The Vince Coakley Radio Program | Charlotte Business Headlines | Faith Focus Friday

What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV-4, 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. Happy Friday and welcome to the Vince Coakley radio program. Glad you are here as we start up another broadcast day. Lots of interesting things going on and one of the hot subjects, Iran, actually two big things going on this morning. In fact, the very entertaining Senator John Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says it's time to get out. Pretty strong language from a fellow Republican. Also, the other big issue, what's going on with TSA and funding of the Department of Homeland Security? The Senate has passed a bill. to fund everything except for border control. Now the ball goes into the court of the house. We'll keep you posted on any of developments that happen on this particular issue this morning. But I want to begin right here at home. And hopefully allergies will not dog me throughout this broadcast. Have you seen all this pollen? I mean, it's crazy. In fact, one of my missions today, I'm going to wash the pollen off of my car. It is, it's just a lot. This has been a really heavy pollen season. I want to begin right here at home with several interesting developments. And beginning with some positive news about the city of Charlotte. I tell you all the time. And maybe you get tired of hearing me say this, but I never tire of good news because we need it, especially in this day and age with so much negativity. It's good to see one of the things we still have going for us is we are a growing city. I saw the other day. In fact, maybe I'll pull this out to talk about next week. I think I saved this story somewhere. There's one state. I'm trying to remember what it was. I was talking about how much wealth has moved out of this. I think it was Massachusetts. Like billions of dollars of wealth is gone. It's just evaporated. Well, why? You know why. Because of tax policy. These people have lost their minds as it relates to money. Some of these politicians, Democrat politicians, there's just never enough money. But that's for another day. For now, we have Republican leadership in the state capital, which has largely been creating an environment that's friendly for business and, frankly, very inviting in light of what's happening around them.

The Observer reports on financial services giant bringing 600 jobs here to Charlotte. And here's the other thing. The average pay, $194,000. Yeah, that's a lot of money. $600 million investment from Capital Group. It's a West Coast financial services giant. The company's based in Los Angeles. And what they're looking to establish is what they're calling a center of excellence on the East Coast right here in Charlotte. So there was a big announcement on this yesterday. The group, as I mentioned, Capital Group is anticipating an investment of $60 million by December 31st, 20131, which is five years from now. And the jobs here in Charlotte start next year. I mentioned that $194,000. That is double Mecklenburg's average wage of $90,706 as of January. The new roles include positions vital to capital groups internal operations management, customer support. We're talking about software, data, and AI engineering, data science, investment operations, marketing, and global business services. And the company expects to locate its facility uptown. Capital Group, well known for being the investment manager of American funds. The company bills itself as the world's largest active fund manager with over $3.4 trillion in assets under management as of January. That's a lot of money. $3.4 trillion.

As you know, with business choices like this, they're driven a lot of times by incentives. In this case, the state-awarded Capital Group tax incentives worth over $17.2 million. If the company reaches its hiring and investment goals, that includes $2.2 million in training through the community college system and division of workforce solutions. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County combined offered a million dollars in local incentives. Now, besides Charlotte, Capital Group considered Indianapolis, interestingly enough, where I spent most of my early years. The company has 900 employees there. Kind of intriguing that the contest was between these two cities and they settled on Charlotte, which is absolutely awesome. So there you go. A positive story for this city as we continue a very healthy streak of winds. I will just quickly mention this story because I think this is one of those stories that requires a wait-and-see. The Observer also reporting an interesting development in the sheriff's office, Gary McFadden. has decided to hire someone very interesting as his second in command. As you know, there was a recent primary election, and one of his opponents was one Ricky Robbins. He is now going to be the chief deputy. He begins work in the sheriff's office on April 1st. Robbins' role will include overseeing patrol functions like warrant service, traffic enforcement. He's a longtime employee of the local police department. He ran for sheriff in the primary. And... As you know, the sheriff ultimately won with about 34% of the vote. Robbins had 31%. So it was a very close margin there. Two other candidates split the rest of the votes. When Robbins called McFadden to congratulate him on the victory, the sheriff said the two should sit down and talk. And he got the job offer last Wednesday. So this will be a very interesting story. to watch as it develops at the Sheriff's Office here in Mecklenburg County. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV-4, 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.

Back on the Vince Coakley radio program, 20 minutes after the hour of 10 o'clock coming up a conversation about what is taking place with Iran. And I will tell you, it's kind of interesting because I sense there's growing concern among Republicans in Washington about the impact of the war. And I'm speaking electorally because there is a big election coming up this fall. And I really believe that there's a concern that this could be an anchor around their necks. We're going to talk about this as we continue the broadcast coming up in just a few minutes. Before we get there, let's talk about something many of us deal with day after day after day, the wonderful I-77. My goodness, I just have such contempt for driving out on that road. I told you that one of the challenges for me is since moving to this part of town is so many of the places I need to go to are south of here. And that's where the problems come in. It's either going south or trying to come back. It's a nightmare. I mean, I really do miss traffic conditions up on the north part of town. It was so much better, especially with the advent of 45, the completion of that road several years ago. Now we've got another interesting development, the observer reporting about, I guess you can call this a threat. Some Charlotte Region Transportation Board members. Want to say on whether the contentious I-77 South toll lane project should continue based on upcoming design changes. But here's the warning part. A state transportation board member warned if the project was canceled, the Charlotte region would lose out on the $600 million plan for the roadway and possibly other funding for future infrastructure projects as well. This doesn't sound good at all. Now, you've heard about these proposals that residents have not been thrilled about. We've got residents, environmentalists, and some elected officials, and they've all called for pausing or canceling the project. It's kind of on hold for right now. City Councilman Ed Riggs said any thoughts about a longer pause or cancel the project should wait until the design process is further along. He said we better take a deep breath. Wait until we get some designs so we can discuss what these designs look like. So now the question is, where does this go? And is this going to be a plan that people can actually live with and support? And the flip side of this, God forbid, we lose $600 million in funding. And who knows when there will be any effort to try to come up with funding for anything? As you know, we're not necessarily at the top of the list when it comes to road projects for the state of North Carolina. At least we're not where we should be.

Perspective developers will present their design proposals sometime next year. And when that comes, there are some of the members on this board want the option to vote on whether the project continues based on their designs. And the question is, could the project legally be canceled? Now, Driggs says he believes there's no legal brick wall that could stop the transportation board from quashing the project altogether. Ye. So I thought you should be aware of this. The possibility that in all of the wrangling, there could be a situation where the plug gets pulled on all of this. And I don't think that's something that would serve the community at all. No question about that. Speaking of not serving the community very well, we've been watching this Circus Act in the nation's capital over funding of TSA workers. The fact that they, yet again, I believe today, will get a direct deposit of zero. No paycheck for TSA workers. You've probably heard by now Donald Trump was instructing his new head of Homeland Security. to find funds through use of an executive order to pay these TSA workers. And I hope this happens expeditiously. In the meantime, in terms of legislation, we told you there's an Easter break coming up. It starts today. And so if the House and the Senate are going to do anything to get the government, this part of the government, Homeland Security, working again. It has to happen today. Otherwise, they're out of session for two weeks, and nothing will happen. I think the pressure's on. Perhaps they will get something completed. Here's what has happened overnight, according to the times. They voted to fund most of DHS in a bid to end the partial shutdown. The bill excludes funding for ICE and Border Patrol, but it restores it for federal airport security workers. Now the House has to consider this package today. Now, the Senate vote was early this morning to fund the Department of Homeland Security except for the immigration enforcement and deportation operations. So this could actually be the end of this nightmare for TSA agents. As I mentioned, the measure does not include funding for immigration and customs enforcement or border patrol, nor does it contain provisions Democrats had demanded for weeks to rein in President Trump's immigration crackdown as a condition of funding the department. I think Congress and General has been beat up over this issue, and I think the Democrats... have recognized apparently more of them that this is not a winner of an issue for them so this measure quietly passed the senate before dawn by a voice vote

This is hours after Mr. Trump said he would go around Congress to pay transportation security administration agents who've worked without pay since funding for the department lapsed on February 14th. Just think about that moment. How many of you could do without a paycheck for that long? February 14th, this is March the 27th. Absolutely insane. So a vote on this now could happen in the House. It's unclear whether the measure would pass the chamber where Speaker Mike Johnson holds a narrow Republican majority. A number of, this is the Times, notice the language, a number of hard right Republicans have criticized the Senate's approach and opposed a funding bill that's not include new money for immigration enforcement, arguing they should not give in the Democrats who have refused to provide any. So if the House approves the measure, Trump signs it, that would bring this standoff to an end. This is the longest partial government shutdown on record. Certainly not one of the finest moments for Congress. So there is hope. Light at the end of the tunnel. I want you to hear some interesting comments from Ed Bastion. I'm not sure if I told you about this yesterday. I think I did tell you about this. Delta has suspended its special service that allowed members of Congress to skip TSA security lines. Yeah. This was a perk they've enjoyed. It allowed them to bypass TSA security lines. Now they're going to be treated like any other passenger. Good for them. And intriguing enough, we have Mr. Ed Bastion, who is the CEO of Delta, who is quite critical. of the way Congress has behaved in not funding the TSA. Here are the comments of Delta CEO. It's inexcusable that our security agents, a frontline agents that are central to what we do are not being paid. And it's ridiculous to see them be used as political chips. So, you know, we're outraged. You know, and if there's a call to action here, and I think over 90% of the American public support. those people getting paid. Ask our folks right here in Washington to do their job, get our people paid. They can do it. Do the job, get these folks paid, and ideally back to work, those who have not been showing up. Much more as we continue the broadcast and update on the ongoing investigation of the horrible tragedy at LaGuardia. We will also talk about the war. I didn't get to this story. I was intending to discuss about the final blow.

That has been talked about by the Pentagon, the war effort. What have they been talking about behind the scenes? What could possibly happen now to try to bring Iran to its knees and bring an end to this war? And the perspective of one Republican senator who surprised many by saying it's time to bring this to an end. My goodness, coming up in just a few minutes, I'm going to stir the pot a bit during Faith Focus Friday. One word. In fact, I'm going to give you a quiz. I'm going to see who is going to figure out the word. that I use very often on this broadcast, especially as it relates to Christians and politics. And the view that I try to offer on this broadcast, I use this word all the time. I'm not going to use it now, but I'm going to tell you what it is in a few minutes when we get to Faith Focus Friday. But I'll just tell you this. There is a very prominent person in evangelical circles that had some comments about the election that is coming up this fall, and I'm going to take issue with what he had to say, because I am very concerned that this relationship between Christians and political people has become way too cozy. We'll talk about that coming up in just a few minutes. Man, so much I can't wait to say about that. But we will get there in due time on the WVT text line, driven by Liberty, Buick, GMC. And if you want to go ahead and try to guess what that word is that I use all the time, feel free. About this threat of possibly losing millions of dollars, hundreds of millions in highway funding? Pete writes in, I sent this to Brett yesterday. We're back on it now about the possibility of pulling $600 million. We don't build the I-77 HOV lanes. Hey, buddy, don't threaten me with a good time. On the war, Dana, expressing concern about what's going on with the war. If we decimated the uranium and there was no chance of them building a nuclear bomb, how did this implode to full-blown war? Very, very good question. Also, someone else, Chuck writing in, intriguing. Oh, you think that's the word. That's not, I do use that word a lot, though. You caught me on that one, Chuck. That's one of my favorite words. It was, you know, years ago when I was, you know, probably high school, college days, I overused the word interesting. And, yeah, somehow I decided to change over to intriguing for whatever it's worth.

Let's talk about war. Well, before we get to war, I want to mention something about LaGuardia. We told you yesterday about how the investigation is moving on. They've already moved all of the... affected vehicles away from the runway. They have the remains of the airplane in a hangar where they're studying and they're continuing their investigation. One of the interesting things she touched on, we talked about. the staffing for air traffic control and one of the things that she emphasized is what i talked about yesterday there's a chain of events and so many of these accidents and incidents we've seen with aviation and it's very easy to say well this was the cause when there are actually multiple things that contributed to this. And this is the point that Jennifer Hammondy makes about what happened on Sunday at LaGuardia. You're going to hear what she has to say and more as we continue the broadcast. And we will at least start our conversation about the war. Is this going to end anytime soon? Is this really a good sign that Donald Trump has given them some extra time to try to come to some sort of a deal? We'll talk about this as we continue on 1 of 7.9 FM, WBT Charlotte's FM News Talk. 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 BlueBookskb.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places.

Back to the broadcast, 1049. One of the things I discussed, I think yesterday I was talking about aviation, is normally there are a number of factors involved in accidents. It's not just one thing. You can look at one primary clause, but if you take certain circumstances out, the whole dynamic changes, which is what the NTSB is really good at doing. They look at all of that because it's important to understand the big picture. So we don't just say, okay, it's some, this person's fault. It's really not that simple. It goes deeper. And this is part of what's communicated from the woman who is the chair of the NTSB heading up the investigation. I'm referring, of course, to Jennifer Hammondy. Here is what she had to say yesterday. I have seen a number of reports from press about distraction, whether there was distraction among controllers. Look, this is, I would caution pointing fingers at controllers and saying distraction was involved. This is a heavy workload environment. You had a United Airlines flight. We still have to determine what happened at shift change, which was around 10.30. We have to determine who else was in the tower and the facility and available at the time. We know that that controller was still on duty for several minutes afterwards. Normally they would be relieved. We have questions about that. Was anybody available to relieve that controller? We don't know that yet. We also have questions about what else was occurring, what other traffic. they were dealing with at the time. So one thing I will close with before I take questions is we rarely, if ever, investigate a major accident where it was one failure. Our aviation system is incredibly safe because there are multiple, multiple layers of defense built in to prevent an accident. So when something goes wrong, that means many, many things went wrong. And so here, that's why we're here. We're here to prevent this from reoccurring, prevent this from happening again. And that's going to take some time. And we need to provide that time to investigators to figure this out and find out what all of these other factors are. One of the things I know they're going to definitely talk about radio communications, whether we're talking about frequencies or... whether we're talking about just the dynamics of using radios and what happens when you key a microphone. You remember one of the sounds, it was a really distorted kind of sound that we heard on that original air traffic control recording that we played on Monday? What was going on there? Did that have an impact on things? Did the message actually get to Truck One?

These are important questions. I mentioned to you the referred to as the crash of the century, which was the worst accident that occurred on the island of Tenerife. Nearly 600 people killed two big planes. And one of the issues there was the king of microphones. And they realized that... Apparently, two people were keying the microphone at the same time. It was at a critical moment. And that alone could have played a significant factor on why two big planes collided with each other. So, I mean, there are just so many things. And see, and I think part of what, just watching the show, you may think I'm crazy taking so much from a television show, although so much of what I learned from Air Crash investigation is about being thorough. Because in our political way of thinking, we have turned ourselves into simpletons. We basically... have an issue, we think we identify a problem, and we say, okay, this is the problem, and then we come up with some sort of simplistic solution that does not cover the problem because we really didn't uncover all of the problem. Part of it's because of our laziness. We like to be able to keep things very simple, and sometimes they aren't simple. We don't like nuance, do we? But sometimes... There's a lot of nuance in things, and we've got to have the patience to be able to figure those things out. All right. Let's move on and talk about Iran. And to clarify for anybody who may be new to this program, I am a person who's praying that this ends well. I've never been a cheerleader for this war. I that's not the kind of position I take I I'm obviously cheering for America but at the same time I'm not sure about the wisdom of this and the wise and wherefores

In fact, there's a lot of consternation on the Republican side. Furious Republicans, according to the UK Daily Mail, stormed out of a classified briefing. This happened on Wednesday. Amid fears, the U.S. is preparing to invade the country as Tehran refuses Donald Trump's peace overtures. Now, at this point, there's debate about whether there... is significant movement from the Iranians. Donald Trump insists there is, which is one of the reasons he's given them, an extended period of time to figure out what they're doing and come to some sort of agreement. I think we have until a week from Monday. Almost 7,000 U.S. ground forces. deployed or in route to the Middle East, including for the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and the Marine speculation about Trump's rapidly developing plans for the war. Congresswoman Nancy Mace walked out early, vinting that we were misled. Pro-Trump committee chair Mike Rogers warned, we're not getting answers. These are Republicans, ladies and gentlemen. What does this tell you? A daily mail source inside the room revealed stark new details, including a shifting set of objectives separate from those publicly tied it by the administration. We were told nukes were not a military objective, noting how the Pentagon has repeatedly stated they were. This is a stark shift from the four goals. The White House has publicly stated, destroying Iran's missiles, Navy, armed proxies, and nuclear capabilities. And I told you about that deadline to reopen the street of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy plants. That deadline now 10 days away, April 6th, with word from Trump, that peace talks are going very well. This lawmaker, on condition of anonymity, urged the White House to answer questions about Carg Island. Iran's crucial oil export hub, its nuclear material, and regime change. The lawmakers said the White House must answer for its plans, particularly regarding Karg Island and troops on the ground. The lawmakers said the answers are jaw-dropping and will blow your brains out. Hardly something that would inspire confidence, don't you think? We'll talk more about Iran and get her thoughts in the next hour. If you'd like to join the conversation, 7045-70-1079. Straight ahead, though, we have Faith Focus Friday. That very important discussion about religion and politics, Christianity and politics. Well... Brace yourselves, some pretty strong words coming up about a very prominent Charlotte figure and the upcoming midterms. We'll talk about that as we continue. Hour number two. It's straight ahead.

Horror number two is Vince Cokely Radio program. And on the WBT text line driven by Liberty Buick GMC, Dana writes in, I'm still trying to get an understanding that if what we are doing is so important, why aren't the others that are benefiting from the oil coming through the straight, not joining in unless they don't feel that it's validated? Can you help me out with this assessment? Hey, that's a very good question. Very good question. Kirk, a lawmaker, said from anonymity, if you won't use his name, I don't want to hear what he has to say. Okay, Kirk. But I think you already did. May not like it, but you already did. Still to come, we'll have some more opportunity to talk about the war. But first, let's get into Faith Focus Friday. I have gotten to the point where, in fact, I should add to this a post from my friend Bob because I think this goes along the same lines. And I cannot believe nobody guessed the word that I was trying to come up with because it's a very important word. There it is. I'm going to share that post as well because I think it ties in to what I believe is our role, those who name the name of Christ, it's vital that we're reminded of what our primary mission is. And folks, it ain't political. It really is not. And the unfortunate thing is, I think, in the process. of allowing ourselves to be co-opted by political people, parties, we have basically sold ourselves out like a cheap $2 whore. That's what we've done to the body of Christ. You know, I think it's interesting how many people have spent so much time and energy looking for the whore of Babylon. And the truth of matter is, we should really start looking in the mirror. We might find it there. I know that's very strong to say, but it's true. The Observer has the story about Franklin Graham. He says Trump has been raised up by God and urges loyalty in midterms. Even this headline alone is wrong on so many levels. Multiple levels. Charlotte Evangelist Franklin Graham said conservatives nationwide must unite ahead of the 26 midterm elections to elect candidates who share the same values as President Donald Trump. I just want to put this question. If I were sitting down and talking with Franklin Graham, I mean, and I'm wide open to talking to him, I would ask the question. What are those values? Mr. Graham? And is there a way to communicate these ideas and these values without talking about a person? And the reason I say that is I really believe that what we are watching with a number of these so-called Christian evangelists are a bunch of prophets of bail. They are functionally on the same level as the prophets of bail.

During a speech Thursday, the Conservative Political Action Committee, Graham noted that Trump will not be on the ballot in November, but his policies are. We'll only have one chance at this. We'll never get another president like Donald Trump. Never. I mean, I don't know about you. Are you hearing what I'm hearing? The idolatry here is nauseating. Graham leaves Samaritan's purse. A faith-based global aid organization serves the presidency of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which honors his father. Franklin Graham called for CPAC attendees to be united front against the Democrat Socialist Agenda. Nothing wrong with that, which includes abortion and transgender rights policies. She said the agenda was birthed in hell and stands against God's word. Graham has received public backlash in the past for anti-LGBQ plus views. Graham also praised Trump's efforts in Iran, said mainstream media outlets were trying to plant seeds of doubts in Trump's political base by reporting his own base is unhappy with the military operations there.

Again, you know, our primary mission, and I hope you understand, and when I say this, I take this very seriously, I'm reminded of my primary position as being an ambassador. If I'm a Christian believer, my primary role here is to be an ambassador for the Lord, not for America. So what does it say when we're sitting and we're cheerleading war? What does it say about our perspective about the people of Iran? And surely Franklin Graham, who I would think would probably have some ministry connection in many parts of the world, perhaps including Iran. This is so important, folks. And if I were, and I don't have any plans to do anything like this, but if I were to ever serve in another country, you know, in any missionary way, or it's so important they understand that I'm there not as an American primarily, but I'm there primarily as his ambassador. And the things that I can do that I need to do everything I can. to make sure that that image is not tarnished in any way where anything else out really overshadows Jesus.

He goes on. Media outlets like CNN AP News reported the war in Iran has made some longtime Trump loyalists unhappy. Graham compared Trump's efforts to protect Israel and the Jewish people from what I believe was the possibility of nuclear annihilation by the radical Islamic regime to Esther. The religious figure is believed to have saved the Jewish people from persecution in Persia after being raised up by God. I need to have Steve Crosby on some time. We need to have a conversation about this relationship between the church and Israel. And all of the analogies about Israel, Franklin Graham goes on. I believe God has raised him up for such a time as this, like Queen Esther. He also mentioned Trump's capture of Venezuela's former president, Nicholas Maduro, and appointing conservative judges to the Supreme Court. And, you know, on the surface, these are not bad things. I'm not saying any of these policy positions are bad. What I am saying, we have to be all so careful, especially when we were embracing, when we are essentially endorsing someone, especially who is not a believer, does not even pretend to be a believer. And we're throwing in so readily. We're throwing ourselves at these people. If anything, they need to be begging for our support and endorsement. And I'm serious what I said. I'm not trying to be crude by saying it. But we, why would we turn ourselves into cheap whores for some political cause or political person?

I'd love to get your thoughts as we continue the broadcast. I'm going to share that other social media post from my liberal friend, but the idea is the same. Have you figured out the word, by the way? I don't know that I've used it yet. But I will, as we continue the broadcast. 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 corollas. 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. Before I get to some of your calls, your texts. My friend Bob Prater posted this. I'm watching the nationalist wing of the church line up to take shots again at James Talarico. Keep in mind, my friend Bob is on the left's end of the spectrum. But that's not the important thing here. He said of Talariko, he's a threat to the flag-drenched reality they are working towards. Two of our Defense Secretary's spiritual advisors. Brooks Pottinger and Joshua Hames said the following. First and foremost, we prayed that a man like this would be cut to the heart. He said he puts James Talarico in the category of public enemies for those you are not called to love. What? This is where you have... impregatory psalms this is where you pray strongly the psalmist is not shy god destroy them make them as dung on the ground i pray that god kills him hames continued ultimately that means killing his heart and raising him up to new life in christ okay so he clarified at the end but how is it okay to call him an enemy we do not have to love destroy kill he talks about a book that we talked about in this program, a language of healing for a polarized nation was released several years ago. A close family member said they were hoping for God's judgment to fall on me. I hope he makes you pay, they repeat. This is not how things are ever supposed to work. I've sat with a few who seriously looked me in the eye and said that God did not give them the kindness gene. The kindness gene?

Folks, Galatians 5 says kindness is a fruit of the spirit to be nurtured to its fullest potential. There's no kindness gene. It's not a gift. It's a skill to be nourished. And folks who say those words are looking to excuse their bad behavior. No exceptions. Each and every time, period. We need peacemakers more than ever. Find courage, saints, and find kindness, especially for those who mistreat you. Now, obviously, Bob and I are on diametrically different ends of the political spectrum, but he is right on here. And I do not embrace this so-called nationalism and the nastiness, the Old Testament, and I would even say worse than Old Testament theology of these people. who have no concept of the gospel of Jesus Christ, none whatsoever. That's what disturbs me about it. These are folks who are professing to be Christian. The word that I keep coming back to is transcend. We as believers need to offer a transcendent way that is focused on ideas, that is focused on values, not focused on personalities, and helping to boost someone's ego. Someone posted, this is not an idea that's new to me. I remember someone posting recently. that too many Christians are spending time, time trying to find a seat at tables, Jesus would be overturning. And I am 100% behind that statement. Love to get your thoughts. 7045-70179 on the WBT text line, driven by Liberty Buick GMC, Brian. Remember, God raises up leaders and he can remove them. Isn't that the truth? Gary out of Boston, unfortunately, I'm stopping to think Samaritan's purse and the Graham family is another big NGO waiting to cash in. Tom, war. That is merely a peaceful protest. Talk about unthankful. I don't agree with Trump about everything, but you saying Graham is a prophet of bail, that's just wrong. Well, I'm saying in this particular area, I do not think religious leaders should be spending the time and attention that they are trying to further prop up a person in a way that is really far from, upholding the values of the kingdom of God. That's what I'm saying. There's got to be a healthy distance at some point, a healthy distance that we keep from people, especially who are not believers. If someone, it's one thing for someone, they are soundly walking clearly with God.

See, this is one of the problems that we get into because we have to ask ourselves the question, what kind of message are we sending to the world around us? See, if Donald Trump were not president, see, this is where the rubber hits the road. If Donald Trump were not president, how many of these so-called Christian leaders would be even interested in talking with him? See, I'm convinced this is more about being close to power than many of these people will ever want to acknowledge. That's the problem. Also, text line, Matt writes in, no more war. We did not vote for this. We need to worry about ourselves, America first. A lot of people there. Jeff, 90% Trump, 90% negative 90% of the time. Gee, I wonder if Jesus ever blessed anyone that found, that others found undeserving. Back to the music station now by, what in the world are you even talking about? Hope the cool lady is good. Vince, you have any idea how many people? Samaritan's purse reach in the name of Jesus Christ, God does not call us to be silent in the political realm. I completely disagree with you on this subject. I would encourage you to write in or call in and share your perspective here. And the message I'm communicating is that we need to keep a safe and careful distance from political power. That's the point that I'm making. When I support somebody, I support someone because of their values and who they are as people. And I make it very clear when they're off track. And unfortunately, the church has surrendered its prophetic voice here. And as a result, I think we have encouraged all of the wrong things. And the problem is we've compromised our testimony in the process. And people all around are looking and they're thinking they're associating you. And this is what I'm talking about. They associate you with the things that you embrace that are clearly ungodly. So that's where we have to make our very careful choices. Kevin writes in, well, for that, Stanley accidentally skipped over this. Problem isn't any of the leaders from either party. It's asked collectively. Most of this country are now all in for government subsidized, controlled, education, health care, housing, retirement, as opposed to taking responsibility for each of them ourselves.

You trust the government more than him. This is where you wind up. Can't keep your freedoms without also accepting responsibility. The debt we have is to finance the inefficiency. Eventually the credit card reaches the limit and the day of reckoning will come sooner rather than later. Boy, isn't that the truth. Kevin, Vince, it's definitely a balancing act. We must be in the world, but we have to draw a line and not be loving the world. Boy, amen. Jesus said to Pilate, my kingdom is not of this world. If we support God's kingdom, we should keep our distance from the other kingdoms or government of this world. Kevin, you get what I'm talking about. And I'm not saying I do this perfectly. I probably, I probably lose my way at times. And I've got to be adjusted back. I so appreciate people like Bob Prater and others that help keep me honest. And we can have these honest conversations. This texter, Vince, you're right on. Power and politics don't mix well. Power is the problem. Money. is power. I agree. Oh my gosh. Isn't this what's getting us in so much trouble? It's our own greed and our own lust for power. I think of the impact the early church had reached the entirety of the Roman Empire without any political power. Just regular people. Wasn't done for the power of the sword, ladies and gentlemen. It wasn't done by legislation. It's done by love. Love, love, love. And I'm not throwing stones when I say this. I'm just reminding you. This is, you know, when I wonder if Franklin Graham had a conversation with Donald Trump about him after a message was delivered about love your neighbor. When Donald Trump gets on the stage and says, I don't know that I agree with what you said and goes on to talk about people he could not stand. See, this is where the rubber hits the road. It's got to get real.

If you have a question about loving your neighbor, if that's a question mark for you, this is not a person we ought to be throwing in with 100%. It's entirely transactional. Yes, I can support you here. I can support you there. But when you come out and make a statement that's in direct contradiction of what my Savior says, you know who I'm choosing. Music The U.S. using hundreds of tomahawk missiles on Iran, alarming some as the Pentagon. More than 850 tomahawks have been fired in just four weeks. And this has caused some alarm at the Pentagon because the supply of these weapons is limited. Another reason this cannot go on forever. which we hope that is not going to be the case. On the WBT text line, driven by Liberty Buick GMC. And again, I want to make something very clear. I'm not looking for people to agree with me as much as I am, understand, and embrace good ideas. This texture says, hello, I agree with you. Jesus said he is no part of the world, just as his followers would not be. He also fled when the people tried to make him king. See, this is what's scary. We've got a lot of people in this country on both sides of the political aisle who are running to make somebody king. I'm serious about this. The very opposite. Somebody comes and they love power, love attention. We give it to them. And the church were just as bad. We are. We don't set a very good example at all. And here's Jesus, these people clamoring for his, you know, and if he knew it was just about natural human things, their interest was not really in things of the kingdom, he's out of there. He's not going to be used. Stanley. one question for you is there a professing christian in this country you think that could step up to be the leader this country needs i could actually think of several who could do a pretty good job i'm i don't want to mention any names right now but i think this is a time that's going to require a lot of discernment now more than ever lots of discernment We've got to avoid those pitfalls, and I tell you all the time about the importance of balance, that we avoid the pitfall of on one end being very focused on emotion and feelings. And then on the other end of the spectrum, completely disregarding kindness and really the fruits of the spirit. They're pretty much out the door. And the only important thing is, quote, being right. That is another ditch. And the sad thing is it looks right. I go back to a post someone put on social media that I think is so cool that discernment a lot of times is not about determining between right and wrong. It's discerning between what is right and what is almost right.

That's where it gets tricky. That great area, isn't it? Looks so much like the real thing. So we're talking about war. I mentioned yesterday this Axios story about the final blow. Remember that? Pentagon preparing for a massive final blow. What could this entail? Well, invading or blockading Karg Island, Iran's main oil export hub. You've heard about that. This is from Axios, by the way. Invading LaRoc, an island that helps Iran solidify its control the Strait of Formuz, the strategic outposts host Iranian bunkers, attack aircraft that can blow up cargo ships and radars that monitor movements in the strait. Seizing the strategic island of Abu Musa and two smaller islands, which lie near the western entrance to the strait under control by Iran, but also are claimed by the UAE. blocking or seizing ships that are exporting Iranian oil on the eastern side of the Hormuz Strait. Those are some of the things that we could possibly do. By the way, I saw a story that Pentagon is molding the possibility of deploying more troops to the region. I hope. that these moves are designed to send a signal that will not be necessary to prove. But if they're being deployed, I have a strong sense. They're going to end up getting put on the ground. There's a lot of unease among Republicans about this, Republican lawmakers. One of my favorite people, you hear clips from all the time on this broadcast. John Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. who has such a way with words. He had some pretty strong statements about this yesterday evening, saying it's very much time to end this war. Here's John Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. As far as I'm concerned... It's time to come home. Now, I don't have the president, the information the president has. And some will say, well, you know, you caused a blockade of your state of Pard moves. No, we didn't. Iran did that. We can't control these people. And I would come out. How soon? How soon do you want to see that? Well, I can't answer that because I don't know to what extent we've accomplished our mission, but I was seeing some news stories this morning that are showing, apparently based on information from Defense Department of War, I guess they call it now. that we're almost there, if not there in some respects.

I hope so. 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 out to a call from Denise. Good morning and welcome Denise. Oh, hey, how are you? All right. I appreciated all of your commentary there on the problems, not being simplistic, but nuanced in the Middle East. A few things on the war. Iran has 90 miles of coastline and 9 on the straits. and another 900 on the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. So a lot of territory there to hold. When Germany surrendered in World War II, we put 250,000. active duty army in Germany and kept them there for 50 years as peacekeepers and to you know ensure they behaved properly according to the terms of the surrender so that represents half of the active duty army we have currently if we were and by the way Iran is I think four times larger than Germany is. So just to kind of put it all in perspective of what we're in for in order to monitor and make sure whatever it is they agree to, they keep their word. It's a lot. I could ask you, Denise, are you in support of this war? I'm no fan of Iran. And I just don't think, I'm a child of the late 1960s in Vietnam, and I know our country lives to us. We've been doing it ever since Vietnam. I know we gave up 50,000 young American lives, boots on the ground, so that Vietnam would not be communist. And the day we pulled out, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Men's City. So I have 50 years of watching, more like 60 years of watching.

what happens next. And asymmetrical wars, you can destroy their Navy, you can destroy their missiles, they have other ways to fight. What if they put bombs in college campuses around the world, Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Caltech? There are just so many avenues that they have to keep this going. And like I said, I don't think we're going to put 250,000 active duty in Iran to make sure that they don't have a capability to do that. You've hit something very important on the head, Denise. I do appreciate your call. And one of the things to understand, we've talked about this early on, the ideology here and how you've got to somehow destroy. these ideas because that is what is so dangerous uh simply relocating them is not going to solve the problem and we talked about that early on that this is one of their missions it's to spread this i saw we're going to get to this next week i believe um I'm trying to remember who was, a former congressman, talking about how one of the reasons why you're seeing so much silence out of Europe is there are countries in Europe that are neutralized because there's been so much Muslim migration to those countries. They are scared to death to take a stand here. It's very, very volatile for them. So go out to a call from Mickey. Good morning and welcome, Mickey. Hey, Vince, thank you for telling my call. I agree completely with what you just said with your visitor. Do you believe God is all powerful? Oh, absolutely. Do you believe he has a plan? Absolutely. Do you believe each of us? is part of that plan yes i absolutely agree with that with that being said i think we have to be careful uh beating down uh let me preface this with something god do you agree that god can use any of us for his purpose oh absolutely absolutely okay those are my points and that god I can't tell whether he's, you know, I just believe what we just said. Okay. So I firmly believe God can use preachers that don't agree with what you did and you don't agree with what you said. Absolutely. You don't agree with them. But he can use our leaders. to help solve the problem that the lady just described that we did defeat in Germany. I don't think any of us besides God actually knows what's coming next. That's really all I have to say. Mickey, and you know what this requires all of us, of all of us, a tremendous amount of humility.

And to be honest with you, I hope more than anything, it drives us to our knees to be praying for this country, to pray that we see wisdom exercised in some of these decisions that are made. This is very, very tricky. By the way, on the subject of war, Financial Times reporting, this war is delivering a gut punch to the economy. A supply chain crisis is going to hit ordinary Americans with higher prices at a time where they're already feeling stretched. Are you feeling stretched? A global conflict resulting the deaths of more than a dozen U.S. service members and wounded hundreds more. While killing thousands of civilians in the region, displacing millions more. Second, Trump's war threatens to deliver a gut punch to a teetering American economy. If he does not in this war immediately, there's the risk of a recession that will shudder small businesses and toss millions of workers out of their jobs. The costs of the war staggering. Most consequential, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused global oil prices to rise the fastest pace since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in 2022. Can you believe that's been going on four years? The average gasoline price, $398, a dollar higher than just a month ago. For the average household, the paint of the pump could add up to $750 in extra cost this year. Then it talks about the supply chain crisis. First higher prices, the costs of heating or cooling homes is going to go up. Adding further pressure to utility prices, the varieg soared by more than 10% jet fuel costs going up. airline CEOs already announcing their passing those costs onto passengers. What a surprise. Diesel prices climbing as well, driving up the cost of transporting every good that moves on a truck. We discussed this early on, skyrocketing fertilizer costs, hitting just as U.S. farmers to prepare for the planting season. That means food will get more expensive for family. Am I trying to scare you? No, I'm just giving you a heads up. This is just a reality. of what's in the pipeline. And our hope and prayer is there will be a quick resolution to this. And at the end of it, that the environment will be much safer for all of us, frankly, including the Iranians, I think there's not a single person within the sound of my voice who's not hoping that... This will change their lives forever. Perhaps there'll be a regime of people who genuinely cares about them and they will be able to live in freedom. Then I mean everybody live in freedom, not just men, but everybody. Hopefully.

As we close, one final text, Cohen out of Belmont, Vince, love your show. As a Vietnam veteran, I appreciate to agree with everything Denise said. God bless her and you. Well, thank you. Great way to end the broadcast. And I hope you have an absolutely awesome weekend. God bless you. Adios. 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 BlueBookskb.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places.