Small Businesses Need Help And Billionaires, Don’t. (Hour 1)

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Calvin Beatenoff coming to you live from our home at Radio Park in Racine.

You can join us, call or text or leave a message if you're watching in the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

We have a lot coming up for you on the show today.

Pat Crite low will be joining us after the 9 30 news from mornings with Pat Crite low across the network six to nine a.m.

Many, many, many things to talk about with Mr. Crite low.

including some interesting exchanges between the President of the United States and another female reporter.

Because it does seem to be primarily women.

Yeah, he doesn't call men stupid to their faces, at least the reporters.

Not so maybe he does.

I don't know what he says to his sons, but he

doesn't say to the reporters.

Yeah.

So we'll be talking about that along with many other things with Pat Crichtlow in hour number two from the Fair Maps Coalition.

Nicole Gabriel is going to join us.

This is an effort that is ongoing here in Wisconsin.

And we can talk about gerrymandering going on around the country.

But this is going to be Wisconsin specific.

and whether or not we can get maps changed again before the next election.

So Nicole Gabriel joining us after the 10 o'clock news.

And then at 1030, she is the fabulous farm babe

Pam

Yankee is going to join us for the segment that we call Audio Sorbet, where we get away from the news and talk about lighter things.

We're just, you know, we are absolutely 100% celebrate.

I mean, we're talking about things.

We're doing the thing.

We're having good conversations as we always do.

here at civic media and on this show, but we are going to be celebrating you to this week because Calvin, you have it ready?

It is Jane, Jane, Jane's last, last, last week, week, week, day two.

That's right.

Tuesday.

And we're going to be, we will be having guests coming through actually throughout the show and some surprises for folks who may not, well, not for you.

They're not for you.

Like, you know who's coming.

And if there are surprises, no one's told me.

And if that's the case, there will be words afterwards.

But during our audio survey, we're bringing in a lot of guests that you've requested, you want to talk to, we're just going to celebrate you and you're going to have to sit there and take it.

Do you have your Kleenex?

I do.

I bought a box of

Kleenex.

because I'm a squish

yeah for us at the the tough exterior it's like it's like what's that the Charleston chew once you get to the it's it's

pretty so yeah squishy center

yeah because you and you can't handle a compliment to save your life

and it's gonna be

amazing but yeah

I'm

looking forward to conversations.

It should be a lot of fun.

Dan Schaefer just posted.

I just saw this on social media.

We had Mike Clemens on yesterday.

Yes.

Who is civic media sports reporter.

He's amazing.

He's everywhere.

He puts on more road miles than just about anybody I know.

Yeah.

But Michael was, Michael was there when at the birth of the Pack Arena.

Yeah.

And so that is my voice.

If you've heard the Pack Arena from 97.

I have a question.

Yeah.

I was searching for a link for that because I was doing the show notes yesterday, which you can always find our show notes by going to civicmedia.us Slash shows look for Matt and Aaron Aaron find our shows going back about two months There was another pack arena out there on another radio station They claim it to be the original and I'm and I'm telling

you this right

when did yours come out?

Do you remember exactly I was oh, I don't remember the exact date was it before August of 96

I would say yes.

Okay.

Cause I listened to this and I'm not gonna-

Oh, I'm

sure it was before August.

I'm not going to name the station.

I'm not going to say the people, but I will tell you, I listened to it just because I was like, oh, okay.

It was terrible.

Was it?

It was like, it was, it was.

They didn't use the same lyrics to think I don't think so no no no

because we

wrote the lyrics No, and the thing was like it's like when you watch someone try to do a home movie of a real movie But they're making a home movie and you're like yeah, this is just as good as Jaws.

I'm like no that's a goldfish and A blow up boat like why are you so close?

Yeah, so I was sad to go.

Oh really you're okay.

You're the original

Wow, or that's really I

I was completely unaware of that.

Yeah, right.

She was.

She's known about this for years.

She's been targeting them

for decades.

I've been after them for years.

Yes.

I bought the station and shut it down.

At the very end of the show, we will wrap it up as we always do with this shouldn't be a thing.

Today, it's the testy turkeys edition.

Oh, I changed it because I wanted some alliteration.

Sorry about that.

Oh, now you have to change the show.

Everything.

Oh, geez.

Testy turkey edition of tizbad coming up at the very

end of

Tuesday on Tuesday.

I hope you can I hope you can stick around for that it is Tuesday Tuesday and that means second week it is our second week of our multi-state text to win grown-up gift list contest but You can only enter if you have the civic media app.

So what you want to do right now grab your phone

Open up the Civic Media app and text in the word to your favorite station, radio.

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Or one of three incredible grand prizes.

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But you have to enter text in the word radio until 10 o'clock.

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We're gonna do this throughout the rest of the

week.

And then it will conclude on Friday.

Tom Hartman will have the next keyword for you coming up in the 11 o'clock hour.

But right now, the word is radio.

I'm gonna see how people can misspell this one.

It should be tough.

Radio?

It should be, this should be a lock.

Radio.

Radio.

Singular.

Yes.

I saw

a lot of problems yesterday during Tom Hartman show.

Yeah, there were problems.

Anyway, radio is our word this hour.

R-A-D.

I owe radio radio.

Okay.

Look at them.

Come on.

I know I love watching the entries come in.

We'd love to know where you're listening.

We really do.

Mm-hmm.

It just gives us some idea of Of where you are like this makes it easier to find you like necusa necusa necusa Richland Center and Milwaukee and Horicon and Jackson and cron and matter There you go.

I'll do that

East Troy, Mount Horrib, River Falls.

Radio is this hour's keyword, R-A-D-I-O, and good luck.

Wanted to give you a heads up about weather.

Depending upon where you are in Wisconsin, you could see a mixture of rain and snow and sleet, or you could see four to seven inches of snow.

I know.

Heavy sigh.

Aiden Karoski, meteorologist with the National Weather Service says,

The storm system today will come through.

It's going to start later on this afternoon, about four o'clock, they expect.

The event will begin with snow and then shift to a rain-snow mixture by tonight that will continue overnight when rain could become more dominant.

But then by tomorrow morning, it could transition back to snow.

which could linger throughout the afternoon.

So this could make for some messy, messy driving tomorrow morning and even later on this afternoon and into tonight.

Keep an eye out by going to 511wi.gov.

That's a great website as well as app that allows you to see

where the big problems are, it allows you to see backups.

It also allows you to see cameras.

So you can get

an idea of the conditions.

Yeah.

It's really, really helpful app to put on your phone and don't look at it while you're driving, but like it's a great way to prep yourself for what you need.

If you need to drive, they can at least be prepared to know what you might be facing.

Yeah.

It's

surprises

are bad.

Surprises on the

road are bad, especially right now.

This is, I think, our fourth storm.

For snowstorm in the late fall, early winter, which I am,

you're not used to this.

Are you?

Uh, it's just throwback to the old days.

It's very, I mean, like when I was a kid, you had snow from October to March pretty much, but.

I don't care.

We

don't do that anymore.

It shouldn't be like

this now.

I believe Brittany Merlot, our friend, was talking about La Nina this year.

And if this is the case, I don't like her.

I don't like Nina.

We're anti-Ninja.

Exactly.

Right now.

And also, again, depending upon where you are, they're talking about this potential of four to seven inches of snow along and north of I-94.

And to really put a little kiss on top of it all,

Wind gusts up 30 to 40 miles an hour are possible.

So that'll be fun.

Grand.

Great.

Yeah.

Please be careful and please just stay up on the forecast.

We don't want to have to be reporting on you ending up in a ditch, but rather have to not have to do that.

And also, and I hate saying this because I feel like a parent waving their finger, but.

If you have a car that can handle this kind of weather, that's great.

Just don't drive like you're crazy and know that there are people around you who are trying to stay safe and are maybe nervous driving in this.

So doing the speed limit when no one else is, because your four-wheel drive can handle it, that's great.

But also you gotta be just be mindful of those around you.

You have to.

You have a responsibility driving on those roads.

So it just really angers me when I see that.

And as always,

Physics applies to all of us.

Yeah,

so you might be in that great big vehicle with that big four-wheel drive You're still gonna slide.

Mm-hmm.

Just like the rest of us.

Yeah, so please please be careful one of us start off with this Brooke Rollins, of course Donald Trump's agriculture secretary Everything is great Greg.

Oh, well for ability is a democratic hoax for one thing.

I mean

Tom Scott Bassett told us that was so good.

We don't even know it.

So really, it just comes down to it.

Americans just don't realize how good we have.

That's what he said yesterday.

Oh, that coffee's hot.

We have a clip from Brooke Rollins, Donald Trump's agriculture secretary talking to Larry Kudlow on Fox News.

Calvin, can you play that clip, please?

Gas is down, lumber is down, eggs are down, Larry Kudlow.

Really everything is coming down, but we believe so sincerely.

Listen, we're not tone deaf.

We know that America, a lot of Americans at least are like, well, we're still not feeling the relief.

The relief is coming.

The structure is there.

The one big beautiful bill tax cuts go into effect.

Costs are coming down.

It really is a golden age just right around the corner and I am so excited.

Just right around the corner, you guys.

It was gonna be day one.

Mm-hmm that that he was gonna address affordability and all of that and then it became affordability is a democratic hoax and now the new messaging is affordability is a problem and it's the Democrats fault

and That's you know what?

That's all bunk in the sense of it doesn't matter who you blame.

It's still a thing

It exists.

This is people's lived experience.

We're going to the grocery store unlike I have a feeling most of the multi-millionaires within the Trump administration.

Well, and also, you know, it was very interesting the three things she chose to say prices were down.

She's not wrong.

Egg prices did go down this year.

And

why did egg prices go

down?

Okay.

So lumber prices, egg prices and gas prices, they're all down.

There are all market based reasons why they all went down.

They're not because of the president who's sitting in the room.

They're not because of who's in charge of Congress or the Supreme court or whatever.

It's because of the market.

The markets they are so in favor of those prices came down because economic

impactors, and that's not the word I'm looking for.

They have changed pre-pandemic prices, or the lumber has not gone down to pre-pandemic prices, but it's come down since the pandemic.

Egg prices went down because of a huge outbreak and sickness.

In

bird

flu.

In bird flu, and the demand went up, so the prices went up, and the gas prices, we've gone over this so many times.

Yes, national average, as we checked yesterday, was $2.995.

That's great.

But that doesn't matter who the president is and I said this when Joe Biden was the president the president doesn't determine the gas prices So they can take the credit they want, but there's no this is not because and if it's a case as you said Jane Why wasn't these bright?

Why weren't these prices brought down on January the 21st, right?

Because he does not

control all of these things none of them and especially the price of oil.

It's a global market Yes, it's a global market.

There are global forces at work.

So no, it's not

Glad you can afford eggs and

that's

great and gas, but also groceries and all the other things coffee and tomatoes and all of those

things Yeah, when we return the tariffs and small businesses, especially in Wisconsin, they're hurting and need our help stay with us You're listening to Matt near on air.

This is the civic media radio network.

We'll be right back

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Good morning, welcome back to Matt and Air on Air.

Jane Matt and Air, Greg Bach, Sweet Calbee on the board coming to you from our home at Radio Park in Racine.

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And then again, Tom Hartman will have the next keyword for you coming up in the 11 o'clock hour.

Wanted to talk a little bit about small businesses in particular across the country and here in Wisconsin, and they are hurting.

We have a clip from MSNDC.

Calvin, can you play that clip, please?

Hey Joe, a big miss on the ADP payrolls.

The private payroll company saying private payrolls shed 32,000 workers in November.

That's the fourth negative number in the past six months for this series.

Take a look here.

The estimate was for 40,000, so the street was off on this one.

And how did you get there?

Well, goods producing shed 19,000 workers, service producing shedding 13,000 workers.

But the big story here, and I'll show you more detail on this, is what's happening with small business down 120,000.

20,000 medium and large business doing okay up 51 and 39,000 respectively but take a look at this chart here virtually all of the job losses have come from small business which has been negative in six of seven months since April without those losses ADP numbers would actually be positive but you can't get rid of her you can't exclude small business

small businesses of the backbone of our economy

and

the tariffs

are crushing them

The, it's, it wasn't easy before the pandemic didn't make it easier.

And now we're faced with a situation as someone who works in a small business, who runs a small business.

I mean, right now we are not running because we are in construction mode, but still this is very concerning for me and concerning for my friends who are also in the same industries.

It's, I don't, I don't know what to, I mean, it's right there in front of us.

This information is right there in front of us.

The numbers do not lie.

These companies have no reason to, like they're not like, they've no reason to lie to suck up to who it's, it's, I, I, I'm almost at a loss for words because there is little to no help being done.

And the thing is, is like, I look at something like the farming, getting $12 billion again.

Well, 11 billion

because they're hanging

onto a billion.

It'll be 16 when it's all said and done.

But point is, is that these are not the, these are, these are not the things that small businesses want.

They want to have markets that they can compete in they want to have an economy where people are Excited to spend their dollars which allows the businesses to grow which allows them to hire more people which allows allows allows It's an investment.

I'm gonna

keep saying

it's an

investment But when we're suffocating these small businesses suffocating the quote I hate saying it because it sounds so disingenuous now the backbone of the community and the country Everything is the backbone

that gets the worst treatment.

Nurses, teachers,

small businesses,

farmers, they're all the backbones and we continually punch at the vertebrae.

This is not how a party or a group of people who celebrate the marketplace is not how you invest in the market.

I'm sorry.

Well, then allowing these huge billion dollar corporations to buy each other.

giving tax breaks while their biggest CEOs are getting golden parachutes, not paying taxes on that money.

And don't forget they get to write off their private planes now too.

It's just, I mean, this is a, this is a class issue.

It is.

It is a class issue.

And I feel like everyone seems to know that chain, but we're not doing anything to further the cause of, of the class struggle.

Well, it's continuing to talk about it.

Yep, it's continuing to share information.

And going to myvote.wi.gov and talking to representatives.

Absolutely.

We are going to include this article in our show notes, too, by the way.

This is from Urban Milwaukee.

And there's a big piece about how a lot of Milwaukee area restaurants are struggling big time.

Yes.

COVID almost killed a lot of them.

We lost a lot of restaurants and bars during COVID.

And then now for the ones who did manage to hang on and survive, now people's pocketbooks are tight, things are expensive, people aren't going out to eat.

The

explosion of delivery services?

Absolutely.

So if you can, if you've got a little extra, go patronize a local restaurant, they really, really need the help.

And I'll say this too, if you want, I know it sounds weird, but if you want delivery, find restaurants that employ delivery drivers.

Instead

of the

side ones?

Yeah, because those third party delivery apps, I know that those drivers are making money, but those corporations are just siphoning off revenue from these small businesses.

They take so much from the bottom line.

So

where do you

spend your dollars?

Be smart about it.

And yeah.

especially

right

now.

And check out the show notes at civicmedia.us.

Just click on shows, go to Matt and Aaron here.

Greg puts together a great bunch of show notes that has all the links to all the articles that we talk about.

News is coming up next on the other side.

Pat Critello will be here from mornings with Pat Critello.

Stay with us.

You're listening to Matt and Aaron here on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Good morning.

Welcome.

Welcome to Matt and air on air.

Jane Matt and air crack box, sweet Cal V on the board coming to you from our home at radio park in Racine.

You can join us, call or text or leave a voice note or you can leave a comment.

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Good morning, how are you?

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Wow.

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That sounds like a conspiracy worth a hot key there, Calvin.

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That I wanted to start off with this

because you're here and this is an opinion piece in the journal Sentinel from Russ Feingold, Jeff Mandel and Rachel Snyder.

U.S.

Supreme Court today is hearing a case that could fundamentally reshape our elections by getting rid of one of the last significant limits on campaign spending.

They just are going to open it up now so really, really, really rich people can just buy elections, even more so than they're doing now.

Yes,

that's

it's it's you know when when the McCain fine gold act was first being attacked and then Citizens United came down.

I remember where I was at the time I was in my state Senate office in the state Capitol when I saw the decision come down for the Citizens United case and You know 2010 was already looking like it was gonna be a rough year for Democrats

and

I turned to my staff and I said this is

This is not good.

I said this is going to be it's going to make a tough year even tougher and the spigots had been opened and they've only gotten wider first in the Scott Walker years and you know with John Roberts on the courts and now Donald Trump and the White House that you know the the arguments being made before the Supreme Court today are essentially in my opinion removing what's left of the window dressing in terms of any any limits.

Any guardrails,

yeah.

Yeah, the guardrails of, you know, the the wink wink of, well, I can only give so much to a candidate, but I can give a lot more to the party and the party can give a lot more to the candidate.

So, you know, I can't order the party to give it to the candidate.

Yes, you can.

Nobody's listening.

Right.

And that's

right.

That's the foolishness that we're stuck in right now.

This should distress everybody.

In 2015, Wisconsin eliminated both limits on individual contributions to political parties and restrictions on coordinated spending between parties and candidates.

Again, this is from an opinion piece.

and the journal Sentinel Wealthy Donors immediately discovered they could effectively nullify candidate contribution limits by routing money through the political parties instead.

And as you said, Pat, now they just want to do away with the last vestige of, oh, we're not really doing that.

Yeah, they are.

And now they're just going to let them do it.

Yeah, let's let's break down that word coordinated the coordinated spending because that's what very nearly got Scott Walker in trouble during his recall campaign.

When the old government accountability board that I helped create in the legislature, you know, a panel of retired judges that were overseeing election laws was getting a little too close to finding an illegal level of coordination involving Walker's campaign and parties

or other

third party groups.

And the whole notion of what we call independent expenditures is that these groups are supposed to be independent, not operating in cahoots with a campaign.

At that point, just become part of the campaign.

And let me try to take it in a non partisan way, because I was talking about the the smoking ban earlier.

And that was definitely an issue that was not a partisan one.

And so you had outside groups that were for and against the smoking ban.

They were truly independent groups.

That's the reason you had the laws like this, that any group of people could band together, could band their money together and say, we want to campaign, we want to convey a message to the public based on this message that we are coming up with.

But the way it looks right now is that these groups are basically just phonies and they go to the campaign and go, hey, what should our message be?

Yeah,

there's nothing independent about these independent expenditures anymore.

And yeah.

It's boring to most people, but we keep trying to make it not boring because it is completely fundamental to not having billionaires just buy elections.

And we are talking about

massive, massive amounts of money.

Wisconsin limits individual contributions to gubernatorial candidates to $20,000 per candidate per election.

Before the 2022 election, at least 42 wealthy donors gave Governor Evers the max.

Those same donors also gave the Democratic Party of Wisconsin money almost 23 million.

That party transferred over 18 million directly to Evers' campaign committee over the course of the campaign, all completely legal.

But again, this should annoy people on all sides, not just Republicans, not just Democrats or independents.

Just as American citizens, we should all be able to agree that this isn't good.

It should it reminds me of a time running for Congress in 2012.

Another bad day where I'd been told all through the race, Pat, if you raise one and a quarter million dollars, which is laughable by today's standards, but back in 2012, if you raise one and a quarter million dollars, that's the money we need to pay for a plan that will win the election to Congress in the seventh district.

And around mid to late October of 2012, I got to that mark and I felt so happy about that.

And

And then like a day or two later, the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee announces it's putting $3 million behind ads for Sean Duffy.

And I'm like, why do we even have rules if it's

that

easy

to

take all the work that, not just me, I'm not looking for pity here.

Any candidate, any candidate should be in charge of their own campaign.

When an outside group or a party can simply come in and say the candidates don't matter Well now the candidates are nothing but pawns in a larger game and people are Naturally cynical and they want to go well, it's always been that way and what are you gonna do?

No, no,

it

wasn't that way and no

you

don't have to be cynical We can't actually be better than this.

We just need you know better Justices we need better people in Congress.

We need to elect better people president.

I think the other thing too we have to say is

It shouldn't just be Elon Musk, because Elon Musk is a known person.

He's a famous person.

And when he comes into Wisconsin and says, I'm going to put $100 million into this Supreme Court judges race, which is ridiculous.

It shouldn't take the notoriety of the person to make you take notice.

Know that these millionaires and billionaires who you've never heard of are doing the exact same thing.

every single cycle.

And it's just as dangerous, not because it's the Tesla guy, because it's our democracy.

And it's essentially your choice being taken away from you, as well as, I don't know, like, I feel like there are people who want the best representative to run for their party, you know, they don't, you know, I'm sure there are a lot of Republicans who say, I don't want this guy or I want this woman because they're just a, they're an empty shirt, just a talking head.

Let's get someone who's really good, someone from the community, maybe not a business person who just locks in and says, I want this job.

This money makes it so that anyone can run, as you said, Pat, and it doesn't matter their qualifications, whereas people who are living in the state say, I want a candidate who's going to represent me.

And that also gets suffocated because of the money.

And that's the big problem.

You need to know who's actually donating that money.

And it's always the usual suspects here at Wisconsin.

Well, but you

make a really good point, Greg, in that the big companies are going to back the candidate that is going to work for them.

And that's why, and I said this about the Supreme Court long time ago, they should wear patches like NASCAR drivers.

Yes.

And just at least...

have to admit where their sponsors are from.

And I just think if they're gonna do this, then all of our politicians should have their blazer on with all of their corporate sponsors because that's who they're going to be working

for.

Well,

that's what I'd like to see, actually, when we talk about so-called independent groups.

I'd love to see a truly independent group, say, a Wisconsin democracy campaign or somebody, run an ad just like that.

You wouldn't have to spend a lot of money because it would get a lot of traction

on its own,

but literally make up an ad that uses AI or whatever and puts those patches on these candidates and helps people understand the role of money in this.

And I think people do understand, well, they do understand the role of money.

They understand how bad it is.

I'm taking nothing.

away from Justice Susan Crawford when I say that part of the reason for her election wasn't so much Elon Musk the person, though that played a role, but it was voters who looked at it going, hey, wait a billionaire

should

not be able to do this.

And I'd love to think that, you know, that was responsible for a lot of votes.

I don't know if it was or not, but it wasn't zero.

So I've got to be encouraged by that.

And that's what I want to say.

All right.

and take out the name Elon Musk and put this billionaire in here.

You don't know who they are, and they may not be as rich as Elon Musk, but they are still doing the exact same thing.

They believe they can walk into Wisconsin, or they may live here, it doesn't matter.

They can walk into the election room and say, here's the check, do what I want, and you vote the way I believe.

And no, we said handily this spring,

No, to that sort of behavior.

And it had a knock on effect.

While Elon Musk is still very rich and getting his way, he disappeared after that election.

He was absolutely embarrassed and he was shamed and shunned out of the Trump White House.

And we know what is best for Wisconsin and we know who should represent us.

And that's why we shouldn't allow, I don't care if it's the U lines, the Bernards, the Hendricksons.

Or the rich people, the rich Democrats too, who are, it's not right.

And I feel like we agree on it.

It just seems like such a mountainous task to take on hundreds of billions of

dollars.

Well, and now it's in front of the Supremes.

And I think it's a pretty easy guess which way they're going to fall, since they're the ones who gave Citizens United the OK.

John Roberts is all

about this.

Oh yeah, and of course they've got their own ethical quagmire that they're dealing with and and they're wishing everybody would stop looking at in terms

of

accepting trips and and jet air private jet rides and you know all manner of other gifts and Aren't accountable to anybody and don't really have a true code of ethics So I mean it really is a modern-day case of the fox guarding the hen house and it's going to take a long time

to reform this.

And it's going to have to be with the help of people who do write big checks to people who are going to get in there and say, we're going to make it so that I don't need your big checks anymore.

Patriotic millionaires, there's your cue.

We're going to continue our conversation with Pat Crichtlow from Mornings with Pat Crichtlow.

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We are joined by our friend and colleague host of Mornings with Pat Crite-Low.

Pat Crite-Low is here.

Wanted to talk about this exchange between the president and of course a female reporter.

We're waiting for it now.

Donald Trump said last week, I believe it was like six days ago, that he said they were going to release the footage of

us

blowing up this boat.

off the coast of Venezuela, and then he was asked about it again yesterday.

We have a little compilation of last week's exchange and yesterday's exchange.

Calvin, can you play that

please?

This video of that first boat strike on September 2nd, but not the second video.

Will you release video of that strike so that the American people can see for themselves what happened?

I don't know

what they have, but whatever they have, we'd certainly release.

No problem.

Mr. President, you said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2nd off the coast of Venezuela.

Secretary Hagstaff now says... I didn't

say that.

What?

You said that.

I didn't say that.

What?

This is ABC fake news.

No, you said that five or six days ago.

You said it out loud.

It's on video.

Fake news.

It's

all AI news.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And

what this allows Donald Trump to do is he always can say, oh, well, it's Pete Hegseth.

You know, much as we talked on the show today about how, you know, there's a new defense bill that included IVF coverage for members of the military.

Trump always says, I'm the father of IVF.

But Speaker Mike Johnson struck it out, took the language out.

And so they'll go to Trump and say, hey, you're going to fight for IVF.

Oh, you know, it was Mike Johnson.

It was Pete Hegseth.

It's always it's always somebody else.

It's not him.

He's, he's powerless

until the

times he wants to be all powerful.

It's all very convenient.

Yeah.

It's amazing.

And we were talking about off the air.

We had this discussion and I would like to cover this a little bit.

He's doing this to female reporters specifically, calling them piggy, calling them idiots, calling them morons.

And he has done it to some male reporters, but it's very, very much women reporters who get this kind of horrible pushback from him.

And it's kind of a tough spot for male reporters.

I'm seeing a lot of people going, where are you guys sticking up for these female reporters?

That's a really tough spot for them to be in.

I

have to imagine that in that room, when you're fighting for the job and fighting for the response, I can't imagine.

I don't know how it looks for how does how does a male reporter square saying standing up for them while remaining respectful and saying they deserve their agency instead of going don't worry I've got this

yeah let me take care of it for

you little lady and not to mention the fact putting your

own job at risk too.

So I feel like when people are like, where are the male reporters out there sticking up for the women's like, that's a nuanced conversation.

I believe it's probably been had in the room of the reporters and they don't need us saying you need to be doing X, Y and Z.

Well, and it may also be these female reporters saying, I really appreciate it, but I don't need you stepping in to defend me.

Right.

This is, this is all a matter of access.

There are only so many reporters that are allowed this.

And along with everything else you just said.

All of those reporters are hearing from their bosses saying, don't take the bait.

Right.

Because, yeah, you'll get a viral moment where you go, Mr. President, that was out of line.

You should apologize to her.

You'll get your viral moment.

but then you get your press pass taken away.

And then they have to fight all over again for access or they don't get the access.

And pretty soon Matt Gaetz is a Pentagon reporter because there aren't any actual reporters left at the Pentagon.

So I think your point is the better one that these women and others, they are professionals and they have said, you know, getting this kind of treatment from what we used to call in our younger days, a male chauvinist pig, you know, is just par for the course.

You roll with it.

he's going to look less kindly on them than it is on me for getting picked on by this jerk, for lack of a better term, and carry on with your day.

And, you know, just show the people what he's like, and that's what you just did there again.

But as you mentioned on your show, Pat, when I was listening this morning on the way in, Donald Trump has given people permission to be their worst selves, completely out in the open.

You're just being your

authentic, horrible self.

Yes, he has lifted the rock, you know, that so many other racists and bigots lived under for the longest time.

He's given them oxygen and they have flourished and it doesn't matter if you're a member of Congress on Twitter or a clerk at Cinnabon, when you see the president talking like this, you feel emboldened to do the things that you would normally be ashamed and embarrassed to do.

I don't know.

Don't always talk about putting the toothpaste back in the tube.

I don't know how we get people to crawl back under that rock if they really want to hang on to that racism or bigotry.

But we should we should never stop fighting for ways to call out these kinds of this this kind of bad action.

We're supposed to be better than this.

We are supposed

to be.

Yes.

Yes.

Pat Kratlow mornings with Pat Kratlow six to nine across the network.

Thank you so very very much.

Pat it has been an absolute joy and a pleasure getting to know you and to work with

you.

Oh it has.

It's just been wonderful, Jane.

Thank you.

You've just earned every little bit of all the fun you're gonna tell us about.

Just don't tell us about it too much.

We don't want you to think about it.

Just go do it.

Just go do it.

And give us an

update later.

I will.

Thanks a lot, Pat.

Take

care.

Thank you, Jane.

We have news coming up next.

And then when we come back on the other side, we are gonna talk to Nicole Gabriel from the Fair Maps Coalition about maps and gerrymandering here in Wisconsin.

Stay with us.

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