Finally, after all kinds of posturing about whether trade negotiations would or would not be happening, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he will start talks with China Saturday in Switzerland. On Fox, Bessent admitted China has been the missing piece as the rest of the world comes to the U.S. to make trade deals. In this case, the U.S. is going to them -meeting in Switzland because the Chinese team is traveling through Europe. Political analyst on presidential historian John Rothmann will join to talk trade and politics. “It’s the Planet, Stupid!” with Belinda Waymouth takes us to China where an EV battery revolution is underway.

Four-Star Generals and Admirals are next in line to face DOGE. Pete Hegseth reportedly wants a 20% cut to the U.S. military. That includes active duty military brass and general officers in the National Guard. He’s calling the move “Less Generals, more GIs.”
The new Prime Minister of Canada will be at the White House today, working on a trade agreement with Trump. Already, some Trump allies, like Howard Lutnick, are calling Canada socialist and  casting doom on the meeting before it even starts. 
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We’ll run it all past our friend and Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston. 
There’s a new organization called Nature is Non-partisan working to bring people of different political ideologies together in support of shared environmental ideals. From hunters to tree huggers, the goal is to protect the planet. We have Meg Haywood Sullivan stopping by to give us details. 
The Mark Thompson Show 
5/6/25
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What is now a San Francisco tourist hotspot was once a notorious prison for hardened criminals. Trump wants to turn back the clock and make Alcatraz into the isolated prison for the worst offenders that it once was. 
If that leaves, you scratching your head, some other things he said over the weekend will too. The president questioned whether he has to follow the constitution. He told the press he would not rule out taking Greenland by force and he says there will be a 100% tariff for foreign films in America.
We will talk politics with author Jared Yates Sexton and iHeart TV and radio political analyst Gary Dietrich. 
Karen Dawn of Dawn Watch will join to help save the animals.
The Mark Thompson Show 
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God, Guns & Dr. Phil. Christianity needs protecting, according to Trump, so he has created the Religious Liberty Commission. Trump is choosing Dr. Phil McGraw, who got his start on Oprah and then hosted his own daytime TV show, to sit on the holy task force. Dr. Phil says he is very proud to see religion coming back to the White House. Trump says his new Religious Liberty Commission is an effort to “vigorously enforce the historic and robust protections for religious liberty enshrined in Federal law.” Also on the RLC, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, and New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan. So far, no Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or other religions are represented. We’ve got our Friday A-team in place. Journalists Michael Shure and Jim Avila will join Mark to talk religion and politics. It’s just not Friday without a trip to Florida. Get ready for some alligators and some sunshine in this addition of Friday Fabulous Florida. Sliding in on a Friday rainbow, it’s our beloved Culture Blaster Michael Snyder bringing movie reviews, streaming options and an infusion of pop culture to the world.

The Trump team is getting inventive about playing off bad ecconomic numbers as good. It’s likely hard for Trump, who made promises to voters about his economic prowess, to admit that the US economy just had its worst quarter since 2022. Economists blame Trump’s significant policy changes for shaking up consumers and businesses. We welcome Ambassador Francis Rooney to The Mark Thompson Show. He served in Congress representing Florida’s 19th Congressional District and served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, under President George W. Bush. We’ll ask Ambassador Rooney what Trump’s American foreign policy should look like. Former federal prosecutor and now defense attorney, David Katz joins us. He will discuss the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on whether religious schools can be funded with taxpayer dollars.

Despite Trump vowing to cut government spending, hiring Elon Musk and taking chainsaw to federal agencies, your taxpayer dollars are flying out the door faster than ever. Trump's administration has spent about $220 billion more in his first 100 days compared to the same time period last year. According to a CBS analysis, 
Trump’s government is now spending more, day to day, than was spent in nine of the last 10 years. 
We will look at the details with presidential historian and political analyst John Rothmann.
Eco-journalist Belinda Waymouth returns with another attempt to save the world. Join us for, “It’s the Planet, Stupid!”
The Mark Thompson Show 
4/30/25
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You know it’s bad for Trump when Karl Rove appears on Fox saying Trump is in very bad shape in regards to his mismanagement of the economy. 
Rove says Trump is not only in trouble with voters in the short term but in the long run too, even if he gets his way on tariffs. Rove says recent polls show Americans are angry about how Trump has managed taxpayers’ money.
Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston will join us to discuss this and more. 
What role did Trump play in Canada‘s election yesterday? The country took a turn toward progressive ideas. We’ll talk to journalist, author and professor Andrew Z. Cohen about Trump‘s impact on international politics.
The Mark Thompson Show 
4/29/25
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Fresh polling by multiple agencies shows Trump losing support, bigly. ABC says Trump has the “lowest 100-day approval rating in 80 years.” Results are similar from CNN and AP. Trump’s support is falling among voters and also among Republicans in Congress where what appeared to be a unified front a couple months ago now appears to be splintering.  In addition, an RMG Poll of likely voters shows that if an election for Congress were held today, 48 percent would vote for the Democrat on their ballot, while 44 percent would vote for the Republican.
We will check the numbers with journalist Michael Shure and iHeart radio and TV political analyst Gary Dietrich.
The Mark Thompson Show 
4/28/25
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Trump seems to have miscalculated when it comes to trying to bully China into a trade deal. Trump says he is making progress with China, but hasnt offered any specifics. China says it is not even engaged in any negotiations with the U.S. The country is working to form an international trade coalition that will exclude the United States. Add that to a rocky ride for investors, concerns about the dollar and a come to Jesus meeting with the CEOs of Target, Walmart and Home Depot and Trump is blinking first, softening his position on tariffs and caving to pressure as China digs in. We’ve got journalists Michael Shure and Jim Avila on the show today to lay it all out. We’ll check in on those crazy kids in Florida and find out about the latest movie and streaming options with the Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder.

Forget world renowned economists and financial experts, it seems to have taken the CEOs of the biggest retailers in America to convince Trump to ease off the Chinese tariffs. The leaders of Target, Walmart and Home Depot met with Trump in the oval office yesterday and finally, Trump seems to be getting the message that his tariffs are bad for business. We’ll explore that and more with award-winning journalist Gil Gross. Still no movement in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, despite calls from a judge to bring him back to America. Judge Paula Xinis gave the Trump administration an extension on the time she allotted them to show evidence that they are trying to bring him home while also letting them know she’s far from pleased, writing: “Defendants have failed to respond in good faith, and their refusal to do so can only be viewed as willful and intentional noncompliance. That ends now," We will run the case past former federal prosecutor, and now defense attorney, David Katz.