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Daily Memphian’s Otis Sanford Says Brent Taylor ‘Unfit For Congress’

The Todd Starnes Show / Todd Starnes
The Truth Network Radio
October 29, 2026 9:06 am

Daily Memphian’s Otis Sanford Says Brent Taylor ‘Unfit For Congress’

The Todd Starnes Show / Todd Starnes

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October 29, 2026 9:06 am

Daily Memphian columnist Otis Sanford, a far-left activist, says Sen. Brent Taylor is “unfit for Congress.” Taylor admitted to sexting a woman who was not his wife several years ago. The only alternative on the ballot is Justin Pearson, a race-baiting blow-hard who pals around with Communists, loathes white Republicans and prays to something called “Mother God.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ready to feel energized and in control again? At Orderly Meds, we have helped thousands just like you take charge of their health with a GLP one. If you've tried dieting, exercising, and relying on willpower, and nothing seems to stick, then it might be time to talk to a licensed provider about your options. That's what Orderly Meds is for. This fall, choose healthier habits for yourself with a visit to orderlymeds dot com.

You don't need to visit with a physician in person to become eligible. Orderly Meds has a simple Virtual process. Connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether a GLP-1 treatment may be appropriate for you wherever you are. Get started from the comfort of home online. Change your habits and consider a new approach to feeling your best.

Visit OrderlyMeds.com to learn more. That's OrderlyMeds.com. OrderlyMeds.com. Gain confidence and choose better habits this fall. Compounded medications are not FDA approved.

Eligibility required and determined by. A licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details. From the principal Toyota Studios, it's morning in Memphis with Todd Starnes, and hello, everybody!

Welcome to the morning show here on the Money 990. I'm Todd Starnes. Great to be back with you, and a huge, huge thank you to our good friend Kristen New. We know her affectionately as one of the real housewives of Germantown. She did a terrific job filling in for me as I've been on the road.

Promoting my brand new book, and I am, pardon me, very happy to say that as of today, this was the last stop for the rest of the year.

So hopefully, I won't be missing any more time here in the mornings. And I love hanging out with you guys. That first cup of coffee in the morning and getting a big leg up on the news of the day, and we have a lot of it. And of course, the the coverage continues of this. Scandal—the sexting scandal involving State Senator Brent Taylor—and the Daily Memphian today has published a column by Otis Sanford, and I know that a lot of folks literally revere him as some sort of a journalistic Jesus.

But Otis Sanford is a far leftist, and he has done great damage to journalism here in the mid South as a result of his ideology and his politics, and it's not.

So much that his ideology and his politics are problematic. It's because he infuses those ideologies and politics into journalism, and more importantly, when he was teaching at the University of Memphis, where he serves as a professor emeritus in the journalism classrooms.

So he is raising up a generation of mid South journalists who will think just like he thinks, and who will also. Their politics into their news stories, and that's a big problem.

So Sanford says that Brent Taylor's sexting scandal renders him unfit for Congress, and of course, it took him all of one paragraph to invoke the New Testament and the Holy Bible. The reality is very simple, ladies and gentlemen: you've got two choices on Election Day. You've got Brent Taylor, who, when asked, confessed to an affair he had. With his wife several years ago, or you've got Justin Pearson who likes to run around with communists. He doesn't like white people.

He thinks all of you Republicans are a bunch of white supremacists, and he prays to somebody known as Mother God.

So the the choice is is very simple.

Now there are a lot of people on the Daily Memphian websites calling for Taylor to step aside, and I'm curious. To hear from you, is this over? Do you believe that Senator Taylor? Are you satisfied with his answers? This was a youthful indiscretion made in his early fifties as a grown man, or do you believe that there is there's more to come here?

And I say that because nobody's talking. The governor has an issued a statement. The lieutenant governor hasn't issued any statements of. Support or condemnation, and we haven't heard anything from Marsha Blackburn, who of course is running for governor, and she is the Republican nominee.

So anyway, our telephone number this morning, and we'll open up the phone lines. Do you believe that that Brent Taylor should step aside, or should he fight the good fight? Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. Our telephone number that's nine zero one two six zero five nine two six, and a lot of. Folks in the KWM listening audience and on our social media pages are saying, "Hey, look, the guy fessed up.

He said he made a mistake. He apologized to his wife. Case closed." And that's what a lot of our listeners and a lot of our readers are telling us. Also today, early voting. This is the final day for early voting.

The numbers have been off the charts, but you've got to get out there and you've got to vote. That's look. If you really Want to change the direction of the nation and Shelby County and Memphis? You're going to have to get out and vote early voting today. That information over on kwamradio.com.

We do have a great show lined up for you today. Steve Gill is going to be along to talk statewide politics. Also, Lauren Pinkston, who is the end one of the one of the many independents running for governor, she participated in that big. Debate sponsored by the Tennessee Press Association. We're going to have her joining us by phone a little bit later on, and of course, we're going to be taking your calls as well.

Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. Got to take a quick break. We'll be right back. You earned every bit of the life you built. Don't leave it unprotected.

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dot com slash select usa. That's selectquote. dot com slash select usa. Steve, we've got a lot of political news to talk about, and really nationally, but I want to start locally because we made some national news yesterday on the program. the The guy running for the ninth congressional district in Tennessee, which is one of those redrawn districts to favor Republicans, his name is Brent Taylor, and a a Nashville publication reported that he had been sexting, sending nude photos.

To a woman, and so we—it's a big, huge scandal. We had Senator Taylor on the show yesterday, and he said, "Yes, this is true." He apologized to his wife and to God, and that's that. And he also called it a youthful indiscretion. It happened when he was in his early fifties.

So I'm just wondering, Steve. How do you think? First of all, your reaction to the scandal. Do you think it's going to have any impact at all on the on the race? Yeah, it is so youthful.

It was so three or four years ago. I mean, again, I think the explanation may almost be worse than the actions, and I I think it's shocking, and I don't think it's what somebody expected. We we always expect October surprises and things that will kind of rattle the cages. This one goes beyond, I think, what people were expecting, and I think two things that I'm hearing from people today. Will Marsha Blackburn distance herself from Senator Taylor?

You know they're having this bus tour around the state of the Republican Caucus. It was in Galveston earlier today. I'm going to rejoin them this afternoon in Columbia, and I know they're questioning: Is Senator Taylor going to show up for the bus tour stops that head on through the district here in the next few days? And will Marsha Blackburn distance herself from him? Ward Baker, who is her consultant, as you know.

Is also the consultant for the Brent Taylor campaign, so so there's also you know these other earthquake reverberations that flow from this. I think the fact that this is late and early voting that Taylor probably has a lead, given the choice of voting for him at this stage or voting for Justin Pearson, who's an absolute disaster. My guess is he still prevails. It will be a closer race than people expected or than than he would like. But I think this definitely puts a mark on.

On the race and and could cost Republicans the seat. I will say this about about Taylor. He he was not one of the guys going out there and riding the culture war you know horse right.

So he wasn't like you know Mister Born Again you know every you know waving the Bible on the that that wasn't he's not that kind of a Republican.

So there's you know as bad as it is you know I think if you're out there campaigning on those issues and you get caught you. You know, it's a whole different story. You know, the other part of it is that he's actually been very effective as as a lawmaker. And one of the things that surprised me, I was listening to the KWM Morning Show, and they had full lines through the show, and I think only one person. What you know felt like he should step aside.

Everybody else said this is none of our. And most of them were women calling in saying this is none of our business. It's private life. It's between between him and his wife and God. And this doesn't change how I feel.

I was surprised by that reaction. To be honest with you.

Well, first of all, everything that I'm hearing about this is that it was consensual, and that there were actually an exchange of photographs. It's not like he was just sending these unsolicited photographs to unsuspecting women. From what I'm being told, so again, I think there is some merit to it. It was private. Again, it's between him and his wife.

Like you said, it's not like a guy who's out pounding the desk, screaming about LGBTQ issues, and then you find out that he's a closeted gay man.

So, so. I don't think you have the hypocrisy attack on him. And again, if this was consensual, it was bad judgment. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it was some sort of you know forcing himself on on on women. If there was consent, and if they were exchanging photographs.

Of each other, so again, I think that this will not ultimately cost him the seat. I think it'll be closer. It certainly makes it a much more interesting race in the closing days. And if you did not have such an absolutely horrifically bad candidate in Justin Pearson on the other side, it could make a difference. But I think again, given the choice between a flawed Senator Brent Taylor, who by the way has been a stand-up guy, has answered the questions, came on your show.

Has been talking to me. He hasn't been running and hiding. He's been straight up and stand up and and whether you like his explanation or not, he has stood up and given you know his side of the story. And again, if it was anybody other than Justin Pearson on the other side, it might be particularly harmful to his chances. I will say this, Steve.

Out of all the interviews they've done, they said that mine was the. the The most severe and the harshest, and you know that's the way I, you know, that's the way we do things here. You know, we're going to be fair, we're going to be balanced, and you know, if you come on, you answer the questions, and you know, there were some tough questions, but I, you know, do appreciate him stepping in. Also, and I don't know if you, on that point, Todd, as you know, I've said for a long time, and you and I are at one hundred percent agreement on this, because I'll get complaints sometimes if I'm, you know, harsh on a Republican on. Policy issues, or they make a mistake, or they do something wrong.

As I point out, and I know you embrace as well. If you don't want me to point out stupid things you do, don't do stupid things.

Well, exactly. I do want to to to bend your ear on this for a second. I don't. I don't think this came from the the Democrats. I think this was an inside the party hit job on on Brent Taylor.

What do you think about that? I agree 100. I don't think that Justin Pearson had access to this sort of information. I think this, you know, this shows to me somebody that is sour grapes who either their candidate didn't win or or they have a bone to pick with Senator Taylor on something else. I agree with you absolutely that that this came from from as as the old horror movies would say, the call is coming from inside the house.

And I think as we approach Halloween, this call came from inside. The house.

So we're we're watching record turnout. I mean, well, near record turnout in across many states. Georgia, well over a million voters. Tennessee just surpassed a million in early voting. Texas, we're watching huge numbers come out.

What are you sensing? And again, this is all conjecture because we we do not know definitively who's who's got the edge going into the midterms. But Steve, you've been covering politics a long time. What what's your take here? This does not feel like a wave, either a red wave or a blue wave, to me.

And again, as we've had several of these polling firms nationally—not just one, but several—admit that they're basically tilting and intentionally misrepresenting the poll numbers to to try and help a particular agenda.

So I don't think we can trust some of the polling clearly. And and also, I think they're they're overpolling Democrats when you look at several of the polls that are claiming that the Democrats are poised to these major victories. I think I've said here before. I believe Republicans still keep the Senate majority by a fifty-two forty-eight majority, could be as much as fifty-three, depending on how the final tallies come in. I think that the House will be very close, a couple of votes one way or the other, controlling the House because I do think Republicans have some growing momentum.

Heading to the final days, I think the the Democrats sort of peaked early in their attempt to take control of the House. They may still get it, but I think they played their hand early. And again, like the case with Brent Taylor and Justin Pearson, if they didn't have such horrific candidates on their side of the aisle, I think Republicans would be in even worse shape. Unfortunately, those horrific candidates are are bleeding down to candidates who might have had a better chance if the if they're top of the ticket guys. Whether it's Mondani, whether it's Isai, if it's you know Talarico, you've got a lot of really bad Democrats that are getting a lot of coverage that I think is going to hurt Democrats who are trying to pretend to be relatively moderate.

Steve, I want to go to the phone lines and bring in Charles from Gainesville, Georgia, listening to us on W D U N, and he wanted to weigh in on the the Brent Taylor issue. Charles, you're on the air with Steve. What's on your mind?

Well, I'm just thinking. You keep talking about all the our Republican congressmen not having—they don't have any gonads. I think a Brent Taylor photograph before they're elected should be presented and to make sure that everyone that went in had gonads. Charles, thank you for that, Steve. I don't, I don't know.

I don't, I don't want to see that picture. Heck, I don't want to look at myself naked, and nobody else does does either. But it's an interesting point. We do criticize Republicans for not having cojones to go up and fight the good fight, and if nothing else, Brit can claim I have proof. That's true.

That's true. Steve Gel joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. I'm curious about the the the Trump rallies. You know, Fox released their power poll yesterday, suggesting that these rallies are not moving the needle. Do you agree with that assessment?

You know they are not like they were in 2016. As you know, I ran a program called Power, you know, you know, pushing Christians to the polls to to try and you know get Christian voters in particular to pray, discern, and and vote. And I went to you know dozens of Trump rallies back when he was first running. The crowds were bigger. They were more enthusiastic than we're seeing.

There is some level of Trump fatigue that is that is a reality. And a lot of these people have been to the rallies. It is, you know, crowded. It's hard to get in. The traffic is bad, and and people kind of know that they support Trump and don't necessarily have to go to these rallies.

They've lost some of their appeal, I think.

So I don't think you can judge just the sizes and and the enthusiasm at the rallies to indicate that Trump is less popular. But I do think that there is among independents and and kind of the casual voters a degree of Trump fatigue, and I don't think that the Trump. Has made their case as effectively as they should in terms of the affordability issue.

Now, look, I was driving around today, and I'm seeing gas prices drop below that four dollar mark. It may be too little, too late, but they have to be emphasizing what is coming and lower gas prices. We've already seen other food prices. We've already seen other gains in terms of employment, in terms of wages, bringing inflation down. I don't think they've sold their case as effectively as they should, and I'm not sure the rallies are.

Making that case specifically, and that is a fair point. I think, from a visual standpoint, it certainly gives the impression that there is, you know, the Republicans have the the big mo, the momentum, combating a lot of what we are seeing coming out of the left and these legacy media stations, which you know are trying to downplay all of this and trying to, I think, demoralize Republican voters. I want to give you the last word here, Steve. Look. Looking at the midterms, where do where are you going to be watching?

What what's the important? What is one of the the more important races for you? I'm going to be watching Michigan very carefully. I do think that Mike Rogers has a great chance to to defeat Al Sayed. That would give Republicans a pickup.

We're going to lose the seat in North Carolina, which is currently held by Republican Tom Tillis.

So, so that would be you know keeping us even, which would keep us at that you know fifty two, fifty three level that I'm predicting. I'm really concerned, and I'm going to be watching very closely South Carolina. President Trump is going to South Carolina to try and save. Doreen Graham, Lindsey Graham's sister, who was a horrifically bad selection. I think a lot of Republicans in South Carolina are saying, "Well, I'm going to vote for the Democrat.

How much harm should she do? If it was just for a two-year balance term, you know, you might be able to make that case." Ready to feel energized and in control again? At Orderly Meds, we have helped thousands just like you take charge of their health with a GLP-1. If you've tried dieting, exercising, and relying on willpower, and nothing seems to stick, then it might be time to talk to a licensed provider about your options. That's what Orderly Meds is for.

This fall, choose healthier habits for yourself with a visit to orderlymeds.com. You don't need to visit with a physician in person to become eligible. Orderly Meds has a simple Virtual process. Connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether a GLP-1 treatment may be appropriate for you wherever you are. Getting started from the comfort of home online.

Change your habits and consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com. Orderlymeds.com. Gain confidence and choose better habits this fall.

Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by license. Individual results may vary. See website for details. All right, welcome back, everybody.

Looking like another nice day here in the Mid South Chamber of Commerce. Weather rain in the forecast could be a little stormy on Halloween, so that's sort of like in the mood of Halloween, though. By the way, speaking of that, Zoo Boo continues tonight at the Memphis Zoo. All the fun starting at six o'clock. The Halloween celebration running through Sunday.

Tickets are twenty dollars, and all of you Monty Python fans out there, Spamalot continues at the Orpheum Theater in downtown. The show starts at seven thirty. Tickets about forty five, forty six dollars.

So if you want to get get tickets, just go over to the Orpheum website, and you'll find all the information there. Real quick, before we go to our special guest, let's go to Germantown Penny, wanting to weigh in on Senator Brent Taylor. Penny, good morning. Hope you're doing well. And what's on your mind?

I'm doing well. Thank you for taking my call. I just wanted to put my two cents worth in with your last caller, and it's the woman. The woman dropped this information. This is a mad female.

You think so?

So this is this is retribution, is what you're what you're suggesting? Probably retribution, or whatever you want to call it. But you know, this just looks to me like You know, it's an angry person. Either someone in her circle, her, but they they they dropped this information. Yeah, you know, they were angry.

They're very angry. Penny, do you think now the way they thought? Penny, do you think this disqualifies? Do you think this disqualifies Brett Taylor? Should he step aside?

No, no, it doesn't. He made a mistake, obviously. You know he doesn't owe me an apology. He needs to be speaking with his wife and family. Yes, but you know this—it's something always happens around this time when it's the voting cycle.

You know, and it's—it's a sad situation that this has dropped for him. But no, it doesn't change my mind. I voted last week, and if I had to revote, I'd vote for him again. It is what it is. All right.

Yeah, the October surprise is what they call it. Penny, thank you for thank you for the call. And again, we're taking your calls on Senator Taylor this morning. Should he stay in the race? Should he step aside?

Do you still have confidence in the state senator? Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six is our telephone telephone number. That's nine zero one two six zero five nine two six.

Well, gubernatorial race, huge debate. The Other night, and I was listening to it as I was coming back from Georgia. Want to go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. One of the individuals on that stage, Lauren Pinkston. Lauren, running as an independent.

Good morning. Great to have you with us today. Good morning, Todd. Thanks for having me.

So, look first of all before we jump into the debate. How are things going out on the campaign trail? We're having so much fun. Honestly, this has been such an honor, and people are so excited. I am, I'm thrilled to get to offer something different for voters who have been really disaffected, who are frustrated, who haven't voted, and who had told me that they would not be voting at all in this race if they didn't have an option that they felt good about.

So it's important that we give people options in a capitalist society, right? The the debate last night, Lauren, or a night before last, rather, Senator Marsha Blackburn. That was the sort of non elephant in the room. Republican not there. Your take on that?

Do you think that was a mistake from Senator Blackburn's part? Not only just not showing up on the debate stage, but not having a town hall—you know—since 2019, I think is a is a problem. People are looking for authentic leadership. They are looking for people who will talk and who will be courageous enough to go into rooms where you might not be the favorite person. You know, people are looking for coalition builders right now, and so I don't think anyone is impressed by someone who doesn't show up.

Curious, as as you are making your case to the voters in this home stretch here, it seems like, at least from all from our observations, that you are going to be pulling votes away from, say, a Jerry Green, the Democrat in the race. Why would why would Jerry Green not make a good governor in Tennessee? Listen, I know that the Democrats are concerned, and they have pointed a lot of heat in our direction this this campaign cycle. But I am talking to people again. My voter base is people who are disaffected on both sides.

They're tired of the Republican Party, or they're tired of the Democratic Party. On my campaign, I have, and in my organization, I have people who were in the Capitol on January 6 working for senior Republicans. Have people who were democratic activists and who are tired of watching the same thing that they've seen on the Republican side in the Democratic Party. I have a libertarian. I have a have veterans.

I have former Christian missionaries. People who are coming from across the political spectrum, and we love working together because we know that there are more things that unite us than divide us.

So I don't know that I'm pulling anything more from Jerry Green than I'm pulling from Senator Blackburn, but I know that. Talking to a base of people who are just values-oriented people, good people who want to see their neighbors as neighbors, not as enemies.

So I. You know, I'm I'm disappointed in the way that Councilwoman Green has run her campaign. There's been a lot of assumptions made about who her base is, but since you're in Memphis, I will just say that when I am in Memphis and I talk to Black voters, they are also tired of being expected to just get in line. They are tired of people not talking to them, and the Democratic Party has really failed to understand that a lot of Black voters are deeply religious, deeply conservative in their religious values, and and no. Talking to them anymore?

Are you saying that that Councilman Green is is not is not doing a good job or an effective job reaching out to the black community in Memphis? I'm saying that the Democratic Party as a whole makes a lot of assumptions about their base, and they use the same fearmongering tactics that the Republican Party does. And like what? Give me an example of that. That if you don't vote blue, no matter who, then Marsha Blackburn is going to be our governor, and the whole world is going to end, and everything is, you know, everything's going to be over, right?

They've been they've been talking to their base as close your eyes, and if you see something unethical, just ignore it, because too much is on the line here, right? That's been the message that if you vote for Lauren, you are you are voting for something that you hate, and that is that's just not true. True. Right.

So, people who are immigrants, people who are Latino, people who are are who are religious, Black voters, they still hold a lot of very traditional values, and the Democratic Party has left them behind. On the Patriot Mobile NewsMaker line, Lauren Pinkston joining us. She is an independent running for governor. Of course, the other independent that's getting a lot of airtime, and you may have just heard the commercial that aired on KWM. The Blackburn campaign is—they are very concerned about the the David Hatley campaign, and very concerned so much so.

Most of their campaign advertising has been reminding people that he is a convicted felon. What? Why do you think that Hatley is? Is is connecting with voters, especially on the Republican side of the aisle.

Well, he's running as a conservative, a conservative independent, and he's pulling a lot of money for its voters in for sure. He also has a lot of money, right, to to spread his message. And so, obviously, Republicans are concerned because they've flown our president into Tennessee twice in the last month. But what we're watching across the Republican Party is the same kind of fracturing going on. And I don't know if it is the president to blame.

I don't know if it's the economy. I don't know if it's Scott Golden and. The you know as the GOP director here in Tennessee, I don't know. I think there's a lot of factors here at play, but I think about you know traditional Republicans. And I don't.

I just don't know, Todd, what it means to be conservative anymore because the party that I knew growing up is not the party that exists right now. I just. I just talked to a voter this morning who said that he walked in. He's voted for Trump three times. He walked into the polls the other day.

He voted for me and he voted for the amendment and he voted for no one else on the ballot. He said, "I'm. I'm not happy with where the Republicans are, but I'm not ready to vote for a Democrat." And and I think that that and that's a story I've heard. Over and over and over this year, and so Hatley is is spreading a message similar to that: that if you are not happy with where the Republican Party is, you have you have an option. I was curious about the the debate.

It really wasn't a debate; it was more of, I guess, a forum. Questions were asked, questions answered. The Memphis Safe Task Force, and I was curious about your reaction to that because you've been opposed to the Memphis Safe Task Force. I am just wondering what would you would what you would say to the. Nearly two hundred moms and dads who had their child back, as a result, specifically of the Memphis Safe Task Force and their work.

I'm not opposed to address crime on the streets. I'm not opposed to making our community safer. I'm opposed to using tax dollars irresponsibly. And so, what the Memphis Safe Task Force has done is use 221 million of our tax dollars that we sent to the federal government to send 14 federal agencies into one hotel and to pay that bill for a year, when that money could have been spent to retain and recruit new police officers in Memphis City. The Memphis City Police Department was already down 50% of its officers, and they need our help.

And that's a more sustainable way to keep our community safe. And you know, I I am all for protecting children. I've spent the last 15 years in counter human trafficking, so I know exactly what it takes to keep children safe. And I care deeply about that. But I'm also more committed to long term sustainable investments rather than using our tax dollars for Headlines and so, what we're watching in Memphis is important, and I think addressing crime in Memphis is important.

But I will say that sending the Tennessee Highway Patrol officers to Memphis, while it might have been helpful, and this is where I differed from Councilwoman Green on stage the other night, it may have been helpful for Memphis, but it's been detrimental to the rest of the state because we're watching vehicular homicides and car crashes and deaths in those crashes going up in other parts of the state because our Highway patrol officers are not there to to watch speeds on other roads. Lauren, I'm I'm curious about about the data centers. That that has been a big topic of conversation. It was a big issue there at the forum the other night, sponsored by the Tennessee Press Association. Where do you stand on Elon Musk and the work he's doing here in in Memphis in the mid south?

We have let billionaires run away with us, and I have. I was the first candidate in this governor's race to call for a statewide moratorium because we haven't set the rules in Tennessee to make sure that the energy grid that has to be expanded with data centers, that the water infrastructure that has to be expanded with data centers, we haven't ensured that that infrastructure growth is not going to be paid for by the working class. And I'm really tired of watching large corporations. Operations coming into Tennessee to benefit from our tax haven, and then expecting the middle class, the working class, to to foot the bill for that. We are looking at the new gilded age here, and what I see is seven companies owning a third of the stock market.

And we're again, we're in the new gilded age, and the whole middle class is going to crash if we don't use our attorney general's office as an offensive weapon to go against the businesses that are exploiting Tennessee and. Exploiting the taxpayers here, and and I hear what you're saying, and the whole exploitation part of that, but. When you look at the other part of what's happening here, Elon Musk has donated fifty million dollars to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He has donated three hundred fifty thousand dollars to the Boys and Girls Clubs.

He has spent millions of dollars out of his own pocket to repair a Fairly High School and John P. Freeman Optional School. They he is partnering with a Baptist Church, Mount Vernon Baptist. This church to build a new community center. It sounds like this, you know, this guy, you know, and you can agree or disagree on the on the data centers, but he's trying to be a good citizen here.

It looks like to me. How do you look at it? My statements are not about Elon Musk specifically. My statements are about the larger issue at play, right? Is the the the consolidation of corporations that are choking out the working class, and so I would fully expect that someone who is the wealthiest man in the entire world would put that kind of chump change into our communities.

As so, at at a minimum, we should be expecting that. But that doesn't mean that you just because chump change you are Chunk change three hundred thousand dollars for Elon Musk is chunk change. Yeah, I I'm just curious how how much have you donated to sal to how much of your salary have you donated to to help the community. I'm not the wealthiest woman in the entire world. I'm just making the point that when you have that kind of wealth, you should be investing in the communities where you are expanding jobs.

But that doesn't mean that you get to go around the city ordinances and continue to grow the infrastructure where you are outside of the rules that in the zoning codes that your local government has has defined.

So I'm not I'm not speaking against Elon Musk here. I'm talking about the larger The larger things that play with these tech companies that own again a third of the stock market—they're not going to be able to just come in and buy our land. They're going to be able to buy our entire communities if we don't set stronger policies in place for who's coming in and who can build here. All right, Lauren, we're going to have to leave it there. We are super late for a break, Lauren.

Where can people go if they want to see more about your campaign? Read your platform. Sure, Pinkstonfortn dot com. It's pink like the color. S T O N S O R T N dot com.

Over a hundred policy positions there, and I'm so proud of everyone for getting out to vote. Over eighty percent of the state still has yet to cast a ballot, so this is anybody's race. Pretty remarkable numbers. Last day of early voting. Get out there and vote, ladies and gentlemen.

That is your job as a citizen of the great state of Tennessee. Lauren, good luck to you. Thank you, Todd. All right, Lauren Pinkston, and say what you will, folks, but. I love it when people decide they're going to run for office.

You may agree with them, you may disagree with them, and that's okay. And that's why we have debates. And I, I have been pretty open about this. Yes, I have endorsed Marsha Blackburn. Did that early on because she asked for my support, and I think she deserves it.

That being said, I am very disappointed that my senator did not go and debate because I want to see Republicans standing up and debating and showing. What we believe in is that that argument is always going to win the day. Gotta take a break. Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. We'll be right back.

All right, coming up at eleven o'clock today, the Todd Stern Show, exclusively here on the Body Nine ninety three hours of great conservative conversation on more than a hundred and forty radio stations around the country, and we're going to have a great, great time as we head into the midterms. And there are a lot of shenanigans. We're going to get into the very latest on what's happening in Alaska, where the Democrats. There is now evidence and investigation. Investigations, federal investigations underway after the Democrats recruited a candidate who had the exact same name as the Republican running.

Insane story. We're going to get to that. Also, great news: Theater Memphis adding new shows. You guys sold out performances for Million Dollar Quartet. You can get get those tickets over at Theater Memphis.

Been a great day. Have a good one, everybody.

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