This is Gary and Shannon and you're listening to KFI AM six forty, the Gary and Shannon Show on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
We are live in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention. We were speaking earlier about how things went way over schedule last night during the speaking portions of the event.
Gary and Shannon, I hope you're having good and safe fun in Chicago. But let me get this right. None of the organizers have ever been to a convention before. I noticed that the applause goes on for way too long.
Yeah, I do.
Yeah, But I also think it may have been yet another way for them to poke a finger in the eye of b Wasserman Schultz by putting her on the schedule and then yanking her.
Yeah, I think that was scripted.
Well.
One of the things we've had our eye on are the demonstrations and the potential for chaos outside as thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets. We saw some of the action yesterday.
Jim Ryan is on.
This beat for ABC News and joins us.
US now from somewhere in Chicago.
From US somewhere here, Jim, how are you hi?
Yeah?
Outside where The protesters gathered yesterday, thirty five hundred of them according to the police, and they began in a park, Union Park, which is several blocks away from the United Center, that held a big rally there, primarily a pro Palestinian rally, although there were some people who walked into this event with Israeli flags. The police were there that these activists, called peacekeepers, were there to keep everybody separated and keep
it peaceful, and it was peaceful. The group then moved over toward the United Center, thirty five hundred strong. This big march that went on. Then at some point you know that a few of them broke off and broke in. This actually went over the outer perimeter fence or through it or around it, or something got through that fence, and that they were approaching the bill. They couldn't get
close to it. Really. The police came and they were arrested, but not before, according to the police, some of these protesters sprayed the officers with pepper spray. The police say they didn't spray anything, but the protesters did. So it's only thirteen people were taken into custody during this whole thing.
Here.
There was also some action that I saw at least video this morning from farther downtown near some of the hotels where protesters ended up getting.
Tickled with batons.
Perhaps by a couple of Chicago police officers. What's the expectation for the rest of the week. We know that there are other permitted protests, right, yes.
Well there are, and there's one tonight here there's a little more not menacing than maybe ominous. The one that's going to be held in front of the Israeli Consulate here in Chicago. A group that does not have a permit for this event is planning to rally there at about seven o'clock this evening. It has made some interesting comments online. The slogan for this thing is make it great like sixty eight, which you know is a callback to nineteen sixty eight when the DNC here in Chicago
turned very violent. So, you know, I think that's one to watch this evening. We'll see what happens.
What are your plans for Chicago?
I mean, you've been outside, this is how do you How are you going to stay safe?
Well?
I have my weights, you know, we've been issued equipment and security folks who were with us, and so it's just a matter of using what you know and what you can do and the best way to escape the situation when it turns nasty. So we'll see what happens.
Don't mess around with Jim Ryan.
I'll tell you that you got another thing coming.
Thank you all right, I have a great day. Thanks for taking time for us. Talk you guys. Jim Ryan there with ABC News. So there was.
A former Obama senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, a name should be familiar.
We spoke at a Axios.
Event today and gave a kind of a a look at what Barack and Michelle Obama will be talking about. Specifically during their speeches at the DMC tonight. She says they will be calls to action about the need to
translate the excitement for Kamala Harris into votes. Valerie Jarrett, now CEO of the Obama Foundation, longtime friend of the family, says that these two are going to emphasize the need for an all hands on deck approach while also talking about the sense of optimism that course through the party its voters. She noted that former First Lady Michelle Obama knows Vice President Harris very well.
She says that this is going.
To be a message of us getting engaged again, working hard again to get the vote out, about democracy being under attack and under threat, and how it's up to them to be engaged citizens to make sure the country gets back on track.
Well, like you said earlier, Obama, at least the president has quite a speaking style and can hold an arena like this pretty captivated.
So we'll watch that tonight.
Welcome to Chicago for day two of the Democratic and National Convention. The big headliners tonight, of course, we'll be Barack and Michelle Obama. Obama giving the keynote speech tonight, Harris not even going to be here Milwaukee.
More importantly, what are we going to eat tonight? That is a good question, because we've done the pizza.
At least we've done so we should do another pizza place.
Yeah, don't we do another pizza place? Okay, that's good. Okay, you don't have to take don't hit me.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry for striking you.
But I got excited with the idea of another pizza place.
Because we did pizza the first.
Night, and then we had a piece of meat last night that was a beautiful piece of meat. I enjoyed it. It was it was most beautiful.
People said it was the shiniest meats.
It was the most beautiful, delicious meats. And the mac and cheese was good as well.
What was left of it.
And the diabetes I'll enjoy. But yeah, I think we got to get back on that pizza train tonight and the Navarro will act as the host for tonight's Day two activities here at United Center.
The theme for tonight is a bold vision for America's future.
We talked about the Obamas. Governor JB.
Pritzker from Illinois will be one of the speakers for tonight. According to the organizers for last Night, by the way, multiple speeches had to be cut, including speeches from Debbie Wasserman Schultz and cringresswoman gay Grace meng as well as a performance by James Taylor because they ran completely over time. So anyway, we'll pay attention to those tonight. We'll talk more about them tomorrow. But in the meantime, what else is going on?
Time four? What's happening?
I saw this just to keep it political here for a second.
Robert F.
Kennedy Junior's running mate Nicole Shanahan said in an interview today that the campaign is considering dropping its bid for president and joining forces with Donald Trump.
Now.
She was asked in a podcast today, the Impact Theory podcast, about the stories that had been going around about whether they were looking to the Harris campaign for a cabinet position.
Definitely not in talks with Harris.
Definitely never have brought up this idea of an endorsement with Harris.
Definitely has never brought up a cabinet position with Harris.
So now she says, that's all fake news, basically, But she said that the options are looking at. One is staying in obviously, but then suggested that if they did that, they might pull votes away from and end up giving Harris and Walls the presidency vice president six to.
Seven work seven pm.
Yes, she says, or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and explain to the base why they're making that decision. And she said it's not an easy decision. So that's something that is something that they are looking at, at least in the Kennedy camp.
Did you hear about this story about the yacht that overturned a super yacht tragedy. Apparently it was a high powered attorney from New York Christopher Marveo and as jewelry designer wife Nita among.
Six lost at sea.
This was off the coast of Sicily on Monday morning. There were twenty two people aboard this thing, one hundred and eighty four foot luxury British vessel. Fifteen were rescued after it overturned bad weather, perfect storm type stuff. One body was found and there are six people unaccounted for. They say that it overturned sometime after five am near Palermo, where it was ad There were ten crew members, twelve passengers, including British, American and Canadian nationalities.
Wow, there's a price tag on the Boston Celtics. We say that from the Chicago Bulls Arena. Of course, this price tag is somewhere around six billion dollars. They said, someone with extremely deep pockets is going to have to pony up six billion for one of the world's leading sports franchises.
Who's got six.
Billion sitting in the probably between the couch cushions.
Right now, Jeff Bezos.
And they're talking about Jeff Bezos, legitimate buzz about him buying the Boston Celtics. According to Bill Simmons of The Ringer Tim kain Man. That guy was pretty boring, wasn't he Does anybody walk around and just go, hey, senator, you might want to brush your hair real quick something.
He had a gaggle of reporters around him earlier, and I'm like, who's dying to talk to Tim Kaine?
I mean, he was the vice presidential nominee.
I know.
That.
And a dollar will get you a bag of chips.
So I mentioned Scott Peterson talking to Gloria Allread this morning. The reason I did is because there's a couple documentaries out. One is American Murder on Netflix that goes through the whole thing, and one is a Peacock documentary called Face to Face with Scott Peterson, and this is the first time that he has spoken out about this since his two thousand and three arrest, maintaining his long held belief. In this documentary, he goes on to say that a
group of burglars are responsible for his wife's death. This is what he told the interviewer over a video call from jail. He said, there was a burglary across the street from our home. There was a lot of people involved, and I believe Lacey went over there to see what was going on, and that's what she was taken.
Why would she go over there to see someone burgling a house.
Yeah, I'm eight months pregnant. I'm going to go put.
My life in jeopardy to see who's breaking into my neighbor's house.
Now, well, maybe not as important, but the US Secretary of State has visited fellow mediators Egypt and caught her as he is trying to press ahead with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease fire deal in Gaza. Hamas and Israel have signaled that there are still some challenges that remain the group. Hamas called the latest proposal presented to it a reversal of what had been agreed to, and accused the United States in a statement of acquiescing
to new conditions from Israel. Of course, Anthony Blincoln didn't say so. I didn't say as much or say anything about this just yet.
Our table has.
Been confirmed at lou mal Natti's excellent. I think I've been there before for football and it's a lot of pizza.
It's very deep, it's very big.
It might be the biggest deep dish pizza you've ever seen.
Is it the shiniest it's the shiniest.
It is one of those places that people told us we had to go.
You are better looking than the pizza.
That was a lie. The pizza is better looking than you, much better looking.
I see what you're doing, and I don't appreciate it.
In Chicago, just down the street, there's a new pangolin pup that was born at the Brookfield Zoo.
What's a pangolin?
Pangolin was one of those animals that they originally thought might have prompted COVID. Really, yeah, because I guess a panglin you could eat it. And they were making pangolin stew with that angle in at that wet market.
How do I? How do I spell that?
The peg?
Yeah?
Olin?
There it is. Just look at how cute that little shit. It's like an ard vark.
But with the scales, We're going to go from pangolin to one of the longer serving members of Congress and we come back.
Pangolins are the only mammals that have scales. They're made of keratin, the same material that makes up skin and.
Fingernails or hair and fingernails.
The scales make up about twenty percent of their body weight and it's their main defense mechanism. When threatened, pangolins coral into a ball and become immobile. They're known as scaly ant eaters because they eat ants, termites, and other small insects. They use their long snouts and tongues to reach into holes and nests to catch their prey. Oh my goodness, some panglins have tongues that could be up to sixteen inches long.
Did you know that.
I'm just going to turn that down. I can't hear you anymore.
To seventy million insects live today in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention.
We're talking with Congressman Emmanuel Kleaver out of Kansas City, Missouri. And I got to say right off the bat, I know we're in Chicago and pizza is what you have here, But the pizza out of the back of Kelly's Westport in is where it's at late at night.
That is absolutely correct. Yes, if you want to eat something that will also serve as your breakfast, go to Kelly's around eleven thirty twelve o'clock.
Yes.
Yes, Early last month, early in July, you were concerned. You expressed concern about President Biden's debate performance. There was also some concern on your part of coming into Chicago for the convention. We didn't want an open convention, is what you had said.
That's right.
How we're six weeks later. A lot has changed in those six weeks. How are you feeling today in terms of comfort with the way we the way the party is handling things at this convention.
Well, I have never seen as my fourth I've never seen a transformation like I have seen in this election. You know, I did think that President Biden performed very poorly, and I said it openly, and I was one of the ones. I was among the first ten members of Countess that the can out supporting him in the last election. So I'm faithful to him. But I'm also a realist, and I think that we are now experiencing something that is rare and new. Enthusiasm is the mother's milk of
successful politics, and this enthusiasm is just unbelievable. Last night was the most emotional political event I've ever been in in my life. I don't know if I could take another night with President Biden's Daughter's coming out talking about her dead. I have one daughter, and I'm sitting a big grown man trying to keep from crying. I mean, it was powerful.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house. I mean even Kamala. I mean, I think that was a really rare, genuine moment that you get to see between the two of them in terms of what that relationship actually is.
Yes, And the thing about Joe Biden is that he is real. I mean, what you see is what you get. And I served with Timmy with Tim Waltz for twelve years in the house him quite well, and in some ways he's the opposite. I mean, he's just there. I mean, he is the political culture's every man. I mean, you know, we can sit up and I argue about football, and of course he loses, you know, because it is not I tried to take that into consideration. But he is. I mean, if you don't like Tim Walls, he's just
something wrong with you. I mean, because you may not want to vote for him. But this guy is just as real as anybody I've ever seen in politics. And as I said, I've worked with him in Congress.
Well, we in California we know of Kamala Harris obviously because she was our attorney general for a long time.
She has a history there.
In terms of her work in San Francisco as a DA as well.
What do we need to know about Tim Walls?
I mean, if, like you said, not a lot of people know him, but you have worked him for, like you said, twelve years in Congress, what do we need to know about him in terms of making decisions about whether we want him to be vice president.
He can be a very serious person, and he is coming out of an environment he understands. I mean, you know, a small town, you know, trying to hustle to make it in life, and then working on a job. He wasn't making much money teaching school and coaching. You know, they give you an extra thousand dollars if you coach and still teach it. I mean, you know. And so he understands, you know, the average American and the person who's not even average in terms of income. And I
think you can expect him to also be jovial. I mean he you know, I think he could. He could look at these balls and find something funny about it. And he's just a kind of guy that you want to sit down and have a b with. I don't drink beer, but if I did, it would.
To your point there, Congressman.
It seems like we are in this new era of wanting politicians that speak like humans, plane speakers, people that don't talk above our heads. Not no condescension anymore.
Uh, yes, we are there. I think people in this country comes to the conclusion that, uh, you know, if we went to we can go to college and take a class in philosophy or theology. You know, we want somebody who can be pepeology where where they just come out and and be who they.
Are it is.
And then because we can relate right Uh when when when I was first married, our water was turned off and my wife and I walked in the kitchen and she turned the faucet on and no water came out. We just it was one of the most memorable moments of our of our marriage. I mean, you know we I think we had the money, we just didn't pay it because we didn't have any other money if we had paid it. But I think that people can relate to that, and uh uh, and that's what they want
in that political leaders. They don't want somebody you know, preaching down to them and who is and people who are arrogant you know. Uh, look, I'm right and you're wrong, and I'm intelligence. You're stupid that runs people away. I think we bring in more and more people when we get people like Waltz, who is just an everyday person. Uh, nothing fancy about him. What you see is what you get. We invited him to Kansas City about five weeks ago
to speak to a group. Uh Russ Carnahan, who used to be in Congress as the chair of our state party, invited them in. So we have all these people out in this uh auditorium in the Country Club Plaza, which is like a significant part of our city. And Tim uh and Uh Governor Waltz comes in uh with jeans on I mean, uh, I got a photograph in my pocket.
Uh.
He comes in with jeans and I tell people all the time that that's him. You know, he got to come in a three piece suit. I mean, kenwo jeans.
I love the familiarity that you keep trying to refer to him as Governor Walls as opposed to Timmy. Everybody's catching that we're talking with Emmanuel Cleaver, the congressman from the fight in fifth District than the Kansas City area.
And in the spirit of unity, I would just like to say, I am reaching across the aisle as a forty nine.
Ers fan talking to a Chiefs fan.
It's completely diplomatic and polite.
No bad blood was being polite so far?
Well, Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi. It can be cutting and very nice and sweet and doing it. We had a bed and Unle Sam Francis goes non for its candy, and she had a bet was barbecue against the candy, and she gave it to me and she said, enjoy it while you can.
You know, just me That makes me like her far.
Well, we've talked about the enthusiasm right that exists around the Democratic.
Party and this ticket specifically.
There will be a point where policy is going to become a gigantic issue. Well, I'm hoping as a voter, I'm hoping that the debates are the kind of place where that policy discussion actually takes place.
But Vice President Harris hasn't had to do much of that as of yet.
After this week, I mean, this week is probably not the right time for policy because it's more of a party party. When will she do that? When do you think we can expect to see some of those real hard down to the needy, gritty types of policy discussions from her.
I think in about two weeks, she's going to submit herself to press conferences. She's going to go on the talk shows. She's going to answer all of the questions. Look, she's forming her own policies and at the same time walking between the rain drops. I mean, she's not going to want her to stop at her boss and partner for the last almost four years. So I mean it's a delicate kind of an experience. But she is going to present policies that I think can relate to the
American public. She's getting criticism about her comments about, you know, trying to crack down on people who exploit the country in some bad times. I mean, price gouging is a big deal to the economists and to the political class. You know, we want to debate this and that, you know, whether it's going to bring down the economy and all of that. The average American is angry when they know that they're being gouged. And so she's going to have to go in deeper. She just can't say I'm I'm
going to stop price gouging. She's going to go beneath the top layer, and I think she can.
Congressman Kleaver, thank you so much for your time today. Was a pleasure to meet you. A lot more activity today here in Chicago for the d NC, a lot more politicians making the rounds, a lot more pretty people walking around television type.
And you know, not so not so pretty people. But who's to judge? There is a lot that's going on.
That guy is a mirror for Maybe I thought he was taller.
Well, no, we interviewed him eight years ago.
I thought he was. Did I have the same impression that I thought he was taller?
We were sitting down before, and also we weren't on an elevated stage before.
You may be you may look at everybody and think they're shorter.
He looks much shorter than I thought that he was. You know, it was really tall, was Lester Holt?
Lester Holt was very tall? Yeah.
Bill Deblasio was walking through here a little bit earlier.
He was very tall, Yeah, demure.
Maybe Booker was walking around the center from New Jersey. Corey Booker was walking around with a they entourage. I think that was the biggest by far that we that we've seen. And he doesn't need it.
He's built. He's a built man.
He's the guy who will push you out of the way if he had to. So tonight, of course, is going to be night two of the Democratic National Convention. They are looking to shorten the program because last night went way late. We saw President Biden speaking well into the eleven thirty.
Hour if you were on the East coast, and.
I actually was waiting in my room last night looking out the window because the hotel that he and Jill stayed in two blocks away, two blocks all from me. Yeah, and the night before or I guess it would have been earlier in the afternoon when they flew in.
There was a massive convoy.
There's been just ubiquitous sirens throughout the city where the part that we're staying in. The protesters did get pretty close within I think six blocks.
Right, Yes, yeah, they were outside the Langham or something like that. Whatever.
I think that they if they're going to make any noise, they should do it closer to our hotel tonight so we can see what's going on without actually having to move.
You just want to stand in your room looking out the window down to.
The street a reservation for a deep dish pizza place.
Trust me, you're not gonna want to move.
So a couple notable absences actually tonight include Vice President Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walls. They won't even be around tonight. They're going to hold a rally at about eight o'clock tonight Chicago time.
Is that kind of.
Weird VI for your party?
You know?
I mean I know that it's not always here the whole time, but it's like the Obamas are coming to town, you know, and you skip out.
I don't know.
I would imagine you'll see both Governor Walls and Vice President Harris represented via video.
Oh like that.
They'll do something like that to to I don't want people to think that they're gone, all right, but yeah, they will be gone. They'll be in Milwaukee at five Serve Arena, which is where, of course, the Republicans held their convention last month, and too much I mean much of a party atmosphere as you could have just a couple of days after.
Somebody had tried to kill your candidate.
Maybe the crowd size today, it's a big crowd. It's one of the biggest. Maybe that's because the Obamas are going to be here. They still they've got a lot of star power going on.
Well, and the event itself.
I mean we're talking about the speeches don't even start until five o'clock, so they got a late start yesterday. I don't think that's going to happen again today, but yeah, that star power is probably what's going to bring people in. We were talking at the California delegate breakfast this morning with some people who said last night was a very late night because if you imagine they left the arena,
they're basically all in buses or ride share vehicles. It takes me to get out of this arena at the end of the night. And if they were here until ten thirty last night, they were partying, and so we we earles at we earliest wee hours of the morning.
That's why I always leave with a couple of minutes left in the fourth quarter.
That sounds like fun. You're fun at parties.
Well, I mean, if the game is done, put it in refrigerator, you know what I.
Mean, put it in the refrigerator.
Well, the John Kobel Show is coming up next. We'll be back tomorrow for Day three of the Democratic National Convention and whatever sort of adventures we have over the next several hours.
We're gonna put this show in the refrigerator.
That's a good idea. Gary and Shannon, we'll see you tomorrow. Stay dry.
Everybody you've been listening to The Gary and Shannon Show, you can always hear us live on KFI AM six forty nine am to one pm every Monday through Friday, and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.