It's night Side with Dan Ray w b Z Constance video.
Oh. The big story today, at least for people here in Massachusetts and I think for the whole country, was a hearing in front of the House Government Oversight Committee, which is a committee that is chaired now because the Republicans have a slight majority in the House, chaired by a Republican Congressman from Tennessee, Kentucky. Excuse me, Congressman Comer, and that committee summoned to Washington four mayors of major cities.
I think all of you know the story, but for those of you who don't, they summon the mayors of Boston, New York, Chicago, and Denver. And it didn't turn out. I don't think the way the committee chairman had hoped it would. I don't know that the committee chair the Republicans of the committee were as well prepared as as some of the mayors. I think that Mayor Johnson of Chicago was the least prepared. Mayor Adams from New York didn't want to answer certain questions that dealt with how
much he had talked to the Trump administration. He has really done a one eighty on immigration policies in New York since he has since he's been under indictment for accepting some travel amenities which obviously he should not have accepted. If true, I think that Boston Mayor Michelle wou held her own.
But I think what today's hearing did, just as the speech last night that President Trump delivered to the Joint Session of Congress did.
It showed such a stark difference between the two parties. Last night, you had two parties in the House Chamber, Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans spent most of the evening on their feet applauding literally everything that Donald Trump said, and the Democrats sat on their hands, say that politely and couldn't find themselves in many cases to bring applause for a thirteen year old boy who was recovering from brain cancer, to the family members of a couple of
individuals who had been killed by illegal aliens. And today's hearing showed the stark difference how each party in this country, Democrat or Republican, look at the question of illegal immigration. Now, I don't think there's anybody There may be some who reposed to legal immigration. I think there's a consensus we only naturalize as I've told you about a million people a year, but looking at it through the lens of
today's hearing, I think is important. So let me first start off with some of the questions and the comments that were delivered by Boston's own Mayor, Michelle Wou. By the way, kind of interesting here, the City of Boston paid a law firm in Washington, d c. It just shows you, if you want to make some money, become a lawyer and go to Washington paid a law firm an exorbit an amount of money, six hundred and fifty thousand dollars in city money used to prepare Mayor Wu
for her testimony. In addition, the mayor brought with her I guess a dozen staff members at an additional cost of eighty five hundred dollars. I mean that's nothing. The law firm that was hired as Khill, Gordon and Rindell, with a attorney at that firm, they billed nine hundred and fifty dollars an hour. I mean that's more than I make. Only kidding, folks, only kidding. And that was paid for not by Mayor Wu personally, and not by her campaign committee, but by City of Boston taxpayers. Bottom
line six hundred and ninety thousand dollars. Now, I could have prepped Mayor Wu for this appearance, and she was well prepped today. She did a good job. But I could have prepped her for probably half the price and about a quarter of the time. I mean this. This law firm bills about a dollars an hour. I guess nine hundred and fifty dollars an hour, So they must have spent what's that that's six hundred and fifty hours with the mayor. Now she was summoned to come to Washington.
It was sometime in late January, so it was only about I don't know, thirty thirty five days ago. That's a lot of time in my opinion, six hundred and fifty hours. Even if you worked forty hours a week as preparing her, and one person worked just forty hours a week, how do you build that many hours. Now, of course there'll be three or four people in the room, and so therefore that's where it builds up. But it's a lot of money. So the Mayor today was very
defense's in a good way. She knew that the Republics are going to ask her challenging questions, so let's just take a little bit of the opening statement. This is cut number thirty seven Mayor Wu in Washington today, Cut thirty seven around.
Chim and comer, ranking Member Connolly and members of the committee.
My name is Michelle Wu.
I am the daughter of immigrants, and since November of twenty twenty one, I have had the honor of serving as Mayor of Boston.
I'm proud to be here on behalf of our city.
The police officers, first responders, city workers, the faith leaders, teachers, parents and neighbors who partner every day to make Boston the safest major city in the nation. And I'm proud every day to work alongside the greatest police commissioner in the nation, Commissioner Michael Cox. Every year since I took office, we've set a new record low for gun violence in Boston. Last year, Boston saw the fewest homicides on record in the last seventy years.
Those are the facts.
So that's her opening remark, and she often would go back to that whenever the questions got difficult. Okay, she again, this is a fairly quick sound bite. Rob Cut thirty seven B is in Boston, thirty seven B.
We are the safest major city in the country, because our gun laws are the strongest in the nation, because our officers have built relationships over decades, and because all of our residents can trust that when they call nine to one one in the event of an emergency or to report a crime, help will come.
She followed up on that, and again, this is all from sort of the opening comments thirty seven D. As in Daniel Robb thirty seven D.
This federal administration is making hard working, tax paying, god fearing residents afraid to live their lives. A city that's scared is not a city that's safe. A land ruled by fear is not the land of the free.
So her reference there is to residents. Okay, so remember originally when people came here, they were called illegal aliens. Then the word was changed to migrants, and then it was changed to newcomers, and so now it's residents. I'm a resident, lived here all my life. You're a resident. You've probably lived here all your life. Many of you who have come here legally and have gone through the process of becoming naturalized citizens your residents, but also people
who are illegally are residents. Now, make no mistake the difference is that if you come to the country illegally, okay, you are in a different category of someone who came here legally. And you're also in a different category of someone who has gone through the legal process to become a citizen. And you're you're in a different category than someone who was born here and became a citizen. Now, I like to say that I'm the luckiest of all because I was born here. My grandparents on one side
of the family came here. They were the ones who actually chose America for all sorts of reasons. And I think anyone who chooses America should be welcomed as long as they want to go through the process legally. So that's kind of what we're going to talk about tonight. There's a fundamental difference between the two parties as to how people coming here illegally should be treated, and it played itself out in front of Congress today, and I'd
like to know what your thoughts are. There are probably a small percentage of people, a really small percentage of people, who would say we should not have a border, we should be an open border. There'll be five percent of you out there who might call and want to make that argument. Love to hear from you, okay, Love to hear from you. A country without borders is no longer a country. Okay. In my opinion, I don't know the country in the world that has no borders. You see
them all on the map. But maybe there is, Maybe there is some poor country. They have other problems. They got to worry about getting water out of the ground. So I'd like to hear from you on this issue. Where do you stand on this? This is a fundamental issue that helped Donald Trump immensely in seven swing states and helped the republic Can Party. Did the Democrats need to change their message on this or or do they have the right message all along? Uh? You can join
the conversation. We have plenty of sound bites to play from people who questioned Mayor WU. We're going to deal with some of those and uh and the other the other mayors who were there, uh this There was even a little difference you could see between the mayors. The mayor of Denver was very very good. I thought he was the UH. He tried to be honest and UH and and he tried to answer the questions. The mayor from Chicago had no interest in answering the questions at all.
It was like talking I don't know, you know, talking to a mannequin, not going to get an answer out of him.
Uh.
The Republicans tried to craft questions. I don't think they did a particularly good job in the committee six one, seven, four, ten thirty six one seven, nine, three thirty. We're gonna have a conversation about this, and at the end of the night, maybe we'll better understand why on this issue the Democrats are so far apart from the Republicans, or to put it differently, the Republicans are so far apart
from the Democrats. We're all Americans, Okay. I don't think that there's people who have malice within either side, although there's allegations of that. We got a lot to explore in the next couple of hours at least, and I want you to participate. We'll be back on Nightside right after this.
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
So if you watch the hearing today, I would love to hear your thoughts as well. Let's start off, We're going to go right to the District of Columbia, Washington, DC itself and talk to our our representative in the nation's capital, Patrick Patrick, Are you there today or were you watching it on television?
I was doing the radio. I am a true believer in radio, so I will you know, I will stick to my guns and you know, stick to my medium, my favorite medium. However, let me just add real quick that the hits just keep on coming. Right Friday, we had the showdown at the Oval Office Corral. We went to the big speech last night and down today the big hearing man my sixty people members of Congress as sixty people that they had there.
That was a big That was a big crowd. But the thing that was interesting is neither of the two major network cable either CNN or Fox, carried it. It was carried live up here only by one television station, the a C affiliate here in Boston on Channel five. I was stunned the Fox didn't have it that because there have been so much built up to it. But did that surprise yeh yeah.
Well, like I said, I was on radio, so I didn't go through the I didn't go I didn't go over to the television. All right, Well, I'll take I will sit down and I'll pay attention. I'll literally I do want to listen to your radio program. I'll look at the radio and pay attention, you know.
So what'd you think? What'd you think?
Well, it seems that I'll agree with you about the mayor of Denver that he tried his best and he was, you know, more fair than I think that the other three. The other three I think came with they didn't came with an agenda. It wasn't the agenda. It wasn't it wasn't the agenda of the committee.
Right. Well, No, they were armed. They were armed with their talking points. Now, Mayo Wu used her talking points I thought pretty effectively. I as you know, I've been critical of her, but I thought that she did a very good job today. Uh did you see that that her that Boston taxpayers Sick spent six hundred and fifty thousand dollars for her to be prepped by some lawyers in Washington for this appearance.
Yeah.
I would have prepped her for half of that.
Oh, me too.
I mean, you know, she really shouldn't have and she should have had her facts and figures right there, you know, to carry in her briefcase right out of her office. She really didn't need all that, but that I guess that's because it was such a big audience that she might as well go ahead and get prepped. Because I think I remember an email to you saying, you know, this is her big national debut, and I think it you know, it was even though it was.
Turned out to be a big national debut if it was on Fox and CNN. Yeah, but now there was one local station up here who carried it live. To their credit. After a while, it was pretty clear that the Republicans weren't able really to ask questions. Well, they were not nearly as prepared. It goes back to the job that uh then well Congresswoman Stephanic did on the president of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania in those hearings a year ago in anti Semitism. She was
really good. You know, James Colmer is no Congressman Comber is no Congressman Stephonic in terms of what he was trying to ask. Jim Jordan was effective in the questions that he asked. He was going after the the mayor of Denver, Colorado. That what probably was the best exchange. But now, hey, they're living in two different worlds, the Democrats and republicanstrick.
Well, this is truth. When you look at the if you go to on your website WBZ website, there's pictures of protesters at city halls, you know, in supporting of Mayor Wu. I guess it was a wo pep white rally. Don't these people work? Don't these people work? Because here's the division here. We had the working people who don't want to pay for the migrants, and we had the non working people who want us working people to pay for the migrants. What games here?
Many many of the people I'm sure who were at the rally are again it used to be illegal als, then it was migrants, then it was Now it's called residence.
So everybody's the same. It doesn't matter. We're all residents. Well, we can't say citizens because because obviously they're not citizens, although I think some people would like to think that everybody's a I'm a citizen of the world, Patrick, and you're a citizen world citizens, and you know, Elon Musk is a citizen of the world, and Warren Buffett and George Soros, we're all just citizens of the world.
That's right, you know. And I thought It was funny when they bring up about, you know, Trump's billionaires, Well what about the democrats billionaires? Did they suddenly disappear? Do they they go broke or something? You know, what happened to them?
You know, Well they're right in the they're correct and the issue, so therefore they do carry the appellation of billionaire. It's all. It's Patrick, all right, buddy, I gotta let you run a nine thirty. Thanks for getting us going. That was a strong call. Thank you, Patrick, all right, good luck, talk to you, Sue, good night. Six one seven, two five four, ten thirty. That's the line that Patrick was on six one seven two five four to ten thirty. You can fill that up right now or six one
seven nine three one ten thirty. We will talk about this for a while because I do think it is a fundamental question that unless the country is going to remain totally divided on this particular issue, and we're each going to go in whatever direction or with with whatever group we feel closest to, there has to be some way to come up with something here, which which I think is what the Democrats were saying, you know, Mayorwoo
and others. We'll get to all of this. We got some time tonight, so let's sit back and think about what we're going to say and give us a call coming back on Nightside.
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WZ Boston's news radio.
Now, it did get a little fight, and so here's one exchange that I found interesting. Representative from Texas Republican asked a question of Mayor Wu and despite the efforts, wouldn't answer the question. Now. I understand that a lot of the questions are you know, got your questions, But this is a question that I think she should have answered, and she should have answered it in whatever way she wanted.
This has cut number forty six. Rob is Representative Pat Fallon of Texas talking to Mayor Wu about failures in the Biden administration on immigration.
You supported the Biden Harris administration politically, I did.
Yeah.
Okay, do you think that they took border security seriously?
I think Washington failed on immigration and continues to do so.
Let me ask that again. Do you think the Biden administration took border security seriously?
I think Washington failed.
Yes or no, it's not a true question, Mayor.
I think there's responsibility across this entire.
Line and we can eat it out of you.
Yes or no? Did Biden mystery?
Did did Biden Harris do a good job? You were supporting Kamala Harris?
Apparently you must.
Thought she was okay at it Washington?
Okay, so I can.
Answer, yeah, no, Again, I think that as opposed, she obviously was programmed by the people that she paid six hundred and fifty thousand dollars of Boston taxpayers' money to. Whenever anything came up like that that could cause a criticism of the Biden administration, she could have said. She could have said, look, they did not do an adequate job. The border remained open for four years. That was a
policy decision that I did not necessarily support. But again, you know, I just think that you know, everyone in Washington's has failed. Well, that's a good answer if you don't want to answer the question, and that one that did not help her. Let's get back to the calls. Where were we going to go to Dolores? Who is in Boston? Hey, Doloris, welcome next on Nightside, Go right.
Ahead, Yes, then thanks for taking my call. I thought, at pardon me, what did you say?
I said, thank you for calling? In you were saying, thanks for taking you.
What was the majority of the show today? And I taught mea Wu was very effective. I liked how she pushed back on them about the gun laws and the different things that she pushed back on them. What I didn't like I felt like the Republicans did not have a plan set up. They were just like bullying the mayors. My question is why did they choose only the blue states and why didn't they choose some of the red states.
Well, first of all, they were focused to Yeah, let me give you an answer. First of all, they were focused on the main problem that has developed is that here in Massachusetts, we're far from the Texas border, and migrants, illegal aliens, whatever phrase you're comfortable with, have now moved into Massachusetts and are costing taxpayers a lot of money. And there's a significant, you know, financial burden on Massachusetts that previously had been born by the state of Texas.
Chicago has had a huge influx. In Colorado, in Denver specifically, there's been a huge influx. And in New York. Mayor Adams was once very supportive of the Biden administration and he welcomed people getting off buses I remember picture of them literally handing out like welcome packages, little bags of toiletries and stuff like that, showing how much they were welcoming. And then they New York kind of changed their point of view because I think that New York has spent
somewhere around six billion dollars. I think that was what Adam said today. So most the import the impact of the aliens have they have tend to gravitate towards democratic cities. Now, there were other cities that could that have had an impact Los Angeles, certainly San Francisco, but I don't know that Blue states or red states have been nearly as welcoming. These are all cities that are states that held them
out as sanctuary cities or sanctuary states. That's why the Republicans, I believe, called these folks.
In Okay, let's back up to a little bit. They did not see this coming because they are hurting everybody instead of helping spending all this money.
I just want to make sure the Lord say this one an sure when you said they are hurting, you said they did not see it.
Everybody is hurting either financially.
Let me just if I can ask the question, I'd appreciate that, because I want to understand what you're saying. You said they are hurting because no one saw this coming. Who's hurting and who didn't see it coming?
In your opinion, the majority of the stage, red stage and blue stage. It's affecting us financially, okay, because look at Nebraska. They are going The state in Nebraska is going bankrupt within the six months because all the migrants who work the farm and all these areas are gone. They don't have nobody.
Afecting the farmers.
It's affecting everybody.
Wow, So the migrants. So just so I understand, I was unaware of this. The migrants have left Nebraska.
Yeah, the ones who indocumented the fear of ice. I read it on on on the internet today, because well.
If you read it on the internet, it has to be true. I mean there's nothing on the internet which is misleading. So I'll take this as true. All the migrants and are you were you called called the migrants or or legal aliens? Which which which would you prefer?
Whatever you want to call the No, no, what I want to Dolores.
I'm just simply asking what what you what you're comfortable with? What what's the best term, so that we're talking about the same.
Thing I am.
I am comfortable with indocumented aliens.
Undocumented aliens. So all of the undocumented aliens in Nebraska have left the Nebraska. Where are they gone?
We don't know because of the fair ice and the farmers are rebelling because they don't have nobody to work on the box.
Hmmm. Okay, I was unaware of that. Where did you see that?
I know you started on the internet, but I saw that today on on on on YouTube.
I saw that.
Today it on YouTube that that's one of the more reasonable state. Okay, fine, fine, so yeah, okay, go ahead.
But my understanding why can't the government and the Republicans and why can't they find a common ground and final what can we do with the problem instead of creating more problem and fare?
And okay, so what's the what is in your view? What is the problem?
Fix the damn problem? Give them the working papers, and the one who come at crimes, get them to hell out your face, and the ones who will do a decent job. Just give them the papers and let them work and go pay some damn passes.
Okay. And so do you make them citizens or or do you just have them work and pay taxes, make.
Them residents, make them legal, give them residency, and let them work their way up to citizenship while they're trying to figure out which way is up, while the government is trying to figure out what is up. Immigration is a long problem. It just didn't start a to Biden, it was a long, long, long problem, and it's just getting worse and worse and worse.
Finally, I think we got a little worse.
It got a little worse. I think that in fairness, and you're a fair caller, I think it did get a little worse under Biden, because Biden basically said, come one, come all, and you had a tremendous influx. What do you say to let me just ask you this, doors you're a reasonable person. What do you say to moms and dads who have lost children to violence by illegal immigrants? What do you say to those parents?
It's it's not a nice thing. I don't know what I would say because I've never experienced it on my own, but as a parent losing a child it could be devastating. I don't know what I would say or how would I think. Even if a citizen had done that to my child, I'll be bitter, I'll be angry.
So well, no, I agree with you.
By the way, it doesn't matter to me who the person is who kills an innocent child or rapes a woman, but it bothers me. But it bothers me that if an innocent child, which is redundant, but a child is killed by an illegal and that illegal was allowed into the country, uh, that that is a double tragedy because that child did not have to lose his life, his or her life.
So it's clear with you.
Yeah, I think we have a lot of area of agreement, and I appreciate the fact that you would call me on this one, and I hope you continue to call. We don't agree precisely, but I think we probably have an area of agreement, and and I've enjoyed the conversation.
I hope you have as well, and let's get together and help find a common grounds.
So absolutely, Well, that's that's fine. I didn't see much common ground in Washington today though, I'll tell you that. Thanks.
Thanks, talk to you soon, good night.
Good night. Okay, So we're gonna take break six one seven thirty six one seven nine. It's light up these lines and we'll get it going here. Who's up next? Right after the break, we're going to be talking with Larry, James and Jim and we have others coming in. We'll be back now.
Baptis dan Way live from the Window World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
All right, back to the phones and we'll go to Larry down to the Cape. Larry next on nights, I.
Grow a hit, sir, Good evening, Dan. I happen to be listening to BZ News during the day on the way to an appointment, and I did hear that six hundred and fifty thousand dollars figure. Yes, Having having lived in a section of Boston for a few years of couse a few years ago, and my son is still a detective on the Boston Police Department. I like to
follow what goes on in the city. I'd like to know we're in the budget they would allow six hundred and fifty thousand dollars just to prepare the mayor for this, because she was very polished today.
Yeah. I don't know where what line item it was taken from, but I'm sure there is some line item for legal expenses. A city legal expences, and of course they would argue that she's the mayor, she's been summoned in her capacity as mayor of Boston. I'm sure they could justify the the going in. I just count the amount of money, six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I assumed that the lawyers must have been with her twenty four to seven for the last six weeks to generate
six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Obviously not twenty four to seven, but must have been with her twenty thirty hours a week here in Boston. I don't know what else she was doing other than preparing for this. That's an amount of expenditures.
It was a very contentious hearing, especially with Diana Presley and one of the other members of the committee themselves. It was pretty hot and heavy. But here's here's the pot that I can't understand. I forget which member of the committee asked the mayors, all of them, a very simple question. If somebody comes across the border, whether they waited across the Rio Grande, or they came across and then was a getaway, are they committing are they breaking
a law? Not one of them could admit that they came across illegally. That was the most frustrating pot.
Well, they if that's the circumstances, they had broken the law, they're broken what's called Code thirteen twenty five. Improper entry by an alien I'm read looking at the code right here, and re entering the US illegally after being deported is a felony. That's a US Code section thirteen twenty six. So what happens is the Democrats are saying it's not a crime to come here illegally. It is a crime to come here illegally.
Correctly. One of the other one of the other committee members actually said, well, we could actually arrest you now for harbor and criminals.
Well that was yeah, that was one of them. Who I think, I think that's a little that's a far, a little hyperbolic, a little over the top in my opinion. That Let me see if I can find who that was. Yeah, this is yeah, here's the let me play that real quickly. This is cut thirty eight. Rob Mayor will being grilled by a Republican from Alabama named Gary Palmer, no relation to Arnold Palmer. Cut thirty eight. Go ahead, Rob.
Because of the supremacy clause. The laws of the United States take the preference.
But you didn't do that.
You declared your city, the boss city of Boston has declared a sanctuary city by you, mayor.
Being a sanctuary city as you describe it, or are being a city as we describe it that's home for everyone, does not.
It means that when a crime held account of.
People who are here lazily, and when you interfere with the officers of the law are who are there to even remove people that you know have committed crimes, you have violated your oath of office. You've committed a crime. Mister Chairman. I don't understand why we haven't been discussing obstruction of justice.
I think that's a reach to be really hot stee to Larry, But that's what that that.
Member, So yeah, I'll finish up with this. What's going to be really interesting. My daughter Jill is coming home from Afghanistan for a couple of weeks at the end of the month, and the only place that she can afford is where she stayed last time, is a hotel in Woban, and we're going to go up and visit her and I'll let you know. I'm sure it's loaded, loaded with all these illegals in there.
It's going to be side.
Yeah right, She's.
Actually do me a favor, Larry, Say, how did Jill for me? Okay?
I work to reporters the she's working for the I r C.
Now, Okay, I'd love to I'd love to get it back on the show. She was a fascinating guest, but I got to get one more in before the break.
Yeah, maybe you could have an interesting interview with her again. And then I sent you another email. I'm sure you get a million of them. There was a representative in Texas. This will be another subject for another night. Who wants to take away the protection that the government gave to the vaccine companies. That's going to be a really interesting decay.
Yeah again, Larry, I'm trying to accommodate one other caller here, so resend those to me and we'll talk about them. You have my number, give me a call, thanks much.
Okay.
Let me go to James and Derry, New Hampshire. James, I want to get you in here. I'll be happy to hold you over if you'd like me to, but I want to give you a chance to at least start your comments.
Go ahead, James, No, I just wanted to touch me through your report. So I think your last caller just pinpointed what I was going to say. It is a crime. They are committing a crime. And I know you're saying it's you know, not going exactly the way we should go with it, but they are committing a crime.
They need to be charged.
And I think what you're going to see is Tom Holman and all them. I think you're going to see them make a point with that, and I really hope to god they do.
I wouldn't be surprised. I think I think you very well might be right, James, to be honest with you. And again, you have real criminal criminality going on where people are going around and and and trying to tip off people about ice raids. I noticed one of the ABC network reporters was embedded with a crew going in and at four o'clock in the morning and grabbing some There's some really dangerous people here. I'm not looking to
throw people. You're not gonna be able to throw twenty people out of the country, but we got to figure out how many are here. I mean, you've got to get the dangerous ones out of the country, that's for sure, and they don't want to do it for some reason. The Democrats just look at the whole situation totally different where the Republicans look at it and never the Twains you'll meet. And that's the problem. We're a divided country right now, sadly and badly.
Well you know, at the end of the day you're saying, or divide it, and yeah, we are. But at the end of the day, we are our nation of laws, and they've broken the law. You know what I mean, they've broken law.
I understand your frustration.
Original in the LA area and they don't want that here.
James, do me a favorite. Keep listening to this program, keep calling the program. I appreciate your time very much.
Thank you.
Here comes the ten o'clock news only one line six point seven two five, four, ten thirty back right after this