December 5, 2025 • 36 mins
The Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors is advocating to build a gondola running from Union Station to Dodger Stadium. Meantime, bulldozers have moved into Marina Del Rey to tear down a homeless encampment. Following a five-year investigation by the FBI, the so-called DC pipe bomber has been arrested and identified as 30-year-old Viriginia man Brian Cole Jr. Warner Bros. Is in the midst of a major bidding war. If TV streamer Netflix succeeds in acquiring the entertainment giant, many film and TV creators and workers are up in arms, worried it will destroy the film theatrical space and eliminate distribution entirely.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Mark Thompson here on a Thursday night in Los Angeles
and across the west on KFI. Wherever you are listening
on iHeartRadio in the app across the globe, we welcome
you in. It is Southern California in a beautiful period
during which the rains have cleared. The air is crystal clear.
(00:32):
It just seems beautiful every morning, and we've had enough
rain to kind of relieve anxieties, it would seem, through
the holidays. And I'm hopeful that the frankly, the scenario
that we all know and we kind of sort of
have a cultural memory of and a cultural awareness of,
(00:53):
which is associated with fire and the dangers.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Of living in southern California.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
We hope that that can sort of recede for the
holiday season and we can get by without there being
any incidents. We just told you about the Eaton fire.
The first rebuild in that area of Altadena has been completed,
and so it is not related to that kind of thing,
but sort of in this world of approval and might
(01:20):
I say a green light that means something that the
Metro Board of Directors is re certifying the environmental documents
allowing Dodger Stadium to have the gondola project move forward.
This is this gondola that's going to run from Union
Station to Dodger Stadium. They approved a four hundred and
(01:40):
thirty seven page supplement in this environmental re certification, and
the Executive Management Committee advanced this report to the full
board a four to one vote, with La County Supervisor
and board member Janis Han voting against the item and
(02:01):
Jacquelin DuPont Walker not there for the vote. Anyway, re
certifying the documents for the project is allowing the project
to continue, and it's being led by the nonprofit that's
leading the project, and again the goal is to get
this gondola finished. A group of Chinatown residents and members
(02:23):
of the Stop the Gondola Community held red signs and
the red sign said anybody stop the Gondola solid. Since
it's to stop the gondola, group solid to decide that
the sign should say stop the Gondola. They also had
(02:44):
a banner that read protect Chinatown from Frank McCourt. You
know he's involved in the ownership of some of these
areas affected and Oliveria Street is not for sale. Historic
Park is not for sale. This is the pushback on
the gondola. Critics say that there's no guarantee the taxpayer
(03:04):
aren't going to be on the hook with the bill,
and the bill could be five hundred million dollars in
construction costs as well as maybe eight million to ten
million in annual maintenance and operations. The complex that is
being proposed for Dodger Stadium is way more than just this,
and they're worried about that as well. So this is
(03:26):
part of a development project, if you will, that has
constituents on either side and their vocal constituents. Zero Emissions
Transit a nonprofit organization with an independent board of directors
leading this project. Formerly known as the Los Angeles Aerial
Rapid Transit. It was donated by the former Dodger owner,
(03:48):
Frank McCord, and the nonprofit says, you know, we're an
organization committed to all efforts of trying to get this
zero emission technology and any zero emission technology to the
transportation space, and that's what this is. It's a one
point two mile extension. The route goes through Chinatown and
(04:10):
the Los Angeles State Historic Park. It connects Union Station
and Dodger Stadium again through three stations Alameda Station, Chinatown
State Park Station and the Dodger Stadium station.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
There is a.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Junction, non passenger junction and three cable supporting towers. So
that's what this will be. I mean, it's still it's
an ambitious project for sure. I mean it's a big
aerial tram. But the idea is, and this is what
proponents of this talk about.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
It's the first.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Permanent mass transit connection linking Dodger Stadium to the LA
Transit system. Then the gondola would operate with zero emissions.
It would be the first aerial gondola transit system to
include a battery electric backup sisions system. And the environmental
study that was just approved said that it could reduce
emissions reasonably over one hundred and fifty thousand metric tons
(05:03):
of greenhouse gases over the lifetime of the project. So
it's a big, big deal, and big big deals have big,
big problems on both sides. So it's backed by several groups,
excuse me, the Chinese American Museum Coalition for Clean Air,
the LA and Orange County Building Trade Councils. You know,
so builders, the LA County Business Federation and Business People
(05:25):
Camber of Commerce, for example. They're behind this project and
they want to see it through to its conclusion. And
there are a lot of people in support. Four hundred
businesses in Chinatown, fifteen thousand people all signed up to
support this project. And again, this will employ a lot
(05:48):
of people and it's viewed as something that would really
be a huge step to the next era in Los Angeles.
So this has been a big day because the Metro
Board of Directors again re certifies these documents and that
will allow the Gondola project to move forward. Watch for
(06:08):
it though, because it will continue in controversy. Meantime, bulldozers
moved into Marina del Rey. They're taking stuff down. What
is it, Well, it's something that a lot of people
in Marina del Ray wanted taken down. It's a homeless encampment.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
People have been pushing for this for some time with
no action. Could be just the start long awaited movement
in Marina del Rey. Bulldozers ripping through a homeless encamment
that had grown out of control, full of trash, booze, furniture,
and much more.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
They are defecating in the area like they are choosing
to live there.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Once you had your first report, some movement happens, so
hopefully that will continue in this area be cleaned up.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Last month, we exclusively reported on the tent city sandwich
between lanes of the ninety freeway. Many people do you
estimate are living over there?
Speaker 5 (07:01):
One day I can see one hundred and fifty. Some
days there's only thirty shooting up drugs right.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
There, open drug use, burglaries, violence, then flames pushed fear
into nearby neighborhoods.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
And this is the problem. I mean, these encampments grow.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I've lived next to two of them during my time
in southern California, and it's alarming and it's unnerving, and
you call, and there's a limit to what can be done,
and then residents here call and call and call, push
and push and push and finally, and that's why this
is the story. Finally, the demands and the entreaties, the
(07:38):
please get rid of this encampment, those please are answers.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
I would like to live in a society where you know,
we don't have to hound repeatedly to get just some basic,
you know, community services done.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Last summer, we were with Governor Gavin Newsom as he
cleared an encampment and urged cities across the state to
do the same. This Marina del Rey homeless campsite on
state Land.
Speaker 6 (08:03):
We have already had two fatalities with people coming and
going from that area along the freeway.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
L A councilwoman, Tracy Park says she has urged the
state to do something for more than a year.
Speaker 6 (08:14):
My fear here is that when the state's work is done,
this encampment is just going to return.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
They're getting started, but what comes next? How do they
keep them from coming back?
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I mean, that is the whole game, you know, That's
always been the whole game. It's a whack a mole
with these encampments. You've got to make sure that they
don't regrow, Essentially.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Neighbors now hoping for a long term fix, they need
to secure the fence.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
The fence has tripped apart, torn there are holes in
it that they're able to get.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
In and out of.
Speaker 7 (08:46):
I have asked the state and the governor and Caltown's
for those long term solutions, but so far we have
not been able to find the path forwards.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
The councilwoman says she wants some sort of secure fence
or wall put around this property. Otherwise, she warns, we
could be back reporting on this again in a few weeks.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
We took a collection up with our neighbors and we
put a fence up in one instance. In another instance,
I think the same thing happened and we had moved away.
That was like a hot and cold running drug den
that we live forty feet from in a nice area,
I mean the home we were, and this is that
when our home burned, we had to move to a
temporary residence and it was a I mean multimillion dollar
(09:30):
home we were living in, and we're forty feet from
a homeless encampment and all night people are coming and going,
there's fires. There was a real danger there, and so
as incidents erupted where we were, we would call the cops,
we'd call the fire department, and ultimately there's a limit
to what they can do. But why these people have
(09:52):
to wait so long to get this fence erected? Come on,
I mean, this really isn't representing a constituency that pays
a lot of money property taxes and in other ways
that they support city and county government. These homeless encampments,
they can't reflect a blemish on that constituency. So now,
(10:17):
at least in Marina del Rey, they've moved these on
after months of complaints. Mark Thompson on Thursday Night, KFI
AM six forty. We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Mark Thompson on this Thursday night. I have a show
on YouTube and it's across the iHeartRadio network as well.
It's called the Mark Thompson Show. It's just I'm laughing
because we didn't spend a long time with the name. Yeah,
we just kind of it was based on a radio
show that was called the Mark Thompson Show. As we
just rather than try to rebrand it, we just said,
(10:56):
just keep the name we had in the radio, so
that Mark Thompsons. We kept the same people we had
in the day, and we just moved it over to
YouTube and it's on iHeartRadio and Spotify and in all
the places that you find podcasts go it's called the
Mark Thompson John Off. You do a subscribe, it costs
you nothing on YouTube and Angel gets its wings. So
you didn't focus group the name. No, it's funny We
(11:16):
didn't really abta test it at all. We just kind
of went with what you know, dance with the date
that brung you is what they say. I suppose, So
I have become a fan of the show. I think
it's terrific. Well, thank you. That means a lot because
I know you're you know, you're taking a lot of
media and so you're kind of a you know, committed
in a lot of ways in terms of your time.
Speaker 8 (11:36):
So how you get the guests you do, you must
have donkey photos of them, but you get some great guests, we.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Get great Pulletzer prize winners. It's a lot of politics
and news, just to tell people, it's kind of a
little focused that way. So it's really cool, Mark, that
means a lot, So thank you. Speaking of news, big
news that they are going to charge this guy in
the January sixth pipe bomb investigation, the FBI making an arrest.
This guy's accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the
(12:03):
headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Parties in Washington.
They're headquarters. This was the night before the big capital
attack that you know about. So this was an investigation
that's been going on for a while right, I mean
(12:24):
years and now the arrest is a breakthrough. This is
the first time that they have publicly identified as suspect,
and they centered on Woodbridge, Virginia, which is a suburb
of Washington. And the suspect now identified as Brian J.
Cole Junior. He's thirty years old. But it's a little
(12:49):
unclear if any act on the part of Brian J.
Cole Junior, thirty years old, was directed at any one
in particular, or even if it had links to the
January sixth protest the following day. So there, at least
(13:15):
thus far, they haven't publicized that linkage. Then they may
be aware of all this stuff, they just haven't made
it public. They reviewed credit card purchases of pipe bomb components,
cell phone tower data, a license plate reader, and all
of these things helped them zero in on coal. The
FBI and Justice Department wouldn't say much more on this
(13:37):
as to how they found this guy, but they characterized,
of course, this investigation as reinvigorated under the new administration.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
They said there's no new tip.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Let me be clear, there was no new tip, said
Attorney General Pam Bondi. There were no new witnesses just good,
diligent police work and prosecutorial work, she said. Calls to
relatives of Coals and you know how the media then
fans out tries to get in touch with everybody who
might have known him.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Those calls went unanswered. He was taken into custody.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
And on his cul de sac there where his home is,
there were tons of unmarked law enforcement vehicles. They went in,
they searched his residence, they searched the surrounding area. The
pipe bombs were placed there again the evening of January fifth,
(14:36):
twenty twenty one, near the offices of the Democratic and
Republican National Committees.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Nobody was hurt.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
The moms, you know, didn't go off, but the FBI
has said that both of those bombs could have been lethal.
They could have gone out. So you probably saw the
surveillance video. It's very tough to tell it was, you know,
he's completely hidden essentially, But based on what they had,
(15:08):
they were able to move in and make this arrest.
They had information. I'm just looking at to see what
they came up with. Initially, they all they had was
really his height five to seven, and they had some
video that they disseminated to the public, but they for
(15:29):
years had struggled to pinpoint a suspect. They really just
didn't have anybody, and so there were conspiracy theories that
respawned by this. You know, how has law enforcement failed
to detect these? Was it an inside job? Dan Bongino
was one of the people who was cooking up a
conspiracy theory, the current FBI deputy director before he was
(15:52):
tapped for that job. He was a popular conservative podcaster,
as you probably know, and he floated the possibility last
year that it was an inside job and that there
was a massive cover up of the FBI. It's so
wild to hear people like Bongino and Cash Battel having
banged on the FBI for so long for the Epstein
(16:14):
files to be released and for the real truth about
this bomber. There's an inside job for that truth to
be out there. Now they are the FBI, they are
the deep state, and now all of that is erased,
It all goes away. They describe, both of them describe
the investigation into this bomber as a top priority for
(16:36):
the FBI. Bongino wrote that the FBI had brought a
new personnel to examine the case, had dramatically increased investigative
resources also increased the public reward. So again, the biggest
conspiracy theorists now lead the biggest investigations. So the arrest
(16:58):
is made again. A thirty year old pipe bomber Brian
Cole arrested in wood Bridge, Virginia. Mark Thompson Here on
Thursday night. We're KFI AM six forty live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
I gotta get some water in here, man, it's dry
and my throat is.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
You know, if I were Ryan Seacrest, I'd have like
five different producers bring me. You know, what kind would
you like? Room temperature water? Ryan, would you like? Is
that b carbonated water? Would you like ice with that?
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Brian? Oryan, Brian, you're fired, Thank you, Thank you very much.
Excuse me while I take a dramatic drink asking you
shall receive.
Speaker 8 (17:49):
Let's have some asm mar. I've got a spereology tablet
in here if you like. I just had to take
one of those. Wow, I'm just it's really dry. I
guess that's the time of year.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Santa Emma's No, that's it.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Yeah, it really is we're that's Nicky, our producer for tonight.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
You know Mark, you know the.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Bear Mario Hello, Hello, so we are, We're here, and
I have a Hollywood story for you. And it's sort
of a little inside Hollywood. But sometimes, you know, if
you're in southern California, maybe if you're not, you're listening
to the iHeartRadio Network somewhere, it's interesting to know what's
happening with media and with Hollywood, just so we can
(18:29):
set the stage. Hollywood's kind of in trouble. Hollywood's in
trouble because of streaming. The buzz that used to be Hollywood,
the lots that were always clotted with people and productions,
everything from commercials to features to TV series, those lots
are largely well, I don't want to say they're quiet,
but they're much quieter.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And it's a concern because.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
It affects all of southern California in many, many ways.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
There's a ripple effect throughout it. As you might imagine.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Businesses are all interlocking with that business of Hollywood, and
Hollywood has followed in tax incentives to Canada. They followed
tax incentives to different states in America. Georgia is one
Louisiana's another Texas is a third, and their whole studio
is being built in these places and more. Those are
just a few of them, And there's a lot of
(19:21):
production going overseas. You saw that game shows, big game shows.
It's cheaper for them to go to Ireland to shoot
them in Ireland, to send all of their contestants, host,
everything to Ireland and shoot the shows there then it
(19:44):
is to shoot the shows here in the US. It's
just much cheaper there. So I guess why I mentioned
all of this is that there is a crisis of
sorts going on in.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
The Hollywood community already.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
And now you have the mergers and acquisitions that are
just coming with everything that is America right now, you've
got all kinds of mergers, you have all sorts of
Now what sort of tepid regulations were associated with preventing
too big a company from merging itself into an even
bigger company, you know, the anti monopoly type legislation that's
(20:19):
all really been rolled back, and you just perhaps are
aware of the major ruling was it last week that
Meta is not in violation of any sort of monopoly
law as it continues its acquisition. You know with Instagram
(20:40):
and What's App and Facebook. So this is a story
though about Warner Brothers, and Warner Brothers is a huge,
huge company and there is a major bidding war going
on and positioning for Warner Brothers and who ends up
what ends up being the entity to take Warner Brothers
(21:02):
will have a lot to do with the future of
Hollywood and the future of that that I was speaking of,
for example, movies. And here's what I mean. A consortium
of top industry players. This is some variety have sent
an open letter full of alarm to Congress describing a
potential economic and institutional meltdown in Hollywood if Netflix succeeds
(21:27):
in their efforts to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery. The letter
was sent to members of Congress from both parties. It
was just sent today. This is from an anonymous collective,
identifying themselves only as concerned feature film producers. They explained
that they're leaving the letter unsigned not out of cowardice,
(21:50):
but of fear of retaliation because Netflix is the considerable
power as a buyer. In other words, they're employers of
these producers. They're also distributor. Netflix is a major distributor,
right so Netflix with deep, deep pockets, make no mistake,
they are huge winners these days. They may have the
(22:13):
lead in taking Warner Brothers. And basically what they're worried
about is this Netflix, could they say, And it kind
of makes sense destroy the theatrical film marketplace because Netflix
is about streaming. Netflix is about you subscribing and seeing
(22:36):
stuff at home or on your device somewhere. So the
theory is Netflix takes over Warner Brothers and they will
escalate or even eliminate the amount of time that films
would play in theaters before hitting the Netflix HBO Max
streaming platform because they get HBO Max in this Warner
Brothers deal. Variety is saying that they have sources that
(23:02):
are saying that Netflix's proposal to acquire Warner Brothers would
have a theatrical window as thin as two weeks. Major
films would run for only two weeks before moving to streaming.
Rival bidders, Comcast and Paramount, both have big theatrical distribution outlets.
(23:25):
Paramount has specifically pledged to keep Warner Brothers operating as
a standalone business that will make a minimum of fourteen
films for theaters every year. Netflix would effectively eliminate the
theatrical marketplace in the way that we know it is
their concern. So the footprint of theatrical movies would be
(23:50):
so constricted and so limited. What happens, all of a sudden,
the license fees for those films goes down, so Netflix
can get more movies made. For a song, the quotes
of everybody, from producers to actors to all those concerned,
they all get busted down. The jocking for position is huge,
(24:14):
and this is a letter that speaks to what I
think is a real concern for these major constituencies that
are part of Hollywood. They talk about the fact that
the co CEO of Netflix, a guy named Ted Sarandos,
has said before that Netflix's business model has nothing to
(24:38):
do with movie theaters. Driving folks to a theater is
just not our business, he said. So they're saying, like,
what more evidence do you need that if you give
them Warner Brothers, they're essentially going to eliminate the theater business.
So all of us theater owners, they call them exhibitors
in the business, all the exhibitors, they stand to lose
even more than they're already losing. It was tough for
(25:00):
them through COVID and now they somehow have to come back.
This letter to Congress finished up by urging members of
the House and Senate to speak out publicly against the
acquisition and use this moment to impose the highest level
(25:21):
of antitrust scrutiny. They say, millions of jobs and a
treasured art form. They note the movie business is at stake.
So all of you who live and work around Hollywood,
who enjoy the fact that you know people who are
in the movie business, you feel connected to that business
(25:42):
at all, Even those of us who just enjoy movies,
They would say certainly that that business is going to
change dramatically if Netflix becomes the party that takes over
Warner Brothers. Netflix is a stream platform and they have
an interest in streaming, not in exhibitors and movie theater
(26:06):
owners running their stuff. That's the state of the state,
at least as many see it right now. The other
part of that, and I won't get into it now,
is what happens to CNN. CNN could be taken over
and would be taken over by the new owners if
it's the Ellison group, and it very well might be.
(26:29):
They're a right wing group, very Trump friendly and people
are concerned that all of a sudden that becomes yet
another outpost that is essentially cranking propaganda for the right.
So there's a lot wrapped up in this Warner Brothers deal.
It'll be interesting to see what happens. And I'm leaving
the money completely out of it. I mean, there's a
whole oral of the offer and doubling the offer, and
(26:51):
they're you know, it's like the hottest house on the
block finally comes up for sale and everybody's jockeying for
position and concerned about who's going to be moving in.
Mark Thompson sitting in on KFI were KFI AM six
forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Mark Thompson sitting in on a Thursday night. Well, they
brought that Admiral Bradley in. Yeah, behind closed doors. He
narrated the video.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Of that second strike.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
There were actually, you know, four strikes on that alleged
drug vessel that was off the coast of Venezuela. First
there were none. And this is the problem you hear
from the administration from Pete Hegseth. There's nothing to hear.
The whole thing is this is pectition's made up. Then
(27:52):
turns out there was a second hit, and then it
turns out that there was actually a third and fourth
hit on the boat. But then there's a question of legality,
and so they bring in the admiral who was mentioned
by heg Seth. Hag Seth is an interesting guy. He's
(28:14):
I want to take full responsibility. You can imagine, we
are very busy at the Department of War, and I
saw the initial blast, but then I had other meetings
to attend. And then he mentioned this admiral, and so
this admiral testified today in closed door hearings before Congress.
Speaker 9 (28:34):
I saw in that room was one of the most
troubling things I've seen in my time in public service.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
So this is what people who are legislators are saying
as they leave that closed door meeting.
Speaker 9 (28:45):
I saw in that room was one of the most
troubling things I've seen in my time in public service.
You have two individuals in clear distress who were.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
Killed by the United States.
Speaker 9 (28:57):
The fundamental question is is the country safer than it
was under the Bide administration.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I think the answer to that is not equivocally yes.
Speaker 10 (29:08):
President Trump has stood by hag Seth, but pressure is
mounting as questions grow about the legality under international law
of targeting survivors. Congress is demanding the intel behind the strikes.
A new Pentagon report says Secretary Hegseeth put US troops
at risk by sharing sensitive military plans.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Yeah, this is the one thing that then leads to
the other thing, like Hegseth is, you know, okay, you
dodged the first thing where it's questionable. I mean, you've
got people like Rand Paul, who's probably his most vocal
GOP opponent, saying, what are we doing bombing these boats
off the coast of Venezuela. Anyway, I don't understand what's
going on here. I don't get how this entire thing
(29:50):
has been justified in any level. And then of course
Paul makes the additional point, which is, and I don't
see how you can justify doubling back and taking out
these survivors. So you've got that, but then this unrelated
to that additional pressure on Hegseth because of the signal
(30:11):
chat scandal.
Speaker 10 (30:12):
A new Pentagon report says Secretary Hegseth put US troops
at risk by sharing sensitive military plans on his personal
phone using the unapproved signal app. HeiG Seth had the
authority to declassify the information, but critics say his actions
and endangered pilots and active missions. Lawmakers argue lower ranking
(30:32):
officials would have serious penalties, would face those serious penalties
for the same thing. Hegseth denies any wrongdoing, calling the
report quote a total exoneration.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Yeah, I mean that was the that's kind of the plan. Right.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Let's not look at the report. By the way, you
can look at the report. You can read the report yourself.
I read it this morning, and you know, total exeneration
is not what the report is. But it was a
little like you remember when the Motor report came out.
You had build bar come out and sa out, there's
no collusion, there's no this, there's no when you actually
read the report, that's not what it says. But anyway,
Pete Hegseth, regardless of where you sit on all of
(31:10):
these issues, is embattled. And I'll tell you frankly, I
think you're going to see Donald Trump hang on to
him for as long as he possibly can. And there's
one there's at least one reason, and I think two
reasons that Trump will hang on to Hegseths as long
as he as he will. And I make this point
because I think it's reasonable to ask, how come Trump
(31:33):
is so good protecting Hegseth, who's clearly got a bigger
and bigger stink around him. You know, he's a controversial figure.
He doesn't seem to have the respect of the military.
A lot of military resignations. One admiral actually resigned because
he didn't want a countenance. He wasn't cool with this
(31:54):
plan and strategy in the Caribbean. How come there's no
for too, you know, newter heg Seth. I think there
are two reasons. One is I think that Donald Trump
expended a lot of capital politically to get heg Seth
(32:14):
across the finish line of confirmation. You remember, it was
a really controversial appointment. There were allegations, I mean demonstrable
allegations of drinking. There were also allegations of sexual harassment,
which is kind of a polite way to put it.
He paid off a woman fifty thousand dollars to drop
(32:35):
her allegations of sexual assault.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
These are all things.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
His mother wrote a letter saying that he had a
problem with drinking and womanizing and a general disposition that
was one that reflected misbehavior. He's kind of a frat boy,
you know. And the more you got letters regarding his
(33:00):
behavior through the years, it reflected that.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
So Donald Trump had to really make calls and lean.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
On legislators to get it passed, that is to say,
to get that confirmation passed, and he did. And so
I think so much political capital was expended that he's
loath to quickly let go of this guy, even though
clearly he has a radioactivity about him, or a growing radioactivity.
(33:30):
The second thing I think is related to and this
may be something that you like, or it might be
something that you find abhorrent or that you find disgusting
or you recoil from, and that is he's sort of
Trumpion in the fact that he smack talks, he goes
(33:50):
after the press. He's very good going after the press
and very aggressive going after the press. And if you
view the press as your enemy, as Trump does, and
you view the strategy that hegset employees as a positive,
so to have kind of an attack dog there, you know,
the square jawed military man who can talk the talk
(34:13):
and goes after the press. Trump likes that, so he
fits the profile, if you will, And I think those
two things put hegset in a fairly secure position. But
the last thing I'll say is he's losing the military
in a big way. And the reason you know that
(34:34):
is that these stories are coming from press that isn't
even at the Pentagon anymore. How do we know that
because they had to sign that pledge to remain at
the Pentagon, and the Washington Post, New York Times, ABCCBS,
NBC they didn't sign that pledge. The pledge was I
won't report anything out of the Pentagon concerning the military
(34:56):
unless it's cleared through the Office Ofartment of Defense, and
that seemed absurd. In fact, the New York Times is
suing over that right now. So how do we get
this story. We get it because people inside the Pentagon
are reaching out to the media. They're so shocked by this.
(35:17):
So that's what I mean when I say he's losing
control of the military. It'll be very interesting to see
what happens over the next six months or so and
their real lives at stake here. So the stakes are high,
for sure. But again, those closed door hearings were completed,
and it sounds like things are kind of breaking along
party lines. Democrats shocked and Republicans it seems, at least
(35:39):
preliminarily able to hold their nose and deal with it.
So Mark Thompson here on Thursday night. We're KFI AM
six forty. By the way, when we come back, we'll
check the what is it, nikki the line what do
they call it? Talk back line? We'll check that way, Okay,
I just checking. I like to use the jargon backline.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
All right.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Thompson here at caf I AM six forty live everywhere
on the iHeartRadio
Speaker 1 (36:06):
App KFI A M six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Mark Thompson here on a Thursday night in Los Angeles
and across the west on KFI. Wherever you are listening
on iHeartRadio in the app across the globe, we welcome
you in. It is Southern California in a beautiful period
during which the rains have cleared. The air is crystal clear.
(00:32):
It just seems beautiful every morning, and we've had enough
rain to kind of relieve anxieties, it would seem, through
the holidays. And I'm hopeful that the frankly, the scenario
that we all know and we kind of sort of
have a cultural memory of and a cultural awareness of,
(00:53):
which is associated with fire and the dangers.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Of living in southern California.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
We hope that that can sort of recede for the
holiday season and we can get by without there being
any incidents. We just told you about the Eaton fire.
The first rebuild in that area of Altadena has been completed,
and so it is not related to that kind of thing,
but sort of in this world of approval and might
(01:20):
I say a green light that means something that the
Metro Board of Directors is re certifying the environmental documents
allowing Dodger Stadium to have the gondola project move forward.
This is this gondola that's going to run from Union
Station to Dodger Stadium. They approved a four hundred and
(01:40):
thirty seven page supplement in this environmental re certification, and
the Executive Management Committee advanced this report to the full
board a four to one vote, with La County Supervisor
and board member Janis Han voting against the item and
(02:01):
Jacquelin DuPont Walker not there for the vote. Anyway, re
certifying the documents for the project is allowing the project
to continue, and it's being led by the nonprofit that's
leading the project, and again the goal is to get
this gondola finished. A group of Chinatown residents and members
(02:23):
of the Stop the Gondola Community held red signs and
the red sign said anybody stop the Gondola solid. Since
it's to stop the gondola, group solid to decide that
the sign should say stop the Gondola. They also had
(02:44):
a banner that read protect Chinatown from Frank McCourt. You
know he's involved in the ownership of some of these
areas affected and Oliveria Street is not for sale. Historic
Park is not for sale. This is the pushback on
the gondola. Critics say that there's no guarantee the taxpayer
(03:04):
aren't going to be on the hook with the bill,
and the bill could be five hundred million dollars in
construction costs as well as maybe eight million to ten
million in annual maintenance and operations. The complex that is
being proposed for Dodger Stadium is way more than just this,
and they're worried about that as well. So this is
(03:26):
part of a development project, if you will, that has
constituents on either side and their vocal constituents. Zero Emissions
Transit a nonprofit organization with an independent board of directors
leading this project. Formerly known as the Los Angeles Aerial
Rapid Transit. It was donated by the former Dodger owner,
(03:48):
Frank McCord, and the nonprofit says, you know, we're an
organization committed to all efforts of trying to get this
zero emission technology and any zero emission technology to the
transportation space, and that's what this is. It's a one
point two mile extension. The route goes through Chinatown and
(04:10):
the Los Angeles State Historic Park. It connects Union Station
and Dodger Stadium again through three stations Alameda Station, Chinatown
State Park Station and the Dodger Stadium station.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
There is a.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Junction, non passenger junction and three cable supporting towers. So
that's what this will be. I mean, it's still it's
an ambitious project for sure. I mean it's a big
aerial tram. But the idea is, and this is what
proponents of this talk about.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
It's the first.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Permanent mass transit connection linking Dodger Stadium to the LA
Transit system. Then the gondola would operate with zero emissions.
It would be the first aerial gondola transit system to
include a battery electric backup sisions system. And the environmental
study that was just approved said that it could reduce
emissions reasonably over one hundred and fifty thousand metric tons
(05:03):
of greenhouse gases over the lifetime of the project. So
it's a big, big deal, and big big deals have big,
big problems on both sides. So it's backed by several groups,
excuse me, the Chinese American Museum Coalition for Clean Air,
the LA and Orange County Building Trade Councils. You know,
so builders, the LA County Business Federation and Business People
(05:25):
Camber of Commerce, for example. They're behind this project and
they want to see it through to its conclusion. And
there are a lot of people in support. Four hundred
businesses in Chinatown, fifteen thousand people all signed up to
support this project. And again, this will employ a lot
(05:48):
of people and it's viewed as something that would really
be a huge step to the next era in Los Angeles.
So this has been a big day because the Metro
Board of Directors again re certifies these documents and that
will allow the Gondola project to move forward. Watch for
(06:08):
it though, because it will continue in controversy. Meantime, bulldozers
moved into Marina del Rey. They're taking stuff down. What
is it, Well, it's something that a lot of people
in Marina del Ray wanted taken down. It's a homeless encampment.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
People have been pushing for this for some time with
no action. Could be just the start long awaited movement
in Marina del Rey. Bulldozers ripping through a homeless encamment
that had grown out of control, full of trash, booze, furniture,
and much more.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
They are defecating in the area like they are choosing
to live there.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Once you had your first report, some movement happens, so
hopefully that will continue in this area be cleaned up.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Last month, we exclusively reported on the tent city sandwich
between lanes of the ninety freeway. Many people do you
estimate are living over there?
Speaker 5 (07:01):
One day I can see one hundred and fifty. Some
days there's only thirty shooting up drugs right.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
There, open drug use, burglaries, violence, then flames pushed fear
into nearby neighborhoods.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
And this is the problem. I mean, these encampments grow.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I've lived next to two of them during my time
in southern California, and it's alarming and it's unnerving, and
you call, and there's a limit to what can be done,
and then residents here call and call and call, push
and push and push and finally, and that's why this
is the story. Finally, the demands and the entreaties, the
(07:38):
please get rid of this encampment, those please are answers.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
I would like to live in a society where you know,
we don't have to hound repeatedly to get just some basic,
you know, community services done.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Last summer, we were with Governor Gavin Newsom as he
cleared an encampment and urged cities across the state to
do the same. This Marina del Rey homeless campsite on
state Land.
Speaker 6 (08:03):
We have already had two fatalities with people coming and
going from that area along the freeway.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
L A councilwoman, Tracy Park says she has urged the
state to do something for more than a year.
Speaker 6 (08:14):
My fear here is that when the state's work is done,
this encampment is just going to return.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
They're getting started, but what comes next? How do they
keep them from coming back?
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I mean, that is the whole game, you know, That's
always been the whole game. It's a whack a mole
with these encampments. You've got to make sure that they
don't regrow, Essentially.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Neighbors now hoping for a long term fix, they need
to secure the fence.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
The fence has tripped apart, torn there are holes in
it that they're able to get.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
In and out of.
Speaker 7 (08:46):
I have asked the state and the governor and Caltown's
for those long term solutions, but so far we have
not been able to find the path forwards.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
The councilwoman says she wants some sort of secure fence
or wall put around this property. Otherwise, she warns, we
could be back reporting on this again in a few weeks.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
We took a collection up with our neighbors and we
put a fence up in one instance. In another instance,
I think the same thing happened and we had moved away.
That was like a hot and cold running drug den
that we live forty feet from in a nice area,
I mean the home we were, and this is that
when our home burned, we had to move to a
temporary residence and it was a I mean multimillion dollar
(09:30):
home we were living in, and we're forty feet from
a homeless encampment and all night people are coming and going,
there's fires. There was a real danger there, and so
as incidents erupted where we were, we would call the cops,
we'd call the fire department, and ultimately there's a limit
to what they can do. But why these people have
(09:52):
to wait so long to get this fence erected? Come on,
I mean, this really isn't representing a constituency that pays
a lot of money property taxes and in other ways
that they support city and county government. These homeless encampments,
they can't reflect a blemish on that constituency. So now,
(10:17):
at least in Marina del Rey, they've moved these on
after months of complaints. Mark Thompson on Thursday Night, KFI
AM six forty. We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Mark Thompson on this Thursday night. I have a show
on YouTube and it's across the iHeartRadio network as well.
It's called the Mark Thompson Show. It's just I'm laughing
because we didn't spend a long time with the name. Yeah,
we just kind of it was based on a radio
show that was called the Mark Thompson Show. As we
just rather than try to rebrand it, we just said,
(10:56):
just keep the name we had in the radio, so
that Mark Thompsons. We kept the same people we had
in the day, and we just moved it over to
YouTube and it's on iHeartRadio and Spotify and in all
the places that you find podcasts go it's called the
Mark Thompson John Off. You do a subscribe, it costs
you nothing on YouTube and Angel gets its wings. So
you didn't focus group the name. No, it's funny We
(11:16):
didn't really abta test it at all. We just kind
of went with what you know, dance with the date
that brung you is what they say. I suppose, So
I have become a fan of the show. I think
it's terrific. Well, thank you. That means a lot because
I know you're you know, you're taking a lot of
media and so you're kind of a you know, committed
in a lot of ways in terms of your time.
Speaker 8 (11:36):
So how you get the guests you do, you must
have donkey photos of them, but you get some great guests, we.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Get great Pulletzer prize winners. It's a lot of politics
and news, just to tell people, it's kind of a
little focused that way. So it's really cool, Mark, that
means a lot, So thank you. Speaking of news, big
news that they are going to charge this guy in
the January sixth pipe bomb investigation, the FBI making an arrest.
This guy's accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the
(12:03):
headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Parties in Washington.
They're headquarters. This was the night before the big capital
attack that you know about. So this was an investigation
that's been going on for a while right, I mean
(12:24):
years and now the arrest is a breakthrough. This is
the first time that they have publicly identified as suspect,
and they centered on Woodbridge, Virginia, which is a suburb
of Washington. And the suspect now identified as Brian J.
Cole Junior. He's thirty years old. But it's a little
(12:49):
unclear if any act on the part of Brian J.
Cole Junior, thirty years old, was directed at any one
in particular, or even if it had links to the
January sixth protest the following day. So there, at least
(13:15):
thus far, they haven't publicized that linkage. Then they may
be aware of all this stuff, they just haven't made
it public. They reviewed credit card purchases of pipe bomb components,
cell phone tower data, a license plate reader, and all
of these things helped them zero in on coal. The
FBI and Justice Department wouldn't say much more on this
(13:37):
as to how they found this guy, but they characterized,
of course, this investigation as reinvigorated under the new administration.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
They said there's no new tip.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Let me be clear, there was no new tip, said
Attorney General Pam Bondi. There were no new witnesses just good,
diligent police work and prosecutorial work, she said. Calls to
relatives of Coals and you know how the media then
fans out tries to get in touch with everybody who
might have known him.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Those calls went unanswered. He was taken into custody.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
And on his cul de sac there where his home is,
there were tons of unmarked law enforcement vehicles. They went in,
they searched his residence, they searched the surrounding area. The
pipe bombs were placed there again the evening of January fifth,
(14:36):
twenty twenty one, near the offices of the Democratic and
Republican National Committees.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Nobody was hurt.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
The moms, you know, didn't go off, but the FBI
has said that both of those bombs could have been lethal.
They could have gone out. So you probably saw the
surveillance video. It's very tough to tell it was, you know,
he's completely hidden essentially, But based on what they had,
(15:08):
they were able to move in and make this arrest.
They had information. I'm just looking at to see what
they came up with. Initially, they all they had was
really his height five to seven, and they had some
video that they disseminated to the public, but they for
(15:29):
years had struggled to pinpoint a suspect. They really just
didn't have anybody, and so there were conspiracy theories that
respawned by this. You know, how has law enforcement failed
to detect these? Was it an inside job? Dan Bongino
was one of the people who was cooking up a
conspiracy theory, the current FBI deputy director before he was
(15:52):
tapped for that job. He was a popular conservative podcaster,
as you probably know, and he floated the possibility last
year that it was an inside job and that there
was a massive cover up of the FBI. It's so
wild to hear people like Bongino and Cash Battel having
banged on the FBI for so long for the Epstein
(16:14):
files to be released and for the real truth about
this bomber. There's an inside job for that truth to
be out there. Now they are the FBI, they are
the deep state, and now all of that is erased,
It all goes away. They describe, both of them describe
the investigation into this bomber as a top priority for
(16:36):
the FBI. Bongino wrote that the FBI had brought a
new personnel to examine the case, had dramatically increased investigative
resources also increased the public reward. So again, the biggest
conspiracy theorists now lead the biggest investigations. So the arrest
(16:58):
is made again. A thirty year old pipe bomber Brian
Cole arrested in wood Bridge, Virginia. Mark Thompson Here on
Thursday night. We're KFI AM six forty live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
I gotta get some water in here, man, it's dry
and my throat is.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
You know, if I were Ryan Seacrest, I'd have like
five different producers bring me. You know, what kind would
you like? Room temperature water? Ryan, would you like? Is
that b carbonated water? Would you like ice with that?
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Brian? Oryan, Brian, you're fired, Thank you, Thank you very much.
Excuse me while I take a dramatic drink asking you
shall receive.
Speaker 8 (17:49):
Let's have some asm mar. I've got a spereology tablet
in here if you like. I just had to take
one of those. Wow, I'm just it's really dry. I
guess that's the time of year.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Santa Emma's No, that's it.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Yeah, it really is we're that's Nicky, our producer for tonight.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
You know Mark, you know the.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Bear Mario Hello, Hello, so we are, We're here, and
I have a Hollywood story for you. And it's sort
of a little inside Hollywood. But sometimes, you know, if
you're in southern California, maybe if you're not, you're listening
to the iHeartRadio Network somewhere, it's interesting to know what's
happening with media and with Hollywood, just so we can
(18:29):
set the stage. Hollywood's kind of in trouble. Hollywood's in
trouble because of streaming. The buzz that used to be Hollywood,
the lots that were always clotted with people and productions,
everything from commercials to features to TV series, those lots
are largely well, I don't want to say they're quiet,
but they're much quieter.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And it's a concern because.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
It affects all of southern California in many, many ways.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
There's a ripple effect throughout it. As you might imagine.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Businesses are all interlocking with that business of Hollywood, and
Hollywood has followed in tax incentives to Canada. They followed
tax incentives to different states in America. Georgia is one
Louisiana's another Texas is a third, and their whole studio
is being built in these places and more. Those are
just a few of them, And there's a lot of
(19:21):
production going overseas. You saw that game shows, big game shows.
It's cheaper for them to go to Ireland to shoot
them in Ireland, to send all of their contestants, host,
everything to Ireland and shoot the shows there then it
(19:44):
is to shoot the shows here in the US. It's
just much cheaper there. So I guess why I mentioned
all of this is that there is a crisis of
sorts going on in.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
The Hollywood community already.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
And now you have the mergers and acquisitions that are
just coming with everything that is America right now, you've
got all kinds of mergers, you have all sorts of
Now what sort of tepid regulations were associated with preventing
too big a company from merging itself into an even
bigger company, you know, the anti monopoly type legislation that's
(20:19):
all really been rolled back, and you just perhaps are
aware of the major ruling was it last week that
Meta is not in violation of any sort of monopoly
law as it continues its acquisition. You know with Instagram
(20:40):
and What's App and Facebook. So this is a story
though about Warner Brothers, and Warner Brothers is a huge,
huge company and there is a major bidding war going
on and positioning for Warner Brothers and who ends up
what ends up being the entity to take Warner Brothers
(21:02):
will have a lot to do with the future of
Hollywood and the future of that that I was speaking of,
for example, movies. And here's what I mean. A consortium
of top industry players. This is some variety have sent
an open letter full of alarm to Congress describing a
potential economic and institutional meltdown in Hollywood if Netflix succeeds
(21:27):
in their efforts to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery. The letter
was sent to members of Congress from both parties. It
was just sent today. This is from an anonymous collective,
identifying themselves only as concerned feature film producers. They explained
that they're leaving the letter unsigned not out of cowardice,
(21:50):
but of fear of retaliation because Netflix is the considerable
power as a buyer. In other words, they're employers of
these producers. They're also distributor. Netflix is a major distributor,
right so Netflix with deep, deep pockets, make no mistake,
they are huge winners these days. They may have the
(22:13):
lead in taking Warner Brothers. And basically what they're worried
about is this Netflix, could they say, And it kind
of makes sense destroy the theatrical film marketplace because Netflix
is about streaming. Netflix is about you subscribing and seeing
(22:36):
stuff at home or on your device somewhere. So the
theory is Netflix takes over Warner Brothers and they will
escalate or even eliminate the amount of time that films
would play in theaters before hitting the Netflix HBO Max
streaming platform because they get HBO Max in this Warner
Brothers deal. Variety is saying that they have sources that
(23:02):
are saying that Netflix's proposal to acquire Warner Brothers would
have a theatrical window as thin as two weeks. Major
films would run for only two weeks before moving to streaming.
Rival bidders, Comcast and Paramount, both have big theatrical distribution outlets.
(23:25):
Paramount has specifically pledged to keep Warner Brothers operating as
a standalone business that will make a minimum of fourteen
films for theaters every year. Netflix would effectively eliminate the
theatrical marketplace in the way that we know it is
their concern. So the footprint of theatrical movies would be
(23:50):
so constricted and so limited. What happens, all of a sudden,
the license fees for those films goes down, so Netflix
can get more movies made. For a song, the quotes
of everybody, from producers to actors to all those concerned,
they all get busted down. The jocking for position is huge,
(24:14):
and this is a letter that speaks to what I
think is a real concern for these major constituencies that
are part of Hollywood. They talk about the fact that
the co CEO of Netflix, a guy named Ted Sarandos,
has said before that Netflix's business model has nothing to
(24:38):
do with movie theaters. Driving folks to a theater is
just not our business, he said. So they're saying, like,
what more evidence do you need that if you give
them Warner Brothers, they're essentially going to eliminate the theater business.
So all of us theater owners, they call them exhibitors
in the business, all the exhibitors, they stand to lose
even more than they're already losing. It was tough for
(25:00):
them through COVID and now they somehow have to come back.
This letter to Congress finished up by urging members of
the House and Senate to speak out publicly against the
acquisition and use this moment to impose the highest level
(25:21):
of antitrust scrutiny. They say, millions of jobs and a
treasured art form. They note the movie business is at stake.
So all of you who live and work around Hollywood,
who enjoy the fact that you know people who are
in the movie business, you feel connected to that business
(25:42):
at all, Even those of us who just enjoy movies,
They would say certainly that that business is going to
change dramatically if Netflix becomes the party that takes over
Warner Brothers. Netflix is a stream platform and they have
an interest in streaming, not in exhibitors and movie theater
(26:06):
owners running their stuff. That's the state of the state,
at least as many see it right now. The other
part of that, and I won't get into it now,
is what happens to CNN. CNN could be taken over
and would be taken over by the new owners if
it's the Ellison group, and it very well might be.
(26:29):
They're a right wing group, very Trump friendly and people
are concerned that all of a sudden that becomes yet
another outpost that is essentially cranking propaganda for the right.
So there's a lot wrapped up in this Warner Brothers deal.
It'll be interesting to see what happens. And I'm leaving
the money completely out of it. I mean, there's a
whole oral of the offer and doubling the offer, and
(26:51):
they're you know, it's like the hottest house on the
block finally comes up for sale and everybody's jockeying for
position and concerned about who's going to be moving in.
Mark Thompson sitting in on KFI were KFI AM six
forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Mark Thompson sitting in on a Thursday night. Well, they
brought that Admiral Bradley in. Yeah, behind closed doors. He
narrated the video.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Of that second strike.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
There were actually, you know, four strikes on that alleged
drug vessel that was off the coast of Venezuela. First
there were none. And this is the problem you hear
from the administration from Pete Hegseth. There's nothing to hear.
The whole thing is this is pectition's made up. Then
(27:52):
turns out there was a second hit, and then it
turns out that there was actually a third and fourth
hit on the boat. But then there's a question of legality,
and so they bring in the admiral who was mentioned
by heg Seth. Hag Seth is an interesting guy. He's
(28:14):
I want to take full responsibility. You can imagine, we
are very busy at the Department of War, and I
saw the initial blast, but then I had other meetings
to attend. And then he mentioned this admiral, and so
this admiral testified today in closed door hearings before Congress.
Speaker 9 (28:34):
I saw in that room was one of the most
troubling things I've seen in my time in public service.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
So this is what people who are legislators are saying
as they leave that closed door meeting.
Speaker 9 (28:45):
I saw in that room was one of the most
troubling things I've seen in my time in public service.
You have two individuals in clear distress who were.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
Killed by the United States.
Speaker 9 (28:57):
The fundamental question is is the country safer than it
was under the Bide administration.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I think the answer to that is not equivocally yes.
Speaker 10 (29:08):
President Trump has stood by hag Seth, but pressure is
mounting as questions grow about the legality under international law
of targeting survivors. Congress is demanding the intel behind the strikes.
A new Pentagon report says Secretary Hegseeth put US troops
at risk by sharing sensitive military plans.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Yeah, this is the one thing that then leads to
the other thing, like Hegseth is, you know, okay, you
dodged the first thing where it's questionable. I mean, you've
got people like Rand Paul, who's probably his most vocal
GOP opponent, saying, what are we doing bombing these boats
off the coast of Venezuela. Anyway, I don't understand what's
going on here. I don't get how this entire thing
(29:50):
has been justified in any level. And then of course
Paul makes the additional point, which is, and I don't
see how you can justify doubling back and taking out
these survivors. So you've got that, but then this unrelated
to that additional pressure on Hegseth because of the signal
(30:11):
chat scandal.
Speaker 10 (30:12):
A new Pentagon report says Secretary Hegseth put US troops
at risk by sharing sensitive military plans on his personal
phone using the unapproved signal app. HeiG Seth had the
authority to declassify the information, but critics say his actions
and endangered pilots and active missions. Lawmakers argue lower ranking
(30:32):
officials would have serious penalties, would face those serious penalties
for the same thing. Hegseth denies any wrongdoing, calling the
report quote a total exoneration.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Yeah, I mean that was the that's kind of the plan. Right.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Let's not look at the report. By the way, you
can look at the report. You can read the report yourself.
I read it this morning, and you know, total exeneration
is not what the report is. But it was a
little like you remember when the Motor report came out.
You had build bar come out and sa out, there's
no collusion, there's no this, there's no when you actually
read the report, that's not what it says. But anyway,
Pete Hegseth, regardless of where you sit on all of
(31:10):
these issues, is embattled. And I'll tell you frankly, I
think you're going to see Donald Trump hang on to
him for as long as he possibly can. And there's
one there's at least one reason, and I think two
reasons that Trump will hang on to Hegseths as long
as he as he will. And I make this point
because I think it's reasonable to ask, how come Trump
(31:33):
is so good protecting Hegseth, who's clearly got a bigger
and bigger stink around him. You know, he's a controversial figure.
He doesn't seem to have the respect of the military.
A lot of military resignations. One admiral actually resigned because
he didn't want a countenance. He wasn't cool with this
(31:54):
plan and strategy in the Caribbean. How come there's no
for too, you know, newter heg Seth. I think there
are two reasons. One is I think that Donald Trump
expended a lot of capital politically to get heg Seth
(32:14):
across the finish line of confirmation. You remember, it was
a really controversial appointment. There were allegations, I mean demonstrable
allegations of drinking. There were also allegations of sexual harassment,
which is kind of a polite way to put it.
He paid off a woman fifty thousand dollars to drop
(32:35):
her allegations of sexual assault.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
These are all things.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
His mother wrote a letter saying that he had a
problem with drinking and womanizing and a general disposition that
was one that reflected misbehavior. He's kind of a frat boy,
you know. And the more you got letters regarding his
(33:00):
behavior through the years, it reflected that.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
So Donald Trump had to really make calls and lean.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
On legislators to get it passed, that is to say,
to get that confirmation passed, and he did. And so
I think so much political capital was expended that he's
loath to quickly let go of this guy, even though
clearly he has a radioactivity about him, or a growing radioactivity.
(33:30):
The second thing I think is related to and this
may be something that you like, or it might be
something that you find abhorrent or that you find disgusting
or you recoil from, and that is he's sort of
Trumpion in the fact that he smack talks, he goes
(33:50):
after the press. He's very good going after the press
and very aggressive going after the press. And if you
view the press as your enemy, as Trump does, and
you view the strategy that hegset employees as a positive,
so to have kind of an attack dog there, you know,
the square jawed military man who can talk the talk
(34:13):
and goes after the press. Trump likes that, so he
fits the profile, if you will, And I think those
two things put hegset in a fairly secure position. But
the last thing I'll say is he's losing the military
in a big way. And the reason you know that
(34:34):
is that these stories are coming from press that isn't
even at the Pentagon anymore. How do we know that
because they had to sign that pledge to remain at
the Pentagon, and the Washington Post, New York Times, ABCCBS,
NBC they didn't sign that pledge. The pledge was I
won't report anything out of the Pentagon concerning the military
(34:56):
unless it's cleared through the Office Ofartment of Defense, and
that seemed absurd. In fact, the New York Times is
suing over that right now. So how do we get
this story. We get it because people inside the Pentagon
are reaching out to the media. They're so shocked by this.
(35:17):
So that's what I mean when I say he's losing
control of the military. It'll be very interesting to see
what happens over the next six months or so and
their real lives at stake here. So the stakes are high,
for sure. But again, those closed door hearings were completed,
and it sounds like things are kind of breaking along
party lines. Democrats shocked and Republicans it seems, at least
(35:39):
preliminarily able to hold their nose and deal with it.
So Mark Thompson here on Thursday night. We're KFI AM
six forty. By the way, when we come back, we'll
check the what is it, nikki the line what do
they call it? Talk back line? We'll check that way, Okay,
I just checking. I like to use the jargon backline.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
All right.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Thompson here at caf I AM six forty live everywhere
on the iHeartRadio
Speaker 1 (36:06):
App KFI A M six forty on demand
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