The Erick Erickson Show

Erick Erickson breaks down a brutal debate night in the 2026 midterms: Mike Rogers presses Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed on whether Israel or Iran is the bigger threat, his mother's ties, his Hasan Piker friendship and his Dubai property, while Susan Collins lands her sharpest blow yet on Maine's Troy Jackson. Erick also explains why Mike Collins is sinking in Georgia against Jon Ossoff, why you must vote all the way down the ballot, and remembers Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka, who passed away today.

• Mike Rogers vs. Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate debate: Israel or Iran, Hasan Piker, the Muslim Brotherhood question and Leland Vittert's viral follow-up
• Susan Collins vs. Troy Jackson in Maine, plus the Vermont Lieutenant Governor race and the family farm migrant worker controversy
• Why Mike Collins is dragging down Georgia Republicans against Jon Ossoff, and Erick's struggle over leaving a line blank
• Vote down the ballot, become a poll watcher, and the Peruvian candidate named Hitler Mussolini who just won an election
• Coach Mike Ditka dies, a Gulf Coast hurricane heads for Mobile and Pensacola, and the Not Safe Radio Show at Gas South Theater

Erick Erickson welcomes State Department deputy spokesman Luke Ortega to unpack Secretary Marco Rubio's Acropolis speech defending Western civilization, the new Greenland deal with Denmark, and the 250,000 visas revoked under President Trump. Then Erick breaks down the New York ICE shooting of Oscar Bergall, Mayor Mamdani's attack on federal agents, and the Obama appointed federal judge who blocked his deportation. Plus Tommy Tuberville's 7 to 0 win at the Alabama Supreme Court, Iranian AI influence operations, a rant on "super intelligence," and the White Sox in the playoffs.

• State Department deputy spokesman Luke Ortega on Marco Rubio's Acropolis speech in Greece, the Iceland, Greece and Portugal trip, and the call for Europe to rebuild its industry and defense
• The Greenland deal with Denmark: two new US defense areas, a bar on adversary bases and critical minerals investment, and no expiration date
• Over 250,000 visas revoked, why tourist, work and student visas are pulled, and the new travel.state.gov visa fraud tip portal
• ICE agents shot Oscar Bergall after he rammed federal vehicles, Mayor Mamdani's response, and a federal judge's order blocking his removal
• Alabama Supreme Court rules 7 to 0 it cannot hear the Tommy Tuberville residency challenge in the governor's race, plus Iran's OpenAI fake journalist campaign and Erick's refusal to say "super intelligence"

Erick Erickson makes the case, as a Christian who supports the death penalty, against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's plan to stage a public, live-streamed execution of Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Hasan, citing Army regulations, Tertullian, Augustine, Ezekiel 33:11 and the risk of turning a paraplegic terrorist into a martyr for Islam. Erick also explains how his faith has changed his politics, takes on progressives who twist scripture and conservatives who ignore the refugee on immigration, and then turns to TV: Slow Horses, 24, Silo, Severance, Game of Thrones and how pornography and gratuitous language coarsen the soul. Plus the Cornell seven text message, the Not Safe Radio Show, Hurricane warnings for the Southeast and a Friday round of golf.

• Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon's plan to publicly live stream the execution of Nidal Hasan: why Erick Erickson supports the death penalty but opposes public execution, the Army regulation that bans it, and the martyrdom propaganda risk across the Middle East
• Faith and politics: Tertullian's De Spectaculis, Augustine and the Colosseum, Ezekiel 33:11, Proverbs 24:17, and progressive revelation versus progressives rewriting scripture on James Talarico, same-sex marriage and abortion
• Immigration and the Christian conscience: supporting deportation of illegal aliens without cruelty, care for the refugee, the widow and the orphan
• Family friendly TV: Slow Horses on Apple TV, 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, Silo, Severance, Shogun and Game of Thrones, and why gratuitous language and sex are coarsening culture
• Pornography, fathers talking to sons, the Cornell seven situation, plus tickets for the Not Safe Radio Show and a Southeast hurricane warning

Erick Erickson makes the case that the Republican midterm bloodbath is overstated, backing Ken Paxton over James Talarico in Texas and Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, with a look at Senate races in Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina. He then digs into the new CBS News report on the Iranian attack on Camp Buehring in Kuwait, the aircraft losses the Pentagon downplayed, and word that President Trump wants a plan to finish the Iranian regime before the midterms.

• Texas Senate race: Ken Paxton versus James Talarico, the new UMass poll putting Paxton ahead, Texas suburban voters, Greg Abbott, and why Erick still thinks Paxton can pull it off
• Michigan Senate race: Abdul El-Sayed's silence on October 7th, his refusal to say whether Israel or Iran is the bigger threat, Mike Rogers, and the eight point polling miss on Republicans in Michigan
• Midterm elections 2026: Alan Lichtman's 52 Senate seats prediction, Michelle Tafoya in Minnesota, Ashley Hinson in Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio, and Erick's call of a 50-50 Senate with JD Vance as the tiebreaker
• Iran war: CBS News video of the attack on Camp Buehring in Kuwait, more than 80 aircraft lost or damaged, Jack Keane on Hamas rebuilding in Gaza, three carrier groups, Marco Rubio's Acropolis speech, and Trump's push to finish Iran
• Lighter moments: the zigzag yellow line Orange County, Florida spent $150,000 on, the Atlanta Braves loss to the Dodgers and defending manager Walt Weiss, and Saturday's Not Safe Radio show at Gas South Theater

Erick Erickson opens with a Gulf Coast hurricane warning for Alabama and the Florida panhandle, then breaks down the New York Fed report showing tariffs raised prices on 67 categories of goods by 2.9 percentage points, plus Morgan Stanley data on the stock market slump and an AI boom holding up the economy. He defends Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent against a Wall Street Journal hit job, takes on the Kimberly Guilfoyle stories, and warns Republicans that corruption is now a top midterm issue.

• Gulf Coast hurricane: category two storm headed for Gulf Shores, Alabama and Pensacola, hurricane warning from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to Gulf County, Florida, flooding risk through Meridian, and the Georgia and Alabama game in Tuscaloosa
• Tariffs and prices: the New York Federal Reserve study of 67 categories of goods, the 2.9 point price hit, 26 percent pass-through to consumers, Erick's case that tariffs are 1950s protectionism, and the comparison to modern monetary theory under Biden
• Stock market and AI boom: Morgan Stanley data showing 89 percent of stocks down more than 10 percent since June 1, autos and semiconductors hit hardest, banks holding up, and Nvidia and data centers carrying GDP growth
• Iran sanctions and oil: Trump says no attack before the midterms, Treasury sanctions 17 shadow fleet tankers, West Texas crude near $90 and Brent at $103
• Scott Bessent, Kimberly Guilfoyle and corruption: the Wall Street Journal hit job on Bessent, Howard Lutnick's orbit, the Guilfoyle Greece ambassador stories, why corruption is a top three midterm issue, and Erick's call for Republicans to clean house, plus the listener stress test of his new website

Erick Erickson turns a left lane road rage story, complete with his Claude voice assistant joking about driver stereotypes, into a sermon on America as a low trust society, from McDonald's free refills to razor blades locked behind glass, with Jeff Bezos on Fox News defending success. He also takes on the code enforcers threatening a San Jose pastor's food pantry with $20,000 a day fines, Delta's Wi-Fi meltdown and the Starlink feud with Elon Musk, and the Wall Street Journal report on rogue pilots and intentional airline crashes. Joe Rogan's new Spotify deal and Marco Rubio's warning to Europe round out the hour.

• Low trust society: left lane slowpokes, Claude AI's Australian accent joke about BMW and Florida drivers, McDonald's ending free refills, Target and CVS locking up razor blades, Jeff Bezos on Fox News saying success is not villainy, the vilification of the wealthy, and airline early boarding abuse
• San Jose food pantry: Pastor Ralph Olmos and Lighthouse Food Rescue and Distribution, the code enforcement citation threatening $20,000 a day in fines, the old liquor store and two meth labs, and Erick on the nanny state
• Delta Wi-Fi and Starlink: a Delta passenger steals an airplane tug at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Delta's Viasat Wi-Fi dropping out over the Rockies, United, American and Southwest moving to Starlink, and Elon Musk receiving the National Medal of Science
• Rogue pilots: the Wall Street Journal report, Germanwings, China Eastern, Malaysia Airlines, at least 800 deaths since 2005, Boeing's design concerns, why US airline pilots are considered the safest, and Marco Rubio's speech on Western values in Europe
• Media and culture: Joe Rogan's multi-year Spotify deal estimated at $250 million, Rush Limbaugh's advice on not listening to podcasts, Tim Keller sermons, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye doubting the moon landing, the Not Safe Radio Show on Saturday, and sponsors Old Glory Bank, Incogni and Vision Computers

On the third anniversary of the October 7th Hamas massacre, Erick Erickson takes on the genocide in Gaza propaganda campaign, the rise of antisemitism on Ivy League campuses and in the West, and the real history of Judea and the Jewish homeland. Former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren joins to discuss Hamas, Iron Dome, the Abraham Accords, Saudi Arabia, and why the Iran war and the Trump naval blockade have to be seen through.

• October 7th attack, three years later: Hamas paragliders, the hostages, Reuters running a photo of Gaza rubble, and Erick on why there was no genocide in Gaza
• Antisemitism in the West: Ivy League campuses, Boulder, the New York City mayor's remarks, Abdul El-Sayed, and Erick's warning that hatred of Jews is the canary in the coal mine
• Michael Oren interview: 365,000 Israeli reservists, Hamas's 450 miles of tunnels, Iron Dome, and the pager attack on Hezbollah
• Abraham Accords and the Gulf: Israeli Iron Dome crews in the UAE, Dubai and Tel Aviv flights, and the path to a Saudi Arabia deal
• Iran war and the Trump naval blockade: Iraqi airspace, gas prices, and Oren's case for finishing the job against the Iranian regime

Erick Erickson opens with Marco Rubio's Acropolis speech on the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto and October 7th, then covers breaking news from the Minnesota U.S. Attorney on an arrested ISIS-inspired plot to attack the Mall of America. He argues that a wave of parents killing their children is a sign of evil on the march, that pastors should preach repentance instead of partisan politics, and previews the midterm elections, Ken Paxton in Texas, and the polling unknowns.

• Battle of Lepanto and October 7th: Erick on why Hamas chose the anniversary of the 1571 Holy League victory over the Ottoman Empire, and Marco Rubio's speech at the Acropolis calling the West to unite against tyranny and the radical mullahs of Iran
• Mall of America ISIS plot: U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen announces charges against an American-born man of Somali descent, accused of buying an AK-47 and 200 rounds to attack Minnesota's Mall of America, and Erick on assimilation and Minnesota Somali gang violence
• Evil on the march: a grim run of headlines about mothers and fathers killing their children, Lindsay Clancy copycats, and Erick's case that violence against children is the hallmark of a society in spiritual crisis
• Church and politics: Erick on the Southern Baptist Convention, why pastors should preach repentance and the gospel instead of telling people how to vote, Catholic Charities, and Jewish voters and the Democratic Party
• Midterm elections preview: the known unknowns, Republicans refusing to talk to pollsters, whether the GOP bloodbath is overstated, Ken Paxton's chances in Texas, and the Maine and Georgia debates

Erick Erickson digs into the 2026 midterms and the CNN bloodbath polling, arguing that Republicans who refuse to talk to pollsters could leave the Democratic wave overstated, with Susan Collins, Troy Jackson, Abdul El-Sayed, Mike Rogers, Ohio and Georgia races in focus. He also covers the launch of Trump accounts for 70 million kids, the Michael Dell gift, and why the George W. Bush Social Security privatization plan still matters, then ends with a housekeeping note on ericerickson.com and the new text ERICK to 33777 landing page.

• Midterm elections 2026 polling: CNN's Harry Enten and John Berman on a Republican bloodbath, Trump voters slipping in Senate and House races, and Erick on why Republicans who skip pollsters make the polls unreliable (the known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns)
• Senate and governor races: Susan Collins versus Troy Jackson in Maine, Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers in Michigan, Vivek Ramaswamy and John Husted in Ohio, Rick Jackson versus Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, plus Elissa Slotkin's Saddam Hussein comparison and the Karen Bass and Anderson Cooper segment
• Trump accounts: the IRS chief, Ted Cruz and President Trump on investment accounts for 70 million children, the Michael and Susan Dell $250 gift, and Erick's case for dividend stocks, compound interest and teaching kids capitalism
• Social Security privatization: the 2005 George W. Bush plan Erick says would have made Americans far richer, and why Trump accounts begin to fix what both parties got wrong
• Housekeeping: ericerickson.com, the Substack merge, and text ERICK to 33777 for show notes, the 24/7 live stream and each hour's podcast

Broadcasting on location through a hotel hotspot, Erick Erickson defends President Trump's "let them take out Los Angeles" Nebraska remark in context, then warns that Democrats have 28 days of maximum outrage planned, from Karen Bass to the attack on Annie Andrews in South Carolina. Rick Scott on socialism and Abdul El-Sayed, the real story behind the France riots, Somali gang violence in Minnesota, and why America needs a melting pot, not a salad bowl.

• Trump in Nebraska, Los Angeles and San Diego, Iran, and Karen Bass calling the remarks irresponsible: Erick on context versus outrage season
• Annie Andrews, Lindsey Graham's South Carolina Senate race, and the Truth Social post that fed the 28-day Democratic outrage strategy
• Rick Scott on Fox: socialism, Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race, balancing the budget, and the GOP message for November
• France riots: school protests, the viral firefighter photo, population decline, and what overspending and failed assimilation could mean for America
• Immigration and assimilation: Somali gang violence in Minnesota, Michelle Tafoya's Senate race, Ilhan Omar, and the melting pot versus the salad bowl