[00:00:04] Broadcasting live from atop the Rocky Mountains, the crossroads of the West. You are listening to the Liberty Roundtable Radio Talk Show. All right, this segment of the broadcast will contain discussions of Charlie Kirk, Mitch McConnell, Oil Surge, Red Sea, Federal Reserve, Trump's $5,000 dividend,
[00:00:34] second federal judge blocks President Donald Trump. We're just getting started. Happy to have you along, my fellow Americans. I'm Sam Bushman with hard-hitting news the networks refuse to use. A big old shame goes out, ladies and gentlemen. It's a sad tale to tell. Charlie Kirk Memorial statue defaced with red paint just days after unveiling. So we're talking about the newly unveiled eight-foot statue.
[00:01:04] It's a memorial statue of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized overnight outside the Turning Point TPUSA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The statue was installed just three days before the vandalism to mark the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk's September 10, 2025 assassination.
[00:01:29] It was smeared with red paint across its face, neck, and chest. And a nearby Christian memorial site was also defaced. Phoenix police say that they don't have anybody that they can identify with the crime. And they were working on it since Sunday morning, so yesterday morning. And Turning Point USA says the statue will be restored. So what a sad tale to tell.
[00:01:59] Isn't it enough that they murdered him? Now you've got these haters literally destroying private property. It's a tragic reality. But the second story even gives us more detail about this, by the way, ladies and gentlemen. Charlie Kirk Memorial vandalized Jesus and cross deliberately overwritten, struck out, if you will.
[00:02:25] Vandals attacked the newly unveiled Charlie Kirk statue outside the Turning Point headquarters in Phoenix. Red paint. They also defaced a Christian sign that read, Jesus defeated death so you could live. The name Jesus and the cross were both scrawled out or crossed out.
[00:02:53] And Phoenix police are investigating the overnight attack. They don't have details on it yet. They say they will restore the defaced statue and also the sign. Now, here's the problem. They also say this. After Jesus was crossed out, they say Satan was apparently scrolled across the display after they crossed out Jesus.
[00:03:23] And I just think about this and I just think, wow, folks, these people are hate-filled and hostile. Right? Jesus defeated death so you can live. Isn't that a cool statement? Jesus defeated death so you can live. I love that phrase. And the name Jesus and then the cross were crossed out. Then Satan was apparently scrawled across the display.
[00:03:52] Folks, I don't even know how to respond to this in America. We've gone beyond. I mean, that's political violence if you ask my opinion. And right now the Phoenix police have no idea who it is. Sounds like to me they'll probably never get caught either. What I don't understand is we have cameras everywhere. We have flock cameras galore monitoring my license plate, trying to give me tickets, finding my comings and goings. And, you know, we've got neighborhood cameras everywhere.
[00:04:19] You walk down the street and you've got a ton of, you know, door cams and monitoring everything we do. And now it's like, hey, these handles get away with this and we have no idea who did what. Folks, I don't even know. Wow. Anyway, all I can tell you is good for TPUSA that says they'll restore the memorial. They'll get it all squared away. But, man, was there cameras on this thing?
[00:04:47] And if not, are we putting cameras up next go round or what? These criminals need to be stopped. They always say that, oh, the right wingers, they're hostile. And white wingers have white. Let me say this right. White right wingers have nothing to do with this, folks. This is all haters of Charlie and his message. But remember, Charlie is the guy that sat down and said, listen, we may disagree, but let's sit down together and reason.
[00:05:16] And they give them a microphone and talk. Yes, he was pretty bold at shutting down their ideas in the debate of ideas. But he gave them a mic and gave them a chance. And let's discuss this reasonably among adults. They murdered him for it. Now they destroy his statue. Folks, things are getting worse in the country. You want to know what the answer is, though? Yes, it's to stop criminals and arrest them for sure.
[00:05:46] But you know what? Jesus is the answer. Okay. When we think about. Jesus defeated death so you can live. That is the ultimate discussion point. That was Charlie's. When Charlie was asked what his most important message was, it was that he wanted everyone to know he is a Christian believing follower of Christ, a disciple of Jesus Christ. And I believe that is the key here.
[00:06:11] Anger, hatred, vitriol, division, you know, isn't the answer. The answer is to. Well, they say a soft answer. Turneth away wrath. That's the way the scriptures teach it. And so we need to be humble. I'm just sad that this occurred. I do want prosecution for those who are acting criminally. But at the same time, I want to I want to provide a soft answer. Let's sit down together as Charlie.
[00:06:38] Set the example for let's sit down together and talk. We can disagree. We can agree to disagree agreeably. We can be patient with one another. Braver angels is probably one of the biggest groups doing this in the pattern of a Charlie Kirk, if you will. They're even more so than Charlie Kirk. Instead of like, let's sit down and see who can debate better or see who can, you know, that was kind of Charlie. He did a great job at that. Let's at least talk. And let's at least show you the error of your ways.
[00:07:05] But braver angels seeks to go even a step further. And they say, you know what? Let's not only sit down and talk, but let's show respect for one another's beliefs. And let's see if I can talk to you and not have a goal of changing your mind. I don't need to change your mind. I just need to let you know what I think and why. And even if you disagree at the end of the day, maybe you can at least understand my viewpoint and understand that I'm a human and I have a right to think and believe just as you do.
[00:07:34] And it's okay if we think and believe differently. We can still realize that, you know, humanity would say, hey, we can treat each other with kindness. Even if we have a great disagreement over significant issues, there's a whole lot more we agree on than we disagree on. For example, we all want a warm bed to sleep in at night. We all want to be safe and not be molested in our homes or our lives. We all want to basically be free.
[00:08:03] We all want to choose for ourselves. We all want, you know, food, fuel, clothing. Right? Shelter. We all want those basic things. No matter where we are on the spectrum of political beliefs or religious beliefs or so on, braver angels would say, hey, we can get past that and bring out the humanity in us all and say it's okay if we disagree.
[00:08:29] In fact, maybe once we realize it's okay if we disagree, maybe hearts and minds can change and maybe we don't disagree as much as we think we do. When you hear the reasons, the real reasons for the other side, you might say, I don't agree with you at all, but I see how you get there. And I tell the story when I went to a Braver Angels conference, this guy was hardcore abortion. I mean, he wanted like late term abortion and even after the birth abortion. I just thought, how could you think such a thing?
[00:08:58] And at first my, you know, hackles went up and I was ready to kind of fight kind of thing. You're crazy. But then I just said, you know what? In the spirit of Braver Angels, I'm going to Braver Angels conference. Let me see if I can just listen. And I still walked away disagreeing with this gentleman a hundred percent, a thousand percent. But he came from a point of kindness in his own mind where he's like, hey, I see the abuse of children.
[00:09:23] I've worked with, you know, abused children and addicted mothers and fathers and homes that are, you know, crumbling and the foster system. And, you know, I believe that some of these children should not be subject to the abuse they're subject to. And I would prefer that they're not here than have to suffer that. And again, I disagree with the logic. But I get his point. It wasn't coming from a point of hate like I thought or like I would believe or a point of he wants to murder anyone.
[00:09:52] It was coming from in his own mind a place of kindness. And a place of love. Do I believe he's still mixed up on the facts? Of course I do. Absolutely. Don't misunderstand me. But I at least walked away going. Wow, the humanity's there, though. This guy cares like I do. Now, he has a whole different way of going about it. I can see that. But he's coming from a point of actual caring. He's been there and seen that and done that.
[00:10:21] And he has a completely different way of solutions than I do. But it does come from a desire to make a difference in a good way. Maybe now if I listen to him long enough and understand his point of view, I don't have to agree with it. But just maybe I can help him think of my way of thinking a little more. That's the whole point of Braver Angels. And that's what Charlie Cook stood for. Our prayers are that they can get the statue all squared away and they can find a way to make it safe where it doesn't get penalized again.
[00:10:50] Whatever happened to Mitch? We'll talk about it. This is Liberty Roundtable Live. In the medical field, IT security is crucial. Our highly skilled consultants are HIPAA certified and have 20 plus years of experience servicing medical clinics, billing and supply companies. We offer comprehensive endpoint protection, guarding your computers and servers against all stages of threats. And with our 24-7 monitoring services, you'll never worry about extensive downtime again. Ready to level up your IT support?
[00:11:20] Call 801-706-6980 today and discover how great IT services can be with managed IT services. Attention collectors and savvy investors. We are excited to announce a momentous evolution in our journey. Introducing FreeWaterCoinCo.com, formerly known as Rust Coin & Gift. This rebranding takes us back to the very roots of where it all began. Freewater, Oregon.
[00:11:43] It's a tribute to the legacy of Al Rust and a celebration of three generations of dedication to excellence in the world of coins and precious gifts. Al, Brian and Jake Rust standing strong through 64 years of service. Discover a world of exceptional service at FreeWaterCoinCo.com, your premier destination for genuine, honest money and precious gifts. Under Brian's expert guidance, Freewater Coin Company, building on the legacy of Rust Coin & Gift, continues its tradition of trust and excellence.
[00:12:12] Visit us at our Provo, Utah location. Explore our treasures online at FreewaterCoinCo.com or call us at 801-377-1574. Freewater Coin Company, where your future is built one honest coin at a time. All right, back with you live, ladies and gentlemen, Sam Bushman. Mitch McConnell.
[00:12:39] I don't know what's up with this, but it's very strange, but only in the Senate, only in government can you get away with this kind of stuff. Mitch McConnell has been absent for over three months. It's still unclear when he'll return. Now, they say he's coming back right away, da-da-da-da-da. But the sad part is we don't even know what's going on with him. They've kept it so secret. They had him appearing with a newspaper in his hand like he was somehow a hostage or some kind of a... I don't even know.
[00:13:08] A kidnapped victim or something like this. Then they, you know, we haven't heard a word. We don't know what's going on. But here's the deal from a reality point of view. You know, I first kind of thought, well, why on earth are the people in Kentucky tolerating this? Because they really have no choice. The only way they can get Mitch McConnell out of office is if he resigns. Or if Congress decides to go ahead and, you know, do something. They can demand he shows up or kick him out. You know, there's a few ways to get rid of him, but none of them are really solid.
[00:13:37] Sadly, if I was three months off my job with no explanation, I'd be gone from any job I have. Whether they be W-2 wages or whether it be a consulting gig, I'd be out of a job big time. But you know what? This is Congress. This is government. And so McConnell has been absent for three months with no end in sight. And there's really nothing anybody can do about it. There's no rules. Congress could do something, but it would be an extreme circumstance,
[00:14:06] which I don't even think they're close to doing. The good news is he's supposedly not running for reelection. So come 2027, he'll be gone anyway. But literally, you'll have a guy, if he doesn't show up or doesn't come back, or even if he comes back in a very limited fashion, he'll basically control a seat in Congress for, I'm trying to think how long it'll be, basically seven months.
[00:14:33] And there'll be no real interaction from him. Skipping votes. His staff, I'm sure, working hard to do his bidding and carry out what he wants. But literally, the people don't have representation when it comes to Mitch McConnell. What's strange to me also about this is Rand Paul hasn't really said anything, has he? I just don't understand it. What has Rand Paul said about Mitch McConnell being absent?
[00:15:02] You would think the other senator from the great state of Kentucky would want to say something, right? I don't know. I don't know what to think about it. Has Rand Paul said anything about this? I haven't seen anything across my desk in the news. It's very strange. Now, I just asked ChatDBT. I said, hey, did Rand Paul say anything about this? Rand Paul has spoken publicly, I guess, several times about this.
[00:15:32] His position has been defensive of Mitch McConnell and patient about his recovery rather than calling for his resignation. On August 11th, so a month ago or more, he said he's struggling with his recovery and urged Kentuckians to give him some grace. Now, they say he's scheduled to return to the Senate in September. But you know what?
[00:16:01] Rand Paul is critical of people saying that he needs to prove he's able to serve. But this is what I mean. If you were in any other job, they'd be demanding that. They'd be like, listen, I need to see what's going on. Anyway, I'm not being critical. And I'm willing to give grace to Mitch. But at some point, can you have a congressman absent for three months, not voting at all?
[00:16:31] If Congress really wanted to do something, they can make up their own rules. They could say Mitch can vote from his hospital bed. They can say somebody could vote on behalf of Mitch. So maybe the other senator, Rand Paul, could publicly get the vote of Mitch and vote it for him. There's a lot of things since they make up their own rules they could do. But when there's no explanations and when there's, as far as I understand, no voting happening from Mitch, at some point, these people lose representation.
[00:16:59] This isn't a campaign political ploy on my part. I think we ought to give Mitch grace. I'm fine with that. But let's make sure that he's really able to make the decisions. And if he is, great. Let him make them. And if he can't, you know, sit in the Senate, let create a way that we can, you know, have his votes still matter. If he's not able to make decisions and not able to cast his own votes by his own mind, then we need to know that because he shouldn't be able to stay there under those circumstances.
[00:17:28] The problem is the Constitution doesn't really break down enough detail about this to let us know what we should do here. Oil surges above $107 a barrel. Middle East war threatens major supply routes. Whoa.
[00:17:46] After attacks on Saudi infrastructure and escalating threats to shipping, I guess they're putting greater pressure on global supplies because Saudi Arabia is shutting down their east-west pipeline. That's a big deal, folks. Don't expect gas prices to go down anytime soon. Wow.
[00:18:08] I guess the Houthis seize what they call Red Sea Islands increasing threat to global shipping. So now the Red Sea Islands are being controlled. And, you know, I don't understand how that all happens, right? You say, well, hey, Iran is decimated. They can't do anything. We've already taken them out. We've already won. But then you got the Houthis doing this. Wow.
[00:18:38] These people certainly have some mojo somewhere or these things wouldn't be escalating and happening, right? Federal Reserve is expected to up or increase interest rates this week. Markets are pricing in a very high probability that the Fed will raise rates on Wednesday as soaring energy prices threaten to push inflation even higher. Everybody's scared. Everybody's watching. Everybody's watching.
[00:19:05] Stock market's going down because everybody doesn't know what to do. It's a tragedy, folks. Trump's $5,000 dividend would require congressional approval, Mike Johnson says. Well, the payments have cost over a trillion bucks. So Mike says that, hey, Congress would have to approve that. I can tell you right now Congress isn't going to approve it. Mike Johnson doesn't have the stomach for it.
[00:19:33] The Democrats are basically going to push their agenda. And because it's President Trump giving away the money, they're against it. I'm against it for different reasons. They're against it because they're always hating Donald. Donald. I'm against it because I don't believe in socialism. Hey, you don't need to give me $5,000 dividend. What you need to do is pay off and get rid of the Federal Reserve and the debt. That's what you need to do. If it's going to cost over a trillion bucks, then we don't have that kind of money. We're already $40 trillion in debt.
[00:20:04] Why don't you get rid of the IRS instead, huh? Second federal judge blocks Donald Trump's new mail voting restrictions. So Trump appointed Carl Nichols or Carl Nichols. And now he's blocked a new Postal Service rule imposing additional requirements on mail-in ballots. Right? They say a separate judge has already blocked the rule.
[00:20:33] And now the administration is asking the Supreme Court to please intervene and do something about it. I don't know what's going to happen there. But, you know, Donald's battling with the courts. Congress remains derelict in their duty, sitting on the sidelines. AI leaders are now calling for a slowdown as safety warnings intensify. Open AI's Sam Altman, an Anthropics leader. I don't know how to say this guy's name.
[00:21:04] Dario Almanai or whatever it is. And other major AI leaders are calling for a slower development pace when it comes to AI. Because they say there's serious concerns about AI systems becoming difficult to control and or misused. Some are even saying there's a 10% chance AI is going to kill us all. I don't believe in that.
[00:21:29] But AI stocks are tumbling as investors are questioning the AI boom. Many companies are starting to pull back, saying AI is not what it's cracked up to be. I think AI is real and I think it will change the world. I just think we've got a little too bullish on it. We're trying to go too fast. But Trump rejects calls for an AI slowdown, citing competition with China.
[00:21:51] President Trump is pushing back against warning from AI executives, saying the United States cannot surrender its technological advantage over China by slowing down AI development. I understand and I don't disagree. What Congress needs to do is instead of trying to slow down AI a ton, let the market slow down AI because people will. For example, Meta was going to lay off a ton of people and let AI take over. They realized that it wasn't working so well.
[00:22:21] They were spending too much money on AI and AI wasn't delivering. And so they decided to spend money on AI in a different way than they were. Reduce spending, put spending limits. They also decided not to get rid of a lot of the employees they were going to get rid of. And they brought back a lot of the middle management. So people are already taking a step back. AI is already slowing down because people don't want to spend the money that they're not getting a return on their investment for. And they realize that it's overhyped.
[00:22:48] So let the dot-com bust happen in AI all by itself. And let's have Congress and others create a level playing field. They have a job to do there. I'm not for socialism, but they do have the ability to create a level playing field like we do with all kinds of trade. That's appropriate. And let them get to work on that, making sure that, hey, there's guardrails. But rather than do that, they're complaining and want to slow it down. I agree with Trump. Slowing it down is not the answer. Speeding up the bureaucracy is the answer.
[00:23:19] Trump says the United States could stay in Iran and keep the oil, kind of like what he's doing in Venezuela. Yeah, Trump suggested the United States could simply maintain a presence in Iran and make sure the oil flows. See, that's the last thing we need is just more occupation and more countries. We're spreading ourselves way too thin as it already is, folks. And we don't have any business breaching the sovereignty of other nations and controlling minerals and resources. Let's use our own minerals and resources.
[00:23:47] And let's stay independent rather than interdependent on others. Trump now blatantly denies that Chinese entities helped Iran before the deadly attack. There you have that. U.S. blocks Iran's nuclear chief from attending a major AI conference. Yeah, that's a tragic scenario. We need to talk more and sanction less, folks.
[00:24:15] Major cryptocurrency advances with new Trump ethics restrictions. So they're working on digital currency, folks, behind the scenes. And you're not being told about it by anybody but me. I'm Sam Bushman. Thanks for being alongside for the ride, ladies and gentlemen. Hard-hitting talk. Always eat your fingertips. We're everywhere. We're on X. We're on Rumble. We're on YouTube. We're at LibertyRoundTable.com. God save our constitutional republic. It's worth it when you try.