AMERICA'S VOICE LIVE WITH STEVE GRUBER - JANUARY 8TH, 2026

Summary

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America's Voice Live with Steve Gruber – January 8th, 2026

iHeartPodcasts | Real America’s Voice

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Episode Overview

This episode of "America's Voice Live" is split between two major segments. The first half provides in-depth coverage of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant’s talk at Providence Academy in Plymouth, Minnesota, where he addresses financial literacy for high school students. The latter half pivots to current events, focusing chiefly on the ICE-involved police shooting in Minneapolis, reactions from law enforcement, and commentary on the incident’s media portrayal. The episode closes with a discussion of precious metals markets, updates from the "Arsenal of Freedom" tour, and listener feedback.

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Segment 1: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant on Financial Literacy

[00:31–25:26]

A Vision for America's Next 250 Years

• Bessant expresses honor in guiding America into its next milestone, reflecting on the nation's strengths and ethos of striving to be "number one".

  • “Our job is to make sure that the US performs at the highest level and keeps performing that way… the rest of the world depends on us.” – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant [02:40]

• Compares the US to Singapore, emphasizing the U.S.'s abundant resources and unique challenges.

Economic Predictions and Policy Directions

[03:58]

• Predicts a strong economic year in 2026; outlines the administration’s “three-legged stool” of economic policy:
  • Trade: America is recalibrating trade policies to favor fair competition, particularly regarding countries like China whose government subsidies distort markets.
    • "Trade had gotten very out of balance… free trade did not mean fair trade." – Bessant [04:14]
  • Taxes: The 2017 tax cuts have been made permanent, enabling businesses to immediately deduct factory and equipment investments, incentivizing them to manufacture in the US.
  • Deregulation: Reducing regulatory burdens, especially for small banks, to spur Main Street growth.
    • “We have lost half of our small banks since the great financial crisis… small banks are the engines that drive the ag economy, small business lending and real estate.” – Bessant [06:03]
  • Anticipates "non-inflationary growth" through deregulation and increased supply.

Interactive Q&A with Students

[07:12–22:17]

Lesson on Compounding and Personal Finance [07:12]

• Wishes he’d learned about compounding: every consumption choice is a missed opportunity for investment.
  • “I wish that I had spent more time just thinking about… every time you consume something, it’s a choice.” – Bessant [07:41]

Digital Age Risks and Opportunities [08:57]

• Encourages digital natives to be cyber-aware as fintech transforms money management.
  • “The more AI there is, the more you just gotta be ready for it… but there’s a lot of opportunity.” – Bessant [09:45]
  • Praises American innovation, notes US fintech leadership over Europe and China.

Improving Financial Education in Schools [12:26]

• Recommends simulations and maintaining model portfolios to learn about stocks and financial planning.
  • Warns against early credit card debt, especially for college students—"a huge amount of financial literacy is what not to do." [15:39]

Evaluating College vs. Alternatives [16:05]

• Stresses the importance of weighing the true cost of college, alternative career paths, and trade schools.
  • Cites examples of high-earning pilots who avoided college debt.
  • “We just made it was college or bust. And I think that’s wrong.” – Bessant [16:07]

Top Three Financial Skills for Graduates [18:47]

• Understanding debt (evaluating types and good vs. bad debt)
• Tax literacy
• Asset allocation (urges young people to invest heavily in equities for long-term growth)
  • “If 16, 17, 18, if you’re not going to need the money until 65, you should be in the stock market.” [19:38]
  • Recommends a measured embrace of risk, like small investments in crypto for its innovation.

Encouraging Participation and Government Engagement [22:17]

• Invites students to visit the Treasury or pursue internships in D.C.
  • “Come see your government and be part of your government.” – Bessant [22:57]

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Segment 2: ICE-Involved Shooting in Minneapolis

[25:26–37:57]

Incident Details and Political Fallout

• Steve Gruber recaps the fatal incident in Minneapolis, highlighting that the deceased woman allegedly used her car against federal law enforcement.

  • “If an officer tells you to get out of your car… and you punch the gas with another officer in front of the vehicle, what exactly do you think is going to happen?” – Steve Gruber [26:00]

• Vice President Vance criticizes media coverage, calling it “an absolute disgrace” and alleging it puts officers at risk.

  • “This was an attack on federal law enforcement. This was an attack on law and order. …The media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace.” – VP Vance [26:33]

Law Enforcement Perspective

• Interview with retired Lt. Randy Sutton:
  • Emphasizes that noncompliance is central in such cases, and that officers’ use of deadly force was legal and justified by precedent.
    • “Every police officer, every law enforcement officer has a duty and a right to protect themselves from death or serious bodily injury.” – Randy Sutton [29:09]
  • Criticizes local political leaders for inflaming tensions and endangering officers.
    • “They are either woefully ignorant of the law or purposefully lying to the public.” – Sutton [29:35]

Host Commentary

• Gruber repeatedly points out that compliance with lawful orders is critical: “Very simple outcome here would have been—stop your vehicle, put it in park, and wait for further instructions.” [36:05]
• Cites rising tensions and fraud in Minneapolis, from “fake daycare” scams to defrauded public funds.

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Segment 3: Financial Markets – Precious Metals Outlook

[38:22–44:48]

Interview with Philip Patrick, Birch Gold Group

• Gold and silver prices are reaching historic highs; Patrick forecasts continued strong performance.
  • “Silver… up 150%… I see hitting both of those [price] targets… probably in the first six months of this year…” – Philip Patrick [39:57]
• Cites increased demand from defense, AI, electric vehicles, and sovereign debt concerns as key drivers.
• Advises Americans to consider precious metals as part of their portfolio for asset protection.
  • “Investment banks, now Bank of America, are considering [precious metals] as part of long term allocation. The mindset is changing broadly.” – Patrick [44:06]

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Segment 4: The Arsenal of Freedom Tour and American Strength

[45:54–48:42]

Live Correspondence

• Benny Ray Harmony reports on Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, designed to showcase American military-industrial strength and reinforce “warrior ethos.”
  • “This tour is to show… that we have what it takes to compete on a world level. …Peace through strength.” – Benny Ray Harmony [46:08]

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Segment 5: Listener Feedback & Closing Thoughts

[48:42–50:07]

• Audience weighs in on the ICE shooting case:

  • “The bottom line is that she made a bad decision and paid the ultimate price.” – Listener comment [49:32]
  • “Tried to run over a cop and get shot. I feel for the cop. He has to live with that.” – Listener comment [49:47]

• Steve Gruber emphasizes personal accountability and the importance of learning from real-life consequences.

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Notable Quotes

• “Our job is to make sure that the US performs at the highest level… the rest of the world depends on us.” – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant [02:40]
• “Trade had gotten very out of balance… free trade did not mean fair trade.” – Bessant [04:14]
• “A huge amount of financial literacy is what not to do, what not to do. And I can tell you: running up a lot of debt is the thing you can’t do.” – Bessant [15:39]
• “If 16, 17, 18, if you’re not going to need the money until 65, you should be in the stock market.” – Bessant [19:38]
• “The media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day.” – VP Vance [26:33]
• “It is always noncompliance that is at the root of these issues.” – Randy Sutton [28:29]
• “Silver… up 150%… I see hitting both of those [price] targets… probably in the first six months of this year…” – Philip Patrick [39:57]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:31 – Bessant on US global standing, Singapore comparison
• 03:58 – 2026 economic outlook: trade, taxes, deregulation
• 07:12 – Student Q&A: lessons in compounding and financial choices
• 08:57 – Fintech innovation and cybersecurity issues in finance
• 12:26 – Schools and financial literacy: practical advice
• 16:05 – College value, career paths, and weighing student debt
• 18:47 – Top three financial skills for graduates
• 22:17 – Bessant’s call for youth government engagement
• 26:33 – VP Vance on media coverage of ICE shooting
• 28:29 – Randy Sutton on law enforcement’s perspective
• 38:22 – Precious metals market breakdown with Philip Patrick
• 45:54 – Benny Ray Harmony on ‘Arsenal of Freedom’ tour

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

This episode blends a tone of national pride and pragmatic conservatism, focused on equipping young Americans with essential financial knowledge while defending law enforcement and traditional American values. It’s geared toward listeners who favor robust national identity, self-reliance, and skepticism of both media narratives and regulatory excess.

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For listeners: This episode is a practical guide to key financial principles, honest policy analysis, and a forceful defense of American law enforcement and industry. It’s a snapshot of the political and economic cross-currents heading into 2026.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

[Steve Ur]

And welcome to America's Voice Live. I'm Steve Ur. It is Thursday the 8th of January in the year of our Lord 2026. As always, thank you for being with us here. I'm Neil America's Voice. We have some special coverage for you today. We're going to join Treasury Secretary Scott Vicente speaking to students at Providence Academy that is in Plymouth, Minnesota, talking about financial literacy. We're going to dip in and listen to what he has to say.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

Here he is, 150th anniversary of our country. And I think that I am honored and privileged to be able to try to set the sails for the next 250 years to make sure that all of you have a better life than your parents, the church, children and keep going, keep this idea of the United States of America going. I was just reading everyone here heard of Singapore, so small island country. I believe it was started in 1963 and the founder of, the founder of Singapore was called Lee Kuan Yew and his belief was, well, we have no natural resources. All we have are our people and our people have to be the best. And it's incredible. They have the highest per capita GDP in the world now and it is all just from working, studying, education, saving and it is just this little island fortress. And I think about the United States of America and we are the opposite of Singapore in terms of natural resources. The U.S. when you think about the U.S. we are blessed because we have these oceans in between us and our adversaries. Mostly we have incredible natural resources. And it's a challenge that because you like, it's almost like someone who is an athlete who could be on the first string without working hard, but with a little more work you can be all state, all American. And that's the way I think about the US is like our job is to make sure that the US performs at the highest level level and keeps performing that way because really when you look and I read a lot about the ethos of the U.S. the ethos of the U.S. is we're number one. And I can't imagine what would happen to our national psyche if we weren't number one. And I often wonder now part of my job is going out and meeting with government leaders and there's some beautiful countries, nice people, but Australia, but what would it be like representing Australia? 30 million people, beautiful country, but smallish economy, but we get to represent the United States of America and the rest of the world depends on us.

[Event Moderator]

I think that's Worth an applause right there. So I have one more question here and then we're so students, whoever you are that are going to be asking questions, get ready, get your track shoes on so you can get up to the microphone. This is one that I think is for the parents. How are you thinking about the US economy and any predictions for what the.

[Benny Ray Harmony]

Year will look like?

[Steve Ur]

Go.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

I think 2026 is going to be a great year for the economy that we spent 2025. I always say the president's economic policy is a three legged stool. So it's trade, taxes and deregulation. Trade. We have done a lot of trade deals which have been very good for American companies, American workers. And our trade had gotten very out of balance that free trade did not mean fair trade. And you have countries like China that have very different government models, very different capital models. They're willing to subsidize. They want a steel industry, they want a semiconductor industry, they want all these industries and they're willing to subsidize unfair competition.

[Steve Ur]

That.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

And what we learned during COVID was that there are a lot of industries that we need to have in the United States. But so trade policy is set tax policy. We have made the 2017 tax cuts permanent and we have put in two sets of policies. One for companies and companies. So if you buy a company, you build your factories here, you can immediately deduct on your taxes the equipment and plants. So we're using trade to bring the factories home. We're using taxes to tax planning to make it economical to do it, create new jobs. And then the third part is deregulation. There was way too much regulation and I think that it was constraining industry and borrowing small banks. I always talk about Main street and Wall Street. Wall street always seems to do well. Main street is not. One of the reasons Main street hasn't is that from since the great financial crisis of 2008, 2009, we have lost half of our small banks. And small banks are the engines that drive the ag economy, small business lending and real estate. So we are, we brought down the regulations and we are helping small banks to do more lending so they can lend to Main Street. And I think that we are going to see the economy accelerate into 2026. And I think the important thing is going to be because we've deregulated, we're creating more supply and it will be non inflationary growth. So no, no use in making more money if inflation eats it up.

[Podcast Host]

Wonderful.

[Event Moderator]

Mr. Hester, do you have your first student to eat up.

[Steve Ur]

I do. So whoever's first on the list is going to come up.

[Event Moderator]

So just make sure you tell us your name.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary. My name is Connor Neeson. I'm a senior here. My question for you is, what financial lesson do you wish you had learned in high school? Well, I think that the idea of compounding that. I wish that I had spent more time just thinking about, okay, so I say money and bought a car. Probably would have been better to have bought a share of Microsoft, because the share of Microsoft would now be so. But the car was useful. Probably a little more fun than share Microsoft. But the idea, I think the real idea of compounding that everything, when you consume something, it's a choice. And you don't want to live a spartan life, but you do want to be prudent. But everything's a choice. Do you need the third TV for your house, or is it better to put the $350 away for a college fund? Is it better? So I think it was really that wonderful question.

[Steve Ur]

Okay, next.

[Podcast Host]

Hi, Secretary Bessant, My name is Bella Parish, and my question is, with the rise of digital payments, fine tech apps, and online investing, what new risks and opportunities should financial education address for teens?

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

That's a great question, because all of you are digital natives here. I'll ask a question I know the answer to. Anyone not have a phone? Right? So if you could imagine, people didn't used to have phones.

[Steve Ur]

And.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

I was watching over the break, I was watching a movie from the 1950s with my children, and my daughter turned to me and said, God, everyone used to smoke. And it just seems so foreign. And I had a feeling that in 30, 40 years, we're gonna look back and now you see everyone has a phone in the movies, and no one will have a phone. It'll be a chip, It'll be something. But that in terms of financial literacy, fintech is very important because this is moving so fast. Like I said, you used to have this idea of paper checks. Paper checks are on the way out. We're trying to get rid of them at the federal government. And on one side, it's much more efficient, on the other side, being smart on cyber, that if you were to ask, maybe somebody's going to ask a question, what do you think one of the biggest risks are? Cyber. That a bad actor could come in and shut down the financial system that you could be scammed online in terms of. And the more AI there is, the more of that, the more you just got to be ready for it but it's also a lot of opportunity that payments are going to move faster. Used to be I got my paycheck and it took five days before it got credited in my account. Now direct deposit, your money is working for you right away. There's a company now that is doing a program for workers who get paid every two weeks. They will actually put the money in your account every day. So there's a lot of innovation. And I can tell you, and this is not because we're American, no one innovates like Americans that I travel the world and in Europe, they're stuck in the past. China, they innovate, but they have the binding constraint of the Chinese Communist Party. They will only let them innovate in certain directions. And in the US if you have a good idea, then there is no place to be able to monetize or make that work like the US but these fintechs are exciting and at treasury we are trying to incorporate them into the regulatory regime to make sure that, that it is safe and sound for everyone.

[Podcast Host]

Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary. My name is Alexis Sauer. I'm a senior here at Providence Academy. And one of my questions for you is how can schools better prepare students to manage their finances, including investing, taxes, budgeting and saving?

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

Well, I think a lot of it's simulation. So Ed. So when I taught at Yale the first couple of years, everyone wanted to get in my class because I used to hire my 1, 2, 3 best students. I'll do that. I was teaching economic history, but one of the things that we did on the side was we kept a model portfolio. So I actually think maybe some of you own stocks, maybe some don't. But this idea like start keeping a model portfolio, how does it move? Why does it move? I think pick one or two financial things that you like reading and just read those on the weekend, become engaged and also game it out that okay, the US invaded the or removed Maduro and does the, does the.

[Steve Ur]

Does that.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

Make oil go up or down? Venezuelan bonds went up. Did US government bonds go up or down? So after that or we have, we've got this AI boom. Who's that good for? Who's that bad for? A couple years ago it looked like Google's way behind. Now it looks like Google's caught up. So how did that happen? Just like to think about to have an interest in what makes stocks go up and down. Think about financial planning, maybe even in terms of the question, I think schools could have certified financial planners come in and just tell students this is what you should do. This is what you shouldn't do. Because it sounds like there's a big group of seniors in here. So at College of Charleston, we support a program for college students and a lot from students who are on financial aid, students from underserved communities. And I tell you, it is poison that you show up on the college campus and there's American Express or there's a Visa and they're going to give you a credit card, and you've never had a credit card before, you've never been away from home before, and all of a sudden you're maxed out on the credit card and you're going to have to drop out of college or your folks aren't able to. You don't have folks with the resources to help you. So a lot of that, a huge amount of financial literacy is what not to do, what not to do. And I can tell you, like, running up a lot of debt is the thing you can't do.

[Philip Patrick]

Yeah.

[Event Moderator]

Excellent.

[Podcast Host]

Hi, Mr. Secretary. My name is Cecilia Karen, and I'm a senior here at Providence. And my question for you is, what advice would you give high school students and their families on evaluating the true cost of college and alternative career paths and student loans?

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

Well, I think one of the things we did in the US was, for a long period, we just made it was college or bust. And I think that's wrong that I have keep my college roommate at Yale. His son doesn't want to go to college. He's going to become an airline pilot. He'll be making $300,000 in 10 years. And that we had the CEO of United Airlines and Treasury a couple months ago, they have over 100 pilots who make more than a million dollars a year. So why are you going to college? What do you want to accomplish? Is it that you want to be a more rounded learner, that you want to study liberal arts? Are you going for a trade? Is the trade the right thing? Because I could tell you, like South Carolina, that always near the bottom of rankings in education levels, but one thing South Carolina is great at is technical schools. And so Boeing, when they were considering nationally where to move their second assembly line, they have a giant assembly line up in Washington state. And they came to South Carolina because South Carolina had trade schools. And every employee who showed up at BOEING ON DAY 1 already knew how to do their job because of the trade school. So, look, I think you should be smart about what you want to do. You should also think when you're choosing schools, state school, versus private school. Is it worth it in terms of student loans? Is it better to come out without student loans? Is it better to push because you want to go to a private school? Is it better to live at home first? Is it better? It's a complex calculus, but I do think that you do have to have this economic model in the back of your head about, what are you doing? Why are you doing it?

[Event Moderator]

Excellent. We have time for one more question.

[Podcast Host]

Good afternoon. My name is Claire Peters, and I'm a senior here at Providence Academy. My question for you is, if you had to choose three financial skills every high school graduate should have, what would they be and why?

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

So the understanding debt and when to use it. So understanding financial products. Anybody here know what buy now, pay later is? Oh, yeah.

[Steve Ur]

Okay.

[Event Moderator]

Credit cards.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

Yep. Well, no, there's credit card, but then there's buy now, pay later, which is different than a credit card. You got to pay the whole thing off in for payments. So the main thing would be like evaluating sources of debt that you can. If you buy a home, if it's your primary residence, you can deduct the interest. So not only when you're thinking about, okay, how much house can I afford? Then there's a tax aspect to that too. So it would be being smart on debt, it would be being smart on taxes. And then the third part would be to think about your personal asset allocation. So every young person in this room should be 100% invested in equities. That if you have time, if 16, 17, 18, that over the course of your life, if you are not going to need the money until you are 65, you should be in the stock market. It is the single greatest wealth creator. Now, if you're 63, and hopefully I won't get retired unintentionally Sooner, but in 2029, I will be out of a job.

[Steve Ur]

Then.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

I have a different risk calculus. I'm going to need my money, but it's really to be smart about it. Friend of mine was a trustee, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Finance, most famous school of finance in America. And he was very interested in behavioral economics. So he went to the head of the personnel department. The average professor who gets tenure at University of Pennsylvania gets it when he or she is 38 to 40 years old. Do you know how they decide? So they sign up for their 401 program. Do you know how they decide how much to put in stocks, how much to put in bonds? They ask the administrative person behind the counter, what does everybody else do? These are the most sophisticated finance people in the world. So they're busy making money but they're not thinking about how can they make money for them. So anyway it would be the managing debt, taxes and then thinking about what's the best risk adjusted return for you. I used to tell people that you could have 3% of a family, you could put of your savings. You put 2 or 3% in crypto but could go to zero. But you should have something because it's very interested, it's innovative and you can take risk like that. But I think it's very important to risk adjust your life.

[Event Moderator]

Wonderful. What are your closing comments for the students and their parents?

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

Well, thank you for all being engaged that everyone is welcome to come visit a Treasury if you want to do a school trip. We love to have you. I am on the Keep D.C. or Make D.C. safe and Beautiful committee. And D.C. is safer than it's been. It's becoming more beautiful. And to be able to engage with the government and it's just not something you see on the news that is fantastic. And to be able to go behind the scenes to have Senator Klobuchar and I have a robust back and forth. But I the but she is a dedicated. We don't always agree. We don't agree that much. But she is a dedicated public service who wants to do the best for the people of Minnesota servant. And she wants to do the best for the people of Minnesota. And I know she would love to see all of you. And I was reading her biography. I think she went to Wayzata High School. But come see your government and be part of your government.

[Event Moderator]

And internships.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant]

You mentioned internships. And at treasury we have internships. Any of you who are interested, we'd love to have you apply during college. We have summer internships. We have you can take a semester off and work at treasury in spring or fall. And again, this is a lot of that is just knowledge. Like people, Washington can be an insider's game. So I think the great thing about seeing all of you here today, you all know there's an internship. I didn't know there was an internship. A lot of people don't. So. But come out, participate. It's fascinating. I'm 63. I went to see the I mentioned at lunch today. I went to see the Supreme Court in session. So they had a hearing and it was unbelievable. First time I'd ever been in to watch a case being heard by the Supreme Court. And it is the closest thing to from 1789 when our government started, I don't think the White House certainly doesn't resemble the White House. The House and the Senate, the way they debate doesn't look like itself anymore, but the Supreme Court still does. So and it's just amazing to see the way. And they have very different political views, very different backgrounds, but they kind of make fun of each other. It's very old fashioned and it's fun to see. So anyway, participate. Come to D.C. and that's really it.

[Event Moderator]

Mr. Secretary, thank you so much.

[Steve Ur]

All right, there you have it. The Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, he's giving financial advice and literacy to high school kids in Plymouth, Minnesota. The Providence Academy there. A lot of good advice there. If you were listening now, we're jumping back into the news here on america's Voice Live. Protests continue to rage in Minneapolis. This comes after yesterday's shooting involving an ICE agent and a woman who weaponized her car against law enforcement. That according to everyone in the administration. And when I watched the video, I felt the same way. I said it before and I'll say it again, if an officer tells you to get out of your car and you decide, well, I'm not going to do that, I roll up the window, I protest, or worse, punch the gas with another officer in front of the vehicle, what exactly do you think is going to happen? These agents have been trained to protect themselves and their fellow law enforcement officers and civilians in the field, especially with violent protesters surrounding them. Much of this could be contributed, attributed, that is, to the Democrats and the mainstream media's continuous rhetoric toward ice. Vice President Vance called out the mainstream media for the way they have been reporting the story.

[Vice President Vance]

Listen, this was an attack on federal law enforcement. This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people. The way that the media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day. What that headline leaves out is the fact that that very off ICE officer nearly had his life ended, dragged by a car six months ago, 33 stitches in his leg. So you think maybe he's a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile. What that headline leaves out is that that woman was there to interfere with a legitimate law enforcement operation in the United States of America. What that headline leaves out is that that woman has is part of a broader left wing network to attack, to docs, to assault, and to make it impossible for our ICE officers to do their job.

[Steve Ur]

So spot on. Join me to discuss this further. A Retired police lieutenant, founder of Wounded Blue, Randy Sutton. Randy, thank you for being here today.

[Randy Sutton]

I appreciate you having me. Thank you.

[Steve Ur]

You know, it's remarkable to me for people to watch one angle of the video. There's several different angles. Now, it's clear from at least one of those videos. And when you slow it down here, you can see the officer in front of the car. And when you see the car after the woman is killed and she runs into the telephone pole, there's a bullet hole cleanly through the windshield, meaning the officer was in harm's way. The car hit the officer as she was going by, and look, she was trying to flee the scene. You see her tires squeal, she spins her wheels as she tries to get out of there. Simple advice. If a police officer in a tough situation gives you a direct order, says, this is what you need to do, you need to comply. Randy, if she had complied with those orders, she would be alive today, right or wrong.

[Randy Sutton]

Well, isn't that the common denominator of every single one of these situations that we've seen? It is always non compliance that is at the root of these issues. Let's look at the actions of this suspect, and she is a suspect. She's a suspect in an attempted murder of a police officer. Let's call it what it is. This individual created that environment that created her own demise. When you try and end the life of a law enforcement officer, this is going to take place. Every police officer, every law enforcement officer has a duty and a right to protect themselves from death or serious bodily injury. And it's that officer's perspective that, that holds the, the key here to a legitimate shooting. Now, I have watched as, as the mayor of that, of that dismal city, Mayor Fry and Governor Walsh have, have, have called this officer a murderer. It is absolutely reckless. It is disgusting. It is wrong. They are either woefully ignorant of the, of the law or they are purposefully lying to the public and using this as a political cudgel, if you will.

[Steve Ur]

To one, well, it's not going to work. That's not going to work for them. Look, the Supreme Court, as you know, Randy, has weighed in on this. If a police officer is threatened with a motor vehicle, because there's people on social media now we're saying, well, the police officer stepped in front of the car. It was his fault. It was not his fault. You see the woman, first she throws it in reverse, then she throws it in drive. She had no intention of complying with any of those lawful orders. Her intent was to at least flee the scene. And in so doing, she runs into the officer. It's clear he gets hit by the car in a glancing blow. And the Supreme Court has already weighed in on this, as have a number of state and other federal courts. He was well within his legal bounds to use lethal force, Period. And for those to suggest otherwise is reckless and dangerous, as you pointed out.

[Randy Sutton]

Well, not, not only that, but. But what we're seeing here is we're seeing a media that has been trying to. To create once again, more division between the people and their law enforcement. These officers who are in, in effect, doing exactly what the law is telling them to do. They are functionaries of the United States government. They are enforcing the laws that have been given to them. They are not doing this out of some type of maliciousness or malignancy. They are enforcing the laws that. That they have been, that they have sworn to uphold. And let's look at what the reality is. There has been. There was no presence by the Minneapolis police Department. And because of that, because the Minneapolis police chief has abdicated his responsibility to get involved in these. In these affairs and have Minneapolis police on. On the scene in order to protect these ICE officers and, and coordinate with them, we are seeing more and more danger to the law enforcement officers who are, in effect, putting themselves in harm's way.

[Steve Ur]

Yeah. And what's worse, in my estimation, Randy, is that these comments from the governor and the mayor have put a target on the backs of these people. Not just in Minnesota and Minneapolis, but across the country. It's open season as far as they're concerned on these law enforcement officers. And that is a sad day. Sir, thank you for being here.

[Randy Sutton]

I appreciate it. Thank you.

[Steve Ur]

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Coming up after the break, I'm going to bring on David Zier from Minneapolis, discuss what we just saw with the Treasury Secretary. Stay tuned. We'll be right back. And welcome back to america's Voice live. As you saw, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant just wrapped up speaking to kids, high school kids at Providence Academy where he discussed the importance of financial responsibility. Really, it's financial literacy, something that we're woefully inadequate at providing in this country. Kids don't know anything about money. Heck, a lot of people don't know anything about money. They don't even understand it. They just run up their credit cards and end up in trouble. And they're like, how did that happen? Well, it happened. Joining me from Plymouth, Minnesota is real America's Voice correspondent and the host of Breaking Point. Well, hold on one second. We're working it out with David right now. But what I liked from Besant was that they were able to focus on something in Minnesota besides everything else that's going on there. I'll tell you, dude, who does know about money? Those are the fraudsters. They know a lot about them. They've frauded it out of $8 billion or more, fake daycares, fake places, dealing in child meals and so forth, defrauding the American taxpayer time and time again. In fact, did you see the one building they were claiming to put out four to 6,000 meals a day, but in fact, no more than 40 people ever visit the building. They know because the Fed set up cameras all the way around that building. And that means they're being defrauded of every single meal. $12.5 million the bill on that one. And it goes on and on. Then of course, we've got protests going on in Minneapolis now following the death of that 37 year old. As we were told earlier, suspect, suspect in an attempted murder of a federal police officer. Look, here's the thing. You can look at the tape however you want. You can say the car hit her. You can deny your eyes and say it didn't hit her. Fact of the matter is she hit the police officer because you watch the car first. She defies the legal order of the gentleman getting out of the truck. Here he comes up, two of them get out of the vehicle, grabs the doorknob. She puts it in reverse first. Oh, she has no intention of stopping, and then she rams forward, hitting a police officer. She had no intention of complying. Very simple outcome here would have been stop your vehicle, put it in park, and wait for further instructions. If that had happened, that victim or suspect, whichever you prefer, would be alive today, her three children would still have their mother. But instead, the rhetoric has been ratcheted up to such a point that there's just anger, seething anger. You see, Kristi Noem said during a presser earlier today that this woman had had contact with law enforcement several times earlier in the day. This was not the first time they had run into her. They had seen her several times. She was leading this caravan of protesters that were swarming. Law enforcement is there trying to do their job. And as you see when the video starts, her car is crossways in the road. She was not there to help them. She was not there to do anything but interfere with them. And when given a lawful order to step out of her vehicle, to stop the car. Instead, she backed up, dropped it in drive and raced forward, her wheels spinning. What do you think is going to happen exactly if you don't follow the orders of a police officer in a tense situation? Bad things happen. Bad things happen. And as we discussed earlier, the Supreme Court has already ruled on this numerous times, as have other courts. A police officer has every right to defend themselves. In that moment, not Monday morning quarterbacking. In that moment, they have the right to defend themselves, which they did. Of course, those on the left are going to call it murder and everything else. And of course, apparently Governor Walls thinks it's April 1861. He's going to threaten to bring up the Minnesota National Guard to what? To go toe to toe with the federal government? Yeah. Good luck with that. All right, we're going to take a break here on America's Voice Live, see if we can get David's ear dialed in. We'll take a real quick break and be back. Well, financial security is on a lot of people's minds as terms like inflation and GDP crowd the headlines. And while it's easy to get wound up in the narratives, it's important to keep a clear head. Join me to discuss is precious metal specialist for the Birch Gold Group, Philip Patrick. And he told you a year ago, buy gold, buy silver. If you would listen to Philip Patrick, you'd be, well, you'd have a lot bigger smile on your face today, Philip. We were just talking about it in the break. Silver is just breaking all records. Gold setting all time records. It is remarkable, isn't it, it's remarkable.

[Philip Patrick]

You know, I've been shouting from the rooftops to get in. If you'd asked me at the beginning of last year would silver do 150%, I probably would have said no, not quite that much. So it was an incredible year last year. Gold up 65%, silver up, as I said, 150. But I think we have a lot of scope for movement. I think broadly both of them have been undervalued for a long time. So I think largely this is a repricing to reality. Look at what's happening. Silver's use exploding right is critical for defense, solar technology, electric cars, AI chips, all this investment in data centers, obviously supporting longer term price increases for silver. Gold being driven by all time high demand. A sovereign debt crisis and I think a global realization that government debt in general is not as secure as we perhaps thought it was. So we're expecting another big year for precious metals as the fundamentals strengthen, not weaken.

[Steve Ur]

Yeah, I'm looking right now in real time. Gold is at 4472, silver at 76. 71. It was as high as 84. But you know, I don't know who to trust. I trust you. But I look at the predictions and they say, well, Silver could be 115 in the next few months. I'm like really? And gold could break 5,000. What do you see on the horizon? 26, 25 ended great for metal. What about 26?

[Philip Patrick]

Honestly, I see hitting both of those targets if I was a betting man, which I'm not, probably in the first six months of this year, but certainly by the end of this year that would put them at a 50:1 ratio, which I think in this climate is about right. But I think we could see more movement than that depending on a few things that are happening internationally. But all I can say is it's a very good climate for precious metals. I have personally been buying as much gold and silver, a little more silver at the moment than gold as I possibly can in this climate. So I am practicing what I am preaching now.

[Steve Ur]

You mentioned those world events. Obviously Venezuela has dominated the headlines because of the arrest of Maduro and being returned to New York to face charges that have been in place for quite some time. What do those impacts do to the metal market? What happens when that oil coming out of Venezuela is stopped and the ships are corralled and sent back to the United States and elsewhere? All what do these things mean?

[Philip Patrick]

Look, first of all, I think ultimately it was a good move. Russia and China have been making aggressive moves for a long time and we've been falling behind to get rid of a vicious dictator in our back door and secure more reserves. Ultimately for the US and Venezuelan people, I think long term is certainly a good thing. Shorter term geopolitical events like this, they act as stress test tests and they force investors to ask what else could go wrong? What assumptions am I relying on? And we start to see volatility. Prices on crude oil, shipping, insurance and risk premiums start to rise. We don't see headlines about them because they're opaque and quite frankly, quite complex. But ultimately this bleeds through into the broader economy and affects everybody. So I think we're going to see quite a bit of volatility this year. But, but I think all of these moves tie in with Trump's long term plan, which is American interests first.

[Steve Ur]

So here we are. One headline today, 5.4% is what they believe GDP is going to be for the fourth quarter. 5.4%. It hasn't been there since 2012. Inflation at 2.7%. What do those things mean for these markets?

[Philip Patrick]

Look, the numbers are good, definitely, but it's a little bit more complicated than the numbers suggest. If we based everything on the numbers, the economy is in incredible shape. Once you start to delve in, it does get a little bit more complicated. Investment in AI data centers made up an astonishing 92% GDP growth. So this huge investment towards the beginning of the year, trillions of dollars in data centers have ultimately driven the bulk of the GDP growth. So essentially it's a handful of tech companies spending huge amounts. That's not a sustainable long term business model. And it doesn't reflect, I think, broader economic health. We've seen this many times before. We saw it in the late 90s with the tech boom, the mid 2000s housing boom. This seems predominantly AI driven. I think a lot of the fundamentals. Still, there's a lot of work to do. I think President Trump's doing a great job, but he's got some Runway in front of him.

[Steve Ur]

If you say just one last quick thing on the math here, 50 to 1 ratio, then where should silver be if it was at a 50 to 1 ratio?

[Philip Patrick]

Listen, I see gold hitting 5000, I see silver at 100, shorter term, but I think we blow through both of those next year, I really do. Jamie Dimon said a number of months ago, very offhand, but he said, look, in climates like this, I could see gold hitting $10,000 an ounce. Now at a 50 to 1 ratio that puts silver at 500. So I think we've got a lot of movement until we get there, but that's the trajectory we're heading on.

[Steve Ur]

Well, there you have it. Given today's challenges, what should American investors and families be thinking about financially then?

[Philip Patrick]

Listen, I think everybody needs to look at precious metals. Investment banks. Now, bank of America are considering it as part of long term allocation. So the mindset is chang changing broadly. I think a lot of your viewers have got on board early and they're seeing very good effects from that. But I think everyone needs to get the information read up, understand why precious metals are so important for the climate in front of us. It's very simple to do. I can see it in front of me. It's America to 989-898. Get the information and contact us. We'll be here to help.

[Steve Ur]

There you go, Philip, Patrick, a lot of good things to talk about heading into 26. Thank you for being here.

[Philip Patrick]

Thank you for having me, Steve.

[Steve Ur]

And as he said, text the word America to the number 98. 98. 98. Right now, your free information kit on gold. Again, text the word America, the number 9898. 98. Can you imagine silver at 500? Wow, that would be something, wouldn't it? All right, after the break, we'll have a story that reminds us of how wonderful America is. Plus answers to the America's Voice question of the day. What are your thoughts on ice involved shooting in Minneapolis and do you think the ice agent acted in self defense? We'll have those answers and more coming up on america's Voice live. What makes America wonderful? We do it every day with the hope of putting a smile on your face before you go on your way. Today's story comes to us from right here from real America's Voice. We strive to bring you the latest coverage from breaking news to President Trump and his cabinet. Of course. Today our very own Benny Ray Harmony is following Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during his Arsenal of Freedom tour. Let's check in with Benny now.

[Benny Ray Harmony]

Hey, Steve. Yes. Happy Thursday. We are here at Join Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland awaiting Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to arrive. We will be traveling with him today and to tomorrow as he is on his Arsenal of Freedom tour. Now what is this tour you may be asking? Well, this tour is to show the strength of the American industrial defense base, to show to other foreign entities that we are strong and that we have what it takes to compete on a world level. Now as secretary of Warheadseth we went to the National Defense Forum with him in California where he really hounded on the aspect of the warrior ethos and restoring American military back to the standards that it once was. So we will tomorrow, we will kick off our our full day tomorrow on Friday with starting with PT with the troops in the morning. Now, later on today when we touch down in California, we will be doing a touch with troops. Now, what that means is Secretary of War, he will go in and he will talk to these recruits and he will talk to these members of our armed forces as well as we're going to be going to MEPs, which is where the reenlistment and enlistment happens for the armed forces. And so the secretary will be giving a speech later on this evening there as well with going to the Divergent Technologies later this evening. Now, divergent Technologies is a place that creates tech and creates AI and uses these technology systems to ensure that our war fighting, you know, our jets and our tanks and things like that can operate effectively with the best technology because we know that our adversaries, they have that technology, China, Russia and we have to be able to compete on the world world stage for that. Now we we do expect to get to ask Secretary Hegset some questions over these next couple days. So we will be reporting here on the ground with the Department of War. We are in the traveling press pool these next couple days. So make sure you stay tuned. We'll be coming to you live from all over California. And I just, I think it's absolutely incredible this Arsenal of Freedom tour kicked off in Virginia where the Secretary of War, he went down and saw some of the shipbuilding that is happening down in the Virginia Beach Norfolk area. But this again goes to show peace through strength. That is what Secretary Hegg says constantly. The America, the the United States has to be has to have strength and we do that through peace. So we'll be reporting live throughout these next couple days. We'll be back with more.

[Steve Ur]

All right, Benny, thank you for those updates. Pete Hegseth along with the rest of the President Trump cabinet and President Trump himself continue to work to improve America, restore our place at the top of the global charts, all of them, all in the name of freedom. And today that reminds us of what makes America wonderful. The question of the day, real quick, what are your thoughts on the ice involved shooting in Minneapolis? Did he act in self defense? Dennis Paul, when you keep poking the bear, feel the clause. Robert Schwinke has this. The bottom line is that she made a bad decision and paid the ultimate price. If she didn't go there, get into that situation, she would still be alive. Nobody's fault but her own. If she would have just listened to the officer, she would be alive. Decisions have consequences. And one more Alan Anderson tried to run over a cop and get shot. I feel for the cop. Yeah, he, he has to live with that. It's fair point you make. Boy, it's been a blistering 2026, hasn't it already? Remember to start your day every day with me because I kick it off live right here, Real America's Voice, 6am Every Monday through Friday with the Steve Rivers Show. Getting you right into the day with the the best information, the best guests and the best coverage right here on rav. So don't forget to do that. Send me an email, too. Tell me about the hot stories in your neck of the woods. SteveGruber.com the place to do that bowling on the way, right here in Real America's Voice. We'll see you tomorrow.

[Podcast Host]

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