The Mark Arum Show 06-02-26 HR 3

drop it. And then you had the Justice Department announcing that they were going to abide by this court's ruling. So it's interesting with the wording and how the White House rolled this out because the White House didn't announce it. the Justice Department announced it. And even though the Justice Department is a part of the Trump administration, you see that the White House and President Trump aren't directly weighing in. So that could mean they're opening the door or leaving the door open to potentially pursuing this. But their Republican allies on Capitol Hill definitely want them to stay away from this. In fact, if, you know, the administration was going to continue on with this, at least for this week. they were facing the reconciliation legislation that is in Congress failing because of Republican pushback. So for the time being, the administration had to negotiate with members of their own party on this. Especially with the midterms coming up, right? That's the last thing anyone up for election wants to talk about is this anti-weaponization fund. Julie, do we know what was said in that meeting between Speaker Johnson and President Trump? We don't know too many details. We know that, you know, it was brought up and the timing was certainly very obvious and very notable. But I think the midterms are a huge consideration for Republicans on this. You know, zooming out, I think, from this issue going farther out than this issue of the weaponization fund is this question of how much is the administration really laser focused on the number one issue in the midterms, which is... affordability but instead you have president trump floating this what anti-weaponization fund the ballroom these beautification um projects around dc that's really open the door to criticism from democrats to say the administration is not focused on affordability now the administration would push back on that saying you can walk and chew gum at the same time and focus on a number of issues including affordability but You know, I think it's difficult for Republicans right now because the national mood is so against them and President Trump's approvals are so low, so they find themselves. on defense more than they have been during the length of this administration. While things are on pause because of this judicial order, is it a possibility we see a revamped version of the weaponization fund? Because a lot of criticism was there was going to be no transparency on who got the money or how much they got. And the people deciding who got the taxpayer fund weren't going to be congressmen and women. It was going to be a five-person panel picked by Todd Blanche. So, I mean, is there a chance they scratch? those two portions of the weaponization fund and come up with a new version they could come up with a new version it's unclear if they will actually Todd Blanche is on Capitol Hill today testifying and I'm sure there are a number of Democrats and even some Republicans who will want to ask him about this but I think it was just the overall optics of this fund you know with the panel that you know wasn't elected not you know lawmakers on that panel deciding and in terms of who gets

you know, the funds for that. That was, I think, a huge question that, you know, Republicans had and as well as Democrats, and it opened the door to criticism. So it is possible. But right now, I think the President Trump's allies and his own party would rather him step away from this. While I have you, Julia, final quick question. And if you're not caught up to date or don't have any info on the breaking news this morning that President Trump announced that Bill Pulte will be the acting director of national intelligence. Any reaction from Capitol Hill to that appointment? Look, I think Republicans are praising this. I haven't seen much reaction from Democrats yet. Obviously, this is just breaking. But look, it'll be interesting to see what happens between now and November on this. Remember to replace... Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, or even to replace Attorney General Pam Bondi, there needs to be a Senate confirmation hearing. And right now, you know, Democrats or Republicans are facing an uphill and their battle to maintain control of the Senate, maintain their majority. So they might, it might behoove the administration and Republicans to get these replacements through as fast as possible. Juliet, Manchester the Hill. Julia, great stuff. Thanks so much for your time. Have a great day. You too. All right. Obviously, a couple of big stories there. We're going to follow throughout the day on 95-5 WSP. I want to revisit our top story, though. The tense conversation held between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu getting sources saying that President Trump reportedly told the Prime Minister, you're effing crazy, but he said the full word. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your... A.S. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this. This on the heels of Iran pulling out of negotiations yesterday because of what the IDF is doing to defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon. Continue our team coverage now. Joining us from Bloomberg News, it's Kaylee Lenz. Kayla, good morning. Thanks so much for your time. Good morning. Thanks for having me. I mean, if you go back 26 hours, I was very optimistic about a possible deal being reached between the United States and Iran. Then we had the breaking news from the Iran regime that they are pulling out of the talks because of what's going on in Lebanon. Then we have this really pointed and sharp conversation between two world leaders. Where do things stand right now? Well, it depends on who you're asking, Mark, because there does seem to be a disconnect between the public messaging we're getting, not just between the U.S. and Iran, but also differences in the messaging between the U.S. and Israel. On the Iran side, yes, state media did yesterday say Iran was going to walk away from these talks over protest of what Israel is doing in Lebanon and the aim of essentially eliminating Hezbollah, though President Trump maintained that talks are still happening at a rapid plate. pace. He's still optimistic that a deal can be reached in the not so distant future. So clearly there is a break there in terms of interpretation of the status of these negotiations, but there clearly is also a break developing between the U.S. and Israel, as it does seem Israel's incursion into Lebanon.

is really one of the major impediments to reaching some kind of memorandum of understanding with Iran, as Iran says peace in Lebanon is going to be a prerequisite for any agreement made with the United States. And President Trump did speak with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday. His read out of the meeting was that Israel promised to no longer file in Hezbollah, so long as Hezbollah was no longer firing on Israel, that they would turn around ground troops that were bound for Beirut. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu said that the... plan in southern Lebanon has not changed, and Israel will return fire so long as Hezbollah is firing. So clearly a difference there, and as you alluded to, Axios did report that the president told Benjamin Netanyahu that he was effing crazy. You do have to consider the motives of the U.S. officials who leaked that to Axios. It may be that the administration wants to show that the president is being tough on Benjamin Netanyahu as he pursues some kind of resolution here, but clearly there is. a lot of tension in the relationship between these two allies. Yeah, great point there, Kelly, of why that conversation was leaked. So, but it seems to have worked, right? Because Israel says we're going to suspend operations, specifically in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where there are some Hezbollah strongholds. I got to ask the question, though, if obviously President Trump went down hard on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel, why can't Iran do the same with Hezbollah their proxy and say, hey, Chill out on the attacks in northern Israel while we work on this negotiation. Well, that's a very good point, Mark. It becomes a question of direct control. You could say the same about the Lebanese government, which has consistently said that they would like to see the pursuit of a ceasefire with Israel, but the Lebanese government is not necessarily able to speak for or control Hezbollah, obviously. In Iran, though it is a funder of Hezbollah and Hezbollah is one of its proxies, doesn't necessarily have a direct on and off switch to any Hezbollah action. This also does serve as leverage for Iran that may not necessarily be rushing to make a deal to be with the united states that could include concessions if they can still point to what's happening and lebanon and say this is what's holding up an agreement and help prolong these negotiations and by extension the ceasefire uh... that is still in place even further it could serve to their advantage it becomes a question of course of of the pressure that all of these different governments are facing. Domestically in Benjamin Netanyahu's pursuit of Hezbollah in Lebanon is widely popular. Domestically in Iran, they don't really care much for the domestic population's considerations. And domestically in the United States, President Trump is facing the pressure of looming midterm elections, even though he publicly said he doesn't care about the midterms or American financial situation. That is still very much political reality, especially for those Republicans who are on the ballot. in November and so he clearly has to contend with those and may have even more evidence of the difficult political situation coming here in the US leader this week as we expect tomorrow Wednesday the US House of Representatives could vote on a war powers resolution that could very well pass keeping in mind leadership had to

pull that resolution before the Memorial Day recess over concerns that it would pass because of some Republican absences. I think what you said is worth highlighting there, Kelly, because President Trump, we have the midterms. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his political future is uncertain. The Iran regime doesn't have to worry about a vote, right? They are the regime. They have to worry about maybe a revolution, but they don't have any political pressure going up to the mid-turn cycle. Kylie Lenz, Bloomberg, in D.C. Great stuff. Thank you so much for your time, my friend. Thank you. Any updates on the war, the negotiations? We will bring them to you live here on 95-5. USB. When we come back, more reaction to Bill Pulte's naming as the acting director of National Intelligence. We'll go back to the White House. Hello again. I'm the church lady and this is church jazz. Dear church lady, I sometimes think you don't want to listen to anyone's opinion. I don't want to hear the rest of that just in case. 1123 on the mark here, I'm sure happy 71st birthday to Dana Carby. 71, I remember when he was like the young new guy. on Saturday Live. Welcome back to the Mark Aram Show. We are following breaking news, President Trump. You heard it live here first on the Mark Aram Show announcing that Bill Pulte, the head of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, will take over as the acting director of national intelligence. He has also been serving as the Federal Housing Finance Agency. I guess the biggest criticism so far is that he does not have any intelligence background on his resume. Lane and Shreen moments ago at the White House. No, absolutely. I think that his lack of experience, Wolf and Pamela, when it comes to national security, having no previous role in a national security position or those types of credentials, certainly going to be a reason why this faces a certain blowback. But to the other point that Senator Warner made, I think, is also a valid one. I mean, it's clear Bill Pulte is someone who has been a bulldog for President Trump and someone who is deemed kind of the loyalist of all loyalists. close to President Trump. He has a direct line to him, the two speak directly. He doesn't have to go through other people. And many times it's actually been a source of contention with other administration officials, just Bill Pulte, having that relationship to be able to go directly to the president to make his motivations for something clear, his criticisms of something clear. I'd remind you that we actually saw Bill Pulte and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, again, to a very heated exchange last year. over that exact reason with Scott Bessent arguing that Bill Pulte had badmouthed him directly to Trump. All to say, I think a key part, of course, for the reason that the president selected him is because of that close relationship they have. And I've been told from my sources just speaking with them in the aftermath of this announcement that the president has been in the past very impressed by how Bill Pulte has used his position as the director of the federal housing financial agency to kind of go. after some of the president's political opponents. I'd remind you, a lot of the times we've seen Bill Pulte's name in the headlines is because he has found ways to go after people like the New York Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Adam Schiff. He was the one who was behind the ousting, the president's firing of the Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

So, Elaine O'Sreeing there moments ago at the White House. So the criticism about the lack of intelligence background, but as Elena Treen said, very close to the president, the president's bulldog. My concern is now he has three demanding jobs at once. And it takes a very special person to do any one of those three jobs. I don't know what capacity Mr. Bill Pulte has to do all three of those very important jobs at once. Heading Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And now adding on to his chair in the, in the housing department. being the acting director of national security. I just think that's too much for one person, no matter how great a person to do. We'll see if he pairs back some of those other roles. Big story developing here and we'll update it throughout the day on 95-5 WSP. News weather and traffic in three. When we come back, we're going to hit our top local stories and a chance for you to win tickets to see Santana and the Doobie Brothers. All of that straight ahead on the Mark Air Show.

1137 on the mark here. I'm show. Welcome back, Friends. A reminder, this is the last week for a grand for gas. And in case you missed it, the gas tax suspension here in Georgia ends at midnight tonight. So you're really going to take advantage of a grand for gas. Your next chance to win a grand for gas coming up right after the new news right before Eric Erickson here on 95-5. WSB. But you do not need to wait to win. What do we have to give away right now, Deborah? A pair of tickets to see Santana and the DVB brothers at Ameris Bank Amphitheater on July 9th. Let's do the ninth caller to Brooke at 404-872-075. Caller number nine to Brooke at 404-872-0-750. One lucky winner gets a pair of tickets to see Santana and the Doobie Brother. I've seen Santana before. I've never seen The Doobie Brothers. So what day is that concert? July 9th. July 9th. I think. You're back from vacation. I think you're back, yeah. Maybe I'll go to that show. I'd like to see the Doobie Brothers. Very important date today. June 2nd, 1896. June 2nd, 1896. Guillermo Marconi was patented, patented the radio. The radio was patented on this date in 1896 by Guillermo Marconi, which impacts all of us, Debra, because you and I are Marconi Award winners in our illustrious radio career. You have Gracies as well, but we both won a Marconi award. So on this date in 1896, the radio was patented by Guillermo Marconi. Speaking of radio, from 1896, the humble beginnings to radio, to deep space radio signal. These have been popping off in a galaxy not too far away, right? Or a star system not too far away? Two star system. Yeah, not too far away. It's kind of hard to judge because of miles and space aren't quite exactly the same. Like nautical miles. Yeah, light years are quite different. But there is a system every once in a while you'll hear NASA say they found these mysterious radio signals. Are they aliens trying to contact us? What is going on? Kind of like the movie Contact where we got this funky radio. So what's the message? Up to this point, we haven't able to decipher. what these mysterious radio signals from this star system are, but now we're getting maybe an indication? Well, we still really don't know if they're actually saying anything. If it's an alien radio station or anything, but they are coming from a dead star system. So there's this two star system. And what it is is because of the way they have the gravity that pulls on each other that emits these radio bursts. So to us, it's probably just noise and radio bursts. If there's any intelligence to it, we haven't figured it out yet. But it is not what we can figure out a... actual someone trying to contact us. It's not a CB for space. It's not an alien version of English Nick playing the Stones. Right. Yes, there you go. Oh, well, I mean. I know. So it's just these two stars, this dead zone that creates the, all right. Yeah. But it's ironic. But at least we know it's not aliens. Yeah. So I guess we still credit Guillermo Marconi. Because if there's an actual radio station. A million light years away, then the radio was invented along before. Oh, yeah, long before they got out here. Marconi. All right, let's update the job market. We're going to start with this. Apparently, so recent college grads, unlike Vinny, are having a tough time finding work. And a lot of people have been blaming artificial intelligence replacing these entry-level jobs. But a new survey, a new study shows that it's remote working that is hurting recent grads trying to get a job. Yeah, I remember last week we talked about how there is a large number of young, able people.

just not working. And a lot of it says, oh, you know, AI's been implemented and it's taken away a lot of jobs. But this new survey that's gone in through unemployment has said it's not really AI at all. What it is is it's remote working. People that aren't willing to return to the office or go to an office at all if they just graduated from school. They want to work remote. And companies are a little hesitant to hire. new people to remote work. They want them in the building to work along other people to get that. Learn the ropes. Yeah, to work with somebody. Even though you can push buttons from anywhere, it really kind of helps if you have someone else in the building to kind of show you what to do. And they're just not willing to fill those jobs with college graduates. A lot of them are going to people that are a little bit older or maybe changing jobs and already have the experience. That makes a lot of sense to me. So if I'm running a company. I would prefer my new hires come in and get a taste of what we do, what the office is like, and see how they interact with coworkers, where if they start and they're virtual from day one, not that I don't trust a recent college grad, but I'm... I want to see firsthand experience how they handle themselves and how they interact. So that actually makes a lot of sense. I think you both you and I can both say we probably learned more actually being in the building than I learned from a textbook in school. I learned more. in my first month at WSB radio than I did in five years of college. Yeah, I could read a million books on how to run a radio station or what to do. Actually, I take that back. I didn't learn much in college. Well, that's my fault because I didn't go to class a lot. I learned a lot during my internships in college. Vinnie on the same page? I believe, yes. I don't know how people do remote. I couldn't do it. We didn't. Deborah and I were the only ones in the building during COVID. I would be with y'all. Yeah. But that to me makes sense that if you're looking to hire and it's a remote job, you want someone that's had in-office experience as opposed to our recent grad. Interesting. All right. Sticking with careers. I'm not mid-career. Gosh, I hope not. I'm 30 years into my career. I hope this isn't the middle of my career. But apparently a lot of people are dealing with what they're calling a mid-career stall. What exactly is it? This is about 24% of the white-collar workers. So not everybody in the workforce, but specifically white-collar workers feel like they've got to a point in their career where there's just nowhere else to go. They're not moving up anymore. They're not getting any type of raises. They're really not even learning anything or being challenged. They've kind of done everything that they need to do. And they feel a little bitter because... I feel this sometimes. I did everything you told me to do. I graduated school. I got good grades. I went to college. I got a degree. I did an internship. I worked my way up. And not everybody is feeling the effects of what happens next. Is it middle management? Is it a promotion? Is it running a department? So that's what they're calling a mid-career stall. So all right. So now that you describe it, I went through that for sure. I always wanted.

to work toward a new goal here at WSP Radio. And as long as I had a goal to get to, I was happy. Like, all right, I'm doing this, but someday I want to do that. And then I achieve that. And I'm like, all right, someday I want to do that. And I achieve. And then I hit a wall. And the thing I wanted to do next is what I'm doing now. And it was a struggle to get to this position. And I had, I don't, it was frustration. It was mid-career frustration as opposed to a stall. You're not in your head. You've been in a situation. I think this, this job particularly, it. You have to have a lot of changes to get to the next step, right? Like I say, I want to do this position, but unless somebody's willing to leave or decides, you know, it's hard to, yeah, Vinnie, right? Like, it's hard to just get to the, it doesn't matter how hard you work. If that position's not open, you might not get it. Yeah. Yeah, I definitely can relate. And there were there were times I had ample opportunities to to leave this company and go somewhere else and avoid that mid-career stall. But I had faith that that next goal that I wanted would eventually, what is my next goal now? to get every dude to wash their hands at WSB Radio. All right, I still have a working goal here. Her. Yeah. Those signs have been ordered, by the way, Vinnie. They'll be here tomorrow. Let's do it. So I don't know when Amazon's going to deliver them, but so today's Tuesday went by Thursday. There will be multiple signs that say employees must wash hands. You and Vinnie put a video together so you can see them right up. Bring my toolkit. Do you think we're going to, am I going to catch flack from management or HR anything? We'll go talk to our boss. I'd rather ask forgiveness than permission to be honest. That's what I've heard my entire career. Exactly. Hey, congrats to David and Akworth. He won a pair of tickets to see Santana and the Doobie Brothers on July 9th, courtesy of the Mark Aram Show at 955. WSB.

Get. Velvita shells and cheese. There's gold in their shells. 1152 on the Mark Aram Show. Historic date in food history on this date in 1928. Crafts Velvita cheese is invented. Velvita cheese is 98 years old. That's shocking to me. I thought that was invented in the late 70s. Maybe it was just marketed well in the 70s. Gosh, 1928. Velvita cheese again. Mark Aram's official cheese ranks number one. McDonald's cheese on the burger is so good. Number two, craft singles, number three, government cheese. And I'm going to put Velvita cheese at number four. Love Velvita. That's why I'm overweight, which is why I should probably be on a GLP1, Deborah. GLP1's everywhere now. Everyone's taking them. Have we seen an impact on obesity rates since the folks started taking the GLP ones? Absolutely. It does seem like everyone's on a GLP1. And you've seen a drop, or not a drop, but it's definitely a decline in obesity rates here in the United States, which is great because the CDC said that about 40% of Americans were considered obese. by their BMI numbers. So if this is helping, it's good. The only problem is they don't have enough history yet to really track what the effects are going to be. You've heard some side effects, but we also don't know if people stop taking it, does it affect them? Like a couple people that have, they gain the weight right back. Are they going to have to keep taking it? The fact that it does impact the obesity rates, it kind of surprised me, actually. Because I think most of the folks taking the GLP ones aren't obese at all. there may be a little overweight, like 15, 20 pounds, and they want to lose that 15, 20 pounds. So I don't think they count as part of those obese numbers. Well, the CDC said 40% of Americans are obese. Well, yeah, I get that, but I don't think a lot of obese Americans are taking them. I think overweight Americans are taking it. They're like, ah, I've got a good job. I'm 15 pounds overweight. Let me take this. What's the fattest state in the union, Deborah? Pop quiz. What do you think is the fattest state in the union? It's usually in the south in Mississippi. They're in the top five. Vinny, fattest state in the United States of America. Texas. Not in the top. No, not in the top five. There are four southern states, but number one is West Virginia. Yeah, you knew it. West Virginia is the fattest state. Speaking of food. That was it? What did I ask you? Oh, a shortage of honey, which is a healthy food, right? Milk and honey. That's in the Bible. Now we're dealing with a honey shortage. This can't have to do with the Iran War, the closure, the straight of her moves, does it? I don't think directly. Okay. This is a honey shortage. So if you love using honey, which apparently Gen Z loves, it's a big health craze on the tickety talks if to use honey rather than sugar and all this other stuff. But the problem is you've had a decreasing number of bee colonies. Remember how we've talked about that before? There's fewer and fewer bees. Yeah. They are everywhere. Well, maybe. Soma tries to eat them. The fat little bumby bees, she's like, ah, I don't know. Well, there's fewer and fewer bees, which means they're making less honey, so they're having to import it from other parts of the world. And that's where the Iran War comes in because the effective fuel and everything. But locally, there's less bees, so less honey locally. Apples and honey, great dessert. If you're trying to cut back on the calories and you can't afford a GLP1, apples and honey make a fantastic dessert.

Now you know, because of the Mark Aram Show. Look, it's clear the president was very upset that the Israeli Prime Minister was going to move ahead with strikes on Beirut when those strikes were likely to disrupt the U.S. negotiations with Iran. Jordana Miller from ABC, joined us in Jerusalem, updating the profanity-laden, allegedly phone call between President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Massive story will follow through it out the day on 95-5.W. Now you know. Some Republican senators are still skeptical what this means. necessarily. It's kind of a given that the Trump administration would theoretically comply with the court order. Some of them are at this point are looking for assurances that the Trump administration will fully back off from this weaponization. Peter Haralambus from ABC joined us in New York City updating the pause in the anti-weaponization fund. Now you know. Digital driver's license is legal. You to show a law enforcement. The digital driver's licenses there are not eligible for voting, though, because Back to the cell phone law. You can't have a cell phone. George's favorite poll worker, Scott Slade, hearing his experience as a poll worker here in the midterm election season. Now you know. Earlier yesterday morning, Speaker Mike Johnson was here at the White House speaking with President Trump. And then you saw Majority Leader John Thune on Capitol Hill saying the administration should, quote, drop it. Julia Manchester from the Hill on the update and the conversation between Speaker Johnson and President Trump. And finally, now you know. Remember to replace Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. There needs to be a Senate confirmation hearing. Now you know, because of the Mark Aram show.

Are you guys ready for the Mark Aram Starfish? I wasn't running for Star of the show, and then I just played the wrong audio at the very last minute. Star of the show goes to Vinny Drip, Deborah. We had an impromptu week after her birthday celebration for meteorologist Christine Edwards. I called Vinny. He answered the bat phone. I said, Swing by Chick-fil-A, get his chicken biscuits for the celebration. Without hesitation, he said, hurt. Good job, Penns. Thank you. Thank you. Her. Yes, congrats for it. Thank you. Always answer the phone when I call. Absolutely. I rarely call anyone. So if I'm calling you, It's important. You answered the bat call. Vinny gets a star of the show. Great guest, too. Scott Slade, Kayla Lenz from Bloomberg, Julia Manchester from the Hill, Peter Haralambus, Jordana Miller. Fantastic stuff. All right, Grand for Gas, coming up in minutes right after the new news. I'll give you a keyword, and you can win at Grand For Gas right here on WSB. I'll be active on social posting AI Nix fans pictures. At Mark Aram, M-A-R-K-A-R-U-M. Stay safe. Have a great Tuesday, Atlanta. place and time. Oh, yes, sir.