Several Shootings On Christmas Night, Including Man Who Shot 3 Would-Be Kid Robbers

Bob Frantz takes you through the stories that matter the most on the morning of 12/26/24.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is used radio seven kt RH Houston.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Drive everywhere with now the latest news, weather and traffic.
It's more of what matters to you from the John
Morris Services studios.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Several shootings on Christmas Night, including a man who shot
three would be robbers, all of whom were kids. And
you won't believe who Donald Trump is pushing to be
the next prime minister or governor of Canada. Good morning,
Bob Frans and for Jimmy Barrett. This is your five
o'clock report on news radio seven forty ktr H. Cliff
Saunders has the news after we check out the drive
sky Mike. All right, We're gonna check in with Mike

(00:47):
in a bit and see what the early early look
at the drive looks like. I can tell you about
the weather though, thunderstorms today, high of seventy two, partly
cloudy and foggy, Tonight down to about fifty six. Friday,
more fog, more clouds, and a slight chance of a
high of seventy three. What about the weekend. We'll find
out when Terror Smith joins us at five to ten.
Right now, we have and it seems to be frozen

(01:08):
on me, so I don't know exactly how many degrees
we have, but I'll find out for you and tell
you next time. Right now, it's about sixty four, Bob,
Thank you, sir. My screen froze on me, which means
it's not freezing, but you understand. Yes. Cliff Saunders has
the news for us.

Speaker 4 (01:22):
Good morning, Cliff, Good morning Bob, and Marry day after
Christmas everyone. Our top story at five oh one is
violent crime which did not take Christmas Day or night off.
Aris County deputies this morning are investigating after a man
shot three would be robbers at an apartment complex late
last night. The robbers all between twelve and fourteen years old.

(01:44):
We're still working to get more details on that. One
person is hospitalized after a shooting at a bus stop
on the northeast side. A northeast Harris County man was
shot while taking out his garbage yesterday. His condition is unknown.
We also don't know what le to that shooting, and
Pasadena police are searching for two suspects after a man

(02:05):
was found dead in a car on Christmas Eve with
multiple gunshot wounds. This morning, we're also learning more about
the man who made a fake threat against Lakewood Church
on Christmas eve involving Saren Gas that man has identified
as Aaron SUPs called.

Speaker 5 (02:20):
Dispatch nine on one, stating that Hilm and his sister
were being micro waved from overseas whatever that means, so
obviously having some mental issues.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
Bond has said at twenty five thousand dollars five oh
two on KTRH. President elect Donald Trump making waves on Christmas,
posting on social media that he's encouraged hockey greats Wayne
Gretzky to run for Prime Minister, or rather governor of Canada,
as Justin Trudeau faces pressure to step down.

Speaker 6 (02:52):
More Canadian zoo Donald Trump favorably than they do Justin
Trudeau and I really do think that COVID was the
beginning of the.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
For him, that is Fox's Tommy Larran. Trump added that
Gretzky isn't interested, but that a quote draft winge Gretzky
movement would be fun to watch. The President elect also
talked about the thirty seven Federal Death Row inmates that
had their sentences commuted by Joe Biden this week, saying, quote,
I refuse to wish to marry Christmas to those lucky souls,

(03:22):
but instead we'll say go to Hell.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
As for the.

Speaker 4 (03:25):
City, President Joe Biden Well, he signed about fifty bills
into law on Christmas Eve, including one that named the
bald Eagle as the US national bird. Coming up on
five to ZHO four, the Wall Street Journal reports that
Russian air defenses are responsible for the airplane crash in
Kazakhstan that killed at least thirty eight people on Christmas Day.

(03:47):
The plane was over an area where Moscow's air defense
systems had encountered Ukrainian drones earlier this month. The Russians
also apparently carried out a Christmas Day attack on Ukraine's infrastructure.

Speaker 7 (03:59):
Russian force has launched a barrage of missilin drones to
attack a thermal power plant in Ukraine, forcing thousands to
take shelter in metro stations. Many Ukrainian households are without
power after energy providers imposed rolling blackouts across the country.
It's the thirteenth time this year Russia has carried out
major attacks on Ukraine's power grid.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
Fox's Chanley Painter, and here at home. If you believe
the census, our population grew by one percent this year.
That amounts to about three million people. Eighty four percent
of that growth comes from immigration, legal and illegal. So
how will President elect Trump impact that?

Speaker 8 (04:36):
Certainly, if you shut down any new immigrants coming into
the country, and if you deported you know, millions year,
it's a significant population decline in the United States.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
Rice Is Bill King also told us that we need
to take the numbers with a grain of salt because
the census numbers have been low before. Elsewhere at the border,
the cartels are now turning to social media to recruit
drivers American drivers to come and smuggle illegal aliens.

Speaker 9 (05:04):
This is just a sign of how well cartels have
been able to adapt over the last four years.

Speaker 10 (05:09):
That's why we've seen so many different backgrounds, demographics, and
people even out of state that are coming down to
the border to smuggle illegal immigrants.

Speaker 9 (05:16):
That's DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivar is. He says people need
to look out for and not be fooled by these ads.

Speaker 10 (05:21):
But what they say is, you know, drivers want it.
They'll say how much, but they won't actually come out
and say that we want to hire drivers to smuggle people.
So they're very strategic and how they do it.

Speaker 9 (05:31):
Olivar says, this is a consistent problem that we'll see
as long as we allow these cartels to infiltrate social media.
Ethan Buchanan News Radio seven forty KRH.

Speaker 4 (05:39):
Thank you, Ethan. It is now five oh six on KTRH.
It's early, but we've got about two dozen flights already
between Bush and Hobby that have been delayed today, and
the number is over two hundred and fifty nationwide. We'll
probably have more delays with storms coming in later this morning.
More with Terry Smith at the Weather Channel in a
few minutes on Houston's Morning News. If you've got to

(06:01):
go into work today, you've probably seen this unhappy people
not engaged at the job. They'd call it the Great
detachment and workplace culture expert Joshua m Evans says that
it's part of the problem that people forget how important
their work is to their colleagues.

Speaker 11 (06:18):
But we rarely take the time to explain what them
doing a great job means to everyone that depends on it,
and that's one of the easiest things to forget.

Speaker 4 (06:26):
According to the numbers, only eighteen percent of employees say
they're satisfied in their jobs. Fifty one percent are struggling
to find a new gig, the highest rate since twenty fifteen,
and this isn't going to help. Gen Z is old
enough to be your boss. But the latest research shows
they think showing up to work ten minutes late is
just as good as being on time.

Speaker 12 (06:47):
We're letting them graduate basically with a major in vegan
arts and a minor and Taylor Swift at this point,
and we're paying off all their loans after that's done.
I mean, this generation is expecting to get their dream job.
They want to free options in the cafeteria. They want
to sit on yoga balls.

Speaker 13 (07:02):
While they were That's comedian Ali Breen right there.

Speaker 4 (07:05):
Five oh seven, The Texans deliver a lump of coal
on Christmas to the tune of a thirty one to
two loss at NRG Stadium. Coach Demiko Ryan says, you
can blame him for what happened.

Speaker 14 (07:15):
Of course, the game didn't go how we wanted to go.
We didn't play our best ball and all the best
stars with me. It was just a very lack of execution.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
The Texans are down nine and seven and finish up
the regular season next Sunday at Tennessee, and the Rockets
visit the Pelicans. Tonight pregame is at six on Sports
Talk seven to ninety. I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's news, weather,
and traffic station News Radio seven forty KGRH.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Be Informed, Be on Time.

Speaker 15 (07:44):
Houston's morning News continues with Jimmy Arrett.

Speaker 3 (07:48):
You know what it might be, it's those gen zers
who believe that showing up ten minutes late means they
were on time. Is they feel like, honestly, they're bitter
that they have to come to work at all because
so many people, including gen Zers and especially gen Zers,
are all addicted to this work from home thing, you know,
you know, telecommuting or whatever you want to call it.

(08:11):
Everybody get used to doing zoom meetings and zoom work
and everything can be just nailed in. They're probably like,
why do I have to go in anyway? And if
I do, I'll go in on my time. I know
it sounds crazy and it's not. We sound like old
heads when we do this, as they And by the way,
good morning, Bob Ranson for Jimmy Barrett. If you just
tune in eight minutes after five, I hope you had
a wonderful and for Christmas yesterday and or are celebrating

(08:33):
a happy honka. But to the point here in that
news story, the cliff just did gen Zers believe that
showing up ten minutes late to work is being on time,
and baby boom er bosses are not having it at all,
and they're trying to, you know, change that culture. But
I do. I feel like there is a belief in

(08:54):
the youngest generation, and I don't want to trash them,
because they did an amazing job. By the way, on
election Day, I thought the youngest generation was going to
go fully for the Left because it's what they do,
because they become indoctrinated when they're in college, even in
high school. They turn eighteen and they start voting that way.
So I don't want to trash them. But when it
comes to this work ethic thing, showing up for work,

(09:14):
taking jobs that actually require you to be on the premises,
they don't take it seriously. They don't feel like they
should have to. They feel like they're being caught in
the matrix, as it's sometimes known, when they have to
do traditional eight to four or nine to five working
hours and actually have to be there on time. But
the youngest generation, these gen zers, just don't understand it

(09:38):
because they haven't been forced to deal with the consequences.
This story we're gonna talk more about in a bit,
But this story about the baby boom or bosses telling
them this is not going to work anymore. It's going
to lead to a whole bunch of people finding out
the hard way. Show up on time or don't show
up at all, you're fired. Imagine that. Sometimes old school
we sound like old heads. Like I said, we're complaining

(09:59):
about out to the youngsters and not doing things the
way we did them. Well, there's a reason we did
them the way we did, because all it did was
lead to the greatest culture of business and work and
employment and growth and capitalism and so forth in world
civilization history. So there's a reason for it. So we're
gonna hit it. Hit that story a little bit more,
along with a whole lot of great interesting Christmas stories.

(10:21):
Rand Paul's Festivus spending report. He's got a lot of
problems with you people. We talked about that prior to
Christmas Day. We're gonna get in more depth now that
we have the full report from Rand Paul. A little
bit today. Christmas maybe over, but festiv Us is still here,
all right. Five ten, Now, let's check in with Sky
Mike and see where we're headed this morning. Sky Mike
on the job, Ay Mike, or maybe not? Maybe if

(10:49):
other people are hearing Mike, that's the problem. And I'm
not talk to me, Marko. Can we hear Mike?

Speaker 16 (10:55):
Well, Mike's not in today. It's jumping Joe.

Speaker 3 (10:59):
Who's out? Okay, Yeah, I'm not hearing anybody actually, so Terry,
thank you, I do hear you. So we can skip
right ahead to go to Smith.

Speaker 16 (11:09):
Well, hopefully jumpin. Joe doesn't have much to report to
us just yet, but I'm sure we're going to be
hearing from him shortly. If you are out on the
roads this morning, it's nice and quiet at the moment.
But Bob, I'm watching another coal front that's heading our way,
and that's going to be in another rainy day today
and the potential for strong to even severe storms. So

(11:30):
we're going to be watching this closely. I'm going to
say it's a one hundred percent chance that our listeners
are going to see some rain at some point today.
I think the bulk of the showers and storms will
be later on this morning and into the afternoon and
evening hours. And here's the thing. There is a risk
of severe thunder storms not going to be widespread, but

(11:51):
some of those storms may be capable of producing some
damaging win some hail, very slight risk of tornadoes as well,
So do stay weather aware today, especial in the afternoon temperatures.

Speaker 13 (12:02):
It's warm in the seventies again.

Speaker 16 (12:04):
Fifty percent chance of thunder showers this evening, will dry
out tomorrow, less rain, a little more sunshine, A twenty
percent chance of a shower, and that's it. A thirty
percent chance of rain on Saturday and then Sunday and Monday,
all the rain is gone and we're sunny and dry.
To wrap up our holiday weekend and start the next
work week.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
Alrighty, Terry Smith, thank you so much. Right now, we
have sixty five degrees at your official severe weather station.
News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 15 (12:32):
It's Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New South
Windows Solutions. Now back to Jimmy Barrett and the Houston
Morning News team all the info you need to take
on the day.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
All right, it is now five point seventeen. Good morning
to you. Thank you for being with us on Houston's
Morning News. Pop Friends sitting in for Jimmy so Christmas
is over. It's in the books already. Hopefully you had
a wonderful day yesterday. Really interesting piece on the Blaze
about Christmas. Christmas debunking the pagan origin myth once and

(13:05):
for all, the truth about Christmas. I found this a
fascinating read. I'm going to share this on my social
media if you're interested in following me there see you
can see these kinds of things as well. I've got
a web page it's called Strictly Speaking dot org, and
you can follow me and find me on social media
Strictly Speaking with Bob Franz. You'll find me on Facebook,
on Instagram, on truth Social and on x Twitter X

(13:26):
as well, and this will be one of the stories.
Christmas is a much beloved holiday, celebrated billions across the globe.
In the US alone, nearly ninety six percent of the
population celebrates Christmas, including eight out of ten non Christians
like atheists, agnostics, and those who have no faith commitment
at all. But it is a uniquely Christian holiday, and
the core message is about a personal God taking humanity

(13:48):
upon himself and stepping into the world to redeem sinful
human beings who could never redeem themselves. That's the Christian
message and it is inescapable. The Blaze, writing about this says,
two of the most popular pagan holidays put forth are
the celebration, well, let me rephrase Christmas. The love of

(14:09):
Christmas is sometimes coupled with the loathing of Christianity. It's
one of the reasons why atheists continue to repeat the
claim that Christmas is repurposing a pagan Roman holiday. Two
of those most popular pagan holidays put forth the Celebration
of Saturnalia, which honored the Roman god Saturn, or these
the Talus of Sole Invictus, which is the birthday of

(14:32):
the unconquerable Sun. These things are celebrated somewhat close to
Christmas in the second half of December, and many use
those to essentially disrupt, if you will, the message of
christian and Christmas, i should say, and Christianity. So there's
a real fascinating history of what Christmas is all about,
Why Christmas and Easter, by the way, are linked, Why

(14:55):
the December twenty fifth date, why it was chosen to
celebrate the birth of Christ. So there's just a fantastic
look here at what really Christmas is all about. So
in this post Christmas Morning or on this post Christmas Morning.
It's a great read. If you're interested in I'll post
it for you on my social media feeds. Again, look
for strictly Speaking with Bob France strictly speaking, and read
up on what Christmas really means. And as noted prior

(15:17):
to the last break, we are going to pivot away
from Christmas to the fictional and fun Festivus. Fun when
it was on Seinfeld not as much fun when we
look at wasteful spending by our federal government, which is
celebrated in ran Paul's Festivus Report each and every year.
It is a really really interesting look. So look at

(15:38):
the real history of Christmas when I post this one
for you, and then we'll talk about the Festivus Report
coming up. Right now, we're sitting at five twenty, so
we're going to check in. I think we've got jump
In Joe Barnett now ready to rock and roll for
us on the morning drive. Jump In Joe, You're ready
to go? He is not. We are still not connected
with Jumping Joe. So we're working on the traffic situation.
Hopefully it won't be very heavy here on the first

(15:58):
day after Christmas. All maybe some people are already taken
the rest of the week, but hopefully it won't be
too bad for it. I can give you the weather
thunderstorms today. High of seventy two, partly cloudy and foggy tonight,
going to drop down to around fifty six for Friday,
more fog and clouds than a slight chance of a shower.
High of seventy three, partial sunshine, warming to about seventy

(16:20):
nine on Saturday, and then more of the same on Sunday,
but back into the mid seventies, around seventy four. Right now,
we'll call it sixty five at your official severe weather station,
News Radio seven forty KTIH. And now we'll ask for
some headlines from cliff thunders. I charged there for that.

Speaker 4 (16:36):
By the way, just to let you know, I charge
were brought to you by D and M Auto Leasing.
Storms could make holiday travel and adventure Today Israel seasons
more than eighty five thousand weapons from Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
And how about this for a rough flight?

Speaker 4 (16:50):
A United Airlines says that a dead body was found
in the wheelwell of a plane after a flight from
Chicago to Hawaii on Christmas Eve.

Speaker 3 (17:00):
Yikes.

Speaker 4 (17:01):
Get the latest news anytime at KTRH dot com. Our
next update is at five thirty.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
What happened?

Speaker 15 (17:07):
This is the greatest political comeback of all time.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
There's ever been two, three, four times.

Speaker 15 (17:12):
Today News Radio seven krh Okay.

Speaker 3 (17:19):
So yeah, let's talk a little bit about Festivus if
we can do that now. Obviously everybody knows the fun
and frivolity of the Seinfeld episode of Festivus with mister
costanz and Frank Costanzas. Uh, we've got a lot, got
a lot of problems with you people, and now you're
gonna hear about it. Festivus is not open until we
do feats of strength and George pins me in the

(17:39):
whole nine yards. It is an awful lot of fun,
but it is not as much fun when you're talking
about federal spending. And that is something that Ran Paul
Senator Rand Paul has been doing for a long time now.
He is outlining the biggest waste of your federal tax
dollars and mine each and every year, and this year

(17:59):
he's got a about one trillion dollars in waste that
he has outlined. The twenty twenty four Festivus Report highlights
instances of wasteful government spending from the federal government, including
a pickleball complex in Las Vegas and a cabaret show
on ice. This is the tenth year in a row
that Rand Paul has delivered this quote. This year, I'm

(18:20):
highlighting a whopping one trillion, eight billion, three hundred and
thirteen million, three hundred and twenty nine thousand dollars, Paul
wrote in the report. It's over a trillion dollars in
government spending, including things like ice skating, drag queens, a
twelve million dollar Las Vegas pickleball complex, a four million
dollar Ukrainian influencers expense, and more. No matter how much

(18:44):
money the government has wasted, politicians keep demanding even more.
The Department of the Interior, for example, spent twelve million
dollars on a Las Vegas pickleball complex. The DOI also
spent seven hundred and twenty thousand dollars on wetland conservation
projects for ducks in Mexico. And now I'm just going

(19:04):
to stop there, and we could end the segment. We
could end the report and be like, wait a second,
why the hell is the federal government getting involved in
pickleball Why are they taking money out of my taxes,
out of my paycheck, I should say, and delivering it
to put pickleball complexes at twelve million dollars worth of
them in Las Vegas. Somebody is going to have to explain.

(19:29):
Excuse me, somebody's gonna have to explain why that's a
federal issue. Also, the ducks in Mexico. First of all,
if they were ducks in the United States three quarters
of a million dollars, it wouldn't matter what the hell,
But ducks in Mexico. I have a lot of problems
with federal spending, and now it's time to hear all
about them, Paul wrote again in the report. The National

(19:51):
Endowment for the Arts awarded the Bearded Ladies Cabaret a
ten thousand dollars federal grant support a cabaret show on
ice skates that was focused on climate change. Bearded Ladies
on ice skating about climate change got ten thousand of

(20:11):
your dollars in mine. The National Endominant for the Arts
also spent three hundred and sixty five thousand dollars to
promote circuses in city parks. Again, why was doze created?
Why did President Trump come in and say, Elon Vivek
do something to spotlight these things here Ran Paul has

(20:31):
been doing it all along for about a decade, but
nobody would listen. Will they listen to Elon? Will they
listen to Viveake? Lord only knows, but they have to.
How about the State Department five hundred thousand dollars. It's
half a million to expand the US Embassy in Ethiopia's
US invests in Ethiopians social media campaign to a larger

(20:55):
national public relations campaign. Did you know that Ethiopians social
media needed half a million of our dollars? The State
Department also spent a quarter of a million dollars on
Bosnia to fight misinformation. There two point one million dollars

(21:16):
for Paraguayan border security. You know, the border security in
Paraguay should be of the utmost importance to the United States.
Not our border, but the Paraguayan border. And three million
dollars for girl centered climate action in Brazil. Let me
say that again, three million dollars for girl centered climate

(21:40):
action in Brazil. You want to know why we're thirty
six trillion dollars in debt? You want to know why
we're operating on a one point eight trillion dollar deficit.
You want to know why this country has been driven
into the ground economically. These are the reasons why, and
Rand Paul has highlight lighted all of them for years,

(22:02):
but the UNI Party pushes back and will not allow
him or anybody else to do anything about it. This
is where again we have to hope and pray that
November fifth meant something, that the mandate, that the actual
not only the electoral but the popular vote victory really
meant something. That Donald Trump was being given a mandate

(22:24):
to change all of these things, which is why he
created DOGE. All right, We're not done. This is I'm
just I'm going to give you a little bit by
little bit by a little bit as the morning goes on,
the FESTIVEUS report from Rand Paul that hopefully DOGE will
be taking aim at so that we can stop the insanity,
stop the spending. We already spend too much on a
million things we do need. We don't need to be
spending all of these money on things that we do

(22:46):
not need. Okay, five twenty seven, Now do we have
a Bloomberg Business Report. I am still waiting on confirmation
to see if we are going to have Bloomberg or
if we are not, and I am not hearing anything
as of yet, so we're not going to have Bloomberg's
all right, So we're in the post Christmas. I don't
know whatever we want to call this, but we'll get
it all figured out, I promise you. It's five twenty

(23:08):
seven now, thanks for bearing with us on Houston's Morning News.
What you need to know for the day ahead.

Speaker 15 (23:14):
This is Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New
South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
Okay, five forty eight now on Houston's Morning News. Still
looking over the festiveice report. I can't quite get enough
of this, and also trying to get it posted for
you up on strictly speaking dot org, which is my
personal website. It is a remarkable thing. The more in depth,
or the more area should say, the more in depth
I see that the spending problem really is and most
Americans have no earthly idea. Well, let me rephrase. They

(23:41):
have an idea that we are overspending. They have an
idea that we are thirty six trillion dollars in debt.
The debt clock is simply terrifying. But they don't know
where all of that money is going. The fact that
Senator Paul puts this out every year is a huge,
huge service to the American people, and I intend to
make sure as many people can see that as as possible.
So we'll get that shared for you here very very shortly.

(24:01):
Also coming up in just a couple of moments, we're
gonna check in with defense Attorney Jeremy Rosenthal about new
laws in Texas that take effect next week. That's right
on January first. There are some new things that you
have to be aware of with respect to Texas laws.
So that'll be coming right up. But first we're gonna
check the morning drive once again. We're going another look
at that weather too. Here is jumping Joe Barnett.

Speaker 17 (24:24):
Unders still, we're going to clear up a disabled vehicle
on the West Park Toway eastbounded west time Rich tying
up a right lane, be careful, and another disabled vehicle
Highway two twenty five eastbound at Scarborough. I'm Joe Barnett
and the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (24:39):
All right, you heard Terry talking about some severe storms today, thunderstorms,
maybe even a little bit of hail possible, even keeping
eyes out for tornado activity as well. High seventy two,
partly cloudy and foggy tonight, drowned down to about fifty
six for Friday, more fog and clouds, slight chance of
a shower high of seventy three. Saturday, partial sunshine warming

(25:00):
to about seventy nine, a thirty percent chance of rain
there and then a little bit more of the same
with respect to the temperatures mid to upper seventies on Sunday.
Right now, we have sixty five at your official severe
weather station, News Radio seven forty KTRH, and we also
have headlines.

Speaker 13 (25:16):
That's what Cliff's here for. That's exactly what I'm here for.
Thanks Bob.

Speaker 4 (25:19):
We're sponsored by dn M Auto Leasing. We know more
about the man who made a fake bomb thread against
Linkewood Church. Three people are in the hospital after a
cab in New York City jumped the curb and hit
a total of six people yesterday. Cops think the driver
had a medical episode and recalled x from Costco. There
now at the highest risk level for potential salmonella contamination.

(25:42):
Get the latest news anytime at KTRH dot com. Our
next update is at six o'clock.

Speaker 3 (25:48):
I live in Katie, I live in Ito.

Speaker 15 (25:49):
Your reliable forecast next on the ten on seven forty ktrh.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Okay as mentioned now, first of all, good morning once
again if you just woke up and turned us on.
Bob France hitting in for Jimmy Barrett on Christmas week,
It's good to have you here. We're joined now by
Jeremy Rosenthal, Defense Attorney. First of all, belated Merry Christmas, Early,
Happy New Year. Jeremy, how are.

Speaker 18 (26:09):
You same to you? Good morning, How are you We're.

Speaker 3 (26:13):
Doing well, Thanks very much, appreciate you spending the time
with us on this Thursday morning. So a handful of
new law is going to be taking effect in twenty
twenty five, starting on January first, we're going to start
with some of the more interesting ones and the good ones.
Property tax relief. Tell us about Texas Centate Bill two
that gives a little bit of assistance to property owners.

Speaker 18 (26:34):
Just a little bit.

Speaker 19 (26:35):
So our taxes in Texas, if you haven't noticed, are
based on our property and our property values and assessments,
and it goes to the schools and the communities.

Speaker 18 (26:44):
And wherever right from there.

Speaker 19 (26:46):
And the big rub has always been that it's the
appraisal district that is the one that assesses your home
value or your property value, and that can really fluctuate
from year to year, right because Texas.

Speaker 18 (27:01):
Is so prosperous.

Speaker 19 (27:02):
What happens to some people's property taxes is they go
through the roof just one day you're opening the mail
and boom there it is. So what they've enacted is
a temporary measure. And you also have to understand too,
there's a lot of pressure in Austin from the cities,
from the municipalities, from all these things on both ends.
But what they came up with is a compromise that

(27:24):
is what you would call a circuit breaker at ten percent.
If your property is appraised at over ten percent higher,
it's cap there.

Speaker 18 (27:34):
So that's a little bit of tax really for.

Speaker 19 (27:36):
You if that's happening to you.

Speaker 18 (27:39):
Also, a twenty percent cap.

Speaker 19 (27:43):
For appraisal for commercial property if it's under twenty million bucks.

Speaker 18 (27:48):
If there's a lot of.

Speaker 19 (27:49):
You folks driving around in Houston, which I know where
all the big money is in Texas. I'm in McKinney,
but yes, in Houston, you got that going for you.
So a little bit of property tex relief and streamlining,
all right.

Speaker 3 (28:02):
And every little bit counts, So you know that. That's
that's good news. Let's talk about vehicle inspections as well.
Texas bill House Bill thirty two ninety seven past in
twenty twenty three. It goes into effect. Now no more
vehicle inspections for some Texas drivers tell us about that.
That's right.

Speaker 19 (28:21):
This is going to be the one that I think
impacts virtually everybody. So you no longer have to have
your vehicle inspected and show that when you are renewing
your registration.

Speaker 18 (28:30):
That's the good news.

Speaker 19 (28:31):
You do have to pay a seven dollars and fifty
cents a mission fee, and you have you do have
to have a test for that. If you live in
a big county, which in the Houston Greater Houston area
is going to include Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, and
Montgomery counties. If you live in those counties, you got
to pay that seven dollars and fifty cents, you got

(28:53):
to get your missions tested.

Speaker 18 (28:55):
But if you live anywhere else, go ahead and pollute away.

Speaker 3 (28:58):
I'm trying to figure that out because that's it's the
same thing in a lot of other states as well,
and I don't quite understand it. Jeremy, I mean, if
the state decides that pollution and emissions are a problem,
how is it How is it only a problem in
certain counties but not others.

Speaker 19 (29:12):
I'll never understand that, my guess if I was if
I was a guest, and this is all this is.
If you've ever been to Austin during the legislature time,
you'll see just what you're kind of dealing with with randomness.
My guess is that it's an infrastructure problem. My guess
is that there's probably some outlying counties.

Speaker 18 (29:28):
That don't have the ability to comply with this, and
this is.

Speaker 19 (29:31):
Probably their way of saying, well, we got to do
something about emissions, and we.

Speaker 18 (29:36):
Know wherever Middle end Odessa.

Speaker 19 (29:39):
We know that you guys aren't ready yet, so maybe
they're coming next.

Speaker 18 (29:42):
We'll see.

Speaker 3 (29:44):
Yeah, it's weird, I know, like in Ohio there's eighty
eight counties. Seven of them have emissions testings mandatory, the
other ones not. And I'm just trying to figure out
exactly how that really works. Let's move on to the
Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. What can you tell us, Jeremy,
Jeremy Rose Rosenthal.

Speaker 19 (30:01):
So with this one, Texas enacted the law that allows
you to have I think security at your browser level,
so that way you don't have to keep going to individual.

Speaker 18 (30:12):
Websites and opt out, opt out, opt out out, that's
my understanding of it.

Speaker 19 (30:17):
Also, you have the right to ask some of these
carriers and providers that your information be deleted if you
no longer want them to have it. It's always tricky
when you're a state and you're trying to deal with
big tech, because big tech they're in their big mansions,
they're big palaces, and let's face it, when they get

(30:37):
a law from Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Florida, wherever, they're like,
what's this do we have to really deal with this?

Speaker 18 (30:45):
So there's always that enforcement rub of it.

Speaker 19 (30:47):
But the legislature in Texas is concerned about your privacy
on the internet, so we've got this going for us.

Speaker 3 (30:55):
It always strikes me as odd that the default mechanism
for all of these is no privacy. You have to
find a way to get privacy, you have to opt out,
as you say, you have to make sure this isn't
being tracked and so forth, rather than the other way around.
So hopefully this will be a step in the right
direction so that the default position will be privacy instead.
Jeremy Rosenthal, defense attorney, breaking down some of the new

(31:16):
laws that take effect on January first in the state
of Texas. Jeremy, thank you so much, and again a
happy near to you.

Speaker 18 (31:23):
You're too happy to hear all right.

Speaker 3 (31:25):
Six five point fifty six. Now on Houston's morning news.
He's Radio seven forty KRH.

Speaker 15 (31:33):
This is use Radio seven kat RH Houston Live everywhere
with now the latest.

Speaker 1 (31:41):
News, weather and traffic.

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

Speaker 3 (31:48):
Several shootings on Christmas night, including a man who shot
three would be robbers. And you won't believe who Donald
Trump is pushing to be the next prime minister or
governor of Canada. Good morning, I Bob Franson for Jimmy Barrett.
This is your six o'clock report on news Radio seven
forty k t r H. Cliff Saunders has the news.
After we check traffic and weather, we're gonna check in

(32:09):
now we'll jump in Joe Barnett.

Speaker 17 (32:11):
Oh, they're working at clarbon Axton. This is on I
forty five the North Freeway. This is north outbound at Paramount.
It's off on the right side. Be careful and if
you're going up to the big airport, keep in mind
there is ongoing roadwork on the Sam Houston Tollwave west
batt between Auding, Westville and Imperial Valley of left Plane
as flat. I'm Joe Barnett in the classic Buick GMC
Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (32:31):
Storms today, high is going to be seventy two. We
could get some severe storms. Terry's going to give you
the details on that coming up in a few minutes.
Tonight cloudy and foggy, down to fifty six. More fog
and clouds tomorrow, with a slight chance of showers on
Friday as well, high of seventy three. The rest of
that forecast as mentioned coming up at six ' ten.
Right now, we have sixty five degrees at your official

(32:54):
severe weather station. Here's Radio seven forty KTRH and now
it's morning news time.

Speaker 4 (32:59):
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Bob six pot two on KTRHR.

Speaker 3 (33:02):
Top story.

Speaker 4 (33:03):
You're gonna need a pad and pen to keep up
with Christmas crime around Houston.

Speaker 3 (33:08):
Here's what we know as of now.

Speaker 4 (33:10):
A man shoots three would be robbers last night, all
between twelve and fourteen years old. One is in critical condition.
Harris Kenny deputies are investigating elsewhere, a person is shot
at a Northeast Houston bus stop and that person is
an unknown condition.

Speaker 13 (33:26):
This morning, we.

Speaker 4 (33:27):
Had a man shot while taking out his garbage in
northeast Harris County. We have no idea what led to
that shooting. And Pasadena police are searching for two suspects
after a man was found dead in a car on
Christmas Eve with multiple gunshot wounds.

Speaker 3 (33:43):
And then there's the man who.

Speaker 4 (33:44):
Made a fake bomb thread against Lakewood Church on Christmas
Eve involving saren gas. That man identified as Aaron subs
He is still in custody. This morning, Devinan called the
FBI tip line and says he was going to release
saring gas at the church divin it was located at
lakew Church and had left his bags at the door.

Speaker 3 (34:03):
Bond at twenty five thousand dollars. It's now six zho three.

Speaker 4 (34:06):
President elect Donald Trump goes on truth social to say
he wants hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to be the next
Prime Minister of Canada as Justin Trudeau faces calls to resign.

Speaker 20 (34:18):
Justin Trudeau to me, is sort of like I'm trying
to think of how to explain it.

Speaker 21 (34:21):
Like he's like the facsimile of Gavin Newsom, sort of.

Speaker 6 (34:24):
Like a like an even lesser effective.

Speaker 4 (34:27):
Foxes Emily Campano. There, Trump said that quote a draft
Winge Gretzky movement would be fun to watch. He also
named a new ambassador to Panama at the same time
as he talks about taking control of the Panama Canal.

Speaker 7 (34:40):
Trump named Miami Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera as
his choice for the position. This comes after the President
alex suggested that the US should take control of the
Panama Canal while also claiming that Panama is profiting over
American ships that use the waterway. In a statement on
ex Cabre thanked Trump for the nomination.

Speaker 13 (35:00):
That is Fox's Chanley Painter six ZHO four.

Speaker 4 (35:03):
According to The Wall Street Journal, Russian air defenses are
responsible for the plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed thirty
eight people yesterday, and tensions continue to run high in
the Middle East.

Speaker 22 (35:15):
This morning they run back toothy Rebels fired another ballistic
missile toward Israel, the fourth one in a week. Israeli
officials say the missile was shot down, but fragments of
it landed in populated.

Speaker 4 (35:26):
Areas Troy, Yingston, tel Aviv Here at home. The Census
Bureau claims that America's population grew by one percent this year.
That amounts to more than three million people. But here's
where we tell you that the number might not be accurate.

Speaker 8 (35:43):
There have been a fair amount of criticism of their
techniques of that over the last couple of years because
their numbers seem too low, sort of intuitively and comparing
to other kinds of statistics we see out there from
the border.

Speaker 4 (35:57):
Rice's Bill King also tells us that eighty four percent,
or two point eight million of those new people came
here as immigrants, legal or otherwise. A huge number of
American citizens have now been arrested for human smuggling in
recent years, drawn to it by the cartels recruiting on
social media.

Speaker 10 (36:17):
You know, don't get involved with this, and if you do,
there is consequences. Be prepared to face the consequences if
you do get arrested and go to jail.

Speaker 4 (36:25):
Texas DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivarez says the cartel use of
online platforms just demonstrates how well they've adapted over the
last four years. Will join Bob at six twenty six
h five on KTRG. It looks like travel is going
to be an adventure today. We now have more than
thirty flights delayed between Bush and Hobby combined, and looking

(36:47):
at flight to where it seems that Hobby is the problem,
specifically Southwest Airlines with twenty four delays. We could have
more possible because there are storms coming later this morning.
Terry Smith joins Bob in about five minutes on KTRH.
A Gallup poll earlier this month showed that some workers
in America have become mentally disengaged from their jobs. They've

(37:11):
got a name for it too, It's the Great Detachment.
Workplace culture expert Joshua Evans says. The real detachment, though,
is between employees and the understanding how important their roles
really are.

Speaker 23 (37:23):
That's what your role is, and talking about what something
is is not compelling. On Monday morning, walking into your
office talking about what your title is, what your job is,
that's not exciting.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
Only eighteen percent of employees polled felt satisfied in their jobs.
This isn't going to help morale, According to new polling,
gen Z is now beginning to move up in the
world into management, but nearly half of them thinks showing
up to work late by ten minutes is being on time.

Speaker 12 (37:54):
My generation is used to actually writing emails and gen
Z is responding in gifts and emoji's, which is it's
probably good for communication off of the work site, but
during work, I mean, you don't want to approve multimillion
deals with like a thumbs up.

Speaker 1 (38:07):
For a winkie face.

Speaker 13 (38:08):
That is comedian Ali Bren on Fox.

Speaker 4 (38:10):
By the way, Polling earlier this year showed that seventy
percent of baby boomers had zero tolerance for people being late.

Speaker 3 (38:17):
It's now six ZHO sevens.

Speaker 4 (38:18):
The Texans, well, that was a dud at NRG, wasn't it,
Losing thirty one to two to the ravens Lamar Jackson
threw for two touchdowns, he ran for another c J.
Stroud in the meantime was sacked five times and picked
off once.

Speaker 24 (38:32):
Probably one of my dys games my whole career, you know,
just cannot flat didn't have any energy, did lead offen
That's the way I should have So no, I always
got to look myself in the mirror.

Speaker 4 (38:43):
The Texans are now nine and seven. They close out
the regular season next weekend against the Titans, and the
Rockets are on the road at New Orleans. Pregame at
six on Sports Talk seven ninety. I'm Cliff Saunders on
Houston's news, weather and traffic station, News Radio seven forty
k TRH.

Speaker 1 (39:00):
I live in Deer Park.

Speaker 3 (39:02):
Your best ways are round Houston.

Speaker 15 (39:05):
Next on the ten on seven KTRH.

Speaker 3 (39:09):
All right, did is six oh seven? Good morning to
you once again, Bob France, sitting in for Jimmy Barrett
on this Christmas week And uh yeah, you just started
Cliff talking about it coming up and innovated. At about
six point twenty, We're going to talk with Lieutenant Chris
Oliveris about the cartels. They're turning to social media to
lure Americans into human smuggling as the state of Texas

(39:31):
and forces stricter laws. Thousands of people, according to the
report and the Texas Tribune, have been arrested under Texas's
human smuggling law and now they face at least a
decade in prison under sentencing guidelines that took effect earlier
earlier this year. And so now the cartels are turning
to social media. How and what does that look like

(39:52):
and what does that mean? That's what we're going to discuss.
What we do know is that young people make up
a majority of human smuggling arrests. Most of the eighty
five hundred people arrested for human smuggling by the Texas
Department of Public Safety under Operation Lone Star had been
in their teens or twenties. And these people do indeed
communicate and coordinate via social media. And counties like al Paso,

(40:16):
where more than a thousand human smuggling the rests have
been recorded since twenty twenty one, nearly seventy percent of
the people arrested there or in their teens or their twenties.
So what does this mean looking forward? It means that
the threats, like everything else, they're becoming digitized, they're becoming
more mainstream and streamlined, and they're reaching more and more

(40:37):
people these threats. So Texas has ramped up criminal penalties
for smuggling. They called one of them a coyote bill.
We're going to get into all of the specifics about
this as many of them as we can, I guess
I should say, but yeah, the fact that the cartels
now are turning to whatever new modern methods they can
to communicate, coordinate, and advance their human smuggling operations, including

(41:01):
using social media. I've said it before, and I don't
want to go too far on it because I don't
want to go too far into the weeds. But social
media is Satan, and I say that fully promoting my
social media pages. I tell you every day that I
sit in for Jimmy, follow me at strictly speaking dot org,
go to my Twitter, my Facebook, my YouTube, my rumble pages,

(41:22):
my spot. I've got all of the same things everybody
else does. So I'm guilty. I say this from a
glass house as I throw stones at social media. It
is just so extraordinarily evil and used for so many
absolutely horrific purposes. But there it is. A lot of
people use it for good, and that's what I try
to do. But it is there for a lot of
other very nefarious reasons. Okay, sixth ten out, Let's move

(41:45):
forward and see what's happening on the morning drive the
day after Christmas, usually pretty light. Let's see where we
are jumping. Joe Barnett has the drive force.

Speaker 17 (41:52):
Hey Joe, well it was a disabled vehicle. It's now
an accident. Be careful out there the West Barto Way
westbound at west timer calls and delays and an accident.
I forty five to the north three way north Benda
Ferramnit's off on the right side.

Speaker 18 (42:05):
Be careful.

Speaker 17 (42:06):
I'm Joe Barnett and the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (42:11):
Okay, Terry Smith has our forecast for us. Some storms
on the way today. We understand, right.

Speaker 16 (42:16):
Terry, there is the potential for severe weather later today,
and so folks need to make sure you've got a
way to stay up to date on the weather throughout
the day. The cold front still back to the west,
but as that storm gets closer, we'll see the showers
and thunderstorms becoming more widespread. Now, just about everybody's going
to see some rainw I've got it at a one

(42:37):
hundred percent chance of getting wet, and the risk of
severe weather is not a widespread risk, but it's still
enough of a risk. I want folks to be on
their toes. Gusty winds, hail, even the slight risk of
a tornado today. Temperatures in the seventies, fifty chance of
thunderstorms this evening, and then things will quiet down the

(42:58):
rest of the night, not much rain the rest so
the week only a twenty percent chance of a shower tomorrow.
Right now Saturday a thirty percent chance of showers and storms.
And then we finally dry out, like dry out, get
rid of the clouds, lots of sunshine Sunday and Monday.

Speaker 3 (43:14):
All right, thank you, Terry. Right now sixty five still
at your official severe weather station, News Radio seven forty
k t rh USE traffic and Weather.

Speaker 15 (43:24):
You're starting your day right with Houston's Morning News, brought
to you by New South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 3 (43:30):
All right, it is six eighteen as we continue now
on Houston's Morning News. The festiv Us Report has been posted.
I just I've been working on it during the breaks.
If you have not yet read the entire Festivals, it'll
take you a while to read the whole thing. But
if you want to even skim it and glance at
some of the extraordinary expenditures we were discussing in the
first hour of the Morning News this morning, go to

(43:52):
strictly speaking dot org. You can read some of those
over one trillion dollars in extraordinarily wasteful, indefensible government spending
laid out by Senator Ran Paul it is now posted
at strictly speaking dot org. And if you want to
respond to any of those things and comment on some
of those expenditures, by all means hit me up on
the email side of things. I am at Bob at

(44:13):
strictly speaking dot org. Bob at strictly speaking dot org.
As we sit in for Jimmy Barrett once again coming
up in a few we are going to talk about
social media and I want to set the table just
a little bit here for you on the story. Here's
what's going on talking about talking about the drug cartels
in Texas using social media, they are scanning people, They

(44:36):
are grabbing people essentially by playing on their economic uncertainties.
In other words, if you're broke and you need some money,
how about just giving some people a ride for me.
Here there's a story that's highlighted here. We're going to
talk about it with Lieutenant chrys Olivaris in a bit
when Justin Persinger's Metal Woman at a grocery store he

(44:56):
was broken sleeping on a friend's couch in San Antonio.
After some she asked if he'd be interested making all
the extra money by giving people a ride down by
the border. An Eagle Pass. According to his lawyers, the
woman told Persinger he'd earned about a thousand bucks, and
he agreed, yeah, I'll do that, hoping it would help
his chances of scoring a date with her and the
cash couldn't hurt. But when he made the two and
a half hour drive to the border, a state trooper

(45:18):
was hiding out nearby, and he was arrested. Persinger is
among thousands of people in the story by Texas Tribune
who have been charged with human smuggling as Texas began
the all out effort called Operation Loan Star to control
the border with Mexico four years ago. While elected officials
say they're targeting the Mexican cartels who run the smuggling

(45:40):
and drug trafficking empires, most of those charged are American citizens,
and the people that are being arrested are offering lured
into becoming smugglers by vague posts seeking drivers. People have
no money or very little money, and they say, what
to give somebody a ride? Sure, I'll do that. And
they may not even understand what or whom they are transporting,
but they're going to thousands of dollars as they see

(46:02):
these ads on social media apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat,
and according to eight defense attorneys, three prosecutors and four
people arrested for smuggling. This is the method the cartels
are using now to move their product, which happens to
be human beings, oftentimes children, from one place to another.
We'll get into it here at just a few Right now,
we're gonna check traffic in weather once again at sixty one.

(46:24):
Jump in Joe Barnett on the drive.

Speaker 17 (46:27):
Oh there's still We're going to clear up an acton
I forty five to or a three way north bend
at Para Mount. It's up on the right side. Little
tap of the brakes as you go through under West
bark to way westbound at West t'm or a right
lane remains block with an accident. I'm Joe Barnett in
the classic Buick GMC traffic center.

Speaker 3 (46:43):
Thank you, Joe, and quick weather so we can get
to the Lieutenant. Thunderstorms today, high of seventy two. Some
storms could be severe, cloudy and foggy tonight, down to
fifty six. Slight chance of a shower tomorrow seventy three.
A little more rain on Friday, or excuse me, on Saturday,
beg your pardon all the way up to around seventy nine.
Right now sixty five at your official severe weather station's

(47:04):
radio seven forty KTRH. Headlines now from.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
Cliff Delays are piling up at Hobby Airport. A seven
year old in southwest Houston accidentally shot himself in the
arm after an adult dropped the gun at a department
on Christmas Day. And everything has a national day, so
it's not just December twenty sixth Bob, it's National thank
you Note Day.

Speaker 13 (47:26):
I expect one.

Speaker 4 (47:27):
Get the latest news anytime at KTRH dot com. Our
next update is at six thirty.

Speaker 1 (47:32):
Welcome to this, Welcome to the know.

Speaker 3 (47:36):
People have the right to know, to know what ellis.

Speaker 15 (47:38):
Stay in the know the note with use radio seven
forty KTRH.

Speaker 3 (47:43):
Okay, I know, Lieutenant oliveris is on a tight time
clock here, so let's dive right into this. He's with
Texas DPS talking about the cartels using people on social
media to mule and traffic some of their human smuggling victims.
Lieutenant tell us a little bit more about what the
cartels are doing here.

Speaker 25 (48:02):
Well, good morning, thanks for having me, and also thanks
to your listeners. You know, one thing that we've seen
over the last four years with this you know surge
of illegal border crosses that have taken place in the
last four years in Texas is the fact that the
cartels have been able to been.

Speaker 10 (48:15):
Able to expand their their audience.

Speaker 25 (48:18):
By using social media. And what I mean by that
is target a specific audience to take part of human smuggling.
We've seen drivers from not only you know, local drivers
in Texas, from larger cities such as you know, Houston, Dallas, Austin,
San Antonio that make their way to the southern border
to take part of human smuggling, but even out of
state you know, New York, California, Nebraska, Iowa, Florida, that

(48:40):
we've seen drivers actually making their way to the border
to actually get involved in human smuggling. It's not because
of how the cartels use deceptive advertising on social media
platforms to hire drivers. And as you mentioned earlier, the
cartels take full advantage of anybody has any type of
economic issues or you know, maybe may not have a
drop or or is you know, it's struggling financially when

(49:03):
you're getting paid thousands of dollars UH to make a
trip from the border to any one of these cities
to smuggle legal immigrants. We're seeing more US citizens taking
part in that, and also even even also that even
a much you know, younger audience as well, juveniles, you know,
as youngest thirteen years old that we have seen that
have been involved in human smugglings because they have they
are being recruited through social media platforms.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
So, lieutenant, do you find that most of the people
who are caught up in this on social media, particularly
the ones with economic uncertainties, are are they aware of
what they are doing and they're just willing to look
the other way, or do they have no idea they
just think they're actually giving people rides almost like ride share,
you know.

Speaker 25 (49:42):
No, I mean I think you know they're they're fully
well aware. I mean, the thing one thing the cartels
do use, I mean they don't. They don't come out,
you know, and just say on social media, we need
a driver to smuggle legal immigrants. Social images of money
and you know, in jewelry and and those show trying
to portray this lavish lifestyle. And of course you know,
once these people get in, they know where they're going,
they know where they're gonna pick up, they know who

(50:03):
they're gonna pick up and where they're gonna take them
to anywhere, anytime, you're gonna get paid, you know, anywhere
from five to ten thousand dollars a trip to smuggle
a group of illegal immigrants. They're well aware of what
they're doing and as far as the criminal activity that's
involved with it. So that's why we stress as an agency,
DPS just don't get involved in any type of human smuggling.

Speaker 3 (50:25):
The consequences are.

Speaker 25 (50:25):
Very severe, a minimum jail time of ten years if convicted,
and also the fact that you're also putting your life
in danger not knowing who.

Speaker 18 (50:32):
You're gonna pick up.

Speaker 25 (50:33):
And also, you know, we've seen some of these high
speed chases that turn out to be deadly where either
the driver you know, risks the lives of people that
they're smuggling or even the lives of innocent motorists on
the roadway. So it's not worth the risk.

Speaker 10 (50:45):
But again, one thing that cartels.

Speaker 25 (50:46):
Have been very good at is actually targeting an audience,
a specific audience, those that are struggle economically.

Speaker 3 (50:53):
Lieutenant Chris Solivaris, Texas DPS laying it out for US
cartels using social media to lure America into participating in
their human smuggling operations. Lieutenant, I know you're on a
tight clock. Will let you run. Thanks for the time
this morning. We appreciate it. Sir, I appreciate you.

Speaker 18 (51:08):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (51:10):
You've got it all right. Uh yeah, I'm looking at
some of the language. By the way, you know this
is total social media verbage. The caption on some of
the posts to try to lure people into this. The
route's been green blank with the F word blank that
nine to five and come work, guaranteed, pay, guaranteed pickup.

(51:32):
Another one shows a stack of money with the caption
where my driver's at. That's gonna grab people. That's gonna
grab people who have no money. That may grab people
even if they do have decent money, because you see
a lot more money just to give somebody a round someplace. Okay,
I'm in Uh you know, if I'm trying, if I'm
if I'm driving someone or something that may or maybe

(51:52):
not be illegal, and it's you know, I'm not confirming
that and I'm not necessarily aware of that, then you
know I'm innocent. All I'm doing is responding to an
ad and they think that this is okay. Another post
depicted a screenshot of a map with the caption whoever
trying to just again, you know social media lingo here
t r y na tryina as in trying to whoever

(52:14):
trying to make ten k at six am hit me
guaranteed hit. They have all of these posts like this
up there, and it has a whole bunch of people
grabbing them. And then and they are you know, luring
people into participating in the human smuggling thing, you know,
moving in legal immigrants, moving perhaps people who are you know,
involved in sex trafficking and so on and so forth.

(52:36):
So it's really really a pretty horrific situation that they're
using social media for. But it's a guaranteed way to
get their drivers, all right. It is six twenty seven.
This is Houston's Morning News on News radio seven forty KTRH.
There are no Houston's News.

Speaker 26 (52:53):
Why there were traffic plus breaking news twenty four to seven.
This is News Radio seven kt rhive everywhere.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
Within the r More of what's happening now from the
John Morris Services Studios.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
Travel could be rocky with storms expected, and there's more
speculation about the future of US House Speaker Mike Johnson,
Good morning. I'm about Franks and for Jimmy Barrett. Cliff
sunder says. The details on those stories and more coming up.
But first we're gonna check the drive. Here's jumping Joe Barnett.

Speaker 17 (53:25):
They're still working at Clariful break. This is on I
forty five, the North three way, North Bend at Paramunt.
It's off on the right side. To be careful, just
a little tap of the brakes as you go through
at an accident tying up all right lane on the
West bart Tow Way West Mat at West Timer. I'm
Joe Barnett and the Generator Supercenter dot Com traffic, sir.

Speaker 3 (53:41):
All right, thunderstorms today, some of them potentially severe. High
of seventy two tonight, partly cloudy and foggy, down to
fifty six for Friday, more fog and clouds with the
slight chance of a shower, high of seventy three. We'll
get the details on the storms and on the weekend
to come with Terry Smith. That'll be coming up at
six forty right now sixty five degree. That your official
severe weather station. News Radio seven forty KTRH and now

(54:04):
the morning news. Here's Cliff. Thank you, Bob. It is
six point thirty one on KTRH.

Speaker 4 (54:08):
How our top story, Hobby Airport is seeing a boat
load of delays this morning. If you're trying to fly
in or out, thirty nine delays to be exact, thirty
eight of them from Southwest Airlines alone. We have eight
delays coming out of Bush Airport this morning. It could
get worse with storms coming up later this morning, and

(54:29):
those storms could make things difficult nationwide as well.

Speaker 21 (54:33):
Ultimately does spread out over the next couple of days
and impact more folks across the southeast, and then suddenly
these are large area airports from New Orleans, Atlanta, getting
up to New York. We're expecting at least some delays
as this system continues to widen and cause more of
a problem, more widespread dadas.

Speaker 4 (54:49):
Fox's Adam Klotz. Terry Smith joins Bob at about nine
minutes from now. Also topping the news in Washington, more
speculation on the future of HOW Speaker Mike Johnson, especially
since he used Democrats to help pass a spending bill
last week. Somehow's Republicans, though a warning against a new
GOP civil war.

Speaker 27 (55:09):
Is the speaker perfect no. Is he a good guy? Yes,
he is. Trying is hard to keep united. I think
we have to study history twenty sixteen. We squandered way
too much time when we had all three branches at government.

Speaker 3 (55:21):
We can't do it again. Utah Republican Michael Rooley on Fox.

Speaker 4 (55:25):
That's not stopping Senate Republicans though, from calling for change.

Speaker 28 (55:28):
They're so afraid of shutdown, so afraid of Democrats. Democrats
put forward an exploding budget and somehow you come to
a compromise. Instead, Republicans of the House the Speaker give
up in advance, give the Democrats everything they want.

Speaker 4 (55:42):
In the meantime, Democrats are trying to push through a
change to Social Security before the end of the year
next week that could speed up when Social Security goes bust.

Speaker 9 (55:53):
The bill would increase payoffs for public sector workers who
already have better benefits.

Speaker 29 (55:57):
If you wanted to actually increase bat benefits to beneficiaries,
then you would think you'd want to start with those
who are getting the least.

Speaker 3 (56:05):
Economist EJ.

Speaker 9 (56:06):
And Tony says, we can't even afford social Security as
it currently stands, let alone. If we increase payouts.

Speaker 29 (56:12):
At some point, you're going to have to seriously structurally
reform social Security or you're going to have to just
sunset the darn thing.

Speaker 9 (56:20):
And Tony says, we need time to think of a
solution here that this bill would make social Security go
insolvent faster. Ethan Buchanan News Radio seven forty KTRH.

Speaker 3 (56:28):
It's coming up on six thirty four.

Speaker 4 (56:30):
In the outgoing Biden administration, get this, they're continuing to
deny that they broke the border.

Speaker 30 (56:38):
If we had known that irresponsible politics would have killed
what was clearly a meritorious effort and a meritorious result,
perhaps we would have taken executive action more rapidly.

Speaker 4 (56:50):
My orc Is on CBS, Alejandro maorc Is, the DHS secretary,
irresponsible politics remain in Mexico, actually had the border at
its most secure in decades, but CBS didn't call that out.
And speaking of the mainstream media in industry wide, there
were layoffs this year, something former Fox host Bill O'Reilly

(57:11):
says will continue next year.

Speaker 18 (57:13):
You're already seeing changes, big changes.

Speaker 25 (57:18):
All of the anchors and pundits are going to get
their salaries cut significantly.

Speaker 4 (57:23):
We also saw ABC just set on a fifteen million
dollar defamation lawsuit with the president elect. Liberal commentator Bill Maher,
He's got a message for those that didn't spend Christmas
with their families because of the election.

Speaker 31 (57:37):
The idea that you know, cut your family off reloaded
for the wrong guy off.

Speaker 4 (57:42):
That was mar with Jay Leno and his Club Random podcast.
It's now six thirty five. Christmas retail sales well a
case of good news and bad news. The good news
sales should be twenty four billion dollars higher than last year. Returns,
though could hit record numbers eight hundred and ninety eight
billion dollars. Texas might soon have its own currency. A

(58:04):
bill was fouled ahead of the legislative session allowing us
to use gold to create our own money.

Speaker 32 (58:10):
As long as we're going to have it, you might
as well use it for some sort of good use.
And this sort of idea of a currency should definitely
be looked into further.

Speaker 4 (58:18):
The economist Van Skin says this would be a great
way for Texans to pay state taxes and would help
combat the falling value of the American dollar. The state
will have new laws going into effect January first. While
you will notice many of them, a few will be noticeable.
Attorney Jeremy Rosenthal says, vehicle inspections going away online privacy, Yeah,

(58:40):
they're good steps, but the big one, property tax relief,
could create some issues.

Speaker 19 (58:45):
You've got municipalities and school districts that are fighting over
this revenue and want as much as they can get.
But you've also got the taxpayers. So what they compromised
on this last session was a ten percent circuit breaker
if you are a resident and don't forget.

Speaker 4 (59:01):
Even though vehicle inspections are done, emissions tests will be
required in Harris County six thirty six. The government's own
numbers show that more parents are deciding against vaccinating their
kids getting exemptions for kindergarteners. Houston doctor Mary Tally Boden
client blames what happened during COVID.

Speaker 20 (59:20):
The fraudulent data, the cover up, the lies from our
government over the COVID shots has completely destroyed the trust
of patients of Americans in our public health system.

Speaker 4 (59:35):
The CDC says that the number of kindergarten kids with
an exemption is at its highest percentage ever.

Speaker 3 (59:41):
Six thirty seven.

Speaker 4 (59:42):
The Houston Texans blown out by the Ravens thirty one
to two. C. J. Strad had an interception and was
sacked five times. Lamar Jackson of Baltimore. He had two
touchdown passes and a touchdown run and the Rockets visit
the Pelicans tonight. Pregame at six on Sports Talk seven
ninety I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's news, weather and traffic
station KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:00:06):
Make your season more.

Speaker 15 (01:00:09):
With the latest news, traffic and weather these Radio KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:00:16):
Okay, six thirty seven, Good morning, once again, thank you
so much for joining us on the day after Christmas, Thursday.
You're going shopping today? Is that? Is that the plan?
What didn't fit yesterday or what didn't you like yesterday?
Hopefully you do have a nice day plan for yourself,
especially if you do have the day off. But we're
on the job and we're gonna help you get there.
We'll check in with traffic weather here in just a

(01:00:38):
couple of minutes. Again, but I want to share this
with you. Everybody's been talking for the last I don't know,
three weeks or so about the drones over New Jersey
and everybody speculating whether or not they should be shot down.
People are wondering whether they're coming from an Iranian mothership
off of the coast, or whatever the case might be.
Some are saying they're American, some are saying they're privatized.
Some are saying the government. But this is a little

(01:00:59):
bit different. A former Defense official has made some well
what Fox is calling earth shattering UFO revelations as unexplained
drones leave millions on edge. Listen to this one testimony,
and several reports have exposed unidentified flying object sidings across

(01:01:19):
the country. Amid the national attention on apparent drone observations
over recent weeks that we've been talking about. Luise Elizando,
former head of the Defense Department's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program,
and other witnesses, testified before Congress last month about an
alleged government group hiding the fact that we are quote

(01:01:41):
not alone in the cosmos. This sounds like a silly story,
it's not. I believe that we as Americans can handle
the truth, and I also believe the world deserves the truth,
said Alizondo, urging Congress to enact legislation that protects whistleblowers
who are too afraid to come forward. The hearing was
part of a larger effort by lawmakers. This story just
ran yesterday on Fox. The hearing was part of a

(01:02:05):
larger effort by lawmakers to investigate UFOs, or unidentified aerial
phenomenon what they call UAPs, to determine whether elements within
the government are unlawfully withholding evidence from Congress. Meanwhile, UFOs
sightings have been reported in every US date, according to
the UFO Reporting Center, the largest independently collected set of

(01:02:25):
UFO slash UAP. Citing reports online, the military trained observer
reported he was camping alone in Mountain Center, California, in
October when suddenly all natural outdoor related noises went silent
and the entire area lit up brighter than the brightest
full moon he had ever seen. The man said he

(01:02:48):
saw bright white oval light. It was around twenty to
thirty feet long and hovering at tree top level, adding
that the light remained completely still and noiseless. It emitted
no heat and resembled a large helicopter. Several pilots also
reported seeing three or four of these in the sky
over Oregon, flying at different altitudes. Just a few weeks ago,

(01:03:09):
the pilots reported seeing strange red circular lights zipping around
at midnight. At night rather and a United Airlines pilot
contacted the control tower to talk about moving lights scene
over western Oregon. These reports are coming in more and
more frequently, and now with all of the drone sightings
having a lot of people on edge, there is increased
pressure on Congress to do something about it, listen to

(01:03:32):
these people and provide whistleblowers with protection so that they
will be willing to come forth without fear of well
essentially being humiliated. Within recent with recent sightings of the
drones or mysterious aircraft are not UFO observations, they are
believed to be drones. They have nonetheless raised concerns and
even attracted the attention of the FBI. The FBI, Newark,

(01:03:55):
New Jersey State Police, and New Jersey Office of Homeland
Security all asking the public to report any information related
to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas,
and they want to be able to compare these things
to some of the UFO or UAP reports that they
are getting. So Congress starting to get involved here to say,
we need to know what's going on, what is flying

(01:04:16):
above us and is it ours or is it something
beyond that? Thoughts on it. Love to hear your emails,
read your emails rather, Bob at strictly speaking dot org.
Bob at strictly speaking dot org sixty one. Now time
for traff again. Weather once again. Let's see what we're
doing here is jumping Joe Barnett.

Speaker 17 (01:04:34):
Oh, they're still working to clear up this accident on
the West Park toad Way West matt at westim or
all lanes or block now traving being a detoured to
the shoulder there, so be careful add an accident I
forty five or three way north Benefara modosop on the
right side. I'm Joe Barnett and the Generator Supercenter dot
com traffic center.

Speaker 3 (01:04:53):
All right, and Terry Smith is at the weather channel.
That's where she is, and she's got a forecast for
us that could be severe today in some spots.

Speaker 16 (01:04:59):
Go could get a little rough later today. Things are
fairly quiet at the moment, but the showers and even
some thunderstorms will start to develop by mid to late
morning and continue into the afternoon and evening hours. Now
it is later on today when there is that risk
a slight one of some rough weather. But I want

(01:05:20):
you to stay weather aware through the day just in
case one of those showers or storms. Gets a little
overly excited, slight risk of some hail, damaging winds, even
a very minimal risk of a tornado. So we're not
free and clear today. Temperatures today in the seventies. There's
a fifty percent chance of those thunderstorms Tonight, much quieter Tomorrow,

(01:05:43):
partly cloudy, twenty percent chance of a shower tomorrow, Saturday
a thirty percent chance of some thundershowers. And then Sunday
and Monday, all the rain is gone and the sun
shines back.

Speaker 3 (01:05:54):
All right, we'll look forward to that. Then, Thank you, Terry.
And right now sixty five at your official severe weather
station Radio seven KTRH.

Speaker 15 (01:06:02):
Your commute, you are forecast. Your news is Houston's Morning News,
brought to you by New South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 3 (01:06:11):
All right, six forty nine Now, good morning once again,
Bob France sitting in for Jimmy Barrett. So President Trump
was busy on Christmas Day, busy at the keyboard, the
Truth Social keyboard. President Trump sent a message basically a
two pager of Christmas messaging, having everything to do from

(01:06:34):
China to Panama, to Greenland to Canada and so much more.
Being praised by true Maga Warriors as being Trump peak
Trump at his best. I'm going to share this tweet
with you or this truth social post rather with you
coming up here after we check traffic in weather once
again it is six fifty, so let's do that jump in.
Joe Barnett has the drive a Joe oh Lane still.

Speaker 17 (01:06:54):
Blocked on the west bar Toway West Mat at West
Timer due to on ACTA traffic getting by on the left.
Show I forty five the north three way north out
of Paramota. They're still working to claricarec. It's up on
the right side. Little tap of the brakes as you
go through. I'm Joe Bardett in the classic viewing GMC
traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:07:11):
All right, thank you, Joe and Terry's forecast calling for
storms today, some of them possibly severe. High of about
seventy two degrees tonight, down to fifty six tomorrow slight
chance of a shower, more fog and clouds higher seventy
three for Saturday, partial sunshine, warming to seventy nine, about
thirty percent chants of rain, rain, and then on Sunday

(01:07:32):
dropping back down into the mid seventies, round seventy four
again with mostly sunshine. Right now, we are sitting at
sixty five at your official severe weather station. He's radio
seven forty KTIH. And now let's get the headlines from Cliff.

Speaker 33 (01:07:45):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:07:46):
We're brought to you by a Morrow mechanical. A would
be robbery victim defense himself. He shot all three attackers.
All turned out to be twelve big pen twelve and
fourteen years old. President Biden calls Russia's Christmas Day attack
on Ukraine outrageous and according to new research, drinking coffee
can lower the risk of mouth and throat cancer. Get

(01:08:06):
the latest news anytime at ktrch dot com or next
update is at seven.

Speaker 3 (01:08:12):
Fifty nine.

Speaker 15 (01:08:12):
In Bound at the loop is always a problem KTRH
time saving traffic connect on the ten.

Speaker 3 (01:08:19):
Okay, six fifty one. Now, so let's share this. President Trump,
as I said, got busy yesterday. It's Christmas Day. It's
Christmas Day. I letdown for anybody else, by the way,
And when I say that, what I mean is after
you go to services, if you do and you know,
and you have your Christmas morning and there's the opening
of gifts and maybe a nice meal and the rest
of the day, it's like, what do we do now.

(01:08:39):
There was football on. Obviously Texans played. They didn't play well,
but they played. There was football on. Maybe you watch
Christmas movies, Christmas specials, but Christmas Day is nothing's open,
so it's kind of a boring day outside of the obvious,
you know, celebration of the holiday itself. So Prisidenter Trump
must have been bored because he sat down grabbed the phone.
I'm assuming he does this by his phone and his

(01:09:01):
little thumbs rather than from an actual laptop or something.
But here it is President Trump's post yesterday on Christmas Day,
you ready, in all of its glory, Marry Christmas to all,
including to the wonderful soldiers of China who are lovingly
but illegally operating the Panama Canal where we lost thirty

(01:09:21):
eight thousand people in its building one hundred and ten
years ago, always making certain that the United States puts
in billions of dollars in repair money, but will have
absolutely nothing to say about anything. Also to Governor Justin
Trudeau of Canada, whose citizens taxes are far too high,
but if Canada was to become our fifty first state,

(01:09:42):
their taxes would be cut by more than sixty percent.
Their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would
be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world. Likewise,
to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the
United States for nash security purposes, and who want the

(01:10:02):
US to be there, and we will Merry Christmas. To
the radical left pollunatics who are constantly trying to obstruct
our court system and our elections, and are always going
after the great citizens and patriots of the United States,
but in particular their political opponent me. They know that

(01:10:25):
their only chance of Sara I'm sorry, I'm just he's
so funny to read President Trump's truth social post yesterday
Christmas Day. They know that their only chance of survival
is getting pardons from a man who has absolutely no
idea what he's doing. There's little doubt that he's what

(01:10:47):
he's saying is true. Here also to the thirty seven
most violent criminals who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually
no one before them. But we're just given incredibly a
pardon by sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a
merry Christmas to those lucky souls, but instead we'll say
go to Hell in all caps. We had the great

(01:11:11):
He wrote this, and I second it in all caps,
go to hell. We read you some of the on
Monday and Tuesday, when all of this became known that
Trump was going I mean that Biden was commuting the
death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of
pro for thirty seven of the federal of the forty

(01:11:31):
Federal death row inmates. President Trump is just as livid
as we are. We read some of the specifics about
some of their crimes, and they're victims, and it's just
barbaric and it's hard to really put into words. So
President Trump says to you, go to hell, and then
he raps with we had the greatest election in the
history of our country. A bright light is now shining

(01:11:52):
over the USA, and in twenty six days, we will
make America great again. Merry Christmas in all caps. So
that was President Trump's truth social yesterday, which is just classic.
It's just perfect and peak Trump. I think there's no
there's no doubt about that. Again, if you would like
to respond, we'd love to hear from you. You can
send an email to me Bob at strictly speaking dot org.

(01:12:14):
Bob at strictly speaking dot org and following Andrew's social
as well, follow President Trump and we'll share all of
his glorious musings. In six fifty six, This is Houston's
Morning News on news Radio seven forty k t H.

Speaker 1 (01:12:33):
This is US Radio seven forty kt RH Houston.

Speaker 2 (01:12:37):
Live Everywhere with now the latest news, weather, and it's
more of what matters to you from the John Moris
Services Studios.

Speaker 3 (01:12:49):
Several shootings on Christmas Night, including a man who shot
three would be robbers, and you won't believe who Donald
Trump would love to see as the next Prime Minister,
or as he calls it, Governor of Canada. Good morning,
I'm Bob franc and for Jimmy Verrett. Seven o'clock report
now on news Radio seven forty ktr H. Cliff Sanders
has the news, but Jumping Joe Barnett first has the traffic.

Speaker 17 (01:13:10):
They're still working to clear up this accident on the
West bark Tolway westbound at West tim Or all lange
of block traffic getting by on the left shoulder I
forty five the North three way northbound at Paramatta. That
accident that's still there itself on.

Speaker 3 (01:13:21):
The right side. Be careful.

Speaker 17 (01:13:23):
I'm Joe Barnett in the classic viewing GMC Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:13:27):
Be careful when it comes to the weather too, thunderstorms today,
potentially severe high of seventy two. Tonight foggy and down
to about fifty six. Tomorrow, more fog and clouds and
a slight chance of a shower, high of seventy three.
What about the weekend to come? Terry Smith will tell
you that that'll be coming up at seven ten. Right now,
I have sixty five degrees at your official severe weather station.
News Radio seven forty KTRH. And now we've got morning news.

(01:13:50):
Here's Cliff, Thank you, Bob. Good morning everybody. It's seven
o't one on KTRH. Our top story, this hour of
violent crime did not take the Christmas holiday off this morning.
Harris County deputies are investigating after a man shot three
would be robbers at an apartment complex last night. They
were kids between twelve and fourteen years old.

Speaker 34 (01:14:10):
During the incident, the juveniles pros to mail and there
were displaying pistols. The adult male retrieved his own pistol
and shot at the juveniles.

Speaker 4 (01:14:21):
One of them is in critical condition. Elsewhere, a teenager
is shot and killed outside of a Christmas party in
the Meyerland area. Police are trying to put together what
happened there. Another person is hospitalized after shooting at a
Northeast Houston bus stop, and a northeast Harris countyman was
shot yesterday while taking out his garbage. That man's condition

(01:14:43):
is unknown. We also don't know what led to the shooting.
And then there's the man who made a fake bomb
thread against Lakewood Church on Christmas Eve. The man identified
as Aaron SUPs.

Speaker 5 (01:14:54):
Called Dispatch nine on one, stating that Hilm and his
sister would be in micro waved from overseas whatever that means,
so obviously having some mental issues.

Speaker 4 (01:15:04):
Bond has said at twenty five thousand dollars in that
case seven point two on KTRH, President elect Donald Trump
makes waves on Christmas, posting to social media that he's
pushing hockey great Wayne Gretzky to run for Canadian prime
minister as Justin Trudeau faces pressure to resign.

Speaker 6 (01:15:23):
More Canadian zoo Donald Trump favorably than they do Justin Trudeau,
and I really do think that COVID was the beginning
of the.

Speaker 1 (01:15:31):
End for him.

Speaker 3 (01:15:32):
Fox's Tommy Larrn.

Speaker 4 (01:15:34):
Trump added that Gretzky isn't interested, but that a quote
draft wing Gretzky movement would be fun to watch. The
President elect also talked about the pardons that Joe Biden
doled out on Monday, saying, quote, I refuse to wish
a merry Christmas to those lucky souls, but instead we'll
say go to hell.

Speaker 3 (01:15:54):
It's now seven oh three.

Speaker 4 (01:15:56):
The Wall Street Journal reports that a Russian air defense
system is responsible for the airplane crash in Kazakhstan that
killed at least thirty eight people. The plane was over
an area where Moscow's air defense systems encountered drones earlier
this month. Now, the Russians also carried out a Christmas
Day attack on Ukraine's infrastructure.

Speaker 7 (01:16:17):
Russian forces launched a barrage of Missilan drones to attack
a thermal power plant in Ukraine, forcing thousands to take
shelter in metro stations. Many Ukrainian households are without power
after energy providers imposed rolling blackouts across the country. It's
the thirteenth time this year Russia has carried out major
attacks on Ukraine's power grid.

Speaker 4 (01:16:36):
That is, Fox's Chandy Painter here at home. If you
believe the census, the country's population grew by one percent
this year. That amounts to more than three million people.
Eighty four percent of that growth comes from immigration, both
legal and illegal. So how will President elect Donald Trump
impact that?

Speaker 8 (01:16:53):
Certainly, if you shut down any new immigrants coming into
the country, and if you deported you know, millions, ye
would say significant population decline in the United States.

Speaker 4 (01:17:04):
Rice Is Bill King also tell KTRH we need to
take the numbers with a grain of salt because the
census has.

Speaker 3 (01:17:10):
Been wrong before.

Speaker 4 (01:17:12):
At the border, the cartels are using social media to
recruit drivers American drivers to smuggle illegal aliens.

Speaker 9 (01:17:20):
This is just a sign of how well cartels have
been able to adapt over the last four years.

Speaker 10 (01:17:24):
That's why we've seen so many different backgrounds, demographics, and
people even out of state that are coming down to
the border to smuggle illegal immigrants.

Speaker 9 (01:17:32):
That's DPS Lieutenant Chris olivar Is. He says people need
to look out for and not be fooled by these ads.

Speaker 10 (01:17:37):
But what they say is you know drivers want it.
They'll say how much, but they won't actually come out
and say that we want to hire drivers to smuggle people.
So they're very strategic in how they do it.

Speaker 9 (01:17:46):
Olivar says, this is a consistent problem that we'll see
as long as we allow these cartels to infiltrate social media.
Ethan Buchanan News Radio seven forty KRH, Thank you Ethan
at seven oh five on KTRH. Delay starting to pile
up this morning, especially at Hobby Airport. They're at forty
three right now. Forty two of them are with Southwest
Airlines alone. We've got thirteen delays out of Bush this morning,

(01:18:10):
eleven hundred across the country.

Speaker 4 (01:18:12):
According to flight to Ware. If you have to go
into work today, well you've probably seen it. Unhappy colleagues,
not engaged, leading to what's being called the quote great detachment.
Workplace culture expert Joshua Evans says, part of the problem
is people forget how important their work is to their colleagues.

Speaker 11 (01:18:32):
But we rarely take the time to explain what them
doing a great job means to everyone that depends on
and that's one of the easiest things to forget.

Speaker 4 (01:18:39):
According to New Pauling, only eighteen percent of employees are
feeling satisfied in their jobs, and this isn't going to help.
Guess who's old enough to be your boss, gen Z.
But the latest research also shows that they think showing
up to work ten minutes late is just as good
as being on time.

Speaker 12 (01:18:57):
We're letting them graduate basically with a major Vegan arts
and a minor and Taylor Swift at this point, and
we're paying off all their loans after that's done. I mean,
this generation is expecting to get their dream job. They
want hooton free options in the cafeteria. They want to
sit on yoga balls while they work.

Speaker 4 (01:19:13):
Comedian Ali Breen on Fox seven oh six, the Houston
Texans deliver a lump of coal on Christmas, a thirty
one to two loss at NRG to Baltimore. Derrick Henry
ran for one hundred and forty seven yards and a touchdown.
Coach Tamiko Ryan says he'll take the heat for the loss.

Speaker 14 (01:19:30):
Of course, game didn't go how we wanted to go.
We didn't play our best ball and all the best
stars with me. It was just very a lack of execution.

Speaker 4 (01:19:39):
But Texans are now nine and seven and closed the
regular season out next Sunday at Tennessee, and the Rockets
are in New Orleans Tonight. Pregame starts at six on
Sports Talk seven ninety I'm Cliff Saunders on Houston's news,
weather and Traffic station KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:19:56):
Live near Sharfstown.

Speaker 15 (01:19:57):
Reliable KTRH Traffic and Weather. Next on the tenth.

Speaker 3 (01:20:03):
Okay, seven oh seven we continue now Bob France sitting
in for Jimmy Barrett. Good post Christmas to you. Hopefully
you had a wonderful day yesterday or a happy honka
if you're celebrating that right now. I want to celebrate
the holidays with a gift to you. Technically it's the
Washington Examiner providing this gift as we look back now,

(01:20:24):
because you know, after we get it past Christmas, it's
time to look to the new year. And when you
do that, you do look back at the year that was.
And so the Washington Examiner is put together Kamala Harris
is tastiest of word salads on the campaign trail. What
a wonderful collection this is Kamala Harris that would be
could be, thankfully not President of the United States, offered

(01:20:48):
us some real, real gems here in twenty twenty four.
Let's partake number one, the significance of the passage of time.

Speaker 35 (01:20:56):
And I'm talking about the significance of the passage of time, right,
the significance of the passage of time.

Speaker 1 (01:21:03):
So when you think about.

Speaker 35 (01:21:04):
It, there is great significance to the passage of time
in terms of what.

Speaker 36 (01:21:08):
We need to do to lay these wires, what we
need to do to create these jobs. And there is
such great significance to the passage of time when we
think about a day in the life.

Speaker 1 (01:21:20):
Of our children.

Speaker 3 (01:21:22):
It's still pretty frightening that seventy two million people ish
voted for her. It really is number two. Unburdened by
what has been, we have.

Speaker 37 (01:21:33):
Dreams, We can see what is possible, unburdened by what
has been.

Speaker 35 (01:21:38):
We have aspirations, we have ambitions.

Speaker 37 (01:21:41):
And the system that is a good system is one
that supports that and allows people the opportunity to go
where they can see and imagine themselves to be. That's
what I'm talking about when I talk about an opportunity economy.

Speaker 3 (01:21:57):
We fight for the third taste word salad from Kamala
Harris on the campaign trail. According to The Washington Examiner,
we believe in all that I.

Speaker 35 (01:22:05):
Can imagine what can be and be unburdened by what
has been. You know, what can be unburdened by what
has been.

Speaker 3 (01:22:13):
Okay, this is actually the extended version of unburdened by
what has been. Apologies, here's we believe in all of that.

Speaker 35 (01:22:19):
We love our country. I love our country.

Speaker 38 (01:22:23):
I know we all do.

Speaker 35 (01:22:24):
That's why everybody's here right now.

Speaker 3 (01:22:25):
We love our country.

Speaker 35 (01:22:27):
We we take pride in the privilege of being American.

Speaker 16 (01:22:34):
And this is.

Speaker 35 (01:22:36):
A moment where we can and must come together as
Americans understanding we have so much more in common than
what separates us. Let's come together with the character that
we are so proud of about who we are, which
is we are an optimistic people.

Speaker 3 (01:22:57):
We are an optimistic people.

Speaker 35 (01:23:00):
Americans by character are people who have dreams and ambitions.

Speaker 3 (01:23:07):
This is, by the way, from the Oprah special where
they paid Oprah over a million dollars to host her
on this and Oprah sitting there staring her right now, like,
what on earth is this bumbling idiot saying right now?

Speaker 35 (01:23:19):
That's how we came into being uh.

Speaker 3 (01:23:22):
So, thirty two days. When the teleprompter goes out, what
are you doing?

Speaker 38 (01:23:26):
Two saiday, we got thirty two days, and so the election,
so thirty two days, thirty two days, Okay, we got
some business to do.

Speaker 18 (01:23:46):
We got some business to do, all right, thirty two days.

Speaker 3 (01:23:50):
I have nothing to say because I cannot possibly think
on my feet. The prompter went out, so I'm going
to say thirty two days for thirty two consecutive seconds,
because I have no earthly idea how to think on
my own. This is a great piece. I'm going to
post this one on my social media as well. Follow
me on social media strictly speaking with Bob France on Twitter,

(01:24:13):
on Facebook, on Instagram and on truth Social. We'll get
this thing posted up there and see if you can
enjoy it and share it for yourself. All right, seven eleven,
let's do traficking weather once again and see what we're
doing on the drive. We had a couple of accidents.
There are still possibly in the way jumping. Jill Barnett's
got the details. Well, this was a stalled bus.

Speaker 17 (01:24:31):
Now it's a wreck on the West bartow Way westbound
at West tim Or All Lanes. Romaine block driving getting
by on the left shoulder and they're still working to
clear up an accident. I forty five the North three
Way north bound at Paramatta. That's up on the right side.
I'm Joe Barnett and the Generator Supercenter dot Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:24:49):
All right, thank you, Joe and Terry Smith that the
Weather Channel has our forecast.

Speaker 16 (01:24:52):
Hi, Terry, Hey, Yeah, and it's a soggy one today.
More showers and thunderstorms, especially as we get late into
the morning hours. In the afternoon, and the thing is
we're going to be watching for that possibility of stronger storms,
maybe even severe weather. This afternoon, heavy rain with some
of those storms. Temperatures in the seventies, fifty percent chance

(01:25:14):
of thunderstorms this evening.

Speaker 1 (01:25:16):
We're dried.

Speaker 16 (01:25:17):
Later tonight, not as much rain. Tomorrow a twenty percent
chance of a shower. Saturday a thirty percent chance of
more showers, maybe some thunder as well. And then Sunday
and Monday we're dry. The sun is apt. Temperature staying warm,
mainly in the seventies into early next week.

Speaker 3 (01:25:34):
All right, Terry, thank you. Right now sixty five at
your official severe weather station. News Radio seven forty KRH.

Speaker 15 (01:25:40):
It's Houston's Morning News, brought to you Biden, New South
Windows solutions. Now back to Jimmy Barris and the Houston
Morning News team.

Speaker 3 (01:25:48):
All the info you need. Did take on the day
all right about Branson for Jimmy. So you know how
the Biden administrate. While President Biden himself promised President Trump
a smooth transition, smooth and seamless from one administration to
the next. That was, of course, before he started selling
off all of the border wallparts for what five cents

(01:26:10):
on the dollar. Here's another example of the smooth transition.
Democrats hastily trying to push through a bill that would
cost the average couple twenty five thousand dollars ahead of
Trump's presidency. Another headache for President Trump to have to
deal with when he takes office. Senate Democrats are trying
to push through a social security reform bill ahead of

(01:26:33):
President Trump taking office. And again, one group says that
the Social Security Fairness Act would cost the average couple
about twenty five thousand dollars in social security benefits. What
does it all mean? We're going to ask ej Antoni
of the Heritage Foundation here in just a couple of moments.
Right now, we're going to check that morning drive once again.
See what's happening with that bus? Here is jump in

(01:26:54):
Jill Varnett. Well, the good news is the bus wasn't loaded.
That's the good news, but the bad news is all
lanes still remain blocked on the West Park to Away
westbound at west time.

Speaker 17 (01:27:05):
We're traffic getting by on the left shoulder and an
accident I forty five the north three way north bend
in Paramunta.

Speaker 3 (01:27:11):
Is still off on the right side.

Speaker 17 (01:27:13):
I'm Joe Barnett in the classic Buick GMC traffic center.

Speaker 3 (01:27:17):
All right, thank you Joe, and our forecast calls for
those big storms that Terry has been talking about today.
HI have seventy two tonight, part of cloudy and foggy,
down to fifty six tomorrow, about a twenty percent chance
of a shower, so very slight. Otherwise foggy high have
seventy three thirty percent on Saturday, warming although we up
to around seventy nine and then more of the same,

(01:27:39):
mostly sunshine on Sunday with highs in the mid seventies.
And right now we're counting sixty five degrees exactly at
Your official severe weather station is Radio seven forty k
t RH. And now let's get the morning headlines. Here
is Cliff. Thank you, Bob. We're sponsored by Morrow.

Speaker 4 (01:27:54):
Mechanical storms across the country could make holiday travel and adventure.
We're already seeing a whole bunch of delays over at
Hobby Airport. Israel says they've sees more than eighty five
thousand weapons from Hesbala in Lebanon, and a United Airlines
flight from Chicago to Mali was more eventful than usual.

(01:28:15):
Upon landing, a dead body was found in the wheelwell
on Christmas Eve. Got the latest news anytime at KTRH
dot com. Our next update is a seven point thirty.

Speaker 3 (01:28:24):
Four four new years.

Speaker 1 (01:28:27):
Big olden Age of America.

Speaker 15 (01:28:29):
The next four years real happy Here US Radio seven
forty JTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:28:36):
Seven twenty one. Now as promise, let's see if we
can figure out what the Social Security Fairness Act is
and what it will do to people. They're trying to
get this thing done before President Trump takes office for
whatever reason.

Speaker 36 (01:28:46):
EJ.

Speaker 3 (01:28:46):
Antoni with a Heritage Foundation joining us.

Speaker 30 (01:28:48):
EJ.

Speaker 3 (01:28:49):
Belated Merry Christmas to you and early happy New Year.
How are you this morning?

Speaker 29 (01:28:54):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (01:28:54):
Likewise same to you.

Speaker 29 (01:28:55):
I am hanging in hope you had a blessed Christmas
with you and yours.

Speaker 3 (01:28:59):
Indeed, thank you for that appreciated. So what can you
tell us about the Social Security Fairness Act?

Speaker 29 (01:29:05):
Oh my goodness, what a case of deceptive marketing. How
is this fair? We're talking about giving additional benefits to
people who already receive favorable treatment when it comes to
tax status, when it comes to social security, when it
comes to public pensions, which have much, much greater benefits
than those in the private sector. In other words, this

(01:29:27):
is a classic case of giving to the haves and
taking from the have not. The average American is going
to suffer if this thing goes through.

Speaker 3 (01:29:36):
And it looks like this is a bipartisan effort to
make this happen. This bill passed the House last month,
according to the story I'm reading right now, three twenty
seven to seventy five. So Republicans and Democrats alike seem
to think this is a good idea.

Speaker 29 (01:29:52):
Well, unfortunately, a lot of the people in Congress don't
even read the pieces of legislation that come before them,
so it's likely they have no idea what's in This
just sounds good and will probably buy them vote, so
they'll do it now and to hell with the consequences later.
Somebody else can deal with that. But the other thing is,
whenever we talk about things being bipartisan today It's really
important to remember that while the Democrats do tend to

(01:30:15):
vote as a block, if we look at how Republicans vote,
that doesn't seem to be the case. And the reason
for that is because even though you have an R
behind your name, you can still be a liberal. It
doesn't mean you're a conservative today.

Speaker 3 (01:30:28):
Well, you're exactly right about that. Republican does not mean
what it used to, and in fact, that a lot
of people wear the you the uniparty, if you will.
But specific to this, we're talking to j Antoni the
Heritage Foundation EJ. Specific to this, the story says that
the average American couple would lose around twenty five thousand
dollars in Social Security benefits if this goes through. How

(01:30:51):
does that happen?

Speaker 29 (01:30:53):
Well, a couple of ways. One is the fact that
Social Security is rapidly becoming insolvent because it was basically
set up as a Ponzi scheme, so it can't go
on forever. But the faster that we erode the program,
the sooner we're going to reach insolvency. We're eroding the
program by continuing to give more and more benefits, in
this case to people who already have a heightened level

(01:31:16):
of benefits, and so what you're effectively doing is decreasing
the amount of funds that are available for the rest
of the American people.

Speaker 3 (01:31:26):
So what is the solution to solvency? Then, how do
they ensure that this does not eventually essentially go bankrupt.

Speaker 29 (01:31:36):
Well, unfortunately, you're going to have to transition to a
system where people are paying in money and it is
kept in a private account for just them. That's how
a lot of people think Social Security works today that
I work my whole life, I put in money, it
goes into my own account, and when I retire, I
get those benefits. That's not true at all. Instead, you
work today and that money goes immediately to pay today's

(01:31:59):
retirees to day's beneficiaries. And so that's why I say
it was set up like a Ponzi scheme that was
just like FTX or Bernie Madeoff. Where today's investors are
their funds are being used to pay yesterday's investors. And
unless you are going to grow the number of investors
at an exponential rate, that system is eventually going to collapse. Well,

(01:32:19):
since we can't grow the workforce at an exponential rate,
especially today when our population is actually in a state
of decline. You're not going to be able to sustain
a Ponzi scheme like Social Security. Eventually, you need to
sunset the program. Now, that doesn't mean you need to
touch benefits for people who are retired today. That's not true.
There's plenty of money available to pay for folks who

(01:32:41):
are already retired. But the people who are going to
retire ten, twenty, even thirty, or certainly forty years from now,
I'm sorry, but the program is not going to be
viable at that time.

Speaker 3 (01:32:52):
So you said create private accounts for people. And that
reminds me, of course, of President Bush back in the
early two thousands. He wanted to privatize Social Security. He
was roundly mocked and ridiculed for that, and it didn't
go anywhere. Is that something to look at.

Speaker 29 (01:33:07):
Oh, certainly not the way he proposed it, Absolutely not that.
I think that was very, very poorly executed. However, the
idea that social Security can go on forever is just
a mathematical fiction. It simply can't. What again, what you
need to do is have some kind of transition program
where unfortunately you'll need a generation of people who pay
Social Security taxes but never actually receive any of those benefits.

(01:33:31):
And that sounds harsh, but unfortunately that's the price to
pay for unwinding a Ponzi scheme that was foisted on
the American people by the Democrats in the nineteen thirties.

Speaker 3 (01:33:41):
I'm looking for the politician that can sell that. I
can't imagine. I cannot imagine anybody you know, running for
office and then in governing an office saying, by the way,
keep paying your Social Security taxes and you will get
nothing for this when you retire. I mean that generation
you say. I understand your point, but I'm just wondering
how that gets done because nobody is going to be
able to run on that. Nobody's going to be able

(01:34:03):
to actually, you know, pick that up and say I'll
own this. I'll own the fact that you're going to
have to pay for something you will not receive a
benefit for.

Speaker 29 (01:34:13):
Well, that's exactly right, and that political difficulty that you
just articulated is exactly why it has not yet been done.
So unfortunately, that means it probably won't be accomplished until
we actually reach a crisis when so not only is
Social Security insolvent, but it is eating up so much
of the general tax fund that again, truly reacheek some

(01:34:36):
kind of financial crisis that forces Americans to face reality
that we need to make this difficult change. It has
to happen sooner or later. It's just a question of
how much pain are you willing to endure before you
finally make that leap?

Speaker 3 (01:34:49):
Yeah, and which politicians are willing to take the hit
for doing it. That's the other thing. The Democrats ran
this entire campaign this entire year. You know, Trump wants
to in soci security, and you know, Bernie Marino for
Congress or for Senate and all of these other Senate
races saying each one of these Republicans wants to end
social Security and they want to end Medicare. And the

(01:35:10):
reality is, again I just read the numbers, three hundred
and seventy five people in the House voted for this.
So it's Republicans and Democrats voting, you know, making difficult
decisions obviously, and as you say, in this Social Security
Fairness Act, which is you know, inaptly named just like
the Inflation Reduction Act, you know, it's not reality. So
the question is which politicians are going to be willing
to bite the bullet and tell the truth about this.

(01:35:31):
And I don't know who those people are. EJ Antoni
Heritage Foundation breaking it all down for us. EJ. Thank
you so much. We appreciate it. We'll talk to you again. Well,
thank you for having me. Have a great taste, sir.
Seven twenty eight. Now, this is Houston's Morning News on
News Radio seven forty KTRH A Houston's News.

Speaker 26 (01:35:53):
Why there were traffic plus breaking news twenty four to seventh.

Speaker 1 (01:35:56):
This is use Radio seven ktr H five Everywhere.

Speaker 18 (01:36:01):
Wins are apt.

Speaker 2 (01:36:03):
More of what's happening now from the John Morris Services studios.

Speaker 3 (01:36:08):
Traveling could be rocky today with some serious storms expected
and more speculation about the future of US House Speaker
Mike Johnson. Good morning, Bob France and for Jimmy Barrett
Cliff Saunders. As the details on those stories and more
coming up. First, let's check trafficking weather. Here's jumping Joe Barnett.

Speaker 17 (01:36:24):
We're still working to involving a bus all lanes of
blocks from the West Park goaway West at Wesheimer.

Speaker 3 (01:36:31):
Good news.

Speaker 17 (01:36:31):
The bus was not loaded, so there's not a lot
of injuries there, so keep that in mind. Still heavy
delays going through that one little section of the West
Park to away. I'm forty five the North three Way
north Baun at PARAMOUNTA. That accident that's off on the
right side. I'm Joe Barnett and the Generator Supercenter dot
Com Traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:36:48):
All right, thank you, Joe. Terry's forecast calling for thunderstorms today,
potentially severe high of about seventy two tonight down to
fifty six Friday, only about a twenty percent chance of
rain coming your way. I have about seventy three the weekend. Well, Terry,
we'll figure to fill you in on that in eight
and a half minutes at seven forty Right now we
have sixty five still at your official severe weather station,

(01:37:10):
News Radio seven forty KTRH and now the morning news,
your's Cliff Saunders.

Speaker 4 (01:37:15):
Thank you very much, Bob, seven thirty two on KTRH.
We'll start with a look at the airports, because if
you've got a flight today, buckle up. We have thirteen
hundred and fifty delays so far across the country, three
hundred and sixty seven cancelations, and we're starting to see
these numbers pile up. In Houston at Hobby forty four delays,
forty two of them Southwest Airlines flights Alone at Bush

(01:37:38):
we've got thirteen delays and two cancelations. Obviously, we could
have more issues as storms rolling later this morning, also
topping the news. Congresses off for the holiday, but speculation
is current House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn't have the votes
to retain the gavel next week.

Speaker 39 (01:37:54):
Republicans relied on Democratic votes to avert a government shutdown
last week. Democrats hinted they would bail out Johnson last
spring if Conservatives tried to oust him, but Johnson is
on his own right now. The House is paralyzed until
it elects a speaker. It must vote repeatedly until it
chooses someone. The House can't even swear in members. It

(01:38:16):
took five days to tap a speaker nearly two years ago.

Speaker 13 (01:38:19):
That is Fox's Chad program.

Speaker 4 (01:38:21):
Democrats are now pushing a last minute bill to increase
Social Security payouts, which could cost taxpayers one hundred and
ninety billion dollars over the next decade and expose a
major flaw in the entire program.

Speaker 29 (01:38:33):
It is constructed exactly like a Ponzi scheme, where new
investors today their money is being used to pay off
Yesterday's investors.

Speaker 4 (01:38:42):
Economist dj Antoni told KTRH if this bill passes, it
could push the Social Security insolvency date up by as.

Speaker 13 (01:38:50):
Much as two years.

Speaker 18 (01:38:52):
Well.

Speaker 4 (01:38:52):
Twenty twenty four was another bad year for the mainstream media.
For instance, ABC just settled a fifteen million dollar lawsuit
defamation suit with President elect Trump, and now there are
predictions that the network News could die.

Speaker 33 (01:39:06):
The three major TV networks, ABCNBC and CBS. They've been
in decline for decades and they are an idea whose
time has come and is gone. They're finished, they are gone.

Speaker 4 (01:39:18):
Reporter Bernie Goldberg says the days when Network News drew
in tens of millions of viewers every night or history.
Liberal commentator Bill Maher is hitting back at the radical
left for telling people to stop talking to family and
not spend Christmas with those that voted for Donald Trump.

Speaker 31 (01:39:35):
We live in this time when you're not allowed to
have friends from the other side or cross lines politically.

Speaker 3 (01:39:43):
Who the worst team could ever do? Be friends with
a Republican call nine one one.

Speaker 4 (01:39:48):
That was mar with Jay Leno on his Club Random podcast.
It's now seven thirty four Christmas shopping is expected to
be twenty four billion dollars higher in terms of sales
than it was las next year, but the National Retail
Federation says returns could hit record levels seventeen percent. That
amounts to about eight hundred and ninety billion dollars. In Austin,

(01:40:10):
a bill has been pre filed in the state House
that would allow Texas to use its gold supply to
create our own currency. That's a plan that most Republican
voters already approve of.

Speaker 32 (01:40:21):
Actually from an old idea where the states had their
currency before there was the US dollar and there were
some competitive currencies that went on between.

Speaker 4 (01:40:30):
State Economist Van Skin says this would be a good
way to compete with the US dollar, which has seen
a value drop of ninety eight percent since twenty thirteen. Well,
now that Christmas it's over, it's time to look ahead
to twenty twenty five. With some new laws going into
effect in Texas January first.

Speaker 40 (01:40:47):
One of them eliminates those pesky vehicle inspections, but you.

Speaker 19 (01:40:51):
Do, however, have to get an emissions test if you
are in certain counties. Those counties in the greater Houston
area include Harris Resort, Fort Bend, Galveston and Montgomery.

Speaker 40 (01:41:03):
Counties attorney Jeremy Rosenthal says new online privacy laws are
also a good step, and there's some potential property tax relief.

Speaker 19 (01:41:10):
If your property is appraise to ten percent or higher,
it's going to be capped out. You should see some
property tax relief at that point.

Speaker 40 (01:41:17):
He says, though the fight over that revenue will create
some problems. Monterey Perarden new's already of seven forty ktrh.

Speaker 13 (01:41:23):
It's now seven thirty six.

Speaker 4 (01:41:25):
Corporate America, including Jeff Bezos of Amazon, contributed millions to
the upcoming Trump inaugural. The fund at two hundred million
dollars plus right now. Heritage Foundation economist Stephen Moore says
it's because America just wants to go back to the
pre Biden normal days.

Speaker 10 (01:41:42):
The country is sick of the wokeness, they're sick of
the SGDI.

Speaker 3 (01:41:46):
They just want America.

Speaker 28 (01:41:47):
To act fairly and they want a prosperous economy.

Speaker 3 (01:41:51):
But the radical left isn't giving up their welkness.

Speaker 13 (01:41:53):
For instance, Indiana University is doubling down.

Speaker 41 (01:41:57):
The understanding Diversity in a plural is Stick Society course
challenges students to examine theories and models to enhance understanding
of our diverse society among the oppressed. According to the course,
people of color, women, and gay, lesbian and bisexual people,
teaching that heterosexual, white, able bodied, and Christian people as

(01:42:21):
well as men, are guilty of social oppression.

Speaker 3 (01:42:24):
Gary Baumgarten, Fox News, Thank you, Gary.

Speaker 4 (01:42:27):
There are a growing number of parents that are getting
vaccine exemptions for their kids.

Speaker 3 (01:42:32):
Houston.

Speaker 13 (01:42:33):
Doctor Mary Taly Boden understands why.

Speaker 20 (01:42:35):
It's the most common question I get from patients is
should I continue.

Speaker 8 (01:42:40):
To vaccinate my child?

Speaker 20 (01:42:42):
And it's not surprising given what happened during the pandemic.

Speaker 4 (01:42:45):
The CDC says the number of kindergarteners with an exemption
is at an all time high. The Texans lose to
the Ravens thirty one to two. The Rockets visit New Orleans.
Pregame at six on Sportstock seven ninety and I'm Cliff
Saunters on Houston's News whether in Traffic station News Radio
seven forty kgrh HT two.

Speaker 15 (01:43:06):
It's US Radio seven KGRH on FM Houston's News, Weather,
Traffic and Talk at ninety nine one h T two.

Speaker 3 (01:43:15):
Okay, seven thirty eight. We do continue now, on Houston's
Morning News. Good Thursday morning, Tia, thanks for being with
us in this post Christmas. I don't know, is it
a lull? What do we call it? Everything seems to
be moving just a little bit slower today. Maybe there's
a little bit less traffic, a lot of people taking
days off work to extend the Christmas Day into a
longer weekend, that kind of thing. But I hope you

(01:43:37):
do have a purposeful day plan for yourself. If you're
working today, work hard or are you detached? This is
one of the stories you've been hearing a Cliff talk
about during the news. Workers don't understand the purpose of
their work these days, and they are. It's leading to
something called the Great Detachment. Really interesting article and study

(01:44:00):
discussing why it is people are just not happy with
their work. The share of Americans watching for, watching for,
or actively seeking a new job is picked up to
fifty one percent today compared with just forty five percent
four years ago. Meanwhile, Americans happiness at work has eroded.
Just eighteen percent say they're extremely satisfied with their jobs,
down from twenty six percent before the COVID pandemic. Gallop

(01:44:25):
Researchers point to a few big factors as to why
Americans aren't happy with their jobs and what could actually
change things. Workplace disruptions. One of the first nearly seven
to ten say their organization has been disrupted in the
last in the past year, leading to team restructures, more
and different responsibilities being added, and people don't like that.

(01:44:46):
They don't like change, also changing employees ideals and experiences.
Another big pain in point is that employees have different
expectations of their workplace compared with pre pandemic norms. Work
life balance, better compensation packages, all of these things playing
a role. Workers don't know, according to Gallop, what is

(01:45:06):
expected of them. Organizations have to find a reliable way
to clarify expectations. Recognizing good performance can develop employees, and
many of them who don't know if what they're doing
is what is expected of them find themselves being unsatisfied
with their jobs and thus their lives. What could stop
the great detachment? According to the article into Gallop, researchers say,

(01:45:29):
what are the solutions to make people more satisfied in
the work is to give them clear expectations set collaboratively
aligning with the team's bigger goals. Regular discussions and considerations.
Alongside workload and well being, Companies should do a better
job connecting each person's job with the mission of their company.
Leaders play that role by clarifying and modeling the mission

(01:45:51):
and values of the business to help employees see how
they can contribute to something bigger. I'm going to say this,
and this is perhaps a little harsh, I don't think
people want to work for anybody else anymore. You ask
the average American gen zer, and I've got one in
my house who's twenty one, and I will I will

(01:46:12):
tell you almost every single one of his friends will
tell you the same thing. They want to be online creators,
content creators, influencers. People don't want to do regular jobs.
They don't want eight to four, they don't want nine
to five. They don't want to be going into working
for somebody else. They want to set their own hours
and do their own thing, no matter whether they have

(01:46:34):
anything to add to the content creation portion of the
world in this clickworld of ours, doesn't matter. That's what
they want to do. Nobody wants to actually be forced
to work for somebody else anymore. I think that is
a huge, huge part of the great detachment. If you've
got thoughts. How happy are you where you work? Are
you detached from your job? Tell me about it? Email

(01:46:54):
me Bob at strictly speaking dot org. That's Bob at
strictly speaking dot org. It is seven forty one. Now
move onward and the helpless do that. On the drive.
It's jumping.

Speaker 17 (01:47:03):
Joe Barnett still there by accident involving a bus on
the West Park Tollway west batt at West time.

Speaker 3 (01:47:09):
We're all lane, still remained block. Good news.

Speaker 17 (01:47:11):
The bus wasn't loaded. They're just trying to clear up
the mess left shoulders only then getting by driving a.

Speaker 3 (01:47:17):
Slow backed up to Eldridge.

Speaker 17 (01:47:19):
I'm Joe Barnett and the classic Buick GMC traffic center.

Speaker 3 (01:47:24):
All right, thank you, sir Terry Smith. One more time
played again for us. What kind of storms are we
looking at today?

Speaker 16 (01:47:30):
Well, right now it's nice and quiet, thankfully, but the
showers and some thunderstorms are possible later on this morning
into the afternoon and evening hours, and there is a
slight risk of some severe weather. It's December, but that
doesn't mean that severe thunderstorms aren't a possibility. And with
some of these storms we could get gusty winds, hail,

(01:47:51):
heavy rain, and there is a very slight risk of
one of these storms spinning up a tornado.

Speaker 3 (01:47:56):
Stay weather aware.

Speaker 16 (01:47:57):
I'm not expecting a big weather out break, but we
don't want you to be caught off guard. Temperatures in
the seventies today, Tomorrow twenty percent chance of a shower,
Saturday thirty percent chance of showers and storms, and then
all of that it's out of here and we've got
sunshine and dry weather Sunday and Monday.

Speaker 3 (01:48:16):
Sunshine and dry weather. I'm sure people will appreciate that.
Thank you, Terry. Right now sixty five at your official
severe weather station, News Radio seven forty k TRH. What
you need to know for the day ahead.

Speaker 15 (01:48:28):
This is Houston's Morning News, brought to you by New
South Windows Solutions.

Speaker 3 (01:48:34):
Okay, seven forty nine, I'll one more check of our
trafficking weather here for this Thursday morning. Then we're going
to close the way we opened with festive Us. Yes,
Rand Paul, Senator Ran Paul from Kentucky laying it out
in his twenty This the tenth year in a row
he has done a Festivus report. Fest of Us, of course,

(01:48:55):
the fictional holiday made up by Frank Costanza in Seinfeld,
which are just all kind of awesome in its own right.
But Ran Paul has taken that to develop the things
that he has a problem with, and he wants everybody
to know about radical out of control spending of tax
dollars of yours. In mind that we have absolutely no
business spending over one trillion dollars in government waste spending

(01:49:18):
that Rand Paul has has identified for the twenty twenty
four Calardy year, and he's got it out. I've got
it listed now. The whole thing is posted on my
web page, which is strictly speaking dot org. I'm going
to share a few of the more interesting items with you.
What are we wasting your money and mind on? In
the Festivus report that's coming up. First, let's do trafficking

(01:49:39):
weather once again though at seven fifty. Let's check in
now with jumpin Joe Barnett.

Speaker 17 (01:49:44):
They're still we're going to clear up an accident with
the bus. All lane still remain blocked on the west
part to way westbatt at west timer left shoulder is
getting by trava aslow backed up to Eldridge. Good news
the bus was not loaded and remember if you're going
up to Bush intercontinenta airport, there's ongoing roadwork. A leftlock
is blocked on the north sam Houston Toaway east and
westbound between Aude and Westfield and Imperial Valley. I'm Joe

(01:50:06):
Bardett and the Generator Supercenter dot Com traffic Center.

Speaker 3 (01:50:10):
All right, thank you, Joe, and Terry's forecast calling for
some thunderstorms today, some of them potentially severe. High of
about seventy two Tonight, it's going to be partly cloudy
and foggy, down to about fifty six Friday, more fog
and clouds, about a twenty percent chances of rain. High
of seventy three for Saturday, of thirty percent chants of rain,

(01:50:30):
partial sunshine the rest of the day, warming to around
seventy nine. Really get into Sunday and Monday before you
get really dry and warmer temperatures without any of the precipitation.
Looking at the mid to upper seventy Sunday and Monday.
Right now, we're still stuck on sixty five degrees at
your official severe weather station, News Radio seven forty k
t RH. And now we'll get some headlines here from Cliff.

Speaker 13 (01:50:54):
Thank you, Boby, would be robbery.

Speaker 4 (01:50:56):
Victim shoots his three attackers, ones in critical condition. They
were all boys between the ages of twelve and fourteen.
We're learning more about the man who made a fake
bomb threat against Lakewood Church and that egg recall at
at Costco has now been classified at the highest risk
level for potential salmonilla contamination. Get the latest news anytime

(01:51:17):
at KTRH dot com. Our next update is it eight.

Speaker 3 (01:51:20):
I live in Pasadena, Sharptown Southwest.

Speaker 15 (01:51:23):
Next on the ten time Saving Traffic con seven KTRH.

Speaker 3 (01:51:28):
Doing doge before Doge was cool. That's what ran Paul
refers to his Festivus Report as obviously Doze to the
Department of Government Efficiency created by President Trump can be
headed up by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswame. You know,
it's intended to find wasteful federal spending and get.

Speaker 29 (01:51:46):
Rid of it.

Speaker 3 (01:51:48):
That's what government efficiency is all about. Well, that's what
ran Paul has been doing for about ten years. Now.
Here's the twenty twenty or a few of the items.
Select items from the twenty twenty Festivus Report put together
by ram Paul. Over one true million dollars of spending.
Oh rats. HHS spends nearly half a million dollars to
study lonely and starved rats. This is not a joke,

(01:52:11):
this is real. They decided to study rats, their loneliness
and cocaine to solve the drug crisis. Cocaine, one of
the most harmful and addictive drugs, continues to gain popularity
in communities nationwide. Significant funding has been allocated to study

(01:52:31):
cocaine addiction when it comes to rats. One of these
studies examining cocaine took place at New York's University. They
got four in nine. When you see your paycheck tomorrow
on Friday, there's going to be a smaller number there
than you should have because some money was given to
New York University to investigate whether rats placed in positive
environments would be more likely to abstain from cocaine than

(01:52:54):
rats in negative and isolating environments. That's it. I should
stop there. I could out there and say just end
the government and the government as it exists, because that
cannot be allowed. But I've got more for you, how about.
In another shining example of wasteful spending, the National Science
Foundation decided that the world of birdwatching needed a devote

(01:53:17):
a dose of DEI not even kidding on this. They
were granted two hundred and eighty eight thousand dollars, so
more than a quarter of a million of your tax
payer dollars in mine to create affinity groups within ornithological
societies birdwatchers based on identity characteristics. That's right. We're going

(01:53:40):
to sort the bird watchers out into groups based on
their identification standards. Whether forget about the fact that they
all just love watching birds. No, but if you love
watching birds, but you're one sex or gender or another,
well you shouldn't be forced to watch birds with people
who are another sex or gender, or race or what

(01:54:03):
have you. This is real, This is what they're doing.
How about girls that just want to have funds? The
Department of State spend three million dollars on girl centered
climate action in Brazil. I could stop this story right
here and say, wait a minute, we spent three million

(01:54:25):
dollars on Brazil.

Speaker 29 (01:54:27):
Why.

Speaker 3 (01:54:28):
I don't care what it was for. Why are we
sending three million dollars to Brazil when we're thirty six
trillion dollars in debt, But to find out that we're
sending it to Brazil to push and support girl centered
climate action is another story all together? What else do
we have? Hashtags? Handouts? In Ethiopia, Department of State spend

(01:54:53):
five hundred thousand dollars to expand the US embassy in
Ethiopia's US invests in Ethiopian social media campaign to a
larger national public relations campaign, So half a million dollars
to help Ethiopians get online, to social media, to social
media access. I go on with this, and in fact

(01:55:16):
Rand Paul does. The twenty twenty four Festivus report is
thirty plus pages long. You need to check it out
for yourself. Read where all of this waste is going,
and then ask yourself whether or not this is the
government you want to continue to support. Hopefully those will
actually get something done here and we can stop this nonsense.
But this is the reality. Take a look at it

(01:55:36):
yourself at strictly speaking dot org. Click on the twenty
twenty four Festivus Report. That's gonna do it. For Houston's
Morning News today, stick around. Michael Berry's show is next.
We will see you tomorrow. Wrapping it up for Jimmy Barrett.
One more day this Christmas week. Have a great day. Bybye,