1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: It's never been more important to diversify your financial portfolio. Well, 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: that's right. The S ANDP is down twenty percent from 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: the last year, and this year looks even worse. Gold 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: and Precious Medals offer a hedge against inflation and stock 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: market volatility, and Legacy Precious Medals is the company can 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: and I trust, protect your retirement account by rolling it 7 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: into a goldback IRA or have medals shipped directly to 8 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: your door. Call our friends at Legacy Precious Medals today 9 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: at eight six six six nine, twenty one seventy three 10 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: who are visited by legacygold dot com. And as we 11 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: mentioned early last hour, today's the day that the former 12 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: USC Dean of the School of Social Work, Marilyn Flynn 13 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: eighty three years old, entered entering plea deal with federal 14 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: prosecutors that she and Mark Ridley Thomas were involved in 15 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: a bribe scheme. Now Ridley Thomas had leaded innocent and 16 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:00,279 Speaker 1: that please still stands as of the moment. I did 17 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: notice in going through all the stories today one in 18 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: the La Times that when this story originally broke in 19 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: October of last year, Flynn's lawyer, Vicky Podbarski said in 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: a statement. Miss Flynn has not committed any crime, and 21 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: we believe the evidence in this case will ultimately support 22 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: this conclusion, said Vicky Podbarski. Well, her client just pleaded guilty. 23 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: We got Steve Gregory. Yeah, and I you looked at 24 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: the Times and I actually looked at the whole filing, 25 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: and that's that's where the good stuff is. This, this 26 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: is the white stuff between the Oriole cookie right here. 27 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: This is the beautiful stuff, but it's in an Oriole cookie. 28 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: Right So, yeah, I went through this and I was 29 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: sitting in I remember sitting in federal court the day 30 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: that Ridley Thomas entered his plea. And you know, you 31 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: know how this, you know how these things go. You've 32 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: been doing this longer than I have. Everyone's innocent, they're 33 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: all instant. They say they can't wait to exonerate themselves 34 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: in court. And to your point where you just read 35 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: about Flynn's attorney, but then you turn right around and 36 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: it says right here in the actual document that what 37 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: Flynn admitted to doing. It says at Mark Ridley's Mark 38 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas's request, Flynn agreed to have USC serve as 39 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: a conduit for a one hundred thousand dollars payment from 40 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: co defendant Ridley Thomas's campaign account to the Social Work 41 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: School and to then facilitate a nearly simultaneous one hundred 42 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: thousand dollar payment from USC to the United Ways of 43 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 1: California for the benefit of the Policy Research and Practice 44 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: Initiative PRPI was a new nonprofit initiative led by codefendant 45 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,359 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas's son, who had recently in abruptly resigned from 46 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:47,839 Speaker 1: his elected position in the California State Assembly. So well, 47 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 1: money laundering operations. Yeah, that dad could give a hundred 48 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: grand to his son and then turn around and then 49 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: give a contract to the USC, you know, as a 50 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: means for or you know, these contracts with this United 51 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: Wets of California and to do this, you know, to 52 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: have this sort of quasi incestuous relationship with the college. 53 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,239 Speaker 1: But these are the words of Flynn, right, So it 54 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: always makes me laugh, Like when you just read that, 55 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: it's like, you know, we talked about it on this 56 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: show when we first got news of this. The FEDS 57 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: will not waste their time and effort and money if 58 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: they don't have a case, right, they will not do that. 59 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: I've always remembered that yeah. And I've always told people 60 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 1: that whenever a raid happens and the FEDS are in there, 61 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: and I said, don't listen to the lawyers. Watch what 62 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: they're doing. The last thing they want is a high 63 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: profile failure, right, And so you know, and may I 64 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: do an off ramp sidebar here, yes, So respective lead 65 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: to the Shila Kule situation. That raid, you know, one 66 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: of the things missing from all the stories. I think 67 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: it was in a very very tiny print somewhere in 68 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: one of the printed stories. The one thing that's missing 69 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: from that story is that the FEDS were involved in that. 70 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: I noticed that, and I mentioned that several times on 71 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: the air because I remembering what you told me. If 72 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: the FEDS are there and they're helping out, it means 73 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: they know something. Now, the Feds were not physically on 74 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: the property that day. It was all sheriff's deputies. But 75 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: I was told by very reliable sources in law enforcement 76 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: that the FEDS had planned on being there that morning, 77 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: but at the eleventh hour were called off of that raid. 78 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: And you can read into that however you want, but 79 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,720 Speaker 1: the FEDS were completely aware and they were they basically 80 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: this raid from the Sheriff's department happened with the blessing 81 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: of the Feds. Well, the Feds are going to have 82 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: to decide if charges will be fired, right, and Gascon's 83 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 1: not going to do it on the county line, right, 84 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:43,479 Speaker 1: and rob Bante is not going to do it on 85 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 1: the state level, right, because they all earned they're all 86 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: in communicado, right or not communicato. They're all in communication. 87 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: They're all on the same team. They're all the same team, 88 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: and you just know it. They've all been in communication 89 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: with each other constantly. So now back to the Flynn 90 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: MRT situation. So, now Flynn has entered into this or 91 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: she's expected to ender her plea officially on Monday afternoon 92 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: at one thirty in federal court, and prosecutors are going 93 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 1: to recommend that Flynn served one year of home confinement 94 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,559 Speaker 1: and pay a fine of at least one hundred thousand dollars. 95 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: And that's it. So that begs the question, well, are 96 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: the fens going to get something else in return for this? Right? 97 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: I went through the filing here, there's no other guarantee 98 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: in there, but that doesn't mean anything, right, But do 99 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: you know what she was facing ten years in prison 100 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: ten years, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Fine, So 101 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: you don't think she's getting a break because of her age. 102 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: That could play into it a little bit because when 103 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: I look at the charges she was looking at, she 104 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: was looking at the base offense level, which was the 105 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: money laundering, and then an offense involving an offense involving 106 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: an elected official, and the value of the bribe of 107 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: the offense. So she was looking at three major felonies here. 108 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: But the real value for the Fens is getting Mark Thomas. Yeah, 109 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: that's exactly what it is. So now she could be 110 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: on their side and testify against Ridley Thomas. Fens aren't 111 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: saying very tight lipped about it, which is what that's 112 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: what they're very well known for. Attorneys aren't going to 113 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: say anything. But you know, there's a lot of cramps 114 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: from finger dialing right now going on behind the scenes, 115 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: because this thing is going on from the minute he 116 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: was indicted. You know that everyone's looking at all past correspondence, 117 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: they're looking at emails, text messages, lurking at everything. But 118 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: by that time, the Fens already have a pretty ironclad case, right, 119 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: So what's interesting about these cases is that the Feds 120 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: are sitting back, going, Okay, great, we've done this. And 121 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: the reason they do it the way they do it 122 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,480 Speaker 1: is because they are expecting the defendants to trip up. 123 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: That's why they do it. Because they sit back, They've 124 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: already got their case right, and they sit back and 125 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: they wait and then they either have wire taps, surveillance, 126 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: forensic surveillance, so they expect all the defendants to be 127 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: calling each other to coordinate their stories. Talk about covering 128 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: up or shredding evidence. Yeah, so there's a lot. There 129 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: was a lot of that from the very beginning. They 130 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: already had enough probably forensically, I mean to file this 131 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: case of obviously, but this is one of the reasons 132 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: why they do what they do. And this is a 133 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: lot of the reason why the Sheila Kuele thing happened too, 134 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: if you look at the way that went down. Now, 135 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: rumor was, and I had been told again by very 136 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 1: reliable sources, is that you know, people within the county 137 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: government were already tipping off Sheila Keel and Patty Ghiggins 138 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: and people had been tipped off already. But by that time, 139 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: presumably the people investigating these alleged crimes already had enough. 140 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: They already had the case. So the raid is just 141 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: to see if there's anything extra. Yeah, I see that 142 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: shakes the trees. So when you're getting raided, you're already 143 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: screwed you pretty much. It's not like the stuff they found. 144 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: It's a Trump situation him Parlago. All they were doing 145 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: was going to grab the stuff. They already knew he had. 146 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: They already knew what was going on, and they already 147 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: had it. So they probably already got a case against Trump. Sure, right, 148 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: So it's going to come down whether they have the 149 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: guts toad. And that's why the FEDS are at this point, 150 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: the DOJ, that's why they're freaking out by the Special 151 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: was it the Special Master of the Special Special Master? 152 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: He's going to review those documents because that's that's sort 153 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: of that was the red herring that they weren't expecting, 154 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: because now the Special Master could kind of intervene and 155 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: interrupt what the DOJ had already had planned in this case. Here, 156 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: I don't think there's a Special Master at the LA 157 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: county level, but or at the federal level here. But um, 158 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: but like I said, cases in the case of Mark 159 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas and his son. It was pretty straightforward. And 160 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: I saw in the prosecution filings that are just excerpted 161 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: by the newspapers. You know, it's pretty obvious what was 162 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: going on here, sure, I mean, Ridley Thomas was steering 163 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: millions in to the USC School of Social Work and 164 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: the Sun was getting a fake degree in a fake 165 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: professorship in return. That was the gist of the case. 166 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,079 Speaker 1: And then they were laundering money through various ways. And 167 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: in the in she had a killed case. It was 168 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: pretty simple. Her her friend there was getting some county 169 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: contracts for a system that produced nothing of value, and 170 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: they they arranged it some of that no contract would 171 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: be more than four hundred and ninety six thousand dollars 172 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,959 Speaker 1: because that would trigger a public vote. Yeah, but they didn't. 173 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: They also didn't count on other people in within that 174 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: circle auditing things on their own. Yeah, you know, I 175 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,199 Speaker 1: e USC, and I don't do. We need to break 176 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: because we need to break because you have another I've 177 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: got just some other stuff we can talk about too, 178 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: because one of the things we're missing here is Karen bass. 179 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you about that, So we'll try 180 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:51,960 Speaker 1: as you about Aren Bask and then We're also going 181 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 1: to talk about the Sheriff's department lawyer getting let go 182 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: by La County. Yeah, that's another that's an another one 183 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: that I'm due to break next week, so you'll hear 184 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,319 Speaker 1: about that. All right, John and Ken Show with Steve 185 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: Gregory KFI. Steve Gregory is here, and we've been going 186 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: through the Mark Ridley Thomas case, the LA County supervisor 187 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:18,079 Speaker 1: who's facing a trial probably in November unless there's a 188 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: settlement beforehand, involving he and his son Sebastian over sending 189 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: county money to the USC School Social Work and the dean, 190 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:34,200 Speaker 1: Marilyn Flynn. She in turn gave Sebastian the sun a 191 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: degree and a professorship, and there was money laundering going on, 192 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: and we'll get into those details later on, but we're 193 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: talking about this case. And we opened the show with 194 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: the Karen bass connection because according to the prosecutors of 195 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas, they wanted to bring the story of Karen 196 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: basketting a free scholarship from Marilyn Flynn back in twenty eleven, 197 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,839 Speaker 1: was a ninety five thousand dollars scholarship, and Flynn at 198 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: some point said that the Ridley Thomas Steele is the 199 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: same thing that she did for Karen Bass. If that's true, 200 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: how come Karen Bass hasn't been charged with anything. Well, 201 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 1: here's the thing. You heard the Feds the other day 202 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: say Karen Bass is not the subject of an investigation. 203 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,920 Speaker 1: So when Rick Caruso came out to talk about it 204 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: the other day and I was sitting in the front 205 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 1: row of his press conference, and a reporter asking the 206 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: same question, and Rick said, just because she's not the 207 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: subject of an investigation, doesn't mean she's not being investigated. 208 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: Will now explain to people what is the semantic difference. Well, 209 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 1: the semantic difference is is if you've got a separate 210 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: case with Karen Bass's name on the folder, yeah, and 211 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: she's the subject of effort is on that case there 212 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: she may be a party to this ongoing investigation. She 213 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 1: may be a part of it, and pieces of what 214 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,960 Speaker 1: she's done in her involvement in these kinds of schemes 215 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: will be key to this case. And you know it's 216 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:07,720 Speaker 1: all going to come out in Mark Ridley Thomas trial 217 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: if it goes to trial. It also begs the question 218 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:16,080 Speaker 1: of what other politicians and elected is You can't think 219 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: that those are the only two for as long as 220 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 1: Flynn has been at USC, and this was apparently this 221 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: is a pattern that she has and it's also going 222 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 1: to the influence that she's trying to gather, you know, 223 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:31,720 Speaker 1: because that's what she was very well known for, was 224 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: grabbing all these power players so that USC benefits from, 225 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 1: you know, contracts and money and funding. Well, they had 226 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: a president at the time, Max Nicias, who wanted to 227 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 1: raise six billion dollars for the university, and so all 228 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:51,200 Speaker 1: the deans were under extreme pressure to bring in huge 229 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: amounts of money. And that's why she was. She was 230 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: doing these deals to get Bass and Bassard's case. Bass 231 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 1: sponsored a bill to give USC and other school's access 232 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: to federal funds the way Ridley Thomas was giving access 233 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 1: to Cali money. But what do you think, you know, 234 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: if you look back, I think Flynn was with USC 235 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 1: for what twenty twenty one years? Yes, And you think 236 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: these are the only two cases. No, I assume when 237 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: bad people finally get caught, this is stuff they're the 238 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: collateral damage goes way back. That rank is going way back. 239 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: Most criminals get away with most of their crimes for 240 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 1: a long time, and you need just you know, a 241 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: bad luck day or some whistleblower to bring everything coming 242 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: down in your head. So what tipped me on or 243 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: not tipped me on? But what raised the red flag 244 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: for me is that when Karen Bass is yet to 245 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,440 Speaker 1: address this thing directly, a couple of her people have 246 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:48,960 Speaker 1: made comments to other media outlets and they're already beginning. 247 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: They're already beginning the detachment defense phase as they call it. 248 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,080 Speaker 1: That means they're already finding someone else to fall on 249 00:13:56,120 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: the sword, and they're insulating Karen from any wrongdoing by saying, well, 250 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:04,200 Speaker 1: you know, Congresswoman Bass wasn't aware of this, and she 251 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: didn't know what was going on. She she pitched it. 252 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: She asked for the waiver, the Congressional Ethics waiver, because 253 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,319 Speaker 1: she wanted to study more about social work, and it 254 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,320 Speaker 1: was you know her her but Gold was truistic. It 255 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,560 Speaker 1: correct me if I'm wrong, because I've got a million 256 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: articles I've been going through trade. She got basically a 257 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: call out of the blue from Marilyn Flynt saying, hey, 258 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,880 Speaker 1: would you like a scholarship? I heard you're interested in 259 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: a social work degree, an advanced degree, and I can 260 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: make that happen and here's how I can make that happen, 261 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 1: and you know, and then so that's the way I 262 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: understand it. Yeah, And Bass then went to the Ethics 263 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: Committee and told them this is why I want this, 264 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 1: and this is what we're going to get from it. 265 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:49,600 Speaker 1: I'm going to be able to get access and study 266 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 1: what's going on basically the social ills of our society, 267 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 1: right or or at least my constituency. And so that 268 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: was presumably that's how that deal came together. She got 269 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: this free scholarship which gave her that degree. And I'm 270 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: not sure what she did with it, what how she 271 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: used it, I'm not I don't know anything. But she 272 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: did sponsor a bill which got USC a lot of 273 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: federals right around, and and did sponsor to bill that 274 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: allowed certain hurdles to be cleared away so that USC 275 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 1: could get more funding and other colleges too. So um, yeah, 276 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: so that looks like quid pro quo right off the top. 277 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: So I again, I go back to two decades of 278 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:38,840 Speaker 1: her leadership, Flynn's leadership. He remember, USC finally got tipped 279 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: off on this. It was it was internal auditing that 280 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: tipped this whole thing off. And then they called the 281 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: pheasant said, Hey, we think something hinky's going on here. 282 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: I can't believe I just said the word hinky. Something 283 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: weird is going on here. But then I want to 284 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: know what those forensic accountants with the FBI have found 285 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: prior to and who else is involved. This leads me 286 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,720 Speaker 1: to my next comment. So, when I'm talking to other 287 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 1: law enforcement sources, both at the federal and local level, 288 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: I was told, quote, it may not happen this year, 289 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 1: and it may not happen next year, but within two years, 290 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 1: you're going to see most of the board of supervisors 291 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: either being indicted or investigated. And this came from a 292 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: federal I'm just going to say there were people within 293 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 1: the federal federal sphere and the local sphere that made 294 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: that comment to me, and that was followed by a chuckle. Now, 295 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: I don't know, and I'm going to be very clear 296 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: right now, you can read into that however you want 297 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: to read into that. But I was told that you 298 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: were going to see people within local government either indicted 299 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,280 Speaker 1: or investigated in the next two years, which means they 300 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 1: know a whole lot already. I think so, And as 301 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: I think you and I were talking off air, there's 302 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: a lot of connective tissue here, Yeah, a lot of 303 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: connective tissue. And when you start peeling one layer back, 304 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: the other layers connected and it goes on and on 305 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 1: and on. Who's we've known for years as many years 306 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 1: as you've been covering in your world. In my world, 307 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:07,119 Speaker 1: I mean, we've always said that some of these people, 308 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: i mean, look at the La City Council. They've got 309 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: the second largest city in the world in the country 310 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:17,960 Speaker 1: has three three of its council numbers either went to 311 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: jail or on the way to jail. Yeah, are still 312 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:24,880 Speaker 1: in prison. Yeah. So yeah, So to think that these 313 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: are all isolated incidents is pretty naive. Your challenge, if 314 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 1: you choose to accept it, is this, let's go. Let's 315 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,200 Speaker 1: go show up on day one, work out with us 316 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: for thirty minutes. Feel good right away, yo, her peat 317 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: five days a week for three weeks, three weeks, five 318 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:42,679 Speaker 1: workouts a week. We're a body and we call that 319 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:44,879 Speaker 1: a body block. You pick the block and you're gonna 320 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 1: love the experience. On week four, this part is really important. 321 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: Take the week off seriously, we meet it rust, go 322 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 1: on vacasion or try something new, maybe some yoga. Notice 323 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: you're not holding onto any tension here or a day class, 324 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 1: get sexy wit daddy, you do you and then start again. 325 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: Be committed to this process. She's a new body block 326 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:10,160 Speaker 1: each month, Get a new challenge each month, have fun 327 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 1: every day, avoid burnout. You're not going to quit on 328 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,679 Speaker 1: yourself today. This is how you reach your goals. You win. 329 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,919 Speaker 1: There is nothing that we can't do if we work together. 330 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,200 Speaker 1: Sign up for your first body block today. Visit body 331 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 1: dot com for a free trial. That's bodi dot com. 332 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 1: Are you ready to get started? All right? Steve, very good, 333 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, good work, and as soon as 334 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: you find out more let us know. All right, sure 335 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 1: we will continue. I want to talk more about the 336 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas situation and give you a background on Sebastian 337 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 1: the Sun, because Sebastian the Sun, his condition a few 338 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: years ago is what led to this whole bribery scandal 339 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: involving his dad, Mark and Marilyn Flynn, who pleaded guilty 340 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 1: to her role. Today. We'll have those details coming up 341 00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: next on the John and Ken Show. Ken's Away today, 342 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:03,000 Speaker 1: we would just Kenn's Away today. We just finished talking 343 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 1: with Steve Gregory about the Mark Ridley Thomas trial which 344 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:13,400 Speaker 1: is going to come up in November. He's the county supervisor, 345 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:17,960 Speaker 1: former county supervisor turned La City councilman, and he was 346 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:23,439 Speaker 1: accused of being in a bribery deal with Marilyn Flynn, 347 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,119 Speaker 1: the dean of the USC School of Social Work. And 348 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: just to briefly explain what he did, is his son, 349 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: Sebastian Ridley Thomas, who was in a lot of trouble 350 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:42,880 Speaker 1: in his life and the dad Mark tried to bail 351 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: him out, and he came up with a scheme where 352 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,640 Speaker 1: he took one hundred thousand dollars from his political action committee, 353 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:53,239 Speaker 1: sent it to Marilyn Flynn, who then ran it through 354 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 1: USC and made a donation to another nonprofit that Ridley 355 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: Thomas was going to get a salary from one hundred 356 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: thousand dollars, but that wasn't that wasn't all Sebastian Ridley Thomas, 357 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:10,840 Speaker 1: the Sun also was going to get a professorship and 358 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 1: a scholarship. No charge, well, no charge to Sebastian Mark. 359 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: It was a charge to the tax bearers because Mark 360 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:23,640 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas, for his part of the deal, sent millions 361 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,360 Speaker 1: of dollars in county funding to USC. To this department, 362 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:34,120 Speaker 1: Marilyn Flinton's department, School of Social Work. So, just to recap, MARKA. 363 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,400 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas sends millions of dollars of our tax money 364 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:42,120 Speaker 1: to Maryland Flynn's department, and they launch her an extra 365 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars to pay Sebastian's salary. At the other end, 366 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 1: somebody at USC noticed one hundred thousand dollars, some whistleblower, 367 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 1: somebody doing the accounting, and that's how this case blew. 368 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: And in return for all that money, Flynn was giving 369 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 1: Sebastian Ridley Thomas a professorship and and a degree. And 370 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:12,880 Speaker 1: she says, according to prosecutor papers, that Karen Bass got 371 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:16,120 Speaker 1: the same deal over ten years ago when Bass got 372 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:21,360 Speaker 1: a free scholarship that she did not even solicit in return. 373 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 1: There Bass sponsored and got passed a bill in twenty 374 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:30,480 Speaker 1: fourteen so that USC and other private universities had access 375 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: to some generous federal funding. And Karen Bass ought to 376 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: be investigated for that. And if Mark Ridley Thomas gets charged, 377 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 1: and Karen Bass ought to be charged, and if somebody 378 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: doesn't think they think so, they should explain why somebody 379 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 1: in public should explain why she's not being charged. Now 380 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: here's the story. I Sebashton Ridley Thomas at the time 381 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:06,200 Speaker 1: that he got this sweetheart deal from USC. Sebastian Ridley 382 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:10,159 Speaker 1: Thomas was thirty years old, and boy was he a loser. 383 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,439 Speaker 1: He had gotten elected to the legislature when he was 384 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,919 Speaker 1: twenty six. His people in his district just saw the 385 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: name Ridley Thomas and he automatically got voted in. But 386 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: he got involved in two sexual harassment cases and he 387 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,640 Speaker 1: had to resign. He was in a lot of debt. 388 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: So here's somebody who's unemployable, in a lot of debt, 389 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: and that's why his dad's got to try to bail 390 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:42,479 Speaker 1: him out with this dirty deal with USC. The La 391 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:47,479 Speaker 1: Times wrote this story a year ago that because they 392 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: were they were an odd couple. Sebastian Ridley Thomas at 393 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: the time was thirty, Marilyn Flynn was in our eighties. 394 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: But four years ago they were both desperate about money 395 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: and both desperate about their careers, and so Mark Ridley 396 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: Thomas steered government contract worth millions. Because Flynn's social work 397 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: department was having big financial troubles, she was under a 398 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:23,120 Speaker 1: lot of pressure from the president of USC, Max Decius, 399 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:25,919 Speaker 1: to produce a lot of money. All the deans were 400 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,919 Speaker 1: under a lot of pressure. USC became this big moneymaking 401 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: operation more than anything else. And she had tried to 402 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: hook up with an online school business in order to 403 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: raise revenue selling online degrees, and that went sour and 404 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 1: she was in trouble. So she needed desperately an infusion 405 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:55,680 Speaker 1: of millions, and that's why she went to Ridley Thomas, 406 00:23:55,720 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: who needed her. The Times wrote USC's aspirations to prominence 407 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: fueled an obsession with fundraising and money and a lack 408 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: of oversight that has repeatedly led to scandal. Now in 409 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: twenty seventeen, in the midst of the Meat Too hysteria, 410 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: they started going after Sacramento lawmakers and Ridley Thomas. Sebastian 411 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas was the subject of two complaints. Investigators were 412 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: questioning witnesses. Information began to leak. Sebastian Ridley Thomas forwarded 413 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 1: his father a press release describing the ongoing investigation of 414 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:46,120 Speaker 1: another lawmaker and included the message, rumors are another LA 415 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:49,720 Speaker 1: legislator is next, And five days later his father sent 416 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: him a lake of a blog post speculating that the 417 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: next me too to go. Maybe Sebastian. So Mark Ridley 418 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: Thomas knew his son was cooked and that Sebastian was 419 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: going to have to resign, And so Mark knew he 420 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 1: had to secure paid employment for his son. Following his 421 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:12,920 Speaker 1: abrupt departure from the Assembly, he and his son were 422 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: looking for a stable income and to minimize any damage 423 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: to both their reputations. That's why he turned to Maryland 424 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:24,159 Speaker 1: Flynn at USC again. They both needed each other and 425 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: that's when Flynn was looking for a life line as well, 426 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: because trying to get money into her school of social work, 427 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: she connected with a company called to You. It was 428 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,959 Speaker 1: a virtual program. There were a lot of downtown office 429 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:48,680 Speaker 1: leases that were signed, new teachers hired, but the university 430 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,639 Speaker 1: had to split with tuition money with two You and 431 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:56,119 Speaker 1: it was not a business success. And so she's looking 432 00:25:56,200 --> 00:26:00,479 Speaker 1: at her at her whole reputation going into the toilet 433 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 1: because the student quality declined, the rankings fell, and the 434 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: budget had a big hole blown into it. So she 435 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: screwed up and as soon as she heard from Mark 436 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:20,360 Speaker 1: Ridley Thomas and that she could make nine million dollars 437 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: in contracts, Flynn contacted multiple USC officials about Sebastian explained 438 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,440 Speaker 1: who his father was, Mark and said his admission should 439 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: be given the highest priority, and she arranged him to 440 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,400 Speaker 1: get a full scholarship twenty six thousand dollars using endowed 441 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 1: funds and ended up getting a fifty thousand dollars a 442 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 1: year salary to be a practitioner in residence. The hell 443 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: is that some kind of teaching position? It's hard to tell. 444 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,399 Speaker 1: And as the nine million dollar contract that Ridley Thomas 445 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,879 Speaker 1: was getting pushed through the Board of Supervisors. As it 446 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: went towards approval, Flynn reminded Mark Ridley Thomas quote of 447 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 1: her extremely important request, and he replied in writing, your 448 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: wish is my command. His son had a copy of 449 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 1: that email as well, and Flynn told the USC official 450 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:25,120 Speaker 1: that a vote on the contract would go the way 451 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 1: of the university, but she had to do a favor 452 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:31,439 Speaker 1: to seal the deal. And Flynn winked when she mentioned 453 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: the favor, and that was that particular favor was funneling 454 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand dollars through USC to get it to 455 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: Sebastian Ridley Thomas, so everybody got paid. But somebody inside 456 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: USC noticed some of the accounting shenanigans and leaked the 457 00:27:54,240 --> 00:28:00,119 Speaker 1: news investigators pounced and there you have it. Now, I've 458 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:01,680 Speaker 1: got to believe that she's going to be willing to 459 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: testify against Mark Ridley Thomas because she's eighty three years 460 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 1: old and she just led a deal to only serve 461 00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:10,520 Speaker 1: a year under house arrest and pay only one hundred 462 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:13,640 Speaker 1: thousand dollars fine. So there's got to be something more 463 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:19,160 Speaker 1: in it for prosecutors than that. And then what about 464 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:23,680 Speaker 1: Karen Bass? And we're gonna keep asking that question. I 465 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: can't leave it hanging. Bridley Thomas eventually fleas guilty or 466 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,960 Speaker 1: it gets convicted in November, Then what about Karen Bass? 467 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:32,960 Speaker 1: Because if you go by what Marilyn Flynn says, Bass 468 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: got the same deal Johnny Ken Show KFI. You know, 469 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 1: if you're really committed to your job and you work 470 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 1: for a few years, you end up getting a sharp 471 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: buy for who's going to be a loser and who's 472 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 1: going to be an asset when they get hired. You're 473 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: not supposed to say these things out loud, of course, 474 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: but in your head, you know, you could identify somebody 475 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,000 Speaker 1: within that was just a few days. It's like, okay, 476 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: that guy's going somewhere. Oh she is really sharp, right, 477 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: or Wow, he's a dud. She's a loser. And let 478 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 1: me tell you, any employee who complains that they're not 479 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 1: getting enough food or they're not getting the right food 480 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 1: from their employer, you can mark down as the big loser. 481 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: There's a story, and this is funny. This is in 482 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: the New York Post today. Apparently somebody at the Post 483 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: got a hold of an internal email thread among two 484 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: dozen former Amazon employees. They have all left to work 485 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: at Google, and they had this email thread titled worked 486 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 1: at Amazon, and one of the employees posted screenshots obtained 487 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 1: by the Post that described an incident where two Amazon 488 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 1: employees were told to split a bagel at a staff meeting. 489 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 1: They were told the managers didn't have the budget to 490 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:17,600 Speaker 1: order enough bagels for everyone. Other workers complained in the 491 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: thread that boxes of cereal were removed from Amazon's office 492 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:28,120 Speaker 1: kitchens because they didn't represent a frugal mindset. Eventually we 493 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: got told that spending a couple of hundred bucks on 494 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 1: cereal isn't frugal. You are free to solicit donations on 495 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,280 Speaker 1: your own to try to keep it running. And they 496 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 1: went back and forth and back and forth on this 497 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: upset over the lack of bagels and the lack of cereal. Now, 498 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,960 Speaker 1: let me tell you you encounter that kind of person 499 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,760 Speaker 1: at work, that guy is going to be a big loser. 500 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 1: That guy's going to be a failure. You can, on 501 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 1: your way to work, buy your own bagel and bring 502 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: in your own box to cereal. I've never heard of 503 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:04,800 Speaker 1: a company being obligated to provide bagels in cereal for breakfast. 504 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,080 Speaker 1: I've never worked at a place that did that. It 505 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 1: never occurred to me that anybody should give me a 506 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:14,400 Speaker 1: bagel in cereal for breakfast. That's what your home is 507 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,479 Speaker 1: for a lot of people have breakfast in their kitchen, 508 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 1: or they stop on the way and they get a 509 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 1: bagel at a Delhi or they stop at a Starbucks 510 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 1: and they got some kind of breakfast treat. But then, 511 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 1: not only you have this expectation, you're upset about it. 512 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: You're upset about it to the point where you get 513 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: online and you and twenty five other losers start bitching 514 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 1: back and forth about how cheap Amazon is because you 515 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:51,719 Speaker 1: can't get a bagel, and you can't get the cereal, 516 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 1: and you have to split a bagel. And I'm thinking, 517 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,880 Speaker 1: when did this start? I've never heard of this in 518 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,640 Speaker 1: my life. I have never known anybody ching and moaning 519 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:02,880 Speaker 1: about whether they got a bagel and cereal. But this, I, 520 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 1: this is I've heard about the new workforce being very 521 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: whiny and being very demanding and and toddler like in 522 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:22,400 Speaker 1: their demands. Just just petty. Um. They also were whining 523 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 1: that Amazon gave them Windows laptops instead of Apple MacBooks. 524 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: Somebody actually wrote, I found it ridiculous because there's no 525 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:38,080 Speaker 1: joy in Windows laptops. And when there's no joy, no 526 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:53,120 Speaker 1: creativity happens. You can't type on a Windows laptop. I um. 527 00:32:56,120 --> 00:33:00,560 Speaker 1: And they actually went to an Amazon spokesman, Brad Glasser, 528 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: who had to respond to these complaints, and he said, well, 529 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:11,240 Speaker 1: one of our leadership principles is frugality. We encourage employees 530 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 1: to be mindful of how they use company resources. And look, 531 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:21,480 Speaker 1: most companies are cheap. I don't know, I don't know 532 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:26,600 Speaker 1: what world these these winers came from. Companies are not 533 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:30,440 Speaker 1: there for your pleasure. You're given first of all, your 534 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,040 Speaker 1: apply for a job, you agree to what the parameters 535 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 1: are going to be. It's gonna be so many hours, 536 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 1: it's going to be so much money, and whatever vacation 537 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 1: time and whatever other parks. If they're already and then 538 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:44,560 Speaker 1: you have a choice. You don't have to take the job. 539 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:48,240 Speaker 1: This is what really makes me nuts. If you don't 540 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 1: like the terms that are offered, don't take the job. 541 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:55,640 Speaker 1: If something about the job changes, then you can go. 542 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:00,120 Speaker 1: There's eleven million job openings right now in the country. 543 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 1: Times are not tight in that regard. But to actually 544 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,480 Speaker 1: sit around and bitch about having to split a bagel 545 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:11,879 Speaker 1: or not having cereal boxes. Now, I assume since these 546 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 1: people went to Google, that Google gives them the split 547 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:19,560 Speaker 1: bagels in the cereal I don't know. Is this how 548 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: companies are competing for workers? Good man, I hear something. 549 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 1: If I heard somebody complaining about not getting enough food 550 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:30,520 Speaker 1: from the company, I know, big loser, not going to 551 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: be a success, not somebody you want to rely on. 552 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: All right, we come back, Oh, this is good. You know, 553 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 1: San Francisco has been in free fall for years, and 554 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: I think it finally hit bottom. And finally most people 555 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:50,479 Speaker 1: in San Francisco have woken up and realized that their 556 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 1: place is a sewer. And we are going to talk 557 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:58,840 Speaker 1: two parts to this next hour. We're gonna Alex Stone 558 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 1: on because how many people have moved out of San 559 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 1: Francisco to the American Airlines is dismantling their hub. Hundreds 560 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:09,840 Speaker 1: of flight attendants have been based out of San Francisco 561 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:15,640 Speaker 1: for over fifty years, but their jobs are being moved 562 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:19,200 Speaker 1: out of San Francisco because so many people have left. 563 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:21,759 Speaker 1: And I guess if you've already left, you're not going 564 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,120 Speaker 1: to be taking a flight out of town. Second part 565 00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:26,880 Speaker 1: of this is one of the major meeting outlets in 566 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:32,200 Speaker 1: San Francisco says that according to their polling, most people 567 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 1: who live in San Francisco are saying exactly the same 568 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 1: thing about the city that their harshest right wing critics 569 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:44,120 Speaker 1: have been saying. It's coming up next John and kenshaw 570 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:48,120 Speaker 1: Ken's Away. Mark Runner has the news CAFI Am six sporting. Hey, Ken, 571 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:50,239 Speaker 1: did you know that gold is the only currency that's 572 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 1: held its value since the dawn of money? Well? 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