The Smerconish Podcast

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Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Which is the bigger midterm prize, the House or the Senate? Election Day is just over two weeks away - Michael breaks down what's really at stake if Democrats reclaim one or both chambers of Congress. A House majority could unleash investigations, subpoenas, spending battles, and even another impeachment vote. But Senate control brings a different kind of p...

With less than three weeks until the 2026 midterm elections, are Republicans facing a much bigger defeat than anyone expects? Political analyst Mark Halperin joins Michael to explain why President Trump is campaigning in deep-red states, what internal GOP polling may be revealing, and how MAGA infighting could make a bad election night even worse. They also discuss growing questions surrounding Tr...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Who cut Ukraine's Starlink service this week? Was it Trump? Was it Musk? Was it both or was it a glitch? As Ukrainian forces face a massive Russian missile barrage, reports of sudden Starlink restrictions are raising urgent questions about who controls battlefield communications. Michael examines the escalating tensions between Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and...

This is the audio version of "Can We Agree?" Episode #4. 'Can We Agree" is the program that asks whether two brilliant minds from opposite corners of an argument can find any common ground on the questions that matter most to Americans today. Subscribe to the Smerconish YouTube channel to never miss an episode! "Socialism" is a word Republicans have used against Democrats as a slur for decades. No...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Will the midterm election results cause the president to make significant changes to his cabinet and/or policies? With Democrats favored to retake the House, and the Senate hanging in the balance, Michael looks beyond Election Day to a more consequential question: What will President Trump do if Republicans suffer a major defeat? Will he shake up his cabine...

What would George H.W. Bush think of today's deeply divided America? Michael sits down with the former president's son, Neil Bush, to reflect on his father's extraordinary legacy, the famous "Thousand Points of Light" speech, and why volunteerism may be the key to bringing Americans together again. As chairman of Points of Light, Bush shares personal memories of his parents, the values that shaped...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Will Elon Musk's $276 million in donations keep the Senate in Republican hands? With Republicans facing a difficult Senate map and Democrats increasingly optimistic about flipping control, Elon Musk is pouring hundreds of millions into the fight. Michael examines whether the world's richest man's massive political spending can overcome troubling poll number...

Deadly Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have put President Trump at a dangerous crossroads in the war with Iran. Retired four-star Admiral and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis joins Michael to explain who the Houthis are, why they're so difficult to defeat, and the three military options facing Trump. Should the U.S. launch more strikes, tighten the economic pressure, or avoid fu...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is serving in public office today worth the risk of violence? Death threats, assassination attempts, and escalating political hostility are changing the reality of public service in America. Michael examines a New York Times investigation revealing widespread threats against governors, members of Congress, and local officials, alongside new Secret Service f...

What really went wrong at Cornell? Michael speaks with Hanna Stotland, an educational crisis consultant who has handled 363 campus sexual misconduct cases, about the controversial rape allegations, the role of drugs and alcohol, and what the public may be overlooking. Stotland argues that substance abuse is a common denominator in these cases—but is that victim-blaming or an uncomfortable truth? P...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Are you in favor of the death penalty for a person convicted of murder? As executions make headlines in Texas and Florida, California Governor Gavin Newsom considers commuting hundreds of death sentences, and the Trump administration revisits the use of firing squads, Michael examines America's complicated relationship with capital punishment. Gallup pollin...

A botched execution in Tennessee, a firing squad in Texas, record-setting executions in Florida, and a possible mass commutation of death sentences in California. America's death penalty debate is back in the spotlight. Michael is a longtime supporter of capital punishment, but admits he's questioning his position more than ever. Is the death penalty justice or revenge? Does it deter crime? And wh...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Do you agree with Mark Halperin that as the media has gotten more diverse, the bias of the dominant media against Trump has worsened? More media choices than ever—but is mainstream news coverage becoming less fair? Michael Smerconish examines journalist Mark Halperin's provocative argument that legacy media outlets have grown increasingly biased against Don...

Is the press giving Donald Trump and Republicans a fair shake? 2WAY Political Analyst Mark Halperin joins Michael Smerconish to argue that America’s “dominant media” applies a different standard to Democrats and Republicans—and that the problem has only intensified in the Trump era. They discuss coverage of Trump’s record and Democratic flip-flops, plus the extraordinary success of Fox News as it...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Prior to a verdict, who should remain anonymous in a rape accusation case? Only the accuser, both the accuser and the accused, or no one? Michael examines the difficult balance between victim privacy, the presumption of innocence, and the public’s right to know. Using the Cornell rape case as a backdrop, he looks at why the accuser remains anonymous while t...

Listen to Michael's Book Club Podcast interview with Annie Jacobson on her latest book "Biological War: A Scenario" Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should New York Attorney General Letitia James be the person to investigate the Cornell rape case? Michael examines whether AG James can fairly oversee the high-profile Cornell case after publicly referring to the accuser as a “survivor” before an investigation was completed. Drawing on arguments from former federal prosecutor Elie Honig and attorney Justin...

The latest developments in the Cornell rape case raise a complicated question: When is someone too intoxicated to legally consent to sex? Michael breaks down New York’s rape laws, the controversial “voluntary intoxication” loophole, and why the distinction between being drugged, unconscious, and voluntarily intoxicated could make this case extraordinarily difficult to prosecute. Plus, new reportin...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is America over-policed or under-policed? Michael explores a provocative argument from Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, "The American Way of Killing" (hear Michael's conversation with Gladwell on The Book Club Podcast later today): America may have too few police officers, not too many—and far too many people behind bars. Comparing U.S. cities with their Europe...

With the 2026 midterms just weeks away, Mark Halperin joins Michael to break down the battle for control of the House and Senate—and why races in places like Kansas and Iowa deserve attention. They also revisit the Bernie Sanders–AOC 2028 idea, discuss Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s presidential potential, and examine Donald Trump’s stakes in the midterms. Could the political map be shifting fas...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Will the renewed investigation at Cornell result in any criminal convictions? Michael revisits the Cornell sexual assault case with new information now in the public record, including reporting on Jane Doe’s statements, text messages, the university’s Title IX process, and the district attorney’s decision not to initially bring charges. While acknowledging...

New details have emerged in the Cornell rape case, including reporting about Jane Doe’s statements to police, text messages after the alleged incident, and Cornell’s Title IX investigation. Michael is joined again by NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos to examine what the new information means for the renewed criminal investigation — and why, in Danny’s view, prosecutors may not be able to “unri...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should AI designers consider religious doctrine when programming morality? As artificial intelligence becomes a source of advice on everything from family conflicts to medical decisions, whose values should guide its answers? Michael examines reports that Anthropic has consulted religious scholars as it wrestles with the “moral formation” of AI—and consider...

How biased is Michael? The latest Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart is out, and Michael is more than happy to share his report card: A Blutarsky. He breaks down where his CNN program and SiriusXM podcast land on the left-right media bias spectrum, compares his scores with some of the biggest names in news and commentary, and offers a theory for why his radio show lands slightly to the left of his TV prog...