Biden Commutes Death Sentences For 37 Federal Death Row Inmates

Bob Frantz takes you through the stories that matter the most on the morning of 12/23/24.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is used radio seven forty kat RH Houston Ive
everywhere with now the latest news, weather and traffic.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's more of what matters to you. From the John
Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Biden commutes death sentences for thirty seven federal death Row inmates,
and Trump debunks the left narrative on Elon Musk. Good morning,
I'm Bob, Friends and for Jimmy Barrett. This is your
five o'clock report on news radio seven forty k T
each Cliff Songers will have the news after we check
our traffic and whether together.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
Good morning, Scott min Good morning Bob. Are you nervous?
You should? You should be? A lot of things can
go wrong this morning.

Speaker 5 (00:42):
Let's check out both sides of it in here, advisors,
I've got a good Katie freeway to give you so far,
we're looking at Grant Parkway into the President's you're just
going twenty eight minutes him. And from the hard hat
side of Iten, let's go back to Chevron Phillips coming
in from Mott Bellevue, Baytown. We look pretty good here
to twenty three minutes. Rest of your freeways rock and

(01:04):
we've got your tipline seven one, three two, one two
Tips Traffic and the Generators Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
All right, thank you very much, good sir.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Mostly cloudy today with the highest seventy two. Cloudy tonight,
overnight dropped down to sixty four. Christmas Eve Tuesday, overcast
with a slight chance of afternoon showers with a high
near seventy five. What about Christmas Day. I'm gonna make
you wait on that one. We'll give that to you
coming up at about five to ten with Terry Smith
at the weather channel. Right now fifty five at your
official severe weather station is Radio seven forty k t RH.

Speaker 6 (01:33):
And now let's get the morning news. Good morning, Cliff,
Good morning Bob, and good morning everyone. Five o' one
on KGRH. We are keeping an eye on the airports
this morning. In so far the good news minimal delays
at Bush and Hobby if you're getting out of town today,
but that could change, as hundreds of flights nationwide are
already delayed this morning. Also topping the news, and as

(01:55):
you slept, President Joe Biden, well he did it again,
commuting set and says this time it's for thirty seven
death row inmates. This does not include the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter,
or Dylan Roofe who killed nine people at a South
Carolina church, or Joke Arts and Iev who is responsible
for the Boston bombing.

Speaker 4 (02:15):
Meantime, about the future president.

Speaker 7 (02:18):
No, he's not gonna be president.

Speaker 4 (02:20):
That I can't tell you.

Speaker 6 (02:22):
Yeah, that is President ELEC. Donald Trump at America Fest
in Arizona. He's totally downplaying the mainstream narrative joke that
Elon Musk is really going to run the country. Trump
also hit at wokeness in a big way.

Speaker 8 (02:36):
Woke has to stop because along with everything else, it's
destroying our country. We're gonna stop woke.

Speaker 4 (02:45):
Woke is booked, adding that there.

Speaker 6 (02:49):
Are only two genders to that end. Texas Attorney General
Ken Paxton ensues the NC double A four deceptive marketing practices.
It's an apt to stop men from being allowed to
play women's college sports. It's now five oh three on
KTRH and in Washington, how Speaker Mike Johnson makes a

(03:10):
deal with Democrats to fund the government through March, a
deal that did not increase the dead ceiling and did
not make conservatives happy.

Speaker 4 (03:18):
This is outrageous.

Speaker 9 (03:19):
Johnson's got to go as Speaker of the House. I
think that's the lesson attacking on the death city of
that it's just gone cause confusion. It's all now kicked
in the President Trump's administration.

Speaker 6 (03:29):
Steve mannon talking to Breitbartner over the weekend. Houston Congressman
Dan Crenshaw he backed the original deal that would have
given himself and his other congressmen and women a raise.
He also supported congressional stock trading.

Speaker 10 (03:44):
Crenshaw says that congressmen need to be able to trade
stocks to make money.

Speaker 11 (03:47):
I haven't got a pay raise since two thousand and eight,
even a coola increase.

Speaker 4 (03:51):
This is a great idea.

Speaker 11 (03:52):
Let's make Congress a place where only the millionaires can
actually afford to do the job.

Speaker 10 (03:57):
Ktr h is Michael Berry pointed out on his show
how cong has an unfair advantage in the markets.

Speaker 12 (04:02):
Congressmen are being briefed on things that the public doesn't know.
They shouldn't be trading stocks on that. If you want
to be an active day trader, don't be in Congress.

Speaker 10 (04:10):
Crenshaw's comments led to multiple Conservatives accusing him of being
a rhino. Crenshaw referred to his critics as quote bottom feeders.
Ethan Buchanan News Radio seven forty KRH.

Speaker 6 (04:19):
And do you remember the lefts claim that election fraud
is fake news. Well it's not, and it happened here
in Texas. A Carrollton man recently got four years for
mail in ballot fraud.

Speaker 13 (04:31):
There's a Mohammed. He is a forty threear old man
and he was running for the twenty twenty Carleton mayoral race.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
And what he ended up doing is.

Speaker 13 (04:39):
He forged a bunch of mail in ballot applications using
people's names.

Speaker 4 (04:43):
They had no idea.

Speaker 6 (04:44):
That's Brianna Lyman with the Federalist. Mohammad was facing twenty
years in prison. It's now five h five. A person
has been arrested in connection with the death of a
woman who was lit on fire on a New York
subway yesterday. That reportedly is an illegal alien from Guatemala.

Speaker 4 (05:03):
Suspect used what.

Speaker 14 (05:04):
We believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing,
which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.

Speaker 6 (05:12):
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish and new palling shows that more
of you are now in favor of militarizing the border
than you think.

Speaker 15 (05:20):
About three out of four people support that idea, according
to CNBC.

Speaker 16 (05:24):
I think what they're also realizing what's actually happening inside
of Mexico.

Speaker 15 (05:28):
Senior fellow for the Texas Public Policy Foundation Amman Blair
says what militarizing the border actually means for federal and
state officials.

Speaker 16 (05:36):
They would take control of that area and completely deny
any incursions or actions in that region.

Speaker 15 (05:42):
Blair said, it's past time that the southern border is secured.
Jarret Lewis News Radio seven forty KHR eight.

Speaker 4 (05:48):
Five oh six.

Speaker 6 (05:49):
Now on Friday, we told you Starbucks workers in three
cities we're striking. Well, that's now expanded to include New
York City, and the Amazon strike continues as well and
also expands.

Speaker 4 (06:02):
This strike is growing.

Speaker 17 (06:03):
Delivery drivers over at an air hub here in southern
California as well as at a warehouse over on Staten
Island have joined in on this strike. This after workers
walked off the job early Thursday morning. These are drivers
for firms that contract with Amazon. In total, workers are
striking at nine different Amazon facilities nationwide.

Speaker 6 (06:24):
Reporter Max Gordon there, traffic congestion on our highway has
cost the trucking industry more than one hundred and eight
billion dollars in Texas. The number for twenty twenty two
nine point one billion. So what's causing this?

Speaker 18 (06:37):
Part of it is the Texas Miracle. It's been the
attraction of the state of Texas to the rest of
the country, to the rest of the world for years now.
People are coming to Texas in droves. We're wide open
for visits.

Speaker 6 (06:50):
Johnasparza with the Texas Trucking Association tells KTRH that these
costs will eventually get passed on to you and a
major shift in the auto industry. Over night, Honda and
Nissan announced plans to merge, a deal would create the
world's third largest car maker. Five oh seven, The Rockets
beat Toronto one fourteen to one.

Speaker 8 (07:10):
Ten.

Speaker 6 (07:11):
Rockets owner Chilman for Tito was named the US Ambassador
to Italy by President Alec Trump and Texans wide receiver
Tank Dell is back in Houston after suffering what is
reported to be a dislocated kneecap in Saturday's game with
Kansas City and I'm Close Saunders on Houston's news weather
in traffic station News Radio seven forty k TRH.

Speaker 2 (07:35):
No make your season more sure with the latest news,
traffick and weather.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
News Radio seven KGRH. Well, we're trying to figure this out.
Good morning, by the way, Bob France sitting in for
Jimmy Barrett. Hope you're having a great start to Christmas week.
It is the twenty third morning of the twelfth month
in the of Our Lord, twenty twenty four, and uh,
we're trying to figure it out. Where is Joe Biden

(08:02):
coming from with all of this? Two days before Christmas,
Joe Biden commutes the death sentences of child killers and
mass murderers, thirty seven of forty men on federal death row,
a list that includes no less than five child killers
and several mass murderers, in a massive act of clemency.

Speaker 4 (08:26):
Trying to figure it out. I mean, I understand the
point here.

Speaker 3 (08:30):
He's trying to do as much damage, I think, to
not only his brand but to the country as he
possibly can before he leaves office, trying to make things
just a little bit more miserable for President Trump. Most
people think he's doing this at the behest of the
first Lady Doctor Joe Biden, Why did he just pardon
or commute the sentence of fifteen hundred criminals last week

(08:53):
now thirty seven death row inmates, the only three you
just heard Cliff talking about it, the only three that
were not commuted had their death sentences commuted. Are well,
three of the worst and three of the most high profile.

Speaker 4 (09:10):
I guess is a better way to say that.

Speaker 3 (09:12):
Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life synagogue shooter in twenty eighteen,
left eleven people dead, Dylan Rufe, white supremacist, killed nine
black parishioners at Emmanuel Ame Church in Charleston, and then
Zokar Sarnaif, one of the Boston marathon bombers, the only
three that did not get the commutations. And I'm trying

(09:32):
to figure out why are the dead people in their
attacks different than the dead people in the attacks of
all of the people who have their sentences commuted to
life without parole.

Speaker 4 (09:43):
I'm not seeing it yet. I'm looking for it.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
I'm trying to find a reason and a justification for
this so far, Like I said, I'm just I'm not there.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
What I am.

Speaker 3 (09:54):
Curious about, though, is this had the horrific attack from
a migrant on the New York subway that we literally
just found out about yesterday, just happened yesterday, the horrific attack,
the burning death of a sleeping passenger on a New
York subway. This individual set her on fire, then exited

(10:16):
the train, sat on the platform, and watched her burn.

Speaker 4 (10:20):
There's video of all of it.

Speaker 3 (10:22):
I wonder if that individual had already been convicted, and
that individual had been sentenced to death, if Joe Biden
would have commuted this person's death sentence.

Speaker 4 (10:31):
I don't know. I don't know what the mindset is.
Nobody does.

Speaker 3 (10:34):
In fact, from what we are learning, he hasn't known
what his own mindset has been for many many months,
if not into the last two or three years. But
that's where we are right now. The President of the
United States saying some lives matter, some lives don't. Some
people deserve their death sentences, some people don't. Which ones
are which only he knows, and the odds are very

(10:55):
strong that even he doesn't. Okay, ten minutes after five o'clock,
let's get started here and get you moving traffic and weather.
We're gonna check it out with sky Micael on that
morning drive find on holiday.

Speaker 5 (11:06):
Like here, Bob, we're looking at let's go to the
golf freeway. Took a little field trip over the Golf
Freeway this past weekend, and boy, that road work. Cause
it's one thing for me to look at it from
up higher from camera or whatever. It's another thing to
get down and get dirty in the Golf Freeway and
south of south of Dickinson around Bucky's all the way
down to Tiki Island. Man, my heart goes out to

(11:28):
all of you that have to drive through that every morning.
Three little puny lanes and a serious text dot wall
of death both ways, and it's just basically a lifestyle
from Tiki all the way up to the bottom of
right around Hughes Road and both ways.

Speaker 4 (11:43):
For now, we're getting by just fine. Just man.

Speaker 5 (11:45):
That's a tight squeeze. Once you get from clear Lake
you're looking at twenty two minutes up. We did have
some over the weekend stuff going on South Loop that
was between Golfgate and NRG on the South Loop.

Speaker 4 (11:56):
Six ' ten nothing loopy.

Speaker 5 (11:58):
We don't even have a big loopy spinding the squeeze
on the north side here. That's the North Loop westbound.
I call it that because it squeezes down to two
little lanes. Watch out for that. Wee could curb, dude.
We've got a tip line open. I'd love to hear
how you're driving. Seven one three two one two tips.
We are live this morning, not mailing it in Skymike
on the Generator Supercenter dot Com traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (12:20):
All right, thanks very much, Mike.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
And Terry Smith at the Weather Channel has a look
at our Christmas week forecast.

Speaker 4 (12:26):
Good morning, Terry, Hey, good.

Speaker 19 (12:27):
Morning to you, Bob. Well, we're off to a nice start,
but the rest of the week we're dealing with some rain,
a very active weather pattern here in southeast Texas. But today,
no rain, just to mix the sun and clouds. A
warm day, low to mid seventies today. Tomorrow, though there
is a sixty percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Big

(12:48):
travel day tomorrow, and there's the possibility of some wet
roadways for us. It's still warm though, with highs in
the seventies. We'll take a little bit of a break
from the wet weather on Christmas Day. There's I'll a
twenty percent chance of a shower, maybe a rumble of thunder,
and a fifty percent chance of war rain toward the
end of the week Thursday and Friday.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
All right, Terry, thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (13:10):
Right now, we have fifty five degrees at your official
severe weather station.

Speaker 4 (13:13):
News Radio seven forty KTIH.

Speaker 2 (13:16):
It's Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New South
Windows Solutions. Now back to Jimmy Barretts and the Houston
Morning News team.

Speaker 4 (13:24):
All the info you need. Did take on the day,
all right?

Speaker 3 (13:28):
Not an ideal way to start the day, to be
honest with you, talking about all of these horrific cries.
But this is what Joe Biden wants us to focus
on literally lately. Yesterday he announced or actually early this morning,
that he's commuting the sentences of thirty seven of the
forty men on federal death row right now, including five
child killers and seven mass murderers. I just ran down

(13:48):
the three individuals who will not be getting the clemency
or the commutation of the sentences to life in prison
without the possibility of parole. But what about some of
those who are among those receiving the holiday cheer from
Joseph R. Biden on his way out of the dementia door.
Is Thomas Sanders, who in twenty ten kidnapped and shot
a twelve year old girl named Lexus Roberts four times

(14:11):
and cut her throat in Louisiana, days after making her
watch as he murdered her mother on a road trip
near the Grand Canyon. Christmas also came early from for
Anthony Battle, who murdered an Atlanta prison guard with a
hammer in nineteen ninety four while serving a life sentence
for raping and murdering his wife, a US marine at

(14:31):
Camp Lejeune in nineteen eighty seven. He doesn't get the
death penalty now, Joe Biden says, so. Jorge Avila Torres
sexually assaulted and stabbed to death two girls, an eight
year old and a nine year old, Laura Hobbes and
Crystal Tobias, who had been riding their bicycles in their
neighborhood north of Chicago in two thousand and five. Four

(14:52):
years later, he strangled a naval officer, Amanda Snell, a
twenty year old insider barrack in Arlington, Virginia, lor He
doesn't deserve the death penalty because, Joe Biden says, So.
I could go on reading these, but I don't want
to because they're kind of grotesque. But you do understand
the point here. Joe Biden made a statement. The President
made a statement, of course, when he commuted the sentences

(15:14):
of these individuals, but the statement is completely nonsensible. Biden
opposes the death penalty, except for where he doesn't. If
he is going to make a statement like he is,
such as he that he cannot in good conscience, that's
what he is saying. I cannot, in good conscience put
these people to death. Then why can he put anybody

(15:36):
to death? Why are the three who have been forgiven
or I'm sorry, who have been exempted from his commutations,
of all federal death row prisoners, why are they still
on death row?

Speaker 4 (15:47):
Biden said, quote, make no mistake.

Speaker 3 (15:49):
I condemned these murderers, grieve for the victims of their
despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have
suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss. But guided by my conscience,
he says, which I don't think he has, and my
experience as a public defender, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,
vice President, and our president, I'm more convinced than ever

(16:09):
that we must stop the use of the death penalty
at the federal level in good conscience. I cannot stand
back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.

Speaker 4 (16:20):
So it just make it make sense.

Speaker 3 (16:24):
If his conscience says he cannot allow federal executions to continue,
then why is zokarsar naif? Why is Dylan Rufe? Why
is Robert Powers? Why are those three still going to
be executed? You either believe in it or you don't
believe in it. You can't pick and choose. But that's
exactly what this well, there's a reason why he was,
of course booted from the Democrat platform as their presidential nominee.

Speaker 4 (16:49):
He doesn't know where he is six twenty one or
five twenty one.

Speaker 3 (16:52):
Let's move onward and check out the roadways once again,
Skymike Company.

Speaker 5 (16:56):
Bob Frands here, put your hard hat on. We are
going to the hard work and east side. Your is
silver and red with those little white stickers on one side.
You'll hit your ship channel bridges. Careful when you say that.
We're looking at one camera one three zero seven, those
of you playing along at home, and.

Speaker 4 (17:13):
We look good.

Speaker 5 (17:13):
Baytown to Laport both ways, wear in good shape. If
you flip over here to the toll bridge east Sam,
let's go from iten to two twenty five both ways,
We're in good shape. Here, looks like we're pretty open
on the South Loop too. If you're going up the
Sydney Sherman Ship Channel Bridge from the Bud Plant to
two twenty five, we rock along, full speed ahead. We're

(17:35):
gonna check your southwest side at the five point thirty
report in the classic PW at GMC Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (17:41):
All right, thank you very much, good sir, and our
forecast today, according to Terry, mostly cloudy today, HI is
going to be in the low seventies, round seventy two,
overnight low to sixty four. Christmas Eve Tuesday, overcast like
chance of afternoon showers, high in their seventy five. For
Christmas Day, rain showers, early sunshine later high of seventy three,
then scattered storms coming in on Thursday, becoming more widespread

(18:04):
in the afternoon high of seventy seven. More rain on
Friday morning before clearing to partly cloudy high of seventy six.
Right now fifty five at your official severe weather station
is Radio seven forty KTRH and I we'll check the headlines.

Speaker 4 (18:16):
Here's cliff thunders.

Speaker 6 (18:17):
Thank you, Bob. We are brought to you by Morow Mechanical.
President elect Trump is talking about a future for TikTok
despite a potential ban on the platform. A weekend filled
with violent crime in the Houston area included a seventeen
year old found shot to death in a cypress backyard,
and Party City closes all of its stores after forty years.

(18:38):
Get the latest news anytime at KTRH dot com. Our
next updates at five thirty.

Speaker 13 (18:43):
Well, with the holidays and everything, it's really hard to
keep up.

Speaker 4 (18:46):
Chafing you caught off is what we do to know
what's going on around me.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
Go with Houston's News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:56):
And then the other horrific story in addition to the
one that we're discussing, in which President Biden starts his
Monday by commuting the sentences of thirty seven out of
forty federal death row prisoners. We have what should be
a death sentence case one would imagine coming out of
New York yesterday. Just a horrific situation. And it comes,

(19:18):
by the way, shortly after the governor of the state
of New York made a statement bragging about how safe
the subways were, no doubt in response to the Daniel
Penny acquittal from last week. Daniel Penny, the subway rider
who tried to protect people from a raving, dangerous career
criminal lunatic who was threatening everybody in a subway car.

(19:40):
So Kathy Hokl, the government was bragging about how safe
the subways are. Problem is, as I say, just one
of the most horrific things one can imagine. Horrific video
showing a suspect watching a woman burn to death in
an F train car after he allegedly set her on fire.
A migrant from Guatemala, who has been arrested for lighting

(20:03):
a sleeping subway rider on fire in Brooklyn early yesterday morning,
watched the woman burn to death from the platform, one
of the quote most depraved crimes one person could ever commit,
according to New York's top cop. The migrant is not
yet It is not yet known whether or not this

(20:24):
individual is here in the United States legally a legal
migrant or an illegal one, but one can imagine. The
killing happened about seven thirty am on the idling F
train at the train at the Aconey Island Stillwell Avenue station.

Speaker 4 (20:39):
It shocked commuters, MTA workers.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish, who said this he and his
crime looks like I'm sorry I took the life of
an innocent New Yorker and it's the most horrific thing
one can imagine.

Speaker 4 (20:50):
Quote.

Speaker 3 (20:51):
As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly
walked up to the victim, who was in a seated
position at the end of the subway car, and used
what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the
victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.
Patrolling cops smelled and saw the smoke. They found the
flame covered woman right after that. They extinguished the blaze,

(21:12):
but the woman, of course, was dead at the scene.
Horrifying video obtained by The New York Post showed the
suspect calmly looking on as flames consumed the still unidentified
woman who stood inside the.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
Open subway car doors.

Speaker 3 (21:27):
A transit cop walked by and seemed to pull out
a radio and say something as they continued down the platform,
again this all quoting the New York Post. Another video
shared on social media shows the suspect getting off the bench,
walking over to the open subway door, where he starts
fanning the burning woman with a piece of clothing, first
with two hands on a cloth, then just one and

(21:48):
other footage. Cops yelled to the gathered crowd, did anybody
see anything? Did anybody see anything? The suspect brazenly sat
on the bench as the cops huddled around, pulling his
hood up. At one point, just before an officer spoke
to him told him to quote, do me a favor,
walk down there, motioning down the platform with his radio.
I need this space cleared. The man stood up, then

(22:09):
left the scene. He disappeared for a little while he
was quote unquote on the run as a cop searched
for a person of interest or a suspect in case.
But eventually later in the day he was identified and
found and arrested.

Speaker 4 (22:24):
So we'll keep our eyes on this story.

Speaker 3 (22:25):
Obviously, just an unbelievably depraved act and one of the
toughest things that one can imagine watching. Ever, if you've
ever seen something like that, even in the movies, it's grotesque,
even though you know it's been faked. To have it
in real life is very difficult to imagine. Okay, five
twenty six, Now, let's get a Bloomberg Business report and
see what's happening in the markets this Monday.

Speaker 4 (22:45):
Here's Jeff Bellinger. Well Bob.

Speaker 20 (22:47):
The futures are mixed this morning. Only the Nasdaq futures
are higher. Stocks did end last week on a positive note.
All three major averages rose more than one percent on Friday.
Investors were encouraged by smaller than expected jump in a
key inflation gauge and a reported pickup in consumer sentiment.
I'm Jeff Beldinger, Bloomberg Business on News Radio seven forty

(23:09):
k t rhan.

Speaker 4 (23:13):
A Houston's News.

Speaker 1 (23:15):
Why there were traffic plus breaking news twenty four to seven.

Speaker 4 (23:18):
This is use Radio seven forty kt RH.

Speaker 21 (23:22):
Five Everywhere with the Irm.

Speaker 2 (23:25):
More of what's happening now from the John Morris Services studios.

Speaker 3 (23:30):
It was yet another violent weekend across Houston, and you
won't believe how the Bidy administration is trying to spin
the border crisis. Now, good morning, I'm Bob frans and
for Jimmy Barrett. Cliff Sanders has the details on those
stories and more coming right up.

Speaker 4 (23:42):
But first we're going to do traffic and weather together.
That means Scott, my southwest side, let's do this, you
know what.

Speaker 5 (23:48):
Let's come up from Neaedville, Texas. What is that giant
thing with the two stacks? What are you making in there?
Let me know on the tip line seven one three
two one two tips sugar Land, you look good. Southwest
Freeway rocking along from the Brazis River downtown, easy ride
here all ninety your most City Expressway stress free two
looks kind of holiday like. And the West Park Tollway

(24:09):
rocking along at full speed ahead. So I'm going to
be a little faster Grab Parkway to the Southwest Freeway.
I'm skylike on the classic Buick GMC traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (24:17):
I mostly cloudy skuys today.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Hi've about seventy two cloudy, overnight low of sixty four.
Christmas Eve Tuesday overcast with a slight chance of afternoon showers.
High near seventy five. More details on the forecast coming
up with Terry at five forty right now fifty five
degrees at your official Silvery weather station. News Radio seven
forty KTRH. And now we've got morning news. Here's Cliff Saunder,
Thank you, Bob.

Speaker 6 (24:39):
Good morning everyone, five thirty one on KTRH. Top story
crime more violence over the weekend. One person is dead
three others injured in a shooting at an unlicensed bar
in North Harris County.

Speaker 22 (24:51):
We are working this as a murder investigation. I've got
my personnel are at two different hospitals interviewing.

Speaker 4 (25:00):
People, no arrest so far.

Speaker 6 (25:01):
This is the second deadly shooting in the area in
two weeks at an unlicensed club. Elsewhere, and you might
need a scorecard to keep up. A woman is in
critical condition this morning after being stabbed several times while
getting off a metro bus. A teenager is dead, another
in critical condition in a drug related shooting, and a

(25:22):
nineteen year old AutoZone store employee was shot and killed
in Montgomery County at the store in broad daylight. Another
nineteen year old was arrested. It's five point thirty two
on KTR Regent. If you believe the numbers from ice
deportations are at a ten year high right now, and
if you believe DHS Secretary Alejandro Mari york Is, this

(25:44):
has actually been happening throughout the last four years.

Speaker 23 (25:47):
We've been executing on enforcement at an unprecedented level. Throughout
this administration.

Speaker 6 (25:56):
Maorcisan CBS has faced the nation now. Texas Senator Ted
Cruise doesn't believe that and says you shouldn't buy it either.

Speaker 24 (26:04):
They are spinning like crazy that they are trying to
gaslight the American people, and.

Speaker 6 (26:09):
It was cruise with our own Mark Levin, outside of
illegal aliens. Texas sad at over half a million people
in the last year, but can our grid handle the
population boom? A lack of power plants has put an
already shaky grid on notice.

Speaker 25 (26:24):
The state doesn't have enough to provide any assurance that
in a bad weather incident, we can guarantee the delivery
of electricity.

Speaker 26 (26:32):
UH energy expert at Hers says we would be five
years behind even if we started today, and more power
plants are a fleeting option because demand is so high elsewhere.

Speaker 25 (26:41):
So one thing that could save us in five to
ten years would be enough solar plants and batteries. But
that's not going to get us through these cold winter nights.

Speaker 4 (26:50):
He says.

Speaker 26 (26:50):
Lawmakers are failing to think ahead for the betterment of
the state. Andrey Perard News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 6 (26:56):
It is now five thirty four and according to a
newer public education is costing Texas taxpayers as much as
fifty thousand dollars a year per student. Considering what you
get for that money, maybe the legislature should step.

Speaker 27 (27:12):
In school district's local governments. They are agents of the state,
and the Texas Legislature has authority and should be using
that authority to make sure that tax dollars are being
used wisely, no matter what school district it is.

Speaker 6 (27:23):
Brandon Walton's with Texas Scorecard there now DEI the legislature
banded at Texas universities, but apparently not completely.

Speaker 28 (27:33):
And that's because of a loophole now used by the left.

Speaker 25 (27:37):
Many state universities in Texas practiced something called shared governance
with faculty.

Speaker 28 (27:43):
That's investigative reporter Robert Montoya.

Speaker 25 (27:46):
What that means is that work professors who are opposed
to the values Texans supporting live by have to say
and how these universities are run. And there's no clear
line of accountability for facty.

Speaker 28 (27:56):
Members, something that State Senator Brandon Clayton wants to examine
it during the upcoming legislative session.

Speaker 4 (28:04):
Jeff Biggs News Radio seven forty, Kay Tieries.

Speaker 6 (28:07):
And Creighton will join Bob on Houston's Morning News at
seven point fifty. In DC, Congress passes a bipartisan funding
bill that prevents a government shut down, but without the
debt sealing increase that Donald Trump wanted. Kentucky Republican Senator
Rand Paul says, an increase has to come with budget cuts.

Speaker 29 (28:26):
We will support raising the debt seiling, but only if
you reform government.

Speaker 4 (28:30):
You have to reform government.

Speaker 6 (28:32):
Paul on Fox's Sunday Morning Futures. Fox is also reporting
that Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger, she hasn't been seen on
Capitol Hill since July, apparently is living in a retirement facility.
She did not run for reelection this year. Five point
thirty six. Now, if you're heading to the airports, so
far smooth sailing at Bush and Hobby, with about eighteen

(28:55):
delays combined at this point. More than one hundred million
Americans will tryvel this week, either by plane, car, or train.
Speaking of trains, I speed trains from here to Dallas. Well,
it's been talked about for years. Progress though, is very slow.
While Amtrak says that there's strong support for the train

(29:15):
in Houston, in Dallas, the rural areas are less receptive.
Political analyst Bill Miller doesn't believe it'll get built, at
least in our lifetime.

Speaker 30 (29:23):
There's not enough funding to make it half and there's
not enough support to make it hacker, and they're not
enough political votes to make it hack and.

Speaker 31 (29:29):
Now thirty billion dollar project, we'll be looking for federal
funding with the new Trump administration. However, the incoming Department
of Government Efficiency has already criticized California's high speed rail
that has received billions of dollars in federal money but
has not carried a single passenger. Eric Sharp News Radio
seven forty ktras.

Speaker 6 (29:47):
Several bills have been filed in Austin about this issue.
A new assessment says that NRG Park needs two billion
dollars worth of repairs, with some of these maintenance ideas
being long.

Speaker 32 (30:00):
Well, the question becomes, how did we get to this
two billion dollar number? I mean it's overdue maintenance and repairs.
I mean why is it overdue? Why have we waited
this long? And that bill has accumulated to two billion dollars?
Then the second question is who's gonna pay for it?

Speaker 6 (30:14):
Former Harris County GOP chair Jared Woodfield says county leadership
is a quote disaster and will likely call on you
the taxpayer to bail them out. Finally, Texas beats Clemson
in the college football playoffs thirty eight to twenty four.
They'll face Arizona State in the next round, which is
the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day. And I'm Cliff
Saunders on Houston's news Weather in traffic station News Radio

(30:37):
seven forty k TRH.

Speaker 4 (30:39):
You like free stuff. We all like free stuff.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
Guess what our iHeartRadio app is free and free never
sounded so good?

Speaker 3 (30:50):
All right, five point thirty seven out, Good morning once again,
Bob France sitting in for Jimmy Barrett at the start
of Christmas Week.

Speaker 4 (30:56):
It is good to have you with us.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
So President Trump his first act when he became the
President of the United States elect when he secured the
victory on November fifth, The first name that he appointed,
I believe it was certainly the first prominent name, and
I think it might have been the very first name,
was to point Tom Holman, the former acting Ice Director,
former border patrol guy, long thirty plus year history of

(31:22):
protecting this country. Appointed him as the new Borders are
which is great because it's not a an official position
for which sentate confirmation would be required. But he chose
Tom Holman to immediately act on the mandate that he
had been given to protect this country, to preserve our borders,
preserve our sovereignty. Well, yesterday at America Fest in Phoenix,

(31:44):
you heard a little bit of this during the news.

Speaker 4 (31:46):
Tom Holman, Well he.

Speaker 3 (31:48):
Came out swinging, just like he said He's going to
come out swinging. On January twentieth, literally from day one,
the deportation proceedings will start.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
And here's in large part why Joe.

Speaker 33 (31:59):
Biden, as the first president in history of this nation
who came into office an unsecured a border on purpose,
not by mismanagement, not by incompetence. They unsecured a border
by design. The first day I smiled when President Trum
won this election. I woke up the next morning I

(32:20):
was happy. I smiled for the first time a long time.
Then I got angry again because even though they lost
the election, they're still moving thousands of illegal anglers in
this country every day. CBP one apps still running. They're
selling pieces of a border wall for God's sakes, that
you and the American taxpayers paid for at a hefty price.

(32:44):
And now we got bite again.

Speaker 3 (32:47):
Tom Holman is a is a patriot par excellence. The
man this is a passion project for him. It's why
Donald Trump made him his first pick, made him his
first announced position that he was going to fill because
somebody needs to take this seriously. Tom Holman lives it
and breathes it, and he was on fire in America Fest.
He kept going for about fourteen minutes yesterday in his speech. Obviously,

(33:10):
we can't give that all to you, but you can
check it out for yourself. It's on my web page.
I've got a personal web page. I welcome you to
visit and bookmark if you are so inclined. It's called
strictly speaking dot org. Strictly speaking dot org. It's the
name of my radio program, Strictly Speaking with Bob Franz.
But check that video out borders our Tom Holman on
fire at America Fest, promising to begin deportations immediately. All right,

(33:34):
it is now five forty. Let's get back to the
drive once again and see where we're headed and how
we're getting there.

Speaker 5 (33:39):
Sky Mutton, Let's take a look at your north side.
I think we're about overdue here. And Terry Jeff from
Jeff from Cadi's coming in from the northwest side of
who is I trying to tell you about. James from
Cyprus is actually listening to us on time in Times
Square on the pree iHeartRadio, I know free, iHeartRadio app

(34:00):
Jack from Connecticut says it's five.

Speaker 4 (34:02):
Degrees up there, so hopefully your heater works.

Speaker 5 (34:04):
We're looking at the northwest side here, two forty nine
from Tomball into the Beltway.

Speaker 4 (34:09):
We're rocking long, full speed ahead. Cyprus.

Speaker 5 (34:12):
You look good to ninety all the way from Graham
Park Way to the West Loop six ten piece of
cake here. And if you're doing the Katie Freeway now Brookshire.
All the way in of course, we've got that roadwork
around the Brass River, but inbound we look good all
the way to the President's as.

Speaker 4 (34:27):
I am so glad I'm in Texas. Boom sky Mike
on a classic buick GMC Traffic Center. All right, thank
you very much, good sir.

Speaker 3 (34:35):
And Terry Smith at the Weather Channel has our Christmas forecast.

Speaker 4 (34:38):
Hi, Terry, Hey, good board.

Speaker 19 (34:40):
Yeah, and it's a rather warm one for late December,
and rather soggy as well. Now there's no rain today,
so make the most out of a dry day today.
With the sunshine and a southeasterly breeze, Temperatures will be
in the load of in seventies this afternoon, but we've
got some rain the rest of the week, a sixty

(35:01):
percent chance of showers and some storms Tomorrow. Temperature is
still in the seventies. Christmas Day, not nearly that much rain,
only a twenty percent chance of a shower, maybe a
rumble of thunder. Thursday and Friday though close to a
fifty percent chance of thunder showers and even more raine Saturday.
Hopefully by Sunday we'll get rid of all this wet weather.

Speaker 4 (35:22):
All right, Terry, thank you. Hopefully that is the case.

Speaker 3 (35:24):
And right now we have fifty five degrees at your
official severe weather station is Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 4 (35:30):
What you need to know for the day ahead.

Speaker 2 (35:32):
This is Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New
South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 4 (35:39):
Okay, it is five forty eighties.

Speaker 3 (35:41):
We continue Bop France, sitting in for Jimmy Barrow, give
you a little bit of a Tom Holman. Yesterday at
America Fest in Phoenix, the star, of course of the
show was President Donald J. Trump, who said he is
ready to rock and roll. As a matter of fact,
border security will be ready on not only day one,
but maybe I'll one or so.

Speaker 33 (36:00):
And we're going to.

Speaker 7 (36:01):
Change it because your border is a disaster. Your border
is a disaster.

Speaker 4 (36:05):
What's going on and you just have a few days
to wait.

Speaker 34 (36:09):
We're gonna be fully operational, I would say by about
two o'clock on the twentieth, twentieth of January.

Speaker 3 (36:20):
Border security to be fully operational by two o'clock in
the afternoon on January twentieth. President Trump also opened a
lot of eyes and a lot of ears and hit
a lot of tongues of wagon with his comments on
gender and his comments on what he called the transgender lunacy.

(36:40):
He's pledging to end it and to officially recognize only
two genders as the United States of America. I'm gonna
play that clip for you coming up here after we
check our traffic in our weather once again, as it
is now five fifties sky Mike on you.

Speaker 5 (36:54):
We're always the first to know what's going on on
your freeways. Let's go straight to I forty five to
the North Freeway, Jeff from Katie, Mike, what's that dude?

Speaker 25 (37:03):
Oh found at the Shepherd Curve.

Speaker 33 (37:05):
You got a two car or puff with Dolma Ninjas
on sea left laying shut.

Speaker 4 (37:10):
Down extra points.

Speaker 5 (37:11):
Great burbage and a banana sticker Jet from Katie east Side,
Let's talk to Cjay.

Speaker 25 (37:16):
Mike came through before coming up to twenty five graphics
movement and post.

Speaker 4 (37:21):
The tea looks like.

Speaker 21 (37:22):
A holiday boom.

Speaker 4 (37:23):
Put this on your hard hat and Jeff from Katie.

Speaker 5 (37:26):
I will let the rest of the media know what's
going on on your North Freeway seven one three two
one two tips Skymike on the Classic Buick GMC traffic center.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
All right, thank you. Mostly cloudy today. High of seventy
two overnight tonight about sixty four. Christmas Eve overcast with
a slight chance of afternoon showers.

Speaker 4 (37:43):
High near seventy five.

Speaker 3 (37:44):
Christmas Day Wednesday, rain showers, early, sunny later in the day.
High seventy three Thursday, scattered storms in the morning, becoming
more widespread in the afternoon. Eighty percent chance seventy seven
degrees and more rain on Friday morning before finally clearing
in the afternoon. High on Friday will be about seventy six.
Right now, we have fifty five degrees. That your official

(38:06):
severe weather station News Radio seven forty k t RH.
And now we've got some headlines from Cliff.

Speaker 6 (38:12):
Thank you, Bob We're sponsored by DNM Auto Leasing. So far,
so good at the airports. When it comes to Christmas travel,
A Houston woman is arrested for leaving her young children
alone at home. The one year old that they found
tested positive for cocaine and marijuana, and the debate is over.
Rotten Tomatoes officially lists Diehard as wait for it, a

(38:36):
Christmas movie. Get the latest news anytime at KTRH dot com.
Our next updates at six o'clock.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
A new year is always a news year on Houston's
information station.

Speaker 4 (38:49):
New journey is something new. It's two day in the
new year. Use radio seven forty KTRH. That cannot be true.
Tell me that didn't really happen. There's no way.

Speaker 3 (38:59):
They officially listed die Hard as a Christmas movie. Die
Hard is not a Christmas movie. But don't take my
word for it. Take the word of the star of
die Hard, who makes it very very very clear for
everybody who may mess.

Speaker 4 (39:14):
Up, saying listen, listen, listen very carefully.

Speaker 5 (39:17):
What the die Hard is not not not notre amazing.

Speaker 4 (39:24):
You figured this all out already, Christmas movie.

Speaker 3 (39:28):
This is one of the biggest arguments every year, and
the director of die Hard is absolutely milking this funny
little controversy for everything it's worth. He always says, oh,
of course, it's a Christmas movie. The more the debate
goes on, and it has now for nearly forty years,
the more the debate goes on, the more they play it,
and the more they play it, the more residuals they get,

(39:50):
the the more they make off of this whole thing.
Here's my argument, Cliff, just in case you're interested, here's
my argument. I actually put this on Facebook last night
because I've got a lot of friends who argue this
thing with me all of the time, and I always
tell them no. Bruce Willis, he knows a lot a
little bit about the movie. He said, it's not a
Christmas movie. But here's my argument. Imagine these things on

(40:14):
your screen. Imagine being huddle around the TV screen on
Christmas Eve watching Christmas movies and Christmas specials. Now, imagine
watching your screen and seeing Frosty dancing with the kids.
Imagine seeing Clark Briswold finally at the end, getting his
Christmas bonus and surrounded by the people that he loves.

(40:35):
Imagine Rudolph at the end, finally getting his courage, and
Sam to recognizing the value of that nose gliding ahead
of the sleigh. Imagine Buddy the Elf helping santa sleigh rise,
and then the Christmas spirit of everyone singing getting Santa's
sleigh back into the air. Imagine Kevin McAllister reuniting with

(40:56):
his family after the disaster of leaving him behind. Imagine
Ralphie sleeping with his red rider be begun he finally
got at the end of Christmas story. Imagine George Bailey
hugging his family after realizing he did not want to
lose his life. Everything would have changed. Imagine the Grinch
carving the roast beast in a feast of unity. Now,

(41:20):
imagine sitting with your young children around your TV screen
and seeing John mcclan pulling shards of broken glass out
of his bare feet after watching mister Takagi's brains being
blown all over the glass window of the conference room
on the thirtieth floor, after of course, watching Hans Gruber

(41:42):
or I'm sorry, before watching Hans Gruber fall thirty stories
to his death, and huddled around with the children as
Sergeant Powell blows Carl away in front of hundreds of
people outside Nakotomi, which of these things would you not
watch with your children? You're young kids on Christmas Eve.
If your answer was John McClain with the glass and

(42:06):
the brains and everything else happening, then you would be
admitting and acknowledging, yes, this is not a Christmas movie.

Speaker 4 (42:13):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 3 (42:15):
I know that's gonna get a lot of people pushing back,
and you know what, I'm welcome make your argument. I've
got an email address. Email me this morning on Houston's
Morning News to Bob at strictly Speaking dot org. Bob
at strictly Speaking dot org, send me your arguments for
Diehard being a Christmas movie. Dispute what I just laid

(42:37):
out for you, if you can, and if you will,
and we'll have this conversation.

Speaker 4 (42:41):
I promise.

Speaker 3 (42:42):
I know. I thought I told you I was going
to give you some Donald Trump from Americafest right now,
but I thought this is more important considering the story
the Cliff just had in his headlines. I am more
than willing to have this conversation. You can also follow
me on social media and make your arguments there. Tweet
directly at me at strictly Speaking with Bob France. Just
look for strictly speaking with Bob France. Technically the handle

(43:03):
is at strict speaking, but it's okay. Find me at
strictly speaking with Bob France. Make your argument about die
Hard being the Christmas movie, and if you get give
me anything good, I'll read it on the program. This
morning five point fifty six. Now, this is Houston's morning
news on news radio seven forty KTI RAGE.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
This is US Radio seven kt RH Houston Drive Everywhere
with now the latest news, weather and traffic.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
It's more of what matters to you. From the John
Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
Biden commutes death sentences for thirty seven Federal Death Row inmates,
and Trump debunks the left narrative about Elon Musk.

Speaker 4 (43:44):
Good morning, Bob France in for Jimmy Barrett.

Speaker 3 (43:47):
This is your six o'clock report on news radio seven
forty k TR H Cliff Saunders has the news after
traffic and weather.

Speaker 5 (43:53):
Here's skoty Mike, It's I forty five North Freeway. I've
let the rest of the media know. Also put it
in your in car navigation. North Freeway outbound at the
Shepherd Curb. Gota wreck looks like everybody's okay, but it's
a full response.

Speaker 4 (44:05):
A left line taken out and you'll hit some brakes.

Speaker 5 (44:07):
Now from from a little York on the outbound inbound,
you're doing a great job minding your own business. Twenty
four minutes from the Woodlands down two eighty eight. If
you're coming up from Freeport, cold doesn't seem to be
bothering Steven. At Boston, we look good Angleton already and
all the way in I'm Skymike and the Generator Supercenter
dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
All right, thank you, Mike Ken Mostly Cloudy's guys called
for today. Hi, about seventy two cloudy tonight. Also low
of sixty four Christmas Eve Tuesday, could have some afternoon rain,
high about seventy five Christmas Day. Well, that's Terry's job.
She'll tell you all about it. Coming up at six
' ten. Right now, we have fifty five degrees at
your official severe weather stations radio seven forty ktr each

(44:48):
and now the morning news. Here's a cliff'sunder.

Speaker 6 (44:50):
Thank you, Bob if you are flying today at six
o two. So far we've got about twenty delays at
Bush and Hobby combined, but we already do have hundreds
of flights across the country that have been delayed and
that could affect us later on today as traffic builds.
Also topping the news a tale of two presidents. Earlier
this month, Joe Biden pardoned his kid and commuted the

(45:14):
sentences of many others. He was at it again this morning.

Speaker 15 (45:17):
Thirty seven of the forty inmates on federal death throw
will be spared from lethal injection. President Biden has commuted
those death sentences to life without parole. The Biden administration
has imposed a moratorium on lethal injections in cases other
than terrorism or hate motivated mass murder. President Biden is
not commuting the death sentences for three inmates.

Speaker 6 (45:41):
Jared Halpert reporting. And then, of course there's President Trump
promising law and order.

Speaker 4 (45:47):
You just have a few days to wait.

Speaker 34 (45:49):
We're gonna be uh fully operational, I would say by
about two.

Speaker 6 (45:52):
O'clock on the twentieth. He also talked about a return
to common sense.

Speaker 7 (45:59):
I want to raise everybody a very merry Christmas. They
don't say that too much anymore.

Speaker 6 (46:04):
We say Trump at the America Fest event in Arizona yesterday.
This all comes as a new poll from CNBC says
seventy three percent of you want the border to be militarized.

Speaker 16 (46:16):
Regardless of the threats that the cartels pose, our federal
government still.

Speaker 4 (46:21):
Refuses to act.

Speaker 16 (46:22):
Maybe that's why.

Speaker 4 (46:23):
People are starting to read this.

Speaker 16 (46:24):
They're starting to see the situation they're starting to actually
witness first Hanna on social media, the war that is
actually being waged.

Speaker 6 (46:31):
Aman Blair with the Texas Public Policy Foundation says that
Texas is initiative while it's taken manage into their own
hands because of the failures of the FEDS to secure
the Southern Porter. A woman is lit on fire and
killed in the New York City subway yesterday. The man
charged is a reported illegal alien.

Speaker 35 (46:50):
Fransit District IWO officers boarded the stop train and walked
from car to car until they located and arrested the
person of interest without further incident.

Speaker 6 (47:01):
That is New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tish. It's now
six ZHO four on KTRH. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
sues the NCAA for deceptive marketing practices. It's an attempt
to stop men from being allowed to play women's college sports,
and this comes as the President elect promises executive action
on the issue.

Speaker 26 (47:21):
He will use the power of his pen to deliver
on many of the promises he made to the American
people on the campaign trail.

Speaker 6 (47:28):
Incoming Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt speculation on the Hill about
the future of House Speaker Mike Johnson after Friday's deal
to keep the government open, a deal approved by every
single Democrat and a deal that did nothing with the
debt ceiling. Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw, Well, he's in a
little bit of hot water after some of his comments

(47:50):
both on social media and on congressional stock trading.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
He's being accused of being a rhino.

Speaker 11 (47:56):
Are Is there a couple cases wherein Nancy Pelosi has
some very suspicious timing of our trades. Yeah, that has happened,
but nobody else can point any other examples out.

Speaker 4 (48:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 18 (48:08):
Well.

Speaker 6 (48:08):
Crenshall also said that Congress didn't get a pay raise
since two thousand and eight. He was also behind last
week's effort to give congressman eight thirty five to forty
percent pay raise, and even though Democrats claim it doesn't happen.
A Texas man got sentenced last week for election fraud
connected to twenty twenty.

Speaker 28 (48:28):
It happened in Carrollton, outside of Dallas.

Speaker 13 (48:31):
He essentially was trying to fraudulently steal the election by
you think, fake ballots that were apparently coming from other people.

Speaker 28 (48:38):
That is Breonna Lyman, Elections correspondent with the Federalist.

Speaker 13 (48:42):
What the left has done, particularly left wing media, is
they went from there's no fraud in mail in ballots
at all, and then yeah, there's a little bit of
fraud here and there, but like who.

Speaker 28 (48:52):
Cares, Texas cares. The man was sentenced to four years
in prison. Jeff Biggs News Radio seven forty.

Speaker 4 (49:00):
It's now six h six.

Speaker 6 (49:02):
We have two strikes that are expanding. These Starbucks walk
out now includes Dallas. It's in its sixth day. Elsewhere.
The Amazon strike is hit several other distribution centers. Ahead
of Christmas and Hanuka truckers across the country paid more
than one hundred and eight billion dollars in congestion costs
a couple of years ago. Texas truckers, well they paid

(49:24):
more than nine point one billion. So you might be
wondering how this impacts you and me.

Speaker 18 (49:30):
Our dollars that we end up seeing in our grocery stores,
at our retail stores these are passed through costs and
how that will ultimately come to the average person.

Speaker 6 (49:41):
Johnasparza with the Texas Trucking Association says, the reason for
all of this is our population growth, something we'll hit
on at six thirty and major news in the auto
industry a merger between Honda and Nissan. It would create
the third largest car maker in the world. Six seven
of the rock I could speat the Raptors one fourteen

(50:01):
to one ten as Dylan Brooks scores twenty seven points.
Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is back in Houston after
suffering a serious knee injury on Saturday in Kansas City.

Speaker 3 (50:12):
Fill a meeting with doctors to see you know what's
next for him, But it is a significant knee injury
and all our thought some prayers are definitely with Tank
at this time.

Speaker 6 (50:21):
Head coach Tamiko Ryans. According to reports, Dell has a
dislocated knee camp and I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's news,
weather and traffic station news Radio seven forty k TRH.

Speaker 4 (50:33):
I take the Beltway sometimes and I also take the
West Part toll Road KTRH time saving traffic. Connext on the.

Speaker 3 (50:40):
Ten Okay, we continued, now six oh seven, Good morning, Tia,
thanks for being with us. I gave you a little
tease earlier, so I want to go ahead and deliver
on it now as we begin the second hour of
Houston's Morning News. So President Trump yesterday was the keynote speaker,
as he would be at every event that he speaks at.
But it was at turning point Ussay's America Fest in
Phoenix yes today, and among the topics at hand President Trump, well,

(51:03):
he said, we are beginning a glorious golden age, and
in this glorious golden age, we are going to write
a whole bunch of terrible wrong wrongs, including the one
about transgenderism and the impact on shoulder.

Speaker 4 (51:15):
With a stroke of my pen.

Speaker 7 (51:16):
On day one, We're going to stop the transgender lunacy,
and I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation,
get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary.

Speaker 8 (51:35):
Schools, at middle schools and high school.

Speaker 36 (51:53):
And we will keep men out of women's sports. And
that will likewise be done on day one.

Speaker 4 (52:05):
Should I do day one, Day two, or day three?
How about day one?

Speaker 7 (52:08):
Right under the Trump administration, it will be the official
policy of the United States government that there are only
two genders, male and female. Doesn't sound too complicated, does it.

Speaker 3 (52:29):
President Trump's striking all the right notes with the conservative
audience at Turning Point USA and America Fest over the weekend.
He had a few other things to say that are
going to raise the hackles of the left. But one
other thing you can count on is that there are
some on the left who are actually starting to come
around and root for President Trump, including Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman,

(52:50):
who spent some time yesterday on TV praising Donald Trump
as a singular political talent and somebody for whom he
is rooting. He is supporting President Trump's agenda. He said
he is never and will never oppose a president's agenda
because if a president fails, then a nation fails. So

(53:11):
John Fetterman, baggy hoodie and short pants and no socks
under his tennis shoes at all, sat down on Cbor
I'm sorry and ABC News and laid it all out.
A lot more audio of that for you coming up
it a little bit later on in the program. But
Democrats are starting to come around and saying President Trump
is doing things that we actually need to have done

(53:32):
for this country. It's really a remarkable turn. So we'll
talk more about that as we continue.

Speaker 4 (53:36):
Six ' ten.

Speaker 3 (53:36):
Now, so let's talk a little bit more about traffic
and find out what's going on on the roads.

Speaker 5 (53:41):
Why some of the media is mailing it in today.
We're live from Houston this morning, and that means we're real.
I forty five outbound at the Shepherd Curve, this wrecks.
I had a left line Jeff from Katie with the
banana sticker this morning.

Speaker 4 (53:53):
Oh look, they know about it now that they're calling it.
Two almost three left lines.

Speaker 5 (53:58):
Okay, three left lines on the outbound inbound We're starting
to get some rubberneck. And here's some breaks from west
Mount Houston way out to ninety.

Speaker 4 (54:07):
Let's go with Steve from Burton.

Speaker 6 (54:08):
Dude, Lorna, Skot, Mike coming through Chapel Hill, Brenham, Cybrids
all the way to the belweit Man clean, clean sailing everyone.

Speaker 4 (54:17):
I have a merry Christmas outstanding.

Speaker 5 (54:19):
If you had a grandmarch at your wedding, you're looking good.
Downtown Dwayne, Hey, dude, Hey.

Speaker 37 (54:23):
Scott, make bout a Huffman Texas twenty one hundred Highway
ninety downtown on ten Everythanks clean my brother, and tell
Terry it's twelve degrees warmer downtown than it is in Huffman, Texas.

Speaker 4 (54:38):
That's crazy. Did you get that, Cherry?

Speaker 5 (54:40):
I did seven one three two one two tips. And
also Jack from Connecticut, if you're just waking up.

Speaker 4 (54:45):
He listens on.

Speaker 5 (54:46):
The free iHeartRadio app. There is no purpose. He jumped
on my Facebook and.

Speaker 4 (54:50):
Says, it's five degrees up there. I'm so glad to
be in Texas.

Speaker 5 (54:54):
I'm Skymike and the Generator Supercenter dot Com traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (54:58):
All right, thanks very much, let's alok, to retort Terry.

Speaker 19 (55:01):
Well, I was gonna say, I'm surprised Jack can't even
text us or show up on social media when it's
five degrees rain.

Speaker 4 (55:11):
Well, thank goodness for that. You tell.

Speaker 19 (55:14):
I appreciate Dwayne's report. I'm gonna go check that out
here in a second. But here's the crazy thing. This
is late December and we're talking temperatures in the seventies
all week long, and that's a little warm for us
this time of year, about five ten degrees warmer than
what we would normally see. Now dry day to day

(55:36):
make the most ab out out of it.

Speaker 4 (55:38):
The rest of the week. We have some rain.

Speaker 19 (55:40):
Temperatures today load mid seventies, Tomorrow a sixty percent chance
of showers and some thunder, and then a twenty percent
chance of a shower thunderstorm on Christmas Day. So not
much rain Christmas Day, but then the rain chances increase
Thursday and Friday. Another cold front on the way, sort
of cold front, a chance of getting wet later in

(56:01):
the week.

Speaker 3 (56:03):
All right, Terry, thank you, and right now we're still
on fifty five at your official severe weather station, News
Radio seven forty k TIH.

Speaker 4 (56:10):
News, traffic and weather.

Speaker 2 (56:12):
You're starting your day right with Houston's Morning News, brought
to you by New South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 3 (56:19):
All right, we do continue now at six nineteen. Bob
France sitting in for Jimmy Barrett. So we're going to
talk a little bit about spending on education in the
state of Texas. We're hoping to catch up with Brandon
Walton's from Texas score Card Texas Scorecard. But whether we
do or we don't, I want to tell you about
this because this is a pretty astounding number. As a

(56:40):
Texas taxpayer, you're paying an average of more than fifty
thousand dollars for every single student at the state's government
run schools. Vance Gain, an economist who runs a Vanscien
economic consulting firm, highlighted this past week that when maintenance
and operations and debt service taxes are come mine with
current levels of outstanding debt, the total per pupil cost

(57:03):
to educated kid in Texas is fifty thousand, three hundred
and thirty four dollars. Meanwhile, the average private school tuition
is only eleven, three hundred and forty dollars per pupil.
Think about that for a minute. In Birdville Independent School District,
according to the article, Texas has taxpayers funding forty two
grand per student at public schools, fifteen per grand for

(57:26):
maintenance and operations and debt service, twenty seven grand per
student for debt outstanding. That's forty two thousand, six hundred
twenty nine dollars a student. That's just at Birdville Independent
school districts. But again, the average for the state is
over fifty grand. Well, you say, well, you can't put
a price on education, right, you can't put a price

(57:46):
on success. Our children are future. Don't forget that part. Well,
except for this According to Gin and Texas Scorecard, funding
per student has increased by forty two percent since twenty
one eleven, but student proficiency in eighth grade math has declined.

Speaker 4 (58:05):
By forty percent.

Speaker 3 (58:07):
So, in other words, the cost to educate the kids
is going up, the education of the kids is going down.
We have an overfunding and overspending problem in Texas, and
more spending will never improve education outcomes in a flawed
government school monopoly system. The solution is for Texas to
establish universal education savings accounts to fund students directly and

(58:27):
save taxpayers about twenty billion annual. In other words, let
the money follow the kid, not make the kid go
to the school where the money is. Let the money
go to follow the kid. If they want to go
to a better school, they should have the option of
doing that. We'll hit that a little bit more in
a minute, but right now, six twenty one, let's.

Speaker 4 (58:43):
Hit the brand in a little extra time. Here.

Speaker 5 (58:45):
I'm gonna be short about France. Okay, trafficking weather. Here's
me Nord Freeway outbound Cheppard.

Speaker 4 (58:51):
That is the wreck.

Speaker 5 (58:51):
We were the first to know about it. I did
let the rest of the media know just to be nice.
It's outbound, not inbound, and a big honking back up
from Little York. I'm Scott am I going to Generator
Supercenter dot Com traffic center.

Speaker 3 (59:03):
All right, thank you very much, Mike, And your forecast
looks like this. Cloudy today Hive about seventy two Tonight,
overnight low about sixty four. Christmas Eve Tuesday overcast, slight
chance of an afternoon shower, high near seventy five. Christmas
Day only a slight chance about a twenty percent chance
of showers early Sunday later in the day Hive seventy three.

Speaker 4 (59:22):
The rain will come in.

Speaker 3 (59:23):
However on Thursday, with scattered storms becoming more widespread in
the afternoon. HI have seventy seven more rain on Friday
morning before clearing. High also in the mid to upper
seventies and right now fifty five at your official severe
weather station, News Radio seven forty KTI h as we
check the headlines with Cliff.

Speaker 6 (59:41):
Thank you, Bob. It is now six twenty two. We're
sponsored by Morrow Mechanical. Joe Biden commutes the death sentence
of thirty seven federal death bro inmates. Luigi Manjoni, the
accused United Healthcare CEO killer, is doing court today, and Bob,
you know what today is?

Speaker 4 (59:58):
What's today? It's best.

Speaker 6 (01:00:00):
It's of course, the fictional holiday created by Frank Costanza
en Seinfeld, featuring feats of strength and the airing of grievances.

Speaker 4 (01:00:08):
I got a lot, a lot of problems with people.

Speaker 6 (01:00:12):
Get the latest news anytime at KTRH dot com.

Speaker 4 (01:00:15):
Our next update is at six thirty.

Speaker 7 (01:00:18):
Better Boulder, Richard, safer and stronger.

Speaker 1 (01:00:21):
The return the Great of America can come back on
news Radio seven KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:00:29):
We're unable to make our connection to Brandon a Texas scorecard.
I think it's because he is an observation of Festivus
right now. I think he's probably in the middle of
a match, because you know, Festivus is not over until
Cliff Saunders pins me.

Speaker 4 (01:00:40):
Ah, that's the way. Now, that's fun stuff right there.

Speaker 3 (01:00:44):
And that is more christmas y, even Festivasy than Die
Hard as a Christmas movie. Sorry not sorry, gonna die
on that hill hard if I have to. If you
have got different thoughts on the matter, please hit me
up on email.

Speaker 4 (01:01:00):
Bob at strictly Speaking dot org.

Speaker 3 (01:01:02):
Bob at strictly Speaking dot org, I'd be happy to
read and respond to any emails of interest and note
you can also make your argument on my Facebook page
again if you are so inclined, it's a public post.
Look mere for me on Facebook Bob France, fr NTZ
or strictly Speaking USA and find me there and give
me your thoughts. Okay, I talked about this before, and
since we don't have Brandon now, I'm going to come

(01:01:23):
back to it about you know, President Trump yesterday making
some very very strong statements at America Fest in Phoenix
about a number of different things. And you would think
that it's going to anger and aggravate every left wing
Democrat that's in the Congress, the Senate, or in the
country quite frankly, but it's not working out that way,

(01:01:45):
at least not for all of them. More and more
Democrats seem to be willing to listen to, if not
how rights, support some of President Trump's ideas. One of
them is a guy that is just shocking everybody. When
he was elected in Pennsylvania as a Senate and he
defeated doctor Memdas if you were call you know, he

(01:02:05):
was coming off of a very very traumatic situation. I
believe it was a stroke and it caused a lot
of a you know, uh, I don't want to say
brain damage, but the guy couldn't put sentences together. It
was a really, really bad situation for Senator John Fetterman.
He just sounded like, how did how in the world
did the people of Pennsylvania vote for somebody who's just
not there anymore. Well, his recovery has been remarkable, and

(01:02:27):
so has his political turn, as he is willing to
look at and believe in somebody like Donald J.

Speaker 4 (01:02:33):
Trump.

Speaker 38 (01:02:34):
After you survived an assassination, you literally were shot in
your head and had the presence of mind to respond,
you know, fight, fight, fight. I mean, that's a political talent.
It's undeniable. And also I never believed that it was
about fascism, and for me, that made it difficult for

(01:02:54):
Kyil Harris said that he was a fascian. Yeah, well,
it's like that's her prerogative. I mean, but it's not
a word that I would use because you put a
lot of Democrats, especially in my state that I know,
and I happen to love people that are going to
vote for Trump and they are not fascists. And also fascism,
that's not a word that regular people use that, you know,

(01:03:17):
I think people are going to decide who is the
candidate that's going to protect and project, you know, my
version of the American way of life.

Speaker 39 (01:03:26):
So that's what happens.

Speaker 3 (01:03:27):
So this was John Fetterman on ABC News and he
was in a few other places as well, And in
addition to saying Donald Trump is not a fascist, he
said directly that he supports President Trump and he has
never ever seen a president that he would not support
because if a president fails, then the nation fails, and
I will be one hundred percent honestly. That stands in

(01:03:48):
star contrast with something that the great late RUSSI. Lumbaugh
once said talking about Barack Obama. He wanted Barack Obama
to fail. But it's not because he wanted a nation
to fail, but because he believed that Barack Obama in
advance saying globalists and communist causes, if he succeeded it
with that agenda, would harm the United States and the
people they're in. So it's a really really interesting thing

(01:04:09):
to see more and more Democrats coming around and saying
I'm going to support President Trump because that's what it
will take to support the nation. Because they realize that
what President Trump wants to do is indeed in the
nation's best interest, hence America first. So really interesting commentary
there that video, by the way, and more. Also up
at strictly speaking dot org. If you are in front
of a keyboard a little bit later this morning, I

(01:04:30):
want to check it out strictly speaking dot org, you
can watch the full Vetterman video. Fetterman video there all right,
six twenty seven. Now, so let's catch up and get
to the Bloomberg Business reports. See what's going on in
the markets during Christmas week. Here's Jeff Bellinger and Bob
good Morning. Honda and Nissan made their merger discussions more formal.
The company signed a basic agreement to work toward a
combination of their operations by twenty twenty six, and Xerox

(01:04:54):
is buying the printer maker Lexmark. International stock market futures
are mixed with the S and P NASDAK futures, higher
the doll futures.

Speaker 20 (01:05:02):
And down sixty nine points. I'm Jeff Beldinger, Bloomberg Business
on News Radio seven forty KTRH New York.

Speaker 1 (01:05:12):
Houston's News, Why there were traffic plus breaking news twenty
four to seven. This is News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 21 (01:05:20):
Five everywhere with the IRP.

Speaker 2 (01:05:23):
More of what's happening now from the John Morris Services studios.

Speaker 3 (01:05:29):
It was yet another violent weekend across Houston, and you
won't believe how the Biden administration is trying to spend
the border crisis. Now, good morning Pop Frans and for
Jimmy Barrett. Cliff Saunders has the details on those stories
and more coming up. But first let's get you move
in here.

Speaker 5 (01:05:42):
Sky Mike clear North Freeway Shepherd curved the rest of
the media on top of that.

Speaker 39 (01:05:47):
Now.

Speaker 5 (01:05:47):
Also we've got breaks still from Little York on the
outbound inbound we're pretty good. Grand park Way North. It's
young Albert from Kingwood.

Speaker 40 (01:05:54):
Hey, Hey Morris, Sky Mike, Dude, Kingwood.

Speaker 22 (01:05:58):
All the way out the tumble, there's nothing out.

Speaker 28 (01:06:00):
Your pedals down and moving quickly. Hopefully the puzz don't
find out and send us traffic court.

Speaker 4 (01:06:05):
You have a good one, Very.

Speaker 6 (01:06:06):
Christmas, sir.

Speaker 5 (01:06:07):
We've got some good friends in the first seven one three,
two one two tips.

Speaker 4 (01:06:12):
Everybody stays safe.

Speaker 5 (01:06:13):
Skymike and the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:06:17):
Mostly cloudy today about seventy two for a high cloudy tonight.
Sixty four for low Christmas Eve tomorrow slight chance of
an afternoon shower, high of about seventy five Christmas Day. Yeah,
Terry Smith's gonna tell you about that. Eight and a
half minutes from right now, at about six forty right now,
we have fifty six degrees. We gained one. How about that?

(01:06:37):
At your official severe weather station. News Radio seven forty
k TRH and now the morning news.

Speaker 6 (01:06:42):
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Bob, Good morning everybody. Six thirty
one on KTRHR. Top story violent crime. For the second
straight weekend, Houston had a deadly shooting at an unlicensed club.
One person was killed, three others wounded in North Harris County.

Speaker 22 (01:06:59):
It was some type of fight disturbance. We don't know
what all of the circumstances are, and like I said,
we're in the middle of talking to witnesses and it's
going to be a wallful.

Speaker 4 (01:07:10):
We have a clear picture. No arrests have been made
as of yet.

Speaker 6 (01:07:13):
Elsewhere this morning, a man is found shot to death
in an alley behind an apartment complex in Sunnyside, and
a woman is in critical condition after being stabbed multiple
times on a metro bus.

Speaker 4 (01:07:25):
Last night.

Speaker 6 (01:07:26):
The would be attacker. The robber was arrested six point
thirty two on KTRH. The outgoing Biden administration broke our border.
But to hear them talk about it, it's not their fault,
and they say Donald Trump is responsible for fixing it.

Speaker 23 (01:07:43):
This broken system needs to be fixed.

Speaker 6 (01:07:45):
That's DHS Secretary Alejandro Majorcis on CBS, who also took
credit for deportations being at a ten year high. Texas
Senator Ted Cruz called that line from majorcus yet another
attempt to gaslight America.

Speaker 24 (01:08:00):
The simple reality as we've had four years of absolute
disaster when it comes to national security and foreign policy.

Speaker 6 (01:08:07):
Cruise with ktrh's Mark Levin six point thirty three. Over
half a million people have been added to the Texas
population over the last year, and there are concerns about
the grid. UAH energy expert ed her says the lack
of power plants has weakened it and with higher taxes
deterring more development.

Speaker 4 (01:08:25):
The problem starts in Austin.

Speaker 25 (01:08:28):
I've been talking about this for a long time. It's like,
come on, guys, start thinking ahead. And not one elected
leader in Austin is thinking ahead for the good of
the state. And the strength of the grid.

Speaker 6 (01:08:39):
He says that if we started fixing the problem today,
we'd still be five years behind schedule. According to recent research,
Texas taxpayers are spending over fifty thousand dollars per student
every year on public education.

Speaker 10 (01:08:55):
That's including the various debts and bonds that Texas izds
have accumulated.

Speaker 27 (01:08:59):
I think it's just one of the reasons that people
are really really looking at school choice as something that
the legislature needs to get done this next session.

Speaker 10 (01:09:07):
Brandon Walton's with the Texas Scorecard, says, we need to
look at how that money is being spent.

Speaker 27 (01:09:12):
You have floated administrations. There's a lot of money going
into school districts, a lot a lot of it's actually
reaching the classroom and the children.

Speaker 10 (01:09:20):
Walton says that the legislature has authority here and they
should use it to stop this wasteful spending. Ethan Buchanan
News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 4 (01:09:28):
Thank you, Ethan.

Speaker 6 (01:09:29):
Now, even though state law prohibits DEI at our state universities,
it doesn't apply to what's actually being taught in the classrooms.

Speaker 25 (01:09:37):
The reality is, while there have been some positive changes
made by a number of universities heron Texas after laws
have passed, DEI is still very much alive and well
in these universities.

Speaker 6 (01:09:47):
Investigative reporter Robert Montoya says that State Senator Brandon Creighton
wants to look into expanding the DEI band during the
upcoming legislative session, and Creighton will join Bob at seven
point fifty. In Washington, Congress avoided a shutdown but did
not as Donald Trump wanted raise the debt ceiling. Republicans

(01:10:08):
like Nancy Mace voted against the package.

Speaker 10 (01:10:10):
I'm not going to go against what people just voted
me into office for in November, and I want us
to do it responsibly.

Speaker 6 (01:10:17):
But House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed this bill and got
Democrats to go along with him. None of them voted
against the deal. Fox is reporting that Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger,
she hasn't been seen on Capitol Hill since July, is
living in a retirement facility. She did not run for
reelection this year at all. The facility does provide memory care,

(01:10:40):
but the Fox report says that she's not in the
memory care unit. It's now six thirty five on KTRH.
We're in the middle of another big travel day and
so far no issues at Bush, no issues at Hobby,
about twenty flights delayed. So far, one hundred million Americans
will travel this week either by a plane, car, train,

(01:11:01):
And speaking of rail, the Houston to Dallas high speed
rail supporters, well, they're hoping a new Trump administration will
help with funding for the project. Political analyst Bill Miller
says it's been installed many times since being proposed fifteen
years ago.

Speaker 39 (01:11:16):
It hasn't happened in the past, and it certainly his
chances that happening right now are in the future are
going down, not going.

Speaker 6 (01:11:24):
At Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswami of Doze already slammed
California for taking billions in federal funds for high speed
rail projects that has never left the track. There several
bills have been found in Austin to put this on
the agenda in January. There's the cost of high speed
rail and then the maintenance costs for things like NRG Park.

(01:11:47):
The bill two billion dollars. The maintenance costs are growing
and have more than triple since twenty nineteen.

Speaker 32 (01:11:54):
Why was it ignored in nineteen when they were put
on notice of all the maintenance and repairs that were
doing needed to be taking care of.

Speaker 15 (01:12:00):
Houston Attorney Jared Woodfull wants accountability from the county, who,
he says should not put this on the taxpayers.

Speaker 32 (01:12:07):
Two billion dollars as a result of bailing to do
the job, compailing to make the necessary repairs, and now
it's likely that they're going to look for the taxpayers
to bail him out. Well, that shouldn't happen.

Speaker 15 (01:12:16):
The current least agreement between the County, the Texans, and
the Rodeo expires in twenty thirty two. Charit Lewis, News
Radio seven forty k JRH. It's now six thirty seven.

Speaker 6 (01:12:25):
The Longhorns beat Clemson in the College football playoffs thirty
eight to twenty four. They'll be in action New Year's
Day at the Peach Bowl now against Arizona State.

Speaker 4 (01:12:34):
The Rockets nip.

Speaker 6 (01:12:35):
Toronto one fourteen to one ten. Dylan Brooks at twenty
seven and congratulations to Rockets owner Tillman for Tita. He
is going to be the US Ambassador to Italy. And
I'm Cliff Saunders. I'm Houston's news, weather and traffic station.
News Radio seven forty KGRH.

Speaker 4 (01:12:52):
Info at this speed of Houston's.

Speaker 2 (01:12:55):
Right Now, Houston's Morning News continues with Jimmy Barrett and
the Houston Morning News team.

Speaker 3 (01:13:03):
All right, it is now six thirty seven. Good morning
to you once again, Bob France sitting in for Jimmy
Barrett on this Christmas Monday morning.

Speaker 4 (01:13:09):
Not that it's Christmas today, but you understand the point.

Speaker 3 (01:13:12):
It's Christmas week and as we start Christmas Week, we
got to look at some of the year end business
that needed to be taken care of on Capitol Hill,
President Biden, you just heard Cliff talking about a little
bit signed into law, the short Term Funding Bill on Saturday.
According to the release from the White House, to bill

(01:13:32):
was moved forward after lawmakers sent it to his desk
after a very late night Friday negotiations. The bill extended
funding for the government until mid March. It's one hundred
billion dollars for disaster aide, something the White House wanted
to extend some funding to farmers does not address. You
just heard Cliff talking about this the debt ceiling, something

(01:13:53):
President Trump demanded during the tumultuous back and forth over
the course of the week. House Republicans in stead vowed
to address the issue of the debt ceiling in a
future tax bill once Trump is in power. Speaker of
the House Mike Johnson painted the measure as a necessary
step to bridge the gap before Republicans take control of
both chambers of Congress and the White House. Nobody really

(01:14:15):
has explained yet exactly why the debt ceiling is such
a big deal for President Trump, other than to say
he needs some leverage and some flexibility, and if this
means it's the only way that he can really act
on the mandate that he was given with an overwhelming
victory of three hundred and twelve electoral votes and seventy
six million votes, winning the popular vote over the Democrat

(01:14:36):
Kamala Harris.

Speaker 4 (01:14:37):
If that's what it takes, that's what it takes.

Speaker 3 (01:14:39):
Quite frankly, I've never understood why we have the debt
ceiling anyway. We have never once actually held to it.
And if I'm wrong about that, somebody wants to let
me know, correct me, please, I'll take it.

Speaker 4 (01:14:51):
But I don't think we've.

Speaker 3 (01:14:53):
Ever come up against the debt ceiling where Congress is
voted to hold strong on that debt ceiling, no more spending.

Speaker 4 (01:15:00):
We're at our limit.

Speaker 3 (01:15:01):
We cannot go any higher, just like you do with
your personal bank accounts, your credit accounts, and so forth.
Once you reach your credit limit, you know, the bank
has to make a decision as to where they're not
they'll let you borrow anymore. And when they say no,
that's it, you're done spending. You've got to find a
way to cut your own spending. But the federal government
has never done that. They've never just taken the debt

(01:15:23):
ceiling and said, well, we're at it, that's it.

Speaker 4 (01:15:24):
We got to do something differently. Now they just vote
to raise the debt ceiling. So I don't know why it's.

Speaker 3 (01:15:29):
That big of a deal, but apparently it is for
President Trump. And whether or not we actually raise that
debt ceiling or not, well we won't know until obviously,
now that this deal has been struck, until at least
mid March. Okay, six forty. Now, let's do trafficking whether
once again and see where we're headed, sky Mike.

Speaker 5 (01:15:44):
We still have that spackle on the North Freeway. It's outbound,
Shepherd curved, the REGs gone. It'll take a while to
get all this squishery gone from Little York northbound. The
rest of it's all you, Justin from Crosby Wee skylight.
What bound starting to get a little with the little
gym up here?

Speaker 4 (01:16:01):
I see that right before the East Loop.

Speaker 5 (01:16:03):
Put this banana sticker on your hard hat, Justin, and
we've got a stall the I think the state's wanting
to know what the laneage is to. I bet we
have it for him at the six fifty break, Mike, Magnolia.

Speaker 18 (01:16:13):
Eight mun from ninety nine to the West Belt.

Speaker 26 (01:16:16):
In the West Belt from June ninety all the way
to bel Airs wide open.

Speaker 18 (01:16:20):
Most traffic of baum was at the dry through line
of Chick fil A.

Speaker 5 (01:16:24):
This sounds good, huh, Terry, some Chick fil A. And
I've got Greg from Webster. Greg's on the golf freeway.

Speaker 4 (01:16:30):
What's that, Mike?

Speaker 18 (01:16:31):
Pretty sure just all those weird drones over South Belt.
So hopefully people don't start running into one another and
looking at that.

Speaker 4 (01:16:39):
Harry Christmas, Merry Christmas. Back at you, Greg from Webster.

Speaker 5 (01:16:42):
You know it's right by Ellington, so they should be
able to take care of that with a couple of fighters.
We've got the South Side also to eighty eight rocking
along twenty two minutes from from Pearland.

Speaker 4 (01:16:53):
Or Highway six rather up into downtown.

Speaker 5 (01:16:56):
Skymike on the classic Buick GMC traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:16:59):
All right, very much, good sir. Terry Smith at the
Weather Channel has our forecast.

Speaker 4 (01:17:03):
Hello Terry, Hey.

Speaker 19 (01:17:05):
Good morning, Bob and sky Mike. Why did you have
to mention chick fil.

Speaker 4 (01:17:09):
A, Yeah, it sounds good or now I'm hungry, let's eat.
Let's all right.

Speaker 19 (01:17:14):
Well, if you're out and about this morning, the weather
shouldn't be slowing you down. A really nice day. Besides
the fact that it's sunny and dry. The temperatures are warm,
even warmer than yesterday, lod to mid seventies.

Speaker 4 (01:17:25):
Today.

Speaker 19 (01:17:26):
We are dealing with somewhat weather though tomorrow through the
rest of the week. Tomorrow sixty percent chance of showers
and thunderstorms and only a twenty percent chance of some
rain on Christmas Day, but then a rain chances increased
Thursday and Friday, around a fifty percent chance of thundershowers
both days.

Speaker 4 (01:17:45):
All right, quick and easy, thank you so much, Terry.

Speaker 3 (01:17:47):
Right now fifty six at your official severe weather station,
there's radio seven forty k TRH.

Speaker 2 (01:17:52):
You are commute, you are forecast your news. It's Houston's
Morning News brought to you bying you South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 3 (01:18:03):
All right, it is six forty eight now, Bob Friends
sitting in for Jimmy Barrett.

Speaker 4 (01:18:06):
So I got an email.

Speaker 3 (01:18:07):
I asked you to send me an email if you're
interested in the discussion and in the debate on Diehard
and whether or not it's a Christmas movie. This debate
has been going on for almost forty years now. I
thought it was settled a few years ago when Bruce Willis,
long before he started to have any of his dementia
and cognitive decline, the things that he's dealing with right now,

(01:18:28):
which is very, very sad and tragic. But just a
few short years ago Bruce Willis put this whole thing
to bed when he said that die Hard is absolutely
not a Christmas Let me say if I have the audio.

Speaker 4 (01:18:40):
For you now, please listen very carefully. Die Hard is
not a Christmas movie.

Speaker 3 (01:18:50):
He said that at a celebrity roast of which he
was the guest of honor or dishonor if you will,
but at any rate, he tried to put the whole
thing to bed, But it is. I'm still popping up
each and every year at the time of the year
people talk about this.

Speaker 4 (01:19:03):
So I asked you.

Speaker 3 (01:19:05):
I made my argument as clear as can be as
to why it is not a Christmas movie, and I
asked you to send me an email. Bob at Strictly
Speaking dot org as the email address. Well, I've got
this one from Derek, who says, my wife and I
were wondering if Gremlins would be considered a Christmas movie.
The movie takes place during Christmas, but the story is
really about stopping those evil little creatures, and there mayhem.

Speaker 4 (01:19:27):
I say.

Speaker 3 (01:19:27):
There is a difference between a story taking place during
a certain time or event as the background and setting,
while the story itself may have an entirely different focus.
If a movie takes place during World War Two, for example,
or in the forties, but the war is not the
main focus, does that make it a war movie just
because there is mention.

Speaker 14 (01:19:43):
Of the war.

Speaker 3 (01:19:44):
Extrapolations can be made about anything, but some things are
a stretch, as in the case of Diehard. The story
is certainly set during Yule Tide, but the actual plot
is not a Christmas message. Thank you for your time
and Merry Christmas to year, your family and everyone there
at the station sincerely, Derek. Derek, that is a fantastic
message and you are one hundred percent correct. Diehard takes

(01:20:06):
place during Christmas. It is not a Christmas movie. It
is about a terrorist takeover the Nakatomy building and the
robbery of six hundred and forty million dollars in barrel ponds.

Speaker 4 (01:20:16):
That's what the movie is about. Well done, good sir.

Speaker 3 (01:20:20):
If you would like to make a counter argument, we
will allow you to retort. Send a message to me
Bob at Strictly Speaking dot org, or you can also
message me on Twitter x Facebook. Just look for strictly
Speaking with Bob Frantz. All right, six fifty one, let's
speak strictly now with Stein Mike, Let's say what's happening?

Speaker 4 (01:20:37):
And Fruitcake, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:20:39):
Let's go to the hard work, and East said, I've
got it inbound justin from Crosby was right on top
of that. We had a stall. I don't think the
rest of the media ever got this. It's actually looked
like a wreck on the ramp here. And what's up, dude,
Ninja Yester?

Speaker 4 (01:20:53):
All right, well.

Speaker 5 (01:20:54):
Said good burbage here, you got no RT freeway still
a little spackled up outbound. We had that wreck earlier
at Shepherd's day of the course, that'll go away, wildcard hiped.

Speaker 4 (01:21:03):
Guy, Mike, This is Steve from Crosby Boom.

Speaker 29 (01:21:05):
There are no fighters left at Ellington.

Speaker 4 (01:21:10):
Barack Obama's all to that.

Speaker 5 (01:21:12):
Oh that's right, Dad, Thank you, and thank you for
retorting their good point seven two t ip as. Somebody
saw drones there, Bob. I'm in the classic Buick GMC
traffic center.

Speaker 4 (01:21:24):
I'm glad you brought up drones.

Speaker 3 (01:21:25):
I'm gonna talk about those here in just a moment,
but first let's see what that looks like here on
the forecast side of things, seventy two for a high today,
mostly cloudy. Uh Christmas Eve Tomorrow overcast with a sixty
percent chance. Now that's been updated a little bit from
Terry Smith of some afternoon showers. High in your seventy
five Christmas Day, maybe a slight chance of rain early

(01:21:45):
then Sunday the rest of the day. High of seventy
three for Thursday, scattered storms becoming more widespread in the afternoon. Friday,
more rain in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon.
Highs will be in the mid to upper seventies. Right
now fifty six at your official severe weather station. He's
Radio seven forty KTRH. Now the morning headlines from Cliff.

Speaker 4 (01:22:04):
Thank you, Bob.

Speaker 6 (01:22:04):
We're sponsored by Morrow Mechanical. President ELEC. Trump says the
US will take back the Panama Canal. That country continues
to quote rip off America. The Biden administration this flew
under the radar, says a weekend Iran might still be
able to build a nuclear weapon. And a Scrooge bad
guy hits a Galveston church. Bob whoever it is, stole

(01:22:27):
a twelve thousand dollars barbecue pitch. Get the latest news
anytime at KTRH dot com. Our next update is at
seven o'clock.

Speaker 2 (01:22:36):
I live in clear Lake, Humble, reliable KTRH traffic and weather.

Speaker 4 (01:22:41):
Next on the ten.

Speaker 3 (01:22:43):
Interesting that Scot Mick just brought up drones there because
I want to throw this at you. The Biden administration
is trying to use the drone scare of New Jersey
and the Eastern Seaboard to pass a bill that would
give government wireless surveillance access.

Speaker 4 (01:23:00):
To our phones. Most people are not paying attention to
this bill.

Speaker 3 (01:23:05):
You know who is Senator rand Paul who wants everybody
to know.

Speaker 4 (01:23:11):
Before US would grant.

Speaker 29 (01:23:12):
Law enforcement significant authority to intercept private electronic communications without consent.

Speaker 4 (01:23:18):
For example, the bill would allow the.

Speaker 29 (01:23:20):
Government to conduct dragnet's surveillance of the phones innocent Americans
traveling through US airports as long as the government claims
they are doing it to neutralize a drone. So, in
order to look at the information that might be coming
to a drone, it may be that you capture all
the information of everybody surrounding an airport or everybody who
lives near an airport. Once you have all that data,

(01:23:42):
what are the assurances that the government isn't looking at
your data in addition to the data that may be
related to flying the drone. This is not just about security.
It's about unchecked government overreach. It's about capitalizing on fear
and media driven hysterity to jam through sweeping legis that
could violate the civil liberties of American people. Congress has

(01:24:05):
a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check on the
executive power, not as a rubber stamp for it. The
federal government already has the power.

Speaker 4 (01:24:13):
To deal with drones.

Speaker 29 (01:24:14):
The federal government already has the power to stop any
drones that are in airspace around airports. The federal government
already has the power to protect its air bases, So
if there is a significant problem here, the Biden administration
needs to come forward and let us know who are
these drones, who's operating these drones, what is the federal
government doing.

Speaker 4 (01:24:33):
To protect either airports or bases from this.

Speaker 29 (01:24:38):
Instead, we are told by the Biden administration there is
no threat to our national security. So let's first insist
on truth and transparracy from the Biden administration before offering
up legislation that is feel good, pat somebody on the
back and say, oh, we've done something about drones.

Speaker 4 (01:24:53):
We are strong on drones. Congress has a.

Speaker 29 (01:24:56):
Constitutional responsibility to serve as a check on executive.

Speaker 4 (01:25:01):
Power, not as a rubber stamp.

Speaker 29 (01:25:02):
We owe it to the American people to demand compelling justification,
meaningful safeguards, and full transparency before granting any new surveillance authorities.
We are a nation of laws, not fear, not panic,
and not manufactured urgency. We do not trade away our freedoms,
our privacy, and our constitutional protections for vague promises of security.

(01:25:26):
I will object to this bill today, but I am
open to talking with the authors of this bill about
how we could have enhance ability to interrupt drone activity,
but done while protecting all Americans' constitutional right to privacy.

Speaker 4 (01:25:42):
Madam President, I object.

Speaker 3 (01:25:44):
Senator ran Paul is a champion of our civil rights
and our right to privacy. This is not just about security,
It's about unchecked government overreach and that is something we
should all push back against.

Speaker 4 (01:25:55):
Well done, Senator ran Paul. It's five point fifty six.

Speaker 3 (01:25:58):
Now this is Houston's morning News.

Speaker 1 (01:26:03):
This is Used Radio seven forty kt RH Houston.

Speaker 21 (01:26:07):
Live Everywhere with Syra Avenue.

Speaker 4 (01:26:09):
Now the latest news, weather and traffing.

Speaker 2 (01:26:13):
It's more of what matters to you from the John
Morris Services studios.

Speaker 3 (01:26:18):
Biden commutes death sentences for thirty seven federal death Row inmates,
and President Trump debunks the left narrative about his buddy
Elon Musk.

Speaker 4 (01:26:27):
Good morning, Bob Frans and for Jimmy Barrett.

Speaker 3 (01:26:30):
This is your seven o'clock report on News Radio seven
forty ktr H. Cliff Saunders has the news, guy Mike
has the draft.

Speaker 5 (01:26:35):
And we're looking at the East side hardheads were We've
got some good news. They've cleared that stall that was
actually an accident on the ramp to six ten. Okay,
I see that banana stickers justin from Crosby also Steve
from Crosby North Freeway. We're finally back to full speed
outbound inbound. You've looked good all morning. Twenty three minutes
from the Woodlands, East tex.

Speaker 4 (01:26:53):
It's hoober, Mike Joska, Mike.

Speaker 18 (01:26:55):
Yeah, airport smooth coming from Kingwood and to have the
deed area.

Speaker 39 (01:26:59):
And by the way, yeah to the Christmas movie.

Speaker 5 (01:27:02):
You can retort to Bob on my tip line seven
tip answer hit me on Facebook.

Speaker 4 (01:27:09):
I'm starring Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:27:12):
It's calling Bob. All right, tipsters, it is on right now. Boy, Yeah,
you keep them coming and I will I will indeed
retort Terry's forecast mostly cloudy today. Hi have seventy two
overnight low sixty four. Christmas Eve tomorrow overcast with a
sixty percent chance of rain in the afternoon, high near
seventy five Christmas Day. Is what Terry is going to
tell you all about coming up. It ain't and a

(01:27:33):
half minutes at seven ten. Right now, we have fifty
six degrees at your official severe weather station, News Radio
seven forty KTRH and now we've got the morning news.

Speaker 4 (01:27:42):
Here's Cliff Saunders.

Speaker 6 (01:27:43):
Good morning, Bob, Good morning everyone. It is seven oh
one on KTRH, and we'll start with some holiday travels.
So far, minimal delays and cancelations at Bush and Hobby
if you've got a flight out of town today, but
keep in mind it's still early in the day and
this could all change. Hundreds of flights nationwide have already
been delayed this morning. Also topping the news, this will

(01:28:05):
make you spit your coffee out. President Joe Biden commutes
the sentences for thirty seven Death Row inmates, including not one,
but two child killers. Now he left the sentences of
three killers alone. They include Robert Bowers, he was the
Pittsburgh synagogue shooter in twenty eighteen, Dylan Rufeho killed nine

(01:28:26):
people at a South Carolina church in twenty fifteen, and
Djokarsarnayev responsible for the Boston marathon bombing in twenty thirteen.

Speaker 4 (01:28:35):
Meantime, No, he's not gonna be president. That I can't
tell you.

Speaker 6 (01:28:39):
Yeah, that's President elect Donald Trump at America Fest in Arizona,
debunking the mainstream media narrative that Elon Musk is really
running the country. Trump also hit at wokeness in a
huge way.

Speaker 8 (01:28:52):
Book has to stop because along with everything else, it's
destroying our country. We're gonna stop woke his vote.

Speaker 4 (01:29:04):
Adding that there are only two genders.

Speaker 6 (01:29:07):
To that end, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ensues the
NCAA for deceptive marketing practices in an attempt to stop
men from being allowed to play women's college sports. It's
now seven oh three on KGRH. In Washington, Speaker Mike
Johnson made a deal with Democrats to fund the government
through mid March, a deal that did not increase the

(01:29:30):
dead ceiling, and Conservatives are not happy about it.

Speaker 4 (01:29:33):
This has out rageous.

Speaker 9 (01:29:35):
Johnson's got to go as Speaker of the House.

Speaker 4 (01:29:37):
I think that's a.

Speaker 9 (01:29:37):
Lesson, attacking on the death sty of that.

Speaker 4 (01:29:40):
It's just got cos confusion.

Speaker 9 (01:29:41):
It's all now kicked in the President Trump's administration.

Speaker 6 (01:29:44):
Steve Bannon talking to Breke bart here at home, Euston
Representative Dan Crenshaw back the original deal that would have
given himself and his coworkers raise. He's also supporting congressional
stock trading.

Speaker 10 (01:29:57):
Crenshaw says that congressmen need to be able to trade
stuff to make money.

Speaker 11 (01:30:00):
I haven't got a pay raise since two thousand and eight,
even a cola increase.

Speaker 4 (01:30:04):
This is a great idea.

Speaker 11 (01:30:05):
Let's make Congress a place where only the millionaires can
actually afford to.

Speaker 4 (01:30:09):
Do the job.

Speaker 10 (01:30:10):
Ktrh is Michael Berry pointed out on his show how
Congress has an unfair advantage in the markets.

Speaker 12 (01:30:15):
Congressmen are being briefed on things that the public doesn't know.
They shouldn't be trading stocks on that. If you want
to be an active day trader, don't be in Congress.

Speaker 10 (01:30:23):
Crenshaw's comments led to multiple Conservatives accusing him of being
a rhino. Crenshaw referred to his critics as quote bottom
feeders Ethan Buchanan, News Radio seven forty krh.

Speaker 6 (01:30:32):
And remember the lefts claimed that election fraud isn't a thing.
Well it is, and it happened in Texas where Carrollton
man just got four years for mail in ballot fraud.

Speaker 13 (01:30:45):
There's a Mohammad he is a forty threear old man
and he was running for the twenty twenty Carlton mayoral race.
And what he ended up doing if he forged a
bunch of mail in ballad applications using people's names.

Speaker 4 (01:30:57):
They had no idea.

Speaker 6 (01:30:58):
Ran alignment with the federalists. Mohammad was facing twenty years
in jail. It's now seven oh five on KTRHSHA person
is arrested in connection with the death of a woman
who was lit on fire on a subway in New
York City yesterday. The man reportedly is an illegal alien
from Guatemala.

Speaker 14 (01:31:17):
The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter
to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in
a matter of seconds.

Speaker 6 (01:31:25):
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish and new palling shows that more
of you are in favor of militarizing the border than
you might have thought before.

Speaker 15 (01:31:33):
About three out of four people support that idea, according
to CNBC.

Speaker 16 (01:31:37):
I think what they're also realizing what's actually happening inside
of Mexico.

Speaker 15 (01:31:42):
Senior fellow for the Texas Public Policy Foundation Amman Blair
says what militarizing the border actually means for federal and
state officials, they.

Speaker 16 (01:31:50):
Would take control of that area and completely deny any
incursions or actions in that region.

Speaker 15 (01:31:56):
Blair said it's past time that the southern border is secured.
Lewis News Radio seven forty khright now seven oh six.

Speaker 6 (01:32:03):
On Friday, we told you that Starbucks workers in several
cities were going on strike. While that list of cities
has expanded to include Dallas. The Amazon strike continues as
well and is also expanding.

Speaker 4 (01:32:16):
This strike is growing.

Speaker 17 (01:32:18):
Delivery drivers over at an air hub here in southern California,
as well as at a warehouse over on Staten Island
have joined in on this strike. This after workers walked
off the job early Thursday morning. These are drivers for
firms that contract with Amazon. In total, workers are striking
at nine different Amazon facilities nationwide.

Speaker 4 (01:32:38):
Fox's Max Gordon.

Speaker 6 (01:32:40):
There traffic congestion on our highways costs the American trucking
industry more than one hundred and eight billion dollars. In
Texas alone in twenty twenty two, the cost nine point
one billion.

Speaker 4 (01:32:51):
So what's behind this part of it is the Texas Miracle.

Speaker 18 (01:32:55):
It's it's been the attraction of the state of Texas
to the rest of the country, to the rest of
them for years now. People are coming to Texas in droves.
We're wide open for visits.

Speaker 6 (01:33:06):
Johnasparza with the Texas Trucking Association says these costs eventually
get passed on to you. A major shift in the
auto industry. Overnight, Honda and Nissan announced plans to merge
that would create the world's third largest car maker. LA
Rockets beat Toronto one fourteen to one. Ten Is Tilman
Fertita was named the US Ambassador to Italy, and Texans

(01:33:28):
wide receiver Tank Dell reportedly suffered a dislocated kneecap on
Saturday against Kansas City. And I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's News,
Weather and Traffic station News Radio seven forty k TRH.

Speaker 2 (01:33:40):
World Events, National Headlines, Houston's Morning News with Jimmy Barrett.

Speaker 4 (01:33:47):
All right, good morning once again.

Speaker 3 (01:33:48):
It is seven minutes after seven o'clock Pop France sitting
in for Jimmy Barrett on Houston's Morning News.

Speaker 4 (01:33:53):
So I have to address this again.

Speaker 3 (01:33:56):
We talked about it at the top of the show
because it was breaking news at that moment, and we're
going to talk about it now. Joe Biden, President of
the United States, apparently, according to his conscience, simply cannot
allow anybody to be put to death that's on the
federal death row today except for some. Apparently his conscience
only works some of the time, because he has left

(01:34:19):
three names off of the commutation list. There are forty
federal prisoners on death row, or maybe a better way
to say that, as forty prisoners on federal death row.
Biden has commuted the sentences of thirty seven of them,
saying that his conscience simply does not allow him to
support the death penalty. And yet there are three individuals

(01:34:41):
that he says are going to undergo the death penalty,
quoting the President of the United States right now, as
much as you can make no mistake, I condemned these murderers,
grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and eight
for all of the families who have suffered unimaginable, unimaginable,
in irreparable loss. But guided by my conscience, he says,

(01:35:03):
and my experience as a public defender, Chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, vice President, and now President, I'm more
convinced than ever that we must stop the use of
the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience,
I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume
executions that I halted.

Speaker 4 (01:35:20):
End quote.

Speaker 3 (01:35:21):
Is Biden of course, did indeed issue a moratorium on
executions of federal death row inmates when he took office
back in twenty twenty one, So this is just a
little bit strange. Joe Biden says that he cannot in
good conscience allow executions to continue, and yet he has

(01:35:43):
three individuals on that list of forty that he is
allowing the execution to continue. So, in other words, he
stands for nothing. He has absolutely no commitment to his
action here, nothing, no commitment to his belief. When his
belief collides head on with his act, that means you
can believe nothing. What he did, though, was he gave

(01:36:04):
a reprieve to every death row inmate except for three,
three individuals whom he would have faced and so would
his party considerable backlash. That's what this is all about,
considerable backlash had he not allowed the executions to continue
for individuals like Dylan Rufe, who of course is the

(01:36:27):
racist who shut up the Black Church in Charleston, Zoe
Khar Sarnayef, the Boston marathon bomber. He and his brother,
of course were responsible for that. And then the first
one was.

Speaker 4 (01:36:43):
What are his name?

Speaker 23 (01:36:44):
Go?

Speaker 4 (01:36:45):
Another one of these.

Speaker 3 (01:36:46):
Absolute horrific Scots, Roll Robert Bauers, Robert Bowers, who was
responsible for the Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting in
twenty eighteen, which left eleven people dead. So those three
individuals don't violate Joe Biden's conscience, they can all be executed.
The other thirty seven would violate Joe Biden's conscience, where
he believes that the federal death penalty should be absolutely abolished,

(01:37:10):
including a bunch of child murderers, rapists and murderers, people
who tortured other people to death. The list of people
that Joe Biden is commuting the sentence so that they
can continue to live on live on tax payera diimes
in federal prisons includes some of the most horrific things
you can even imagine. Those individuals they get to live.

(01:37:31):
Only three of them have to die. And Joe Biden
says all of that is in line with his conscience.
If you can make it make sense, I would be
most appreciative. I cannot make it make sense. Eleven minutes
after seven o'clock. Now let's get back on the roads.
Guy Mike on the morning Drive.

Speaker 4 (01:37:46):
All right, let's hit the visors.

Speaker 5 (01:37:47):
Now, Terry, we're gonna need visors today right for the
drive in this morning from the west side Katie Freeway.
We're coming in from Katie Mills Mall.

Speaker 4 (01:37:54):
That makes sense.

Speaker 5 (01:37:56):
Looking at twenty seven minutes into the President's heads, we
look good. Looks parked away all the way in big shots.

Speaker 4 (01:38:02):
You look good all the way to the Southwest Freeway.

Speaker 5 (01:38:05):
Southwest Freeway up from great Wood looks nice. Let's go
across the bridge here, Brass River. Look at you, Richmond
and Rosenberg, all lit up with your pretty Christmas lights.
And we are twenty two minutes now from the River
up into downtown.

Speaker 4 (01:38:18):
So this site's checking out nicely. Two ninety.

Speaker 5 (01:38:20):
If you had a grand march at your wedding, you're
rocking along now Graham Parkway to the West Sloop. Normally
Lance fer Magnolia is on two forty nine.

Speaker 37 (01:38:27):
Thanks goot, Mike.

Speaker 5 (01:38:29):
I'm kind of scared, dude, I'm having to get on
the Beltway instead of the Forgotten Freeway.

Speaker 25 (01:38:33):
There's like bad drivers out here, you know.

Speaker 5 (01:38:36):
Two forty nine I would say probably has the highest
education level of any of our drivers. And East Sex
rocking along all the way from the sticks.

Speaker 4 (01:38:44):
Uber Mike gave us a good report a.

Speaker 5 (01:38:46):
Moment ago and that's it is on on my Facebook page, Bob,
I've tagged you Allison from League City Descents. I'm Uber
Mike and I believe Hazardous Mixed from Cleveland too.

Speaker 4 (01:38:57):
Thanks for all your calls.

Speaker 5 (01:38:58):
Generator Super Centered com Traffic Center Michael talking like you.

Speaker 3 (01:39:03):
Sorry, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to go festivus
on y'all.

Speaker 4 (01:39:07):
I'm gonna You're gonna have some.

Speaker 3 (01:39:10):
We're gonna air some grievances with all of these dieard people.
We're going to have feats of strength.

Speaker 4 (01:39:16):
Yeah, it's it's common from telling Yes, yes, Terry, all right,
Terry Smith. Terry Smith, are you a diehard fan?

Speaker 19 (01:39:28):
I wouldn't describe myself as a fan. I have seen it, okay,
are you?

Speaker 4 (01:39:33):
Are you?

Speaker 3 (01:39:33):
Are you familiar enough to have formed an opinion as
to whether or not it is a Christmas movie or
if it's a movie of terrorism and violence that just
happened to take place at Christmas?

Speaker 25 (01:39:43):
Uh?

Speaker 19 (01:39:44):
To me, it's a action movie that takes place at Christmas.

Speaker 4 (01:39:48):
But Harry Smith for the win. Christmas done? Yes, Terry,
I love you. I love you. I've always loved you,
but I love you. Even more.

Speaker 3 (01:39:57):
Now you are reasonable, sensible or something well done?

Speaker 4 (01:40:01):
Love it? Okay, well, thank you, I appreciate that. Massive
applause for Terry Smith.

Speaker 19 (01:40:06):
Woo all right, well, massive applause for our weather. What
a gorgeous day today and a comfortable afternoon. No rain today,
load of mid seventies. We're in the seventies the rest
of the week, folks. So it's a warm week of
weather around here. But we have some rain starting tomorrow,
a sixty percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Little front

(01:40:29):
kind of tries to make its way into southeast Texas,
doesn't get here, but we've got rain. Christmas Day only
a twenty percent chance of rain, and then a fifty
percent chance of showers and storms Thursday and Friday.

Speaker 4 (01:40:41):
All right, Terry, thank you. By the way, here's that
massive applause.

Speaker 3 (01:40:45):
You deserve all very bittermit an action movie that takes
place at Christmas time, Well said Terry Smith. Fifty six
degrees right now at your official severe weather station, News
Radio seven forty ktr H.

Speaker 2 (01:40:58):
It's Houston's Morning News to you by New South Windows Solutions.
Now back to Jimmy Barrett's and the Houston Morning News team.

Speaker 4 (01:41:06):
All the info you need to take on the day, and.

Speaker 3 (01:41:10):
We do continue about France in for Jimmy Barrett coming
up here in just a couple after we check trafficking.

Speaker 4 (01:41:15):
Whether we're going to talk about those.

Speaker 3 (01:41:16):
High speed rails bill there's a bill proposed for the
eighty ninth legislative session. Been talking about it for years,
It's never happened. Some say it'll create jobs, benefit commuters,
and build economic wealth. Others say it's going to cost
too much. What do you think We're going to talk
about it with Bill Milton Miller, a political consultant after
we do the morning drift, sky Mike.

Speaker 4 (01:41:35):
That means it's back on you. All right.

Speaker 5 (01:41:37):
I'm going to be short for Bill Miller so he
could talk more. We've got on the north side, just
a little bit of a smash here. We were supposed
to have that roadwork at Aldane Westfield done by last week.
They hate these things take time. We're missing two left lines.
Look out for that text talk wall of death, Bill Miller.
I'm Skymike and the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:41:55):
All right, thank you very much, sky Mike.

Speaker 3 (01:41:58):
Forecast today before I have about seventy two mostly cloudy
overnight Tonight, cloudy with the low sixty four Christmas Eve,
about a sixty percent chances of some afternoon showers Tomorrow.
Hiw's going to be in the mid fifties, is going
to stay warm on Christmas Day. They didn't mean to
say mid fifties, mid seventies, around seventy five. That's where
the fifty came from. I saw five.

Speaker 4 (01:42:19):
Christmas Day.

Speaker 3 (01:42:21):
Sunshine most of the day, about of twenty percent chants
of rain early high will be in the lower seventies
on Thursday and Friday back into the mid to upper seventies,
and you are going to see some rain scattered showers
Thursday morning, becoming more widespread showers in the afternoon, a
little bit more Friday morning before it starts to clear
out on Friday afternoon.

Speaker 4 (01:42:39):
And right now we're counting.

Speaker 3 (01:42:41):
Fifty six degrees at your official severe weather station, News
Radio seven forty KTIH.

Speaker 6 (01:42:46):
And let's check the headlines now with cliffs on it.
And we are brought to you by the Brian Museum.
Call him the Commuter in Chief, Joe Biden commute sentences
for thirty seven federal death brow in mates. A Houston
woman is arrested accused of locking a seven year old
in a dog cage tied up for hours. And Bob,
I know you'll remember this, and you won't remember it fondly.

Speaker 4 (01:43:07):
Today.

Speaker 6 (01:43:08):
On this day in nineteen seventy two, Steelers legend Frank
o'haris scored on the Immaculate Reception. Get the latest news
anytime at KTRH dot com. Our next update is at
seven thirty checking in.

Speaker 15 (01:43:19):
I'm m money.

Speaker 4 (01:43:21):
Why don't you call more?

Speaker 2 (01:43:22):
We all avoid it, but you'll better understand the world
around you if you check in with US News Radio seven.

Speaker 3 (01:43:29):
KTRH widely considered still the greatest play in NFL history.
I saw one of the thirty for thirty years or
NFL on one of these top one hundred plays in
NFL history type things on the NFL channel or whatever,
and yeah, NFL network, and yeah they said that was
the number one play.

Speaker 4 (01:43:45):
How about it?

Speaker 3 (01:43:46):
Okay, let's talk about high speed rails. House Bill for
eighty three and a Companion Center Bill four twenty four
both relate to a high speed rail system along the
I thirty five Quarridor between San Antonio and Dallas Fort Worth.
Many have said, you know, I've been talking about for
a very long time and say that it's going to
ease transportation woes a little bit. It's going to create

(01:44:07):
jobs and build economic wealth. So why hasn't it gotten done?
What's the hold up? We'll get done this time. Bill
Miller joins this political consultant Bill. Good morning, Mary Christmas.

Speaker 39 (01:44:16):
How are you great? Thank Merry Christmas to you.

Speaker 4 (01:44:20):
Good to have you.

Speaker 3 (01:44:21):
So Texas rail Advocate supports this bill. They say it's
going to you know, relieve some of the congestion A
long I thirty five. There's all kinds of great reasons
from what I'm reading to do this. Why isn't it done?

Speaker 39 (01:44:34):
Well, there are several reasons. When it first was proposed,
and this is way back when, because it's been around
a long time. The airlines, principally and Southwest was opposed
to it because it would interfere with, you know, their
passenger travel and it would take business away from that.
As it dragged on, and it has dragged on for

(01:44:54):
literally years and years and years, it became something that
just was a great idea that never took form. The
opposition from property owners along the line. The costs have grown,
it's just a concept that's always sounds and looks good
on paper, but in reality just never takes form and
shape and it never gets the boats to get there.

Speaker 3 (01:45:17):
Is that going to change now? I mean, what's the
latest on this? I'm looking at I'm getting dizzy with
all of the numbered bills that I see here here
sb's nine seventy seven, hih each DR fifty eight. I mean,
there's a HB six sixty three. Like you said, it's
been coming and it's been playing, it's been talked about.
It never seems to go anywhere. Is this going to

(01:45:37):
be any different this time around?

Speaker 39 (01:45:40):
I would predict not the you know, the legislature in
a short time that's in session five months. Yeah, they filed.
Thousands of bills get filed, and you know, people that
are proponents of it file bills to say let's give
it a shot, and they argue about it.

Speaker 4 (01:45:55):
But it just really.

Speaker 39 (01:45:58):
Repeating myself, but it just gets out of the gate.
There isn't wide spread support for it. It's going to
be super costly, okay, but what else is new? Everything
costs a lot. But if you're going to take money
and do this, it's going to serve a line or
through the state and there this is the huge state,
and there are lots of people that have projects in
their neighborhood that's not in the middle of the state

(01:46:20):
that would like to have that money for other things.
So they're going to vote against it. They're not going
to support it. It doesn't even get to a vote,
it does. It never even reaches that point.

Speaker 3 (01:46:30):
I've been looking at some of the responses here in
the Texan from the DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency
created by President Trump's gonna be hited up by Elon
Muskin vivik Ramswamy, and they don't address this particular Texas
high Speed Rail, but they do point out quote unquote
wasteful spending on a California high speed rail route that
had received six point eight billion dollars in federal money

(01:46:52):
but has yet to carry a single passenger. So if
DOZE as opposed to the California one, odds are pretty
good there's going to be not much support from it
for it from the Federals, from the FEDS for Texas
as well well.

Speaker 39 (01:47:04):
And you look around at some of the local communities.
I live in Austin, and you know, the rail here
is it's not widely used. It's widely heralded, but it's
not widely used. And until you show something that really
has ridership and value, it's never.

Speaker 27 (01:47:21):
Going to happen.

Speaker 4 (01:47:22):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:47:22):
Ridership is the key. If there's a big demand for it,
there might be some sense in it. But if there's
not much of a demand and not that many riders,
then what's the point. Bill Miller, political consultant talking about
high speed rails? Will they go through in the eighty
nine legislative session?

Speaker 4 (01:47:36):
Likely not. Bill. Thank you for the time. We appreciate it.
Have a wonderful holiday. Thank you, you got it. It
is seven twenty seven.

Speaker 3 (01:47:42):
Now let's check once again in on the markets and
see what we're looking at during Christmas week and Bloomberg
Business Report with Jeff Bellinger.

Speaker 20 (01:47:49):
Hey Jeff, good morning Bob. Probably quiet week ahead right now.
The futures are mixed. S and P futures or up
four points, NASDAC futures or up ninety four. The doll futures, though,
are the laggards. They are down one hundred eleven points.
I'm Jeff Belinger, Bloomberg Business on News Radio seven forty
k t rh.

Speaker 4 (01:48:11):
A Houston's News.

Speaker 1 (01:48:14):
Why there are traffic plus breaking news twenty four to seven.
This is News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 21 (01:48:20):
Five Everywhere with the IRP.

Speaker 2 (01:48:23):
More of what's happening now from the John Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 3 (01:48:28):
It was yet another violent weekend across Houston, and you
won't believe how the Biden administration is trying to spin
the border crisis. Now, good morning, Bob Frans and for
Jimmy Barrett. Cliff Saunders has the details on those stories
and more coming up.

Speaker 5 (01:48:40):
But first, guy, Mike, let's do some go freeway coming
up from Galveston and over the causeway.

Speaker 4 (01:48:46):
We're rocking along nicely. Of course, you got the roadwork
to deal with.

Speaker 5 (01:48:49):
From Tiki all the way to Bucke's both ways, little
skinny lanes and the text wall League City ups an
easy thirty one minute right two eighty eight.

Speaker 4 (01:48:57):
You're you're looking good.

Speaker 5 (01:48:59):
From Lake Jackson all the way up to Angleton, past
the Stephen F. Austin Statue twenty two minutes now from
Iowa Colony up into downtown.

Speaker 4 (01:49:07):
Even Santa can't afford those tall lanes.

Speaker 5 (01:49:09):
Bob, I'm skylike on the classic Buick GMC Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:49:13):
All right, thank you sir. I'm mostly cloudy today, going
to be in the low seventies. Christmas Eve Tuesday could
be wet, about a sixty percent chance and some showers
in the afternoon.

Speaker 4 (01:49:22):
Highs in the mid seventies.

Speaker 3 (01:49:23):
Christmas Day rain showers, early, sunny later in the day,
high in the low seventies. The rest of the week's
forecast coming your way with Terry Smith at seven forty
right now fifty six degrees at your official severe weather station,
News Radio seven forty kt RH. And now it's time
for the morning news.

Speaker 6 (01:49:39):
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Bob, seven thirty two on kt RANGE.
In our top story, one person is dead, three others injured.
Is more violent crime took place over the weekend. Ay's
shooting at an unlicensed bar in North Harris County.

Speaker 22 (01:49:52):
We are working this as a murder investigation. I've got
my personnel or at two different high hospitals interviewing people.

Speaker 4 (01:50:01):
No arrests yet.

Speaker 6 (01:50:02):
This is the second deadly shooting in the area in
two weeks at an unlicensed club. Elsewhere, a woman's in
critical condition after being stabbed several times on a metro bus.
One teenager is dead, another critical after a drug related
shooting on Saturday, and a nineteen year old uto his
own store shot employee, rather was shot and killed him

(01:50:23):
Montgomery County at the store in broad Day Lot. Another
nineteen year old was arrested seven point thirty two now,
and if you believe the federal government's numbers, deportations are
at a ten year high right now. And if you
trust DHS Secretary Alejandro Majorcis, this has been happening throughout
Joe Biden's term as president.

Speaker 23 (01:50:44):
We've been executing on enforcement at an unprecedented level throughout
this administration.

Speaker 6 (01:50:53):
Majorcis on CBS and Texas Senator Ted Cruz doesn't believe
a word he said, and says you shouldn't either.

Speaker 24 (01:51:00):
They are spinning like crazy that they are trying to
gaslight the American people.

Speaker 6 (01:51:04):
Cruise with ktrh's Mark Levin. Now, outside of illegal aliens,
Texas has added over half a million people in the
last year. But can our power grid handle this population boom?

Speaker 26 (01:51:17):
A lack of power plants has put an already shaky
grid on notice.

Speaker 25 (01:51:21):
The state doesn't have enough to provide any assurance that
in a bad weather incident, and we can guarantee the
delivery of electricity.

Speaker 26 (01:51:29):
UH energy expert at Hers says we would be five
years behind even if we started today, and more power
plants are a fleeting option because demand is so high elsewhere.

Speaker 25 (01:51:38):
So one thing that could save us in five to
ten years would be enough solar plants and batteries. But
that's not going to get us through these cold winter nights.

Speaker 4 (01:51:47):
He says.

Speaker 26 (01:51:47):
Lawmakers are failing to think ahead for the betterment of
the state. Andrey Perard News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 6 (01:51:55):
It's now seven thirty four according to a new report,
Public education in Texas call us taxpayers fifty thousand dollars
a year per student. Considering what you're getting for that money,
maybe the legislature should step.

Speaker 27 (01:52:09):
In school district's local governments. They are agents of the state,
and the Texas legislature has authority and should be using
that authority to make sure that tax dollars are being
used wisely, no matter what school district it is.

Speaker 6 (01:52:19):
Brandon Waltons with Texas Scorecard now DEI we all know
has been banned at Texas universities, but apparently that ban
isn't complete.

Speaker 28 (01:52:29):
And that's because of a loophole. Now used by the left.

Speaker 25 (01:52:33):
Many state universities in Texas practiced something called shared governance
with socculey.

Speaker 28 (01:52:39):
That's investigative reporter Robert Montoya.

Speaker 25 (01:52:42):
What that means is that work professors who are opposed
to the values Texans support and live by, have to
say and how these universities are run. And there's no
clear line of accountability for Sacty members.

Speaker 28 (01:52:54):
Something that State Senator Brandon Creighton wants to examine during
the upcoming legislated session. Jeff Bigs News Radio seven forty
k t rees.

Speaker 6 (01:53:03):
Creighton joins Bomb on Houston's Morning News at seven fifteen.
In Washington, Congress passes a bipartisan spending bill preventing a
government shutdown, but without the debt ceiling increase that Donald
Trump wanted. Kentucky Republican Senator Ran Paul says a debt
ceiling increase needs to come with budget cuts.

Speaker 29 (01:53:22):
We will support raising the debt ceiling, but only if
you reform government.

Speaker 4 (01:53:26):
You have to reform government.

Speaker 6 (01:53:28):
Paul on Fox's Sunday Morning Futures. Fox also reporting that
Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger, who's been a wall from Capitol
Hill since July, is actually living in a retirement facility.
She did not run for reelection coming up on seven
thirty six. If you're heading for the airport, so far,
we don't have many problems at Bush and Hobby Airport.

(01:53:49):
Just a handful of delays and handful of cancelations.

Speaker 21 (01:53:52):
So far.

Speaker 6 (01:53:53):
More than one hundred million Americans will travel this week,
either by plane, car, or train.

Speaker 4 (01:54:00):
Speed train from.

Speaker 6 (01:54:01):
Here to Dallas has been talked about seemingly forever. But
where's the progress.

Speaker 31 (01:54:06):
Well, Amtrak says that there's strong support for the train
in Houston. In Dallas, the rural areas are less receptive.
Political analyst Bill Miller doesn't believe it'll get built, at
least in our lifetime.

Speaker 30 (01:54:17):
There's not enough funding to make it happen, there's not
enough support to make it happen, and they're not enough
political votes to make it happen.

Speaker 31 (01:54:23):
Now, thirty billion dollar project, we'll be looking for federal
funding with the new Trump administration. However, the incoming Department
of Government Efficiency has already criticized California's high speed rail
that has received billions of dollars in federal money but
has not carried a single passenger. Eric Sharp News Radio
seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 6 (01:54:41):
New data says that NRG Park needs two billion dollars
worth of repairs, with some of that maintenance being way overdue.

Speaker 32 (01:54:49):
The question becomes, how did we get to this two
billion dollar number? I mean it's overdue maintenance and repairs.
I mean why is it overdue?

Speaker 4 (01:54:56):
Why have we waited this long?

Speaker 32 (01:54:58):
And that bill is a cumul to two billion dollars
And then the second question is who's gonna pay for it?

Speaker 6 (01:55:04):
Former Harris County gpachare Garard Woodfield says county leadership is
a quote disaster and will likely call on you to
bail them mount. Finally, Texas beats Clemson in the college
football playoffs on Saturday, thirty eight to twenty four. Up
next is Arizona State at the Peach Bowl on New
Year's Day. And I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's news, weather

(01:55:24):
and traffic station News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 4 (01:55:28):
I live in their park, I live in the Woodlands.

Speaker 2 (01:55:30):
Your reliable forecast next on the ten on seven forty
k t RH.

Speaker 4 (01:55:37):
All right, it is seven thirty seven.

Speaker 3 (01:55:38):
Now, good morning once again Bob fransitting and for Jimmy
on this Monday morning of Christmas Week. So coming up
in a few we're going to talk with State Senator
Brandon Creighton about governance as part of the expanding DEI
ban on Texas institutions, Texas Universities practice shared governance with
the Wope faculty, We're going to talk about DEI and

(01:56:00):
of that band. And I want to tie that to
yesterday's appearance by President Trump at Turning Points America Fest
in Phoenix. President Trump spoken a wide variety of topics yesterday,
including DEI, which has no place in America.

Speaker 4 (01:56:16):
According to the President elect.

Speaker 7 (01:56:17):
Congress has done a fantastic job on that. They just
put out a report. They call it an interim report.
It's brutal on them, not on me, on them, and
it's terrible what they've done, what they've done to this
country is just absolutely terrible. But we'll end the left's
campaign of racial discrimination and restore equality to our land

(01:56:41):
and all over our land. And you see that happening
so much with the vote and the kind of vote
we got. Nobody ever expected anything like that. And I'll
end all of the Marxist diversity, equity and inclusion policies
across the entire federal government. Media, and at the same time,

(01:57:02):
we will ban these unlawful policies from the We're going
to ban them from the private sector as well. In America,
we believe in the merit system, the merit system, and
now because of the major decision handed down recently by
the Supreme Court, our country has again gone back to

(01:57:25):
the merit system.

Speaker 4 (01:57:26):
That's what made our country great.

Speaker 7 (01:57:28):
And I want to just thank the Supreme Court because
that took a great deal of courage for them to
do that, and some people were surprised by it, but
that's what made us great.

Speaker 21 (01:57:38):
Merit made us great.

Speaker 4 (01:57:40):
There's no question about it.

Speaker 3 (01:57:41):
The merit system is exactly what America first was built
on the entire platform of the Trump campaign and the
Trump first term and that was second term is built
on America first, and that means merit first, no question
about it. So President Trump on the EI and again
we're going to talk about the expanding dei Van among
Texas universities with Senator you can coming up in just
a few Right now, we're sitting at seven forty and

(01:58:03):
that means time for the drive once again, sky Mike,
it's like.

Speaker 4 (01:58:07):
A holiday on most of our freeways. Boy Friends, well,
it is.

Speaker 5 (01:58:09):
It's Christmas Adam North Sam westbound at two forty nine.
That's a big old stall right around tomball Parkway. He's
kind of in a sticky spot because he's in that
exit ramp. So look out as you're coming over from
the Veterans Tall Plaza and then the North Sam.

Speaker 4 (01:58:23):
We still have that roadwork.

Speaker 5 (01:58:25):
It's kind of a squish eastbound at Imperial Valley, it's
a left line for roadwork, and then a bit of
a smush a little more than a smush at Aldane
Westfield that is now just a full hubub two left
lines blocked here.

Speaker 4 (01:58:36):
The text top wall of death is still in it.

Speaker 5 (01:58:39):
Downtown a little bit of habidashary southbound on your east
text elevated right around the ballpark down to the Big
George Golf Freeway. A kind of a crush up now
right after you of h on the northbound. You lose
about two lanes here, and boy, you're doing a great
job of not running into each other on your freeways.
We'll check the south side by the way Terry Sand

(01:59:00):
to show up on your mega doppler, because I can't
get him on my p with Peel's pocket radar hopefully
you'll be watching that tomorrow night.

Speaker 4 (01:59:05):
I'm in the Classic bu at TMC traffic Center. Isn't
that a hat shop? A haberdashery.

Speaker 3 (01:59:13):
I don't know why, but I feel like it's a
I feel like it's a hat shop, like a men's
like a men's hat shop.

Speaker 1 (01:59:19):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:59:20):
I just say he said there's a habitashery out there
on the highway someplace, and I'm just trying to figure.

Speaker 4 (01:59:24):
Well, it's not full hubus tanker. We have a home
filosphy around here somewhere. Sorry, I like it.

Speaker 3 (01:59:30):
Terry Smith my favorite person ever because she knows that
Diehart is not a Christmas movie? Terry, what do we
have for are not Diehard Christmas movie? Christmas Week?

Speaker 19 (01:59:39):
It does not feel like Christmas around here. It is
warm for December. It's muggy as well. We're dealing with
some rain most of the week, but not today today.

Speaker 4 (01:59:48):
Just blue skies.

Speaker 19 (01:59:50):
Temperatures in the load to mid seventies this afternoon. That's
about five to ten degrees warmer than it would normally
be in late December. Sixty percent to us some showers
and thunderstorms tomorrow and a twenty percent chance of rain
on Christmas Day, Thursday and Friday. We have a fifty
percent chance of more showers and storms. We're going to
stay in the seventies all week long, folks, So just

(02:00:12):
grab the alla and be ready for some warm weather
this week.

Speaker 3 (02:00:17):
All right, Terry, we will be thank you so much.
Right now, we have fifty seven degrees at your official
Severy weather station. Here's Radio seven forty.

Speaker 4 (02:00:24):
KTRH what you need to know for the day ahead.

Speaker 2 (02:00:28):
This is Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New
South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 4 (02:00:34):
Okay, it is seven forty eight.

Speaker 3 (02:00:36):
Coming up in a couple again, we're going to check
in with Brandon Creighton, state Senator about DEI in the
state of Texas. But first things first, another email to
Bob at Strictly Speaking dot org on the die Hard debate.

Speaker 4 (02:00:50):
Cliff Saunders started this whole thing.

Speaker 3 (02:00:51):
Thank you, by the way to sky Mike for chiming
in on it and getting smart people like Terry Smith
who weigh in as well. So I got one from
Allan who wants to challenge me on this, he says, quote,
Christmas is not a feel good fairy tale just for children. Yes,
it is, except for the Jesus part, that's not fairytale,

(02:01:13):
that's real part. But the Santa part is very much
just that. It's about a man that intervened against unfathomable
evil during unbearable I'm sorry, through unbearable pain and unimaginable
obstacles to save humanity from evil and certain death. He
stepped up to a challenge he did not ask for
or have to accept, provide a safeway home for those

(02:01:34):
captured by circumstance, stop demonic perpetrators, and permanently defeated the
evil one in the end that my friend describes John McLain,
not George Bailey from allan allan interesting narrative. I will
take it, and I will consider it, and then I
will ultimately reject it because once again, all of those

(02:01:55):
things are true, and they just happened to occur at
Christmas time. Are not because of Christmas, nor were they
about Christmas. They just happened to be at Christmas time.
So keep up the good fight. I appreciate it, I
love the banter. I welcome more emails, But Diehard is not,
and never was, a Christmas movie. Send your emails to
me Bob at Strictly Speaking dot org. And we'll see

(02:02:18):
if we have time for any more of those. Right now, though,
we got to make time for sky Mike, because he's
gonna make time for Brandon Creyton, Senator Brandon Creighton about
DEI in Texas University.

Speaker 4 (02:02:26):
So I'm not gonna be sure. Let's look at your
north Sam. We still have that roadwork.

Speaker 5 (02:02:30):
It's not quite a silent night yet on the freeways
westbound roadwork Caldan Westfield.

Speaker 4 (02:02:35):
That's about an eight minute smash going that way.

Speaker 5 (02:02:37):
I'm Skymike on the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (02:02:41):
All right, thanks sir.

Speaker 3 (02:02:42):
Cloudy today, High's in the low seventies. Tomorrow, sixty percent
chance of afternoon showers. High near seventy five. Christmas Day Wednesday,
some rain showers, possible early sunshine later in the day,
high of seventy three. Scattered storms on Thursday morning and afternoon,
and then a little bit more rain on Friday before
it clears. Highs will be in the mid seventies both days.
Right now fifty seven at your official severe weather Station's

(02:03:06):
radio seven forty KTRH. We'll hit the headlines now with
Cliff Sanders.

Speaker 1 (02:03:09):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (02:03:10):
We're brought to you by dn M Auto Leasing.

Speaker 6 (02:03:12):
Matt Gate says he could run for Marco Rubio's seat
in the Senate. So far, so good at the airports
this morning, and a seven year old boy is recovering
from heart surgery after a drone at a Florida Harlday
light show fell from the sky and hit him in
the chest. At the latest News anytime at KTRH dot com.
Our next update is at eight o'clock.

Speaker 4 (02:03:35):
I live in Katie, I live in Ito.

Speaker 2 (02:03:37):
Your reliable forecast next on the ten on seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 3 (02:03:42):
All right, let's talk a little bit about this now,
as we've been promising about DEI in Texas universities. It
is banned, But is it is that band being upheld?
Lawmakers are examining this. Senate Bill seventeen is the official name,
prohibits universities from establishing DEI offices, using DEI criteria in
their high hiring practices, or requiring employees or prospective employees

(02:04:03):
to attend DEI training. State Senator Brandon Creighton joining us
now in Houston's morning News. Senator, good morning, how are you.

Speaker 4 (02:04:09):
Sir, Good morning, doing well? Thanks for having me on.
Good to have you. Thank you very much.

Speaker 3 (02:04:15):
So this is the official name of the DEI ban
or you know, the Center Bill seventeen, I should say,
is that. But can you talk to us about governance exactly.
How is the state wide ban on DEI in higher
education being governed?

Speaker 40 (02:04:33):
Well, we've been tracking through our interim hearings on the
Senate Education Committee the concept of shared governance and just
you know how much influence these faculty Senate Governance committees
have on curriculum and DEI and posts within that curriculum
and also just the other workings of the universities across

(02:04:55):
each campus and shared governance, and these faculty Senate Governance
committees have incredible influence in this respect.

Speaker 4 (02:05:04):
So under the bill, we're making sure that.

Speaker 40 (02:05:06):
Universities continued to comply, but we're also looking at as
members of the legislature, we're looking at expanding these provisions
in the coming session.

Speaker 3 (02:05:17):
Senator, According to the article in the Texas Scorecard, the
DEI band does not apply to academic instruction, so that
means the students are somehow still subjected to this.

Speaker 4 (02:05:28):
Can you explain that.

Speaker 40 (02:05:31):
Well, we started out with hiring practices, right, We looked
very closely at how each and every university in the
state of Texas essentially had a neon sign above every
HR department that said, you know, if you do not
plan to sign a leftist political oath before your first interview,

(02:05:54):
you need not apply. And we address that during the
session with Insidnutt Bill seventeen. Also, much of the mandatory
pronoun training and some other just sort of woke in
doctrination related strategies within the DEI units that have been
weaponized against even other vulnerable minority populations on campus.

Speaker 4 (02:06:16):
And we address that. But we've got more work to do.

Speaker 3 (02:06:20):
Yeah, it sounds like Senator there is a lot more
work to do again, quoting the article deis in multiple
state university strategic plans. In investigations throughout twenty twenty four,
they found Texas scorecard. Did they founded in university classes
at Texas A and M and at Texas Tech. So
you know we're talking funding, right, That's the only way
that you can get these universities to comply is to

(02:06:42):
threaten them with funding.

Speaker 40 (02:06:44):
Yes, and tenured professors, you know, under the guise of
what they call academic freedom, they have an incredible latitude
of what they infused within a current curriculum for certain agendas.
That is very separate from making sure that the universities
are focused on education and innovation and preparing our future workforce.

(02:07:08):
So we're going to continue to stay on this as
we do with each and every legislative session. We make
progress and continue to take steps the best way we
can to make sure that we do not have the
death of common sense in Texas like we've seen in Washington,
d C. For years, and we're going to continue this

(02:07:30):
effort on the DEI platform.

Speaker 3 (02:07:34):
Well, I'm glad to know that, and I'm sure every
parent of every student in Texas is glad to know
that too, because this needs to be about merit when
it comes to hiring, when it comes to professors, when
it comes to faculty and staff, and of course the
way these kids are taught success is not about DEI.
It's going to have to be about merit. So we're
glad you're doing it. State Senator Brandon Creighton joining us
this morning. Senator, thank you for the time. We appreciate

(02:07:55):
your good work on this and a very merry Christmas
to you, sir.

Speaker 40 (02:07:58):
Thank you Merry Christmas, and we'll talk to you soon
about the session that's coming up.

Speaker 4 (02:08:03):
We will look forward to it. Thank you. That's going
to do it for us.

Speaker 3 (02:08:06):
Now to seven fifty six Pop France sitting in for
Jimmy Barrow once again. I'll be in the rest of
the week as well, save for Wednesday of course on
Christmas Day, so we will see you tomorrow morning. Be well,
be safe, stay free, see you tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (02:08:17):
Bye bye