50 days to go until election day ... and if those 50 days are anywhere near as drama filled as these last 50, then buckle up.  

Once again, former president Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt----that will be the focus of today's Countdown, where we'll examine the political implications with former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele ... and look at what seems to be continuous security breakdowns at the Secret Service.

But first, a quick lap around the political world:

Much more on this throughout the show but, as Charles just mentioned, Donald Trump was once again the target of a would-be assassin.  58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was a one time Trump voter, back in 2016, but after that his politics seem to be all over the place ... and he has a pretty lengthy criminal record with plenty of gun charges.  Routh was caught with an assault weapon and sniper scope, plus other gear, setting up along the fence of a West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.  He apparently was within at least 500 yards of the former president when he was spotted by Secret Service agents.

Even though the young man in Pennsylvania who shot at Donald Trump was a registered Republican and the man caught yesterday was a former Trump voter ... that hasn't stopped the Trump campaign from fundraising around the two incidents.  A campaign fundraising pitch sent out this morning says "The would-be assassin believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and yesterday, he acted on it.  She’s trying to incite the most extreme elements in her base."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump says Kamala Harris has taken politics in the country to "a whole new level of hatred, abuse and distrust.  Because of the communist left rhetoric," Trump wrote, "the bullets are flying."

Both Vice President Harris and President Biden were quick to condemn the latest assassination attempt ... and political violence in general.  Harris says she was "deeply disturbed" by the arrest of the heavily armed man at Trump's golf course ... while Biden condemned any and all hate speech and violence rhetoric in politics.

Guests on today's Countdown 2024:

-Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee & former Lt. Governor of Maryland

-Cheryl Tyler, retired Secret Service agent who served on the protective details of both Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.  She was also a long-time instructor at the Secret Service training center

50 days to go until election day ... and if those 50 days are anywhere near as drama filled as these last 50, then buckle up.  
Once again, former president Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt----that will be the focus of today's Countdown, where we'll examine the political implications with former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele ... and look at what seems to be continuous security breakdowns at the Secret Service.
But first, a quick lap around the political world:
Much more on this throughout the show but, as Charles just mentioned, Donald Trump was once again the target of a would-be assassin.  58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was a one time Trump voter, back in 2016, but after that his politics seem to be all over the place ... and he has a pretty lengthy criminal record with plenty of gun charges.  Routh was caught with an assault weapon and sniper scope, plus other gear, setting up along the fence of a West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.  He apparently was within at least 500 yards of the former president when he was spotted by Secret Service agents.
Even though the young man in Pennsylvania who shot at Donald Trump was a registered Republican and the man caught yesterday was a former Trump voter ... that hasn't stopped the Trump campaign from fundraising around the two incidents.  A campaign fundraising pitch sent out this morning says "The would-be assassin believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and yesterday, he acted on it.  She’s trying to incite the most extreme elements in her base."
In a post on Truth Social, Trump says Kamala Harris has taken politics in the country to "a whole new level of hatred, abuse and distrust.  Because of the communist left rhetoric," Trump wrote, "the bullets are flying."
Both Vice President Harris and President Biden were quick to condemn the latest assassination attempt ... and political violence in general.  Harris says she was "deeply disturbed" by the arrest of the heavily armed man at Trump's golf course ... while Biden condemned any and all hate speech and violence rhetoric in politics.
Guests on today's Countdown 2024:
-Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee &amp; former Lt. Governor of Maryland
-Cheryl Tyler, retired Secret Service agent who served on the protective details of both Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.  She was also a long-time instructor at the Secret Service training center

Ahead of the most consequential election of our lifetimes, KNX News chief correspondent Charles Feldman and anchor Margaret Carrero host the key players in the biggest races facing America and Southern California, dive into the most critical issues in the 2024 campaign, and ensure you have the information you need to be an informed voter. 

Ahead of the most consequential election of our lifetimes, KNX News chief correspondent Charles Feldman and anchor Margaret Carrero host the key players in the biggest races facing America and Southern California, dive into the most critical issues in the 2024 campaign, and ensure you have the information you need to be an informed voter.

Countdown 2024 from KNX News

Former RNC chair Michael Steele on Trump's response to second assassination attempt

49 days to go until election day ... If you're not keeping count, aren't you glad we are?!?

On today's show:  it's been called the MAGA blueprint for remaking the federal government ... and has become a lightening rod for debate and controversy on the campaign trail.  It's Project 2025, and we're talking with the organization that created it.

But first, let's take a quick sprint around the political world:

Donald Trump is holding his first campaign rally since the second assassination attempt against him was foiled.  The former president will be in the crucial swing state of Michigan, holding a townhall style event in Flint.  Meanwhile multiple investigations into Sunday's incident at Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach are just getting underway ... as the Secret Service looks to ramp up protection procedures around the candidate.

The Biden administration's deputy attorney general said today that the Justice Department is fielding an alarming surge of violent threats against public officials and election workers.  The risks for poll workers and state and local election officials is said to be particularly troubling ... with increasing fears that violent acts might be carried out on election day itself.

Vice President Kamala Harris had what was reported as a "tense" meeting with leadership from the Teamsters Union ... emerging WITHOUT an endorsement from the labor organization representing some 1-point-3-million workers.  While Harris has received endorsements from just about every major labor union in the country, Sean O'Brien and his Teamsters have been holding out.  If an endorsement comes, it could happen as soon as tomorrow.

It is a 900-page wish list for the next Republican president of the United States ... with plans for remaking the entire federal bureaucracy in a far more conservative light and tearing down much of the administrative state.  But Project 2025 from the right-wing think tank, the Heritage Foundation, doesn't stop there:  it's a conservative re-imagination of American life, from immigration to abortion to LGBTQ rights.

That's the focus for today's Countdown 2024 ... we're talking with Ryan Walker, he's the executive vice president of Heritage Action ... the lobbying and advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation.

49 days to go until election day ... If you're not keeping count, aren't you glad we are?!?
On today's show:  it's been called the MAGA blueprint for remaking the federal government ... and has become a lightening rod for debate and controversy on the campaign trail.  It's Project 2025, and we're talking with the organization that created it.
But first, let's take a quick sprint around the political world:
Donald Trump is holding his first campaign rally since the second assassination attempt against him was foiled.  The former president will be in the crucial swing state of Michigan, holding a townhall style event in Flint.  Meanwhile multiple investigations into Sunday's incident at Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach are just getting underway ... as the Secret Service looks to ramp up protection procedures around the candidate.
The Biden administration's deputy attorney general said today that the Justice Department is fielding an alarming surge of violent threats against public officials and election workers.  The risks for poll workers and state and local election officials is said to be particularly troubling ... with increasing fears that violent acts might be carried out on election day itself.
Vice President Kamala Harris had what was reported as a "tense" meeting with leadership from the Teamsters Union ... emerging WITHOUT an endorsement from the labor organization representing some 1-point-3-million workers.  While Harris has received endorsements from just about every major labor union in the country, Sean O'Brien and his Teamsters have been holding out.  If an endorsement comes, it could happen as soon as tomorrow.
It is a 900-page wish list for the next Republican president of the United States ... with plans for remaking the entire federal bureaucracy in a far more conservative light and tearing down much of the administrative state.  But Project 2025 from the right-wing think tank, the Heritage Foundation, doesn't stop there:  it's a conservative re-imagination of American life, from immigration to abortion to LGBTQ rights.
That's the focus for today's Countdown 2024 ... we're talking with Ryan Walker, he's the executive vice president of Heritage Action ... the lobbying and advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation.

Dissecting Project 2025 with its conservative architects

53 days to go until election day ... 53 days for Margaret and yours truly to get you prepared for what might be the most consequential presidential election in our lifetime.  On today's show we're talking with Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived White House communications director for Donald Trump in his first term ... The Mooch was at the Harris-Trump debate on Tuesday.  And later in the show ... Northern California Republican Congressman Tom McClintock is here.

But first, just some of the things happening in the political world today. 

Donald Trump ventured into enemy territory today ... the former president is here in California for a pair of fundraisers, going from Los Angeles this afternoon up to San Francisco tonight.  Trump didn't miss an opportunity to trash the Golden State and make his case that Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom "destroyed the state":

It's worth noting that Trump delivered his remarks from the beautiful grounds of his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes ... with gorgeous ocean views behind him.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have been on the other side of the country for the last two days ... holding rallies in more rural and agricultural areas of swing states like Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.  Harris and Walz are purposefully targeting rural areas that have often been overlooked by Democratic candidates ... trying to steal away some traditional Trump voters in forgotten small towns.

Believe it or not, voting is already underway in a handful of states ... with mail-in ballots now in the hands of voters in Alabama and North Carolina.  Early in-person voting gets going in Pennsylvania on Monday ... and later next week, Wisconsin will start sending out mail-in ballots.  In the 2020 election, over 100-million Americans voted before election day.

Today's Countdown guests:

-Anthony Scaramucci, short lived White House communications director in the Trump administration, venture capitalist

-Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California's 5th Congressional District

53 days to go until election day ... 53 days for Margaret and yours truly to get you prepared for what might be the most consequential presidential election in our lifetime.  On today's show we're talking with Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived White House communications director for Donald Trump in his first term ... The Mooch was at the Harris-Trump debate on Tuesday.  And later in the show ... Northern California Republican Congressman Tom McClintock is here.
But first, just some of the things happening in the political world today. 
Donald Trump ventured into enemy territory today ... the former president is here in California for a pair of fundraisers, going from Los Angeles this afternoon up to San Francisco tonight.  Trump didn't miss an opportunity to trash the Golden State and make his case that Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom "destroyed the state":
It's worth noting that Trump delivered his remarks from the beautiful grounds of his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes ... with gorgeous ocean views behind him.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have been on the other side of the country for the last two days ... holding rallies in more rural and agricultural areas of swing states like Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.  Harris and Walz are purposefully targeting rural areas that have often been overlooked by Democratic candidates ... trying to steal away some traditional Trump voters in forgotten small towns.
Believe it or not, voting is already underway in a handful of states ... with mail-in ballots now in the hands of voters in Alabama and North Carolina.  Early in-person voting gets going in Pennsylvania on Monday ... and later next week, Wisconsin will start sending out mail-in ballots.  In the 2020 election, over 100-million Americans voted before election day.
Today's Countdown guests:
-Anthony Scaramucci, short lived White House communications director in the Trump administration, venture capitalist
-Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California's 5th Congressional District

Anthony Scaramucci takes us behind the scenes at the presidential debate

You're with Countdown 2024 ... where election day is 54 short--or depending how you view it, LONG days away.  On today's show we're leaning into the old saying "all politics is local," with a full half hour discussion with embattled LA City Councilmember Kevin De Leon whose in a fight for his political life.

But first let's take a spin around the political world to bring you the latest from the campaign trail:

The first post-presidential debate polling is out from Reuters/Ipsos ... and while it's just one poll ... it could be the start of Vice President Kamala Harris opening up some breathing room against former president Donald Trump.  Reuters shows Harris up by five points, 47 to 42-percent .... in that same poll respondents have Harris overwhelmingly beating Trump in Tuesday's debate.

Speaking of debates ... Trump today, posting on his Truth Social, declared himself the winner of his first debate with Harris ... and emphatically stated there will be NO more debates.

On the heels of Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris for president ... Donald Trump and JD Vance, who were asked about it throughout the day yesterday ... went out of their way to tell everyone that they really didn't care about Swift's choice, and downplayed the impact that an endorsement from the world's biggest music star could have in the campaign.

Along the same lines ... Gallup has new analysis out today showing young American women between the ages of 18 - and- 29 consider themselves more liberal today than in previous generations ... particularly on issues like abortion and the environment.

The city of Springfield, Ohio has been the focus of a lot of unwanted attention ... after the city was thrust into the middle of a presidential debate by Donald Trump, over his insistence that Haitian immigrants were eating dogs and cats there ... a totally unsubstantiated rumor.  

Today multiple city, county and school buildings around Springfield were closed after a bomb threat was called in.  And Haitian families in the town have reported multiple instances of vandalism and harassment ... even going so far as to keep their kids home from school because of safety concerns.

It was almost two years ago ... in October of 2022 ... that a secretly recorded conversation between three members of the Los Angeles City Council and a prominent union leader went public ... touching off a scandal that reverberates to this day.

The conversation was often tinged with casual racism ... and the subject-matter was how to manipulate the city council redistricting process to best serve the incumbent members to the disadvantage of Black residents.

Only one councilmember who was in that room remains:  that's Kevin de Leon, who is currently running for reelection in the 14th Council District ... he joins us live on Countdown.

You're with Countdown 2024 ... where election day is 54 short--or depending how you view it, LONG days away.  On today's show we're leaning into the old saying "all politics is local," with a full half hour discussion with embattled LA City Councilmember Kevin De Leon whose in a fight for his political life.
But first let's take a spin around the political world to bring you the latest from the campaign trail:
The first post-presidential debate polling is out from Reuters/Ipsos ... and while it's just one poll ... it could be the start of Vice President Kamala Harris opening up some breathing room against former president Donald Trump.  Reuters shows Harris up by five points, 47 to 42-percent .... in that same poll respondents have Harris overwhelmingly beating Trump in Tuesday's debate.
Speaking of debates ... Trump today, posting on his Truth Social, declared himself the winner of his first debate with Harris ... and emphatically stated there will be NO more debates.
On the heels of Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris for president ... Donald Trump and JD Vance, who were asked about it throughout the day yesterday ... went out of their way to tell everyone that they really didn't care about Swift's choice, and downplayed the impact that an endorsement from the world's biggest music star could have in the campaign.
Along the same lines ... Gallup has new analysis out today showing young American women between the ages of 18 - and- 29 consider themselves more liberal today than in previous generations ... particularly on issues like abortion and the environment.
The city of Springfield, Ohio has been the focus of a lot of unwanted attention ... after the city was thrust into the middle of a presidential debate by Donald Trump, over his insistence that Haitian immigrants were eating dogs and cats there ... a totally unsubstantiated rumor.  
Today multiple city, county and school buildings around Springfield were closed after a bomb threat was called in.  And Haitian families in the town have reported multiple instances of vandalism and harassment ... even going so far as to keep their kids home from school because of safety concerns.
It was almost two years ago ... in October of 2022 ... that a secretly recorded conversation between three members of the Los Angeles City Council and a prominent union leader went public ... touching off a scandal that reverberates to this day.
The conversation was often tinged with casual racism ... and the subject-matter was how to manipulate the city council redistricting process to best serve the incumbent members to the disadvantage of Black residents.
Only one councilmember who was in that room remains:  that's Kevin de Leon, who is currently running for reelection in the 14th Council District ... he joins us live on Countdown.

Former RNC chair Michael Steele on Trump's response to second assassination attempt

In 1 playlist(s)

Countdown 2024 from KNX News

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips