The Bill Martinez Show 09 25 26

0:00 Are you ready? Yeah. Okay, let's do it. Bill Martinez Live, a program about current events, our culture, our values, our politics, and our future. And now, Bill Martinez. Hey, good morning. Welcome. Six minutes after the top of the hour right now. I'm Bill Martinez, former five-term congressman. Ken Buck is with us. We're going to talk about his new book, Wake Up America. But I want to read the inside jacket, the first paragraph for you, because this sets it up. It's time for American citizens to take back their country from the radical socialist left before it's too late, he writes. For over a century, the left has used the federal government to fund and promote its socialist agenda under the guise of flowery titles like the New Deal or Great Society. Democrat administrations have spent money America doesn't have on programs America doesn't even need.

0:55 Each of these leftist causes are sold to the public as temporary solutions to existential threats, but their actual purpose is to vest more control in the federal government and advance the left's partisan objectives at the expense of individual liberty. Ken, thank you so much for coming on and for writing this book. I got to imagine for you, after five terms to serve the American people, this was not necessarily an easy book for you to write, but one that was necessary. It is necessary, and it's so interesting. I started writing this a year ago. I had no idea that the Democrat Socialists would be winning primaries in one of the two major parties. This isn't just a fringe idea or a fringe group. This has become part of mainstream American politics.

1:47 Well, and you see what happened and what they did in Minneapolis and how 82,000 Somalis basically have taken over the entire state of Minnesota. Well, they certainly have a great influence. And the programs, the fraud that's going on in Minnesota, some in California, other places, but it's just unbelievable that the left is buying votes in the way that they are with federal taxpayers' money. Well, here we are, $ 40 trillion in debt, Ken. And I asked another economist, I said, the $ 40 trillion, how much of that involved buying votes? He said, all of it.

2:34 And to your point, that's what you wrote in the book, is that essentially that's what happened. All these programs we got, whether it's Obamacare or the war on poverty in the mid-60s, I mean, it was all to buy votes. Absolutely. And what's so unfair about it is there's a lot of hardworking people who are paying taxes to the federal government And the federal government is giving that money away so that one side or the other can stay in power. And on. The right, we try to cut taxes. The thing about cutting taxes is it is equal across the board. If you're.

3:14 A white waiter or a black waiter making tip income. That doesn't get taxed now. If you're a Hispanic American, white American getting Social Security, that doesn't get taxed now. So we've really, on the right, we've created something that can't sustain itself because of our national debt. But lower taxes are more fair than the picking winners and losers that the left does with their programs. Right. You know, Ken, you know, we talk about the taxpayer and the frustration that they endure. But I got to imagine for people like yourself and understanding more of your background and you know, as an attorney and, you know, going to Washington and wanting to do right for your constituents.

4:00 And you go there on the front lines and dealing with the beast itself. That's a Leviathan in and of itself. How frustrating that must be for people like yourself and other good, well-intentioned congressmen and senators who want to do right for their constituents. And they get mired in all this, you know, political warfare and stuff. Right. It is frustrating. My issue in going to D.C. was to try to get spending under control. And as one out of 435 members in the House, it was very difficult to form a coalition that took that issue seriously. Everybody wanted to bring goodies back to their district. Everybody wanted a bridge named after them. Everybody wanted to spend the money to really buy the votes and stay in power.

4:51 It's very difficult to run for office and say, I am going to give you less. You're going to have less Social Security. You're going to have less health care. You're going to have less. And so the federal government just keeps spending more, but it can't keep going on. Well, and look at how much the cost of running for any kind of elected office, how it's grown. It's gone exponential. And so I got to imagine that just adds more pressure. on a candidate to do whatever it takes to win the race, get the job. And as they say at orientation, they say, well, your number one job is to get reelected, right?

5:33 Well, and that's really the problem. That's not the government that our founders set up. Our founders believed that people should go serve and return, go home, do what you were doing before, keep farming, Run your small business. Get back into your law practice. Whatever it is, serve and get back. You look at Mitch McConnell, Dianne Feinstein. Look at the people who are in D.C. who have made a lifetime out of this service. But their whole goal is to get reelected. If we send the right people to D.C., we may be able to get this debt problem under control. People who are willing to do the right thing and go home.

6:16 Well, here it is. At the start of this new administration, Elon Musk partnered with the president and said, look, I think I can find at least a trillion dollars in fraud and waste, right? And they all but tarred and feathered him, got him out of town. Now, I got to say that had it been a Democrat in office at the time, he might have been able to pass beyond his expiration date. Well, the Democrats would never do it. That's part of the problem. Yeah, step one, you're right. But yeah, give credit to Elon Musk. Give credit to the people who helped him with Doge. If nothing else, it pointed out the fact that.

6:56 We have a huge amount of waste that can be cut if we get the right people in office. Ken, is the government just too big? I mean, again, you mentioned the founding fathers. Founding fathers didn't expect this administrative state. to be developed in such a way and all these NGOs, I mean, this has really taken the hands of the consent, it's taken the consent of the government out of the hands of the taxpayer of the American citizen, has it not? Absolutely has, yeah. The founders intended for education to be handled by school boards at a local level, that transportation would be handled by states And counties and cities, maybe, you know, they could foresee an interstate transportation system, but not the kind of money that we spend now on local roads and all types of programs that have nothing to do with what the founders intended. They didn't intend that the EPA would be able to shut down the coal industry because it was not favored by a president. So we have grown exponentially and we need to reduce our growth by identifying what the federal government has to do. It has to deal with our national defense. It has to regulate immigration.

8:24 It has to maintain our currency. Other things have to be pushed down to states that have a balanced budget, that have to figure out how to pay for things realistically. Right, exactly. And in talking about the fraud, you got J.D. Vance leading. He's the fraud czar for our country now. And he's only gone to a couple of states. And the billions of dollars of fraud that's being discovered, I mean, it's like, look, that's just one or two. We got 48 more to go. And the indication is that if it's happening there, I mean, where's the end of it all? Yeah, it's a great point. We're still spending at COVID levels, even though COVID is in the rearview mirror, thankfully in the rearview mirror.

9:10 Ken, let me pause you for just a second. We got to go to a quick break and let's pick it up from there. We got more from Ken Buck after this. Stay with us. A new study finds a major increase in STEM learning in after-school programs, but gaps remain. Today, 92% of parents with children in after-school say STEM is available, up from 69% a decade ago. That's 6.4 million kids now getting STEM in after-school. Emma Binet, Overdeck Family Foundation. This study underscores the remarkable work out-of-school time programs do to help students discover the joy in learning while preparing them to succeed now and into the future. The study finds rural and low-income students are less likely to get frequent STEM opportunities, with rural programs also offering fewer opportunities in computer science and technology. Jody Grant, Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance.

9:59 STEM literacy. Is no longer optional. It's the foundation of nearly every aspect of our economy. And our world. The next step is clear. Invest more in afterschool programs so every child in every community has access to STEM learning after school. To learn more, visit afterschoolalliance.org, sponsored by Afterschool Alliance. How would you like to save money on nearly all your prescription drugs? We've set up a special toll-free number for the RxOutreach program. They're a nonprofit company whose mission it is to make prescription drugs more affordable to the masses. They don't take insurance, and in many cases, your prescriptions are even cheaper than your co-pays. They carry thousands of different prescription drugs, so whatever you're taking, there's a good chance they have it. No coupons are required, and this is not a discount card. It is pure savings on your prescription drugs. They specialize in generic meds for any chronic health needs you have. Call with your prescription and find out for free how little you can pay for your prescription drugs. Remember, we don't take insurance, so call right now.

11:01 800-705-6581 800-705-6581 800-705-6581 That's 800-705-6581. Do you have Medicare and do you use a CPAP machine? This is a national health care alert regarding your CPAP supplies. Using a clean CPAP mask and clean supplies is important to staying healthy. The best way to make sure your CPAP equipment is clean is to get new supplies. If you have Medicare, we have great news. Medicare will pay for you to have new clean supplies every 90 days.

11:41 We'll even do all the paperwork for you to make sure that there's little to no out-of-pocket cost to you. And you don't even have to leave your home. We provide free in-home delivery. So if you're a CPAP user and you have Medicare, staying healthy with new CPAP equipment is easy. Just make this free phone call right now to get started. Sponsored by Specialty Medical. 800-254-1421. 800-254-1421. 800-254-1421. That's 800-254-1421. This is Don Schenck with today's Global Update from the Tide Ministry. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide in the languages people were born to speak. Communicating the Gospel in the language people understand plays a huge role in global evangelism, but words without practical demonstrations of God's love can ring hollow. The Tide is steadfast in letting people know in tangible ways that God sees them and that He cares deeply about them. Using small media players to put Scripture into people's hands in a format they can use privately helps overcome safety barriers that hinder the Gospel.

12:46 tailoring training centers, and adult literacy classes offer occasions to evangelize students while teaching them a skill to improve their standard of living. Constructing buildings provides space for worship. Digging wells provides clean water and opens doors to speak about Jesus. Such simple acts help weave hope into the fabric of daily life for people worldwide. To learn how you can pray for and encourage people around the world whose lives have been eternally impacted by hearing the good news of Christ in their own language, visit thetide.org. That's thetide.org. People are always searching for ways to relax and feel calm. Some people drink, some people smoke, and others may take an edible to take the edge off. If you prefer a more natural option, it's time to try Hapazen, the new anxiety relief formula from the MAGA Vitamin Company. Hapazen is formulated to help provide relief from mental fatigue. It contains an all-natural blend of high-potency herbs and minerals known for their relaxing qualities. Try Hapazen now and learn how you can get a free bottle with your order. Visit magavitamin.com.

13:43 That's magavitamin.com. Nutrition for patriots. Hey, we're back with you. As promised, I'm Bill Martinez. He's Ken Buck, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His brand new book, Wake Up, America! The Rise of Socialism is the Death of Freedom. All right, Ken, pick up where we left off. Go ahead. Well, I was just going to say that, you know, we're spending at COVID levels and we no longer have COVID. It is in the rearview mirror. Thankfully, it's in the rearview mirror. But we should have cut the programs, the subsidies and health care and other areas that that resulted from what we were trying to do with COVID. Yeah, I mean, that's been the tradition of America's political class.

14:27 You know, I think Ronald Reagan said, you know, there's nothing like a bureaucracy or an entitlement. It's ever, you know, it's never ending, right? I think the quote, and it's one of my favorite quotes, but I think what he said was that there is nothing on earth that is as close to. Forever life for, you know. Right. For life everlasting or something. I know what you mean. Right. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, that's just, it's just what it is. Eternal. That's what it was. Eternal life as a federal program. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And, and here it is. I mean, there's no consideration for you again, because of your background in that. I mean, common sense would say, Why can't we review these things and say, hey, this isn't working anymore. Let's get rid of it. And so everything is so mixed and fixed that it's going to be so difficult. I don't want to give up. I want to be an optimist. I still want to be hopeful about this country. But it's going to require some different leadership. I think Donald Trump has kind of given us a little indication of what it takes. But we're going to need somebody else post-Donald Trump because we only have him for another, what, year and a half, two years?

15:44 Right. We have a little over two years. But you're absolutely right. And the other thing we need to do is both parties need to realize this is a crisis. I can remember when Paul Ryan, before he was speaker, he was the chairman of the Budget Committee and he proposed a budget. that would balance in 27 years. 27 years to balance the budget. So it was incremental changes to our budget. The Democrats ran commercials where they had the figure of an old lady in a wheelchair pushing her off a cliff because that's what would happen under Paul Ryan's budget. It was so draconian. And that's when we had $ 13 trillion of debt. Now we have $ 40 trillion of debt.

16:31 Both sides are going to have to grow up and say, yes, we've got to deal with this debt issue. But how can you deal with the Democrats right now when they're so fractured, Ken? And being controlled by the hard left. I think this is a tough ask right now. It is a tough ask. And I don't know if we end up with a third party in the middle that starts dealing with some of these issues. I don't know what the answer is. But I do know Americans come together in times of crisis. after Pearl Harbor, after 9-11, and the debt, you just can't look at it as anything other than a crisis is going to happen. We didn't know that 9-11 was going to happen. We didn't know that Pearl Harbor was going to happen. We know that this debt is going to result in a crisis, and we've got to start dealing with it soon.

17:17 But you know, Ken, that we have a lot of natural resources in this great country, and Trump is doing everything he can to leverage this. whether it's with tariffs, favored nation status. He is pulling a lot of tools out of the bag, so to speak, that heretofore, even Republican presidents, certainly not Democratic presidents, have done things that would favor the American citizen. You just mentioned no tax on tip, no tax on Social Security, these things that put money back in the pocket of the American people, and it wasn't discriminatory. It didn't matter if you were Republican, Democrat, or Independent. I kind of tease my Democrat friends and say, well, you keep complaining about Trump. Why don't you send that, you know, that free tax money back to him and back to the people? We'll be happy to take it back in our treasury.

18:07 Yeah, I get a kick out of that also. People talk about, you know, the debt and how much they care about it. And then they go and waste money. Well, you know, stop wasting money. Actually contribute more if you care so much. and the Republicans are wasting so much money, then why don't you just contribute more of your own money? Yeah. And what are we going to do about Social Security? I mean, they're already predicting. I mean, we're going to be lucky to get to, you know, what, 2032 maybe? And then at that point, you talk about a crisis. You got a real crisis on your hands, and you know that this has been a long time coming. It's been a long time coming, and there were answers. I can remember when President George W.

18:49 Bush, Bush 43, suggested that 20 percent, that individuals would be permitted to invest 20 percent of their Social Security payments into a trust fund, a fund that they control but couldn't use until they retired. And the left came unglued over that. And the reason they came unglued is everybody knows that the stock market has done a lot better than the Social Security administration has. In making that money rise. So people invested that 20% in the stock market, they would have a much more comfortable retirement. But the left couldn't handle that. They need government to be able to control retirements and not individuals.

19:33 And look at how they've controlled it. They've really have opened up the locks box since the mid-60s. Thank you very much, President Johnson. And took the lock box off. They've been in there and they're throwing IOU chits into the box saying, hey, we'll pay. But they never pay. Right. Here we're running out of money. And I think that there's been some potential solutions. I mean, I think the tariff opportunity could have been it. Put some tariff money back in there. I think you need to maybe suspend some pay increases across the boards. for a period of time. After all, it was government officials who got raises, who got a pretty good program going for themselves, but a lot better than in the private sector, I would say.

20:22 Well, and if you look at the days off that federal workers get, and when you combine it with sick leave and. Bereavement leave and annual leave. The person who is working at the Subway sandwich shop doesn't get that time off. And so we've got to make sure that we recognize the hardships that Americans are going through to pay the salaries of those people. I proposed years ago, that we have whatever it is, 14, 15 days a year for holidays in this country. We should be giving federal workers the choice of eight of those 14 or eight of those 13 days and not all of them anymore because we just keep recognizing days to try to appease a particular voting bloc, again, to get reelected.

21:25 You know, what does that say about this bloated government that somebody could leave their position for a number of days? And sometimes it's incomprehensible how much time off they get, that they're not, you know, so critical to the operation that you have so much duplicity in each agency to be able to cover the loss of an individual for such an incredible numbers of days. And I'm not just talking about days off that everybody, I'm talking about, you know, these special days, like you say, bereavement and all these other special things that they've got in their union contract. Right. Yeah, no, it's unbelievable. And again, it's out of touch with reality. At some point, the reality is going to hit. Americans are going to be even madder when they have to pay the bill.

22:07 Right. Well, Ken Buck, as we wrap things up, we've got about a minute and a half left. Wake up, America. The rise of socialism is the death of freedom. It really is. I mean, it just how do you how do you square those two up? You know, socialism and freedom. It's you know, freedom is an anathema to socialism. Right, and the reality is you can't tax people at 60, 70, 80% of their income without having a structure in place that denies people freedom, without having an enforcement mechanism. And that's what happened in Venezuela. They took all the guns away from the citizens. They developed these goon squads to go out and suppress dissent. And it happens in every single country. Cuba, every country has a repressive regime to be able to afford socialism.

22:56 Well, we see it in Iran, clearly. I mean, what happened with Hamas, what's happening in the Middle East, you know, time and again, I mean, the patterns are, you know, very evident. It's like, okay, do you want that here in America? Yeah. Iran, a little bit different with a theocracy as opposed to socialism, but absolutely the same idea of repressive government in place. Yeah, this idea that they know better than you do, that a small hand of individuals can have more intelligence than the cumulative intelligence of, what, 340 million people? How do you square that up? Yeah, it's incredible. Bill, thanks so much for having me on. I really appreciate being with you. Well, thank you. It's been a couple of years, and I look forward to it. When I was told, hey, Ken Buck's available, I said, by all means, get him on the show. Let's talk about his new book, Wake Up America, The Rise of Socialism. It is the death of freedom. Thank you, Ken. Take care. God bless.

23:50 Thank you. Have you written a book or do you have a manuscript ready and just need to find the right publisher? Christian Faith Publishing supports authors like yourself to bring their books to life. And right now we're offering you a free writer's guide designed to steer you towards book completion. Christian Faith Publishing evaluates each manuscript we receive. If your book earns approval we take care of everything editing designing printing promotion and widespread online and in-store distribution picture your book gracing the shelves of specialty christian bookstores amazon barnes and noble and numerous other retail destinations it's time to get that manuscript published and to work with a publisher who shares your values of integrity and honesty you can get your book published get your manuscript reviewed and a free writer's guide today 800-439-1588.

24:37 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. That's 800-439-1588. Individuals and businesses with tax problems, listen carefully. Do you feel like you're losing control of your finances? If you owe over $ 10, 000 in back taxes or have unfiled tax returns, we can help you take back control. The IRS is the largest and most aggressive collection agency. Take control of your tax problem now by calling the experts at U.S. Tax Shield and take advantage of the Fresh Start program and new laws that may allow us to negotiate a settlement for the lowest amount possible. Our team of tax attorneys and enrolled agents can stop collections and get you protected so you can take control of your financial future.

25:33 U.S. Tax Shield offers a price protection guaranteed quote to get you protected today. U.S. Tax Shield is A-plus rated with the Better Business Bureau, so call now, 800-536-4436. That's 800-536-4436. U.S. Tax Shield, 800-536-4436. Life is full of surprises. Some wonderful, some not so much. But here's one thing you can control. Making sure your loved ones are protected if the unexpected happens. At EasyPlans.com, we make getting life insurance, well, easy. In just a few minutes, you can apply online and buy direct. No awkward phone calls, no confusing jargon, and no agent will contact you unless.

26:19 You request help. Just clear, affordable coverage. designed to fit your life and your budget. Fast approval, flexible plans, and unlike other online insurance sites, Easy Plans won't sell your information to others. So no endless phone calls and text messages. Whether you're just starting a family, buying a home, or thinking ahead, EasyPlans.com has you covered. EasyPlans.com. We make buying life insurance, well, easy. People are always searching for ways to relax and feel calm. Some people drink, some people smoke, and others may take an edible to take the edge off. If you prefer a more natural option, it's time to try Hapazen, the new anxiety relief formula from the Magavitamin Company. Hapazen is formulated to help provide relief from mental fatigue. It contains an all-natural blend of high-potency herbs and minerals known for their relaxing qualities, helping you feel less stressed. Try Hapazen now and learn how you can get a free bottle with your order. Visit Magavitamin.com. That's Magavitamin.com. Nutrition for patriots.

27:27 Hey, good morning and welcome. Bill Martinez here, along with the Manhattan-based Fox News contributor, DeRoy Murdoch. Hey, DeRoy, good morning to you. I'm great, Bill. How are you? Hey, I'm doing good. Thank you so much. Look at the whole big controversy over data centers. I mean, we're going through this process, you know, and Trump, you know, to his credit, is allowing people, because he operates in a collaborative sort of style, his management style. He wants to get input from everybody. And he also, I think, understands he's very gifted in understanding the broader view of things as opposed to, you know, the narrative that's being put out there by the mainstream media or Democrats all for the sake of politicization. You know, really not coming to a solution that would be win win because now.

28:14 what you see happening in this debate is some of the old arguments are coming back to form. And particularly, I mean, you look at what happened with the debate over nuclear development, and we gave it up, and not Russia, but China said, thank you very much. We'll take it from here. Absolutely right. That's right. Yeah, well, that's a lot of what's going on here. And we've got President Trump, who's in favor of artificial intelligence, or he calls it SI superintelligence. Maybe that makes sense, because the word artificial sounds fake, and there's kind of a negative aspect to that, so maybe you should call it superintelligence. And so he's been in favor of that, and he's been in favor of approving data centers and so forth. And there's been a lot of opposition to this, which has really exploded over the last probably three, four months. I mean, you and I would not have had this discussion six months ago, because it's not an issue now. It's one of the biggest issues out there. And as always, you've got the left saying, we can't have this, this is terrible, it's the end of the world, oh my God. The same people who you know, six, nine months ago were screaming and yelling about global warming and climate change. We're all going to boil over. You don't hear much about that.

29:15 That issue's sort of evaporated. And I was, oh my God, data centers, data centers are going to kill us. They've got to have something, DeRoy. It's got to be something to complain about. If it's not, you know, the color of your skin, then it's, you know, it's global warming. It's some other green event, you know, that is the card that they've got to play. And of course, they're going full hilt because uh as we you know careen closer to the the midterms right yeah. You know leave to the left they're not able to the concept don't worry be happy doesn't exist to them they're always upset about something you know he's angry or terrified or both of something and and of course yeah they're they're using this as an issue in the midterms for sure And I did a piece recently for American Spectator, headlined Data Centers, Where Modern Life Lives. So that is the campaign against server farms comes with a complimentary trip back to the analog age. And I make the very simple point that data centers are not some brand new, newfangled technology that's come along and is wiping people out.

30:13 This is something we've had probably going back 30 or 40 years. You and I, and maybe some of our listeners are old enough to remember the days when on a Friday afternoon, You had to take your paycheck or whatever money you had and cash your checks, get your money from a teller physically handed to you. And that's all the money you had for the weekend. So if you plan to go out and see friends or go to parties or whatever it is, and you happen to run out of money on Friday night, well, guess what? You had to stay home and have Top Ramen on Saturday and Sunday because you couldn't get any money until the bank reopened. Well, guess what? Right around the early 80s, I remember I was in high school, this new thing came along called automatic teller machines. And all of a sudden, instead of having it show up and get money from the bank when the bank is open. You can get money anytime you want it, around the clock. And all of a sudden, if you ran out of cash on Friday at 11.30 p.m., you could go to the ATM at 11.35, get as much money you wanted, and keep going. Now, the ATM machine where you pull the money out, that has no idea how much money you have. That's tied to a computer that knows what your balance is and will let you take out more money than you have in your account. And guess what? That computer is sitting at a data center. So we've had these things going back probably since the Reagan days. So this is nothing new.

31:20 And if the left gets what they want, we don't have data centers anymore. Well, that's fine. You can say goodbye to things like online banking, you know, JPMorganChase.com or BankOfAmerica.com. Online trading, if you want to do E-Trade or Charles Schwab, that disappears. You want to pay your friends for dinner you had and split the bill. Venmo goes away. Zelle goes away. Your entire iPhone turns into a cute little piece of plastic that does nothing. No more Gmail. No more YouTube. No more Netflix. If you want to check your medical records, my chart disappears. WebMD isn't there to tell you how to treat whatever illness you have. You want to buy some clothes on Amazon, that's not there.

32:01 You want to buy some vintage stuff on eBay, eBay's gone. If you're dating and you're into Match.com or Hint or Tinder or Grindr, that goes away. Want to take a ride somewhere, no more Uber, no more Lyft. And if you want to tell your friends what you did over the weekend, guess what? You better call them up on the phone because Instagram is gone. Facebook isn't there. No more TikTok. So we take these things for granted, all of these things we use in the modern age. And people may think, hey, when I go on my laptop or go on my cell phone, that all that stuff is sitting inside your laptop or sitting inside your phone. No, that stuff's not sitting there. Your laptop and your phone connect to those things. But those things, all those services we use every single day as part of Life in America in 2026, Those things are all operating on data centers.

32:43 So I really wish that people, A, would understand that, and B, to the degree people need to be educated on this, the data center companies, the AI companies need to step up, as James Brown's wonderful song says, get up, get into it, get involved, and explain this to people, because I don't think most people understand this. And the data center companies are spending $ 670 billion, or the B, $ 670 billion, AI companies are spending on data centers and all this infrastructure. If they spent one-tenth of 1% of that, that's $ 670 million. They could mount an education PR and advertising campaign on this, tell people what data centers do, why they are completely integral to our way of life today. And I think a lot of the opposition would begin to disappear. Unfortunately, they're not involved. They don't say anything.

33:27 The data center companies are totally silent as they're having their heads beaten in. And AI companies, I'm just starting to see a little bit of communications with regular consumers, but 99% of what they do is just talking to each other and using, you know, techno speak and referring to things like AI inference and something that's agentic. And you and I, nobody knows, no one has an idea what this stuff means. I mean, unless you went to Caltech or you're in Silicon Valley sitting in one of these companies, you have no idea what those terms mean. And they really have got to communicate with the regular folks, regular consumers. And here's how AI and super intelligentsia or data centers are making your life simpler, better, making you more prosperous, more healthy, better looking, sexier, whatever it may be.

34:11 And I'm not hearing much of that communication, which is why people like AOC and Bernie Sanders and Palo Rico and El Cid are running off with the AI and data center issues. And unfortunately, that industry and those facilities are huffing and puffing, trying to keep up. Exactly. Well, and of course, the mainstream media is championing the cause with the Democrats as well. Case in point here, as you write, On January 3rd, the voters of Monterey Park, California, just east of downtown L.A., which you and I are very familiar with, they approved a permanent moratorium on data centers. Think about that. Permanent. Now, the ballot measure passed by a margin of 86% to 14%, which is really an indication of just how effective a one-sided argument led by the mainstream media, how successful they've been.

35:02 86% to 14%. Mm-hmm. Case closed. Joe Stalin wishes he had numbers like that, right? Exactly. Yeah. You know, so, but, but, but the disaster of all this is that, uh, here, Monterey park, they got duped into voting this in and what will this end up costing them in the long run? Well, you know, um, it will end up costing them jobs. Uh, by total coincidence, I went to, uh, I went to school with somebody who worked on that project, and he told me, yeah, I mentioned this, because, yeah, that was our project. And he told me that a lot of people who were relying on it for jobs in construction, in electricians to build these data centers, you need electricians, you need plumbers, you need carpenters, you need all the people who do regular construction, same as you build a warehouse or whatever else. And then you need specialists who can put in the electrical gear and the computer systems and all that. Those are people who are more engineers and that kind of thing. Anyway, those jobs aren't going to be there. They're gone. And any permanent jobs related to running a facility are not going to be there.

36:04 And a lot of the jobs, apparently it doesn't take a whole lot of people to run a data center. It's not super labor intensive. But you sure need people to build them. And people say, well, those are just temporary jobs. Well, guess what? Every single solitary construction job is temporary. The people who built the Empire State Building, I walked by it just earlier today. That was a temporary job. People who built the Hoover Dam, those are temporary jobs. And people who built the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, those are temporary jobs. But, you know, you get two or three temporary jobs lined up a year or you work on a big project like I'm sure data center takes months or years to build. And guess what? You're employed for that period. The temporary job ends and move on to the next temporary job. And that's how you build and conduct your career if you're in construction or engineering or that sort of thing. So the idea that these are just temporary jobs, that's a total non-argument. That's foolish.

36:53 Every movie set since the days of Charlie Chaplin has been filled with temporary jobs. So you line up your temporary jobs in that kind of industry, and that's how you work. Got to go to a quick break. More from DeRoy after this. Stay with us. If you're 65 or older and Medicare is your main source of insurance, pay close attention right now and listen for details on how you may save thousands of dollars on your health care costs. Did you know that Medicare can pay for things like dental visits, home delivery of drugs, even a gym membership? Save a ton of money on your health care costs. and get the code to unlock all your earned Medicare benefits. Paid for by Senior Choice Plans.

37:52 800-796-3954 800-796-3954 That's 800-796-3954 Every 40 seconds, a child disappears. That's 2,000 children every single day. Find the Children is a non-profit organization fighting to bring them home. But we can't do it without you. Your unwanted car, running or not, can help find missing kids, reunite families, and support the search and rescue efforts that protect children every day. We'll pick it up fast and free with a 24-hour response. And your donation may qualify for a tax deduction. Find the Children. Find the Children. because every child deserves to come home. 800-547-5331 800-547-5331 800-547-5331 This advertisement was paid for in partnership with Cars R Us and Find the Children.

39:04 Thank you for watching. 618 heritage for the blind accepts cars, vans, trucks, and boats. It doesn't matter if your vehicle runs or not, it will be towed away for free and you'll be supporting those that need help. Heritage for the blind is a nonprofit organization that helps the visually impaired live fuller lives. Call right now to donate your car. And as a special, thank you for calling. You'll receive a free three day vacation voucher to many exciting locations. Call Heritage for the Blind right now, 1-800-785-9618. Donating is easy and your vehicle is towed away for free. Plus, you'll get a free vacation voucher. Call now, 1-800-785-9618. That's 1-800-785-9618.

40:03 We call ourselves ASAP Travel for one reason. We can help you book a ticket ASAP. For those of you that don't know, that means as soon as possible. That means no wait time. You get through right away. No searching online. Our specialty is the lowest available fares on the big name airlines. You know them. We can't tell you their names. You can fly domestically or internationally and save more money than you could if you call the airlines directly. Our proprietary software goes underneath the hood of the major airline booking systems and finds you the best rates available. So if you're ready to make your travel plans right now, business or vacation travel, we have all the major airlines always at great rates. Call ASAP Trips and we'll have your ticket in your inbox in 15 minutes.

40:48 Call this number now. 800-506-4885. 800-506-4885. 800-506-4885. That's 800-506-4885. Hey, welcome back. Bill Martinez here with the Manhattan-based Fox News contributor, Roy Murdoch. You know, DeRoy, they talk about temporary jobs, but, you know, they always say that. But then they forget that. Guess what? Oh, yeah, that's right. Data centers require maintenance. So those maintenance jobs are going to be like, you know, the modern 21st century HVAC jobs. Right. And look at look at people in the HVAC industry.

41:31 How successful. I mean, it's a recession proof job. Absolutely. Yeah. And these these data centers do need. HVAC equipment, as you say, that stuff probably wears out and has to be replaced. Sometimes it breaks down. It's got to be maintained. So you certainly have people working in repairs and maintenance and that kind of stuff. And I think about the jobs are not necessarily specifically at the data center, but the people building the air conditioning systems and people building the lights and people who produce the wire and all these servers and all of the gear and equipment that go into those facilities. Those people have jobs at the factories and produce that stuff. If that demand goes away, they need fewer workers, and those people either get fired, they don't get hired, they don't get promoted, they don't get raises. Whereas if they have a lot of business and they're staying busy creating these products that go into the data centers, they're hiring people, they're promoting people, they're paying people more money, and that's all good. And those are people who are not even at the data centers.

42:24 They're upstream producing equipment that goes into those facilities. And we want more of that, not less of that. Yeah, one of the big complaints, DeRoy, that we heard last week is, oh, the noise. Have you... Have you yourself been able to experience the kind of noise that they're complaining about? I've not. I've not visited a data center, which is something I'd like to do in the near future. And one of the simple things that these guys could try to do to improve their public image is just bring some journalists like you and me and our colleagues for a tour and say, hey, guess what? This is what a data center looks like. This is what it sounds like. We can tell people, yeah, they're very loud or no, they're quiet or, you know, they're loud from a distance of 100 feet, but you walk 150 feet away, you don't hear them. I don't know the answer to your question, but that's one way to explain it in a simple way that the data centers could get answers to help people understand these things is quite simply to bring in journalists and conduct tours of the set and the public, you know, people, public leaders and other folks in the community who are concerned and let them see what they look like. And very often I think people, whether it's whatever industry is, and you see hard working people producing the products and delivering the services on which we rely very often, a lot of these fears disappear because you see that the places are not as loud, dirty, uh, disgusting, polluting, nasty, whatever, as people are led to believe. And in fact, there are a lot of efforts to minimize noise, minimize pollution, minimize wear and tear on the environment, whatever it is.

43:43 People can say they're satisfied or not satisfied at that level of attention, but it's almost never as bad as the critics say it is. Well, exactly. And the thing that's interesting that you bring up here is that the nature of these uber intellectuals, you know, they're non-social by nature, and they don't know how to communicate with everyday Americans. They need an R2-D2 to come in and say, okay, let's tell the story here. I know you get it. You think it's the greatest thing since sliced toast, but, you know, the message is not being carried. The wrong message is being carried because you don't know how to communicate or you're not, you know, you just say, why should I bother? You know, these these knuckleheads they're not smart enough to really understand but you know the fact the matter is is the people need to understand enough to know that kind of like when electricity came into being you know you didn't need to know exactly how the wires worked and why the bulbs lit up and why they didn't all you need to know was at least teach them that if you go there see that switch there you turn the switch up and the lights go on isn't that wonderful you.

44:47 Know And all of a sudden when the sun goes down, it's not the end of the day, you know? And the dogs didn't die and the goldfish kept swimming, you know, right? Absolutely. Yeah. And I'm sure when people said, Hey, there's this new thing called natural gas. We're going to put pipes into your house and you know, you can cook and heat up your house. Now there's a chance it'll blow up and destroy your house. I'm not sure people were a bit scared by that. And I guess maybe they learned after a while that, yeah, that happens a couple of times a year, but it's not like it happens three times a day. And we got used to the concept of natural gas in our homes, of course. And you're right. You know, when people hear from AOC and from Bernie Sanders and people on the left that data centers are terrible and this is where Satan lives and, you know, they're probably torturing babies inside and on and on. And then you wait to hear the response of data centers like, no, we don't do that. We're doing good things for community.

45:32 And they don't hear those things. What they hear is silence. They hear absolutely less than crickets. And they go, oh, I guess it is true. They really are torturing kids. And that's where Satan lives inside data centers. So I don't– I fault the data centers for not stepping up and saying something. I mean, even if it were an incoherent message like the AI company's message just to their own techno people, at least they're saying something. The data center companies, as far as I can gather, are just silent. I did see one data center executive on Fox News defending his industry, but I've yet to see him. any kind of an ad campaign on this. And I've said to folks, I've spoken to a number of people in the industry, I said, you guys need to be on air at least as often as Mike Lindell used to be with the MyPillow ads. I mean, I'm here at Fox News. He no longer advertises with us since he has his own channel. But when he did advertise with us, he was in every single solitary commercial segment. Every time we went to a break, There was an ad for Mike Lindell. So that goes on air with us probably six, seven, eight times per hour. They need to be at that level of saturation. I think if they do that and explain a lot of what we're talking about, I think they'll start to turn this issue around in probably a matter of weeks or a month or two. But if they sit there in silence, all they're going to get is continue to get hit over the head by the left.

46:47 And then we're going to end up losing this race, and we're going to acquiesce it to the Chinese. I mean, the thing is, you know, the likes of Sanders and AOC and Talafrico, they ought to be assigned to the Flat Earth Society. That's exactly right. Yeah, if they weren't upset about this, they'd be complaining about something else. I mean, I'm just saying, yeah. Yeah, I mean, is that unfair? I mean, you talk about in your data centers where modern life lives, and what do they want to do? I mean, you had Joe Biden, oh, they want to put you back in chains. They want to take you back to the dark ages. Well, this is what the Democrats are doing with this, and they're putting us at a disadvantage without even doing their homework.

47:36 And instead, we're back to that that big question, you know, that, you know, when I would come up with something goofy, my mother would say, you know, who told you that? You know? Yeah, well, that's right. Right? And, you know, God forbid we lose the AI race to the Belgians or the Italians, that would be bad enough. But if people, you lose it to Xi Jinping or the Chinese Communist Party, you know, people are afraid, oh my God, AI may do bad, bad things. It might spy on us or you might have malware or sabotage. Well, you know what? If it's something being run by, you know, if instead of Google or Meta, or Amazon winning this race for superintelligence, but instead it's a Chinese-based company run by Xi Jinping's little brother or his son-in-law or something like that, my guess is you've got to be very careful that when you use their system, it's not spying on you, seeing how much money you've got, putting little things into infrastructure that might suddenly go off and all of a sudden the lights go off or the natural gas stops flowing or whatever it might be. So, yeah, we need to win this race, not just for commercial reasons, but reasons of national security and reasons of safety, reasons of not having them spy on us. And that's one more reason to win this race. If we lose it, who knows what little Trojan horse is going to be mixed in with the Chinese version of these companies if they're the ones that win this race.

48:55 Well, DeRoy, as you say, I mean, to me, it's such an easy counter argument. The fact that we are already relying on data centers anyway, right? I mean, they're such a big part of our life and have been. And now all of a sudden you get this uproar over this, you know, kind of, you know, just a small aspect of, but but it's a critical aspect for the future of, you know, of America. And I would dare say the world because, you know, America leading the charge will develop it. They they will refine this. And of course, you know, we will share in a very beneficial way with the rest of the world to bring them up to speed. But if China gets it, their cards are going to be held close to their vest.

49:39 There's no way they're going to share anything. Either they won't share it or they'll share it with strings attached, as they've done with the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa. It's like, okay, we'll give you lots of infrastructure and technology and stuff, but you've got to be our best friend and do everything else we tell you. And I don't want that to happen. The fact that this has been here, the data centers have been here a long time. There's a very good article published. Similar concepts I'm making, this is from, it's called Your Data Center Life by Charles C.W. Cook, one of my colleagues at National Review. This is written September 17th. And he makes a couple of points. One is that there are a lot of these data centers. They've been around a long time. He counts, or he cites a figure, 5,427. So almost 5,500 of these, or 5,400 of these data centers are all around the country. And he goes through his kind of what he does getting up in the morning and having his coffee and checking National Review and website and all that. He kind of just explains when he does that. He just types in nationalreview.com and his laptop or PC at home starts checking other data centers for National Review's website, finds a local data center where the beginning of that website is based, and then it starts checking other data centers. One of them holds the text.

50:50 Another one holds the photographs. Another one has the ads. Another one has the links to other articles. And all that stuff magically comes in from data centers in three, four, five, six, seven different places. All that comes through the wires, pours into his laptop or his cell phone or whatever it is. And he starts reading an article with pictures popping up and ads on the side. We're not crazy about those, but they do bring in revenue and links to other articles, et cetera. And all that stuff magically, beautifully, silently appears. And it's, again, not sitting in his laptop. It's not sitting in his phone. It's sitting, all that stuff is sitting in data centers across the country, even around the world. And so I recommend people read that article and give you a technical sense of how all this stuff works. I found it very educational. It's a piece called Your Data Center Life, which is at nashreview.com. And it was by Charles C.W. Cook, C-O-O-K-E, September 17th. And I think people find that very educational.

51:40 Well, again, it goes back to what you and I have maintained, DeRoy, from day one. And that is you have to own your own knowledge. You can't just sit back and let somebody do your own thinking for you. Because this is how we've got into this mess. This is a part and parcel of of why we're looking at $ 40 trillion in debt today, right? Yeah, well, a lot. As I say, do your own research. Hopefully people believe what you and I say on the radio, but if you don't, look up this stuff on your own and come to your own conclusions. You've got many number of information sources on this or any other topic you can think of, and not just relying on what you're hearing, particularly from the dinosaur media. which on a good day is biased, on a bad day they're just fabricating stuff and utterly making stuff up and being as inventive, if not more inventive, than Thomas Edison. So yeah, do your own research, look into these things on your own and decide on your own, but I'd certainly suggest that people keep their eyes and ears open and listen in on this issue and many others and not just hear the propaganda that data centers are just the focus of all evil on the planet Earth. They do a lot of good and they've been doing a lot of good for probably 30, 40 years. very quietly without any appreciation.

52:53 And now all of a sudden we just hear that they're just, you know, Bermuda Triangle or worse. And that's just not the case. Well, you want to check it out. Spectator.org, data centers where modern life lives. DeRoy Murdoch's latest article. He's the Manhattan-based Fox News contributor and contributing editor also at the American Spectator. DeRoy, thank you. Appreciate it. Take care. All right, Bill. Great talk to you. Thanks a lot. Everything is expensive right now. Gas, food, you name it. You're spending more. You are making the same or less money. So what do you do? You rack up credit card debt. That's what you do. It's not your fault. It's the economy. And guess what? If you rack up too much credit card debt like some of us, you can't pay your bills.

53:36 Then the credit card companies, as nice as they are, start hounding you for money. Then you start your downward spiral. 800-284-1349 800-284-1349 800-284-1349. That's 800-284-1349. Are you ready? Yeah.

54:17 Okay, let's do it. Bill Martinez Live, a program about current events, our culture, our values, our politics, and our future. And now, Bill Martinez. Hey, good morning, America. Six minutes after the top of the hour. Glad you could join us. I'm Bill Martinez, and we've got the New York Times bestselling author Brent Hamachek joining us. We're going to talk about his brand new book, The Intellect of Charlie Kirk. Brent, welcome back. Good to have you with us. It's been too long, my friend. It has been. It's been a couple of years, and maybe I guess I have to write a book to get a chance to talk to you. But I think there'll be more of that coming is the good news.

54:58 So that means we'll talk more. Well, of course, this book about Charlie Kirk, we're, you know, remembering one year ago. And, you know, we're still grieving, many of us still grieving, because of, you know, the generational loss that we've experienced with Charlie Kirk no longer around. But yet his legacy continues. Well, it does. It'll continue generationally. it'll continue on in large part because of the organization he built, you know, in the, in the postscript to the book. One of the things I share is my thought that, you know, everybody wants to, I shouldn't say everybody, but so many people want to focus on the nature and manner of Charlie's death. And we hear the term martyr being, you know, bandied about. And I certainly understand those things, but, I do not think that Charlie's going to be remembered for how he died. I think he's going to be remembered constantly and ongoing for what he built while he lived.

56:06 And that's the Turning Point USA organization. That's the legacy. It's not about trying to somehow or other make something of his death. His death was an insult to the human experience, the way it took place. But let's focus on the real legacy, which is an organization that's ongoing, thriving, and making an impact in young people's lives every day. And this organization was based on, you know, common sense, godly principles. I mean, here you served as, I guess, for all intent and purposes, a bit of a ghost writer for him. I mean, Charlie was more than a friend for you. I mean, he had to just be I mean, both of you had to be so connected.

56:53 I want to say almost metaphysically, because when you're writing for somebody and you get so close to them, you're like that proverbial person that finishes the other person's sentences at times, probably. Well, yeah. And I sort of have a personal tendency to avoid the use of the term ghostwriter, and there's no offense taken or of you using it or criticism given none of that, but look, we, we collaborated on creating content and, uh, and, and that collaboration was fun in a number of ways. Uh, first of all, for me, uh, somebody who back going back literally to the summer before my senior year of high school, which is, you can tell by looking at me, it's a long time ago. Uh, You know, I had this, you know, I had this, this dream of getting involved in what I call the world of ideas and trying to make some contribution. You know, I thought I was going to go change the world and that didn't work out so well. You know, I just had a successful business career and, and, and didn't do anything in that world into which I wanted to step. And then I meet Charlie, the story of how we met the unlikely.

58:11 I was going to ask you how you guys met. Yeah, go ahead. Yeah. It's, It's in the book and it's most unlikely of stories, but in meeting him and in him spotting something in me that nobody else had ever spotted, that gave me a chance to step into the world of ideas. What's interesting about us in terms of the content we created over the more than decade that we worked together is that early days, you mentioned, I can't remember the term you used, but talked about turning point, and I'm going to use my own term, being involved in sort of these social issues. Early days, Charlie used to tell me, he told everybody, turning point was never going to get involved in social issues, right? It was all about free markets and first principles. And so what happened over time, though, we certainly know, you know, the culture warrior tours and all those things that he did. the reshaping of the focus of Turning Point USA, all of that changed over time.

59:16 And there's nothing about that that should be viewed critically by people. Some people might not like it. Some people might love it. But what he was responding to was what he perceived as a change in in the nation's marketplace and what he identified as a need to reach consumers with, or a need he had to address. And that need was some sort of clarity and understanding of social, moral, cultural values. So good for him on that. I think that he followed that notion of Andrew Breitbart that politics runs downstream from culture.

1:00:01 And, uh, it's supposed to, it's supposed to anyway, right now it's reversed, but that's all, that's a whole nother discussion. That's why we've got politics so angry, uh, and malfunctioning is, uh, that it is out of order in my humble opinion. Well, it's, uh, certainly, certainly we, the level of civil discourse in the country is, uh, deteriorated greatly. And, uh, That's why my colleague and I, Felisa Blaszczak, started the Common Ground Campus program a few years ago, which I talked to you about on your show the last time I was here. We're working on trying to get young people to come together and find their voice and express their voice in a creative and constructive manner. Our program, by the way, was encouraged by Charlie and approved by Turning Point USA as a program. But in any case, Look, Charlie evolved in his ideas. So did I, by the way.

1:00:57 And we did not evolve in the same directions. And so I was asked yesterday by someone on a show that I did, you know, what do you miss the most? Which is an interesting question, right? I haven't really thought about that because you, of course, just miss everything on some level. But in terms of our interactions, what I miss the most were our disagreements. And our disagreements were plentiful. But I would never even use the word spirited to describe them. They were rational and thoughtful and calm. And there's a chapter in the book titled Agreeing to Disagree. And that is a collection of written work we produced together on topics where he and I did not agree on the content that was being produced. But make no mistake.

1:01:51 everything in the book is, you know, Charlie's opinion, not mine. If you want to know what he thought at the date and time something was written, you can read it. That's what he thought. It is not necessarily what I thought. But those disagreements and our ability to have those conversations, the way we did them and the way we were able to work together despite a disagreement, certainly something we're trying to embrace in the Common Ground campus program. You know, Brent, what I like about that idea, I mean, the Bible says is as iron sharpens iron. And, you know, these kind of relationships are unique where you can be respectfully associated with somebody where you can have these discussions.

1:02:34 I mean, to me, one of the things that I appreciate about Charlie Kirk is walls had been built up and Charlie started knocking down walls to where we could have conversations on the other side of the walls, you know, and be able to have these important discussions. I mean, you know, when you think that here it is, you know, talking about getting back to first principles, this has been core of this show, is I felt that we needed to go back to first principles. And when you go back to first principles, you see that our founding fathers embraced the First Amendment, you know, pretty passionately. And there was wisdom in the First Amendment. And whenever that's violated, we pay a big price. You know, we just recently went through COVID. And what happened? Walls got put up.

1:03:20 We couldn't talk. We couldn't exchange ideas. And I believe more people than necessary died as a result of it. Oh, well, there's no question about that. As you might know, your audience might remember, I mean, I wrote Dr. Zelenko's book with him. That was a dear friend. And we told that story of his journey and the nation's journey through the China flu and every time in my house where somebody mentions COVID, I'll say, wait, that's the same as the China flu, right? I get confused, simply refuse to use it as a term. But yeah, you know, in the First Amendment, all of those first 10 amendments have interesting history. I mean, I think some people might believe, oh, yeah, that's something the founding fathers, you know, they jumped right in and wanted to do that. They didn't. There was great debate over those. And They were only added at the suggestion of some against the advice of others who thought they were unnecessary. But those who thought they were necessary made the argument that we haven't gone far enough just by setting up a constitution. We need to come right out and say explicitly what government can't do. And of course, nonetheless, we've been trying to find workarounds on those for over 200 years. and sadly, oftentimes successfully.

1:04:47 Timeshare owners, listen to this. You know it's coming, your timeshare maintenance fee bill. At RFA Cancellations, we've seen timeshare maintenance fees rising every year, and I bet you have too. Most of our clients that we help get rid of their timeshares don't have that kind of free money laying around. If you don't either, call us. When you hire our experts, we'll do all the work for you. to help you get out of your timeshare with zero money down with approved credit. If you haven't used your timeshare this past year and you want a legal way to get out of it, we can help you get out of your timeshare contract right now and stop paying all the maintenance fees. Plus, put more money back in your pocket every month. Your timeshare is not free, but this call is. Call us right now before time runs out.

1:05:32 800-245-1365. 800-245-1365. 800-245-1365. That's 800-245-1365. Have you written a book or do you have a manuscript ready and just need to find the right publisher? Christian Faith Publishing. Get your manuscript reviewed and a free writer's guide today.

1:06:32 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. That's 800-439-1588. Everything is expensive right now. Gas, food, you name it. You're spending more, you are making the same or less money. So what do you do? You rack up credit card debt. That's what you do. It's not your fault. It's the economy. And guess what? If you rack up too much credit card debt like some of us, you can't pay your bills. Then the credit card companies, as nice as they are, start hounding you for money. Then you start your downward spiral. A smart thing for you to do is to call The Zero Debt. They can help you consolidate all your credit card bills into one affordable payment. Millions of people have done it. It works to make you debt-free. Make this free call right now. It costs you nothing to learn more.

1:07:32 800-284-1349 800-284-1349 800-284-1349 That's 800-284-1349. Do you have Medicare and do you use a CPAP machine? This is a national health care alert regarding your CPAP supplies. Using a clean CPAP mask and clean supplies is important to staying healthy. The best way to make sure your CPAP equipment is clean is to get new supplies. If you have Medicare, we have great news. Medicare will pay for you to have new clean supplies every 90 days. We'll even do all the paperwork for you to make sure that there's little to no out-of-pocket cost to you.

1:08:15 And you don't even have to leave your home. We provide free in-home delivery. So if you're a CPAP user and you have Medicare, staying healthy with new CPAP equipment is easy. Just make this free phone call right now to get started. Sponsored by Specialty Medical. 800-254-1421. 800-254-1421. 800-254-1421. That's 800-254-1421. If you're trying to lose weight, then you need to try CarboLife Gold, the new powerful weight loss supplement from the MAGA Vitamin Company. CarboLife Gold is so effective, you only need to take one pill a day. CarboLife Gold contains a unique blend of natural ingredients that helps expand your body. And learn how you can get a free bottle with your order. That's magavitamin.com. Nutrition for patriots.

1:09:19 We're talking with Brent. Hamachek, New York Times bestselling author, one of the most influential voices behind one of America's most consequential conservative leaders, Charlie Kirk. For more than a decade, from 2013, he and Charlie, before his assassination on September, September the 10th of 2025, Hamachek was Kirk's personal collaborator, helping shape the speeches, opinion columns, and arguments that define Turning Point USA movement. What an opportunity, I think, that, you know, Brent, I've often said that, you know, God will give us a canvas, so to speak. I use the metaphor in terms of expressing our talents and giftings. And for you to have this kind of canvas to work with, you know, associated with Charlie Kirk, like you said, not that you agreed all the time on everything, but to even be in that kind of relationship with someone that, you know, that you could disagree with. And I got to imagine that as a result of that, both of you became more intelligent in the process.

1:10:23 Oh, there's, there's no question about that. Certainly in my case, you know, there was a moment in time in early 2019 where Charlie approached me and asked if I would work through studying political theory and political science with him. And again, you know, just about everything I ever did with Charlie, other than the few times I provided some business advice. And other than when early this decade, he asked me to be his weightlifting trainer. Other than those two things, I had no qualifications. Those two, I was okay. But when he asked me to do that, I said, sure.

1:11:04 But understand that political theory for me when I was in college, a big area of study, beyond college, a big area of interest in ongoing, you know, sort of citizen study. But, oh my goodness, did I have to freshen up. And, you know, we would sit down for over a year and a half. We sat down and had formal regular sessions, you know, starting with the Greek masters and ending with the last topic we covered was the 20th century pragmatists. And we covered just about everything in between. And the discipline of having to prepare for those conversations, going back and rereading John Locke's Second Treatise.

1:11:50 Did I know that we needed to study it? Yes. Could I remember it? No. Too many years ago. So I was only smart enough to put together a list of, I can't remember if it was like 28 or 29 original things that we were going to study. So, and I did that from memory. So I get an A on that. Well, that's great. Good job for memory. But beyond that, it was a lot of work and made me all, I don't know if it made me smarter because I think my level of intelligence tabled off years ago, but it did make me more aware of things with what limited intelligence I have. That's for sure. Well, when you scheduled these meetings with Charlie, I mean, uh, did you, did you come in and say, okay, this is, these are the topics this we're going to talk about or, uh, how did that happen?

1:12:40 Yeah. Oh, we would, we knew what was coming up next and we would set a date and we would sit together either in person, uh, sometimes in a coffee shop, sometimes in my office and sometimes over a screen like you and I are doing right now. It all depended upon his schedule and geographic presence. But, uh, But we would come together with pages and pages of notes and walk through it. I've got the collection of our notes is actually with a friend of mine who's retired, who says he's making it his project to digitize them all. So good luck with my handwriting. But we'd sometimes have reading assignments in between. So when we worked through Machiavelli, it was a pre-reading assignment to read the prints. We read Locke's Second Treatise. We read excerpts from other writers, pieces from Plato's Republic, for example, and other things. And so there was that. One of the things I like the most is I'm a big Ayn Rand fan. And one of the things we did was Charlie wanted to read Atlas Shrugged. He had great fondness for objectivists and many of their ideas, but of course his Christian background.

1:14:01 made much of that at odds with arguably the most famous atheist to the 20th century. And certainly one of the most vocal. And in any case, so we would read, he would read Atlas Shrugged, three major sections to the book. And when he would complete one section at a time, we'd go through those sections. So that was, for me, that was sort of a highlight of the process. I enjoyed that very much. And so, yeah, it sharpened my sharpen what little is left of my intellect to work with them for sure. Well Brent uh you know the format of going to campuses and talking to these young people uh I'm sure you had a lot of influence in that because of your past experience so how did that come about.

1:14:47 Sure so early early days um Charlie and I did a lot of work together on preparing for media hits so um Again, I had no background. My background to any extent were two things. Number one, I'm a decent communicator. Number two, most of my career I spent working in and around the world of sales. So you come to understand some things. You understand how to assess needs, how to look for opportunities and so on. In the media side of that, what we were trying to do was look for what I termed, what he came to term green space. So if he was going to be on Fox News, for example, and sent along something from the producer about the topic, our goal was to talk ahead of time about how do you approach this topic and not sound like the last 10 guests who are just on talking about the same topic because everybody sounds the same.

1:15:52 And so that green space approach started to work. You know, he'd do interviews and he'd get feedback. Wow, Charlie, you know, really, really like that. The host loved your segment, said you were saying things other people aren't saying. And so that was part of it. And that evolved into the notion of persuasive communication. And this relates directly to a sales background, right? So, you know, a good salesperson knows how to speak well, but a great salesperson knows how to ask questions and listen. And so what we spent time doing was really studying that Socratic method piece. Right. Kind of interesting. I get a kick out of this and it comes up all the time. You can ask somebody about, you know, they'll say, oh, yeah, I believe in the Socratic method. And you'll say, well, what is it?

1:16:38 And they say, well, it's asking questions. Well, the truth is we have a name for that. It's called asking questions. It's not the Socratic method. There's no method to asking questions. But what what Charlie and I spend time working on in which he mastered beyond belief. was the actual method that has some key elements to it. It's a very top-down approach. It is a big question down to specific question process. And most importantly, it is driven by the second question, which is asked after clearly listening to the answer of the first question. Questions need to be derivative upon response. So that sort of process, that true Socratic method, uh, became ingrained in him. And again, like I said, he, he mastered it. You know, I, I can watch him do it and, you know, uh, just sort of chuckle to myself and say, wow, I couldn't do it that well, you know? Uh, so what student becoming master, something like that. Right.

1:17:45 Well, it had to be something that, uh, He worked on even as he slept and probably, you know, was woke up in the middle of the night in refining, you know, this idea. And as you said, he was such a master in doing this and in doing it in such a way that if you had a heart to listen to what he was sharing with you, you were going to be better as a result of that. We call ourselves ASAP Travel for one reason. We can help you book a ticket ASAP. For those of you that don't know, that means as soon as possible. That means no wait time. You get through right away. No searching online. Our specialty is the lowest available fares on the big name airlines.

1:18:26 You know them. We can't tell you their names. You can fly domestically or internationally and save more money than you could if you call the airlines directly. Our proprietary software goes underneath the hood of the major airline booking systems and finds you the best rates available. So if you're ready to make your travel plans right now, business or vacation travel, we have all the major airlines always at great rates. Call ASAP. Trips and we'll have your ticket in your inbox in 15 minutes. Call this number now. 800-506-4885 800-506-4885 800-506-4885 That's 800-506-4885 If you're 65 or older and Medicare is your main source of insurance, pay close attention right now and listen for details on how you may save thousands of dollars on your health care costs.

1:19:19 Did you know that Medicare can pay for things like dental visits, home delivery of drugs, even a gym membership? Call us right now and learn how to unlock all your Medicare benefits. Medicare and supplemental plans that we provide can even offer you drug coverage with zero copays and pay for transportation to your doctors. Medicare plans can offer you wonderful money-saving benefits, but you've got to call now. We'll help you get the most out of your Medicare. Make this free, no-obligation call now. Save a ton of money on your health care costs and get the code to unlock all your earned Medicare benefits. Paid for by Senior Choice Plans. 800-796-3954. 800-796-3954. That's 800-796-3954.

1:20:08 Life is full of surprises, some wonderful, some not so much. But here's one thing you can control, making sure your loved ones are protected if the unexpected happens. At EasyPlans.com, we make getting life insurance, well, easy. In just a few minutes, you can apply online and buy direct. No awkward phone calls, no confusing jargon, and no agent will contact you unless you request help. Just clear, affordable coverage designed to fit your life and your budget. Fast approval, flexible plans, and unlike other online insurance sites, Easy Plans won't sell your information to others. So no endless phone calls and text messages. Whether you're just starting a family, buying a home, or thinking ahead, EasyPlans.com has you covered. EasyPlans.com.

1:21:03 We make buying life insurance... Well, easy. If you're trying to lose weight, then you need to try CarboLife Gold, the new powerful weight loss supplement from the MagaVitamin company. CarboLife Gold is so effective, you only need to take one pill a day. CarboLife Gold contains a unique blend of natural ingredients that helps accelerate your body's fat burning process. Combined with exercise and a healthy diet, CarboLife can help you reach your weight loss goals. Visit us now at MagaVitamin.com and learn how you can get a free bottle with your order. Lower your weight and feel more energy at MagaVitamin.com. That's MagaVitamin.com, nutrition for patriots. Well, we're talking with Brent Hamachek, his new book, The Intellect of Charlie Kirk, a collection of writings, ideas, and stories from a transformational American. You know, as you were saying, his ability to master the Socratic process, I mean, he really took it to a refined level.

1:22:04 Oh, yeah, there's no question. I mean, there was a few years ago, I was at an event where Charlie was speaking and I was sitting next to another person who worked very closely with Charlie. And after his prepared remarks, he took questions, of course, as he always did. And there was a gentleman that stood up first and he was quite animated and you could tell he was far more interested in being provocative than asking a question that got an answer. And I leaned over to the person sitting next to me and I said, watch what's going to happen. I said, in a few minutes, this person is either going to throw up their hands and go back to their seat, or they're going to walk out of the room and everybody is going to clap and Charlie will have not done anything other than ask him questions.

1:22:49 And so sure enough, within five minutes, that person threw up their hands, walked out of the room, almost right in front of where we were sitting and the audience erupted in applause and Charlie hadn't done anything other than time and knots by asking him questions. And, uh, That wasn't difficult for me to predict because that was exactly the sort of thing that we had worked on. And so he mastered it. It was fun to watch him do it. He understood, by the way, one of the things I'd point out in the book, and so your audience knows, they might be interested in this, what we're talking about, this whole Socratic piece. Charlie ultimately asked me to teach it to Turning Point students, which I did on a And that sort of seminar, if you will, curriculum is in the book. The whole thing's there. And so the term I use in the book is, you know, it's kind of like, so if you want to bend it like Charlie, you know, here, read this. This is what we did together. But, you know, to the point when he would walk into a crowd, like a protest crowd on the campus, and he'd confront the leaders asking them questions, you know, and then these viral videos that got created, you know, people could, could say, well, that wasn't terribly effective because the person that he was asking the questions of, you know, they, they, they weren't converted.

1:24:22 They didn't come to see it his way. That wasn't his intention. And one of the things, and it's in the material in the book, one of the things we talked about was know who your actual audience is and And when you're engaged, understand who it is you're trying to make an impact upon. So when Charlie did those things in a crowd that got filmed, he was not trying to reach the person he was talking to. He was trying to reach the people watching him talk to that person who would then be able to see that other person deconstruct themselves through a failed path of logic.

1:25:05 And they would be able to look at that video and say, wow, man, look at the way, the way he asked you those questions and man, she just fell apart. You know what? That didn't make any sense to me either. Right. So the audience is not always the audience that you're standing directly in front of. So he had great awareness that when, if it looked like he failed with someone, if you ever saw like that engagement I mentioned at the event I attended, he didn't fail in that engagement. even though that person walked out of the room. What he was doing was not intended to convert them. He was doing it so that others might see and somehow come to think by that person's reaction.

1:25:47 Wasn't it very similar? I mean, I thought, and this is the thing that always has been a challenge for me, Brent, is that I didn't ever perceive Charlie as being mean-spirited. It was a time of exposures. And that person that got exposed had an opportunity to say, okay, maybe I need to ponder this. Maybe I need to reevaluate my standing because the rest of the audience, like you said, who observed it said the same thing. And at times, I mean, this is not to elevate Charlie into some supernatural, you know, Jesus-like figure, but this is what Jesus did. Well, right.

1:26:27 I mean, it's interesting for me that, you know, over time, over the years, I've had different folks ask me for help. Like, let's say they're going to start on some kind of a book tour themselves, or all of a sudden they're going to be doing some public appearances, maybe on an issue. And they talk about the concern of being like drawn into something, some particular controversy that might be taking place. And I always say to them in a secular sense, I'll say, look, the very first rule to follow is that you need to embrace your inner Jesus. And, you know, when you're sitting in front of a host that may turn hostile, you need to have that attitude of your words, not mine. And you need to keep in mind that, that idea of, you know, when the, when the Pharisees were trying to trick him with questions, you know, what's the most important commandment and so on, uh, he would not permit himself to be tricked. So he, he had that awareness, uh, you know, and I think one of the things I used to say to Charlie, and I wrote this in Dissonantly Speaking, one of the chapters, you could argue that the two most impactful human beings in all of history, one on the secular side, one on the religious side, were Socrates and Jesus Christ because of what they said in motion. They had two things in common.

1:27:50 First of all, they were both executed for their actions. That's not so good. But they also changed the world by asking questions. And and by sharing an appropriate story. And so Christ more so the stories and Socrates more so the questions, but they both use both as we understand, at least from Plato, right? So the point is that if you walk into that hostile crowd, if you step up on stage, or even if you're sitting in your dining room, you know, around a crowded dinner table at Thanksgiving with folks that seem to want to argue, If you can embrace, whether you wanna embrace your inner Jesus or your inner Socrates or mix them together, what you can do is find that you'll become a little bit like a Delta Force operator when the firing starts. Your pulse doesn't go up, it drops. And you'll get a scary sort of calm about you because this is exactly what you prepared for. And you're not going to be able to be trapped. So Charlie was extremely good at that.

1:28:57 And you're right. He wasn't mean or hostile or nasty. He didn't need to be. When those engagements started, he was in his element. He trained for that. That was the bullets flying as a metaphor. And I know some people get angry that I use the term. You know, I'm not real good at censoring language or metaphors. Everybody knows what I mean. And in any case, he trained for that. And so when those things started, his pulse dropped. He was good. Well, in this book, as we wrap things up, we've got a couple of minutes left here, Brian. This is more than a biography as you laid out. I mean, you are sharing some of these strategies and things that worked very effectively for Charlie. And again, my hope, I had a mentor when I was in LA radio. He was just brilliant And he would always tell us that, you know, when we were on the air, our job was to elicit a positive emotional response. And radio is so personal and so imaginative, it could give you that opportunity to do that very effectively. And again, for people who have ears to hear, I walked away from what Charlie had to say and having that, oh yeah, moment, that opportunity for a positive emotional response to be a better person, a better version of myself as a result of the questions that were being asked. Is that fair?

1:30:28 Well, it is fair. And let me just share briefly for your audience so they know what to expect. In the book, you know, at the time of Charlie's death, I had a collection sitting on my computer of 370,000 words of opinion columns and radio show monologues that we created together. And so what I did is I curated from that collection And so it's organized sort of topically by chapter and then by date sequence. For example, there is a chapter dedicated to Charlie's writings over time about President Trump. There is a chapter dedicated to various columns during the pandemic. There's a chapter dedicated to columns about Turning Point USA. One, again, I mentioned earlier, where I say it's agreeing to disagree. And these are content we produced where we didn't agree on what was being produced.

1:31:24 And then there's also a curation of out of 160 pages of radio show monologues, different ones that I felt were sort of particularly representative of some of those more keen and pressing arguments. I mean, a radio show monologue, you know, is really an argument if you think about it. Charlie knew there were three legs to an argument. Everybody wants to talk about, oh, you've got to have your facts. That's great. Facts are only one leg, and the triangle is equilateral. It is facts, and it is sequence, and it is logic. And so these arguments that are radio show monologues demonstrate Charlie's ability to put together that equilateral triangle, at least I think so. And so that's what you can expect. real historical content produced from over a decade's worth of time. You can watch his thought process evolve.

1:32:21 I share stories. Along the way. It's like Springsteen on Broadway. You know, he went up on, did a stage, you know, he talked about being a kid and Freehold, and then he played Growing Up. Then he talked about his mom and he played The Wish. It's like that, right? So stories and content mixed together. Well, Brent Hamachek, congratulations on the book. It's a blessing. I look forward to getting my own copy as well. It's The Intellect of Charlie Kirk, a collection of writings, ideas, and stories from a transformative American. Brent is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the most influential voices behind one of America's most consequential conservative leaders, Charlie Kirk. Brent, thank you for being with us. Take care. Be well, my friend.

1:33:04 Thank you, Bill. Nice to be here. A new study finds a major increase in STEM learning in after-school programs, but gaps remain. Today, 92% of parents with children in after-school say STEM is available, up from 69% a decade ago. That's 6.4 million kids now getting STEM in after-school. Emma Binet, Overdeck Family Foundation. This study underscores the remarkable work out-of-school time programs do to help students discover the joy in learning while preparing them to succeed now and into the future. The study finds rural and low-income students are less likely to get frequent STEM opportunities, with rural programs also offering fewer opportunities in computer science and technology. Jody Grant, Executive Director of the After-School Alliance.

1:33:47 STEM literacy is no longer optional. It's the foundation of nearly every aspect of our economy and our world. The next step is clear. Invest more in after-school programs so every child in every community has access to STEM learning after school. To learn more, visit AfterSchoolAlliance.org, sponsored by AfterSchool Alliance. How would you like to save money on nearly all your prescription drugs? We've set up a special toll-free number for the RxOutreach program. They're a nonprofit company whose mission it is to make prescription drugs more affordable to the masses. They don't take insurance, and in many cases, your prescriptions are even cheaper than your co-pays. They carry thousands of different prescription drugs, so whatever you're taking, there's a good chance they have it. No coupons are required, and this is not a discount card. It is pure savings on your prescription drugs. They specialize in generic meds for any chronic health needs you have. Call with your prescription and find out for free how little you can pay for your prescription drugs. Remember, we don't take insurance, so call right now.

1:34:49 800-705-6581 800-705-6581 800-705-6581 That's 800-705-6581. Every 40 seconds, a child disappears. That's 2,000 children every single day. Find the Children is a nonprofit organization fighting to bring them home. But we can't do it without you. Your unwanted car, running or not, can help find missing kids, reunite families, and support the search and rescue efforts that protect children every day. We'll pick it up fast and free with a 24-hour response. And your donation may qualify for a tax deduction. Find the Children provides crucial resources to help locate missing children and educational programs to teach kids how to recognize and avoid predators before it's too late. Together, we can give families hope and bring children home where they belong. Donate your car today. and help bring a child home. Find the children, because every child deserves to come home.

1:35:52 800-547-5331. 800-547-5331. 800-547-5331. This advertisement was paid for in partnership with Cars R Us and Find the Children. Hi, everyone. If you've been injured in an accident that was not your fault, listen up. We have legal professionals standing by to answer your questions for free. Call now and find out if you have a case and how much it's potentially worth. Call 800-830-5050. I'm here with spokesman John Wolfe. So, John, tell everyone listening who should call right now. Well, Maria, first off, thank you for having me here.

1:36:33 It's always nice to answer the listeners' questions. Now, as far as who should call in, Anyone who's been injured in an accident and think you deserve compensation, give us a call right now, 800-830-5050. You'll find out if you have a case and how much it's potentially worth. Thanks, John. You heard it, folks. Take advantage of this opportunity and call now, 800-830-5050. Advertisement sponsored by Legal Help Center may not be available in all states, not available in California. Hey, good morning. We're back with you. Bill Martinez here, along with Adam Holtz from Focus on the Family. Hey, there he is.

1:37:14 Here I am. Well, Adam, what's going on in the movie world? Well, we've got a couple things to talk about this week. Probably the biggest movie. Is the new DreamWorks animation movie, Forgotten Island, which I would say DreamWorks and Universal have really pushed Disney in the last five or six years. I think they've been making better movies, and this is another one that mainstream critics are just gaga over. As of yesterday, when I checked in on Rotten Tomatoes, this was at 100%. And that was after, I think, like 41 critics. So there's always got to be somebody in there that wrecks it.

1:37:56 It's like, I don't know, I'm going to be the negative one. Except in this case, I might be the negative one. Plugged in, we're not on Rotten Tomatoes because getting on Rotten Tomatoes is actually weirdly, really difficult. People have asked us before. It's not easy to get on their system. But this movie is about two Filipino girls in Manila. They have grown up together. Their names are Joe and Reysa. And after they graduate from high school, Reysa has decided she's going to go to Caltech. And Joe is devastated that she's going to be losing a her best friend. And Joe's grandmother has always told tales of this mythical forgotten island. And they have a magical sand dollar that opens up a mystical portal. They end up on Forgotten Island.

1:38:44 And it's called Forgotten Island because the longer you stay there, the more of your memories you forget. And so they are trying to get back to the real world before all of their memories of their time together there go up in smoke. So like I said, the mainstream critics absolutely adore this movie. It's gotten rave, rave reviews. And I would say as a movie, the characters are memorable. Their friendship is fun. It works really well. It's got a ton of, I will characterize it as like, Filipino mythology or folklore, spiritually speaking. And so they run into a bunch of things on Forgotten Island that feel borderline, just demonic. I mean, really pretty dark spiritually. And this is also a movie that is pretty intense. And I think it's certainly being, you know, aimed at kids. But yeah, I think it's the kind of movie that could leave lots of kids actually with nightmares.

1:39:49 So I think. One of the reasons you want to come to Plugged In is because we're going to give you a spiritual perspective that not very many other outlets are going to give you. So I think there are some reasons not to just sort of drink the Kool-Aid here and cart everybody off in the old station wagon, never mind that nobody has station wagons anymore, to. The theater and say, well, maybe. Maybe we pass on this one or maybe we wait. So some things to be cautious about here. Definitely. Yeah. The station wagon is today's SUV. Yes. So, and all as well, you know, just a little bit of design. That's all. I mean, when you think of the difference between the two, you know, you get a lot more kids in there.

1:40:31 It's all that. That's right. Hey, but you know, it's interesting to note that the amount of demonization that is being included in the culture. Yeah. Are we being conditioned here? Well, I think so. I mean, I think that you could look at it as glass half full, glass half empty, right? On one hand, you can say, certainly this is a non-Christian worldview and perspective that perhaps dulls us to thinking about the real reality of demonic things. On the other hand, I think every time that we see a movie that does have those spiritual elements... You could also say that's evidence that some part of our creation in God's image remembers that there's a spiritual reality. And different cultures may have a spiritual understanding that doesn't line up with a Christian worldview, but there is that memory that there's good and bad, there's good and evil, there are demonic forces. So I actually think that you could look at it from both directions, and different families are going to have different perspectives on that.

1:41:38 And I think it's going to open the door to some interesting conversation. Exactly. Because you and your family and the kids, you know, they love to. Talk about stuff. Yeah, exactly. Because the thing that is going on here is, all right, what is this? What is this telling you in terms of, you know, the current biblical worldview, the contrast against the current biblical worldview? And is this manipulative? Right. And should we like anything? You know, I was watching, you know, some I love documentaries and I was watching some documentaries on Bruce Lee. And Bruce Lee was it was interesting how, you know, what made him such a genius.

1:42:20 And it's almost what it reminded me of when I was a disc jockey in Bakersfield. We had an opportunity. I love when you open stories with that phrase, when I was at this jockey in Bakersfield. Yeah, right. Well, you know, because it's interesting because when you're in the radio business, as you know, you can be pulled into all kinds of events, right? Oh, yeah. And so in this particular case, I was pulled into and I played basketball in school and I was a pretty good basketball player as a point guard, obviously not a center, but a point guard. And had the opportunity of a lifetime to play against the Harlem Globetrotters. Oh, man.

1:43:01 That's awesome. Well, it was awesome. I mean, and there it is. Metal Ark Lemon. Metal Ark Lemon. I was drinking Curly, the bald guy. Oh, yeah. I mean, all that. It was just amazing. And it kind of reminded me because the IQ of the Harlem Globetrotters when it came to basketball was a lot like– like Bruce Lee, they were a step ahead. And the same thing, like with Wayne Gretzky, Wayne Gretzky said, I never followed the puck. I went to where the puck was going. Right. So he's always ahead of it. Right. Or Caitlin Clark. Let's just bring it into my current fave. Right. That's right. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. You know, and so, and there's a unique perspective and talent that, that does that.

1:43:47 And so, you know, I, I just, I just share that with you. only because it's good memories, but also I think it's pertinent to think about, okay, where is this heading? And we need to be discerning enough to get ahead of it and not to be reactive, be proactive because, hey, look, God's warned us real clear that this is happening. And when we look at what's going on with society now, I mean, you got more, you got the vice president of the United States talking about these are the last days, right? Right. Yeah, exactly. I mean, the spiritual reality is there. And I think, you know, we go back to Ephesians 6, and Paul lays it out, and he says there is a spiritual battle happening in the heavenlies, and our response is to gird ourselves in the armor of God. I won't go into a detailed sermon on Ephesians 6, but Paul says, you know, there is a conflict happening. You need to be aware of it, and here's how you respond wisely to it.

1:44:47 Exactly. Exactly. Well, God's given us the prescription. Are we listening? Do we have ears to hear? Exactly. Do we have ears to hear? Another interesting movie out. I love movies with dogs. And Heart of the Beast has captured me. So tell us about Heart of the Beast. Yeah. So Heart of the Beast is a new movie starring Brad Pitt. He plays a soldier who's struggling with PTSD, both he and his dog. I believe Brad Pitt's character's name is James. The dog's name is Odin, as in the Greek god Odin. they are looking to start a new, beautiful, quiet, peaceful chapter of their lives in the Alaskan wilderness. But wouldn't you know it, they're flying to their new home and Brad Pitt has a heart attack and their plane crashes in Alaska. And we get a fairly straightforward survival story from there. And they encounter Exactly what you think they would encounter, grizzly bears and wolves and mooses. Oh, my.

1:45:50 On cue. Yes, sir. On cue. There it is. It's a pretty good movie. And their relationship definitely tugs at the heartstrings. As dog movies go, this is a pretty good one. Forgive me. I got to cough. Yeah, that's okay. Well, you know, and the thing is, I look at the dog and the German Shepherd and, you know, the face of German Shepherds are just precious. Yeah. In a way, I mean, it's very, very refined. And I think German Shepherds looked away to me the way dogs should look, you know? They look like a dog. Yes, exactly. I mean, just, and the eyes, I mean, just these inquisitive, yet, you know, just warm, warm eyes, just looking for somebody who will pet them and respond with equal heart.

1:46:42 Or they look at a wolf and say, you're evil, I'm going to kill you. Yes, exactly. So it goes both ways. Right, exactly. Well, you've got to have a little bit of contrast there. You've got to have a little bit of contrast. So PG-13 movie, quite a bit of violence. I mean, watch the trailer. I think it gives you a good idea of what to expect. No huge surprises here, at least in the content. There might be some surprises in the story. I won't spoil it, but it is... It's a well-told story with quite a bit of that intense violence in it. Mm-hmm. So, Heart of the Beast, in theaters this weekend? In theaters this weekend, yeah.

1:47:22 Wow. Well, good. And good for Brad Pitt. I think he needs a gig. I think he's, you know... He needs a gig. You know, when I saw him downtown the other day, I'm like, Brad, when are you doing another movie? So. I just did one. And I got three more in the can somewhere. You'll hear about them later. Exactly. You think I can just sit around? I got lots of kids to support. So he actually has a house here in Carmel where I live. And our football team won the state championship two years ago, I think. And apparently he showed up at the victory parade, but I didn't actually have. A chance to see him. Oh, wow. Well, he missed out, huh? He missed out. Okay. Well, we got less than a minute left, so I'm going to let you wrap up. What else we can look forward to there at PluggedIn.com?

1:48:08 Well, you should check out our old timer review or our classic review of Amazing Grace, which is streaming on the Focus on the Family app. We would love to have you grab our app and take a look at that. And obviously plugged in is a ministry of focus on the family plugged in.com. We review movies, music, video games, books, YouTube channels, technology, and we want to help you and your family navigate all of those things from a biblical perspective. So plugged in.com. And just a quick reminder, you can catch the show on all major podcast platforms, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you listen. Be sure to download or subscribe so you don't miss any Bill Martinez Live episodes.

1:48:48 Have you written a book or do you have a manuscript ready and just need to find the right publisher? Christian Faith Publishing supports authors like yourself to bring their books to life. And right now we're offering you a free writer's guide designed to steer you towards book completion. Christian Faith Publishing evaluates each manuscript we receive. If your book earns approval, we take care of everything. Editing, designing, printing, processing. promotion, and widespread online and in-store distribution. Picture your book gracing the shelves of specialty Christian bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and numerous other retail destinations. It's time to get that manuscript published and to work with a publisher who shares your values of integrity and honesty. You can get your book published. Get your manuscript reviewed and a free writer's guide today.

1:49:33 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. 800-439-1588. That's 800-439-1588.