The Mark Thompson Show

There is grave concern that Elon Musk has snatched control of the US Treasury and USAID away from elected officials. His access to the private information of millions of Americans along with intelligence reports is troublesome to say the least. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is one of many sounding the alarm saying, “Having an unelected billionaire, with his own foreign debts and motives, raiding US classified information is a grave threat to national security”.We welcome Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and author David Cay Johnston to the show to talk about the position in which America now finds itself.Science and medicine have already taken a huge hit during Trump’s first month on the job. The CDC is now unable to release medical information that doctors around the country count on to help treat patients. Scientific Studies and data are being put on the back burner. Emergency medicine specialist, Dr. Michael Diagnault, will discuss. It’s Tech Tuesday on The Mark Thompson Show. Former USA Today tech columnist Jefferson Graham will look at some amazing new AI tools and discuss Apple’s foray into the darker side of the Internet. The Mark Thompson Show 2/4/25Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you’re more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com

Over the weekend, President Trump slapped down his first tariffs against America’s two biggest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. He insists this is mainly about border safety, undocumentedmigrants, and the flow of drugs and contraband into America. Canada and Mexico stood strong both insisting retaliatory measures are coming.Under Trump’s tariffs, most products from Mexico and Canada will get a 25% tariff except for Canadian oil at 10%. Trump is also putting  an additional 10% tariff on goods from China in addition to existing duties. There is a little time to negotiate as the new tariffs won’t go into effect until just after midnight on Tuesday morning, We’ll check in with iHeart TV and radio political analyst Gary Dietrich about the tariffs and word that Elon Musk and his team now have control of the US Treasury. State lawmakers in Tennessee are willingly giving up some of their voting power. Now, lawmakers who vote against strict immigration laws and support sanctuary city rules could find themselves arrested if they vote the “wrong way.”  Tennessee State Senator Heidi Campbell will join us to share details. Author and political commentator Jared Sexton will stop by in the second hour. Karen Dawn of Dawn Watch will wrap it all up with a word about aimals. The Mark Thompson Show 2/3/25Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you’re more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com

Two of America’s top trading partners, Canada, and Mexico, will get a taste of what it’s like to be Donald Trump‘s neighbor this weekend. Saturday, Trump says 25% tariffs will be announced…tariffs that he says may increase over time. Why rile up the neighbors? Trump says he is fighting back against an increase of migrants at the southern border, fentanyl coming into the United States and the trade deficit the U.S. has with both countries. Trump says neither Mexico nor Canada has treated the U.S. fairly on trade and “we don’t need the products that they have.” We’ll talk about it with journalist and political analyst Michael Shure. A little trip southward is in order for Friday Fabulous Florida. We’ll see what those crazy kids have been up to this week. The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder, joins us for a look at the hottest movies and streaming options this week.

We are following the deadly collision of a plane and a helicopter last night in D.C. We will examine the message Trump sent shortly after the crash and why it’s importat. Aviation expert Patrick Weil joins. Did Elon Musk act without approval from President Trump when he sent all federal workers a “deferred resignation” buyout letter? It seems he went around key Trump officials, took over the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and presented an offer very much like he did at Twitter, worded similarly. Federal workers union officials are warning employees not to take the deal yet as it is likely illegal. First, the funding for such a deal has not been approved by Congress. Second, there are laws governing the amount of money that federal workers can be offered. We welcome former Federal Prosecutor Daid Katz. We’l ask him if the fed buyout offer is legal and why a judge put a stop to Trump’s federal Funding cuts. We also lighten up the mood with comedian JL Cauvin. He recently released a Trump stand up special.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wasted no time. On his second day on the job, Hegseth set about exacting revenge. He revoked the security detail and the security clearance for General Mark Milley and started an investigation into Milley’s conduct. All federal workers have been given a choice. Accept a buyout deal worth eight months pay or roll the dice and see if you still have a job after all the layoffs come. We welcome presidential historian and political analyst John Rothmann to the show to discuss it at all.Eco-journalist Belinda Waymouth joins for “It’s the Planet,Stupid!” She brings word of environmental progress abroad.The Mark Thompson Show 1/29/25Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you’re more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com

The Trump administration is moving to assume more control of the federal purse strings. Yesterday, Trump’s budget office froze all federal financial assistance. From food stamps to foreign aid, it’s all on pause. The only exceptions are Social Security and Medicare. The reason given in the official order? It appears to be a move to counter so called “Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies.” We welcome Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston. Overnight, Deepseek became a big story. We’ll ask Jefferson Graham to weigh in on the rapid success of this company that is shaking up the tech world. The Mark Thompson Show 1/28/25 Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com

There is a federal law (enacted as a result of Trump’s first term) that Congress must be given 30 days notice before an inspector general can be fired.  Laws be damned. Trump and his team fired at least 12 inspectors general over the weekend. These jobs at federal agencies came about after Watergate and were meant to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the government. Inspectors General hold agencies to account and help keep everything on up and up. Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warn that this IG firing is Donald Trump’s way of showing he’s terrified of accountability.We’ll check in with iHeart TV and radio political analyst Gary Dietrich to get his take. We welcome Heidi Cuda to the show. She’s the host of the “Radicalized Truth Survives” podcast and an Investigative Reporter at the ‘Bette Dangerous' Substack.The Mark Thompson Show 1/27/25Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you’re more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com

Trmp is pushing pause on the release of science and health information from the government. That includes the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That report gave us the first indication that diseases like HIV, Ebola and Covid would be an issue. It helps health care professionals know what to watch for and what to do. As of now, such communicatons are paused pending approval by a Trump appointee. A constitutional amendment to add a third Trump term is before Congress. Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles introduced the resolution which only names Trump, no other future President. Ogles said Trump “has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.” Journalist Michael Shure joins to discuss it all. Friday Fabulous Florida brings us closer to understanding our wildest state. The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder, rides in to talk Oscar nominations and shares some of the hottest movies and streaming options.

It was all buddy-buddy on a call between Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trump. The good vibes came as the Saudi prince said his kingdom wants to sink $600 billion in the United States over the next four years in trade and investments. No word where exactly those investments and trade would be placed. When it comes to birthright citizenship and other Constitutional issues, Trump is barreling right ahead. We welcome former federal prosecutor and now defense attorney David Katz to the show. We’ll ask him whether Trump really has authority in these matters..

Big changes are coming to the ability of immigration agents to track down and arrest undocumented immigrants. Long considered out of bounds, the Trump administration says ICE agents are able to make arrests at churches and schools. These sensitive areas are now fair game in the new era of immigration enforcement. While encouraged to use common sense, officials say, “criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense." We'll talk about changes to asylum policies at the border as well as we welcome presidential historian and political analyst John Rothmann to The Mark Thompson Show. We are saying goodbye to the Paris Climate Accord once again and the mantra "Drill, Baby, Drill" is back in action under Trump. What does that mean for America's part in taking care of the environment? Eco-journalist Belinda Waymouth joins for "It's the Planet, Stupid!"