Book Club with Michael Smerconish

Bestselling author Michael Lewis joins Michael Smerconish to discuss his new book, "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State", an inside look at the people and forces reshaping the federal government during Trump’s second term. Lewis examines DOGE, Elon Musk’s role, the sidelining of career civil servants, and whether the highly publicized hunt for “waste, fraud and abuse” was ultimately a distraction from a much larger transfer of executive power. Original air date 6 October 2026. The book was published on 6 October 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Michael sits down with bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell to discuss his new book," The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic." Gladwell challenges conventional thinking about America’s relationship with guns, the meaning of the Second Amendment, and why lethal violence is so much more common in the United States than in other countries. They explore the difference between crime and violence, America’s approach to policing and prisons, the role of trauma care in homicide statistics, and Gladwell’s provocative argument that the U.S. may actually be under-policed, rather than over-policed. Original air date 5 October 2026. The book publish date is 29 September 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Gabriel Zucman is Professor of economics at the Paris School of Economics and Ecole normale supérieure – PSL, Summer Research Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and founding Director of the International Tax Observatory.
He is the author of articles published in journals such as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the American Economic Review, the Review of Economic Studies, and of three books. His research focuses on the accumulation, distribution, and taxation of global wealth and has renewed the analysis of the macroeconomic and distributional implications of globalization.

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Is Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear preparing for a presidential run? Michael sits down with Beshear to discuss his memoir, Go and Do Likewise, and the faith and values that shape his approach to politics. From winning as a Democrat in deep-red Kentucky to abortion, LGBTQ+ issues, guns, Trump, democratic socialism and political civility, Beshear explains his governing philosophy—and opens up about the major decision that could lie ahead. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Most of what we hear about artificial intelligence is a warning. Josh Tyrangiel went looking for the other side of the story. Michael talks with the author of "AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter" about how AI is already helping teachers, doctors, hospitals, cities, and government agencies solve real-world problems. The key, Tyrangiel argues, is using AI to strengthen human judgment—not replace it. Original air date 23 September 2026. The book was published on 12 May 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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