Guests - Betsy Smith, Jared Knott

Tucson City Council Prioritizes Politics Over Public Safety

Rain fell over Tucson as Winn Tucson took to the airwaves with Kathleen Winn, producer Matt Neely, and special guest Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.

The conversation quickly turned to Tucson City Council's recent meeting, where priorities seemed misaligned with the city's pressing issues. Matt Neely observed, "They're working all the big issues, Kathleen. They voted to condemn Trump and crafted some resolution they pontificated on for quite some time."

Betsy Smith added context: "That resolution is pretty funny because basically what they voted to speak out against was a tuition freeze. In other words, they voted to stop the Trump administration's request that they admit students on academics, not on their DEI. Once again, they're finding the wrong side of an 80-20 issue or a 90-10 issue."

Meanwhile, Tucson continues to struggle with fentanyl and crime issues. Winn noted, "The blue in Tucson, it's not ocean, it's not water, it's a sea of fentanyl we are floating on and they're wasting time on this."

Convenient Timing: Crime Sweeps Begin as Voting Opens

The hosts discussed the suspicious timing of sudden action on crime in Tucson. Matt Neely pointed out, "Yesterday was October 8th. It was also the day that voting started in the city of Tucson election and I'm sure it's just a coincidence that at that exact moment they decided to do a sweep to take care of drugs and violent crime along the Huckleberry loop."

Smith compared the council's approach to a child's behavior: "It's like a kid on December 20th who's been a tear all year and all of a sudden cleans up his room and takes out the trash, hoping to get moved from the naughty list to the nice list at the very last minute."

The discussion highlighted how the council's sudden interest in addressing crime appears politically motivated rather than representing genuine concern for public safety. Matt noted, "They knew they had the power to do this. They chose not to address this problem for years."

Law Enforcement Success Despite Political Obstacles

Despite the political posturing, Tucson police continue to make significant arrests. Winn shared a recent success: "Two days ago, Tucson police department reported that last week officers patrolling near Speedway and Magnolia Avenue conducted a traffic stop. After a brief chase, a 32-year-old male was taken into custody. He was found to be in possession of more than 1,200 fentanyl pills, over seven grams of methamphetamine, and officers also recovered three handguns."

The irony wasn't lost on Smith: "The Democrats hate traffic stops. They think traffic stops are racist. But look what happened as the result: lawful traffic stop and good police work by TPD."

The group discussed how these types of enforcement actions directly contradict the narrative pushed by some city council members, particularly Mayor Regina Romero, who has emphasized connecting people with services rather than addressing criminal behavior directly.

National Guard Arrives in Chicago as Border Enforcement Improves

The conversation shifted to national news, with Smith reporting live from Oklahoma during her cross-country journey: "About 20-25 minutes ago the National Guard arrived at the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, which is a Chicago suburb. One of the things that a lot of people don't know, there is literally a law in Illinois that prohibits Illinois police departments from assisting ICE in immigration enforcement."

She explained how Texas Governor Greg Abbott's National Guard troops had arrived to help protect the ICE processing station and agents. "These are a bunch of Texicans, these are big, strapping Americans, primarily black and brown, who are part of Greg Abbott's elite National Guard forces."

The discussion highlighted the contrast between local Democratic leaders' resistance to federal assistance and the real public safety needs in cities like Chicago. "Here's what's happening in Chicago and around the nation: ICE continues to arrest the worst of the worst," Smith explained. "About 72% of the arrests that ICE is making around the country are people with other criminal warrants and/or they came here as hardcore criminals."

California Wildfires: Politics Over Public Safety

The conversation then turned to California, where a suspect was recently arrested for starting the devastating Palisades Fire that caused billions in damage and claimed 17 lives. Smith noted the political dynamics: "The Democrats told us that this fire was likely caused by global warming, when in reality it was caused by a man who was very angry and upset."

She explained how the Los Angeles Fire Department, hampered by "DEI leadership" according to Smith, had initially put out a small fire started by the suspect, but it reignited during high winds because it "wasn't being monitored by the very short-staffed Los Angeles Fire Department."

The hosts observed how California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass, spend considerable time fighting the Trump administration while neglecting basic public safety needs. "In California, they don't want federal agents there until they do. Now all of a sudden they're like, 'Oh, yay, we like to partner with our federal partners to solve this fire that frankly Los Angeles allowed to burn out of control.'"

Trump's Historic Middle East Peace Deal

In the second half of the program, Kathleen Winn welcomed historian and author Jared Knott to discuss the breaking news of Hamas accepting a peace plan brokered by President Trump. "Hamas has accepted Trump's peace plan ending two years of war in Gaza and a plan to return the hostages, alive and embodied," Winn noted.

Knott called the development "miraculous and historic in nature" and noted, "There's no other president, I don't think, in modern history who could be pulling this off."

The peace agreement involves multiple phases, with phase one centered on returning hostages and Israel pulling back to defensive lines. Knott explained, "Phase two, which will involve [Hamas] giving up its arms and also giving up any kind of leadership role in the area, Gaza, that's going to have some sticky points."

Knott attributed the breakthrough to Israel's military success: "You can't forget the fact that we call it peace through strength. The Israelis have just beaten the living tar out of Hamas, defeated them again and again, and they're saying you have a choice: you can do it the easy way or the hard way."

Historic Achievement and Nobel Peace Prize Nomination

The discussion highlighted the international significance of the agreement, with Winn noting, "The Malta foreign minister nominates Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize." She contrasted media coverage: "USA Today is calling, because they're not a fan, calling Trump's lame duck musings have legacy on his mind. But quite frankly, if peace breaks out all over the world, I don't think that's a horrible thing."

Knott added perspective: "My favorite group that nominated Donald Trump were the priests there in Cambodia. Six or seven thousand Cambodian priests in their beautiful red robes nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize." He noted the irony that Barack Obama received the prize despite, in his view, not earning it, while Trump has brokered numerous peace agreements.

Leadership Contrast and Global Impact

The conversation emphasized the contrast between Trump's leadership approach and that of his critics. Knott observed, "Trump is operating at a level of sophistication far beyond the Democrats or anyone the Democrats have to offer."

Winn agreed: "What Donald Trump has done in what is it, nine, nine and a half months, maybe nine months, is unprecedented. I don't care if you like him, I don't care if you hate him. What this man has done to restore order not only in our country but in the world..."

Knott noted the evolution in Trump's leadership style: "In his first term, he had a tendency to send out tweets at 3 o'clock in the morning. In the second term, far better managed and far better balance. He comes across as a mature, sensible, reasonable person."

The discussion concluded with reflections on the fragility yet importance of the peace process, with Knott emphasizing that Trump is "playing three-dimensional chess while everyone else is playing maybe checkers or in some cases even tic-tac-toe."