Today's Issues continues on AFR with your host, Tim Wildman
>> Today's Issues continues on AFR with your host, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.
>> Tim Wildmon: Welcome back, everybody, to Exploring the Epstein Files here on.
>> Steve Jordahl: Wait a minute.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Like sound. We need to get that X Files music M up. The truth is out there.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay?
>> Ed Vitagliano: We're just like.
>> Tim Wildmon: Welcome back. No, the name of this shows actually today's Issues here on the American Family Radio Network. Tim Wildmon here with Ed Vitagliano. And Steve skipped the Paisley Jordan today.
>> Steve Jordahl: I still have Paisley.
>> Tim Wildmon: You got Steve Paisley Jordan rocking the, What was it was that pattern you got on today?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't know, but it's giving me a headache.
>> Steve Jordahl: It's the Ed gets a headache pattern. Okay.
>> Tim Wildmon: It's. It's a nice looking shirt.
>> Ed Vitagliano: checks.
>> Steve Jordahl: Log on to stream.afa.net and you can.
>> Tim Wildmon: See for yourself what Steve.
>> Steve Jordahl: And see what I'm wearing.
>> Tim Wildmon: Steve's wearing. All right, Steve, what do you got?
>> Steve Jordahl: well, okay, do you want to go back and, take a listen to what Donald Trump.
>> Tim Wildmon: You bet I do.
>> Steve Jordahl: All.
>> Tim Wildmon: Ah, right, Absolutely.
>> Steve Jordahl: We just. I know you were just talking about this, in the last half hour. Donald Trump was in the Oval Office with the US Secretary, I'm sorry, the NATO Secretary General, and they were talking about Russia, Ukraine. And Donald Trump is not very happy with Russia, he said, and, well, let's listen to it in his words. Cut 17.
>> Donald Trump: And one of the reasons that you're here today is to hear that we are very unhappy. I am with Russia, but we'll discuss that maybe a different day, but we're very, very unhappy with them. And we're going to be, doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days. tariffs at about 100% get caught them. Secondary tariffs. You know what that means?
>> Tim Wildmon: No, I don't.
Vladimir Putin is playing for keeps with Ukraine, says M. M.
>> Donald Trump: But today we're going to talk about something else. And as you know, we've, spent $350 billion approximately on this war with Russia and Ukraine, and we'd like to see it end. It wasn't my war. It was Biden's war. It's not my war. I'm trying to get you out of it. And, we want to see it end. And I'm disappointed in President Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get. So based on that, we're going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days. It's very simple, Vlad.
>> Steve Jordahl: You have 50 days.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't Know we discussed before the break.
>> Tim Wildmon: I don't know.
>> Ed Vitagliano: The point of 50 days is, but listen, Putin is playing for keeps. I think he wants all of Ukraine to make Ukraine a part of Russia. Then it becomes a buffer, I, guess for preventing an invasion sometime in the future.
>> Tim Wildmon: If I could advise. Mr. M. President.
>> Steve Jordahl: I'm sure he's listening.
>> Tim Wildmon: President Trump. If I could advise him. Just don't talk about Ukraine, Russia no more. no more. Is that correct English or is that bad English anymore? Yeah, but in common. Common man talk, everybody. No mo.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Don't talk about it no more.
>> Tim Wildmon: No talk about it no more. I would just say don't talk about it anymore. Can you do that? As president, I stage.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, not if you're going to have the Secretary General of NATO in the Oval Office.
>> Tim Wildmon: I would just say. What we talking about? There's a war in Ukraine. well, just. Okay, go on and talk about it then. I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the more President Trump talks about it, the worse he looks. Is that a fair assessment, saying 50 days, you got 50 days to bomb Keefe or either. We're going to put it. We're going to put a tariff on you that you won't even feel.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah. You're saying he looks impotent in stopping a war that he said he would stop in.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yes, yes. There's nothing he can do to stop it other than getting involved directly and beating.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Which is why there are plenty of people within the MAGA movement who are saying it's not our war, are. We're not. NATO's not involved.
>> Tim Wildmon: Stop talking about it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: So stop talking about it and stay out of it.
>> Tim Wildmon: Right, right. That's what I would say. Stop talking about it and stay out of it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I didn't realize we spent that much money. $350 billion. You know, you're. You're getting to the point.
>> Tim Wildmon: Where do you get that number from?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I just. That's probably direct aid for. Under the Biden administration. Okay, I'm sure there's.
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, well, anyway, so we'll. That's the president.
President Trump is meeting with NATO Secretary General to discuss Ukraine
The big news is President Trump is meeting with the U.N. not the U.N. the, NATO Secretary General, telling him how we're going to help Ukraine.
>> Steve Jordahl: The purpose of the meeting. He says that when you heard him say in that clip that they're going to talk about something else. There's other items on the agenda in that office, but he was asked by the press about it. I just. If I could Just button this thing up.
>> Tim Wildmon: No, you go ahead.
>> Steve Jordahl: There is not a single thing that the president has done since he's been in office, his second term that hasn't worked spectacularly. Not one. The tariffs that everybody thought were going to blow up the economy. Economy hasn't blown up. And a lot of economists are saying they're going to add trillions to already.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Adding billions of dollars in revenue.
>> Steve Jordahl: Right. And. And a lot of things that people said he was.
>> Ed Vitagliano: He.
>> Steve Jordahl: That's a dumb move. Don't do that. It either meant nothing or it's been successful. So I'm going to. As long as the jury's out, I'm going to give him the benefit of the dou. It might seem like it's rendering him impotent or that making him less incredible. And the end of the day, if, I just. Until he fails, I'm going to just assume that he's got something up his sleeve that we don't know about.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, that's one perspective. I think Putin on the other side, I think Putin's a realist. He knows he's banking on the fact that NATO is not going to get. Physically, I say physically, their military is not going to get directly involved against Russian troops. The United States isn't going to start sending over hundreds of thousands of troops to Europe, you know, in, in the. In, with the possibility of US And Russian troops getting into a hot war. So Putin is banking on the. He's a he, like you said, Tim. He's going to go, okay, do your tariffs. Russian people have already suffered. we're taking Ukraine and it doesn't look like anyone's going to stop. Stop me. Ukraine can't stop us. Ukraine can at least put a pretty good resistance, though. They are. But eventually Russia's banks are going to.
>> Tim Wildmon: Eventually tanks are going to roll into Kiev.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: That what you're saying.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah. And there is nothing happening on the other side of the line that Putin considers a threat. And if the United States started. Started sending troops over to Europe.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Then Putin might come to the bargaining table. But we're not. We're not sending troops over to Europe.
>> Steve Jordahl: Nor are we going to.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Nor are we going to. Nor does anybody want to send troops over to Europe. And so Putin's not going to stop.
Fox reports Pam Bondi fired three federal prosecutors involved in January 6 prosecutions
>> Tim Wildmon: Next story.
>> Steve Jordahl: All right, Attorney General Pam Bondi has abruptly, according to Fox, fired at least three federal prosecutors involved in the January six prosecutions. A lot of papers, a lot of press, is reporting 20 people of the Justice Department have been let go and of course, they're labeling it as vindictive. Vindictive is Trump going after his enemies. They're, Trump. Yeah, I know, vindictive.
>> Tim Wildmon: But there you're getting this from. And Bondi has been vindictive.
>> Steve Jordahl: No, Trump is.
>> Tim Wildmon: Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm all for the vindictiveness.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Because that Justice Department and the FBI needed.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Needed, they need a good house cleaning.
>> Tim Wildmon: They needed a good house cleaning. So call it what you want.
>> Steve Jordahl: Discrepancy, I think, between the 20 you're hearing for the main. The liberal media that, you know and the three that Fox is reporting, there was A lot of people will argue that all of the January 6th prosecutions were malicious, trespassing. there's video of the Capitol Police opening the doors and inviting the protesters in. That, you know, compared with the. The insurrection we're seeing in places like Los Angeles and. And that we saw, like, during the, BLM riots and everything, walking in the Capitol with some flags is nothing. Not that it's. Not that it was good, but it's trespassing. It's not. I'm in jail for six years in a dungeon. Bad. So.
Pam Bondi says she fired three prosecutors because they were politically motivated
>> Tim Wildmon: Well, how do we switch over to January 6th?
>> Steve Jordahl: Because.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Different story. You said next story.
>> Steve Jordahl: Said next story.
>> Tim Wildmon: Oh, related to the firing of the prosecutors.
>> Steve Jordahl: Prosecutors are being fired. They're January 6th prosecutors.
>> Tim Wildmon: I got you. Okay, well, you know what? did you know that every president has the, has a right to fire all the U.S. attorneys.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yes.
>> Tim Wildmon: Across America and replace them with who he wants to. Did you know this? So who did.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Who did that? one of the presidents did that with a bunch of, Obama.
>> Steve Jordahl: Obama did that to the Bush. all the Bush.
>> Tim Wildmon: I mean, you have the authority to do that. So. So. So, Pam, by. You call it vindictive, if you want to. She said we got three prosecutors who were going after people on J. 6. January six, that were two, I guess you would say, were politically motivated. And I'm firing them, and that's within her right, to do so. So good for her. Pam Bondi, you think she'll survive, though, this Epstein episode?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Are you asking me? I. I think she. I think she should survive. I think she's doing a lot of good stuff. I think she made.
>> Tim Wildmon: She's doing a lot of great stuff.
>> Ed Vitagliano: A lot of great stuff. She, she. She made a mistake, saying that she had the Epstein list on her desk. I say she made a mistake. She shouldn't have been talking about that at all. She should have said, I have the files. Epstein files, jfk, MLK M. Have those on my desk. We'll be going through them and we will do our due diligence. But she said, we have the Epstein list, which has, as we all know, created this firestorm. I would tend to give her. Cut her some slack. But the Trump administration, whether it's Bondi, Cash, Patel, President, whatever, they need to come out and clarify this and tell.
>> Tim Wildmon: Trump is standing behind her, by the way, he is standing behind her as his Attorney General, despite the criticisms by people that she should release the, quote, Epstein files, if that's what you want to call them.
Why does it matter whether names are released from Epstein files
Let me ask you this question, and you guys can both answer it. And I think most people probably know the answer, but I'll have you articulate in any way. Okay. Why. Why is this matter to a lot of people whether or not names are released to the public from the Epstein, files?
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, I'll tell you.
>> Tim Wildmon: Why does that matter?
>> Ed Vitagliano: The two. It matters to me. I'm going to tell you.
>> Tim Wildmon: Matters to you.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I'm going to tell you my two reason.
>> Tim Wildmon: You get emotional about it.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, no.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. Because I don't want to, you know, upset, you.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, I don't want to cry on national radio.
>> Tim Wildmon: I'm saying. Yeah, that's not a good look.
>> Ed Vitagliano: No, it's not.
>> Tim Wildmon: So go ahead.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Here are my two reasons why. Now, I'm not saying it's. Number one. Okay. I don't know where it comes on my list of top 10, but this is important for these two reasons. First of all, trafficking young women is horrific, and that should never get a pass or it should not get swept under the rug. And number two, I low. I. I think it's abominable if you have all these elitists who have. If. If there are elitists who have participated in sex trafficking on Epstein's island or any of his parties, and they're going to get away with it, if they are going to get away with it without any kind of prosecution, because that's not the way the law works for the rest of the people in this country. And I think those are two reasons why Mag is not going to let this go, is that sex trafficking is horrifying for most Americans, especially if you're in maga. And number two, you don't let the elitists get away with stuff that everyone else has to pay for. That's.
>> Steve Jordahl: Steve, I would amend Ed's very, good answer just slightly in that for Maga. Yeah. They are upset at the general thought of sex trafficking, but they have seen Democrats get away with murder. Well, maybe. Maybe murder. But everything under the sun and Republicans are. It's the double standard. And they think that list is going to have a raft of Democrat, luminaries and maybe politicians and important people that will finally get what's coming to them. This is in Magus. It's a little bit both. It's a little bit. It's. It's gross. And someone needs to pay for what they did to those kids. But secondly, it is. The retribution thing is, the sheriff is in town and for you.
>> Tim Wildmon: Sheriff says it doesn't matter.
>> Steve Jordahl: The sheriff does. Says it doesn't matter. I know, but MAGA says there's a new sheriff in town and we want. We want finally the wrong to be made right. That's what they're.
>> Ed Vitagliano: And they believe that they were promised that.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: Were they?
>> Ed Vitagliano: That if you're going to drain the swamp, okay, then swap creatures have to pay if they've broken the law. Now, listen, I'm going to tell you, I don't know if there's an Epstein list. Alan Dershowitz says there is others.
>> Steve Jordahl: Was published back in 2018, I believe, too purported black.
>> Tim Wildmon: So why did President Trump want it released?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I. If there is one, I'm. My guess is that there were a lot of illegal things that happened at these parties, but probably the majority of people who were on the island or at these parties in New York or whatever that either didn't know or weren't participating. And you can't just throw out a list of people who are at the party and imply that they're all guilty of sex trafficking. And that's why the Bush administration and the Obama administration and the first Trump administration and the Biden administration, all of them have basically seemed to turn a blind eye or at least have refused to release anything. I think that's. I think that's probably likely, but there may be, you know, the conspiracy theories about this being a CIA Mossad blackmail, plot. Maybe that's true. I don't know.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, go ahead.
>> Steve Jordahl: I think the reason that, President Trump promised it was because during the auto pen administration, there was so much stuff going on at the Justice Department. And, just for transparency's sake, because he wanted to be transparent, he was pledging transparency, and this was that the JFK files the.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay, but I don't. I don't remember. M. Excuse me for not remembering, but did President Trump himself make a commitment to release These files to the public or not.
>> Steve Jordahl: I. I know he was very strong on transparency, and maybe that the MAGA assumed that that was part of it. I'll look it up. I'm not sure.
>> Tim Wildmon: Okay. I don't know. Well, listen, what if he said something like this, Ed? What if President Trump said something like this? Listen, there, there. There's a file on Jeffrey Epstein. Yes. And he. But he's dead. And furthermore, a lot of the names in there, in the files. This is. Hear me out for you.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right?
>> Tim Wildmon: Start smirking, like he's gonna,
Jeffrey Epstein's dead. His top lieutenant is in jail
And just say, if we were to release those files to the public, the innuendo and the. And the. They would be. People think that, because somebody went to a party and their names in there, that they're. They're pedophiles.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Right.
>> Tim Wildmon: It would ruin a lot of people's lives potentially. And I'm not willing to do that. so the people who were responsible for this are. We're incriminated. Jeffrey Epstein's dead. The late. His top lieutenant is in jail. And I'm just going to leave it at that.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Then say, according to. Then say.
>> Tim Wildmon: What would be wrong with saying that?
>> Ed Vitagliano: I think there'd be nothing wrong with saying that, but I think they need to come completely clean. They need to say. They need to answer the questions. Were there video cameras, on Epstein Island? do you know who participated in the trafficking? I don't want to get any more, you know, clear than that. and are those people going to be prosecuted? Those kinds of questions need to be answered. Were people blackmailed?
>> Tim Wildmon: But President Trump is acting like, what are you guys still talking about Jeffrey Epstein for?
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's. That's not a good look. No one's letting go of this until they find out the truth. And I'm not sure we'll ever find out the truth.
According to Google, AI, Donald Trump suggested releasing Epstein files during campaign
>> Tim Wildmon: All right, you're, listening to today's issues on the American Family Radio Network.
>> Steve Jordahl: Is it Grok? Is that Google's, AI? Yeah, Assistant, that president tight end.
>> Tim Wildmon: For the New England Patriots. He was a very good one. Grok was. So he's now he's doing AI. Wow. Didn't know.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah, I've heard that guy talk. I've heard grom talk.
>> Tim Wildmon: What about a versatile guy? Ah, he's doing. Also doing aa. usa.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Yeah. commercials.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, go ahead. I'm sorry.
>> Steve Jordahl: According to Google, AI, Donald Trump did repeatedly suggest he would release the Epstein files, including the purported client list, during his presidential campaign. Bondi Also fueled speculations that there was such a list. they have Grok has been known to be wrong about everything except being a receiver in AARP or USAA or whatever.
>> Tim Wildmon: Usa.
>> Steve Jordahl: So.
>> Tim Wildmon: But that's, it's him and that Sam, Elliott. His name.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah, yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: The guy who's in half.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Oh yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: The guys in half the cowboy movies now last 50, 40 years. Sam Elliott, go ahead. Next story.
President Trump to honor CEOs who donate time to faith based charities
>> Steve Jordahl: All right, there's an interesting gathering going on this afternoon at the White House. President Trump will recognize CEOs and business leaders who donate their time to faith based charities and encourage them to continue investing. This is being hosted by the White House Faith Office. The President is scheduled to attend. Also attending will be founders of like Hobby Lobby's David Green, Jockey International's Deborah Waller Quest events, Leo Dunlap, Albert Huddleson of Atheon Energy Shopping Material handling founder Jimmy Shapa, others. These are, these are CEOs that have been donated to faith based causes. And several secretaries of state, secretaries in the cabinet will be at this event. It is the first of its kind President making faith based issues a big part of his, of his presidency.
>> Ed Vitagliano: These are things that President Trump does really, really well in terms of appealing to his base. and it's a good thing to have these faith leaders at the White House. I like this.
>> Steve Jordahl: The faith based office, in the White House is different than they've had faith based offices since I think Obama, maybe Bush, I mean, yeah, Bush even had people that helped with faith based and community services and such. but this is Donald Trump is the first president to actually put that office in the West Wing. It's feet from the Oval Office and he's got, he's put a lot of energy and priority into faith based issues and his faith advisors, you know, our friend Richard, I mean Robert Jeffress and Sammy, Rodriguez and Gary Bauer, they're all frequent guests in the Oval Office praying for the President. He very much covets their counsel.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You know, I looked this up. Within the last week or two, how many people in the United States claim to be Christians? Now obviously that can vary in terms of whether people are truly Christian. Yeah, I mean that's true. But 260 million people, in our country identify as being in a part of the Christian faith community. That's a lot of people. Okay, I'm not saying all of them are, you know, evangelicals or what have you, but that's a lot of people. And so it is smart for a president from either political party to take faith of those Americans seriously.
>> Tim Wildmon: Amen.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yep.
>> Tim Wildmon: I agree.
Steve Gro: President Trump may revoke Rosie O' Donnell's citizenship
Hey, Steve, do you have a. Can you give me, a. I've been waiting on this. A Rosie o' Donnell update. yeah. What. Where, where in the world is Rosie o' Donnell and what's happening?
>> Steve Jordahl: Rosie o' Donnell went to Ireland.
>> Ed Vitagliano: She went to Ireland.
>> Steve Jordahl: Ireland. She was going to Ireland because she just couldn't exist in a land where Donald Trump was president.
>> Ed Vitagliano: You lost the act.
>> Steve Jordahl: I totally did. She was going to be joined maybe by hosts of the View, I don't know. But she went to Ireland and,
>> Tim Wildmon: Turns out she been on President Trump's mind.
>> Steve Jordahl: She has been, actually. She's been on.
>> Tim Wildmon: How so, Steve?
>> Steve Jordahl: President Trump has been trolling her. She. I think there's been a little bit of a dispute, going on between the two. She's. She's never been a big, Trump fan. He's never been a big Rosie o' Donnell fan.
>> Ed Vitagliano: They hate each other.
>> Tim Wildmon: He calls her Big Rosie.
>> Steve Jordahl: Yeah.
>> Tim Wildmon: So I think that's fair to say. Yeah.
>> Steve Jordahl: so I think she's thinking of coming back anyway. Also, Ellen DeGeneres. Shock, shock. is taking Rosie O' Donnell side on this?
>> Tim Wildmon: No.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Well, what sparked the lesbian fan?
>> Tim Wildmon: President Trump went on True Social, which is like X to say that he's thinking about revoking her citizen.
>> Steve Jordahl: That's right. That's right.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't.
>> Tim Wildmon: So he's going to strip her of her citizenship. He said.
>> Ed Vitagliano: I don't think he can do that. I don't think he can do that. Can he. Can you just.
>> Steve Jordahl: I don't think so. I don't think you'd have to have some kind of a crimp. Well, even then, if you.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Listen, I'm just going to say, if I were Donald Trump, I'm not. He is a. He is as unique as they come.
>> Tim Wildmon: Unicorn.
>> Ed Vitagliano: There's no stopping him from. From trolling Rosie o'. Donnell. But she is a D list actress. Maybe E, F, G. I don't know how far down the list she is. If I was advising, I'd say President Trump. This is, this is slumming. You're the president. You're the most powerful man in the free world, and probably the most powerful man in the world. The leader of the free world. Don't get into a, A contest. Yeah, I'm trying a contest with Rosie o' Donnell because you're going to come out stinking, too.
>> Steve Jordahl: Gro says that the president cannot do that.
>> Tim Wildmon: Yeah, I think he could. He just.
>> Ed Vitagliano: He's trolling.
>> Tim Wildmon: He's trolling. All right. Thank you, Steve.
>> Steve Jordahl: My pleasure.
An hour and a half with no guest. Quite an accomplishment
>> Tim Wildmon: Thanks to Ed and Fred and Brent Creely, our producer, we had no guests today. We did this all on our own.
>> Ed Vitagliano: We were guest free.
>> Tim Wildmon: Quite an accomplishment. An hour and a half with no guest.
>> Ed Vitagliano: That's right. Shows, you the brain power within this studio.
>> Tim Wildmon: That's what I'm talking about. All right, see, you tomorrow, everybody. Have a great day. Keep listening to afr.
