Latest / Joey Hudson / Just The Truth / New Info on ICE Agent Revealed..It Changes Everything!!! (Ep 631)

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New Info on ICE Agent Revealed..It Changes Everything!!! (Ep 631) · Joey Hudson / Just The Truth

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Nutrition Studios. To lose weight for the last time, visit MyPhDWeightLoss.com. We're learning
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new details about the ICE agent who opened fire on a Minneapolis woman who tried to run him over
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with her vehicle. On Wednesday morning, it became tragic. This encounter led the officer to fire
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into the car, killing the driver. These new details reveal a lot about what was happening
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at the time. You're going to want to hear this because it frames it in a whole new light.
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Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is accusing Fox's Jesse Waters of sexually harassing her in a
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confrontation with a Fox News producer. You're going to want to see this as well. The Lakeville,
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Minnesota Hampton Inn that refused rooms to ICE agents was stripped of its Hilton Hampton Inn
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branding with photos being shared showing a crane removing the Hampton Inn branding from the site.
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We have an update for you in today's show. And Lieutenant Governor Pamela
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Abbott joins us for a preview of some of the legislative issues she will be monitoring
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when the General Assembly goes back into session. We've got a lot to cover today. Let's get started.
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I told you we'd be back. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
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It's Joey Hudson. I wanted to name it the Joey Hudson bill, but you know,
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they don't allow you to name, put names on bills, but I wanted to call it the Joey Hudson bill
2:12
because I know that one's been near and dear to you for a number of years. That's how it's done.
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Let your voice be heard. And the truth shall set you free. Here's Joey Hudson.
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Hey, before you make up your mind about the Minneapolis ICE shooting, there's one fact you
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almost certainly haven't heard. The agent who pulled the trigger had already been dragged more
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than 100 yards by an illegal immigrant last year, nearly killed during a traffic stop.
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That changes everything because this story isn't just about what happened this week.
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It's about what politicians said, what they encouraged, how rhetoric turned a volatile
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moment into a deadly one. Stay with me because once you hear the full context,
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the headlines won't look the same. So here's where we're headed with this. We talked a lot
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over the past 48 hours about the fatal shooting in Minneapolis involving an ICE agent and a woman
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named Renee Good. It has sparked immediate outrage, protest, political outrage, protests
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of political condemnation, especially from local leaders in the Minneapolis area.
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But what hasn't been talked about nearly enough, I believe, is who this agent is and what he's
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already been through on the job. And once you hear that part of the story, the picture looks
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very different. So let's jump in. Here's what we know. According to the New York Post, the ICE
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agent involved in Wednesday's shooting is a 10-year veteran of the agency. He was nearly killed
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last year during a routine enforcement stop in Bloomington, Minnesota. Last June, federal agents
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stopped a man named Roberto Carlos Muniz, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala with a long
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criminal record that included domestic assault and sex crimes involving a minor. Now, when officers
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attempted to remove Muniz from his vehicle, he refused. An agent broke the back window to gain
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access, and that's when Muniz floored it. The agent's arm became trapped inside the car. Muniz
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didn't stop. He didn't slow down. According to prosecutors, he weaved back and forth, trying to
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shake the agent loose, dragging him more than 100 yards down the road. That's a football field.
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The agent was hospitalized with severe injuries to his arm, his hand, and he required more than 30
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stitches. Photos later showed deep gashes and blood-soaked bandages. He survived, but barely.
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And last month, the illegal Muniz was convicted in federal court for assaulting that very officer.
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That's not ancient history. That's just last year. So let's fast forward to this week. That same
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agent finds himself in another chaotic encounter, this time surrounded by a hostile crowd as
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federal officers attempt to carry out an immigration enforcement. During the confrontation,
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again involving a car, Renee Goode drove her vehicle toward him. Video footage appears to show
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her car clipping the agent before ignoring commands to stop. The agent jumped clear and fired. Three
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shots. One was fatal. Now, immediately, the narrative became, federal agent shoots woman.
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But context does matter, folks. That context includes the fact that this officer already
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knows personally what happens when you hesitate, when you assume a car won't be used as a weapon,
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when you give the benefit of the doubt in a moment that turns violent, you could lose your life.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the agent acted in self-defense, calling the crowd a
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group of agitators attempted to interfere with lawful enforcement. If you watch the videos,
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and there are many of them out there, you know that. You see what happened. President Donald
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Trump echoed that assessment, saying the officer was justified after being struck by the vehicle.
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Meanwhile, we have this clown Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye telling federal agents to get the
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you-know-what out of his city, rejecting DHS's account of events outright. And Minnesota Governor
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Tim Walz, who previously referred to ICE agents as modern-day Gestapo, has spent years framing
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federal immigration enforcement as inherently dangerous and illegitimate. Words matter. Rhetoric
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matters. When you repeatedly demonize law enforcement officers as villains, don't be
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surprised when tensions escalate on the street. We've seen this over and over. We've seen this
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movie before, and we know how it ends. Now, here's the uncomfortable truth that a lot of our politicians
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don't want to say out loud. ICE agents aren't operating in a quiet office in controlled
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environments. They're making stops in the neighborhoods where crowds gather, where misinformation
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spreads almost instantly, where officers are surrounded by people who believe, rightly or
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wrongly, that stopping enforcement is a moral duty. That's not policing under normal conditions.
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That's policing in a pressure cooker that can explode at any moment. Vehicles are no longer
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just vehicles. Law enforcement across the country has learned the hard way that cars are frequently
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used as weapons, as we saw this week. Officers are trained accordingly because too many of them have
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been killed or maimed standing where they thought they were safe. The agent knows that better than
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most. He knows it under those particular circumstances. So, let me say this very clearly,
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because nuance matters. A woman is dead. That's very tragic. No family wakes up expecting that
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outcome. But it's also true that officers are not required to sacrifice their lives to satisfy
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political optics. You agree? Self-defense law doesn't reset because a situation is politically
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sensitive. It doesn't disappear because a crowd is watching, and it certainly doesn't vanish
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because a mayor doesn't like federal policy. If a car is coming at you after you've already
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been dragged down a street once in your career, you don't get infinite chances to hope it turns
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away. You're going to react a bit differently than maybe that officer who has not been dragged
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across a football field. This shooting didn't happen in a vacuum. It happened amid a deliberate
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campaign by local and state officials to obstruct federal law enforcement, to declare sanctuary
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policies, and publicly vilify the agents tasked with enforcing that law. The law that you and I
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voted in 2024 to send Donald Trump back to the Oval Office to enforce. You can't tell officers
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they're not welcome. You can't call them fascist. You can't encourage resistance and then act shocked
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when encounters become volatile. That's not leadership. That's negligence, and we've seen that
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from the mayor all the way to the governor's office. Tim Walz, when he says it's patriotic
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to get out and protest, he is encouraging that continued violence. This case will be investigated
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as it should be. That's how the system works, but if we're going to have an honest conversation
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about what happened, it has to include all the facts, not just the ones that fit a protest chant
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or a press conference soundbite. The ICE agent involved is not a cartoon villain. He's a federal
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officer who was nearly killed last year doing his job, put in that very same circumstances
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that he found himself in just this week. He was faced with another split-second decision this week.
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He chose to survive to protect himself. You can debate immigration policy all day long. You can
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argue about enforcement priorities, but if we strip officers of the right to defend themselves
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in dangerous situations, then we're not talking about reform. We're talking about abandonment,
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and that's a line this country does not want to cross. I don't think. Do you? I'd love to hear
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from you. Text me, email me, joeyjoeyhudson.com. I mean, really, now that you know that this ICE
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officer was dragged 100 yards last year, almost lost his life in a very similar circumstance,
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does this change your vision of what happened? Because again, he went into this situation
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on edge anyway when it involves a car, so rather than hesitate when he thinks, I'm sure
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it flashed through his mind again that he was going to be dragged down the road.
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He acted faster. He fired his weapon to protect himself and other officers.
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Start the new year off right and fix your weight loss. Well, here we go again. Another Democrat
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governor throwing ice under the bus and siding with illegal immigrants over the rule of law.
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This time, it's Massachusetts Governor Mara Healey, who's demanding that private airlines
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cut ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Why? Because ICE agents are doing their jobs
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and enforcing federal law. Laws Congress passed and the Constitution demands be upheld. Governor
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Healey sent a fiery letter to Global X Airlines and to Eastern Air Express, urging them to stop
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flying deportation operations, saying that illegal immigrants are being indiscriminately targeted
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and ripped from their families. She even claimed that some being deported are U.S. citizens.
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Now, that's either completely misleading or just a flat-out lie because ICE doesn't deport citizens.
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That's not how it works. This all comes after this tragic ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis
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where a woman, Renee Good, reportedly accelerated her vehicle toward an ICE agent during an
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operation. You can see the video. You can see what she did. Now, we don't have all the details yet.
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There'll be an investigation, but using this incident as political ammo to shut down law
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enforcement operations, that is reckless and that is dangerous. That is putting communities in her
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state at danger. The American people want illegals out of our country. But here's the part that
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really shows where Governor Healey's priorities are. In her letter, she slammed the Trump
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administration, yes, somehow it always is always Donald Trump's fault, for using private charter
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flights for deportation, saying that it's too expensive and cruel. Mind you, she's talking
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about a president who actually enforced immigration laws, unlike the previous administration
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that created the border crisis of epic proportions while we're in this situation that we're in now
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anyway. While she's talking about cost, illegal immigration is draining public resources across
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the board. Where was she concerned about cost when we see health care costs going up,
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schools being flooded with illegal children, housing, especially in blue states like hers
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that signed up to be sanctuary states and are now shocked that the bill is coming due, now shocked
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that her citizens are having to pay millions, if not billions of dollars. Now, here's the truth.
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ICE is a law enforcement agency. Period. Simple. These are federal agents doing a job that's
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critical to keeping our country secure. When you start bullying private companies and stop
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working with them, you're not just undermining ICE, you're undermining the rule of law. And that's
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the Democrats typically, they'll cite the rule of law. Well, we are talking about the rule of law
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here. And these companies, they're not the problem. They're providing a service under a federal
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contract to help safely and effectively deport individuals who have gone through the process
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and have been ordered to leave. That's how a nation of laws works. So while Governor Maura
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Healey panders to the progressive left and tries to cancel ICE flights, Americans are dealing with
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this border crisis where every state is a border state. We have illegals in every state, including
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Massachusetts. And let's not forget, when those flights stop, it's not the system that breaks,
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it's our neighborhoods that pays the price. It's just another example of a blue state governor
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not caring about the rest of the country. Now, we have an update for you on the story of the
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Hampton Inn in Minneapolis that earlier this week refused to allow ICE agents to stay there.
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Photos were shared yesterday showing a crane removing the sign of the Hampton Inn.
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Again, the one in Lakeville, Minnesota, that allegedly refused to accommodate U.S.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and immigration officers. We saw the video there
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when this young man went in, told them he was with ICE, and the desk agent immediately said,
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our policy is not to rent rooms to immigration officers. Now, this formerly Hilton-branded
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property was stripped of its Hilton label by the hotel chain after seeing this video,
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after the video surfaced appearing to show the location continuing to deny immigration officers,
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despite Hilton Hotel saying that the venue had apologized and that properties are open to
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everyone and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination, according to the statement
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Hilton issued at the time. The images show the sign being lifted off of its supports by a crane
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set up in the hotel's parking lot. Hilton did not immediately respond to a request for comment from
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media. It's unclear who is now operating the hotel. A phone number linked to the property
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appeared to be disconnected when called. Now, the General Services Administration said earlier this
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week that it's terminating the Hampton Inn Lakeville in Minnesota from its list of approved
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lodging sites for all federal employees. Several emails posted by the Department of Homeland
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Security and ICE showed that the hotel was not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at
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their property. GSA Administrator Edward Forst told Fox News, after I was informed that a local Hilton
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property canceled rooms reserved for ICE, GSA immediately reviewed the matter and found the
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hotel to be in clear violations of its government lodging program. He went on to say the property
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has been removed from the programs and booking tools effective immediately. The GSA, of course,
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is a federal agency responsible for managing and supporting the basic functioning of federal
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agencies. The hotel participated in a government lodging program partnership known as GSA Fed
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Rooms between federal employees and the location. Now, Hilton Hotels noted in its initial statement
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that the Hampton Inn Lakeville is independently owned and operated and said that officials from
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the property took immediate action to resolve the matter and are contacting impaired guests
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to ensure they are accommodated. However, after that statement was released, a viral video posted
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to X by freelance journalist Nick Shortor showed that an employee at the counter continued to deny
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federal agents going against Hilton's statement. He even pretended to go to the back to call the
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owner of the hotel to see if that policy had been changed after Nick Shortor told him that it had
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been. He came back out claiming he couldn't reach anyone and that he was going to continue to
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enforce the policy. So, it looks like some investor, some hotel owner is going to end up
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losing a lot of money over that lunacy. A federal judge, speaking of lunacy, a federal judge yesterday
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disqualified a U.S. attorney in upstate New York and tossed out subpoenas he issued to state
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attorney general Letitia James. It's like, here we go again. In a 24-page ruling,
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Judge Lorna Schofield, who is an Obama appointee by the way, ruled that John
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Cercone had been unlawfully serving as the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York.
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The judge wrote, when the executive branch of government skirts restraints put in place by
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Congress and then uses that power to subject political adversaries to criminal investigations,
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it acts without lawful authority. The subpoenas are unenforceable due to the threshold effect.
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Mr. Cercone was not lawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney when the subpoenas were issued,
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the judge wrote in her order. Now, James challenged Cercone's authority after he issued subpoenas
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seeking information about lawsuits she had filed against President Donald Trump. She claimed that
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he had committed fraud in his business dealings and separately against the National Rifle Association
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and some of his former leaders. James has claimed that the subpoenas were part of a campaign over
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her investigation into Trump allies. Now, when those investigations turned on her,
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she wanted to change the rules of the game. Fox News said they reached out to James and
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the Justice Department on the judge's subpoena. So far, neither have replied. Attorney General
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Pam Bondi, though, she actually appointed U.S. District Attorney Cercone as the interim for 120
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days. When that term expired, a federal court declined to extend his tenure. The ruling states
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on the same day that the judge declined to extend Mr. Cercone's appointment, the department took
20:58
coordinated steps through personnel moves and shifting titles to install Mr. Cercone as acting
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U.S. attorney. Federal law does not permit such a workaround, the judge says. Federal judges have
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also disqualified prosecutors in Nevada, the Los Angeles area, and Virginia. It's a new tactic
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and it's working right now until I'm sure this is going to head to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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But they've realized that, well, hey, you know, if we don't like the subpoenas that the U.S. attorney
21:30
is handing down, we'll just disqualify the U.S. attorney. We'll claim that they weren't properly
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installed, appointed, and we'll render them virtually useless. Lindsey Halligan's dismissal
21:44
as Virginia's top federal prosecutor resulted in the tossing of indictments against
21:48
James and former FBI Director James Comey. Remember this a few weeks ago?
21:53
This week, a federal judge ordered Halligan to explain why she continues to call herself the U.S.
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attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, despite another judge in November determining
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that she was unlawfully appointed to the role. Again, it's just turning these political appointees
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into issues that, I mean, we've never seen this done before. We've never seen a group of U.S.
22:19
attorneys appointed by a sitting president be disqualified. This is what you get when you have
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a bunch of federal judges who are political activists. Your comments are welcome on the
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As we wrap up another week on today's show, uh, let's talk just a bit about a little cable news
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drama that says a lot more about politics and media culture than it does about whatever show
24:01
invitation kicked this off. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in the headlines
24:07
after blowing up at a producer from Jesse Waters prime time, accusing Mr. Waters of being in her
24:15
words, a pervert and claiming that he had sexualized and harassed her on air. What sparked
24:22
it? A producer did what producers do. He tried to book a guest. That's it. That's the setup.
24:29
But instead of a polite, no, thank you. This turned into a full on confrontation caught on
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camera with AOC unloading on the producer and then storming off. He has sexualized me on his
24:41
show. He has sexually harassed me on his show. He has engaged in horrific, sexually exploitative.
24:51
It is true. It is true because he accused me of sleeping of wanting to quote unquote sleep with
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Stephen Miller. So why don't you tell me what you think is acceptable to tell a woman? Thank you.
25:01
And there she goes storming off into the night. Now AOC says this all goes back to a comment
25:09
that Jesse waters made last year on the five, where he joked that she wanted to sleep with
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Stephen Miller after she had publicly mocked Miller, including comments about his appearance.
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Waters remark was clearly sarcastic. It was snarky like Jesse waters can be. I mean,
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that's, that's part of the, the, the appeal and it was meant to provoke AOC. That's his brand.
25:34
Anyone who's watched Fox news and Jesse waters for more than five minutes, you know, that AOC
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now says that comment crossed the line into sexual harassment and that water sexualized her on air.
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Her exact message to the producer, as you heard, you don't get to do that. And then ask me to be
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on your show. Fair enough. She doesn't have to go on any show. She doesn't want to, no one's
25:58
entitled to her time, but here's where this gets a bit interesting. Let's rewind before waters ever
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made the comment, AOC publicly mocked Stephen Miller, calling him a clown, taking shots at
26:12
his height, engaging in exactly the kind of personal appearance-based ridicule that she
26:18
or her allies usually say is unacceptable. When the backlash hit, she pivoted. Suddenly it was,
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I don't believe in body shaming, love the short King community. So here's the question for
26:30
listeners. If mocking someone's appearance on social media is okay until it isn't where exactly
26:39
is that line? Because the same Congresswoman who dissed it out is now arguing that sarcastic
26:45
commentary, uh, in response to, uh, to these types of things constitutes horrific, sexually exploitive
26:52
rhetoric in her words. That's a stretch. I think most voters can see it. Am I, am I all face here?
27:00
Text me, email me, Joey, joey Hudson.com. Leave me a message on the, my pillow message line.
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me a message, but I'd love to hear from you. Uh, another reality check here though. Cable news
27:26
is not a safe space. Shows like Jesse waters are built around confrontation,
27:32
commentary, sarcasm, pushing buttons. That's not a secret. It's the business model.
27:40
AOC herself is no stranger to sharp rhetoric. She's the queen of sharp rhetoric. She's gone
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after conservatives, media figures, political opponents with plenty of heat over the years,
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often cheered on by the same people. Now clutching pearls over this exchange,
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you don't get to play hardball every day and then demand softball rules.
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When the pitch comes back at you, that's not harassment. That's just simply politics.
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Now, after storming off, AOC took two X to cap things off with a line that went viral on the
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left. You can either be a pervert or ask me to be on your little show. Not both. It's a punchy line.
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It plays well online. It feeds her base. But again, notice the mood. It's not about resolving
28:27
anything. It's about framing herself as a victim. She's the victim. Again, big old Jesse waters
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came after her, sexualized her on air. She's trying to rally the supporters, avoid engagement
28:41
with the media she can't control. And that's fine. She's allowed to do that.
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But let's not pretend this was some brave stand against abuse. It was a political decision
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wrapped in her language, with her rules. The whole episode is less about Jesse Waters
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and more about a pattern that we are seeing over and over. You say provocative things.
29:06
You mock opponents personally. When criticized, redefine criticism as harassment. Use outrage to
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avoid debate. I mean, it's kind of the same thing that they often accuse President Donald Trump of.
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You agree? I mean, this works online. It raises money. It keeps the spotlight where you want it.
29:26
But for regular Americans watching at home, it just looks like Washington drama,
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ego colliding with ego. And when you're in on Capitol Hill, you got a lot of egos around.
29:37
So AOC didn't have to go on Jesse water show. We all admit that we accept that she didn't even
29:44
have to respond. She didn't have to even stop and talk to this producer. By the way, this happened
29:50
out on the street just outside of the Capitol. She was just walking by when this producer with
29:55
his microphone and camera happened to catch her out on the sidewalk. She didn't have to stop. She
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didn't have to engage many times. Members of Congress just walk right by. They never comment.
30:07
But choosing to escalate to accuse and then victory lap on social media tells you exactly
30:13
what this was really about. AOC wants to control the narrative. This was all about AOC. And she
30:22
likes to make up the rules as she goes. If the rules don't suit her, then she changes the rules
30:28
to suit her. We've seen this over and over. We've seen this from the day she stepped from behind
30:34
that bar as a bartender and decided to run for the U.S. House, which, by the way, still blows me
30:41
away that the people in that district would elect a bartender to represent them in the U.S. House
30:46
of Representatives and keep electing her, re-electing her, even after they learn just
30:54
what type of representative she is, how she loves to be in the spotlight. She loves to be in the
30:59
headlines. She loves to be part of the squad. Although, have you noticed that we don't hear
31:03
a lot about the squad anymore? Has the squad kind of gone out of favor? Has that sort of become old
31:09
hat? Because really, when was the last time you heard someone mention the squad? Now, you see some
31:14
of them as individuals. You see Ilhan Omar, with all the stuff going on in Minnesota, she's been
31:22
out front, but not as a member of the squad necessarily, just as a representative from that
31:28
area of the country that has fraud in the billions of dollars while she's in office,
31:35
just right there in front of her. Look, again, let's get back to the fact that cable news hosts
31:42
provoke politicians' posture. And somewhere in the middle, voters roll their eyes and either watch,
31:51
or guess what? You can click and change the channel. You don't have to watch, right?
31:57
I mean, that's my take. I'm curious, what do you think? Was this harassment? Is AOC right?
32:02
Did Jesse Waters politically harass her, or is this just politics as usual in the media age?
32:09
Love to get your take. Text me, email me, joeyjoeyhudson.com.
32:14
On our guest line, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Ebbett. Welcome, and Merry Christmas and Happy
32:18
New Year. It seems like it's been forever since we've caught up. It has been forever, Joey,
32:24
especially in the world we live in. From day to day, it could seem like a million things happen,
32:28
but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and everybody listening. We're back at it. We've
32:35
already crossed the threshold of 2026, and man, the excitement didn't stop, did it? We had no time
32:43
to just take in the new year. I tell you, it's been a busy, busy time for sure. Things turned
32:51
deadly yesterday morning in Minneapolis, and I'm sure like all of us, you probably have watched
32:57
some of the various video being circulated. What's your initial thoughts?
33:02
You know, my initial thoughts are people have got to stop thinking that they can go into battle with
33:10
our law enforcement officers. I watch these things unfold, and you know you're asking for a tragedy
33:20
to happen. I was watching a video from yesterday where a young gentleman was jumping in front of
33:30
one of the ICE vehicles, pushing on it like he could stop it. It's like you're not Superman.
33:36
You're not the Incredible Hulk. It's icy. It's snowy. Who jumps in front of a vehicle,
33:44
of any vehicle, thinking that danger is not going to happen? I don't know the mentality
33:50
of these rioters where they are literally putting their own lives and the lives of our law enforcement
33:58
officers at risk for bad behavior. You're not going to stop what their mission, their job is.
34:07
They're doing their job, like stand back. They're pushing on police. They're throwing stuff in front
34:15
of them. It's always a tragedy when somebody loses their lives, but leaders like Tim Walz
34:24
and other Democrat leaders, we see so many of Congress now stepping out and talking about this,
34:32
saying go out there and protest. Go out there and fight back. They're inciting, and honestly,
34:39
I believe the blood is on their hands. I couldn't believe it yesterday when
34:45
Governor Walz literally said it's your patriotic duty to protest the Trump administration. After
34:52
the shooting happened yesterday, is he not encouraging more trouble?
34:59
Obviously, that governor is completely out of touch. His patriotic duty was to protect the
35:06
nine billion dollars of taxpayer money that he was entrusted to and the people he put within
35:13
his cabinet. That was his patriotic duty. Before he starts lecturing the rest of the world on what
35:19
it means to be a good patriot, he better take a look at his own actions and reflect. Minnesota is
35:27
a dumpster fire right now between the rioting, the fraud. Honestly, I listened to JD Vance last
35:37
night, and I've obviously listened to the president. This is just the tip of it. What
35:42
they're going to find when it comes to these healthcare companies that they've opened,
35:46
where the dollars are a lot bigger, and just across the country in various states
35:54
that now they're pinpointing in on, I hope that we see a lot of arrests. I think these arrests
36:00
have to come swiftly. We have now got to start setting the level of consequence that unfortunately
36:09
bad actors haven't seen during the years of the Biden administration, where everybody could get
36:15
away with just everything and anything. Well, the only thing that Governor Walz has done
36:23
is make the decision to not run for re-election, to drop out of that race. That's the only
36:29
responsible thing he has done. Let's talk for a minute about the fraud. I mean, it's just crazy
36:36
what we're seeing here, and for a young 23-year-old to uncover this. I mean,
36:43
so from your standpoint, having been in the executive level of South Carolina government
36:49
as Lieutenant Governor, and with me today, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evatt, what can
36:54
be done at the state level to prevent these types of things from happening?
36:59
So, you know, it's oversight. Any time the government is giving somebody money, I'm sure
37:05
every single one of your listeners want to make sure that there's some kind of follow-up.
37:10
And, you know, we heard that in Minnesota. I listened to somebody that owned a daycare center
37:16
that was just appalled because she said, I have, you know, I have people from the state walking in
37:23
here all the time looking at my records, looking at the conditions of the center. You know, they
37:28
come unannounced most times. You know, that's why when everybody says, well, do you think this is
37:33
just something that fell through the cracks or were people just turning a blind eye? You know,
37:39
here in South Carolina, we do have a lot of oversight. You know, we have an amazing program
37:44
called First Steps. And, you know, First Steps has an overseeing body that looks and marks. And
37:53
I can proudly tell people that I have gone and read at First Steps centers all over the state,
38:00
and they have been filled with children, as they should have been. And I think this is just
38:05
something for the public, too. You know, it was amazing when Nick Shirley was going around
38:11
looking at these centers. He was talking to people that lived in the area and saying, hey,
38:16
have you ever seen, like, I guess that's a good lesson for all of us. If you see a sign pop up
38:21
somewhere for anything, and you never see any activity, maybe it's a good thing to call into
38:30
one of the agencies and say, hey, you know, is this really happening? And, you know, it's kind
38:36
of like after 9-11. If you see something, say something. And we ended up, you know,
38:42
stopping a whole lot of terrorist activity. Maybe that's just in general. And, you know,
38:47
I think back about being young, a little, really. You couldn't do anything. I don't know about you,
38:53
Joey, but if you did something bad down the block, by the time you got home, you were in trouble.
38:59
Everybody talked to each other. And you knew your neighbors, and you knew what was going on.
39:05
And we have to get back to that time where neighbors are watching out for each other,
39:10
that we're in it together. And we're not, it's not that I'm trying to tattle on your child. It's not
39:16
like I'm trying to, I'm just trying to tell you what I see. And if we all take a step back and
39:22
real and kind of, I'm starting to sound like my mom, Joey, you know, the good old days,
39:28
where we all helped each other out. And it wasn't personal. It's because we all realized that when
39:32
all of our kids did the right thing, it was good for all of us. When our neighborhoods were safe,
39:38
that was good for all of us. When, you know, when we were talking and communicating and working
39:44
together, that's when we're strong is when we're united. Yeah. Well, it's just, uh, what,
39:50
what a way to start 2026. And, and, you know, I mean, there's so many things we could spend hours
39:57
just talking about what is happening in Minnesota and particularly around Minneapolis. I mean,
40:03
in addition to, uh, what, uh, Nick sailors, uh, uncovered, I mean, you had the Hilton hotel
40:10
fiasco. I mean, you, you would think that people would be a little more sensitive to this kind of
40:14
thing now, but you know, uh, the guy walks in and, and, uh, and ask, well, you know, I've got,
40:20
I need 10 rooms and, you know, he, he's pulling up on his phone where they had more than 10 rooms
40:26
available. And the guy says, no, we don't rent rooms to ice. And, um, I mean, just crazy stuff
40:31
like that, things that you'd never think would happen in today's time. Well, again, I think it's
40:38
because there's never been consequences. And we, we, we've seen this on all different levels,
40:44
you know, consequences are, you know, as a parent, what we do with our kids,
40:49
uh, you know, we've seen career criminals just walking in and out because they're, you know,
40:54
especially in blue States where, you know, crime just didn't matter. It was a revolving door.
41:00
And when you don't, when you feel like you can do anything and get away with anything,
41:04
people tend to do that, right? Human nature, they're kind of pushing, they're pushing the
41:08
limits. And that's something we have to stop. And I commend president Trump. He has said from
41:14
the beginning that he would root out waste, fraud, and abuse. And I stand behind that a hundred
41:19
percent. Um, you know, Joey, it's no secret to your listeners. I'm running for governor. It's
41:24
a big part of my platform. We have to make sure that when citizens entrust us with their money,
41:30
that we're doing everything we can to make sure it's going for exactly what they're saying it's
41:35
going for. And we're using it and the most efficient and effective way. Yeah. Well, it's,
41:40
uh, it's crazy and doesn't look like it's going to get any better anytime soon. Uh, let let's talk
41:46
about some South Carolina issues. Of course, the legislature back in session next week. Uh,
41:53
what are some of the key issues you're going to be watching?
41:56
So, you know, I think, you know, we're going to have to continue to work on energy. Um, we need
42:01
to make sure that we are poised for the future, that we are keeping it affordable and reliable.
42:06
Um, you know, as always working on our roads and bridges and transportation, uh, you saw that the
42:13
governor, uh, put out a statement and our executive budget, he'll be asking for $1.1 billion. And
42:21
that's something as a business person, I have tried to convey, um, in my role as lieutenant
42:26
governor is that time is money. And, you know, this is, I think the one thing that business people
42:31
get, um, really frustrated with when they're dealing with bureaucrats is that if you are
42:38
dealing with people who have always been in the government, um, and they've never been here on
42:43
the private sector where that old adage time is money, uh, is reality for you, then you just don't
42:50
understand it. And, you know, I was, I couldn't have been more proud of the governor because that
42:54
is something I've been saying. Anytime I try to help businesses out within our cabinets,
42:59
when they have issues, it's like, come on, everybody, let's realize the time is money
43:03
and private sector doesn't have an ever ending book. Yeah. So, um, that's what, that is the
43:11
whole theory behind really pumping money and let's get everybody working on these roads.
43:16
Roads are always going to be an issue. I try to tell people a little tongue in cheek,
43:21
it's like painting your house, right? You paint the first room and it looks great. And by the
43:26
time you paint all the other rooms in the outside, you get back to the first room. It's time to paint
43:30
it again. Yeah. So roads are, it's a never ending project. Like again, like keeping up with your
43:36
home, but you know, we have got to, um, stop congestion. We've got to make sure our bridges
43:43
are safe and you know, you'll see a big level of commitment on that. I hope to see the fact
43:49
that we get universal school choice, um, finally done with. So parents can definitely guide the
43:55
educational outcomes of their children. I think that's something you're going to see heavy.
44:00
And we ended the year in tort reform and, um, you know, the, the president of the Senate,
44:06
Thomas Alexander, um, Merle Smith, the speaker of the house, the governor and I, we all sat there
44:12
and said, listen, we, we started something that people never thought would ever get addressed in
44:19
the general assembly. And it did. And all of us vowed that it would not end there, that we would,
44:25
we would see, um, that this last, you know, um, that we would continue to move the ball down the
44:34
pipe. We want to make sure that we are keeping South Carolinians safe if they are injured by
44:40
no fault of their own. Uh, but we also want to make sure that we, um, aren't hurting our
44:46
businesses in the process. So, you know, there is a balance. We got to be able to walk and
44:50
chew gum at the same time. So I think you'll be seeing some of that happen this year also. So,
44:56
uh, you know, speaker Smith was at first Monday. Uh, I went and saw him. He was very optimistic.
45:03
Uh, and I liked his message that there are a lot of positive things going on
45:08
that will continue in the general assembly and that he was really happy, uh, to be able to work
45:13
with the governor and that we have made an environment where South Carolina could continue
45:18
to grow and we could all work together to make sure that the people of South Carolina were happy.
45:23
Yeah. Lieutenant governor Pamela Evans is our guest today. Um, let's just pause on tort reform
45:30
because that is an issue that, uh, we talked about a lot last year and there was some, uh,
45:36
progress there. Uh, but you know, business owners, bar and tavern, uh, restaurant owners
45:42
say that there's more work to be done. Are there any specifics on what you'd like to see happen
45:47
there? So we have to figure out a way to get more insurance companies back into our market
45:54
because, you know, I can remember when I was on the private sector side, we went through a period
45:58
of time where workers comp agencies were, you know, insurance companies were kind of moving out
46:04
of the state and I can remember them telling me, you know, Hey, um, you can grow in all the other
46:09
States you're in, but you can't take on any more new premium here. And that's hard when you're a
46:14
business owner, you're trying to grow cause that's the name of the game. So, you know, you know,
46:19
there was some changes made then to where, you know, um, insurance companies wanted to come back
46:26
into the market and let's face it, they stabilize, you know, the more carriers you have, the more
46:32
rates will stabilize or go down because there's competition is good. So, you know, but we need to
46:38
get the insurance companies to the table and they need to tell us what it exactly is within reason
46:45
that they want to continue to stabilize rates here, um, to make an environment that they're
46:51
willing to play in. But, you know, everybody likes to just villainize the attorneys. You can't just
46:57
villainize them. Insurance companies have to sit down and get specific on what is giving them
47:02
heartburn about our state. And that's something Speaker Smith talked about. And, you know, we'd
47:07
like to see this session, insurance companies sit down at the table and try to tell us while they're,
47:13
why they're having record years, um, and why rates are still going up. So, uh, you know, I, I think
47:20
it's, it's good never to villainize anybody, but to get everybody at the table to work together.
47:25
And I think you'll see that this year. Yep. Lieutenant governor, Pamela Abbott, one more
47:29
final question for you. Uh, I was speaking with Drew McKissick the other day, chairman of the
47:34
South Carolina Republican party. One of the items on his list, top of his list is, uh, is closing
47:42
the primaries. And we've talked about this for a lot. Uh, Drew said something pretty interesting
47:48
the other day when he said that if the legislature does not pass this this year, that the party has
47:55
the executive committee recently passed a resolution, the party is ready to move forward
48:00
with filing suit against the state. Do you think primaries that we'll get some action on this,
48:05
this legislation, this session? You know, Joey, I would hope so. I mean, you know, what I tell
48:13
people all the time is we got to get out and vote, right? Let's close our primaries. But the president
48:21
really keyed in on this in his last election is we have to make it too big to Rick. And he kept
48:28
saying that over and over again. And by making it too big to Rick, it means everybody needs to get
48:33
out and vote, you know, get educated on who the people are that are running because you gotta have
48:40
the resume to do the job. Um, and so take a little time because you're going to get exactly
48:46
what you vote for. And we've seen that. You see that in blue States. I mean, we talked about it
48:51
at the beginning of this segment with, you know, um, corruption, you know, incompetence and, you
48:59
know, we look at who you're electing, make sure that they have the ability to do the job and to
49:05
do it well, and then get out there and vote, get involved. 13% is not acceptable. And at 13%,
49:13
um, you know, we can close our primaries. We can go to paper ballots. I'm willing to do whatever
49:19
gives people motivated to actually get up off their couches, schedule it in and get out and
49:26
vote. June 9th is the primary market on your calendar today. They have two weeks to ahead
49:33
of time to vote with your ID at a polling location. There's no excuses that you can't
49:39
get there and get it done. Yeah. Uh, all good stuff. And yes, it is going to be a busy,
49:45
busy year and, uh, we'll be right in there in the middle of it the whole time. Lieutenant
49:50
governor Pamela Abbott, always good to talk with you. Take, uh, take care, Joey. Always great to
49:56
talk to you. I missed you guys. And again, happy new year. 2026 is going to be a great year.
50:01
That's it for today's edition of just the truth. Thanks for joining me in the PhD weight loss
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