Show Notes
Elon Musk is back in government. The SpaceX CEO has been tapped to co-lead Project Meridian, a new Department of Defense initiative studying the future of warfare. He's joined by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Palmer Luckey of defense tech company Anduril. The project runs 120 days and will deliver a public report with their recommendations on achieving "absolute technological dominance on the next-generation battlefield." Mark has a very interesting conversation with Marcia Chatelain. She is the Penn Presidential Compact Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History for her book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America. Now, she has a new book called How Bright the Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington . From the federal government wanting to collect state voter rolls to deporting immigrants to third-party countries, there’s a lot to talk about on the legal front. We welcome former federal prosecutor, and now defense attorney, David Katz to the show.
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With Republicans facing the possibility of major losses in the midterm elections, aides and allies are reportedly bracing for a White House shake-up and a fresh wave of blame and infighting. We'll look at the growing mistrust around Trump, the high-profile disputes drawing public attention, and the uncertainty facing his administration in the final days before the vote. The Mark Thompson Show 10/21/26 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%
While Donald Trump is calling Benjamin Netanyahu a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and endorsing his reelection, JD Vance is taking a step back. During an interview with Mark Halperin aboard Air Force Two, Vance said he is focusing strictly on American candidates for the midterms and is "not getting involved in Israeli elections." Vance's refusal to weigh in on the Israeli election is drawing attention because of his previous actions. Earlier this year, he traveled to Budapest, Hungary, specifically to support Victor Orbán, another leader endorsed by Trump, prior to Orbán's election loss. This public disagreement comes just days before the Israeli election and just after U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made an unannounced trip to Israel, where he met with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. We will ask Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston for his thoughts. You can find more of David Cay Johnston online at dcreport.org and on substack: https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston Professor Allan Lichtman will stop through. He is an acclaimed historian, civil rights advocate, and author. He is also an expert in U.S. elections and election forecasting. We will find out why Dr. Lichtman thinks Democrats will take the Senate in the upcoming midterms. For more, see Allan Lichtman's YouTube show Lichtman Live and find his new book: Great American Presidents: The Twelve Who Transformed the Nation. https://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Presidents-Transformed-Presidency/dp/B0HJJK72C7 The Mark Thompson Show 10/20/26 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% #Trump #DavidCayJohnston #AllanLichtman #Iran #Elections #Midterms #Politics