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- [00:00]
Commercial Narrator
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- [01:06]
Jeff Vaughn
And this is the JOSH HAMMER show. I'm Jeff Vaughn filling in for Josh Hammer all this week and I certainly want to thank Josh for letting me do so. It is great to be here today. We've got a big show, all kinds of topics, a lot of politics in this program for the next hour. I'll give you a little bit to talk about here. We're going to talk about the California primary which is coming up tomorrow. I am based out of Los Angeles. That's where we will be this week. Of course, we'll be doing a lot of California politics because of that. But you know, there's a lot of things going on nationally that resonate here in California and resonate to the rest of the country from California. So we'll be covering that. I'll be talking with the candidate for attorney general for here in California in just minutes. We're going to talk about that. And that is the Republican candidate. Also we're going to talk about the two party system, two party system rather, if you will, Democrats and the GOP with a candidate for Congress in New York. Coming up later here on the Josh Hammer show as well, we're going to talk a little bit about Jackson Dart and you know, the controversy that's going on there. The NFL quarterback who introduced President Trump. We've got some reaction in response to that. Also James Talarico who is running for Senate in Texas. We got some sound and some information related to his cause and his campaign. Also America250, there's some controversy on this nonpartisan celebration of America coming up this July. We'll talk a little bit about that. Also. We'll talk about assault on the freedom of press and the freedom of speech. We'll have all that coming up here in the Josh Hamburg Show. Again, I'm Jeff Vaughn. Thank you so much for joining us. It is a pleasure to be here. Well, here in California we have our primary tomorrow on Tuesday and there are a lot of very important races. I'm in Los Angeles. We have the race for mayor. You're very familiar with that, I'm certain. Also the race for governor. And we also have a very important race in the race for state attorney general. I'm happy to have Michael Gates here on the Josh Hammer program to talk a little bit about his run for attorney general. Michael, thank you so much for being here.
- [03:06]
Michael Gates
Thank you for having me.
- [03:08]
Jeff Vaughn
You bet. Well, first and foremost, out of the gate tomorrow is the primary. You're going to make it, it seems you'll, you'll make it on to challenge the current attorney general of the state of California, Rob Bonta, come November. So how are things shaping up and how are you feeling in this election?
- [03:28]
Michael Gates
Really good. And I appreciate you having me on and the questions. So we launched my race for attorney general in as you said, the primary is upon us here tomorrow In California. The top two vote getters, regardless of party, the top two vote getters advance to the November general election for the runoff. I am, it's basically me versus Rob Bonta. There's a third party candidate, but she's a Green Party candidate and they don't usually get very much support in California elections. So it's very highly anticipated that me versus Bonta is we're going to be the top two vote getters in June and we're going to advance to the general. So. So it's a great campaign. Got a lot of endorsements. Fundraising is going well. We've gotten the word out. So it's very, very strong. And Rob Bonta's poll numbers are not good. So I think California is ready for a change here.
- [04:18]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, I think one of the things that you're living here in California, we can kind of get Banta fatigue. I gotta tell you, I took a look earlier today, Michael, on just how many times Banta has sued Trump. It looks like he sued him some 70 times. And the state of California, whether that be Bonta or the governor, seems like in the first term they sued Trump 123 times and so far this term, 54. So that's 177 times that they have sued the feds and Trump specifically for any number of things. Can you tell us a little bit about how that weighs down that office, how you would do something differently and that how that also probably draws a divide between the federal government and the state when it comes to working together.
- [05:11]
Michael Gates
Well, if California wasn't on fire right now, figuratively, of course, but if California wasn't on fire, the, you know, Rob Onta and any leaders in Sacramento who wish to sue the Trump administration, administration might get some traction with everyday Californians. But California is on fire. We've got the highest gas prices in the nation. We've got the highest taxes, the highest homeless, the highest crime. There's so much corruption. We're now Learning about nearly $500 billion of waste, fraud and abuse at the hands of Sacramento, by the way. And a state auditor's report came out a couple weeks ago and said it basically revealed that Rob Bonta, our attorney general, Ann Newsom, knew years prior about the waste, fraud and abuse and did nothing about it. No investigations, no questions about it, allowed it to happen because they knew where the money was going. So California is in crisis right now. If it weren't in crisis, the Trump lawsuits might mean something to Californians. But since we are in crisis and everyday Californians are struggling just to put food on the table, they're looking at the highest gas prices in the nation and asking, why are we paying $2 more per gallon than any other state in the country? So there are a lot of issues here that are weighing on California voters. And frankly, there's 65% of respondents in the state of California say that California is headed in the wrong direction. Anytime you have 65% of anything in California, you know, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans agree. So Californians across the board are saying that California is headed in the wrong direction, which is a poor reflection on our leadership. And the fact that our leadership is now suing or attacking whatever is coming out of the Washington, D.C. or the Trump administration is just not sound. It's very, very out of touch. It's just tone deaf. And so, you know, that's why I think a lot of people are coming to my campaign and supporting me because I, as you know, as city attorney of Huntington Beach, I solved a lot of problems, made Huntington beach the safest city in the state of California out of nearly 500 cities. So I have done the work. I've made Huntington beach safe, incredibly safe, one of the safest cities in the state, while California is ranked among the top most dangerous states in the nation according to FBI data. So, you know, California, like I said, it's burning figuratively and our leadership is completely tone deaf and they're distracted with the Trump administration.
- [07:20]
Jeff Vaughn
Yeah. Not to mention all the money that is being spent, taxpayer dollars spent on those lawsuits. I think it's really interesting that you brought up just about where people are in this state and you mentioned the gas prices. I think for the national audience that is tuning in, they may not fully understand the reason why. And just to distill it down, basically here in California, there's a much higher tax than on the federal level. There's a state tax. And then in addition to that, there's fees and there's regulations. And that roughly costs about a dollar more a gallon. And then add on just basically because we import all of our gas, we don't produce any of the, the oil here, that adds another dollar on. So that's usually why it costs about $2 a gallon more in California than everywhere else. But that's another thing, Michael, I wanted to talk a little bit about something that you mentioned related to just the fraud that you have that you will tackle when you become attorney General here in California. I think that's really interesting in the legislature right now, just last week, and this is something I wanted to talk to you about. That stop Nick Shirley act. Now, we all know Nick Shirley was the one that exposed fraud at the daycare centers, remember, famously the leering center in Minneapolis, the happening there. He came then here to California and exposed a lot of the hospice fraud here, especially in Los Angeles, where you and I are. And as a result of this, and you mentioned that they weren't, they didn't really care much about the fraud in addressing that. Now they are trying to stop journalists from reporting and doing investigative journalism related to this fraud.
- [08:56]
John Cappello
Yeah.
- [08:57]
Michael Gates
So to put numbers to the previous answer, there are 1200 attorneys in the California Department of Justice under Rob Bonta, 200 of them or more, at least 200 attorneys have been devoted to fighting the Trump administration. That's over $40 million in taxpayer money going to those salaries per year. So very expensive endeavor on that. Yeah, the stop next Shirley act is absolutely, it's frankly, it's shocking. It's shocking even to those who don't understand the First Amendment or understand don't have a legal degree because everybody can see it's patent. That is an attack on our First Amendment rights and it's an attack on our every everyday way of life here in California or, I'm sorry, even in the country, frankly. If you're an American, if you're an American, you want to find out you want to ask questions as to where your tax dollars are going, so you knock on doors and you find out what's going on behind those doors with regard to our taxpayer money. That's who we are in America. We're allowed to ask those questions. And so the government here in California is trying to stifle that by violating our First Amendment rights, not only free speech, but freedom of the press. And so it's a square, blatant, flagrant attack on our First Amendment rights. What our attorney general should be doing is protecting the constitutional rights of everyday Californians. And we don't have that here. We have lawlessness in California. The Stop Nick Shirley act, by the way, Jeff, that was advanced, proposed, sponsored, and then advanced through the California legislature by Rob Bonta's wife, Mia Bonta. You would think that Rob Bonta, if he knew anything about the law or the First Amendment, would tell his wife, you cannot do this. It's a violation of constitutional rights. Yet he allowed it to happen. He should be out in front of this. He should be screaming from the rooftops that this is illegal, it's unconstitutional. And I can tell your audience when I'm attorney General, this Stop Nick Shirley act will die because the state cannot pass a law that violates federal law. It cannot pass a law that violates our First Amendment. It's void of an issue, meaning it was never law in the first place. And so we're going to put an end to this type of ridiculous legislation. And frankly, in this election, I hope California wakes up and gets rid of our corrupt and lawless leaders. Both Rob Banta and Mia Bonta, frankly, have to go.
- [11:14]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, I got to think that this is happening because they have a super majority in the state of California. The way that Rob Bonta doesn't have some sort of conflict of interest with his wife doing this. And, and the fact that it's also illegal really comes down to the fact that the Democrats are in power, they have a super majority and they can kind of do what they want regardless of if it's right or wrong.
- [11:39]
Michael Gates
That's absolutely right. The one party rule for nearly 20 years, and that includes, includes a super majority in the legislature, basically means it's a blank check, carte blanche that one party can do whatever they want and get away with it. There's no checks and balances. What we're hoping for in this election, in November is regardless of who the voters elect to various offices throughout the state, leadership in Sacramento, we are hoping that at least the Californians say, you know, what? Let's have some checks and balances. Let's elect some Republican and we can have some Democrats too if they want, but let's have a balance so that there is some checks and balances because one party rule is just leading to the corruption that we're seeing. I mean, it's not even theoretical, Jeff. It's actual nearly $500 billion of waste, fraud and abuse that we have now are now uncovering that amassed over the last five years ever since Rob Bonta has been in office. He was put into office by Newsom. He was appointed in 2012 when that seat was vacated when Becerra went to the Biden administration. Ever since then, ever since he was appointed, he's been running cover on corruption, running interference on truth and justice, including criminal justice. This is what happens with one party rule. They get too comfortable and they advance a crazy agenda, even if it's lawless. And we know in California it is lawless. And that's why we need new leadership. We are desperate. We have almost, it's almost, it's much more akin to a banana republic. What's on going, going on in Sacramento and the types of laws that they're passing. So we've got to get back to common sense and law and order in California.
- [13:11]
Jeff Vaughn
Yeah, you mentioned all that fraud. I think just over the weekend President Trump said if they could unwind and get half of that fraud back, they could balance the budget. So, Michael, stay with us and we'll carry you over to the the next segment here on the JOSH Hammer show as we continue to talk with Michael Gates. He is a candidate for attorney general in California. I want to talk a little bit about your federal level experience coming up here in the Josh Hammer Show. I'm Jeff Vaughn. Stay with us.
- [13:38]
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- [14:40]
Jeff Vaughn
Welcome back to the Josh Hammer Show. I'm Jeff Vaughn filling in this week for Josh Hammer. Thank you so much for joining us. We are in Los Angeles today, and I'm speaking with attorney general candidate Michael Gates. He is running for Attorney General of California against Rob Bonta. He is a Republican facing a Democrat, and the primary is coming up tomorrow here in California. So I want to go back to the conversation that we've been having with Michael Gates. Michael, I think it's really interesting you mentioned your work in Huntington beach and one of the things that you did as an attorney for the city there and in your role there was voter id. Tell us how that ended up, how the city was able to do that and then how the state responded to that.
- [15:22]
Michael Gates
Yeah, no, thank you for the question. So I was the architect and the champion of the voter ID law in Huntington Beach. That was in 2023, I believe, if I recall, when we started that program. And so basically it was presenting a new voter ID law to the voters, allowing them to have an opportunity to weigh in on whether we should have that city. They did. They approved it overwhelmingly in 2024. And so it became the law of the land in Huntington Beach, Rob Bonta from Sacramento came down and sued the city for having the audacity or daring to have a local voter ID law because I guess in his belief, in his mind, election integrity laws are unacceptable. So he sued us. We went to court. And actually in the first couple rounds of that litigation, I went to court and argued myself and we prevailed. And then it went up on appeal a couple times when I went back to work in Washington, D.C. at the Department of justice, while I was there, it continued its appeals. Now it's up before the U.S. supreme Court potentially. So there's a petition for U.S. supreme Court review back in Washington, D.C. on that voter ID law. So it's a, a great piece of local legislation. But obviously Sacramento and Rob Bonta took exception to it and they actually sued Huntington beach. And it's been caught up in litigation ever since. But as you know, we have voter ID on the ballot here in November statewide. So Huntington beach likes to think that it was, it may have been the city that started this whole voter ID concept, getting it on the ballot here in November, because now voters statewide will have the opportunity to weigh in on a very, very similar measure, which is to require voter ID when people go to vote at the polls. So that's on the ballot here in November and we believe that it's going to do quite well. There's 85% support for that measure right now among polls in California. And again, you can't get to 85% of anything in California without Republicans and Democrats agreeing. So it's a strong proposition. It's on the ballot and we believe it's going to pass.
- [17:20]
Jeff Vaughn
Yeah, I think it's really interesting. I'd like to get into your experience on the federal level because you did work in the Trump administration as an attorney with the doj. Was it interesting to take what the perspective was here in California and to take that to Washington, D.C. and to actually work on some of the cases that were important, not necessarily on a federal level, but also at a state level? Because as somebody that lives in California and I've lived in other places in Texas and Missouri and I've lived in Michigan, I can say with all certainty this is my opinion that there are less freedoms here in California. For one, if you take a look at maybe the Second Amendment might be one, I know that the DOJ is now suing the LA County Sheriff's Department for slow rolling all these CCW permits. When it came to your work on a federal level, just explain to me how California was different than so many other states when it came down to following the rules, regulations and freedoms that America has.
- [18:26]
Michael Gates
Well, my experience there confirmed what everyday Californians know to be true, which is California is lawless. Sacramento, as you said, it seems like they seek to violate our constitutional rights on a regular basis. The Second Amendment's a perfect example. And I have told people on the campaign trail, on this campaign trail at for Attorney General that when I'm attorney general on day one, I'm going to issue a notice to all of my sheriffs. So I will have Preview over all 58 counties, all 58 sheriff's departments, all 58 sheriffs. I'm going to issue a notice to them that if they're not issuing concealed carry weapons permits within 90 days of application, that they are in violation of the Second Amendment. So I'm going to be drawing a line in the sand on a lot of issues like that and others to let our state agencies know, our law enforcement officers, our leaders know that the days of violating the constitutional rights of our of everyday Californians is coming to an end. So Second Amendment CCWs, I have a plan for that but working at the federal level, yes, absolutely. I dealt with a lot of issues. The Second Amendment was one of the issues that I brush. Had a brush with. But also I did federal election integrity laws. I enforced the National Voter Registration act against many states, including the state of California, specifically trying to ensure that we have clean voter rolls. So in 2025, when you heard about the Department of Justice suing California over federal elections violations, including dirty voter rolls, that was my lawsuit. I was the one that filed that lawsuit. In fact, I came to California in federal court and represented. So whether it's the Second Amendment or federal elections laws, yes, I worked there on those issues. Also discrimination nationwide, including fighting anti Semitism. I was involved in launching the investigation into UCLA when we heard about and learned about all the anti Semitic riots that occurred back in 2023. And so I was involved in those investigations as well. So a lot of great work on the national stage. I was there for about a year, but when I was there, Jeff, I knew that my heart was in California, excuse me, in Huntington Beach. I had spent so many years in Huntington beach fighting for everyday Californians. I felt so. It was so rewarding to do that work and I felt like I belonged here. So I was there in Washington D.C. for about a year and then I wrote to Pam Bondi saying I needed to get back to Huntington beach so I could fight for California. So great work there. Like you said, it meant so much. My work there meant so much to California here. But I wanted to come back and actually get closer to California and get back in the fight for California.
- [20:56]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, I think that that's very important too. As somebody who is living in California and raising a family here. So many of my neighbors have left and they've gone to those lower tax states, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Nevada. And they leave for economic reasons. And I don't blame them for that. But it's important that there are people that will stay and fix the problems. And you're one of those, Mike. To come back and. And come here and to do that, I think is commendable and I appreciate that. I'm one of those as well. I think that there are things that we can do here to fix California and you're certainly on your way. Michael, I'd like to get real quick perspective on the ccw. I understand that you had said once you become ag that that will be fast tracked. Just to give the national audience kind of a perspective on that. If you apply for CCW in California, you may get it in 16 to 18 months. That's how much of a backlog now depends on county to county. But just to let you know, like here in LA county it's more than a year to get your permit. And so I wanted just to kind of give that disclaimer because I don't think people understand just how long it takes to get that here. But I wanted to talk a little bit about the election. We're in the primary tomorrow. You're obviously Republican. We have Steve Hilton, we have Chad Bianco that are in the race here for California Governor. They are Republicans and they're putting up a good fight. Tell me a little bit about working with both of those candidates on the gubernatorial level and your feeling going into the primary tomorrow.
- [22:35]
Michael Gates
Yeah. So any, any new leadership in California, any new Republican leaders leadership in California I think would be welcomed by the voters, would be welcomed by California. We can't go with the same old playbook and expect different results. We need to make a change here in California if we are going to get different results and get California back to law and order to clean it up, to reduce taxes, to improve everyday Californians way of life here. Both Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, I know them both. I've known them for years. I have been out on the campaign trail with Steve Hilton Tilton. Chad Bianco has, was a strong candidate for many, many months. But with sort of the polls tightening right now, it looks like it's out of reach for Chad bianco. He's about 12 points back from first place just depending on what poll that you're looking at. What we're saying now is Republicans have to consolidate. We've got to come together and we've got to vote for Steve Hilton because we have got to ensure that we have at least one Republican who wins in, in the primary tomorrow night. And so again, just so the listeners know, in California, the top two vote getters tomorrow night are the ones that advance to the general election. If neither Steve Hilton nor Chad Bianco are among the top two vote getters tomorrow night, then we will have two Democrats who are speaking the same speak and same rhetoric as prior Democrat leaders in the, in the state of California. And that's what we don't want. We want Californians to actually have a meaningful choice between the same old playbook or something new when it comes to the November election. So we're really hoping that Republicans and independents and even Democrats who want to change in California get behind Steve Hilton to push him across the finish line and just make sure he's one of the top two vote getters, but I could work with either of them. I know that you know very, very well that California needs to change. And I know how to change it. I've done so much of this work when I was city attorney of Huntington Beach. I did it for 10 years, including reducing crime, reducing homelessness. Huntington beach is one of the safest cities in the entire state of California, while California is one of the most dangerous states in the nation. And that's because Rob Bonta has not been doing his job and we are a lawless state. And so, you know, there's so much work to be done here. But we have got to get the right leadership in place or that work will not get done. It's just going to be business as usual, the same old, same old. So California is too great of a state to allow this to be happening for it to fall into crisis. And a lot of people are falling into despair. We have got to rescue it right now. Which is why I stepped up to run. I'm not, as you know, Jeff, I'm not a career politician. I'm not a professional politician. I've been blessed with an incredible legal career with so many different experiences, so many different opportunities and frankly, a winning record. And I just want to jump in this race and try to help rescue California. For me, that's what it's all about. I know you're staying in California for the same reason, to fight and try to rescue California. So, you know, we're in this together to try to try to rescue California. But we need to give voters a choice. If voters don't have a choice, nothing's going to change.
- [25:41]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, Michael, thank you so much for your time. It's great to have a little bit of an in depth conversation with you. That was more than just a couple sound bites. So I really appreciate it. That is Michael Gates. He is running for attorney general here in California. Michael, thank you so much. Best of luck tomorrow for the California primary. This is the Josh Hammer Show.
- [26:00]
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- [27:03]
Jeff Vaughn
Hello, this is the JOSH Hammer show and I'm Jeff Vaughn filling in all this week and so happy to be here and certainly want to thank Josh again for letting me fill in for him all this week here on the Salem News Channel and Newsweek as well. Well, one of the things I like to do is I think I've always been somebody who is in favor of the two party system. Obviously you have Democrats and you have Republicans. Over my lifetime I voted for Democrats and I have voted for Republicans. And I do believe the two party system is a good system. And we're coming to you from Los Angeles. And California is a super majority of Democrats. And as a result, you know, that old saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely is certainly true here in California. Well, there's a candidate who is running for Congress in New York. He's, full disclosure, is a friend of mine and he's a Democrat, but he's a moderate Democrat, which is kind of interesting as to what is going on with the Democratic Party. And I'm really happy to have him here on the Josh Hammer show today to not only talk about his run for Congress, but also to find out how a moderate like the person you're about to meet can reach out to the other side and get things done. Because I think that's a lot of the problem with where we are in this country is one side, both sides are not willing to talk to the other side to get things done for the American people. I mentioned that he's a friend of mine, Lieutenant Colonel John Cappello and I have known each other probably since back in the 1990s and he is now running for Congress and I welcome him here to the Josh Hammer Show. John, how are you?
- [28:43]
John Cappello
I'm doing well, Jeff. Thanks. Thanks for having me. And it's good to see you.
- [28:46]
Jeff Vaughn
It's good to see you too.
- [28:48]
John Cappello
Look forward to the conversation.
- [28:49]
Jeff Vaughn
You bet. Well, I think it's really interesting. You and I have been friends for decades now and I've followed your career. You were in the air Force, you're a pilot. Then you got into intelligence and you've done some nonprofit work and now you're running for Congress. And I know that public service is important to you. Is that why you're doing this?
- [29:12]
John Cappello
Well, that's exactly right. You know, from day one, since I announced in September to run for Congress here In New York 17, I said we have to do politics differently. And for me that meant something really, really specific. I mean, politics is service, right. It's in, it's in the name public service. And I think too often that's gotten pushed to the side. If you call me a politician or if you call someone a politician, that's not a compliment, is it? And I could think of nothing more honorable though, than to serve your community as an elected official, to serve your community. And it's not seen that way. And I think the system's become a little corrupted in some ways and you might imagine. So I'm in New York 17, as you mentioned. It's actually very interesting district. One of only three districts in the United States where Harris won, but a Republican won the House. So it's a very, very diverse and moderate purple kind of district.
- [30:18]
Jeff Vaughn
Yeah.
- [30:19]
John Cappello
And so you might imagine I've talked to a lot of folks, a lot of folks, and you know, what I hear from them is very, it's pretty consistent. People are tired of the chaos, they're tired of the politics of division and polarization and they want to see something different. They really do. And I think we could offer them that. And I think it starts with doing some things differently.
- [30:46]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, I think it's great and refreshing that we have a candidate such as yourself who, I don't want to put you in a box, John, but you would probably be a moderate Democrat. And I think that they're, you know, here in California, I hear it from people as well. And this is more of a left leaning state that people do want moderation. They would like to see two strong parties because that's the checks and balances that the system provides. I'm interested, though, John, real quick into how your own party views you. Have you felt since you've taken on this campaign, to be more moderate, a poll from people to have you go more to the left or to have you change because of the party.
- [31:27]
John Cappello
So that's a really interesting question. And I think there's two components to that. I mean, this, this has been a learning experience, as you might imagine. And one of the biggest challenges that I've, that I've seen is working with the party, I mean, it's a very. I mean, both parties are. They're very hierarchical. They're very focused on their particular districts. I'm in. I'm in a district that has four counties. So we have four different county parties. And then you drill down further. You have the town parties, the village parties, and each one is doing. Some of them are doing really amazing things. I will tell you something I've learned. I've seen politics at the local level, regardless of party, seeing people identify challenges, identify solutions, and work really hard to achieve those solutions. So something that I've been super impressed with is local politics, people running for local positions. But it is a challenge. Anytime you're working within a bureaucracy and the parties are a bureaucracy, it's no different than when you're working with the government or I guess in news media as well. Right. You have a bureaucracy. They have certain hierarchical requirements and sometimes pushing those boundaries, trying to think outside the box. Look, this is about trying to build a coalition of people. Government is here to make people's lives better. And it's not a label, an R or D. Right. I mean, we have people on both sides of this, of that binary political spectrum, where they're hurting and people need support.
- [33:04]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, John, you're certainly qualified, that's for sure. You have served this country admirably. You were also, I believe, a professor at the U.S. air Force Academy. You were an instructor there. You went to the US Air Force Academy. Obviously, you're patriotic. You have served this country, and I think you would be a worthy candidate. I just wonder sometimes. It just. I see people that want to do what's different from the party, but the party kind of drags them back in. But you, you answered that. I think that's a good way to go about it. And you're independent in that regard. I want to know you become congressman and you have the chance, and you obviously know the ins and outs of Washington, D.C. because you've worked there as well. Give me an example of what you would do to reach out to the other side, to help out your constituents, to really show that you are that person that's different from so many other Republicans or Democrats that won't reach out. What would you intend to do? Would you reach out to a Republican? Would you reach out to the president? Because you would be faced with working with President Trump. What would you do?
- [34:16]
John Cappello
Sure. You know, one thing, and I've given this a lot of thought, and how does a member of Congress develop his legislative priorities?
- [34:26]
Jeff Vaughn
Right.
- [34:27]
John Cappello
And from day one the first day I'm in office, I'll have a line of lobbyists outside of my door to come and share with me information about what their positions are and why I should select their position. I mean, you know, this is, this is normal way that, that Washington works. You'll have, you know, you'll have pharma, you have industry come to you and share with them, share with us their information. But how does a member of Congress get information from his constituents? You know, they go and do town halls, and we know how contentious that's been and how oftentimes uneffective, ineffective that's been. And, you know, I've given this a lot of thought, and from my experience in government, in, in the NGO world, I would form citizen action committees. Right, you'd have a task force, advisory committees of citizens, experts within fields, housing, health care, veterans affairs, jobs, economy, services. Right. You have experts and people working on those issues within the community. So bipartisan, working on those issues in the community, identifying challenges, coming up with solutions, and then presenting me that information as a way to help me, help inform my legislative priorities and my legislative schedule. So I think that's a way, I think that's a really important way to get direct, A little more formalized way to get direct feedback and input from the whole of our community.
- [35:55]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, with just about a minute or so to go here, John, could you give me your top three priorities? Because. And I really want it to be from what you're hearing out there, because we hear so much in the media about maybe it's illegal immigration, or maybe it's affordability or it's gas prices. You're out there knocking on doors and meeting people face to face. What are their top three concerns?
- [36:20]
John Cappello
Yeah, so the cost of living crisis absolutely comes across as the number one issue. You know, people talk about affordability or whatever we call it, but I mean, you could clump that together. I hear from people in this district, very close to New York City, and I imagine many places in California.
- [36:39]
Michael Gates
Right.
- [36:40]
John Cappello
Housing costs are exorbitant. And I hear from people all the time that their kids have to move back in. I mean, I know that's often heard, but I see it, I see it on a daily basis talking to folks. So housing, energy prices are exorbitant. And I see people really concerned with health care as well. So I see those top three, those three things. And they're connected. Of course they're connected, but those are priorities for the people I'm talking with.
- [37:15]
Jeff Vaughn
Well, John, it's a pleasure to talk to you. I wish you the very best in your run for office in the 7th congressional district in New York. You are going up against incumbent Mike Lawler. I know that. And your primary is coming up in just a couple of weeks. So I wish you the best. And John, thank you so much for giving us your time and learning a little bit more about you and your campaign here in the Josh Hammer Show.
- [37:38]
John Cappello
Thanks, Jeff. Thanks very much. Good to see you.
- [37:40]
Jeff Vaughn
And stay with us. We'll be right back.
- [37:43]
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- [38:46]
Jeff Vaughn
And welcome back to the Josh Hammer Show. I'm Jeff Vaughn filling in for Josh all this week. I certainly thank him and the viewing audience for allowing me to do this. It's such a nice experience to be here today. I'm in Los Angeles. Let's bring you up to speed on things that happened over the weekend. Let's talk about James Talarico. James Talarico is running for Senate and he's a Texan, but he doesn't sound like one. Take a listen. Every one of our neighbors with a
- [39:12]
John Cappello
uterus became the property of the state.
- [39:15]
Michael Gates
One of our neighbors with the uterus
- [39:17]
John Cappello
to be able to control their own body.
- [39:18]
Jeff Vaughn
Our neighbors with a uterus.
- [39:20]
John Cappello
One of our neighbors with the uterus.
- [39:21]
Jeff Vaughn
When I first saw that, I thought that was a deep fake. I thought that that was AI generated. That's real. That's how somebody talks. And I don't know anybody that talks like that. And quite frankly, I've talked to women and they're kind of offended by that. Here in California over the weekend, a Biological male in high school with the name of A.B. hernandez won two state titles in track and field, displacing the top two girls in triple jump. And I think long jump might be the other one. And that erased the women who won and they were, they were replaced by a man. James Tallarico is kind of doing the same thing and erasing women and just calling them a person with a uterus. I don't know who talks like that. It's weird to hear people talk like that. And this is a candidate for Senate. He's going up against Ken Paxton in the race for Senate in Texas. We'll see how that all turns out. But it is really interesting to me. He also went on to say in an interview, what does he think about. He said, what is something that you love? Was the. The question by the interviewer. He said, I love trans children. Also strange. He also said our southern borders should be a welcome mat. And of course, we all know that mass illegal immigration is the key to keeping Democrats in power. Another thing that James Talarico has said is that he's running a non meat campaign in Texas with Texas barbecue, where longhorn cattle are raised, where Hereford cattle are raised. I don't see how this guy even got to that position where he's running and made it through the primary. But that is James Talarico and there will be more from him, I'm sure. Let's talk about somebody else who made some news over the weekend. You might have heard about Jackson Dart. He is a quarterback for the New York Giants, NFL player. And although he didn't say anything political, he was invited and did attend a Trump rally where he just introduced the President. He didn't say anything political. He didn't give a message. He just introduced the president and that's it. Yet one of his teammates has this reaction to what Jackson Dart did.
- [41:55]
Abdul Carter
So first off, I want to say that some things are bigger than football and this is one of those things. Jackson is one of our leaders. He's the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself and what he does, but he represents all of us. And that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform. But if he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it's my responsibility based on what I believe and what I stand on, to not only show my teammates that I'm against that, but to show the world. And that doesn't mean that we have to spread hate. It doesn't mean that me and Jackson hate each other or we have beef. I sit Next to Jackson, every day, every team meeting we close, we talk, you know, we just as long as we make sure we got the same goal as a team and our goals align, which they do. And I feel like that's all that matters. So I just want to move past this and yeah, that's it.
- [42:42]
Jeff Vaughn
That is Abdul Carter. He is a New York Giant and a teammate of Jackson Dart. You heard what he said. I wonder if he criticized LeBron James when he appeared at a Hillary Clinton rally or at Steph Curry when he spoke at the dnc, the Democratic National Convention. Probably not, but Jackson Dart is getting the last word on this. This happened over the weekend. Jackson DARTS Jersey number six is now the number one selling NFL jersey. In the last 24 hours, it sold some 277,000 jerseys. That's the most jersey sold within 24 hours. And you could attach that all to the appearance again of just introducing the president, which should be an honor for any American to introduce the sitting president, whether they're Democrat or Republican. That's the news over the weekend that I can deliver to you is that Jackson Dart is Now his number six, the number one selling jersey in the NFL. Let's talk a little about the Fourth of July and America's 250th performance coming up. We do know that there's going to be a lot of people going to Washington, D.C. i've seen that they are sprucing up the city. I see one of the fountains in Washington, D.C. has been cleaned up and it's running again. All in anticipation for the America 250 performances coming up. I don't know if we have a sound bite here or not, but I want to show you something related to one of the performers has decided to pull out of this event. And let's take a look at that here. This is obviously somebody that you want at the America 250 performance, the great American State Fair. You want the country music singer who performed Independence Day. It's Independence Day, a big, big, big hit. A very patriotic event. A patriotic hit and is always played at every Independence Day event. I know when I go to any respective cities, you know, fireworks. Martina McBride's Independence Day is one of those on the list. Well, she has said that she is not going to perform at the Great American State Fair. And she said that it was because of it being not nonpartisan. That was what she said. It is nonpartisan. It is a celebration of america. And Martina McBride, country music singer, has said that she will no longer perform. She didn't give any reason other than to say that she thought it was going to be nonpartisan. But there's no indication that there's any partisan politics involved other than it being coinciding with Trump as president. So Martina McBride has performed for President Barack Obama has performed for candidate Hillary Clinton. President Biden has also performed at the dnc. So I predict that the reason why she is not doing this is she's caved to the liberals that are upset that she even shows up. If hating one man is more important than loving your entire country, then that's part of the problem for sure. So that is something that came out over the weekend with the America's 250th celebration. Now let's go to an attack on the freedom of press. This is from over the weekend that came out. A candidate for Congress in Colorado, Manny Rootnell, was leaving a meeting. And I'm not sure if this is a journalist or one of his constituents. We're kind of hearing two sides. But nonetheless, if it is a constituent or if it is member of the press, this is very embarrassing. Go to this clip of a campaign manager trying to get in the way of somebody recording a candidate running for Congress.
- [46:52]
Clay Vallino
Manny, do you think eating meat is morally wrong? Is this why you're gonna let your people treat me? Manny, Manny, can you not answer questions from your Republican constituents? So this is. And he's blocking my camera right now. Manny's doing nothing because he doesn't want to talk to his Republican. Please get your hands off me. Please get your hands off me. Manny, how do you expect dairy, dairy ranchers and farmers to trust you? Didn't you say the meat and dairy industry was horrific? You spent a lot of time protesting with Yale activism. Have you spent more time protesting than actually working in the industry?
- [47:35]
Jeff Vaughn
So the man walking away is the candidate, Manny Rootnell. The man that is putting himself in front of the candidate and in front of the video is the campaign manager for Rootnell, Clay Vallino. I mean, do you see what is happening here? This is a candidate that should be speaking to anybody and everybody who's running a race. And. And he has somebody as campaign manager who has nothing to do other than to stop somebody from recording him and from answering questions. And by the way, we don't have a still shot, but if you, there are some online, if you take a look at the still shot of what was on his legal pad, it was answer every question with Trump. So this is a, this is a congressional candidate for. Who has no answers for people that have questions related to their district, but yet he's only supposed to answer with Trump, bad guy, everything that's a problem in California, everything is a problem with his campaign. He can't answer questions. Go back to Trump. That's part of that notepad that was shoved in the face of that person. Certainly violation of the freedom of press, in my opinion. We're going to wrap it up here on the JOSH Hammer show. I'm Jeff Vaughn. We'll see you throughout this week. And I certainly want to thank again, Josh Hammer for letting me be on this program. This is the Salem News Channel and Newsweek. I'm Jeff Vaughn. This is the Josh Hammer Show. We'll see you next time.
- [49:11]
Commercial Narrator
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