The Erick Erickson Show

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

Broadcasting from a secret location, Erick Erickson breaks down Russia's mysterious pneumonic plague outbreak at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia, from Marco Rubio's warning to the MIT bioweapon theory, and explains why panic is just herd mentality. He tells the foster care to 7-Eleven to postseason story of Atlanta Braves pitcher Ray Kerr, weighs in on the Cornell Seven fraternity case with Michelle Cottle, Letitia James and Byron York, and covers the diesel shortage with Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Topics:

• Russia pneumonic plague outbreak: Marco Rubio, the Irkutsk lab worker, Kevin Esvelt's MIT bioweapon theory, antibiotics going to the Ukraine front, and why Erick says do not panic
• Midterm elections 2026: polling overstating Democrats by about 3 points, House lost but Senate saved, Ken Paxton versus James Talarico in Texas, and Mike Collins in Georgia
• Ray Kerr, Atlanta Braves lefty: foster care, 7-Eleven and community college to the Phillies and Dodgers postseason, plus Erick on foster parenting and adoption reform
• Cornell Seven fraternity case: Michelle Cottle at the New York Times, Letitia James reopening the investigation, consent law in New York, and Erick's time as chief justice of his university
• Diesel shortage: Energy Secretary Chris Wright on the Russia Ukraine conflict, China's diesel export ban, and why a US diesel export ban would backfire

Erick Erickson, broadcasting from a hotel on assignment, tells listeners the midterm polling is bad but not as bad as the headlines, breaking down Steve Kornacki's NBC News poll on Hispanic voters (a 24 point Democratic lead on the generic ballot versus 22 points in 2022) and the cost of living and corruption problems dragging down Republicans. He then reports that James Talarico is now favored over Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race and that Paxton's campaign is being run from Washington, and he explains the fight between President Trump and Senator Tom Cotton over permanent daylight saving time.

• Steve Kornacki and Meet the Press: the NBC News poll of Latino voters, the 24 point generic ballot lead for Democrats versus 22 points in 2022, Trump approval with Hispanic voters, and why Erick says the GOP has held a 10 to 15 point gain
• Midterm issues: cost of living, jobs and the economy, and corruption as the number two issue, plus a CBS News Battleground Tracker poll showing Democrats winning the House if the election were held today
• Texas Senate race: James Talarico leads Ken Paxton, leaked audio of Paxton complaining his campaign is run from Washington, billionaire donors who say they were never called, and Angela Paxton's vote Republican ad
• Trump, Tom Cotton, and permanent daylight saving time: the president posts Cotton's personal cell number on Truth Social, Cotton's school bus and standard time arguments, and Erick's text exchange with the senator
• Senate map and Erick's contrarian take: Republicans keep the Senate while losing the House, with Michigan, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas in play, plus the Not Safe for Radio Show at Gas South Theater this Saturday and an aborted takeoff story

Erick Erickson reacts to Southern Baptist Convention president Willy Rice telling Fox News that Christians need to step up in politics, and argues that believers cannot play team sport for the Republican Party while corruption is the number two issue for voters. Using the book of Lamentations, the Psalm 51 repentance of King David, and the 2000 Bush election and PEPFAR, he makes the case that Christians can be a prophetic voice to both parties, and that sitting out a race like Ken Paxton's Texas Senate contest can be a vote for better. A Braves upset of the Dodgers, a candidate quality warning for Mike Collins in Georgia and Max Miller in Ohio, and a Siberian plague rumor round out the hour.

• Willy Rice and the Southern Baptist Convention: the SBC president tells Fox News that abortion, gender identity, marriage, and immigration are theological issues, and Erick asks where the Southern Baptist voice is on corruption and on the humane treatment of illegal immigrants being deported
• Corruption and the Trump family: why corruption is the number two midterm issue, taxpayer funded ads recycled from 2024 campaign videos, a possible blanket pardon, and the administration asking DOJ and HHS to hold off on mifepristone restrictions until after the midterms
• Lamentations and King David: Erick teaches the book of Lamentations (steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, Jeremiah, Babylon, the fall of Jerusalem) and Psalm 51 to explain why Christians must hold their own side accountable as the prophet Nathan did
• Caller Steve and Ken Paxton: the lesser of two evils debate, the 2000 George W. Bush election decided by 537 votes, PEPFAR and adoption reform, why Paxton may lose Texas after paying restitution, and why loyalty to Trump in primaries is wiping out electability in Georgia (Mike Collins), Ohio (Max Miller), and Washington (Joe Kent)
• Braves upset the Dodgers behind a former 7-Eleven employee and a 21 year old rookie, a plague scare in Siberia after Russia lost a saint's bones, and ad reads for Rinnai tankless water heaters, Vision Computers, and American Financing