Tony Katz and the Morning News Full Show 8-17-26

What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart, and your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV-4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly Blue Books KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. I'm not going to take away from the damage there on Hazel Dell, the things we have seen in Noblesville. But Anderson and Cambridge City and Newcastle, and I don't think we even understand the depths here. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC, good morning. Rocky Ripple. We've seen the people putting together sandbags and laying them up. But there are homes that are to the roof. when it comes to water. Of course, we have the declared emergency disaster happening from Governor Braun last week. You saw individual cities getting into that over the weekend as they deal with the repercussions of these floods. You have a host of roads that are still closed. Some washed out, some closed. We saw River Road in Indianapolis, saw the bridge on Hazel Dell. I love that there's still this conversation. Well, the engineers are looking at it, and they're going to determine whether it needs to be replaced or can it just be repaired. I'm not an engineer. I'm going to go with replacement. Just seeing the imagery as you did, I don't, my guess, my guess is going to be a replacement. And this is where I give everybody a large bit of caution. First, you can get as angry as you want. It's not going to change the fact that the water is still here. It's slowly receding. We've already dealt with the White River and it's cresting. This is now making its way. Today it is going to crest in Martinsville. Remember, the water's got to go somewhere, and it's still at highs in lots of places, slowly receding. The more rain that we get, you have ground that's already wet. That leads to a whole other set of issues, including if winds come trees that can topple over. If there are power lines in the area, that creates another issue. We also don't know. What is lying underneath? Now, that is not a fear moment. That is a think about the situation moment.

You have had a lot of water. You have had a lot of flooding. We have seen the damage that we've seen. We don't know what lies underneath. We don't know if foundations have been affected. We don't know if basements have been affected. We don't know if other structures have been affected. These are things that we may not know for a while. These are things that you may not be able to check for. I don't believe for a second when we talk about some of this flooding that we have seen the last of the damage it can do. And then we get into the medical. A lot of standing water and a lot of heat and humidity. Are we about to see a real increase in mosquitoes? My job is not to make you say, dear Lord, Tony, it's a Monday. What are you doing to us? Just a recognition that this is very often. And I felt this way all weekend and only got to drive around a little bit on Sunday to kind of see what was going on locally. Of course, roads were blocked off. I couldn't get over to River Road there as Carmel Meets Fissures, wasn't able to get to where things were. Only saw that drone footage. Hazel Dell and some really fantastic footage from the people. My gosh, guys, you've been doing incredible stuff. People have been in it who live there. Like, here's what's happening in Broad Ripple and here. Really spectacular. We've been able to get a great view of this. So thank you to everybody's been doing that. But I haven't seen enough myself. I did head over to Connor Prairie and saw the whole plane there behind where they do Symphony on the Prairie just filled with water. And you realize, man, this was this was something else. I often feel that when something happens, media can overplay it. Oh, that big storm, oh, that big snow. This is the first time in my dozen years at IBC that I think we're underplaying it. I don't think we have a clear determination yet, a clear understanding of the damage. Not in the slightest. I do think it is going to be worse than we know. And I'm staring at radars. And yes, indeed, the rain is not going to be as intense as it was last week. But we still have it. We have clear skies on Tuesday and Friday. And then we've got rain today, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It's cumulative effect, guys. That's where my concern is. We are not done yet. And we have got the full story coming up. Tony Katz, 93. WIBC, good morning. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Right now, your local Toyota dealer has great deals available on some of the most reliable trucks on the market, like the off-road ready Tacoma, rugged, full-sized tundra, and legendary forerunner, each with the space, tech, and features to handle it all, from the work site to the trails. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid options available. extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, meaning bigger savings at the pump without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. The Tacoma and Tundra are ranked number one and number two in resale value over all vehicles, according to Kelly Boo Book, which can mean thousands more than average right back in your pocket when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details.

Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly Blue Books, KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. There's a lot to cover about the flooding and the Attorney General Todd Rokita is going to be calling in in just a few minutes because the scammers are already. aiming at Hoosiers to figure out how you can take them for a ride, especially, oh, you got that flood damage. Oh, we could do this for you. We can do that for you. There are reputable companies. There are scammers. The Attorney General, Todd Rokita, calling in in just a few minutes. to talk to us about that. But a lot of focus has been on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The aircraft carrier has been working on the war in Iran. It has been over 250 days. It has been in a combat ready situation. And there's been a lot of talk about the terrible treatment of our sailors. When I first heard the story, I said, I'm not going to buy into a story that comes from the New York Times or anything like it. I want to understand if there's an issue. If you tell me there's not drinkable water, that's a problem. If you tell me that sailors are unhappy, I want to know why sailors are discussing their level of unhappiness. It's a very odd thing to hear. You're hearing it from families. Well, what are they saying? Well, that's just it. Phone calls aren't able to go out. They've had limited contact. As the acting secretary of the Navy, Hung Cow has explained, and that is his name. First name Hung, H-U-N-G, last name, cow, C-A-O. Incredible story, that man. If they're in an operation, communications may very well be limited. But he has come out with statement. The commander, Admiral Bradley Cooper, has been on the USS Abraham Lincoln after a visit to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jim Jordan, Saudi Arabia. He did a little bit of everything. To take a look at the situation. 266 days deployed, 200 days in a combat zone, 10,000 sorties, 1.5 million pounds of ordinance dropped. Did some sailors have their own issues? Absolutely. No loss of life. Somebody went overboard. There's a question of whether or not they actually jumped overboard. No loss of life. Meal plans were adjusted when fresh resupply was unavailable without a single meal being missed. There was a conversation of what they were able to eat. Over there at Fox News, his name is Jay Jones, Johnny Joey Jay Jones. He's one of their anchors, weekend guy, who lost both his legs in battle. And he went on a bit of a tear. How weak are you on TV complaining about tuna and noodles? I'm sorry.

You've volunteered to serve your country. You can come back and get out of the military and do luck all of these Democrat veterans and complain about it and make commercials and be a sellout if you want to and come up with a new way of doing things. The last Democrat president that I remember that was deploying troops, Barack Obama had the army going to Iraq on patrol bases for 15 months at a time eating MREs. I'm sorry, but you're a sitting duck on a patrol base in Iraq. in Afghanistan, a heck of a lot more than you are on a fortified Navy ship sitting in the water. You might have got bored, and I'm sorry. We did have more fun getting in fire fights. I'll say that. But to sit there and say that it was terrible because you had a corn dog and a hot dog, I would have traded a block of C-4 to the Taliban for a hot dog by about July 2010. I just do not understand the mentality. If this is a representation of who our military is now, and I'm not saying it is, but there's at least enough for some of these trash rags to print about it. If this is who we are, we're just Rome sitting here waiting to burn. Now, a lot of people are going to give him a lot of heat. How dare you say that about our sailors? I don't know how many people made a complaint. I have no idea to what level this was blown out of proportion. What I will tell you is I stick with my initial, my initial statement. I don't buy into a story just because the New York Times or any of their ilk reported it. I have no idea if this was five sailors or 50,000 sailors or any number in between. I do know that war is hell, and I do know it could be uncomfortable. No, I never had to live it. That doesn't change reality. We'll have more on this on Tony Katz today. The flooding is the top story and taking a look at the aftermath. The Attorney General, Todd Rokita, joins me right now, the Attorney General of Indiana because you got to start thinking ahead. You got to start thinking forward. And one of these things that he is thinking about is where the scammers are. Putting out a statement that Attorney General Todd Rokita is urging all Hoosiers to remain vigilance against scammers exploiting the damage. And according to your statement, sir, the fraudsters are already out there. First, have you been able to tour some of the damage? And what was your thoughts? Hey, Tony. Yeah, my staff and I, we've already covered Wayne, Marion, Hamilton County, and Lake so far. And, of course, our hearts are breaking. So many people have been hit. We lost seven lives. Police are doing a great job. Fire first responders of all types. I even saw the NDFOP is out there relieving the first responders and victims hit. So everyone's coming together. That's the good part. And we're just trying to meet it. Like, I'm not the first wave. I am not, my staff are certainly not the first responders. I would characterize us as the second wave. of help, but we wanted to proactively get out there because at times like this, you know, unfortunately, the worst of human nature also comes out. And so we have overly aggressive sales pitches going on. We have outright scammers, you know, those who are getting down payments and then never showing back up again, people coming from out of state. And to be clear, a lot of help is going to be needed, a lot of construction help, a lot of remodeling help.

But we have to be vigilant at this time. I know we're all tired, especially those hit directly. And so it's easy to hear things like Tony, you know, hey, we're going to waive your insurance deductible. That's illegal, by the way. That's a form of insurance fraud. We need to know about that. We have a group up in Griffith apparently saying we're tracking that down starting yesterday that FEMA is going to pay for all this. Don't worry. You know, maybe that's the case. We hope that's the case. There is no FEMA in Indiana right now. That is not an accurate statement. High pressure sales tactics to get to sign a contract right then and there, you know, those kinds of things. So talking to the Attorney General of Indiana, Todd Rokita, there is no FEMA right now in the state of Indiana. So anybody making that claim that you can get FEMA assistance, this, that, and the other, that is an absolute lie. That is a fraud. Have there already been calls to your office about the fraud possibilities? Yeah, and my Carlita in our office is going to run a list first thing this morning to see what we got over the weekend. But, you know, I know about the situation Griffith because of my relationship with local officials there who called it into me directly. And so that was yesterday, yesterday morning right after church, we got on it. And so we're chasing that down, getting the list of homeowners. And we'll probably make the... File the claim for them, get information, a complaint for them, get information about who these people were. Track those people down and immediately tell them to cease and desist and go from there. Got to verify it first. I wanted to make sure everybody I had that part clear. The other part is because people have already been asking me, hey, where can I make a donation, which is always a big one. We're givers, right? Charitable people for sure. And that's where the second part of a lot of these scams come from. Certainly there's the praying on the people who need their home rebuilt, fixed, et cetera. But the other one is donate here, donate there? Has there been any word on those places? Or are there places where you know of that these are legit? causes that are doing actual work or can do actual work. Right. Thanks. Great question. I haven't had those complaints come in yet, but usually the way these things will go. Try to stick with known charities. And we even have the scam of scammers trying to look like known charities. You know, for example, the Red Cross. Make sure you're dealing directly with the Red Cross. Make sure you're on their official website. Unless you know the victim.

The person hit hard, try to stay off the crowdfunding stuff. You know, if he, and we, you know, you're totally right. I mean, Hoosiers open up their hearts and their wallets at this time and they're right to do so. And I'm not trying to discourage any of that except to be smart about it, just like when you're trying to be smart with hiring a contractor, be smart with giving the charities. Make sure they're known unless you directly know the person affected, try to stay out crowdfunding. Todd Rokita, Attorney General of the State of Indiana, I appreciate you taking the time. Look forward to catching up with you and hopefully there'll be no more of this and no more of the fraudsters, but we both know they're going to be out there and they're going to try. And I appreciate the warning. Todd Rokita, the Attorney General of Indiana, thank you. What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with Buying Smart. and your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV-4, spacious Grand Highlander, sporty Camrys, and Corolla's. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles. And as the best resale value brand, according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly Blue Books, KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. Good Lord, Carl. Cats in the cradle? Well, in case you had nothing else to cry about, here you go, courtesy of producer Carl.

What is wrong with you? We all have daddy issues. Who plays this before 9 a.m. on a Monday? It's a great song. You are. Hey, in case you're all curious, I'm hiring a new producer. Wow. I'm going to have to call my dad. What is? What? And next up. Audio of puppies missing their mothers. What kind of person are you? Oh, this is just wrong. But that's okay. He's trying to break me, ladies and gentlemen. It's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. All right, hit the chorus. All right, turn off. Gosh. Just, there are so many things I should say to you. And there are so many ways I'd like to have my job tomorrow. There's, this is the space that I often live in everybody. I know it should be said. I'm trying to find the nicest way to say it. Daddy would never have a catch with me. Well, you just didn't know how to throw. That's a true story. If you had just worked on your mechanics for five minutes, dad would have stuck around. But no, he's still out getting that milk. Just hasn't found the perfect container yet. Just went out and never came home. That's what I'm talking about with the milk. That's what. You guys are great. You guys are really, honestly, Matt, between you and Carl, I just feel that I'm well, I'm well protected and grounded here. I've got a lot of support. Tariffs. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. We're going to talk more about the floods. The mayor of Noblesville, Chris Jensen Huang, going to join us in just a moment. But an interesting post from Sean Spicer talking about a story over Axios. where they took a look at Republicans heading into the midterms and what indeed are the strongest, strongest talking points for Republicans. Discussing transparency and health insurance. Somehow, that is a, not somehow, that is a major story that people want to discuss and how they fix that. Talking about a whole series of things, talking about what they're making and what gets denied. This is not about going after insurance companies, but rather is everything on the up and up because here's how the people feel that they are being taken advantage of. Interesting subject. Banning congressional stock trading. This is Todd Young's message who's been pushing this legislation to ban Congress from insider trading. Why is there two sets of rules? And then voters prefer a Republican who supports the Save America Act by double digits over a Democrat who opposes it. There's a lot in here for getting rid of the filibuster.

A lot. We will discuss this coming up. Also, the mayor of Noblesville, the latest on the floods, the damage that has occurred, and what comes next for those areas along the White River. Keep it here. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Right now, your local Toyota dealer has great deals available on some of the most reliable trucks on the market, like the off-road ready Tacoma, rugged, full-sized tundra, and legendary forerunner. Each with the space, tech, and features to handle it all, from the work site to the trails. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid options available, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, meaning bigger savings at the pump without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. The Tacoma and Tundra are ranked number one and number two in resale value over all vehicles, according to Kelly Boo Book. which can mean thousands more than average right back in your pocket when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly BlueBookskb.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. So we have seen... Just the beginning of the damage of these floods. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC, good morning. Good to be with you. There is a death toll. There is a damage toll that is not yet known. There is what comes next and we still have rain in the forecast. We take a look and we see rain today that's going to be here in the morning. It isn't going to be much. It's going to be scattered throughout the day. We have a clear day coming. And then we have rain back again on Wednesday and Thursday with very saturated ground, very high temperatures and still humidity in the air. But we don't know yet where all this floodwater has done damage. What we do know is that we have towns up and down the White River across the state that have had to deal with the damage and deal with the floods as they're happening. Chris Jensen Huang joins us right now. He is the mayor of Noble'sville. And of course. You dealt with a white river that crested to just under 25 feet, I believe. There was the touching of Potter's Bridge, the covered bridge, and they're going to have to have a look at that. Walk me through what it is Noblesville experienced. And where are the hot spots you're looking at still this morning? Yeah, I think you put it well. We did deal with the Mighty White River, and we've never seen her act this way in more than 113 years. So truly historic as we crests that 24.6 feet. Our big focus today, as you said, is we're really, we need this water to continue to go down, which it's doing. That's allowing us to get into those hard hit areas to really identify the damage that is there. We're focused really on about three or four main hotspots north of the community. Riverwood is a community just north of Doblesville. That's pretty well saturated.

downtown noblesville our southwest quad area near our utility treatment plant which was unfazed and fully operational by the way but there are homes around that area that we're going to be focused on today federal hill commons we're going to get power restored to that building and then obviously riverwalk village which was an area that we had to evacuate next to riverview hospitals and assisted living facilities so again a lot of it now is kind of not necessarily wait and see but we need to be able to get in and assess that damage We have incredible organizations that are lining up volunteers, lining up donations, but we are just getting started with this marathon. It's not a sprint. So to that end, we wait for the water to recede. At what level is it at right now? Roughly around 16, 15, 16 feet, so well down. And if you drive through downtown Nobles, we'll see so much more clearing than you've seen the last couple of days. So a lot of that now is going back into those floodplains and getting things that were displaced. You know, that's why that's water can be so dangerous. You don't know what's in it. We are downstream from many communities that had major flooding, and there's residue from all those communities coming down. So as each area starts to free up, we are going to be boots on the ground, working with neighbors, understanding what they need, coordinating with state and federal leaders to make sure that we have the assets on hand to assist them in the cleanup. When we take a look at 16 feet, do we have a number of what the normal height of the White River is? Does it flow to Snowblesville? We, a number of that would roughly probably be around about 10 feet lower than that. So probably six or seven feet in areas. So we have a little ways to go, but 16 feet puts it. starting to put back in the banks area, you know, kind of a high watermark, but not the spilling over if you see. So a lot of that is receding in downtown. And you're starting to see roadways open up. I think we're down to May, two main arteries. State Road 19 there in Noblesville and also Allison Road. Those are about our only two closed arteries right now, down from, you know, nearly a dozen plus in Noblesville alone the last couple days. So, you know, we're starting to wake up to the reality of our situation here. And we'll be boots on the... ground to help post clean up talking to the mayor of noblesville chris Jensen Huang There is what is seen and what is unseen, right? We've got foundations. We have basements. You have a lot of structural supports. You've done a lot of work and building up areas along the river. If we take a look at where downtown Knowlesville is in the square there, not too far away, how does one assess and how is your city going to go about assessing the damage that has not been seen to find out if indeed damage is there?

Yeah, I mean, we will do that boots on the ground. We'll be sending our teams, along with county EMA teams, into neighborhoods. We know exactly what homes have been evacuated. We know exactly where those folks are. You know, we've worked with great partners to make sure that they have shelter in place. around the community. So we'll be boots on the ground going house by house. In terms of structural buildings, we're pretty confident. You know, there is a building, Federal Hill Commons, for example, in the floodplain that was built several years ago to floodplain standards. It operated the way it should operate. So we're not really questioning that too much. It's more individual homes, a few businesses along the rivers, but we're going to have to go one at a time with our county friends, with our state friends, to make sure that we are keeping people safe in Noble'sville. We talk about the state and the work that you're seeing from other partners. Talk to me about what you're seeing as assets from the state of Indiana, what the communication has been like and what they've been providing to the scene. Sure, yeah. I had a great conversation yesterday with Speaker Todd Houston, Grant. He represents part of Nobleville, so it was great to talk with him and offer. You know, he was very clear about anything that they need from Indiana Department of Homeland Security Director with them has been incredibly supportive. I'm going to actually be with Senator Todd Young. We'll be in Noble'sville today to take a look at some stuff that he's been really critical in terms of getting the federal disaster declaration made. So I would say all, you know, all systems are go in terms of units of government talking with one another. We feel very confident and very supportive. We'll have the resources that we need. The federal approvals came through with Senator Todd Young, it was Senator Jim Banks pushing for this. I know Senator Jim Banks was on the phone with President Trump, as he described. This has been approved. Is the system where Noblesville applies for dollars? Is this the state getting it? And then you apply to the state to say, hey, we had these issues. Therefore, we would like these dollars to engage replacements or repairs? Yeah, it passes prologue. If I did back in my memory, most of the time that will flow down to the state of Indiana, and then we will work directly with them. We have a county-wide emergency in Hamilton County, and then we declared a city emergency just to make sure that we are in some Pataco with our upper government friends to make sure that we're eligible for all dollars that we're going to need. I imagine that would be clearinghouse through the state and the county. But right now, a lot of it, to your point, Tony, not only is damage unseen, a lot of the work that we're doing behind the scenes to make sure we're documenting. asking homeowners as they get back into their homes, take pictures of damage. We're going to need that documentation, house by house, structure by structure, in order to put this into databases to be reimbursed from our friends of the federal government. There's a lot of work that's going to go behind the scenes into that process as well.

Chris Jensen Huang, the mayor of Noblesville, I appreciate you taking the time to be with us. Glad that your worst is over. And hopefully this repair, recovery cleanup won't take too long. And hopefully we will not find things underneath that we certainly don't want to see. Mayor Jensen Huang, thank you for taking the time. I appreciate it. 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 BlueBookskb.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. So the fever are on a win streak, and the Colts had their first preseason game. Did we learn anything from it? Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. J.M.V. joins us. He is the voice of sports in Indiana, 93-5-107-5, The Fan. I think where you are at, you're a little more south. The flooding was not affecting you guys. I only hope everything went easy and safe. Before we get to the fever, let's talk a little bit about that preseason game with the Colts and some takeaways. Yeah, hey, Tony, good morning to you, by the way, brought you by L.D. Smith, Fleming, and Drain's at 317-927-1-186. Yep, from the fever standpoint yesterday, another impressive performance, one in which they were down by 10 on the second half, came back, and it obviously got fortunate because Reese missed that lay-up opportunity off the air ball there at the end. It goes into overtime, and they end up getting a win, but they're playing their best basketball the season. Tony, I have made this comparison, and I'm going to see if you follow me on this. If you look back at the Pazer teams, we really love, the one that advanced all the way to the NBA Finals Game 7, and then the team prior to that to lost at the Eastern Conference Finals to Boston, there are similarities there. Really fun-loving offensive similarities, because each team, they love to push the ball. Each team has shot-making ability. Each team is led by somebody that makes everybody on the team better. I think each team offensively, their best defense is pushing the page and keeping the hammer down offensively. So if you love those baser teams, I think that is the reason why you have to be loving watching this fever team play, and especially be successful because the two teams, to me, are incredibly similar. As we talk fever first.

All the outside stuff, all of the statements from Coach White and everything else. You've seen the team rally around there, which is something I actually liked, even if I disagree with the coach, which I do vehemently. I like the idea of this is our coach, this is our team. We're focused on us. Let's keep moving forward. As people often discuss, and my chairman has discussed, winning, you know, solves all issues. Has the winning been a resultant of things from outside the court, or is the winning from Coach White understanding what to do with these players now? Well, I think they're messing a heck of a lot better. I think that I understand it comes with coaching and the players getting into it as well. I think they're playing a little bit better defensively at some portions of the game, not turning it over as much, a little bit better and obviously not fouling as much. So categories, Tony, in which they struggle that I think they are getting better at as we see at this point of the season. Now, you also brought up the Colts. A couple of take away from Thursday night. I don't know how much I take away from Anthony Richardson Sr. or Riley Leonard. They're both, I think, going to be on this team. They're going to carry three quarterbacks. I do wish that at some point they're going to utilize Anthony Richardson, if he's going to be on this roster, maybe give him some plays of offensive value, put him in there, see if he can run a little bit, do some different things with him, kind of like Asam Hill, which I know Shane Stike is not going to do, because frankly, I don't think Shane Stike really likes Anthony Richardson, Sr. that much as a player. The other takeaway is I love the way the Caden Curry played. I know he got those late minutes and who knows who he was playing against, but here's the one thing that stood out to me is the Caden Cary, and you could put Fernando Mendoza with the Raiders in the same category. These guys looked absolutely the same in their dominance in their first preseason games in the NFL as they did at the highest level in college football. That's always a takeaway from me. How you look. They looked. the same as they did dominating college football at a high level as they did in that first preseason game, not against one another, but certainly in different categories. They look the same. And I think that's an incredible positive for both players. Our issues are with wide receiver. The conversation was I was watching some of the preseason game, and I'm watching Rakestra do his work, Greg Rikstra, who I think is just terrific. And there's a question of, you know, you see four tight ends. You got Tyler Warren, you got Moe Alley Cox, got Drew Oval Tree, you got Will Mallory, so a lot of Mallory in that game. And the belief is this is a team that's going to go with four tight ends going into the season because we don't have the wide receiver core, and we've got these... Big tall guys and you can get yourself four yards on every play and just move the ball down that way. And it won't be exciting football, but it'll be move the ball football. That the correct assessment?

Yeah, and I don't like it either, Tony. You and I are in the same category of this, too. And here's the other thing we've got to think about is Ali Pierce going to be ready for week number one, and how ready might he be? I highly question whether he's going to be ready for week number one. And for the life of me, I don't know why he don't go out and pass DJ Montgomery, who they brought in last year, who's been in here before. You do something more significant. And you're right. They may end up going with an extra tight end, but that makes no sense to me. Again, we've been down this path, you and I together on these Monday mornings wondering why there is something that is so obvious to us who are the football novice, and it's not obvious to those making the football operational decisions around here. At this point, I don't get it, and you'd have to give me a pretty darn good reason as to why I should get it, especially wondering exactly how and if Alec Pierce is going to be going in week number one. Sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous, and that's how you feel when you talk about things like this with the Colts over the years, as we're doing right now. Jam V, the voice of sports in Indiana. Catch him Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. over there on the fan. Jam V. Thanks. I appreciate it, man. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. 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. Shoppedyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Bring on the popcorn moment. Brought to you by Booer, B-O-O-O-H-R, Buhrimodeling.com. For me, it's all going down. We picked all the materials. They were out to measure the new countertop. And now we have the final meeting to get. The installation set, so everybody knows what's going on. With Buer remodeling, you know what's happening every step of the way with your home renovation, your kitchen, your bathroom, your basement, whatever it is you're trying to get done and make a valuable part of your home again. Buer is therefore the best material is the most skilled craftsman and the communication. You know everything. There is, there's no guesswork. There's no stress. There's no wondering when something's going to happen. You know every part of it. got you covered. They deliver quality work. They focus on you. They're focused on the service and the result is just magnificent. Boer Remodeling. 317-8-2-5-2-8-4-6. Boer Remodeling. B-O-O-O-O-H-E-R. Boer-remodeling.com. The Popcorn Moment. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

It's a story you need to hear to believe and grab your popcorn because there is more. I will get to the vice president, JD Vance, in just one moment. The former vice president, Mike Pence, scheduled me with us at 815. You should be tuned in for that. The updates. On the flooding, we have gone through. We have seen the White River crest to about 25 feet in places like Noblesville. We spoke to the mayor there, Chris Jensen Huang, that they are in this cleanup phase and really it's boots on the ground today to get an idea of what other damage may have taken place. We know that Carmel losing that bridge on Hazel Dell, the conversation of whether that's going to be repaired or replaced. My bet. That's a replacement. Then there are the areas where we have seen damage. We still have 19 that is closed. Other roads have been opened, as Matt Bears been talking about, ponding, flooding. Do not think you can drive through it. That is a nutty thing to do. But it is Anderson. There's where a lot of my thoughts are. Newcastle, Cambridge City. What will we see when the water finally recedes? Also, we have more rain in the forecast. Certainly not as much. Certainly not as intense. But we have rain in Indianapolis coming any moment now for the next couple hours. That's what's on radar. We see rain Wednesday and Thursday, as Amber Hardwick told us, we do have a dry day tomorrow. And hopefully that will help quite a bit. The question is, are we talking about water receding? Are we talking about the drying out of the ground? My concern is that when you've got ground this wet, if you bring in thunderstorms with any level of wind, you can see trees go creates a whole other level of issue, never mind standing water and what that means for mosquitoes and other issues. We're not done yet by any measure, and we don't have an idea yet of how deep the damage is, how deep it goes, where this flooding affected foundations and structures all across Central Indiana, but it's these towns specifically Anderson. where I've got real concerns and real worry. And, of course, here at WIBC, along with Fox 59 and CBS4, doing our part. We'll have more on that coming up very soon in the days ahead here at WIBC. But I bring you... The vice president of the United States. By the way, I did not mention Broad Ripple, Rocky Ripple that the people got out there and put out the sandbags and stopped the flooding. They put the flood walls up. They dealt with it as well. And we're going to see more and hear more from them about what the damage has been, what has been able to seep and where. I didn't want to leave them out of the conversation. They matter just as much, if not more than any place else we're talking about. I don't want to rank the things.

There's some ugly stuff going on. We're going to have a lot of work ahead of us. Ugly stuff is what comes from JD Vance, who's having a conversation that somehow the dollar should not be the reserve currency of the globe. This is him in his words. Yeah, that's exactly right. And by the way, you know, I'm a. This is like maybe super heterodox. I am not sure that I think the reserve currency is actually good for the United States of America. I think there is a good argument that reserve currency status is akin to coal in Appalachia. It's a resource curse, right? It allows your consumers to consume very cheaply, right? That's been the story of the American economy for the last 15 or so years, even before that, is we can just borrow basically in an unlimited way because we have the reserve currency. I think that's a real conflation there. The idea of spending, the idea of borrowing, versus whether or not the U.S. dollar is the reserve currency. Now, as Phil Magnus has pointed out, this is not the first time that JD Vance has gone down this road. I'm wondering when I hear about the history, when I think about and read about the history of Appalachia and the resource curse, I'm struck by some of the... by the idea that you could make a similar argument about the reserve currency status of the United States dollar. Americans have enjoyed one of the greatest privileges of the international economy for the last nearly eight decades, a strong dollar that acts, of course, as the world's reserve currency. You know that better than I do. Now, this has obviously been great for American purchasing power. We enjoy cheaper imports. Americans, when they travel abroad, benefit from lower costs. But it does come at a cost to American producers. I think in some ways you can argue that the reserve currency status is a massive subsidy to American consumers, but a massive tax on American producers. Now, I know the strong dollar is sort of a sacred cow of the Washington consensus, but when I survey the American economy and I see our mass consumption of mostly useless imports on the one hand, and our hollowed out industrial base, on the other hand, I wonder if the reserve currency status also has some downsides and not just some upsides. Every part of this conversation is playing the vice president into an isolationist conversation, which is his default, where he naturally, naturally wants to be. I don't believe that the economics works, that our ability to export is threatened, limited by being a reserve currency. I don't think it changes that whatsoever. But I would say that I could take a look at the regulatory environment of near any industry.

And I can make it easier for that industry to operate having nothing to do with being the reserve currency. And we should ask ourselves if we're not the reserve currency, if we are not the saying we're the stable currency, we are the stabilizing force. Who would be? Do you think China has any capacity or want to be a stabilizing force? You certainly wouldn't put it on the ruble to the extent the ruble is still a thing. Where would you put it? You put it in the rupee or the yen? You're going to put it in the rupee or the yen? What is the plan here? The problem with this argument is that this argument doesn't seem to go anywhere. It seems to be saying we shouldn't bother with other nations. We should just do our thing. It is the isolationist argument in a very unique way. But I don't think it's one that should be well regarded. I'll have a big breakdown on this on Tony Katz today. At noon, you should tune in. What is Toyota fordability? 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. Shopped Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Today on the marketplace, used shorts. You know, it sounded better when I first found them. Out loud, it doesn't sound. Good at all. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. Good to be with you during downtime, clearing my head and getting ready for what's next on this very show. I find myself on Facebook Marketplace. Cool stuff, odd stuff, weird stuff, strange stuff. It is all there on the Marketplace. Marketplace segment brought to you by Indianaunclaimed.gov. It's your cash. Go get it fast, easy, free to use. Just text my name, Tony, to 46220 to get started.

of Matthew Bear. Yes, Tony. Matty, Maddie Boo. Hello. Personally responsible for all the reins we've had. Thank you. Yes. You did a dance and the next thing you know, there it is. Terrible dancer, too. You're a fan of the Indy 500. I know you are. Very much so. And you're there in the traffic center. You're getting everybody to the track, safe and sound, every single Indy 500. Do the best I can. Fine job. Excellent job. Are you dressed in your 500 regalia? No, I'm not. I really don't have any 500 regalia. Until now. Oh, until now. What do we have on the marketplace today? I have for you a pair of Loudmouth Golf, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, wing wheel checkered flag shorts in size 40. All right. Let's take a look at this at Tony Katz. I want to see this. Yeah, I've got to post it on my Twitter. I see Tony Katz. Oh, these are cool. All right. They're checkered black and white, and they've got the wing wheel logo all over them. This was personally approved by Doug Bowles. As a matter of fact, I think he sewed this exact pair of shorts. He is quite the sewer. He's like a weaver. Yes. Everyone knows. Doug Bowles, no one can rock a loom. Like Douglas Horatio Bowls. Also, his middle name is Horatio. I didn't. Yeah, yeah. You got, and when you're really friends with them, you learn these things. Ah, Horatio Bulls. I made that part up. I have no idea. I don't know if the man knows him alive. Maybe it doesn't have a middle name. Right. So it's a pair of shorts. And it's, right? So it is a pair of shorts right there. And it says, cash or Venmo accepted? item will not be held unless paid for first come first serve make a statement on the golf course at the racetrack or at your next party with these loudmouth shorts like new condition as i only wore once a year to the indianapolis 500 with all due respect with all due respect wearing something to the indy 500 is not the story what you did in them is the story that determines value sir right right these will look great in a snake pit yep Yep. But usually things in the snake pit are one and done. It's like Frank Sinatra with underwear immediately throwing out. Oh, they're coming off. These shorts are $50, Matt, Barry. You're entering you out. I've got to be honest. It's a men's size 40, and I don't mean to brag, but that's a little bit too big for me. Oh, oh, wow. So for those of you don't understand what Matt said, what he said is, listen, tubsy-wobbies. I don't need no fatty fats clothes, right? I'm built. I'm built like a nine-year-old boy, and I don't need any of you with your moo-moo shorts coming at me. I was going to say a 20-year-old man, but thank you very much. Right? Yeah. So that's it. They're cool shorts. I do love the shorts, though. Right? And just think that usually the Indy 500, it's hot, so it's been sweating. But, yeah, we know what happened. Ouch. That is, oh, yeah, oh, I, we should check the other side to see if there's stainage. Sweatish shorts and stainage. According to the other side of the shorts, there's no stainage. Okay.

You don't know unless you look inside. I'm out. I'm out. I'm just saying. By the way, you can apply that bit of life advice to anything, kids. Right? This is true. According to Uncle Matt, just remember, you don't really know what's happening unless you look. Inside. Look at your sweaty, stained shorts. That's, look inside. See what's in there. Had to correct my verbiage there. Thank you. Thank you. There it is. I want these shirts. Can't do the voice. It's there on the marketplace. Check it out for yourself. I need a shower. Tony Katz and 93 WIBC. Good morning. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Right now, your local Toyota dealer has great deals available on some of the most reliable trucks on the market, like the off-road ready Tacoma, rugged full-sized tundra, and legendary forerunner, each with the space, tech, and features to handle it all, from the work site to the trails. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid options available, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, meaning bigger savings at the pump without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. The Tacoma and Tundra are ranked number one and number two in resale value over all vehicles, according to Kelly Boo Book, which can mean thousands more than average right back in your pocket when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. Shop Toyota.com or your local dealer for deals and details. Vehicles projected resale value is specific to the 2026 model year. For more information, visit Kelly Blue Books KB.com. Toyota brand average resale value is 53% versus the average vehicle at 45%. Toyota, let's go places. So the bears are one step closer, but they haven't taken that final step yet. They pull the rug now. It's going to hurt a lot of people. And we're going to have to take our revenge. But it doesn't seem like they are. Seems more and more like they're coming. It's just a question of where. Tony Katz 93 WIBC. Good morning. Gary Dick joins us from Inside Indiana Business.com on the TwitterX at IIB. Gary, before we get into where the bears are at, hopefully you're okay from the flooding. Of course, your sister publication of the IBJ has been reporting on this. No issues where you are. No damage to Casa de Gary. No, none here and certainly thoughts and prayers with so many people who have been impacted by the flooding. I mean, truly a major story with major impact, loss of life as well, not to mention the substantial damage. So historic flooding and the impact is going to be felt for some time. Talk to me about the bears and what it is that you're hearing two possible locations. Where are we at? Well, I think it's going to be a while, Tony, unfortunately. You know, we've been reporting for some time now that a decision would be coming perhaps sooner rather than later. We heard late spring, early summer. Now we're...

essentially through the summer, no decision. And the feeling I'm getting in talking with people is because the bears are looking at a second site in Hammond, that that's going to delay things a bit and maybe stretch it out for maybe a month or more before a decision is made. I had a few moments with Governor Braun and Tara Hote at an event we were at last week. And he, he. said that's a good, he feels as though that's a good thing. He feels as though the more time that is out there a better deal in terms of the site, what can go on the site, what is available around the site can be determined and a better deal can be put together. But that's what I'm hearing now, Tony, is it's going to be perhaps a bit longer before a decision is made. Now, how does that play into Illinois? Maybe getting back into the picture and the Illinois legislature reconsidering a package. Don't know. They obviously have been out of session, go back into session officially in January, but I think they come back in for some business in November as well. So lots of questions. I think we're inching, as you said, I think we're inching a bit closer to a decision, but that still may be a month, maybe more out. Is there any talk about as second locations are being discussed, whether that is indeed for the bears or whether that's feeling things out to see if there are other projects that could come to Northwest Indiana, other sports teams? Yeah, well, I think both. I think the Bears and actually the city of Hammond. I talked with Mayor McDermott some time ago on this or about this when this whole concept of the second site came about. And he was fired up about it. He said that original site, actually, I believe maybe has a few problems. I'm not sure if indeed that may have been part of the reason for going after that second site or not. The second site affords a lot more opportunities for additional development, keeping the golf course in that area and what that might mean in terms of additional development as well. And then in terms of additional sports teams, could that be part of the mix, maybe, perhaps? But I think the main focus is looking at what ancillary development in and around that site can be put together. And I think the Bears feel as though it's an attractive location and one that makes a lot more sense. I think Hammond does as well. Talking to Gary Dick from Inside Indiana Business.com on the TwitterX at IIB. You broke the story as far as I know that Anderson, you've got Harris Hoosier Park that is going to now be the home of the Hamiltonian Stakes. This is harness racing. This is actually a huge, huge deal that is just getting kind of low-keyed. I mean, don't get me wrong. We're dealing with flooding. And that, of course, is the front-page story. But this is a very big deal coming to Indiana. There's an opportunity for a crazy party here. Walk me through it.

Yep, you're exactly right, Tony. And I thought the same thing as this came together. Mickey Chewy from the IBJ broke the story. The Hamiltonian, which is the biggest harness racing event around a million dollar purse. It's been out at the Meadowlands for many, many years. It's an East Coast tradition, if you will. And in fact, the announcement made a three-year deal for the Hamiltonian stakes to be held at Harris Hoosier Park. beginning in 2027 next year, moving from the Meadowlands, has been there for nearly 50 years. So it is a big win, and certainly a big win for Anderson, if you think about. That's a city that has had more than its fair share of tough times. General Motors has essentially gone from the city. It's had a lot of economic problems and issues they've had to deal with. This is the shot in the arm. It will give them some attention, give them some visibility, a chance to showcase what's going on there. So it is a big story. And again, the flooding certainly takes the front page news here. But this Hamiltonian announcement, I think, is big for Anderson and big for the state of Indiana. A state that, I think, as you know, as well, is very big in the horse racing and the harness racing world. If we don't do make this our uh kentucky derby make this one of those kinds of parties that everybody's watching how w ibc is not already the official station of the hamiltonian i don't even know that should that deal has to get uh done no no no don't don't worry you there's no place else to go hamiltonian we're it it's us or or or bust uh but most importantly do we know what day that this gets held on for the next three years and what is the plan to hold on to this for the next 30 years there's a serious party there expecting 10,000 people to show up each year to the track, which is seven eighths of a mile, because that's the minimum you can have on this track for the Hamiltonian, for the harness race. Is there plans to do any level of expansion? And what's the plan to keep this thing for the next 30 years? Yeah, I'm sure there are efforts that are already in the works to try to make this a long-term deal. You know, horse racing in Indiana is something like a $2 billion industry. So this isn't foreign to the state of Indiana. This is something that Indiana does well and is important to the state. And in terms of what it could mean for Hoosier Park in Anderson and the potential, the likelihood, there are going to be improvements in the possibility of expansion, I think that's all realistic. Don't have the specific dates, although it will start next year. So 2027 will be the first Hamiltonian in Indiana. And again, an opportunity for the sports world to shine the light, this time not on Indianapolis. but on Anderson. So exciting times. And Tony, I can see you in Asoki. I could see you. I'm envisioning this right now on the track. I see it. I like it. Yeah, well, the horse doesn't.

Gary Nick inside Indiana Business.com. I appreciate you being with us. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Your local Toyota dealer has great deals available today on RAV4, Grand Highlander, Camry, and Corolla, with the features and style you deserve. It means driving for less with hybrid and plug-in hybrid options across the lineup, delivering great MPGs. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles, meaning your car will hold its value for years to come. Shop Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. The updates are all at WIBC.com. Tony Katz, 93 WIBC. Good morning. As we've talked about the flooding all over the area, certainly Marion County is not. Out of this, as the reporting goes from the WIBC Newsroom, the flood of the White River at Nore and 82nd is down earlier this morning to 18.5 feet, about three feet below the crest. Everything is moving further south. Ravenswood, an area of concern. Of course, you saw the videos at a Broad Ripple, Rocky Ripple. Over the weekend and everybody gathering together, getting the sandbags out there to deal with these issues. Now we're going to see where some long-term effects are of these rains, of these storms, of these floods, excuse me, on businesses. And on homeowners, I would ask Mayor Joe Hogsett to come on and discuss what it is that Indianapolis is doing. But since the mayor never comes on, the invitation remains. We'll see if in a time of flooding, he believes that in getting information to the people is more important than anything else. I leave that completely and totally up to him. You've got statewide seven people. have perished in these storms and in this flooding all different age ranges. And there's one story of a bicyclist deciding to ride around a flood barricade and fell into a collapsed road. I don't know what one is supposed to say at that moment. That's a horror story. The barricade is there for a reason. You got to know that it's there for a reason. I don't. It's just terrible. I think you'll leave it at that. Good gosh. We're going to have more of this. The full stories at WIBC.com. Coming up, the vice president, the former vice president, Mike Pence joins us. We'll take a look at what's going on in Iran and his new book, What Conservatives Believe, has the political right drifted too far into the populism. That story is coming up. Tony Katz, 93, WIBC. Good morning. So in the many conversations that we have had about...

President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and really Republicans writ large. It's been a conversation about conservatism versus populism. Tony Katz, great to be with you. I have stated quite clearly, for those who may not know, may be new to the show. First of all, thanks for being here. Secondly, I'm a conservative. I am not a populist. MAGA, Make America Great Again, is much more populist than I am. It doesn't mean that we don't have areas of overlap. It means that in the end, I don't believe in so much the expedient thing as I do in the right thing. So there is a difference here. The question is, is the Republican Party now in a place where populism is the name of the game and the conservatism is Passa? The former vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, joins me right now. He is the author of what conservatives believe rediscovering the conservative conscience, which you can find at Amazon.com, wherever fine books are sold. And, sir, I only thought I was just here to keep your seat warm until you came back to radio. Is that the announcement you're making here today? Right now? You're coming back. to WIBC? Well, not quite, but I'm awful glad to be on with you this morning. And Tony, just thanks for your clarion conservative voice. And also, obviously, you know, from our home here in Zionsville, you know, our hearts just go out to all the who your family's impacted by the flooding over the last several days. WIBC and you personally have done an extraordinary job. That's very kind of you. Making relief available. It just the loss of life and the devastation of property. I really commend Governor Braun. I commend our delegation in Washington. And of course, President Trump for moving so swiftly to make resources available. But prayers in our hearts are with every Hoosier family that's listening, that's been impacted by these floods. And I know that help is there and more help is on the way. And we're going to be working on that as a station and, of course, as a state. The book is interesting in that you're making this contrast, this, this, this. conversation of there is such a thing as conservatism. It is different than what we're seeing. And it was always the contrast that I saw between you and President Trump and serving as vice president in that first term. As you describe it, what is the issue? What is the issue that Republicans have right now? Yeah, well, for decades, Republicans were really defined by that broad, mainstream, conservative agenda that you and I embraced, which is an agenda of a strong defense, American leadership in the world, limited government, less government, less taxes, and traditional values.

Our battle for most of the decades in the last 50 years has been against a traditional liberal Democratic Party. But the first change I write about in my book is that the Democratic Party has been overtaken by the progressive left. I mean, you've covered it quite thoroughly here on your broadcast, Tony. But, you know, we've seen the rise of socialist candidates, the open embrace of socialist and even communist ideologies within the Democratic ranks. And so that's one slide. But what I also wanted people to see, and you said at the opening of this segment, that there has been a new threat to that traditional conservative agenda that's emerged from the populist right that embraces protectionism, isolationism with marginalized values like the right to life. And I say that, acknowledging first and former, the new Trump administration has gotten a lot right. I think standing up to Iran as no previous president ever did, taking the fight directly to the mullahs in Tehran, standing with Israel, extending all those tax cuts that we passed a decade ago, unleashing American energy. It's all been great progress there. But there are voices and forces afoot within the party that would want to change the Republican Party to that. that populist kind of big government isolationist protectionist approach. And I wrote the book to really start a conversation that I hope continues thoroughly over the next two and a half years. You know, the very concept of protectionism, talking to the former vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, when people hear that, they say, well, you have China which manipulates its currency, right? And they make our lives difficult and the power of the dollar difficult. You do have places where we could say this is unfair trade, that this is not a proper or valuable arrangement. You could take a look at just NATO spending where the United States was spending and other nations were not. say what's wrong with a little bit of protectionism? How do you answer that? Well, number one, I say I 1,000% agree with everything you just said. In fact, I think the Trump Mike Pence years really changed the national consensus on China. We recognize that China had been engaged in decades of trade abuses, intellectual property theft. We impose $250 billion in tariffs on China. They're there to this day. China is the exception. Trade abusers are the exception. But a year ago, when the president came out with his liberation day, broad-based tariffs against friend and foe alike, I called it. It's essentially the largest peacetime tax increase in American history. I was pleased the Supreme Court turned it back. But as you can see in the headlines, the administration has come with a whole new range of tariff proposals that ultimately American businesses and American consumers.

pay American tariffs. That's fundamental economics. It's one of the reasons why most users understand that what we make here, what we grow here, we sell to the world. And our goal should be free trade with free nations. And I make that case in my new book, what conservatives believe. Talking to the former vice president, Mike Pence, the book is What Conservatives Believe, Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience. And what people like yourself will be called, and you've heard this a million times in your life, is that you, sir, are a neocon. And if they could then hiss at you and, like, put up the Cavorka as if somehow you were walking with plague, they would. The neocon labeling, does it move anymore? Does it mean anything anymore? Is there a value to being a neocon? Well, I don't know that these labels ever had much purchase. But look, you know, when Osama bin Laden attacked the United States 25 years ago next month. from his perch in Afghanistan. We took the fight to Afghanistan. Never, never imagining that it would turn into a forever war. And I'm, I'm someone that believes that the proper use of the U.S. military is when you go to war, you go to war to win. You state your objectives, you achieve your objectives, you complete them. and you're out. And the truth is that the critics of forever wars from the president on down, and to me and my time, make a great point that we saw Afghanistan and Iraq evolve in the nation building. But that doesn't mean that you pull in the shutters and allow authoritarian regimes like Iran to menace, like Russia, to attempt to redraw international lines by force. that as the leader of the free world, I think the United States has always understood, that we have an opportunity to stand with those that are defending their freedom. And it's, I think the administration's in a better place on Ukraine right now, and I welcome that, but the stops and starts in support for Ukraine after that brutal and unprovoked invasion by Russia now more than four years ago. is again emblematic of this sentiment that says that we can't solve our problems here at home and still be leader of the free world. Do you believe that that is the issue with populism, that it leads to isolationism? It does, and even to worse. I mean, you've spoke forcefully about the way isolationism, particularly applied to Israel, drifts quickly into anti-Semitic rhetoric that has been increasingly tolerated for years on the progressive left.

even among members of Congress who've engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric. But it's even gained some purchase on the populist right. And there's no place in America for anti-Semitism or anti-Semitic rhetoric in any form. And so I think that's where it goes. I really do. Look, I understand the frustration that people feel as they look at a $40 trillion national debt. as they look at an increasingly dangerous world. But at the end of the day, I think hewing to our roots of the ideals and principles that are enshrined in our declaration are outlined and defended in the Constitution of the United States, that's still the pathway forward to a free and prosperous and secure America. Mike Pence, former vice president of the United States, The Book, What Conservatives Believe, Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience, Sir, I appreciate you taking the time. It's good to talk to you. I hope to get to do it again in the very, very near future. Thank you, sir. Tony, I'll look forward to it. And we'll be at the Indiana Historical Society Thursday for a book signing and remarks if people want to join us this Thursday evening, 530 to 7. And if Tony Katz made a surprise appearance, that'd make my whole day. My gosh. Now I'm on the... I'm on the clock and I'm under the gun. No pressure. No, but guilted like only my grandmother could. The vice president, Mike Pence, sir. It's on the calendar. It's happening Thursday. I'll talk more about it. Thank you, sir. We have got Dow futures right now down 182 points. NASDAQ futures up 106. Just proving that the stock market knows what it's doing. Tony Katz 93 WIBC. Good morning. Great to be with you on a very, very busy morning. West Texas crude is at $82.32 and $32 a barrel. Brent crude at $88.66 a barrel. The 10-year treasury at 4.708. We're going to be putting the 30-year fixed. If it stays another day, we're going to be putting that at 6.8. And it's going to hurt housing. Gold is at $4381 an ounce, silver per ounce, $65.17. Bitcoin at $63,547. President Trump threatening to bomb Oman if it gets in the way. The MOU, by the way, has expired. Remember the memorandum of understanding? Ah, it's a good time. It's a good time. It's like your first crush. You don't really remember, but you still have the feeling. Yeah. The feeling wasn't real either. I have no idea if he's going to bomb or not. But this brings us the story of North Korea, South Korea. And this very, very weird statement from the president is saying, you know what, we're not going to have.

these exercises with South Korea. I would really cancel them because they're very rude to the North Koreans who have been just lovely to us. But since I can't cancel them, we're just going to limit the scope of the exercises is what we're going to do, right? Because North Korea has been unthreatening and respectful. I have instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce to joint military exercises while somewhat unrelated question mark. I recently asked the president of South Korea if they would like to join us in the denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, no thanks. Thank you for your attention to this matter, President Donald J. Trump. Yeah, I'm with you. North Korea is still a threat. Let's not be crazy. I also understand that like it or not, this is Trump's approach. Are you with me or not? And if you're not going to be with me on the denuclearization over there, clearly you have no problem with nuclear weapons. So we don't need to work these exercises with you. You guys figure it out on the peninsula. It's a statement. It is a very, very strong statement. I didn't say you liked it. I didn't say you thought it was even the best way to engage a statement. But it is one. If we're going to argue that the president has decided not to take Guff from these people and not to take it from foreign leaders and not just accept the, well, we have to do everything while they do nothing, he doesn't believe in any of that. And so we should be understanding each other always. That is what millions of Americans voted for. They see the taking it as weakness. I see the show in the Pacific Rim is important regarding China. There are some who believe, well, that's over because we are moving the George Washington, the carrier, out of the area. We're heading it to the Middle East, and we no longer have a presence in the Pacific, which means the pivot to the Pacific is over. I would argue the pivot to the Pacific was over when the president made clear he was a big fan of the Monroe Doctrine and focusing on the Western Hemisphere. I thought that was the move to pivot out. Not anything else. So I think it's people who are not so much Johnny come lately, but utilizing this is just a moment to say, oh, look, I can put out a really, really snarky post on X or tweets, whatever the case may be. I don't think we can or should leave the Pacific Grim and Toto. We have relations with Japan and other nations that we want to keep up. We have the August agreement regarding submarines between the UK, Australia and us, which is the only agreement right now that is still working, I think, in very, very full and proper effect as I know it. No, you can't be everywhere all the time. The question is, in the places we are, are we really capable? We used to be able to do two and a half fronts. Now it's only one and a half fronts. If that, we have a lot of work to do. And that work involves shipbuilding. You've heard it a million times. We've discussed it here. That is everything. And we are not hitting it hard enough at all. It's about time.

See, some things do stick with you. Tony Katz 93 WIBC. Good morning. What a morning it's been. It's time to play America's favorite game. What the heck is that television theme song? Here's how we play our game. Producer Carl has selected a television theme from yesteryear. I have to guess what it is. I'm allowed to utilize the chat room for help as we live stream on YouTube. Check it out for yourself. Just go to WIBC and subscribe. Or I'm allowed to phone a friend. My phone only connects to Matt Bear, though. On Mondays, we play Redemption Monday. This is a song that I missed, and I now have a chance to redeem myself. And get it, correct. I'll go to Matt first because I have to. Matt Bear. Matt Bear, what is this television theme song? Clifford, the big red dog, Tony. Bravo. This is the theme song, too many a Cinemax plot line. That's such a good reference. I'm taking that with me. Taking that all the way to the bank. This is the theme song to women in prison. You've been redeemed. Finally. Yeah. The chat room has been joking with this for like for two months now. Everything is women in prison. By the way, that was that was the name of a television show. And not just your ex-husband's fantasy. Nope, no, actual, actual television show. Uh, okay, turn that off. Uh, on Tony cats today at noon, we're going to dig into this reserve currency conversation, uh, that the vice president is having because, um, uh, No, not my guy. Not my guy, right? Which brings up this whole Mike Pence conversation, and he'll be at the Indiana Historical Society. Thursday. You can get your tickets at IndianaHistory.org in evening with Mike Pence. His book will be there. You'll get a copy of the book. You'll get it signed. Tickets are there at Indianahistory.org. No, I don't agree with the man about everything. I don't. But on... On the very concept of conservatism over populism, yeah, I am very, very much there. And no, I don't listen to the people who call him a traitor. I think it's all just a bunch of nonsense. I do think that part of him needs to get a little more understanding and aggression on... on the fight characteristic. It's not always about turning the other cheek. It's not always about just absorbing the hit and moving on. No, you must culturally be a participant in the arena. And so if there's anything that I think that I've learned from.

From watching this, and if you guys knew me before Trump was on the scene, you know, the culture conversation has always been a big one for us. It's always been right there. It's the coming from Los Angeles and being around that whole scene and the Breitbart scene and these people who made the TV and made the films and FOA, things like that, it was. The storytellers tell the story. Why aren't we telling a story at all? Why is there no fight in this regard? And it's gotten better, but it's not there. And so this would be my argument to the vice president that this, in terms of a principle, yes, I am not there with the populism. In terms of an attitude, yeah, they're right. They are. They are. Give me the attitude without the populism and hot, diggity, you are on to something. So that's Thursday night at the Indiana Historical Society there. Starts at 5.30. You get your tickets at IndianaHistory.org. Also, all the talk of the flooding today. Now, we're not done with this. We have a lot to cover on this story. We've been doing it at WIBBC.com all weekend. Incredible work from the news team there. Been doing it just great and getting information out. We'll have the mayor of Carmel's who think I'm on tomorrow. I'm trying to get the mayor of Anderson on. I want to speak to Cambridge City. I want to speak to Newcastle what it is that they're dealing with. We all understand we're going to be damage reports with a B, right? This is going to be a billion dollars. We all get that. We all get the fact that very often when we see a natural disaster, we see a calamity, and you see the press talking about it, they're trying to hype it up because there's ratings that can be connected, et cetera. I believe we're underplaying it. I don't think we understand the level of damage yet. I don't think we're anywhere close to understanding the level of damage yet. And I am very concerned, you know, places like Broadrepp, we're going to see damage and these things in Noblesville, we're going to see damage. I'm concerned about Anderson. And I'm concerned about how that gets rebuilt and redone. I want to see it. I want this water to recede and let us see what we're really dealing with. But these first responders, these people who came out and did the sandbags, we really live in an incredible place, guys. Absolutely incredible. And here at WIBC, along with Fox 59, CBS4, we're going to be doing a whole bunch. So we've got more of that coming down the line. Look forward to sharing that with you. I'll catch you at noon. What is Toyota affordability? It's buying smart. Right now, your local Toyota dealer has great deals available on some of the most reliable trucks on the market, like the off-road ready Tacoma, rugged, full-sized tundra, and legendary forerunner, each with the space, tech, and features to handle it all. From the work site to the trails. It means driving for less, with efficient hybrid options available, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, meaning bigger savings at the pump without sacrificing power. And it means trading for more. The Tacoma and Tundra are ranked number one and number two in resale value over all vehicles, according to Kelly Boo Book, which can mean thousands more than average right back in your pocket when it's time to trade in. That's Toyota affordability. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more.

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