The Rick Smith Show

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Can anything still bring a divided America back together? Rick talks with Tim Stretton, director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative at the Project On Government Oversight, about the issues that could actually unite working people across party lines. Then Celeste Drake, chief counsel at Demand Justice, joins Rick to break down "The Oligarchy's...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Trump cut a diesel deal with Vladimir Putin, and Beijing is cheering. Rick talks with Emily de La Bruyère, co-founder of Horizon Advisory, about why waiving sanctions on Russian diesel is a gift to China and what it means for American workers at the pump. Then Patriotic Millionaires chair Morris Pearl joins Rick to break down The Money Agenda and what's...

Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www.freespeech.org Find us on: ·       DirecTV (Channel 348) ·       Dish (Channel 269) ·       Sling ·       Roku ·       Apple TV ·       Amazon Fire TV ·       Get the FSTV iOS app HERE Did you miss last night’s show? Miss part of the #RickShow on your local radio station? Want to listen at work, or around the house? Download the podcast on our we...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, about the leaked audio from the Texas Senate candidate's fundraiser and what it reveals about the GOP plan for your earned benefits. Ken Paxton told Washington lobbyists "we have to suck it up" and cut mandatory spending. That's Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid....

Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www.freespeech.org Find us on: ·       DirecTV (Channel 348) ·       Dish (Channel 269) ·       Sling ·       Roku ·       Apple TV ·       Amazon Fire TV ·       Get the FSTV iOS app HERE Did you miss last night’s show? Miss part of the #RickShow on your local radio station? Want to listen at work, or around the house? Download the podcast on our we...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Dr. Katrina Gamble, founder and CEO of Sojourn Strategies, about defeating authoritarianism and building the collective power needed to defend democracy. Then Jonathan Fritz, senior fellow for China policy at the Center for American Progress, breaks down the Trump-Xi Summit Scorecard, examining the gap between diplomatic spectacle and real r...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Leonard Aguilar, President of the Texas AFL-CIO, about the Contract with America's Workers and the fight to build union power deep in the heart of Texas. Later, NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss brings the victory story every worker deserves: the Supreme Court refused to hear the Block family's last-ditch appeal, and the Post-Gaze...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick sits down with Don Bell, policy counsel with The Constitution Project at the Project On Government Oversight, POGO, to dig into AI and surveillance: who's watching, who's profiting, and why your rights shouldn't be the price of new tech. Then IUPAT General President Jimmy Williams Jr. joins Rick to talk about the Power to the People Festiva...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Bucknell economics professor Matías Vernengo about September's weak jobs report, just 29,000 jobs added and unemployment up to 4.2%, and the economic fallout from Trump's tariffs and war. Then Phil Glover, AFGE District 3 national vice president, joins to explain how his union keeps fighting and winning in court against Trump's a...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Laurel Kilgour of the American Economic Liberties Project about their Phoenix case study, which shows how Wall Street investors bought up homes, pushed up rents and ramped up evictions. Then Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, breaks down the Republican push for a closed-door commission to cut Social Security and Medica...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Guardian labor reporter Michael Sainato about the week's top labor stories and the union members and supporters running for office this fall. Then satirist and author Bruce Kluger joins to talk about his journey from serious op-ed writer to America's satirist songwriter, including his viral "MAGA Country" album and "The B...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Joe Spielberger, senior policy counsel at the Project On Government Oversight, about Trump's taxpayer-funded "public service" ads, including a recycled 2024 campaign spot, and whether they break federal propaganda laws. Then Mother Jones reporter Alex Nguyen joins to discuss his article "The Video Game Industry Is Brutal. Now...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at the Economic Policy Institute, about new EPI data showing immigrants grow every state's economy, deportations cost U.S.-born workers their jobs too, and the deportation drive is draining state tax revenue. Then author, educator and recovering ER doctor Keith Pochick joins R...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick sits down with AlterNet Senior Editor Sarah Burris to break down the top stories hitting America's working people. Then author John Hanson joins Rick to talk about his book, Fight & Win: Minneapolis Teamsters Strike, 1934, built on the stories his father passed down. How did truck drivers take on the bosses, the cops and City Hall, and win a un...

Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www.freespeech.org Find us on: ·       DirecTV (Channel 348) ·       Dish (Channel 269) ·       Sling ·       Roku ·       Apple TV ·       Amazon Fire TV ·       Get the FSTV iOS app HERE Did you miss last night’s show? Miss part of the #RickShow on your local radio station? Want to listen at work, or around the house? Download the podcast on our we...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with Tony D. Cardwell, President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-IBT, about CSX raking in record profits while 1,100 workers get the axe. Then Matthew Hinkel, Assistant Professor of Economics at Alma College, joins Rick to break down a new study showing union labor delivers superior results. Proof again: when workers or...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick sits down with Bill Scher, Politics Editor at the Washington Monthly, to break down Trump TV, the president's speech at the United Nations, and what it means for the midterm elections. Then Emily de La Bruyère, co-founder of Horizon Advisory, joins Rick to unpack the China visit, who gains, who pays, and what working people need to know.   Don’t mi...

Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www.freespeech.org Find us on: ·       DirecTV (Channel 348) ·       Dish (Channel 269) ·       Sling ·       Roku ·       Apple TV ·       Amazon Fire TV ·       Get the FSTV iOS app HERE Did you miss last night’s show? Miss part of the #RickShow on your local radio station? Want to listen at work, or around the house? Download the podcast on our we...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show , Rick talks with newly elected AFSCME President Patrick Moran about the CLARITY Act being halted, for now, and his vision for AFSCME’s future, including stronger worker power and public services. Later, AlterNet Senior Editor Sarah Burris joins Rick to unpack Trump’s escalating attacks on the press, the assault on the Kennedy Center, and the GOP’s latest pol...

Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www.freespeech.org Find us on: ·       DirecTV (Channel 348) ·       Dish (Channel 269) ·       Sling ·       Roku ·       Apple TV ·       Amazon Fire TV ·       Get the FSTV iOS app HERE Did you miss last night’s show? Miss part of the #RickShow on your local radio station? Want to listen at work, or around the house? Download the podcast on our we...

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show, Rick speaks with Don Bell, Policy Counsel at The Constitution Project at the Project On Government Oversight, about the growing dangers of artificial intelligence, including threats to privacy, accountability, civil rights, and democratic oversight. Later, Phil Glover, AFGE District 3 Vice President, joins Rick to discuss Trump’s attacks on federal workers,...

On this episode of The Rick Smith Show, Rick talks with Katie Harris, Vice President of Federal Affairs at the BlueGreen Alliance, about the Trump EPA’s assault on Clean Air Act protections putting polluters first and making asthma great again. Later, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch joins Rick to examine Eric Trump’s Russian oligarch-funded wedding and the larger pattern of Trump family...

On this episode of The Rick Smith Show, Rick talks with Bobby Kogan of the Center for American Progress about Trump's $5,000 promise, who actually pays for it, and why a check dangled before an election isn't a raise. Then Sunny Glottmann of the AFL-CIO Tech Institute walks through their new report, Priced Out, Pushed Out, which finds electronic shelf labels could cost grocery workers up t...

On this episode of The Rick Smith Show, Rick talks with Alternet Senior Editor Sarah Burris to unpack Trump's $5,000 promise, his choice to mark 9/11 in Washington instead of New York, and the rest of the circus keeping working people distracted from what's actually being taken. Then Bucknell economics professor Matias Vernengo breaks down the real state of the economy, prices, jobs, and w...

On this episode of The Rick Smith Show, Rick talks with Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department at the AFL-CIO, and Johnny Jones, President of AFGE Local 1040 to mark the anniversary of 9/11 and its lasting impact on the transportation industry and the workers who keep America moving. A conversation about security, sacrifice, and what the last 25 years have meant for the work...