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Bill, I want to ask you about the senior senator from the state of Missouri, Josh Hawley.

He was one of five Republicans who joined 47 Democrats this week uh to try and limit the president's powers when it comes to military incursions into other countries.

Uh, of course, the president entered Venezuela last week and removed the president or dictator there.

And I think some people are now concerned that the president might do the same thing in Denmark or Greenland or something like that.

So Josh Holly votes against the president and then the president said that he and the other four Republicans should never be elected to office again.

So he's on the bad list.

Josh Hawley, what's going on here?

>> Well, I think Josh Hawley is very, very smart and I don't trust him at all, but I think that that this is a political calculation and the senior senator wants to be president.

the junior senator wants to be vice president under JD Vance.

I mean, everybody's this is all politicking.

I mean, that's why uh you know, Eric Schmidt is in favor of this stuff and Josh Hawley is against it, trying to find his own lane.

So, it's politics as usual, but good for Josh Holly.

I agree with his position.

>> Yeah, I' I've been so negative on Josh Holly over the years.

And I got to say, I respect this.

like, yes, I think he's doing it because he wants to set himself up as the conservative alternative to JD Vance.

We know we're going to need another president in three years and he would like to be the person who stands against maybe the corruption or the overreach of the Trump administration.

That's not a bad lane to be in.

There's some people who are going to be tired of the way that that things have been.

and for him to sort of stand up and be willing to take the heat from the White House.

There's a lot of people who don't have the guts to do that, who are in states who are not nearly as conservative and MAGA friendly as Missouri.

>> And what's so amazing is it is it is really Shakespearean, isn't it?

Because you don't know, you genuinely don't know what's behind the mask.

I never know are they really MAGA?

Are they not really MAGA?

Are they going to be MAGA?

if MAGA does well.

I is it's I just think that's kind of fascinating because we I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime where you genuinely don't know because they will not declare themselves because they can't.

>> Well, you know, like you say this this whole Shark Tank thing sooner or later, you know, sooner or later they just look at you.

And I think that's what's happened to MAGA right now is that, you know, it's it's I won't say smooth sailing for the last, you know, however many a year, whatever.

But at the same time, I think everybody's looking around and saying like, you know, I the wind is changing here, right?

>> All right.

And I think I want to be, you know, in a in a situation where I don't crash and burn a year from now and then especially two years from now.

Is Josh Holly sincere?

I don't know.

But this is one thing where like no this war powers thing that need be addressed.

I mean oh you know what's going on domestically in the country is terrible I think in many ways but we invaded somebody's country and oh it's like the Venezuelans who are saying thank you God thank you God.

I mean >> and I understand >> Wendy we invaded somebody's country.

I understand.

>> Okay now anybody let's >> better than declaring a war though isn't it?

Fr.

Well, okay.

So, let's say France wants uh Libya back or something like that and they bomb it and take the leaders out.

>> China, Taiwan, >> right?

I mean, that's the bigger one.

>> Different tune.

Different tune.

So, >> yeah.

>> Well, I think I think you're right that uh Josh Holly is seeing that the president's popularity is diminishing.

I mean, anyone can open the newspaper now and see the polls and how popular the president is not.

But I think he firmly established himself as MAGA on January 6th, 2021 with the fist.

>> But now, right now, it's a matter of survival on his part.

He's saying, "I do not want to hitch my trailer to this guy's truck."

>> All right, Charlie.

In the morning of January 6th, he had the fist.

In the afternoon of January 6th, he was running, >> right?

>> Running like Forest Gump running.

>> And that's what he's doing now.

>> He's a runner.

>> I agree.

I agree.

He must have been part of that track team.

>> Well, the exploratory committee for Josh Holly by summer by June 21st.

>> All right, who's next?

Uh Sarah, I want to ask you about Jake Zimmerman, who's the county assessor and has been since 2011.

And this morning at 9:00, he decided he was going to take on Brian Williams in the primary for St.

Louis County Executive.

Uh Williams is what, a state senator, I think.

>> Yes.

>> Uh and uh Sam Page, the county executive, is not seeking re-election.

So, in August, we'll have a Democratic primary.

Zimmerman and Williams and maybe somebody else.

Who knows?

What do you think?

>> I think it's nice to that the voters are gonna have a choice.

You know, Brian Williams is a very charismatic guy.

Um, but he his ideas should be given a full airing.

He should have to defend them.

And Jake Zimmerman, he dropped the most charming campaign video I've ever seen in my life.

It was like, of course, I'm blanking on this this phrase, but he just leaned into his geekiness and his nerdiness.

It's basically like what we need right now is a nerd who's just gonna get things done.

And man, he is a nerd.

But he makes this case after Steve Stanganger, after Sam Page.

Wouldn't that be kind of refreshing?

>> Well, Ed Roie uh immediately is who is I guess I don't know if he's in charge representing, right?

It released a statement that said like we need fresh faces.

Zimmerman is old, tired, you know, and all that.

And I just thought that it's interesting that that >> 30 seconds after Zimmerman announced he was going to run, he's already being attacked by Brian Williams people.

And I said like, well, business as usual.

>> Let me talk about his wedding reception.

>> Jake Jake Zimmerman.

you know, a friend of mine, Mark Shapiro, had died and his family had a service for him and then said, uh, we're all going to meet for like a little Irish wake sort of at a bar somewhere near the Ritz Carlton and Clayton.

And so I I'll go to that.

So my son and I went over and I didn't, you know, know the bar scene over there too well, but we saw a bar that a lot of people in it.

I said, "This must be Mark's thing."

And we went in and I saw Tom Villa and I said, "Hey, Tom."

You know, we of course it was open bar, so I had a glass of uh whiskey.

And I said, "Hey, Tom, how how did you know Mark?"

And he said, "Mark, who?"

And I I said, "Isn't this Mark Shapiro's wife?"

And he said, "No, this is Jake Zimmerman's wedding."

So I said, "Well, I'll just have one more drink and leave."

I said, "I don't know it."

So I didn't get an opportunity to meet Mr.

Zimmerman, Mr.

But I was at his reception.

>> Yeah.

I just kind of hope I mean, selfishly, because the last couple of county executive races, we've had the stalking horses, you know, I mean, the third candidate, you know, the that sort of muddies the water.

I' I'd really love to see a primary or what have you with just two candidates.

Is that too much to ask for?

Probably is.

>> I I just can't get over uh Bill said that he was not familiar with the Clayton bar scene.

I'm so surprised.

>> Well, that's that that area around the rich is not my home.

The Clayton bar scene.

>> Sarah, there's now some discussion that maybe $75 million in Rams money should be spent on downtown St.

Louis.

It's in your latest podcast.

>> Yes.

So, Ron Kitchens, who's the new CEO of Greater St.

Louis, Inc., uh was on my podcast and of course I wanted to ask him because this was Jason Hall, his predecessors.

This was his big push.

Downtown needs a hund00 million right now.

I said, "Does downtown still need $100 million?

Are you pushing for this?"

He said, "Well, yes, downtown still needs $100 million, but we can't push for that right now because of the devastation wrought by the tornado."

Honestly, I think one of the best things that happened to the city of St.

Louis was that the deal to like give away a bunch of the Ram settlement funds was blown up and that was like one week before the tornado.

So I think even Greater St.

Louis Inc.

is now acknowledging yes, we need to put more money into North City than we previously thought.

However, he's making the case we can't just put it all into North City.

He said we can't eat our seed corn.

We need to invest in our future by fixing up downtown, making it a place that's going to help younger people want to move to this area because they think we have vibrant night life and because, you know, we have a place for people to have their offices.

He makes his argument.

You can listen to it on the 314 podcast.

>> Fantastic.

Nothing nothing brings young people to St.

Louis for like phrases like we can't >> I was like that's Caloo, Michigan.

>> Right.

Right.

I mean, it's jobs that bring young people.

That's his whole focus is he wants to bring more and better jobs, but he is from Ozark, Missouri, and he kind of has these folksy expressions.

>> Okay.

Well, >> oh boy.

>> On this program for 40 years, how many times have you heard, Bill, about plans to rejuvenate downtown St.

Louis?

>> Well, we we've had uh transformational plans every other day.

Every other day.

What's the plan?

What's the plan for What's the plan for North St.

Louis recovering from the tornado?

We don't have one.

What's the plan for downtown?

We don't have one.

So, until there's a plan, I can't sign off.

>> Oh, we've got a zillion plans.

>> Well, you know what I'm saying?

>> Yeah, the devil's in the details.

>> I'm sorry.

Like, we're talking these numbers, but we have no >> He did He did talk about some specifics.

They've got a specific area they want to focus on, specific things they want to do there.

And I think that honestly, I think some of the best and brightest are also huddled saying, "We need a better plan for North City involving more money."

They've just they've shown as we learned with the ARPA funds, you can't just say I'm going to put a big chunk of money into something without having an effective plan to get it into the most need.

And you're right, they need to >> because maybe they just need if they had an effective plan, maybe they just need $60 million.

If they truly had a plan, they might find out.

>> Well, Pittsburgh is putting like $500 million into their downtown.

>> So, you really think that even if they only need 60 million, they're going to ask 500 million?

500 60 million wouldn't buy.

I know exactly.

Plus, I'll be working for the fun.

>> I bought 4500.

>> One minute to go.

One minute warning.

Alvin, there are there's a movement in Jefferson City to increase the state um speed limit to 75 miles an hour.

Currently, it's 70.

You know, that'll result in more deaths and injuries, right?

Well, I know that Oklahoma could drive 80.

Most of the way coming back from Seattle, you could drive 80.

I think we could handle 75 miles an hour.

So, I I don't have a problem with >> Have you seen St.

Louis drivers?

>> Well, well, but because some nut is driving 110 miles an hour down 44, doesn't mean we can't handle 75 out on the interstate.

>> Well, I kind of I kind of trust the truckers and I trust law enforcement.

And if it's if the if the uh if the speed limit is 75, they're going to drive 82.

So, I that's just the way it is.

>> I get five.

I do five.

>> Okay.

I I already drive 82.

And honestly, I was like, what?

The speed limit's not 75.

I didn't remind me.

>> I don't know what to say to that.

>> That in my diary.

>> I thought I was really giving it up saying I do pressing 5 miles over there driving 95 miles an hour.

>> I'm going to go back to that phone and call Joe Holland in here.

>> I think I I think that I think trucks on on various parts of of the states, you know, our interstates, I think they they have a problem with that kind of thing.

Even the truck driver >> because Missurians cannot drive.

Well, they're too busy on their cell phones and their computers and their laptops while they're driving.

So, >> I think if you told truckers they could drive 90 miles an hour, that'd be fine because they are trying to get places quicker as fast as they can get there.

>> That's right.

But some of them aren't watching the road as closely as >> the crew wants to go home.

All right.

Okay.

Thank you so much for joining us.

We'll see you next week at this time.