Michael welcomes Washington Examiner columnist Salena Zito on an Op-Ed she penned for The Washington Post, after being on the ground with U.S. Steel workers in PA. Original air date 10 April 2025.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Setting aside criticism of Trump’s approach and style, do you believe his tariff policies will ultimately benefit the United States? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast!

The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

You will feel a heck of a lot smarter in 30 minutes after listening to this - Michael sure did! A great tutorial on what's happening with all these tariffs - including the most basic layers of how tariffs work, all the way to the possible deep effects on world economies and U.S. relations with other countries - from William Reinsch, senior adviser and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Original air date 8 April 2025.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Which poses a greater challenge for America's future: young men's decreasing workforce participation or the decline in manufacturing jobs? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast!

The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

Michael talks trade and tariffs with former Louisiana Lt. Governor and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who also served as President Biden's senior advisor for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implementation. He compares trade relationships with other countries under Biden versus today, and the impact of U.S. jobs and the economy. And, they discuss today's Smerconish.com poll question on whether what President Trump is doing with tariffs now is a permanent part of his trade policy, or, a negotiating tactic. Original air date 8 April 2025.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Are President Trump's tariffs a permanent fixture of his trade policy or primarily a negotiating tactic? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast!

The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

Michael offers a commentary on what's happening in the financial markets as a result of President Trump enacting reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners around the world. This leads to ask you Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Will the Dow Jones Industrial Average close higher or lower this Friday than it did last Friday (38,314.86)? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast!

The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

The New York Times reporter Charles Homans joins Michael to discuss his new piece "The Strange, Post-Partisan Popularity of the Unabomber'"; a piece that takes a deep dive into the life and death of Ted Kaczynski, infamously known as the "Unabomber". In this interview Homans unpacks the shocking uptick in Ted Kaczynski's popularity. Original air date 4 April 2025.

The stock market has taken a massive hit since President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs against foreign trading partners on "Liberation Day". Michael offers a commentary on this, leading to Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Has President Trump just triggered a recession? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast!

The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.