Rational Radio Daily with Steele and Ungar

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"The idea of making nice with Kim Jong-Un is unsettling to me." Apr 20, 2018

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South Korean President Moon Jae-In told reporters on Thursday “North Korea is expressing a will for complete denuclearization." President Moon’s statement was met with skepticism because in the past, North Korea has reneged on deals when it came to dismantling its nuclear program. Bill Gertz, senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon, weighs in on President’s Moon’s claim and shares his outlook on President Trump’s upcoming meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Farmers across Midwest are restless over the potential backlash they face from President Trump’s recent trade policies. Doug Palmer, senior trade reporter for Politico, talks about how one of the president's core constituencies could suffer because of his tariffs and the threat of a trade war.

"You can argue this both ways, as dumb as it sounds." Apr 19, 2018

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On September 24, 2017, President Trump issued a "travel ban" that would prevent foreign nationals from eight countries from entering the United States. The countries listed were: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Yemen and Somalia. Some government officials from Venezuela were impacted as well. Because these are Muslim-majority countries, many liberals claimed that the travel ban was racist and done in order to single out Muslims. The Trump administration argued that this was an issue of national security and the president, as the chief of the executive branch, has the right to craft immigration policy, especially when national security is involved. The state of Hawaii, along with other parties, sued to block the ban from going into effect. The Supreme Court heard opening arguments in the travel ban case this week. Former federal prosecutor Doug Burns joined Rick and guest co-host Bill Tucker to recap the arguments both sides are trying to make. Author Donald Lee Sheppard talked with the guys about his book, "The Dividends of Decency: How Values-Based Leadership Will Help Business Flourish in Trump's America".

Remembering First Lady Barbara Bush Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

Former First Lady Barbara Bush passed away this evening at the age of 92. The wife of President George H.W. Bush and mother of President George W. Bush, Mrs. Bush was an iconic figure in Republican and national politics for decades. Andrew Ochs, who produced C-SPAN's 'First Ladies Series', called her "the most prolific and most productive first lady in history." Michael Steele and Rick Ungar share memories of Mrs. Bush and talk with SiriusXM's Chief Washington Correspondent Olivier Knox and Ochs about her legacy and impact on the White House and American politics.

"I don't see how you get around that hypocrisy." Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

President Trump ordered airstrikes and missile strikes against chemical weapons facilities in Syria Friday night in conjunction with British and French forces. Many of President Trump's supporters sounded off on social media and over the airwaves, expressing their feeling that this contradicted everything Trump said on the campaign trail. From Fox News hosts like Laura Ingraham to InfoWars’ Alex Jones, Trump supporters expressed their disgust at this “business as usual” move by the president. Columnist and radio host Jack Hunter joins Michael and Rick to share his perspective on the strikes and why he sees them as contradictory to the president’s campaign rhetoric and promises. Our hosts also discuss the potential impact of former FBI Director James Comey's opening salvo on President Trump as he kicks off the press tour for his book, "A Higher Loyalty".

"Mitch McConnell will get him [Pompeo] confirmed." Apr 14, 2018

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Current CIA Director Mike Pompeo testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday to begin the confirmation process to become Secretary of State. Senators from both sides of the aisle asked him about his positions on the Iran Deal, North Korea and President Trump’s power to launch military strikes on the Assad regime without congressional approval. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is prepared to oppose and possibly derail Pompeo’s nomination. Elana Schor, congressional reporter for Politico, talks about the obstacles on Director Pompeo’s path to confirmation. Will he become our nation's top diplomat? Michael and Rick also talk about some of the tidbits we've seen of former FBI Director James Comey’s tell-all book.

"I am very optimistic that...we will redeem the soul of America." Apr 13, 2018

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Long before John Lewis represented Georgia's fifth district in Congress, he was one of the great icons of the Civil Rights Movement. Congressman Lewis was one of the original 13 freedom riders and, as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, he was one of the six primary organizers of the 1963 March on Washington. Congressman Lewis joins Michael and Rick to reflect on the legacy of his friend and colleague Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years after Dr. King's assassination, the congressman talks about how we can continue to uphold and expand his legacy.

"This is the general abandoning his army at the peak of the battle." Apr 13, 2018

Show notes

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's decision not to seek re-election in 2018 has created a whole new set of issues for Republicans heading into the 2018 midterms. Pundits and politicians are already discussing Ryan’s possible successors and the internal struggle the party faces and will continue to face. Rick Wilson, a Republican consultant, Daily Beast columnist and author of the upcoming book “Everything Trump Touches Dies”, explains his recent column “Donald Trump Takes Out Paul Ryan, and ‘It’s Going to Be a Civil War’”. Wilson joins Michael Steele and Rick Ungar to discuss what impact he thinks Ryan departure will have on the House and why he thinks the GOP is in for a reckoning come November. President Trump signaled Thursday that he may want the U.S. to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership, something that would reverse one of his first acts in the office. The guys give their take on the president's most recent policy reversal.

"It doesn't signal anything good." Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced Wednesday morning that he will not seek re-election in 2018. The announcement sent shock waves across the country. Many Republicans in Congress are looking at difficult re-election campaigns in November as Democrats appear poised to retake control of the House. What does Ryan's resignation say about the GOP's outlook for the midterms? Will Ryan stay on as Speaker or will House Republicans want to elect a new leader? Kyle Cheney, congressional reporter for Politico, talks about how Capitol Hill is reacting to the news of Ryan’s retirement and how it will affect the GOP for the rest of 2018. Veteran counterintelligence officer Malcolm Nance breaks down some of the ways the Trump administration can respond to the Assad regime’s latest chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians.

"Mark Zuckerberg's net worth went up $3 billion because they [the Senate] didn't make him sweat." Apr 11, 2018

Show notes

Mark Zuckerberg appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday for the first of two public hearings on Capitol Hill this week. The Facebook founder and CEO addressed issues regarding data security and privacy related to the harvesting of private information by Cambridge Analytica and Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential election. Journalists and pundits were critical of the Senate Judiciary Committee from the very first question because it appeared the senators hadn't done their homework and were ignorant about some of the most basic aspects of Facebook. Steve Kovach, senior correspondent for Business Insider, says that let Zuckerberg get through the hearing virtually unscathed. Kovach breaks down the hearing with Michael and Rick and talks about what questions he'd like lawmakers to press Zuckerberg on. On Monday night, FBI agents raided the house, hotel room and office of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer. Former federal prosecutor Seth Waxman weighs in on what the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller's team might learn from the raid.

"This president is going to respond to it. There's just no question." Apr 10, 2018

Show notes

An attack possibly involving chemical weapons in the rebel-controlled city of Douma, Syria killed dozens of men, women and children and injured hundreds more. While there is no ironclad evidence yet, many are accusing the Assad regime of carrying out the attack against its own citizens, following a similar chemical weapons strike around this same time last year. President Trump and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley have stated over the last 36 hours that these atrocities are unacceptable. The president called for a missile strike on Syria the last time such an attack took place. How will he respond this time? Michael and Rick share their thoughts on how President Trump will and should respond to the chemical attack in Syria. Bill Scher, a contributing editor to Politico Magazine, talks about why Americans—especially Democrats—should forget about trying to impeach President Trump and why Robert Mueller should try to indict President Trump.

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