Now your host Ken Brew on news radio seven hundred WLW.
What a glorious day it is in the tri State. Here you are on this Saturday before Christmas. Everybody is out. It seems like at the Kenwood Town Center. I look over there. Well, most saturdays it's like that, but now it just appears like it's it's completely out of control. I made a joking remark this week that Kenwood Town Center is the reason why God invented Amazon. And I'm not quite so sure that should be a joking reference.
It might be true, you know. He said, let there be light, and then after he saw the Kenwood Town Center at Christmas, he said, man, let there be Amazon dot Com. If you're out there today, please be careful. I hate it when people say that to me. You walk out the door, please be careful. WHOA what do
you think? I'm not going to be careful, But you know, it's you know, if somebody cuts you off, or you know, if it's the last parking spot and there's two cars it looks like that are ready to attack the spot, just back off. There'll be something that opens up in a couple of minutes. It has been a big week for weed huge week for weed, both good and bad
if you're so inclined to partake in weed. First off, the President signed an executive order this past week that could, and the emphasis is on the word could, reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Right now, marijuana is a Schedule one drug and that would put it in the same classification as heroin LSD. And what the President is doing is trying to get it to a Schedule three substance, which would put it in the same class as things
like ketamine and some anabolic steroids. What this means is reclassification by the DEA would not not make it legal for recreational use by adults nationwide, but it could there's that word again, could change how the drug is regulated and reduce a hefty tax burden on the cannabis industry. Right now, medical marijuana is allowed by about forty states and the District of Columbia, So that was on one hand.
On the other hand, this week, just yesterday, the Governor of Ohio, on an expiring term, this would be the Honorable Mike DeWine, struck down a provision that was in Senate Bill fifty six. That Senate Bill fifty six basically said that THC drinks in their present form could be sold anywhere in the state of Ohio. Dwine does not want THC drinks. And so when Bill SENATETIL fifty six got there to his desk, it carved out he carved out basically that provision, and it gets into milligrams and
how much are allowed per container. And basically what it means is that places that sell THHC drinks, you know, the infused seltzers, are now scrambling to get them off the shelves. And if I'm reading this correctly, they've got to get them off the shelves and got to be done selling them within ninety days of the wine signing this bill, which would make it the middle of March. So what does this mean for you? What does that mean for me if we indulge in these kinds of things?
And can you really, in this day and age legislate morality. This ain't nineteen twenty and it's not prohibition. And I'm just wondering what the weed industry thinks about this. So who better to be a spokesman for the weed industry at this particular point in time in the tri State than the weed Man himself. That would be Jerry J. Mann Joiner. He is all things weed. He has his own television show, Weed and Whiskey TV. And the only other person I know know that goes up in smoke
more than Jerry Joyner, it's Willie Nelson. And perhaps they know each other. I don't know. We'll find out here in just a second. But let's get into this and what happened with Trump this week, and also what happened with the wine and Jerry Joyner. How are you on this glorious Saturday.
Well, I'm doing great, ken, and thank you for those accolades. Just being in the same sentence with my patriot, Saint Willie Nelson is a real compliment.
Thank you for that.
Now you know what happened up here yesterday, I'm sure, And that's the governor of Ohio looked at Senate Bill fifty six, which had passed the House, hadn't passed the Senate, and said, you know what, No, I don't like that. I'm going to wea to veto the part and take out the part where we're going to allow THHC infused drinks greatly reduce things like even selling him even selling marijuana here in the great state of Ohio. Now, when you saw something like that, what did you think.
Well, you know that the headline kind of got on the THC, which it seems like Governor de Wine wants. So it is to only be sold in the marijuana dispensaries. No more gas stations, sea stores on the corner or any of those places, or.
The vape shops.
Even at this point, for milligrams, is such a minute trace that a big fat boy like me might not even show up in a drug dest That is.
That minute of an amount.
But I think as I did a little research, I found some more interesting things besides the THHC drink issue. Uh, marijuana must now be stored in its original packaging and kept in the trunk of a vehicle while driving. You that again, it says that marijuana must be stored in its original packaging and kept in the trunk of a vehicle while driving out an SUV that doesn't have a trunk.
That's true, and and and so you got to run out and buy some of those baggies at the grocery store, Koger, You're gonna have to go out and get some of those and use them for other things, because you know, a lot of people just throw it in there, you know, they buy it, they throw it in there, seal it up and everything's five. Well, you can't do that anymore. You have to use those baggies for something else.
Yes, that's right.
You know that packaging back in the day was just a clear baggie. Let you see exactly what was in there. And now we've moved to big marketing where you've got colorfual graphics, some of them appealing too much towards children. And of course it does allow for some labeling and some information which we really never got that on those just clear baggies that we bought. You know, it's also going to be a state crime now if you went to like Michigan, bought you a little pot and brought it back.
So this bill that the Senate passed, it had an exemption for THC infused beverages. At Ohio would have been allowed to sell these things in breweries and bars with no more than five milligrams of THC for serving. That's what DeWine did want. He outlawed that.
Now he says, yeah, use the line item veto to immediately ban that.
Well, I say immediately, you've got until.
Twenty March of twenty twenty six for them to depinish their inventory.
So if I went down to my local liquor store right now, I could if he has it, I could still buy a THC infuse drink with about five milligrams of THCHC. But the guy that owns the place has got to clear the product and it's got to be off the shelves within ninety days three months, which would be the middle of March. But let me go back to something else here. What's the difference in terms of what a THC drink will do for you? What's the difference between five milligrams which the wine says no, and
zero point four milligrams, which he says, okay. Up to that you can sell it, but anything over that you got to go to a licensed marijuana dispensary. So just to what it does to you, what's the difference between five milligrams of EHC and point four milligrams of THHC.
Ken, let's compare them to beer. A point four is going to be a non alcoholic beer. That's about what it's going to do to you. A five milligram is going to be like a regular beer a two point five milligram, which is what oj Man recommends people to try if they're new to this and they want to see how it compares to to beer and those those things two point five milligrams. But again, it also depends on the size of the can. There's some there's some.
I think it's a twelve ounce can't five milligrams is not as much.
THC is a two point five milligram.
And in a in that small shot thing that they have now, so.
You've got to a degree in chemistry to figure out all this.
It really does.
Used to we just took a piece of rolling paper, got the seeds out, rolled a joint up, and smoked it. And now there's so many ways that you can get THC into your system.
Yeah, but you're right, but so so the bottom line of all of this is, despite the fact that the Senate will pass, despite the fact that recent surveys show at about sixty five sixty six percent of Ohioans like it the way it is, our marijuana, our THC laws, the things governing those products to be you know, as free and as loose as possible. The governor says no, no, we're not going to do that. Anything like that goes
to a dispensary. And if you want to go to your local liquor store and buy a can of THHC or whatever it is, can't do that after March of twenty twenty six. So it just means you're probably going to be taking your business elsewhere.
Right, Well, let's hope that it doesn't go underground or to the black market. You know, the flower aspect of marijuana, cannabis our snip which they call THC a now is still very very popular, and that's going to be difficult for the cartails and organized client people to get in the drink business. It's easy for them to sell that flower, but getting into the drink business is a whole different arena. And I believe by this time next year you'll be able to get those THC drinks in a two point
five milligram dose at your liquor stores. I think the liquor industry is going to take over the THHC drinks. You know, they keep trying to carve out the drinks from everything else. Book on the federal level, and now as we see what the governor do wine on the state level, so there's something up with the drinks in how it's going to replace beer in the next five years.
Well, you know that's interesting because that would fly in the face of what this from what I can see, what this law says, because as we mentioned earlier, anything more than point four milligrams per curtainer per container have to be sold and licensed marijuana dispensaries. So I guess you're just basically moving state money from a marijuana dispensary to a liquor store, right. I mean, it sounds like it's a book keeping problem for the state of Ohio, is what it sounds like it's going to be.
Jory State has these of how they're going to deal with this, and I think the main thing people need to keep in mind, kid is make sure and don't drink more than one of these drinks until you see how it affects you and use common sense. That's something in twenty twenty six we all need a big dose of it's common sense.
Well now, in another front on the marijuana level, President Trump this past week signed an executive order that could reclassify marijuana to a less dangerous drug and that would open up new avenues for medical research. That would be a shift in federal drug policy, and it gets to where a lot of other states are with this. So he's trying to deal with this on the federal level.
And from what I read, this reclassification by the DEA would not make it legal for recreational utes by adults nationwide, but it could, and emphasize the word, could change how the drug is regulated and reduce a hefty tax burden on the cannabis industry. So how do you view someone that understands as this someone that lives his life in a haze of smoke? Jerry Joinder? How do you view what President Trump did last week?
I do it is a good thing for the industry and for the people because it will loosen up the restrictions on research. You know, we've been very limited on the research into marijuana just because of it being illegal on a federal level, and so this has been to allow for more dollars to flow for research. It's supposed to help the good players in the industry with their two ade tax situation, which has been a burden on a lot of these players.
But I found it interesting.
A good friend of mine, David Charles, who is the CEO of a company called Mood that tells one hundred million dollars worth of thc or hip products online across the country within the White House, and you would have thought he would have been like, oh, what are they.
Doing to us?
So that lets me think that there's something still going on behind the scenes, that this hip stuff will come back, but it'll just be in the liquor stores are where beer is normally being sold in a different fashion with better in safer products. That's what let's all hope.
Biden tried to do what Trump did, but never really took up the issue. Trump did it, but a lot of his Republican cohorts are not happy that he's doing this. A lot of the people that governed in the South, particularly people like North Carolina Senator Ted Budd says that it's dangerous and this shift would undermine strong efforts made by Trump. I don't know. I think anything that's unknown tends to scare people. It took us a very long
time in this stage, Jerry to get legalized gambling. You know, the opposition was running commercials where it was some dude dressed up like the devil talking about the devil. We were all going to go to hell. And you know, right now, I don't sense anybody is getting burned. I only maybe people with you know, an addiction to gambling that they can't cure. But the fact of the matter is always said this, it's very difficult to legislate morality. It's a very difficult thing to do in the American
society that we live in right now. And now that the toothpaste is out of the tube, so to speak, with marijuana, I don't sense that anybody is going to be successful taking things back. I think it's going to have to be a very thoughtful and very prodigious step forward with all of these things. But going back, I just don't think that's going to work.
Your thoughts, well, we learned that from prohibition, right you know, the Americans they wanted alcohol even though the government made it illegal. They still found ways to get alcohol, no different than gambling. And so if we allow these things that people want to be legal, but regulated in thoughtful, proper manners, I think it's a good thing because, as you said, Kim, Americans are gonna kind of we're built that way. If we want something, we're going to go
get it. And let's just make sure what we want and we get it safe. That's the moral of all this to me.
So your prediction is by November of next year, despite what the governor signed into law this past week, your prediction is in November of twenty twenty six that these THC infused drinks and not the ones that are limited by zero point four milligrams. Your prediction is that they will be available in liquor stores in November twenty sixth I am I hearing you correctly.
That's my prediction for what it's worth. And I also think we'll see a reduction in the amount of what we call flour or the plant that the people smoke.
You know, across the country. I hear people complain all the time. Jay Man.
You know, I don't mind people smoking pot, but I don't want to smell it everywhere I go. I had a friend tell me the other day he could smell it going down the highway coming out of somebody's guard right, So first of all, don't drive around and smoke it. But you know, if the drinks are a way for people to get the THCHC and it takes away from them wanting to smoke, that I think that's a good thing, even for myself.
At my agent.
Willy doesn't smoke anymore, but he's got his own Willy's remedy, but he's got his own drink right uh. And and so if we see a change in people's attitudes moving towards Hey, I want this TC in my system, but I'll get it from drinking instead of smoking. That will really reduce the black markets a huge hold on this, so right Will.
He's also got a song about it. He rolled me up and smoked me. When I die.
You hear that one.
When I die, I have another one.
It's all going the pot. We lock it or not.
Jay Man, it's it's great catching up with you. You have a merry Christmas and stay out of trouble, all right.
You two can't talk to you next year.
There's a Yeah, there's a guy that knows his weed. But I I think when the Governor's office turns over, whether it's acting God help us all or if it's a nswami, I think this thing will come before the governor again. If the legislature stays read. I think this whole thing comes before the governor again, whoever it may be. And I think it passes without line item veto. I just do I just you know, okay, I think there are a lot of people that were disappointed, a lot
of people that were happy. But it sounds like the overwhelming majority in this state if you look at the polling, one in fifty six to pass without without challenge or change. So keep your antenna up. There you go. The j man said, come next November, it's all going to change. We're twelve twenty five right now, right here on this December news Radio seven hundred WLW Torld forty one. On this Saturday, Welcome back News Radio seven hundred WLW.
I am.
On the program today John Houston, who is an Ohio senator. Don't feel badly if you don't know who the guy is. Forty percent of the people in Ohio apparently don't know who John Houston is in a recent poll. Anyway, he is filling out the term that JD. Vance was elected to when Vance became the Vice President of the United States. And anyway, John Houston wants to run again on his own And like I said, forty percent of the state
don't know who John Houston is. So who the hell is this guy and why does he want to continue being a senator. And if he is the man that could get lost in a phone booth all by himself, what's the point of sending him back to Washington. We'll get into that at one o'clock with Rebecca Downs from the Daily Signal. Also, the best and worst airlines to
travel during this holiday season. Believe it or not, there are more than a few you might be on heading out to wherever you're going for Christmas in the New Year's that are not so let's say, reliable. And then what's going on in Venezuela. I mean, what is exactly is Trump doing down there? He's got a blockade of the country, He's blowing up drug boats from Venezuela, and it looks like he's going to going to make a
move on Meduro down there. Some thought he would say something about that in his speech to the country a couple of nights ago, but he did not. But it looks like there are very good odds of something happening militarily between the United States and Venezuela. We'll get into that with a guy who is knee deep in that
story at the two of six, Bill Conroy. All of that and more Oh, and by the way, the Epstein files are being released, what it's left of them over the course of the last twenty four hours they've been released by the DOJ. But of course, the Democrats aren't really interested in anything inside the Epstein files unless it incriminates Donald Trump. Uh, you got a guy, Democrat, Representative Garcia, we will take legal action of Trump continues to stonewall
on the Epstein files. And then, of course you've got the squad. You have congress Woman Ayana Presley. She's accusing Trump of a brazen cover up with redacted Epstein files. You want to know if it's redacted in the files
that they've bet. They got Bill Clinton. They got a picture of Bill Clinton in a bathtub with another woman who's whose whose eyes have been redacted, and they're only redacting apparently pictures and things inside pictures that involve victims or people that are not named inside the Epstein files. Per se, they got Clinton laying in some bathtub. They got another picture of swimming in a pool with the
Maxwell chick that was Epstein's right hand person. And I've said this, and I said it really since all of this popped up, if the Democrats were so damned interested in the Epstein files, then why weren't they all over getting them released when they had power White House, Senate, House of Representatives from twenty twenty one through twenty twenty three,
twenty twenty one January through twenty twenty three January. They had two years to do it, and of course they didn't because they know that most of the people that are inside those files, most of the people of note, at least the ones we've seen so far, but they probably knew it would be embarrassing to their party. But they really don't give a rats rear end about Bill Clinton or his wife Hillary. They don't give really a
rats rear end about Barack Obama anymore. They want something that's going to get Trump, get Trump, stop Trump, Orange Man Bad, And of course the syncophants in the news media that you hear and see all over the place, that's what they want too. But if there was something about Trump inside the Epstein files that they had the ability to get and get out and preempt Donald Trump from running again, don't you think they would have done that? Because the only thing that the Democrats really have been
interested in since twenty fifteen is stopping Donald Trump. What the hell else have they done? Well, well, they've been pretty good obstructionists for the last eleven or twelve months. But the fact of the matter is they would have and they would have put those files out and be damned whether or not Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama or Michelle Obama were inside those files, they wouldn't have cared. So why did they do it? Chris? There's probably nothing
in there about Donald Trump. Well, he has pictures in there, he's posing with Epstein, he's got some young women around him. There's nothing in there that's incriminated him. It's just it's very, very weird. And so now when they're not the these files aren't being released quickly enough, and because the files have names in there that need to be redacted who aren't necessarily victims or suspects or anything else. Now it's
you know, there's something that's hiding, something, hiding something. Well, you could have gotten everything that was in there, you could have gotten from January twenty one to January twenty three, and this whole business about well, you know, they didn't want to release them back then because it would be embarrassing the Democrats. It's crazy. The number one thing on that side of the aisle was get Trump, and when
they couldn't stop Trump. Now all you've heard about was Epstein files, Epstein's files, and Epstein get the Epstein files out, and when there's nothing in there, they'll move on to something else. Every time it seems like they start down the road to something like this, they step on a rake and hit themselves in the groin. Oh anyway, stand by the DOJ is releasing it and we'll see exactly what's in it. But I can't believe that this things. Well,
when when did Epstein allegedly off himself? Was it twenty nineteen? We're six years down the road and we're all worked up in a lather over the Epstein files. Okay, you know I mentioned it was twelve forty one, and in most places it is twelve forty one. But as you and I both know, five o'clock somewhere, it's one for you, one for me. Somebody's gone a little Miami, haven't they. That's good stuff? Pop top again, Yes, yes, yes, yes, a jans. I've just got time for one more round.
Set them up, my friend, and what happens after that?
Then?
Now be gone?
You can let some other sick. Dawn gotta be sterling. He's in a three oh six, and I would stay tuned for all the various high jinks that goes along with a sterling program. College football player playoffs continue right now Miami and Texas. A and m are scoreless with four minutes to go first quarter, and that is out in College Station Texas. Later on, we've got James Madison University at Oregon at seven thirty. At three point thirty, it's two Lane at Mississippi, the Lane Kiffin less University
of Mississippi. Last night, If you didn't see it, you watch one of the great meltdowns in college football, and that occurred when Oklahoma saw a lead slip away. They were up seventeen to nothing in this game, and then it started a hemorrhage. And in the final analysis, Alabama thirty four, Oklahoma twenty four. Over the first twenty minutes of that game, when Oklahoma went up seventeen sid it looked like it was going to be a blowout. In the first twenty minutes of that game, Alabama had a
grand total of twelve yards of offense. But then things started to go haywire. Alabama came alive in this I would say the next twenty twenty five minutes maybe and flip the script out gaining Oklahoma one ninety four to fifty nine. And then there was just meltdowns on a drive, a fourth down touchdown toss before that, a big third down conversion, and you could just sense the momentum building. And Oklahoma has not done any favors with its special teams, miskicks,
block field goals, you name it. And that led to this joyous celebration out on the field by Caitlin de Boor, who was the head coach of Alabama and in some circles still held up and compared to his predecessor, Nick Saban. But here is de Boor jubilant. It seems like, well jubilant for him on the field after the game.
Yeah, just our guys have, like you said, I had been in it all year long, and and uh what's up man? Uh, just I'm proud of the fight. I know I'm gonna get that every single time we step on the football field. We had to trade our own breaks a little bit. We knew it was gonna be a fist fight. We knew it's gonna be a physical game would be hard moving the ball, but you just gotta you just gotta keep playing well.
The next one will be the easy one, that's for sure. Meanwhile, over on the Oklahoma side of things, the head coach Brent Fvennables was well, let's just say during his news conference, he was sniffing the tears. Here's Brent Vennable.
You know, I had a seventeen point lead, had great momentum, and and just we lost the momentum and gave up a seventy five yard drive and the third and six that we lost leveraging coverage and then gave up a fourth and two on that drive. And you know, Alabama's got a really good football team and really good staff, and they were able to start to slowly but surely creep back into the game. And and then we had a couple of really ill timed mistakes that they capital.
No kidding, no kidden. It was good. It was an eight to nine matchup. It was a good matchup. I thought it was a fun game to watch. But you could just tell watching that game that Oklahoma had no idea how to stop the steamroller after it turned around and came after them. So it's Alabama. That moves on, Oklahoma goes home, and more fun and frivolity as today goes on and the next week everybody gets into the action. Tomorrow it is Cincinnati against Miami in the National Football League, Yes,
the Bengals. In a just a couple of minutes, probably we'll be boarding a plane and heading down to Miami where it's supposed to have a game time temperature somewhere in the low eighties. Start difference right from what we had to sit through last Sunday here with the Ravens. Nevertheless, both of these teams are out of it, and what it becomes is it becomes a showcase really for players
that maybe the team is fence sitting on right. It's gonna Schamar Stewart is a guy that he'll be around next year, but he hasn't shown much this year either when he was in there healthy yer and now he's coming off of an injury. So it's a big game for him. Two rookie linebackers, big game for them. Some players in the secondary who have underperformed, big game for them. Defensive line, who's bringing the heat, you know, Trey Hendricks in. It looks like that boat has sailed here and no
Joseph Asside tomorrow. So some of the other folks like Miles Murphy is a has it been a canard the last two or three weeks or is he for real? Nevertheless, here's the head coach, Zach Taylor, saying, I still believe in what this team offers.
I got a ton of belief in our coaching staff, our scouting department, our ownership, that we are very much in alignment with every decision we've ever made here, and so again, when things haven't been good enough over the course of this season, there's really no one to blame other than me, and so I know we all play a piece of this, but I'm the guy to get to sit there and talk to the team every single week to present plans and make end game decisions, and
so frustrating that I haven't done any job this year, but a ton of confidence, and maybe it rings hollow to everyone listening, but I know that we've been here before and I've seen how we can get out the other side.
I'm very confident we're gonna get that done. There go well, I mean again, he's got a little bit of a heat under his seat, but he also has two years left on his contract, and we know Mike Brown does not like to pay players or coaches to sit. So Zach Taylor. You know, despite what a lot of people in this town may think, despite what you might see on billboards, I don't think he's going anywhere. This is where it's at for the players. All Right, they're getting paid,
but it's they're getting paid. Let's just put it that way. They're professionals. This is what they're supposed to do, even when there's nothing left to play for. Dalton Riisner one of their top offensive line.
I mean, we all know that we're both out of a playoff contention, but there's a lot to play for.
I mean, I said this last week.
I don't speak for the team.
But I know this is the mindset of the team is we get to be Cincinnati Bengals. We get to wear the stripes, we get to go represent ourselves, but even more importantly, we get to go represent the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. So anytime I'm putting on the stripes, I don't care if playoffs on the line or not. I'm going out there. I have so much to play for. This is this is a blessing. And if you take it for granted, you ain't. You ain't gonna be in
this league for long. So there's a lot to play for. On Sunday, I'm excited to go play the Miami Dolphins.
We're gonna be ready to go.
Never met that guy, but I like that guy. That's the way you should at that. That should be the outlook. You're getting paid, you play as a pro. And my guess is he'll be back here again next year too, And that's good. That's good. Keep hope alive, for gosh sakes, keep hope alive. All right? Who is John Housted and why does he want to continue being the senator in Washington, DC representing the grand of people here in the state
of Ohio. We'll get into that next as we cruise on till three o'clock on news radio seven hundred w l W.
Oh your host Ken Brew on News Radio seven hundred wl W.
Thank you, mister announcer with a nice voice. Yes it is. I have no fear right till three o'clock and then all hell breaks loose when Sterling comes in. But we don't have to worry about that for a couple of hours. It is great to have you with us on this Saturday before Christmas, and so much is going on of course Hanikah, Christmas, then the New Year, and then and then January comes. I was just talking last night about this to a friend of mine. January comes and it's like,
what the hell is this? What happened?
Now?
You're in the sun isn't out, you're inside, it's cold and all that. It just anyway, so enjoyed this month of December what's left of it, because we all know what's coming. Speaking of what's coming, we are about to enter into full bore blast an election season. The midterms are coming up in November, and there are a lot of people that are in office right now, both here in the state and in Washington, DC, that won't be
around after the election next November. One would think that it will be a big election night for the Democrats next November. That just is the way it works on off your elections. Now, Donald Trump is going to hold a Republican National Convention on this off your election, never done that before, to try and drum up support. He's got a lot of Democrats that are just running tail. I'm sorry Republicans who are just turning tail and running
from him. They're retiring, they're getting out. They don't want a part of it. They know that probably they're done in November. So it's going to be very challenging for the GOP to keep the majority in the House. What is the first thing that the Democrats are going to do if they get the House right, They're going to impeach Donald Trump. Doesn't matter for what, They'll impeach Donald Trump. First thing. They do nothing to help you live healthier,
nothing to help you deal with expenses. They're going to impeach Donald Trump. We just know that, so just leave it there. We know it's coming in the Senate where the impeachment hearings will take place. Aha, that's where it could get crazy. And in the Senate there are a number of seats that are up that the Republicans are interested in, and several seats they're interested in in defending, one of which is here in Ohio. Here in Ohio,
we have John Houston. If you just said who, that's fine because in a recent poll it was taken by Emerson College, thirty eight percent of Ohio and said they never heard of John Houston. Even though this dude has been in Ohio politics for his entire life. Nobody knew
who he was. Now here in Cincinnati, having worked in local television for over forty five years, I can tell to you that the interest in covering what goes on in Columbus and inside the State House in the State Senate, the interest among Cincinnati television stations is somewhere south of zero percent. Don't cover it. Even the paper gives cursory coverage to the Ohio State House and the Senate. So a lot of these dudes that are up there, like John Houstad, until he was appointed to fill out JD.
Vance's seat, fill out the term that JD. Evans had, nobody knew who he was. He was a name that appeared on a ballot like once every seven or it was every four years. So he's got a problem, or maybe not. Maybe it's a good thing that forty percent don't know who he is and he can paint over that blank canvas standing by it give her thoughts on all of this. Is one of the finest political writers in this country, and she happens to reside here in Ohio,
and she happens to write for the Daily Signal. We've had Rebecca Downs on the show before because we like her and because she has good stuff to say, and she's kind of up to call oute some of her Saturday to spend with us right here on seven hundred at WYLW. So how much you been a dentity problem? Does John Houston have? Sure?
So he do have to pay attention to state politics a lot, right, since those are the various offices he's helped. So he was their lieutenant governor. He's also been Secretary of State, state senator, served in the Ohio House, which included the Speaker.
Of the House.
So at the end of the day, it matters if people know about him enough or like him enough to vote for him. But yes, it is very curious to me that he is our sitting senator currently because he was appointed to fill JD now Vice President J. D. Dance's seat, and so he's running for his special elections next year.
So it is very curious.
Okay, a lot of people don't a plurality in the Emerson Poles don't know a lot about him. They asked voters, and these are active voters in Ohio, right, They asked, do you have a favorable opinion about this person? Unfavorable, unsure don't know enough about them, and thirty eight percent said that I'm sure don't know enough about which is actually a plurality of responses for what people think.
About He said.
Now I talked to him about this.
I asked him about this, about.
That poll during a press conference he had last Friday after he filed, and another reporter asked him, you know, are you worried about those numbers? He seecred as an opportunity, right. He pointed out that if I got to introduce myself to voters, he seems happy to do that. He seems
to see it as an opportunity. He also pointed out, from my understanding, what he was saying is, you know, imagine politicians known for how things are not great in Washington type of thing, and there might be a negative connotation with that he's running against. In all likelihood, I don't think anybody's challenging side. Former Senator Shared Brown. So shared Brown has been in politics for a while and he just lost last year to now Republican Senator Bernie Marina.
So yes, go ahead, No, it's going to say you're right, I mean it's happened. He lost by Yes, I take a point by about two hundred thousand yea three point six okay, two hundred thousand votes. They ran him out. They ran Shared Brown out in the state. Why would anybody think, let alone Shared Brown, that they want him back.
You know, it could be it's a midterm year. How are people feeling, including especially in Ohio, feeling about about Trump? Although you know, is Shared Brown getting donations, support and fundraising emptines for people outside of Ohio, which always is so curious to me because it's only Ohio. Voters are gonna have a say or should have a say, and whether Shared Brown goes back to the Senate or if John Houston gets a full term.
Yeah, yeah, I mean I guess the outside money maybe buys you TV timing, it's a whole thing. Yeah, you know, you're building your coffers up. But I mean it seemed like, yeah, they seems like the state kind of like was over Shared Brown.
I mean he was I get that sense increasingly read Yeah, thirty.
Two years in Washington, d C. I mean, you pretty much know what you have there. It's not you can't put a fresh coat of paint on Shared Brown and say here it is you and improved. But you raise an interesting point. This is a midterm election. Trump is not on the ballot. The Trump voters aren't going to come out the way they come out when Trump is on the ballot. And so that's where I think Houston has his work cut out for him, because upsets like this occur in.
Mid And I yeah, and I did talk. I asked he said, I said, are you worried about the poll? And he kind of looks a lighthearted tone candidly said, oh, you mean the poll where I'm up? So he is up against Shared Brod. I believe it's about uh three or four points.
He was up more.
So in August. He does not seem to be worried about the polls. He said, you know, poll numbers say come and go. He also has a little less than a year now at this point. Let's voters, this is just means to hear voters. Voters do seem to have a short memory. Will see how short it is and what else is going in the world come next November. And he did tell me on the thirty two years time period. The narratives really seems to be from him, because I talked to him about this in September said,
you know, it's the DC guy versus Ohio guy. He sees Shared Brown as working in seteral politics and that you know, that dysfunctional system whereas he has he would tell you he's you know, really far for the people of Ohio, including in those various Ohio state role positions. And I think people don't put better or worse, don't really pay attention to their state politics.
No, no whole numbers.
Like you said, you know, all of you asked, you've got lost in the phone book, or you ask ten people on the street.
Who is this guy?
You know? But as he pointed out, he just needs to win by one vote, He needs enough people to vote.
Well, yeah, that's a that's a very you know, cute and cottage way to look at it.
I I do think very true.
I do in Cincinnati. This is historically in Cincinnati. We don't pay a whole lot of attention what goes on in Columbus unless it adversely affects our lives. We are the state of Cincinnati, and so the TV stations don't cover it the way they should. The local newspaper relies on the Columbus newspaper to cover state politics.
It's just some issues.
Yeah, it's not. It's it's it's we're an anomaly in and of ourselves. But I have to be honest with you. I've seen John I've heard him talk. He's not the
most stillating guy in the world. And if forty percent of the people don't know who the hell this guy is, it would seem to me that somebody in the hierarchy of the Republican Party would say to somebody in the Senate, look, get this guy in front of the camera and get him involved in some of the big legislation coming up, so that forty percent of the folks you don't know who he is, can at least put a face with a voice, right.
Yeah, And the NRSC is taking this race very seriously. I think it is the race to watch.
The fact that shared brown Democrats like him, you know.
Got.
Back in the race. They actually did regard the race from likely Republican when he's did opponent wasn't announced yet to lean Republican, so he still has an edge.
It will be very interesting to watch.
So in addition to the NRSC taking it seriously, he's also had Trump's endorsement, the Vice president's endorsement. You know that Ohio nection that he is trying to get out there on healthcare with God bless and that's kind of like a bangless issue right now with all that's going on there.
Yeah, So this polling, Rebecca, I don't know how you feel about polling. I think polling is is just I love pulling.
I'm not like obsessed.
Yeah, I know, but I think it's I think it's a corrupt business because you never really know what you're going to get, and then you have people like Emerson and NPR and for that matter, matter for Falgar. I mean they all seem to have an agency bias. Yeah, yeah, yeah, there is, and I think that exists in virtually every polling that's out there. You're never going to get a good result if you're a Republican from an NPR poll. It just doesn't. It just doesn't happen because of their bias.
So I don't pay a lot of attention to polling. I don't think any of this really kicks into high gear and polling matters until about Labor Day next year. Would you agree with that?
Yes, Yeah, then it's really going to heat up. That's when you're like in the grind. That's that's when you really do need to be paying attentions to the polls and how much the candidate is out there. And but I'm like a data walk when it comes to looking at the world.
Now.
I mean, you always want to be ahead, you never want sure, you're always going to sell burbing ahead, and you never want to be behind. But I can see why it wouldn't be necessary to wear that at this point in time.
Yeah. Yeah, And you know the other thing we pointed out, nobody knowing Houstad and what he is and who he is. It could be it's a blank can true. There's a yeah beauty in that if you are. We're chatting with Rebecca Downs. Yeah, she is a terrific writer and understands politics in our state top to bottom and she is with the Daily Signal. All right, let's get into this gooblatorial race. Oh yes, the vag Ramaswami on the Republican side.
And it looks like doctor Amy Acton, she of COVID fame, is on the Democrat side.
Yeah, because Tim Ryan's not running.
Great and I look at Amy Acton and I think the governor of Ohio, current Governor Mike DeWine unwittingly built this woman up into be some sort of godlike figure, and now all of a sudden she's coming back, roaring at the Republicans and trying to be the governor of this state. I don't know what her favorability rating is statewide. I can't believe it would be great, just because she is the COVID queen in Ohio and we all know
how that went five years ago. Yeah, why is she running and does she have, in your opinion, enough grassroots support to pull this thing off.
Her fund raising numbers have been impressive for a Democrat. Let's emphasize that it's for a Democrat, but also the day Grammar Swammy has raised a ton of money too. Her favorable rating, she is looking at a thirty five percent favorable rating, rights towards the bottom. It's a little bit better than her unfavorable rating, which is thirty three percent and then thirty two percent.
Say, you know, I'm.
Sure I've never heard of her.
It's only a little bit better than John he said in that regard.
Yeah, they should run as a team.
Yeah right, so true. So you know, the Ohio gop here they are really hammering the narrative, Oh, the COVID queen and COVID closures. And I think that does matter in a red state. I really do, especially when when parents think about how their kids were affected in school closures, and that's certainly a narrative. I said, the Ihio GOP
is really hammering. That's what I've seen from them. The Wine is a very interesting calculation in this mixt and he is the current governor, and he was the governor when all this was going on, So I think it puts him in an awkward spot. I will say, to put it politely, that not everybody in Ohio, from the repubt book inside, is a fan of Mike de Wine. I think they see him as an establishment or what some people call rhinos Republican a name only I do
see their argument, you know. I think I think you could also say Republicans would say he was better than what the Democrat Nan Leally, who lost him by like twenty five points in twenty twenty two, would be. So I think I don't I have to wonder how much I'm getting involved in the race would would help because of both you know, how.
The Wine hasn't endorsed Ramaswami, and I don't know that's not and I don't you know, I don't know how he views acting. I would view her if I were him, as a political liability. But I do find it that the Wine either thinks his anointment of some sort of candidate like ramas Swami would carry any kind of weight. He's a lame duck governor and he is he is not what anyone would discribe as an ultra conservative and
certainly not part of the Maga movement. So I maybe it's a pleasing that Ramaswami doesn't have his endorsement yet.
True, I do believe it's going to come, because he said he would endorse, and my sense was he would endorse the Republican candidate, not that Ramaswami and he were best friends, but you know, Ramaswami is the Republican Canada. I do wonder if Dave yoc Attorney General, had he stuck in the race. I don't think he would have gotten the nomination, to be frank, given that the Ohio GOP endorse Ramaswami, I do wonder if the Wine would have thrown his support behind him much more quickly. But
you know, that's that's where we're at, he said. He this is the wine said, he's had conversations with Ramaswami, is my understanding.
So it's probably coming.
They're probably gonna, you know, maybe it would be a photo up or or you know, just tell each other what they want to hear. I do wonder if who promise Bammy Picks as his lieutenant governor will have any play, especially because it's someone currently in state politics. The names I'm hearing and I'm sure everybody else are hearing, or you know, frank Le Rose. Also, you've got few state senators, so I think it's going to be so interesting to see if that, if that has no effect as well.
And that's why you got to read Rebecca downs on the Daily Siguation. He is on top of it all. And Rebecca, we appreciate your time here today and you know we will be calling, but if not before Christmas. Every Christmas to.
You and Christmas to you too.
God bless, happy New Year and happy han It as well.
That's going on right now.
That's wonderful. Thank you. Appreciate that the GOP in this state anointed ramas Swami and that ticked off a lot of the shall we say, longtime Republicans in this state, and that could be one of the reasons why the governor has withheld his endorsement Ramaswami. He says he will endorse the Republican candidate, but he might not have liked what happened about six months ago when it was a coronation of Ramaswami. Is that bad for Vivek or we're not good for Vivike?
I don't know.
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Dollars one three News Radio seven hundred WLWA I am ken Brew two O six. What's going on in Venezuela? What's Trump up to? Blockhanding the country? Blown up drug boats, alleged drug boats and trying to get Maduro the hell
out of that country. Now there's a line of thinking that Maduro and the person that had the power before him, Hugo Chavez that they simply just stole all the equipment and all of the rigging and all of the everything that oil companies invested in years ago, and some oil companies gave it up willingly just to get out of the country, and others basically, we're just run out of the country. And Trump wants his oil back, he wants
the rigging back, and he wants Maduro out. So exactly where are we going here and how does he plan on doing that? We'll get into that in just a little bit. You're you're invariably, if you're going out of town for the holidays, you're going to encounter some problems, either traffic on the roadway or if you're going to the airport, delays and cancelations and lost bags, and so the question becomes what airline is the most dependable if you are flying out of town over the holidays, whether
it be for Christmas or Honikah or for the New Year? Well,
how about this? Finance Buzz is a website and it examined data for the months of November and December from twenty twenty one to twenty twenty four to find which airline are the best for holiday travel and that's based on what I just mentioned, delays and cancelations, mishandled luggage the best the top of the heap Delta Delta Delta through that time period when this survey was done, only had thirteen point seven percent of their flights delayed and
less than one percent of their flights canceled. Now, there were delays, some is long or averaging out to an hour, but some are just not good. Jet Blue Alaska, even the low cost carriers Allegian in Frontier not very good. So I wanted to get an aviation expert on today. There are a lot of them out there. We have our own Jay Ratliffe here on seven hundred WLW. But Brandon Blewett wrote a book a few years ago that I bought and I liked, and I thought it was
kind of cool. It's called how to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes, Survival Guide for the Frequent Business Traveler. And I wanted to get his thoughts on what Finance Buzz did here and whether or not there's any truth to what we're seeing in here. The survey is interesting. I don't think it is, Brandon. I don't think it's particularly great for any of these airlines It's.
Really interesting the list of finance Buzz put out right because how they factored it is in what's the most disruptive and what is the least dependable probably depends on you know, how often you travel and you know what your travel plans are, because for me, I travel every week. So if applies the aid, yes that's annoying, but it's not going to be devastating. So a flight cancelation would
be the bigger drawback for me. You know, I'm looking through the you know, the stats, and it looked like, you know, Delta, you know, score the best and in almost you know, every category. So look, they have, they have a stellar reputation. I lived in Atlanta four eleven years, flew them every week and generally had a very very positive experience with them. So I do think that they are you know, king of the hill, so to speak,
based on the latest ratings. I also think with airlines that you mentioned that the ratings aren't that good for all of them.
Yeah, that's fair.
I do think that the airline industry in general has to deal with so many external factors that a lot of other businesses don't have to deal with, you know, namely weather, if you have a hub and spoke model and a storm roll through your hub, that's just going to cause a chain reaction of bad events that happen, you know, across your entire network.
Yeah, no, no, that's true. There's a lot of things that are outside the airlines controlled. There's no quoest that, and just the skies are jammed, let's face it. I mean, these air traffic controllers are They're wizards and make holding this work. But I'd be interested to drill down and see what they mean by number of flights delayed. If you leave the gate, if that plane pushes back and sits on the tarmac, is it delayed because it left the gate on time? And the percentage of flights canceled?
I think you really can't get around that one all that much. You know, there's some lines that say, hey, it's another un time departure, and then you sit on the tarmac for two So flights delay is a really kind of nebulous thing, is it not?
It is, And it's even more complicated by the fact that, as I understand, the FAA used to measure it based on arrival time, so long as you were within thirty minutes of your scheduled arrival. So there's even a little bit of wiggle room for the airline there. And I think we shall also see with many of the airlines
now is we'll pad the flight time. Right, So even if you sit on the tarmac for an extra twenty minutes because they have booked, say three hours before a flight that's likely only two hours and twenty minutes in airtime, you'll still wind up that your destination on time, so as I understand, and what they use here to calculate was not based on when you leave the gate. It's based on when the plane arrives at the gate of your destination.
Yes, yeah, okay, So out of a score of fifty, Delta was overall thirty five point nine, and the rest of the airlines that we would fly here in this area of the country would not stack up all that well. I guess. The next ranked one was Hawaiian Air But obviously Cincinnati's about and far away from Hawaii as you can get.
When you're only flying between the California and Hawaii, the weather's always perfect, You're probably not going to be a subject to most of the elements of the rest of the country as well.
Right, but you get when you get to airlines like United and Spirit and American, in Frontier and Allegian and Jet Blueth and Southwest, you're talking basically fifty percent. If the score is fifty these airlines are all scoring below twenty five percent. So that's not good, is it?
No, it's not.
And if you look at Southwest in particular, so for Southwest and percent of percent of flights canceled, you'll notice THEIRS is two point four percent, which is higher than I think almost every other airlines stay of Alaska. If you look at Delta, United an American, you'll see they're all below one percent. And the reason for that is that Delta, American and United have a hub and spoke model, so they within their network, they have call it eight to ten airports where all their show and they all
leave there. So if you're able to fly people to that hub, the likelihood that they can get a new plane, get a new crew. If something you know where to go wrong, you know your inbound crew, your inound plane are delayed, they can mobilize. They have mechanical operations at those those at those airports, and so they're able to get things moving. When you see airlines like Southwest, they're more of a point to point airline, so they don't fly everything into one, you know, into eight to ten
airports and everything goes from there. So if a flight gets delayed or canceled, it causes a serious chain of the events where all these subsequent flights that were depending
on that aircraft could get canceled. And then airlines like you know, Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, you know Jet Blue, to some extent, they just have a very limited network and so if a flight gets canceled or a flight gets severely delayed, it just creates, you know, math, chaos within within the system for the rest of the day.
Brandon Blew, it's an expert on airline passenger experience, sees the author of How to Avoid Strangers on Airplane Survival Guide for the frequent business traveler. How do you avoid strangers on airplanes? They're all strangers. You just want the stranger that doesn't talk to you.
Right, you buy my book and you hold up the cover. People get the points.
It's all in. It's all in the jacket. It's all in the jacket. The other thing I got you here, here's another pet peeve with my Brandon's sorry, I'm just gonna stud I think they should ban outside food on a plane, because invariably somebody is going to come strutting down that aisle as loaded with onions and garlic or some other curry or something is just going to stink to high heaven. These airlines should say no outside food on this plane. It just drives me crazy. Well anyway, Uh,
this is interesting stuff, and you're an interesting guy. And again, Brandon's book has how to Avoid Strangers on Airplane Survival Guide for the frequent business traveler. Sounds like a good read for anyone that's boarding a plane this holiday season. Uh, Brandon, you stay well and hopefully we can visit again down
the road. Thanks absolutely, enjoy I will whatever tours. Delta number one, Hawaiian Airlines two Southwest three in terms of best airlines for a holiday travel, United is a distant fourth, and then if you want a fistfight, you could always fly Spirit. They're coming in at number five in this survey done by finance Buzz. If you're flying, I hope the skies are friendly to you. Coming up on one fifty three News Radio seven hundred wl w W two
ten on this Saturday afternoon, and welcome back. Great to have you with us. Well, without you, I would simply be one man sitting in a room babbling to himself. Why would I have to leave home to do that? What's going on in Venezuela, well a lot. It seems like, first of all, you have these drug boats, these cigar boats, if you will, that have been leaving Venezuela and heading north through the Atlantic or the Caribbean, or god knows where.
And so the United States and the Department of Defense, Department of Warbs, i should say, have been blowing things, these things up. And now we heard just the beginning of this past week that the United States has a blockade around Venezuela. So it would seem to me that there is a decided effort right now by the Trump
administration to do something in Venezuela. And although Trump says it would not involve boots on the ground, it's hard to imagine that the strong man in charge of that particular country, Nicholas Maduro, would leave under any circumstances other than through an invasion or through just basically getting taken out, if you will, by an organization like the CIA. But
what's really going on besides drugs? Why are we so interested in drugs and are they only Maybe the overarching theme to all that and that the real issue with Venezuela is oil. Upon a time, major oil companies like Exon, Mobil, Conicco, Shell, they were all in Venezuela and actively pumping oil out of the ground, building the infrastructure needed and staffing with the people needed to get oil out of the ground. And it was under Hugo Chavez that they were run out.
They are either left on their own or were forced out. But guess what all of that infrastructure remained. And so when you hear Donald Trump say we want to get our oil back, that's what he's speaking of oil. It seems like maybe the number one reason why we are so interested in Venezuela and the oil that it takes out of the ground and ships to other countries like China may be something that is also a part of
this as well. Let's get the expert opinion on all of that, and that would be coming up from someone who has studied this on a very large basis. Bill Conroy is a veteran journalist forty years of experience in print and online reporting and editing. And Bill Conroy is someone who is now working and working diligently to find out what's going on in Venezuela. And he's kind of enough to carve out some of his time here on seven hundred WLW. And Bill Conroy, how are you on this glorious Saturday.
I am doing well, doing well.
You've had your eye on Venezuela for a very long time. You had a book that came out a few years back, The Great Pretense, a tour through the Boneyard of the CIA's War for Drugs. But this seems a little bit more in depth, and it seems like a minute, a little bit more broader of an attack on Venezuela than just drugs. You seem to think it has to do with oil. Can you explain that?
Yeah? I can't. By the way, that book is coming out in February. It hasn't come out.
Oh I thought it was already out. Oh it's not out yet. Okay, I'm sorry. Yeah.
The prior book was about the Warris Cartel in Ice and it's called Dispatches from House of Death. But we want to talk about Venezuela. Yeah, I have been following it because part of you know, kind of the last part of the great pretense, you know, I kind of had to explore that because it's you know, it sits in and you're right, the summary is pretty much on the button. I would say, what we're really seeing, Yeah, the drug boats, just to tell you it's not you,
it's there. They're carrying cocaine, right, and that's what comes out of the out of Colombia, for the most part, in the Andes, the only place you can grow coca plants. So you know, Venezuela is not a producer, but it is a transit nation and it probably plays a bigger role in the money side because you know, they have a financial system that can help the launder money. Right, So you know that what's coming out of Venezuela in terms of drug boats, it is probably actually Colombian cocaine
or or someone else in that region. Is that there's there's a diversion of cocaine. You know, there's cocaine all over the place, you know, But let me give you the real factor. So those drug boats are the cigar boats as you want to call them. At most, you know, and this is generous, might carry four tons right, But those little ones are probably carrying like a ton of cocaine and they've done like twenty eight strikes so far right as of this moment, and that adds up at
most about one hundred tons of cocaine. That's a lot of cocaine. But the production annually, and it's been growing every year. And this is you know, from surveys on the ground that the UN does they have the estimate of three thousand and seven or eight tons of pure cocaine that's that's hitting the market, and that was in two twenty three. It's going to be even higher now.
And also while they're blowing up the drug boats, we had you know, a huge growth in seizures at the southern border of cocaine, I mean exploded and seizures are only at indicator how much is coming to because they don't measure what got through it. And yeah, with the cartels where they operate, they'll send like across the bridges where I covered it, they'll send three trucks through roughly at the same time, figuring maybe one gets caught and the other two get through.
Right.
So that's and and uh so we're not going to stop the drug war by blown up drug boats. That's more of a shock and awe campaign. I think it was like the first sell bow and they're blown up bullets. They're probably you know, the ones that are in the Eastern Pacific are likely you know, coming out of Columbia, you know, and then the Caribbean that's probably Venezuela, and most of that cocaine headed to the States. It's headed
up to out to Europe. That's that's you know, it's they're they're moving it to push it across across the Atlanta. There's a huge cocaine market in Europe, as.
Is in the US with the US. A ton in the US, if my facts are straight, a ton of cocaine is somewhere around thirty thirty five million dollars.
So they're not I mean, it's not chin right, but you got to remember it's a renewable resource, right, So yeah, it's it's it's a loss of potential profit.
But you know there's plenty of cocaine. They just think more and you know, it's the system is just how
do you get it to where you to market? And there's drug routes and there's plazas like all along the border they call like wars Is a major plaza and Tijuana, you know, all the big border cities, and then they move that stuff across the border and they have you know, a arrangements on our side of the border, warehouses and stuff where it gets stored and it gets cut up and then moved across the interstates or planes that use
a lot of planes. And they also, you know, boats are big, so there's so many ways to get it in there. Blowing up. Yeah, two dozen drug boats is you know, like popping a pimple. You know, it's nothing, right, And yeah, for the guys that lost the cocaine, you know, but they're they got a problem. But the guys are competing with just moving and take over that market. Does that make sense? It's it's extreme, yeah, but it's it's funding.
It's funding someone, right, I mean, the coc is funding something or someone, right, and it's probably directly linked back to the guy that's in charge of Venezuela and Maduro right.
Well, yeah, I mean I think he had to take of it this way. Like all the corrupt politicians that the ones that we found that show up, everyone's along the states. It's the same down there, so it's not they get it cut it like in other words, I'll tell you how it worked. In Honduras. The guy that the president Honduras right got convicted, sentenced to forty five years in pardon just just recently by Trump. But what he was doing is he allowed the Cinelague cartel free
passage through Honduras. In fact, helped guard the loads so they would pass through Honduras and then they get upped into Mexico up to the plazas along the border. And they asked him that he led about four hundred tons of cocaine through Honduras or ten years period where he's doing that, right or not when he was office so and and we died him and connected him and now he's out. But it's like that all over. There's so much money. I mean border patrol. I wanted to border.
I mean, these guys are making you know, you know when I was covering a maybe fifty five grand a year, you know, by winking and letting loads through for the cartel, they could make that in a week. I mean maybe not a week, right, I mean they're getting ten grand pop for letting these loads through. And so there's there's weak points in every system and that you know, the cartels are the distribution just distributors. But you know it's
like an iceberg. You always see the chapel, Guzman's and the you know the names, the bad villains, the guys in the black ant, but underneath that is the real cartel. And you know, none of this works unless the money's laundered. So the financial system is you know, huge player in laundering drug money and you know donald stream from that. You know, it's just suddenly gets you know into our economy and it's condos in Miami or it's real estate
or Mexico wherever. Yeah, there's probably Yeah, I wanted to I.
Want to go ahead, finish your thought. I want to tie this back to.
The world with Venezuela.
Yeah.
The way the way it works is there's other the generals are you know, probably guarding or facilitating the transport of these loads, you know through Venezuela. Out of Venezuela they use planes to you know, not just boats. And they're getting a cut of the action, right, they get a cut for basically you know, facilitating, uh, the movement of the of the product. And you know, with Duro, no doubt is you know, getting a cut of all that action too. It's not like he has necessarily be
involved in moving the drugs. He's just allowing it to happen and they pay him off. And in the Wayes explained to me this was about Mexico is if you're a politician or any kind of you know, public figure in a position with some power to that they would see you of use. You got two choices. Either, you know, if they're all going to say you can, you know, will pay you or essentially will kill you. And if you don't work with any of the cartels, you're against
all of them. You know, you almost have to pick one to have protection.
Well you got you got, yeah, okay, so you got this. Terasury Department UH started sanctioning as sanctioning seven family members of Maduro. That was Friday Rubio, the Secretary of State comes out and called transnational terrorists criminal organizations, praise some South American countries that are not transnationals, but slam Venezuela. And you mix all of that in with the fact
that Trump thinks that Venezuela basically stole our oil. They certainly kept the rigging when they run ran countries out like Conco Phillips and they ran countries out like Shell and whatnot. So is the endgame here do you think in Venezuela or Trump to get those oil fields back, cut down on what goes out of Venezuela to places like China and in essence become an oil field for the United States. And you think that's the endgame here for him?
In a word, yes, but I think getting there is a lot more of a complicated road. What as you know, they seize one of the tankers, that's like the like they rare. Maybe I can't remember a time that that. You know, these sank and chips, there's like there's like a thousand of them. And to set it up, let me set it up so that I can break it down real simple. Russia, Iran, and Venezuela all are sanctioned by the US, so they're basically blackballed from our financial system,
et cetera. And so when they're delivering oil to China, and most of the Venezuela and oil eighty percent of it ends up in China right where and it's refined in China. We sanctioned a couple of Chinese they call the teapot refiners. There's our clandestine miners and they refine
Iran's oil and uh, I mean in Venezuela. You know, if it doesn't come that you know, so basically that's and then it gets distributed in China and they pay you know, sub market prices for it because of the risk premium because they're all sanctioned, right, So it's cheaper oil, and it's that's that's helping the fuel of the Chinese economy. One SMI had is about four percent. Venezuelan oil accounts about four percent of China's oil use and China, I
ran and Russia together about a quarter. So now think about that. So we are starting to seize the boat. We deceased one boat, and we put up a blockade to seize other sanctioned vessels. They figure and these are these aren't Venezuelan tankers. They're like they're fleets owned by private companies that maybe indirectly are being funded by Russia or you know, definitely Russia, uh and Iran and and
they you know, they're like a pirate fleet. They come and they get the oil and they you know, they become ghost ships, so you can't track them and and they you know, maybe delivered it to Malaysia, which now which is suddenly a giant explort of oil and it doesn't have any because you know, they delire to a middle cour company country and then from Americas to China to try to mask where it's coming from. Right, that's the game. Well, we're we're seizing oil tankers out in Venezuela.
That's an eight billion dollar black market for Venezuela and that is the real source of income, not the drugs, for the Venezuelan economy and frankly for Maduro's you know slush one. Right, and you know, Europe is starting to crack down a little bit more on these these uh you know ghosts sports ghost ships as well, not seizing them, but at port, making them prove they have insurance, et cetera.
So they they're afraid to go into port. And then you know, finally the Ukrainians, you know, the war with Russia, they've been blowing these boat out, right, they've been going after them. So there's a lot of pressure on this this shadow oil fleet that's going around the world. Right, some of them won't go into Venezuela now because they're afraid of the blockade that's there and getting getting caught up in it. And they're all like older twenty year
old tankers. They're literally like modern pirates to me. And that's the game. So as we increased pressure on Venezuela, and there's an increased pressure on Russians and you know Iran that chokes off oil to China, so you can see where this is headed. Russians are already well, it's setting it's it's warships to guard these ghost tankers for delivery. Venezuela the other day sent out it's ships to guard
these takers. Now it's not going to it says, it's not going to have a confrontation with the US Navy. They would back off that they try to seize these but you can see how how hair trigger this is. All it takes is for one of these ships. That's how World War one started, right or World War two.
You know they're sinking ships going across the ocean. It was Mercantaile ships that were that were the tip of the spear that ended up, you know, resulting in a Rul's war because everyone was blowing their Merchantais ships up.
Yeah, I mean it's yeah, I think that's where it's headed. I think, And as you mentioned earlier, you know that our conducts are one thing. It's more probably gets through than anything else, but it might have gotten Venezuela's attention. And then all of a sudden, you're right, we're we're we're seizing ships and now we've got a blockade. Build your book. Dispatches from the House of Death, A war is cartel informed, a d As whistleblower, mass murder and
a cover up on the edge of the Empire. That's out. But the great pretense, the tour through the bone yard of the CIA's war for drugs, that's out again. When it's out again in a couple of months, right, did you just say that February?
Yeah, February nineteenth is supposed to be out, And just you know, they're almost like a series because it's all based on the reporting I did over twenty years on the drug war. And so one part looks that, you know, the US side of the border, in US law enforcement, that case is you know, that's going to Latin America as well, but it's more focused from this side. And then the new book is you know what's happening in Latin America in terms of our US law enforcement and
intelligence agencies in the drug war. So that's the way to put it.
Okay, okay, well Bill, Bill Conroy, we got to run. But those are the books and his thoughts on what exactly is going on in Venezuela. Good stuff. Bill, Thanks for joining us, carving out a little piece of your time today, and let's do this again. I want to do this again down the road. We got a lot more we got to get into. But for your time today, thank you. Well.
I appreciate talking to you guys. All right, and happy holidays everyone out there.
Yes, sir, Merry Christmas to you too. Christmas there, whatever.
It is there, I've lost the celebrations.
There you go, all right, Thank you, Bill Conroy to twenty seven News Radio seven hundred at WLW.
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Now, just at the start of the fourth quarter, Miami three, Texas A and m nothing the zero offense in this game, and the Miami kicker has missed three field goals kick four made one. So I know you're out there shopping. I'm looking out the window right here, I mean at the Kenwood Town Center. It is as you would expect the Saturday before Christmas. But do you know what you're
shopping for? Do you know who you're shopping for? These are key questions because if you do, then you won't make a mistake that has apparently been a major mistake a lot of shoppers are making this holiday season, and that is buying the worst Christmas gift this year? Bet MGM Casino. Get this. They've taken a nationwide survey to find out what is the worst Christmas gift you can give this year. I know someone who's not giving the worst Christmas gift. She is an etiquette expert. I've had
Valerie Sokolawski on my show many times. I know she always does the right thing. She is prim and proper, perfectly correct in everything she does. Is that right, val.
No, I have a lot of ken.
Well.
She's also the author of the book do It Right? Do It Right? What is it that means living your life so you don't do the right thing in front of other people that you're always from an etiquette standpoint on solid ground? And that would get back to gift giving this holiday season. And here now is this list apparently the worst gift anyone can give anybody in this holiday season. Val are self help books? Whatever you do, don't give someone a self help book this holiday season?
Well, I would agree with that. However, I'm wondering who wrote that, because maybe that's a real experience. You know, I'll buy my own self help books. I think that's the point. Ken. You don't have to a friend that or a relative doesn't have to tell me I need help. I know I need help, but if I do, I'll buy my own books. So I agree with that.
There you go, don't buy self help books. Accept Valterie self help book, right, except.
What you buy for yourself, which says something you know. If you've got enough emotional intelligence to know you might need a little self help, go buy a book and look at it, do some research, figure it out yourself. But right, don't give it to someone else. And that would be offensive.
I think.
Yeah, No, I'm agreeing. I agree with you one hundred percent. But it would seem to me, if you're struggling right now to find a gift for someone else, find that perfect gift, you probably don't know that person. Is that fair to say?
I think that's very fair. And one thing to do is to observe as much as you can someone that you're wondering what to buy a gift for. What do you know about that person? What have you observed for example, I have one of the best gifts just given to me by a woman who knows that we're going to have a little place in the country. We're getting it all fixed up, and she brought over a few days ago alive in a little pot, small fern that really
can be planted. And because it's Christmas, she took the extra time and this is the point to put little lights around it like it was a Christmas tree. I'll never forget the intention that she gave it, that gave for that gift, the time it took to put something together for me. And I'm telling everyone about that because it shows that you have put some time and effort into it. And I'll tell you something else that's a
really good gift for anyone, and that's an experience. For example, my son gave me tickets to go see a rock star that I like in country music, and that was extremely thoughtful. So think about experiences, think about tickets, but don't do the same old, same o. And for heaven's sakes, don't give underwear and socks.
I no I could. By the way, you can't leave it at that val who's this rock story you're going to see?
Oh Bell? It was in Nashville and it was Nate BARGATSI.
Oh yeah, yeah, oh, great gift, great gift.
Think he's the funniest thing since life break.
Yeah yeah, yeah he was. He was just in town here. I want to say about a month ago, a couple of months ago. Was it October? What was it? What was that called big big dumb big world eyes, dumb eyes. Anyway, his world tour and play with the Bigger in a downtown see this is These are the kind of things I think that are great gifts because your kids knew mom likes something like that, they took the time to think about what you like.
Absolutely, it is absolutely and it can be something simple, but again observation. Another example is if you know a friend, a woman in my case, that likes to journal, so get her a lovely above beyond the paper normal journal, get her a really nice journal or a nice pen to journal with. If you have someone that you know likes to cook, find some even silly. There's always new little gadgets for the kitchen, even spoons, things like that. So it's taking the personal aspect to it and being
purposeful with a good intention. And you can't go wrong when you think other word rather than inward. It isn't about you this Christmas. It's about other people and what you want to give intentionally.
Absolutely, And look, I think people struggle giving gifts or getting the right gift because they don't pay attention. We just talked about this a couple of minutes ago. But you know, if someone that is important to you and you don't see them that often, when you do see them, pay attention to what they do, what they need, what they use, and then store that in the back of your brain. And if you do that, here's a little tip that might save you some time and money in
twenty twenty six. But if you do that early enough in the year, you're not scrambling Christmas Eve a couple of days before Christmas running around trying to figure to what to get this particular person. All you have to do, and this is like ninety five ninety five percent of life. All you really have to do in life is pay attention. It's amazing what you see and understand if you simply pay attention. Am I right on this?
Oh?
Ken?
You should write a book on that.
Hey, you wrote do it right? I could write the book.
I did it rightful.
We could, we could sell we could go to bookstores and and and sell them in tandem. I guess. But I mean this is I mean, this isn't brain surgery, right.
Yeah, it isn't that hard, honestly, it's just it's just do you care. Let's just simplify it to that. Absolutely what you said, think about it all year, and even make a list. If you see something that strikes the chord about someone and you think, you know, I'm going to remember that for Christens, write it down.
Yeah. No, absolutely. If you have a bad memory anything right, Right, If you meet somebody for the first or second time and you know you have a difficult time remembering names, write the person's name down, and just a little bit about your interaction. By the way, we're chatting with Valerie Sokolowski. She is the author of the book Do It Right. A lot of the stuff in that book is you should know anyway, but a lot of it maybe can help craft your life in just a little bit different way.
I bought the book now, by the way, I was the second or third time that we talked. I went out, I bought it on Amazon. I read it, and I highly endorse it.
I do you know what.
That's so honoring. Well, thank you. That means a great deal. You just made my day, week, and year.
Thanks well, listen, you're making me and that's not a difficult thing to do for a redhead. Look, one more question, and that's about regifting. Regifting is okay, I think, but if you're going to regift, you might want to regift in a part of your family or friends that are on like the other side of the country so it doesn't come back and embarrass you. I think when you regift, you probably want to do it in some place that's safe harbor. Other than that, you're probably running the risk
of making an embarrassing situation for everybody. Right.
I think you said the right word. You better be safe. And I might have told you this on a show once, but I'll tell it again. A friend that came over regifted something. She forgot to take the tag off that had been gifted to her, and she walked in so proudly at this party and she said Merry Christmas and the tag said.
To Joan love Mary.
Oh yeah, oh my gosh. That yeah not good, right, not good?
True story.
So okay, So the person that did that, were they mortified.
You know, I didn't say a word because that wouldn't be doing it right, would it.
No? No, one hundred percent. You played it the right way, battery one hundred percent now, and regifting is okay. I don't have any problem with it done the right way, as we said, because if you get a gift and you don't need a gift, what's worse regifting it or just letting it sit somewhere and you never get any enjoyment out of it, never get any use out of it. But man, I'll tell you what if if if I did what that woman did to you, I would be talking to myself all the way home. I would be saying,
you stupid, sweet. Can't you figure out one thing from another?
Well?
Yes, and you know, if you get something that you don't want, don't need, just think about how many people aren't getting anything. So do something with it.
Do it right.
You can take it to a shelter, to children's hospital, to whatever, and gift it to someone that would appreciate it. Don't just stick it in the closet, you know, keep giving it. A gift is worth giving more too.
Absolutely, pass it on. I guess is what is what the popular vernacular is. By the way, you can find Valerie at Valeriandcompany dot com, Batteryancompany dot com. So if you're wandering around the streets here, you're a complete dolt. You don't know what's going on half the time. But enough about me. But if you're if you're, if you're that way, or even if you're a company that's just trying to get a little bit better in the way you present yourself to your employees or to your business partners.
She is again, Valerie Sokolaski Valerie and Company dot com. Valerie, I wish you a merry Christmas. I know it will be the perfect Christmas because that's the way you are. You just do things perfectly. And of course for your time today, we thank you, stay well, it's so good to be with you.
Marry Marry Mary.
Yes, thanks you you bet you bet. No self help books. Here's some other bad ideas. Something totally off, totally off in size, vibe and taste. Don't give socks something not on someone else's wish list and a subscription. I mean, that's that's kind of lame. No self help books. It is coming up on two fifty three from a man who needs a lot of help. News Radio seven hundred w l W.
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