KSEV Mornings · October 13, 2026 · Hour 2
A headphone volume dispute, smoke without fire, and the busiest phone lines of the season.
Hour 2 opened with a headphone volume dispute. Wayne Dolcefino wanted his loud, the way he has always had them, “before you were even thought of.” He admitted it has left him a little deaf: “I go to dinner with my family now, and all I hear are plates.” Craig Coglianese had been turning Wayne down during the breaks to spare his ears. The two settled it, and Craig used the moment to explain why his name comes first in the show’s billing even though Wayne is the award-winning, far more famous one. Early on, they thought Wayne wouldn’t be available as many mornings. Wayne said he does the show because he likes Craig, and because he’s frustrated with the country.
Smoke, but no fire
Craig laid out where he lands on the James Talarico story. There is smoke, he said: two different accounts of how Talarico treated a bad flu, and a flight near a facility that has fueled speculation. But anyone on the right who treats that as evidence is lying and hurting the conservative movement, Craig said. And when the left pretends there’s no smoke at all, he argued, that denial pushes people toward extreme conspiracy theories. Wayne’s summary: people don’t believe anything anybody says anymore.
“We really need Charlie Kirk”
Wayne said he’d love to see commercials with younger Republican voices, and pointed to packed churches, including his family’s Catholic church in Austin, as a sign of revival that should make conservatives optimistic. On the economy, he argued corporations and the government sold out American manufacturing over 20 years, and tariffs are the tool for bringing it back. That will take years, he said. Craig credited Trump for being honest about the short-term pain. Wayne shared that a relative just landed a ten-year guaranteed, high-paying job at a data center near San Antonio. He also repeated his long-running pitch to the mayor: privatize Houston’s garbage service.
If Trump gets two years, why do Democrats get fifteen?
Building on Wayne’s speech the night before to Southwest Houston Republicans, Craig asked the question of the hour: if two years is enough to judge Trump, why has Harris County given Democrats more than a decade? Wayne added that the county is roughly evenly split but Republicans hold one of five seats on Commissioners Court, and people in the suburbs pay twice, once in taxes and again for constables or private security. Twenty years ago, he said, a 41% tax increase would have been on the local news every day.
A CNN host goes too far
Wayne, who falls asleep with the news on, said he usually likes CNN’s Alex Michaelson but thought Michaelson went off the rails by calling the Talarico story one big lie and saying there should be lawsuits. A candidate’s denial isn’t evidence, Wayne said. In his business, officials don’t usually say, “You’re right, Wayne, I gave the contract to my cousin Vinny.”
The Ilhan Omar search
The hosts finally got to the federal search of Ilhan Omar’s home. Craig shared his favorite social media post, Trump holding up an Uno reverse card, and noted that investigators are reportedly looking at fraud allegations, including whether she married her brother. Craig asked whether the left can use it the way Trump used his own raid. Wayne said no: a judge signed off on the warrant, many investigations predate Trump, and “it’s revenge” is just the new defense.
Wayne also previewed his upcoming stories on Fort Bend District Attorney Brian Middleton, and was upfront that Middleton’s opponent hired him. Who hires him doesn’t change the facts, he said, and the campaign hasn’t even seen the story. Craig agreed that viewers should judge the reporting itself. When Middleton wouldn’t sit for an interview, Wayne sent his crew to a 7 a.m. Saturday charity bike ride. His message: “We are going to find you if we want to find you.”
Trump says Paxton should debate
Craig noted that President Trump said Ken Paxton should debate and that he’s ready to, which seems different from what the Paxton campaign has been saying. Craig still wants to see a debate.
The phones light up
A regular caller from the left, watching MSNBC with the sound off, made what he called a serious point about civility: he and Craig disagreed politely the day before, while other callers spent their time attacking him personally. Craig agreed it was a good point, and asked whether constant one-sided messaging in award shows and late-night TV explains some of the anger on the right. Wayne said everyone now lives in media silos that just make people madder. Asked what Democrats would actually do to lower prices, the caller called it a hard question and offered pulling out of Iran and ending tariffs. Wayne, asked how things would have been worse under Kamala Harris, answered: open borders, no respect on the world stage, and so much word salad they would have had to rename the show.
Craig said he believes the war with Iran will end after the election, once Iran no longer thinks it can hold out for a political win. Another caller agreed, but predicted it will cost Republicans the House and put the Senate in play because of gas prices, and said that’s why Republicans must put aside petty differences and vote for Paxton. A third caller said nobody should let gas prices erase the GDP, jobs and trillions in new investment. A fourth, who joked she was a “mob girl” by maiden name, raised the out-of-state money in a Houston City Council race. Wayne’s answer: you either have to be rich to run or go straight to social media, because local news doesn’t dig into why taxes went up 41% in three years.
Also in this hour
- The new White House press secretary’s first briefing was about to begin as the hour wrapped. The full reaction came on Wednesday’s show.
Hear Craig and Wayne live weekdays from 7–9 AM Central on AM 700 KSEV, The Voice of Texas. Visit the KSEV Mornings show page for live-listening controls and more episodes.
