Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America enjoy seeing Democrats get accused of caving in the shutdown standoff and seeing the avalanche of leftist criticism aimed at Chuck Schumer. They also shake their heads as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules that the current congressional map is unconstitutional gerrymandering and a new map must be drawn, likely costing the Republicans at least two seats. And they’re disgusted as North Korea keeps finding ways to turn the Winter Olympics in South Korea into an opportunity to glorify its own communist dictatorship, and media figures like NBC’s Lester Holt seem only too happy to help.
Three Martini Lunch
Dems Feel Heat on Shutdown, FBI Loses Key Emails, Paul Attacker’s Bogus Reason
Chatting before the much-anticipated Senate vote to end the government shutdown, Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see Democrats feeling the heat on refusing to fund the government and taking some steps to get things fully up and running, but they also warn listeners what Democrats and some Republicans really want in an immigration bill to go along with reopening the government. They also don’t believe the FBI’s explanation that it somehow lost five critical months worth of text messages from Peter Strzok, the agent fired form the Mueller special counsel team and bragged about an “insurance policy” against a Trump victory. And they also call BS on the explanation from Sen. Rand Paul’s neighbor for attacking Paul, namely that the senator was assaulted from behind and had five ribs broken because he was stacking brush close to their shared property line.
Interior Removes Shutdown Theater, Dems’ Shutdown Hypocrisy, Memo Mania
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the Interior Department for announcing open-air memorials and national parks not requiring staffing will stay open in the event of a partial government shutdown, a very different approach than the Obama administration barricading memorials to war veterans to make a political point. They also hammer Senate Democrats for planning to block a bill that would keep the government open and point out the blatant hypocrisy and deception being employed by the Democrats to justify their tactics. And they tell House Republicans that the FISA memo better be a massive bombshell or else the GOP is going to look pretty silly over the hype. They also tell the GOP that if they want it released to the public, they should just vote on it and be done with it.
Joyous Jobs Numbers, Fake News Awards, When Reid Doesn’t Read
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America celebrate the lowest number of weekly jobless claims since 1973 as yet another sign the economy is on a serious upswing. They also examine the Republican National Committee’s winners for worst fake news in 2017, with a look at the choices and the RNC being unprepared for the traffic on its website. And they call out MSNBC’s Joy Reid for her vile attack on National Review’s David French and for her later retraction of the smear, which proved she never actually read his article in the first place.
Tax Cuts More Popular, Rough 2018 Forecast, Are Reporters Fit to Serve?
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome a new poll showing nearly half of Americans hold a positive view of the Republican tax bill and are bullish on the economy, although they are not ready to give Trump and the GOP credit. They also wince as Democrats win a usually safe Republican seat in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Gov. Scott Walker urges GOP members and activists to make sure people know about their significant accomplishments. And they sigh as President Trump’s doctor gives the commander-in-chief a clean bill of health, but White House reporters still ask the physician a litany of repetitive questions about Trump’s mental health and whether he he is fit to serve under the conditions of the 25th Amendment.
DNC Still Adrift, Shutdown Theater Returns, CNN Says Socialism is Cool
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America enjoy learning that the Democratic National Committee is still mired in chaos and that the liberal establishment and the Bernie Sanders supporters are still feuding more than a year after the 2016 campaign and just months before the midterm elections. They also groan as the threat of a government shutdown looms and some Republicans think they can win the public relations battle, even though the media always pin the blame on Republicans, regardless of the circumstances. And they shred CNN for co-opting the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. to advance progressive environmental policies and for suggesting King was a socialist “before it was cool.”
Dems Trip Over Taxes, Hawaii’s Missile Test Mess, Manning Runs for Senate
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America get a big kick out of Democrats insisting there are no real real benefits for the middle class in the recent tax bill – even as company after company publicly announces higher wages, new jobs, and bonuses. They also shake their heads as emergency official in Hawaii create a major mess by trying to run a missile alert drill and send out an actual missile alert instead. And they sigh as convicted military leaker and felon Bradley Manning, who now identifies as a woman named Chelsea, runs for the U.S. Senate in Maryland.
Auto Jobs Coming Back to U.S., Trumps’s Execrable Comments, Pelosi’s PC Dogma
Yes, we’re talking about Trump’s immigration comments, but no, you don’t have to worry about your kids hearing bad language. Today, Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer great news in the automotive industry as Fiat Chrysler announces it is investing a billion dollars in Michigan and planning to add 2,500 jobs to build Ram pickup trucks again. This follows earlier news that Toyota and Mazda will team to build a $1.6 billion plant in Alabama and employ up to 4,000 people. They also recoil at President Trump’s attitude towards people in deeply troubled nations, noting that it’s fair to point out there are many horribly corrupt and crime-ridden nations in various parts of the world and re-evaluate immigration policy but deeply wrong to suggest those people have no value. At the same time, many Trump critics suggest that diversity is what makes America great, and Greg and Jim set them straight. And they shake their heads as Nancy Pelosi dismisses congressional immigration negotiators as “five white guys” – including her top deputy among House Democrats – as she called for more diversity in the group.
McCain Wallops Wolff, Greitens Exposed, Trump Fumbles FISA Tweets
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud Meghan McCain for calling out Michael Wolff’s many factual errors and questionable journalistic ethics to his face during a discussion of his book on “The View.” They also unload on Republican Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens for conducting an extramarital affair as he prepared to launch his bid for governor and they recoil at accusations that he threatened to release compromising photos of the woman if she revealed their affair. Greitens admits to the affair but strongly denies the blackmail. And they smack their foreheads as President Trump trashes FISA renewal legislation in a tweet before realizing his administration actually supports the bill.
McCaskill on the Ropes, House GOP Retirements Pile Up, Gym Turns Off Cable News
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome a new poll showing Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill losing to her likely Republican opponent. They also shake their heads as more than 30 House Republicans, including several committee chairmen, are retiring and leaving it much tougher for the GOP to hold the majority after the midterm elections. And they react to Life Time gyms refusing to turn their televisions to cable news channels because they conflict with the gym’s commitment to a “healthy way of life.”