Alright Jesus right he yeah, Saints America and Jery Holland for reguance one nation, I go in your nation, and this 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.
Welcome back to my friends, to the show that never ends as far as we know. Good morning. It is Wednesday, February twelve, fifteen and a half after the hour of six. I'm Gary David. All right, there's Christopher.
Thompson's tough to get out of bed on mornings like this, isn't it though, huhah. Not that we're not excited for work. Well, well absolutely, once we get here, we're fine. Yeah, well I speak for myself here, just facing you know, wet, dreary roads of Yeah, kind of a slippery drive in it's day.
It's chilly and it's wet. We're in the upper thirties some spots right around forty this morning anyway, just warm enough to keep it liquid. Thank you for Some parts of the country are dealing with a real messle on her hands right now. We'll just take the rain cold though. It is all right, Well, it's good to have you along. I hope your morning is off to a good start, or maybe that alarm clock just went off. Thanks for
waking up with us. We do appreciate that we've got a lot to go over today here in our three hours with you. Well, let's get right at at the rundown, the big stories, the hot topics for a Wednesday, February twelve. Now on the dock of today, we're going to be talking to the Attorney General, Alan Wilson in the seven o'clock hour. He'll be here in a little lesser an hour. His response to these allegations from Nancy Mays that we talked about yesterday when she made that speech on the
House floor. Remember she did it there so she couldn't be sued for slander, which kind of begs the question, are you considered concerned that you might be sued for slander here over this when it comes to these allegations, Well, her ex fiance speaking out and reacting. Paul Bryant, as we mentioned yesterday, he denies all these accusations and calls them betrayals and lies. I loved and believed in her, which is why the betrayal and lies are especially hurtful,
he says in a statement that was released. Now we have learned and SLID confirmed on Monday that it had opened an investigation back in December of twenty twenty three into all this. Okay, so we'll have the age on to respond again. The allegations from MACE that Alan Wilson in his office have done nothing here, well, he says that is categorically false, and he'll be here to tell us all his side of that story. Coming up again
about seven fourteen's war. Now, part of all this was that MACE put up a big placard and advertised a victim tip line, calling it a confidential hotline, and she says that that lot line was inundated with calls and text messages after she made that speech the other night. However, Laura Hudson, executive director of the state's Victim Assistance Network, says, well, this is a risky and dangerous way to try to
get survivors of sexual assault to come forward. So she's not necessarily enamored with that part of the MACE stunt here. H Oh, Well, this didn't last long. I guess, mister Thompson, you were right here. I should have just kept it to myself. Thomas Ravenel will not be running for governor. Jonathan Russia and Hallways yesterday, we're just musing over what a race with the Nancy Mason Thomas Ravenel it would
look like, well, we'll never know. Now. Ravenel posting yesterday to X he believes that this is not the time to run. I would say it's never again the time to run. But that's just me speaking. I was saying, he's a single father of three young kids. It's just not the time to run for governor of South Carolina. So yeah, Thomas Ravenel was apparently in and out quickly.
Did he just have those three kids yesterday? Because he wasn't worried about them when he was teasing that he was going to run for governor.
No, basically went out on Thursday and Friday last week. I guess, well something changed. Uh, Leon Lott is not playing games. Three more parents have been arrested for their involvement in their children's alleged crimes. Now. Earlier this year, a Lot launched the Parent Accountability Initiative and saying at a press conference yesterday, we had a terrible December and that the community told him that they were sick of kids running wild and parents not being held accountable. So
they are now. Now we got three more parents arrested for their involvement. So far, the Sheriff's department is arrested and charged six parents, all told here in twenty twenty five.
Yeah, but these aren't parents who were just asleep and their kids snuck out and committed These are parents who allegedly aided and embedded these criminals.
Yes, and they should be held accountable. Absolutely ironic is what they're calling it. A terrible irony. Former finance director for Habitat for Humanity embezzled more than a half a million dollars so she could buy a new home and a better neighborhood. Oh wow, these were well, it was announced yesterday by a US attorney, Scott Matthews, this case in front of Judge Mary Lewis in the court room here in Columbia yesterday. Ashley Ingram, thirty five years old. Wow,
those are the charges there. If you have a out and Richland District one, maybe you've already aware of this. If not, you will be soon. The school district is asking for feedback on the possibility of going to a year round school schedule that would start in the twenty twenty six twenty twenty seven school year. Deadline is coming up on February twenty first. To make your comments on that. I'll be curious to see what feedback they get on that.
I would suspect that most parents aren't happy about that concept. I don't know, I could be wrong.
I think I think a lot of parents these days might not mind it so much. I mean, you get time off in between terms.
Yeah, don't ask the kids though.
It's you know, it bucks the traditional system that we all got used to with having summers off, but sure you get time away in between.
Well, we're seeing more and more of that across the country. Might be seeing it here soon. Mark Fogel, a freeman at last, the American, the teacher who had been detained in Russia since twenty twenty one, back on us well yesterday and thanking Donald Trump, calling him a hero for getting him out. You may recall this, remember when Brittany what was Brittany Griner? Thank you? Was released and for
that we swapped the merchant of death to get her out. Fogel, well, he got stuck there the Biden administration couldn't get him out. But here in just the first couple of weeks of the new Trump administration, he's free. What does that tell you now? Exactly what we gave up, we don't know yet, but I bet it's not the merchant of death type individual.
I thought the White House announced there there was no swap.
Michael Wall says they negotiated the exchange. He's the National Security Advisor. Didn't disclose exactly what we were giving up.
So not necessarily a prisoner, but we gave up something.
Oh yeah, absolutely we gave us. There's no doubt about that. Heads rolling at FEMA, the chief Financial Officer, Mary Coleman's fired yesterday. We talked about this that just last week FEMA shipping off fifty nine million dollars in US taxpayer money to luxury hotels in New York City to cover the tab for them housing illegal immigrants. So the CFO out. Other staffers also fired, getting the pink slip over the
bank rolling into the tune of nearly sixty million dollars. Meantime, the Inspector General for the US Agency for International Development also get getting the pink slip. Okay, no reason given as to why the IG Paul Martin was oh go oh.
He wrote a memo that was incredibly critical of Trump's cutting of AID funds.
More than that would be why it was.
That's why get fired.
There you go. In the meantime, well, the heads will continue to roll. Trump signing an executive order yesterday instructing DOGE to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal government staffing numbers, looking to significantly shrink the size of federal government and limit hiring of new employees, according to with White House fact sheet released yesterday. Oh and more government agencies canceling their high dollar subscriptions to
Politico Political. Maybe out of business by the end of the week the way things are going here. And how about Disney, Disney revamping its DEI programs to align more closely with business outcomes. Disney, we may have hit the pinnacle. Now.
They've even changed the disclaimers on some of the old movies. You know, remember Peter Pan and Dumbo movies like that, that were the characters, caricatures that were deeply offensive and now it's just simply yeah, it's an old movie. You may be offended by what you see.
Wow, how about that Disney all right? That more coming up on this the Wednesday morning edition of the program. Always terrific to have you with us, your.
Morning news, getting ready for work, and all day in fault and check in throughout the day. One on three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one on three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC.
It's good to have you with us. It is Wednesday, February twelfth. Good morning to you. Time now six forty two. All right, so we all remember the spy balloon, right, the infamous Chinese spy balloon that floated across the entire continental US.
While we did nothing more than watch.
Yeah, nothing to see here, friends, until of course it got off the coast of our state eight and then it was finally shot down. That was just over a year, two years That was gosh, that was two years ago, is that right? It was in February anyway, Yeah, twenty twenty three. Boy, how time flies, huh? Quicker than that Chinese fi balloon. Well, the Newsweek now citing two sources with direct knowledge of a US military technical analysis of
said balloon publishers a reporter earlier this week. And uh, well, since that balloon, amongst other things, was carrying technology from at least five American companies. Now, of course, Beijing claimed along it was just a weather balloon, although the investigation by US intelligence agencies digged to differ with that assessment. They say they found that balloon was used for spying, but they don't think that any data that balloon was
able to ascertain was successfully relayed back to Beijing. But how did this thing wind up with technology from at least five US firms? Well, then i'll know. Did these firms sell us directly to the Chinese government or were there was this stuff that was bought by somebody that resold Maybe more likely that one of the more troubling aspects of the story. And I need to make sure I've got my facts right on this one. Aridium that's something that's that's something nuclear? Is it not a ridium?
Sources say a short burst messaging module called a ridium ninety six too. Let's see here while we're doing.
This, iridium does have an atomic number?
Yeah, I thought it did. Yeah, a rare valuable silvery white transition metal that is part of the platinum family used in jewelry, electronics and machinery. But yeah, it does have the atomic number seventy seven. Well, that kind of jumped out at me right there. This device was recovered. It's produced by a company in Virginia that makes global satellite communications. Their executive director said they don't condone the use of its radios or modules being used in ways
they shouldn't be. Okay, Again, the investigation showed, yes, it was not just weather balloon. They were spying on us, But they still maintained US intelligence sources that that information never got back to Beijing. Remember Marne Washington, Marnie Washington who told relief workers in Florida to skip homes that had Trump signs in their front yards. Y'all remember Marny. She was fired for her efforts from FEMA. Well, now the Office of Special Council has filed a complaint against
Washington saying she violated the Hatch Act. That's a law that limits federal workers political activities. And what was more political than this? Huh? Now, what I'm curious about here is Dianna Criswell, the former FEMA administrator said back in November that did Marnie Washington advised their teams not to go to homes with these Trump signs in the arts.
But if you remember, Washington then went out after she was canned and claimed that these orders came all the way from the top, maybe not specifically, but at least the culture was set. She also said that their teams did Washington had experienced political hostility by people who had Trump campaign signs. So how many, well, okay, once, twice maybe, so you just don't go to any of them. Well, she called it a community trend, the political hostility that
they encountered. Okay, Well, and I don't know. Again, she got canned, she's lost her job now boally the Hatch Act. I don't know what she's already lost her job. I don't know what else could possibly happen there. But we remember that we remember a lot of things about FEMA, don't we. We're talking more about those some of those things later on today with his money to the luxury
hotels in New York City. Again, while you still got people are are trying to get life back back to some sense of normalcy in the mountains of North Carolina, well, the pages turned now, and let's think we're safe to say that we will see none of that nonsense happened, at least for the next nearly four years, hopefully a longer than that.
You're listening to Columbia's Morning News on one oh three point five FM and five sixty am WVOC. Once again, here's Gary David and Christopher Thompson.
Hey, good morning. Tell you it is fifteen minutes after seven o'clock, Wednesday, February twelveth We appreciate you being along. We talked a lot about this yesterday, the allegations leveled by Nan Mays and a speech on the House floor Monday night against her former fiance, against three of his business associates, and against this guy right here, our Attorney General Alan Wilson, who joins us this morning with his response to her allegations that that your office has has
not responded at all to any of this. I know you've been making the making the rounds, even on national TV in the last twenty four hours or so, giving giving your side of this story. And good morning, sir, good to have you with us. How about this man?
Hey, Hey, Gary, thank you for having me on so before I answer your question directly. I do want to say this. I'm going to make sure I'm very direct. I'm not going to comment on miss Mace's allegations regarding her being the victim of a crime or anyone else being the victim of a crime. Anytime a victim or someone claiming to be a victim, you know, comes forward there, they should be taken seriously and their case should be
investigated thoroughly. So I'm not going to comment on that, but my comments will we directed specifically to the remark she made regarding our conduct or lack thereof, in the office and our lack of a response. My answer is simply this, she's talking about the wrong agency. We never got the case file. We were never called by law enforcement or the prosecution agency. No one in my staff
ever received a request for assistance of any kind. I only learned about this investigative case, this investigation literally the day before she went to the floor of Congress, And the only reason I heard about it was because she had circulated her floor speech to all of the media the day before, and so it had come to us via the media, and they said that she's making these
allegations and of course. The first thing I did is I called SLED and they did confirm there was an investigation, and they also confirmed that they had not reached out to us. I spoke to all of our staff. Our staff confirmed, yeah, we don't know what they're talking about. We have no role in this. So, for people listening out there, rarely, if ever, does a case start at the Attorney General's office, especially this kind of case. Usually
it's investigated by local law enforcement. This case originated with Capitol Police and was then referred to SLID. So I've read, and then you know, it was investigated by SLID. Normally would go back to the local prosecutor. But her comments that we did nothing, we drug our feet are categorically false, because I can't drag my feet on something that I don't know exist and that I don't have possession of.
You know, I am curious, and you know, again, this is not a question you can answer. I'm not really posing against a question, but just I'm curious that I would I'm imagining now I don't know this for a fact, but Mace and her ex fiance broke up late twenty twenty three, as I recall, So I'm assuming that whatever she says she found on his cell phone was somewhere around that particular point in time that that led to
the breakup. Well, that's been a long time ago, and I'm again this is a rhetorical question, but I you know, why wait this long to because Nancy Mace has never been one shy to go public with anything, why wait this long to come out with this? I mean, I only have one answer for this, and that's because, well, she thinks you're gonna be a competitor to the governor's race. Is all political?
Well, I can only speculate. I mean, I think people with brain cells in their head can probably come to a reasonable conclusion as to the timing of this, at least as to why she's complaining on the Flora Congress. I will say that, you know, she and I were colleagues and one time. We're incredibly friendly toward one another. I never had any issues with her before this year. She and I have been together. We were together last
month in Charleston at the lighting of the Hanukkah. We were together last fall at a press conference at the State House. We have been We were together in the same ballroom at the inauguration At no time did she ever reach out to me directly and say, hey, why aren't you doing anything or raise any complaints to me. I mean, and I understand not everybody in South Chrona has my cell phone and has the ability to do that, and they don't need to have my cell phone to
call my office and complain. But she had my cell phone, and she and I were friendly and worked together. She could have called me and said something. She never did. And again, if any victim were complaining about an investigation that they thought we had, they would have called our office. They would have immediately been put in touch with a lawyer who would have informed them that we don't have this case. You need to contact the law enforcement agency
conducting your investigation. But she never gave us that opportunity. She was more interested in getting it to the media and making a splash.
So in giving this speech on the House floor, there's the was a debate in what's what do they call that?
To each and debate claus.
Okay, so this would shield her potentially from any sort of allegations that she's slandered somebody. That's the idea, right.
Well, I am told that was the reason for the speech. I've also and again this is not for me. I'm she cannot fame. I'm a public official, so you can lie about public officials all the time. As to the other individuals she named, I'm not their lawyer and I'm not talking to their lawyers. But I've been informed that when you publish a speech like the ones she did, and you publish it to the media outside of the floor of Congress, you may have exposed yourself to potential
civil liability, but that is something for lawyers to explore. Again, my most pressing concern is that the harm that she
has done to the victim's advocate community. When you have castigated and cast a shadow of doubt on law enforcement, you're causing real victims out there who are standing on the fence and trying to decide if they want to come forward with either very horrible or very embarrassing incident that they're afraid to come forward on, and now they're second guessing themselves, and now the congresswoman is plalling them
to call her hotline. Don't call law enforcement, don't call the National Victim Hotline.
Call me.
We'll take care of you. And that is very concerning to victims advocates around the state.
Yeah, Laura Hudson speaking out again against that that this could really cause a lot of harm for some of these victims. All right, So, again, the way these things typically work is a case like this originates with the local law enforcement goes to SLED and so we know it's had this case for a while now, but they have not contacted your office. Why would they at this point in time, or would they normally? How would that work?
It's up to SLID. I mean, first off, these kind of cases don't normally start with SLID. They would start with the local law enforcement agency. But a min understanding from what I've read in the media accounts is that SLED received it from the National Capitol Police, who called the State Law Enforcement Division. Normally, if you've had a crime occur to you in South Carolina, you would complain about the crime to local law enforcement. You wouldn't go
to Washington, d C. And complain about it. I mean that's normally. I mean, I don't know the facts as to why it started there, but normally it would go to the local sheriff's department and then it would go to the local solicitor. This one was referred to SLED, and then SLID would investigate it. Normally, they would refer it back to the local solicitor. They wouldn't refer to
us directly. Usually we get the case if there's a conflict that the solicitor for some reason can't take the case because you know, they know one of the witnesses or the defendant or something, and we would take it, but normally would never come directly to us. It would be investigated by a law enforcement agency, which in this case happens to be SLED.
While we've got you, we've got a big case in bro the Supreme Court when it comes to abortion.
Yes, yes, I'm very excited about this. I mean, I hated that we're having to go back to the Supreme Court, but we're very we're very hopeful that we'll obviously uphold the heartbeat bill or the heartbeat law now excuse me. Our office will be arguing that before the State Supreme Court later this morning, and I'm very confident. You know, I don't want to presume that the Supreme Court will rule for us, but we feel very good about our legal arguments and the merits of this case.
We'll be watching closely as that plays out all right, Alan Wilson, our State'storney General, thank you for your time this morning.
As always, sir, Thank you Gary.
Celebrities who know not a darn thing other than you know singing and.
Dancing on stage, Clay Travis said Buck Sexton one on three point five 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 doub VOC seven.
You might have heard Thomas mentioned of the update there the a former finance director for Habitat for Humanity getting two years in lock up after Wow, think about this for a second. You are the finance director for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that builds homes, that repairs homes for folks that are in need. Well, this young woman, thirty four years old, Ashley Ingram, said she wanted a new house to get herself out of a crime ridden neighborhood for the sake of a young child and another
one on the way. So over a period of time she stole five hundred and fifty three thousand dollars from this charity. As the prosecutor said, a terrible irony. So two years in a federal prison, ten thousand dollars fine restitution and well, wow, yeah, that is a That is a terrible irony, is it not.
Yeah, and you go home at night and you're looking at I mean you're looking at literally those funds that you stole in the form of your new home. Yeah, and you're living. I mean, that's a pretty luxurious house in the Midlands.
I don't know, I don't know how the world folks feel like they're going to get a get away with this thing. Suddenly they're buying a very expensive house on probably not a pretty big salary.
I wouldn't imagine most nonprofits. You know, you're not going to get rich there. That's not the point of a nonprofit.
No, wow, Okay, Leon Lott is not playing around anymore. You know. Back at the beginning of the year, the rich Kund of Sheriff's Department launched a program called the Parent Accountability Initiative. And so far we're only into February now six parents have been charged and the latest, again here was two mothers charging connection with a deadly shooting. Now they weren't themselves part of the actual murder. But after the fact. These two mothers charging connection with aiding
their children. The charge of aiding the children during the crime because the crime is more than just what happens at the scene. So at Ashley Lane and a Leah Rix charged a connection with murder. Lane charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was arrested on Monday. The accusation is that she picked up two of the shooters from the scene itself, one of them her son, took them to her home, did not notify law enforcement. Again,
the allegation she knew exactly what took place. She was aiding in a betting after the.
Fact, driving the getaway car.
Yeah. The other mother, Leah Rix, arrested charge with obstruction and the accusation there is that she contacted her sixteen year old child who was involved in that shooting and warned and the deputies were searching for him, and that when she was confronted, she says she didn't know anything about this this shooting. So we're this is more than just the kids out there doing atrocious things. It's parents
in this case, mothers who are now being charged. Now A lot is not looking apparently for long jail sentences for any of these parents. But what he's what he's hoping for his accountability.
Making it a point yes to say, Look, if you know you're going to aid in a bet, you're going to do some time too, yes, or you're going to pay a fine.
Too, and it's about time.
Really, Well, it depends on the crime. Like he said yesterday, he's not looking to punish parents who are sleeping thinking all the doors are locked and their kids are safely in their beds, right, no, no, no, and then the kid sneaks out the window and commits a crime and sneaks
back in. These are parents who are allegedly actively involved in hiding their kids, in letting their kids go out at that time of night and then as soon as something goes wrong, coming picking them up and hiding them from police.
Yeah, as you mentioned, this mom drove the getaway car. Basically is what she.
Did, telling their kids, you know, don't come home. You know the law enforcements out in the community they're looking for you. Stay away from home right now.
Yeah, well, okay, this sends a very strong message and this is the intent, of course. Hopefully the end product is that parents are going to be parents again. But I don't, man, that cow maybe out of the barn. And a lot of instances, unfortunately, but.
When one thing, he pointed one another and you mentioned this as well. But these were all moms.
These were all moms.
Yes, there were no dads in the pictures.
No, that's of course. Another big problem is we all know has been for quite some time.
Not that a single mom can't raise the child into it successfully.
But it's hard. Yeah, it's hard with two parents, man, Yeah, but it doesn't absolve you the fact that we've got responsibilities as moms and dads.
You're listening to Columbia's Morning News on one oh three point five FM and five sixty am WVOC. Once again, here's Gary David and Christopher Thompson.
It's fifteen minutes after eight o'clock in the morning, and good to have you along for Wednesday, February the twelfth. What a difference in administration makes? Huh? The wonderful news yesterday that Mark Fogel is back on American soil now. Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo American School in Moscow, is back home now for the first time.
And uh, well more than four years, as he has been serving a fourteen year sentence after being an August of twenty twenty one at a Russian airport for drug possession. A drug possession his family says was medically prescribed marijuana if he has back issues, same thing, well, drug possession that got Britney Griner arrested, but she was a lot more high profile. A lot of folks didn't even know the name of Mark Fogel until Britney Griner was released.
When the body administration got her out. Remember in exchange for the guy they call the Merchant of Death, he had Fogel and his family continued to suffer. Well he's back home now. Why couldn't the prior administration get Fogel out two? I mean, if you don't release the Merchant of death, because at least not get two for one. I mean, come on, well Biden didn't, so Trump and we don't know that Michael Michael Wallace, who's the new National Security Advisor. So there was a this was an
exchange that was negotiated. Didn't disclose what we gave up. I certainly hope that means it's nothing to the stature of what we gave up for Brittany Griner, but we don't know. And a word is that another detained Americans somewhere. We're not told where or whom is they're working. And hopefully we'll have this individual release, maybe as early as today.
So again we don't know what was given up to get Mark Focal back, but he is back now, something that Biden, White House couldn't do and Trump has and there's there's there's a lot of talk that this is part of something larger, you know that maybe the whole Ukraine Russia situation. Are we going to to get to a a place where maybe there's some progress being made on that. There's a lot of speculation flying around right now,
but good to have Focal back. First, it was well Christy nom the Secretary of DHS, who appeared at least to lay blame for leaking of plans for ice raids on the FBI. Now borders are Tom Homan also suggesting somebody from within the Bureau may, he says, be putting officers lives at risk by leaking important details regarding these immigration raids.
I think this first popped up when you were out last week. We talked about the raids in Aurora, Colorado. Yes, and there were signs and Tom Homan said he was going to investigate signs that those gangs, those Venezuelan gangs had been tipped off.
Yeah, and you refer today he says, we know the first league was in Aurora and they're investigating that. And he also says, we think we've identified that person. I'm gonna tell you what. The hammer of justice is gonna come down extremely hard on individual or individuals within the FBI who may be doing this as well. It should a couple of heads rolled here. Trump letting go a couple of FEMA agents. And also what was it this financed? Who was it?
Financial inspector general? Well, that was that was a whole different story. Okay, So sorry, people go by the wayside these days. Sorry, I was sure where you were going.
The Yeah, the CFO of FEMA, the chief Finangelis Mary Colemans, fired yesterday. This in light of a doze finding out just last week, Famous sent fifty nine million dollars to luxury hotels in New York City. We talked about this yesterday. Well,
Mary Colemans is out now. A couple other female agents also are out as a result of these egregious maybe not strong enoport payments again, housing illegal immigrants in the luxury hotels in New York City and lying about it and lying yeah, and lying about it, you know, being told that they were not tax payer dollars used for that reason. Mmmmm, I don't know. Maybe FEMA is getting money from somewhere else. They get a little side action, going a little get a little side hustle. They're raising,
you know, like sixty million dollars to you know. Another executive order coming down yesterday. I don't know how many of this makes, but it's a bunch. This one instructing DOSEE to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal government staffing numbers. The order to significantly shrink the size of the federal government to limit hiring new employees. Specifically, agents must not hire more than one employee for every
four that leave. So, you know, of course, the outcry, I guess hern is is is you're ruing the country. We're not gonna people. Well, we'll see, we'll see and if this, if this exercise results in us basically you know, reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy by three quarters let's say, and it's still able to function. Wow. Well, long, there's something we should on a long, long time ago.
Will be interesting to see when Republicans get to Defense Department cuts, how they handle that. That's going to be the Yeah, the big sticking point among members of the party.
Yes, it will. And again, much like we talked about yesterday with UH and I think which agency was it? It was?
Uh?
Was it the Pentagon? I don't remember calling that was. That was yesterday. That was a long time ago. Well. Two more major federal government agencies moving to cancel the subscriptions to Politico. Okay, this time the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy. Again, if you've missed this, they've been paying. In the case of the agency yesterday, it was for outside people, not inside the agency been paying subscriptions to Politico, which is a pretty liberal outlet,
paying for subscriptions to Politico pro using taxpayer dollars. And again in this case with the Department of the Interior, they'd spend more than three million dollars a year money on contracts of Politico. Department of Energy about four point two million dollars. Wow. Since twenty fifteen, Politico has made more than thirty five million dollars in taxpayer money for these subscriptions, which apparently can cost up to nearly ten
thousand dollars apiece. How could they possibly be that valuable whether or not? And yeah, look for political to go belly up any moment now. As a result of all of.
This, four four years, Donald John Trump, what happens next?
Who knows what happens next?
Happens here one on three point five FM at five sixty am w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one on three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC.
Eight thirty nine at the time. Now, this has been a couple of minutes to talk about a golf tournament coming up one that uh well for a foundation live like London. I don't know if you probably do recall the story London Herald college student from this area who will lost her life after being a hit by a man in Florida who was driving drunk. This was back,
oh gosh, back in twenty nineteen. Her mother joins us now Apolla Cobb to talk about an upcoming golf tournament and what the foundation is all about and the way they're trying to help other folks out it Cob, good morning obviously, so sorry for your loss, but you have been working hard to try to turn this into something positive for a lot of people. And thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate him.
Thank you for having me. It's great to be here.
So tell us about the foundation. This is in memory of your daughter, London, and you all are raising money and helping a lot of folks out. So exactly what it is that the foundation does.
Absolutely we discovered when we were in the hospital with London and that we witnessed a lot of families that were sleeping in their cars and sleeping and waiting room floors. There's just a gap and care, especially in urgent situations, and a lot of these families can't afford hotel rooms long term stay when they need to be there to support their child. And so after London passed, he was such a giving person and always was looking to solve
problems and to help people each and every day. And we felt like after witnessing what these families went through, that we wanted to take her spirit and pay that back and created this foundation. And now we have helped hundreds and hundreds of families get through these very, very tough, tragic situations. We've helped families that were unable to pay for their child's funeral. We've helped them travel to Texas and other places to get second opinions and specially care
or specially treatment. And so our ability to raise this money and give every dime back to these families really has helped keep London spirit alive.
That is wonderful. That is wonderful. So you got as part of your fundraising efforts, you got a golf tournament coming up, and it is well, we got a little time here. I think it's in the March, isn't it.
That's correct, March twenty eighth at Woodlands Country Club.
Oh that'll be fun. What a great course.
A yeah, yeah, really really excited about the golf tournament.
This is our fifth one. We had some wonderful friends who decided that they would love to help the foundation and kicked off this golf tournament and we're sold out of teams, but we are still looking for whole sponsors and people of course to attend the celebration after the golf tournament where they get to meet some of the families we help as well as bisylent auction items and participate in our raffle to help the to raise more money to get us through the next year and the
families and that will unfortunately face different situations.
Do you have like a budget, Paul, that you're you're hoping that the amount of money you're hoping to raise in the next you know this this this year obviously you've raised a lot.
Yeah, absolutely, we do. We have a goal this year. We're trying to raise one hundred thousand dollars. We haven't quite gotten there with our event. We got up to ninety two thousand I'm two years ago, so our goal is to get one hundred thousand dollars this year. We're right about the seventy thousand dollars mark, so we've got a little ways to go in the next few months.
But we have a lot of faith that our supporters and they haven't heard about the foundation and no people that have gone through these situations will consider being a sponsor or making a donation.
Well, how do people want to make a donation? Let's say they're not going to play golfer, and well they can now because you're sold out right, But maybe maybe maybe they're not a business who can sponsor your tournament here, but they just want to help. What do they need to do, Paula.
Yeah, if you just go to Live like London dot org, there's a large donate button there, you can click on that and donate any amount that you would like. Or you can also browse through our events page, get to the Golf Tournament website and there you can see items that are up for sale. Now we have some amazing vacation packages that we've already put up, so if you're looking for a unique trip with friends or a small group at the perfect time to get that together, and
maybe a good Valentine's Day gift. But yeah, lots of ways to participate. But certainly, you know, I always just encourage people, even if you can't give financially, think about what you can do today to make somebody's day better, you know, whether it's just giving them a smile or an encouraging word, or reaching out to someone you haven't talked to you in a while. That's really what London thought about and what she wants us to do really is the meaning behind Live Like London.
That's beautiful Paula, thank you so much. Again. Their website is live like London dot org. You can go there and get all the information in ways that you can help out. Paula, thanks for spending some time on this morning. I appreciate that. Thanks for what you're doing.
Okay, thank you so much. Have a wonderful day you as well.
Okay, Paula, I gotta tell you, I don't man. It takes a strong person. But also the spirit of London will live on and on and on and the good works that they're able to do with with your help. So if you can help out, help out. Can't play that tournament's sold out, but hey you so many of you are small business owners and you'd like to take part and help out and with sponsorships. Again, live like
London dot org for your information there. All right, a couple of the quick items here before we wrap things up this morning. He's wrapped it up already, Thomas Ravenel yesterday. This is not the time run, he says. Okay, that was short lived.
And what changed in between his flirting with running and his saying he was going to run and then saying he wasn't going to run.
I don't know, maybe he thought that he would get just just tremendous feedback on social media what a wonderful idea it was. And yes, maybe he didn't see that. I don't know.
There were a lot of people interested in this race who were attention hounds, and they're yes, they're really yes, they all from the Charleston area. It feels like it. Yeah, they're all calling attention to themselves for the wrong reasons.
Yes, okay, but let's face I mean, hey, listen, having Thomas Rubb having t rab and Nancy Mason a race together would have been his own reality show.
That is, it would have been exciting, It would have been interesting.
So that that won't happen. If you're a parent in District one, what do you think they want your feedback on whether or not they go to year round schooling? Effective with the UH would be the next school year and follow twenty twenty six, So they've they got survey out there. You want to make your opinion known, You've gotten until the February twenty first to do that.
So, I mean, a lot of this is popular in a lot of parts of the country. It's it's traditionally I mean, you don't get the summer like you're used to having, but instead, you know, every six to nine weeks you get one or two weeks off, which isn't a bad vacation either. You're seeking your head.
Maybe I'm just stuck, you know, just a traditionalist. You know, I don't my kids are along on out of school. You know, I got no dog in this hunt. But it wouldn't be for me. I'll just put that the teachers say.
It's easier, you know, they don't have to start over over every August and September like they do, you know, with the current calendar.
No, some kids you got to start of getting every day. But anyway, and how about Walt Disney revamping their DEI programs. I don't know what that means. Revamped. Well, they're scaling them back. They haven't gotten rid of my guess totally, but they're at least scaling them back. When it gets to that level when the mouse starts scaling back DEI plans. Hey, I think the rest of us are winning this one now. During the long list of companies who have realized, yeah, go woke and go broke,