Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Jesus Hell.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
America and Jery Hollin for regious, for nation God, this
is wrong.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher
Thompson on one O, three point five FM and five
sixty AM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Moring Telia and Welcome in Columbia's Morning News back on
the air, online, on the app, and on your radio.
Or Monday, October twenty seventh, morning tell you sixteen after six.
I'm Gary David. That's Christopher Thompson right there joining us
and already pretty busy. Yeah we're here, yeah, yeah, right,
busy all over to joint this morning. Huheh a right,
(00:53):
uh number one stepping out. Well, it doesn't feel nearest
cool this morning, some mornings last week. This is gonna
be about it for us today. This is it. Fifty
three to fifty four of the high that's where we
are right now, in a lot of spots, So don't
expect anything to change except for the fact that the
skuys will open up and dump some rain on us.
And there's one hundred percent chance of that by later
(01:13):
on today in a ninety percent chance tonight, eighty percent
chance tomorrow. So yeah, it's trying to just mention a
wet and a way below average week for us, at
least for the first half of the week when it
comes to those tempts. But it is, you know, almost November,
for crying out loud, and boy, we can't complain. Can
we run down big stories, hot topics? Looking at a
(01:36):
couple of things here on the local front we'll be
getting into today. The news just kept getting worse for
Howard Napp, the fired director of the state Election Commission,
and now we have to deal with a you know,
potentially a rap sheet here, arrested, charged and released on
a recognaissance bond on a number of charges, mainly his
(02:01):
alleged misuse of state vehicles and those Peak cards, yes,
the purchasing cards for gas expenditures. His former deputy was
also fired several weeks back, Margaret Paige Soalanage also arrested
on a wire tapping charge. Wow, the Peyton place. Well
(02:22):
they're out of there now, of course, and hopefully things
will quiet down or with the election Commission, because I mean,
my goodness, they got an election to run here, not
a big one.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
But is there more to his story than we know?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Because I mean, from what we were told he got
caught and then paid all the money back that he owed.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
So is there more to the story.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Well, we'll have to jump into that, shall we. Well,
let's dig a little deeper here. His attorney, by the way,
he says, this is all just about politics, which is
always the defence you can use when you're in politics.
You get in some sort of hot water. It's all
about politics. It's a witch hunt. Right. We now know
who the company is that has agreed to take over
(03:04):
the restart project at the VC Summer Nuclear Plant in Jenkinsville,
Brookfield Asset Management. They got a little experience with all this.
This is the company that acquired a majority interest in
Westinghouse two years ago. Remember it was Westinghouse that was
in charge of the original plant expansion, and it was
(03:26):
Westinghouse their faulty design to begin with that led to
so many issues, eventually just shuddering the whole project. But well,
Brookfield going to take this on again. We're told there's
no taxpayer money involved, So here here to that because
we need the extra energy capacity and apparently the FEDS
(03:50):
have now approved more energy to be generated in the state,
over forty five hundred megawatts and if you're like me,
You're like, I don't know, what does that mean? You know,
I have no context for that.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Just tell me I'm saving money, And tell me I'm
not putting any more money into that hole in the ground, right.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And then I'll continue to be able to, you know,
turn on the AC and the heat and the lights
and such that additional capacity generation coming from well, the
natural gas plan Calton County and the completion of this
VC Summer Reactor whenever it finally does get completed. Okay,
if you're curious, you know, the rain we're getting has
(04:28):
got nothing to do with Melissa. As a matter of fact,
this front that's moving through here is having impacts on
that powerful hurricane, and it's going to be well what
makes it make that turn here? Probably sometime oh tomorrow,
and it had away from the continental United States, that's
the good news. And no impacts at all are expected
(04:53):
even for our coastalarios on this but boy man Aca, Cuba,
potentially parts of the Bahamas, maybe Bermuda, and by the
end of the week maybe even the coastal areas of
Canada the North Atlantic could see the storm track through.
(05:15):
And Melissa this morning is now up to a category five. Yep,
it's a monster. One hundred and sixty mile an hour,
is that right? One hundred and sixty mile an hour
maximum sustained sustained wins.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
So you said Jamaica and then you said Canada with
the same storm.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's going to speed up once it moves through.
But now it's still just at a instead of snails
pace three miles an hour. This thing is moving. I
mean it has been bringing rain to Jamaica now since
you know, the weekend and then then some but it's track.
I expected to take it over the island of Jamaica tonight,
(05:55):
maybe overnight and into tomorrow morning. It's moved a little
bit to the west, which means it won't be eye
at least in that eye any place around that eye
of that storm when it comes on shore. Again we
mentioned one hundred and sixty mile an hour maximum sustained winds.
There still is a possibility of wind gusts around the
eye of that storm, you know, upwards of around two
(06:17):
hundred miles an hour. Still dire forecasts of local isolated
spots getting forty or more inches of rain, but wider
spread areas getting thirty or more inches of rain. It's
just a doomsday scenario for Jamaica, and in eastern Cuba,
it's not gonna fare a whole lot better. They will
fare a bit better, but still this shift has taken
(06:41):
it a bit to the west, which means it won't
make landfall right over at Kingston, which I'm pretty sure
is the most populated area of that island. But the
bad news is that puts Kingston on the what they
call the dirty side of the storm, that right side,
So there's not a whole lot of good to find
in this thing, and watching that is it makes landfall
(07:01):
probably late to night early tomorrow morning. Also in the Caribbean,
things are heating up, as we've reportedly now deployed forces
to the Southern Caribbean to fight off these Latin American
drug cartels, at least that's what the word is. You've
got the gerald Ford Carrier strike group in the area.
(07:22):
Doesn't that seem like a little overkill if you're targeting
well cartels. But again, this is not to go after
those boats on the water. These looks like would be
land strikes. Nicolas Maduro, the Presidente of Venezuela, saying that
the US is fabricating a war and it's all about
(07:45):
regime change. So yeah, you got that going on. Meantime
Out in the Pacific the South China Sea, both a
fighter jet and a helicopter on board the aircraft carry
USS in the months crashed into the sea within thirty
minutes of each other yesterday afternoon. These incidents weren't linked.
(08:08):
It was just you know, it's kind of hard to
believe that it wasn't. But the cause under investigation. That's
not just a little bit, I think quite a bit bizarre.
Still may continues on Capitol Hill. Still governments shut down,
federal workers now many missing their first full paychecks, the
(08:30):
military getting sent to miss their pay as what tomorrow right, Well,
actually I'm thirty first. So by the end of this week,
as we talked about, we were told here in South
Carolina that some two hundred and sixty thousand households that
received SNAP benefits those dry up at the end of
this month, the White House posting a notice on the
(08:50):
USDA's website that yeah, federal food aid will not go
out November one, and airport slow downs continuing lax, briefly
halting due to staffing shortages There or long delays and
Dallas Newark, what's new at Newark? Right all over again?
(09:11):
Air traffic controllers who are told they have to work
but are not getting paid and many are calling against sick.
Also in the Pacific Trump, that's where he is now.
And well, the framework as they like to call it
for a trade deal said to be drawing closer ahead
of this big high stakes meeting between Trump and g
later on this week. All right, friends, we'll get to
(09:32):
that more coming up on this. It is the back
at It Monday edition of Columbia's Morning News, and it
is fabulous to have you with us, keeping you informed.
Dad's up to date. Now now more than ever, I
like knowing what's happening in the world.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
One on three point five FM and five sixty AM
w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David
and Christopher Thompson on one on three point five FM and.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
WVOC six forty one on a Monday morning. Good morning,
I'm going to have you with us for this twenty
seventh day of October. Well, we learned last week that
Santa Cooper had chosen a company to take over the
VC Summer expansion project. That's been sitting there idle now
for quite some time. Fortunately, they kept all the stuff
(10:27):
sitting out there and kept it shield as best as
they could from the elements. So you're not starting from
from scratch all over again. Many of the pieces are
still out there, just had to be put together the
proper way to make this thing happen. What we didn't
know last week was exactly who the company was or
was it a consortium of companies. Well we now know
that it is one Brookfield Asset Management, a Canadian company
(10:53):
that has acquired a majority interest in Westinghouse. Actually, they
were acquired a majority of in Westinghouse two years ago.
Oh there's that name again, Westinghouse. Wait a minute, it
was Westinghouse who was in charge of that original expansion
that went belly up and cost taxpayers about ten billion
(11:15):
dollars for nothing. Yeah, it was Westinghouse. So let me
get this straight. The multinational corporation that has been picked
by Santie Cooper to restart the project as a majority
owner in the company that couldn't get it done last time. Well,
(11:40):
apparently Sandy Cooper is not worried about this matter of facts.
Even our friend Frank nap Over the Small Business Chamber
of Commerce, who said it was ironic that the company
that now owns Westinghouse is going to be involved in
cleaning up on westinghouset up all those years ago. But
(12:02):
even Naps, he's not worried about about it at all.
This is a different This is a different Westinghouse. It's
not the same people that were in charge when they
boon doggled us out of all that money. This is
a totally new operation under Brookfield. All right, Well, let's hope.
So this is a large, massive asset management company. They
(12:32):
got more than a trillion dollars in assets overall. They
employed about a quarter million people worldwide, including about two
thousand here in Columbia. That Rod's plant over in the
atomic fuel factory that is on mon Bluff Road. They
own that one now since they purchased Westinghouse or the
(12:53):
majority interest in.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
It, and you assume they've done their due diligence. I
mean they've looked it over, because you know, we've we've
heard complaints from a number of folks, including those who
say that's a that's a wrecked facility and the stuff.
Everything's been out in the elements too long it's ruined.
(13:15):
They say they're going to this, they say, there's no
way that we're not going to get soaked eventually. And
and even if they build it, it's going to be
a subpart a substandard facility.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
I mean, you would think this company's gone in and
looked at it and said, okay, yeah, things have been
exposed for a while. But and what about all the
equipment that got sold off?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, because some of it did get sold off. Yeah, yeah,
so you're not necessarily just picking up where it was
left off.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Right, But I mean, I don't I don't know why
they would sign an agreement unless they've investigated and thought
it would be profitable for them to take part in them.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Well, we talked about this last week. I mean, with
the energy demands not just in this state but everywhere
across the country these days, increasing exponentially. Yeah, probably, if
you got the money, it's probably a good time to
get into it. Man. I mean it looks like a
like a like a no lose situation, right, Okay, so
let's go let's do it then. Now, the specifics of
(14:12):
this deal were not publicly released, a source telling fitz
News it was about a two point seven billion dollar
Well it was bigger than that, but that there there
was at least two point seven billion dollars on the
table to address lingering rate payer obligations tied to the
new project. Now, does that mean that we're off the
(14:34):
hook for the old project or this two point seven
billion dollars is to ensure that we don't get on
the hook for the new project. I'm not real sure,
but considering that Santie Cooper is going to retain a
twenty five percent stake in the final project, I'm guessing
that's what that is, that we won't be on the
(14:55):
hook for two point seven billion dollars worth because, of course,
as you know, Santie Cooper, the state on you utility
part of that deal will give Santa Cooper about twenty
five percent of the power provided at below market cost. Okay,
but again, not everybody that was in the bidding processes
happy with this. Jonathan Webb, who's the CEO of the
(15:19):
nuclear company, wrote a letter to the utility board to
Santa Cooper's board dated last Thursday, that the process itself
by which they put out bids and selected a company,
he says, may have been fundamentally compromised by the as
he called it, the evaluation of bids outside the established
(15:39):
framework by parties previously involved in the VC Summer project
and with access to information that other parties did not have. Okay, yeah,
I mean you got the company that won the bid,
that owns the company that watched it last time, and yeah,
I'm sure they did have access to some information that
others did not have. Up Anyway, there it is. And
(16:04):
again I think our collective take here is, if you
can do this thing, get it done, generate the jobs
and most importantly, generate the power we're gonna need here
moving forward to need right now, and rate payers and
taxpayers aren't the hook are the hook for it?
Speaker 4 (16:20):
Cool, let's do it. Let's make it happen.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Now. Timeframe wise, I don't think we know yet how
long is going to take or even when they going
to start, but I would expect sooner is certainly is
better than later.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
You're listening to Columbia's Morning News on one oh three
point five FM and five sixty am WVOC. Once again,
here's Gary David and Christopher Thompson.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
It's fifteen after seven o'clock. It's good to have you
here Monday, October twenty seventh, Melissa. No impacts for us,
not even the low country, none at all, thankfully. But boy,
the Caribbean, Jamaica, Haiti, not so much hateo. They've gotten
the dr has gotten some flooding rain out of this,
but uh, Jamaica. Then Cuba will be hard hit by this.
(17:12):
What is right now a category five will probably dip
to a Category four before it makes landfall tomorrow morning,
but it will still be a strong category four storm.
And then what then A little track on its current
track through the eastern portions of Cuba, including Guantanamo Bay
(17:38):
up through maybe parts of the Bahamas, Bermuda could be
in the eye of this, and then the Ameritimes of
coastal Atlantica, Canada could It'll be it'll I mean, it
won't be much left of it by then, but uh,
but it could track. It could track there too. That's
pretty incredible. Yeah, there's been a lot of ocean to cover,
considering the fact that it's gone basically nowhere in what
(18:01):
three four five days, I mean, it has just been
meandering down there. I think last at the last update,
it was three mile an hour forward speed. That was
it Cat five now pubably a Cat forward. It makes
landfall wind gusts when they tell us right now is
(18:21):
one hundred and sixty mile an hour winds that's sustained
at the eye of that storm. A gus could be
a lot higher than that. Maybe it puts up two
hundred miles an hour and thirty plus and then some
high localized spots in Jamaica forty plus inches of rainow fall.
It is a game changer, but nothing for us out
(18:44):
of this. Our rain in the forecasts got nothing to
do with this. Matter of fact, our forecast and the
system is moving across the east over towards us. Is
what's responsible for making this thing turn here when it
does otherwise, Yeah, we might be hit the crosshairs of
this thing, all right, So keeping an eye on that now.
The day went from bad to worse for Howard Napp,
(19:07):
the former executive director of the State Election Commission, when
he was arrested Friday morning on a number of charges,
primarily alleged misuse of state vehicles and purchasing cards for
gas expenditures. Peak cards who.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Arrested him sled Okay, so they've been investigating for a while, more.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Than a year. Right, this has nothing to do with
why he was well the reasons given why he was fired.
He was fired from his position well, creating a bad
work experience for people that worked there. That was one
of the reasons why he lost his job. What they
(19:54):
referred to at least the board did as a secretly
broken agreement to buy voting machines that could have wound
up having them repossessed paid more than well. The board
said they were aware that he authorized payment for it,
saw them to read the fine prints. Then there's that, Yeah,
(20:14):
you've got to read the reports he turns in. Yeah,
but yeah, this arrest based on the Again, this led
investigation had been ongoing reports that both he and his wife,
according to the arrest warrants, or at least he and
his family, misused state vehicles and gas cards. Accused of
(20:42):
embezzling almost fifty five hundred dollars in state funds from
June of twenty twenty three to January of twenty twenty four,
of a six month period. In one of those months,
in August of twenty three, spent more than one thousand
dollars buying fuel on state purchasing cards. Wow, I don't
(21:03):
know gas prices are high in all of but still now.
According to state newspaper, he had since given those vehicles
back and paid back that money. This is at least
what sources are telling the state paper. When he was
(21:23):
told he was not in compliance with state law, he
returned the vehicles and was allowed to repay the money. Well,
number one, I would maybe maybe not. But if he's
driving said state vehicle and using a peak card for
gas for business purposes, that's one thing. Obviously, with one
(21:47):
month it was more than a thousand dollars in gas purchases.
This wasn't just for you know, state business. You wouldn't think,
but you got to think that, you know, he had
to know that. Okay, you can't. And I assume by
they say vehicles that his wife was driving one of
these vehicles sounds like it, and also using a peak
card to put gas in that you gotta you gotta
know that's not right. But again, but he was allowed
(22:11):
to repay the money. So but he still apparently committed
the crime. Okay, So I don't know.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
I feel like we've seen officials like this do what
he did and either step down, you know, or be fired.
I don't I'm wondering what else there is that warranted
him being arrested by sled and And I guess the
investigation continues because we're told the AG's office is investigating.
(22:39):
There's there's got to be more to the story. Otherwise
you would just think, Okay, we've got our money back.
The state's gonna now wash wash our hands of him.
You know, why arrest him after he's already done?
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Yeah, but I guess that doesn't mitigate the fact that
he did commit a crime. What you're calling him beezzlement,
I get it, you know, I mean it.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Just it's a surprise, and there's more to the story, and.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
That may well be also arrested and released on a
personal recognizance bond. His former deputy, Margaret Solanich, she's arrested
on a wire tapping charge. Remember we talked about this,
that a listening device was put in the boardroom prior
to the board you know, having their conversations about what
(23:21):
to do with NAP.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Is he linked to that at all?
Speaker 5 (23:24):
Is he being accused of telling her to do that
or asking her to plant that device?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
There is and let me find it here because I
want to be very specific here. Yeah, Nap was also
charged with being accessory to a felony for calling employees
that same night I guess that the device was placed
(23:53):
there and the next day asking them to remove the recorder,
so he knew it was there. Yeah. Now again, this
would indicate there were multiple employees that he that he called.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Well, there's hurt to remove that. There's her defense right there.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
I was just carrying out the act of mine or
the orders of my superior.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Uh right, I mean that's what I would say.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah, I bet that's what she does say. Okay, yeah,
it does seem a little overkilled. But or then if
you're sled you've been looking at this for more than
a year, you say, oh, we got to do something.
You know, we just spent all this time and effort here.
You know, we got to charge somebody with something.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
I don't understand why you keep looking at it unless
there's I mean, once he paid back the money and
said I won't do it anymore, unless he was still
doing it.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
I don't know. It just it feels like there's something
else we don't know about yet.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
And maybe so apparently the investigate Yeah, as you say,
it's all been turned over to the AG's office. So
obviously the investigation continues. And let's put it this way,
what would be to investigate if if the dudes already
given the cars back and already paid back all that money. Yeah,
what's left to investigate unless they think that again, there's
something more to it, all right, Well, uh, there's the
(25:10):
latest on all that municipal elections by the way, next Tuesday.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
And they're safe.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Well what we're told.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Okay, this has nothing to do with that nothing.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Yeah, it never did have anything to do with the
actual electoral process in rush date. Which is the good news?
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Keeping you connected.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
I check in throughout the day twenty four to seven.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
I just like being informed, know what's happening.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
One O three point five FM and five sixty AM
w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David
and Christopher Thompson on one O three point five FM
and five sixty AM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Seven thirty nine. At the time. It's Monday, October twenty seven.
Appreciate you being here today. Twenty seven. Is that right,
day twenty seven of the federal gummy shutdown give or.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Take sounds about right?
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, yeah, it started October one, Yeah, and it shows
no signs of ending anytime soon. Here's what I'll get
about this. Now, I understand for the you know, independent
voter out there, but for Republican voters, for Democrat voters
(26:22):
who you can bet your bottom dollar going to vote
Democrat or Republican nation every time, you're not going to
change your vote just because you're not happy with what
your party did when it comes to this. So once again,
I guess all the concern is about who the independent
voter is going to blame for this. You know, at
this point, aren't we blaming everybody? I mean really? But now,
(26:49):
how many times a dozen times at least Senate Democrats
have blocked a Republican bill. This time this was less
last Thursday. We talked about it on Friday. Not a
bill that would end the stalemate here, but a bill
to pay people who are considered essential workers. Now, I
remember you had a Democratic put up a competing bill
(27:12):
to that, but one that would have had something had
a poison pill in there that the knew Republicans wouldn't
bite on. So you know, neither side voted to you
wanna you want to you want to take people off?
Tell him you've got to go to work, but we're
not gonna pay you. Oh yeah, eventually we'll pay you,
and we'll pay your back pay. But in the meantime,
(27:33):
we expect you to go to work every day and
not collect the paycheck at the end of the week.
Federal workers have missed their first full paychecks.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Now, I don't know if you saw it, and not
only paychecks, but you've got you know, Snap benefits and
a lot of other things. I don't know if you
saw Jake Tapper on State of the Union yesterday, he
asked Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, he said, are you willing
to let a Mayormerriicans go hungry over Obamacare subsidies?
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (28:06):
Right, but that's yeah, people are missing paychecks and benefits
are going by the wayside, and yes, there are people
who are trying to having a struggle to make ends meet,
ends that the government usually helps with.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Now, if Democrats, if they haven't already heard, you know,
an earful from constituents, they may be so you let
the snap benefits dry up, which there again, we knew
that here in South Carolina. They told us that after
the end of this month October, just a few days left,
there would be no more SNAP benefits. The White House
has now sent out guidance. At least they posted the
(28:44):
USDA is on their site that November one SNAP benefits
dry up. Uh well, politicians on both sides of the
aisle are getting ready to hear here an ear full,
because yeah, there will people. You can say what you want,
you know, go get a job, whatever, But still there
are people out there, families who are not gonna be
(29:05):
able to put food on the table, bottom line. So
the military pays in jeopardy. Here the eight billion dollars
that the White House found to cover paychecks for our
troops that runs out in a couple of days at
(29:26):
the end of this month. And again, as I mentioned,
you had late last week. And I'm not just gonna
play on a Democrat now again the Democrat bill put
a poison pill in there. But still both sides voted
down a bill put up by the other side that
would at least again pay the essential workers, including our military.
Speaker 5 (29:48):
So yeah, I mean, and the Dems wanted to vote
by unanimous consent, which Republicans are never going to let
that happen as long as they're in the leadership.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Sure, why would why why would you write yeah, why
would you. Now, we've got about a month ago before
we get to Thanksgiving. There's no way this drags on
till then, right, I don't know, Yeah, right, exactly. You'd
like to think there's no way, But I would have
told you know, in the first week. Now I'm not
so sure. We're already second longest on record here. Yeah,
(30:21):
And where's the incentive to do something? Well, that's the quest, exactly.
And I'm looking at this piece here that says, well,
it's expected that they'll come to an agreement soon. Well,
they sure haven't shown us that.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
No, neither side's willing to budge right now, all right,
And yeah, we are getting closer to holiday travel, and
you know the fact that people will be missing by
then two and three paychecks. Uh yeah, yeah, which, yeah,
try doing your Christmas shopping.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Then, yeah, and then or try to travel then.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (31:00):
And who's impacted the rest of the economy? Yeah, I
mean you're going to see a significant number of people
who aren't spending money that usually do.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Dominoes will start to fall.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
We had the flights at lax Los Angeles International halted
briefly yesterday, staffing shortage and an air traffic control facility
in Socow. Staffing related delays Chicago, Washington, Newark continuing, there
were slow downs of two to three hours at some
of those airports yesterday. Yeah. Again the essential personnel being
(31:39):
told to show up and work not being paid. You bet,
just enough of them to say, you know, oh, I'm
not feeling well today. Well maybe they're out working a
job that was actually paying them money, you know. Maybe.
So all right, So day twenty seven and still no
one inside. I oh boy, last night just happened upon this.
(32:02):
Hadn't even heard of it, just saw it and said,
let me check this out. It's a movie that was
just released by Netflix. It's called A House of Dynamite.
I just thought the description looked pretty interesting. An incoming
nuclear missile the United States. Oh okay, I'll watch that,
(32:27):
because I'm just that kind of guy. Right. It wasn't
quite what I thought it was going to be. I
don't want to give it away here, but basically this
movie was about It covered the reactions of a number
of different individuals involved in decision making on the part
of the US as to what do you do? It
(32:50):
was very good, leaders to say, some people kind of
freaked out a little bit. Well, apparently the Pentagon is
not real thrilled with this movie. The Pentagon Agency that's
responsible for more than fifty billion dollars worth of ground
(33:12):
based interceptors in Alaska and California, interceptors that are designed
to avoid the sort of scenario this movie just rolled out. Oh,
they're not happy about it. They argue that the doomsday
scenario depicted in the flick is inaccurate. Well, I watched it.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Well it's a movie.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
It's a movie.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
Yeah, we've had movies about nuclear war for years and
what might happen now?
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Maybe maybe, as the Pentagon Agency suggests that what in
the movie played out when it came to the ground
based interceptors, well that's time. I'm trying to not tell
you too much. I want to spoil that. But they
may be right on that. But the whole movie was
really more about the human reaction and how leadership reacted
(34:01):
to this, and you know, the whole fog of war.
It's it's a scary it's a scary. Watch man. Who's
in it Idris Alba Okay, he plays the president. A
couple of the names, you know, I mean, I know faces,
but I can't remember names. Yeah right, okay, Yeah.
Speaker 6 (34:20):
When bringing a new family member into your home starts
with some basic commands Alexa, sit, I don't know that
asket to play one O three point five FM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Now I'm informed.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher
Thompson on one O three point five FM and five
sixty AM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
It's say thirty eight. Time for our final thoughts here
for Monday, October twenty seven.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
Well, dear, I say Halloween week Can I say that?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
You can say that? Yeah, okay, all right. I'm of
the opinion that once the day is over, you stop
all references to it. But I can't like being Halloween weekend.
But that's fine. I'll go with that all.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
I mean, Halloween's in the weekend.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
So I said this last week too, and I noticed
it again yesterday we were out driving around. Now, Okay,
I live in a mature neighborhood. Okay, old folks. A
lot of old folks like me live there. It's not
quite an old folks home yet, but it's getting dark
on close. You know. You go to our neighborhood, my neighborhood,
(35:25):
you see a lot of pumpkins right, matter of fact,
my neighbor John, he does amazing. He like airbrushes piece pumpkins. Well,
you're a fantastic he does like fifty of them a year.
People come all over again. You see a lot of pumpkins,
you know a lot of you know, fall signs and
all that. But you go to the younger neighborhoods. We
(35:46):
were one yesterday, and man, you got skeletons climbing up
walls of houses, hanging off rooftops. I mean, the.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
People have gotten a lot more creative.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Yeah, and a lot more rap up in it. Man.
Used to be just the kids got excited about Halloween.
Now it's all kind of folk. All right Now, I'll say, yeah,
if you want to call it hallow, that's fine. I
got no problem with that. I can go with that.
I'll bend on this one. This time. At least where
was I Oh, okay, No impacts for us from Melissa
(36:24):
at all, none, not even the low country. We've learned
a little bit about hurricanes this season, haven't we, The
steering currents and all, and how every single one except
for this one, really, which made its way further east
than the west, that is, and the rest of them have,
(36:44):
but I mean everyone has gotten pushed up to the north,
you know, up north at some point before the even
came close to our coastline. And the rain that we're
getting the next couple of days from these two systems
moving across this is what's responsible for pushing this thing
back out. I mean, you figure that after Jamaica, the
(37:05):
eastern part of Cuba is going to be impacted heavily
by this this hurricane, probably not as a four, but
at least a two, maybe a three. It's a five
right now, but it's not expected to make landfalls of five.
But they actually they actually considered at one point in
time about saying, well, is a five strong enough we
(37:26):
should we have on the A six or even a
seven on the Saffir Simpson scale.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
I don't even want to think about what that would
be like.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Right, Yeah, But they decided not to because they were like, well,
you know, if you did that, and if you had
a category six hurricane and then you said well it's
been downgraded to a five, people go oh, even this
thing going from a five to a four is no
no cause for celebration, obviously, but I mean eastern Cuba
is going to get hit hard by this thing. All right,
(37:54):
it's the eastern ports of Cuba, not the western parts.
But you figure that Miami is only ninety or the
keys that were only ninety mini hose from you know,
the southernmost portion of the US to Cuba. It's awful close.
So we have been so incredibly fortunate. And hurricane season
on the calendar ends here in a couple of days
(38:14):
on the calendar, So no impacts for US here. Uh.
Trade deal we're told drawing close between the US and China.
Stop me, if you've heard this story before. We have
a framework. You've heard that before too. Oh, frameworks better
than having no framework. But there's still a lot to
(38:34):
be a lot to be hammered out. This will be
part of what happens this impending trade deal with the
Chinese as the President continues his Asian trip. Uh. You know,
a big part of this is these rare earth chemicals,
these elements rather again, these things that are well, how
(38:56):
ironic is that you need these rare earth elements for
high tech stuff? Yeah, that's just kind of bizarre if
you ask me. So, they'll put the sabers in the
in the the scabbard here for at least a day
or so. And see they can't figure all this out.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
And we're told we have a deal for TikTok too.
I can't believe we're still talking about that.
Speaker 1 (39:16):
You know, I have. I've just got zero, zero interest
in that whole story. I have from the get go.
The fact that you know are the Chinese, you know,
harvesting a lot of data from TikTok users. Well, if
you know that, you want to keep using it and
go ahead. I ain't anyway, this trip is uh well,
(39:38):
aside from trying to settle the war or the ongoing hostilities,
I should say between the Cambodia and Thailand that virtually
nobody was even aware of anymore that happened. But the
rest of this is it's all about the economy here.
Let's face it. That would be a that'd be a
big deal. And at a time when you know, we're
again record highs on Wall Street, your four to one
(40:01):
case dun you solved these days? You know your investment accounts,
you've got them properly distributed, you're doing very well, and
you get that deal done. Wow. Well, most of the
talk in South America is on mainly Venezuela, but secondarily
on Colombia. As we talked about in the last half hour,
(40:23):
the movement of naval assets, including a carrier strike group
to the region. That's top of the headlines. But secondarily
or tertiarily here the news that Javier Malay, the president
of Argentina, what a decisive victory yesterday in midterm elections.
(40:43):
This is the libertarian movement and this is again a
country that is very friendly to Trump, and Trump is
very friendly too. You talk about somebody who's done a job. Now,
when Javier Malay was first inaugurated as president, the inflation
(41:06):
rate was twelve point eight percent, and we thought like
eight or nine was bad. Yeah, it's last month is
a two point one percent. Maybe we should be taking
notes from Javier Malay because he's done a terrific job.
So little wonder why he again scored a decisive victory
(41:29):
over the weekend. All right, this is the dumbest poll
you've ever heard. Oh my goodness, who even did this
on the Pew Research Center? Okay, Americans divided over cause.
The political violence poll says well, eighty five percent in
(41:53):
the poll said the politically motivated tax or increasing twelve
percent say they're a remaining study. Three percent say they're decreasing. Okay,
these are hello where you bet and it's nearly identical.
Eighty five percent of Democrats and left leaning independence say
(42:17):
it's increasing. Eighty six percent of Republicans and right leaning
independence say it's increasing. Okay, but here we get to
the dumb part of the poll, the divide over the causes.
Guess what they found. If you lean left, you're blaming
the extreme right. If you lean right, you're blaming the
extreme left. I hope you didn't spend too much money
(42:39):
on that pole, which I don't know about you. I've
been not paying attention to all of these polls for
a while now, but I read something earlier today I
don't have in front of me right now. I think
it was on Politico that posters are starting to get really,
really worried now. They should have been for a while
because they've been dead wrong on so many of these poles,
But they're getting concerned now because they're seeing that these
(43:03):
poles that are done, if you can call them that,
by people betting money on what they think of the
outcome is going to be seem to be a little
more accurate. Okay, you're putting your money where your mouth
is on those right, right, ah, and that they may
spell the death of conventional polling as we know it.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
So the suggestion is people are intentionally skewing these poles,
but then once they have to bet money on it,
they're well, you know, you're going to get their honest
approach that or just.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Maybe you get a better, you know, a more dedicated
sample size because people are putting their money down on
what they say. Yeah. I don't know the reason why,
but they have been more accurate these betting polls. That's
what you're hearing, which, by the way, not at all
associated but on the topic of betting, Congress now wants
to hear from Adam Silver. Yeah, it's the NBA commission.
Speaker 5 (44:03):
Shouldn't be a surprise to him, No, not at all.
Maybe a few questions on women's basketball while he's there,
but yeah, no, you you get linked to you know,
organized crime and to a you know, a major scandal
on the other side as well. It's just yeah, he's
gonna yeah, of course, we see these pro commissioners go
(44:24):
up and they still manage to retain the right to
do essentially whatever they want to do.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Whatever they want to do. Yeah, And the New York
Post reporting that, as they say, the first immigration case
that New York City mayoral front runner Zo ron Mondami
may have to confront of elected might be his own.
The two House Republicans are pushing the Department of Justice
(44:51):
now to probe how he actually became a citizen and
potentially boot him from the US. Denaturalize I'm Donnie. If
you can't beat him, kick him out.
Speaker 2 (45:07):
M
Jesus Hell.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
America and Jery Hollin for regious, for nation God, this
is wrong.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher
Thompson on one O, three point five FM and five
sixty AM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Moring Telia and Welcome in Columbia's Morning News back on
the air, online, on the app, and on your radio.
Or Monday, October twenty seventh, morning tell you sixteen after six.
I'm Gary David. That's Christopher Thompson right there joining us
and already pretty busy. Yeah we're here, yeah, yeah, right,
busy all over to joint this morning. Huheh a right,
(00:53):
uh number one stepping out. Well, it doesn't feel nearest
cool this morning, some mornings last week. This is gonna
be about it for us today. This is it. Fifty
three to fifty four of the high that's where we
are right now, in a lot of spots, So don't
expect anything to change except for the fact that the
skuys will open up and dump some rain on us.
And there's one hundred percent chance of that by later
(01:13):
on today in a ninety percent chance tonight, eighty percent
chance tomorrow. So yeah, it's trying to just mention a
wet and a way below average week for us, at
least for the first half of the week when it
comes to those tempts. But it is, you know, almost November,
for crying out loud, and boy, we can't complain. Can
we run down big stories, hot topics? Looking at a
(01:36):
couple of things here on the local front we'll be
getting into today. The news just kept getting worse for
Howard Napp, the fired director of the state Election Commission,
and now we have to deal with a you know,
potentially a rap sheet here, arrested, charged and released on
a recognaissance bond on a number of charges, mainly his
(02:01):
alleged misuse of state vehicles and those Peak cards, yes,
the purchasing cards for gas expenditures. His former deputy was
also fired several weeks back, Margaret Paige Soalanage also arrested
on a wire tapping charge. Wow, the Peyton place. Well
(02:22):
they're out of there now, of course, and hopefully things
will quiet down or with the election Commission, because I mean,
my goodness, they got an election to run here, not
a big one.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
But is there more to his story than we know?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Because I mean, from what we were told he got
caught and then paid all the money back that he owed.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
So is there more to the story.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Well, we'll have to jump into that, shall we. Well,
let's dig a little deeper here. His attorney, by the way,
he says, this is all just about politics, which is
always the defence you can use when you're in politics.
You get in some sort of hot water. It's all
about politics. It's a witch hunt. Right. We now know
who the company is that has agreed to take over
(03:04):
the restart project at the VC Summer Nuclear Plant in Jenkinsville,
Brookfield Asset Management. They got a little experience with all this.
This is the company that acquired a majority interest in
Westinghouse two years ago. Remember it was Westinghouse that was
in charge of the original plant expansion, and it was
(03:26):
Westinghouse their faulty design to begin with that led to
so many issues, eventually just shuddering the whole project. But well,
Brookfield going to take this on again. We're told there's
no taxpayer money involved, So here here to that because
we need the extra energy capacity and apparently the FEDS
(03:50):
have now approved more energy to be generated in the state,
over forty five hundred megawatts and if you're like me,
You're like, I don't know, what does that mean? You know,
I have no context for that.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Just tell me I'm saving money, And tell me I'm
not putting any more money into that hole in the ground, right.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And then I'll continue to be able to, you know,
turn on the AC and the heat and the lights
and such that additional capacity generation coming from well, the
natural gas plan Calton County and the completion of this
VC Summer Reactor whenever it finally does get completed. Okay,
if you're curious, you know, the rain we're getting has
(04:28):
got nothing to do with Melissa. As a matter of fact,
this front that's moving through here is having impacts on
that powerful hurricane, and it's going to be well what
makes it make that turn here? Probably sometime oh tomorrow,
and it had away from the continental United States, that's
the good news. And no impacts at all are expected
(04:53):
even for our coastalarios on this but boy man Aca, Cuba,
potentially parts of the Bahamas, maybe Bermuda, and by the
end of the week maybe even the coastal areas of
Canada the North Atlantic could see the storm track through.
(05:15):
And Melissa this morning is now up to a category five. Yep,
it's a monster. One hundred and sixty mile an hour,
is that right? One hundred and sixty mile an hour
maximum sustained sustained wins.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
So you said Jamaica and then you said Canada with
the same storm.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's going to speed up once it moves through.
But now it's still just at a instead of snails
pace three miles an hour. This thing is moving. I
mean it has been bringing rain to Jamaica now since
you know, the weekend and then then some but it's track.
I expected to take it over the island of Jamaica tonight,
(05:55):
maybe overnight and into tomorrow morning. It's moved a little
bit to the west, which means it won't be eye
at least in that eye any place around that eye
of that storm when it comes on shore. Again we
mentioned one hundred and sixty mile an hour maximum sustained winds.
There still is a possibility of wind gusts around the
eye of that storm, you know, upwards of around two
(06:17):
hundred miles an hour. Still dire forecasts of local isolated
spots getting forty or more inches of rain, but wider
spread areas getting thirty or more inches of rain. It's
just a doomsday scenario for Jamaica, and in eastern Cuba,
it's not gonna fare a whole lot better. They will
fare a bit better, but still this shift has taken
(06:41):
it a bit to the west, which means it won't
make landfall right over at Kingston, which I'm pretty sure
is the most populated area of that island. But the
bad news is that puts Kingston on the what they
call the dirty side of the storm, that right side,
So there's not a whole lot of good to find
in this thing, and watching that is it makes landfall
(07:01):
probably late to night early tomorrow morning. Also in the Caribbean,
things are heating up, as we've reportedly now deployed forces
to the Southern Caribbean to fight off these Latin American
drug cartels, at least that's what the word is. You've
got the gerald Ford Carrier strike group in the area.
(07:22):
Doesn't that seem like a little overkill if you're targeting
well cartels. But again, this is not to go after
those boats on the water. These looks like would be
land strikes. Nicolas Maduro, the Presidente of Venezuela, saying that
the US is fabricating a war and it's all about
(07:45):
regime change. So yeah, you got that going on. Meantime
Out in the Pacific the South China Sea, both a
fighter jet and a helicopter on board the aircraft carry
USS in the months crashed into the sea within thirty
minutes of each other yesterday afternoon. These incidents weren't linked.
(08:08):
It was just you know, it's kind of hard to
believe that it wasn't. But the cause under investigation. That's
not just a little bit, I think quite a bit bizarre.
Still may continues on Capitol Hill. Still governments shut down,
federal workers now many missing their first full paychecks, the
(08:30):
military getting sent to miss their pay as what tomorrow right, Well,
actually I'm thirty first. So by the end of this week,
as we talked about, we were told here in South
Carolina that some two hundred and sixty thousand households that
received SNAP benefits those dry up at the end of
this month, the White House posting a notice on the
(08:50):
USDA's website that yeah, federal food aid will not go
out November one, and airport slow downs continuing lax, briefly
halting due to staffing shortages There or long delays and
Dallas Newark, what's new at Newark? Right all over again?
(09:11):
Air traffic controllers who are told they have to work
but are not getting paid and many are calling against sick.
Also in the Pacific Trump, that's where he is now.
And well, the framework as they like to call it
for a trade deal said to be drawing closer ahead
of this big high stakes meeting between Trump and g
later on this week. All right, friends, we'll get to
(09:32):
that more coming up on this. It is the back
at It Monday edition of Columbia's Morning News, and it
is fabulous to have you with us, keeping you informed.
Dad's up to date. Now now more than ever, I
like knowing what's happening in the world.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
One on three point five FM and five sixty AM
w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David
and Christopher Thompson on one on three point five FM and.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
WVOC six forty one on a Monday morning. Good morning,
I'm going to have you with us for this twenty
seventh day of October. Well, we learned last week that
Santa Cooper had chosen a company to take over the
VC Summer expansion project. That's been sitting there idle now
for quite some time. Fortunately, they kept all the stuff
(10:27):
sitting out there and kept it shield as best as
they could from the elements. So you're not starting from
from scratch all over again. Many of the pieces are
still out there, just had to be put together the
proper way to make this thing happen. What we didn't
know last week was exactly who the company was or
was it a consortium of companies. Well we now know
that it is one Brookfield Asset Management, a Canadian company
(10:53):
that has acquired a majority interest in Westinghouse. Actually, they
were acquired a majority of in Westinghouse two years ago.
Oh there's that name again, Westinghouse. Wait a minute, it
was Westinghouse who was in charge of that original expansion
that went belly up and cost taxpayers about ten billion
(11:15):
dollars for nothing. Yeah, it was Westinghouse. So let me
get this straight. The multinational corporation that has been picked
by Santie Cooper to restart the project as a majority
owner in the company that couldn't get it done last time. Well,
(11:40):
apparently Sandy Cooper is not worried about this matter of facts.
Even our friend Frank nap Over the Small Business Chamber
of Commerce, who said it was ironic that the company
that now owns Westinghouse is going to be involved in
cleaning up on westinghouset up all those years ago. But
(12:02):
even Naps, he's not worried about about it at all.
This is a different This is a different Westinghouse. It's
not the same people that were in charge when they
boon doggled us out of all that money. This is
a totally new operation under Brookfield. All right, Well, let's hope.
So this is a large, massive asset management company. They
(12:32):
got more than a trillion dollars in assets overall. They
employed about a quarter million people worldwide, including about two
thousand here in Columbia. That Rod's plant over in the
atomic fuel factory that is on mon Bluff Road. They
own that one now since they purchased Westinghouse or the
(12:53):
majority interest in.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
It, and you assume they've done their due diligence. I
mean they've looked it over, because you know, we've we've
heard complaints from a number of folks, including those who
say that's a that's a wrecked facility and the stuff.
Everything's been out in the elements too long it's ruined.
(13:15):
They say they're going to this, they say, there's no
way that we're not going to get soaked eventually. And
and even if they build it, it's going to be
a subpart a substandard facility.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
I mean, you would think this company's gone in and
looked at it and said, okay, yeah, things have been
exposed for a while. But and what about all the
equipment that got sold off?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, because some of it did get sold off. Yeah, yeah,
so you're not necessarily just picking up where it was
left off.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Right, But I mean, I don't I don't know why
they would sign an agreement unless they've investigated and thought
it would be profitable for them to take part in them.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Well, we talked about this last week. I mean, with
the energy demands not just in this state but everywhere
across the country these days, increasing exponentially. Yeah, probably, if
you got the money, it's probably a good time to
get into it. Man. I mean it looks like a
like a like a no lose situation, right, Okay, so
let's go let's do it then. Now, the specifics of
(14:12):
this deal were not publicly released, a source telling fitz
News it was about a two point seven billion dollar
Well it was bigger than that, but that there there
was at least two point seven billion dollars on the
table to address lingering rate payer obligations tied to the
new project. Now, does that mean that we're off the
(14:34):
hook for the old project or this two point seven
billion dollars is to ensure that we don't get on
the hook for the new project. I'm not real sure,
but considering that Santie Cooper is going to retain a
twenty five percent stake in the final project, I'm guessing
that's what that is, that we won't be on the
(14:55):
hook for two point seven billion dollars worth because, of course,
as you know, Santie Cooper, the state on you utility
part of that deal will give Santa Cooper about twenty
five percent of the power provided at below market cost. Okay,
but again, not everybody that was in the bidding processes
happy with this. Jonathan Webb, who's the CEO of the
(15:19):
nuclear company, wrote a letter to the utility board to
Santa Cooper's board dated last Thursday, that the process itself
by which they put out bids and selected a company,
he says, may have been fundamentally compromised by the as
he called it, the evaluation of bids outside the established
(15:39):
framework by parties previously involved in the VC Summer project
and with access to information that other parties did not have. Okay, yeah,
I mean you got the company that won the bid,
that owns the company that watched it last time, and yeah,
I'm sure they did have access to some information that
others did not have. Up Anyway, there it is. And
(16:04):
again I think our collective take here is, if you
can do this thing, get it done, generate the jobs
and most importantly, generate the power we're gonna need here
moving forward to need right now, and rate payers and
taxpayers aren't the hook are the hook for it?
Speaker 4 (16:20):
Cool, let's do it. Let's make it happen.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Now. Timeframe wise, I don't think we know yet how
long is going to take or even when they going
to start, but I would expect sooner is certainly is
better than later.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
You're listening to Columbia's Morning News on one oh three
point five FM and five sixty am WVOC. Once again,
here's Gary David and Christopher Thompson.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
It's fifteen after seven o'clock. It's good to have you
here Monday, October twenty seventh, Melissa. No impacts for us,
not even the low country, none at all, thankfully. But boy,
the Caribbean, Jamaica, Haiti, not so much hateo. They've gotten
the dr has gotten some flooding rain out of this,
but uh, Jamaica. Then Cuba will be hard hit by this.
(17:12):
What is right now a category five will probably dip
to a Category four before it makes landfall tomorrow morning,
but it will still be a strong category four storm.
And then what then A little track on its current
track through the eastern portions of Cuba, including Guantanamo Bay
(17:38):
up through maybe parts of the Bahamas, Bermuda could be
in the eye of this, and then the Ameritimes of
coastal Atlantica, Canada could It'll be it'll I mean, it
won't be much left of it by then, but uh,
but it could track. It could track there too. That's
pretty incredible. Yeah, there's been a lot of ocean to cover,
considering the fact that it's gone basically nowhere in what
(18:01):
three four five days, I mean, it has just been
meandering down there. I think last at the last update,
it was three mile an hour forward speed. That was
it Cat five now pubably a Cat forward. It makes
landfall wind gusts when they tell us right now is
(18:21):
one hundred and sixty mile an hour winds that's sustained
at the eye of that storm. A gus could be
a lot higher than that. Maybe it puts up two
hundred miles an hour and thirty plus and then some
high localized spots in Jamaica forty plus inches of rainow fall.
It is a game changer, but nothing for us out
(18:44):
of this. Our rain in the forecasts got nothing to
do with this. Matter of fact, our forecast and the
system is moving across the east over towards us. Is
what's responsible for making this thing turn here when it
does otherwise, Yeah, we might be hit the crosshairs of
this thing, all right, So keeping an eye on that now.
The day went from bad to worse for Howard Napp,
(19:07):
the former executive director of the State Election Commission, when
he was arrested Friday morning on a number of charges,
primarily alleged misuse of state vehicles and purchasing cards for
gas expenditures. Peak cards who.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Arrested him sled Okay, so they've been investigating for a while, more.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Than a year. Right, this has nothing to do with
why he was well the reasons given why he was fired.
He was fired from his position well, creating a bad
work experience for people that worked there. That was one
of the reasons why he lost his job. What they
(19:54):
referred to at least the board did as a secretly
broken agreement to buy voting machines that could have wound
up having them repossessed paid more than well. The board
said they were aware that he authorized payment for it,
saw them to read the fine prints. Then there's that, Yeah,
(20:14):
you've got to read the reports he turns in. Yeah,
but yeah, this arrest based on the Again, this led
investigation had been ongoing reports that both he and his wife,
according to the arrest warrants, or at least he and
his family, misused state vehicles and gas cards. Accused of
(20:42):
embezzling almost fifty five hundred dollars in state funds from
June of twenty twenty three to January of twenty twenty four,
of a six month period. In one of those months,
in August of twenty three, spent more than one thousand
dollars buying fuel on state purchasing cards. Wow, I don't
(21:03):
know gas prices are high in all of but still now.
According to state newspaper, he had since given those vehicles
back and paid back that money. This is at least
what sources are telling the state paper. When he was
(21:23):
told he was not in compliance with state law, he
returned the vehicles and was allowed to repay the money. Well,
number one, I would maybe maybe not. But if he's
driving said state vehicle and using a peak card for
gas for business purposes, that's one thing. Obviously, with one
(21:47):
month it was more than a thousand dollars in gas purchases.
This wasn't just for you know, state business. You wouldn't think,
but you got to think that, you know, he had
to know that. Okay, you can't. And I assume by
they say vehicles that his wife was driving one of
these vehicles sounds like it, and also using a peak
card to put gas in that you gotta you gotta
know that's not right. But again, but he was allowed
(22:11):
to repay the money. So but he still apparently committed
the crime. Okay, So I don't know.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
I feel like we've seen officials like this do what
he did and either step down, you know, or be fired.
I don't I'm wondering what else there is that warranted
him being arrested by sled and And I guess the
investigation continues because we're told the AG's office is investigating.
(22:39):
There's there's got to be more to the story. Otherwise
you would just think, Okay, we've got our money back.
The state's gonna now wash wash our hands of him.
You know, why arrest him after he's already done?
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Yeah, but I guess that doesn't mitigate the fact that
he did commit a crime. What you're calling him beezzlement,
I get it, you know, I mean it.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Just it's a surprise, and there's more to the story, and.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
That may well be also arrested and released on a
personal recognizance bond. His former deputy, Margaret Solanich, she's arrested
on a wire tapping charge. Remember we talked about this,
that a listening device was put in the boardroom prior
to the board you know, having their conversations about what
(23:21):
to do with NAP.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Is he linked to that at all?
Speaker 5 (23:24):
Is he being accused of telling her to do that
or asking her to plant that device?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
There is and let me find it here because I
want to be very specific here. Yeah, Nap was also
charged with being accessory to a felony for calling employees
that same night I guess that the device was placed
(23:53):
there and the next day asking them to remove the recorder,
so he knew it was there. Yeah. Now again, this
would indicate there were multiple employees that he that he called.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
Well, there's hurt to remove that. There's her defense right there.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
I was just carrying out the act of mine or
the orders of my superior.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Uh right, I mean that's what I would say.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah, I bet that's what she does say. Okay, yeah,
it does seem a little overkilled. But or then if
you're sled you've been looking at this for more than
a year, you say, oh, we got to do something.
You know, we just spent all this time and effort here.
You know, we got to charge somebody with something.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
I don't understand why you keep looking at it unless
there's I mean, once he paid back the money and
said I won't do it anymore, unless he was still
doing it.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
I don't know. It just it feels like there's something
else we don't know about yet.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
And maybe so apparently the investigate Yeah, as you say,
it's all been turned over to the AG's office. So
obviously the investigation continues. And let's put it this way,
what would be to investigate if if the dudes already
given the cars back and already paid back all that money. Yeah,
what's left to investigate unless they think that again, there's
something more to it, all right, Well, uh, there's the
(25:10):
latest on all that municipal elections by the way, next Tuesday.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
And they're safe.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Well what we're told.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Okay, this has nothing to do with that nothing.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Yeah, it never did have anything to do with the
actual electoral process in rush date. Which is the good news?
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Keeping you connected.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
I check in throughout the day twenty four to seven.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
I just like being informed, know what's happening.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
One O three point five FM and five sixty AM
w VOC. This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David
and Christopher Thompson on one O three point five FM
and five sixty AM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Seven thirty nine. At the time. It's Monday, October twenty seven.
Appreciate you being here today. Twenty seven. Is that right,
day twenty seven of the federal gummy shutdown give or.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Take sounds about right?
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, yeah, it started October one, Yeah, and it shows
no signs of ending anytime soon. Here's what I'll get
about this. Now, I understand for the you know, independent
voter out there, but for Republican voters, for Democrat voters
(26:22):
who you can bet your bottom dollar going to vote
Democrat or Republican nation every time, you're not going to
change your vote just because you're not happy with what
your party did when it comes to this. So once again,
I guess all the concern is about who the independent
voter is going to blame for this. You know, at
this point, aren't we blaming everybody? I mean really? But now,
(26:49):
how many times a dozen times at least Senate Democrats
have blocked a Republican bill. This time this was less
last Thursday. We talked about it on Friday. Not a
bill that would end the stalemate here, but a bill
to pay people who are considered essential workers. Now, I
remember you had a Democratic put up a competing bill
(27:12):
to that, but one that would have had something had
a poison pill in there that the knew Republicans wouldn't
bite on. So you know, neither side voted to you
wanna you want to you want to take people off?
Tell him you've got to go to work, but we're
not gonna pay you. Oh yeah, eventually we'll pay you,
and we'll pay your back pay. But in the meantime,
(27:33):
we expect you to go to work every day and
not collect the paycheck at the end of the week.
Federal workers have missed their first full paychecks.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Now, I don't know if you saw it, and not
only paychecks, but you've got you know, Snap benefits and
a lot of other things. I don't know if you
saw Jake Tapper on State of the Union yesterday, he
asked Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, he said, are you willing
to let a Mayormerriicans go hungry over Obamacare subsidies?
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (28:06):
Right, but that's yeah, people are missing paychecks and benefits
are going by the wayside, and yes, there are people
who are trying to having a struggle to make ends meet,
ends that the government usually helps with.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Now, if Democrats, if they haven't already heard, you know,
an earful from constituents, they may be so you let
the snap benefits dry up, which there again, we knew
that here in South Carolina. They told us that after
the end of this month October, just a few days left,
there would be no more SNAP benefits. The White House
has now sent out guidance. At least they posted the
(28:44):
USDA is on their site that November one SNAP benefits
dry up. Uh well, politicians on both sides of the
aisle are getting ready to hear here an ear full,
because yeah, there will people. You can say what you want,
you know, go get a job, whatever, But still there
are people out there, families who are not gonna be
(29:05):
able to put food on the table, bottom line. So
the military pays in jeopardy. Here the eight billion dollars
that the White House found to cover paychecks for our
troops that runs out in a couple of days at
(29:26):
the end of this month. And again, as I mentioned,
you had late last week. And I'm not just gonna
play on a Democrat now again the Democrat bill put
a poison pill in there. But still both sides voted
down a bill put up by the other side that
would at least again pay the essential workers, including our military.
Speaker 5 (29:48):
So yeah, I mean, and the Dems wanted to vote
by unanimous consent, which Republicans are never going to let
that happen as long as they're in the leadership.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Sure, why would why why would you write yeah, why
would you. Now, we've got about a month ago before
we get to Thanksgiving. There's no way this drags on
till then, right, I don't know, Yeah, right, exactly. You'd
like to think there's no way, But I would have
told you know, in the first week. Now I'm not
so sure. We're already second longest on record here. Yeah,
(30:21):
And where's the incentive to do something? Well, that's the quest, exactly.
And I'm looking at this piece here that says, well,
it's expected that they'll come to an agreement soon. Well,
they sure haven't shown us that.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
No, neither side's willing to budge right now, all right,
And yeah, we are getting closer to holiday travel, and
you know the fact that people will be missing by
then two and three paychecks. Uh yeah, yeah, which, yeah,
try doing your Christmas shopping.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Then, yeah, and then or try to travel then.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (31:00):
And who's impacted the rest of the economy? Yeah, I
mean you're going to see a significant number of people
who aren't spending money that usually do.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Dominoes will start to fall.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
We had the flights at lax Los Angeles International halted
briefly yesterday, staffing shortage and an air traffic control facility
in Socow. Staffing related delays Chicago, Washington, Newark continuing, there
were slow downs of two to three hours at some
of those airports yesterday. Yeah. Again the essential personnel being
(31:39):
told to show up and work not being paid. You bet,
just enough of them to say, you know, oh, I'm
not feeling well today. Well maybe they're out working a
job that was actually paying them money, you know. Maybe.
So all right, So day twenty seven and still no
one inside. I oh boy, last night just happened upon this.
(32:02):
Hadn't even heard of it, just saw it and said,
let me check this out. It's a movie that was
just released by Netflix. It's called A House of Dynamite.
I just thought the description looked pretty interesting. An incoming
nuclear missile the United States. Oh okay, I'll watch that,
(32:27):
because I'm just that kind of guy. Right. It wasn't
quite what I thought it was going to be. I
don't want to give it away here, but basically this
movie was about It covered the reactions of a number
of different individuals involved in decision making on the part
of the US as to what do you do? It
(32:50):
was very good, leaders to say, some people kind of
freaked out a little bit. Well, apparently the Pentagon is
not real thrilled with this movie. The Pentagon Agency that's
responsible for more than fifty billion dollars worth of ground
(33:12):
based interceptors in Alaska and California, interceptors that are designed
to avoid the sort of scenario this movie just rolled out. Oh,
they're not happy about it. They argue that the doomsday
scenario depicted in the flick is inaccurate. Well, I watched it.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Well it's a movie.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
It's a movie.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
Yeah, we've had movies about nuclear war for years and
what might happen now?
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Maybe maybe, as the Pentagon Agency suggests that what in
the movie played out when it came to the ground
based interceptors, well that's time. I'm trying to not tell
you too much. I want to spoil that. But they
may be right on that. But the whole movie was
really more about the human reaction and how leadership reacted
(34:01):
to this, and you know, the whole fog of war.
It's it's a scary it's a scary. Watch man. Who's
in it Idris Alba Okay, he plays the president. A
couple of the names, you know, I mean, I know faces,
but I can't remember names. Yeah right, okay, Yeah.
Speaker 6 (34:20):
When bringing a new family member into your home starts
with some basic commands Alexa, sit, I don't know that
asket to play one O three point five FM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Now I'm informed.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
This is Columbia's Morning News with Gary David and Christopher
Thompson on one O three point five FM and five
sixty AM w VOC.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
It's say thirty eight. Time for our final thoughts here
for Monday, October twenty seven.
Speaker 4 (34:50):
Well, dear, I say Halloween week Can I say that?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
You can say that? Yeah, okay, all right. I'm of
the opinion that once the day is over, you stop
all references to it. But I can't like being Halloween weekend.
But that's fine. I'll go with that all.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
I mean, Halloween's in the weekend.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
So I said this last week too, and I noticed
it again yesterday we were out driving around. Now, Okay,
I live in a mature neighborhood. Okay, old folks. A
lot of old folks like me live there. It's not
quite an old folks home yet, but it's getting dark
on close. You know. You go to our neighborhood, my neighborhood,
(35:25):
you see a lot of pumpkins right, matter of fact,
my neighbor John, he does amazing. He like airbrushes piece pumpkins. Well,
you're a fantastic he does like fifty of them a year.
People come all over again. You see a lot of pumpkins,
you know a lot of you know, fall signs and
all that. But you go to the younger neighborhoods. We
(35:46):
were one yesterday, and man, you got skeletons climbing up
walls of houses, hanging off rooftops. I mean, the.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
People have gotten a lot more creative.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Yeah, and a lot more rap up in it. Man.
Used to be just the kids got excited about Halloween.
Now it's all kind of folk. All right Now, I'll say, yeah,
if you want to call it hallow, that's fine. I
got no problem with that. I can go with that.
I'll bend on this one. This time. At least where
was I Oh, okay, No impacts for us from Melissa
(36:24):
at all, none, not even the low country. We've learned
a little bit about hurricanes this season, haven't we, The
steering currents and all, and how every single one except
for this one, really, which made its way further east
than the west, that is, and the rest of them have,
(36:44):
but I mean everyone has gotten pushed up to the north,
you know, up north at some point before the even
came close to our coastline. And the rain that we're
getting the next couple of days from these two systems
moving across this is what's responsible for pushing this thing
back out. I mean, you figure that after Jamaica, the
(37:05):
eastern part of Cuba is going to be impacted heavily
by this this hurricane, probably not as a four, but
at least a two, maybe a three. It's a five
right now, but it's not expected to make landfalls of five.
But they actually they actually considered at one point in
time about saying, well, is a five strong enough we
(37:26):
should we have on the A six or even a
seven on the Saffir Simpson scale.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
I don't even want to think about what that would
be like.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Right, Yeah, But they decided not to because they were like, well,
you know, if you did that, and if you had
a category six hurricane and then you said well it's
been downgraded to a five, people go oh, even this
thing going from a five to a four is no
no cause for celebration, obviously, but I mean eastern Cuba
is going to get hit hard by this thing. All right,
(37:54):
it's the eastern ports of Cuba, not the western parts.
But you figure that Miami is only ninety or the
keys that were only ninety mini hose from you know,
the southernmost portion of the US to Cuba. It's awful close.
So we have been so incredibly fortunate. And hurricane season
on the calendar ends here in a couple of days
(38:14):
on the calendar, So no impacts for US here. Uh.
Trade deal we're told drawing close between the US and China.
Stop me, if you've heard this story before. We have
a framework. You've heard that before too. Oh, frameworks better
than having no framework. But there's still a lot to
(38:34):
be a lot to be hammered out. This will be
part of what happens this impending trade deal with the
Chinese as the President continues his Asian trip. Uh. You know,
a big part of this is these rare earth chemicals,
these elements rather again, these things that are well, how
(38:56):
ironic is that you need these rare earth elements for
high tech stuff? Yeah, that's just kind of bizarre if
you ask me. So, they'll put the sabers in the
in the the scabbard here for at least a day
or so. And see they can't figure all this out.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
And we're told we have a deal for TikTok too.
I can't believe we're still talking about that.
Speaker 1 (39:16):
You know, I have. I've just got zero, zero interest
in that whole story. I have from the get go.
The fact that you know are the Chinese, you know,
harvesting a lot of data from TikTok users. Well, if
you know that, you want to keep using it and
go ahead. I ain't anyway, this trip is uh well,
(39:38):
aside from trying to settle the war or the ongoing hostilities,
I should say between the Cambodia and Thailand that virtually
nobody was even aware of anymore that happened. But the
rest of this is it's all about the economy here.
Let's face it. That would be a that'd be a
big deal. And at a time when you know, we're
again record highs on Wall Street, your four to one
(40:01):
case dun you solved these days? You know your investment accounts,
you've got them properly distributed, you're doing very well, and
you get that deal done. Wow. Well, most of the
talk in South America is on mainly Venezuela, but secondarily
on Colombia. As we talked about in the last half hour,
(40:23):
the movement of naval assets, including a carrier strike group
to the region. That's top of the headlines. But secondarily
or tertiarily here the news that Javier Malay, the president
of Argentina, what a decisive victory yesterday in midterm elections.
(40:43):
This is the libertarian movement and this is again a
country that is very friendly to Trump, and Trump is
very friendly too. You talk about somebody who's done a job. Now,
when Javier Malay was first inaugurated as president, the inflation
(41:06):
rate was twelve point eight percent, and we thought like
eight or nine was bad. Yeah, it's last month is
a two point one percent. Maybe we should be taking
notes from Javier Malay because he's done a terrific job.
So little wonder why he again scored a decisive victory
(41:29):
over the weekend. All right, this is the dumbest poll
you've ever heard. Oh my goodness, who even did this
on the Pew Research Center? Okay, Americans divided over cause.
The political violence poll says well, eighty five percent in
(41:53):
the poll said the politically motivated tax or increasing twelve
percent say they're a remaining study. Three percent say they're decreasing. Okay,
these are hello where you bet and it's nearly identical.
Eighty five percent of Democrats and left leaning independence say
(42:17):
it's increasing. Eighty six percent of Republicans and right leaning
independence say it's increasing. Okay, but here we get to
the dumb part of the poll, the divide over the causes.
Guess what they found. If you lean left, you're blaming
the extreme right. If you lean right, you're blaming the
extreme left. I hope you didn't spend too much money
(42:39):
on that pole, which I don't know about you. I've
been not paying attention to all of these polls for
a while now, but I read something earlier today I
don't have in front of me right now. I think
it was on Politico that posters are starting to get really,
really worried now. They should have been for a while
because they've been dead wrong on so many of these poles,
But they're getting concerned now because they're seeing that these
(43:03):
poles that are done, if you can call them that,
by people betting money on what they think of the
outcome is going to be seem to be a little
more accurate. Okay, you're putting your money where your mouth
is on those right, right, ah, and that they may
spell the death of conventional polling as we know it.
Speaker 5 (43:28):
So the suggestion is people are intentionally skewing these poles,
but then once they have to bet money on it,
they're well, you know, you're going to get their honest
approach that or just.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Maybe you get a better, you know, a more dedicated
sample size because people are putting their money down on
what they say. Yeah. I don't know the reason why,
but they have been more accurate these betting polls. That's
what you're hearing, which, by the way, not at all
associated but on the topic of betting, Congress now wants
to hear from Adam Silver. Yeah, it's the NBA commission.
Speaker 5 (44:03):
Shouldn't be a surprise to him, No, not at all.
Maybe a few questions on women's basketball while he's there,
but yeah, no, you you get linked to you know,
organized crime and to a you know, a major scandal
on the other side as well. It's just yeah, he's
gonna yeah, of course, we see these pro commissioners go
(44:24):
up and they still manage to retain the right to
do essentially whatever they want to do.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Whatever they want to do. Yeah, And the New York
Post reporting that, as they say, the first immigration case
that New York City mayoral front runner Zo ron Mondami
may have to confront of elected might be his own.
The two House Republicans are pushing the Department of Justice
(44:51):
now to probe how he actually became a citizen and
potentially boot him from the US. Denaturalize I'm Donnie. If
you can't beat him, kick him out.
Speaker 2 (45:07):
M
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