It’s a very special HWX with Brian Ward and Paul Happe reconvening to discuss the critical issues of our times. Topics addressed include:

Our favorite memories of the Anthony Scaramucci era. Who was this clown and where did he come from? We have all the details. Plus a musical tribute to his departure, Nobody Does It Better than Scaramucci.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome the news that over a million Americans left the food stamp rolls in the first few months of the Trump administration and discuss new state work requirements and immigration law enforcement as contributing factors to this continuing decrease in government dependence. They’re also exasperated as Google fires an engineer for writing an internal memo criticizing Google for a diversity culture that is not at all diverse and makes people feel as though they’ll get fired if they say anything that doesn’t square with corporate ideology. And they get a kick out of Spike Lee scheduling a “United We Stand for Colin Kaepernick” protest outside of NFL headquarters later this month.

Jon Gabriel (@ExJon) and Stephen Miller (aka @RedSteeze) nab an exclusive interview with recently departed White House Communications Director Anthony Scarmucci (kinda), then talk about progressives trying to spike the bestseller Hillbilly Elegy and the new HBO project, “Confederate.”

The intro song is “The Comeback” by Shout Out Louds. Stephen’s song of the week is “Put Your Money on Me” by Arcade Fire and Jon’s is “Paul” by Girl Band. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist. You also should subscribe to this podcast and give it five-star, glowing reviews on iTunes!

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the congresswoman from Miami. She is also one of Jay’s favorite people in public life (and in life). A congresswoman since 1989, she is retiring at the end of this session.

With Scott Immergut, the producer known as Blue Yeti, Jay traveled to Capitol Hill to record this “Q&A” in person. Ros-Lehtinen’s office was the setting. There are dogs, babies, and general good cheer: This is a family atmosphere. No one ever enjoyed being a member of Congress more than Ros-Lehtinen has.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud Republicans for backing Attorney General Jeff Session even in the midst of President’s Trumps invective against him, including the warning from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley that there is no time left in 2017 to consider another person as attorney general. They express their continuing disgust as six Senate Republicans who voted to repeal Obamacare in 2015 refused to do so now. And they fume as former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor admits Republicans never believed they could repeal Obamacare if they took back control of Congress but used voter anger and expectations to win elections. Finally, rumors are swirling that former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer might join the cast of the ABC reality show, Dancing With the Stars.

HWX is back this week by popular demand, with a special broadcast of Brian Ward and Paul Happe breaking down the critical issues of our time. Topics addressed include:

It’s the Summer of Fake News, we look back on how we got here, including a fond reminiscence of the father of Fake News, This Week in Gatekeeping. Also, since we don’t watch CNN anymore, we review exclusive audio of a recent Anderson Cooper 360 promo and ascertain its veracity.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America rib Democrats for their new “Better Deal” agenda which looks a lot like their old agenda. The hysterics continue at Pennsylvania Avenue following the resignation of Sean Spicer and the hiring of Anthony Scaramucci, with more possible changes on the horizon for Jeff Sessions and other characters; Jim and Greg remind Americans of Scaramucci’s not-so-conservative political past. It’s unclear what the Twitterverse expected from Discovery Channel’s “Great Gold vs. Great White” event in which Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps “raced” a great white shark, but they are outraged by the use of CGI in place of a real shark — much to Jim and Greg’s amusement.

Jon Gabriel (@ExJon) and Stephen Miller (aka @RedSteeze) chat about the trouble with Donald Trump Jr., Russian agents Boris and Natasha, and David Brooks’s elitist cold cuts. The intro song is “The House That Heaven Built” by Japandroids. Jon’s song of the week is “Halfway Home” by Broken Social Scene, and Stephen’s is “I Get Overwhelmed” by Dark Rooms. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist. You also should subscribe to this podcast and give it five-star, glowing reviews on iTunes!

It’s a special summer extravaganza for HWX, with Brian Ward and Paul Happe discussing the crucial issues of the season, including:

* The plight of urban America. What’s with the big cities doubling down on socialism this year? We analyze the issue in detail. Also, exclusive audio of a recent Minneapolis Traffic report, exposing the true state of the city.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America groan over Donald Trump Jr.’s stunningly poor judgment and apparent willingness to seek campaign assistance from a foreign government, while also lamenting the continued media hysteria over these latest revelations. They are wary of Mitch McConnell’s decision to delay the traditional August recess, worrying that it might not be very productive and, therefore, more damaging to an already embarrassed GOP. Finally, in a discussion of David Brooks’ controversial column about class divisions in America that features a bizarre anecdote about sandwich elitism, Jim admits that he himself is, to quote Shakespeare, “lowly taught, but highly fed.”

Throwing rules to the wind, Jay does a music program: a half-hour of music about summer, or related to summer. We’ll hear Mendelssohn, Webern, Barber, and others. There’s a girl named Jeannie involved, too (with light brown hair). This “Q&A,” or non-“Q&A,” is a midsummer night’s gift.

The playlist for this show may be viewed here.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America celebrate the liberation of Mosul from ISIS control and the tightening of the noose around ISIS in Syria as well. They also discuss reports that former FBI Director James Comey’s memos on conversations with President Trump contain classified information. And they lightheartedly critique Donald Trump Jr.’s account of a fruitless meeting between top Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer who claimed to have dirt on Hillary Clinton but really wanted to talk about adoption policy.

Jon Gabriel (@ExJon) and Stephen Miller (aka @RedSteeze) chat about the mess at CNN, the mess with healthcare reform, but not the mess with Joe and Mika. The intro song is “Sure Shot” by Beastie Boys. Jon’s song of the week is “Asleep” by Makthaverskan, and Stephen’s is “The Underside of Power” by Algiers. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist. You also should subscribe to this podcast and give it five-star, glowing reviews on iTunes!

It’s a special new episode of HWX, with Brian Ward and Paul Happe reconvening to discuss the critical issues of our times. Topics addressed include:

* With Kathy Griffin and Shakespeare in the Park’s Juliuis Caesar, lots of new Trump bashing in the news. Are these new levels of depravity or just the same old vitriol? Also, exclusive preview audio of this summer’s next Broadway smash, Shakespeare in the Trump.

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud new developments in the Middle East as ISIS loses its grip on Mosul and its defeat appears increasingly likely. They condemn the appalling Charlie Gard decision in which a London court decided that a terminally ill child will be removed from life support — against the wishes of his parents — and reflect on the implications of single-payer healthcare. They criticize President Trump’s latest Twitter barrage against Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, claiming Trump’s language debases the culture. Plus, a follow-up revelation in the McEnroe-Williams tennis controversy.

The president you thought you knew was someone else, writes Henry Olsen in The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.

In a 10-minute conversation with The Bookmonger, Olsen argues that conservatives fundamentally have misunderstood their favorite president–and now they must come to grips with the fact that he was in his heart a New Dealer as well as the fact that President Trump is more an inheritor of Reagan’s legacy than they previously have recognized.

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the “tough guy” stance that President Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis are taking in deterring further chemical attacks in Syria. They dive into the complications surrounding the healthcare debate, as Mitch McConnell scraps the vote on the most recent GOP bill and many of the Republicans opposed believe the government should be doing more. Finally, they discuss the PC complaints that the new Dunkirk film — a historical World War II drama — is “too white,” even though the vast majority of soldiers involved were white.

David Satter is an American authority on Russia – a man who cares so much about Russia and the Russian people that he bothers to understand them. And to tell the truth about them, as he knows it. Speaking of knowing: His latest book is “The Less You Know, the Better You Sleep.”

With Jay, he talks about Putin, the diaspora, democracy, Trump, Stalin, literature, and a lot more. An experienced, learned, and bold scholar and journalist. He says that Westerners have misunderstood Russia for years – they think the rest of the world is like them. Satter, for one, avoids that mistake.

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America celebrate the Supreme Court decision that upheld a portion of President Trump’s travel ban, overturning lower court rulings. They also applaud the SCOTUS decision in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church against the State of Missouri in a religious liberty case. And they question Pride Month’s “inclusivity” as LGBT members of the Jewish community are ejected from a Chicago pride march for having the Star of David on a rainbow flag.

In the tradition of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor comes Peter Kirsanow, author of the debut novel Target Omega.

In a 10-minute conversation with The Bookmonger, Kirsanow describes the plot and hero of his new thriller, explains how his service as an appointee to federal commissions in Washington prepared him to write this book, and reveals whether he now plans to have a second career as a novelist.