Elderly Couple Loses $3 Million in Caregiver Fraud, Maricopa County Voter Files Illegally Obtained, Is Mamdani Fueling Jewish Hatred in NYC | Your News Talk America
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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