Guests - John Gordon, Betsy Smith
Election Day in Pima County: Props 418 and 419
Kathleen Winn kicks off the discussion on a pivotal election day in Pima County, where voters decide on Propositions 418 and 419. These measures propose a half-cent sales tax increase to generate $2.67 billion over 20 years for infrastructure. Winn praises Republican turnout, noting it's on track to exceed 35%—potentially reaching 40%—which bodes well for upcoming state elections. She urges listeners to vote, emphasizing the stakes for local governance.
Daylight Savings Time Anecdote from John Gordon
John Gordon, attorney, legal and political analyst, entrepreneur, and host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Truth with John Gordon, shares a lighthearted story from his early reporting days in Macon, Georgia. "One of my first reporting jobs I had? I was in Macon, Georgia, where I was going to law school and high school, and I had a little job at a radio station. And they said, Gordon, go out on the street and ask people what they think of daylight savings time. So I asked people and they said, oh, yeah, I love it. I love it. I asked this one lady, I said, ma'am, how do you like daylight savings time? She said, oh, I don't like it. I said, well, why don't you like daylight savings time? She said, because my tomatoes are getting too much sun." Gordon quips that such perspectives highlight how everyday people engage in civic matters, adding, "And some of those people vote."
Kristi Noem's Tenure at DHS and Transition
Gordon delves into Kristi Noem's brief stint as head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and her recent reassignment. "I don't know Kristi Noem well. I've had lunch with her about three or four years ago in Atlanta. She is prettier in person than she is on television. She's a beauty. She's beautiful. She knows she's beautiful." He describes her as smart but notes the challenges: "President Trump won the election on closing the border and deporting illegals. And he's the problem with that is it turns out that it's harder than it sounds. And it has become very messy. And there is resulted in loss of life." Gordon points to her affair with Corey Lewandowski as a complicating factor: "She's had a liaison with my former campaign consultant, Corey Lewandowski, who I know extremely well, who I really like. He's sharp as a tack, smart as they come. And he has a weakness for the opposite sex. And it's gotten him into trouble on several past occasions." The scandal, combined with congressional scrutiny, made her a liability, leading to her exit.
DHS Funding Battles and Democratic Obstruction
On DHS funding, Gordon warns of Democratic tactics: "It is now giving the Democrats fodder and they're using their obstructionist ways to interfere with the funding of ICE, which is a huge mistake. Like most things the Democrats do, they will because of their incompetence, they'll double down on it and it will backfire." He predicts backlash: "I can't predict what will happen in the weeks and months to come. But something that will happen that will show the stupidity of their ways and someone will lose their life or some tragedy will occur and it will trace right back to the lack of funding for the people that are paid to keep us safe." Winn questions if Democrats will pivot from criticizing Noem to focusing on protest-related deaths, to which Gordon responds that their incompetence will lead to self-sabotage.
The Noem-Homan Dynamic in Minneapolis
Gordon reflects on the handling of Minneapolis unrest: "A 2020 hindsight is just so clear. If we had to do it over again, we would have done just the reverse. Homan would have gone in as the heavy and then Noem would have gone in as the conciliator and peacemaker. And that's really how it should have been handled from a hierarchical standpoint. But it wasn't." He notes Noem's dismissal from the situation allowed Tom Homan to stabilize it, but it fueled Democratic attacks.
Mass Deportation Challenges and the Gordon Plan
Gordon addresses Democratic resistance to mass deportations: "I hope they're not that demonic. It is possible. I just hope they're not that demonic." He outlines his "Gordon plan for sensible deportation": "The Gordon plan for sensible deportation would call for turning in all the COVID vaccination centers into guest registration centers. Everybody has to come and register. Doesn't matter whether you're Hispanic or Islamic, if you're from the Middle East or from Afghanistan or China, you have to come and register. No questions asked, Somalia. And so for starters, we get the names and addresses of everybody who's here illegally. And then we begin to categorize people. If you've come in the last five years, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go home. We're going to do it humanely and in an orderly fashion without bloodshed. But look, you have no choice. We don't have a spot for you. But have you been here over five years, we will engage in a vetting process. Have you broken our laws? Were you a criminal in your country of origin? If not, and you've got a sponsor here, we will give you a Trump gold card that will allow you to continue to work here for five years." He emphasizes incentives: "There's a strong incentive to show up and register. Because we're going to be nice to you if you do." The plan includes penalties for non-compliance and aims to flip the narrative, making Trump a hero.
Sanctuary States and Holding Leaders Accountable
Gordon criticizes sanctuary states: "The sanctuary states is a problem. But I truly believe, but I doubt there's the political will to do it, that people who intentionally violate or encourage others to violate federal law should be held accountable." He suggests cutting federal aid: "If I were king for a day, I'd just say very simply, you want to game the system, that's all right. But we're ceasing all federal aid until it stops." Winn agrees, highlighting states like California, Minnesota, Illinois, and New York enabling illegal activities, including issuing CDL licenses to unqualified individuals.
Key Issues for Midterms: Safety and Affordability
Gordon and Winn align on midterm priorities: "People care about their safety. They care about that. I believe more than anything, keeping their families safe and affordability." Gordon adds, "I think you're spot on. And where we have this blip in the screen on the oil, I do believe that that's going to be fixed quicker than not. That doesn't bother me. But ultimately, those are the two issues, safety and the cost of living."
Markwayne Mullin's Nomination for DHS
On Senator Markwayne Mullin's nomination to lead DHS, Gordon says: "He's one of them. And that has proven to be an easier path to confirmation if you come from the Senate because he's got relationships, he's got friends, and they kind of, whether they like him or not, they kind of look after their own is my sense. And I don't really know much about him other than Trump described him as a warrior. And so I think he's probably going to take a tough job and do it well, once confirmed." He anticipates smoother Senate confirmation due to Mullin's insider status.
John Gordon's Personal Update: Move to Florida
Gordon shares his recent life change: "Actually, my home is in Georgia, but I've just completed a new home in West Palm Beach right across from Mar-a-Lago. So it was very, one of the more difficult things I've done in 2026 was change my residency to Florida. So my wife and I, after having started work at 12 years old, I've worked 73, I'm still working."
Marjorie Taylor Greene's Vacant Seat and Future
Gordon discusses the runoff for Greene's former seat: "I don't have a lot of insight into the race. Frankly, the thing that just boggled my mind is that Marjorie Taylor Greene, I sat with her at Mar-a-Lago in 2018 or 2017. We were dialing for dollars for President Trump and she was a candidate for Congress and she worked so hard to get there. And she has fought all these years. Is it four or six years now? I think six. And there was obviously a dust-up between her and Trump. She got her feathers ruffled. And I understandably, because Trump got after her and said he was going to primary her, and she said, fine, have at it. It's yours. And just walked out." He speculates on her ambitions: "A lot of people think she's going to make her run at being president. I ascribe little chance of success, but I'd love to have her in the race for the rhetoric and the truth that she would bring to the process."
Texas Senate Race: Cornyn vs. Paxton
Winn highlights the Texas race: "The center race in Texas between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton. And Trump said he was going to weigh in. And then Ken Paxton said, okay, if you get the SAVAC passed and the filibuster, I'll drop out. I thought that was brilliant." Gordon agrees on Paxton's strategy, noting Trump's potential endorsement of Cornyn and Don Jr.'s support for Paxton.
Epstein Files and Accountability
Gordon expresses outrage over the Epstein files: "The Congress unanimously passed the Epstein file dump, which they have not fulfilled. They've given us half the documents. It is disgusting. The only thing I can imagine is the contents of those files are so horrific that we couldn't stomach it. And there's all this whispering about not taking advantage of young women, but taking advantage of young children. And that's a red line for me. I'm sorry. I don't care who did what. If they committed a crime against a child, they should burn in hell." Winn shares her experience: "I worked for our attorney general here and worked on child exploitation issues and child sex trafficking. And I knew, I would say, at least seven of the victims of the Epstein era. And they're all grownups now. And there were literally girls, Maxwell, who sits in a prison where she belongs, would go to schoolyards and bring these girls back to Epstein."
Concerns About the Intelligence Community
Gordon critiques intelligence agencies: "My suspicion is that it's not about protecting the people as much as it is the institutions. Without direct evidence, although we've got a lot of circumstantial evidence, suspect that this curses directly to the Mossad and the CIA. And I think if it is as bad as Innuendo is suggesting, that it might result in those, especially the CIA being burned to the ground." He adds, "We know with certainty that they killed Kennedy, okay? I mean, if someone doesn't believe they killed Kennedy, you're either steeped in denial or have not bothered to look. And if that's true, what else is true? Then we go on to Building 7, we go on to Butler, and we go on to Charlie Kirk."
Charlie Kirk Memorial License Plate Veto
Winn discusses Governor Katie Hobbs' veto: "Our governor, Katie Hobbs, vetoed legislation that would have created a special memorial plate to celebrate Charlie Kirk's contributions to civic engagement and free speech. SB 1439 would have established a Charlie Kirk memorial license plate in an effort to give Arizona a simple way to support the philanthropic organization Charlie built." She quotes Hobbs: "She said that we're not going to allow the Arizona license plates be politicized." Winn argues it's hypocritical given other plates: "Go online and look at all the hundreds of different specialty license plates. And again, they're they are, I guess, what we would call political on both sides."
Arizona Election Integrity and Federal Involvement
Gordon and Winn celebrate federal investigations: "The feds have shown up in Arizona like they showed up in Georgia. They have there. We're so glad they're here. I think that is the best news I've heard. Maybe we will get the truth on 2020." Gordon shares his Georgia efforts: "I spent three years working supporting a law, a legal case against the Fulton Board of Elections. We raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and I traveled to exposing what happened in Georgia in 2020."
Sheriff Chris Nanos' Scandals with Betsy Brantner Smith
Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association and member at large for Pima County GOP, exposes Sheriff Nanos' resume issues: "Stephanie Murray, she's a reporter for USA Today, but she also writes for AZ Central, who is really no friend of the Republican Party. But she has put out a scoop yesterday. And she actually went on to Pima. It's on the Pima County Sheriff's Department website, Chris Nanos' work history. His resume is up there. And she did some research, and his resume is wrong. And it says that he worked at the El Paso Texas Police Department, for people who don't know that. He says he was there until 1984, but he actually resigned in 1982 in lieu of getting fired for a whole string of allegations, including insubordination, excessive force, off-duty gambling, and tardiness, as they call it." Smith quotes Nanos' response: "You sure you don't want to go back to my high school and ask why I got swats from the principal? Good luck with your hit piece."
Lawsuits and Incompetence Under Nanos
Smith details ongoing issues: "The county's still involved in multiple lawsuits because of Chris Nanos that you and I are paying for. There's a new one. There's a million dollar lawsuit this week. Again, the gift that keeps on giving Sheriff Nanos because of the way they handled a suspect." She criticizes his leadership: "He's such an arrogant, narcissistic. Keep it clean. Keep it clean. We don't want to dump out. Yeah, I know. You know, my favorite word, a bad person. Let's just use toilet head. Just since they use it on Katie Fox, let's just use toilet head. He is a poo poo head."
Anti-ICE Protests and Board of Supervisors
Smith describes staged protests: "The anti ice protesters are at your house probably after tonight. Yes, uh, they're going to start, uh, protesting at the proposed ice facility, uh, in Marana out in the country. So, uh, our board of supervisors is, uh, is going to, uh, have their own press conference out there, but citizens are not allowed to go because, you know, even though they work for us, they don't really work for us." She notes hypocrisy: "When I, uh, was at alligator Alcatraz, uh, in the, uh, in the Everglades. And when I, uh, was, when we pulled up in front of alligator Alcatraz, which is guarded by the Santa's state police, um, guess what, Kathleen, there were two large diesel powered luxury buses and they had bust in protesters with the exact same signs that our protesters have at the board of supervisors meetings."
Legal Battles Over ICE Tactics
Smith updates on court rulings: "A judge in, uh, in Illinois tried to tell the, uh, tried to tell ice, uh, that they couldn't use different, uh, ways to arrest people and this and that. And, uh, the, uh, appellate court in Illinois came in and said, this is ridiculous. You can't do this. And, uh, and now another judge in Portland, uh, just said that ice can't use pepper ball and other less lethal methods of controlling, uh, violent rioters."
University of Arizona Wildcats Basketball Honors
Winn celebrates the Wildcats: "We are, uh, very fortunate to have, uh, the UV wildcats team, uh, I think how'd they end up 28 and two, 29 and two, I don't know that I know that answer 29 and two, 29 and two. 29 and two." Awards include: "Jayden Bradley was named big 12 player of the year. He led the wildcats to a 29 and two. There it is. I had it written down. Overall record and a big 12 regular season championship. And Toby, I think you say it, Awaka Awaka, uh, recognizes the sixth man of the year. He averaged 9.9 points and nation leading 9.5 rebounds in 21.5 minutes played per game off the bench. Tommy Lloyd awarded a big 12 coach of the year." The team prepares for the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament.