Friday’s RealClearPolitics podcast began with the latest polling ahead of California’s primary elections on Tuesday. Carl Cannon, Tom Bevan, and Andrew Walworth break down the races for governor and Los Angeles mayor that have grabbed national attention, and then review last night’s debate in the three-way Michigan Democratic Senate primary. Author Blake Ashby joins the show to discuss his new book: “Socialism and the Democratic Party: The Case for a Return to Moderated Capitalism.” Plus, the panel looks at how $ 40 million in gold bars ended up in a CIA employee’s basement, the administration’s plan to put Donald Trump’s visage on a special $ 250 bill commemorating the number of years since 1776, and shares their picks for this week’s “You Cannot Be Serious?!” roundup of absurd stories. Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.

00:00 – Opening: California Primaries: Governor and LA Mayor Walworth, Cannon, and Bevan discuss the latest polling ahead of next Tuesday’s California primaries, including the races for governor and Los Angeles mayor, and what the results could reveal about voter sentiment in the state. RCP Average: 2026 Los Angeles Mayor Open Primary (June 2) RCP Average: 2026 California Governor – Open Primary (June 2) Does Spencer Pratt really have a chance in LA? “It’s going to be tough for Mayor Bass to win reelection. She’s the incumbent mayor, polling at 25%, and running against a socialist nobody ever heard of on the city council, and a reality TV star who’s run some good ads,” Carl Cannon said. “That doesn’t look good.” On the governor’s race, California native Carl Cannon added: “Polymarket last night had Becerra at 69% to be the next governor and Tom Steyer at 20%. Steve Hilton was only 9%. It doesn’t look like Steyer is even going to make the runoff. So, that’s what the betting markets think about how hard it is for a Republican to win in Los Angeles or statewide in California.” *** 10:17 – Key Moments in Michigan Dems Debate The panel breaks down last night’s Democratic debate in Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary, looking at the candidates’ performances, the major issues in the race, and what the contest could mean for Democrats heading into the general election. Watch: “Full Video: Michigan Senate Democratic Primary Debate” RCP Average: 2026 Michigan Senate – Democratic Primary, August 4 (El-Sayed (24.3) vs. McMorrow (19.8) vs. Stevens (19.8) The panel discusses anti-semitism in the Democratic Party, whether each candidate would vote to end the filibuster, and how they might fare against the GOP nominee. *** 20:32 – Was Bill Clinton the Last Fiscal Conservative? Blake Ashby joins Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and Carl Cannon to discuss his new book, “Socialism and the Democratic Party: The Case for a Return to Moderated Capitalism,” and argues that Democrats should move back toward a more moderate economic message. “It’s worth noting that the younger generation has a different definition of socialism than people my age — I’m 61. If you grew up when I grew up, you viewed socialism as a terrible thing, and kind of a binary,” he said. “People like Mamdani and this younger generation recognize it’s actually more of a gray area, a scale… At the end of the day, it’s a slight extension of the power of government.” “My view of Republicanism was that we viewed deficit spending as stealing from children. It was a terrible thing. It was terrible economic management. If you go back to the 1960s and ’70s, the Republican Party was based on this idea that we could only spend the money we raised in taxes,” he said. “Like it or not, Ronald Reagan blew that up. So Bill Clinton, in some ways, was a better Republican than Ronald Reagan because he got us back to pay-as-you-go. When we went back to pay-as-you-go, my version of Republicanism had won. We had finally achieved a balanced budget.” *** 33:18 – CIA Fraudster Steals Millions in Gold Bars Read: “Ex-CIA Official Charged With Stealing Millions of Dollars in Gold Bars From the Federal Government” The panel marvels at reports that a CIA employee was able to take home $ 40 million worth of gold bars, raising questions about internal controls, government oversight, and how such an extraordinary breach could happen. “Apparently, there are some unresolved questions at the CIA about who gets to take home gold bars,” Andrew Walworth joked. “303 gold bars worth roughly $ 40 million, all at his house.” “This guy is not some rocket-science fraudster. He was just basically telling the CIA he needed some gold bars for his operation, or something, and they just kept giving it to him,” Bevan commented. “It just makes you wonder, what else is going on?” Cannon expressed some more of the questions this raises: “Why does the CIA even have gold bars?” Where do they come from? What are they doing with them? How many are there that you could take that many, that it took months for them to be missed?” *** 34:39 – Bessent Fires Back Over $ 250 Bill Story The group reacts to the Trump administration’s proposal for a new $ 250 bill featuring President Trump’s likeness, and the political symbolism behind putting a sitting president on U.S. currency. Watch: Bessent: Washington Post Report On Trump $ 250 Bill Was Terribly Written, Terribly Edited Washington Post: “Trump Appointees Push $ 250 Banknote With His Portrait” *** 42:23 – “You Cannot Be Serious?!” The episode ends with the panel’s weekly “You Cannot Be Serious?!” roundup of entertaining headlines.

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