Tony Katz and the Morning News 3rd Hr 8-14-26

What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on Tacoma, Tundra, and Forerunner with the space and features for any adventure. It means driving for less, with available hybrid options, delivering great MPGs without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your truck will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota. Let's go places. We will get into more of the conversations on the rain, the flooding, how we are dealing with it, of course, war with Iran and new economic sanctions. But here, close to home, we've got a race for Secretary of State. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. There was the big race in the Republican side. Would they be able to take on Diego Morales? That happened quickly. Max Inling is the nominee for the Republicans. The Democrats brought in bow by, a little bit of consternation from Democratic faithful that this was something pressed upon them as opposed to something that was ground up. Then you have Greg Ballard coming into this race as an independent creating something called the Lincoln Party. But we've got the Libertarian Party that makes the ballot. Lori Schillings is her name. She is the candidate for Secretary of State, and she's been in this race from the beginning. Maybe the only person we knew who was definitely going to be on the ballot. Lori for Liberty, L-A-U-R-I, Lori4liberty.com. And I appreciate you taking the time to be with us. Let's start with the basics. What is the role, as you see it, of the Secretary of State? Well thank you so much for having me. The primary role of the Secretary of State, of course, is a chief elections officer. They're going to be administering the elections in Indiana. They're going to be handling business licensing. So if you've got a business in Indiana, the Secretary of State's office is here to help you. They do handle security fraud, so they'll be looking through that, and they will also be handling car licensing. Beyond that, it's a record keeping for the state. It is handling the notaries. and just a clear administrative role. So when you decided to run for this position, was it an issue of Diego Morales, the current Secretary of State isn't doing it right? Or was there something else that you thought should be added to the mix where the libertarian point of view could create opportunity that's better for all Hoosiers? I think that it is both of those things. You can have somebody who wants to do the job well for the state of Indiana and not have a partisan kind of pitch in that and still think the current incumbent is not doing a good job.

Talking to Lori Schillings, she is the libertarian candidate for Secretary of State, L-A-U-R-I, Lori for Liberty is the website. Lori, L-A-U-R-I, Lori for Liberty. It's Lori-L-A-U-R-I, I get that wrong all the time. And I apologize there. One of the things that your website discusses is that Indiana's Secretary of State should serve the people, not political parties. Is that the issue you see with the other three who are running against you? I think that they are all on board to carry water for their party or for leadership in Washington, D.C. You know, they've always got an agenda when it comes to their partisanship in some way. I'm not coming in with that. My political party says, do a good job, Lori. They really have no ulterior motives for me. I don't have giant donors telling me that they'd like to have favors in return. I can name pretty much every one of my donors in person. So it's really a grassroots effort here. First, it's a heck of an accusation to make. As you run for this office and you're traveling the state, talk to me about how you connect with those voters who may be a part of those parties or may see themselves as an independent as opposed to siding with a libertarian. Well, every year, about 36% of the voters don't vote. And that's who actually wins our elections. And we're trying to activate those voters, people who feel like they've been left behind by the two-party system. And they don't feel like those parties really represent their values anymore. So they have been really responsive to the message of, hey, I am a Hoosier. I've been born and raised here. My family's been here for 10 generations. I'm here to do the work of the community and not for anybody else. I'm here to work for the people of Indiana and no one else. And they're really responsive to that message. They want somebody who represents the working class who understands their daily struggle. And I can tell you I am definitely that girl. Talking to Lori Schillings, she is candidate for the Libertarians for Secretary of State, L-A-U-R-I, L-A-U-R-I, L-R-I, L-E-4 Liberty.com. What's your story? What is the background of Lori Schillings that makes her the qualified candidate the right person to be the Secretary of State? Well, I've got decades of experience in community leadership roles. I've got a degree in community and nonprofit leadership from the University of Indianapolis, and it gives me a real servant leadership attitude. I think this office could really use a little bit of that so that they can fully come through and serve the people of Indiana in a way that they deserve in this role. It really has nothing to do with political affiliation. It's about doing the work and making sure it's done correctly. When you see what this race has kind of become, certainly you saw the issues in the back and forth regarding Diego Morales. Certainly, you've seen Bo Bai and questions of whether or not it's all about the last name get into the race. You saw a third.

party uh get create i'm sorry a fourth party is the way we should say it uh get right it's the way we should say it get created did you think to yourself this becomes tougher or do you see that this becomes a clearer path for you I think it makes it a little more complex, but also it streamlines my ability to contrast against people who maybe are doing this because of their party affiliation. They've got a split Republican base right now. They brought in a new candidate in order to ensure that they could find somebody who might be electable because they knew Diego wasn't going to cut the mustard on this one. And then both coming in on his family name, a lot of people in Indiana recognize it, but then some people are not as happy with that family legacy either. And then our independent slash Lincoln Party gentleman coming in, you know, he kind of left the Republican Party in order to just come back and run because someone asking to. So we don't really know what his... processes, he's really undefined. I think it's a real clear-cut thing to say, hey, I've been in this race for 18 months. I declared in March of 2025, have been campaigning ever since, and I'm dedicated to the role. And I really want to make sure that Hoosers have somebody that they can rely on, and that's why I'm running. Her name is Lori Shillings, L-A-U-R-I, Lori for Liberty.com. Lori-Sillings, Libertarian, Secretary of State Candidate. I appreciate you a lot because we had had a scheduling snafu and we made it for today. And because of the flooding today, we've been covering some of that breaking news. I really do appreciate it. We're absolutely going to have you back. I can't thank you enough for you're being flexible and your time today. Lori Schillings, Loriforliberty.com. I appreciate you. I look forward to having you back soon. What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart. and your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV-4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota Fordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly BlueBooks, KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places.

Many people believe buying a home requires a large down payment and years of saving, but that's not always the case. Across the country, there are programs designed to help first-time home buyers take the next step toward home ownership. Some of these programs offer down payment assistance or grant funding that may help cover part of the upfront cost of purchasing a home. Grants are especially helpful because they generally do not have to be repaid. There are also organizations that provide homebuyer education, financial counseling, and guidance to help individuals understand the home buying process before they begin. The goal is simple to help more families become informed and prepared for home ownership. If owning a home is something you've been thinking about, start by visiting tools for home ownership.com. This message is brought to you by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling's Paving the Way Forward Initiative. And I bring in the governor of Indiana, Mike Braun, the emergency declaration because of these floods. This rain has not stopped. We spoke with Mayor Chris Jensen earlier this morning, getting ready for the cresting of the White River, which will take place sometime in the early evening. Governor, thanks for jumping on with us really quick because you've been traveling. I know you are out and about over the last couple days, Cambridge City and Newcastle, places like that. Walk me through first what you have seen with your own. eyes. Well, went up first to the region because they had record straight line wins, recorded 99 miles and I are hitting Gary. And there was debris everywhere. I started seeing it in Hobart. And as I worked my way up to the Hammond fire station, it was at that point, the tag adjutant general, Larry Munich, I said, get your crew in motion because they're going to need help. still 200,000 homes without electricity, and they've been working nonstop, bringing in help from around the region there. And then it moved its way, and we could see it. We just never anticipated. None of the forecast showed that we were going to get that amount of rain down in the south-central, southeast part of the state. So I was in Cambridge City yesterday, and believe it or not, most of that water had receded. but man reports of one to four inches again yesterday evening. So all of our state assets have been mobilized, the Department of Homeland Security, obviously state police, DNR. We got a black hawk helicopter on call for search or rescue. So. Even the I-70, 125 feet was taken out. That's hard to imagine. That's been already replaced and repaired permanently over the last two days. So things are moving quickly. But the enormity of this, Tony...

is something we haven't seen in a good while in Indiana. That's the declaration of a statewide emergency, opens up things like the 211 service activated, opens up state disaster relief for uninsured and underinsured, but proud of the way our local first responders were on the scene. That's who everybody needs to get with first, your local authorities. All the state assets are backing them up and already there in the places that have been hit. Talking to the governor of Indiana, Mike Braun, and absolutely to bring up properly what has happened in the northern regions and still is going to be happening today. And that is just it. We're going to be seeing more today. I talk about some of the things that have taken place in Muncie where there were reports of evacuations and flooding. We've seen roads that have gone out. You talk about the declaration, talk about how this brings relief. But that involves resources. now, how stretched are our resources in Indiana? So our resources generally are the best shape they've ever been in financially. When it comes to all the entities here that come into play when you have something that hits this hard and comprehensively, we could see it coming. It just wasn't expected to the extent. So we are ready, on guard, ready to go. And the utility will be doing... most of the work there, and they're getting help. That's where the National Guard will be able to debris removal and power restoration are the two issues up in the Northwest. And we had still, we had 2,000 customers, homes, businesses in the Cambridge City area, a thousand of whom had gotten their electricity restored. The other 1,000, probably yesterday and today, there are some businesses in homes, though, that are not, you know, habitable. So that's going to be a longer-term framework. And then when it comes to what do you do? If you've got insurance, you get with your insurance company immediately. The feds will get involved if there's enough uninsured. are underinsured, and we're working on that to get them the proper information, and that generally takes four to six days so they know what to do there.

Before I let you go, sir, I know you've got a busy day ahead of you. When you take a look as we discuss resources and saying that we're in the best shape we've ever been, is that saying that of the near $4 billion surplus reserves that Indiana has, we could see a portion of that going to the reconstruction of the rebuilding of roads that were washed away or bridges that were destroyed? Using that as an example? Yep. I mean, in that case, just like... How do you pay for the gas tax reprieve? You know, that's $140 million a month. And we did have $2 billion in extra reserves. That's been accumulating from early January of 25, even with a faulty forecast. That got revised in December. That puts us in a great shape to get through when you need those rainy day funds. And we intend to... and have been replenishing all of that to the locals and the state. And we're in good shape with normal rainy day funds and reserves. So we're a blessed state in that regard. And in times like these, you need it. Do you foresee dipping into the reserves to help in the recovery of the destruction that we've seen in cities across the state? If that's going to be assessed over time, I know that fixing 125 feet of interstate in doing that quickly, and that's not inexpensive. There are a lot of U.S. and state highways that end the amount of stuff that's going to be under county jurisdiction. We'll look at all that. It's too early to tell, Tony. This is going to be one that would stretch maybe your normal reserves. with the extra $2 billion, that all goes into reserves, rainy day, different things you want to do. It's too early to tell whether that'll be the case. If it is, we'll be in good shape. Mayor, sorry, didn't mean to demote you there, or maybe it's a promotion in this case. Who knows? Governor Mike Braun, Governor of Indiana, I appreciate you taking the time. We'll catch up with you soon, and I'm sure the newsroom will be watching what it is you say and doing reporting on that to everybody at WIBC, sir. Thank you for taking the time. A quick break, then Matt Baer, with the latest on the roads and the ponding. Tony Katz, 93, WIBC. Good morning. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV-4, Grand Highlander, Camry, and Corolla, with the features and style you deserve. It means driving for less with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options across the lineup, delivering great MPGs. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your car will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. For many people, renting is a convenient option. It offers flexibility and may require less responsibility for maintenance. But owning a home can offer a different set of long-term benefits. Instead of paying rent to a landlord each month, homeowners are investing in a property that can potentially increase in value over time. That means your home may become an asset as you continue to live in it. Home ownership can also provide more control over your living space, from decorating to renovations that really fit your lifestyle.

something that many people don't realize. There are education programs and financial assistance options available for first-time home buyers. Some of these programs even offer grant funding that may help cover part of the upfront cost, and grants typically don't have to be repaid. That's why learning about home ownership options can be an important step toward making the best decision for you and your family. To learn more, visit Tools for Homeownership.com. So we have got Dow futures down 97. We've got NASDAQ futures up 52. The S&P hitting a record being above 7,800. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. Great to be with you. A busy, busy morning keeping an eye on the floods, on the rain. The White River cresting this evening in Noblesville, as we spoke to Mayor Chris Jensen, paying very, very close attention, spoke to the governor, Mike Braun, surpluses you might see being used to help in some rebuilding areas of I-70 that got destroyed, other bridges, other streets, and of course, we have got whole towns underwater. We won't know for a couple days. What exactly that's going to look like in terms of damage and in terms of the restoration? Oil prices, $81.92 a barrel in the West Texas crude, the Brent crude, at $87.52. You've got Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, saying you're going to see more economic sanctions. Economic sanctions you've never seen before to further isolate the Iranians and crack the IRGC. We'll see what that brings. We'll also see whether or not indeed there have been real issues on the USS Abraham Lincoln. As some reported, the CENTCOM saying this is just not the case. It is a long deployment. But there is water and there's food and everybody is being ridiculous. It's okay to ask the question, what's going on? In terms of a deployment of 250 days plus not being an expert on what regular deployment is, 40 of those days in actual active combat, there can be long deployments. That does not mean specifically or particularly a problem. If it's about water and food, we should look into it and we should know. Meanwhile, the USS George Washington is heading in that direction. Will it be there to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln? That is unknown at this time. Meanwhile, Iran continues to say they have control of the straight. Oh, the U.S. miscalculated. They talk. Pay no attention to their talking. If you do, you're allowing them and their propaganda to win, which seems to be the real objective for a lot of media. Hate Trump more than you love the country. Let the Iranians get an upper hand in a psychological warfare game. It's pretty gross stuff. Ten year treasury at 4.643 gold prices, $475 an ounce, silver at $64.83 an ounce, and Bitcoin down to 62,781. I've got more to get to. We are nowhere near done. Keep it here. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning.

Not, not even, not even a thing. Not even a thing. What's with the gimmy? You've struggled lately. What's with the gimmy, Carl? You've struggled lately, Tony. Yeah, your mother has struggled. Do you hear me, Matt Baer? I said, I said his mother struggled. Yeah, you get, that's what I said. He's like, you've struggled lately. I'm like, well, your mother struggled. Right? I could have followed that up, you know. Your mother struggled giving birth to you. I had a big head. Right? No, really? We all haven't seen you in person. Good Lord. Tony Katz. I'm not done with you yet, Bear. Wait until I get into your mom. Braising. Tony Katz 93 WIBC, good morning. It has been, you know, we've had busy mornings before, traffic mornings, weather mornings. Today was a bunch. Because we want to get you information. We want to keep it a bit light because everything's madness. But are we all prepared for when the sun does come out and we see exactly how much damage these storms have done? Like, like, turn it down for a second there, producer Carl. Matt, Matt, you born and raised and all the jazz. You've seen these things come and go. You've seen calamities take place. You've been doing this for a great number of years. We've covered things going on here. In terms of the spread of floods, this is really... really bad. Is this as bad as you've seen it? I believe so. It is catastrophe. And the thing, you know, and we'll talk about this at some point that I do worry about is the loss of farmland that we are going to have at some point because this is a huge agricultural state. And we make a lot of money on farmland. And I'd like to know how that is, you know, with the money and everything, I know things get replaced. But this is going to be hard on the farmers. A consideration that's going to have to get discussed. You know, I brought up the, uh, the surplice. Turn off the music for a second, Carl. I brought up the surplus to Governor Braun, and I did not discuss that. I was talking, we've got parts of I-70 that are washed out and destroyed and have to be rebuilt. We've got bridges and roadways and small towns and large towns that are vital for point A to point B connections, and that's going to have to get rebuilt, but you're not wrong. Did you see this section of westbound 70 by Richmond that absolutely collapsed? I think so. I might be blending it in with some other photos at this time. Post it. Do you have it on your Twitter X? I'll get it in a second. It's Westbound. It has reopened. They're able to get it done like in 36 hours. Very impressive work. But you looked at this road. It looked like a sinkhole had opened up. It just completely collapsed. I mean, it's gone.

You know, and it's reopened, but I'm like at some point that's going to come into the conversation of tolling and a whole other bunch of things down the road. But right now, yeah, this is catastrophe, especially for these houses that are underwater, some of these places, these families displaced, the shelters are open. That's the ones you know you really have to pray for right now. And, you know, some people are going to say, I see some people in the chat room. We've already lost 530 plus million in road funding because of gas tax relief. I don't play that argument because that argument is, well, why don't we tax more just in case the bad thing happens? We have a nearly $4 billion worth of reserves. And the idea that a gas tax is necessary at 60 cents plus a gallon, that is not a connection point because the bad thing can happen. It's a question of what do we do when the bad thing does happen. A level of preparedness makes sense if it has to be more than $4 billion and you still need another half a billion dollars. I have questions. We need to be clear that one thing has nothing to do with another thing. You can argue that we have had a 60 cents plus gas tax for a long time. Do we have the roads that show it? This was a natural disaster and calamity. That is different than what the gas tax does. Just, I think that's a clear assessment because if we're going to argue that the answer is we may have bad things happen, so it's more taxes, well, then it never ends. And that's not an answer. It's dealing with our issues as we have them in being engaged in a level of preparedness, but also recognizing the day-to-day realities are we don't have calamities. But your point, Matt, is a given. I shouldn't say given as well taken about what about the farmland. I look forward to hearing from we'll get with farmers next week to see which end is up. But as for the theme song, it's film Friday, by the way. Here's how we play our game. Producer Carl, usually it's a name that television theme song. Producer Carl selects a television theme song from yester year. And I have to guess what it is. I'm allowed to phone a friend and Matt Bear or utilize the chat room for help as we live stream there on YouTube. Now, on Film Friday, what producer Carl does is he picks a piece of music from a famous film. And we have to guess what it is. This one is too easy, but I'll phone a friend anyway. Matt Bear, what is this? Finding Nemo. Nicely done. Finding Nemo in Jersey. Right? Now, producer Carl might try and be sneaky. Are we talking about Godfather or Godfather 2 or Lord forbid Godfather 3? But we're talking about the Godfather. That's correct. I have a favor to ask of you, Tony. That's my Marlon Brando.

It makes me want to have a Savoyal real bad. That's my Jennifer Coolidge, homage, right there. From Godfather to Jennifer Coolidge. You're welcome, America. Oh, good Lord. Tony Katz today coming up at noon, Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, discussing economic sanctions on Iran that have never been seen before. If you say so, I don't know what they're going to look like, but exactly what is it going to do to crack the IRGC. And then the possibility that murderous low life, Luigi Mangione, is going to plead guilty to the federal charges against him, this at a pretrial conference today, this in the killing, the murder of the United Healthcare CEO, and for all those people. who are like, oh, Luigi Mangione, he's so great. You're the kind of people who sided with Tony Carritzis. That is a low, low class of people. Low class of people. And the people are like, oh, Manjioni's just so hot. Man, liberal women are weird. They're into the murderers. Don't, don't marry them. Don't, don't. Have children with normal women, would you? It would be great. Great. Speaking of Tony Carritsis and the late great Fred Heckman and all that, you know they've made this into a film, a two-part series, I believe it is, with John Hamm and Giovanni Ribisi. The trailer is out. This is the WIBC story. It's so cool. I'll talk about it more on Monday. The show is at noon. Tony Katz today. I'll see you then. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV4, Grand Highlander, Camry, and Corolla, with the features and style you deserve. It means driving for less with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options across the lineup, delivering great MPGs. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your car will hold its value for years to come. Shoptojota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places.