Rational Radio Daily With Steele And Ungar

Matt Dolan, the founder and CEO of The Global Teaching Project, joined the guys to talk about how education is the key to civil rights. Michael and Rick also discussed the May jobs report with Politico's Victoria Guida. How much credit does President Trump deserve for the strong economy?

The Trump administration imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union. They have retaliated in kind. Michael and Rick talk about whether we're now in the midst of a trade war. The guys also discussed whether liberals are too condescending and whether it is one of the key reasons for the anti-establishment backlash that gave us President Trump.

Dr. Karen Weaver, the mayor of Flint, Michigan, joined the guys to talk about about the ongoing water crisis. Why was help so slow to get there and what still needs to be done in order for the crisis to truly be over? Michael Steele and Rick Ungar also discussed House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy debunking President Trump's claims about "spygate".

Tom Porter, the legislative director for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), joined the guys to talk about the state of the VA and Acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, President Trump's pick to lead the agency. Michael Fuchs of the Center for American Progress jumps on to discuss the U.S. and North Korea scrambling to try and salvage the on-again, off-again peace summit scheduled for June 12th in Singapore.

The Senate passed a bill Thursday that seeks to reform the process for reporting and addressing sexual misconduct in Congress. The Senate’s bill, passed without any objection in a voice vote, aims to reform significant parts of the Congressional Accountability Act. The House passed similar measures earlier this year. The future of the Senate’s legislation is already in question as it faces strong criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union and members of Congress like Representative Jackie Speier (D-Calif. 14). Rep. Speier helped spearhead the passage of the House’s reform measures and she, along with many others, argue that the bill is too narrow in scope and would still allow too much wiggle room for abuse to occur. The congresswoman joins us to explain why she thinks the bill does not do enough and what the legislation needs to include. Michael and Rick also discuss Harvey Weinstein’s arrest on charges of rape. What impact, if any, will this have on Hollywood and the Me Too Movement?

President Trump canceled his planned summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un earlier today, citing North Korea’s “tremendous anger and open hostility” in recent statements ahead of the meeting. Lawmakers and pundits in Washington are split on the president’s decision. Several Republican senators expressed their approval while others around Capitol Hill wonder if President Trump is playing a risky game trying to leverage a more favorable negotiating position with North Korea. What led President Trump to call off this historic meeting? Gordon Chang, Daily Beast columnist, author of “Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World” and “The Coming Collapse of China,” breaks down the president’s possible motivations and how the U.S. should proceed from here. James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, declares in his new book that he thinks Russia swung the election for Donald Trump. Sam Nunberg, a former staffer on the Trump campaign, joins Rick and Michael to weigh in.

“What happened?” That’s the question Hillary Clinton and so many others were asking on the morning of November 9, 2016. Part of the immense confusion and frustration was directed at the pollsters who had said for months that Clinton was leading Donald J. Trump. How could they have gotten it so wrong? Shortly after the election, Fox News and the Associated Press pulled out of the media consortium that funds major polling outlets in order to focus on crafting and executing their own polling. These polls aim for a much larger scope than traditional exit polls and won't focus on “exiting” voters but will try to capture a better picture of all voter attitudes up to the close of voting stations. Can this new model compensate for the flaws in the old one? Domenico Montanaro, lead political editor at National Public Radio, talks about his reporting on the Fox and AP polling model. The NFL announced a new policy today that they think will end the controversy around players protesting during the national anthem. Michae

We all know Twitter is President Trump’s favored avenue for keeping in touch with the American people, making policy proclamations and venting at Washington bureaucracy. President Trump tweets primarily through, according to reports, an iPhone that, despite being issued through White House Information Technology and the White House Communications Agency, could be a security risk. The president is supposed to swap out phones every month but refuses because it is “too inconvenient”. You may recall Hillary Clinton similarly said that she used her private email server for convenience. By failing to regularly replace the phone, President Trump leaves the device open to possible hacking and surveillance. Why would the president risk national security for convenience? Michael and Rick discuss this latest chapter of confusion in the Trump White House. Scott L. Nelson, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group, talks about the Supreme Court’s ruling that companies can require workers to accept individual arbitrat

The Atlantic published a piece by senior editor David Frum on Friday simply titled, “It’s the Guns.” Frum opens with an earth-shattering statistic: “Americans of high-school age are 82 times more likely to die from a gun homicide than 15- to 19-year olds in the rest of the developed world.” How did we get here? In addition, how can we take action to ensure that number drops and that families all across the United States do not have to worry about whether or not their children will come home from school? Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, talks about actions that all of us can take to ensure that horrors like the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School never happen again. Michael and Rick discuss the steps that the Department of Justice is taking to review if there was any abuse or misconduct in the investigation of the Trump presidential campaign.

A seventeen-year old student walked into Santa Fe High School in Texas today with a shotgun and a revolver. He killed 10 people—nine students and one teacher—and wounded 10 others. Explosives, including pipe bombs, were found around the school. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that the shooting is “One of the most heinous attacks that we’ve ever seen in the history of Texas schools.” As a community mourns and families grieve, many wonder what effect, if any, this most recent mass shooting will have on the national conversation about gun violence and gun control. Rick and guest co-host Tara Setmayer, CNN political commentator, wonder whether Washington will finally be moved to action or will offer the same trite slogans and statements. Anti-poverty advocate Jack Frech explains why so many Americans—almost half of U.S. households—cannot afford some of the most basic necessities like food and housing.

According to a study by The Stimson Center, a non-profit think tank, the United States government spent a combined $2.8 trillion of taxpayer money on the "War on Terror" between September 11, 2001 and the end of 2017. The Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute estimates that number will reach $5.6 trillion by the end of this fiscal year. The project's numbers also factor in the projected cost of veterans care based on injuries and grievances during this time frame. Was and is it worth it? Career counterintelligence and counterterrorism officer Malcolm Nance says it wasn't. Nance talks to Rick and guest co-host Boyd Matheson, opinion editor at the Deseret News, about the unbalanced cost of the "War on Terror" and how we need to fight smarter, not harder. Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) discusses economic messaging for the Democrats heading into the midterms and settles the question of whether or not he’ll challenge Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for Speaker if the Democrats retake t

North Korea threatened to withdraw from the upcoming summit between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un over recent U.S. actions and rhetoric. The North took issue with joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea and said the United States may want to “corner” it and unilaterally demand “we give up our nuclear weapons,” citing statements made by National Security Adviser John Bolton on CBS’ “Face The Nation” in late April. Is North Korea trying to gain leverage before the historic summit or is this mere propaganda? Charles Armstrong, the director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University, discusses how this is impacting the delicate diplomatic and political situation on the Korean Peninsula. Ken Langone, co-founder of Home Depot and former director of the New York Stock Exchange, talks about his new book “I Love Capitalism: An American Story.”

President Trump tweeted Sunday morning that he is working with Chinese President Xi Jinping to get controversial Chinese telecom giant ZTE “back into business.” Lawmakers and the intelligence community allege that ZTE’s products pose cybersecurity threats for surveillance and espionage. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Commerce banned U.S. companies from selling parts to ZTE after they found that ZTE violated a settlement that was established after it violated sanctions on Iran and North Korea. What could have possibly motivated this president, who emphasized his toughness on China throughout the campaign, to support this controversial Chinese company? Gordon Chang, Daily Beast columnist and author of “The Coming Collapse of China”, breaks down some of the possible financial, economic and political motivations behind the president’s move. Rick and guest co-host Boyd Matheson, opinion editor for the Deseret News, talk about how the president’s base could be suffering from unintended consequences of his poli

The United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem earlier today as part of its formal recognition of the city as the capital of Israel. Today also happens to be the 70th anniversary of President Truman’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty. While U.S. and Israeli lawmakers celebrated, thousands of Palestinians protested at the border of the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces used deadly force on Palestinian groups they claimed were trying to plant explosives. Over 50 people were killed and many more were wounded. Will we see more violence? What impact will it have on prospects for peace in the Middle East? Dr. Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, talks about the potential geopolitical consequences for both the Israelis and Palestinians. Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps discusses how Democrats can capitalize on the issue of net neutrality at the ballot box in November.

Senator John McCain is an American hero. Full stop. He's staring down his own mortality after receiving a brain cancer diagnosis last year. He weighed in on Gina Haspel's nomination for CIA Director and said that her refusal to condemn the practice of torture was disqualifying. A White House aide named Kelly Sadler made a comment about his condition, saying, "He's going to die anyway." The attempted joke fell flat and the White House has been inundated with calls for her to be fired. A retired three-star general went on Fox Business and told host Charles Payne that torture worked and it worked on John McCain, saying, "That’s why they call him ‘Songbird John.'" Rick and guest co-host Ron Christie do their best to figure out why anyone would make such comments about a man who put his life on the line for this country and has given so much of his life to public service. Is this a rock-bottom for civility and our civil discourse? The guys also examine the House GOP's plan to alter parts of the social safety net.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum joined us a couple of times over the past two weeks to explain his plan to fix America's ailing healthcare system. His plan is very similar to the Graham-Cassidy bill that Santorum helped to create. Dr. Steve Klasko, president and CEO of Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University, explains the flaws he sees in Santorum's plan and prescribes a solution to help fix our current system. Rick and guest co-host Ed Morrissey also speak to John Tamny, political economy editor at Forbes and editor of RealClearMarkets.com, about his new book “The End of Work: Why Your Passion Can Become Your Job”.

Rick Ungar and guest co-host Rick Tyler spoke with Politico's Elana Schor about Gina Haspel's confirmation hearing Wednesday. Haspel is seeking to become the first woman to become CIA Director, but her nomination has become controversial because she was involved in the CIA's interrogation program. Some Senators, like John McCain (R-Ariz.), found this disqualifying. Other Senators are keeping an open mind. Elana breaks down the hearing and predicts that Haspel WILL be confirmed. Michael Steele, who is currently on his lecture series and speaking tour in the Middle East, talked with energy industry expert Dr. Ellen Wald about Saudi Arabia's Crown Price Mohammed bin Salman, the reforms he's instituting in the kingdom and the implications they could have on the region and the world.

President Trump announced today that he is formally withdrawing the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—also known as the “Iran nuclear deal”—and once more imposing “the highest level” of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. President Trump railed against the Iran deal on the campaign trail, often referring to it as the “worst deal ever.” Once he took office, he continued to take steps that suggested he wanted out of the deal. One example of this is when he imposed new sanctions on Iran last year. Many Republicans applauded the president’s move, saying the deal was not tough enough to keep the Iranian nuclear program in check and gave the Iranian government too much leeway to continue supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East. Aaron David Miller, a vice president and Middle East program director at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, thinks that President Trump’s rationale for pulling out of the deal is a “confluence of his personal ego, domestic politi

The cover story for this month’s issue of “The Nation” magazine, “Election 2018 Is Off To The Racists”, chronicles the growing number of openly racist and white supremacist candidates in Republican elections since President Trump won the presidency in November 2016. How did the party of Lincoln get to this point? Evan Siegfried, a Republican political strategist and president of Somm Consulting, shares his thoughts on why the party is experiencing this uptick in non-traditional and extremist candidates. T.S. Ellis III, the federal judge in the Paul Manafort case, warned special counsel Robert Mueller last Friday that he may be overstepping his mandate as special counsel and accused Mueller of trying to bring down President Trump. Georgia State law professor Eric Segall talks to Rick Ungar and guest co-host Rick Tyler about the judge’s comments and the real concern in the legal community over the powers of a special counsel.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has a plan to fix Obamacare. On a basic level, his plan would seek to use block grants to give states more control over their healthcare needs. Santorum joins Rick and guest co-host Ed Morrissey, senior editor of HotAir.com, to discuss what his plan is and how it would work. Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich also jumps on to talk about his Ohio gubernatorial campaign and why he thinks he can bring Ohioans, Democrats and Republicans alike, together.