The Rick Smith Show

After whining for decades about "waste, fraud, and abuse" when the GOP unleashed the DOGE tents on the federal government, what they discovered was that government actually operates pretty efficiently, and the waste they were looking for simply ins't there. We discuss this and more with today's guests: Labor Attorney Seth Goldstein and Justin Pier of the Brotherhood of Railroad Sig...

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Trump once again posted message after message that placed himself at the center of the holiday and embarrassed us once again on the world stage. For some reason none of us can explain, things that would have ended any other political career anywhere ever simply don't affect Trump. We will be studying this phenomenon for years, but today, we'll discuss it with...

Even with all the greed, corruption, and sometimes just plain old evil coming out of this administration, the thing that defines it for all of history will likely be its ridiculous incompetence. Everywhere we look, we find leaders who have no idea what they're doing, and the mistakes are stacking up and growing in severity. Daniel Horowitz of AFGE is our guest. Don’t miss our daily TV show on...

We've been saying the same thing for years and years now. Republicans hate working people; if you need proof, don't listen to what they say - watch what they do . And right now, what they're doing is ripping healthcare away from millions of American to fund tax cuts for the billionaire class. It's disgusting, but it's what they do. Today's guests are Alex Lawson of Social S...

Like thieves in the night, the GOP gathered at 1am in DC to push through Trump's "Big Billionaire Welfare Bill" even though it is widely opposed by pretty much all Americans ... except a few very rich ones. We discuss this and more with JB Branch of Public Citizen, and special guest Will Bunch - National Opinion Columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Fr...

JD Vance is just the worst. It took him about ten minutes to turn the Biden cancer diagnosis into a political plaything, and his disgusting behavior is just the latest in a long history of political reversals. Vance used to bash Trump at every opportunity, and now he's in Trump's pocket because that's as close as he can get to power. Andrea Ducas of The Center for American Progress and...

It looks like the GOP's "Big Billionaire Bill" might just make its way through Congress, and working people all over America are going to pay for it. Just another example of Trump and the GOP redistributing wealth from working people to the wealth class. Reporter Sarah Burris of Raw Story and China policy expert Emily de La Bruyere are our guests. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free S...

As America is dealing with rising prices and instability, Trump is overseas on a personal enrichment tour, going from country to country accepting bribes and selling us out to foreign interests. But in his defense, we all knew what he was before we voted for him, and we put him in the position to be exactly as corrupt as he has always been, so like it or not, this one is on us. Our guests are form...

In an absolutely brutal set of hearings in Congress this week, new HHS Secretary and longtime vaccine denialist RFK Jr. told a committee that Americans "should not take medical advice" from him, which is an odd thing for one of the top medical professionals to say, but when you're a Trump appointee, being unqualified is kind of expected. Today's guests are Alex lawson of Social Sec...

Well, the GOP has released its "big beautiful bill" and it is exactly what we expected - tax cuts for the rich paid for by decimating healthcare for working people. They have shown us - yet again - exactly who they are, yet they will largely get a pass from the very people they will hurt the most. Scott Paul of The Alliance for American Manufacturing and Professor Eric Fink of Elon Univers...

Well, it turns out that "Liberation Day" was, like most Trump promises, a big fat lie. So now we're backing down on tariffs, and getting nothing at all in return. Full surrender. Full stop. Our guests today are Greg Regan of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, and Kyle Ross of The Center for American Progress. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV:  www.freesp...

And now we're taking bribes from foreign governments ... In a move that can be called nothing other than blatantly corrupt, Trump is accepting a "gift" in the form of a $400 million airplane. And who's giving the "gift" you ask? Well, it's the nation of Qatar, who we count as an ally, but who also funds Hamas. Today's guests are Amy Hanauer of The Institute on Taxat...

Trump is so desperate for a "win" that he's announcing a trade deal with the UK that isn't complete and isn't a trade deal in the first place because congress hasn't even seen it, much less approved it. But that didn't stop Dear Leader from taking a victory lap. Today we share our embarrassment with two special guests: Sarah Burris of raw Story and Lehigh County (PA) Co...

So now it looks like the Trump administration is asking countries to use Elon Musk's StarLink as a port of their trade "negotiations." It's all grift, all the time these days, and none of us voted for this. Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy is our guests today, and so is Jeff Timmer of The Lincoln Project. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV:  www.freespeech.org Find us...

Republicans have been busy since they won the 2024 election - they just haven't been busy doing anything we elected them to do. Instead, it's been a full-speed race to authoritarianism led by a band of criminals who seem to think they will never have to answer to voters ever again. Our guests today are Author David Pepper and Scott Paul of The Alliance for American Manufacturing. Don’t mis...

There were many promises made during the 2024 presidential campaign, but none of them are being kept. Prices are higher than ever, the economy is in the tank, and soon we'll be fighting our neighbors over empty store shelves - all for one man's vanity and incompetence. We're living in a silly and dangerous place, friends, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Bobby Kog...

Trump is so embarrassingly desperate to distract us from his terrible record that he, using the White House social media accounts, is posting AI images of himself dressed as the Pope. Meanwhile, prices are rocketing upward and store shelves are beginning to empty. This is life in Trumpworld, and we should expect more of the same going forward. Labor leaders Claude Cummings (CWA) and Phil Glover (A...

Trump crossed the 100 days mark late last week, and so far, we're unimpressed to say the least. So far he hasn't done only of the things he promised (like lowering prices or ending the war in Ukraine) but he has done lots and lots of stuff that nobody wanted, and he looks like he's going to continue doing things no one wanted for as long as we allow him to remain in office. Former New...

As we look back on the first 100 days of America in decline, we can say a lot about what has happened so far. Trump did a lot of things - he just didn't do anything anyone actually wanted him to do or elected him to do. Labor Historian Erik Loomis and Journalist Michael Sainato of The Guardian are our guests. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV:  www.freespeech.org Find us on: ·    ...

The best way to describe what Trump is doing in America is to see it as a rollback of the progress made in the 20th century. Workers' rights, civil rights, women's rights - all are basically being taken back to the days of the robber barons. Trump is behaving as if he believes his billionaire friends are better than you, rather than seeing them for what they are - parasites. Today's gu...

As Trump's first 100 days comes to a close, and we sift though the ashes of what was once a vibrant democracy, we may just be seeing a path out of this mess. Trump approval rating at 100 days is the lowest number recorded in the last 80 years, which means people are not happy with his nonsense. We discuss this and more with special guest Doug Jones, former U.S. Senator from Alabama. Don’t miss...

With May Day right around the corner, and the conditions for working class people getting worse by the hour, perhaps now is the right time to really start pushing back against the people responsible for the dumbest trade war in world history. Union leader Brent Booker of LiUNA and workplace safety expert Jordan Barab are our guests. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV:  www.freespeech.o...

Well, it looks like our Secretary of Defense is handing out state secrets like Halloween candy, and for some reason we can't understand, he still has a job. That's because he's the only guy willing to order our military do the terrible things Trump has in mind. We discuss this and much more with Daniel Horowitz of AFGE and author Shaun Richman. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Spee...

Republicans hate working people. That much is clear. But they also hate poor people, which is a bit odd, because GOP policies make so many poor people and force struggling families into desperate circumstances while funneling their wages to the billionaire class. We discuss this and more with Meagan Hatcher-Mays of United for Democracy and Ryan Mulholland of The Center for American Progress. Don’t...

So prices are up, the markets are down, container ships are empty and the layoffs are beginning. I think it's safe to say that while many voted for Trump, no one voted for the mess we're currently in. Phil Glover of AFGE and Sarah Burris of raw Story join us to discuss. Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV:  www.freespeech.org Find us on: ·       DirecTV (Channel 348) ·       Dis...