The Mark Thompson Show

Elon Musk has built some of the most valuable companies on Earth, but how much of that success comes from innovation, and how much comes from a system that gives billionaires a different set of rules? As SpaceX’s valuation soars and IPO speculation grows, we look at the regulations, government support, private market advantages, and exceptions that critics say helped fuel the Musk empire. Were the...

Bill Gates has some big regrets when it comes to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Yesterday, Gates testified to the House Oversight Committee about his past ties to Epstein. In a closed-door hearing, Gates said Epstein attempted to leverage information about Gates’s extramarital affairs “to pressure me to re-engage with him” after Gates had begun to cut ties. Gates said he regretted meeting...

A ceasefire broken. The U.S.launched “self-defense strikes” on Iranian air defense and radar sites last evening after a U.S. Apache helicopter was downed Monday near the Strait of Hormuz. The two pilots were rescued. This came after President Trump said the U.S. response “should be very strong, very powerful,” and earlier said talks with Iran were in their “final throes,” possibly concluding in “t...

President Trump is likely not pleased at having to relive a booing crowd over and over again as the video replays today. He attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden last night and became the first sitting U.S. president at an NBA Finals game. When the arena showed him on the jumbo screens during the national anthem as he gave a military salute, he was met with loud boos from the...

President Trump abruptly ended an on‑camera interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker after a heated back‑and‑forth about his claims that the 2020 election was “rigged” and assertions of voting problems in California’s recent primary. The exchange escalated when Welker pressed Trump for evidence. He accused her and major networks of being “crooked,” removed his mic, and left, later agreeing to a second...

Trump is using wartime presidential authority to hand $700 million to coal-fired power plants in the US to prop us what he calls “clean, beautiful coal”, despite it being the dirtiest of fossil fuels. The funds will be used to bring a new coal export terminal online in Oakland, California, and to restart an existing facility in Maryland. That's in addition to plants across 10 states: West Virginia...

The GOP-led House is behind a largely symbolic measure directing the president to remove U.S. forces from active hostilities with Iran unless Congress authorizes force or declares war. Four Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting it. The vote follows earlier attempts that stalled out. It also builds momentum for a related effort in the Senate. The White House is raising objections saying th...

Results from yesterday’s primaries are still coming in, but they are shaping the 2026 midterm map and setting up a string of dramatic November matchups from New Jersey to California. We will look at key primary outcomes that could flip critical House and Senate districts and continuing redistricting efforts that could upend midterm outcomes.  Presidential historian and political analyst John Rothm...

Trump Stops Israel Strike Plan? Iran Quitting Talks? David Cay Johnston & Trita Parsi Join 6/2/26 The Mark Thompson Show  6/2/26 Today's Guests Links Prof. David Cay Johnston at RIT, Pulitzer Prize winning Author & Investigative Journalist  https://bsky.app/profile/davidcayjohnston.bsky.social https://www.dcreport.org/2026/06/01/kids-who-remember-hurricane-helene-trauma/ Trita Parsi https:...

Not so fast J6ers. A Judge is blocking payments from Trump’s new $1.776B "Anti‑Weaponization Fund" while courts consider challenges to the settlement that created it.  Trump is posting angry rants on social media against U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema who ordered a temporary freeze on any transfers, claims processing or disbursements from the fund after a lawsuit by former Jan. 6 prosecutor A...

Corruption Central has new address: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. From Trump’s Weaponization slush fund to international negotiations including Trump Towers and sketchy stock trades and Crypto deals, this next gift should come as no surprise: Dell wins a $9.7B Pentagon deal — weeks after Trump publicly urged people to “go out and buy a Dell” and after Michael Dell’s family pledged $6.25B to seed the a...

Now threats to blow up Oman are coming from Trump. He is warning Oman to abandon talks with Iran about jointly charging a toll for ships in the Strait of Hormuz saying, “Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up.” Mark will discuss Trump’s latest threat, the rejected toll plan, the diplomatic ties between Oman and Iran and the U.S. military posture proposed to keep sh...

A new NPR report reveals the Department of Justice, under the Trump administration, systematically removed news releases and public records connected to prosecutions from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. That includes records documenting violent assaults on police. Some records have been preserved by independent trackers and NPR’s Jan. 6 archive. Even so, the effort to wipe away crimi...

President Trump returns to Walter Reed…again. Monday was Trump’s third in-person medical checkup during his second term and it comes as experts speculate that his health is failing. We will look at he White House statement made about Ttump’s health, prior imaging and exams (including last year’s CT scan and April physical), the administration’s explanations for bruising and leg swelling (chronic v...

The $1.8B Trump–Blanche slush fund is even more corrupt than we first realized. Todd Blanche is reportedly offering to cut Republican senators in on payouts to buy their support. They will be able to apply for fund money too. This scheme threatens America’s Constitutional Democracy. Please watch, share, and call your senators to demand an investigation and stop this. Mo Kelly will discuss this and...

Trump’s sketchy new $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund will operate through the end of 2028. It will be overseen by a five-member commission to be appointed by the acting attorney general. Fearing convicted and pardoned January 6th insurgents will be eligible for payouts, two Capitol police officers are filing suit to put a stop to it. The DOJ says the commission will decide an applicant’s e...

The Justice Department quietly adds a stunning amendment to a wildly corrupt agreement that created a $1.776 billion compensation fund tied to former President Trump. Tucked into the slush fund for Trump’s allies, a ban on the IRS ever auditing Trump, his family, his companies or related entities for returns filed before the deal. Does Trump have something to hide? Is this the reason he never offi...

Trump’s  DOJ is creating a $1.7 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund.” It’s part of a deal resolving Trump’s lawsuit over leaked tax returns but will compensate his allies who say they were mistreated by the Biden-era Justice Department. Is America paying attention to the inside job? Democrats and watchdogs are already denouncing the move as an unprecedented taxpayer-funded slush fund and are promisin...

Donald Trump is reportedly close to settling a $1.8 billion IRS lawsuit and critics say the payout looks like a political slush fund. Anyone who feels wronged by the DOJ under the Biden administration, including all the pardoned J6ers, would be able to apply for a government payout. Trump and his family would reportedly be off-limits when it comes to IRS audits. We will explore the legal and ethic...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is abruptly stopping a planned nine-month rotation of 4,000 U.S. troops bound for Poland. The move comes at a precarious time for Poland and is catching Pentagon staff and European allies off guard. Mo Kelly is in for Mark Thompson and he unpacks the timeline of the canceled deployment, contrasts official statements with anonymous Pentagon sourcing, and connects t...

President Trump is in China with a delegation drawing scrutiny across Washington: family members, billionaire tech allies and business figures appear front and center, while longtime China experts and senior State Department voices are far less visible. Is Trump on the verge of a corrupt deal for himself and his family that won’t serve U.S. or historic interests? Is he prioritizing dealmaking and...

FBI Director Kash Patel faced a fiery Senate confrontation yesterday as lawmakers pressed him over allegations of excessive drinking, unexplained absences and possible misuse of FBI resources. Patel angrily denied the claims, calling them “a total farce.” Democrats questioned whether FBI personnel and assets were improperly used to go after critics and reporters covering the claims that Patel was,...

The Mark Thompson Show  5/12/26 Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal.   https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook...

Trump is blasting Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling Tehran’s response “totally unacceptable” as tensions rise again across the Middle East. With drone attacks reported near Gulf shipping lanes, uncertainty surrounding Iran’s leadership, and fears growing over oil prices and a wider regional conflict, the pressure is building on all sides. We will break down the collaps...

The Virginia Supreme Court is blocking a voter-approved, Democratic-drawn congressional map, ruling the amendment process used to approve it violated state procedure. It's a decision that could blunt Democratic hopes and give Republicans a redistricting edge heading into the 2026 midterms. We'll look at the legal arguments over early voting and the constitutional amendment process and the likely i...