Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Do you agree with Gavin Newsom that the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports is “deeply unfair”? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podca...
Mar 07, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1280
As the news of President Trump's plan to fire 70,000 employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs lands, Michael talks to Robert Pape, political science professor at the University of Chicago, about a recent academic, peer-reviewed study that raises powerful warnings about the consequences for violent extremism. Original air date 6 March 2025.
Mar 06, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1279
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Are we witnessing the final days of NATO? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.
Mar 06, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1278
Mark Halperin says "the sources of strength and power of the 'Maven of Mar-a-Lago', for all he is discussed, have been insufficiently examined or understood. The similarities with Bill Clinton are striking and instructive." Michael was thinking about former President Clinton as he watched President Trump deliver his address to a joint session of Congress last night. This sets up for a great conversation analyzing both the speech, and Trump's presidency so far overall. Original air date 5 March 2...
Mar 05, 2025•33 min•Ep. 1277
Michael offers an in-depth analysis of President Trump's address to a joint session of Congress last night. He also touches on today's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com, the topic of which also came up in last night's speech, on Ukraine and Russia. Listen to his thoughts here
Mar 05, 2025•20 min•Ep. 1276
Who should we support: Russia, Ukraine, or Neither? Michael discusses the question with Admiral James Stavridis, a retired four-star Navy officer who once served as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. Now he is Partner and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. Hear his latest analysis of what is happening in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and US President Trump hosting the president of Ukraine in Washingt...
Mar 04, 2025•29 min•Ep. 1275
Jo has served 15 years in the Virginia Army National Guard. Her current rank and job title is Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) – UH60 Black Hawk Pilot. She has served in combat zones in Iraq and other operations overseas. She is a transgender woman and recently transitioned while serving in the military. When not serving her country, she works as an IT Engineer in the private sector and previously worked as the Digital Media Manager for Smerconish.com. She enjoys flying airplanes, racing cars, play...
Mar 04, 2025•18 min
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Who Do You Support: Russia, Ukraine, or Neither? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.
Mar 04, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1274
Tom Nichols is a professor emeritus of national-security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, where he taught for 25 years, and an instructor at the Harvard Extension School. Read his Atlantic essay here: It Was an Ambush: Friday marked one of the grimmest days in the history of American diplomacy.
Mar 03, 2025•39 min•Ep. 1273
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Was JD Vance’s confrontation of Zelensky premeditated or spontaneous? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.
Mar 03, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1272
Randall Teague is the Mayor of Haddon Township, New Jersey, the current epicenter of the immigration and deportation debate, where the town is rallying around a married couple who own a restaurant, but are technically not legally in the US - and have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After speaking with the Mayor about this major story, Michael hears from listeners, including a caller named Paul, who is in this same situation. He came to the US on a tourist visa in 1999 on hi...
Feb 28, 2025•29 min•Ep. 1271
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should migrants who entered the U.S. illegally years ago but have since lived law-abiding lives and paid taxes face deportation? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks abo...
Feb 28, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1270
Nick Corasaniti is the author of "I Don't Want to Go Home: The Oral History of the Stone Pony." This is what Michael really wanted to talk to the New York Times correspondent about, as they both share a love of music, especially live music. So yes, listen to a great conversation about that to start, but then, the actual reason Nick comes to talk is on his NY Times piece "The Death of Competition in American Elections." He says a vast majority of 2024 races for Congress and state legislatures wer...
Feb 27, 2025•31 min•Ep. 1269
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is it the prerogative of a newspaper owner to set editorial policy? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.
Feb 27, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1268
Mark Halperin is Editor-in-Chief of 2WAY and Publisher of the Wide World of News Newsletter. Steve Scully hosts "The Briefing" on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel 124, weekdays 12-2PM East.
Feb 26, 2025•37 min•Ep. 1267
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is James Carville correct: “it’s time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead"? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conve...
Feb 26, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1266
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Michael Peterson tells us about his foundation and breaks down what the DOGE Dividend is and who exactly will be affected. Peterson also explains the most efficient way for the United States to reduce our national debt. Original air date 24 February 2025.
Feb 25, 2025•27 min•Ep. 1265
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: What will slow Trump down? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.
Feb 25, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1264
Robert Hagstrom, Chief Investment Officer of EquityCompass Investment Management and the author of seven investment books including The New York Times Best Seller, The Warren Buffett Way. Michael & Hagstrom discuss how the Buffet's annual letter held in high regard by Michael, evolved into what it is today.
Feb 24, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1263
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should the U.S. have a stake in Ukraine’s natural resources as reimbursement for wartime support? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each week...
Feb 24, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1262
James Fishback, CEO of the investment firm Azoria, has gone viral for his idea of what DOGE should do with money it is looking to save by trimming federal government spending. Michael talks to him here to learn about his "DOGE Dividend" plan that caught the interest of Elon Musk and President Trump.
Feb 21, 2025•31 min•Ep. 1261
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should any portion of a “DOGE Dividend” be returned to Americans as a tax refund check? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday....
Feb 21, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1260
Wall Street Journal "Science of Success" Columnist Ben Cohen tells us that most people who start successful companies are in middle age or beyond. That contrasts with the conventional belief that entrepreneurs are young and tech savvy - listen to Cohen's conversation with Michael about his great piece "The Investor Betting on People In Their 50s and 60s—Because Older Is Better"...and then hear from the audience who tell Michael about the successful companies they started later in life. Original ...
Feb 20, 2025•21 min•Ep. 1259
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is the perception of declining airline safety rooted in actual increased risks, or is it primarily a result of intensified media scrutiny? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael...
Feb 20, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1258
Rebecca Ballhaus, Investigative Reporter for The Wall Street Journal, joins Michael with her exclusive bombshell piece "How the Trumps Turned an Election Victory Into a Cash Bonanza." Listen to the conversation and learn about the First lady’s documentary deal with Amazon, the President’s legal settlements, and other transactions. Original air date 19 February 2025.
Feb 19, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1257
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: If the Russia/Ukraine war ends without Russia surrendering battlefield gains, will Putin have won? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each wee...
Feb 19, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1256
Admiral James Stavridis is currently Partner and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. He served 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of four-star Admiral, serving in many commands including four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa. His latest book is “The R...
Feb 18, 2025•28 min•Ep. 1255
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should privacy concerns always outweigh the potential benefits of DOGE eliminating waste, fraud and abuse at the IRS? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in th...
Feb 18, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1254
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is the Eric Adams/DOJ controversy a speed bump for President Trump, or a burgeoning scandal? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday....
Feb 17, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1253
In a recent Oval Office press conference, Elon Musk revealed that federal employee retirements are processed manually in a Pennsylvania limestone mine. This inefficient process promped Michael to welcome David Fahrenthold for a conversation - he wrote about the mine a decade ago - to delve deeper into this issue. Now at the New York Times, Fahrenthold was at The Washington Post in 2014 when he wrote "Paper mine pushes ahead, but still behind the times." Original air date 14 February 2025.
Feb 15, 2025•34 min•Ep. 1252
