1/6 We need to discover the machinery that was at the very heart of the fraud's beginning

Summary

---

Garage Logic Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: January 6, 2026 – “We need to discover the machinery that was at the very heart of the fraud's beginning”
Host: Joe Soucheray ("The Mayor")
Panelists: Chris Reavers, Kenny Olson, John Haidt, Matthew, Elliot, Rookie
Main Theme:
A deep dive into large-scale fraud within Minnesota's government agencies—especially the “Feeding Our Future” scandal—unpacking the legislative origins, political accountability, and the societal consequences. The conversation also explores broader themes of government dysfunction, public policy failures, and the prevalence of political self-preservation over public service.

---

1. Episode Focus & Purpose

This episode centers on examining Minnesota’s pervasive government fraud, prominently the “Feeding Our Future” meal program abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion stretches from the legislative history that enabled the fraud, questions about specific lawmakers’ involvement (notably Ilhan Omar), and the “machinery” behind these schemes. The group scrutinizes the wider implications for state entitlement programs, highlighting warning signs for new initiatives like the Family and Medical Leave Act. Interlaced are critiques of the political class’s priorities and biting commentary on recent national and urban progressive shifts.

---

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. Governor Walz's Press Conference and Political Priorities

• Governor Tim Walz’s Address (00:44–03:43, 05:31, 05:54, 55:22):
  • Framed state/federal friction as unprecedented, asserting, “I don't think any governor in history has had to fight a war against the federal government every single day.” (05:31)
  • Critics mock the claim, accusing Walz of political deflection and shifting blame for fraud to external forces.
  • Recurrent frustration with politicians’ self-serving nature. (“The entire political class does not care about the American people.” – Joe, 04:47)
  • Panel worries about projected misuse of the new Family Medical Leave Act:
    • “No doubt people will try to take advantage of it, but we will stop them. They’ll be prosecuted.” (John quoting Walz, 53:42)

B. Origins and Mechanisms of Pandemic Meal Program Fraud

• Discussion of how COVID-19 relief legislation funneled federal money to states, enabling dramatic meal program fraud in Minnesota:
  • Tracing the legislative lineage:
    • Ilhan Omar authored House Rule 6187 (the Meals Act)—not passed directly but its provisions made it into the fast-tracked COVID emergency bill.
    • “Ilhan Omar cannot be considered personally responsible for writing the bill that ultimately got signed, but in that bill were the provisions she was championing.” (09:16)
  • The ‘machinery’ at the heart of the fraud:
    • The fraud required insiders who “knew the money was coming and how easily it might be to take that money fraudulently.” (12:41)
    • Joe posits there must have been connections between political figures and fraud organizers (“Perhaps she [Omar] has a relationship with Amy Bach. If I was going to explore this story, that's where I'd start.” – 11:08)
    • The extent of fraud: “In some states there apparently was no fraud…In Minnesota, there was fraud at the World Series winning level.” (09:38)
    • “This is fraud that has some machinery behind it. This isn't people who got lucky and decided on a whim to…call themselves the Acme Food Feeding Company…This had machinery behind it.” (13:03)

C. Political Complicity and Inertia

• Broader critique:
  • Politicians accused of “shuffling the deck,” suggesting a game of musical chairs rather than reform (04:09).
  • “Every one of these incompetent people will be well taken care of.” (05:13)
  • Indifference of top state officials (including AG Ellison).

D. Probing the Mechanics—Who Knew What and When?

• Speculation about real-time awareness and complicity:
  • Role of Ilhan Omar: “If in fact Omar is the one, and I do not know, that she [also] had to know the bad actors that Walz had put in place were incompetent enough to not question any of this.” (12:22)
  • Elliot notes that some actors like Amy Bach may have merely tracked federal funding flows as part of their job, not due to collusion (14:15).

E. Broader Fraud Patterns—Entitlement Programs as Grift

• Comparison to new and existing state programs ripe for fraud:
  • Bill Glahn (American Experiment) warns of Family and Medical Leave Act exploitation:
    • “The system could be exploited. Fake companies, fake employees, minimal contributions, followed by large benefit claims…” (75:30)
  • Autism Clinic Medicaid scam already ballooning:
    • “In 2018 there were 31 providers and 400 recipients. By 2025: 432 providers and nearly 6,000 recipients; the billed amount rose from $1.1 million to more than $471 million in the current year.” (80:02)

F. Urban Progressive Politics and Collectivism

• Discussion shifts to New York and Seattle:
  • Criticism of New York’s new leadership and rhetoric around collectivism:
    • “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” (Joe quoting, 37:09 and 43:15)
    • Joe: “Individuality is the key to human life…He would think nothing of stripping you of your soul and your freedom in his view, for the larger interest of everyone being the same.” (37:40)
• “These are non-entities who bring nothing to the table except their BS, which is being bought by similar failed academy.” (42:21)

---

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This isn't people who got lucky and decided on a whim to go apply to get food money...This had machinery behind it.”
  – Joe Soucheray, 13:03

• “There had to have been some organizers, it had to have somebody behind the scenes who A, knew the money was coming, and B, how easily it might be taken fraudulently.”
  – Joe Soucheray, 12:41

• On the political class:
  “I think the entire political class does not care about the American people. I think the American people are treated horribly by the political class and by the third rail.”
  – Joe Soucheray, 04:47

• On Collectivism:
  “Individuality is the key to human life...all collectivism really means is everyone has to be the same.”
  – Joe Soucheray, 37:40

• On unchecked entitlement programs:
  “Minnesota has a pattern of creating new entitlement programs that attract fraudsters who quickly identify loopholes and overwhelm the oversight.”
  – Bill Glahn (as paraphrased by Joe), 75:53

• On “diversion” justice and city policy:
  “You should be able to do the drugs right there on the sidewalk and...receive a diversion rather than prosecution.”
  – Joe Soucheray on Seattle's policy, 27:21

• On urban decay:
  “In just a matter of a few years, you young GLers, you youngsters will be able to experience that too, with a visit to New York.”
  – Elliot, 44:39

---

4. Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening: Historical Weather & Podcast Panel Intro – 00:00–01:12
• Governor Walz’s Live Q&A & Group’s Real-Time Reaction – 01:14–05:25
• Expanding on COVID Relief Legislation & Ilhan Omar’s Bill – 06:16–11:08
• Dissecting the Feeding Our Future Fraud ‘Machinery’ – 11:08–13:43
• Jury Verdicts, Congressional Authors, and “Who Knew” – 13:43–17:12
• MN’s Distinctive COVID Relief Loopholes—“Sledgehammer Fraud” – 17:12–18:15
• Quips about Omar’s Net Worth & Local Reporting – 19:12–21:05
• Seattle’s Progressive Criminal Justice Approach – 27:02–32:42
• New York’s ‘Warmth of Collectivism’ Rhetoric – 37:09–43:15
• Entitlement Fraud by the Numbers—Autism Medicaid Case – 79:52–82:59
• Discussion on Future Abuse of Family/Medical Leave – 75:30–77:50
• Wrap & Panel Banter About Life, New Legislation, and Connecting Themes – 84:33–89:55

---

5. Tone, Language, and Panel Banter

The tone is quintessential Garage Logic—irreverent, skeptical, and laced with sarcasm. Joe Soucheray and crew frequently inject humor and regional perspective (“This is fraud at the World Series winning level.”), while pivoting seamlessly between gravitas and levity.

The group’s language is direct and colloquial—often conspiratorial in speculating about political motives and systemic neglect, and sharply critical of progressive and bureaucratic excess. Occasional dark humor (“They literally were looking for places to establish new fake meal sites… [they] hit it with a sledgehammer here.” – 17:23) underscores their cynicism.

---

Useful for Non-Listeners

This summary outlines the episode’s driving thread—exposing and critiquing government fraud facilitated by both political design and failure, with a through-line about how legislative actions, intentional or not, open the doors for abuse. Through humor and pointed critique, the Garage Logic panel underscores the disconnect between public interest and political maneuvering, while warning of new programs following the same doomed template.

---

Transcript

[Joe Soucheray]

Josh Arnold, investment consultant, brings you garagelogic podcast number 1688. January 6th. Five years ago today there was a war or something. 49 degrees was the record high on this day in 1900. And it was 27 below on this day in 1912. Chili back then and call Josh Arnold at 952-925-5608 for your free 48 minute consultation. And now from the mayor's office above the boathouse on the east shore of Spoon Lake, it's Garage Logic with Chris Reavers manning technology corner, Kenny Olson from the Krabby Coffee shop, John Height in the newsroom and course the rookie here is your flashlight king fireworks commissioner and the keeper of common sense, your man Joe Sushi. The governor is speaking now. This good one. Is he done?

[Matthew]

All right.

[John Haidt]

No, he's.

[Matthew]

He's come out million dollars. You owe Reavers.

[John Haidt]

He's come out and answered two questions.

[Joe Soucheray]

At this point, I owe me a dollar.

[John Haidt]

Oh, here he comes. He's gonna answer another one.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, turn. Let's catch it then.

[John Haidt]

No, no, I don't think so.

[Joe Soucheray]

He turned this into. It was pretty much a celebration of the family leave initiation and how it will work so well. And I hope it does. I mean we're stuck with it. Here's the.

[Matthew]

I hope people don't take advantage.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, here's the other thing where we find ourselves in the position building blocks.

[Governor Tim Walz]

To making Minnesota the best state in the country for to raise a family. And we're off and running and I think it's pretty impressive to get this thing going of all the implementations we have to implement as the legislature writes it. But by the 12th, we're going to have people receiving their payments with that. I'll take some questions by yourself or did you receive from Democratic allies? This is a decision that I make and make with my family and certainly I think as I said, it's the right decision. We all note. I think it's appropriate we're here today. The war that's being waged against Minnesota, you're seeing it. We have a ridiculous surge of apparently 2000 people not coordinating with us that are for a show of the cameras. I'm going to note to all of you, today is January 6th. There's no debate what happened. The president United States led an insurrection against a fair election.

[Joe Soucheray]

I thought this was about why wall.

[Governor Tim Walz]

Report both sides of this. Well, he, you know, he said he really didn't and courts convicted 400 of them and he pardoned them. No, he did that. He did that and that's today. And it's clear that we also saw today he implemented. Five states are being punished with a freezing of federal funds illegally that were appropriated by Congress, our tax dollars. And I find it interesting that Minnesota, California, Illinois and New York were taking that. The interesting thing is the biggest fraud trial in the country is taking place in Mississippi today with $100 million of welfare fraud. And I don't believe Mississippi was on that list. So, look, this is a concerted effort to try and destroy the president's opponents, to destroy the rule of law. And it became apparent to me that he was going to do that with me being there. And I just feel along with my family that it's the best decision for Minnesota. I feel very confident in that. I think it's going to be clear that Minnesotans agree with that.

[Joe Soucheray]

So I can't listen to this guy in the.

[Elliot]

Joe Thompson. I talked to everybody during the Biden administration.

[Joe Soucheray]

It did.

[Elliot]

I'll answer my own question. Yes, it did.

[Governor Tim Walz]

I spoke with. I spoke with all of all the delegation. Let them know. I spoke with a lot of key allies. I spoke with my family and just let them know that this is what we were going to do. And Senator Klobuchar was one of those conversations.

[Joe Soucheray]

Klobuchar told him he wasn't going to run. Klobuchar will run. All of these players that were involved in this horribly incompetent administration will land on their feet. It's the third rail protecting their own. They're merely going to shuffle the deck. And Walls will end up somewhere. Flanagan will end up somewhere. Klobuchar will switch from the Senate to here. They don't give a bleep a about us. This is all about them holding on to their privileged way of life. As a politician, who is us?

[Matthew]

Minnesotans or just the Republicans?

[Joe Soucheray]

Yes, Minnesotans. I think the entire political class does not care about the American people. I think the American people are treated horribly by the political class and by the third rail. And I think when all of this shakes out, every one of these incompetent people will be well taken care of.

[Matthew]

They'll end up landing on their feet.

[Joe Soucheray]

They'll land on their feet. Or in Walls's case, even if he doesn't, he could begin collecting, you know, his six or seven pensions that he.

[Matthew]

Has got to buy a house.

[Joe Soucheray]

Maybe he could even buy a house somewhere. Unless he moves to China. I don't know.

[Governor Tim Walz]

LGBT community, especially our trans community. Stay the hell out of Minnesota for the folks who want to hassle those people.

[Joe Soucheray]

These are always a hill.

[Governor Tim Walz]

They've been wanting to die. So for me, it became if I can be as effective doing that. And it's clear. Look, I don't know. I don't think any governor in history has had to fight a war against the federal government every single day. And now it's reaching down into gaslighting.

[Elliot]

It's mendacity.

[Joe Soucheray]

It's too lying, too much to take this fabrication.

[Elliot]

He's turned a federal investigation that started before Trump was in office into a personal battle between Trump and Washington Walls.

[Joe Soucheray]

Right.

[Elliot]

This is about fraud.

[Matthew]

I wish he would have just stuck with this is about family leave today. I'm not going to answer any other questions he tried.

[Joe Soucheray]

Matthew, let's get back to fraud. It is so significant here, so widespread in multiple governmental agencies. Yesterday, I said, let's go back to the beginning. Who among us is in a position to learn of these hastily assembled legislative bills? They're not on the news. They're not in the news. They're not even on Twitter. This is just the work of the government. Today they did X and Y and B. But somebody's watching and somebody's knowing. Well, we've mentioned it before, and it's worth mentioning again that Ilhan Omar was responsible for House Rule 6187, the Meals act, for school meals during School Closures Act. Remember that? Covid led to many sins, and among them. Here is your latest Ilhan Omar report on garage logic. Among the many sins was Minnesota having the most, if not having one of the most, if not the most strict Covid enforcement policies in the nation. And in the middle of that, Omar authors this bill, House Rule 6187, which John Haidt and I talked this morning. That bill on its own did not pass. Is that correct, John?

[John Haidt]

It didn't even make it to the House floor.

[Joe Soucheray]

Okay, what happened to that resolution of hers?

[John Haidt]

A week after, during that week, that's when Covid was ramping up. It was March 10th.

[Joe Soucheray]

Everything started with that bill, 2020, up.

[John Haidt]

To, I think it was 3:18, March 18th, a bill was put forth that was the result of negotiations between House Democrats and the Trump administration. And that took not just the Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Department, but it took all the departments and gave them certain things to do that would whatever help during the COVID situation. And some of those rules that were in the original Access to lunch for students, the Meals act, some of that was in that bill. And it went to the House and it passed 363 to 40. And then it passed 90 to 8 in the Senate, and then President Trump signed it on 3 18.

[Joe Soucheray]

Right. You have something.

[Governor Tim Walz]

It was a joyous day with two empty seats from someone who's murdered. But, you know, there's rumors out there and all this, that is fricking evil. And every one of you in this room knows it's evil. And that type of hate and those types of threats that are actionable. Yes. And look, I'm concerned for myself.

[Joe Soucheray]

He's right.

[Kenny Olson]

I actually, that's why I wanted to, because I could tell he was talking about Hortman.

[Joe Soucheray]

Let's continue. So Omar cannot be considered personally responsible for writing the bill that ultimately got signed, but in that bill were provisions that she was championing. Among them, sending money to the states to feed schools children because schools were closed.

[John Haidt]

Correct.

[Joe Soucheray]

Now, at the time that bill was signed and Trump okayed it, maybe the thought was, yes, this Covid is overwhelming and we better do everything we can. And various actors handled the bill in different ways, handled the food provision in different ways. In some states, there apparently was no fraud whatsoever. In other states, there was fraud. In Minnesota, there was fraud at the World Series winning level. Now, I choose to believe, with no evidence that Ilhan Omar had a role in, how should I say this. Ilhan Omar had a role in this mystery we're trying to solve and that is alerting people to what's coming down the pathway here from Washington. I'll put it this way. I would not be surprised if she was in contact with people to say, you're not going to believe. You should be aware that and an extraordinary amount of money is going to be made available to feed children. Perhaps she has a relationship with Amy Bach. If I was going to explore this story, that's where I'd start. I'd call in a couple of reporters and I'd say, take five, six, seven days, whatever you need, and just see if there was ever a relationship between Amy Bach and Ilhan Omar. I don't know if there was, but it's a fraud of such significant width and breadth that it had to have some organizers, it had to have somebody behind the scenes who A, knew the money was coming and B, how easily it might be to take that money fraudulently that I don't think has ever been established in this state. Maybe Joe Thompson has that on his list. He's busy now with the people thrown right in front of him who have to give back their BMWs. He's got a lot on his plate right now. It's just Staring him in the face. But how did it start? And why did it start? And how did it become so widespread? Even Joe Thompson said everything in Minnesota is fraudulent. Every agency is conducting fraudulent business. So Omar, if in fact Omar is the one, and I do not know that she also had to know that the bad actors that Walz had put in place were incompetent enough to not question any of this. They were going to let it happen. And in the early stages of it happening, Walz, according to Marion Rarick and employees of the Department of Human Services, said Walz instructed people to let the money keep going. So this is fraud that's out of.

[Kenny Olson]

The ordinary, Corroborated, by the way, last week in your absence by Pat Garofalo, what Marianne Rarick said.

[Joe Soucheray]

But this is fraud that has some machinery behind it. This isn't people who got lucky and decided on a whim to go apply to get food money and call themselves the Acme Food Feeding Company or whatever. This had machinery behind it. I don't think we've touched the machinery. Now. I am rooting for Joe Thompson to do that. Perhaps they will. The federal investigators are not done with this. But this in no way can this be written off as something that just happened by happenstance.

[Matthew]

It happened, too. You're right. It happened too fast. And there were too many willing participants in such a short amount of time.

[Elliot]

So a jury found both Amy and Saleem. Is it Syed or said they found both of those guilty. Syed owned the restaurant.

[Joe Soucheray]

Safari Restaurant.

[Elliot]

Yeah. He's a former owner. I want to know. I guess you've already stated this clearly. What was the connection between Amy and Ilhan?

[Joe Soucheray]

Right. I don't even know if there was one.

[Elliot]

But wouldn't it just be part of Amy's job to know what funds were coming and what were available? There might not be any collusion there because this might just have been part of Amy's job. She just knows. She follows that.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah. There are people in place that. That follow these bills to see if they're going to be at an advantage or not.

[Elliot]

Exactly.

[Joe Soucheray]

And so she might very well. That might be the extent of that.

[Elliot]

Right.

[Joe Soucheray]

Or Omar needed a white Minnesotan to front the deal. Who knows? I have no idea. No idea. But I do know that this was big enough and complex enough to construct a machinery that has not been examined.

[Elliot]

Yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

That has not been examined, much less dismantled. So it. It's. It's a fascinating story.

[Elliot]

And it is. Ill hands. Ill hands. Bill 3, 11, 20, 20.

[Joe Soucheray]

The bill that got passed Overwhelmingly. In both the Senate and the House was not authored by Omar.

[Elliot]

It was. There's about 20 names connected to it, if not more. Well, probably more than 20 from what I'm seeing.

[John Haidt]

It was sponsored by Nida Lowy of New York. I don't know. No, I don't know that she was a senator from New York. No idea.

[Kenny Olson]

All right.

[Joe Soucheray]

But clearly Ilhan, who had an active hand in the creation of the bill, had an act, I mean, to the point where, as a trial balloon, she was establishing her own House resolution. It's interesting to. To that. That didn't even get to the floor. I don't know why. Was it too patently obvious what she was up to? I don't know why that did not get to the floor. In any event, the bill that did pass, unleash this torrent of federal money, which is your money, available to not just to Minnesota, but to all the states. And here it went bananas. It was the guy at the state fair with the sledgehammer. He rang the bell with this. In this state. This. It really worked here.

[Kenny Olson]

I'm sorry, I have to.

[John Haidt]

Yeah.

[Kenny Olson]

Oh, dang it.

[John Haidt]

He was.

[Kenny Olson]

I was listening to it in queue. Yeah, he was going on a Trump tirade.

[Elliot]

Well, so, Joe, I tried to count that. I tried to count the names, Joe. I got up to 39, so give or take a few. And every single one of them has a D behind their name. And there's some big names there. Alexandria, Rashida, the usual suspects.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, it stands to reason that at the time of COVID a rep would love to return to their state and say, look what I've helped accomplish. We have money coming your way. We don't want anybody to be hungry.

[Elliot]

You bring up a good point. How many of those actually read it? You've seen the length of some of these bills.

[John Haidt]

They're ridiculous.

[Matthew]

Explains the metro area. Not Pequot Lakes.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, because, again, they hit it with a sledgehammer here. They literally were looking for places to establish new fake meal sites. They had the metro covered. They were at Pequot Lakes, for God's sakes. And they were in southern Minnesota and western Minnesota. And it was all fraudulent and it was discovered. And then federal prosecutors got involved, and they remain involved, and they will continue to be involved. But the actual machinery of this I don't think has been examined or dismantled.

[John Haidt]

Joe, you asked why it didn't make it to the House floor. Yeah, it didn't make it out of committee. The committee on Education and Labor.

[Joe Soucheray]

All right.

[John Haidt]

It was introduced There and never made it out of committee.

[Joe Soucheray]

All right.

[Elliot]

And it wasn't until Covid then it went through, right, John?

[John Haidt]

Well, it was, it was during COVID.

[Joe Soucheray]

That she wrote this.

[John Haidt]

Okay. You first introduced it.

[Elliot]

Yeah, I, I, we might be going down a dead end street.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, no, no. Stay with COVID March 18th.

[Elliot]

No, I mean, putting Amy and Ilhan in the same room.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, maybe we can't put them in the same room. Like I said, I've been very careful here. Ilhan Omar might be as innocent is the driven snow. You funny.

[Kenny Olson]

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

[John Haidt]

Whoa.

[Joe Soucheray]

I forgot what I was gonna say.

[Kenny Olson]

I got it.

[Joe Soucheray]

Here is your latest Ilhan Omar report on Garage Logic. You would think, just out of curiosity, somebody would try to get to the bottom of how her net worth grew to $32 million.

[Kenny Olson]

Why do you have to be such an Islamophobe?

[Joe Soucheray]

I guess I am.

[Kenny Olson]

Why are you so racist?

[Matthew]

You hate them.

[Elliot]

Yeah.

[Kenny Olson]

Did you see, by the way, the follow up to some of the childcare stuff? It was no cameras, no photo, not welcome, no trespassing.

[Elliot]

Unless you work for the Star Tribune and a few other agents.

[Matthew]

There's three kids sitting here.

[Joe Soucheray]

Suddenly they're listening to very Somali lullabies.

[Kenny Olson]

Oh, it's.

[Joe Soucheray]

I read that in the paper and I thought, oh. And I looked at the bylines. They seem to me to be, you know, like Jim Johnson type names. How did, how did they know it was a Somali lullaby?

[Matthew]

And how would they choose? How would they choose?

[Joe Soucheray]

What's a Somali lullaby sound like?

[Kenny Olson]

Here we go.

[Joe Soucheray]

Oh, boy.

[Matthew]

A Somali, A lullaby.

[Kenny Olson]

Oh, put you on the spot.

[Matthew]

Yeah, I hate to put me on the spot. Yeah.

[Elliot]

Might be a little careful here.

[Matthew]

Yeah, you know, I'm not, I'm not gonna go ahead and proceed with that. I may for fear of incriminating.

[Elliot]

Way to dangle a hook in front of him, though.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, you know, that's.

[Kenny Olson]

Wait, I, I think I might be able to help you, man.

[Matthew]

Are you ready?

[Joe Soucheray]

I don't think.

[Matthew]

Yeah, I'll use Somali sitting in the house. Time for your nap. Be as quiet as a mouse.

[Joe Soucheray]

All right, we're done. Because I have to read this from Randy. The purpose of Omar's resolution, which became at least a part of the bill that ultimately was approved to allow the USDA, U.S. department of Agriculture to grant waivers for school meal programs during closures due to public health emergencies, extreme weather or other events, ensuring consistent nutrition for students. Other authors and co sponsors that key supporters included Representative Fudge, Morrell, Courtney Trone Sablin, Jay Appel, Desalniere Grish, Lava Takano, Wild, Levine, Schreier, Adams, Hayes Presley, Occasional Cortex and others. Maybe Ilhan is just terribly altruistic and we've just misread her. Maybe she was very worried about hungry kids. Do you think Maybe could very well.

[Matthew]

Be not yeah, yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

I've been using my garage door like a rented mule.

[Matthew]

What have you been up to?

[Joe Soucheray]

Opening and closing it to get the slush out of there.

[Kenny Olson]

Just.

[Joe Soucheray]

You know what I'm saying?

[Kenny Olson]

Or does anybody else use the garage door?

[Joe Soucheray]

Just me. No other people use the garage door, but I'm opening and closing it to do the cleaning. If you're doing the same and your garage door is acting up, get ahold of Precision Garage Door.

[Matthew]

Or if you have a wife that has timing off right, maybe she's back.

[Joe Soucheray]

Through the door twice. If you need a new door, Precision Door has you covered with models for every budget a designer comes out, they take care of that. And right now 500 bucks off the purchase of a new door and the operator combination. If you like your door, Precision Door is offering a Noisy Door Tune up special for $149 at $290 value. Let them check that thing out with a 25 point safety inspection and get taken get the maintenance now that you need to get through the rest of this winter because we're having a real winter book online@precision doormn.com or call 612-263-6985 to schedule your free Noisy Door Tune Up Special with Precision Door.

[John Haidt]

Who doesn't love this time of year? Football playoffs are here and Underdog is the best place to get in on all the action. Underdog is so easy you just pick if your favorite players will go higher or lower on stats like touchdowns, rushing yards, receptions and more. If you get your picks right, you could win up to 5,000 times your cash. So many great players to choose from this time of season, but the way I look at it, I think Matthew Stafford to go higher on yards. Passing is always a good way for me to go and Saquon Barkley is a nice pick to go higher on rushing yards. So what are you waiting for? Download the app today and use Promo Code garage to score $75 in bonus entries when you play your first $5. That's promo code Garage. Underdog make picks win money must be.

[Josh Arnold]

18 plus, 19 plus in Alabama and Nebraska, 19 plus in Colorado for some games, 21 plus in Arizona, Massachusetts and Vir and present in a state where underdog Fantasy operates, terms apply. See assets.underdogfantasy.com web playandgetterms dfs HTML for details offer not valid in Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Concerned with your play, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit ncpgambling.org In New York, call the 24.7Hope Line at 1-877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny 467-369.

[Joe Soucheray]

March 18, or near that date when the bill was approved in 2020, that was St. Patrick's Day, or right around St. Patrick's Day. And I remember St. Patrick's Day being important because that's when everything shut down in this state. Yes, restaurants shut down, bars shut down. Everything shut down except big box operations. Ma and Pa's hardware store had to shut.

[Matthew]

Big boxers didn't have the COVID In.

[Joe Soucheray]

Fact, by the way, little bakeries had to shut. But you know, Menards didn't have to.

[Kenny Olson]

In fact, Ellison went after those that decided that they were in the same ball game.

[Joe Soucheray]

Ellison's gotta go. Flanagan's gotta go. Walls has gotta go. I know that Amy's probably engineering the reshuffling of the deck, but she'd really show Minnesota something if she also got rid of that kind of baggage. Because Ellison has been absolutely useless in dealing with the fraud. Absolutely useless. Not to mention he's got a kid on the. Is his kid off the Minneapolis Council now?

[Elliot]

I don't know if he's dipping or not. I don't know.

[John Haidt]

Didn't the new people start this week?

[Elliot]

The first. Yeah.

[John Haidt]

Okay.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah. So there's machinery. That machinery has not. There's a large steel door that has not been pried open yet to get inside the vault and look at the machinery of how this happened. And the only reason I believe that is because the fraud here was championship level. It was too big to be anything other than very carefully, very carefully husbanded by people in the know, whether that be Amy Bach or others, I don't know, but. And then it was compounded by a gubernatorial administration that was either thrilled by it or didn't know what to do about it or. I still think Walz didn't put any money in his pocket, but he just. He just handled it. He handled it extremely poorly. Now, could it be worse here? Could it be worse? We've talked about the mayor that Seattle elected. One of the most woke human beings to ever live.

[Kenny Olson]

Lived with her parents, right?

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah. And she. What's her name?

[Kenny Olson]

Katie something.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah, what the hell's her name?

[Kenny Olson]

I can find it for You.

[Joe Soucheray]

She now is believing that most drug possession and public use of drugs.

[Kenny Olson]

Katie Wilson.

[Joe Soucheray]

Katie Wilson. They shouldn't be prosecuted. You should be able to do the drugs right there on the, on the sidewalk and you should, you should receive a diversion rather than prosecution. Seattle Police Chief Sean Barnes circulated an internal message detailing how low level drug cases will be handled this year, fueling concern among critics that the city is effectively softening enforcement. Just weeks into Mayor Katie Wilson's administration, city officials insist there has been no policy change. But critics argue the practical impact tells a different story. In the internal email obtained by Fox News Digital because I guess conventional news gathering institutions really don't care. Barnes wrote that all changes related to drug possession and or drug use will be diverted from prosecution to the law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program, citing guidance from the city attorney's office. The directive applies to user quantity cases while drug dealers and those eligible for the program remain subject to prosecution. This Katie Wilson has never accomplished anything. She's married. She has a child. I don't know if she's living at home or her parents take care of the child or, or whatnot, but we, we looked at her when she first was being forecasted to, to win. And Seattle, I don't know how Seattle survives this. They do.

[Elliot]

Is this all drugs?

[Josh Arnold]

Joe?

[Elliot]

Yeah, apparently with the fentanyl problems we.

[Joe Soucheray]

Have, it's, it's, it's, let's read it.

[Elliot]

Are we talking weed?

[Joe Soucheray]

In an opinion piece published by Seattle Red, conservative radio host and Seattle commentator. So again, everyone else is a left winger, but they don't call themselves left wing because this guy doesn't think with the tribe. He's considered a conservative. Radio host Jason Rance argued that diverting most drug use and possession away from prosecution undermines accountability, regardless of how city officials describe the policy. Rant said that when arrests were not followed by prosecution, the message to offenders is that public drug use carries no real consequences. Criticism also comes from. Well, isn't Mary doing that to a certain extent?

[Elliot]

Aren't we?

[Joe Soucheray]

Mary's a big fan of the diversion programs. Is she in her last year of service?

[Matthew]

She's just about done.

[Kenny Olson]

She's not seeking re election like the governor.

[Matthew]

What a great trend to start for Dems.

[Joe Soucheray]

Speaking to rants on his radio show, Seattle Police Officers Guild president Mike Solon sharply criticized the approach outlined in the police email warning. It puts public safety at risk and sends the wrong message about open drug use. Solon told Rants. Diverting drug use cases away from prosecution is dangerous and reflects what he described as A naive political approach to addiction. So the Katie Wilson's. The closer you get to the country's tallest buildings. They must fully embrace the idea that the drug users are merely victims. They've been unfairly oppressed. They have these problems, and we should not throw them in jail for that.

[Elliot]

Did you see now that Katie is clarifying that there is no policy change on these arrests?

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, the police certainly think there is.

[Elliot]

And that this is wrong.

[Joe Soucheray]

Mm. But the police are continuing their insistence that this is what they're facing from the Seattle city attorney.

[Elliot]

Yeah, and you're right about what the Seattle police chief said. Sean Barnes.

[Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson]

When we fight for affordable housing and child care, who says it is not just about solving the math problem of how to make your household's revenue exceed its expenses? And when we talk about shaping our transportation system and our neighborhoods, it's not just about making people's commutes safer or shorter or less polluting. It's about opening up the time and the space where life happens, where people can breathe and experience and create, where we can be full human beings and not just means to an end. I want to live in a city that honors what you're doing when you're not making money. I mean, the time that you spend with your kid at the playground or caring for a sick friend. I want to live in a city that celebrates the labor that people perform voluntarily. A city that values the pursuits that create beauty and community, whether or not they.

[Joe Soucheray]

I was wondering.

[Kenny Olson]

You lasted a lot longer than I thought you were going to.

[Elliot]

According to what I'm reading, she says the policy allows officers to use their discretion on when it's appropriate.

[Kenny Olson]

Oh, no, you not. You're not exempt from the rule, Ken, to.

[Elliot]

To arrest someone.

[Kenny Olson]

Truth, justice, and the suture that remains in place.

[Elliot]

What a mess.

[Kenny Olson]

So, just so you know, this mayor wants to honor what you do when you're not making money to honor the time you spend with your kids and family.

[Joe Soucheray]

It's none of her business.

[Kenny Olson]

Boy, that seems like a guy we just heard from a little bit ago.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah.

[Kenny Olson]

Hey, Joe, we want to pay you not to work.

[Elliot]

How do you do that?

[Joe Soucheray]

Come to Minnesota. No. You know, I got a legitimate email from a guy who applied for family leave so his wife can take care of him because he's got stage four lung cancer. Oh, okay. I'm sure that there will be sainted reasons this gets used. There's sainted reasons to feed a child.

[Kenny Olson]

But that's not the problem. The problem is that 90% of everyone else that's going to rip the system off.

[Joe Soucheray]

So good luck to us all. I know this is the best state in the nation to raise a family. That's what Tim says.

[Kenny Olson]

Yeah, he said that yesterday.

[Joe Soucheray]

But, man, it's very expensive to raise a family here. Very expensive.

[Matthew]

I kind of feel like I've been getting paid for not working for, I don't know, probably three decades or so.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, you're not. You're. You're right. I'm. I'm ready to take a time off.

[Elliot]

Can we prosecute you, Matthew?

[Matthew]

I didn't take any state money.

[Elliot]

I know one thing that this state has and that we can all prop up and be thankful for it. Scoon over body works and auto care. Whatever that vehicle of yours needs, you can find it right there at Schoonovers. And that includes all levels of body works, from my minor scratches to frame replacement. Seriously? They do it all? General repair?

[Governor Tim Walz]

Yeah.

[Elliot]

Tires, accessories, oil changes and glass. Including the fancy new glass with all the sensors and electronic stuff. Of course they do that. There's no worries. When you leave your vehicle at Schoonovers, you can rest easy knowing that it's going to come back with all the work done efficiently and professionally. Every single employee at that joint treats your vehicle like it's their own. And if you have an insurance claim, boy, you're in luck. There's no better shop in Minnesota to handle the repairs. Schoonover isn't beholden to the insurance companies like so many other shops are. They're. Well, they're beholden to you, to us, and they're going to handle that claim for you. Schoonover Body Works and auto care, 80 years strong now in the Metro and the official shop of Garage Logic. They're right there in Shoreview. 1060 County Roadie. And they're on the web, of course. Schoonoverbodyworks.com.

[Kenny Olson]

Reavers here once again for my guy, Mr. MoneyTalk. Josh Arnold. Does thinking about retirement make you uncomfortable? Well, sometimes the anxiety from wondering if you've saved enough can be overwhelming. But what if I told you that you could ease those tensions in just 48 minutes? Well, Mr. MoneyTalk is going to be able to sit down with you and get you on the right track for your financial future. Josh has navigated it all when it comes to uncertain market and economic conditions. And he'll always provide straight talk, never sugar coated advice on how to reach the finish line with your retirement goals. Don't let your financial worries give you an ulcer or keep you from Calling Josh right now. His 48 minute no obligation consultation could be just what you need to feel better about your future. Call Josh today at 952-925-5608 and set up your free. Yes, free 48 minute no obligation consultation. That's 952-925-5608.

[Josh Arnold]

Investment services offered by Josh Arnold Investment Consultant, LLC. A security investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All invest investments involve risk. All comments and opinions are Josh Arnold's and do not constitute investment advice.

[Joe Soucheray]

Chris Reivers is a paid endorser.

[Kenny Olson]

Here's a man who spends hours in.

[Joe Soucheray]

Hardware stores sifting through the nuts and bolts of life. Joe Sushi. How many people live in New York city? Is it 10 million? Roughly.

[Matthew]

Let's get an actual account. Let me look up.

[Joe Soucheray]

How's mom Donnie gonna do?

[Kenny Olson]

Did you see his comments about Rikers Island?

[John Haidt]

No.

[Joe Soucheray]

But he became very noted for one of the remarks in his inaugural address.

[Matthew]

Joe 2020 census. About 8.89 million.

[Joe Soucheray]

A lot of people there.

[Matthew]

Yes.

[Joe Soucheray]

And he said we are going to replace individualism with the warmth of collectivism. That is. Those are the most frightening words ever, ever uttered in the United States.

[Elliot]

I started a list before Christmas. You wanted to list equitable, sustainable, passionate, etc, etc, Collectivism. Is that one of the words we.

[Joe Soucheray]

Should add to the list that's at the heart of Marxism? This phony collectivism.

[Elliot]

Collectivism.

[Joe Soucheray]

And like Maduro who lived in a gated castle. Mom Donnie will be living in Gracie Mansion. I guess everybody else is supposed to be collective. Those are frightening words. Individuality is the key to human life. It's your soul. And he would think nothing of stripping you of your soul and your freedom in his view, for the larger interest of everyone being the same. Which is all collectivism really means is everyone has to be the same. And I just think I'm going to call it 10 million rook. I just think in a city of 10 million there's going to be a lot of people that don't buy that bs. Just got quite a few people who aren't going to buy it. And I have no idea how he is supposed to govern because I would imagine that most people are going to reject that nonsense. Don't tell me I'm not an individual. But that's meeting for calisthenics outside the broom factory every day at 10am and we're all the same. Collectivism has a warmth to it. No, it doesn't. Under collectivism, how many millions of people have been killed in this world? How Many people have been killed by Marxism, Communism, Collectivism. Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of people have been slaughtered.

[Elliot]

They call them billions.

[Matthew]

And you're saying New Yorkers are saying, don't strip me of my identity. I'm unique. I'm.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, that's why I say 10 million people. People in New York. Good luck to you, Mom. Donnie, I just don't think your BS is going to get very far. Wish them luck.

[New York City Official]

The jail population of Rikers has increased since Eric Adams has come into office by more than 1,000 additional incarcerated new Yorkers. And what is quite staggering to me is that we know that we can reduce that jail population to less than 4,000. Vital City had an article about a number of different proposals that could reduce it to 3,700. And some of this also just has to look at.

[Joe Soucheray]

Thank you.

[New York City Official]

The average stay on rikers in the 90s was 50 days. Now it's more than 100. There are more than 1500 people on Rikers who have been held there for more than a year. So I do think many of the reforms that have to be made are also reforms around the court system and ensuring that people are actually having speed.

[Joe Soucheray]

This guy's got a lot of work to do. Here's his exact quote.

[Elliot]

What about criminals?

[Joe Soucheray]

The guilty? There aren't any. Remember?

[Kenny Olson]

Systemic.

[Joe Soucheray]

In Marxist Russia, there were. There was no crime.

[John Haidt]

That's right.

[Joe Soucheray]

There was no crime. There was no crime. Child 44 because that would have been a poor reflection on the state to admit there was crime. But here is Mamdani's exact inaugural quote. We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. So he holds rugged individualism in contempt and he finds it frigid. I don't even know what. The frigidity of rugged frigidity. I don't even know what. But I'm not sure that works there.

[Kenny Olson]

So in your Frigidaire refrigerator isn't working.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, he said that rugged individualism is cold and we're. Our way of viewing. The world is warm.

[Matthew]

What does that mean?

[John Haidt]

There's not an American that should agree with that statement.

[Kenny Olson]

Not one.

[John Haidt]

There's not one.

[Joe Soucheray]

Not one.

[Kenny Olson]

Oh, wait, wait. No.

[Joe Soucheray]

Robin Wanley.

[Kenny Olson]

I was gonna say. John, I don't think that's a good. I agree with it. The city council chai.

[John Haidt]

Right, John?

[Kenny Olson]

I agree with.

[Joe Soucheray]

I agree with Katie Wilson.

[Elliot]

Yep.

[Joe Soucheray]

Let's.

[Kenny Olson]

Let's go down the list.

[Joe Soucheray]

I mean, there's tons of them.

[Kenny Olson]

Jeremiah Ellison, when he's not here. He's over in Boston.

[Joe Soucheray]

And he wants the warmth of you paying for his airplane ticket. Why do you have to.

[Kenny Olson]

You have to be frigidity.

[Joe Soucheray]

Oh, I don't like.

[Matthew]

What does that mean for the future? That taking that statement, what does that mean for the New Yorkers?

[Joe Soucheray]

Means you're no longer making your own decisions.

[Elliot]

Like anything, I can't help but think about Mike Tyson's famous quote. The great Mike Tyson. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. And in this case it would be one of those criminals that he let let walk or go free would gladly walk up to him, punch him in the face, take his keys and his wallet and his phone and walk away.

[Joe Soucheray]

This fruitcake is 34 years old. If he was 50 and had legitimate life experience in jobs and in sampling different political ideologies throughout the years, that'd be one thing, you know. Okay, you want to give this a shot? He is a nobody who's never done anything. The failed academy did a wonderful job on him and here he is. It's the same with the activists who are loading up the Minneapolis and St. Paul city councils. It's the same with the mayor in Seattle. These are non entities who bring nothing to the table except their BS which is being bought by similar failed academy. We will draw the city closer together. No we won't.

[New York City Official]

We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. New York yearn for solidarity. Then let this government foster it. Because no matter what you eat, how you pray or where you come from, the words that most define us are.

[Joe Soucheray]

The two we all share. New Yorker.

[Elliot]

We will rugged individually that that built this country. That's why this country is the best in the world.

[John Haidt]

I know Americans should agree with that statement, right? Completely.

[Joe Soucheray]

But remember, the failed academy has done a hell of a job disabusing these young people of the idea that this is a great country.

[Kenny Olson]

What did the bus ride.

[Joe Soucheray]

This is a foul country. That was had imperialistic notions. Never mind, we just invaded Venezuela. Ignore that. Ignore that one.

[Elliot]

He's a drug dealer.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah, he's a drug dealer.

[Kenny Olson]

Don, interrupt him.

[Joe Soucheray]

He's rolling. You know, the founding fathers were white and they were racist and they owned slaves. This is a terrible, terrible country. And now you got a bunch of 30 year olds who believe that.

[Kenny Olson]

By the way, are the bus rides free today in New York?

[Joe Soucheray]

Not yet.

[Kenny Olson]

That's going to take a minute.

[Joe Soucheray]

I think that's going to take some rugged individualistic negotiations.

[Kenny Olson]

Do I still have to pay rent.

[Joe Soucheray]

Not yet.

[Kenny Olson]

Okay.

[Elliot]

You know, it's going to be awesome.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yes.

[Elliot]

For you young G L ers out there, I had an opportunity to go down 42nd Street street in New York in the mid-70s. It was just like it was out of Taxi Driver. It was frightening. In just a matter of a few years, you g allers, you youngsters will be able to experience that, too, with a visit to New York.

[Kenny Olson]

It's a renaissance.

[Joe Soucheray]

I spent. I spent all my time in New York in the 70s. Yeah, it was horrible.

[Elliot]

Yeah, it was frightening.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah.

[Kenny Olson]

Virginity.

[Elliot]

You couldn't lock the door enough.

[Joe Soucheray]

Went for a walk with Rod Carew to show me his birthplace.

[Kenny Olson]

That's right.

[Joe Soucheray]

Or his youth home where he lived in the Bronx. And he said, you got any jewelry? I said, no. And he said, well, I'm turning mine in. And he took his all star ring and turned it into his palm. We don't want to show anything. He said, you don't want to show anything.

[Matthew]

Okay, so where is the line that those New Yorkers say, it's not okay to take my money versus the ones that are saying, yeah, we love the social contract?

[Elliot]

How is that going to play out?

[Joe Soucheray]

How and when? That's why I say, I think. I think Zorro's got his work cut out for him. I really do. I think it's going to be a tough. I think it's going to be a tough sale.

[Kenny Olson]

I can help answer rookie's question by this. Yes, the billionaire tax, whatever it was in California, took effect yesterday. Check out the old mass migration to the great state of California.

[Matthew]

Gaping hole.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, how many. I mean, how many billionaires? Five.

[Elliot]

But, Chris, New Yorkers aren't gonna flee.

[Kenny Olson]

You don't think so?

[Matthew]

They're gonna fight.

[John Haidt]

I. If I were young and, you know, energetic, I would. I would take that sound video there of him saying that. And then I would cut right to Robert De Niro going, You talking to me?

[Elliot]

There's nobody else here. You must be talking to me.

[Joe Soucheray]

I don't think the billionaires will be the first to flee. I think it'll be the 500 grand a year of people who will be right.

[Elliot]

But the common every day making under 150 a year. They're not going anywhere.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, they're stuck.

[Kenny Olson]

But they're going to be stuck with the bill.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, they're stuck with warmth, collectivism. Don't you understand how this works? That's here. We're getting rid of the fridges. She gone?

[Matthew]

Why would I say she is gone?

[John Haidt]

200 billionaires in California. 200 more than any other state.

[Governor Tim Walz]

Wow.

[Joe Soucheray]

And if they got a nice place and they can see the ocean, they're not in as much of a hurry to leave in California as somebody making 300 grand a year. Or somebody that cannot not rebuild their house in Pacific Palisades because it's not allowed yet.

[Kenny Olson]

But the impact of someone making that kind of money leaving, as opposed to 10 people making 300 grand, is far more significant.

[John Haidt]

Bill.

[Joe Soucheray]

I agree.

[Elliot]

I can't wait. The Bowery is going to return to its once former hellhole of a neighborhood where you could see. Where you could see guys beating the hell out of prostitutes.

[Joe Soucheray]

What if we bring back the Bowery Boys with Satch and the guys? Wouldn't that be fun?

[Kenny Olson]

Hey, Bellows.

[Matthew]

Roger.

[Kenny Olson]

Roger, Roger.

[Matthew]

This isn't Roger. This is Satch. He's on the walkie talkie.

[John Haidt]

Jesus.

[Joe Soucheray]

There ain't no warm collectivism at Bradshaw and Bryant. It's rugged individualism. Lawmen, attorneys who are gonna help you through a tough time. If you're ever injured in an accident. Insurance companies and adjusters. At least until Mom Donnie gets done with them. They can be tough to deal with. By the time he gets done with them, it'll be a piece of cake. But right now, that isn't the way it works. So get ahold of Bradshaw and Bryan. Mike. Bryan will put team represent you and help you through a tough time. I hope you're never in an accident. But if you are, and, boy, it's a sloppy mess driving today, isn't it? Holy mackerel. Let's get some plows out there.

[Matthew]

Hey, St. Clair Avenue.

[Joe Soucheray]

It'll melt. I guess. I hope you're never in an accident, especially today. But if you are, call Bradshaw and Bryant at 800-770-7008 or go to MinnesotaPersonal Injury.com for a free case evaluation. And don't be part of the problem, especially on a day like this. Don't text and drive or drive distracted. That's just common sense. From Bradshaw and Bryant. I don't know either who did something.

[Kenny Olson]

Okay.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, I think I want to go to John Haidt.

[Matthew]

I'm looking up the Bowery board.

[Joe Soucheray]

So you're going to have to, you know, you're going to have to take charge as a rugged individualist.

[Elliot]

Before we go to John, I have a question. Who do you think has more commies in office right now? Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. Paul, specifically, or New York City? It'd be fun. I mean, who's gonna win that contest? We should get a big board going.

[Joe Soucheray]

I think right now. Minneapolis, St. Paul.

[Elliot]

Yeah. So, so far, New York City. You guys are just amateurs.

[Joe Soucheray]

Can't you feel it, though? Don't you feel the warmth of. Of. Of collectivism here? I do. I do. It's. Hear that?

[Matthew]

Once we get all light rail lines working, then I will feel very.

[Elliot]

I'm not kidding you. We were walking down. It was probably Bowery, and there was a. A pimp right out of. He looked like Huggy Bear from Starsky. I mean, seriously. And he was given the. This prostitute, the business. And you know, and you think to yourself, well, boy, if I encountered that, I, you know, I'd go beat the.

[Joe Soucheray]

Hell out of that guy.

[Elliot]

And we crossed to the. We crossed to the other side of the street.

[Joe Soucheray]

I have a lasting memory of the family trip. My parents must have gone insane. Montreal, and they took six kids. We left here. We went up through Canada, across Canada, down through Maine, into New York City and back across the US And I have a lasting memory of entering New York City. And the old man's at a stoplight and a guy with a. A rag that was nothing but complete dirt.

[Elliot]

Yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

Came and started cleaning his windshield. And the old man said, you are not helping me here. You're not helping me with this. And all it did is smear the windshield. The old man probably gave him a buck or something and off we went. It's still in my mind that went.

[Elliot]

On in the 80s, right up until Giuliani wrecked everything by cleaning up the city.

[Joe Soucheray]

That damn individualistic old school values. Get your windshield dirtied up by the bad towel.

[Matthew]

Was the. Was the old man really test driving those magnetic for international Canada?

[Kenny Olson]

Okay. What was more greasy? The windshield of the family truckster in New York City. Or.

[Joe Soucheray]

That's what it was.

[Kenny Olson]

By the way, Giuliani's hair dye going down his forehead.

[Joe Soucheray]

It was a tie.

[Matthew]

Yeah, that's.

[Elliot]

You know what they were using for liquid to clean the rag out, don't you?

[Joe Soucheray]

Probably their own bodily fluid.

[Elliot]

Yes, sir.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yes, it was a nice. It was a nice cleaning job. Say, let's have John Haidt join us.

[Matthew]

We just have to get back to those old school values, don't we? We really do, don't we?

[Kenny Olson]

Hi, John.

[John Haidt]

How you doing?

[Kenny Olson]

I'm great.

[John Haidt]

This news is brought to you by North American Banking.

[Joe Soucheray]

Is it going to be warm and collective news?

[John Haidt]

I'm going to try and make it warm, John.

[Matthew]

More slushy.

[John Haidt]

I prefer individual. Wait till we get to the National. All right, first let's talk About I'm going to just kind of. I took a few notes while I was listening to the governor today. Yeah, the governor did answer some questions, and mostly he spent most of it saying things about the Donald Trump administration.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah, he's really hung up on that, isn't he, John?

[John Haidt]

Yeah, he, he actually said, never has any governor in the history the US had to fight a war against the federal government.

[Joe Soucheray]

Never is any governor in the history of the US Screwed up a state worse than Walsh.

[John Haidt]

He says he doesn't have any plans post 2026. He also said we've speculated, of course, where, where, why this decision came. He says it was strictly a decision made by him and his family and talking to close confidants, and that's why he got out of it, from talking to those people.

[Governor Tim Walz]

People.

[John Haidt]

And let's see. I think that's, that's about it. He says he will not resign. By the way, he said, and this is a quote, over my dead body will that happen.

[Kenny Olson]

His work's not done.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, let's not wish that.

[Matthew]

Right. We're not home.

[John Haidt]

No, no, definitely not.

[Kenny Olson]

Well, his work's not done.

[Joe Soucheray]

So yesterday and now, Chris, you're right. His work's not done. And now he has more time. Well, without worrying about getting reelected, he has time to clean this up.

[John Haidt]

Up. There you go. He also, but he started it by saying, yes, he understands fraud. It's the buck stops with him. And somebody asked him if there, he thought there might be a fraud issue coming up because of this new Leave Right program. And he said, no doubt people will try to take advantage of it, but we will stop them. They'll be prosecuted. And then he went on a little tangent, saying, but if I take credit for the fraud and take credit for trying to clean it up, then I also get credit for everything that's a success in the state.

[Joe Soucheray]

So what is, what is a weird.

[Matthew]

That's a short list.

[Joe Soucheray]

What has been a success in the state?

[Elliot]

Well, his definition of success differs from ours.

[John Haidt]

The only one. And I was listening to the show and him at the same time, but the only example he gave was clean roads, streets, highways. And then he said some more, but then I had to talk on the show.

[Joe Soucheray]

Oh, hell, we've always.

[Elliot]

Did he, did he see traffic this morning? I don't think he saw all the people in the ditch.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, the freeways are in good shape, aren't they?

[Elliot]

Well, when, when they get salted. They are.

[John Haidt]

Yeah. I just had a report about 15 minutes ago during the show, not that I Answered my phone during the show, but. Right. They were bad this morning early, but now they're perfectly fine.

[Elliot]

Yeah, they're good now.

[Matthew]

And from South St. Paul to the airport, 49462 menorah.

[Elliot]

What time, Matthew? What time, Matthew?

[Matthew]

That was at about 7:15.

[Elliot]

Yeah. That's when it got better. It was really bad. Between 5 and 7.

[Kenny Olson]

Could give you 45 seconds of the hard work that this governor is now doing because give me a solid. He is not seeking reelection.

[Joe Soucheray]

Okay.

[Kenny Olson]

For the governorship of the great state of Minnesota.

[John Haidt]

This.

[Governor Tim Walz]

Without having to spend any time worrying about the politics of this. I'm going to fight it. Making sure that Minnesotans are cared for. I'm going to fight it by doing the way. The respect that we should have for rule of law. So I just think all of you see this is. Is just going to be relentless. Why? Why 2000 folks. What are they coming? Do they. Do they want to coordinate with us? Do they. You saw a U.S. attorney stand up, which was been released by. Would have been let go by any other administration speculating about things with no factual information. That's defamation. That. I mean, that's.

[Joe Soucheray]

What the hell is he talking about?

[Kenny Olson]

Basically saying he's the only governor that wouldn't have gotten rid of Joe Thompson.

[John Haidt]

Thompson, he was. And he was talking about the 2000 ICE agents? That's what he started, yes.

[Matthew]

Oh, so he's off the deep end.

[Kenny Olson]

His work is not done.

[Elliot]

But at the end there, he was going after Thompson, was he not?

[John Haidt]

Yeah. Yes.

[Elliot]

Okay.

[Joe Soucheray]

You know, after I was in Mexico last week.

[Kenny Olson]

You were at sea.

[Joe Soucheray]

I was at sea, yeah. And I. I would tell you this. Mexicans are damn near American. Anyway. Come on in.

[Matthew]

Pretty much.

[Joe Soucheray]

I mean, it doesn't bother me.

[Elliot]

Jesus, Joe. Why would you.

[Joe Soucheray]

Jesus.

[Elliot]

Were you lucky enough to be at sea in the Gulf of Trump?

[Kenny Olson]

No, no, he's the other side of the old country.

[Joe Soucheray]

Was it near the Gulf of Trump?

[John Haidt]

Oh, I was.

[Matthew]

I was riding in a fishing boat off the.

[Joe Soucheray]

The Baja. I know where you live now. I was damn near at your farm.

[Matthew]

But you didn't see.

[Elliot]

Did you see the silo?

[Matthew]

He didn't see any electricity because I'm off the grid. I got Gilligan pedaling the big coconut bike over there.

[Josh Arnold]

Mr.

[Kenny Olson]

Governor, if the mayor of Garage Lodge, one of your contemporaries, had reached out to you with the entire 19 crew family, would you have invited them into the compound?

[Matthew]

They would have had to try to find me. They would have had to crawl over the fence. That I have. That's made of chestnuts. And how I draw them in is I warm them up over the roasting fire.

[Elliot]

Governor, are you telling me you've hired a bunch of locals to pedal the bike? And you call them. Every single one of them. You call Keith Gilligan.

[Matthew]

I got Mulligan, I got skipper, I got Mr. Howell. He's the senior guy, followed by Mrs.

[Joe Soucheray]

Howell, who helps turn him off. Do you have a doc?

[Matthew]

Yeah, his. I mean, like a physician.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, no, I have a dock that goes out into the sea. He calls it a pier up here because it costs.

[Matthew]

It's more costly.

[John Haidt]

Yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

You know, I'm gonna shop.

[Matthew]

Stay the hell off it because I've got.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, I'm gonna lie. I'm going to. I'm gonna sail right to your piercing.

[Matthew]

Got land sharks that have taught themselves how to walk down the pier and swallow human beings whole. Yeah, you know, back to John. I'm gonna take off. I'm gonna go for a little swim.

[Elliot]

All right.

[John Haidt]

Thanks, Governor.

[Kenny Olson]

You rope some lotion on my back?

[Matthew]

Yes, rookie did that. It was very sexy.

[John Haidt]

Yesterday, the US Attorney for Minnesota, Daniel Rosen announced a man has been charged with assaulting ICE agents. 54 year old Juan Carlos Rodriguez Romero, whom Rosen says is a Cuban national, is charged by indictment with two counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault on a federal officer. This all happened December 21st in St. Paul. According to the press release, ICE agents tried to arrest him during a traffic stop, but he didn't obey commands and drove off. He hit two parked cars, lost control of his vehicle. ICE agents again tried to arrest him, but Rodriguez Romero drove his car toward the agents, hitting one of them who fired his weapon toward Rodriguez Romero. While officers are taking him into custody. The press release says he bit one of the federal officers, drawing blood. Two ICE agents were taken to the hospital with bruised ribs, a dislocated finger and a bite wound. Rodriguez Romero faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. As many as 2,000 agents are headed to the Twin Cities for immigration enforcement and fraud investigations. According to ABC News. One of the sources added the number of agents could change, but they'll be coming from other offices around the country. The Department of Homeland Security would not say how many agents would be coming to the state, citing officer safety. The state has been targeted by the government for both immigration enforcement and fraud investigations in recent months. ICE began Operation Metro Surge in December, largely focused on the state Somali population.

[Elliot]

Did you guys see the story about one of the Marriott outlets? No, it wasn't Marriott, was it?

[Josh Arnold]

Yes, it was.

[Elliot]

Hilton.

[Matthew]

Hilton.

[Elliot]

Yeah, One of the Hilton outlets canceled all their reservations. And then Hilton corporate found out about that and, oh, the s hit the fan.

[John Haidt]

They apologized.

[Elliot]

Yeah, they apologized. Can you imagine turning away all those dollars if. If corporate found out about that? Oh, my God.

[John Haidt]

Yesterday we told you about Jacob Fry being sworn in for his third term as Minneapolis mayor.

[Kenny Olson]

That went well.

[John Haidt]

Well, yeah. Also happening yesterday, progressive members of the city council were chosen to chair almost all of the city's council's policymaking committees.

[Kenny Olson]

Good luck.

[Joe Soucheray]

Minneapolis.

[John Haidt]

Democratic Socialists occupy half the spots on an expanded leadership team. The Star Tribune reporting the appointments came over objections from the Fry aligned moderate minority who predicted the entrenched division of the city council will now continue for at least another four years. Elliot Payne, last term's progressive council president, won reappointment to that position over Linea Palmisano, who was nominated by the body's moderate wing. Paul Vasano, a Fry ally, then lost again in the running for vice president to Jamal Osmond, a swing vote who has been openly critical of Mayor Fry on issues of homelessness in his Ward 6. The roles of majority minority leaders on the council were the subject of considerable disagreement during yesterday's meeting. Meeting, Payne described the majority leader as a council member who would identify uncontroversial ideas that the rest of the body largely agreed with, but the minority leader would focus on advancing lesser understood policy positions. Well, Robin Wansley, Payne's nominee for minority leader, disagreed with Payne, stating she intended for the position to formally recognize the political diversity of the Minneapolis City Council. Named finally the four members who are Democratic Socialists of America. She said, I plan to work with the community and all of my colleagues on this body to prevent looming evictions. We're going to have to generate progressive revenue, and that includes attacks on the rich. Moderates rebuke the position because they've never.

[Elliot]

Paid tax, because they don't pay at all.

[Joe Soucheray]

They don't pay anything. Oh, my God.

[John Haidt]

My favorite. Your gal Latricia had the best comment in the meeting. Council member Latricia Vito turned down an offer to nominate her for minority leader, saying, quote, I've never taken a job without a description. Which kind of nice leader is.

[Kenny Olson]

That's a pretty good line.

[Joe Soucheray]

She's very sane human being.

[Matthew]

Now, are these socialists that are on the council? Are these the kind of people that are gonna bring downtown what Mayor Fry said in his speech? Shoppers, residents, business people, and huge events?

[Joe Soucheray]

Yes.

[Matthew]

Okay, good.

[Elliot]

On air. Show me meeting. We should have her on once a month.

[Joe Soucheray]

Latricia. Yeah, we can make that happen.

[Elliot]

Yeah, that'd be fun. To talk to her for 15 minutes once a month just to get an update.

[Kenny Olson]

A live GL Town council member wants to know. Have we. I know we talked about this last week in your absence, Joe. Did you talk about the Somali daycare that was broken into and all the important documents were stolen?

[Joe Soucheray]

I didn't bring that up.

[Kenny Olson]

In the wake of. Of the oversight.

[Joe Soucheray]

Really?

[Kenny Olson]

No. You didn't bring that up? I couldn't remember if we did or not.

[Joe Soucheray]

It was gone.

[Kenny Olson]

Okay. The guy that was the spearhead of this, his name is.

[Joe Soucheray]

Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on.

[Kenny Olson]

I got it right here, I got it right here. A smallly run daycare in Minneapolis was broken into and vandalized with important documentation including records related to employees and children at the daycare being reported missing. The break in occurred as a national spotlight. We all know about the viral Nasrula Mohammed. Joe. He's the manager of Nokomis Daycare Center. He told reporters last week that the facility was broken into overnight and he believes the incident occurred between 3am and 6am when you see the photo of the break in, you see the knife, or the. What would you call it? The Sawzall cut into it. Everything fell inside.

[Joe Soucheray]

Oh, boy. Oh.

[Kenny Olson]

So it's a nice clean cut, but everything fell on the inside of the building. So all of that documentation of all the kids that were there.

[Joe Soucheray]

I'm. I'm glad. Yeah.

[Matthew]

That all that information, thousands of children that were receiving.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah.

[Kenny Olson]

It was gone. It was taken from them. So they can't provide that information. Thank you very much, Jeremy.

[John Haidt]

National and international headlines. We'll move on to those. Stephen Miller, the top aide to President Trump, asserted yesterday Greenland rightfully belongs the.

[Joe Soucheray]

U.S. no, it doesn't.

[John Haidt]

And he said the Trump administration could seize it if it wants to.

[Joe Soucheray]

It's poor Greenland. Just leave it alone. Right.

[John Haidt]

Nobody's going to fight the US Militarily over the future of Greenland, he said after being asked repeatedly whether he would rule out the use of military force. He said, we live in a world, the real world, that is governed by strength, that's governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.

[Joe Soucheray]

Who's this?

[Matthew]

Stephen Miller.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah.

[Kenny Olson]

He'S on a jet. Airliner.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah.

[Matthew]

Why do we want Greenland? Because it's a stop for planes in case we need to gas up or why not? Why do we need manifest Greenland?

[Joe Soucheray]

We don't need it.

[Elliot]

Come on.

[Kenny Olson]

We need a nice resort, like a gold plated resort.

[Elliot]

Put it on the list. It's number 51. Let's make it number 50.

[Kenny Olson]

I would, Kenny.

[Governor Tim Walz]

Yep.

[Kenny Olson]

Right after Venezuela and then Canada.

[Matthew]

53.

[Kenny Olson]

Why not America's cap, Right? We're going to rename it Trumpland. Not Greenland.

[Joe Soucheray]

Trumpland.

[Elliot]

Awesome. Oh, my God, that's so awesome.

[Kenny Olson]

Reavers Trump as well.

[Matthew]

Come on, like Michael Jackson.

[Kenny Olson]

Let's just keep going.

[Joe Soucheray]

Let's do it.

[John Haidt]

Why not?

[Elliot]

Just to piss the Russians off. I mean, come on.

[John Haidt]

Well, unfortunately, Kenny would piss off all our friends too, because Denmark, which owns Greenland, is a member of NATO. Oh, and NATO has that thing where if you attack one of us, you attack us all.

[Matthew]

How did Denmark get Greenland? Why didn't we take it?

[Joe Soucheray]

They bought a year.

[Matthew]

Did we just drive right by and go, we don't need that. We're going for us.

[Kenny Olson]

They bought it years ago.

[Joe Soucheray]

Wait a minute.

[Elliot]

Listen, I've got an. I've got a great idea. Give Denmark Venezuela for Greenland. Oh, we're going to trade number 51.

[Joe Soucheray]

Like a ball club.

[Kenny Olson]

I need a left handed relief pitcher here. Take Greenland.

[John Haidt]

In a joint statement released this morning, leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark reiterated that, quote, greenland belongs to its people. It's for Denmark and Greenland and them only to decide on matters concerning Denmark.

[Matthew]

My people in Poland really took a stand here. Okay, quick question.

[Kenny Olson]

Can we take a direct flight to Greenland from msb?

[Joe Soucheray]

I believe you can.

[Matthew]

Iceland for sure.

[John Haidt]

Okay. Venezuela, of course. Topping the agenda as Congress gets back from its holiday recess. But some lawmakers are wondering what happened to that key deadline regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files. Yesterday, Chuck Schumer slamming the Justice Department for failing to submit a report to Congress required by law, that forced the release of the files. The January 3rd deadline for the Justice Department to explain its redactions for the produced documents came and went with no response. Democratic Senator noted It has been 17 days since the Justice Department first violated the law by failing to release all the Epstein files within 30 days of Trump signing it. Instead, the Justice Department last month released a trove of files, many of which were heavily redacted. And then things got a little weirder right before Christmas. The justice part. Justice Department revealing it had discovered over a million more files related to Epstein in the Southern District of New York. It was then revealed the Justice Department was scrambling to recruit 400 lawyers to help review 5.2 million pages of documents related to the convicted sex offender. According to the New York Times just before the new year. At least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since protests kicked off with shopkeepers in Tehran on December 28, according to a toll based on official reports. Overnight in Iran, protests featuring slogans criticizing the Islamic Republic's clerical authorities were reported in Tehran, Shiraz in the south, and in areas of western Iran where the movement's been concentrated within the government. Under pressure with the government. Excuse me, with. Under pressure. To show a response to the economic pain, spokeswoman Fatima Majorani told state TV on Sunday, citizens would get a monthly allowance in Iran equivalent to about $7.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, that's pretty good, huh?

[John Haidt]

I was wondering, will that help in Iran? Seven bucks a month.

[Joe Soucheray]

Get some Hostess cupcakes.

[Matthew]

You do need to stop through Iceland. Iceland is your stopover before you can get to Greenland. Greenland.

[Joe Soucheray]

Thank you.

[Matthew]

Iceland.

[Joe Soucheray]

Thank you. I didn't know we were.

[Kenny Olson]

You know the interesting thing about that? Greenland. Covered in ice. Iceland. Very scenic. Covered in green.

[Matthew]

What's going on with that?

[Joe Soucheray]

What's the town in Greenland? What's the word? Reykjavik. Is Iceland.

[Matthew]

That is correct.

[Joe Soucheray]

Have you flown? No, it is Ilusat.

[Matthew]

I don't know what that means. I L L U L I S S A T. I've never heard of that town.

[Joe Soucheray]

So what's this Stephen Miller want? He wants Greenland or. Or Iceland. Greenland.

[John Haidt]

He wants Greenland.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah.

[Matthew]

Yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

I say leave it alone. That's not our business.

[Elliot]

Where are these locations in regards to Oak island, where we're looking for treasure.

[Joe Soucheray]

That's a little lake. Be outside of Boston somewhere. They're digging and it's the worst reality TV show that's ever been on.

[John Haidt]

Not a fan.

[Elliot]

You're so easy. Sewage. My God, you're.

[Matthew]

Greenland is huge, but it's nothing.

[Joe Soucheray]

It's a lot. It's just a land.

[Kenny Olson]

It's huge, but it's nothing.

[Joe Soucheray]

Right?

[Matthew]

I mean, it's got a lot of land, but it doesn't have anything.

[John Haidt]

But strategically. Right. I think it's supposed to be a place you can.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, we got along.

[Matthew]

Wait, there's a. There's a quick trip. Yeah, there's a quick trip.

[Joe Soucheray]

There is?

[John Haidt]

Yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

You're kidding.

[Matthew]

Right outside the airport.

[Kenny Olson]

You know, that was one of your greatest puzzling questions you ever asked when the Wild were playing the Anaheim Ducks or whoever they were playing.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, they were in Montreal.

[Kenny Olson]

Or Montreal.

[John Haidt]

That was.

[Matthew]

We got him.

[Joe Soucheray]

They got them everywhere. The Wild place.

[Kenny Olson]

Well, Joe, that's the. That's the in house broadcast feed you were watching.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah, they lost last night. They cannot beat the king in that building.

[Kenny Olson]

I'm not going to tell Kenny with the word you guys discussed on Monday night Sports stuff.

[Joe Soucheray]

I never said the word.

[Kenny Olson]

You did not.

[Joe Soucheray]

Patrick that did.

[John Haidt]

Yep.

[Elliot]

He has no respect.

[Joe Soucheray]

Oh I didn't. John, are you done? Are you still going?

[John Haidt]

I got lots of stories but you.

[Joe Soucheray]

Know, I want one more. At least one more.

[John Haidt]

Let's finish with some good news.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah, warmth.

[Kenny Olson]

What else? Are we taking over?

[John Haidt]

We're going to warmth. Now that would be bad news. Chris. General Motors on Monday reported a 5 1/2% increase in its annual U.S. sales sales in 2025 despite a 6.9% decrease during the fourth quarter. The Detroit automakers results were driven by incremental sales of EVs as well as gains in large SUVs and entry level vehicles like the Buick in Vista. GM's 2025 sales expected to be among the standouts for the US automotive industry, which Cox Automotive experts to have, expects to have risen. I'm sorry, Cox Automation Automotive expects to have risen about.

[Matthew]

Thank you for clarifying because my eyebrows were raised immediately.

[John Haidt]

Very confused by myself there. GM is. GM is among a handful of automakers to report US sales gains for 2025 others. Toyota Motors sales were up 8%. Hyundai and Kia each achieved record sales of 8.4% and 7% increases. Chrysler parent Stellantis was down 3.3. However. However, Stellantis Jeep brand was up considerably over any year since 2018.

[Matthew]

I am so thirsty. I would love to have a great cup of coffee.

[Elliot]

You might have noticed I just poured myself a fresh cup. A good cup of coffee at a reasonable price. I got it from customroasting.net you may think you're at the top of the coffee elitist list. I know I sure did. I'd been drinking the French roast from that Seattle supplier for years. And then I tried the French roast from customroasting.net I found out the truth. The truth is their blend is way better than what I had been used to. Very smooth. I didn't realize the old brand was so bitter. Please give it a go if you haven't yet. And here's a tip, if you haven't, go to customroasting.net, find the Garagelogic starter pack. That's a nice introductory offer. A sampler includes four 10 ounce bags, one each of the Minnesota Morning Blend, Boundary Waters Blend, Columbia Excelso, and the best French roast you'll ever taste. You might just find out it's a life changer and end up hooked like I am. You know what, while you're there, hop around, check out the website, see all the flavors and if the charitable organization that you're involved with, if you guys do fundraisers, click on the fundraising tab and check into the customer Roasting fund, the fundraising package. It's pretty cool. They're all set to go and they can set you and your club up fresh hand roasted coffee delivered right to your door. And you can order it whole bean or ground. A good cup of coffee at a reasonable price. Custom roasting.net.

[Joe Soucheray]

It's the end of the world as we know it and he feels fine.

[Kenny Olson]

Joe Sucra Hoffman Water and Connecticut are here for you in the brand new year to help absolutely eliminate every single problem that you have with your water. And you know what? They've done that for me and they will do that for you. Your first step, however, is you have to get on that schedule and have them come out for that free water analysis. You do that one of two ways. Call them directly at 612-895-2440 or visit their website at hoffermanwater.com either way, you'll get on that schedule. And as long as you're on that website, you can see every single different water treatment system that they have to. Maybe it's a brand new water softener, an iron rust and odor filtration system, or a brand new drinking water system. Or you know what? Treat yourself in the new year. Get all of [e-mail] you know what? Your laundries get better. Your showers get better. Your cooking is better. Your ice is better. Everything is better with hofferman Water and 612-895-2440 or visit hoffermanwater.com Hofferman Water has been proudly serving the state of Minnesota for over 50 years. Please do me a favor and mention that you heard about them here on the Garage Logic podcast.

[Joe Soucheray]

Our friend Bill Glahn at the American Experiment, who's covered fraud for years, he's got some things to say about the Family and Medical Leave Act. I think he's providing them as a cautionary tale. He explained that Republicans previously refused to even hear any proposals when they controlled the Minnesota House for such an act. Act. But the Democrats passed the law after gaining full control without any Republican support. Instead of using private insurance companies to administer paid leave, Glahn is faulting Democrats for creating an entirely new state run bureaucracy staffed by hundreds of unionized government employees. This is going to be just like all these Medicaid programs that they start de novo, where they say, oh, we'll probably have two or three million dollars worth of claims on, and then it quickly balloons up to 100 or 200 million, Glahn said. Glenn outlined various ways the system could be exploited. Fake companies, fake employees, minimal contributions, followed by large benefit claims and multiple people claiming paid leave to care for the same relative without any realistic overstepped site. Because claims are tied to private homes rather than centralized locations, he argues, the fraud detection will be practically impossible. Glahn also warns that individuals could work briefly, qualify, then repeatedly claim long periods of pay leave, effectively getting paid for a full year while working only part of it, and explained that Minnesota has a pattern of creating new entitlement programs that attract fraudsters who quickly identify loopholes and overwhelm the oversight. Thank you, Bill.

[Matthew]

Well, you can see that. You can see that someone who is possibly new to this country and has brought their parents here that are elderly would jump right on it saying I need to take care of them for the next 20 weeks because they are bedridden, but the state has to sign off on it.

[Joe Soucheray]

And here's Glahn again, who said, I just did a little bit of citizen journalist style research into the ballooning autism clinic scandal. The results are eye opening. Just before Christmas, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota announced a new indictment and a new guilty plea respectively in the autism fraud scandal. Abdinijib Hassan Yasuf and Asha Farhan Hassan Hassan. This scandal involves a Medicaid program, the Early Intensive development and Behavioral Intervention benefit. See, that's our problem, Minnesota. There are too many of these things. The program began in 2018. The Autism Clinic scandal has the potential to be the largest single fraud in state history. The FBI charts the program's rapid growth in this table included in a recent federal search warrant. I urge you all to go to American experiment and.AmericanExperiment.org In 2018, there were 31 early intensive developmental and behavioral intervention providers.

[Matthew]

So in 2018 there were 31.

[Joe Soucheray]

Right.

[Matthew]

Oh, that grow too.

[Joe Soucheray]

The total billed in 2018 for the these 31 providers. 400 recipients. In 2018, 400 recipients, 31 providers. And the the billed Medicaid amount was 1,115,000. And the total paid was not that it was only 671,339 million.

[Matthew]

Would that grow to 670?

[Joe Soucheray]

671,339. Okay, what did I say? Well, I'll end your suspense.

[Elliot]

Yeah, tell me.

[Joe Soucheray]

In 2025 through September 30th the number of early intensive developmental and behavioral intervention intervention benefit providers was 432.

[Matthew]

That's 400 more.

[Joe Soucheray]

That's right.

[Matthew]

401.

[Joe Soucheray]

The number of recipients was 5,887. So we went from 400 recipients in 2018 to seven years later, 5,887 recipients.

[Kenny Olson]

Look, I'm grinding away at the math over that.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah. Total billed in 2025 through September 30th.

[Matthew]

Not laying on me.

[Kenny Olson]

Jesus Christ, are you praying?

[Joe Soucheray]

$471,729,897 paid.

[Matthew]

It's a 471% increase.

[Joe Soucheray]

Paid. That was the billing.

[Matthew]

Yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

Some of them must have really, you know, did it with crayon or something to be. They just had to get kicked out.

[Kenny Olson]

Duplicate entries.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah. The. The bill. The paid amount was $290,403,644. Compared to seven years ago, the total paid out was $671,000. This year, 200 in 2024 was more than that. $342,000,821. $7719 was paid. Guess what was billed in 2024 with fewer providers by 38 fewer providers in 2020. And why aren't people showing 72, 72 fewer recipients last year? $601,000,000. 601. $268,592 was billed last year. And of that, $342,821,719 were billed. Total billed since 2018. $2,128,108,988. And total paid since 2018. $1,089,177,987.

[John Haidt]

And.

[Joe Soucheray]

And you just get up tomorrow and you just kiss the ground you walk on and you say, I love this state and I'm going to go work hard today to pay my taxes to Minnesota.

[Matthew]

And how much of that billion was sent back to Africa?

[Elliot]

Thank goodness we have a governor that's fighting Joe Thompson and President Trump and all the far right wing propagandists.

[Matthew]

This is Minnesota does look like a good place to do this.

[Joe Soucheray]

This is bigger than the food for fraud. This is.

[Kenny Olson]

You know what? Here's why it's bigger than the food fraud. This is exactly why he's stepping or not seeking reelection. He's trying to get out while the getting's good.

[Elliot]

I think I'm with Joe on this one. They swooped in and said, beat it, pal. You've got no shot. We've Got a better idea. Here she is. Her name is Amy.

[Kenny Olson]

Yeah.

[John Haidt]

Oh, no.

[Joe Soucheray]

He didn't do this on his own.

[Elliot]

No, he. He wouldn't. He wouldn't step down. Correct, Chris. He's too much of a narcissist.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah. This was all he was told.

[John Haidt]

Yeah.

[Kenny Olson]

All engineered, but those racist right wingers.

[Matthew]

Yeah.

[Elliot]

It's fun knowing that Gwen can't sleep at night right now.

[Joe Soucheray]

She gotta turn the page.

[Kenny Olson]

She's turning the page.

[Matthew]

Turn the page and smell the. Smell the tire.

[Joe Soucheray]

You see the rage.

[Elliot]

You see the rage in her eyes. As that speech was happening yesterday, I'd cross to the other side of the street if I saw her in the Bowery.

[Joe Soucheray]

Only because they come to us from the traveling Lymans, who are ensconced in Kiowaka, New Zealand.

[Matthew]

Are they out at sea or do we know?

[Joe Soucheray]

No, they're not at sea. They're on land. You can follow them@worldwide waftage.com. i was at sea.

[Kenny Olson]

Unlike. Yeah, unlike you who was at sea.

[John Haidt]

Sea, yes.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah.

[Matthew]

They drank rainwater. You know, for a time they were. They were stuck on an island.

[Joe Soucheray]

I was. On this day, Joe, today is January 6th in 1976. On this day, after presiding over the reserve mining lawsuit for two and a half years, Judge Miles Lord was removed from the case because he was thought to have a bias against the company. Boy, did he ever. On this day.

[Kenny Olson]

Happy anniversary, January 6th to all those.

[Joe Soucheray]

That summer in 1996, Maude Keg, Elder of the Mille Lacs band of Ojibwe and author of books on her childhood and Ojibwe stories, died. Maude was born August 26, 1904. She was raised in the traditional Ojibwe lifewalk ways. In 1990, she earned a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in her traditional beadwork. Her name was Maude, wasn't she?

[Kenny Olson]

She had a different role.

[Joe Soucheray]

Mod.

[Kenny Olson]

Yeah.

[Matthew]

Bea Arthur.

[Joe Soucheray]

No, no word. This is Maude Keg. You're supposed to not ever see anything, you idiot. There was some good beadwork in the year, year 2014. On this day, Joe, today is January 6th. Yeah. On this day in 2014, Governor Mark Dayton.

[Matthew]

There it is.

[Joe Soucheray]

This was the beginning of the end.

[Matthew]

This was the beginning.

[Joe Soucheray]

Ordered all schools in the state closed due to cold weather predictions. Mark, not the cold weather. This was the first of many temperature related closures that winter. In 2014.

[Elliot]

Was it like 80 below? What was it?

[Joe Soucheray]

It doesn't tell me.

[Matthew]

I think it was 4 below. I remember that.

[Joe Soucheray]

It didn't the record today was 1900.

[John Haidt]

Oh, no.

[Joe Soucheray]

The record today for cold was 1912. They didn't close schools in 1912.

[Matthew]

They're going to the one house.

[Joe Soucheray]

Get in there.

[Governor Tim Walz]

Get in there.

[Kenny Olson]

Can I throw an anecdote? You'll love this. So we. We had a two hour.

[Joe Soucheray]

I wasn't done with this.

[Kenny Olson]

Oh, I was waiting. I thought you were. Because you looked at.

[Joe Soucheray]

I'm sorry, Matthew. This was the first of many temperature related closures this winter, leading districts to develop related policies. The 2013, 2014 winter was the coldest since 1978 and 79.

[Kenny Olson]

Gotcha.

[Elliot]

Joel, I have just had a fantastic idea and maybe we can pass this the next time legislature gets together. I submit to. To you, the paid leave act should include cold weather.

[Kenny Olson]

Oh yeah.

[Elliot]

If it's worse than 10 below, can't.

[Kenny Olson]

Go in, gotta take a week off.

[Elliot]

State is staying home and getting paid.

[Kenny Olson]

We closed. We ought to meet.

[Elliot]

It's like all of February.

[Kenny Olson]

Kenny. The.

[Governor Tim Walz]

The.

[Joe Soucheray]

I can see it happening.

[Elliot]

I know. That's the problem.

[Matthew]

That's why I didn't laugh.

[Elliot]

That's the problem.

[Joe Soucheray]

It's too plausible.

[Kenny Olson]

The Jordan school district decided to have a two hour late start due to icy roads. There was icy roads.

[Joe Soucheray]

You don't want the little ones getting banged up.

[Kenny Olson]

Eventually they did end up closing the school. But the high school kids decided that how they were gonna treat the two hour late start with the icy roads was go up and down her cul de sac and turn it into a hockey rink. My two boys go, we gotta go do that.

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah, yeah.

[Elliot]

That's a tradition. Absolutely.

[Joe Soucheray]

If the rinks freeze tonight at Grocery Grove lid, will they be beautiful?

[Elliot]

They will freeze tonight.

[Joe Soucheray]

Just a sheet of water.

[Elliot]

Yeah, we're dropping down pretty cold tonight. So they'll freeze up.

[Kenny Olson]

You're gonna lay some up?

[Joe Soucheray]

I might lace them up this year. Hold on to the boards that go along the side, you know.

[Elliot]

Instead you should go find an empty parking lot and whip shitties for an hour or so.

[Matthew]

Johnny Hessian will be out there. The guy that owns the. The drugstore on St. Clair and Snelling.

[Joe Soucheray]

Was that Vogel?

[Matthew]

No, it wasn't Vogel. That Johnny Hessians, the. What's the name of the drugstore there? St. Paul Corner Drug.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, I know the guy who owned it. It wasn't Johnny Hessian.

[Matthew]

He owns it.

[Joe Soucheray]

Does he own it now?

[Matthew]

Yeah, he owns it now.

[Joe Soucheray]

He bought it from the McAllister guy, Dick Jorgensen or whatever his name is. Yeah.

[Matthew]

And he runs the Groveland team up there.

[John Haidt]

Yeah.

[Joe Soucheray]

Well, anyway, if she freezes tonight, you're looking at some primo ice.

[Matthew]

And basically now they just flood the entire field.

[Joe Soucheray]

They just everything. Yes, you can skate down.

[Matthew]

You're down to sergeant. Go to Thomas, pick up a bottle and come back.

[Joe Soucheray]

Thank you. G. Ellers.

[Matthew]

Ah, yes, yes, I heard you know this Morty. Yes, New York.

[Kenny Olson]

Thank you.

[Matthew]

We have a new mayor. He will take all of your money.

[Joe Soucheray]

Money.

[Matthew]

Even if you are a tailor.

[Kenny Olson]

Is he a believer?

[Matthew]

He is a non believer.

[Joe Soucheray]

He certainly isn't even more so than me.

[Matthew]

He is a non believer.

[Joe Soucheray]

He is not a believer.

[Kenny Olson]

You know what? I'm a believer.

[Joe Soucheray]

I forgot to do sports disappointment history.

[Kenny Olson]

Why don't you wrap her up by doing sports disappointment history?

[Joe Soucheray]

The Vikings lost again in 1990 on this day to the 49ers. 41 13. I hate that.

[Kenny Olson]

Is that a playoff game next year?

[Joe Soucheray]

Yeah, that was a playoff.

[Kenny Olson]

That's the one where Sid ran down the sidelines.

[Joe Soucheray]

Divisional playoff Y next year.

[Matthew]

We got it.

[Kenny Olson]

Got what?

[Joe Soucheray]

What do we got?

[Matthew]

The 18th pick.

[John Haidt]

Right?

[Joe Soucheray]

Let's go.

[Kenny Olson]

Got one. Hey, yeah. Find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and the Daily [e-mail]. Time once again to check in with our guy, Mr. Money Talk. Josh Arnold is with us once again right here in garagelogic. And now is the time for you to do the same. So do not delay, do exactly what I did and pick up that phone and dial 952-925-5608. That number once again is 952-925-5608. When you call that number, you're going to get Josh. And he is there for you for that. Free. Yes, I did use the word free. 48 financial consultation with absolutely zero obligation. And he will always give you the straight talk. He will never give you the sugar coated advice. And he is on the line with us once again right here in Garagelogic. Boy, Josh, are you kidding me? 50K?

[J]

We are at 49K on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It does not seem that long ago, at least to me when in 1991 with Dow at 5000, my investment hero John Templeton proclaimed that by the year 2000 the Dow would be at 10,000. And people laughed at John Templeton. They scoffed all them, all kinds of names. And he insisted 10,000 by 2000 on the Dow. And of course the Dow actually exceeded that number by 2000. And the number the members of the Dow today are different than the members of the Dow in 2000. But from over that 10 year period of time to go from 5,000 to 10,000. It only meant the Dow had to average a 7% return per year. Money doubles by a factor of 772 and to go from 5 to 10. A doubling in 10 years is a 7% return. And given the fact that on a long term base, not so much the Dow I'll switch to a broader index, the S and P on a very very long term basis dating back to the late 20s that's in 1920s, not 2020. The S&P 500 has had an average return of 10%. That's not every year the market going up 10% percent. Because investing in companies where you have owned assets as opposed to investing in bonds or we'll say in bond funds where your the assets are lending assets. Owned assets have we'll say no guarantee whatsoever. And you are betting on the companies increasing their sales keep and increasing or hopefully maintaining or increasing their margins which should of push the price of their stock up over time. And owned assets and investing in companies, individual companies or even investing in the entire market through an index fund have produced over time better results than putting money into in the bond or any lending. Right now. You know the Dow going From we'll say 10,000 in 2000, almost 50,000 25 years later with a lot of ups and downs I think is an amazing feat. What's leading the Dow right now? Well you have little, little companies like Amazon which is, which has had a very good showing at the Consumer Electronics show introducing some of their new products including their new fire stick. And yesterday as we had talked electricity which will bring, we'll call it bring AI to light in your, in your home and even on your smartphone. Salesforce.com has finally moved up off the bottom today. Sherwin Williams Caterpillar has been a big big mover on the hopes of more infrastructure product projects. Not only we'll say in Venezuela or the United States or in China but elsewhere around, around the world. American Express and Visa have also had some big moves up over the last several days and Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have also followed through moving up significantly. Banks particularly those banks that are involved in we'll say not only in regular banking but investment banking look to be or could be some nice winners this year as companies continue to raise money. And we have the prospect of a prospect, no guarantee of several large companies, large private companies coming public including open AI. They can come public but they're going to have, they'll show a lot of debt but because they're the developers of chat GPT they'll Get a lot of we'll say a lot of coverage. You have a competitor Anthrop also a big AI player that has as money coming from or primarily investment money coming from Amazon. They could also be coming public and one that I've already been asked about. Have you heard about Starlink? Well Starlink is owned by Faith X that that would be a very interesting company to potentially come public and big banks, investment banks will be part of that process. So that is one of the corporate pushers for the banks JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to be up the last few days on the downside. Now favorite Apple has has shed a lot either from profit taking over the last over the last several days as I said what happened into the new year I said that starting several weeks ago that a lot of companies that had run off the end 2025 would see profit taking happening in 2026, particularly early Apple which I have a price target of $400 on. And that's not going to be in a straight line folks. Apple's gotten knocked down recently someone profit taking some on fears that they're not going to be selling as many phones and there might have been weakness in both Japanese, Japan and in China today Goldman Sachs came with a report that said app store sales were only up percent in December down from up 9% in November. And app store sales were hurt as gamers bought their games or elsewhere or maybe didn't buy games. I think that that is more trivial than anything else. I would say however that Nvidia in their presentation at the Consumer Electronics show showed a chip embedded with some software that showed off Nvidia's chip ability in autonomous driving something that Apple had been working on but closed down under video. It's been pushing we'll say more for use we'll say use cases for.

[John Haidt]

We'Ll.

[J]

Say artificial intelligence and including in robots and now in autonomous and they they've developed say end to end solutions from developing the chips to developing hard or software for the chips. This stock is we'll say heavily owned and a lot of chatter around this company. But it is still we'll say the leader in we'll say the the chip space or high speed chip space and probably still growing at a pretty good good clip. We'll have more we'll say coming out.

[Joe Soucheray]

Of.

[J]

The the Consumer Electronics Shows show in Las Vegas as more companies are previewing robots, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.

[Kenny Olson]

Excellent advice as always Mr. MoneyTalk. You heard him G ers. Now is the time for you to pick up the phone and make the call for that free 48 minute financial consultation again with absolutely zero obligation. And you do that just a like I did by dialing 952-925-5608 where you always get straight talk and never ever sugarcoated advice. Josh, once again, thank you so much for the time and the chat. Enjoy the rest of your day and we'll talk to you again tomorrow.

[J]

Thank you very much.

[Josh Arnold]

Chris Be Good Investment services offered by Josh Arnold Investment Consultant, llc. A security investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investments involve risk. All comments and opinions are Josh Arnold's and do not constitute investment advice.

[Joe Soucheray]

Chris Reivers is a paid endorser.