Today's Issues continues on AFR with your host, Tim Wildman
>> Ed Vitagliano: Today's Issues continues on AFR with your host, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, welcome back, everybody, to Today's Issues on American Family Radio. Today's Issues is the name of this show. We're here every Monday through Friday. Tomorrow's trivia. so we'll have a good time and bring the learning.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, we're bringing it.
>> Tim Wildmon: We're gonna. We're gonna. Ed says we're bringing the learning.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We're bringing it.
>> Tim Wildmon: So get ready, people. the rocket of education is about to lift off.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's right. Tomorrow you want to get on board the Elon Musk Express.
77% of Arab citizens would rather live in Israel than anywhere else
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, so before we have Steve Paisley, joins us, which he's in studio, but I wanted Krish Woodward. He looked up the story I was referencing last half hour about a, survey of Arabs who live in the Jewish state of Israel. Go ahead, Krish.
>> Chris Woodward: This is from a 2008 story of, voters. and it says, 77% of the state of Israel's Arab citizens would rather live in the Jewish state than in any other country in the world, according to a study titled Coexistence in Israel. The survey was conducted by the John Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with this, with the assistance of researchers at Haifa University. the study was aimed at examining the relations between Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens on the state's 60th anniversary and included 1721 respondents.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, so, which basically was my point that, the majority of. Well, what percentage would you quote, said they, enjoy living in?
>> Chris Woodward: 77%.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. So there you go. So I was going to say vast majority. I think that's a vast majority m of Arabs who live, in a Jewish state of Israel. they would rather live there than live under a Muslim country.
>> Ed Vitagliano: in fact, they'd rather live there than anywhere else.
>> Tim Wildmon: So that is their homeland. And Arabs have a, place in the Israeli, Knesset, which is like our United States House of Representatives. They do have some elected. They're elected. They have most. They serve in the military.
>> Fred Jackson: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: so it's not all hatred, one for another between the Arabs and the Jews in Israel. for the most part, they get along. It's just when they don't, it's, magnified because of where it is, and it's magnified because it is really and truly. Because you know what? Everybody in the world knows that's the land of the Bible. We don't pay so much close attention to every place in the world because oftentimes it's, you know, out of mind, out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess I should say. But this is a place which is. Has extraordinary religious implications, for the Muslims, too. I mean, because of the Dome of the Rock, and the Israelis, because of their historic homeland, the Temple Mount, other Jewish sites, the, as I mentioned, the Christian holy sites that are there that, that Israel does a wonderful job of protecting. so it's. It's just. But. But, it's not all hatred one for another over there. A lot of the, Israelis, they both Arab and Jews, they, they speak both Arabic and Hebrew and English. They're very. So anyway, as the Bible says, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And, All right, Steve, good morning.
>> Steve Jordahl: Good morning, everybody.
>> Tim Wildmon: So, on, our Facebook page is the survey that we're citing, which goes back to 2000. What did he say?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Eight?
>> Fred Jackson: I think he said 2000. Eight.
>> Tim Wildmon: Go ahead, Steve.
>> Steve Jordahl: Hey, good morning, everybody.
Fred Menson: Governor of New York is pushing tax breaks for wealthy people
So, we're going to start with this. Reality is a hard taskmaster, and you really can't fight against it for too long. And they're figuring this out in NewSong York because.
>> Tim Wildmon: NewSong York City.
>> Steve Jordahl: NewSong York City, yeah. the governor of NewSong York is, wanting to put a whole bunch of gifts in the stocking of new, Yorkers. She wants to pay for free this and that. She's a Democrat that spends money. She's.
>> Tim Wildmon: What's her name?
>> Steve Jordahl: Kathi Hochul is her name. And, she is, wanting to provide all this stuff. And she's running up against reality, which says there's not enough money to pay for everything she wants to do. So she's asking, for some help she wants. She's talking to people who used to live in NewSong York, maybe some millionaires who used to live in NewSong York. I wanted to let you listen to this. This is Kathi, Hochul, cut 11.
>> Speaker F: I need people who are high net worth to support the generous social programs that we want to have in our state. Right now. There are some patriotic millionaires who stepped up. Okay, cut me the checks if you want to be supportive, but maybe the first step should be go down to Palm beach and see we can bring back home. Because our tax base has been eroded. So I feel soft. We don't have a problem. It is like I have to look at the fact that we are in competition with other states who have less of a tax burden on their corporations and their individuals. And I would say remote work changed everything. There were people who could only work in an Office in Manhattan and work in NewSong York State. And they were captives to our state. They were going to stay. We saw that that's not the case. I mean, you know, Wall street businesses looking at Texas, they're not going there because they have a nicer governor. I know that for sure. But they're going there because of the tax rate.
>> Ed Vitagliano: just sounds like a Republican eye roll moment.
>> Steve Jordahl: It gets better.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It does, it does.
>> Steve Jordahl: It gets better because back in 2022, Kathi Hochul was campaigning for Pat Rhyen, who was running for Congress and won the race. And she had a message for rich Republicans like Donald Trump. Cut 14.
>> Speaker F: And we're here to say that the era of Trump and Zeldin and Molinaro, just jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong. Okay? Get out of town. Get out of town because you don't represent our value. You are not NewSong Yorkers.
>> Ed Vitagliano: wow, that didn't age well.
>> Fred Jackson: Well, one more ingredient. Kathi Hochul endorsed the communist to be mayor of NewSong York City.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That is true, Fred.
>> Fred Jackson: And the, and Mamdani told everybody during the election campaign what he was going to do. He was going to nationalize grocery stores. You know, come on in. He's got, he's going to, he's going to take over buildings, apartment, buildings and all that sort of thing which led to the exodus. Now she says we're going to go down there to Florida and tell these rich people to come back so we can tax them more.
>> Steve Jordahl: They're not patriotic.
>> Ed Vitagliano: listen, there's just no accounting for that level. I don't want to be insulting. I don't want to sin. I don't want to sin. But that's kind of stupidity. I mean that you do not understand human nature. If you first insult people who disagree with your politics, tell them to leave and then try to appeal to them to come back up here. Like you said, Fred, so we can tax you more, so we can spend even more money. How do you not understand human nature? These people aren't going to come back. And to your point to, to support the, campaign of a communist who is fine with taking, first of all, telling the owners of rental property you we're going to make it so that you cannot raise rents even if everything else is going up.
>> Tim Wildmon: We're going to control the market.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We're going to control the market. We're going to put you out of business. And then the government's going to buy your building and then we are going to start government owned grocery stores so we can Put out of business the actual companies that run grocery stores. And then you wonder why your. Your tax base is drying up.
>> Fred Jackson: And the gall of Kathi Hochul to frame this as being patriotic. M, you have a patriotic duty to support communism.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh, my goodness.
>> Fred Jackson: Basically, that's what she's saying.
>> Tim Wildmon: Baby, come back. Any kind of fool could see I was wrong. I cannot live without you or your money.
>> Steve Jordahl: Sorry. If I'm going to be doing a story for American Family News on this, I might use that song. I think that's great.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, and m. Let me tell you, we said when Mamdani. When it looked like Mandani was going to get elected, and then, of course, he was. We basically said, Tim, I think you might have said when we were talking about popcorn, we're all going to get our popcorn and we're going to watch what happens to NewSong York City. I wasn't quite thinking about NewSong York State, Although NewSong York State relies heavily on, tax dollars from NewSong York City. But we. But this has happened quickly.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I mean, you have the governor of NewSong York begging rich people to come back because they are running out of money.
>> Tim Wildmon: You're going to have to use some better. A better lure than that. It's March. Come back.
Donnie took over in January. He's one of those that moved down to Florida
>> Ed Vitagliano: Donnie took over in January.
>> Fred Jackson: I want to see Sean Hannity react to this. He's one of those that moved down to Florida.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: All right.
>> Fred Jackson: I want to see Sean Hannity say hi, Kathi.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Man.
>> Steve Jordahl: Not, coming back.
President Trump is meeting with the Japanese prime minister about the Strait of Hormuz
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, next story.
>> Ed Vitagliano: This is going to be. This is going to be brutal. But we all said this is kind of the. This is kind of the petri dish for the country. And not, of course not. Not just NewSong York City, it's Seattle and Los Angeles, some other places. But NewSong York City especially is going to be the experiment that we're all going to watch, and we are going to see what communism does. Hey, I didn't believe it would happen this quickly.
>> Tim Wildmon: just FYI here, President Trump is meeting today, in fact, right now, with, the Japanese prime minister. I did not realize she was. It was a lady.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yep. Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: How long she been in charge over there?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't know when she.
>> Fred Jackson: There was an election within the last year.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. Anyway, she's at the White House right now meeting with President Trump.
>> Fred Jackson: Uh-huh.
>> Tim Wildmon: and I don't know, President Trump said he expects Japan to step up. What does that mean? You're talking m. About the state of
>> Ed Vitagliano: keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.
>> Fred Jackson: I think Japan gets a quite a good chunk of its Oil and gas
>> Ed Vitagliano: from the Persian Gulf, it comes through that strait.
>> Tim Wildmon: But I thought we, after World War II, we made it where Japan couldn't have a military.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, that was their own constitution.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah. After the atomic bomb, they did take a very non militaristic thing. But I think it's, it's probably not for nothing that they started World War II. Japan anyway started, got into the, for oil because they were running. That's why they attacked, invaded, China before, in the 30s. so Japan is oil dependent. They don't have a lot of it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They don't have it on their, on their island.
>> Tim Wildmon: So they do have a military.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They did change, they did change, I think their constitution. So they have very rapidly modernized their military, especially their naval and air force. I don't know, I'm, I'm not an expert on these kind of things. I'm not, I'm not sure they have a, what you call a blue water navy where you can, where they have ships that are capable of projecting naval power that far away. I don't know. But that's what President Trump is asking because NATO's already, a lot of NATO countries already said, nah, we're not getting involved in this. And, and of course as we might expect, that's, that's irritated the president, and so prime, Minister Takachi, I'm not sure how, how you pronounce that, she's at least meeting with the President.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. I thought I read two days ago where Iran said, whoever Iran is anymore. Okay. I don't know who speaks for them anymore because it's whack a mole right now, with them and that is, ah, that they would not attack any, any merchant ships or oil tankers or maybe even military, naval ships if as long as they weren't Israeli or American. Did I read that wrong?
>> Fred Jackson: They're okay with oil tankers, ships, leaving to go to their best customers.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, well then what's the deal? I mean, American Israel doesn't get oil through there anyway that I'm aware of. Yeah, why do we care?
>> Fred Jackson: Well, President Trump doesn't have a problem with that.
>> Tim Wildmon: problem with what?
>> Fred Jackson: Doesn't have a problem with allowing those ships to come out and go to their destination. China, India, Pakistan. Because he's worried about the worldwide price of oil. If you were to cut all of that off, that lowers the supply, which jacks up the price even more.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, but you see my point. If Iran is saying we're going to let everybody through without harassment, on the Strait of Hormuz, Then what was. Except for American and Israeli. And I say to you, American and Israeli ships aren't coming through there anyway. Then what's the problem? Does anybody have an answer for me?
>> Steve Jordahl: If they can allow those ships through and yet somehow stop the payment so that Iran doesn't get money from these countries. I don't know. I'm just saying. That would be one way. Because you don't want to make the whole world angry at you because of.
>> Tim Wildmon: I tell you another thing you got to be wary of, too, here. And I'm just thinking out loud here. I haven't thought through this completely, okay? So excuse me if, there's an error in logic. You don't want to starve the whole country of Iran. You'll get the people turn against you then. I don't want to see Iran in total darkness. I don't want to see Iran's people starving. I know there's a fine line there, because you're trying to attack the regime, and the regime are the ones who usually have the goods, and then they take them from the people who are the average citizens who don't. Who are helpless and defenseless. I understand that, but y' all see the fine line you walk there.
>> Ed Vitagliano: It's the same issue in Cuba.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: With the oil and bought with the. With,
>> Tim Wildmon: I don't know about starving those people or cutting them off of electricity. You think that's a good thing to do? Stop their oil from, from. From the people?
>> Ed Vitagliano: No. No.
>> Tim Wildmon: You don't know my question.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I hadn't had a chance.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm sorry.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, I. You. You don't want to target the people.
To your point, it's a fine line between restrictions and pressure
Okay. With restrictions, but you want to put pressure on the government, like in Cuba, for example. I think what you're wanting the people to see, and maybe even the military to see, is we have to have that oil. We cannot win a war against the United States. We need to change the government, get rid of the communists. So it is. To your point, it's a fine line. and I think this is why the United States did not want to see Israel attack the, Iranian, oil field, natural gas field, because we don't want to have to rebuild it anyway afterwards. And we want.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's not a military installation, and it
>> Ed Vitagliano: was not a military installation. So it gets really tricky. I'm glad I'm not in charge of it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
Reports say Israel is threatening Iranian leaders directly on cell phones
All right. You're listening to today's issues on American Family Radio. What I'm saying you want the Cuban people, you don't want. You want the Iranian people with you, right? On your efforts to help them be free of tyranny, but you don't want to make them suffer so much that they turn against you. You see what I'm saying? Go ahead, Steve.
>> Steve Jordahl: To your point, Tim, a lot of the people in Iran we are finding out are, they don't like the mullahs. They're not on the mullah side. Israel has an amazing intelligence operation. Mossad is just, you know, never been anything like it in the world. It's almost Trumpian in its best ever.
>> Ed Vitagliano: But.
>> Steve Jordahl: So there's a story in the Wall Street Journal about, it's gotten to the point where Israel is calling some of the next level leadership directly on their cell phones and threatening them, saying, in Iran. In Iran. Yeah. So I want you to listen. This is, a Mossad agent calling, or it's just about a Mossad agent calling a police officer in Iran. Cut 12.
>> Ben Shapiro: How thorough is the Israeli penetration of Iran's governmental networks? There's an incredible story from the Wall Street Journal today. Apparently, Israel is now calling IRGC leadership directly, like on their cell phones and telling them to give up the fight if they would like to live. According to the Wall Street Journal, quote, the Journal reviewed the contents of one call between a senior Iranian police commander and an agent of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service. Can you hear me? A Mossad agent can be heard speaking Farsi. We know everything about you. You are on a blacklist, and we have all the information about you. Okay, said the commander in the recording. I called to warn you in advance that you should stand with your people's side, said the Mossad agent, you. And if you do not do that, your destiny will be as your leader. Do you hear me? And the commander said, brother, I swear on the Quran, I'm not your enemy. I'm a dead man already. Just please come help us.
>> Steve Jordahl: That's, Ben Shapiro.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Ben Shapiro. That's incredible. If that is true. And listen, I have no doubt that it is true, because the Mossad is already proven. We've talked about the pager incident.
>> Steve Jordahl: You remember where the operation,
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, they had a. Jewish. They had a. A shell company.
>> Steve Jordahl: Grim Beeper.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Grim Beeper. They had a shell company that was owned by Israelis selling pagers.
>> Tim Wildmon: Was this, Hezbollah Northern.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And then they, they blew them up. They killed them. Okay? So they, they. They seemingly have this unbelievable capability to know what's going On. And I have very little doubt, you know, what's, what's going. Kind of striking about this. If again, if this is true, this, Iranian, military, police chief or whatever is, he said, please come and help us because they are between a rock and a hard place. They can't rebel against the Republican Guard either. The Iranian Public Guard, they and their families will all be butchered too much.
>> Tim Wildmon: The average soldier.
>> Ed Vitagliano: The average soldier. The average. So I don't know how close that country is to a coup.
>> Tim Wildmon: Gonna take a William Wallace type sit. That person to emerge and would probably
>> Ed Vitagliano: result in a civil war until they can clear out all the,
>> Tim Wildmon: Iirc, but you might find that in a civil war that the Republican Guard, which is the military slash police of Iran, which enforces the rule of the mullahs, might collapse if. If there was a legit rebellion.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Emerge. Because I'm guessing that a lot of these soldiers, again, slash police, they, have family members. Right. That are opposed to the mullahs and they don't like having to persecute their own people, so to speak. Does that make sense?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yep.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah. I think this is what the Trump administration and Israel probably are hoping for.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
American Family Radio asks you to pray for Brother Ray Pritchard
All right. You're listening to today's issues on American Family Radio. Thanks for listening today. Of course. I'm Tim with, Ed and Fred and. No, Brother Ray Pritchard didn't quit. He'll be back. He's preaching next to. He'll be back two weeks. He's, developed a real attitude problem, and so we had, we had to tell him, come back when you, when
>> Ed Vitagliano: you're ready to play nice, when you calm down. No, he's. He's preaching. Preaching the gospel. Preaching.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen. So we look forward to Brother Ray being back and we ask you to pray for him. Keep believing is the name of his ministry.
The person who wins the Masters golf tournament hosts all champions next year
All right, Steve, we got about three minutes or so. What do you got?
>> Steve Jordahl: I thought you would enjoy this. there's a tradition at the Masters golf tournament that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Coming up.
>> Steve Jordahl: Coming up.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Steve Jordahl: That the person who wins the tournament the next year hosts all, champions who. People who have green jackets to come, and he hosts them for dinner. And so this year, Rory McElroy won the, Masters in 2025. And he is planning this dinner and he's said he's been thinking about it for a long time, but I brought the menu.
>> Tim Wildmon: He's Irish.
>> Steve Jordahl: He's Irish. He's sparing absolutely no expense in this dinner.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, they have money and he's Putting
>> Steve Jordahl: the bill for it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Don't worry about it. You're right when you say they're sparing no expense because they don't even feel it.
>> Steve Jordahl: So these are your choices. For an appetizer, you could have peach and ricotta flatbread with balsamic hot honey basil bacon wrapped dates with American goat cheese.
>> Tim Wildmon: that's wrong right there. Scratch that one. Bacon wrapped dates. No. No, thank you. Go ahead.
>> Steve Jordahl: Rock shrimp tempura with creamy spicy sauce. I'll have one of those grilled elk sliders.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Grilled elk sliders.
>> Steve Jordahl: For the main course.
>> Tim Wildmon: Try one.
>> Steve Jordahl: You have a choice of wagyu filet mignon or seared, salmon. Traditional Irish champ, sauteed brussels sprouts, glazed carrots with brown butter crispy Vidalia onion rings.
>> Tim Wildmon: What's that second thing you said? Irish what? Traditional Irish what?
>> Steve Jordahl: Champ is what? It's what he wrote. C H A M P. I think it's a sauce.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay.
>> Steve Jordahl: And then for dessert, you can have. You're going to have sticky toffee pudding, vanilla ice cream, and warm toffee sauce.
>> Tim Wildmon: Most of that sounds appetizing to me.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm sure that's probably very, very good.
>> Tim Wildmon: What about the elk? You ever had any elk, Fred?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I've never had no.
>> Fred Jackson: no, I've had buffalo and a few things like that.
>> Tim Wildmon: You've had elk?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I've never had elk.
>> Tim Wildmon: You.
>> Steve Jordahl: I have.
>> Tim Wildmon: What about it? You remember it?
>> Steve Jordahl: I think if I recall correctly, it's a little gamey.
>> Speaker F: You.
>> Steve Jordahl: You've probably,
>> Tim Wildmon: I haven't had. I don't think I've had elk.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I think I've had elk.
>> Steve Jordahl: we had. We had one of these dinners at church. I used to, attend where.
>> Tim Wildmon: The Wild Game.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah, yeah. Wild game.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah. J.J. jasper spoke at 27,000 of those.
>> Steve Jordahl: Exactly.
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, so obviously he's a Wild Game speaker.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm guessing that if a, Southerner from the US Wins, then the next year it's. What is it? Chick Fil? A Little Debbie. Yeah, Little Debbie snacks.
>> Steve Jordahl: I don't know if, Trump can sneak into the tournament. He can buy M McDonald's for everybody.
>> Tim Wildmon: You know, I personally have a problem with churches playing wild games. I just don't think that's right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Whether they have supper or not, Reindeer
>> Steve Jordahl: games are okay, but wild games?
>> Tim Wildmon: No, I don't think that's a. I give you a tip, man.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Stay away from wild women. You don't have to worry about Ed. People. that was. That was just a joke. I don't Ed goes home to his recliner and watches hockey.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Tonight, six o'.
>> Tim Wildmon: Clock. That's as risky as Ed gets.
