The Smerconish Podcast

It's all about that hook! Renowned psychologist and author Dr. Mardy Grothe joins Michael to present "Twenty-Three of the Best Opening Lines of 2023," a captivating collection of this year's most powerful literary openers. Original Air Date 21 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adver...

What a year it has been! Before stepping away for holiday break, Michael and TC look back at the SiriusXM show for the year 2023. Original air date 21 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael poses a hypothetical as today's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com: If Trump were unindicted and not facing legal challenge to his candidacy, would he still be the GOP frontrunner? Listen to him lay it out here, then vote! Thank you for listening to this podcast everyday - Happy Holidays from Team Smerconish. The Daily Poll Question podcast will return in 2024. Original air date 21 Dece...

A look back at 2023 with political analyst Mark Halperin, editor of The Wide World of News. Original air date 20 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael offers his take on COMPACT founder Matthew Schmitz' op-ed in the New York Times, "The Secret of Trump’s Appeal Isn’t Authoritarianism." He asks this Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is Trump actually more moderate than authoritarian? Listen here, then vote! Original air date 20 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

What's it take to host a great radio show? Many different elements that come together - Michael offers his philosophy of hosting a radio show to NBC News Legal Analyst Danny Cevallos, who is guest-hosting The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM over the holidays for a couple of days while Michael is out. Original air date 19 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://p...

Decorations for the holidays are up! Michael asks today's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com: The color of your Christmas lights: White or Colored? Original air date 19 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Donald Trump thanked Michael over the weekend on the same day as he used extreme rhetoric to discuss illegal immigration. Michael reacts to Trump's comments and looks ahead at Trump's upcoming trials. Then Michael listens to a diverse group of callers who share their thoughts on Trump's rhetoric and its effects on the 2024 race. Original air date 18 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

On Saturday, Donald Trump spoke in New Hampshire and gave a speech that quoted autocrats and also included an anti-immigration poem. Listen here as Michael explains today's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is Donald Trump doing well politically despite his extreme rhetoric and dog whistles or because of those things? Original air date 18 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compan...

Your garbage man, your manicurist, your delivery drivers, and maybe your dry cleaner? To whom, and how much, do you tip during the holidays? Michael, TC and Dan talk about this annual tradition, and there are a wide variety of takes. Original air date 15 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal dat...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is defending an invitation for a holiday party only for elected officials of color, stressing the need for shared experiences and carving out spaces for communities of color. Listen here as Michael explains today's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is it appropriate for a mayor to host a holiday party exclusively for elected officials of color? Hear his thoughts here,...

Hans Noel, Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University, wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times that caught Michael's eye, "There Is a Better Way to Pick a Presidential Nominee ." He explains the way the US selects its presidential nominees today is not the way it has always been, and it is not the way it needs to be. Original air date 14 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, appeared on Capitol Hill yesterday but did not testify, instead giving a statement to the press. Michael asks you today's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com: If Hunter is convicted and sentenced to prison, will President Biden pardon him? Listen here, then vote! Original air date 14 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pc...

Michael talks to political analyst Mark Halperin at the Wide World of News, just as Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, appears on Capitol Hill and offers an impromptu statement to the press on the day he is supposed to be deposed in Congress behind closed doors, but wishes to testify publicly. Original air date 13 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adsw...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington, DC hat-in-hand this week asking for more help in his country's war against Russia. Michael asks this Daily Poll Question today at Smerconsih.com: "Should U.S. aid to Ukraine be tied to American border security?" Listen to his explanation here, then vote! Original air date 13 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See htt...

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig joins Michael to go in depth on Special Counsel Jack Smith's petition to the Supreme Court to expedite former President Trump's DC election subversion trial by skipping the appellate process. For Michael, the petition is really interesting for both what it does - and does not - say. Original air date 12 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. Se...

With Special Counsel Jack Smith going directly to the Supreme Court to resolve whether former President Trump has immunity from prosecution, in an attempt to keep the election subversion trial on schedule for March 2024, Michael asks this Daily Poll Question today at Smerconish.com: Is it appropriate for Jack Smith to take the election calendar into account in his prosecution of Trump? Listen to h...

New polling data shows Donald Trump with a significant lead in many of the swing states. Michael discusses why the polls are favoring the former president and speaks with callers about their individual perspectives on the polls and the presidential race. Original air date 11 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

Liz Magill, the president of University of Pennsylvania, voluntarily stepped down from the helm of the Ivy League school following a barrage of criticism over her answer to a question about antisemitism and free speech. Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com today: "Should Liz Magill Have Been Forced Out Of Penn?" Listen here, then vote! Original air date 11 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an...

Danny Cevallos, NBC News/MSNBC Legal Analyst, explains the latest indictment of Hunter Biden on nine new tax-related charges. President Biden's son once had a shot at a great plea deal, but that is now more...so, what does that mean for his father in 2024, and...a potential pardon? The audience weighs in. Original air date 8 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm....

Michael has been very interested in a multi-part series on artificial intelligence running in The New York Times. It is the basis for what he's asking in today's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is AI more likely to elevate humanity or destroy it? Listen to him explain here, then vote! And please follow this podcast on your favorite podcast app, and feel free to leave a review. Original air...

Ilya Shapiro, Director of Constitutional Studies at The Manhattan Institute joins Michael to discuss what's happening on college campuses in reaction to the Israel-Hamas war. His piece on it at The Free Press is "Where Free Speech Ends and Lawbreaking Begins." Original air date 7 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...

TIME named Taylor Swift as the "2023 Person of the Year." Was that the right choice? Today, Michael's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Which of the following most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about 2023? 1) Taylor Swift 2) Hamas 3) Artificial Intelligence. Listen to his thoughts here, then vote! Original air date 7 December 2023. Host...

Michael takes issue with TIME choosing musician and pop star Taylor Swift as its 2023 Person of the Year. Does she meet the magazine's criteria of being "the individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months"? Listen here and decide. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney is out with a new book. The outspoken critic of former President Trump is weighing a third party presidential bid as well, which prompts Michael's Daily Poll Question at Smerconish.com today: "Should Liz Cheney run for president?" Listen here, then vote! Original air date 6 December 2023. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.c...