1 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:11,039 Speaker 1: It's that time. Time, time, time, luck and load. So 2 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Michael Vari show is on the air. 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 2: Since you brought up the declassification report that was put 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 2: out by Senator Grassley today, I'm glad you brought it 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 2: up because this should be a story every outlet in 6 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 2: this room should be covering. This is further evidence that 7 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 2: Hillary Clinton approved the Russia hoax against President Trump, her 8 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 2: campaign financed it. Again, she approved it, and the FBI 9 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 2: and the CIA were both weaponized to, as our Director 10 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 2: of CIA has said, accelerate this hoax against then candidate 11 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 2: and former President Trump. 12 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 3: This has come from the highest levels of the Russian government, 13 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 3: clearly from Pluton himself, in an effort as seventeen of 14 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 3: our intelligence agencies have confirmed, to influence our election. So 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 3: I actually think the most important question of this evening, Chris, 16 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 3: is finally, will Donald Trump admit and condemn that the 17 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 3: Russians are doing this and make it clear that he 18 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 3: will not have the help of Putin in this election. 19 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 4: This is my fight, say my life. I've still got 20 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 4: a little lesson. 21 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 3: There is no denying that the Russians interfered in the election, right, 22 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 3: whether or not they had willing or unwitting help from 23 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 3: the Trump team. They interfered, and they did so to 24 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 3: help him and hurt me. 25 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 5: Putin's principal interests relating to the twenty sixteen election were 26 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 5: to undermine faith in the US democratic process, not show 27 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 5: any preference of a certain candidate. In fact, this report 28 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 5: shows Putin held back from leaking compromising material on Hillary 29 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 5: Clinton prior to the election, instead planning to release it 30 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 5: after the election to weaken what Moscow viewed as an 31 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 5: inevitable Clinton presidency. 32 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 6: So we started the show today talking about the long 33 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 6: wait for hours, hours and more to get through TSA 34 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 6: at Hobby Airport over the weekend. Because the game our 35 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 6: elected officials play is we don't fund a budget. We 36 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 6: just keep little, little little amendments, little pieces, so that 37 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 6: we create the constant drama. So there's always a shutdown 38 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 6: to the point that nobody cares anymore. 39 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 7: Okay, so I. 40 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:34,239 Speaker 6: Guess federal employees didn't get their paycheck. Y'all don't seem 41 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 6: to care because you don't do. 42 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 7: Anything long term. This is not a way of business. 43 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 6: Imagine if at your office, Imagine if every three months 44 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 6: you went in and the boss said, hey, guys, you 45 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 6: may not get paid. We don't know what's going to happen. 46 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 6: We're waiting on some orders to come in. We may 47 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 6: have to send you home without working. We can't be sure. 48 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 6: We may have to shut the offices down. Maybe the 49 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 6: first time they did that, you'd start looking for another job. 50 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 6: As they started doing that every few months, after a while, 51 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 6: you'd say, this isn't a blip in the market, This 52 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 6: isn't some capital shortage. This is systemic. This is a problem. 53 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 6: I'm not going to be part of this any longer. 54 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 6: This is not how the United States government should operate. 55 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 6: It's just not This is absurd. You don't have TSA officers, 56 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 6: but we can be sending troops to Iran. What are 57 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 6: we doing here? 58 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 7: What are we doing? 59 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 6: Regardless what you think of Iran? If we can fund 60 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 6: a war, we can fund a TSA for the American people. 61 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 6: Put the American people first, period. End of story. I 62 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 6: am tired of having this argument. Eric called in earlier. 63 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 6: We asked him to call back. I was told you 64 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 6: worked at the airport at during nine to eleven, Eric, 65 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 6: Is that right? 66 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 8: I was. It was a little Rock National Airport in Arkansas. 67 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 7: All right? 68 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:00,919 Speaker 9: On? 69 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 7: Okay, which is called what it is now called the. 70 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 8: Bill Clinton Little Rock National Airport. 71 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 7: Yeah, is it nice airport? 72 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 8: It's relatively nice as a small what they consider a 73 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 8: medium sizer reports. You got one terminal with twelve gates 74 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 8: services I think now probably four different airlines. 75 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 7: And who would that be, Wow, South. 76 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 8: American Airlines, Southwest Man, it used to be Northwest. I 77 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 8: don't know who's there now because I live here in 78 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:33,679 Speaker 8: Houston community. They do, they do, They've got their second tier, 79 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 8: you know, I don't know what they call it, the 80 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 8: commuter Jack said, fly in there. 81 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 6: Yeah, those are all on a contract because they do 82 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 6: that to Colorado. 83 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 7: They do that to what is it? I think? I 84 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 7: know they do that to Colorado as well. So you 85 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 7: were working there doing what well. 86 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 8: I was in the operations department. I started at in 87 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 8: ground transportation, and because of my prior military service, when 88 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 8: September eleventh happened, they converted me over to the operations 89 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 8: side of the airport because I had, you know, military 90 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 8: security aviation experience, and the operations department was essentially responsible 91 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 8: for both the safety and security for flight operations at 92 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 8: the airport, separate from airline stuff at the time. This 93 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 8: is why I wanted to call in because I heard 94 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 8: you mention that, hey, why don't we put it in 95 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 8: the hands of the airlines to ensure security on the airport. 96 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 7: Is that a crazy idea or a good idea? 97 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 8: Well, it may be a good idea, but we just 98 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 8: need to consider a couple of things. Is that And 99 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:37,839 Speaker 8: it's different at every airport, you know, I don't know 100 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 8: what was going on at Lax or Boston, Logan or 101 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,799 Speaker 8: anything else, but the airlines were responsible for airplane security 102 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 8: back when September eleventh happened, and it was a shift 103 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 8: over to TSA that kind of standardized it across the 104 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 8: United States, and you know, put the federal agents in charge. 105 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 8: But just form my own observation, that's what I want 106 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 8: to call in and let you know just some information 107 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 8: before we jump off into it. Is with the air 108 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 8: airlines being responsible for the security, they would have gate 109 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 8: agents or ticket agents who would work the security checkpoint 110 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 8: and alternating shifts, and then when it got busy, they 111 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 8: would hire the private security firms like whacken Hut or 112 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 8: somebody you know, which some people would referred to as 113 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 8: a mall cop to come and work for eight or 114 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 8: twelve dollars an hour to work the security checkpoint, and 115 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 8: you know, that's kind of what was going on in 116 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 8: Boston and those other places that let the nine to 117 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 8: eleven terrafts on the airplanes with weapons where they could 118 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 8: do what they did, you know. So I think I 119 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 8: think that through the process there was a lot of 120 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 8: money spent on obviously airport security with the technology of 121 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 8: metal detectors and you know, bomb detecting equipment everything else, 122 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 8: plus the training that the TSA agents go through. Those 123 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 8: guys have got kind of a thankless job, you know, 124 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 8: no no, no doubt. But they not a single one 125 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 8: of those whack and hut security guys that were working 126 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 8: at the Little Rock Airport who to work with the 127 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 8: TSA were accepted, you know. So I think there is 128 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 8: some teasing out there that they try to get a 129 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 8: higher standard of employee. But I also think that maybe 130 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 8: the TSA within being federal agents, they just have a 131 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 8: little more credibility, you know, when people are going through their. 132 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 6: I'm up against to break, Eric, But thank you for calling. 133 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 6: It's an interesting perspective. 134 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 7: I like that. 135 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 6: It was an amazing moment at the Los Angeles Marathon 136 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 6: this weekend. A marathon that would have been marred by 137 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 6: an embarrassing change of policy. You know, you run over 138 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 6: twenty six miles, twenty six point two miles for a marathon, 139 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 6: something I've not done, my wife has done multiple times. 140 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 6: I've stood on the sideline I used to while my 141 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:57,199 Speaker 6: wife was running. I would every three miles or so 142 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:00,679 Speaker 6: I would be positioned and cheer her on. It's an 143 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 6: impressive thing to do. It's one of those bucket list 144 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 6: things that a lot of people have to do, and 145 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 6: I'd admire you if you do do it. It's easier 146 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 6: said than done. It's a tough thing to do. And 147 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 6: you watch people, I mean they look like they're going 148 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 6: to die when they cross over. 149 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 7: It's an amazing feat. And to do it the way. 150 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,200 Speaker 6: The guys who win do it at that speed for 151 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 6: that long, to push the body in pain in that 152 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 6: way is really incredible. 153 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 7: It's just incredible. 154 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 6: And at the Los Angeles Marathon, they had announced I 155 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 6: think the temperature was going to be eighty eight degrees 156 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 6: warmer than usual, but they decided that if you ran 157 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 6: eighteen miles, if you hit the eighteen mile mark and 158 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 6: couldn't finish, they would give you your finish or metal 159 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 6: or plaque or certificate or whatever it was, so you 160 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 6: could say you ran the marathon, which the whole point 161 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 6: of completing the marathon on is you didn't drag up 162 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 6: lane at eighteen miles. You can brag that you completed it. 163 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,559 Speaker 6: The whole point of being proud of an accomplishment is 164 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 6: having completed the accomplishment. 165 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:19,079 Speaker 7: If you don't, then what's the point. 166 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 6: What we see in the liberal mindset, and yes this 167 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 6: is the liberal mindset, is that life is tough, so 168 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 6: we want to make it not tough, and so we'll 169 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 6: make it not tough by lowering the rim, making the 170 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 6: ball smaller. If you can't compete in boy sports, just 171 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 6: claim you're a girl and go knock the snot out 172 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 6: of the girls and then you can win. 173 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,199 Speaker 7: There are these constant efforts. Oh can't do well on. 174 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 6: The standardized test, Well we'll put you above another kid 175 00:10:55,480 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 6: because you check one of these boxes. Oh can't perform 176 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,160 Speaker 6: in school, Well we'll just get you diagnosed. There's a 177 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 6: doctor on every corner that'll diagnose you with something that'll 178 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 6: give you every opportunity to move to the. 179 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 7: Front of the line. Well, then what happens. Companies aren't 180 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:18,200 Speaker 7: going to move you to the front of the line. 181 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 6: You're not You're not going to have all these opportunities. 182 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 6: Companies are gonna say, I mean, we don't expect the 183 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 6: NFL to do that. Hey, we got this guy that 184 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 6: wants to play wide receiver. It's actually a woman. She 185 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 6: wants to play wide receiver. She runs about five eight forty, 186 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 6: so she's probably not going to send her deep. She 187 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 6: can't actually catch the ball. It messes her nails up, 188 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 6: so she's not gonna be your slot receiver or your 189 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 6: your your possession receiver. She doesn't like to hit or 190 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:54,319 Speaker 6: get hit, so she's not gonna build a block. 191 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 7: Should you should you run asweep? 192 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 6: But she really likes to play wide receiver, and it's 193 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 6: not fair that she hasn't had the opportunity to play wide receiver. 194 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 6: So we'd like to make her the wide receiver of 195 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 6: your Houston Texans. 196 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 7: People would howl at that. Not a chance. 197 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 6: So if we don't allow it in sports, the result 198 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 6: of which don't really matter, why do we allow it 199 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 6: in our military? Why do we allow it in our 200 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 6: peace force, in our police force? Why do we allow 201 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 6: it anywhere? If we wouldn't allow it in the place 202 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 6: that matters least to whether people live or die. 203 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 7: Doesn't make sense to me. It's absurd, It's ridiculous. 204 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 6: So why would you say, if you finish eighteen, give 205 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 6: them a plaque says you finished eighteen on a warmer 206 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 6: than usual day. But what saved the marathon from that 207 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 6: embarrassing asterisk is a fellow named Nathan Martin. And if 208 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 6: you haven't seen the photo finish, trust me, I don't 209 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:04,839 Speaker 6: send you to look at stuff a lot, not sending 210 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 6: you to our website. I'm just saying, look it up 211 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:12,439 Speaker 6: Los Angeles, LA Marathon photo finish. 212 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 7: Meaning it comes down to the wire. This Kenyon fellow is. 213 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 6: Leading by a distance that there's no way he has 214 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:30,640 Speaker 6: put quite a bit of distance. The Ethiopians and Kenyans 215 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 6: dominate the marathon circuit, and that is because in Ethiopia 216 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 6: and Kenya it is the national sport. They don't have 217 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 6: football baseball. They play soccer, but they can't compete on 218 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 6: the international scale. So from the earliest ages, if you 219 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 6: show a propensity and a skill to run marathons, you 220 00:13:54,640 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 6: are given support, coaching, training, and that's why Kenyans and 221 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,839 Speaker 6: Ethiopians dominate. So for years because we have a lot 222 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 6: of Ethiopian friends. We would go to the marathons and 223 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 6: we had friends who knew the people who were competing 224 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 6: and winning. And these people it is their whole life. 225 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 6: They are a professional marathon runner. So you got one 226 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 6: of those guys, and he is he's about to win, 227 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 6: and he's about to win big, no big surprise. And 228 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 6: and the way the camera shots are coming in, they're 229 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 6: they're they're shooting down at him coming toward the finish line, 230 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 6: but from enough of an angle that you can't see 231 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 6: behind him. And then all of a sudden, there is 232 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 6: a guy who appears to be sprinting like Borat in A. 233 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 6: In one of his scenes, this guy seems to be 234 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 6: at a dead sprint making ground on the Kenyan leader. Well, 235 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 6: we come to find out he's an American named Nathan Martin. 236 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 6: I saw an interview with him after the after he wins, 237 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 6: he closes and wins. There's no way he's going to win, 238 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 6: but he does. He's thirty six years old, not a 239 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 6: young man. He's a high school cross country coach. Can 240 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 6: you imagine when you show up at your cross country 241 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 6: training this week and you tell coach I just don't 242 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 6: feel like training this week. When this guy just set 243 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 6: the world on fire by sucking it up and winning 244 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 6: in this fashion, it's incredible. There was a question that 245 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:40,960 Speaker 6: was asked by a black reporter who said, guys that 246 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 6: look like us don't normally win the marathon. How do 247 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 6: you feel about that? Well, that's not true. It's only 248 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 6: guys who look like him. He's a black American. It's 249 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 6: only guys who look like white people never win the marathon. 250 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,400 Speaker 6: What he was trying to say, and he's right, is 251 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 6: black Americans never win the marathon. 252 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 7: And that is true. I don't know how he trained, 253 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 7: I don't know how he got there. 254 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 6: But Americans just don't beat Kenyans and Ethiopians and it's 255 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 6: certainly not a black American who wins. 256 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 7: I don't have a problem highlighting that. 257 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 6: Hey, let's teach young kids in the inner city who 258 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 6: happened to be black. Hey, here's something cool you can do, 259 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 6: because that's a sport for life, that's a healthy training sport. 260 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 7: Bravo for him. Yay America. 261 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 6: So when you see these shutdowns, when you see the 262 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 6: big discussion over the budget, and when you look at 263 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 6: your burgeoning property tax bill, and you think what you 264 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 6: pay an income taxes and all the money you pay 265 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 6: to government, and when you complain, and there's a certain 266 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 6: segment says. 267 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:55,000 Speaker 7: Don't you want nice roads, don't you want nice schools? 268 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 7: Don't you want Yeah, I want all of that. 269 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 6: But I know in anyone who's honest with themselves knows 270 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 6: that the fraud and waste and corruption is epic. It's 271 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:15,879 Speaker 6: on a scale you can't imagine. Channel two there KPRC 272 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 6: investigates with Mario and Eisenbaum and Amy Davis. They have 273 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 6: just been on the City of Houston, going back into 274 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:36,360 Speaker 6: the Sylvester Turner administration for years, and I mean laying 275 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 6: it out there, how much fraud, corruption, waste, theft there 276 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 6: is at the City of Houston. Well, the public Worst 277 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 6: Department is a massive department. And Amy Davis has a 278 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:55,119 Speaker 6: story that is as a taxpayer, should make your blood boil. 279 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 6: It's a two part Here's part one. 280 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,879 Speaker 10: This is Houston Public Works McKinney Warehouse, fully loaded with 281 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 10: every tool and all the supplies crews could possibly need. 282 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 10: When in a boy wants a ratchet trial or a 283 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 10: tape measure, they submit a request and drive down to 284 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 10: McKinney to load them up. We got the records that 285 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 10: show all of the tools one maintenance manager picked up 286 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 10: from this warehouse since twenty twenty two. At the same time, 287 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,719 Speaker 10: he used his city issued credit card to buy tens 288 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 10: of thousands of dollars of the same tools from home 289 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 10: Depot and Lows. 290 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 9: There was a scheme a couple of employees that we're 291 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 9: aware of that for a series of years we're using 292 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 9: a peak card to make purchases of tools and then 293 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,119 Speaker 9: selling those tools on their own and pocketing the money. 294 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 11: Where did all those tools go to the employees? To 295 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 11: the employees, But we don't have any of the paperwork. 296 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,200 Speaker 11: You didn't fill out of the paperwork, which is My 297 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 11: name is Amy Davis. I'm a recorded with channels. Okay, 298 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 11: So we just want to know, like, can you speak 299 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 11: to you govermove to can This. 300 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 10: Guy is one of the accused. We're not showing his 301 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 10: face because he hasn't been charged with a crime, but 302 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 10: we know plenty about him. A city employee since twenty sixteen, 303 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,960 Speaker 10: he worked his way up from utility worker to maintenance manager, 304 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:17,639 Speaker 10: earning more than one hundred and five thousand dollars a 305 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:21,439 Speaker 10: year and nine days after we asked Public Works for 306 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 10: documents showing all of his card purchases and what he 307 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 10: did with the tools he purchased. The city sent him home. 308 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 10: They called it relief of duty. This letter, dated September twelfth, 309 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,920 Speaker 10: explains he was not allowed to work, but he would 310 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:37,680 Speaker 10: still receive his full pay and benefits while the city 311 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 10: investigated the allegations against him. 312 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 7: That was five months ago. 313 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 10: He since deactivated several of his social media pages. This 314 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 10: post is from one of his Instagram accounts, selling three 315 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 10: new Milwaukee Compact cordless drill sets. The post read's original 316 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 10: price with seven hundred dollars. He sold them for four 317 00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:01,720 Speaker 10: fifty City credit card statements. Just this cordless drill set 318 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 10: one hundred and ninety times? 319 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 7: How did no one notice? 320 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 11: There were so many purchases. 321 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 7: It's unbelievable. 322 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:10,600 Speaker 9: And I think this is one of those things and 323 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,440 Speaker 9: the mayor talks about this pretty often. Right, we need 324 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 9: to clean up city Hall, We need to clean up 325 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 9: our departments. We need to eliminate, you know, not just 326 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 9: duplication of work and efforts, but corruption, fraud, abuse, conflicts 327 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 9: of interest. 328 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:27,119 Speaker 10: The City Protocol to Prevent Fraud and Waste requires supervisors 329 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:30,400 Speaker 10: to approve and sign off on their subordinates Pea card purchases. 330 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 10: But the same managers who wrote the rule approved his expenses. 331 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 11: This employee had the signature of a supervise. 332 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:38,400 Speaker 7: That's exactly right. 333 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 11: Will any of those supervisors who just signed on that 334 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 11: line be held accountable for not noticing the theft. 335 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 9: There will be accountability all across the board. 336 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 6: So you've got people who are going into a warehouse, 337 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 6: taking brand new equipment, power tool equipment, going out and 338 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 6: putting it online that it is for sale in their 339 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 6: own name, mind you, so selling it for pennies on 340 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 6: the dollar. So wonder they have any time to do 341 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:16,679 Speaker 6: their real job right. You've got remember under Sylvester Turner, 342 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 6: you had the woman who had put her brother in 343 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 6: charge of the busted water main program and he didn't 344 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 6: even own a truck, He had no experience doing this, 345 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:32,239 Speaker 6: and you were getting hit with water bills that were 346 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 6: out of control that they couldn't figure out how to fix. 347 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 6: And there were water mains that were busted that had 348 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 6: been running for weeks. 349 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:40,400 Speaker 7: It was awful. 350 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 6: But Sylvester Turner accomplished exactly what he campaigned on the 351 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,440 Speaker 6: day he started, Well, what if I were to tell 352 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 6: you that that KPRCTV Amy Davis has pointed out, based 353 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 6: on her investigation, you shouldn't be surprised that potentially criminal 354 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 6: activity is coming out of the Public Works department. 355 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 7: Because that's who they hire. Clip number two go ahead. 356 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 10: Two of the accused employees resigned months after the city's 357 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:16,239 Speaker 10: OIG investigation began. When we started asking questions. When we 358 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,879 Speaker 10: went back to the maintenance manager's home, he didn't answer 359 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,360 Speaker 10: the door this time, but he did pick up the phone. Well, 360 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:22,959 Speaker 10: we're trying to figure out what you did with all 361 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,679 Speaker 10: of the tools that were purchased on that chase has 362 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 10: been closed. 363 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,440 Speaker 7: I've been cleared, and I resigned from the city. Well, 364 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 7: you still coming to louse. 365 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 9: I would say he certainly was not clear to any wrongdoing. 366 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 9: There's a pretty good record here, at least from the 367 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 9: city's files, that what he did was wrong. The allegations 368 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,720 Speaker 9: were sustained. Again, that's why we've referred over to law enforcement. 369 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 11: Why does it seem like there's so much more opportunity 370 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 11: for fraud and theft in this department? 371 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 9: Well, I think size has got a little bit to 372 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,920 Speaker 9: do with it. You know, it's the largest civilian department. 373 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 9: It's also the one that is most field operations. 374 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 10: Houston Public Works Director Randy Mackeye oversees some four thousand employees. 375 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 10: It's the largest city department and one of only two 376 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 10: that hires people with criminal records. 377 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,160 Speaker 9: We need people to help fill potholes, to dig ditches, 378 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 9: to clean lines out, et cetera. Not glamorous jobs in 379 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 9: many instances, but it's a way for some people to 380 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 9: get a fresh start. 381 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:24,280 Speaker 10: As we backgrounded employees in our investigation of the alleged 382 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 10: theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars of tools and equipment, 383 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 10: we noticed plenty of criminal convictions among employees with city 384 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 10: credit cards, one employee who pleaded guilty to burglary, a 385 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 10: supervisor who's also a registered sex offender, Others convicted of 386 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 10: possession of controlled substances, theft, and fraud. 387 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 11: Should we be entrusting those people with PEAK cards? 388 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:48,679 Speaker 9: Since this came to light to me really just a 389 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 9: couple of weeks ago, we've been reviewing every individual who 390 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:55,680 Speaker 9: has a PEAK card. And we're talking folks that are many, 391 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 9: many levels down in the organization from where I sit, 392 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 9: right but I personally am rewing those things and asking 393 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 9: those questions because we want to make sure that the 394 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 9: right folks have them, and there's really no excuse for 395 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 9: an excess. 396 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 10: Our two investigates analysis found that in twenty twenty four 397 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 10: and twenty five, three hundred and thirty eight public works 398 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:17,919 Speaker 10: employees had four hundred and twenty. 399 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:18,640 Speaker 7: Five PEA cards. 400 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 10: Macuy said the duplicate cards for multiple employees were canceled 401 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 10: late last year. 402 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,679 Speaker 12: It is so revealing why Houstonians are frustrated and why 403 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,240 Speaker 12: I will not go to them and ask for traditional 404 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:38,200 Speaker 12: resources until we, even in my judgment, gain their confidence 405 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:39,920 Speaker 12: that we're using our money wisely. 406 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,160 Speaker 10: In February of last year, the mayor revealed the results 407 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 10: of a citywide efficiency study that showed six hundred and 408 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 10: thirteen million dollars in PEA card purchases that didn't comply 409 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 10: with city standards. That exact same day, these PEA card 410 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:58,639 Speaker 10: statements show one maintenance manager charge nearly three grand on 411 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:02,199 Speaker 10: his purchase card the walk toolkits he was accused of 412 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:03,640 Speaker 10: selling on the side. 413 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,720 Speaker 8: All purses went through my manager. So how about you 414 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 8: go contact my manager? 415 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:13,919 Speaker 7: Did you do it? Did you commit a crime? My 416 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 7: manager signed off on it. 417 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 6: Yeah, that that says more about your manager. 418 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:26,160 Speaker 7: Than Michael Berry shaken from us far too soon. 419 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 6: The cost of home ownership in Houston has skyrocketed. The 420 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:48,120 Speaker 6: cost of home ownership in Harris County a separate political entity. Obviously, 421 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:53,200 Speaker 6: the municipality you live in is either the City of Houston. 422 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 6: If you're in Harris County is most like the City 423 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 6: of Houston. It could be bel Air, it could be 424 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:03,119 Speaker 6: south Side Place, it could be a number of Jersey Village, 425 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 6: it could be a number of other smaller municipalities Tomball, 426 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 6: or you could be unincorporated. The draw on your taxes 427 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 6: is for the city, and we've seen what kind. 428 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 7: Of waste and fraud there is there. And then there 429 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 7: is the schools. 430 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 6: The schools are a massive, massive cost and they become 431 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:35,439 Speaker 6: more and more every year. And the reason is because 432 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 6: elections for school boards are not held on the day 433 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 6: that people are already showing up to vote in races 434 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:47,960 Speaker 6: that are talked about. Elections for school boards are their 435 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 6: own little beast on a day that nobody knows about. 436 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 6: It doesn't get covered. So the only people that show 437 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:59,120 Speaker 6: up to vote teachers and administrators. So you will see 438 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 6: an incredible low voter turnout to elect a board that 439 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:08,639 Speaker 6: sometimes involves. We've seen this in Katie teachers themselves and 440 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:13,520 Speaker 6: people who believe in big education, lots of buildings, lots 441 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 6: of stadiums, very high teacher salaries. Teachers salaries are probably 442 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:25,600 Speaker 6: the most discussed wage rate compensation package in the state 443 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 6: of Texas and have been for as long as I've 444 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 6: been following politics, which goes back to being a kid 445 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 6: in the late seventies. I remember Mark White talking about 446 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:38,840 Speaker 6: him in eighty two when he got elected and served 447 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 6: four years. You remember the no past, no Play part 448 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 6: of his big education package. There was pay for teachers 449 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 6: in all of that. We were going to impose educational standards. 450 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 6: A Tross Perot was pushing from the outside. We were 451 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 6: going to kind of an Elon Musk Doose sort of things. 452 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 6: We're gonna have standards in Texas education. For those of 453 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:00,200 Speaker 6: you who were in school back then, I remember or 454 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 6: the no Past, no Play affecting a lot of kids 455 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 6: on the sporting field because you had some kids that 456 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 6: were great athletes but were struggling in school, and so 457 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 6: now the one thing they loved to do they couldn't 458 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 6: do because they didn't get a passing grade. Teacher salaries, 459 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:25,639 Speaker 6: educational expenses, city expenses, county expenses. Then add to that 460 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 6: you still got your state and your federal expenses. It's 461 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 6: extremely frustrating. And add to that, the thing that we 462 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 6: all need, perhaps more than anything else, is for crime 463 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:46,840 Speaker 6: to be low. In Maslow's hierarchy. Maslow's hierarchy, safety and 464 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:51,080 Speaker 6: security is first. That's the most important thing for every 465 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 6: animal in the wild, for every species, first, safety and security. Well, 466 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:03,720 Speaker 6: you've got savages walking amongst us, and most people will recognize, 467 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,480 Speaker 6: most criminologists will tell you it's hard to keep them 468 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 6: from committing their first real crime. 469 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 7: But once they commit that and. 470 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 6: You catch them, you usually don't catch them on number one, 471 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 6: but at some point you catch them. 472 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 7: You do catch them. 473 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 6: You've got to put them in a cage and prevent 474 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 6: them from doing it again. No, Susan Sarendon movie tributes. 475 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:29,360 Speaker 6: You've got to prevent them from doing this again, and 476 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:34,480 Speaker 6: we simply don't do that. It was a terrible murder 477 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 6: over the weekend. A young woman had come to Houston 478 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,200 Speaker 6: to be with her friend who was getting chemo treatment, 479 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 6: and she's murdered by a punk with a long criminal record. 480 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 6: ABC thirteen with a story how often Harris County juvenile 481 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 6: court judges are releasing violent teenagers to go back out 482 00:29:54,760 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 6: on the streets to kill you, not their families. You 483 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:01,080 Speaker 6: credit ABC thirteen. 484 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 13: There were three juvenile courts in Harris County. 485 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 11: One of the. 486 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,640 Speaker 13: Judge's jobs is to decide whether a teen already found delinquent, 487 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 13: as it's called a crime, should be transferred to the 488 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 13: adult system before his or her nineteenth birthday. Recently, we 489 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 13: learned one judge released a teen on probation who served 490 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 13: only a fraction of his sentence from murder, and there 491 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 13: were violent consequences. 492 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:24,640 Speaker 7: Is it a hard decision? 493 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 14: It can be a very hard decision, especially when you're 494 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,959 Speaker 14: considering the seriousness of the offenses that are before you. 495 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:35,080 Speaker 13: Last year, before Edmund Guillery turned nineteen, the Harris County 496 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:38,239 Speaker 13: District Attorney's office says they asked that he served out 497 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 13: the rest of his seventeen year sentence for the shooting 498 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:45,320 Speaker 13: death of Anthony Merchant in twenty twenty two in adult prison. 499 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:48,160 Speaker 9: We thought this young person was a threat to our 500 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 9: conuerity based on his recent criminal behavior. 501 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:53,720 Speaker 13: Bill right, But instead, District Judge Leah Shapiro of the 502 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:56,840 Speaker 13: three hundred and fifteenth Court let him out on probation, 503 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 13: required to wear an ankle monitor. Court record show in January, 504 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:01,680 Speaker 13: he cut it off. 505 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 7: Three days later. 506 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 13: Sugarland police say he and three other teens beta jailer 507 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 13: unconscious and escaped after they were arrested for robbing a 508 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 13: CBS at gunpoint. Veteran prosecutor John Jordan says they tried 509 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:17,720 Speaker 13: to warn the court. 510 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 7: There were other victims now they didn't have to be there. 511 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 13: So just how are cases involving violent juvenile offenders being 512 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 13: handled by Harris County's three juvenile court judges? In data 513 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 13: release by the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department at ABC 514 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 13: thirteen's request over a three year period, Judge Shapiro transferred 515 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 13: the fewest juvenile cases to the adult system, just sixty 516 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 13: four percent of violent crimes like murder, robbery, and sexual assault. 517 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 13: Compare that to Judge Natoya Coconus Oaks, who transferred seventy 518 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 13: eight percent, and Judge Michelle Moore, who transferred nearly all 519 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:00,760 Speaker 13: ninety six percent of the violent cases in her court. 520 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,479 Speaker 13: Mike Schneider is a retired juvenile court judge. 521 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:09,360 Speaker 14: Judges are, obviously human, have different biases different interests, different 522 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:15,600 Speaker 14: different philosophies, so you are going to see reasonable people 523 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 14: can make extremely different decisions. 524 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:21,880 Speaker 13: The Texas Code of Judicial Conduct prevents judges from commenting 525 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 13: on specific cases, but Judges Shapiro and Moore, who are 526 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 13: both up for reelection in November, also did not take 527 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:33,160 Speaker 13: us up on our offer to explain their track records. 528 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,160 Speaker 13: Because juvenile records are sealed under Texas law, A lot 529 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:39,920 Speaker 13: of what we know about Guillery and his juvenile past 530 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 13: is only because he is now accused as an adult, 531 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 13: making those records public the juvenile court, Schnyder says, in 532 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:52,600 Speaker 13: the juvenile system, oftentimes the focus is on rehabilitation rather 533 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:53,520 Speaker 13: than punishment. 534 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 7: If appropriate, one. 535 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,200 Speaker 14: Of the responsibilities judges have is to look at the 536 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:02,120 Speaker 14: relevant information and figure out a way that balances what's 537 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:04,800 Speaker 14: in the best interests of that child versus the best 538 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 14: interests of the community. 539 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:08,120 Speaker 13: We also wanted to know what kinds of crimes that 540 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 13: teens are committing that are and are not being transferred 541 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,640 Speaker 13: to the adult system. Seems like a simple request. The 542 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 13: Harris County Juvenile Probation Department sent us the data, but 543 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 13: prefaced that it might. 544 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 7: Not be accurate. 545 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 13: Contacts inside the juvenile justice system. Tell me that's problematic, 546 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:28,480 Speaker 13: and the department didn't answer questions about why they don't 547 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:29,760 Speaker 13: keep accurate records. 548 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 6: Jessica Willie at ABC thirteen credit for that disturbing story.