Video Episode
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the U.S. military "will not be attacking Iran" in the leadup…
"We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran. I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily, and while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, with Oil flowing in Record Numbers of Barrels through the Hormuz Strait (22 Million Barrels, last night alone, with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran!), we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "IRAN WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!" the president also declared.
What are productive discussions?
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said Thursday that a crude oil tanker has been struck while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said Thursday that "in recent months, U.S. forces have supported the shipment of over 1.25 billion barrels of crude oil from Gulf partners and through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthi continue their attacks on Saudi airport, causing U.S. security warnings, flight cancellations.
Iran declared Thursday that it won't cease uranium enrichment, according to Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Reuters reported.
Dismissing U.S. requests regarding Iran's nuclear facilities as "nothing new," Eslami said enrichment was "an inseparable part" of the nuclear process.
Iran's nuclear program is a key sticking point in the conflict and a major obstacle to reaching a diplomatic agreement.
Eslami’s remarks came as President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States was having productive discussions with Iran.
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to continued…
Weekly jobless claims have now remained near 57-year lows for four straight weeks, the report from the Labor Department showed on Thursday, amid historically low layoffs.
The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.
Though employers are hoarding workers against the backdrop of strong profit growth and stock market performance, they have remained hesitant to add to headcount, making it harder for those who lose their jobs to find new opportunities. Economists have blamed that trend on uncertainty, first from tariffs and then the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has pushed up diesel prices to record highs and boosted prices for other commodities.
Weekly jobless claims fall 2,000 to 197,000.
Continuing claims increase 17,000 to still-low 1.716 million.
Report suggests nonfarm payrolls slowdown in September likely due to tepid hiring.
Why doesn’t Wall Street like a stable jobs market?
What did the updated ADP report indicate that the previous Labor Department report did not?
Trump admin cuts off Microsoft from major visa program, accuses tech giant of fraud and abuse.
How long has this abuse of American workers by American companies been going on?
Do you feel that the Administration was sending a message to other U.S. companies with respect to this kind of abuse?
A whistleblower in the state Attorney General’s Office was ordered to dig up dirt on President Trump, even…
Daniel Wiesenfeld, a prosecutor in the Investor Protection Bureau, claimed he was told by Bureau Chief Shamiso Maswoswe to keep trying to make a case against Trump and his pals despite finding no evidence that there was a crime.
“By June 2026, after several meetings, we had become exasperated,” Wiesenfeld told The Post in an exclusive interview. “Shamiso told us, in sum and substance, that she agreed with us and that if it were her call, she would close the case – but that it was Tish’s call.
Federal grand jury hears evidence in probe of former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson's Jan 6 testimony: source
Additional evidence could be presented as soon as next week, though no decisions on criminal charges have been made.
In his gripping new book, NOT ON OUR WATCH: A Young Soldier's Warning to America, former Nevada gubernatorial…
At 15, he was forced to grow up at gunpoint and became one of the youngest fighters in the Christian militia defending his neighborhood from annihilation.
Guy recounts trading his school uniform for an assault rifle at age fifteen when the Lebanese Civil War broke out in Beirut.
After his time as a teenage militiaman, his parents sent him to safety in the United States - a country he fell in love with, where he became a citizen in 1983.
As America's critical midterm elections fast approach, we find ourselves plagued by the same type of political rhetoric that could easily lead to civil war; and Guy recognizes the parallels to what happened in his young life.
He is now in a unique position to share his experience as an urgent warning that the forces tearing America apart are the same ones that destroyed his own homeland. Since his candidacy for Nevada governor, he has become a trusted voice of reason whose mission is to inform and influence the next generation of Americans to resolve civil disputes, helping the U.S. to avoid what he endured in Lebanon.
In NOT ON OUR WATCH, Guy's message is clear as America's current race for peace through strength fast approaches. You'll gain insight into:
Guy, why do those who migrate from the Middle East to the West refuse to assimilate?
Why do Muslims refuse to speak out about Islam and the Islamic threat?
How are the midterms fanning the flames of political division?
Are the midterms all about the economy and what Americans are experiencing with the high cost of living?
What is your analysis on the war with Iran and the expanding consequences of conflict in the Middle East?
In Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to wage war against Israel. What does this continued instability mean for the country and the region?
This week, Paris was on fire. To no one’s surprise, the rise of political Islam in France has destabilized the nation. Do you see this Islamic revolution in France spreading to other EU member countries?
Why has the world done little to nothing about Christian persecution in Nigeria?
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
While Americans think of cyberattacks as isolated events, China sees cyber operations as part of a long-term geopolitical strategy.
How could Beijing launch a cyber-attack against America?
What are they capable of doing at this point?
Would be tantamount to an act of war?
Why do cyber threats increasingly overlap with AI and espionage, and what should policymakers should do now?
What is your reaction to the report that The U.S. Navy has committed an additional $150 million to the development of an artificial intelligence-piloted fighter aircraft designed to take off and land vertically, bringing total public and private investment in the program to $400 million?
Defense technology company Shield AI announced Thursday that the Navy had modified an existing agreement to support development of its X-BAT aircraft, with the company matching the new government funding with $150 million of its own capital.
The investment follows a separate $50 million Navy funding action in August, also matched by Shield AI, bringing combined commitments to $400 million, according to the company's press release.
The X-BAT is designed to conduct military missions without a human pilot, using Shield AI's "Hivemind" software to operate even when GPS signals or communications are limited.
The aircraft is being developed to take off and land vertically from ships, islands and remote locations without relying on traditional runways.
What was your reaction to learning that F-35 fighter jet parts were mistakenly sent to China after a UPS employee missed a critical export warning email?
The Pentagon and State Department are investigating how sensitive military stealth technology was shipped via UPS.
Panelists: (ZOOM – JAKE 2)
Andrew Harding, Policy Analyst, National Security and
Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Heritage Foundation
From my interview with Dr. Robert Malone back in March of 2023, discussing the release of his new book (at…
According Dr. Robert Malone and his wife, Dr. Jill-Glasspool Malone, the better future is here and making America healthy again is here.
Should you take Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin together if you contract COVID 19?
In America, there is rising concern over ultra-processed foods and the American diet overall. The appointment of RFK Jr. (I believe) was critical to focusing the nation’s attention to the food crisis in America.
Dr. Malone, what is homesteading? Many Americans (I believe are already homesteading and may not realize it?
If you decide to “Homestead,” do you need to be a fulltime farmer?
How did American food become so unhealthy?
Why is there renewed interest in local farming and home food production?
Locally, when I drive to work each day, I see an increased number of homeowners with signs on their front lawns, eggs for sale. A home in my community created a vegetable stand in their driveway. Is this “Homesteading?”
We continue to hear about the war over pasteurized milk. What is the truth about drinking unpasteurized milk? I prefer goats’ milk!
Trump admin cuts off Microsoft from major visa program, accuses tech giant of fraud and abuse.
How long has this abuse of American workers by American companies been going on?
Do you feel that the Administration was sending a message to other U.S. companies with respect to this kind of abuse?
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to continued labor market stability despite a sharp slowdown in job growth in September.
Weekly jobless claims have now remained near 57-year lows for four straight weeks, the report from the Labor Department showed on Thursday, amid historically low layoffs.
Though employers are hoarding workers against the backdrop of strong profit growth and stock market performance, they have remained hesitant to add to headcount, making it harder for those who lose their jobs to find new opportunities. Economists have blamed that trend on uncertainty, first from tariffs and then the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has pushed up diesel prices to record highs and boosted prices for other commodities.
Weekly jobless claims fall 2,000 to 197,000.
Continuing claims increase 17,000 to still-low 1.716 million.
Report suggests nonfarm payrolls slowdown in September likely due to tepid hiring.
Why doesn’t Wall Street like a stable jobs market?
What did the updated ADP report indicate that the previous Labor Department report did not?
Will the Fed raise interest rates in December?
9:00 · Show Open: Mainstream media electioneering!
- Lower Inflation: Inflation numbers in President Trump’s second term remain lower overall than during the Biden presidency.
- Fuel Prices: Despite middle-eastern conflict, gas prices in Trump's second term have stayed below peak spikes from the previous administration.
- Wage Growth: Real wages remained stagnant under Biden, but have shown growth across both of President Trump's terms in office.
- Tax Cuts: The 2025 tax legislation saved the average household nearly $3,000.
- Mortgage Rates: Mortgage rates doubled under the Biden administration, whereas they fell during Trump's first term and have held steady in his second.
- Is this deliberate coverup by MSM similar to their burying the Hunter Biden laptop story six-years ago?
Guest: Craig Bannister: Managing Editor of MRC's CNS News · More about the guest
9:20 · As the midterms approach, the Media Research Center (MRC) has released new research exposing the full scale of billionaire George Soros’ political…
- As the midterms approach, the Media Research Center (MRC) has released new research exposing the full scale of billionaire George Soros’ political and media footprint:
- Social Media & Digital Operations: Exposing how the Soros-backed Courier Newsroom is actively leveraging TikTok and digital platforms to reach voters ahead of the midterms.
- Broadcast & Legacy Media Infrastructure: Highlighting major media moves, including the acquisition of a $400 million debt stake in Audacy to gain influence across key radio markets.
- Criminal Justice & Prosecutorial Campaigns: Tracking over $117 million directed toward backing progressive district attorney candidates and justice advocacy groups nationwide.
- Free Speech & Electoral Spending: Funneled tens of millions into voter mobilization, progressive advocacy, and digital moderation initiatives targeting political discourse.
- Google News provides ZERO-COVERAGE to Trump administration war on taxpayer fraud!
- The Trump administration has taken at least 51 key actions and victories against fraud since February, ranging from massive healthcare fraud takedowns to the suspension of billions of dollars in government funding. Yet, Google News featured none of them in its top 20 morning listings.
- Sly like a “Fox:”
- President Trump targets Fox News:
- President Trump just turned the fire on Fox News on Truth Social. Trump's new complaint: Schumer, Jeffries, Tarlov, and the rest get more air than the people who won. Trump says that is why MAGA will never love the network.
- Trump has not been happy with Fox recently since they sided with fake news CNN, MSNOW and POLITICO on their lawsuit against the White House. If your “friendly” channel books the opposition as the A-block, it is not your channel. (DJT/9/30/26)
- Firing of Maria Bartiromo!
- Fox boycotted White House coverage over the CNN/MSNOW/Politico ban!
- How much influence does Paul Ryan have over Fox’s decision to feature Democrat talking-points?
- MSM does NOT even make an attempt to provide any reasonable, balanced coverage of Trump policies.
Guest: Craig Bannister: Managing Editor of MRC's CNS News · More about the guest
9:35 · You did everything right.
- You are not imagining it. And it is not your fault.
- In THE VELVET MONOPOLY, Chad Law sets out to answer the question quietly haunting millions of households: why has modern life become so expensive—and why can no one seem to explain it? The usual suspects—corporate greed, inflation, globalization, overregulation—each sound convincing until you follow the money and discover they don't quite fit.
- So, Law follows something else instead. A pattern. The same strange shape, surfacing again and again, in industries that have nothing to do with one another.
- He finds it on a cattle ranch in Texas, where a rancher whose family has raised cattle for generations can no longer name his own price.
- In a small-town pharmacy that loses money on nearly every prescription it fills.
- In a homebuilder who can't build a starter home anymore.
- In a community banker keeping a dying town alive one handshake loan at a time;
- a ninety-seven-year-old whose insurance failed her the year her neighborhood burned;
- an engineer who cracked clean energy and then waited years for permission to plug it in; a man who got so fed up with bad internet that he built his own.
- Different people. Different industries. The same hidden pattern underneath them all: competition—the quiet force that is supposed to keep prices honest and doors open—slowly, politely, and perfectly legally disappearing.
- Are Globalists now picking winners and losers?
- Wasn’t this test driven during COVID when hundreds of thousands of businesses were driven out of business?
Guest: Chad Law, author: The Velvet Monopoly · More about the guest
9:45 · Chad, how do you see the Midterms; is it a battle for control of our country or a war, declared by the Globalist Cabal?
- If inflation and affordability are the driving force for voters, why would they pull-the-lever for the party which sides with the Davos crowd and has given us unaffordability?
- The anti-Trump media is quick to report of the pain at the pump, but refuses to report on those positive economic signs. Do you agree?
- In your book: The Velvet Monopoly, you discuss the loss of competition in America, however; when you only report on how bad the economy is (when it is quite healthy), aren’t you hoping that Americans lose their competitive spirit – which drives competition?
Guest: Chad Law, author: The Velvet Monopoly · More about the guest
10:00 · In your opinion, was the incident at RAF Fairford and the attempted hijacking of the FlyDubai aircraft related?
- Asked if there was any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu said it was too early to say. "We'll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we'll find out very soon," Netanyahu said. (The Jerusalem Post)
- The knife used by the terrorist was either brought aboard by the terrorist, or; it was planted by an accomplice (catering or maintenance contractor). Do you agree?
- The co-pilot is an Omani-national. Isn’t Oman an ally of the Iranian Regime?
- The question remains; was security in Dubai
- UK PM Andrew Burnham implicates Iran in RAF Fairford!
- My sources were concerned about a FALSE-FLAG incident in the UK when 5 of the suspected 8 suspects were released by Metropolitan Police.
- How likely is it that Iran is now able to activate sleeper cells when it has not done so since the outbreak of the war?
- EJ, it appears that the Saudi’s are receiving praise from the Israeli’s with their handling of the suspected terrorist co-pilot?
- Whether you believe in false flags or not, the U.S. is increasing their power in the region?
- The U.S. is sending the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News.
- How likely is it that the U.S. (and now Israel) will retaliate against Iran before the U.S. Midterms and the Israeli elections?
- EJ, if the terrorist (or Iranian proxy) had succeeded, this October 7th Anniversary would have had a much different meaning. Do you agree?
- The stories of courage aboard the aircraft were amazing. What will Israel, Dubai and the world learn from FlyDubai Flight 1073?
Panelists: (ZOOM – JAKE 2)
Steven Bucci is a Visiting Fellow who focuses on cybersecurity, military special operations, and defense support to civil authorities for the Heritage Foundation
EJ Kimball, Director of Policy: U.S. – Israel Education
Association
10:30 · From the New York Post
- When asked which party is more likely to bring costs down, respondents favored Republicans narrowly over Democrats, 44% to 39%, with 16% saying neither.
- AFP’s survey quizzed 24,089 “swing” voters in Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.
- AFP believes concerns about the rise of socialism have created an opening for Republicans.
- “Republicans hold a narrow lead on affordability. But ask those same voters what future they want for the country, and the contrast is striking: nearly 70% favor personal freedom and free-market solutions, compared with fewer than 10% who want more government,” AFP spokesperson Katelyn Bledsoe told The Post.
- “Republican candidates have a clear opening,” Bledsoe added. “Now they need to draw a sharp contrast between conservative solutions and the policies of a Democratic Party increasingly shaped by socialist ideas.”
- Why isn’t the video clips and soundbites showing the Dem-Com promises over the “INFLATION REDUCTION ACT” being played around the clock until the Midterms?
- Kent, last month (on Constitution Day), you wrote an opinion piece warning about the DSA. Tell us what we should know?
- I do not see any contrast between the Dem-Coms and the DSA. The DSA is far more radical, but; the apple does not fall far from the tree.
- Kent, if the United States of America falls into the hands of the Communists, American prosperity is OVER! Do you agree?
- Should Speaker Mike Johnson codify prior to the Midterms, the Communist Control Act of 1954?
Guest: Kent Strang: Managing Director of Americans for Prosperity · More about the guest
11:00 · Axios reported this week that Sen.
- Why Schmitt makes sense for Vance, and what he brings to a 2028 ticket
- Schmitt vs. Rubio and the rest of the potential shortlist
- What the pick would signal about the direction of the post-Trump GOP.
- What about the future of the MAGA movement?
- Did RFK Jr. recent speech at the convention raise the bar for him as VP pick in 28?
- JFK was a Roman Catholic (spent a lot of time in the confessional. Plugs Biden was a fake Catholic. Is JD Vance’s faith a potential problem for him?
- There are those insiders in Washington who believe if the Dem-Coms and DSA take control of Capitol Hill, they will attempt to Remove Trump and Vance from office and install their puppet regime in their place. What do you think?
Guest: Frank DeVito, author of JD Vance and the Future of the Republican Party Frank DeVito is an attorney and conservative commentator whose legal and political writing has appeared in The American Conservative, The Federalist, Public Discourse, The Daily Wire, First Things, The Claremont Review of Books, and City Journal. He's a frequent speaker for Federalist Society chapters, law school groups, and civic organizations. · More about the guest
11:30 · Do you trust everything your therapist says?
- How much damage can bad therapists do to lives and families?
- Lies My Therapist Told Me: Why Christians Should Aim for More Than Just Treating Symptoms.
- Too many people are caught in a vicious cycle of visiting every doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, and therapist in their area only to find frustrating labels and numbing medications at the end of each path. Rather than eradicating anxiety in the same way vaccines conquered smallpox, the mental health establishment has seen the number of diagnoses and prescriptions skyrocket on its watch.
- How did we get here? In Lies My Therapist Told Me, Dr. Greg Gifford delivers the definitive Christian critique of secular psychiatry and psychology. With encouragement, humor, and conviction, Gifford:
- Debunks mental health myths such as “the body keeps the score” and “addiction is a disease.” • Offers biblical insights and solutions for struggles like anxiety, narcissism, OCD, and Binge Eating Disorder. • Points to Christ and the power of the Gospel as the all-sufficient answer for our fears and frailties.
- This book brings clarity where secular therapy has created confusion, and offers hope even for those struggling with the hard cases. Through deep research, biblical teaching, and the inspiring stories of real counselees, he shows why we can’t blame the past—or even a diagnosis—for our bad behavior, and why our society’s growing unhappiness is not primarily a medical issue.
Guest: Dr. Greg Gifford, author; of an Amazon #1 Best Seller: Lies My Therapist Told Me: Why Christians Should Aim for More Than Just Treating Symptoms · More about the guest
Today's Guests
Nick Kangadis is Senior Content Creator at MRC Video, the video arm of the Media Research Center. He joins Jake for the 9:00 show open and returns at 9:20 for the White House media fight and the worst media quote of the week.
9:00 · Show Open · Sunny Hostin's Holdout Juror Claim, The View, and Hasan Piker
Jake and Nick open the show with the story everyone is talking about: The View cohost Sunny Hostin says she was the holdout juror whose stand kept Daniel Rakowitz, the Butcher of Tompkins Square Park, from a murder conviction in 1991. Accounts from that trial tell a different story.
- On Tuesday's episode, Hostin said she was the lone holdout who swayed the jury toward a verdict of not responsible by reason of insanity.
- In 1991, jurors told The Post, Newsday, the Daily News and the Associated Press that the holdout was an unemployed man who wanted deliberations to drag on so he could keep collecting the $15 a day juror fee and free meals.
- A law enforcement source from the time told The Post this week that the holdout was a man.
- Does a story like this help Disney as it defends its local station licenses before the FCC?
- The View weighs in on the Lindsay Clancy case and Patrick Clancy. Jake takes a look at the marital résumés around that table, including Whoopi Goldberg, who has been married three times.
- Hasan Piker wants the Democrats to go full Beijing. Aren't they already there?
Sources: The Gateway Pundit: Sunny Hostin holdout juror · MRC Video: Hasan Piker
Guest: Nick Kangadis, Senior Content Creator, MRC Video
9:20 · The White House Media Ban and the Worst Media Quote of the Week
A federal judge ordered the White House to temporarily restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. CNN then told viewers during a 9 AM hit that President Trump was defying the order. Jake and Nick sort out what actually happened.
- Did the administration defy the court, or did CNN get ahead of the facts?
- The worst media quote of the week. The nominees: Sunny Hostin, Lawrence O'Donnell, and Laura Barrón-López of MS NOW, who called President Trump a dictator.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit: President Trump did not defy the judge's order
Guest: Nick Kangadis, Senior Content Creator, MRC Video
9:35 · Iran Denies Nuclear Ambitions, Offers a Hormuz Deal, and the Squeeze on Global Shipping
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Bret Baier on Fox News' Special Report that Tehran does not want a nuclear bomb, "not at all," citing a religious decree from its late supreme leader. He blamed Washington for the nearly seven month war with Iran, said Iran would submit its program to international inspection, and offered to dilute its enriched uranium.
- Why did Pezeshkian sit down with Bret Baier in the first place, and what about his claims on the MOU? Wasn't it Iran that violated the MOU almost immediately after signing?
- More reports overnight of armed resistance inside Iran. What will it take to weaken the IRGC?
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters at the UN General Assembly that Iran has offered the United States a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.
- Araghchi said it would be better if it is done before the midterm election, while insisting Iran is in no hurry. Did he have the blessing of Iran's National Security Council to make that offer?
- Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will hold an urgent high level meeting under their joint defense pact as the kingdom faces attacks by Yemen's Houthis.
- Ship to ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman have hit their limits after Saudi Arabia diverted exports from the Red Sea. What about the threats to shipping in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal?
- Neria Leiter, son of Israel's Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, was critically wounded in a West Bank ramming attack. Hamas praised it. Was it a targeted attack?
- Will Iran ever return to the community of nations?
Sources: Fox News: Pezeshkian interview · Jerusalem Post: Live updates, September 25
Guest: Ludovic Hood, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East. A former foreign service officer with 20 years of service in the Gulf and Washington.
10:00 · The Race for Maryland's 1st District
Democrat Dan Schwartz is challenging Congressman Andy Harris, who has represented the Eastern Shore's 1st District since January 2011. Jake presses him on affordability, spending, energy, immigration and the redistricting fight on Maryland's November ballot.
- Why replace Andy Harris?
- Many economists on this show blame the Inflation Reduction Act for the affordability crisis. Would he have voted for it in 2022?
- What should Congress do about the deficit?
- Social Security and Medicare face projected insolvency by 2032 according to the CBO. What is his plan?
- Maryland voters will decide a constitutional amendment that would loosen the standards for drawing congressional maps, opening the door to a map that could target the 1st District seat. Where does he stand?
- Maryland's congressional districts are already gerrymandered. What are Republican voters supposed to think when they are being targeted for minority status?
- Offshore wind, natural gas, nuclear and clean coal: would he support an all of the above approach if it lowered electric rates for Maryland homes and businesses?
- Where does he stand on the Democratic Socialists of America, and would he work with them on Capitol Hill?
- Mass deportations and ICE enforcement in Maryland, including Montgomery County, which has seen violent crimes by illegal immigrants against American citizens.
Guest: Dan Schwartz, Democratic Candidate for Congress, Maryland's 1st District
10:30 · Rare Earths, Refineries and the Permitting Chokepoint
Can the United States regain its lead in extracting rare earths and expand refining capacity in a country this litigious? Who is working to restrain American rare earth and energy production, and is the situation any better in President Trump's second term? Has Lee Zeldin made headway against the groups putting the economy and national security at risk?
On rare earths:
- Despite significant deposits of the minerals needed for smartphones, electric cars and critical military systems, the United States has imported about 70 percent of its rare earth supplies from China.
- Until the late 1990s, the United States was a major extractor and processor of the world's rare earth elements.
- A wave of restrictive federal regulations, set against China's near absence of them, let Beijing undercut the American industry and capture the market.
- China now accounts for about 70 percent of global rare earth extraction and 90 percent of processing.
- The United States cannot let an overly burdensome regulatory process block innovation or weaken its geopolitical position.
On energy:
- Energy supply and delivery systems must keep pace with surging demand without unfairly burdening consumers.
- The permitting system is a chokepoint, with projects taking an average of four to five years to win approval.
- Weaponized litigation: roughly 70 percent of lawsuits come from national advocacy groups rather than local residents, turning the courts into a bottleneck even after approval.
- The longer approval takes, the more energy costs ratepayers. Was the Keystone cancellation an eye opener for most Americans?
- The United States has not built a major oil refinery since 1977. That needs to change, fast.
- Is China behind some of the groups tying up rare earth and energy applications? China certainly benefits.
Guest: James Morrone, Energy Policy Analyst, Americans for Prosperity
11:00 · Todd Starnes on The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America
Award winning journalist and Newsmax host Todd Starnes joins Jake to talk about his new book, The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America, and the political fight ahead of the November midterms.
- Will low information voters head to the polls in November thinking about gasoline prices instead of the long term vision?
- Fox joined the rest of the networks in declining to air White House coverage over the press credential fight with CNN, MS NOW and Politico. What did he make of it?
- Have some Americans already forgotten what life was like during the Biden years?
- Frustration with federal judges and the absence of DOJ prosecutions over the Russia hoax. Is it hurting the President?
- Life in America is better, safer and more secure than it was on January 19, 2025. Is that why he wrote this book?
- Is the left's hatred of the Trump Ballroom really about the name that will always be on it?
- Has President Trump returned God to the White House and the presidency?
- With about two and a half years left in the second term, what priorities does he want to see?
President Reagan told the nation in 1984 that America's greatness does not begin in Washington but with its free people and the values they live by every day. President Trump understands that returning to the Golden Age means returning to the faith of the Founding Fathers.
Guest: Todd Starnes, author of The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America and host of NEWSMAX The Todd Starnes Show. His book covers how President Trump led the charge to restore our schools, families, sovereignty and military. Get the book
11:30 · John Amos on The Call of the Bugle
In 1854 a young war correspondent watches the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava, 600 British cavalrymen riding straight into Russian guns. He survives, and one question haunts him for decades: why did they ride? Author and former professor John Amos joins Jake to discuss his new novel, The Call of the Bugle.
- Years later the aging reporter, battling alcoholism, sets out to uncover the truth through forgotten diaries, hidden letters and interviews with the daughters of the fallen.
- He pieces together the life and death of General Robert Dryden, who seemed to be smiling as he charged into the guns, and confronts the general's unquiet ghost and a love he refuses to name.
- A sweeping multigenerational saga of the Crimean War about valor and folly, memory and masculinity, and the hidden costs of war.
- Modern war correspondents carry the same wounds from covering combat.
Guest: John Amos, author of The Call of the Bugle
11:50 · Salute the Troops
Jake closes the show honoring the men and women who serve.
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Today's Guests
Eric Scheiner, Senior Director of MRC Video, joins Jake for back to back segments this morning. Scheiner has more than two decades in broadcasting, documentary production, and video journalism, getting his start covering politics and government spending in the First in the Nation primary state of New Hampshire before joining the Media Research Center in the Washington, D.C. area. Read more about Eric Scheiner.
9:00 · Show Open: The Media's Immigration Crime Blackout
Jake opens the show with a hard look at how the broadcast networks are handling a wave of violent crime tied to illegal immigration. In just the three weeks between August 25 and September 17, seven new cases (most involving people who entered the country illegally during the Biden and Obama administrations) made headlines, including an illegal immigrant DoorDash driver accused of killing a Sacramento woman he stalked for a year, a driver accused of killing a baby in a stroller in a New Jersey parking lot, a crash into a New Jersey mayor's wife's car after fleeing ICE agents, a strangulation in Massachusetts, a coworker stabbed to death in Virginia, an arrest of three men in a Virginia child exploitation ring who were released on bond, and fentanyl dealing tied to overdoses at a Virginia high school.
A NewsBusters analysis found the major broadcast networks have largely stayed silent on the pattern.
Guest: Eric Scheiner, Senior Director of MRC Video (bio above)
9:20 · The Holdout Juror Media Backlash
Since the Lindsay Clancy murder trial ended in a mistrial, ABC, CBS, and NBC have given Clancy largely favorable coverage on their flagship morning and evening newscasts, according to a new NewsBusters analysis, while the single holdout juror who believed Clancy was guilty has drawn unusually hostile treatment. Since September 8, the study found the broadcast networks have been roughly four times more critical of the juror than of Clancy herself, with Clancy receiving about 64.6 percent positive coverage across the three networks compared to 94.7 percent negative coverage for the juror. Across 19 segments on the trial, not even two thirds (12 out of 19, or 63 percent) clearly explained why Clancy was on trial in the first place, and CBS was reportedly the only network not to air NBC10's hit piece on the holdout juror.
Guest: Eric Scheiner, Senior Director of MRC Video (bio above)
9:35 · The Fed, Rate Hikes, and a Nervous Market
Markets rebounded as oil prices cooled, but Jake wants to know why an otherwise strong jobs report rattled investors last month. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter point this week, and President Trump has said the rate should be closer to 1 percent. U.S. retail sales rose 1.2 percent in August, rebounding sharply from a dip in July and adding to a string of hot economic data that, according to the Wall Street Journal, supports the case that the economy is strong enough to absorb higher rates. So why raise rates at all if the goal is to cool things down, and why is there so much recession talk heading into the midterms?
Read the Wall Street Journal report · More WSJ coverage on interest rates
Jake also asks what a Republican setback in the midterms could mean for the economy's momentum, and what the fight over artificial intelligence could mean for tech stocks and future investment.
Guest: Dr. Jeffery L. Degner, Research Fellow, American Institute for Economic Research. Read more about Dr. Degner
10:00 · Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and a New U.S. Base in Poland
Colonel Gaub joins Jake to break down a wave of developments in the Middle East and Europe. CNN reported on the harrowing account of a U.S. Air Force pilot shot down over Iran and later rescued, and Jake wants Gaub's read on the Houthi threat to shipping and whether the war could spread to the Suez Canal.
An oil tanker reportedly exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's IRGC, as relayed by the Fars news agency. The vessel, identified as the El Gaia and flying under a Panamanian flag, was reportedly involved in an incident U.S. Central Command has denied. Is this Iranian propaganda, given the U.S. Navy's earlier mine clearing operation in the strait? Jake also asks about reports that Saudi Arabia is seeking talks with the Houthis.
Read the Jerusalem Post report
New satellite imagery shows Iran has added defenses around tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain, the nuclear linked site President Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike, as Russia and China vetoed a U.S. drafted Security Council resolution on Iran sanctions monitoring. The Institute for Science and International Security reports that imagery from September 11 shows earthen roadblocks still in place near the Natanz complex's western tunnel portals, along with fresh soil added over tunnel entrances, reinforcing an assessment that the site is not currently in normal operation but that valuable equipment remains inside.
Read the ISIS satellite imagery report
And President Trump says the United States is closing in on plans for a new Army base in Poland, crediting Polish President Karol Nawrocki with pushing the initiative, even as the Pentagon reportedly weighs troop reductions elsewhere in Europe.
Read the Stars and Stripes report
Guest: Lt. Col. Darin L. Gaub (Ret.), author of Veritas Vincit, Latin for "Truth Prevails." More on the book
10:30 · A.J. Rice Returns With a New Satirical Book
Bestselling author A.J. Rice is back with his signature unfiltered, satirical style in a new book that takes aim at what Rice argues is an organized cultural and institutional push behind so called "woke" gender ideology, from boardrooms to classrooms. Rice frames it as the conclusion of a trilogy he began with earlier bestsellers skewering cancel culture and identity politics. Jake also brings up a recent New York Post story questioning claims about trans teen suicide, and asks Rice whether the debate has become less about protecting children and more about silencing parents who push back.
Guest: A.J. Rice, President and CEO of Publius PR and editor in chief of The Publius National Post on Substack. His latest book is The Curse of the Bearded Lady: How the Trans Mafia Whacked American Sanity. Find the book on Amazon
11:00 · China's Hidden Marijuana Empire in California
Investigative reporter Haley Strack joins Jake to discuss her reporting out of Siskiyou County, California, one of the most scenic corners of the state, sitting beneath Mount Shasta and surrounded by more than a million acres of farmland and forest. In recent years, Chinese nationals, some with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, have built a massive illegal cannabis operation there, according to Strack's reporting, generating billions of dollars a year while terrorizing the rural community with shootings, gang violence, and trafficking.
Read the KRCR report on labor trafficking
Jake asks whether this operation is replacing fentanyl trafficking as border security tightens, and whether there are similarities to the CCP linked biolab discovered in California back in 2023. Strack's reporting states that county authorities have seized large quantities of toxic, unregulated, and banned pesticides from Siskiyou pot farms, and that an expert told her the operations appear designed to poison Americans, with the Chinese Communist Party poised to benefit from the chaos. Jake also asks why California, and whether growers have attempted to bribe local officials.
Read Siskiyou County's emergency declaration · Read Haley Strack's full report at City Journal
Guest: Haley Strack, Investigative Reporter, City Journal. Read more about Haley Strack
11:20 · The Clancy Verdict and a National Debate
Lindsay Clancy admitted to killing her three children, so why, Jake asks, is she being treated by much of the public like a victim? Dr. Edward E. Bartlett says the reaction exposes a disturbing double standard, with activists transforming an admitted child killer into the story's central victim while her three children become an afterthought. Clancy's defense argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, though according to Associated Press coverage of the trial, the psychiatric nurse practitioner and psychiatrist who treated her testified they had not observed psychosis before the killings.
After the jury deadlocked, two female jurors publicly criticized the male holdout, and NBC10 Boston subsequently reported the dissenting juror was a Black man.
Dr. Bartlett argues the controversy raises questions that go well beyond this trial: has ideology distorted how society understands women, violence, personal responsibility, and who gets called a victim? Jake and Bartlett dig into gender stereotypes in how the public views female defendants and male victims, and whether compassion for a defendant should ever be allowed to erase compassion for the innocent.
Guest: Edward E. Bartlett, PhD, President of DAVIA, the Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance
11:30 · Angela Stanton King on Criminal Justice Reform
After a 2004 federal conspiracy conviction tied to a car theft ring, Angela Stanton King served two years in prison, giving birth to her daughter while incarcerated. In February 2020, President Trump granted her a full, unconditional pardon, citing her work as an advocate for rehabilitation and redemption. Her own experience being restrained during childbirth behind bars helped push the conversation around ending the shackling of incarcerated pregnant women, and she went on to found Auntie Angie's House to support pregnant women impacted by the justice system.
Jake asks Stanton King whether her advocacy is facing more resistance now, as Americans grow frustrated with repeat offenders and turnstile justice, and whether calls for reform now get redirected toward judicial reform instead. He also invites her to share her story for listeners hearing it for the first time.
Guest: Angela Stanton King, author, criminal justice reform advocate, maternal health advocate, and founder of Auntie Angie's House and the American King Foundation. Read more about Auntie Angie's House
11:50 · Salute the Troops
Jake closes the show with the daily Salute the Troops segment, honoring the men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
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Your News Talk America
September 11, 2026 · 25 Years After 9/11
9:00 · Show Open: Remembering 9/11
Jake opens today's program by revisiting the show open from September 11, 2019, and shares his own memories of that day as Your News Talk America marks the anniversary.
- Jake reflects on where he was and what he remembers from September 11, 2001
- DIAL producers and callers join the conversation
9:20 · What Do You Remember About 9/11?
Jake opens the phone lines and DIAL chat to hear from listeners about where they were and what they remember from the September 11 attacks.
- Listeners call in and post on DIAL to share their 9/11 memories
- DIAL producers and callers join the conversation
9:35 · Big Tech and Media Bias Heading Into the Midterms
As the 2026 midterms heat up, two new Media Research Center studies find elite media and Big Tech platforms are slanting coverage and interfering with the upcoming elections. An MRC analysis of six seasons of CBS's 60 Minutes found an overwhelming leftist tilt, with the program airing 78 liberal or anti conservative stories compared to just 16 conservative ones, a 5 to 1 ratio. A separate MRC Free Speech America study tracking more than 20,000 articles across Apple News, Google News, MSN, and Yahoo News found Big Tech aggregators promoted left leaning outlets 68% of the time heading into the midterms, compared to just 5% for right leaning outlets, with Apple News the worst offender at 71% left leaning coverage and only 1% right leaning.
- CBS's 60 Minutes aired a 5 to 1 ratio of liberal to conservative stories over six seasons, per MRC
- Big Tech news aggregators promoted left leaning outlets 68% of the time versus 5% for right leaning outlets
- Apple News was the worst offender, at 71% left leaning coverage and just 1% right leaning
Guest: Luis Cornelio, Associate Editor, MRC Free Speech America
10:00 · Justice Department Headlines
Kaelan Deese of the Washington Examiner joins Jake to run through a busy week of Justice Department news, including Joe diGenova's resignation from his role investigating a Trump grand conspiracy probe, a possible attorney conflict in the DC pipe bomber case, the Trump administration's position on selling mifepristone across state lines, a discrimination finding against UC Berkeley's law school admissions process, and new FBI notes that reportedly undercut the Comey era false statements case against General Michael Flynn.
- Joe diGenova resigns from the Trump grand conspiracy probe · Washington Examiner
- A judge flags a possible attorney conflict in the DC pipe bomber case · Washington Examiner
- The Trump DOJ navigates a Louisiana bid to curb abortion drugs by mail · Washington Examiner
- UC Berkeley Law found to have discriminated in admissions, per the Trump administration · Washington Examiner
- New FBI notes reportedly undercut the case against General Michael Flynn · Washington Examiner
Guest: Kaelan Deese, Department of Justice Reporter, The Washington Examiner · Bio
10:30 · August 2026 Producer Price Index
Lydia Mashburn Newman of the American Institute for Economic Research breaks down the August 2026 Producer Price Index and explains the difference between the PPI and the CPI, plus what today's numbers mean for consumers and voters. Headline PPI rose 0.4% for the month and 5.4% over the past 12 months. Goods prices jumped 1.1% in August while services prices edged up just 0.1%. The conversation also covers this morning's CPI release and what the Fed might do given last week's jobs report.
- Headline PPI rose 0.4% month over month and 5.4% year over year · BLS
- Goods prices jumped 1.1% in August while services rose just 0.1%
- Newman weighs in on what the Fed may do next given last week's jobs report
Guest: Lydia Mashburn Newman, Managing Director of Monetary Economics, American Institute for Economic Research · Bio
11:00 · Was Elaine Chao a CCP Spy?
Gordon G. Chang of the Gatestone Institute joins Jake to discuss a new Daily Caller News Foundation investigation alleging that former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, wife of longtime Senator Mitch McConnell, received multiple appointments from Chinese government entities and organizations tied to the CCP's United Front Work Department, some overlapping with her service in two US cabinets. The conversation also covers South Korea's effort to determine whether Kim Jong Un has an older son, China's push toward mass self driving vehicle deployment by 2030, Chinese cars now selling in Canada, Russia's military help to Iran, and what China's oil situation means for the US China relationship.
- A DCNF investigation alleges Chao received at least four appointments since 2008 tied to the CCP's United Front Work Department · Daily Caller · Gateway Pundit
- South Korea's intelligence service is trying to confirm whether Kim Jong Un has an older son · New York Post · New York Post
- China targets mass deployment of self driving vehicles by 2030 · Reuters
- Chang weighs in on China's role with Iran and its current oil supply and demand picture
Guest: Gordon G. Chang, Senior Fellow, Gatestone Institute; author, Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America · Follow on X: @GordonGChang
11:30 · 25 Years After 9/11: A Forgotten Lesson
As America approaches the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Lora Ries, Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, says one of the most important lessons from that day is being forgotten: government agencies must share information to prevent future tragedy. Ries points to the case of 18 year old Sheridan Gorman, whose alleged killer had been released after prior encounters with law enforcement and an active warrant. Gorman's mother, Jessica Gorman, has become a leading voice challenging sanctuary policy and asking why cooperation with ICE was not pursued.
- The 9/11 Commission found information sharing failures contributed to the attacks, a lesson Ries says applies to sanctuary policies today
- Sheridan Gorman's case raises the question of whether her death was preventable
- Ries asks why the interior remains vulnerable even as the border grows more secure
- The conversation covers what role local police and federal immigration authorities should play in sharing information, and what mass deportations would look like in practice
Guest: Lora Ries, Director, Border Security and Immigration Center, The Heritage Foundation · Bio · Gorman Documentary
11:50 · Salute the Troops
Your News Talk America closes the show by honoring the men and women of the US Armed Forces.
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Your News Talk America with Jake Smith
Show Notes for Friday, August 21, 2026
Today's Featured Guest
Joseph Vazquez is a Business Associate Editor in the News Analysis Division at the Media Research Center. He joins Jake for the first two segments to run the worst media quotes of the week and to break down how the press spins inflation and slants its coverage. Bio: mrc.org/staff/joseph-vazquez
9:00 Show Open: The Worst Media Quotes of the Week
Jake opens with Joseph Vazquez of the Media Research Center for a run through the week's most outrageous quotes from the legacy media.
- Joe Scarborough called ICE agents Nazi shock troops gunning down Americans on MS NOW's Morning Joe, August 13.
- John Oliver mocked Ronald Reagan as the Forrest Gump of societal ills on HBO's Last Week Tonight, August 16.
- Rosie O'Donnell, guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live, likened Trump's return to bringing back fascism and the measles, August 18.
Source: MRC on X
Guest: Joseph Vazquez (@JV3MRC), Media Research Center · mrc.org/staff/joseph-vazquez
9:20 Two Inflation Rates and the Spinmasters Who Cover Them
Joseph Vazquez stays on to show how the press frames the numbers and picks its favorites.
- A tale of two inflation rates, and the media spinmasters who decide which one you hear about.
- An MRC study finds Apple and Google push news outlets that have not backed a Republican in the last 10 elections, a 31 to 0 tilt toward Democrats.
- The double standard on labels: the press freely calls Republicans Nazis but will not call the Democratic left communist.
Sources: NewsBusters, a tale of two inflation rates · MRC Free Speech America, Apple and Google · NewsBusters, the Nazi label study
Guest: Joseph Vazquez (@JV3MRC), Media Research Center
9:35 The $40 Trillion Deficit No One Will Touch
Brandon Arnold of the National Taxpayers Union joins Jake on a crisis both parties keep dodging. Nobody likes a $40 trillion deficit, but nobody is doing anything about it.
- Why is this crippling debt almost absent from the political conversation?
- What are the early signs that ordinary Americans will start to feel the squeeze?
- Does the road end at Medicare for all?
Guest: Brandon Arnold, Executive Vice President, National Taxpayers Union · ntu.org/about/staff/brandon-arnold
10:00 What to Do About the FBI
Author Joe Hoft joins Jake, revisiting Jake's 2022 monologue on the FBI and asking whether anything has really changed.
- Has Kash Patel actually cleaned up the bureau? Joe Hoft says no.
- Is the FBI withholding documents tied to the Seth Rich case, and what questions remain about his death?
- FBI agents confronted former Congressman Eric Swalwell and, with a warrant, seized his personal electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport.
- How many corrupt FBI agents have actually been convicted so far?
Sources: Joe Hoft on the Seth Rich documents · Gateway Pundit on the Swalwell seizure
Guest: Joe Hoft (@RealJoeHoft), author of The Steal Volumes 1 to 3 · joehoft.com
10:20 A New Axis of Evil?
Dr. John Marshall Callahan of the Institute of World Politics joins Jake on whether Russia, China, and Iran have formed a new axis, and whether America is fighting the same enemy on several fronts.
- Iranian weapons are turning up in the war against Ukraine.
- Drone warfare has exploded, and it is far easier to wage war with a drone than to defend against one.
- How worried should we be about the tension between NATO and Russia?
- How does the economic war now being waged against Iran differ from ordinary sanctions?
Guest: Dr. John Marshall Callahan, Professor, Institute of World Politics, and former Deputy Spokesperson at the Office of the DNI · iwp.edu/faculty/john-marshall-callahan
10:30 The Biggest Crime Drop in a Century
Zack Smith of the Heritage Foundation joins Jake on striking new FBI numbers and the justice questions behind them.
- New FBI data show violent crime fell 9.3 percent and murders dropped 18.1 percent in 2025, the largest one year decline in nearly a century. What is driving it, and can it last?
- Where is the deterrence when many high crime cities still run turnstile justice?
- What to make of the FBI seizing Eric Swalwell's electronics at San Francisco International Airport.
- A South Carolina officer was arrested for illegally accessing Flock traffic camera data. Should the public be concerned?
- The lawfare against President Trump and his administration from Obama and Biden appointed judges, and a stalled confirmation process for US attorneys.
Guest: Zack Smith, Senior Legal Fellow, Courts and the Constitution, The Heritage Foundation · heritage.org/staff/zack-smith
11:00 Israel Warns Turkey Over a Syria Red Line
EJ Kimball of the US Israel Education Association joins Jake as elections in both the United States and Israel could reshape the Middle East.
- Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told The Jerusalem Post that Israel had clear intelligence that Turkey intended to expand its military presence in Syria, a move Jerusalem called crossing a red line.
- We are not seeking war with Turkey or Syria, Leiter said, but a red line was crossed.
- Israel keeps striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Is it degrading the Iranian proxy?
- Reports say President Trump chose to widen the economic war on Iran rather than resume military operations. How are DSA candidates' promises to abandon Israel landing on Capitol Hill and in Jerusalem?
Source: The Jerusalem Post on the Turkey red line
Guest: EJ Kimball (@KimballEJ), Director of Policy, US Israel Education Association · usieducation.org/leadership
11:20 Impeachment 3.0 if Democrats Take the House?
Jeff Crouere joins Jake on what a Democratic House majority would mean in January.
- If Democrats win the House in November, another Trump impeachment is all but inevitable, though conviction and removal are far murkier.
- Crouere expects impeachment used mainly as political theater, as in Trump's first term.
- Republicans could face far more treacherous political waters in the back half of the second term.
Guest: Jeff Crouere (@jeffcrouere), host of Ringside Politics on Real America's Voice and author of America's Last Chance! · on Amazon
11:30 Can a Chatbot Cure Loneliness?
JP De Gance of Communio joins Jake on new Stanford research and the real cost of trading human connection for artificial company.
- Stanford researchers find that as more people lean on AI chatbots for friendship and emotional support, vulnerable users can end up lonelier and worse off.
- De Gance argues the answer to America's loneliness crisis is not better artificial relationships but a return to families, marriages, and real friendships.
- Do social media, cell phones, and dating apps pull us further apart?
Source: Stanford News on AI companions and loneliness
Guest: JP De Gance, President of Communio · communio.org/leadership
11:50 Salute the Troops
Jake closes the show honoring Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead. We thank them for their service and sacrifice.
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Your News Talk America
Friday, August 14, 2026 · with Jake Smith
Today's Guests
Nicholas Fondacaro, Associate Editor at Newsbusters (Media Research Center), joins Jake twice this morning, first for the Show Open media roundup and again at 9:20 for a look at how the networks have covered the Fauci text scandal.
9:00 · Show Open: Who Made the Dumbest Comment in Media This Week?
Jake opens the show with the week's worst media takes, weighing entries from three different networks against each other for the title.
- NBC's Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker pressed Sen. Jim Banks on August 9 over colleagues' harsh characterizations of Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed, framing the exchange as a fairness question for Banks to answer rather than a critique of El Sayed's own record.
- Former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta used his August 12 podcast to call Karoline Leavitt the most dishonest press secretary of the Trump era, going out of his way to rank her above predecessor Kayleigh McEnany.
- Rosie O'Donnell told the Tangle with Kyle Ridley podcast on August 11 that she left for Ireland after drawing a comparison between the current political moment and people who stayed in Nazi Germany too long.
- Which maggot from Marxist state media takes the coveted crown this week?
Guest: Nicholas Fondacaro, Associate Editor, Newsbusters (MRC) · see bio above
9:20 · How Did the Big 3 Networks and Big Tech Cover the Fauci Text Scandal?
Jake and Nicholas Fondacaro dig into new Media Research Center findings on how legacy outlets and the major news aggregators have handled Anthony Fauci's internal texts, and how the same outlets label socialist candidates in midterm coverage.
- Fondacaro argues the pattern shows a coordinated effort between health officials and Silicon Valley to shield public figures from accountability rather than prioritize transparency.
- He says Apple News, Google News, MSN and the Big 3 networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) curate coverage to protect preferred narratives instead of reporting primary source disclosures like Fauci's texts.
- MRC's review of ABC, CBS and NBC's midterm coverage from August 1 through 11 found journalists accurately used the words "socialist" or "far left" only 20 percent of the time, favoring softer labels like "progressive" or "populist" instead.
- Fondacaro's take: they should just call them what they are, communists.
Guest: Nicholas Fondacaro, Associate Editor, Newsbusters (MRC) · see bio above
9:35 · Paramount Threatens to Leave California as Antitrust Fight Drags On
Robert H. Bork Jr. joins Jake to unpack David Ellison's threat to move Paramount out of California as soon as October unless the states' antitrust case against the Paramount Warner Bros. Discovery merger is resolved.
- Twelve states are seeking to block the merger, and Ellison appears to be angling for leverage in a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, according to Variety.
- Much of the daily activity on the Paramount lot is actually third party productions renting soundstages, not Paramount's own work, and most Paramount production already happens off the lot in places like Georgia and Canada because of California's high costs.
- Antitrust Education Project President Thomas Jones argued in earlier show notes that Bonta's lawsuit mainly benefits Netflix, since blocking the merger keeps Netflix's streaming dominance intact, and that a Biden appointed federal judge in the Northern District of California has already handed Bonta and other Democratic attorneys general a preliminary win.
- Bork gives his read on the emergence of the Democratic Socialists of America in this fight.
Guest: Robert H. Bork Jr., President, Antitrust Education Project, author of The New Paradox: Antitrust and the Threat of Conservative Socialism · book link · Antitrust Education Project
10:00 · It Has Been 25 Years Since 9/11
Retired NYPD Sergeant Mike Codella, author of The Evil That Walked New York, joins Jake to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11 with the story of running toward the North Tower instead of away from it.
- Codella was assigned to WTC Building 7 and changed course toward the North Tower once he realized New York was under attack, joining NYPD and FDNY first responders rushing in as civilians streamed out.
- Jake and Codella discuss how much good, including groups like Tunnel to Towers, grew out of that tragedy for nearly 3,000 innocent Americans and their families.
- Codella's book also revisits the Son of Sam case from the summer of 1977 and the disappearance of Etan Patz, both of which Jake covered early in his own broadcasting career, and Codella says he never believed the official account of what happened to Patz or who was eventually arrested.
- Codella served as an NYPD officer through the David Dinkins and Rudy Giuliani years and gives his take on Mike Bloomberg's mayoralty and what has changed in the city since.
Guest: Mike Codella, retired NYPD Sergeant, author of The Evil That Walked New York: One Cop's Pursuit for the Truth Behind Son of Sam and its Connection to the Disappearance of Etan Patz
10:30 · Dire Conditions Reported Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln as Sailors Try to Jump Overboard
Ryan Morgan of the Epoch Times joins Jake on the deteriorating conditions aboard the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during its record breaking deployment, plus new US moves on drones and Cuba.
- Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from the War Department after reports that the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Abraham Lincoln are under severe strain from an extended deployment.
- Navy Times reported that at least two sailors had to be stopped from going overboard, and the Wall Street Journal reported one person actually went overboard in early August but was quickly rescued.
- Jake asks whether this is another Gerald R. Ford toilet crisis, as Defense Secretary Hegseth pushes back on reports of rising suicide risk, food rationing and broken toilets and laundry facilities aboard the ship as its deployment nears nine months.
- The Lincoln deployed from San Diego on November 21, 2025, and has been part of sustained combat and blockade operations against Iran since late February.
- The US has stood up a multinational attack drone task force for the Middle East, and Hegseth says military intervention in Cuba is on the table as pressure on Havana grows.
Guest: Ryan Morgan, Pentagon and Military Reporter, The Epoch Times
11:00 · Rock's Greatest Legends Climbed Toward the Top, Then Stopped at 27
Author Richard Syrett joins Jake to talk about Tales from the Rock 'n Roll Twilight Zone and the strange thread connecting rock stars who died at age 27.
- Syrett's book examines the curious circumstances around Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Ron McKernan, Peter de Freitas, Amy Winehouse and Peter Ham, all of whom died at the same age.
- Jake recalls the early 1970s, when Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" and the Doors' "Love Her Madly" dominated the radio as posthumous releases.
Guest: Richard Syrett, author of Tales from the Rock and Roll Twilight Zone, regular guest host on Coast to Coast AM and host of Richard Syrett's Strange Planet · book link · book site
11:30 · Treasury Threatens Iran With Isolation "Never Seen Before"
Heritage Foundation's Steven P. Bucci joins Jake on the reported mutiny aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Iran's suspected role in cyberattacks on Midwest water utilities, and whether economic pressure can succeed where military action has not.
- Treasury Secretary Bessent says the US will apply economic isolation on Iran unlike anything seen before, paired with a continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Bucci weighs whether shifting from military action to economic warfare could crush the regime, and whether the IRGC could flee into neighboring Iraq.
- Negotiations have gone quiet, and Jake and Bucci discuss whether that news blackout is actually a good sign.
- Bucci closes with his outlook on whether AI will make it easier for America's enemies to target the country through cyberattacks.
Guest: Steven P. Bucci, Visiting Fellow, Phillip N. Truluck Center for Leadership Development, The Heritage Foundation
11:50 · Salute the Troops
YNTA closes the show honoring America's service members.
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Your News Talk America with Jake Smith
Friday, August 7, 2026 · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET
Today's Guests
Geoff Dickens is Director of Media Analysis for the Media Research Center, appearing in both the show open and the 9:20 segment on CNN's coverage of the Fauci hearing fallout.
9:00 Show Open: The Worst Media Quote of the Week
Jake opens the show with the contest for the week's worst media quote. Contenders include Lawrence O'Donnell calling the Fauci Senate hearing a Stalinist tribunal, Rosie O'Donnell's anti Trump song, a callback to Nina Jankowicz's disinformation czar era, and DL Hughley saying Mayor Zohran Mamdani is putting Christians to shame.
Guest: Geoff Dickens, MRC Director of Media Analysis (see bio above).
9:20 CNN Continues to Broadcast From the Gutter
Dana Bash draws criticism for defending Anthony Fauci at RFK Jr's expense, and Kaitlan Collins sits down with the Democratic Socialists of America's Francesca Hong for a Thanksgiving interview.
Guest: Geoff Dickens, MRC Director of Media Analysis (see bio above).
9:35 Armed Bystander Stops In N Out Shooter, Plus the Apalachee Sentencing
A shooter who killed three people and wounded seven others at an Idaho In N Out Burger on August 1 was distracted from further violence when an armed bystander and an off duty state trooper began firing at him, witnesses told NBC News. Twin Falls police credited the intervention with preventing further casualties.
Separately, the sentencing of Georgia father Colin Gray to 15 years for providing the firearm used in the Apalachee High School shooting has reignited debate over when parental negligence becomes criminal responsibility, and whether red flag laws make parents less likely to report a troubled child.
Guest: Stephen Willeford, spokesman for Gun Owners of America and the man who helped stop the largest mass shooting in Texas history in 2017. gunowners.org
10:00 Iran Talks, a New Gulf Defense Pact, Ukraine's Oil War, and Ceuta's Aftermath
Jake asks whether the ongoing negotiations with Iran are a positive sign or simply a prelude to renewed strikes, and whether President Trump's military leverage weakens with each passing day. The White House also pushed back this week on a Washington Post report suggesting friction between the President and Defense Secretary Hegseth over weapons stockpiles.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are expected to sign a major joint defense agreement Friday in Jeddah, a significant step toward deeper regional security cooperation amid the ongoing Iran conflict, according to Reuters and AFP.
Ukraine continues striking oil facilities deep inside Russia to undermine Moscow's wartime economy, triggering fuel shortages inside Russia, while Ukrainians endure regular missile barrages that depleted air defenses are struggling to counter amid Moscow's four year full scale invasion. Kyiv observed a day of mourning this week after a missile and drone blitz killed 17 people. Full AP report.
Jake also checks in on Cuba's ongoing power and services crisis, and asks what the world learned from the images out of Ceuta, where roughly 100 people died in a mass border rush last week and thousands of migrants remain in the Spanish enclave.
Guest: Christine Balling, Senior Vice President for Professional Affiliations at the Institute of World Politics.
10:30 Elderly Couple Loses Nearly $3 Million in Alleged Caregiver Fraud
Raphael Bernstein is 94. His wife Jane, 89, lives with Alzheimer's disease. A lawsuit claims a caregiver gained access to nearly $3 million of the couple's money without triggering bank fraud protections, and that major banks failed to detect or stop it. Their sons say they are seeking accountability and answers about what responsibility banks have to protect vulnerable elderly customers from financial exploitation, and why the family's own money was allegedly frozen after the fraud occurred while disputed transactions continued.
Guest: John Bernstein, son of the alleged fraud victims.
10:50 Maricopa County Voter Files Illegally Obtained in 2020
Records released August 6 by the White House show that voter files in Maricopa County, Arizona were obtained illegally before the 2020 presidential election. Authorities say 633,000 voter files, including names, birth dates, and addresses, were exfiltrated from the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, with about 930 records belonging to people such as domestic violence victims, judges, and law enforcement officers. The FBI has identified and interviewed a suspect who admitted to the crime, though no charges have been filed. Full Epoch Times report · FBI opening communication · suspect interview summary
Jake and Don also dig into why voter fraud cases are so hard to prosecute. Many leads turn out to be innocuous or accidental, and prosecutors typically assume a jury will not convict someone who cast a ballot by mistake, a dynamic on display in New Jersey, where a motor vehicle system error incorrectly registered 6,600 people and roughly 400 went on to vote. Washington Post report · New Jersey details
Guest: Don Palmer, Senior Legal Fellow for Election Integrity at the Heritage Foundation. heritage.org/staff/don-palmer
11:00 Hate Crimes Rise Sharply in NYC, Most Targeting Jewish New Yorkers
New NYPD data show hate crimes citywide up 9.4 percent this year even as all seven major crime categories, including murders and shootings, fell to historic lows across all five boroughs. More than half of hate crimes, 56.9 percent, were antisemitic, despite Jewish people making up just 10 percent of the city's population. Crimes against Jewish New Yorkers rose 8.5 percent year to date under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Full New York Post report
Guest: Rabbi Michael Barclay, host of The Rabbi's Table: Dialogue Not Debate on CRN Digital Talk Radio. rabbimichaelbarclay.com/podcast
11:30 Can the Prohuman Foundation Help Unite a Divided Country?
Jake talks with Wilk Wilkinson about how the Prohuman Foundation works to bridge deep political divides, what the Prohuman message means on an individual level, and the story behind his podcast, Derate the Hate.
Guest: Wilk Wilkinson, leadership coach and podcast producer. prohumanfoundation.org
11:50 Salute the Troops
Your News Talk America closes the show honoring the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.
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