Tensions between the United States and China are escalating. Michael learns from Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis that while the two countries are duking it out over trade and tariffs, less-noticed concerns are taking place in cyberspace, near Taiwan, and at Chinese shipyards. Original air date 17 April 2025.
Religion can be a tricky subject...while it can bring a lot of good, it can also lead to conflict, and even war. Today being Good Friday, this brings us to today's poll question at Smerconish.com, which asks: Should we hope possible life forms on exoplanet K2-18b have religious beliefs? Listen to Michael lay it out, then cast YOUR ballot 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 po...
Michael hosts a compelling conversation centered around immigration, undocumented workers, and the everyday realities of hiring day laborers—sparked by a memorable and candid call from "Tom in Texas." This came after a conversation with Philip Bump at the Washington Post about how the story of Kilmar Abrego García - the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador after being arrested trying to get day labor work outside a Home Depot - tells us far more than the narrative on immigration and d...
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Does Trump benefit politically from ALL of the following: 1) fighting Harvard, 2) not facilitating return of Abrego Garcia, and 3) reducing the IRS workforce? Yes or No - Listen to Michael lay it out, then cast YOUR ballot 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...
2WAY Editor-in-Chief and Wide World of News Publisher Mark Halperin says we are at an odd moment in the three-side relationship between the Trump agenda, the establishment reaction to the Trump agenda, and the dominant media coverage of the Trump agenda. It is through that lens that he and Michael run through President Trump's recent policy moves, speeches, and more. Original air date 16 April 2025.
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Should federal funding be cut from universities like Harvard in response to perceived failures in addressing campus antisemitism? Michael's vote is No: Listen here to his explanation, then cast YOUR ballot 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 begin...
London School of Economics Professor Irene Papanicolas joins Michael to discuss a study that finds wealthy Americans have similar death rates to poor Europeans. Listen to find out what explains this health-wealth disparity, and Michael's audience reaction to it. Original air date 15 April 2025.
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Should the IRS audit taxpayers of all income levels with equal frequency to ensure fairness and transparency in the tax system? 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...
Michael dissects what we learned when Bill Maher talked about his meeting with President Trump nearly two weeks ago, he just spoke about it this past Friday on HBO/Max's "Real Time with Bill Maher." Michael references Sunday's daily smerconish.com poll question which asked, "Agree or disagree with Bill Maher: "A crazy person doesn't live in the White House. A person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there."" Listen in for an interesting perspective on this dinner between Maher and Trump...
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Answer the question recently raised by RFK Jr.: “If you're smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, should you expect society to pay when you get sick?” 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 co...
Lots of talk about trade and tariffs lately - but this conversation has a different focus than all the rest. Allysia Finley's op-ed in hte Wall Stret Journal caught Michael's eye this week: "A Good Man for U.S. Manufacturing Is Hard to Find." It circles back to the conversation about how young men's behaviors are changing due to a variety of social factors - and they are not taking these good paying jobs in factories that are open. Michael talks with Finley about the changing workforce. Original...
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Should humans pursue the de-extinction of species like the dire wolf? 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.
Michael welcomes Washington Examiner columnist Salena Zito on an Op-Ed she penned for The Washington Post, after being on the ground with U.S. Steel workers in PA. Original air date 10 April 2025.
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Setting aside criticism of Trump’s approach and style, do you believe his tariff policies will ultimately benefit the United States? 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 ...
You will feel a heck of a lot smarter in 30 minutes after listening to this - Michael sure did! A great tutorial on what's happening with all these tariffs - including the most basic layers of how tariffs work, all the way to the possible deep effects on world economies and U.S. relations with other countries - from William Reinsch, senior adviser and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies ...
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Which poses a greater challenge for America's future: young men's decreasing workforce participation or the decline in manufacturing jobs? 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. Mi...
Michael talks trade and tariffs with former Louisiana Lt. Governor and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who also served as President Biden's senior advisor for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implementation. He compares trade relationships with other countries under Biden versus today, and the impact of U.S. jobs and the economy. And, they discuss today's Smerconish.com poll question on whether what President Trump is doing with tariffs now is a permanent part of his trade policy,...
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Are President Trump's tariffs a permanent fixture of his trade policy or primarily a negotiating tactic? 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...
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Michael offers a commentary on what's happening in the financial markets as a result of President Trump enacting reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners around the world. This leads to ask you Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Will the Dow Jones Industrial Average close higher or lower this Friday than it did last Friday (38,314.86)? 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-pr...
The New York Times reporter Charles Homans joins Michael to discuss his new piece "The Strange, Post-Partisan Popularity of the Unabomber'"; a piece that takes a deep dive into the life and death of Ted Kaczynski, infamously known as the "Unabomber". In this interview Homans unpacks the shocking uptick in Ted Kaczynski's popularity. Original air date 4 April 2025.
The stock market has taken a massive hit since President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs against foreign trading partners on "Liberation Day". Michael offers a commentary on this, leading to Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Has President Trump just triggered a recession? 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,...
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Michael offers an insightful commentary on yesterday's reciprocal tariffs announcement at the White House, focusing on Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: If Trump's tariffs boost American manufacturing, will they outweigh the downsides, such as higher prices and strained international relations? 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 ...
2WAY Editor-in-Chief Mark Halperin appeared in the "New Media" seat in the White House Briefing Room, and asked the first question of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at yesterday's press briefing. He gives us the behind-the-scenes scoop of his day in Washington (but doesn't answer ALL the details of what Michael is looking for), plus, hear his analysis on today's top political headlines. Then, hear some audience reactions to today's Smerconish.com daily poll question, which asks "Just for sh*ts...
If you were to match up sports all stars - in their prime - against each other, who would win? Lebron James vs Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson vs Mohammed Ali, Serena Williams vs Billie Jean King....who wins? Michael ponders this with an out-of-the-box poll question today at Smerconish.com, based on the talk of President Trump trying to run for a third term as President (currently prohibited under the Constitution, of course): Just for sh*ts and giggles, who would win this race in 2028: Barack Obama ...
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is it fair to lay substantial blame on the law firms who settled with President Trump to get off of his blacklist? 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 ...
Michael rode in a Waymo this weekend, and loved it! Listen to his experience using the self-driving car service in Phoenix, Arizona. Original air date 31 March 2025.
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Looking back at the last 3 years, would you say the U.S. support for Ukraine was too little, too much or just right? 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 thi...
Dr. Brandi Summers, Columbia University Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies joins Michael to talk about her research on gentrification in neighborhoods. Michael was drawn to this topic after an article in the Washington Post caught his eye, titled "“The house color that tells you when a neighborhood is gentrifying." Original air date 5 March 2025.
