The Mark Thompson Show

Republicans are facing a difficult midterm balancing act: embrace Donald Trump to energize the MAGA base and access his massive campaign war chest, or keep their distance as his approval ratings fall and some of his policies become political liabilities. We look at why vulnerable GOP candidates are divided over Trump’s involvement, and what that tension could mean for the party’s chances in Novemb...

Senator Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate Agriculture Committee for a vote on the Farm Bill, but confusion arose when his name was called. After aides and fellow Republicans appeared to prompt him, his name had to be repeated twice before he slightly raised a finger and quietly said “aye.” The moment added to concerns about the 84-year-old senator’s health following his 92-day absence from Ca...

Vice President JD Vance spoke at a closed-door House Republican conference meeting on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to target Democratic candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico. Critics condemned his advice as an embrace of racist fearmongering. The discussion also focused on voters’ economic frustrations ahead of the midterms. We welcome presidential historian John Rothmann to the s...

The US Supreme Court is blocking a Trump administration rule that would have restricted mail voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and voting rights advocates are celebrating the win. The postal service rule, by presidential executive order, would have given the executive branch unprecedented control over how Americans vote by mail and let the Postal Service refuse to send ballots to voters....

Donald Trump is pushing back against calls for stricter AI guardrails, calling them part of a “sick conspiracy” against the industry and data centers. As concerns grow over AI’s potential risks, Trump, discounting warnings of the demise of humanity from AI industry leaders, says the U.S. must keep moving fast to stay ahead of China. Guests today include: Emmy award winning news anchor David Shuste...

"I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try to cheat like hell like they do." Donald Trump leads a crowd in a pledge to vote in the upcoming midterms, calling himself the greatest president in U.S. history and claiming that Democrats are the biggest cheaters of all. Today, marks 25 year since the September 11th attacks on America. How have we changed as a country? Kenneth Feinberg wil...

Is the president actually trying to buy this election? You might be waiting for his latest promise of cash like you're still waiting for your DOGE check. Donald Trump gave a wild "midterm convention" speech promising every adult citizen a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans keep hold of Congress in the midterms. From the sheer desperation of the pitch to the legal reality that he can't just sen...

President Trump doled out $45,000 in cold hard cash to three White House aides as holiday bonuses. Natalie Harp, Chamberlain Harris, and Margo Martin each had a merry trip to the bank. The White House insists is totally normal. Meanwhile, Harp's been making headlines for her suspiciously close relationship with Trump, including joining him on a secret catering cart jaunt to a secret plane trip and...

Latest polling and projections are shaking up the 2024 midterm race—and the GOP is worried. Decision Desk HQ now gives Democrats a 67% chance of flipping the House, while Senate control has shifted to a dead heat, with forecasters calling it a near 50-50 toss-up, possibly going 51-49 for Democrats. This is a reversal from earlier predictions, where Republicans seemed poised to hold the Senate. FCC...

CNN’s well known conservative voice is calling for the U.S. to declare victory over Iran. Scott Jennings says it's the president's responsibility to explain to Americans how the war has been won. Meanwhile, money for the Iran war is still being spent and American warships are still deployed. Will Americans believe Trump if he claims victory or will it be perceived as another piece of propaganda in...

Creating election chaos could pay off big-time for Trump. He doesn't need to win every legal battle over mail-in ballots, gerrymandering, election monitors or voter confusion, he only needs the mess itself. Confusion becomes the weapon. Confusion suppresses turnout. Uncertainty over voting procedures and information discourages participation. A smaller, more demoralized electorate works in his fav...

Here comes the Trump billion dollar ballroom we didn’t need. The Supreme Court is allowing Trump to move forward indefinitely with the construction of a new White House ballroom. In a 5–4 decision, the justices blocked lower-court rulings that would have halted work on the project’s above-ground portion. Trump’ tone deaf project, dripping with gold accents, comes ahead of the midterm elections - a...

Health concerns about President Trump are growing after he joined Trey Gowdy for a bizarre conversation covering golf, the economy, and foreign policy. Trump’s statements were so strange that critics questioned what was really going through his mind, including peculiar claims about Canada and an unusual plea asking voters to imagine him on the 2026 midterm ballots. Trump also claimed to have "larg...

Trump’s latest trade-war power move is making waves. His new executive order officially renames Lake Ontario “Lake America.” The move is sparking fierce pushback from Canada, US governors, and Indigenous history advocates. Is this patriotic branding or political theater? Emmy award winning news anchor David Shuster returns to pilot the show. He'll look at "This Week in Politics" with Michael Shure...

More than 165 people are dead and as many as 1,500 are unaccounted for following catastrophic floods devastating towns and valleys along the Nepal-Tibet border. In Nepal's hardest-hit Rasuwa region, videos show the power of the floodwaters as they tore apart bridges and swept people away. Authorities believe the disaster was triggered by a landslide associated with a glacial event in the Himalayas...

Despite an embarrassing blunder during a recent debate, Darline Graham is advancing to the General Election in her South Carolina Senate Race, securing the party's nomination for the Senate seat previously held by her brother, Lindsey Graham. Darline is backed by Donald Trump, whose PAC dumped a lot of money into this race. She moves forward to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election....

Here’s what happens when a racist, sexist jerk like Jesse Watters trieds to steamroll someone that can actually fight back with facts. Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed sat down with Watters for a heated debate covering gas prices, the Iran war, Sharia law, Colin Kaepernick, gender-affirming care, and more. They had an intense exchange on the issues shaping the 2026 election. We...

A federal judge is putting a stop to the Trump administration’s freeze on immigrant visas affecting applicants from 75 countries. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his legal authority by ordering visa denials for applicants who had otherwise been found eligible to enter the United States. The policy, introduced in January, suspended immigrant v...

The US-Iran conflict is at a dangerous standstill. President Donald Trump is threatening a sweeping new sanctions campaign against Iran and countries that continue doing business with it. We examine whether Washington’s “economic D-Day” can force a breakthrough, whether Iran’s sanctions-evasion networks and international alliances will undermine the strategy and whether Trump is making empty threa...

America doesn't have an Iran deal and gas prices are skyrocketing, but don't worry, at least we have a fancy new driveway and helicopter pad at the White House. President Construction Project is back at it with another way to spend money. Trump called reporters to the South Lawn for an impromptu tour of his new driveway replacement and a look at the progress on his new helipad. Trump also says the...

Progressive Democrats made a surprising splash in Florida’s Senate primary as state Rep. Angie Nixon beat Alex Vindman, setting up a tough general election against GOP Sen. Ashley Moody and signaling possible left-wing momentum in President Trump’s home state.  We will look at election results from Alaska as well, where Democrats think they may have a road to the Senate.  In Wyoming, Megan Degenfe...

Donald Trump’s political problems are getting harder to ignore — and his options overseas may be shrinking just as fast. A brand-new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump’s approval at just 33 percent, the lowest of his presidency, with 64 percent disapproving and a remarkable 80 percent of Americans now expecting the Iran war to drag on. Meanwhile, Trump’s promised quick resolution with Iran looks increas...

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff called out Trump’s relationship with his much younger aide Natalie Harp.  We'll roll the video.  With a spotlight on Trump’s Iran War,  it is glaringly clear that there are critical vulnerabilities in his approach to military and defense strategies. Trump talks big, relying heavily on rhetoric and posturing, but defense analysts have identified significant gaps between p...

How much would it take for you to go on Fox News and tell lie after lie day after day? We’ll take a look at some surprising salaries. Sometimes when the lies get exposed to people that swallowed them whole, it can be very surprising. It appears Joe Rogan has had a bit of an awakening. President Trump wants the Navy to go back in time, ditching key technology aboard aircraft carriers in favor of ol...