The Fifth Estate

“The business of America is business.” – Calvin Coolidge. When it comes to business, Carol Roth knows the deal. Her resume is extensive so Jay wanted to talk to her about business leadership, the economy, Donald Trump and also what she thinks of Trump’s new economic advisor, Larry Kudlow. She also talks a little sports and more importantly, she discusses her venture called Future File. This is a legacy planning system that she developed so that people can prepare for when loved ones pass away. Be sure to check that out.

Also, Carol talks about the time she had a mic-drop moment on Twitter in 2012 with Piers Morgan.

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How old does one have to be to be considered an adult? Officially, in the United States, that age is 18. But the government has exceptions to that rule and it makes zero sense. In some cases and in some states, you’re considered an adult at 18. In others, 21. In some states, two types of the same activity, such as gambling, have two different minimum ages depending upon the type of gambling one engages in. It’s all so absurd and it does nothing but create confusion for people who believe they are adults. Jay takes 15 minutes to raise questions about it and hopefully make people think about the issue.

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Another day. Another mass shooting. While violent crime sits at near all-time lows, several of the worst mass shootings in our nation’s history have happened in the last several years. The recent mass shooting in Parkland, FL served to take the conversation to a new level where hopefully, conservatives and liberals can agree on some gun control reforms. Unfortunately, it won’t be easy. People still want “assault weapons bans” that do not work and “universal background checks” that do not serve a useful purpose. So what to do? National Review writer, attorney and Iraq War veteran David French joins Jay and Amy to talk about some of those solutions that could help and get conservative support.

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Ken Eurell became a cop in the NYPD at the age of 20 in the early 1980s. At the time, the department, having dealt with massive cutbacks in 1975, had a force made up of young cops and veterans who joined the department in the 1960s. This made corruption rampant and, with the rise of the crack wars in the ’80s, it opened a new avenue for cops to make money. Ken worked in the 75th precinct in the East New York area of Brooklyn. At the time he started working with his partner Mike Dowd, New York City had 1,700–2,100 homicides a year (as opposed to 2017 when the city had a total of 293) with the 75th one of the most dangerous precincts in all of New York.

Ken discusses with Jay how it all happened, how he and his partner Mike Dowd came to work for a drug dealer before becoming drug dealers themselves. You can watch the documentary The Seven Five on Netflix but also be sure to pick up the book, Betrayal in Blue: The Shocking Memoir of the Scandal That Rocked the NYPD.

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So the infamous Devin Nunes memo finally had a release date. What was in it? How much of a big deal is it? What political ramifications will it have? These questions and more required somebody with some legal knowledge in national security, and who better than Brad Moss? He joined Amy and Jay to discuss it all, then the co-hosts spoke about the politics of the week including President Trump’s State of the Union speech.

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How did Trump do in his first year? How did he do on judges? Taxes? Foreign policy? In his role as President and leader of The United States? Amy and Jay break that all down with National Review Senior Editor, Jay Nordlinger. They went into a long discussion not only about Trump but on how the institutions of the United States are keeping everything moving. They grappled with news coverage and what people read to keep themselves grounded on all the issues. It was a great conversation.

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Journalism had some high notes and some low notes in 2017. Elaina Plott, a young journalist at the Washingtonian, proved to be one of the high notes with her work. Jay and Amy talk to her about how she got started, her influences, what her thinking is about the state of journalism today, and what the media needs to do to gain back some of the trust they’ve lost.

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2017 is over already — what a year! It’s hard to imagine a better way of finishing it than having Buzzfeed’s Political Editor, Katherine Miller, on the show to talk about stuff from 2017. Jay and Katherine talked about their favorite movies, music and streaming shows. In addition, they talked news and politics – what were the big stories of the year and what were the most surprising stories of the year. Be sure to check out Katherine’s tweet thread where she talks about her favorite pieces from 2017 as well as the links below to the music she discussed:

Why do people distrust the media? And why do conservatives distrust the media even more? There are many reasons and some of them occurred in just the last week. Jay and Amy touch on issues related to CNN, Jimmy Kimmel, and the NY Times’ laughable math about the lies President Obama told in his two terms. They also offer up some advice for people in the media to regain that trust.

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Taxes, baby, taxes! The Republican Party is pushing to get through a tax reform bill by the end of the year. It would give them and President Trump a major legislative victory in 2017. But is it worth it? The tax bill does away with a lot of deductions and credits that people are upset about. Karol Markowicz of the New York Post joins Amy and Jay to discuss. Karol has written about the plan – and not entirely favorably – so her perspective will be interesting!

New art! The changeover is complete. On this Thanksgiving week show, Amy and Jay talk about the politics of sexual harassment – including that of Roy Moore, Al Franken, John Conyers, and yes, Bill Clinton.

Amy lends a particularly incisive viewpoint on the issue especially as it relates to people who attack accusers who “smile” when taking a photo with somebody groping them. Jay and Amy also dig into the real reason there’s been a “reckoning” with Bill Clinton and what it is about “open secrets” that are so maddening.

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The GOP suffered some big losses on election day this year in NY, New Jersey, and Virginia. What does it mean and what implications does it have for 2018? Jay and new cohost Amy Otto talked with National Review’s Kevin Williamson about that subject, the GOP tax plan, and the revelations about GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore.

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The revelations (well, it’s not really a revelation) about Harvey Weinstein have turned Hollywood on its head. Outside of Weinstein having settled multiple sexual harassment claims, he’s also been accused of rape. The issue has more and more people in Hollywood stepping out and saying they’ve either been victims of Weinstein or somebody else. This rot is not new. It’s existed for some time but the chickens are coming home to roost. Jay and Neal talk with Amy about this to get her perspective.

Everybody tells tales of what healthcare would be like if Obamacare were repealed. But hardly anybody tells the stories about people who suffered because of Obamacare. Mary Katherine Ham of The Federalist and CNN is one and it came during a devastating part of her life. She talks to Jay and Neal about her story and also about what Republicans can, cannot, or won’t do going forward with attempting to either repeal or replace Obamacare.

Donald Trump keeps opening his mouth at what appears to be inopportune times. In doing so, people question his commitment to free speech. However, the events at Charlottesville also make people question free speech and whether or not there are limits. Should there be? What effect does the President have on calling people for engaging in speech? Jay and Neal talk to the NY Daily News editorial board member, Robert George about these issues in depth. Be sure to listen!

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Only Donald Trump could take the focus off the news off two hurricanes, but he did with his order to rescind DACA. He also cut a deal on Harvey aid and the debt ceiling with his new besties, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. Evil Lobbyist (actually, great guy) Liam Donovan joins the show to talk to Neal and Jay about all of that and, of course, the important question of who is better: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

What will happen in Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff and then in November against a Democrat? How will the Democrats do in 2018 relative to the general history that the party in executive power usually loses lots of seats in Congress? Finally, do you like podcasts about music? Because the guest this week, Jeff Blehar, is going to be starting one with National Review. Jeff covers all these topics with Jay and Neal and answers the important question of who is better, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones.

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Have you seen the movie Spotlight? It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, portraying the work of The Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative reporting team. Their work helped uncover the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandal in 2002 and won a Pulitzer Prize. Spotlight reporter Mike Rezendes who worked on that team joined Jay and Neal to talk about the movie and also his views on investigative journalism and the state of the newspaper industry. Be sure to check out Mike’s work as he has a new story coming out next week.

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Sometimes you have to take risks. Is there a risk for a conservative podcast to have a liberal guest? Is there a risk for a liberal guest to go on a conservative podcast? Of course. But when both sides are going to have a conversation, things work out. Former Barack Obama speechwriter, Jon Favreau and co-host of Pod Save America joined Jay and Neal to talk about the political divide, Donald Trump, where Democrats and Republicans can work together and the overall state of our political culture. Listen in. You’ll enjoy it!

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She’s back! If you missed Dana Perino’s last appearance on the show, you can still catch it. She talks about communication so it is still relevant today. This time, however, Dana took us behind the scenes at “The Five” – how it got started, what she does to prepare, how topics are chosen, how bumper music is selected — all that good stuff. She also talks about her career and, of course, we talk about her beloved dog, Jasper.

Ep. 82: Carol Roth, the Business Person with an Action Figure

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Ep. 81: The Government and the Age of Adulthood

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Ep. 80: David French and the Return of the Battle Over Gun Control

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Ep. 79: Ken Eurell and Betrayal in Blue

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Ep. 78: Brad Moss and the Devin Nunes Memo

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Ep. 76: Jay Nordlinger on Conservatism and Trump’s First Year

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Ep. 75: Elaina Plott and What’s to Come for Journalism in 2018

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Ep. 74: Katherine Miller and 2017 In Review

Ep. 73: Conservative Distrust of the Media

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Ep. 72: Karol Markowicz and the GOP Tax Reform Bill

Ep. 71: The Politics of Sexual Harassment

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Ep. 70: Kevin Williamson and the State of the GOP

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Ep. 68: Amy Otto on Harvey Weinstein and Sexual Harassment

Ep. 67: Mary Katherine Ham on Obamacare and Health Care Policy

Ep. 66: Robert George and the Limits of Free Speech

Ep. 63: Liam Donovan, DACA, Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi

Ep. 61: Jeff Blehar on Elections, Politics and Music

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Ep. 60: Mike Rezendes on Investigative Journalism and the Movie “Spotlight”

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Ep. 59: Jon Favreau: When the Left Collides with the Right

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Ep. 57: Dana Perino and Behind the Scenes at “The Five”

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