We bring to the forefront America’s rising fentanyl crisis with expert insights from Dr. Robert Marbutt. Discover the origins and frightening realities of this synthetic opioid’s deadly impact on communities across the nation. Additionally, explore the challenges Joe Biden faces in the political sphere regarding potential mass pardons for nonviolent drug offenders. This episode combines investigative journalism and personal stories, offering a comprehensive view on issues affecting millions.
He’s the happy conservative warrior. From the Relief Factor studios, sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
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We learn more appointments, folks who are going to be leading the Trump 2-0, as I’m calling it, coming up. We’re going to go through the list as we have it updated for you today. Also, House Speaker Mike Johnson invited Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to the Hill today. They’re going to be talking with A group of senators from the GOP caucus and a group of House members about their next steps in this new agency they’re going to be overseeing called DOES, where they’re going to be weeding out some of the government regulations and cutting expenses. This is one of the ones that’s going to be exciting to watch. Charlemagne Tha God and Whoopi Goldberg classed on The View yesterday. With the radio talk show host just asking, Whoopi, can you not admit it when the Democrats make a mistake, when they’re wrong? Evidently, she can’t. Also, new details in the shocking shooting yesterday in downtown Manhattan where a business person, the CEO of a financial services company, was gunned down right in plain day in front of his hotel room. We have those details for you as well. And who’s next on Joe Biden’s pardon list? There’s speculation now that the president may issue pardons to a list of people. Could be thousands of people if some of the progressive Democrats have their way before Joe Biden leaves the White House. We’re going to jump into that for you today as well. 800-655-MIKE, 1-800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation today. You can call. Tracy will queue you up, and we’ll talk as time permits. You can also send me a quick message on the MyPillow text line, 800-655-6453. Love your messages. You can email me directly. It’s real easy, joey at joeyhudson.com. Regardless of how you do so, I do hope you’ll join in today. So more details on this shocking story. It was a slaughter, an assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. We reported on this when it was breaking the other morning. And police have released a photo of the suspect. They also released some security video footage from a camera nearby. And you see this man, Brian Thompson, he’s 50 years old. You see him walking down the sidewalk in front of his hotel, and this hooded guy with a backpack on just kind of walk into the frame, pull out his gun. He shoots him in the back. You see Mr. Thompson walking. turning and then falling to the ground, and the guy continues to shoot. Not quite sure yet. Police haven’t said how many rounds, but it looked to me like at least six or eight rounds. They are saying that they recovered, of course, some of the shells and that there’s a possible message. It appears to include the words deny, depose, and defend that was engraved on some of the casings that they found on the ground and a couple of live rounds that was found, too. The words are strikingly similar, according to reports, to a 2010 book condemning the insurance business in which Thompson is one of the most powerful leaders, of course. Delay, Deny, Defend, two of the three words seemingly left is subtitled, Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It. We don’t know if it has any meaning or not, but it is kind of odd that there would be messages, words engraved on these shells. We’ll give you more details on this. There is a $10,000 reward for information. They have a pretty clear photo of this guy. And it’s just amazing. This is another example of how there are video cameras everywhere you go now. And very quickly, they were able to release video following him almost every step of the way. He got on one of the rental bikes in New York City. They have bikes just about every block. He got on their city bikes, E-City bikes. And he got on one of the bikes and rode it up a few blocks and went into Central Park, and that’s when they lost him, when he got into the park. So a $10,000 reward for information, and I’ve got a feeling that they’ll catch this guy probably sooner than later, and we’ll know exactly what’s going on with that. More big announcements coming out of the park. President-elect Trump’s administration, Trump 2-0 is really starting to shape up with some proven fighters. What I love about it, successful business people, people who have actually run businesses, people who have signed the front of the check, as we say, rather than the back of the check. And I think we’re getting off to a great start here. Of course, some of these have to be confirmed, but I think that the GOP caucus and the U.S. Senate, they’re ready for that. If there’s going to be some fights, and there probably will be a battle on a few of them, I think overall we’re going to be in good shape. Coming up, I’m going to go through a couple of the big announcements yesterday and some of the agencies and why they’re important and why you’re going to like it, too. And we’re going to dive into this idea, too, of pardons by Joe Biden and how many more pardons he may offer. You’re not going to like some of the ideas that are being floated. I’m Joey Hudson in for Mike.
SPEAKER 07 :
and heaven and nature sing and heaven and nature sing and heaven and heaven and nature sing
SPEAKER 04 :
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Mike Gallagher. Joey Hudson in for Mike Gallagher today. Boy, a lot of you texting the keyword angel to the MyPillow text line in order to help out our Angel Tree campaign. Just text angel to 800-655-6453. I’ll send you a link, and you can help some of these boys and girls. We’re really pushing our campaign. We want to get these kids covered. We’re about halfway to our goal, and you can help us out. So just text angel to 800-655-6453 and help us out today. It was the cause of death of Prince, Tom Petty, Luke Bell, Angus Cloud. It’s the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45. It’s 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Two milligrams is considered a potentially lethal dose. That’s about one-fifteenth of a grain of rice. Think about that. And an amount equal to three grains of salt can kill many people. I’m speaking, of course, of fentanyl. Blending investigative journalism with personal stories, Fentanyl Death Incorporated is a 60-minute documentary that paints a sobering picture of how this exploding crisis is affecting communities. Dr. Robert G. Marbutt, who has worked in three different U.S. presidential administrations, serves as producer, giving insight and expertise on one of the most pressing public health issues of our time and the urgent need for effective solutions. Dr. Marbutt is on our guest line today. I’m happy to have him. Welcome. How are you, sir?
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you so very much for having me, and most importantly, thanks for caring about the fentanyl crisis.
SPEAKER 05 :
Sure thing. I mean, this is a huge thing, and to read that, the fact that from ages 18 to 45 are young people, this is the leading cause of death, that is just troubling. Talk with us. The obvious question is, how did it get this far out of hand so quickly?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, there are probably two quick answers to that. One is that the current administration just was asleep at the switch the last four years. When it started to blow up, they just weren’t prepared. They didn’t know how to handle China. They didn’t know how to handle the Mexican cartels. And now we’re starting to see the biker gangs come out of Canada, and they weren’t even aware of it, basically. So that’s sort of the last three or four years of the problem. The genesis of the current fentanyl crisis goes back to Purdue Pharma, where it got hundreds of thousands of people addicted, million people on prescription. And we all know the story about how all the lawsuits that shut it down, but you had all these people addicted. And there was no plan for what do you do when they’re addicted, no plan to get off. And most of them were addicted through medical surgeries. And the insidious nature of the Mexican cartels with China said, we’ll fill this void. We have millions of people already using synthetic opioids, hundreds of thousands that are addicted. So we can come in and fill the void. So in essence, the Mexican cartels are a direct extension of Purdue Pharma in terms of the supply chain.
SPEAKER 05 :
On our guest line today, Dr. Robert Marbutt, he’s one of the producers on Fentanyl Death Incorporated. It’s available now on an exclusive pre-release basis. You can go to SalemNow.com, SalemNow.com, click on the Salem Now films and watch it now. So tell me, I don’t understand completely why fentanyl is so much more lethal, so much more dangerous than some of the other drugs on the streets.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, it starts because we have a lot of drugs that have gone from the sort of the organic, if you will, organic opioids. And so then it jumped to the synthetic in the laboratory. So doing that jump made it more powerful. So that’s to start with. The second thing that makes it so dangerous is you can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. So you don’t know what’s there. You don’t know the potency. You don’t know how much is in it. So it’s already very powerful and you can’t detect it unless you’re doing a lab test. And then the, just the power of addiction, This is the most addictive drug that mankind has ever made worldwide. We’ve never seen anything like this. And so, so many people are drawn to that in addiction. And that’s why, again, Purdue Pharma getting so many people started on the drug in the first place, and then having the supply chain that the Mexican cartels did, It was just a combination, like a perfect bad storm all coming together.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. Dr. Robert Marbert, I appreciate your work on this. Again, you can see Fentanyl Death Incorporated. Go to SalemNow.com, Salem Now Films, and just watch this now. Doctor, appreciate your time today.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you very much, and encourage any, if you’re a parent, a child, or a policymaker, it’d be a great movie to see.
SPEAKER 05 :
You must see this. Thank you, sir. Coming up next, we’ve got a lot of calls and a lot of text messages that we’re going to be going through, a lot to break down on this busy, busy day on the Mike Gallagher Show. Charlene, the God, and Whoopi Goldberg, they clashed over Joe Biden’s pardon on The View. It got a little dicey there with the radio talk show host asking, Whoopi, can you not admit it when Democrats are wrong? That and much more. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike Gallagher.
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He’s the happy conservative warrior. From the Relief Factor studio, sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome in on this busy day. Glad to have you join me. 1-800-655-MIKE. 1-800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation. You can send me a quick text on the MyPillow text line. Your calls are welcome. Tracy will queue you up. We’ll talk as time permits. And, of course, emails are welcome directly. joey at joeyhudson.com. New details on the shocking target killing. of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. Police have released a photo of the suspect, seen moments before the shooting, inside of a Starbucks just literally around the corner. This is an example of how video cameras, surveillance cameras, are everywhere these days. It is amazing how… how authorities in New York have been able to track this guy from the time he was literally just before the shooting till he fled after gunning this guy down. The suspect is described as a male wearing a hooded jacket. He was captured on multiple surveillance footage cameras standing at the Starbucks counter on West 56th Street and 6th Avenue. I literally was there this past week. When Peg and I were up with Mike for Thanksgiving in New York City, we walked right by there. It’s a busy area of the city. And you can see in the video that was released, and it’s too graphic for me to share with you, this guy comes out of nowhere, walks up behind Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, and just literally guns him down. He shoots him in the back. Mr. Thompson, when the first bullet hits, you can see he kind of turns, starts to go to his feet, and the guy just keeps standing over him shooting. It’s horrific to see that something like this could happen. Police are confirming that it was no random act. They believe that this was intentional. I mean, it looked like a professional job to me. This guy just pulled his gun out and started shooting. Then he just casually walked across the street. got on an E-City bike, which those are rentals that are spread throughout Manhattan and New York City. You can rent one. He hopped on it and started going uptown, went into Central Park where he disappeared, was no longer being able to be seen on any surveillance cameras there. There is a $10,000 reward for information on this. His wife, Paulette Thompson, revealed that her husband had been receiving threats related to his leading the nation’s largest private health care insurer. And one other detail that has been released today, too, is that police say that there was an inscription engraved on the casings. We’re not quite sure what it means, but it seems to be a message saying, from the killer to this family and to this company. So more details and a citywide search for this killer in Manhattan. The shameless pardoning of his son on Sunday night has everyone speculating what other pardons Joe Biden may do before he leaves the White House. Politico wrote last night, 11 days before President Biden shocked DC by pardoning his son Hunter, a group of lawmakers and advocates gathered outside the Capitol building to urge Biden to grant a different set of clemencies. Representatives Ilhar Omar, Ariana Presley, and a handful of others urged the president to use his power to pardon or grant clemency to thousands of people serving time in federal prison for convictions related to nonviolent marijuana use, crack cocaine, and more. Omar said at a news conference, we join a growing chorus of voices calling on President Biden to exercise one of the most profound powers of the presidential office, the power of clemency. She and other Democrat progressives gathered in front of the Capitol, this was a couple of weeks ago, asking for the president to literally pardon thousands. In cut number nine, you’ll hear Omar and others talk about how the president needs to do this before he leaves the White House.
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Today, we join a growing chorus of voices calling on President Biden to exercise on one of the most profound powers of the presidential office, the power of clemency. Clemency represents a critical opportunity to correct a longstanding injustices recognize human potential for redemption, and acknowledge that our legal system has often been more punitive than restorative. The United States represents just 5% of the world’s population, yet we hold more than 20% of the global prison population. Over 1.9 million individuals are currently incarcerated with a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Black men are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of white men, a legacy of systematic inequalities that have persisted for generations.
SPEAKER 05 :
How do you feel about this? So if you listen to Ilhan Omar, Ilhan Omar, It leads you to think that she just wants Biden to turn them loose because of the color of their skin or maybe the law that they broke wasn’t that big of a deal. Now, my thought on that is if you break the law, a jury of your peers have found you guilty, a judge has sentenced you, the president shouldn’t turn you loose. Ilhan Omar thinks that thousands should be given clemency, should be turned loose. We’re not quite sure where this is headed. If you listen to Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday when she was trying to defend Biden’s sudden pardon of his son, Some of the things that she said would lead you to think that there are going to be more coming. She said Americans could expect more announcements, more pardons, clemency at the end of this term. But the administration hasn’t said how many yet. More than 3,000 people, advocates say, remain in federal prison for marijuana-related crimes. And it seems that the focus is on people who are in jail because of their marijuana use. Popular Democracy is one of the advocacy organizations involved in the November 20th press conference that day. It says that there are over 10,000 pending clemency petitions they believe the president should pardon or commute, all of these involving marijuana use. The chorus of Capitol Hill voices, this is Politico writing, pushing for these commutations also includes Senator Elizabeth Warren. She said President Biden should expand clemency for people with marijuana-related convictions. There’s more the administration can do before the end of the term to reform our system and right these wrongs. On that assumption, you’re assuming that it was wrong that someone went to jail for breaking the law that involved marijuana. Now, I know this is a touchy subject at times. It surprises me sometimes of some of my conservative friends who think that marijuana should be legal. And it is in a number of areas. That’s one of the things that I have the hardest time adjusting to. When we were in New York this past weekend, walking down the street and smelling marijuana. When I have been in Vegas in the past, same thing. I just can’t wrap my head around the idea that it’s okay for people to be smoking dope in a public area, or anywhere for that matter, when it’s illegal in most of the country. But what do I know? 800-655-6453. What do you think about Joe Biden maybe pardoning thousands and thousands of marijuana users who are in prison right now? You have a problem with that? Are you okay with that? Comments are welcome on the MyPillow text line, 1-800-655-6453. Email is welcome, joey at joeyhudson.com. I’m Joey, in for Mike today.
SPEAKER 04 :
This Christmas blowout sale, there was a big box retailer who canceled MyPillow, a big order. They got thousands of pillows they got to move. And Mike Lindell said, you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to give you the craziest wholesale price ever on MyPillow. A normal standard classic MyPillow is $49.98, which is still a great price for a pillow. You’ll get it for only $14.88 for a limited time.
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SPEAKER 05 :
Joey Hudson in for Mike Gallagher. Hey, if you haven’t caught up on your Christmas shopping, now’s the time to do it. Go to MyPillow.com, use promo code MikeG, and you’re going to get some great deals from Mike Lindell because he’s in the Christmas spirit. Let me give you some examples here, and you’re going to want to take advantage of them right now. The flannel sheets. These are seasonal flannel sheets out every Christmas. $59.98 with promo code MikeG. They’re not going to last long, so go ahead and place your order today. The MySlippers, I love MySlippers. I wear them all over the place. They’re typically $119.98. And Mike Lindell never puts these on sale. Right now for Christmas with promo code MikeG.
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You can order your bathrobes, duvets, quilts, down comforters, so much more. and it’s just easy to do. And here’s the good thing. They have extended their money-back guarantee to March of next year. So you order it. If it’s not exactly what you want, send it back. You get a full refund. And, of course, all the products come with a 10-year warranty as well. So go to MyPillow.com, or you can call 800-928-6034. Use promo code MikeG and save big on every single product. Get some of those flannel sheets for $59.98, some of the towel sets for $29.98. This is a great way to shop, and they just ship it right to your front door. Promo code MikeG, always. A lot of text messages coming in on the MyPillow text line. One in particular, we’ve been talking about this targeted killing in New York City of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, who was just gunned down on the street. A texter sent me a photo of the image of a book. titled Delay, Deny, Defend. He said, Someone sent this to me, my first instinct, with a claim denial with devastating results for someone connected to the killer. And that’s sort of what the police are saying, too, because it was reported this morning that some of the casings that the police recovered from the scene, they were inscribed with the words Deny, Depose, Defend. And Mr. Thompson’s wife… has testified that he’s been getting some threats recently, too. So evidently it has something to do and very well could be a claim that has been denied. And this book is about that. This book is about insurance companies denying your claim and not paying you what you think they should pay you. And I can see how that could really get someone upset if they’ve lost their home or something like that. So there is a $10,000 reward for the arrest of his killer. Back to the phones. Let’s go to Newtown, Connecticut. Mark, you’re on the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 10 :
Hey, Joey. How are you?
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m wonderful. Hope you are, Mark.
SPEAKER 10 :
So you were talking earlier before the break about… the pardons for marijuana convictions. And I just wanted to say for me, my thoughts on it would be if somebody’s been dealing drugs or, you know, got arrested or convicted for a, you know, a large amount of drugs, then no, I don’t think that they should be relieved of their responsibility to pay back society. But if it’s something, you know, it’s, $20 worth of pot in a kid’s pocket, then I can’t see that being something that they should sit in prison for.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. And Mark, and I honestly, I don’t know for sure, but do you think that there are people in prison just for that? Some of my law enforcement friends, they always tell me when this subject comes up that most people aren’t in jail just because they were smoking pot, but they were smoking pot when they committed other crimes.
SPEAKER 10 :
You would think so. I think it probably depends on where they were arrested. There’s some states where they’d probably be extremely lenient for a little bit of pot, but I think there’s other places where it would be a bigger crime than other places. Sure.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and one other quick question for you, Mark, and I appreciate your phone call today. Let’s put that aside for a minute. Do you think that it’s right, though, for Joe Biden to just issue mass pardons for literally thousands and thousands of people? No.
SPEAKER 10 :
I don’t think that in any case for any crime to just issue a blanket pardon, it all depends on each individual case. And the details of that. So no matter what, uh, I don’t think that he should issue a blanket pardon for everybody now.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. And that’s what the progressives were asking him to do. Basically, you know, they’re, they, they’ve identified tens of thousands of people who are in prison who have that. Uh, one of the charges is marijuana use and they’re wanting him to just give a blanket pardon that would cover them. And that’s just, uh, that that’s not right. Appreciate your phone call, Mark. Uh, Merry Christmas to you. Uh, 1-800-655-6453. One line open for you. I’d love to hear from you. Your text messages on the MyPillow text line are welcome as well. 800-655-6453. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike Gallagher today. Hope you’ll join the conversation.
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