The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (01/08/2024):

3:05pm- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spent several days in an intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland following elective surgery—though the precise surgery has not been disclosed. Alarmingly, the White House—including President Joe Biden—was not informed of Secretary Austin’s incapacitation for more than three days. Equally concerning, while Secretary Austin was in intensive care, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was on vacation in Puerto Rico. Will anyone be held accountable for this disastrous breakdown in communication? Secretary Austin released a statement on Saturday addressing the issue: “I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon. I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better.”

3:30pm- While appearing on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said it should be up to the states to determine whether or not Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears on primary ballots.

3:35pm- While speaking with Symone Sanders on MSNBC, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said states should take “very aggressive action” to keep Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off their ballot.

3:40pm- #1 Global Best-Selling Author Terry Hayes joins The Rich Zeoli Show to announce he’ll be participating in a 1210 WPHT Speaker Series event on February 7th at Rosemont College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Hayes is the author of the new book, “The Year of the Locust”—and has won numerous awards for his work as an author and film producer. His credits include I Am Pilgrim, Payback, Road Warrior, Mad Max, and Dead Calm—and has worked with Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, and Nicole Kidman. For event and ticket information visit: https://www.audacy.com/1210wpht/events/terry-hayes-with-special-guest-host-rich-zeoli

4:05pm- The National Park Service has announced its plan to remove the William Penn statue from Welcome Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—citing a desire to be more inclusive and an “expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia.” Welcome Park is, of course, named after the ship which carried Penn to Philadelphia in 1682 and his statue currently marks the location of his home. The National Park Service is currently seeking commentary on its decision to redesign Welcome Park—including the removal of Penn’s statue. You can leave your comments here: https://parkplanning.nps.gov

4:30pm- Rich refuses to watch movies with subtitles, Matt believes “The Holdovers” starring Paul Giamatti was the best picture of 2023, and is Microsoft’s Clippy male or female?

5:05pm- In a new editorial for Reason, Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott argue that universities are now using diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements to “enforce group think” on campuses. They write: “Yoel Inbar must not be allowed to teach psychology at UCLA—or so a student petition informed the California university's administration this past July. Inbar is an eminent, influential, and highly cited researcher with a Ph.D. in social psychology from Cornell University. There is no question that he is qualified. Anyone worth their salt doing work on political polarization knows Inbar's name. Inbar also jumped through all the hoops UCLA put up for the job, including submitting a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statement, which is currently all the rage in colleges and universities. He even shares the politics of the majority of the psychology department. But on his podcast, Inbar had expressed relatively mild concerns over the ideological pressures that DEI statements impose and wondered aloud whether they do harm to diversity of thought. As a result of this petition—signed by only 66 students—UCLA did not hire Inbar. And he's not the only academic this has happened to. Far from it.” You can read the full editorial here: https://reason.com/2024/01/06/the-conformity-gauntlet/

5:20pm- A brief debate on deontological ethics. Would Immanuel Kant agree that it is ok to lie if a woman asks you, “does this dress make me look fat?”

5:25pm- On Monday, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Dr. Anthony Fauci testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. PLUS, Howard Stern tells his audience that he finally contracted Covid. Now that he has immunity, will he continue to avoid society?

5:40pm- While appearing on State of the Union with Jake Tapper, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) said “I’m not worried, I’m very concerned” about President Joe Biden having underwhelming support from Black voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

5:50pm- Tyler Pager of The Washington Post writes: “Former president Barack Obama has raised questions about the structure of President Biden’s reelection campaign, discussing the matter directly with Biden and telling the president’s aides and allies the campaign needs to be empowered to make decisions without clearing them with the White House, according to three people familiar with the conversations.” You can read the full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/06/obama-biden-meeting-campaign-2024/

5:55pm- Is Transylvania a real place?

6:05pm- Dr. Victoria Coates— Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss The National Park Service’s bizarre decision to remove William Penn’s statue from Welcome Park in Philadelphia, PA as part of an effort to better promote “inclusivity.” Dr. Coates is the author of “David’s Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art.” You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Sling-History-Democracy-Works/dp/1594037213

6:30pm- #1 Global Best-Selling Author Terry Hayes joins The Rich Zeoli Show to announce he’ll be participating in a 1210 WPHT Speaker Series event on February 7th at Rosemont College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Hayes is the author of the new book, “The Year of the Locust”—and has won numerous awards for his work as an author and film producer. His credits include I Am Pilgrim, Payback, Road Warrior, Mad Max, and Dead Calm—and has worked with Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, and Nicole Kidman. For event and ticket information visit: https://www.audacy.com/1210wpht/events/terry-hayes-with-special-guest-host-rich-zeoli