It’s a high-stakes, high-energy Friday on the Need to Know Morning Show. As the region gears up for the Minnesota walleye opener and Mother’s Day, hosts Alex Taylor and Kevin Flynn navigate a news cycle ranging from heartwarming farm photos to staggering systemic corruption.
The team dives deep into the “dark hearts” of political rhetoric, featuring Sage Steele’s viral take on celebrity TDS. We also head to the West Coast to watch mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt dismantle Karen Bass in a debate over the LA wildfires, and return home to Minnesota, where Senate candidate Michelle Tafoya sounds the alarm on an $11 million Medicaid fraud case that saw a mastermind flee to Kenya with his passport in hand. Between the “magic beer cards” at Courts and Pints and Dino’s promise of 80-degree weather next week, this episode is the ultimate weekend primer.
🎧 Standout Moments & Timestamps
[00:04:15] – The Epstein “Suicide Note” Skepticism The crew breaks down the suspiciously timed release of Jeffrey Epstein’s purported suicide note. Ripped from a yellow legal pad and unsigned, Kevin and Alex join the “skeptical camp,” questioning why this is surfacing years later.
[00:11:06] – Spencer Pratt’s “Batman” Moment Kev’s favorite mayoral candidate, Spencer Pratt, takes aim at LA Mayor Karen Bass over drained reservoirs during the wildfires. The team reacts to Pratt’s high-production AI campaign videos where he literally busts in as the Caped Crusader.
[00:21:54] – Miserable Human Beings Sage Steele joins Sean Hannity to discuss actor Mark Hamill’s “vile” post of Donald Trump in a casket. Steele argues that the left has “chosen to be miserable” and calls for prayer for those whose hearts have turned “sinister and dark.”
[00:24:15] – The Omaha “Lavash” Shoutout Dino checks in from “Weather Center South” (Omaha), leading to a culinary detour about the best hidden-gem restaurants in the Old Market and the legendary raspberry-sauce chicken lavash in West Fargo.
[00:35:15] – Free Lefse & Homeless Kids Sue Barron, the “Queen of Golden Drive,” announces a Community Engagement Day at Hornbacher’s. The catch? Freddy’s Lefse has donated hundreds of packages to give away for free to anyone raising awareness for homeless youth.
[00:38:17] – The Crayon Legacy Sue Barron shares the moving origin story of Golden Drive—which started with her grabbing two crayons off a restaurant table 14 years ago—and a recent “hand up” success story that brought the whole studio to tears.
[00:45:12] – The $11 Million Flight to Kenya Michelle Tafoya breaks down the latest Medicaid fraud scandal rocking Minnesota. She slams the “structural corruption” in St. Paul after a judge allowed the case’s mastermind to keep his passport, only for him to predictably flee the country.
[00:48:15] – Mother’s Day Logic The show wraps with a hilarious tribute to the things our mothers taught us, from irony (“Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about”) to the circle of life (“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out”).