The Mark Thompson Show

Vice President JD Vance spoke at a closed-door House Republican conference meeting on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to target Democratic candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico. Critics condemned his advice as an embrace of racist fearmongering. The discussion also focused on voters’ economic frustrations ahead of the midterms. We welcome presidential historian John Rothmann to the show. Jon can be heard on his podcast “Around the Political World with John Rothmann ” We’ll shine a light on a new book called “Draw the Line in Ohio: How One State's Fight for Fair Maps Explains Gerrymandering in America.” The co-authors, legal analyst Rory Riley Topping and Washington Correspondent Josh Rultenberg explain the history of redistricting and how it has become one of the greatest existential threats to US democracy. The book is already #1 on the list of Amazon new releases. Find it: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Draw-the-Line-in-Ohio/Rory-Riley-Topping/9781493098033 And check our their new Instagram page (@mind.themaps) to learn about redistricting. Political analyst Jared Yates Sexton will stop by. His thoughtful takes on current events just make sense. Find the writings of Jared Yates Sexton at: Dispatches From a Collapsing State. https://www.jysexton.com/books Substack - https://jaredyatessexton.substack.com/ The Mark Thompson Show 9/16/26 The Rundown- 0:00 Welcome 4:49 Fetterman flame out 12:51 Kennedy Center 19:02 Mitch Mcconnell 23:34 Hegseth impeachment 31:27 John Rothmann 56:03 Comments 57:55 Jared Yates Sexton 1:19:23 gerrymandering - Rory Riley Topping & Josh Rultenberg 1:37:02 Comments Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

The US Supreme Court is blocking a Trump administration rule that would have restricted mail voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and voting rights advocates are celebrating the win. The postal service rule, by presidential executive order, would have given the executive branch unprecedented control over how Americans vote by mail and let the Postal Service refuse to send ballots to voters. Legal experts warned the screening plan posed serious risks to voting access for millions of Americans. Election officials from Arizona, Texas, and Wisconsin are relieved the court recognized that election oversight belongs to the states, not the president, and that the midterms won't be disrupted by this contested rule being implemented mid-election. Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston will stop by to discuss this and more. David Cay Johnston’s Substack: https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston Skye Perryman will join us to discuss her ongoing efforts to uphold democracy. She is the President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a nonpartisan, national legal organization that promotes democracy and progress through litigation, regulatory engagement, policy education, and research. Check out Skye's New Book: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom, and Reimagine Democracy, comes out Learn more at democracyforward.org https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/826249/ordinary-people-extraordinary-times-by-skye-perryman/ The Mark Thompson Show 9/15/26 Today's Guests Links Prof. David Cay Johnston at RIT, Pulitzer Prize winning Author & Investigative Journalist https://bsky.app/profile/davidcayjohnston.bsky.social https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston Skye Perryman https://democracyforward.org/ New Book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/826249/ordinary-people-extraordinary-times-by-skye-perryman/ Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

Donald Trump is pushing back against calls for stricter AI guardrails, calling them part of a “sick conspiracy” against the industry and data centers. As concerns grow over AI’s potential risks, Trump, discounting warnings of the demise of humanity from AI industry leaders, says the U.S. must keep moving fast to stay ahead of China. Guests today include: Emmy award winning news anchor David Shuster. You’ve seen him anchor on MSNBC - he’s worked for Fox News, CNN, Current TV, The Young Turks, and Al Jazeera America. Find David at: https://davidshuster.substack.com/ Comedian, impressionist & attorney J-L Cauvin will stop by the show. Check out his tour dates at: https://linktr.ee/JLComedy We welcome Common Cause CEO Virginia Kase Solomon . She is a nationally recognized leader in the fight for social justice, civil rights, and a more inclusive democracy https://www.commoncause.org/ The Mark Thompson Show Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24 And you’ll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%

"I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try to cheat like hell like they do." Donald Trump leads a crowd in a pledge to vote in the upcoming midterms, calling himself the greatest president in U.S. history and claiming that Democrats are the biggest cheaters of all. Today, marks 25 year since the September 11th attacks on America. How have we changed as a country? Kenneth Feinberg will tell us about his experience as the Special Master of the U.S. Government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. This Week in Politics brings journalist Michael Shure and political analyst Yasmin Khan to the show to discuss everything from Trump's midterm convention, to his call for a dividend should voters keep the house and senate red, to the soaring price of gas and diesel fuel. Follow Michael Shure on X at https://x.com/michaelshure Read Yasmin on Substack at open.substack.com/pub/yazzzzzk We'll stop by Florida to take the pulse of America's craziest state. The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder, will swing by to talk movies. Find Michael Snyder's column in The Voice of San Francisco at thevoicesf.org

Is the president actually trying to buy this election? You might be waiting for his latest promise of cash like you're still waiting for your DOGE check. Donald Trump gave a wild "midterm convention" speech promising every adult citizen a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans keep hold of Congress in the midterms. From the sheer desperation of the pitch to the legal reality that he can't just send out trillions of dollars without Congressional approval, we're questioning if this is just another fantasy or a straight-up attempt to rig the vote. Former federal prosecutor, now defense attorney, David Katz will stop by and we'll ask him if this so called dividend based on the outcome of an election is legal. We'll also look at word that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is in line for a pardon. Then ,we are off to save the election with reporter Greg Palast. He just released a six-part series of short video reels on the latest in vote suppression tricks. His series is called "Jim Crow Reloaded" and you can find it at: SaveYourVote.org