All right, let's get it started.
Happy Tuesday, everybody, welcome in Kentucky and his morning news here on News Radio eight forty.
Whas Nick Coffee. That is me.
I would hope that by now you know my name. If not, I'll continue to let you know my name again. It's Nick Coffee. We've got Scott Fitzgerald alongside John Alden as well as John Shannon, who'll give you your first news update coming up in about thirty minutes. Fellas, how we feeling good? Beautiful Tuesday, and I'm already off to a rough start. I had their own microphone on.
You're fine due all the time.
I just wanted to get the first goof out of the way. Now we're goof free the rest of the show.
Dude is guarantee it.
It is going to get warm.
Bro.
Yeah, summertime, I thought this was going to be the first morning where I might have have scooped Bobby Ellis are phenomenal traffic anchor.
But he's on it. He's on it.
I thought maybe it was something that happened recently and he wouldn't know, but he knew that the light that is out at first in Muhammad is something that he should be sharing. So thank you to On Shannon for mentioning that. So anyways, the first thing I noticed when I get off of the Brooks exit, and it was.
One of the good mornings for me.
Well, I did stop because when when there's no when the light is not working at all, you treat it as a stop sign.
Right, that's right?
Okay, So I think what happened was because I could just stop and see that there was no other no other cars, there was nobody.
It was, you know, four o'clock in the morning.
I then caught every green light, which has got to be a good sign for the day that we're about to have here. But when I was at that stop light that wasn't working, essentially a stop sign. Did you guys happen to notice if you come in on brook Street the trash cans that were completely like dumped over?
Did you notice that? John? Were you? Were you?
Still?
I didn't get off right, you know, Saint Catherine's. I don't know if this was due to the same thing. There was a bunch of paper all in one area, so I'm assuming that was some trash dumped over.
What surprised me is that the the trash cans that that I'm that I saw dumped over stood out because it wasn't just your trash bin, it was the black I thought it was kind of bolted somehow to the to the concrete, because I don't these things, to my knowledge of they don't just fall over, but somebody, somebody was able to lift them up off the ground somehow.
So be aware of that.
But it's just it's wild how in the morning, especially when we're when we're getting here. Sometimes in the last what seven eight days that I've been in this in this position, in this role, getting up a lot earlier than I'm usually used to getting up at.
I've noticed that. It's just it's kind of peaceful being downtown when there's nothing. I mean, it's cool.
Yeah, it's it's interesting because you know, most people are still asleep, but we're not. We're here ready to rock and roll, and hopefully you guys are ready to do are ready to do the same. So we will have your first update of traffic and weather once again coming up in a couple of minutes. We'll have sports at around five twenty five. We'll talk at five forty five with Rory O'Neill and continue to get the latest on
the protests going on in California. As now, approximately seven hundred US Marines from Camp Pendleton are being deployed to LA to assist. Last week it was Trump versus Elon Musk. This week it is Trump versus Gavin Newsom. As Trump has threatened to arrest the governor of California. So, oh jeez, that that's one of those things you just say it out loud, You're like, well, come on, you're embellishing, you're.
Exaggerating for entertainment purposes.
No, quite literally, he said he's threatened to arrest the governor of California. So that's where we are. As far as protests happening elsewhere. You said this yesterday, Scott, that you'll you'll probably see him pop up in other areas. Already happened in Louisville yesterday. Peaceful protests, of course, at least that's that's what it seems. But we'll get into
that a little bit. And on the sports side, something that I want to hit on in just a few minutes that you rarely ever see is a coach leaving a position at the University of Kentucky to then take a position a lower level position in fact, at the rival school, which is the University of Louisville. You don't see that really ever when it comes to vice versa. And that's what happened as Vince Marrow, a long time Mark Stoops assistant a associate head coach for Kentucky. He's
had that role for a while now. News broke yesterday from Pete Thamil of ESPN that the Big Dog, as they call him, Mince Marrow will be making the trip down sixty four and will be joining Jeff Brahms program in a different role, a role that I think is very well suited for him, but it is in fact, as far as the title and certainly the salary, it is a step down. And it also has led to because it's going to be an off the field role. There's no buyout for UFL to go snag him. So
there's a lot of layers to this. But what it does, more than anything, is it just kind of to me, it points to the momentum that Mark Stoops has built and look the guy, regardless of how it ends, if it does end anytime soon, he's already had success at Kentucky when it comes to football. That I really never thought anybody would have. But man momentum seems to be at an all time low. For him to lose your top guy to the rival after a disastrous season a
year ago, vib's not great for Kentucky football. So we'll hit on that next and a lot more. It is Kentucky and His Morning News on news Radio eight forty whis.
Five point fifteen.
Here at Kentucky and his Morning News, Nick Coffee with you on news Radio eight forty WHS.
We'll have our first update.
On sports with Scott Fitzgerald coming up in about ten minutes. I know he was up past his bedtime last night. I don't know your bedtime, Scott, Yeah, I was. You're up a watching Murray State. Don't you lie to me. You've been caught. You've been caught too late.
Yeah.
It was crazy, crazy ending to that game. It held the drama even further. And you know, just because I've covered this team.
You're around.
They've been fun to watch. And just like the Louisville Cardinals, you know, Murray State most hot more aboud. As we get into sports, Murray State moving on to the College World Series in dramatic fashion.
And it feels like they are Cinderella. I mean, I always try to find I always find. I don't try to do, it just happens to naturally. I always try to compare what's going on in sports to a college basketball because I'm a college basketball junkie. But as the field is now set for Omaha, no doubt the Murray State Racers.
They've got this.
They've got Cinderella slipper on and outside of of course, the Volva Cardinals. I'm going to be pulling for the Racers, and they look as if they'll they'll be able to compete. They're off to such a great start, so nothing to lose, nothing to bet here, no doubt about it.
Represented by the male Bulldogs, Nick Shutty on the hill for the Racers. So you got Madisonville North Hopkins is represented, so a lot of a lot of local talent.
They are the darling, no doubt. I know we'll get into that coming up here shortly. So the big news yesterday this let me just back up. I guess a few months ago, maybe actually longer than that, now that we're into June, when Louisville season came to an end, really, when college football season came to an end. There was talk of Vince Marrow leaving his position on Mark Stoops's staff at the University of Kentucky as the tight ends
coach and associate head coach recruiting coordinator. He had a lot of titles, and I just never believed that there was any It just didn't If something just makes no sense whatsoever to me, there's a good chance that it's probably not true. And that's the way I viewed the Vince Marrow to Louisville situation. So I guess I'll just
give you the news. He's leaving Kentucky and he's going to take a position on Jeff Brahm's staff at Louisville, so leaving his longtime friend to go join the rival when his longtime friend and I guess previous boss now is really in a make or break year seemingly, which we can get into that later, because I'm not sure if it's if it's a break year, meaning where they don't make it and they don't win many games, I just don't. I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do.
But the amount of money that it would cost to just flat out fire Mark Stoops is a lot of money to any program, I would say, or at least most of them. And also, you now are counting your dollars more so than you ever have because you have to share revenue. You've got a twenty million plus dollar annual bill every year where you're sharing revenue now like your revenue is staying the same, and now you have to share twenty million it with your with your student athletes.
So anyhow, just the thought to me, it made no sense because he would have to take a pay cut. There's no way Loisbell's going to pay him. Maybe I'm wrong, I will stand corrected. It just the position that he's taking on at U of L. It's an off the field role. He's going to be the As far as the exact title, I'm not sure, but he's basically going
to oversee roster management, the transfer portal. He's basically going to be the GM, which is a new position that you're seeing within college programs because now you need that. You've got the portal, you've got free agency, you've got nil money. So it is a very important job. So maybe I'm wrong, Maybe they are going to be able to pay him what he was making. But he was already one of the top assistant coaches in the SEC as far as salary, meaning Vince Marrow. So maybe he
is getting the same kind of money. But this move, to me, more than anything, the talking point here it's not just wow, he left Mark Stoops for the rivals, it's that he's I mean that he's doing this because there's been a fallout with him in Stoops to some extent, but also he's jumping shit before it gets even worse
than it already was. And for those who don't know Vince Merrill's background, I mean he is believed to be I don't want to say solely responsible, but mostly responsible for bringing in the caliber player to Kentucky during the Stoops era that Kentucky never used to get. And I don't want to act as if they've been bringing in recruiting classes that are competing with the top dogs in the SEC, like Alabama in Georgia or in the Big
Ten of Ohio State and Michigan. But for a Kentucky program that had always been in the bottom tier of the Southeastern Conference in football, they elevated from that. Now I think at times maybe they believe they elevated further than they actually did, But still they went from being a program that a three and nine, two and ten, four and eight type of season wasn't really that uncommon for them, and then they had some sustained success under Marks Oops and and.
Zmar Vince Barrow was believed to be a big, big part of that.
And now when when they need a bounce back year more than they ever have, he's gone.
Do you think he's able to bring some of those recruits he was going to bring to Kentucky to Louisville.
There's already some talk about some guys that have that may be decided maybe trying to flip because I mean this it was maybe this isn't as unusual as I believe that it was.
But with with.
Vince Marrow, I mean you'd have guys that it wasn't just talking to friends or behind the scenes. They would talk on camera on microphone and not take any shot at Mark Stoops, But they also wouldn't hide the fact that they were there because of Vince Marrow. So he's clearly a great recruiter. And now he's uh, he's leaving Kentucky to come to Louisville. Not something you see very often, which by the way. There are a handful of examples of players coaches over the many years that have made
the jump from one to the other. I tracked down a few of them. We'll get to that later because there may be something I'm missing, But your next update of trafficking weather is coming up right here, right now, and we also have an update sports coming with Scott Fitzgerald.
Right here on news radio eight forty whas. Thank you, John.
It is five thirty five here Kentucky in his morning news with Nick Coffee on news radio eight forty whas. We'll be joined in about ten minutes by Roy O'Neal of NBC News, and we'll continue to ask him about the latest as far as what's going on not just in California, La San Francisco, but also elsewhere, because these protests are probably going to be popping up all over the country, and obviously the attention right now is in California.
As Donald Trump has sent two thousand more National Guard troops to LA and says that the it says the.
Let me let's see. Yeah. I thought it was seven hundred, but then I was thinking that seems like a lot. But no.
The Pentagon has also deployed seven hundred marines to shield federal buildings and immigration agents. Official say the marines are barred from police work the under a previous act. So this, this is it's not gonna I don't I don't see this ending anytime soon.
Maybe I'm wrong.
It seems like it's gonna be a real fight. Donald Trump is clearly set on what he wants to do and wants to follow through with with the Immigration Act in California is clearly resisting, which is why you had the And it's not as if it's a surprise to people that that Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump aren't exactly on the same side. But these two Trump and Newsom, I mean, it turned into another another back and forth
via the internet yesterday. And when you see Donald Trump threatened to arrest the governor of California, isn't it back in the aren't we right back to the once again?
Is this real? Is this really happening? But but it is.
You know, and you'll get it's kind of like what we saw on Bartstown Road. You know, same church, different pew. But you know, we talked on this show about how okay Barstown Road's gonna happen. People are gonna get out of the system. They're gonna move on. These protests are gonna happen, and they're gonna get bigger and maybe a little bit more violent, but ultimately people are going to move on to the next step. And that's not a
bad thing. That's not saying whoever's representing the cause, whatever side you sit on, is not worthy of your representation. However, I've seen these things unfold before and they get white hot for a while and then it just kind of takes its own course.
They've got to run their they got to run their.
Course exactly just like we saw Barstown Road and it ran its course and everything was back to normal. So I'm glad the protests here in Louisville are peaceful. I hope they stayed that way. It just sounds like in California they just started escalating and escalating and escalating, and you know, you've seen this before, nig I mean, they get out of hand and next thing you know, you've got serious problems, no doubt.
So yesterday, Newsom called the deployment unconstitutional and inflammatory, claiming local police had the situation under control. He's suing the Trump administration alleging a violation of state sovereignty, and didn't take long for Trump to respond to that and said that Newsom could be arrested for gross incompetence. His press secretary said new some risks arrest if he obstructs federal
law enforcement, though no plans are confirmed. Newsome then fired back on social media, daring Trump's borders are tom Holman to arrest him and called it a move toward I mean, it's just this is it's getting contentious between these two, and I guess I'm not really surprised the more you think about it. And as far as the local protests that started, I believe yesterday it was downtown near the Mizzoli Federal Building, Metro Hall, a handful of different council
members that were there. Of course, they're opposing the ice raids and Trump's immigration policies. Overall, so peaceful, certainly, and it doesn't sound as if they plan on stopping. And it also doesn't sound as if they plan on having these protests become non peaceful, but certainly something to monitor.
And as you said a moment ago, these when you hear there's protests going on, I think a lot of folks just all, well, you know, this could be clearly people are protesting because they're very upset about something, they feel very strongly about it. And yes, there's much different there's a lot of different ways actually to handle it when it comes to protesting. But really these things will run their course. You just hope that throughout it it's you know, as smooth as possible, and with that you
really you really never know. But again, we'll talk more about this coming up here in about five minutes with Rory O'Neal of NBC News. Looking forward to our daily chat with Rory. We'll also get his thoughts on some other things as well, so stick around. It is five thirty nine. Your next update of traffic and weather is right now at news Radio eight forty whas. It is five forty six here at Kentucky and is morning news on News Radio eight forty whas it It's time for
our daily chat with Rory O'Neal of NBC News. Rory, let's get the latest one something we just discussed yesterday, and that is the unrest in California. Any big updates since yesterday. It seems as if things are escalating. Maybe I'm wrong.
Well, it's sort of a mixed bag. Look, it was another night of unrest of the police have an overwhelming presence now in downtown Los Angeles, but it seems that there are more agitators in the crowd. The people who are stirring, the potty anarchists, seem to be increasing in number, while the legitimate protesters, the political demonstrators exercising their First Amendment right, they seem to be backing off a little bit.
So that just seems to be anecdotal, But clearly police are ramping up their activities, arresting more people and being more aggressive about clearing the streets of these demonstrators.
So seven hundred US Marines have been sent back.
Yeah, So how rare is something like this in these situations? Protests unfortunately have not been a rarity in recent years, But how often does it get to this level where they're calling upon seven hundred US Marines?
Yeah, the Marines being called up that may be crossing the line for some now. The National Guard who have been activated at the will of the President over the objection of the governor. That's something we haven't seen since the nineteen sixties. So you've got a total now of four thousand National Guard troops activated, only a few hundred have been deployed to protect federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles.
The Marines being called up is slightly different. We haven't really seen American Marines take up arms against fellow Americans on US soil before, so that is we're getting into some uncharted territory here. But we haven't seen the Marines deployed to the streets either, So it's all a bit of a wait and see. And look, the administration does want to show it, and I say the Trump administration wants to show its teeth. It wants to I don't want to say silence protesters, but it wants protesters off
the streets, you know. And if you want to have organized demonstrations as their co ordinated with local government's fine. But the kind of chaos we're seeing in parts of downtown LA is not acceptable.
Rory Riy O'Neil of NBC News is our guest joining us here on News Radio eight forty whas anti Trump demonstrations seems as if those may ramp up nationally as we get into Saturday's military parade in Washington, DC. I would imagine the Trump administration is making sure they're as prepared as possible for this.
I would assume well.
Right, and remember June fourteenth, Flag Day, birthday of the US military, two hundred and fifty years ago. President Trump orders this military parade to happen through the streets of Washington, DC. Lots of military hardware will be on display for Saturday, which also happens to be his birthday. But in coordination with that, or in response to that, we're seeing lots of anti Trump demonstrations being organized all across the country.
So what's happening in LA may feed into that this anti administration kind of anger that might be growing this week. So that's something that we're tracking, especially in the Blue States where these anti Trump demonstrations could become significant.
Actuum A scheduled to launch a four person crew to the International Space Station this morning. What is the future of the ISS in light of Russia's war with Ukraine and of course Elon Musk pulling out his government contractor revides Shuttle service to the space station. What's the latest on this.
Yeah, so the Axiom launch had to be postponed today. They're going to try again tomorrow due to some weather issues off the coast in the emergency landing zone. So if there were a problem and the crew had to reject, that's where the bad weather is over the Atlantic. So they will hopefully try again tomorrow, but still lots of long term questions. You know, they are making plans to deorbit and destroy the International Space Station. It's more than
twenty five years old. Some stay its outlived its usefulness or it's going to need some significant upgrades to keep on going. And you know Elon Muskin SpaceX have actually won the contract to destroy the space station. NASA is hoping to find commercial partners out there to keep it going. Of course, NASA has no administrator right now and hasn't since January twentieth, so that agency is almost to drift as they try to figure out who the next leader will be.
Rory is always appreciate your time. Always enjoyed the conversation, and enjoy the rest of your day, my friend.
Thanks Nick, talk to you tomorrow. Right.
That's Rory O'Neil of NBC News Again. Always enjoy chatting with him.
Yeah, the.
Marines being called upon to assist in LA that felt like a different type of thing as far as responding to protests, and of course are they peaceful? Are they not peaceful? I mean, I think people make their own conclusion. I know I certainly have my opinion on what I see and if I believe it is peaceful or not. So this is probably not going to go away anytime soon. But again, things got to run their course, and that's that's certainly what we have here.
All right, let's take a quick time out.
We've got traffic and weather coming your way, and also another update on sports with Scott Fitzgerald. It's Kentucky This Morning News on news Radio eight forty whas