The Smerconish Podcast

The Smerconish Podcast

Spirited discussions of government, politics, and current events without predictable left/right bias. The Smerconish Podcast is for Independent Minds. The Michael Smerconish Program airs live on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel 9AM-12PM ET and replays 9PM-12AM East, Monday-Friday.

Episodes

Today's Complex Geopolitical Moment: Admiral James Stavridis on Global Tensions and Domestic Uncertainty

April 29, 2025 • 26 mins

Michael and the Admiral reference Michael's conversation upcoming with Admiral William McRaven - listen to that on the Book Club with Michael Smerconish Podcast.

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100 Days In: Rethinking The Trump-Harris Defeat

April 29, 2025 • 21 mins
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: If voters knew what they know 100 days into Trump 2.0, would Trump have defeated Harris? Listen to Michael explain the issue, then cast YOUR ballot 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 al...
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The Back Story of Michael's CNN Festivus Commentary, Larry David v. Bill Maher

April 28, 2025 • 26 mins
Saturday Morning was quite a morning amidst the funeral of Pope Francis. Michael offers a play-by-play of how his show still went on-air on CNN, where he offered a commentary completely unrelated to what was happening in the news that morning, on "Festivus" and the spat between Bill Maher and Larry David, the former having recently met with President Trump, and the latter comparing it to sharing a meal with a modern day Hitler. Her...
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Should The Wisconsin Judge Go to Jail? The Hannah Dugan-ICE Controversy Explained

April 28, 2025 • 21 mins
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: If a state judge helps a migrant evade federal ICE agents, should that judge be arrested and charged with obstruction and concealment? Listen to Michael explain the issue, then cast YOUR ballot 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 ...
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Conclave Countdown: Politics, Papal Legacy & Who’s Watching?

April 25, 2025 • 31 mins

Dr. Richard Wood is President of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California. 

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Lizard Breath, Ponch, Beysh and Smerc: What Happened To Nicknames?

April 25, 2025 • 27 mins

Where Have All The Nicknames Gone? Read In The Wall Street Journal

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The Price of Peace Between Russia and Ukraine

April 25, 2025 • 19 mins
The war between Russia and Ukraine is top of mind today. Michael is asking you this Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is achieving peace worth the cost if it means officially ceding Crimea and other Ukraine territory to Russia? Listen to Michael explain the issue and his 'yes' vote, then cast YOUR ballot at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query e...
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Tesla’s Struggle to Rebuild Progressive Trust vs. Winning Over Conservative

April 24, 2025 • 13 mins
Michael loves his Tesla. So listen to his take here on Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com today: Which is more likely: Tesla recovers its brand loyalty among progressives, or conservatives embrace electric vehicles (EVs)? Listen to Michael explain the issue and his 'yes' vote, then cast YOUR ballot at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query e...
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Chaos or Strategy? Mark Halperin on Trump's Shocking Market Moves, JD Vance's Power Grab, and RFK Jr.'s Dye Ban

April 23, 2025 • 35 mins
Michael is joined by political analyst Mark Halperin for a whirlwind tour of the most pressing stories shaping Washington. From Donald Trump's surprise pivot on China and Jerome Powell that sent the markets into a tailspin, to RFK Jr.'s headline-grabbing move to phase out artificial food dyes, and JD Vance’s meteoric rise as perhaps the most influential VP in modern history—nothing is off limits. Is Trump acting like a day-trader-i...
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Michael Smerconish Unpacks the Parental Right to Say No to LGBTQ+ School Lessons

April 23, 2025 • 22 mins
The Supreme Court hearing oral arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor this week, where a group of parents want to be able to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ themed lessons in school, has Michael asking this poll question at Smerconish.com today: Should parents have the right to exempt their children from school materials that include LGBTQ+ themes? Listen to Michael explain the issue and his 'yes' vote, then cast YOUR ballot at Smerconish...
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A time for choosing between two of Michael's favorites: Bill Maher or Larry David

April 22, 2025 • 26 mins

Also listen to Michael's commentary in Episode #1332, Bill Maher Mingled With Donald Trump, And That's Great from 14 April 2025.

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People Aren't Having Kids. The Government Could Step In To Encourage Them To Do So!

April 22, 2025 • 22 mins
Today's poll question at Smerconish.com asks: With birth rates declining in many developed nations, should governments adopt policies that actively encourage citizens to have more children? Listen to Michael lay it out, then cast YOUR ballot 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 huma...
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Elon Musk's Pronatalism View: The world will collapse without more babies

April 21, 2025 • 33 mins
Michael talks with Dana Mattioli, technology investigations and enterprise reporter for the Wall Street Journal. She's written "The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His 'Legion' of Babies--and Their Mothers." Then, the audience weighs in on pronatalism. Original air date 21 April 2025.
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Pope Francis' Final Act Might Be To Spare Pete Hegseth His Termination As Secretary of Defense

April 21, 2025 • 26 mins
Michael opens this episode remembering Pope Francis, who passed today at the age of 88. In an insightful commentary, he weaves into today's poll question at Smerconish.com, which asks: Will Pete Hegseth's tenure as SecDef survive reports of a second Signal breach?Listen to Michael lay it out, then cast YOUR ballot at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provok...
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30th Anniversary: Remembering The Oklahoma City Bombing

April 18, 2025 • 8 mins
The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on April 19th, 1995 remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Michael reads from an email he received this morning from his friend Sara Sweet, who's father, W. Stephen Williams, was killed in the bombing. She hopes no one ever forgets this horrific day thirty years ago. Original air date 18 April 2025.
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Admiral Stavridis ALARM: 5 Signs That The U.S. and China Will Go To War

April 18, 2025 • 27 mins
Tensions between the United States and China are escalating. Michael learns from Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis that while the two countries are duking it out over trade and tariffs, less-noticed concerns are taking place in cyberspace, near Taiwan, and at Chinese shipyards. Original air date 17 April 2025.
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"19 Years Ago, I’d Have Said No" — Michael Smerconish Now Hopes Aliens Have Faith

April 18, 2025 • 20 mins
Religion can be a tricky subject...while it can bring a lot of good, it can also lead to conflict, and even war. Today being Good Friday, this brings us to today's poll question at Smerconish.com, which asks: Should we hope possible life forms on exoplanet K2-18b have religious beliefs? Listen to Michael lay it out, then cast YOUR ballot at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Ques...
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A Spontaneous Town Hall on the Ground-Level Realities of Labor, Immigration, and American Contradiction

April 17, 2025 • 25 mins
Michael hosts a compelling conversation centered around immigration, undocumented workers, and the everyday realities of hiring day laborers—sparked by a memorable and candid call from "Tom in Texas." This came after a conversation with Philip Bump at the Washington Post about how the story of Kilmar Abrego García - the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador after being arrested trying to get day labor work outside a Hom...
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Politically Speaking, Trump Has A Big Winning Hand Right Now...Until He Doesn't

April 17, 2025 • 19 mins
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Does Trump benefit politically from ALL of the following: 1) fighting Harvard, 2) not facilitating return of Abrego Garcia, and 3) reducing the IRS workforce? Yes or No - Listen to Michael lay it out, then cast YOUR ballot 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 polit...
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Mark Halperin Divides Every Element Of The Trump Agenda Into "Big Casino" or "Not Big Casino"

April 16, 2025 • 26 mins
2WAY Editor-in-Chief and Wide World of News Publisher Mark Halperin says we are at an odd moment in the three-side relationship between the Trump agenda, the establishment reaction to the Trump agenda, and the dominant media coverage of the Trump agenda. It is through that lens that he and Michael run through President Trump's recent policy moves, speeches, and more. Original air date 16 April 2025.
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