The opinions expressed on this show are those of the host and not of iHeartMedia or its employees. Thank you for listening to NewsRadio 650 KENI. Amy Demboski, the show starts now. Our lines are open at 907-522-0650. This is The Morning Drive on NewsRadio 650 KENI. Good morning. It is finally Wednesday, February 12th. Current time, 6.06 a.m. Hopefully your day is off to a good start. How was your morning drive, Daryl? Cold.
Cold is the best answer I can give you. It's cold. Okay, so how cold is it right now in Anchorage? So... Officially, it's looking like, well, it was four degrees at my house when I left. I've seen six over here, and most of East Anchorage is in single digits. See, my app is so wrong for you. My app says 11. Okay, let me pull it. I'm pulling it back up. See if they've... No, now it says 9.
Okay. Warming trend. But it does say there is a warming trend over the next three days at Anchorage. Today, high will be 18. But by Saturday, the high is supposed to be 27. Oh, good. We're approaching our Dinrod and Rondi, so we've got to melt this snow out or it's not going to be a real Rondi. Melt this snow. It's funny that you think there's snow. I mean, it's like a dust covering. A dust covering. A duvet of snow?
Yeah, exactly. Maybe a sheet. I mean, it's not even, I don't know that it's fluffy enough to call it a duvet. But I was going to say, it's 13 degrees right now in Palmer. I'm getting Kenai at 11, Big Lake at 5. Very nice, very nice. And Fairbanks is coming in the coldest at negative 15. And it looks cold. Again, I pull up my cameras in the morning, and nowadays I pull up Fairbanks just to give it a quick look-see. And, yeah, it looks cold up there. It's definitely chilly.
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It is definitely. This is the reason why I don't live in Fairbanks. Oh, mine is the mosquitoes, but okay. Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Fairbanks is a great place to visit. Great place to visit. And good food. They have some wonderful restaurants in Fairbanks. Just some awesome Thai restaurants if you like Thai food. Just good restaurants in general, actually.
Solid, solid. Well, I will tell you, I've been looking forward to hump day. You know, it's been pretty busy. So, as I look at the week, you know, once I get to Wednesday, I'm like, it's all downhill from there. And next week's a short week, so. It's a very short week for me, so I'm going to tell you. I won't be here on Monday or Friday next week, so. Goodness, bookending. I know. I know, I am. It's going to be awesome. Well, I will tell you, I finally did my iHeartMedia FCC training.
Every year we have to do mandatory training, you know, so it's like FCC training, you know, what you can and can't stay on the air and then endorsement training, you know, training like.
You can't endorse stuff that you've not used, like be like, hey, this is the greatest apple pie in the whole wide world. You can't say that unless you actually try the apple pie. Well, see, and I have a pet peeve about that. And you like the apple pie. Well, I was going to say, I have a pet peeve about that because I won't.
endorse anything. Whenever you hear me talk about something on the air about that I like or food, that is literally not paid for anything and it's straight out of my heart and my stomach and my mouth. Yeah, see, I gotta tell you, I'm very picky about things. And I'm like, I won't put my name behind it if I don't think it's good.
Yeah, but I kind of laughed because yesterday was like the drop dead. It's like you have to have this done by 2-11. Exactly. And so, you know, I get home from work and everything, and it's like 7 o'clock at night, and I'm like, oh, I've got to do my training. of course I mean I could have done it with any time in the past month
But no. At any time, because it's on the computer and you just got to push the button and then answer questions and listen and answer questions. It is monotonous training, I got to tell you. It is. I did all three of mine, though, so two hours of my life I will never get back. is you just said something there so it says on it and this is just an example the training module is supposed to take for one of them 48 minutes i did the module
It was an hour and 10 minutes. And I'm literally like, how did they get 48 minutes out of this thing? I'm like, and I mentioned it to Crash, and Crash was like, yeah, it took me blankety blank to get it done, too. I'm like, okay, so it's not just me.
No, it's not. And I did all three of mine. I still have one left to do. No, I did all three of mine. I just knocked him out. But I sat down. It was like just after 7. And I got done at like 9.19 or something. And I didn't do it. I just went straight from the other side.
other to the other I was just like oh thank goodness this is done but you know what else you got to do on a Tuesday night I guess you could have watched the Anchorage Assembly meeting last night I watched bits and pieces of it this morning oh Better you than me, my friend. Better you than me. I'm sure we'll have some recap. We can get into that in just a second. But first, let's do some of our community announcements, shall we?
First things first, public meetings for the Matsu borough. The Bogard Road Service Area Board of Supervisors has a meeting tonight at 5 p.m. This is going to be via Teams. So if you need the link, go to matsugov.us. then click on the meeting and it'll give you the Teams ID link. Also tonight at 6 p.m., the Gateway Community Council has their meeting. Their meeting's going to be at the Extreme Fun Center.
And they do have a Zoom link, so if you can't attend in person, you can always attend via Zoom. Again, to get that link, all you have to do is go to matzoogov.us and then click on the title, and it'll pop up. The Meadow Lakes Community Council also has a meeting. They're going to be meeting at Meadow Lakes Senior Housing, which is 1210 North Kim Drive in Wasilla.
And they said you can email or you can go to mlccak.org for the Zoom link if you want to attend that one via Zoom. The Butte Community Council has their meeting tonight. Their meeting is going to be at 7 p.m. at the Butte Community Center. The Chickaloon Community Council has their meeting tonight. They will have their meeting at 7pm as well at the Chickaloon Community Center.
And you can go to chickalooncc.com for the Zoom link if you want to attend virtually for that one. And last but not least, the Greater Willow Road Service Area Board of Supervisors is meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Willow Park. Public Library. They do have a Teams link if you want to attend virtually. Just go to matzugov.us for more information. Once you get to the calendar, just click on the meeting that's interesting to you. and it'll give you a whole bunch more information.
Alright, there are no publicly scheduled meetings for West Silla or Palmer today, so we're going to skip on over to the Municipality of Anchorage. The only thing I see on their calendar for today is the Anchorage Police and Fire Retirement System regular board meeting. It's today at 9 a.m., 3600 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. I guess it's Avenue.
Second floor conference room. So, again, that's going to be 3600 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, second floor conference room at 9 a.m. this morning. If you need more information on this one, just go to muni.org. and click on the Mayor's tab. I mean, yeah, Mayor's tab, and then click on the Events tab. I'm really distracting myself because, Daryl, right now the DOGE subcommittee meeting is here, is happening.
And I'm so distracted because this Democrat from New Mexico is holding up pictures of J.D. Vance's, like, tweets. Well, that's all they've got right now. They don't have any facts or anything like that. They literally are just, well, so-and-so said this, and we didn't like the way they said it. No, I just, you know, they're losing their ever-loving mind, not because of... of the fraud, waste and abuse that's being uncovered but because of the fact that people are looking.
It's just entertaining to me. She's very animated. And I'm just like, oh, anyways. Okay, I digress. Let's continue with our community announcements. Today for the Kenai Peninsula Borough,
The tourism industry working group has been canceled, so that is not happening today. However, at 6 p.m. tonight, there is a Resiliency and Security Advisory Commission meeting. That's going to be from 6 to 8 p.m. zoom link for that so if you want that link of course just go to kpb.us the Nikiski fire service area board also has a meeting tonight at fire station number one in Nikiski that'll be from 6 to 8 p.m. this evening
And last but not least, the Western Emergency Service Area Board has a meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. That's when it's publicly noticed. It will be at 72440 Milo Fritz Avenue in Anchor Park. If you need more information on any of these meetings in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, just go to www.kpb.us and you'll be able to find it there. As far as the city of Kenai goes, today there is a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. That meeting will be at 7 p.m. I'm just pulling up their agenda packet here.
I should probably have a whole different screen just for their agenda packet. So the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in the city of Kenai tonight is going to be 7 p.m. in the council chambers located at 210 Fidalgo Avenue in Kenai. If you want more information, including the agenda, I don't really see a ton of stuff on their agenda tonight. But if you want to see their agenda, just go to Kenai.city, and you'll be able to find it there.
I didn't see anything in the city of Saldana for public notices, but I do want to remind everybody that they do have a business. exterior grant program. So if you want to spruce up your storefront in the city of Saldatna, there's grants available up to $7,500 to improve your business. The deadline to apply is February 28th, so if you need more information,
Just go to soldatna.org, and they have a widget right on their home page. Just click on it. You'll see where it says grants up to $7,500 available. Click on that, or you can call the Planning Department at 907-262-9107. And that really does it for our public announcements for today.
There's nothing in Homer that I see on their calendar. So we're going to go ahead and wrap this up. We're going to take our first break of the morning. If you'd like to call in, be part of the show. We're happy to have you. If you have an announcement you want us to plug, we're always happy to do that. Just give us a call.
522-0650. We'll be right back. Looking at your Alaska total traffic cameras on this Wednesday morning. Currently light traffic inbound on the Glen. Not seeing any stoppages or slowdowns out there. Roads look to be... Amy Demboski, 6 to 8, mornings on NewsRadio 650, KENI. Call now, 907-522-0650. Welcome back. Current time, 621 on this Wednesday morning. I'm going to go ahead and start with the phones this morning. Jim is with us. Good morning, sir. Yes, good morning.
I wanted to speak about the way the people who sing the national anthem, and even on advertisements, how they end it with brave. And brave should be high, not low, unless you really feel bad about being brave. So apparently they're expressing how they feel or how they want you to feel about the National Anthem. And I can remember back in 1958 where they were suggesting we change the National Anthem to the America the Beautiful.
They didn't like our national anthem. And I don't appreciate the way... Of course, it's been going on for a while. Don't hire anyone from Hollywood to sing it, because I'm pretty sure the next time they sing it... They'll be out there in their bathing suit, you know, dancing around, and I don't think that's appropriate for the national anthem. It tells a story. It's very important to who we are and why we are.
You know, I like a really traditional rendition of the National Anthem. So when I heard, yeah, when I heard, like... the super bowl one i don't like it when when when artists try to put their own flair on it to me i'm like it's it's it's not a song that i i like a traditional rendition i don't i don't care for them to personalize it
It's like making a speech. You go into a formal thing. You know, we do have people go to a formal, you know, some congressman goes there in his underwear, but the point is it's formal. It has something to say, and I don't want the Hollywood people to...
opinion on how it should be ran. It just isn't necessary because they're being paid. People go to Hollywood. Their most attraction is to have everybody applaud them. It's just like having their mom tell them how great they are. And money, of course.
But their opinion on how to sing the National Anthem is just garbage, most of them. I want to agree with you, Jim, but I want to interject one thing here, because you were talking about changing the National Anthem to America the Beautiful. The problem with this, there's a huge giddy-up in it.
this and that is there is a chunk of America right now that is pushing for the black national anthem and you may think I'm kidding I am not it is also played at the football games they're one of the ones that are doing it but a lot of other organizations and groups are adding this black national anthem. And if you go trying to change with the original one, it gives them ammunition to say, well, then why can't we just change it to this one and make it all of ours?
There's groups of people who are segregating themselves from the Americans. I 100% agree with you. I'd like to answer them as it is. I mean, I know what it's about, and I hear it, and I've been in the service, and I've got a general idea, although I'm only support.
I got a general idea of what that song means. And who... Oh, well, you know, there's a lot of people who want to segregate. You know, they want to be the same, but at the same time, they want to segregate themselves from the rest of society. And that'd be just from a drug user to an alcoholic to a... a guy dancing on the stage yelling his opinion about something. But anyhow, I'd appreciate it if they didn't. That song with Brave is the highest. It's supposed to be...
high, not low, you know, brave. No, it's brave. Well, thank you for weighing in this morning. Thank you for sharing this morning. I appreciate it. You know, it's always funny because I always say this. This is the fun part of doing a live radio show because you just don't always know the direction you're going to go in.
you kind of have to be good at rolling with everything. You know, there's some topics that come up, but I think he hits on a good point or he leads to a good point. And, Darrell, you brought it up specifically, which is, you know, There is an effort afoot to segregate society. And look, again, I say this, you know. They divide, they conquer, right? I think they know exactly what they're doing. They're doing it on purpose. I mean, and so, look.
I reject the black national anthem. There's no such thing as a black. In Amy's world, there's one national anthem. One team, one fight. It's like having two national birds. Yeah, right. We're one country. We have a national anthem. Now, that other song, I'm not saying it's not a pretty song. You know, you want to sing the song, sing the song. But what I'm saying is it's not replacing the national anthem in my world. I agree. It's funny, though. So the Democrats and them...
would, like you said, want to replace everything, and I hadn't thought about it. They actually had tried to replace the American bird. You know, they wanted to replace the eagle with Jim Crow. Oh, wait, no, Jim Eagle. That's what he wanted to replace it with, remember? So, you know, sorry, that's just me being a little bit of a... Oh, Daryl. Oh, Daryl. That's okay. I was going to say, I know you had somebody spit out their coffee when you just said that.
Sorry about that. Oh, well, you know, I'm going to surprise everybody here. You know, I will tell you, those that follow Mustard Alaska, this is a story that I just haven't gotten to in a couple of days. i do want to every now and then you got to highlight the good right when you find some i really search when there's somebody that i don't agree with i really search to try to find things that i agree with them on
And that's why I've given some people some consternation the more I focus on Fetterman. Because they're like, look at Amy, how many times do you keep saying you're agreeing with Fetterman? Something's wrong. I'm not saying something's wrong. What I'm saying is, you know, look, sometimes even a blind squirrel can find a nut, right? Every now and then, we can get lucky.
But Lisa Murkowski, I just, look, we're going to sing her praises for like half a second. It's going to happen. Are you ready for this? Mustry Alaska has the article up. Murkowski signals she will be a yes vote for Tulsi Gabbard for National Intelligence. instructor. That's right. You didn't hear us
A stutter on that one. Senator Lisa Murkowski says she will vote to confirm former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii for the Director of National Intelligence for President Donald Trump. The Senate confirmation vote is expected later this week. Here's her quote.
While I continue to have concerns about certain positions she has previously taken, I appreciate her commitment to rein in the outside scope of the agency while still enabling the ODNI to continue its essential function and uphold national security as she brings independent thinking and necessary oversight to her new role I am counting on her to ensure the safety and civil liberties of American citizens remain rigorously protected end quote
So there you have it. So, you know, here we go. We pulled her along. I'm telling you, though. We'll see. I haven't heard of it. I haven't heard a response yet for RFK Jr. or for Cash Patel. And your optimism is wonderful, and I appreciate Amy, but I am not going to believe it until it's actually cast as a vote.
Because otherwise, yeah, no, I can see her. Because this gets all of us off her back for a couple of days. And, yeah, no, until I actually see her register that vote, I'll still be nodding and going, okay, okay. Yeah, we'll see. You know, so Murkowski hasn't set her position yet on Kennedy or on Kash Patel that I'm aware of. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, though, she's another fence sitter. She has said she's going to be supporting, yes. for Kennedy so we will see
But we are expecting the Kennedy and Gabbard votes today, but they are in an all-out press. I talked about this yesterday briefly. They are in an all-out press to try to defeat Kash Patel. There's been a signal by. Like over half a million law enforcement officers have signaled their support for Kash Patel. But now the Democrats, they're going to try every little thing. Look, right now there's a news story out saying, Democrats...
Accusing Kash Patel of lying under oath. Perjury. Okay, okay, okay. You know, they're going to, look. If they could find a way to say he kicked puppies, they would say he kicked puppies. If they, whatever, doesn't matter if it's true or not, whatever they can say to try to make it stick to slow him down again.
In politics, delay is death, right? If you have a bill, if you have a nomination, the longer they drag it out, what they're trying to do is they're trying to peel off four Republican votes. That's all they're trying to do. They're accusing him, though. You've got to tell them what it is that's making them say he perjured himself because it's so ridiculous that it's not funny.
Let's do this. Let's go ahead and take a break, and then when we come back, we will get into it. If you'd like to call in, be part of the show, 522-0650. This is News Radio 650, KENI, Anchorage. Alaska State Troopers say the next of kin for all 10 plane crash victims have been notified. All 10 victims were identified as residents of Alaska, and they ranged in age from 30 to 58 years old. We'll be right back. And a Nanooks cross-country skier is coming home with
a silver medal from the Under-23 and Junior World Championships. Representing her home country of Australia, Rosie Fordham finished second in the Women's 10K Freestyle Interval over the weekend in Italy. That's the latest. I'm John Fink. News Radio 650. KE&I. Depend on it.
Looking at your Alaska total traffic cameras on this Wednesday morning. Currently light traffic inbound on the Glen. Not seeing any stoppages or slowdowns out there. Roads look to be in pretty good shape in town. Traffic is moving well also. If you see traffic problems on the road, dial pound 250 on your cell. say total traffic. From the Swickard Chevrolet Anchorage Traffic Studios, I'm Daryl Dean. This report is sponsored by iHeartAdvertising.com. Run a business and not thinking about radio?
Think again, because people are listening to radio more today than they did 20 years ago. And only iHeartRadio connects with more Americans than TV, digital, even social. Learn how radio can help your business. Call 844-844-iHeart. Join the excitement. Reach out to Amy now. 907-522-0650. That's 907-522-0650. It's Amy DeVosky on NewsRadio 650.
Welcome back. Current time 636 on this glorious Wednesday morning. It is hump day. We have made it. Once you're up on Wednesday, the rest of the week is basically cakewalk. Piece of cake. You got this. Well, Trump's, according to Newsweek, Trump's FBI pick Cash Patel is accused of perjury. What? No, it isn't so. What?
Oh, these Democrats. Anytime Dick Durbin opens his mouth, I'm just going to say, you know, move along. Would you like to say something like this? Hold on a minute. Would you like to say something like this? These are lies. This is garbage. This is milk. I don't know, Jill. That kind of sounds like me. It's really not me, but it sounds a little bit me.
Okay, this is what to know. Dick Durbin on Tuesday released a letter to the Justice Department Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, raising concerns about part of Patel's testimony. The letter was first reported by the New York Times. The senator wrote that he has received, quote, highly credible information from multiple sources, end quote, that means other Democrats, that Patel has been, quote, personally.
directed the ongoing purge of career civil servants at the FBI, despite the fact that he is still a private citizen and is yet to be confirmed. Okay. All right, so German goes on to write, quote, I understand that Mr. Patel's directives are being carried out through the concerted efforts of White House Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Stephen Miller. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emile Bovee. Is it Bovee or Bove? I think it's Bovee. I think it's Bovee. It's B-O-V-E. Bove. Bove. Bove.
Ah, you know. So anyways, it goes on to say, several members of the newly established FBI Director's Advisory Team, this alleged misconduct is beyond the pale and must be investigated immediately. End quote. It's amazing. Beyond the pale. Wow.
Beyond the pale. You know what's beyond the pale? Letting a crackhead sit in on presidential briefings. That's beyond the pale. You know what's beyond the pale? Having some dude with dementia for the past three years pretend he's commander-in-chief. You know what's beyond the pale? giving let's see social security benefits to a hundred and fifty year old yeah you heard me right
I'm pretty confident that person's probably dead and not really 150. You know what's beyond the pale? Democrats defending fraud, waste, and abuse. That's what's beyond the pale. Bingo. I'm telling you, I'm rarity to go today. I'm ready to go today. Like, everybody knows I'm all in for Kash Patel. You know, I said a whole lot, a lot, many, many times. Like, he's the one I cared about. So he is the one to them that is the most dangerous. I don't know. I was kind of.
I was kind of swinging towards Tulsi Gabbard saying, I don't know, maybe she's the one that's the most important. But Kash Patel, the way they're coming out fighting against him, the way they're pushing as hard as they're pushing against Kash Patel.
what it tells me is he's over target there's a whole lot they're burying he's the one they fear the most and they should frankly because he's smart and he's competent and he knows what he's doing so again You have basically a nominee, a cabinet official, Well, his FBI director is not a cabinet official. But you have a nominee to head up the FBI who knows exactly what he's doing. Look, as a DOJ prosecutor, he prosecuted terrorism. You know he worked with lots of FBI agents. I mean...
This is how it works in prosecutions, right? cops build the case and they have to take it to a lawyer and say, hey, will you prosecute this case? I can't tell you how many times that I've heard of or seen where the prosecutor's like, look, Look, you didn't read them as rights. We can't use this evidence. We can't bring this case forward. The attorneys are so pivotal to actually getting...
a case brought to trial, I mean, they are the ones that say, yeah, I'll prosecute or no, I won't. So they work very closely with law enforcement. Cash Patel knows exactly what he's doing. I will just tell you that's the reason they're pushing back so hard against him. It's kind of fun to see. And it's kind of also fun to see Doge and their efforts. I can't wait to see. I will tell you when.
When the repeat is up for this Doge subcommittee, I can't wait to watch it. I've got to be honest with you. As they expose the war on waste, that's what they're calling it. It's going to be sensational. You know, Elon Musk is 10 steps ahead of these Democrats. Well, and that's what's freaking him out. 10 steps ahead. So there's an article I've been holding for a couple days. Daily Caller had an article up a couple days ago. And this was written by Emily Kopp.
You know, it's really funny. She says Musk quietly inserts DOGE across federal agencies and move that could uproot a $162 billion government industry. Yeah, you heard me right. I didn't stutter. 162B with a billion-dollar government industry. So she goes on to say, as federal employees launch protests of entrepreneur Elon Musk's disruption of federal agencies last week,
the Office of Personnel Management quietly released a memo shoring up the formal structure of the Department of Government Efficiency. The OPM memo dated February 4th seeks to redesignate The redesignation of the CIOs, that's the chief information officers across government, from career positions to political appointees. OPM has recommended that every agency send a request to OPM to reclassify its CIO role from career reserved to general by February 14th.
The new CIO positions will be working with DOGE, a source familiar with the story reported. The new memo gives the greatest detail about how DOGE will operate within the federal government since the January 20th executive order. Yet it has been entirely overlooked by the legacy press, which has relied largely on career officials within the government who characterized Doze's actions as extra-governmental. Democrats, like New York Representative AOC, have...
sought to portray the effort as a coup. It isn't a coup. It is a government-sanctioned oversight. Think of it that way. It is somebody's looking at the books and saying, Where are you spending your money? It's kind of like an audit if you think of it. No, that's exactly what it is. And so as you look at it, but here's why this is so important is because we've said this for a long time.
You know, the fourth branch of government is the established bureaucracy that nobody has control over. So all the executives... They get changed out with every new administration when it flips from Republican to Democrat or Democrat to Republican, right? They go through and they wipe out all their political opponents and they bring in their own people. Both sides do it. But who doesn't change in that? It's generally...
the classified employees, right? It's not the executives. It's usually the employees that are kind of, they're not the appointments. They are the career civil servants. Those are the ones that don't change out.
And so when you have them, and some of them actually are in higher levels of middle management, and when you have them in certain positions, but when you get to the chief information officer, the CIO positions, And now we are saying, wait a second, we're going to reclassify those from basically career bureaucrats to now executives, you know, appointees.
What does that give them the ability to do? It gives them the ability to change them out, really, and put, you know, if they're not going to play nice, kind of like what we saw with FEMA. this past week, right, where the president gives an executive order that all this spending is supposed to be freezed and stop sending FEMA money.
for illegal migrants. It's supposed to be for emergency disasters here in the US. And then you have four FEMA employees who do what? They ignore the president's executive order. And they send the money to New York anyway, $59 million to New York City anyway. Well, those four people are now out of jobs today because they figured out who it was, who was involved, all of them. See this is why I say this is a test and these people are too stupid to realize it's a test
Like Trump and Musk are basically dangling the bait out there and saying, okay, let's see who bites. Then when you see who bites, those are the first to go. Not only are you making an example for others, but you're finding the people. that are intentionally, knowingly violating an order of the President of the United States.
Gone. So the CIOs are going to be critical because once they're able to get these people in these information technology type of positions in every single department, they're going to... Imagine what they're going to find. Imagine what they're going to find. So you've got to start to, you know, muck out. The entrenched bureaucrats. Not all of them. I'm not saying, look, I worked with some sensational bureaucrats. And I don't use bureaucrat as a bad word.
Because I have said this before it's the reason I went to work for the state It's the reason I went into a department It's because I believe you have to have good people in the belly of the beast in order to make change It's not just the elected officials because you can have all the greatest elected in the world, but if you have entrenched people that are going to fight the elected officials, you're never going to change anything.
You've got that. And also something I think I've noticed in this is a lot of these middle management ones are all represented by unions. Oh, yeah. And so and like like Trump just signed right or not Trump Biden right before he was walking out of office three days before Signed a deal with the unions that said well, you can't do this and you can't do that You know firing the people and stuff like that and you know make them come back for work and it's like
Like they're covering themselves in multiple ways to where you can't fire them because, oh, well, our paperwork says you can't fire us. Well, you know. A longstanding saying is personnel is policy. And at the end of the day, if one administration binds the hands of another administration, for example, what the Biden administration tried to do.
They tried to say, you cannot make these people come back to work in the office. Okay, well, how do you manage people if you can't actually manage people, right? I mean, again, that's one administration saying, oh, no.
I'm going to let all of these people work from home. Well, guess what? You're not president anymore, so you don't get that choice. If I'm telling them they need to be in the office to do their job, if I want to have a face-to-face meeting with them, they've got to show up. I mean, at the end of the day,
the day, that's exactly what the Biden administration tried to do, is they tried to bind the hands of the Trump administration. And the Trump administration, look, this is all going to get battled out in court.
But at the end of the day, if one administration is able to bind the hands of another administration and say, you know, you only need 10 people to do the job, but we have, you know, 100 people employed to do the same job, if you can't... streamline and make it more efficient you're never going to win this I mean if you can't win that argument that personnel is policy and that the president doesn't have the right to control his own personnel you don't even have
You don't have a democratic republic anymore. I mean, you don't have an executive. I mean, then the president's just a puppet. If he can't even manage his own personnel, he's a puppet. He doesn't mean anything. So at the end of the day, I think the courts are going to side with Trump on this, but I'm telling you, it's getting good. It's getting real good. All right, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
20s. Our slow warming trend continues with highs topping out in the upper 20s by weeks in. For Alaska's weather source, I'm meteorologist Aaron Morson. Now back to the boss, Amy Demboski. Call 907-522-0650 and be a part of the show on NewsRadio 650. KENI. Welcome back. Current time, 653. I gotta tell you, Daryl, I feel bad for the Democrats. I don't. I feel...
I know I do, because imagine being in their position. Right now, the headline on Fox News, as this hearing is underway, Doge hearing as Dems denounce efforts to cut waste. And that's exactly what is true. That is so what is true. They're in this no-win position. Okay, first of all, you know, they were in this position of trying to defend bringing, you know, 10, 15, 20 million, who knows how many.
illegals came in this country under Joe Biden. They were in this position where they had to defend open borders, right? Oh, you people are just mean. We don't, you know, you know, criminals, oh, no, no, they're just undocumented citizens. They just, they just. they need love too so they're in this position where they're having to defend murderers and rapists and drug traffickers
And then inflation, right? When we deal with inflation under Biden, you know, when your bread goes from, I don't even know how much, it goes up, you know, 70% in price. And they're trying to defend, oh, no, no, no, there's really no influence. No, you don't see what you actually, no, it's all Trump's fault. right that's what they kept saying um okay and now they're in this position where we're finding billions of dollars of fraud waste and abuse and now they're trying to defend it
And how do they do it this time? Now they do it by, you know, they're yelling at the girlfriend who took the boyfriend's phone that found out he was cheating, right? They're like, oh. How dare you look? This is just such an invasion. That's not the way we do things. We don't look at that, okay? There's a process.
There's a process we need to go through. And we need to trust. Well, the process is what got us here. I've got to be honest. It's what got us here. New headline coming out this morning. And this is in the Associated Press. Buckle up. It's going to be fun. Doge cuts $900 million from agency that tracks American students' academic progress.
A federal research agency that tracks the progress of American students is being hit with almost $900 million in cuts after Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency found no need for much of its work. I love the Associated Press because you've got to read it with a disdain. The snideness, yes. Yes, you do. It's unclear to what degree the Education Department of Institute of Education Sciences will continue to exist.
after must teams slash scores of contracts. Industry groups said that at least 169 contracts were suddenly terminated on Monday, accounting for much of the Institute's work. I've got to be honest with you, I've never heard of The Education Department's Institute of Education Sciences. Have you ever heard of it? I've never heard of it. I'll bet people are making major six-figure salaries in it, though.
But here's what it says. The action will have no effect on the institute's primary work, including NAEP assessment, which we've all heard of the NAEP. That's the national assessment scores or testing. It says it will have no impact. on the NAEP assessment. Okay, then. That's their main primary function. So I would guess the 169 other contracts aren't related to their main function. And if that saves us $900 million, go Dose. Yeah, yeah.
Go Doge. That's all I got to say. It's hilarious to see them lose their ever-loving mind. If I could tell you I could do something for $100 and somebody else is charging you $1,000. I think you would do it for $100. Just saying. If they can find efficiencies, find them. Save me some money. All right, let's go ahead and take a quick break. We'll be right back.
The Rondi Country Jam is a way to kick off 90 years of Rondi at the Egan Center. Friday, February 21st with Alaskan's own Ken Piltier. The opinions expressed on this show are those of the host and not of iHeartMedia or its employees. Thank you for listening to NewsRadio 650 KENI. Welcome back to live, local, and insightful Morning Drive Radio on NewsRadio 650 KENI. Welcome back.
hour two of the Amy DeBosky Show broadcasting live and local every weekday morning from 6 to 8 a.m. right here on 650 a.m. if you're listening on the radio dial. If you'd like to stream us, there's multiple places you can do that. You can go to 650keni.iheart.com or you can just download the iHeart Media app.
Either place you can find our podcast. You can also find the podcast on Spotify, the Amazon app. There's lots of places you can find our podcast. It is really a pleasure to be able to be here on a local show. every weekday morning, and we talk about the things you care about. We try to anyways. It is going to be an exciting day right now. The U.S. Senate is now debating, and the vote is underway for Tulsi Gabbard to be confirmed.
as the Director of National Intelligence, so that is happening right now. I'm watching Chuck Schumer lose his ever-loving mind. I'm sorry. He hasn't had his mind in a while. I love winning. You know, I got to be honest with you. Like the visual of him and Maxine Waters out there going, we will win. We will win.
Like I wanted to give him some prune juice or something. I don't know. I got to tell you, he just, they looked ridiculous. It all looks staged. And I got to tell you, I don't, I don't know who that government person was that wouldn't let him in that building. But that dude deserves a medal. A medal. It was really hard because he wouldn't show his ID the second time. So I don't even know who he was. You know, they're like.
Show us that idea again. I know. I know. You know, I got to pepper in some. I know there's a lot going on on national level right now, and we will get back to it. But I have to pepper in some state stories because here's what we know. There are some realities in life. One, the government will always spend every single penny you give them and then more, right? They will always come to you and say,
Oh, we just don't have enough money. We need more money. Right? That's what they do constantly. You know, so there's some things in life that are just guaranteed. Death and taxes are two of them. And in Alaska, the legislature just can't quite control themselves, right? They always want more and more and more and more. And we said this when they started taking your permanent fund under Bill Walker. When they started taking your permanent fund under Bill Walker, it was just, you know what?
We're just going to take 75% of it. No, we're going to take 25% of it. 75% is for you. That didn't last very long. And then it's like, well, there should be a 50-50 split. Okay, that didn't last very long. And then it's like the government's going to take 75% of it and leave you with 25%. Look, it's not going to be long and it's gone. They want to raise the BSA to an ungodly amount of money.
that we can't afford. They're not telling us how they're going to pay for it. And then they turn around and they want to return to a defined benefits plan, which, remember, the last defined benefits plan is still $6 billion in the red. So we've been saying this over and over and over and over again. They can't afford it. There's no way they can pay for it. They're going to wipe out your entire permanent fund dividend, and then they're going to have to raise taxes. There's no other way to do it.
Because you have to pay for the Alaska state budget somehow, right? Do they have money in savings? Sure. They have money in savings. But you can't live off of savings because eventually that savings goes away. So they have to have a budget that they can live with, right? Well, here we come. I told you it was going to happen. I told you it was going to happen.
Here's the headline in the ADN this morning. Alaska Senate leaders suggest new revenue measures to address looming budget deficit. How about we start with not passing? big ol' whoppers of bills that will take people's PFD and put us in the hole. Let's start with not introducing new programs that are going to cost us more money. Let's just start there.
So the Alaska Doge needs to come in. But remember you warned that Peppa, this was information, right? I think Peppa has something she needs to say right here because a lot of these people told us that we would not be lied to, that we would not be getting... taxes. We're going to keep our dividend and stuff. And Peppa, Peppa has a thing to say here. Oh no. Oh no. What do you got for me? I'm sorry I said you cheated. Even though you did cheat.
As Peppa said, we can be friends, but I'm sorry I said you cheated, even though you did cheat. Well, they did lie to us. Well, here's the thing. We all knew it was going to come. So now I'll get into it, though. Hold on to your britches because it's not. Not that bad yet. I mean, Alaska Senate leaders signaled Tuesday they were open to considering new revenue measures this year to help stabilize the state's looming budget deficit.
When, look, when you're digging, when you're in a hole, stop digging. This isn't complicated. You guys are proposing, two of your biggest things are to keep digging. You want to add more to the BSA, and we're not talking a little bit. We're talking substantially. And they want to go back to a defined benefit retirement system. Remember, again, in the old system, $6 billion in the hole.
And they want to double down on that. So I don't want to hear you whining and complaining about a budget deficit because literally your policies are going to double down and make it worse. Senator Lyman Hoffman from Bethel, Democrat. He says we haven't addressed revenues for decades. I think it's high time the legislature looks at raising new revenues if we want to accomplish the many things that we want to do. If not, I don't see a clear path.
forward to balancing not only this year's budget, but next year's budget, end quote. Duh. I've been telling you this for a year. For a year. All the crap that they're proposing, the Democrats in the legislature, and let's not forget Chuck Kopp and Louise Stutes in the House. They're the ones who gave the legislature in the House.
over to the democrats the crap that they're peddling is all going to cost money and i've been saying this from the beginning where's the money going to come from where's it going to come from The obvious is they're going to take your entire PFD. That's what's going to happen. I mean, they might try to throw you a couple of crumbs just so it doesn't seem so bad, right?
You might get a couple hundred bucks, just so it doesn't seem so bad. But trust me, next year, the year after, it'll completely be gone. And then that still doesn't cover the check they're writing. So then they have to introduce new revenue measures. Now, Gary Stevens is trying to walk it back, trying to walk it back and trying to say, you know, wait a second.
Kodiak, Republican Gary Stevens, who's, again, putting Democrats in charge in the Senate, he says the Senate majority has not discussed a sales tax or income tax. Nope, nope. No, we're not going to come after you yet. Instead, both Hoffman and Wilikowski pointed to possible measures that could increase taxation on what? Oil and gas companies. By hundreds of millions annually. So again, we talk about this is what they do all the time.
Right. Look, Walachowski, if he could if he could tax 100 percent of the profits of oil and gas companies, I think he would do it. Well, yeah, they're supposed to do it on just a good. I absolutely think he would do it. Like, you know, I've never seen somebody.
pro-taxing an industry out of our state as Bill Wolokowski. It's ironic to me, this is Alaska's bread and butter, and this is why Alaska so often gets gets the short end of the stick when it comes to oil and gas development, it's because we have a very unstable...
system because every few years the legislature wants to rack up their taxes over and over again but there comes a point when you look at some of these big companies that have pulled out of Alaska you have to look at the stability of the region and part of that stability major part of that stability for Alaska is the tax structure. Because if they can go other places, they're going to go other places where there's a stable tax structure.
And we don't go back and forth. So are we going to cut off our nose to spite our face? And I'm telling you right now, this is just kind of like that saying, first they come for them, then they come for you. There comes a point when oil and gas taxes are not going to cover the levels of spending that they want to reinstitute. They're not going to cover it. I'm telling you, right now.
All of this nonsense passes. Next thing you're going to be talking about is a statewide sales tax, an income tax, an education tax. Bring back the cruise ship head taxes, tourism taxes, everything that they can think of, that's what they're going to do. Because you cannot sustain, this is a basic math problem. You don't have to be pro or anti any of these policies. You first have to be able to do basic math. And you cannot spend more than you're taking in.
If you spend more than you're taking in, you're going to eat up your savings and you're going to be at that point where you don't have the money to pay your bills. Right? So this particular legislature. Do you think they actually want to cut costs, streamline it, and make things more efficient? It doesn't look like it from the policies they're putting forward. It doesn't look like it at all.
It looks like the exact opposite if you ask me. So, again, and I've been saying this for a year, when they come back... We all knew before they even started, the two things they were going to do is they were going to try to increase the PSA by millions and millions and millions of dollars. And actually, it's $1.4 billion over three years.
And then they're going to go back to a defined benefit retirement plan that they have no way to pay for. And they still haven't given us a fiscal note. No. No. The only way for them to make this work is if they raise new revenue. Right? That's code word for tax. They will start with the oil and gas companies. Then they will move to you. And don't make any mistake about it. Taking your PFD is a tax. Period.
It is a tax. It's taking money directly out of your pocket and putting it towards their special interest. And it's taxing your kids and grandkids. Remember that? Everybody. So, you know, again, when I see this headline in the ADN today. Does it surprise me? Not one iota. Look, I'm not Nostradamus. I just know how to add.
And it's obvious to me, you cannot have this level of spending without them raising new revenue. And I'm saying that with, you know, lots of quotes going on. All right, we're going to take a quick break. If you'd like to call in and be part of the show, 5220.
650. Looking at your Alaska. It will continue to hold on to that stretch of sunshine with temperatures warming into the upper teens and the lower 20s. Our slow warming trend continues with highs topping out in the upper 20s by weeks in. For Alaska's weather source, I'm meteorologist. You're listening to live, local and always insightful Morning Drive Radio. with Amy Demboski on News Radio 650 KENI. Get on the show now by calling 907-522-0650.
all righty my dear friends let's start with the phones i'm going to start with gary good morning sir good morning first of all i'm going to be like trump drill baby drill But that's not going to be a solution for everything because I watch them down there off and on, and it is. It's just spend, spend, spend, and it's terrible. Don't we have, like, $80 billion in the permanent fund? I mean, we don't want it to get lower, but why wouldn't we get paid when you got $80 billion in there?
Well, I will tell you, we have plenty of money in our accounts to pay the statutory dividend. They just have to choose to spend it that way. But again, they're choosing to spend our money on something else. That's what they're doing. Did I lose you Gary? Are you still there? I think I lost Gary.
Gary, thank you. You make a good point, Gary, though, that we do have plenty of money for them to be able to prioritize following the law if they choose to. All right, let's go to Bruce. Good morning, sir. Morning, Amy. Morning, Daryl. um what you just talked about the adn article i was actually going to call in friday about this very topic so y'all beat me to the punch um as i look at it you know we look at the national level trump and the playbook that he did to make the greatest comeback ever
and actually lead the GOP at the national level, and he's cutting spending, he's finding corruption, and all these things. Who is the leader of the GOP in Alaska? Because you just outlined in this article... We're going towards an income tax, a sales tax. There's going to be a PFD gone. Who is leading the GOP here at the state level to do the playbook that Trump has shown that wins and that conservatives? And Americans want. I don't know who the leader is here in Alaska for the GOP.
Yeah, you know, that's a really good point. Who is going to emerge as the one who isn't? I don't know who it is. I would say, you know, if we're looking in the legislature, you know, I don't know who's actually emerging as the leader this year. is going to be the biggest voice out there. I can't answer it for you today. I know I've had conversations with Senator Schauer. I've had conversations with Senator Hughes. I've had conversations with Kathy Tilton.
You know, I'm hearing all these people. And, you know, speaking of Kathy Tilton, you know, she's a representative for District 26. We have our meeting on Thursday. If people want to show up to, if you live in District 26, you'll be able to hear directly from her because she usually.
calls into our meetings and gives us a judo update but that's my point to your point you know who who's going to emerge as the leader and start talking to people and telling telling us what's happening and what's going on Yeah, and all those people you named off, I've talked to them all too, plus others just like you, and I like them all. I do. I do like them, and I hope they do the right thing. Trump has given the playbook. I'm going to reiterate it.
conservatives listen republican leaders trump has given you the playbook somebody has to step up somebody has to put a stop sign on this nonsense we can't afford and keep going down this path Trump is showing you. I just hope somebody emerges and take the lead because I'm not seeing it. You know who the natural person would be to do that? It would be the governor.
Exactly. You read my mind. I swear sometimes we're linked. I wish he would use his bully pulpit more and call out these rhinos and say this is what we need to do. You're exactly correct. I mean, to be honest, he's the one who has the veto pen. He's the one who wields the most power to be able to control the spending and the budget. He's the one who has the authority to do it. And he has enough votes in the legislature, I think. hold up his vetoes and so you know again
Where is he on this topic? Is he, you know, I hear from sources, you know, he's working behind the scenes. But, you know, people are hungry for leadership, to your point. They want to know what's happening. And when we start seeing articles in the ADA,
saying they're seeking new revenue measures. Look, we all know that means taxes, and it's not going to stop with oil and gas. That's their easy pickings, right? It's like the PFD. They always go to oil and gas. But you're next because this level of spending.
cannot be sustained without taking money out of your pocket. Period. There's no mathematical way for that to happen. And if they go down this path, you're going to see more of an outflow of Alaska. People are going to leave because they simply can't afford it.
And it's going to come the national park for the Democrats in the lower 48. So if they keep going down this path, they're going to ruin the state. And it's going to be unfortunate because it's such an amazing place with great people. Yeah, you're right. And, you know, we have to talk about something else that's absolutely true.
If not for some of the Republicans in the legislature, we wouldn't even be in this mess because we've elected more Republicans than Democrats. But you have people like Gary Stevens, Bert Stedman. You have people like Kelly Merrick. You have people like... Chuck Kopp and Louise Stutes that have caucused with the Democrats to give Democrats control, and they're the ones that are pushing this agenda of more spending.
and then taxing you. I mean, that's the reality. And if we don't speak truth, we're not going to be credible. And the fact that people won't say that out loud, I know, is infuriating. But at the end of the day, that's exactly what has happened, is you have weak-kneed, sissied Republicans that have run as Republicans that lied to voters that put Democrats in charge. Period. That's what happened.
Yeah, and when we go to these meetings, and that's the thing, nobody wants to say that out loud. And I'm sick of being quiet, and I want more from my leaders, and we expect more. And that's all I got to say. You got me all riled up today. All right, I have mission accomplished. Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate the call this morning. All right, let's go to Bob. Good morning, sir. Good morning, Bob. Oh, hey.
Amy, I kind of cut out there. It's great to hear you, and it's always a pleasure. Hey, it's a great subject of conversation today. It seems to... get people's interest, and keep the blood pressure going this early in the morning. That's a good thing. Maybe even better than a cup of coffee. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, so my comments are that last year...
About this time, there was a meeting put on by Senator Giesel's staff and that had to do with this very subject that she was... completely for and going to ensure that we have a state income tax and that our vaunted and sacred PFD was going to be in her pocket, the pocket of the legislature. And she was going to find every way possible to make that happen. And it was absolutely sobering, stunningly sobering. We probably had 50 or so people in the room is all.
It wasn't very well advertised, but this is a page out of her playbook, and she's dead set serious about it. And as you have been bringing up... This is on her agenda for this year, and if she can get this to happen, she will. It's amazing what a turncoat. she has become since 10 years ago or so when she first ran as a conservative. She's anything but that. So my...
My question is, okay, so we're faced with an income tax. We're faced with zero PFD. She wants it all. This is going to be pretty painful for the Alaska resident. If we're going to do that, perhaps we can have some other entities out there help share the pain. She talked about multiple streams of income, or she did. or somebody is, about trying to fill our coffers and our bloated budget. So how about Nick Bagich, for example, sent...
emails out recently about a couple of bills that he's trying to cobble together and gain support for in the federal government. And my thought is What about our billionaire native corporations? I know this is a sacred subject, you know, sacred cows and all that. And it's a federal issue based on how it's been written.
But if we can somehow figure a way to generate popular support for allowing and encouraging our 12... billionaire native corporations to pony up and to help support their very government that's allowing them no-compete clauses and a guaranteed sources of income and profitability year over year. Back in the day, when it was first instigated, 20, 25 years ago or more, these corporations were poor. They needed to be guaranteed.
a source of income that would allow for the financing of their tribes and corporations and lands and everything else. And so that was a good idea. Well, they're going to... still be profitable from here on out just due to the fact that they have been so profitable. There were billions and billions apiece. You make a really good point, Bob, because when you start bringing up 8A contracting, everybody's... All of a sudden, you're going to get their attention. I mean...
When you start talking about taking away these special opportunities for only certain companies to profit from, you're going to get their attention. But the reason I don't think they'll ever go after that is because they often... times tend to be the stalwart of Democrat politics.
Well, it's going to take some statesmanship and some leadership to be able to turn the tide. It's sort of like the pebble mine issue. People are so emotionally wrapped up around it. It's pathetic. But if they would open their minds, open their hearts. And if they don't, they're going to have to open their wallet and open their pockets very deeply.
Yeah, you make an excellent point, Bob. Look, I think you make, and in what you said about Kathy Giesel, like, I have said this before to Daryl, like, off air, like, I don't even recognize her anymore. I remember when somebody like Judy Ellison, went door to door for her and knocking on her door when she was running against Vince Beltrami. I mean, she was a stalwart conservative. And now I look at Kathy Yiesel and, I mean, she's...
She's one of the most liberal senators now in the Senate. I mean... How does she have an R by her name? I mean, you make an excellent point. I'm hitting my hard break here, so I've got to go ahead and take a break. But when we come back, we're going to finish up this conversation about Kathy Giesel. Bob, thank you for teeing it up for us. Hey, you have a great day. Thanks. You too, sir. All right. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back. Waking up on the right side.
This is the Sean Hannity Morning Minute. One in five Democrats now saying Donald Trump is doing a good job. That's got to crush them. Google. has now officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. I guess that's the power of Trump. President Trump removed more than a dozen... Joe Biden appointed board members at the JFK Center for Performing Arts, including former Biden press secretary propagandist Karine Jean-Pierre.
A lot of people are trying to figure out what Donald Trump is doing here, and I'm... I'm having a hard time understanding why they don't understand it. Because this is everything, even as the CBS poll recognized, 70% of respondents recognized Trump is just keeping his campaign promises. shining sea. It's the Sean Hannity Show. The election is officially over, but is your money still at risk? We still have a staggering $35 trillion in debt.
Interest on this debt now costs more than our entire defense budget for the first time in history. On top of that, we're still feeling the consequences of the brutal inflation we saw under Biden and the global chaos ripping across the globe. That's why thousands of concerned Americans are turning to precious metals to help hedge against these threats. And they're reaching out to the top-rated precious metals company, Goldco, to make it happen.
GoldCo has over 6,000 five-star reviews and has helped people just like you purchase over $2.5 billion in gold and silver. Right now, they're offering a free gold and silver kit to help you diversify your savings. Visit HannityGold.com or call 855-815-GOLD to get your copy free of charge. Plus, you could receive up to a 10% instant match on bonus silver for qualified accounts. Visit HannityGold.com or call 855-815-GOLD. gold. That's HannityGold.com.
This is News Radio 650, KENI, Anchorage. Officials are warning residents in the Juneau area to avoid the face of Mendenhall Glacier due to a large calving event. The U.S. Forest Service says a large crack in the glacier is expected to lead to a...
substantial chunk of ice splitting off and falling in the coming days. The agency says it's impossible to predict exactly when the calving will happen. Western Alaska residents are showing support in person and on social media for the victims of the plane crash as well as for bearing air.
When Bering Air resumed service on Saturday, people gathered in several villages and communities to welcome the flights. A number of fundraisers for families are underway or have taken place. The hashtag Norton Sound Strong has grown on social media. And Pete Kaiser is the winner of this.
year's Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race. Kaiser crossed the finish line in first place just before two Sunday morning. The victory ties him for the all-time win record with nine total wins in the race. That's the latest. I'm John Fink. This is News Radio 650 KENI. Anchorage. Looking at your Alaska total traffic cameras on this Wednesday morning. Traffic still looking real good all around the Anchorage Bowl. Steady traffic inbound on the Glen Highway. No stop.
Welcome back. Current time, 741. Well, you know, to Bob's point, we were talking before the break about Kathy Giesel. I always forget about Giesel. But Kathy Giesel, when I met her years ago, she was one of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate. And I remember, you know, when she was running against Vinnie, the union boss.
I remember a lot of staunch conservatives going door to door with her. And during that time, you know, Kathy Giesel was the Republican's Republican. She was a stalwart conservative. Everybody remembers the ad. The infamous ad where Kathy Giesel was going to be the defender of your PFD. Go ahead, Daryl. Hi, I'm State Senator Kathy Giesel, and this is my husband, Rich. You know...
The state of Alaska's government is facing some tight fiscal times. It's like a family when someone loses a job or something else happens to make the budget tight. But there's a difference between looking at options and grabbing someone else's money. And that's what Governor Walker did. He grabbed your money. That money grab didn't solve anything. A money grab is not a solution. Senator Mike Dunleavy.
is proposing a solution that would give that money back to you. I support that solution and we will be working with him in January to see that done. You see, you deserve to have that money back. And Alaska deserves a real solution to the budget crisis. That's not a solution just taking your PFD. But as Bob has indicated, you know, she's clearly, you know, he went and listened. He heard her say.
That, you know, her staff is saying that she's going to support a state income tax and take in all of your PFD. This is what my point about politicians, this is why people don't like politicians, this is why they don't trust politicians. Because they run and they tell you one thing, they get to Juneau, and of course this isn't for all politicians. But Senator Kathy Giesel, I don't even recognize her. I have no idea why she's a Republican.
whatsoever And if it wasn't for Republicans like her, Kelly Merrick, Bert Stedman, Gary Stevens, Chuck Kopp, Louise Stoos, if it wasn't for them, the Republicans would have a strong hold right now in the legislature. And they would have the governor's office. You know, this governor hasn't had a full legislature his entire time. His entire time. Why? Because the turncoats that go to Juneau, and they give the power to the Democrats, and they fight him.
It's the resistance. It's the Dunleavy resistance. Talk about Dunleavy Derangement Syndrome. DDS, right? I mean, the point is, they're addicted to your money. So they're addicted to money, but one thing right now when they're talking about these taxes and other sources of revenue, aren't they saying – what was their term again? We're looking into other sources of – New revenues. Right. So just as part of our statement here.
But there's a difference between looking at options and grabbing someone else's money. So looking at options, that's what they keep saying is we're looking at options right now. So in other words, we're grabbing your money. When every option is spending more and taking your money, doesn't feel too good to me. Yeah, no.
Doesn't feel too good to me. Well, we're seeing the headlines. It happened so recently. There are no news articles up about it yet. But I am watching my ticker right now. And the Senate has... The Senate has voted to confirm Telsey Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence. I have no news stories up on it yet. I cannot tell you exactly what the count is. Daryl's watching the count to try to see if we can get a final number for you.
But the headline on Fox News on the television is Senate Confirmed Telsey Gabbard as DNI, so Director of National Intelligence. The next headline coming up is Senate Votes Soon to
advance RFK junior nomination so we expect that this morning as well that vote will occur but Tulsi Gabbard has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate according to Fox News again the articles are not up yet on the news just happened so we will keep an eye on that and i doubt they will get to rfk juniors um vote before we get off the air this morning but we do expect that will happen today as well um and again we expect
Patel to be voted out of committee here soon there was a procedural thing where Democrats in the committee were able to in this Senate judiciary were able to kind of hold him back for a week But we expect that committee vote to happen this week as well and move him forward to a vote. But look, they're in an all-out press to try to stop, block Kash Patel.
And I'm hopeful they're not successful. But, you know, again, the longer they're able to delay, the better chance they have of peeling off a couple week need Republicans. So hopefully that doesn't happen, but we will keep you updated. as this breaks right now. All right, we're going to take a quick break, the final break of the show. If you'd like to call in, be part of the show, 522-0650. Looking at your Alaska Total Traffic Cameras. After all, without any symptoms?
High LDL or bad cholesterol can have a big impact on your cardiovascular health, increasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Reduce your risk by knowing your LDL cholesterol level and working with your doctor on a treatment plan. Lowering your LDL cholesterol today can help you enjoy a healthier tomorrow. Visit the American Heart Association at heart.org to learn why lower is better.
this report is sponsored by positive coaching alliance got issues with youth or high school sports positive coaching alliance can help PCA, a national nonprofit, offers more than 1,000 free online resources for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, students, and administrators.
Visit PCADevzone.org. It's a cool and clear start to your Wednesday. We'll continue to hold on to that stretch of sunshine with temperatures warming into the upper teens and the lower 20s. Our slow warming trend continues with highs topping out in the upper 20s by weeks in. weather source. I'm meteorologist Aaron Morrison. Welcome back to live, local, and insightful Morning Drive Radio on News Radio 650 KENI.
Darryl deserves a medal. He's been watching. He's been on repeat watching the confirmation vote. in the Senate for Tulsi Gabbard as they're doing the roll call. And we are confident she passed. We are just trying to get the final number for you. In the meantime, though, I will tell you another breaking story that has came out last night. Freedom.
American hostage Mark Fogle lands in U.S. after years in Russian captivity. This coming from Fox News. Mark Fogle, he was an American teacher detained in Russia since 2021, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday. Fogel, a history teacher, was working in a school in Moscow, and he was detained because he had marijuana on him. Small amount. Yep. It says he was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possession of drugs.
which his family said was medically prescribed marijuana fogel was seen in a picture posted by the white house on social media smiling and raising his fists while wrapped around an american flag as he walked off the plane The White House wrote, Mark Fogle is back. Promises made, promises kept. After his arrival in the U.S., Fogle from Pennsylvania met with President Trump at the White House and called him a hero for securing his release.
Quote, I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all, and President Trump is a hero. End quote. That's what Fogel said. So he said these men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes. The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor, they got me home, and they are heroes.
Fogle added, I am in awe of what they all did. Trump's National Security Advisor, Michael Walsh, said that the U.S. and Russia negotiated an exchange to ensure Fogle's release, although he did not disclose what the U.S. was giving up. Some previous negotiations have involved releases of Russians by the US and allies in exchange for a detained American. Okay, I have to laugh.
Because what they're not telling you. So let's talk about this. This Brittany. Right. Right. So what's her last name? Griner. Brittany Griner. Brittany Griner. So she checked all the boxes for the Biden administration, right, to get her exchange. But this teacher from Pennsylvania. somehow didn't meet the muster. Let's put it that way. Didn't meet the muster. So when you hear them talk about what they exchanged in order to get her home, see, they didn't say her.
her name. They didn't get into the details of what we exchanged for her under the Biden administration, but his name is Victor Bout. So we got this basketball player. Middle grade. Yeah, middle grade basketball player. She checked all the diversity boxes. Let's just put it that way. And, you know, she was a kneeler for the flag. We got her, but we exchanged. What did we give up for her? Let's just say one of the most prolific arms dealers.
Russian arms dealers is Victor Bout. That's what the Biden administration traded for. Also known as Lord of War, okay, just to give you an idea. That's right. But he was convicted in 2011 and sent to prison in Illinois. But he was a 55-year-old Russian, the world's most notorious arms dealer. But this teacher from Pennsylvania was left to rot in a Russian prison by the Biden administration. But they got this female basketball player.
And I got to tell you, I don't know that that was a good trade. I'm sorry, as a one-to-one. And he was already being held. This teacher was already being held. Brittany had only been being held for 292 days when they got her released. and they didn't why didn't biden say you know what we're giving you this huge guy how about we get him too and maybe that one no no we'll just take britney
Yeah, yeah. Well, I got to tell you, good on President Trump. I don't know what was given up in exchange for this guy. The White House has not released that detail. I'll keep watching to see if they actually tell us what was the exchange. The only thing I heard was, we didn't give up much. That's what I heard a comment from one of them. That's what Trump said. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, Trump's comment was, we didn't give up much. So I don't...
I don't know what he means by that. I have no idea. But, you know, I will tell you, I can't wait until tomorrow's show because I cannot wait to see what is going to come out of this subcommittee meeting on Doge because it's the first real thing. formal committee hearing where you're having people testify what they're finding. And Josh said during this committee meeting when they opened it up, they're basically saving the U.S. taxpayers a billion dollars a day.
What does that mean? Where is that coming from? I don't know. But you know what? We're going to dig into it and we're going to find out. It has been an awesome Wednesday. Hopefully everybody has a great day. We will be back with you tomorrow morning. Stay tuned, though. On deck, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, followed by Sean Hannity at 11. And, of course, the great Mike Piccaro and Crash are live and local every weekday.
from 4 to 6. Daryl and I will be back with you tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. Until then, stay safe. God bless.