The Neal Larson Show

12.31.2024 -- NLS -- Predictions, Power Plays, and the Future of Late-Night TV

Neal Larson

Send us a text

On this episode with Neal and Julie…

The duo dives into a wide-ranging discussion on current events and cultural shifts, beginning with a reflection on a recent interview with a 77-year-old former late-night TV host. The host candidly opened up about the pressures of Hollywood, how they influenced his character, and the toll of sustaining a career in front of the camera. Neal and Julie analyze the state of late-night TV, noting the overwhelming focus on political humor—especially regarding Donald Trump—and debating whether conservative voices can thrive in mainstream media.

They also touch on Disney's shifting strategies and speculate whether companies like Disney and programs like Saturday Night Live are signaling a cultural course correction. Predictions for 2025 take center stage as Neal and Julie explore topics ranging from potential Supreme Court retirements to bird flu hysteria, the impact of conservative legislation on higher education, and the enduring influence of Donald Trump.

The conversation intensifies when they consider the political and cultural consequences of a potential Republican majority in Washington, questioning whether significant changes—such as reclaiming control over the Panama Canal or addressing historical grievances—could materialize. They also examine Trump's calculated strategy to temper his rhetoric, saving major moves for his return to power.

With humor and a dose of skepticism, Neal and Julie encourage listener participation, inviting calls to share bold predictions for 2025. The segment showcases insights on everything from Elon Musk’s ambitions to the potential for peace in the Middle East. Wrapping up the episode, they reflect on the challenges of the past year and the possibilities for the future, all while wishing their audience a safe and happy New Year.

Let’s talk advertising. When you want to advertise on the radio, you call the station, right? But what about Facebook, Instagram, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, and other streaming platforms?

You could try clicking around, reading books, or taking online courses to figure it out—or you can let us handle it. At Sandhill Media Group, we’re your local experts in both radio and digital marketing.

Visit SandhillMediaGroup.com today.

You okay over there? Shakin it out. You got the shivers. Welcome. It's 807. It's the Neal Larson show and the final one of the year 2024 is rapidly coming to a close. And if you'd like to reach us on the program, the numbers (208) 542-1079. So even apparently there's a headline here that David Letterman is leaving California and has ripped into show business.

Okay. In a recent interview, the 77 year old former late night TV host opened up about the challenges he faced while in show business and explained why he thinks the pressures of Hollywood made him become a worse person. I have to admire the honesty there. You must have to get out from in front of the camera. It must.

Once the camera's off, then you can start thinking logically again. Yeah. Here's what he said in show business. I find that I have pretended to be someone I'm truly not. Letterman told GQ in my life here in Indiana that my home with my family, I am probably the person I actually am. And I regret that they don't kind of cross at any point.

When asked whether showbusiness made him a worse person, Letterman was quick to answer. Yes, you're exactly right. And I don't know. Maybe it's only because I went through show business. I got that out of out of my system. Eventually, that I can concentrate on being a better person, and probably could not have reached this point if I had not gone through the exercise of trying to succeed at show business.

I just feel like personally, I have greater humanity than I did when I was in show business. It was all single minded and great pressure. Real, real and imagined. And I felt like it's all on me and it's all on me. And that it was all nonsense. Wild, all nonsense. That's crazy. Okay, so I'm going to I'm going to, put these two things together.

I sent you an X, I can't remember if maybe a couple of days ago that referenced late night TV that's currently existing. So David Letterman, you know, was forever ago. But this is late night TV that's currently existing. And they did a search of late night TV jokes of these four hosts, you know, and there was I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was a little over 1400 jokes.

Yeah, were about Donald Trump, but only like 1490 jokes that were political. Yeah. It was almost every joke was disparaging to Trump. Anti-Trump. Yes. Well, and they wonder why ratings for late night TV have plummeted. Now, there's a lot of reasons for it. I think just broadcast TV in general is really going through a tough time right now.

But but it you're not helping yourself if you incessantly go after one of the most popular political figures that we have right now. I don't even have a problem that they go after him. But what you're doing in the current political atmosphere, to walk away from all of those jokes about Joe Biden? Yeah, it's an endless smorgasbord. I mean, that is like going to chuck a rama and eating only the soft serve ice cream.

That's the same soft serve ice cream. Maverick. Yeah, yeah. You paid the premium price. Yeah. Like we you had the buffet of material. You should have gotten the nachos to. And the scones. Scones? Prime rib. Yeah, some of it. Yeah. But you you just walked past it because you're fake. Like David Letterman saying you're fake. If you were true comedian, you would have.

You would have feasted at all of the troughs. Yeah. Well, you know, it's weird because I used to love David Letterman. In fact, the top ten used to be a radio feature. And it when I was a younger Newstalk program director, that was one of the first features I added, because it's great entertainment and whatever. I loved that version of David Letterman at some point, and there's probably a progression of this.

He turned into an angry old liberal that wasn't funny anymore, and it makes you wonder if he if he had to have alcohol to be funny, but he, he just kind of turned into a miserable old person. I don't know if this reflection, which version of Dave is reflecting on which version of Dave. Does that make sense? So I'm wondering if if the Angry Dave doesn't like Funny Dave or does Funny Dave recognize Angry Dave was a bad guy?

Yeah, it could be either one because he's not being clear about what he wishes he would have done different. So we don't know. I think it is interesting that his pathway matches the, you know, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy like it. It just matches what's going on here that you if you're in front of the camera for a longer than a few years, something happens to you.

You suffer it. Okay, so can I. Can I bring in another angle here that I'd love your opinion on? When you look at the P Diddy factor. Okay. And I'm not speaking specifically of P Diddy in this regard, but P Diddy clearly was a gatekeeper in the same way Epstein was a gatekeeper. If you want to play in the club, you got to walk through his gate.

Are there other gatekeepers where if you want to be a top rated host somewhere, you can't be a conservative like you? You you have to hate Trump. You have to hate conservatives. You have to mock, traditional values, that that's just part of the dues you have to pay to get to the stratospheric levels that they're existing in.

I don't have a definitive answer because I don't know for sure, but could it be possible? And is it likely? Yeah. Yes. To all of that. Yeah. I think there are multiple hoops you got to jump through. And I think that's that's one of them. Oddly enough, do you remember when Pat Sajak had a late night show for a little bit.

Oh I don't remember this. He did. Yeah. Yeah. He had he had a late night show and I can't, I can't remember. It was a very short run. He seems too wholesome for that. That's my point. He was very gifted. Like he was really fluid. He's got a great sense of humor. He's. He's very funny, but he's a conservative and he's religious.

And I think that just was not a match. And so he went back to Wheel of Fortune. I don't think he left Wheel of Fortune, but that that just became his celebrity. Yes. Yeah. So, yeah, yeah, there was a Pat Sajak show for a little while. Okay. I had forgotten about that, but this discussion made me think of that.

I do know this. I wouldn't want to be around any of those people. Yeah, the late night TV host, they're not funny. And I don't think that. I don't think that that's a turn on, turn off switch for them. I think when you become that angry and that unwilling to. I'm going to go back to my analogy. Feast at the buffet of material that's available for you.

You're not going to change that when you're up in Swan Valley fishing. No, no, you're you're right. You're you're not, you're not. It didn't is Kimmel going to retire? I thought he said he was going to retire pretty soon. I don't know, maybe like he's in his last, maybe he'll get super reflective, like Letterman. What? I've what I've kind of noticed, though.

There's been a lot of talk about Disney lately and how they they've settled with Trump. I think Ijr wants to kind of move past the toxicity that has been Disney for the last few years. I wonder if we're going to see a similar shift. Comedy is coming back to reality. Where you can say things that 2 or 3 years ago were horribly politically incorrect and you'd get canceled for it.

We don't hear of comedians getting canceled now. I feel like Saturday Night Live now. They're still far left, but they've done a few bits in the last 6 or 8 months that are like the old Saturday Night Live. They're skewering people on the left. They're making fun of Biden and Harris and and it makes you wonder, are the rules starting to change and maybe gravitating back toward reality?

Maybe I as they should, I hope so. Hey. Yeah, I, I, I have hesitation about jump jumping all in on that that it's going to get completely better under Trump. Our culture is just not that way. No I know. Earlier in the show, I referenced that we're on this roller coaster ride and we forgot to put the shoulder harness down.

Yeah, I feel like that is absolutely going to continue in 2025. The ride just might be a little less bumpy, a little less Healy, you know. Yeah, maybe not so many peaks and valleys. And I do think that it's very smart temper our expectations of how much, a Trump presidency can return the culture to some level of normalcy.

However, I think there's some encouraging signs. And, yeah, I think so, too. And, so I maybe, maybe the far, far left had their day and I you know what, I don't. If you're going to be a liberal, be a liberal, but it's the far left wokeness garbage. Absolutely absurd ideas that are presented as either enlightened or perfectly normal.

That that I think may be coming to an end. I, I hope so. I saw list last night on X of universities, over the last two months that have cut their D-I programs was at least a dozen. I didn't count how many, but it was at least a dozen. That's hopeful and on that list. University of Utah. Yeah.

Talk about the most liberal university anywhere near us. Yeah. Anyway, because it's closer to us than Boise State. Boise State is also cutting their D-I programs. So those are perfect signs. Those are the kind of signs you want in where they are. I think I think there's there's been a couple of big things with the DEA stuff.

I think donors, the the mega wealthy people who donate millions finally got fed up and said, I'm not going to throw a fortunate this university when they're doing this ridiculous stuff. I think that's caused them. I don't think there's been a change of heart, like naturally, organically. I think it's just survival that if the money doesn't come to them, it's going to go to some other university that's getting rid of their D-I, programs.

I also think you have state legislatures like Idaho that are saying no more. We will not put a dime in to die at any of our public universities, which is very good policy. Yeah, it's great policy. Yeah. And the part of that hope that you're talking about. Yeah. So. Okay. Julie, in less than an hour, 905, we're going to open next hour with our time capsule, Callie and segment, where we want you to predict what you think will happen in 2025.

Politically, culturally, globally. You know, I there were a lot of concerns that China was going to invade Taiwan in 2024. That appears not to have happened, which I'm grateful for. That was one of my incorrect predictions that I'm happy I was incorrect about. But if you want to if you want to make a prediction about that, we have weirdness.

You can predict about the weirdness, the drones, the fog, the booms. Whatever it might be. We'd love to hear you on that. I have made a prediction preemptively. Because you know what? It's my show. I can make an early prediction. The. I think that we're going to have a major, big exaggeration about the threat of bird flu.

Here early on in the Trump presidency. Yeah, I think that's a good prediction. Do you want to hear mine? Yeah. So we're excited about this one. Yeah. I think in the first two years of Trump's presidency, we get another conservative Supreme Court justice. I think you may be right about that. I think you're right. Sonia Sotomayor looks to be the next liberal to be replaced.

But no doubt Clarence Thomas is going to retire in the next year or two. Yes. Yeah. And I think he'll willingly do so. Some of these Supreme Court justices, you know, kicking and screaming, screaming. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Yeah, right. That harm harmed the liberal movement. But I don't think that that's Clarence Thomas. I think he's going to look at it and go, yeah, I got friends to go vacation with.

Right? Get me out of here and put a new one in, you know? Yeah, that's that's true. He's still got some good years left to enjoy retirement, and I think he'll do it. I, I just think that, in fact, here's my thinking. I think he would have retired 3 or 4 years ago had Trump won. Won a consecutive second term.

But but yeah, I think can you imagine that A72 conservative majority because Clarence Thomas will retire. You know what. We may have a Ruth Bader Ginsburg all over again. Not that that Sonia Sotomayor will die. I'm not predicting that. But I think that maybe her health wise, she's got some health concerns. They may get bad enough that that she's got a forced to step down.

Yeah. Yeah. So. All right. 822 Newstalk 179. It's Neal Larsen and Julie Mason on New Year's Eve. And, we'll come back and continue after this. I'm like, I don't think so. That's right. You look a little puzzled. I'm a little puzzled by that, too. Hey, 20. Oh. Go ahead. Sorry. I just know it's 825 on Newstalk 1079.

And, Neal Larsen, along with Julie Mason and, it's been it's been quite the year. Julie, I feel like we've been through when you think what our concerns were exactly 366 four days ago, January 1st of last year, we knew the presidential race was coming. We knew Trump was, was running. We knew that Joe Biden was running.

And there were all these questions about, can he run? Will he be the nominee in the fall? Will he, think about the twists and the turns that were 20, 24? Oh, a lot. I've had multiple times where I've reflected on the fact that our not only once was our president attempted to be assassinated, but a second time weeks later.

The first one, especially mind boggling. Yeah, that we were even in that situation, that there was such a breakdown with Secret Service, that it was a matter of Senate meters. Yeah. And we we're not we're not having this conversation today. No, no. You're right. There would have been a different presidential outcome. There would it very well could have been could have been civil war.

President elect Kamala Harris. You know where you're right. It, it God's in charge, right? Like, you look at all that and you can't help but think there's been a divine hand involved in the in the course of the world. Yeah. The last stretch, I, I know people in their predictions last year when we did this, their predictions last year, there were a few people who predicted that Trump would be either assassinated or an attempt would be made on his life.

I remember thinking, wow, we can't get that far. You know, I worried about it a lot. Yeah, especially when, I mean, he he held a rally once before that assassination attempt just a couple of weeks before that assassination attempt in the middle of a park? Yeah, in the Bronx. Yeah. Oh, I remember that. How are you doing? Yeah.

You know, so I worried about it, but I thought, okay, he's got some old men and women around him. He's going to be fine. Then we realized, no, he doesn't actually have that many skilled men and women around him. He's got a handful who love him dearly and will do anything for him. That doesn't mean all of them do so as we talk about the context of making predictions for 2025, I want to ask you this question.

You pointed this out yesterday that we know so much about the CEO killer. What's it Mangione. And you? We still know very, very little about the young man that shot Donald Trump back in July. Social media get scrubbed. Do we know he has foreign bank accounts. We knew he had a whole bunch of devices. We knew that he frequented a gym where other FBI agents frequent did.

We knew that there were visits to his home from someone that appeared to be from the intelligence community in D.C. if you follow the data, that story kind of went away. By the way. Absolutely. One way he did target shooting guy. He he did target shooting at a place where skilled government officials actually target shoot the his parents totally lawyered up.

We haven't heard much since then. Say, Lynch. Total silence. So, given all that, now that I've kind of set the table with that, do you think a Republican majority, the House, the Senate, the white House, do you think that we are going to get some answers about July 13th in the new Washington, DC? I don't think so. I mean, for making predictions.

I don't think so, because I actually think Trump's figured out some of the answers. And he's like, we don't need to solve this problem. We're going to make people pay. We don't need to focus on this. We're going to make people pay. And he's just going to start gutting the FBI. Well, so when you say make people pay, that is vague in my mind.

If you are part of a plot to kill the president of the United States, in my mind, that's treason. That's worthy of the death penalty. Oh, you can get the death penalty for murder. You can also get it for treason. What if we find out there were people in our own intelligence community, maybe in the Secret Service, the FBI, whatever.

And they were. They were grooming this kid to kill Trump. And we find that there's some level of of complicity there. Absolutely. They should spend the rest of their lives in prison. Absolutely they should. But I want to explain my cynicism a little bit that I don't think it's going to be revealed is that we had a plot with the Russia collusion hoax.

And remind me of the lovers. The FBI lovers. Stroll. Chuck and page. Chuck and page. That's what is, I believe that was treasonous activity. Yeah. Nothing happened to these people. You're right. It didn't. They did nothing. Yeah. And so when I'm. When I'm cynical that we're going to find out, it's because I've, I've been abused by this system before.

Yeah. Would I love it if we found out? Sure. I think that would be great. I actually think it would be rather healing for America. Yeah. I just don't know if that's the avenue Trump's going to take. Instead, he's going to go along and and systematically just undo these organizations and just leave all of that alone. I don't know.

We'll see. I hope you're right. You say that. And I'm like, that is not even close to enough. Like I, I absolutely believe these people should either be in prison if, if there was a, if this was an inside orchestration and I think there's reason to ask questions about that. It's not enough for them to just lose their jobs okay.

That that would be merciful to them. They need to either be in prison or get the death penalty for treason. If they were part of a plot to kill Donald Trump. Yeah. And I understand your cynicism. I think for me, I look at this and I'm like, okay, if Kash Patel is serious about what he seems to be serious about, maybe we will get some of those answers.

Maybe he will just keep digging and pushing and and pushing until we get to the until we get to the answer. Maybe maybe I, I agree with you. I think that's what Americans deserve. I agree with you. I think it would be a healing moment for America, because I think that that would help restore trust that these institutions actually are filled with people who are doing the best that they can instead of being compromised.

I do. My gut just tells me we're not going to get it. Yeah. Well, I agree with you. I think if we're making a prediction, if past is Prolog, if we can learn from from history, these the worst people among us are so bad, they're good at insulating themselves from consequences. Hillary Clinton is a great example of this.

She ought to be in jail. She ought to be in jail. But she she's a Clinton. She, she knows how to work the situation so that she stays insulated. Anthony Fauci should be in jail. He's lied to Congress multiple times. Well look we just rewarded Adam Schiff with a Senate seat. Yeah. Exactly. I mean, it wasn't just elation.

He got rewarded. He lied repeatedly to the American. He made up a transcript of what Donald Trump said that he never said. Yeah. And now he's a senator. Yeah. He get he gets rewarded. Now again, I'm I'm going to hold out some room for optimism that with the new sheriff in town that Donald Trump will look at the future, maybe Elon Musk, maybe Vikram Swamy, maybe they see this from 30,000ft.

And they recognize in order to save the Republic, we have to root out all the cancer. All the cancer has got to go. And they will get to the bottom of the deep state. And sadly, good people can get taken out by a necessary action to take out the bad people. Yes, there will be people that really didn't do behaviors that were worthy of losing your job, but you're gonna lose your job.

Yes. Yeah. I well, you know, it's interesting because and yet those two attorneys, they're they're law professors, and they wrote a piece. It it was published in The Hill a couple of weeks ago where they're still calling for Congress to not certify the Electoral College and instead give it to Kamala Harris because they think Donald Trump is guilty of insurrection, that he's not worthy, he's not qualified to be the president because of that.

I would say in the spirit of Republicans, not just Republicans, just patriotic Americans being on offense and claiming our country back. I would say those two professors are guilty of insurrection. America spoke loud and clear on November 5th. They want Donald Trump to have another four years as president. And if you are actively undermining that, there's a word for it.

It's called sedition. Now I don't know if it meets the technical qualifications of sedition. If you could prosecute that. But it certainly fits the spirit of sedition that you want to prevent the voice of the people, the will of the people from happening. You know, you'd have a big fight over it because they genuinely believe that Donald Trump's not qualified.

But the Supreme Court has already settled that. They've already taken up this case law when it comes to presidential immunity and what you're responsible for when you're president and all of that. And there are very, very few people that are saying Donald Trump's not eligible to be the president of the United States. Right. It's also interesting to me that two professors can write this letter and recommend that that's what Congress does, and everything that feels like a very active motion.

It wasn't just I said it. It's that you went through the act of publishing it, doing interviews about it, that kind of thing. Right. Yet somebody who followed a crowd into the Capitol. Yeah. And wandered around and then went back out and their face was caught on security cameras. Serves nine months in prison for doing that. That seems far less active to me.

Yeah. Now you are walking and you are doing an action. So we could we could say both of them were intentional. One of them seems far more intentional to me. And so you're pointing the finger of insurrection when you're actually in, in the middle of an act of doing nearly the same thing. Yeah. It's just with a different, it's, it's just a different methodology, just a different pen.

That's all it is. One was an action that took place on a day with a bunch of hooligans. One was on your PC. Yeah. Like, why is one worse than the other? Yeah. What? You're right. And, you know, here's the thing that I think. I think sometimes Republicans are kind of dumb. And I've talked about this before because they're talking about prosecuting Liz Cheney.

Don't talk about it. Don't talk about it until January 21st. Okay. Because Biden can still pardon. And you know, so just keep your mouth shut. Be a little patient and wait for a few weeks. And then when the Department of Justice is not led by Merrick Garland, who is one of the worst purveyors of lawfare in American history, then you can look and see.

Did Liz Cheney destroy evidence from an official hearing? Did she actively lie to the American people? I mean, I think there are some prosecutable offenses there. But but wait and hold off. And I think maybe Trump is just is smart enough. He's not going to talk about. He doesn't want to tip his hand. So he's not going to talk about gutting the FBI right now.

He's not going to talk about getting to the bottom of who was behind the assassination attempt. Wait until he's got presidential power, then take your steps and I think maybe that's I'm hopeful. That's what we're seeing. Because if if we don't root out this cancer, it's just going to persist if we don't get rid of the deep state.

That's been there an awfully long time. But it was accelerated under Barack Obama, and it's just gotten worse since then. If we don't root that out, our our the Republic is at risk. And and we've got to fix this problem. And I think Trump recognizes it. Well, to back up what you just said. It has been reported and it was a like a, like an internal leak.

So take it for what you want. But it's been reported that Trump has told all of his cabinet nominees. Hush. From here forward. Yes. You're not supposed to speak. We don't. We're done with X posts. We're done with interviews. We're done with all of it. We we're going to go and we're going to do this. And I think he is what he's doing there is what you're talking about keeping everybody quiet.

Do not give them a reason to be mad at you. Yeah. Don't give them. I already nominated you. Shut up. We're going to. We're going to take care of these hearings, and we're going to get you in there. Yeah, I think that that's a smart move. Whether or not that actually happened. I don't know, but I hope it did.

And I hope these cabinet members be quiet from here on out. I think that's an incredibly reasonable expectation, because the potential for you saying something that may disqualify you is very real. So yeah. Yeah. I don't have a problem with that. I don't either. Yeah. All right. It's 841 on Newstalk 10792085421078. It's New Year's Eve. Julie and I are going to take a break.

I hope you've been formulating your predictions for 2025, because coming up just after 9:00, right out of the gate in our two, we're going to have our time capsule Collins segment where you'll take we'll take 15 minutes or so, have you call in and make your predictions for the coming year. We'll be back after this. It's 847 on Newstalk 1079.

Neal Larson and Julie Mason and yeah, if you'd like to join us on the fall River propane call and text line (208) 542-1079. So, Julie, we have listeners who attended the reorganization in Blackfoot. And, should we give the report from our listeners? Sure. I'm just reading the second one that we've gotten. Yeah. I attended the re organizational meeting of the Bingham County Republican Central Committee last night.

Dorothy Moon graciously came over to run the election of the new chairman. Despite initially being treated rudely by some of the PCs, she got the job done. Bottom line, the good old boys club will still be running the clown show in Bingham County. Okay, tell us how you really feel. That was an another when moon was in Blackfoot last night.

Started the meeting with Bingham County Republican Central Committee. The same people were elected. Near as I could tell. I couldn't hear. Well, and then they didn't really care for Matt Thompson's performance. Yes. Yeah. And I guess that there was about 100 people there roughly. That's this person's, you know, guesstimate. So what would be the expectation if like, you know, you've gone through the last, what year and a half of tumult.

That's how long this whole process. Because it was summer of 22 that Dan Cravens decided to have the exotic approach to leadership change. That caused all the problems and the lawsuits and everything in the first place. Is that crazy that it's been that long? Yes. It took this. I mean, that's what I would well, if if Matt Thompson was sitting in front of me, that's just what I'd say.

It took a year and a half. So I guess I'm wondering those voting in in Bingham County, why did they say sign us up for more of that. Like why? Why did they go that direction? Yeah. Okay. So let's let's put that out to the two people that were at the meeting and have have messaged in or anyone else who was at the meeting, please message in what was the, the process like?

Were there other people? Who was it contested? Yes, yes, we're throwing their hat in the ring and said, hey, hey, I want to be it. I want to be it. Like, what was the atmosphere like? Yeah. And you know what? That could be it. Maybe it's it's just nobody wants that job. Yeah. So that that could be. Well, who knows, maybe nobody wants to rehab it, because let's be honest, there's a rehab event that's going to happen now.

Yeah. Someone said they would love to talk about the meeting. And in being. Well, call in (208) 542-1078. If you were there, we'd love to hear what, what your eyewitness was, every race but one was contested, so every race was exactly the same except for one. Then that's what they're saying there, right? Well, every race was contested.

So there they had opponents in every race except for race, but, Oh. Okay. Yeah. Someone said we spent hours and hours campaigning against our current PC and for a replacement. So. All right, well, you're you're free to call in so many PCOS tests. Bingham County Health. No, I don't know. Okay. Not sure. Oh, the number 208 5421079.

Oh, is that what you thought they were asking? What's the number? Like they said, say the number again. Okay. Yeah, yeah. 285421079I wanted to say 522 but there was that mental block on. That's wrong Julie. Yeah. It's not 522. Yeah okay. We have our caller. Caller is this you okay. But there were that. Yeah. Okay. You were at the meeting then last night.

Yes I was yeah. Okay. Give us your report. Well, so I was there. Dorothy Moon, got started and just kind of gave the, timeline of, you know, the, the events of the last year and a half or so. And it got contentious right from the start. There were a couple of, of our precinct committee men, including our, our representative elect, Ben Furman, who, tried to call a point of order.

She had not called the meeting to order. So we're getting a little technical with the Robert's Rules. Yeah, but she was. She said, please indulge me. I'm going to take a few minutes. And and there were a few of those, precinct committee officers who did not want to even allow her to speak. Why? She is the chair of the party.

The state party? Oh, yeah. They're. I'm sorry, but. Well, I shouldn't even say that. I'm not sorry. The reality is, there is no respect for her amongst our Central committee. They sincerely distrust her. From my point of view, I've been very involved in this county. They've been keeping me at arm's length for a few years. I was one of the people who ran for one of the seats last night.

I knew I wouldn't get it, but my intention was to be able to say what I wanted to say and to to bring it to the public. Attention held. This committee has been behaving from my point of view. They have been behaving out of fear. They've been making fear based decisions. I was just this morning, I was listening to a BBC podcast that Ben Furman and Jeanette Manwaring and Matt Thompson and Trent Clarke were all on, talking about Dorothy Moon trying to paint this conspiracy around Dorothy Moon.

How her and the people who support her are just plain, simple conspiracy theorists who are so extreme. We have no business being involved. That's the picture they're trying to paint. I feel like they've been making fear based decisions, which are always the wrong decisions to me. Okay, let me ask you really quick. They were on a BBC podcast and.

And how recent? Yeah. That was back in it was either September or October of this year. So fairly recent a few months ago. Yeah. Yeah. And I am happy to send that link. Wow, buddy. Because, it's out there. I mean, they said it, but their names on it and, and I feel like they're trying to paint this picture.

My analysis about podcast was it didn't land. It didn't actually do what they intended. But I feel like they made themselves look like the conspiracy theorists. They made themselves look extreme and they made themselves look like like fear mongers, frankly. And like, we have to do what we need to do to protect our power in this party. And that's the message, I think that that really went out last night.

The public was there, and they saw how these people fight to protect their power. So I don't I don't want to use crass language, but they got their butts kicked in court like it overwhelmingly defeated. Was there any sense of remorse or I mean, was there any sense of humility at all last night in recognizing they got their hats handed to them in court?

No, not at all. And that was I mean, that's one of the things I when I went to the meeting, I was really curious how they were going to be in that manner. You know, would there be some sort of remorse or something to show the public that, okay, they're willing to work together with the state, they're willing to move past all of this crud that's been going on.

And, there was no sign of that. There was no sign of remorse. There wasn't anybody. In fact, after the meeting, somebody one of the PCSOs came up to me and, and accused Dorothy Moon of lying about a statement she made, about what she had said, that Ben Benjamin said in that podcast that they filed a temporary restraining order against Dorothy Moon, and she cannot to this day set foot in Bingham County.

That was not true. And she she mentioned that in her opening remarks last night. And so this this PCO, who came up to me afterwards and accused Dorothy Moon of lying about that, has no clue what she's talking about because, it's clearly there on that podcast. But that's the thing is, I don't think any of these members of this committee have.

Well, I would say the majority of of the CEOs in our county are aware of the things that the leadership are doing behind closed doors. I don't think they're aware of that podcast and the smearing that's taking place. And so a lot of our CEOs are very nice people, but they're just buying into the leadership. What the leadership is saying hook, line and sinker.

They're not doing their own research. And so they just kind of follow suit with what they're told. That's the impression I have. But I don't see any of them doing anything different. I did not see or experience feel any kind of remorse, anything. So committee last night. Now I want to get clarification. We only have about a minute left.

Emily, but. Okay, I want to get clear. They were saying that she can't even physically be in Bingham County. Or was that their way of saying she can't run a GOP meeting in Bingham County? So that is the statement that Ben Furman made on that podcast. Like four months ago. And so, that wouldn't they weren't saying that about now, but it was the statement Ben Furman made that she cannot set foot in Bingham County.

Okay. That's absurd. But when he was on that, that's absurd. Yeah. And it was absurd. It was. And that's what Dorothy Moon was trying to call out last night. Just saying. Listen, this behavior has been ridiculous. It has been absurd. Like, these are the things they're saying and telling people, but it's not true that, wow, I'm still trying to wrap my mat like I'm I'm wrapping my writing around.

The four of those are on a podcast together. I can't imagine the way that came across. I'm going to have to listen now. Let me let Neal and Julie host that play, okay? Yeah. Holy cow. Emily, thank you for your take I appreciate that. Well, I guess we'll just keep watching things happening in Bingham County. Yeah. You bet.

Thank you guys I appreciate you covering this and being willing to share what's going on here. Oh you bet. No problem. It's 859 on Newstalk 179. Our two. Your predictions for 2025. Coming up, who's the radio host? All right. Welcome back. It's 907 on Newstalk 1079 Neal Larson along with Julie Mason. And we we just listened to, a couple little bits of that, podcast.

The BBC had an episode about the Republican drama in Bingham County. Go ahead. Look, I'm just going to call it what it is. That's embarrassing. Yeah. That's embarrassing. It's embarrassing for Ben Furman and. And Jeanette Manwaring. Am I saying the right first name? Jeanette Manwaring. That's embarrassing. It's what we've heard so far. And what we've heard is nothing of substance.

We listened for probably 4 or 5 minutes at leading up to this, and it's incomplete. They're not really telling the the whole story, I doubt. I wonder if there was any effort whatsoever to get, a different viewpoint on this. I'm jumping to conclusions. The whole podcast is under 40 minutes. I we know what 40 minutes is. We do this.

Yes. Right. When you beat around the bush for the first five minutes and you have said nothing except flowery words, you're not getting anywhere fast because 40 minutes is not that long. Yeah, no, you got to get right to the point. Yeah. If you have a point. If so, that's what I'm saying. It probably I would have to listen to the rest, the rest of it.

But if if we're five minutes in and we still haven't even completed a thought, we got issues. Yeah, yeah, I, I would agree with that. I've got to hear the rest of it. But we'll, we'll see. But, here's the deal. Here's the deal. I think it matches Ben Furman. I, I have I have yet to interview Ben from it.

He interviewed once on the show. I was not here. Yeah. The man will not speak with me. So I've tried to schedule interviews with Ben Furman. He communicates solely with you. Read into that. Whatever you want to read into that. There's some sort of an issue there. Okay. If he is openly disparaging, Dorothy Moon, he has a catch phrase that says conservative, not crazy.

Yeah, I think he's pretending to be something he's not. Yeah. If you're truly conservative, you're going to find things that you align with Dorothy Moon on. That's just how it is well built into that is you're calling other people crazy. That that's not a statement about you. That's a statement about others. And that does nothing to move things forward and to heal or to be constructive or productive.

It very much is in us versus them mentally I feel the same vibe. Julie from the Main Street Caucus and what has encouraged me in the last election. Is that these people who they think they're the normal ones, they think they're the, the non crazy ones, they're going to be a, they're going to be a very small minority of Republican ones and they're going to be marginalized as they should.

They're the extremists. I know. They're the ones that think it's Dorothy the it's the extremist. It's it's all the, the conservatives that are the extremists in the legislature. Yet they're the ones that are on the margins, aren't they? The extremists by definition. Then, hey, I would say so. I would say that you've got to start looking at yourself in the mirror and going, if we're the ones if the if the whole entire Idaho legislature shifted.

And guess what? They don't want any of us Idaho people in leadership. Yeah, start looking in the mirror. Yeah, you really probably oughta, because the Main Street Caucus and that whole cabal is not gaining any traction whatsoever, and it's just creating a dynamic that makes you less effective as a lawmaker. There are some lawmakers that are all in.

It appears that Josh Wheeler's all in. He started it. It's his name on the founding document. Stephanie. Mickelson it appears to be all in I would very much caution Kevin Cook, Dave Land and some of those others that are sort of in the vicinity. They're more, kind of moderate. But I think you could call them conservative.

Stay away from this group. They will not help you at all. I just want to re-emphasize the point that I was making. If if you are so incredibly bothered by Dorothy Moon that you can't even find anything that you align with her on at all, you can't call yourself a conservative. No, you can't give yourself that label and then not be able to have any sort of appreciation for the work that Dorothy Moon has done.

Yeah, yeah. Well, and the fact that she's there and by the way, she's there now at their invitation because they're tired of getting their butts kicked in court and realized the only way we can actually be recognized is if we have Dorothy here. So Dorothy graciously comes to reorganize you in time for the annual meeting, and then you try to cut her off so she can't even talk at the beginning of the meeting.

That just makes you. I'll pause there, but it makes you something and you ought to look in the mirror that she's there at your invitation. Invitation and then you just try to cut her off so she can't speak. That puts you in a certain category of something. There we go. You, you knew what I was going to say.

I totally know what you're going to say. Yeah. I just didn't want my mom to hear me say it.

Like come on you don't have to agree with her 100%, but just this incessant perpetual pettiness has got to stop. That's the text that just came. Came in there. Answering the question for you. Says it makes them look small and petty. Yeah it does. It has absolute. Like I said, I don't I don't expect Ben Furman to agree with absolutely everything Dorothy Moon does.

That's not the expectation. The bar is not set that high. But you don't get to call yourself a conservative if you can't find anything that you align this with this woman like, that's unrealistic. And that's an that's something you set, not something I said, yeah, you're the one who's calling yourself a conservative, but you won't even let this woman speak at your meeting.

Not not only that, and I don't know what they were trying to accomplish, but when they. And who did they shop this to, the BBC or did the BBC come to them? So you've got a very liberal international press and you're airing Idaho's dirty laundry to the whole world. What do you think you're accomplishing? A dirty laundry that you soiled.

You're the one that keeps losing in court. You made the laundry soiled I did, yeah, you're holding it up. This is why I want to hear the rest of this 40 minute podcast. To see if they actually tell the whole story. I don't know that these guys got their butts handed to them repeatedly in court. Yeah, yeah, I don't know.

Okay, wait. The the Kenny G board game needs to come out. I need some Kenny. Yes? It's down at your feet. We do it. Kenny G board game needs to be played today. It was prophetic. She knew I would need this. I knew it would happen. It's the Kenny G. It's called keeping it sexy. The Kenny G board game.

Use the power of jazz to win the day and to calm down. Okay. We can. We promise that we were going to have the call in predictions. Julie. So should we do this? All right. (208) 542-1079. All right. (208) 542-1079 shifting gears, we want you to make a prediction for 2025 one of mine will be the bird flu is going to be majorly exaggerated in the coming weeks.

And I am, incredibly looking forward to I'm not even say this as a prediction, because that's going to happen. I believe that we will, welcome in a at least one new Supreme Court justice will keep the court conservative with the welcoming in of at least one, potentially two in the, in, the four years. I'm hoping the first one and Clarence Thomas retires happens within the first year.

So I'm hoping that happens in 2025. Okay, let's go to the phones. (208) 542-1078 caller you're 2025 prediction. I I'm going to predict that sometime next year. Israel with, United States basketball attacked by Iran and the mullahs will fall. And I think there's going to be a lot more I think Saudi Arabia and all of them will become, more friendly with, with, Israel.

And for my good prediction, I'm thinking that my Denver Broncos will have another winning season and they will make the, AFC Championship game. Okay. All right. Thank you for the call. (208) 542-1279 Julie's our resident NFL expert. Do you think that will happen? I think it can. I there's been a lot of talks but Bo Nix that's their quarterback is one hit wonder.

I don't see that at all. Yeah I think he's he's still new I think he's a little green. And I think what we've seen is is pretty promising. So I think he might get that in 2025 okay. All right. (208) 542-1079 if you want to make a prediction about the economy, maybe the stock market, maybe China or Russia, we'd love to hear from you.

Let's go to our next caller. What is your 2025 prediction? Colin. Oh, sir, my prediction is this that Trump will give up wanting to take over Greenland and instead annexed annex. What? Tahiti. Oh, tahini. Oh, God. Haiti. Yes. We need a warmer spot, not a colder one. Oh, okay. All right. Thank you. 20854210. That's a good question.

Do you think anything happens with the Panama Canal in 2025? Yeah, I think I think Trump is going to assert every legal way that he can to, to reclaim control over it. Yeah, I throw that out there. I think something can happen there in the next year. Now, the caller said, take over Greenland. I think Trump actually wants to buy Greenland.

So it's an interesting thought. Expanding his world dominance. Yes. Let's go to the next caller. Caller, your predictions for 2025. Good morning. Hi. So I predict that, Mike Simpson will finally switch political parties and will become a Republican.

Okay. Any other new year? Okay. Thank you for the call. Okay. That's fine. That's good. Let's go to the next caller. Your predictions for 2025. Roger that for Art Bell. And, late night radio. I believe that the confluence of the drones and the recent, recent aircraft drownings, either by missiles or birds, allegedly. They will close all airspace for about 72 hours.

And I think, when that happens, the world will be opened up to us. That's all I got. Right. Okay. All right. Thank you. I need to read this line that we got. Okay. It says the good prediction. Absolution for my eight deadly sins. Being a loyal listener. His bad prediction. He thinks there's going to be more assassination attempts.

Oh, yeah, I hope not, I hope not. The the security is incredibly beefed up now in comparison to what he was working with prior. Yeah. And I do believe he has a lot of people. When we were talking about this just a few segments ago, I think he does have a lot of people around him who love him dearly.

Yeah, I think so too. I think so too. And I would imagine you have some say over who's who's protecting. All right, let's go to the next caller. Caller, your predictions for 2025. Oh, they hung up. I predict they're going to call back. They might call back. Somebody says Ukraine will fall to Russia and China will invade Taiwan.

So the one that we dodged our predictions that we dodged in 2024 might actually happen in 2025, according to this person. Okay. We'll see. (208) 542-1079 my prediction for 2025. It's going to be a great year for Americans and patriots. I see that somebody asked the question, how do you buy Greenland? Who do you pay? Is there a Venmo.

Can't scan code like I don't know that's I don't know maybe you pay them I who knows. Oh let's go to the next caller. Caller your prediction for 2025 is that me? Yes. Go ahead. Okay. I, I predict that Trump will close the border and and kick all the bad people out of the swamp. But my bad, my bad prediction is nobody will pay for it.

There won't be a single prosecution of any of those people. Maybe a scapegoat or two, but. But not any of the bad people will go to jail for it. All the things that they have done. Yeah. I fear you could be right. Thank you for the call. Lots predictions rolling in on the text. Julie. Somebody said we'll find out that Elon Musk isn't who we all think he is, and JD Vance won't serve as VP.

Okay, that's a bold prediction. That's a bold prediction. I'm wondering if they believe that Elon Musk is going to step in as the VP. I think that's what they're saying. That's what they're saying. Yeah I mean I can't get on board with you. I'm sure you're great I do I can't I know I, I don't, I don't I think Elon Musk that role is not big enough for him.

No SVP he doesn't want that kind of he doesn't want to be saddled with something like that. He wants way more flexibility than, Yeah. Someone else said, I predict your show will still be plagued with your Ukraine obsessed caller. Happy New Year, and Joe Biden will pardon his whole administration before he leaves office. Now that I could see.

Yeah, that one can happen. Just a blanket. Blanket. Pardon. All right. (208) 542-1079. We're taking your 2025 predictions. I will save this audio. We'll play it back in a year and see how correct your we have went on Facebook Live that says my prediction mental hospitals make a comeback. Just judging by some of my more left leaning friends.

That's funny. That is funny. Elon Musk cannot serve as vice president. He is a South African citizen, not American. So I'd have to research that. I don't know what assassin ship is. I don't yeah, I mean he is from South Africa, but I don't know. Yeah. People are saying that I don't I I'd have to see you can't be elected but could you be appointed if JD Vance stepped down.

That's a that's a good question. I don't know, someone said we will see peace in the Middle East by the end of the year, including in Israel. We also will see a cease fire agreement in Ukraine and Russia. I think that's happening. I think Trump's going to negotiate something. And, then the final prediction, the economy will also tank in a severe way, but will recover to a high like it's never seen.

Could be. We've been teetering on the the tanking for three years now. So yes, that could happen on thin ice for sure. Let's go to the next caller. Caller your 2025 predictions I predict that, Trump will definitely go after the Panama Canal because, I don't know if Teddy Roosevelt actually went that direction back in his day, but, it is an important national security thing for us.

And I also predict, along with that, that at some point we will have some kind of a confrontation with the Chinese, whether it be over Taiwan or or the Panama Canal or drones or whatever, because they are, more aggressive in the recent times than they have been in the past. And I think that some kind of a, conflict is inevitable.

I hope that that is small, though, also. But we are going after the Panama Canal because we do need to. And that's my prediction. Okay. Thank you for the call. I think it begs the question, how did we ever cede control to to China in the first place of the Panama Canal? I don't know how that happened over this last few years.

Yeah. I don't I don't know, someone said the bird flu will take the economy even further to screw Trump. Another plandemic. I don't think it'll work again. I, I know the way I would react a to another pandemic, which is a giant middle finger to the government. And, I can't be alone. Yeah. In that at all.

Yeah. I think that there's a lot of people that would react exactly like I. Yeah, I feel like I would react. I'm not changing my life ever again, or having anyone ever tell me ever how I can communicate with my family and what I'm going to do with my friends. And yeah, especially when you still have the same voices like Fauci, Burks and others that are peddling this garbage.

Yeah, Jimmy Carter gave away the Panama Canal. What's Greenland's immigration policy? Maybe some Americans can buy enough land to then gift it to the country. Yeah, I don't know. I don't I don't know how that works. And I don't know how that works either. Locally, somebody said, Will district 91 figure out to do with all of their their growth issues?

They're bursting at the same issues. I have no idea. I don't think there's an active plan in place currently that they're I mean, I know they're exploring stuff. Absolutely. They're exploring stuff. But there's nothing close to being cement yet. No, no, they're they they're going to have to do it chunk by chunk. I yeah. So okay. Any last predictions Julie.

Dude. So last year my prediction was that Taylor and Travis would only last four months. And you said it would only last two. We were both tragically wrong on that. Does it last all of 2025. Maybe. I what's the average duration of a Taylor Swift relationship she has had? I think one long one. So I think I think she knows how to sustain a relationship.

Gotcha. Just don't know. We're going to take one last prediction caller. Go ahead. What is your prediction for 2025? Well, I didn't have it quite right last year because I heard me say, Donald Trump will not be elected. Well, he was elected very well. I like I wish he would serve, but I my prediction is, according to the Ezra's eagle prophecy.

Are you ready? I'm listening. I don't Biden will not feel out of his term. He'll either be I don't know if he'll be killed or thrown out of office or 25th amendment or something like that. I don't know the reason he won't fill out this term, but the next two people who expect to take, who become president will not be allowed to take become president.

And I don't okay. I would say Kamala Harris is one, Mike Johnson is the other. You know, he's speaker of the House. Yeah, I, I, I got served but then who will serve. That's a very good question okay. So you're saying in the next three weeks we're going to see something seismic happen even with that or I'm full of baloney.

Okay. Exactly what I'm saying. Okay. Well, it's right down to this point in time. Well, call us back in three weeks and we'll discuss whether you're full of baloney or not when you're done. Yeah. All right. Thank you for your prediction. And happy New Year to you too. All right. 929 on Newstalk 179. We'll take a quick break.

We'll be back if you'd like to reach us. The number on the fall River propane call and text line is 208542 179. Okay. Do you remember when we started the, it was a few minutes in. Let's just go back to 906, though. That'll grab everything. Yeah. So 23 minutes is how many seconds? 600, 1200 plus one, 80, 13, 80.

So I'll do 1400 seconds.

Somebody in the response to Carlson and Baloney.

Okay. I want to look up something on my phone about this podcast.

Okay. This is not a very big podcast on Apple. It has 496 reviews, 4.6 stars. That's not horrible. I mean, it's not it's not awful. All of these are foreign reviews. Oh, really? Okay. Okay. Bear with me for just one moment. Here, try to cut her off so she can't speak. That puts you in a certain category.

All right. (208) 542-1079. Shifting gears, we want you to make a prediction. We want you. All right. 929 A new stock one down to this point in time. Yeah. You stock 1079. We'll take a quick break. We'll be back. If you came. All right. That was good. 13 minutes file save. Yes. Apparently there's, What's that? Apparently there's a pretty strong anti-Trump.

Oh, yeah. Well, I and I think right before the election, and one specific episode that was really bad that people are saying it's just unrealistic. Okay, so that was Apple in general. Spotify listeners are nicer. So let's go there and look and see what they look like on Spotify. Rating is much better on Spotify and this also could be reflective that in Europe more people use Spotify then they use Apple.

Like that could also be oh okay. Part of what's going on here. Here we go.

Oh 934 on Newstalk 179. Listen, Julie Mason, and if you'd like to reach us on the fall River propane call and text line, that number is (208) 542-1079. Already pulled the audio already saved it. It is safely tucked away in the vault, Julie. And in a year, I've got to set the, That's the one. One step I need.

Yeah, you got to set the reminder in the phone or else will forget, because you and I, I'll start each other in, like, the third week of January. Hey, weren't we supposed to do predictions? We totally forgot to do that. Let's see what day of the week is, next year. Hold on. Give me a second. Oh, on.

Hold on, I will tell you. And November. December of 2025. New Year's Eve is a Wednesday. Okay. In 2025? That'll be a good day to do it. Sure. Okay, let's do it. All right, well, you talk about something interesting while I set this, or else I will for sure. Okay. What are we going to talk about? I don't know, let's talk about what's coming up for the rest of the week.

So on Friday, Speaker Johnson is set to, face a vote on whether or not he will maintain or retain his speakership. Yesterday, Donald Trump came out and endorsed, you know, I guess if that's what you want to call it, it gave his blessing. Said he really appreciate Speaker Johnson and all that. He, he has done and he he thinks that he will do a great job and he supports him.

Then Speaker Johnson came out on Fox News and thanked Donald Trump for those kind words, and said that he feels like he can do a good job leading this, this group of people, we still have Thomas Massie, who is saying he's not going to vote for Speaker Johnson. Other than that no one has come out publicly and said they will be voting against him.

Unfortunately, Thomas Massie is the only vote that can be lost. You only have a one vote leeway. There, and so every other Republican will need to vote for Speaker Johnson if this is going to work on Friday, I did I did see people, echo what I said yesterday, which is you guys highly underestimate Trump. He wouldn't support Speaker Johnson if he didn't feel like he was going to be able to get what he wanted two out of this, man.

Yeah. And, I'll double down on that today. I really feel like, Speaker Johnson's a little squishy, and I think that Trump realizes he can use that in his favor. And and work somebody who's a little moldable, a little Play-Doh, like. Yeah, he can work at and get things out of Speaker Johnson that he wants. Yeah, yeah, I well, I think so too.

And, what was the X? Was it DC Drano that sent that out? Basically saying that that look, no, Mike Johnson's not MAGA, but he's not as bad as Kevin McCarthy. I'd say he's close, but he's not as bad as Kevin. But I think he's more pliable. And that's that's the. Yeah. Hey, we talk sometimes we talk about lawmakers like local lawmakers in the same vein that.

Oh, absolutely. You know, there's local lawmakers that are squishy. We don't like squishy. But if you can use squishy to your advantage, then use it to your advantage. Absolutely. Yeah. Honey. Not vinegar like right. I mean that's so and I think Trump recognizes that. Yeah I also think, Marcy is is so publicly against it. I think he's dug in.

He probably has to vote against him just to save face, to save face. Yeah. However, I think I think Marcy, with enough pressure, Marcy would probably say, okay, I'll give you two months to prove yourself in a Republican dominated environment, which I'm fine with. I think Marcy could come out and and express something similar to what we said yesterday, which is don't do this now.

Do this in, say, March. Do this in April whenever you know, if you feel like Speaker Johnson is not supposed to be the guy, now is not the time to make the stance you have options. You can do it later on. And I think it was DC Drano that also said, you don't think that Trump has had not had that conversation with with, Speaker Johnson saying, hey, I can pull the trigger at any time.

Yeah, we can make this super uncomfortable for you at any given moment. Yeah. Trump really is sort of a kingmaker here. And if Trump say, here's the thing, this is and this is how Trump views it, if Trump endorses Mike Johnson and Mike Johnson survives this vote coming up, Mike Johnson owes Trump some big time favors. Yes.

So yeah, that works in Trump's favor. Politics is very transactional that way. Let's go to the phones. Hi, caller. How are you today? Yeah. Good morning. Hi. If you check back on Obama's term, it wasn't Biden that gave away the Panama Canal. It was oh, bomb. I mean, it wasn't Biden, it was Obama. And I hope Trump can get it back.

And Obama was definitely born in Kenya. Thank you. Okay. Thank you for the thank you for the call. Yes. Yeah, I well, I think giving away the Panama Canal actually happened in phases. We had someone text in that said Jimmy Carter actually gave away a lot of control of the Panama Canal. So then the one we referencing specifically was the control that China now has.

That's the one we were wanting to to kind of look for. And maybe that's what the color is referencing, that Obama had some sort of connection with China, and that's where that control came in. Well, get out of our hemisphere. Yeah. No. I'm serious. We didn't invite you. I mean, the Obama did invite him. At the risk of sounding like LeBron telling the NFL to get out at Christmas, we can tell China to get out of our hemisphere.

So did you see the Babylon V headline of of of LeBron and Bronny? It said something like, first father son synchronized. Flop. Oh, I did see that. You sent that to me like a couple weeks ago. Yes. That's very funny. That's so good. Yeah. That's so good. That is funny. And where's Bronny now?

The beleaguered the D League. I don't know which league it is, but he's playing in some smaller city in California. So once dad is totally out of the NBA, Bronny will probably never see an NBA. Probably court again. Probably not. Does that make you sad? Not at all. Naw, that whole thing doesn't need to be duplicated. No.

Once was enough for the NBA. Yeah, yeah. So dumb. How does that even happen? I don't know how the NBA is allowed this to happen to such a successful franchise. Yeah, the it's such a successful it's an institution. It's not it's not a franchise. It's an institution. Yeah. And you have let certain people destroy it. Yeah, yeah.

It's true. Okay. So Carter gave the the Panama Canal back and then China took control of it under Obama. Is that how it ran? I think that's how was okay. Yeah. Yeah. Here's the question, because I and who knows, this was the headline and headlines lie a lot, but the headline I saw was that Trump was going to invade, like, use military resources to get control of the Panama Canal back, which again, the media reported it.

So it's likely not true. It's so true. You know, it's it's true though, like. Right. It's true though when I was thinking about my 2025 predictions, I actually mulled over Will the media get better? Will the media heal itself just slightly? I don't think there's a complete healing that will ever happen, but will they become a little, little bit more like journalists?

And then I went, no, you fool, Julie, they're not going to do that. Here's the problem. They don't. We are so deep into this now. We don't have quote unquote journalists that have journalist muscle memory. They don't know how to be journalists. They only show up knowing how to be hacks, wearing journalists drag. And that's. Yeah, that's all they it's all they do now.

It's like, what narrative do I jump on today. And and cheerlead for. Yeah. And they don't have anybody to look to to help them be better. Right. They don't have a mentor. Know the institutions that are teaching them how to be journalists. So these universities are are left leaning like yeah there isn't a place for them to learn the skill again.

Yeah, yeah it's true. In fact they're worse than non journalists because they're entrenched partizan hacks which you could take a neutral uneducated 20 year old and train them to be a journalist faster than you could take the quote unquote journalist and turn them into and break their habits. Yes. Yeah. Okay. 943 Newstalk 179 we're going to break, but we'll come back.

We'll yeah, we're a little behind on schedule here. We'll be right back.

Somebody's joking. How did Christmas and New Year's land on the same day of the week next year? Weird. It's always on the same day. The week. I don't know, I don't know. They're talking about Mike Simpson in the Facebook chat. Just a little bit. Yeah. Both Neal and I were pretty positive Mike Simpson was retiring for this last election.

Yeah, he did not. He ran again. I do not see him running again. Right. You've interviewed him longer than I've interviewed him. Yeah. Compare Mike Simpson 15 years ago to Mike Simpson that we interviewed just, oh, eight months ahead. Yeah. No, it you're right. However, look at Dianne Feinstein. Look at, you know, the lady that just spent six months in memory care facility, Nancy Pelosi.

Yeah, but the broken hip when when you've been there for a long time, it just becomes part of who you are. And I don't as long as there are, you know, alive. And they can find a way to show up. I think they kind of do. So I don't, maybe not. Maybe there will be a moment, but I will say this.

My guess, the reason, one of the reasons he's yet to retire. There really isn't a set replacement for him that he finds suitable. Yeah, and that matters to politicians. I think you're right. I think you're right. So. Okay. Can we speculate for just a moment? Because I have noticed a very obvious and significant shift in gubernatorial politics in Idaho.

It was clear for a while that Brad Little was grooming Scott Bedke. Yeah. To run for governor. Yes. Then Watergate happened. And Becky's nowhere to be seen. Not nearly as visible as he was in the months leading up to it. And now you have Governor Little. He's issuing very public friendly proclamations left and right, stuff that really resonates with the base going directly after Labrador, base on transgender issues, everything else.

All he's got to do is win the primary and it's over. So my point is does that free up Scott Bedke to run for Congress, which Bedke would probably win that race if if Simpson's not in. Is he in the right district. Yeah yeah Becky's. Yeah okay. Is Oakley. Yeah, sure. I could see that that I'm just see that I just can see that shift happening because Raul's not going back to Congress.

No, he doesn't want to do that at all. He could easily win. He had. I think he'd beat Mike Simpson if he decided to run against him. I don't know that he lives in that in the right district, but if he decided to run against Simpson, but I do think if it ends up being Labrador and Brad Little, that's going to be a race for the ages.

Yeah, that's going to be a fight.

Can I say something horrible? Yes. I'm really ready for some fresh blood. Yeah. It just doesn't materialize out of nowhere. That's the problem. The the Tim Sheehy story in Montana. Yeah. Is definitely the outlier. That's not how the politicians are made. Yeah. If tester had been a Republican, he probably would not have lost. Right. So yeah.

Yeah. We don't have any really big elections coming up in 25. You have some local mayoral stuff but. Although here's what I think we are going to see if you want to win the governorship. Unless you are the incumbent you really have to start your campaign about a year and a half in advance. And the election for governor in Idaho's in 26.

So in about six months we're going to start to see that field. Yeah. The flavors will start to develop. Yeah okay I hope I didn't hurt somebody's feelings. Somebody texted in and said how did Christmas and New Year's land on the same day of the week next year? Weird. And then I put and Thanksgiving on a Thursday. Bizarre.

That's one nice thing about my birthday is it always lands on the same day as Christmas. New Year's, the same day of the week. Yeah yeah yeah. I mean, Christmas and New Year's are always separated by seven days, but they haven't texted back, so I'm thinking maybe I've hurt their feelings a little. I feel like my birthday's always on the weekend.

I know that's not accurate, but I feel like it is. Yeah. Is it because maybe I've always sort of celebrated? But you really don't celebrate birthdays. Celebrate birthdays, actually have a really awesome birthday to. I know you share it with the Irish. Happy birthday Ron. Tomorrow happy birthday. Pardon the stretch. Sometimes you just have to stretch. Okay, here we go.

951 on Newstalk 1079. There is only a limited amount of time duly for our listeners to call in and to be on the radio for the very last time in 2024. Do it now. So do it now if you want to get that call in. (208) 542-1079 and we do want to wish everyone a big happy New Year and be safe and all that crap, all that crap.

Just be smart. Yes. Yeah, that smart equals safe. The two come together. So be smart in your decisions. If you're out drinking, have a good driver, designated driver, a sober designated driver. Yeah. Somebody texted in and wants to know real quick what your your thoughts on the fog, the conspiracy theory on the fog. I, I right now, I'm not freaking out.

I think it's a I mean, it's a big country. Lots of communities at any given time, people are are burning wood in these communities. They're, you know, it's the winter time, so. And maybe not in Florida, I don't know, but you might have, a local factory or something. So these little isolated events are very, very local, but somebody take some footage of it and it becomes sort of this international scary, right.

And so I, I think that there can be a mass hysteria component to this. At the same time, I'm leaving it on my radar screen. So I it, I, I think there could be something concerning about it, but I'm also open to the idea that it might just be a case of mass hysteria. And there's different reasons why, you know, if you went out across the Intermountain West this morning to 50 different communities, I guarantee you people are burning some wood, and some of that would smoke is mixing in with the fog.

And, well, it is it is interesting that they say fog because fog isn't always fog. Yeah. Like in in the Salt Lake Valley. That's an inversion. Yeah. You could call it a fog, but it's an inversion. That's, Yeah, that's something completely different. Yeah. I think coats is still on vacation. Right? Michael Coats, probably. The guy's always on vacation.

Never works. Don't let that get back to you. Well, hit up Michael coats later and see what? What is that? Yeah, I mean, I, I, I look it is inversion season across the country so I again I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm not debunking it but I'm skeptical of it right now. Someone said Stephen King's The Mist explains it. I never have seen it or read it, so I haven't either.

I'll have to Google it and see. Maybe it's it's real life stuff come or yeah, fiction coming to real life. What is what are your thoughts on the Fog? Do I do I think that there's potential that bioweapons could be used in that way 100%. I, I don't I don't think you Pooh Pooh the whole thing. Yeah. I don't think that's what's happening right now.

Yeah. Okay. Got you. All right, let's go to the phones. Caller. We have about a minute. Go ahead and know I got something to throw across. Yeah. What do you think about Trump bringing up the whole thing about the Bidens and exposing their corruption throughout the 50 years that Joe Biden's been in office? Like, what about it?

Like about just bringing everything out? He's gone after Donald Trump. He's jus tired, Trump of all this stuff. Oh, yeah. Big enough to actually expose everything that Joe Biden has done and how corrupt he was for this country. I am all for it. I'm all for it. And I know it would be painful. And I think it's something that we're gonna have to go through as a country, but I think we've got to find corruption, and I think we've got to find those corners of our government that are hidden.

And and if there have been nefarious things that have happened, you root it out, you expose it, and you hold people accountable. And I think that's how you maintain your republic. Easy enough. And we got to take a break. Okay. We'll come back. We'll wrap it up after this. On Newstalk 1079 someone just said, Julie, Julie, Julie. It's an inversion, which is fake.

That's not true. An inversion is a cap of air that holds smoke and smog and fog. It's a soup. It's a particulate soup. Fog is moisture. Okay. All right. We'll be back after this.

Did you see the Julie? Julie? Julie didn't. Yeah. Yeah. An inversion is cold air trapped below warm air. Fog, clouds, pollution. I'll get trapped in an inversion. So an inversion is fog, but it's not just fog. Yeah, that's. That's like saying all Mormons are Christians. But not all Christians are Mormons, right? Yes. Right. Okay. Well, great. Okay.

Let's see what Stephen King's The Mist is about. The mist, in the story, the small town of Bridgton, Maine. Oh, hold on, we got a we're going to go right back in just a minute. Okay, here we go, here we go, here we go.

958 on Newstalk 179. Julie, we have 30s left. What do you want to tell our audience in this final stretch? Year of the year? Well, if I was going to say something to them, I tell them, thank you. Yeah, thank you for doing lots of what we asked for you to do in 2024, for getting out there, for talking about prop one, for encouraging people to vote, for being a voice for common sense and.

Yeah, yeah. Thank you. I think I would add to that it has been a wild journey over the last year with lots of twists and turns, and we made it through together and on to another year and on to new adventures. And we appreciate your loyalty and listener listenership very much. We'll see. We'll see you Thursday.