Steve Paisley Jordal has just been elected Prime Minister of Great Britain
>> Ed Vitagliano: Today's Issues continues on AFR with your
>> Steve Jordahl: host, Tim Wildmon president of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, welcome back, everybody, to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. We have an announcement, to make. Steve Paisley Jordal has just been elected Prime Minister of Great Britain.
>> Steve Jordahl: I'm the eighth. Yes. Yeah, you better have to. I'm working on my accent. I'm not sure I've got it yet.
>> Tim Wildmon: He's the eighth prime minister in the last seven years. would you take the job if offered, Steve?
>> Steve Jordahl: Oh, no.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Steve Jordahl: My grandmother, on my dad's side was British. Like, pure, like from Britain.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, all right.
>> Steve Jordahl: So I probably am in the line of succession somewhere.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Somewhere.
>> Tim Wildmon: So your grandmother was British?
>> Steve Jordahl: My dad's mom was, British.
>> Tim Wildmon: Now my ancestry, both Sikes goes back to the British Isles.
>> Steve Jordahl: There you go.
>> Tim Wildmon: But you were talking, you know, before they came. Yeah. Came to the U.S. you're listening to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. As always, we appreciate you listening to the, to today's Issues and to the American Family Radio, network. Steve, what do you got for us this morning?
Someone set off an incendiary device outside of a federal office building; two injured
>> Steve Jordahl: It's a breaking news that happened this morning in New York Stier, someone set off what they're calling an incendiary device outside of a federal office building in New York City. And they've, made an arrest of a suspect. Two people were injured. They're called minor injuries. as of yet, they don't know. they're not talking about a motive or anything. But the building, it was at the Javits center in New York City. It houses the FBI, but it also houses ice, Immigration, Custom, Citizen, Citizen and Immigration Services, the irs, so. Or it just could be because it's a federal building. But they are saying that this Lexie like, ah, they're classifying it as terror, although we don't know anything more than that. It was set off.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Did you say they. They have the suspect? Lexie like I'm.
>> Steve Jordahl: They have a suspect.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, they have a suspect. Taken into course.
>> Steve Jordahl: They will do an investigation, see if he acted Alena or nothing.
>> Tim Wildmon: Blew up though, right?
>> Steve Jordahl: No, just, There was no. There was a fire outside the building. Part of the building looked like it was set on fire. but, nobody hurt? No, only minor injuries. Two minor injuries.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
Zoran Mamdani says he will arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits NYC
>> Tim Wildmon: All right. Another day in New York City.
>> Steve Jordahl: Another day in New York City. Yeah, well, in fact, that's where I wanted to go Forrest, New York City. Every day is kind of an odd day in New York City. Now that they have a Democrat Socialist mayor there, Zoran Mamdani.
>> Tim Wildmon: And I think oddity in New York precedes him.
>> Steve Jordahl: It does, it does. But he's been making, more noise about being anti Israel. He is, doubling down on saying that he's going to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if Benjamin Netanyahu steps foot in New York Stier, there is a General assembly meeting, of the United nations in September that, is widely believed that Netanyahu may attend. But this was, this was Zoram Mamdani, this weekend, talking about arresting Benjamin Netanyahu. Cut nine.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in the Hague. He's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do. But we won't be writing our own
>> Tim Wildmon: laws to that end.
>> Steve Jordahl: So you're saying, that if at all he. And he won't be able to. I've got, people saying that as well, if you want.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But, you have someone who knows
>> Steve Jordahl: Austin Peterson, who's a former Libertarian, presidential candidate, says, federal law kind of supersedes that.
>> Speaker D: Cut down Mandani's Israel derangement syndrome. This isn't a new obsession. Back in 2023, at the Democratic Socialists of American Convention, Mandani told the crowd, when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it's been laced by the idf. The UN Ambassador, Mikalatos, laid out the legal walls that the mayor would have to knock down, and he simply can't, because America never signed onto the Rome Statute. Like you pointed out, the UN Headquarters agreement grants diplomatic protection to visiting heads of government. Head of state immunity applies, and federal authority just, frankly outguns the mayor's press conference wish list every time it turns out that running American foreign policy and, running New York City are two different jobs. Who knew?
>> Steve Jordahl: Who knew the Rome, agreement was. The United States does not accept the authority of the International Criminal Court to begin with. So Mamdani can say what he wants. But.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And it was for this reason, I remember when they were. The US Was discussing that, that it was possible when you had a politician visiting over in Europe, for example, that a country could, if they had been charged by the icc, the International Criminal Court, that they could be arrested. And the US Said, no, we don't. We're not going to Allie that. We're not going to subject ourselves to the whims of, you know, countries that may Want, to abuse their authorities. So, listen, Mamdani has zero options here. This is all just window dressing. He's just trying to, to impress the rest of the socialists in New York City. He cannot arrest the Prime Minister of another country.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Benjamin Netanyahu would have to, you
>> Steve Jordahl: know, get out of his car, go get a bagel.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, and not pay for it.
>> Steve Jordahl: Right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, even then, he's got diplomatic unity. Allie watched plenty of Matlock episodes where
>> Tim Wildmon: somebody in New York, you watch Blue Bloods, that. That'll tell you.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But if you get diplomatic immunity, you can literally get away with murder under certain circumstances.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Ayanna the point is that Benjamin, that mayor of New York City, said he'll do everything in his power to arrest the Prime Minister of Israel, should he visit. I'm expecting, visit. I mean, I would suspect he's talking about, like a visit to the United nations in September.
>> Steve Jordahl: The general, assembly is meeting, and, Prime Minister Netanyahu is believed to be, scheduled to appear. And it would have to go through New York. Generally.
Support for Israel in the United States has always been bipartisan
>> Tim Wildmon: We've talked about this before, but this leads us into this topic. This is a dangerous time for Israel and for Jewish people around the world. Maine, they've had dangerous times before, but by danger, I Maine, I heard one Jewish person say the other day, you know, they feel hunted, like the whole world's against them. And, I mean, it's hard not to feel like that. Ed. Seems to me with the. And you've got, you know, support for Israel in the United States has always been bipartisan.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: And, now that's threatened both in the Republican and the Democrat Party, you might say. The Republican Party, yeah. There's elements in the Republican Party who say we shouldn't support Israel. You know, so it's a. It's a. It's a question mark. I don't know, you know, where that goes. But it almost seems like Israel's on the road to being Alena in the world, not even having the US Or Great Britain to Stand with them. US namely, over the years, has stood with Israel and Israel with the US But I don't know that's going to be true in three to five years. I mean, there's. There's some open vitriol and, well, Mandami. Mandami, he says, Benjamin, I hear yahoos a word or criminal. War criminal. And what he's referring to primarily is Israel's response after, 1100 of their own citizens were butchered by Hamas on October 7th 7th, 2024. 2023.
>> Ed Vitagliano: 2323.
>> Tim Wildmon: Remember that? I, mean they were Hamas, just that music festival and those towns that bordered up against Gaza and they just. The atrocities committed against those people, those Israeli citizens, literally unspeakable. Unspeakable. And then Israel retaliated. And almost immediately when Israel retaliated, then the call for them to stop committing genocide was ushered. and that's been the battle cry for the people, like M. Madame, ever since. They really don't believe that Israel should have retaliated or responded in any way, I guess. Or they were trying to say, Wallnua, you've over. You know, they killed 1100. You only need to kill 1100 of theirs and then call it even.
>> Steve Jordahl: But I think you are ascribing too much logical thought to what is just blatant racism and anti Semitism. I don't know that they reason it out like that. And I must say the charge, what the left keeps saying is a genocide. It is nothing of the sort. Israel has not. They have done their very best to avoid. If they wanted, I Maine, they have complete air superiority. If they wanted a genocide, it would have taken about 10 minutes, to flatten and kill everybody in Gaza.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, a lot of Gaza has been destroyed and a lot of innocent people in Gaza. By innocent m. People, I mean non combatants have died, women and children. It's sad and tragic, but when you're in war with an enemy that hides in hospitals and behind mosques and digs, tunnels and they hide among the civilian population, that's what's going to Hoppen unfortunately. And Israel doesn't have a choice but to defend themselves or they're not going to be. They're going up against an enemy that says they don't have a right to the land at all. So I mean, I don't know how, you know, it's a, it's a, it's a death match basically. And so Israel is not going to, that's the reason they attacked Iran. They're not going to let Iran get a nuclear weapon. Right. They just as soon go down. They don't care what the world says. You know, they're going to, they're going to, they're going to be subject to Iran.
>> Speaker E: They're.
>> Tim Wildmon: And their Islamic, apocalyptic ideology, which says kill the great Satan and the small Satan, the small Satan being Israel. And you're 1000 miles from them, 1500 miles from them.
>> Steve Jordahl: So, the hatred of Israel, like you say, is happening on the Right and the left. The difference at this point is that Republicans are not, embracing the Tucker Carlsen and the people that are anti Israel, that are supposedly on the right, they're still outside the tents basically in the Democrat Party, the Democrat Socialists America. It is one of their main points that they do not believe Israel has a right to exist. Anti Semitism is built in and they are making inroads into the heart of the Democrat Party. And we're just now starting to see some centrist Democrats that are pushing back against that. It has been weak.
>> Tim Wildmon: We have left wing Democrats pushing back against that.
>> Steve Jordahl: Correct. I guess I call them centrists because they're pushing back against it. they're not by any other measure. They are left wing, but they Care Net buying into the Israel.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. Let me say this one thing. Yeah. by the way, you're listening to today's issues on American Family Radio. Tim, Ed and Steve, what you've got brewing, folks in America right now is and internationally. But in our political system is you've got people on the right like Tucker Carlsen and others saying we don't need to support Israel anymore because Israel is what gets us into trouble with the Muslim world. So we need to abandon Israel. Basically. That's what they say. Because Israel is a provocateur. That's what they say. Okay. That's really the same thing they say on the left, except they say they make worse accusations, like the Israelis commit genocide, for example.
Steve Sower: If Democrats put a plank against Israel in their platform
So, I just wanted to frame that, both Republican and Democrat. But what are we about to hear?
>> Steve Jordahl: So, I'm going to play a montage of various, senators or Democrat politicians. Some are moderate. The very first voice you're going to hear is John Fetterman, who I don't think he says it specifically in this clip, but says if the Democrat Party puts a, plank against Israel into their platform, he is leaving the party. The last person you're going to hear in this, in this montage is Van Jones. Van Jones is a very radical left wing Democrat, but he also thinks that the Democrat Party has gone too far, specifically when it comes to Israel. Let's listen. to cut 11, I believe it is. No, I'm Sower cut 12.
>> Tim Wildmon: Humble yourself, Bernie. You know, you just push an accused rapist and imploded up in Laine and now you're pushing, you know, essentially a pro Hamas, a candidate that's been anti American and deeply anti Israel.
>> Speaker F: I am tired, tired, tired of a set of people on the very Far left in the Democratic Party telling us that in order for us to be progressives, we now have to believe ideas and support ideas that are completely nuts. No Beless no prisons. We can't deport anybody, even if they commit rape or murder. Israel shouldn't exist. These are terrible ideas.
>> Tim Wildmon: That was Van Jones.
>> Steve Jordahl: Van Jones. The last, the first voice is Fetterman. The last voice is Van Jones.
>> Tim Wildmon: Van Jones again, he's a, he's a lefty.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yep.
>> Ed Vitagliano: sure enough. Lefty, huh? And so that's a, that's an extraordinary statement that he's making.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, he's, he's worried about, the policies that the Democrat Socialists are pushing. You gotta understand, these people are about, they're about to the left of Bernie Sanders. I mean, Barack Obama would be considered a rabid conservative to these people.
>> Steve Jordahl: let me play you one of the things that they are. I'll just play this. This is one of the proposals that they have. Who you're going to be hearing here. I, have his name written down. You're going to be hearing former DSA Cheri vice Sherry, Bhaskar Sanjara. Cut 11. Cut 11.
>> Speaker E: I'm against the Senate. I think the Senate's an undemocratic Patti, I'm for mechanisms to, Well, what would replace it in the short term?
>> Tim Wildmon: What would check. Are you for the House?
>> Speaker E: I personally, I think that whatever replaces the Senate should be decided through a Constitutional convention. Should be decided through our amendment process. Should be decided through, ah, Democratic deliberation among the American people. I personally would advocate for a stronger parliamentary like system with a strong House.
>> Steve Jordahl: He says he wants to get there through constitutional means. I don't buy it. Yeah, you want, they want to not only do away with the Senate, they want to do away with the presidency, and they want to do away with the Supreme Court. All of those under,
>> Ed Vitagliano: That was very crafty. That's very sly of these people to say we want to do, we want to do, go through the amendment process. We want to use the amendment process to essentially end the constitutional republic that we have. That. And I'm with you, Steve. I don't believe that that's ultimately what they will rely on. But that's how they're working. That's how they're worming their way in to control of the Democratic Party.
>> Tim Wildmon: Let me ask you this. What's their number one Appelo to voters? The Democrat Socialists. I'm talking about that Van Jones, and they are appealing. What is their number one attraction? Like that guy up in Laine they're
>> Steve Jordahl: appealing mostly to younger, voters. And the younger voters think it's, immoral for rich people to get richer and they're having a harder time making ends meet. It's, fast warfare. Absolutely right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: The. If this, this appealed to the affordability crisis, and I'm not saying that doesn't exist. You know, it's, it's not. It's, things have been better in this country. But I think that's the Appelo The Appelo is the rich keep getting richer, everyone else keeps getting poorer. It's a fundamentally unfair system and we need to radically change it.
>> Tim Wildmon: You agree with that? No.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, I don't.
>> Tim Wildmon: I knew the answer to that. I just wanted to see your reaction.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You want to just get me wound up.
>> Tim Wildmon: So you're for the rich people just controlling everybody.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Is that what you're for? I am for, the capitalist system that we have, under the US Constitution, all of it in infused with a Christian ethic. So, I, think I'm not.
>> Tim Wildmon: But Christian ethics thinks we need to take care of our neighbor. You don't, you don't agree with that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, I do agree with that. And here's, here's. You're just trying to get me wound up. I know, but that's okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, actually I tried to draw out the. Because that's what, that's what some people would say. They would say, you know, hey, I thought you were a Christian. You should be for the government helping take care of the poor and the needy. Why are you opposed to that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: That, that is fine as long as we are making those decisions, with an informed electorate under our constitutional, the rules of the game.
Andy Sower: I have no problem with Christian call to increase taxes
If we wanted to, for example, say, okay, you're right, there are people in genuine need. I'm not talking about the leering center, or daycare, non, existent daycare centers getting millions of dollars in tax funds. I'm not even talking about people who just want to sit at home and collect, you know, food stamps or their SNAP benefits. If we say there are people who need help in our country legitimately, let's vote on a proposal to increase taxes 1%, 2%. That's the way the system is supposed to work. If we are going to say, yes, churches should provide help, but also we're going to spread the, the, the wealth that we have in this country around through a vote, I'm fine with that. Okay. If, if we're going to say the government should, work in other M M. Areas of morality, I Have no problem with trying to convince my neighbors or, my neighbors trying to convince me to increase the amount of money that we levy on taxes for whatever the purpose. That's the way the system works. Now, I'm not in favor of the federal government being in charge of all that. I mean, we're kind of going, you know, deep into the bushes here, but that's the way the system works. I have no problem with the Christian call to, to help your neighbor to increase taxation. I personally think that should be done on a state level. But no, I don't have a problem with that. One of the things, the way we've always done it.
>> Steve Jordahl: I'm Sower go ahead. One of the things that's, a misunderstanding, that the left has, its socialists believe is that there is a single amount of money and that when, when, someone like, SpaceX,
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, Elon Musk.
>> Steve Jordahl: Elon Musk makes a trillion dollars and he's taking it away from someone that's poor that there's only so much money. What they don't understand is that Elon Musk is creating wealth. He's putting a whole lot more money that was never in the pot to begin with. So if you place, if you think that it's all a finite amount of money and Elon is taking more than his fair share, that's why you keep hearing fair share from these people. A lot I can understand. Not the case. Capitalism is a dynamic economic system that creates wealth that did, not exist before.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right, Yeah, I agree with that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, listen, we already have, government programs in place both federally and statewide, however inefficient they are and subject to fraud, but still we've created a lot of social service. I'm guessing that, that, that part of the federal government pie is probably the largest. I'm talking about domestic programs, including welfare and Social Security. Social Security is not a welfare though. I mean, people pay into that, but you know what I'm saying.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't think it's as high like, as the military.
>> Tim Wildmon: look at the, look at the federal government pie, okay? Because I, it's, I think it rivals the military.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It's, it's not small.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, but the point is that we already have programs, in place to help the poor and the needy, and the miss and the people who go through misfortune in our country. And it's not perfect, but at least it's something, to Andy. And you have the charity being done by, you know, private groups and Churches and Christians looking after one another. That's really, to me, what the Bible's talking about. Is one Christian is Christians helping people, not necessarily the government helping people, Although I don't think there's anything wrong with that necessarily. You understand what I'm saying?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: because, you know, we see people that are hungry. You know, you don't have Americans going hungry. Social safety, if they can have food provided, you know, a food program. But you don't want to see people who are lazy and don't want to work either, getting money from the government. Go ahead.
>> Steve Jordahl: Social safety net spending in the United States federal budget, broadly speaking, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, it's about 50 to 55% of the budget.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, but that, You got to. You got to answer Tim's question. You have to take out Social Security, Security and Medicare. I'm looking at a pie chart. Social Security is. Now, I don't have the percentages on here. Oh, okay. Percent of total Social Security is 22.5%. Defense spending, 18.3%. Medicare, 14.2%. Transfers to states, which I would think would be the m. The majority of the rest of the welfare is 17.3%. Interest on debt is now close to 14%.
>> Steve Jordahl: Ah, interest is huge.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So it's not a small percentage to your point.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right, right, right. All right. but you can. You can kill the goose that laid the golden egg.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Absolutely.
>> Tim Wildmon: And the American free enterprise system, the capitalistic system, provides the best standard of living for American citizens compared to anywhere in the world. Without question.
>> Steve Jordahl: In history.
>> Tim Wildmon: In history. You want to know why people are dying to come into our country? Is because it's the best economy in the world, with all its faults, as
>> Ed Vitagliano: a lot of people from Europe found out here during the World Cup.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They were amazed.
>> Tim Wildmon: We're out of time. Thank you. I think to Steve. My pleasure, Ed, Fred, Cole, and Brent. And thank you for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.
