The Tom Sullivan Show

Four weeks until Election Day, and Michigan's Senate race may decide who controls the chamber — Democratic nominee El-Sayed is struggling with Black and Jewish voters, and a Detroit focus group was a real eye-opener. We break down why. President Trump told a Nebraska rally crowd "let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego" while talking about a nuclear Iran, sparking fierce backlash from Newsom and both cities' mayors. We give you the fuller context of what he was actually arguing and why the phrasing still landed so badly. A military firing squad has been approved for Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009. And permanent daylight saving time has Trump on one side, Senator Tom Cotton on the other — plus Trump gave out his own phone number and wants you to call. All of it today.

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Christa Pike remains unconscious on a ventilator, four days after surviving two full doses of lethal injection in what experts are calling unprecedented in American death penalty history. Her lawyers say her arms were left burned and blistered, and they're formally asking Tennessee's governor to commute her sentence to life in prison. We examine what happens legally from here. Then at Cornell, a woman alleges she was drugged and gang-raped by seven fraternity brothers in 2024 — but prosecutors initially refused to file any criminal charges because of New York's "voluntary intoxication loophole," a law that says if you choose to get drunk, you have almost no legal recourse if something happens to you while impaired. We break down exactly how that law works, why lawmakers have failed to close it for eight straight years, and why Governor Hochul just appointed the Attorney General to reopen the criminal investigation. All of it today.

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A new taxpayer-funded ad called "God Made Trump" is airing with a messianic three-minute riff on "So God Made a Farmer" — part of at least 13 campaign-style ads costing $20 million in DHS and Customs and Border Protection money, funds that were supposed to go to border security. Democrats are calling it a corrupt misuse of taxpayer dollars, and Trump's own officials reportedly called it "obviously illegal" privately. Why not just use his own campaign war chest? And better yet, why is a president who's not even on the ballot this year running self-promotional ads at all? Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports the FlyDubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane had already been grounded for a full year by Oman Air after extremist materials were found during his training. He was still allowed to keep working, and somehow ended up flying one of the most sensitive routes in the world, a flight to Tel Aviv — a route Omani pilots weren't even supposed to be assigned to under FlyDubai's own agreement with Israel. How did this happen? All of it today.

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Both pilots from this week's terrifying FlyDubai incident — the stabbed captain and the accused first officer — are reportedly being moved from Saudi Arabia to the UAE for Dubai's legal system to take over. We ask what that actually means, since Emirati justice moves very differently, and often faster but harsher, than what we're used to in the West. It's officially October, which means we've entered the ugliest stretch of election season — we talk through what to watch for. And a genuinely shocking story out of Tennessee — Christa Pike, who would have been the first woman executed there in over 200 years, survived two full doses of lethal injection Wednesday night. Witnesses say she was alive and snoring afterward. The governor has halted all remaining executions this year and ordered a full investigation. Experts are calling this unprecedented. All of it today.

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A genuinely terrifying scene today — a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv saw its first officer allegedly stab the captain and try to crash the plane, according to Israel's Prime Minister, who called it an attempted terror attack. The aircraft lost 17,000 feet of altitude before passengers and crew stormed the cockpit, subdued him, and landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots are hospitalized; the first officer is under arrest. Real echoes of Flight 93, even with different specifics. Then RFK Jr. told a Washington summit that AI is now "better informed" than your doctor and can "free us from medical tyranny," citing a claim that OpenAI's Sam Altman called it malpractice for doctors not to check AI. Not everyone agrees — a CBS medical contributor pushed back directly, calling that idea a bad one. We break down both sides. And Robinhood just rolled out expanded AI tools that will trade stocks for you automatically, around the clock — 150,000 people are already using it. Exciting, but let's watch how it performs before diving in ourselves. All of it today.

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America.gov officially launched today — an AI-powered one-stop shop consolidating 29,000 federal websites into a single chatbot-style portal for things like Medicare, passports, and federal job postings. First impressions are genuinely positive, and unlike the infamous Obamacare website disaster, this one seems to actually work — though it's worth noting the site doesn't disclose which AI model it runs on, and at launch it correctly contradicted some of Trump's own political claims before later declining to answer political questions. The launch coincided with a big White House lunch for major tech CEOs, tied to plans for a broader AI safety framework. Meanwhile, a new ban — not tariff, an outright ban — on Canadian wine, dairy, and motorcycles took effect today, covering just under $1 billion in trade. Canada's economy is a fraction of ours, the goods barely register against $880 billion in total trade, and even Trump admits "there's nothing they have that we need." So why keep escalating with one of our closest allies? All of it today.

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Five young British men were arrested near RAF Fairford — the UK airbase America uses to bomb Iran — after a farmer spotted suspicious vans and masked men scrambling into the woods. Iran's IRGC had already called that base a "legitimate target." All five were released on bail Monday, and while police reportedly haven't found viable explosives, they're still investigating whether this was state-backed activity tied to Iran or Russia. Iran flatly denies any connection. We ask honestly — genuine foiled plot, or overcautious response to a suspicious but innocent situation? Then a new White House ad called "Final Battle" started airing during NFL games this weekend — Trump's own voice vowing to "demolish the deep state" and "cast out communists, Marxists and fascists," almost identical to his actual 2024 campaign ad, except this one ends with "Paid for by the U.S. Government" instead of his campaign committee. He's not even on the ballot this year. Even a Republican congressman called it something you'd see "in banana republics." We ask why this is legal and why taxpayers are footing the bill. All of it today.

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Xi's leaving Washington largely empty-handed — no Taiwan talk, no real deals, and most Americans never even saw the ceremony live thanks to the ongoing press ban. But here's what deserves attention — while Trump's been pushing American companies to bring business home, he hosted a state dinner Thursday night where Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Pichai, Huang, Altman, and Tim Cook all sat down with Xi so Trump could "secure business deals." That's a genuinely mixed message. Meanwhile, good news for homebuyers — mortgage rates are above 7%, sellers now outnumber buyers by the widest margin on record, and sellers are finally cutting prices and offering concessions to attract fewer, pickier buyers. After years of a seller's market, the leverage has flipped. All of it today.

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Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

The Xi-Trump summit wrapped with basically nothing to show for it — trade, AI, and rare earths got discussed, no real breakthroughs happened, and none of the five major networks even aired it live thanks to Trump's press ban standoff. Still, this was Xi's first Washington visit in 11 years, and three more meetings are already reportedly planned over the next year at different locations. Netanyahu gave a defiant UN speech today thanking Trump for "bold leadership" against Iran — but delegations from 77 countries walked out or skipped it entirely, leaving him basically speaking to an empty room. And a federal judge ordered the White House to immediately restore CNN, MS NOW, and Politico's press passes, calling the ban likely unconstitutional — but the White House still dragged its feet for hours before actually complying. This fight is far from over. All of it today.

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Xi Jinping is in Washington for his first visit in over a decade, and Trump is rolling out rare pageantry — greeting his plane personally, a full state dinner with Silicon Valley's biggest names Thursday night. But it's drawing real criticism, including from Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who said on the Senate floor he would have advised against inviting Xi for "such a lavish welcome" given troubling issues with China. Foreign policy experts worry it makes Xi look strong back home. Meanwhile Iran's president gave his own tough UN speech today, saying Iran "will not bend the knee," echoing Trump's own combative remarks a day earlier about a "big decision" between a deal or "annihilation." And here's the number that actually affects your wallet — the 10-year Treasury yield just hit 5.12%, its highest level since 2007. That directly drives mortgage rates and borrowing costs higher right now. All of it today.

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Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed