Rational Radio Daily with Steele and Ungar

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"It's really when you take on those counter-arguments, that's when you really figure out when you have the goods on somebody." Jan 27, 2018

Show notes

Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutor and current candidate for Attorney General of Illinois, wrote in POLITICO Magazine this week that the "case against [President] Trump has grown stronger in recent months, and it now appears likely that Mueller will conclude that Trump obstructed justice". Mariotti makes the case that the president's antagonistic attitude and behavior towards figures like James Comey, Jeff Sessions and special counsel Robert Mueller signals a real possibility of success for Mueller’s obstruction case. Mariotti discusses Mueller’s possible next moves and how President Trump could brace for and protect himself against the coming legal storm. Missouri Senate hopeful Courtland Sykes and his fiancé, Chanel Rion, a noted political illustrator, expand upon his highly controversial statements about radical feminists and traditional family values.

"We are on the outside looking in." Jan 26, 2018

Show notes

President Trump arrived in Davos, Switzerland this week to tout his “America First” message in front of the World Economic Forum. Many pundits wondered how the president’s nationalist theme would play at a gathering of top economic and business leaders from around the world. Michael and Rick shared their thoughts on President Trump’s Davos debut and some of the puzzling statements from members of the Trump administration during the summit. Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Texas 01) discussed his concerns about corruption and abuse of authority in the FBI and Department of Justice.

"The Democrats folded like a napkin." Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

Much of the Democratic base has voiced its ire over how Senate Democrats handled the government shutdown. They claim that senators should have held out longer and kept the government shutdown going until they were able to extract a suitable solution for DACA out of congressional Republicans and President Trump. Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution and former state senator in Ohio, voices some of the Left's problems with the Democrats' handling of the government shutdown. Michael and Rick discuss a recent report alleging that President Trump asked then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe how he voted in the 2016 election. Was it an appropriate question for the president to ask, and why does Trump seem to sometimes ignore the more traditional respect for the separation of powers?

"I would be reasonably confident to say Bob Mueller has scrubbed...anything that has Pete Strzock's fingerprints on it." Jan 24, 2018

Show notes

President Trump joined a chorus of conservative voices in both Congress and the media that are trying to discredit the Mueller investigation, tweeting, “In one of the biggest stories in a long time, the FBI now says it is missing five months worth of lovers Strzok-Page texts, perhaps 50,000.” According to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the FBI cannot find a record of some 50,000 texts between the two FBI employees. Many Republicans are comparing this incident to Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails. Is this story as big as the president makes it out to be? Ron Hosko, former assistant director of the FBI, gives us his perspective on the story. Michael and Rick discuss why so many evangelicals give President Trump a mulligan on his moral shortcomings on everything from having an affair with a porn star to his support of an alleged pedophile.

"Mitch McConnell made a promise...We'll see if he keeps it." Jan 23, 2018

Show notes

Michael and Rick go beyond the blame game in tonight's podcast and analyze the government shutdown. Michael Steel, a political consultant and former press secretary to Speaker of the House John Boehner, joins the guys to talk about at how we got here, how the shutdown is playing in the polls and how it could affect the 2018 midterms.

"Is this going to be the political win they think it is or is it going to be disaster?" Jan 20, 2018

Show notes

The House Freedom Caucus, a coalition of conservative congressmen from across the country, is known for being made up of extreme deficit hawks and being fiercely conservative to the point of holding up or blocking more mainstream Republican legislation. They infamously ousted John Boehner from his position as Speaker of the House. Washington politicos were shocked on Thursday when the HFC voted in favor of the budget deal offered by House Republican leadership. Alex Bolton, senior reporter for The Hill, shares his insight on whether the HFC capitulated or is playing the long game. Ken Klukowski, legal editor for Breitbart News, talks about the Department of Health and Human services’ new office of “Conscience and Religious Freedom”.

"It is really a stain on our nation and we should be so much better than this." Jan 19, 2018

Show notes

One of then-candidate Donald Trump’s major talking points on the campaign trail was to take better care of our veterans. Is President Trump’s administration living up to that campaign promise one year into his presidency? Sarah Verardo, executive director of the Independence Fund, a national nonprofit that serves wounded veterans, talks about how Congress could be doing more to help our veterans and active military members. Pastor Johnny Morrison of the Missio Dei Church in Utah discusses how politics have corrupted faith in the American evangelical community.

"Is it 'lights out' for the government?" Jan 18, 2018

Show notes

Republican House leaders pitched a budget deal Tuesday night in order to avoid a government shutdown when the clock strikes midnight on Friday. This continuing resolution includes six years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to appease Democrats and delays on certain Obamacare taxes to appease members of the House Freedom Caucus. Michael and Rick debate whether Congress will agree to this or whether a government shutdown is all but inevitable. Kyle Cheney, reporter for POLITICO’s “Campaign Pro”, talks about Steve Bannon’s testimony on the Russia investigation that irked the House Intelligence Committee.

"Generally members of Congress...just don't understand the [Medicaid] program." Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance this past week allowing states to require Medicaid beneficiaries to work, volunteer or enter job training. Republicans argue that such work requirements for Medicaid will help get people back on their feet and in the job market and workforce. Democrats argue that work requirements are contrary to the principles of Medicaid. Katherine Hayes, health policy director for the Bipartisan Policy Center, gives a centrist perspective on the Medicaid work requirements and the growth of uninsured Americans under the Trump administration. Michael and Rick debate whether President Trump should have responded in a different way to the false alarm missile test in Hawaii over the weekend.

"We are going to need to relearn how to be, how to communicate, how to identify reality." Jan 13, 2018

Show notes

Chris Kutarna, co-author of the book “Age of Discovery: Navigating the Storms of Our Second Renaissance,” notes that divided times--like the one we're in now-- have often been a precursor to a time of great change. The last significant moment of such change was the Renaissance. Kutarna believes another renaissance is coming soon. He explains his theory to Rick and Michael and says why impeaching President Trump would be devastating to the world. David Safavian, deputy director of the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform, talks about the White House’s recent summit on criminal justice reform and how the ACU is pursuing meaningful change.

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