February 5, 2025 • 23 mins
Is it time to plan vacation time in the Gaza Strip? The doctor who approved RFK Jr. What USAID does, and why the Trump administration wants to get rid of it. What is ‘harmful’ reading material? Major publishers sue Idaho over law HB-710.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
KFI AM six forty Bill Handle Homeday, Wednesday, February fifth.
Some of the stories we are looking at. All the
victims of the plane crash in Washington have been recovered
from the Potomac River. Robert Kennedy looks like he's probably
going to make it as Health and Human Services, the
(00:28):
cabinet member Secretary of and we talk about a little
bit more about that at seven twenty.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Man. What a story there? All right?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I want to switch gears for a moment because I
teased a story that's coming up at eight o'clock.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
So let me tell you what happened yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
This is President Trump when he speaks, and he goes
stream of conscious a lot of the time. And the
problem is, there's an adage. There's an old saying which
is absolutely true. When the president's niezes, president us niezes,
the world gets a cold. And the President sneezed yesterday
and he said, Netanyahuo's in the office with him, and
(01:05):
he said, let me tell you about Gaza. I think
everybody in Gaza should move out of Gaza. The place
is a disaster area. It's all rubble. There's no place
to live. So let's move all the Palestinians out of Gaza, Jordan,
Egypt while we rebuild Gaza, and then they can come back.
(01:26):
And we're going to make the We're gonna make Gaza
the riviera of the Middle East, and the world's people
can move back, and we're going to make sure it's
done world class. This is Trump the builder talking and
it'll be a wonderful thing for people. And so Egypt
and Jordan should take these people. And they're saying, you're dreaming.
(01:46):
We are not going to accept two point three million
Palestinians out of Gaza.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
And so does anybody take that seriously?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I do? You know? Probably not, because he's talking about
moving two million people into effectively refugee camps across the
border and rebuilding at the same time, and he gives
it a three to five year timeline. That is not
going to happen. This is a generation to bring Gaza back.
(02:18):
There is nothing there. He was right, it's devastating. It's
it's rubble, is what it is. No infrastructure, water, gas lines, electricity, sanitation,
I mean, none of that happens anymore.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Hospitals, those will be rebuilt fairly quickly.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
And so his proposition, which you know, there's a method
to his madness sometimes and there is a logic to it,
and it may be the best way for the Palestinians
to actually create a state. Two state solutions, so Israel
and Gaza and the West Bank, so you have Israel
(02:57):
and Palestine living next to each other. You can't that
with Kamas because Camas is crazy and they don't even
recognize the state of Israel. And so you have the
leaders of Egypt and Jordan's saying we are not going
to accept people out of gossip. We're just not going
to do it. So the reality is, what do you do?
You should we're not.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
What do you do now?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Starts sanctions against those countries if they don't accept the refugees.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I mean, does the United States go that far? Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And the President also said, and we are going to
take it over. He did not deny that American troops
would be there, and it becomes he implied there's going
to be an American protectorate and said that the temporary
truce agreement is not viable. We have to understand he
(03:48):
is as pro Israeli as you can get. This guy
is pro Israel to the point where he doesn't even
want to hear about the other side, Natanya, who's in
the office. Of course, the people of Israel and Natanyahu
love Donald Trump because he's always been fanatically pro Israel,
I mean, you know, prior to the presidency.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
I mean, that's just who he is.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
So the people of Israel love him, except those people
that are protesting against the continuation of the war because
of the return of the hostages. That's a whole lot
of people too, because there are hostages still being held
by Hamas and they're negotiating. You know, what I don't
understand is somehow how they look at the negotiations as
(04:32):
even some way.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Now, there are people in Israel who.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Have been picked up, never charged, young people, granted, and
they're part of the hostage return negotiations. But there are
also people who have committed murder and have been involved
in blowing up civilians that are being returned as part
of the negotiations. So here's what we're gonna do. We're
gonna sit down at the table and we are going
(04:58):
to return to you men, women, children who we have
kidnapped and are holding hostage and in some cases, we're
going to send you some bodies of people because we
either we killed them or they died, or somehow they
were shot during the initial terrorist attack. And somehow the
world is accepting this kind of trade as opposed to
(05:24):
recognizing that what Hamas did. These guys are animals.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
They pick up innocent people and hold them as hostage.
What is that about.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I don't know how many babies have been picked up
by Israel. I don't know how many six year olds
or eighty year olds have been picked up by Israel.
So the president is out to effectively if we believe it,
can he do it? Of course not, because the premise
(05:54):
is they got to go someplace while quote Trump is rebuilding,
and this is the builder. It's gonna be a beautiful place.
It's gonna be huge. We're gonna have towers Trump all
over it all right now. RFK Robert F. Kennedy Junior,
who is the Trump nominee for Secretary of Health and
Human Services, which oversees, by the way, all health issues
(06:15):
in the United States one point two trillion dollar budget.
I mean, it's the biggest cabinet to spend expenditure wise
in the United States, and so you know who Robert
Kennedy is. Of course we've talked about it, anti vaxer conspiracy, theorist,
I mean, completely odd of his mind, totally, I won't
(06:36):
say the word incompetent, but not qualified to run HHS
at all.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
No credentials, I mean zero, zero zero.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Pam BONDI who I have all kinds of problems with
as the attorney general. She was the attorney general of Florida,
So okay, she's got the credentials. Now I don't think
she has the political view. I just don't like the
way she deals with the issue. RFK is a whole
different animal. So here's what happens in front of the Senate,
(07:06):
the Senate committee that moves the vote to the floor.
It's gonna go party lines, right, I mean, there's no
question anybody that Trump nominates is going to be confirmed.
And it doesn't matter credentials, no credentials, experience, nothing, It's
simply loyalty to the president. And RFK switched over he
(07:26):
was running for president and then switched over and basically
cut a deal with Trump.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Said that no deal.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
But if I now endorse you, I want to senior
position and there was no quit pro quote, except, of
course there was a pro quote.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
So RFK is and has been an anti vaxxer for decades,
has said that vaccine causes autism, has said that hundreds
of thousands of people died because of the COVID the
COVID vaccine, that the vaccine did more damage.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So now you have.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
A very conservative Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who is a
doctor who fanatically is in favor of vaccines, to the
point where he led the campaign to vaccinate thirty six
thousand kids against hepatitis B. He was the one that
(08:23):
headed the campaign in Louisiana, and he had all kinds
of questions of RFK.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
RFK had no idea, he mixed up.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Medicare with Medicaid, didn't know what programs did what, denied
that he was an anti vaxxer, said no, nope, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Here's what you said.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, yeah, I may have said that, but I'm not.
I'm not an anti vaxxer. Matter of fact, admitted that
he vaccinated his own kids, which is even more hypocritical
than anything out there. So Cassidy, I thought had such
problems with him as a physician and RFK is so
(09:10):
nuts when it comes to medical knowledge, a medical viewpoint.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I mean, he is way out there.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I think he's more out there than any other nomination,
any other nominee. Cash Patel has no experience. Head of
the FBI of course confirmed. Pam Bondi of course was confirmed.
Marco Rubio was confirmed, but he has the credentials.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
So that one I wasn't going to argue with. So
what ended up happening.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
And everybody thought that Cassidy was going to yeah, now
I can't do it, and was going to vote his conscience.
When it was time to vote, and all the Republicans vote,
of course, voted I. All the Democrats voted no, but
the Republicans have a one vote majority because they are
the party in power.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
He voted yes.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
They asked for his vote, and he looked down and
said I and left the room.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Why would he do that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
He's up for election in twenty twenty six and he
was told, in no uncertain terms, you go against this nomination,
and we're going to go against you, or we're going
to primary you out. I don't even think Trump made
that act that threat. I think it was some Trump
followers who made that threat. Some MAGA people who were
(10:34):
involved well, who were act anti vax people, and they
made the threat saying we're going to primary you up.
You're not going to be a Senator anymore unless you vote,
unless you vote positively, And you could see how uncomfortable
he was. Just the politics. And this is typical of
(10:57):
either party when you have someone someone who is looking
at an election, will always vote to maintain the position
no matter what. The only one I can think of
that went the other way Liz Cheney. She voted her
conscious and you know, she lost by thirty points. Was
(11:19):
thrown out, first, thrown out of the leadership, and then
lost in the primary. There were a few other ones,
Jeff Flake and a few others, but they had decided
to retire and it didn't matter. They were going to
retire at the end of the term. So screw you.
I'll vote the way. But Cassidy, he's going to run
again in twenty twenty six. Cassidy had to cave. And
this is what the Senate is about. This is the
(11:42):
sleeve of politics going on. And I am not just
saying it's a Republican here. This is across the board. God,
I wish people. Well, you can't. You can't because if
you stay in power. And then the argument is, if
I don't get re elected, I can't do the good
that I am doing. I have no power if I'm
not in power, So therefore I'll do anything to get reelected.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
All right.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
One of the one of the stories coming out of
the Trump administration. Can you imagine how many stories have
come out? How long has it been? Is it two
weeks yet? Since Trump has been inaugurated two weeks today,
two weeks today, and look what has happened since. So
one of the moves that the administration has made is
(12:29):
he has put dozens of senior officials on leave, thousands
of contractors, laid off freeze on billions of dollars in
humanitarian aid, and that seems to be the big one here.
It's an organization called USAID us AID, and it's an
organization that basically feeds people around the world. It's the
(12:52):
United States helping people with housing, particularly medication inoculations. And
the history of that, and you're not going to hear
a lot about the history. It was created by John F.
Kennedy during his administration, and it was to help people, but.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
It was all part of the Cold War.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
It was we're going to help you, and we want
to make sure the Russians don't.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And it was simply part of one upping. It was
like the space race.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
And it has since become just a basic part of
humanitarian aid around the world. And it is being attacked
like crazy. Matter of fact, the froze all the funding
and shut down the offices. And this is Elon Musk
who is tasked with reducing the waste in the fraud
in government. This is the biggest hit so far, and
(13:43):
he has said we're going to go after all the waste,
all the fraud. Trump has said part of it is
one hundred million dollars in condoms went to Hamas. Originally
it was fifty million, and that last week and then
he doubled it to one hundred million. Okay, doubt that now.
There may very well be all kinds of fraud involved.
(14:04):
This is a well entrenched organization that, even though they're
supposed to be oversight, has been left alone. And I
have no problem with the government looking at any cabinet
or any governmental agency, no problem. But do you shut
it down or do you keep it going while you're
(14:25):
doing the investigation. And that's the question I have because
there are people who as of today, are not eating,
are not getting humanitarian aid. And the US is the
single biggest giver of humanitarian aid in the world, not
as a per capitat by the way, not as a
(14:46):
measure of a gross domestic product. There are others who
give more as a percentage other company countries, but we
give the most simply because of our size. The the
US gave sub Sahara Africa, which is the part of
the world that gets the most aid, more than six
(15:08):
point five billion dollars last year. HIV patients in Africa,
they're helping and dealing with AIDS global epidemic. Well, those
people are not being helped anymore. You got Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala.
The Safe Mobility Office is this is one where I
(15:29):
had a hard time with. And this was the program
where migrants can apply to injurer to the US. Legally
that is shut down because you know, Trump said We're
not going to make it easy for you.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Okay, that's legitimate.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
So the US spends about forty billion dollars a year
in feign aid and here is okay, this is a
figure that I want to share with you, and this
has to do with a survey. How much of the
federal budget does the US spend on aid foreign aid?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
If you had to guess, Neil, I have no clue. Good,
that's a good answer.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
They helped the survey amy how much of the for
how much of our budget is spent on foreign aide?
Fifty billion dollars exactly. No, it's actually more than that.
But here is a survey that was done with some
polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Most Americans, majority of
(16:30):
Americans say we spend thirty one percent of our budget
on four and eight. Thirty one percent in reality is
less than one percent, by the way, but the perception
that we are spending so much money to help the
rest of the world, and this goes right in line
with the Trump administration's position of exceptionalism, and we are
(16:58):
we should take care and look at ourselves and out
the rest of the world. We want out of foreign wars.
We want to do nothing to do with the rest
of the war of the world. And we haven't been
this pro we haven't been this attached to the world
or not attached, this removed from.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Getting involved there it is.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
I finally got that we have not been this removed
from involving ourselves with the rest of the world since
before World War Two, where you had America Firsters led
by Charles Limberg by the way, saying we don't want
to be involved in that European war because the war
had started nineteen thirty nine in Europe and we didn't
get involved to nineteen forty one, December of nineteen forty one,
(17:41):
and there's a huge movement FDR wanted to get into
the war. No chance until Pearl Harbor. We are on
our own. We don't want to get involved in foreign wars.
We don't want our boys dying in foreign wars. We
don't want to spend money in Europe. We don't want anything.
Let them deal with it. Well, that's a a Trump
philosophy and a lot of people.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Agree with that.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
And we spend a lot of money. And it's just
a different world that we live in. And by the way,
I don't have a problem there are we Are we
too involved?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Maybe? Maybe?
Speaker 2 (18:14):
I mean, are we the policeman of the world. Is
it our job to feed the world? I guess you know,
if you have money, I have a problem with people starving,
and you can do something about it, you know, except
your crew, except my crew. Yeah, that's that's not a problem. Yeah,
you guys can starve all you want.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Lawsuit lawsuit against Idaho, Idaho and a few other.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
States.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Well, these libraries have been clearing their shelves stories that
included kissing scenes, picture books featuring gay parents, you know,
like Debbie has six parents, six mommies, guides for tweens
on what to expect during puberty, for example, why anymore?
And the law went into effect, and what it does
(19:05):
is invite challenges that the public can against libraries that
the public, any parent feels that the library is put
inappropriate sexual content two minors. And you can imagine the
lawsuit publishers, authors, parents. It's the latest ministering of legal
(19:26):
challenges state rules about library books. By the way, Flora
and Iowa did the same thing. It's a culture war.
What concepts, what material are kids exposed to or can
be so? Instruction about sex, gender, race, hot button issues
have been the subject of lawsuit because they have been banned.
It's basically banning of books. Now, the reality is, should
(19:50):
kids be protected against pornography of course they should, and
who makes that decision? And this law says that any
parent who is uncomfortable with the library can file suit
against the librarian, against the school, against the public library.
And it's not a question of any parent. You know
(20:12):
that conservative religious groups are going to fund these kinds
of lawsuits, and frankly, you've got individual librarians that are
named as defendants.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
How do they deal with it?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
And well, look in Idaho, for example, these are books
that have been banned Maya Angelou's I Know why the
Cage Bird Sings. I mean, that's a classic Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse five.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
I mean I read that.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
I mean these are books that our classic books. They're banned.
Now I can understand. I took a book out once.
It was Barnyard Love, and I get that that can
be a little bit offensive.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
That was a pop up book, right. See.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You know what's weird about this, Like they're banning books
where there's like gay families, But what about going to school.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
My son goes to school.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
And plays with kids who have two fathers or two mothers.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
It's that's life, but reality.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
But the value judgment is such that society is now
going in or going back to the philosophy that somehow
gay is perversion, that there is something inherently morally wrong
about being gay or being trans.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
And that's the scary part.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I can't and we are moving backwards in a big,
big way.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
On that one.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I felt like nobody cared and then the trans comes along,
and then if people get riled up.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Here, well, one of the arguments, and one of the
reasons that it's uh that's being said about Trump winning
was that the Democrats were so concerned about inclusive inclusivity
they left out the issues like inflation, the immigration issue,
which people cared a lot more about, and so it
(22:08):
allows us to it allowed it to blossom. And the
Republicans said, no, no, this is what people care about.
We're be getting more conservative, or at least the conservatives
taking more control and co opting a lot of stuff.
And the only point that I agree is kids have
to be protected against pornography.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
I get that, but who makes that decision.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
As to what's pornography, as to what's appropriate for kids.
And it's not a pornography, it's inappropriate material. Is more
like it, pornography is easy, but inappropriate material free young
people mentioning, for example, that Debbie has two moms putting
that book in the library. That's inappropriate. And it's not
(22:51):
saying that it's a great thing. It just says it's
a fact. As you said, the teachers and the libraries
aren't pushing that agenda. They're not saying Debbie has two moms,
therefore you should have two moms.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Yeah, one's descriptive, one's prescriptive.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
There's a difference.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
So anyway, the lawsuits are flying and we'll see what happens.
And I hate the idea that a parent can bring
a lawsuit because of course it's going to be funded
one hundred percent. We're in a different world and it's
really very depressing. KFI Am six point. You've been listening
to the Bill Handle Show Catch My Show Monday through
Friday six am to nine am, and anytime on demand
(23:29):
on the iHeartRadio app.
You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
KFI AM six forty Bill Handle Homeday, Wednesday, February fifth.
Some of the stories we are looking at. All the
victims of the plane crash in Washington have been recovered
from the Potomac River. Robert Kennedy looks like he's probably
going to make it as Health and Human Services, the
(00:28):
cabinet member Secretary of and we talk about a little
bit more about that at seven twenty.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Man. What a story there? All right?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I want to switch gears for a moment because I
teased a story that's coming up at eight o'clock.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
So let me tell you what happened yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
This is President Trump when he speaks, and he goes
stream of conscious a lot of the time. And the
problem is, there's an adage. There's an old saying which
is absolutely true. When the president's niezes, president us niezes,
the world gets a cold. And the President sneezed yesterday
and he said, Netanyahuo's in the office with him, and
(01:05):
he said, let me tell you about Gaza. I think
everybody in Gaza should move out of Gaza. The place
is a disaster area. It's all rubble. There's no place
to live. So let's move all the Palestinians out of Gaza, Jordan,
Egypt while we rebuild Gaza, and then they can come back.
(01:26):
And we're going to make the We're gonna make Gaza
the riviera of the Middle East, and the world's people
can move back, and we're going to make sure it's
done world class. This is Trump the builder talking and
it'll be a wonderful thing for people. And so Egypt
and Jordan should take these people. And they're saying, you're dreaming.
(01:46):
We are not going to accept two point three million
Palestinians out of Gaza.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
And so does anybody take that seriously?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I do? You know? Probably not, because he's talking about
moving two million people into effectively refugee camps across the
border and rebuilding at the same time, and he gives
it a three to five year timeline. That is not
going to happen. This is a generation to bring Gaza back.
(02:18):
There is nothing there. He was right, it's devastating. It's
it's rubble, is what it is. No infrastructure, water, gas lines, electricity, sanitation,
I mean, none of that happens anymore.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Hospitals, those will be rebuilt fairly quickly.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
And so his proposition, which you know, there's a method
to his madness sometimes and there is a logic to it,
and it may be the best way for the Palestinians
to actually create a state. Two state solutions, so Israel
and Gaza and the West Bank, so you have Israel
(02:57):
and Palestine living next to each other. You can't that
with Kamas because Camas is crazy and they don't even
recognize the state of Israel. And so you have the
leaders of Egypt and Jordan's saying we are not going
to accept people out of gossip. We're just not going
to do it. So the reality is, what do you do?
You should we're not.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
What do you do now?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Starts sanctions against those countries if they don't accept the refugees.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I mean, does the United States go that far? Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
And the President also said, and we are going to
take it over. He did not deny that American troops
would be there, and it becomes he implied there's going
to be an American protectorate and said that the temporary
truce agreement is not viable. We have to understand he
(03:48):
is as pro Israeli as you can get. This guy
is pro Israel to the point where he doesn't even
want to hear about the other side, Natanya, who's in
the office. Of course, the people of Israel and Natanyahu
love Donald Trump because he's always been fanatically pro Israel,
I mean, you know, prior to the presidency.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
I mean, that's just who he is.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
So the people of Israel love him, except those people
that are protesting against the continuation of the war because
of the return of the hostages. That's a whole lot
of people too, because there are hostages still being held
by Hamas and they're negotiating. You know, what I don't
understand is somehow how they look at the negotiations as
(04:32):
even some way.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Now, there are people in Israel who.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Have been picked up, never charged, young people, granted, and
they're part of the hostage return negotiations. But there are
also people who have committed murder and have been involved
in blowing up civilians that are being returned as part
of the negotiations. So here's what we're gonna do. We're
gonna sit down at the table and we are going
(04:58):
to return to you men, women, children who we have
kidnapped and are holding hostage and in some cases, we're
going to send you some bodies of people because we
either we killed them or they died, or somehow they
were shot during the initial terrorist attack. And somehow the
world is accepting this kind of trade as opposed to
(05:24):
recognizing that what Hamas did. These guys are animals.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
They pick up innocent people and hold them as hostage.
What is that about.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I don't know how many babies have been picked up
by Israel. I don't know how many six year olds
or eighty year olds have been picked up by Israel.
So the president is out to effectively if we believe it,
can he do it? Of course not, because the premise
(05:54):
is they got to go someplace while quote Trump is rebuilding,
and this is the builder. It's gonna be a beautiful place.
It's gonna be huge. We're gonna have towers Trump all
over it all right now. RFK Robert F. Kennedy Junior,
who is the Trump nominee for Secretary of Health and
Human Services, which oversees, by the way, all health issues
(06:15):
in the United States one point two trillion dollar budget.
I mean, it's the biggest cabinet to spend expenditure wise
in the United States, and so you know who Robert
Kennedy is. Of course we've talked about it, anti vaxer conspiracy, theorist,
I mean, completely odd of his mind, totally, I won't
(06:36):
say the word incompetent, but not qualified to run HHS
at all.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
No credentials, I mean zero, zero zero.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Pam BONDI who I have all kinds of problems with
as the attorney general. She was the attorney general of Florida,
So okay, she's got the credentials. Now I don't think
she has the political view. I just don't like the
way she deals with the issue. RFK is a whole
different animal. So here's what happens in front of the Senate,
(07:06):
the Senate committee that moves the vote to the floor.
It's gonna go party lines, right, I mean, there's no
question anybody that Trump nominates is going to be confirmed.
And it doesn't matter credentials, no credentials, experience, nothing, It's
simply loyalty to the president. And RFK switched over he
(07:26):
was running for president and then switched over and basically
cut a deal with Trump.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Said that no deal.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
But if I now endorse you, I want to senior
position and there was no quit pro quote, except, of
course there was a pro quote.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
So RFK is and has been an anti vaxxer for decades,
has said that vaccine causes autism, has said that hundreds
of thousands of people died because of the COVID the
COVID vaccine, that the vaccine did more damage.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So now you have.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
A very conservative Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who is a
doctor who fanatically is in favor of vaccines, to the
point where he led the campaign to vaccinate thirty six
thousand kids against hepatitis B. He was the one that
(08:23):
headed the campaign in Louisiana, and he had all kinds
of questions of RFK.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
RFK had no idea, he mixed up.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Medicare with Medicaid, didn't know what programs did what, denied
that he was an anti vaxxer, said no, nope, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Here's what you said.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, yeah, I may have said that, but I'm not.
I'm not an anti vaxxer. Matter of fact, admitted that
he vaccinated his own kids, which is even more hypocritical
than anything out there. So Cassidy, I thought had such
problems with him as a physician and RFK is so
(09:10):
nuts when it comes to medical knowledge, a medical viewpoint.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I mean, he is way out there.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I think he's more out there than any other nomination,
any other nominee. Cash Patel has no experience. Head of
the FBI of course confirmed. Pam Bondi of course was confirmed.
Marco Rubio was confirmed, but he has the credentials.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
So that one I wasn't going to argue with. So
what ended up happening.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
And everybody thought that Cassidy was going to yeah, now
I can't do it, and was going to vote his conscience.
When it was time to vote, and all the Republicans vote,
of course, voted I. All the Democrats voted no, but
the Republicans have a one vote majority because they are
the party in power.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
He voted yes.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
They asked for his vote, and he looked down and
said I and left the room.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Why would he do that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
He's up for election in twenty twenty six and he
was told, in no uncertain terms, you go against this nomination,
and we're going to go against you, or we're going
to primary you out. I don't even think Trump made
that act that threat. I think it was some Trump
followers who made that threat. Some MAGA people who were
(10:34):
involved well, who were act anti vax people, and they
made the threat saying we're going to primary you up.
You're not going to be a Senator anymore unless you vote,
unless you vote positively, And you could see how uncomfortable
he was. Just the politics. And this is typical of
(10:57):
either party when you have someone someone who is looking
at an election, will always vote to maintain the position
no matter what. The only one I can think of
that went the other way Liz Cheney. She voted her
conscious and you know, she lost by thirty points. Was
(11:19):
thrown out, first, thrown out of the leadership, and then
lost in the primary. There were a few other ones,
Jeff Flake and a few others, but they had decided
to retire and it didn't matter. They were going to
retire at the end of the term. So screw you.
I'll vote the way. But Cassidy, he's going to run
again in twenty twenty six. Cassidy had to cave. And
this is what the Senate is about. This is the
(11:42):
sleeve of politics going on. And I am not just
saying it's a Republican here. This is across the board. God,
I wish people. Well, you can't. You can't because if
you stay in power. And then the argument is, if
I don't get re elected, I can't do the good
that I am doing. I have no power if I'm
not in power, So therefore I'll do anything to get reelected.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
All right.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
One of the one of the stories coming out of
the Trump administration. Can you imagine how many stories have
come out? How long has it been? Is it two
weeks yet? Since Trump has been inaugurated two weeks today,
two weeks today, and look what has happened since. So
one of the moves that the administration has made is
(12:29):
he has put dozens of senior officials on leave, thousands
of contractors, laid off freeze on billions of dollars in
humanitarian aid, and that seems to be the big one here.
It's an organization called USAID us AID, and it's an
organization that basically feeds people around the world. It's the
(12:52):
United States helping people with housing, particularly medication inoculations. And
the history of that, and you're not going to hear
a lot about the history. It was created by John F.
Kennedy during his administration, and it was to help people, but.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
It was all part of the Cold War.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
It was we're going to help you, and we want
to make sure the Russians don't.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And it was simply part of one upping. It was
like the space race.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
And it has since become just a basic part of
humanitarian aid around the world. And it is being attacked
like crazy. Matter of fact, the froze all the funding
and shut down the offices. And this is Elon Musk
who is tasked with reducing the waste in the fraud
in government. This is the biggest hit so far, and
(13:43):
he has said we're going to go after all the waste,
all the fraud. Trump has said part of it is
one hundred million dollars in condoms went to Hamas. Originally
it was fifty million, and that last week and then
he doubled it to one hundred million. Okay, doubt that now.
There may very well be all kinds of fraud involved.
(14:04):
This is a well entrenched organization that, even though they're
supposed to be oversight, has been left alone. And I
have no problem with the government looking at any cabinet
or any governmental agency, no problem. But do you shut
it down or do you keep it going while you're
(14:25):
doing the investigation. And that's the question I have because
there are people who as of today, are not eating,
are not getting humanitarian aid. And the US is the
single biggest giver of humanitarian aid in the world, not
as a per capitat by the way, not as a
(14:46):
measure of a gross domestic product. There are others who
give more as a percentage other company countries, but we
give the most simply because of our size. The the
US gave sub Sahara Africa, which is the part of
the world that gets the most aid, more than six
(15:08):
point five billion dollars last year. HIV patients in Africa,
they're helping and dealing with AIDS global epidemic. Well, those
people are not being helped anymore. You got Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala.
The Safe Mobility Office is this is one where I
(15:29):
had a hard time with. And this was the program
where migrants can apply to injurer to the US. Legally
that is shut down because you know, Trump said We're
not going to make it easy for you.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Okay, that's legitimate.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
So the US spends about forty billion dollars a year
in feign aid and here is okay, this is a
figure that I want to share with you, and this
has to do with a survey. How much of the
federal budget does the US spend on aid foreign aid?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
If you had to guess, Neil, I have no clue. Good,
that's a good answer.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
They helped the survey amy how much of the for
how much of our budget is spent on foreign aide?
Fifty billion dollars exactly. No, it's actually more than that.
But here is a survey that was done with some
polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Most Americans, majority of
(16:30):
Americans say we spend thirty one percent of our budget
on four and eight. Thirty one percent in reality is
less than one percent, by the way, but the perception
that we are spending so much money to help the
rest of the world, and this goes right in line
with the Trump administration's position of exceptionalism, and we are
(16:58):
we should take care and look at ourselves and out
the rest of the world. We want out of foreign wars.
We want to do nothing to do with the rest
of the war of the world. And we haven't been
this pro we haven't been this attached to the world
or not attached, this removed from.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Getting involved there it is.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
I finally got that we have not been this removed
from involving ourselves with the rest of the world since
before World War Two, where you had America Firsters led
by Charles Limberg by the way, saying we don't want
to be involved in that European war because the war
had started nineteen thirty nine in Europe and we didn't
get involved to nineteen forty one, December of nineteen forty one,
(17:41):
and there's a huge movement FDR wanted to get into
the war. No chance until Pearl Harbor. We are on
our own. We don't want to get involved in foreign wars.
We don't want our boys dying in foreign wars. We
don't want to spend money in Europe. We don't want anything.
Let them deal with it. Well, that's a a Trump
philosophy and a lot of people.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Agree with that.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
And we spend a lot of money. And it's just
a different world that we live in. And by the way,
I don't have a problem there are we Are we
too involved?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Maybe? Maybe?
Speaker 2 (18:14):
I mean, are we the policeman of the world. Is
it our job to feed the world? I guess you know,
if you have money, I have a problem with people starving,
and you can do something about it, you know, except
your crew, except my crew. Yeah, that's that's not a problem. Yeah,
you guys can starve all you want.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Lawsuit lawsuit against Idaho, Idaho and a few other.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
States.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Well, these libraries have been clearing their shelves stories that
included kissing scenes, picture books featuring gay parents, you know,
like Debbie has six parents, six mommies, guides for tweens
on what to expect during puberty, for example, why anymore?
And the law went into effect, and what it does
(19:05):
is invite challenges that the public can against libraries that
the public, any parent feels that the library is put
inappropriate sexual content two minors. And you can imagine the
lawsuit publishers, authors, parents. It's the latest ministering of legal
(19:26):
challenges state rules about library books. By the way, Flora
and Iowa did the same thing. It's a culture war.
What concepts, what material are kids exposed to or can
be so? Instruction about sex, gender, race, hot button issues
have been the subject of lawsuit because they have been banned.
It's basically banning of books. Now, the reality is, should
(19:50):
kids be protected against pornography of course they should, and
who makes that decision? And this law says that any
parent who is uncomfortable with the library can file suit
against the librarian, against the school, against the public library.
And it's not a question of any parent. You know
(20:12):
that conservative religious groups are going to fund these kinds
of lawsuits, and frankly, you've got individual librarians that are
named as defendants.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
How do they deal with it?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
And well, look in Idaho, for example, these are books
that have been banned Maya Angelou's I Know why the
Cage Bird Sings. I mean, that's a classic Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse five.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
I mean I read that.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
I mean these are books that our classic books. They're banned.
Now I can understand. I took a book out once.
It was Barnyard Love, and I get that that can
be a little bit offensive.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
That was a pop up book, right. See.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You know what's weird about this, Like they're banning books
where there's like gay families, But what about going to school.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
My son goes to school.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
And plays with kids who have two fathers or two mothers.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
It's that's life, but reality.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
But the value judgment is such that society is now
going in or going back to the philosophy that somehow
gay is perversion, that there is something inherently morally wrong
about being gay or being trans.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
And that's the scary part.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I can't and we are moving backwards in a big,
big way.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
On that one.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I felt like nobody cared and then the trans comes along,
and then if people get riled up.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Here, well, one of the arguments, and one of the
reasons that it's uh that's being said about Trump winning
was that the Democrats were so concerned about inclusive inclusivity
they left out the issues like inflation, the immigration issue,
which people cared a lot more about, and so it
(22:08):
allows us to it allowed it to blossom. And the
Republicans said, no, no, this is what people care about.
We're be getting more conservative, or at least the conservatives
taking more control and co opting a lot of stuff.
And the only point that I agree is kids have
to be protected against pornography.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
I get that, but who makes that decision.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
As to what's pornography, as to what's appropriate for kids.
And it's not a pornography, it's inappropriate material. Is more
like it, pornography is easy, but inappropriate material free young
people mentioning, for example, that Debbie has two moms putting
that book in the library. That's inappropriate. And it's not
(22:51):
saying that it's a great thing. It just says it's
a fact. As you said, the teachers and the libraries
aren't pushing that agenda. They're not saying Debbie has two moms,
therefore you should have two moms.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Yeah, one's descriptive, one's prescriptive.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
There's a difference.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
So anyway, the lawsuits are flying and we'll see what happens.
And I hate the idea that a parent can bring
a lawsuit because of course it's going to be funded
one hundred percent. We're in a different world and it's
really very depressing. KFI Am six point. You've been listening
to the Bill Handle Show Catch My Show Monday through
Friday six am to nine am, and anytime on demand
(23:29):
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