1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: Can't. I am six forty. You're listening to the John 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Cobelt podcast on the iHeartRadio app. We are on every 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: day from one until four o'clock, and if you miss anything, 4 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: go to the iHeart app for John Cobelt's show on demand. 5 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: It's a podcast version. All right, you've heard Debra report 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: on this all afternoon. We're going to get even more 7 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: details now with Alex Stone from ABC News on Broadway 8 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: in downtown, LA thieves broke into a jewelry store and 9 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: it was quite an operation and they ran out, says 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: the owner, with over twenty millions worth of gold jewelry cash. Alex, 11 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 1: what went on? Yeah, this one's weird, but it also 12 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: is kind of reminiscent. Remember the the jewelry heights that 13 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: went on over the Grapevine out of that truck that 14 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: on one side. Those who lost they said like one 15 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars, and then the Sheriff's department of that 16 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: one was saying it was far low that amount. And 17 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: then there was a one in like the Pacoima area 18 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: near the Costco out there where there's a storage area 19 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: for armored bug car remember that. Yeah, they got into 20 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:11,839 Speaker 1: that one and took a bunch, so there's a little 21 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: discrepancy on the amount of money that this was, but 22 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 1: it does seem like something out of a movie, and 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,040 Speaker 1: questions about what it was or wasn't. But the owners 24 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: of Love Jewels on Broadway in the Jewelry District are 25 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 1: saying that they now have gone back to their surveillance 26 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: videos and they have found that for over a month 27 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: that these bad guys at night were digging their way in, 28 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: digging a tunnel from an empty store next door and 29 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: getting through the concrete to make that tunnel, and they 30 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: went back and this is what they heard night after night, 31 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: but apparently nobody knew that at nighttime they were doing 32 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: this cutting their way into the store until eventually they 33 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: got in. And the owners claim that the bad guys 34 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: somehow as they came in, disabled all of the surveillance 35 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: cameras so nobody was caught on camera, and then spent 36 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: all Sunday night into Monday morning, over many many hours, 37 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: clearing out everything inside Love Jewels except a couple of 38 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: silver bracelets, and apparently they did not like and did 39 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: not want and they left those behind. The store was empty, 40 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: according to the family when they arrived yesterday morning, that 41 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: they came to work at around ten am and right 42 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: around there the LAPD was called for a burglary that 43 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: had gone on and everything was gone. Kevin is the 44 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: store owner's son. He says his dad is too distraught 45 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: to talk, but he says, I want to see justice. 46 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: He wants to see justice. Everything was left in shambles, 47 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:35,079 Speaker 1: broken windows, everything tossed over, things overturned. So the family, 48 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: John says about twenty million dollars in gold bars, jewelry cash, 49 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: that it was all stolen today, that they brought that 50 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:44,519 Speaker 1: down to about ten million dollars. We've talked to a 51 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: number of police sources who say when they went they 52 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: claimed to his five million dollars and or right over 53 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 1: five million, but not twenty million. And the family claims 54 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: no insurance on anything in there, and that it's going 55 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: to be on the hook for everything, and they started possible, 56 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: I don't know to have insurance. That's a good question. 57 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: I don't know how you have no insurance on anything 58 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: that's in there. So they have started to go fund 59 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 1: me now to try tell about the family. But they 60 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: say they've got nothing left that's in there, and that 61 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: they're going to be on the hook and Kevin Sam 62 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: twenty years of my father's work is just gone. So 63 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: they're offering one hundred thousand dollars reward. At this point, 64 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: nobody in custody, the LAPD doesn't have anybody. It's unclear 65 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: who did it, exactly how they pulled it off, where 66 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: all the loot is right now, or you know how 67 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: this was going on night after night and nobody knew 68 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: what was going on. And with the GoFundMe, he's saying. 69 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 2: We're hoping that the community can support us and help 70 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 2: us get back on our field. 71 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: Now they think that they were hit or that it 72 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: may have played a role because they have apparently become 73 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: quite popular on Instagram for making different videos about love 74 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: jewels because they supply bling to rappers in the rap community. 75 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: So they think that maybe they were hit because of that. 76 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: Investigators are saying they don't know, they don't know what 77 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: this whole thing was. There's a whole money discrepancy, there's 78 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: this night after night getting in there, going on and 79 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: digging their way in. So it was either very sophisticated 80 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: or something else was going on, but at this point 81 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: they don't know. Yes, something else is going on. I 82 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: mean I read in one story that I mean they 83 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: actually supplied a jewelry to gangsters. Allegedly there was some 84 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: of that going on to people who could afford the 85 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: stuff that they have been kind of the wrap go 86 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 1: to Bling place, according to them and their Instagram that 87 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: it's where where people come to down client base. They 88 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,919 Speaker 1: had a look at their client base for suspects. Yeah, 89 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: but I mean, I don't know what community of customers 90 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: comes up with a sophisticated tunnel through the wall, through 91 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: concrete and knock out the cameras that appear to have 92 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: been wired cameras, not just jamming the Wi Fi and 93 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: then going in there and taking everything out of there 94 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: and the cash and the gold bar. The one arms 95 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: no alarms, Yeah, no larms that we know of, the 96 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: one in Pacoima and the one up over the Grapevine. 97 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: They still haven't caught anybody in those and they may 98 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:12,840 Speaker 1: never catch anybody. You know, you think with jewelry that 99 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: at some point you go, oh, we know where this 100 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: came from. Cash totally different thing. That's understandable, where that 101 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: could you could take off with that, But when it 102 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 1: comes to like the one over the grape Vine, and 103 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,280 Speaker 1: this one it's jewelry. I always think it's people who 104 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: working for these companies because I mean, I so much 105 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: information to pull off the physical robbery. And you also, 106 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: like in the Grapevine case, the timing of it was 107 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: really important. Yeah. I don't know in this case what 108 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: it's gonna end up being, And in the others they 109 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: have not solved them. But I can tell you that 110 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: on the investigative side, there have definitely been investigators who 111 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: have had questions and hunches and in some of these 112 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: cases about was somebody on the inside involved? Was there 113 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: more to it? They haven't been able to prove anything 114 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: and nothing indicating that it was done from the inside, 115 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: but there have been There's always questions from detectives as 116 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: they come upon these wondering just how they were Were 117 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: they carried out without somebody on the inside of it. 118 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 1: If you have millions of dollars of product, you don't 119 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: spend the money to have an armed guard sitting inside 120 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: the store every night. Yeah, or insurance on it, and 121 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: now I insurance on it. On the Grapevine case, there 122 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 1: was a whole thing about that that most of these 123 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: folks underinsure because they don't think they're actually going to 124 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: go anywhere, and the insurance can be so expensive on 125 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: a lot of it that they will underinsure this. In 126 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: this case, they were no insuring this stuff. But you 127 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: remember that in the Grapevine one where they were saying, no, 128 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:45,599 Speaker 1: it was one hundred million dollars, we want all the 129 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: money back, and yeah, that the Armored Park Company was like, no, 130 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: it's like ten million dollars. And so that it's not 131 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: unusual to have these discrepancies. In this case no insurance. 132 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: I mean, maybe that's just the way it goes down 133 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,279 Speaker 1: in the jewelry district. Maybe that's a normal thing. It 134 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:04,479 Speaker 1: does sound a little odds. I am suspicious, all right, Alex, 135 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: thank you very much. Shout shot. I'm not buying all this. 136 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: One of the stories says they used to make diamond 137 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: encrusted miniature a K for Evans for their clientele. I 138 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: don't think they were that is what. What's an M 139 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: four says they made M four trinkets? Is that a weapon? 140 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: I don't know what. I don't know either. A million? Oh, 141 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: it's an M four carbine uh a NATO assault rifle. 142 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: It's a shortened version of another assault rival. All Right, 143 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: you're you're not making butterflies engagement rings here, you're making 144 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: AK forty seven's and M four A assault weapons. You 145 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: want to look very fancy when you're killing people. I 146 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: guess there's a dress code. Now. All right, Well we 147 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: come back something I started talking about early on in 148 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: the show and we got off track and I forgot why. 149 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: But I want to go back to it because it's 150 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: really important and it explains why tariffs are the center 151 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: of attention for the from Washington and all the news media. 152 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: A lot of business owners, people in all industries have 153 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: their eyes focused on these tariffs. And it's a story 154 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: that goes back about forty years. And I'll give you 155 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 1: a rundown so you have some perspective on this, some 156 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: context for this whole thing. 157 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 2: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM 158 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:55,199 Speaker 2: six forty. 159 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: All right. I started mentioning this before, and I want 160 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: to really get into it. There's nothing but stories on 161 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 1: Trump and tariffs, and there's lots of tariffs, and there's 162 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 1: lots of countries, and there's lots of percentages, and Trump 163 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: changes his mind every two days, and it's kind of 164 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: a pointless situation to try to analyze all this because 165 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: nobody knows that this is going to work. Nobody knows 166 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: exactly what's happening day to day. It seems even Trump's 167 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: own administration is confused because depending on who's talking on 168 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: what show, they get different reasons for why they're doing 169 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:38,679 Speaker 1: what they're doing. But it is the overarching idea is 170 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: to make goods that are manufactured in foreign countries more 171 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: expensive so that it makes more sense for these companies 172 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:55,199 Speaker 1: to make their products here. You see right now, it's 173 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: cheaper to make a lot of project products in foreign countries, 174 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 1: as we know, But what if we put this tariff, 175 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 1: this tax on the imports, then it might be cheaper 176 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 1: to do the manufacturing in the US. And it is 177 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,200 Speaker 1: a complicated story, but what I wanted to tell you 178 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: is how we got here in the last twenty five years. 179 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: Because we used to be by far the number one 180 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: manufacturing powerhouse, as the Wall Street Journal puts it in 181 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:34,439 Speaker 1: the world, coming out of World War Two about nineteen fifties. 182 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: So we got to go back seventy years, thirty five 183 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: percent of private sector jobs were in manufacturing. Today it's 184 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: nine percent. So we went from thirty five percent to 185 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: nine percent. And here's how we ended up losing so 186 00:10:54,400 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: many manufacturing jobs. After the war, there was a big 187 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 1: economic boom. People were optimistic, they were making money, and 188 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: there were a lot of new inventions that families had 189 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: to have washers, dryers, dishwashers, cars, any kind of appliances. 190 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:27,079 Speaker 1: Eventually air conditioners, microwave ovens, televisions. Then the people started 191 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:31,559 Speaker 1: flying commercially. You had jetplanes that had to be made, 192 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: and there's all these innovations, and you had a strong 193 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: union system, so people with high school educations can work 194 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: and make a lot of money in factories. And as 195 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: I've mentioned before, I'm very sensitive to this because my 196 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: dad went through that entire arc coming out of World 197 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 1: War two. Of course, you know, he was captured by 198 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: the Nazis. He was from Poland. But he got to 199 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: America and he worked at factories for forty seven years, 200 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:03,880 Speaker 1: and every seven years his factory would close, and it 201 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: would close because the company was moving to the South 202 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: and then to Mexico and then to Asia. But every 203 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: seven years he'd be out of work because the factories 204 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: would close to move to where the labor was cheaper, 205 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: and people eventually in America got more affluent, and they 206 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: weren't buying as much right because how many TVs can 207 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: you have? How many washer dryers can you have? And 208 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: they started spending their extra money on travel, restaurants, medical care, 209 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:46,200 Speaker 1: and manufacturing was flat into the nineteen eighties, but then 210 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: elsewhere in the world, labor costs were much lower in 211 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:55,240 Speaker 1: Latin America and Asia because they didn't have minimum wage there, 212 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 1: they didn't have unions, they didn't have to supply health benefits, 213 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: they didn't have to supply pensions. It was slave labor, 214 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:11,319 Speaker 1: and Americans didn't care if other people were slaves as 215 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: long as they got cheap stuff. So our manufacturers could 216 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:21,320 Speaker 1: not compete with the overseas manufacturers because those countries allowed 217 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: the slave labor. Also, countries like China, they have no 218 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: environmental rules, they have no health and safety requirements, and 219 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: they don't care if you're getting a dollar an hour. 220 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: If you are being tortured by your company and you 221 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: want to jump off the roof, they really did build 222 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 1: suicide nets around the roof to catch you and send 223 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: you back to work. So the manufacturing conditions and a 224 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:59,199 Speaker 1: lot of these countries are brutal. What really caused American 225 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: manufacturing to collapse was when and this was a Bush 226 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: Clinton production in the late nineties early two thousands. China 227 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:12,080 Speaker 1: joined the World Trade Organization in two thousand and one, 228 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: and now you had huge production capabilities, huge amount of 229 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: slave labor in China, and the US had never faced 230 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: competition like this before. In nineteen ninety nine, the value 231 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: of Chinese exports was only about a tenth of Americas. 232 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: It was less than Sweden's in two thousand and eight. 233 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: In nine years, in nine years, it surpassed the US 234 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: as the world's top exporter of goods. And that drove 235 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: a lot of factories out of the United States and 236 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: a lot of men, young men were left behind with 237 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 1: no work, and eventually you saw them on the streets, 238 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: whacked out by drug uggs and alcohol, playing video games, 239 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 1: living with their parents. They had an aimless, pointless life. 240 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: They weren't college material, and that's what destroyed the country. 241 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty, manufacturing accounted for thirty nine percent of 242 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 1: the US jobs, and by twenty twenty one that had 243 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: dropped to twenty percent. I'm sorry, thirty nine percent of 244 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: the US jobs where workers had high wages and there 245 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: aren't that many high wage factory jobs anymore in the US. 246 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: So when you allow other countries to sell their products 247 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 1: here where they use slave labor and they don't have 248 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 1: any environmental laws, health and safety laws, this is what's 249 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: going to happen, and Trump wants to reverse it more. 250 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: Come it up. 251 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 2: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 252 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 2: six forty. 253 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: We've got the Moistline for Friday eight seven seven, Moist 254 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: Stadty six eight seven seven, Moist Dady six of the 255 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app. You can follow us 256 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: at John coblt Radio and all the social media platforms. 257 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: And we never forget a story. We stay on top 258 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 1: of stories that much of the other media gets. They 259 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: get bored with. They don't want to cover it because 260 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: it embarrasses their political agenda that they support, or maybe 261 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,840 Speaker 1: it's just too much hard work. I don't know, but 262 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 1: the La Times and this is one of the very 263 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 1: few areas where they have stood out with their coverage 264 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 1: in the last jeez, I don't know how many years. 265 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: It's been in decline for so long I can't even remember, 266 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: you know, but it went ultra woke and then something 267 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: something about the fire snapped them back. I think they're 268 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: all going for a pulitzer. And to day they published. 269 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:09,440 Speaker 1: Eleven writers actually contributed to this story. They've been covering 270 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: the fires in Altadena and the Palisades, and they have 271 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:19,360 Speaker 1: many questions that even though they've been beating on doors 272 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:22,919 Speaker 1: for three months, they don't have answers to. And this 273 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:27,399 Speaker 1: to be is a huge disgusting scandal on the part 274 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: of Karen Bass, the La City Council, the president, Marquise 275 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: Harris Dawson, the fire chief at the time, Kristen Crowley, 276 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: Denise keinone is the idiot that runs the DWP, the 277 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: county supervisors, all of them. There's all these questions. We 278 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:52,119 Speaker 1: pay all these billions of dollars in taxes, we had 279 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:56,800 Speaker 1: hundreds of billions of dollars in damage, we had a 280 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: few dozen people die, and nobody talks. And that's just 281 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:08,679 Speaker 1: wrong and it's intolerable. So we're going to keep this 282 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: because you know, these people want to run for reelection. 283 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: They're all making hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there's 284 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: something about the weirdoh sick media climate in this state. 285 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:21,679 Speaker 1: All these people should have been handed out of office, 286 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: but you know, since the Times wants some pulletzer, we 287 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: might as well take advantage of it. Of their desire, 288 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 1: and they ran a list of quotes that they want 289 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:37,880 Speaker 1: answers to, and we'll start with our favorite, the Palisades 290 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:43,120 Speaker 1: Fire the Now. Earlier in the show, I told you 291 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:49,800 Speaker 1: that Palisad's residents are suing LAEDWP because Denis Kuioonya has 292 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:52,640 Speaker 1: never filled the reservoir one hundred and seventeen million gallons, 293 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 1: and their attorneys, they have a high priced LA law firm, 294 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:01,359 Speaker 1: say well, legally we don't have to we don't have 295 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: to fill the reservoir or we can't be sued over 296 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: not filling it. So their question is the terror was 297 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:11,879 Speaker 1: discovered in January of twenty twenty four, why did it 298 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 1: take so long to begin repairs? Well, they've never begun repairs. 299 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: And what difference would a full reservoir have made for 300 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:23,919 Speaker 1: firefighters dealing with low water pressure in fire hydrants? Remember 301 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:27,159 Speaker 1: most of them didn't work. Well, they had access to 302 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: three million gallons. Imagine if they had one hundred and 303 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: twenty million gallons. On Karen Bass, she was in Ghana. 304 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: She's released some but not all, the text messages. Who 305 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:44,159 Speaker 1: did she communicate with and how involved was she in 306 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: key decisions during the emergency. They won't release the messages. 307 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,200 Speaker 1: Neither will the staff of Marquise Harris Dawson, who was 308 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:56,719 Speaker 1: the acting mayor. They don't think they can be held accountable. 309 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: They think they're bulletproof. The Times had found that the 310 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:03,719 Speaker 1: LA Fire Department could have pre deployed more engines than 311 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:11,199 Speaker 1: firefighters on January seventh, with the dangerous forecasts. Fire leaders 312 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: say these resources either weren't available or were needed elsewhere. 313 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: What were available? The Times asks the personnel the engines. 314 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:22,159 Speaker 1: They sent a thousand thousand fighters home, They had one 315 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:26,640 Speaker 1: hundred engines that were broken. Who approved the deployment plan 316 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: that day? Nobody wants to talk? And our favorite here 317 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:37,680 Speaker 1: was the January seventh fire, a restart of the January 318 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: first fire. How did they fight that January first fire? 319 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: Remember it was kids fireworks? Could officials have done more 320 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 1: to ensure it was completely out? Were they sure it 321 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:57,880 Speaker 1: was out and out to Diana? It took eight hours 322 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,439 Speaker 1: after the start of the Eating Fire for official to 323 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: issue evacuation orders for residents of western Altadena. Seventeen people 324 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: died in this area west of Lake Avenue. By time 325 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 1: they got evacuations, the fire was already burning. Here are 326 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,439 Speaker 1: their questions. How were the decisions made on when to 327 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 1: issue evacuation orders, what caused the delay in sending them out? 328 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:27,360 Speaker 1: Who was responsible for ensuring the orders were sent? They 329 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: don't answer this. The Alley fire chief doesn't answer this. 330 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: The La County supervisors don't answer this. All things despicable. 331 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:43,440 Speaker 1: So they got eleven writers working on it. They're going 332 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:48,679 Speaker 1: to court demanding, for example, texts from Karen Bass and 333 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: the rest of them, and everybody's just saying no. They 334 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,920 Speaker 1: don't even answer the phone or return an email anymore. 335 00:21:55,840 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: Arrogate bastards. Who do they think they are? I think 336 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: we're all powerless and they're protected. And most of the 337 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:15,880 Speaker 1: media fills their newscasts and their internet sites with incredible 338 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,919 Speaker 1: amounts of nonsense. You watch an hour long newscast in 339 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: LA and it makes you gag how much nonsense is 340 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:30,119 Speaker 1: in it. And if you heard PCH and Palisades the 341 00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 1: burn area, they might open it by the end of May. 342 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 1: That's what Newsom claimed. That reopening PCH is a top 343 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: priority and we're going all in to get this done 344 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:50,440 Speaker 1: because the businesses are going under in Malibi, and it's 345 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,879 Speaker 1: an emergency. Of course, one lane in each direction is 346 00:22:53,920 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 1: still going to be very difficult. And it's better and nothing. 347 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,239 Speaker 1: We got more coming up. 348 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 2: You're listening to John Cobbels on demand from KFI. A. 349 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 1: Conway is going to be here in just a few minutes. 350 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,679 Speaker 1: You could follow us at John Cobelt Radio on social media. 351 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: I told you yesterday maybe at this time I don't remember, 352 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: but the Robert F. Kennedy who's running the Department of 353 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 1: Health and Human Services, he's in charge of all the 354 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 1: the health of Americans now, as noney as that is, 355 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 1: and he was talking yesterday about is it right for 356 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:36,680 Speaker 1: Americans to have to pay for bad choices made by 357 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,600 Speaker 1: other people? And he's talking about taxpayers having to pay 358 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 1: for government benefits for people who you know, want to 359 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:47,479 Speaker 1: smoke too much, drink too much, and eat bad foods 360 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: and all that. And I'm you know, I've always hated 361 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:56,120 Speaker 1: nanny state, the naggy state. People should have the freedom 362 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: to do what they want, even if it kills them. 363 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: I don't want to pay for it, though, And that's 364 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:08,680 Speaker 1: the demarcation point. And the Agriculture Department is now putting 365 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:14,120 Speaker 1: on a fast track. Any state that requests to stop 366 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,880 Speaker 1: they well, I mean had a word this. They want 367 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 1: to stop spending tax money on people who buy soda 368 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,439 Speaker 1: and candy with food stamps. All right, so soda and 369 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 1: candy no longer covered by the federal food stamp program. 370 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:41,640 Speaker 1: Arkansas and Indiana are the first two states you mentioned 371 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: how fat people must be in those states that their 372 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 1: governors are begging, the begging Trump and Robert Kennedy to 373 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:58,320 Speaker 1: stop stop subsidizing all the soda and candy purchases. Both 374 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 1: states are seeking clearance from the USDA to implement these changes. 375 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,920 Speaker 1: The Agriculture Secretary brook rollins that her agency would move 376 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 1: very very quickly to approve them. That is exactly the 377 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:17,359 Speaker 1: vision of making America healthy again. And Arkansas wants to 378 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: make candy and all types of soda, even diet and 379 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: low sugar versions, ineligible. They have something called the Supplemental 380 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:34,679 Speaker 1: Nutrition Assistance programer SNAP its food stamps, and Indiana's going 381 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 1: to do it. And two other states, West Virginia and Utah, 382 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: say they're going to pursue similar restrictions. And according to 383 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 1: the Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, no one is saying 384 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: you can't have a diet coke or a candy bar. 385 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 1: We're saying that you can't do it with taxpayer money. 386 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: If you're going to get fat and drop dead and 387 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:01,320 Speaker 1: you got big medical bills, they're not going to pay 388 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: for your for your candy and soda. Of course, the 389 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: American beverage industry, which represent coke and pepsi and everyone else, 390 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,159 Speaker 1: said this is not going to make an ounce of 391 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: difference on health. Spokesman for the candy industry said that 392 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: consumers understand that chocolate and candy are treats, not meal replacements. 393 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,479 Speaker 1: Well maybe they understand it, but you look at people's 394 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:33,840 Speaker 1: behavior and not what they say. So chunk food and 395 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: soda is going to be stripped out on a state 396 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: by state basis from the food stamp program because I 397 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,040 Speaker 1: don't want to pay for those people's bad habits. I 398 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,160 Speaker 1: can't imagine having a government where money is taken from 399 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: me because you drink too much soda and then you 400 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,919 Speaker 1: get sick and you're gonna run up a big medicator 401 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: medicare bill on my tab. 402 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,119 Speaker 3: All right here, Yes, uh dig dong with you, buddy. 403 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 3: Alex Stone is coming on with us that guy's great. 404 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 3: You know, he's a big reporter with ABC, so he'll 405 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:11,399 Speaker 3: come on and talk about the family it owns that 406 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:14,359 Speaker 3: jewelry store downtown Los Angeles, Johny, can you believe that, 407 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:19,199 Speaker 3: with all the crime reported on TV, the internet, newspapers, radio, 408 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 3: that somebody still was holding twenty million dollars worth of 409 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 3: golden jewelry at a store? 410 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:30,440 Speaker 1: Crazy? I had my doubts about that story. I do too, 411 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:30,920 Speaker 1: until I. 412 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:34,640 Speaker 3: Heard the people interviewed and they seem like genuinely shocked 413 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:36,000 Speaker 3: by it, you know, And. 414 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 1: Well, so hire a security guard if you got that much. 415 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: And that's a lot of money. 416 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,960 Speaker 3: Michael Monks is coming on with us recommended La County 417 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 3: budget cuts two billion dollars four billion here it's a mess. 418 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,920 Speaker 3: And then also we got our NewsWhip at five and 419 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 3: Dodger Stadium has been picked in the twenty twenty eight 420 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,200 Speaker 3: Olympics to host baseball. 421 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,679 Speaker 1: Base Oh it is baseball, all right? Baseball? You never know, 422 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: yeah right, you don't. Never have been sant Anito. 423 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 3: We got some of the establishments or some of the 424 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:12,440 Speaker 3: venues they figured out. Santa Anita's on the list. Los 425 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,199 Speaker 3: Alebido's beach for volleyball, so we're moving around. 426 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: All right, Conway coming up, think do Allway and no 427 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: Thompson today. He's not here. 428 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 3: He's gotten like there's a million reasons. Bellio has, like 429 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:28,240 Speaker 3: nineteen reasons why he's not here. 430 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 1: Here's a complicated life, all right. Of course, it's got 431 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: the news whive in the CAFI twenty four our newsroom. Hey, 432 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: you've been listening to The John Cobalt Show podcast. You 433 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 1: can always hear the show live on KFI AM six 434 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 1: forty from one to four pm every Monday through Friday, 435 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: and of course anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app