A Jesus right, he say, America and Jery for one nation.
In your nasal 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.
Good morning, it is sixteen minutes after six. It's Monday, February twenty fourth, and good morning to you. Welcome to another week full of opportunity. That may be a challenge or two along the way, but you know, take it all in the style. It's good to have you along. I'm Gary David has just mentioned. Christopher Thompson is right over there. Good morning, sir.
Plenty of news to come. I'm sure we've got a few things talk about this morning.
I bet that was your weekend's you're back and forth this weekend.
Back and forth, yeah, but settled back in now ready to go. Okay, week Carolina comes in. Baseball week, Well that's right, yeah, yes, that always comes so quickly. What doesn't basketball too, That's what Paulmonieri said. He said, as soon as I got here, people started talking about Clemson. He said, wait a minute, we're in the SEC. That's the third week of the season.
Oh, Paulmonary just the latest game coach to have to be schooled up on that concept. Figure it out. Oh, yes, is which is in this week? Is it? Is it two here or two there? Two there? Two there? This time that year.
At Clemson at Greenville, South Carolina.
Okay, all right, yeah, yeah, it gets here quickly, yes, all right, Well yeah, let's get into it rundown, big stories, hot topics, because there is news to talk about this morning, needless to say. And we'll give you an idea what we're keeping an eye on this morning and get into some of these topics a little bit deeper as the morning progresses. Well, you heard this in the news update a few minutes ago. Brad Sigmund, who has been tabbed as the next death throw inmate to head to the well.
In this case, the death chamber will be a firing squad.
Is that really what he wants or is he trying to make a point.
I'm thinking he's trying to make a point here. Yeah, you get your choice lethal injection, the chair or the firing squad. And you would think that the firing squad would maybe be I don't know, I don't think you want to consider these things for myself. But if you had to pick, I don't know what would you put last, firing squad or electric chair.
I think fire it. Well, yeah, that'd probably be neck and neck. Yeah, and we've depends on how good of a shot. Yeah, you're counting on that, right. We've never done the firing squite. This will be a first now that option added back in twenty twenty one. Yeah, I'm thinking this is more of a stunt.
I'm thinking so now again. At same time, he's asking the State Supreme Court to stop the execution, under claims that no judge, no jury has ever learned the full extent of his brain dawn image, his mental illness, and his childhood trauma. He wants the case sent back to the trial court level so he can present evidence to support downgrading his penalty. This is a guy who was sentenced to death for the murder of his ex girlfriend's parents back in April of two thousand and one. That's
the other part of the story. This has been going on for twenty forty years now, Okay, well, but again, if it goes off as scheduled, it will be the firing squad in yes, the first, the first A gunman sentenced for the twenty twenty two Columbia mall shoot. He's going to get decades in prison. Juayne Price sentenced to thirty five years and stayed lock up this after he was found guilty earlier this year of two counts of attempted murder and nine counts of assault and battery of
a high in aggravated ature. We all remember that easter back in twenty twenty two. Shocking as that was, it's still just remarkable and I think divine intervention that nobody lost their life that day, because multiple people could have very easily lost their lives and the story would have been a lot more tragic. In state, students that are public colleges and universities have paid the same tuition rates all be them ridiculously high now for the last five years,
but that could change. They've been frozen. But again here we go, you know, the hat and hand thing, and they say they're not getting as much out of the state House as they want. Well, you know, agay, it's not as though these schools are any danger of having to shut their doors anytime soon. But you know, the trend is more and more towards either two year schools or just going right into the workforce. Man, the return on investment for more and more young Americans doesn't seem
like it's worth it. These days. The flu is still a raging problem here in our state, and we are now at the point we're more people have died of the flu in this state than had last year, and we're not done with this flu season yet. Cases have been very high. And again we have some of the highest numbers in the nation, at least proportionally speaking. Number of ritual of Midlands counties I should say, are on the list of you know, having some of the highest
cases Newbery, Lexington, riginaland Kershaw County. I'll make of that list, okay, Uh. Well, the pushback has begun from internally now, so Elon Musk over the weekend saying that all federal employees sitting out an email must report the work they did over the last week or just resign now.
Uh.
Several federal agencies are advising their employees not to respond to that Musk email. Among the agency heads who are saying, yeah, don't don't take that bait, Cash Betel, the FBI, Tulsa Gabbard, the State Department all saying no, to this. We're going to talk about this a little bit later on, but I will tell you I'm starting to see a troubling
trend out of Elion Musk here. Now correct me if I'm wrong, But wasn't Originally we were led to believe that, Okay, this was an advisory kind of thing that make recommendations on where to do cuts and such. Does it seem like Musk is maybe going a little over the line here in a power grab and is this setting up to be a problem for the Trump administration?
I mean, maybe he may maybe for reaching, but I think it's I think it would be a pretty big problem if you couldn't, if you had trouble filling out something like that.
Yeah, and they're well, sure, oh absolutely.
And I'm sure there are people in government who could look back on the last seven days and go, yeah, you know, I really didn't do a darn thing. Well, I I but they hold those jobs and keep those salaries coming in.
And I have no issue with that. But I'm wondering if if Musk is maybe starting to overstep his bounds, and if Trump's gonna look to rain this thing in sometime soon. Well, obviously, is it is it up to Elon Musk to make those demands on people himself. Apparently a couple of those cabinet secretaries don't feel like it is. Yeah, I'm seeing an issue developing here. I am. Well, well, anyway, we'll we'll talk about this later on. Uh. Well, one
thing's gonna happen here is the USA. I d some two thousand jobs getting ready to go bye bye after a judge rules in favor of the Trump administration on that one, and the firees have continued. Of course, the word of Friday that General trum Brown, the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is no longer the Chair
of the Joint chiefs of Staff. He's out. Dan Bongino tabbed as the FBI deputy director okay, former Secret Service agent who had a little a little flirtation with the radio business and has been doing podcasting for a while now. He used to be a guest on Fox on a regular basis. So another you know, celebrity personality but with some background in law enforcement. Certainly the secret Service agent
tab by the Trump administration. When do we see this or do we Pam Bondi saying that Epstein client list is sitting on her desk right now being reviewed for release. Wow, Germany a conservative win. Germany is shifting to the right, and no real surprise you talk about immigration issues. Wow, Germany's got it. Bad. Germany's center right block on track for a clear victory, and the far right party, the AfD, is looking like they're going to come in second place.
So definite shift to the right in Germany. The Pope, well, just death watch time. It seems like a tenth day of hospitalization. Now some kidney issues are being reported. Maybe his final days. They say he had a better night last night. I've said this before.
That job. I mean you see these relatively youngish men take that job and within five years, I mean they look absolutely elderly. It is just a wear and tear, constant travel, and you're constantly taking on everyone else's burdens, right, so you know, it's mentally and physically draining. I just I feel so much for you know, whether you like or don't like what the Pope had to say during its time, it's just I mean, that job is a grind.
Oh yeah, kind of like this one. A little bit bit that. More coming up on this the Monday edition of Columbia's Morning News. Always good to have you with us, keeping the commitment.
I love you, Guyslable twenty four to seven, who listened to you every day half for years. 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.
Six forty two the time. Now, good morning. It's Monday, February twenty fourth, and we appreciate you waking up with us this morning. All right, So the news of the Pope, Pope francis resting, uh, I guess as comfortably as possible this morning after what was a better night. The Vatican says. He's been hospitalized now for ten days a complex and lung infection as he lost part of a part of a long earlier in life, right uh and in the
early stages now of kidney insufficiency, says the Vatican. So this I mentioned this because unrelated to all that, but still on the same Vein the movie, Conclave is winning awards left and right. All of a sudden, here we went to Oscar season now Conclave winning at the sag Awards on Sunday. It won a Best Movie at the was it the BAFTA, the British Film Awards last week.
You know, this was a movie that when it first came out, I thought, because they promoted the heck out of it, and I was it looked interesting to me. I thought it. I'm not Catholic, but I mean, be interesting to see kind of the behind the wow. And it was all fiction. But still, but it didn't I don't. It wasn't in theater very long. So this is another one of these examples of a movie that the general public seems to have very little interest in, but you know,
Hollywood and these creative types just love it. I did see it. I streamed it a couple of weeks ago, and it's really good. But I don't think that's why it's getting all these awards. And I can't tell you why it's getting it because I don't want to give away the end. But there's a there's a big twist at the end, and I think without it, you know, it would be a it would be non existent in
these awards, this awards. It's a really good movie, but it's the twist at the end that makes I'm gonna I'm gonna bet right now, this is going to win Best Picture.
At the Oscars, which are this week right, right, yeah, this weekend.
Just because of the twist.
All right, well now I've now I've got to see it.
I'm hesitant to say too much more about the twist. All right, well, don't give it away, but just consider what sort of ending these these types who vote on these things would really really enjoy, right, would really make a statement. So I will leave it at that. That's
my prediction. Though. The SAG Awards, uh this past weekend, well, you know, I mean, it's, let's face it, it's politically speaking, it's been pretty boring for a couple of years because you get together for all these Hollywood award shows and man, they really can't talk bad about Biden. Right, well, all the all the gloves are off now Trump's back in office, so it's time to revive the the the political speeches of these award shows. And and and courtesy of Jane Fonda,
we got that Saturday night, Jane Fonda, Hanoid, Jane. What we actors create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls, that these people take themselves way too seriously. Come on, exactly which movie did you make, miss Fonda, where you profoundly touch somebody's soul? Maybe she did, but I'm typically you know, I'm not gonna go see any movie with Jane Fonda in it anyway, so maybe I just missed it.
And make no mistake. Fonda said, empathy is not weak or woke. By the way she says, woke just means you give a damn about other people. Okay. Oh, She brought up the job cuts, the federal job cuts, talked about how the unions have our backs. He's a big believer, blah blah blah blah blah. So hiccup award season, and with Trump back in the White House, expect to hear a lot more of this. I think they just recycle
half of this stuff. We're gonna hear the same thing said more than likely that we heard, you know, last time Trump was on office. He's gonna dust off the old protest speeches and bring them back. And uh again, is anybody paying attention? It's it's it was if if for no other reason, it was proven back in this this past campaign season that the American people by and large have totally tuned out whatever celebrities say about politics. Kamala Harris thought, you know, I don't really have to
run a race. I can just rely on Oprah and Taylor Swift, you know, all the celebrities to come out and endorse me like I know they will. And that's going to be that it didn't work, and I don't think it will ever work again. Tay you the truth. The average American economically under duress since COVID struck. Oh, by the way, we have some news on that front two, not about COVID per se, but about maybe something else coming out of China. Hang on for that. But you know,
four years plus of economic duress. Meanwhile, you know, people like Jane Fonda living in there gated communities and jet setting across the world and enjoying the finest. Come on, we don't. You don't get it, You don't identify with us, We don't with you. It's over. I don't think it ever comes back. Well I hope not. All right, So well, let's I'm sure we'll get plenty of this at the Oscars coming up this weekend. I think I got something
to do someday. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I think I got something to do.
If you're listening to Columbia's Morning news on one oh three point five FM on five sixty am w VOC, once again, here's Gary David and Christopher Thompson.
Good morning, fifteen after seven and welcome in, welcome into a new week.
Here.
It's Monday, February twenty fourth. It is good to have you with us. Mentioned this alarming number in the rundown last hour. We're no, we're near where Try that again. We're nowhere near done with flu season yet, but already we have seen the number of fluted flu reated. What is it Monday?
You really need to start coming to rehearsal.
I don't have time for rehearsal. The number of flu related deaths they have already surpassed where they were last year, at least at this point, the race seems to be slowing, thankfully, but it's been about this is the worst flu season, what more than twenty years, they tell us. I believe it.
Think about it. I'm sure you and everybody you know knows at least one person who's had the flu this year. I mean, it seems like everybody you run into either they've had it, our family members had it. But yeah, the concerning part is just how devastating it is as far as the deaths that's causing. Yeah, and it's combining with other viruses and it's you know, the flu leads to pneumonia and you get RSV once you've kicked the flu.
That going on. Yeah, it's just but I bring this up and you so you mentioned the word they are viruses. Hold on to your hats friends, now a word of a discovery of a new bat coronavirus in China. This is uh similar to SARS covid two, the virus that caused COVID nineteen. Officially it's SARS CoV two. It's similar to COVID nineteen that it targets the same human receptor.
This according to a report in the South China Morning Post, this virus, they're calling it hkuv CoV two, could potentially lead to human to human or even cross species transmission. According to researchers. This research team, led by a zen Li She at the Gangzou Laboratory in Guandong, China. She who was known as the batwoman, w yes, we're at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. So now reports coming out of China about another bat related COVID type virus.
The lead scientist in this new back coronavirus study, as I just mentioned, she reportedly had prior financial ties to guess who us Ai d Okay. These researchers say the potential human spillover risk remains to be investigated, but again, a high risk of spill over the humans, either through direct transmission or facilitybated by the intermediate hosts. Do we have to do this again?
Let's hope, non. I don't think anyone has the stomach to do it again, especially this soon.
And it keeps coming from the same place. Maybe this is not the Wuhan lab, but it's another lab in China, and again a Chinese scientist. We're reporting this with ties reported ties to us a I d okay. Way too early to start going into freak out mode again, I get it, But a lot too many parallels here to be concerned about. Just maybe the fact that this news is getting out now, unlike what happened with COVID nineteen, in which it was covered up until it was too late.
That's the only I guess potential positive out of this news here doctor Mark Siegel over at Fox saying, in an ideal scenario, and international consortium of scientists could be established to help provide global protection. That certainly did not happen with a COVID pandemic, he says, and the cloak of secrecy remains. Man. I would hope not after that. We know where that goddess. But again, Siegel says, studies like this published in a prominent journal are certainly a
step in the right direction. And yes they are. What is it with the Chinese and all the bat research they're doing let it alone? What are they trying to cook up exactly? It's not like you're trying to protect the bat species here, No, No.
The end goal is I'm sure much more nefarious.
Yeah yeah, okay, So there are similarities, and we're not far enough removed from the COVID nineteen to really to discount this to not have concerns. But how many times have we said this if it were to happen again, do we There's no way we do the same thing we did last time? Right, No, no way, Well maybe
we'll find out, let's hope not. Okay, So now we'll worry about the flu, which we didn't have when COVID was around, right, I mean the flu is non existent because we were all locked up somewhere not getting rut of the people. And now we're getting out there and guess what's back the flu? Just when we got to the point where we could just say, yeah, I got the flu and not be worried about do I have COVID?
If you have to look at the numbers here you go back to let's see even the well, I know that we had a lot more deaths of the state during COVID than we were having out of the flu. But the point is we've been living with these things for years. It's unfortunately been killing people for years, whether it's a flu virus, a COVID type virus. Let's just not go back to those days of early what was that twenty twenty, well, the whole year twenty twenty, basically after about February or March.
Yeah, great, I won't live up the ship talking about what matters. This country is.
Too great to throw over to communism.
I love it.
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.
Seven forty one. The time good morning is Monday, February twenty fourth, and we're just a couple of weeks away, actually, gosh, about a week and a half I guess away from our next scheduled execution in this date. February always messes up your timekeeping when it comes to things, right, So March seventh, you because it's a week from Friday? Is that right? I think so? Okay, I think so, Sigmund. It's scheduled to be put to death in a method
that we've never used in our state before. Matter of fact, a method that has only been used now four times in the last sixty five years. That's death by firing squad. I think you've seen about it for the longest time. Utah was the only state that did this for the longest time. Is how I recall that's the last time that someone's been put to death by firing squad Utah back in twenty ten. So let's see what put Brad Sigmund into this position, well back in two thousand and one.
That's the other part of the story two thousand and one, and here we are twenty four years later, nearly a quarter of a century later, after a night of drinking and smoking crack cocaine, he breaks into the home of his ex girlfriend's pa parents. Apparently his plan, he said, was to tie them up so he could take off with their daughter, but instead, well, the dad fought back and seman went up, beating him and his wife to death with a baseball bat, going back and forth between
the two. Yes, I don't celebrate us having to put someone to death here in the state, but my goodness, a crime like that.
And would have killed the ex girlfriend if he had had he had been a better shot.
Yeah, he shot at her several times.
Yes, as she was running away.
Now this is a familiar story here. And he, by the way, was asking the state Supreme Court to halt this execution once his case sent back to a trial court level, so he can present evidence to support downgrading his death penalty. They grew up into an unstable and violent home. Mom was regularly absent. Dad was an alcoholic physically abused the mom and four younger siblings. He was abused. He's bipolar, hipolar, schizophrenic, depression runs in the family suicide.
He was homeless as a teenager. Okay, uh, you know this is uh, you know, I'm sorry that was his his his upbringing. But the point again is is he wasn't the only one to be brought up like this. Unfortunately happens way too often, and not everybody brought up like this winds up being a convicted murderer. You know, we seem to hear the same, the same stories every time something like this happens. Right now, of course, as far as the method of death is concerned, you get
the choice here in this state. As we know, and now recently there have been a lot of articles about we know, the last two men that we put to death with this drug. It's no longer a cocktail of multiple drugs, it's not just one drug. And there have been stories about how they had to do a double double injection. How painful is this for the condemned murderer, blah blah blah. Well, so by opting for the firing squad, yeah, is he? Is he trying to make a statement here? Yeah?
I think I think this is some kind of stunt. Now, I think you're right, will Will he live to to tell. I mean, is this a stunt to get the court to step in and say no, that's cruel and unusual, or will it be carried out and then they'll have that to lean on and say this is cruel and unusual.
Both probably right, because we we haven't this hasn't happened here before, We've never done it this way. Maybe they felt like, okay, yeah, all the complaints about you know, the the the the you know, death by injection, lethal injection and all that, we've let's open up a new line of questioning here. Now we can we can see all the articles and you know, all the all the
the activists complained about the firing squad. Listen, I guess if you if you had to pick it, if you had to make a choice lethal injection, electric chair, firing squad. I asked this earlier this morning. I'm thinking I've given it a little thought. I think the Yeah, I think the I think the electric chair is my last avenue here.
I mean that and the firing squad too there. I mean, they're both very violent ways to end your life. Whereas if it goes according to plan lethal injection, you just go to sleep.
Yeah, But now if again if assuming that the the individuals, and again it's we've never done this, and I remember reading about when we first made this an option back in what twenty twenty one. You've got, you know, multiple individuals right with guns and they're not all loaded, correct or or what have you. You don't really know. I think that's the case. You don't really know which shot was the was the kill shot. But hey, it seems to me like if you know those individuals are very
good at what they do, maybe maybe I would. I don't know, I don't know. I hope you don't have to make that choice exactly. Yeah, not to make a lot of the situation here, but still so March seventh, as long as the court doesn't step in, and again, if they don't, they'll be the plea to the to the governor for clemency. And well, that hasn't happened around here, has it happened? Ever? If it's a it's been a long, long, long long time. So don't expect the governor to step
in and grant clemency either. So first for our state, and this will get national attention. Again, it's only the fourth time in the last sixty five years this method has been used, so it'll get a lot and maybe that's maybe that's the game here. Now, if I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go down in a blaze of glory, so to speak. Here, right, that could be it too. You know, every every nightly newscast, every cable channel is gonna be covering this. It's gonna be all over the place, all
the newspaper headlines. Maybe that's the play here.
You're less 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 with.
All these thousands of pounds of fentanyl laying around, Why are we worried about the method of execution?
Oli Wood table was two of those, and they'll go happy.
Stan who weighed in on talkback, Okay, yeah, we were talking about the next execution schedule here by firing squad.
Yeah, it's a good points. Much of that what it?
Yeah, I mean as much of that stuff as we're confiscating these days, it's a good point. A lot of other people have raised that too. Now I'm not sure we know the quality of what we confiscate and how old it is, and you know all these other complaints that these folks on death Row are making about the chemicals they're being injected with currently, But if you could prove, if you could prove that it was potent good stuff.
Why not use it.
It's an interesting point just sitting there in the evidence locker, right, Yeah, stay on a talkback Hey, you feel free anytime to hit us up on the talkback feature. Get that iHeartRadio app, that new and improved iHeartRadio app with the presets and all.
Hopefully we're number one on your preset. If not, we should be. You could go out hit that talkback feature and leave us your thoughts like Stan just did. Thank you, Stam. It's fifteen after eight, good morning, and good to have you along. It's Monday, Monday, all right. We started the show off this morning in the rundown and mention this. Let's spend a little more time on this now. And this is the directive from Elon Musk that if you work for the federal government, you need to email back.
Have'verybody got an email, get email back and respond with well, five things you did last week right, consistent with President trump instructions. Musk writes on acts. All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. I don't know you ever have gotten more
of the ever been in that situation. I will tell you this business years back, we had a management team at a much higher level than right here we're It was the old but trust but verify thing. Right, We trust you're going to get the job done, but we need to know exactly what you're doing. That was a Reagan thing, right, trust but verify. When it came to the Soviet Union, Soviet Union, and yeah, I didn't have any problem with that. That's kind of what this is. Now.
I have no problem with this concept none whatsoever. But I'm wondering if, again, at least the way it was originally told to us, a doze was going to be an advisory type of thing, you know, ferret out where the issues are, find where money is being wasted, where cuts can be made, and take it back to the
administration and let Trump do something about it. I'm beginning to wonder now if Elon Musk coming out and working independently on something like this and sending out this email himself and posting on his social media side x that it was coming out. If this is not beginning to rub some feathers the wrong way, mainly the feathers of Donald J. Trump. Are these things that Trump wants done? Yes? Absolutely? Are these things that need to be done? Yes? Absolutely,
But the way in which maybe they're being done? I wonder if it's not going to cost some issues. For example, this email goes out and immediately you had Cash Betel Now heading up the FBI, Tulsi Gabbard heading up D and I and the State Department all telling their employees do not respond to this email, so that yes, the power struggle is is is underway. I'm wondering if at some point in time, and maybe sometime soon, this relationship between Donald trumpet Elon Musk might start to fray a bit.
Maybe not you can't stop now, No no, no, not not the effort, but the deliverer, just Musk in charge?
Who's in charge? Right? Who works for whom?
I mean, We've said the thing, the same thing about a couple of these cabinet secretaries that the you know, they might be good in one targeted area, but in other areas. You know, they need they need to make sure Trump has the hook ready.
Absolutely. This email says, please respond to this email, well, approximately five bullets of what you accomplished last week and see see your manager.
That wouldn't exactly be hard to beat. You know, you can make stuff up exactly even if you don't do anything.
Now, but I've heard this said. Two. Part of this is okay, this is just an exte See who's actually reading their emails? Could be right? Yeah, you know, are you even looking at your emails? And if you're not, then you're obviously not working. You need to be gone. And I agree with that. So it's not the it's not the method but the delivery here that I Well, then again, maybe Trump's like, hey, great, let's let's let
Elon be the boogeyman for now. Okay, let all let all the let all the fire be directed in his for lack of a better term, in his direction.
Which she's getting a lot of hate these days.
Oh yeah, oh yeah. But the idea that cash Betel, Tulsi Gabbard and other department heads are telling their people don't respond to that. Okay, you know, we're we're a month and a couple of days in now, and this was bound to happen sooner or later. With something like this, it was gonna happen. And as far as the threat is concerned, Okay, if you don't respond to this, then uh, you know, consider, you know, then resign. I mean Elon Musk himself doesn't have the power to make that happen.
That would depend on people like what Cash Betel, Tulsi Gabbard and others r right, the ends of these agencies, Well, they ain't playing this game apparently, so uh yeah, this is this is getting a lot of attention. Eedles to say. Now, on the other hand, a judge ruling now that yes, the Trump White House can cut two thousand USAID jobs. A federal judge on Friday allowing the administration to move forward with this plan here and around the world. So
that's good. There's a lot of good coming out of this. My plea is to just this. I don't know, I just have concerns that you know, Musk is really enjoying the spotlight right now. I have no doubt about that. Yeah, no doubt about that whatsoever.
Just watch them in those interviews, or watch them in the White House oval office.
Yeah, but it's it's a question of optics at this point in time. My concern is is that you know, again, people are going to start viewing as okay, who's really running the country here? You know, who's in charge of this is that Trump is a musk. And again, you know, Trump maybe just fine right now from us to take
all the flack and deflected from himself. But I'm just seeing a day coming and maybe sooner rather than later, that this relationship starts to sour a little bit, because, let's face it, these are two men who both like the spotlight, right, who both you know, like like the attention they get as being in charge here. I don't thin there's any way to avoid there's going to be some sort of a it's going to get to a
point where okay, this just doesn't doesn't work anymore. And if we get to that point, what I hope doesn't happen is that suddenly the initiative starts to fade. Because it's a very important initiative for all of us, and it's something that we see, Mary can people want to see happen.
Nobody wants to see their tax dollars wats Let's not let egos, you know, ruin the party here, but I can.
See that happening, So this will be interesting now with a pushback from other Trump appointees. Who's gonna win this one? Huh?
You can take us on the go or doings with the iHeartRadio app one O three point five FM, 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.
It is eight forty our final thoughts here for a Monday morning. You got kids in college, you're getting ready to attending one of our public universities or colleges here in South Carolina. Those tuition rates might be going up. They haven't. They've been frozen for five years, but that may well change. There's a new House budget proposal would include a provision that would allow these schools to increase tuition rates on future students.
Well, let's just make sure we understand. Let's be clear. They only they didn't raise tuition only because the state was giving them money not to do it. Yes, exactly, And now they claim that the state is not giving them enough money. We need to cover inflation rising. We get it, but come on, you look at and I won't I won't say all of these institutions, but you know,
the big ones, maybe they need a doge program. You know, there's got to be places they can cut back or just put off this expansion or that expansion or whatever. I mean, come on, come on, well, you're not giving us enough.
We need more. So now looks like the state House may may at least there's a proposal out there kind of give into this. It would be a one year long I guess this would be what a proviso I guess attached to the budget. Now, these schools would only be allowed to what it would would only be required to freeze tuition rates for currently enrolled state students, wouldn't any out of state student That wouldn't apply to, and any future students, any future students. Yeah, okay, I.
Mean, have you seen some of the prices that out of state students are being charged?
What's crazy? Yeah?
And it's I think it's great that kids want to come to school here, but but it's still.
Cheaper than in state wherever they're coming from. I'm guessing why you come? Maybe?
Yeah, I bet geez I mean the amount of money that's being charged to these you feel it's it's almost like, I mean, they're just trying to balance the budget with these out of state kids.
We were mentioned we went to the ballgame the other day, and so being right by a Founder's Park, they're building another student apartment complex. Sure, I mean right across the street. So I said, I hope you put you know you can get you get a foul ball through one of those windows. Maybe I don't know, but I told Anne, I said, you know, not that that's ever going to happen,
but boy, this town. You know if tuition dropped dramatic or Roman dropp dramatically at the University of South Carolina, and there'd be a whole lot of empty apartment complexes downtown. They are everywhere.
It were some changes.
Oh, they ain't cheap either.
And I know that the state forced some of these universities, like USC for example, to do a better job of balancing out how many in state kids they took versus the out of state. But I mean, with these kind of budget issues, you can bet they're looking at those out of state kids hard. Oh yeah, because they're the ones who bring all the money. Yeah, well they're all bringing all the money, but they're bringing more of it. Yeah, the shift in Germany is complete here.
How about this? The center right block looks to be on track for a clear victory after the results of yesterday's parliamentary elections, and the far right AfD looks like they're gonna come in second place here. So a major shift in German politics. And again, is this the result of immigration? You know, they've they've got big problems there. Some might argue bigger problems than we've got here when it comes to illegal immigration. So a change a coming there.
Karen Bass Friday announcing she was had fired the fire chief, the LA Fire Department chief. I remember she was. She was a dee I hired to begin with, right, Kristin Crowley.
But now you got Mayor Bass trying to get the pressure off herself, putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of the chief, saying, we know that a thousand firefighters that could have been on duty that morning the fires broke out, where instead sent home on Chief Crowley's watch, and that the chief refused to prepare an after action pouring the fires. Well, there's a whole lot of blame
to go. I'm not saying that the chief wasn't responsible for anything, but I mean, come on, may Or Bass, really, come on, No way LA re elects her, right, you would think not.
I mean, she's been criticized, not just California folks, by everybody in the country, including Donald Trump. M I don't think she survives this one.
Yeah, and again the cuts that she and other leadership in LA have instituted upon the fire department. And now you want to well, wow, okay, good, good for you, Good luck with that. Pam Bondy Friday saying that Jeffrey Epstein's client Lift was sitting on her desk. What does pambody know that we don't know right now? The New Age saying is being reviewed for at least can you imagine some there's some very very antsy people right about now. Well, let's see where that goes.
I mean, between that and the Diddy trial that will come eventually. Yeah, there'll be a lot of names drop there too, taking beat.
Uh, good riddance, ain't no joy and Joy Readsville, Joy Reid finally let go by MSNBC. This has been a long time coming, been speculated for a while now. The readout is done on the liberal network. Even Joy Reid is too liberal for MSNBC. She was just she was just one of these people. Was just pouring gas on fires and throwing matches. Man.
And that's not entertaining to a lot of people, you know, it's not that's you know, who cares if you agree or disagree entertain me.
Yeah, and she wasn't. Keith Olberman, saying the network doesn't have a Joy read problem, but rather a Joe Scarborough problem. Until he's fired, MSNBC will never recover. He says, Wow, is this oberman angling for a job here back in the well please, Keith.
I mean he bounces in and out of the business. It seems like on a whim every five or six years.
Yeah. Not good news for the EV industry. New study by Deloitte claiming the only five percent of car buyers in this country want to buy an electric vehicle. Just five percent. Uh yikes. Now a lot more interested than hybrids. But when it comes to evs, yeah, no, not so much. And they just don't learn. Tony Evers, who is the
governor of Wisconsin. Now, Uh, back's a bill in the Wisconsin Statehouse right now which would replace the word mother with the phrase inseminated person really or person inseminated a biological father with natural parent, husband with spouse mailed with person. They all kind of changes. Gone. Come on, really, Wisconsin, now you gotta have a whole new line of Hallmark holiday cards, right because now it's, at least in Wisconsin, it's not gonna be Mother's Day. It's going to be
inseminated person's Day. And somehow that just doesn't sound very loving or something that just doesn't that doesn't work for me. Hey, it's just me. Maybe it's just maybe it's just me.