Coming up on the show. We ended up with two interviews today, and you know how much I hate you doing two interviews, but we're gonna do it just the way that it worked out. But I think we're gonna get some good info out of it. And I had to do less prep yesterday, so you know, good stuff.
One is a state insurance commissioner, Mike Cosey. Oh, oh, we're gonna talk about insurance kind of, We're gonna talk about a little, you know, a few things going on as the General Assembly is trying to put everything together up there, causey had I don't know. I guess his office has some concerns about some stuff, and especially if you're on the no offense, if you're on the older end of our audience, you it may be impactful to you.
So and I'm just like, then, he tried to explain it to me, and he does a good job of that in the past when I spoke to him, because it's very easy to walk out doing that. And I'm just like, Okay, well, why why why don't you explain it to everybody?
Yeah?
Yeah, No, that's that's my level of lazy right there. So but basically it is it's having to do with ship funding. So if you don't know what that is, that is it's for Medicare beneficiaries.
But it's like.
There's a there's a lot of big changes coming, which I think fundamentally are good, but we have to talk about, uh if all of them are good. So we will go ahead and we will get into that with Mike Casey and then uh Congress and Murphy. Greg Murphy's is going to join us. So Kazy will be at seven o five and then Murphy will be at seven thirty five. It was going to be at eight oh five, but apparently there was some emergency up in DC and so
they had to move it. They didn't say they didn't say why they had move it, just that they had to move it. Huh, asking Ross because Ross, Yeah, okay, all right, well I don't know. No, I'm just here's here's why. I'm like, maybe they're gonna do something in DC. Right, So I'm trying to be hopeful on this news, like maybe they're going to actually take one of the three thousand things Trump's done and enshrine it actually into law. Wouldn't that be amazing? That'd be awesome. So I look,
I hope that's what it is. What do they call the one thing, the Big Beautiful Bill, the Big by the way, if you're a fact guy named Bill, this is your news week, right, be like yeah, no, no, they're talking about me.
So uh.
Anyway, so we'll get into that, we'll get into africaners, we'll get into the pope is black? Ross. Did you know the pope was black? You do, now, don't you?
Yeah?
I mean, yeah, that's some audio there, it's maybe that's something it is.
It's a minute of something right there of oar. So yeah, I saw people starting in on this I and now and I'm like, all right, is he non binary too? I mean, what what else are you gonna do? You know where this reminds me of Do you remember when Barack Obama went to Ireland that insane news cycle where they're like, well, actually he's Irish, right And people are like, yeah, it's got an O in front of his name, and
I'm like, that's not how that works. I'm not I'm not saying that he doesn't have obviously family, traceable family. The thing that always creeps me about the presidents is
they are always like six cousins to each other. Some some guys, some genealogical based news reporter will be like, did you know so and so is is actually uh, you know, six cousin three times removed from you know, And then if it's if it's a politician, they like they're like Abraham Lincoln, and if it's not, they're like Adolf Hitler.
Ah.
Those are always fun, although they kind of stopped doing those with Trump because of the slavery thing. That story. Remember when that story came out and everyone just kind of lost their mind, even though it makes super logical sense. So do you know that there's only one president of the United States who's ever served whose family whose relatives didn't in some way, shape or form participate in slavery in the New World, And that's Donald Trump. Yeah.
They couldn't stand it. They're like, well, actually Obama's family owned slaves. Don't don't even get started on Joe Biden.
His family, not Kamala, right, she would have been the other one. No, they also did actually actually a big plantation in Jamaica. Yeah, wow, of the biggest ones. Nah, they're big time into the slaves. Not good, Yeah, no, oh man, that's but for some reason, that's not covered, you know, like that's Jamaica. Man, is Jamaica part of the US? No, come on, that's it. They clearly give Trump that pass as well. I'm sure no, but it makes sense. They're like, no, he's literally his his, he's
like third with third generation or something. So yeah, that actually that makes sense. They were here and then they were in Germany, which wasn't really you know, not to say that they you know, outside of that, they could, but they couldn't stand that stat So now we're gonna do it with the pope, and uh, of course the view is here to help us do that. So very excited to learn all about that. And speaking of immigration, the amount of well, let me just play a piece
of audio. So if you don't know, fifty nine, he keeps seeing sixty thrown around, but it's fifty nine. I don't know that matters. Africanners who have spent two months being vetted, by the way, so everybody knows who everybody is, right, and many of them have already secured employment in the US. Now, I understand people got all sorts of thoughts. So a lot of people don't care if you're where you're from. They don't care. They don't care if you're from Canada
and you want to move down here. You know, I'm just trying to think of the most closely associated. You know, they don't even like it if rich immigrants move in. I understand that that's a mindset here, I don't fully understand that. I think most people are just like, how about an orderly process. How about people that aren't going to be on the financial doal when they get here. How about where opportunities present to do things like this
gold card that Trump's doing. Keep it in mind that the people who can afford something like that are also people who are going to make large scale investments in property probably staff right, if you're rolling at that level in the United States. And oh, by the way, we'll also pay taxes in the United States like those are. I think that's where most people are kind of in
that middle ground. And by the way, they don't even necessarily have a problem with people from that quote unquote don't look like them or any of the rest of that if they feel that an orderly process, one that is bore with information and necessity. And again, everybody knowing who everybody is, doesn't necessarily have a problem with that.
We're cool with that, but trying to compare fifty nine Bore, you know, descendants coming from South Africa, many of which I believe one of the thing was they wanted family units, and they wanted people who have already been impact impacted by either violent events or having essentially their livelihood taken from them. And I want you to really understand what's
going on over in South Africa. I understand apartheid and all of this, and it's got a crazy history, but acting live and I saw somebody breaking this down, acting like the Bore are not native to South Africa in the sense of the formalization of the country is really disingenuous. You know, the quote unquote bore the white portion of what's settled it and by the way, it's not always white. I would just point this out too, there's some North
African stuff in there. They settled what is South Africa in that area, and specifically they're around Cape Horn in
like sixteen twenty. So you know, it's the same dumb argument. Essentially, it has the same pathway that the United States did, that Australia did, that Canada did, where you had people who are quote white you know, explorers or immigrants or any of the rest who came to an area where yes, you absolutely had people, you know, South Africa and those areas down there had multiple tribes there who had their
own territories and it turned into a conquered situation. The difference is South Africa decided to basically reverse all of that. But to act like the boar are just people who showed up, you know, five minutes ago is not accurate. So and you see what's going on over there, and so you have fifty nine of I don't know if you saw any of the video, by the way, do you see them all walking and waving American flags? That was a nice touch because and it's not that they
have to wave the American flag. It's this thing that has the chick over on MSNBC absolutely apoplectic.
So the Trump administration, they're saying that essentially these white South Africans assimilate better and they're also not as as much of a security risk. That's really causing a lot of people to be appalled. Frankly, and I also tell people that there's violence that they're talking about that are dealing with these Afrikaners I've been hearing from people that say there is violence in South Africa, but it's affecting everybody of every single race.
Katie, all right, yeah, let me go back to this first part of this thing you said.
So the Trump administration, they're saying that essentially, these white South Africans assimilate better and they're also not as as much of a security risk.
How is that wrong? Do you know why they're probably going to assimilate better? Ross, Do you think you can pick a touch one thing that maybe will help them assimilate better into US society? Being front and it is not about the fact that they're white even what what do what trait do you think they might have that would be helpful in assimilating. Uh, they speak English. Yeah,
that's pretty helpful, that's what you're looking for. But no, that's no, that's that's that is if when you talked about assimilation, the ability to communicate, that's gonna be It's your strongest tool in the bag, right there, Man, that's your strongest tool in the bag. For any of you who have traveled or if English is your second language, right you understand being surrounded by a bunch of people you can't communicate with and yeah, we got to google
you Google Translate and all this stuff. But your day to day is hampered and hindered by that. That's why. And I know that this. I would tell anyone who moves to the US learn the language. Well, it's not the official it's all games. You're playing games. Do you want to as quickly as possible be able to communicate form bonds and friendships that are part of society and help you assimilate. May help you get a job down
the road, help your kids. Yes, and if if you move somewhere else, learn the language so that you can communicate with people.
It's just constantly mind numbing and mind blowing. It's like you know, you're leaving a place that you don't want to be, right, there's a reason you're coming here, and then when you come here, you're choosing not to assimilate and make your life more difficult.
It makes no sense. Well, we're materializing in separate community centers. Is what happens. When you have the scale that we have, it's a lot harder to go. I'm not going to learn English if there's five people around that you know who speak whatever your language is. It's a hell of a lot harder if nineteen twenty million other people primarily speak the language, and then who tend to block and live together. Like every community listening right now has a part of town that's known as a not in a
derogatory way. Necessarily, it's because we tend to coalesce around people that look like us and are like us. So you guys go north to the radio station and Raleigh here and where that Walmart is, and where all those shops where you got all the international food. There's like
three Hispanic grocery stores. There's a lot more traditional Latin American country food places where you're gonna get the tripe, you're gonna get the menudo, you're gonna get all the stuff that most people don't go to your chain Mexican restaurant to get. There are financial institutions that cater to people who are who have family back in other parts of the world for the purpose of sending money. It documents all kinds of stuff, and so people coalesce around
with that. It's a hell of a lot harder to do that if there's not twenty million to choose from in a country this size, So it hampers that ability, but learn the language, and the second thing is less of a security risk. I believe they're saying that because they spent two months vetting them rather than them walking in, handing them some sort of court date they're never going to show up, and then relocating them on our dime to the internal part of the US and putting them up in hotels and stuff.
I mean, and there does seem to be over there is specific race of people that are being hunted down because of their race, and they're laying stolen and taken away.
They're just songs about me.
There's a word for that some people, and it's very popular among the younger kids now when it comes to a certain part.
Of the most dangerous game, that.
Would be genocide, right, they like using that word now. Yeah, and some would say yeah, so someone say that's sort of what what that is.
Yeah, Well, I think the problem is is they'll push back and go, well, they're not really putting up real numbers yet, And I'm like, so, I have a thought, maybe if we think something is headed a little genocide, we don't wait for them to put up real numbers like Aba andle. They're putting up real numbers no, no, no, no.
I mean I think that's the main complaint that a lot of people have that still have some brain cells left, where it's like, if you're here, you're coming here for a reason, you should want to assimilate. Now, listen, you can be proud of where you came from. We have
sat Patrick's, We love that in this country. That's fine, right, but you are now an American, which means you should be appre Not only is the people that come over here and then refuse to learn the language or assimilate, but then they complain about the country, like where did you just come from? Why did you come here? Shut up, assimilate, appreciate what you have because it's pretty damn awesome here.
Yeah.
Do we play the audio of the guy who's upset because they want eating. They you can't put up in closed beach enclosures because you know, people put up big tents. And they were really upset because when their Muslim wives come onto the beach, they can't be seen to be eating and then they have to leave. And so they want to be able to put up like eating tents so the women can't because no men can watch the women eat or something and I'm like, is you want
to ruin everybody's beach for that? But I can't have one, so I don't. My Irish skin doesn't burst into flames the moment the sun hits it. What are we doing here? This is a no brainer. Fifty nine people who already speak English, many of a secured employment, who did a two month vetting process. All you're doing is highlighting what's
going on in South Africa. Congrats. We'll be back from phone number eight eight eight nine three four seven eight seven four if you want to opine on any of the stuff we're chatting about, which I will include a lot of fun audio to interviews and even a lightsaber attack. So, although not really, I feel like you should not be able to use the language and a headline Nebraska and jailed for lightsaber attacks if we're not using an actual lightsaber, because if not, it's just it's a kid's.
Toy at that point, Rightly, if somebody is arrested for that, yeah, you know, an actual lightsaber attack, I would hope somebody from like the Department of Defense or somebody would quickly get that person in a cell or somebody and figure out where you got that technology. For wow, really yeah, immediately what if they're.
Just an inventor and now they're all cheesed because they invented a lightsaber and you threw them in, going well, congrats, now you work for the government. Okay, so we'll put them in New Mexico or whatever they're and good fire, no like that, what's just the like uh data and yeah Brett Brett Spinder, Yeah, yeah, Brett Speiner and they
just keep under area fifty one there. Yeah to rask a man behind bars after a pair of felony charges for allegedly striking a female neighbor and the woman's seven year old daughter with a Star Wars lightsaber, except they didn't if it was a Star Wars lightsaber right uh ross, after you're seeing that scene that you sent me in and or with the lightsaber like spinny wheel things on the ship, which we're our nerd correspondence says they're not lightsabers,
like yeah, whatever, he's in denial. Tell me somebody's rocking those things. Man, you should get some for your for your rail dude, that'd be great, and then you can cut toll boost down when they start tolling Capitol Boulevard up by your house. So would that even affect.
You, by the way the proposal, it would not, because I never i've down Capitol Boulevard. I avoid it like the plague. However it might affect my commune. Well, it's not gonna affect my commute because my commute at three thirty in the morning, and then after the show, I'm going the opposite way, so it'll be fine. But I always go like the long way down like falls of news in Atlantic and stuff.
So with the with the new falls of news.
Yeah yeah, so I imagine like people might actually stop going to Capitol and start going my way instead, so it might be more congested, but once again, it's three thirty in the morning, so I'll be fine.
Yeah.
No.
That's the one thing about doing the morning radio, all the traffic reports. In your mind, you're always like, what what traffic? I've never seen no traffic, what are you talking about? But uh yeah, man, they want to toll it now they're talking about tolling. And by the way, it would be five forty north up to what was it ninety five, just kind of your guys's main cut off up there in the wake forest, the cartel capital
of North Carolina. How do you like that one? By the way, since you guys had a cartel kidnapping there, technically you you were there where they held them the kidnapping occurred. But I gotta think of something, so we'll go with that. So basically it's that which is an awful road to try to drive during rush hour. I get it. I've made the mistake over the years of being like I'm gonna head I gotta head up to Wake Forest and it's five o'clock. What's the worst that
could happen? And then just trying to go up Capital Boulevard and it's just like, oh man, oh this sucks. I don't know.
I've always like, for some reason, like I don't like five forty. It gives me bad vibes. There's no explanation. It's completely irrational. But Marky will tell you like every time we have to get on five forty to go somewhere, like I hate this road.
Okay, that's something. That's the thing. How do you go to how if you were going over to Durham, Well, I guess you'd go up to ninety eight and go Why would I go to Durham?
Why would I?
Why would I leave, I go to Wake Forest and the work. That's where I go. Let's just say that there's free lightsabers, they're real, and have to drive to Durham to get one. Okay, I will go down the long like ninety eight to Durham from Wake. Yeah, okay, that would make more sense. I but like, you know, five forty if you got to go to the beach, would be unavoidable, right.
Uh no, Well, I mean then you could drive down Capitol all the way to right here in Highwoods and take you know, four Ford, the belt line whatever.
I mean, you could. But that's what we that's what that's what we tend to do. I got you, all right, So yeah, you're right, there's no reason try five forty.
And I'm not saying there isn't a reason. I'm saying I don't like it. I don't know what if you had to go.
To Briar Creek, I guess then then yeah, So I don't know. There's some roads you just avoid. I'll tell you. I'll tell you. Yeah, the road that is very useful whenever I'm over in Greensboro, But every time I get on it, I want to like, I want to pit maneuver. Everybody is wind over during rush hour, which is kind of I don't know if you're familiar with it ross very much, but it's kind of a highway, but it's kind of not a highway. It's like a road basically.
And but if you get over by like we're Greenbrier or not Greenbrier, h Green Valley Grill and and the hotel over there, and or if you're coming you know, to go further, like take it over towards high Point or whatever. It can be rather contentious and not much fun. But there's not really a great way to avoid it. Five forty right, there's a lot of work work around there.
But now if they put Capital Boulevard northward, yeah, it's just weird, man, But that is something they're talking about, you know what it is.
I think I had like a flat once in five forty and ever since then, I'm like, it's just bad like association.
It's like bad vibes. You had a British apartment on five forty. It's irrational, no idea, why okay, no, man, you just it's like, uh, you know, it's like a dog got hit by somebody one time and now they can now around them.
I mean, I don't know if you know this, but I'm a real superstitious person. No, yeah, come on, what so yeah, I mean it's just how I am.
Like, Yeah, I'm not going on that road. It's bad, it's bad news. But you have a doll that has a demon in it now and it doesn't have a deem and it brings me joy, And don't you steal that from me. I don't know why.
That's like your thing where like if somebody has joy, you're like, I need to take it away.
Because I heard it. I think you see you have no joy in your life. I heard it. I heard I saw the video you posted of the doll. Because it's how old what you know, probably what thirty years old or something? I mean yeah, probably a little bit younger than us. Yeah, and you pull the pull string and it works still kind of kind of sort of maybe do we have any do we have any of that audio? Nope? Okay, well you posted if you if you go to Ross's twitter or can you post it
a video of it. I'm just saying it. It it the It sounds less earnest and uh more uh Annabelle at the moment, but that's but the fact that it works and it's that old is actually quite impressive. Is there a visible battery day?
It looks really good too. And I think there's something wrong with the with the lips on it. I think the lips were originally like red, but it's so old now that like they've they've come off. So because the lip, the lips sort of look like whiter than the rest of the face on the earnest doll, like or maybe he has some sort of disease. I don't know, I don't know.
Maybe so, Uh, there is a possibility I was just talking to say, there's a possibility that, uh, at the end of the year and we take all the time off, then I might go to Vegas or something for like bowl stuff. This is literally early discussion. I you got to take that thing to Rick bro Come on, man, that'll do on that. That's one of my favorite things right now.
Yeah.
No, I'm not saying actually sell it, but get it all or take it to antique road.
I can't explain to you. And Marky sent me the picture of it immediately. The thing brings me so much joy. I'm like, this thing is one of the greatest.
I think it's awesome. Dude, I think it's awesome. I just think I think it'd be really funny if you should forget Rick's pond. Like if they did the antique road show with the stodgy British people and you showed up with that thing, right, some ladies got a ming vase in front of you. Another guy's waiting with a faberge.
A A you're I'm just gonna push him aside, take the egg, throw it on the ground because it's garbage, and show my rest doll and.
Then put it in front of the British professor. Do they're like, ah, check this thing out. Why are the lights all flashing? It's because it's a it's a d rude party. You didn't know that today it's it's a it's a big techno party. All the lights are flashing. I mean that's do you not do? Do you not wanna? You not want to hear sandstorm? Come on?
And I would prefer all the power to stay on. Yes, stay you know it.
Is my my ernest dollar knows you're messing with it, and it's this is what you get. Isn't that weird? Huh? Isn't that weird that the thing that happens in all the movies when the demon's presence becomes known, just well, now it happens to happen. It's okay because it's on my side. Yes, okay, all right, but if I was you, i'd be I'd be concerned. Well and all so I put a big salt circle around ross there, so and the dolls everything will be fine. Did you get all
these chicken talents? It's uh, well, I mean, we have a lot of chicken production in North Carolina. It's gonna be lots of different places. Five hundred chicken talents. I got them from South Africa where they just had to close their largest chicken manufacturer. Did you did you hear
about that? This is an actual story because the chicken farm which was seized by the government had three hundred and fifty thousand chickens on it and they forgot to feed them, so they had all turned cannibal as you know, as animals who eat whatever will do. So they then had to euthanize. I think there was a million chickens. Most of them ended up dying, and the three hundred and fifty thousand that were left, they just had to kill all of them. So it's an old I got talons for days, bro, that's.
An old X Files episode from season one, Chaco's Chicken in Arkansas. They go down there and like the chickens are like, they eat the chickens. Yeah, chickens, and then they eat the chicken. No, they're eating their feet. They're sacrificing people in the town. Chickens are eating the feed that has people in it. People eat the chickens and they get like this this neurological disease I mean, which.
Is a real thing, by the way, you can get eating human remains can can cause a neurological reaction in humans. So yeah, I remember that episode absolutely. So anyway, yeah, they just kind of forgot. So there's all the chicken towns you could ever want, so and they're probably equally cursed. So all right, six forty five. A random thing, Oh I mentioned the pope is now the ladies over at the view are a big fan. Do you want to hear? Why you want to hear? Why you want to hear? Why?
Right?
Okay, here we go.
One other thing that's also very interesting to me because President Trump, as you remember, called Haiti a certain type of country. As it turns out, our new American pope has Haitian and black roots, So we actually.
Have a black coach apparent.
Really, it's like Chef's kiss for me. So apparently, both of his maternal grandparents are described as black, Haitian or mulatto in several census documents and on their marriage license. His birth the grandfather's birth place is Haiti listed is Haiti. Her birthplace is listed as born in New Orleans. They were identified as people of color, but in nineteen twenty, when they migrated to Chicago, the census reflected their race as white. Everything I'm loving, I'm enjoying it.
There's like this picture of him. She got that thing she added at the end, by the way, where and then they moved to Chicago and they were listed as white in the census, which, by the way, I don't know all this stuff there and believe it or not, and she has to know this has Haiti is the result of a slave revolt the Chrown, I say, the current function of government, and that's not a judgment, think
that's the reality of it. However, there were a lot of white people prior to that, and even post that that lived there or were intermixed, and Haiti started escalating how black you had to be to not be on the wrong end of whatever government was there, and so you had a lot of people including it sounds like the pope's family who left because it was the same game that was played in the South with percentage of stuff for the purpose of marriage. Right, are you this percentage? Right?
And like she she has to know this, like I don't care. I'm not I don't care what the pope's descendants are. But until you literally read that article, not a single person went, oh, that dude's probably mixed right now.
But I think she brings up a very valid point, which is, you know, this is sonny from the view, and her point is very valid. And that point is, you know, the Pope was a bad person because he was white, but then once she learned that he was black, suddenly the pope is a great person. And some people would say that it's judging people by their race and being a horrible racist.
Oh no, because she is Oh no on a donkey in Peru.
That I mean, I just he's bringing me so much joy.
No, the adacity of this woman to say that, like I wasn't a fan of the pope, but guys, I found out he's black, so now he's cool.
But before he wrote a donkey in Peru, right, which is if you guys, go vacation in Peru is a thing that you can sign up to do. It's a thing if you want to go see because there's I don't know if you know this, there's a lot of like old stuff to go see in Peru that's kind of famous.
There's also, like you like a lot of old biblical stuff though about you know, people on donkeys.
Well, I've never heard something like that. That something Oh wow, and being you know, is he a little what a coincidence?
Yeah?
Kind of religious?
Right is.
Does she realize that, by the way, that one of the top contenders for pope is literally the the blackest cardinal of the College of Cardinals, the guy from Ghana who and and and I didn't I'd never read anything where anyone had a problem with him potentially sending to be No. People love that guy. So it's like like nobody cared. Nobody cared, And now it's like that's how you're judging this thing. It's it's it's wild and it's.
Gross and yes, yes, the fact that the crowd there in front of the taping is this clapping like seals for.
This is gone. Can you imagine like they be booing, they should be throwing tomatoes or something at her for being so horribly racist, Like what you just said is horribly racist. Now wait, what I just said is what did I say that was racist? Not you? Oh, okay, I'm sorry. I'm like, I don't know, man. I remember there was conversation prior where they were talking where I saw I can't remember if it was Sonny or somebody they were talking about have there ever been a black pope?
And whoever it was was like, yeah, there's been three black popes and I'm like, no, it's not. It's not. Therefore, there were people from North Africa. But North Africa at the time of the that we're talking about these popes was basically colonized and settled by the European countries. They just happened to be from there. And so it's like, is can this be the thing where we don't have to do this? But apparently it can't be the thing where we don't have to do this because we're doing
it every single time. Boston, Paul though he's here and uh, he's really into tolls. What's up, Boston, Paul May.
We talked about this years ago, how bad this was a bad idea. This is because once they told one road they want to toll everything, bridges, and how much you will start to cost you, Like.
We talked about, they go right.
See the mass Turnpike was supposed to go away in the early eighties. Not did it not only not go away, but the tolls are probably about triple now from what they were.
So yeah, a bad idea.
And they started that.
Yeah, what's the what's I think they should toll the road in front of your house. That would be good. Huh.
And I agree with that, But I'm the toll collector.
Cash on No, No, you're the cash, You're the you're the the ox getting gord there. So I told you we got a two for coming up today. And actually they're going to kind of be back to back. We'll start here in state politics and with surtch mission of Mike Cosey and then excuse me, a little hiccup thing there, and we'll chat with Mike here right now, welcome him in, and then Greg Murphy Congressman joins us at seven thirty five, Commissioner, how you doing this morning?
Good morning, Katie. I'm great. How are you?
You are way too energetic for seven oh seven am, But that's okay. So you're gonna hit the ground running over there. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna lie to you, Mike. And I think I think you and I have met a couple of times in person. I can't remember if I said it, and I don't mean it in an insulting way. I have no idea what you guys do over there at the as Commissioner of insurance half the time. And I bet if you explained it to me, I to some people, we kind of get you start your
mind starts wandering because you get into minutia numbers. But you always had a passion for it. So I when I saw this, and I saw that there is some disagreement with some of the changes that the legislature may make here in North Carolina, and we kind of have this doge mindset, you would raise some concerns and I thought, rather than me trying to explain it, we'll let you
try to explain it. So what's going on? What is it legislatively that you have concern and why is it financially justifiable at a time when people are looking at what Doze is uncovering and wondering maybe we should trim the fat here in North Carolina. So walk me through what is going on here?
Well, thank you, Casey, and you're not alone. There's majority of people in North Carolina do not realize all the things that are regulated by the Department of Insurance. But nobody's a bigger fan of cutting waste, fraud and abuse
than I am. But what concerned me was when the Senate budget is Senate Bill two five seven was there, and again it's just a proposed budget, but it's still concern that they were proposing to cut, not add any positions which we serve a growing population with the third fastest state in the nation, we're one of the fastest
states for retirees moving here all across North Carolina. And one of the best programs we have was started back in nineteen eighty six under Insurance Commissioner Jim wrong As the Seniors Health Insurance Information Program is commonly referred to as the SHIP program, and we cover the whole state. We have over eight hundred volunteers in every one of the one hundred counties. We have somebody at senior centers helping people that need help with Medicare. And they're not
all seniors. We have over a quarter million people that are disabled. There is about two hundred and eighty six thousand folks that are younger people that are dis that depend on Medicare. And say, what the SHIP program does. It provides so undiased, inaccurate, one on one counseling at no charge, and we help.
People you mean by counseling, because I want to lay this very clearly out because too often with insurance, especially like what's the term for our pharmaceutical insurance? I know this really is your thing, but like, what do they call them? The managers that are now a lot of people are thinking what you're describing as some sort of middlemen in the process. And since you're talking about government funded insurance it I've seen people react and call it
double dipping. So what are they doing? How do you know that they're unbiased and financially why is it not double dipping and impactful for people?
Well, what we're trying to do is help people that have an issue and you know, Medicare is regulated by the several government, by the Centers for Medicare and Medicare. And I'll give you one example. We had a lady that was charged some sort of fees. She didn't know what they were for, but it was well over one thousand dollars in fees that she couldn't get any help from the federal government. That she was stuck in the middle,
and for four years she fought this battle. She contacted the ship program and one of our counselors got in touch with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and got her money back in short order. And in another case, we had a senior that had about ten different prescriptions and the prescriptions were paid for by insurance all but two, and the two prescriptions that weren't paid for were very costly. One was over two thousand dollars, the other was over
four thousand. And by the way, I'm glad President Trump did what he did yesterday that rain sort of level the play and feel on those high priced drugs. But anyway, we were able to save this lady over seven thousand dollars and get those covered. So every year in open enrollment from October to December. We have so many people,
like you said, nobody understands Medicare. There's over one hundred and sixty three different Medicare advantage plans just here in North Carolina, and there's eighteen prescription drug programs, and there's over forty five companies license to sell Medicare supplement policy. So there's no way that any person's going to understand all the details. And that's where we come in. We're
giving information at no charge. And usually if somebody's given information, they're working for an insurance company trying to sell you a take for a policy, so they're going to push you toward that policy.
Well, they had no charge. This is where I want to get because this is what people's objection will be because you painted a scenario, Mic, and I agree with you it is. It is complex, But wouldn't the ultimate goal be that's that at the federal level they clean it up so it's not this dumpster fire every time you interact with it. And when you say no cost, there is inherently a cost. So how does this get funded in the state, because clearly the Senate's talking about removing it.
It's funded through through the federal government funds a little over a million dollars to North Carolina to cover the ship program. Now that's that's not enough to cover the program. So the Department of Insurance, for those that don't know, is a self funded agency. We're a money generating machine for the stake. We bring in one hundred We bring in close to a billion dollars over nine hundred million dollar a year that we turn over to the general fund.
So any money that's appropriated by the legislature for our budget, say, is we.
We reimer general fund instance.
That's right.
Yeah, that's what I wanted to get out there because I didn't realize that. And I happened to read some stuff because I had, I had somebody in your office and send this over so I more firmly understood it. And by the way, if this people may not not know this, how many how many people work at the Department of Insurance, not talking volunteers, not talking specialty programmed people. How many core employees do you have over there that is that are able to then generate the billion in the revenue.
Well, specifically for the Department of Insurance, we have over four hundred and thirty five and then we also have the Industrial Commission that was moved under the Department of Insurance when I first took office in twenty seventeen, and it has one hundred and forty five employees. But the Industrial Commission, they're appointed by the governor. We do all of their support work and we pay a lot of their support, but that's something that the legislature requested that
we have to do. And then for seven years I was State Fire Marshal over the Office of State Fire Marshal. That was changed in twenty twenty four. So we have one hundred and thirty five employees under the Office of State Fire Marshal that we do all of their support work and pay the bills and write the grant checks, but I don't have any oversight over what they spend and that type thing. So there's a number of things
that are concerning, but all totally. If you take all of those things that we oversee together, it's over six hundred employees and that tails into comparison to the number of licensed agents, insurance agents and brokers across the state, probably half a million licenses from out of state volks and in state volts. And we oversee bail bond regulation that nobody really realizes that over two thousand bail bondsmen in North Carolina. And then one of the biggest things
we do is help consumers. I mean, I'm sure none of your listeners ever have insurance flames problems, but we get calls every day from people that are having trouble with insurance companies paying acclaim in a timely manner or paying the right amount. So you can go to a
website INCDI dot gov. There's a little button you can file your own complaint or call us and we'll help you and our folks get results, and they're on the phones Monday through Friday eight to five just to help consumers, and we generally can get you a higher settlement than you can on your own, and that's what people like so much about it.
Yeah, but on this yeah, I'm sorry. Let's go ahead finish, and then I have one last question for you.
So I'm just going to say, on this proposed Senate budget that came out, they want to cut the whole program. We have twenty six total employees. Eleven of those employees are funded by us at the state level, and for whatever reason, the Senate thinks we need to eliminate those eleven positions, and they're also trying to eliminate eight other key full time positions at the Department of Assurance that
are actuary financial folks. That would really harm the people of North Carolina and it would limit our public service. So far of the House has not taken that up. We were hopeful that, you know, we can prevent these cuts, but I just I just want to say that cuts are not always a good thing. Sometimes they are, but in this case, it would be harmful to the people of Don't Carolina by V.
Well, you know, you sit there and you look at what's going on with other like the d m V is a disaster. I bet you're so happy you're not in charge of that, and and so I just want to make sure as we're going through I look, I think that there's fat to trim and I think there's probably a lot of people in management positions who I don't know what the hell they do, and neither do they.
That being said, when you get into things that derive revenue, then you know, maybe that should be a bigger discussion. I would tend to agree with you there, but I don't know. So what what we're talking about. Just to be clear with this ship program is essentially the state is at least partially having to fund customer support for the for federal program, which is insane to me and probably a little insane to you, But that's the reality
that we live in. Is that that would be a correct way to sum this up, right.
Well, it's it's actually paid for by what's called the insurance regulatory fun and the insurance regulatory fun is made up every time you pay a premium dollar, two and a half percent of that premium dollar goes to the state in the form of what's called a state premium tax. A lot of people don't realize that, but that's what that's.
That's still a tax, Mike so hard, that's still a tax. That's still just when one of the Death by a thousand cuts that people are getting out of government. Which is why I wanted you to come on and explain this, because it's really easy for everyone to be upset if
their ox is getting gord. I just I think people should be able to make a coherent argument as to why this particular ox shouldn't be gored, and I was when I read this, I went, well that does kind of make sense because it's a revenue driver and for the purpose that it serves. So but anyway, so not
in the House, is in the Senate. If the if last question, if they came to you and and they came to everyone else in your position and said, hey, look, we're not going to we're not going to go through line by line and look at this, but we're going to need everybody to make five percent and cuts. Is that something your department could do. I don't know what their stated goal is at the state level, but let's say it's five percent, Well it for that methodology versus.
This and the case of the Department of Insurance, it would be very it be on the verge of devastating because we're we're so underfunded right now. If yeah, I'm not there's there's places that that could happen. But there's certain agencies that all underfunded and need better funding in order to help the people. If the people want to have if you want to provide those services. If you don't want to provide those services, then you don't even.
Have to have it right and the services as we just described here is essentially working through insurance claims and working through Medicare Medicaid. Last question, Mike, if I can just make it really uncomfortable for you the next Council of state who is living high on the hog in North Carolina right now. You've been at this a very long time. I know, you know, you probably have some opinions you can choose to. Where where should they be looking for cuts if that's what they want to do
in North Carolina? Where are we wasting money?
Well, I mean, I'm sure there's We've seen it a lot. I mean we've seen it over the years from different audits that have taken place where we've had employees in certain not only in state government, several government, but in the private sector too, where you have employees that have the dazzled money. And one of the big things we do at this Apartment of Insurance is we really go
after insurance fraud. That's every dollar you pay for insurance, about twenty cents is going just to cover the fraud. So there's fraud in all walks of life, whether it's public service or private industry. I'm on my way now to Ohio to a fraud conference to speak about fraud, waste and abuse.
Well, Mike and I'm sure I got to cut you out here. I got thirty seconds. I will warn you to be careful when you're in Ohio because there are people driving around with monkeys with meth pipes up there.
So I'll be I'll be on the lookout. So thanks for the warning, Casey.
All right, Mike, I got to let you go them up against the clock with thank you.
You'll talk later. Thank you.
Cation do appreciate it. All right, there you go, make all right? Sure, yeah, bye bye. Assurance commissioner and potential victim of meth monkeys. He's not careful, so all right, we'll be back.
Hang on.
In Washington, they're talking about the big beautiful, one big beautiful bill, which is one hundred percent Trump stuff there, and one of those who will get to vote on big beautiful said bill and hopefully some other stuff is Congressman Greg Burfew joins us. Now, good morning, sir. How are you all well, Cathie?
I hope you are, Yes.
Sir, are you pumped about one big beautiful bill.
As pumped as that condet? Well, I'm on ways and means and so we cover tax, trade and healthcare, and today we're going to do what they call the markup on our tax provisions for the big beautiful bill, and there's over two hundred, I think, two hundred and twenty provisions. And we'll start about two o'clock this afternoon and probably go straight through the night till about two o'clock tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon, it'll be it'll be a big time, beautiful time.
What kind of gamesmanship happens in that? If I could just get a little well insight, because oh yeah, yeah, I'm always looking for an angle up at your work there.
So yeah, you know. And the craziest thing I was talking with the buddy of mine this morning about this that I think the worst thing that ever happened to politics is all the thousands and thousands of cameras everywhere. So you've got some people who are here to just play to the cameras rather than do the real work. But today were like each each provision. I told you
there were a couple of hundred provisions each provision. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle will probably put in anywhere from ten to fifteen to twenty amendments, So we have to debate each of these amendments separately before we ever talked about the main provisions, and usually the amendments have nothing to do with the bill, and it's just other's some other nonsense. It's just a delay time. But you know, I used to be a surgeon, full
time transplant surgeon and urologist. I can say it all nights and I can just keep on moving, so I don't doesn't scare me.
Is this the way that you like to do it? Though? I mean, what is this bill? Four hundred pages before you before they start adding stuff to it? It's four hunderd pages. There's a thousand things in this. A lot of people hate these because two things. One stuff gets buried in there, and the other thing is there will be a provision in the bill that's like, let's make you know, let's do let's do this great thing. And then another provision in a bill will be like, but
then we have to murder puppies. Somebody will vote for it. They'll be like, why would my opponent vote to murder puppies? Like this is, well, this is how you get all of this stuff, so why is this.
Well, this is a little different. This is a little different.
This is called reconciliation process. And this only occurs when the same party is in the House, the Senate, and the White House, and they're all in concert to push together other a bill that normally would require sixty votes in the Senate, they're fifty three Republicans now and only requires a simple majority.
And all of these provisions spending, right, Is that what triggers it? Or am I confused?
Well, now, it's it's just to try to bring the budget. You know, we're crashing. We are crashing towards a sovereign debt crisis. And the whole purpose of this thing is to try to continue some of the really pro business, pro growth tax cuts that were done in twenty seventeen, but also shore up so many of our other other good programs, get rid of nonsense programs.
We're getting rid of the.
Ev tax credit, which tooth be told was only there to help rich people by tesils, and you.
Guys, if you guys get rid of the start stop button too, I will consider your Congress's success. And I saw that the lead want to.
Move on that.
I love it. So it's a little different process. You know, when Pelosi was in charge, we got a big bill at two am, never been debated, so none of it ever went through committee at all these we're going all these through things through committee. The Democrats, the opposition party, is seeing everything. So she would drop a fifteen hundred page bill at two am and then we would vote
on it at four am. No, no, no, this is weeks and weeks and weeks of work, if not months, really of hard work and really being put into the you know, the tumbler if it will, by both parties. So there's not any surprises. They're not things that are going to be in there that people don't know about. It's very, very straightforward. This is the way government is supposed to work.
No tax on tips, no tax on overtime they are there, no tax on auto loan interest. But the one that might be contentious is the end to taxes on social security for seniors. You know, obviously got a lot of seniors, You get a lot of retirees along the coast, which you represent a whole chunk of Yeah, and also veterans, right, and a lot of people over the years have questioned why veterans or seniors pay taxes on you know, pensions essentially pension or social security depending on what it is.
And you're shock full of both. So you what, here's your advocacy in this direction. What are you wanting to see?
So I'll let me bring up those four things real quick. So no tax on tips. I'm not a huge fan of another president had a big initiative of I don't see it as usually pro growth. I think there's going to be some real people that are trying to make make a good run at having done fraudulently. It's not like to me, people who get cash tips now are going to say, oh great, I didn't pay tax on them before, but I'm going to report them now. So I won't get text as far as income text, but
I'll still get the fight attacks. I'll still get the medicare text. I also don't want to you know, your electrician to come in and say, all right, well your bill is two hundred dollars, but only twenty percent is the bill one hundred and eighty dollars is your tip? And so there's gonna be ways to work around that. There are also gonna be some income limits on this. The no tax on overtime. The devil is always in the details. Are employer is going to say, hey, I
really want to recruit people and retain people. The work week now is down to thirty two hours, and I'll pay you.
Overtime for ye obomba.
Yeah.
Yeah. So we have to be very very very judicious in what we're doing. And so going back to the no tax on soci Security, you can't do that anything with Social Security in reconciliation. But what we can do is we're going to lower the tax rate on seniors who make under seventy five thousand dollars basically to nothing and move it up otherwise. And so it's a help
for the seniors. You know, social Security not be taxed, and then it was tax and now we're trying to really cut back and help our seniors out.
Okay, just a couple of quick things for a congressman is going come up against the clock and in the medical background, U there is a another radio outlet one that you fund, mister congressman. So I'm sure you can figure out who it is who I swear to you is running a piece this morning. I've heard part of it. I haven't had a chance because I've been on the air talking about the downside of cheaper prescription medication, and I'm just like anything Trump wants obviously it's a national crisis.
Was that impactful what he did the other day? And then my follow up is, if it is, and you like some of the things he's unilaterally doing, what are you guys doing to enshrine this stuff into quasi permanency at least because Coy Yeah, codify it so does.
To me, because yeah, just because he puts an executive order out, that thing runs out as soon as he's no longer the executive.
We have to cutify, we have to put it in law.
So I think people need to understand why drugs cost so much these days. Number One, America leads the world in innovation and research, and this is where we do it. Number two, the most favored nations, all the other nations where we send drugs really really really undercut the ability for pharmaceutical companies to actually make money over there. So
guess what it all happens over here. But if people really understood what's going on in healthcare, the pharmacy benefit managers, which are these institutions run by health insurance companies who double triple dip in basically extorting pharmaceutical companies and then extorting pharmacies, especially independent pharmacies. They are one of the real drivers of high drug costs. I personally would get
rid of direct consumer advertising this afternoon. I think we would cut ten percent off our bill, not only in the cost of but it is to insurance companies, but also how it drives utilization. So those three things are really the keys to lowering our drug prices.
You know.
The last thing I want us to do is all of a sudden, have China be the innovator of drugs in the world. We saw how well their vaccine work, and so there is a balance to do.
This part of it.
I'm on board with the other part I'm not on board with. I've lived in medicine thirty five years, from the bedside to you know, being chief of staff of a thousand bed hospital and non hospital system, to the other stuff in the state. Senior chare health policy in the House in the state, and so I think, I kind of live this world and I know this world. I want us to use more of scalpels than sledgehammers in these really, really really complex complex areas.
All right, last question, you cool with letting getting that plane from Dubai. I mean, I like to see purity concerns, But ABC News is twisting it like they're just giving it to Trump. That being said, it is it does provide the kind, you know, the idea that maybe they would have some outsized influence.
So what do you think, Yeah, I need to see the details on that, because the optics are of concern. I would absolutely admit that. Is this air Force one? Is it going to be passed down to the next president? Are we going to basically can you basically tear it apart and make sure there aren't any bugs or anything on it? Because guess what, you can't trust people on the other side of the world all the time. So let's see the devil's in the details.
Okay, all right. His argument is they're giving me a free plane. They're giving us a free plane so that I have to spend money. And I understand the business mindset there, but interesting stuff, all right, Congressman Greg Murphy, do appreciate it, sir, Have yourself a good one and have fun. Not sleeping later for a long time.
Yeah, buddy, I'm looking forward to it.
Rah. Yeah, all right, Hey, great, there you go. Thanks for having.
Murphy hanging out with us. Let's get Oh, look at who look, who's back. Oh, good morning for the weather chat a long time. Don what's going on?
Yeah? Not much, man, how are you?
You guys went and got a receiver while I was gone, and oh man, it's just.
Busy, busy, more more trouble, more trouble.
Right, what are you talking about?
Yeah? I don't know. Pickens is kind of.
He was.
He was trouble at Georgia. He was as yeah, yeah, I know, I know.
I guess the year, you know, as.
To what he was going to be so and now they're treating him. So what's that?
I just love that. Yesterday my buddy, who was an insane Eagles fan, had like it was in about of depression because he's not. He goes, I'm not going to get a moment of rest because you saw what he opened the first NFL game Thursday night, Thursday night, September fourth, Eagles, cowgirl boys, excuse me, and you all hate each other? So yeah, ye, perfect, yeah.
Yeah, So as all of us Cowboy fans in my family have been texting, well great to start the season.
Oh and one maybe next year.
Come on, no, no, no, you guys can upset the apple cart and each other. The two biggest fan bases in my friend group outside of the Panthers are Cowboys and Eagles family. So whenever they're playing each other, I just sit back and just the popcorn. You just watch.
Yeah, it's uh, it should be fun. And you know I mentioned this last year.
I've got so I kind of got a little bit now rooting for Eagles just because of uh Trotier and Chipley now.
With the Eagles. But you know, we got MafA now, so we'll see if MafA makes the team, if he makes any impact.
So I heard it him is gonna have six primetime games and they play in Buffalo.
Did you know we're gonna We're gonna try all that again.
Maybe this is our year, you know, maybe get over.
The Ross is suspic he is uh superstitious that if they can't play at their normal time.
It's oh so if it's not a one o'clock.
It's not so it's personally an attack, that's what it is.
Yeah, right this year? Yeah, yeah, I wish I.
Wish we didn't have weather to talk about what we did? Is is there confirmation on Edgecombe County having a tornado? Did I see that?
I believe there was. I know there was a warning earlier this morning. Is that the one you were talking about, where the one from Yeah, you had a warning, they wouldn't confirm it. Yeah, edge Comb, Yeah this is from yesterday. I know there was a warning this morning too, but Edgecomb did confirm your school sense of confirmed by by radar. So yeah, they'll go out and put a rating on it after they get a chance to go and look at it. But now the rain is a bigger threat
through our stronger storms. A lot of it today in east out toward the outer banks. Heavy rain coming through Greenville, North Carolina right now, and up toward and heading north toward Hobgood and Scotland Neck in that direction. Some stronger storms too, might get warnings on those. There might be
a little rotation in some of those storms. But I think it's all gonna stay east of ninety five, although many of us still in a flood watch from about the triangle east, more widely scattered stuff triangle back toward
the west end of the triad today and tomorrow. I think toward the end of the week, CA see less of a chance of rain, still not zero, but might get a little warmer, might get a little more closer to the mid upper eighties, maybe ninety degrees, rather than these rain kind of cooled upper seventies, low eighties, which we'll have the next couple of days.
Okay, all right, do appreciate it, sir. We'll chat again in an hour.
Okay, okay, all right.
Coming up on the show, people are really upset at McDonald's, and not for the normal stuff like oh, the ice cream machine's not working, or my order was wrong, right, no, no, no, no, no, the racism or something or agism or it's all the isms and we'll explain next. Hang on. Oh man, some people are so weird weird with weird, weird weird that they think we don't see through all of this stuff.
But before I get to that, I just wanted to mention this McDonald's story because it seemed like a really like a non story to me, seems like a non story.
I wasn't I wasn't surprised. Depending on where you go, and you know, you go to New York, or you go to small town in Ohio or wherever there is already going to be San Francisco, there's going to be two varying degrees a level of security that may present at a fast food restaurant, at a big box retailer, the pharmacy, right right, Some stores you go into literally everything is locked in a glass case. But you can go to another version of that store in another community
and it's not all locked up up. And for whatever reason, the media can't just the only thing that they can try to filter that through is race, right, They just like, why is it We looked at this store in this community which has a fifty percent, you know, a non white population, and then we went to this community and you know, Amish Country, Pennsylvania that has a ten percent non white population, And therefore, because the level of accessibility
for the products are different, it must be inherently about race, which is really really lazy. You think an employer wants to create an employer, a company, a business owner wants to create a scenario where they're likely going to sell less product. You think that's something that they strive to do. Because I don't know about you, but I can speak from experience. Do you know many things I haven't bought because they're locked up? And I just I don't have
the time. Ross you ever not bought something because it's locked up behind a glass case and you just thought you're not gonna find somebody and deal with that. Uh yeah, all the time, all the time, and it gets so bad at some point where you go, Now, I'm not even going to that store, because I know if I got like I know, if I go to the Walmart right near the station, if I go into that Walmart and I want razor blades, because I made this mistake one time went up there, I'm like, I'm gonna get
some razor blades. It was I had some time, so I followed it through to see what happened. I went on a fetch quest like in a video game for a half hour, trying to find somebody to open this crappy piece of plastic, which, by the way, I'm pretty sure that I could have broke open in two seconds with a quick pull in my hand so that I could pay you and have seen amount of money for
something that is wildly overpriced. You know what, I will never, in my mind go if I need razors, thing to do again, go to Walmart, or at least that Walmart.
There's two things I don't mess with. It's the stuff behind the plastic shielding container, and also it's the gas pump that tells me to go see the cashier.
Oh, that could happen. I'm going to it. I'm just going to a different gas station or a different pump.
Yeah.
And so now because I know that at that Walmart, I'm not picking on that Walmart necessarily because it's damn near everyone around the North Carolina I've been in. But I just so now I'm not going to go there if I need that, Whereas in the past if I needed to pick up a couple things. It's never a couple things, is it. You go in there and you're like, all right, I got the razor blades and the ibuprof and I wanted and why do I have a thing
of chocolate Halloween candy chocolate that's fifty percent off? And I bought some juice, and then they had this thing over here, and I need beef jerky because we all need beef jerky. And now I just spend fifty dollars at your store. So nobody's setting out to create a scenario where it's less successible unless they have to, and they're sure as hell not doing it as a major
conglomerate so that they can essentially be clan members. Yet that's what people are alleging up in Virginia over this McDonald.
This video obtained by News for shows the melee inside of this Fairfax County McDonald's last week. The location is right down the street from Thomas Edison High School in the Franconia neighborhood.
These kids are off the chain.
They had no respect, no discipline, and it seem like how they acted their parents allowed.
Them to add well, by the way, that woman obviously clearly an evil, white racist woman, no doubt. Oh man, When you watch the video, you're like, Wow, that is the whitest racist woman ever ever. And she's like, nah, this is a problem. This is a problem.
Inside tell us, young people, including some from Thomas Edison, can be seen fighting, heard cursing, and standing on tables in the video. Managers of the McDonald's say those actions and other similar incidents led to a new policy and this sign on the front door on Monday, reading quote, due to repeated incidents of student violence, the location is temporarily closed for dinah and service to anyone under twenty one years of age.
Yeah, yeah, right, malls a lot of places doing this, and again it's not just a racial component thing. But because in this particular area, that high school is a predominant well I don't know if it's predominantly black, but it's predominantly a minority high school. Their their assumption is this is kids have acted like a holes in businesses
from the dawn of time, regardless of skin color. The thing the difference is in some areas it is so compound, it's so rampant, and the incidents have been so so atrocious that the company then has to think about it outside of the realm of just being a nuisance, but being a potential liability, right because if somebody comes in there and and an altercation breaks out and you have one of those giant fifty person melees, there's lawyers lining
up to sue McDonald's for not providing security. Fast food restaurants have been provided who have have been sued for not providing security and have lost because they inherently should have known that this was dangerous. Why do you think when you go there's some late night eating options, right, Like, I hop and I don't know if waffle houses are doing it? Yeah, how many videos you've seen over at a waffle house? They just had another crazy one the other day. But like you go to like the Iye
hoop on Capitol has a security guard in it. I don't know if they still do, but I remember eating there one time before the show and I'm like, well, what's been happening in here? Man got a security guard in there. So the McDonald's is sitting there and they're having to decide whether they stay, whether they literally stay in business, or if they can mitigate it so that they can still serve customers there. That's all that they're trying to do. Man, McDonald's doesn't give too It's somebody,
some higher up who made this call in concert. I'm sure with whoever the franchise he is, who probably had to get this cleared through McDonald's corporate right. It's not the first phone call they've had about this stuff.
Ye'ah smoking, y'all, drinking, y'all customer, come.
On, y'o Like, come on.
Stacy says she along with her grandkids stop by the Golden Arches location in the past and saw a group of young people disrupting other customers inside. She says she's okay with the new rule.
I understand where they coming from because that's turning customers away. If you hear you acting up, they losing a business.
Management says adult age twenty one and up can still enjoy their Big Max and Happy meals inside. It may be asked to show their ID to get service. Customers need to bring the doorbell and a team member will let you inside.
This McDonald's. I would have never expected it.
Other customers like Bridget say she hopes young people understand that their actions have consequences.
The company is to be a safe establishment for families to enjoy their foods.
Young people.
We can't just you know, we want to take that energy and redirect it.
And by the way, I will say this too, what an exceptionally I think balanced piece of local media reporting who clearly hadn't jumped on this train of their doing it because but social media is on that train and it's just going to keep getting worse. Did you see the number of melees that we had on Mother's Day just in North Carolina? So so two people are under arrest because somebody wanted to shoot up Big EDGs. I'm gonna say that because it's Big Eggs restaurant. Who have
you been to Big Eggs? Who's shooting anybody at Big Eggs. The only thing you should take away from Big EDGs is if you get and I recommend the smoke sausage with the oh yeah, I really like that. That that smoke sausage that they have there Big Old Breakfast. They're heartburn. That should be your takeaway from Big Ads. It's so
good though. I love me some Big Ads man. And I don't even have to go downtown because I got the one at quel Holo now, except it's closed for a couple of days because people could not get in a gunfight. And then the g ced the Golden Corral in Greensboro, there's a there's like three women going full battle royale in the little entry you know the door the first story, come in and there's that little pause area and then you go in the main one. Actually
walk into the restaurant. They're having a they're having a full on battle royale cage match in that thing, and it looks like there's old mom, middle mom, and a young mom and I don't know who's winning. Also, it's sometimes hard to tell which is which because it's just it's just crazy. There's video I retweeted at Casey on the radio. How do you not go? What are you beating each other up at Golden Corral? Over? Is there an acceptable moment at Golden Corral to strike another patron?
I mean, think about the stuff that people do at a buffet, thing like that, their kids sticking their nasty fingers and chocolate water fountains and stuff. And still you shouldn't be hitting people. But now they're going and it's in its mother's day. This is how you get This is how you end up with a door bell at McDonald's, which, by the way, the team member probably wants less to deal with it than you. I want to come back from the counter. I'm not, but I kind of am.
People will work overnight at McDonald's. They're not necessarily the most outgoing individuals, and that's okay. I don't want to deal with people who are drunk at two or three in the morning. Like I understand why they gird their loins when the bars closed and people come in. That being said, like this is this is inevitable when you keep having problems, all right, eight eight eight nine three four seven eight seven four If you want to, I get on the show. So yes, McDonald's with a doorbell
has offended people. And uh and I got to watch fight videos from like Big Ads, which I love eating the Big Ads. And Golden Corral is good too. Ross you guys, You guys got a Golden Corral up by your house. It's big and fancy and new. Right, No, no, wait, which one did you have the We had one. It closed during COVID. Oh it never reopened. I thought it reopened up there. Oh oh no, I'm sorry man, Well, we need to get a petition or something. Do you have any buffet over up there now? Other than that,
there's probably like a Chinese buffet. Oh no, all right, Well, when they put that toll road in, I'm sure that'll help spring it forward, all right, eight to eighteen? Hang on, So the age thing isn't working out, So now we're onto the toilet paper shortage. By the way, as long as newspapers keep printing, there's never a toilet paper shortage, not in this country, not at all. It's not just for your pets. Although if it was for your pets, fifty six percent of you or crazy man, I saw
this stat. Are you ready for this? Fifty six percent of pet owners would cut their own live short to extend their pets. Really, you think that cat is just sitting around to eat you. If you ever slip and fall in the tub and can't hit your life alert fast enough, you think that cat would give few years of its life. And they got nine of them. Who's doing that?
You know?
They say stuff like this, but I don't believe them. Right if you if you're to sit there, there's a little machine where you're attached to it, and you know, it's like the thing in the pit of despair, right, and you get the little head thing on right, and they're like, all right, we're gonna take five years off your life and we're gonna give it to the uh to you know, fighto over there or mister plastic eater cat. And then they're like, all right, you ready to do this.
Everyone's like yeah, I would totally do that, would you.
You know?
And they say the same thing like, listen, I understand you love your pets.
We do.
We love our cats. But people are like, oh, they're like our children. Well, if there was the ultimate test, and Heaven forbid, you wouldn't want it. But your house is on fire and your kid is in there, and your pet is in there, and you can only rescue one. Which one are you picking?
Does the does the dog fetch beers from the fridge?
For me?
What?
I don't know. It's like, what was that mccaullay culkin movie where the final scene is the good son?
Right?
Do you remember that movie?
No?
Oh, so they had this mccau when he was still somewhat young and not you know, I had not gone full older mccaullay Culkin, except he was Kevin McAllister, but like satanic Kevin McAllister.
Oh, I think I might remember that. I kind of like tuned out of McCauley culkin movies after he was murdered by the bees.
He was Wow, spoiler alert. Come on, don I'm not risking that again.
You're watching like a random mccaullay culkin movie years later, and it's like he's sitting there and murdered by moss or something stupid, like, I'm not taking a chance on that again.
Well, okay, but what would you say, is a more formidable adversary the wet bandits or bees pribe bees? Yeah, sounds like it. No, so in this movie, I can't remember if I think he's the actual son of the woman, and I can't remember the other kid comes from, like is it a opted kid or whatever, But Macaulay Culkin's just evil. And then the climactic scene is she's got her hands, she's got to reach for one. They're both hanging off a cliff. So it kind of a Sophie's
choice thing, but there's not really a choice. You're like, yeah, let that little bastard die. He's just gonna get killed by bees in a few minutes. Anyway, So you probably heard this too. There are people concerned that AI, and
there are already people like this that exist. I remember doing a story that if the the better it gets, the more likely that people may start to give it, to deify it, treat it as some sort of deity, which I guess I can understand how people get there, right, Like, I don't know, there's some you go back far enough, there's there's all sorts of people just randomly deciding that something's something they're gonna worship. AI is just a little
more inactive. I heard golden calves are popular. I don't know, it was uh something I heard, But in this case, like I've seen that, and that isn't actual concern because people are sheep man, You're like, you don't have to be an AI that just figured out how to not like deny the Holocaust with you're random programming to influence people. Some of those conversations are downright creepy. Why do I
point this out? Okay, I point this out because one of the people are using AI as fortune telling machines now, which is which is a very interesting thing actually, because if you ask an AI a AI fortune teller thing, whatever you'd call it, I don't I don't know what you'd call it be I guess you could just resurrect Miss Cleo for it, right, and you ask it a question to like, hey, uh, what do you think do
you think that my relationship will be successful with this person? Like, you know, there's a lot of love questions you generally see in a movie when so I've never been to a fort. Has you ever been to a fortune teller? You're even just for to see how that goes, like an affair or something. I was always creeped out by it, so I never have, like the tarot cards and stuff. I don't know. My mom thought this Smurfs were satanic,
so we couldn't watch it. So tarot cards was out, Oigi boards out, man, and there's a lot of discussion about using tarot cards and Ouigi boards as spiritually opening yourself up. So that's a whole nother discussion. So, uh, there's a story about Greek fortune, a lady who's Greek, who is just one example of people that are using
chat GPT to tell their fortunes. What a what a crazy tool you could manipulate by the way right there, Like, what's somebody asking like if it was wholescale large enough, you can manipulate currency with that. If I just could put on my you know, my doctor evil had for a moment and chat GPT told him or that her husband was cheating, and so she just divorced them. She filed for divorce. You know it read the coffee grounds, right,
it read the coffee grounds. Yes, correct. They posted a photo of coffee grounds and used it to read her future surrounding her husband's whether he was being faithful or not. I don't know if he was or he wasn't, but it seemed like once chat GPT said nope, that's what the coffee grounds say, they signed off on it. But
here's the thing. A chat GPT. Also if it has a you know, if it has enough information not about the coffee grounds anymore, maybe chat GPT and I don't know in this scenario, could find photos or messages that are online that it had access to that maybe the wife didn't find because the mistress posted some stuff on Facebook thinking she was being because the wife's blocked. Right, well, is chat GPT telling your future at that point, or you know, asking for the psychic intervention or is it
using available data points to arrive at it. What's crazy about this is it's reading coffee.
Grounds, right, So if you program it to be like, you know, read tarot cards or read proms or something, I mean that's not exactly science. Yeah, whatever you you you load into it, it's going to be like all right, well I'm going to produce an answer for that. So maybe it is an expert quote reading coffee grounds. But to the voice, she just printed out, like you know, she she got the results, printed out the divorce papers and served them.
She's like, yeah, we're getting divorced. Yeah, story, that's nuts. That's just crazy, man. I feel like she wanted a divorce, right, I'm thinking the relationship probably wasn't that great to begin with, right, right, But also you get this scenario that I laid out where you ask chat cheepage, is my husband cheating on me?
And and you do it from a psychic standpoint. But but it's able to see social media accounts that the wife may be blocked on and then put two and two together because it can you know, you know, start to process that information. So in a way it kind of provides you an answer which is seemingly accurate. But the coffee grounds thing was a whole twist. This is like, uh, this is ros you ever talked to a woman before you were married? And uh, and the the astrology thing came up. Yeah.
No, I've known people that were like super into astrology and I'm like, I'm not, I guess.
Yeah, but have you seen people that allow it to make it as Yeah?
I have?
Yeah.
No, I said, I dated a witch when I was at ome was She was a straight up witch. Yeah, and she worked in like the witch store in the mall there.
Was this was what.
It was like a weird witch store. I don't even remember what it was clear what mall was this?
Yeah, No, the one and there was one in Omaha and it was like this little like corner store you'd walk in into. Just imagine what you think would be in like a witch store. Like it had like books of spells and yeah, lots of different witch ca Yeah, lots of different candles and stupid crystals and stones and you know, like you know, you know, I don't know spiders, I don't know what the hell they sold, but you know it's like a witch store. That's what I'm sure
it's not. There's no way it's still in business.
Wait, so how did you meet her? Were you in the witch store?
Rich part time at the radio station. She was actually the producer for the talk show there, and I worked next door doing nights in the top forty station.
We can have a witch produced this show. I wouldn't want to get rid of you, but like.
I don't know that's that could be bad, dude, because like you piss them off, they're going to curse you.
Well, I was just going to ask how did your relationship end? Not well? Not well, did you get like you're crazy because you're you're a witch? I mean, were you a little nervous after you? Remember these looted? There were casting spells on Trump every election?
Yeah, they said they're going to the witches were trying to curse Trump, and they were saying their curses were bouncing back, and the theory was Trump was using stronger witches.
Yeah, which, hey, that's what you do, man, that's a that's business, right, They got attorneys, You get better attorneys, right, you got they got somebody as ruthless as deals. You get your own ruthless deals. Got they got witches coming after you.
I do it.
I know.
I don't want to look up the audio because we're total I remember that. I remember because somebody was like frantic on social media updating pointing out that the they're they're the juju's bouncing back because Trump's got stronger witches. Oh yeah, that was a fun story to cover right there, man. But anyway, Yeah, I don't know if I would ask chat GTP if your spouse is cheating on you by interpreting coffee grounds and then immediately go file divorce papers,
which chat GTP can create for you too. So I guess a one stop destruction of the family unit.
Man.
But some people are really really into this stuff, So I don't know. We got raced agic round and I got some questions for that man got some questions for some very important stuff. All right, let me know when he's ready, because let's play while we wait for him. I found the old witch's audio. Fo yeah, okay, amazing is on my button bar, hanging hang on, hang out, that flipped over to something else. All right, hold on, witch audio, let's do this thing.
Here we go, friends, and a special hello to all the witches out there that are doing magical work to protect protesters and you know X white supremacy. A word of warning, so I mentioned in one of my videos last night that you're kidding yourself if you don't think that the other side has people doing magical work for them, because a lot of people that have been doing spell work have felt pushback. I got my ass handed to me last night. So as you can see, all the
candles are burning pretty well. Now that doesn't really have much bearing on the spell. But when I did these two, this one was for protection and then this one was for a call for change and road opening. Both of those, when I did the energy release and I lit the candle, they landed super well. But when I did this one, which is the hex for the guilty parties, it was like running headlong into a brick wall. I instantly got slapped at the migraine, and I woke up this morning
feeling like I'd been hit by a car. Whoever is doing this work for the other side, it is a group of people that are very powerful, practicing magic that's very old.
Be careful. Yeah, so yeah, all right, let me grab a quick call Steve. I got about a minute. What's up, hello, Steve.
Race Hey, good, good afternoon or good morning fellas. Yeah, all of a sudden civilized behavior in Riley at the restaurants. They might want to adopt what I saw in Memphis at a barbecue place. Oh the wait step open carry. They had big old forty fives. I'll yeah, everybody mind their p's and ques.
I bet that was some good barbecue too, wasn't it.
Yeah, the barbecues overrated.
Well I'm not talking about competitively, I'm talking about within the Memphis division of barbecue. If you're willing to full, if you're willing to go full militia and in your own restaurant and people are still willing to go there, you probably got some pretty good barbecue, you know what I mean.
You got to fight it, to fight yeah, that's about two cents.
Yeah, thanks for the call there, sir. Look, sometimes some places are a little rougher than others. All right, mister ray st agent, he knows those places. He used to so.
Yeah, yeah, we know it, right, Yeah, I had some good barbecue this week.
Actually, well, do you want to start a fight? Where did you have good barbecue?
No?
No, I don't want to start a fight smoking pig?
Where is that?
Pretty good?
In Clemson Penalty, South Carolina, there's a fewer bustard style.
Yeah, yeah, I did have.
I mixed it up when with the hot and I did a little mustard style thinking of you.
Right, I'm not right, bro Hey, very important, yeah, very important. Thursday PGA Championship yep. Well hollow Charlotte, Charlotte, yep. So don't stood this up for those you know in the audience or wherever they might want to go down and spend a day in one of the boxes drinking some beer. Okay, don't screw this up.
B Yeah, Well, there's been a bunch of heavy rain. Didn't let anybody on the golf course yesterday.
Today they will.
But still showers, thundershowers scattered around. I really think later in the week, it's going to be a better fore kiss, I'm not gonna say zero chance of rain, but certainly not like we're seeing now to the east of the triangle with some heavy rain flood watch. But that's all pulling away too, So I think scattered stuff here today, temperatures mid upper seventies, Tomorrow more the same, and then Thursday Friday less if a chance of rain and temperatures
go up to the mid to upper eighties. So I really think rain chance is less for Thursday, Friday and even into the upcoming weekend for golf over and Charlotte too, So it becomes the scattered stuff over the next several days. I mean, it's not gonna rain, may not get a downpour or strong storm, but I do think the trend will before less coverage, meaning like we're seeing this morning, got this big batch of rain raining for hours to our east and out near the outer banks. But I
don't think we're gonna see that. It'll be more scattered stuff at the rain, it'll be over with and then you'll be able to get back outside unless it rains again.
Yeah.
Well, that's like I said, I'm just giving you time to work on it so now that you're yep at it, Okay, thank you, we'll do We'll come back with Jeff Bellinger decks.
Bogod morning, Casey. This report, by the way, sponsored by Total Wine and more. The cost of living didn't increase as much as expected last month. The government just reported the Consumer Price Index, which tracks retail level inflation, was up two tenths percent in April. The core CPI was also up two tenths percent. That omits volatile food and energy costs. The year over year jump in the CPI was two point three percent. That was the smallest since
February of twenty twenty one. Stock market futures mix this morning, S and P and n ASDAC futures modestly higher. Now futures are down one hundred and sixty four points after the big rally we saw yesterday. The nation has a severe shortage of air traffic controllers. Recruiting is tougher than it's ever been. Controllers don't need college degrees and the pay can run well into six figures, but the job
is not for everyone. Only about ten percent of applicants are even accepted into the training program, and a third of those who are accepted don't make the cut. The high stressed job can lead to burnout and controllers leaving the job early add to the problem. McDonald's putting up the help wanted signs. The fast food company and its franchises looking to hire about three hundred seventy five thousand workers this summer. It is McDonald's biggest hiring spree in years.
The company says these jobs being offered are not intended to be seasonal or temporary. Smartphones will be getting thinner and lighter. Samsung introduced a slim down version of the Galaxy S twenty five Edge, about thirty percent thinner and twenty five percent lighter than the S twenty five Ultra. This new device is priced at one thousand, ninety nine dollars. It will be available May thirtieth. It's going to be a few months before we see a thin version of
Apple's iPhone seventeen on the market. And Case, the world's biggest cinema chain looking to fill some theater seats at midweek. AMC Entertainment will slash its movie ticket prices in half every Wednesday, and that begins July ninth.
Casey Okay is that for all shows or just during the day when everyone's at work.
No, I believe that is all day Wednesday.
All right, well there you go.
All right, thank you much, Jeff. Do appreciate it having it give you a chance to go see Cinners? Maybe I do want to see it. I love those kind of movies, so but I will, all right, all right, thank you, Jeff. Yep, all right.
So I went to Google, oh no, because I wasn't going crazy, and it put in Omaha witch Store and next Millennium Books and Gifts. Uh, they have an array of crystals, oils, books, tear cards, and more, the Conjure Shop, Solstice in the Veil, and Magical. They have four witch shops in Omaha?
WHOA, what's going on in Omaha? They have four? Do they have four witch shops in the triad or triangle combined?
Even?
I don't even I'm sure there's a witch store somewhere I just was, but four of them in Omaha, and Omaha is not nearly as large as a triad or triangle? Are there that many witches that they need? By the way, if you run a witch store and you have three other competitors, I'm assuming, I'm assuming all you're doing all day is cursing your competitors. You know you have to, Yeah, if you want to, you know, if you're a good business owner. Yeah. How'd you not pick up on the
fact that chick was a witch? I didn't know. I mean was young and dumb and hey, girls, thought.
Was a fellow radio person, you know, co worker. But it was very apparent upon entering their apartment. I'm like, Okay, you're insane, you're a witch, but we're here, so what does that mean? Anyway, it didn't work out because she was a witch.
I'm sure, but after the breakup everything was fine, right, Maybe it broke out and boils. You didn't You didn't have like sharp pains and parts of your body over over? Why do you have a doll of it? Like there's pins going into me?
Oh?
I wonder if that urns doll you have with the demon voice. It's not it's not demonic. It does, but it sounds so like if he was still alive, because it maybe it's a voodoo doll. Well where did your wife acquire? What state? Uh, Louisiana? Oh wow, m do you think they have any witch or voodoo stores in Louisiana? Can we check.
I'm bringing you in tomorrow just because i know I'm gonna be safe, but hopefully it'll curse you.
Okay, whatever, whatever, no, no, no, no, it's what. It's immensely cool. But to the the way that the audio works now because it's sold is a little disconcerting. Ernest goes to the radio station, can't wait.