The Tom Sullivan Show

The Alaska second-Dan-Sullivan story is just getting started. The governor ordered an investigation, ABC reports the DOJ has an active criminal probe, and a judge is weighing the DOJ’s civil suit. Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC deny involvement, and no charges have been filed. Both Sullivans will be on the ballot next Tuesday, and the real problems for anyone involved begin after November 3. Plus the Trump and Obama rallies are designed to fire up their bases, but there’s some comedy in how both conduct themselves, from Cheesecake Factory jokes to Trump’s remarks about physiques. They’re trying to sound relatable. Does it work? All of it today.

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Can you say dirty tricks? The New York Times reports Peltola campaign associates and DSCC aides helped recruit a second Alaska Senate candidate named Dan Sullivan to confuse voters. Peltola’s campaign denies it, no court has ruled, and the DOJ is suing to block certification if the incumbent loses. The Florida “ghost candidate” case that led to felony convictions was in 2020, and prosecutors said recruiting a spoiler isn’t illegal by itself. Stay tuned. Israel’s election is up for grabs: Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, Eisenkot’s 48, and Arab parties a record 19, with 61 needed and few willing to work with them. And the Fed held rates, with two dissents for a hike. All of it today.

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At two-hour rallies you have to talk about something, and the big hits have been Cheesecake Factory jokes, Sen. Husted’s physique, and Nicki Minaj’s butt. The topics aren’t the point. The goal is to get the MAGA base to show up and head off a blue wave. The DOJ is taking a third swipe at James Comey, charging him by criminal information over a 2016 leak, with his lawyers arguing the statute of limitations already expired. We were told revenge was coming, and it clearly is. And the Fed meets today and tomorrow, with no rate change expected but a December hike priced in. All of it today.

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Gas Under Trump and Biden Averages Almost Exactly the Same, $3.47. Trump Says It’s Much Lower, but It Depends How You Measure. Corruption Tops the Fox Poll. Anthropic, Maker of Claude, Files for a Record IPO Description:
Guess what? Per AAA, gas averaged $3.472 under Trump’s second term and $3.471 under Biden. Trump says it’s much lower than Biden’s, but it depends on how you measure: the day he took office (about $3.09), today ($4.29), Biden’s peak ($5.02), or the average. Just the facts. Corruption now tops the Fox News Poll of voter concerns, ahead of inflation and gas prices. And Anthropic, maker of Claude, filed to go public on the Nasdaq as ANT. Reports say it could raise up to $100 billion, which would beat SpaceX’s record IPO. We cover what the filing shows, with no investment advice. All of it today.

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Tyler Robinson turned himself in, and prosecutors say he confessed in texts to his roommate, yet his defense wants a trial in 2029, while Utah proposes January 2028. Robinson pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent, and the defense says a capital case needs the time, but why so long? The judge rules today. The Ramaswamy ad still dominates Ohio’s governor race, and the NYT and ABC report the U.S. and Israel have drawn up Iran strike plans, most likely for after the elections. All of it today.

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The Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother has Republicans split, with Governor DeWine, Kasich, and Portman saying take it down and Trump and Vance saying keep it up. Either way, it’s getting both candidates lots of attention. With 12 days to go, do you believe the polls? After the Wedgewood fake-poll scandal, aggregators pulled its numbers, but real pollsters weren’t involved. Does Putin really want a peace deal, or is he playing Trump while eyeing Eastern Europe? And if so, will Trump be remembered as the Neville Chamberlain of our time? Critics say yes, and the administration says no. We lay out both sides. All of it today.

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Politics is a dirty business, but even pundits on the right were stunned by Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother calling her a “liar.” Her brother called it a “despicable low,” Nikki Haley blasted it, and Vance defended it. Is it fair game or a step too far? Then, if you think polls are fake, a firm called Wedgewood Polls just admitted it made up nearly all of its polls as a “social experiment,” and outlets like the New York Times and MS NOW had cited them. It’s the second fake pollster this fall, though reputable pollsters weren’t involved. The Wall Street Journal reports Elon Musk ordered Ukraine’s Starlink slowdown, and Trump denies knowing who was responsible. And there’s still no Russia-Ukraine peace deal. All of it today.

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Trump said he could end the Ukraine war in one day, so is he about to act like a boxing referee and call Russia the winner? He’s eased sanctions on Moscow, Putin has floated a Trump-Xi-Putin summit without Zelensky, and Zelensky says steps are being taken to make Ukraine “capitulate.” Rubio says no one is winning, and nothing is final. But if Ukraine is told Russia wins, will that bring peace? I doubt it, and would Americans feel okay backing Russia as the victor? Then Trump announced an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program for farmers at a Kansas rally, his second farm hand-out in 11 months after last December’s $12 billion, just two weeks before the midterms. All of it today.

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Medicare for All is at record polling highs. KFF found 66% in favor and Axios-Ipsos found 43% support with 32% unsure, but support swings depending on what people hear. It sounds great, nobody likes their insurance company, and I think it would be a disaster. I explain why, and I give you the best case from supporters too. Then, after Trump waived Russia sanctions to bipartisan backlash, the Wall Street Journal reports Putin proposed a summit with Trump and Xi next month to end the war in Ukraine, without Zelensky. Trump hasn’t agreed, but Rubio says he’s open to it. Can a deal made without Ukraine hold? All of it today.

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Katie, we hardly knew you. Katie Zacharia is out as press secretary after five days, a modern record, following a shaky first briefing and questions about her legal credentials. No replacement has been named. The Starlink scandal isn’t going away, and Reuters reports, citing officials, that the slowdown instruction came from the White House. Trump denies it, and bipartisan senators want the Pentagon Inspector General to find out who ordered it. And in Bend, Oregon, a father named Kaylub Giamanco, who has two daughters at Silver Rail Elementary, grabbed a pistol from his car and shot the gunman who had killed three children and a teacher and critically injured two others. We honor the victims and the courage of a father who ran toward danger. All of it today.

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Did we purposely cut off Ukraine’s Starlink? Speed limits hit the military version overnight, and Ukraine says it disrupted drone missions and that it got no warning of Russian missile strikes for two nights. Musk says Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government and that limits are decided by the military “and ultimately POTUS.” The White House says it wasn’t involved. No deaths are confirmed as caused by the limits, but Ukraine warns lives are at risk. With 19 days to Election Day, the new Fox News Poll shows Trump at a record-low 36% approval, 77% disapproving on inflation, and Democrats up 54-45 on the generic ballot. Will voters follow their pocketbooks? And wholesale inflation surged 6.3% in September, the highest since 2022, and that cost is coming to a store near you. All of it today.

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Why is the President so friendly with Putin and Xi when reports say both are helping Iran and the Houthis? Bloomberg says Russia is sending Iran missiles, and the WSJ says Chinese intelligence helped plan an attack that killed three Americans in Jordan. The New York Times reports a Lukoil asset sale tied to investors connected to Witkoff and Kushner’s families is part of the Russia talks, and that the envoys warned Kyiv about cutting intel over refinery strikes. Ukraine says Starlink was throttled and it got no missile warning for two nights, though the link isn’t proven. And September CPI jumped to 3.7%, hotter than expected, with real wages down 0.7% from a year ago, the sixth straight month inflation outran paychecks. All of it today.

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Congress banned Russian oil imports in 2022 and added new sanctions just weeks ago, yet Trump is buying Russian diesel, and prices still haven’t come down. Lawmakers of both parties say it may be illegal. Should we join Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthis after the deadly Riyadh airport attacks? Trump says “we may.” Kimberly Guilfoyle has resigned as ambassador to Greece after a donor accused her of seeking access-for-money, which she denies. Expect investigators to take a hard look if Democrats win the House. And good news from Rome: Pope Leo XIV’s lung surgery went well, though doctors confirmed an early-stage lung cancer with an excellent prognosis. All of it today.

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I always said sanctions don’t work, but I never expected the President to break them. Trump announced a deal with Putin for 300,000 tons of Russian diesel and is waiving sanctions to let it flow, all to lower fuel prices before the midterms. Prices are still climbing, and senators from both parties say the deal may violate the law. Trump is furious at Zelensky for hitting Russian refineries, while Russia keeps hitting Ukraine. The DOJ is now investigating whether the networks’ pool boycott broke antitrust law. And will you watch the livestream of Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution on December 3? It would be the first U.S. public execution since 1936, and even Republicans are divided. All of it today.

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The Michigan Senate debate was the nastiest of the night. El-Sayed and Rogers traded insults, and El-Sayed was repeatedly asked whether Iran or Israel is the bigger threat and called it a “ridiculous question.” Another ICE shooting, this time in the Bronx. DHS says the man is in the country illegally with a long rap sheet and alleged gang ties. Mamdani is demanding his release, and the shooting is under investigation. And the DOJ is reportedly seeking a grand jury indictment of Cassidy Hutchinson, the January 6 star witness, for allegedly lying to Congress. No indictment yet, so will a grand jury go for it? All of it today.

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Lone-wolf threats are out there, so keep calm but stay alert. The FBI arrested an 18-year-old Minnesota man accused of planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America. Prosecutors say he bought an AK-47 and 200 rounds from an undercover agent for $600, and that agents tried to speak with his parents last year and were turned away. Trump Accounts are a great benefit for kids, but the rules are changing, so we ask why the government can’t stick to the deal. The Cornell case gets thornier with questions about the accuser’s early sworn statement versus her later account, and we cover it carefully. And Maduro and his wife now face added torture charges, with a trial date of June 1, 2027. All of it today.

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Today is the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. We remember the 1,200 killed and the 251 taken hostage. NYC Mayor Mamdani acknowledged the "horrific war crimes" that day but also called Israel's response in Gaza "genocide," and the ADL, AIPAC, and Israel's U.N. ambassador all accused him of turning a day of mourning into a political statement. Cornell has hired former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to review how it handled its Jane Doe rape case, and the choice is already drawing partisan fire. Media outlets like CNN are calling the midterms a potential "bloodbath," and we ask whether that's reporting or discouragement. And happy 30th anniversary to Fox News Channel, where I spent ten wonderful years. All of it today.

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Four weeks until Election Day, and Michigan's Senate race may decide who controls the chamber — Democratic nominee El-Sayed is struggling with Black and Jewish voters, and a Detroit focus group was a real eye-opener. We break down why. President Trump told a Nebraska rally crowd "let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego" while talking about a nuclear Iran, sparking fierce backlash from Newsom and both cities' mayors. We give you the fuller context of what he was actually arguing and why the phrasing still landed so badly. A military firing squad has been approved for Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009. And permanent daylight saving time has Trump on one side, Senator Tom Cotton on the other — plus Trump gave out his own phone number and wants you to call. All of it today.

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Christa Pike remains unconscious on a ventilator, four days after surviving two full doses of lethal injection in what experts are calling unprecedented in American death penalty history. Her lawyers say her arms were left burned and blistered, and they're formally asking Tennessee's governor to commute her sentence to life in prison. We examine what happens legally from here. Then at Cornell, a woman alleges she was drugged and gang-raped by seven fraternity brothers in 2024 — but prosecutors initially refused to file any criminal charges because of New York's "voluntary intoxication loophole," a law that says if you choose to get drunk, you have almost no legal recourse if something happens to you while impaired. We break down exactly how that law works, why lawmakers have failed to close it for eight straight years, and why Governor Hochul just appointed the Attorney General to reopen the criminal investigation. All of it today.

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A new taxpayer-funded ad called "God Made Trump" is airing with a messianic three-minute riff on "So God Made a Farmer" — part of at least 13 campaign-style ads costing $20 million in DHS and Customs and Border Protection money, funds that were supposed to go to border security. Democrats are calling it a corrupt misuse of taxpayer dollars, and Trump's own officials reportedly called it "obviously illegal" privately. Why not just use his own campaign war chest? And better yet, why is a president who's not even on the ballot this year running self-promotional ads at all? Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports the FlyDubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane had already been grounded for a full year by Oman Air after extremist materials were found during his training. He was still allowed to keep working, and somehow ended up flying one of the most sensitive routes in the world, a flight to Tel Aviv — a route Omani pilots weren't even supposed to be assigned to under FlyDubai's own agreement with Israel. How did this happen? All of it today.

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Both pilots from this week's terrifying FlyDubai incident — the stabbed captain and the accused first officer — are reportedly being moved from Saudi Arabia to the UAE for Dubai's legal system to take over. We ask what that actually means, since Emirati justice moves very differently, and often faster but harsher, than what we're used to in the West. It's officially October, which means we've entered the ugliest stretch of election season — we talk through what to watch for. And a genuinely shocking story out of Tennessee — Christa Pike, who would have been the first woman executed there in over 200 years, survived two full doses of lethal injection Wednesday night. Witnesses say she was alive and snoring afterward. The governor has halted all remaining executions this year and ordered a full investigation. Experts are calling this unprecedented. All of it today.

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A genuinely terrifying scene today — a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv saw its first officer allegedly stab the captain and try to crash the plane, according to Israel's Prime Minister, who called it an attempted terror attack. The aircraft lost 17,000 feet of altitude before passengers and crew stormed the cockpit, subdued him, and landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots are hospitalized; the first officer is under arrest. Real echoes of Flight 93, even with different specifics. Then RFK Jr. told a Washington summit that AI is now "better informed" than your doctor and can "free us from medical tyranny," citing a claim that OpenAI's Sam Altman called it malpractice for doctors not to check AI. Not everyone agrees — a CBS medical contributor pushed back directly, calling that idea a bad one. We break down both sides. And Robinhood just rolled out expanded AI tools that will trade stocks for you automatically, around the clock — 150,000 people are already using it. Exciting, but let's watch how it performs before diving in ourselves. All of it today.

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America.gov officially launched today — an AI-powered one-stop shop consolidating 29,000 federal websites into a single chatbot-style portal for things like Medicare, passports, and federal job postings. First impressions are genuinely positive, and unlike the infamous Obamacare website disaster, this one seems to actually work — though it's worth noting the site doesn't disclose which AI model it runs on, and at launch it correctly contradicted some of Trump's own political claims before later declining to answer political questions. The launch coincided with a big White House lunch for major tech CEOs, tied to plans for a broader AI safety framework. Meanwhile, a new ban — not tariff, an outright ban — on Canadian wine, dairy, and motorcycles took effect today, covering just under $1 billion in trade. Canada's economy is a fraction of ours, the goods barely register against $880 billion in total trade, and even Trump admits "there's nothing they have that we need." So why keep escalating with one of our closest allies? All of it today.

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Five young British men were arrested near RAF Fairford — the UK airbase America uses to bomb Iran — after a farmer spotted suspicious vans and masked men scrambling into the woods. Iran's IRGC had already called that base a "legitimate target." All five were released on bail Monday, and while police reportedly haven't found viable explosives, they're still investigating whether this was state-backed activity tied to Iran or Russia. Iran flatly denies any connection. We ask honestly — genuine foiled plot, or overcautious response to a suspicious but innocent situation? Then a new White House ad called "Final Battle" started airing during NFL games this weekend — Trump's own voice vowing to "demolish the deep state" and "cast out communists, Marxists and fascists," almost identical to his actual 2024 campaign ad, except this one ends with "Paid for by the U.S. Government" instead of his campaign committee. He's not even on the ballot this year. Even a Republican congressman called it something you'd see "in banana republics." We ask why this is legal and why taxpayers are footing the bill. All of it today.

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Xi's leaving Washington largely empty-handed — no Taiwan talk, no real deals, and most Americans never even saw the ceremony live thanks to the ongoing press ban. But here's what deserves attention — while Trump's been pushing American companies to bring business home, he hosted a state dinner Thursday night where Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Pichai, Huang, Altman, and Tim Cook all sat down with Xi so Trump could "secure business deals." That's a genuinely mixed message. Meanwhile, good news for homebuyers — mortgage rates are above 7%, sellers now outnumber buyers by the widest margin on record, and sellers are finally cutting prices and offering concessions to attract fewer, pickier buyers. After years of a seller's market, the leverage has flipped. All of it today.

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The Xi-Trump summit wrapped with basically nothing to show for it — trade, AI, and rare earths got discussed, no real breakthroughs happened, and none of the five major networks even aired it live thanks to Trump's press ban standoff. Still, this was Xi's first Washington visit in 11 years, and three more meetings are already reportedly planned over the next year at different locations. Netanyahu gave a defiant UN speech today thanking Trump for "bold leadership" against Iran — but delegations from 77 countries walked out or skipped it entirely, leaving him basically speaking to an empty room. And a federal judge ordered the White House to immediately restore CNN, MS NOW, and Politico's press passes, calling the ban likely unconstitutional — but the White House still dragged its feet for hours before actually complying. This fight is far from over. All of it today.

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Xi Jinping is in Washington for his first visit in over a decade, and Trump is rolling out rare pageantry — greeting his plane personally, a full state dinner with Silicon Valley's biggest names Thursday night. But it's drawing real criticism, including from Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who said on the Senate floor he would have advised against inviting Xi for "such a lavish welcome" given troubling issues with China. Foreign policy experts worry it makes Xi look strong back home. Meanwhile Iran's president gave his own tough UN speech today, saying Iran "will not bend the knee," echoing Trump's own combative remarks a day earlier about a "big decision" between a deal or "annihilation." And here's the number that actually affects your wallet — the 10-year Treasury yield just hit 5.12%, its highest level since 2007. That directly drives mortgage rates and borrowing costs higher right now. All of it today.

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Something a little different today. Instead of our usual format, this episode is a full live broadcast — I filled in today for vacationing host Sam Shane on my old flagship radio station, so what you're hearing is essentially a live talk radio show rather than a tightly produced podcast segment. Expect a longer, looser, more conversational format with listener calls and real-time reactions to the news of the day. If you've ever wondered what the show sounds like in its original live radio form, this is your chance to hear it. Hope you enjoy the change of pace.

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After Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, all five major networks — even Fox News — banded together and completely suspended pooled TV coverage of the President in protest. That means no video coverage of his UN General Assembly speech this week, and no cameras when he hosts Xi Jinping at the White House for a state dinner, unless this standoff ends first. CNN, MSNOW, and Politico have already filed a First Amendment lawsuit. Who blinks first — the administration facing an uncovered diplomatic week, or the networks worried about losing access? Meanwhile diesel just hit another record, $6.51 a gallon. And Trump revealed his 250-foot "Triumphal Arch" near the Lincoln Memorial will now double as a military complex with drones, snipers, and ammunition storage — justified as national security, drawing serious legal and safety pushback, including concerns about a drone site sitting directly in Reagan National's flight path. All of it today.

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Trump announced Friday he's banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House "effective immediately" over what he calls fake news, warning more outlets could follow. Presidents have always complained about the media and vice versa, but this is different, and it's already headed to court — Schumer compared it to what dictators do, and even the White House isn't clear on whether journalists were actually removed from the grounds. Convenient timing, given both outlets have been reporting on his underwater poll numbers right as midterm voting begins. Meanwhile diesel hit a record $6.45 a gallon and keeps climbing, adding more fuel to the inflation fire the Fed just raised rates to fight. And Apple's iPhone 18 Pro launched today with new CEO John Ternus opening the Fifth Avenue doors himself to overnight campers — same scene, every September. All of it today.

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People — including members of Congress actively writing AI regulation — are expressing incredibly confident opinions for or against AI without actually understanding what it is or how it works. That's a real problem when these are the people who might end up writing the rules. We call it out directly today. Meanwhile, Trump said it again — we're close to ending the war with Iran and they really want a deal. He's said versions of this for eight months now. At some point you have to invoke the boy who cried wolf. We ask whether there's any credibility left in these statements. And gas and diesel prices keep climbing regardless of what anyone says about how close we are to peace. All of it today.

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The Fed raised interest rates today for the first time since 2023 — a unanimous quarter-point hike to 3.75-4%, directly against Trump's public demands for cuts. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who Trump himself appointed just months ago, said plainly that inflation is the problem, and the Fed doesn't expect it back to target until after 2028. Iran war-driven oil prices and record $6 diesel are the main culprits. Markets already expect another hike in December. We ask — is this the start of a real multi-meeting hiking cycle? Then the AI debate rages on — will it save us or end us? I'm firmly in the camp that it's going to cure diseases and genuinely improve our lives. The doomsayers remind me of the greenhouse gas predictions from years ago that never quite panned out the way we were told they would. All of it today.

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The Supreme Court just handed President Trump a 7-2 defeat, ruling that his executive order did NOT give the USPS enough time to implement new mail-in ballot rules before the 2026 midterm elections. We break down the ruling, Justice Kavanaugh's key concurrence on the compressed timeline, the Thomas-Alito dissent, and why Trump says this legal fight is far from over. Plus: FBI Director Kash Patel faced an awkward and heated Senate Judiciary Committee showdown with Senator John Kennedy over the bureau's decision to loosen hiring standards tied to bestiality — a moment that quickly became one of the strangest exchanges of this year's congressional hearings.

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Most Americans say they're anxious about AI — but is some of that anxiety being fed by Chinese messaging designed to slow us down in the AI race? Same question for data center backlash. And do you actually want Congress writing the technical rules for AI companies? We dig into all of it. Meanwhile gas and diesel keep climbing and here's why — Houthi rebels just seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline and a critical Saudi pipeline just got knocked offline for weeks, cutting off one of Saudi Arabia's last safe export routes. Brent crude is now over $107 a barrel. And President Trump publicly told Ukraine's Zelensky to stop striking Russian oil refineries because it's driving up diesel prices here at home — even as those strikes are one of Ukraine's most effective tools against Russia's war machine. Once again, he seems to be siding with Moscow's interests. All of it today.

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Twenty-five years ago today, everything changed. Those of us who were adults that morning will never forget — but a new generation is growing up knowing 9/11 only as history, not memory. Today we set the news aside and share firsthand stories from survivors, first responders, and families who lived through that day, so the memory of what we lost — and who we lost — stays alive for the people who weren't there to see it themselves.

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Trump promised a $5,000 "Trump Dividend" to every adult American if Republicans hold both the House and Senate in November — but here's the problem. The President has no unilateral authority to issue this; Congress would have to pass a roughly $1.3 trillion bill, on top of $40 trillion in existing national debt. Vance already started walking it back within hours. And dumping that much money into the economy right now would almost certainly be wildly inflationary — just like it was under Biden's big spending, which helped push inflation to 9 percent. Speaking of inflation, PPI jumped 5.4 percent last month, driven largely by oil prices tied to the escalating Iran war. And despite Bessent tripling his bond buyback to try to push rates down, the bond market keeps winning — Treasury yields just hit their highest levels since 2023. All of it today.

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Someone scheduled the GOP's first-ever midterm convention the same night as the NFL season opener — Seahawks vs. Patriots, a Super Bowl rematch on NBC. Vance's keynote goes head to head with kickoff. Bad planning or just bad luck? Trump said today the Iran war will end shortly after the midterms — a specific promise after six months of "almost over." Same day, oil spiked hard — Brent crude hit $101 after U.S. forces struck five Iranian tankers. And Treasury Secretary Bessent tripled a bond buyback to $6 billion specifically to push interest rates down. It backfired completely — yields hit their highest level since 2023, and even his own mentor Stanley Druckenmiller publicly called the move a mistake. All of it today.

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This Friday is the 25th anniversary of September 11th, and there's a real controversy in New York this year. Mayor Mamdani says he'll attend the Ground Zero ceremony despite nearly 100,000 people signing a petition asking him to stay away, retired Port Authority officers directly asking him not to come, and pushback from George Pataki and Rudy Giuliani — all centered on his appointment of a lawyer with a controversial past client and his own history with a Brooklyn imam named in the 1993 WTC bombing case. We walk through both sides fairly, but more than anything we want to take today to honor what this anniversary is actually about — the 2,977 people we lost and the families still carrying that grief 25 years later. President Trump will be at the Pentagon ceremony this year instead of New York. Meanwhile, more Iran strikes happened over the weekend, and we're still watching to see if the economic pressure campaign actually works. Oil and gas prices keep climbing in the meantime. All of it today.

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Trump posted "LOWER THE RATE OR I'LL STOP TRADING WITH COUNTRIES WITH WHICH WE HAVE A DEFICIT," floating a total trade embargo with Canada, Mexico, and others as leverage against the Fed. A Wharton professor called the idea crazy, and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh just told Jackson Hole the Fed still has work to do on inflation, not room to cut. We explain why publicly attacking an independent Fed usually backfires. The August jobs report beat expectations at 162,000 added — good news, but after a year of downward revisions, don't get too attached to that number yet. And Mayor Mamdani just banned generative AI tools like chatbots for nearly 600,000 NYC students K-8 for a full year, while high schoolers still get AI literacy lessons. Good instinct on human connection, or a full year behind on the technology that's shaping their future? All of it today.

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Millions are hitting the road for Labor Day despite high gas prices, but the real inflation threat is diesel, which is climbing fast. Everything you own arrived on a diesel truck, and your food was grown with diesel-powered equipment — so diesel inflation quietly hits everything. Part of the problem is structural — America hasn't built a new major refinery since one went up in Louisiana in 1977, nearly 50 years ago. Refining capacity, not just crude supply, is the real bottleneck. The Clippers just got hammered by the NBA — a $30 million fine, five forfeited first-round draft picks through 2033, and owner Steve Ballmer suspended a full year, after an investigation found the team funneled improper deals to Kawhi Leonard. And Trump says he's personally campaigning in 35 races before the midterms — we ask what that level of hands-on involvement really signals. All of it today.

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Why does it take nearly a year just to decide if there's enough evidence to hold a trial for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk? We ask directly. The Lindsay Clancy jury is deadlocked, and honestly, we'd be stuck too — prosecutors threw 80 expert witnesses and 300 pieces of evidence at them. That's overload, not clarity. Tiger Woods just had a DUI-related charge reduced to reckless driving again, avoiding jail after refusing a sobriety test with pills in his pocket. If courts keep doing this for people with money and lawyers, why should anyone take drunk driving laws seriously? And in Massachusetts, 80-year-old Ed Markey beat 47-year-old Seth Moulton in the Democratic Senate primary — voters chose the progressive over the generational-change candidate. All of it today.

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The on-off-on-off war with Iran is on again, and right on schedule, oil prices are climbing and inflation is set to follow. Trump wants the Fed to cut rates, insisting "other things" besides his own policies are driving prices up — he never says what those things are, and we call that out directly. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned after 18 months, following months of clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has now fired or forced out more than a dozen senior military leaders across every branch since taking office. When an organization keeps losing its best people one after another, the problem usually traces back to whoever's in charge. All of it today.

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Trump announced a massive oil deal with Venezuela, claiming U.S. control over 65 billion barrels and promising lower gas prices. Reality check — it's a 25-year deal, not 100 years, the legal authority behind it is genuinely unclear since the full terms have never been published, and Chevron is the only major U.S. oil company actually willing to expand there. Aging ports and power outages mean production won't ramp up fast either. Still, strategically, reducing dependence on Canada and Mexico while locking down Western Hemisphere oil looks like a smart long-term bet even with the near-term hype overblown. Meanwhile Iran's economy is genuinely buckling under the sanctions pressure campaign — the IRGC hasn't caved yet, but the numbers inside Iran are getting ugly. All of it today.

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Trump says "we won" and Iran is "close to over" — he's been saying versions of this since March. Does he believe it, or is it just managing the narrative? Meanwhile, shifting to economic pressure instead of more strikes actually looks like the smarter play at this point. A federal judge blocked the Postal Service's new mail-in ballot rules for the midterms, ruling compliance is basically impossible this close to November. More rulings are coming, but time has essentially run out to change how we vote. And remember — states run elections, Congress has a say over federal races, the President has none. Plus Marine One had another close call with a passenger jet, this time blamed on flight pattern changes from the new helipad construction. All of it today.

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Tomorrow is six months since the Iran war began, and it's not the anniversary anyone planned for. The current strategy is economic pressure alone — no more active strikes. We ask honestly whether sanctions can actually win this on their own. In Nepal, a glacier collapse triggered catastrophic flooding that has killed over 360 people with more than 1,300 still missing, many buried under feet of mud. A dangerous barrier lake is now forming and threatens a second flood before rescue crews can even finish. Nature remains more powerful than us. And the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has revealed she was given more than 30 prescriptions for 13 different psychiatric medications in just four months before she killed her three children. That doesn't excuse what happened — she's responsible. But the psychiatric and pharmaceutical systems that let this happen need real reform. All of it today.

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Darline Graham just won the South Carolina Senate runoff, beating Ralph Norman with Trump's full backing, to take her late brother Lindsey Graham's old seat. Washington pundits said her honest "I don't know" answer on a Taiwan debate question would end her campaign. We said it would help her, and it did. Authenticity beat polish. She now faces Democrat Annie Andrews in November. Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a lawsuit over designing addictive platforms for kids, with new guardrails like daily time limits for teens. Good headline number — but who actually gets that money, and does it change anything for a company built on exactly the engagement this lawsuit targeted? All of it today.

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Dolly Parton has died at 80. We don't usually dwell on celebrity news, but she was never just a celebrity — singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and somehow always genuinely happy in a way that made everyone around her feel it too. Born in a one-room cabin with eleven siblings, she never forgot where she came from and gave back on an extraordinary scale her whole life. We take today to properly honor her. Then California's Attorney General has canceled settlement talks and stands nearly alone trying to block the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. And Treasury Secretary Bessent is getting pushback on his bond market plan from his own mentor, legendary investor Stanley Druckenmiller. All of it today.

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Bessent launched "Operation Economic Outcast" against Iran, promising to cut off every economic lifeline the regime has. Big talk — but will we actually sanction Chinese, Russian, and North Korean banks? When CBS asked directly, Bessent wouldn't give a straight yes. I don't believe it's coming, and history says most sanctions programs like this don't achieve their stated goal, even when I hope this one does. Meanwhile the Canada trade war just escalated — 50 percent tariffs are live, Canada's hitting back dollar for dollar, and it's an odd time to drive up consumer prices when affordability is the biggest political issue in the country. All of it today.

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A 35-year-old Albany woman pledged allegiance to ISIS and plotted to bomb the New York State Capitol and kill state senators — the FBI caught her buying bomb supplies and arrested her this week. Investigators used surveillance including Flock license plate cameras to help build the case — the same technology cities keep canceling contracts for over privacy concerns. We ask if this changes that debate. Then Treasury Secretary Bessent says the U.S. will unveil "the toughest sanctions in history" against Iran at a press conference Monday, calling it an "Economic D-Day." Shouldn't a plan meant to crush an enemy's economy stay secret instead of being previewed days in advance? All of it today.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a former Soros currency trader, surprised markets by doubling Treasury's bond buyback program to push interest rates down. It worked for about 24 hours — yields dropped sharply Wednesday. By Thursday, Wall Street had figured it out and rates bounced right back up, essentially erasing the whole intervention. Total failure, and it puts Bessent at odds with Fed Chair Kevin Warsh. More people are leaving California, no surprise there. And yes, apparently Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moving back to the UK is today's big headline. We ask — who cares? — but cover it anyway since it's everywhere. All of it today.

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Another DSA win in Florida, another round of headlines treating it like an unstoppable wave — but nobody's reporting the growing list of DSA candidates who have actually lost this cycle. We put the real numbers on the table. Congressional candidate Darline Graham admitted on a debate stage she didn't know the answer on Taiwan policy because she's not a foreign policy expert. Refreshing honesty or a disqualifying moment? And how many members of Congress actually know more than she does? The US and Canada just landed a full free trade deal — zero tariffs, after months of fighting. And Moderna and Merck announced their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in a major melanoma trial, sending the stock soaring. Would vaccine skeptics actually take this one? All of it today.

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Primaries today in Florida, Alaska, Wyoming, and California's 14th District to replace Eric Swalwell — all playing out under newly redrawn maps with DSA candidates thrown into the mix, making these races genuinely hard to call. A polling company called Median Strategies just admitted its widely shared polls showing huge leads for Karen Bass and Francesca Hong were completely fake, created as a social experiment to see if bogus numbers could spread unchecked. It worked — Bass's own campaign shared it. And the bond market is sending a warning — 30-year Treasury yields just hit 5.27%, the highest since 2007, driven by inflation, the Iran war, tariffs, and government spending. We break down what that means for your mortgage. All of it today.

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The DNC officially ended Iowa's decades-long run as the first Democratic primary state, replacing it with South Carolina for 2028, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia. The stated reason is better representing Black and Latino voters — but let's not forget Iowa is the state that launched Barack Obama, and he never forgot it. Here's the interesting wrinkle — the DSA's base is heavily white and highly educated, a group that's a much smaller slice of South Carolina's Black-majority primary electorate. Could this calendar shift quietly weaken the socialist movement's national path? And Iran's 60-day window to reach a full peace agreement expired over the weekend with no deal. Now it looks like economic pressure is the only real lever still being worked. All of it today.

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Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court Friday, admitting in his own words that he shot Brian Thompson and knew exactly what he was doing. Sentencing is set for December 18th. Within hours his lawyers filed to have the state murder case dismissed on double jeopardy grounds — we explain what that means and why prosecutors say they'll fight it. Then a difficult but important story — sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln, now on the longest carrier deployment on record, have attempted to go overboard amid reports of exhaustion and mental health struggles during this extended Iran deployment. We talk about it honestly, and note that if you or someone you love is struggling, the 988 Lifeline is there. The good news — the USS George Washington is finally on its way to bring them home.

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Wholesale inflation came in at 4.7 percent for July — that's what businesses pay before it hits you at the register, and it's outpacing wage growth. We break down what that means for your budget. A surprise federal hearing tomorrow has everyone talking — Luigi Mangione may plead guilty to stalking charges, which could set up a major double jeopardy fight to try to kill the pending state murder case. We walk through how that legal argument actually works. Flock cameras have helped solve millions of crimes, and some cities are canceling contracts over privacy worries — I say they catch criminals and don't violate anyone's rights. And General Jack Keane thinks Iran is simply running out the clock, stretching this standoff all the way to the midterms. All of it today.

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Todd Blanche has been Attorney General for three whole days and suddenly the compensation fund Cornyn demanded in writing before confirming him is back on the table. Shocking. Francesca Hong led Wisconsin's governor primary by double digits in the polls and lost to David Crowley by less than half a point. We break down what that says about DSA's real strength, especially with a progressive winning big in Minnesota the same night. Medicare for All is back as a campaign talking point — sounds great until you imagine your cancer treatment run like the DMV, but worse. And today's CPI report shows 3.4 percent inflation, down one-tenth of a point — that is not prices falling, no matter what you're hearing. Prices are still going up. All of it today.

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The full Air Force One plane-swap story is out, confirming the Secret Service swapped Trump onto a backup plane in Turkey because of a credible threat. Newsworthy, sure — but now every detail of that protective maneuver is public knowledge, including to our adversaries. That's a real security problem. RFK Jr. and Trump signed an order cutting the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11. So who do you believe, the politician or the doctor? Normally the doctor, easily. But Fauci's ego damaged that trust for everyone. My answer — ask your own pediatrician, not a press conference. Problem solved. All of it today.

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Wednesday, Thursday, Friday — the Iran deal was going to be done "any day" every single day last week. Today it still isn't. Trump now says he's "semi negotiating" and "low keying it" — okay, but what does that actually mean? Meanwhile Iran has flipped the script and is issuing its own demands to us. This looks like a mess of our own making. Tomorrow is a big election day — primaries in Wisconsin, Vermont, and Minnesota will test whether the Democratic Socialist wave keeps rolling, and South Carolina holds a special election to fill Lindsey Graham's seat. We preview it all today.

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The economy lost 23,000 jobs in July when Wall Street expected a gain of 83,000 — a huge miss. The 50,000 education job loss makes sense, that's just summer break, but the rest of the report is genuinely soft. This should keep the Fed from hiking rates anytime soon. The Senate passed the Lindsey Graham Russia sanctions bill 86-11 — his final legislative legacy, passed just hours after his funeral. Trump lost his ballroom fight today when an appeals court ruled he needs Congress's approval, which he never got. He's appealing to the Supreme Court. And weeks after the Supreme Court told him he can't ban birthright citizenship, he's trying again with two new executive orders. This guy does not lose easily. All of it today.

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Fauci invoked the Fifth 111 times even though he's already pardoned — and Rand Paul's committee just voted to hold him in contempt, sending the referral straight to the DOJ instead of a full Senate vote. We break down the constitutional questions that raises. Wisconsin's Francesca Hong defended her old "cancel Thanksgiving" post on CNN Monday and by Wednesday was telling Politico it's actually her favorite holiday. That's a fast reversal. And Marine One came within a mile of a commercial jet taking off from Reagan National — the FAA investigates whether controllers did or did not follow the safety protocol put in place after last year's deadly crash at the same airport. Big news day, all of it today.

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There are really two Democratic parties right now — highly educated voters disappointed they're making under sixty thousand dollars who make up the DSA, and traditional blue collar Democrats who want something completely different. We break down that split using El-Sayed's winning campaign, which sold affordability and lower gas prices while quietly leaving out abolish ICE, cut Israel aid, pack the court, release prisoners, and tax billionaires. An armed man was arrested at Trump's Rancho Palos Verdes golf club days before his visit after being caught photographing security operations — another concerning pattern given everything this president has been through. And as a former highway patrolman who's made plenty of DUI arrests myself, I watched the body camera footage of Tony Romo's Wisconsin OWI arrest and my honest take is this looks like shoddy police work — and I'm not even a Cowboys fan. All of it today.













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Missouri voters decide today whether to phase out the state income tax — which currently makes up 63 percent of state revenue. If it passes, taxes go up somewhere else, guaranteed. We break down how we'd vote. Mayor Mamdani's proposed grocery stores apparently only require a NYC library card to shop — not income, not need. That detail alone tells you this idea is in trouble before it's even built. And Ohio Congressman Max Miller faces a Wednesday deadline to be pulled from the ballot over serious domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife — allegations his own former father-in-law, a sitting senator, calls disqualifying. Is this the Republican version of what Democrats went through with Graham Platner in Maine? We ask directly. All of it today.

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I wasn't a Pirro fan before, but she earned real respect today. She dropped the felony charges against Olympian David Hearn for the Reflecting Pool "vandalism" after her own office found the damage was actually botched construction, not sabotage — directly contradicting Trump's public claims. Trump is furious, disagrees completely, and may fire her over it. That took real courage. Meanwhile, how many times has Trump now threatened Iran with military action only to back off at the last second? War is a test of wills, and we ask honestly — are Iran's leaders deliberately provoking him because they've learned the threats never turn into action? All of it today.

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U.S. intelligence says Iran likely hacked more than 30 water systems in Minnesota, and the attack actually hit systems across seven states total. Iran may be bringing this war home. Trump's response? He blamed Minnesota's governor instead and said "Iran should be so lucky." We examine that gap. Advisors are telling reporters retaliation strikes alone won't win this war — they'll just drag it out. The real choice is escalate and win or accept a bad deal, and neither is what the President wants. Todd Blanche's confirmation is still stuck in the Senate. And we revisit Chinese cars — banned here, sold everywhere else. National security or just protecting Detroit like we protected it from Japan in the 1970s? All of it today.

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Senator Cornyn won't vote for Todd Blanche without written DOJ promises — and it's worth noting Trump just endorsed Ken Paxton against Cornyn in the Texas primary. Coincidence? The confirmation vote is delayed with the Senate's August recess coming next Friday. NYC's mayor published the names and addresses of pied-à-terre apartment owners in a public shaming campaign — dangerous, and we ask the obvious question: does shaming rich people who already pay their taxes actually help anyone struggling financially? History says no. And June's PCE inflation dropped to 3.7 percent thanks to lower gas prices during the brief Iran pause — a pause that's already over. All of it today.

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Iran fired a surprise rocket attack overnight and just like that, Trump's "pause" is over. He says it's now our turn to fire back — but war doesn't work like taking turns, and today we explain why that framing should worry everyone paying attention. The Fed held interest rates unchanged and Wall Street hated it — the Dow dropped over a thousand points on inflation fears with no Fed action to calm them. And Todd Blanche's Attorney General confirmation just hit a wall — Senator John Cornyn says no vote unless the DOJ puts specific promises in writing about the anti-weaponization bill and Trump's tax audit immunity, and the DOJ won't do it. Big, chaotic news day — all of it today.

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Lindsey Graham's memorial service is today in DC with South Carolina tomorrow, and the moment everyone keeps replaying since his death is his explosive Kavanaugh hearing rant — we play it for you today. Trump says Iran asked him nicely to stop the bombing. Iran says that never happened. We examine why the President keeps describing a war like it's a real estate deal. And Bryan Kohberger wants to withdraw his guilty plea in the Idaho college murders. Here's what matters — the man has a master's degree and was working toward a PhD in criminal justice. He's not confused. My take — he misses the spotlight. All of it today.

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Bernie Sanders and Rahm Emanuel are now fighting it out in public — Sanders calling out the Democratic establishment on national television, Emanuel warning in the Wall Street Journal that socialist candidates could cost Democrats the midterms. We break down who's actually winning this fight. Trump paused the Iran war again — why does this keep happening? And when told Russia is helping Iran, he reportedly said he doesn't believe it but he'll ask Putin. We have questions about that verification method. And three people were killed at Seattle's Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday night when two gunmen opened fire on each other in a massive crowd. Be careful of the people around you at big events — this is exactly why. All of it today.

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Tariffs are back and let's be honest about what they are — a tax that raises your prices, slows the economy, and invites other countries to retaliate against our exporters. Trump Media is now selling Wall Street firms early access to the President's market-moving Truth Social posts for up to one hundred thousand dollars a month. Schumer says if a staffer did this it'd be a scandal — now it's a subscription plan. We agree it's wrong, regardless of party. And Thune and the White House are publicly feuding over the SAVE America Act because Republicans have 51 votes and need 60. Thune's telling the White House to go get the votes themselves. Big show, straight talk, today.

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Message to every politician in Washington — people don't like you. But the new Fox News poll shows it's specifically bad for Republicans right now — Democrats lead on the economy, healthcare, inflation, income inequality, foreign policy, and even immigration. Democrats now lead the generic congressional ballot by 7 points, the best showing for the party in a Fox poll since 1996. We break down every number. Then let's clear something up about the Saudi nuclear story — this isn't about weapons. It's the same low enriched uranium model we already use with the UAE for civilian power plants. And it still needs Congress to approve it before anything actually happens. All of it today.

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An OpenAI model broke out of its sealed test lab on its own, got onto the internet, and hacked a real company called Hugging Face to cheat on a test. No human told it to. Hugging Face actually caught it themselves before OpenAI even called. Silicon Valley is buzzing because this is the exact nightmare scenario AI safety people have been warning about for years. Mayor Mamdani has finally admitted he never actually had the power to arrest Netanyahu — you'd think checking with his own legal team would have come before the threat, not after. He also couldn't clearly define the working class he says he fights for. A US-Saudi civilian nuclear power deal is reportedly moving forward and the timing, in the middle of the Iran conflict, deserves real scrutiny. And today we pause to honor four fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base, where the President and top military leaders attended the Dignified Transfer.

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Trump, Sheinbaum, and Carney looked like best friends at the World Cup. Now there are new tariffs on Canada, our second biggest trading partner. What happened between then and now? Iran keeps taking hits and still won't budge — are we headed toward boots on the ground? Democrats are increasingly worried the Democratic Socialist surge could split their own vote just enough to hand Republicans the midterms despite favorable forecasts. And Mayor Mamdani is still threatening to arrest Netanyahu even though lawyers keep confirming he has zero legal authority to do it. Another socialist dream that just isn't real. All of it today.

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More generals and admirals are saying it out loud now — you cannot negotiate a war the way you negotiate a real estate deal, and bombing alone was never going to be enough. Three more soldiers are dead and Trump finally appears to be shifting away from talk of talks toward real military commitment. We ask what took so long. The Democratic Socialists keep winning primaries and it is splitting the Democratic Party at exactly the moment forecasters predicted a strong Democratic fall. Fascinating timing. New York City's mayor wants to arrest Netanyahu — except he has zero legal authority to do that and we explain exactly why. And Britain just got its seventh Prime Minister in ten years, a committed leftist who wants to undo everything Thatcher did to save the British economy. Big show today.

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The President gave a speech questioning our election systems right before the midterms and we ask directly — did it make you trust elections more or less, and was that the actual goal? Here's the structural fact that matters — America has over ten thousand separate election jurisdictions. That alone makes coordinated national fraud incredibly hard to pull off undetected. We break down why. And the Iran war keeps growing. So which is it — are we trying to get the lying, cheating IRGC leadership back to the table, or are we actually trying to eliminate them? The country deserves a straight answer. All of it today.

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President Trump is expected to deliver a major speech tonight, with reports suggesting a significant announcement may be coming. Will the focus once again be on the 2020 presidential election, and why does that issue continue to dominate political debate years later? We examine whether Americans are entitled to hold differing views about the election and why the controversy remains a central topic in national politics. We also discuss the latest developments involving Iran and growing concerns about U.S. policy in the Middle East. Plus, the White House is reportedly searching for the source of a leak to The New York Times regarding the use of a backup Air Force One during the President's NATO trip. Questions continue to swirl about security concerns, defensive capabilities, and why the President appeared to switch between aircraft during the international summit.

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America is bombing Iran and the President wants to get them back to the negotiating table. Why? Iran lies. Iran cheats. Iran has never honored an agreement in its history. The goal should be defeat and surrender — not another round of talks that produce another piece of paper that means nothing. Todd Blanche testified today for Attorney General and one Republican vote kills the nomination — we identify where the danger is. Jay Clayton testified for DNI and Democrats spent most of the hearing asking him to say Trump lost in 2020. And ICE wants to resume traffic stops after two deadly shootings. As a former highway patrolman I am telling you — they need more training first. These are dangerous interactions and the cost of getting them wrong is already on the books. All of it today.

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Last night the plan was blockade the Strait of Hormuz and charge twenty percent of cargo value as a fee. This morning the fee was gone after Middle Eastern leaders called Trump with an investment alternative he liked better. The blockade is still on and the President is now calling the whole thing a skirmish. Rubio has been saying the fee was illegal for weeks — he was right but the fee died by phone call not legal argument. ICE shot and killed two men during traffic stops in Houston and Maine and DHS immediately ended traffic stops as an immigration enforcement tool. Both incidents are under investigation. And June inflation came in at 3.5 percent — a welcome drop driven almost entirely by falling oil and gas prices that could reverse quickly if the Iran situation escalates again. All of it today.

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Senator Lindsey Graham died from an aortic dissection at 71 and the bipartisan grief pouring in today is a reminder of what old-school Senate relationships used to look like — when members of both parties actually knew each other as human beings. We pay tribute to a complicated but genuinely warm man whose personal conduct in the Senate was better than the era he served in. Mitch McConnell says it was a fall and mild pneumonia but the medical care he is receiving tells a different story. We flag the disconnect. And Trump wants to charge fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. We vehemently disagree. It is international waters. Nobody owns it. Nobody gets to charge for it. Today we explain the law and the common sense. All of it today with the respect and directness these stories deserve. 

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The Air Force One mystery is officially solved and the answer is chilling. Israel warned the US of a specific Iranian plot to assassinate the President and the Secret Service put him on the older, better-protected plane out of Turkey because the new Qatari 747 does not yet have the defensive countermeasures needed to protect against that kind of threat. Trump told reporters he is on every single one of Iran's lists and admitted he has been lucky — for now. Meanwhile oil is moving through Hormuz better than expected but airlines have already hiked fares and Delta says do not expect relief for the rest of 2026. And Graham Platner finally filed his withdrawal paperwork from the Maine Senate race. The betting pool is closed. All of it today — this is a big one.

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Graham Platner said he was stepping down but the withdrawal paperwork has not been filed and Axios says he is holding it until the last minute before Monday's five o'clock deadline. The betting markets are now pricing in a real chance he pulls a fast one and stays in the Maine Senate race. We watch the clock and examine both scenarios. And the Air Force One mystery from the Turkey trip is finally solved — the brand new Qatari 747 does not yet meet the security requirements for presidential travel through sensitive airspace. The old blue and white plane does. So Trump flew out on the old one, landed in England, and switched to the new one for the final leg home. The most luxurious presidential plane in history cannot yet safely go everywhere the President needs to go. All of it today.

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The sixty day Iran ceasefire did not come close to sixty days. The President called Iran's leaders liars, scum, cheaters, and sick. He said the ceasefire is over. Then he said he doesn't think the war will begin again. Both of those things cannot be true at the same time and today we try to figure out what American Iran policy actually is right now. Then a genuine Air Force One mystery — Trump flew the new Qatari 747 to Turkey and came home on the old blue and white Jackie Kennedy plane. The new one went to Europe to show soldiers. Nobody fully explained this and we have questions — though we will admit we are delighted the original got one more trip. And Graham Platner has still not stepped down despite the assault accusation and the Democratic pressure campaign. The betting pool rolls on.

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A woman has accused Graham Platner of sexual assault and a long list of prominent Democrats have said they believe her and want him out of the Maine Senate race. Platner denies it and says he is reflecting. In political crisis speak reflecting is rarely the end of the story. We ask the honest question — do you believe her? And we start the betting pool on the date he steps down. Trump is in Turkey at NATO furious that alliance members sat out the Iran conflict and left America holding the military weight alone. We preview what those conversations look like. And Netanyahu says he and Trump are still friends despite the Iran agreement tensions — a statement worth unpacking. Plus Financial Friday is coming — call us at 855-295-6600 with your money questions. Big show today.

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Only in this presidency does a single day include personally lobbying FIFA to reinstate a banned soccer player before a major international match, launching a nationwide baby investment account program, departing for a NATO summit in Turkey, and somehow recycling the same contractor to fix a pool they already failed to fix. Today we cover all of it. The FIFA intervention has Belgium and much of the European soccer establishment furious ahead of tonight's USA versus Belgium match — and we explain why the President's call might have been more justified than his critics want to admit. The Trump Accounts are now live — one thousand dollars for every American baby born since January first of last year — and we break down how the accounts work, how the money grows, and why we think this is genuinely good policy for building generational wealth. The NATO trip to Turkey begins tonight and we preview what is on the agenda and what allies are expecting from the President. And the pool — the same contractor, the same problem, another contract. We ask the procurement question that nobody in the contracting agency seems to be asking.

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From John Adams to Walter Isaacson and throw in the cadets at West Point, we reflect on our nation's founders on our 250th year as a great experiment.

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Democratic Socialists keep winning primaries and traditional Democrats keep getting angrier about their party being taken over by a movement they did not invite in. Here is the detail nobody talks about — the DSA is overwhelmingly wealthy and white, which makes their working-class messaging a little hard to take seriously. Then the biggest overhyped story in America right now — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married at Madison Square Garden. Rehearsal dinner tonight, wedding tomorrow, wall-to-wall coverage everywhere. We acknowledge it and move on. And we close with something genuinely wonderful — a couple climbed the Empire State Building, unfurled a love flag, and he got down on one knee. Love is alive and well in New York City. Big show today.

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Democratic Socialists have now beaten established Democrats in New York and Colorado and the movement keeps spreading. Kamala Harris apparently noticed and Axios is reporting she has reached out to Mayor Mamdani to figure out how to align with what is winning — because she does not have a winning vision of her own. That tells you everything about where mainstream Democratic politics stands right now. Trump flew the new Air Force One — the repainted Qatari 747 with the gold fixtures — to South Dakota today. The President loves it. We get it. But we still prefer what Jackie Kennedy and Raymond Loewy created. Understated dignity beats gold fixtures every time. All of it today.

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The Supreme Court ended its term today with three landmark rulings — birthright citizenship, transgender athletes in sports, and campaign finance — and the ideological coalitions behind each decision defied the standard liberal versus conservative script. Justices crossed lines in every direction and today we break down what each ruling actually means. In Colorado another Democratic Socialist is on the primary ballot today. But after last week's New York socialist win on just seven percent voter turnout we need to talk about what these victories actually represent — because ninety-three percent of voters did not show up. And the housing affordability bill is heading back to the White House. Our position has not changed — it is a bad bill with a good name and signing it would make the housing crisis worse not better. All of it today.

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The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today that states can count mail-in ballots received days after Election Day as long as they were postmarked on time — a real defeat for the Trump administration's push for faster nationwide counting. States make the rules, and that is not changing anytime soon. We break down what it means for how fast we know election results going forward. And Gavin Newsom is facing real pay-to-play questions over behested payments tied to his wife's charities. He calls it political payback. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't — but if authorities don't get to the bottom of it now, opposition researchers absolutely will once Newsom's expected 2028 presidential run gets underway. Big show today.

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Democratic Socialists are young, passionate, and growing fast — and the Democratic Party establishment is genuinely worried about losing control of its own coalition. Bernie Sanders seemed harmless for years. Not anymore. The reason the movement is growing is simple — people don't trust either party and want something that actually addresses their needs. But we also ask the harder question today — has America trained people to look to government first instead of looking in the mirror? Both conversations today, no easy answers. Plus a federal judge declared a mistrial in the Palisades Fire arson case after the jury deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of not guilty. The evidence was entirely circumstantial and prosecutors say they will retry the case in October. Big show today.

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The Supreme Court delivered two big rulings today. Gun owners can now carry into any business open to the public unless that business says no — a major reversal of the old default rule. And Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians, granted back in 2010, is finally ending after sixteen years. Sixteen years is not temporary by any definition. We break both rulings down. Iran struck a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz with a drone — a clear test of President Trump's patience after the recent ceasefire announcement. Will he respond? And earthquakes have hit Japan, California, Russia, and even SFO airport recently, with the most damaging one striking Venezuela. Is it earthquake season? Big news day, all of it today.

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Democratic Socialists won more races yesterday and the trend keeps growing. It will keep growing until enough Americans learn what every person who has actually lived under socialism already knows — don't go there. But the reason this is gaining traction is real. People can't afford homes, groceries are crushing budgets, student loans feel inescapable, and capitalism doesn't feel like it's working for a lot of struggling Americans right now. We address both the false solution and the real pain today. And Trump refused to sign the bipartisan housing affordability bill — we don't blame him. It wouldn't have lowered housing costs and might have made things worse. We explain why a bad bill is still a bad bill even with bipartisan support.

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The actual Iran negotiators are still in Switzerland hammering out the real details that matter — and the media is talking about a reflecting pool instead. We ask what that says about what passes for news coverage right now. Four states vote today — New York, Maryland, Utah, and South Carolina — and while most races are ordinary the one to watch is in New York where socialist candidates riding Mayor Mamdani's momentum are making real noise. Does that momentum mean anything outside the five boroughs? We break it down today.

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Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman who shaped American monetary policy for nearly twenty years, has died at 100. Before the Fed he was a jazz musician at Juilliard. Clive Davis, the music mogul who discovered Whitney Houston and signed Bruce Springsteen, has died at 94. Before the music business he was a bored corporate lawyer. Two unlikely paths, two enormous legacies, gone the same day. We pay tribute to both. Vice President Vance is proud that Iran agreed to IAEA nuclear inspections but General Jack Keane says the IAEA has been played by Iran before and could be again. And Keir Starmer resigned as UK Prime Minister today, the seventh PM Britain has lost in just ten years. Big show today.

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Israel never signed the Iran agreement and is not bound by it but Trump and Vance are openly hostile toward Israel anyway — for the crime of defending itself against Hezbollah's missiles. That dispute just stalled the 60-day negotiating period before it even started. Meanwhile Bill Pulte is on the job at intelligence and reportedly asking for a complete employee list — step one in what looks like a mass firing operation across America's spy agencies. And the original Air Force One livery, the elegant one Jackie Kennedy helped design, is in the hangar. The new plane is a repainted Qatari 747 in red white and blue and we are just going to say it plainly today — we do not like it.

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JD Vance is out there alone trying to sell the Iran MOU and the President is calling the distinguished list of conservative critics stupid. The list is long, the credentials are serious, and calling them stupid is not an argument. The stock market going up has nothing to do with the Iran deal — it is about corporate earnings and the AI boom and today we explain why. The White House drone terror plot was not discovered by the FBI or any law enforcement agency. A mother called police about her own son and saved potentially hundreds of lives. And Bernie Sanders thinks AI companies should share their profits with him despite contributing absolutely nothing to their success. That is called socialism. All of it today.

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Did Iran win this war? Go back to the stated goals when this started — nuclear threat neutralized, terror sponsorship curtailed, Hormuz secured. None of it actually happened and more Republicans are saying so out loud as the President tries to sell this deal as a win. Meanwhile some genuine political hardball — Trump asked his own DNI nominee Jay Clayton to skip his Senate confirmation hearing today, conveniently clearing the way for Bill Pulte to become acting Director of National Intelligence on Friday without ever facing real confirmation scrutiny. Democrats and Republicans alike are not happy about playing games with national security. And Luigi Mangione's defense team may be heading toward an insanity defense in his New York trial. Big show, no spin, today.

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Skeptical. That is the word Trump's own supporters are using about the Iran deal and today we explain why they are right to use it. A one and a half page memorandum of understanding that nobody is allowed to read. A president who is not going to Geneva to sign his own historic agreement even though he is just up the road. Washington and Tehran describing the same deal in completely opposite terms. If this was a win the President would be singing from the rooftops. The silence tells you everything. Then the FBI arrested a group of young men who planned to attack the White House south lawn UFC crowd with explosive drones. The ringleader is nineteen years old and said he was angry at the direction of the country. Chilling, close, and stopped just in time. All of it today, no filter.

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A historic agreement that nobody is allowed to read until after it is signed on Friday. The United States saying Iran made major concessions. Iran saying its nuclear rights are fully intact. Both describing the same document in completely contradictory terms. Oil and gas experts saying it will take weeks or months before ships transit Hormuz in normal numbers even if everything goes perfectly. And the very real question hanging over all of it — does the shooting start again before this deal is even fully understood? We are skeptical. We have been right to be skeptical before. And today we tell you exactly why this agreement has all the hallmarks of a can being kicked past the midterm elections rather than a problem being solved. Honest assessment. No spin. All of it today.

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The Iran deal leaves the world's number one terrorism sponsoring regime completely in place. The skeptics are not being cynical — they are being honest. We hope to be proven wrong but history says otherwise and today we make the full case for why this looks like another can kicked down the road for the next president to deal with. Meanwhile FISA — America's legal authority to surveil foreign bad actors — expires tonight. It had bipartisan support for reauthorization until the Pulte ODNI announcement blew the coalition apart. Tonight America goes dark on foreign surveillance and we can thank the Pulte nomination for the security gap. And on a note that unites all of us — Sunday is Flag Day. Fly your flag proudly.

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Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed