Show Notes and Rundown
National News · Today on Your News Talk America
By Jake Smith | Wednesday, May 6, 2026 | Live 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
On Location from Greg Reddell State Farm, Salisbury, Maryland
Antisemitic graffiti and swastikas have been discovered across multiple sites in Queens this week, while Cornell Law professor William Jacobson was confronted on campus following a debate involving Israel — fresh signals of an antisemitism wave continuing on U.S. campuses and in major American cities. Meanwhile, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has earmarked $500,000 for reparations discussions even as the city projects a $5.4 billion budget shortfall. Your News Talk America covers all of it today, with reporting from Cornell, analysis from Israel, and a deep look at faith, fiscal policy, and the economy heading into the 2026 midterms.
Today’s Top Stories
Mamdani Allocates $500K for Reparations as NYC Faces $5.4 Billion Deficit
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has earmarked $500,000 to fund reparations-related discussions while the city projects a $5.4 billion budget shortfall. The mayor also drew attention this week for a viral video filmed outside the Manhattan residence of Citadel founder Ken Griffin. Veteran business journalist Dennis Kneale joins the show to weigh in on the city’s fiscal direction.
Sources: New York Post, City Hall Reports
Cornell Law Professor Confronted on Campus After Israel Debate
Cornell Law School professor William Jacobson, founder of Legal Insurrection, was confronted by demonstrators on campus following a debate concerning Israel. Jacobson is a leading commentator on campus speech and antisemitism and has tracked Title VI civil rights complaints at U.S. universities for over a decade. The incident adds to the running list of post–October 7 disruptions on American campuses.
Sources: Legal Insurrection, Cornell University
Antisemitic Graffiti, Swastikas Found Across Queens
Antisemitic graffiti including swastikas was discovered scrawled across several sites in Queens, New York, with the New York Police Department seeking suspects. The vandalism comes amid a documented rise in antisemitic incidents nationwide, tracked by the Anti-Defamation League. Documentary filmmaker Yoav Potash, director of Among Neighbors, joins the show to discuss community responses to incidents of this kind.
Sources: NYPD, Anti-Defamation League
Strong Economic Data, Pessimistic Young Americans
Headline indicators including jobs, GDP growth, and easing inflation continue to come in solid, yet polling shows Americans under 35 remain deeply pessimistic about the economy. Real wages have outpaced inflation for more than two consecutive years. Tom Savidge of the American Institute for Economic Research opens the show to examine the gap between the data and the sentiment.
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
Gen Z Reportedly Driving NYC Catholic Conversion Boom
Multiple national outlets are reporting a surge of Generation Z attendance at Catholic churches in New York City, with parishes citing growth in youth groups, RCIA classes, and weekly Mass. Author Katie Asher, who co-wrote The Book of Heaven with her son Houston, joins the show to discuss why young Americans are returning to faith.
Sources: New York Post, Catholic Herald
Republicans Lean on Working Families Tax Cut Ahead of Midterms
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, Republicans are sharpening their message on the Working Families Tax Cut — popularly known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — emphasizing its provisions for small businesses and household tax relief. Kurt Couchman of Americans for Prosperity, author of Fiscal Democracy in America, joins the show to discuss the messaging fight and the case for structural fiscal reform.
Source: Americans for Prosperity
Horowitz Freedom Center Marks New Era Under Greenfield
Frontpage Magazine this week argues that David Horowitz’s analytical framework on the radical Left is more relevant than ever. Daniel Greenfield, who became CEO of the David Horowitz Freedom Center in 2025, joins the show to discuss the late activist’s enduring legacy and the Center’s current direction.
Source: Frontpage Magazine
U.S.–Iran Tensions, Israel Outreach Continue
Following Monday’s Iranian attack on U.S. Navy destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, faith and policy leaders are renewing calls for clarity on America’s posture toward Tehran. Genesis 123 Foundation president Jonathan Feldstein and former Shiloh Mayor David Rubin join the show with perspectives from Israel.
Sources: Genesis 123 Foundation, U.S.–Israel Education Association
Today’s Show Lineup
9:08 AM ET
Strong Economy, Skeptical Young Americans
Guest: Tom Savidge, Economist, American Institute for Economic Research
The numbers keep coming in better than expected — jobs, growth, real wages — yet young Americans remain deeply pessimistic about the economy. AIER economist Tom Savidge opens the show to explain the disconnect between the data and the sentiment, and what it means for policy heading into the midterms.
9:18 AM ET
Cornell Confrontation: Campus Antisemitism Returns to the Spotlight
Guest: William Jacobson, Cornell Law School Professor; Founder, Legal Insurrection
Professor William Jacobson joins Jake to discuss the campus confrontation he experienced following a debate involving Israel — and what it says about where America’s universities are nearly two years after October 7. A leading voice on campus civil rights, Jacobson breaks down what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where the federal Title VI fight goes next.
9:35 AM ET
Praying to Lift the Veil of Darkness Over Iran
Guest: Jonathan Feldstein, President, Genesis 123 Foundation
With U.S.–Iran tensions sharper than ever following the Strait of Hormuz attack, Jonathan Feldstein joins from Israel to discuss a faith-based response: praying for the Iranian people, not the regime. A look at the underground faith movement in Iran and how Christians and Jews can stand with the millions caught between Tehran’s leadership and the West.
9:50 AM ET
How to Heal the Children of Israel
Guest: David Rubin, Former Mayor of Shiloh, Israel; Founder, Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund
David Rubin survived a 2001 terror attack alongside his young son and went on to dedicate his life to helping Israel’s children recover from the trauma of terrorism. Nearly 19 months after October 7, he joins Jake to discuss what real healing looks like, what American supporters can do, and why he still has hope.
10:08 AM ET
Mamdani’s $500K Reparations Plan Meets NYC’s $5.4 Billion Deficit
Guest: Dennis Kneale, Veteran Business Journalist; Author, The Leadership Genius of Elon Musk; forthcoming Oregoner
New York is bleeding red ink — $5.4 billion worth — yet Mayor Mamdani has carved out half a million dollars for reparations talks. He’s also gone viral standing outside Ken Griffin’s penthouse. Veteran business journalist Dennis Kneale joins the show with decades of perspective on Wall Street, City Hall, and what comes next for America’s largest city.
10:20 AM ET
Why David Horowitz Is More Relevant Than Ever
Guest: Daniel Greenfield, CEO, David Horowitz Freedom Center; Shillman Journalism Fellow
David Horowitz spent half a century mapping the radical Left from the inside out. Frontpage Magazine argues he’s more relevant now than ever — and Daniel Greenfield, who took over as CEO of the Horowitz Freedom Center in 2025, joins Jake to make the case.
10:34 AM ET
Gen Z’s Return to Faith: Inside the Catholic Conversion Boom
Guest: Katie Asher, Author, The Book of Heaven: A Story of Hope for the Outcasts, the Broken, and Those Who Lost Faith (co-authored with her son Houston)
NYC parishes are reporting a flood of young people in their pews, youth groups, and RCIA classes — a Generation Z spiritual revival catching even Church observers off guard. Author Katie Asher joins the show to discuss what’s driving the conversion boom and the powerful family story behind her book The Book of Heaven.
10:48 AM ET
Antisemitism in Queens — and What “Among Neighbors” Reveals
Guest: Yoav Potash, Documentary Filmmaker; Director, Among Neighbors
Antisemitic graffiti and swastikas have surfaced across Queens this week, with NYPD investigating. Filmmaker Yoav Potash, whose documentary Among Neighbors examines how communities respond to antisemitic incidents in their own backyards, joins Jake to discuss what the cameras have shown — and what’s missing from the public conversation.
11:08 AM ET
Tales from the Rock and Roll Twilight Zone
Guest: Richard Syrett, Host, Strange Planet podcast and Coast to Coast AM; Author, Tales from the Rock and Roll Twilight Zone
A break from the headlines. Richard Syrett — a familiar voice to Coast to Coast AM listeners — joins Jake with the strange, the unsolved, and the just-plain-haunting threads buried in rock and roll’s biggest catalogs. From the 27 Club to the messages hiding in the music.
11:18 AM ET
The Working Families Tax Cut and the 2026 Midterm Message
Guest: Kurt Couchman, Senior Fellow in Fiscal Policy, Americans for Prosperity; Author, Fiscal Democracy in America: How a Balanced Budget Amendment Can Restore Sound Governance
With the midterms looming, Kurt Couchman of Americans for Prosperity argues Republicans need to be relentlessly reminding voters what the Working Families Tax Cut — the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — has actually delivered for small businesses and family budgets. A look at the messaging gap and the case for a balanced-budget amendment.
11:35 AM ET
What Evidence Exists of Life After Death?
Guest: David Crawford, Author, A Manual for the Dead
Jake closes the show with one of humanity’s oldest questions. David Crawford’s A Manual for the Dead draws on near-death-experience research, deathbed phenomena, and consciousness studies to ask what really happens at the end. A thoughtful, surprising conversation to take into the afternoon.
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About Your News Talk America: Hosted by Jake Smith, Your News Talk America is a daily three-hour national news and interview program produced by WGMD — The Talk of Delmarva — airing weekdays 9 AM to 12 PM ET on WGMD 92.7 FM, WUSX 98.5 FM, and streaming nationally at RealNewsTalk.com.