Rational Radio Daily with Steele and Ungar

Latest Episodes:

Michael Steele responds to Ian Walters Feb 24, 2018

Show notes

Ian Walters, the communications director for CPAC, spoke at the Ronald Reagan dinner Friday night and said that Michael Steele was elected as RNC Chair because he was a black guy.

Steele & Ungar was LIVE from CPAC Saturday morning to respond to Walters' ugly and repulsive comment.

"I wish Trump would embrace the other half of governing: communication." Feb 24, 2018

Show notes

Rational Radio Daily is LIVE from CPAC! Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico and 2016 Libertarian Party nominee for president, has been out of the national spotlight since the end of the election, but keeps his eyes on the direction of national politics. He tried to sum up his thoughts on the current immigration debate, saying, “If we build a wall across the border, at some point, as a nation, we’re going to tear it down because of the stain it represents on our Republic.” Governor Johnson sat down with Rick Ungar to share his third-party perspective on gun control, tax reform, dealing with North Korea and more. Ed Morrissey, senior editor of HotAir.com, joined Michael and Rick to discuss whether arming teachers in an effort to make schools and children safer has any merit.

"That literally is the deconstruction of the administrative state." Feb 23, 2018

Show notes

Steve Bannon made his first public appearance as White House chief strategist at last year's Conservative Political Action Conference. During his joint interview with then-White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Bannon famously declared that one of the Trump administration's top priorities would be the “deconstruction of the administrative state”. For the Bannon wing of the White House, this meant repealing regulations that handcuffed American businesses and cutting down the size of the federal workforce and bureaucracy. Dr. Sebastian Gorka, a former deputy assistant to the president and member of the Bannon and Breitbart orbit, discussed the progress President Trump has made on deconstructing the administrative state. Ned Ryun, a board member of CPAC and the founder and CEO of American Majority Action, talked about the president's influence on the conservative movement and what has become of the Tea Party in this new era of Trump.

"We will not be afraid to hit back harder than we are hit. That seems to be the language that Vladimir Putin understands." Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

President Trump responded to recent criticisms of his attitudes towards Russia Tuesday morning by tweeting, “I have been much tougher on Russia than Obama, just look at the facts. Total Fake News!” The president followed up this morning with another tweet, saying, “Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation? Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling?” Special Counsel Robert Mueller's recent indictments have given us more insight into and information about the Russian troll farms that interfered in the election. There’s clearly a lot going on in the Russia probe so Congressman Jim Himes (D-Conn. 04), member of the House Intelligence Committee, jumps on to get us up to speed. Juan Williams, political analyst for Fox News, talks about the future of the evangelical involvement in politics after the passing of Reverend Billy Graham.

"He [Trump] doesn't have an ideology, he just stumbled into one." Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

David Frum, a senior editor at The Atlantic and former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush, reports on and details the ways that the Trump presidency is corrupting our Democratic norms and institutions in his new book “Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic.” He joined Rick and guest co-host Rick Tyler, an MSNBC contributor and Republican strategist, to explain some of the paradoxes we see from Trump that are truly concerning and dangerous. He said foreign policy is one example, stating, “Donald Trump is drifting towards a conflict on the Korean Peninsula while at the same time attacking the U.S.-Korea relationship.” The Ricks try to tackle one of the defining questions of contemporary politics: Why does the NRA always seem to win?

"Mr. Mueller has a deliberate plan in mind. I think he's following the evidence." Feb 17, 2018

Show notes

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced today that special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities with charges related to interference in the 2016 presidential election. The indictments confused some pundits and politicians on Capitol Hill because no Americans were charged. How does this relate to the allegations of collusion and obstruction of justice we associate with Mueller's investigation? Seth Waxman, a former federal prosecutor, talks about what the indictments say about the direction of the special counsel’s Russia investigation. Professor Robert Spitzer, chair of the Political Science department at SUNY Cortland, discusses the lessons we can learn about gun control from the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1927.

"There were a lot of flags that were raised, but there were also a lot of balls that were dropped." Feb 16, 2018

Show notes

In the wake of a national tragedy like the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, we seek solutions and ways to prevent such huge losses of innocent life. In the last 24 hours, many are calling for better understanding and training regarding mental health and the links between mental health and gun violence. Cam Edwards, host of Cam & Company on NRA TV, talks about finding solutions that don’t impede on citizens’ gun rights. Some of our listeners also call in to share their stories of loss and to give their perspective on the gun control and mental health debates.

"They [intelligence agencies] are here to keep you safe from these cyber threats. Donald Trump, on the other hand, does not care." Feb 15, 2018

Show notes

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified in front of Congress this week, delivering a stark warning to the Senate Intelligence Committee and the American people, saying, “Frankly, the United States is under attack, under attack by enemies that are using cyber to penetrate virtually every major action that takes place in the United States.” Director Coats affirmed that Russians interfered in the 2016 election and that Russian state actors are aiming to influence future elections and other events in the U.S. and Europe. Malcolm Nance, a career counterintelligence officer, discusses the implications of Director Coats’ testimony and President Trump’s continued silence on Russia's interference. Historian, foreign policy analyst and Washington Post columnist Max Boot talks about why he thinks Republicans are making a mockery of their own reputations.

"This is not a pretty budget." Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

President Trump's new budget managed a rare feat: it managed to infuriate liberals AND conservatives. It called for slashing social safety net and welfare programs and would STILL add TRILLIONS of dollars to the deficit over the next 10 years. Dr. Merrill Matthews, a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, joins Rick Ungar and Ron Christie to discuss this baffling budget. The guys also talk about the winners and losers in the budget and how it manages to irk Republicans and Democrats alike.

"In the Olympics, the North Koreans are winning [the propaganda war]." Feb 13, 2018

Show notes

Career counterintelligence officer Malcolm Nance described North Korea’s Olympic detente with South Korea as a “regional power play by people who take masterclasses in the subject” and “the world class trolling of Donald Trump”. North and South Korea have already made several diplomatic overtures during the ongoing 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The two countries marched in the opening ceremonies under a united banner, Kim Jong-Un’s sister is acting as an official presence at the Winter Games and Vice President Mike Pence even hinted today that the Trump administration could be open to talks with North Korea. Gordon Chang, a columnist for The Daily Beast and author of “Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On The World”, discusses Pence's diplomatic faux-pas and how we should interpret this potential diplomatic thaw on the Korean peninsula. Congressman Mike Quigley (D-Ill. 05), member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, talks about the next steps for the House Democrats’ counter-memo to Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ (R-CA 22) memo on alleged FISA abuses.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Rational Radio Daily with Steele and Ungar

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected