The Tom Sullivan Show

People don’t like Democrats either. Poll after poll shows voters rejecting Republicans without falling for Democrats, with just 29% positive on the Democratic Party in NBC’s poll. If Democrats win, they inherit the hot potato: how do they get grocery and gas prices down when they’ll hold, at most, one chamber? Meanwhile, a third carrier group and thousands more troops are heading toward Iran, even as Trump said Monday night, “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months,” the same day U.S. forces struck Iranian targets. He’s having difficulty admitting it truly is a war. All of it today.

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It’s Election Eve, but there’s other news. A Learjet crash in Palm Beach killed all nine aboard, leaving a crater but sparing homes. Iran’s Supreme Leader gave the green light for talks and oil plunged 7%. Democrat Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers two days before the vote, and Democrats are stunned. Alaska has Decoy Dan on the Senate ballot, and the lone Democrat for its House seat is in federal prison in New York. Election officials are taking plenty of heat. All of it today.

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The Alaska race is getting more serious: DOJ has issued 30 or more subpoenas, the governor ordered a state probe, and knowingly lying to a federal agent can itself be a crime. No one has been charged, and Peltola denies knowing about any recruitment. There will likely be court fights after the election, and the final arbiter may be the Senate itself, per UCLA’s Rick Hasen. The new Senate that convenes in January could decide the winner. If Republicans keep the majority, expect Sullivan to be seated, and if Democrats take over, expect Peltola. The real problems for those involved begin after November 3. All of it today.

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The Alaska second-Dan-Sullivan story is just getting started. The governor ordered an investigation, ABC reports the DOJ has an active criminal probe, and a judge is weighing the DOJ’s civil suit. Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC deny involvement, and no charges have been filed. Both Sullivans will be on the ballot next Tuesday, and the real problems for anyone involved begin after November 3. Plus the Trump and Obama rallies are designed to fire up their bases, but there’s some comedy in how both conduct themselves, from Cheesecake Factory jokes to Trump’s remarks about physiques. They’re trying to sound relatable. Does it work? All of it today.

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Can you say dirty tricks? The New York Times reports Peltola campaign associates and DSCC aides helped recruit a second Alaska Senate candidate named Dan Sullivan to confuse voters. Peltola’s campaign denies it, no court has ruled, and the DOJ is suing to block certification if the incumbent loses. The Florida “ghost candidate” case that led to felony convictions was in 2020, and prosecutors said recruiting a spoiler isn’t illegal by itself. Stay tuned. Israel’s election is up for grabs: Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, Eisenkot’s 48, and Arab parties a record 19, with 61 needed and few willing to work with them. And the Fed held rates, with two dissents for a hike. All of it today.

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At two-hour rallies you have to talk about something, and the big hits have been Cheesecake Factory jokes, Sen. Husted’s physique, and Nicki Minaj’s butt. The topics aren’t the point. The goal is to get the MAGA base to show up and head off a blue wave. The DOJ is taking a third swipe at James Comey, charging him by criminal information over a 2016 leak, with his lawyers arguing the statute of limitations already expired. We were told revenge was coming, and it clearly is. And the Fed meets today and tomorrow, with no rate change expected but a December hike priced in. All of it today.

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Gas Under Trump and Biden Averages Almost Exactly the Same, $3.47. Trump Says It’s Much Lower, but It Depends How You Measure. Corruption Tops the Fox Poll. Anthropic, Maker of Claude, Files for a Record IPO Description:
Guess what? Per AAA, gas averaged $3.472 under Trump’s second term and $3.471 under Biden. Trump says it’s much lower than Biden’s, but it depends on how you measure: the day he took office (about $3.09), today ($4.29), Biden’s peak ($5.02), or the average. Just the facts. Corruption now tops the Fox News Poll of voter concerns, ahead of inflation and gas prices. And Anthropic, maker of Claude, filed to go public on the Nasdaq as ANT. Reports say it could raise up to $100 billion, which would beat SpaceX’s record IPO. We cover what the filing shows, with no investment advice. All of it today.

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Tyler Robinson turned himself in, and prosecutors say he confessed in texts to his roommate, yet his defense wants a trial in 2029, while Utah proposes January 2028. Robinson pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent, and the defense says a capital case needs the time, but why so long? The judge rules today. The Ramaswamy ad still dominates Ohio’s governor race, and the NYT and ABC report the U.S. and Israel have drawn up Iran strike plans, most likely for after the elections. All of it today.

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The Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother has Republicans split, with Governor DeWine, Kasich, and Portman saying take it down and Trump and Vance saying keep it up. Either way, it’s getting both candidates lots of attention. With 12 days to go, do you believe the polls? After the Wedgewood fake-poll scandal, aggregators pulled its numbers, but real pollsters weren’t involved. Does Putin really want a peace deal, or is he playing Trump while eyeing Eastern Europe? And if so, will Trump be remembered as the Neville Chamberlain of our time? Critics say yes, and the administration says no. We lay out both sides. All of it today.

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Politics is a dirty business, but even pundits on the right were stunned by Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother calling her a “liar.” Her brother called it a “despicable low,” Nikki Haley blasted it, and Vance defended it. Is it fair game or a step too far? Then, if you think polls are fake, a firm called Wedgewood Polls just admitted it made up nearly all of its polls as a “social experiment,” and outlets like the New York Times and MS NOW had cited them. It’s the second fake pollster this fall, though reputable pollsters weren’t involved. The Wall Street Journal reports Elon Musk ordered Ukraine’s Starlink slowdown, and Trump denies knowing who was responsible. And there’s still no Russia-Ukraine peace deal. All of it today.

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Trump said he could end the Ukraine war in one day, so is he about to act like a boxing referee and call Russia the winner? He’s eased sanctions on Moscow, Putin has floated a Trump-Xi-Putin summit without Zelensky, and Zelensky says steps are being taken to make Ukraine “capitulate.” Rubio says no one is winning, and nothing is final. But if Ukraine is told Russia wins, will that bring peace? I doubt it, and would Americans feel okay backing Russia as the victor? Then Trump announced an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program for farmers at a Kansas rally, his second farm hand-out in 11 months after last December’s $12 billion, just two weeks before the midterms. All of it today.

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Medicare for All is at record polling highs. KFF found 66% in favor and Axios-Ipsos found 43% support with 32% unsure, but support swings depending on what people hear. It sounds great, nobody likes their insurance company, and I think it would be a disaster. I explain why, and I give you the best case from supporters too. Then, after Trump waived Russia sanctions to bipartisan backlash, the Wall Street Journal reports Putin proposed a summit with Trump and Xi next month to end the war in Ukraine, without Zelensky. Trump hasn’t agreed, but Rubio says he’s open to it. Can a deal made without Ukraine hold? All of it today.

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Katie, we hardly knew you. Katie Zacharia is out as press secretary after five days, a modern record, following a shaky first briefing and questions about her legal credentials. No replacement has been named. The Starlink scandal isn’t going away, and Reuters reports, citing officials, that the slowdown instruction came from the White House. Trump denies it, and bipartisan senators want the Pentagon Inspector General to find out who ordered it. And in Bend, Oregon, a father named Kaylub Giamanco, who has two daughters at Silver Rail Elementary, grabbed a pistol from his car and shot the gunman who had killed three children and a teacher and critically injured two others. We honor the victims and the courage of a father who ran toward danger. All of it today.

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Did we purposely cut off Ukraine’s Starlink? Speed limits hit the military version overnight, and Ukraine says it disrupted drone missions and that it got no warning of Russian missile strikes for two nights. Musk says Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government and that limits are decided by the military “and ultimately POTUS.” The White House says it wasn’t involved. No deaths are confirmed as caused by the limits, but Ukraine warns lives are at risk. With 19 days to Election Day, the new Fox News Poll shows Trump at a record-low 36% approval, 77% disapproving on inflation, and Democrats up 54-45 on the generic ballot. Will voters follow their pocketbooks? And wholesale inflation surged 6.3% in September, the highest since 2022, and that cost is coming to a store near you. All of it today.

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Why is the President so friendly with Putin and Xi when reports say both are helping Iran and the Houthis? Bloomberg says Russia is sending Iran missiles, and the WSJ says Chinese intelligence helped plan an attack that killed three Americans in Jordan. The New York Times reports a Lukoil asset sale tied to investors connected to Witkoff and Kushner’s families is part of the Russia talks, and that the envoys warned Kyiv about cutting intel over refinery strikes. Ukraine says Starlink was throttled and it got no missile warning for two nights, though the link isn’t proven. And September CPI jumped to 3.7%, hotter than expected, with real wages down 0.7% from a year ago, the sixth straight month inflation outran paychecks. All of it today.

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Congress banned Russian oil imports in 2022 and added new sanctions just weeks ago, yet Trump is buying Russian diesel, and prices still haven’t come down. Lawmakers of both parties say it may be illegal. Should we join Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthis after the deadly Riyadh airport attacks? Trump says “we may.” Kimberly Guilfoyle has resigned as ambassador to Greece after a donor accused her of seeking access-for-money, which she denies. Expect investigators to take a hard look if Democrats win the House. And good news from Rome: Pope Leo XIV’s lung surgery went well, though doctors confirmed an early-stage lung cancer with an excellent prognosis. All of it today.

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I always said sanctions don’t work, but I never expected the President to break them. Trump announced a deal with Putin for 300,000 tons of Russian diesel and is waiving sanctions to let it flow, all to lower fuel prices before the midterms. Prices are still climbing, and senators from both parties say the deal may violate the law. Trump is furious at Zelensky for hitting Russian refineries, while Russia keeps hitting Ukraine. The DOJ is now investigating whether the networks’ pool boycott broke antitrust law. And will you watch the livestream of Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution on December 3? It would be the first U.S. public execution since 1936, and even Republicans are divided. All of it today.

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The Michigan Senate debate was the nastiest of the night. El-Sayed and Rogers traded insults, and El-Sayed was repeatedly asked whether Iran or Israel is the bigger threat and called it a “ridiculous question.” Another ICE shooting, this time in the Bronx. DHS says the man is in the country illegally with a long rap sheet and alleged gang ties. Mamdani is demanding his release, and the shooting is under investigation. And the DOJ is reportedly seeking a grand jury indictment of Cassidy Hutchinson, the January 6 star witness, for allegedly lying to Congress. No indictment yet, so will a grand jury go for it? All of it today.

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Lone-wolf threats are out there, so keep calm but stay alert. The FBI arrested an 18-year-old Minnesota man accused of planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America. Prosecutors say he bought an AK-47 and 200 rounds from an undercover agent for $600, and that agents tried to speak with his parents last year and were turned away. Trump Accounts are a great benefit for kids, but the rules are changing, so we ask why the government can’t stick to the deal. The Cornell case gets thornier with questions about the accuser’s early sworn statement versus her later account, and we cover it carefully. And Maduro and his wife now face added torture charges, with a trial date of June 1, 2027. All of it today.

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Today is the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. We remember the 1,200 killed and the 251 taken hostage. NYC Mayor Mamdani acknowledged the "horrific war crimes" that day but also called Israel's response in Gaza "genocide," and the ADL, AIPAC, and Israel's U.N. ambassador all accused him of turning a day of mourning into a political statement. Cornell has hired former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to review how it handled its Jane Doe rape case, and the choice is already drawing partisan fire. Media outlets like CNN are calling the midterms a potential "bloodbath," and we ask whether that's reporting or discouragement. And happy 30th anniversary to Fox News Channel, where I spent ten wonderful years. All of it today.

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Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed