The Smerconish Podcast

Michael talks trade and tariffs with former Louisiana Lt. Governor and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who also served as President Biden's senior advisor for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implementation. He compares trade relationships with other countries under Biden versus today, and the impact of U.S. jobs and the economy. And, they discuss today's Smerconish.com poll questio...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Are President Trump's tariffs a permanent fixture of his trade policy or primarily a negotiating tactic? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue....

Read Kevin Kelly's 50 Years of Travel Tips Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael offers a commentary on what's happening in the financial markets as a result of President Trump enacting reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners around the world. This leads to ask you Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Will the Dow Jones Industrial Average close higher or lower this Friday than it did last Friday (38,314.86)? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconis...

The New York Times reporter Charles Homans joins Michael to discuss his new piece "The Strange, Post-Partisan Popularity of the Unabomber'"; a piece that takes a deep dive into the life and death of Ted Kaczynski, infamously known as the "Unabomber". In this interview Homans unpacks the shocking uptick in Ted Kaczynski's popularity. Original air date 4 April 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

The stock market has taken a massive hit since President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs against foreign trading partners on "Liberation Day". Michael offers a commentary on this, leading to Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Has President Trump just triggered a recession? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The...

Learn more about the World Happiness Report here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael offers an insightful commentary on yesterday's reciprocal tariffs announcement at the White House, focusing on Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: If Trump's tariffs boost American manufacturing, will they outweigh the downsides, such as higher prices and strained international relations? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review...

2WAY Editor-in-Chief Mark Halperin appeared in the "New Media" seat in the White House Briefing Room, and asked the first question of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at yesterday's press briefing. He gives us the behind-the-scenes scoop of his day in Washington (but doesn't answer ALL the details of what Michael is looking for), plus, hear his analysis on today's top political headlines. Then, he...

If you were to match up sports all stars - in their prime - against each other, who would win? Lebron James vs Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson vs Mohammed Ali, Serena Williams vs Billie Jean King....who wins? Michael ponders this with an out-of-the-box poll question today at Smerconish.com, based on the talk of President Trump trying to run for a third term as President (currently prohibited under the...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is it fair to lay substantial blame on the law firms who settled with President Trump to get off of his blacklist? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest is...

Michael rode in a Waymo this weekend, and loved it! Listen to his experience using the self-driving car service in Phoenix, Arizona. Original air date 31 March 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Looking back at the last 3 years, would you say the U.S. support for Ukraine was too little, too much or just right? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest...

Dr. Brandi Summers, Columbia University Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies joins Michael to talk about her research on gentrification in neighborhoods. Michael was drawn to this topic after an article in the Washington Post caught his eye, titled "“The house color that tells you when a neighborhood is gentrifying." Original air date 5 March 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an Ad...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Which was worse: Mike Waltz creating the Signal chat and including an outsider, or Pete Hegseth's revelations in the chat? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human int...

Should Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, have announced his presence when he was inadvertently added to a classified group chat among Trump administration officials on Signal? That's just one of many ethical questions a journalist must consider. Michael gets expertise on all these questions and concerns in this conversation with Kelly McBride, Senior Vice President and Chair, Crai...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Ethically speaking, when should journalist Jeffrey Goldberg have revealed his presence in the Houthi group chat on Signal? Immediately, Once the attack commenced, or Nev Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish...

2WAY Editor-in-Chief Mark Halperin poses several important questions about the use of the Signal App in government, and offers expertise on government communications in this conversation with Michael. Original air date 26 March 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: On a scale of 1 (least) to 10 (most) damaging, how do you rate the political impact of the Houthi group chat on the Trump Administration? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or...

Richard A. Clarke served for thirty years in US government national security agencies, including the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House National Security Council. Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. He is currently Partner and Vice Chair, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. He is also 12th Chair of Rockefeller Foundation bo...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Which was more indicative of poor judgment regarding the Houthi group chat, that they used Signal, or the content of the discussion? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other...

Michael talks to Independent Senator Angus King of Maine, about President Trump's promise to not touch Social Security, while people in his administration seem to be trying to cut the entitlement that millions of Americans pay in to. Original air date 24 March 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data f...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is AOC becoming the new face of the Democratic Party? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conver...

The World Happiness Report for 2025 is out. Today, Michael's eye was drawn toward Chapter 3, because of its connection to mingling: "Sharing Meals With Others Supports Happiness And Social Connections." Listen to his conversation with one of the authors of this chapter, Micah Katz, a doctoral student in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also a research associate at the Wellbeing R...

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should education policy be directed more from the federal or state/local level? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it al...