Rational Radio Daily With Steele And Ungar

On August 5, 2015, Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight predicted that Donald Trump had a 2 percent chance of winning the presidency. That same day, Scott Adams, creator of the beloved comic strip, “Dilbert”, predicted that Trump had a 98 percent chance of winning the 2016 presidential election. Adams based his prediction on his knowledge of hypnotism, communication patterns and sales techniques. He distilled what he saw into a new book, “Win Bigly: Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don’t Matter”, and shared some of those lessons with Rick Ungar and guest co-host Robert Traynham. Brian Harding of the Center for American Progress discusses the objectives and rhetoric we can expect from President Trump on his upcoming trip across Asia.

In the wake of the domestic terror attack in Manhattan, many people are wondering how the attacker was able to plot and carry out the attack without raising alarms or showing signs of radicalization. Career counterterrorism officer Malcolm Nance said this is because ISIS is learning from Al Qaeda and moving their radicalization operations online and underground. Nance gave us his expert analysis on the terror attack and the ensuing political and legal responses. Noah Rothman, associate editor of Commentary Magazine, discussed historical revisionism and Trump chief of staff John Kelly's controversial comments about Robert E. Lee and the Civil War.

After special counsel Robert Mueller’s opening salvo in the Russia investigation, one big question remains: “What is his next move?” Duke University law professor Sam Buell joins us to read the tea leaves on Mueller's investigation. Professor Buell, a former federal prosecutor, says the recent developments prove evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and indicates that this investigation is far from over. Jared Broach, founder of Nightly Spirits ghost tours, gives us a Halloween treat by sharing some spooky stories of former presidents seeing ghosts in the White House.

President Trump declared the opioid crisis a “national public health emergency” last week. The difference in calling the epidemic a public health emergency instead of a national crisis is prodigious. Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio, 13), who represents one of the hardest-hit areas in the opioid crisis, says the money from the national public health emergency fund could barely cover the funding for one of his counties, let alone the nation. “There’s no money,” says Ryan. “We literally need $10 billion to fund all of the programs.” The congressman discussed the administration’s response to the opioid epidemic and Republicans' push for tax reform. Author and historian Lamar Waldron talks about some of the nuggets he unearthed from the recently-released JFK documents.

President Trump declared the opioid crisis a “national public health emergency” this week, directing a variety of federal agencies and administrators to focus on fighting this issue. Declaring the opioid crisis a “national public health emergency” instead of a “national emergency” makes a significant difference in sources of funding, administrative jurisdiction, and actions that Congress can take. Jeremy Slevin, associate director of advocacy for the Center for American Progress' Poverty to Prosperity program, details the pitfalls the Trump administration faces in fighting the opioid crisis. Saul Anuzis, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, talks about a reasonable and constitutional path to change the electoral college into a winner-take-all system through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

Sara Fischer, media reporter for Axios, delivered a frightening message on Steele & Ungar Wednesday night: Fake news will only get worse. Fischer pointed out that the perpetrators of fake news are getting smarter and more sophisticated. “What’s they’re starting to do is alter real stories,” said Fischer, who added that fake news content creators are also doctoring videos, photos and other media. She provided an in-depth look at how fake news isn't just a political problem, but an economic one as well. Joe Cunningham, assistant managing editor for RedState.com, shared his outlook on the 2018 midterms after Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) announced he won't be running for re-election.

In 2016, Ken Stern, former CEO of NPR, went around the country and spent time engaging with conservatives of all stripes in order to learn more about media bias, political bubbles and vehement rhetoric in politics. The conversations changed him on a fundamental level. “I didn't stay a Republican, but I didn't stay a Democrat either,” he told Rick Ungar. Stern documented his encounters and the lessons he learned in his new book: “Republican Like Me: How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right”. Rick and Michael Steele also examined the political implications of Senator Jeff Flake’s (R-Ariz.) decision not to run for re-election in 2018.

The Virginia governor's race between Lt. Governor Ralph Northam and former RNC chair Ed Gillespie will be a key indicator for what we could see in the 2018 midterms. Will Northam and the Democrats prove that they have an economic message that resonates with voters? Ed Gillespie, the Republican candidate, says that Virginia has to work well with the White House in order to thrive. “In a state where 20 cents of every dollar, in your economy, is a direct federal dollar, you need a good working relationship with the President of the United States.” Gillespie joined Michael Steele and Rick Ungar to share his economic vision for Virginia and his mindset during the final stretch of the campaign. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who co-sponsored a new Medicare expansion plan with Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), jumped on with Rick to explain the benefits of "Medicare X". 

Congressman Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), the vice-ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee, joins Rick Ungar and guest co-host Rick Tyler to talk about the state of play on tax reform now that the Senate has passed a budget resolution. Dr. John Abromeit, a history professor at SUNY Buffalo, jumps on with the guys to discuss a surprising new poll that says economics may not be the primary driver of populism.

A recent NBC News/Survey Monkey poll revealed that 72 percent of Americans fear that the U.S. will enter a major, armed conflict in the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency. The poll revealed that 54 percent of Americans fear the conflict will be with North Korea. Smaller percentages fear wars with ISIS, Russia, Iran or China. Former CIA Director John Brennan recently stated that there’s a 20-25 percent chance that the United States will go to war with North Korea. Malcolm Nance, a career counterintelligence office, knows that Brennan is not one to speak lightly: “He does not throw around hyperbole...He is hearing the President of the United States talk his way to war.” Nance talks with Rick Ungar and guest co-host Rick Tyler about the very real possibility of a war before 2020. The guys also discuss President George W. Bush's strong rebuke of bigotry, nativism, and political division in a recent speech. Were his comments aimed at President Trump?

In 2009 and 2010, the FBI uncovered evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were pursuing a campaign of bribery, extortion and corruption of U.S. nuclear contractors and government officials, possibly including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Russians did this to ensure the federal government’s approval of a partial sale of Uranium One, a Canadian uranium mining company, to Rosatom, a titan of the Russian nuclear industry. The deal was approved by the Obama administration in 2015 amidst waves of criticism. If the FBI knew about the scheme, how and why in the world was this deal approved? The dogged reporting on this story by John Solomon and Alison Spann of The Hill led Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to create a formal investigation. Solomon joined Rick Ungar and Michael Steele to discuss this bombshell story. John Dean, former White House counsel to President Nixon, and Jim Robenalt, an expert on the ethics and history of Watergate, rev

In his Politico op-ed, “How the NFL Lost to Trump”, National Review editor Rich Lowry details how President Trump’s surprisingly shrewd grasp of cultural battles allowed him to outmaneuver NFL coaches, players and owners in the national debate that exploded around Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem. “Donald Trump doesn't play three-dimensional chess, as his supporters insist,” Lowry wrote. “Sometimes, even the rules of checkers seem to elude him. But he has an instinctive cunning and a grasp of a nationalistic cultural politics that shouldn't be underestimated by his opponents, even though it almost always is.” Lowry joins Michael Steele and Rick Ungar to discuss Trump’s victory and share his thoughts on the undercurrent of nationalism that he sees as integral to American conservatives. Michael and Rick also praise Senator John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) speech after he accepted the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal.

Why would a West Virginia town of 400 people need a supply of nine million opioid pills? Scott Higham of the Washington Post, along with his colleague Lenny Bernstein, did a joint investigation with 60 Minutes in order to find the answer. The group’s reporting revealed that Congress, at the urging of lobbyists for three of the biggest pharmaceutical companies, passed a law limiting the Drug Enforcement Administration’s ability to curtail suspicious behavior by drug providers. In essence, it prevents the DEA from cracking down on the spread of highly addictive opioids and narcotics to black market providers. Higham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, joins Michael Steele and Rick Ungar to discuss this bombshell story. The guys also examine how President Trump was able to form an unlikely alliance between evangelicals and nationalists to solidify his political base.

President Trump signed an executive order yesterday directing the federal government to stop all subsidy payments to insurance companies that are part of the Affordable Care Act. At the signing ceremony, the president beamed, saying, “This will cost the federal government virtually nothing.” According to the Congressional Budget Office, that is not the case. The CBO’s initial scorecard on President Trump’s order shows that while the government will save around $7 billion a year in CSR payments, it will cost taxpayers almost $194 billion over 10 years, including the net savings. Katherine Hayes, health policy director at the Bipartisan Policy Center, joins Michael Steele and gust co-host Rick Tyler to break down the numbers and the effect they would have on millions of Americans. Kelly Magsamen, the vice president of national security and international policy at American Progress, discusses the potential diplomatic and political impact of President Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal.

Early this morning, President Trump tweeted, “We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. [Puerto Rico] forever!” The president was roundly criticized for his comments, which stood in stark contrast to his messages of support for Houston, Florida and other states ravaged by hurricanes. Politico national security reporter Jacqueline Klimas, who has spent time reporting on the ground from Puerto Rico, discusses why the president’s threat to withdraw aid would be catastrophic for Puerto Rico and could have lasting political implications. Mark Feierstein, a former senior director on the National Security Council, makes the case for why the U.S. should be strengthening its relationship with Cuba, not abandoning it. 

Last month, President Trump appeared optimistic about working out a bipartisan solution that would protect Dreamers. However, Trump's most recent demands in the DACA negotiations may scare off Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and any Democrat who sought a bipartisan deal. Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) discusses the president's hard-line demands and the future of DACA. Robert Costa, national political reporter for the Washington Post, reviews President Trump's speech on tax reform and shares his thoughts on the president's frustration with Washington. 

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt triumphantly declared that the war on coal is over in a speech earlier this week in Hazard, Kentucky. Mr. Pruitt announced his intention to repeal the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon emissions, arguing the plan exceeded the administration's authority and "treated coal communities unfairly". John Coequyt, global climate policy director for the Sierra Club, strongly disagrees with Pruitt. Mr. Coequyt explains why the U.S. needs to keep the Clean Power Plan. Reed Galen, a Bush 43 alum and chief strategist for the Serve America movement, discusses whether a deal can be salvaged to save the Dreamers.

What happens when Islamists come to power? This is one of the pivotal questions in Shadi Hamid's new book, "Rethinking Political Islam". Hamid, a senior fellow in the Project U.S. Relation with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution, and co-author William McCants examine the wide variety of Islamist movements across the Arab world and how these groups interact with democratic and western ideals. What does it say about us as a democratic society when we condemn Islamist groups who come to power through democratic means?

Michael Steele and Rick Ungar take President Trump to task for the president's "calm before the storm" comments. They also knocked the media for playing into the president's game. Blaise Misztal, the director of the national security program for the Bipartisan Policy Center, joined the guys to talk about whether he thinks President Trump will certify the Iran deal next week and what the impact of that decision could be.

New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer joined Rick and Michael to talk about his new book, what we can learn from Gandhi and the impact of peaceful protests.