Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
To night.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Michael Brown joins me here the former FEMA director talk
show host Michael Brown.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
Brownie, no, Brownie, You're doing a heck of a job
the Weekend with Michael Brown.
Speaker 4 (00:09):
Hey, welcome to the Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to
have you with me. Really do appreciate you tuning in.
It's you know, I had I had a nice vacation.
For those of you have been asking me on the
text line, We've now visited our third island in Hawaii.
This time we went to all Oahu is wah Who's
how we pronounced it. They pronounced it o Wahu or
(00:31):
something like that. And we actually spent some time in
a really nice place between well it's all part Honolulu,
but not near Waikiki and not near the other end,
but in a resort that's in kind of a residential
area and had a great time. Their granddaughter was there
(00:52):
along with our daughter and son in law, and uh
Tamer's birthday was last week, so it was my birthday
present for quite honestly for me too, because I need
to burn up some vacation time. So that's where I've
been and we so funny story, we took the we
we're supposed to have arrived at six point fifty this
(01:15):
morning on a red Eye flight, and of course the
United Airlines. We had problems on the way over, we
had problems on the way back. But I was taught.
I was very I've been very fortunate in my entire life,
from the time I was in high school all the
(01:37):
way through throughout my career careers, I should say, being
able to travel all over the world. And I remember
when I was in high school. It's funny how things
that teachers say to you that stick with you, and
some things that teachers tell you that never stick with
you that probably should stick with you. But I remember
(02:00):
the first time that I was probably a probably a
junior in high school and went on a student council
trip to a national convention in Chicago. You could actually
go to Chicago. Then it's back, you know, this is
back in like the nineteen forties or something. And when
(02:21):
I got picked up, my buddy and I got picked
up at the airport to be driven back to our hometown,
our high school student council sponsor gave us this big lecture.
Now it may have only lasted like fifteen minutes, but
(02:43):
it seemed to me like it lasted an hour, and
the lecture was, people don't want to hear about your
trips when you get back because you two were lucky.
You two got to make this trip. Other people didn't
get to make the trip, so keep your mouth shut
about the trip. So I've always been a little reluctant
(03:04):
to ever talk about where I go or what I
do when I go on vacation. Most of the time,
it's usually just the undisclosed location in New Mexico, just
to sit on the deck and watch the bear and
the elk and the deer and the wild turkey, both
in the bottle out in the yard. So anyway, but
that's what that's where I've been for the past week. Well, anyway,
(03:26):
long story short, We're supposed to have arrived at six
point fifty two this morning, which would have given me
plenty of time to drop bags off at the house
and get back to studio and sit down and kind
of do a little last minute show prep. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no,
almost two hours late. Just pulled in here at the
last minute. So what I want to do this hour
(03:49):
is go through some of the stuff that I did
collect over the last couple of days that I found interesting.
We've heard all the stories, so let's just get started.
We've heard all the stories about the Haitian illegal aliens
and the Haitian people who have come here legally and
(04:09):
have become American citizens. Have you heard about Logan's Sport?
Logan's Sport, Indiana population eighteen thousand, thousands of Haitian people
who have come here illegally under Harris Biden have put
a dire strain on that little town. There are now
(04:34):
we're my thing. There are what twenty to twenty five
people living in homes. I don't mean twenty twenty total,
twenty or twenty five people per home. Schools are overwhelmed
with students who need translators. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients.
They're relying on charity care or medicaid. The federal government
(04:57):
nowhere to be found. This comes to us from the
Fox fifty nine affiliate in Indiana. Now, I'm going to
break this up a little bit, but I want you
to hear this story because while you know, maybe cats
and dogs, we get too focused on they're eating the cats,
they're eating the dogs. I don't think that's the real story.
(05:21):
I think that Logan Support Indiana is the real story.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Port, Indiana, a rural city seventy eight miles north of Indianapolis,
known for its diverse urban population of eighteen thousand people
from at least twenty eight countries, now called Logan'sport home
with at least twenty seven languages spoken.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Eight Now, if you assume which may be it, well
you'll hear in a minute. But if you assume that
twenty seven languages are spoken in the town of eighteen thousand,
you can assume that multiples of that are spoken in
the schools. So, yeah, you're gonna need translators. You're gonna
(06:02):
need a lot of ESL teachers. English shows a second language.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
Each week each week. Okay, you did not say that
each week.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So last week they had my final count that I
knew of. They had sixteen newcomers. So that week that week,
and a lot of them are coming out.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Accompanied a startling rapport from the Cass County Health Department
administrator during a September County Commission meeting, Serenity Altar sits
in meetings with new children enrolled in Logan Sports schools.
She listens to them described their journey to the city.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Most of them fly from Katie to Nicaragua, to Mexico
and then.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
To whatever state they're flying to.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
A lot of them, like we met a couple of
last week, I hadn't seen their parents in about seven years.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
It's a it's a eye opener.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
The overall growth of school enrollment jumpy, nearly one hundred.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
And fifty kids in three years.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
This year, there are two hundred and seven Haitian students
in Logan Supports schools, up from fourteen in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Now, let that soak in. In twenty twenty one, there
were fourteen, one, four ten plus four Haitian students in
this little school, this little town school. Remember, the entire
population is eighteen thousand. There were fourteen Haitians this year,
just a mere three years later, two hundred and seven.
(07:24):
Now if they haven't seen their parents in seven years,
not all of them, but many of them. How many
of you think speak English? Very few?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
And they also have new students from eleven other countries
including Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and El Salvador. No one from
the Health department wanted to do an on camera interview
with this, but they told me the language barrier is
a big challenge.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
So I don't think our school system can contain that
many thing can sustain what they're doing right now.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
The school district is more optimistic. We can handle it.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And we're a public school and so we take everybody
that comes in the door and meets them where they are,
no matter what.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
And of course the superintendent's going to say that because
why Because she's getting money for this. She gets to
grow her staff, whether those are teachers or administrators, she
gets to grow it. She gets to tax the you know,
property owners even more. Oh, it's a boondoggle for her.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Shell Starkey graduated from Logansport High School and has worked
for the school for decades.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
She says embracing immigrants is what.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
They do, but she acknowledges many of these migrant students
are being asked to bear a heavy load.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
While it might be startling to some people, we have
students that work second and third shift jobs to help
support their families.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
It's stopped by the Jehovah Jairie Haitian market on North
Street and talked with the owner and asked Tim how
many Haitian immigrants now call Logan'sport home.
Speaker 7 (08:51):
I don't know exactly, but maybe Modnaltzan.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Walkins moved to Logan'sport from Florida four years ago. He
told me what brought Dyson. Watkins is talking about the
Tyson meatpacking plan. He used to work there but now
owns this market. He started it because Logan's Port didn't
have anything for the growing Haitian population.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
He says. People are coming to earn a.
Speaker 7 (09:13):
Living Dyson Golden money.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Hm Tyson foods. Oh, you want to know how they
get work permits because they're here illegally well, under the
prole program, they get a temporary protected status which allows
them to work. That's how. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, immigrants like Walkins can come to Logansport legally with
certain employment authorization doctors.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
See I told you it's the Weekend with Michael Brown.
I want to hear the rest of it. Don't go away.
It's the Weekend with Michael Brown. Text the word Michael,
Michael to this number three three one zero three, Logan's Sport,
Logan's Port, Indiana. Next. Hey, welcome back to the Weekend
of Michael Brown. Glad to have you with me. I'd
(10:05):
appreciate it if you would subscribe to the podcast on
your podcast app. Simply search for this podcast, the situation
with Michael Brown, the situation of Michael Brown. When you
find that, hit that subscribe button, might leave a five
star review while you're there, and then they'll give you
all five days of the weekday program plus the weekend
program and boom, you're set to go. So we're talking
(10:26):
about Logansport, Indiana, and I wanted to talk about this
today because I know that there's all these stories about Haitians,
and there are some Haitians who have come here legally,
they've done it the right way, but the influx that
we've seen go back to those stats. In this little
town of eighteen thousand in twenty twenty one, there were
(10:49):
fourteen Haitians in the entire school. Today more than two
hundred what was it two forty or something. And why
we're just hearing from a Haitian who came here several
years ago to work at Tyson Foods. And people always say, well,
(11:11):
how do these people get these jobs? Because under the
Department of Homeland Securities Temporary Protected Status Program TPS, they
get employment authorization documents so that they can go to work,
so they get all of the benefits from the NGOs
(11:32):
that fund them to bring them here, and the housing
and all the housing assistants, and then they get jobs
on top of that. It's a win win for them
and for the rest of the people in this little town.
As sucks to be.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Them to work there, but now owns this market. He
started it because Logansport didn't have anything for the growing
Haitian population.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
He says, people are coming to earn a living.
Speaker 7 (11:57):
Doc Gouden mon, Yeah, immigrants like Walkins can come to
Logan Sport legally with certain employment authorization documents issue to
temporary protected status individuals.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I reached out to Tyson and submitted multiple questions, including
how many migrant teenagers work for them third shifts?
Speaker 5 (12:19):
They did not respond.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
I wonder why they don't want to answer that question.
How many teenagers work the overnight shift?
Speaker 6 (12:30):
We know?
Speaker 4 (12:30):
I in comment that must mean there are some.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
Do you need help?
Speaker 4 (12:35):
We do?
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Logan Sport Mayor Martin told me his biggest issue right
now is not knowing how many immigrants have come to
a city. From the federal to state government. Nobody can
tell him.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Do you even know? We don't?
Speaker 6 (12:46):
We don't.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Migrant spiritual leaders told city leaders five thousand Haitian immigrants
have moved to Logan Sport. But the mayor says he
has no way of verifying that number, but he knows
it's significant.
Speaker 6 (12:56):
Here's how we know it's changed is because of the
twenty to thirty percent increase that we're seeing in a
lot of our normal city services, you know, with our
traffic stops, with the hospital, with our school corporation.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
He blames federal integration policies for the burden.
Speaker 6 (13:11):
The federal government has got to step in and they've
got to start helping community exercise.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Wait a minute, isn't this though stereotypical? Now? I have
no clue whether this particular mayor is a republic and
the Democrat or whether he runs on a you know,
a non partisan ticket. I don't know. I don't care,
but he's like every other freaking mayor in the country, right, Oh,
I don't I don't know how many are here, but
I do know the demand on city services, the number
(13:40):
of traffic tickets we're giving out, the demand on the
on the healthcare system, the demand on the school system.
And you know what, we need to fellow government step in.
What why don't you go to Mike dwine the governor.
Why don't you go at No, he's in a while.
I forget who's getting the Why don't you go ask on?
(14:01):
Don't you go ask the governor? Why do you want
the federal government to pay for this? What you ought
to be doing, Mayor, is instead of asking the government
to pay for it, is to ask the government to
shut it off. But I don't know. No, we're going
to allow this influx to continue until we no longer
(14:22):
recognize this country.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Mayor Martin's two biggest concerns are the strain on the
hospital and housing. Logan's port Memorial told us they are
on pace for record births and more than twenty thousand
er visits. Twenty seven percent of their patients are also
on Medicaid, and that puts a significant burden on OBI
care in Indiana.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
Oh, having babies, yep, having babies, get them anchor babies, Yeah,
because then when it comes time for amnesty or deportation,
nobody don't want to break break up with family, right
and they're American citizens.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
In the grants and anyone else who can't pay sign
up for presumptive me decade, apply for charity care or
a payment plan. The hospital recently asked the city council
for three million dollars to stabilize their operations and it
was granted. As for housing, the health Department has been
in homes where twenty to twenty five people are living.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
And that's not safe. That is a big concern.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Mayor Martin said his team is working on a few
new housing projects.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
But is it ready Wait a minute.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
See, I can't. I can't get through this. So you
have twenty to twenty five people living in a single
family home. That I mean, at least the photo I'm
looking at looks like it might be three bedrooms four
bedrooms max. And yet you're going to work on a
housing project, more taxpayer money for housing. It's a never
(15:50):
ending cycle. So weekend with Michael Brown Texas word Mike
or Michael e the one to this number three three
one zero three. Hang tight, I'll be right back. Oh
oh oh, I'm sorry. I'm gonna give it. I'm looking
at the wrong time. We'll finish the story.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
To divulge the specifics. He says they need help.
Speaker 6 (16:08):
Now, I will say that we have been in contact
with Governor Holcombe and his office and so we are
finally getting to the next step.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Mayor Martin told me he considered issuing a state of emergency,
but said that will wait for now.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Oh, I'm not going to do a state of emergency.
I've talked to the governor and we got things moving.
We're gonna start getting some money in. And the more
money we get means that, oh, tax dollars in Indiana
will be spread even thinner across every community. And if
you think that Logan's sport, Logan Logan support is an anomaly,
(16:46):
it's not temporary protected status Cubans, Patians, Venezuelans, and I
think Nicker Rockwoods I may be wrong about the fourth.
They all get temporary protected status, which means they all
get work permits, and so there's an incentive for them
(17:06):
to come here. And so there's an incentive for them,
and there's an incentive for these companies like Tyson to
hire these people. Why pay a minimum wage? Yeah, pay
them whatever you want to pay them, because are they
going to complain? No? And Tyson, when they're asked by
a local news organization from the Fox affiliate Fox fifty nine, Hey,
(17:31):
how many teenagers do you have working to night shift?
No comment? Why not? Because we don't want you to know.
Why not because we might actually have some underage employees
working here. Yeah, it's not just it's not just logan support.
Might want to check your town too. So Weekend with
(17:52):
Michael Brown, Hang tight, I'll be right back tonight. Michael
Brown joins me here.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
The former FEMA director of talk show host Michael Brown.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Brownie, No, Brownie, You're doing a heck of a job.
The Weekend with Michael Brown.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Broadcasting live from Denver, Colorado. You got the Weekend of
Michael Brown. Really glad you joined in today. I appreciate that.
Go follow me on x formerly Twitter. It's at Michael
Brown USA, at Michael Brown USA. Who give me a
follow right now? Doesn't cost you a thing to do that.
So this election cycle was supposed to be Joe Biden's
(18:31):
last hurraw. Joe Biden was going to wipe the floor
with Donald Trump's hair and put Donald Trump out of
commission forever. Now you think about Joe Biden's history. This
past week, I forget which day it was was the
anniversary of Joe Biden holding those nomination hearings for Justice
(18:58):
Clarence Thomas, And it was one day this past week,
I forget how many years ago it's been now where
then Clarence Thomas, before he became an Associate Justice, talked
about how the hearing was a high tech lynching. Do
(19:18):
you know that Joe Biden's been in Washington since like Watergate?
And it took him almost fifty years to get the
one job that he really always wanted. And I do
believe he I don't believe. I think everybody believes. He
fully intended to run, he fully intended to win, and
his entire party was backing him up. They told any
(19:40):
and every lie conceivable to make his re election not
only seem possible, but inevitable. And there was nothing wrong
despite everything that you and I saw with their own eyes,
heard with their own ears. No, no, no, there's nothing
wrong with him. It's just, you know, he just stumbles
every now and then. And then somebody, somebody talked Joe
(20:06):
Biden into doing a debate four months before the election.
Uh oh, because the next thing, Joe Biden knew, all
the people that he thought he could trust and that
he'd built up relationships for over fifty years in DC
were now lining up to put the dagger after dagger
(20:26):
after dagger in his back, including that incleuse, that big
dummy he picked for that airhead, he picked for a
veep Kamala Harris for reasons that truthfully he probably doesn't
even remember right now. But since then, Biden's been making
(20:46):
all the right noises about supporting Kamala Harris's candidacy, except
over I'd say, the past ten days. Last Friday, just
as Kama was taking the stage at a campaign event
in Detroit, Joe Biden showed up in the White House
(21:07):
briefing room for the first time ever. He's never been
to the briefing room, you know, where krem Aldul Jabar
gives her Well, it used to be almost daily gaggles,
and now it's what maybe once a week, twice a week.
If Kamala Harris wants voters to forget that she's been
(21:29):
the vice president for the past four years, which obviously
she does, Joe Biden has other ideas.
Speaker 8 (21:36):
There obviously been a number of crises that the country
has been facing over the first several days, with the hurricane,
with port strike, with the situation in the Middle East,
and you talk about how your vice president who is
running for the presidency has worked on these crises, and
what roles she has played.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
Over the time. So there's all these crises. Are some
reporters asking all these crises, pornadoes, hurricanes, I mean, the
world's going to hell in a handbasket in the Middle East,
we got Russia, Ukraine, get all what what? What role
is your vice president? Plate?
Speaker 9 (22:05):
Well, she's I'm in constant contact with her. She's aware
where we're all. We're singing from the same song sheet.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
We're singing from the same song sheet. Do you think
she let out a tackle, a scream or just buried
her head in her hands when she heard that.
Speaker 9 (22:24):
She helped pass all the laws that are being employed now, Oh.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
That Inflation Reduction Act. Yeah, she tests cast the tye
vote for. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
She was a major player.
Speaker 9 (22:36):
And everything we've done, including passage of the legislation which
we were told we could never pass. And so she's
been uh and her her staff is interlocked with mine
in terms of all the things we're doing.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
What we're so close, Our staffs are interlocked. They all
know what we're doing. We're all doing the same thing.
She was a major player and everything that we've been doing.
Or as another thing, vindictive s it will be once
said keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And
(23:15):
now we have another clue that maybe Joe Biden really
isn't as fond of Kamala Harris as he claims to be.
For some reason, this week, she decided to pick a
fight with Governor Ron DeSantis down in Florida, or rather,
I think the press actually tried to start a fight
between the two of them, and she picked up the
(23:37):
ball and ran with it. First, NBC News reported that
Desandas refused to take her call regarding Hurricane Elite. Then
an NBC reporter asked her about it and what did
she do? This woman has no self awareness whatsoever.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
Governors of Panti, NBC has reporting Governors of this.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
Is ignoring your calls on hurricanes resources and help.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
How does that hurt the situation here?
Speaker 9 (24:10):
You know, moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really
be the moment that anyone who calls herself.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
As a leader saysn't even to put politics aside as
the people first.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
People aren't desperate, need to support right now and playing
political games for this moment in these crisis situations.
Speaker 8 (24:29):
These are the height of emergency situations.
Speaker 4 (24:32):
It's just utterly hereres compliment.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
It is selfish and it.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
Is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that
you tookn't other to do, which is to put the
people first.
Speaker 7 (24:42):
A machique.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Now, what she just said, when you think about it,
really doesn't make any sense at all. I'm trying to
think of a precedent. I don't ever remember any governor
that I ever had to deal with when I was
the under secretary ever nating with Vice President Cheney. No,
it was always me or George W. Bush, the President
(25:07):
of odd obviously, but the vice president. Why would that
ever happen? It doesn't. So is Kama trying to undercut
the man who's still in the oval office. Is she
trying to convince voters that she's really the one in charge?
Because if that's what she was trying to do, to
convince voters that it's all about me, Joe put an
(25:29):
end to that fantasy.
Speaker 9 (25:40):
The governor Florida has been cooperative. He says he's gotten
all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday
and I said, whoever, I said, No, you're doing a
great job. It's being all being done. Well, we thank
you for it. And I literally gave my personal.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Phone number, your call.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
So I don't know.
Speaker 9 (25:59):
There was a rough start in some places, but every governor,
every governor from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully
cooperative and supportive and acknowledge what this chiem is doing.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
And you're doing an incredible job. We got a lot
more than Joseph So the governor of Florida, Ron de Sandas,
and the President of the United States Joe Biden, don't
have any problem whatsoever with each other. In fact, Joe
Biden tells the press, you know, the governor's getting everything
(26:34):
he needs. He's doing a great job. He's doing you know,
we're working very closely together. In fact, we're working so
closely I gave him my personal cell phone number. Now,
the vice president, who is also the Democrat candidate for president,
is trying to start some sort of drama where there
is no drama, and the sitting president say what you
(26:57):
will about his brain being mushed. He just humiliated Kamala Harris,
and I find it hilarious. Now, in partisan terms, he
really doesn't make any sense for the leader of the
Democrat Party to undermine his own successor, now, does it.
But when you know Joe Biden, he really is a vain, bitter, old,
(27:21):
demented old fart who's now been cast aside, treated like
an afterthought by the people that he once trusted. So
it's really no surprise to me anyway. Remember there are
no coincidences in Washington, d C. It's no surprise to
me that Joe Biden he wants some payback against the
party that broke his heart. So is he going to
(27:41):
go maga? Of course he's not going to do that,
but this could be the beginning. Four more weeks to go,
four more weeks and who knows what he might say next. Hey,
(28:05):
welcome back to the Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to
have you with me. I really am, and as I
always do at the end of every program, I want
to be sure and tell everybody thanks for tuning in.
I'd appreciate it if you would go subscribe to the podcast.
You do that on your podcast app by searching for
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Once you find that podcast, hit that subscribe button. You
(28:28):
can leave a review too, if you'd like to do that,
and then you'll get all five days of the weekday
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app on a station called KHOW KHOW six point thirty
(28:51):
am on your dial in Denver, Colorado. So go listen
to me during the weekday too. I greatly appreciate that
one of the things that I do not just traveling,
but I happened to notice it, not just when we
arrived in Honolulu, but when we took off from Honolulu
(29:12):
last night, were the number of vacant storefronts. Now, Honolulu
is a fairly major airport, lots of I mean lots
of foreign airlines fly in there. The Japanese loved to
visit Hawaii, and so you would think it would be
(29:34):
a pretty vibrant, thriving airport. But there were vacant storefronts everywhere.
And because of just logistics, we happen to be exceptionally
early at the airport yesterday, so I had time to
walk around and kind of observe and look at what
(29:56):
was going on. And the contrast between Honolulu and say,
Denver International, which continues to grow, is start. But there
are other signs, probably in the town where you live,
in the state where you live, that the economy is
(30:16):
really not doing as great as everybody thinks that it is.
Inflation numbers are back out, and inflation numbers actually inflation
tops of market estimates. Food shelter costs rise last month,
and that's on top of the horrendousy inflation we've had
(30:37):
over the past couple of years. So it's just piling
on and piling on and piling on. Well, we're starting
to see some of the results of that. Two things
that you would you would think would do well during
a recession or in inflationary times would be liquor stores
(31:01):
and convenience stores. Right Well, the major and I do
mean major convenience store chain seven to eleven has announced
it will close more than four hundred of its locations
across North America, according to a report released by its
japan based parent company seven and I Holdings. That's about
(31:23):
three percent of the approximately thirteen thousand stores in the
US and Canada. Now, that move to close those stores
comes as certain stores and I'm sure included in these,
are experiencing declines in sales, reduced customer visits, and obviously
(31:46):
pressures from inflation. All of which was highlighted in the
company's quarterly earnings report Declining cigarette sales that's significantly impacted revenue,
a twenty six percent in cigarette sales decline since twenty nineteen. Now,
although alternative nicotine products have been growing in popularity, they've
(32:09):
never compensated for the decrease in cigarette sales, according to
their earnings report. Now seven and I Holdings, which own
seven eleven, acknowledge that the North American economy is currently
supported by expenditures from high income earners, despite ongoing inflation,
(32:31):
high interest rates, and a challenging employment landscape. We'll just
get some people with temporary protected status, Just get some
hatis in there, and you can pay them less than
minimum wage, and you can start turning back some of
those store sales. Actually, the company observed in their report
(32:53):
a trend of more cautious spending among which two groups
of people middle income America and low income America. Now
they've not disclosed the specific details on which stores are
going to be closed or the timeline for the closures.
The company statement mentioned the continuous evaluation they're trying to
(33:17):
optimize its store networks as part of a broader growth strategy.
The aim is to maintain service where and when it's needed,
while elimiting locations considered non core to the company's long
term objectives. That's all from the statement. You can find
the same thing in your tawn, You can find the
(33:39):
same thing where you live. You just have to be observant.
You just have to look, and when you see, you'll
see that inflation and rampant retail crime under this regime,
Biden and Harris, it's actually Greeked havoc on the US economy.
Another example earlier this CVS, a major US pharmacy in
(34:03):
retail chain, announced that it was going to lay off
nearly three thousand employees, and the reasons that it cited
high inflation, declining consumption, lost revenue due to theft as
the cause of the layoffs. I live in suburban Denver.
(34:26):
I live in a unincorporated area south of Denver, and
one of the CVS stores in that area low crime,
not not a lot going on, pretty quiet. I was
in the other no what I guess it was two
weeks ago. Almost everything in that store was also behind plexiglass,
(34:54):
and I just kind of wondered that the aisles, just
noting that it was. Isn't just high end things like
expensive razors, shampoo, laundry detergent, everyday items all behind plexiglass. Now,
CVS is not a convenience store like say a seven
(35:17):
eleven where you can just but it nonetheless is a
place where you go out of convenience normally instead of
going to a big supermarket. Oh, you need some laundry detergent,
I'll stop at the CVS on the way home. I'll
stop at the seven eleven, Just easier than going all
the way into the grocery store then all the way
back out. When you're starting to close stores, we're starting
(35:42):
to put all items behind plexiglass because of retail theft
and crime. Even in suburban America or seven eleven, convenience
stores are starting to lay off employees and close stores
because year over year sales are declining. Economy is not
nearly as great as what people think that it is,
(36:03):
and inflation still remains one of the top concerns of voters.
The economy, inflation, and illegal immigration. And if Trump keeps
talking about those three things as he's been doing, the
trend lines are all in his favor. If you go
(36:24):
look at real clear politics, and you look at the averages.
Right now, Trump is ahead, maybe by only a point
or two in some of the swing states, but nonetheless ahead.
The trend lines are in his favor. Everybody, have a
great weekend. I'll see you next Saturday.
To night.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Michael Brown joins me here the former FEMA director talk
show host Michael Brown.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
Brownie, no, Brownie, You're doing a heck of a job
the Weekend with Michael Brown.
Speaker 4 (00:09):
Hey, welcome to the Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to
have you with me. Really do appreciate you tuning in.
It's you know, I had I had a nice vacation.
For those of you have been asking me on the
text line, We've now visited our third island in Hawaii.
This time we went to all Oahu is wah Who's
how we pronounced it. They pronounced it o Wahu or
(00:31):
something like that. And we actually spent some time in
a really nice place between well it's all part Honolulu,
but not near Waikiki and not near the other end,
but in a resort that's in kind of a residential
area and had a great time. Their granddaughter was there
(00:52):
along with our daughter and son in law, and uh
Tamer's birthday was last week, so it was my birthday
present for quite honestly for me too, because I need
to burn up some vacation time. So that's where I've
been and we so funny story, we took the we
we're supposed to have arrived at six point fifty this
(01:15):
morning on a red Eye flight, and of course the
United Airlines. We had problems on the way over, we
had problems on the way back. But I was taught.
I was very I've been very fortunate in my entire life,
from the time I was in high school all the
(01:37):
way through throughout my career careers, I should say, being
able to travel all over the world. And I remember
when I was in high school. It's funny how things
that teachers say to you that stick with you, and
some things that teachers tell you that never stick with
you that probably should stick with you. But I remember
(02:00):
the first time that I was probably a probably a
junior in high school and went on a student council
trip to a national convention in Chicago. You could actually
go to Chicago. Then it's back, you know, this is
back in like the nineteen forties or something. And when
(02:21):
I got picked up, my buddy and I got picked
up at the airport to be driven back to our hometown,
our high school student council sponsor gave us this big lecture.
Now it may have only lasted like fifteen minutes, but
(02:43):
it seemed to me like it lasted an hour, and
the lecture was, people don't want to hear about your
trips when you get back because you two were lucky.
You two got to make this trip. Other people didn't
get to make the trip, so keep your mouth shut
about the trip. So I've always been a little reluctant
(03:04):
to ever talk about where I go or what I
do when I go on vacation. Most of the time,
it's usually just the undisclosed location in New Mexico, just
to sit on the deck and watch the bear and
the elk and the deer and the wild turkey, both
in the bottle out in the yard. So anyway, but
that's what that's where I've been for the past week. Well, anyway,
(03:26):
long story short, We're supposed to have arrived at six
point fifty two this morning, which would have given me
plenty of time to drop bags off at the house
and get back to studio and sit down and kind
of do a little last minute show prep. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no,
almost two hours late. Just pulled in here at the
last minute. So what I want to do this hour
(03:49):
is go through some of the stuff that I did
collect over the last couple of days that I found interesting.
We've heard all the stories, so let's just get started.
We've heard all the stories about the Haitian illegal aliens
and the Haitian people who have come here legally and
(04:09):
have become American citizens. Have you heard about Logan's Sport?
Logan's Sport, Indiana population eighteen thousand, thousands of Haitian people
who have come here illegally under Harris Biden have put
a dire strain on that little town. There are now
(04:34):
we're my thing. There are what twenty to twenty five
people living in homes. I don't mean twenty twenty total,
twenty or twenty five people per home. Schools are overwhelmed
with students who need translators. Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients.
They're relying on charity care or medicaid. The federal government
(04:57):
nowhere to be found. This comes to us from the
Fox fifty nine affiliate in Indiana. Now, I'm going to
break this up a little bit, but I want you
to hear this story because while you know, maybe cats
and dogs, we get too focused on they're eating the cats,
they're eating the dogs. I don't think that's the real story.
(05:21):
I think that Logan Support Indiana is the real story.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Port, Indiana, a rural city seventy eight miles north of Indianapolis,
known for its diverse urban population of eighteen thousand people
from at least twenty eight countries, now called Logan'sport home
with at least twenty seven languages spoken.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Eight Now, if you assume which may be it, well
you'll hear in a minute. But if you assume that
twenty seven languages are spoken in the town of eighteen thousand,
you can assume that multiples of that are spoken in
the schools. So, yeah, you're gonna need translators. You're gonna
(06:02):
need a lot of ESL teachers. English shows a second language.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
Each week each week. Okay, you did not say that
each week.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So last week they had my final count that I
knew of. They had sixteen newcomers. So that week that week,
and a lot of them are coming out.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Accompanied a startling rapport from the Cass County Health Department
administrator during a September County Commission meeting, Serenity Altar sits
in meetings with new children enrolled in Logan Sports schools.
She listens to them described their journey to the city.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Most of them fly from Katie to Nicaragua, to Mexico
and then.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
To whatever state they're flying to.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
A lot of them, like we met a couple of
last week, I hadn't seen their parents in about seven years.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
It's a it's a eye opener.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
The overall growth of school enrollment jumpy, nearly one hundred.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
And fifty kids in three years.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
This year, there are two hundred and seven Haitian students
in Logan Supports schools, up from fourteen in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Now, let that soak in. In twenty twenty one, there
were fourteen, one, four ten plus four Haitian students in
this little school, this little town school. Remember, the entire
population is eighteen thousand. There were fourteen Haitians this year,
just a mere three years later, two hundred and seven.
(07:24):
Now if they haven't seen their parents in seven years,
not all of them, but many of them. How many
of you think speak English? Very few?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
And they also have new students from eleven other countries
including Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and El Salvador. No one from
the Health department wanted to do an on camera interview
with this, but they told me the language barrier is
a big challenge.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
So I don't think our school system can contain that
many thing can sustain what they're doing right now.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
The school district is more optimistic. We can handle it.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And we're a public school and so we take everybody
that comes in the door and meets them where they are,
no matter what.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
And of course the superintendent's going to say that because
why Because she's getting money for this. She gets to
grow her staff, whether those are teachers or administrators, she
gets to grow it. She gets to tax the you know,
property owners even more. Oh, it's a boondoggle for her.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Shell Starkey graduated from Logansport High School and has worked
for the school for decades.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
She says embracing immigrants is what.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
They do, but she acknowledges many of these migrant students
are being asked to bear a heavy load.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
While it might be startling to some people, we have
students that work second and third shift jobs to help
support their families.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
It's stopped by the Jehovah Jairie Haitian market on North
Street and talked with the owner and asked Tim how
many Haitian immigrants now call Logan'sport home.
Speaker 7 (08:51):
I don't know exactly, but maybe Modnaltzan.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Walkins moved to Logan'sport from Florida four years ago. He
told me what brought Dyson. Watkins is talking about the
Tyson meatpacking plan. He used to work there but now
owns this market. He started it because Logan's Port didn't
have anything for the growing Haitian population.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
He says. People are coming to earn a.
Speaker 7 (09:13):
Living Dyson Golden money.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Hm Tyson foods. Oh, you want to know how they
get work permits because they're here illegally well, under the
prole program, they get a temporary protected status which allows
them to work. That's how. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, immigrants like Walkins can come to Logansport legally with
certain employment authorization doctors.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
See I told you it's the Weekend with Michael Brown.
I want to hear the rest of it. Don't go away.
It's the Weekend with Michael Brown. Text the word Michael,
Michael to this number three three one zero three, Logan's Sport,
Logan's Port, Indiana. Next. Hey, welcome back to the Weekend
of Michael Brown. Glad to have you with me. I'd
(10:05):
appreciate it if you would subscribe to the podcast on
your podcast app. Simply search for this podcast, the situation
with Michael Brown, the situation of Michael Brown. When you
find that, hit that subscribe button, might leave a five
star review while you're there, and then they'll give you
all five days of the weekday program plus the weekend
program and boom, you're set to go. So we're talking
(10:26):
about Logansport, Indiana, and I wanted to talk about this
today because I know that there's all these stories about Haitians,
and there are some Haitians who have come here legally,
they've done it the right way, but the influx that
we've seen go back to those stats. In this little
town of eighteen thousand in twenty twenty one, there were
(10:49):
fourteen Haitians in the entire school. Today more than two
hundred what was it two forty or something. And why
we're just hearing from a Haitian who came here several
years ago to work at Tyson Foods. And people always say, well,
(11:11):
how do these people get these jobs? Because under the
Department of Homeland Securities Temporary Protected Status Program TPS, they
get employment authorization documents so that they can go to work,
so they get all of the benefits from the NGOs
(11:32):
that fund them to bring them here, and the housing
and all the housing assistants, and then they get jobs
on top of that. It's a win win for them
and for the rest of the people in this little town.
As sucks to be.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Them to work there, but now owns this market. He
started it because Logansport didn't have anything for the growing
Haitian population.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
He says, people are coming to earn a living.
Speaker 7 (11:57):
Doc Gouden mon, Yeah, immigrants like Walkins can come to
Logan Sport legally with certain employment authorization documents issue to
temporary protected status individuals.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I reached out to Tyson and submitted multiple questions, including
how many migrant teenagers work for them third shifts?
Speaker 5 (12:19):
They did not respond.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
I wonder why they don't want to answer that question.
How many teenagers work the overnight shift?
Speaker 6 (12:30):
We know?
Speaker 4 (12:30):
I in comment that must mean there are some.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
Do you need help?
Speaker 4 (12:35):
We do?
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Logan Sport Mayor Martin told me his biggest issue right
now is not knowing how many immigrants have come to
a city. From the federal to state government. Nobody can
tell him.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
Do you even know? We don't?
Speaker 6 (12:46):
We don't.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Migrant spiritual leaders told city leaders five thousand Haitian immigrants
have moved to Logan Sport. But the mayor says he
has no way of verifying that number, but he knows
it's significant.
Speaker 6 (12:56):
Here's how we know it's changed is because of the
twenty to thirty percent increase that we're seeing in a
lot of our normal city services, you know, with our
traffic stops, with the hospital, with our school corporation.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
He blames federal integration policies for the burden.
Speaker 6 (13:11):
The federal government has got to step in and they've
got to start helping community exercise.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Wait a minute, isn't this though stereotypical? Now? I have
no clue whether this particular mayor is a republic and
the Democrat or whether he runs on a you know,
a non partisan ticket. I don't know. I don't care,
but he's like every other freaking mayor in the country, right, Oh,
I don't I don't know how many are here, but
I do know the demand on city services, the number
(13:40):
of traffic tickets we're giving out, the demand on the
on the healthcare system, the demand on the school system.
And you know what, we need to fellow government step in.
What why don't you go to Mike dwine the governor.
Why don't you go at No, he's in a while.
I forget who's getting the Why don't you go ask on?
(14:01):
Don't you go ask the governor? Why do you want
the federal government to pay for this? What you ought
to be doing, Mayor, is instead of asking the government
to pay for it, is to ask the government to
shut it off. But I don't know. No, we're going
to allow this influx to continue until we no longer
(14:22):
recognize this country.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Mayor Martin's two biggest concerns are the strain on the
hospital and housing. Logan's port Memorial told us they are
on pace for record births and more than twenty thousand
er visits. Twenty seven percent of their patients are also
on Medicaid, and that puts a significant burden on OBI
care in Indiana.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
Oh, having babies, yep, having babies, get them anchor babies, Yeah,
because then when it comes time for amnesty or deportation,
nobody don't want to break break up with family, right
and they're American citizens.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
In the grants and anyone else who can't pay sign
up for presumptive me decade, apply for charity care or
a payment plan. The hospital recently asked the city council
for three million dollars to stabilize their operations and it
was granted. As for housing, the health Department has been
in homes where twenty to twenty five people are living.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
And that's not safe. That is a big concern.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Mayor Martin said his team is working on a few
new housing projects.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
But is it ready Wait a minute.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
See, I can't. I can't get through this. So you
have twenty to twenty five people living in a single
family home. That I mean, at least the photo I'm
looking at looks like it might be three bedrooms four
bedrooms max. And yet you're going to work on a
housing project, more taxpayer money for housing. It's a never
(15:50):
ending cycle. So weekend with Michael Brown Texas word Mike
or Michael e the one to this number three three
one zero three. Hang tight, I'll be right back. Oh
oh oh, I'm sorry. I'm gonna give it. I'm looking
at the wrong time. We'll finish the story.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
To divulge the specifics. He says they need help.
Speaker 6 (16:08):
Now, I will say that we have been in contact
with Governor Holcombe and his office and so we are
finally getting to the next step.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Mayor Martin told me he considered issuing a state of emergency,
but said that will wait for now.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Oh, I'm not going to do a state of emergency.
I've talked to the governor and we got things moving.
We're gonna start getting some money in. And the more
money we get means that, oh, tax dollars in Indiana
will be spread even thinner across every community. And if
you think that Logan's sport, Logan Logan support is an anomaly,
(16:46):
it's not temporary protected status Cubans, Patians, Venezuelans, and I
think Nicker Rockwoods I may be wrong about the fourth.
They all get temporary protected status, which means they all
get work permits, and so there's an incentive for them
(17:06):
to come here. And so there's an incentive for them,
and there's an incentive for these companies like Tyson to
hire these people. Why pay a minimum wage? Yeah, pay
them whatever you want to pay them, because are they
going to complain? No? And Tyson, when they're asked by
a local news organization from the Fox affiliate Fox fifty nine, Hey,
(17:31):
how many teenagers do you have working to night shift?
No comment? Why not? Because we don't want you to know.
Why not because we might actually have some underage employees
working here. Yeah, it's not just it's not just logan support.
Might want to check your town too. So Weekend with
(17:52):
Michael Brown, Hang tight, I'll be right back tonight. Michael
Brown joins me here.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
The former FEMA director of talk show host Michael Brown.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Brownie, No, Brownie, You're doing a heck of a job.
The Weekend with Michael Brown.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Broadcasting live from Denver, Colorado. You got the Weekend of
Michael Brown. Really glad you joined in today. I appreciate that.
Go follow me on x formerly Twitter. It's at Michael
Brown USA, at Michael Brown USA. Who give me a
follow right now? Doesn't cost you a thing to do that.
So this election cycle was supposed to be Joe Biden's
(18:31):
last hurraw. Joe Biden was going to wipe the floor
with Donald Trump's hair and put Donald Trump out of
commission forever. Now you think about Joe Biden's history. This
past week, I forget which day it was was the
anniversary of Joe Biden holding those nomination hearings for Justice
(18:58):
Clarence Thomas, And it was one day this past week,
I forget how many years ago it's been now where
then Clarence Thomas, before he became an Associate Justice, talked
about how the hearing was a high tech lynching. Do
(19:18):
you know that Joe Biden's been in Washington since like Watergate?
And it took him almost fifty years to get the
one job that he really always wanted. And I do
believe he I don't believe. I think everybody believes. He
fully intended to run, he fully intended to win, and
his entire party was backing him up. They told any
(19:40):
and every lie conceivable to make his re election not
only seem possible, but inevitable. And there was nothing wrong
despite everything that you and I saw with their own eyes,
heard with their own ears. No, no, no, there's nothing
wrong with him. It's just, you know, he just stumbles
every now and then. And then somebody, somebody talked Joe
(20:06):
Biden into doing a debate four months before the election.
Uh oh, because the next thing, Joe Biden knew, all
the people that he thought he could trust and that
he'd built up relationships for over fifty years in DC
were now lining up to put the dagger after dagger
(20:26):
after dagger in his back, including that incleuse, that big
dummy he picked for that airhead, he picked for a
veep Kamala Harris for reasons that truthfully he probably doesn't
even remember right now. But since then, Biden's been making
(20:46):
all the right noises about supporting Kamala Harris's candidacy, except
over I'd say, the past ten days. Last Friday, just
as Kama was taking the stage at a campaign event
in Detroit, Joe Biden showed up in the White House
(21:07):
briefing room for the first time ever. He's never been
to the briefing room, you know, where krem Aldul Jabar
gives her Well, it used to be almost daily gaggles,
and now it's what maybe once a week, twice a week.
If Kamala Harris wants voters to forget that she's been
(21:29):
the vice president for the past four years, which obviously
she does, Joe Biden has other ideas.
Speaker 8 (21:36):
There obviously been a number of crises that the country
has been facing over the first several days, with the hurricane,
with port strike, with the situation in the Middle East,
and you talk about how your vice president who is
running for the presidency has worked on these crises, and
what roles she has played.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
Over the time. So there's all these crises. Are some
reporters asking all these crises, pornadoes, hurricanes, I mean, the
world's going to hell in a handbasket in the Middle East,
we got Russia, Ukraine, get all what what? What role
is your vice president? Plate?
Speaker 9 (22:05):
Well, she's I'm in constant contact with her. She's aware
where we're all. We're singing from the same song sheet.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
We're singing from the same song sheet. Do you think
she let out a tackle, a scream or just buried
her head in her hands when she heard that.
Speaker 9 (22:24):
She helped pass all the laws that are being employed now, Oh.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
That Inflation Reduction Act. Yeah, she tests cast the tye
vote for. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
She was a major player.
Speaker 9 (22:36):
And everything we've done, including passage of the legislation which
we were told we could never pass. And so she's
been uh and her her staff is interlocked with mine
in terms of all the things we're doing.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
What we're so close, Our staffs are interlocked. They all
know what we're doing. We're all doing the same thing.
She was a major player and everything that we've been doing.
Or as another thing, vindictive s it will be once
said keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And
(23:15):
now we have another clue that maybe Joe Biden really
isn't as fond of Kamala Harris as he claims to be.
For some reason, this week, she decided to pick a
fight with Governor Ron DeSantis down in Florida, or rather,
I think the press actually tried to start a fight
between the two of them, and she picked up the
(23:37):
ball and ran with it. First, NBC News reported that
Desandas refused to take her call regarding Hurricane Elite. Then
an NBC reporter asked her about it and what did
she do? This woman has no self awareness whatsoever.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
Governors of Panti, NBC has reporting Governors of this.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
Is ignoring your calls on hurricanes resources and help.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
How does that hurt the situation here?
Speaker 9 (24:10):
You know, moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really
be the moment that anyone who calls herself.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
As a leader saysn't even to put politics aside as
the people first.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
People aren't desperate, need to support right now and playing
political games for this moment in these crisis situations.
Speaker 8 (24:29):
These are the height of emergency situations.
Speaker 4 (24:32):
It's just utterly hereres compliment.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
It is selfish and it.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
Is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that
you tookn't other to do, which is to put the
people first.
Speaker 7 (24:42):
A machique.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Now, what she just said, when you think about it,
really doesn't make any sense at all. I'm trying to
think of a precedent. I don't ever remember any governor
that I ever had to deal with when I was
the under secretary ever nating with Vice President Cheney. No,
it was always me or George W. Bush, the President
(25:07):
of odd obviously, but the vice president. Why would that
ever happen? It doesn't. So is Kama trying to undercut
the man who's still in the oval office. Is she
trying to convince voters that she's really the one in charge?
Because if that's what she was trying to do, to
convince voters that it's all about me, Joe put an
(25:29):
end to that fantasy.
Speaker 9 (25:40):
The governor Florida has been cooperative. He says he's gotten
all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday
and I said, whoever, I said, No, you're doing a
great job. It's being all being done. Well, we thank
you for it. And I literally gave my personal.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
Phone number, your call.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
So I don't know.
Speaker 9 (25:59):
There was a rough start in some places, but every governor,
every governor from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully
cooperative and supportive and acknowledge what this chiem is doing.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
And you're doing an incredible job. We got a lot
more than Joseph So the governor of Florida, Ron de Sandas,
and the President of the United States Joe Biden, don't
have any problem whatsoever with each other. In fact, Joe
Biden tells the press, you know, the governor's getting everything
(26:34):
he needs. He's doing a great job. He's doing you know,
we're working very closely together. In fact, we're working so
closely I gave him my personal cell phone number. Now,
the vice president, who is also the Democrat candidate for president,
is trying to start some sort of drama where there
is no drama, and the sitting president say what you
(26:57):
will about his brain being mushed. He just humiliated Kamala Harris,
and I find it hilarious. Now, in partisan terms, he
really doesn't make any sense for the leader of the
Democrat Party to undermine his own successor, now, does it.
But when you know Joe Biden, he really is a vain, bitter, old,
(27:21):
demented old fart who's now been cast aside, treated like
an afterthought by the people that he once trusted. So
it's really no surprise to me anyway. Remember there are
no coincidences in Washington, d C. It's no surprise to
me that Joe Biden he wants some payback against the
party that broke his heart. So is he going to
(27:41):
go maga? Of course he's not going to do that,
but this could be the beginning. Four more weeks to go,
four more weeks and who knows what he might say next. Hey,
(28:05):
welcome back to the Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to
have you with me. I really am, and as I
always do at the end of every program, I want
to be sure and tell everybody thanks for tuning in.
I'd appreciate it if you would go subscribe to the podcast.
You do that on your podcast app by searching for
the Situation with Michael Brown The Situation with Michael Brown.
Once you find that podcast, hit that subscribe button. You
(28:28):
can leave a review too, if you'd like to do that,
and then you'll get all five days of the weekday
program plus the weekend program. Now if you'd like to
listen live to the weekday program that airs Monday through
Friday from six to ten Mountain time on your iHeart
app on a station called KHOW KHOW six point thirty
(28:51):
am on your dial in Denver, Colorado. So go listen
to me during the weekday too. I greatly appreciate that
one of the things that I do not just traveling,
but I happened to notice it, not just when we
arrived in Honolulu, but when we took off from Honolulu
(29:12):
last night, were the number of vacant storefronts. Now, Honolulu
is a fairly major airport, lots of I mean lots
of foreign airlines fly in there. The Japanese loved to
visit Hawaii, and so you would think it would be
(29:34):
a pretty vibrant, thriving airport. But there were vacant storefronts everywhere.
And because of just logistics, we happen to be exceptionally
early at the airport yesterday, so I had time to
walk around and kind of observe and look at what
(29:56):
was going on. And the contrast between Honolulu and say,
Denver International, which continues to grow, is start. But there
are other signs, probably in the town where you live,
in the state where you live, that the economy is
(30:16):
really not doing as great as everybody thinks that it is.
Inflation numbers are back out, and inflation numbers actually inflation
tops of market estimates. Food shelter costs rise last month,
and that's on top of the horrendousy inflation we've had
(30:37):
over the past couple of years. So it's just piling
on and piling on and piling on. Well, we're starting
to see some of the results of that. Two things
that you would you would think would do well during
a recession or in inflationary times would be liquor stores
(31:01):
and convenience stores. Right Well, the major and I do
mean major convenience store chain seven to eleven has announced
it will close more than four hundred of its locations
across North America, according to a report released by its
japan based parent company seven and I Holdings. That's about
(31:23):
three percent of the approximately thirteen thousand stores in the
US and Canada. Now, that move to close those stores
comes as certain stores and I'm sure included in these,
are experiencing declines in sales, reduced customer visits, and obviously
(31:46):
pressures from inflation. All of which was highlighted in the
company's quarterly earnings report Declining cigarette sales that's significantly impacted revenue,
a twenty six percent in cigarette sales decline since twenty nineteen. Now,
although alternative nicotine products have been growing in popularity, they've
(32:09):
never compensated for the decrease in cigarette sales, according to
their earnings report. Now seven and I Holdings, which own
seven eleven, acknowledge that the North American economy is currently
supported by expenditures from high income earners, despite ongoing inflation,
(32:31):
high interest rates, and a challenging employment landscape. We'll just
get some people with temporary protected status, Just get some
hatis in there, and you can pay them less than
minimum wage, and you can start turning back some of
those store sales. Actually, the company observed in their report
(32:53):
a trend of more cautious spending among which two groups
of people middle income America and low income America. Now
they've not disclosed the specific details on which stores are
going to be closed or the timeline for the closures.
The company statement mentioned the continuous evaluation they're trying to
(33:17):
optimize its store networks as part of a broader growth strategy.
The aim is to maintain service where and when it's needed,
while elimiting locations considered non core to the company's long
term objectives. That's all from the statement. You can find
the same thing in your tawn, You can find the
(33:39):
same thing where you live. You just have to be observant.
You just have to look, and when you see, you'll
see that inflation and rampant retail crime under this regime,
Biden and Harris, it's actually Greeked havoc on the US economy.
Another example earlier this CVS, a major US pharmacy in
(34:03):
retail chain, announced that it was going to lay off
nearly three thousand employees, and the reasons that it cited
high inflation, declining consumption, lost revenue due to theft as
the cause of the layoffs. I live in suburban Denver.
(34:26):
I live in a unincorporated area south of Denver, and
one of the CVS stores in that area low crime,
not not a lot going on, pretty quiet. I was
in the other no what I guess it was two
weeks ago. Almost everything in that store was also behind plexiglass,
(34:54):
and I just kind of wondered that the aisles, just
noting that it was. Isn't just high end things like
expensive razors, shampoo, laundry detergent, everyday items all behind plexiglass. Now,
CVS is not a convenience store like say a seven
(35:17):
eleven where you can just but it nonetheless is a
place where you go out of convenience normally instead of
going to a big supermarket. Oh, you need some laundry detergent,
I'll stop at the CVS on the way home. I'll
stop at the seven eleven, Just easier than going all
the way into the grocery store then all the way
back out. When you're starting to close stores, we're starting
(35:42):
to put all items behind plexiglass because of retail theft
and crime. Even in suburban America or seven eleven, convenience
stores are starting to lay off employees and close stores
because year over year sales are declining. Economy is not
nearly as great as what people think that it is,
(36:03):
and inflation still remains one of the top concerns of voters.
The economy, inflation, and illegal immigration. And if Trump keeps
talking about those three things as he's been doing, the
trend lines are all in his favor. If you go
(36:24):
look at real clear politics, and you look at the averages.
Right now, Trump is ahead, maybe by only a point
or two in some of the swing states, but nonetheless ahead.
The trend lines are in his favor. Everybody, have a
great weekend. I'll see you next Saturday.
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