Shake It Off With Mert and Lucas Hour 1 9-8-24

Guest: LEN PRAZYCH -- Author of a new memoir, “My Fathers: Letters of Healing on a Quest for the Truth.”  https://lenprazych.com/

Shake It Off With Mert and Lucas Hour 1 9-8-24
Guest: LEN PRAZYCH -- Author of a new memoir, “My Fathers: Letters of Healing on a Quest for the Truth.”  <a href="https://lenprazych.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lenprazych.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1725922026758000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17DhB2LPHE2xW8wJmUgUFY">https://lenprazych.com/</a>

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation. 

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed &ldquo;man of the people,&rdquo; debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.&nbsp;

Shake It Off with Mert & Lucas Live

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.

Shake It Off With Mert and Lucas Hour 1 9-8-24

Our second hour opens with a discussion of President Trump’s order to substantially reduce annual joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un, the high U.S. costs, and Seoul’s refusal to join efforts against Iran. The move sparked sharp bipartisan criticism, raised questions about alliance reliability amid strong public support for the partnership on both sides, and fueled debate over whether “America First” strengthens or undermines long-standing deterrence against North Korea. The show then wraps with an interview featuring Prof. Robert Parkinson, a Binghamton University historian specializing in the American Revolution, whose new book Tyrants and Rogues examines the 27 specific grievances in the Declaration of Independence and the British figures behind them on the document’s 250th anniversary.

Our second hour opens with a discussion of President Trump&rsquo;s order to substantially reduce annual joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un, the high U.S. costs, and Seoul&rsquo;s refusal to join efforts against Iran. The move sparked sharp bipartisan criticism, raised questions about alliance reliability amid strong public support for the partnership on both sides, and fueled debate over whether &ldquo;America First&rdquo; strengthens or undermines long-standing deterrence against North Korea. The show then wraps with an interview featuring&nbsp;<a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/history/faculty/profile.html?id=rparkins" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Prof. Robert Parkinson</a>, a Binghamton University historian specializing in the American Revolution, whose new book&nbsp;<a href="https://a.co/d/05MJu2T0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Tyrants and Rogues</a>&nbsp;examines the 27 specific grievances in the Declaration of Independence and the British figures behind them on the document&rsquo;s 250th anniversary.

Hour 2: Trump Scales Back South Korea Exercises | Prof. Robert Parkinson on Tyrants and Rogues

Episode 112 examines the viral debate over $20 burritos that began when a college student told Turning Point USA a burrito shouldn’t cost that much, turning a simple complaint into a symbol of inflation and everyday costs. Using real prices, inflation data, and surveys, it shows how delivery and extras can push a burrito to $20 while homemade or basic options stay far cheaper—and what that reveals about wages and affordability in 2026. The hour then shifts to an interview with Mike Lebowitz, a U.S. Army combat veteran, former Pathfinder officer, and senior DOJ National Security Division attorney who spent nearly a decade prosecuting 9/11, USS Cole, and top al Qaeda cases at Guantanamo Bay before serving as senior legal advisor to U.S. Army Cyber Command. His book Second Wave uncovers the 2003 intelligence discovery that al Qaeda had obtained nuclear materials and planned to smuggle them into American ports, the urgent multi-agency manhunt that followed, and the lasting questions it raises about national preparedness on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Episode 112 examines the viral debate over $20 burritos that began when a college student told Turning Point USA a burrito shouldn&rsquo;t cost that much, turning a simple complaint into a symbol of inflation and everyday costs. Using real prices, inflation data, and surveys, it shows how delivery and extras can push a burrito to $20 while homemade or basic options stay far cheaper&mdash;and what that reveals about wages and affordability in 2026. The hour then shifts to an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://lebowitzbooks.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Mike Lebowitz</a>, a U.S. Army combat veteran, former Pathfinder officer, and senior DOJ National Security Division attorney who spent nearly a decade prosecuting 9/11, USS Cole, and top al Qaeda cases at Guantanamo Bay before serving as senior legal advisor to U.S. Army Cyber Command. His book&nbsp;<a href="https://a.co/d/0cSRcTiO" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Second Wave</a>&nbsp;uncovers the 2003 intelligence discovery that al Qaeda had obtained nuclear materials and planned to smuggle them into American ports, the urgent multi-agency manhunt that followed, and the lasting questions it raises about national preparedness on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Hour 1: The $20 Burrito Debate | Mike Lebowitz on Second Wave

In our second hour, the hosts dig into Francesca Hong’s narrow loss in Wisconsin’s August 11 Democratic primary for governor. The democratic socialist led the polls, but Bernie Sanders and AOC stayed out, old statements on Thanksgiving, policing, and prisons came roaring back, and David Crowley pulled the upset. We track the progressive fractures, the establishment’s relief, and the bigger fight over candidate quality versus ideology in a real swing state. The show wraps with an interview featuring Christian Briggs, Economist & CEO of Hard Asset Management, Inc., a specialist in rare coins and precious metals with nearly 40 years of experience advising individuals and family offices on undervalued hard assets. Briggs explains why hard assets matter now—as a tangible store of value that can protect wealth against inflation, currency debasement, and market volatility when paper assets and digital currencies face growing uncertainty.

In our second hour, the hosts dig into Francesca Hong&rsquo;s narrow loss in Wisconsin&rsquo;s August 11 Democratic primary for governor. The democratic socialist led the polls, but Bernie Sanders and AOC stayed out, old statements on Thanksgiving, policing, and prisons came roaring back, and David Crowley pulled the upset. We track the progressive fractures, the establishment&rsquo;s relief, and the bigger fight over candidate quality versus ideology in a real swing state. The show wraps with an interview featuring&nbsp;<a href="https://bmcham.com/pages/trading-expertise-leadership" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bmcham.com/pages/trading-expertise-leadership&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787610468701000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3ixCOUnTEFA-l1gAcbOiGc">Christian Briggs</a>, Economist &amp; CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://bmcham.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bmcham.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787610468701000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2truq8QAHXn55yAMYpK6jT">Hard Asset Management, Inc</a>., a specialist in rare coins and precious metals with nearly 40 years of experience advising individuals and family offices on undervalued hard assets. Briggs explains why hard assets matter now&mdash;as a tangible store of value that can protect wealth against inflation, currency debasement, and market volatility when paper assets and digital currencies face growing uncertainty.

Shake It Off With Mert and Lucas Hour 1 9-8-24

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