Rational Radio Daily with Steele and Ungar

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What did the FBI know and when did they know it? Oct 19, 2017

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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, review how President Trump and Nixon stack up at the 10-month mark.

"The president of the United States shouldn’t be at war with a major sports league." Oct 18, 2017

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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.

"This epidemic knows no party and knows no bounds." Oct 17, 2017

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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.

"You're going to save $7 billion a year, but you're going to pay out A LOT more...over 10 years it's about $194 billion." Oct 14, 2017

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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.

"Even as it's getting better [in Puerto Rico], there are some steps back." Oct 13, 2017

Show notes

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.

"We're siding with the 86% of Americans that want the Dreamers to stay." Oct 12, 2017

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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.

"There's no denying that climate disruption is harming our economy." Oct 11, 2017

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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 democracy leads to outcomes that we're not comfortable with?" Oct 10, 2017

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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?

"This isn't how you protect people!" Oct 07, 2017

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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.

"You have to be better than what angers you." Oct 07, 2017

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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.

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