On Friday’s RealClearPolitics radio show, Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and Carl Cannon discuss President Trump’s economic policies, including the latest inflation numbers, the end of tariff exemptions for small-value shipments, and the lowest Labor Day weekend gas prices since 2020. They also talk about the future of FEMA 20 years after Hurricane Katrina, and this week’s edition of “You Can Not Be Serious?!” Later, pollster Matt Podgorski and former Illinois RNC committeeman Richard Porter join Tom Bevan to discuss a new poll showing some public support for deploying the National Guard to Chicago, and then former congressman and FOX News host Trey Gowdy joins the show to talk about his new novel, “The Color of Death.” You can listen to the show weeknights at 6:00 p.m. on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel 124 and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** First, a review of the economic situation at the end of August. Consumer sentiment and gas prices are reportedly down, and packages under $ 800 are no longer exempt from tariffs. Inflation is also reportedly down, but still over the Fed’s 2% target. Is there any indication that the Fed may cut interest rates in September? “Do you believe those numbers? Didn’t we just have three segments talking about how these statistics are all terrible?” Carl Cannon joked. “I’ve gotten skeptical of polls about economic indicators.” “Good numbers, bad numbers, they are the numbers from the Commerce Department,” Andrew Walworth reported. *** After that, around minute 10, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast 20 years ago this month. Have we learned any lessons? Is the U.S. ready for the next one? Would Trump’s stated desire to get rid of FEMA make things better or worse? “Getting rid of FEMA would be stupid. What’s needed is cooperation-states with FEMA, and the public and private sector. If Trump’s talking about removing barriers, cutting red tape, making it easier for FEMA to tap into local resources, that’s popular and effective. But eliminating FEMA outright? That’s not a serious proposition,” Carl Cannon commented. “It depends on who’s running your state,” Tom Bevan added. “Florida endures hurricanes, and they have gotten very good at disaster response. So in Florida, yes, give them the money. But in states with less experience, maybe the federal government does better.” *** After that, starting at minute 18:30, this week’s “You Can Not Be Serious?!” roundup of unbelievable headlines, highlighting absurd comments about the Minnesota school shooting from Keith Olbermann and the mayor of Minneapolis, plus an article in the New York Times saying: “The New Dream Guy is Beefy, Placid, and… Politically Ambiguous” *** And then, at minute 27, pollster Matt Podgorski and former Illinois RNC committeeman Richard Porter join Tom Bevan to discuss a new poll from M3 showing more public support for deploying the National Guard to Chicago among black and Latino residents than among white people. “Not surprising: two to one, Chicagoans are against bringing the National Guard in,” Podgorski explained. “But the surprising nugget was how it broke down demographically. White voters were adamantly against bringing in the Guard, but 47% of Hispanic voters and 33% percent of black voters supported it.” “The poll also showed overwhelming support across all demographics for hiring more Chicago police officers. The objection seems to be federal involvement, not more cops in general,” Richard Porter added. “And there’s actually majority support for federal help, just not soldiers,” Podgorski explained. “Plus, only 13% of black and Hispanic voters say police misconduct is a very serious problem. Two to one, they say it’s not a problem at all. That suggests the ‘defund the police’ movement is dead, even in deepest-blue Chicago.” *** Finally, at minute 38, Trey Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor and former member of Congress, speaks to Tom Bevan to talk about his new novel, “The Color of Death” “I love to write, it is my favorite thing,” he said. “It’s not only my first fiction book, it is FOX News Books’ first fiction book.” “It’s about a prosecutor who has suffered a loss, he’s about to quit… His cynicism is real-the impact of being surrounded by this depravity, malice, and evil is real,” Gowdy explained. “I tend to be a little too poetic or prosaic. That’s how I was in court; I can cry with the best of them. It’s real in a homicide case, but some people can’t do it. I had to tone it down. But you also have to be true to yourself.” “I do not read crime novels; I love the Russian authors,” he said. “I live it, I can’t watch true-crime-it brings back a lot of memories. Those are the things I was running away from.” *** Don’t miss an episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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