

Trump, the color revolution apparatus of the military-industrial complex has been turned on its own people, us. We, the people, we are now the targets of the same color revolution. We spent three chapters documenting just this one aspect of this. The same organizations that have toppled governments overseas have now turned against our own. Wow, that is scary stuff.

But it is all documented in the forthcoming book, Unelected. Jenica Pounds and our guest Joshua Lysik, the authors, Unelected: How You Paid a Sinister Elite to Take Over America. This is fascinating work. Thank you so much for putting it together, and thank you for sharing it with us on the program today. My pleasure.

It's very important. And remember, folks, no is a complete. I'm going to cross stitch that and put it on the wall here at the radio station. Thank you, sir. Mr.

Lysick joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Pre-order Unelected now at Amazon, and while you're there, you want something to read that could be delivered as quickly as tomorrow? How about the Golden Age? How Trump Saved America by Todd Starnes. You already got a copy.

Get a second for a friend. The Golden Age, and it's at Amazon or wherever you get your good books. Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. Your calls when we come back from the Liberty University studio. Jeff Stein in for Todd on the Todd Starn Show.

My dough never sees a freezer. Fay Hollis makes the biscuits at Hardee's. I'm up at 5 a.m. every day making biscuits from scratch. Easy there, biscuit lady.

Aught to create the Hardee's two for five dollar breakfast menu. Try the new Oscar Mayer Bologna Biscuit, sausage and egg biscuit, smoked sausage biscuit, biscuit and gravy, or a cinnamon roll. The two for five dollar breakfast for a limited time only at participating Hardee's. I got up early. The least you.

Can do is show up hungry. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and an open line Friday edition of the Todd Starnes Radio Program. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Same number as always. If you want to join this coast to coast conversation, nine zero one two six zero five nine two six.

Coming up in our next hour, urge you to stay around. A couple of very good guests: the great Brad Meltzer, Emmy-nominated presenter on television, best-selling author.

Now you may know of his books, both fiction and nonfiction for adults, but he is also the driving force behind a series for. The small ones called ordinary people change the world, and the fortieth book, the fortieth biography in that New York Times best-selling picture book series, has just come out. It's called "We Are the Wright Brothers," and there are some fun things associated with this project that Brad Meltzer will share with us when he joins us just after the top of the hour. And we're hearing all about affordability and the economy is. Weak and all of this—the talking points of those on the left—is it?

Or is this just political spin? We'll find out when the great economist Phil Kurpin of American Commitment joins us. That's at the bottom of the next hour, and in and around all of that, we'll take your calls at nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. We've talked about Todd's book, The Golden Age, and while he was out in California, if you follow him on the socials, on the social media, you'd see some of these photos. He recorded a program.

For C-SPAN Two and their Book TV channel, you know, like on the weekends, they run all these really informative, extended conversations with authors, and he just recorded one. While he was out in California, so that'll be showing up on the channels sooner than later.

So again, get your copy of the Golden Age so that you can read it in advance, and then when you hear that conversation that was recorded out there at the college in California, when you see that on see span two or the deuce as we call it in the house, then you'll know even more about it. But that's really cool to have. Those are great conversations if it's a topic that is worthwhile to you. One of the things that was released today was the the federal jobs report. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts this out, and they say, "Oh, it fell very short of expectations, etc." And we only got—I don't know—twenty-nine thousand jobs.

And the the people who supposedly know all about this thought it should be much more. Here's the thing: I really want people to focus on the number of government jobs. In other words, the jobs you're paying salaries for across the country. Dropped by seventeen thousand last month alone. I'll say that again: the number of government jobs dropped by seventeen thousand.

So when you hear that the jobs report came out and oh, we only got twenty nine thousand new jobs, factor in how many jobs were lost because of. Economics at the government level actually trying to save you money. It really means that the economy, the private sector, grew by forty-six thousand jobs. That's where you want the job growth is in the private sector, not in government.

Well, there's some across the aisle who would disagree, but ah, well, you're not one of them, are you? Hour one in the books. Come back for hour two. Jeff Stein in for Todd. This is the Todd Starn Show.

From Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's favorite gun-toting, Bible-clinging, deplorable American. That's us. That's right. Our love is the. Hello, fellow Patriots.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on this Open Line Friday from the Liberty University studio at my home base at News Talk fifteen forty KXCL in the Heartland of Iowa. Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six is how you can join this coast to coast conversation on an Open Line Friday, and we'll take your calls in the next. Segment Todd continues his work out in California promoting his book The Golden Age. He'll be back with you behind this microphone on Tuesday. My privilege to be here today and Monday, and a real pleasure to welcome on the Patriot Newsmaker line to start this hour, the best-selling author, Emmy-nominated television producer and host Brad Meltzer.

You can learn all about his fiction and nonfiction books at Brad M. Meltzer dot com, but I want you to make a note now about this other website because this is our focus today. OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld dot com. Mr. Meltzer, good to talk to you again.

Jeff Stein in for Todd from Iowa. How are you? I'm good, Jeff. Always good to be back and hear your voice. It is a privilege to speak to you, and as I think you know, and this audience knows, I am a big history buff.

I've been fortunate enough to have written some books on history. It is not easy work. And I don't have children, so I don't know how to relate to the little ones. But you have a real gift of being able to speak not only to those of us of a more senior status with history, but this ordinary people changed the World Series. Tell us about that and how the idea came to be.

Yeah, well, you know, a lot of people know me from my History Channel TV show, Dakota, that we used to do, and and I love teaching history to adults. But then I had kids. And I basically was like, I want to give my kids better heroes to look up to—great American heroes like Abraham Lincoln.

So we did, I am Abraham Lincoln. We did, I am Amelia Earhart. I am George Washington, and I am Rosa Parks. And we've been for the past decade plus helping people build this library of real heroes. And we've now been at it so long.

We're on our 40th book in the series to teach kids. You know, I don't want my kids looking up to millionaire, overpaid athletes. I don't want them looking at people with a million followers on Instagram doing their makeup. Like that's nonsense to me. That's fame, and being famous is very different than being a hero.

And so I started writing these books to give my kids lessons of kindness and compassion and perseverance and hard work and humility and dignity, and. What I love is that we're now on our 40th book in the series, which is "We Are the Wright Brothers," and we're focusing on that those great American heroes, the Wright Brothers. 40 books, and it's reached what 10 million young people over the course of time. That's a fantastic amount of of reach. Yeah, no.

My family buys a lot of copies, so no. But but all kidding aside, yours too, huh? That's that's very helpful, isn't it? When they do, it's very helpful. But but but all kidding aside, you know, I love the fact that people use our series to build libraries of real heroes for their kids and their grandkids, their nieces and their nephews.

Right? These are these are cartoon books. They're picture books. You can buy them for kids when they're born to you know five, eight, twelve. I read them when my kids were five and eight for them, and they read them through the when they were twelve years old.

And I love the fact that you know right now in America, for the fortieth book, we let people vote. We let America vote, and the three people it came down to, it was Taylor Swift, it was LeBron James, and it was the Wright brothers. And I thought I know who's going to win this. I thought for sure Taylor Swift's going to win this. Sure, and.

It was the Wright brothers, and it was so interesting to me. And so we're at this age right now, where we're in this age of kind of of anger, and and you know where you feel like the country is just divided, and whatever side you're on, you hate the other side. But to me, I love the fact that America chose these two American heroes from the middle of the country who have nothing more. Than ingenuity and working together and being connected to each other, those values are vital to America, and we have to fight for them. And I love the fact that that's what they stand for.

So it's amazing to me that of all the people they could pick, they chose the Wright brothers. This is aspirational, right? I mean, you know, LeBron James has tremendous talent, and he's made the most of it.

Well, I was not so blessed, and so when I look to someone like that, I'm never going to do that. I was never going to pitch for the Yankees, no matter how much I wanted to. But with a spark of invention, I mean, this is the sort of role model and the aspirational goal that can say to somebody ages five to nine or whatever age. These guys did this when everybody said they were crazy. You can follow your ideas and your dreams and be a massively constructive member of society, to whatever extent you wish.

That's exactly right, Jeff. In fact, one of my favorite stories of the Wright brothers in this book is this one: is every time the Wright brothers went out to fly their plane, they would bring enough extra materials for multiple crashes. Which means every time they went out, they knew they would fail, and they would crash and rebuild and crash and rebuild, and that's why they took off. And I love that story. I wanted my sons to hear that story.

I wanted my daughter to hear that story. I wanted everyone to know if you dream big and you work hard and you have a good side order of stubbornness, you could do anything in this world. And I said that's the book I want to write—not a book of you know rules, but I want to give my kids heroes. And that's something we can all do, like you said. We can't.

I'm not going to play like LeBron James. I'm not even going to build the next airplane. But I know what it's like to crash and then teach my kids to rebuild and crash and rebuild. And that again is a lesson worth fighting for. And that you know, when you when you buy We Are the Wright Brothers as a kids' book, that's the gift you're giving your kid.

It's teaching them how to do that. OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld dot com is the website. The fortieth, fortieth book in the series. We are the Wright Brothers. It's released on Tuesday.

You get it wherever you get your good books these days. The author is our guest, Brad Meltzer, joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line on the Todd Starin Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. And I remember a hundred and fifty years ago, as a young person, I go to the library and they had some series of biographies. For young people now, I was a little older than this target audience.

But again, you could just immerse yourself in it and learn about people who did great things and think to yourself, "All right, it's possible to come from humble beginnings." The town, in my case, of twenty three hundred in the heartland. There's also though the ability to use these from a teaching perspective, as you mentioned, and you even help on this with. Educator resources, so that people can actually not have to reinvent the wheel in every classroom, large or small. We get so many homeschool families and people who just want to teach their kids good values. You know, I never wrote this series to teach kids history.

What I wanted to do is teach them their ability to make history. And that's what we all can do.

So I get all these people who say I bought copies for my church. I bought them for my synagogue. I donate them. I make sure that you know I give them to the children's hospital because they want kids to have these lessons. And we saw it happening so much.

It's exactly what you said. We started building teacher resources, so you can go to OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld dot com. Hit the button that says Teacher Resources, and you will see all these, you know, lesson plans and and games you can play with your kids. All free. You don't have to pay for those.

And they go along with the books.

So when you you know you buy one of the books and you can teach the kids. And I you know right now it's it's we all of us are wringing our hands on on how we teach history to our kids. Everyone's worried about how we you know that we don't know our sense of history anymore. That we've lost our sense of histories. And to me, I don't think we're in an age of division.

I don't think it's about it being an age of anger. I think we can be in an age of inspiration, but only if we fight for it. You got to fight for it. There are, believe it or not, there are shared values we all we all share, and I don't think those values are arguable. Right?

To be a good person, to be kind to each other. To work hard, to dream big, to have you know humility, to make sure it's not all about I, I, I, me, me, me, but to make sure it's about taking care of other people. Those are things we all do agree on. And to me, I this has never been a set of books about history. It's books that are about values and teaching you how to be a good human being.

And and I can't change the minds of adults, but for over a decade now. I have been fighting to give kids better heroes to look up to, and arming the next generation of kids with these lessons of kindness and perseverance. And that is a fight I will take every day. The books all have the same style, theme, etc. You've worked with the same illustrator throughout, correct?

Yeah.

So Chris Eliopoulos is our incredible artist. He has an art. The reason kids love our books is. He's the secret weapon, not me, because his art style is a little bit like Charlie Brown meets Calvin and Hobbes, and that's why kids like it. They're like, oh, and we always draw.

You'll see on the cover that the kid, the hero, is always drawn as a kid, and the reason why we do that is because we want kids to look at it and say, oh, that person was just like me. And we don't focus on just when they're great. We show you that George Washington lost his first election. That Abraham Lincoln lost half a dozen elections. That Rosa Parks, when she stood up to that person, that bus driver on the bus, that wasn't the first time she encountered him.

She met him before that, and she didn't on that first day stand up to him. But she then found that strength, and I love the fact. You know, right now we do this thing in America. We build big statues of our heroes, and we worship and we make them look like they're they're Be bigger than life, but I think we do those heroes a disservice because every person I've mentioned to you here today, right, whether it's Rosa Parks or Dr. King or Amelia Earhart or George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, they all have moments where they were scared and they were terrified and didn't know if they could go on, but they did, and that's the story we're telling—not the stories of famous people, but what we're all capable of on our very best days.

Ordinary people change the world. Not only a fact, but the name of the website and the book series: Ordinary People Change the World. dot com. And lastly, what what I find interesting about this from a potential standpoint.

So let's say you give someone: I am George Washington, I am Helen Keller, any of the the soon to be forty books in this series.

So they learn about the person. At a young age, I have a feeling that their interest may be peaked.

So that as they get to their teenager, young adult years, and they see a different sort of biography. Not a picture book per se. You know, one of those with with words and a few photos. I have a sense that they will build upon the knowledge because they've been their interest has been piqued at a young age, and then it just grows to where, as the young person gets older, they can have a greater appreciation for these people they should be looking up to. The nicest compliment.

That I've ever gotten for these books is every Halloween, on my social media, on Instagram, on Facebook, on everywhere, people send me pictures of their kids, not dressed as a princess from Disney, not dressed as some licensed character from some big corporation, but dressed as Rosa Parks, dressed as Jackie Robinson, dressed as Jane Goodall, dressed as Dolly Parton, saying that their kid read our books. And wanted to dress like this hero, this Halloween, and man, that's what I want my kids to be doing. That's why I wrote these books. Is again, now kids are realizing these people are amazing, and you don't grow out of that. All right, I just dressed as Batman when I was a little kid.

I still love Batman. You know, I write Batman. I've written this comic, but I love the fact when when someone loves Jane Goodall or loves Jackie Robinson and wants to dress like them as a kid. That's never going away, and I love the fact that we get to be that little seed planted in them, and that over time gets to sprout and stay with them. It's such important work, and I am a big fan of the concept, and I'm certainly a big fan of your writing, whether it's the fiction, the nonfiction, or as we're talking about here, the 40th book in the Ordinary People Change the World series, released Tuesday.

We are the Wright Brothers, and you can find it at OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com, Mr. Meltzer's broad website, BradMeltzer.com. Thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate. Appreciate it, and continued success with this series.

Lots of folks you can profile. I bet. No, thank you, and thanks for always supporting us, brother Jeff. We appreciate you. Take good care, sir.

You too. And Mr. Meltzer joined us live on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. Join the conversation after this short break. We'll be back in the Liberty University studio in a moment.

Jeff Stein in for Todd on the Todd Starn Show. Oh, oh, oh. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and this Open Line Friday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Coming up after the bottom of the hour, return guest to the program.

He's Phil Kirpin of American Commitment. You hear an awful lot of talk about the economy. What's the truth? Phil Kirpin will tell us when he joins us just after the bottom of the hour.

Now, Mr. Starns is out there in California doing the heavy work of. Trying to reform minds one conversation at a time, and talking about his book, The Golden Age. But it's not like he's just sitting there on a beach.

Well, he could be on a beach. I don't know. At least he's posting at toddstarns dot com, and of course through the social media. There's a story that he has posted here just a little bit ago, talking about a new California law that is going to infringe upon. Churches, and it's not an accident by any stretch.

According to Todstarns.com, California employers will be required to incorporate anti-hate speech instruction into their workplace harassment training, and churches are not exempt. And LGBT activists are happy. When activists on the left are happy, I know not to be. And again, this is a law that was signed oh, just a week ago, maybe, and it's got a year of grace in it, beginning January first of twenty twenty eight. And again, you can read the whole story at toddstarns dot com.

If you are a business in California with five or more employees. You have to include in your already mandated harassment training. You already have to do that, but now you have to include guidance on recognizing, reporting, and confronting workplace speech that, in their words, vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred. Unquote, based on protected characteristics.

So once again. There are certain facts, like God created two genders, male and female. If someone wants to identify as something else, that may be their world, but it's not a fact and it's not reality. But apparently, you have to just bend the knee.

So that you're not accused of having a hostile work environment.

Now, again, they cannot define this stuff. They cannot define the problem, but yet they're going to regulate it.

Now, if you've read The Golden Age by Todd Starnes, you know through a whole host of examples that are in the book with. Annotations. That's what I love about Todd's books. He tells a story, and then there are the footnotes. Go look for yourself.

He's not making the stuff up. But as Todd writes, the ultimate goal of LGBT activists is to shut down Christian churches across the nation and outlaw the Bible. Plainly stated, and this piece of legislation in California just adds to it. If you'd like to read the story, go to toddstarns. dot com.

It was posted just a little bit ago by Mr. Starns. The headline is "Churches Not Exempt from California LGBT Hate Speech Law." Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. We'll take your calls later this hour, but after this break, Phil Kirpen of American Commitment. As we continue from the Liberty University studio, Jeff Stein in for Todd Starns.

This is the Todd Starn Show. Oh, oh, Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and the Todd Starn Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today from my home base at News Talk fifteen forty KXEL in Iowa. Iowa's home to the Todd Starn Show, scorching the heartland with fifty thousand watts of accurate news and reasonable views. And we look forward to the conversation with you a little later this hour at nine zero one two six zero five nine two six.

Very. Very busy third hour of the program today. Just after the top of the hour, we'll speak with Peachy Keenan about her new book, Super Villains: Architects of America's Decline. And since she's out there at the left coast, we'll see what she thought of that gubernatorial debate the other night. That's just after the top of the next hour.

About an hour from now, we'll connect. With Ohio-born, Tennessee-based musician Adam Calvert.

Now I met him in my home base of Iowa last week. He came into the studio, was in town for some performances at a fair. Really a great story and some very fine music. We'll share that with you in about an hour. And what's going on with fraud in Minnesota?

What are Republicans doing about it? Minnesota Republican floor leader Harry Niska will join us. Near the end of the third hour, as well, so all that. And if you miss any of it, or you want to hear it again, well, of course, the Toddcast podcast, one of the most popular things on the Salem Podcast Network. Just go to wherever you get your good podcasts these days.

I actually listen online, as opposed to the actual podcast. Through one of those platforms, so just go to SalemPodcastNetwork dot com and you can listen. You can download all of that good stuff. You can follow me on the socials, not Facebook, because you know why? Why do Facebook?

But I do other things: X, Truth Social, Instagram, Threads. There's a whole host of them. Getter, yeah, all of that, and it's all at Iowa Politics. That's I O W A Politics. That's how you can reach me on the social media.

I mentioned my day job is at KXEL Radio in Iowa, and each day we do a poll question, and I'll open it up to all of you in Starnes Nation today. If you go to KXEL dot com slash poll, that's KXEL dot com slash poll. Here's the question: The president is holding a series of campaign rallies before the November election. Will that help? Or hurt the GOP, and you can vote.

Will it help? Will it hurt? Does it depend on the state or the race, or do you have some other thoughts on it? The KXEL poll question of the day at my home station, but you all across the country can weigh in at KXEL.com/poll. And the question again is: The president is holding a series of campaign rallies before the November election.

Will that help or hurt the GOP? Interested in what your thoughts might be on that? A lot of reports of folks who say Kamala Harris, you want to come to my state? How about you not? The Democrat in Kansas, who is, I think, trying to reposition himself in terms of what he stands for, was asked point blank.

Well, what about having her come? No, no, thank you, please. That's not going to help. And it really makes you wonder what Democrat running for office right now would find it to be a benefit to have the former vice president, Miss Harris, the former president, Mister Obama. Is that helpful?

Especially if some of these folks are trying to shake off. The failed policies of the past.

Now, I'm not talking about the democratic socialists. That's a whole different breed that needs to be weeded out. But I'm finding this is happening more and more. And maybe it's because we're tired of all the fighting in politics. Maybe it's because so many of us are now registering to vote as non-affiliated voters, not Republican or Democrat.

But a lot of these folks running for office, you watch their ads on TV. They don't tell you if they're a Democrat or a Republican, and that is really interesting to me. It's not because they're all bipartisan fighters for the American people. It's because they think it's the most advantageous way to win.

Now again, in my home state, we have an awful lot of independents. We have more non-registered vote or non-affiliated registered voters, quote independents. We have more of those than Democrats.

So obviously, you're going to play to those folks who don't have a partisan affiliation.

So if you're a Republican, yeah, you got to get your base because you have more of those in the registered voter pool than anything else. But you also want a hefty amount of the independents so that you can seal the deal. And if you're a Democrat and you know there's not much to your base, you better be preaching whatever you can to those who are open, as in independent. But when you're watching some of these ads and you don't know what party they represent. Because they're they're just talking in these platitudes and and not not actually talking about what they would do in office.

Hmm, that really tells you something. It tells you that they either do not have convictions, and that's a problem, or they're willing to hide them just to get power. I grant you, you got to get elected, right? Can't do anything without actually being in office. But it seems to me that we need to be a little cautious about divesting party identification.

Because first of all, if you're not proud of it, why are you one of them?

Now, folks who listen to my station have heard me say this more than a few times. I hear a lot, and I brought it up today on the radio back here at home. But I hear a lot of people who say, "Well, I'm going to vote, and I'm going to send a message in November." Okay, well, what do you mean by sending a message?

Well, those Republicans, you know, I'm a Republican, but but they're not doing anything to support the president, so I'm gonna I'm gonna show them. I'm gonna vote for somebody else. I'm gonna vote for the Libertarian. I'm gonna vote for the Independent. Or it could be a Democrat who says, "I don't think my Democrat in office is doing enough to stop the president, so I'm going to show them I'm not going to support them.

I'm going to send a message." Well, yeah, you're sending a message, all right, but what is it? Let's say you're a Republican. You're not thrilled with everything your candidate is standing for, or what they are doing, or not doing in Washington.

So, you want to send a message? Is voting for the Democrat really the message you're trying to send? Because, again, it's going to look like you are against the Republicans and you're in favor of the Democrats. Is that the message? If you're a Democrat and you say, "Well, I don't like this breed of Democrat," so I'm going to show them.

What are you showing? Are you showing that the party has gone too far, or are you showing that you're in favor of the Republican? The problem is just casting a vote without context. We have no idea what your message is. I'm going to send them a message.

What is it?

Now, if we're talking a primary, that's where you send a message. If you're talking a primary election and you don't like what the incumbent has been doing and you vote for somebody else, then you're sending a very direct message about the future of your party. But when you get to a general election, I'm not sure that's the the time to start sending messages. I'm not sure that that is. A message that is clear enough to be received, because if somebody of one party loses, the automatic presumption is that more people favored the other one; they had more votes.

Some would call it a mandate. Then, by winning, is that the message you are trying to send?

Well, all right, I just won't vote for anybody in that race.

So, what's your message then? That you don't care enough. I mean, I am not a straight ticket voter, and I never have been. My state does not allow you to simply fill in one oval and vote for every R or D on the ballot. And there are a lot of partisans who wish we go back to that, because then.

If you like a few of the Democrats or a few of the Republicans, you fill in the circle for the party, and then there's a big coattail effect. I think voting, frankly, is too important for that. I think what you ought to do when you vote is examine every single race, and if you want to vote for everybody of the same party, great, go for it. Race by race, contest by contest. Because it's entirely possible that you don't know enough to weigh in.

That's on you. Or it's entirely possible that not everybody from your party deserves to get in. You have to weigh all the factors. What's the alternative? What have they done?

What will they do? How's that line up with what you feel, etc.? But the bottom line of saying I'm going to send a message this general election. All I'm saying is, you might be sending a message, but it not might not be understood correctly. It might not be understood accurately.

You send a message in a primary. Oh yeah, okay, I got that. But in the general election, it's a little different. And if you're upset about something, well, rise up and do something about it. Heaven knows.

If if you don't know how to reach your representatives on a regular basis, and you may say, "Well, just I'm just winding up leaving a message," they keep they they take score, they keep count.

So if you call your congressman's office and weigh in on an issue, they they put a little markdown of how you felt, and they keep score. It's up to us to be active. On more than election day, and if we want to start sending signals, do it in the right way. Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. Your calls on the other side of this break from the Liberty University studio.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on an open line Friday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and the Todd Starn Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Let's spend the rest of this hour by going to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line and reconnecting with Phil Kerpin. Mr.

Kerpin is president of American Commitment. He is a principal at Unleash Prosperity. You follow him on the Twitter X machine at Kerpin. Phil, thanks much taking the time, sir. Hey, my pleasure, Jeff.

We hear a lot about affordability. We have all sorts of folks saying that the economy is bad. The economy is horrible. All right, what's the truth about all this, please?

Well, we have an economy that, in many ways, is very, very strong. We have we had very, very strong record income growth in twenty twenty five. We've got pretty strong GDP growth right now, just revised up to two point two percent for the last quarter, which is pretty substantial. Upward revision. We've got a lot of business investment.

We've got a huge boom in business investment that tends to flow through to higher productivity and higher wages.

So there are a lot of positives. Of course, there's one very, very obvious negative, which is we're dealing with a supply shock, price shock in oil, and we already had high prices from a crude oil shock in the Middle East. When we got a second shock, a shock on top of the shock, this one specific to diesel because of the Ukrainians. Bombing all those refineries in Russia that specialize in producing diesel, and so now we've got this sort of this double. Price shock and that hurts.

And for the past several months, we've now been in the situation where prices are rising faster than income, so people are falling behind a little bit again, as they were in the Biden years after the opposite last year.

So this is the challenge we've got. We've got a lot of very strong elements economically, and even in this employment report that came out today, Jeff, we saw all these headlines about how so few jobs were created, but you know they they produced two different surveys from the Bureau. Labor statistics and the establishment survey—the one where they survey employers—was weak, but the one where they survey households was actually very strong.

So a lot more people said they were working, and you know that that kind of a dichotomy makes you scratch your head because you know which one's telling the truth—it's hard to say. But that's kind of the story of the economy right now. We've got kind of kind of a lot of very good indicators, and we've got this one big, very negative one with with the energy price situation. And as I mentioned last hour, yes, the jobs numbers overall fell short of expectations. But when you factor how many government jobs were lost, the actual private sector gains were even stronger.

Certainly not what the so-called analysts wanted, but still not bad. When the private sector gain is what forty-six thousand in a month. Ah, yeah, that's right. Need to have private sector job growth and you know government sector public sector decreases, which any kind that happens is good because it means you have more people kind of holding the wagon and fewer riding inside, and you know that improves the outlook going forward. We would we would like to see a bigger number, of course, but as I said, you know we did have a big number on the on the household survey, which kind of suggests.

That you've got a lot of people that are doing you know something that they consider employment, but are not showing up on a on a payroll somewhere.

So they might be you know doing some kind of a gig economy thing or working something app based or whatever it might be. But they're reporting that they are employed, and you know that may be a better indicator than what we're seeing in the other survey. You know, I say maybe because it's hard to say with these things. But you know, I can say no matter which survey you're looking at, the employment situation is very strong. We have very low unemployment.

Employment in this country. There are a lot of job openings. Our challenge is not that people can't find work. Our challenge is that prices are now again rising faster than incomes are rising, and that's entirely because of the energy price spike. And so, if we could get these conflicts resolved and get that back to normal, I actually think the economic outlook would be extremely strong.

But because it's been difficult. To resolve these geopolitical situations, we've now got the Federal Reserve saying we don't want these higher energy prices to spread to other things. We're going to start raising rates, and that could slow the economy overall. And so that's, I think, you know, you can only go so long with these conflicts before you start to it starts to become harder to just beat past them. And I think that that's the challenge we've got right now.

So I really hope, you know, we can get a resolution in Iran. Get a resolution. Obviously, that's much harder in in Ukraine and Russia—that one seems like it might go on forever. But it's important for people to keep in mind: the problem is not Trump administration policies. The tax policies have been very good.

The energy policies have been very good. The regulatory policies have been very good. We've just got these geopolitical situations that have caused this spike in energy prices. But even with that. They're not as high as they were under Obama and under Biden, when you had an intentional policy of making energy more expensive to save us from global warming.

And so, this political idea that we keep seeing everywhere that things are unaffordable and you should vote for the Democrats, I have to kind of scratch my head and say the only reason some things are unaffordable is this energy price spike, and the Democrats favor high energy prices as a matter of ideology.

So I don't think you can get a solution at the ballot box in less than a minute. How long will it take for things to right themselves once the Iran situation is resolved? Is that a six-month recovery, twelve-month recovery, or what? It probably takes six months to a year. You know, they they say in the in the oil industry, they say that prices go up like a rocket and slow down like a feather.

There's just a lot of things involved in you know working through the supply chain and private inventories. Have been drawn down dramatically, as well as you know, government strategic reserves, and so it's going to take a long time. You know, right now, the latest information I've seen is that oil transiting straight to Formos is back to about seventy-five percent of pre-war levels, and so you know, it's largely getting closer. To back to normal, but it does take a very long time for inventories to rebuild and supply chains to return to normal. And of course, diesel is now greatly complicated even beyond that because we've got so many of the Russian refineries that that supplied so much of the global export market that are now offline.

Phil Kerp and AmericanCommitment dot org. Thanks so much for the time, sir. That's it for hour two of the Starns program on a Friday. Come back after the top of the hour. We'll talk with Peachy Keenan, Jeff Stein, in for Todd on the Todd Starns show.

Broadcasting coast to coast and border to border from Memphis, Tennessee. That's us. That's right. I love this American. Hello, fellow Patriots.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd Starnes today. Todd continues his tour of California promoting his latest book, The Golden Age. Get it wherever you get your good books these days. Todd will be back in the studio on Tuesday. It's my privilege to come to you from high home base here in the heartland in the state of Iowa.

Our three of our open. Line Friday program today. And speaking of books that you should pick up when you go to Amazon, you pick up your fifth or sixth copy of Todd's latest book. Why not pick up a copy of Super Villains: Architects of America's Decline? That's the brand new book that was authored by our guest who joins us now on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line.

She is Peachy Keenan. Thanks so much for taking the time, Jeff Stein, in for Todd today. How are you? Doing great, Jeff. Thank you.

Good to talk to you again. Peachy Keenan is the name that you assumed for writing in this way on popular culture. For those who have not heard the story, why did you find it necessary to use a pseudonym as you're telling truth?

Well, I am a conservative living here in Los Angeles, so that's number one. And number two, at the time when I started writing about politics and cultural matters, I was working full time at Disney, and so I thought, you know, if they find out how I really feel about the election and Donald Trump, I know I'll get fired. And I'm right. I mean, that's exactly what would have happened.

So I had no choice. I had to come up with a pseudonym. Of course, you work at Disney these days. You get fired anyway, with all of the layoffs. Sad to say, but Super Villains not your first book.

Tell us about why this book at this time. My first book, Domestic Extremists, was sort of like a humorous critique of modern day feminism and how women can kind of break through that that programming, like I did. I'm a former recovering feminist. Super Villains was my my idea to take that view, that kind of humorous critique, and apply it to really every sector of our lives. Starting in the COVID, during the COVID years, I started seeing the same names crop up again and again in social media on X of people who were like really forcing us into these these crazy, weird, destructive policies.

My two year old had to wear a mask. When I dropped off at preschool, playing outside, just all of the things that have happened to us—from DEI to you know vaccine mandates, transgender craze for kids—all of these things I thought needed the peachy treatment, so to speak. And so, supervillains is my way of naming the names, trying to hold these people accountable, but also having fun. The cover art, as I commented to you before, when you were kind enough to join me on my local program, I mean, this takes me back to growing up and Saturday morning cartoons with superheroes, and so you've got these these cartoon images of the villains. It really is something out of a Dick Tracy comic strip at some at some points because they they just appear to be so.

Laughable, like this can't possibly be happening. The sad part is, everything you are talking about, it may look like some fictional villain. It's happening, as you've noted. Yeah, that's the thing. These people are sort of walking among us, and they're in charge of Hollywood.

They're in charge of you know, big pharma, medicine, the colleges. Politics, the Justice Department—they're in charge of all these sort of elite institutions, and we have no way to kind of fight back to them. And really, what they are are just like you said, right out of a comic book. I mean, they're just comic book villains, but they're wearing suits and ties, you know, and and and pantsuits. They're not wearing—they don't look like the Joker, okay?

They don't have face paint and and capes and hoods, but they're still really doing—they're promoting ideas and policies that are just as bad as anything Batman ever faced. Supervillains, architects of America's decline—the latest book released just last month by our guest Peachy Keenan. You get it wherever you get your good books these days. PeachyKeenan.com is where you go to read her Substack writings and other things as well. She's kind enough to join us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line on the Todd Darn Show.

Jeff Stein filling in.

Now, I assume as you put together a book like this, you're you're collecting anecdotes, you're collecting stories, looking. The things that you've written over the course of time, and then you start to put it all together in book form.

Sometimes I find that a note here and a note there—they're sort of disconnected. But then, when I put the whole mess together in a pile, then I start making connections I hadn't made before. Was that the case for you? In other words, here's a piece, here's a piece, but when you put it together, you kind of sit back and say, "Wow, now it really starts to become clear." We had hundreds and hundreds of names, and we had to narrow it down. Obviously, because it would take it would take an entire forest to produce enough paper to print the volumes that you would need to catalog everybody.

But yeah, the common thread that I found, you know, it's not just this guy wants more power, or this guy wants to control, you know what you what you do with your children, or how you educate your kids. My my conclusion at the end was that these people don't think they're super villains. In fact, they think they're superheroes, and they're saving us. They're doing it for our own good. And I'm sorry, this might hurt a little bit, but they're just going to have to do the quote right thing because they're good and decent and moral people.

And in fact, they're they're superior to us. We're just these you know awful, hateful idiots who persist in our bad, wrong ideas, our bad voting choices, and our and our bad, i.e., conservative. Politics, so we just have to listen to them, and they're willing. What I found is they're really willing to use any and all levers of power, of cultural influence and clout, to get their way. And you know, woe to us if you stand in their way.

That truly is one of the problems, is it not? Because in the old days, I would say, and this is probably not true, but at least I thought it was, people had good motives. Reasonable people could disagree on something, but it wasn't that they held these views with such—I'll say—religious fervor, and and that may be a sacrilegious way of describing it. But for some of these folks. They are so convinced they're right.

Maybe it's because we've all been taught these days that you know we're all special snowflakes from the time we're born, and and so we we're entitled. But the attitude by these folks just appears more strident and much more of a take no prisoners approach. Am I missing something? No, I think that's right. I think the difference is that 50 years ago, let's say, you had political differences—Democrats, Republicans—but you still shared some quintessential things in common.

You still shared, you know, you probably shared a similar background, a similar religion. Your families probably had similar origin stories coming to America, working hard. Maybe you have the same. Religion, the same family dynamic. You, you, you know, you might disagree on, you know, foreign policy or tax law or whatever.

But everyone knew how many genders there were, and everyone knew sort of what was best for children. Everyone understood that, even if you were liberal, that putting drag queens in kindergarten classrooms and teaching little kids about, you know, safe sex and all the rest is not a good idea.

So we still, we still had a sort of moral. Grounding and framework that everyone shared, left and right. Of course, that is now completely erased. We have nothing in common anymore with the left. I mean, truly nothing.

They don't just hate the other side; they really do want us all dead. They really do want us dead, replaced by mass immigration. They harbor enormous racial animus. They call us bigots. That they have enormous racial animus.

And religious bigotry towards, let's say, the sort of white Anglo-Saxon Protestant or Christian Americans who built this country, and that is what they're trying to eradicate. And so we have very little in common with them nowadays. And then you can see they're just openly kind of calling for. You know things that are would be unheard of fifty years ago.

So it is hard to find common ground. What do you What do you do when they're you're just trying to debate a policy or immigration, but they just want you dead? Again, it's like the old days of the Cold War. It's like you know when when when you're fighting and presuming that reasonable minds may differ. And again, the other side for them it's life or death.

Preferably your death. It's really hard to to move anything forward. I have to ask and remind the audience we're speaking with Peachy Keenan. Her latest book is called Super Villains. Get it wherever you get your good books these days.

She joins us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.

Now there you are in California. I'm sorry, first of all, yeah, but but but second of, get out. You know, if you need help, blink or something. Anyway, so you you have the race for governor, and I've said this with regard to so many contests this year. It's not like people are going in, going.

I'm not sure. They're really pretty close. I mean, we could not be further apart in terms of the choices, but. There you have Bicera and Hilton on the stage the other night. Was that popcorn-inducing for you to watch, or cringeworthy more often than not?

Yeah, I mean Steve Hilton is amazing. He has all the right ideas, and honestly, he could fix almost everything wrong very, very quickly. Like in a week, we would have homelessness fixed. We would have taxes lower. We would have just so many things.

Corruption going away. But Sarah is just, you know, it's like Karen Bass, Kamala Harris, all the worst, all those, all the worst sort of like villains of the Democrat Party. But even in an even stupider package, and so if he wins, which he is still likely to, just based on you know the Democrats outnumbering us, we are truly, we are, we are truly doomed, and it's and it's just sad. But the the difference is, you know, the the takers will vote for him. They want to keep taking from the system.

They're the ones. His voting base are people who do rely on the government for, you know, food stamps and housing and free healthcare and all the rest of it. All the all the the social the social safety net, which is totally being abused by scammers and frauds and and you know people who aren't even from here, aren't even Americans, and versus the takers versus the makers, the families and the people who working as hard as they possibly can. To try to pay their bills and pay their taxes, they just imposed another countywide, Los Angeles County sales hike. We have the highest gas, the highest everything in the country, and Becerra is blaming the high gas prices on Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, California has always had the highest gas prices because you pay basically a dollar extra versus, like, someone in Arizona for the California Democrat-imposed gas tax.

So they're just trying to deflect all the blame to Donald Trump, but this is all of them, and unfortunately, not enough people will care.

Well, and this is one of the things that that just struck me about it because you know, again, at some point you have to stop saying everything is Trump's fault. But I guess if if that even get Across the finish line in an election, I guess I see why you do it. Let me ask finally in a remaining minute or so, what do you hope someone who picks up a copy of Super Villains over the weekend and sits down to read, what do you hope they take away from the whole thing?

Well, I was trying to do two things in this book. The first was to raise awareness. I think there is a lot of names people will recognize, guys like Anthony Fauci and all of our favorite villains. There is a lot of people they have never heard of, and they can't. They'll be, I think, shocked.

To learn who the people are behind the scenes, who is pulling the strings in a lot of these places, and it was really eye-opening for me as I did all this research. It's just you can't believe the institutional structure and support around some of these initiatives. And the other thing I hope they take away is they have some fun. I didn't want to make this gloom and doom. It's not a slog.

It's not academic. It's actually entertaining. I tried to. I'm trying to make you laugh, and that's all we can do. We have to make fun of these people, and we have to kind of.

Enjoy. Here they are. We at least can enjoy, you know, having a little fun with them.

Well, certainly, it's comical if it wouldn't be so serious. The brand new book from Peachy Keenan is Super Villains: Architects of America's Decline. Thanks so much for the fun conversation. I appreciate it. And again, just get out.

Just get out of there. We're trying. We're working on it, Jeff. Take good care. Have a wonderful weekend.

And Peachy Keenan was kind enough to join us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. If you'd like to jump in, we'll be back in the Liberty University studio to take your calls after this short break. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and the Todd Starn Show.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Now I have a philosophy about this radio program.

Now the first is when I'm asked to fill in, it's kind of like I'm I'm borrowing somebody's car, right? And if Mr. Starnes were to let me behind the wheel of his big Cadillac, I'm going to drive it carefully, right? I I got to be very careful about these things. And I also know if Todd's not here, you don't care what I think.

So we try to bring as many guests on as possible because more guests and less me—that's always a good philosophy.

So we've got, I think, seven guests that are joining us today, and they're all doing it via the. Patriot Mobile newsmaker line.

Now here at my radio station in Iowa today, one of my colleagues was talking about a relative who was having problems with cell phones. You know, like got to do something with the phone, and and it was like, well, yeah, but I don't want to do it. It's such a hassle to deal with cell phones, etc. This is what the the person was saying to my colleague, and you know, I'm thinking, yes, sometimes going into a place like a cell Phone store and trying to get the service figured out. Yeah, that's a pain, but there is a better answer, and it's Patriot Mobile.

We make choices every day. That determine our future, and one of them is the cell phone provider we support.

Now you know Patriot Mobile is not just a wireless provider; they're an organization that helps fund various causes, the same ones you and I believe in.

Now, how do they do this?

Well, they sell top-tier cell phone service, and that is the revenue they use to help defend our freedoms. This is prioritized premium service on all. Three major networks, not like the old days, you know.

Now you've all got access to these great networks, and so who connects you is more important than ever. Because you get the same or even better service thanks to the folks at Patriot Mobile. One hundred percent U.S. based customer support. Thank you very much.

So when you have a question, there's somebody there who can explain it to you.

Now you could get unlimited data. Mobile hotspots, international roaming, whatever it is you need, and when you switch to Patriot Mobile, you'll help grow a movement that fuels the Christian conservative cause. Every bill you pay helps advance the values of faith, family, and freedom, and you can't say that about a lot of these big companies. You want to pay these big companies so that they they can go fund causes you don't believe in? Don't think so.

Switching to Patriot Mobile is easier than ever. You can just activate in minutes. Keep your number. Keep your phone. Switch your number.

Upgrade the phone. Whatever's best for you. They're not going to put on the hard sell. They're just going to ask what's best for you.

So here's how you take a stand. Go to patriotmobile.com/tod, or. Call nine seven two Patriot, but whichever, use promo code Todd because then you get a free month of service. Yes, Mabel, he said free. Patriotmobile dot com slash Todd nine seven two Patriot.

This is how you can make the switch, and again, make sure that the people you are doing business with. Are aligned with you. It's your hard-earned money. Make sure it's going to go to the right people. PatriotMobile dot com slash Todd, PatriotMobile dot com slash Todd, or nine seven two Patriot.

That's nine seven two Patriot. We are going to have a little bit of fun in the next segment because it's Friday, right? Got to get ready for the weekend. We love us some good music that tells a good story and tells about what a great country it is. You are going to hear from musician Adam Calvert after the bottom of the hour, and also this fraud stuff in Minnesota.

It's deep. And the Minnesota Republican floor leader, his name is Harry Niska. He has a few minutes at the end of the program to join to talk about what they're doing up there concerning these fraud issues. If it's one thing for the Democrat governor, Governor Walls, to say, "Oh no, it's on my watch. It's it's mine.

I own it. I didn't mean anything." What are they actually going to do to help the cause? We'll find out. All that and more in our final half hour. Short break now.

Back on the other side. Jeff Stein in for Todd. This is the Todd Starn Show. First road trip when you turned 18, running wide open to PCB. Felt like summer would never end, making new memories with your old friends.

Flying fast down an old farm road, arm around your girl, sun setting slow. First real kiss in a Silverado, yeah, don't you know? Freedom feels like sunrise breaking on a brand new. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and an open line Friday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today.

That's a little bit of a song called "Freedom Feels Like That." Freedom Feels Like That is the name of the current tour by Adam Calvert, and he is the performer of that song. Adam CalvertMusic dot com is the website. And he's kind enough to join us now on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Adam, how are you, sir? Good to talk to you.

Hey, thank you so much for taking the time to have me on, Jeff. It's good to hear from you. It was just a week ago you were here in Iowa to do some gigs in the town where I broadcast, and you came into the studio, and we had a great deal of fun. And I thought this is a great story to share with America because you're based now in Tennessee, but you're a product of the heartland and rural America with your songs. Hey, absolutely!

I had an absolute blast in Waterloo, and I really appreciate you having me in the studio.

So, tell us a bit about how you got involved with music, and what's what's a typical Adam Calvert song sound like?

Well, you know, I kind of derive from my roots. You know, the age of five years old, my mom and dad took me to our local county fair where I met Mr. Toby Keith. You know, he was just an up-and-coming country artist at the time, and you know, he took the time to meet me and sign an autograph for me. And and Neil McCoy did the same thing at the county fair that I'm from, and and that's why I'm so involved in county fairs today.

The audience knows every edition, every hour. This program begins with a little Toby Keith music, so you've struck a chord there. Freedom feels like that. Where did that come from? You're one of the writers of that song.

Yeah.

So for folks that are listening, you know, comes to our live show, we fly a D1 parachute behind our our production, and we've always had you know that's up on stage to sign that chute.

Now it's riddled with autographs. Of of heroes, you know, but have always the song that they would come up and sign it was always a cover song, which was you know God Bless USA or God Bless America or something like that. And for years, I dreamed of you know doing that with my own original song, and Freedom Feels Like That is that song. If you go to AdamCalvertMusic dot com, it's right there, and of course you get it at Apple Music, Spotify, wherever you you crazy kids get your music these days. Freedom feels like that, but what I love about the song, and we got just a snippet of it here in the introduction, but you're not necessarily talking about the things that those veterans went through.

Because the things you're talking about are the things they made possible. Right, talking about everyday ability to live your life. Yeah, you hit it right on the nose. You know, I wasn't trying to go like super political with the song or anything like that. I just wanted people to you know feel the way that I feel, or at least you know through the song understand the way that I feel.

That you know, freedom's different for everybody. You know, depending on your walk of life, if you live in the city, live in the country, where you're at in the country. You know, for some people might be just hitting the golf course or going fishing on the bass boat out in their favorite lake. You know, for me, it's you know getting back to the middle Tennessee to the gravel roads and getting and we. An old CJ7.

I think it's a 1982. That you know, I just love to feel the gravel underneath the the wheels, and it's a manual. And listen to some country gold. You know, country good music. That's you know my kind of freedom.

But regardless of what freedom feels like to you, you know, we wouldn't have those freedoms if it weren't for those folks that serve or currently serving in our United States Armed Forces. Absolutely right. Adam Calvert is our guest musician. AdamCalvertMusic dot com is the website. Just finished up some shows in Gatlinburg this week, and I've mentioned "Freedom Feels Like That" because it's not only a great song, but it is the name of the current tour.

And you have a new song that just dropped last week, and you've got a big video release party coming up. What, just a week away? Back in your old stomping grounds in Ohio. That's it, right, Jeff? I'm back in my hometown of Cambridge, Ohio.

We'll be doing a release party for my latest single, "Horses in Ohio," and we'll be doing that at the downtown arena in Cambridge, Ohio, October 10th.

So, yeah, that's a week from tomorrow.

So, for anyone that might be listening in the Ohio region, come and see me. It's gonna be a very special night. It's gonna be Western themed in honor of Art Post, wait, a fellow that was incredibly important to my upbringing, especially with music. You know, he had a traveling rodeo show and and He allowed me to come to that traveling rodeo show and perform at the age of six years old, and that's actually the album cover for this song. is is Mister Art holding me at six years old, and you know he passed away last year.

And I was in a write in Nashville, and the writers could tell I was a bit down. And you know, we came up with this song, and you know, it's it's been an honor to to write a song to memory for his memory. But more than that, the music video is going to have his belt buckles in it, his lassos, and it's just going to be very special. And we're very thankful to to have his. Family involved in the music video.

AdamCalvertMusic dot com is the website where you can learn much more. And you've had the opportunity as your career has taken off. You've been working with and opening for some of these great performers, and I think many of them are known for being great songwriters. Yes, they're great performers, but they're also great songwriters, and and that really I think speaks to where your roots are. Absolutely, you know I've I've always felt you know it's all music music you know it's broad you know I if if you don't write your own music and you record other other songs you know Keith Whitley didn't record write those songs that he recorded you know it's you know sometimes those songs just speak to you so I'm not 100 opposed.

To be recording, you know, something that I didn't write, but I do feel like I reach the listener better by performing songs that I've written. I think it's you know it's special, and some of my favorite you know artists have done it that way. You know, we opened up for Hardy, and you know he's one of the greatest songwriters in town. And you know, I've opened up for Craig Campbell, and we actually saw him last night downtown Nashville, and he's an incredible songwriter as well. And I think when you see those guys perform the songs that they wrote, you know, it just hits differently.

Adam Calvert is our guest. He's joining us for a couple of more minutes on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Writing songs these days in Nashville, in particular, and it could be other places, but it seems to be much more of a collaboration. Do you prefer just kind of sitting there with a notepad alone on your spread there in Tennessee, or do you like the the camaraderie of everybody working together better? Hey, you know, there's many ways to to get to that you know that end game there.

You know, the end of the road. You know, every writer's different. You know, for me, I do write a lot of my own. I come up with a lot of the just the main idea or the title by myself. You know, from past experience and things that are going on in my life.

And then, you know, oftentimes, you know, I'll get something started and I'll try my my darn goodness to to finish it myself. You know, but a lot of times I'll get with those guys that I'm close with that are. They're stronger writers than me, you know. My strong suit is performing, and I'll get with them, and they'll they'll help me finish the song, and they'll they'll help pull that out of me. And you know, I think using those people is what's important.

That's why I moved to Nashville.

Now I cannot carry a tune, even if you gave me a bucket.

Okay, you know, in church when they say, "All right, every voice should be heard," they look at me and go, "Not you." Okay, so I can't sing. I'm I'm going to own that, but I but I can write, and so sometimes you know, I've had a book come out. I open the box, you see the book for the first time. Oh my gosh, what a wonderful thing! Right, I'm guessing that.

When you're on the stage and you're singing one of your own songs that means a lot to you, how does that feel when you see the audience singing along with you because they know the words? That's got to be pretty cool. It's very cool, especially as an independent and unsigned artist. You know, I've not had anything you know pop off on like TikTok or anything like that. You know, I've earned them singing those songs by you know meeting them and making fans of those folks.

And so, like when I see that out in the audience, yeah, it it hits me sometimes. It overwhelms me. Eminem has several songs where he raps about it. You know that you know when when when the audience just gets it and they're digging your stuff, like. There's just I don't know.

There's just it's the closest thing I think we'll ever get to magic. AdamCalvertMusic.com is the website, and that's where you can figure out how to get his stuff, including a really cool song, "Freedom Feels Like That." You folks in Ohio, it's next Saturday. California coming up after that, and the latest one that dropped last week, "Horses in Ohio." AdamCalvertMusic.com. Last thirty seconds. If we have this conversation in five years, where do you hope you're at with your music?

Oh, I hope just to continue to make great songs, and you know, maybe find more writers to collaborate with here in town, and and just work harder to get my music out there. I absolutely love touring, so you know, more shows, you know, all around the country, and you know, eventually, I hope to take my music overseas. That's fantastic.

Well, I really enjoyed meeting you last week here, and and I'm so glad you had time to share the story and share your music with the national audience. Best of luck, and stay in touch, please. Hey Jeff, thank you again, seriously, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to help promote my music. As someone that's doing it all my own, with just me and Miss Page and my dad and the band, and we we appreciate the support very much.

Well, it it's well worth it. It's good stuff. Thank you, sir. God bless Adam Calvert, our guest. AdamCalvertMusic dot com.

He's on the Freedom Feels Like That tour. That's the name of the single, and you get it wherever you get your music these days. Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line was how we connected with Adam Calvert. Short break now. Back on the other side from the Liberty University studio.

Jeff Stein in for Todd. This is the Todd Starn Show. Final segment now from the Liberty University studio on this Open Line Friday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Thanks so much for being along.

Thanks as always to Dylan and Helen at Team Todd in Memphis. Mister Starn's always a privilege to fill in. Happy to do so today. Happy to come back Monday. Let's go now to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line, and I'm pleased to welcome the floor leader of.

The House of Representatives, the Republican floor leader in the state of Minnesota, the Honorable Harry Niska. Leader Niska, thanks so much for taking the time. Jeff Stein here in Iowa. How are you? I'm good, Jeff.

Thanks for having me. All right, so you're my neighbor to the north. What in the blazes? What? What's the worst atrocity of this fraud that you've heard of most recently?

And then we'll ask how you're going to fix this. Oh my goodness! I don't even know where to start. I mean, you know, eighteen billion dollar you know high risk programs, and we had a former you know acting U.S. attorney say he thought maybe even half of that was fraudulent.

You know, billions and billions of dollars of our of our tax dollars, and billions and billions of what should have gone to you know folks who really need it stolen by criminals under the nose of Keith Ellison and Peggy Flanagan and. And Keith Ellison, you know, I think the the worst thing is, you know, Tim Wallace decided to fire himself, but Peggy Flanagan is looking for a promotion, and Keith Ellison is looking for another chance at it. And Minnesota voters have a big choice in front of them, as you know, every every office in Minnesota state government is up for election here in thirty two days. How do you turn it around? I mean, obviously, it didn't happen overnight.

Some of these bad actors—they've already funneled the cash out of the country. You know, it's not that you shouldn't go after what was stolen, but you have to look forward to how to prevent it in the future.

So, what do you and like-minded Republicans in Minnesota hope to do to make sure we're not still having this conversation in one, two, or five years? You know, we have to fundamentally change the culture of state government here. We have too many folks in these agencies that are handling these programs that think spending money is the goal or spending money is the achievement, instead of trying to make sure that we're actually, you know, impacting people's lives who truly need it. And you know, this happened really because of. You know a a perfect storm of woke ideology and incompetence.

You know in Minnesota state government, you have folks who, if they did notice there was a problem, were shouted down because that that was racist to question. You know whether certain organizations were breaking the law. That's got to be frustrating as all get out. Because if you are shouted down, and again, the tag of racist, when all you are doing is asking a question about what happened to the money. I mean, is there a tipping point now where Minnesotans are saying, "Okay, we get what you were saying, and we want you to do something about it." Yeah, absolutely, and that's why we're seeing a very different environment here in Minnesota than we're seeing in a lot of other places around the country.

Minnesotans are furious about it. We, you know, like to think of ourselves as generous people, but we like to think of or have thought of our government as being clean, and and we learned otherwise very brutally over the last few years. The federal government, the federal, you know, the U.S. Attorney's Office has been prosecuting. These cases for the last few years, and then we finally, you know, the cover has kind of really been blown off of it in these last couple years.

When we got to a tie in the Minnesota House, we made it a priority to have a fraud prevention committee that continued to, you know, expose some of this stuff. There was the Nick Shirley video at the end of last year with the infamous Leering Center that I think really, you know, put a fine point on a lot of this stuff. That the state government was giving money to something that you know some childcare center that couldn't even spell learning correctly, and then just continue. The hits have continued to come. We just got, for example, recently the news that a program in Hennepin County to give money to businesses for Operation Metro Surge, even Hennepin County, the you know woke lefty is running that that county had to shut down.

This program, when they realized how many of those applications were fraudulent, we just have this culture of fraud here in the state of Minnesota that has taken root, and we have to deal with it. The Minnesota Senate has a very narrow Democrat Farmer Labor DFL majority. As you've noted, you've got a flat out tie in the House. I imagine that's you know a lot of us think of Minnesota. It's like all right, there's Minneapolis, St.

Paul, and you've got you know Duluth and some of these other areas. But it's largely a rural state. I mean, are are the good rural citizens of Minnesota figuring it out, and that's why the legislature is so close, and perhaps will tip in 32 days.

Well, most of the rural areas in Minnesota now are are represented by Republicans in the state legislature. Like you mentioned, we have the closestly divided state legislature in the country: two hundred and one legislators, a hundred and one Democrats, and a hundred Republicans. And so, we do, you know. And when it comes to winning a majority, we're going to have to win some seats in the suburbs that have been close in the past. We're going to have to win some seats near a couple of regional centers.

But we've had some really, really close. Elections that the last year, when it came down to the difference between us having a one-seat majority or a tie, we lost one seat by 13 votes and 20 ballots were thrown away. We contested that; the the court ruled against us, and you know that was kind of a fight at the beginning of the legislative session as well about what to do about that race. But this is a very, very close. Last election was very close.

This election is going to be very, very close for both the House and the Senate. And I'm optimistic that we're going to have a a chance to win. We've got great candidates working really, really hard. He's the GOP floor leader of the Minnesota House, Harry Niska, joining us for another minute or two here on the Todd Starn Show. And I just wonder.

I mean, I understand the statewide office holders—they're Democrats. They're doubling down on it. I wonder if you're getting any sort of cooperation from Democrats in the legislature, given the balance of power, given the fact that they're more directly accountable to citizens as opposed to a statewide elected official. I'm just looking to see how quickly you folks can turn this thing around, and if you're going to get any help from the other side.

Well, we'll see how how things shake out in 32 days. We definitely have seen Democrats acting like they've gotten religion on on the topic. We did pass. On a bipartisan basis, an independent inspector general bill last this this last year, where we finally got Democrats to be on board with getting tougher on fraud. But we didn't get all the way there.

There are accountability measures we want to pass against bureaucrats who allow fraud to happen. We want to do more to help prosecute these fraud cases on a state level. But you know, Democrats certainly are going to voters right now and trying to pretend. Like they're really serious about the fraud, and you know, hopefully, we have we do win both chambers, and we you know win the we have great governor candidate, the strongest governor candidate that I think we've had in a very long time here on our side.

So we we just have to win this election, and and hopefully, we'll be able to get some stuff done here next year. Good luck to you, sir. Thanks so much for the time. The Republican floor leader of the Minnesota House, Harry Niska, joining us to wrap up this edition of the Todd Starn Show. Leader Niska joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.

Turn out the lights of the Liberty University studio and do it again Monday. Have a super weekend, folks. Jeff in for Todd on the Todd Starn Show.