Prepare for another busy political week by starting with Monday’s Three Martini Lunch. Join Jim and Greg as they enjoy watching Pete Buttigieg flail for an answer after ABC’s Linsey Davis calls him out for black people being four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites while Buttigieg was mayor of South Bend. They also hammer the Chinese government after the Justice Department indicts four Chinese military figures for the 2017 Equifax hack that compromised the information of more than 145 million people. And they react to more bizarre statements from Joe Biden over this past weekend and wonder whether his campaign is just stumbling right now or whether it’s on the brink of imploding.
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Dems Take Aim at ‘Right to Work’ Laws
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Democrats in Congress and in Virginia are pursuing legislation they say protects the right of workers to organize but critics say it’s nothing more than an effort to compel union membership for workers whether they want to belong or not.
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, also known as the PRO Act. Supporters claim it paves the way for employees to organize if they wish and protects them from retribution from employers. Critics contend it forces workers to pay union dues even if they don’t want anything to do with a labor union.
Opponents also warn that the legislation would force independent contractors to be classified as employees, a designation that has led to major upheaval in the gig economy in California after similar legislation was enacted last year.
In addition to the debate in Congress, which will likely go nowhere in the U.S. Senate, the new Democratic majorities in Virginia are also taking aim at right to work laws with competing bills in the House of Delegates and the State Senate.
Further complicating the Democrats’ efforts are statistics from Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. According to his projections, repealing right to work laws in Virginia would cost the commonwealth $11 billion and 37,000 jobs.
With both sides of the debate claiming to be on the side of workers, what does the evidence show? What protections already exist for workers wishing to organize and what would the bills in Washington and in Virginia actually accomplish?
We get answers to those questions with National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix.
McCarthy Talks Acquittal, Romney & Ongoing Investigations
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The U.S. Senate acquitted President Trump of allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress Wednesday. But what is the aftermath?
Critics of the president contend the Senate did not allow for a fair trial with witnesses and documents. Supporters of the president say Democrats used the Constitution to abuse it. So how did the Constitution hold up to the actions of the House and Senate?
Former federal prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy explains where he thinks the process was abused and where it functioned as designed. He also offers a passionate rebuttal to the arguments for conviction offered by Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney and tells us why no Democrats voted to acquit on the obstruction charge.
Finally, McCarthy tells Radio America’s Greg Corombos why this verdict does not end investigations into the Trump administration and how many different ways Democrats plan to target him in the months leading up to Election Day.
Mitch Gets Back to Business, Media Suddenly Love Mitt, Iowa’s Still Not Done
Another wild day in a very busy week! So grab a stool and join Jim and Greg as they break down the latest headlines. First, they get a kick out of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell immediately following up the impeachment trial by filing cloture on five more judicial nominees. They also feel like wretching as mainstream media figures who savaged Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign suddenly extol him as a man of faith and principle because he voted the way they wanted him to. But they also spend time highlighting figures on the right who were way over the top in their condemnation of Romney. And they try to make sense out of the latest scraps of conflicting information coming from Democrats in Iowa while also looking ahead to New Hampshire.
Another Impeachment? Yang’s Superior Instincts, Kerry’s Mysterious Call
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With impeachment, the Iowa Caucuses, the State of the Union, and a Democratic debate on tap this week, grab a stool and join us for the fun. Today, Jim and Greg quickly sum up the Super Bowl and then dive into three crazy martinis. First, with closing arguments coming today in the impeachment trail of President Trump, they groan as reports emerge that House Democrats may be poised to pursue another impeachment effort this year depending upon what type of testimony they might get from John Bolton. They also point out that Andrew Yang might have the best political instincts in the Democratic presidential field after admitting he’d seriously consider pardoning Trump if that were ever an issue. And they have fun with reports that former Secretary of State John Kerry was overheard discussing what it would take for him to mount a serious candidacy at this point.
Brexit Day, Dems Cry Foul on Witnesses, Delaney’s Odd Departure
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The weekend is almost here! Kick it off right with the Friday Three Martini Lunch. Join Jim and Greg as they celebrate the United Kingdom finally exiting the European Union Friday. They also discuss the latest impeachment news and how Democratic senators have already decided that Trump won’t really be acquitted unless they get to call new witnesses at the trial. They’re left scratching their heads as Democrat John Delaney ends a two-and-a-half year presidential campaign just three days before people finally start voting. And in a Super Bowl pitting the 49’ers and the Chiefs, Jim still finds a way to root against the Patriots.
Dems Suddenly Fear Bernie, Bogus Bolton Takes, CNN Mocks Trump Voters
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Jim is back and shares the highly entertaining albeit frustrating tale of the high-maintenance passenger on his return trip from California. After detailing that saga, Jim and Greg are immensely entertained by national Democrats realizing only now what a train wreck of a nominee Bernie Sanders would be and scrambling to make sure he’s not the nominee. They also weigh in on the latest political and media reaction to John Bolton allegedly confirming a quid pro quo with Ukraine, and while they admit there are grounds for debating Bolton’s tactics in recent months, the accusations he was never a conservative are ludicrous. And they unload on CNN, Don Lemon, and former Republican strategist Rick Wilson for their sneering mockery of Trump voters.
Bolton’s Big Moment, Do Endorsements Matter? D.C Yawns at Impeachment
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Chad Benson, host of “The Chad Benson Show,” fills in for Jim, who will be back on Tuesday. Today, Chad explains what the loss of Kobe Bryant means to the people of southern California before he and Greg dive into three crazy martinis. First, they react to the news that former National Security Adviser John Bolton apparently wrote in his forthcoming book that President Trump ordered him to hold off on releasing military aid to Ukraine until Ukraine launched the investigations he wanted. Is this a major wrinkle in the impeachment saga, a book-selling gimmick, or something in between? They also discuss the Des Moines Register endorsing Elizabeth Warren and the Union Leader in New Hampshire backing Amy Klobuchar and ask whether endorsements really matter anymore. While on the topic they also explore whether Warren still has a chance or whether her campaign is out of gas but media insist on propping her up. Finally, they get a kick out of a Fox 5 poll in Washington, showing the nation’s capital is either bored by the impeachment trial or just not interested in it.
The Greatest Threat Arising from the Impeachment Trial
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Friday wraps up the opening statements from the House Democrats serving as impeachment managers, and while they argue President Trump must be removed from office on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, one expert contends the rationale given for not leaving the matter up to the voters is far more frightening than anything Trump allegedly did.
On Wednesday, lead impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., laid out why the Senate must act to remove Trump ahead of the November elections.
“The president’s misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box, for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won,” said Schiff.
That has Dr. Matthew Spalding, dean of Hillsdale College’s Van Andel School of Government, very concerned.
“This is not about the technical impeachment in the Senate. They’re playing to public opinion. They’re playing for that election either way,” said Spalding, who then offered how he believes Schiff and his allies are setting up the rest of this political year.
“‘(They’re thinking) If We remove him, that’d be great.’ That’s not going to happen, but that’s what the issue is. ‘And if we’re not, how do we set it up so we weaken him in the election, but also if he goes on to win we can still maintain the argument that was illegitimate.’ That’s why this is all very dangerous for constitutional governance,” said Spalding.
In this conversation with Greg Corombos, Spalding also walks through what the founders meant by “high crimes and misdemeanors,” where the Constitution comes down on the Senate rules fight, and whether the parties would hold the exact opposite opinions if the party of the president were different.
Rep. Smith Talks March for Life, Dem Abortion Agenda
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Pro-life activists flocked to Washington on Friday for the 47th Annual March for Life. And those in attendance witnessed the first ever in-person appearance at the march by a sitting U.S. president.
What is the significance of Trump appearing to speak at the rally? Just how far have Democrats tacked to the extreme on abortion? And where does the public actually stand?
New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith addressed all of these questions with Greg Corombos and fires back against the “pernicious lie” that pro-life activists only care about babies until they’re born.