The Mark Thompson Show

President Trump just signed off on sweeping import restrictions on Canadian goods, and they're taking effect tonight at midnight ET (September 29, 2026). From whiskey to the whey protein in your favorite supplement to motorcycles,we’ll look at what Canada's saying about retaliation, how Trump’s trade war will raise prices for Americans yet again and why trade talks between the U.S. and Canada are stalling out. We turn to Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston to dig deeper. Find more of David’s writing on his Substack: https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston Mark sits down with Charle...

A strange Trump ad caught football fans by surprise. The taxpayer-funded advertisement aired during NFL games this past Sunday, appearing in commercial breaks of the Seahawks versus Commanders and Browns versus Panthers matchups. The spot shows Trump walking through a hallway declaring "this is the final battle" while his voiceover states he'll "cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists" and "liberate America from these villains once and for all." The ad drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for using federal funds for what many argue is political campaigning. We welcome guests: Sarah Kendzior. She is a best-selling author, scholar...

Some of Trump's advisers are pushing him to intervene in federal elections. According to The Atlantic, Peter Ticktin, a longtime Trump associate wants him to consider extraordinary measures before the midterm elections.How much influence Ticktin has remain s to be seen ? We have seen Trump’s repeated calls for greater federal control over elections, election-fraud conspiracies and voter restrictions. Now, comes this rhetoric about martial law that could create chaos and shape the political landscape heading into November. We'll talk about this and more with political analysts Michael Shure and Mo Kelly during This Week in Politics. Then it's Fr...

With the midterms just weeks away, Republican candidates are making a strategic pivot and it's pretty telling. Trump's approval rating is below 40%, with some polls putting it closer to 30%. His policies aren't polling great either. Half of Americans think his deportation agenda goes too far, and even his own MAGA base is getting tired of his foreign policy moves. So what are GOP candidates doing? They're distancing themselves and fast. Some candidates are scrubbing all Trump references from their campaign websites and eliminating him from their ads. Out of hundreds of new campaign commercials from Republicans in competitive races since...

Today's Guests Links
Prof. David Cay Johnston at RIT, Pulitzer Prize winning Author & Investigative Journalist  https://bsky.app/profile/davidcayjohnston.bsky.social
https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston
Dmitri Mehlhorn https://www.dmitrimehlhorn.com
The dirty commie rhetoric was put away for a time while President Trump met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion. The surprisingly cordial conversation focused on one issue affecting nearly every New Yorker: the rising cost of living. The two discussed housing affordability, federal funding, immigration protections, and the safety of immigrant communities or the lack thereof. Despite their differences, T...

The whole world can see Trump trying to control information about his presidency. We know from history that... "When empires or authoritarian regimes are under threat or fall, it's common for the press to become an early casualty. Controlling the flow of information is crucial for those in power, and when that power is challenged, media censorship, suppression, or manipulation often intensifies." (savejournalism.com) We shine a spotlight on Trump's decision to remove CNN from its scheduled role as the television pool representative for the White House press corps. The move breaks with decades of precedent and follows Trump’s an...

Republicans are facing a difficult midterm balancing act: embrace Donald Trump to energize the MAGA base and access his massive campaign war chest, or keep their distance as his approval ratings fall and some of his policies become political liabilities. We look at why vulnerable GOP candidates are divided over Trump’s involvement, and what that tension could mean for the party’s chances in November. This week in Politics brings our brilliant political analysts Michael Shure and Mo Kelly to the show. We'll talk midterms, Kennedy Center and the latest rumblings on AI. Downshifting into fun gear...Friday Fabulous Flor...

Senator Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate Agriculture Committee for a vote on the Farm Bill, but confusion arose when his name was called. After aides and fellow Republicans appeared to prompt him, his name had to be repeated twice before he slightly raised a finger and quietly said “aye.” The moment added to concerns about the 84-year-old senator’s health following his 92-day absence from Capitol Hill. From the possibility that Trump could knock down the Kennedy Center after a judicial ruling against carving his name into the facade to his latest tirade against Supreme Court justices that went agains...

Vice President JD Vance spoke at a closed-door House Republican conference meeting on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to target Democratic candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico. Critics condemned his advice as an embrace of racist fearmongering. The discussion also focused on voters’ economic frustrations ahead of the midterms. We welcome presidential historian John Rothmann to the show. Jon can be heard on his podcast “Around the Political World with John Rothmann ” We’ll shine a light on a new book called “Draw the Line in Ohio: How One State's Fight for Fair Maps Explains Gerrymandering in America.” The co-authors...

The US Supreme Court is blocking a Trump administration rule that would have restricted mail voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and voting rights advocates are celebrating the win. The postal service rule, by presidential executive order, would have given the executive branch unprecedented control over how Americans vote by mail and let the Postal Service refuse to send ballots to voters. Legal experts warned the screening plan posed serious risks to voting access for millions of Americans. Election officials from Arizona, Texas, and Wisconsin are relieved the court recognized that election oversight belongs to the states, not the president...

Donald Trump is pushing back against calls for stricter AI guardrails, calling them part of a “sick conspiracy” against the industry and data centers. As concerns grow over AI’s potential risks, Trump, discounting warnings of the demise of humanity from AI industry leaders, says the U.S. must keep moving fast to stay ahead of China. Guests today include: Emmy award winning news anchor David Shuster. You’ve seen him anchor on MSNBC - he’s worked for Fox News, CNN, Current TV, The Young Turks, and Al Jazeera America. Find David at: https://davidshuster.substack.com/ Comedian, impressionist & attorney J...

"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 Michae...

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...

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...

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 desp...

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 prop...

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 yo...

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...

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. Save...

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!

More than 165 people are dead and as many as 1,500 are unaccounted for following catastrophic floods devastating towns and valleys along the Nepal-Tibet border. In Nepal's hardest-hit Rasuwa region, videos show the power of the floodwaters as they tore apart bridges and swept people away. Authorities believe the disaster was triggered by a landslide associated with a glacial event in the Himalayas, which sent a massive surge of water. Emmy award-winning news anchor David Shuster is sitting in for Mark today. He’ll speak with former federal prosecutor and now defense attorney David Katz about the recent ruling on voting by ma...

Despite an embarrassing blunder during a recent debate, Darline Graham is advancing to the General Election in her South Carolina Senate Race, securing the party's nomination for the Senate seat previously held by her brother, Lindsey Graham. Darline is backed by Donald Trump, whose PAC dumped a lot of money into this race. She moves forward to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election. We’ll talk about it with John Rothmann. He is a presidential historian and political analyst. He’s also heard daily on his audio podcast ‘Around the Political World with John Rothmann.’ The political conversation continue...

Here’s what happens when a racist, sexist jerk like Jesse Watters trieds to steamroll someone that can actually fight back with facts. Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed sat down with Watters for a heated debate covering gas prices, the Iran war, Sharia law, Colin Kaepernick, gender-affirming care, and more. They had an intense exchange on the issues shaping the 2026 election. We will put it to David Cay Johnston, our Pulitzer Prize, winning investigative journalist and best selling author. The Mark Thompson Show 8/25/26 Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Pa...

A federal judge is putting a stop to the Trump administration’s freeze on immigrant visas affecting applicants from 75 countries. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his legal authority by ordering visa denials for applicants who had otherwise been found eligible to enter the United States. The policy, introduced in January, suspended immigrant visa issuance to nationals from countries the State Department considered at high risk of public-benefit dependency. The affected nations span regions including Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. It's a star studded gu...

The US-Iran conflict is at a dangerous standstill. President Donald Trump is threatening a sweeping new sanctions campaign against Iran and countries that continue doing business with it. We examine whether Washington’s “economic D-Day” can force a breakthrough, whether Iran’s sanctions-evasion networks and international alliances will undermine the strategy and whether Trump is making empty threats that may weaken the position of the United States. Mo Kelly and Yasmin Khan will join us for a look at 'This Week in Politics.' Friday Fabulous Florida highlights our weirdest state. The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder, will slide down his rainbow...

America doesn't have an Iran deal and gas prices are skyrocketing, but don't worry, at least we have a fancy new driveway and helicopter pad at the White House. President Construction Project is back at it with another way to spend money. Trump called reporters to the South Lawn for an impromptu tour of his new driveway replacement and a look at the progress on his new helipad. Trump also says the driveway is getting an upgrade with California-mined white granite that he says is more fitting for the White House. Standing near the carved granite helipad with the presidential...

Progressive Democrats made a surprising splash in Florida’s Senate primary as state Rep. Angie Nixon beat Alex Vindman, setting up a tough general election against GOP Sen. Ashley Moody and signaling possible left-wing momentum in President Trump’s home state. 
We will look at election results from Alaska as well, where Democrats think they may have a road to the Senate.  In Wyoming, Megan Degenfelder becomes the 5th Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate to lose a primary this election cycle.  It seems that having Trump's support isn't the key to winning anymore. 
Guests today include John Rothmann.  He is the host...

Donald Trump’s political problems are getting harder to ignore — and his options overseas may be shrinking just as fast. A brand-new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump’s approval at just 33 percent, the lowest of his presidency, with 64 percent disapproving and a remarkable 80 percent of Americans now expecting the Iran war to drag on. Meanwhile, Trump’s promised quick resolution with Iran looks increasingly elusive: the negotiating period has expired without a deal, the Strait of Hormuz remains a dangerous sticking point, and Trump is escalating his rhetoric even as his practical choices for ending the conflict appear increasingly limited. We’ll lo...

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff called out Trump’s relationship with his much younger aide Natalie Harp.  We'll roll the video. 
With a spotlight on Trump’s Iran War,  it is glaringly clear that there are critical vulnerabilities in his approach to military and defense strategies. Trump talks big, relying heavily on rhetoric and posturing, but defense analysts have identified significant gaps between public statements and strategic execution. 
In addition to the declining condition of the military under Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, 
Trump’s military actions, including strikes on infrastructure, have often lacked long-term planning, leaving blind spots f...

How much would it take for you to go on Fox News and tell lie after lie day after day? We’ll take a look at some surprising salaries. Sometimes when the lies get exposed to people that swallowed them whole, it can be very surprising. It appears Joe Rogan has had a bit of an awakening. President Trump wants the Navy to go back in time, ditching key technology aboard aircraft carriers in favor of older less efficient equipment. The changeover will cost big bucks. We’ll look at the biggest stories of the week with political analysts Michael Shur...

President Trump took a swipe at the Secret Service as he claimed a military plane that secretly flew him out of Turkey last month was “at greater risk” of being targeted, while also insisting it was the Secret Service that made the call. He told reporters he only followed what agents and the military wanted, saying they had arranged an “equal safety” change.  When pressed, Trump suggested the aircraft he was put on would be more likely to be the one attackers might go after.
On the election front, the progressive candidate in the Wisconsin governor's race fell to the more...

President Trump's latest executive order is aimed at overhauling the nation's childhood vaccination recommendations. He is directing federal agencies to cut the number of vaccines children receive and spread out their shots across more doctor ‘s appointments. Trump’s new "gold standard" recommendations consist of only 11 core vaccinations against the most serious diseases, along with the MMR vaccine, which the president hopes will eventually be administered as separate shots rather than as a combined vaccine. Doctors are already speaking out against these changes, saying it means fewer children will be fully vaccinated. The Washington Post is reporting that President Trump had...

"The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Donald Trump’s previous attempt to impose restrictions on birthright citizenship, but the President hasn’t stopped trying to reinterpret the constitutional guarantee to advance his restrictive immigration agenda. In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump signed two new executive orders on immigration—one that would exclude specific categories of U.S.-born children from getting automatic citizenship, and another that would authorize visa and entry restrictions for “birth tourism.” Guests today include: Best selling author Sarah Kendzior Author and legal expert June Carbone News anchor David Shuster

President Trump signs new executive orders aimed at narrowing birthright citizenship, citing an “unfortunate” Supreme Court decision blocking his earlier effort. The moves tighten existing limits and narrow exceptions, including rules tied to “alien enemies” and so-called birth tourism...but the Supreme Court already reaffirmed that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to children born on U.S. soil. Is Trump trying to skirt the Constiution and the Supreme Court ruling? We'll discuss.

Please help us grow The Mark Thompson Show. If you can click like, make sure you're subscribed and share the show with your social media contacts, it would...

When Democrats can’t agree on Democratic priorities, you know something is wrong. It was evident on Monday’s installment of ‘The Weekly Show.’ Host Jon Stewart questioned Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senator John Fetterman about his threats to leave the Democratic Party because he feels there is insufficient support for Israel. To Fetterman's claim that Israel is his "red line," Stewart said "Israel is not our country." Today’s guests include: Former federal prosecutor David Katz. We will ask him about Todd Blanche, the dropped reflecting pool cases and the possibility that the UK could open an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and...

President Trump issues a stark warning for Iran during an Oval Office signing event, declaring that this represents Iran's "last chance" to negotiate a deal with his administration. Is that just another back-and-forth or is time running out for Trump to end his war with Iran? Guests today include: David Cay Johnston is a regular Tuesday delight on The Mark Thompson Show. Johnston is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist. He is a professor at the Rochester Institute of technology and the founder of DC report. https://www.dcreport.org/ https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston Christopher Armitage is an...