Tim Wildmon: Welcome back, everybody, to Today's Issues on the American Family Radio Network. We've got 24 and a half more minutes to go here. On this show, I'm Tim Wildmon with Fred Jackson.

Tim Wildmon: Good morning again, Fred.

Fred Jackson: Good morning.

Tim Wildmon: And Parrish steps in now.

Parrish: Tim, how are you?

Tim Wildmon: You're up to bat, Parrish.

Parrish: I'm excited to be here.

Tim Wildmon: I'm doing good. Are you really?

Parrish: Yeah.

Tim Wildmon: And Ray Pritchard is in Florida. We're in Mississippi. Sounds like I need to say, “Somebody's got a banjo on their knee,” but I think that's Alabama.

Parrish: Right?

Fred Jackson: Yeah, we're back to the musical instruments.

Tim Wildmon: We are. I don't know what stuck on that today.

Fred Jackson: It's a theme today.

Tim Wildmon: I guess so.

Tim Wildmon: By the way, have you all been keeping up? There's a big pop culture story involving, I know, I'm looking around the room here. We don't listen to pop music, current pop music, all right?

Fred Jackson: I don't think we do.

Tim Wildmon: That's just something I don't know about Parrish.

Parrish: I don't.

Tim Wildmon: Okay. So it is a big story outside of the realm of music involving a musician by the name of Ed Sheeran. Is that the way you pronounce his last name?

Parrish: Y'all know that's the way I pronounce it, but I haven't heard it pronounced. Do you know who I'm talking about? Do you even know who we're talking about?

Tim Wildmon: Very, very loosely.

Parrish: Okay.

Tim Wildmon: So, Ed Sheeran, if that's the way you pronounce his last name, and I think it is, is an international musical superstar.

Fred Jackson: He is.

Tim Wildmon: He's the male equivalent, almost, at least, of Taylor Swift. He's from Britain, somewhere. I don't know if it's Ireland. I think maybe he's just straight up from England, the Great Britain area. Scotland, I'm not sure. Look it up.

Parrish: He's from England.

Tim Wildmon: This guy is so popular. You may have seen him. He's a redhead and he's got a boyish face, even though I think he's in his thirties or something like that. Anyway, you've seen him. He's very popular. He's playing football stadiums around America. He's not just playing coliseums or indoor basketball arenas. He's such a big star that he's playing football stadiums. That's reserved for very few artists.

Tim Wildmon: If I say “okay” again, Fred, throw something at me, because I'm annoying myself if I say “okay” too much.

Tim Wildmon: He invited another artist to open for him. The guy's name is Macklemore. You've heard of him, Ray?

Ray Pritchard: He's more of a rapper, a rapper-type guy.

Tim Wildmon: I don't listen to these people, but I know who they are.

Ray Pritchard: You almost have to know who they are because they're just out there in the public eye.

Tim Wildmon: His name is Macklemore, and he's more of a rapper. So I think it was the first show of the North American tour. It may have been the first show, and Macklemore is a “Free Palestine” guy.

Tim Wildmon: He's pro-Hamas and anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, really, in many ways. If you hear what he does on stage sometimes, he wears a mask that is a caricature of a Jewish man, with a big nose and hair, like “Fiddler on the Roof” or something.

Tim Wildmon: So he went on with his message, “Free Palestine.”

Tim Wildmon: Robert Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots, a very well-known guy. He must own Gillette Stadium in Boston. Ed Sheeran was supposed to play that stadium. Robert Kraft is Jewish. When he learned of Macklemore saying “Free Palestine” and basically being pro-Hamas and anti-Israel, including accusing the Israelis of committing genocide in Gaza, Robert Kraft told Ed Sheeran, “You can't play in my stadium if this guy opens for you. You can have your free speech, but you can't be going in and promoting Hamas in my stadium.”

Tim Wildmon: Well, Ed Sheeran dropped Macklemore. Are you all following me here? This is a big story. It matters because of the anti-Semitism that's becoming more acceptable in the American public, and Macklemore represents that. Now, they would say, “No, we represent stopping Israel from committing genocide.” That's what they would say. But to me, if you read what they say and hear what they say, they're saying that the state of Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and basically it's very anti-Jewish. A lot of the Hollywood entertainers are embracing this, too.

Tim Wildmon: So Ed Sheeran is now caught between his friend and the message of pro-Palestine, or what I call pro-Hamas, and being against anti-Semitism. Now he's caught having to decide whether or not to cancel this tour. So it's a big, big story.

Tim Wildmon: But let me ask you this, Fred, and then Parrish, I know you're here for a reason. This anti-Semitism is becoming just out in the open.

Fred Jackson: Yes.

Tim Wildmon: Under the guise of supporting, or claiming, that the Israelis are committing genocide in Gaza. I reject that. It's not genocide. There is a war going on between the Israelis and Hamas, but that's been going on for a long time. Genocide is the systematic killing of people based on their ethnicity. Am I right?

Fred Jackson: That is correct.

Tim Wildmon: And, as I mentioned before, there are many, many thousands of Arabs and Muslims who live in Israel. They live outside of the Gaza Strip. The Israelis aren't killing them. If this was genocide, they'd just be killing Arabs everywhere, right?

Fred Jackson: Arab people make up 20 percent of the population of Israel.

Tim Wildmon: Yes, it's a war going on between the Israelis and Hamas, and the innocent civilians in Gaza are dying because bombs from Israel are landing there as Israel tries to defend itself against the attacks of Hamas. Does that make sense?

Ray Pritchard: It does. We're coming up on the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, pardon me, of more than 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children. The things they did to those people, and remember, they took those hostages. Remember that, Parrish?

Parrish: Yeah.

Ray Pritchard: And they came back, the ones who did. How long did they hold those hostages? Was it a year?

Parrish: Yes.

Ray Pritchard: And they're razor-thin. Then you hear the stories of mistreatment and what happened to those hostages while in captivity.

Parrish: Yes.

Ray Pritchard: The shocking thing for most of us here in North America is that within 48 hours of that Hamas massacre, there were pro-Hamas protests on our university campuses, including Columbia University and Harvard, condemning Israel for firing back.

Tim Wildmon: Yes, condemning Israel for firing back.

Ray Pritchard: And Israel is still being forced to take out Hamas sympathizers and Hamas leaders. In fact, in the last 48 hours, Israel had to go in and take out two more Hamas leaders who are still in Gaza. This is still going on.

Tim Wildmon: As you pointed out many times, Ray, the reason why civilians die in Gaza is because the Hamas terrorists hide in hospitals, hide in schools, and fire their weapons from those locations. These Israelis aren't just indiscriminately firing into Gaza. There's a target there.

Ray Pritchard: Hamas is known for hiding behind and hiding under hospitals, schools, and mosques. The more innocent children die in Gaza, Hamas gets publicity. They don't care so much about those people because they get to say, “Here's Israel killing Palestinian children again.”

Tim Wildmon: Go ahead, Ray.

Ray Pritchard: You know, Tim, yesterday on this program you made the comment, which we've all heard before, “War is hell,” and it is. It is terrible. We watch war movies like The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, or The Longest Day, and we think it's all just heroics. But innocent people die in every war. No one can feel good about innocent children suffering and dying in a war.

Ray Pritchard: But you have to stand back and take the big picture and ask yourself, why are we even having this war? What's this about? Or, to say it in playground terms, who started this? Israel did not start this. Hamas started this with a surprise terrorist attack on a music festival, coming in on those paragliders. They shot men, women, and children in cold blood. They butchered them, raped them, took hostages, and everything.

Ray Pritchard: Finally, Israel said, “Enough is enough,” and they have been trying to rid Gaza of Hamas. Yes, some children and families have suffered, but you ought to point the finger right at Hamas and say it's on you. This is not on Israel.

Tim Wildmon: Yes, it's on Israel. So, back to my original point, this is a big pop culture story, and it's dividing the entertainment industry because there are a lot of Jews in music, television, and movies. They're feeling like they're under assault by the pro-Hamas, pro-Palestinian movement. I don't know what will happen to Ed Sheeran. His other opening acts have bailed on him, too, because they're in agreement with Macklemore and against Israel and Macklemore.

Tim Wildmon: He has two concerts scheduled at Gillette Stadium, on Friday night and Saturday night. At least as of this moment, there are no opening acts that anybody knows of. Don't you suppose there will be protesters out, probably on both sides?

Fred Jackson: There will be protesters.

Tim Wildmon: He's being called a coward by the left, even though he's a lefty. You see what I'm saying?

Fred Jackson: Yeah, it's kind of interesting to watch the liberals eat their own here on this one.

Ray Pritchard: Well, anti-Semitism, as you were talking about, Tim, would be less common if there were more news coverage of the events we're talking about here, using the people in Gaza as human shields. But you don't hear that story, and you don't hear the story about the Palestinian schools, how hate is taught there at such an early age, or about the textbooks and those schools receiving funds from the United States through organizations like that. You don't hear that. It wouldn't wipe it out, but there might be less of it.

Ray Pritchard: Also, the Gaza cause seems to be the cause célèbre, so to speak. Nobody mentions Ukraine. Ukraine has been under siege for what, four years now?

Fred Jackson: Yes, by the Russian army.

Ray Pritchard: Thousands and thousands of people have died. You don't hear Macklemore saying “Free Ukraine.” The Hollywood left and the entertainment industry are taking up the cause of Gaza, but there are other things happening in the world that are injustices. I'm not saying they could pick up every cause. They just feel like this is the one to take up.

Tim Wildmon: Well, we have the mayor of New York City right now. He's a Muslim.

Fred Jackson: Oh, yeah.

Tim Wildmon: And he's accused Israel of genocide and war crimes. He wanted to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu when he comes to this country.

Fred Jackson: Which is today.

Tim Wildmon: Yeah, he's arriving tomorrow.

Fred Jackson: Netanyahu arrives tonight. He's going to arrive in New Jersey to speak to the United Nations tomorrow.

Tim Wildmon: We have his quote.

Fred Jackson: In advance of Netanyahu's visit, he created a video with a message to Mamdani, who said he wanted to arrest Netanyahu because the International Criminal Court has accused Netanyahu of genocide. Prime Minister Netanyahu put out a video message to Mamdani in advance of the Prime Minister's visit later today.

Benjamin Netanyahu: Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani. Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews. I'm coming to the United Nations. I'm going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I'm going to tell the truth about you.

Tim Wildmon: There's a warning, and when you have a warning from Prime Minister Netanyahu, you can bet he'll keep it. I wonder if President Trump talked to the mayor of New York about this, because they met yesterday at the mayor's home, a couple of days ago.

Parrish: What were they meeting about? Do you know?

Fred Jackson: Supposedly, President Trump went to the mayor's home in New York to meet with Mamdani. They talked about a possible joint project, with the federal government and the city of New York developing a housing project somewhere there in New York, which some people are scratching their heads about a little bit. Why would President Trump go to meet about that?

Tim Wildmon: That was one of the reasons, apparently.

Fred Jackson: Some people are saying, “Wait a minute. Government building houses for people, isn't that one of the definitions of socialism?”

Tim Wildmon: I don't know. I thought it was kind of odd. I know that President Trump is a New Yorker. It's kind of odd that Trump would go to the mayor's home to meet with a guy he called a crazy communist.

Fred Jackson: Yeah, I know. He's called him worse.

Tim Wildmon: All right, you're listening to Today's Issues on American Family Radio. We do have the story, Fred and Parrish, about the two students at the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, which is about an hour from where we sit, who died overnight. What do you know about this, Fred?

Fred Jackson: The police are investigating two students, one who lived on campus and the other who lived off campus. The only connection between the two right now appears to be, and it's very early in the investigation, the discovery of what they call a stimulant that you can buy at some corner stores. It's called kratom. It is a potent stimulant.

Fred Jackson: I guess one of the reasons young people mainly, but others, use it is to give you a high, give you energy, that sort of thing. But doctors and the medical community are saying this stuff is very dangerous. In the city of Oxford, it is forbidden to be sold, but apparently you can buy it at gas stations outside of the city.

Fred Jackson: One of the doctors who's warning about this, Dr. Stephanie Whitmer, was on Fox & Friends this morning to talk about kratom and its dangers.

Dr. Stephanie Whitmer: Kratom is a plant-derived psychoactive substance. It comes from a plant that is native to Southeast Asia. At low doses, it's said to have a little bit of a stimulant-like effect, giving you an energy boost. At high doses, it hits those opioid-like receptors, and it can cause opioid-like effects.

Dr. Stephanie Whitmer: But just because something is natural and comes from a plant certainly does not mean it's safe. It contains compounds that can cause dependence and serious toxicity that looks very similar to opioid toxicity. Particularly with very concentrated products that we're seeing on the market these days, it can cause respiratory depression and, in some cases, death.

Fred Jackson: The investigation into the deaths of these two students is very early, but that is the one connecting point at this point.

Tim Wildmon: What's it called, Parrish?

Parrish: Kratom.

Tim Wildmon: You'd heard of it?

Parrish: Yeah. K-R-A-T-O-M.

Tim Wildmon: Were you familiar with it before yesterday?

Parrish: I had not heard of it. I learned a whole lot about it just from what Fred read out there.

Tim Wildmon: What does it do to you?

Parrish: It's a sudden energy boost, like drinking five Red Bulls or something like that.

Tim Wildmon: Yeah, that's basically the effect. But you heard of this, Ray?

Ray Pritchard: Yeah, but just like Parrish, I've learned a lot more in the last 24 hours.

Tim Wildmon: A big part of the problem is that it's not just a potent stimulant. It's unregulated, right?

Ray Pritchard: Yes.

Tim Wildmon: So if you buy it from some gas station, you don't know what's in it.

Ray Pritchard: You do not know.

Tim Wildmon: You don't know what you're putting in your body.

Parrish: When you say “unregulated,” do you mean the FDA doesn't have all the ingredients listed on the side, like you do with other products? Is it a drug?

Fred Jackson: It has that impact on you. Dr. Mark Siegel is one of the medical experts on Fox, also. I heard an interview with him this morning. He says the government needs to ban this stuff. This should not be sold.

Tim Wildmon: Really?

Fred Jackson: It should not be sold.

Tim Wildmon: All right.

Fred Jackson: It's tragic. The coroners haven't confirmed that it was the cause of death, but it appears to be related because they found the substance at both locations.

Tim Wildmon: It makes you think, Parrish, that this was a bad batch.

Parrish: I was going to say that. It's not regulated at the federal level. Louisiana has banned it.

Tim Wildmon: They banned it in the whole state?

Parrish: Yeah, the whole state, effective August 1, 2025.

Tim Wildmon: Well, when you have two deaths, it makes you wonder whether these students took this and got it from the same store or the same dealer, whoever distributes it.

Fred Jackson: We'll find out.

Tim Wildmon: All right, we've got three minutes to go. Anybody want to sing for us, Parrish?

Parrish: No.

Tim Wildmon: I don't believe that's what you want.

Parrish: Okay, Tim, you sent out a story, a very great idea.

Tim Wildmon: I did.

Parrish: I read this story this morning. It says, “Why your morning coffee may boost your mood before you even take a sip.”

Tim Wildmon: Does it have freedom in it?

Parrish: I think, no. It's a good question. This study found that the aroma of coffee may help improve mood and reduce feelings of stress, according to a small study of healthy young adults. Just the aroma may reduce feelings of stress. Smelling coffee was linked to a reduction in tension, fatigue, confusion, and other negative mood measures, although researchers found no significant change in heart rate.

Tim Wildmon: There are other things here, but as a coffee consumer up until noon, and then maybe one more in the afternoon, I'm glad to see that coffee has a positive impact on your psyche and your emotions.

Tim Wildmon: Parrish, are you a coffee man?

Parrish: I never became a coffee drinker because my dad tried to share it with me early on.

Tim Wildmon: You were too young.

Parrish: I was too young. I was asking about it, and I just thought it smelled terrible. I thought, what would I want to drink that smells so bad?

Tim Wildmon: Was it straight black?

Parrish: It was straight black.

Tim Wildmon: He was a coffee drinker.

Parrish: Yeah.

Tim Wildmon: Like, give me a Folgers guy.

Parrish: Yeah, just the Folgers.

Tim Wildmon: He was Maxwell House, you know. It's the best.

Parrish: Okay.

Tim Wildmon: Well, “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.” You remember that one, don't you, Ray?

Ray Pritchard: I do.

Tim Wildmon: Are you a coffee man?

Ray Pritchard: I take my caffeine in a Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi in the morning.

Tim Wildmon: Oh, get your day started off with a Diet Pepsi.

Ray Pritchard: That's right. Drink it and tell you what.

Tim Wildmon: Abit Teggling isn't here, but if you ever took Diet Cokes away from Brother Fred, he would have no reason to live.

Fred Jackson: I understand that.

Tim Wildmon: But you're that Pepsi guy.

Ray Pritchard: I know.

Tim Wildmon: I love coffee.

Ray Pritchard: But that's a soft drink.

Tim Wildmon: Yep. Got that cola stimulant going on.

Tim Wildmon: Anyway, have a great day, everybody. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Keep listening.