10-16-25 FULL SHOW - Jimmy Sengenberger Fills in For Mandy with Mayor Mike Coffman and Roshini Rajkumar

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For yours truly Jimmy Sangenberger once again in the saddle here on K-O-A and for Mandy, good to be with you. Proven along to kick things off with so much yet again to discuss and dive into and all the while bluesify your afternoon. So good to be with you. A-Rod behind the glass producer. Extra. ordinary once again. Hey, Arod, I got to ask you real quick before we get rolling with the show. What's up? What did you think of Star Wars theory in my conversation with the YouTuber yesterday? I thought it was fantastic. Couldn't get enough of it. Bring on the nerdiness. Bring on the theories. Bring on the breakdown. Bring on both of your terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible hatred of actually decent show Acolyte. But hey, it's okay. You have been the scene. by the dark side of the force. You guys are the Sith on this one, but it's okay. No, see, the Acolyte was supposed to be about the Dark Siders, so that makes you the Sith. Yeah, whatever makes you feel better. Whatever makes you... And you know what, A-Rod, it is your job to make me feel better when I am here as the host. Even when you are dead wrong. You know, the unfortunate thing is you're so dead wrong, even Disney canceled the show and decided not to do another season. Welcome back. Now, I will say I disagree with him on Rogue One and that Star Wars needs to be about Jedi and lightsabers. That's the most beautiful Star Wars movie, period, visually. I think it is phenomenal. It is well acted. It's set up for the best Star Wars TV show ever made in Andor with its two seasons. Which he also doesn't like most of Andor, but does like this. The second half of the second season was so good he had to admit this is some of the best Star Wars. And by the way, it didn't have any lightsabers. But not to rag on my friend Star Wars theory because... I love the conversation, especially his points about the prequel trilogy and the acting and how he was explaining what George Lucas was going for with Hating Christensen and actually add some context and color to understanding what was going on and what he was actually achieving with that performance and other aspects of the... original trilogy and the storytelling and all of that. I mean, I just couldn't get enough. The problem is we didn't have enough time because then we could have gotten into what is Star Wars and what are the great things about it with lightsabers and all of that, Arod.

Yes. I mean, I don't mind it not having lightsabers and all the stuff that Rogue One offers. But, I mean, we talk so positively about the prequels, man. Prequel hate is unacceptable. Unacceptable. I love that the actors like Cate and Christensen and you and McGregor are getting the love from that prequel trilogy era. If you missed it, it was great conversation. Really cool. Arod, kind enough to. Pull out that interview and post it as its own podcast, mandy's blog.com. So check it out. What a great conversation really, really enjoy. He's a great guy, too. He really is just genuine, not just Star Wars fan, but a person. And I love that with somebody who is pursuing something like this and can get in a controversy and stuff. Like the authenticity matters a lot. That's for sure. Once again, Jimmy Sangenberger in for Mandy Connell today. Of course, the text line 56690, K-O-A, Common Spirit Health text line. You can email me 24-7-365 at my website, jimmysangenberger.com. Remember, there's no AI or you in Sengenberger. It's all ease all the time. Once you know that, Sangenberger is easy. Thank you, A-Rod. And the enthusiasm and the energy there, I just, it's really powering me forward for this afternoon. Now, if you missed it, Ryan Shuling was in for Ross Kaminsky this morning, and he interviewed Senator Ted Cruz. And there are a couple of clips I got here from his interview with the senator from Texas. where he talks about the government shutdown and particularly the politics of Chuck Schumer. And I think this is very important. Let's take a listen. Back in March when we had the last expiration of government funding, the Democrats actually worked in a bipartisan manner with Republicans and we kept the government open. And Chuck Schumer almost lost his job. Chuck Schumer almost lost his job. Well, you could see that. And the conversations and the way everything was going, rank and file Democrats in the Senate, as well as over in the House, were really ticked off and putting on the pressure, especially because... His left flank is pushing, pushing for more left-wing goodies. Chuck Schumer is looking over his left shoulder, and he sees Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez breathing down his neck getting ready to primary him. And the reason the government shut down today is Chuck Schumer is trying to prove to the crazy radicals that he hates Donald Trump as much as they do. Now, I'm originally from upstate New York. It's where I was born. We'd go back there. every year as a child after we moved to Colorado when I was 10. And to see this happen to this state, my home, original home state with a lot of family there, including my grandparents, is heartbreaking. It's absolutely heartbreaking. And to know what's happening in New York City within New York State altogether with Zohran Mamdani, who we will talk about today,

is just, I mean, the notion that he will be mayor, and I think odds are he will be, and he's extremely articulate and compelling at breaking down what is, well, not breaking down, but spinning, spinning. What is socialism through and through? Kind of gave a masterclass last night on Fox News about exactly that, but let's hold on Zohran Mamdani and stick with Congress in the shutdowns. Because it's not just Chuck Schumer in the Senate who's worried about his left flank. The same thing goes with Hakeem Jeffries. So Jason Crow. Of course, Hakeem Jeffries is the Democrat leader in the House. And Jason Crow is the congressman for Colorado's 6th congressional district. And on CNN. A few days ago, he was asked about the willingness of Democrats to sit down and negotiate to resolve the government shutdown. There's no discussion. They've completely shut the door to us. We remain ready and willing to negotiate a bipartisan result to this, which is the only way we ever pass funding bills and keep the government open, but they've closed the door. They've closed the door. Really? They closed the door. Let's listen to Hakeem Jeffries. I think this is from over the weekend, maybe on Sunday or it was Monday. I've had the clip all week. What can I say? And Hakeem Jeffries, again, the Democrat leader in the House, really dodging the question about meeting with Speaker Johnson. I think we're always ready and willing and able to have a good faith discussion with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. to entertain any ideas that they may put forth with respect to both reopening the government and of course decisively addressing the republican health care crisis the problem that we confront dana is that republicans have gone radio silent since the shutdown began no conversations no meetings no discussions donald trump has held them back from even having a meaningful engagement to try to find you're right down the hall from Mike Johnson's office i know exactly where you are you can probably take a few steps and go knock on the door and talk to him. Have you tried that? Speaker Johnson hasn't been given permission to have a conversation with me or Leader Chuck Schumer and he said as much earlier today. So you don't think he would talk to you at all? We can have a conversation, but the problem is that until they get the green light to actually have a meaningful discussion to try to find common ground and a bipartisan path forward and a willingness to address the damage that Republicans have done to the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, then, of course, any informal discussion is going to be not fruitful. Ah, see? Republicans, Speaker Johnson. They're the only ones who don't have the green light to negotiate, not the Democrats. It's not the left flank that is putting pressure and has been putting pressure on their base, or rather their elected representatives in Congress, to hold the line on their issues. I mean, you have in Congress.

People who like Jason Crow will say, oh, we need to negotiate, but doesn't actually engage himself. Hakeem Jeffries dodging the question and saying it's Republicans that don't have the green light to negotiate, and he's not even willing to just, like Denabash said, walk over, say hi and have an informal conversation. What can we do to reach a deal? That's how a lot of these things begin. I mean, remember in the. 1980s, you had President Reagan and Tip O'Neill, and they had a good working relationship. O'Neill, of course, the Speaker of the House, enough to get over a beer and hash things out. Now, we're not talking about the president in this case. We're looking at negotiations with the Speaker of the House is a Republican. So it's the Republican Speaker and the Republican or the Democrat minority leader. They can't just get together and have a conversation. Why not? It's absurd. But then again, you know what's coming from the left-wing plank. Flank. Exactly as Ted Cruz said. Chuck Schumer is looking over his left shoulder, and he sees Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez breathing down his neck getting ready to primary him. And the reason the government shut down today is Chuck Schumer is trying to prove to the crazy radicals that he hates Donald Trump as much as they do. Of course, there's some spin in terms of simply blaming the Democrats and Chuck Schumer, although I would argue that the Democrats are the primary drivers of this particular government shutdown. But both sides have blame. Of course, because it takes compromise of some sort to get something like this sewed up. But let's underscore the kind of radicalism that he's talking about in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who's all over the place. In fact, last night on CNN, she did a town hall with Bernie Sanders because they've been going around the country doing their oligarchs thing, flying around a private jet because that's what you do when you're a socialist who's... Number one issue or one of them is climate change. So you fly around in a private jet to go do your complaining about the oligarchs. Well, we have this story very disgusting. You've probably seen it about the National Federation of Young Republicans. And the texts of leaders from a few of those states that were vile and vulgar from I Love Hitler and other anti-Semitic epithets to racial comments, just disgusting stuff. And of course, it resoundingly deserves to be condemned. Unfortunately, JD Vance, the vice president, brushed it off yesterday and said these are kids. No, Senator or Vice President, JD Vance. These are people who are not much younger than you between the ages of 24 and 35. He's 38, I think. I'm 35. So those people in the text have no excuse. It's not as kids. Good Lord. You say this kind of stuff and you want to be taken seriously in politics. You've got problems. Of course, the Democrats want to.

Focus all on that and brush off Jay Jones, the attorney general candidate in Virginia, who said much worse things and including texts about killing and the death of kids of political opponents, like absolutely stunning. And the Democrats have been silent. Abigail, what, Abigail Spanberger? Abigail Spanberger, the gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, literally. taken to task in gubernatorial debate by Winsome Earle-Sears the republican lieutenant governor running for governor over that and literally when you see the video and there's a phenomenal campaign ad about this too she's just Abigail Spanberger is just standing there just like looking out into the ether as though she's not even being talked to As when some Sears is saying, look, are you going to condemn this? What's going on? Why aren't you saying anything about this? That is not to excuse with those young Republicans. That's disgusting. It needs to be resoundingly condemned. But come on, let's do both. Especially the one who actually wants to be an attorney general of a state and talked about being glad if somebody dies. But back to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In this town hall with Bernie Sanders at CNN last night, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talked about the young Republicans and had a hell of a way of framing it all. When they talk about Republicans and their success online, they have been successful because they have also been very clear, especially digitally, about what they believe, that women are inferior. That do not, and they do not deserve equal rights. What? That they believe that LGBTQ Americans are subhuman. That they believe and are circulating, disgusting, racial and white supremacist messaging that they are able to get away with digitally and online. Wait a second, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You are casting a broad brush and saying that this group of young Republicans represents all Republicans. Now, JD Vance may not have condemned it and brushed it off, which was disappointing and he should have been stronger. But someone like Elise Stefanik has condemned it. And numerous other prominent Republicans most have condemned it and said, no, this is unacceptable. And she's casting that brush and say, well, this is all Republicans. They're so hateful. And using the most vindictive terminology about them. Let's continue. When they talk about Republicans and their success, and they are able to radicalize and target and exploit a generation of young boys in particular. away from healthy masculinity and into an insecure masculinity that requires the domination of others who are poorer, browner, darker, or a different gender than them. And that is why they are resonating online because they are appealing to the most basest.

and worst parts of human nature to divide us. There are some who are doing that just as there are some on the left who do that. I mean, think about all the rhetoric coming from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's buddies about Israel a genocide. A blood libel applied to Israel in the modern day over something that was completely disproven this week, last week, with the end of the war in Gaza. And the release of a couple thousand somewhere around there. Palestinian prisoners taken after October 7th during that war at the time that 20 Israeli hostages who were alive were finally released while 48 dead are still in the process of being recovered and returned. So let's talk about some of the disgusting rhetoric from the left, but the broad brushes she's painting here is absolutely stunning. But what's even more stunning and absurd is the explanation she gives for why this is supposedly the case. And why to divide us so that the same people who own those platforms, people like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg. that these people can continue to get away with highway robbery in tax cuts and in order to fleece all of our pockets, cut our health care, keep our wages low so that we remain fighting amongst ourselves while they make themselves richer. And so in order for us to fight back against that, we must be clear about what we believe, have strong beliefs. And also be completely unwilling to bow to that kind of division and stand in solidarity with one another, especially when it is someone whose culture is different from ours or whose background we may not entirely understand, but that we honor, love, and see as our fellow Americans. So Republicans are cultivating the most base hatreds. Every Republican is just... following that line of thinking, and it's also that the billionaires can line their pockets and get tax cut. This is insane. And it's coming from a woman who could become the next United States senator from New York State. No wonder Chuck Schumer is feeling pressure from the left when you have this kind of insanity. coming from that influencer of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It's just you just can't make this stuff up. We're just getting started. I'm Jimmy Sangenberger, filling in for Mandy Connell. Keep it right here on K-O-A. We were talking about Jay Jones, the candidate for attorney general, and the young Republicans group of... Leaders in three states, AIDS 24 to 35 or their bouts as sort of the estimate as to, or that said some of the worst things, condemnable, just absolutely terrible, hateful, anti-Semitic and racist comments that are, quite frankly, deeply disturbing.

And then you have the comments specifically from Jay Jones, who suggested a former House speaker should receive two bullets to the head, talked about his kids. It's just disgusting, vile text messages. And Jay Jones is suffering as a result of it. A listener text coming in says, Jay Jones is one person and should be condemned. The young Republicans are many. True. But Jay Jones is the one who's running for Attorney General. He's the one who could be the chief law enforcement officer of the state of Virginia. He's the guy who... is in a position of real meaningful influence, whereas it varies among the young Republicans. Now, they need to be condemned. But for the left to pretty much ignore as their gubernatorial candidate, Democrat gubernatorial candidate has, ignore what Jay Jones said, which just is beyond the pale, which is why most Republicans are condemning the young Republicans.

So many Democrats are not doing the same of the Jay Jones comments. I don't get it. Abigail Spanberger, the gubernatorial candidate embarrassed in the debate. I mean, you're right. There are more Republicans who are on that text chain. But we're talking here about the attorney general candidate who wished harm to a Republican rival's children. Another text coming in. Listening to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is like nails on a chalkboard. Of course she mischaracterizes young white males turning from her party as racist, chauvinistic, homophobic, etc. What does she expect when her party is constantly blaming that group for everything wrong in the country and the world? Yeah, they're going to turn away from the left. And some of them, sure, some of them we saw it in the text messages, are going to be racist or say racist things or sexist things or otherwise. But she's casting a broad brush that is unfair and unreasonable. Jimmy, is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez an idiot? Evil or both? The pie isn't fixed in its size, and why would the oligarchs want to keep people poor? No one would be able to pay for the oligarchs goods and services. That should be more obvious, but not when they're fed divisive class warfare rhetoric from those grifters. Okay, I don't think she is evil. I think she is deeply misguided and fundamentally wrong.

and has no business being in the United States Senate for sure. But you're right. You're hitting on a point that's so important. The pie is not fixed in its size. But that's the left wing view. It is a zero-sum game. Somebody gets richer or you have billionaires in the world, which at one point at least she said should be illegal. Well, then that means that a whole slew of other people are losing out, which is not true. The job opportunities, the lower cost products, the list goes on for things that happen because you have billionaires and other wealthy people in the world making the investments, taking the risks with their capital to make things happen. But the left brings on par excellence, the class warfare rhetoric. I mean, that's what we heard last night on Fox News, where So Ron Zohran Mamdani spoke to Martha McCallum on Fox. And he really laid on thick his whole agenda of class warfare. Here's one example. So what would you cut? What would you draw from to do it? I don't think we have to cut. I've talked about raising taxes on the wealthiest. And frankly, this is an issue that we have here in New York City. And frankly, even across this country, when I've spoken to Trump voters right here in New York City, Hillside Avenue in Queens, Fordham Road in the Bronx, they've told me it was cost of living that drove them to vote for Donald Trump. They've told me it was a promise of a lower actual, whether it be cheaper groceries, whether it be childcare, whether it be rent. And what we're seeing time and time again is we're more. focused on the question of billionaires and the most profitable corporations than we are on people who can't even afford to make ends meet in the city. The class warfare rhetoric right there, but presented in a way that's approachable. That's friendly. He's your friendly neighborhood socialist who will even praise New York City when asked about it being a capitalist city of the world. Last night I chat GPT, where is the capitalist and global finance center of the world? And it said, New York City, which made me feel good as someone who loves New York City. Is that? a moniker that you're proud of and one that you want to continue for this city. We should be proud of it, and I will also say that that's one thing you have in common with Andrew Cuomo, because he also uses chat GPT to answer many questions, including how to actually resolve the housing crisis in the city. And it's time that we are not only proud of us being the financial capital, the cultural capital, but also we should make it a capital of where working people can afford to live in this city. Because right now what we're seeing is that one in four New Yorkers are being priced out of the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country. Oh, that's great. But so many New Yorkers are being priced out. And it, oh, by the way, wink, wink, nudge, nudge is actually the capitalist fault. We need to tear that down.

And it was also stunning is the way this guy who is an anti-Semite, who is part of Democratic Socialists of America, who has rallied for and stood behind the Hamas cause. Let's go right there, not just the Palestinian cause, but the Hamas cause against Israel. Well, he was asked for his opinion on the Gaza deal. He didn't have much to say about it. Would you give President Trump credit or not, to any extent? Credit or not? I think it's too early to do so. Too early to say. But if it proves to be something that is lasting, something that is durable, then I think that that's where you give credit. But do you believe that Hamas should lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza? I believe that any future here in New York City is one that we have to make sure that's affordable for all. So now that the war is over, there's a ceasefire in effect. They're working out the long-term arrangements. Zohran Mamdani is quiet. Oh, you know what? I'm just focused on the local issues now. Britt Hume had an observation about that on Fox. He ended up saying he didn't have an opinion about that. That's pretty striking. I mean, look, yes, he's running for a local office. It doesn't have any direct say about foreign policy. But as you pointed out, Brad, or as Martha did, or as Alexis did, they got this huge Jewish population in New York. And people's views about that war over there and that conflict matter in New York City. You'd expect it to have a view about that. But here's the thing, Brent. That's why he's not answering the question because he doesn't align with the Jews in New York City. He is aligned with the enemy of Israel far too often in his candidacy and in his adult life. And openly so. And then he's expected to possibly speak out. about this and have a word to say that would actually align with the Jewish people who are, quite frankly, when you see the so-called anti-Zionism, that's just code word for the eradication of Israel, for anti-Semitism, that kind of rhetoric. And so he's not going to... speak out on this when it doesn't fit with his actual worldview. Now he's at a point where he's got a very real chance at becoming governor. And he's unwilling to put that at risk by saying what he really thinks. That's what's going on there. More on Zohran Mamdani coming up and some interesting comments from Britt Hume. I'm Jimmy Sangenberger. Filling in from Andy Connell, it's K-O-A. Once again, Jimmy Sangenberger, in for Andy Connell on K-O-A. I want to read something in regards to the Young Republicans. This is from Josh Sondonberg, the chairman of the Colorado Federation of Young Republicans in a statement put out this week.

Freedom of speech does not allow for freedom from consequence. Two days ago, a chat was leaked that contained messages from YR Young Republicans to YR. The statements in that chat were vile, ignorant, and unprofessional. While the Colorado Young Republicans supports everyone's constitutional right to free speech, our organization also supports our fellow young Republicans across the nation. as they investigate claims against one another and pass down punishment to those involved. Let it be known that CFYR did not have any members involved in that chat string and we stand on the principles of personal responsibility and respect all individuals no matter what race or creed they are. I think that was a pretty strong statement and worth Sherry. I also want to clarify because I think when I was talking earlier about Jay Jones, I used the word killing in a way that wasn't precise to what he said in regards to the kids of a political opponent, then House Speaker Todd Gilbert, who he had said, three people, two bullets, referring to Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert would receive both bullets every time is basically what he had said. But in regards to Gilbert's kids, it was discussing his hope that they would die. And Jay Jones, when pressed on it by the other guy that he was texting with, Republican delegate Kerry Coyner, said only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy. And then he talked about... how he would piss on the graves of certain Republican delegates. And Todd and Jennifer Gilbert were evil and breeding little fascists again about the kids. Like that's from an attorney general candidate. But I wanted to clarify more on what he had specifically said. Apox on the young Republicans who were involved in those chats and the poxon Jay Jones, who is running to be a senior official in the state of Virginia. The law enforcement official, the top cop, so to speak, in the state, it really should step down, but Democrats are not saying anything. There you go. Thought I'd bring in a couple of those clarifications and good on the Colorado Federation of Young Republicans. We're going to take a break in the next hour. Aurora Mayor Mike Kaufman will join me to talk about a lawsuit brought by him and several other home rule municipalities against Governor Jared Polis. What's going on there? Keep it here. We've got that coming up on K-O-A. The Mandy Connell show is sponsored by Bell and Pollock Accident and Injury Lawyers. Now it's Mandy Connell.

8.50 a.m. 94-1 FM. Now for the second hour, Jimmy Sangenberger here with you for Mandy Connell on K-O-A. You know, might as well. You hear on the harmonica. The Jimmy Jr. Blues Band has some gigs coming up. November 1st, we're playing back at In the Zone in Golden, starting at 8 p.m. Then, really excited for this one. In fact, this is the first announcement. I haven't even created the Facebook event for this or updated the website yet. We will be playing at Cactus Jackson Evergreen on Saturday, November 15th at 8 p.m. And then on December 6th, we will be in Wheatridge at Teabirds, Roadhouse. And then on December 12th, back in the zone and golden. Lots coming up. Jimmy Jr. Blues Band. Check us out on Facebook at jimmyjuremusic.com and at jimisangenberger.com. All ease all the time in Sangenberger. So this was interesting. Reading from the Denver Post. Are you aware of this? Travelers in Colorado's largest airports won't be exposed to a video message at security checkpoints from U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the failed government shutdown. Airport officials in Denver and Colorado Springs joining counterparts at multiple other major airports confirmed Tuesday that the video will not be shown. Since last Thursday, Homeland Security officials have been asking airport operators to show the video at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. In the video, Kristi Noem declares Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government. And says, this is why most of our TSA employees are working without pay. This is in violation of the policy our airport has as a public facility. You cannot have non-commercial speech. Colorado Springs Municipal Airport spokeswoman Aidan Ryan said, it is a facility for transportation, not for opinion. We are here to run a safe and efficient airport and not to push out political and religious views onto our users. That's not the purpose of the airport. Denver International Airport officials said they lack the video display screens to run it. DIA quote has not been asked by TSA as we don't have monitors at our checkpoints for videos. Denver airport officials said in a statement.

No word from the Grand Junction airport on what they are doing. But DIA and Colorado Springs airport officials aligned with those in Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Charlotte, and New York and refusing to play the video. So look, I tend to think, I said this earlier, that Republicans are more right on the shutdown, that Democrats are the bigger problem. into why this has been the case, why it's happening, but both sides still bear fault. And you can completely disagree with me and say, oh, it's more of the Republicans' fault, but you can't absolve the Democrats, just as I feel I can't absolve the Republicans. Nobody should. In this case, though, I really don't like it. I don't like whether it's the Homeland Security Secretary or if you go to the National Park Service websites, they have had a banner on their website. I don't know if they still do, but at least last week they did blaming Democrats for the shutdown on there. I don't like when government officials and official capacities play politics to blame the other party. There's no justification for it. Use your bully pulpits in other fashions. You're given a speech or something. Calling for change. Whatever it is. But don't do it in this kind of platform. Don't do it where you need to, where people need to do something and happen to be forced to access it.

And it was beautiful. We'd go into fifth grade classes. We gave out millions of constitutions over the years across the country. It was founded in 1996 by a guy named Andy McKin folded amid COVID in 2020. But it's a great program. And we waited during that learner time period, an extra long time to get our renewal. of our 501c3 status. I remember wondering for months, where was it? Where was it? Where was it? Finally we got it. But it was just during that time. And I believe it was because we were slow walked along with Tea Party groups. We were not that. We were bipartisan, Democrats and Republicans alike supported the nonprofit. Did videos. We had Governor John Hickenlooper and Senator Bennett and then Congressman Jared Polis and other Democrats involved in doing videos and such for Liberty Day. So it wasn't a partisan outfit, but we were lumped into that. I believe it. And that was just in terms of 501C3 status. To my recollection, there was nothing to do with criminal investigations. Now, there are Antifa groups that engage in extremist activities and violence. Sure. And those groups, I think there's just cause to investigate some of them, perhaps, if you know, of specific instances, but to just cast a broad brush for the IRS and say, well, we're now going to target nonprofit groups that are left wing. No. Unacceptable. And you are setting that precedent. So let's say the next wave of Tea Party-like groups forms under the next Democrat president. And they say, well, you know what? These are right-wing extremists. So we're going to have the IRS start doing criminal investigations into them. Now, of course, IRS criminal investigation different from the FBI, but it's still something different than 501 status. as a nonprofit, that you are tax exempt and so forth. I mean, it's not acceptable. I think it is absurd to see, absurd, to see and hear the talk of Trump being an authoritarian and a dictatorship because that's next level. But when you have these kinds of things happen, well, you're inviting and opening the door to those kinds of claims and assertions because you are going too far. You're using politics as a metric to use the power of government to go after your political opponents. I voted for Trump all three times that he ran.

And there are a heck of a lot of reasons why I did so, especially in 2016. But then again, 2020, 2024, I didn't vote for this. The kind of retribution scheme that seems to be growing here of going after Democrat targets because you disagree with them, because you don't like them. I don't understand it. And I think it deserves more pushback from Republicans because if you don't, then it's going to persist. And then the Democrats, when they, again, I keep saying this. I can't say it enough. When the Democrats get in charge, shoe on the other foot, bada boom, bada bing, you're going to be in for trouble. But right now, Republicans are at an apex. The power and... position of the GOP is very strong, particularly because the Democrats are so terrible. Harry Anton over on CNN talked about the Democrats and their plummeting chances at taking back the U.S. House of Representatives, which should be a cakewalk for him. If you go back six months ago, you go back to April Cape Baldwin. What were we looking at? Well, we were looking at the Democrats with a very clear shot of taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Kalshi prediction market odds. We saw them in an 83% chance. But those odds have been plummeting down. Now we're talking about just a 63% chance, while the GOP's chances, up like a rocket, up like gold, up from 17% to now a 37% chance. So we'll look like a pretty clear Democrat, likely. Democratic win in the House come next year has become much closer to a toss-up at this point, although still slightly leaning Democratic. And this isn't how it should be. And it continued by making a comparison to the last time Trump was in office and faced midterm elections. Democrats were way out ahead back in 2017 on the generic congressional ballot. And now we're basically looking at Democrats ahead. But again, they are so far in back of the pace that they set back there. And so I think what a lot of folks are seeing, folks like myself are saying, wait a minute, given what we might be seeing and redistricting, is this plus three going to be enough? It's not the kind of barnstorming win. It's not going to be the kind of barnstorming win that Democrats should have. They should take back the House. But there's a really good chance they won't. And it's because Republicans are in a stronger position because Democrats are deeply unpopular for a variety of reasons. And that definitely, without question, works in favor. of Republicans. Because if you don't like the other side, then you might just not vote or you might be inclined to vote for their opponents, in this case, Republicans. It is a moment where I think we're seeing some of politics turned on its head nationally. And it's fascinating because here in Colorado, let's bring it home.

Here in Colorado, there's actually a shot for Republicans to make real gains. Because Democrats are deeply unpopular here, it is possible that a Republican for governor could win. Barb Kirkmeyer, Mark Basley, others in the mix, have a real shot. At least compared to before. Now, I have to say I am extraordinarily pessimistic. We have not had a Republican governor since Bill Owens left office in 2006. Next year will be 20 years. In fact, New York State has had a Republican governor more recently than Colorado has, if you can believe it. I mean, it is astonishing to think about, but, or as long, rather, I think, because Pataki was governor, and he left office as just verifying in 2006 the same year that Bill Owens left in 2006. But that in and of itself is stunning, isn't it? I mean, the fact. that a Republican was a governor in New York as recently as there was a Republican governor in Colorado just shows how much the state has changed. But we have consistently used to be in Colorado that you'd have split ticket voting where the Democrat governor would win, but the Republicans would sweep attorney general, treasurer. and Secretary of State. Now, the treasurer candidate, the one who's running is Kevin Grantham. Yesterday, we interviewed him in studio. Fantastic candidate. He brings professionalism and fiscal responsibility and the right kind of thinking to the treasurer's office. He's really got a shot. A secretary of state, we need a Republican who's not a nut job. That is to say, we need a Republican who's not going to talk about getting rid of Colorado's mail ballot system, who's not going to praise Tina Peters, the convicted former clerk who engaged in a complex identity theft scheme to breach her own election office, misleading government employees in her own office in clerk and recorder in Mesa County, and the Secretary of State's office. to get credentials meant for one guy named Jerry Wood, but used by another guy without Wood's knowledge, named Conan Hayes, former 1990s pro surfer. And then he snuck in there. He made copies of the election server hard drive before and after.

A routine software update. And needless to say, that led to Tina Peters getting criminally convicted. Four felonies, three misdemeanors. She's in prison for up to nine years. We do not need and should not have a Republican candidate for Secretary of State who will praise Tina Peters, call for her to be released, so on and so forth. Like that plus let's get rid of mail balloting is a recipe for utter defeat. Colorado switched to a most, a vote by mail system, 100% vote by mail system where you get your mail in ballot and then you can either mail it back or use Dropbox, which by the way, think like something on the order of 75, 80% of voters, if not more, use the drop boxes, which are secure. But in 2013, we made that switch. And by the way, when we did, 70% of Colorado registered voters were already signed up for no excuse absentee ballots, meaning they'd already requested a mail-in ballot to automatically come to them. No questions asked. So at the time, many of us did oppose it, including myself, but... At least we had the groundwork there. And the idea that now 12 plus years later, you're going to say, well, we should get rid of that whole system that you've been used to. That's absurd. And we actually do have tremendous strength and protections in this election system we have in Colorado. But back to the point, the Secretary of State candidate, we need somebody who's level-headed. and who's competent, at the very least, not to drag down the ticket or the GOP. I don't know that a Republican can win for Secretary of State or that you'll have a kind of person like an experienced Clark who deserves that nomination, but at least somebody who's not going to stick their foot in their mouth all the time and say dumb things. And then Attorney General, we need somebody who's competent and capable, who can be the next Attorney General with Colorado, and they can bring the fight, whether the governor's race is winnable or not. Those three races theoretically should be at least in play. And the biggest reason why is because Democrats are so unpopular. And that's the way things are going. Colorado could have some big changes. We'll see. We'll see what happens. As listener texts in on the K-OA, Common Spirit Health text line, no, 66690, 56699. No one ever went broke, underestimating the stupidity of the American public. Fair enough. I'm Jimmy, and for Mandy. Don't go anywhere. It's K-O-A. Back in the saddle tomorrow, by the way. And look, Speaking of trampled underfoot, home rural municipalities, I feel like, are being trampled underfoot. That includes Aurora, Arvada.

Westminster and Lafayette, which have all joined together in filing a preliminary injunction to block Governor Jared Polis's executive orders that, as Aurora Mayor Mike Kaufman, put it in a post a couple of days ago, threatened to withhold $280 million in grant funding for cities who are not complying. with these so-called strategic growth laws passed by the legislature and signed to law by the governor. For more on this, I'm pleased to be joined here on K-O-A by Aurora Mayor Mike Kaufman himself right here on the program. Mayor Kaufman, welcome back to K-O-A, sir. Hey, Jimmy, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Thanks for coming on. So first of all, before we get to the specifics of the lawsuit that Aurora has signed into, can you, onto, can you just explain what this effort of strategic growth laws is all about and why in your view it's so problematic? Well, I think that... I think you can argue on one side that it's about, you know, increasing the inventory of affordable housing, you know, in the state of Colorado, and the governor argues that that's an issue of statewide concern. Although I would argue back that, you know, that I think there are a lot of unscrupulous trialers that have a chokehold on the majority in the legislature that have created an environment where... You're not getting builders in Colorado that will build, you know, that entry-level condominium. And so that's probably a separate argument. But so what the governor did in saying that it's an issue of statewide concern was to say, okay, then we have jurisdiction over Article 20, Section 6 of the Constitution that talks about home rule, and that land use planning is really, you know. a power left to local government, home rule cities. And so, you know, we first sued the governor. So his administration, when he signed the law, actually laws, I think there was one-one, that did this, that you served our authority to do land use planning. And then secondly, now we're, then he issued an executive order saying, okay, any, even though we were suing on a constitutional grounds and the court has yet to make the decision, determination. Then he goes, well, any city that doesn't comply now with these new laws, we're going to withhold grant funding to them, $280 million total in state grant funding to the cities that don't comply. Well, I mean, that's just, and so what we did is file, this week we filed a preliminary injunction to stop the governor.

to stop the governor's executive orders in terms of discriminating against us. Look, if the Supreme Court rules, which I don't think they will, I'd be very disappointed if they did, against home rule cities that, you know, this is an issue of statewide concern, and it was within the governor's purview to sign the legislation constitutionally. then we'll have to obey it. But until then, we shouldn't be forced to comply with laws that we don't believe that are constitutional. Let me ask you Aurora Mayor Mike Kaufman to remind us about what home rule really means. Because if you're talking about the governor overstepping and trampling home rule municipalities underfoot, shall we say, I think it's important to just really underscore what that term means, home rule. Yeah, really in this instance, it really reflects our ability to make decisions about land use within our jurisdictions, like planning and zoning issues, like saying, okay, this is the density we want. And these are fairly complex issues. But by usurping and taking it away from us, the citizens have nowhere to go. So in other words, today, we have a planning commission that here is these, you know, applications for permits of those certain things. And then you have, you know, citizens can go address the planning commission as to whether or not they like it. And then that they can appeal then to if the business doesn't like the decision or the citizens don't like the decision, the residents, then they can appeal it to the city council. That's all taken away from us by what he's done. And I just think these issues are fairly complex. And on his side, what he'll argue... is it's kind of nimbism, that people don't want, you know, if they may not want an apartment building that is, you know, what our income-restricted, or workforce housing or low-income housing. You know, but, you know, maybe if you target law specifically about that, saying that we can't discriminate in certain instances, maybe that's okay, but to do this blanket stripping our authority. and usurping that authority away from us. These are very complex...

decisions and they they involve traffic studies they involve infrastructure like water they they involve a lot of things and and but boy that that's just so brazen that takes that away and uh so we're fighting it and uh i think it's important for us to stand up and i think it's important for us to win on this issue and if we don't and if we roll over on this one then every then we've lost any local control. We've lost any state, we've lost in any authority, that the power is going to go to this state legislature. And I believe that the basic action, the best government is the government closest to the people. Mayor Mike Kaufman joining us. So just to be clear, Cities including Aurora, Arvada, Greenwood Village, Glendale, Lafayette, and Westminster have sued against the constitutionality, saying these strategic growth laws are unconstitutional impinging on home rule municipalities. Home rule municipalities like Aurora have not complied. And so that has brought this lawsuit requesting a preliminary injunction that Aurora, Arvada, Westminster, and Lafayette have filed to say, wait a second. Second, Governor Jared Polis is holding back $280 million in grant funding for our cities because we're not complying amid a lawsuit over the constitutionality of what he's doing. Am I getting that right? Yeah. And so the $280 million is the total amount available for all cities, you know, across Colorado. So I don't want to say that it's the four cities that are $280 million. Sure. That's not the case. But, you know, this principle is going to apply, whatever the court, the state Supreme Court decides, is going to apply to a lot of other things. But I think it's very brazen to discriminate against us to try and retaliate against us, you know, until the court decide. I mean, he just needs to take a pause, in my view, and say, okay, you know, it's one thing, yeah, if the court decided that what he did was constitutional. And we weren't complying. Sure, I get it. That he might justifiably retaliate in some way. Yeah. But not in the instance where the court hasn't ruled on it yet, and he wants to go ahead and punish us, retaliate against us. I mean, to try and get compliance or something we believe that is unconstitutional, I mean, come on. That's just not right, especially when he complains about the Trump administration. Oh, exactly. I was thinking about the exact same thing. It's almost Trumpian in the attitude that Jared Polis is taking toward... Home rule municipalities with that concept enshrined in the Constitution. Now, one thing that's interesting, though, is let's contrast this. 2018, Mayor Kaufman, we saw in this state Senate Bill 181, which changed how oil and gas regulations were done to allow local municipalities to have, and counties to have the ability to regulate something that, quite frankly, in that industry, there's so much crossover where there's justification to say, wait a second.

We should have this at the state level. But what the governor signed into law with SB 181 at that time in 2018-2019 allowed for local governments to put more restrictive oil and gas regulations in place, but not less restrictive oil and gas regulations than what the state allowed. And yet, here he's turning around with home rural municipalities and saying it's our way or the highway and you're challenging in court so we're going to prevent money. from coming to you. Yeah, it's a pretty amazing thing. I worry about this state. Yeah. And from, you know, I obviously focused on being mayor of the city of Aurora, but it impacts Aurora. It impacts everybody across the state. Our economic competitiveness as a city, I mean as a state. And that we're declining. And I think you can see it in the number, if you look at the immigration and immigration people leaving. the state. I mean, it is slow, I think that I don't know, I don't think we're in a negative situation yet, but it's definitely slowed down. And whether you like it or not, I mean, people moving, people move to where the economic opportunities are the greatest. And so I'm very concerned about the state in that regard. I mean, I focus on a little area that I have, which is not so little. Actually, we have a landmass that's larger than Denver. Although our population is a little over 400,000. But, you know, the weird thing, I mean, being a former state legislator, gosh, I mean, it's rare. that I'm ever testifying about something good that's happening. The legislation is doing. I'm just worried about what they were doing. I want to think, let me tell you, you know, Governor Jared Polis helped me out last session, and let me tell you why, how he helped me. First of all, I'm glad that he vetoed. There was a labor bill that he vetoed that would have hurt our economy, and that was important to his base, and I'm grateful for that. But I'm also grateful for another bill that he did. There was a bill that would have... We believe in a tough on-crimeable approach in this city. Our leadership does, I do, you know, in this city. And we have, for instance, we have mandatory minimums on motor vehicle theft and our retail theft. They're tough. I mean, they were designed to be tough to curb that, you know, that conduct. And there was a bill before the legislature, and I'm worried it's going to come up again. But that would have stripped us of that authority, and we say that municipal courts can have penalties no greater than the state criminal code. Right. And I was so, and I talked to him about it, and I was so grateful that he vetoed that bill. And that really has helped us out in Aurora, and I worry about whoever successor is going to be, because I see that bill coming back again. I mean, I think you're right. Obviously, I'm supporting Barbara Kirkmeyer, I guess I'll tell you that on the radio.

But, you know, I worry about that. There you go. You know. Well, Mayor Mike Kaufman of Aurora, we got to leave it there. I appreciate it. And I'm right there with you on this fight in court and wish Aurora and the other cities joining forces here against Governor Jared Polis on this county and some others. Best of luck, my friend. Thank you for joining us. Hey, thank you. Once again, Mayor Mike Kaufman joining us here on KOA. We're going to take a break. Jimmy and from Andy Moore coming up. Interesting conversation with Mayor Mike Kaufman, especially juxtaposed against an interview I did on Tuesday when I filled in for Ross about. 3A in Littleton to protect single family zoning in the city. And there are concerns about accessory dwelling units and whether or not those may become illegal. If 3A passes, but it's an example of citizens trying to push back against efforts by the state and some municipalities to really advance a view of setting up neighborhoods. That is much more about multifamily housing than protecting single family neighborhoods. Then I'm all for zoning changes. It's one of the biggest problems when it comes to housing affordability. It's a huge aspect to it. But this isn't the way to go. Not. specifically oriented towards multi-family housing. It would be good conversation to have about what zoning changes would be good. But Mayor Mike Kaufman was talking about the strategic growth laws, as Governor Jared Polis calls it, which are trampling upon local communities, particularly home rule municipalities and their ability to push back. at these things and make their own decisions for themselves. And it's interesting that, you know, you've got the juxtaposition of uncertain chosen things like oil and gas. They want cities to be able to put more restrictions in place than the state. But in this circumstance, your home role, even protected in the Constitution, you better oblige. Otherwise, you're going to lose your money. I just... We're not going to give you this grant money. And that's Governor Jared Polis. It's very Trumpian. Very Trumpian. Listener text coming in, the COA Common Spirit Health text line 56690. We need to elect a Republican governor to reverse all this crap. Yeah, it's a tough hill to climb to get to that. But there's a heck of a lot that needs to be fixed in Colorado. That's for darn sure. We're going to pick up the conversation on the other side. Another hour up ahead. Jimmy and for Mandy on K-O-A. The Mandy Connell show is sponsored by Bell and Pollack, accident and injury lawyers. Now, it's Mandy Connell. Mandy Connell, room in the day. On KLA, 8.50 a.m. 94-1 FM.

Third and final hour, Jimmy Sangenberger in again for Mandy Connell. And back in the saddle tomorrow as well to round out the week, Ryan Shuling in for Ross Kaminsky. We might do a little crossover in between the show, too. That could be fun. 56690 is the K-O-A common spirit health text line and my website, jimmy sangenberger.com. You can email me 24-7-365, check out my latest columns and more right there. Keep in mind, there's no AI or you in Sangenberger. It's all ease all the time. Once you know that Sangenberger is easy. Yes, indeed. So I'm struck by what's happening with Venezuela. President Trump has been launching attacks, strikes, on cartels off the coast of Venezuela, ships, boats, rather, with cartel members. And they're extrajudicial. There's no declaration of war. But look, we have had going back to the Barbary pirates with Thomas Jefferson, we've had the president take it upon himself to address piracy. Isn't this sort of like that? Drug traffickers, pirates. They're doing damage and horrible things. And they're foreign nationals. So maybe there's justification there? I don't know. I'm not a legal expert. And this is an issue where I think, you know, you got to look at it a little bit. But I like, in theory, I like what he's doing. Taking him out, addressing him. But what concerns me more is what could happen on the ground in Venezuela in two respects. On the one hand, And I think this is perfectly reasonable. It's just a matter of what they're really going for here. President Trump has now authorized CIA covert operations in Venezuela. Now, I found this really interesting. Normally, I don't think we get announcements of, well, the CIA today is engaging in covert operations in Russia. The CIA today is engaging in covert operations in Cuba. But no, there is a big announcement. That the CIA. has the authority to conduct covert action in Venezuela, while, according to the Wall Street Journal, also floating the idea of land strikes in a broadening campaign against alleged drug trafficking. I authorized for two reasons, Trump said Wednesday at the White House, alleging Venezuelan leaders have, quote, emptied their prisons into the United States of America, and, quote, we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela.

The authorization enables the CIA to operate clandestinely in the country and potentially take action against Venezuelan strongman Nicholas Maduro. His government and drug traffickers, according to an administration official, covert action, which is authorized in what is known as a presidential finding. Can involve a range of secret activities, including paramilitary and lethal operations meant to influence political economic or military conditions in foreign countries. As to the CIA had the power to remove Maduro, Trump said it was a, quote, ridiculous question. But added, I think Venezuela is feeling the heat. It's very caliente. He didn't say that. It's just me adding it on. Administration officials have argued that by designating Latin American drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, the U.S. has the power to use lethal force. Now, look, clandestine operations by the CIA and Latin America are a tale as old as the last century. I mean, it is something that the United States was engaging in in all kinds of countries, particularly to try and prevent the expansion of communism during the Cold War.

particular announcements being made by the president saying, oh, we've got agents in Cuba, we've got agents here and there, for the most part. I mean, Cuba had some particular instances under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but otherwise, we didn't get this kind of announcement. So is he more trying to scare Maduro and send a message? Or is he trying to... Do something else with this, like just letting people know, I'm Mr. Tough Guy. And he is very tough. The strength that Trump has shown from his first term to now is the reason why we have a Gaza deal. Make no mistake about it. That is why peace through his strength and the strength shown by the Trump administration, the resolve is exactly why. Trump. was able to achieve that deal. So I don't know about this. The strikes going on. I don't know all of what's motivating it in every little aspect. But I think there is cause to push back on Venezuela. I mean, this is Trend de Aragua. Trend de Aragua has been infesting Aurora and Denver. And it's based out of Venezuela. So I think there's cause to look at this and say, you know what, maybe we need to do something here. But I wondered the extent to which there's really going to be as much on the ground happening as bluster to try and effect change. It's probably a mix of both. Trump often does messaging. to signal things and signal positions that he's got to achieve certain outcomes. That's part of what we saw bring about the Gaza deal last week. He basically said, he's spoken into existence. Maybe that's something that he's doing here. I don't know. It's really quite fascinating to think of the CIA being announced to engage in Venezuelan clandestine operations. Meanwhile, sources, according to CNN, Trump's former national security advisor, John Bolton, allegedly shared classified info to his wife and daughter in an email, and John Bolton may well be indicted. And that's big news, because this is a former national security advisor under Trump, former ambassador under... George W. Bush to the United Nations. I actually introduced John Bolton years back when he was still popular amongst conservatives. I actually introduced him at the Western Conservative Summit. That was a fun introduction, too. He got a kick out of a little comment. What I think I made a comment about his mustache, but I digress. The times have changed, and he's not very popular, and he just might get indicted for sharing classified info to his wife and daughter by email. Why would you do that, dude? If that's true, an indictment pending from the grand jury. If it breaks, we'll let you know. I'm Jimmy Sangenberger, filling in for Mandy Connell. A classic cartoon could be made into a live-action movie.

What's going on here? We'll talk about on the other side. Jimmy and for Mandy on K-O-A. I'm Jimmy Sangenberger, filling in for Mandy Connell here on K-O-A. And, hey, Rod, I'm curious what you think about this. Here's the headline from Screen Crush. Jim Carrey to star in live-action Jetson's movie, except it's a misleading headline because then you read it. Meet George Jetson. He looks a lot like Jim Carrey now. According to the Hollywood reporter. Carrie is in talks to star in, a live action movie based on the famous vintage cartoon series, The Jetsons. The film would be directed by Jurassic Rose filmmaker Colin Travaro. Travaro and Joe Epstein are in talks to pen the script. So. It's a little misleading a headline saying he will be this when they're in talks for it. I remember as a kid watching and loving the live action Flintstones. They were just fun. Both of the original that was in theaters and the sequel that I think was just direct to home. I enjoyed that one, but it was with different actors. You had John Goodman as Fred Flintstone and Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble in one of his last roles before. He retired from acting, although much to the joy of both Arod and myself, Rick Moran is coming out of retirement for space balls too. But back to the Jetsons. Back to the Jetsons, though. How do you feel about this? I can't picture Jim Carrey in the role number one. And number two, George Jetson was born three years ago. That is to say, his character supposedly was born in 2022 in the lore of the show. And it was the year 262 that the show takes place, making him 40 years old. So Jim Carrey is a little old for it. I don't know. What do you think? I think it's kind of cool. I like the idea of a Jetson's live action movie. Not sure if Jim Carries the guy for the role. Jimmy, I will give you the absolute most emphatic. Meh. I am almost always in the camp of these live action remakes. I love almost all of them. This one doesn't really do much for me. And also, you're missing what could also be underlying in this movie. Futuristic. Taking place around now-ish. Could be some messaging in that movie. Possibly. That maybe would make a lot of people maybe not in Julia very much. Possibly. So I'm just saying, it's right there for them. You're right? I mean, yesterday when we had Star Wars theory, the YouTuber on the show, we were talking about some of the politics that has been injected from the mentality of Disney and Star Wars and so forth into Star Wars. I could see that possibly. It could be really creative and very meta about it, though. If they're really imaginative, I wouldn't mind it as much. But if it's like blatant in your face, hey, this takes place around the current year. Let's take the chance to get a little messaging in there. Jim Carrey's most recent role has been as Dr. Robotnik in...

the Sonic movies. Keep them coming. Quite honestly, they're really well done. You're telling me. That's one of my favorite video games growing up. Me too. He is electric in that role. Me too. I love Sonic the Hedgehog. Has always been one of my favorites. And seeing that live action done as well as it has been and the unique way that they've done it, if they approach it that way, because that's supposed to be around now, then... Maybe that would be a non-political, let's just have phone with the Jetsons now that we have the technology to make it look good. I will say since Jim Carrey's getting older, we need to preserve him for the projects we really need to see him in. More Sonic, but also he won't do it in the costume anymore, but he's mentioned if it's motion capture. A Grinch sequel. We need the energy to go towards the project like this. Not, we, again, we have to save Jim Carrey's energy for top level projects. Jetsons ain't it. I don't see how he fits in the role of George Jetson. So that's the problem I have with it. I'm open to it. I kind of like the idea of a Jetson's live action movie. I don't really like Jim Carrey in the role. Yeah. Pass. I can't see it. Pass. Five six, six, nine, zero. I'll say, pass, please. Common Spirit Health text, like Jimmy, Carrie. Adding the Jimmy there. Care, oh, talking to me, maybe. Maybe addressing me as Jimmy. I don't know. Anyway, Carrie will ruin this movie. I think there's probably a bigger chance for that. Billing in for Randy. Sometimes for Ross. This is perfect. The theme song just melds great into the real world. Playing his harmonica. Which are right over here. And we got to go to a break. Maybe on the other side with Frasini Raj Kumar are our guests. I'll pull out the harps. Playing his harmonica. I got 14 in the pack. In the briefcase full of blues. Don't go anywhere. Jimmy in for Mandy. On K-O-A.

Jimmy Sangenberger in for Mandy Connell. One more day ahead tomorrow on K-O-A. Very much looking forward to rounding things out. We will be joined, well, I'll tee it up, what we've got coming up in studio tomorrow when we've round out this segment. Because I want to get straight to our special guests this afternoon. I've been interviewing Roshini Raj Kumar for, gosh. Over 11 years now, if you can believe it. She is a crisis strategist, licensed attorney, former TV journalist, and host of the Crisis Files podcast, which just had a big event at the Mall of America last week on October 9th. And Roshini rejoins me here on K-O-A. Good afternoon, my friend. How are you? I am doing great. I have recovered from the big event that was just a week ago, and it's hard to believe. Time does fly, Jimmy. So before we get any further, I want to talk about this because... I've never been to the Mall of America. Frankly, I've never been to Minnesota, which is where you hail from. So I want to talk about Mall of America. But first, set the context for what the crisis files is. I've been a past guest. You had 25 past guests there for little interviews as part of what you were doing with a live show that brought about now three podcast episodes of the Crisis Files to be released. I would have loved to have been there as one of your past guests. But tell us about... That podcast is sort of what you've got going on. So the Crisis Files is now just over three years old. We kicked off season four in August. Episodes drop every Monday across all podcast platforms, YouTube, and of course our website, Thecrisifiles.com. And if you watch it there or on YouTube, you can actually see us on all the other platforms. It's audio only. And there are very nice, bite-sized, bingeable episodes. We call them case files. 15 to 20 minutes each, and we dissect some of the crises of the day. We try to give you crisis prevention solutions if you're not already in crisis. If you're in crisis, we're going to try to help you get out. And then we also do inspirational episodes. Sometimes I will have a very high-profile leader on to share their leadership journey, and maybe you'll get some lessons there. And even when we do very... beat a consumer kind of episodes like sleep deprivation or burnout. There are always lessons for business in there. There are lessons for individuals. And sometimes an episode hits you in a way you didn't know. We've covered the topic of suicide. We have had some retired Army generals.

And sailors on, we are going to be getting into de-escalation tactics later this year with a Santa Monica police officer. So we go everywhere because, Jimmy, it's not a matter of if but when. Crisis will rock your world. Exactly. Now, you've got to tell me about the Mall of America and not only what it is like at the Mall of America, but like having an event along the lines of what you've done. Now, on a couple of occasions. Mall of America is North America's biggest entertainment center, like everything under one roof. And for those of you who have not been, there's a playground in the middle. You can ride on a roller coaster and do a lot of other things. There are shops, restaurants, everything. It's our second annual live remote at Mall of America, but it's our first time in the rotunda, which if you can imagine, I'm sure, in Denver and other cities where your listeners are, whatever your big mall is, that middle space where everyone can gather, you can look from the third floor down to the ground level. We were on the first floor in that rotunda, and our microphones were actually heard all across the mall. So even if you weren't. right in the rotunda watching us. You could hear our live show, which was three hours long. We recorded three actual podcast episodes, which will drop in the coming weeks. And as you said, 25 other past guests came to do some one-and-two-minute kind of either solo or in pairs. Two-minute quick chat live on stage with me. And we've been putting as much of that as we can get to, you know, it'll be over the next couple weeks on our Instagram, on our YouTube, at the Crisis File, so people can take that in. I was just working on before you called me my own LinkedIn post. I'm going to put a few photos on LinkedIn from The Amazing Night. And it was a great night of networking. Lots of business people came out. That were either past guests or part of our partners. And so it was a real, it was a place to be last Thursday night in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Jimmy. Thecrisis files.com, and you can listen to it on the Iheart radio app. Before we shift gears, just how big is the Mall of America? Oh, my gosh. You would ask me that. I know they get like 30. Oh, my God, I don't want to misstate that. Sure. They are huge. Okay. I mean, imagine a bunch of football fields. I just imagine all of them together. The largest entertainment complex in the United States. It's pretty crazy. I just Googled it. And according to Wikipedia, 5.6 million square feet? Okay, I would not have even, like, so way more than a few of all these. I mean, it's...

It is big, and Jill Renslow was our host. She's the big boss over there. She welcomed me and introduced our event, and we had a couple words on stage together. She herself is a past guest. She's a regular contributor. We want to have you back. We had so much fun when you were on. Maybe next year, Jimmy, you should be on stage with us at MOA. Oh, that would be fantastic. I know you've got an event being planned in April. If I can be there, that would be great. I want to shift gears. We have some breaking news, Rishini Rajkumar. A former Trump National Security Advisor, John Bolton, has just been indicted by a federal grand jury. What is being reported is that he shared classified information, particularly with his wife and daughter, allegedly, via email. He, of course, former national security advisor to Trump and under. George W. Bush, he is, was the UN ambassador. This is just breaking news. Any quick thoughts from you? You are, again, a licensed attorney. And, I mean, certainly this is a crisis for John Bolton. Yeah, it is a crisis, but we have to remember, you know, you can be charged with something, and we still have to look at where are the facts, what's happening. I think just based on what you just described, never a good idea to share classified information when you have clearance for something like that, it never means your spouse is part of that. So those are just some of the things based on the initial information that's coming up. Yeah, yeah, it'll be fascinating to watch this. Definitely a huge development. There's been a lot of talk about the prospect of an indictment. It's another major indictment on the heels of indictments for Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, and also for James Comey. Not sure where we're occasionally getting a little bit of an echo from yours truly. But James Comey, the former FBI director. I mean, these are two significant indictments before John Bolton. Now this is happening with the Justice Department and John Bolton. By the way, Roshini, an interesting little factor. And I talked about this yesterday on the show. Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney who indicted James Comey and Letitia James. I'm not sure if she's behind the indictment of John Bolton or not, but I went to college with her at Regis University. In fact, we were in a class in the U.S. Supreme Court where it was just the two of us as students in that class. Where are you going to get her on the show, Jimmy? I want to pursue that and see if it's possible. She has been very tight-lipped. I have not seen any interviews with her, certainly on television, since she took on the role of U.S. Attorney. Well, a lot of the time, those federal prosecutors, they're never going to do that, right? A former boyfriend of mine is a U.S. attorney from one of the states in our country, and they're just not going to go.

into the media, but perhaps you can work that angle from your path together. That is something I have been thinking about since she was appointed to that role. But let's shift over to free speech. I mean, I know you and I both are very staunch advocates for the First Amendment for the freedom of speech and for the freedom of the press. Well... Most of the outlets in the Pentagon, media outlets, have walked out basically, turned in their credentials and said, we're not going to comply with new restrictions on our reportage put in place by the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. This is stunning because it's, I think, 35 different outlets that have done this. One American News being the only one willing to sign a pledge. Can you break down what this is about and your overarching take and then we'll dive in deeper? Well, the thing that we have to understand is the First Amendment, and especially free speech, makes America America. There is probably no other country in the world that not only protects free speech, but it's part of our very brand. And very close to that is freedom of the press. I mean, it really intermingles with free speech in a way that, as an ex-TV reporter myself, I'll say it's a very beautiful thing. And it's what helped me to do what I did for my viewers for nearly a decade as a reporter. And, you know, you do investigations. You need to be able to talk to different sources. And no one is really out there scrutinizing that. You just go talk to the sources. You take up the facts. And the moment a governmental body tells the media, you can't do this or you need an escort, which is what Pete Hegseth was saying, that starts to become suspicious. And it is suspicious because part of the media, the role, is to be a watchdog over all of those governmental bodies, whether it's the Pentagon, whether it's the White House, whether it's Congress. And the moment we don't feel like our media, our free press, can do that, that's the beginning of some really big problems for the United States of America, which is known for free speech and free press. I, this has nothing to do with politics. I'm very politically neutral. No matter who is in office, they should not be restricting free press. And the first step of doing, and free speech, but free press especially, because reporters dig up things that we don't need to know all of how they're doing it, as long as they're doing it legally. Right. And as long as they're fair and they're being accurate and making sure they're not publishing mistruths and lies, then we need to let the media do its job. Yeah, I made the comparison, Roshini Raz Kumar, yesterday in that respect along the lines of which you just did addressing the investigations that I do. If I had to go get approval from some of the school districts that I cover or the governor's office or what have you before doing a story, you just wouldn't get anywhere. And I want to talk for a moment in terms of the handling of a crisis about the way in which the media outlets are doing this, including Newsmax and Fox News and the Washington Examiner.

right leaning outlets threatened by the White House as well by President Trump in particular saying we might kick you out and um It calls back to the Obama era when the Obama administration, circa 2013, spied on then Fox News reporter James Rosen and all the media outlets, New York Times, CNN, the rest were like, no way this is unacceptable. Isn't it encouraging to see, regardless of party or political persuasion, that these news outlets, for the most part, would band together and say, nope, we're not going to stand for this? It's really encouraging because what that says to all of us is it doesn't matter which outlet, whether you think it's a fair outlet or leans one way or the other, they all agree. So when that many differing kinds of outlets this day and age in our country can agree on something, my money would be on all those who agree. So you can already see, I was checking some of the latest updates on that story out of the Pentagon, and they are dialing it back. They're rolling it back a little bit, Jimmy. That's good to see what I, if I were asked, if I were coaching Pete Hegseth, I would say, come out and just say this is done. We were misunderstood or sorry. You know, I mean, it's okay. Roll it back and let the media go on be in the media. Because the longer you hunker down and double down, the worse that looks for you, the administration and Pete Hegseth. We're talking with Roshini Rajkumar, host of the Crisis Files podcast. Check it out on the IHeart Radio app today. And be sure to subscribe. Roshini, I want to talk for a moment about the government shutdown. So this morning, my colleague, Ryan Shuling, had filling in for Ross Kaminsky, had Senator Ted Cruz on the program. And they talked about the... government shutdown and what's going on there from his perspective. Here's a bit of what Cruz had to say.

For some reason, the clip is not playing at the moment. But I will turn instead to Hakeem Jeffries asked about whether or not he would be willing to sit down with the Speaker of the House. I think I've got the right place for that clip. From Mike Johnson's office, I know exactly where you are. You could probably take a few steps and go knock on the door and talk to him. Have you tried that? Speaker Johnson hasn't been given permission to have a conversation with me or Leader Chuck Schumer and he said as much earlier today. So you don't think he would talk to you at all? We can have a conversation, but the problem is that until they get the green light to actually have a meaningful discussion to try to find common ground and a bipartisan path forward and a willingness to address the damage that Republicans have done to the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, then, of course, any informal discussion is going to be not fruitful. From the vantage point of a crisis strategist for Shini Raj Kumar, how do you look at the politics and what's happening with this shutdown? Well, it's not good for the American people, and it's very obvious. It's political. So if you can be seen as a compromise, a voice of reason and compromise, you're going to come out ahead in the midterm elections and beyond. So my recommendation as a crisis strategist and preventer of more negativity here is each of you as legislators need to look at yourselves. and really dig in and try to compromise and at least be out there talking about how you're trying to do that. The more they get partisan and bash the other side, the worst this is for them individually as elected officials. And, of course, it's not good for the country. One other thing, big news from the weekend is the peace deal in Gaza, where we have the cessation of violence of the war. And you had Israel get the 20 living hostages back. They've now had a handful of the deceased hostages still held by Hamas returned in exchange. Israel, of course, sending multiple thousands, I think like 2,000 prisoners that they've held of Palestinians since the beginning of the war with October 7th and that terrible onslaught on October 7, 2023 by Hamas on Israel, the worst attack on the Jewish people. since the Holocaust, and President Trump getting bipartisan praise, and I think rightly so, for brokering this, what do you make of it and how he has handled this, especially, I mean, he spoke to the Israeli Knesset and then went to a peace summit with Gulf Arab countries. Yeah, and I think that that is great. That's what he should be doing. He should be trying to spread peace and at least diplomacy around the world. It doesn't always mean the people are going to accept you, and what you're saying. We're seeing Iran really bashing the U.S. and the president after his extension of, you know, the olive branch, so to speak.

It is good that he's doing this. What I would recommend to President Trump is that he not look for affirmation and that he not look for, and he not tut his own heart. Because the optics write themselves. The story writes itself. The optics are good that he's trying. He's trying to do something that has been tried before. And sometimes there's minimal success or temporary success. We really are at the place where we could have huge success in the Middle East. And if that goes down as part of Donald Trump's legacy, that's a really good thing. I want that for him. I want that really for the country. I want that for the Middle East. But this is also where egos need to stay. calm and down and maybe out of the storyline, and we're going to have a much better, more authentic process, Jimmy. One of the things I liked about a speech that Kness, and I don't know if you caught any of it, but he really just sang the praises of other people who were involved in this, including Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who honestly has played a significant role in this and also in the Abraham Accords, a secretary of state Marco Rubio, and others. And I like that when you're giving credit to the team that made this possible and really spending a lot of time doing it yeah exactly those are the kinds of things i call it showcasing all the actors who played in it make it about all of the people that are helping making this come to be, come to pass. We really have an opportunity for something that's beyond bipartisan. It's very global and international if we can have some positive things happening here. Now, I would be remiss. I want to have a little fun as we wrap up our conversation with you. Rosh Kumar, host of the Crisis Files podcast. Tomorrow, here in studio, we will have Colorado Springs-based country music artist. Michael Sweat, who has founded the Mountain West Country Music Association. He'll be in studio with his guitar. We'll be talking about the association and jamming some music. I'll have my briefcase full of blues ready to play some country, ready to play some harmonica.

It's just fun. Music, you got to love it, Rishini Raj Kumar. You got to love it. I only wish I could be there with my cowboy hat and boots on in studio with you, Jim. Well, you know what? If I'm able to come out in April to your next big shinday, get them all of America, you better believe I'll bring my briefcase full of blues there with me. Oh, that would be fun. Maybe you could play the after party, actually. That would be a blast. We'll see. We'll see what can happen in that regard. Rishini Raj Kumar, check out the podcast on iHeartRadio app. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you, Jimmy. That is it for me today. Back in the saddle one more time tomorrow from noon to three, be sure to tune in. Then as I fill in for Mandy Connell, have a great rest of your day and may God bless America. Hanging out at the pool is great. Relaxing and playing Vegas-style games on my phone at the same time. Drink in one hand and a blackjack in the other. It's all at SpinQuest. Over a thousand games including your favorite slots and table games. Be cool with this summer special. New players get $30 coin packs for 10 at SpinQuest.com. SpinQuest is a free-to-play social casino. Avoid where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details. These days, it's getting harder and harder to trust what you're seeing. Who made it? Is it real? But with iHeart, everything you hear is guaranteed human. That's why 78% of listeners trust their favorite radio hosts product recommendations. And if you own or manage a business here or need to drive sales, that trust goes a long way in creating your future customers. Make iHeartMedia a part of your 2026 plan today. Call 844-844-I-Hart. Again, that's 844-844-I-Hart. If you're someone who's tracking your sleep, your steps, and your macros, then you already know that what you eat is kind of everything. You should also know that Sprouts Farmer's Market can help make eating for longevity easier. Sprouts has all the high-quality, nutrient-dense, organic foods and cutting-edge supplements you need. So whether you're focused on protein, gut health, or optimizing how you feel day-to-day, it's all there. And here's what no other grocery store can offer, an in-store wellness expert to help you find exactly what you need. So whether you're after longevity or on any other health journey, it's easier at Sprout's Farmer's Market. Hey, it's Ryan Sechrist here. And if you're looking for some serious fun, head over to chumbac casino.com. At Chumba Casino, you can play all your favorite social casino style games for free anytime, anywhere. It's the most fun you can have on your phone or computer. No purchase necessary. VGW. Voidware prohibited by law. See terms and conditions, 21 plus.