WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:02.919 This is Gary and Shannon and you're listening to KFI 2 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:05.839 AM six forty the Gary and Shannon Show on demand 3 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:07.320 on the iHeartRadio app. 4 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:11.160 A bunch of stuff going on. 5 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:13.240 At eleven o'clock, we'll talk about a lot of stuff 6 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:18.039 going on in DC today, specifically some of the cabinet 7 00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:22.960 appointees that are now being confirmed. Senate confirmed RFK Junior 8 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:26.879 as Health and Human Services Secretary today. They also confirm 9 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:30.679 Brooke Rollins to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture. On 10 00:00:30.679 --> 00:00:33.759 a seventy two to twenty eight vote, the Judiciary Committee 11 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:36.439 voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Cash 12 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:40.960 Ptel for FBI Director, and then Linda McMahon. President Trump's 13 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:44.359 choice for Education Secretary is undergoing some of her confirmation 14 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:48.640 hearings today. New York's Governor Kathy Hochel has postponed a 15 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:50.759 meeting that was supposed to take place today with the 16 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:54.560 President because the Justice Department revealed it was suing New 17 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:58.759 York State over this sanctuary status. Kathy Hokel had planned 18 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:01.159 to meet Trump for lunch, but is a rescheduled for 19 00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:04.760 sometime next week. According to CBS, comes just hours after 20 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:07.879 the DOJ sued the entire New York State with a 21 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:13.079 lawsuit over its policy of limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. 22 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:15.400 And this is a new sanctuary city I'd never heard 23 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:20.959 of before. Worcester, Massachusetts. Worcester, Massachusetts City Council has approved 24 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:25.359 a petition to declare the second largest city in Massachusetts 25 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:29.879 a sanctuary for transgender and gender diverse people after hearing 26 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:33.400 from residents. Footage from the public comments session of this 27 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:37.640 week's meeting went viral across social media, clips showing people 28 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.439 speaking passionately about the need for Worcester to become a 29 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:43.719 sanctuary city for transgender people and suggesting that people in 30 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:48.159 the administration are Nazis. So there is a sanctuary city 31 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:54.560 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Rain, the biggest punch from this storm 32 00:01:54.680 --> 00:01:57.879 is expected this afternoon, sometimes say between four o'clock and 33 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.680 nine o'clock for La County. If you get into Orange 34 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:03.359 County Inland Empire, in parts south like San Diego County, 35 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:05.280 it's going to be shifted a little bit later than that, 36 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:09.599 by a couple of hours. But the potential for mudslides 37 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:12.240 is serious, to the point that they have called for 38 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:16.319 evacuation warnings in several of the burn areas, whether it's 39 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:21.319 Palisades fire, the eaten fire over an Altadena and other 40 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:25.280 places as well. Now we are expecting an update from 41 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:27.560 President Trump at the White House. 42 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:29.080 He's holding a news conference. 43 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:30.759 One of the things that he's going to talk about 44 00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:33.599 is some of the work that the Department of Government 45 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:38.280 Efficiency has been doing, but also the reciprocal tariffs that 46 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.479 he had been talking about for the last couple of days. 47 00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:42.800 So when that happens, we'll bring that to you. But 48 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:46.639 Elon Musk was busy today. We've told you about Elon 49 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.599 Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. He's going in 50 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:54.680 and looking for what he calls the worst of government 51 00:02:55.159 --> 00:02:57.319 waste and fraud and abuse. 52 00:02:58.039 --> 00:03:01.400 And he was on a video call today to the. 53 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:06.960 World Government's summit in Dubai and described the priorities of 54 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:11.120 the Trump administration. He actually was using because of the 55 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:16.400 way he speaks. It's kind of a stilted a very 56 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.000 smart guy, but it's kind of a stilted way that 57 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:24.039 he uses language. Discussed thermonuclear warfare. He also talked about 58 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.879 the dangers of artificial intelligence, but got back to a 59 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:29.879 theme that he mentioned on Tuesday when he was at 60 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.319 the Oval office. Remember that the image of him with 61 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:36.080 his son standing next to President Trump at the resolute desk. 62 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:39.360 He referred to the need for us to actually live 63 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:42.400 in a democracy and not a bureaucracy. That when the 64 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:47.000 bureaucracy holds all of the power, or an outsized amount 65 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.599 of the power, we are a bureaucracy and not a democracy. 66 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:54.639 He also talked about the need to cut government agencies. 67 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.879 In fact, use the term delete entire agencies. 68 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:01.280 This is roughly four and fifty federal agencies of one 69 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:05.840 kind or another. That's more agencies. That's almost that's almost 70 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:08.199 an average of two agencies per year since the formation 71 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:11.960 of the United States. So, I mean, how many agencies 72 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:14.879 do you really need to run a country? I'm ninety nine, 73 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:17.279 not four hundred and fifty, that's for sure. It's kind 74 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:20.560 of like if leaving a weed, if you don't remove 75 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:22.759 the roots of the weed, then it's easy for the 76 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:24.759 weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots 77 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:27.319 of the weed, it doesn't stop weeds from ever going back, 78 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:28.399 but it makes it harder. 79 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:32.759 So there has been a lot of discussion about what 80 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:34.759 is going on with dose. It seems like at the 81 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:37.680 beginning of the week there was security concerns about whether 82 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:41.519 or not the computer programmers that he's brought in, these 83 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:44.839 coders that are looking through government code, whether it's Department 84 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:49.079 of Treasury, Department of Defense, Medicare, Medicaid, any of these 85 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:52.160 different agencies. There was concern that those guys were going 86 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:56.639 to have access to things like social security numbers, healthcare 87 00:04:56.680 --> 00:05:00.839 information that should remain private. Pension information for example, that 88 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:05.920 should remain private. And there has been concern about it, 89 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:09.279 but no evidence that that's actually taking place. And there's 90 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:11.439 a difference between the two of them. Yeah, I'd be 91 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:14.040 concerned too if I was afraid that these guys had 92 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:16.399 access to all of my personal information or my family's 93 00:05:16.439 --> 00:05:19.399 personal information. But there's no evidence that it's actually happening. 94 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:23.600 There's just people saying that it might happen. Another thing 95 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:26.759 that he talked about in this meeting today was the 96 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:30.319 focus on eliminating DEI work, at one point linking it 97 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:35.959 to artificial intelligence. Elon said, if hypothetically artificial intelligence is 98 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.959 designed for DEI diversity at all costs as the ultimate thing, 99 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.879 it could decide that there's too many men in power 100 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:46.199 and execute them. Now, he's been one of those guys 101 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:50.360 who has said AI is an existential threat to the 102 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:54.639 survival of humans. He also said he believed that X's 103 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:58.480 newly updated AI chatbot because he owned he owns Twitter, 104 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:01.439 He's put together an AI chat bought like chatch ept. 105 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:06.000 His is called Groc. The newest version of it, GROC three, 106 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:08.040 he said, would be ready in about two weeks. He 107 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:13.079 said at one point, it's kind of scary. That's not good. 108 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:16.360 He also went on to talk about some of the 109 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:19.319 business ventures that he's got in Dubai, like the boring company, 110 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:22.480 Boring like boring a hole. He announced plans for a 111 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:28.040 Dubai loop project, digging tunnels along the company, and then 112 00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:31.279 a later statement from Dubai's Crown Prince said that they 113 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:33.519 are looking at the development of about a ten mile 114 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:37.839 underground network of stations that could transport about twenty thousand 115 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:41.720 passengers an hour. All of this is, I mean, that's 116 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:44.040 all hypothetical, way up high in the sky kind of 117 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:47.079 stuff at this point, and a little bit out of character. 118 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:49.800 If you're going to be the Department of Government Efficiency, 119 00:06:50.360 --> 00:06:53.199 be that. Don't be the guy who starts talking about 120 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:56.240 your business ventures in Dubai. You got one thing on 121 00:06:56.279 --> 00:06:57.959 your plate right now. And that's what you should be 122 00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:00.920 paying attention to. All Right, a little bit more about 123 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:03.879 this limestone mind. Did you hear that he talked about 124 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:07.000 a limestone mine where the government keeps all of its 125 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:11.519 files on retired federal personnel. It's a real thing, and 126 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:15.439 everybody is whatever fact checking has gone on has said, yeah, yeah, 127 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:18.360 Alon's talking about a real place. We'll talk about that 128 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:19.759 limestone mine we come back. 129 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:24.680 You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI 130 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:25.839 AM six forty. 131 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:31.879 We will at eleven thirty talk about how AI could 132 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:35.759 help you plan the perfect last minute Valentine's Day. 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Give you a chance to win one thousand 148 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:11.879 dollars Gary. 149 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:14.519 Every year about this time we always hear about this 150 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:18.319 what we need to do for Valentine's Day. Now we 151 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:19.759 have AI telling us. 152 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:20.120 What to do. 153 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:22.399 You know, we have an organ in our body that 154 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.000 if we used it maybe we could get somewhere. It's 155 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:27.639 called the heart. What does your heart tell you what 156 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.000 to do? Not your little pea brain or the amount 157 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.039 of money you have in your wallet. Say, let your 158 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:36.799 heart guide you. And to quote that famous commentator, take 159 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:38.960 the bra off, pull up your pants, and be a man. 160 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:42.960 I forgot that one there. Pull up your pants, take 161 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:44.679 off the pond, be a man. 162 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:48.320 Our friend, Kevin Harlan, Okay, So we were talking about 163 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:50.679 Elon Musk and the Department of Government efficiency. One of 164 00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:52.840 the things that he pointed out that he has found. 165 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:54.639 I mean, it's not a big secret, it's not like 166 00:08:54.679 --> 00:08:56.960 it was covered up or anything. But one of the 167 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:00.600 issues is that there is a limestone mine where the 168 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:06.080 federal government keeps hard copies of records of employees who 169 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:08.559 have or will be soon retiring there's. 170 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:12.639 A limestone mine where we stole all the retirement paperwork. 171 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:14.960 This mine looks like something out of the fifties because 172 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:18.120 it was started in nineteen fifty five, so it looks 173 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:21.879 like it's like a time warp. And then the speed, 174 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:24.000 then the limiting factor is the speed at which the 175 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:27.559 mind the shaft elevator can move determines how many people 176 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:30.440 can retire from the federal from the federal government, and 177 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:32.399 the elevator breaks down, and then I set them sometimes 178 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:34.879 and then you can't. Nobody can retire. Doesn't that sound crazy. 179 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:37.080 There's like a thousand people that work on this. 180 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:41.360 He described it as being obviously it's very low tech 181 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:45.320 because it's a limestone mine, and they're they're literally carrying 182 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:49.360 folders of papers down to this giant filing system. 183 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.559 Instead of working in a mind shaft and carrying manilla 184 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:56.840 envelopes to you know, boxes. In a mind shaft, you 185 00:09:56.840 --> 00:10:00.320 can do practically anything else, and you would add to 186 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.240 the goods and services of the United States in a 187 00:10:04.279 --> 00:10:05.000 more useful way. 188 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:09.039 Yes, practically anything else. I mean, think about the digitization 189 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:13.799 of that kind of record keeping. And he said that 190 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:17.279 they've been trying to since the late eighties digitize all 191 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:17.879 of this stuff. 192 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:18.960 There's got to be a listen. 193 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:21.639 The technology has changed quite a bit in the last 194 00:10:21.720 --> 00:10:23.120 forty years, and there's got to be a way to 195 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:27.960 do this. The mine itself is located in just north 196 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:31.320 of Pittsburgh and Butler County. It's called Cherry Township. Is 197 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:34.120 the cool is the little place. It's got very cool 198 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:37.759 temperatures and low humidity levels inside the mine. That's optimal 199 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:41.240 when it comes to preserving items like this. And the 200 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:45.960 Government Office of Personnel Management OPM does use Iron Mountain 201 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.919 is what they call it, to process and store paperwork 202 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:54.519 if federal workers retire. And he said the most number 203 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:57.000 of people who could retire, possibly in a month, is 204 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:00.679 ten thousand. This is what he's said on Tuesday, and 205 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:01.840 he asked, why is that? 206 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:03.720 Why is that possible? 207 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:06.120 I mean, look at the number of people who signed 208 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:10.240 up for this deferred retirement thing, this offer of eight 209 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:13.320 months of pay. Seventy five thousand people over the course 210 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:17.360 of a few days who signed up for this program. Now, 211 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:22.240 he said in this news conference on Tuesday, the retirement 212 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:26.039 paperwork is manual. It's on paper, it's manually calculated, it's 213 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:29.000 written down and then it goes to this limestone mine 214 00:11:29.559 --> 00:11:31.960 and the speed at which the mind shaft elevator can 215 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:36.679 move determines how many people could retire from the federal government. Now, 216 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.440 there are plenty of people who said they don't actually 217 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:43.919 have an elevator. The processing of this retirement paperwork varies 218 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:46.919 case by case. No two retirements are the same, and 219 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:48.960 it's going to change depending on the agency that they 220 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:51.799 worked for, the position, and a bunch of different factors. 221 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:54.879 So it's not as easy as saying it's just calculated 222 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:58.759 and then stuck in an elevator. And they said that 223 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:04.799 it's more than just federal paperwork. There there are treasures 224 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:10.600 from they said, priceless treasures. Studios from Hollywood could rent 225 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:14.240 out space and store the original master copies of classic movies. 226 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:16.639 There are multiple places they can do that. It doesn't 227 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:21.360 have to be in this mind but historical photographs, glass negatives, 228 00:12:21.399 --> 00:12:24.519 they said. There are even things like original recordings by 229 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:29.399 Elton John. Businesses organizations also use the affility facility to 230 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:32.399 store their digital data on servers that do exist down there. 231 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:36.399 So the possibility does exist for the United States Retirement 232 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:39.519 the Office of Personnel Management to use a more updated 233 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:41.960 system and still do it at Iron Mountain. They don't 234 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:43.919 need to sit there with minila folders and shove this 235 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:46.720 stuff like they did, like it's, you know, God forbid 236 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:49.799 the mid eighties. But it's one of those things that 237 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:52.840 he has pointed out that is, yes, we've done it 238 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:55.799 this way for a very long time, and yes it's 239 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:59.480 possible to continue doing it that way, but just making 240 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:03.639 some minor changes could potentially save lots and lots of money. 241 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:07.320 So again, President Trump is expected to hold a news 242 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:10.159 conference sometime soon from the White House about all of this, 243 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:13.200 about reciprocal tariffs that have supposed to be coming up. 244 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:15.360 But I figured this is a good day to talk 245 00:13:15.399 --> 00:13:18.080 about fire because it's kind of far from our minds 246 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:20.720 because the amount of rain coming in. But the Army 247 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:22.879 Corps of Engineer said that it's not going to order 248 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:27.080 soil testing at the sites of the Eton and Palisades 249 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:31.120 fire after they've been cleaned up. For one thing, it 250 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:33.360 removes a giant hurdle for those people who want to 251 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:36.279 get back and start rebuilding their lives in those areas. 252 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:38.559 But there are some people who are concerned about the 253 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:40.720 lack of soil testing. We'll talk about all of that 254 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:41.399 we come back. 255 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.440 You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI 256 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:47.559 AM six forty. 257 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:53.240 The President's cabinet is being filled out. Specifically, the Senate 258 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:56.720 confirmed RFK Junior is Health and Human Services Secretary today 259 00:13:57.039 --> 00:13:59.679 a he along with Tulsea Gabbard and then Cash Bettel, 260 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:04.080 the three considered to be the most tenuous nominations that 261 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:06.679 they were not expected to make it through, and at 262 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:10.200 least two of the three have. Senate Judiciary Committee did 263 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:13.120 vote along party lines to advance the nomination of Cash Betel. 264 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:15.000 For FBI directors who he's closer to. 265 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:17.840 A confirmation vote, Brooke Rollins is going to serve as 266 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:21.759 Secretary of Agriculture. But one of the issues specifically with 267 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:27.480 RFK and then also with Telsey gabbertist Director of National Intelligence, 268 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:30.879 was Mitch McConnell. Eighty two year old guy, former leader 269 00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:35.279 of the minority leader when the Democrats had control, but 270 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:38.600 also majority leader when his Republicans had control. This guy 271 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:40.879 is old as dirt. He's been in a wheelchair in 272 00:14:40.919 --> 00:14:42.559 the last couple of times. He's the guy that used 273 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:46.240 to freeze in these news conferences. He's literally been carried 274 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:51.279 from wheelchair to car in the last few days, and 275 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:54.120 it looks like he's just flipping double birds at Donald 276 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:56.360 Trump on the way out. So we'll talk about what 277 00:14:56.399 --> 00:15:00.519 Mitch McConnell has been doing, specifically when comes to the 278 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:07.240 cabinet picks and trying to but unsuccessfully, trying to put 279 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:10.879 a speed bump in front of Trump's administration. So we 280 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:13.559 are keeping an eye on the White House. President Trump 281 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:15.320 is expected to hold a news conference from the White 282 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:17.440 House here pretty soon. Among other things, he's going to 283 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:20.159 be signing some executive orders. He's expected to talk about 284 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:27.159 elon Musk and doge and also reciprocal tariffs. Well, now's 285 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:30.039 as good time as any to talk about the fires 286 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:32.279 because we're not worried about the fires today. We are 287 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:36.840 worried about the potential for atmospheric river and the storms 288 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:40.559 that are coming to bring some mud slides to those areas. 289 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:41.840 But speaking of. 290 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:45.399 The mud and the dirt that exists in those fire areas, 291 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:47.360 the Army Corps of Engineer said that it's not going 292 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:49.919 to order soil testing at the properties that have been 293 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:52.919 damaged by the Eat and the Palisades fire after they've 294 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:56.320 been cleared off by the private federal contractors, which is 295 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:59.679 different than what they would do, different than what the 296 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:02.080 Army Corp of Engineers is done in the past. They said, 297 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:06.039 it's a way this soil testing the safeguard to ensure 298 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:10.120 that there's no lingering contamination that's left after the cleanup. 299 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:14.679 Federal and state officials have called for soil samples to 300 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:18.240 be collected and analyzed at homes and schools cleaned by 301 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:22.679 the work crews. It's called conformation sampling is the word 302 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.200 the term that they use. It's intended to verify that 303 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:28.519 the soil at these properties doesn't have any more toxic 304 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:32.159 chemicals in it that would be above the state's legal 305 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:36.320 limit for cleanup standards. Once the ash and rubble are 306 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:42.159 removed along with six inches of topsoil. The standard practice 307 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:44.519 is that that's six inches of top soil once it's 308 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:47.879 removed from these properties that have burned most of the 309 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:53.480 most of the most toxic chemicals would go with that 310 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:57.320 top soil and then that's disposed of. But Army Corps 311 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:00.480 officials said that taking the six inches of topsoil should 312 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:02.679 be enough. They don't need to go back and test 313 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:06.920 because it is so commonly believed that that six inch 314 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:11.400 top soil removal is enough. At a news conference just yesterday, 315 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:15.000 the Army Corps Colonel Eric Swinzon explain this decision. Said, 316 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:17.440 the state does when the state does a request for 317 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:20.440 direct federal assistance, they make it a FEMA and we 318 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:22.440 get brought on to do a specific scope. And so 319 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:24.920 these are the limits of what we can do under 320 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:29.599 this disaster. And he says, these are our instructions and guidelines, 321 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:33.119 and we have to stick to those guidelines. Now, county 322 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:35.720 officials have said that that's probably not a great idea. 323 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:37.519 They want to make sure that everybody is safe once 324 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:41.000 they go back and start to rebuild. Catherine Barger, for example, 325 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:42.640 said that we don't want to discount it. We're going 326 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:45.839 to have to regroup and figure this one out. The 327 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:50.359 executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, Jane Williams, says, 328 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:53.400 if you're not willing to do confirmatory test sampling, that 329 00:17:53.559 --> 00:17:57.519 tells us they're willing to leave the properties contaminated. It 330 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:02.680 also means that there is a desire to get back 331 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:05.839 to these communities. There's a desire to start the rebuilding 332 00:18:05.880 --> 00:18:10.599 process as soon as possible because of the danger of 333 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:15.119 dragging your feet and yes, you do want to make 334 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:17.279 sure that it is safe enough for you to go back. 335 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.799 As an example, the campfire in twenty eighteen up in Paradise, 336 00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:27.119 there was a company called Tetra Tech hired to test 337 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:30.880 the soil on more than twelve thousand properties. After the 338 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.960 cleanup cruise did that standard practice removing all the rebbel 339 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:37.799 and then taking six inches of top soil, and about 340 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:41.839 a third of those properties still had enough toxic chemicals 341 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:45.599 in them that they were in excess of the cleanup standards, 342 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:51.079 including things like lead and arsenic, And in light of 343 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:54.359 the soil testing, workers did go back to those properties, 344 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:56.799 in one case as many as five times to dig 345 00:18:56.839 --> 00:19:00.400 out more contaminated soil so that then they would meet 346 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:03.960 the clean up standards set by the state. Without the 347 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.799 soil testing, the army courses, they will not be going 348 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:09.680 back to do any additional soil removal in the Palisades 349 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:13.319 fire area or the Eaten fire area. So I mean, 350 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:16.039 Barbara Ferrara says, that's a bad idea. So far, about 351 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:18.559 seventy three hundred property owners and those two fires have 352 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:24.240 filled out the forms to say they seventy three hundred, 353 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:26.839 about ninety nine percent of them have opted for the 354 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:29.200 Army Corps of Engineer to remove the debris and the 355 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:33.200 contaminated soil rather than pay what's probably going to be 356 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:37.359 a much more expensive route, albeit quicker, to have a 357 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:40.880 private contractor come in and do it. So they've been 358 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:43.799 supervising so far as these federal cleanup crews have been 359 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:47.000 going in. They have been using excavators. They've been pulling 360 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:51.920 large objects. Think about just think about it, the burned 361 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:58.160 out cars, the washing machines, the big appliances, the water heaters, 362 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.720 I mean, all these things that exist in these homes 363 00:20:01.079 --> 00:20:04.119 that have burned out and are just sitting on these properties. 364 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:06.960 So they've tossed the debris into these freight containers. The 365 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:10.079 crews that are wearing hazmat suits have been shoveling the 366 00:20:10.119 --> 00:20:13.119 ash into plastic garbage bags. And then of course they 367 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:15.319 go in and, like we said, remove that six inches 368 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:18.359 of top soil to try to get rid of most 369 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:19.759 of the heavy metals. 370 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:21.079 Or other contaminus that would pose a risk. 371 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:23.400 But at this point the Army Corps of Engineer is 372 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:26.160 not planning on doing it because they're not planning. They 373 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:28.200 are going to remove the soil, but they are not 374 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.680 going to do the testing. Then after that it's just 375 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:34.279 it's probably just too much. There's too many properties that 376 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.440 would be involved with all of it. The other issue 377 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:44.799 is we had a brush with catastrophe. There were hundreds 378 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.279 of jail inmates at a county facility up in the 379 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:51.839 Castaic area that may have had to have been evacuated 380 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:55.480 at one point during the hues fire that came out 381 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:59.680 up near Lake Casteak. That would have been an absolute mess. 382 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:02.839 Describe how close we got to just unlock on the 383 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:03.799 doors for those guys. 384 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:08.799 You're listening to Gary and Shannon on demand from KFI 385 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:11.400 AM six forty. 386 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:17.400 Is it possible that a human body would able would 387 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:20.039 be even able to endure a voyage all the way 388 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:26.000 to Mars and back question mark. There's some discussion about 389 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:28.920 the limits of space travel and just how far we 390 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:31.599 might be able to go, So we'll talk about that 391 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:33.960 when we get to Strange Science coming up at twelve thirty. 392 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:36.400 Swamp Watch at the top of the hour, more about 393 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:39.519 the cabinet picks that are now being implemented and if 394 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:43.640 President Trump announces these tariff plans, the Reciprocal Tariff Plan 395 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:46.680 and starts a news conference from the White house. The 396 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:48.480 expectation was that it was going to be at about 397 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:51.880 ten o'clock hour time, it hasn't started yet. Also a 398 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:55.359 wellness segment next hour. The difference between running for a 399 00:21:55.400 --> 00:21:59.559 long time and running fast is there a difference in 400 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:01.960 which one is going to be healthier for you. In 401 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:05.920