Pay Your Fair Share

We get it. You're busy. You don't have time to waste on the mainstream media. That's why Salem News Channel is here. We have hosts worth watching, actually discussing the topics that matter.

Andrew Wilkow, The Next ASUSA, Brandon Tatum, and more. Open debate and free speech you won't find anywhere else. We're not like the other guys. We are Salem News Channel. Watch anytime on any screen for free 24-7 at snc.tv and on local now channel 525.

Welcome to the Todd Starn Show, sponsored by Legacy Precious Metals. There's never been a better time to invest in precious metals. Visit LegacyPM Investments dot com. That's legacypminvestments. com.

Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's common sense conservative commentary from Todd Starr. That's why I love this American. Wherever you're listening across this, the greatest nation God ever blessed, welcome to our one of a Thursday edition of the Todd Starnes Show, Coast to Coast, on more than 150 outstanding radio stations and streaming live at ToddStarnes.com. Hello, fellow patriots. I'm Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd today as he makes his way back to the home base after a most successful pre-launch series of events.

In anticipation of the release Tuesday of his latest book, Twilight's Last Gleaming, Can America Be Saved? We'll tell you more about that in a few moments. Reminder to you, it's always a privilege to speak to Starnes Nation from my home base, the Liberty University studio within News Talk 1540 KXEL in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa, the 50,000-watt blowtorch scorching the heartland with accurate news and reasonable. Views and I was home to Todd Starnes. Good to be along with you.

901-260-5926. That's the number to use to join our coast-to-coast conversation on this Thursday. Same number as always. 901-260-5926. Guests will join us, of course, on the Patriot mobile newsmaker line.

Grace has assembled a great guest list. Dylan is on the board. Lydia will screen your calls. We're set to go as we welcome Todd back from his travels. Last night, great event, and I've seen some of the social media posts.

He was at the Reagan Ranch speaking to folks associated with Young America's Foundation, YAF.

Some 140 high school students there. They each got copies of the book. I'm jealous. I don't have mine yet. I'm looking forward to it.

The official release date is Tuesday for Twilight's Last Gleaming. You can pre-order now. Go to ToddSdarns.com or wherever you get good books these days. Free and open conversation about the issues facing our nation. Here's a quote that I'm sure has been read to you previously, but if not, it it bears repeating even if so, I guess.

Todd Starnes is a fierce defender of freedom and a great patriot. Who do you suppose said that?

Well, the quote goes on: He has seen and understands what is happening to our country like few others. His book is absolutely terrific, a must-read. From one Donald J. Trump.

Now The clinched candidate, the one who has enough delegates to, for the third straight time, receive the Republican nomination. Quite a ringing endorsement. Get your copy. Again, wherever you get good books. Twilight's last gleaming official release date is on Tuesday.

Nice launch event there in Germantown, Tennessee, on Monday night for those of you in the area. Coming up in this hour of the national program today, we'll be joined by the governor of the free state of Iowa, the Honorable Kim Reynolds. She has been very involved with border security and has traveled to Texas and the southern border, has provided Iowa troops and treasure to help support Governor Abbott and the folks in Texas because we are all border states these days. I'll ask her to explain that. We'll also talk about foreign ownership of farmland and how there have been some folks across the country asleep on the issue.

For them to wake up. We'll talk about other things with the governor of the state of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, and that is in less than 30 minutes. Yeah.

So one week ago today was the State of the Union campaign speech. as I am going to call it, because I don't know what else you would call it. other than a campaign speech. And that's fine. Presidents can take the podium there in the well, the joint session of Congress, and they can do what they want with their time.

If the Democrats thought having an angry old man recite Slogans from forty years ago is a good idea?

Well, let them. One of the things that Caused me to yell out at the TV. And I have to admit, for my own. sanity. I tried not to watch a lot of it, but it's kind of like when you drive by a car accident, you don't want to look, but you can't look away.

That's sort of what it was. And so when I heard, We have to make the rich pay their fair share, I had to check to make sure we were in twenty twenty four and not nineteen eighty four because the screech sounded like Walter Mondale and others of the era. Joe Biden says the rich need to pay their fair share. Ladies and gentlemen of Starnes Nation, I agree with Joe Biden. The rich in this country need to pay their fair share because right now, They are paying more than their fair share.

The rich in this country are getting soaked Because of class warfare. And that's the only thing the Democrats have to run on.

Well, two things, I guess, this year. One, Orange Man bad for the world. And two, Class warfare. pit people against one another. I want to talk a bit about This issue of tax the rich, soak the rich, make the rich pay their fair share in this segment of the program.

And then I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the topic at 901-260-5926. Yeah.

Let's start with the fundamental definition. Rich. What does it mean to be rich? You out there in Radio Land, raise your hands right now if you think you are rich. I'm taking a guess no one is raising their hand.

Why? Because we tend to define rich as someone who makes more than us. Very few people. comfortably feel that they are rich. That's the secret.

to the dogmatic statements made by Democrats on this topic. You see, when they get up there and pound the podium, or shake their fist at clouds, like old men tend to do, And say the rich need to pay their fair share, you cheer because you don't think they're talking about you. You have to ask them, first of all, define rich. Does it have to do with current assets? Does it have to do with the income that you make in a year?

Does it have to do only with earned income as opposed to interest and dividend income? What do you mean by rich? One other time, not long ago, that Democrats tried this, they actually had to quantify a number, and people said, Well, wait a minute. That's me I qualify.

Now, the current president And that's how I think I'm going to refer to him. He refers to Mr. Trump as his predecessor.

So I'll just refer to the predecessor. Person in the office at the moment is the current president. The current president says, I will make sure that no one who makes less than $400,000 pays a single penny.

Well, first of all, are you talking about individuals or families? See, they don't want to tell you the details on such things. And are you talking about adjusted gross income? Are you talking about top line on the tax form? Are you talking about the net amount before taxes are applied?

Give us a sense of what you mean by rich. What are the numbers?

Now I apologize if this seems like we're getting into the weeds, but the fact of the matter is, That's where the danger hides, is in the wheats.

So, first of all, when we start saying the rich need to pay their fair share. Who are you talking about, current President, when you say the rich? Yeah, we're really tired of rich people avoiding taxes. Excuse me, isn't your son, Robert Hunter Biden, charged with that? Don't you have another family member?

Who was under investigation for avoiding taxes on these kickback payments that she got from the Biden crime family headquarters?

Well, we'll leave those things alone for a moment because, of course, there's a double standard here. But let's go back to this fair share. Let's say you make $1,000. I'm just going to keep this very simple for dollar purposes. Let's say you make $1,000 and the tax rate is 15%.

You pay $150. Pretty simple. If you double that income and you make $2,000 with a tax rate of 15%, Well, you're going to pay more than if you only made $1,000, right? In fact, double the amount. If your income is $2,000 with that tax rate of 15%, now you're paying $300 in taxes.

All right, that makes sense. Let's up that by a factor of 10. Let's say you make $20,000. 15% tax rate.

Well, you're going to pay a lot more. three thousand dollars. The more dollars you make, the more dollars you pay. That would be a fair share, would it not? everyone paying the same rate, The more dollars you make, the more dollars you pay, but it's all at the same percentage.

That Friends, is fair. But that is not how our system operates. In our current system, the more money you make, the higher percentage of that income you pay in taxes. The more money you make, the higher the percentage goes.

So, not only are you paying more dollars. You're paying exponentially more dollars because they jack the rate up on you. You work hard. You earn more money to try to get ahead and what's your reward? The government takes a higher percentage of it away.

than if you made less. That is hardly an incentive to succeed. It is also hardly Fair. The rich should pay their fair share. Yes, current president, I agree with you.

You need to knock the percentage down. to be fair with everybody else. I would really like to have some of these folks.

Well, this is how you turn them into knots, by the way. The next time one of these opportunistic politicians says the rich should pay their fair share, you should first ask, Define rich. What is it what do you mean by rich? Because the number might surprise you. You might also be surprised.

at how low that number really is to be rich. You're going to be further surprised that when you ask them the second time, How do you justify a higher percentage of income being confiscated in taxes the more you make? How do you justify different percentages? They're not going to be able to give you a good rationalization for it. Other than to suggest class warfare.

Yes, I believe there should be fairness in the tax system. Yes, I believe the rich should pay their fair share. They're not paying their fair share now, they're paying too much. And that will only get worse under the success punishing proposals of the current President. He has this new budget, and the only way he makes it even look like it gets paid for, is to generate huge amounts of tax dollars.

through this broad concept of pay your fair share. The math doesn't work. challenge them. on the principle and on the math. 901-260-5926.

We'll take your calls in the next segment. Governor Kim Reynolds of the State of Iowa after the bottom of the hour. Thanks for being along. We're just getting started. Hour one on a Thursday.

I'm Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd, and this is the Todd Starn Show. Legacy Precious Metals has a revolutionary new online platform that allows you to invest in real gold and silver online. Hi, this is Todd Starnes, and in just a few easy steps, you can open an account online, select your metals of choice, and choose to have them stored in a vault or shipped to your door. You'll have access to a dashboard where you can track your portfolio growth in real time anytime. And you'll see transparent pricing on every coin and bar.

This puts you in complete control of your money. The platform is free to sign up for. Visit legacypminvestments.com and open your account and see this new investing platform for yourself. Gold hedges against inflation and against a volatile stock market. A true diversified portfolio isn't just more stocks and bonds, but different asset classes.

And this new platform allows you to make investments in gold and silver, no matter how small or large, with a few clicks. Visit legacypminvestments.com to get started. That's legacypminvestments.com or call 866-649-0304. That number again, 866-649-0304, and start investing today. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn show.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Let's go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Todd is calling in from Germantown on line one. Hello, caller. How are you?

Well, actually, I'm calling from Santa Barbara, California. I just died. And it is great to be hanging out with you. I'm trying to live among the Californians, and so they're serving me something called a. A vegan Ratata.

I don't know what it is. I had to order a side of bacon. It's good enough, but I had to have some bacon in there, Jack. I don't think your system is going to handle vegan fatata or whatever it is. Todd Starnes is the author of Twilight's Last Gleaming.

And I have to tell you, sir, I'm as jealous as someone without a date for the senior prom when I look at these photos of your book tour across the country. You're having a great time.

Well, yes, we're having a great time, Jeff. It's been a lot of fun. Last night, spoke to about 160 high school students, conservative high school students, at the Reagan Ranch Center, which is here in Santa Barbara. In just a little while, the kids are going to go up and get their very first tour of the the range. And it was just a remarkable time last night.

My speech lasted about thirty five, forty minutes, then took questions from the students, brilliant questions, and then spent about ninety minutes finding one hundred sixty copies of Twilight Quest Gleaming. What's been the reaction when you talk to these people? Obviously, they have not had the chance to read the book, but they hear what you have to say. Many, of course, came because they knew you would be there, especially in the D.C. area.

It seems to me we've got a bunch of patriots out there, young and old, hungry for this message. No, I think so. And the one thing that people tell me, and we've done three of these pre-book events, launch events, just to sort of get the word out. And people have been really excited about the humor in the book. They say there is so much depression.

There's so much gloom. And this book is a hopeful book. And it was exciting to hear the students come up. And that was the message yesterday: you know, these kids. Not only are they dealing with the crazy chaos of the culture, but they're thinking about things like: all right, my first job, where do I go to college?

How am I going to pay for it?

So, these are all big, heady issues. And I just wanted to let the students know, and using quotes and stories from Ronald Reagan's life, that in spite of the bad times, There is a glimmer of hope. There was always a glimmer of hope. And as I told the folks who are with the Heritage Foundation a few days ago, Jeff, Even if things don't turn out our way in November, at least we'll have something to laugh about when we're heading off to the gulags.

Well The happy warrior Todd Starnes joining us live on the Patriot mobile newsmaker line. Twilight's Last Gleaming: Can America Be Saved? Officially released Tuesday. Pre-order your copy now wherever you get good books. You have a big launch event Monday night there in Germantown, don't you?

You found some patriots who actually don't mind selling books people want to read. That's really exciting. And I also have to give a shout out to Book Civilian and Barnes Noble, all of their bookstores across the country carrying the book. And they're proud to be able to help promote this book. And we're going to be doing signings at a lot of Barnes Noble and Book Civilians across the country.

But yeah, Germantown, it's going to be a lot of fun. Congregation Coffee. It's a beautiful, beautiful coffee house owned by a local family. And we're kicking off the event. Jeff's dine, you need to come on down for Waterloo, and we'll get you a fed and watered.

Well, I've invited you to come up here and meet a couple of hundred of our good KXL listeners for our picnic this summer, and I have hope that we can make that happen. Not on Look, it's already on the calendar. I'm looking forward to that. It's really busy. I've gotten about.

maybe seven or eight hours of sleep over the past seventy two hours. But the the voice was shot, you know, but but it it's it's going to be good to get back behind the microphone. But it is so much fun coming out and meeting folks And Jeff, I'm telling you. Just last night was the opening night of the conference, and they always invite the students to stand up and say where they're from. And I'm telling you, the number of students overwhelmingly from California that are here.

I think that we are watching the resurgence and kind of in the infancy, but the resurgence of that great conservative revival here in Southern California.

Well, that is going to be vitally important because they have gone so far off the rails.

Well, you hear music probably in the background. You know that's what we call a hard break. Mr. Starnes, it is so I'm so glad you called in. Safe travels back to Memphis today, and we'll hear you back here behind the mic on Monday.

Well thanks, son. You're probably gonna have to go get some ice cream now. He does not play fair. Todd Starn Show, that was Todd. I'm Jeff Stein back in a moment.

Yeah.

Our God-given freedoms are facing unrelenting attacks. It's a battle for truth, and the only way we win is if we stand together. Hi, I'm Todd Stearns, and thankfully, Alliance Defending Freedom has been defending our rights for 30 years and winning. Right now, they're involved in two critical cases before the Supreme Court. They're suing the FDA for endangering the health and safety of women and girls.

And in the second case, they're assisting the state of Idaho to defend its law protecting the lives of women and their unborn children against the Biden administration's attempt to override the law and force doctors to perform abortions. And they need your help. With your best gift, you courageously join ADF in fighting critical Supreme Court cases against government lawlessness and help defend our cherished freedoms.

So call 855-417-655. Right now, or go to ToddSterns.com and click on the ADF banner. With your help, I've already pledged to raise $17,000 by March 31st for ADF. Go to ToddSterns.com or call 855-417-6556 to make your best offer right now. I know with your help, we can beat that call and help make a generational difference for freedom.

Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn Show. 901-260-5926 is how you can join our coast-to-coast conversation. We'll take your calls in the next segment. But joining us now on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line is the governor of the free state of Iowa, the Honorable Kim Reynolds. Governor, thanks for taking the time.

How are you?

Hi, Jeff. I'm great. It's great to be with you and great to be visiting with you, as you said, from the free state of Iowa. This is something that has evolved and changed over time. This concept of nationalism and our interconnectedness.

And we have life pretty good here. I don't think that's a secret that I mind sharing. The word is getting out. We live pretty good here in the state of Iowa. But all states are border states these days.

And I think that's why you have paid such close attention to what's happening at our southern border. What steps can a Midwestern governor take to help preserve the safety of citizens?

Well, it's unconscionable what's happening at the southern and northern border as far as that goes. And the fact that the administration, the Biden administration, President Biden have not implemented their constitutional duty to not only protect the sovereignty of our country, but most importantly, its citizens. And every state, based on what we've seen happening under his administration, when you think about over 8 million illegal immigrants, that's more than the population of 33 states. There's at least 1.7 million known gotaways. When I was down at the border recently here, the governor and Governor Abbott's update, he said that that number alone is probably 30% underreported.

So think about that. 2 million people in immigration court backlogs with a wait time of almost two to three years.

Sometimes we hear five. And just the increase in drugs and human trafficking and just everything, the crime rates that are continuing to go up. I stood down at Eagle Pass with Governor Abbott and some of my other governor colleagues who 25 of us stood up and said that we stand with Governor Abbott in his right. to defend their border and to defend his citizens. And so we were standing at Eagle Pass for the press conference.

And while it's a thousand miles away from Iowa, that the the southern border is now in our backyard. And honestly, when you take a look at Interstate 35, it provides drug cartel and human traffickers a direct route from Mexico to Iowa. And we are seeing it reflected in the increase of drugs and human trafficking that's taking place in our state. We've seen over a 500% increase in fentanyl, 100% increase in meth. We've seen drug-related deaths, overdose deaths, increase 35% to 45%.

And those are probably old data compared to the increase that we're seeing month over month. But one of the things that I found pretty telling and really proves the point that we are a direct route from Mexico to Iowa is 26%. uh narcotic cases that were ran last year had a direct link to Mexico to the Mexican cartels. And so we have stood with Governor Abbott. We sent in August and September one hundred and nine National Guard soldiers down to the border, down to Eagle Pass and Del Rio, thirty one Iowa State troopers.

That was the second time that we'd sent troopers down. And again, we made the commitment after going down and visiting with Governor Abbott to send additional Iowa National Guard soldiers and law enforcement officers down to help again. We're working with both the Texas National Guard and the Texas Commissioner for public safety. But it looks like probably April timeline is when we're looking at potentially at least getting the National Guard members down there. But Texas has been ground zero and on the front line for three years now.

And the amount of money that they put into the state of Texas, it's probably surpassing $10 billion to protect our country, their citizens and Americans. We have an obligation to stand up and help him do what he's doing. And especially when we have the President and the Biden administration that is not doing what they should be doing, we're going to step in and make sure that we get this done. And I think you've so nicely stated the reason why you're about to commit more Iowa National Guard members down there because, again, it's not Texas's responsibility alone, no state's responsibility alone. And it's very different.

You and I are both native Iowans, and we can recall a time in the 1980s when the packing industry, meat packing industry, changed, and we had a real influx of illegal aliens. But the difference was. There was at least an attempt. to stop them at the border. And now it is completely on its head.

This is very different than these times in the past. Oh, completely different. And just look at the numbers. I mean, in 2023, for the national statistics, there's already been 2.5 million encounters. That's up 82 percent since 2020.

1.6 million gotaways. Again, 61 percent are single adults. 48 percent, 48,000 convicted criminals. This should make everybody nervous. 598 were gang-affiliated.

Those are the ones that we've encountered. That doesn't take into account the numbers that have gotten away. 249 at the southern border, 487 at the northern border on the tariff watch list. Again, these are the individuals that we've stopped.

So I'm sure those numbers are truly underrepresented. The government, this administration has a responsibility, a constitutional responsibility to deny and detain unless they're seeking asylum. And they are not denying, and then they are mass paroling into the country.

So we have No idea when they're coming into the state of Iowa, who's coming into the state of Iowa. We're working on legislation through the state this year that puts a little bit of teeth into if we're able to stop them and they're involved in human trafficking or fentanyl actually kills an individual and we can tie them to that. We increase the crimes, murder, how they're charged.

So we're going to continue to send a very strong message that Iowa, you want to come to Iowa, we welcome legal immigration. This country was founded on that. We're one of the most generous countries in the world. But if you don't have a, you know, we need to, we are a country of laws. We need to secure and close the border.

And again, look at how maybe reducing the cost, reducing the time of how we can bring legal immigrants into the country, tie it to where we have the highest need. There's a lot of different things that we could do to. expedite and make that process maybe a little bit more less Onerous and more tied again to the need. But it is dangerous. They are destroying this country.

And we're seeing that play out in a lot of larger cities across the country. New York. California, Chicago, which is dangerously close, and we need to restore the policies that President. that the President Trump had put in place. It is Biden on day one reversed most of those policies, remain in Mexico, catch and release, several things that President Trump had in place that if we could reimplement then, he could stop Uh this this migration, illegal migration into the country today if he would just implement some of the policies that he reversed on day one, President Biden and his administration.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds joining us on the Todd Starn show on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Obviously, these ne'er-dwells coming into our country. And it's much more nefarious than just calling them ne'er-dwells. Who knows what they're going to do to take over our country from the inside? But we've got big, bad actors buying up large portions of farmland, which is tremendously dangerous.

Iowa feeds the world. You and the folks in Des Moines were on top of this early on while some people were sleeping, but there's some movement to tighten up our regulations on foreign ownership of ground as well right now. Right. You know, I'm really proud because we lead the country in agriculture, as you said, 10% of the nation's food supply. Is produced by our farmers right here in the state of Iowa.

And we want to make sure that we're maintaining that agricultural dominance that we have. And that starts with making sure that we're securing an extremely valuable resource, and that's our land. And so we've had really strong laws in place. Since the 1970s, we were actually one of the first states to put into statute protection on preventing foreign ownership of land. And it's truly, it has been a model for many other states to pick up and implement.

But they're getting better about what they're doing, and we need to be able to respond to how they're figuring out different ways to work around the laws that are on the books. And so we've made sure that, again, that those precious resources stays in Americans' hands, American hands, or Iowa hands. And so one of the things that's included in the bill is to provide the Attorney General with subpoena power, more transparency and openness, better reporting, but really putting some teeth in the bill with giving the Attorney General Byrd the authority to subpoena, I think really was a step in the right direction. And we sat down at the beginning of the year before we put the bill together. Before I filed our bill, we worked closely with Secretary Nag, who's the Secretary of Ag.

and Attorney General Byrd.

So the three of us sit down and really put the language together and I think moves us in the right direction that makes our a really good law even stronger and it really addresses some of the changes that we've seen happening over the years. I was on a rant earlier in the hour about the president, the current president's claim that the rich should pay their fair share, and we all know what that means. You folks in Des Moines have taken some Republican leadership, has certainly changed the tax codes in the state of Iowa, and you're working toward actual fairness as opposed to making the successful pay a confiscatory percentage. A lot of change going on in our state of Iowa on the tax front. Yeah, I'm really proud of that, Jeff.

And so this will be the fourth tax cut that I've actually presented to the legislature. I'm proud to say our fiscal health is strong. We ended with a significant surplus. Our cash reserves are full. We have nearly $3 billion in our taxpayer trust fund.

We're continuing to see growth even despite some significant challenges, especially attributed to the Biden administration. And so we're hoping that this year, when I took office, We had nine brackets of individual income tax rates, and the top rate was about eight point nine eight percent. Our goal is to go to three point nine percent flat. We're targeted to hit that in twenty twenty six. I presented to the legislature this year that we move that up and that we have that go into effect in this year, calendar year 2024, and it would be retroactive.

I actually went a little bit lower, but even if I can get that 3.9 moved up and effective this year, that would be a significant win for Iowans, especially as we've seen inflation continue to rise and the cost of living continue to rise again under decisions that are made by President Biden and his administration. And then we've looked at some other areas that we could help reduce the tax burden on some of our businesses that are employing Iowans. across the state to reduce their unemployment insurance tax rate that they play by pay by cutting that in half, and that will have a significant impact on all sized businesses across the state of Iowa. And then we're also proposing because childcare continues to be, well, it's a component of the workforce. and something that we're always working on.

we have proposed taxing child care facilities as at the residential rate instead of the commercial rate, again, allowing them to take those savings and put those into employees or into their facilities.

So hopefully, we're able to get that across the finish line this year and provide Iowans with a little more tax relief. If you folks want a blueprint of how to run your state the right way over the past decade, this is at the top of the list here in my home state of Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds, thanks so much for taking the extended time to talk with us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Enjoy the rest of your day. Thanks, Jeff.

You have a great day, too. I appreciate the opportunity. Absolutely. Governor Kim Reynolds from the free state of Iowa. We'd love to hear your thoughts on that conversation.

901-260-5926. We'll try to take your calls in the next segment. I also want to tell you in the next segment about the Alliance Defending Freedom. We'll get to all that before the end of this hour, number one, of a Thursday edition of the Todd Starn Show. Mike Lindell and MyPellow employees want to thank my listeners for your continued support.

And to thank you, they have an overstock clearance sale right now for the best prices ever when you use the promo code STARNS and you get free shipping on your entire order. Get 50% off the MyPellow 2.0 and the brand new flannel sheets that just arrived. Won't last long, folks. Get a six-pack towel set for only $29.98 and take advantage of the free shipping on larger items like mattresses and mattress toppers, 100% made in the USA, on sale for as low as $99.99. Everything is on sale from the brand new kitchen towels that have the same technology as the bath towels.

They absorb dog beds, blankets, couch pillows, so much more. To get the best offers ever, go to mypillow.com and use promo code STARNS or call 800-839-8506 and get free shipping on your entire order while supplies last. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starn show Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. As he continues this big pre-launch week for the new book, Twilight's Last Gleaming Can America Be Safe, pre-order now wherever you get your good books, go to ToddStarns.com in the live show blog. And you'll find information of how you can get a personally signed copy sent to you right away.

Official launch of the book is on Tuesday.

Well, every day, whoever's sitting behind this microphone, whether it was Andy on Tuesday, Jeff yesterday, or me, and of course, Mr. Starnes, every day, we try to get you to help. Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom. That nonprofit legal defense organization will be back in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in barely a week and a half, March 26th, arguing a case against the Food and Drug Administration.

That's the agency that has endangered the health and safety of women and girls by unlawfully removing its original safety standards on harmful abortion drugs. But today I want to tell you the powerful story of Jean Marie Davis, who once was considering an abortion, but instead chose to keep her baby with the help of a pregnancy resource center. a center whose right to operate was defended in court by ADF despite efforts to muzzle its pro-life message by the legislature in Vermont. Listen here. Had it not been for Flyance defending freedom and the pregnancy center, I would be dead.

They saved my life.

Now it is my turn to defend the very cause that saved me. Vermont wants to shut down pregnancy centers because we don't support the state's extreme abortion agenda. Our work powerfully shows that there is real help for men, women, and children in need.

Now that's just one more example of how Alliance Defending Freedom steps in every day all across America to fight for our first freedoms, including the right to life, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. But they cannot do it without your help. Throughout the year, ADF has to turn down cases involving men and women just like you because their resources are limited. But you and I can help fix that today, right now, in fact. Please go to ToddStarnes.com right now and make a gift in any amount to support ADF.

Your generous gift will make it possible for ADF to keep standing up for courageous clients all across America. Just click the ADF banner at ToddStarnes.com or you can phone your most generous gift to 855-417-6556. Again, that's 855-455. four one seven 6556, but please, please do it today. And we thank you for standing with ADF, the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Such important work that those folks do. And again, as a lawyer, I can tell you, the stuff costs money. It costs time and resources. And when you're up against a state for crying out loud or the federal government that prints money, well, they need help. They need you in the corner.

Again, that's the ADF banner right at the top of ToddStarnes.com or call 855-417-6556. In the next hour, we'll speak with the producer of the film called America Invaded, James Rosen of Newsmax. Also coming up in the next hour, hope you're along for the ride. I'm Jeff Stein in for Todd, and this is the Todd Starn Show. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's conservative blowtorch.

That's right. I love this American ride. Todd Starns. Wherever you're listening across this, the greatest nation God ever blessed, welcome to hour two of the Thursday edition of the Todd Starnes Show, coast to coast on 150 outstanding radio stations and streaming live at ToddStarns.com. Hello, fellow patriots.

Jeff Stein coming to you today from the Liberty University studio at my home base, News Talk 1540, KXCL, in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa, the 50,000-watt blowtorch scorching the heartland with accurate news and reasonable views. Todd is in Santa Barbara, California today, fresh from his appearance last night at the Beginning of the Young Americas Foundation meeting, high school students there at the Reagan Ranch talked about the book, Twilight's Last Gleaming. Can America Be Saved? Made sure each one of those young patriots had a copy of the book. And if you were with us in the first hour, and I sure hope you were, Todd called in from it must have been breakfast or lunch or something, but he mentioned bacon and ice cream in the same conversation.

I guess it's his show. If he wants to be mean, spirited to me sitting here without that, I guess he can do that. But Twilight's Last Gleaming. Release date is Tuesday of next week. Pre-order your copy now from Post Hill Press wherever you get your good books.

Todd will be making his way back to the heartland later today, and he's giving me the chance to sit here today and tomorrow. And he'll be back with you behind this microphone on Monday. But I have a sense we may hear from him tomorrow, and I certainly hope that we do. I want to hear from you this hour, though. Plenty of Time for calls in this half hour.

The phone number as always is 901-260-5926, 901-260-5926. As I said, plenty of time for your calls in this half hour. In the next half hour, We'll speak with a filmmaker. Her name is Namrata Singh Gujral, and she has produced a film called America Invaded. If you go online to AmericaInvadedFilm.com, you can watch the trailer.

This is really a fascinating, fascinating story about the illegal immigrant situation in the country. We'll talk with her at the bottom of the hour. Then we will talk with the White House correspondent for Newsmax and successful author in his own right, James Rosen. Mr. Rosen will join us from his post at the White House yet this hour.

But again, love to hear from you. 901-260-5926. Yeah.

I mentioned if you had missed the first hour, you also missed, by the way, a long conversation with the governor of the state of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, very clearly documenting the dangerous situation at our southern border, our northern border. Foreign nations trying to buy our farmland. And if again you missed that, wait for the show to finish up. Give the folks a little time to upload material. Then you can listen to the Toddcast podcast.

You do that by going to ToddStarnes.com. You can play it, download it, share it with your friends. Go to the Toddcast podcast at ToddStarns.com if you miss any of the program or want to hear it again. And in that last hour, I went on a bit of a rant about the current president saying that the rich need to pay their fair share.

Well, again, what does that mean? What does rich mean? What does the fair share mean? Here's what it comes down to, people. The more you succeed in this country, The more you are punished for that success.

And it stifles your ability to get ahead. Have you ever talked to somebody, and maybe you have it in your own situation where maybe you're successful in business or you think about doing a second job because it's a good idea or it's helpful, maybe it's necessary. And at some point, there's a conversation of, well, I have to be careful because I don't want to get kicked up to a higher tax bracket. We should never have that conversation in this country. We should have a situation where We start collecting taxes from people after a certain dollar amount.

And I'm willing to have that conversation as to where that should be. I don't know. Is it fifty thousand dollars? For a single person, $100,000 for a couple. I don't know.

Costs a heck of a lot more to live out in that wasteland of California that Todd is single-handedly trying to uh resurrect and redeem through his visit out there, and I hope he can do it. But it costs a lot more to live there than it does in Tennessee. Costs a lot more to live there than it does in my state of Iowa.

So it's really hard to have this uniform number, but let's just for the sake of this conversation say there's probably an amount of money that we would say should not be taxed so that people could have their basic needs cared for. They could take care of themselves, in other words. and then we should tax people. to support the common good, the government. Provided that the government spends the money wisely, and that is certainly.

been in dispute of late. But the percentage That people are taxed at. Should be the same whether you're making $100,000 a year as a family or $400,000. Because the percentage is the fair level. To say it's fifteen percent, unless you make over a certain amount, and now all of a sudden we're going to jack it up to twenty percent, and then twenty eight, and then thirty three, and then you get up to the good old days a hundred years ago, and that was in quotes, of course, when the top tax rate was some seventy percent.

That's just ridiculous. Why would you have any incentive to succeed and play fair?

Okay. If you were going to be punished for it, with this confiscatory system, you Where the more you make, the more you pay as a percentage. We established this before. If you make more dollars, you should pay more dollars. That's fine.

That makes perfect sense. But when you start taking bigger bite out of somebody's pie. That's when the system Opens itself up for fraud and abuse. That's where people try to cheat and game the system. Because it's not inherently Fair.

When the current president says the rich, as he defines it, have to pay their fair share. I do agree. The same percentage should be paid by everyone. That's not what he means, of course. What he means is tax the rich, soak the rich, punish the rich.

It's not fair. That's not a fair share. He says they should pay their fair share, and I agree, but we have very different ways of getting about it. I say let's go down to one percentage for everybody, and he wants to have rich people picked up and hung by their ankles and have all the money fall out of their pockets. Unless, of course, it's him and his family.

taking money under the table and laundering it. And in which case that's fine. Members of his family can avoid The tax system. You know, to some degree, the Biden crime family is the best example. to support what I want to do.

As opposed to a system where the more you make, the higher percentage you pay, and here's why. Yeah.

Everything I'm about to state to you. was legally done by the current president and his spouse. They sat up Little Side Businesses To run money through for speaking engagements and the eight million dollar book deal, et cetera. they set up these little companies. to diminish the tax burden.

In other words, they used the current complicated system. to limit how much money they would have to pay in federal income taxes. There is nothing wrong with that. Because the law does allow it. But the point is you are whipping up a whole cottage industry of how to avoid taxes.

And I know this as a lawyer who used to do taxes for people. They'd want to know about tax saving strategies.

Well, they're talking about how to not pay as much tax. Because the system they did not believe was fair. Yeah.

And so they wanted to take advantage of all sorts of deductions and loopholes, etc., etc., if you had just made it really simple. You would not have All of these rich people, like the Bidens, setting up these little companies. to funnel the money through to diminish the tax burden.

So, if you really want the rich to pay their fair share, Mr. Current President. First of all, Have a family meeting. That'd be a good start. Have a family meeting because you have one of your children, Robert Hunter Biden, already accused of avoiding taxes, and another child, I believe who is under investigation for it because, again, checks are going to family members all over the place.

So why don't we start at home? mister Current President, do that. But What we really need to do is have a system. That suggests fairness with everyone paying the same percentage, the same rate. What we have now.

is not fair. And here's the great thing about that. If you have a simplified system, that everybody can understand and believe in. You're going to have people feel confident enough. To start businesses, to expand businesses, to take a chance on an idea.

you're going to have the economy explode because conditions are right for it. We're going to take a break in a moment, and when we come back, obviously, I'd love to hear from you. But I also want to talk about. Why, in another respect, our current tax policy stifles. Our growth as a nation.

But give us a call at 901-260-5926. We'll pick up your calls and this conversation on the other side. I'm Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio in the Tom Starns Radio Program.

Let's spend a few moments talking about our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom, ADF. The nonprofit legal defense organization will be back in front of the Supreme Court of the United States before the end of the month. They're going to argue a case against the FDA, the agency, of course, that has endangered the health and safety of women and girls by unlawfully removing the original safety standards on harmful abortion drugs. That is a big case to watch, and I'm getting a lot of emails from folks about it.

So it's something a lot of people are paying close attention to, and ADF is leading the charge on that. But right now, I want to tell you the powerful story of Jean Marie Davis.

Now, she was once considering an abortion, but instead made a good decision. She chose to keep her baby with the help of a pregnant son. Resource center. But that resource center's right to operate. was challenged by the legislature in Vermont of all things, the state authority.

And that pregnancy resource center and their right to operate was defended in court by ADF. Let's have you hear her own words on this topic. Had it not been for Fliance defending freedom and the pregnancy center, I would be dead. They saved my life.

Now it is my turn to defend the very cause that saved me. Vermont wants to shut down pregnancy centers because we don't support the state's extreme abortion agenda. Our work powerfully shows that there is real help for men, women, and children in need.

When you hear someone like that speak with such passion and such conviction. It is just one more example of how important ADF, the Alliance Defending Freedom, is. Every single day in spots all across this country, they step up and they step in to fight for our freedoms. but they need your help in order to do it. And you're hearing these kinds of requests on various radio programs.

And what I I'll peel back a little bit of the curtain to let you know that this audience is so generous. And this audience responds.

so much to uh appeals like this. And congratulations to all of you who pay close attention, smart audience, and you believe in the right things and you're willing to support them. And that's why ADF has turned to this radio program, the Todd Starn Show. to ask its listeners to help out. Yeah.

Sometimes ADF has to turn down cases. Cases involving men and women just like you because they just don't have the resources. But that can be fixed. You and I can fix that today. Go to ToddStarnes.com right now.

Make a gift in any amount, and it will go to support ADF. You'll be known as a supporter of this radio program and of ADF. And those are good things to stand up for. Your generous gift makes it possible for ADF to keep standing up for courageous individuals just like Jean Marie all across the country.

So go to ToddStarnes.com and click on the ADF banner right there at the top of the page. If you'd rather use the phone, please do 855-417-6556. That's 855-417-6556. Or click the ADF banner at ToddStarnes.com. Do it today, though, and thanks in advance for standing with ADF, the Alliance, Defending Freedom.

Yeah.

Before the break, I was talking again about taxes, and this is one of the problems for people in business. How do you commit to a three to five to ten year plan? When They change the tax laws all the time. If Congress does not take action within the next twelve months, Many of the benefits under the tax reform passed during the Trump administration will expire.

Some already have. Action needs to be taken.

Well this is how it gets so bloody complicated. because you would like to think that when you pass a law that's going to be the law. But we keep swinging back and forth with politics and control, and there's no certainty for people in business. If you're a business owner, you know what I'm talking about. But here's the other thing that really galls me about this.

The rich need to pay more taxes routine. Have you ever gotten a good job from a poor person? I'm not being mean to poor people. I'm just saying, have you ever gotten a good job from someone? who was financially destitute or uncertain, The answer is no.

We need to encourage people to be successful because successful people. expand businesses. They hire more people. They reward their current staff members. And if you have enough successful people out there, if business A over here is not taking care of its employees, they'll go to business B where they are taken care of.

That's how the system is supposed to work. That is how. America's economy. can again be the best in the world. without people in Washington picking winners and losers.

So, this stuff about let's make the rich pay their fair share. It is a bogus. Political argument Full of, as the current President might say, malarkey. I would say something else, but this is a good family radio program, and I don't want Todd to get mad at me. 901-260-5926.

We're going to hear about America Invaded the film coming up after the break. James Rosen of Newsmax in the next half hour as well. Hope you'll be along. Jeff Stein in for Todd. This is the Todd Starring Show.

Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio and the Todd Starn Show, Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. This is an interesting thing with regard to Todd's forthcoming book, Twilight's Last Gleaming. The official launch date is Tuesday. You can pre-order now. Go to ToddStarnes.com.

Information there about autographed copies. Get it wherever you get your good book. But its official release date is on the 19th, which is Tuesday. And he's been going around the country. He was in Dallas, Tuesday.

Pastor Jeffers Church made his way to D.C., then to the Reagan Ranch. Lots of folks getting copies in advance, and then there will be a big event next Monday night there in Germantown, Tennessee, right next to Memphis. The fact that there is this extended pre-launch rollout.

Now, now I have written I've had great privilege of writing six books. I'm no Todd Starnes. I'm not getting invited these places. But the point is, the book comes out and then you go do these appearances. The fact that there were all of these folks gathering in spots all around the country for him That's fascinating to me.

It shows me. that there is such a great interest in This topic, and someone, and I called Todd a happy warrior last hour because he was talking about these serious topics, but that we kind of need to have a sense of humor about it.

Well, yes, we absolutely do. Or else We'll go crazy. And the fact that there is such a wonderful, extended audience out there. eager to hear What he has to say on this topic? Oh my gosh, it's fantastic.

It's fantastic. And so I urge you to get your copy right now. ToddStarnes.com or wherever you get your good books, Barnes and Noble books a million. I was glad for the tip. I've got a Barnes Noble just down the road from me, and that I'm going to definitely make sure that they do have it in stock and that it is prominently positioned.

And I would suggest that you folks do the same thing. Go to your local bookstore and ask for a copy of Twilight's Last Gleaming. And if they don't have it, Ask them to get it. And if they do have it, Take a picture and post it. And tag Todd.

Facebook and Instagram, it's at ToddStarnsFNC. Other social sites is at Todd Starns, but take a picture of the book in the bookstore. and post it, tag Todd, and tell folks where you saw the book. Let's get this thing out there. It's an important message.

Twilight's last gleaming. Can America be saved? It is officially released on Tuesday, thanks to the good folks at Post Hill Press. And the author is the host of this radio program, Todd Starnes. 901-260-5926 is how you can connect with us.

James Rosen of Newsmax coming up in just a few moments, but it gives me time to tell you about Mike Lindell and his passion. And you know it by 20 years' worth of time on the radio and on television. Mike Lindell's passion is to help you get the best sleep of your life. He invented the world's best pillow. And I swear by that, I tell ya.

He also created the famous Giza Dream Sheets, the best sheets you will ever sleep on. And for a limited time you'll get a queen size set for $59.98. King size just $69.98. And if you're wondering, those are the lowest prices in history.

Okay. Mike and the MyPillow products continue to be canceled by the big box stores, attacked by the media, and they appreciate all of your great support during these tough times, and they want to thank you by giving you free shipping. Hello Free shipping on your entire order But you need to order today. Go to mypillow.com. Or call 800-839-8506 and use the promo code STARNS.

I'll say that again, mypillow.com. Or call 800-839-8506, but you have to use promo code STARNS to get the best deals. You'll get the famous Giza Dream Sheets, queen size for $59.98, king size just $69.98. You'll also, by the way, get 60% off the original My Slippers. I'm going to go to a commercial break in a minute so I can make my call.

800-839-8506 or go to mypillow.com and promo code STARNS gets you free shipping today. Not a bad deal at all. 901-260-5926. We will talk with James Rosen of Newsmax coming up in our next segment from the Liberty University studio. Short break now, back with James Rosen on the other side.

Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Thanks for being along on the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio in the Todd Starn show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today as he continues on Book Launch Pre-Launch Week, Twilight's Last Gleaming. Can America Be Saved?

Officially. In stores on Tuesday. Pre-order your copy wherever you get good books: Books a Million, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or go to ToddStarnes.com for information on signed copies. Go to ToddStarnes.com after the program for the Todcast Podcast. You can follow Todd on the socials.

It's either, depending on which social media form you're talking about, it's either at Todd Starnes or at ToddStarnes FNC. That used to stand for something else. These days it stands for Free News Commentator. Mm-hmm. We'll see if he likes that.

You can follow me. I'm Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd. You can follow me on the socials, not Facebook. Not going to touch that with a 10-foot poll, but on the others, Truth Social, TwitterX, etc. It's at Iowa Politics, I-O-W-A Politics, at Iowa Politics.

And you can interact. I'm with KXCL Radio at Iowa, Todd Starnes' station here in the state of Iowa. And I do a program that's on from 8 till 11 in the morning, and so you can follow that at kxcl.com. We do a poll question of the day and a variety of other things.

So glad to be along with you here on the big show. And check out my social media at Iowa Politics as well. Coming up in our next hour of the program, we are scheduled to speak with U.S. Senator Joni Ernst. Senator Ernst represents the state of Iowa.

She was the first female combat veteran ever elected to the U.S. Senate. and has great insight in the Middle East situation. And in fact, and I don't want to get too far ahead of the story, but we'll set it up for the next hour. She was actually in the Middle East when the Hamas terror attack occurred.

So we'll hear from Senator Ernst Live coming up in about 15 minutes. Joining us now live on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line is the Chief White House correspondent for Newsmax. He is James Rosen. Mr. Rosen, thanks for taking time.

How are you, sir? Jeff, grateful to be with you. There are people who do their reporting with great diligence, great seriousness, but also have a very good sense of humor about life. And I find Mr. Rosen folks to be in that category, and I've been a big fan of his work for so long.

How are things at the White House?

Well, you very much deserve it, and you're very broad-based in the work that you do and the knowledge base you have.

So you're at the White House. How has it changed since the start of the year in calendar year 2024 and election year? I get a sense that there's a lot of pivoting going on at the White House. Pivoting from what to what.

Well, positions are changing. We're doing State of the Union messages that seem like campaign events, etc. I'm just kind of getting a sense that the focus is on how to get reelected, which I suppose is their number one task, but how about leading the country?

Well, I would submit to you that that preoccupation with reelection has been manifest. every day of this administration. And of course, that's not unique to this administration. There is a kind of perpetual campaign that is underway from the moment a President is sworn in, assuming that that President has designs on a second term. Originally, of course, we were told by then candidate Joe Biden that he would be a transitional president, which was code for one term president.

But he obviously has had a change of heart in that respect. And I don't really see anything operating too differently in the White House press briefing room or in the White House press operations in and beyond the briefing room where the State of the Union was concerned, for example, those of us who cover the the President every day and pay attention to what he's saying every day, painful though that may sometimes be, and to be fair, it gets painful with all Presidents just due to the sheer repetition. But the State of the Union address that we saw from President Biden was as I called it on Newsmax that night, a kind of Frankenstein composite of various stock speeches that mister Biden gives. There was really very little new in it except perhaps for the announcement of the U. S.

military mission off the Gaza coast to build a seaport there for aid deliveries. But in terms of the rhetoric about taxing the wealthy and big corporations, in terms of his nameless denunciations of former President Trump, a lot of it struck me as quite familiar. James Rosen, Chief White House correspondent for Newsmax, joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on the Todd Star and Show. You may follow Mr.

Rosen on the Twitter X Machine at James RosenTV. Access to this President, it appears, is far more limited than some others in the past, is that affecting the ability of the White House to get its message out. In other words, there are some Presidents who are excellent communicators in their own right and others where it's more painful than at other times. I think in the relative lack of access to President Biden that you observe and which is absolutely correct, where this President has given far fewer Solo or joint news conferences with other heads of state than his recent predecessors, far fewer. Um sit-down interviews with respected outlets.

Typically, President Biden will be sitting down with a kind of friendly, non-challenging interviewers such as Jay Shetty, the wellness guru, or Conan O'Brien, or Seth Myers, a comedian.

So it's absolutely true that this President is less accessible to the White House press corps and to the press in general. And we have no choice, really, Jeff, but to conclude that in effectuating that policy, the White House and the White House press operation have made a determination that they risk greater harm to their messaging efforts permitting access to the President than by restricting it. And so they probably feel that their messaging efforts are enhanced by this relative lack of access to the President. I once asked Corrine Jean-Pierre in the White House press briefing, This was last year about the different, and I said you're a communications professional. I want to get your opinion in that context.

And given that background of yours, are there some settings in which it is the view of the White House press operation that President Biden does better than in other settings? For example, does he do better in set pieces or impromptu remarks? Does he do better with a prompt or without a prompt or any of those things? And Jean-Pierre got very emphatic and simply said, the President is the best communicator we have here at the White House. Uh if that were so one would imagine that the press operation would encourage him to take advantage of the opportunity to address the Super Bowl audience.

but two years in a row, he has not. And I think for the reasons I've described, that this press operation has reached the determination that their messaging efforts are better served by withholding the President from the press corps than by making him available.

Some of us are old enough to remember the Nixon administration and how someone like Ron Ziegler would be out there and defending the president, often without the knowledge that he needed, which was doing him a disservice. Spokespeople need to know what's going on so that they have credibility. But that said, to suggest it's nothing new, when she is that emphatic on things that are readily apparent to even the most casual observer. That just seems to trash what credibility she might have to bypass. You good folks in the press corps and speak directly to the public because the public knows that this president is not the best communicator in the building.

Or am I overstating? You know, there are many instances in political and corporate life, Jeff, and I'm sure you've observed this yourself. Where a given statement has the effect of conveying the opposite of its intended sentiment. And so, for example, when a com a company parts ways with an employee and a press release is issued to the effect that we wish him or her well, that almost always immediately conveys to the reader or the listener of that That statement, they don't actually wish that person well. They hope that person crashes and burns hereafter.

And to hear Carrine Jean-Pierre describe the president as the best communicator we have was one of those instances. And she could be emphatic about it precisely because it's the kind of assertion that is not susceptible to. Quantitative or other kinds of evaluative assessment, right? We're never going to be able to prove that he is or is not the best communicator.

So she could afford to be emphatic on it. Whereas, I mean, she has also stated to the press corps that this President has uh has been made himself more available to the press corps than his most immediate predecessor. And even the the group in that White House press briefing room who are not fans of Donald Trump a audibly groaned at Karim Jampira as if to say, mm, We're not sure about the accuracy of that one. Corrine Jean-Pierre's credibility. Uh was hurt early on.

when she made some very uh Egregious rookie gaps once she assumed the job in May of twenty twenty two.

So, for example, in her early briefings, She said that the stock market is not something that we here at the White House keep an eye on every day. She said that oil production is not something that we discuss with Saudi Arabia. And Reporters even gave her a second chance in those settings to say, did you just say, did I understand you correctly to say that we don't discuss oil production with Saudi Arabia? And she doubled down on that. And then within a week, And without prompting, just sort of sliding them into uh paragraphs of verbiage she was offering from the lectern He said, Of course, we discuss oil production with major oil producers, and of course, we keep an eye on the stock market.

And so, those were the correctives to the record that were offered. But thereafter she had other bouts where her credibility came under question and she did little to repair the damage, such as when she proclaimed that all of the the various residences and locations where President Biden had been Yeah. And after that, we learned that, in fact, they hadn't been, and the FBI was called in to do additional searching. And I gave her an opportunity. I said, do you regret that, that you provided information to this room that turned out to be inaccurate?

And she essentially said I provided the information that was provided to me.

So they've had a credibility problem with Green Jump here for a long time. And part of this has to do not just with specific instances like that, but with her general Lack of efficacy in the position. She's not really gifted with the gift of gab. Words don't come easily to her. If she doesn't appear to have been particularly well equipped for this job in the kinds of jobs she held.

prior to assuming these duties. And just the way she runs the briefings, where she blackballs certain reporters, this one included, where four fifths of the room will be stiffed on any given day, also contributes to these credibility issues. And Honestly, I think the administration has made their peace with this. For a variety of reasons, they are stuck with Karim Jean-Pierre, and I don't think we'll be seeing any changes at the Lectern Aside from this daily edition of Admiral Kirby, Uh before the term ends. That's the person you want as your communications person, someone for whom words do not come easily.

The great James Rosen, if he says it, you can take it to the bank. I know you have a very active schedule on Newsmax. We look forward to your continuing coverage from the White House there, and I'm so grateful you made time for us on a busy day. Thanks so much. Thank you, Jeff.

All the best. James Rosen, Chief White House correspondent for Newsmax, and he was kind enough to break away from his live shots this afternoon to join us here on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line on the Todd Starn Show. And again, there are so many things about this administration that it's. When the White House Press Corps, and again, these are jaded reporters. But many of them would be sympathetic to something said by a spokesperson in a Democratic administration when they're groaning audibly.

That's a bit of a problem, isn't it? Yeah, have you seen those emails, though, when they say, We wish him well in his future endeavors? That's a very astute point, because you know they don't wish whoever it was well in whatever future endeavor might come up. James Rosen. James Rosen TV is the handle at the Twitter X, and he, of course, is seen on Newsmax.

Newsmax, too, of course, the home to the Todd Starn Show weekday afternoons. Two hours down on a Thursday, one hour to go, Senator Joni Ernst joins us. Also, we'll talk with the folks from ADF Legal. Hope you're here for hour number three. I'm Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd, and this is the Todd Starn Show.

Well live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's favorite gun totem, Bible-clanging, deplorable American. That's right. I love this American Ride. Todd Starns. Oh, yeah.

Wherever you're listening across this, the greatest nation God ever blessed, welcome to our three of a Thursday edition of the Todd Starnes Show, Coast to Coast on 150. Tremendous radio stations and streaming live at ToddStarnes.com. Hello, fellow Patriots. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today as he continues the pre-launch book tour for Twilight's Last Gleaming. The release date is Tuesday.

Get it wherever you get your good books. You can pre-order now, of course. And go to ToddStarnes.com for more information on that. I'm coming to you from the Liberty University studio at my home base, News Talk 1540, KXEL, in Cedar Rapids in Waterloo, Iowa, the 50,000-watt blowtorch scorching the heartland with accurate news and reasonable views. We'll take your calls in the next segment at 901.

But we begin this hour of the program by going directly to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, and we are joined now by U.S. Senator from the state of Iowa, Joni Ernst. Senator, thanks so much for taking the time. How are you?

I am doing well, Jeff. Thank you, and thanks for sitting in for Todd today. I wanted to have you come on, and I'm so glad you could make the time because I'm fascinated by the story of where you were when Hamas terrorists. Cowardly invaded Israel. and began this current conflict.

You were in the Middle East at the time, were you not? I was, Jeff. I was scheduled to visit Israel on the 8th of October.

So the evening of the 6th of October, so just right before Hamas invaded, I was actually with a bipartisan, bicameral delegation that I led to the Middle East. And the reason we were in Saudi Arabia was to discuss Saudi Arabia's normalization with Israel. And we had very good feedback leaving the meeting with the Crown Prince that evening. And of course, then we got up the morning of October 7th. And it was devastating what we learned on that morning.

We heard about the 5,000 rockets that had rained down on Israel from the Gaza Strip. We had heard about the invasion by Hamas into innocent farms, what we know as kibbutzim, in the southern part of Israel. They had raped and tortured children, innocent women, babies, the elderly, how they had kidnapped and taken away innocent hostages. It was horrific.

So the delegation, we spent time then in Bahrain and Jordan as we tried to figure out how to get into Israel. The delegation did get into Israel. I really pushed for this against President Joe Biden and his State Department. They did not want us going in, but it was important for us to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and show them that the United States is with them against Hamas.

So we got into Israel, we spent the day there, heard from Americans who had lost loved ones in the attack, talked to their family members, heard their stories. visited with the Prime Minister or anyone that we could visit with, get a better understanding about the situation. We were on the ground there with them. And this is something that Obviously, you have a great deal of insight in. For those who don't know, you are the first female combat veteran elected to the U.

S. Senate, so your background is on the ground, and that had to give you some unique insight in conversations that, frankly, many of this current administration could not muster. Exactly. And again, just that show of support coming from the United States was such a bolster to them when they really needed friends and allies coming together with Israel. It was so important that we did that.

And that's something that the administration really failed to see the significance of standing with a friend and ally. We have, of course, seen this president withdraw from Afghanistan without informing our friends and allies. We have seen what's going on with Russia and Ukraine. I mean, we're just cowering as the United States. And one thing that I have learned, not just through my military service and serving abroad and with people from other countries in their security forces or their military, is that they value and appreciate American leadership above all else.

All they want to know is that the United States stands with them. We are that force multiplier. We are that convener of great nations and great thought. And we cannot abdicate our role in the world. And unfortunately, that's what Biden continues to do.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst joining us on the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. Well, you said what the U.S. stands for, but as you then noted, there's quite a bit of daylight now between what we think the U.S.

should be standing for and the official stances taken by this administration. But I guess, to be fair, they've taken every stance, and so it just depends on what day it is. Yeah, it is so wish-washy, Jeff. You don't know from one day to the next what's going to happen, who they're going to support or who they're going to withdraw support from.

So we have seen this coming from Joe Biden, who I'm not sure if he knows or understands the situation day to day. It's hard to say there. But certainly we just saw Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, go down to the floor and give a floor speech about encouraging new elections in Israel. And I really think that he should be ashamed of himself for turning his back on our greatest ally in the Middle East.

So he's giving lip service. to Israel. But the statements that he gave today really show that he's going to just follow in lockstep with the terrorist sympathizers while we still have American hostage lives on the line.

So I do think words have consequences, and I think that Leader Schumer is playing right into the hands of Iranian back-to-mas. As I settled into the chair to do this program today, I saw those comments by Senator Schumer, and it just struck me as. How high-handed and arrogant for the Senate majority leader to suggest. That there should be a change in a foreign government's leadership. I mean, I just don't understand the arrogance of it, and maybe I'm missing some nuance.

No, you are not missing any nuance, Jeff. And this is what's so sad is that I do believe that we need to stand strong with Israel. And that means not making public statements that would play into Hamas's hands. I think that's incredibly important. And really what Schumer has done is empower Hamas.

They see us as being divided now on the issue of Israel because he put his statements out there in the public domain. But we should not be telling another country how to run their war when they need to have elections. We certainly would not appreciate that if our friends and allies did that to us during a time of war. And there are many, many examples out there where nations have gone through periods of conflict against invading countries where they have have not done elections. And certainly, it's not up to us to call for elections in the Israeli Knesset during this period of time.

So I think we need to back off and let Israel do what they need to do to defeat Hamas and make sure that they are demilitarized, that they are wiped out, whatever it is, we need to back off and let them do this.

So thanks a lot, Chuck Schimmer, for sticking your nose somewhere that it really shouldn't be. As opposed to taking care of things that are deficient, such as taking up bills passed by the House to keep the government going, just as an example. You have been back to the Middle East to talk to people about the hostage situation. We used to care, Senator, that Americans or those with American citizenship were held hostage. Apparently, this government doesn't.

And what a tragic story. tied to people you connected with for the State of the Union one week ago. Right. And I would just ask all of the listeners, how many of you know and understand that we have American hostages that are still being held by Hamas? The original number was eight.

We learned very early on that two of those American hostages were deceased. Their bodies are still being held. And then I have gotten to know many of these families. I've visited with all of the families at one point or another through the last five months. There was one family that I did invite to attend the State of the Union address with me, and that was Ruby and Hagit Hen.

And they have a son. His name is Itai. And we hosted them in my office for a discussion. I took them to dinner prior to the State of the Union over at the Capitol. And then we attended the State of the Union address.

They were in the balcony in the audience with a number of other hostage families. And then we just found out a few days ago that Itai has also been pronounced deceased. And it was heartbreaking because even just talking with his mother and father last week, they still had that hope that he would come home safe and whole. And so I did call them. And, you know, it's just it's really devastating because I've seen this during wartime.

I have had to serve as a casualty notification officer and let a mother know that her son wasn't coming home from Iraq. And just to have that perspective and how hard it is on those families, the moment that they learn someone that they raised Itai was only 19 years old. He was taken by Hamas. It was learned through investigation by the FBI and the IDF through sorting through DNA evidence and the video evidence that Hamas had actually taken, they did discover that he had been killed on October 7th in the initial invasion, but they had taken his body. They just decided to take bodies.

Because they love to see the families tortured. And this family was tortured, and now they are living with the knowledge that they won't see their son alive again, and they may never be able to gain his remains back for a proper burial either. And when I spoke to Hagit, she could hardly say a word because she was sobbing so hard after learning about the death of her child.

So it's heartbreaking, and I don't want it to be left unsaid. These are Americans. These are Americans. everyone. We had well over thirty Americans that were killed by Hamas on october seventh.

So let that think in. If we had had thirty Americans anywhere else in this world that were killed by terrorists, we would have been going after them as a United States. But we've seen nothing and heard nothing from the Biden administration. He barely acknowledges that we have American hostages that are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And he most rarely, never, I can't even remember him acknowledging the families that were affected and killed on October 7th that were Americans.

So where is the outrage? Where is the outrage? Instead, we have Leader Schumer now on the floor of the Senate saying Israel needs to back off. Um I don't like it, Jeff. We have gone past the time, I promise, but I would like to ask you to answer this question, if you can, before we take our break, and thank you for the time.

You are a part of the Senate Republican leadership. I think number four, if you are going top-down, there is a vacancy when Leader McConnell steps away. You are looking to move to the number three position. What will be different? In the Republican caucus, whether it's in the minority or majority going forward, because there are a lot of people, and I hear it here at home and we hear it here on this program, who don't like some of the spending bills.

They don't like some of the positions taken by some in Republican leadership.

So I'm just going to give you an opportunity to address the people who don't like the direction it's going and want to see more than just change at the very top. Yeah, absolutely. And this is why elections have consequences. And serving in the minority in the Senate is extremely difficult.

So we are hoping to recapture the majority in the Senate. We'd love to see President Trump serving in the White House and keep the House if we possibly can. We have to govern, and this is the really difficult thing. When you are in a split Congress, We can't always get what we want. But what I would inform everyone is that with the bills that we are seeing on appropriations this year, they are at lower levels than the spending bills we have seen in the past couple of years.

We are finding ways to shave back where possible.

So, but in that leadership position, what I'm hoping to do is give a greater voice to Iowans and their common sense, but also bring all of the divergent voices within our Republican Party together. We need unity and to focus, and I would ask of everybody out there, focus any disagreement we have amongst each other. Instead of turning on each other, let's focus on the Democrats. That's how we're going to get the majority back. It is not by sharpshooting each other, it's by focusing on the Democrats.

If we have the majority, we can then set the agenda, and that's exactly what I intend to do. Senator Joni Ernst from the state of Iowa, joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line. Senator, thank you for the extended time. I appreciate it. Have a good afternoon.

You too. Thanks, Jeff. Senator Ernst joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, 901-260-5926 is how you can join the conversation. Your calls after the break. Jeff Stein in for Todd.

This is the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University Studio Todd Starn Show. We only have 90 seconds left, but Jeff is calling in from Georgia, where he listens on WDUN to take me to task, and I'm going to give this 90 seconds, Jeff, to you. What did you want to hear? Uh yes, sir.

Mm-hmm. Obviously, you're stationed out of Iowa, and Joni Ernst is a senator out of Iowa.

So I would ask.

So the next time you have availability to reach out to her, she calls in, that you asked her on october sixth, twenty twenty three, When she was in Saudi Arabia Who was she there advocating on behalf of? Israel? For Saudi Arabia, she described it as. the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Keep in mind, my question is this.

Why is a U.S. Senator over there in Saudi Arabia worried about the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia? When here in the United States of America, we are thirty million correction. $30 trillion in debt. We had one hundred twelve thousand Americans have died last year from fentanyl related overdoses Our northern border is wide open.

Our southern border is wide open. We have a fentanyl crisis. Across the whole country. We have immigration crisis. We have inflation issues.

And she says, where is the outrage for the thirty Americans killed? By Hamas. Where is the outrage for the 13 Americans killed in Kabul in 2021 in Afghanistan? Nothing was ever done on that either. And so, my question.

Jeff, we're up. You hear the music. We're up against the break. I will respond to that because I do have some information for you because we have talked about that, the senator and I, before. I appreciate you bringing it up, and I will address this in great detail before the end of the program today.

This is the Todd Starn Show. Welcome back to the Liberty University studio and the Todd Starm show. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today. He'll be back behind the mic on Monday. The day before the official release of the new book, Twilight's Last Gleaming, more information at ToddStarnes.com.

Joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line is Tyson Langhofer. Mr. Langhofer is Senior Counsel and Director of the Center for Academic Freedom at ADF, the Alliance Defending Freedom, ADFLegal.org. Mr. Langhofer, Jeff Stein, filling in for Todd.

Good to talk to you again, sir. Thanks for having me, Jeff. The case that we're going to talk about today is something that, as someone who is a lawyer and taught First Amendment law to college students for 25 years, this one's fascinating to me. Tell us about this case that has to do with student free speech and a simple T-shirt, please. Absolutely.

So we represent Liam Morrison. And last year, Liam was a seventh grader in the Middleborough, Massachusetts. And Liam recognized that his school was regularly. talking to its students about its views on sex and gender, and specifically telling them that they believed that gender was a spectrum and that it's really based upon your own feelings and choice rather than biology. And Liam disagreed with that.

And so he wanted to express a different opinion, and he wore a shirt that simply said there are only two genders. but with in less than an hour, he was pulled out of class by his principal and told that he either had to remove his shirt or go home because some others were offended by his shirt. And uh Uh you know uh so Um unfortunately, they when when his parents Asked the principal why they did that and whether he would be allowed to wear it again. They said no, he would not. And so when Liam wore another shirt that said there are censored genders.

protesting the school's censorship, they made him take that shirt off as well.

So as a result, we we filed a lawsuit challenging the school's actions in that case. The reason I snickered was: I love the moxie. I love the guts of the family.

Okay, you don't like that it says two?

Well, put this word censored on there. And, you know, again, as somebody in the state of Iowa, the classic case on this is Tinker versus Des Moines School District from 1969. That had to do with Vietnam War protests. It just seems to me to be almost a textbook example of a school overreaching. What am I missing on this?

No, you're absolutely right. And that's actually it's an interesting the interesting thing about this case is the Tinker case set the standard for what a government must do if it's going to shut down speech in schools, and it said you have to show a likelihood of substantial disruption. In this case, there was no disruption at all, not let alone substantial, there was no disruption.

So, what the school argued, and what the court actually agreed with at the district court, was that. Liam's shirt invaded the rights of others. And said that others didn't have the right to exist, denied their right to exist, and therefore the school had the right to shut it down because they don't have the evidence to show there was a disruption because there was no disruption. That's a huge problem when you think about that. Kinker said that students don't shut down.

shed their constitutional rights when they step across the schoolhouse gates. But here, if that standard is allowed that you simply expressing a different opinion invades the rights of others, there would be no free speech rights in schools. And once again, there are schools that have dress codes. There are schools that require uniforms. That's one way to get around some of this.

But I recall when I was teaching college students. We would talk about the Tinker case and exactly the kind of thing you and I are discussing, Mr. Langhofer, and I would have students who would raise their hand and say, Well, wait a minute, they told us in my school we couldn't wear this shirt. They told me in my school we couldn't wear this ball. How come they got to get away with it?

And my response always was because nobody challenged it in court. And that's the only way to get the case like Tinker or any others to be followed uniformly, is to be vigilant to protect the student rights. You're absolutely right. And that's one thing I really, really appreciate about the Morrisons is how they've gone about it. They tried to settle this without going to lawsuit.

After Liam was censored, he went to the school board and he spoke in front of the school board and said, Hey, why are you doing this? Please just allow me to engage in this discussion. I didn't start the discussion. The school started it. It wants to talk about this topic.

And if it wants to talk about it, then it needs to allow other people to have their own opinion. Because they encourage, they have Pride Month and they encourage students to wear their Pride.

So they're encouraging students to engage in this conversation, but they're shutting down one side. And that's what the First Amendment says: the government cannot do. It cannot. Censor the viewpoint of people just because they disagree or others might disagree.

Well, and as I mentioned, I'd have the students say, Well, why could they get away with it? And I would usually say, How would that work at your house if you went home with a T-shirt that you couldn't wear and you said to your parents, Take out a loan on the house or raid my college fund to file a lawsuit against the school? That wasn't going to go well for many of these students. Thank God Alliance Defending Freedom is there to help people like the Morrisons. Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, no one really can afford to challenge the government, right? It's expensive. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to file these types of cases because unfortunately, we lost at the district court.

So we have to appeal. We just argued at the First Circuit Court of Appeals several weeks ago. We may win there. We hope the court reverses and does the right thing. But if they don't, we might have to go to the Supreme Court.

And that is a very costly venture. And the only way we can do it is through great, generous listeners like yours that are willing to come alongside Liam and his family and say, this is not okay. We're not going to allow the government to do this because I know if they can censor Liam, then they can censor my speech. And no one's speech is free if the government can do that. If you go to ToddStarnes.com, click on the banner at the top of the page so that you can make that contribution.

To ADF legal. We'll talk more about that before the end of this hour. What was the rationale by the lower court, the district court, in saying that the school was proper? Is this, and I don't mean to be flip, but is this. Because it's a Massachusetts court.

I mean, they're supposed to be neutral, but we all know that certain circuits in certain states have a little different temperament on things.

Well, it's definitely a huge concern because it is very contrary to everything that the Supreme Court has said about the speech. But it really is also a reflection of our how our society is viewing free speech today. They really there are many people who believe that speech that you disagree with or that you find offensive should be censored. And that is something we must push against. America is the last country that stands for these robust free speech protections.

Every other country has the ability to censor, and we cannot allow those types of provisions to water down the robust protections here because if the government can censor somebody that you are offended by, then they can censor you because someone else is offended. And that's not what the First Amendment says. You either have to allow all speech or no speech. And that's where we got down to when I made the comment about uniforms. That's why a lot of schools went to that so they wouldn't have to deal with this at all, because the whole point is it not?

That it is not the role of the government, a public entity. To determine which opinions may be heard or not. At least that's the way it was set up by the founders. That's exactly how it was set up. And see, unfortunately, what's happened is, as you said, if the school wants to say, look, we're going to focus on math and geometry and we're not going to engage in these other discussions, that would be great.

But that's not what they're doing. What they're doing is they are starting the conversation. They're saying there's only one viewpoint on this conversation, and then they're censoring those who disagree with the government's viewpoint. And that is exactly why the First Amendment was set up, was to stop the government from censoring those with viewpoints that are different than the majority or different than what the government really wants to promote. All right, so timetables are always iffy.

This was argued at the First Circuit, and again, I live in the Eighth Circuit. I don't know enough about the First Circuit to know what kind of a normal bent they have. We often talk about the Ninth is the most frequently overturned at the next level.

So what's the timetable for a ruling from the First Circuit? And what's the basic feeling your team has?

Well, uh we As you said, it's hard to predict, but I think probably within the next four to six months, we should have a ruling from the court. And, you know, we're hopeful that the court does the right thing and just follows the precedent of Tinker and follows the precedent set down by the Supreme Court, which says that the government can't punish people simply for peacefully expressing their viewpoint and that they can't allow a heckler's veto by just censoring them because some people may disagree.

So that's what we're hopeful for. But if they don't, then we will fuel this on up because this ruling genuinely threatens every student's. speech at public schools. ADFLegal.org is the website. You can follow this case along there, and the page I'm looking at has some videos as well.

And this is a very sharp young man, and really I really hope this comes out the way that you folks are hoping because, as you say, it's too risky the other way. Tyson Langhofer, thanks so much for taking the time and continued success. Good luck with this case. Thanks so much. Mr.

Langhofer is Senior Counsel and Director of the Center for Academic Freedom at Alliance Defending Freedom, ADFLegal.org. And we'll talk about this more in a moment, but go to the ToddStarnes.com main page right there. There's a banner across the top, and you can make a contribution so that young people like Liam can get representation. As I said, when I would talk to college students and they'd say, well, why did the school get away with this?

Well, it's because your folks didn't sue, and I don't blame them because it costs a lot.

Well, this is an agency, an entity, Alliance Defending Freedom that is there to make sure. that families are not bankrupted. By just standing up for their rights. ADFlegal.org to get information, but I encourage you to go to ToddStarns.com and click on the ADF banner ad there and make your contribution. This is a generous audience, and this is something that is quite worthwhile.

Mr. Langhofer joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, America's only, only Christian conservative wireless provider. It's been that way now for a decade. The team has been a great supporter of Todd and his efforts and of this show. Patriot Mobile offers dependable nationwide coverage, giving you the ability to access all three major networks.

So that means you get the same coverage as anybody else, the same coverage you've been accustomed to, but you're not funding some woke corporation on the left. When you switch to Patriot Mobile, you're sending the message that you support free speech, religious freedom, the sanctity of life, Second Amendment, and our military veterans and first responder heroes. Patriot Mobile's 100% U.S.-based, thank you very much, customer service team, makes switching easy. You can keep your number, keep your phone, or you can upgrade. They'll help you with that as well.

They'll help you find the best plan for your needs. And it's very simple. Go to patriotmobile.com/slash Todd or call 972 Patriot. And if you use that offer code TOD, You get free activation.

So make the switch today, won't you? Patriotmobile.com/slash Todd. Again, use the offer code TOD. You can call 972 Patriot. I'll say it one more time: patriotmobile.com slash Todd or call 972 PATRIOT.

I owe Jeff from Georgia an explanation about why I wasn't pressing Senator Ernst a little harder in the last half hour, and I promised that, and I'll deliver after this final break on a Thursday edition of the program. Jeff Stein filling in for Todd. Come on back to the Todd Starn Show. Back in the Liberty University studio, Jeff Stein filling in for Todd on the Todd Starring Show. Pre-order your copy of Twilight's last gleaming, Can America Be Saved?

It's released officially on Tuesday. Todd is on the coast-to-coast tour, coming back from California to Sweet Home, Memphis, here later today. He'll be back behind the mic on Monday, and it's my privilege to be here today and tomorrow. And a privilege as well to talk to the folks at Alliance Defending Freedom as we just did. They're back in front of the U.S.

Supreme Court coming up on the 26th, that's a week from Tuesday, arguing that case against the FDA, which has endangered the health and safety of women and girls by removing the safety standards on these harmful abortion drugs. They did that illegally. And the Supreme Court fight, as you just heard in the last segment, those things are very expensive. You heard the story of Liam Morrison. What a brave young man and a brave family standing up for what's right.

Someone else who was standing up for what's right is Jean Marie Davis.

Now, she was considering an abortion at one point, but instead chose to keep her baby thanks to the The help of a pregnancy resource center. But that center's right to operate was threatened. The pro-life message threatened by the legislature in the state of Vermont, the government.

Well, that center was defended in court by ADF. Here's Jean Marie in her own words. Had it not been for Lions defending freedom and the pregnancy center, I would be dead. They saved my life.

Now it is my turn to defend the very cause that saved me. Vermont wants to shut down pregnancy centers because we don't support the state's extreme abortion agenda. Our work powerfully shows that there is real help for men, women, and children in need.

You know, as a lawyer, I know that it's hard sometimes to separate the legal, the facts, from the thing we focus on that. But there's a human being behind every one of these cases. There's a Liam Morrison who just wanted to wear a T-shirt. That stood up for his rights. There's a Jean Marie Davis who decided that she wanted to keep her baby.

These are the people Alliance Defending Freedom helps every single day throughout the country, but they need your help. Every year, ADF has to turn down cases involving folks just like you because the resources are limited. But you can fix that, and please do. Go to ToddStarnes.com right now. Make a gift in any amount.

Click on the ADF banner at the top of the webpage because your gift will make it possible for ADF to keep standing up for courageous clients all across America. Click the ADF banner at ToddStarnes.com or call 855-417-6556. That's 855-456-6565. 417-6556, or the ADF banner at ToddStarns.com. Thanks for standing with ADF, the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Senator Ernst was with us in the first hour, and Jeff from Georgia had some questions about why she was in the Middle East when there were so many other things to do. It was a bipartisan group of lawmakers, House and Senate. And the reason there was focus on Saudi Arabia was this was a global meeting to make sure that the Israeli agreement with the Saudis was being received well. I mean, this was, if you remember, that's why, in large part, Hamas did what it did in a cowardly attack, because they did not like the Saudis getting along with the Israelis. And that's what precipitated it all.

I thought her story is compelling because she was there at the time. She met more than once with Prime Minister Netanyahu, went back to help get hostages out because, frankly, her experience is a lot better than the folks at the White House who never put on a uniform, who never went into battle, who only know theory. and the tragic situation Of the people that were her guests at the State of the Union learning just days later that their son was killed the immediate day, that's the value I thought that that particular member of Congress and the U.S. Senate could bring to the table.

Now, I tend to ask questions and just let them answer. And so for example Why do you vote for this spending bill? What's going to be different in Republican leadership? I just want them to give me their best answer to it. and then you can judge.

And so if you thought that it was Not as direct as it could have been. If you didn't like the concept of we've got to govern a minority, well, then remember that when it comes time to tell your person, your senator, who they might vote for in caucus. I, you know, these folks are trained. They know how to answer questions. I just like to give them a chance to answer the question because I know you in the audience are smart enough to ferret out what is.

wheat and what is chaff, as it were.

So that's the response to that. Hey, this was fun, as it always is. We'll do it again tomorrow, if you'd be so kind, from the Liberty University Studio. Thank you, Lydia, Grace, Dylan. Thank you, Mr.

Starnes, and thanks to all of you at home. Jeff Stein, this is the Todd Starnes Show.