The Mark Thompson Show

"I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try to cheat like hell like they do." Donald Trump leads a crowd in a pledge to vote in the upcoming midterms, calling himself the greatest president in U.S. history and claiming that Democrats are the biggest cheaters of all. Today, marks 25 year since the September 11th attacks on America. How have we changed as a country? Kenneth Feinberg will tell us about his experience as the Special Master of the U.S. Government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. This Week in Politics brings journalist Michael Shure and political analyst Yasmin Khan to the show to discuss everything from Trump's midterm convention, to his call for a dividend should voters keep the house and senate red, to the soaring price of gas and diesel fuel. Follow Michael Shure on X at https://x.com/michaelshure Read Yasmin on Substack at open.substack.com/pub/yazzzzzk We'll stop by Florida to take the pulse of America's craziest state. The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder, will swing by to talk movies. Find Michael Snyder's column in The Voice of San Francisco at thevoicesf.org

Is the president actually trying to buy this election? You might be waiting for his latest promise of cash like you're still waiting for your DOGE check. Donald Trump gave a wild "midterm convention" speech promising every adult citizen a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans keep hold of Congress in the midterms. From the sheer desperation of the pitch to the legal reality that he can't just send out trillions of dollars without Congressional approval, we're questioning if this is just another fantasy or a straight-up attempt to rig the vote. Former federal prosecutor, now defense attorney, David Katz will stop by and we'll ask him if this so called dividend based on the outcome of an election is legal. We'll also look at word that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is in line for a pardon. Then ,we are off to save the election with reporter Greg Palast. He just released a six-part series of short video reels on the latest in vote suppression tricks. His series is called "Jim Crow Reloaded" and you can find it at: SaveYourVote.org

President Trump doled out $45,000 in cold hard cash to three White House aides as holiday bonuses. Natalie Harp, Chamberlain Harris, and Margo Martin each had a merry trip to the bank. The White House insists is totally normal. Meanwhile, Harp's been making headlines for her suspiciously close relationship with Trump, including joining him on a secret catering cart jaunt to a secret plane trip and cramming herself in the trunk of the car Trump was in so they wouldn’t be too far apart. Yeah, that’s not normal. We'll look at the details of this holiday payout and where the money came from. We are joined today by John Rothmann. John is the host of “Around the Political World with John Rothmann. You can also hear him on the Voice of San Francisco at thevoicesf.org Author and political analyst Jared Yates Sexton will stop through. You can find details about Jared’s books and more of his writing at his website and on his sub stack. https://www.jysexton.com/books Substack - https://jaredyatessexton.substack.com/ The Mark Thompson Show 9/9/26 Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

Latest polling and projections are shaking up the 2024 midterm race—and the GOP is worried. Decision Desk HQ now gives Democrats a 67% chance of flipping the House, while Senate control has shifted to a dead heat, with forecasters calling it a near 50-50 toss-up, possibly going 51-49 for Democrats. This is a reversal from earlier predictions, where Republicans seemed poised to hold the Senate. FCC chair Brendan Carr is now trying to clamp down on polling information he doesn’t like by calling it fake. Despite Republican efforts at redistricting, which came before the Democratic response to such moves, and despite work to cut polling places in certain states and stamp out mail-in voting, Trump finds himself in a pickle and he knows it. What's driving this shift in midterm voter sentiment? What does it mean for the final stretch before election day? We will break down the latest numbers and examine growing alarm within Republican ranks. Pulitzer prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston will join us today. Find David Cay Johnston at: DCReport.org https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston We will take a close look at Trump‘s ongoing Iran war. Trita Parsi will join us. He is the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute and an award-winning author. Find Trita on Substack: https://tritaparsi.substack.com/ The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft: https://quincyinst.org/ The Mark Thompson Show Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

CNN’s well known conservative voice is calling for the U.S. to declare victory over Iran. Scott Jennings says it's the president's responsibility to explain to Americans how the war has been won. Meanwhile, money for the Iran war is still being spent and American warships are still deployed. Will Americans believe Trump if he claims victory or will it be perceived as another piece of propaganda in support of an unpopular war ahead of America’s midterm elections. Guests today include former federal prosecutor and now defense attorney, David Katz. We will ask him about Congress blocking a proposed constitutional amendment to keep Supreme Court justices to nine. Comedian, impressionist and attorney J – L Cauvin will stop through to talk politics and tell us about his upcoming comedy tour.

Creating election chaos could pay off big-time for Trump. He doesn't need to win every legal battle over mail-in ballots, gerrymandering, election monitors or voter confusion, he only needs the mess itself. Confusion becomes the weapon.Confusion suppresses turnout. Uncertainty over voting procedures and information discourages participation. A smaller, more demoralized electorate works in his favor. We’ll talk elections with presidential historian and host of Around the Political World. John Rothmann will join us in the first hour. Political analyst and author Jared Yates Sexton will stop through to talk politics. His brilliant insight on the issues will make you seek out his writing. He’s that good. Find Jared at : https://www.jysexton.com/books https://jaredyatessexton.substack.com/ Then, we are off to save the planet with amazing eco- journalist, Belinda Waymouth. She’ll explain how a mining company fell to opposition from Native American tribes. The Mark Thompson Show 9/2/26 Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

Here comes the Trump billion dollar ballroom we didn’t need. The Supreme Court is allowing Trump to move forward indefinitely with the construction of a new White House ballroom. In a 5–4 decision, the justices blocked lower-court rulings that would have halted work on the project’s above-ground portion. Trump’ tone deaf project, dripping with gold accents, comes ahead of the midterm elections - a time when issues of affordability are on the minds of voters. Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston stops through to talk about presidential powers, distractions and crimes. The Mark Thompson Show Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

Health concerns about President Trump are growing after he joined Trey Gowdy for a bizarre conversation covering golf, the economy, and foreign policy. Trump’s statements were so strange that critics questioned what was really going through his mind, including peculiar claims about Canada and an unusual plea asking voters to imagine him on the 2026 midterm ballots. Trump also claimed to have "largely taken care of inflation." We’ll talk about it with a star studded Monday guest list including: Emmy award-winning news anchor David Shuster, Find David: https://davidshuster.substack.com Journalist Greg Palast New series: Jim Crow Reloaded. SaveYourVote.org The Mark Thompson Show 8/31/26 Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

Trump’s latest trade-war power move is making waves. His new executive order officially renames Lake Ontario “Lake America.” The move is sparking fierce pushback from Canada, US governors, and Indigenous history advocates. Is this patriotic branding or political theater? Emmy award winning news anchor David Shuster returns to pilot the show. He'll look at "This Week in Politics" with Michael Shure and Mo Kelly, delve into the strange place that is the state of Florida and chat about movies with The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder. Happy Friday!