THE SECOND HOUR OF THE TODD STARNES SHOW
1:05pm- Pay Up! An appellate court Thursday upheld a penalty against Oregon bakery owners who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding almost five years ago. The owners of the since-closed Gresham bakery— Aaron and Melissa Klein — argued that state Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian violated state and federal laws by forcing them to pay emotional-distress damages of $135,000 to the lesbian couple. Their lawyers said Avakian and the state Bureau of Labor and Industries violated the Kleins’ rights as artists to free speech, their rights to religious freedom and their rights as defendants to a due process. But the Oregon Court of Appeals sided with the state Thursday, saying the Kleins failed to show the state targeted them for their religious beliefs. The judges also found public statements made by Avakian before deciding the case did not establish a lack of impartiality. “Today’s ruling sends a strong signal that Oregon remains open to all,” Avakian said in a statement after the 62-page opinion was released Thursday. Adam Gustafson, the attorney who argued the Kleins’ appeal, did not immediately return a phone message.
1:20pm- Guest: Mike Berry, Mike Berry, First Liberty attorney who argued for the Kleins in front of the Oregon Court of Appeals last March
1:30pm- Hate crimes and hoaxes: 10 campus stories debunked in 2017 presented by Guest: Caleb Parke, writer for Fox News.com
1:50pm- Rose Marie, Who Starred On ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show,’ Dead At 94 (No Christine has NO clue who this is)
THE FIRST HOUR OF THE TODD STARNES SHOW
12:05pm- Trump Nation! On Thursday, after playing a round of golf at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Donald Trump sat down with New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt for a spontaneous, off-the-cuff interview from a table at the club’s Grill Room. During the 30-minute-long chat, Trump spoke on a number of topics, but was especially focused on the ongoing Russia investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller, which he confidently feels will turn up nothing. The president apparently insisted 16 separate times that there had been “no collusion” found in the inquiry, and incorrectly asserted that he has “absolute right” to do whatever he wants with the Justice Department. Speaking about the investigation, Trump claimed, “It makes the country look very bad, and it puts the country in a very bad position. So the sooner it’s worked out, the better it is for the country.” The president then turned his attention towards his favorite topic, the media — with one particularly distinct thought about the 2020 presidential election. Todd sorts through the highlights!
12:20pm- Bundle Up! President Trump mocked the Paris Climate Accord he rejected earlier this year in a tweet highlighting the chilly temperatures in his home region. “In the east, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record,” Trump wrote. “Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against.”Trump pulled America out of the climate deal earlier this year, citing the financial cost and the negative effect the plan would have on domestic jobs and production. The president’s latest expression of climate change skepticism drew an immediate backlash and pushback from his critics. They pointed out that extreme cold is not linked to climate change.
12:30pm- Guest: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Host of Huckabee on TBN. You can check him out at Mikehuckabee.com or on Twitter @GovMikeHuckabee
It’s cold out there!
Remember as days get colder, animals are attracted to the warmth of cars so check wheel arches or other hiding places. #ItsSoCold pic.twitter.com/idvsHOCT6H
— Trooper Ben (@TrooperBenKHP) December 28, 2017