The Smerconish Podcast

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: If the Russia/Ukraine war ends without Russia surrendering battlefield gains, will Putin have won? 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.

Admiral James Stavridis is currently Partner and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. He served 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of four-star Admiral, serving in many commands including four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa.His latest book is “The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy” published in October 2024.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Should privacy concerns always outweigh the potential benefits of DOGE eliminating waste, fraud and abuse at the IRS? 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.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is the Eric Adams/DOJ controversy a speed bump for President Trump, or a burgeoning scandal? 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.

In a recent Oval Office press conference, Elon Musk revealed that federal employee retirements are processed manually in a Pennsylvania limestone mine. This inefficient process promped Michael to welcome David Fahrenthold for a conversation - he wrote about the mine a decade ago - to delve deeper into this issue. Now at the New York Times, Fahrenthold was at The Washington Post in 2014 when he wrote "Paper mine pushes ahead, but still behind the times." Original air date 14 February 2025.

Howard Blum is the author of New York Times bestsellers including Dark Invasion, the Edgar Award–winner American Lightning, as well as Wanted!, The Gold Exodus, Gangland, The Floor of Heaven and Night of the Assassins. Blum is a contributing editor at Airmail, his series of articles on The Idaho Murders were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. While at the New York Times, he was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. Read Howard Blum at Air Mail 

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Do you agree with Jamie Dimon that "the young generation is being damaged" by remote work? 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.

Senator Angus King (I-ME) joins Michael to share his thoughts on today's top headlines. Original air date 13 February 2025.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Is it essential for any peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine to include Russia surrendering all territories seized since 2014? 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.

With the fast moves that Elon Musk is making under the "Department of Government Efficiency" umbrella as directded by President Trump, many say this might be illegal under the constitution, as all other branches of government are not being involved in the decision making. Are we in a constitutional crisis? NBC/MSNBC Legal Analyst Danny Cevallos joins Michael to say, no. Original air date 12 February 2025.