Latest / The Hot Line w/ Jeff Graham / September 16, 2026

Transcript

September 16, 2026 · The Hot Line w/ Jeff Graham

0:00
[SPEAKER_17]: M-1240, W-A-T-N, Water-Tell, depend on it.
0:09
[SPEAKER_20]: ABC News, I'm Sherry Preston.
0:11
[SPEAKER_20]: We're all still shopping.
0:12
[SPEAKER_20]: Even as prices go up, the Commerce Department says retail sales last month were up 1.2% nearly twice what was expected.
0:19
[SPEAKER_20]: ABC's Jim Ryan with more.
0:21
[SPEAKER_12]: Retail food and service sales last month approached 774 billion dollars.
0:25
[SPEAKER_12]: A 1.2% surge from the month before and eclipsing economists expectations.
0:30
[SPEAKER_12]: The number rose 6% between August of 2025 and last month.
0:35
[SPEAKER_12]: The Fed will reserve its likely to consider the numbers as it decides whether to raise interest rates as a way to cool inflation.
0:40
[SPEAKER_20]: The Fed is expected to raise rates for the first time in three years when it wraps up its two-day September meeting this afternoon.
0:47
[SPEAKER_20]: The investigations underway into what caused the deadly helicopter crash in Los Angeles last night.
0:52
[SPEAKER_20]: A news chopper went down killing the reporter and pilot on board as well as a person on the ground.
0:57
[SPEAKER_20]: The family of Charlie Kirk has filed an notice that it intends to sue Utah Valley University where the conservative activist was shot and killed by a year.
1:05
[SPEAKER_20]: This is ABC News.
1:07
[SPEAKER_20]: Doctors in St. Louis are announcing a successful surgery to separate two little girls from Ethiopia born joined at the head.
1:14
[SPEAKER_20]: Here's ABC's Rina Roy.
1:16
[SPEAKER_22]: It took doctors that Cardinal Glenn and Children's Hospital more than 24 hours to separate two-year-old sisters, Hyab and Will Hubto earlier this year.
1:25
[SPEAKER_22]: Now describing the complex procedures, doctors say they put virtual reality tools to work as well using 3D printing.
1:32
[SPEAKER_22]: One of the girls has already had a cranial plate attached to her head, so she doesn't need a helmet anymore.
1:37
[SPEAKER_22]: The other will have the same surgery soon.
1:39
[SPEAKER_22]: Twins born joined at the head are rare, just one out of every two to half million live birds.
1:45
[SPEAKER_22]: And there have only ever been around 60 successful separations.
1:49
[SPEAKER_20]: Rina Roy, ABC News John F. Kennedy's niece, Maria Schreiber, calling President Trump small-minded and narcissistic for insisting that his name be put on the Kennedy Center even after a federal judge said, no, the Kennedy Center board picked by Trump closed.
2:03
[SPEAKER_20]: The facility for renovations.
2:05
[SPEAKER_20]: This is ABC News.
2:07
[SPEAKER_03]: Man, I love this place.
2:10
[SPEAKER_03]: I've been circling here since I was a kid.
2:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Now, see my grandson out on the water.
2:15
[SPEAKER_03]: It means everything to me.
2:17
[SPEAKER_03]: Watching him and taking in the blue waves, the sea breeze, the blurry horizon.
2:23
[SPEAKER_21]: If you have geographic atrophy or GA, subtle changes in vision could mean it's progressing toward irreversible vision loss.
2:30
[SPEAKER_21]: Iserva is proven to slow GA progression, and could help preserve your vision for longer, so you may keep seeing the world around you.
2:37
[SPEAKER_21]: Iserva or a vassant-capted piglet is an eye injection.
2:40
[SPEAKER_21]: Don't take it if you have an infection or act of swelling in or around your eye.
2:43
[SPEAKER_21]: Iserva can cause eye infection, retinal detachment.
2:46
[SPEAKER_21]: or increased risk of wet AMD.
2:48
[SPEAKER_21]: Iserva may cause blood in the white of the eye, blurred vision, or a temporary increase in eye pressure.
2:53
[SPEAKER_21]: Do not drive or use machinery until vision has recovered after an eye injection or exam.
2:58
[SPEAKER_21]: Ask your retina specialist how you can slow your GA with Iserva.
3:01
[SPEAKER_21]: To learn more, call 1-855-Iserva, or go to Iserva.com, paid for by a Stella's Pharma.
3:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm Tammy Nebelwana.
3:08
[SPEAKER_01]: For years, I've worked alongside the people of the 117th listening, solving problems and getting results.
3:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Now I'm ready to get to work in Albany.
3:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll fight to make New York more affordable.
3:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Keep our communities safe and make sure decisions that belong here stay here.
3:23
[SPEAKER_01]: There's no substitute for experience in your career in your community or in life.
3:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm day one, ready, and I am excited to represent you in the New York State Assembly.
3:37
[SPEAKER_15]: 75 trucks and 75 SUVs during truck and SUV season had witch-a-gottle sales to use car leader.
3:43
[SPEAKER_15]: From a 2022 ram limited truck it just 41998 to a loaded 2016 Toyota Tundra, just 26998 and everything in between.
3:48
[SPEAKER_15]: About a 2022 Durango priced at 3995 to a 2018 Toyota RAV4, just 16998 and everything in between.
4:00
[SPEAKER_15]: The 75 trucks and 75 SUVs only at Widger-Cuttle Sails to use car leader on auto-watching history.
4:06
[SPEAKER_17]: The ACU weather forecast on AM-1240 WATN is sponsored by Heringer's Contracting, the Roof People, who call you back.
4:14
[SPEAKER_25]: Tonight expect partly to mostly cloudy skies with a chance of a thunder shower in spots on a low temperature of 58.
4:19
[SPEAKER_25]: Tomorrow we'll bring mostly cloudy conditions for the couple of showers in a thunderstorm possible reaching a high of 74.
4:24
[SPEAKER_25]: Tomorrow night we'll be partly cloudy with a low of 54 by Friday and anticipate partly sunny skies and lower humidity levels with a high temperature of 68.
4:31
[SPEAKER_25]: With your accurate weather forecast, I'm meteorologist Joe Lundberg on the news and talk authority AM1240 WATN.
4:44
[SPEAKER_17]: sponsored by Herringers Contracting, the roof people who call you back, L.A. quarry, the destination for all your crushed limestone in the north country, and water town appliance, the proud studio sponsor for the hotline with Jeff Graham.
4:57
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, the hotline with Jeff Graham is right here.
4:59
[SPEAKER_05]: Good afternoon, you're one and all, and not a bad day out there, kind of warm.
5:04
[SPEAKER_05]: Summer continues.
5:04
[SPEAKER_05]: It needs still summer, so that's no big deal.
5:08
[SPEAKER_05]: Christmas.
5:09
[SPEAKER_05]: What happened to Christmas?
5:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Usually, it's the Republicans and Fox News complaining about the war on Christmas.
5:17
[SPEAKER_05]: I guess the tables are flipped now.
5:19
[SPEAKER_05]: I don't know, we're not going to have a Christmas parade.
5:22
[SPEAKER_05]: The mayor says, I don't want my kid out in a cold and snow.
5:28
[SPEAKER_05]: Then, Councilman Jones says, raise your own money.
5:32
[SPEAKER_05]: You know, a cost of a Christmas.
5:33
[SPEAKER_05]: Those are incidentals to run in government.
5:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Putting up her grants.
5:37
[SPEAKER_05]: Whatever they do.
5:38
[SPEAKER_05]: You know, you just get those things done as part of the schedule.
5:42
[SPEAKER_05]: But we like to make it.
5:43
[SPEAKER_05]: It's, well, can we find the money for it, like they're doing as some favor?
5:46
[SPEAKER_05]: I don't care if there's Christmas parade or not.
5:48
[SPEAKER_05]: I went to several of them over the years, got some pictures of them, I put them on my blog, I didn't even want a picture of Santa holding a little girl, but her mommy dressed her up for the cold, but I don't know, it's, you know, there is another viewpoint.
6:02
[SPEAKER_05]: The idea of these things are pass A and, you know, the little thing they have at the library with Santa Claus and kids, that's a good idea though, you don't have to worry
6:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Obviously, there's going to be a tree lighting.
6:16
[SPEAKER_05]: It's in front of City Hall, I guess now.
6:18
[SPEAKER_05]: So things change.
6:20
[SPEAKER_05]: You can't expect everything to be as it was.
6:25
[SPEAKER_05]: So those are the two viewpoints.
6:27
[SPEAKER_05]: You take your pick on what you want.
6:32
[SPEAKER_05]: We were hoping for a guest today, but so far, no guest.
6:34
[SPEAKER_05]: But a lot of things in the news, accidents,
6:41
[SPEAKER_05]: that arrest out in Dexter's kind of disturbing the guy with all the alleged trial pornography files on the download.
6:48
[SPEAKER_05]: He was already already a convict in a similar charge.
6:51
[SPEAKER_05]: I was stupid as that.
6:57
[SPEAKER_05]: Other things going on.
6:59
[SPEAKER_05]: When we talked about the solar panel, we talked about a lot of stuff yesterday.
7:02
[SPEAKER_05]: But whatever you want to talk about, we'll do, okay?
7:05
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm going to take a break right now and we'll be back
7:09
[SPEAKER_14]: You know, bad websites are wild.
7:12
[SPEAKER_14]: Don't I mean, some websites have sliders moving in five directions.
7:16
[SPEAKER_14]: I'm not browsing.
7:17
[SPEAKER_14]: I'm trying to survive.
7:20
[SPEAKER_14]: You know, once I make click contact us and got a PDF, a PDF.
7:25
[SPEAKER_14]: I mean, who are you?
7:28
[SPEAKER_14]: And stock photos.
7:29
[SPEAKER_14]: Wow, why does every bad website have the same guy in a head said, spy like an absolutely nothing?
7:34
[SPEAKER_14]: Who is he?
7:36
[SPEAKER_14]: What does he do?
7:37
[SPEAKER_14]: Why is he everywhere?
7:39
[SPEAKER_14]: You know, the sad part, most business owners don't even realize their website is the punchline.
7:44
[SPEAKER_14]: You know, while they're losing customers, their contact form is playing hide and seek.
7:48
[SPEAKER_14]: And their home page loads like it's powered by dial-up internet.
7:53
[SPEAKER_13]: Your website should build confidence.
7:55
[SPEAKER_13]: I'm material for stand-up comedy.
7:57
[SPEAKER_13]: Talk to a webbie at Kaufflin before your customers laugh their way to a competitor.
8:01
[SPEAKER_13]: Visit online.
8:02
[SPEAKER_13]: Kaufflin.co.
8:04
[SPEAKER_13]: That's Kaufflin.co.
8:06
[SPEAKER_13]: Thank you.
8:06
[SPEAKER_13]: You've been a great audience.
8:07
[SPEAKER_13]: Good night.
8:09
[SPEAKER_10]: Some SUVs are built for the grocery store, but the 2026 Mitsubishi Allander Trail edition looks like it took the scenic route kidnapped.
8:17
[SPEAKER_10]: Rugged, styling, made for the North Country, blacked out attitude, ropes and clothes, the gears, and whatever you decide to do when the pavement is.
8:25
[SPEAKER_10]: Try and clear here on Outer Watch 2 Street, and the right now at an FX Caparam at the BG, qualified buyers can get 0% financing from 72 months on the new 2026 Trail of them.
8:36
[SPEAKER_10]: Yes, zero percent for six years plus America's best-back vehicles of ten-year-hundred-thousand-mile power train horn.
8:44
[SPEAKER_10]: So if you've been waiting for the right-time upgrade, this is your sign.
8:48
[SPEAKER_10]: Remember when you buy from FX Experiment Space, you're not just buying a vehicle, the name FX Cabera, that's every Mississippi TV sign.
8:56
[SPEAKER_10]: Come get zero percent financing before it's gone on the 20-26-out-aver drill.
8:59
[SPEAKER_10]: It's been
9:01
[SPEAKER_10]: at FXTheBram at the beach on Outer Watch.
9:03
[SPEAKER_10]: And check us out online at FXTheBc.com.
9:06
[SPEAKER_10]: We'll see you at the walk.
9:09
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm Cassie Robbins-Forris, a Lewis County native, a mom, a public servant, and I'm running for New York State District 49.
9:18
[SPEAKER_19]: I left for college and work, but I returned home to the North Country in 2009, and I've been living working and serving my community ever since.
9:27
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm not running to be a career politician.
9:29
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm running to listen because North Country families deserve a voice that listens.
9:35
[SPEAKER_19]: One that carries our rural community's voices to Albany.
9:39
[SPEAKER_19]: I'll work for better health care, stronger EMS, reliable broadband, and opportunities for our families and every community to thrive.
9:48
[SPEAKER_19]: Because I believe in the people who call the North Country home,
9:52
[SPEAKER_19]: Our future belongs to all of us, and it should be built by all of us, not just a few.
9:58
[SPEAKER_19]: All of us together.
10:00
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm Cassie Robbins' Forbids, and I'm asking for your vote.
10:04
[SPEAKER_19]: I'd be honored to have it.
10:05
[SPEAKER_04]: Paid for by the Friends of Cassie Robbins' Forbids.
10:10
[SPEAKER_17]: RIVITING RIDEO AM-1240.
10:14
[SPEAKER_17]: W-A-T-N.
10:17
[SPEAKER_17]: The news in talk authority.
10:20
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm 1240 WATN the news and talk authority and we're here on a hotline.
10:25
[SPEAKER_05]: No, I don't know.
10:26
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm told we had a guest today, I don't really know if we do or not.
10:29
[SPEAKER_05]: But whatever you want to talk about, Christmas Parades or anything else, it's all fair game right here on the hotline.
10:37
[SPEAKER_05]: The show of shows, let's see, did you want to donate to the Christmas Parade?
10:51
[SPEAKER_05]: It's a question of, do you want to have the parade or not?
10:54
[SPEAKER_05]: That really is the issue as far as this particular situation.
11:02
[SPEAKER_05]: So there's an question of $13,000 or there was a cross in the nettle of the cost of doing government.
11:10
[SPEAKER_05]: In other words, if there's a traffic accident on arsenal street right now and we have to put up barricades that we would traffic.
11:18
[SPEAKER_05]: There's probably some incidental expense in that.
11:22
[SPEAKER_05]: And that's just part of doing business.
11:25
[SPEAKER_05]: And really at Monday's council meeting, they should have said that we really want to not have a Christmas right now.
11:30
[SPEAKER_05]: And maybe they don't.
11:30
[SPEAKER_05]: The mayor might be right.
11:32
[SPEAKER_05]: She said on Channel 7, right to Jeff Cole, himself I understand.
11:37
[SPEAKER_05]: She was speaking to, you know, whatever.
11:40
[SPEAKER_05]: And she doesn't really want to take her kid out in the cold and snow.
11:47
[SPEAKER_05]: And I understand that.
11:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Kids are susceptible.
11:50
[SPEAKER_05]: I know I watched a Christmas story when they had to bundle up that kid.
11:55
[SPEAKER_05]: And all of that, so I don't know, I mean we've got a bunch of people just came in, so I don't know.
12:09
[SPEAKER_05]: I guess I'll do a break and then we'll come back with a congressional candidate trying to be in the back of just a moment.
12:16
[SPEAKER_06]: Anthony Constantino is an outsider, a businessman who started with nothing and built an upstate company that created more than a thousand jobs.
12:23
[SPEAKER_06]: He's funding his own campaign so he won't take money from lobbyists, special interest or political bosses.
12:29
[SPEAKER_06]: The fake news media has tried to destroy him with phony poles, smears and personal attacks.
12:34
[SPEAKER_06]: In Washington, Anthony will fight to lower cost, cut regulations, improve sell and internet service.
12:41
[SPEAKER_06]: stand-up for veterans and farmers and protect your constitutional rights.
12:45
[SPEAKER_06]: On your second amendment rights, Constantino has earned the National Rifle Associations endorsement and his highest rating.
12:52
[SPEAKER_06]: The National Rifle Association calls his opponent, Blake Gendabene, a true enemy of gun owners' rights.
12:58
[SPEAKER_06]: Gendabene is endorsed by Kathy Hopel and Chuck Schumer, and they're propping up his campaign.
13:03
[SPEAKER_06]: Constantino can't be bought and can't be bossed.
13:07
[SPEAKER_06]: Anthony Constantino, nobody's man but yours.
13:10
[SPEAKER_06]: I'm Anthony Gazzantino and I approve this message paid for by Constantine O. for Congress.
13:15
[SPEAKER_00]: It's back the city of Watertown Harvest Festival.
13:19
[SPEAKER_00]: It's coming to the Alex Duffy Fairgrounds October 2, 3rd and 4.
13:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Enjoy carnival rides, great food, live music, the books march, and a beer garden for the grown-ups.
13:32
[SPEAKER_00]: October 2, 3rd and 4.
13:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Harvest Festival presented by David Sun Otto Group at the Alex Duffy Fairgrounds.
13:42
[SPEAKER_00]: It's back!
13:43
[SPEAKER_00]: The city of Watatown, how this festival is?
13:46
[SPEAKER_11]: Last year, more than 3,000 people came out for the city of Watatown's harvest festival, and you can have your own booth and be a vendor, spaces are available right now.
13:55
[SPEAKER_11]: So, if you own a small business, then you can be in front of thousands of people at this year's harvest festival.
14:01
[SPEAKER_11]: Friday Saturday and Sunday, October 2nd, 3rd and 4th, at the Alex Duffy Fairgrounds.
14:06
[SPEAKER_11]: Get your business in front of the crowd by calling 315-782-1240.
14:11
[SPEAKER_11]: Reserve your spot by calling 315-782-1240.
14:14
[SPEAKER_24]: Hi, I'm State Senator Mark Wallsick.
14:18
[SPEAKER_24]: There is nowhere on Earth quite like upstate New York, from our natural resources and landscapes to the grit and determination of our hard-working families.
14:27
[SPEAKER_24]: I am incredibly proud to represent seven beautiful counties.
14:31
[SPEAKER_24]: But your utility bill is too high.
14:34
[SPEAKER_24]: Tax bill too big and the return on your hard work squandered in Albany.
14:40
[SPEAKER_24]: Our state government has lost its way and New York has been a leader in what not to do.
14:46
[SPEAKER_24]: One party rule has created a severe imbalance of power.
14:49
[SPEAKER_24]: Nobody elected me to manage the decline of our great state and I'm fighting every single day to bring balance back to state government.
14:58
[SPEAKER_24]: Please know that when you vote to send me back to Albany, you're hiring a Patriot who's not afraid to speak up for you and stand up against policies that make it harder for you to earn a living.
15:09
[SPEAKER_24]: I appreciate your vote for me, Senator Mark Walsek.
15:13
[SPEAKER_24]: Paid for by Friends of Walsek.
15:15
[SPEAKER_17]: The news and talk authority, W-E-T-A-M-1240.
15:22
[SPEAKER_17]: It's all you need to know.
15:25
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, good afternoon.
15:26
[SPEAKER_05]: You want to know all we have in our studio, Blake Jen Dubene, who is the Democratic candidate for Congress in the 21st congressional district.
15:33
[SPEAKER_05]: That's the staphonic district, includes part of Jefferson, all of Lewis, St. Lawrence, and a bunch of other counties, but many of our listeners certainly in St. Lawrence County are in that district.
15:44
[SPEAKER_05]: Now, and you're running against Republican Anthony Constantino.
15:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Have we set the stage, Mr. Jen Dubene there?
15:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you did a good job.
15:51
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.
15:52
[SPEAKER_05]: There you go.
15:54
[SPEAKER_02]: they say on the commercial simple farmers at your commercial or who's I think he refers to as a simple farmer does he know I wouldn't call any farmer simple yeah I wouldn't do that where chemists were hardworking people we have to understand the the ground we have to understand our plants we have to understand our animals we have to understand the environment we have to predict the weather we have to manage employees we have to run our books and handle our business I have a lot of respect for farmers because it's a
16:24
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, he says he does all that making stickers.
16:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I'll tell you what, making food and making stickers are two different things.
16:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that the contrast between our two campaigns is really, really clear.
16:37
[SPEAKER_05]: Now, you've been taking some folks at him in your commercials.
16:40
[SPEAKER_05]: I think you said he favors cop-gelling or something.
16:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, he certainly has printed stickers saying kill the cops, anti-Semitic stickers pointing up at the price of gas of unflattering images of Jewish people, and, of course, opening a store for an internal store selling stickers for Andrew Tate, a convicted sex offender is pretty unbecoming business practice.
17:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, but are you saying he's an anti-Semi or I have no idea, but I know he's willing to sell stickers of any kind to make money.
17:24
[SPEAKER_05]: Mm-hmm.
17:26
[SPEAKER_05]: The said you're going to lower the price of diesel.
17:30
[SPEAKER_05]: Now, diesel's a big issue.
17:31
[SPEAKER_05]: I bought it by the gas station.
17:33
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm away with six 10 and six oh nine a gallon and then regular gas was 432 up again a little bit
17:44
[SPEAKER_05]: How are you going to lower the price of diesel?
17:45
[SPEAKER_05]: I mean, you can't just wave a wand, can you?
17:48
[SPEAKER_02]: So, Mayor Jeff, in spring of 2025, our diesel price was 265.
17:56
[SPEAKER_02]: And now this past spring, it was pushing $5, it didn't hit it at the time, but it was pushing it.
18:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And so that's a nearly $2 a gallon price increase.
18:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And we buy 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel to plan our crops and harvest our crops.
18:12
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a huge, huge price increase.
18:15
[SPEAKER_02]: As a farmer, I can't ignore what my friends and neighbors in the North Country are facing.
18:20
[SPEAKER_02]: We have winter up here.
18:22
[SPEAKER_05]: But how do you lower it?
18:23
[SPEAKER_05]: I mean, that's a congressman.
18:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, well, we have to lower it because we're going to start heating our homes.
18:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And we have to, but how do you do that?
18:29
[SPEAKER_02]: The international conflicts that no one voted for, which we have congress, we have legislators.
18:36
[SPEAKER_05]: So you are against the war in Iran or whatever it is.
18:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, let me tell you, the IOTOL is a dictator and has committed horrific crimes against humanity and we could never let Iran, Iran have a nuclear weapon, but this isn't how to do it.
18:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And in rural America, here's why.
18:56
[SPEAKER_02]: How about we have a legislator from rural America?
19:01
[SPEAKER_02]: We keep letting people in from the outside that don't really know what it's like to live here.
19:05
[SPEAKER_02]: We keep letting rich people from the outside who don't know what it's like to live here.
19:11
[SPEAKER_02]: And then they don't vote in our best interest.
19:13
[SPEAKER_02]: They don't support our best interest.
19:15
[SPEAKER_02]: And I want to give you a specific example.
19:18
[SPEAKER_02]: There's nurses.
19:20
[SPEAKER_02]: There's
19:21
[SPEAKER_02]: other people that work in this district.
19:23
[SPEAKER_02]: They have to drive 50 miles to work.
19:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Then they have to drive 50 miles home.
19:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Then if their kids are like Carmen's in mind, they forget their sneakers at home, right?
19:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And then Carmen, or the mom, has to run the sneakers to school before the yellow bus leaves to go to Shada Gay, a 72 mile trip from Lisbon, New York,
19:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And if that mom wants to watch the game, she's got to drive 72 miles, and so our families are driving over 200 miles a day just to go to work and then watch a high school sporting event on $4.30 gasoline, which we just talked about.
20:01
[SPEAKER_02]: We also, in rural districts like ours, we make up just 16% of the population, yet we have forked drum.
20:10
[SPEAKER_02]: and almost 50% of our military recruits every single year come from rural districts just like ours.
20:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't you think that rural legislators should have a say in the conflicts that we send our young people to and the and the disproportionate burden that we put on rural Americans to pay for these conflicts that you are a member of a party dominated by urban legislators
20:39
[SPEAKER_05]: You have no choice.
20:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not worried about who I'm voting for, what I'm worried about is doing what's right for rural American.
20:46
[SPEAKER_05]: But it's hacking Jeffries right for rural America.
20:49
[SPEAKER_02]: What's right for rural America?
20:50
[SPEAKER_02]: What's right for New York's district is our campaign.
20:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Because we're going to work with anybody Democrats and we're Republicans to do what's right for us.
21:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I've been crisscrossing the district mayor, Jeff, for 20 to almost 22 months.
21:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And I've literally heard three things.
21:09
[SPEAKER_02]: You got to lower my costs.
21:11
[SPEAKER_02]: We have more veterans and more seniors than any other, sorry, more veterans than any other district and almost 50% of the electric electorate is made up of people over 65.
21:24
[SPEAKER_02]: They say, don't let inflation outpace my pension in my benefits.
21:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Number two, rural hospitals are closing right before our eyes.
21:33
[SPEAKER_02]: If we have time, I'll tell you about my visit with Soul Active Duty Soldiers and Fort Drum in their spouses and what's happening to there.
21:42
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, I think it's one of those hospitals.
21:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
21:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And so all of those Customs, all of those patients that we're going to Ogden'sburg.
21:51
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to Carthage.
21:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Now they can't go to Carthage anymore.
21:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Now they're putting pressure on the number of beds.
21:56
[SPEAKER_02]: It's good Samaritan.
21:57
[SPEAKER_02]: And you don't have enough health care for the active duty soldiers and their families at Fort Drum.
22:04
[SPEAKER_02]: And we are in a health care crisis right here.
22:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And Fort Drum is the only active duty military base without hospital.
22:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Fort golf course.
22:14
[SPEAKER_02]: well I don't know about that and so then the last thing getting back to my point Mayor Jeff is the last thing we heard is please work with anybody to get it done.
22:23
[SPEAKER_05]: Well one of the things he took issue with on your way in the door was the National Rifle Association which has endorsed your opponent but you say you're more of a gun person than he is.
22:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, I think that really surprised me.
22:38
[SPEAKER_02]: My wife and I both own pistol permits, and we are gun owners as a farmer.
22:43
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm a gun owner.
22:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I understand that in rural America, responsible gun ownership is part of our culture.
22:52
[SPEAKER_02]: On Thanksgiving, when Carmen and I look at Facebook on Thanksgiving, maybe in the early afternoon, half of the pictures are of our friends' families going out to hunt and the picture they took on their way out that morning to go hunt.
23:04
[SPEAKER_02]: you have handguns and we have our pistol permits yes and handguns yes so we are going to which it's we don't have a right to carry on premise and so we are going to work really hard that's because the judge up there was was didn't he issue only on premise ones required a while
23:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know those details.
23:29
[SPEAKER_02]: We only requested on premise.
23:31
[SPEAKER_02]: So then, um,
23:35
[SPEAKER_02]: going from there.
23:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I just want everybody to know that we support the second amendment.
23:40
[SPEAKER_02]: We support safe gun storage and we believe in universal background checks.
23:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, because responsible gun ownership is part of our culture here in the North country.
23:54
[SPEAKER_05]: We have a call coming and why don't we take that you got your headphones on you can here.
23:57
[SPEAKER_05]: I take you can hear well on that.
23:59
[SPEAKER_05]: But after you're doing you're on the air
24:04
[SPEAKER_27]: I felt like it was going to do to see that the senior citizens so scary and done away was from the Congress.
24:12
[SPEAKER_05]: All right, thank you, probably a common question, social security.
24:16
[SPEAKER_02]: It sure is.
24:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
24:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And I've heard from more seniors than I care to hear from saying, I guess I live too long.
24:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Inflation is outpacing my benefits.
24:26
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to hear that again.
24:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And so there has not been a bipartisan committee on the future of social security since the 80s.
24:36
[SPEAKER_05]: California.
24:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, that's interesting, was it?
24:40
[SPEAKER_05]: I think it was Tip O'Neill and Ray Gunner, so.
24:42
[SPEAKER_02]: OK, it's been a while, and so that's the point of my campaign.
24:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Is what I see is like an old sheet of paper from when we were high school students, with the blue lines in the middle and the red paint lines on the sides, all of the...
24:58
[SPEAKER_02]: politicians are operating in those margins and most of us are in the middle and we can't have bipartisan committees on very important issues like social security because we don't like each other from the start and I want to be that type of legislator is a pragmatic reflection of the North country that is will you don't like I mean Donald Trump has two more years sure you don't like him I'm not saying I don't like him I voted you voted for
25:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, yes, I voted for the Harris walls ticket.
25:32
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
25:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Agriculture.
25:33
[SPEAKER_05]: Your Democrat, I would expect.
25:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
25:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
25:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Agriculture is very important to me.
25:38
[SPEAKER_05]: Any supported Kathy Hockel in 22 was it?
25:40
[SPEAKER_05]: She was up.
25:44
[SPEAKER_02]: If I, I would have supported Kathy Hockel, yes.
25:48
[SPEAKER_05]: No, okay.
25:48
[SPEAKER_05]: All right.
25:49
[SPEAKER_05]: So you're supporting Democrats.
25:50
[SPEAKER_05]: No surprise area.
25:51
[SPEAKER_05]: You're a Democrat, right?
25:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
25:52
[SPEAKER_05]: All right.
25:53
[SPEAKER_05]: Let's take this call and see what happens.
25:55
[SPEAKER_05]: Good afternoon, you're on the air.
25:58
[SPEAKER_05]: Good, go ahead and ask your question.
26:00
[SPEAKER_07]: I've got a couple of questions that I'll hang up.
26:03
[SPEAKER_07]: Mr. GenderBean.
26:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
26:04
[SPEAKER_07]: Did you just tell yourself $30,000 of people's father-in-donation money to rent your own farm, the one at T.M.P.
26:14
[SPEAKER_07]: and so that's my first question.
26:16
[SPEAKER_07]: My second, these are very important questions.
26:19
[SPEAKER_07]: My second question is that, are you accepting the same
26:29
[UNKNOWN]: for running his campaign sir for mayor in New York City.
26:32
[SPEAKER_05]: All right, well, I ask them.
26:33
[SPEAKER_05]: Tell me the same money.
26:35
[UNKNOWN]: Are they funding your campaign?
26:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, well, I'll ask them.
26:38
[SPEAKER_05]: Obviously, well, those are plant questions, I guess, but no whole mom-domy thing, he's a big player in the Democratic Party.
26:49
[SPEAKER_02]: not in my democratic party so i'm a democrat i'm not a democratic socialist i'm a capitalist i'm a free market capitalist i have no idea who contributed to zoran mondani's campaigns what i know is that
27:04
[SPEAKER_02]: What I know is that we've raised a significant and I'm very proud of the amount of money that we've raised from over 80,000 unique donors averaging just about under $50 a donation from inside the district and outside of the district.
27:21
[SPEAKER_05]: What will you spend on this campaign?
27:24
[SPEAKER_02]: eight nine million yeah we're probably gonna spend about eight nine million consentino put uh... at least twelve million of his own dollars into this campaign in order to basically buy the seat he will not he will only be accountable to our president and i want to be accountable to every single person within new york's twenty first district well he says he makes that nobody's man but yours
27:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, I think that he will be a rubber stamp for every single policy that our president has.
27:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And I will tell everybody listening today, I am no rubber stamp.
28:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I am for New York's 21st District.
28:06
[SPEAKER_02]: I will work with Republicans or Democrats if it is what is-
28:11
[SPEAKER_02]: if it is what will help.
28:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Our veterans, our seniors, our law enforcement agents, our farmers, our small business people, and one in three households in this district, are union households.
28:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And we need to make sure that they have opportunities to work in the future development opportunities, business opportunities.
28:34
[SPEAKER_02]: And when we have these opportunities, not only will union families be successful,
28:38
[SPEAKER_05]: but every family is going to be some of the unions were mad at you the other day because they're mad at somebody because uh... constantino was in a parade in miscena the big labor day parade i guess the grand marshal was around the google or something and they they let him into a walk with the seal workers right and uh... it sounds like so we were invited to walk with i be w we've been we've been excuse me we've been endorsed by just about
29:06
[SPEAKER_02]: not every but many of the unions in the district and I don't believe Constantino has been endorsed by even one because he has signed a pledge called a right to work pledge which is meant to break unions and make it done successful.
29:21
[SPEAKER_02]: So he was it sounds like the
29:27
[SPEAKER_02]: political director for the steel workers put out a press release or something the day after the print that said Consentino was not invited to Fuck and and that's the thing about politics.
29:39
[SPEAKER_05]: So why who cares was in the parade if he wants them apparently was well received by some people So why not why not welcome everybody?
29:47
[SPEAKER_05]: Why doesn't have to be everybody's in there use a your word silo and they stay there
29:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I would say if you're endorsed by a union, it's important that you support them and you show up and you walk with them because it shows that you're going to support them, but if you're not endorsed by that union and you've signed pledges or anti-union, it might not be a good idea to be there.
30:16
[SPEAKER_05]: aren't unions the ultimate special interest group though they have obviously the interest of their members at heart.
30:22
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm not saying that's bad but if you take their endorsement they expect something just like some other donors would corporate donors.
30:29
[SPEAKER_02]: If you aren't supporting unions in New York's 20th District, I don't believe you're representing New York's 21st District the way it should be.
30:36
[SPEAKER_02]: An arising tide raises all boats, and if we have opportunities for small businesses, for our hard working union members, IBEW.
30:49
[SPEAKER_02]: teamsters and nicer and AFLCIO and CSEA and all of these people that are out plowing the roads in the middle of winter making sure our kids can get to school.
31:01
[SPEAKER_02]: These are good.
31:03
[SPEAKER_02]: living wage, high-paying jobs that we should be supporting so that we're all more successful.
31:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't you remember Mayor Jeff when the bowling alleys were full and people were having a great time?
31:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't you remember when people were playing darts?
31:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And you got to see the dart leagues, the results of the dart leagues and the newspaper?
31:23
[SPEAKER_02]: That was fun.
31:24
[SPEAKER_02]: We just don't have the jobs.
31:26
[SPEAKER_02]: We don't have the...
31:27
[SPEAKER_02]: the extra income to go out and keep those opportunities happening and if we can continue to bring back investment, continue to bring back industry and continue to bring back opportunities for young people to stay here and keep working.
31:43
[SPEAKER_02]: and fill the restaurants, fill the bowling alleys, do things that are a lot of fun get out there and enjoy our small businesses in our local communities, go to the Pearl Street pub, have a bigger place and pool, right, Carmen and I did, and it was fun.
31:58
[SPEAKER_02]: So we just need more of those opportunities.
32:00
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, I agree there needs to be more socializing, I guess we can, yeah, we need to get off our TV.
32:04
[SPEAKER_05]: We need to be social, but not socialists, though.
32:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yeah, not so.
32:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
32:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Exactly.
32:09
[SPEAKER_05]: All right.
32:09
[SPEAKER_05]: We got to do a break.
32:10
[SPEAKER_05]: We'll be back with the congressional candidate in a moment.
32:13
[SPEAKER_15]: We all have cans and bottles.
32:14
[SPEAKER_15]: So it makes sense to bring them to the make sense redemption center on Loray Street and Watertown.
32:18
[SPEAKER_15]: The only fully automated redemption center in the area.
32:21
[SPEAKER_15]: Your account is done fast right before your eyes.
32:23
[SPEAKER_15]: So you're on your way quicker.
32:25
[SPEAKER_15]: Depend on a team of dedicated employees who do this as efficiently as possible because this is what they do so you can get in and on your way without the hassle.
32:33
[SPEAKER_15]: Make sense redemption center is open Monday through Saturday on Loray Street Watertown with speed, service, and savings just makes sense.
32:40
[SPEAKER_15]: Bring your cans and bottles today.
32:41
[SPEAKER_15]: They do the rest.
32:42
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32:48
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33:44
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm Cassie Robbins-Forris, a Lewis County native, a mom, a public servant, and I'm running for New York State District 49.
33:53
[SPEAKER_19]: I left for college and work, but I returned home to the North Country in 2009, and I've been living working and serving my community ever since.
34:02
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm not running to be a career politician.
34:04
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm running to listen because the North Country families deserve a voice that listens.
34:10
[SPEAKER_19]: One that carries our rural community's voices to Albany.
34:14
[SPEAKER_19]: I'll work for better health care, stronger EMS, reliable broadband, and opportunities for our families and every community to thrive.
34:23
[SPEAKER_19]: Because I believe in the people who call the North Country home,
34:27
[SPEAKER_19]: Our future belongs to all of us, and it should be built by all of us, not just a few.
34:33
[SPEAKER_19]: All of us together.
34:35
[SPEAKER_19]: I'm Cassie Robbins Forbidden, and I'm asking for your vote.
34:39
[SPEAKER_19]: I'd be honored to have it.
34:40
[SPEAKER_04]: Paid for by the Friends of Cassie Robbins Forbidden.
34:44
[SPEAKER_16]: There are angels contracting the roof people who call you back trying Need a roof get a road or a place We're on the case Pairing just contracted the roof people who call you back 315780
35:14
[SPEAKER_17]: around the corner around the continent around the clock.
35:18
[SPEAKER_17]: This is the news in talk authority, M-1240.
35:23
[SPEAKER_17]: W-18.
35:23
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, we've got Blake Jen to be in here.
35:25
[SPEAKER_05]: We're a Democratic candidate for Congress and N-Y-21, the Stefanik district.
35:30
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, at least Stefanik's leaving.
35:31
[SPEAKER_05]: So there's, you know, you can say whatever you want about her.
35:33
[SPEAKER_05]: What do you think of her?
35:35
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I thought that she did a really good job with our fire departments, our rescue squads.
35:43
[SPEAKER_02]: She always supported them.
35:44
[SPEAKER_02]: She provided funding to make sure that they had the things that they needed.
35:48
[SPEAKER_02]: I think she even supported some new construction, right?
35:52
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's really important.
35:53
[SPEAKER_02]: My mother had a stroke in June, and the Lisbon Rescue Squad, which should be adored and supported every single day, got to our house in minutes, and got her to class in
36:09
[SPEAKER_02]: didn't have the I mean the people that are working at clerks in happen uh... art terrific they just don't have the resources that they right so mom ended up having to go all the way to all the uh... which is five hours away from home five hours away from her husband five hours away from her grandkids five hours away from her farm that was tough for her how should we do it she's good good only because
36:30
[SPEAKER_02]: the Lisbon Rescue Squad made it to the farm in time time, okay.
36:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Now, Lisbon has produced some famous people Rick Carlisle, the basketball player, five seasons in the NBA, plus wasn't a coach of the...
36:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Houston are one of those team coach Dallas Mavericks and then when they won the championship and um... i went to more set park i think it was where they had the ceremony that summer and octons park not personally but we he grew up on the same road that we farm and we've been farming his mom and dad's property first for several years as they had the lawyer
37:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, Preston, and his mother, Joan is twin, Joan and Judy, and they're unbelievable people, and they, Joan still in her 90s, trains people had a ride horses.
37:24
[SPEAKER_05]: Another famous basketball player, number four, John Moore.
37:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, John's a great Lisbon guy, you know he called me the other day while I was planting corn and said Hey, I'd like to do a quick interview and I said, Oh, you know, I said, I got to get this corn in the ground right between the campaign and getting everything done I said, don't think I have time.
37:47
[SPEAKER_02]: He said, well, I'll meet you at the end of the field in the headland So I drove to the end of the field.
37:52
[SPEAKER_02]: We didn't get a review and he is he is Everybody in the Lisbon's very proud of the work that he's done over the years
37:59
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, and your other neighbor Ross Finley, you know him.
38:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yeah, very famous.
38:03
[SPEAKER_02]: He was an Olympic a winter Olympic athlete, right?
38:08
[SPEAKER_05]: Yep, he danced with Martha McCallum, you know Martha McCallum from Fox News.
38:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Apparently he slowed an answer with her once years ago at the Tik Tok when she was going to St. Lawrence University.
38:18
[SPEAKER_05]: No way.
38:18
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, that's pretty interesting right there.
38:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'll have to ask him about that.
38:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, he'll tell you.
38:25
[SPEAKER_02]: I did see him the other day and and he's a good guy good farmer and another hardworking man He's on the other side.
38:31
[SPEAKER_02]: No, I guess and that's okay.
38:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean we we if his tractor was stuck and he said Blake I need help I'm not going to say what what's your party affiliation before I go out?
38:40
[SPEAKER_09]: We just help each other Okay, got a call here, but after dinner on the air Hey, I'm wondering I have a question for for Mr. Jen to be
38:52
[SPEAKER_09]: I mean, this administration has blood on his hands, the way that they have a personal immigration enforcement is totally outrageous.
38:58
[SPEAKER_09]: And he has yet to say whether or not he'll support any kind of blowback on the administration.
39:03
[SPEAKER_09]: He will support any kind of accountability for secretary-nom for any of her cronies.
39:09
[SPEAKER_09]: And I just don't understand why he won't take a stance on it.
39:11
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, well, I ask him.
39:12
[SPEAKER_09]: You support him.
39:13
[SPEAKER_09]: Do you support impeachment?
39:14
[SPEAKER_09]: What do you support?
39:15
[SPEAKER_05]: No, there's two questions.
39:16
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, I ask him both.
39:18
[SPEAKER_05]: As far as immigration, big issue, obviously, time homes from here, and where do you stand on that?
39:25
[SPEAKER_05]: I mean, was what was going on during the Biden years, okay with you?
39:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, so what I'll tell you is we are one of the, we're the wealthiest country in the world.
39:35
[SPEAKER_02]: We have a huge northern border and huge southern border.
39:39
[SPEAKER_02]: I do not believe in abolishing ice.
39:43
[SPEAKER_02]: I do think that we need to secure the northern border.
39:47
[SPEAKER_02]: We should be deporting.
39:49
[SPEAKER_02]: violent criminals who are here illegally, but what we're missing is streamlining the legal process.
39:55
[SPEAKER_02]: We need more immigration court judges, and I do think that leadership matters, and the way that immigration's and customs enforcement operated under previous administrations was with integrity
40:18
[SPEAKER_05]: they were held accountable just like every other law enforcement agency and i think that's the way that it should work what about impeachment that they talk about that obviously if the democrats have the majority they could bring articles of impeachment unlikely to get a can conviction in the senate no matter what to make up
40:35
[SPEAKER_02]: uh... but it could be two years of uh... hell on earth and watching to the fact goes on would you support that exactly i i am not interested in and impeachment trial i think that that distracts from what we need here in new york's twenty first district i think we should be working on policies that help us i think that we should be working on investments in machine uh... we have some great legacy infrastructure look at what we've gotten a scene
41:04
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got hydropower.
41:06
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got the C-way.
41:07
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got spanned, or sorry, excuse me, space and land.
41:11
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got rail and we've got natural gas and we've got talented people.
41:16
[SPEAKER_05]: Would you like to see some data centers there?
41:18
[SPEAKER_05]: The governor doesn't want him, but.
41:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
41:20
[SPEAKER_02]: I do think that one year of moratorium was a good idea because I am tired of wealthy multinational corporations and people wealthy people from outside of the area stealing our resources, stealing our people, stealing our opportunity.
41:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, but all of us use data centers every day.
41:39
[SPEAKER_02]: right but when they come in if they take advantage of our fresh water they take advantage of our people they come in they create a project and then leave and it doesn't provide any tax base for our communities it doesn't provide any help for building new roads it doesn't provide any help for the oldest
41:58
[SPEAKER_02]: electrical grid in the nation we should be asking for all of these things so that our communities benefit and the one-year moratorium is going to help us learn how to make sure that we know how to advocate for ourselves.
42:10
[SPEAKER_05]: One of the governor bands other things too we got a trillion dollars in natural gas underneath our feet here in parts of the state and yet we've got
42:19
[SPEAKER_05]: wicked high energy bills and you can blame it on Trump or the Iranians or whatever, but a lot of it's the policy of not being willing to access that natural gas and are you in favor of fracking?
42:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm not against fracking at all and I am for the full energy complex.
42:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I am not against fracking, I am not against nuclear, I am not against renewables, I am not against turning our manure into methane and injecting it.
42:47
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, but all they want to do is give us more solar panels and use up farmland for solar panels.
42:52
[SPEAKER_05]: That's not a policy.
42:54
[SPEAKER_02]: no, that's not a good policy.
42:55
[SPEAKER_02]: The question is why can a farmer make more money harvesting the sun than they can harvesting food?
43:02
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a serious issue.
43:04
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't think it's good to have taxpayer paid incentives to turn farmland into solar fields, solar gardens.
43:14
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
43:18
[SPEAKER_05]: Let's see your wife Carmen's here with you.
43:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Of course she does.
43:23
[SPEAKER_05]: Of course.
43:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Come on over.
43:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Come on over here.
43:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Hi.
43:27
[SPEAKER_05]: Hi.
43:28
[SPEAKER_05]: Now you're from Out-of-the-country Cuba.
43:32
[SPEAKER_26]: I was born in Cuba, came over.
43:34
[SPEAKER_05]: Nothing wrong with that.
43:35
[SPEAKER_05]: What do you think of the mess over there, is that it?
43:38
[SPEAKER_26]: It's a mess.
43:40
[UNKNOWN]: Yes.
43:41
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's always been a mess.
43:43
[SPEAKER_26]: It's been a mess for a really, really long time.
43:46
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
43:50
[SPEAKER_05]: So how'd you end up in America?
43:55
[SPEAKER_05]: really.
43:56
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, we're good for you.
43:57
[SPEAKER_05]: We're glad to have you.
43:59
[SPEAKER_05]: All righty.
44:00
[SPEAKER_05]: Thanks, Garmin.
44:01
[SPEAKER_05]: All righty.
44:03
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, that's good.
44:03
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, that's an interesting.
44:05
[SPEAKER_05]: So you know more about immigration than most people.
44:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and I say it all the time, my wife Carmen didn't escape communism to marry a communist, right?
44:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And her dad busted his dad.
44:20
[SPEAKER_05]: That's a good idea.
44:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he busted his ass in New York City as the superintendent of the 72 unit apartment building.
44:28
[SPEAKER_02]: and he cleaned floors on Lennox Avenue to support his four children and wife and we're very proud of him.
44:36
[SPEAKER_02]: He gave up everything in Cuba to escape communism, worked really, really hard and then when I asked,
44:43
[SPEAKER_02]: When I met Carmen, and in 2002, and Dad called and said, hey, the dairy farm next door is for sale.
44:51
[SPEAKER_02]: If you ever wanted to come home, now's the time to do it.
44:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I was selling farm equipment.
44:57
[SPEAKER_02]: I absolutely love farm equipment.
44:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I was selling fent tractors, F-E-N-D-T.
45:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And in Atlanta, Carmen, and I met every time I went to a farm, I smelled manure.
45:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And I said, oh, man, I just cannot wait to go home, but we were only milking 50 cows.
45:14
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's not enough cows for two people.
45:17
[SPEAKER_05]: That's a lot of manure in your commercial, you've got it.
45:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yeah, well, it's a lot of more manure in now.
45:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I said to Carmen,
45:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, the farm next door is for sale.
45:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Would you like to come home?
45:28
[SPEAKER_02]: And with me, and grow the farm bigger.
45:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And she said, yeah, my dad worked hard.
45:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I know the hours.
45:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we 2002, with my dad, who is awesome, by the way.
45:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Most, most farm men and women have farmed with their moms and dads, and we're very proud of that.
45:49
[SPEAKER_02]: We cannot do it without our parents.
45:54
[SPEAKER_02]: And we all love our parents and we talk about the trials and tribulations and laughter about working with our parents.
46:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Anyway, 2002 we have since raised the farm to 500 cows, 1200 acres, and... Is that big by today's standards?
46:11
[SPEAKER_02]: No, it's not.
46:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Ten years ago, I would have thought it was big, and now it's probably getting to be an awkward spot.
46:22
[SPEAKER_02]: An inflation is growing.
46:24
[SPEAKER_02]: The price of milk is way outpaste by inflation.
46:27
[SPEAKER_02]: So in order to keep up, you've got to milk some more cows and work together with your neighbors and diversify and try to make more of a vertical business where we grow our own corn and our own soybeans now and try to reduce those costs.
46:42
[SPEAKER_05]: You mentioned earlier about lamenting the loss of bowling alleys and you know we all remember there used to be one in therese or there used to be one in Harrisville and Carthage two or three in water town everybody watched Le Verne and Shirley on TV and it is all gone and it's more than just bowling pins but you're made in Laudville in the district yes it's a whole cultural thing I mean people hate each other now
47:12
[SPEAKER_02]: I want to be able to go into the bowling alley and have a beer with Republicans and Democrats and have honest civilized debate again and not be calling each other names.
47:23
[SPEAKER_02]: I want to be able to have a good time with my spouse and friends and their spouses and do some bowling and
47:31
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, you are the only candidate who's been at the Pearl Street Pope this year.
47:36
[SPEAKER_05]: Congresswoman Tenney stopped by.
47:37
[SPEAKER_02]: She did.
47:38
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, she's been there a couple of times.
47:39
[SPEAKER_05]: And the early in her first campaign, at least the Fonic was a visitor too.
47:44
[SPEAKER_05]: So...
47:45
[SPEAKER_05]: We've had the the folks in there and that green party candidate nice guy forgot his name But he he was in there too But I haven't seen your opponent on Pearl Street, so that's a bit of a disappointment so far Well, he'll probably come in.
47:58
[SPEAKER_02]: He'll come in now.
47:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sure.
48:00
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm sure there's a drink beer or some kind of I don't know I don't know either But we did have a good drink at your place and I'd like to come back, so yeah, we'll go back to glad to have you there We got another call here.
48:14
[SPEAKER_05]: Let's take that
48:15
[SPEAKER_05]: Good afternoon, you're on the air.
48:17
[SPEAKER_08]: Hello, hey, listen, I got two questions.
48:21
[SPEAKER_08]: I want to know about social security.
48:24
[SPEAKER_08]: I'm 65, but in a 62, just, and I wasn't allowed to, all of them allowed to make is 24,000, 420 dollars a year.
48:33
[SPEAKER_08]: And then, after that, they date for every time.
48:42
[SPEAKER_08]: two bucks I make, the government takes one buck.
48:46
[SPEAKER_08]: So I want to know what he's going to do for that and then he never answered the gas and bring him down the gas price thing.
48:56
[SPEAKER_08]: I want to know about that and if he supports fracking.
48:59
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, thank you.
49:00
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you very much.
49:01
[SPEAKER_05]: I think you answered a couple of them, you support fracking.
49:04
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm gas, you said you had to end the war.
49:07
[SPEAKER_02]: We have to end these international conflicts that are driving up the price of fuel, fertilizer, gasoline, everything.
49:17
[SPEAKER_02]: We also have to work on our...
49:21
[SPEAKER_02]: our trade wars with our Canadian friends to the north.
49:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, listen, it's it's hurting our local economy.
49:27
[SPEAKER_02]: It's driving up costs.
49:28
[SPEAKER_02]: We have one of the largest egg producers in the northeast, maybe on the east coast in Peru, New York, up there in Shazin, New York.
49:38
[SPEAKER_02]: They get a lot of their packing materials from Ontario and Quebec, and so then their finish goods are even more expensive.
49:47
[SPEAKER_02]: There are things we can do to drive them across.
49:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I believe in fair trade China should not be taking advantage of us.
49:52
[SPEAKER_02]: We're all sick of that.
49:54
[SPEAKER_02]: But we need to be a little bit more strategic on how we do this because we need an advocate for rural America who is literally going to fight for us because we disproportionately pay the price.
50:06
[SPEAKER_02]: We have longer distances of travel.
50:08
[SPEAKER_02]: We make less money and then back to the Social Security question.
50:13
[SPEAKER_02]: we uh... i believe again that we need to have a bipartisan committee that review social security to make sure that we do not break our promise to our seniors and our veterans that they cannot that they should be able to retire with dignity where they want wherever they want to be if it's in their house or if it's where their children and their grandchildren are so because we owe it to them
50:41
[SPEAKER_02]: People over 65 have driven our economy, they've worked incredibly hard.
50:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Our veterans have kept us safe, expanded our national security, we need to be taking care of them too.
50:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So we have promised us to keep to our seniors.
50:58
[SPEAKER_05]: Are you a sports fan in general?
51:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I love sports.
51:01
[SPEAKER_05]: And like football, do you have a favorite NFL team?
51:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so I'm a New York Giants guy when I was I do like the bills because I think Josh Allen's he's a cotton farmer from California and I anybody that's a farmer as a friend of mine, but I'm a Giants fan from being a kid and Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson and Carl Banks and Phil Simps
51:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Joe Morris came to the Ogden'sburg expo the year after they pulled his sneaker off to anybody else Remember when he ran that touchdown The sock and the sock was flopping because it was hanging down a little bit that was a real moment for me My sister was the dairy princess at the time and she Joe Morris was visiting the Ogden'sburg expo and My sister grabbed Joe Morris and said hey my little brother is is a huge fan of yours
51:50
[SPEAKER_05]: It's Jackson Dart the answer at quarterbar.
51:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, okay.
51:53
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll go back to today.
51:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I was getting nostalgic.
51:55
[SPEAKER_02]: So, I think he's pretty good.
51:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, do you think Scataboo is unbelievable?
52:02
[SPEAKER_05]: Uh-huh.
52:02
[SPEAKER_02]: And we've got some talent on the team.
52:05
[SPEAKER_05]: All three teams one on Sunday from New York.
52:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, they did.
52:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, even the jets, right?
52:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and one on there.
52:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, they got Gino back.
52:13
[SPEAKER_05]: That's what.
52:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that helps.
52:14
[SPEAKER_02]: And then I went to Penn State University and studied agriculture in the school of ag and bioengineering.
52:20
[SPEAKER_02]: And so.
52:22
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I was there the year after Kerry Collins and Cajana Carter had that unbelievable season.
52:30
[SPEAKER_05]: And so we were, if you could meet any pro athlete, yeah, of any sport, doesn't matter.
52:37
[SPEAKER_05]: Who would it be?
52:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Who would it be?
52:39
[SPEAKER_05]: I would say Joe name it.
52:41
[SPEAKER_02]: You would say, Joe Nameth, I'm thinking Larry Bird.
52:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Larry Bird.
52:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, because Rick Carlisle is right there.
52:51
[SPEAKER_02]: We know that Rick and Larry are good friends, obviously.
52:55
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think Larry Bird from a small town like ours.
52:59
[SPEAKER_02]: every young kid, including myself, when I was little.
53:03
[SPEAKER_02]: So my basketball net was between harvest or silo and a concrete silo.
53:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And we had a concrete pad there because that's where we pulled up to unload the wagons.
53:12
[SPEAKER_02]: We didn't want to muddy mess, so it was a good spot to have a basketball hoop.
53:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And I always imagined that Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were there with me.
53:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was playing one on one against those guys, and so Larry Bird would be a big one.
53:28
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
53:29
[SPEAKER_05]: That's Sophie Cunningham or any of those.
53:31
[SPEAKER_02]: No.
53:31
[SPEAKER_05]: No.
53:31
[SPEAKER_05]: You're like, what do you think of the WNBA?
53:33
[SPEAKER_05]: And all the flap over men playing women's sports and all that.
53:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Clarke is an unbelievable athlete.
53:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
53:42
[SPEAKER_02]: She can shoot the lights out.
53:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And a lot of fun to watch.
53:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I think she's good for the game.
53:46
[SPEAKER_02]: I think those rivalries in the WNBA are good for the game.
53:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Makes it interesting to watch.
53:55
[SPEAKER_02]: regarding the question, I don't think boys should play in girl sports.
54:01
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, we got a call coming in, let's get them.
54:04
[SPEAKER_05]: We only got a few minutes left here.
54:05
[SPEAKER_05]: But after noon you're on the air, ask your question, please.
54:11
[SPEAKER_18]: Hi there, I have a question from Mr. Genevieve.
54:17
[SPEAKER_18]: You seem to be taking every side of the issue of Kathy Hockel.
54:21
[SPEAKER_18]: And I kind of just wanted to clear answer.
54:24
[SPEAKER_18]: It seems that you've said in this interview that you would have supported the last time around and I know your campaign is coordinating with hers But on the campaign trail you're saying you're independent that you're campaign differs from hers So I kind of want you to just clarify for me as a voter.
54:41
[SPEAKER_18]: Do you support cat the ogles campaign?
54:43
[SPEAKER_18]: Is your campaign coordinating with hers?
54:46
[SPEAKER_18]: Where do your campaigns differ?
54:48
[SPEAKER_18]: If at all and are you going to vote for a cat the ogles?
54:51
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay
54:52
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, we assume you're going to vote for her.
54:54
[SPEAKER_05]: She's a Democratic nominee.
54:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
54:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
54:56
[SPEAKER_02]: And our campaigns are she's running her own race.
55:00
[SPEAKER_05]: Right.
55:01
[SPEAKER_02]: And she can, she needs to run it the way she needs to run it.
55:05
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's a state.
55:06
[SPEAKER_05]: Now you've had a commercial a month or so ago, which you said, you'd be willing to work with President Trump and you would stand up at the local governor,
55:17
[SPEAKER_02]: No, no, it ran its course.
55:19
[SPEAKER_02]: We had it up for about two weeks, and you'll notice we run every single ad about every two weeks.
55:25
[SPEAKER_02]: So we're running our own race.
55:27
[SPEAKER_02]: This is an independent race.
55:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not running for state office.
55:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Although I will work with anybody in state office.
55:34
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll work with Dan Stack.
55:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll work with Scott Gray.
55:37
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll work with Chris Tague.
55:39
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll work with
55:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Shelly Mayer, I'll work with anybody if it's right for the North America work with Michael Cashman But again, and I'll work with the governor if the policies are right.
55:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to work with the governor to bring in opportunities to Messina to bring in look at what we got
55:58
[SPEAKER_02]: We, in Rome, in the district, we have the single largest food processing investment in American history.
56:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Tribonitary.
56:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
56:10
[SPEAKER_02]: That's 6 billion pounds of milk that they're going to want every single year.
56:14
[SPEAKER_02]: If the average cow makes 28,000 pounds a year, you do the math.
56:19
[SPEAKER_02]: That's 200,000 plus cows that don't exist today.
56:24
[SPEAKER_02]: that we're going to need, that's new barns, that's more tractors, that's more fertilizer, that's more opportunities all through the district, not just in Rome, a lot of that milk is made up here and move south.
56:39
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's just, we are having good, uh,
56:44
[SPEAKER_02]: good development that I want to help roll out the red carpet for.
56:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that that's really important.
56:50
[SPEAKER_02]: We just haven't had a legislator in the area.
56:53
[SPEAKER_02]: That said, I'm going to advocate for Northern New York.
56:57
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to roll out the red carpet when somebody wants to build something here.
57:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Rather than say, oh, you can't do this and you can't do that.
57:03
[SPEAKER_05]: But you've got the talking points down for our audience, talking about Missina.
57:08
[SPEAKER_05]: Ogden'sburg all about or drum, but you've got to travel over to Glen's Falls.
57:13
[SPEAKER_05]: Glen's Falls, you've got to Amsterdam, I think, as in there, is gonna hear he Amsterdam is not in the district.
57:18
[SPEAKER_02]: But Montgomery County, partly half of Montgomery, a little more than that.
57:21
[SPEAKER_05]: Then scary County, and then you've got Gloversville in John's Town and Rome.
57:26
[SPEAKER_05]: The United County segments, the biggest single
57:29
[SPEAKER_05]: after voters in the district.
57:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, Rome is the largest city in the district.
57:34
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think the Albany media market's probably got the most people in the district, but you mentioned Glenn's Falls.
57:41
[SPEAKER_02]: The line deckers in Louis County, who are great farmers and bloggers called me up and said, like, you got to do something about Finch Paper.
57:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Can you believe that four hours to the West, our loggers rely on Finch Paper, four hours to the East?
58:01
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we're doing our best, but they're calling me and saying, what can we do about Finch Paper?
58:06
[SPEAKER_02]: They're not calling our Congress person.
58:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Fort Drum, our active duty.
58:12
[SPEAKER_05]: Are you in favor of that mini-nook thing?
58:14
[SPEAKER_05]: We're running short.
58:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll be running short.
58:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, small modular reaction on Fort Drum is a good idea.
58:19
[SPEAKER_02]: okay what about when they close that biomass plant there okay the market was lost for all that brush right that that's the other thing that the loggers in Lewis County and throughout the district would like to see somebody advocate for that biomass facility to reopen it's getting the longer we wait the harder it's going to be to open it up again you'll be splitting for
58:46
[SPEAKER_02]: I maybe some of it is in her district but right now I believe what you share a county yeah we share Jefferson County sure yeah okay so you can work with her yeah you know or no I've never met her really I've never met her but if it's good for the North country we're gonna work on it together and and for drum is maybe we could arrange a meeting at the pearls sure let's do it yeah so and she both know how to get there already that's what important thing I'll give you 20
59:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, what I'd like people to know about our campaign, it's not a divisive campaign.
59:21
[SPEAKER_02]: From the Thousand Islands, over to Lake Champlain, down to Lake George, Washington County, through the Mohawk Valley, Scohary, Fulton Montgomery, Overdo, and I to County and up to the greatest army post in the nation, Fort Drum, and we include the entire Adorondec Park.
59:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm gonna fight to lower costs.
59:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
59:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I am gonna fight to save our rural health care.
59:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And everybody needs to know I'm going to work with anybody to get it done.
59:49
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay.
59:50
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you.
59:50
[SPEAKER_05]: Blake Jen to being Democratic candidate for Congress and NY-21.
59:53
[SPEAKER_05]: You're listening to the hotline on WQTK, 92.7, Ogden Spurgan, AM-1240, WAK.