Speaker Johnson Reneges on Border Funding Promise

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Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's favorite gun totem, Bible-plinging, deplorable American. That's right. I love this American ride. Dutch dark. We've been telling all of you, we've told the American people.

Border, border, border. We have to effect real policy change at the border, and that is a necessary condition to anything we do going forward. We have to take care of our border first. That's what the American people demand. Every state in America is now a border state.

Border, border, border. How can we be engaged in securing the border of foreign countries if we can't secure our own? We know the urgency in Ukraine. We are going to stand for freedom and make sure that Vladimir Putin doesn't march through Europe. It's pastime to secure the border.

Listen, this is a catastrophe down here. The battle is for the border. President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill. It better begin by defending America's national security. These are dangerous people who are coming to the country.

Over 300 known terrorists. How can we be engaged in securing the border of foreign countries if we can't secure our own? All right, there you go, ladies and gentlemen. I wanted to start out the show just reminding you of what Speaker Johnson told us over and over and over and over and over again. And then, just moments ago, Speaker Johnson had to rely on a majority of Democrats to advance a nearly $100 billion.

Foreign aid package that includes zero dollars. to secure the American border. In other words, everything the speaker just told you, everything you just heard, turned out not to be true. We have a list of the 55 Republicans. There were only 55 Republicans who voted no on this rule package.

Now we're going to have a lot of homework over the weekend. We have got to do our best as an audience to try and defeat this bill, which is probably going to be voted on Saturday. And it is going to be extremely hard. because of the rule vote that just happened and the numbers that we saw. But we've got to give it we've got to give it our best shot.

And we have a list on ToddStarnes.com of the the lawmakers, the Republican lawmakers who actually voted against us. There were only 55, and I hope you take a long, hard look at that. And you can find out if your lawmaker, your elected representative, either supported you. Or Ukraine. And I'm pretty disappointed in some of the names that are not on that list.

And we're going to talk about that a little bit later on. But as it now stands, there will be a series of votes on Saturday, and then this will officially be done. It'll go off to the Senate and it'll be done. It'll pass in the Senate. But I'm telling you right now, ladies and gentlemen, that we've got a big problem up on Capitol Hill.

And for the Speaker of the House to come out there and say border, border, border, and then turn around and support the Democrats and work with the Democrats To advance this foreign aid package without a single penny going to secure our own border. It's really unconscionable. I want you to just think about this for a moment. We are about to spend billions of dollars, $61 billion. We're giving that money to Ukraine.

So they can secure their border and they can repel the Russian invasion. That's the whole point of sending them all this money. Not a single penny is going to secure our southern border.

So I have a very simple question. And by the way, Congressman Paul Gosar, now the third Republican to join Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massey's call to vacate the chair. A very simple question. Do you still have confidence And Speaker Mike Johnson. Should we keep him in place or is it time for someone else?

It's a very simple question on this Open Line Friday. Our telephone number is 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.

Now, there is a massive effort underway among Christian conservatives to save the Speaker of the House. And I'm just going to share from my heart here for a moment, folks. And again, you know that I've been very conflicted by all of this.

Now no doubt there are some rabble rousers on Capitol Hill. And they don't want to lead. They want to make a name for themselves for themselves. They want to get a gig on Fox News or Newsmax. And they really, at the end of the day, they're really not looking out for the American people and for the will of the American people, but a lot of them are.

And they have sincere concerns about Speaker Mike Johnson.

Now The concern I have is that he is not going to be. You can go through all the rigmarole of vacating the chair, but I believe at this point we're going to have enough Democrats switching over that Mike Johnson will be saved. And why would the Democrats not support him? I'm going to tell you why. The reason why the Democrats would not is because they.

They're getting everything they want. Speaker Johnson is doing a terrific job of representing the Democrat Party's caucus right now in the House. And I don't know if he meant to do that. I mean, I've known him for years, so I can't imagine that this would be the play. But this is where we are right now.

And you've got a lot of very powerful Christian conservative leaders that are now jumping in and they're telling people, you better back. Mike Johnson. Or there's going to be problems, or you're going to be pushed out. I just don't know how you can continue to support the guy. Look, I think vacating the chair is going to be a futile effort here.

I think we're just stuck with the guy. My concer my question to these Christian conservatives is what has Speaker Johnson done to advance your agenda aside from being an evangelical Christian leader? What is it that Mike Johnson has actually done to to deliver on his promises.

Now, we're going to go to the phone lines. This is really your opportunity, and I'm very interested to hear from you. We're going to be talking to Congressman Eric Burleson a little bit later. He voted no today on this rule.

So, this again, the vote today was whether or not to advance this, and it will be advanced. And the vote will be tomorrow. And you better you folks. Mm-hmm. If you want to save our country, you got to pick up the phone and tell your elected leaders.

To vote to vote no. The one name who was not on the no vote list, which I was kind of hoping it would be, is my Congressman David Kostoff. And I'll be calling his office as a constituent after the show and urging him to vote no on this. And this is not a matter of being, and by the way, this is how the Christian conservatives are framing this now. This is really a little devious.

They're saying if you stand against Mike Johnson, you're standing against Israel. No, that's not it at all. I'm standing up for America. Is that okay? Is that permissible?

Is that okay to to want to to live in in a free country? With a secure border, is that okay now? Does that make me an anti Semite? No, of course not. It's really despicable.

Some of the arguments that are being thrown around out there by the, and these are all good friends of mine. At least I thought they were. I mean, the idea that just because you're in opposition to Mike Johnson. Means that you're some sort of a far-right extremist who hates Israel is just ludicrous. All right, let's go to the phone lines here.

We're going to start with Patty in Georgia listening to us on WDUN. All right, Patty, what's your reaction to what just happened on Capitol Hill? I'm just absolutely fed up. with all of the politicians They're not voting for this country. They're voting for their agendas, not ours.

And it feels like there's nothing we can do about it. You know, I'm tired of all of it. It's ridiculous. I'm 73 years old. I'm.

Oh dear, we lost Patty. Let's get her back. Let's go to Rick in Nevada, K-E-L-Y. Rick, what's on your mind today?

Well, I don't really have much on my mind today. I just wanted to thank you for the book you sent me. When it arrived, I read about a third of it that night, and I got up the next morning and finished it.

Well, Rick well, I really appreciate you doing that, Rick. And we really do hope that the message of the book gets out there. And it really is for such a time as this book. I hope you laughed a little bit, Rick. Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah, I did. I can't believe what they're doing with the Confederacy down south. That's ridiculous. If we don't learn from our mistakes, we're bound to do them again. Yes, as evidenced on Capitol Hill right now.

But, Rick, God bless you. Thank you for calling in. And we love all of our friends over on KELY and the Nevada Talk Network. Wyatt Cox is just a great American patriot. And thank you, sir.

That was very kind of you to phone in and let me know you got the book. And I hope you enjoy the ending. It is an inspirational ending. I'll tell you that much. Yes, it was.

All right. Thank you. Rick, God bless you. All right, let's go to Patty.

So we've got Patty back. Fingers crossed here. All right, Patty, finish your thought.

Well But you know, this kind of And an option. way it was when I was younger. Everything is about politicians and their agendas, not what we need for this country. We need to secure our borders. Patty, you're right.

And that's what I just don't understand. Speaker Johnson is the leader of the party. He we've had members of his caucus come out of this program and say it's not a matter of if, but when we have a terrorist attack.

So I want to know I want to know from the speaker why are we not Why are we not funding our border? Pardon me, I didn't mean to yell at you, Panny. I'm frustrated. By the way, I think we need to get rid of him. If he can't stand up for what the American people need, then get him out of there and get somebody in there that will.

Patty, who's your member of Congress? Who represents you? Clyde. All right. Well, the good news here is Andrew Clyde is one of the 55.

So he voted against this.

So you've got a good guy. What you should do, Patty, is you should call up your congressman and say thank you, because a lot of times they don't hear the happy calls, but give them a call and say thanks for standing up and doing the right thing for the country. Patty, God bless you. And you're right to be angry about this. Look, I was listening to an interview yesterday on Newsmax.

Speaker Johnson was on with Greta Van Sustram. And the basic gist of it was: well, we have a really slim majority, and there's really not much we can do, and it's going to get thrown out anyway because we don't control the Senate and we don't control the White House.

So, so what? By the way, you knew that when you accepted the position. Mr. Speaker.

So, if you are going to step up to the plate and say, I'm going to be the leader, then lead us. I had Congressman Tim Burchett on my Newsma show last night. And he said that he's not going to be one of these people to oust the speaker, but he is going to surround the speaker and try to help him find a backbone. And some guts. And that's what we need.

We need a Speaker of the House with a backbone. Mm-hmm. And some guts? I'm just going to ask a question. I don't know where I'm, I assume Speaker Johnson got a public school education.

I don't know. But Right now. There we have a two-member majority. Right?

So if all the Republicans vote lockstep, guess what? Everything that we want to do, we win. And why is that? Because we have a majority. But it's only a two.

It doesn't matter if it's a two. It doesn't matter if it's a one-person majority because you still have more votes than the other guys, right? That's not rocket science.

So here's my question for the speaker. Because he did say, well, if we put it to a full vote, then we may not be able to. I don't buy that. But if that's the case, if it really is true that he's got Republicans that will not support the Republican platform, we need to know who those people are. And I would have much more respect for Speaker Johnson if he would advance these bills.

And do what the people want him to do. And if it fails because the Republicans didn't get on board, then we get to deal with that. We get to take care of that. But I'm telling you right now, folks, this is a great big mess. All right, let's go to Sonny and Florida, WOCA, our great affiliate there.

Hi, Sonny. What's on your mind? Most on my mind is what everybody's talking about. We have Republicans that are. Out to lunch.

they haven't got a backbone, period. We have the RNC and the other Republicans that were endorsed by President Trump, and none of them want to go to stand up for him invite this Manhattan crowd. that are have no case whatsoever, but are going to lie their way into having a case against our President Trump. This is outrageous what's going on. And as far as I'm concerned, the RNC and the Republicans that were endorsed by Trump owe him.

The RNC and the CPAC. should be together. going to the Supreme Court with a case. To go after the New York prosecution's and the other prosecutions against Trump. They are They're they're trying they invented a misdemeanor into a uh a a federal crime.

This is unheard of. and why these people and nobody can stand up For President Trump, I'll never know. All right. Well, Sonny, let me jump in here because we are super late for a break here, but I think you made your point. The RNC is a mess.

The Republican Party is a mess. And I'm telling you right now, folks, we do have a chance. For example, all of you folks listening to us on KWAM, there in Memphis, you have an opportunity to pick up the phone and call Congressman Kostoff's district office, call his office in Washington. And by the way, folks, that's what you need to be doing: calling your local district offices as well as the office on Capitol Hill. Light up the phones today and tell your elected leaders that you want them to vote no on this.

The Speaker of the House promised that he would provide funding for our southern border. And he did not do it. He betrayed the American people and specifically every Republican voter in this country. All right, got to take a break. 901-260-5926.

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This amazing offer won't last long, so go to mypello.com and use the promo code STARNS or call 1-800-839-8506 today. That's promo code STARNS. All right, welcome back, everybody. Great to have you with us today. And just a reminder, we have a list of all 55 lawmakers, Republicans, who voted against Speaker Johnson's massive, massive foreign aid package.

Go to our website, ToddStarnes.com, and you'll be able to check it out there. Let's go to Dave in North Carolina on WTKF. Hi, Dave. What's going on? Hey, Todd.

One, no, don't try to remove the speaker. It would just be more chaos, it would be more disruption, it would be more distraction. Everything is designed around this. This whole thing is pre-planned, pre-organized. And I called Congressman Murphy's office yesterday.

He did vote for it. I found that out and I told his you know, 'cause you can never No way can you ever talk to this guy or anybody else who's an elected official in North Carolina anymore. Um So I told him, I said. Here's the thing about Ukraine. We don't have a balanced budget.

The United States doesn't. That's one of the primary purposes of Congress is to create and maintain a balanced budget.

So all this money going to Ukraine, we know we're paying for teachers' pensions, we're paying for corrupt generals, or sending money to Ukraine that doesn't have anything to do with them fighting the war.

So, why are we sending the money? If we're sending this money, let's see a line item. Budget for them? What are we sending? How much are we sending for bullets?

How much are we sending for beans? How much are we sending for band-aids? And we're not going to they're not going to say, they're just sending the money.

Well, let's also remember that the President of Ukraine is already in talks with Kinda. to rebuild when this thing is over. The Ukrainian war in itself was not going to happen because remember when the Russian troops surrounded or were on the border of Ukraine. 120,000 troops. And everybody saw it coming.

Dave, everybody did see it coming, and that music means we're going to take a quick break here. But I appreciate your thought, and shame on Dr. Murphy for promoting this and supporting this. 901-260-5926 is our telephone number. Open line Friday.

That's 901-260-5926.

We'll be right back. All right, welcome back, everybody. Congressman Greg Murphy, by the way, saying that if you go against the rule, you're aiding and abetting the progressive liberals in D.C. When you go down that list, ladies and gentlemen, every single person who voted no, all 55 Republicans are rock-solid conservatives. They're not far-right extremists.

They're good, decent people. The Congressman Murphy of North Carolina goes on to say, You are preventing serious policy work from being done and helping to destroy America. Your vote is no more important than mine. It is time to end the political terrorism.

So now, ladies and gentlemen, Congressman Greg Murphy is saying that if you don't support Speaker Johnson and the Democrats, you are a political terrorist. You know, that. That is not a serious man right there. That is not a serious argument. And it seems to me that you folks in North Carolina's third congressional district deserve better than that.

Okay. But I would like Congressman Murphy to explain to me Why securing our border is not important? Why is that? And how is it that Saying that you want a secure border before you go and help Ukraine or Israel or anybody else, why does that make you a political terrorist? All right, nine oh one two six zero five nine two six is our telephone number.

That's nine oh one two six zero five nine two six. Let's go to Don in Illinois. Hi, Don. What's on your mind today? Nika, it's so great to talk to you, and I'm so great you've taken A Christian conservative, Republican stand against Speaker Johnson.

He deserves to have the kind of heat that is now coming his way. Kevin McCarthy was ousted for the very mealy mouth, squeaky, let's spend this country into oblivion. Let's just kind of work with the Democrats. The Democrats have been responsible for the Sentinel coming in by opening up our borders. Americans are dying because we have people that are supposed to represent us who end up representing Democrats instead.

And Speaker Johnson is guilty of that. He is a mealy mouth. Shoe polishing, God only knows what really is going on that makes him do what he's doing. But for True Christian. There are Boldest lion.

They don't like when People are being killed through fentanyl and things like this, and that we're having people murdered like Lakin. And I'm outraged at Mike Johnson. I can't stand the fact that he'll look in the camera after Kevin McCarthy was ousted and now pretend that somehow we need to just be really careful because we have the slim majority. No. Get somebody in there with a spine, get somebody in there to say, we need to stop the border intrusion today.

Or yesterday. have actually happened three years ago. And I'm not going to sit here and enable more Americans to be murdered, poisoned and overrun. By the way, Don, I will say this, that Mary Miller, the congresswoman from Illinois, actually voted against this, so she did the right thing.

So there you go. We certainly appreciate her standing up for the American people. But, Don, you're right. This fentanyl crisis, it's really an epidemic. And nobody seems to really want to deal with this.

Nobody really wants to deal with our open porous border right now. But my issue with Speaker Johnson is that he went back on his word, and he has yet to really give us a good reason why he did that.

Well, I like I say, y five minutes of listening to his mealy mouth Um you know, rubber legged Excuses for not doing the right thing after giving his word that he would do something is enough for me. And people say, oh, no, the the the media is going to paint us as not united. Oh no, they're going to say that all we can do is fight amongst each other. Listen, the Democrats stick together 'cause they have zero conscience. They sell out for power every single time.

America needs to get a backbone and vacate that seat up there until we find a true. Conservative who wants this. Protect our country and our children. If we can't find one, vacate every week until we find one. That might send these mealy-mouthed salesmen up there pretending to be Christian conservatives the right message.

All right. Don, appreciate that call. And I will say this: I've never questioned or criticized, and I do not doubt, Speaker Johnson's faith in God. I mean, I believe him to be a devout man of God. I just think he is incredibly wrong.

On the way he is leading this country right now and this party. Let's go to Randy and Georgia, WDUN, our great affiliate there. Hi, Randy. What say you? Hi, I was just wanting to make a quick point.

I think you said 55 Republicans voted no on this package. Edge. And those Republicans seem to be the only ones representing Americans in general, because the vast majority of people I've talked to Democrats and Republican. don't want this A to go through. Like they're just sick of it and they want their politicians to maybe focus on us a little bit more.

55 Republicans voting no. are kind of representing all of us, whether Republican or Democrat. Because it's not just Republicans. who don't want it to go through. But somehow most of the politicians have lost touch with the everyday American and what they actually want.

That's true, and that's a fair statement, Randy. I'm curious, what do you think they ought to do here with Speaker Johnson?

Now you have three Republicans calling for a vote to vacate the chair. You think that's the right move here, or do we just suck it up and get to November? I don't I don't really know for sure, but if he if he's going to be there, he should represent the people and not fold on what he says he'd want to do. That that kind of ridiculous. You say you're going to do something and you get the job on that premise.

Then you need to do it. I mean, if this was a private company he'd be fired.

Well, fair enough. That's a great point. Randy, appreciate that call. Again, 901-260-5926. Do we get rid of Speaker Johnson or do we keep the guy?

This will be a conversation that's being discussed over the weekend, and it could really explode depending on whatever this vote is on Saturday. But the rule has been passed. The legislation is advanced to a full vote. And soon, Ukraine is going to get $61 million of your tax money. And Congressman Greg Murphy of North Carolina, the Republican, said: if you stand against what they're doing.

that you are no more than a political terrorist. 901-260-5926 is our number. Here's Congressman Chip Roy just a few moments ago. Despite the fact that the Speaker of the House repeatedly has said in January at the border, a trip I didn't take because I knew full well what would happen, it would be a show. Trip.

And that's exactly the truth. If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin with defending America's national security. We wanted to get the border closed and secured first. He said in a letter in December: supplemental Ukraine funding is dependent upon the enactment of transformative change to our nation's border security laws.

Well, here we are today with a sham vote. And let me be very clear: the people saying that we stopped HR2 in the Rules Committee and didn't allow it to get connected to or get it to allow to be attached to the Ukraine bill, they are lying. That is not true. It was a separate rule, a separate vote designed as cover. Cover for Republicans to try to vote for a Ukraine funding bill without securing the border of the United States.

And yes, I do agree with that point. That's the truth. I yield back. All right. That was a very angry and upset Chip Roy.

The headline from Breitbart: Mike Johnson surrenders, Democrats seized control of the House floor. And this is a really very interesting take on this because the fact is, it was 165 Democrats.

So you had more Democrats than Republicans voting on this rule from Speaker Mike Johnson.

Now, on Saturday, the House will hold four votes on the final passage of each one of those passages. Packages. Our friends over at Fox actually laid all of this out. Cut number eight, please. Welcome, everybody.

I'm Neil Cavuta. Let's go first to Chad Program and how all of this is playing out. To you, Chad.

Well, it's all over this foreign aid package. There are four distinct bills, one for Israel, one for Ukraine, one for Taiwan, and a combo bill to boost Ukraine and ban TikTok. The House would vote individually, then blend them for the Senate. The reason for that, frankly, is that I'm concerned Israel may not pass through the Senate right now if it's not included in the packet. And if you separate them, then none of our priorities will be reflected, I'm afraid.

Conservatives confronted Johnson on the House floor today in a tense conversation. They are livid, there's no provision in the bill for the border. Johnson says that would blow up the bill. He needs Democrats to support the plan.

Some progressives oppose the package because it helps Israel. Personally, I believe that we need to have conditions enforced on U. S. military assistance. We have to ensure that human rights are protected and international law is adhered to.

Those conditions are not presently in this bill. Still Johnson may need Democrats to save his speakership. GOP Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is threatening to remove Johnson. Matt Gates engineered the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. My home.

was that the motion of vacate would be an elixir that only required one dose for effectiveness. But sometimes there are some therapies that require more than one dose. And I hope that's not the case with the motion to vacate. But we'll administer the elixir as many times as is necessary to save the country. Gates has opposed dumping Johnson, but he's not pleased with the Speaker.

The House plans a vote on the aid package Saturday. Greene contends she is not ready to remove Johnson because she's a, quote, responsible person. Neil? Chad, we're enough of that. Cavuto.

Anyway, but I appreciate Chad Pergram laying it all out there on how all this will play out. But here's the the issue is that Speaker Johnson Lied. He lied. He had no intention of getting any border security funding. And that's not right.

Let's go to Keith in Tennessee, listening to us on WTJS. Hi, Keith. What say you? Howdy, neighbor. Um B Half Knows if the Republicans pass anything, it's going to be hard to get it through the Democrat-controlled Senate.

So now is not the time to get rid of Mike Johnson because I don't see any more unifying Republicans stepping up and doing anything that will get past the Senate.

So The Republicans should really focus on the elections. And if they vacate the chair another time, it's going to not bode well for the Republicans in the election this November.

So just bide your time. and try to get the House and the Senate one because you're not going to get anything done this year anyway.

So Keith, does it bother you that Speaker Johnson is abandoning his promise to secure the border and to get border security funding? I think he's just being very pragmatic because he knows the Democratic controlled Senate is not going to pass it anyway.

So why spend a lot of time on something you know is not going to pass the upper house? Of the upper chamber.

Well, I'm going to answer that question for you, Keith. And I've got to skedaddle there for a break, but thank you for that call. But I am going to answer that question. Look, it's very simple. If you're going to fund Ukraine, then you've got to give us funding for our southern border.

And it's got to match whatever you're giving Ukraine. Otherwise, the message you're sending is Ukraine's border is more important than ours. I mean, that's really what's going on here. And if it's again, and you say, well, what about Israel?

Well, again, if the Democrats don't want to fund Israel because of our southern border, then that's on the Democrats. That's on them. But now, as it now stands, Mike Johnson has just taken the whole Israel issue off the ballot. In 2024, because the Democrats will be able to get out there and say, well, we just voted with Speaker Johnson to advance funding for Israel.

So that's no longer a campaign issue. The Democrats will now be funding Israel. But I go back to this one issue, number two issues. Number one, Number one. It's America first.

Why are we not taking care of our border? Number two. We can't afford it. We are trillions of dollars in debt. We cannot afford to continue funding this Ukraine war.

All right, got to take a break here. 901-260-5926 is our number. That's 901-260-5926.

This is the Todd Stern show. All right, welcome back, everybody. Good to have you with us. By the way, if you haven't already done so, you gotta sign up for Newsmax Plus so you can watch my show. Every day, Monday through Friday, 5 o'clock Eastern, the Todd Starting Show, on Newsmax 2.

All you need to do is go to newsmaxplus.com. That's newsmaxplus.com, and you can start your free trial today. You're going to get the Newsmax channel, Newsmax 2, the brand new network, and you're going to be able to get some incredible documentaries, all sorts of other great content, and you're going to be able to watch all of President Trump's rallies from start to finish without censorship. That only happens on Newsmax.

So, again, go to newsmaxplus.com and sign up today. Free trial offer, by the way, so it doesn't cost a single penny to get started. All right, let's go to the phones here on this open line Friday, 901-260-5926, Diane in Georgia. Hey, Diane, what's on your mind? I think until every American stands up and says, Look, we're not going to give y'all any more money until y'all stop giving it to other countries.

Nothing's going to change because we're letting this happen. How do we do that, Diane? I don't know. We stopped paying taxes, stopped supporting other countries with our money. That's the that's the only way I see that.

There's gonna be any change. Wow.

So do you think that that might work if just people just stopped sending money in, stopped paying their taxes? That would do it. Yep.

Well, they wouldn't have the money to send over there.

Well, I don't know. There might be a knock on our door. That would be my concern. They're going to arrest all of us. Are they going to take all of us to jail?

Well, you'd be surprised, Diane. We're dealing with some pretty bad people. And the problem is there are 55 Republicans that you can actually trust. That's the problem. Diane, appreciate that call.

We will throw that out there. Diane says we just ought to stop paying our taxes. 901-260-5926 is our number. Let's try to work in Jim here. You got about 50 seconds.

Jim, what's on your mind? Hey, Todd. Yeah, listen, um, I'm tired of sending money to uh Ukraine Turkestan. and every other toilet in the in the world And not taking care of us. And now we've got.

What, thirty thousand? Uh military age, China. Yeah. Yeah. And I have a a little uh thought about that.

Now come election time now. Biden's 30. good friends with the Chinese. What if they create a bunch of chaos here? And he Calls for Martial law.

Well Could be. I wouldn't put anything out of them because they're concerned. They're not saying they're concerned, but they know. They know how bad Biden is. And we'll play some audio in the next hour to illustrate that point.

Biden is back at it again. Jim, appreciate that call, and thank you for listening. All right, hang tight, everybody. We've got to take a quick break. This is Open Line Friday.

Whatever you want to talk about. But I am curious, what do the Republicans need to do here? Do they keep Speaker Johnson or do they vacate the chair? Are you for it or against it? 901-260-5926.

That's 901-260-5926.

We'll be right back, everybody. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's common sense conservative commentary from Todd Starr. That's right. I love this American ride. You know, as I said before, Todd.

It's a win-win. for Speaker Johnson. Trump gets in there, he wins. Trump doesn't get in there, he wins. And it doesn't matter who you put in there, the Democrats control them.

There's nothing they can do. They have control. You can put anybody you want in there. You can vacate that seat. And they'll continue to control anyone that gets in there as a Speaker of the House.

They just have control. There's nothing you can do about it.

So again, it's a win-win for him. All right, that's Mark from Florida calling in, by the way, on our shout-out app. And you can access that by going to kwamradio.com. That's kwamradio.com. Download our app, and you can send us a shout-out, just like Mark from Florida did, calling from America's friendliest hometown, the Villages.

Welcome, everybody. Good to have you with us on this Friday. It is Open Line Friday. Whatever you want to talk about, we're going to talk about. But a lot of people are talking about the vote this morning, and we have a lot of questions that we want to ask our good friend Congressman Eric Burleson.

He represents Missouri's 7th congressional district. And Congressman Burleson, we know that you are among the 55 brave Republicans who voted no on this. First, welcome to the show. Thanks, Todd. Great to be here.

Was that a difficult decision for you to make today, Congressman? No, it wasn't. I didn't come up here to make this place happy. I came up here to save America and sadly there's As you mentioned, there's only fifty-five people who who are in it to save America. And those are fifty five patriots.

who stood up to leadership, which is not a small trivial thing to do, to stand up to your speaker. Congressman, I know you to be a fair arbiter. You are not an extremist by any stretch of the imagination. You are not out there every day calling for the chair to be vacated.

So my question to you is this. There is a congressman of North Carolina, Greg Murphy. And Dr. Murphy, who's been a regular on this program, tweeted out a little while ago that anybody who opposes the rule is basically committing.

Well, I'm going to read this to you. If you go against the rule, you're aiding and abetting the progressive liberals in D.C., you're preventing serious policy work from being done, and you're helping to destroy America. Your vote is no more important than mine. It is time to end the political terrorism.

How do you respond to something like that? I don't, I just don't even, I don't understand that perspective. He And I just I absolutely disagree. I think that We look. This ta the Uniparty won.

You had that there it should be a problem when Dem more Democrats voted for the rule than Republicans. is a problem that in the rule committee They had to get Democrats for the first time in the history of the United States that we can find. uh to vote for the rule to get it to help the opposing party get a bill out of committee. That's just I don't if you don't understand that this is uh how upside down the situation is. Look, I support the Republican Party and the values of the Republican Party, the real Republican Party.

And when you when we pass bills, That are mostly supported by Democrats. And a minority of Republicans, that is not representing the interests of the Republican Party. I'm curious, Congressman, and the breaking news, Paul Gosar, now the third Republican to join this call to vacate the chair. Is that the right approach here? I mean, does Speaker Johnson need to go?

Or do you guys just, you know what, suck it up and just get to November? I you know, I don't know what the right call is. If Speaker Johnson is vacated, probably he'll probably be see the caller that was on before me is probably right that. It'll given the current makeup of Congress, they'll probably elect someone Um Just like Johnson. And so I don't know that uh will get a different outcome.

Until we change this Congress, Until we get new blood, new people who actually want to save America. we're going to get more of the same. Unfortunately.

So, Congressman, help me understand this because, again, I'm pretty good at math, and you guys have a two-person majority right now. Yet Speaker Johnson says that they the majority is not enough to get anything pushed through the Congress. But it seems to me it is. I mean, if you've got the most votes, you get to sh you get to pass these things. Is that right?

Yes, I think it is right. We passed some very difficult bills early on last year. We passed HR two with unanimous support from the House. It was the first time we passed an immigration bill that did not include amnesty, first time in Congress. We got every Republican to vote yes.

It is achievable. It's something that can be done. It just takes a lot of work. And when you have when you have the more narrow the majority it takes, Sitting down and finding objections and ironing out the differences. But when you just want to ram everything through and ignore the will of your own party, Um that's that's what is So uh That's what It you know, this place is miserable right now.

I'm curious. Yeah, I was going to ask you about the mood because, I mean, there are a lot of people who are just as disgusted as you are. They also don't believe that Speaker Johnson ought to be ousted. That's just going to create even more turmoil. I'm wondering, though, where does Speaker Johnson claim a victory here?

I just don't understand his thinking, his rationale for going down this path. No, I don't either. I I I said I look I was a big fan of Mike Johnson. in October. I don't know that I'm a big fan of March or what is it now?

April, May, Mike Johnson. Um But he he has I don't recognize him. He has changed quite a bit. Here's the guy who was on the Judiciary Committee. with Jim Jordan backing the bill to reform FISA.

He becomes speaker and after a few months completely flips his position on reforming FISA. He, for months and months, said that we were not going to even consider funding Ukraine until we fixed our border first. And he's done a complete about face on that. And so it's just um Uh I hope I just want to ask everybody, pray for our speaker. that he has the courage and the wisdom that he needs.

To uh to be successful and for us to actually get wins. I think that's a fair thing. And it bothers me that there are some on our side of the aisle that are questioning this man's religion and his faith. I've known him for years to be a man of deep and abiding faith in God. I think that's really a low blow to bring that up.

But at the same time, this notion that if you oppose Speaker Johnson, and I'm getting this, Congressman, I don't know if you are yet, but a lot of the Christian conservative movement's been mobilized to pull his fat out of the fire, talking about Speaker Johnson. And there are some people out there that are really questioning whether or not you're a person of faith if you do not support Mike Johnson no matter what. Yeah, no, I Look, I'm a person of faith, and I think he's a good person. I would, you know. But I would also say You know, look, my past I'm not going to ask my pastor to perform LASIC surgery on me.

You know what I'm saying? Like you You've got the role that you are that you're equipped to fill. And and I don't know that your faith necessarily has to play a part in And whether you qualified for the job. I think that. I think that he's been given a few months to step up, and I hope that he I hope he does a course correction.

Yeah, me too. Me too. Congressman, let's talk about tomorrow real quick.

So there will be a series of four votes. Not a single one of those will be about funding our border. Is that right? There will be a vote a separate vote on the border that we're having a bill come under suspension, but it won't go anywhere. It's actually a show horse bill.

In uh I mean, to be honest. Yeah. they if they wanted to fix the border, they would have put it into the underlying bill. And explain that. Explain how that would work.

So, for example, we've got the $61 billion Ukraine funding bill that there would have been legislation attached to fund our border. What would that have done? Yes, what we would have done is put HR two, the provisions that forced the Biden administration to actually close the border that allowed it and then the backup plan would be to allow states like Texas and Arizona to actually do what they feel is necessary to enforce the federal laws. and do away with this ch core challenge. I I think that it would have done it would have corrected most of the issues on the border.

And frankly, that would be a huge savings. If the speaker really wanted that to happen, he would have forced it onto the Ukraine bill. But he but what's obvious If they separated that vote, He's put it on a separate bill that everyone here knows is going to die. in the Senate that the Senate won't take it up and pass it. But at the end of the day, what's going to happen Todd, is that We're going to send billions of dollars to Ukraine and fund the fences and the borders in Ukraine And we're not going to fund our own border.

We're going to send money to Israel, which I actually do support. I think that they are a true ally of the United States. And it's in the best interest of the U. S. to have Israel be in place in the Middle East.

Um And so There's going to be some it'll be interesting, I think, that like within those votes. there's going to be some things that I would support, but the total package Is something that I'm not going to support. All right. Well, Congressman, we're going to leave it there. Appreciate your analysis of what's going on.

I hear the frustration in your voice. We've just got to keep fighting the good fight here. Congressman Eric Burleson from Missouri's 7th Congressional District. Thank you. Thank you, Todd.

Yeah, wow. Jeez, hello, folks. What a mess. He says it's terrible, terrible in Washington right now. And you can hear it in the poor guy's voice.

Normally, he's a little bit peppier, but there's no doubt about it. The speaker flipping on reforming FISA and, of course, on funding Ukraine without first securing our own border. All right, let's go to the phones here: 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.

Let's go to Ella J, Georgia, our good buddy, Joe from Ella J. Hi, Joe. It's been a while. What's going on? Todd, doing great.

I just read your great book, Twilight's Less Gleaming, Last Gleaming, and it got me fired up. I think that a poll just came out, Fox News, saying Trump's ahead by six points in Georgia, and I think he's going to have an overwhelming landslide win. And your great radio show will have a lot to do with it. But anyway, I just want to recommend your book to any. It was very inspiring, and it shows what we got to do to keep this great country doing well.

And I think it's important that we lake Trump. I don't think we can afford to lake Biden. He wants to raise my taxes. Trump wants to cut them. That's an easy choice.

I'm for Donald Trump, and I want to thank you for all you do, and your book was great. I think you're going to help lead us to a landslide win in America for Donald John Trump.

Well, Joe, I appreciate that, and I'm glad you got a copy of the book. You know, we're going to be coming to Gainesville, W-D-U-N. They carry The Daily Show, and we're going to be doing a big book event at their brand new studios in downtown Gainesville. You're going to have to come over for that when they release all the details. I'll do it.

When's it going to be, Tom? I don't know. They haven't told me yet. But as soon as I know, you'll know.

Okay, great.

Well, you keep up the great work. You're a great, great, great leader. All right. Well, thank you, Joe. Appreciate that.

And yes, we are coming to Gainesville, and we will get that information to you very soon. I was looking. Grace Baker sent me a list of the upcoming events. You folks in Houston, we're going to be doing a big event in Houston, Texas, Waterloo, Iowa, Salem, Portland, Maine. We're going all over the place with this book.

And by the way, if you have read the book, we'd love for you to call in and let us know what you think. Give us a little review of the book. You can do that. This is open. Line Friday, 901-260-5926.

That's 901-260-5926.

By the way, the book's still in the top 100 in political commentary, political conservatism, and also religious philosophy.

So there you go. Thank you for buying the book. And we're doing really, really well as we're coming up, gosh, almost a month now since the book has been in bookstores. All right, hang tight, everybody. We will be right back.

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Good to have you with us. I was listening to one of the shout-backs, so we'll get that to you here in a momentarily. Our telephone number is 901-260-5926. Let's go to Robert in Tennessee, WTJS, our great affiliate there. Hi, Robert.

What's up?

Well uh I hate I missed the congressman, but I just had a question. They are touting HR two that was passed last year as a great success. But I don't understand how it can be a great success if it's sitting on Chuck Schumer's desk and will never be brought up.

Well, it's Yeah, it's a good question, Robert. Look, the issue here is that Democrats care more about Ukraine than they do us.

So the thought process is if they want the funding for Ukraine, then they're going to have to embrace the End the Border Catastrophe Act, which is what they called H.R. 2. But you're right, it's sitting on Chuck E. Schumer's desk. That's right.

And I guess I'm just Here to defend Johnson a little bit.

Okay. I don't think MPG and The other guy, I forgot his name. Massey and Gosar. I don't think they have a plan. Because all it would take If they try to get get another uh Spaker Is for not all Democrats to vote for the person on the first time, and then we're going to have Hakeem Jeffries.

Is a speaker. Because all the Democrats will definitely vote for him. Let me ask you a question there, Robert. How do you think if Hakeem Jeffries had been Speaker of the House, do you think that they would have passed this rule today? Uh The answer is yes.

They would. Yeah, they would. The fact is that right now, Speaker Johnson is the de facto leader of the Democrat Party. More Democrats today voted for this than Republicans did. Is it fair, though, Robert, to is it I think you have two factions of Republicans here.

You have MTG and well, maybe three. You've got MTG Massey and Gosar. And I get it. They want to vacate the chair, whatever. But the majority of the conservative caucus does not.

They just want to secure the border. And I don't think those are bad people. No, I don't think they're bad people either. I just I think we gotta consider what's reasonable as far as getting things passed. And anything that's passed Strictly Down The line of Republicans is not going to stand a chance in the Senate.

So you think so do you think we should fund Ukraine no matter what? I wish we didn't fund Ukraine at all. But You know, you got to take your poison with your Sugar, you know. You see, Robert, I would disagree with you there. I don't want my poison with my sugar.

I. I if it's If we are going to have to fund Ukraine, I say we have to fund the southern border. I say we put the Democrats' feet to the fire. And if they really are serious about it, then they're going to go along with it, and then at least we could stomach it. But right now, the Democrats are getting everything they want, Robert, and the Republicans aren't getting anything.

That's my concern. Robert, I got to run, but it's a good call, and I'm glad you called in to defend the speaker. All right, 901-260-5926, our number. That's 901-260-5926.

We'll be right back. Yeah, hi, this is Dave in Corpus Christi, Texas. I just wanted to let everybody. know what I think about what's going to happen November fifth. And these people in control in Washington, DC, even if Trump wins the election, they are not going to give up power.

So just throwing that out there. All right. Well, thank you for doing that, Dave, from Corpus Christi, Texas, and we appreciate you. By the way, Dave, using our shout-back function over on the Todd Stern Show app. And if you'd like to get a copy of that, if you'd like to download the app, just go to our website, ToddSterns.com, and you'll be able to make that happen.

All right. I want to go to the Patriot Mobile newsmaker line. Our next guest will probably want to weigh in on this headline from of all places, MSDNC. Marjorie Taylor Green's attempt to out Jesus, Mike Johnson, is not going to work. The House Speaker's allies are not pleased with efforts to oust him.

Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council and also the co-host of a new radio program featuring the Speaker of the House joins us now. Tony, hope you're doing good today. Tonight Starnes, I'm doing well. I'm doing great. In fact, I'm trying to get that shout back app downloaded here so I can shout back at you.

Well, a lot of people are shouting at me these days, Tony. Does MSDNC have a point here? Did Marjorie Taylor Greene underestimate Mike Johnson's Christian support? That's what they're saying. Look, I think look, Mike is trying to do what he thinks is best for the country based upon the information he has.

And it's very interesting to watch this unfold both from the outside and kind of more on the inside as well. That Marjorie Taylor Greene and a couple of the a few of the others at our kind of social media. I don't want to use the word stars, but that's kind of what they do. They focus on building their brand. Really don't have a a lot of uh alliances on the inside.

And you know, a lot of the men and women who are elected, good men and women, strong Christians. Just want to serve their constituents, do what's best for the country and get work done. And a lot of this that we see here, they're distractions and they're not helping. the country in any form or fashion.

So, the question but there are also other people out there. And again, we were talking about this earlier in the show. I think there are at least two factions when it comes to Speaker Johnson. You've got MTG and Paul Gosar now and Thomas Massey, but then you've got others who are just genuinely frustrated and upset at the direction the Speaker is taking this. And that includes a lot of friends.

I know Mary Miller, for one, voted no on this rule today, among many other conservatives. Is that fair? Is that a fair assessment of where things are? Oh, it is. I mean, look, here's what you've got to realize: the Republicans have a one-seat majority in the House.

And you have a very broad Republican conference. And so trying to manage those. You know, you always hear the phrase man, you know, herding cats. I mean, herding cats is a piece of cake compared to herding congressmen.

So it's trying to navigate a middle that's acceptable to the conference. It doesn't necessarily reflect where Mike is at. It's where the conference is in order to accomplish some things. Not much, but some things that they are trying to do. See, there is frustration.

And Mike is. By the way. By the way, they should be able to do what they did today in voting against these things on the House floor. that's kind of how the process works because like Mary's a really good friend. She has a conservative district, some members, not so conservative districts, and that's kind of what they're supposed to do, represent their districts.

But What's been happening is we've not been able to really have votes that allow people to mend legislation, vote for things, against things. One of the things the leadership did is they divided this. supplemental that came from the Senate into three segments. Israel. Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific so that, hey, you can vote your district on this, vote your conscience.

So, Congressman Greg Murphy out of North Carolina says, if you go against the rule, you are aiding and abetting the progressive liberals. You're preventing serious policy work from being done, helping to destroy America. Your vote is no more important than mine. It is time to end the political terrorism.

Again, Tony, it just seems to me if you've got a majority, take advantage of your majority. And if you've got Republicans that are not going to stand with you as the Speaker, then let's out those people and say, okay, here's the one person, the two people that are going to stand in the way of us securing our southern border. Yeah. I mean, again, with such narrow margins and what happened with when Kevin McCarthy was able to capture the speakership after what, the fifteen rounds that he went through, he had to give away three seats on the Rules Committee. And this is kind of you've got to get really into the weeds here to how this process works.

But the Rules Committee, and I think that's what Greg Murphy was talking about. The Rules Committee is where a rule comes a bill, before it goes to the floor, goes through rules to set the parameters of the debate and what can take place with it.

Well, they've been killing all of the bills in the Rules Committee so that they can't get to the floor. And he's saying, look, and this is unprecedented. I mean, it only happens a few times prior to this Congress.

Now it's like all the time it happens.

So the bills don't get to the floor to where there can actually be a vote. Tony, I'm curious. I know that you're doing the radio show, and we'll get to that in just a moment, but the Speaker will not talk to us. He was a regular on this program until he became Speaker, and then his staff disconnected the lines.

So I've been curious about this. Why is it that he did not move forward with the border security? That seems to be the anger, where most of the anger is from the House Freedom Caucus, is they wanted that tied to the funding. And up until just recently, that seemed to be the Speaker's plan.

Well, there was unless something changed in this morning, that was a part of the one of the votes that was to be taking place. In fact, I think they were debating it earlier today on the floor. The problem was it is separate from the three yeah, right. It's a standalone, which I think is a problem. I think it should have been attached, but I'm not the speaker.

No, but I mean, but you have his ear, and he needs to be listening to somebody. We've had a lot of lawmakers on this program, and they're all very concerned, and they're just very puzzled by some of the decisions that have been coming out of the Speaker's office. And I think that it's concerning to a lot of folks, and most importantly, they just don't want this to mess up what's going to happen in November with the elections. No, I agree. I, again, I'm not the speaker.

You know, my My two cents is my two cents. I I would like to see a little more aggression. on taking on the border, on putting these issues up there. And if they fail, they fail, then you come back and then you can take the different approach. I how I would have approached this on these votes today is I would have attached the border, it probably would have gone down because there are some who will not vote for Ukraine.

And in order for the border to get through, it would have had to have all of the Republicans.

So if they were all combined, It would have required Republican support, all of it. But then you can come back and try it again. But but again, I'm not the speaker. Tony Perkins is hosting a brand new radio program, a brand new conservative talk show, being distributed by Salem this week on the Hill. And are you going to be able to ask has the speaker agreed to sit down for the tough questions?

Well, we've had him. He was on last week. This week, he will not be on the program because he is tied up managing things in the House. I will have Congressman Steve Scalise, the majority leader. I will have Congressman Michael Waltz of Florida will be on, who is on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Intel Committee, talking about Ukraine and the way forward here.

He is one of those You know, very, very focused, smart guys who's not happy with the direction things are going either. But he thinks we can't walk away from Ukraine, but we've got to do it differently. And it's a total policy change, which, of course, means we've got to have a new administration. But we can't. The concern here is if we walk away from Ukraine in totality, where Putin goes rolling into these NATO countries, and then we are really in.

a mess. But we can do it differently, and that's one of the things we're going to talk about. All right. Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, host of Washington Watch's own radio program and the brand new show called This Week on the Hill. Tony, moving and looking ahead towards the elections in November, how important will those religious liberty issues be?

And what would you say is the big issue that people of faith need to be focused on? It's a good question. I think there are going to be four clear areas. of contrast That people will be able to see. Number one, I think it's going to be the border.

I think that's going to be a big issue. Clearly, when you look at Donald Trump and Joe Biden, there's a clear contrast. I I do think that for evangelicals, for conservatives, that the life issue is going to continue to be an issue, and this is where Republicans are are going to have to get their footing. Number three, I think crime. Crime is affecting a lot of families.

It is connected to the border. the economy is going to be an issue, but I would also say that I think Israel, as we are watching this unfold, who knows where that's going to be in November. I was over there a few weeks ago, and I met with the Prime Minister, and I know that they are determined to secure their future, whatever it takes. And there's going to be a clear line that America is going to have to stand on one side or the other. And increasingly, the Democrats are moving away from Israel.

So I think that's going to be a deciding issue as well. No doubt about that. All right, Tony, we've got to leave it there. Super late for a break. Again, folks, if you want information, frc.org.

That's frc.org. Tony Perkins, have a good weekend, sir. Thank you, Todd Starns. Great to be with you. All right.

There you go, ladies and gentlemen. Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council. We'll be right back. All right, we're following some breaking news at this hour out of New York City, and we have the video up on our website, ToddSterns.com. I would caution you, the video is extremely graphic.

But just moments ago, a man set himself on fire outside of the courthouse in New York City. Newsmax was there and actually captured video. Again, the video is on our website, ToddSterns.com. I would caution you, it is incredibly graphic. But just want to make you aware, we'll keep you updated.

This is unfolding even as you and I are chatting right here.

So we'll keep you updated on that. Right now, though, many of you know that we have been honored by our longtime partnership with Patriot Mobile, America's only Christian conservative wireless carrier. I want to go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker lines. Stephen Zadie joins us, who happens to be the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships. Stephen, good to have you with us today.

Hey Todd, it's a pleasure to be on and talking to your Listeners. And may I just say, so I just got back a week ago from our West Coast book tour, and I ran into three people who worked the call center at Patriot Mobile. They came to one of the book signings. Great, great young people, super excited. And it was just really nice to be able to meet a lot of the folks that folks, when they call into Patriot Mobile, they're talking to these kids.

Yeah, that would have been some of our great folks out at the West Coast Bible College out in California. They're fine students. And so, anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Give them a raise, Stephen. They're doing some great work out there.

Let's talk about Patriot Mobile. One of the big questions I get from people: okay, what about coverage? Are we going to be able to get the same coverage we have with one of our other carriers out there? What do you tell people? That's a great question because it is misconception and a little bit of a barrier.

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So, which is great news, and people need to understand that Patriot Mobile has all three carriers. This is incredibly important to folks. And, of course, the other thing I love about it is that you guys, the profit that you guys make, you contribute a portion of that to conservative causes instead of far leftist causes. Absolutely. You know, we really support the causes on the four pillars of our company, and what we support is First Amendment.

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And you guys just continue to grow, Stephen, which has got to be really exciting for you guys as you're getting the message out. Yes. I want to tell you something about our one hundred percent U. S. based customer service.

It is the one thing that I know for a fact differentiation differentiates us From all the other carriers out there. You know you get a Patriot mobile person on the phone. They're U. S. based, they're here in Texas or they're here in California.

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That's patriotmobile.com/slash Todd. Also, you can give them a call and talk to one of those incredible U.S.-based customer service representatives, 972Patriot. That's 972Patriot. And they're going to help you out. They make it super simple.

And real quick here, we've got about 30 seconds. The other big question I get: can you keep your number? Can you keep your phone? Keep your number, keep your phone. We have something called a contract buyout.

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Well, who doesn't like that? That's good stuff. All right, Steven, we've got to leave it there. Again, we just love what you guys are doing, and so many of our listeners are making the switch to Patriot Mobile. And every time somebody calls in and they've switched, they just brag about how great the coverage is.

So we really appreciate you guys, and hope you have a great weekend. Thank you, Todd. You all have a good weekend, too, and thank you to all your listeners. All right. PatriotMobile.com/slash Todd, ladies and gentlemen.

That's the website, patriotmobile.com/slash Todd. Use my promo code Todd. It will unlock all sorts of wonderful, great offers, and you can give them a call 972 Patriot coming up immediately after your local news. We're going right to your phone calls. Also, an update on that very disturbing situation unfolding outside of the Trump trial.

We'll be right back. Live from the Liberty University Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, it's America's conservative blowtorch. That's right. I love this American. Touch starts.

All right, those are the sounds from outside of the courthouse, where President Trump is currently on fire. Or on trial rather, a man set himself on fire. Just moments ago A Newsmax television reporter, Mike Carter, was there and filmed the entire thing, and it is incredibly graphic. We're looking at the video now at ToddStarnes.com, and we have posted the video. I will caution you, it is extremely graphic.

The man was right in front of the police barricades, in front of all of these T V cameras. And we don't know at this point, was it a protester? Was it a terrorist? Was it we don't know. Was it some crazy person?

We're look the the guy has been rushed to the hospital, but He's not going to make it. It it was pretty awful. There is video images of police officers running towards the man to try to put him out, but he is just standing there. And he's on fire. I want to play and this is the CNN coverage of how it all went down.

These people are idiots, CNN. You'll understand what I'm talking about in just a second. You say we also are seeing an active shooter. An active shooter is in the park outside of the court. We have a man who is lit, he has set fire to himself.

A man has emblazoned himself outside of the courthouse just now. Our cameras are turning right now. A man has now lit himself on fire outside of the courthouse in Manhattan, where we are waiting his history to be made. A full jury panel is gone. We are watching a man who is fully emblazoned in the front of the courthouse today.

We are watching multiple fires breaking out around his body and person. We have seen an arm that has been visible that has been engulfed in total flames. There is chaos that is happening. People are wondering right now if people are in danger. I'm looking across the courtyard.

There is a man racing to his aid. There is coats coming off to try to put out the fire. We have members of security details. NYPD is rushing to the scene. They are trying to come out.

Officers are on the scene. A fire extinguisher is right now present being put on this man to try to put out. People are climbing over barricades to try to separate the public to put out. The flame on this man. He has lit himself out in fire in front of the courthouse right now.

We are watching as they're playing. We can smell the air. I can smell the burning of some sort of flesh. I can smell the burning of some sort of agent being used as well as an accelerant to put that fire. I smell an actual fire extinguisher having been displayed.

I see a person whose body appears to be on the ground being surrounded by officers. I have multiple officers. I count about a dozen officers. All right, stop. Good God, Almighty Woman.

Calm yourself. You see, this is the problem with CNN. First of all, the man was not emblazoned. When you emblazon yourself, you're giving yourself praise and adoration. This guy set himself on fire.

He was ablaze. What kind of idiots are they hiring over there at CNN? And the poor woman was hysterical. I can smell the air. I can smell the air.

For the love of God, I smell the air. Calm down. You're a reporter. You're a journalist. Your job is to stay calm in the face of chaos.

What did she say? She smelled the fire extinguisher?

Okay, lady, just calm down. And by the way, there was not an active shooter. What's she talking about? There was not an active shooter. But right now, there is breaking news outside of the courtroom where an emergency response has now been declared.

There the individual Whose arm was ablaze, and then the arm became detached. And again, the video, it's there if you want to see it. I would caution you, it is incredibly graphic. And this happened in front of the camera.

So clearly the guy had the wherewithal and had the mi he was of somewhat of a we of a sound mind, where he knew exactly where he wanted to be to get the maximum. The majority of the menu. But you watch what's going to happen. They're going to try and turn this and make this about Trump. And if this chick and somebody give her a volume, I feel bad for the woman.

This is just crazy. But it's a horrible story, but again, you're a professional man. Don't soil yourself on national television.

So 901-260-5926, again, we are in breaking news mode, but it's also Open Line Friday.

So you can call in and talk about whatever you want to talk about. Again, if you have a child, they don't need to be watching this video. But there is live breaking news coverage on Newsmax. Newsmax 2 will be providing you live coverage as well during my show at 5 o'clock Eastern tonight. All right, let's go to the phone lines here: 901-260-5926.

That's 901-260-5926.

Let's start with the German Shepherd. In North Carolina, listening to us on WTKF. Hello, German Shepherd. Welcome, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me, mister Starnes.

It's a pleasure for you to allow me on your show. I just wanted to call in and let you know I called a local office in Jacksonville. mister Murphy's office. And that poor fellow, I think he was asleep. 'Cause the way he answered the phone and he had no idea what I was talking about, wanted the bill number that I was talking about on Ukraine.

And that just speaks to the fact that maybe not many people have contacted him to share their. Um disappointment in his actions, which is why I think they do what they do. Um as they drink the Kool-Aid up there in Washington. Yeah, I'm really surprised, honestly, by Congressman Murphy's comments. I mean, equating good and decent Republicans who have a difference of opinion to political terrorists seems a little off to me, a little smidge too extreme.

And that's what I told him. I told him I don't appreciate you calling me. a terrorist because I believe we ought to secure our borders.

So hopefully, he gets the message Um And Vote accordingly. Yeah, I'm with you there. I'm with you, German Shepard, and we'll see how all that plays out. But thank you for I'm glad you called in, and thanks for calling your congressman. Look, folks, whether you agree or disagree, they need to hear from you, and they need to let you know that you are engaged and you are paying attention.

901-260-5926. Let's go to Pastor John in Kentucky. Hi, Pastor John. What's on your mind today? Well, first of all, you had me laughing about the reporter soiling herself But yeah.

That was funny. Um I g it's cur it's gonna be a two-pronged question. And I'll hang up and listen for your response. First of all, Does reflect Republican congressmen that have suddenly decided to quit and run away from their responsibility to the people. Were they not basically possibly never Trumpers, so they were like rats.

deserting a sinking ship. And the second question I have for you Is that because of what Joe Biden is doing and turning his back on Israel. Isn't he technically making An enemy Of our Yeah. And I'll hang up and listen for your response, because that's why we're in so much confusion right now. And the Sen and the House and the Senate are in confusion, because I believe that this nation made itself an enemy.

of God, and that's something we really can't afford. God bless you, Todd.

Well, thank you, Pastor John. Yeah, look, I think there's a lot of this never-Trump mentality up on Capitol Hill, no doubt about that. But again, when you've got a Speaker of the House who, as far as I know, the Speaker went down to Mar-a-Lago, and it was interesting, the Speaker said that the President had his back. And the President does support Speaker Johnson, but even the President raised some questions about this foreign aid bill.

So it's a good question. As far as Israel. I do have concerns as a Christian, and again, I approach everything in life from my worldview, which is a Christian worldview, right?

So you may not be a Christian, you may not have the same worldview that I have, but that's okay. But from my Christian worldview, I do believe that we do have a responsibility as Christians to stand alongside Israel. And I do believe that our nation has a responsibility. And I do believe that when you look at what this nation has been doing over the past, I don't know however many years, we've been slowly slowly, rapidly turning our back to God. And I do believe there are consequences to that.

Now, you may disagree, and that's fine, but I do believe that we are a nation that has been blessed by God. And I do believe that. Again, as the Bible says, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. And I think there's a lot of that as well, especially when you look at what happened in Columbia at Columbia University overnight. And this is a story that's not getting a lot of play.

We've got the video up on our website, ToddStarnes.com. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Jew haters were marching in the streets last night at around Columbia University, and they were chanting death to Israel. They were chanting infetata. They were marching with their faces covered, the hijabs. They had the torches lit.

It was like Charlottesville, Virginia. And it's interesting because Charlottesville, they covered and w what is it? You had what, several dozen people in Charlottesville? I don't know, it may have been more, I don't know. But it was a it was a very off-putting video.

So, where's the media when you've got the Jew haters marching with pitchforks and torches in the streets of New York City? Where are they? People are literally Jewish students. at Columbia are literally living in fear of their lives right now. This is the reporting.

This is coming from people like Senator Josh Hawley.

So we're not pulling this out the wazoo. This is actual happening in real time in New York City.

So we're living in some pretty precarious times as a nation, I do believe. Oh, by oh, did you see Ilhan Obar's offspring? The demon seed, she got arrested. For taking part in one of these Jew-hating protests. Unbelievable.

Oh, we got to take a break here. 901-260-5926. Our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926.

Folks, now is a great time to head over to ToddSterns.com and get yourself an autographed copy of my new book, Twilight's Last Gleaming. It makes an incredible Mother's Day and Father's Day president, and we're happy to personalize those for you. Also, another great book for Mother's Day: our Daily Biscuit Devotions with a Drawl. Had such a fun time writing that book with my friend Michelle Cox, and it is a wonderful book. If you want to get something for an aunt or grandmother, again, all of those are available in our store over at ToddSterns.com, or you can get them at your favorite bookstore, but we'd prefer toddstearns.com.

We got to take a break. We'll be right back. Uh Uh Duck duck duck. About the moment the jury was picked, a man 30 feet away from me, I'm looking at it now, set himself on fire, self-immulated. The flames were 20 feet in the air.

It took a few moments for police to come. I'm looking at his body right now. This man is sitting in the Collect Pond area. This is a small park across the street from the courthouse. He is sitting up.

He is moving his arm. He totally set himself on fire. I can't see in any way how any human being can survive this. The police came to throw a blanket on him. There was a panic and screaming, obviously, when this happened.

So that right there was my good friend Eric Sean, a longtime journalist over at Fox. He was there live right next to CNN when the guy set himself on fire outside of the Trump courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

So there's, you heard Eric Sean explaining exactly what it was going. Was going on. And now I want you to hear from Laura Coates, who is a CNN anchorette. And here's how she handled the story. He has set fire to himself.

A man has emblazoned himself outside of the courthouse just now. Our cameras are turning right now. A man has now lit himself on fire outside of the courthouse in Manhattan, where we are waiting his history to be made. A full jury panel is gone. We are watching a man who was fully emblazoned in the front of the courthouse today.

We are watching multiple fires breaking out around his body and person. We have seen an arm that has been visible that has been engulfed in total flames. There is chaos that is happening. People are wondering right now if people are in danger. I'm looking across the crowd.

I'm done. I'm done. Again, to emblazon, ladies and gentlemen, means to decorate with something. And b she meant ablaze. We set himself ablaze.

Set himself on fire. Yeah. So her name is Laura Coates. You know what's really unfortunate about this, Dylan?

So she's got I was checking on her Twitter feed and um The one the The most recent the most recent tweet. Miss Coates says, Where else can you call in and ask all of your burning legal and political questions? It's very unfortunate. That's unfortunate. Might want to take that down.

Anyway, the latest information is that the guy's been taken to the hospital. It's not going to be good. And we don't know why the guy did it. We'll find out. We'll get all that information.

I will say this and just an observation. Hundreds of people in Lower Manhattan. Not a single person went over there to try to. And I'll put the guy out. It took a whi it took a little while for the police to get over there too.

But the police at least the police ran towards the but nobody uh uh all these cameras and nobody thought to maybe try to help the guy. Just wanna Point that out. But by golly, everybody got the video of it. I guess that's all that matters these days. Let's go to Tariq in Memphis, Tennessee, listening to us on our flagship station, KWAM.

Hi, Tariq, what's on your mind? Mr. Starring, uh yeah, I was I was just calling to s um I my my question it was in regards to this to this These charges in this case, yeah, Stormy Daniels, and so I was just wondering. uh do you do you think that uh Trump We're going to be acquitted of these charges. I don't know, Tariq.

The question is, is he going to be able to get a fair trial? And by the way, everybody who's been seated on that jury says they use the New York Times as the source for their news. That tells me probably not. He's not going to get a fair trial. You know, just like all the rest of the These charges that was brought against them.

It's it's, you know, you know, people can insist. Momentum shift in regards to Trump being the front runner as. We approached this election. And so, like. All the rest of these uh These cases They are, you know, doing it everything within their power to you know stave stave our Trump's momentum.

Yeah, I think so. And especially, Tariq, when you saw I think I think the Democrats they need to be worried about the response that Trump got in Harlem. And I don't know if you've seen that video, but it's really remarkable that people were cheering and chanting. And when Trump went to that Chick-fil-A in Atlanta. There is a lot of movement and support for Trump in minority communities that was not there in the last election.

Yeah, I happen to see that. It was it was shown on YouTube. Yeah, I've seen I've seen that. And I don't think it's never been any time in history where uh Trump has gotten this type of support from the black community. You think he's going to get is his support in Memphis g going to pick up, you think?

Uh That's a good question. And uh it's coming it's coming to It's actually hard to tell whether or not he's going to get that t that type of support here. Let's hope he does.

Well, you know what, Tariq, with someone like you out there, maybe, just maybe we might have a fighting chance. My friend, I've got to skedaddle for a break. I want to say this, though. Stormy Daniels in 2006, 2011, 2016, 17, and 18 denied that there was an affair, denied there was any hush money. Those are the facts.

901-260-5926. All right, welcome back, everybody. Good to have you with us on this Open Line Friday edition of the program. Write down our telephone number. You will need this if you want to call in: 901-260-5926.

That's 901-260-5926.

Well, there is a brand new book out. No, it's not mine. I'm not going to talk about my book. This is the only time I have a rule. Grace Baker knows the rule.

We can't be interviewing anybody else about their books until, I think, what, May or June. But we're making an exception because my next guest is a great American patriot, and he has a terrific debut book out. It's called The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future. The author is the founder and executive chairman of the American Conservation Coalition. Benji Backer.

Benji, good to have you on the show. Congratulations on the new book. Todd, my friend, thank you. Thanks for making the exception. I appreciate it.

Yeah, no, just for you. And, you know, you and I have a history going back to Fox News where, you know, I think I should have gotten a shout out of the book, to be honest with you. That's true. You were the first. Because you launched, there was a story back when you were in high school, and you were coming under attack, and we did a story about you over at Fox.

Yeah, I mean, that was, I mean, over a decade ago. I was actually talking this morning, I had an interview with. a reporter who interviewed me in Wisconsin when I was fourteen or thirteen years old, before that story with you even blew up. And it was it's amazing. I've been in conservative politics sixteen years of my twenty sixth year life.

And now dedicating it to getting us back to the table and winning again on environmental issues.

Okay, so let's talk about this book, the conservative environmentalist, because people they're going to hear this and they're going to think, oh, Benji Backer's a liberal or he you know, but you're not a liberal, you are a conservative, so why is it that conservatives should be reading your book?

Well, I think it really goes back to the fact that if someone has that reaction, they probably also considered themselves an environmentalist a few decades ago. This is an issue that has been hijacked by partisanship and the culture wars. And just because the left's ideas have not been good for America, good for our economy, good for our people, doesn't mean that there aren't environmental solutions that are good for our economy and good for our people. And we've got so much on the table here that we're allowing the left to take. And because we're allowing them to take it, we're going to get closer and closer to their ideas.

And you see that in states like California and New York already implementing sort of a Green New Deal type strategy, which I outline in the book. As one that really doesn't work. It doesn't just not work for the economy and for our country. It actually is really bad for the environment, too. We have a stake in the environment as conservatives.

We live the closest to the environment. We have the deepest connection to nature out of anybody. And there are some really good faith people on the moderate left to the center on the right who could build a coalition around sensible environmental solutions. And we have to do that for the future of our movement.

So, just for the record, you don't want to be like AOC and ban hamburgers. Yeah. Not at all. I think people should be able to eat what they want to eat. They should be able to use what energy is the most cost-effective to their household.

People should be able to do what they want to do. And that's the environmental movement that we need to create. But the fact of the matter is, you can be clean and also do what you want to do. I mean, all cows aren't made the same. Let's talk about methane for a second.

Let's talk about hamburgers. The United States has. a much cleaner production of meat than any other country in the world. And so when we're shutting it down here at home and we're not supporting our farmers and our ranchers, we're actually increasing emissions, carbon emissions, methane emissions worldwide, and we're also hurting ourselves in the process. And so there is this belief that it's the Green New Deal or nothing.

And the Green New Deal is so foolish and so, so harmful in so many ways. But there are other approaches out there that would allow America to keep its national security strong. It would allow people to have the freedom and the individual liberty that they want to increase people's quality of life, to increase their pocketbooks. Like the whole book basically outlines an agenda that does that. And I really hope that people who are skeptical of the issue, who I understand why, I completely understand why, I hope that they check it out.

And just because I know I'm going to get a text message, we broadcast this show in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as many other towns. But Memphis, of course, home to barbecue. And so people are that you're not advocating taking away or outlawing people's backyard smokers, are you? No, I think that people should I mean, people should be able to do what they enjoy. People should be able to do the activities that they think are fun.

There's a way to do that that That also is pro-environment. And so, no, absolutely not outlawing that, not outlawing anything. I don't think the government should be telling people what to do. I think the marketplace should be incentivizing, or the marketplace in America of innovation and entrepreneurs should be coming up with new, cool ideas like Elon Musk did with the electric car. Like, the electric cars from other companies are kind of worthless.

Elon Musk took it to a whole nother level because he saw an opportunity as an entrepreneur and said, screw you, government, I'm going to do this my way. We need more entrepreneurs and more innovators and less government. I'm just trying to help you here because you know you're going to get these questions, you know, when you're out and about doing your books.

So, I'm trying to help you out here, backer. I'm getting ahead of the attacks. I'm just trying to help out. That's all.

So, look, I know you've got Schwarzenegger and a bunch of other folks that have endorsed this book. I thought the person that should have been on the cover was our good buddy Al Robertson from Duck Dynasty because he's one of the guys that's. throwing his support behind your book here. That's right. He and Dave Rubin and a lot of mainstream conservative commentators have really leaned in to support this book and Kennedy at Fox News, so many different people.

And I think what it shows is that there is this appetite for conservatives to lead on this because it's an issue of passion for us. Like for Al Robertson, Hunting is part of his family's legacy. It's what they're known for, but it's also what they care about. And the people who hunt fish and ranch, the people who are farmers, I mean, a lot of the conservative community falls within a community that spends a lot of time outside. And those communities care deeply about the future of this planet.

They just don't like the ideas from the left. And what this book outlines and why Al Robertson and others are so supportive of it is because it doesn't go at odds with what they care about. I'm sure Al Robertson loves smoking barbecue on the back patio. I'm sure that he loves eating a steak every day, probably. I would have to ask him.

I don't want to attribute that to him, but it seems like something he might want to do. And he should. But he also cares about the protection of the environment. He doesn't want the places that he hunts to be destroyed by industry or the government or by our whatever. He wants to protect those places, and so do I.

Well, and again, I would say that here in Tennessee, we know a little something about that. Of course, this is the headquarters for Ducks Unlimited, which is the largest wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. What, 15 million plus acres? And they're literally my next-door neighbors, who I own about 30 acres of land right next to theirs on the Mississippi River. And that is a big deal.

And I think that talk about that in the book. Did you? And again, you didn't bother to call. Come on, Backer. I'm really getting hurt here.

Well, my good friends at Ducks Unlimited, you know, Adam Putnam and Zach Hartman, I mean, the whole organization of duck hunting enthusiasts. They're all the best conservationists this planet has to offer. And I can tell you that a duck hunter in Memphis, Tennessee or anywhere else in America knows how to protect the environment better than AOC does.

So why are we letting her take the narrative on this issue? Why are we saying AOC's ideas are crazy? We're going to sit on the sidelines. We deserve better than that. And it's a great point and it's a fair point.

And folks, again, the name of the new book, The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future. This is one of those books where you have to go into reading this, go in with an open mind. And again, when you and we have a large faith-based audience here, and I think one of the things that's very important is that we are stewards of God's creation.

So, you know, we have to take care of what God created. That that's exactly right. And that's something that I firmly believe in as well. I mean, as a Christian who grew up in Wisconsin and saw the immense beauty that God gave us in our forests and our lakes in Wisconsin, I've also been able to see now with this work, being able to see that beauty everywhere else in this country. Every part of this country has so much beauty to it.

and a tie in such a faith based way, we do have a duty and an obligation to protect it for future generations. And we do have a duty and obligation to prioritize that as faith based people. I mean, God expects us to not allow I mean, this is probably a bold statement, but God expects us to not allow crazy people to dominate the environmental conversation because It actually ends up harming the place that he gave us as a home. And By sitting on the sidelines, we are actually giving up that opportunity to protect the place that we call home. And that we are so blessed.

I mean, this country alone. I think is Gift. There's just nothing that comes close to how beautiful this country is across the world and how diverse it is. And we should be protecting that. All right.

Jeff, fun writing this. How long did it take you to write it? About a year and a half, but I would say actually it took about eight years because I've been building this movement for about eight years, and I talk a lot about different places I visited and different projects and communities that I saw over the last eight years. But the actual writing process took from 2022 until earlier this year, and I mean, it was so much fun. I mean, I felt like I was telling, I had so much to say, and it was hard to whittle it down because there is a lot to say.

And I think that's one of the things that this issue has a problem with: it's caught up in the culture wars of sound bites when it's complicated. Energy is complicated, conservation is complicated, the role of farming, manufacturing, all these things and their role on the environment are complicated. And so it was hard to pick and choose what to put in here, but did the best I could, and maybe there has to be a second one at some point. All right. Good stuff.

Benji, congratulations. I'm still looking for my autographed copy, by the way. Just want to throw that out. We'll get you that easily. Perfectly.

All right. Good stuff. All right. Well, I'm looking forward to reading it all. Thanks for your friendship.

All right. Benji Backer, great American patriot. And you can see him like climbing mountains and hiking trails and all the he's a good guy. And I think this book is worth a read, folks. The Conservative Environmentalist.

We have a direct link on our live show blog, but you can also get it wherever you buy your books. All right, Benji, congratulations. Go and celebrate.

Okay, we'll talk soon and celebrate soon together, hopefully. Absolutely. All right, Benji Backer, everybody, founder of the American Conservation Coalition and a good guy. And if you need more evidence, Al Robertson from Duck Dynasty endorsing this great new book. All right, we've got to take a quick break.

It is Open Line Friday. Give us a call, 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926.

This is the Todd Stern Show. Yeah. All right, by the way, did I tell you I joined AMAC? Yep, that's right, man. They are doing some great work.

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This is what they're calling an election year sale.

So, election year sale, that means four years for just $30 at amac.us slash stars. All right. A few moments ago, President Biden went before the cameras and see if you can figure out what he was talking about here. Seven important foreign products. I'm exporting further products.

What? What is he exporting? Can we play that one where what is he exporting? Instead of importing foreign products, I'm exporting further products. Boop bit.

We read. I don't know. Anyway, President Biden's also upset. He says a lot of kids have been giving him the middle finger lately, cut number one. I never thought I'd see a sign when I'm going through a a neighborhood or a a rural town in in the west or sending and see big signs that have a Trump sign in the middle that says F.

Biden. and having a little kid standing with his middle finger, seven years old, eight years old.

Well, I promise it happens all the time. Really? Is is that true? Is does that really happen all the time that there are eight-year-olds in the middle of cornfields that are flipping off Joe Biden? It sounds like his feelings got hurt, but I'm just shocked because here's a man who has gone toe-to-toe with gang leaders like Cornpop.

And now, Biden is saying that he really gets his fingers hurt when all of you eight-year-olds flip him off, you give him the bird. In your little country town. That sounds like a good country music song coming, I do believe.

Okay. Anyway, I you know, it is what it is.

So there you go. 901 260 5926. That's 901 260 5926.

So can we talk about Whole Foods for just a second? No, that's not the food, Dellum, that Yep. Sidewalk Sally's E. I'm talking about whole, H W H O L E, not Whole Foods, Whole Foods. Anyway, it's really expensive, right?

When you go to Whole Foods, and anyway, somebody said that cost us $7 for an apple, cut and I. I literally just did grocery shopping right at Whole Foods, and look at this, look at this. Guess how much this is?

Okay, this is this is an apple. It's called a sugar beet. Apple apparently. Look at it. The size of my palm.

I thought it was probably just like two to three dollars. My skin's I scanned it. dollars. Seven. Literally, the moment I scanned it, I was like, wait, what?

Because the thing was I had to weigh it and it was like one point oh, I don't know. And I weighed it, and then there was like one of the staff members, I was like, um, excuse me, is this actually seven dollars? And she, like, input all her information. She was like, Yeah, seven dollars. Seven dollars?

Seven dollars? Now maybe for a golden delicious apple, if it was actually dipped in gold Seven dollars Is that true? Are you really pay? I'm going to have to drive over to Whole Foods over in Germantown after the show and find out. Oh, did I tell you what I do?

I got caught the other day.

Somebody gave me the uh the stink eye.

So they have all of these Electric-powered parking spots, right, where you can go plug in your car. And the problem, they're always empty. Nobody drives an electric car in my neighborhood. And you've got like six or seven. Parking spots that are just right there at the front of the store.

So I just pull right on in. Hmm. Anyway, the other day they had one of the environmental, and she was driving one of those metrosexual cars. the um you know the battery powered And she pulled right in as I was pulling in with the big Cadillac, and here she came. Oh.

Hmm. And got out, and she gave me the stink eye. Anyway, I think she was a vegan.

So I went over to the meat market and I didn't have to, you know, interact with her at all.

So there you go. All right, tonight, 5 o'clock on Newsmax. Be sure to watch us, folks. We're going to have the very latest on that fire outside the courthouse.

Some dude set himself on fire. We're going to give you all the very latest. We will have some live reports from the scene. And then later tonight, I will be pulling double duty at 8 o'clock as well. I'm hosting on Newsmax too.

So be sure to hang out with us. It's been a lot of fun, folks. Hope you have a great, great weekend. And whatever you do, be sure to go to church on Sunday.