Anti-Trump Republican Thomas Massie Defeated In Kentucky Primary

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can't tell the people of Kentucky what to do with their vote. Why do these experts try to remove you from the equation? They're constantly trying to undermine you. They're constantly trying to suggest that you have no agency in any of this, that you're merely a brain-dead zombie and you just do whatever Donald Trump tells you to do. I don't know. I'm looking at Thomas Massie's record. What have I been saying on this show for months and months and months? The Republicans need to go to voters and tell them what they've done. Well, as of now, Republicans can go to their voters in their districts and they can say, listen. Democrats have been blocking us this year, but last year we passed this big beautiful bill. Not one Democrat voted with us. And what did the big beautiful bill do? Well, it kept your taxes down because it made permanent the 2017 tax cuts. They would have all gone up. But we made sure that your taxes did not go up. Democrats wanted your taxes to go up. By the way, also, if you work a lot of overtime and you make a lot of money on tips, well, you're not paying taxes on any of that revenue. Democrats were fine with you paying taxes on all of that revenue. We also helped the president secure the border by funding more border patrol, more walls to build, to protect the border and keep criminal illegal immigrants from crossing that border. We also funded... ICE to make sure that deportations could go in a routine basis now when we've deported over 300,000 criminal illegal immigrants just in one year. That's what we've been able to do. See, that's what Republicans can tell the voters in their district. Except there's one Republican who couldn't tell his voters that. That's Thomas Massie. Thomas Massie voted against all of that. In fact, he voted against funding for the border wall in Trump's first administration. So what exactly did Thomas Massie do for his voters? What exactly could he offer his voters? What was he telling them when he went back for this primary and say, hey, you got to keep me in the house because what exactly? He ran with ads suggesting that he was Donald Trump's wingman. And he kept saying, well, I vote with Republicans 91% of the time, and that may be true on paper, but that 9% is critical. So what did he say? Because the 9% is the stuff the voters wanted. Secure border, lower taxes, deportation of criminal illegal immigrants, government out of our lives. He couldn't tell them that. What he did tell them toward the end here was ugly, gross, frankly, anti-Semitic. Here's a good example.

Just this week, talking to a CBS news reporter. The reporter asked him, so you keep talking about Israel, you keep talking about money from Israel, you keep talking about your opponent is just a puppet for the Israeli government. And you talk about, this is starting to sound a little anti-Semitic. Here, take a listen to the answer. You know that kind of criticism doesn't sit well with fellow Republicans, at least in the House Republican conference, that there are others who've accused you of all sorts of things regarding Israel, regarding the state of Israel, regarding Israeli government, regarding Jewish Americans. Are you anti-Semitic? They're trying to tell you that it's anti-Semitic. For me... to expose the fact that the Republican Jewish coalition has spent millions of dollars in this race, that a dual citizen, Miriam Adelson, who even Trump says is more loyal to Israel than the United States, has spent millions of dollars in this race. Those are mere facts. And it's really... It's a yes or no. Are you anti-Semitic? Oh, hell no. I'm hell no. Anti-Semitic. And I love the fact that the CBS reporter, you know, bailed him out there halfway through it, because you notice what happened there. You know, because of a lot of the things that you've been saying and the way you've been framing this election, that it's you versus the Jews and Israel and everything, that it seems kind of anti-Semitic. Are you anti-Semitic? And then he goes for 30 seconds. talking about all the money from all the Jews, people who have dual loyalties that don't even, you know, pledge allegiance to this country, but of a foreign nation, they're the ones who are funding my opposition? The question is, are you anti-Semitic? And all he can talk about is all the dirty money from Shylock over there in Israel. I mean, I think we had our answer. But then when pressed, he said, oh, hell no. Absolutely. Hell no. Okay, all right, let's take him at his word. So let's check in on last night's concession speech when he learned that he had lost this very expensive primary, that the voters, not Donald Trump, not James Blair, not APEC, not APEC, not Benjamin Netanyahu, not whoever else is pulling the strings and all of the anti-Semitic tropes. No, the voters of his district came out in record numbers. To say, no, you do not represent us anymore. So how did he concede faced with the fact that his own people in his own district don't want him anymore? Well, this is how he conceded. I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede, and it took a while to find Ed Gowryne in Tel Aviv.

There you go. Pure class right up to the end, Thomas Massie. Wow. Well, he's going to be interesting to watch for the next few months. He'll be a thorn in the side of Mike Johnson. I'm sure if there are close votes in the House, he can't be counted on. He'll vote with the Democrats like he has for the last several years. So I guess it's not going to be very new for the speaker. But we'll ask him, Speaker Mike Johnson, joining us in our third hour. We'll ask him how life is going to be different for him in the next few months, not counting on Thomas Massie. My guess is he'll say I haven't counted on Thomas Massie since I've had this gavel. We'll have that conversation coming up. Also, some big races in Georgia. Georgia had some huge primaries. They also had a lot of candidates running for some of the top seats. And so there will be runoffs in Georgia. A lot of people watching that Senate race. And it looks like it's now going to be a runoff between Congressman Mike Collins and Congressman Derek Dooley, excuse me, not Congressman, coach Derek Dooley, private sector guy. What's fascinating about this is that Mike Collins actually got 41% of the vote in a field that had three strong candidates, five total. But he almost got the 50% needed. Congressman Mike Collins, who had been endorsed by, no, actually, excuse me, President Trump has not weighed in on this one, and he has not endorsed anybody. I apologize. I was about to erroneously tell you that he had endorsed Mike Collins, but there could be an endorsement. from President Trump for Mike Collins' forthcoming, because that is an overperformance right there from Congressman Mike Collins. We should probably try to get him in the program in the next week. He's a good guy. We've talked to him before on this show. Over on the governor's race, this is the one where President Trump has, in fact, chimed in with a endorsement. The guy he endorsed, Bert Jay Jones, who is a lieutenant governor. He finished on top of a very crowded field with 38.4%, but there will be a runoff. with former football coach Rick Jackson. So we'll see what happens with that runoff. Brad Raffensperger, you might remember that name. Secretary of State, he's the one who was on the phone with Trump during the recounts after the 2020 election. He finished in a very distant third with only 15% of the vote in Georgia. Meanwhile, two Supreme Court justices, they elect their Supreme Court justices in Georgia. Two rock-ribbed conservative Republicans, Charlie Bethel and Sarah Hawkins Warren, they both won statewide. So Georgia is, in fact, still a red state, my friends. Those results, not good news for Democrat Jon Ossoff. Coming up, another big endorsement from Donald Trump in Texas. We'll talk about it next. For nearly 3,000 years, Homer's The Odyssey has shaped Western imagination. It tells the story of Odysseus as he faces monsters, shipwrecks, false comforts, and impossible choices on his long journey home. As one of the foundational works of Western literature, Homer's epic is more than mythology. It explores permanent questions about courage, duty, loyalty, family, leadership, temptation, and the search for home.

In one of the epic's defining moments, Odysseus rejects the offer of immortality from the goddess Calypso, choosing instead the long and difficult journey home. His decision reveals one of the central themes of the Odyssey that a life of duty, family, and home, is greater than a life devoted to comfort or glory. Achilles chose glory. Odysseus chose home. That's why Hillsdale College has released its newest free online course, the Odyssey. Taught by Professor Benedict Wayland, the course reveals why Homer's masterpiece remains one of the greatest works of Western literature. Find this free course at Hillsdale.edu forward slash start now. The Odyssey from Hillsdale College, go to hillsdale.edu forward slash start now. President Trump just messed with Texas. And everyone's scratching their heads and wondering why. We might have some insight in that. For those of you who don't remember, there was a primary there for the Republican nomination for Senate. John Cornyn is the incumbent. He used to be part of leadership, not this term. And he's brought up some questionable positions there that Texans generally aren't too fond of, including... some ideas that would infringe on the Second Amendment. That's something, generally speaking, Texas Republicans don't do. Hell, even Texas Democrats, no better than that. So he's faced a challenge. He's faced a challenge from the multi-relected attorney general of that state, Ken Paxton. Now, Ken Paxton has been brought up for impeachment charges by the House, although if you really dig deep into it, it looks like it was sort of an establishment Republican attack on Ken Paxton to ruin his political future. He ended up being acquitted. It didn't happen or he didn't get convicted or anything or removed from office. But the people who know Texas politics will tell you that a lot of the Republicans are there because if you want power in Texas, you kind of have to be a Republican, but they're not really a Republican. And that seems to be the divide in that state. Well, Ken Paxton and John Cornyn ended up surviving the first round of the primary, and they've got a runoff. It's this Tuesday coming up, a week from yesterday. Now, right after that primary, John Cornyn, who actually did finish ahead of Ken Paxton in that three-way race, it was said, it was rumored, it was whispered, it was reported that Donald Trump was going to make an endorsement, and everybody assumed that it was going to be John Cornyn. Then Ken Paxton did something. He did something remarkable. Ken Paxton put out a statement and said, I will drop out of this race. and concede and allow John Cornyn to take this nomination and win re-election if John Cornyn will engineer passage of the Save America Act in the Senate. It was an extraordinary gambit.

And what's fascinating is John Cornyn took the bait. He actually wrote an op-ed in the New York Post, waxing poetic about the Save America Act, you know, the act that would, in fact, ensure that you're only a U.S. citizen when you register to vote and you have to show proof they're in. And also you have to show photo ID when you go to vote. Pretty basic 80, 20 issues in America that everybody thinks is reasonable. People were shocked when they find out that it's not the law already. Suddenly, John Cornyn was the biggest champion of the Save America Act ever, even though he didn't really hear much about it from him up until that moment when Ken Paxton said, I will step down if John Cornyn can engineer passage of this. Because John Cornyn kept telling the people of Texas that you've got to keep me. I've got seniority. Everyone here likes me. I've got influence. I can get stuff done. So Ken Paxton said, okay, get this done. And he didn't. So I told you when we talked about this right after the first primary that I would be shocked if Donald Trump made an endorsement at all in this race, let alone endorse John Cornyn, mostly because the president is pretty proud of his track record right now. He's nearly undefeated when he endorses a Republican in a primary. And it was close. And I don't think he would get on the wrong side of that. Also, by the way, most polls show that Ken Paxton had the edge. The momentum was with Ken Paxton. And why would President Trump stick his neck out like that for a guy who really hasn't stuck his neck out for him in the Senate? And so that John Cornyn endorsement never happened. Then yesterday, the president came out and he did finally make an endorsement. One week before the primary, he actually endorsed Ken Paxton. John Corning canceled a campaign event in Texas, came back to D.C. to vote on a budget bill, and it looks like he's basically reading the writing on the wall. He could pull off a miracle. It'll be astounding. It will be incredible. And if he does, good for him. It's funny, I keep hearing, oh, you can't have Ken Paxton because the guy's a crook, and he's got all this baggage, and it's going to give an opening to James Talarico and the Democrats. Here's the thing. I've never met a Republican at all, let alone a Texas Republican. who his inner monologue tells him, yeah, geez, I was going to vote for John Cornyn, but now I think because John Cornyn didn't win the primary, I'll vote for the Democrat who thinks Jesus was transgender. Yeah, that Republican doesn't exist, certainly not a Texas Republican. I think Ken Paxton's going to be just fine there. So why did he do this? Well, two choices. He did this because he wants Ken Paxton to win, or he did this because he saw that Ken Paxton was going to win. And he wanted to get on the winning side of that. And I think he also wanted to send a message to the Cornans and the Bill Cassidy's and all of the other Republicans who have been basically threatening him.

over the last couple of weeks in the Senate. And that's what it's been, threatening. I'll vote for you, but only if you don't do this and don't do that. And Donald Trump said, yeah, enough of that. I'm sick of it. Bill Cassidy already lost. He's already voting against him in the Senate. They're showing their true colors. Watch what John Cornyn does. See how loyal he is to conservative Republican values. Just watch. Hey, have you ever been in a bad relationship? You know, the kind, it just wears you down. You settle in, even though deep down you know this isn't how it's supposed to be. That's what daily aches and pains can feel like. You stop expecting to feel good. You start thinking, man, maybe this is just life now. But it doesn't have to be that way. With Relief Factor, you can break up with pain. Anthony wrote in and told us, I was dealing with debilitating pain and fatigue. I've been taking Relief Factor for about two months, and now I'm back to running my business, fishing, gardening. at doing the things that really matter to me. And that's what we want for you. You've put off living your life for too long. It's time to break up with pain. Relief Factor is 100% drug-free. It targets the inflammation that causes pain so you can move better, feel better, and actually enjoy life again. Try their three-week quick start for just 1995. Go to Relieffactor.com or call 8004 relief.

Break up with pain and get back to what matters. Your education is more than a path to a degree. At Regent University, it's an important step in God's plan for your career. It's where you'll be equipped to lead and serve with purpose. It's where 40,000 graduates have prepared to fulfill their callings, and so can you. Choose a top ringed program from over 150 areas of study, on campus or online, and watch what God will do. Learn more at regent.edu. That's regent.edu. It is 33 minutes after the hour in your nation's capital from our flagship, WMAL in Washington, D.C. Joining us right now, as he always does at this time, is syndicated columnist extraordinaire living legend, Cal Thomas. Cal, good morning. Thanks for joining us. Good morning. I guess to be a living legend is better than being a dying legend, right, Larry? I would think so, at the very least. Listen, so much to talk to you about unpacking the primary process and politics and all that stuff. But I want to start first, Cal. You lived in Washington, D.C. for a long time. I was born there. You're back and forth here. Have you noticed the beautification projects that are going on right now, coordinated by the federal government, the Department of the Interior, the direction of the president to get ready for America 250? There are statues and monuments and fountains that have been... laden with graffiti and dysfunctional for years, in some cases over a decade, and now they're all getting cleaned up and they're all functioning again. And the people of D.C. are acting like that they had no idea that these monuments were even in their neighborhood and as beautiful as they are. But I'd love for you to comment on that a bit. Well, you're right. And it has been a disaster and it's been, I think, on a front to the capital of the United States. And I give Trump, President Trump, full credit for this. I don't think anybody else had the vision that he has. The key is to keep this stuff from coming back. The people who put the graffiti, the people who throw the garbage down on the ground, the people who've made it ugly looking, are still around, or at least their kids are. And I hope you can keep it coming back. Frankly, though, Larry, I think the best beautification project is whenever you wear makeup. I appreciate that. They were a little heavy on the rouge the other day. I don't know if you noticed that. Well, you know, it's all part of the transgender thing, so I think you're right in the right place. Thanks for ruining my career, Cal. I have resisted the Jasmine Crockett-sized fake eyelashes, though. But one thing about this, though, this undermines, I think, one thing that Democrats like to claim that...

that they understand good governance, that they can get things done, that they're the technocrats who actually can, you know, keep the trains running on time. From Los Angeles to San Francisco to really the entire state of California to Detroit to Baltimore to D.C., they've been in charge, and there's nothing but urban decay in those areas. I think this is an opening for Republicans to say, no, actually, you deserve to live in a clean city, and it doesn't have to be this way. Why don't you give us a chance? Right. Well, let's see if it makes any difference. I think you've got bigger issues than just beautification. You saw that riot at the Chipotle restaurant with all these kids, these teenagers out there throwing chairs and tables around. uh... there's a there's a culture in washington you've got the city of washington and then you've got the federal capital of washington one of the things that i get cynical about is all these promises that are made republicans to democrats we're going to make this a better city we're going to make government more functional Okay, so you get in there and you get a new majority and you get new faces and you get younger people and what happens. Not a whole lot. We've got a $39 trillion debt, Larry, and it's growing. Nobody's addressing that at all. And now you've got Republicans predictably like Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and others who are voting against the war in Iraq. Since when should the United States Senate run the foreign policy of the United States? We don't elect senators to do that. And Trump is right about that. We absolutely cannot allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon, or they will use it. Well, and when you see some of the votes that showed up yesterday, thank you for helping me segue into it on this challenge and the war powers of the president, there were some Republicans who had resisted this, but now because they lost a primary or they're not running for re-election, now suddenly they have a new position on it. I find that kind of smirmy, and it also sort of reinforces people's suspicions about these guys, that now that they don't have a political future, they're going to vote with Democrats? Well, when I used to do the active on the lecture circuit, I would say, I'm happy to be here tonight from Washington, D.C., where the only politicians with convictions are in prison. I mean, it's like a... I might steal that one. Go ahead. You know how we do in Washington. It's my friend, Cal Thomas, says, second time he uses a friend of mine says, third time as I always say. But it is a disconcerting notion now that the Senate is going to try to micromanage the president's efforts in Iran. Do you think the vote yesterday allows it to go to debate now, but do you think that those votes will stand? And then do you think something will happen when that moves to the House?

Well, I certainly hope not, because if it does stand, and if Iran eventually gets a nuclear weapon, then the blood is going to be on their heads. You cannot have multiple people running foreign policy. Now, you can have meetings, you can talk about funding the war, you can talk about strategy and other things, but there can only be one person. That's why I call the commander-in-chief. We're not talking about a commander of committee. We're not talking about a commander of the Senate. It's the commander-in-chief, and the Constitution and the public give him that power for a reason, because not only in language should you not split infinitives, but in foreign policy, you should not split policy. Amen. And it's also maddening in terms of the double standard here. I think that there were bombing runs in Libya under Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for something like eight months, and Congress never chimed in and questioned the war powers of Barack Obama during those efforts. Yeah, well, you mentioned the word cynical earlier, and you're right. That's what gets a lot of people cynical about Washington, and it's got worse. I mean, anything that a Democrat does, the media is for it, academia is for it. hollywood is for it uh... democrat voters are for it they excuse everything to a certain extent that happens with republicans but not as much and then when you get to get uh... republicans in office Democrats who once were for something are now against something. You remember the famous line about John Kerry, who said he was for the war before he was against it. That's right. That's right. Speaking with Cal Thomas, you just mentioned, or I was talking about the House and whether, you know, if something comes out of the Senate threatening the President's war powers in Iran, that then the House will take it up. Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson's joining us on this program in the 8 o'clock Eastern Hour. Heather Hunter dug into your archive here and found a... column that you wrote last year about Mike Johnson saying that he was like Clark Kent. Expand on that a little bit or maybe revisit it considering what Speaker Johnson's been dealing with here. They say it's like hurting cats, but I think that gives cats a bad name when you look at what he's been doing. I just wish I could get through to interview. I mean, there's a blockade there that won't let me get to him. But I think he's a fine man. It was interesting on what do they call it now, MS now, not MSNBC. They had these three, four secularist last night, basically denouncing his faith, and he shouldn't say things about God being behind the Constitution, or that we had a religious foundation of the founding of our country. Oh, McCall, it was worse than that. He was quoting the preamble of the Declaration. He said that our rights don't derive from government. They derive from God, which is literally what Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration. And they were outraged. Well, you know, the closest they get to a Bible is in the motel room with somebody else's wife. But moving right along. What you read, did you see that hearing the other day with Jamie Raskin, the Democrat from Maryland with a 16-year-old kid who was incredibly articulate and making the case that the United States was founded on biblical principles? Look at the freeze of the Supreme Court, the great lawgivers, Moses and others, and Declaration of Independence. Jefferson said we're created equal by God.

And you can't deny that stuff. They don't teach it in schools anymore, but it's there, as you said, if Heather does a deep dive, you don't have to do that deep a dive. It's there. They're just incredible denial about it. Cal, speaking of denial, there was a shooting in San Diego. A mosque got shot up by, they always say two youths, two teens. And the police are really tight-lipped. They're not saying the names of these people. They're not saying anything about them. I always follow the Ann Coulter rule. If they don't say who the shooter is, you know it's not a white Christian male, right? And so Internet slews have dug this up. It looks like it's two individuals who identify as transgender. More transgender violence here, this time targeting a mosque and shooting it up. What do you make of, first of all, this trend of violence that we're seeing in this community, but also the fact that the media and even law enforcement won't talk about it publicly? Well, it's all political correctness in that regard. You're right, Larry. These guys were radicalized online from reports that we're reading now. Stuff with Nazi symbols, which seems to be the new cool thing for these crazies. uh... were found uh... in their home uh... the mother of uh... that one of the i guess one of the teens called the police uh... before uh... before the shooting but uh... they they were searching for at the at the uh... for them at the time of the shooting so much of this stuff now is online and parents need to take a greater role in this i mean my wife and i were discussing this last night if we had young kids today there would be firm restrictions on social media. The computers would not be in the bedroom. You'd be laptops in the living room, supervised and overseen. Strong restrictions are what you could access. This is a swamp and a very, very dangerous one. And it apparently now is not just Christian churches or synagogues. Now we're going after mosque. I mean, this is dangerous. It is dangerous stuff, and it's incredibly disconcerting. And we need law enforcement to treat it seriously. And the most way they can do that is to be transparent. Give us the facts so we know what we're dealing with and political correctness or all those other things shouldn't factor into a law enforcement issue. Cal Thomas, always enlightening and this time rather hilarious. Thanks for bringing all your A material, my friend. All right. You're doing a great job, Larry, and give the speaker my regards. I will. Thank you, Cal. Yes, the Speaker of the House, or as Cal Thomas calls him, Clark Kent, will be joining us in our third hour. I think it goes well beyond the glasses, too. He has sort of governed as a bit of a Superman there, considering the thin margins he's had and just got thinner because I doubt he can count on Thomas Massie's vote now going forward, although... I don't think he's been counting on Tom Bessie's vote for a while for things that have been important. I keep it right here. We've got a little bit more coming up. I want to expand even more on what we just discussed with Cal Thomas, and that has to do with the beautification of Washington, D.C. This is something that President Trump ran on.

I remember going to one of his early speeches in the second term, and he was talking about how when he drove around in the Beast in Washington, he would see graffiti, he would see broken statues, he would see, you know, defaced marble, he would see fountains that were not functioning. And if anything, Donald Trump is a builder. Donald Trump sees, you know, it takes a certain type of personality and vision to be a builder. You've got to be able to see an empty lot or maybe even a decrepit building sitting on a lot and envision the beautiful tower that you can put in its place. That's who Donald Trump is. It's who he's been his entire career. He sees the possibility of what could happen in an urban setting like Washington, D.C. And he sees beyond the decay that Democrats have allowed it to fester in. That's how he's envisioned Washington, our capital. He's actually made a difference, a very real and legitimate difference. And it's not just money because Lord knows the District of Columbia has gotten tons of federal money over the years. What we've seen in the last year is that money actually applied to beautify the city and to improve the quality of life. to those of us who live and or work in Washington, D.C. We're going to give you a report card on what the president's been able to do through the Department of Interior and how it got this bad. We'll talk about it coming up in just a moment. I'm Larry O'Connor. This is O'Connor and Company. Your education is more than a path to a degree. At Regent University, it's an important step in God's plan for your career. It's where you'll be equipped to lead and serve with purpose. It's where 40,000 graduates have prepared to fulfill their callings, and so can you. Choose a top-ranked program from over 150 areas of study on campus or online and watch what God will do. Learn more at regent.edu. That's regent.edu.

I wouldn't go so far as to say Donald Trump has made D.C. beautiful again because there's still some parts of this city that needs some help. But boy, oh boy, he's gone a long way to doing that. And yet all the media and Democrats and sadly some Republicans who just don't like Trump, never have, never will, all they want to do is talk about this ballroom. Of course, you know that the ballroom, first of all, is necessary for state functions. Presidents have been wanting it since, what, Truman, Roosevelt? which is about maybe even the first not sure but they've wanted it for a long time he's finally doing it and of course you also know that the ballroom is really a military bunker complex that's being reconstructed and rebuilt from the ground down. That's what bunkers do. And the ballroom is just sort of the hat on top of the bunker that is incredibly necessary. Well, the president is confident that he knows he's doing the right thing with this ballroom, he's so confident that in the face of all of the criticism and all of the so-called controversy, which is fake, yesterday he stood in front of the hole where the construction is going on. And he gave reporters a full briefing on everything that's happening with the construction of the ballroom. A couple of tidbits here from the building. in chief. Let's start here. Take a listen. Why do you think people are so mad about your renovations? Because I'm doing it. You've got the water flowing in, all of it. And they just seem to hate you for it. It's a sad thing, actually. You know, you just, it's very nice. I appreciate the question. First I said, oh, this is going to be a negative question. Then I heard it. She's really saying, why do they hate you for fixing the water fountains? So, you know, we have, we have 40. I know, because I want to see Washington to be beautiful. To me, it's very important. But as an example, you mentioned the water fountain. We didn't have one water fountain. I think we have 40. We didn't have one in Washington at work. All right, and he went on to talk about that. I'm going to show you how local news is covering that, but he did go on a little bit further about the ballroom. I am resisting the urge to do a Larry O'Donnell and scream, stop the hammering as the construction goes on in the background. I want to, but I won't. Here's more of Trump. Give that to me. I'll hold it.

It's so beautiful. See, I look so thin. They'll say, oh, it's gotten so thin because I'm holding this. You don't have to look at my waist. You can look at this. You saw enough of my waist along with President Xi Jinping's. He was holding a rendition of what the facade of the ballroom was going to look like, beautiful colonnade in keeping with the classic architecture of Washington, D.C., not like the HUD building, which is the biggest eyesore you'll ever witness if you come to Washington, D.C. It's going to be gorgeous. Of course it is. He was also talking about how there's going to be a drone launcher on the roof to protect the city in case of aerial terror attack or drone attack. It's just a phenomenal project. But that's the president talking about what he's done to D.C. and what he's doing to build new, beautiful, functional things? But what about local news? Understand, in Washington, D.C., 92% of the voters here vote Democrat. They don't like any Republican and certainly not Donald Trump. So let's take a look at how a local NBC affiliate covered the beautification projects going on right now in Washington. It's actually astounding. I don't think anybody can open up their social media and not see this story of the fountain at Malcolm X. Park, otherwise known as Meridian Hill Park here in Washington, D.C. is working. It's been not functioning for nearly a decade. Newsforce Catalina Perez de Arminian is live out there. Wait, wait, wait, wait. And the water is flowing. I'm sorry. Just a pet peeve we have here on the program. Whatever I hear it, I got to point it out. Dude's got an accent from like what, Pennsylvania, maybe, Ohio, Midwestern, flat tones. Yeah, what a beautification project. Malcolm X. Now let's go to Capadina Perez, but I won't. What is that? Why is he suddenly challenging, channeling some Telemundo reporter? Just because the reporter he's throwing it to now has a Latin name. All right, sorry, just a pet peeve, but we like to point it out when they do it. It's just so fake and fraudulent. All right, let's continue with the report. Behind you, Catalina. I know a lot of people are happy about it. Oh, Catalina. Joseph, yeah, because it's so hot out here today. But those who came out here tell me that they're just so happy that the fountains have reopened and are flowing as you can see because they say they provide a fresh space for both locals and tourists to enjoy areas like this one all over our city, especially with the warmer month ahead. This is the most amount of people I've seen here ever. It's incredible and it's a lot cooler and people just enjoying and This is amazing. It's great. We love being in the city and having an outdoor space that's safe and clean and open like this is fantastic. It's one of the best features with you see. It's so nice. It's really, really a big improvement over not having the mountains on. Obviously, it's drawing a lot of people to the park.

The U.S. Department of Interior says the renovation work here at Meridian Hill Park is part of the president's efforts to keep D.C. safe and beautiful ahead of America 250 celebrations. And the project is part of the $10 million budget assigned to the National Park Service. And we're expecting to continue to see renovations out here with certain grass areas closed in the park's upper lawn. And although they may remove... There you go. Thank you. Grazie, Catarina. Did you notice something? Every single one of those voters voted for Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton before her. Not one of them voted for Donald Trump. And not once did the reporter, Catalina, say, well, do you thank Donald Trump? Do you have anything to say to Donald Trump? Are you grateful that Donald Trump has done this? I know that you love the park now. You love being able to enjoy this space. If this happened under Barack Obama, they would be canonizing him for sainthood again. One other moment, you heard them they often refer to that park, Meridian Park, as Malcolm X. Park. Let's just say it's in a underserved neighborhood in Washington. And it was left neglected and despaired. And the bottom line is Republicans should start running with this. We get stuff done. It's the nation's capital, and it's a beautiful day in the nation's capital. Good morning. Larry O'Connor here on our flagship station, WMAL. Thanks for tuning into O'Connor and company. Coming up later this hour, we've got a lot on JD Vance's press conference yesterday. Yeah, that's right. He saw Marco Rubio had fun with the reporter, so he decided to get in there. We'll also talk to Christian Daytock reporter on the ballroom tour and all that other jazz reporters got yesterday. In the next hour, make sure you're with us because House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, the man with the gavel, man who hopes to keep that gavel against all odds this November. He'll be joining us for an exclusive interview. That's all coming up. But right now. We bring on a friend of this program. We've gotten to know him over the years, first with his run for Congress in Northern Virginia in Loudoun County, and then for his run as senator in Virginia against Tim Kaine, which he should have won, but I don't want to dwell on that because now he's your deputy secretary of the Navy. A great American hung cow. Secretary Cal, thanks for joining us this morning. Larry, thank you for having me in WML family. It's been a long time, but I still love you guys. Well, we love you right back. And the president seems to love you too. He never has anything but praise for you, obviously, to put you in the position of being deputy secretary and now acting secretary of the Navy is a big deal for you as a veteran. You retired as a captain after going to the Naval Academy. I'd love for you to sort of reflect on that, what it means to you to sort of sit in that desk now and take the reins of a Navy that is...

Well, it's got a bright future right now, given the plans for all the shipbuilding and the sort of rejuicing of the U.S. Navy around the planet. Oh, it's full circle, Larry. I mean, obviously my entire adult life was spent in the Navy, and now I get to run the Navy and really just shape it for the future, and not just for my future or our future, but it's also for your daughter and my son, who's about to graduate in two days. Yeah. Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. Listen, we've been, I've met your son who's a first E. He's getting his commission this week. It's commissioning week in Annapolis. And it's one thing to be a proud parent when your kid's about to graduate from the Naval Academy and hear that speech and raise their hand and get that commissioning. But when your secretary of the Navy, your son is in that crowd, you're going to be delivering remarks and then handing the podium over to the president of the United States. Are you even sleeping at night right now with your pride and excitement? The best part, Larry, is that I got to sign his commission. You know, so it says, you know, you commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and it's signed by the commandant Marine Corps, and then the other side is the Secretary of Navy, and that's me. That's crazy. Yeah, and then part of the oath is to make sure that they follow the chain of command, including the Secretary of the Navy. So here your son is not like, oh, God, I had a swear an oath to obey my dad. Dang, that's got to be rough. Well, he had to do that growing up anyway, so it's fine. Well, listen, you were an EOD officer, explosive ordinance to disposal, very, very dangerous job. And I'm just curious, given, you know, what's going on with the straight of Hormuz, it must be sort of interesting for you in your position to know exactly what's needed for mind sweeping and all of those other things. How much do you draw from your daily, for your daily functions? How much do you draw from your experience every day in the Navy? I draw it on every day, but sometimes you have to sit on your hands a little bit because there are men and women who are trained to do this. They have a plan. And here's the thing about leadership is if you keep injecting so much of your thing, it's no longer their plan and they're just not going to run with it. So you have to empower people to come up with a plan. You check them on here and there, but don't try to micromanage them because it's no longer their plan and they're not going to have your ownership in it. How's the morale right now in the ranks? Because, you know, you got a lot of people. I saw the Ford came back after a really long deployment, that entire carrier group. It was a great scene in Norfolk when they came back. This is hard on the men and women. It's hard on their families. How were things going right now with the morale within the ranks? And how's recruitment looking? Oh, it's great. I flew out to meet the Ford. I flew out to Sicily, rode the Ford to Road to Spain, and then flew off. And I went on the small boys, too, the Bainbridge and Winston Churchill. And I'm telling right now, the morale is out the door. The people are excited. They're tired. They want to see their family. I mean, 11 months is a long time away from your family. But, I mean, think about the Ford also. They had a huge fire. It was all hands on deck. Every fought the fire.

And then within three days, they were able to be fully functional and launched aircraft for attacks. I mean, that's the might of our sailors and our Navy and our Marine Corps. I mean, it's just amazing to these guys. And I got railed yesterday during my hearing by, you know, my former opponent because he's like, you know, I think the word fake news triggered him. And I said that, hey, don't believe the fake news that low morale and bad food and backed up. toilets, and so, you know, we literally spent five minutes shooting the crap. He was talking about, you know, just, it was just great, but then the, you know, the, uh, C&O, the chief naval operations was able to turn back, back around saying, look, there are 6,000 people on board. You know how many flushes go through a day? We're talking about millions of gallons of water that goes through. One backed up toilet is not a, you know, a national emergency. It must gall you, given your record, your military history, to have to sit there and answer questions from someone like Tim Kaine. I don't even think he's been on a carnival cruise ship, Hongkow. I know, but the thing is that the Senate and the Congress, they're... It's like the Board of Trustees. You have to explain to them whatever questions they may have. There's a lot of great senators out there who ask very profound questions. And, you know, you answer it because at the end of day, they're responsible for the budget and we have to answer the questions that they have. So it's a good partnership, but yes, we do have some crazy questions out there. It is. Listen, I want civilian oversight of our military, obviously, but you know, you get a guy like Hank Johnson asking a Marine General if Guam's going to tip over, if too many Marines show up, and you know that there's a disconnect there somewhere. Let's talk about that budget for a minute, though, because your social media platforms that you utilize to communicate to the American people, you have been all in on re-equipping. the fleet and getting more ships built. What is that process looking like right now? I know the president campaigned on this. Where are you seeing the fleet 10 years from now in terms of numbers of ship and sort of the turnover of some of the older ships? So, remember, 120 years ago, the Great White Fleet extended America's dominance across the world. And so the Golden Fleet now renews all that. And we need more ships. I mean, some of our ships are old. I mean, we're about to launch the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is 49 years old. But it's not just about our war ships is also our commercial ships. Right now we only have 188 commercial flagged U.S. ships in the United States and 105 military sea lift command ships. And China has 11,000. If we're a maritime nation bordering on both the Pacific and the Atlantic, we need ships. And so right now we're fighting really hard to get to 355 ships. And then, you know, by the end of time, we're going to need 381, but we need a lot of ships out there for warships as well as commercial flag ships as well.

But what the Navy has been able to do right now with our current fleet has been astounding from Venezuela to Iran and other exercises that have been going on in the South China Sea just to sort of show a force to let China know what we're capable of. It is impressive, but I got to think that the Navy stretched thin right now. We are stretching. That's why we need ships because we just can't do with what we have right now. And we need to, that's why ships like the Ford Carrier Strike Group had to be extended for so long because we didn't have the ships ready to go. I mean, when we invaded Iraq in 2003, we had five carrier strike groups out there. And so that's what we need to really just overwhelm the enemy and just suppress them. I mean, we're able to do it because our sailors and Marines, I mean, they're awesome. you know, we shouldn't have to extend them that long. And so this is why we need to build ships. But this is like 540,000 jobs we can have across the United States if we come after this plan and pass this budget. Hung Cow is our guest. He's the acting secretary of the Navy. And I'd love for you to, in our final few minutes here, we're coming up on Memorial Day. We've been trying to honor the fallen and those who have sacrificed for several days now as we lead up to Memorial Day. You served, as I said, you retired as a captain, and you served during the war on terror. When you approach Memorial Day, what comes to mind? Who do you think about? What circumstance do you remember most? I always think about the friends we lost. You know, just look at Arlington National Cemetery as you drive by all those rows of marble stoneheads. I mean, they bought our freedom. These men and women who will never see tomorrow bought our freedom for today. And so just remember that. Freedom isn't free. And we just added 13 more gravestones, right, for the young men and women who were killed in this war against Iran. And, you know, they'll always be an empty seat at their dinner table at their family. And so just remember them always. It's not a three-day weekend, like, you know, a former presidential nominee said. You know, this is a day for us to remember. Yeah, amen. All right, so you're going to hold it together, hung, when you see your son, give his first salute, and your wife is going to put those bars on his shoulder? Are you going to, I cried. I cried when my daughter got her. Just remember, it's allergy. It's allergy season, so I may have some algae issues where my eyes leak. I think you'll be forgiven. Hung cow, for those of you don't remember, came to this country as a refugee from Vietnam. And what an American journey it has been for you. Proud to know you, proud to call your friend, and I can't wait. Hopefully I'll be able to see you in Annapolis this weekend because I know it's going to be a great time for you and for the entire cow family. And for this country, by the way. Thank you for bringing another officer into the ranks. Thank you, Larry.

It's Hongkow, your acting secretary of the Navy. Hopefully we'll take that acting off of it soon, too. Really, really good man. And yeah, commissioning's going on all week long in the Navy, in the Army, in the Air Force. And in fact, I think today the President is speaking at the Coast Guard graduation ceremonies as well. Great time for people who love this country and love our military. Keep it here. Larry O'Connor, it's O'Connor and Company. A parlor game here in D.C. that everybody seems to enjoy playing, even though nobody actually has a parlor, is J.D. or Marco? Marco or J.D., who's it going to be? And Ted Cruz is down the hall from the parlor saying, hey, what about me? There's going to be a primary of sorts. But if either JD Vance or Marco Rubio wants to be the nominee for president, obviously they've got the inside lane. JD's got a bit more of an inside lane than Marco Rubio does. But complicating matters in this parlor game is that they're both friends. They seem to get along. And I don't know about you, but whenever the topic comes up, both of them, as well as the president himself, they get a look on their face. Like... This is already settled, you guys. But go ahead, play the game. And yesterday, more fodder as JD Vance followed Marco Rubio's performance as the fill-in guest host press secretary as Karoline Leavitt is out on maternity leave with her new baby, VIVI, which ironically is the nickname I called my little girl when she was growing up. Veronica, I called her VIV. Just. Just saying, JD Vads took the podium yesterday and took some questions. And, of course, everyone wants to compare him to Marco Rubio. Well, all right, go ahead. I'll let you compare him to if you want. Here he was asked about Ilhan Omar and the fraud investigation that he is spearheading. I want to ask me about the anti-fraud task force. You previously mentioned that Ilhan Omar seemed to have committed immigration fraud. Do you anticipate an indictment against her, an indictment related to that situation? Yeah, so Reagan, I don't want to prejudge an investigation. I mean, you read the things about Elon Musk Omar and about who she married and whether she didn't marry this person or that person. It certainly seems like something fishy is there. But. Everybody's entitled to equal justice under the laws. So we're going to investigate it. We're going to take a look at it. If we think that there's a crime, we're going to prosecute that crime. And that's something the Department of Justice is looking at right now. Good answer. Now, as you know, the president had a great relationship with Charlie Kirk. And you may not know that at a comedy roast, so-called comedy roast, Pete Davidson, formerly of Saturday Night Live, told a joke at Charlie Kirk's expense. JD Vance was asked about that. Davidson, he made a horrific, obscene joke about the murder of your friend, Charlie Kirk. What does this still say about where our political divisions have gone? And what are you specifically doing to bridge the divide, especially as a potential future president? Sorry, who was it? Said something?

made a really obscene joke about Charlie Kirk. So what are you doing as a potential future candidate or president to bridge the divide? Well, first of all, I'm not a potential future candidate. I'm a vice president, and I really like my job, and I'm going to try to do as good of a job as I can. But let me just say this. So you talked about Pete Davidson, who said something bad about Charlie Kirk. But Charlie was a very, very dear friend. But more importantly than that, Charlie was a father of two beautiful kids, and he did not deserve to have all of those moments with his kids, all of those moments with his beautiful wife, taken from him in the way that that happened. I would expect everybody. Everybody with a heart or a conscience would say whatever we agreed or disagreed with about his particular viewpoints, this is a tragedy and it's totally unacceptable that happens in the United States of America. To their credit, a lot of the reporters in this room, even though I don't agree with their politics, they were open about the fact that what happened to Charlie was disgusting and it shouldn't happen in a civilized country. You talk about bridging the divide. I mean, one thing that happened, it hits not quite literally close to home. but there was a very terrible shooting that happened today at a Muslim community center. It seems like three people are dead, plus the shooters. And, you know... That community center is actually very close to this restaurant that Ush and I go to. Every time we visit, her family lives in San Diego. She was born and raised in San Diego. Every time we go to San Diego, we go to this restaurant that is like maybe a five-minute drive from this community center. And I found out about it actually on my way to the White House this morning. And I texted her, I said, you know, would you have known anybody who was like involved in this? And she said, Absolutely, I would have known some people, or at least their parents who might have actually used the services at this community center. I don't know a single person who would say anything other than what I'm about to say, which is that that type of violence in the United States of America is reprehensible. And I encourage every single American to pray for everybody who was involved and affected by it. We don't want that to happen in our country and may God rest the souls of the people who lost their lives. What I do find a little distress is that while every person I know, every politically conservative person I know would say exactly what I said about the... these innocent people who were killed, there were a lot of people who were celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk. And I think one way we can bridge the divide is just have a very simple principle in this country. Number one, we don't want the government throwing people in prison because they have bad politics.

However, you define bad politics. Number two, and way more importantly, political violence, wherever it comes from, is unacceptable in the United States of America. Let's talk with one another, not shoot each other when we disagree. I think that's the principle that everybody in this room agrees with. It's certainly the principle the President of the United States agrees with. He's pretty good. He's very good. Don't make me choose. I'm not playing the game. I won't. 33 minutes after the hour from your nation's capital on our flagship station, WMAL, and the Relief Factor Studio. I'm Larry O'Connor. It's O'Connor and Company. This played you a little bit of JD Vance's briefing in the White House yesterday, filling in for Karoline Leavitt. Joining us now is one of the reporters who was in the briefing room. Here's what it looked like, by the way, when JD Vance took the podium and had to sort of figure out who to... choose to ask a question and the protocols and of course the the reporters all acting like jackals like it's you know some sort of you know um shouting contest here take a listen to what the scene was like Go ahead. Thank you, Mr. President. I realize that the pointer finger is not as precise as I thought it was. The guy in, sorry, I have this sheet sheet, but the problem with being 41 years old is you are blinder than I was a few years ago. So we'll say blue blazer blue tie. Yeah. Blue blazer blue tie. Was that you, Christian Daytok, Washington Examiner, Blueblazer, blue tie? That sounds like the uniform. You know, unfortunately, I was wearing a blue blazer and I think a green tie yesterday, Larry, so I should have been a little bit smarter with my color matching. Although that's literally what I'm wearing right now. I've got the blue blazer green tie going. So, yes. Christian, what has seen it was there yesterday? Tell us what it's like. Is it kind of fun right now covering this White House with the sort of rotating guest hosts coming in like Marco Rubio last week and JD Vance today? Well, it's always fun covering the Trump White House. I mean, let's be honest, no matter what the news is, good or bad, it's certainly not boring. But now that Caroline is out on maternity leave with her second child, it does sort of inject a new sense of energy into these briefings. You mentioned Marco Rubio's briefing last week. That was even crazier than Vice President advances. And I think, unfortunately, for the Vice President, his toes got stepped on a little bit by the president because... We had nothing on the public schedule until President Trump summoned the pool to the South lawn to sort of see the ballroom construction. And he kind of took up a lot of the limelight. So it wasn't necessarily the same exact type of anticipation for Vice President JD Vance, not for nothing. We also see him at the White House much more frequently than Marco Rubio. But these new sort of fill in briefings, they are fun and not for nothing. It does sort of give the country a look at. what the 2028 primary might be, no matter the protestations of these two men in the White House, I think everyone is sort of anxious to see what the future of the party could look like. Christian, it appeared as though the reporters really like Marco Rubio. They laughed at his jokes a little louder than they normally would. He's getting glowing press right now. Let me just say it from a conservative Republicans perspective.

I'm suspicious of how much the press seems to like Marco Rubio. You know, I can't really comment on that. I think that's mostly a factor of Marco Rubio being a fixture in Washington for, you know, a decade, 12 years longer than Vice President JD Vance. And it's also, I think, a factor that I mentioned before. We just don't see Marco Rubio nearly as often as we see JD Vance. And not for nothing. I do think the vice president held his own yesterday in terms of trying to impart some charm. answering questions with a smile. He didn't get necessarily as many softballs as Marco Rubio did into his credit. He sort of took it on the chin. He answered what he could, and he moved throughout the room and took as many questions as he could. So I think he did a great job, at least in terms of burnishing his credentials. We obviously wanted to hear a little bit more of a substantive answer regarding the war on Iran and a couple of other things. He definitely got a passing grade in my book. You're right that he definitely didn't get as many softballs. And here's a moment where he sort of went back and forth with Caitlin Susan Collins. Caitlin Susan Collins, of course, now at CNN, but she got her start at the Daily Caller writing about women in revealing clothing, who among us, here is the exchange about the president's finances and stock trades. You last week denied that the president said he was not taking American's financial situations into consideration when he's making decisions on the Iran war. He was asked about that again. He stood by it, called it a perfect statement and said he would make it again. Do you believe that Americans' financial situations should be taken into consideration when you're making decisions as an administration? See, Caitlin, what you did is you misrepresented the question that I was asked, and then you misrepresented the answer that I gave. What I said is that a question that was asked where the president allegedly, he allegedly said that he didn't care about Americans' financial situations, he never said that. What he said is that when he, it was totally taken out of context. What he said is that when he is negotiating with the Iranians, he's focused on the national security objectives that he's trying to achieve. Of course, the president has a mandate to be focused on a number of things. And I guarantee you every single day, I have conversations with him about it. Every single day, he's worried about his fellow Americans. He wants them to be prosperous. He wants them to thrive. He wants them to have good jobs. That's why we've done the things and taken the steps that we've taken. Yeah, and there was another exchange having to do with the president's finances and stock trades, which of course are not illegal, but that's become a bit of a controversy. But Christian, that was sort of the tenor. And I do think the vice president did a pretty good job of staying on message and deflecting and actually presenting the White House's position, which is the job. That's what he was supposed to do in that setting.

It is. And, you know, ultimately being vice president is a thankless post, right? You get all the blame that the administration is saddled with and none of the credit essentially for the wins. And I do think JD Vance is in a really tough spot right now because let's be honest, things aren't going as well as they were at this point last year for the Trump administration, right? Even with the big bugaboo of the trade war and the reciprocal tariffs and all of that. I don't think anyone wants to see the United States involved in a protracted war in the Middle East. I don't think anyone wants to see, even if inflation isn't at the levels of the Biden administration, but no one wants to deal with elevated prices for an extended period of time. So even though the Trump administration is making progress on all of these promises they made to the American public, Look, we've got a short memory. It's all about what have you done for me lately. And it's especially glaring for the RNC finance chairman heading into what's really going to be a critical midterm election. So he has to sort of walk a tightrope. One, back the president. And two, sort of voice confidence to the American public that they recognize, look, we're not Joe Biden, but we recognize that the job isn't done yet. We're going to continue working for you and, you know, trying to address these issues moving forward, whether it's domestically or internationally. So I think even though we all know Donald Trump wasn't saying, no, I actually don't care about your personal financial situation, American voter, that clip wasn't great. And it's going to run in attack ads until November. And JD Vance is on the back foot, but that's about as good of a defense as you can get. when you're trying to back up the most vocal and powerful man in the world. Yeah, I'm one of the outliers here. Frankly, I'm okay with my president not taking domestic politics and the price of gas into account when he's actually trying to defeat the greatest. terrorist regime on the planet finally after 50 years. But I'm just weird that way. Let's get to the next part of the day yesterday, Christian. Christian Daytok is the White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner. And as you mentioned, the president then summoned you all over to stand in front of a big hole. But that hole, of course, is the bunker that's being built under what will be the ballroom. Talk to me about that scene because obviously the president is... having to withstand a lot of attacks over the ballroom, even over in the legislative branch where there's some question as to whether the funding will be approved or not for the Secret Service and other parts of the bunker. But he seems to be owning this story. He doesn't seem to be shy at all about, frankly, bragging about how great this thing's going to be. Without a doubt, it's two factors at play here, Larry, and you hit on one of them. Actually, I guess you kind of hit on both of them. The president obviously is very, very proud of these development projects that are going on across D.C. Of course, you've got the East Room, or excuse me, the East Room renovation project, which includes the White House ballroom, this new visitor center at the White House, and the enhanced security capabilities.

both the underground bunker and all of the massive bulletproof, strike proof, glassing and plaster and steelware, and the anti-drome capabilities that we just got a little bit of information built into it. But he's also trying to battle public sentiment because I don't think anyone in this country believes that the best use of taxpayer dollars would be going to upgrading the White House. But the president's already countered that, right? He's in taking in hundreds of millions of dollars in donations from companies and private individuals, himself included, he told us yesterday, to build out the shell of this infrastructure project. And Congress is going to, you know, give him a few hundred million dollars more, more than likely to beef up the security upgrades. And look, this isn't just something that will benefit President Trump. This is really going to be a big boon for presidents moving forward, regardless of the party. Because ultimately, I'm at the White House every day. It's a dump. You know, it's been the same for the better part of the last five decades. It's due for a facelift. And, you know, this has been long been needed. It is something that we all whisper to each other. Whenever we end up going to the White House, we all sort of, it looks great from the outside. It looks great from far away. But when you get it's like, wow, this place is really kind of run down. But you're not allowed to say it out loud because it sounds like you're ungrateful for being there. Is anybody debating whether the security and the national security, the bunker stuff, the secret service stuff? No one's debating whether that's appropriate or necessary, right? Is that even in question? Not among Republicans. I mean, obviously Democrats are fighting this tooth and nail, but again, a Democratic president would also be the beneficiary of this down the line. This is my biggest problem with the way that Democrats have, you know, gone after the president for these building projects. I was driving back to my house yesterday up along 15th Street, which borders Meridian Hill Park here in Washington. It's a beautiful park space. You know, a Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte designed it. And as long as I've been in D.C. for the better part of the last 12 years, there hasn't been running water in any of the fountains, which are the main focal point of this beautiful park installation. Well, the water's running now because Donald Trump worked with the city of D.C. to fix the fountains. I don't understand why Democrats don't just let this guy do his building projects. He'd be happier. He'd probably be less adversarial. We, the city would be benefiting it. And then, not for nothing, I do think the president should be criticized at certain points. It doesn't dilute those criticisms to the American public if you're just not running around with a chicken, like a chicken with your head cut off saying everything Trump does is bad. People tend to tune you out. So ultimately, they're only hurting their own cost by just saying, stop it, Donald Trump. We don't want you to make the city even prettier.

Come on, man. Stop making our city livable. How dare you? Yeah, no, listen, there are people in this country who believe that Trump can do no wrong, and that's not good. And there are people who think that Trump can do no right. And that's... also not good at all there should be a happy medium in there somewhere there should be a happy medium christian day talk thanks for joining us washington examiner white house reporter one other thing though by the way on this uh ballroom it's supposed to be completed if on time september of 28 so if he gets to enjoy it he'll enjoy it for like three months coming up Hakeem Jeffries next i'll say this about democrats uh they are not subtle They let you know exactly what their strategy is, and it's about as heavy-handed as you can imagine. And they have an obvious strategy trying to salvage their hopes for the midterms this year, and that is to divide this country along racial lines. They've decided that the only way they could possibly salvage their hopes of winning the majority in the House of Representatives is to make black voters think that Republicans are racist, or more precisely, I think what they're trying to do is make white, independent, moderate, squishy Americans not want to vote for the party that everyone in the media and the pop culture is calling racist. That's really what this is about. But it's all fraudulent. As you know, the Supreme Court decided that it's unconstitutional and racist to draw a congressional district based on the color of people's skin living in that district. That seems pretty obvious. Seems like the people who want to draw congressional districts based on the color of someone's skin, they're the racist ones, right? But now the Democrats have decided that since they've lost all of those districts now that were rigged for them. for racist purposes. Now they've decided to say, well, you see, Republicans and the Supreme Court and the president, they're all racist. It's Jim Crow. It's segregation. It's the Civil War. It's the Ku Klux Klan. And so everyone has to rise up. That's what they're trying to do. They're trying to get people to rise up in defiance of those racist Republicans. It might work. That's the plan, and it's an obvious one. And sometimes it does work. You remember, in 2021, when the state of Georgia decided that they were going to tighten up their voting process because they had such a debacle in 2020. They were called Jim Crow. They were called racist. You had Coca-Cola in Major League Baseball in Delta Airlines, all boycotting the state of Georgia. Of course, they've had the most secure and open elections since then, and none of those things were true, and it was insulting and gross. It doesn't matter. It's a political tactic. And it often wins, except most of the people in my generation, we're done with it. Call me racist. I don't care at this point. I know that you're the problem, not me. I know it's in my heart. So whatever. Well, here was the scene yesterday on Capitol Hill. The president of the NAACP, this is how far they're taking it. They want young black athletes playing basketball and football recruited by SEC.

schools in the south where all this redistricting is happening, they want young black athletes to sacrifice their professional careers by not taking a scholarship, not going to those colleges. This is gross. Here, take a listen. In this moment when black representation is under intact, it is important for the CBC to keep in their tradition of being the moral of the Congress, but the moral of conscience of this country. No representation, no revenue, no one, black should be on a playing field of institutions that's living off of our labor, and yet in states that are seeking to re-institute a share-cropping reality. It is not the responsibility of black America to hold individuals who should know better accountable for doing better. As soon as the United States Congress stand united to ensure our Constitution, represent all of us, we will be a better nation as a result. NAACP this morning in solidarity with the CBC, we are calling on athletes who are coming out of high school not to attend any state-funded schools of states that have moved to minimize our right to vote, to minimize our ability to elect candidates of our choice, and states that are... There you have it. That's their plan. So if you're a black athlete and you have a bright future and you can be a multimillionaire if you go to LSU or Florida State or what have you, they want you to sacrifice that. You know, go to some Midwestern, you know, lower... League school. Well, not the Big Ten. They're pretty good. But, you know, go out to the PAC 10 or something and sacrifice your career for their political power. You saw he mentioned the CBC, congressional black caucus. A lot of people standing around him there from the CBC like Hank Johnson. He's really putting his college education to good use, isn't he? Funny thing about the CBC. There's several black Republicans in Congress, and they're not allowed in the CBC because they're Republicans. Tell me again about racial representation. Yeah, that's the NAACP President Eric Johnson. But then Hakeem Jeffries, he lent his voice to the cause as well. Here's Hakeem. And it's an honor to stand with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as former athletes committed to this cause in getting this egregious situation turned around. This is an unprecedented moment featuring an unprecedented attack. on black political representation, and therefore it requires an unprecedented response. That's right. Sacrifices this guy making. What is he doing? So he wants some young black kid who plays football senior in high school to not go to the best possible school if his choice with the best possible opportunities for his future.

He wants them to sacrifice their lives for his pathetic political career. It's gross. It's obscene and frankly, it's kind of racist. But this is how they're going to try to hang on to power. This is how they're going to try to guilt people into voting for them because it's certainly not because of their great record or their great ideas or their political abilities. The question is, will anyone fall for this? I'm thinking no. But you know what? We'll ask Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. He's joining us coming up in our next segment. We'll see what he has to say. If for 250 years, Americans have believed in one powerful idea that we're meant to live free, free to work hard, free to move, free to enjoy life without being held back. But if everyday aches and pains are slowing you down, it might be time to declare your independence from pain. I've had bad debilitating pain in the past. And yeah, it keeps you from being able to do anything. Keep up with your kids, basic chores around the house, just sitting or standing and enjoying life. Relief factor, relief factor will help. It's 100% drug-free, research-based formula designed to help your body fight inflammation, one of the root causes of pain. It's not some quick fix or a temporary mask. It works from the inside out at the source. And Relief Factor was created so people could get back to living their life on their terms, walking, working, exercising, enjoying the moments that matter. So, declare your independence from pain. Try Relief Factor today. Just 1995 for a three-week quick start. Go to ReliefFactor.com. relief factor.com or call 800 for relief. Good morning from your nation's capital in the Relief Factor Studios on our flight ship station, WMAL, and coast to coast across this great nation. I'm Larry O'Connor. It's O'Connor and Company. Joining us right now, very honored to bring in Speaker of the House. Mike Johnson, I think I first interviewed you, Speaker Johnson, when you were, you know, just some congressman from Louisiana on the Judiciary Committee, had a few opinions. And I remember after that first interview, I said, wow, this guy's great. Well, here you are. So I guess what I'm saying is you're welcome. I really elevated you to where you are now. You should have stopped me back then, Larry, but thanks a lot. I appreciate it. Well, you do have a bit of a tougher job than many of your predecessors. I wonder, did your job just get a little tougher for the rest of this year? As Thomas Massie lost in the primary yesterday, now you can't really rely on his vote for anything that you need, or have you not really relied on it much anyway? Yeah, it's really the latter. I mean, look, I have nothing personal against Thomas Massie, but he votes with the Democrats most of the time and has been a thorn in my side for a long time. So, you know, politics isn't personal up here. We need team players. We need people who are constitutional conservatives who understand the America First Agenda and want us to help deliver it. So we had a great night across the board. I mean, you know, several states had the primaries last night. We had conservatives. constitutional conservatives uh... went across the board i mean from uh... you know georgia all the way across to organ so uh... this is a great trend that shows once again i talked to the president late last night almost midnight and he said uh... you know we were talking about the wins that the miss president you have the most powerful endorsement in the history of politics it's not even close it's uh... it's really something to behold

It is, and he used that endorsement yesterday on the Senate side for Ken Paxton. And I wonder that a lot of people are jabbering about that in town. Not that Ken Paxton can't win the race, but it's going to cost some money, they say, more money than it would have cost for John Cornyn. Are you concerned that that's money that might be diverted from some of those key races that you're looking at to keep the gavel? Well, we've got to watch it close. And, of course, a Senate race has a down-ballot effect, and we've got number of House races in Texas that are critical for us to keep and grow the majority, which I'm convinced we will do. So we'll let the Texas politics play out. You know, all of this breathless, you know, claims by the Democrats that somehow, you know, James Talarico, the Democrat would win the Senate seat. I'm not buying it. I mean, they say that in Texas every cycle. You know, oh, Texas is going to go purple. I just don't believe it. I think the people of Texas is going to make the right. decision and we're going to have another Republican senator. Speaking of Mr. Talariko, it's hard to overlook when he talks about faith. First of all, I embrace any Democrat who invokes God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and tries to instill some level of biblical understanding to politics. I don't think there should be any wall, really, between what motivates us as Americans, whether we're politicians or whether we're radio hosts. If we believe in the Lord, we should profess that whenever we can. That said, he has some... odd takes that I don't usually hear every Sunday when I go to Mass. Do you think Texans will embrace James Talarico or the gospel according to James? It's a good way to say it. Look, I think the more that he talks, the less people support him, because he has some pretty wild views. I mean, it's certainly nothing I ever heard in my Baptist church. Brother, I can tell you that. Look, we do need more faith in the public square. We do need more expression of religion. We had that big event on Sunday on the National Mall to express that very idea. But when someone brings in some of these crazy theological propositions and ties it into politics, you know, you should evaluate that carefully. I think the people of Texas will, and I think James Talarico is trying to come in and sort of portray himself as some sort of centrist or moderate because he talks about faith. But he is a radical leftist with some very radical views, and I think Texans are going to see that. Speaker Mike Johnson is our guest, and Speaker Johnson, you're always, you evoke the Lord pretty naturally. You were part of that Rededicate 250 event, and you can tell when politicians are pretending and when they really do feel the Holy Spirit within them. And I always admire the way you profess your faith. But you got into some hot trouble from MS now over the weekend because of some of the words you said here, let's remind everybody their criticism of your remarks.

What about this passage from Mike Johnson declaring that our rights do not derive from government? They come from you, our creator, and heavenly fathers. Is this him putting God over the Declaration of Independence? Yeah, God. Don't put the God over the Declaration of Independence. Speaker Johnson, what if you got to say for yourself, you the theocrat? I think Ted Cruz or somebody, one of my friends posted that and said, this is the MSNBC clip to end all MSNBC clips. I mean, it's stunning, really. I mean, obviously the declaration itself says in the second paragraph at the very top, which is the foundational premise of the country in which Katie Turr, that hosts, you know, lives and serves. uh... that that we we hold these to be a self-evident truth that our rights come from god our creator and not the government i mean the idea that that's a controversial notion is stunning and to someone who is in the mainstream media on the tv every night espousing her views who does not understand the the the birth document of the country the nation's birth certificate says this on its face it's incredible You should find out what journalism school she went to and then craft a bill that will infuse some civics lessons, perhaps, in the curriculum there, Speaker Johnson. You do Professor Faithwell, and by the way, I noticed it every week when you appear with our colleague Tony Perkins on the Salem News Channel. You often appear on this week on Capitol Hill every week on that show, Saturdays on Salem News Channel. And like I said, it's effortless when you talk about cultural issues. There's a cultural issue going on right now with the women's history museum in Washington, and there's some funding, because apparently Democrats want to honor men in the women's history museum. Do I get that right? Am I reading that right? It's another one of these just incredible, stunning things. So, you know, you would think that every Democrat would be for a women's history museum, but every House Democrat has decided to oppose this. the Smithsonian Women's History Museum, okay, oppose the bill. Why? Because it stipulates that biological men cannot be included in the museum, right? But what a concept. It's a women's history museum for women only. And because of that, they're drawn a line itself, so we just can't do that. We just can't go along with that. It's really just another stunning display. Democrats are showing their aptitude for choosing the wrong side of every 90-10 issue in America. And every time they have a choice between common sense and crazy, Larry, they always, always without fail, go with crazy. Well, and Speaker Johnson, this brings up a big point for the midterms, I think, because whenever I hear all the smart set in Washington, conventional wisdom, all the experts, you know the experts, the ones who are always wrong. They keep saying for this November it's economy, economy, economy, economy, and don't get me wrong. The economy is important. Cost of living is important. I get that. That's why you passed the big reconciliation bill so that we can keep so much of our dollars instead of giving it in taxes. But I got to think cultural issues like this still resonate. And I wonder if you and the Republicans who are running to maintain the majority, they recognize that. And they're going to force this issue on their opponent because their opponent is going to choose crazy.

Absolutely right. You nailed it, Larry. And I'm traveling across the country, coast to coast, constantly. I'm in every swing district, every state. And this is what resonates with people because they see that. Newt Gingrich has a way crystallizing things really well. And he told me several weeks back, he said, Mike really, if you bowl it down, this is not a contract with America election year in 2026 because he said, you guys did that in 2024. And now you're fulfilling those promises, promises kept. He said this one. Not a contract with America a year. This is a contrast for America, and it is that. It is a contrast, simply put, between common sense, Republicans, and crazy, which is what the Democrats represent. And you go into all these forums and all of our candidates go out there, and they talk about that. They just lay issue by issue side by side. And they say, do you want to keep the party in charge who, you know, sealed the border, got dangerous criminal legal, legales out of your community? got the economy going again, restored American Energy Donuts, peace through strength. And, oh, by the way, got men and out of women's locker rooms and girls' sports and, you know, into trans surgeries on minors. Or do you want to choose the team that's going to bring all of that back in reverse all the good things we've done? I mean, that's the contest. That's the contrast, and that's the choice for the American people this fall. I love that. I agree. Well-side Speaker, Mike Johnson. Quickly, the Senate voted yesterday to open up debate on challenging the president's war powers in the conflict in iran is that going to see the light of day if it does pass through the senate and make its way to the house what power do you have to control that bill well i've been trying to stop that in the house and you know in in our chamber there's a mechanism called the discharge petition where if you get enough signatures you can go around the uh the speaker of the house and um by the way thomas mashey helped the democrats to try to do that and get it to the floor the last vote failed 212 to 212, it was a tie. So this is a, you know, dicey proposition right now. I think it would be a very dangerous thing to try for Congress to step in right now, take the war powers away from the president and say we've got to pull all of our troops out of, you know, out of that region and just let Iran go as it is. I mean, we're in the middle of a peace negotiation. We're trying to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened for commerce so we can bring gas prices back down to planet Earth. And for the liberal Democrats or these other people to jump in the middle of this and try to stop the president, the commander chief at this pivotal moment, I think it's a very dangerous prospect. So I'm going to do everything I can to stop it. Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Thank you for joining us, sir. Don't be a stranger. We'll look forward to our next conversation. Great talk to you, brother. Thank you. You bet. Thanks. Speaker Johnson. Speaker Mike Johnson. I like that guy. And for everyone who says, oh, what a great speaker, Nancy Pelosi has been, and what a great speaker this person was or that person was, they never had to deal with the tight margins that Mike Johnson has had to deal with. They've never had to face the political headwinds that Mike Johnson has dealt with. But he always comes through with the votes. Have you noticed that? When they say he can't do it, when they say it's impossible, somehow he does it. And he doesn't do it like Nancy Pelosi did. He doesn't twist a knife and threatening conjoint. I mean, he might. But we don't see it. He just keeps smiling. And he always has a look on his eye that he knows something everyone else doesn't. And I think he does. More to come. I'm Larry O'Connor. It's O'Connor and Company. Years ago, John Podesta took a huge check from George Soros and started a thing in town called the Center for American Progress.

And it's just basically a liberal think tank. It's a holding area, actually. You work for Obama. Trump wins the presidency. You come work for Center for American Progress. Joe Biden gets elected. You go back to work in the White House. Then Trump wins again. You come back to the Center for American Progress, revolving door there. And you continue to sort of do nefarious, dastardly things. And they keep raising money. And they've got power and they've got influence within the fever swamp of the Democrat Party. And that's why they had a big event yesterday. Anyone who wants to be president showed up, including the guy who has driven California into the sewer. Gavin Newsom, let's take a listen, shall we? We have to win. It's all on the line. You just got to win. I'm stunned winning arguments. With all due respect to the niceties, it feels good, but we're going to lose our republic. Again, the honey fathers do not live and die for this moment. I can't celebrate. J. Lai 4th, the best of Roman Republic and Greek democracy, co-equal branches, co-equal branches of government, you know, popular sovereignty, the rule of law, not at the time where it's the rule of dawn. And if it hasn't dawned on you, I remember spending 90 minutes with Trump in the Oval Office, and I think he honestly thought everything was his. He was showing me the declaration, his declaration. It's a prize. Why else? A corruption story happening on our watch. The William Shatner, James Kirk, Staccato, delivery is unmistakable. But that's Kevin Gavin Newsom. He's an actor. And he's playing to the crowd. He's playing to the fever swamp. And he was even more unhinged. Here, take a listen.

These guys are ruthless on the other side. Trump's not screwing around, and nor can we. Yeah, it's uncomfortable fighting fire with fire. Yes, we all want the better angels. Yes, we want the sorken sound and music, little west wing. I do. But we'll lose our country. We will lose our country. You saw today. What is the President of the United States spending all his time on? He had a big press comment. Yeah, it's fine. It's fine. This is the kind of language. This is the kind of rhetoric. Listen, if Democrats think they want their version of Trump, they want someone who's going to fight. And there's someone who's going to say that we're losing our country. How many times did he say we're losing our republic? Losing our republic. You see, there are unhinged individuals out there who believe that garbage. We've been hearing it every time Donald Trump runs for president and there's three times now. It's been going on 12 years now since he started running for president. And yet our republic is still standing. We're still having elections. This is a guy who was running for president in 28. And the last time in 24, he said if Trump wins, we won't have any more presidential elections. And now he's running in the next presidential election. But this stuff works. And these unhinged individuals will hear this garbage. And they've already, several times now, tried to assassinate Donald Trump because of this kind of nonsense, this kind of assassination prep that they continue to dwell in. And did he just say fight fire with fire? You know, Gav, maybe you should take that one out of the lexicon, considering how you let California burn. on a regular basis under your unhinged political reign of terror over the state that I love. Yeah, fight fire with fire is probably not the best statement to make. A little bit more from Gavin Newsom. He was unhinged. We also raised the consciousness from that was when you did the introduction. I was thinking the back, the reason people were reticent about that is polled at 48%. When people were talking about it, we had to shape-ship things. Again, decisions, not conditions. So we've got to turn it up. They're trying to rig the election. Donald Trump knows he's going to get crushed. Yeah, rigging the election because they're redistricting. Of course, California just redistricted. But again, this is the rhetoric. This. This is the irresponsible language that we're always accused of, by the way. You know, this is a state that mails out ballots willy-nilly to anyone without checking to see whether they're citizens of the country, let alone citizens of the state of California, with drop boxes and people harvesting ballots from apartment buildings and nursing homes and mental institutions and bringing all the ballots in. They take weeks to count them. And lo and behold, Democrats end up winning in the final days of counting all the ballots they've harvested. And they accuse Republicans and Donald Trump of rigging the election because they're obeying the Constitution and redistricting states because the Supreme Court told them to. And we're accused of insurrection talk. We're accused of undermining the democratic process. Keep your eye on them. I know we will. It's O'Connor and Company.

Good morning from Washington, D.C. Larry O'Connor, O'Connor and Company. We just had Speaker Johnson on Speaker Mike Johnson. He's talking about the elections coming up this November, and he talked about how Democrats in their primaries are choosing really extreme candidates here. Whenever they have the choice between normal and crazy, they choose crazy, Speaker Johnson said, well, I want to draw your attention to a primary happening right here in your nation's capital. The District of Columbia will have a primary coming up this June 16th. And like most major urban centers, like most major cities in this country, the real mayor's race doesn't happen in the general election. It happens in that primary. Which Democrat wins the primary, inevitably, is going to be the mayor of Washington, D.C. And, well, Democrats in Washington have a choice. They have a choice between two Democrats. And one of them seems to continue to. Go crazy. Her name is Janice Lewis George. And here's a little bit from a recent debate that she had when the question of a teen curfew came up. We've been covering this on the show for the last couple of days. There is rampant crime going on in various areas of this city, including the Navy Yard where the baseball stadium is, riots. You saw the viral video of the Chipotle. being destroyed with a father with four children, fearing for their lives as furniture and high chairs were being thrown around. And here was Janice Lewis George talking about this curfew in the debate. And if you're watching us on Salem News Channel, you'll see that somebody superimposed some of this violence behind her as she spoke. Here, take a listen. As an executive, you have to decide which tools you use and when you use them. And right now, using the curfew as a tool for our young people is dangerous. It is dangerous because we have federal troops who are in our city, mass ICE agents who are in our city. There you go. And it's dangerous. It's dangerous for the criminals if they have a curfew. No thought about the innocent Washingtonians and people visiting from around the world who might find it dangerous not to have a curfew. Well, that's Janice Lewis George. She's running against another Democrat, Kenyon McDuffie. They just had their debate. And by the way, based on the latest poll, it looks like the voters at the moment are choosing crazy as she leads by a slim margin. Joining us right now to unpack that is a man who knows D.C. politics better than anyone, Chuck Thies. I'm trying not to be. too dispirited about this, Chuck, but I'm not quite sure what the people in this poll are thinking. I'm going to make your day, Larry. Well, first of all, congratulations. You're nationwide now, and it's well-deserved, and I'm just delighted for you. I appreciate that. Thank you. Moving on to the news of the day, this poll just came out. As a matter of fact, it was conducted by the Washington Post's former pollster. So that's a good poll. And what it finds is that Janice Lewis George is leading Kenya McDuffie 39 to 35. But we've all seen Star Wars. And if you recall in the first episode, Princess Leia sends a message via R2D2 to who, Ben Kenobi. And it says, you're our only hope, Obi-1 Kenobi. What is Obi-1 Canobi?

Uh-huh. When you look at the electorate in D.C., young voters have already weighed in. They see a shiny new object, and they latch onto it. The socialist, Janice Lewis, George. We see this all over the country. You mentioned urban centers. This is happening all over the country. Some new, shiny object, socialist pops up, and all the young people latch on, and they're not going anywhere. They're not budging. But when you look deep into this poll... You see that the overwhelming majority of the undecided electorate are older voters. Why? Being an older person, like yourself, Larry. Being an older person, we take longer to make a decision. We inform ourselves. We look around. We weigh the options. But when you also look at that portion of the electorate, the older electorate, it's clear that they will overwhelmingly move into the McDuffie column. Now, that doesn't mean that the campaign is over, that the election is over. McDuffie still has to do his job and bring those people home, but there's a clear path to victory here. And most importantly, there's a solid ceiling above Janice Lewis, George's head. All right. Well, I do feel a little bit better, Chuck. But I, you know, if I'm counting on the wisdom of the electorate in the District of Columbia, it's going to be a nail biter as far as I'm concerned. Tell us more about Janice Lewis, George, because it goes well beyond that incredibly reckless statement you just heard in the debate about how dangerous it is to impose a curfew. By the way, has Muriel Bowser? chimed in yet, has she endorsed anybody? Because I can't imagine Muriel Bowser would back Janice Lewis, George. The mayor has not yet made an endorsement, and it's partly because of her track record making endorsements. Of the nine endorsements that she's made while she was mayor, including Mike Bloomberg for president. Oh, I forgot about that one. Yeah. I mean, I believe in endorsing billionaires. just, you know, as a matter of principle and for the bottom line. But regardless, of the nine endorsements that she's made since being mayor, seven have lost. So she's a little reticent to weigh in, but the tea leaves her there. She said things like, if you like me, you're really like Kenya McDuffie. She's clearly leaning in that direction. I think she'll get there. Former Mayor Tony Williams has endorsed Kenya McDuffie, former Mayor Adrian Fenty. is leaning toward McDuffie and has said good things about him. So it's clear that the establishment of elected officials, but also business leaders and other people who really understand what's at stake here, they're in with McDuffie. Now you ask me, let's learn a couple more things about Denise. Yeah, tell me, like, what's her, what's her economy? Is she really cut from the same cloth as the Marxist mayors of New York City and Seattle that we've seen? You mentioned the bright, shiny object. Well, I'd say she's even worse. Janice Lewis-George arrived to the local political scene in late 2019. And before George Floyd was killed, and this is important, she's not a jump on the bandwagon type.

She's actually a true believer. Before George Floyd was killed, Janice Lewis George was campaigning on defund the police. So she's a true believer. This isn't some bandwagon that she jumped on. When high school students, she represents Ward 4, which is the northern tip of D.C., when high school students had been murdered in high schools, in her ward, she came out. in favor of eliminating the school resource officer program. She wanted to eliminate police from the schools because they make children feel uncomfortable. She didn't say anything about the discomfort of having your fellow students murder one another. This is a true believer in chaos. This is a true believer in socialist principles. I'll give you another example. In D.C., we have one of the highest-rated pension funds for government employees in the country. In the country, the bond rating agencies on Wall Street love it. It is actually the backbone of our ability to borrow money and fund big projects. At the debate on Monday night, she actually said that she was going to raid that fund so that the government could build public housing. Wow. Yes, she said that, and it's actually against the law. A mayor can't do that. It's against the law. It's written into the charter. But she said she was going to do that, and she says she's going to build 72,000 housing units. The government's going to build them. The government doesn't even fill potholes in this city. They outsource it. They outsource it. Unbelievable. Chuck Thies is our guest. He's an analyst for D.C. politics. And he's sort of raising the red flag here. And I do mean red over Janice Lewis-George candidate for mayor. One other aspect of this that I find fascinating here with regard to crime and safety and various aspects of what happens in Washington, D.C. right now. As it appears as though, well, first of all, do you think the curfew is going to be reimposed because it seems obviously hitting a critical? spot here before the summer and before the 4th of July, America 250 celebrations. So it's a little convoluted. You have to understand there's two forms of legislation that the D.C. Council can pass. There's permanent legislation, but that takes about 90 to 100 days to take effect because of our unique relationship with Congress. Yeah, everything has to be passed through the House of Representatives, or they have the right to veto that because of that federal jurisdiction. Exactly. So the curfew, the permanent curfew, will come into effect shortly after Labor Day, toward the end of the summer. That has passed. But to have an immediate law take place, take hold, it requires nine votes on the 13-member council, a supermajority. And thus far, there's only been seven votes for the curfew. Some people believe there's eight. I kind of don't. But whatever the case, June 2nd, is the next date on which the council could try to pass what's called an emergency curfew. I think it's dead.

We'll keep an eye on that. Thanks for that insight. But I do want to lead to a larger question. And that is, you know, Mayor Bowser and even the chairman of the district council, Phil Mendelssohn, they have sort of reached this detente with the federal government, with the Republican majority in the House, and with President Trump to try to get stuff done and react to their concerns about the capital, crime, and safety issues. Because they know that Republicans have said out loud, maybe it's time to get rid of home rule in the district and bring the entire city back under federal jurisdiction. I got to think if Democrats in D.C. want to maintain home rule, they can't vote for Ms. Lewis-George. I mean, it's like she's begging Trump and the Republicans to rescind home rule from my perspective. Well, and not just Republicans, Democrats, too. Remember, when crime was out of control in D.C., when we had the highest homicide rate in 30 years, it wasn't just Republicans on the Hill. It was a Democratic president of the United States, Joe Biden, that overturned. The rewrite of D.C.'s criminal code, which was ridiculous. It was absolutely ridiculous. So the district has actually become a poster child for what's wrong with the Democratic Party, and that has been a ball and chain around the ankle of the Democrats. I actually believe if we get a whack job mayor who has extreme views that enough Democrats on the hill will side with Republicans, and I don't know if they'll take away home rule, but they will certainly begin to micromanage the district's affairs. I mean, they've done it before. They've done it before. And keep in mind, there was a majority Democratic U.S. Senate at that time as well. That's right. Chuck, real fast in our final minute, we talked about the beautification projects here and the parks and the fountains and the restoration of the beauty of the city. When they're off the record, when they're just talking to you as friends, these Democrats who are in power, they acknowledge this is a good thing. They've got to give Trump credit reluctantly for actually working with the Department of Interior and getting D.C. looking so beautiful again, don't they? Here's how absurd it is. Ward 5 Council Member Zachary Parker, far lefty, literally went down to the fountain you're talking about at Meridian Hill Park, literally went down there and celebrated it, but couldn't say a word about who got it done, Donald Trump. Everyone loves that the fountains are working. Everyone loves that the city is safer. Everyone loves that there is less detritus in the city. But here's the problem. If Donald Trump came out against cancer, Democrats would come out in favor of cancer. Yes, we love cancer. Cancer for everyone. The man can do no good in this city, and it's a shame. Credit where credit is due, I've said that many times, many, many, many times about politicians who I didn't support. Credit where credit is due. Thank you, Chuck.

Appreciate you joining us. We'll check in another time when we get closer to that primary. Hey, I want to tell you real fast about the creator of Relief Factor. We talk about Relief Factor all the time, but they don't know the backstory. See, the person who created Relief Factor came home from Vietnam. Combat Veteran wounded multiple times. And then he decided to become a doctor because he wanted to help people. He wanted to heal them. He created Relief Factor originally just to help his patients with pain. He wanted to do it drug-free. And then he saw how well it worked. And he decided to make it available. to everyone. You hear me and my colleagues here talking about Relief Factor all the time. And I want you to do what I did. Try the three-week quick start today. And you're going to see how it works for you. It's just 1995. And did you know over a million people have tried this quick start and about two-thirds of them stay on Relief factor because, well, because it worked for them. Go to Relieffactor.com or call 800 for Relief. That's Relieffactor.com, 800. The number four, Relief. We had Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, earlier in the program. If you missed it, grab it on the podcast. Oh, by the way, a lot of listeners of this program have been asking me, where's the podcast? Where's the podcast? You know, because we transitioned to a national show, and we had a little bit of a speed bump there getting the podcast going. But it is now. So if you listen to this show after the fact where you just miss part of it and you want to pick it up on the podcast, get on back to the podcast, subscribe O'Connor and Company wherever you like your podcast. And you'll hear my interview with. Speaker Johnson, but I want to keep referring to what he had to say there when he was reflecting on the upcoming midterms. He agrees that cultural issues are still going to be a major fact. Don't listen to the Carl Rose and the David Axelrods and it's all, oh, no, it's just the economy. Whenever Democrats say it's the economy, not that Carl Rove is a Democrat, don't misinterpret that. Whatever Democrats say that it's the economy stupid, they're doing that because that's what they want you to focus on. There are a lot of other things than just the economy. And by the way, the economy is pretty strong, despite what you're hearing, you know, whatever issue you're having with gas prices right now, everyone knows is temporary. Iran will be resolved one way or the other, and hopefully it will come back to a permanent resolution so that we will never have an issue with the Strait of Hormuz and gas prices again. That said, It's not just the economy. I know that'll make me unpopular. I'll say it. It's not just the economy. When the Democrats nominate somebody who cannot affirmatively say men cannot get pregnant, when Democrats nominate somebody who want to put biological men in your daughter's locker room as a freshman in high school, and she is then exposed to a naked man against her will because Democrats refuse to draw the line on those issues. It's about more than the economy. I'm willing to pay higher for gas if it means my daughter is protected from being sexually abused in a locker room in my public schools. Does that make me politically tone deaf? I don't think so. And then there's this. Our friends at the Libs of TikTok account, they're fantastic, they're great, absolute heroes. They uncovered a story of a seventh grade girl who was not allowed to recite a poem in a creative writing class because of its content in a public school. What was the objectionable content? Well, here's a little bit of the Libs of TikTok report.

I would not be here if my biological grandmother didn't say yes to life. My mother wouldn't be here if her biological mother didn't say yes to life. And I would love my mother to share her birth story just to show how life is such an integral and important part of our family. Yeah, so my biological mother was 14 when she got pregnant, and my biological father was 19. So technically that was statutory rape. So she found herself in a very, very hard situation. And she decided to give me life. She decided to take the hard road, and she decided to... suffer and struggle and have me. And I wouldn't be here today if she lived in the climate that we live in now because mostly people would say that she should have aborted me. She should have done away with me. But this shows why this topic is so very important to us because there is hope in hard situations. There is... purpose and pain and good things come out of situations that seem bleak. And my family is proof of that. A powerful message, a powerful pro-life message that shouldn't be controversial. My mother was going to abort me. She was convinced by others to do that, but she chose life instead. I remember the whole pro-choice thing? Oh, we're not pro-abortion. We're just pro-choice. We just want mothers to have that choice. Well, that was the choice. And so this little girl, the seventh grader, she knows this to be true. This is her truth, if I can use the left's lexicon. And so she wanted to convey that deep and important part of her life and her being in a poem. in a creative writing class. That's what poets are supposed to do. And the teacher wouldn't let her. Teacher wouldn't let her because she was afraid that affirming life would be in some way triggering and endangering to the 14-year-old girls in class with her. Actually, 12-year-old girls now that I think about it. Well, trigger alert, you're going to hear the poem. Here it is. A life is a life no matter how small. 73 million people have been killed in one year and will be killed again this year, if not more, when they are completely innocent humans. They never get to see a lot of day before they are cast away. They did nothing wrong except exist and were dismissed. People say women in health care, but never think how unfair? They kill a baby for simply being there. The word of God says, he knit me together in my mother's room. How come we never listen to this and try to send them to a tomb? I'm fearfully wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, his works are wonderful. A person is a person no matter how small. A life is a life, no matter how small. We often forget this important detail. This detail could save a life. 60% of babies who weren't intended have died because of this. Why do people kill these innocent babies with a pill? Why do people say babies in the womb are a mistake, a thing that needs to be gotten rid of? Why, why, why? When you ask someone is murder bad, they say yes, of course. But how come when you say murdering innocent babies is bad, they shame you? They say women rights in health care, but what about the baby's rights? That's what's unfair. From the moment they are created, they are a human person.

They are created in God's image. People say women rights in health care. They say she's a clump of cells, but no one dwells in the fact that a baby still has a heartbeat at six weeks. Boom, boom, boom. Nothing bears to the love a mother has for her baby. So just maybe we let them have a chance to live and that love will grow. Destruction, dismay, dread. When will people comprehend that this needs to come to an end? A life is a life no matter how small. A beautiful message. And the public school teachers union supporting the Democrat Party, they don't want that message out. They find that dangerous. And most of the Democrats nominated for Congress this coming November, they will also oppose that message. A person's a person no matter how small. That's Dr. Seuss, by the way. So look for them to ban it. In a world that screams for your attention, there is a place that invites you to peace. You don't need a building. You don't need a choir. You just need to turn your heart to Air One. Air One. Songs that heal. Lyrics that pray for you when you don't have the words. From Lauren Daigle to elevation worship. And more. This isn't just radio. It's worship for the everyday. Escape the noise and worship now. Download the Air One app. Ask your smart speaker to play Air One or visit Air One.com. Air One. Worship. Now.