WCPT 820 Interview: Randy Manner

Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

Joan Esposito is joined by Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A).

Manner discussed the political and ethical implications of recent military personnel changes, highlighting the removal of high-ranking women and people of color. He criticized the administration's actions as legal but morally inappropriate, emphasizing the importance of diversity in the military. Manner also addressed the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles, calling it "a total waste of taxpayer money and an unnecessary burden on those guardsmen that were pulled away from their primary missions of preparing for overseas deployments or for training within their states."

Additionally, he discussed his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on immigration, where he faced verbal attacks from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).

Finally, Manner criticized the Trump administration's support for deep-sea mining, warning of environmental damage and geopolitical risks.

"The concept of deep-sea mining," he explained, "is that there are exceptionally high-quality nodules on the ocean floor that contain cobalt and other strategic materials. As you can imagine, they are, of course, in demand in the world. The problem is, in this particular case, there are some American firms that are ignoring many of the United Nation protocols for mining, and Trump is supporting this."

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