I'm right, Jesus right he YEA saves America and jer force one nation, good God in your name, and yes 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 to my fellow citizens. America is back and morning to you. It's coming up on sixteen minutes after six o'clock. Welcome into the Wednesday morning edition of Columbia's Morning News for the fifth morning of the month of March. It is good to have you here. I'm Gary David. Good morning to you, Good morning to you. Mister Thompson, Good morning to you. All right, Trump setting a record that Europe of yesterday he might exercise a bit of bread.
He did not. He did not. It was a record for the longest well it was in a State of the Union address, remember it was You've got to can't do that until you've been back in office for a year technically, but it was a session, joint session of Congress. Boy, yeah, setting a record longest speech ever about the up until that point. Bill Clinton held that record hour and forty minutes last night.
And usually you're just stretching for that, you know, last twenty minutes on his speech that long, not last night. If he had done the last two minutes and that was the only part of the speech Americans heard, it would have been classic.
Well, I'll tell you what this speech will remember for a lot of things, most of them not good. Most of them not good. To put this in a nutshell, the resistance. Do we have the out shocking clip handy the resistance from the Democrat party that we saw last night. And there was a number of things to point to, but I want to hone in on this one in particular. When a young man I was he thirteen years old,
twelve or thirteen or thirteen, who has been battling brain cancer? Thirteen, it's thirteen years old, been battling brain cancer now was told at the time when he was first diagnosed he wouldn't live but months. Well, he's lived for many years since. When the President announced that he was being given an honorary position with his Secret Service, imagine this now, a thirteen year old battling brain cancer, a survivor, and the Democrat side of the aisle sat silent on their hands.
That tells you everything you need to know about these people.
They didn't stand in clap for law and order. They didn't stand in clapp well, most of them didn't stand in clap for border security. No, I mean they were not going to give the Most of them didn't greet the Cabinet members when they walked in and out of the chamber.
So this is this is the way you show the American people that you get it, you you get you're you're continuing to pander to the extreme wing of your party. I'm sorry. There are way too many Democrat voters out there who were voting for America, who are voting for their families, who want this country to succeed. Because when the when America succeeds, we all succeed, and that includes
a whole bunch of Democrat voters. You had these people last night proving to the entire world there just a bunch of cry babies, is what they are.
It was. It was awful, it really was, and it diminished you know what Donald Trump was doing up there, which was celebrating, you know, an incredible three weeks of accomplishments and what he hopes to see happen in the days and weeks to come. However, he took the speech into the gutter at times himself, calling the Democrats lunatics, calling out Pocahontas. He went right into the gutter with the rest of them. Well, you know, I mean he does that, he does that.
We know that.
What I was not looking forward to when he took office, well he brought it right back.
How about being in the gutter? Al Green standing up at the beginning of that speech last night, the Texas Democrat Was he talking about medicaid? Was it? What was he?
What was his complaint either medicaid or medicaid.
Refusing refusing to sit down after being told repeatedly by the House Speaker to and then escorted out by the Sergeant of Arms.
Yeah, yeah, no, it was I mean state classy dude. Trump and the Democrats were just going ahead to head. The Democrats had those idiot tattles, yes, turning them around at times with a slogan about musk or faults.
Yeah.
One of the one of the radical loonings said the who was it who had the whiteboard? And she was just doing real time?
That was what's her name from one of the squad Yeah, I don't want to remember her name. Actually tell you the truth. Yeah, yeah, well that's that was probably a mistake to begin with, because now this will pop up all with the internet. People will be taking those little signs they had and changing changing the verbiage on them. Yeah, show them holding up signs to say, who knows what, but this is these are the leaders, These are the leaders of the Democrat Party. This is it, this is
what you got. Wow. All right, well we'll we'll talk a lot about that. John Decker, our guy the White House, will be joining us next hour to discuss so what took place last night. But that's not the only news of the day. We start off this morning again with that chance of some strong storms rolling through here. They are impacting part of the state already now for us here, if you're in the Greater Columbia area, it may hold off until after you get to work this morning. That
may be the good news here. So we're looking for say between maybe the western Midlands County is about eight o'clock this morning, downtown area more around nine, nine to ten, so a couple hours. There will be one really line that comes through that's the most potentially dangerous with the high winds and very heavy rains and a slight, slight chance of tornanic activity, but that's pushing through. So as a result, we've had school districts across the area delay starts.
Fairfield County on a three hour delay. Lexington won they just cancel all their classes today.
They did, but they had a collaborative day plan, so it was a half day anyway.
Okay, so that would makes sense.
There was no point in coming to school late. We're going to have a half day.
Yeah.
So well, Lexington three, I guess has shifted to e learning as well today, So you know a little bit of nastiness coming through when the schools are shutting down. Now, Tom Fernandez, who's the state Senate Republican from Dorchester County, making some accusations on the Senate floor implying there's a quid pro quo, a potential quid pro quow, that is, if he votes against this tort reform bill, is there
money changing hands? He claimed a trial lawyer lobby it offered him his campaign fundraisers somewhere between fifty to one hundred thousand dollars per campaign if he voted against this. Now he's clarified his comments afterwards, but that raised a ruckus.
No, he's changed his comments afterwards, Yes, changed Gary. We could do a whole three hours on Trump and the speech last night, but we could also do a whole three hours on in state politics right now because things were happening yesterday.
Yes, things were happening yesterday, and we'll spend some time on that. The State Supreme Court denying of that stay of execution for Brad Sigmund, who was slated to go to death this Friday, remember his choice of execution, the firing squad. A couple of protests around the state, about one hundred people or so protesting of the State House. Several hundred gathering in Charleston to protest the Trump administration. Yeah,
what's new, It's not even newsworthy. One of the other things happening in the state House we'll be talking about is well I get together yesterday and up for discussion before a House Judiciary committee again, the abortion topic. I thought we dealt with that, but apparently not. Well, Republicans are saying enough is enough. Well, some Republicans are saying enough is enough, and the pro life crowd now is saying, we gave you our votes a couple of years ago.
Don't think you're going to get them again. Yeah, we'll talk about that. Changes of heart and Vladimir's Olensky's had one. He's suddenly changing his tune after the Trump administration paused aid to Ukraine. Now Zelensky wants to get this deal back on and he's apologizing for his behavior at the White House this past Friday.
I wonder if he sent that note to Trump knowing that he would make it into the speech last night.
Probably so, I suspect probably so. Of the tariffs taking effect, Wall Street is not happy with it so far, at least other countries that we have well taking tariffs out against the retaliating against US. You've got one of the leaders of Canada threatening to cut off electricity supply to some of the US, but Commerce Secretary Howard Ludnik signaling a possible agreement between the Trump administration and leaders of Canada and Mexico when it comes to these tariffs. So
we'll get into some of that. And how about this black Rock in the news for a couple of reasons today. Black Rock dropping their DEI goals but also inking a twenty three billion dollar deal for two ports on either side of the Panama Canal. Yeah, how about that taking control back from Chinese held companies. That and more coming up on this the Wednesday edition of Columbia's Morning News. Always good to have you with us.
It's the stuff people are talking about and called them out like a bad evan like you doing right now one on three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC. This is Colombia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one on three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC.
Good morning is Wayne. I listened to you guys out of Columbia.
I would have.
Loved to hear Trump say to them put a challenge to the Democrats for the next four years? Can you love your country.
More than you hate me?
I would have loved to hear him say that last night. Just for the next four years, can you work with me and love your country more than you hate Donald Trump?
Wayne hits it out of the park. Thank you, Wayne, Good morning. It's six forty one. That's Wayne using that talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app. How about you your response to this speech last night that you heard here on WVOC. Beautiful Wayne, can you love your country more? Than you hate me, dude. Wayne. Wow. We'll have to hold onto that and play Wayne back a little bit later on too. For folks who didn't hear that comment. That's perfect, all right. So political headline this morning and
in bolden Trump ditches by partisanship as Democrats revolt. Well what did you what did you expect him to do? I mean, the Democrats set that. They they set the tone for their resistance last night from the very outset.
Yeah, but he had he had a lot of that stuff written into the speech. He had lived very few times he came.
Oh that's true. He did either.
He came for them as much as they came for him.
And he knew. I mean they they already knew, you know, going in last night, what what the reaction was going to be. They knew about the signs and all that. They knew all that. And then Al Green, who probably didn't want to be there in the first place anyway, but thought he just show up so he could make a scene. Maybe you have to get escorted out of a presidential address to a joint session of Congress by the sergeant arm that's pretty embarrassing, man, which Al Green doesn't care.
That will be censored too. I mean, Mike Johnson's made it clear there's more punishment coming.
Yeah, and then like Johnson didn't gi him a chance last night to sit down and shut his trap. He gave him multiple chances, and you knew after the first one that al Green was not going to sit down and shut up. So you know, he's he's escort it out as any other protester would be. It's it's really I mean, okay, now, let's see aside from the fact that we well we learned last night that one of the terrorists responsible for abbigate has has been taken into custody.
That that was something we didn't know was common true. But I mean, aside from that, and I guess some you kind of had heard the news again that that that Zolensky was doing an about face. Now, which you know, if you had, like, you know, twenty four hours or less on your on your on your over an under'clock as to how long it it take for Zelensky to say, okay, yeah, I'm sorry.
Well, when Lindsey Graham leaves your side, you know you're you know, you're sunk.
Yeah, right. But the side we we heard from Trump pretty much what we knew going on, we're going to hear from Trump. What we what we weren't sure was again what the Democrat resistance would look like. And it was, uh, it was a spectacle. Some reaction from you know, some some some folks who political talking heads analysts, poster Frank Luntz saying that the dim strategy of attacking Trump by highlighting fired federal workers it's bound to bail fail. He says that was one of some of the signs you
saw last night in the in the hall. He says, it's not gonna work. He says, because people see through it, they see the politicization of it. He says he saw this for the first time back in the raw days when Democrats tried to pin Republicans for the behavior of corporate America. He says, if if you look like you're doing it for political reasons, the American people will reject you. And everything you saw last night for the Democrats was for political reasons. And that was plain for anybody and
everybody to see. Again, when you can't find one thing to stand up or even to sit down and applaud for, it really does look like you're rooting against America. Well, you're rooting against Donald Trump. We know that, but guess what. As an extension, a majority of American people voted for Donald Trump, not just in the electoral College votes, but
in the popular vote as well. So when you sit there on your butt, when you grimace, when you refuse to even acknowledge an incredible story about a thirteen year old brain cancer survivor, when you don't even you have to even stand up, you get just sat there and applauded nicely. When you can't even bring yourself to do that, you're spinning in the face of a majority of Americans.
Doug shown former Clinton advisor with the biggest winner and the most lamentable losers last night, and he says, well, the losers were the Democrats. He says, and as he starts off, the starkest impact made by Trump's speech was the boldness of his vision and the absolute absence of any alternative from a Democrat party. Using those signs like false and say Medicaid protect veterans, he says, only underscore the absolute limits of my party's ability to articulate differences.
They have become trivial and almost irrelevant. As Doug shown a Democrat, a Democratic advisor to Clinton.
And see, that's that's where I think Trump pincs it out of the park last night if he just you know, lowers his hostility and just simply you know, plays cheerleader with the speech, which he did for much of last night, and then highlights the fact that okay, it's only the Republican side that's cheering this. Well, and at one time he pointed right well, he said, yeah, you guys, you guys are never going to cheer one thing. If I cured cancer tonight, you guys are never gonna cheer, right.
No, And they wouldn't have He could have made that announcement last night, Yeah, and they would not have cheered that. I will tell you, I'm kind of an opposite opinion here. Trump. Trump could have just gone totally nuclear on the Democrat Party last night, and it would have paid a comparison to the reaction and to their behavior.
Well, I mean, he called them radical left lunatics. That's that's pretty nuclear. Well, that's pretty right, isn't it. I mean, calling Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas to her face and in a chamber full of her colleagues, that it's pretty.
Nuclear, pretty nuclear. But again it it pales in comparison. The lasting impression of this is not going to be Donald Trump calling Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas. The lasting impression of this speech last night is going to be the behavior of the Democrat Party. That's what everybody's talking about this morning.
I agree. And yet it was sad to watch our president dive right into the gutter with them. That's that's that's my complaint. Well, he didn't go as deep in the gutter as he has in the past. I'm gonna tell you that we're.
This is not the Trump could be worse. It's not to be unexpected from Trump. Okay, he could have done a lot worse when it came to that. The vast majority of his address last night was about the accomplishments early on in this term, his vision for America and the American people. It was, you know, it was it was a it was a very positive speech.
Which is which is why I you know, think it's less than a home run because of you know, some of hit the things he said, because otherwise it's yeah, it's it's all about America and making America great again.
Yeah, that was the overriding theme last night.
Certainly 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 fourteen minutes after seven o'clock. It's Wednesday, March fifth, and the rain and the storms are on the way already. Election account. I starting to see some rain pop up on the radar, and right behind that is this is this really ugly red line of stuff and that's where the most volatile weather is is with this system. And that's already gone through Edgefield and Greenwood and Lawrens and approaching Chester and moving its way into the central Midlands.
Here we are under a severe thunderstorm warning now Lexington, Richland, Newbery, Saluted Counties and others around the Midlands under that watch Western and Central Midlands counties. You'll be getting that for the Eastern Midlands counties, Sumter County and all a little bit later on. So it would look like for a while that maybe we'd get this morning commute in before
the nastiness arrived. And't look so promising now, So heads up on that tumble weed to be keeping us up to date on the road conditions as we work through this thing together here, So I'll be careful to be safe out there all right. Next half hour, John Decker, our a guy at the White House, is going to join us to again talk more about the Trump's speech last night and the Democrat reaction to it. If you have a thought on that and you want to share it with us, you can always do that as long
as you have the iHeart Radio app. If you don't have that, well it's absolutely free. Go ahead and downloaded in the App Store or Google Play. And once you too, think well, well, the first thing you want to do once you do that is that you'll see at the
time now the updated app. And by the way, if you have an updated your app, to that, because now you have station presets and hundreds and hundreds and hundred of people I got to report yesterday are setting w VOC right there on their precept, So make that your first precept.
It's an easy app to use anyway, but boy, that makes it so easy. Just you know, some one touch and you're on VOC. Yeah, and then you scroll down and you'll see the talkback button. You can leave ash your thoughts like Wayne did last hour. Wayne had a terrific comment and his response to that speech, So he wished Trump would have said, Hey, to the Democrats, can you, for the next four years love your country more than you hate me?
Classic? So if you want to weigh in, feel free and again we'll talk to John Deck about this next next half hour. All right, So over the State House down we brought this up last hour. You're all fired up, man.
Well, not fired up. I'm just saying it's I mean, it would be it would be a huge story for us were it not for the Trump speech last night, because there's a lot going on in in state politics right now.
Yeah, yeah, Well, two things I want to touch on here, and feel free to weigh on anything else, because quite honestly, maybe what y'all don't realize is in the background here. Christopher Thompson knows a whole lot more about what goes on in the State House than I do.
No, no, I yeah, I'm just an observer, same as you. But what we saw yesterday, I mean, if if you think you can throw out a comment in the middle of a pretty heated debate that was getting a lot of attention anyway on social media and from the general public reform. We're talking about tort reform. In this, you know, the lobby of you know, these lawyers, these trial lawyers
versus the lobby of these insurance companies. And then you've got businesses and small bars and restaurants and everybody trying to figure out, you know, a common ground. And in the middle of that this, I guess what he thought was going to be an innocuous comment about, Hey, my vote's been tried to somebody's tried to purchase my vote several times.
So this was Tom Fernandez, State Senator, Republican of Dorchester County. Here's exactly what he said on the floor yesterday. The trial lawyer lobby has offered me, offered me campaign fundraisers in the amount of fifty thousand to one hundred thousand per campaign if I voted against this. Did you know that? It was an exchange with Senator Michael Johnson from York.
The National Weather Service in Columbia has issued a tornado warning for southwestern Fairfield County in Central South Carolina, southeastern Newbury County and central South Carolina, northwestern Lexington County and central South Carolina, northeastern Saluta County in central South Carolina, northwestern Richland County, and central South Carolina until seven forty
five am Eastern Standard time. At seven seventeen am Eastern Standard time, severe thunderstorms capable of producing both tornadoes and extents of straight line wind damage were located near Drare Island State Park, or ten miles north of Kesburg Leesville, moving northeast at fifty miles per hour. The following hazards are expected. Tornado source radar indicated rotation. The following impacts are expected. Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught
without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely. These dangerous storms will be near Drare Island State Park around seven twenty am Eastern Standard time, RMO, Valentine and Jenkinsville around seven thirty am Eastern Standard time. VC Summer Nuclear stationed round seven thirty five am Eastern Standard time.
Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include Little Mountain, Cedar Grove, fire Station, South Shore, Marina, Oswald Park, Bundrick Island, Putnam's Landing, White Rock, Murray, Rocky Point Recreation Area in Ryan. This includes the following highways. Interstate twenty in South Carolina near mile marker sixty and between mile marker sixty three and sixty four Interstate twenty six between mile markers.
You can't even this is not a case Weaver's you know, what's the meaning of and or whatever? This is not parsing words here. Those are two totally contradictory statements when put up against one another. Wow, he didn't insinuate a vote by. He flat out said it was a vote by, and then later on suddenly it was just they're gonna host some fundraisers. I didn't perceive this as any kind of vote bying or whatever. Wow, Well, which is true? That's what I want to know, right, Which is true?
And just again saying that if he said that anywhere, the outcome would be the same. But to say it on the floor of the sending yesterday, the middle of debate, of course, I brought the debate to a rapid close. But now you've got to investigate this now, right, don't you think so?
I would think, if not the Senate themselves, because they've got an oversight committee, don't they that sled would probably get involved.
Yeah, I mean you have to. I mean you, I don't care that. He came back later on, I said, yeah, No, what I meant.
To say was this, Sorry, you can't backpedal on that.
No, huh huh. That's a bridge too far right there. I would think somebody's got to investigate it. And in the meantime, what does this do to the whole tort reform debate exactly?
Because this is this is going to overshadow now what has been a hugely divisive topic.
M h.
And unfortunately, it's hard to know who really feels the way they say they feel versus who they represent or what their profession is, because we've got so many lawyers who are operating in that room, and some of those lawyers represent insurance companies. So it's really difficult to try and figure out, Okay, who's got the best interest of
South Carolinians at heart. And we've seen a huge back and forth, a war of words, and now it's it trickled down to the state House after going on you know X and Facebook for the last couple of weeks.
Now you may be saying, oh, listen, we ain't stupid, we understand that, you know, money is what's in charge over there. We get that, but again we're talking about money, lobby groups, money for not changing hands. Money Okay, not here. You vote for this and I'm going to give you this amount. That's a whole different thing. You know, lobby groups and you know, making donations to campaigns and such.
That's one thing goes on every day. But yeah, no, this this other thing, this basically insinuating, well just saying it money's changing hands here. Wow, okay, yeah, this has got to be investigated. And again, yeah, what does this do to the debate over there? About that? We'll follow it. Seven twenty four. Back out to the roads now, Tumbleweed, keeping an eye on the drive in as things are going to set to get really nasty around here probably shortly.
Looks like ship's there now helping out that stall twenty west in North Main Street to cavan on Tickens traffic tiplying three four three ten fifty five injured go to seet Law sc dot com. Cavanaugh Diickens Client focused and results driven.
This morning is going to be a bit on the bumpy side for sure, as this strong line of storms rolls through the Midlands, dragging all the way towards the east. Expects some destructive winds. The potential is there for tornado low as it may be, and of course some thundershowers in the mix as well. This afternoon bright and sunny for ABC Columbia Channel's twenty five. I'm meteorologist Tyler Ryan.
Okay, now it looks like, let's see here, we were getting set to get a well we've gotten already a tornado warning. Is that is that right, mister toy? Yes?
It is for Lexington, Irmo and Chapin until seven forty five.
Okay, so a twenty minute period of time here we're undering, not again, not a tornado watch, but a tornado warning.
Looks like it's in the Lake Murray area right now.
And we didn't even get a watch on tornado. This went straight from nothing to a warning. So well, we'll keep a close eye on that.
The latest news, traffic and weather is minutes so I but.
As you will learn next, that is what's happening.
From 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's a seven forty one. Now we've told you about the tornado warning that was unaffected to seven forty five. Has it been a second morning It sounds like issued now for Lexington, Richland Counties and Calhoun Counties. It looks like looks like another one issued effective until eight o'clock till eight oh five. Actually that was just an issue of several minutes ago. So we have a couple of
areas of concern. There have been no tornadoes spotted on the ground, but the rotation and the winds, and we've got winds gusting upwards of forty miles an hour in spots around the middles. If you haven't witnessed that yet, you will probably sometime soon. So the first warning we had gotten was set to expire at seven forty five, and that was for a slightly different area. It looks like that it will expire. But there is another one in effect until eight or eight oh five this morning
again Calhoun, Lexendon, Richland Counties. This is a tornado warning. I guess the odd thing is we have we have severe thunderstorm warning. Well we under a tornado watch our. I guess maybe we were.
I don't think so, remember hearing of one National Weather Service just issued a tweet saying a tornado watch is likely to be issued shortly. Several active severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings are in effect. So yeah, I guess the watch hadn't been issued when these warnings popped up.
Well, okay, I'm not sure why you want to order issue a watch now, We've got warnings already. But okay, so we're watching a couple things here, and we knew this system coming through was was going to be volatile, and we are saying that that red line is coming up through a Lexington County now Lexington Hermo Red Bank. So we're keeping a close eye on all that will bring you the latest details as we get them this morning. But again the latest warning Calhoun, Lexington, Richland Counties. Until
eight am this morning, no tornadoes have been spotted. But again the rotations are such with the with the wins that it is certainly possible for us. So keep a good eye out there. All right, let's go up to a DC now, John Decker, our guy the White House, joining us this morning with reaction to the Trump speech last night. John, good morning, good to have you. Kind of a busy day around here.
Sorry about the yeah there, but yeah, it sounds like you're having some weather issues. Good luck with that obviously. Thank you, Jerry, really, thank you absolutely well. Yeah, this is I'm here in d C. I was in the House Chamber last night for the President's address to Congress, and this was his first address to a joint session of Congress in five years since he was last president. And I thought it was a very partisan speech, you know.
I mean, at the end he I think he signed off on a bipartisan note, But generally it really played to the base, and he really spoke about those big issues that he's pursued since being sworn in six weeks ago, the issue of border security, the work of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, spoke about the war in Ukraine, and in addition to that, also doubled down defending the tariffs policy that he's pursuing now that he's president once again.
Well, the whole thing was bipartisan, wasn't it, John? How many?
How many?
This wasn't a by definition of State of the Union address. Okay, but you've seen a lot of these, whether it's a speech of the Joint Session, State of the whatever it's called. You've seen a lot of these.
Yeah, that was my you want to know the number, Gary, If you want to know the number, It was my twenty ninth time inside the House Chamber. So that's more than the president, more than the Vice president, and more than the House Speaker combined. I've been in there for a lot of them. And that goes back to Bill Clinton.
So when you walked down of that chamber last night, you know the speech aside, what what?
What?
What?
What?
What were your thoughts about? I mean, what we saw in the stark divide here in this country, demonstrated by the stark divide inside that chamber last night.
Well, you're right, it is a stark divide. And we saw some members of Congress expressing their displeasure with President Trump. Some at least one had to be escorted out of the House Chamber. Al Green, he's a Democratic congressman who represents the district in the Houston, Texas area, and that's because he was disruptive during the president's speech. I hate to see that, I really do. I think that, you know, if you're going to show up to the speech, you
can skip the speech altogether. And some Democrats did that. But if you're going to show up, you should be respectful of the president, regardless of whether it's a Democratic president who's giving that speech or a Republican president like President Trump giving that speech. Be respectful, you know, and you can express your displeasure after the speech, you know, before the television cameras talked to your home station and say what issues you had with what the president said?
Well, I mean, what should be our take as the American people when we see you know, that sort of behavior like okay, So that was that, and then of course that was the you know again, and wow, the signs were being held up, the failure and the failure to even acknowledge a thirteen year old cancer survivor. Let a lot of people stand.
Yeah, you know, I'm in the House Chamber, and so I have this luxury that you don't have when you're watching it on television. I can focus on any member in the entire House Chamber when the president's saying something. I don't have to rely, in other words, gary on what the television director chooses to show me. And for some of those lines, I do, I do look over to the Democratic side, and I do think to myself, Well, why are you applauding that? I mean, that has nothing
to do with politics here. This is something that you know, both parties, as an American you can just embrace and applaud, and for some reason members just find that difficult to express their support for, you know, as a simple thing as applauding the fact that a little boy has survived cancer. And you can't support that. That that's a head scratcher to me, Gary, to a lot of.
People, you know, to a lot of people, it's I can't I can't explain that one. So, I mean, this is just highlighted again as we talked about the dividing Congress divide in this country. Moving ahead in the House itself, it's it's a you know, it's it's a it's it's tight, man, it's a slight Republican advantage. Do you see any chance of these two sides working together on anything anytime soon?
Well, you never say never, Gary. We saw it in the last Congress. Actually two bills of note. One was the Infrastructure legislation. One was the chip sacked, in which you had bipartisan support, you know, and that's always good to see, especially if it benefits the entire country. So if the president it's an issue that you know, I think that Republicans and Democrats can embrace, and there's legislation written in such a way that can garner Republican and
Democratic support, you will see that. But you know, if the president pursues, you know, just policies that appeal to his base, you're simply going to see party line votes for the most part. And that's what we saw even in the confirmation process, party line votes for each of the President's cabinet picks winning confirmation.
John Decker, who just had a twenty ninth time attending one of these, Right, what was this your thirtieth?
No, that was twenty nine thirty, Gary, had it not been that damn pandemic, pandemic would have been number thirty. So off to wait till next.
Year, right, all right, John, John Decker, a guy in the White House. Thanks so much for your time, but I appreciate it.
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.
Is fifteen minutes after eight o'clock and again the tornado warning we had has expired there. There were never any tournaments actually spotted, nothing active, but the satellite returns and indicated that were those areas you ever seen either red and the green on that map, and you know certain spots they look like at least the potential for rotation. But that's expired now.
But the wind is kicked up. We've had reports, in fact, I've seen reports on social media some straight line winds at the airport. That should really we'll get some neat readings from what are you saying for the National Weather Service later? I mean just they're saying it's really gusting.
Yeah, yeah, I know earlier they were augusting forty fifty miles an hour and probably hired that in some spots.
Which the National Weather Service has an office at the airport, So we'll get a pretty accurate reading there of just how severe it was. Yeah, thunderstorm warning for Lancaster, Elgin and Kershaw until eight forty five.
Yeah, I just saw that Fairfield, Kershaw, Lectend and rachel And severe thunderstorm morning until late thirty. Now, again, it moved through here pretty quick, right about the top of the hour. So if you're if you're east of Columbia. Maybe you haven't got it yet, you will, but that that that line moves too quick. But boy, it packs a punch when it comes through. Yes it does. Yeah. No, No tornadoes were spotted that we know about this particular point in time. Yeah.
I think a lot of people here tornado warning and think, okay, where is it.
Yeah, No, it doesn't mean that.
It doesn't mean it's hit the ground. These are what they call what the radar indicated or what have you. We are remaining under a tornado watch until one o'clock this afternoon, f YI. So it's gonna be one of them days. Then after that it should be you know, decent good. Yeah, so this moves too quickly, all right.
So what We've talked on a number of occasions this morning about Trump's speech last night, the Democrat reaction to it. We may get around to that again in the next half hour, at least another take or two on that. The tariffs another big story, of course. Those tariffs are in effect now twenty on Mexican and Canadian imports, the
tariff on Chinese products doubling to twenty percent. Trump did talk about this last night, sorting the trade deficits we have with both Canada and Mexico and how they've allowed Fitnael to come into our country. And as he said, we talked about this yesterday. He said this specific last night. It may be a little bit of an adjustment period.
It will be well, the market hasn't adjusted yet. Futures are up this morning, Okay, so maybe we'll get a little rebound to day. All right, and we expected that, but he says, you have to bear with me again and this will be even better.
Oh no, that we've heard from from these other countries, you can't we one of the Canadian premieres threatening to cut electricity to millions of Americans. Yeah, we do get some of this from Canada up by that northern tier. Okay. So now here's the threat to cut electricity to some Americans. Trudeau talking tough again. Who it's a war of attrition. It's a ropodope who can last longer on this now.
Howard Ludneck, who's our Commerce secretary, on with a Kutlow on Fox Business yesterday said that Trump will likely look to meet our neighbors somewhere in the middle and all this looking very carefully trying to figure out us. There a way he can come in the middle where he can give both Canada and Mexico something. But they've got to do more recess. They've got to end the Fentannel death. Not going to be a pause, he said, none of that. But I think we'll get it figured out here. I'm
expecting this gets figured out pretty quickly here. In the long run, this doesn't really benefit anybody. Now. This is again. These tariffs are not the same as what's going to take place the first April. Second Trump preferences last night too, and those are the reciprocal tariffs for those countries that are charging us a tariff. Maybe we're not charging them one, or they're charging one in excess of what we're charging them out just to level the playing field. That's a
different thing. This one can be dealt with pretty quickly, and let's hope that it will be.
We need to set anyone who can give it, you know, easters right around the corner. Anyone who can give us eggs to decorate for Easter. We need to settle with them immediately. We need to come to an agreement.
Well, we talked about this last week. Is only one place in the world that we import eggs from it's Turkey, Turkey. I still don't know why that is. But yet we don't import eggs from anywhere other than Turkey. That's it.
Are those the only eggs we trust?
I guess? So what is it about Turkish chickens? Oh? I think things will happen quickly here. Speaking of things happening quickly, Trump also talked about this last night during a speech. A dramatic change of tune from Vladimir Zelensky. It didn't take long once Trump announced we were hitting the pause
button on military aid. It only took a couple of hours, Zelensky putting out a statement, a long statement, posting it to X. In it, he floated prisoner exchanges, halting air operations, naval operations as potential first steps towards peace, also lamenting his meeting in the Oval Office this past Friday. It was just the day before we talked about this yesterday that Zelensky said he believed an in war with Russia was very very far away, and that he expected the
United States of America to continue to support him. But a very different take from Zelensky yesterday. None of us wants an endless war. He wrote, my team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a piece at last. This is a this is a this is a big turnaround. Yeah, it is a short amount of time. Yeah.
We joked about Lindsey Graham earlier this morning. I've seen I think it was a Fox I think it was a Peter Doocey report on Fox News that said that Lindsey Graham was the one who gave Zelensky advice saying, come in a coat and tie. I know you don't usually wear one during the war. Come at a coat and tie and come hat in hand. And Zelensky went off the script.
Yeah, but then as soon as you talk to Chris Murphy and had a couple of Democrats.
But he was getting Yeah, he was getting good advices from Lindsay Graham and just chose to ignore it.
Again, Democrats playing games here, trying to make Trump look bad. That's how despicable is that? Just to try to gain political advantage and try to make Trump look bad, You're willing to blow up a potential peace deal and how many more lives are lost. Let's beyond despicable. So a quick turnabout from Vladimir's Lensky and I'm not surprised. I'm
not surprised at all. I mean, after he came out of the Oval office last Friday, even this past Friday, he was still saying he wanted to sign this deal because he's gone out beyond I just want to sign the deal to Yeah, we're looking for lasting peace. Twenty four hours earlier, we're very, very very far away from from peace. So again, you know, I mean, I know Trump plays the heart. It's like a rare D. Johnson high heater to the head man Trump. He doesn't play games.
He comes right after you, and I know that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. But can you argue with the results. I think we're gonna see the same thing with these tariffs. We're gonna get action pretty dogon quick. I believe we will. I really do.
Give yourself an edge every morning with the info you can count him on Columbia's Morning news'pening on one O three point five FF on five sixty am w VOC. This is Colombia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher Thompson on one O three point five FM and five sixty am w VOC.
This is Frank from Columbia. They the Democrats last night showed that their entire party is currently being driven by nothing more than hatred for one person. They couldn't get to their feet and celebrate a thirteen year old cancer survivor. And they couldn't even get to their feet and show sympathy with parents that have lost their children. And it's disgusting.
Frank. Thank you. Frank wag M this morning via the iHeart radio app and the talkback feature. Thank you, Frank. You're right. I mean we talked about this earlier this morning. You couldn't and I really didn't expect they would do this. But you could not applaud the nineteen year old young woman we talked about this yesterday who was struck in the face by a volleyball by a biological male two years ago after partially paralyzed brain damage. You couldn't applaud.
That didn't think you would because of the sensitivity of a topic. Yeah, you can't applaud. You don't have to stand up. You could just have sat your seat on your button applauded the thirteen year old cancer survivor. That's a stain on the Democrat party. Man don't never forget that, never forget the insensitivity, the lack of empathy and sympathy. There is no excuse mabett Uh, you know idiots like Rachel Maddow. Do you see what she said about that last night?
What did she say that the thirteen year old got used?
Yeah? Trump was using Wow. It mean it really it should be in the It should be in the in the in the medical journals as a true psychological impairment Trump derangement syndrome.
Well, for starters, every president has guests that they used as one and they're essentially props for what the president. The point the president's trying to make in the speech. Sure, they all do it and they know it.
Yeah. I was almost kind of hoping that Today Show could have rewracked their fashion experts from yesterday commenting on the Academy Awards costume and maybe they could have, you know, give us their critique of some of the pink worn by a Democrat congresswoman last night. By the way, the signs you held up, hey, did you forget that the cameras are behind you, not in front of you. So whatever message you were trying to send Trump when you held up your little stupid sign. We actually saw what
was on the back of the sign. Whatever that was all about.
Okay, the respect for the office, the respect for the decorum, it's all gone downhill.
Yeah, it was gone. I get. You know, Republicans will jeer when the Democrat's up there given this speech. They'll jeer, I know. But we have not seen behavior like that. I mean, all told, the total sum of it, ever, not to that extent.
How can you not agree with securing the border, whether you're Democrat or Republican. That strengthens America. It wasn't talking about immigration policy. It was talking about making our country more secure. You can jeer the part where he says, you know, whatever he said about immigration policy itself, but to secure the border, that's controversial.
Did they forget Did those Democrats forget that? You know, the polling data shows that a lot of Democrats are in favor of that too.
I think they've completely forgotten about November period, it.
Seems like it. And if this is your way of showing quote unquote leadership, wow, just keep on, just carry this with you for the next four years, just like that. That'd be fine with me, all right. A couple other quick items here to mention state paper reporting the City of Columbia. Apparently it is no longer he had banning student dorms and portions of downtown. This after a conversation
behind closed doors yesterday. Now council wants to restrict private dorms to a certain side or of a certain size at least I mean downtown and again right across everyone's going. It's been overtaken by these two department complexes, I mean overtaken.
Yeah, but have you seen how big usc is now?
Yeah? So it's quite the sprawl, Quite the sprawl, Dominion energy making it change. You want to go out and enjoy the public beach at Lake Murray when it opens up later on this year, it opens April ninth, next month, you better make a reservation. Yeah, no longer just dropping by and enjoying that public beach out of Lake Murray which gets packed. Yeah, you'll now be required to make a reservation online. How about that?
It's probably not a bad as somebody who lives pretty close to that, that's probably not a bad idea because the traffic, I mean the line of cars that stretches in both directions, but mainly toward the dam that's probably not a bad idea. It's not a bad idea, it's not. But yeah, it sounds this will catch a lot of people by surprise. Yeah, I mean it does sound like it's. Well, didn't the zoo do that during the pandemic where you had to make reservations to.
Go to the zoo? I don't remember.
I think they did. It's one more hurdle.
Speaking of things getting done. As we talk about Trump getting things done, just see this Blackrock. We the two things. Number one, Blackrock dropping their DEI golls. Oh wow, remind me Blackrock? Yes?
What is Blackrock?
The investment company? And very very very very woke, or at least they were.
Okay, that's what I thought.
Okay, Yeah, But this news that Blackrock announcing yesterday the purchase of the ports on either side of the Panama Canal, huh.
Seems strategically smart.
Doesn't it? Though? These are the ones that Trump said we want to take that canal back well, and the the reason being is these ports are being controlled by companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and boom, just like that sale is made. Black Rock is a They purchased other ports too, But this is part of the package on either side of the canal. Those ports now owned by black Rock and no longer by a company
owned by the Chinese Communist Party. How about that? And oh, by the way, this has gotten very little publicity, but O Peck plus the eight member countries apparently are going to go forward with plans to increase oil production. Increase huh. They'll gradually start increasing next month, according to a press release that came out on Monday. That's gotten very little play. Yeah, like I said, if you're Randy Johnson throwing heaters to
the head man people, people start paying attention. They'll start being a little wary, thinking maybe we need to, you know, back up in a box a little bit, not hug the plate quite as much.