Thursday on the RealClearPolitics radio show — weeknights at 6:00 p.m. on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel 124 and then on Apple, Spotify, and here on our website — Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and RCP White House reporter Phil Wegmann run down the latest political news from both sides of the aisle. In the first segment, Walworth and Wegmann look at the first major staff shakeup of the Trump administration, as National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is transferred to the position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Is this the first “scalp” claimed by Democrats this term? “This is absolutely a demotion,” Wegmann said. “It’s no secret that the president does not think highly of the United Nations.” “Waltz seemed to be surprised by this; he was on FOX and Friends this morning, and he was spotted by photographers texting at the cabinet meeting yesterday, again using Signal underneath the table,” Wegmann added. Also out of the White House, discussion starting around minute 8, Ukraine finally signed the much-debated “minerals deal” with the U.S. today. Is this a long-term commitment to Ukraine’s security or a way to siphon back some of the money the U.S. has given to the war effort? “The White House told Zelensky in the Oval Office, when they expected this agreement to be signed back in February, was that closer economic ties necessarily meant the Russians wouldn’t want to mess with Ukraine, if American business was there,” Wegmann explained. *** In the second segment, starting at timestamp 12:30, Tom Bevan and Carl Cannon join Andrew Walworth to discuss the battle between Democratic strategist James Carville and the new Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg over the future of the party. “Hogg wanted to raise $ 20 million to challenge Democratic incumbents in safe blue districts to replace them with more progressive candidates,” Walworth reported. “Carville disagreed and called Hogg a contemptible little twerp.” The two Democrats met for a lengthy debate on Tara Palmieri’s podcast this week before Carville tweeted that they have come to an understanding. “I’d like to know who interceded and called James Carville and told him he’s doing what he says he doesn’t like, he’s picking a fight with a Democrat,” Carl Cannon commented. “We’re working behind the scenes, you’re not helping, so make it go away.” Walworth added: “In the last cycle, Hogg’s PAC ‘The Leaders We Deserve’ raised $ 11.9 million, which sounds like a lot, but they only spent $ 266,000 on actual candidates! That’s 2.2%. It went to operating costs, David Hogg’s salary, and stuff like that.” Later in the segment, around minute 20, New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces a decision: whether to run for the top Democratic spot on the House Oversight Committee or continue to focus on field work like her “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. “It’s an important position if she wants to be seen as someone who is fighting. But it comes with responsibilities, it comes with staff,” Tom Bevan said. “She can’t be out flying first class to fight the oligarchy all over the country if she’s going to miss Oversight meetings.” “Also, if Democrats take control of the committee in two years, she’d be the chairwoman,” Cannon added. “And then they could impeach Trump!” Bevan suggested. *** After that, starting at timestamp 24:20, RCP columnist and LSU professor John Maxwell Hamilton joins Carl Cannon to discuss his new piece about Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s new progressive agenda: ‘Abundance’ Is Good Advice for Democrats “The authors of this book are really writing a love letter to the Democratic Party, but it’s a tough-love letter,” he said. “Their argument is we can get a lot more of a lot of things if we work smarter.” *** Finally, at timestamp 34:40 Andrew Walworth talks to RCP White House correspondent Phil Wegmann about the future of DOGE after Elon Musk goes back to Tesla, and his latest reporting on how President Trump wants to change the way senior government officials are evaluated and compensated: ‘No Participation Trophies’: Trump Revamps Performance Reviews for Top Bureaucrats “Performance reviews are about to get a lot more difficult for the upper echelons of the bureaucracy, the executives who are usually one level below a political appointee such as a cabinet secretary,” Wegmann reported. “The White House is letting these folks know, about 8,000 senior executives, that performance metrics are going to get much stricter.” “They are proposing a new rule where only so many folks will be above average, which has all sorts of ramifications for bonuses and promotions,” Wegmann added. “Trump’s argument is that if the bureaucracy is in charge, we no longer live in a democracy, we live in an administrative state.” *** 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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