Today's News with Larry Schweikart
TODAY'S NEWS, September 5-7, 2026 HAPPY LABOR DAY
Episode Summary
The big picture is a strengthening Republican position heading into the midterms, with Trump- and Musk-aligned PACs pouring money into key races, Republican voter registration gains holding or expanding in several battlegrounds, and Democrats increasingly preparing for investigations if they regain power. Immigration enforcement remains aggressive, economic indicators are broadly favorable, and several cultural battles are moving in a more conservative direction, while internationally Europe continues wrestling with migration, economic weakness, and political realignment. Meanwhile, AI, EVs, healthcare investigations, entertainment, and a few wonderfully bizarre stories round out the news cycle.
Episode Notes
IN POLITICAL NEWS
- Midterm money: Trump- and Musk-controlled PACs are beginning major spending in Texas and Maine.
- Voter registration: Republicans have made substantial gains since 2024, especially in Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Hampshire, Iowa and North Carolina. Democrats appear to be scrambling to reactivate existing voters rather than recruit new ones.
- New Hampshire: The possibility of a Chris Sununu Senate upset is finally getting attention, while Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly leading Ohio's gubernatorial race.
- Democrat plans: Democrats are already planning investigations into Trump and his family if they win the midterms.
- Fresno: A purported hate-crime accusation against a California coach is turning into an expensive hoax investigation.
- Matt Bevin: The former Kentucky governor was arrested after failing to appear for court-ordered divorce proceedings.
- Arizona: Federal prosecutors charged 265 people in one week, including alleged migrant smugglers.
- Stars & Stripes: A higher court cleared the way for the Pentagon to fire journalists at the military newspaper.
- Miami crash: An Amazon cargo plane overshot the runway, killing five.
- “Progressive regression”: Victor Davis Hanson argues modern progressivism is producing a return toward medieval social structures and attitudes.
- Family accounts: The Trump administration is creating federal childcare “family accounts” to support families choosing to keep mothers at home, a policy viewed as well-intentioned but unnecessary government spending.
- Missouri: A foster mother was convicted after allegedly trading a child for a monkey and will not serve jail time.
IN CULTURAL NEWS
- Lindsay Clancy: A lone male juror reportedly prevented a not-guilty verdict, resulting in a mistrial.
- Kennedy Center: The building suffered a partial roof collapse following a storm as Trump's renovation efforts continue.
- Libraries: Libraries are increasingly becoming lending centers for tools, telescopes and other equipment, rather than simply books.
IN TRANSOID NEWS
- Mount Sinai: The hospital agreed to end pediatric gender-transition procedures and devote $2 million to detransition care.
IN ECONOMIC NEWS
- Federal assets: A Trump adviser is advocating selling federal assets, including land, to help address the national debt.
- Data centers: A new study finds no evidence that data centers increase utility rates.
- Nike: Nike's stock has fallen to a 12-year low and the company has been removed from the S&P 100.
- Food stamps: New reforms appear to be reducing welfare dependence.
- Cars: Automakers are increasingly turning toward “extended-range EVs,” using a gasoline engine solely to recharge the battery rather than directly power the wheels.
- Tesla: Tesla's autonomous-driving technology is making progress, with claims that its driverless vehicles have not produced the kind of assault reports associated with ride-hailing services.
- South Korea: South Korean investors committed $23 billion to a Texas gas plant following the latest U.S.-Korea trade agreement.
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- Everest: Pollution and environmental damage are adding to concerns about the increasingly commercialized Mount Everest climbing industry.
- Iran: Iran reportedly fired ballistic missiles toward U.S. naval assets but failed to hit them; the U.S. responded by sinking three Iranian warships.
- Germany: The AfD scored a major victory in Saxony-Anhalt, reflecting growing German dissatisfaction with economic decline and immigration policy.
- Spain: Massive protests erupted in Madrid over the government's handling of migration.
- Ceuta: Reports of violence and disorder surrounding migration continue to fuel tensions in Spain's North African territory.
- Britain: London's transit authority is installing dog “calm spaces” on subway cars, prompting another round of commentary about Britain's cultural decline.
- Climate: Another analysis argues that many long-standing climate predictions have substantially missed the mark.
IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
- Rick Santelli: The CNBC veteran associated with the early Tea Party movement has retired.
- Coyote v. Acme: The long-delayed Looney Tunes comedy has finally reached audiences, earning a B+ assessment despite its difficult road to release.
- Spider-Man: Spider-Man: Brand New Day has reportedly crossed $2.4 billion worldwide.
IN MEDICAL NEWS
- COVID investigation: A previously undisclosed FBI investigation into the origins of COVID reportedly involved scientists, grand-jury testimony and separate investigative activity in Maryland and Cleveland.
- Ozempic: A critic of weight-loss drugs has denounced Ozempic as a supposed “fascist” project, prompting the obvious counterargument that treating obesity is the point.
AND FINALLY...
- Spatula justice: A 20-year-old student jumped through an In-N-Out window and used a spatula to fend off a woman attacking restaurant employees. A spatula has officially joined the defensive-weapon pantheon.