Rational Radio Daily With Steele And Ungar

The Washington Post reported today that President Trump referred to African countries and Haiti as “sh*tholes" in a meeting with lawmakers. For Michael and Rick, this marks the lowest moment of the administration. Michael said the country has to send the president a message. “This is not the America we live in. This is not the leadership we want.” The guys discuss the president’s rhetoric and the message it sends to allies in Africa and around the world. Cristiano Lima, a breaking news reporter for Politico, talks about President Trump declining to commit to an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

A federal court ordered North Carolina's electoral map to be redrawn Tuesday, describing the current maps as “unconstitutional”. In the nearly 200-page opinion, the three-judge panel described the current electoral map, which was enacted in 2016, as violating “the Equal Protection Clause, the First Amendment, and Article I of the Constitution”. Michael and Rick discuss the potential implications of the court’s ruling in North Carolina and in other gerrymandered areas. Raymond Arroyo, news director and lead anchor of EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network), talks about Pope Francis’ “State of the World” speech and what political and spiritual issues the Pope isn’t addressing.

“What you're seeing is a brilliant game of regional power-playing by people who have taken masterclasses in manipulating.” That’s how career counterintelligence officer Malcolm Nance summed up the motivations behind the renewed diplomatic talks between North and South Korea. From Nance’s perspective, this spirit of brotherhood between the North and South will only last until the end of the Olympics, when North Korea does something inflammatory. Rick and guest co-host Boyd Matheson, president of the Sutherland Institute, also discuss President Trump’s statement today calling for a return to earmark spending projects in Congress.

President Trump met with Republican leadership at Camp David this past weekend and one of the top rumors from the summit concerned divisions between the president and Gary Cohn, his chief economic advisor, over funding for an infrastructure plan. Trump has said he's against using public-private partnerships, but Mr. Cohn continues to insist that they’re the best source of capital. Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y. 18) of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, jumped on to talk about potential ways to fund the infrastructure plans, especially in the wake of the tax cut that took effect this year. Dr. Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for international Economics, discussed President Trump’s speech to the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention and the impact of his trade and tax policies on farmers.

In January of 2017, Congressmen Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J. 05) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y. 23) brought together a group of like-minded House members who wanted to restore a bipartisan spirit to the legislative process: the Problem Solvers Caucus. A year after its founding, Congress is embroiled in the midst of negotiations over government funding, the debt ceiling, border security and a long-term solution for DACA. Representative Gottheimer joined Rick and Michael to talk about the Caucus' agenda for 2018 and possible fixes to the quagmires we're seeing in Congress. Derek Riedle, founder of the Cannabis lifestyle media outfit “Civilized”, discussed the economic and legal consequences of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the DOJ rescinding the Cole Memo.

Protests spread across Iran last Thursday, December, 28, in reaction to unpopular economic policies that have caused the costs of goods and services to skyrocket. Over the last few days, the protests have swelled with rallying cries against the Islamic Republic’s theocratic government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Similar protests erupted in 2009, but were ultimately thwarted. Will this movement bring about actual change? Brian Katulis, a foreign policy expert who was on the National Security Council under President Clinton, shares his outlook on the protests in Iran and what America can or should do to help. Dr. Bruce Bechtol, the president of the International Council on Korean Studies, talks about the implications of the renewed diplomatic ties between North and South Korea.

One of the biggest legislative fights in 2018 will be protections for the Dreamers. Can the House and Senate come together to find a bipartisan fix to DACA? Representative Will Hurd (R-Texas 23) certainly hopes so. The congressman, who serves as the vice-chair of the Maritime and Border Security Subcommittee on the House Committee for Homeland Security, talks about the possibility of a bipartisan DACA deal and why we should care about the anti-government protests in Iran. Marvin Weinbaum, director for Pakistani Studies at the Middle East Institute, discusses President Trump’s threats to pull funding from Pakistan.

As we wind down 2017, Michael Steele and Rick Ungar take a look back at some of the biggest moments and stories of the year. Robert Costa, national political reporter for The Washington Post, talks to the guys about the first year of the Trump administration and what we might see in 2018. Michael and Rick also discuss what Congress accomplished in 2017 and how that will guide its agenda next year.

One of the looming legislative battles of 2018 will be major entitlement reform. While Speaker of the House Paul Ryan will be looking to launch right into this when Congress gets back into town, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is much more hesitant. Several issues, including funding for natural disaster relief, will also spill over from the end of this year. Reed Galen, chief strategist of the Serve America Movement, gives his outlook on what should be a bruising battle on entitlement reform. Michael and Rick discuss the potential for a wave election in the 2018 midterms.

Congress passed a sanctions bill over that summer that now has many of Moscow’s elite freaking out. Section 241 of the sanctions bill requires the Trump administration to provide Congress with a list of all known oligarchs and top political figures with known ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. Ambassador Dan Fried, a 40-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service and the architect of the Russian sanctions, talks about “The List That’s Freaking Out Everyone in Moscow”. Michael and Rick discuss the U.N.’s vote to condemn President Trump’s Jerusalem decision. In response, the administration threatened to pull foreign aid and U.N. funding. What kind of message does that send to the rest of the world?

Daniel Lippman, a co-author of Politico's 'Playbook' newsletter, jumped on with Rick and Michael to discuss Congress' mad scramble to prevent a government shutdown. Lippman joked that its almost like members of Congress are trying to ruin the Christmas holiday for reporters. He noted that Democrats are unlikely to try and force a shutdown because they don't want to do anything that will tarnish their brand going into 2018 and the crucial midterms. Romina Boccia of The Heritage Foundation joined the guys to talk about some of the positive aspects of the GOP's tax plan.

When the clock strikes midnight on Friday, December 22, the United States government will run out of money. Congress has three more days to settle government funding for 2018 and beyond, fund the CHIP program, address the unstable Obamacare markets, try to work on a deal for the Dreamers, and pass a final tax bill. Congressman John Yarmuth (D-Ky. 03), the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, discusses how Congress plans to avoid the looming government shutdown and shares his thoughts on the House's tax bill. Michael Steele and Rick Ungar debate how Congress will attempt to complete its “to-do” list.

President Trump outlined his national security strategy today in a speech at the White House. The president emphasized the four pillars of his new security initiative: border security, the role of economic security in national security considerations, an emphasis on "peace through strength", and the need to rebuild America's international influence. Career counterintelligence officer and MSNBC contributor Malcolm Nance shares his thoughts on the president's strategy. Stephen Shay, a former deputy assistant secretary in the Department of the Treasury, explains what's in the GOP's tax bill.

Omarosa Manigault-Newman, former director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison in the Trump White House, appeared on Good Morning America earlier this week in an attempt to set the record straight on the reports of her removal from the White House. April Ryan, White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks, was one of the first to break the story. Ms. Ryan talks to Michael and Rick about breaking the story and how it reflects her M.O. as a journalist who doggedly pursues the truth. Michael Tomasky, special correspondent for the Daily Beast and op-ed contributor for the New York Times, discusses his latest piece on the history of the GOP’s “legislative lemons".

The FCC repealed the Obama administration’s net neutrality rules today in a 3-2 vote along party lines. Many fear that internet service providers will now be able to throttle bandwidth speeds, charge for better access and prevent smaller businesses from competing in the online marketplace. Democratic FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn talks about how the vote will affect you. Michael Steele and Rick Ungar discuss the renewed GOP civil war between Steve Bannon's populist wing and the Republican establishment under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The polls have closed in Alabama. Will Democratic candidate Doug Jones be able pull off the upset against Republican Roy Moore in one of the deepest and most consistently Republican states in the country? Jim Antle, politics editor of the Washington Examiner, shares his thoughts on the first exit poll numbers and the end of this dramatic race for Alabama’s Senate seat. Lori Garver, former deputy administrator of NASA under President Obama, talks about President Trump’s new Space Policy Directive.

This past weekend, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, weighed in on the sexual misconduct allegations against President Trump, saying , “I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.” The president and his administration has continued to deny the validity of the claims made by 16 women. 'Today' host Megyn Kelly spoke with three of President Trump’s accusers on her show, giving the women a platform in our nation's ongoing dialogue on sexual misconduct. Reed Galen, chief strategist for the Serve America Movement, joined Rick Ungar to discuss the potential political implications of this story staying in the news. Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik shared his thoughts on the rulings in two police shooting cases and the attempted Times Square terror attack.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ellis Henican covered Donald Trump for decades as a member of the New York media. He has seen many facets of Donald J. Trump: the real estate developer, the tabloid icon, the New York socialite, the politician and, finally, the President of the United States. Henican talks with Michael and Rick about his new book, “Trumpitude: The Secret Confessions of Donald's Brain”. The guys also discuss the recent push by conservative media and politicians to discredit the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon unleashed a series of insults against Mitt Romney and his family Tuesday night in Alabama at a rally for Roy Moore. Bannon responded to Romney’s assertions that Moore has “no honor or integrity” by citing the Romneys' lack of military service in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Evan McMullin, former independent presidential candidate and CIA officer, weighed in on Bannon’s attacks on Romney and how it reflects the larger battle over the soul of the Republican Party. Yousef Munayyer, non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, discussed the potential diplomatic consequences of President Trump’s decision to declare Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel.

Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-Pa. 13) joined Michael and Rick to discuss the debates on the tax bill and continuing resolution taking place in the House. Bruce Japsen of Forbes jumps on to break down CVS' multi-billion dollar acquisition of Aetna and how that move will impact the healthcare industry and, most importantly, consumers.