#BecauseMiami: The Miami of Yesterday is the America of Today

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Episode: #BecauseMiami: The Miami of Yesterday is the America of Today
Release Date: March 7, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve into pressing issues affecting Miami and the broader American landscape. From scrutinizing the recent release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files to examining the repercussions of budget cuts at NOAA and unraveling the complexities of Miami’s insurance crisis, the discussion is both comprehensive and incisive. Joining the conversation are Mike Ryan and investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, whose expertise provides deep insights into these multifaceted topics.

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1. The Jeffrey Epstein File Release and Its Aftermath

Key Discussion Points:

The episode opens with a critical analysis of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's recent release of Jeffrey Epstein's files. Hosts Billy Corben and Mike Ryan express skepticism over the substance and timing of the release, questioning its authenticity and impact.

Notable Quotes:

• Billy Corben [03:01]: "She knows that she's a liar. She knows she's not releasing any information that's actually new in nature. It's just a bunch of propaganda."

• Julie K. Brown [06:03]: "The bombshell was that, you know, we have an attorney general that doesn't even understand the case file or the case that she's speaking about with, on national television."

Insights:

Julie K. Brown emphasizes that much of the material released by Bondi had been available in the public domain for years, highlighting the lack of new revelations. She underscores the importance of transparency and the need for unredacted files but remains doubtful about the existence of a comprehensive "client list." The conversation underscores the frustration among the public and political figures over the perceived lack of accountability in the Epstein case.

Conclusion:

The segment concludes with a consensus that while the release of the files was anticipated to provide new information, it largely failed to deliver, exacerbating distrust in the Department of Justice and fueling conspiracy theories without substantive evidence.

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2. Impact of NOAA and National Weather Service Budget Cuts

Key Discussion Points:

Transitioning to environmental concerns, the hosts and guest Mike Ryan discuss the significant layoffs at NOAA and the National Weather Service (NWS). They explore how these cuts may undermine the United States' ability to forecast hurricanes accurately, potentially jeopardizing public safety and economic stability.

Notable Quotes:

• Mike Ryan [21:47]: "When you take a sledgehammer to that three-legged stool, you know the stool won't stand, it's going to fall. It is alarming and disconcerting to everybody in the Profession."

• Billy Corben [29:03]: "As a native Floridian and a lifelong Miami resident, I have witnessed firsthand how much better the science has gotten, how much better the predictions have gotten, and how much more accurate the forecasts have become."

Insights:

Mike Ryan articulates the critical role of NOAA and NWS in weather observation, modeling, and public safety. He warns that reduced staffing could lead to diminished forecasting capabilities, increased property damage, and loss of life during severe weather events. The discussion highlights the interconnectedness of weather services with various sectors of the economy, emphasizing that accurate forecasts are vital for agricultural planning, disaster preparedness, and overall economic health.

Conclusion:

The segment serves as a stark reminder of the essential nature of weather services and the potential consequences of undermining them. The hosts advocate for recognizing NOAA and NWS as vital public services deserving of adequate funding and support to maintain their operational integrity.

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3. Miami's Insurance Crisis Due to Commissioner Corruption

Key Discussion Points:

The conversation shifts to a local crisis in Miami, where city commissioners are no longer insured due to alleged corruption. Billy Corben critiques the city administration’s decision to prioritize the protection of a corrupt commissioner over the financial well-being of taxpayers.

Notable Quotes:

• Billy Corben [39:40]: "But yes, self-insured. That's the difference between uninsured and self-insured is the difference between you and the billionaires here. These guys are acting like billionaires because they have a $1.3 billion annual budget."

• Mike Ryan [39:12]: "The difference between uninsured and self insured is the difference between you and the billionaires here."

Insights:

The discussion reveals that the City of Miami has ceased insuring its commissioners, citing corruption as the reason. This decision forces taxpayers to bear the financial burden of legal settlements and attorney fees arising from the commissioners' misconduct. The hosts criticize the administration for failing to secure insurance coverage for public officials, arguing that this move not only protects the corrupt individuals but also places undue financial strain on the city's residents.

Conclusion:

The segment paints a grim picture of municipal governance in Miami, where corruption among elected officials leads to financial negligence and taxpayer exploitation. The hosts call for greater accountability and transparency within the city administration to restore public trust and ensure responsible fiscal management.

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Additional Highlights

• Public Safety and Government Efficiency: The hosts discuss the inherent inefficiencies within government systems designed to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. They argue that while governments are meant to serve the public, deliberate inefficiencies are often built into systems to maintain accountability.

• Meteorological Challenges: Drawing from personal experiences, Billy Corben shares anecdotes about hurricane preparedness and the critical advancements in meteorological science that have improved forecasting and public safety, underscoring the importance of sustaining these scientific endeavors.

• Community Impact: The conversation touches on the broader implications of government cutbacks and corruption, illustrating how these issues resonate beyond political spheres to affect everyday lives and community well-being.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz provides a thorough examination of significant issues impacting Miami and the United States. From scrutinizing the efficacy and motivations behind the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files to highlighting the dire consequences of budget cuts at NOAA and unraveling the complexities of Miami’s insurance woes, the discussion is both enlightening and thought-provoking. With insightful contributions from Julie K. Brown and Mike Ryan, the episode underscores the importance of accountability, transparency, and adequate funding in maintaining public trust and ensuring the safety and prosperity of communities.

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Notable Quotes Recap

• Billy Corben [03:01]: "She knows that she's a liar. She knows she's not releasing any information that's actually new in nature. It's just a bunch of propaganda."

• Julie K. Brown [06:03]: "The bombshell was that, you know, we have an attorney general that doesn't even understand the case file or the case that she's speaking about with, on national television."

• Mike Ryan [21:47]: "When you take a sledgehammer to that three-legged stool, you know the stool won't stand, it's going to fall. It is alarming and disconcerting to everybody in the Profession."

• Billy Corben [39:40]: "But yes, self-insured. That's the difference between uninsured and self-insured is the difference between you and the billionaires here."

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Final Thoughts

Listeners are encouraged to stay informed about these critical issues and engage in community discussions to advocate for effective governance and public service integrity. The episode serves as a call to action for greater transparency and responsible oversight in both government operations and law enforcement agencies.

Transcript

[Billy Corben]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Billy Corben]

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[Billy Corben]

Savings vary subject to terms, conditions and availability. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates Northbrook, Illinois Attorney General Bondi says this is just phase one. She's promising to open the government files on Jeffrey Epstein.

[Mike Ryan]

But despite the hype, most of what she released so far had been made public Years ago. Attorney General Pam Bondi went on TV.

[Billy Corben]

To trumpet the release of this material, teasing a big reveal.

[Mike Ryan]

What you're going to see hopefully tomorrow is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information.

[Billy Corben]

But much of the material had been circulating in the public domain for years.

[Mike Ryan]

Including pilot logs from Epstein's plane and.

[Billy Corben]

His so called black book of names and addresses. Several conservative media figures were given early access during a visit to the White House, showing off binders and posing for pictures, some later posting how underwhelmed they were.

[Julie K. Brown]

She knows that she's a liar. She knows she's not releasing any information that's actually new in nature. It's just a bunch of propaganda. It's just a bunch of nonsense and red meat fodder to the base so that they can feel like our DOJ is less corrupt than the Biden doj. It's a big black eye. We were told that we were going.

[Mike Ryan]

To clean up the deep state.

[Julie K. Brown]

We're getting rid of the deep state. We're firing all the corrupt officials at the doj, you guys, we're cleaning house at the FBI. And now it's just business, business as usual. Like we might as well just have the Biden appointees Merrick Garland and Christopher Wray right now, right? Because, well, they didn't release the Epstein files. So what are we getting here?

[Mike Ryan]

How is it any different so far.

[Julie K. Brown]

Than Christopher Wright and Merrick Garland?

[Billy Corben]

That was the voice of Florida woman and right wing influencer Laura Loomer having a MAGA meltdown over this, what it was called a complete disappointment, a fraud, a nothing burger release of the long promised Epstein files. Much fanfare by Trump's new Attorney general, Florida woman, Pam Bondi. You have Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Florida woman, a congresswoman from Florida, saying this is not what we are the American people asked for. And a complete disappointment. You've got Trump supporters including Loomer fuming, demanding AG Pampondi resign over this debacle. Steve Bannon calling it this Jeffrey Epstein file release a fiasco by the Trump doj. This is. I got lots to say about this because I am as close to a public records absolutist as you can possibly find. Obviously there needs to be redactions to protect victims or minors or national security, but otherwise I think we're entitled to it all. And what was released here, as far as I can tell, is not only material that has been previously available for a great number of years, but it was actually less than what was previously released because it was redacted. And we had actually previously seen unredacted versions of some of the records that Pam Bondi released last week. So we're talking with Julie K. Brown, the famed investigative journalist from the Miami Herald, whose journalism ultimately led to, I guess I could say the re prosecution or ultimately the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein, who had been kind of let off scot free prior to her revisiting this case and bringing it all up again. Julie, am I on the right track here? What, let's start there. What was actually quote unquote released? What was the, what was the bombshell here from Pam Bondi in the long promised Epstein files?

[Julie K. Brown]

Well, the bombshell was that, you know, we have an attorney general that doesn't even understand the case file or the case that she's speaking about with, on national television. I mean she's, she was saying days before that she had the so called file on her desk. Well, this case has spanned 20 years. There is no way that it would fit into one file she could fit on her desk even if she put it in a computer file somewhere. Some of those documents, you know, predate the time when, you know, the, probably a lot of these agencies even had them on, on a computer. So, you know, from the get go, I knew that this was going to be, this was going to blow up in her face. I knew it was going to blow.

[Billy Corben]

Up in her face and in fact it did. And my real question is though, are there any Epstein files? What I mean by that is I've got a lot of questions. God knows I don't know if there's any documents out there that can answer those questions right now. This just, it feels like government by and for the perennially online. Like, like this is sort of feeding, as Laura Loomer herself said, feeding like red meat to the base. But is there any material out there? It might not even be at the FBI. It might very well be in Palm beach here in the state of Florida. Are there any quote unquote Epstein files out there?

[Julie K. Brown]

There are. But, but let's just divide this up a little bit so that people understand there's two aspects of this case. The one aspect that is valid is that there's only been two people prosecuted involved in this sex trafficking operation. We know that there were other people involved and we, but we don't know whether how far the FBI went into trying to hold other people accountable besides Epstein and Maxwell. And it is valid to look at what they did or what they didn't do in order to hold people accountable for their crimes. Okay, that's one piece of it. To look at their investigative files which have not all been made public to find out exactly what they did and what they didn't do. And perhaps there were some people in the government who were saying, you know, let's just drop this. I mean, we really don't know. The other half of it is this, you know, this life that this story has taken on the Internet where people are making up things like there's a client list that hasn't been released. There's, you know, as if there is some deep state that is, has hidden all these secrets about, you know, people doing horrible crimes with children. I mean, it's been just so many stories out there that, that don't even have any grounding in any kind of truth at all. So we have two aspects of the case. And the aspect of the case that I try to focus on is the fact that there are files out there, FBI files. Some of them are right on the FBI's website. They have a place on their website, a portal called the Vault. And they've had thousands of documents on there which anybody can click on. And in those files, it's a bunch of, you know, gibberish. It's numbers, it's, you know, big giant whiteouts. It's big giant blackouts. It's, it. There's just nothing, hardly anything that you can decipher from these files. They're meaningless. And there is a lawyer who has been working for Radar Online for probably about at least eight years trying to get the FBI to unredaction these files. And he's been, you know, it's just been going nowhere. The Justice Department keeps making up different reasons why they don't want to, you know, unredacted. So it's valid to get some of these records. Other agencies, by the way, have records in the Department of Homeland Security, which was responsible for monitoring who was on his plane when he came in from overseas. Those documents I've requested, and they're all redacted. So there are many files that, that should be released at this point. But do we have files that list the names of all his sofa so called clients? I, I highly doubt it. I just don't think they exist. I've never heard anybody in the doj, the FBI, all the lawyers, you know, dozens and dozens of lawyers, all the victims, hundreds of victims. I don't think anybody has heard that there. Is there, there exists something called the client list. So it's a lot of misinformation that is, that still has, you know, some element of, of truth to it in the sense that there are documents out there that should be released.

[Billy Corben]

Yeah, I was wondering we know that this man is a, was an evil, grotesque serial sex predator, not an outright pedophile. I do wonder like how much Pizzagate is here. You know, when you read some of this shit online and you're like, let's go after the truth and it's important. I'm a born skeptic. I ask questions for a living. I encourage everybody to, to ask questions, but when you get answers, you have to face facts and you have to accept reality at some point. And that was the big question, of course, is you hear the term client list. We heard, I remember the term little black book. When Gawker first released the phone book, which was one of the pieces of, of evidence in phase one here that Pam Bondi released last week, something we had all seen unredacted, which now she has released redacted, which again is less information than we actually had before. And it was a phone book. Like it's a, it was a rich guy meeting celebrities and other high net worth individuals out and about and there wasn't necessarily anything nefarious about it. It's like he had Bono cell number in there because he met Bon somewhere and you know. Right.

[Julie K. Brown]

It was also gathered by a Maxwell, pretty much, you know, you know, sitting through all these court cases as I have, and studying it as long as I have his house. People, you know, men and women who worked in his households, testified and gave statements to the effect that it was really Maxwell that put together that, that phone book, that directory and that it would be kept on a computer and then she would just update it, you know, just mime, you know, printed out, you know, and it included his hairdressers, his doctors, his landscapers, his electrician, the numbers for the various airlines that he, he used, American Airlines. I mean it had, it ran the gamut, but it did include some very famous people. And you know, by the way, some of the names of people suspected of being involved with these young girls has been released as a result of the Miami Herald suing to get some of these documents unsealed. In the past, the Herald has spent an awful lot of time and money unsealing the case that actually ultimately led to, you know, Maxwell's prosecution because there were some, a lot of details in there about what they did and how they did it. And it was all redacted and, and you know, sealed and we work to get it unsealed. And we do know that there, there are some names out there that, you know. Of course all the men deny that they were involved, but you Know, it's not as if the names haven't been out there.

[Billy Corben]

Before we go, I want to know. Right after this backlash occurred, Attorney General Pam Bondi went right back out on the same TV channels and podcasts where she had previously gone off, gone out half cocked, as you put it, talking about a case in a file. She clearly knew nothing about throwing the FBI under the bus, saying that she was misled, that she's demanding with a hard deadline the release of this material. She just said yesterday that the FBI has delivered, quote, a truckload, end quote, of Epstein files after she laid down the law and all that. What do you, what do you make of that?

[Julie K. Brown]

Where's the truck? I mean, you know, come on. I mean, she's a pros, former prosecutor. I mean, she's like, I, I just don't even understand it. First of all, if you're a former prosecutor, you understand the way these cases work. You know that there's a lot of names in there, probably of victims. If for no other reason, just to be a good human being, you would want to go through it somewhat yourself or work with the FBI, hand in to make sure this is done properly. You don't just say, put the file on my desk. You know, and I don't know, I just don't. The only thing I can figure is this isn't done for the general public. This is done as giving their base more, you know, their, their base just wants all this material, you know, this deep state material, and they have it in their heads that, you know, this was all a conspiracy and that the DOJ is involved. And look, I'm not saying the DOJ and the FBI didn't make mistakes with these cases. They absolutely did. But I don't think that this is a Pizzagate situation. I think that, you know, I think that, you know, we need to look at what happened so that it doesn't happen again.

[Billy Corben]

Well, one more thing I do want to remind the base before we go is that as we knew from before, in these documents released by Donald Trump's Attorney General, Pam Bondi, Trump's name itself was in Jeffrey Epstein's flight logs that were just, I should say, rereleased last week, no less than seven times. So if the base is looking for some sort of deep state conspiracy or, you know, billionaire international network of, you know, conspiracy or something, you know, the caller is inside the house. The caller is inside the White House. Julie K. Brown, before we go, one last thing. What is next? Like what in this story? Like, what should we be looking for? What should we be asking for? Where is the mystery? What is it that we don't know that we need to know about Jeffrey Epstein.

[Julie K. Brown]

Well, we need to know why he wasn't prosecuted to begin with. You know, that was a time when they could have put him away, when there were witnesses and victims who were willing to testify. And, you know, it just never happened. And instead the DOJ essentially minimized the case. They covered it up, really. They made it sound like he just was with one minor. And, you know, they minimized the scope of his crimes. And I think we need to find out why.

[Billy Corben]

Julie K. Brown, MiamiHerald.com thanks so much for joining us again.

[Mike Ryan]

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[Billy Corben]

Finally got rid of these goddamn deep state unelected bureaucrats who just do nothing but waste our tax dollars and sit around and let me check my notes, offer severe weather outlooks, help gauge the impact of climate change, provide information for our farmers to use daily monitors our oceans, the health of our fisheries, also fire. I think a lot of what they do helps us save lives and determine the trajectory and impact of fires. And wait, I'm starting to get the idea that maybe this is, these are some essential workers here and maybe this is the kind of thing that, you know, Roy, government is not for profit. Government is what government is for service. And I'm not suggesting, by the way, that government, fiscal conservative that I am, that government should not be or could not be more efficient. But there are comasad, they say, deliberate inefficiencies built into certain systems and that is by design. It's to help with accountability. It's to ensure a lack of fraud, waste and abuse. It's designed in a way to that it's not, not necessarily designed to be so lean, but it's designed to make sure we get things right and it's designed to make sure we offer assistance in public health and safety. And this is a conversation we started last year with John Morales who is an honorary member of the American Meteorological Society and a meteorological consultant and hurricane specialist for NBC 6 here in Miami. And he warned us last year of, you know, we had talked about some of, of the impact of Sharpie based hurricane predictions in meteorology. We talked about this idea of vilifying people at NOAA and the National Weather Service and now those fears and concerns and that vilification is policy. And we've got about 800 people, I think estimated about 5% of the workforce and counting obviously got doged since that's a verb. Now John, first your, your initial reaction to this news.

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, very alarming, very alarming because you know, when you look at the weather enterprise in the US everything the enterprise does, whether it's in academia or in the private sector, which includes newsrooms or, and broadcast meteorologists or of course the, the government sector, everything hinges on the scaffolding that's been built around NOAA and the National Weather Service. So when you take a sledgehammer to that three legged stool, you know the stool won't stand, it's going to fall. It is alarming and disconcerting to everybody in the Profession. You know, I, I don't know of a single meteorologist out there or hydrologist or climatologist, climate scientist, oceanographer, you know, all the related scientists, sciences. I don't, I don't know of anyone who is not alarmed and appalled by this approach, which, which has been anything but surgical. It's the opposite, you know, just taking a sledgehammer to it and to the detriment of the American people. Because at the end of the day it's not just so, I mean, the, the most important thing is the mission of saving lives and property, right? So that is being hindered. And when you, when you're talking about government services like you just did, Billy, you know, it's about the welfare of the people. I mean, if there's one job that government has is the safety and welfare of the population and the education and so on and so forth. So these services are, are essential. But so, so that's, that's being degraded by these moves. But on top of that, you know, how much of the American economy is impacted by weather? The vast majority of it. So we're talking, you know, 2/3 or more of our GDP is impacted in one way, shape or form by weather. No wonder NOAA and the National Weather Service are inside the Department of Commerce. Right? Lives are being put at risk. Property damage is likelier now because of these moves. And negative impacts to our GDP are likely to occur as well, simply because, you know, again, you're taking a sledgehammer to this essential service of protecting the economy and protecting the American people.

[Billy Corben]

Let's continue to examine your stool sample. I didn't mean for that to sound the way that I did, but the example you used the metaphor of the, of the three legged stool. What are, and you spoke generally about it, but what are the actual implications of the sledgehammer, the stool no longer standing, the stool falling? You've said there's lives, property damage, this, the economy. How so? What are the practical examples and implicate what happens now with this reduced workforce that results in all of those potential tragedies?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, let's start with the basics. Observing the weather, right? So you know, we can't predict the weather unless we observe it first. To observe the weather you need satellites. Satellites. Weather satellites fall under the NOAA umbrella. You know, you need radars. Radars fall under the National Weather Service umbrella. NWS being an agency inside of noaa. These things sometimes break down, sometimes you need technicians, whether they are for it or whether they are hands on technicians, like electricians. Let's say to repair some of these apparatus. And if we lose, think of a day with a severe thunderstorm outbreak or a potential tornado outbreak here in Florida with hurricane I think it was. Well, I'm blanking on which one. We had so many this last fall. We had a ton of tornadoes is my point here. And when we had all these tornadoes, what do we need the most to be able to see where the tornadoes are, how they're evolving and where they're moving and how to properly warn people? We need radars. If the radars are broken down, we can no longer track tornadoes and can no longer warn people. You're subtracting people from this workforce. So, so that's that. Those are two examples. Satellites and radars within observations. Let's think about that. Now. What about modeling? Modeling is where we use the equations that define the behavior of the atmosphere. Plug in everything that's going on right now in the atmosphere and what's gone on in the past few days. Plug it all in, let the equations work through it through computers, very powerful computers, and come up with a model of the atmosphere going forward. These models have improved so much that our seven day forecast these days are as good as our three day forecasts used to be just a couple or three decades ago. That's how good our forecasting has become. When these researchers are laid off, fired, you are losing the ability to continue to improve our models so that that type of improvement that we saw in the seven day forecast can continue going forward. And that's the mundane, everyday, see it on TV forecast. But think of what else models do, right? Models help define or forecast what the future track of a hurricane is going to be. How good have we gotten at that? Pretty darn good. I want to tell you just this last year National Hurricane center had its best year of forecasting the track of hurricanes. Intensity forecasts. Still some challenges. We're still trying to get better there, but how else do we learn to better forecast the intensity of hurricanes? We send hurricane hunters into the hurricanes to gather all this scientific data that we need. You know who got fired? Some of the mission commanders, some of the mission scientists for noise hurricane hunter aircraft are gone.

[Billy Corben]

Less, less than three months before the start of hurricane season.

[Mike Ryan]

Right. So that means potentially this very season, less hurricane hunter aircraft going in to see what's going on with hurricanes. Less monitoring means worse forecasting. So I mean that's just the observation side. I haven't even talked about research, haven't even talked about the actual issuing of the watches and the warnings, which is done by National Weather Service folks who were already spread thin. These were offices that, you know, you had managers, the chief of the office having to work, you know, midnight shifts because they don't have enough personnel to be able to carry the office going forward. So. So they were already thin, thin staffed, and now even more so. The stress is increasing, and I think warnings are going to be degraded in quality and timeliness and the ability again to save life and property will be impacted. So the examples are numerous. Billy. I could go on and on and.

[Billy Corben]

On as a native Floridian and a lifelong Miami, and I have witnessed firsthand year after year, I've now had 45. I'm sorry, no, 46. This will be my, you know, my 47th hurricanes have lost count already. How many hurricane seasons I have fortunately survived. But it's demonstrable how much better the science has gotten, how much better the predictions have gotten, how much more accurate the forecasts have become. Fewer. What we might feel are false alarms or being overprepared or being, you know, or, you know, that that's always the problem, too, is the boy who cried wolf effect, and that Floridians take it less seriously when they get too many of these warnings to prep for a storm. It's gotten so much, much better. And I always argue with my friends in California, John, my entire life, like, well, what's better, Florida or California? It's like, well, would you prefer mudslides and earthquakes or you prefer. And we always say hurricanes because at least we have a warning. At least we know when it's coming and we can try to get the hell out, you know, Billy, So since.

[Mike Ryan]

You'Re talking hurricanes, let me go ahead then, dispel this belief that is out there, especially in, in some of the darker places of the web, like x. Right?

[Billy Corben]

Storm front, 4chan, whatever, right? So.

[Mike Ryan]

So, you know, I've seen out there the piece, you know, some people are saying, well, you know, what do I need NOAA on the National Weather Service for? You know, I've got John Morales or, you know, insert name here, of whoever the local favorite, you know, broadcast meteorologist happens to be. Well, I can't do my job without NOAA on the National Weather Service. I am oftentimes the voice of the National Weather Service. And, and fine. I mean, I know over the years I've editorialized forecasts quite a bit. I've given my opinion, yay or nay on a National Weather Service or National Hurricane center forecast. And I guess that's what makes Me, Me. But they are my vocal cords. I mean, you know, I've got no voice without them. This, this whole scaffolding example that I spoke at the beginning, where everything depends on what NOAA and the National Weather Service provide the private sector in terms of observations, in terms of modeling, in terms of research, not just, not. John Morales can't properly do his job. Neither can accuweather, neither can the Weather Channel, and neither can those crap apps that people seem to like which depend on the modeling that NOAA and the National Weather Service provide. Granted, unfortunately, the reason the apps are so bad is because there's no human element in, in what you're looking at in an app. It's just going straight to a model, extracting a single point forecast and trying to, you know, give that to you seven days out at 1:00pm which is, you know, ridiculous for you to think that you can get a forecast for a specific time of the day seven days out. But I would say it's user mistake the way they apply these apps instead of realizing that there's better ways to.

[Billy Corben]

Get your weather if you want to MGA and make meteorology great again. You know, there was a time when we did not have radars, we did not have meteorologists, we did not have the science and the knowledge to understand when a hurricane was coming. And when you'd reached the eye of the storm, people thought the storm was over and had passed us by. And so you have 30 minutes of calm or whatever it may be and everybody sort of goes out to take stock. And of course you have, have destruction of property, you've got projectiles lying in wait all over the ground and people would die because of course the back end of the, they were only halfway through the storm at that point. That was, people were, I suppose, blissfully ignorant, but then they were also dead. And so this science matters and it does, it is public safety, it does save lives. And quick kind of like hypothetical or scenario before we go, like, what is your fear this hurricane season, which we are mere months away? What is your fear if this is just phase one here of layoffs at Noah and nws? What is your fear when you are in the weather center at NBC 6 as the Hurricane specialist this season? And there is some, assuming we know that there is a storm barreling down from the Atlantic, what is your fear sitting in the studio going, oh shit, what?

[Mike Ryan]

I'm going to give you an example, a real life example, because we can apply what goes on in the eastern Pacific with hurricanes to what could go on this year in the Atlantic, Hurricane Otis a couple of years ago went from a tropical storm to a Cat 5 in a matter of hours. I want to say 24 hours. Might have been less, might have been 18. The National Hurricane center massively missed that forecast. They did not call for it to intensify so rapidly. The people in Acapulco were shocked. They were expecting a tropical storm. They got a Category 5 hurricane. There was loss of life. There was massive loss of property there, and they're still recovering from that. Again, that was a couple of years ago. Why did the National Hurricane center miss that forecast? Because Hurricane hunter missions are not flown in the Eastern Pacific. They're hardly ever flown in the eastern Pacific. Well, you know what I worry about for this hurricane season? You know these mission specialists from the Hurricane Hunter aircraft that were fired by Doge. Right. If. And I'm not saying they're not going to fly missions, but they're going to fly less missions. Well, what if we miss a couple of crucial observations that could help the National Hurricane center call for rapid intensification, call for a potential disaster in time to save lives and property. So this is far from a hypothetical, Billy. This could happen this year. And again, lives are at stake, but apparently the regime doesn't care.

[Billy Corben]

It's all right. We just saved.0000001%, I think, off of the national budget. How do you like that? John Morales, Always good news when, when you're around. That's the thing about being, like a hurricane specialist, right? It's like, people only see you when there's bad news. It's all, you're like an old friend I only see at funerals now. Like, that's how. That's how this. This relationship feels, dude.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Billy Corben]

Thank you for being here and good luck to you and good luck to us all, indeed.

[Mike Ryan]

Thanks, Billy.

[Billy Corben]

Hey there, travelers and dreamers. We all have that dream trip that we've been wishing we could go on, but too often, life just gets in the way, whether it's work, family, responsibilities, or in my case, and I'm sure many of yours, price. But your dreamtrip doesn't have to stay a dream any longer because Priceline is here to help you book it. With millions of deals on hotels, flights, cruises and rental cars. That bucket list destination. Yeah, it's a lot closer than you think. You know, I've been wanting to go see the Pittsburgh Pirates for a long time at PNC park in Pittsburgh. That's, like, at the top of my list of bucket list destinations of baseball parks around the country. And because I now know about the type of deals that Priceline offers, I may pull the trigger this summer and go see those pirates. Priceline makes it easy and stress free to book a flight and a hotel so I can go see my team play live. With millions of travel deals like up to 60% off hotels, I know I'll be able to find great options even when I need to book last minute. So don't just dream about that next trip. Book it with Priceline, download the Priceline app or visit priceline.com to go to your happy price. Actual prices may vary Limited time offer term supply We've got some breaking news from the broken city of Miami. You heard it here first on Because Miami last month at a City Commission meeting, Commissioner Miguel Gabella let it slip that city of Miami commissioners are no longer insured. They are not covered by insurance anymore because the city is too corrupt. Because of the continued continuity of the last year's year is precisely and this is precisely why we got in trouble in sense that the insurance company dropped us drop one commissioner. And because that commissioner was dropped, okay, everybody else is dropped. So right now we're operating. We don't have insurance and anything, you know, the city's paying for, the taxpayers paying for it. I feel bad about that. One thing is having insurance and another thing is the taxpayer footing the bill. That's what I'm concerned about, as I'm sure the other commissioners are concerned about. I was sitting there the meeting, I was like, like wait, what? They don't have insurance? They don't have insurance it turns out, because.

[Mike Ryan]

I could have told you that.

[Billy Corben]

And also hashtag because Miami so he is so corrupt and he has been sued so many times and it has cost the city and its insurance carrier so much money that they will not insure the city anymore. And this was confirmed by City Attorney George Weissong.

[Mike Ryan]

Our insurance carrier made a decision a.

[Julie K. Brown]

Couple years ago, excuse me, that they.

[Mike Ryan]

First they raised the premiums and then they increased the deductible. And then they said they would only cover certain individuals. And then it's my understanding that we didn't have policy coverage. I still recommend that we should be out on the market looking to see if we can get coverage for you all.

[Billy Corben]

So is it the case that the city of Miami and the city commission is just simply uninsurable? The decision was made by by the administration as I was told that because that one company in other words they would cover four other commissioners. But except that One commissioner. But the decision was made. I was told, or this is what. I'm aware of that because, because of that, the administration said, no, if you don't cover that everybody, you're not going to. You're not going to cover anybody.

[Mike Ryan]

It's my understanding that we decided as a city that that's unfair and we weren't going to pick and choose who.

[Billy Corben]

They'Re going to cover. Wait, that's unfair to who the insurance company wants to carve out. Joe Carollo is what's happening. But they will cover, apparently, or they would cover because now there's no insurance. They're canceled. It expired. Four out of the five commissioners on the dais they would cover. But because they wouldn't cover Joe Carollo, the city administration run by Art Manuel Noriega, the corrupt city manager and the overpriced furniture salesman. This guy, by the way, who promised to do an interview one on one with us on this show two February ago, he promised in public at a meeting.

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, he broke your promise. Oh, that's the best.

[Billy Corben]

It's just unbelievable. So this is my shocked face, right? Here's the thing. The administration decided it wasn't, it wasn't fair to who? It wasn't fair to Joe Carollo. How about it's not fair to the taxpayers who have to cover the cost of this insurance, who have. I'm sorry, they have to just cover the cost of no insurance. They cover the cost of attorney's fees, they cover the cost of settlements. It's ridiculous. Like, they're doing this to basically cover up and protect Joe Carollo to the detriment of the other four commissioners and more importantly, to the detriment of the taxpayers. These are not, not fiscal conservatives or responsible stewards of the taxpayer money. And of course, everybody is suffering as a result. So in other words, I don't, for example, I don't have insurance because of another commissioner section.

[Mike Ryan]

We're self insuring. You know, like you don't have coverage.

[Billy Corben]

But yes, self insurance, Right.

[Mike Ryan]

That's.

[Billy Corben]

Roy and everybody listening at home. The difference between uninsured and self insured is the difference between you and the billionaires here. These guys are acting like billionaires because they have a $1.3 billion annual budget. But that's not their money. They're playing with the house's money. They're playing with your money. They're playing with taxpayer money. So to say that we are self insured. No, it's the taxpayers who are paying for the lawyers to defend corrupt commissioners. The victims of that corruption are the taxpayers who are paying those lawyers to defend the corruption. And then the taxpayers have to pay out of pocket the legal settlements they have to pay the, the judgments in those cases. This is why the Miami Mafia is undefeated. And then a really funny thing happened, right? Joe Carrillo himself decided to wade into the conversation. Oh, the man whose corruption has put the city into this position. Because I want you to know right now, Roy, there was no problem with the city getting insurance before, before this happened. It was never a problem. Ok? Before Joe Carollo came into office eight years ago. So the city of Miami's risk management director, Anne Marie Sharp, Joe asks her to come up, up to the podium and starts interrogating her. This is like Ted Bundy representing himself and cross examining his victims. It's like, so let me ask you, who attacked you? What happened if we got out into the marketplace to see what insurance companies are out there that can give us quotes?

[Julie K. Brown]

We have, we get from our broker a list of carriers that they approached and how the carriers respond. And some carriers will deny to, quote, uncertain lines of coverage, right? Like some carriers will quote your law enforcement but won't want to quote on your public officials liability. For example.

[Billy Corben]

This woman is so, she's so scared because she doesn't want to say the quiet part out loud. She's like, well, you know, there's certain, they want to not maybe necessarily insure everything. But what she just said, to be perfectly clear, she said that there was at least one insurance company that was willing to insure the police department at the city of Miami, okay? A police department that costs the city millions of dollars a year in settlements and payments for misconduct. But they were not willing to cover the elected officials. So what they were saying is the elected official, we will cover the police department in Miami, but the elected officials are too corrupt for us to cover with insurance. Joe seems to have a little bit of trouble understanding all of this. I cannot believe that with all the insurance companies that we have, not only in the US but outside of the US we can't find any that will give us quotes. I could believe it, by the way. That's not what she said. She's like, like he's, he's interrogating this woman for all of this time and he's not even listening to what she's saying. Like she made it very clear. No, no, no, we did go out, we did get quotes. And this is what they said.

[Julie K. Brown]

Well, the premium, the quotes were, the conditions were, we will write your policy Excluding with certain exclusions. And some carriers will impose more exclusions than others. You know, the exclusions are different based on the exposure.

[Billy Corben]

It's him. He's the exclusion. He's the exposure. She's the risk management director and she's talking to the risk and he's asking the. He's almost daring her to say, it's you, dude, it's you. This is like O.J. simpson yelling at the LAPD about why they haven't found the real killer yet. That's what this is. And that is. That just absolutely exemplifies. Hashtag because Miami now, Roy, a new segment that we're so unprepared for. We don't have like a cart or like a jingle or anything for.

[Mike Ryan]

Nope.

[Billy Corben]

But. But we're going to introduce it this week and I'm sure by next week we'll have all the production values. Probably not this.

[Mike Ryan]

Roy.

[Billy Corben]

This is. That was it, right? That was production. That was production value. Where do you live again? So the production values. You see. Yeah. High end. The deluxe here. This is a segment we like to call. That's the first time. Can you say that in the inaugural? We like to call it like. That's just. This is just what it is.

[Mike Ryan]

No, you can't.

[Billy Corben]

This is called in the board meeting.

[Mike Ryan]

We, we went over this and we decided to go with that. So we like to call it this.

[Billy Corben]

Yeah, the board meeting. I spell that. B O R E D. This segment is called the Miami of today is the America of Tomorrow. Translated to the Miami of Yesterday is the America of today. First up, we have Miami Dade's English only ordinance. In 1973, the Dade County Commission had voted that we could be a bilingual and bicultural community. So the county paid to trans thousands of pages of English documents into Spanish every year. And interpreters were required at public meetings. We had radio stations that aired Spanish public service announcements, produced a taxpayer expense encouraging use of Spanish by Miamians. In 1978, Emmy Schaefer, an immigrant and Holocaust survivor, started an English only movement when she could not find an English speaking clerk in county municipal offices. And in 1980, Schaeffer got a referendum on the ballot to reinstate English as the only official language. Dade county voters approved the measure with a 59.1% majority. That wasn't reversed until May of 1993. And as you may have heard just this past week, Roy, President Donald Trump signed an executive order making English the official language of the United States. So the Miami of yesterday is the America of today. Cocaine's Emmy Schaefer and her supporters opened.

[Mike Ryan]

Their Champagne shortly after 9:00pm last night to celebrate the passage of their anti bilingual ordinance.

[Billy Corben]

Emmy Schaefer is the architect of the.

[Mike Ryan]

Current ordinance opposing Dade's official bilingual status.

[Billy Corben]

She started it all several months ago with a petition drive. The move called for the end of metro government's use of public funds for Spanish language translation and Spanish culture.

[Mike Ryan]

Schaeffer's petition was endorsed by over 100,000 signatures.

[Billy Corben]

Two days ago, I signed an order making English the official language of the United States of America. The White House says designating English the.

[Mike Ryan]

National language promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement.

[Billy Corben]

All right, I know I gotta do this ad read, but hold on, let me reapply. Did you hear that?

[Mike Ryan]

Yep.

[Billy Corben]

That's my new favorite lip gloss from NYX Cosmetics.

[Mike Ryan]

Now I'm ready to talk to you.

[Billy Corben]

I've been a huge fan of NYX Cosmetics for many years now. In fact, I use their thick It.

[Mike Ryan]

Stick it brow gel every single day. So you can imagine my excitement when.

[Billy Corben]

We recently received a special delivery to the Lebitard Studios from our friends over at NYX Cosmetics. And there it was when I opened the box.

[Julie K. Brown]

Glowing.

[Billy Corben]

I heard the angels sing. It's their latest lip gloss, Fat Oil Lip Drip. It's Nyx Cosmetics first lip oil of its kind. This creamy lip oil will have your lips dripping with fat perks. You get all the shine of a lip gloss and none of the stickiness while experiencing 12 hour hydration. I'm usually a matte lip gloss kind of gal. My normal go to is Nyx Cosmetics Lip Gloss, the Lingerie xxl. But after applying the status update shade, I have found my new go to lip gloss. Fat Oil Lip Drip has high shine finish with comfortable wear and none of the sticky texture. A lip product that's hydrating, non sticky and only $9. Now that's a win. Try Fat Oil Lip Drip from Nyx Professional makeup. Available in 14 universally flattering shades. Find your perfect fat oil lip drip. Shop [e-mail] or a retailer near you.

[Mike Ryan]

Howdy folks, it's Mike Ryan. I talk to you about Miller time all the time, but we're in the wintertime right now and one of my favorite past times is to crack open a Miller Light and enjoy myself some Miller time during the wintertime. Because when there's a brisk chill in the air, it just makes everything right. My friends and I who live down here in South Florida can actually sit outside because it's not super muggy. We can thoroughly enjoy our Miller Time together. And for you listening, I know there's a lot of things going on right now. Sports cheap among them. Nothing more important than sports from basketball and hockey to game night. Winter means more moments with the coolest people in your life. Make these moments even better with Miller Lite the great tasting light beer for people who love beer. Now's the perfect time for friends, family and a great tasting light beer. Tastes like Miller Time. And you know Miller Lite is brewed for taste. It hits different than other light beers and at just 96 calories and 3.2 grams of carbs per 12 ounces, miller time is always a good time. Miller Lite great taste 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com Daniel to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.