I wonder if I could get it on that thousand dollars. I got some stuff I got to do. Do you think I'm eligible for that day? Probably not. Hey, welcome on in. It's the average American in for the great American on this Wednesday. We are more than thrilled that you are with us. I say that and I mean it, because without you, what would I be? I would be one man sitting in a room by myself, babbling, and I would not have to leave home to do that. Well, the news is all over the place today, isn't it.
Iran is blowing up. It looks like they're going to execute a very high profile individual over there who is the leader of their resistance movement. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people on accluding to some reports, have already been
executed in response to the uprisings that we've seen in Iran. Meanwhile, back close to the home, the Homeland Security Department told the website Just the News that millions dollars of cash have been leaving not just the Minneapolis Airport, but also John Glenn Columbus International Airport since November of twenty twenty three.
Millions of dollars in bulk cash and where is it headed Well, typically, according to the HSA, typically they go to Minneapolis, drop off the cash, and then a subsequent courier travels aboard from Minneapolis to Dubai through Amsterdam. The officials say that they have uncovered a massive cash movement that gathered money for multiple Somali immigrants in communities in the West like Columbus, Ohio, and Minneapolis, and is being
sent back to Somalia. Of course, if you're the governor of Ohio, as your spokespersonan said last week, it's fraud. Is just the cost of doing business. And meanwhile, of course we're waiting on the Supreme Court to rule on Trump's tariffs. Trump is in Michigan or wa was yesterday flipping off a worker. The worker apparently has been suspended.
A lot of stuff going on, And when a lot of stuff goes on, we turn to someone who has one of the finest political minds of our time, someone whose mind is so honed in on politics that it's impossible sometimes to get him to join us on this radio show because he researches, he dives into materials so deeply.
It's very often that he comes up but Anthony Russo has come up on this Wednesday and he's joining us here now on seven hundred W. Well w and Anthony Russo, how are you on this glorious Wednesday?
Gosh, you're really fluffing my muffin before I get on the air, aren't you.
I don't know what kind of muffins you like, boy, but I'll get him for you. You just tell me.
How well man? I'm all right, I'm doing pretty good.
How you doing?
Here's what I don't understand. Trump's trying to get stuff done. And Trump's not a politician. We know Trump doesn't kiss, but we know that Trump does it his way or it's the highway. Of course, it ruffles feathers. But I can't ever remember the Republican Party in my lifetime being as much of an obstructionist party as the Democrat Party is now and frankly has been for the last ten or twelve years. Can you?
No? Definitely not.
But again, like you said, he ruffles some feathers, and fact is there is the question is is there really one party? Is there two parties? Is there three parties? Is there this Thomas Matthews of the world? Is he separate as the America. First, there is a major dissension in what is the Conservatives and what is the Rhinos at this point, and the Rhinos are just part of the Democrat Party, and I think we're exposing that now. Am I saying that this is the area that I
like what Trump is doing. I think he's exposing just the complete fracture and all political parties. There are some things he could be doing better, but in this case what we are seeing especially, I think that you're leaning towards the direction of the the ACA and the Obamacare and how you know, the Conservatives and the Republicans have caved. But he is somebody that is at least trying to push the metal and figure out who is truly America.
Ferson who is not well.
I've often said I might have said it to you that in Washington, d c. Every Democrat is a Democrat, but not every Republican is a Republican. And there are some weak need Republicans and we know who they are. I mean, it's every time a boat comes up and they have to attach their name to it, they go
running for the shadows. But my point in all of it is is, yeah, I do think that there are a number of different factions, and I think Trump's base is a strong, solid base, both with the country and inside the Beltway in Washington, d C. But it's not big enough, and I don't know how you build on that. I just saw a poll that came out two or three days ago, I believe Gallup did it, that there are now more declared independents in this country than there
are members of the rept Publican party. And Trump needs independence to get elected. He needed them desperately in twenty twenty four, and he got them. We can argue about the twenty twenty election all we want. He didn't win. I mean, in essence, he didn't wind up in the
White House in twenty twenty. I'm just wondering, is this bull in the China closet that he is is that winning over independence enough to not only keep his agenda alive, but also to keep his successor alive in twenty twenty eight, And that would be I would think jd Vance alive in the sense that he would be a candidate that could get elected.
What do you think I actually think Trump. Trump's hurting jd Vance's cause.
The cool part about the fact that we are moving to a country full of independence, is the fact that we are realizing how broken our political system is. The problem is the Democrats and the Republicans still hold so much power that they will not be able to rely linquish the fact that we, as an American base, probably fifty percent or more at this point, know that our politicians, our political system is broken beyond repair and needs a complete reformation.
Now. When it comes to Trump and.
The way that he is in the way that he is influencing the independence is based on his rhetoric, and his rhetoric is still very, very very poor. His explanation of some of the actions are very poor, his unwillingness to at knit sometimes that things are not perfect under him, or that there might be a fault. It hurts the independence belief system on the current Republican party.
So it does hurt Jade Vance.
I think as a country, it puts us in a position that we need to start relooking at the whole system. Problem is, how do you fix the system where the people that need to fix it are the ones that are also in charge.
Exactly, and to fold it back to Trump, Trump was viewed as a disruptor in twenty sixteen. He's still that. I mean, if you look at it the way he goes about it, you know he's at odds with people in his own party that sit in the Senate and whatnot. But to do what you're talking about, it would take a disruptor. Everybody thought Obama was that, and he really wasn't. He was a divider, certainly, but a disruptor can also
be a unifier. So I don't know who's out there that would be palatable to this country as a unifier as well as a disruptor because people buy and large and I put myself in that category as well. People don't like change. I think they want I don't think they want drama from that particular area of government, the Senate, the House. They don't want drama, but they certainly don't want change. So how do you get change if you don't have a disruptor that goes in there.
No, that's true.
But there's a way to be a disruptor and not a divider, and he is being a little bit of both. I'll be very honest, and I think things are a little bit different in the second term than I think in the first term. I think people had hope, the hope for change. That's why he won this in twenty two,
twenty four. But again the hope would be be the disruptor and then leave away the comments on people like Rob Reiner because I know it sounds small, and nobody cares about Rob Reiner across the board, especially conservatives.
He's a piece of crap.
We didn't like him, but there was no need to tread on his grave, and those little words affected a voting base to say, man, maybe this guy really is the jerk that the other side thought he was.
So it's the little things.
And of course when you don't have the media on your side, it's going to keep getting blown up and blown up and blown up. So he has to be delicate on certain areas, be harsh and disruptive on others. But when it comes to the humanity conversation, he needs to be a little bit more tactical, and he has lost that tactical ability in this presidency.
So yes, disruptor is good. Jade Vance.
His words are very disruptive when he follows up on stuff like the ice shooting. What he is being disruptive yet at the same time logical and hard to take from a non humane perspective.
He's being exactly what we need.
And the problem is Will Trump's not middle ground rhetoric hurt JD and hurt the country in the end, because, like I said, we're not going to miraculously be able to switch to a third party.
We're not going to realize that.
Unfortunately, big money, pharmaceuticals, all these run our government to the point where they can't actually make any real change. We're not going to be able to do that theoretically in the next four years, so we're still going to need somebody like a Jdvans to hold on. Otherwise, we've got Governor Newsom that's going to be the heir apparent that completely will flip this country on the one way train to democratic socialism. And that is a scary, scary Venezuelan type thought.
Yet they're the GOP right now, I think is overpopulated with people who believe that Ronald Reagan is coming back from the dead and he's going to resurrect the party along with him, and it will be Reagan Republicans in charge in running this country. And I say to people that say that that boat sailed, that the person that is going to run this country next is going to be like Trump in the sense that they're a populist.
People's party identification, I think, and this is particularly I think with the under forty crowd, I think their political identification identification is not as strong as it is maybe for boomers and whatever may be left to the greatest generation. I think it's going to be a populist. It's going to be somebody like Trump that is going to be this disruptor that we're talking about. And this is where
I have trouble with with with Trump. I don't think he realizes that his legacy can live on if he just play it a little different. I don't know who's in his ear telling him to be this way, but he could get a lot done. He's certainly never going to get it done with the media. The media in this country, particularly at that level, is as corrupt as I've ever seen it. And I spent forty five years in local television. The media is as corrupt as I've ever seen it. In Washington, DC. They all want to
get Trump. It filters down, oftentimes to the local level, and then because of that, he can't get his message out. First it was Epstein files. Now you know what's coming next. It's going to be Obamacare subsidies, then it's going to be funding for ice, and we're headed right to another government shutdown here in a couple of weeks. So why doesn't he who's in his ear that's telling him to be as belligerent as he is because it's counterproductive in so many ways?
Completely agree, And honestly, I don't think he has anybody in his ear that says any because I think people are afraid of him.
You see what he does. You see how he.
Turns his back on probably one of the best people in Congress, Thomas Massey, like if you disagree, or even Marjorie Taylor Green, not saying she was the best in any way, shape or form, but she was somebody that actually stood out and was a disruptor. But if you go against Trump, he turns it. He doesn't He doesn't have that bone in his body and his brain to just realize that you can agree to disagree, you can fight back and forth. And I'm afraid that's what happened.
What's happening with jd Vance that maybe you know jd Vance is brilliant. I would love to know the conversations that go on. Is jd Vance suggesting something else and Trump isn't listening, or is jd Vance even afraid to suggest something?
I don't know. I really don't know. I don't know exactly who's in his ear.
But honestly, I think Trump does what Trump wants and in some ways it works. Like what's going I'll be very brief, but what's going on with Greenland? I think that he's pushing this envelope, pushing, pushing, pushing. It looks ridiculous. I think he is overshooting the runway so that he can get a deal made where he still has very strategic ties to Greenland. Same thing with the Supreme Court
ruling that's coming up today on tariffs. He knows that he's pushing the envelope, probably too much, but he's trying to test the waters to see how much he really needs congressional approval. He'll still get the tariffs done. He just has to go a different way if this gets shot down.
He's doing.
He's being very intelligent in some ways, but it's the rhetoric of the speech.
We're chatting with Anthony Russo. He is be the change. That's where you can find him. Also, the truth will set you free. The truth will always set everyone free. If the Democrats take back the House, are you convinced as I am, that their first order of business will not be anything to help the country. It will be how do we get Trump? Finally get Trump? Get Trump. I guarantee you the day after the election, if the Dems take the House, they'll start impeaching. They'll start an
impeachment process against Donald Trump. I lay I'll lay any amount of money on that. Right now. They don't want to improve the country. They just want to finally get Trump and they haven't been able to do it. Do you have any doubt that the day after this coming election, if the Democrats take the House, first order of business impeach Trump.
I mean, I wouldn't vet my life savings on it, but it would be smart for them for the twenty twenty eight election, it would be it would be the intelligent place. Again, it's all politics. They don't care about the country. It's the fact that now they can continue to say how broken the Republican Party is, how broken the MAGA group is, and how ridiculous the people are in this country that voted for him. They can use
the invasion of Venezuela. They can impeach for a bunch of different reasons on very very very very very loose ground, which will start the proceedings, and all they will use it as is a bargaining chip for the twenty twenty eight election. The media will run with it and say again, impeached again, criminal, terrible, horrible, horrible, So yes, again, what I bet my life savings? No, but I do think that that would be the smart play for them, because that's how they play.
And in your opinion, how much on life support is the GOP in this upcoming November election, both in the House and the Senate.
We'll look at the poly market.
Polymarket's saying it's going to be a full control by it with a percentage of eighty three percent right now, eighty three percent chance it goes full blue. So, just based on the fact that the poly market was pretty dang accurate and the twenty twenty four election, they're pretty good at judging these things. In the status that we are at right now, where we are sitting, I would say that the chances are that it's going to go blue across the board.
So okay, So if you're if you're Johnson in the House, if you're throwing in the Senate, if you're Trump in the White House, who if you are leading the RNC right now, I don't even know who it is. But if you're leading the RNC right now, you have to know that too. What are you doing?
Like we just said before, Somebody's got to get in Trump's here and just basically change the rhetoric. And they also have to find a way to start coming together more. I think Johnson Johnson is just getting shot down at all levels. And unfortunately, you've got the Lindsay Grahams of the world that are actually agreeing with Trump. And I know that sounds weird for me to say, like a
Republican visits, shouldn't it be a good thing. No, You've got these old, these old school Republicans that a lot of us have disliked for a very long period of time that are now siding with the current administration, which makes it look even worse, which therefore lose. This is the independence that wanted to go against that version but still would vote for Trump and still would vote that way. And we're seeing that the that the current Republican status
without without proper leadership. And again, I do think Johnson has its good points, but he's also weak in a lot of areas.
He's not the leader that they need. Thune, I think is a little stronger. But that's a different conversation for a different day.
I think that they need to be discussing a way to galvanize the base outside of politics and continue to step further away from the big federal government stronghold that Trump in some ways is still sticking to, and find a way to at least advertise that they are trying to go back to a small, small style government, right.
Right, and and the and the media will not run with that because they will say that it doesn't matter what happens with Thune, with Johnson or what they're trying to do. The overarching influences Donald Trump. And I think that's the I think that's probably the vote that that party is in right now. Would you agree?
I would agree, Yeah.
Good, Well, let's go. Well we end on an agreement for crying out loud, that's a good day for us. How do people find you, Anthony? There's a lot of people that want to find you. I know this. How do they find you? Are you are you going back undercover again? No?
No, I mean you can always find me.
I actually even did a little political stuff on my personal page, even though I try to avoid it. But at Anthony Michael Russo on Instagram and at Truth will Set You Free USA on Instagram is the best way to find me.
Well, Anthony Michael Russo. As always, we thank you for your time, stay well. Yours is a voice we need to hear. Thanks for the insight today.
I appreciate your brother. Take it easy, all right?
There he is. I think he makes great points. Lighting up Francis is what I'd be telling Trump right now, if indeed he wants to keep this party on track. And if I'm the Democrats, man, I'm looking my I'm looking my chops about November right now. But I guarantee you it doesn't It doesn't matter how many they get in or what the majority is in in in November, their first order business. We know what it is already, get Trump, Stop Trump, Impeach Trump. That is box number
one they're going to check in November. Why we've seen this movie before twelve twenty six on this Wednesday. It's the average American in for the great American News Radio seven hundred WLW. Welcome Back, seven hundred WLW. Is the average American in for the great American on this glorious Wednesday. Wherever you are, however you're listening, whether it's by this great medium called terrestrial radio or on the iHeartRadio app, we welcome you in. Coming up at one oh six.
The Supreme Court was supposed to rule on the Trump tariffs today. They did not. They were supposed to rule on it last week. They did not. So it makes one wonder about whether or not this is going to be a clear cut up or down for Trump and his tariffs. It sounds like, as a guest said on my show over the weekend, they may be trying to split the baby here. Maybe uh, stop Trump with his tariffs, but allow him to keep the money he's already collected.
Maybe do it on a case by case basis. I don't know, but apparently the ruling on this is at least one more day away. Anyway, at one oh six, we're going to be talking with someone who understands the ramifications for you, for me about these tariffs. It's not just some big, urinating contest between Trump and all of these other countries. They have a direct effect on you and me and the amount of money you and I can bring in in any given year or two our families.
We'll get into that at one o six two oh six. Today Iran is blowing up, and they're not only shooting protesters over there, they being the government, the people that are in charge of that country, the clerics, the quote unquote holy men over there are not only shooting these protesters. There is a central figure that is supposed to be
executed today. And uh, at two oh six, we're going to talk to somebody who was once a pol political prisoner in Iran and yet has successfully and legally immigrated to this country. So that's a two oh six today. And of course along the way, a lot of fun intriquolity. AI is everywhere. I heard I was. I just heard
it again today. I was at the gym and there was a couple of people talking about AI and how they don't understand it and how they're afraid about their job and how AI may come and take their job away. And I think it's a legitimate concern. Depends, of course, on what kind of job you have, but it's a legitimate concern. Nobody wants a machine to take their job away and render them obsolete. Of course, a lot of this is possibly just getting worked up over nothing, a
lot of it is true. And then there are things called AI hallucinations. AI hallucinations. And I was reading an article online on the internets a couple of weeks ago. It was penned by a man named Raheel Malik. Now Rahel Melik is a marketing professional and calls himself an AI generist, a generalist generalist. I'm sorry, does that mean he's more up the command than an AI major or a lieutenant. No, a generalist, an AI generalist, and he
works for a company called Code Launch. All of this seems intricate, but I wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly AI hallucinations are and whether or not they're plaguing our society. And what do you know, I have tracked were Heal Malik down. He works again for a company called Code Launch, and he's standing by to give us some of his time here today. And Rahel, how are you on this glorious Wednesday.
I'm doing well, Ken, doing well. Thank you so much for having me. How are you?
I'm well too, But I am totally confused, which is not a state of mind that is unusual for me. What are AI hallucinations? I keep hearing about AI hallucinations. What is an AI hallucination? And does it involve any illegal drugs?
No?
AI hasn't come that far yet to consume anything. But you know, in Layman's terms, the best way I can say it is is you know, bad information results in bad data, right, So AI hallucinations occur when the source material may not be the most accurate and then it spits out an inaccurate answer. So that's why you'll see that we're seeing so many different AI I guess systems is the best way to put it for your audience to understand. And it's like think about the varying brands
of cars. You know, do you have a Mercedes that has its Mercedes phinoage and capabilities, and then you have you know, you're maybe not Mercedes, and you know your your Kios or your Hondas that are still cars that will get you there. But there are different varying degrees of quality and deliverables and those things, and that exists in all technologies.
So if you're going to if you're going to can I guess compare it to when computers first came out, or when they first came into existence, back in the bad old days, where a computer consumed in the entire room. It was the old garbage in, garbage out. I mean, if you throw a lot of crap into something, they're just going to spit it right out. There's no filter,
no human filter for it. But therein lies the rub because I wanted to know from jump about AI who was actually riding herd on this stuff, and everybody would say, well, you know what, we don't want any we don't want bumpers, We don't want anybody doing any kind of filtering here because that would only places behind other company countries that
are using AI, like China and Japan. But I mean, there has to be some kind of filter, some kind of oversight as to what's being spit out here, because so many industries are relying on this, and I'm reading here right now eight and ten workers using AI in the office are using it with little oversight. That's extremely dangerous on a number of levels, to say the least of which would be legal. So don't we need somebody being an overlord on this?
Well, I think you do. And there's a fine line between microuging that employee or maximum the productivity with all the tools available. Right, I'll share with you. You know a lot of large corporations, and I won't say the name, but my wife works for one of the largest banks in the country, in the world actually, and they have an internal some built proprietary that they are welcome and
encouraged to use. Right, So they've got the gates in a dated system that they built custom that is specifically for them. Now, what do I tell my wife? I said, you know, every question you put in that thing is them figuring out how to put a robot to do your job. So be very careful on how you use this thing, because every time you ask it a question, it's figuring out the best way to replace you and
the rest of your team. But if you can make your day to day more efficient, you know, it goes back to the days of Remember there was a there's a big uproar about the calculator when it came out, right, there was a big uproar about about you know, computers and you know doing the real math and our human computers as right. So the question to your point, yes,
there is dangerous to that in proprietary information. I have a background in cybersecurity, and what we always said was the one thing we can't solve for in any technology solution, the human being element. Right, A person is going to click that thing, right, A person is going to try to get ahead or try to use whatever tools they can to make their life easier. So how do we solve for the human element? I think we're going to see a big uptick in a lot of companies building
her own AI systems. But what does that leave you know, the middle the middle market and the and the small moment pops. Well, maybe it's one of those things where they can design and implement it using you know, technology groups that we're affiliated with through our parent company, improving that build customs solutions, and maybe it's finding strategic partners
to achieve that. But uh yeah, it's got it, Heery, I will agree with you there, Kin, But again, I mean change always is right through the decades, certainly.
So here's what I think is happening. I think you got a lot of these I get I think you've got a lot of these middle managers, maybe the people they answered to in Company X and they're saying, nag your workload for the week, or this has to be done within the next ten days, or whatever they say to one of their people that they manage, and oh, by the way, you need to embrace AI. Okay, that's an inordinate amount of work, but if you use AI,
you'll be able to get that work done. And so I think they turn some of these employees, you know, often let them do whatever they want with AI, and all of a sudden they've got they got the work done. And who knows if the work is right, the work is wrong. I guess they eventually find out about it. But I think where they're they're telling employees to use this tool, it's wonderful. I think what they're really doing is just using that tool to don't more work on
the employee. I think I think a lot of that's going on right now. And I know that's anecdotal, don't get me wrong. I don't know any research, but I kind of think that's what's going on.
Well, I mean, if you think about it, what did a combined harvester allow farmers to do? Right before the combine harvester, you know, a farmer and his son and his family and they were all going out there and harvesting you know, maybe an acre a day or whatever. That looks like. I don't know the exact statistics, but the capability and capacity of what a combine harvester allows you to do, you know, the tech tar So the goal being, you know, yeah, do more work. What's the
corporate mantra, right, more with less? Those middle managers say, oh, this was great, this is shiny.
This is good.
Let me just send it up the chanting. But to your point, I think the expectation is absolutely increased. Right now all these are available, worker, you can get done, You can do more with less. But yeah, you asked a great question. When we figure that out, I think the company to figure out how they can protect and create those guardrails going to be the most successful.
Yeah. I don't think there's any question about that. We're chatting with Raheel Malik. He's one of those guys that has embraced AI and somebody that understands how it can help you, help me and everybody else. But certainly, if you've got a business, code Launch is a company that can provide the software solution that you need and then to maximize your your growth as well. You know, I
do think you use the combine harvester strategy. I agree with that, and the Internet was a good comparison to I think eventually all of this stuff works out, right, I mean, I don't think we're stuck today, you know, six seven, eight, ten years with this. I think basically this is an evolving tool that can be used and eventually, eventually it's going to become something that's just an everyday way of life. I just think there's just growing pains with a lot of this, right.
I think they're spot up can and you know, one of the things that we have to consider is the strategic intrinsic value of that.
Right.
What is our competition on the global scene doing right? How are we arming our kids and educating them to be the leaders in this thing? But you couldn't be more spot on. I mean, AI is already part of your life, whether you know it or not. Like everybody, if you have an iPhone and you've used Siri before, that was an early iteration and its capabilities are only growing. If you think about what's recommended to watch on Netflix?
How does it know that that's an algorithm that that shows you and tries to pump more things that you to watch. So whether you know it or not, and whether you like it or not, this thing is. This thing is here to stay and it's only going to be more and more U in part of your life. And I'll give you an example of how how embedded in my life it is. I'll share too. I use AI to prep for this call with you today.
You did?
They did?
And what were you doing?
What were you doing?
What were you doing? What were you're running on the background check on me trying to at the rat really had fifty thou were you doing?
No? I was doing? I wanted to know more about you? Who's this guy I'm getting on the radio with in Cincinnati? And I learned. I learned just enough about you to be comfortable on this call, and I shared with it you know what we were talking about? And I said, hey, you know what should I talk about? And it helped me just prep for this thing. And I'll go I'll
tell you one step even deeper. I stopped wearing a watch my wife got me for my first There's an AI Assistant tool that you can clip to your collar. You can wear it as a as a wrist on your watch, and it's very discreet. It looks like a little microphone in your world, right that you know, and when you turn it on, it just records conversations that
you're having live in person. And then at the end of it, when you're done with that meeting or whatever you're it will create a synopsis with everything that happened to that meeting and everything you need to do and action. It is the next steps, and it can go so far as to say, here's what you need to do to win the contract. Yeah I am. I am heavy in these tools, and I'll share with you. In my circle of friends, I might be still a light user
or an early early level guy. Like people are leveraging these tools and these technologies on a scale that you know, you wudn't even know, right, They've just become part of their lives and we won't even understand it until it's all in front of us.
Well, you know what's going to happen. I'll tell you right now, Rae Heal. You're a guy in your forties, right, I'm I'm guessing you're somebody in your early forties. There's somebody right now that's like fourteen fifteen that guy is going to go blowing by you guy twenty years and you're going to be saying, what is he using? And what the hell happened to the stuff I used to use. It's just the way things evolve, right.
Absolutely, and then we are and nothing's going to change it. Right, So, you know, we have a thing in technology and business and for me at least, it's it's a doctor.
Died, right.
I mean, we go the way of the dinosaur. You're going to fight it, or or you ride this way to jump on the surfboard and you know, keep it going.
Well, there's probably a lot of people interested in AI and probably some businesses I would guess. You know, we have a pretty far arranging signal here that might be interested in contracting you or maybe somebody else there at code Launch or maybe the growth strategy firm. How do people get a hold of the now seemingly mythical re heal my league? How do people get hold of you? Yeah?
Certainly so you can. You can reach out to me at Rahel at First Genagency dot com. That is a growth strategy consulting firm that I run, and you can definitely check out code launch dot com if you are a technology startup, early stage startup or looking for that level up that you need to get your technology startup off the ground. Checkout code launch and then lastly, our parent company that that is grecious enough to put the bill for for all these code launch events that happen
around the country. Uh, improving dot com is your technology partner and solution provider. There so a lot of information at you, but if you'd like to talk to me and learn about growth, Rare Heel at R A H B E L AT first F I R S T gen G Nagency dot Com.
I got to ask this, are you AI or you're a real human being?
I'd pribe you I'd be a really good model. But you know, i'd like to think that somebody's spent lots of money.
If I was right, Ray Heels, thanks for your time, man, I hope we can talk again and good good insight.
Thanks, thank you very much for your time in having me, and I'll look forward to our next conversation. Ken truly there you go.
Hey, It's like anything else, you either embrace it or you fight it. And I think it's foolish to fight it. I think you should learn as much about it as possible, so it becomes in essence a friend and not an enemy to take your job away. Yeah, it changes on a daily basis. But unless you're changing on a daily basis and what you do, you ain't gaining your trailing.
The average American is in today. The great American is out seven hundred w l W welcome back one eight on this Wednesday, it's the average American in for the great American. And it's supposed to be a big day for the Supreme Court of these United States today. The Supreme Court was supposed to issue a highly anticipated ruling on the legality of the President's tariffs, but it was not issued today. It was, as they say, sometimes punted.
Now will it be tomorrow. But this is the second straight time that the Court is not released it's ruling on these tariffs, second straight time that they have postponed it, which is interesting for the Supreme Court. One would think that there is at the very least some sort of wrangling inside Scotis over the wording of what whatever the
decision it is. Maybe there's even some sort of wrangling over or some handwringing over potential Supreme Court justices vote don't know, but there's no ruling today, and that again has thrown the economy you and me indirectly into limbo. Meanwhile, we have the chairman of the Fed, Jerome Palell, claiming that he's under indictment by the federal government, which was
a wrong choice of words by the Fed chair. There is an inquiry going into whether or not he is overspent and denied overspending a renovation of the building that houses the Fed, and whether or not his testimony to Congress that seemed to run concurrent to that might place him in the crosshairs of contempt of Congress. Anyway, it looks like pal is out. I mean, Trump wants him out and he's gone. Pal seems to think this is retribution.
The market is a little queezy on this right now, and there's even some thought that perhaps the economic future of this country may weigh heavily on what the Supreme Court of the United States does. Now you're saying, well,
what does that have to do with me? It has everything to do with you and how much you may be able to spend it on goods and services in this calendar year, and what kind of bills you're going to be looking at not just in terms of taxes, but in terms of what you're going to pay for
these goods and services. I don't know the amount of knowledge that it would take for me to analyze something like that, but I do know somebody who is pretty danged good at it, and I've had Steve Cotton on the show many times, as recent as just before Christmas. He is a financial strategist and policy expert and someone it understands what all of this is, if not the implications spring them on in Steve Cotton, how are you on this glorious Wednesday?
Hey Ken, good morning, in good day to all my friends in Ohio.
You bet morning where you are? Afternoon where I am? Tell me? Are you surprised that Scotus did not rule on this again today? What's going on in your opinion inside?
I'm not really surprised. Usually they make assignments on which justice is going to write the majority opinion and who's going to write any minority opinion. They had major testimony yesterday on the girls or men and women's sports issue, which took a great deal of time. They're juggling lots of plates, so I wouldn't read too much into a
delay at this point. But the potential tariff ruling is absolutely going to be huge for not only the president's executive authority under AEPA that federal law going back to seventy seven, but it's going to be huge in terms of implement implications for tariff's tariff collections and whether they're going to have to refund all that.
Yeah, that's it. And as someone said on my show last weekend, they just wind up splitting the baby on this thing that you know, Trump gets to keep or the United States gets to keep the tariffs already imposed, but going forward there would be some sort of change of policy as to what he can and can't do under the Emergency Act, or they could make the administration give the money back to all of these countries and then go back and renegotiate on a case by case basis.
Let's just talk about the implication if indeed we got to give the money back. That can't be good news for me and everybody else walking around here in Cincinnati, can it? Well?
Not necessarily. We're on the way to collecting approximately six hundred billion dollars worth of tariff revenues, and the estimate is close by the end of the year could be eight hundred billion, with a trending line toward a trillion dollars worth of new revenue. Now, the President has a purpose in mind for this revenue. He would like to give every American under a certain amount of income a two thousand dollars tariff dividend check. This could be very
helpful to lower and middle income Americans. Ultimately, I think the President wants to move us away from the income tax, back to the system which we used to have in this country, where we ran the government on the basis of tariff revenues. And that's not as far fetched an idea as you might think, because we've got a much broader set of tariffs now than we ever did back
in the seventeen eighteen hundreds. But this Supreme Court ruling is going to have huge ramifications not only for the president's executive authority, but for him and his power to use trade for good policy outcomes, which is what this president's been trying to do.
Okay, let's hit the brakes there. I know what you're saying. The President is not a fan of the irs. I don't know too many regular folks that are a fan of the IRS to begin with, but he's not a fan of the IRS, and he certainly does want to see us become more of a tariff based operating system for this country. So I just want to go back
to that vision. The income tax, the federal income tax that we pay, is not something that was historically based inside the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights or what the founding fathers even envisioned. In fact, they were trying to get us away from something like that. But if there were, there was, indeed a tariff funded federal government. Is it your opinion or could you envision not having any federal tax that I would owe, you would owe, or anybody would owe.
Well, I think it's a bridge too far to think that we could do away with the income tax in it's just as a concept, and tariff revenue is variable. Tariff revenue depends on exporters, it depends on importers, it depends on consumer and business choices. And I don't think you can run a government on varying levels of revenue from one fiscal year to the next. So there will
be some problems with that approach. But I think the other thing that President Trump would really like to do is dramatically reduce our federal deficit, which is running close to a trillion dollars and our thirty six to thirty seven trillion dollar federal debt. I think he's got strategies and plans way on beyond where we are talking now, and the tariff issue is just one of the tools
to get there. But if the Supreme Court limits the president's tariffing authority, it will not have any positive effects for our economy or our government, or are even our ability to deal with our trading partners.
And to say nothing of the fact that this should be a matter for Congress. It shouldn't be a matter for the Supreme Court. And I don't you know, again, I don't know whether or not. I'm not of legal mind, so I don't know whether or not they had any business sticking their nose into this. It certainly was in other courts on the way up to them. But be
that as it may, it's there. So again to go back to my original question, if indeed the Supreme Court shoots this thing down and they say no, no, you can't do that, what kind of plan B is that? Because there's no way that that won't adversely affect the everyday guy at some point, somehow somewhere. So do you think they have Plan B in the works in the administration if this happens.
It's a good question. I don't know whether they do or not. You know, there are two parts to the terriff issue. One issue is, you know, setting two tariffs on imported goods. The other issue that hasn't gotten much attention is the president's ability to push our trading partners into lowering their non tariff barriers. And let me give
you an example. Countries can say, we want to export our products to you, but we're going to put on so many rules and regulations and clarifying characteristics of what you want to export to us that we're going to make it practically impossible for you to sell your widgets in our country. And Trump has been trying to push
these non tariff barriers down as well. That is a more complex issue than the teriffs because it involves domestic politics of those countries and those and the quality of leadership in those countries.
But if.
The Supreme Court rules against the president's power to address tariffs under the AIPA Statute, which Congress passed back in the seventies. It would effectively knock his legs out from under him. I don't know that he's got a plan B. I think they're keeping their fingers crossed and just praying that even if there's a mixed ruling from the Supreme Court, it won't deprive him of a very powerful and so far very beneficial and non inflationary trade tool. Right.
Yeah, I mean this is fascinating again. At two day delay, you don't read a lot into that. It could be just you know, who is over writing the opinion, might have had the flu or whatever, and it could be anything that's delaying it. But it's eventually going to get out. Steve Cotton, financial strategist and policy expert, our guest, we're inundated. It seems like every day with some sort of financial indicator or what you know. Core inflation today was the PPI.
I don't want to get too deep into the weeds what every everything means, but the PPI today producer price index that was released PPI, and that doesn't include food, energy, things that are wacky. They'll be volatile, but the core PPI it grew big in October, not so big in November, but it was up in November. Take that with GDP, which was an astounding number five point two percent for I think it was second or third quarter this year, and then look at the numbers of jobs created and
jobs created and unemployment claims. Where is it right now? Where is the economy right now? Because it seems there's a huge disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street. Where is this thing or is it just flopping around so bad nobody knows exactly where it is.
I think the Trump administration in the Congress, working together, have put some amazing things in place that are going to prove very beneficial to the economy and to the financial markets going forward. In twenty twenty six, they reauthorized the president's twenty seventeen tax cuts plus expanded it with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and they gave every Social Security recipient under a certain income level a six thousand dollars tax credit against their Social Security income.
That means they pay six thousand dollars less in taxes on their Social Security income. That's big for low income and people on fixed incomes. The trade stuff is having a huge positive impact without much inflation impact so far. You know, inflation ticked up from like two point six to two point seven, which is not very much. We are still considered to be at full employment with a ford to four point two percent unemployment rate. The signals
are good. Even though hiring has been slow. Companies have held back looking at the trade situation. I was in Washington during the Reagan years. I watched what he did and rebuilding the defense budget, cutting taxes, cutting the budget, cutting the regulations. And let me tell you what I have seen this administration do in one short year working with the Congress is potentially one hundred times bigger than
what Reagan did. And what Reagan did had positive economic effects that went all the way into the Clinton years. What Trump is putting in place could be one hundred times bigger to the positive.
Wow, well, Steve, this is more palace intrigue, I think to most people than it is anything else. But FED Chair Jerome Powell is under federal criminal investigation to this two and a half billion dollar renovation to the Central Banks headquarters. And then his testimony in front of Congress, which which would probably run concurrent to what he had been saying in front of them vis a vis what
apparently this building renovation costs. I say palace intrigue because for Palette may be a very big thing, but to you and to me, it's I don't know what it is. Because Pal's out anyway, and you know Trump is going to kick him out. He thinks it's retribution from Trump for that, and also because he's not or has not cut interest rates to Trump's liking. The market's all over the place. Since this was revealed on Sunday. How much
of an issue is that for the markets? For my four to one K for things like that, Because anything other than change is good, this would appear to be change. I mean, is it a big deal other than just palace intrigue to the average person.
Well, let's let's look at what happened. Annapoline Luna, who is a congresswoman from Florida. She's a republic and she sits on the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, made a criminal referral to the Department of Justice, implying that Chairman Powell had not been truthful in his testimony before Congress on the renovations to two Federal Reserve buildings. They're working on two buildings. The initial estimate cost estimate to
the renovations was one point nine billion dollars. It's now two point five billion dollars, and went.
Well, I think we lost Steve. Think Steve dropped out there. But yeah, it was two point five billion and now it's two point five billion. It was one point nine billion. Paulina is I believe her district is Tampa. I'm let me let me get you. We lost you there. Per second, You've got the numbers out two point five as opposed to one point nine. So if you could pick it up from there.
And President Trump went over there and you know, with the TV cameras, toured the facilities, looked at the renovation and construction blueprints. If there's anything this president knows its construction. His estimate was the real end up cost could easily go to four billion dollars on two relatively small buildings. Now for them to make a criminal referral to the DOJ, and Trump was not involved in that. This came from the congresswoman from Florida. That tells me there may be
more to this than just politics. So I would urge listeners to withhold judgment until there's an investigation. Basically, DOJ has issued a federal criminal subpoena to Pall to testify before a grand jury. And if his testimony before the grand jury difference from what he told the Congress, he's in real trouble.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you don't want to yeah, exactly tell the truth. And it looked like even when that TV the TV camera was there and the two of them were standing there, it looked like he got taken back by surprise that Trump actually had the receipts, which it made for some good television. Steve. Always great catching up with you, Steve Cotton Cotton Wealth Management Associates, and I have a sneaking suspicious suspicion you and I'll be visiting
again down the road, Steve. But for your time today, thank you. We appreciate it.
Well, you're very welcome. Always glad to be on your program. Excellent programs, one of the most outstanding programs in the nation.
And it's an honor. Now you got me, blessing, Thank you, Steve. Coming up, well, thank you. One six News Radio seven hundred WLW. And that's how it should be. So that'd be a said, I'll shut up and open it up with questions.
He hello, by it, and I'm I'm Broadcasting.
If I had told you before the start of the sea in that the last coach standing in the A North would be Zach Taylor, you would have said.
What, you're out of your mind. Nothing against coach Taylor, but I mean, this is unbelievable, Andy Mack, I mean Stefanci Cleveland, Baltimore and now Mike Tomlin nineteen years and how about this, can Brew There have been more popes of the Catholic Church than Steeler's head coaches since nineteen sixty nine. There have been six popes and three Steeler coaches.
Well, some would have thought there that Chuck Nole was a pope, Hope Chuck, and probably some people thought that coach Kawer was probably one. Two. Do you want to know a little something here, a little trivia question? Go ahead. My in laws are entombed in the same Catholic mortuary or whatever it is. What do you call those things? We were above the ground or whatever? Lee maaslyum, thank you sick. There they are entombed right across the wall
from Chuck Knowle. How about that? How about that? How about that in Pittsburgh that's called Big Country. Admit to that? Wows Yeah, Holy moly, Chuck's in the same shape as everybody else at Maslyum. Thank you go sure exactly what that means? Wow, Mike Tomlin, Now let me ask you a question here, sir, Yes, sir, this is a rhetorical question. Okay, how do you think Mike Tomlin would play in Cincinnati as the head coach of the Bengals.
I think he'd do a good job with the offense. I mean, he'd have a heck of a lot better offense.
Really look at him, the collection of men in the depth of that talent. Thank you. You know, you know, Mike Tomlin actually worked in Cincinnati. He was on I believe it was Rex Ryan's defensive defensive staff at the University of Cincinnati.
But now, I mean, he's not gonna He said he's not going to coach in twenty twenty. So they got an opening at Fox with Jimmy Johnson gone and Matt Ryan. His last show on the NFL today was Sunday He's gonna what be the president of the Atlanta Falcons.
Right there's there are going to be some coaching opportunities that are going to open up in Tampa. The Tampa guy's not is not long for the world, Todd Bowles, and that's it. That's a plum job right there. But I mean, does Tomlin do TV for a for a while or what? Yeah, he'll park himself on TV for a year and then there'll be some other thing that
will open up. What all these coaches want over and above, you know the coach is they want control of the roster, right and they don't have control of the roster right now. He didn't at least and his and and and the other thing that Tomlin had is he had a winning record every year. They kept tell me he's never had a losing record. He's never had a losing record. Will be cause of that, you never get to draft to
the top of the draft where all the great quarterbacks correct. Yeah, so they lose Roethlisberger and they still haven't replaced him, and yet he's he's milk and wins with you know, like justin fields, for God's sake. So I'm I'm I'm wondering if he had the opportunity. Now I'm not saying he does. I don't think he does. Pretty evident he doesn't. But if he had the opportunity to coach the Cincinnati Bengals. Do you think the town would accept that? The film
would say so. Yeah. I mean, if he wins, if he believe me, he wins, I put a statue up. Well that's my that's my point. That's my point.
He got, you know, if he has a few. I mean, he's been a winner for nineteen seasons.
I think even with understanding the popularity of Harbor right right, and he's literally the most popular candidate out there for the head coach openings, I think Tomlin would become the number one. He would be the number one candidate if he chose to stay in coaching right now, that's true. I agree with him. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not with the fan base here. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I won't stopped caring what other people think. Seg. I'm just saying that I think Mike Tomlin is a
phenomenal coach. I really do. I agree.
I agree Ken ken Brew the STO Report US of proud service every local Tamestar heating and air conditioning dealers Tamestar quality you could feel in beautiful Western hills called Durbin Heating and Cooling at five one, three, five nine, eight eighty four forty nine, or or go to Durbin Heating and Cooling dot com.
But what happens when you go there, segh.
They will fix your heating and air conditioning like Brett Durbin does excellently.
Does Brett answer the phone and no, Sue? Does? Sue answers, yes, okay, But Brent would answer it if it's ringing and there's no. If it's an emergency, he usually he usually answers, Well, that's my point, right, proceed, ken Brew.
Let's see. Uh the Miami RedHawks. They may be like the Miami Dolphins. This is unbelievable. Eighteen and zero after dumping Central Michigan last night by what forty? Some are close to forty points. Brent Byers with twenty four freshman Justin Kirby off the bench, was seventeen and those RedHawks now are now one of four unbeaten teams left in college football. They Miami, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Nebraska. Man, make us just an enlightened comment here, if that's possible, go ahead.
We all know Travis Steele couldn't get out of his own way at Savior, right right right. It seems to me that Travis Steele was a man made for nil and portal. Now, obviously, the NIO money at Miami's not great, it's a it's a max school, but it's it's probably not bad. But the portal, it seems like you look at Oxford, you look at the history there and you look at a guy like Steel who's a you know, a good basketball coach.
It was out over his skis a little bit at Xavier, right. I think this whole era of transfer nil and all, I think it was made for a guy like Travis Steele. And when you mix in his ability to coach and his staff that he has there, I think is no small reason why a lot of these basketball players would look at hey do I what do I want to finish my career? Or where do I want to go for the last couple of years, not even taking into
consideration about recruiting. I think he's a guy. I think he's a guy that absolutely this whole, this whole college sports era that were is he was tailor made for this, and I think that's one of the reasons why he's succeeding. I agree with you there. I mean, I'm just saying they're on a roll.
And it's it's an outrage that they're not in the AP top twenty five. Yet, you know what said, I don't care what conference you're in. If you're eighteen and zero's you got to get in there.
Right You're you're you're relying on other people's opinions about you, And you know what, do you really care what other people's opinions are of you?
No?
No, Big twelve of action tonight ken Brew at fifth third Arena right there in beautiful Clifton, twelve and one Colorado Buffaloes in town to meet our Bearcats six point thirty right here on seven hundred W ball. That'd be The Cats are eight and eight and zero to three and the Big twelve, Well, they're do for a little change of fortune here, aren't they?
I would hope. So they've they've been playing, they've been losing close games. Yes, tells you that they probably they don't know how at this point to close out a game correct. And I don't know if that's because they don't have a go to guy, or they don't have the right plays drawn up, or the other guy's just simply that much better. But they seem to have trouble closing out games, and that's disturbing. I think if you're a UC fan.
Because I think on the horizon you've got Iowa State and Arizona coming up next.
It's the best basketball conference in America, and I kid could put on you could put on two deadbeat teams from from the Big twelve, and that might be the best game of the night on television anywhere. Butler takes on Xavier.
Thad Mada comes back to town, Big East Place tonight at Cintas Center, six o'clock on the home of Dale Donovan fifty five KRC.
See thad Mada right, Yep. There was a great book that was written, You Can Never Go Home. Remember that book. It was out in the sixties and Joseph Heller wrote that book. There is a man in thad Mada that disproved that particular theory in that book, that's for sure.
Kentucky Wildcats Big Blue Nation is on the road tonight up against LSU at seven on ESPN fifteen thirty. Let's see Red's update. Red's Fest set for Friday and Saturday downtown. Yeah, and pitchers and catchers report to training camp February ninth.
I must correct it. Wasn't Joseph Heller. I brain farted there. It's Thomas Wolfe wrote that book. It's a great book.
Also ken Brew. Good luck to to that a native Quinn Daylinger. He's a freestyle skier who specializes in arioals. He has made the Olympic team next month at the Winter Games in Milan, Italy.
I like that.
That's excellent. So there you go. Good luck to him. You're looking forward to the Olympics.
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's gonna be crazy because most of the stuff is going to be over, you know, taking taking as you know, taking part overnight, taking place overnight, and we'll be right in the middle of it here in the morning.
But what do you do? I mean, where's Jim McKay when you need him?
You know who's that?
You know who that is on trumpet? Uh, it's all come on, al it's uh, come on, who's the guy with the hat? Al Hurt? Oh it wasn't him. I just made that up. Thought it was herb Albert. What what's your favorite Olympic sport?
I enjoy the the U I of the hockey, of course, yeah, I like the I like the speed skating, skating, the ski jumping is unbelievable because when Mike McConnell i went over courtesy of Coca Cola UH in ninety two in Albertville, France, they took us to see ski jumping in person.
Wow, and ken Brew the guy he was they were they were skating.
They were going from the top of the of the hill, and I thought the one guy was going to end up flying over our head and ending up in Batavia.
You know, the guy. I mean, it's remember the guy that was the Agony of defeat. Yeah, well I think he's still alive, is that right? I think he is. Yeah. But I mean just this.
You know, they look like they're going to come right over the top of you, and they come down and they hit with such force that that those ski's just smacked that ice, and I mean it wakes you up.
The noise. But it's uh, I don't know.
You know what.
I kind of like curling every so often. Curling is interesting. I like curling, you know, I mean just something different, you know. I mean, I like I like ice dancing.
There you go, guys dance, but I think they need to I think there's a I would change ice dancing in a in a way, this is what I would do. Okay, so they're out there, they're dancing around. I don't know what the hell they're dancing to whatever, Mozart or whatever. Yeah, I would go to every National Hockey League team and I would say for the Olympics, you have to allow your team goon to go to the Olympics. And then
on each ice dancing Paris, it's out there. The goal is not to dance and do they have to skate away from the goon because if the goon catches them, you know, all he'll get that.
Get that what that six seven defenseman from their New York Rangers?
That that big guy. So what you would have as you would have elements of ballet with ice dancing, you would also have elements of the W W E R the elements of hockey. Now you tell me people wouldn't tune in to watch that. I would think, So, yeah, you get the guy who's on that team, all he wants to do is beat the Jesus out of somebody, and he's an Olympian. And then these two ice dancers, if they're so good, they got to dance away from them.
Another thing I like is the downhill skiing. I like downhill ski man. What was that Lindsey Vaughn Lindsay was getting hurt? John Claude Keeley, the famous Frenchman.
What was the other guys? Brody somebody or other from about twenty two? Oh yeah, that's right, yeah, Brody Miller. Yeah, that's very good.
I like that.
I like that, and I do you know what else I like too?
Is I like.
The individual figure skating. I think that's good. You gotta be you gotta be really good to do that good balance when they when they throw all the pears and well they I'm just and the one person out there, you know, right, well yeah, yeah, and one thing could just you know, wipe out what five six years of workouts to practice and you're done, and then everybody's going to bed upset. You don't want that, and no, no, what else is happening? Sick? And that's about it, ken Brew.
All right, So we've covered a lot of bases here, yes, sir, And I just I just think Mike Tomlin is my kind of coach. And I know people in Cincinnati dissest the Steelers. I get that, but I look at that guy and all I see is I mean that dude is the winner. Anything to win right, anything to win right, and he gets his players buying in on it. But if you told me the last guy's standing in the AFC North would be Zach Taylor, I would be like, what are you nuts? Harvar for life, Tomlin for life.
But so it goes seg. Life is a series of left hand turns. No doubt about that right hand turn that comes up. You better be able to make it, Amen, ken Brew, say get us out of the Stewge Report. I've got someone who used to be a prisoner in Iran. It's going to join me here just a little.
Bit, ken Brew, in honor of a now cold day in the Tri State. It's miserable rain to snow, to cold and everything else. We leave you with the immortal words of the Stewed Report.
And so I'll be quiet, man and answer your question so I can get the work. Oh man, say all gets you to work? Probably another forty five minutes were there, ken Brew will be here. I'll be standing by with baited if not bad breath, Yes, sir, on seven hundred w wel w.
All right.
The average American with the great American idols Wednesday. As I'm sure you know, in Iran, the uprising continues, and so does what appears to be the slaughtering of these protesters in the street. Some figures have at least three thousand killed and more than ten thousand arrested as people are rising up against the Iranian dictatorship, the Ayatola and what appears to be an economy that is in a free fall. And now we're told that President Trump is
weighing his options because Trump wants to get involved. This is going to be tricky for the president. It's not like what he did last summer with regards to the
nuclear facilities. The leaders that are behind the atrocities in Iran have scattered, apparently, and so one target or two targets may not be plausible to take the leadership out, even more so where they've scattered two our populated areas, and you have to be extremely careful not to make an attack against a leader and take out some of the very people that are rising up in protest against what that leader and his administration in Iran have done
now for over forty years. I don't have to tell my next guest all about that, because she knows she was a political prisoner in Iran. Fifteen years old and during the nineteen seventy five Iran Revolution, Suran Nehreman was arrested for her activism and she became one of the youngest political prisoners of her time, enduring severe torture inside a prison and some of the things she witnessed first
hand were absolutely, absolutely atrocious. Upon a release, she has relocated to the United States, but the fight for her country in Iran still continues, and it's great that she has given us some of her time here today on seven hundred w Well Wn, Sharon Nareman, How are you on this glorious Wednesday, Good.
Afternoon, Thank you. I'm good considering the bat news that you are hearing.
Okay, a few things first about you. How long were you in that prison in Iran? How many years?
Two years?
I was in prison for two years.
Yes, And you were in prison because you were part of a pro democracy movement. The shaw was had already fallen or was about to fall, and you were working as a pro or one of a large number of people that wanted Iran to move to a democracy. It did not, obviously, it moved to a brutal dictatorship, and so you were thrown in jail two years and tell me what you saw when you were in jail.
Well, actually, I was arrested after the fall of Shaw and I had witnessed the revolution of nineteen seventy eight seventy nine. Then in two years after, when there was a still some semi shadow of the democracy still was going on, I was arrested because I was a supporter of major Dinnami Kay at my house, no other reasons, because my family was very well known in the neighborhood
and they attacked our house and they arrested me. And unfortunately I had to not only go through torture myself, but also I think the worst part was to witness what happened in prison. I was forced to grow up quickly and to tolerate pain because not only I had to see friends and family members, classmates or cellmates that have been severely tortured, but also had to go through that nightly executions in Iran. Every afternoon they called out a list and they would ask them to pack up,
and we knew what that meant. It meant the executions. Back then they used firing a squad. So when these people and when they left each timon saying goodbye, knowing that that person is not going to be alive in few hours. That was the worst thing for me. I cannot tell you how many times my friends told me, don't forget me and continue my work. And and you know I had to go through that. They would kill them by firing a squad and then they would do the cook the graund, which is the last shot on
the head. So that's how we knew how many people were executed each night, seventy eighty one hundred, three hundred and then because they.
Were all because they were they were they believed in democracy and the people that were doing this, these carrying out these particulars assassinations murders was at the behest of the Ayatola, the Iotola homemade correct.
Yes, yes, he gave a fatwa to get rid of any voices that it was for freedom and democracy. You know, thirteen year old, what the thirteen year old could have done just because her brother was a supporter of Emmy kay or a mother. I cannot tell you how many times mother were executed because after severe tortures, they were not willing to disclose to the regime where their three children were hiding or pregnant women. One of my my cellmates was pregnant when she was executed. You know that
the exact thing that is happening right now. What do you think the young people in Iran want right now? They want liberty, they want freedom, they want democracy, and they want the human dignity of having a good life.
Yes, yes, and you know sharing. The other thing too is the economy there has been so isolated that people are living impoverished. I guess this began as a quote unquote market uprising. Some of the people that operated the various markets in and around Tehran, they began this and all of a sudden it became a populist movement. The economy in Iran, it's in free fall because it's been isolated by most of the rest of the free world. Am I right?
Well, it's also because there is a big dismanagement in Iran and also the IERGC controlling the whole buzzaar and market. So anyone who wants to have any company they have
to have a part there from IRGC members. And then also many of them have stole literally stole money from the banks, from the investments, and they brought it outside of your own they have believe it or not there or they have investment properties and investment companies that right now operate even in the heart of US and Europe. So it's what you can imagine the amount of corruption that is going on inside of your own and people
are not capable of providing food for their children. If they could buy five breads today, tomorrow they would be able to work buy one. Somebody told me from Iran when I contacted them, they told me that, you know, yesterday I could buy five breads, today I'm just buying one bread because that's how much the percentage of the inflation is going on. So all of that, you have to consider all of that. And you're right, it has
started with the economy reason. But because of the pressure that you know, the suppression that decision is has done towards its citizens, it got to a point that people cannot take it and they revoked. Look at it right now, although we are seeing all these bodies piled up, but people know that they have to go out and they have to fight the regime, knowing that many of them are not going to be alive anymore.
Well, for example, for example, there are. There have been over ten thousand arrests, three thousand killed. There there is a very fear that is growing that another detained Iranian that has gotten a lot of attention in this country Earth and the Sultani maybe next to be executed, perhaps as early at some point today. So it's not stopping. That's the one thing about dictatorships and iron you know, iron fisted rulers, is they will stop in nothing to
keep power. So what has to happen now, in your opinion, so these executions and these arrests stop, what should the United States and your opinion be, what should President Trump do now to have not stop it completely but curtail it.
Well, Actually, as Zom set up correctly, very correctly, decision is not going to stop at killing. We have reports that this twelve twenty thousand. Somebody told me yesterday that from the news that she has is about fifty thousand.
We don't know.
We don't know until everything is over and the internet is open back up and then we can find out more. However, what can be done is did you know that the Iranian of Iranian Country Office, they have offices in the DC and in New York shut down their offices, Expel
them immediately, don't even give them two hours. Tell them that you have to live our land right now, and freeze all their assets and ask our allies to freeze the assets of i Irigy is not still in the terrorist list in Europe, so they have to put them in the terrorist lists. They have to shut down all the embassies, all the lobby firms, all the uh the organizers, different organizations that Iranian regime have kept making to be here to deploy its proxies in America, Canada and Europe.
So all of them they need to be expelled immediately from from our countries and also they should be they then they should regime get the message that the West is done with them, nor negotiation and no more tom right.
That would be a very easy thing for this country to do. Unfortunately, there were previous administrations Obama and Biden that wanted to pay Iran off with palettes of cash, and that only fueled the terror that continues in Iran. Absolutely, I think that would be a very easy thing for them to do. And Trump has got to be very
careful about what he does from a military standpoint. But I'm just wondering in your opinion, how long can these protests go on if you have you know, we don't know, and what we know is at least ten thousand arrested and at least three thousand killed. How long do you think it could go on?
Well, people and they leave, you know some video perhaps seen some videos that they say a young man for instances, I'm going out because I have nothing to lose. I rather to die, that Iran would be free as well. Other people have the opportunity to leave. And Iranian people know that if they are go back to their houses, decision is going to even kill more and more. So they know either they have to go, they have to win or the regime wins, so they have to be
out there. That's why this sad last night in Tehran a huge generally by Iran, by the Terranists people in living in Tehran and shouting death to harmony. Also the footage that we see in morgues that when people go to pick their the body of their loved ones, they they shout death to how many that it means that Iranian people are resilient. They are fed up with decision and they know they have to go to the end. And if anything wants to be done, you have to
have a political game behind it. Iranian people have to be able to choose their own leader.
And that would be my next question. If how many falls, what happens. There are some that would like to see it go back to the ruling class of the Shaw family. There are others that want nothing to do with the Shaw I mean, what would be the best course of what would what would be best for Iran if indeed how many falls and there is a new government, Because I would think if he falls, there would be chaos in the country. Any country would be in chaos if
their government fell and the leader's left. What would be the best course of action for Iran if that happened?
I think I think we had this admminisation and everyone has to look in to see what organization has already established an infrastructure inside of Iran National Council and Resistance of Iran has been saying it for past few years that they are having thousands and thousands of you resistance. You need see Iran that are ready to fight back. So we need to recognize the rights to fight back because as you saidhip is not going to go easily. You have to fight back. You have to liberate the country.
We have to have the National Liberation Army inside of Iran, and we do have it. And I think that in a session should look and see who has that infrasecture already and also who has the real plan. National Council of Resistance had the ten point plan over fifteen sixteen years and also it has a plan of how to go through the changes. I can tell you one thing with the Reza palaty Resa Paladi is a recipe for a civil war in Iran and that would spill over
to the region. Why because more than seventy persons of Iran, based on the survey that they did themselves, pro Parladi people did it. Seventy persons of Iranian are rejecting monarchy. We do want one person comes in and decide for everything. We don't want to change one dictator, trade one detail dictator for another one. We want a republic of Iran. We want freedom. We want our people to be able to go to the ballots and give their votes a
vote and decide who they want to support. So I think, yeah, he's the recipeople.
No, I think I think what you want is democracy. You want you want to be able to rule your own destiny with your own people who have a common goal and a common good for the state of Iran. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Charen Merriman, How did you get out of How did you're a political prisoner there for two years? How did you get out of prison and get to the United States?
The only thing when I think back is miracle. I came as a refugee to America. I landed as a refuge I'm your typical refugee with eighty dollars in her pocket, but I had relative living.
Yeah, get out of prison. Who let you out if you're in prison? Somebody?
Well, because because when I was arrested, everything was you know, so we had a little bit of democracy, and so they didn't have any base to keep me. So after two years, and I have to say, my mother worked very hard, meeting anyone that she could meet and telling them, you know, she was just sixteen years or sixteen years old when you arrested. She didn't do anything. And finally, through pressure and also some bribe moneys, I was released
because they had literally I had done nothing. They arrested me in my house. You know I was, you know, it was a Friday morning at home. So I was arrested, so I was released. I wasn't allowed to leave the country for free years or five years, and then again through some network that I found, I was able to live herround and I landed in America.
Well, I'll tell you what. You're a strong voice for Iran, what it's going through right now, and what I think most normal thinking people would want for your country going forward. Keep fighting the good fight. I know that the NCRII the National Council of Resistance of Iran, is very strong
with deep roots here in the United States. And hopefully someday you can return along with whomever is now in charge of Iran once how many falls, And I think you will eventually, because the best uprisings are the ones that happen inside a country, not from outside forces. And maybe at that point, Sharon Nerriman, we can visit again. But for your time today, we thank you.
Stay well, Okay, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity, and hopefully we see Google go to your own and host you there. You know as a guest, I.
Would welcome that. I would I hope that place opens up to the entire world and very soon. Thank you, Shiron, We appreciate it. It is coming up on two twenty six News Radio seven hundred WLW. I don't have any comment on that. We've just as coaches spent our time game planning.
Oh hello, quiet, and I'm broadcasting.
God seg Yes, Ken Brogs. I have a theoretical question for you. Go ahead, This is about green Is this about Greenland?
No?
But have you ever been there? Flew over it? Oh?
You did?
Yeah, we went to France in ninety two for the Olympics. But you flew over Greenland.
Yeah.
You take that big arc and you roll right into Frankfurt, Germany. I would like to see Greenland, you know. I went to Iceland last summer. Yeah, but Iceland has greenery and Greenland has iceery.
Correct. So I don't know. I don't understand the naming of these places because Greenland should be really called Iceland and Iceland Greenland. Well maybe that's what they're arguing today about the you know, you know, at the end of the day, it's always it's always about nomenclature. Correct. Now, what's your question? Well, I have a theoretical question for you. Okay, go ahead, Okay, theoretically, in the history of Cincinnati sports that you've been around for now, I know you can't
address this, Pat, and it's same with me too. In the history of Cincinnati sports, Yes, sir, was there one player that you wished either the Bengals or the Reds had pursued when that particular player was in his prime and available for either trade or free agent science.
I wish that Ken Griffy Junior didn't have as many, you know, injuries that he had, but probably this year Kyle Barber, So you're keeping his prime, you're keeping well, I don't know, that's a that's a that's a good one.
I mean this Reds are is that everybody angles Reds are Bengals that they they obviously did not make a play for but could have. Ooh, that could be anybody with the Bengals. Now see, I'm just I'm just saying, yeah, I'm throwing this out, not not having any particular answer that you know, I thought would be philosophically, you know, but I'm just you know, the one player in my opinion, Yes, sir,
I wish the Bengals had pursued Retchie White. Ooh, that's true. Now, I don't know what the ramifications are or whatnot, But can you imagine what that guy would have done as a Bengal and the ferocity with which he would have brought it? Yeah? Yeah, I remember he played for the Eagles from eighty five to ninety two, correct, and then ninety two was the big year. That's when he went to the Packers. So what would the Bengals defense have
look like? Oh, in nineteen eighty eight he had him and in a few other ones, if you had Reggie White on that defensive line, no points allowed. I keep wondering about that. Now, the other question would be who who would be the worst free agent signing in the history of the Reds or Bengals. These are things that keep you up at night. By way, I'm just saying, you know, just when you think the ambient had kicked in, then you get questions like this in the back of your mind.
That's a I know, I'm just that's that's Yeah. A lot of names come to mind, but oh, I mean some were out of the realm of the purview of them. But guy to keep I keep coming back to is Antonio Bryant. Remember him?
Yeah, he signed with the Bengals, I think twenty ten million dollar, four year contract, and I think he had like one practice and that was it. What about t O wasn't here along?
Was he?
Well?
The reason why t O was here is that o Cho Senko. I think it was. I think it was because they saw what Antonio Bryant and it wasn't working out. What about James Harrison? James Harrison was an interesting study. I don't think he was you know that in relationship to the Mike Tomlin. You know, I don't know if James Harrison ever, you know, really bought into what was going on here. You know what I'm saying.
I said a load to him a couple of times. I thought he was gonna like tear me and half road out. He just kind of looked at me, like, right, yeah, James, how you doing?
Yeah? Well, it didn't matter to day. He wasn't doing very well. That's true, seg what's going on in sports? Ken Brew? The Stude Report is a proud service.
Have you vocal Tamestar Heating and air conditioning dealers Tamestar quality you can feel in Cincinnati Calin Schmidt Heating and Cooling at five one three, five, three, one, sixty nine hundred spots.
You need that you need, you need to heat on again today? Yea, because what is it umber, it's going to be a Lowa twenty. Is your heater hot tonight or is it just luke warm? Thank you?
And tomorrow Hio twenty seven one happened to like sixty five and all that well, Bye bye, Berdie.
We welcome to Cincinnati, Thank you, roller coaster.
Those Miami RedHawks ken Brew went to eighteen and o last night as they are Route Central Michigan one of four teams now left in college basketball unblemished Vanderbilt, Arizona, Nebraska.
And the men of Oxford Miami RedHawks.
He is also they've also won twenty steal the ste that should be a shirt Red Hawks twenty fifth win at Beautiful Mill. Let's see dayton one. Last night, Virginia beat Louisville the Cardinals. They've dropped three or four with Pat Kelsey, I.
Watched that game last night. YEP. At Louisville. Never could get in a rhythm. The ball movement was not good in that game.
Last night Tonight, Big night, Big twelve action, fifth third arena right there in Clifton, Colorado and Town the Buffaloes to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats. Watch six thirty after Sports Talk here on seven hundred WLW.
That'll be with Dan Horde and Terry Nelson.
Butler and Xavier Big East Action Centas Center at six. Competing team on fifty five KRC. We have competing teams competing games in Town tonight and Kentucky's at LSU tonight at seven ESPN fifteen thirty.
If it moves, where's the uniform and breaks the sweat? We have it here in the iHeart Cluster in Cincinnati. Even more ken Brew.
Yes, women's basketball, the Cincinnati Bearcats that you CF six forty five on Fox Sports thirteen to sixty.
Oh my goodness, this is this is now the mythical quinella that we've achieved.
Basket basketball Heaven tonight. Just keep throwing down, you know, keep changing the dial or get those presets ready to go.
You can listen every every game, each time, left to right across your radio dial. Somebody used to say that in the booth, Yes they did.
Let's see Red's up to the reds vests set for a Friday and Saturday Convention Center downtown. Those pitchers and catchers set the report to Red's camp and Goodyear, Arizona February ninth. That includes players that are headed to the World Baseball Classic. Like what la de la Cruz?
I guess and I can't. I think he's the only one for the reds ay, yeah or no Is Marte going limited interest in this, but I'm very interested, obviously in the upcoming twenty twenty six Major League Baseball season. Amen to that. You think they're gonna sign it weekend? This weekend? Se right, Dave Miley will be there. It's gonna be I know, how big will that be?
Oh?
My gosh, the pride of Indiana. Well, he also played. He was a high school athlete in Tampa when I worked in Tampa. Yeah, and he was a much better football player than he was a baseball player. He could have started in any Division I school at linebacker. How about that one? You right now? Could a man? Yep.
Also in college football, ken Brew James Larnidis, Yes, one of only eight three times All Americans the Ohio State history, has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December as part of the as a member of the twenty twenty six class God bless him. That's fantastic name. You're talking about it? Are you talking about a player I'm talking about. I'm talking about what I'm talking about, and I'm talking about him. Yeah, I thin guy could
do it. He could do it, and then he tell you how good he did it, and then he do it again next year, exactly exactly, Sega, is there anything else?
I need you to get me out of the Stooge Report because I'll cut into Rocky and Eddie's time and then I get written up. So that's that's not good. I don't like to get written up. Ken Brew.
In honor of a cold day here in the tri State, we leave you with the immortal words of the Stoode Report.
Hey, thanks for having me on, guys. I've checked the Nielsen ratings and it's.
About time you had me back instead of them battle outpouse you've had on the.
Past couple of weeks.
So have me back always little more.
Because the people love the Wizard, you know what I'm saying.
I'll see you guys later.
Wow, that show should still be on. It should be on eleven thirty on Channel five every night or me TV.
That's true. Yeah, I could be on before spend Gulie. How many times do I have to see Colonel Klink get duped by what was that guy? What did?
What did?
What was the name of the guy? The colonel? What's his colonel? Colonel Hogan? Well, obviously they call it Hogan's Heroes. How many times do I have to see that? How many times I have to hear Hogan?
That?
Could?
I want to see some fresh meat? That could have been the Wizard could have been We could have just spun off, you know, had I stayed there, which really would have took the broadcast world by storm.
Uh.
We could have continued that show and then then done a spin off, Oh the Wizard. The Wizard would have his own show. Oh, I'd be humongous. They'd be talking about that for your offness town, talking about us in the same vein as Bob Shreeve past Prime Playhouse. There you go, Saga was a pleasure today? Yes, and brew back in again. Nor do I know where the where the guy that normally hosts this show is right now? He's probably on the thirteenth hole of some golf boys.
He's in line at at the cafeteria. Edited isn't it three o' Wednesday?
Isn't it Biscuits and gravy, Biscuits, gravy and mushed lime of beans. It's a special three ninety nine plus a drink four nine. Well, no, for there is a drink extra if if you want to eliminate. Oh okay, you get like two sides or one side. You get nothing. You get nothing and like it nothing and you'll like it seven hundred w welw. There's nothing better than when a man knows that he has performed what is asked
of him. All they ask of me here is to be a bridge somebody that can connect Scott Sloan to the apex of our broadcast schedule, which, of course is the Eddie and Rocky Show. It's coming up in just a matter of minutes, and it's anchored by one of the three most ravishing redheads in the greater Cincinnati area. That would be Rocket J Boyman, who has arrived in the studio earlier to join me. Rocky, how are you on this glorious day? Can I am great? How are you?
I was any better? I be triplets and then I could get some things done. You get a lot done if you were in troubles. Yeah, I could wallpaper, I could, you know, plant some flowers. I could probably solve the world's problems. But there's only one of me, thank God, thank God. Yes, Mike Tomlin. I'm not suggesting anything here, but if anybody said at the beginning of summer camp that the last coach standing in the AFC North would be Zach Taylor, I think everybody'd say what But nevertheless
he is now. I'm not suggesting anything here because you know, Zach Taylor is the head coach and they're joined at the hip with Mike Brown. I get hold of that. But would Mike Tomlin play in Cincinnati as a head coach knowing the inherent absolute hatred that exists among Cincinnati fans for not only the fans of Pittsburgh, not only the Steelers, but the city of Pittsburgh, would he work in this town?
I think bengalstans early on would be reluctant. But if they calm down a little bit and realize the caliber of coach that he is and hasn't had a losing season in nineteen seasons, and the fact that what's the biggest issue with the Bengals right now offensive defense.
Defense.
Yeah, he's a defensive guy and would add an edge I think to that. So I think for that reason, hypothetically it would work. I think largely you want offensive coaches in the NFL because of the innovation and everything.
But I mean, look at New England.
They got a defensive coach and that guy has I mean, you know, they take over the identity of Mike Rabel, right, And I think this Bengals team and defense, which is clearly the part of this team that needs a lot of work, maybe that would give them an edge. So I think, yeah, fans bulk at it for a second, but if you thought about it, yeah, I think it would work well.
I think all you'd have to do is splash a Super Bowl ring, which he has. Now, there's the knock against them is that there were two Mike Tomlins. There was the night Mike Tomlin from I think twenty ohs seven, maybe the twenty sixteen, and then there was the guy since twenty seventeen, who really wasn't as effective as the first Mike Tomlin.
So well, the first Mike Tomlin had Ben Roethlisberger, so that helped, and he hasn't been able to get a quarterback.
Since absolutely fair, and he hasn't because of his own moderate success. When you're drafting in the mid teens and the upper teens, because of your your success, you're not going to get the great quarterback that's out there as the first or second pick. Correct, But I think I think he would have to not reprove, but just kind of re establish who he's all about, particularly for some of the younger players that are coming in. But I think this guy plays anywhere. I think he's the most
attractive coaching candidate that's out there. He's not available, obviously because he's under contract to Pittsburgh through twenty twenty seven. But nevertheless, I think he could go anywhere, as could you for that matter. But thank god, you're not going anywhere. You're here in just a couple of minutes with Eddie. What's topic one for you?
Well, that's a good lead in because at four o'clock we have an Adam Crowley of ninety three to seven the fan in Pittsburgh and he's going to go over. He's in the belly of the beast there, so going to talk about what's going on with Tomlin. The feeling of I feel there's a difference in how people view Mike Tomlin from the outside versus how they view him in Pittsburgh.
So ask him about that. Ask him what Tomlin's next move is, is it TV?
And if so, where? And then does how bad? Does he probably want to get back into coaching. So ask him all those questions and then'll be at four o'clock.
Yeah, he can coach my team anytime.
Anyplace you got like you got a grandson with like a like a youth team or something, maybe he can get him to coach that a little bit.
Yeah, why not?
Why not?
Twenty seven? Then bingo, he could be the hottest market guy in the market. Right, you guys have a great show. I'll be listening, of course, because I monitor this station twenty four to seven. But I never could become more excited than I do with three o'clock in the afternoon.
So keep your arousal down a little bit, can well, at my age, it's not difficult.
On seven hundred WOLW