Steve Paisley Jordan: Most of the country is going to warm up
>> Ed Vitagliano: Today's Issues continues on AFR with your 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. Thanks for listening to. To afr. We're here every Monday through Friday. Fridays we have trivia Friday slash learning universities. But, Monday through Thursday, we try to bring you down as much as we possibly.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And we. Can we succeed?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes, we do. We try to. so, today is, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Tim, Ed and Fred. And now Steve Paisley Jordan joins us. Good morning, Steve.
>> Steve Jordahl: Hello, everybody.
>> Tim Wildmon: By the way, feller, just, I'm gonna brighten your day if you like warm weather. It's about to be here. Now, I know we have listeners all over the country, but I think most of the country is going to warm up. Well, people out west are warming up too much.
>> Fred Jackson: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: But, the, the. But I'm looking at, here in Tupelo, like, 82, Friday 85, Saturday 86, Sunday with sunshine. You seeing that, Steve?
>> Steve Jordahl: Well, my, You have a little more optimistic weather app than I do because I'm Friday 78, Saturday 81, and Sunday 84. But, yeah, it's gonna get warmer.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But then next Week's high is 70, 63. 70, 74. A little spring weather.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's what I'm talking about. Huh? I don't care. I wish farther. I'm concerned it would be summertime all year round. But my feelings on this are well known. But would you say it's just the
>> Ed Vitagliano: way you said that my feelings on this are well known?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes, they're well documented. people would say, well, if you want summertime all year long, move to Florida, I guess. But I don't know. I like a little fall. Sure. I like three days of winter, you know, few days of winter. But now you got, you got all this green stuff out floating around.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Have you noticed green? Have you seen green? Yellow.
>> Tim Wildmon: Green and yellow stuff? Seen this, Steve?
>> Steve Jordahl: Oh, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Are you used to this, being from West Coast?
>> Steve Jordahl: well, the West Coast, California's called the Golden State. And everybody thinks it's because they found gold in the river up in the hills. No, it's because the hills are literally gold because nothing ever gets green in California. It seems to me it never rains there either. That's what the popcorn says.
>> Tim Wildmon: Southern California. but I'm talking about the, the, the. What do you call it?
>> Ed Vitagliano: The pollen.
>> Tim Wildmon: Pollen everywhere.
>> Steve Jordahl: That, that, that wasn't that bad in California. And I had none of it in Colorado. so, yeah, I suffer from material.
Pollen in New England is never this bad, Fred says
>> Tim Wildmon: Did you have pollen in NewSong England? Yeah, sure.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay. It's not like down here.
>> Fred Jackson: No.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And. And I will say this, that, I've lived in NewSong Mexico and Arizona as well. My parents love the Southwest. Eventually they. They moved there and loved it. And they used to. My understanding is they used to send people who had to Arizona.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Because it was dry and they didn't have to have the pollen. But then people started moving there and bringing their plants with them, and now it's one of the worst states.
>> Tim Wildmon: Are you serious?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, that's what I just.
>> Tim Wildmon: Because they brought plants, pollen gets bad.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, because they were plants.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, okay.
>> Steve Jordahl: There's a lesson there that we can apply to the politics of this country. I'm just saying that's what it is.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. So, Fred, you used to piling up, Nova Scotia.
>> Fred Jackson: Never this bad. Never this bad. I, mean, it's. I'm taught cedar trees. Pine trees.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: Don't bother washing your car.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Fred Jackson: Because three hours later, it's full of.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, you out there right now, there's yellow stuff, yellow film everywhere, all over the cars. Yeah.
>> Fred Jackson: It doesn't,
>> Tim Wildmon: Is that what the pine trees are doing? That.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Pine trees are one of the perpetrators
>> Fred Jackson: and the cedar trees as well. And we're where we live. We're surrounded.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. By it. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, that'll be gone before you know it, so.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, it is. It is a first world problem. I always remind myself, worry about the Mongols or the Huns. I got pollen. But that's. That's not a bad.
>> Tim Wildmon: You might sneeze your head off.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's right. But that's. But at least I keep it on my shoulders.
Sam Altman plans to launch adult mode for chatbot ChatGPT
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, Steve, what do you got?
>> Steve Jordahl: All right, so one of the most popular, AI chatbots is ChatGPT. And we are learning that Sam, Altman, who owns the company that creates ChatGPT, is planning to launch a text only, what he's calling an adult mode for ChatGPT. And it would be basically text, only pornography allowed on ChatGPT. They won't be generating images, and you can't do audio chats with it, at least at the beginning. but you will be able to have sexually explicit comments, or discussions through ChatGPT. They've got, an advisory council within OpenAI that's saying, don't do it. There's no near enough guardrails to keep kids off of this.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, my goodness.
>> Steve Jordahl: And we're already Dealing with the problem of ChatGPT, talking people into killing themselves. There's been several suicides that have been accused of. Of, being encouraged by Chad gbt. so they're saying don't, but Sam Altman says, no, we're going to let adults be adults. At this point. There's no date for the launch, but, he's still planning on doing it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: All right, well, this is what happens when you, I'm not speaking particularly of Mr. Altman, because I don't want to get sued, but this is the problem when you sell your soul for a dollar. Not literally a dollar, but the love of money. The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. And this is an example, because my perspective on this is that what they're doing is they're trying to be first to do this so that people will use ChatGPT as opposed to another alternative. And listen, kids who might find their way to this and use it, there's the biblical warning of a millstone tied around your neck. Some of these people had better start thinking about their own soul and the souls of those who will fall victim to these technologies. There's no putting the genie back, in the bottle or the toothpaste back in the tube, but these people better watch out for the consequences because they could be horrifying.
>> Fred Jackson: I'm surprised at the timing of this announcement, if indeed it was a formal announcement, because I think the jury is about to come back. Bunch of social media companies are being sued by parents for what, what their children were able to see. I mean, this is an invitation, if nothing else, for a lawsuit, because, like you say, kids being able to get into this. I'm with you. Ed, this is about money. Let's. Let's just put it right down.
>> Tim Wildmon: Where.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And let me also say, folks, don't misunderstand me, adults shouldn't be interacting with this stuff either. No, this is. This is appealing to the basest part of our human nature. Rent in order to make money.
>> Tim Wildmon: She's, been around for a long, long time. Yeah, that philosophy. Yeah, but you're right.
Israel Flores Ortez accused of sexually assaulting multiple Virginia schoolgirls
Next story. Steve.
>> Steve Jordahl: All right, this is a story of an illegal alien that came to this country. He was 18 when he came in 2024. He's 19 now. He arrived in the U.S. ah, under the Biden administration, who encountered, him at the border and then released him into the country. He was enrolled at a high school in Virginia, and he has been accused of. Of, sexually assaulting more than a dozen girls at this school. And I want to play you a little bit of a news coverage.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And this is groping.
>> Steve Jordahl: It is.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay. I'm not excusing it.
>> Steve Jordahl: I'm trying to.
>> Tim Wildmon: These are not rape.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It's.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yes, correct. These. He, he laid his hands on the private parts of young ladies that were in the hall. More, than a dozen.
>> Tim Wildmon: He's accused of this.
>> Steve Jordahl: He is accused of it. And the parents are coming, complaining. I just want you to hear the this, news story about it cut.
>> Ed Vitagliano: 12 parents of at least a dozen girls tell 7News that an 18 year old male student has been groping and touching their daughters at school as they walk to classes. A number of parents showed up for a hearing this morning. They say 18 year old Israel Flores Ortez would step up behind girls during school and put his hands on their private areas. Ortiz was arrested last week, though prosecutors said in open court this has been going on all year. We also learned today Ortiz is an illegal immigrant and ICE lodged a detainer shortly after his arrest. Today, Ortez's attorney asked a judge to release him on bail, and the prosecutor from the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney's office under Steve Descano agreed to his release, but the judge was not having it. The judge said, looking at the surveillance video evidence from the school, she did not feel the safety of the public was adequately addressed in the bail request and denied bail. So Ortez will remain in custody.
>> Steve Jordahl: the Fairfax county does not cooperate with ice. I've been trying to find the name of this judge to give credit and at this point the name M has not been.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, the governor, the governor of Virginia now says we don't.
>> Steve Jordahl: Correct with ice. Correct.
>> Ed Vitagliano: This is Fairfax, Virginia, obviously very liberal county.
>> Tim Wildmon: So what do you do if you're not going to cooperate with ice? That, that really doesn't make any sense for anybody. Liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican. How you can say at this juncture, this fella who is here in our country illegally, who has been accused of these, crimes we just heard about, sexually molesting. That's one of you. These, all these girls in the school, how you don't say, okay, we have this fella. He's in our country illegally. He came here illegally. You need to. ICE needs to come pick him up and deport him. by the way, there's a part of me that doesn't agree with deportation if somebody's a criminal.
>> Steve Jordahl: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: I think they need to serve their time in our prison system because I know that means we got to pay for them. But sometimes you deport these people. They don't have any consequences to their behavior. They just go home and get let
>> Ed Vitagliano: free and come back in, Come back
>> Tim Wildmon: in over and over and over again. So, but anyway. But how you say that's it's not a good thing for our state, our society, to get the criminals, who are here illegally, cooperate with ice? I don't understand. I don't understand that mentality. Democrat, conservative, liberal, or whatever.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I wish I could explain it. Well, Fred has. He has his hand up. Maybe he's got an answer.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, no. on the deportation side, that's a good question. But also, did you say, Steve, this went on for months?
>> Steve Jordahl: Yes. That's what the news.
>> Fred Jackson: All right, then there's all kinds of questions about that. Did the girls not only tell their parents? Did they go to school officials? Why didn't school officials expel him immediately?
>> Steve Jordahl: This is, Let me just read a paragraph from this. One parent told Fox News that her child's principal made sure to email everyone when someone said or did something that she thought was racist, but waited two weeks to tell them about an illegal alien accused of sexually assaulting their daughters.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, that's a PC stuff. That's dei. That's, woke. Woke stuff. That's woke stuff.
Elon Musk says within weeks, they'll start putting visual implants in blind
So, next story.
>> Steve Jordahl: All right, yeah, let's do something a little more positive, please. Elon Musk is on the trail again, and he's got a new update.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, he's, Elon Musk, and he's
>> Fred Jackson: doing this because he needs money.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah, he needs money. he is making an announcement. He's saying that within a couple weeks or a month or so, they're going to start putting visual implants in so the blind people can see. Let's listen to them. Cut 14.
>> Elon Musk: In the next six to 12 months, we'll be doing our first implants for vision, where even if somebody's completely blind, we can write directly to, the, visual cortex. but long term, you would have very high resolution and be able to see multispectral wavelengths. You could see an infrared, ultraviolet radar. Like a superpower situation.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Steve Jordahl: This is Jordi laforge. If you're a Star Trek fan. Yeah, I remember anybody that's blind, unless you have brain damage, if you're blind, you'll be able to see with us.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That. That's. That's freaking me out, man.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, he used the expression, which I've used many times, visual cortex.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Have you. Have you used.
>> Tim Wildmon: I've used that expression. That's,
>> Ed Vitagliano: You were, you were on the verge of having a career in this, well, kind of biological.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, I was, but the cortex started moving and I couldn't chase it down even if I had a visual on it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: This is after you, were not able to proceed on the path either to the NBA or nascar.
>> Tim Wildmon: This was both those lanes, so to speak. You know what, in all seriousness here, he just said for people who are completely blind, this new technology for that, I don't know is it.
>> Steve Jordahl: It's an implant in your brain.
>> Tim Wildmon: In your brain.
>> Steve Jordahl: The visual cortex is a part of
>> Tim Wildmon: not even your eyeball. We're dealing with your brain.
>> Steve Jordahl: Well, they will probably hook it to the eyeballs, I would imagine. Well, maybe not.
>> Tim Wildmon: I don't know what I would do.
>> Steve Jordahl: You'd have to. That's true. Well, the visual cortex is a part of the brain that processes sight. So they're going to talk directly to the brain. I don't know how. They'd have to get the input from somewhere, eyes or another lens somehow, but. Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, maybe next time you do this story, Steve, why don't you do a deep dive into the biology here. Learn, as much as you can about this and explain it as you
>> Tim Wildmon: would give Elon Musk one more shot at this to see if the average person. I think, listen, he seems like the kind of guy that you could. He. I like him.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I do.
>> Tim Wildmon: He, Elon Musk.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Odd, but often are.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right. But I like him. I think he has a good heart, so to speak. I think he, he's trying, he understands Western civilization and he's trying to help people. Judeo, Christian value system. He's talked about that, except his own life.
>> Steve Jordahl: I would just have to put a cap.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, he believes in having kids.
>> Steve Jordahl: Not so high on marriage, but.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, right. But he believes in heaven.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But this,
>> Tim Wildmon: I want to hear him again real quick. Oh, okay.
>> Fred Jackson: All right.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, I wanted to hear. We just played it in because he explains what's about to happen. He said months away. And this will, this will be six to 12 months. We're talking, we're talking. Ah, and I wonder who all would be eligible for this. I know blind people, but I mean,
>> Ed Vitagliano: you got 80 year old people.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: How are you going to go.
>> Tim Wildmon: Go ahead and play what he just said here.
>> Elon Musk: In the next six to 12 months, we'll be doing our first implants for vision where even if somebody's completely blind, we can write directly to, the, visual Cortex, but long term you would have very high resolution and be able to see multispectral wavelengths. You could see an infrared ultraviolet radar. It's like a superpower situation.
Elon Musk says implant in the brain will create visual perception
>> Ed Vitagliano: Okay, so it sounds like these are going to be the first steps because he said long term, that's what they're working towards.
>> Steve Jordahl: They want to get people just seeing, period. And then they're going to add the upgrades, I guess.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, that's. Listen, we're talking about the people who have lost limbs, all sorts of technological breakthroughs in order to give them the ability to have artificial limbs that can feel and touch and grip. And it's, it's just, it's just mind blowing how quickly these kinds of almost miracle cures are, are being discovered and created.
>> Tim Wildmon: When you hear Elon Musk talk like that, you just say to yourself, what am I doing with my life? You know?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I will, I will admit for myself, I'm not saying this about anybody else here on this panel. I am not intellectually equipped to do much more than I'm doing with my life. But Elon Musk is certainly, he's cut above the gifts that he's been giving. He is using.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes, he is.
>> Steve Jordahl: According to, chatgpt, which I do not have the pornographic, version. the system has three parts. External camera will be likely in glasses. So you, ah, this person would likely have glasses that would capture like a camera to capture the scene. The computer will process the image into signals. The implant in the brain stimulates neurons in the brain to create visual perception.
>> Ed Vitagliano: M. Wow.
>> Fred Jackson: Wow.
>> Tim Wildmon: Then enter visual cortex.
>> Steve Jordahl: That's where they, that's where they put.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's what I'm saying. After that comes the visual cortex. All right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Even that short statement you made reveals that you know absolutely nothing about what this is. and I know even less than what you said. But hey, listen, you know what's fascinating about this and then we can move on.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Is it my understanding you guys check my correct. Check your wrong on this. But I was always taught in science that your brain flips the image that you get.
>> Fred Jackson: It does.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Through your eyes. Yeah, that's right.
>> Steve Jordahl: I guess.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And it, the brain does the flipping of that.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And feel kind of fills in the. And so this, this would have to do that.
>> Steve Jordahl: I suppose they, He. He would understand that part. it would, I don't think you'd have. I mean the right would have to be right, left would have to be left. Up and down would have to be consistent. So I'M sure he's factored that in.
>> Fred Jackson: I had a question, too. I wasn't clear from what he had to say. Is he actually claiming that the person who gets this will be able to see like you and I can see right now? He was talking about ranges.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, like radar.
>> Steve Jordahl: And it will start with just the kind of sight that we have. They will perceive through their glasses the same kind of thing we see. So I'm assuming it's color and human figures and depth and everything down the road, he wants to add these extra, layers. X ray, infrared. really, like, if you're a Star Trek fan. Jordi Laforge's visor. you can see all kinds of things.
>> Ed Vitagliano: One last thing, and I mean it on this. Okay, so let's say I was blind. I'm married to Dianne, and I get this new technology. is careful right here.
>> Tim Wildmon: I was warning you as a husband myself, I'm just warning you. Think about what you're about to say. Okay?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Is there wisdom included, so that if my wife asks me, does this dress make me look fat?
>> Steve Jordahl: What do I say?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Do I say, you got to learn
>> Steve Jordahl: that on your own?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't think. But the visual cortex is telling me, telling me, okay, there are times in
>> Tim Wildmon: the Bible where you can lie.
>> Ed Vitagliano: that's one of them.
>> Fred Jackson: Hey, don't blame me, honey. Elon Musk messed this up.
>> Ed Vitagliano: My visual cortex is acting up.
Professional soccer player speaks at wife's funeral about love for Jesus
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, next story. Steve, we got four and a half more minutes.
>> Steve Jordahl: All right, there's a soccer player in the, major, league soccer league in the St. Louis City team. his name is Eduard Lohan, and he. His wife just passed away. She had cancer. They fought it for a long time. but she did pass away. And I wanted to play you some things that he said at her funeral, because I think, we hear a lot of athletes talking about their love for Jesus. thank you for the victory. You know, God was with us today. this is remarkable, I think.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Who's this player?
>> Steve Jordahl: This is. His name is Edward Lotus.
>> Tim Wildmon: Professional soccer player.
>> Steve Jordahl: Professional soccer player with the Kansas City, MLS. St. Louis. St. Louis City team.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Sorry.
>> Steve Jordahl: Thank you. Ready?
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Steve Jordahl: Cut. 13.
>> Eduard Lohan: My world has been shattered, and I still don't understand it and probably never will. And still I can say with confidence that God is enough, that he is my everything, that I have joy thinking of my sweet Ilona. In the insurance that there's somebody who loves her way, way more than I ever could. She's in eternity, and I will meet her one day. I've lost the most precious thing in my life, and I can still tell
>> Steve Jordahl: you
>> Eduard Lohan: that my purpose hasn't changed and that God is enough. Because as much as I loved her, there's somebody that I love more, and that is Jesus. And my question for you is, what are you waiting for? There is nothing on this earth that compares to what God can give.
>> Tim Wildmon: Wow. well, that was awesome. And so much truth there.
>> Elon Musk: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Biblical truth. And so he lost his wife and
>> Ed Vitagliano: looks like brain cancer.
>> Tim Wildmon: That. That's at her eulogy, correct?
>> Steve Jordahl: At her.
>> Tim Wildmon: Her funeral. Funeral.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, look, you played that for us this morning, and we just thought we would encourage our listeners that, first of all, God is for you, our listeners. But God also has his people in all sorts of fields, in all sorts of, walks of life. And, this is a wonderful testimony in the middle of a terrible tragedy for this young man.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, we're out of time. We thank you for yours, on the program today. Today's issues. Tim, thank you. Thank you, Ed.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes, sir.
>> Tim Wildmon: Thank you, Fred.
>> Fred Jackson: Absolutely.
>> Tim Wildmon: And Steve, My pleasure. Krish Woodward joined us earlier. Star Parker. Brent Creely. Our producer Cole. Cole Greene, our. Our video man. It's a pro. Is that the proper title? Video.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Video man.
>> Tim Wildmon: He's the video man. all right, so have a great day, everybody. We'll see you back here tomorrow.
>> Steve Jordahl: Sam,
