The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (10/12/2023):

3:05pm- In a post to the social media outlet X, Reason editor and podcaster Nick Gillespie discussed the libertarian response to the October 7th Hamas terror attacks against Israel. Gillespie explains, “I'm increasingly frustrated by whataboutist libertarian takes on indefensible Hamas terrorism that seemingly deny Israel's unquestionable right to respond to war crimes committed within its own borders. If your first—or second, or third—response to civilian deaths is to point out that not all the children were decapitated, you're doing it wrong. These takes tend to conflate questions of legitimate national self-defense on the part of a country and possible US intervention that is often morally, strategically, and pragmatically suspect. A similar conflation was evident when Russia invaded Ukraine, with too many libertarians justifying Putin's war-of-choice as the inevitable result of US foreign policy, impugning Ukrainians defending themselves, or waving away solidarity with and empathy for the invaded as ‘CIA talking points.’ Same with Taiwan and Hong Kong. But the righteousness of self-defense and American military involvement are totally separate matters. More than most nations, Israel is capable of defending itself (and will do so with greater restraint than most countries would in similar circumstances). The US should not become involved militarily even as we should offer humanitarian aid and assistance, including to Gazans suffering under Hamas rule. We shouldn't be the world's policeman (the past 20 years of our foreign policy testify to that) but we also can play a role in minimizing conflict and suffering.” You can listen to Gillespie’s podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EBfQXtaCpKg

3:40pm- Kara Scannell of CNN reports that, “[f]ederal prosecutors on Thursday announced an additional charge against New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, alleging they conspired to have the senator act as a foreign agent of Egypt. The superseding indictment filed against Menendez, who was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time of the alleged actions, adds a new dimension to the case by alleging a US senator was working on behalf of another country.” In September, Menendez was charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes with federal prosecutors finding $500,000 in cash, as well as gold bars, in Menendez’s home—some of which contained fingerprints or DNA of Fred Daibes, a real estate developer accused of bribing Menendez and his wife Nadine. You can read more about Menendez’s most recent indictment here: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/politics/bob-menendez-superseding-indictment-foreign-agent/index.html

4:05pm- Dr. EJ Antoni—Economist & Research Fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest piece at Fox News, “Yellen and Rest of Bidenomics Team Ignore Middle-Class Misery Their Policies Create.” PLUS, Nobel Prize winning-economist, and New York Time editorial columnist, Paul Krugman manipulates data to make it appear as though “the war on inflation is over.” You can read the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/yellen-rest-bidenomics-team-ignore-middle-class-misery-their-policies-create

4:35pm- Will the Philadelphia Phillies close out their series against the Atlanta Braves tonight? The Phillies currently lead the series 2 -1 in the best of five series.

4:50pm- Jack Crowe of National Review writes: “The head of a prominent Iranian-backed militia in Iraq threatened to attack U.S. military bases should America intervene in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel, just hours after the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday to deter Israel’s hostile neighbors from widening the conflict.” You can read Crowe’s article here: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/iranian-backed-militia-threatens-to-strike-u-s-targets-as-american-carrier-arrives-in-mediterranean/

5:05pm- Rich is joined by 1210 WPHT producers Anthony and Dan who are at Citizen Bank Park ahead of tonight’s game 4 playoff matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. The series is currently 2-1. You can listen to their podcast, The Other Side with Dan and DiRenzo, here: https://www.audacy.com/1210wpht/podcasts/the-otherside-with-dan-and-direnzo-389572

5:10pm- In a closed-door meeting held on Wednesday, Republicans selected Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) to be the next Speaker of the House—113 to 99. However, it is worth noting that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy won his party’s support last November with 188 votes before ultimately requiring 15-votes to officially win the speakership. During an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) said despite the vote she will not vote for Scalise, and that there were at least eight other House Republicans that feel similarly.

5:15pm- On Thursday night, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) appeared as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. During the conversation, Fetterman exclaimed that “America is not sending their best and brightest to Washington D.C.”

5:30pm- Trans-activist Dylan Mulvaney won the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Award for “Woman of the Year.”

5:40pm- George Bochetto—former candidate for U.S. Senate, former Pennsylvania State Boxing Commissioner, and Attorney at Bochetto & Lentz, P.C.—joins The Rich Zeoli Show LIVE from the White House where he was invited to take part in an Italian American heritage reception.

6:05pm- Bill Binion of Reason writes about the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard which was labeled an anti-gay hate crime. Binion explains, “Shepard's murder was, without a doubt, an act of hate and violence. But the latter part of Biden's statement—that his murder was spurred by homophobic animus—is the most important. For years, it has been repeated in the some of the largest media outlets. It has driven federal policy. It is the part that ‘changed America,’ despite all evidence pointing to the fact that it isn't true.” You can read the full article here: https://reason.com/2023/10/12/matthew-shepards-murder-was-almost-certainly-not-an-anti-gay-hate-crime/

6:30pm- Rich is joined by 1210 WPHT producers Anthony and Dan who are at Citizen Bank Park ahead of tonight’s game 4 playoff matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. The series is currently 2-1. You can listen to their podcast, The Other Side with Dan and DiRenzo, here: https://www.audacy.com/1210wpht/podcasts/the-otherside-with-dan-and-direnzo-389572

6:40pm- In a closed-door meeting held on Wednesday, Republicans selected Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) to be the next Speaker of the House—113 to 99. However, it is worth noting that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy won his party’s support last November with 188 votes before ultimately requiring 15-votes to officially win the speakership. During an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) said despite the vote she will not vote for Scalise, and that there were at least twelve other House Republicans that feel similarly.