Lindsey Graham’s Sudden Death, Third Night of Iran Strikes, China’s Theft of American AI | Your News Talk America | July 14, 2026
Your News Talk America · Daily Show Notes
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 · Hosted by Jake Smith
9:00 · Show Open: Graham's Passing, Israel, and a Third Night of Strikes on Iran
Jake opens with reaction to the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the Senate's most vocal defenders of Israel, and then turns to the widening American campaign against Iran. President Trump has ordered a third consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets tied to the Strait of Hormuz.
- Reaction to the passing of Lindsey Graham, a staunch defender of Israel.
- Who else in the U.S. Senate was as vocal a supporter of Israel?
- Trump orders a third night of attacks on Iranian military targets along the Strait of Hormuz.
- If the IRGC is being attacked by the Kurds in the north, when and will the IDF return to the war to finish the job?
Panelist: EJ Kimball, Director of Policy, U.S. Israel Education Association · usieducation.org
9:20 · Do Data Centers Raise Your Power Bill? New NTU Research Says No
New research from the National Taxpayers Union finds that data centers can strengthen local tax bases, support infrastructure improvements, and generate significant economic activity for communities. The research also challenges the common assumption that more data centers automatically lead to higher electricity prices.
- The 10 states with the most data centers average 14.46¢ per kWh in electricity costs, nearly identical to the 14.39¢ average across all other states.
- Data centers represent billions of dollars in private investment and long term tax revenue for local communities.
- They can expand the tax base without creating the same demands on schools, roads, and public services that often accompany residential growth.
- In Loudoun County, Virginia, data centers have become one of the largest contributors to local government revenue and have helped reduce pressure on residential property taxpayers.
- More than 30 states have approved large load tariffs or similar mechanisms to help ensure that major energy users contribute to the infrastructure they require.
Panelist: Brandon Arnold, Executive Vice President of the National Taxpayers Union · Bio
9:35 · Jake's Monologue: Unsung Heroes
Jake Smith's daily monologue.
9:45 · The Questions Investigators Should Ask About Lindsey Graham's Death
The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham shortly after returning from Ukraine has raised questions that deserve serious examination. There is currently no evidence confirming foul play or assassination. The timing, Graham's prominent role in U.S. foreign policy, and the growing pattern of geopolitical tensions make his death a subject worthy of careful investigative scrutiny.
- Lindsey Graham's Ukraine trip and sudden death raise unanswered questions.
- Why hostile nations may have viewed Graham as a major adversary.
- How Washington insiders assess potential threats to political leaders.
- The growing concern over foreign influence and political violence.
- What investigators should examine before ruling anything out.
Panelist: Steve Lance, investigative journalist and Vice President of NTD Television, an arm of the Epoch Times Media Group · Bio
10:00 · Over 10,000 Christians Arrested in China, and Communism's American Comeback
Gordon G. Chang on a report that more than 10,000 Christians have been arrested in China under Xi Jinping, Beijing's assimilation campaign against Tibetan identity, American troop movements in the Middle East, and the rise of openly communist candidates winning elections in the United States.
- Report: over 10,000 Christians arrested in China. What is going on? · The Gateway Pundit
- China's program of assimilation of the Tibetans aims to erase Tibetan identity. That constitutes genocide as the term is defined in the 1948 Genocide Convention. Is this similar to China's use of U.S. birthright citizenship?
- Gordon reposted on X that the U.S. military is deploying Army and Marine Corps troops to the Middle East, with an estimate that the U.S. will send ground troops to Iran.
- Reaction to the emergence of openly communist candidates winning elections in America, a movement Gordon has spent his life fighting.
Panelist: Gordon G. Chang, Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America · Follow him on X @GordonGChang
10:20 · How China Is Ripping Off American AI and Threatening National Security
A new report details how Chinese firms are lifting cutting edge AI work from American companies including Anthropic and OpenAI, and what that theft means for U.S. national security and the race to build AI infrastructure.
- What are the issues for U.S. AI companies competing against those from China?
- Can the U.S. win the AI infrastructure race against China?
- Source: New York Post
Panelist: Kyler Schmitz, Vice President of Patmos.tech · Bio
10:30 · Is California's Energy War Now a National Security Crisis?
Daniel Turner on the escalating energy fight between Sacramento and the White House, whether Washington should federalize California's energy policy, and what the shooting war in the Strait of Hormuz means for American energy security.
- Is California's war against cheaper, reliable energy now a national security crisis?
- Does the Trump Administration need to stop poking fun at Newsom and federalize California's energy policies?
- What is your assessment of the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz?
- Source: OilPrice.com
Panelist: Daniel Turner, Executive Director of Power the Future · powerthefuture.com
10:50 · Rating the Trump Economy as Oil Climbs and Japan's Currency Wobbles
Allen Mendenhall (@allenmendenhall) grades the current American economy, weighs the drag from rising crude prices, and looks at whether Japan's currency crisis is starting to show up on our shores.
- Dr. Mendenhall, how would you rate the current Trump economy?
- How much will the rising cost of crude oil affect the administration's projections for the U.S. economy?
- The currency crisis in Japan. Are we seeing any problems in the U.S. yet, such as the dumping of U.S. Treasuries?
Panelist: Allen Mendenhall, Research Fellow at the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies and Senior Advisor to the Free Enterprise Initiative · Bio
11:00 · The Housing Bill: What It Does and Whether It Will Work
John Gibbs walks through the Housing Bill, what it actually contains, and whether outside shocks like Japan's currency crisis and rising oil prices could undercut what it is meant to deliver.
- What is the Housing Bill and why is it important?
- Is the Housing Bill a well written piece of legislation?
- What can the American people expect from it, and will the currency crisis in Japan and rising oil prices affect its effectiveness?
Panelist: John Gibbs, Director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation · Bio
11:30 · Open Segment: Late Breaking News and the DIAL Lounge
Segment left open for late breaking news plus comments and reactions from listeners in the DIAL Lounge.
11:50 · Salute the Troops
Today's salute goes to Col. Lindsey Graham.
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