Foreign Policy

Unemployment Skyrockets, U.S Indicts Maduro, COVID-19 Terrorism Threat

March 26, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Unemployment Skyrockets, U.S Indicts Maduro, COVID-19 Terrorism Threat” on Spreaker.

Jim and Greg shudder as 3.28 million Americans lost their jobs last week. They also recoil at an alleged plot to bomb a hospital full of COVID-19 patients. But they cheer the U.S. lowering the boom on Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro.

This episode is sponsored by Acre Gold. Go to getacregold.com/martini. Acre is giving away a gold bar for the month of March. Tweet why you should win and mention @get_acre for a chance to win the free gold.

Pelosi’s Partisan Ploy, Cuomo’s Depressing Forecast, WHO Bows to China

March 23, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Pelosi’s Partisan Ploy, Cuomo’s Depressing Forecast, WHO Bows to China” on Spreaker.

Good news is scarce once again today, but your Monday martinis dissect three critical stories. Join Jim and Greg as they slam House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for blowing up Senate progress towards a coronavirus relief bill, making it far less likely that individuals and businesses will have financial assistance in hand when their next rent or mortgage payments are due. They also cringe as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggests the COVID-19 restrictions may be in place as long as nine months and up to 80 percent of the population will contract the virus anyway. So is the damage to jobs and businesses worth it if the restrictions won’t stop the virus from spreading? And Jim unloads on the World Health Organization for accepting China’s coronavirus lies as fact and failing to confront the regime in an effort to make sure the virus was contained.

National Lockdown Coming? Senators Squirm on Investments, Liberty vs. Security

March 20, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “National Lockdown Coming? Senators Squirm on Investments, Liberty vs. Security” on Spreaker.

It always feels good to make it to Friday, but this week it’s especially welcome. Join Jim and Greg as they discuss reports that we may be days away from a national lockdown that closes airlines, the markets, and forbids millions from commuting to work. They also groan as a number of U.S. senators face lots of questions after selling off stocks before the market plummeted over coronavirus fears. And as three New Hampshire residents sue Gov. Chris Sununu over his allegedly unconstitutional order banning gatherings of more than 50 people,they discuss the tensions between freedom and safety.

China Exposed, Coronavirus & Criminals, Sanders Stays In

March 18, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “China Exposed, Coronavirus & Criminals, Sanders Stays In” on Spreaker.

Good news is a bit scarce today but the Three Martini Lunch is discussing three big stories. Join Jim and Greg as they document the latest evidence that China covered up the COVID-19 outbreak and refused to admit person-to-person transmission until late January. They also bang their heads on their desks as Philadelphia police make it known they are not going to arrest people for a wide variety of crimes while New York City and other major metropolitan areas look to empty their jails to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. And they wonder why Bernie Sanders continues his presidential when he’s hopelessly behind in the delegate count after another major shellacking on Tuesday.

Greatness of the Free Market, China’s Ugly Threat, Pelosi’s Partisan Ploy

March 13, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Greatness of the Free Market, China’s Ugly Threat, Pelosi’s Partisan Ploy” on Spreaker.

As Jim says, this week has been a very long year. But it is Friday, and while so much is closed, the Three Martini Lunch is open! Join Jim and Greg as they praise the innovation in the private sector (and at universities) to produce new coronavirus tests that are accurate, can be produced in mass quantities, and can deliver results much more quickly. They also love the entrepreneurial instinct in a British teenager who sold his classmates squirts of hand sanitizer. They also unload on communist China for brazen lies like the U.S. military launched the coronavirus in China and for threatening to cut off supplies of much needed medications to the U.S. at our time of need. And they hammer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for trying to cram a billion dollars for taxpayer-funded abortions into the coronavirus relief legislation.

Trump’s Sloppy Speech, Coronavirus Cancellation Culture, Hanks Hunkers Down

March 12, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Trump’s Sloppy Speech, Coronavirus Cancellation Culture, Hanks Hunkers Down” on Spreaker.

It’s all-crazy and all coronavirus today on the Three Martini Lunch. Join Jim and Greg as they go through the three key points from President Trump’s Oval Office address that were not consistent with administration policy and needed later clarification. They also dive into the rapidly growing list of college and professional sports events being cancelled or radically altered, most prominently the NBA suspending its season after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tests positive for coronavirus. Finally, they comment on movie star Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson testing positive in Australia while feeling slightly under the weather and wonder how much patience Americans will have for a long-term quarantine when many patients don’t feel that crummy and a lot of economic livelihoods are on the line.

Bloomberg Bites the Dust, Sad Night for Socialists, Trump Trolls Sessions

March 4, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Bloomberg Bites the Dust, Sad Night for Socialists, Trump Trolls Sessions” on Spreaker.

It’s a wild Wednesday Three Martini Lunch as we recap the events of Super Tuesday. Join Jim and Greg as they relish the very expensive implosion of Michael Bloomberg, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars for one win in American Samoa while getting creamed in all 14 states before dropping out of the race on Wednesday. While they have plenty of concerns about Joe Biden, they are glad to see socialism take one on the chin Tuesday, as Bernie Sanders fell far below expectations and won just four states. They also detail how the past week and a half proves Sanders is actually a really bad politician. And they cringe as President Trump trolls former Attorney General Jeff Sessions upon the news Sessions is headed to a runoff for the nomination.

Inside the Israeli Elections

March 3, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Inside the Israeli Elections” on Spreaker.

On Monday, Israeli voters went to the polls for the third time in less than a year to determine it’s political leadership. After two election results that failed to result in a winner, voters this time seem more favorable to keeping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Incomplete returns show Netanyahu’s Likud Party winning the most seats. When factoring coalition partners, Netanyahu is within a seat or two in the Israeli Knesset of being able to forge a new government, but getting those final few seats could be a major challenge.

Why is Israeli so divided politically? Why did Netanyahu do better in this election despite having formal corruption charges lodged against him? What are the pros and cons of Netanyahu’s chief rival, Gen. Benny Gantz of the Blue and White Party.

We discuss all of these questions with retired Israeli Brig. General Elihu Ben-Onn, who also offers his advice on how to avoid another exhausting campaign if Netanyahu cannot form a government in the days ahead.

Pete & Steyer Bow Out, All-In For Biden, Few Answers in Afghanistan

March 2, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Pete & Steyer Bow Out, All-In For Biden, Few Answers in Afghanistan” on Spreaker.

It’s a day of fast-moving headlines! Amy Klobuchar dropped out after we recorded but it’s just the latest move to rally the non-Bernie Dems around Joe Biden. And we talk about that a lot! Join Jim and Greg as they chronicle the curiously hasty exit of Pete Buttigieg from the Democratic race and they also have some choice thoughts as Tom Steyer hits the bricks too. Then, they marvel at how the Democratic establishment, the media (but we repeat ourselves), and Never Trumpers sound the clarion call to support Joe Biden because he won one state. And they step away from politics to discuss the resumption of violence in Afghanistan just days after the U.S. signed a deal with the Taliban, reminding us that region may never be stable. But will it pose another major national security threat to the U.S. sometime soon?

Coronavirus: ‘We Seem To Be In A Panic Phase’

February 28, 2020 by GregC

Listen to “Coronavirus: ‘We Seem To Be In A Panic Phase'” on Spreaker.

Coronavirus is making its way around the world. It has government officials in the U.S. warning there might be disruptions in school calendars and work schedules due to its highly contagious nature. Markets around the world spent most of the week in panic mode, as investors lost trillions in value in the U.S. alone.

But is coronavirus, or COVID-19, really a menace that could kill thousands of Americans? Is the media egregiously overhyping the threat? Or is the truth somewhere in the middle?

Dr. Roger Klein has advised a wide variety of government agencies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Department of Health and Human Services. Also a former medical director of molecular oncology at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Klein is now with the Regulatory Transparency Project’s FDA and Health Working Group.

In this interview with Radio America’s Greg Corombos, Dr. Klein walks us through how well the government has prepared for this threat, whether the media reports are responsible or hyperbolic, and he explains why China’s response to COVID-19 seems so inadequate.