The Vince Coakley Radio Program | From Manageable Burden to Nightmare | Transcendent Messaging

What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart, and your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV-4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly Blue Books KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. Good morning. Welcome to the Vince Coakley Radio program. Glad you are here, a lot to talk about, of course, during the course of the next couple of hours. Among the things we'll discuss, of course, updates on the, all the changes and developments going on with the U.S. Senate. A new senator will be coming in for South Carolina to replace Lindsey Graham. We'll talk more about that announcement yesterday, exactly what we predicted what happened. And some interesting twists and turns on this about an investigation because there are questions about Lindsey Graham's death. We will discuss what is going on in terms of the FBI. Also, more condolences pouring in after his loss over the weekend. We'll get some additional... perspective on the medical condition that developed with Lindsey Graham from an expert who will tell us exactly what happened and why his death was I guess you can say something that was not preventable By the time that he got the medical attention that was definitely needed in this situation. The other person in the Senate, we've been watching for a number of weeks, and this was a real curveball to lose Lindsey Graham as we were wondering about the condition of Mitch McConnell. We also talked about the fact that he has put out a picture and a narrative as to what was going on. We learned about what his condition is. Still, there are questions and a potential looming legal battle, depending on how this goes. We'll talk about what happens there. We'll go into the subject of data centers. Activists are stepping up their push.

To get that particular situation under control, we'll tell you what's happening here in North Carolina along those lines. We also have a transformation Tuesday segment for you. I want to begin talking about the economy on a couple of fronts. You heard in the news the latest monthly inflation report showing the pace of price hike slowed sharply in June, which is a good thing. And keep in mind, there were indications that the Middle East situation might be heading towards some sort of resolution, which led to the drop in energy prices. Now, as you see, we've got more military saber rattling going on, and there's concern that this could actually go the other direction. This data coming out now, ahead of Kevin Warsh's first appearance on Capitol Hill, that is going on right now. He was scheduled to appear at 10 o'clock before the House Finance Committee. Now, Kevin Warsh is expected to reaffirm for lawmakers the central bank's commitment to bringing down inflation and could offer some fresh insight into how he sees the U.S. economy. In prepared remarks, Kevin Warsh said if we get policy rights and we will, the inflation surge of the last five years will be a thing of the past. Call me skeptical. But we shall see. Also, consumer prices fell for the first time in six years. That is certainly some positive news. U.S. consumer prices showing that decline last month. for the first time in six years and boy do we ever need the relief on the flip side we do have to talk about what is going on with our debt a very interesting story in the street this one talking about borrowing money and the cost of borrowing money at least the federal government and how much it's costing us As I was preparing this rundown today, I was thinking about someone texting the other day about how sometimes they leave this program depressed. Believe me, that's not my intention. I am a realist, and I have segments that are designed to, I hope, further equip you to address the things that are going on in your life and to provide some uh level of encouragement and yet at the same time i also believe that there are things that we've got to talk about that the mainstream news media does not seem to want to put too much attention into and frankly we as americans don't like to think about certain things i i'm just telling you about my own life i am discovering more about some of the elements of ADHD, what it means for an individual and how we conduct our lives. And there was a post that I saw, and I saved this somewhere. I have a whole collection, a whole file of things on ADHD. And I'm trying to remember the direct quote in there was, for someone with ADHD, there's today.

And there's in the future. And that may sound like, okay, that's really simple and it's not really profound, but I get it. Because there's this ability that we have to be able to hyper focus sometimes. And when that hyper focus, when it's in gear, it's wonderful. You're productive. Great. But if there are things especially that you don't want to deal with, that goes into the future basket. And it may stay there forever. There are a lot of implications of that. I think this is what, as a country, we are doing right now with our debt. We're focusing, we're hyper-focusing on, and here's the challenge. And I get it. I get it. We're trying to keep our own households going. And we want, I'm just speaking for probably the bulk of people, we want solutions and things that are going to address our situation right now. Not so much the country, but us individually. And the truth is, we probably do have a lot of the mindset. What can the country do for me as opposed to what we can do for our country? I'm just putting that out there. I'd love to get your thoughts on what I've said along these lines. Coming up, we're going to talk about these numbers because they're very, very interesting as our debt edges toward that $40 trillion mark. I'm the WBT text line driven by Liberty View of GMC. Bob writes in, well, Vince, you got your wish. Lindsey Graham is no longer representing South Carolina. It's certainly not the way I was hoping this would occur. Dean writes in, I thought we were the country. It's like which came first, the chicken of the egg. Or maybe we aren't the democracy we are being told? I think that's part of the issue, isn't it, Dean? So I came across this story in the street. It's called Scott Bessent's Treasury has troubling news for every taxpayer. Borrowing money is not a crisis in and of itself. Of course not. Households do it for homes, cars, governments do it to fund wars, recessions, long stretches of ordinary spending. Here's where the problem comes in when the interest on that borrowing grows faster than everything else. For most of modern history, the United States could carry a large debt without much strain. Interest rates sat near record lows for more than a decade, so the government refinanced old bonds cheaply, and they rolled the balance forward. Economists called it a manageable burden, and it was for years. But a couple of things changed the math. Rates climbed off their lows, and that pile of debt kept getting bigger. Every new bond the Treasury sells now carries a higher coupon than the one it replaces. And there are a lot more of them to sell. That collision now showing up in the government books. The federal deficit reached just under $1.4 trillion. That's just for the first nine months of fiscal year 2026.

Can you even fathom these numbers, $155 billion of fresh borrowing a month? What's going on here? Why is this interest bill climbing faster than the debt? Net interest is the government's bill for money it already spent? It doesn't buy a single road, missile? More Social Security check. It only keeps the existing debt from defaulting. It's twisted, isn't it? Think of a coupon as the fixed yearly rate of bond pays. Whoever holds it when the Treasury sold debt during the near zero years, those coupons were tiny. Replacing them at today's rates, now several times as much to borrow the same dollar. The interest climbs for two reasons. The debt keeps growing. And the average rate on that debt keeps resetting higher as old low rate bonds mature and they get replaced. So as I mentioned, we're now $39.4 trillion. And we can thank the Unip Party for this. Republicans and Democrats, no matter how many people will tell you their fiscal conservatives, yada, yada, yada, yada, yada. The Unip Party did this. So what's going on in the current budget review? The most recent monthly budget review put some hard figures on the strain. Net interest on the public debt. This is depressing. It's reached $857 billion this fiscal year, or $23.8 billion every week. Roughly $100 billion, 13% higher than the interest paid in the same stretch of 2025. The result of a bigger debt load and higher long-term rates. Most of the federal budget can be debated, trimmed, or delayed. Guess what? Can't do that with interest. It's a legal obligation paid before almost anything else, which is why its growth crowds out the very spending lawmakers argue about. According to the CBO's July budget review, net interest so far in fiscal 2026, $857 billion, 20 billion more than the combined budgets. of the defense, commerce, homeland security, and education departments, plus EPA, small business administration, and pandemic era refundable credits. Combined. Social Security rose 62 billion. or 5% on higher benefits, more beneficiaries. Medicare outlays up $58 billion or 8% on higher enrollment and payment rates. Medicaid, $49 billion, 10% on rising costs per enrollee. But you know what? The single fastest growing line in the federal budget buys nothing new at all. It's...

purer carrying costs on the decisions already made. We're going to talk a little bit more about this, but I want you to keep this in mind, and especially during this election season, I doubt very seriously if this is going to get much attention because it's really, again, it's not sexy. And the politicians would love not to talk about this. But every single person you vote for in November. And if you should have an opportunity to vote before then, this needs to be one of the things in the forefront of your mind because you are going to pay. And worse, your children and grandchildren are going to pay for this rolled over debt. That's what's happening here. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on Tacoma, Tundra, and Forerunner with the space and features for any adventure. It means driving for less, with available hybrid options, delivering great MPGs without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your truck will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Back on the broadcast 38 minutes after 10 o'clock. We have some interesting developments going on in the nation's capital. Supreme Court. There is a subject of security. And it's just symptomatic of the times that we are in. Supreme Court justices are trying to defend a budget request, $228 million. I believe Elena Kagan is speaking right now. Let's listen in a bit to what is taking place in this hearing. Occasionally we have found it necessary given the threat level to put up some barriers, but they come down as quickly as we can take them down. So some small part of the funding request is for building improvements, but mostly it's for security personnel. Protecting the court and justices involves coordination between the Supreme Court police, obviously, the U.S. Marshal Service, Secret Service, Capitol Police, and local law enforcement, depending on your location. Would you walk us through how those responsibilities are divided and were there any gaps or redundancies in the structure that we should be aware of? We are primarily taken care of by the Supreme Court police. When we needed additional residential security and the Supreme Court police was unable to staff that, the Marshal Service did help us, and so our homes were protected by the Marshal Service. I might be wrong about this two years or so. The Marshal Service was not able to sustain that level of support, and so they asked the Supreme Court police to take that over, and the Supreme Court police is now doing that with the help of contractors.

We coordinate with martial service, you know, sometimes in travel, but really the Supreme Court police does the bulk of it. And I think for physical safety, there's coordination with the Capitol Police, given that our grounds are so close. And I should say we like it that way to have our own police force rather than to be reliant on the Marshal Service, which is within the Department of Justice. This way we just get more control over our own security arrangements. Some of you may recall that last year we asked for a supplemental request, and that was to deal with the problem that we had thought that we had a longer stretch of time to make the transition between the Marshal Service and the Supreme Court police. In the end, we had to make it more quickly than we thought we would, and we're very grateful to the various committees in both the House and Senate. for making sure that we had the supplemental monies that were, that enabled us to make that transition more quickly than we had thought was necessary. Thank you. You've heard the voices there, Elena Kagan. When we first started listening in, you heard Amy Coney Barrett, who is also there to testify about their security needs. And again, it's just symptomatic of where we are as a country. that there has been the need for increased security, not just at the court, but even at the homes of these justices, because there's just such an atmosphere now that is, I don't know how else to say it other than toxic. So we'll continue to track what happens with this story. And what ends up happening in terms of funding that is provided for the Supreme Court to keep personnel safe. So we're talking about our debt. And I want to wrap this up. I told you about $857 billion. That's how much we're paying in debt. This is over a nine-month period. This story in the street says you're not going to get an invoice for this interest, but you're going to pay it through the taxes that service the debt and the program squeezed to make room for it. $857 billion across the roughly 134 million households, the Census Bureau counts. That amounts to $6,350 per household in nine months. That's just interest. Not a single dollar of the underlying debt. Spread over those nine months, $700 a month per household quietly folded into the cost of running the government. Every dollar sent to bondholders is a dollar that can't go to a tax cut, a defense program, or the retirement checks millions of people are counting on. As the interest line grows, the room for everything else shrinks. It's not a red or blue problem. The debt grew under presidents from both parties, and the interest clock runs the same no matter who controls Washington. Can I remind you again? Uniparty. This is the quiet cost debt hawks keep flagging. It rarely makes headlines, and it never appears on your pay stop, but it shapes every budget fight in the capital. Full year borrowing could top two trillion dollars.

Two trillion. Even as the economy is growing in unemployment, unemployment is low. This has been described as the tip of the iceberg. Social Security and Medicare sit within seven years of trust fund exhaustion. Ideally, they'd like to shrink the deficit to about 3% of gross domestic product, roughly half its current size. The CBO's own long-range math points the same way of projecting annual interest rates will roughly double the interest costs to $2.1 trillion by 2036. And you keep hearing this word, unsustainable. There are only three real levers to pool. None of them popular. Raised taxes cut spending or count on faster growth and lower interest rates to ease the load on their own. Two markers are worth watching over the next year. The first is whether full year borrowing clears $2 trillion. The second is 2032. The date the CBO now predicts for the exhaustion of Social Security's main trust fund one year sooner than its earlier estimate. Scott Bessent's Treasury Department can keep selling bonds to willing buyers for now. The bill attached to all of them is the part that no longer waits. This interest is going to be paid no matter what, off the top. And what is left for other things? It gets squeezed. So see how articulate all of your candidates. for national office are about this particular subject. And what do they have in mind and how to fix it? If they don't have anything in mind, it's clear they've not thought about it. They need to stay home or go home. Back to the broadcast, eight minutes before 11 o'clock over on the WVT text line. Driven by Liberty Bill GMC, this texture says a unit party is responsible for the national debt, but it's also the American people. Whatever, there's an attempt to try to cut anything. Seems like the public turns against the people doing the cutting. Example, look what happened with Doge. No politician has the guts to cut because they know they will lose their next election. Yep,er. David says, I remember when the so-called economists, like Paul Krugman, said we should borrow like crazy when the interest was near zero. I remember that. Thing was like free money and debt doesn't matter. How is that working out for us now? Yeah. It's a big problem now, isn't it? Dave writes in, great show events, takes courage to review truth. Not much in media today. See, this is unfortunate. Stanley. I've always had a question about our debt. If America, as we're told, is the most powerful, prosperous country of the world, who are we borrowing from? And who are the individuals benefiting from the interest payments? It would seem to me these are the most powerful people in the world and our Congress has been subjugated by them. And thus, us. You're so brilliant, Stanley. At this point, getting the people to vote for and accept the remedy, which would inflict such short-term and massive pain.

On most, the long-term gain isn't palatable enough for them to accept or vote for. By the way, same people have always controlled Washington, at least since Woodrow Wilson, America's original Marxist. You've hit that on the head, Stanley. We have basically surrendered our sovereignty. There's a quote. I can't even remember who said it. I think it's questionable who said this. But the person basically communicated, I don't care. who the country's leaders are. What matters is who controls your money. And we have surrendered that. A big step in that direction happened in 1913 with the Federal Reserve Act. And to answer your question there, we are in debt to this cartel and to foreign countries. And this only works as long as they're willing to buy our debt. What if they decide, you know what? This is junk. What do we do then? So far, this has worked. See, it's one of those things that works well until it doesn't anymore. You've heard that expression before. And again, it comes back to a matter of really wondering. Is there a critical mass anywhere to try to push some sort of change in this area forward? To at least start going in the different direction. We can't just erase what we've already accumulated, but certainly a starting place would be to stop taking on water. That would be very encouraging, I think. Still to come in the broadcast, we will talk about developments in the wake of passing of Lindsey Graham. Yesterday, by now you know, his sister is going to replace him in the Senate. You'll also hear more condolences. And people are lining up to run for the office in the special election that's coming. We'll tell you about some of the names that are getting floated out there. This program is very fluid. I come into this with a prepared rundown and sometimes it changes. Case in point for Transformation Tuesday. My friend Brand Hansen posted something that's really powerful that I'm going to communicate next for Transformation Tuesday. That much more as we continue. Our broadcast, Vince Coakley radio program, 107.9 FM, WBT Charlotte's FM News Talk. The news is next.

Welcome to our number two, Vince Coakley Radio program. Still fighting this off a little bit. Most of the worst part of this is over. Bear with me. Still to come, we will talk about the developments in the wake of Lindsey Graham's death. Also, the controversy over Mitch McConnell. as doubts remain about his condition. And there is a great deal of skepticism about his so-called proof of life that was posted a couple of days ago. First, how about Transformation Tuesday? I had something else planned for this segment today. And during a break, I came across something that so captivated me. I wanted to make sure I go ahead and do this now because I love it. Brandt Hansen has been on this program before. He's written a book called Unoffendable, which is absolutely excellent. I recommend that you buy that book. Read it. As you know, we have a society that has really monetized offense. There are people whose careers really depend on being offended. Or. exploiting people who claim to be offended. I mean, it's really a big business. So I encourage you to read the book. It's excellent. There's something else that Brandt is addressing this time. And it goes to the idea of what I've communicated here and what I try to do is communicate a transcendent message on this broadcast. Transcendant means that I don't want to get so much caught in the muck and mire of whether it's partisan politics or some of the social debate going on, whatever it is. The desire that I have is for redemption. And that takes many forms. Redemption is first and foremost, ideally. in having relationship with God and then manifest in relationships with other people. And then everything else that happens from there, there are byproducts of those relationships. I've learned that a lot of people simply do not know how to relate. And one of the challenges for those who name the name of Christ is for us to make sure that we get our cues and that we take our direction from Jesus rather than from the culture. And I would dare say even the religious culture, because much of that has been co-opted by corrupt political systems. and frankly corrupt business models. So where am I going with this? Demonstrating a life that's different than what is demonstrated by most people. Here's what Brandt Hansen posted.

We think that somehow we're going to win this battle by out-lefting the left. At the end of the day, it's not going to work. These are not bowling blocks for Republic. Let me read that again. When we're cursed, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure it. When we are slandered, we answer kindly. We don't get even. I'm sure it would be seen as weakness, Brandt Hansen continues, or not really understanding the stakes, even by Christian leaders and influencers, as if people in first century Corinth had no real problems. But there it is. This is how we're supposed to act and respond for real. It is the opposite of weakness, of course. Weakness is allowing others to dictate your next move. Acting out of anger is the natural thing. Everybody does it. Toddlers do it. Congrats. When you respond with blessing, you're free. When you turn the other cheek, you're saying, you do not control me. It's strength, period. What's more, when you respond to curses with blessing, You will grow up in real time. Your heart will change. You will experience freedom. The truth will set you free isn't a freestanding phrase. Jesus says those who obey him will be able to know the truth, and then the truth will set them free. Boy, I love that he makes that distinction. Does I hear people saying all the time, well, you've got to focus on the truth? Well, the starting point is obeying him. and being in alignment with him, not just in word, but in heart. Brandt concludes by saying you can actually live this way. This way is an option. It's a path not often taken, but it leads to life. What are your thoughts? See how totally counterculture this is?

And I dare to believe that we as a people can do this. We can make sure that we do not allow ourselves to become. The very thing that we allegedly appore. What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart. And your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less. with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly BlueBookskb.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places.

Back on the broadcast, 21 minutes after the hour, 11 o'clock. What did you think about the Transformation Tuesday segment? Over on WBT TechSline, driven by Liberty, Buch, GMC. First of all, members of Congress take a 10% pay cut in benefits. Then all departments start with a 1% budget cut to happen each year forward. And a 10% cut in foreign aid. Just 10? I think we need to go much deeper than that. Alan's saying, I thought we dismantled Iran's capabilities in the straight months ago. How have they had the ability to continue with attacks? What info did I miss? I can't answer that question for you. You got it, Vince. David says, Jesus teachings of the original counterculture. One of the most radical teachings ever. And I think it's important about this. It's not just the teaching. It's not just the words. The gospel is about the power to live it. When Christ lives in you, this is not a big deal. I'm not saying it's not challenging at times. But that's what empowers you to live this life. where you're not subject to being manipulated by all of these things that the world loves to dangle in front of our face. Dave writes in, Vince, good books. First is Awake, not Woke, by Noel Maring. Second, the reveals true evil of man on earth. Plague Wars by Tom Mangold. Readings on Wisdom. Sounds kind of interesting. Kevin, well, everything you said is 100% correct. In addition, an important reason why we turn the other cheek is what Paul said at Romans 1220. It says we heap fiery coals on our enemies. Fiery coals were used in Paul's day to refine metal. In other words, we make those that hate us. Better people through our actions. This de-escalates things. Yeah. This is what appeals to their conscience when we continue to love. And this is what blows people's minds. People seeing something different out of you. And then they ask, wow, how does a person do this? How do they take all of my abuse? How does this person still love me when I treat that person like crap? See, there's mystery. And all of a sudden, you've got an opportunity. to share the gospel of the kingdom. Right on point, Kevin. And again, it de-escalates. By the way, that speaks to something I've been watching. I think it's called Fear Thy Neighbor. It's a, I've been drafted into watching these. I don't know, well, they're documentaries. And this whole set of documentaries is about conflicts between neighbors. And I'll tell you what, it just blows my mind how far people will take conflicts. You start off with something very minor. And I've watched, I think, three or four of these episodes, every single one ends up with somebody getting murdered. I mean, and I'm watching this and thinking,

Is it, and you know, and you go back to the initial offense and you're thinking, was this really worth it? Like a property line, four feet of property space, that worth shooting somebody fatally? I mean, it's crazy. And, you know, you may think of that, oh, come on, Vince, nobody here in the sound of my voice is thinking about killing anybody. Everybody thinks that until something happens and you get into the cycle. I mean, heck, look what we're watching now in our political system. We've had assassination attempts. We've had an assassination in the last year. And again, It's important to understand the value of de-escalation. De-escalation. Let's talk about Lindsey Graham. Some headlines. FBI probing the senator's death. Some of them are getting asked the question, did you see anything? There's another interesting story about how A staffer was summoned to call 911. The FBI has checked out Lindsey Graham's Capitol Hill home. They returned there yesterday. Photos show at least five agents moving in and out of the Capitol Hill of residence around 2.30 yesterday afternoon with one carrying a clipboard and other wearing latex gloves. Jared Wilson from Fort Lauderdale who's been staying in a nearby Airbnb on vacation told the post Saturday night we were coming back from dinner. The street was shut down. Paramedics law enforcement as we were walking up. They stopped us. We told them where we were staying. They let us go. As we were walking up there, we saw the gurney rolled out with somebody on it. Heavy law enforcement presence, the FBI, ATF, all out there and interviewing neighbors. And... Much of this in spite of, because of the fact that Lindsey Graham had just returned from a foreign trip, and he's certainly a person who could potentially be a target. He's been one of the most militant people on this issue of Iran. UK Daily Mail reporting Lindsey Graham's neighbors getting grilled about what they saw the night he died. A speculation swirled after his recent visit to Kyiv and criticism of Iran. One neighbor telling the Daily Mail no less than six agents questioned him about whether he'd seen anything out of the ordinary in the hours leading up to Graham's death at age 71 Saturday night. 20 agents descended on Graham's quiet street on Capitol Hill for further investigation.

After the FBI visited the scene on Sunday, the Daily Mail spotted an unmarked law enforcement car posted outside his residence after those agents left. The suddenness of his death has raised suspicions, coming just hours after he toured a drone factory in Ukraine and met with the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Graham also a fervent supporter of Donald Trump's Iran War, and his death has been celebrated by the Islamic regime. Ahead of his trip to Kiev, Graham was at the NATO summit in Ankara, where he met the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to discuss delivering what he called a blow to Iran. Now, at this point, law enforcement has not found the evidence to support foul play. The FBI said it's investigating out of the abundance of caution, but of course, of hardline Trump loyalists, including lower loomer, speculating there may be something more nefarious. So that investigation continuing into the death of Lindsey Graham so far nothing to indicate this is anything beyond a medical incident. Still to come in the broadcast, we will talk about Lindsey Graham's replacement and some more condolences pouring in. from those who worked with him. We'll also talk about the heart condition that led to Lindsey Graham's death from a man who knows this kind of situation well. And we'll touch on the ongoing challenge with Mitch McConnell, some who are still not satisfied with what has been put forward as proof of life.

to the broadcast 38 minutes after the hour of 11 o'clock over on the WBT text line. We have this from Jeff. Well, first from TK. Stupid question, Vince, what makes Lindsey Graham's sister qualified to be a U.S. Senator, even if it's just for a couple of months? I have no problem with, to be honest with you. I, in the context of all the things going on, I would put that very low on my list of concerns. Because at the end of the day, and I've said this before, I think there's a good chance you can find pluck 535 people out of different parts of the country. And I think they can do a better job than what's happening right now. I'm convinced to that. Jeff writes in, just like that, Lindsey Graham's sister, the most powerful person in D.C., even if she's only there for a few months, interesting times we live in. And I understand the perspective you're giving there because this puts her in a very powerful position. She is needed, desperately needed. If you haven't heard it already, it's worth listening to. The news conference yesterday afternoon with the announcement from the governor, Henry McMaster, South Carolina, and also Darlene Graham, joint news conference yesterday. And I thought it was kind of cool, this exchange that took place. Here they are. Henry McMaster and Darlene Graham. Today under the law is my duty to an honor to name someone to serve in the place of this irresistible man, this irreplaceable man, this extraordinary man for the remainder of his term. Lindsay took care of his little sister in years long departed. It's my honor to ask his little sister, Darlene Graham, to finish his work for him now. One thing I've never heard Lindsay described as is irresistible. Okay, we'll just start with that. But first, I would like to thank everyone who has called and reached out over the past couple of days. I can't tell you how much it's meant to me and our family. I know Lindsay was loved and respected by many, and I greatly appreciate the memories and even the funny stories that have been shared. These shared experiences along with our faith have gotten us through these past two very difficult days. Next, I want to thank the governor for selecting me to serve the remainder of Lindsay's term. It is such an honor. I think this is what Lindsay would have wanted. And I plan to honor him in this way. Now, to Lindsay, I miss you more than I can even put into words. But I'm going to do this. I got it. Thank you. It's very moving exchange taking place there with the announcement that Darlene Graham, Darlene Graham, Nordone.

will join the Senate serving in place of her brother, who spent many years taking care of her. Speaking of such, I'm trying to find the post here. At least I thought I had saved this, that I thought was really cool. And it's not where I thought it was. Nonetheless, a couple of things expressed in memory of Lindsey Graham. This from my good friend Jeff Duncan, former Congressman. For Anderson County Republican Party folks, I remember Lindsey Graham coming to a meeting one evening at the church on Concord Road. He arrived late, sat in the back, dressed in camo because he had been duck hunting. Nobody recognized him right away, and he looked kind of like a homeless guy. May have been one of my favorite Lindsey Graham moments, and he was hilarious. He will be sorely missed. Velvet writes in, Graham's net worth after being in office 23 years, a mere $3 million. I like him more and more. I'm not sure Velvet was being facetious there. And in terms of candidates running, a number of names floating out there that we've discussed before. Here's an interesting one posted on social media. Republican Party officials speculate Mark Sanford can emerge as a viable contender in the special U.S. Senate primary election, citing several key advantages, including his built-in name recognition, substantial war chest, and surprisingly strong performance in the recent race for Congress, where he outperformed a war hero. and several other elected officials despite campaigning for only a few weeks mark sanford wouldn't be interesting if he returned to try to get the same seat that he used to fill years ago still to come we will talk about the medical condition that took the life of Lindsey Graham and a little on the controversy brewing in the state of Kentucky. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV4, Grand Highlander, Camry, and Corolla with the features and style you deserve. It means driving for less with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options across the lineup, delivering great MPGs. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your car will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Final stretch of the Vince Coakley Radio program on this Tuesday. So, there...

It's really important. One of the things we talked about yesterday, one of the takeaways from all of this is about the importance of staying on top of our health, understanding what's going on with our own health situation and in the unlikely and we hope never happens situation where we do have some symptoms. What should we do? There was a conversation on ABC News live with Dr. Mehmet Oz. You may be familiar with him from Oprah fame. He also ran for political office. Now he is in the nation's capital, I think, in charge of Medicare and Medicaid. His expertise. is actually in the area of heart medicine. And one of the things he addresses is this question about warning. And he raised the question, would there have been much of any warning for Lindsey Graham on this condition? Here is the first clip. Would he have seen this coming? Unlikely. One of the things with aortic dissection, I brought a simple model that demonstrated is you don't have much warning. And the real cautionary tale is keep your blood pressure low, because that is the one risk factor that seems to be recurrent. And the second is, if you have the worst pain you have ever had, you should go see a doctor. Unfortunately, with aortic dissection, even then it's sometimes too late, about 30% of people die within the first day, more than half are dead within two days. So even if you call immediately, and he did apparently, by the time you get to the patient and get them to a doctor, and they need a heart surgeon like... me ultimately to fix the problem. You just don't have enough time. The other question relates to what this is exactly. This aortic dissection what is it exactly dr ross goes on to explain how this happens and let me give you a little bit of a visual he's basically using a paper towel roll improvising of course and he's describing what happens with the heart A paper towel, and you have a tube on the inside of the paper towel, and that's where the blood would normally course through your body. Now imagine the heart is where my chest is and the blood is moving forward. If the blood pressure is high or there's hardening of the arteries, which happens with age, you'll actually tear this tube. You can sort of see it tear like that. And as it tears, the blood, instead of being in the middle of the tube, goes into the side of the tube. There's no room to go there. So it starts to rip through these layers. of the tube until ultimately there's no blood going where it's supposed to go so you shut off the blood to the heart to the brain to the kidneys to many parts of the body and ultimately this rips out and when it rips out it actually compresses the heart and that's called the cardiac tampanod and it's probably the reason why we lost senator graham you don't have a lot of time

The heart's pumping six liters a minute. So a lot of blood going in the wrong direction, spurting out of that tube, can take your life in many ways. So the main thing you've got to do is prevent the potential risk factors. And those are ones that are fairly common. But reason we call high blood pressure a silent killer is because people don't know about it because it's silent. Another reminder to stay on top of her health, the silent killer, high blood pressure. So it's certainly something to keep under control if you're aware of an issue. Before we go, we've talked about Mitch McConnell. There have been demands for proof of life for some time, and now there are questions still about whether this picture that's been put out in the narrative is accurate. And now we've got another political aspect to this, the governor, Andy Beshear, who is basically he's looking for proof of life and he's willing to... mount a political challenge in the courts for the ability to appoint someone. Here is what he had to say. Our Republican supermajority has been so worried about me being able to potentially support someone before a special election that they pass not one but two laws. They tried at first to say they could submit a list of three people to me from the Republican Party and I'd have to pick. Now they say I can't fill a vacancy, but I have to call a special election. But here's the thing. There is a Kentucky constitutional provision that says that I appoint all state officers when there's a vacancy. The question is, does that apply to federal offices? Well, before there was ever a law in Kentucky on how this would work, multiple appointments were made by governors. assuming under that provision. So if we end up there, and I hope we don't, I hope Mitch McConnell will provide proof of life tomorrow and that we could all move on, there's at least going to be probably a little disagreement. A little disagreement. Imagine that. So stay tuned on this one. In Washington, there's no telling what could possibly happen. It's all the time we have. Thanks a lot for joining us. Have a great day. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV4, Grand Highlander, Camry, and Corolla, with the features and style you deserve. It means driving for less with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options across the lineup, delivering great MPGs. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your car will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places.