American Family Radio is raising money to help preborn save 38,000 babies
>> Walker Wildmon: I want you to picture this. Her name is Kayla. She is 17, alone, terrified and pregnant, sitting in a clinic, tears blurring, thinking abortion is her only option until she was offered a free ultrasound, paid for by a hero just like you. The moment Kayla heard her baby's heartbeat, the decision was made. And today, her little baby boy, Gabriel is thriving because preborn walked with Kayla every step of the way. Now multiply that by 38,000. That's how many babies preborn has helped save just this year. And along with saving the babies, mothers are being counseled with practical and spiritual advice to make motherhood possible. But here's the most important thing you will hear today. The goal is to save 70,000 by the end of the year. And they can't do it without us. Every $28 provides that ultrasound that changes everything. Will you be the reason the next Kayla chooses life? The reason Gabriel fulfills his destiny. To donate, dial £250 and say the keyword baby. That's £250, baby. Or donate [email protected] afr that's preborn.com afr we inform religious freedom is about people of faith being able to live out their faith, live out their convictions, no matter where they are.
>> Rick Green: We equip sacred honor is the courage. To speak truth, to live out your free speech.
>> Don Wildmon: We also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character hope.
>> Jeff Chamblee: This is At the Core on American Family Radio.
>> Walker Wildmon: Welcome, to The Core here on American Family Radio. I'm Walker Wildmon. Glad to have you with us on this brand new edition of the program. This show is hosted each week by Rick Green and myself. And, we are pleased to be with you each and every day on the radio program.
AFR: Proverbs 28, verse 1 will sum up the end times
Once Again, this is AFR. You can check out our website, afr.net afr.net let's, turn our attention to the scripture for the program today and this week we'll be in Proverbs, chapter 28, verse 1. Proverbs, chapter 28, verse one. The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion. The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion. How fitting in the weeks following the Charlie Kirk assassination to read this scripture, which we've been going chronologically through the book of proverbs and, or rather as the book was compiled and written, the wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion. And you extrapolate this and apply it to everyday life that we experience as believers through throughout history. And there's so much truth packed in here. You know, you look at the unrighteous, look at the wicked, those who are boastful in their sin, those who are not pursuing godliness, those who are rejecting their creator, the unbelieving world, to sum it up. And their ways are dark, their ways are shameful and it's self evident. An example I think about as we cover the news of the day is this left wing, what's kind of displaying itself as a left wing political movement, a Marxist movement, one of fear and intimidation, one of paganism and allowing the desires of the flesh to rule this entire political movement that ultimately is a spiritual movement of darkness. But when you look at how the other side, the side that doesn't recognize the light, capital L, as you read John chapter one, you see that Jesus himself is described as the light. John the Baptist came to testify to the light coming, talking about Jesus. But how the modern godless and dark movement operates politically and otherwise and ideologically in this land, at least in the American context, their shame and their godlessness is on display. It doesn't take profound wisdom, it doesn't take a degree in philosophy and religion to look out and see what is darkness and what is light. And the specific example I was going to tell you about is when you see how these antifa and otherwise, these militant type street gangs, for lack of a better word, that are operating in America's major cities now attacking law enforcement and immigration officials. The way they operate is dark, it's shameful and it's self evident. The way they assault officers, they hurl profanities and vulgarities, they, they they know exactly what they can do to, to provoke violence and to provoke insult and injury. And it's just so dark. And so it's, it's. When you look, if you look at the world and you look at what's going on in America today with a spiritual understanding, you can see that there is a very dark force over this land. And this is not necessarily new or breaking 2025, you can look throughout other examples of human history, both here in America and abroad, and see elements of spiritual darkness coming over the land. But in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination and it seems like every other day there's some mass shooting, people are just consumed with wickedness. And abortion is lauded as some noble thing. The killing of innocent children is lauded as some noble thing. People's sexual deviancy is flaunted as something to be proud of and boastful of. And we could go down the list of other sins that are flaunted as publicly acceptable when they're not. And then I read Proverbs 28, verse 1. The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion. And that's going to sum up, folks, the end times. Proverbs 28, verse 1 will sum up the end times. Because when all of humanity has to do what the scripture says, and that is that at some day in the end times, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. When that judgment day comes and every person realizes that Jesus is real, that God is real, and that judgment will come, these type scriptures will come to life before our very eyes. And, darkness cannot, be in the presence of God. Sin cannot be in the presence of God. And that's what Proverbs 28 is alluding to.
Congress has to pass a spending bill by midnight tomorrow to fund government
All right, let's jump into our, news, stories that I want to get to this segment. The, in Washington, D.C. the Congress. And this is, this is almost comical. Congress is, has to pass a spending bill by, let's see, tomorrow at midnight. so technically, technically, Wednesday at midnight, 12:01am Wednesday. But into tomorrow evening, the Congress has to pass a spending bill to fund the government for the next year because the, fiscal year ends September 30th, and, October 1st starts the new fiscal year. This is not anything complicated or anything new that's been going on in Washington D.C. for a very, very long time. Since the Founding Fathers. Even before that. Even before that. Before that, we were our own country. We still had to pass a budget. The colonies did. But nonetheless, politicians in Washington are acting like this whole budget thing is a new thing and they just didn't see it coming. I didn't see it coming. Folks, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get into my criticisms. I'm gonna talk about who's to blame, and we'll, we'll get there. Don't worry. Don't worry. but it is so difficult as an outsider looking in. And I hope many of you can share my frustration here. I'm sure you do. Some of you probably wouldn't be as generous as I'm going to be. But why are we arguing two days before it has to be done about the budget? Are, are, are you kidding me here? We've known this is coming. Washington, D.C. all of our elected officials in the executive branch, including the president, they've known this is coming. Every year on September 30, a budget. By September 30, a budget for the next fiscal year has to be passed. M. And when you translate this over to the state level or to the private sector level with companies, what you can give me any other example, whether it be government or private sector, of budgets needing to be proposed, voted on and passed. Every organization, every nonprofit technically, has to have an annual budget, that the board of directors, reviews. Every church, most functioning, church congregations put together a budget for the year. And so even families have budgets, individuals have budgets. It's just part of stewardship. It's part of managing that which God has entrusted us with. And somehow our elected officials on both sides of the aisle, they, quote, let this sneak up on them in air quotes. And then when the time comes for the budget to be passed, they all act like they didn't see it coming. It's just. We're just shocked. Oh, we're just not going to meet the deadline. We've got to do a temporary extension through November. A six week extension? That's the best you can do? Actually, seven weeks past Thanksgiving, that's the best you can do? A seven week extension so you guys can get your act together? Give me a break. What is going to change in seven weeks? What is going to substantially change in seven weeks that makes it to where you can't pass a full year budget right now? The reality is, is nothing's going to change. It's all political posturing. It's all seeing who's going to blink first in the negotiations. And it's all a show. And so I'm, I'm. I'm really disappointed in myself that I'm actually having to spend even part of a segment talking about this. Shame on me wasting our airtime. But it is in the news and both sides are acting like they didn't see this coming. And I, It's just frustrating. It's just frustrating. And I mean, we're, we're not talking about some sophisticated legislative item that takes a lot of debate and time. This is the annual budget, all right? Either, either you can do it or you can't. And enough of this.
The real battle comes down to the budget, not the debt limit
We're going to fund it for a week or six weeks or two months until we can, quote, negotiate. No, no, no, no, no. Just negotiate now. For better or worse, whatever's in it is in it. All of our elected officials are held accountable at the ballot box. Enough of this blame game political posturing. Kicking the can down the road. Just fund the government. Just fund the government. Half of the bills are already due anyway. half of the stuff that they're approving in the budget is already accounted for. There's no option. Same thing with the debt. With the debt limit, they talk, let's negotiate the debt limit. Our Rand Paul says, I don't think we should increase the debt limit. Oh, really? Rand Paul? Even though we've already spent the money? No, no, no. You can't not raise the debt limit. The debt limit is a joke. At this point, the real battle comes down to the budget. Now, if Rand Paul wants to fight over the budget, I'm 100% on board with that. Let's fight over the budget because that's where the money is spent. When you go to negotiating the debt limit, the money is already spent, folks. It's just a matter of Congress voting on, are, we going to pay our credit card bill or not? Basically, you can't. The country can't debate whether or not to pay its credit card bill. You pay the bill. Right. You have to be solvent. You have to, you know, send a signal to the creditors that you're going to pay your bills. So the debt limit is a charade. It's a complete joke. We shouldn't even waste one minute debating the debt limit. and I actually think the debt limit and the budget should go together in one package because it's essentially the same thing. When you approve the budget, you're approving the limit in which we can borrow money. Because it's a budget. The money's being allocated. I know all of this makes sense for us, but apparently in Washington, it's more complicated. And so, here I've spent the whole segment. We've got 30 seconds left. Talking about the budget and the debt limit, but maybe we'll talk about this more in the next segment. We're gonna have a great guest on.
Congress has a constitutional responsibility to pass a budget every year
But I know many of you share my frustration. The Congress, One of the. One of the fundamental responsibilities outlined by our founding fathers in the Constitution itself is who can spend money. Congress can spend money. Who can pass a budget to spend that money? Both chambers of the legislative branch, the House and the Senate, can pass a budget through the appropriations plan process, and the president signs the bill. Unless they override the veto, the president signs the spending bill into law, and then the Treasury Department can dispense the funds. Simple as that. The budget deadline is the same every year per constitutional mandate. September 30th of every year. The next year's fiscal budget must be passed. Why we wait until the last week of September to start debating this on national television is quite beyond me. I really don't have a good answer for you. But that's what we're dealing with in Washington this week. We'll be back in a few.
Listen to the Hamilton Minute with Abraham Hamilton III every weekday from 5pm
>> Abraham Hamilton III: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute. The city lies four square. Its length, width and height all equal 1380 miles for each dimension. The city's wall is 216ft high. Twelve gates surround the city with each gate made of a single pearl. Streets of gold so pure they're translucent. No need for a sun. God's glory lights the city. No tears, no pain. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
>> Jeff Chamblee: Listen. Each weekday from 5 to 6pm Central for the Hamilton Corner with Abraham Hamilton III, public policy analyst for the administration, American Family Association.
In his image is a life changing film that has helped people break free from evil
The enemy wants to destroy anything of God's, especially mankind. Who is made in God's image?
>> Walker Wildmon: What would it be like if every person knew that they were created in the image of God?
>> Abraham Hamilton III: We're talking about people, people loved by the Father, people for whom Jesus died.
>> Jeff Chamblee: We have to stand on God's truth.
>> Walker Wildmon: We hear in culture all the time. We need to find ourselves.
>> Todd Russ: We need to go find.
>> Walker Wildmon: We are already defined. We are known before the foundations of the world.
>> Jeff Chamblee: In his image is a life changing film that has helped people break free from the grip of evil. It will take you through scripture to show the truth and its powerful testimonies will destroy Satan's attempts to pervert God's perfect design.
>> Walker Wildmon: We now know with the genome of all of the DNA that there is.
>> Todd: No propensity towards a genetic disposition to homosexual behavior.
>> Jeff Chamblee: Watch it for the first time or again with someone who needs to see it anytime on AFA stream stream.afa.net hey.
>> Walker Wildmon: My name is Wesley Wildmon. And I'm Walker Wildmon and we're brothers. And our family have been leading tours to the land of the Bible for more than 30 years. Coming up in March of 2026, we would love for you to join us for something very special. A, Footsteps of Paul, A journey through Greece. We'll walk exactly where the Apostle Paul walked through Athens, ancient Corinth, Philippi and Thessalonica. You'll Enjoy unforgettable experiences and meaningful fellowship with believers and with Wesley and Walker. And we'll eat well, laugh a lot, and yes, eat well again. And most importantly, we will grow in our faith. As the Bible comes alive before your eyes, you'll get to see the very things that we read about or that your pastor talks about in church. The Footsteps of Paul tour is March 17th, 24th, 2026. Register today at, ah, wildmangroup.com that's wildmangroup.com we can't wait to see you there.
The more subscribers to the Corps Podcast, the better the rankings do
>> Jeff Chamblee: At the Core Podcast are [email protected] now back to. At the Core on American Family Radio.
>> Walker Wildmon: Welcome back to the Core here on American Family Radio. Glad to have you with us. we would love for you to subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. The more of you that subscribe to the podcast in your podcast library, the better the rankings do. And so when folks are looking for programs like this or this program, it helps it queue up better in the search results. So go type in At the Core click the subscribe button, and, you'll have the podcast queued up in your library each and every day.
Trevor Carlsen is senior research fellow at the foundation for Government Accountability
Want to jump to our next guest to continue this discussion about the spending legislation in Washington? Trevor Carlsen is with us, senior research fellow over at the foundation for Government Accountability, otherwise known as fga. Trevor's with us now. Trevor, welcome to the program.
>> Trevor Carlsen: Thank you. I'm glad to be here.
>> Walker Wildmon: Well, Trevor, I spent nearly my whole segment, last segment, talking cynically about how Washington waits until the day before the budget has to be passed to start debating the budget, even though they've had 12 months, 11 months prior to figure this thing out. but nonetheless, there are some core, core items that Democrats are squawking over. Democrats are insisting that Republicans, including the president, fund, so tell us about these, wish list items that Chuck, Schumer and the Democrats want to continue funding.
>> Trevor Carlsen: Sure. And I'll start with, probably a simpler one, which is first they are, targeting or going after the, one big beautiful bill, the reconciliation bill that Republicans, and the president, were able to get through, that was signed on July 4th. And one of the things that's in that reconciliation, bill or was it is $50 billion for rural health. And so by going after the, the bill that was passed earlier this year, they're also jeopardizing the funding that is supposed to be going to, to help, rural communities that have generally had some financing issues. And so this sort of transformational funding is at jeopardy. If that's one of the negotiating points that at least was, has been one of the negotiating points.
Trevor Carlson: Obamacare included an individual mandate and these massive taxpayer subsidies
but another one, and this seems to be the bigger one that's getting more attention is what I refer to as the Biden Covid credits. These are Obamacare subsidies on top of traditional Obamacare. They were passed by Congressional Democrats and signed by President Biden in the American Rescue Plan act and then extended under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act. And so it might be helpful for me to give just a brief bit of context on the Obamacare subsidies and how those worked before the Biden Covid credits and then what the implications of the new credits were. And so essentially because Obamacare mandated had new mandates and pricing rules, the architects realized that that was going to put upward pressure on premiums. And it would have sort of disincentives for relatively young and healthy people. And so Obamacare included an individual mandate and these massive taxpayer subsidies. So while the individual mandate was zeroed out in 2017, these costly subsidies remain. Now the subsidies work by capping the enrollees contribution to their premiums at about 2, between 2 to 10% of, of income. And so it's an open ended subsidy regardless of how expensive premiums get. The enrollee only pays a little bit. The vast majority is then picked up by federal taxpayers. And so that subsidy, the original subsidies ranged from incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty limit, which is about 16K for an individual and that would be about 32,000 for a family of four and up to 400% of federal poverty. And so again those subsidies are capped at at some, at the income. And so that's why well that's what makes them incredibly generous. So as subsidies increase, the amount that the enrollee pays is, is relatively low. And so again when sort of under the guise of COVID Democrats passed the inflation or the American Rescue Plan act, they then extended these subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act. Again I said incredibly misnamed because it was actually the inflation act, and those new subsidies changed in two important ways. One was it removed the income cap. So households with incomes above 400% of the federal poverty level became eligible for these subsidies. And importantly they also increased the generosity of these subsidies so that households up to incomes of 150% FPL, they would pay $0 in premiums. And so you can Understand that that would create a whole mess of perverse, incentives and make them susceptible to fraud. The original Obamacare subsidies were susceptible to fraud. Even more so the enhanced subsidies, the Biden Covid credits.
>> Walker Wildmon: once again we're talking to Trevor Carlsen with the foundation for Government Accountability. He's a senior research fellow there. Trevor, the. This essentially sounds like the Democrats are wanting to do two things here. They're wanting to, chip away at the one big beautiful bill, when possible, through this annual spending bill. And while they're doing that, they're wanting to continue some of the Biden era programs. And what makes this a, even something that the Republicans have to negotiate on is the fact that in the Senate they've still got this fake filibuster, the filibuster that isn't a filibuster, where you've got to have 60 votes to pass legislation. And so that's why Chuck Schumer can hold up the bill. But this is a pivotal moment, Trevor, for the Trump administration and the Republicans. I think it's undisputed that the political and cultural momentum is in the favor of the conservative movement right now. And so I don't think there's much incentive at all for President Trump or the Republicans to kowtow to the Democrats. but this is a big deal. I mean, I think this could drag on weeks, if not a month, like we saw back in the first Trump term, because President Trump can't afford, from a, just from a political and practical standpoint, to give Chuck Schumer what he wants here. He just can't do it.
Trevor Bell: Extension of Obamacare subsidies opens door to fraud
Your thoughts?
>> Trevor Carlsen: I think that it's important to focus on the absolute terrible, consequences of extending these subsidies. So like I said earlier, they became, susceptible to fraud. there's a adage in medical textbooks that when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. Well, that comes from Sutton's ah, law, which famed bank robber Willie Sutton was asked, why do you rob banks? And the answer was, because that's where the money is. Well, that's what happens when you have massive government subsidies and programs like this and you have very lax program integrity. It opens the door to fraudulent bad actors who are going to basically rip off the taxpayer. And that's what we've seen with these Biden Covid credits, where an estimated 6.4 million enrollees, reported incorrect false information in order to qualify for zero premium plans. And some of them were doing it, you know, maybe had done it themselves the other was you had, sort of navigators who were enrolling people for the sort of bonuses that you get for the number of people you enroll. And so they were offering either discounts or gift cards or so or such in, order to get people to enroll whether they qualified or not. And another consequence was you had 12 million people who enrolled, were enrolled in Obamacare coverage in the individual market who had zero claims. my co author on a paper, Brian, Blaze, his organization, the Paragon Health Institute, did some great research on this. The number of people with zero claims, again receiving no care while enrolled in this type of coverage, increased by 40%. So we've got 40% of enrollees in the individual market who are phantom enrollees. They're not getting care despite taxpayers spending billions of dollars. That 35 billion, I think, is the number ended up going to line the pockets of health insurance companies. And so if you're thinking about, well, who's making the argument in favor of extending these Covid credits, well, it's going to be, you know, sort of follow where the money's going, and it's going to be the insurance companies. And so that's why you're going to see probably a full, full court press lobbying effort by insurance companies, encouraging, you know, whomever they can on Capitol Hill to extend these subsidies because they receive a massive benefit of it.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, and we've talked about this before, this incestuous relationship between the medical systems, the hospital, the health insurance companies, and then now you've got the government involved. It's a very incestuous relationship that ought to be fully examined, for multiple reasons, but it's a very, very shady business to be in at this juncture. And furthermore, you've got really market dominance, monopoly level, type, market dominance by some of these major carriers, which makes it very unaffordable. And then you've got the Obamacare coming in. Making matters worse. Trevor, where do you think this is going to end? I mean, and first off, let me ask, when Republicans say that we want a clean continuing resolution or a clean spending bill, from your assessment, is it really clean or. I mean, what are we looking at here, generally speaking, for this bill?
>> Trevor Carlsen: Well, I think it's important to, you know, as you were talking about in the previous segment, they have to get to a point where you. Well, we are at a point where there's a deadline in front of us. And so that's why it's important just to stick with what would be a Clean continuing resolution, a clean spending bill. Ah, that holds the status quo. Now these Biden Covid credits are set to expire by law at the end of this calendar year. So adding them to whatever spending bill is agreed to, is going to be an increase in spending. And the Congressional Budget Office estimated that that'd be $450 billion over the next decade. I don't really think taxpayers should be on the hook for an extra 40 billion plus a year, in spending that is both inflationary and does nothing to help or improve the situation, for the enrollees, once these credits expire, the, the enrollees who are making income up to say, 150% of federal poverty, so pretty close to the poverty limit, they're only expected to be contributing, a few dollars a week, I think four, maybe four at most, to their premiums. And that's a reasonable amount. And it's important to have sort of that reasonable limit because it encourage or it ensures that the people who are enrolled actually are enrolled. If you have zero premiums, you're going to have people who have no idea that they're enrolled in coverage. So they're not seeking care. they may already be covered by an employer plan, or they could be enrolled in Medicaid. I think 1.6 million people were doubly covered by Medicaid and a Obamacare plan. So congratulations, taxpayers, you picked up the bill not once, but twice. Yeah, and that's, and that's an unfortunate thing. We really need to have accountability. And, relatedly, the regulations on the books anticipate for, program integrity in the Obamacare marketplace, to ensure that only people who are actually eligible are enrolled. The regulations that are currently on the books anticipate the expiration of these Biden Covid credits. So if they don't expire as they're intended, then we're going to have to reopen those regulations and take another look at them. And that's going to, be even put even more as work on the plate of the Department of Health and Human Services when they've got a lot of other pressing things to work on instead of revisiting old regulations.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, I just can't wait for the Congressional M. Budget Office to come out and talk about how much more debt this is going to add to our deficit, which they love to do on President Trump's stuff. But, you know, let's look at the. You said 400 billion over a decade that would be added if they continue this.
>> Trevor Carlsen: That's that was. I think the latest episode is 454, hundred fifty billion over the next decade. but again, one thing that people should be aware of about the Congressional Budget Office's scoring is they're generally wrong. Now, I don't. I think it's important to realize that CBO scores are helpful sort of directionally. but generally speaking, the CBO score is going to be wrong. The question is just by how much and in what direction. And so that 450 billion could be. Well, it could be less, I guess, but it's more likely going to be more. and in particular, I mention this because when it comes to Obamacare subsidies, the CBO has an incredibly poor track record of making their estimates. that, that goes for, you know, generally speaking, CBO scores, because their crystal ball may be on backorder just like mine is. And so they don't. They can't do the perfect, analysis here. And so it is taking into account your variables and so forth. Yeah, but they've been particularly bad on this. On this question.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, you're right, Trevor. Once again, we've been talking to Trevor. Trevor Carlsen with the foundation, for Government Accountability, senior research fellow there. Hey, Trevor, real quick, we got about 15 seconds left. Tell our folks what your URL is. it's the fga.org the fga.org and if you're watching on video, it's right behind Trevor on the banner. Hey, Trevor, thanks so much for coming on the program.
>> Trevor Carlsen: Thank you. Glad to be here.
>> Walker Wildmon: Absolutely.
Trevor Carlsen with the Foundation for Government Accountability talks about wasteful spending
There you go. That's, Trevor Carlsen with the foundation for Government Accountability. And, if you listen to interviews like that, boy, that will make you say, please stop spending my tax dollars on everybody else. Please stop. And, you know, this is, this is actually a very much bipartisan thing. The entire doge. Which is the essence of what we were talking about there. Government efficiency. The entire government efficiency. Cutting waste is a very much. By this polls very well. We're talking 70 to 80% polling, amongst Republicans and Democrats that are in favor of not spending money on wasteful things like we just talked to Trevor about. And so, and I find it so interesting how the Democrats literally lobby for noncitizen items. They're lobbying for health care for illegal immigrants as part of this whole spending package. And supposedly those aren't even supposed to be voters. Like when, when you get. When you find yourself spending most of your time lobbying for people who aren't even in your voting district or state. And it has no effect on their interest, then what are you even doing there? We're supposed to be the, elected representatives representing the people that sent US to Washington D.C. and so I just don't know how the Democrats keep surviving elections and getting reelected, at the ballot box with this level of not representing the voters who sent you to Washington D is quite baffling. And, maybe that's why we have President Trump in the White House and the trifecta with the Congress, maybe because Democrats have refused repeatedly to represent the interest of those voters who elected them. All right, folks, we've got a great guest coming up in the next segment. Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ is going to be with us to talk about who corporate engagement and how to properly manage, the funds of some of these, state departments and state funds in, Oklahoma specifically. That's what we'll be talking about. Stay tuned. We'll be back in a few.
>> Jeff Chamblee: Every day, AFA offers biblical insight on issues that others aren't willing to touch in the hopes that you'll become a world changer. That's why we're offering an in depth worldview training course called Activate 13 different professors teaching 18 sessions, all available online, including a printed workbook to help you apply what you've learned and one year access to AFA streaming content to give you even more resources. Find out more about Acctivate and sign up today at Acctivate afa.net the Lord is my Shepherd. Those are the first five words of the 23rd Psalm. And and they're printed on the front of the Psalm 23:1 apparel in the AFA Resource Center. Those words, along with the image of a lamb will be a simple reminder to you and others that your trust is in the one who never fails. They're available as T shirts or sweatshirts in a variety of colors.
Radical Muslims burned down the house of Nora, nearly killing her daughters
So check out the Psalm 23:1 collection anytime at resources afa.net this is Abraham. Hamilton III with AFR and we're sending Bible. Here's Michael with Bible League International.
>> Michael with Bible League International: Here's an horrific story. In the Middle east, radical Muslims burned down the house of Nora, nearly killing her and her four daughters, the youngest of which, four years of age, maimed for life with serious burns. You know what her crime is? Two things. Number one, Nora is a born again believer. And number two, she was caught educating her daughters beyond the age of eight. In that part of the world, in that system. That is a serious violation. But would you know it? Nora has gone on to lead about a hundred women to Christ who have seen the grace and gumption in her life. They want Jesus and they live where it's impossible to get a Bible. And that's why we're praying you'll get involved today. Abraham. During the month of October, we want to bless 4,000 Bibleist believers in the world that we know by name at Bible League. It happens at $5 a Bible, only $5 a Bible. $100 sends 2500 sends 100. And every gift match you can give.
>> Abraham Hamilton III: By calling 800 YES WORD, 800 YES WORD or visit sendbiblesnow.org that's sendbiblesnow.org hello, Americans.
>> Todd: I'm Todd Starnes. Stand by for news and commentary next.
A recent lecture at Baylor University stirred controversy over transgenderism
Baylor University is struggling with an infestation of wokeness among its student body. Baylor was once the largest Baptist school in the nation. Now they prefer to be known as a Christian school. A recent lecture stirred controversy when the speaker, identified as Christina Crenshaw, raised an issue regarding transgenderism. She was asked whether parents who don't want their daughters sharing a bathroom with a boy had any say in the matter. Students accused her of being unkind and unwelcoming to transgender people. They filed a formal complaint. The Baylor Lariat, the student newspaper, condemned Crenshaw as being transphobic. They later retracted that accusation and apologized. The controversy was so outrageous, the provost, Nancy Brickhouse, wrote an editorial in the student newspaper defending the lecturers freedom of speech. You know, it's a really sad day when Christian students at a Christian university can't even muster up Christian fellowship. Be sure to get a copy of my new book, Twilight's Last gleaming@todd stearns.com.
>> Jeff Chamblee: This is @ the Core on American Family Radio with your host, Walker Wildmon.
American Family Radio welcomes Oklahoma State Treasurer Todd Russ to the program
>> Walker Wildmon: Welcome, back to the program here on American Family Radio. Well, every week we try to have on different state officials, sometimes statewide officials, to talk about, the work that they're doing. And in, many cases, these, states are ones that we have a pretty broad listening audience. And so we have on with us now, Oklahoma State Treasurer Todd Russ is with us and we've, got a huge listening audience there in the, state of Oklahoma. And the treasurer is with us now. Todd, welcome to the program.
>> Todd Russ: Thank you, Walker. Good to be here again.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, absolutely.
As Oklahoma treasurer, you manage state funds, the state accounts
we wanted to have you on to talk about some of your work on corporate, engagement, as obviously as treasurer, you manage the state funds, the state accounts, and this is something we've been engaged in recently over the last two to three years. and that is, hey, we own funds, we Own shares. We, own percentages of different stocks. and they have annual meetings where you can have your voice be heard on the trajectory of the company and how they're spending shareholder funds. And so you've been doing the same thing over in Oklahoma, and I wanted to let you talk a little bit about that work.
>> Todd Russ: Yeah, we, you know, we looked back five or six years ago and realized there was a few things that kind of caught our attention. And then we got to digging in a little deeper and found out, you know, we're voting on things, issues, shareholder proposals that are completely against, industries that support the tax base in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma values, lots of things. And, we started asking questions, what is going on here? Why are our shares being voted like that? And, you know, this is just a lot of rabbit holes. We could go down, we could talk all day on it. But, when we realized what was happening, the legislature actually got involved and they tried to run some legislation that's got held up in the courts. But in the meantime, I came in about three years ago as the treasurer and kind of got to look at what's going on. And you know, I told some of my boards, I said, you know, look, we don't have to have a law. We don't have to have any more laws than what we already have to guide us in making good business decisions. And when these kinds of proposals come up, we should have the ability to vote no. And so we. We've been on this long journey to figure out where the people are that run all the levers that do all the voting and who does the voting and who doesn't do the voting. And you get into the proxy season and proxy, resolutions and things. And we've gotten pretty wise on what's going on with the opposition, what the other side's been doing. And. And we've decided that we, can't just negotiate on simple terms. We really need to get in the, you know, in the arena and really start fighting back. And that's kind of what Oklahoma's been doing.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, and I want to applaud you for that because there's over 20, I think 28, you'll know exactly, but 28 states with Republican treasure. and that's a big deal. That's a lot of the country, that if you guys get together as a coalition and speak some common sense into these corporate boardrooms, you can make a lot of impact. And one of the more recent examples I Know this goes back to the last filing season, but you made a lot of headlines because of one of the proposals you put forth with the Lulu Melon Company and some of the left wing groups that they were funding, some of these rioting and looting groups around the country that they were funding through these NGOs, and that's just one example. But there's example after example that you've been speaking at these shareholder meetings or having others speak on your behalf where the corporations are acting against the interest of the people of Oklahoma. And that's your duty to represent the people of Oklahoma and specifically represent the funds in Oklahoma. And, and so this is a no brainer. You're just simply representing the people who sent you, into this public office.
>> Todd Russ: Yeah, it seems like a no brainer until opposition lets loose and starts, you know, trying to beat you down in the courts or in the press and the media and those kinds of things are, and they play a really good game. They're, they, they have a good offense and defense and you've got to be ready for that. And seem like the conservatives have been a little bit slow showing up and, and figured out how the battle strategies have to be drawn. But we actually found a place and it's a lot more complicated than it sounds because I manage about $18 billion in the state's general fund, and we also have about $40 billion in pension, funds that's spread out over about six different pensions. We also have an endowment fund, that's got about $2 billion in it. You would think it'd be easy to go find places that you could file qualified shareholder proposals. It's not. First of all, you've got to get the board to align with you. And that board is being guided and directed and recommended by their chief investment officer who's friends with the investment, consultant. That's a national, big name that you could probably think of some of those names and 95% of those or more are aligned with the left. So the consultant's going to make a recommendation to their buddy who is the chief financial officer, who is the guiding force for the board to make recommendations. And they're going to tell their story in a way that sounds like it's more credible than these radical, wild idea, right thinkers. And then your board freezes up and thinks they're better off just not do anything. So even though there's several states that are involved, it is really tough finding a chink in the armor. But fortunately, Oklahoma, was able to find an opportunity to do that. And we, we dug in pretty hard and ran fast through the line. And we actually, you know, a small state like Oklahoma, you really figured they'd probably just throw it up and laugh and just wad it up and laugh and throw it in the, in the waste basket. But we actually got some, Some traction with these big national corporations. And I, think so far we've got at least two or three to move off of the. Their position or take a position that was satisfactory to us at this point.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, yeah. And to your point there, the last point you made, part of the battle is just showing up. And so to your point, even though you may get only a handful of percentage of votes, at some of these meetings which we've experienced, simply opening the dialogue, oftentimes you can make a lot of headway that, that way by simply showing up to the game, if you will, to use an analogy. Absolutely.
The Democrats are deploying similar tactics here
also, I wanted to note, you know, this notion, and I know you've been catching a lot of flack in the media, which is probably a badge of honor for you, as it is for us. But, the Democrats are deploying similar tactics here. So this is not, you know, this is not, a new phenomenon or a, you know, a novel approach that only, you know, you, for example, are using. I've covered stories where Democrat officials from New York City and other places, California, they've. They've petitioned through various shareholder, engagement, proposals and other means, legal threats as well. They've been petitioning these pharmacies to sell the abortion pill. I covered that several weeks ago. And so, you know, this notion that only, only the conservative treasurers are engaging this way is just completely not true. the left has pretty much dominated this financial market split, place for a long time. And you guys are finally showing up to the scene and making some headway. And so I just want to congratulate you on that and dispel this myth that you guys are the only ones doing it now. The left is doing the same things, the same thing. And the media is just upset that you guys showed up to the party and are speaking into the corporate boardroom as well.
>> Todd Russ: Oh, absolutely, yeah. Like I said, they started this game long ago. You know, it came out of Europe, the, The you know, Paris climate accords and all the net zero, 100 alliances, and there's about four or five of those that they created that most of those, if not all of them really originated out of the European attitudes on climate and all these other dei. Ah, esg, and then it kind of, you know, started to take hold in the US and nobody was watching and only the big corporate and the C suites knew what was going on. you'd mentioned, you know, not getting a lot of votes in favor of it. We never, we never expect to get a vote that's going to be able to move it through the ballot process. I mean you've got to get like 5%. But you got to know there's only about 17 to 19% of the people that are actually voting all the votes in these corporations. And most of those are the big blackrocks and the big, big money holders the, that get to influence all the proxies. I mean it's, it's just if people realize how the numbers worked in these, in these worlds, it would just, it's mind boggling. And so for us to show up at all is a very, very significant concern for them, number one, because they don't want the bad press and it's kind of like somebody's onto us. They know that we're watching. And not only, not only now are we not just watching, we're calling them out and that's it in national publications. Not as many as they have, but we, we are def. Definitely putting them in a spotlight and calling them out for some of the things that they're doing. And it's you know, it's just absolutely exciting to think that we can actually hold them accountable and get them to move and work with us on some of these. We're actually following another, I think 10 more resolutions this proxy season on some areas that we're just going to hold them accountable, you know, and it's unfortunate. We don't want to over politicize the investment world. We'd rather not be in this. We, we think it really needs to be based on neutral performance and not all these political things. But they're, they're forcing all of these political initiatives from the left. And I always tell people and tell the media we would really, we want them to be in the middle. We don't want them to be extreme right or left. We want them to be in the middle. But if the only pressure they're getting is from the left, they'll never get to the middle. And so we're putting that pressure from the right on where we, where we have to. Until the investment world figures out this is not about politics, about performance and fiduciary, obligations, that they have, and maybe force them out of this arena altogether.
>> Walker Wildmon: Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, to your point, and you're good friends with Jerry Boyer and his outfit, but this is, Jerry and I talk all the time, every week about how these companies just need to focus on their core business functions and serving their customers to the best of their ability and quit funding these left wing nonprofits. Don't fund any nonprofits. You don't have to fund afa. You don't have to fund the Human Rights Campaign. you know, if you're a hardware store, sell the best hardware, have the best customer service, and, you know, and stay out of the political realm and, just serve your customers well. That's all we're asking for, is neutrality. Not a very hard ask. Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ has been our GU on his corporate engagement work there in the state of Oklahoma. Treasurer, thanks so much for coming on the program.
>> Todd Russ: Thank you, Walker. It's great to be on. See you later.
>> Walker Wildmon: Absolutely. Thanks so much. That's Todd Russ. He's the state treasurer there in the state of Oklahoma and, doing a lot of good work there in the corporate engagement realm with our good friend Jerry Boyer and others, friends over at ADF Alliance Defending Freedom as well. And so, this is a good, a good movement we've got going in the, Republican state official realm. All these various treasurers over 20, 28 to be exact, that are, engaging in this coalition work to, speak into America's corporate boardrooms.
If you own funds like an ETF, you don't own direct shares in companies
One other thing I want to mention on this front, for those of you listening that are interested in this topic, maybe you yourself have investments. I want to explain where, where things go wrong from an individual standpoint, because we'll have people call us and they'll say, well, I want to do this. I want to speak at shareholder meetings, I want to vote at shareholder meetings. All right, here's the problem. And I'm not an investment advisor, not a financial advisor, but let me just tell you my layman's understanding of how this voting works, all right? If you own funds like an ETF or another index fund, you don't own direct shares in said company, okay? Because what happens is these funds within the funds are the direct shares of various companies, right? So The S&P 500 has 500 companies within the S&P 500 fund or index, okay? And so whoever manages the, the the master fund, they're the ones voting, okay? They're the ones voting at the meetings. So if you have ownership, or have shares in an etf, well, whoever manages that etf, they're the ones actually showing up at the annual shareholder meetings, not you. And you can't, you can't vote through funds. Okay, Tracking with me. And so I know this gets a little bit in the weeds, but I'm trying to keep it simple. So you have, you can basically own shares of companies directly or indirectly. Okay, directly is if you buy a hundred shares in Nike, which I probably wouldn't recommend, but because they're uber left wing. But if you own 100 shares in Nike, then those are a hundred shares in Nike. They'll show up on your investment statement and you can vote at the shareholder meeting as long as the dollar amounts over a certain threshold and you've had it for like over a year. If you own an ETF in your retirement account, that, Nike is underneath that, but so is 30 other companies, you can't show up at the shareholder meeting. That investment fund is the one that's going to vote on your behalf whether you like it or not. And they may vote in a manner in which you don't like. And so the main way to get into this shareholder engagement world is to do this thing called, if you want to have the same effect as a fund, you can get into what's called direct indexing. And there's companies out there that do this, but they basically track, for example, they track the S&P 500, but they directly own it. The investor directly owns it and it just tracks it along with the S&P 500. and so, but you've got to directly own the shares of the company. You can't be going through some big fund or some, you know, etf. It has to be, ah, direct ownership as a shareholder. So you can show up at the shareholder meeting and vote your, ballot or your ballots depending on how many shares you own. And so that's investment engagement, Corporate Engagement 101. And I probably completely dropped the ball on half of that stuff. But once again, I'm not an expert. I did put together a pretty lengthy video explaining this. We'll link to it in the show notes explaining Corporate Engagement 101. We'll link to that in the show notes [email protected], we'll see you next time.
>> Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
https://oklahoma.gov/treasurer.html
How to Vote Your Shares: A Guide for Investors | American Family Association & Bowyer Research
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https://oklahoma.gov/treasurer.html
How to Vote Your Shares: A Guide for Investors | American Family Association & Bowyer Research
https://afr.net/podcasts/at-the-core/
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