August 30, 2024 • 30 mins
ICYMI: Mo’Kelly’ took over for Mark Thompson, who was filling in for Tim Conway Jr.; with sound bites from the first joint interview for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on CNN with Dana Bash…PLUS – KFI Reporter Michael Monks joins the program with a direct message from LA Metro exclusively for Mo’ - on KFI AM 640…Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's KFI AM six forty and you're listening to the
Conway Show on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
It's the Tim Conway Junior Show and Mole Kelly in
for Mark Thompson, who is in for Tim Conway Junior.
I know it's so very confusing, but here we are
for the next hour.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I'm going to sit with you for a second.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And if you've been listening to Mark Thompson, who was
in for Tim Conway Junior, you know that the biggest talker,
biggest story of the day is to sit down interview
between president presidential candidate Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate
Tim Walls with Dana Bash of CNN. You heard some
of the clips earlier today which were given out to
(00:41):
the press and anticipation of the actual conversation which is
airing now live on CNN, and Stephen, do you have
some of that for us?
Speaker 4 (00:51):
You are well aware that right now many Americans are struggling.
There's a crisis of affordability. One of your campaign themes
is We're not going back. But I wonder what you
say to voters who do want to go back when
it comes to the economy, specifically because their groceries were
less expensive, housing was more affordable. When Donald Trump was president.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
Well, let's start with the fact that when Joe Biden
and I came in office during the height of a pandemic,
we saw over ten million jobs were lost people. I
mean literally, we were all tracking the numbers. Hundreds of
people a day were dying because of COVID. The economy
(01:36):
had crashed in large part all of that because of
mismanagement by Donald Trump of that crisis. When we came in,
our highest priority was to do what we could to
rescue America. And today we know that we have inflation
at under three percent. A lot of our policies have
led to the reality that America recovered faster than any
(01:57):
wealthy nation around the world. You are right, prices, in
particular for groceries, are still too high. The American people
know what I know it, which is why my agenda
includes what we need to do to bring down the
price of groceries, for example, dealing with an issue like
price gouging.
Speaker 6 (02:12):
What we need to do to extend.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
The child tax credit to help young families be able
to take care of their children in their most formative years.
What we need to do to bring down the cost
of housing. My proposal includes what would be a tax
credit of twenty five thousand dollars for first time home buyers,
so they can just have enough to put a down
payment on a home, which is part of the American
(02:36):
dream and their aspiration, but do it in a way
that allows them to actually get on the path to
achieving that goal in that dream.
Speaker 6 (02:44):
So you have been vice president for three and a
half years.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
The steps that you're talking about, now, why haven't you
done them already?
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Well, first of all, we had to recover as an economy,
and we have done that. I'm very proud of the
work that we have done that has brought inflation down
to less than three percent, the work that we have
done to cap the cost of insulin at thirty five
dollars a month for seniors. Donald Trump said he was
going to do a number of things, including allowing Medicare
to negotiate drug prices.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
Never happened. We did it.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
So now, as I travel in the state of Georgia
and around our country, the number of seniors that have
benefited I've met. I was in Nevada recently a grandmother
who showed me her receipts, and before we capped the
cost of insullin for seniors at thirty five dollars a month,
she was playing hundreds of dollars up to thousands of
dollars a month for her insulin.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
She's not doing that. And you maintain bionomics is a success.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
I maintain that when we do the work of bringing
down prescription medication for the American people, including capping the
cost of the annual cost of prescription medication for seniors
at two thousand dollars, When we do what we did
in the first year of being in office to extend
the child tax credits so that we cut child poverty
in America by over fifty percent, When we do what
(03:58):
we have done to invest in the American people in
bringing manufacturing back to the United States, so that we
created over eight hundred thousand new manufacturing jobs, bringing business
back to America, what we have done to improve the
supply chain so we're not relying on foreign governments to
supply American families with their basic needs. I'll say that
(04:20):
that's good work. There's more to do, but that's good work.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
I want to get some clarity on where you stand
on some key policy issues.
Speaker 6 (04:30):
Energy is a big one.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
When you were in Congress, you supported the Green New Deal,
and in twenty nineteen you said, quote, there is no
question I'm in favor of banning fracking.
Speaker 6 (04:41):
Cracking, as you know, is.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
A pretty big issue, particularly in your must win state
of Pennsylvania.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
Do you still want to ban fracking?
Speaker 5 (04:49):
No, And I made that clear on the debate station
in twenty twenty that I would not banfracking as vice president,
I did not banfracking. As president, I will not banfracking.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
In twenty nineteen, I believe in a town hall you
said you were asked, would you commit to implementing a
federal ban on fracking on your first day in office,
and you said, there's no question in favor of banning fracking.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
So yes. So it changed in that campaign in twenty twenty.
I made very clear where I stand.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
We are in twenty twenty four, and I've not changed
that position or will I going forward. I kept my
word and I will keep my word.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
What made you change that position at the time.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Well, let's be clear, my values have not changed. I
believe it is very important that we take seriously what
we must do to guard against what is a clear
crisis in terms of the climate, and to do that,
we can do what we have accomplished thus far, the
Inflation Reduction Act, what we have done to invest by
(05:49):
my calculation, over probably a trillion dollars over the next
ten years, investing in a clean energy economy, what we've
already done, creating over three hundred thousand new clean energy jobs.
That tells me from my experience as vice president, we
can do it without banning fracking. In fact, Dana Dan,
excuse me, I cast the tie breaking vote that actually
(06:14):
increased leases for fracking. Yeah, as vice president, so I'm
very clear about where I stand.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Policy KFI.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Right now, we're listening to some of the interview between
presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Vice president Price presidential candidate
Tim Walls, along with Dana Bash of CNN. We're not
going to play the whole interview, but it's the talker
of the day. Very quickly. This was done because of
pressure to have a sit down interview. I thought it
(06:42):
was odd because that's not a thing in presidential politics.
And yes, it's weird my word that this is a
truncated presidential campaign schedule. Because Kamala Harris obviously didn't have
a full primary season, did not have a lot of
time leading.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Up to this moment.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Big picture, and it's not all that unusual for you
to see a presidential candidate and a vice presidential candidate
in the same interview. I just thought, people remember, des ided,
I remember when Trump and Pence sat down together in
the same interview. I remember when Barack Obama and Joe
Biden sat down in the same interview. I remember when
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan sat down in the middle
(07:23):
of interview. I mean in the same interview. I mean,
there's still YouTube out there. I think the only difference
is that this is Harris's first interview, and so people
would expect her to handle this by herself. But it's
not unusual for a presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate
to sit down the same interview. It's obviously going on
(07:46):
on CNN right now. We're not going to play or
listen to the whole interview, but we wanted to give
you just a little taste of what it is. And
I can see right now tomorrow is going to be
Number one, learned the name of the person interviewing you.
It's never good form Dana Bash and also Vice President
(08:07):
Harris is going to have to answer some of these
policy changes. I know, in a political sense, you want
to during the primary season, you want to go to
the left or to the right, and then you campaign
towards the middle for the general. But she still has
some concrete stances of years before that they are very
different now, and she's going to have to consistently and
(08:28):
continually answer for why they've changed now, whether those changes
were for political reasons or whether they were for economic
reasons or sincere reasons, and that will be her story
that she has to tell.
Speaker 7 (08:41):
You're listening to Tim Conway Junior on demand from KFI
AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I'm O'Kelly in for Tim just a little bit early. Yeah,
I'm in for Mark Thompson, who is in for Tim
musical chairs. But if you ever listened to Later with
mo' kelly, I often talk about the issues and ills
of Metro. When I came into work today, I'd planned
to talk about something else, but I ran into kfi's
own Michael Monks, and he was telling me, and I'm
(09:09):
just paraphrasing, he'll tell you himself.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
In just a moment.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
He was telling me that Metro paraphrasing was giving him
an earful or an email full about how I guess
they've taken exception to my ongoing rants and editorials regarding Metro.
Michael Monks, thank you for staying around just a little
later this evening and joining me in studio.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
What's going on?
Speaker 8 (09:34):
It's my pleasure to stay. I'm union, I get overtime for.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Just Chris Little Nova.
Speaker 8 (09:39):
Absolutely, I'm happy to stay because you got me in trouble.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Okay, tell me in your words what happened.
Speaker 8 (09:45):
Well, you know, you do occasionally say a few things
about the Metro system. You expressed hanging about the my
cover Metro, you know, and I'm a writer, but I
cover the Metro board meetings and a lot of these situations,
the tragedies, the unpleasantness of writing sometimes, and so I
know the team at Metro pretty well at this point
when it comes to communicating, and I guess they heard
(10:06):
some things from you recently and it was just one
gripe too far, and they're like, we need to we
need to find a way to get some truth to
Moke Kelly.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Oh, they say that I have been inaccurate in my reporting.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Well, it's weird because they know how to reach me.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
I have corresponded with member at least one member of
the communications staff.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
They know how to email me.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
They've never contacted me and said, hey, we have a
representative who could come on and disabuse you of all
these notions you have.
Speaker 8 (10:35):
Well, this is what I told them, and I have
a good relationship with them. They're good people who work
in the Metro communication department. They know their stuff. They'll
connect you to who you need to talk to. They
set you up real nice. They gave me a bottle
of water on a hot day when Secretary of Budha
Judge was here. You know, it was nice. But for
this one, I did say, look, mo, Kelly's not going
to tell you not to come on the show. If
you want to come on and talk about Metro, that'd
be great late night engagement, you know, to talk about it.
(10:56):
We'll have you on.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
They didn't.
Speaker 8 (10:58):
This particular representative did not have much interest in doing that.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Wait wait, wait, wait, they don't have interest in having
a spokesperson come on the air with me, But they
want to backdoor and go to you. And you're not
the public information officer, you're not my boss. You're an anchor,
a news reporter, not even in the editorial side of KFI.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
But you're supposed to run and give me a message.
Speaker 8 (11:23):
I think that's what they were asking, and I'm happy
to do that, you know, but it you know, you
and I do different things here within the organization, and
sometimes that's difficult to explain to folks who are like, oh, man,
you know John Cobalt, he's so unfair to me, and
then that might hurt my ability right to get an
interview with so and so, And it's like, well, you know,
John Cobell, Tim Conway, Mo Kelly, Bill Handle. They all
(11:46):
get the opportunity to speak their minds freely. That's how
the audience gets engaged. We in the field of the
news reporters, we're out there getting the facts and shooting
it straight. Right, You're not gonna hear our commentary about it.
Maybe commentary a j when we get to have these
types of conversations on the shows. But you know, that's
why we got to have It's difficult for folks out
(12:06):
there to distinguish between host and news reporter.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Okay, news and opinion exactly, all right, So what is it?
Let me say it in an opinion type way. So
what's stuck in the behind of Metro.
Speaker 8 (12:19):
Well, I think the one that got them the most
upset is on a recent show that's been about two
or three weeks at this point to night. I know,
I hear you talking about it a late night.
Speaker 7 (12:28):
You know.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
It was the extension of the K line, which is
a big project and it's not fully realized.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know what this might look like.
Speaker 8 (12:37):
And this is that northern extension that's going to connect
like four of the rail lines, and it's not the.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
One that's not going to be done until like twenty
forty one.
Speaker 8 (12:45):
There's various projects that have very lengthy timelines, and so
like we're writing and getting excited about them now because
they're now is and it is cool to think about. Man,
these projects take a long time, and man, is it
worth it? I don't know if I understand you. They
contacted you.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
I got a call to call me to correct me
about an extension project and skipped over the thirty five
frickin times I've talked about violence on the Metro or
homelessness on the Metro?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Do I have that accurate?
Speaker 8 (13:15):
I think you do.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
I think you do.
Speaker 8 (13:18):
I think what's happened is obviously there have been some
difficulties on Metro to say the least, not to mention,
you're very nice, that's a very generous read. Yes, there's
been there have been tragedies on there. There's been violence
on the system and murders exactly. And so it's a
system that is dealing with what might amount to a
(13:39):
public relations crisis, right because they've had a lot of
bad stuff to deal with alongside what can objectively be
called good news when it comes to, hey, we got
some federal funds for this project, or we're announcing a
new extension of this line. I mean, they've got tracks
going down all over the county. This might be a
real rail region someday. But they're dealing with all of
this on top of it, and so I think they're
(14:00):
skittish and sensitive. That's just my interpretation.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Well, clearly they're sensitive because they're coming to you to
pass a message to me. It's almost like you're sitting
in the class and you see, oh, that girl is
very cute. I don't want to talk to her myself,
so let me Michael. I need you to go pass
the message and let her know that I want to
ask her out, and we're all adults here. If there
is something positive to report, or you want something or
a story better covered, then come on the show. We
(14:26):
can have that adult conversation. But at the same time,
I'm not going to ignore the fact that people are dying,
people are getting stabbed, people are getting shot their fights.
Bus operators are getting assaulted multiple times, and I'm not
making that up.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
That's the actual truth.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And if they want to come on here and say, hey, Mo,
we want to talk about the extension of the K line,
I'm saying, like you're won't worried about windshield wipers on
a car that doesn't even run.
Speaker 8 (14:50):
I think that's a fair assessment from an editorial perspective.
And frankly, if you ever need some help with me
talking to a woman on your behalf, I'm proud to
be your sir. Ando you know, send me out there,
I'll do it.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Sarah, No, nice pull. We call that a deep cut.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Do you have a moment to hang around for one
more segment because I want to get into just the
more broad perception of Metro and what they are trying
to do. I'm going to try to use you as
a conduit if you will, it's my pleasure.
Speaker 8 (15:17):
As I said at the beginning, the overtime clock is ticking.
I'm happy to stay as long as you need.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (15:21):
I know Chris Little just loves that you're listening to
Tim Conway Junior on demand from KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
You know, it was a time in which you get
on the bus and wouldn't think twice about it. But now,
Michael Monks, as you continue to join me in studios,
we discuss Metro more broadly. It's Metro, the trains, Metro,
the buses, Metro the platforms. How should let me ask
the question a different way as a former rid of Metro,
(15:53):
bus and trains, I don't feel comfortable riding either today.
How do we best communicate to the Metro powers that
v since they are listening right now, to take more
take our concerns more into account. Because if they're complaining
through you about Hey, you didn't talk about the extension
(16:16):
to the k line accurately.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
We're not.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
We're missing each other like ships in a night. I'm
talking about murder, death, kill, and they're talking about extensions.
Speaker 8 (16:27):
Well, you're a former writer, I'm a current writer, and
I live downtown, so it's like centralized. I can go
out to any corner of the county just to bounce
on one of these things, and I do. But you're right.
The thing about Metro that I don't think the broader
government has had a conversation about is the general unpleasantness
that exists within the system. It's not about the murder.
(16:51):
Those are tragic, but they are rare. But when they happen,
they're big news stories and they do need to be answered.
We need to know about cautions that are being taken,
especially when we have already learned that ninety seven ninety
eight percent of the crimes committed on the system are
committed by homeless folks. They are I'm sorry, I shouldn't
say homeless people who didn't pay. They're fair, that's the
(17:13):
accurate way to say it. So they know that people
were skipping fair the ones committing the crimes. But when
you're on a train and it reeks, or someone's smoking,
or someone's got a speaker playing, or someone's naked, or
or someone's having a mental breakdown about a view, and
not necessarily or exactly, and this can all happen on
a train car, there is a discomfort there, and so
(17:36):
where are the the alarms for that? Where are the
sirens and the lights flashing for that? Because La has
always been a city, shouldn't say always. In the early
part of the twentieth century, this was quite a public
transportation community. But this is a car city now, and
people anywhere in the world, what do you think about La?
Maybe movies, blah blah blah, beaches, traffic. Traffic is top
(17:59):
of mind for people who are not from here. That's
how big cars are here. But this is a city
that's made significant investments in public transit, and to have
it be impacted negatively by some of these sights and
sounds and sense upon the system, it makes the investment questionable.
Because you're a former writer, you should be a current writer.
(18:21):
You know, I had more time right in front of here.
I know if I have more time, you know. Look,
I want to be able to ride and not worry.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I remember the times in which I was riding with
one eye open because I couldn't put my I didn't
dare go to sleep. And that was back then. It
was a few years ago, before the pandemic. And now
I can I cannot in good conscience say it's okay
for my wife to ride. I can't in good conscience
say it's okay for any of my family members to ride.
(18:50):
And if you're telling me that, there is this disconnect
between what Metro is hearing me say and what they
are are concerned with me saying, then I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
So how do we get back to where we were?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Because I think it's disingenuous to suggest that this is
about messaging.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
This is about real issues.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yes, the violence is not the predominant issue, but it's
I would say, the most important issue.
Speaker 8 (19:15):
Absolutely. You know, you don't want to get stabbed to
death on the Metro. That should be a bare minimum request.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
We know that.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
That's why when it happens, we explore that tragedy at
the level it deserves, which is extraordinary seriousness and constant
questions of the government about how to respond to that.
But there are daily, constant occurrences on the system that
are also worthy of concern and worthy of the fear
or discomfort that people feel about it. You know, I
(19:41):
went to the Guatemalan Festival in Westlake last weekend, and
my spouse and I took the train to get there,
and I saw the most disgusting thing I've ever seen
on a Metro line.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
I'll share it with you.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Oh just just wait. Whatever you saw, it'll be worse
two weeks from now. I'm sorry, go ahead, No, it's okay.
Speaker 8 (19:57):
There was a man on there who wasn't wearing a
shirt like you know, somebody that might have been having
some some mental issues. But listen to this. MO he
was eating on the train was just technically a rule violation,
but correct. He was eating what appeared to be cherries.
And MO, he was eating these cherries directly from the
seat next to him, no basket, no plate. The cherries
(20:23):
were touching the seat in the Metro and he was
eating from it. Are they real cherries with the actual
cherries them? But I just think about.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
You know, and someone did sit in that seat, I
assumed shortly thereafter he.
Speaker 8 (20:42):
Should be so lucky if that's all that happened in
that seat, you know, I mean, it's.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
It was.
Speaker 8 (20:51):
I'm still thinking about it. I'll just leave it at that.
I mean, let's let's put a boat on this. We
know that Metro listens to KFI. We know that Metro
knows how to contact not only you, but knows how
to contact me. We know that they can craft a
message and it will be read on this station some way.
(21:12):
If they have good news to report, we'll read it.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
It may be with a.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Tinge of condescension from me and disbelief, but I'll read
it because part of it, I believe, is shaming the
powerful and making those who are comfortable uncomfortable. Unless something changes,
I'm not going to change my tune because the status
(21:38):
quo cannot be accepted. So what needs to happen? Metro?
Since I know you're listening right now, stop harassing my
friend Michael Munks harassed Michael Krozer.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Okay, he deserves it, He deserves it. Just making sure
you're listening.
Speaker 8 (21:57):
Yeah, they absolute sh Come on because there is a
good story to tell about the investment of public transportation
in LA and we are out there telling that as well,
and I enjoy working with their comms people on those
types of stories. I'm a fan of rail, a fan
of public transportation. It's exciting to be able to live
in a city that has it. But I think at
elevating the expectations of what this community gets in return
(22:22):
for the significant investments, a lot of money, and that
should be treated with respect.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Well, let me put it this way.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I don't want to hear anyone complaining about a monologue
if you're not willing to step up and participate in
the dialogue.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
There's an open.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Invitation from for Metro if you want to come on
this show later with Mo Kelly from seven to ten
Monday through Friday. Either you come on and you tell
us where I'm getting it wrong or something that Metro
is doing that needs to have more publicity, or I
will continue on as I have been. Michael Monks, I say,
(22:57):
travel safely, thank you for what you do, and hopefully
they'll leave you alone.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Now, don't give my email. Don't give my email. No,
I hope they don't leave you alone.
Speaker 8 (23:06):
We've got a lot of stories to tell, but I
appreciate you giving me the chance to come on and
talk about it.
Speaker 7 (23:10):
You're listening to Tim Conway Junior on demand from KFI
AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
It's the Tim Conway Junior Show. Mo Kelly in for
Mark Thompson, who is in for Tim Conway Junior. Just
finishing things up for them them and then I'll officially
take over at seven o'clock.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I hope you've had a wonderful day.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I hope you enjoyed that conversation I just had with
Michael Monks and this ongoing discussion we've had with Metro.
And I take everything I say very seriously. I don't
take myself seriously. I take what I do seriously. And
I think that there's room to make sure that we
hold the powerful accountable. And KFI has been doing a
(23:54):
tremendous job and doing just that for decades now. Something else.
Just want to let you know before we close out
this hour. If you've been listening to Later with Mo Kelly,
you know that we've been following the story of how
the state of California had been considering a bill which
would limit the use of phones, cell phones, smartphones at schools.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
During the day.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Well, the state legislature has now officially passed this bill,
and it requires all public schools to come up with
a plan to limit or ban phones during the school day.
I don't know if you can do that, if you're
going to leave it to the schools, but me personally,
I am all for that. It's an impediment to learning,
it's disruptive. If you've ever been in an academic environment,
(24:45):
been to a school, be it a middle school or
a high school, elementary school, just about every kid has
a phone.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
And I get it. I get it.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
If you're a parent, especially in today's world, given all
the craziness out there, you want to make sure that
you can get in touch with your child at a
moment's notice. I get all of that, But at the
same time, the phones are getting in the way of
the learning experience. Has gotten to the point where it
(25:15):
makes it almost impossible for teachers to handle their business
of educating not only your child, but everyone else's child.
The Phone Free Schools Act, which was introduced by Assemblyman
Josh Hoover, now gives the state public schools until July
of twenty twenty six. I guess there are in no rush.
(25:37):
Hell half these kids will be graduates by then. Well,
if they make it that far, until July twenty twenty
six to come up with a plan to implement a
ban or other limits on smartphones. For example, schools could
require students to put phones in a locker or a
sealed pouch during school hours. I've heard that, and I said,
they'll just give a dummy phone. They'll just give away
(25:59):
an old phone. They won't actually put their real phone.
I just know because I've done it, getting into movie
screenings where they want to take your phone so you
can't take a picture of the screen or record anything. Yes,
I've taken a secondary phone, and I don't think of
myself as super smart. And kids are always looking for
a way to get around the rules. Remember that first
time we told you about how schools would have laptops
(26:23):
and they'd have access to the Internet, and supposedly they
were locked where they can only see certain material, they
could only surf to certain sites, and then like a
week later, they jail broke all of them so they
can go to porn sites, sports sites, fantasy sites.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Did not matter.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
They were abusing the computers. They're using them for anything
and everything. It didn't take long. So I say that
to say kids will find a way around this, we
have to be realistic because they're going to get their phones,
They're going to be using phones, And still there is
that emergency component. Schools would not be able to stop
(27:04):
students from using their phones in certain circumstances, such as
a medical necessity or emergency. The question that becomes for
those students who actually comply, what would be the steps
you'd have to take. Let's say you're in your classroom
and you have a need an emergency, but you got
(27:24):
to get your phone, which is maybe in the administration building.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I don't know about all the details, but those are
the details they have about two years to work out now.
Twalla Sharp, producer of Later with Mo Kelly. He is
also an administrator at a special needs school. And I
mentioned that because when you talk about emergencies with students,
I'm guessing that's a daily occurrence. Yes, it's a daily occurrence.
(27:49):
I mean, look, even today for me, it was an
early day for my daughter school. She got out before
I got off work, and so she was going to
go walk home with my son, who's gonna come and
get her. I needed to be able to get in
touch with her so I could coordinate things for her.
And so if she had to go through all these
hoops and hurdles to get her phone, I would be
(28:11):
beyond upset. And so I get while you have to
roll this plan out to twenty twenty six, because it
is going to take some time to come up with
a truly comprehensive way to confiscate phones and also be
able to give them back at the moments notice in
case of an emergency, or even if those you have
those parents who are like I will sign a waiver
(28:32):
my child can have their phone all day, whatever it
may be. This is something that is gonna take time,
first step, and that the legislation signed, the bill whatever,
get it passed so you can get these phones taken
away because they.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Are a nuisance.
Speaker 9 (28:46):
They are how these kids are coming up with these
seven to eleven smashing grab plans. They're just texting, tweeting,
doing it on social media and coming together. And this
is how they're doing ditch parties now without passing a
note that can get caught. This is how they're doing
all types of ungodly things because they have these phones
during the day. But I do know that there are
(29:07):
times where I need to get in touch with my
child at school. I'm like, hey, why aren't you getting
back with me, And they will say something like, well,
you know, teacher took my phone, and I will be
down at that school, like I sent my daughter to
school with the phone for a reason, and I have
I admittedly I've gone off on administration out of school
for taking the phone away. So I'm of two different.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Minds their administrator mine and there's parent mind yes yes.
And if California were to see this all the way through,
in other words, it's passed by the state legislature, it
has yet to be signed by the governor. Hating to
go all civics on people, but if it's signed by Newsome,
we would become the fifth state in the country to
take such steps. So other states have done it and
(29:53):
on some level have figured it out. It's not impossible,
but there's not going to be one solution which is
going to please everyone.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
It's going to inconvenience some.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
But we also have to take into account that the
primary responsibility and purpose of our schools is to educate
our children, not babysit, but educate them, and also make
sure that our kids are not getting in the way
of someone else's education.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
It's a Tim Conway Junior Show.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
When we come back at the top of the hour,
we'll tell you about some of the things that you
can and can't do what's going to be open and
closed as part of this Labor Day weekend. So I'm
signing off for the Tim Conway Junior Show, and when
we come back it'll be later with Mo Kelly.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Conway Show on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Now, you
can always hear us live on KFI Am six forty
four to seven pm Monday through Friday, and anytime on
demand on the iHeartRadio app
It's KFI AM six forty and you're listening to the
Conway Show on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
It's the Tim Conway Junior Show and Mole Kelly in
for Mark Thompson, who is in for Tim Conway Junior.
I know it's so very confusing, but here we are
for the next hour.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I'm going to sit with you for a second.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And if you've been listening to Mark Thompson, who was
in for Tim Conway Junior, you know that the biggest talker,
biggest story of the day is to sit down interview
between president presidential candidate Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate
Tim Walls with Dana Bash of CNN. You heard some
of the clips earlier today which were given out to
(00:41):
the press and anticipation of the actual conversation which is
airing now live on CNN, and Stephen, do you have
some of that for us?
Speaker 4 (00:51):
You are well aware that right now many Americans are struggling.
There's a crisis of affordability. One of your campaign themes
is We're not going back. But I wonder what you
say to voters who do want to go back when
it comes to the economy, specifically because their groceries were
less expensive, housing was more affordable. When Donald Trump was president.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
Well, let's start with the fact that when Joe Biden
and I came in office during the height of a pandemic,
we saw over ten million jobs were lost people. I
mean literally, we were all tracking the numbers. Hundreds of
people a day were dying because of COVID. The economy
(01:36):
had crashed in large part all of that because of
mismanagement by Donald Trump of that crisis. When we came in,
our highest priority was to do what we could to
rescue America. And today we know that we have inflation
at under three percent. A lot of our policies have
led to the reality that America recovered faster than any
(01:57):
wealthy nation around the world. You are right, prices, in
particular for groceries, are still too high. The American people
know what I know it, which is why my agenda
includes what we need to do to bring down the
price of groceries, for example, dealing with an issue like
price gouging.
Speaker 6 (02:12):
What we need to do to extend.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
The child tax credit to help young families be able
to take care of their children in their most formative years.
What we need to do to bring down the cost
of housing. My proposal includes what would be a tax
credit of twenty five thousand dollars for first time home buyers,
so they can just have enough to put a down
payment on a home, which is part of the American
(02:36):
dream and their aspiration, but do it in a way
that allows them to actually get on the path to
achieving that goal in that dream.
Speaker 6 (02:44):
So you have been vice president for three and a
half years.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
The steps that you're talking about, now, why haven't you
done them already?
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Well, first of all, we had to recover as an economy,
and we have done that. I'm very proud of the
work that we have done that has brought inflation down
to less than three percent, the work that we have
done to cap the cost of insulin at thirty five
dollars a month for seniors. Donald Trump said he was
going to do a number of things, including allowing Medicare
to negotiate drug prices.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
Never happened. We did it.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
So now, as I travel in the state of Georgia
and around our country, the number of seniors that have
benefited I've met. I was in Nevada recently a grandmother
who showed me her receipts, and before we capped the
cost of insullin for seniors at thirty five dollars a month,
she was playing hundreds of dollars up to thousands of
dollars a month for her insulin.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
She's not doing that. And you maintain bionomics is a success.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
I maintain that when we do the work of bringing
down prescription medication for the American people, including capping the
cost of the annual cost of prescription medication for seniors
at two thousand dollars, When we do what we did
in the first year of being in office to extend
the child tax credits so that we cut child poverty
in America by over fifty percent, When we do what
(03:58):
we have done to invest in the American people in
bringing manufacturing back to the United States, so that we
created over eight hundred thousand new manufacturing jobs, bringing business
back to America, what we have done to improve the
supply chain so we're not relying on foreign governments to
supply American families with their basic needs. I'll say that
(04:20):
that's good work. There's more to do, but that's good work.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
I want to get some clarity on where you stand
on some key policy issues.
Speaker 6 (04:30):
Energy is a big one.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
When you were in Congress, you supported the Green New Deal,
and in twenty nineteen you said, quote, there is no
question I'm in favor of banning fracking.
Speaker 6 (04:41):
Cracking, as you know, is.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
A pretty big issue, particularly in your must win state
of Pennsylvania.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
Do you still want to ban fracking?
Speaker 5 (04:49):
No, And I made that clear on the debate station
in twenty twenty that I would not banfracking as vice president,
I did not banfracking. As president, I will not banfracking.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
In twenty nineteen, I believe in a town hall you
said you were asked, would you commit to implementing a
federal ban on fracking on your first day in office,
and you said, there's no question in favor of banning fracking.
Speaker 6 (05:11):
So yes. So it changed in that campaign in twenty twenty.
I made very clear where I stand.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
We are in twenty twenty four, and I've not changed
that position or will I going forward. I kept my
word and I will keep my word.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
What made you change that position at the time.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Well, let's be clear, my values have not changed. I
believe it is very important that we take seriously what
we must do to guard against what is a clear
crisis in terms of the climate, and to do that,
we can do what we have accomplished thus far, the
Inflation Reduction Act, what we have done to invest by
(05:49):
my calculation, over probably a trillion dollars over the next
ten years, investing in a clean energy economy, what we've
already done, creating over three hundred thousand new clean energy jobs.
That tells me from my experience as vice president, we
can do it without banning fracking. In fact, Dana Dan,
excuse me, I cast the tie breaking vote that actually
(06:14):
increased leases for fracking. Yeah, as vice president, so I'm
very clear about where I stand.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Policy KFI.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Right now, we're listening to some of the interview between
presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Vice president Price presidential candidate
Tim Walls, along with Dana Bash of CNN. We're not
going to play the whole interview, but it's the talker
of the day. Very quickly. This was done because of
pressure to have a sit down interview. I thought it
(06:42):
was odd because that's not a thing in presidential politics.
And yes, it's weird my word that this is a
truncated presidential campaign schedule. Because Kamala Harris obviously didn't have
a full primary season, did not have a lot of
time leading.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Up to this moment.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Big picture, and it's not all that unusual for you
to see a presidential candidate and a vice presidential candidate
in the same interview. I just thought, people remember, des ided,
I remember when Trump and Pence sat down together in
the same interview. I remember when Barack Obama and Joe
Biden sat down in the same interview. I remember when
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan sat down in the middle
(07:23):
of interview. I mean in the same interview. I mean,
there's still YouTube out there. I think the only difference
is that this is Harris's first interview, and so people
would expect her to handle this by herself. But it's
not unusual for a presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate
to sit down the same interview. It's obviously going on
(07:46):
on CNN right now. We're not going to play or
listen to the whole interview, but we wanted to give
you just a little taste of what it is. And
I can see right now tomorrow is going to be
Number one, learned the name of the person interviewing you.
It's never good form Dana Bash and also Vice President
(08:07):
Harris is going to have to answer some of these
policy changes. I know, in a political sense, you want
to during the primary season, you want to go to
the left or to the right, and then you campaign
towards the middle for the general. But she still has
some concrete stances of years before that they are very
different now, and she's going to have to consistently and
(08:28):
continually answer for why they've changed now, whether those changes
were for political reasons or whether they were for economic
reasons or sincere reasons, and that will be her story
that she has to tell.
Speaker 7 (08:41):
You're listening to Tim Conway Junior on demand from KFI
AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I'm O'Kelly in for Tim just a little bit early. Yeah,
I'm in for Mark Thompson, who is in for Tim
musical chairs. But if you ever listened to Later with
mo' kelly, I often talk about the issues and ills
of Metro. When I came into work today, I'd planned
to talk about something else, but I ran into kfi's
own Michael Monks, and he was telling me, and I'm
(09:09):
just paraphrasing, he'll tell you himself.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
In just a moment.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
He was telling me that Metro paraphrasing was giving him
an earful or an email full about how I guess
they've taken exception to my ongoing rants and editorials regarding Metro.
Michael Monks, thank you for staying around just a little
later this evening and joining me in studio.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
What's going on?
Speaker 8 (09:34):
It's my pleasure to stay. I'm union, I get overtime for.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Just Chris Little Nova.
Speaker 8 (09:39):
Absolutely, I'm happy to stay because you got me in trouble.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Okay, tell me in your words what happened.
Speaker 8 (09:45):
Well, you know, you do occasionally say a few things
about the Metro system. You expressed hanging about the my
cover Metro, you know, and I'm a writer, but I
cover the Metro board meetings and a lot of these situations,
the tragedies, the unpleasantness of writing sometimes, and so I
know the team at Metro pretty well at this point
when it comes to communicating, and I guess they heard
(10:06):
some things from you recently and it was just one
gripe too far, and they're like, we need to we
need to find a way to get some truth to
Moke Kelly.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Oh, they say that I have been inaccurate in my reporting.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Well, it's weird because they know how to reach me.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
I have corresponded with member at least one member of
the communications staff.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
They know how to email me.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
They've never contacted me and said, hey, we have a
representative who could come on and disabuse you of all
these notions you have.
Speaker 8 (10:35):
Well, this is what I told them, and I have
a good relationship with them. They're good people who work
in the Metro communication department. They know their stuff. They'll
connect you to who you need to talk to. They
set you up real nice. They gave me a bottle
of water on a hot day when Secretary of Budha
Judge was here. You know, it was nice. But for
this one, I did say, look, mo, Kelly's not going
to tell you not to come on the show. If
you want to come on and talk about Metro, that'd
be great late night engagement, you know, to talk about it.
(10:56):
We'll have you on.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
They didn't.
Speaker 8 (10:58):
This particular representative did not have much interest in doing that.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Wait wait, wait, wait, they don't have interest in having
a spokesperson come on the air with me, But they
want to backdoor and go to you. And you're not
the public information officer, you're not my boss. You're an anchor,
a news reporter, not even in the editorial side of KFI.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
But you're supposed to run and give me a message.
Speaker 8 (11:23):
I think that's what they were asking, and I'm happy
to do that, you know, but it you know, you
and I do different things here within the organization, and
sometimes that's difficult to explain to folks who are like, oh, man,
you know John Cobalt, he's so unfair to me, and
then that might hurt my ability right to get an
interview with so and so, And it's like, well, you know,
John Cobell, Tim Conway, Mo Kelly, Bill Handle. They all
(11:46):
get the opportunity to speak their minds freely. That's how
the audience gets engaged. We in the field of the
news reporters, we're out there getting the facts and shooting
it straight. Right, You're not gonna hear our commentary about it.
Maybe commentary a j when we get to have these
types of conversations on the shows. But you know, that's
why we got to have It's difficult for folks out
(12:06):
there to distinguish between host and news reporter.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Okay, news and opinion exactly, all right, So what is it?
Let me say it in an opinion type way. So
what's stuck in the behind of Metro.
Speaker 8 (12:19):
Well, I think the one that got them the most
upset is on a recent show that's been about two
or three weeks at this point to night. I know,
I hear you talking about it a late night.
Speaker 7 (12:28):
You know.
Speaker 8 (12:29):
It was the extension of the K line, which is
a big project and it's not fully realized.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know what this might look like.
Speaker 8 (12:37):
And this is that northern extension that's going to connect
like four of the rail lines, and it's not the.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
One that's not going to be done until like twenty
forty one.
Speaker 8 (12:45):
There's various projects that have very lengthy timelines, and so
like we're writing and getting excited about them now because
they're now is and it is cool to think about. Man,
these projects take a long time, and man, is it
worth it? I don't know if I understand you. They
contacted you.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
I got a call to call me to correct me
about an extension project and skipped over the thirty five
frickin times I've talked about violence on the Metro or
homelessness on the Metro?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Do I have that accurate?
Speaker 8 (13:15):
I think you do.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
I think you do.
Speaker 8 (13:18):
I think what's happened is obviously there have been some
difficulties on Metro to say the least, not to mention,
you're very nice, that's a very generous read. Yes, there's
been there have been tragedies on there. There's been violence
on the system and murders exactly. And so it's a
system that is dealing with what might amount to a
(13:39):
public relations crisis, right because they've had a lot of
bad stuff to deal with alongside what can objectively be
called good news when it comes to, hey, we got
some federal funds for this project, or we're announcing a
new extension of this line. I mean, they've got tracks
going down all over the county. This might be a
real rail region someday. But they're dealing with all of
this on top of it, and so I think they're
(14:00):
skittish and sensitive. That's just my interpretation.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Well, clearly they're sensitive because they're coming to you to
pass a message to me. It's almost like you're sitting
in the class and you see, oh, that girl is
very cute. I don't want to talk to her myself,
so let me Michael. I need you to go pass
the message and let her know that I want to
ask her out, and we're all adults here. If there
is something positive to report, or you want something or
a story better covered, then come on the show. We
(14:26):
can have that adult conversation. But at the same time,
I'm not going to ignore the fact that people are dying,
people are getting stabbed, people are getting shot their fights.
Bus operators are getting assaulted multiple times, and I'm not
making that up.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
That's the actual truth.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And if they want to come on here and say, hey, Mo,
we want to talk about the extension of the K line,
I'm saying, like you're won't worried about windshield wipers on
a car that doesn't even run.
Speaker 8 (14:50):
I think that's a fair assessment from an editorial perspective.
And frankly, if you ever need some help with me
talking to a woman on your behalf, I'm proud to
be your sir. Ando you know, send me out there,
I'll do it.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Sarah, No, nice pull. We call that a deep cut.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Do you have a moment to hang around for one
more segment because I want to get into just the
more broad perception of Metro and what they are trying
to do. I'm going to try to use you as
a conduit if you will, it's my pleasure.
Speaker 8 (15:17):
As I said at the beginning, the overtime clock is ticking.
I'm happy to stay as long as you need.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (15:21):
I know Chris Little just loves that you're listening to
Tim Conway Junior on demand from KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
You know, it was a time in which you get
on the bus and wouldn't think twice about it. But now,
Michael Monks, as you continue to join me in studios,
we discuss Metro more broadly. It's Metro, the trains, Metro,
the buses, Metro the platforms. How should let me ask
the question a different way as a former rid of Metro,
(15:53):
bus and trains, I don't feel comfortable riding either today.
How do we best communicate to the Metro powers that
v since they are listening right now, to take more
take our concerns more into account. Because if they're complaining
through you about Hey, you didn't talk about the extension
(16:16):
to the k line accurately.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
We're not.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
We're missing each other like ships in a night. I'm
talking about murder, death, kill, and they're talking about extensions.
Speaker 8 (16:27):
Well, you're a former writer, I'm a current writer, and
I live downtown, so it's like centralized. I can go
out to any corner of the county just to bounce
on one of these things, and I do. But you're right.
The thing about Metro that I don't think the broader
government has had a conversation about is the general unpleasantness
that exists within the system. It's not about the murder.
(16:51):
Those are tragic, but they are rare. But when they happen,
they're big news stories and they do need to be answered.
We need to know about cautions that are being taken,
especially when we have already learned that ninety seven ninety
eight percent of the crimes committed on the system are
committed by homeless folks. They are I'm sorry, I shouldn't
say homeless people who didn't pay. They're fair, that's the
(17:13):
accurate way to say it. So they know that people
were skipping fair the ones committing the crimes. But when
you're on a train and it reeks, or someone's smoking,
or someone's got a speaker playing, or someone's naked, or
or someone's having a mental breakdown about a view, and
not necessarily or exactly, and this can all happen on
a train car, there is a discomfort there, and so
(17:36):
where are the the alarms for that? Where are the
sirens and the lights flashing for that? Because La has
always been a city, shouldn't say always. In the early
part of the twentieth century, this was quite a public
transportation community. But this is a car city now, and
people anywhere in the world, what do you think about La?
Maybe movies, blah blah blah, beaches, traffic. Traffic is top
(17:59):
of mind for people who are not from here. That's
how big cars are here. But this is a city
that's made significant investments in public transit, and to have
it be impacted negatively by some of these sights and
sounds and sense upon the system, it makes the investment questionable.
Because you're a former writer, you should be a current writer.
(18:21):
You know, I had more time right in front of here.
I know if I have more time, you know. Look,
I want to be able to ride and not worry.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I remember the times in which I was riding with
one eye open because I couldn't put my I didn't
dare go to sleep. And that was back then. It
was a few years ago, before the pandemic. And now
I can I cannot in good conscience say it's okay
for my wife to ride. I can't in good conscience
say it's okay for any of my family members to ride.
(18:50):
And if you're telling me that, there is this disconnect
between what Metro is hearing me say and what they
are are concerned with me saying, then I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
So how do we get back to where we were?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Because I think it's disingenuous to suggest that this is
about messaging.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
This is about real issues.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yes, the violence is not the predominant issue, but it's
I would say, the most important issue.
Speaker 8 (19:15):
Absolutely. You know, you don't want to get stabbed to
death on the Metro. That should be a bare minimum request.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
We know that.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
That's why when it happens, we explore that tragedy at
the level it deserves, which is extraordinary seriousness and constant
questions of the government about how to respond to that.
But there are daily, constant occurrences on the system that
are also worthy of concern and worthy of the fear
or discomfort that people feel about it. You know, I
(19:41):
went to the Guatemalan Festival in Westlake last weekend, and
my spouse and I took the train to get there,
and I saw the most disgusting thing I've ever seen
on a Metro line.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
I'll share it with you.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Oh just just wait. Whatever you saw, it'll be worse
two weeks from now. I'm sorry, go ahead, No, it's okay.
Speaker 8 (19:57):
There was a man on there who wasn't wearing a
shirt like you know, somebody that might have been having
some some mental issues. But listen to this. MO he
was eating on the train was just technically a rule violation,
but correct. He was eating what appeared to be cherries.
And MO, he was eating these cherries directly from the
seat next to him, no basket, no plate. The cherries
(20:23):
were touching the seat in the Metro and he was
eating from it. Are they real cherries with the actual
cherries them? But I just think about.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
You know, and someone did sit in that seat, I
assumed shortly thereafter he.
Speaker 8 (20:42):
Should be so lucky if that's all that happened in
that seat, you know, I mean, it's.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
It was.
Speaker 8 (20:51):
I'm still thinking about it. I'll just leave it at that.
I mean, let's let's put a boat on this. We
know that Metro listens to KFI. We know that Metro
knows how to contact not only you, but knows how
to contact me. We know that they can craft a
message and it will be read on this station some way.
(21:12):
If they have good news to report, we'll read it.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
It may be with a.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Tinge of condescension from me and disbelief, but I'll read
it because part of it, I believe, is shaming the
powerful and making those who are comfortable uncomfortable. Unless something changes,
I'm not going to change my tune because the status
(21:38):
quo cannot be accepted. So what needs to happen? Metro?
Since I know you're listening right now, stop harassing my
friend Michael Munks harassed Michael Krozer.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Okay, he deserves it, He deserves it. Just making sure
you're listening.
Speaker 8 (21:57):
Yeah, they absolute sh Come on because there is a
good story to tell about the investment of public transportation
in LA and we are out there telling that as well,
and I enjoy working with their comms people on those
types of stories. I'm a fan of rail, a fan
of public transportation. It's exciting to be able to live
in a city that has it. But I think at
elevating the expectations of what this community gets in return
(22:22):
for the significant investments, a lot of money, and that
should be treated with respect.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Well, let me put it this way.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I don't want to hear anyone complaining about a monologue
if you're not willing to step up and participate in
the dialogue.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
There's an open.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Invitation from for Metro if you want to come on
this show later with Mo Kelly from seven to ten
Monday through Friday. Either you come on and you tell
us where I'm getting it wrong or something that Metro
is doing that needs to have more publicity, or I
will continue on as I have been. Michael Monks, I say,
(22:57):
travel safely, thank you for what you do, and hopefully
they'll leave you alone.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Now, don't give my email. Don't give my email. No,
I hope they don't leave you alone.
Speaker 8 (23:06):
We've got a lot of stories to tell, but I
appreciate you giving me the chance to come on and
talk about it.
Speaker 7 (23:10):
You're listening to Tim Conway Junior on demand from KFI
AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
It's the Tim Conway Junior Show. Mo Kelly in for
Mark Thompson, who is in for Tim Conway Junior. Just
finishing things up for them them and then I'll officially
take over at seven o'clock.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I hope you've had a wonderful day.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I hope you enjoyed that conversation I just had with
Michael Monks and this ongoing discussion we've had with Metro.
And I take everything I say very seriously. I don't
take myself seriously. I take what I do seriously. And
I think that there's room to make sure that we
hold the powerful accountable. And KFI has been doing a
(23:54):
tremendous job and doing just that for decades now. Something else.
Just want to let you know before we close out
this hour. If you've been listening to Later with Mo Kelly,
you know that we've been following the story of how
the state of California had been considering a bill which
would limit the use of phones, cell phones, smartphones at schools.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
During the day.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Well, the state legislature has now officially passed this bill,
and it requires all public schools to come up with
a plan to limit or ban phones during the school day.
I don't know if you can do that, if you're
going to leave it to the schools, but me personally,
I am all for that. It's an impediment to learning,
it's disruptive. If you've ever been in an academic environment,
(24:45):
been to a school, be it a middle school or
a high school, elementary school, just about every kid has
a phone.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
And I get it. I get it.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
If you're a parent, especially in today's world, given all
the craziness out there, you want to make sure that
you can get in touch with your child at a
moment's notice. I get all of that, But at the
same time, the phones are getting in the way of
the learning experience. Has gotten to the point where it
(25:15):
makes it almost impossible for teachers to handle their business
of educating not only your child, but everyone else's child.
The Phone Free Schools Act, which was introduced by Assemblyman
Josh Hoover, now gives the state public schools until July
of twenty twenty six. I guess there are in no rush.
(25:37):
Hell half these kids will be graduates by then. Well,
if they make it that far, until July twenty twenty
six to come up with a plan to implement a
ban or other limits on smartphones. For example, schools could
require students to put phones in a locker or a
sealed pouch during school hours. I've heard that, and I said,
they'll just give a dummy phone. They'll just give away
(25:59):
an old phone. They won't actually put their real phone.
I just know because I've done it, getting into movie
screenings where they want to take your phone so you
can't take a picture of the screen or record anything. Yes,
I've taken a secondary phone, and I don't think of
myself as super smart. And kids are always looking for
a way to get around the rules. Remember that first
time we told you about how schools would have laptops
(26:23):
and they'd have access to the Internet, and supposedly they
were locked where they can only see certain material, they
could only surf to certain sites, and then like a
week later, they jail broke all of them so they
can go to porn sites, sports sites, fantasy sites.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Did not matter.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
They were abusing the computers. They're using them for anything
and everything. It didn't take long. So I say that
to say kids will find a way around this, we
have to be realistic because they're going to get their phones,
They're going to be using phones, And still there is
that emergency component. Schools would not be able to stop
(27:04):
students from using their phones in certain circumstances, such as
a medical necessity or emergency. The question that becomes for
those students who actually comply, what would be the steps
you'd have to take. Let's say you're in your classroom
and you have a need an emergency, but you got
(27:24):
to get your phone, which is maybe in the administration building.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I don't know about all the details, but those are
the details they have about two years to work out now.
Twalla Sharp, producer of Later with Mo Kelly. He is
also an administrator at a special needs school. And I
mentioned that because when you talk about emergencies with students,
I'm guessing that's a daily occurrence. Yes, it's a daily occurrence.
(27:49):
I mean, look, even today for me, it was an
early day for my daughter school. She got out before
I got off work, and so she was going to
go walk home with my son, who's gonna come and
get her. I needed to be able to get in
touch with her so I could coordinate things for her.
And so if she had to go through all these
hoops and hurdles to get her phone, I would be
(28:11):
beyond upset. And so I get while you have to
roll this plan out to twenty twenty six, because it
is going to take some time to come up with
a truly comprehensive way to confiscate phones and also be
able to give them back at the moments notice in
case of an emergency, or even if those you have
those parents who are like I will sign a waiver
(28:32):
my child can have their phone all day, whatever it
may be. This is something that is gonna take time,
first step, and that the legislation signed, the bill whatever,
get it passed so you can get these phones taken
away because they.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Are a nuisance.
Speaker 9 (28:46):
They are how these kids are coming up with these
seven to eleven smashing grab plans. They're just texting, tweeting,
doing it on social media and coming together. And this
is how they're doing ditch parties now without passing a
note that can get caught. This is how they're doing
all types of ungodly things because they have these phones
during the day. But I do know that there are
(29:07):
times where I need to get in touch with my
child at school. I'm like, hey, why aren't you getting
back with me, And they will say something like, well,
you know, teacher took my phone, and I will be
down at that school, like I sent my daughter to
school with the phone for a reason, and I have
I admittedly I've gone off on administration out of school
for taking the phone away. So I'm of two different.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Minds their administrator mine and there's parent mind yes yes.
And if California were to see this all the way through,
in other words, it's passed by the state legislature, it
has yet to be signed by the governor. Hating to
go all civics on people, but if it's signed by Newsome,
we would become the fifth state in the country to
take such steps. So other states have done it and
(29:53):
on some level have figured it out. It's not impossible,
but there's not going to be one solution which is
going to please everyone.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
It's going to inconvenience some.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
But we also have to take into account that the
primary responsibility and purpose of our schools is to educate
our children, not babysit, but educate them, and also make
sure that our kids are not getting in the way
of someone else's education.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
It's a Tim Conway Junior Show.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
When we come back at the top of the hour,
we'll tell you about some of the things that you
can and can't do what's going to be open and
closed as part of this Labor Day weekend. So I'm
signing off for the Tim Conway Junior Show, and when
we come back it'll be later with Mo Kelly.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Conway Show on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Now, you
can always hear us live on KFI Am six forty
four to seven pm Monday through Friday, and anytime on
demand on the iHeartRadio app
Later, with Mo'Kelly News
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