Lad with mo.
Six. With all that said, let me get to my final thought and just go ahead and piss you off. Saturday, I was driving through Torrance, a historically red city. I was on my way to the Japanese Bunkasai Festival, which was being held at the Torrents Cultural Center right off the corner of Torrans Boulevard. But Drona, if you happen to know the area. I'm driving west down Torrans Boulevard and I run into this absolute sea of protesters on both sides of the street.
They had signs, they had horns.
They were imploring drivers to show solidarity by honking their horns. And it wasn't until hours later that I found out that there was a name, an actual name for the protests, the hands off protests. Didn't know it until I got home later that night. I didn't know because I didn't hear about them, that they were actually going to happen. And in case you're wondering, no, I didn't hank my horn. No, I didn't give anyone a smile or thumbs up. I'm
pretty much disdainful of public protests. You know where I stand. For the most part, I'm really disdainful of public protests in the twenty first century, Saturday being no exception. But I can confirm there were hundreds of people, maybe even a thousand, because they lined both sides of a major thoroughfare for a number of blocks that can't be argued.
The numbers didn't lie.
I was personally more offended that they were making my trip more difficult. They were standing in my way, and I know that really sounds selfish. I'm self aware in that regard. I'm fully aware of what's going on in the country. I talk about it most nights. I talk about it in variety of media that I do. And yes, I know at least half the country isn't happy right now,
but maybe it's just me. I'm still not convinced that standing on a corner, holding a sign and shouting things like hey, hey, ho ho elon musk has got to go. I don't think that's really going to make a big difference. I don't think so. I might be wrong, but I doubt it. The world has changed since the nineteen sixties. Media has changed, communication has changed, and I'm not here to tell you that standing on a corner, chanting and holding a sign matters, because it doesn't.
It does not matter.
I politely nudged past the protesters and enjoyed the next two hours at the bunk Asi festival. I ate about eight dongos, which are Japanese rice dumplings. They taste like unsweetened donuts, but they were delicious.
Even ran into some listeners of the show.
But by the time I left Torrance and started home, the protesters were gone, and so was the moment. And that's my point tonight. Was there news coverage, Yes, there was news coverage. Were there interviews of random protesters who expressed their frustrate, frustration, their outrage, their anger at President Trump Elon musk Doge, Yes, all of that. It ain't a damp thing changed since nor will a damn thing change.
I'm equal opportunity when it comes to protesting. The only thing I was looking for, and you can be sure I was looking, I was reading, I was listening.
For it, and that was the next step.
The only thing I heard as the next step was the next date of the next demonstration, which was being coordinated as in the next day of standing on a corner with signs imploring drivers to honk their horns, yelling close slogans. I'm sorry, but that's a silly recipe for change. The only thing more silly, and I know this sounds very arrogant, was the social media pushback that these protesters were somehow paid.
No, they were not paid it.
Even if they were, Even if they were, it couldn't be any worse than Elon Musk on TV literally paying people to vote in a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice race and give it away billion dollar checks to Republican opportunitis. And no, I did not make up the last part, but I do find it odd after all these years of that refrain. You've heard it, I've heard it that although George is the great protest puppet master, I can't
seem to find one receipt, one Venmo transaction, nothing. Nobody was able to infiltrate any of these protests and provide any proofs of any payment to anyone, anyone, nobody, not one shred of evidence. All the protesters I saw were driving up and down the street, parking in their own cars, mostly in the parking lot where I was trying to park.
Didn't appreciate that there were no buses, there were no vans.
Now, is there organization and coordination by certain groups, absolutely, but that's not the same. The protests were definitely organized, but that's far different than saying that some thousand people I saw are in Torrents on Saturday were paid to appear, and if they were whoever coordinated, they're complete idiots. Because and here's the main point, here's the takeaway, here's the message.
Because it led to nothing.
It didn't change any race, it didn't prevent some law being passed, it didn't influence Donald Trump changed directions on tariffs, it didn't show Elon Musk the door. In fact, it probably made the organizers' money, but not the actual protesters. And maybe that was a goal, because that's a distinct difference.
Donald Trump is.
Still president, Doge is still doging, and the world just keeps on spinning. I'm sorry, but that protest meant nothing for k If I am six forty, I'm mo Kelly. And for my final thought this evening, if you were listening or watching earlier, I said it would be on this latest step in this tariff war, which is now
in earnest getting under way tonight. So let me take my time with this because as of midnight and I don't know if that's midnight Eastern time, and if so, that means it started, or if it's midnight West Coast time. But by tomorrow it'll be official. And by official, I mean by the time you wake up tomorrow, the trade war will have officially begun. It will be officially underway between the two biggest economies in the world, the US
and China. Today, the markets rally for what seemed to be positive news that countries were either willing to negotiate new trade deals with the US or that President Trump might be open to softening his stance on tariffs worldwide. Neither turned out to be true, and Trump imposed an additional eighty four percent in levees across all Chinese imports starting midnight. That means all goods from China are subject to a tariff of at least one hundred and four four percent until further notice.
It's official.
The trade war has begun between the two biggest kids on the block. I don't know who the bully is in this if the previous days of dal Jones turmoil, where the appetizer get ready for the main course. The main course is virtually every country, every commodity, every currency, Every product will be more expensive, every single one, no exaggeration.
This battle could be as short as the US versus Kuwait Operation Enduring Freedom or Desert Storm, whatever you want to call it, or drag on indefinitely like the Afghanistan War. Well that's not exactly true. Our economy truth be told with crateror in just months. We have like a sixty five percent chance of a recession, so this would happen
in months, not years. But the real question, and it's a serious question, is whether we would crater before China and the betting money no pun intended, is on us. That's because China owns so much of our debt. And there's the prospect of whether the world decides to unite against the common enemy the single instigator who started all this, and that would be US, as in US, the United States. And I'm not an economist. I did take a few
economics classes in college. I think Mark Ronald took a few as well, But I think he would agree with me on this. In the way that I listened to experts regarding COVID, I listened to the economic experts now, So I'm not trying to say what I believe is an expert perspective, but I do listen to actual experts, and almost to a person, they the experts fear the worst and can see the proverbial train on the horizon coming straight for us. I am a civic and I
believe people are dishonest about most things. Most things, but not everything. But you will find a lot of honesty in how people want to protect their money. There is real worldwide concern about these tariffs. The markets have shown as much, and by and large, most people don't want to take unnecessary risk with their money. Some do, but it's not the majority. And economic trade war is just
that war. It's done to harm others involved. It's punitive, it can reshape countries and their economies for decades.
It can even lead to actual war. It's just that serious.
This is not just about whether Donald Trump can reset the trade in balance worldwide, which is a legitimate issue. Hear me, it's absolutely a legitimate issue. He is accurate that the world has taken advantage of us for decades. There's no argument to be had there. But the debate
is how you go about it. Do you start an economic fight with one hundred and eighty five countries at the same g damn time, or do you have battles with a few at a time to not disrupt the world economy or torpedo your own because.
It's a funny thing.
When you start a literal fight with the rest of the world, you may find yourself in a situation where the world gangs up on you because you started to fight with both your allies and your enemies. The only thing the US can do is start to fight. We can't control how the world brings the fight right back to us. Hit someone in the mouth and they may kick you in the groin, or their friends may jump in and hit you in the head with a bottle. A lot of unknowns in a fight. If you've ever
been in one, you know what that's like. But strategy always matters going in. It's like realizing that your house has ants or roaches and being serious here, do you use the can of raid or do you choose a sledgehammer and try to kill the ants individually and put holes everywhere in your house? In other words, you may trade one problem for a bunch of others. Just because something is a legitimate issue, it in no way justifies any and every response to that issue.
Method and methodology matter.
It's about where the method destroys our own economy in the process.
But it is official, the economic war and tariffa geddon have begun. And in the immortal words of Samuel L.
Jackson in Jurassic Park, hold on to your butts for k I am six forty.
I'm Mokel. I started the.
Show talking about how tonight was my thirteen year anniversary of being on air at KFI. Not working here, but being on air. So April ninth, twenty twelve was my first night on KFI. I had done Katoka, our partner station which is now AM eleven fifty LA Sports, and I'd done some other things, but the first night on KFI was this night, thirteen years ago. And in that first segment tonight, I talked about the three things that I hold dear in my life. Professionally, I said, Number one,
be humble. I may talk a lot of mess but people who know me know me that's different from the persona of mo Kelly. Number one, be humble. Number two be hungry. I don't believe that there's anyone who can outwork me. And that has to do with work ethic, that has to do with hunger. I'm still just as hungry for what I do and to be as good as I can at what I do now as I was thirteen years ago. And lastly, be a student of
your craft. It's not enough to just get to a certain point, a certain landing, and say okay, I'm good. You have to consistently attempt to get better. That's because there's someone always coming behind me. Wherever you are, there's someone who wants your seat. Be humble, be hungry, be a student of your craft. And there's one I would add to it, because I know there's someone who's listening right now who wants to get into audio media. I won't call it radio, I won't call it podcasting. I'll
just say audio media. Someone wants to be able to do this. So this is for you, the fourth one beyond be humble, be hungry, Be a student of your craft. Be your biggest cheerleader at all times. Anybody can cheer when things are good, or you get constant affirmation from others. That's the easy part. I want to prepare you for the hard part. I want you to remember to be your biggest cheerleader even when there doesn't seem like there's much to even cheer about. Be your biggest cheerleader, even
when you're the only one cheering. And there are a lot of knights where I was the only one cheering for me. No matter the circumstances, no matter your bank statement, no matter your job title, assuming you even have one. If nobody is rooting you on, damn it, you better be the one with the pom pom, the megaphone, and the skirt. Do backflips in your own living room if you have to. If nobody else gives you a pat on the back or encourage you courages, you be that
person who does. Because while passing through this land of what I call the land of no, where everyone is telling you no, or you can't, or you're not good enough, you must be the loudest and most consistent voice of yes in your own ear. Because nobody can care about your dream more than you, and nobody has more impact on that dream than you, so protect it Accordingly, nobody can see where you're headed better than you. Anyone who tells you no isn't even facing the same direction as you.
They have no say. See, I know, I get it.
It's easy for me to sit here right now and tell you I prove some people wrong. It's easy now some thirteen years later, But it wasn't so easy when after I left my last job before coming to KFI, I was broke hosting karaoke three days a week for fifty dollars a night and tips, officiating youth sports leagues for minimum wage and occasional unpaid BBC radio commentary. I couldn't pay my mortgage or other bills. I was on the verge of foreclosure. I know first world problems, I
get that, but here's another truth. Dreaming is free, but making them come true ain't they cost?
And I mentioned BBC.
I used to do BBC commentaries, in fact I still do, but they were always around midnight for a show called Good Morning Scotland. I would have to drive to McDonald's or Starbucks in my neighborhood and park as close as I could to the building so I could siphon off their internet and connect via Skype to do the interview from my computer because I couldn't afford internet at my house or international calling on my cell phone. And those
BBC commentaries they were unpaid. But one day I asked their producer why they kept asking me back on because I pretty much was faking it until I could make it. As they say, I was not very good. I was self aware. I was still trying to become a student of my craft. And the producer straight was straight with me. He said, Mo, you're the only person who we could find who was willing to do the interviews in the
middle of the night for free. What I didn't tell him but wanted to tell him in response was no, I'm the only one who was willing to drive to McDonald's and park close to the wall, siphon off the internet, and use my car as a semi quiet studio in the middle of the night for free.
Why Because I was hungry.
Maybe I'm schizophrenic with multiple personalities, but it was the voice in my head reminding me that I asked for this.
I did.
I supposedly wanted this. This was the cost. So find inspiration anywhere and everywhere. It doesn't matter maybe you get a bit on KFI, or maybe someone makes reference to something that you did on your podcast.
Find inspiration anywhere and everywhere. My inspiration was I'm petty.
Every person who told me no, that was a yes in my mind, because you're taking time out of your night to come to my social media or my video feed and tell me that I'm not good enough. Thank you for reminding me that you're spending time with me. You could have been anywhere, but you decided to come to my show Find Inspiration Anywhere at any time. And I told people the very first night I was on, and I'm gonna say it again, I am an acquired taste.
I'm kind of like beer. The first time you hear me or taste beer kind of bitter, You're gonna have to drink it a few times before you may start to like it. And that's okay. But here's the thing about drinking beer. Either you do develop a taste for it or you end up drunk. Either way, you win. For KFI AM six forty, I'm Mokeli the y Study Unity