The Ed Morrissey Show

Happy Independence Day, America -- even those who seem most unhappy about it. Andrew Malcolm and I discuss the apathy demonstrated by the Left, and how it looks more like antipathy for America. Have civic values eroded as a result of American educational failures, or have politicians failed us? Or both?

Which development is worse – the MOU with Iran or the Obama presidential library? Andrew Malcolm and I discuss both, and we agree that the ugly architecture in Chicago will be with us a lot longer than any deal with the IRGC. We also discuss another of Andrew's popular "Memories" series and talk about presidential libraries and why we don't need them.

What do Dems plan if they win back control of the House? Andrew Malcolm and I discuss their obsession with Trump, and why it's going to land flat. We also talk about the Iran deal and why we're keeping our powder dry until we see the text of the MOU..Also: Does 60 Minutes suffer from delusions of virtue?

Can fact-checking ever recover its credibility? It's possible, author Matthew Hoy says, but we both agree it's highly unlikely. Hoy talks about his new book, Fact Checking Frauds: How Fact Checkers Distract, Deceive, and Destroy Our Politics. We discuss the origins of fact-checking, its initial promise, and its inevitable corruption – especially by the media.

Do you know who Scott Pelley is? We certainly do now that his hubris has been exposed. Andrew Malcolm and I propose some creative paths for insubordination for those who want to lose multi-million-dollar salaries. We also take a look at how the Bidens are hijacking the midterms from Democrats who just want them to go away.

Has Donald Trump "bitten off more than he can chew" with Iran? Former ambassador and congressman Francis Rooney talks about foreign policy in Trump's second term. He spent part of his career in Iran and thinks it's time to frame something up as a win and turn attention to China and Cuba. Ambassador Rooney also thinks the tariffs have been a bust, and perhaps more costly than Trump can afford at th...

Andrew Malcolm and I reunite after a couple of weeks off, and ... nothing much has changed in the war with Iran. We wonder whether Donald Trump has let an opportunity for victory slip away from him, and whether he's losing the patience and goodwill of the electorate by allowing the IRGC to drag this out. We also game out what happened in Texas, and why Trump's bold midterm strategy comes with a co...

Did Democrats lose the Great Redistricting War? Andrew Malcolm and I reflect on the ways in which political stability might be the long-run loser, but this is actually just one battle in a long war Democrats have waged against Trump. And ironically, it actually started with the Clintons' war against the Bushes. We also discuss the war in Iran, as well as the latest from Los Angeles.

Based on the coverage of the war in Iran so far, we're at Year 11 with no end in sight. Andrew Malcolm and I return to review the media's relentless pessimism, and how Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are pushing back – hard. We discuss Andrew's tribute to Mitch McConnell and how the GOP may miss him more than they think. We also wonder whether CNN is violating child labor laws in selecting panelists...

"Nobody's playing games," Donald Trump declared. Andrew Malcolm and I say: Au contraire. We discuss Iran's attempts to stall for time, Trump's next moves, and whether Congress will reward Iran by kneecapping Trump via the War Powers Act. Andrew also discusses his latest column on the Eric Swalwell scandal, and how the Protection Racket Media failed America. Again.

What happened to Eric Swalwell's political career? Andrew Malcolm and I both agree that it ended when the congressman became inconvenient to California Democrats. How long did "reporters" know the truth about Swalwell, and why didn't they report it? We also discuss the new blockade on Iran and the options it opens for Donald Trump, and talk about the most famous Door Dash delivery in history.

The Washington Post had to correct a story that turned out to be IRGC propaganda. Why did the Post fail to vet this supposedly "independent" journalist that openly bragged that he was traveling to Iran at the regime's invitation to report on war crimes by the "Epstein regime"? Andrew Malcom and I discuss that, plus Donald Trump's long history of urging action on Iran.

Robert Joseph has spent much of his career dealing with nuclear arms and national security. He negotiated with Moammar Qaddafi to disarm Libya in 2003, ran the State Department's operations for Arms Control and International Security, and now advises the National Council of Resistance of Iran. He joins me in discussing the failure of appeasement, the necessity of Operation Epic Fury, and why the N...

Does the war with Iran violate international law? Does international law even exist? NGO Monitor president Prof. Gerald Steinberg joins me from Jerusalem to explain why "international law" is largely a myth, and how Western appeasement of Iran has undermined even the myth for decades.

What are we to make of Bari Weiss' decision to shut down CBS News' radio service? Andrew Malcolm and I put it in perspective. We also discuss Donald Trump's ultimatum for Iran and its delay, as well as the constant doomspeak coming from the Protection Racket Media. Has Donald Trump created the first three-week quagmire in military history, or has the US media industry just decided to root for the...

Has the FDA thwarted Donald Trump on his Right to Try initiative in 2018? Angelina Olivera tells me about her son Ryu, who suffers from a rare disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Ryu is running out of time for an effective medical treatment, but the FDA is blocking access to one drug that shows great promise. Angelina talks to us about fighting the bureaucracy at the FDA, and the need to have pr...

Can anyone in the White House press corps ask an intelligent question? Andrew Malcolm and I trade Andy Rooney impressions while discussing the impatience of the American media and the public it supposedly serves. The Protection Racket Media has covered the first seventeen days of a war as though we're sixteen days overdue for V-I Day. Plus, we talk about why this is all Abraham Lincoln's fault, ba...

America went to war with Iran this weekend. How did the media report it? Andrew Malcolm and I take a look at that question, along with the messages that Operation Epic Fury sends. Is China listening? Plus, I put down a Malcolm rebellion!

Donald Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term tonight. What will make this one different? Andrew Malcolm and I preview the speech, discuss the recent faceplants from Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the media's attempts to kickstart the 2028 presidential cycle.

Will Iran finally cut a deal on ballistic missiles and terrorism, or will a refusal result in an American military response? Middle East Forum's Jim Hanson analyzes the current deployments, games out the options, and reveals the capabilities of the massive force arrayed against the Islamic Republic. And what are the risks of a failed state?

Marco Rubio wowed Europe with his speech at the Munich Security Conference. But did he say anything different than J.D. Vance did a couple of weeks ago? Andrew Malcolm and I speculate on a good cop/bad cop dynamic from the Trump administration when it comes to Europe and NATO. We also weigh in on the speculative analysis and conspiracy theorizing over Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. Andrew takes a...

Bad Bunny or Kid Rock? Neither Andrew Malcolm nor I can pick a winner for sure in this game, but at least the Halftime Show War may have been more competitive than the game. We talk about the lost value of great defense in today's NFL, plus we both wonder how long the NFL can stage football in its current form.

What happened to the expected strike this weekend? Andrew Malcolm and I discuss the dog that didn't bark, or rather the dog that didn't bite, and why Trump may have waited. Will Iran negotiate in good faith? Will our regional allies give us a green light if they don't? We also take a look at the trade deal with India, and whether that might bring Putin's war machine to a halt. Finally, we take a l...

Will a change in the lineup give everyone some breathing room in Minneapolis? Andrew Malcolm and I discuss the dramatic changes taking place in the standoff between Donald Trump, Tim Walz, and Jacob Frey, and why Tom Homan may be the right man to take charge. Where does that leave Kristi Noem? We also talk about Andrew's latest "Malcolm's Memories" column, getting the lowdown on the Great TP Short...

Just how bad is the new Star Trek series from Paramount Plus? Our old friend Cranky T-Rex sits down with me for well over an hour to dissect the new entry in Alex Kurtzman's Trek universe, in which science disappears altogether and the fiction is barely above the Young Adult level. Both of us feel like we swallowed our own combadges after watching the free pilot on YouTube, but the problem isn't j...