On Demand - Show Highlights 01-29-25

Jesus fly, he ya America and for formation.

Is wrong.

This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one O three point five FM and five sixty AM w VOC and good.

Morning to you. It's approaching sixteen minutes after six o'clock. It is midweek Wednesday and the next to the next final day of the month. Right, we have thirty one this month. I always have to consult with mister Thompson over Yeah, okay, it's thirty one for thirty one, all right? And yeah, while tips starting off in the in the forties this morning, even mid forties, and in some spots get a little bit of a wind blowing, so it made I feel quite that nice. But hey, did you

You say a little bit of a wind, I'd say a lot of a wind.

Well, yeah, sustained nine to seventeen miles an hour, says Nationalist, or was gusting as high as twenty eight to thirty. You'll feel it when you get out, Oh, yes you will, and you'll feel it this morning certainly. But hey, you know what, we'll take that we didn't have to, you know, drip the faucets or anything last couple of nights. That's kind of a relief. Do you see what, man? It was? It? Well, it's just a City of Columbia water department. What one

And doing a lot of damage to her father.

Oh my goodness, I can't begin to imagine.

I mean he was physically yeah, a bit. I mean that that accident obviously took a mental toll, but physically too on him.

So Hutto will be in front of the Department of Probation, part and Parole Services boards at at ten thirty this morning. I would think that's a no brainer.

The family's protesting and asking for help.

And again sentenced to ten years to begin with and only served six. Okay. The Senate resuming debate on the private school voucher program, hadn't talked about it about a week now. This is one of the priority items for Republicans over the state House. They'll be back talking about that again today. Meantime, a Senate panel voting to change the way the Treasurer's office operates after this nearly two billion dollar accounting blunder. That was shared responsibility, it sounds like.

No, nope, doesn't impact anything any of the entitlement.

No, none of them. Although then coincidence or whatever, the Medicaid portal froze up yesterday and went offline, and then really got they've cut off Medicaid funding. Well I said no, they were going to get that back up as I see this headline in front of me, Trump Medicaid freeze locks seventy two millions out of their health insurance. No, not true, Okay, all right. In an effort to lean up government, the administration announcing they're offering buyouts to all

Them was on one of those raids. Wasn't she a nice photo op?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah, New York City. But anyway, it sends a message, right, it sends a message. Democrat mayors meantime getting called on the carpet. They are being asked to testify as a House committee is launching an investigation into sanctuary cities and Costco already in the crosshairs for they're doubling down on DEI. Now another problem, and that as well with their employees. Costco's well their union Teamster's union employees said to go on strike if they can't get

There was a big difference between Koreean Jean Pierre.

Oh my goodness, and who still hasn't looked up by the way the notebook versus now.

It's easier for Levitt though, because you know so much of what Trump is doing is laid out there for all to see, right, whereas you know the Biden administration they were trying to hide too many things behind smoking mirrors. So I give Koreean John Pierre a little credit for doing what she had to do for four years. But yeah, levit knocked it oy, ye, but Levit knocked it out of the park yesterday.

She really did so shake up in the in the in the in that that room, with again alternative media being allowed in and encouraged to apply. And well, one of the side notes that came out of that was she addressed the drones, but I'm not sure we still know much, saying that many of these were authorized by the FAA to fly for research and other things.

What so it okay, it appears it was our government.

Research of what and other things of what not the enemy, she says, these are our folks. That's more coming up here on this. The Wednesday edition at Columbia's Morning. It was always great to have you with us.

The world is calling Mexico, Ukraine, Russia. Hi's dasy and we'll take you there at a critical time in our world's history.

One O three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one O three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC.

The Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room, because, according to recent pulling from Gallup, Americans, trust in mass media has fallen to a record low.

It's six forty two. Good morning. There's a Caroline Levitt at twenty eight years old, youngest ever press secretary and uh and a breath of fresh air. Uh. It's so she held her first press or yesterday. If you recall, uh, in the first Trump administration, they they just stopped doing press conferences. Remember I've got that right, But yeah, they

Well, yeah, the landscape has certainly changed there to the point that Caroline Levett, like yesterday said, they you know, they're they're going to vet some bloggers and there will be some bloggers that are entering the mix for credentials into the White House pressure room.

And they did this to a smaller degree in the first Trump administration by inviting in alternative media. But now, if you're not familiar, the historical precedent has been that reported from the Associated Press sits front and center. It is always asked, I guess to ask the first question. Well, yesterday, the first question asked was from a reporter by Breitbart Breitbart for Craig out Loud Axios, also as Number two.

Obviously, we've made so many jokes about kareein John Pierre's notebook, that huge binder that she dragged with her into every press conference and constantly had to refer or two when answering questions. At Caroline Lovitt didn't need many notes yesterday, and I think it surprised a lot of the journalists in the room. But some of their questions were so easy to answer. She got questioned and they thought it was a typical gotcha question.

They asked.

They started piling on about the deportations. How many of these deportations? And you could tell the way the question was being phrased. They were going at it in a certain way. How many of these people that were deported were actually criminals? And without blinking, she said all of them? They were all in this nation illegally, right. I know the previous administration didn't see it that way, but they were all criminals. Pretty easy to answer that kind of question.

Yeah, And I'm sure much of the shock of maybe folks from the AP and such, but yeah, I mean, technically, you enter this country illegally, you're breaking a law that makes you a criminal.

There was a common sense approach to that press conference yesterday that we didn't see the last four years. It's common sense when somebody breaks into your country, they're a criminal right off the bat. I don't care what their history is. If they broke the law to get here, they're a criminal.

Yeah. Now, they're not being prioritized necessarily right now, right because they're going after the you know, the violent criminals.

But the press was trying to spend that as if to say, Okay, you know, all these families are the genuine contributors to American society are being shipped out.

It's well, you come here illegally, you broke the law. In the eyes of the law, you're a criminal. You're right. It's a common sense answer.

And it's it's part of a larger argument, and we could probably spend a lot more than we have time for, but it's part of a law. And and the fact that the president, you know, visited the Appalachians the other day and visited the there's there's a feeling in this country, and it comes from time to time. You know, we are a welcoming country. We do more for charity around

But yeah, exactly, exactly. Oh and by the way, the drone thing was addressed yesterday, and I'm still not sure I'm happy with his answer. And I don't think she was even asked the question. They just kind of inserted and injected it in there, saying that the FAA authorized these drones. And yes that then some folks, just hobbyists were kind of piling on and flying these drones, but authorized the drones to fly for research, and they were

Well, I guess that's reassuring in a way, at least away, at least it wasn't the enemy, right.

And if this is the case, why couldn't the Biden administration just say that. That's a great question. So what sort of research and what various other reasons are we talking about here. I'd had to follow up on that one if it were me. But anyway, Okay, So I don't think that necessarily puts the drone question to bed, but at least it did finally get addressed and some reason was given.

You're listening to Columbia's Morning News on one oh three point five FM on five sixty AM WVOC. Once again, here's Gary David and Christopher Thompson.

Our appreciation for you joining us here on the Wednesday morning, is the twenty ninth day of January. I'm Gary David. That is Christopher Thompson right there, good sir, So I'm looking at this headline this morning, talk about your fake dues man. By the way, the White House has rolled out of a website to combat to disinformation and misinformation. Just f y I here's the headline. Trump Medicaid freeze locks seventy two million Americans out of their health insurance

Now did he say that when the app or the website went down? Yeah, okay, yeah, but that had nothing to do with the freeze.

Right, No, So yeah, this was this is all this was all part of the hysteria yesterday. Yeah, the administration rolls out this this freeze, federal funds freeze, and well, yeah.

This is similar to DOGE. They're going to have where our money is going.

Yes, Socialist Comrade Alexandria Ocassio Cortes said Trump's destroying healthcare for millions of Americans. Okay, all right, so here's the deal. Trump rolls out a temporary federal fronds freeze. We're talking about the two to tens of billions of dollars to allow a government audit to ensure these funds aren't going to efforts banned by his executive orders or just going to wherever, into some big, dark, deep hole somewhere never

There is nothing irresponsible about making sure that we're spending taxpayer money in a responsible way, and and all too often this There was a number floated yesterday. Caroline Lovett at the press conference yesterday talked about fifty million dollars they had stopped a payment of fifty million dollars that was going to Gaza.

Yes.

Yes, Now, I don't know about you. I doubt that. I think that's probably not true.

I think that wait, with the Biden administration.

I think the government may have been saying, you know, they probably threw out some you know, ridiculous Okay, well we'll do this for the Where was that fifty million dollars actually going and what was it being used for?

Oh, you're thinking something more and more insidious.

Yeah, yeah, I mean that, I know that we've spent money on some stupid things.

Over the years.

I doubt that was the reason why fifty million dollars was going out the door. Were what were they doing?

I don't know, man, You know, you you look at some of the things that the Biden administration, Democrats in general, have American tax payer dots, they've shipped overseas for various and sundry ridiculous reasons. I could buy that. I could buy that that statement.

I think you're giving them too much credit for just being stupid. I think it was much bid. I think it was more insidious than that. I have a feeling that money was going someplace we don't know about, quite possibly. But again, this is the Trump administration really in all that.

Yes, and so the offer is for federal workers, if you don't want to go back to work in the office, fine, tell you what resign like in the next few day, and we'll continue to pay you until September. So Trump rolling out a buyout. You got no excuse, Now get your butt back in the office, or go ahead and take the buyout, which is very generous, by the way.

And did I see that until Trump, there was no way for the president, the chief executive of the United States government to email directly to workers in the US system until Trump came along. Is that true.

I'm not aware of that.

That can't be. That's I mean, if you work for a our company, for example, we get emails all the time from the chief executive. How can you have.

A major.

Corporation, major entity, major business, or a government function if all the workers can't hear from the top m Again, this is some of this is just common sense stuff that didn't seem to occur to any previous chief executive. And this is this is one of the reasons why Trump's business sense kicks into gear here well.

And again this is this is the age old argument about you wonder why government is so inefficient and effective? And when we say this all that you want something done, give it to a business person. Okay, give it to whether it's a corporation or small business. I would say small business. You want to get something done, give it to a small business owner. I mean, these are folks where the deck is stacked against them, yet they're still in business. Don't give it to the government to get

The federal government is a business. Well yeah, in a sense, but it's operating with our money.

So these workers that were offered a buy out. There are some three million or more federal workers. Last count was a last November. That's a close to two percent of the nation's entire civilian workforce. Now, how many of those three million would take a buy out? I don't think that many, but I think there'll be a few.

One O three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one O three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC.

It is seven forty three. Good morning, Good to have you along. Now I'm hoping, I'm suspecting and I've been good money on it that this ain't happening. There will be a hearing today ten thirty this morning the Department of Probation, Parle and Parting Services. I think we're all familiar with what is known as Emma's Law. This was a law spurred on by the the felony dui death of six year old Emma long Street. This is this is thirteen years ago, as I recall, it is New

Hour where the public says on three seventy eight, yes, it's.

Thirty five mile hour zone. His butt alcohol level was twice the legal limit. They were on their way to church. Yeah, that that that that ca that incident. That death spurred on Emma's Law, which was passed in twenty fourteen. This was the law that required anyone convicted of impaired driving, if they were a repeat offender, to have to get an ignition interlock device installed in their car. She was six years old, six years old, and there were other

Their dad says, well, there's a memorial they keep updated at that intersection.

Yeah, h and I get on on on what grounds Huddle believes he should be pardoned. I I don't know, but that that here will be a ten thirty this morning. I suspect that I'd be pretty quick, you would think. So We've been talking a lot about common sense this morning. It's that seems pretty common sense that this man has not yet paid. I mean, some people believe he would never in a lifetime pay for the misery he's caused,

You're listening to Columbia's morning news on one oh three point five FM and five sixty AM w VOC. Once again, here's Gary David and Christopher Thompson.

It's sixteen minutes halfter eight o'clock in the morning. Good to have you along. We appreciate that. Wednesday, January twenty ninth, and the confirmation rings continue up on Capitol Hill. Sean Duffy overwhelmingly confirmed. He takes over for a mayor Pete as the Transportation Secretary.

I'm guessing he's made history as the first person for MTV's The Real World.

I had no idea until this morning that he Yeah, before he became a congressman, he was Reality TV and he and his wife, who's on the weekend Fox and Friends, Rachel campus Duffy. That's where they met on that MTV Realit. I had no clue.

They were on different seasons of that show, but met on one of those.

The real Life. Is that the name of the show, The real World, the real World? See, you know that's what I know about it. I stopped watching MTV. I stopped showing music videos, which is like eons ago. Yes, so yeah, so Duffie, no problems. And when I say no problems, well you had even Republicans want really Republicans voting for him, and a number of Democrats as well. Okay, so Duffy's in that was expected. Well, now things get interesting in an hour and forty three minutes. If the

I don't know.

Maybe, well, let's put it this way. I think amongst Republicans, with the exception of the of those who aren't really Republicans and you know, Susan Collins and Lisa mccowski and probably Minch McConnell, I think by large Republicans going to go along and that's all it's you know, as long as you get all but those three. You got to repeat that. Pete Hagsath right right, and JD. Van's a cast type breaking vote. So yeah, I think Patel gets

JR, well, I think there's curiosity. I mean, will we see the RFK junior who's been in the Trump sphere for the last six months, or will we see the kook, the absolute crazy lunatic who are FK J and the extreme liberal that are going to get you here? Yes, that he was prior to twenty twenty four. I mean, I'm curious how he's going to.

Well, it sounds like you've been talking with sweet Caroline Man.

Well, I mean it is. It's an honest question, and I'm sure Trump has coached him up. But you know, how do you explain these past points of view that are wildly different than most Republicans?

Well, not again, we just you know, we just confirmed best and for Treasury secretary who used to give money and be a support to George Soros, So people can change. But I don't know for for a kid, Well, Caroline, his cousin, uh, and writing a letter to senators and it wasn't pretty. Of course, He's he's been the black

He's reeled it in on vaccines. He doesn't say the same things about vaccines that he used to say. But again the question is what is he going to say something that, you know, how's he going to explain away is his previous points of view? Now she a lot of people pointed out, you know, she's she and her husband are bigly invested into big pharma.

How ironic is that? Huh?

Yeah, So, I mean obviously they're going to butt heads with RFK Junior because you know, he's calling into question every medicine that's out there. And you know, I think parents can agree with that. Do we need more testing? Do we need to understand how all these medicines impact us? Same with foods. I mean, nobody has any questions about that.

Well, the whole Maha idea is a good one, you know, make America healthy again. Nobody could argue with that, right, No, we all need that, But is he the guy to do it? And again, and this is the this is he's I know he says about landish things over the years, and yeah, I get it, and I get it. But for me, it's always been, Man, this guy is liberal as the day is long. I mean, if you don't, really.

I'll be curious to see if any Republicans ask him about abortion today. Yeah, because that's that's a sticking point with conservatives, is how he feels about abortion.

Sure, well, this will be interesting to watch. That starts at ten o'clock this morning. Yeah again, listen, this is he's so far along in life. I mean, it's it's hard to change your ideological stripes at that age. Okay, Now, maybe you were carbed more liberal ideas when you were in college or you're eighteen or whatever, and now that you're you're older, you know you've learned life's lessons. I guess one thing. Yeah, but this is this is not

And he's come out out with some some things that absolutely resonate with conservatives, like his questioning of Fauci and COVID.

Yeah. Absolutely, had it not been for that, he would never have been considered for this. Never, not in a million years. But you know that's one thing. That's one thing. And if you're a if you're a Democrat, how do you approach this today? Yeah?

Yeah, I mean you almost this guy's like one of yours. You almost feel like you've got a fox in the hen house. But at the same time, once, once he starts talking about attacking some of your pet projects, like you know, Big Karma and Big Food. You know that give millions and billions of dollars, there.

Are no bigger lobbyist out there than those exactly, then they're going to I mean they'll be on the defensive. Yeah, all right, be watching very closely. The hottest talk.

The reason I'm calling I believe that we're all in laved here working for the government.

One O three point five FM and five sixty AM w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one O three point five FM. And five sixty am w VOC.

Already eight forty is time is flying by here on this Wednesday morning. Good to have you with us. Got a few more minutes to hang out and let's make the most of it. Final thoughts this morning, a State House run down the Senate side. Well, I see, okay, you got to add this word to it. Well, we'll take a look at the South Carons controversial school about your bill. It's a backup for debate and the state

Well, I mean the debate about the money and the treasurer and everything else has been dominating.

Yeah, yeah, we.

Knew it was like that's died down a little bit now.

Yeah, and well we've got a little news to pass along with that here in a secondary but anyway, so again, the only difference or the biggest difference between the bill that the state has passed last year and this year is, of course, the funding will come from lottery revenues. Okay, we all know that a lot of roads, which by the way, are dwindling and led the governor to call for the ability to use your debit card to buy lottery tickets as opposed to just cash only, as that

I think so they've been playing with that number.

Yeah, and they may they may revise that down a bit. There's talk about going down to maybe four hundred percent. I mean, six hundred percent of the federal poverty level is close to you start you start calling them tw hundred thousand dollars right there. Now again, I uh, I have a bit of an issue that you know, if you're a family of four knocking back, you know, close to two hundred g Well, I don't know, but I regart one hundred eighty seven thousand is the exact number.

It's veering away from the original point. Now, yeah, I know eventually this program is going to expand to you know, help ball South Carolinians. But the Republicans were trying to make the point that it was going to help you know, the poor and needy the most. Well, you're not making that point when you're when the salary is that high for a qualifying family.

Yeah, I think that was a mistake, and it was, it was it was a good point Republicans were making. I mean, yes, now, now how how this money goes about getting gold out? And I quite how that works? Tell you the truth. You know, most needy for whatever, but it does give those uh, you know, lower income earning families an opportunity to do something that, yes, they otherwise could not ever even dream about doing.

They probably can't afford to move out of the school district they're in, so they have no other choice.

And you know, the sad fact is is you know, if if if your you know, income level is that low, then your school probably ain't that good. True, it's just a fact, just a fact. A panel of senators yesterday voter do change the way our Treasure's office operates. Okay, so I'm still dealing with the with the the missing

I mean, it's that's that's a noble thought. But you're talking about now the auditors not elected, but the Treasurer and the Controller General la are So you're talking it two political figures. You can't necessarily I mean, they're not necessarily going to get along just because they have offices next door to each other.

And this is someonould say that's part of the problem. Yeah, the raids continue, ice cracking down in major cities yesterday. As of midnight last night, close to one thousand have been arrested. And yeah, Christy Noum, the newly minted head of DHS, joined in one of those. That was a photo op. I get it, but it does send a strong message not something you would have seen. Well, this would have been happening in the Bide administration certainly. But the truth of the matter is, you know, about one

It was a gotcha question, you know. Yeah, the media was trying to say, Ari, do you really know out of all these people that you're shipping out, how many of them truly are criminals? Because Trump said he was going to get rid of the criminal element, and Lovett answered back, they're all criminals because they all entered the United States illegally. They're all criminals. Yeah, again, one of those common sense things that you just haven't heard in previous administrations.

No, you have not. Now the House Oversight and Government formed committee announcing this week that they are launching an investigation into these sanctuary jurisdictions and their impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement. So invites went out to Michelle wou the Boston mayor, Brandon Johnson, the Chicago mayor, Mike john Stun the Denver mayor, who's been kind of waffling here, and he's sounds like he's willing to work

Not something you'd expect to hear from her.

No, no it's not. But you know, she's reading the tea leaves now right, She's seeing the writing on the wall here. This is what the American public wants. This is this is this is it. And well, I'm still befuddled by how this hasn't happened yet. But these two astronauts that got sent up on that Boeing spacecraft, yeah, eight months ago for you know, basically a three hour tour,