Five articles of impeachment are being brought by Democrats against Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. They will likely go nowhere because Republicans control the house, but they sure make a statement. The first article accuses Hegseth of violating his oath of office in overseeing an “unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members.” Hegseth is accused of war crimes for targeting civilians, breaking the rules of armed conflict, and the alleged mishandling of sensitive information in the “Signal-Gate” scandal. He is accused of obstructing congressional oversight responsibilities, in his alleged withholding of details on military actions and of abuse of power for “launching bogus investigations against certain elected officials for the express purpose of retribution.” Despite the serious nature of the charges, a Pentagon spokesman says it’s “just another Democrat trying to make headlines. We welcome former federal prosecutor and now defense attorney David Katz to discuss this and more. Congressman Jared Huffman will stop by the show. He’s the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Natural Resources and serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He has a lot to say about plans to drill for oil off the coast of California, stripping historical information from national parks and Donald Trump, Jr.’s rare earth start up. Plus, cupcakes! Christy from Suite106Bskery stops by to debut her new Mother’s Day flavors and OMG do they look delicious.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says there are no more Epstein Files to release. He tells Fox News that he doesn’t intend to release any more saying “We have released everything, We reviewed six million pieces of paper. What we released [was] anything associated with the Epstein files. So we are not sitting on a single piece of paper. Nothing that should be released.” It wouldn’t be the first time the DOJ gave the public the runaround. Last year, former AG Pam Bondi said the Epstein list was "sitting on my desk" for review.  She later said it was the case file not a client list. It took an act of Congress and intense pressure to get any files released. Have we truly seen all the Epstein files or is Blanche protecting Trump?
We’ll share the latest on Trump’s War in Iran and the results of his effort to blockade Iranian ports. Presidential historian and political analyst John Rothmann joins. 
Should Americans be ‘happy’ that Trump is deeply involved in the Department of Justice? We’ll ask former US pardon attorney Liz Oyer.
“It’s the Planet, Stupid!” brings our lovely 
eco-journalist Belinda Waymouth by to help save the world.
The Mark Thompson Show 
4/15/26
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Vice President JD Vance is likely not too high on Trump’s list right now. He was sent to Hungary to give Victor Orban a pre-election day boost. It didn’t work and Orban lost. He was sent to hammer out a deal with Iran as Pakistan facilitated talks…that also failed. No deal and no dice. Sadly for Vance, his boss isn’t too understanding. On Easter, Trump was asked about a deal with Iran and joked,”If it doesn’t happen, I’m blaming JD Vance, If it does happen, I’m taking full credit.” We know Trump’s jokes come with a jumbo sized side of truth. That has to have Vance feeling uneasy. Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston will swing by the show to talk about this and more.

Headlines around the world called Trump’s verbal attack of Pope Leo extraordinary. While some may disagree with church policies, it’s hard to call out a man who consistently offers messages of peace and harmony. Trump called Pope Leo “weak and ‘terrible” and said the only reason he got the job is because of Trump himself. He called on the Pope to “stop catering to the Radical Left.” His blistering social media post was followed up with comments to reporters. Is it wise to take the leader of the Catholic Church to task in such a public way? Could this cost Trump more support as his poll numbers continue to plunge? Or is the world going to keep normalizing and ignoring Trump’s outbursts? Michael Shure is in for Mark Thompson. We welcome iHeart political analyst Gary Dietrich to examine the possible ramifications of Trump’s anti-Pope rant.

It's a mystery. Why did Melania Trump hold a solo press conference yesterday where she tried to distance herself from the late Jeffrey Epstein? Was she trying to get ahead of a story about to break, sending her husband a message maybe or is she really just tired of questionable stories and pictures tying her to the late pedophile? One thing her announcement did do...bring the Epstein story back into the spotlight. Political journalist Michael Shure joins the show. He'll discuss the peculiar timing of the First Lady's announcement and offer analysis of the latest with Trump's Iran War. In the second hour, prepare to be wowed by the uniqueness of Friday Fabulous Florida. The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder, always starts the weekend off right with a look at the best movies.

Before Trump's Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz was considered an International Waterway and as such, there was no toll to pay to pass through it. Now, Iran wants to charge fees for ships ‌to pass. Whether that comes to fruition remains to be seen as international leaders are speaking out against the idea of a toll. Meanwhile, a fresh 2-week ceasefire between the US and Iran already appears fragile. Israeli airstrikes against Lebanon prompted Iranian state media to announce the strait was “fully closed” again on Wednesday and only four bulk carriers crossed the strait, no oil or gas tankers, Is the Strait of Hormuz closed? How will Donald Trump respond? We'll discuss it all. Former Federal Prosecutor David Katz will join us to talk about whether former AG Pam Bondi will be testifying before Congress about the Epstein Files, how Steve Bannon is poised to have his former conviction vacated and he will give us his thoughts on the case involving the US Government and AI company Anthropic.

Trump’s MAGA base appears to be disillusioned. Recently, former Trump campaign spokesperson Caroline Sunshine told CNN’s Elex Michaelson…
“Who’s MAGA? Because what I’m hearing from everyone is, I’m a ‘three-time Trump voter, and I’m not MAGA anymore. I’m not. I’m now non-MAGA,’”  “MAGA, the base is leaving because they don’t agree with this conflict, and they don’t believe that this is what they voted for and they’re correct.”
She’s joined by a chorus of former MAGA voices now turning away from Trump and a war that broke the MAGA promise. 
We will talk about it with John Rothmann. He is a presidential historian and political analyst well versed in Middle East history. 
Our eco-journalist Belinda Waymouth returns with a great edition of “It’s the Planet, Stupid!” We’ll look at Exxon’s drilling habits and a pair of moon bears rescued from a Facebook sale!
The Mark Thompson Show 
4/8/26
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Its deadline day. Trump is giving Iran until 8pm Eastern to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He is threatening to blow up power infrastructure and bridges if they fail to do so. The markets are reacting and oil prices are once again rising as a result. So what’s his best move? Another deadline extension, a massive attack or some kind of hastily hammered out ceasefire? We’ll discuss it with Pulitzer Prize winning author, an investigative journalist, David Cay Johnston. 
Michael Shure is in for Mark Thompson.
The Mark Thompson Show 
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On Easter Sunday, Donald Trump, who claims to be a Christian, posted a very unchristian like message for the world to see. The message makes him look look unstable, unthinking and very unpresidential. It’s bringing concerns about Trump’s mental health status as he digs deeper into his Iran war with threats, expletives and a bravado that does not offer much hope for diplomacy. 
Here’s his Easter Sunday post: 
"“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump later clarified that Iran has an 8 PM Eastern deadline to reopen the strait. 
We welcome iHeart political analyst Gary Dietrich to the show to discuss this and more. 
The Mark Thompson Show 
4/6/26
Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link:
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is forcing the Army’s top general out. It’s a move fueling new scrutiny over who is driving decisions inside the Pentagon. With no clear explanation for General Randy George’s early removal, critics are pointing to the growing influence of outside political voices, including far-right activist Laura Loomer, and raising alarms about possible ideological or loyalty tests shaping military leadership. General George isn’t the only experienced, educated leader being forced out. Chief of Chaplains, Major General William Green Jr. and Commander of Army Transformation and Training, General David Hodne, are also being shown the door. The shakeup is intensifying concerns about politicization at the highest levels of command—and who might be next. It’s going to be a great Friday show. We’ll recap ‘This Week in Politics’ with Michael Shure and Mo Kelly. It’s been a doozy with Trump admitting he’d rather pay for a war than daycare, threatening to bomb Iran back into the Stone Age, showing up at a Supreme Court hearing and then firing Attorney General Pam Bondi. We switching to Friday fun mode with a stop by Florida to look at the locals and a visit with The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder, to discover the best movie streaming options for this weekend. Grab a cup of Coachella Valley Coffee and a Suite 106 Bakery cupcake and settle in for the ride.