In this gripping episode, we delve into the unfolding crisis of the wildfires in California, exploring the devastating impact on communities and the contentious political discourse surrounding it. As the fires rage on, host Mike Dillard sheds light on the governmental responses—or lack thereof—and invites listeners to voice their opinions on the matter. Through an impassioned discussion, we examine the role of leadership, media narratives, and public safety in tackling one of the country’s worst natural disasters.
He’s the happy conservative warrior. From the Relief Factor studios, here’s Mike Dillard.
SPEAKER 03 :
What a week we are in for. This is the final week of the Biden administration. Thank you, Lord. We’ve got to get through seven more days. What’s happening right now in California is beyond belief. I don’t get it. If you can understand how in 2025 America… there is an inability to extinguish fires in a densely populated area like Los Angeles, I’m all ears. I get it. I understand natural disasters, but something about this just doesn’t make any sense. President Trump put out a post on Truth Social saying these politicians and this government leadership, they can’t figure this out. That’s what makes this guy so popular. He speaks for everybody who hasn’t had a voice. And I want to get into all of this with you in just a little bit. You can go down a rabbit hole. Man, there’s some sites I follow on X and social media that will take you down there. This is an intentional effort. This is about power. These are people that are setting them deliberately. And I keep wondering… How it can be that eight different locations, in other words, fires originated in eight different places at the same time. I get the Santa Ana winds, and I get they call them the devil winds, and very unusual. But you’re telling me when it gets windy in Southern California and it’s dry, that’s unusual enough to lead to eight different wildfires igniting at the same time? I have no idea how you explain that. None whatsoever. Maybe you can help me understand it because I don’t get it. Makes no sense. Makes no sense. And we’ve got to figure it out. I mean, it seems to me that when you’re next to an ocean, you should be able to utilize the resources of the geographic location that Los Angeles is in and extinguish fires. Again, I admit I do not understand meteorological terms. I don’t understand the conditions. I don’t understand the Santa Ana winds. What I know is thousands of people are homeless. The video that I’ve been watching is so chilling, and you’ve seen it too, and if you’re there, you’re living it. You know, it’s a strange thing where there’s an event like this, whether it’s a hurricane or a tornado or wildfires or a blizzard. When you’re not in it, you don’t fully understand it. You don’t comprehend it. You can’t appreciate it. Look, I don’t even know the nuances of utilizing the ocean. Tracy heard somewhere that the salt water is bad for the equipment. But let’s be real for a minute. Do you trust anything Karen Bass or Gavin Newsom tell us? They don’t want people relying on social media. Well, of course they don’t, because social media is calling them out. Newsom and Pocahontas, the Massachusetts senator, started directing people to a site that they said was going to help the wildfire victims, and it was through ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for Gavin Newsom. Karen Bass declared a state of emergency, then hopped on a plane and went to Africa for a political event that the taxpayers paid for. You think she should be mayor? Are you kidding me? So all of it is a disgrace. All of it is an absolute, unacceptable disgrace. And once again, Donald Trump takes the truth social and says, how in the world can they not put these fires out? It is one of the worst catastrophes in our country’s history. And President Trump is all about it. I mean, and I am very reluctant to start the blame game because I know people are hurting. People who lost everything don’t care, you know, about the political orientation of their leadership. But you hear these things like the stuff about the smelt and the snail darter and they’re trying to reposition the water and they’ve got budget cuts and on and on and on. And the argument is DEI is to blame. Now, make no mistake, the other side does the blame game too. They’re blaming rich people. Of course they’re blaming Trump. So there’s a lot of incoherence right now. But I just go back to Trump’s very simple question. And it just, he’s right. How can they not put these fires out? They’re still raging. How many, was it going to wipe out the entire, you know, Southern California region? How much are people going to put up with before people say this is unacceptable? Tracy came in today in the studio and she says, did you see Gavin Newsom? The way he’s twitching and he looks like he’s on something. And that inappropriate grin. I mean, on the one hand, he’s pushing back on the claim that the reservoirs were empty because he said, oh, no, no, no, they were full. And then he turns around and calls for an investigation over empty reservoirs. See if you can make heads or tails out of this.
SPEAKER 06 :
I don’t know what he’s referring to when he talks about the Delta smelt and reservoirs. The reservoirs are completely full. The state reservoirs here in Southern California, that mis- and disinformation, I don’t think advantages or aids any of us. Responding to Donald Trump’s insults, we would spend another month. I’m very familiar with them. Every elected official that he disagrees with, very familiar with them. We do know, though, from reporting here locally that that one reservoir that serves the Palisades was not full. And that’s exactly what triggered my desire to get the investigation to understand what was happening with that local reservoir. That was not a state system reservoir, which the president elect was referring to.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, really? You think you think he he was distinguishing between a state reservoir? designated reservoir. He wants to know why there’s not water in the reservoirs, dummy. And you’re spinning on NBC’s Meet the Press. That’s a spin. And guess what, pal? You’re going to have to start dealing with… President-elect Trump, because in seven short days, he becomes your president, Gavin Newsom, and you’re going to have to deal with him, and of course you’re going to be begging for all kinds of federal funds. Look, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ll begin where I love to begin, and that’s with you, our callers. 800-655-MIKE. It’s Monday, January 13th. We’re in the Relief Factor studios. 800-655-6453. Do you believe that this is all just a natural disaster and, you know, oh, it was the winds and it was the dry conditions and eight fires, eight different locations, but oh, what a coinkydink. It just all started at the same time. And how can the people of California believe a single word coming out of the mouths of any of their elected officials? It’s unbelievable. I’m 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453. Hope you join us. There’s no better time than right now to call my friends at PhD Weight Loss and Nutrition to start your journey to a healthier you. As I hear from you about how PhD Weight Loss and Nutrition has changed your life, I know that each one of us has had our own reasons for starting. I started my journey because I gained enough weight and was ready to make a change. I sat down with Dr. Ashley Lucas, and like they say, the rest was history. I lost 53 pounds, and I’ve kept it off. We all have different reasons for starting. Do what I did. Start the PhD journey. Make 2024 your year to say goodbye and let go of all those unwanted pounds. Call PhD Weight Loss and Nutrition today to schedule your consultation. Call 864-644-1900. 864-644-1900. Or just go to MyPhDWeightLoss.com. MyPhDWeightLoss.com. You know, I understand I’m a Trump supporter, and I have to check myself. I say, gosh, am I just so excited about the Trump presidency that when he posts something or says something, it sounds like me talking? Is it me? Doesn’t this sound like you and me? Let me read his truth social post. And this was it, like it often is, middle of the night, 1.32 in the morning. Here’s what he wrote. Now, you know… Trump haters will roll their eyes. They’ll say he’s a dummy. He’s bombastic. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Isn’t he asking what we’re all asking? How hard is it to figure out how to put these fires out? How difficult is it? Next to an ocean? To contain wildfires? It’s not like wildfires are a new phenomenon out there. And entire communities are going… I saw a guy… The community starts with an A. Anadina or… I forget the name of it. It was on 60 Minutes where I watched Christopher Wray and that debacle of an interview. The outgoing FBI director. And this man stood there. He’s a high school football coach. His family’s lived there for generations. Just weeping. And everything is gone. Everything. Stories of people trying to use a garden hose. And L.A. is completely unprepared. Again, I’ve got way more questions than answers, so let me just turn to the smartest audience in the world. You, 800-655-MIKE. Tim, we’ll start with you in Michigan. Welcome back, Tim. Hey, Mike. Hey.
SPEAKER 08 :
This is nothing short of neolithic incompetence by the leadership there. I mean, every year, players. Every year, all of them are started by somebody, especially when you’ve got eight of them starting at different places. And it’s just impossible. I mean, he’s Nancy Pelosi’s nephew or whatever. So the apple doesn’t fall apart from the tree.
SPEAKER 03 :
You want to know who the left says started the fires? You know what they’re blaming it on, right?
SPEAKER 08 :
Trump, probably.
SPEAKER 03 :
Trump, rich people, and climate change.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, the rich people’s houses are burning down, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, it’s their fault. The rich people are losing their houses. People are mocking James Woods. I’ve seen all these videos from these crazy lunatic leftists laughing at people losing their money. Look, if people hold up Luigi… It’s just a little baby step to cheer the destruction of wealthy people’s homes. And there are a lot more than wealthy people losing their homes. That guy on 60 Minutes last night wasn’t a wealthy guy. Dan in Minnesota. Dan, welcome back.
SPEAKER 09 :
Hey. Hey. Hi. This has morphed into something a lot worse than just wildfires. arsonists, looters, you know, criminal elements that are setting fires now to overwhelm the fire department and the police department so that they can have access to looting. You know, it’s horrible. And it’s like, but Dan, but Dan, Dan. If you see somebody setting a fire, you need to just shoot them, shoot them. And it’s like they don’t. These people need to be shot dead right on sight.
SPEAKER 03 :
I got Dan. Can you hear me? Okay, and it’s like they don’t want anybody to know about the people with blowtorches. We’ve seen them on video, right? You’ve seen the reports of this, but they don’t want to talk about that.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, they never let a crisis go to waste. They took a real problem of wildfires, and now they’re making it worse.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, thanks, Dan. One open line, 800-655-MIKE. Glenn in Glendale, Arizona. Hi, welcome, Glenn.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yes, sir. So I back every last two callers said, but I have a little bit different take on it is we’ve seen these natural disasters. We’ve seen all these things happen before and other kind of leadership. And I think it was James Woods or somebody was asking for tribunals to get these people out of office. But the problem is our country doesn’t have that backbone. We’re too soft as a nation to do that. And I even say I’m going to I’m going to go even a little bit further. And I’m going to say that. Gavin Newsom in particular and the mayor of L.A., Bass, they’re going to get promoted, sir, because the people that vote for them, they hate us and our side so much that they would keep voting for this, sir.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I got to play this for you, Glenn. Check out Biden’s FEMA chief on CBS News.
SPEAKER 16 :
I know the winds themselves are rare for this particular time of year, but Los Angeles and the area, they got a lot of experience with wildfires. They have a lot of regulation and a large firefighting force. Do you have a sense at this point why the area was so unprepared?
SPEAKER 15 :
I think that they were very prepared. This is something that they are very used to. They fight fires all the time, but they have never seen 100 mile an hour winds that are fueling the fire. And those winds and that weather condition is what really impacts where this fire is going to go. But more importantly, how they’re able to try to contain it in those first few hours and days. And because it was in such a populated area, it just makes it that much more challenging to be able to get in there and
SPEAKER 03 :
secure the perimeter but as well try to save as many homes as possible there you go dn criswell fema they were very prepared yep they were very prepared all right tell that to the guy weeping in the middle of the rubble in his home that he’s lost but they were hey where they were they were all very prepared holy cow takes your breath away 800-655-MIKE I want to welcome some brand new partners to the Mike Gallagher Show, like Equity Protect. And this is a big, big deal. Your home’s title is often the most valuable thing you own. Next generation criminal technology is more advanced than ever. I’ve been an identity theft victim. It is no fun. You got to have Equity Protect in your corner. If you own your home mortgage-free or you got a lot of equity, you got to have Equity Protect so that scammers do not steal your equity or title. For a limited time, Equity Protect is offering you a tremendous deal, 30% off your first year, giving you one year of protection for less than $12 a month. Just go to EquityProtect.com. Use the discount code Mike30. That’s EquityProtect.com. Use the promo code Mike30. Once you have Equity Protect, you don’t need to check. Trust the team at Equity Protect. Go to EquityProtect.com and use the promo code Mike30.
SPEAKER 19 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior. From the Relief Factor Studios, here’s Mike Deller.
SPEAKER 03 :
The nation has been watching just absolutely slack-jawed, open-mouthed, in shock at the wildfires that are ravaging California. Wildfire looters have emerged. I saw a video of a guy with a blowtorch being wrestled to the ground and put in zip ties by citizens who caught him. There are people who are contributing to the wildfire disaster. President Trump posted something on Truth Social that made so much sense. And I read this and I thought, gosh, this guy speaks for us. That’s why he’s known as the people’s president. We don’t use that term enough. The people’s president. You’re never going to hear an incoming president, a returning president, say the kinds of things that Donald Trump says. And here’s what he posted. The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out. Magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost. There’s death all over the place. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them? And when he says things like that, I’m like, bingo. We’re all asking that. I don’t want to go down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole, but what, eight different wildfire locations, eight different origins? Now they’re saying, oh, we think maybe the Pacific Palisades fire started. It was fireworks from New Year’s Eve, and they put it out, but it reignited again. What? You’re next to an ocean, and you’ve got wildfires raging, and you can’t? Put it up? Put it out? I’m absolutely baffled by this. I’m so confused, and I fully admit I don’t know about controlled burns. I don’t know about wildfires. I live in Florida where we have to deal with hurricanes and the occasional alligator. But I do know enough about the elected politicians over there that can’t seem to get their act together. I mean, they’re all blaming each other. Let’s look at the difference between a statewide response or even a citywide response and FEMA. Now, I’ve got a lot of people. I just came from the Carolinas. There are still people living in tents in the mountains of North Carolina after the last storm there. FEMA hasn’t helped a lot of those people. Remember when Kamala famously said, well, they’re going to get $750? Biden’s going around saying, we’re going to pay 100% for all these people. And let’s speak the unspoken. Most of the people, or many of the people, I should say, not most, I don’t know how it breaks down, but a whole lot of these people are very wealthy. They’re going to be fine. I’m glad they’re alive for the most part. Some of them are dead. A couple dozen people have been killed. I know that as if Dennis Prager’s team hasn’t been through enough with all that Dennis has experienced, his beloved producer of many years, Sean McConnell, lost everything. And I really love Sean. Been with him to Israel. He’s devastated. He’s in a state of shock. He was renting a home. The home burned to the ground. He lost all his possessions. And he double-checked to make sure he had renter’s insurance. And it turned out his renter’s insurance had expired. He didn’t realize it. And, look, I’m not going to blame people where life happens. And there’s been a GoFundMe for Sean. I posted it on my social media account, X. You can find it. And I hope you’ll help him out. I did. Maybe you’ll join me. He’s not asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but just a little bit to be able to buy clothes and furnishings and get back on his feet again. And that’s happening all over with people. So it’s not just Sean, but if you care to support. I was really impacted by hearing the news about Sean because of what team Dennis Prager has gone through. Incidentally, Dennis still in a hospital with, as I’m sure you know by now, were catastrophic injuries from a terrible fall in his home in California. I checked with Sue. The hospital is okay. The hospital is safe. But I thought, golly, Sean was devastated by Dennis’ accident. And now here’s Sean with nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Lost it all. And, you know, I don’t know what a guy like Sean thinks about the L.A. Fire Department chief calling out the mayor the way she did. Supposedly, they fired her. They were going to fire the chief. Karen Bass, Miss, you know, Ghana junket, was going to fire her. The fire chief. But then the fire chief, they met and they had a they had a conversation and then she unfired her, I guess. Or maybe the reports were wrong. But here’s the from the Los Angeles Fire Department, this chief Crowley on CNN.
SPEAKER 01 :
Let me be clear, the $17 million budget cut and the elimination of our civilian positions like our mechanics did and has and will continue to severely impact our ability to repair our apparatus. So with that, we have over 100 fire apparatus out of service. And having these apparatus in the proper amount of mechanics would have helped. And so it did absolutely negatively impact.
SPEAKER 03 :
Back to Donald Trump. What’s wrong with them? We’ve got seven days to go. We’ve got seven days. And I think, I believe, I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re going to get out of this mess. That the American people stood up on November 5th and said, no more to this. No more to these duplicitous, diabolical, Democrats who don’t put America first and certainly don’t put the American people first. Enough of bending over backwards for Ukraine. Enough of open borders. Enough of people being burned alive on subways. And yes, enough of wildfires that authorities can’t seem to figure how to put it out. And according to the fire chief, she’s blaming the The budget cuts, as decided by the mayor, Karen Bass, and the elected officials of Los Angeles. So, you know, don’t take my word for it. You don’t believe me? Well, listen to the fire chief, who ought to know what she’s talking about. And incidentally, do you believe anything they’re telling us? Oh, eight different fires sort of started on their own because of climate change. Climate change is to blame. Trump is to blame. Rich people are to blame. I’ve seen that a lot on social media as well. We’ve got seven days to go. A week from today, we’re going to be in our nation’s capital broadcasting from the presidential inauguration, and I can’t wait to bring you along with us. Today, we’re in the Relief Factor studios taking your calls at 800-655-MIKE. Thousands of acres burning, thousands of people without homes. I know there’s a lot of finger-pointing going on, and you’re probably like me. You don’t know who to believe. You don’t know what to believe anymore. But isn’t Trump right? They can’t just put out the fires. What’s wrong with them? These incompetent people have no idea how to put out the raging fires in Los Angeles, says the 47th president of the United States. Isn’t he right? Or do you get upset at him for politicizing the wildfires? 1-800, that’s the big, you know, smear, the claim that people are making against him. 800-655-6453. We have a line open just for you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Got a black magic woman. I’ve got a black magic woman. Got me so blind, I can’t see.
SPEAKER 03 :
Christmas means giving, and for my money, Christmas means MyPillow. Make it a MyPillow Christmas for somebody on your list because the Christmas extravaganza is well underway. Because a big box retailer canceled an order, Mike Lindell has thousands of MyPillows to move. Well, he wants to pass the savings on to you, so check out this offer. You can order a standard classic MyPillow, and it’s normally $49.98 for just $45. 1488 with promo code mike g limit of 10 this is the pillow that started at all the pillow that never goes flat stays nice and cool all through the night you can throw it in the washer in the dryer as often as you want you can get a classic standard my pillow for 1488 with promo code mike g a queen size normally 69.98 you’ll get it for just 1888 with promo code mike g or a king size Normally $79.98. You can order it for $19.88 apiece. Limit $10, please, during Mike’s incredible Christmas extravaganza from MyPillow.com. Look, if you haven’t been to the site in a while, you can get all your Christmas shopping done by going to MyPillow.com. Look for the Mike Gallagher Specials Square. Click on that box, and then with any order you place, enter the promo code MikeG, and you’ll save big. MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG. MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG. Or call 800-928-6034. 800-928-6034. It’s the Christmas extravaganza sale going on right now at MyPillow.
SPEAKER 19 :
The Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 02 :
This award to Liz Cheney really is inappropriate. This is a woman who was hand selected by Nancy Pelosi to run a committee that was extremely one sided. Liz Cheney, in the course of running this committee to supposedly investigate the January 6th incident at the Capitol, she obstructed justice. She witnessed tampered. She hid evidence that exonerated Donald Trump.
SPEAKER 19 :
In the relieffactor.com studios, here’s Mike.
SPEAKER 03 :
Incidentally, this is, of course, a big week. The confirmation hearings begin on Capitol Hill for President Trump’s cabinet picks. That starts tomorrow. There’s also going to be a bombshell when it’s determined who, if any, of the January 6th people are going to get pardoned or have their sentences commuted. J.D. Vance made it clear it won’t be anybody who committed acts of violence that day. And that’s as it should be. I mean, look, I know I’ll get a lot of pushback for saying this. If you were breaking windows and fighting cops, look, you don’t deserve to spend the rest of your life in prison. You shouldn’t be spending years and years behind bars awaiting trial. You should be afforded due process. But to people in jail who were simply there. who were simply in the wrong place. It’s insane what we’ve done. These are political prisoners, many of them. And the Democrats tried to weaponize January 6, 2021, as a way to get Kamala across the finish line, and it failed spectacularly. It didn’t work. They tried, but they failed. Now Trump’s going to get to decide what to do with a lot of these folks. And, you know, I mean, here’s what J.D. Vance said, incidentally, just for the record, before I get to the Pastor Jack Hibbs clip that I want to play for you, and I saw it over the weekend, also getting a lot of reactions to the Japanese water system. And, of course, a lot of people are pointing out, well, if they don’t have the reservoirs and they can’t… I guarantee you those mansions… in Pacific Palisades, never ran out of water for their water sprinklers. I can promise you. Somebody just said, well, I’ve heard that the salt water would be detrimental to structures. Have you seen what’s happened to the structures? They’re gone. Gone. There’s nothing left but a fireplace in the middle where the house used to be. Wildfires are a little more detrimental to structures than saltwater. I saw a fire chief or a fire official tell 60 Minutes he put out a fire in a house with milk. He went into the house and got milk and beer and was pouring it onto a, I think it was a fuse box that was overheating to keep the house from burning down. And it worked. So, excuse me if I’m not too concerned about the detrimental aspects of saltwater. But real quick to the J.D. Vance clip. Christian, can you play the clip of J.D. Vance? A lot of people said this was a big, big bombshell. This was a big moment because people are wondering just who will have their sentences commuted or get an outright pardon from President Trump. Incoming Vice President J.D. Vance addressed that over the weekend.
SPEAKER 13 :
January 6th pardons, President Trump says there’s a process. Where is the line drawn and who will and wouldn’t be considered for a pardon?
SPEAKER 18 :
I think it’s very simple. Look, if you protested peacefully on January the 6th and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there, but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law. And there are a lot of people we think in the wake of January the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly.
SPEAKER 03 :
Amen and amen. Speaking of amens, I want you to hear what the senior and founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Church in Chino Hills, it’s in Southern California, Jack Hibbs and his wife, I have a ministry that’s been decades in the making. And he’s a fascinating guy. In fact, I think I had a chance. I met him a few years ago. But he was at the pulpit yesterday. Now, this is a Southern California pastor, Jack Hibbs, who pulled no punches, held nothing back in his assessment of what is going wrong in Southern California. I wanted you to hear it and see it.
SPEAKER 05 :
We have watched the… Absolute exposure of the most incompetent… Wait. Reserve your applause to the end. Nobody can hide from this. Nobody can hide from… There’s no excuses. This is the most wealthiest state in the 50s. We pay the most in taxes. We pay the most in gas. We pay the most in electricity. You name it. If it’s in California, we pay the most for it. Why? Why? Because of our government. Why? Because of things that Sacramento does because they can. Our flag of this state is an absolute abject lie. The flag says California Republic. It is not. A republic is where the people decide and the people have their way. What has happened to California? And you proved me wrong. I challenge you today if you don’t like what I’m about to say. California has been under unmitigated Democrat 100% power control. Democrat, super majority. What does that mean, super majority? It means nobody can oppose their decision making. And now you’ve got it. You’ve got a situation where a catastrophe came and the billions of dollars that you and I gave was diverted to other woke, stupid Democrat projects. That’s not hyperbole, it is a fact. You don’t like it, change your party. If you don’t like it, change different. But I’m telling you right now, I’m upset and I’m angry, and it’s the right kind of anger. I’m telling you this right now. When you open up a fire hydrant and nothing comes out, and then Joe Biden says, it’s because we need electricity. It was turned off for the fire hydrant to turn on. In some cases that might be true. If the fire hydrants are on top of a mountain, you need a motor to drive the water up. That’s extremely rare and it wasn’t the case in these fires. Bad management, horrific politicians who took your money and took trips like Karen Bass, the mayor of LA. She decided to go to Africa the week of the fires to be on a little trip that you paid for. She was really put out when she was told to come home. It didn’t look bad. I mean, it didn’t look good, but it looked very bad. You’ve got Gavin Newsom flying down here and then at a command center laughing it up with some people and it’s caught on tape while he spends nine point so many millions of probably your dollars to buy himself a new house. It’s time to replace the leadership in California. Yeah! You don’t need any more examples. These fires could have been stopped.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, he gets a standing ovation. It’s time to replace the leadership in California. Will it happen? Well, Kurt Schlichter over at Town Hall says, nope, because Democrats have no bottom. There’s no accountability. There’s no rock bottom for what Democrats believe. There isn’t. They just don’t. They just don’t. Now, I would respectfully, and I don’t like disagreeing with Colonel Kurt, but Democrats can change. Make no mistake, a whole lot of Democrats voted for Donald Trump. There were plenty of Democrats who said enough is enough. So I don’t accept that. that narrative that there’s no hope for the Democrats. But I do want to share with you a lot of what Colonel Kurt Schlichter wrote at town hall. Meanwhile, as Jack Hibbs, the pastor there in Southern California, is saying, it’s about zero accountability. A legitimate question about the wildfires is, why weren’t they ready? Why weren’t they prepared? Clearly they weren’t. Well… This Deanna Criswall character from FEMA went on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on CBS yesterday and said, oh, they were very prepared. What are you talking about?
SPEAKER 16 :
They were ready. I know the winds themselves are rare for this particular time of year, but Los Angeles and the area, they got a lot of experience with wildfires. They have a lot of regulation and a large firefighting force. Do you have a sense at this point why the area was so unprepared?
SPEAKER 15 :
I think that they were very prepared. This is something that they are very used to. They fight fires all the time, but they have never seen 100 mile an hour winds that are fueling the fire. And those winds and that weather condition is what really impacts where this fire is going to go, but more importantly, how they’re able to try to contain it in those first few hours and days. And because it was in such a populated area, it just makes it that much more challenging to be able to get in there and secure the perimeter, but as well try to save as many homes as possible.
SPEAKER 03 :
So there’s the FEMA take. Oh, they were prepared. It just got windy. The Santa Ana winds, oh, the winds, because it’s never windy in California. They never have winds. Dennis is in Seminole, Florida. Dennis, welcome to the Mike Gallagher Show. Hello.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hi, Mike. How you doing? Good. How are you? Good. Good, good, good. Just a thing about the fires and the saltwater. I just remember that a while back that the saltwater conducts electricity. I think that’s one of the reasons why they won’t use saltwater. I’m not saying that that’s the big reason. I know they are. California is worried about the environment and also the equipment.
SPEAKER 03 :
Which is part of the problem. Of course they’re worried about the environment. But look, let’s put the saltwater issue to bed. You know what they do in Israel all the time? They use saltwater all the time. You know what they do? They have a process called desalinization. You ever heard of it?
SPEAKER 07 :
I agree with that. Now it’s going to be my next thing to tell you.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s desalinization.
SPEAKER 07 :
California… California, for some reason, is so against that, and I don’t know why.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I guarantee you there’s probably some environmental aspect. It might have impacted the snail darter or the blue corner butterfly or the smelt. But this is the kind of logic that escapes them. Can they change? Again, Colonel Kurtz says no way, because they have no… There’s no rock bottom for Democrats. I’ll see what you think of Kurt Schlichter’s assessment and we’ll continue here. Incidentally, if you want that clip of Pastor Jack Hibbs, if you were standing up and cheering proverbially or maybe literally like the congregants of his church, if you text the keyword Hibbs. to the MyPillow text line, 800-655-6453. We’ll send you back the video clip so you can have it on your smartphone or your laptop or your device. Just text Hibbs, H-I-B-B-S. Text Hibbs to 800-655-MIKE. That’s 800-655-6453. We’ll send it back to you free of charge. Standard text messaging rates may apply. Please never text and drive. All courtesy of the text line of our friends at MyPillow.
SPEAKER 11 :
song. Now I need more.
SPEAKER 17 :
Hi, everyone. If you’ve been injured in an accident that was not your fault, listen up. We have legal professionals standing by to answer your questions for free. Call now and find out if you have a case and how much it’s potentially worth. Call 800-702-5400. I’m here with spokesman John Wolf. So John, tell everyone listening who should call right now.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Maria, first off, thank you for having me here. It’s always nice to answer the listeners’ questions. Now, as far as who should call in, anyone who’s been injured in an accident and think you deserve compensation, give us a call right now. 800-702-5400. You’ll find out if you have a case and how much it’s potentially worth.
SPEAKER 17 :
Thanks, John. You heard it, folks. Take advantage of this opportunity and call now. 800-702-5400.
SPEAKER 12 :
Advertisements sponsored by Legal Help Center may not be available in all states.
SPEAKER 19 :
Mike Gallagher. Every day Mike visits with Mark Davis. Morning host on 660 AM The Answer in Dallas. Here’s today’s M&M experience.
SPEAKER 04 :
Look, we got 53 things going. I need to know one thing from you right now. Did you finish the season? Don’t say a word.
SPEAKER 03 :
You didn’t? Did you go to bed? Well, no, I had to go over to the Tampa Bay game and watch the Washington Redskins, because I refused to call them whatever name they wanted to use, beat the Tampa Bay Bucs with two seconds on the clock. Heartbreaking loss.
SPEAKER 04 :
With a field goal that clanged off the upright. And then went in anyway.
SPEAKER 03 :
And went through. And went in anyway. That’s a metaphor. That’s a metaphor. So anyway, I made it through nine episodes of Landman. I’m up to number 10, the finale. You know what I hate about… It’s an hour and a half. Well, that’s why I gave up. Because I looked at it and it was an hour and 22 minutes or something. I thought, that’s too late for me. So I’m going to watch it tonight. But, you know… Two quick takeaways about Takeaway. This is what I hate about the new world of streaming we’re in. I know from your excitement that this final episode is pretty epic. It’s remarkable. But I don’t want to know anything about it until I watch it, right? Of course. But on Paramount+, on the stream, on the app, or whatever the hell you call it, pardon me, It clearly shows a scene from number 10 as the thumbnail. And I didn’t want to see that. Yes. All right. Well, I’ll just put it this way. It doesn’t go well for our boy. So Billy Bob is in a compromised position is all I can see. That’s the picture they chose to show. How about you don’t give us any indication.
SPEAKER 04 :
Or just a generic shot. Yeah, or something.
SPEAKER 03 :
Don’t show him.
SPEAKER 04 :
Not something that reveals what might lie ahead.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, clearly something is revealed in that thumbnail, which I didn’t want to have it revealed. Oh, dude. And number two, real quick, I know you talked earlier, but I was listening to you this morning about Taylor Sheridan. Mm-hmm. Isn’t it interesting? Now, I have fond memories of Yellowstone because when I got sick with COVID over a Christmas two years ago, I binged it like the whole Christmas week by myself alone. The house was all decorated with nobody to come into because here I am with stupid COVID. And so I would wake up and watch Yellowstone episodes all day long. Okay. And I actually kind of loved it. I mean, you know, no drama, no Christmas drama. And I got to see what has become one of my favorite shows. Mm-hmm. Every time I heard the distinctive theme music to start Yellowstone, you get kind of tingles, right? It’s like you love a good theme song, right? Have you noticed it is crap for Landman? It’s these low, no melody sort of strings. There’s nothing to it.
SPEAKER 04 :
And I’m surprised that he would go along with that. Small disclosure, really small disclosure. First, to the creative point that you make, I don’t think I necessarily need a flourishing orchestral thing to begin every show.
SPEAKER 03 :
I do.
SPEAKER 04 :
It may be the opening theme of Landman may be as sparse as the landscape in which it takes place.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, there’s probably some artistic.
SPEAKER 04 :
But here’s my thing. Speaking of which, as you’re streaming, isn’t there a button skip intro? I haven’t listened to the opening credits or the opening theme of a TV show in five years.
SPEAKER 03 :
Skip, skip, skip.
SPEAKER 04 :
Here’s a minute and a half I don’t need. Boop!
SPEAKER 03 :
Skip recap and skip intro. You could also skip the recap.
SPEAKER 04 :
Marital debate, marital debate, marital debate. I love the recap. Lisa thinks I’m insane, especially when you’re binging and you just finished the previous episode. Well, that’s it.
SPEAKER 01 :
I’m just binging. I’m just watching.
SPEAKER 04 :
Previously on Landman.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right, I just saw it.
SPEAKER 04 :
But here’s the thing. You know they’re not just throwing scenes together willy-nilly. The recap is designed to bring back into focus stuff that you either saw the previous week or 20 minutes ago, as the case may be, because that’s probably a connection that they’re going to make and carry through in the plot of the episode you’re about to see. So she goes, oh, get through this, get through this.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Lisa’s right. Lisa’s right. Yeah. She’s right, because Lisa and I have an attention span more than a gnat. Evidently, you can’t remember five minutes ago. That is true. It’s totally true. But isn’t it fascinating how everything is different with the way you watch a series now? You can watch it like that. And, you know, look, I’m a longtime veteran radio guy. I love advertising, frankly, because I know it’s baked into the cake. You get to skip past all of that when you’re watching it. I was thinking the other day about how many things are different. Receptionists are becoming extinct. There’s no – there really is, and it’s sad.
SPEAKER 04 :
Human beings showing up at the front of the office to meet people in your crowded office setting. Back to TV for two seconds. Number one, the ability to binge, I love it. Some I now resent shows that make me wait a week. The Greatness of Shrinking, which is with Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, just finished season two. Here comes Severance back on HBO or Apple TV, excuse me, which is that weird. It’s weird. But they’re going to make me wait every week, which is like old school. It’s like, no, I want to see them all now, now, now, now.
SPEAKER 03 :
Like the Sopranos. The Sopranos was an event for Denise and the kids and I. She would make, it was ridiculous, as if we’re Italian, but she’d make baked ziti. And we would, on Sunday nights, we would sit around and watch. And there’s that, again, that theme. Woke up this morning, got myself good. I mean, you’ve got to have a theme. West Wing, one of the great classic show opens.
SPEAKER 04 :
Sopranos might have been the last time in America. that everybody gathered at the water cooler. Remember water coolers? That everybody gathered the following morning and talked about what they saw the previous night.
SPEAKER 03 :
Isn’t that pretty well largely gone in America? It’s gone. We don’t do that anymore. Look, and you and I on air, we don’t want to give things away. You don’t know how far along somebody is in a series.
SPEAKER 04 :
I did something the other day where we talked about a show that had been on in like a year and somebody reamed me on the text line. Hey, I haven’t seen that yet. It’s like, dude. I know. It’s been a year.
SPEAKER 03 :
What am I supposed to do? I know. Well, anyway, happy Monday. We’ll talk tomorrow about the finale. But then we shouldn’t talk too specifically about the finale.
SPEAKER 04 :
No, no, no. Because I’m going to give people, listen, I’ll give people whatever they need. But it is just, the show is a masterpiece. Billy Bob is so good. Some of the plot lines about his wife and his daughter, who are fun, fun characters, gets a little silly. Isn’t she a dead ringer for Anna Nicole Smith?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes. Yes. Did you notice that? She looks and even acts just like the late Anna Nicole Smith. And I didn’t recognize her name. I looked it up because she’s not famous. I mean, she’s a working actress, clearly. And it’s a great ensemble. The son is great. Ali Larker. Never heard of her. You know, I’ve never seen her. But she’s great. She’s wonderful. And the lawyer buddy of his that’s the roommate. Poor Nate. Poor Nate. Poor, put upon Nate. In this episode, really poor Nate. Well, no, don’t stop. Hush. Oh, no, no. No, don’t tell me they off. They don’t kill Nate, do they? Oh, no, no, no. I don’t mean poor Nate that he’s dead. No, no, no. Oh, good, good. All right. La, la, la, la, la, la, la. All right. So anyhow, welcome in.
SPEAKER 04 :
You know what? Last thing, last thing, last thing. The greatness, and she’s only in for a few, I think she might have more to do in the second season. Demi? The greatness of Demi Moore. I know. And how old is she? 50-ish or something. I was like, Alexa, how old is Demi Moore?
SPEAKER 03 :
You talk too fast when you said it. You said it too fast. Slow down. They say 62. Yeah, I think she’s our age. I think she’s in her 60s. And I’ll tell you what. And she looks 39. She looks wonderful.
SPEAKER 04 :
She just won a Golden Globe for this. Did you tell me about the substance? about the movie she’s in. She’s great. It’s very clever. It’s unbelievably gross. It’s just too gross.
SPEAKER 03 :
There are plastic surgeries that don’t go well. Whatever she does, somebody ought to try to capture that in a bottle because she looks fantastic.
SPEAKER 04 :
She looks great. She is 62, dude.
SPEAKER 03 :
I thought so. See, and you tell me she looks 62. You’re not a wrinkle anywhere. She looks fantastic.
SPEAKER 04 :
Now, she can’t smile, but she looks good. What was the old Joan Rivers line? When I smiled, the garage door opened. I don’t even know what that means.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, so like Texans, I went to South Carolina Friday to catch some snow. Now, there’s nothing more obnoxious than a Yankee making fun of Southerners panicking about the snow. I’d say the same thing about Texas. You could expand that. There’s nothing worse than somebody from New York telling a Texan, you guys don’t handle weather very well. But I will say this. I’ve never seen so much panic over literally 0.4 tenths of an inch of snow. That’s what it wound up getting. It was half an inch. You’d have thought it was the biggest blizzard in the history of South Carolina. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, they shut Atlanta. Atlanta got the same storm system, and they shut it down for two or three days.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, they shut Greenville down. Shut the whole thing down. They shut schools down. They shut everything down. Now, they always go with the caveat, well, there’s some ice involved. But look, I thought about the cold weather that all of us are kind of experiencing to one degree or the other, and of course, realizing it pales in comparison to Los Angeles. And this thing is… Now, Mark, here’s why Trump is so good. Here’s what he posted on Truth Social overnight. Mm-hmm. The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent Poles have no idea how to put them out. Pauls, I guess. I pronounce Pauls. Pauls for politician. Pauls for politician. He writes, thousands of magnificent homes are gone. Many more will soon be lost. There’s death all over the place. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country ever. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them? Mark, since this thing began, I thought, I’m a simple guy. I don’t understand meteorology. I get that I don’t know wildfires and burns and controlled burns. How the heck do you have a city like Los Angeles completely unprepared for wildfires? And by the way, while we’re on the subject… I saw last night on the news, well, there’s eight. There have been eight different wildfires that all began at the same time. How does that work, Mark? I don’t like to go down conspiracy theory rabbit holes, but something doesn’t add up here. No water in the fire hydrant? Well, you know, don’t pay attention to that. It’s overwhelmed. The system’s overwhelmed.
SPEAKER 04 :
And anybody who brings that up, like Trump or you or me, Gavin Newsom scolding people over the weekend for politicizing people’s suffering. Dude, it’s your politics that’s exacerbating their suffering.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, let’s talk about Gavin Newsom and politicization for just a moment. Have you heard that he was posting on social media, just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data? You know what the new site is? What? It’s a site that directs people to ActBlue, his political pack. He was caught for scamming his 2.1 million followers, asking them to donate to his political pack because he wants to run for president.
SPEAKER 04 :
So on the auspice of seeking, of guiding people toward information about the fires and certain civic-minded things, it wound up being a fundraising pitch.
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s a fundraising thing. And Elizabeth Warren did the same thing, directing people to Act Blue. Act Blue is the scandal-ridden leftist scam to raise money for leftists like all of them. They’re awful people. And this woman calling out Ted Cruz a few years ago for going to Cancun in the ice storm, she declares an emergency in L.A. and gets on a plane and goes to Ghana. Karen Bass. I mean, Karen Bass, this ridiculous. She’s awful. I mean, they’re all awful. And the fire chief is calling them all out, saying, look, we don’t have the resources. They took the resources from us. Yes, indeed. Well, I thought she was fired. Did you see there was a report that she was fired? There was.
SPEAKER 04 :
She was twisting the wind there for about a day, and then all of a sudden she’s keeping the gig.
SPEAKER 03 :
They had a one-on-one. Karen Bass and the fire chief had a meeting, and boom, all off. Now there’s no firing. I mean, it’s a nightmare out there. And you see these video images. Mark, we just can’t really comprehend it.
SPEAKER 04 :
I absolutely can’t. I know I’ve never been through a hurricane, but I know what one is. I’ve never had a tornado hit me directly, but I can imagine in my little brain sort of what that’s like. This thing of having these mansions, or it doesn’t even have to be a mansion. With a big window where the fire is like a mile away. And then three minutes later, it’s eating your yard. It’s like, what? I mean, is there no technology? Is there not any water resistant? Well, here’s what’s weird. OK, technology. Now, this is this is either the dumbest thing that anybody can say. And some people are saying it. I think Trump said it. So or it’s brilliant. Hello, ocean. You’re on a coastal city. You’re next to the ocean. Isn’t there some way, and I don’t think fires care if the water is salty, the fire still goes out. Shouldn’t there be some massive, some pipe? I don’t even know, but it would seem like this is solvable.
SPEAKER 03 :
I took the show to Kansas after they had a devastating, a whole town. Remember that was at Green, I think it was, remember Eric, the town was at Greenberg? We did a broadcast from there. And that’s what these images from California look like to me. Like the entire miles of cities are completely gone, house after house. And that was what that city was in Greenville, Greenberg. It was unbelievable. Every city. Every block, the whole city was wiped out. And that’s what this feels like. And I’m with Trump. I’m sorry. We’re going to explore this today. Of course, what a week we’re going to have. I mean, we’ve got the confirmation hearings. Are you ready?
SPEAKER 04 :
The hearings are underway tomorrow. Yep. You buckled in. And then this weekend. Whose is going to be, who’s going to have the most fireworks? Hegseth? Gabbard?
SPEAKER 03 :
Cash Patel?
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, yes. Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yep. That one’s the one that’s going to probably get the popcorn out for cash. Did you catch Christopher Wray? I did.
SPEAKER 04 :
I’m a conservative Republican. And the Chinese are a terrible threat. Well, no kidding, Sherlock. My dog knows the Chinese are a threat.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, at least he didn’t sit there, though, and tell the guy, well, you know, white supremacist is the terrorist. At least he did address China. But, yeah, I suffered through that and watched the 60 Minutes piece. I thought, man, if you hadn’t asked any tough questions, I would have slumped over. Reputational repair underway at 60 Minutes. And then this weekend, Off for D.C. will be there Monday for the inauguration. So cool.
SPEAKER 04 :
Can’t wait to vicariously experience it through our buddy Mike. I can’t wait.
SPEAKER 03 :
You got it. All right. Happy Monday. No giveaways. No giveaways. No spoilers. No epics on Landman. No, sir. Go Billy Bob. I hope Billy Bob takes out the whole cartel. That’s what I’m hoping.
SPEAKER 19 :
Download the podcast and hear all of Mike and Mark’s conversations at MikeOnline.com for the M&M experience.
What Is Really Happening In California?
In this gripping episode, we delve into the unfolding crisis of the wildfires in California, exploring the devastating impact on communities and the contentious political discourse surrounding it. As the fires rage on, host Mike Dillard sheds light on the governmental responses—or lack thereof—and invites listeners to voice their opinions on the matter. Through an impassioned discussion, we examine the role of leadership, media narratives, and public safety in tackling one of the country’s worst natural disasters.
More Episodes
Trump ENDS Kamala’s Secret Service Detail
CVS Goes MAHA
Mike Gallagher Show Week in Review for 08.29.25
MSNBC Hosts Call Prayer ‘Useless Nonsense’