HOLLYWOOD LIBERALS CRY "STOLEN LAND" FROM THEIR LAVISH MANSIONS

For over 30 years, Point of Grace has shared music, faith, and friendship with listeners across the country. Now Denise, Lee, and Shelley are inviting you into their circle. Welcome to Circle of Friends, the podcast. Each week they're talking real life, current events, stories of true friendship, wisdom from God's Word, and all their favorite things. If you're looking for a little company, a few laughs, and a lot of Jesus to hold it together, Circle of Friends, the podcast, is waiting for you. Subscribe now wherever you listen or watch podcasts and circle up with Point of Grace.

The voice of free speech, the truth delivered, common sense for the American people. Welcome to the Scott Jennings Show.

Okay, it's Monday, February the 2nd. We are tracking the partial government shutdown which may last until Tuesday. Fentanyl deaths are plummeting in America. This hour we'll explore why. And we continue to keep an eye on the Middle East where President Trump weighs his options on Iran. This is the Scott Jennings Show here on Salem, common sense for the American people. And we begin this hour with the latest on the emerging nullification fight on the streets of America. What started in Minneapolis has spread to other cities now. Los Angeles this weekend, violent radicals took to the streets attacking an ICE facility in LA. Police arrested multiple violent agitators as protests erupted across the city on Friday evening. Last week in New York, police made dozens of arrests after anti-ICE protesters took over a hotel lobby because they thought it was housing ICE officials. Angry mobs are now roaming American cities hunting for ICE officers and officials. I shudder to think what would happen if any of these mobs actually got their hands on the brave men and women of law enforcement. What is it that these angry mobs want? They want the federal government to stop enforcing immigration laws, laws that have been on the books for years and enforced without much controversy by presidents of both parties. These mobs and the politicians backing them up, stoking their anger and unleashing them on American streets, they want to nullify federal law. They effectively want to secede from the union so long as Donald Trump is the president. And there's something else at play here, something far more sinister. The real play, the real idea held by these radicals, is that America doesn't exist at all. If this sounds crazy and stupid to you, well, that's because it is. And therefore, it is no surprise that the biggest names in Hollywood are now promoting this theory. Last night at the Grammy Awards, singer Billie Eilish, pretty famous person, had this to say. Here's cut one. No one is illegal on stolen land. And yeah, it's just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. And I just, I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter. And I say sorry. That sound dropout that you heard was Billie Eilish making a profane statement against ICE, by the way. Starts with an F. Ends with a U. Very classy way to talk about the police, Billie. What does she mean by stolen land? Radical communists like Billie Eilish, who profits handsomely, I might add, from American capitalism, believe that America was stolen from the Native Americans, meaning that we have no right to enforce laws today, chiefly immigration laws. By the way, Billie Eilish lives in a $14 million mansion in Los Angeles. On property that was once inhabited by the Tongva tribe. So far as we can tell, she hasn't taken any steps to return her mansion and surrounding property to its rightful owners, but we'll keep you posted. People like Billie Eilish are of course stupid, but what she says has influence. And what she means is that she doesn't believe the United States actually exists as a legal entity. As a nation. Oh, and you know something else? When Billie Eilish was in Ireland recently, she actually said this to her audience. Cut 7. Well, as you guys know, I'm Irish, so it's cool to be here. Obviously, I am not from here, obvi-duh, but it's really cool to come somewhere and everybody looks exactly like you. Oh really? A white American telling a foreign audience she likes to go places where everyone looks like her? Sounds kind of racist to me. This stolen land business is a core belief of third world communist anti-colonial ideology. It's the same logic they use to argue that Israel doesn't have a right to exist either. They group people based on their victimhood status. Oppressor versus oppressed. This ideology has worn many costumes lately: Free Palestine, Black Lives Matter. Attacking ICE is just the latest vehicle for the same idea, that America is rotten at the core, doesn't actually exist, and therefore laws don't apply. If you don't think we should have immigration laws, you don't believe we should have borders, and a nation without borders is, well, No nation at all. Lest you think, by the way, this is confined to the fringe lunatics in Hollywood or the faculty lounges at Columbia or Berkeley, there are numerous Democratic officials and candidates who are espousing these views openly. Take a listen to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Now, she disgraces herself on the regular, but this latest statement may be her most dangerous yet. Cut for every person. Every human being has the legal right to come to the United States and seek asylum or shelter. And every single person on Earth, Mayor Wu, Earth's current population is 8.29 billion. That's billion with a B. But Democrats believe that as a matter of policy, every one of them has a right to come here. And claim asylum. And that's what they're saying in the case of this Ecuadorian national in Minneapolis who came to the United States illegally. You've no doubt seen the story. This is the guy who abandoned his 5-year-old son in the cold, leaving him to the care of ICE agents who did, who did take care of that little boy while his father fled and his mother, also an illegal alien, refused to open the door. Democrats say the Ecuadorians can't be illegal because they're claiming asylum. From what exactly? Is there some turmoil in Ecuador? Of course not, but that doesn't matter. These asylum claims, millions of them, are mostly bogus, and they are designed to simply overwhelm the immigration system and create another status for illegal aliens to evade deportation. Let's hear now from supposed moderate Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, he's in Texas. Cut number 3.

America is the immigrant. America is the protester. America is the huddled masses yearning to be free.

Make no mistake, dear listeners, this is the core of Democratic thinking on immigration. They do want them all. They want every third world person to come here, and they will fight like the dickens to keep them here in America once they do. These leftists, these communists, and yes, these Democrats are trying to give away your country to every person in the third world. And for you, well, for you, they do nothing except call you racist, Nazi, and fascist if you resist their revolution. They attack your police officers. They tell you that laws shouldn't be enforced. They ruin your neighborhoods with crime. That is what they do for you. My advice: don't stand for it, or before you can say stolen land, your country, the United States of America, will be gone. This is the Scott Jennings Show on Salem. You're listening to Common Sense for the American People. You know, we've been canvassing our listeners and customers of Relief Factor and collecting their stories. This latest listener story comes to us from Tom in Texas. Age 85 is Tom. Pain kept him from riding his bike and flying small aircraft as a flight instructor. That's what he loved to do. But after taking Relief Factor, he says his lower back and hip pain are virtually gone. And even longstanding trigger finger issues have also started to improve. Now, I have to tell you, I've seen improvements in my own life as well. You know, these debates I get involved in, these long days of travel, sitting in studios, a lot of wear and tear on old Scott here. Comes with the territory. But I'll tell you, I don't have to deal with any physical pain from it. Because I've been taking Relief Factor. It keeps me feeling good, keeps away the everyday aches and pains, lets me focus on my job instead of how my body feels. I hear from listeners all the time who say the same things. They're still working, still pushing through their long days thanks to Relief Factor. If pain is holding you back, do the 3-week quick start. That's how it works. Call 1-800-4-RELIEF or visit relieffactor.com. Coming up next, fentanyl deaths are way down in America. My next guest knows why. Stay with us here on The Scott Jennings Show on Salem.

You've heard the narratives, now get the truth. It's The Scott Jennings Show.

Welcome back to Common Sense for the American People. It's Scott Jennings. I want to highlight a story today, good news actually. Fentanyl deaths have been dropping significantly in the United States. Overdose deaths declined by over 30% between the summer of 2023 and the summer of 2025. And last week, the CDC estimated that nearly 73,000 people died of a drug overdose during the 12 months that ended last August, down 21% from a year earlier. Why is that? Well, my next guest is Dr. Sally Sattell, who recently wrote the article, Why Fentanyl Deaths Are Falling. Dr. Sattell is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a practicing psychiatrist and lecturer at Yale University. She's done the research that you need to hear about it. Doc, welcome into the Scott Jennings Show.

Oh, thank you very much.

Thank you for being here. And I'd just like to start with this: why, in your opinion, are fentanyl deaths falling in America?

Yeah, well, there are actually several reasons. And experts are still debating over which ones are the most potent, but I think they all play a significant role. I'll go through them quickly. The first is Narcan, which is, its technical name is naloxone, but that's the overdose reversal agent. People can literally squirt it in their nose This is what emergency use, police use, and even now anyone can get it over the counter in a pharmacy. And it will reverse most opioid overdoses. With fentanyl, which is much more common than— excuse me, much more common and also now much more potent than heroin, you need sometimes a lot of sprays, but it works. And this is one very important reason I think why. A second reason is that the purity of the fentanyl supply has actually gone down. By the end of 2024, it fell from half from its peak the year before. And that's very important because as I mentioned, fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin. And this is why the overdose rate has just soared from about 2014 onward. And this is probably has to do with the fact that there's a, a supply shock from China. This theory was put forth in a recent issue in Science magazine, and the researchers speculate that the Chinese companies which make fentanyl precursors, which they send to Mexico, are sending less, and this is out of compliance with international counter-narcotics laws.

Right.

I will go on to the fourth unless you have a question.

No, please. This is great. This is Dr. Sally Satel, by the way, from Yale, who's done the research on why we're having a dramatic reduction in overdose deaths. Please, Dr. Satel, continue. Fascinating.

Okay. Then there's the speculation that the pipeline of new users has slowed because young people are really put off by what they see in neighborhoods where fentanyl use is common. And this is very much parallel to the cautionary tale that developed with crack. There was so much contempt among the subsequent generations that lived in inner cities, and they saw what it did to the crime and the people who lived there, that they just, they were frankly just turned off. And there are a number of rap songs from the mid-'90s warning against crack. Number 5, let's see, is that a lot of communities in the Midwest and on the East Coast especially, and I emphasize those places because fentanyl took 5 years really to move west. So its effect is still probably more ongoing there. But in any case, that we've reached something called fentanyl saturation. The idea being that people who use it actually kind of know how to use it. They don't use it alone so that if they overdose, somebody else can use Narcan with them. They sometimes use fentanyl test strips, and they've become physiologically tolerant so their bodies can handle it better. And I'll go to the final one, which is really a depressing one, but it's that the people who still use fentanyl are kind of the survivors. The most vulnerable and the least lucky have already died off. And some combination of some or all of these factors surely have played a role. Now, the question is, of course, will this good news last?

That's Dr. Sally Satel. She has written this article called Why Fentanyl Deaths Are Falling. We have seen a substantial drop in fentanyl overdose deaths. Dr. Satel is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She's also at Yale University. She's done the research here. I encourage you to look up her article. You can find Dr. Satel on the X platform at SLSatel, S-A-T-E-L. S-L-S-A-T-E-L. And I would encourage you to follow along. Dr. Sattell, thank you so much for chatting with us today. We're going to take a break. When we come back, we've got to talk about the— thank you. Yes, we're going to talk about the government shutdown. Congressman Rich McCormick of Georgia is here. We'll get the latest from Washington. It's common sense for the American people. Scott Jennings is here. Stay with us. Hey, it's Scott Jennings. You know, depending on where you live, crime may be skyrocketing And you may already own a firearm, but before you face the financial, legal, and emotional weight of pulling the trigger, there's a smarter option. It's called Byrna. That's B-Y-R-N-A. Byrna makes a less lethal launcher that fires tear gas and kinetic rounds designed to stop an attacker for up to 40 minutes. That gives you time to escape and call for help. Without deadly consequences. Their best-selling compact launcher is sleek, slim, and incredibly powerful. It's about the size of a smartphone and it is ideal for concealed carry. It's comfortable, discreet, and confidence-building. It fires at 400 feet per second with serious stopping power. Enough to shut down a threat fast without the legal and moral complexity of lethal force. Byrna is proudly American. Over 80% of the components are U.S.-sourced. Every Byrna launcher is hand-assembled in Fort Wayne, Indiana. With over 750,000 of these things sold worldwide, Byrna is best in class. It's legal in all 50 states. No background checks. Comes right to your door. Learn more at Byrna.com. B-Y-R-N-A dot com.

Ready for more common sense? Here's CNN's senior political commentator, New York Times bestselling author, and America's favorite political pundit, Scott Jennings.

It is Monday, February 2nd. Joining us in a moment, Congressman Rich McCormick of Georgia. We'll get the latest from him on the government shutdown, the partial shutdown. First, a word from our partners at ChildHelp. I want to tell you a story that Childhelp sees far too often. It starts as a game, kids logging on after school, talking with friends and having fun. Then someone else joins the conversation. At first it doesn't feel wrong, it's just compliments and curious questions. Hey, someone's paying attention. But over time the messages become more personal, and then they become private, then secret, and then uncomfortable. That's how online grooming works, not with overt force but with trust. By the time the child realizes something is wrong, they get scared. They get scared to tell their parents, scared they'll be in trouble, scared they'll lose their devices or their friends. This is where Childhelp steps in. Childhelp's life-saving programs focus on prevention education, intervention, and treatment, helping kids recognize grooming behavior before it turns into abuse and helping parents know what warning signs to look out for. They teach kids that secrets about bodies aren't okay. They teach parents how grooming actually happens, and they help families take action when something isn't right. This isn't about fear, ladies and gentlemen. It is about preparation. The truth is every family is vulnerable, and every family deserves and needs the tools to keep kids safe. Your support for child help makes these programs possible. I support them. I personally donate. I would not ask you to donate to something I don't do myself. For just $27, you can help protect one child from abuse by funding Childhelp's life-saving programs. I'm asking you to donate today. Text the word Childhelp to 94878 and give $27, or you can donate online at childhelp.org/scott. That's childhelp.org scott. Common Sense for the American People today on Monday, February 2nd. It's Scott Jennings with you on Salem, and on the line with us, Congressman Rich McCormick, representing Georgia's 7th Congressional District. He is a decorated veteran and emergency room physician. He's on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees. Congressman McCormick, welcome into the Scott Jennings Show.

It's good to be with you today. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, appreciate your time today. We are in the midst of a partial government shutdown. Let's start here, Congressman McCormick. Can you tell our listeners what is happening, why it's happening, and when do you expect the government to be fully reopened?

Sure. So basically, the average human being is not going to have any effect by this. Uh, the only thing that's hung up of the 12 appropriations bill is the funding of the DHS, Department of Homeland Security. Obviously, the Democrats are trying to make hay out of the ICE situation in Minneapolis. They're trying to essentially go back to defunding the police. The best thing they can get passed right now is the Senate modification, which basically puts a CR, continuing resolution, past funding for the DHS for less than 2 weeks, really. It expires on February 12th. We have to revise that and come up with that. Meanwhile, the 11 other appropriations bills are going through, and we'd be basically funding the rest of the government. And actually, even the DHS gets funded, though, at prior funding levels until we figure it out. I don't think it's a big deal either way. The people who grandstand on this, Republicans or Democrats, there's nothing that's going to change anything in the average civilian's life. So I just wouldn't get too wrapped up around the details on this. We're going to figure it out. We've got a couple of weeks to do it. Whether if you freeze the government by not passing this, I think that would be a worst-case scenario because we have the people's work to get to. Then we're not focusing on one bill, we're focusing on 12 bills together. I just think that's the wrong way to go about it. I'd rather get going and get a bunch of other stuff passed while we can get to work and do something while we still have control.

Congressman, something that is noteworthy, and I don't think it's gotten enough attention, is the fact that under House Republican control right now, and for the first time in many, many, many years, All 12 appropriations bills have passed individually. You are funding the government in regular order exactly the way you're supposed to do it. Normally we have to group these things together in omnibuses and so on. But under Speaker Johnson and the House Republicans, you're actually passing individual appropriations bills. This is how it is supposed to work. I don't think the Republicans have gotten enough credit for this. Tell us about the commitment by the Republicans to doing things in regular order?

Well, for as much complaining there is about our discord and only having a one-vote majority, uh, I'll tell you, you've never seen a more united Republican Party than now. Now, that can change in a heartbeat. It could change tonight. We're about to find out. We're about to test ourselves. But to have a one-vote majority and to actually pass 12 appropriations bills— never been done. This is the most united by percentage you've ever had. To compare it and contrast it to when Newt Gingrich was Speaker, we had a 40-vote majority and we barely passed those things back then. So this is a really big step. It's not perfect. It's not as conservative as I want it to be, but it is a big step in the right direction considering the narrow margins that we have. Uh, something that can pass in the Senate, that's fantastic. I'm glad they're not trying to shut us down completely. This is a big accomplishment, and I think anybody who's worked up here for a while actually can take some great happiness in knowing that we've done that. The problem is we're not quite there yet, and it could be all for naught tonight. The president is going to lean hard on those several individuals that are still holding out. He is the gorilla in the room still. He's the one that's going to have to twist their arms to make sure that they realize, yeah, you can hold out. Yeah, say you need it, you do more conservative, but ultimately you're probably going to get a worse deal, not a better deal. Because when the Senate gets another slice at it, they always ask for more. And that's why we passed the last big, beautiful bill. Wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't as conservative as I wanted. Still too much debt. But you know what? It was the best deal we could get that could pass the Senate. And so we did it. And sometimes you just have to do that. That's democracy. It's messy. It's not what I want. It's not what they want. It's something in between. That's democracy. But it's the best we got.

So we're watching the House floor tonight. There are votes on all of this this evening. It sounds like you think there may be a few Republicans who could be a fly in the ointment. But if everybody sticks together, everything will move forward as you and the leadership hope it does. So we'll pay attention to the House floor this evening. I was wondering if you might want to comment more broadly on the immigration situation. We've seen radical protesters in Minneapolis. We saw that spread to Los Angeles this weekend. People who effectively, Congressman, would like to nullify federal immigration law. It's pretty scary, actually, when you consider what the Democrats are proposing, that federal law shouldn't apply in certain jurisdictions. Jurisdictions. How's all this striking you, and what are you hearing from your constituents about it?

Well, I tell you, everybody wants to support the law when it comes to immigration, especially when it comes to criminals. Where we sometimes lose our way as conservatives, we come across as discompassionate. But quite frankly, we could own the day on this. The average person doesn't want to ever see the remaining criminals here in the United States. Not only that they came here illegally, but they're actually preying off of that demographic. As a matter of fact, it was the immigrants, even the illegal immigrants that were already here, that were resisting further illegal immigration from the southern border as competition. Also, the criminal alien that actually comes over here and preys off that demographic, the child traffickers, the rapists, the murderers, the criminals who do drugs and dole out drugs, everybody wants to see them out of the United States. Now, I think there's debate over exactly the people who've been here for 30 years, that have employees, that have a son at MIT and married to an American. That's where it gets a little bit squirrely, and that's where I have to be very careful because we could lose a significant portion of the Hispanic support that we've gained because they want a secure border too. They don't want criminals here either. But when you have liberal organizations texting people in my district, middle schoolers, saying we need to rise up against ICE. We need to stand up against these horrible people. You see how they're kind of stealing this idea of compassion, that they're doing the right thing somehow, as if they're teaching them civil discord. You know what you should be teaching them? If you don't like a law, study the Constitution, study legislation, study how you change laws. Don't teach our kids how to be political. Teach them how to be law-abiding citizens that actually know how to control government, how to change government, and how to be of the people and by the people. and then we'll teach them something worthwhile in schools rather than just civil disobedience.

Yeah, some of this video coming out of certain schools that have shut down and sent their students out to protest against ICE, these messages you're talking about where they're teaching students to hate law enforcement officers, they are trying to radicalize these kids and make them hate the police and make them hate the idea that we have law and order in society. I think you're right to call it out. Congressman Rich McCormick of Georgia is our guest here on the Scott Jennings Show. Congressman, you are a doctor. By trade. I know you've been working on this policy with the administration a little bit. Can you tell us about what President Trump is doing on prescription drug prices? We've heard a little bit about the Trump Rx program. What can you tell us about that and the administration and the Republican Party's overall efforts to get drug prices under control for American consumers?

So this is a huge step in the right direction. We have a lot to work on, a lot to do with, uh, insurance premiums as well, which is not covered by this particular part of the healthcare plan, which he has a bunch of things he's addressing at once. When it comes to pharmaceutical pricing, when it comes to sales, that when we, when we purchase drugs, that we get favored, most favored nation status, so we get the same prices as everybody else and that they're the best price out there. We are a massive consumer. This should always be reflected in our purchasing power. We should always have price and transparency when you go to buy your drugs. Shouldn't be one price at CVS, one price at Walgreens, one price somewhere else, and that you just have to figure out where— he's trying to give you pricing transparency that you can pay either out of pocket or with your insurance policy, that it's the best price no matter what you— where you buy it and how you buy it, that you get the best price. We keep on getting robbed. When I was a physician, if I gave you a prescription, it could be for an antibiotic, for example, and you go fill it, you're going to pay your— and I make up these numbers, but this is just an idea what could happen. You pay your $10 copay, you turn in the rest of the insurance, the insurance maybe charges for that antibiotic $90. Then the insurance company says, well, I'm going to pay that $90, I'm going to upcharge that by 10% for your premium. Now you essentially paid $110 for that prescription. If you would have paid out of pocket the cash value, it would have been as much as, as about your deductible, which is maybe a $10 copay. And that's what I'm talking about. We've been trained to harm ourselves in this pricing index. This will give us the ability and the habit and the resources to actually pick the best pricing and stop pilfering the American people by our premiums and by the pharmaceutical companies that really don't care. If you look at the top 5— excuse me, top 10 companies in America, the Fortune 10, if you will, 4 of them are either big pharma or big insurance. 7 of the top 20, they're making record profits. 240% more than they used to make before the Affordable Care Act. This needs to stop. This is a big, big expense, the biggest expense for all Americans, biggest expense for government, second biggest inflationary cost, second biggest expense to all businesses. This is the thing we need to address.

Congressman Rich McCormick, Georgia's 7th District, articulate conservative and a fighter for American values. Thank you for joining us on the show today, sir. We're gonna take a break. First, a word from our friends at Done With Debt. If you are in debt and you are stressed about getting out of it, it is time to do something here. You need to listen to me. Done With Debt is one of the best organizations I've ever seen at navigating debt relief. In fact, last year was a record year. They enrolled over $102 million in debt for our listeners and other Americans. Done With Debt tracks credit card and loan company behavior That makes them experienced at knowing who is negotiating different contours of debt relief and when, and they know what it takes to get you the biggest reduction possible. Done With Debt will get you through every step of the process. Imagine waking up without the weight on your shoulders. Don't wait for someone else to help you. They won't. You have to help yourself, and do it by visiting DoneWithDebt.com. Talk to a debt specialist. It's free to do that, and it takes but a few minutes. Go to done-with-debt.com. When we come back, I'm going on a cruise. I want you to come with me. You'll want to hear the details. Scott Jennings here on Salem.

He's the author of the best-selling book A Revolution of Common Sense. Here's Scott Jennings.

Monday, February 2nd, broadcasting live from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. By the way, lest you think I'm down here lounging on the beach. You can't even do that. It's too cold to go to the beach in Florida right now. The iguanas are frozen. They're falling out of the trees. But it won't always be that way, and there are places you can go where it is warm. And I'm going to do that later this year. I'm going on a cruise, and I want to personally invite you, our listeners, to join me along with my colleague here at Salem, the legend Mike Gallagher, for a powerful week on the Gulf of America cruise. We're going to go in November, the 14th through the 21st of this year, be right after the election. We're going to cruise through crystal blue waters and visit incredible ports like Half Moon Cay and Cozumel, and we will enjoy the first-class hospitality of a luxury cruise ship. It is a luxury ship, by the way. I would never get on a ship that wasn't a luxury cruise ship, and we would only give you the best ship to board. All week you'll have time to meet with me and Mike Gallagher. We're going to have meet and greets, receptions, photo opportunities, Q&A sessions. You're going to hear a lot of behind-the-scenes stories about what Mike and I do here at Salem, about what I do at CNN, and what I do in my regular life. You're going to hear some things on this cruise ship that you just wouldn't hear on the air. You'll be immersed in inspiring keynote speeches and in-depth policy sessions as we enjoy real connection designed to strengthen your resolve as we mark the 250th anniversary of our nation. That's really why we're doing the cruise. It's kind of a celebration of America 250, and I do not want you to miss it. I want you to sign up today, and I want you to look forward to this cruise all year long. We'll be in the Caribbean, and you will be cruising with like-minded people who care deeply about our country. You cannot delay. People are signing up like crazy. You must reserve your cabin today. Text the word cruise to 94878. That's cruise to 94878, or go to scottjenningshow.com and click on the Gulf of America cruise banner. So to sign up, and you should sign up, we're going to have a fun time. Text the word cruise to 94878 or go to scottjenningshow.com and click on the Gulf of America cruise banner. We take off in November. It'll be just after the election. We'll discuss all the election results. We're getting ready at that point for the presidential cycle to begin, and I want to give you my unvarnished thoughts about all of that on this cruise ship while we eat well, we fellowship, we visit interesting places, we see the sea. It'll be an amazing experience. The Scott Jennings Mike Gallagher cruise coming up this November. Before we round out this hour here on the Scott Jennings Show, I wanted to bring you one more story, an incredible story. I had to highlight this. You may have seen it. If you haven't, the New York Times has been running op-eds from a supposed doctor who was slamming Israel, of course, in his opinion pieces on the pages of the New York Times. They called him a Gaza doctor. It turns out, it turns out that this man was a colonel in Hamas. The New York Times has been running columns from literal Hamas militants. Husam Abu Safiyyah was recently photographed wearing a Hamas military uniform while at a gathering of Hamas elites to celebrate the completion of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, That's according to the Jerusalem-based watchdog NGO Monitor. So you have this man, Hussam Abu Safa, a Hamas colonel claiming to be random, humble Gaza doctor, and of course the New York Times gobbling up his opinion pieces which slander Israel. Now, you might remember that last year the New York Times had to add an editor's note to an image of a malnourished child that they tried to tell you was starving because of Israel, but really he just had preexisting health issues. They were part of a propaganda campaign then, and they are now having to admit they were part of a propaganda campaign by running two op-eds from a Hamas Colonel, remember when their opinion page editor had to resign over a Tom Cotton op-ed? Will anyone resign over this? Don't hold your breath. That's hour one. Hour two's coming up. It's common sense for the American people. Scott Jennings is here. Stay with us on Salem.

The voice of free speech, the truth delivered, common sense for the American people. Welcome to the Scott Jennings Show.

It is Monday, February 2nd, Groundhog Day. You're listening to the second hour of the Scott Jennings Show, Common Sense for the American People. They were at it again, as they always are, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. What happened to the groundhog this morning? Let's listen in to the moment where the groundhog emerged. Cut 10.

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. Now on this February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil, the seer of seers, prognosticator of all prognosticators, was awakened from his wintry nap at dawn on Gobbler's Knob. Phil looked to the skies and then, speaking in groundhog ease, directed President Dunkle to the proper scroll, which reads, it's my great honor to answer your annual call. So I rise again this morning to greet you all. But today I wake thinking of numbers and time. America turns 250 and I'm at least 139. Let's celebrate all, young, old, babies, or millennial, and kick off America's semi-quincentennial. We look to the future and not just the past. So I suppose this party could use a forecast. It is my job this February 2nd to look to the skies and report back to you that there is a shadow here on my ground. 6 more weeks of winter abound.

Oh, that naughty, naughty groundhog has foisted upon us 6 more weeks of winter, and it's underway already here in Florida where I broadcast to you today. Cold down here. The iguanas are freezing and falling out of the trees. Terrible thing. Breaking news, by the way, just into the show. President Trump is apparently holding nuclear talks with Iran on Friday to discuss all this and other national security matters. Rebecca Heinrich joins me, national security expert, and she is a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute. Welcome back to the show, Rebecca. You are the official national security correspondent of the Scott Jennings Show. We're glad to have you.

Such a privilege to have that title. Good to be here.

Thank you very much. The president, by the way, was asked over the weekend if a strike on Iran by the United States would start a larger regional conflict. Let's listen in to the president and comment. Cut number Why wouldn't he say that?

Of course you can say that. But we have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, a couple of days. And hopefully we'll make a deal. If we don't make a deal, then we'll find out whether or not he was right.

The president speaking from Mar-a-Lago. Rebecca, what do you think? What do you think about the talks? What do you think about the American military buildup in the Middle East?

I think it rhymes a lot with what was happening leading up to President Trump's initiation of the Operation arrest Maduro in Venezuela. There was, of course, a massive military buildup. President Trump always had an open hand for diplomacy. And if you remember, Scott, President Trump spoke directly with Nicolas Maduro one week before the operation that came in and arrested Maduro and now brought him back to the United States. So I think that President Trump is obviously engaged in some coercive diplomacy. I mean, just a massive amount of air power, naval power surrounding Iran. The ayatollah is the only person in Iran that actually has the authority to make decisions about the nuclear program. And so I think talks that don't involve him are really just smoke and mirrors anyway. But the ayatollah himself, of course, has spent the last several weeks mocking President Trump and threatening retaliation against the United States on Twitter. So it's not a good situation for the Iran regime. And I think we're really close to something happening where the United States does intervene militarily.

The word is, is that tens of thousands of protesters who want regime change in Iran, the people who are bravely out protesting the Ayatollah in the streets, have been slaughtered by the regime. Let me ask you two questions, Rebecca. Do you believe these reports? Do you think the numbers are really that high? And number two, on the idea of American strikes, if I were the president, I guess the question I would have is, if we strike the regime, what are the targets and can we guarantee that the regime would fall. What say you about those matters?

So, great question. So, on the first one, I do believe that the numbers are very, very high. It'd be impossible for me to know exactly how many innocent protesters the Iran regime has killed because they had this internet blackout. They didn't even want anybody outside Iran to know what was going on. We do know that there were tens of thousands of protesters who were in the streets and who lost their lives. We heard some reporting that came out that For anybody, any member of a family who knew that they might have had a young one who was killed had to pay the regime to even get the body back. And so we know that there is a massacre and we know that President Trump has been very consistent throughout that if there was a massacre that the United States would intervene. And President Trump encouraged the protesters to keep going. And President Trump has periodically said that the days of the Ayatollah are coming to an end and there does need to be a change in the regime. The second part of the question, I think that this is still, this is still an organic effort to overthrow the regime on the part of the Iranian people. I think we should keep it that way. So, you know, anything that the United States does would be in support of the Iranian people. And so there are some targets that we could hit that would just support what the people are already doing, trying to overthrow the regime. We can hit the IRGC targets. Those are, of course, the military corps that supports the regime. You've got the Iranian military. And those folks, the standing army, care mostly about the Iran, Iranian country sort of as the country, but the IRGC protect the mullahs and the ayatollah. So if we can go after those guys and then go after their missile force, which of course the Chinese have helped the Iranians continue to build their missile force, that would be very clearly in U.S. interest to do that. And it would further weaken the regime. I cannot guarantee that we would overthrow the regime and there'd be something better there. Obviously, that's going to be up to the, to the Iranian people. But from an American interest perspective, those would be our targets that we would want to take out.

Rebecca Heinrichs from the Hudson Institute is our guest. More breaking news, Rebecca. The president had a phone call, he says, with President Modi in India, and he's got an agreement to end all Indian purchases of Russian oil. This is a massive loss for the Russians. I guess India is going to buy oil from Venezuela. What's your reaction to this breaking news out of the president?

Well, first of all, it's wild. This is— if people could fully understand just how wild this is. So I just had the privilege of going to India a few months ago. Well, though it was before President Trump was reelected, so I guess it's been a year since I've been there. But I had many meetings with Indian officials. They clearly wanted a good relationship with the United States. Excited about President Trump winning the election. But there's always been this challenge of what to do about Russia because India and Russia have this, this complicated relationship where they, they, they sell and buy military equipment. And from my perspective, it's always been a good thing to have a good relationship with India because it creates a problem for China. And but, but I was sort of always under this impression that it'd be so hard to get the Indians to stop buying Russian oil. 1.4 billion people in India, they need energy. But for President Trump then to topple Maduro and then say, we've got this energy source in Venezuela now, get off the addiction to Russian oil, buy it from Venezuela— I mean, that's such an incredible move if we can really pull it off. Kudos to the Trump administration and the diplomats to even get this far, to get this announcement. It really is remarkable, Scott.

Yeah, and it shows the intertwining of energy policy and national security and diplomacy. And how those things work together for this president. Rebecca, we have about 30 seconds. I did want to get your comments on Cuba not getting as much attention right now, but it's obviously under serious pressure from Washington. Do you think we will see regime change in Cuba this calendar year?

Obviously, that's my hope. And again, getting back to the last thing you talked about with energy and President Trump, he clearly, he understands that our number one threats are China and Russia. But the way he's going about weakening those regimes is he's picking off these weaker countries that have acted as proxies. Cuba is a major, major ally of the Russians. And so, so I'm hopeful that with this pressure on Cuba and pointing the Cubans to see what happened to Venezuela and this administration's dedication to making sure that our hemisphere is not a playground for our peer adversaries, the Chinese and Russians, I think that we can be bullish on some progress on Cuba this year.

Scott, that voice you're hearing, Rebecca Heinrichs, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the national security correspondent for the Scott Jennings Show. Rebecca, thank you for joining us today.

Always good to be here. Thanks, Scott.

Love hearing your voice. Thank you. By the way, I was talking to my dad today, my father Jeff Jennings, on his way to Florida actually. I don't know why he's driving down here right now, it's so cold. But anyway, On his way. And you know, he was telling me how good he was feeling for the trip. Why is my father feeling good? Because he is a faithful user of Relief Factor. Nobody has embraced this more than my father. My dad, no spring chicken, but he's hopping around like one, taking his winter trip to Florida. I think Relief Factor could work for you as well. Try their 3-week quick start. That's all you really need to do. You call 1-800-4-RELIEF or you visit relieffactor.com. Let's see if we can get you out of pain. It worked for my dad. I've taken it. Works for me. We're getting lots of calls and letters. I think, I think you should consider us. More when we come back. You're listening to the Scott Jennings Show on Salem.

When he's not in the Oval Office or owning the libs on CNN, he's here with us. It's the Scott Jennings Show.

And it is Monday, February 2nd. Scott Jennings broadcasting to you live from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I've been back and forth across the country over the last few days. Always nice to see my friend here in Palm Beach Gardens, Mr. Curtis Bush of Studio 67. Does a terrific job hosting the Scott Jennings Show when we are in town. I've had actually some Really good events over the last few days. Saturday night, in fact, I was speaking to several hundred people at the Mojave County, Arizona Republican Party. Signed a lot of books out in the desert. I flew into Vegas and drove through the desert to get to the, it's like tip of Nevada where it hits Arizona, Mojave County, Arizona, the northern part of that state. Some really enthusiastic Republicans out there. And I also saw Congressman Paul Gosar as well. So really fun event Saturday night. And then I got up the next morning and flew to Florida. And last night in Fort Lauderdale, was able to give a speech to the Commodity Markets Council. I don't understand a lot about the commodity markets, but that didn't stop me. We had a fun dinner nonetheless. And I'm appreciative of the commodity markets guys for having me into their State of the Industry Summit in Fort Lauderdale. It was a really great group. Of course, being invited to South Florida when it's this cold, it's a bit of a betrayal, isn't it? And I won't forget it. But I know people across the country, everywhere, not just in Florida, are feeling the cold. And because of that, it may be that you were thinking about, how do I get to somewhere warmer? How do I get to— how do I at least put something on my calendar that gives me some hope of being warm later this year? And I have the answer for you. Go ahead and put it on your calendar right now. November 14th through the 21st of this year, right after the election. So you can vote, and then you can do this: go on the Gulf of America cruise with me, yours truly, and also Mike Gallagher of Salem. He's going to be there as well. Gallagher and Jennings teaming up for a powerful week on the Gulf of America cruise, November 14th through the 21st. We are going to visit ports like Half Moon Cay and Cozumel. We will enjoy the first-class hospitality of a luxury cruise ship. What will you do while on board? Well, we'll have meet and greets, photo ops, Q&A sessions. You'll hear some behind-the-scenes stories that frankly we cannot tell you on the air, but we can tell you privately on a cruise ship. You'll want to hear it. You'll get keynote speeches and in-depth sessions every day as we enjoy real connection with each other, designed to strengthen your resolve as a conservative and also designed to strengthen your patriotism. After all, the reason we are doing this cruise is in honor of the 250th anniversary of our nation. I think that's going to be a theme on the cruise ship, America 250. A lot of people are trying to tear down America right now. A lot of celebrities, a lot of Hollywood types, a lot of liberals, a lot of people are trying to tear down our country. They're trying to tell you our country doesn't really exist, that it doesn't really have borders, that we don't really have laws, that we're all living on stolen land and all this nonsense. But I know you, the listeners of this program, love America. You believe America is the greatest nation that's ever been created, and you want to do things to celebrate that. And I cannot think of a better thing to do than to put this cruise, the America 250 cruise, on your November calendar. We're going to go in the Caribbean, and we're going to do it as like-minded conservatives who are going to commit to strengthen our resolve to protect this country and fight for what's right and fight for what we believe in. I want you to reserve your slot today. You better do it. People are signing up like crazy. Text the word cruise to 94878. Text the word cruise to 94878. Or if you would prefer, visit scottjenningshow.com. On that webpage, we have a banner at the top of the page. It says Gulf of America cruise on the banner. Click on it. And you can sign up there. There are a limited number of slots here, folks. It's a cruise ship after all. Limited number of cabins, but I would love to see you there. I'm, I am so looking forward to this. Gallagher is a riot. He's gonna be amazing. We're gonna have such a great time. We're gonna see great things. We're gonna have great conversations. And I love meeting the listeners of this show and the supporters of Salem. We're going to take a break. When we come back, on the front lines of the battle of Minneapolis, Mark Johnson, the Minnesota Senate Republican leader, is here. You don't want to miss this conversation. It's common sense for the American people on sale. Stay with us. You know something? Universities are kind of a bad deal. Six figures of debt for a bachelor's degree that signals less every year. Four years spent navigating ideological rules instead of learning how to think. Grades inflated, standards lowered, dissent punished. We call it higher education, but it's mostly expensive daycare with a credential attached. The University of Austin, also known as UATX, is different, however. Admissions at UATX are based on test scores alone. No essays, no resumes, nobody cares who your parents know. If you're smart enough, you're in. UATX students turn down UChicago and fled Barnard to complete a demanding Great Books core, including Aristotle, Shakespeare, de Tocqueville, alongside real math, science, economics, and AI. Classes are small. Professors actually know your name. Grades aren't padded. Excellence is measured and rewarded. From day one, students work directly with top founders, investors, and institutions, building companies, doing serious research, and landing real internships. And here's the part that changes everything: there is no tuition. Thanks to private donors, every UATX student graduates debt-free. You're free to take risks, free to start companies, and free to build a life instead of paying off loans. If you want an empty credential, look elsewhere. If you want a serious education that actually prepares you to lead, Apply to the University of Austin. Visit uAustin.org. That's uAustin.org.

Saving Western civilization one busted leftist narrative at a time. It's the Scott Jennings Show.

It is Monday, February 2nd. You know, one of the narratives that's being pushed in the media right now is that enforcing our immigration laws is somehow unpopular. And that what Governor Tim Walz and honorary Somali pirate Mayor Jacob Fry of Minneapolis are doing somehow has popular support, or rather I should say what they're not doing. Here's the latest Minnesota poll. The question was, should state and local authorities help with immigration enforcement? The issue here is lack of cooperation. We've been talking about that for weeks. The answer, 50% of people in Minnesota said yes, they should cooperate. They should help with immigration enforcement. Only 36% said no, we should not cooperate. I think the Democrats are out over their skis in Minnesota and elsewhere as they prevent cooperation with federal law enforcement. To discuss all of this with me is someone who is on the front line of this battle in Minnesota. His name is Mark Johnson. He is the Senate Republican leader in the state of Minnesota. Senator Johnson represents Senate District 1, I think, up in the northwest corner of the state. Senator Johnson, welcome into the Scott Jennings Show.

Hey, Scott, thank you so much for having me on. I really, I really appreciate the opportunity to get on and talk a little bit about what is going on here in the state of Minnesota. We've been making some headlines lately.

You know, I assume when you ran for the state Senate and became the Senate Republican leader, you didn't imagine your state was going to be in the national news for all the wrong reasons on a daily basis. But yet here you are as you hear these poll results. Half, 50%, say yes, cooperate. 36% say no. Does that match what you're hearing on the ground from your constituents and other people in Minnesota?

Yeah, that's a great question. You look at Minnesota and it's a lot like other states where there's a little bit of blue and a lot of red. In my district, I think you'd find overwhelmingly support for cooperation between law enforcement and our federal, uh, federal law enforcement friends. But what you see down in Minneapolis and St. Paul is a real effort to undercut federal law, and, and that's going on through the protests, through aggravating the the operations that MetroSurge is trying to accomplish down there in the state. So it's really become quite a hotspot down in the metro, but I think most of rural Minnesota feels very strongly we should be cooperating.

So when you hear Governor Walz and you hear honorary Somali pirate Jacob Frey say we're not going to cooperate, Frey really, I think, has been the worst offender here. He has been strident in his opposition Absolutely. To not cooperate. Of course, Walz, I think, has been the worst offender when it comes to rhetoric. He's out here saying that Minneapolis is a modern-day Fort Sumter. When you hear Frye and you hear Walz, how do you respond to that as the Senate Republican leader? I assume you are recoiling from this rhetoric. This doesn't really, I think, represent Minnesota values, does it?

It's really been a turn with Democrats and their talking point. If you look through press releases, in their talking points, it's this hardcore language with a lot of swearing in it to make them sound so tough. But the reality is Minnesota is known for Minnesota nice, right? The priority is to get along with each other and do that. Once we elected Governor Walz and AG Ellison and Mayor Frey, it's really turned into this whole toxic sort of DC politics in this state that has run pretty strong. 8 years since Governor has been there.

That voice you're hearing on the Scott Jennings Show, that of Senator Mark Johnson. He is the Minnesota Senate Republican leader, so he's the one fighting Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey and the other, uh, liberals in Minneapolis on a regular basis. Senator, where do you think this all ends? The White House has been pretty clear. They want cooperation. They'd like to take illegal immigrants out of the jails. They wouldn't They don't really want all these ICE agents, I think, on the ground in Minneapolis. The only reason they're there is because they can't get cooperation in the jails. Do you think there is any chance whatsoever that these Democrats in Minneapolis come to their senses and say, you know what, yes, we will cooperate, and that way you can ramp down the ICE presence in Minneapolis?

That's the frustrating part. It's so simple. From the very beginning, this had a very simple solution to it. And other states have figured out how to do that. Unfortunately, Minnesota, you know, with Governor Walz and AG Ellison, you know, they've really made it their, their mark. And their key is to fight back and make it look like they're fighting for some cause. But it's the wrong cause. And we are really paying the price both financially and just the atmosphere of the state as well. You know, with, with the vitriol that's going on, splitting up the state the way that it is, It's really become a very difficult, difficult environment in Minnesota.

Senator, I saw some video today of people in Minneapolis. I guess I don't know who— I don't know where they're from and I don't know who they are, but just random people setting up barricades and blockade checkpoints on streets where they're basically— you pull up to the barricade and then they run your license plate through some sort of a check to make sure you're not with ICE before they will let you pass. Can you explain to me how in the world this is being allowed? How in the world this is legal? And is there anything legislatively that can be done to make it clear that random people don't have the right to stop you and run your license plate when you're driving around Minnesota?

Yeah, you're right. And we saw something similar to that during the George Floyd protests when the city really turned into just anarchy in Minneapolis. And parts of St. Paul. And parts of St. Paul, we're seeing that again now. And clearly that's illegal. It's violating many statutes and just local ordinances on that. But we have such weak leadership in this state when it comes to Mayor Frey, with, with Walz as well, too, that they're not willing to stand up and do the right thing and enforce, enforce the law that needs to be enforced. So, you know, I don't know what it's going to take. I think it's going to take some new leadership at the end of the day, but unfortunately, election's not until November, and our mainstream media in the state is doing a great job of covering up the tracks of Frye and Ellison and, and Walz himself. And so it's going to be a battle that, that we're going to have to fight until November.

It's amazing to me that these people can run these illegal checkpoints, and yet you never see the cops come by. I mean, it looks like they have been ordered to stand down. When it comes to stopping these radicals on the streets of Minneapolis. I hope that's not true, but that's what it appears to an outside observer. You referenced the Minnesota media. They've also done, I think, a great job of covering up the massive fraud scandal that's going on in Minneapolis. In fact, I'm going to play for you a clip, Senator Johnson, of your Governor Walz, who says all this fraud that we know about was just made up. Let's hear cut 8.

Mentioned this fraud investigation and the reason that they're here. Is there anything you think when you look back you could have done differently to prevent them from showing up and doing what they're doing here?

No, no, they were coming anyway. We had— this was— it was all make-believe that we'd been at it. Every state had this. And look, I do think there has to be accountability in this. No one in state government was implicated. This happens all over. People did this. We find, you know, we got it caught. We put them in jail or whatever.

Okay. He first said it was all make-believe, but then he said it happens everywhere. And then he said some people went to jail. Senator Johnson, For the record, was there a massive fraud going on against the taxpayers of Minnesota on a number of fronts? A, can you confirm that? And B, do you believe people in state government have been implicated, should be implicated, and should go to jail?

Scott, absolutely there is fraud here. The prosecutor, Joe Thompson, has charged well over 72 cases on this particular item itself, just on the fraud in Minnesota. He's estimating somewhere around the realm of $9 billion. Now, this is from a prosecutor. This isn't political bias discussion or talking points. This is reality in the state. And for the governor to go and try to change what the truth is with something like this, I hope every Minnesotan gets a chance to see this clip. This just— it should make people irate on what they're doing to using people as pawns. Of course there is fraud going on in this state. Of course Governor Walz knew about it, but he let it go for at least 8 years. And so this, this just brings me over the top on something like this. It should not be happening here in this state.

And to be clear, this fraud is happening in state government. It is happening in the Medicaid program. Ultimately, it is the governor and the executive branch that is responsible for the Medicaid program and for Tim Walls to wipe it away. Well, it's— I'll just tell you, it's been my contention and others that one of the reasons you're seeing all of this stoking up of these radical protests over immigration enforcement was to take people's attention away from the fraud scandal. Remember this, this scandal, if it were make-believe, Tim Walls would not have abandoned his reelection campaign. That's number one. And number two, He clearly doesn't want responsibility for it because, as you say, and I think you're right, he just completely looked the other way. And in fact, there are some whistleblowers, right, Senator, in state government that say they were punished for raising issues.

Oh, you're absolutely right. You're absolutely right on all accounts there. And then you go back to like, well, okay, if he's head of those agencies, he should also be holding those agencies accountable. And like you said, you brought that point up. He's not. There's nobody in the agencies that have been fired on the record, fired for the fraud, for the incompetence that has happened there. Clearly, they have looked the other way as fraud is going on. They had the responsibility to go and show up at these daycare centers, at these clinics and different things to make sure that the taxpayer dollars were being used for those services, for those who needed it. And yet they were not showing up. There's empty buildings with with, you know, mailboxes outside or Leering Center signs on the outside. And that's what we were paying millions and millions of dollars that should have been going to veterans or schools or those in need that needed those programs. And so for the governor to simply, you know, be complicit in these protest things, you know, really stoking things up, it's pretty politically convenient for him right now to have this going on in the state.

Senator, we've got about 30 seconds left. Are you or are other senators or people in the legislature in touch with the federal government still about turning over information that you have uncovered about the fraud? Are you providing them with information? And do you think we're going to see more indictments and more to come from the feds in holding people accountable in Minnesota?

There are a number of sources, Scott, that are working on that right now. We have the Office of the Legislative coordinator there that's working on getting some information over. Our House partners are doing a great job of getting that information over, and we've got several leads within our caucus itself that's working on that information too. So yes, there is information being flown, flown up to the federal side of things, and hopefully we're going to see that pick up again as we crack down on the fraud in Minnesota.

Senator Mark Johnson, he is the Republican Senate leader in Minnesota. We really appreciate your time. Thanks for joining us today.

Hey, thanks so much, Scott. Appreciate it.

All right, talk soon, my friend. I want to talk to you, by the way, about your wireless service. Here's what you don't know. There is actually a wireless company that you can choose that shares your values, and in fact, they invest in your values. I met these guys recently. I couldn't have been more impressed. They run Patriot Mobile. They are more than just a wireless provider. They are an activist organization that is funded by selling top-tier cell phone service. They do deliver prioritized premium service on all three major U.S. networks. You'll get the same or even better coverage when you switch. And they do have unlimited data plans, mobile hotspots, and international roaming. Everything you need, Patriot Mobile has. And I'll tell you what they also have is a willingness to fuel the Christian conservative cause. Every bill you pay Advances the values of faith, family, and freedom. Take a stand. Go to patriotmobile.com/scott or call 972-PATRIOT. Use promo code Scott. Get a free month of service. patriotmobile.com/scott. Make the switch today. When we come back, Doge, Doge got something right on uncovering some fraud in the African Development Foundation. We have that story next.

Fighting the left with the best weapon we have, common sense. This is the Scott Jennings Show.

Home stretch here on Monday, February 2nd. Common sense for the American people. Scott Jennings is with you following up on a story. You know, back in the Doge days, the early days of Trump 2.0, there was a lot of investigations going on by Doge of some of these NGOs that were linked to the foreign aid industrial complex. One of them was called the African Development Foundation, and Doge went over there and they locked the doors and Doge was kept out, and they were held up as a symbol of the resistance. They were fighting against Doge. Well, it turns out that the African Development Foundation CFO has now admitted that he routed money to a friend's African pass-through organization in exchange for kickbacks, and he has pled guilty to all this. On the story, joining us, Luke Rosiak. Is an investigative reporter at The Daily Wire. Luke, your team has been following this story since day one. Tell us about the saga of the African Development Foundation, which as it turns out was corrupt, correct?

Correct. Thank you for having me, Scott. So it's actually not an NGO, it's a GO. This is an agent, a federal agency, despite the name, uh, having Foundation in it. It's a government agency, kind of like the little brother of USAID. And nonetheless, its employees for some reason felt that they didn't have to recognize that Trump administration was in charge of the country. And so they locked the doors. And, you know, this was at the time Elon was saying, you know, if people resist DOJ audits, it's probably because they have something to hide. But other people people like Democrat Senator Brian Schatz said that they were heroic. I mean, they were the David fighting against the Goliath. The left-wing media called it the little agency that could because they were resisting DOJ and the Trump administration so hard. But around that time, back in May, I did a very long story, sort of like a 5,000-word exposé that got into how corrupt this agency is. I talked to a whole lot of people that worked there, all of whom probably vote for Democrats in their personal lives and joined to support the mission of helping poor people in Africa. But what they found when they started working there is it wasn't doing anything of the sort. It was just sort of an agency that existed to let a bunch of bureaucrats funnel money to themselves. I laid out several instances where they would give money to some African group, but then they would make the African group give some of it back. And so it was kind of exactly what people were speculating was happening with USAID, where the money goes out the door and it looks like it is going to some poor country, but it is really just going to a bunch of people that live in Bethesda, Maryland, and things like that. And so this was not speculation in this case. I was able to show it. And one of the things that I found was actually a search warrant during the Biden administration on the CFO of the agency, a guy named Matthew Zehew. And so what happened this week is the wheels of justice turn slowly, but they finally charged him and he pleaded guilty. But in the in-between time, what's really interesting is these left-wing groups were suing to try to get an injunction from a judge that would block Trump's people from being in charge and put, put, put in charge this guy that just pleaded guilty. And they did that even after they knew he was under criminal investigation, at least if they read the Daily the wire.

All right, this is blowing my mind.

I didn't—

and I need to correct myself, it's not an NGO. As you pointed out, the African Development Foundation is a government agency, so your tax dollars fund this. The CFO is a guy named Matthew Zehu. He is the ringleader of all this. And you had left-wing lawyers in DC manipulating the law to try to protect him. But what you're saying is we were passing through U.S. tax money to these other things going on in Africa, African countries, and he, the CFO, was demanding personal kickbacks, and that's what he is going to plead guilty, right? He's taking bribes. This is what the guilty plea is, correct?

And there's one particular instance that the guilty plea centers on, but in my story it talks about several instances, um, where a similar dynamic took place, and it also extended beyond just the CFO. And it's sort of a story of whistleblower retaliation because A few years ago, um, their general counsel began, um, calling attention to the fact that they were violating all sorts of laws and they wound up pushing him out and sort of viciously retaliating against him. And so for years this guy was trying to call attention to what was going on and Senator Risch, a Republican who's in charge of, um, on the Foreign Affairs Committee, he said, look, if you guys don't clean up the act, people are going to lose faith in all foreign aid and we don't want that to happen.

Luke, you're exactly right. Everybody needs to read this story. Luke Rosiak, you can get it at The Daily Wire. There is corruption in our government. It was uncovered by Luke Rosiak, our latest guest. We're done for the day. Join us again tomorrow. It's Scott Jennings with you here on Salem.

For over 30 years, Point of Grace has shared music, faith, and friendship with listeners across the country. Now Denise Lee Katie and Shelley are inviting you into their circle. Welcome to Circle of Friends, the podcast. Each week they're talking real life, current events, stories of true friendship, wisdom from God's Word, and all their favorite things. If you're looking for a little company, a few laughs, and a lot of Jesus to hold it together, Circle of Friends, the podcast, is waiting for you. Subscribe now wherever you listen or watch podcasts and circle up with Point of Grace.