Chris Loprieato

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@bobpockrass @NASCARONFOX He’ll bring dodge back as a owner

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@HawkEmDownChris Bo Jackson

[Ramin Ekhtiar @raminrealtalk]

California gave ONE nonprofit $1 BILLION.

To put solar panels on poor people's roofs.

You know how much solar they actually installed?

$72 million.

That's it.

So where the FUCK is the other $928 MILLION?

I'll tell you exactly where.

The same nonprofit that WROTE the law that gave them the money ALSO got the contract to run "community outreach."

Same guy runs the nonprofit AND the program. Chris Walker. Two paychecks. Look it up.

And their SISTER organization — same building, same staff, same donors — is a 501(c)(4) that endorses Democrat candidates and runs door-knocking operations in the EXACT SAME NEIGHBORHOODS.

Connect the dots, idiot.

You pay $7.50 a gallon for gas.

Cap-and-trade takes a cut at the pump.

That money flows to "climate justice nonprofits."

Those nonprofits funnel it into Democrat get-out-the-vote machines.

You. Are. Funding. The. People. Who. Are. Robbing. You.

Every time you fill up your fucking tank, you're paying for a Democrat campaign volunteer to knock on a stranger's door and tell them how amazing Gavin Newsom is.

$928 MILLION.

GONE.

And not one journalist in this state asked a single question until @jennyraeca and CAL DOGE pulled the receipts.

You think this is the only one?

There's a hundred more like it.

This is how California works now.

This is how a "blue state" stays blue when only 48% of the voters are Democrats.

Wake the fuck up.

@patrickbetdavid @VincentOshana @FoxNews @WallStreetApes @CalDOGEgov @elonmusk @libsoftiktok

We're standing in front of the building right now.

https://t.co/bYQD11T69M

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@nettermike The only time you should pay to register your vehicle is when it changes ownership from one part to another . One time fee. Anything else is theft?

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@adamcarolla That’s how the unions get paid back

[Derrick Evans @DerrickEvans4WV]

🚨 WATCH: California state legislators are advancing a 2–9¢ per-mile driving tax tracked by odometer that could cost families $1,200–$4,200 a year, adding higher fees and more oversight under Gavin Newsom.

[The Adam Carolla Show @AdamCarollaShow]

WATCH: @adamcarolla Shows Off $15 Million Paul Newman Car Collection | On Display | @Complex

➡️ https://t.co/i7sUNH4Fe9

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@WHLeavitt @LeaderJohnThune A

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@JackCarrUSA Just finished IN THE BLOOD. Another outstanding ending . I ordered ONLY THE DEAD, it will be here tomorrow . Thank goodness to Amazon .

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@graveyardcarz When is the show coming back on

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@JeffStriegle Chad Little

[Kevin Kiley @KevinKileyCA]

Today I joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to announce an investigation into CA High-Speed Rail, which could claw back $4.3 billion in federal funds. Amusingly, a few protestors showed up in support of the boondoggle.  

The High-Speed Rail disaster is the worst public infrastructure failure in U.S. history. It is a blight on our landscape and an embarrassment to our state.   It is a symbol for the decline of modern California, showcasing political ineptitude on an epic scale.  

It exemplifies the failures of transparency and accountability, of governance and planning, of vision and leadership, of competence and common sense that have turned the greatest state in the country into the most popular state to leave.  

It represents the disregard for taxpayer dollars, for property rights, for democratic accountability, for economic reality, that have caused our beautiful state to lead the nation in all the wrong ways.  

And it highlights the small-mindedness of our politicians, who think of themselves as visionaries for plowing ahead with a 20th century project that won’t be complete until the 22nd century, at best.  

The failure of High-Speed Rail represents all that has gone wrong in modern California. And that is precisely why this is such a hopeful day; the end of this ill-fated project will serve as a new beginning.

We are turning the page in California. A coalition for common sense is ascendant.

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

Josh Smith is the CEO of The Montana Knife Company, and one of America’s premiere blade smiths. If you listen to The Way I Heard It, you’ve heard his incredible story - the story of a former lineman who decided to start making knives in Montana, and went on to build one of the most respected small businesses in America. Shortly after our podcast, which you can watch over here, https://t.co/c8328Ixrwv, Josh called to thank me for having him on.

“You have no idea how good this was for MKC,” he said. “We don’t do traditional advertising, and this kind of publicity goes a long way.”

I was happy to hear this. I'm sympathetic to the many challenges that come with domestic manufacturing, and do what I can to highlight entrepreneurs committed to making excellent products in the USA. But Josh was not content with a simple “thank you.”

“We’re big believers in what you guys are doing at mikeroweWORKS, and we'd would love to support your next scholarship program with a fundraiser.”
“Tell me more,” I said.

“Well, I was thinking about a custom knife just for MRW. I’d put your logo right on the blade. If you like it, I’ll make a couple hundred and sell them on my website. We’ll handle everything, and I’ll send your foundation a check for 100% of the revenue.”

True to his word, Josh made 200 beautiful knives with an MRW logo, and I made a short video in which I showed off the blade, congratulated Josh for making a quality product in the USA, and encouraged people inclined to support MRW financially to buy a knife instead, so that they could get something special in return for their donation. Two hours later, all 200 knives were gone, $70,000 was raised for MRW, and The Montana Knife Company had a few hundred new customers.

If you follow this page, you know that these kinds of fundraisers have happened here before, always with companies that make high-quality products in America. Last year, American Giant affixed the MRW logo to a few hundred of their legendary hoodies. They sold out immediately, and American Giant donated 100% of the proceeds back to us. Wolverine did the same thing, after I introduced a few hundred pair of custom-made MRW Thousand Milers. So did GORUCK, who sold a hundred MRW ruck sacks moments after I announced their existence. And of course, my friends at Sugarcreek built and donated a one-of-a-kind mikeroweWORKS custom work truck that was auctioned off for $1.5 million. That’ll be tough to top, but a few days ago, Josh Smith called me again. Given the success of the last fundraiser, he had decided to design "the ultimate blue-collar working knife," and make it a permanent addition to the MKC inventory.

“I call it The Rocker,” he said. “It’s the toughest, most versatile utility knife we’ve ever created. It’s the perfect blade for anyone in the trades, and I want to donate 10% of every sale to mikeroweWORKS – in perpetuity.”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say. Josh believes The Rocker will become the #1 blade in the country for tradespeople, and if you want to know why, check out the video on his site. Roofers, linemen, electricians, plumbers, dry wallers…they’re all gonna love this knife, and Josh believes its popularity will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next few years for my foundation. That’s fantastic, but beyond that, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if a few other other Made-in-America companies followed MKC’s example? What kind of impact would a series of ongoing fundraisers have on the number of people our scholarship program could assist?

So far, mikeroweWORKS has helped 2,100 men and women get the training they need to start a career in the skilled trades. With more fundraisers like this one, we could train ten times that number. So please share this post, and if you know of a company that makes a high-quality product here in the USA, tell them what MKC is doing to help us close the skills gap. Perhaps they’ll be inspired to follow suit? Crazier things have happened.

As for this year, I plan to award no less than $2.5 million in work ethic scholarships to hundreds of qualified applicants. The enrollment period just began, so you can apply right now at https://t.co/SEL2C9JUjs. DON’T WAIT. There’s going to be a lot of press this year, and a lot of qualified applications. Get yours in early. And if you know any tradespeople in need of a bad-ass blade, I heartily recommend The Rocker! If they're already sold out, (and they probably will be,) sign up to be notified for the next knife drop. These things fly off the shelves. https://t.co/VstqBGZn5n
Mike

[Chris Loprieato @cloprieato]

@JDVanceNewsX Yes

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

I was at the Lincoln Steakhouse last night, sipping a cocktail with a handful of patrons who had decided to have dinner at the bar, when I noticed an attractive woman a few stools down, sitting alongside a grizzled soldier. Actually, what I noticed first was a platter of macaroni and cheese, which the attractive woman appeared to be in no hurry to eat. I had skipped breakfast, the flight to Phoenix was in the middle of the day, and there had been no time for lunch after I arrived. So, there I was at 7:pm, coveting a pretty girl’s mac and cheese in one of Arizona’s great watering holes, when the grizzled soldier next to her stood up and walked toward me.

I glanced at his cap and said, “Looks like that lid’s seen some action.”

“You know it,” he said.

“Army?” I asked.

“Marine,” he said.

“Really? I thought the 2nd Infantry was Army?”

“It is. But we work together every now and then.”

“Well, thanks for your service,” I said. “And pardon me for staring, but the mac and cheese caught my eye.”

The Marine turned to his date and said, “Nicole, you gonna eat all that? This fella’s hungry.”

Nicole slid her leftovers down the bar, which I appreciated. Then, the Marine introduced himself.

“I’m Mark Day,” he said. “And I’d like you to have this.”

Mark handed me a beer koozie in the shape of an American flag.

“I hand a few of these out every day to my brothers and sisters who were over there with me. It’s a way to remember those people who didn’t make it back.”

“Well thanks,” I said. “But I can’t accept this. I didn’t serve, and I was never over there.”

“Oh, you were there,” he said. “Used to watch your show all the time. We all appreciate what you do for the military.”

Hard to know what to say in a moment like that, especially with a mouth full of his girlfriend’s noodles, so I just said thanks, and promised to put the koozie to good use.

Over the next minute or so, I learned that Mark Day had come from a long line of Marines and seen some difficult things while in uniform. I also learned that he had come to view his own service as the great privilege of his life.

“I love this country,” he said. “I love it so much. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the ones who didn’t make it home. Handing out these koozies is a way to keep them in my thoughts.”

“I understand,” I said. “At least, I think I do.”

“Well then maybe you’d like to hand out a few with my regards,” he said. “You probably run into lots of folks just being you.”

“You know it,” I said.

Over the next 24-hours, I knew I’d be shaking hands with hundreds of people at The Barrett Jackson Auction - many of whom served.

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll take whatever you want to give me.”

Mark Day smiled and handed me four more flag koozies, along with a challenge coin from the 2nd infantry which I appreciated – even more than the mac and cheese.

So, if you’re at The @Barrett_Jackson Auction today, when the mikeroweWORKS Power Wagon will be auctioned off at 3:30pm, and you’d like an American Flag Beer Koozie to remind you of those who didn’t make it home, just ask. I have three that I’m willing to part with.

First come first served.

Mike

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

Round 2

The conversations around my most recent posts have been…robust. Especially around Kevin O'Leary's article that suggested federal aid to California should be contingent on new leadership in California.

Janene Dyar Dockens writes...
"You disappoint me, Mike. The article you shared is irresponsible and does nothing to help understanding."

Hi Janene,

Sorry to hear you're disappointed. I only shared the article because it reflects the thoughts of a lot of taxpayers on both sides of the aisle. If this were purely a partisan issue, I’d avoid the topic entirely. But it’s not. Millions of taxpayers all over the country who routinely vote “D” are shaken by the behavior of Bass and Newsom, and millions of California residents—me included—are appalled by their behavior. Not because they’re democrats, but because they have revealed themselves to be out of touch, arrogant, and hypocritical. The article is relevant because it goes without saying that California will require a lot of federal assistance to recover, and taxpayers have a right to understand the extent to which the forests and water supplies in California have been mismanaged by our elected officials, as well as LAFD.

“To tie Bass to the devastation because she wasn’t here is ridiculous. No one… NO ONE could have predicted this. We don’t get 100 mph winds in Los Angeles. We don’t get wildfires in the middle of winter.”

I haven't tied the mayor to the devastation; I’ve tied her to her own words. Karen Bass promised to “never leave Los Angeles” while she was in office. She violated that promise by taking five international trips—including her most recent flight to Ghana. Perhaps the voters will forgive her for that, just as they forgave Governor Newsom for dining at The French Laundry while regular citizens were arrested for violating the very rules he decided did not apply to him. But I don’t think so. Not this time. I think a lot of people who voted for Bass and Newsom are feeling like the LA Times, who just publicly apologized to their readers for endorsing Mayor Bass. As for your claim that “NO ONE” could have predicted this, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. The Santa Ana winds are not unprecedented, even in January, and neither are any of the meteorological conditions that precipitated these fires. The fact is, lots of people have predicted a fire like this for decades, including the director of Water and Energy Policy at The California Policy Center, who I interviewed at length, and the fire service themselves, who produced this documentary 62 years ago in the wake of a very similar fire that tore through Brentwood and Bel Air. https://t.co/3MJFXMnGBm And of course, there’s the official forecast from the National Weather Service a day before the fire that described a “Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning with extremely rare and dangerous fire weather conditions.” And finally, the mayor herself, who issued a VERY serious warning to everyone in Los Angeles 24 hours before she left for Africa. With respect, it’s not only inaccurate to say that "NO ONE" saw this coming; it’s preposterous.

“As for the out-of-state fire trucks, I’m just glad help came. We had crews here we wouldn’t have otherwise had. If they were stopped for inspection, well, ok. As we understand it, each truck took about 15 minutes and was on its way when the inspection was done.”

Again, I’m afraid your understanding of the situation is not accurate. In situations like this, firefighters come from all over to help out, no matter who is in office. This is true in every state. You’re also mistaken about the inspection time. The average inspection took 45 minutes, not 15 minutes. https://t.co/UaZMvCzldz. And that doesn’t count the time it took for the engines to get to the inspection station in Sacramento. With respect, Janene, would you be so casual about such a delay if it was your house that was on fire?

“And leave the governor alone. He’s doing his job. No matter how much you do or don’t like him, it’s because of him we got the additional resources in the first place.”

My personal feelings about the governor are not relevant, and neither are yours. Again, those firefighters from out of state would have come no matter who was in office. However, his decision to go on Pod Save America in the midst of the crisis to defend his reputation was uniquely his and no less self-absorbed than the French Laundry incident. How did that benefit the citizens he’s sworn to protect in a time of extraordinary crisis? Never mind his detractors or his political foes. Many lifelong Democratic supporters are enraged by the optics of this, and I don’t blame them. The hubris is breathtaking.

“You want to scream at someone? Scream at the sky for not giving us rain. Scream at the wind for blowing at hurricane speeds in a place that had no rain. Scream at the ground for daring to be dry. Scream at the embers for daring to fly. Scream at the person (if there is one) responsible for starting a fire in such conditions.”

I’m not a screamer, Janene, but even if I was, I wouldn’t waste my breath screaming at the weather or anything else on the long list of things beyond my control. However, as a resident of California, I’ll reserve my right to criticize our elected officials when they enact policies I disagree with. Obviously, if the fire was deliberately started, I’ll demand accountability for that as well, in the harshest possible way. But the issues here go far beyond the cause of this particular fire, or any fire to burn California in recent memory. Obviously, we need to know if it was arson, but fire prevention is very different than fire suppression, and Californians need to understand why so many wildfires routinely burn out of control for days on end. That’s where the state has failed most dramatically, in my opinion, which is why I posted my interview with Edward Ring, which I encourage you to listen to. https://t.co/H0cD6T9KW5.

“Mike, I’ve been a fan of yours a long time. But, if you’re going to armchair quarterback this, then do so responsibly. Fanning the flames is not helpful. We don’t need grief-stricken folks goaded into pointing fingers and throwing anger (and commentary) around to make matters worse.”

I think I’ve made my case responsibly and respectfully. And if you think I’m an “armchair quarterback” for pointing out the decisions that led to this disaster, how do you feel about the LA Times? Are they also being “irresponsible” for printing this?

“As the Los Angeles Fire Department faced extraordinary warnings of life-threatening winds, top commanders decided not to assign for emergency deployment roughly 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of water-carrying engines in advance of the fire that destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades and continues to burn, interviews and internal LAFD records show. Fire officials chose not to order the firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift last Tuesday as the winds were building—which would have doubled the personnel on hand—and staffed just five of more than 40 engines that are available to aid in battling wildfires, according to the records obtained by The Times, as well as interviews with LAFD officials and former chiefs with knowledge of city operations.”

The facts seem pretty clear to me. California’s governor—like the governors before him—have allowed our state to turn into a tinderbox, and the mayor of Los Angeles abandoned her city at a time when the risk of a massive fire was clear and present. If you’re inclined to ignore that, so be it. My hope, though, is that others will not. My hope is that Californians will stop voting for candidates simply because there’s a D or an R next to their name. If we want our elected officials to tell us the truth, live up to their promises, and enact common-sense policies, we need to hold them accountable when they don’t. It’s really as simple as that.

Mike

PS. Lots of people also objected to the way I’ve ignored other disasters in other states. Many have asked why I’m not calling for federal funds to be contingent on new leadership in those states. Two reasons.

First of all, we’re not talking about disaster avoidance here; we’re talking about disaster preparedness. If New Orleans had refused to build levees for its residents, or Oklahoma had refused to build tornado shelters—the same way that California has refused to implement controlled burns and basic land and water management—I’d be critical of the elected officials. Obviously, we can’t prevent wildfires in California any more than we can prevent hurricanes in North Carolina or twisters in Oklahoma. But if you’re in charge of a town that happens to be below sea level or in the middle of tornado alley, you need to enact policies that protect your people in the wake of those inevitabilities. California is now an indisputable tinderbox, and our elected officials, in my opinion, have failed time and time again to take critical steps necessary to help mitigate the impact of these disasters.

Secondly, California is my home. I vote here. I have an office in Santa Monica that was adjacent to the evacuation zone, and I live up north, where wildfires have devastated many thousands of acres not far from my house. I have skin in the game, and in that respect, I’m probably guilty of holding my elected officials to a higher standard than I do for those in other states.

I can only hope my neighbors do the same.

[Bite-Sized Nostalgia @landofthe80s]

John Candy remains one of the most beloved comedic actors of all time. Here's a thread celebrating his short yet impactful career.

1. 1. John was born in Newmarket, Ontario and grew up in Toronto where he dreamt of becoming a professional football player long before acting became his passion.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Incredibly well said

[Freddie Roach @FreddieRoach]

I opened my gym, @WildCardBoxing1 , in hopes that the next Muhammad Ali would walk through the door. Little did I know that in 2001, my Muhammad Ali would weigh 122 pounds. His name was @MannyPacquiao and he was and still is the pride of the Philippines. For twenty years, after Manny and I first did mitts in the ring at Wild Card, we trained together for some of the biggest fights. As his collection of world championship belts grew, so did his presence in boxing and the world. Today’s announcement that Manny will be a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 makes me incredibly proud. As much as I loved working together with Manny all those years, I’m even happier sharing the same wall with him at the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Manny. You deserve this. You are and will always be my Muhammad Ali. #livinglegend #mannypacquiao #legend #boxer #fighter #champion #worldchampion #goat #wildcardboxing #wildcardboxingclub #boxing #family #community #Philippines #freddieroach #trainer #USA #HallOfFame #IBHOF #history #boxinglife #fightlife #TeamPacquiao @TooFred @WCBstore @ufcstore @KnuckleheadSean @trboxing … Photos owned by and taken by Vortex Photos