Episodios

  • What's Next In The Iran War?
    Mar 9 2026
    Hy and Christopher and the show with an interview with Bill Hyland, his historian of St Bernard Parish on the https://www.losislenos.org/events We also talk about https://www.aspendailynews.com/news/one-of-the-last-great-newspapermen/article_3b0b4113-286f-4305-8172-ec076eba845b.html of the program, Curtis Robinson.But our main conversation, as Christopher writes below, is What’s Next in the Iran War?Many have criticized Donald Trump’s military bombing campaign in Iran, yet one strains to show sympathy for a regime which murdered thousands of its own people for simply asking for the right to free elections. It’s difficult to have empathy for a dictatorship so brutal that when a young adolescent is shot at a peaceful demonstration, and a firefighter picks him up to carry him to get medical aid, the firefighter is shot and killed by the Revolutionary Guard for the audacity of helping a wounded protester. No Westerner will shed tears for the demise Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or lament the destruction of the Iranian drone factories—which have outfitted the Russian military with endless amount of aerial death visited on innocent Ukrainian citizens—and which currently bomb civilian targets in Arab countries.Even the most ardent critic of the exercise of US military force in Iran had trouble suppressing a sardonic laugh when news reports showed the bombed-out ruins of the building where the mullahs of Iran gathered to vote for a new supreme leader. It was easy to chuckle when in headlines above the photo of destroyed shell of the building of the “assembly of experts” (that which remained after the explosion), the news caption read “white smoke, no leader.” How does one not cheer at the death of a group of psychopaths who have driven thousands to their death through endless conflict and terrorism? Iran is run by a “12th Imam” death cult whose theological relationship to mainstream Islam is roughly analogous to that of a Bible-believing Baptist versus a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Both claim to be Christians, but they share the sole similarity of staring at a cross on a regular basis— with much different purpose in mind. Few will shed a tear for an Ayatollah and government who actively tried to kill the President of the United States; moreover, degrading the remaining nuclear and military assets of Iran not only relieves an existential danger, but increases our ability to emasculate terrorist cells around the world. A limited aerial strike on Iran, which came after informing the Gang of Eight in Congress, is essentially the same action Barack Obama took during his presidency. The question remains, though, what happens next? How limited is this?In point of fact, Operation Epic Fury started when it did, according to Axios, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called President Trump on Feb 23 with a stunning tip: Iran's supreme leader and his top advisers were all set to meet at one location in Tehran on February 28. “They could all be killed in a single devastating airstrike,” Netanyahu told Trump and his team, according to three sources briefed on the discussion. As the bombing campaign stretches into its third week, Donald Trump faces a constitutional requirement, as he has called this bombardment “a war “. The President should go to Congress and seek authorization for further action. More importantly, Trump should tell both the US House, the US Senate, and the American people just what the essential objective of the continued bombing campaign really is— because even his friends are wondering.Erik Prince, one of the Trump’s closest supporters—and as President of Blackwater an expert on ground wars and their aftermath—said on the Steve Bannon podcast, “If there were a viable ground force that could seize and hold terrain and control terrain, then I guess air power and a decapitation strike makes more sense to me. But clacking off against the leadership and leaving a void right now — I’m concerned it’s going to result in a lot of chaos. Who knows what weapons the Iranians have stockpiled away that they’ll unleash on the region, or what they’ll do inside the United States now? It’s undoubtedly a bold move. I hope it was the president’s decision alone, and not because he was arm-twisted by supporters or billionaire donors. Why are we so worried about nuclear weapons not if we had these strikes last year that supposedly eliminated their nuclear program? Regimes get changed by removing the top management, but [also] having a viable replacements. I have yet to see there is a viable replacement anywhere that can sieze control of a significant empire. Ninety million people — intelligent, hardworking, technologically capable — is not easy to govern or flip overnight. Air power alone concerns me. And I’m concerned this is not our fight, that this is Israel’s fight that we got dragged into…And already three Americans dead, five seriously ...
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  • Rep. Julia Letlow Joins The Show
    Mar 4 2026
    The Founders Show kicks off with an interview with Congresswoman Julia Letlow, candidate for the United States Senate in the May 16 Republican primary. We talk about why flood insurance for Louisiana is more important than a perfect American Conservative Union rating, her endorsement from President Trump, and why she decided to challenge Bill Cassidy.At the end of the show, we talked to another candidate, former Jefferson Parish President John Young, who is running in the May 16 Republican primary for the LA Public Service Commission to succeed the term limited Eric Skrmetta. President Trump cited the need for data centers to install their own power plants, an idea that began at the behest of the LA PSC with Meta. Young talks about how Louisiana is setting the trends on data centers nationally, and why who holds this office is extremely important. He repeats the often given quit in the tech industry that the Interstate 20 corridor is starting to be called “AI-20”.In between, Hy and Christopher argue about the meaning of the State of the Union address— and whether we should go back to the tradition of our Founders and abolish the verbal speech.As Christopher writes: End the SOTU AddressesAt February 24th State of the Union address, the New Orleans-born, Houston-area Congressman Al Green defied the ‘polite silence’ instructions of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a protest sign, “Black people aren’t apes.” Before he was escorted out of the chamber, he answered—before the national cameras—a tweet that Donald Trump forwarded on his TruthSocial account depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes in a jungle. Green set the tone of the evening with Trump respondingly calling Democrats “crazy”, “evil”, and “ what’s wrong with you?” Prominent Democrats responded with heckles of their own. Very little of the 2026 State of the Union address talked about policy, or even provided any facts about the State of the Union of any particular relevance to the national conversation other than the price of gasoline at the pump. The utter farce staged last Tuesday may signal that time has come to finally get rid the body politic of this horrible Stentorian tradition begun by another racist president, Woodrow Wilson, and return to the practice which stretched from Thomas Jefferson to Theodore Roosevelt of simply the White House sending to Congress a written report on the State of the Union. Few read those presidential missives today, but they actually provide quite informative historical snapshots on a year-by-year basis on the conditions within the United States. They also show a remarkable insight into the thinking of government leaders at the time. The written SOTUs are serious documents for serious men; in other words, the opposite of what the verbal SOTUs have been for decades. Not all the evening was nonsensical. Trump provided a few heartfelt moments in his address, but these moments had little to do with the current State of the Union. No matter what one’s political persuasion, only the heartless refused to cheer as the US Men’s Hockey Team marched in donning their newly-won gold medals. A tear came in the eyes of most Americans as the Purple Heart was pinned on the lapel of the hero National Guardsman or when the Congressional Medal of Honor was hung on the neck on the 100-year-old veteran Korean War-era Navy pilot. Without those moments, the insults, and the theatrical procession of the Olympic team into the US House gallery with the promise of a Presidential Medal of Freedom to be awarded to Connor Hellebuyck (the goalie for the Winnipeg Jets), Trump’s actual SOTU Address comprised an actually rather short speech bared of much policy content, only approximately a half hour of the actual 1 hour and 48 minutes address. The President did speak of items of legislation already passed from taxes cuts to regulatory relief, as well as referencing the pending SAVE Act to require photo ID to vote (although his dig at his friend “the communist” Mayor Mandami requiring a photo ID and a Social Security card to get a job to shovel snow but not go to the ballot box did draw a laugh). The President also referenced his Trump RX program claiming that he had lowered prices by 100% (though one doubts drugs are now free), and Trump emphasized his support of the medical transparency bill (with a flash at his bette noir Sen. Bill Cassidy, who has championed and authored this legislation for more than a decade). In fact, the President’s only statutory request of Congress was to provide more government funds to a retirement subsidy program for those without a 401(k) or pension, originally passed by DEMOCRATS!Other than to condemn the Supreme Court and defend his love tariffs, Trump really did not introduce any NEW big ideas in his speech, which continues an unfortunately common bipartisan trend for State of the Union addresses, especially when one considers that a...
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  • U.S. Senate Race, OPSO Communication Crisis, SNAP Changes
    Feb 23 2026
    Hy and Christopher take on several subjects on today’s broadcast, including a major communications crisis at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, The secret to a better Mardi Gras “Fat Friday”, SNAP, NO soda for you, and a New POLL in the Louisiana US Senate race SHOWS A DEAD HEAT… and that the negative ads on Julia Letlow are working.
    Referring to the first topic, we had asked Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson a series if questions, and she provided a reply that was less than informative.
    We queried, “Last year, the jail switched vendors for providing inmate communications -- like phone calls -- to a controversial Florida company (Smart Communications) that has recently filed bankruptcy, how will that impact jail operations? Has the Sheriff begun investigation for a replacement? The owner of smart communications was a very proud ex convict. He had a license plate that said “ convict”. Did the sheriff express reservations given that information? In some jurisdictions, inmate advocates have been critical of banning mail, arguing that it diminishes contact with family and loved ones; I believe the jail currently scans mail for viewing on kiosk screens -- what are your thoughts on that?

    Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Rep. replied, “OPSO has received solid assurances that all obligations, and commitments will remain unchanged. Any questions you may have about the changes occurring within Smart Communications, should be addressed with the company directly.”

    We also talk about an answer to diminishing crowds on the Wednesday before Mardi Gras with “The Vendredi Gras Solution”.

    In recent years, it has become a common practice in New Orleans to give school children the Friday before Mardi Gras off along with the week containing Shrove Tuesday. In fact, teachers tend to dismiss their classes at midday on the Thursday prior, as megaparades commence to dominate the calendar that night. Educators wish their kids get home in time. As a result of a holiday weekend has evolved, and the midweek Krewes have paid the price. Comparatively meager crowds currently attend the parades on Carnival’s Wednesday night. It is easier just to wait for Thursday—and beyond. After all, children have school in the morning on Thursday, and the first float of the second parade on Wednesday evening often will not reach most families till 930 at night—or later.
    Parade routes which boast of teeming crowds for the long five-day weekend stand nearly empty along St. Charles Avenue on the Wednesday prior to Shrove Tuesday, yet the city must nonetheless spend huge sums of money for police and sanitation despite the mediocre attendance. The former night for Nyx was inherited by Alla and Druids on the Orleans route in 2026, yet neither parade inspired enough loyalty to draw dense crowds this year. Often, there were more people on the floats than receiving the beads in the crowd.
    When one accepts that virtually no one in New Orleans truly works on the Friday before Mardi Gras (however official that workday may be listed), it might be time for the City Council to acknowledge transferring the Wednesday night parades on the main route to Friday afternoons and declaring that day a city holiday, with Thursday’s Chaos parade kicking off what would be essentially become a five-day holiday. Savings in police and sanitation costs would be profound, and the businesses which have to shut down early on Wednesday would enjoy a complete full work day…
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  • A Carnival Classic
    Feb 23 2026
    Hy and Christopher revisit one of our classic shows, featuring the Creole balladeer Armand St. Martin. We premiere several new carnival songs and talk about the traditions of carnival, that begin literally on the day that Louisiana is founded, Mardi Gras 1699.
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  • Carnival Edition
    Feb 6 2026
    It’s our carnival edition, and Hy and Christopher explore the new exhibit at the Presbytere on the Illinois Clubs.Illinois Club exhibit at the Presbytere Tells of 231 Years of Black Carnival Aspiration & TriumphBy Christopher TidmoreJust as The Louisiana Weekly celebrates its centenary this year, so will the Young Men’s Illinois club reach that milestone this Mardi Gras season. The history of that landmark African-American carnival crew and its progenitor, the Original Illinois Club, are the subject of a brilliant new exhibition at the Louisiana State Museum at Jackson Square. One enters the Presbytere‘s second floor into the special exhibition hall to be greeted by the resplendent dress of Dr. Karen Becnel Moore, Queen of Young Men’s Illinois in 1966, backed by a picture of her court. Another glittering gown worn by three generations of the Rhodes family stands sentinel before that case. Kings costumes, videos of balls, and the brilliant backdrop of the Old French Opera House from the 1968 YMI Ball takes up seven full walls. As exhibit advisory member and key contributor Carolyn Duvigneaud Thomas described, “These dresses are just simply beautiful…You have an assortment of dresses and crowns and scepters. It’s it’s just a wonderful collection, and you also have two Kings costumes. The Original Illinois is the only organization that has kings, and so we have two of their costumes on display.” “I’m just happy this story is being told. It’s been a secret. A hidden secret, and it’s time for this story to be out, and for everyone to know it.” Along the way, visitors learn how a former Pullman porter working the Illinois Central Railroad, Wiley J. Knight, arrived in New Orleans in 1894 and revolutionized carnival. As the exhibit explains, “A native of Bolivar, Tennessee, he worked in close proximity to wealthy whites, earning a living as a butler, a valet, a waiter, and a railroad chef. In his eyes, Blacks had limited knowledge of the social graces. Knight believed that the only formal dance familiar to African Americans was the quadrille…Wiley Knight founded Knight's School of Dance, where Black families enrolled their children to learn etiquette and dancing. His students suggested staging a carnival dance, which was so successful that it quickly gave rise to the formation of the Illinois Club. According to club lore, Knight founded the organization at the home of Erona Doley, whose great-nephew Harold Doley Sr. would later become a prominent member of the Young Men Illinois Club….The Illinois Club became the most important African American carnival organization in New Orleans, known for its annual balls, debutantes, and its signature dance, the Chicago Glide.” The First Club would spawn an equally dynamic organization, as the exhibit dioramas explain. “As Illinois Club membership expanded, controversy arose, resulting in a rift in 1926. The exact cause of the split remains uncertain, with two stories surviving. According to one account, some of the newer, younger members no longer wanted to follow founder Wiley Knight's policies. It was said that Knight ‘ruled with an iron hand.’ The other belief is that two members disagreed about the selection of the queen of the ball.” “Regardless of the reason for the breakup, the new organization's name-Young Men Illinois Club (YMI)- implies a generational difference. The founding group became the Original Illinois Club. Longtime YMI member Ernest M. Thomas often stated that YMI was organized at his 1920 Bienville Streethome in March 1926. On February 26, 1927, the Young Men Illinois staged their first ball with Mabel Saulsby reigning as queen. The 1920s tensions faded over time. Despite having two separate organizations, it was not uncommon for men to be members of both clubs simultaneously. Today, the clubs recognize the presence of each other's members and wives at their annual balls.” Dr. Karen Becnel Moore observed, “The original Illinois was founded in 1895 and the young men’s Illinois in 1926, and it is the centennial anniversary that we are celebrating this year, and also we’re celebrating the history of both clubs and the origin of both clubs,” but she added the lessons of serving in those courts went far beyond Mardi Gras sequins. “Queenship and being presented as a debutante means to us service and commitment to our society, to enhancing our community, and to enhancing the country. It is not just party/party/ party. This is an introduction to society for the purpose of working with the society and being dedicated just to serve. Our debutantes and queens— whether young people or senior citizens—we’re still serving and we are still persons who are doctors, lawyers, educators, and businesswomen in the community. People who are determined to contribute to elevating society and elevating the community whether it is Black...
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  • Washington, Mardi Gras, Upcoming Elections & Questions For The New Sheriff
    Feb 6 2026
    Hy and Christopher confront a number of topics, including Washington, Mardi Gras, and the importance of the upcoming election elections on February 7.

    But we talk about two fundamental questions that the current sheriff and the incoming sheriff has so far refused to answer. We try to answer them on this week’s show.

    Last year, the jail switched vendors for providing inmate communications -- like phone calls -- to a controversial Florida company (Smart Communications) that has recently filed bankruptcy, how will that impact jail operations?

    2) Has the Sheriff begun investigation for a replacement?

    3) The owner of smart communications was a very proud ex convict. He had a license plate that said “ convict”. Did the sheriff express reservations given that information?

    4) In some jurisdictions, inmate advocates have been critical of banning mail, arguing that it diminishes contact with family and loved ones; I believe the jail currently scans mail for viewing on kiosk screens -- what are your thoughts on that?

    5) Does the sheriffs office currently have an in-house PIO officer?

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  • Cassidy vs. Letlow
    Jan 24 2026
    Hy and Christopher broadcast from Big Bend National Park. We ask why Trump has put his face on the new annual pass for the National Parks? We also examine Trump’s recent endorsement of Julia Letlow. Here is Christopher’s column in The Louisiana Weekly.GOP contenders unfazed by Trump endorsement of Julia LetlowBy Christopher Tidmore, Contributing WriterThree weeks ago, in a closed meeting of the Republican National Committee, Chairman Joe Gruters reportedly said that he had learned that Senator Bill Cassidy would be accepting a university position instead of qualifying for another term, and that Congresswoman Julia Letlow would soon be endorsed by President Trump, and subsequently run for the Senate. This news brought cheers to the hyper-partisan crowd, as Cassidy enjoys very little popularity in senior GOP circles after his vote to convict President Trump in the second impeachment five years ago. At least half of Gruters’ prediction came true last week.On Saturday, January 17, President Trump announced his endorsement of Julia Letlow in a TruthSocial posting that read, “Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!” She formally joined the United States Senate race the following Tuesday.State Rep. Mike Bayham, a Letlow supporter, speculated that an upcoming fundraiser the GOP Senate Majority Leader planned on hosting in Baton Rouge might have prompted President Trump to act sooner than he might have previously planned: “I think the Thune event for Cassidy triggered the late night Trump post [on Truth Social] for Julia for the U.S. Senate,” Bayham explained.Trump’s endorsement certainly came as a shock to the four candidates already challenging Bill Cassidy in the U.S. Senate race, which includes La. Treasurer John Fleming, 1st District PSC Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, 22nd District State Senator Blake Miguez and 39th District State Rep. Julie Emerson. All had been vying for Trump’s endorsement, and Skrmetta, in particular, had just attended a meeting at the White House on energy policy the previous week.Emerson dropped out on Friday, January 23, yet she is the only candidate to depart so far. In fact, Skrmetta doubled down by announcing a $3500 per person fundraiser on February 3, promoting his new book Conservatism: Endowed by Our Creator. In an interview with The Louisiana Weekly, Skrmetta pledged to remain in the contest, no matter what. He sees a lot of discontented conservatives eager for another choice. Partially, the reason is ideological. Louisiana’s rightwing intelligentsia is not thrilled with the President's choice of Letlow.As 1996 U.S. Senate candidate and former State Rep. Woody Jenkins put it, Cassidy and Letlow “ARE THE TWO MODERATE REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE RACE coming up in Louisiana – not by any length the candidates most conservative Republicans will be looking at. We have strong conservatives running who have a good chance to win. Don’t let the media define the race as between these two moderate candidates because that is far from the case. FYI Cassidy and Letlow have voting records almost the same.”The critique is a tad unfair, as it is based on American Conservative Union ratings, which put both Cassidy and Letlow at roughly 75-percent pure conservative voting records. One of the main reasons both were discounted was the effort undertaken by both to convince FEMA to change its flood maps. In other words, the desire to keep the federal government subsidizing flood insurance for tens of thousands of Louisianans—a very critical need for their constituents to remain in their homes south of the flood protection walls—may have been popular locally, but national conservative organizations rated those votes as “liberal.”Still, Jenkins tapped into the anxiety that many local conservatives have about sending yet another moderate to D.C. Governor Landry’s motivation to reestablish the closed primary was to make it impossible for a comparative moderate like Cassidy to win renomination. Letlow, a candidate with a voting record on insurance and healthcare similar to Cassidy, doesn’t strike many conservatives as an improvement. She reminds many conservatives of how the White House parachuted former New Orleans Councilwoman and La. Elections Commissioner Suzie Terrell into the 2002 U.S. Senate race; Terrell entered the contest only due to the unabashed support of President George W. Bush, which propelled her into the runoff over more conservative candidates. Nevertheless, she ended up losing to Mary Landrieu.Terrell’s 2002 Senate GOP opponent, Tony Perkins, a protégé of Jenkins’ and currently the head of the conservative Family Research Council, argued at the time that a more conservative candidate would have had better turnout – and perhaps won.As an editorial by the Louisiana conservative website The Hayride argued, “Overall, [Letlow’s] scorecard numbers generally hover around 75 ...
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  • It's A Hard Candy Christmas
    Dec 19 2025
    Hy and Christopher talk about families coming together, Christmas, but the cynicism that kind of overrides our politics. We mention Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s ripping down of the banners on Gallier Hall placed there for inauguration of her successor Helena Moreno.Political cynicism threatens to take over the holidays, and we talk about President Trump’s address (in detail below and) on the radio show. We also talk about Rob Reiner’s murder, and the President’s reaction. Christopher shares some comments from James Woods, a strong Trump supporter, who also loved Reiner as a fellow patriot— even as they disagreed politically. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AGz4WFLFz/?mibextid=wwXIfrHowever, we also talk about the “threat” to Christmas. Santa may have been captured by the communists! We have secret footage of his interrogation! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BtMfsQ7oA/?mibextid=wwXIfrHowever, our main topic centers around this theme, Christopher’s Column in The Louisiana Weekly.Lord, it's like a hard candy ChristmasBy Christopher TidmoreI'm barely getting through tomorrowBut still I won't letSorrow bring me downThe immortal Christmas ballad by Dolly Parton is a lament. It essentially says all of the ways that one’s life will be better in the coming year than the previous, yet the implication of the song – when she sings of the possibility of losing some weight, meeting someone, or moving away – reveals that the singer knows nothing much will change by the next Yuletide season. One wonders if that was the real truth of Donald Trump’s eighteen minute national address last Wednesday night. To tell us how good things will become – in the hopes that we don’t recognize how challenging life is right now – and will remain. For those that missed the president’s rant, all negative economic data and social problems were blamed on Joe Biden. Any upturn in the economy, fall in the jobless rates, or positive news came as a Christmas gift courtesy of Donald Trump. Of course, the president talked about tax cuts, and supply side stimulus does have an impact on the economy. The problem, however, is that most of his tax cuts have yet to take effect. The tax cuts on tips and Social Security will not manifest until returns are filed next April, and the president’s proposed healthcare savings accounts have not yet been enacted, and will likely face a hostile filibuster in the U.S. Senate due to the president’s own opposition to paying subsidies to insurance companies. Claiming that health insurance underwriters exist as whole-owned subsidiaries of the Democratic Party might come as a surprise to the gaggle of lobbyists who tend to give bigger contributions to Republicans, including Trump. Finally, the president’s proposal to give a $1,776 bonus to members of the military through tariff funds likely won’t come to pass if the Supreme Court outlaws the constitutionality of the White House unilaterally enacting tariffs without congressional support. In fact, many major companies have already pre-filed lawsuits to get the money refunded. Even if Trump does succeed in convincing the majority of the court that he can unilaterally put taxes on anything, he’s already promised tariff money to three other funding schemes. There’s not a lot left, unless he was lying previously.Hey, maybe I'll dye my hairMaybe I'll move somewhereMaybe I'll get a carMaybe I'll drive so farThey'll all lose trackMe, I'll bounce right backMaybe I'll sleep real lateMaybe I'll lose some weightMaybe I'll clear my junkMaybe I'll just get drunk on apple wineMe, I'll be justFine and dandyLord it's like a hard candy ChristmasI'm barely getting through tomorrowBut still I won't letSorrow bring me way downThe song presupposes that one’s hope in the promise of a new year is predicated on actions which really make a difference in one’s life, yet the audience (as well as the singer) both understand that no real will exists to undertake those self improvements.The president has blamed Joe Biden for all of his challenges because Trump finds it impossible to empathize with people who are hurting, or to offer solutions which might actually lower prices and improve the public’s well-being.True, gas prices have fallen as the president claimed, but some of Trump’s own political interventions in the petrochemical market have scared off investors just as quickly as deregulation has drawn them. Most other of the prices that he boasts about falling occurred mainly due to the same food offered in smaller-sized amounts, such as the frequently noted “Thanksgiving Dinner” package. Trump’s own success at deporting Hispanic migrants has driven up the cost of labor in multiple industries, harming the economy, though it has helped wage growth in some sectors.The desperate move (made the day after the speech by the president’s minions) to rename America’s main arts complex “the Trump Kennedy ...
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