Tuesday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Andrew Walworth break down the latest economic growth figures, debate the Navy ordering a new set of “Trump Class” battleships, and react to fresh comments from Hunter Biden. After that, James Robbins joins the show to discuss the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, as the president once again eyes Greenland, and the military buildup around Venezuela reaches historically large proportions. Plus, more fallout from a reporter accusing new CBS News chief Bari Weiss of political censorship over her decision to delay a “60 Minutes” story on Trump’s deportation policy, and a celebration of Festivus with Sen. Rand Paul’s annual “airing of grievances” report of wasteful government programs. You can listen to the show live each day at 11:00 a.m. on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111 and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** The program opens with an apology to Larry Kudlow for being so skeptical yesterday about his prediction that 5% GDP growth is possible next year. This quarter’s numbers came in this morning at 4.3%. Carl Cannon added a note of skepticism: “Well, we just spent the better part of two years complaining that the government’s numbers are no good, so let’s not completely drink the Kool-Aid here.” *** After that, at minute 3, the group debates how seriously to take President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. Navy is building the first two “Trump Class” battleships, which will form the backbone of a new “Golden Fleet.” Andrew Walworth gave the historical context for why the Navy has gone such a long time without building new battleships: “We haven’t built one of these since the end of the Second World War, because they’re vulnerable — to drones, to attacks by missiles. The thinking is that small, nimble ships are a better asset, and these are basically floating targets.” *** After that, at minute 11, the group had the pleasure of discussing Shawn Ryan’s new, wide-ranging five-hour-plus interview with Hunter Biden, where he acknowledged some of his father’s policy failures, and complained about “who benefits from connections in the White House” and ending up $ 15 million in debt. “I think most Americans, including Democrats, would like to see Hunter Biden just sort of go away,” Tom Bevan commented. “He was a grifter who made millions of dollars trading off his father’s position and name… Who does he think he is?” “He made $ 1.5 million selling paintings while his father was in office. He was this prodigious talent, but now he’s suddenly talentless, and no one will pay big money for his paintings. How is that possible?” Bevan joked. “Clearly, tastes in the art world changed.” *** Next, at minute 19, Institute of World Politics dean James S. Robbins joined the program to discuss President Trump sending “the largest armada in the history of the Caribbean” to Venezuela, and naming a new envoy to take another shot at acquiring Greenland. Is the U.S. really going to war, or is this a new expression of the Monroe Doctrine? “I think the endgame is getting Maduro to leave somehow-forcing him out,” Robbins said. “We have a government in exile for Venezuela ready to go with Maria Machado… The president has declared the regime a terrorist organization, so that opens up a bevy of legal options. We could swoop in and take him, or it could be more kinetic. But I think the preferred option would be that he just leaves.” “We can’t just discount Greenland,” he also said. “Vladimir Putin gave a speech a few months ago in which he referenced Greenland as a strategic asset. It’s not like Russia’s going to get it, but he recognizes that the Arctic is in play, and we can’t just ignore it. My personal view is we could do, through treaties, what we need to do. We don’t need to actually possess Greenland, but the president seems to think we do.” *** At minute 35, the group revisits reporter Sharyn Alfonsi’s accusation that CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss had political motives for pulling a “60 Minutes” report about CECOT, the notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador where Trump has sent alleged gang members. The report leaked online anyway, highlighting concerns that CBS News is in trouble under new owners and management. “Bari Weiss wasn’t killing this story-she wasn’t deep-sixing it so it would never see the light of day. She was asking for more reporting,” Carl Cannon commented. “But Sharyn Alfonsi was involved in an outrageous hit piece against Ron DeSantis back in the day on 60 Minutes, alleging pay-to-play with Publix that turned out to be a total farce. She’s been involved in other stories that have been pretty darn biased.” “I think Weiss was right to be concerned that it needed to be more balanced, even as it told a shocking story about government actions,” he said. *** Finally, at minute 44, the group closes the show with a Festivus airing of grievances, as Sen. Rand Paul published his 11th annual report on wasteful government spending. “He details all these wasteful spending programs. This year, he came up with about $ 1.6 trillion in spending-from $ 40 million spent on social media influencers for COVID vaccines, to money for dogs doing cocaine experiments, and monkeys playing The Price Is Right,” Bevan explained. “He does this every year, and I’m always appalled. But it doesn’t put me in the Christmas spirit,” Cannon said. “It’s a rich country. We can spend a little bit to have monkeys do The Price Is Right.” *** Don’t miss a single episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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