1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Can't f I am six forty. You're listening to the 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: John Cobel podcast on the iHeartRadio apps. 3 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 2: Tons to talk about this hour, including later on, we'll 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: get you the very latest. Daniel Penny was acquitted in 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 2: the homicide charge as he was facing for choking out 6 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 2: that guy on the New York City subway. That was 7 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,159 Speaker 2: a big case and he was acquitted this morning. The 8 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:26,279 Speaker 2: La Times is going to add a bias meter to 9 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: their articles. And Elon Musk spent a quarter billion dollars 10 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 2: to get Donald Trump elected? But how much did the 11 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: Mets sign Juan Soto to play right field? Woe? And 12 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 2: how much money did I spend to get my cat 13 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,159 Speaker 2: healthy over the weekend? 14 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 3: Well, what's wrong with your cat? 15 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 2: Well nothing, Now is a lot wrong with the cat. 16 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 2: There's a lot wrong with my wallet, I'll tell you that. 17 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 2: So we'll get into all of those things throughout the 18 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 2: course of the hour. But one of the big stories, Look, 19 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 2: we have enough trouble trying to figure out what's going 20 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 2: on at on Spring Street in downtown LA at City Hall, 21 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: forget about what's going on in Syria. But what's going 22 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: on in Syria is a huge game changer. Potentially anyway, 23 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 2: depending on how this revolution really, this remarkably fast toppling 24 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 2: of the Bashir al Assad regime plays out. So rather 25 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 2: than me just make stuff up, we're turning to the 26 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 2: former Georgetown University professor and a specialist in the Middle 27 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 2: East affairs. It's a pleasure to welcome the shoe, Jonathan Strum. Jonathan, 28 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 2: how are you. 29 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 4: I'm good, good to be with you. 30 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 2: Thank you for joining us. This toppling of Asad happened 31 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 2: with remarkable speed. How much of this, in your opinion, 32 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 2: is connected to Putin's hands being tied in Ukraine. 33 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 4: I think that's one of the key elements preoccupation with Ukraine, 34 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 4: the overall weekly of Iran and the access of resistance 35 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 4: and the and and critically the degradation of Kuzbullah by Israel, 36 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 4: which and Kazbullah has been the Iranian muscle on the 37 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 4: ground and military backup for USAD. 38 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 5: And now he lost. 39 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: That very famously when when President Obama was still in office, 40 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,679 Speaker 2: he had drawn the infamous redline in the sand about 41 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 2: the use of chemical weapons during the Syrian Civil War 42 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 2: a few years back, and Aside crossed that line, and 43 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 2: we really didn't do anything about it, and I think 44 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 2: in retrospect that was probably a mistake. But one of 45 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 2: the issues that we always had in dealing with Syria 46 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 2: was Syria's a client state of Russia, and they considered 47 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 2: Syria to be essentially their zone of influence. So for 48 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 2: the United States to take a forceful military action against 49 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: the Syrian regime of Assad would be to invite a 50 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 2: direct conflict with Russia. Clearly that is now off the table. 51 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 2: But what will this new government be like in the 52 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 2: aftermath of what was a horrible, murderous regime. We don't know. 53 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 4: I mean, that's the honest answer. The group which led 54 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 4: the toppling of the Syrian government was Hayata Alam, which 55 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 4: was originally an Islamist group with ties to Al Qaeda. 56 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 4: The leader of the group, Mohammad al Johann Jolani, has 57 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 4: very much put himself as the figurehead for the post 58 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 4: outside world and has very much moderated and broke ties 59 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 4: with with Al Keeda. But we really don't know. I mean, 60 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 4: there is a ten million dollars bounty by the United 61 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 4: States on his head which will need to be receded, rescinded. 62 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 4: Rather he is that, you know, the difference between him 63 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 4: and some of the others is he is Syrian, born 64 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 4: in Saudi Arabia, but of Syrian nationality. The reports from 65 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 4: Aleppo and it lived in some of the other places 66 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 4: that HTS had taken immediately appeared to be pretty good. 67 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 4: The minority communities Christians, Jews, Alloites appear to have been protected, 68 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 4: not singled out for anything. But we don't know. We 69 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 4: don't know whether Syria is going to descend into chaos 70 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 4: or whether they'll be able to form a coalition of 71 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 4: all these various disparate groups who controlled different parts of Syria. 72 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 2: We're talking with Jonathan Strong, former Georgetown University professor of 73 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,039 Speaker 2: Israeli law specialized in Middle East affairs. Okay, it's the 74 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 2: other side of the world. But the ripple effect, if 75 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 2: we haven't learned that lesson from nine to eleven, we 76 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 2: should understand that what happens there impacts us here, especially 77 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 2: because of our own involvement in Middle East affairs. Can 78 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 2: you see, can you give us your best guess of 79 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 2: how this plays out? Because the ripple effects go to Iran, 80 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 2: go to you know, affects Ukraine, it affects certainly obviously 81 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 2: the Gaza Israeli situation and Lebanon as well. Can you 82 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 2: talk to us about who's still standing and who's been 83 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 2: weakened by this? 84 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:12,039 Speaker 5: Sure? 85 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 4: Well, I think you had it right in the beginning. 86 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 4: The Russians, the Russians are clearly incredibly weakened, as are 87 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 4: the Iranians. The Russians lost their air base uh and 88 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:25,799 Speaker 4: they lost their naval base in Syria, both of which 89 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 4: they've withdrawn their their most of their fighters and all 90 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 4: of their their heavy duty sheeps and everything. And this 91 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 4: was the only naval base that the Russians had in 92 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 4: the Mediterraneans. So they are clearly big losers, at least. 93 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:41,719 Speaker 2: For the moment. 94 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 4: It's it's you know, we still don't know what's going 95 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 4: to happen when when the dust settles, and will they 96 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:48,159 Speaker 4: try to come back, will they try to make an 97 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:52,599 Speaker 4: offer to to come back and and take back over 98 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 4: their air force bases, or will the US do it? 99 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 4: You know, will the US offer to take over their 100 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 4: air force base and then we doce sanctions on Syria 101 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 4: so they can sell oil and get their economy moving U. 102 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 4: The other big loser are the Iranians. I mean, we've 103 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 4: now had the access of resistance led by by Iran Chazbullah, Hamas, 104 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 4: the Jutis groups in Syria and in Iraq. There is 105 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 4: basically nobody left. The Houtis are left, but they're they're 106 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 4: in Yemen and they're they're you know, they're they're they're 107 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 4: an annoyance, but they're not a major force. And so 108 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 4: now you've got has Bulah. Their entire upper echelon has 109 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:42,599 Speaker 4: been decimated. You now no longer have a base in 110 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 4: in Syria. And just to digress for one second, in 111 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,479 Speaker 4: the seafire between Kazmula and Israel, one of the most 112 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 4: interesting provisions was if there were to be arms transfers 113 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 4: from Iran to Lebanon, they wanted the Israelis to hit 114 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 4: them in Syria, not in Lebanon. In other words, hit 115 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 4: them before they crossed the border, which already showed you 116 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:07,720 Speaker 4: how weak the Syrian government was. But the Iranians and 117 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 4: the Russians are the clear losers. Here. 118 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 2: Are the Israelis involved in the toppling of the CID regime. 119 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 4: They aren't. They only indirectly, only by the fact that 120 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:23,679 Speaker 4: they've really weakened Osbella. They themselves didn't play a role. Remember, 121 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 4: like as I said, the HTS was originally an Islamic 122 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 4: group and islam Mys groups, so it's unlikely that the 123 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 4: Israelis would play a role there. What the Israelis have 124 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 4: done is bombed many of the Syrian heavy weapons, missile 125 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 4: systems and whatnot over the last day and a half 126 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 4: so that they both get don't get to be used 127 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 4: against Israel and they potentially don't fall into the wrong hands. 128 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 4: Israel's also moved into what was the buffer zone between 129 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 4: and the demarcation line from nineteen seventy four between Israel 130 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 4: and Syria. They say that's only a temporary move to 131 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 4: make sure that nobody comes south from Syria towards the 132 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 4: gold On Heights or to Israel. 133 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 2: Jonathan, does this make a deal with Hamas more likely 134 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 2: for the net Yehoe regime? 135 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 4: One would certainly hope so. And let me say it. 136 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 4: Let me say it differently. I would say, you know, 137 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:34,200 Speaker 4: I've been a noted critic of the Prime Minister, but 138 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 4: at the same time, there really hasn't been somebody on 139 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 4: the other side to make a deal with. I think 140 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 4: this makes the Hamas a little more willing to actually 141 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 4: go to a deal because there's now nothing holding the 142 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 4: Israelis back in Gaza. Should should they want to continue fighting? 143 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 4: I mean there's before this there was always the threat 144 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 4: that because Bulah could ramp up attacks in the north. 145 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 4: But now that because Buda and Israel have a ceasefire, 146 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 4: Hamas has a much and they's certainly not going to 147 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 4: get support from the Iranians or from the Syrians. It 148 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 4: gives Hamas as well an opportunity to go to a 149 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 4: ceasefire and more importantly get a hostage from the Israeli perspectives, 150 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 4: to get a hostage exchange. 151 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 2: Last question for me, Remember there's one hundred. 152 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:26,079 Speaker 4: And one Israeli hostages still being kept in Lebanon in Gaza. 153 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 2: Right, our last question. With the new administration coming in shortly, 154 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 2: there's an opportunity here. Do you see that this event 155 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 2: strengthens President Trump and Marco Rubio, the projected a Secretary 156 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 2: of State in terms of dealing with Iran and even 157 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 2: with Russia. Did we lose him? I think we lost them. 158 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 4: I've lost the question. 159 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 2: Oh sorry, real quickly? Does this event I still show it? 160 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 2: Does this question? Does this strengthen Donald Trump's hand in 161 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 2: dealing with Iran in Russia going into the new administration. 162 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 2: All right, we've lost him, unfortunately. That is Jonathan Strom, 163 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 2: former Georgetown University professor of Israeli law and specialized specialists 164 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 2: in the Middle East. I certainly believe it strengthens the 165 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 2: US's hand in dealing with certainly Iran and with Russia 166 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 2: as well if the president, if President Trump chooses to 167 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 2: be tough with Putent and not and not be more 168 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 2: interested in negotiating away Ukrainian sovereignty. Okay, let's talk about 169 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 2: including the La Times adding a bias media to their articles. 170 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 6: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI Am 171 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 6: six forty. 172 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 2: We got a lot to talk about the rest of 173 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 2: this hour, including an acquittal and the Daniel Penny case 174 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 2: in New York City. We'll get into that as well, 175 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 2: and we'll update you more on the arrest of a 176 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:04,559 Speaker 2: person of interest named Luigi Mangioni, who's going to get 177 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:06,600 Speaker 2: a lot of love letters sent to him from both 178 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 2: boys and girls because he's all buffed out. 179 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 3: He's not a bad looking guy, you're. 180 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 2: He's very good looking. 181 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 4: Believe me. 182 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 2: If I had his abs, I wouldn't own a shirt. 183 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,160 Speaker 2: So he's gonna get a lot of and and that's 184 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 2: that's a weird thing. But look, we saw this happens 185 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 2: all the time with the knight Stalk or all these people. 186 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 2: When they're hunky murderers, they get love letters sent to him, 187 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 2: and that impacts how people react to their how they 188 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 2: feel about the crimes they've committed. It's really such a 189 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 2: bizarre thing. So we'll get into all of that throughout 190 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 2: the course, and maybe it's some more on the Syria case. 191 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 2: But I saw this the other day. You know, the 192 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 2: La Times, like all print publications, have been struggling with 193 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 2: you know, hemorrhaging readership for a lot of reasons. The 194 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,680 Speaker 2: decision to spike an endorsement of Kamala Harris before the 195 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 2: election caused a big, big loss of readership. People canceling 196 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 2: and outrage canceling a subscription. Merril Garza, the op ed 197 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 2: page editor who I used to work for, by the way, 198 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 2: at the Daily News, great person. She resigned her position. 199 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 2: They've had a couple of prominent resignations, including Harry Littman, 200 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,000 Speaker 2: the longtime senior legal affairs columnist, who just announced that 201 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 2: he was leaving. And his exit was motivated because the 202 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 2: owner of the La Times, doctor Patrick sunschung and never 203 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:36,559 Speaker 2: know how to pronounce his last name. I never get 204 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:38,679 Speaker 2: it right. I haven't got it right once. I'm lucky 205 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 2: I get McIntyre right. But anyway, he announced that he's 206 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 2: going to add a bias meter to op eds, to 207 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 2: the opinion page, and to news articles. So I guess 208 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 2: when you read it, when you read the LA Times, 209 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 2: starting in January, whatever the article is, you'll be able 210 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 2: to see it go. 211 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 4: Or now. 212 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 2: I don't know which one is liberal and which I 213 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 2: don't know is this one liberal and is this one conservative? 214 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,960 Speaker 2: But anyway, we're going to have that now apparently attached 215 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 2: to the Los Angeles Times. And there's a quote here. 216 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 2: This is actually from the New York Times that just 217 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 2: made me laugh out loud while reading this. The LA 218 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:28,199 Speaker 2: Times Guild, which represents the journalist that the paper said quote. Recently, 219 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 2: the newspaper's owner has publicly suggested his staff Harbor's bias 220 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 2: without offering evidence or examples. I love the fact that 221 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 2: they're the only people, apparently on the planet who doesn't 222 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 2: understand that there's a bias. And look, let me be 223 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 2: clear here. You know, the masthead of the New York 224 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 2: Times has said for one hundred and forty years or 225 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 2: whatever it says, says all the news that's fit to print. Okay, fine, 226 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 2: but they're the people who decide what's fit to print. 227 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 2: I mean until AI totally takes over and replaces all 228 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 2: of us, and even then, depending on who programmed the AI, 229 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 2: there's going to be some bias baked in because there 230 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 2: is human bias involved. We tend to see things from 231 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 2: where we stand politically or just culturally our life experiences. 232 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 2: I've always said that, you know, when people would argue 233 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 2: about the political leanings of Supreme Court nominies, the Supreme 234 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 2: Court is supposed to be a political Well, if you 235 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 2: want to see a non politically bias court, go to 236 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 2: Night Court. Who sit in Night Court for an hour 237 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 2: and watch the uh, you know, the judge who's handling 238 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 2: those cases where someone's come in blowing a four point zero, 239 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 2: you know, as they were doing donuts down you know, 240 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 2: Ventura Boulevard, And you're going to see a non politically 241 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:03,000 Speaker 2: motivated court. It's just you know, it's just the facts, ma'am. 242 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 2: But when judges are appointed by politicians, you've got to 243 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 2: be really delusional to think that there isn't some kind 244 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:14,920 Speaker 2: of a political calculus involved in that nomination left or right, 245 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 2: of course there is. There's nothing more dishonest than a 246 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 2: Supreme Court nomination hearing when these judge wanna bees, these 247 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 2: Supreme Court justice wannabes, go out there and protest that 248 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 2: they've never examined the Roe versus Way decision. No, please, 249 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 2: I mean, who are you kidding? They never examined the 250 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 2: Second Amendment. Of course they have opinions on this, but anyway, 251 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 2: the same is true for journalists. And I don't understand 252 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 2: the point of trying to put a bias meter for 253 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 2: op eds because by definition their opinions. It's more problematic 254 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 2: when you get to what's supposed to be the who one, when, where, why, 255 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 2: and how of factual news reporting. But the problem is 256 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 2: deeply embedded in the culture of people who go into 257 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 2: that kind of work. Now, I mentioned many times even 258 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 2: on this microphone. I love the opinion business. That's why 259 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 2: I'm in talk radio. But I don't want to drive 260 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 2: over a bridge that was built on an opinion. I'd 261 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 2: like that person to understand physics and they've done some 262 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,160 Speaker 2: math homework, unlike me, which is why I ended up 263 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 2: in the opinion business, you know, because if I'm wrong, 264 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,560 Speaker 2: it's an opinion as opposed to if you're a journalists 265 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 2: just supposed to have the facts right. But in many 266 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,560 Speaker 2: ways the bias is crept in that they don't even 267 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 2: recognize it. One of the issues that comes immediately to mind, 268 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 2: and if you're a CAFI listener for any length of time, 269 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 2: you know this is the illegal immigration issue. And this 270 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 2: started years ago when the Associated Press banned the use 271 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 2: of the term illegal immigrant. Forget about illegal alien, which 272 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 2: is branded basically as hate speech. We're not aliens, we're 273 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 2: not some space creatures. But you know, the truth to 274 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 2: the lie of that, the offense of term illegal alien 275 00:16:55,760 --> 00:17:00,040 Speaker 2: is that nobody objects to getting a green card, and 276 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,600 Speaker 2: on a green card you are branded a resident alien. 277 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 2: So you see, the word that defends is not alien. 278 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 2: The word that defends is illegal. So the Associated Press 279 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 2: banned the use of that phrase, and they wouldn't even 280 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,919 Speaker 2: let journalists use the term illegal immigrant. It had to 281 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 2: be in the country illegally, which is a bulky phrase 282 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,159 Speaker 2: to say the least. But this went out as a 283 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:29,360 Speaker 2: style sheet to newsrooms all over the country, and it's 284 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 2: that kind of putting the thumb on the scale of 285 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:37,199 Speaker 2: how stories are covered. That has led people to shed 286 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 2: the mainstream media, certainly from conservatives. And then there are 287 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 2: people you know on the left who believe that everything 288 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:47,880 Speaker 2: is just a bunch of corporate bs that's just apologizing 289 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 2: for the you know, the aristocracy that runs everything. There's 290 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 2: always going to be a certain amount of bias in 291 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 2: the way news is done as long as human beings 292 00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 2: are still doing it. Let's speaking of bias is incredibly biased. 293 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,480 Speaker 2: Oh sorry, here's Debora Mark and the KFI newsroom. 294 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 6: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI A 295 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:10,680 Speaker 6: six forty. 296 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 2: Doug Mcatyre in for John Cobalt and Timmy coming up 297 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 2: at four o'clock. And my book Frank Shadow is available 298 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 2: at Amazon dot com and makes a lovely holiday gift 299 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 2: whichever holiday you're celebrating. So I'd be powerful grateful if 300 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 2: you'd support that book. I'm very proud of it. It's 301 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 2: called Frank's Shadow, So go and buy in bulk, ladies 302 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 2: and gentlemen. In addition to all the other big stories, 303 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 2: the arrest of a person of interest in the murder 304 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 2: of the healthcare CEO, and we've been covering that Luigi Mangioni, 305 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 2: a citizen resident of Maryland, apparently is the person that 306 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 2: they believe. Haven't charged him yet, but there's a lot 307 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,879 Speaker 2: of evidence to suggest that he is the person that 308 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 2: killed mister Thompson in New York City. Another case in 309 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 2: New York City they got a lot of attention was 310 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 2: the choking death of Jordan Neely back in May of 311 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 2: twenty twenty three that was captured on video on an 312 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:13,920 Speaker 2: uptown f train in New York City. And this was 313 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 2: a case where Daniel Penny had been charged with homicide. 314 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 2: To talk to us about the jury came back by 315 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 2: the Way and acquitted him this morning, and to talk 316 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 2: to us about how this case played out. It's a 317 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 2: pleasure to welcome a criminal laws specialist in attorney Luke Shapiro, Lou, 318 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:29,720 Speaker 2: how are you. 319 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 5: Hey, Good to be back with you, Doug. 320 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,960 Speaker 2: Thank you for joining us this morning. So this case 321 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 2: got a lot of attention because in the aftermath of 322 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 2: George Floyd, of course, we've been hyper sensitive about any 323 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 2: incident involving you know, it wasn't just By the Way 324 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:53,200 Speaker 2: Floyd George either. There have been a number of cases 325 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:58,359 Speaker 2: where African American men in particular, were lost their lives 326 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:02,200 Speaker 2: because of strength in a struggle, whether you other police 327 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 2: or In this case, Daniel Penny is a former soldier 328 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 2: Marine who was on the train when he encountered Jordan Neely, 329 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:14,879 Speaker 2: who was threatening the fellow passengers. That doesn't seem to 330 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 2: be in dispute. What's in dispute was whether or not 331 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 2: he overreacted. The jury obviously believed Daniel Penny, right. 332 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,920 Speaker 5: So this case can really be boiled down to a 333 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:33,720 Speaker 5: few factors. First, it's different from the George Floyd case 334 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 5: in that George Floyd wasn't actually threatening anybody. He wasn't 335 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 5: menacing or posing any kind of danger to just people 336 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 5: around right. He was sort of mining his own business, 337 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:50,680 Speaker 5: and that played into, I think the outrage that led 338 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,920 Speaker 5: to his death and so forth the public response. Here, 339 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 5: you had a situation where the individual is mentally ill, 340 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:01,479 Speaker 5: threatening passengers on a trained claim he doesn't care if 341 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 5: he gets killed or goes back to jail. And not 342 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 5: just Penny, but a few people felt the need to 343 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 5: restrain this person. They felt that there was an immediate 344 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 5: danger to passengers on that train. Another distinction between Penny 345 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 5: case and Floyd is Floyd you had trained officers. They 346 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 5: are trained in how to de escalate situations. Penny is 347 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 5: not a trained officer. Yes, he's a former marine, but 348 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:30,360 Speaker 5: he's not held to the same standard as law enforcement. 349 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 5: So when you have what's called called it an unsympathetic 350 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 5: victim in trial, and you have somebody who's mentally ill 351 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,920 Speaker 5: threatening the danger and health and safety of other passengers, 352 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 5: is a good samaritan coming to their rescue, even if 353 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,879 Speaker 5: he may have went somewhat overboard. The jurors were willing 354 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 5: to give him a pass on this one, and that's 355 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 5: why they voted not guilty. 356 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 2: And this is also in the context of the time 357 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:57,440 Speaker 2: in which we live. I think there's no question that 358 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 2: the post George Floyd world, with the sort of George 359 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:08,160 Speaker 2: Gascon esque prosecute dis attorney in New York, they were 360 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:12,439 Speaker 2: inclined to prosecute these kind of cases. But also the 361 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:17,679 Speaker 2: jury pool had to be influenced by the explosive number 362 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:22,520 Speaker 2: of violent incidents of mentally disturbed or just outright criminal 363 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 2: behavior on the New York City subway system. So this 364 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 2: case played out in the context of the times in 365 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 2: which we live. 366 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 5: Yeah, very good point. You can't look at facts of 367 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 5: a case in the trial and at vacuum, you have 368 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 5: to look at the surrounding circumstances. And just like in 369 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 5: Los Angeles, New York is mirroring this where a lot 370 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,239 Speaker 5: of the public is fed up. They are very They 371 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 5: don't feel safe walking their dogs because they could be 372 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 5: stolen from them during a normal, even daytime walk. They 373 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 5: don't feel safe going to the atm withdrawing money because 374 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 5: they're afraid they're going to be held up at gunpoint 375 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 5: when they do that. So in law enforcement doesn't carry 376 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 5: their weight, and good Samaricans feel and neat to step 377 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 5: up to protect the public. And he gets into a 378 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:04,640 Speaker 5: case like this, Yeah, the Jersey are going to take 379 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 5: all that into account and say we got to We're 380 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 5: going to give this guy a pass on this. That 381 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 5: just feels like it's the right thing to do in 382 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 5: their hearts and souls. 383 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 2: You know, many years ago now, in the nineteen eighties, 384 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 2: so it's forty years ago, there was a guy named 385 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:22,320 Speaker 2: Bernie Getz who infamously was riding a New York City 386 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 2: subway when there were a couple of young kids who 387 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 2: happened to be African American who threatened him with a screwdriver, 388 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 2: or so the story goes, and he pulled out a 389 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:33,400 Speaker 2: gun and shot them, and then one of the young 390 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 2: men he shot, he said to the guy while he 391 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:38,399 Speaker 2: was bleeding on the floor of the subway car, you 392 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 2: don't look so bad, and shot him again, and Bernie 393 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,680 Speaker 2: gets became sort of a poster child for this debate 394 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:50,200 Speaker 2: about public safety and the public sort of being a vigilante. 395 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 2: In response, nobody is accusing Daniel Penny of being a vigilante. 396 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 2: He was literally swept up in a violent, confrontational situation 397 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 2: in real time with a bunch of other people around him. 398 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 2: It's not like he went out hunting for someone. And 399 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,280 Speaker 2: I think that had a lot to do with the 400 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 2: jury reaching the verdict. But can you walk us through, 401 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 2: lou Why did the most serious charges get tossed on 402 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:20,119 Speaker 2: Friday and then the jury come back with a unanimous 403 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 2: not guilty verdict today on lesser charges. 404 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:28,400 Speaker 5: Yeah, it is very puzzling that they were like hung 405 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 5: on that first charge, because if they're hung on the 406 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 5: more serious charge, then you would think that when it 407 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 5: comes to the next charge, they're definitely going to be hung, right, 408 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:43,200 Speaker 5: So logically it's I think the prosecutors are scratching their 409 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 5: head trying to figure out what happened here, because they 410 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 5: were very confident. Remember the prosecutors are the one that 411 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 5: dismissed that that higher degree that count won manslaughter, leaving 412 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 5: the seven, leaving the criminal you know, reckless homicide there 413 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:59,200 Speaker 5: right after that. So they were confident. He said, let's 414 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,879 Speaker 5: dismiss count one and they're probably going to convict on 415 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 5: count two. Whoever the holdouts are going to come through 416 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 5: and convict on count two. But it actually it was 417 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,919 Speaker 5: the opposite. So it's just another lesson. You never know 418 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,160 Speaker 5: what a jury's going to do. You just don't. 419 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,359 Speaker 2: Well, it's a fascinating case, to say the least. And 420 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 2: again I do think that we've seen the issue of 421 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 2: street crime, which was such a big issue. I was 422 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 2: living in New York in the seventies and early eighties 423 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:31,679 Speaker 2: before the turnaround started, and they ed catchiers when you know, 424 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 2: there were neighbor there were neighborhood neighborhoods. You just simply 425 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 2: didn't go. You just you just didn't go. And this 426 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:42,679 Speaker 2: was across all color lines and demographics. The city was 427 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:47,919 Speaker 2: out of control and there had been pushedback and the 428 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 2: subway system for instance, which was covered in graffiti. If 429 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:53,600 Speaker 2: there was any spray paint put on a subway car, 430 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 2: they'd take it out of service. And then eventually people 431 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:58,359 Speaker 2: started to police the subway cars because it was inconvenient 432 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 2: to have the train taken at a certain and all 433 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,320 Speaker 2: of a sudden, it was a less threatening environment, and 434 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 2: the station's got cleaner and safer, and we backslid on 435 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 2: this stuff, and it's happened here in Los Angeles where 436 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 2: we've had a huge crisis with the very expensive subway 437 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 2: system that we built in Los Angeles, and people weren't 438 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 2: riding it because the only time it made the news 439 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 2: was one someone was being attacked. And at some point 440 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:23,679 Speaker 2: the public will say we've had enough. They just will 441 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 2: start to push back on this. 442 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:30,240 Speaker 5: That's right. It's the court of public opinion actually going 443 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 5: into the courtroom and saying we're fed up, and we 444 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,880 Speaker 5: will even maybe overlook the law to send a message, 445 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,479 Speaker 5: to send a message to local government, to national government 446 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 5: that we're not going to take this anymore. If law 447 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 5: enforcement and government's not going to protect us, we're going 448 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 5: to have to do the job ourselves. 449 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:50,920 Speaker 2: Lushapiro dot com is the web address, so go check 450 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:52,439 Speaker 2: them out, Lou, thanks so much for being one us. 451 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:56,520 Speaker 2: We appreciate attorney criminal justice, criminal law specialists. All right, 452 00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:01,560 Speaker 2: ladies and gentlemen. Soon Musk spent a quarter of a 453 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 2: billion dollars to get Donald Trump elected president, and for 454 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 2: that money, he would have finished a distant tenth in 455 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,879 Speaker 2: the Juan Soto swape stakes. We'll get into that. Who 456 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,160 Speaker 2: maybe Wan Soto could have been elected president three times 457 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 2: for that guy with the kind of money he's gotten 458 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 2: nowt from the Mets. Who boy, when is enough enough? 459 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 2: And how much did I spend to save the cat? 460 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:24,240 Speaker 2: This weekend? We'll get into all that more. 461 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,560 Speaker 6: You're listening to John Cobelts on demand from KFI AM 462 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:30,160 Speaker 6: six forty. 463 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 2: Doug Mcatyre in for John Cobbalt, Tim Conway Junior coming 464 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 2: up at four o'clock, so we got a little over 465 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:41,160 Speaker 2: an hour left to fly here, Ladies and gentlemen, how 466 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,479 Speaker 2: much is too much? And I asked this question because 467 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,800 Speaker 2: this story came out from the Federal Election Commission that 468 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,159 Speaker 2: Elon Musk put over a quarter of a billion dollars 469 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 2: into the Donald Trump campaign, two hundred and seventy million dollars, 470 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,360 Speaker 2: most of it to these political action committees in one 471 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 2: that he created, and I'm thinking that's an awful lot 472 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,120 Speaker 2: of bread. And then the story breaks that the Mets 473 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 2: sign Juan Soto for seven hundred and sixty five million 474 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 2: dollars three quarters of a billion dollars for a right fielder. 475 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,360 Speaker 2: You realize Elon Musk could have got him elected president 476 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:25,760 Speaker 2: three times, but that kind of money. Wow, Now I've 477 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:28,639 Speaker 2: confessed on the air, which is I know it's poisonous 478 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 2: to say this here in Southern California, but I'm a 479 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 2: lifelong Met fan. That's my cross to bear, at least 480 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 2: it has been. And this is a cultural shift for 481 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,719 Speaker 2: me because the Mets were always underdogs. We're always we 482 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 2: were like the Angels in southern California, you know, the 483 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 2: Dodgers were everything, and the Angels were just that team 484 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 2: that you went to when friends were in from out 485 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 2: of town. You had no choice, right unless you were 486 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 2: actually from Orange County. The Mets were always the second 487 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 2: tier team. The Yankees had all those you know, world championships, 488 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 2: they had Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth, all these legends, 489 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 2: and the Mets had ed Crane Pool, you know, and 490 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 2: missed a met with his big overswollen head. All right. 491 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 2: So we were a terrible team and that was part 492 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 2: of our identity, and all of a sudden were the Yankees. 493 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 2: Now we've out Yankee the Yankees because the owner, Steve Cohen, 494 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,520 Speaker 2: is super wealthy. Grew up by the way a mile 495 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 2: from me. His mom was a music teacher in the 496 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 2: public schools, and somehow he did a lot better than 497 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 2: I did. I mean a lot better. So he reached 498 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 2: into his pocket and he took out three quarters of 499 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 2: a billion dollars and he bought himself Jan soda. Now 500 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 2: everybody else is saying, that's ridiculous, that's crazy. Yankee fans 501 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 2: are all saying, who wanted them? Well, the Yankees wanted them. 502 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 2: They offered him seven hundred and some odd million dollars 503 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 2: over sixteen years. They offered him a sixteen year contract. 504 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 2: The'll be Methusala when he's he'll be out there with 505 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 2: a walker and right field trying to catch a fly 506 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,240 Speaker 2: ball by the time that deal's done. So the Mets 507 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 2: got him for fifteen years. The Dodgers apparently offered seven 508 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:01,239 Speaker 2: hundred no excuse me, six hundred million dollars. So they 509 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 2: were pikers in this in this game. It's crazy money. 510 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 2: And that's the thing that's weird about it. Am I 511 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 2: happy that my team got this great talent, Sure, I'm 512 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 2: happy that they got them, But it's just insane. It's 513 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:19,239 Speaker 2: like it's too much. We talked about the last time 514 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 2: I was here as PHILINOPHATIMMI, I was talking about how 515 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 2: it's not enough for ballplayers to have their number retired anymore. 516 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 2: Now you have to put a statue outside the arena. 517 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 2: And you know, the crypto dot com arena is starting 518 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 2: to look like the Terra Cotta Warriors in China. There's 519 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 2: so many people out there. I think there's gonna be 520 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 2: like three statues of Kobe Bryant by the time they're done. 521 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 2: It's become this idolatry. And you know, and forget about 522 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 2: being a forget about a poor family, a middle class family. 523 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:50,880 Speaker 2: Forget about it. You say, do I want to send 524 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 2: my kids to college or I want to go to 525 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 2: a playoff game? And that's a whole other thing too, 526 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 2: by the way, how much college has cost. And that's 527 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 2: starting their reckoning is coming there too, because I got 528 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,600 Speaker 2: this story over here somewhere that says that college applications 529 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 2: are plunging because people are starting to say, wait a second, 530 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 2: I could buy my kid a Wendy's franchise for what 531 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:12,200 Speaker 2: it cost to get a BA in English. And what 532 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 2: are you gonna do? You're gonna end up in radio 533 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:17,080 Speaker 2: with that. Wouldn't wish that on anyone, would you? Deverra? 534 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 2: And speaking of too much, I don't even want to 535 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 2: get into what I spent this weekend because my cat 536 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 2: was sick. I got a cat that's not quite three. Lenny, 537 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 2: Lenny the cat, he's a baby, strong as an ox, 538 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 2: and all of a sudden he's puking everywhere, including on 539 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 2: my pillow case while my head was on the pillow. 540 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, that's a good feeling. You wake up fast 541 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 2: when you hear that. Nice and anyway, actually that's what 542 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 2: the Yankees sounded like against the Dodgers in the fifth 543 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 2: in and a game five. Anyway, So the cat's sick, 544 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 2: and all right, maybe it's something to ate. Turns out 545 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 2: it was something he ate after get this. The cat 546 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 2: had X rays. The cat had an ultrasound and endyscopy 547 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 2: is that what you call it? When they'd yanked it 548 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 2: turns out he ate one of them. My wife's hair ties. Yeah, 549 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 2: the other cat, the younger one who's now mean, is 550 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 2: a snake to him for some reason, spelled death on him, 551 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:22,080 Speaker 2: hissing at him every time. This sweetest cat in the 552 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 2: world's now hissing at him every time he walks past. 553 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:25,959 Speaker 3: He's mad. You had to spend so much money on 554 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 3: the other guy. 555 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, But meanwhile, I spent three grand on her when 556 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 2: she ate a pistachio shell. Oh and at lodging her 557 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 2: intestines when she was six months old. And you realize 558 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 2: we got this cat, my first cat, the first cat 559 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,160 Speaker 2: I ever had. I got for three dollars at the 560 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 2: Burbank Animal Shelter and immediately cost me six hundred dollars 561 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 2: at the vets. This is thirty years ago, and I 562 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 2: realized I could have gotten two hundred more cats. There 563 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 2: had to be a good one in there somewhere. 564 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,560 Speaker 3: This is exactly what you're talking about. Is one of 565 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 3: the main reasons my husband does not want us to 566 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:56,320 Speaker 3: get a third dog. 567 00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 2: No, who could afford it. That's let one of the 568 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 2: kids go. So I'm looking at you know, Elon Musk 569 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:04,520 Speaker 2: putting two hundred and fifty million into Trump's coffers to 570 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:09,480 Speaker 2: win the presidential election, or the Mets spending two thirds 571 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,920 Speaker 2: of a billion dollars to get a right fielder, and 572 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,760 Speaker 2: I'm looking at proportionately what I'm spending for a cat. 573 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:15,960 Speaker 3: There's a lot of money. 574 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,960 Speaker 2: We've lost our minds here. Speaking of losing our minds, 575 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,000 Speaker 2: let's go to the KFI newsroom and get the latest headlines. 576 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:23,040 Speaker 2: And here's Deborah Mark. 577 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,080 Speaker 1: Hey, you've been listening to the John Cobalt Show podcast. 578 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: You can always hear the show live on KFI Am 579 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: six forty from one to four pm every Monday through Friday, 580 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 1: and of course, anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.