Join us to support the fight against Big Tech, mainstream media, and government censorship. Become a Hot Air VIP member today and use promo code SAVEAMERICA to receive a 60% discount on your membership.
Welcome to our VIP feature for Hot Air as well as a members-only show in the Hughniverse! Duane Patterson and I now are doing a Week in Review show for Friday evenings, exclusive to members in both platforms. Duane has been the Generalissimo behind the Hugh Hewitt Show for more than two decades, and we have partnered on weekly commentary since 2007.
What stories topped your priority lists this week? Duane and I delve further into the aftershocks of the midterm elections, but mainly in the context of two big stories this week. Donald Trump's cashiering of J.D. Vance from the Iran portfolio not only signaled that Trump plans to stay the course against the IRGC, it also scrambled the 2028 presidential primaries. Vance made the mistake of criticizing his boss in public and may have paid the price with his presidential aspirations, at least in the short term.
It may have been Vance's attempt to blame Israel for the war and the midterms that finally provoked Trump. Duane relates Trump's response to Hugh Hewitt on the issue of rising antisemitism, especially among Democrats (but not exclusively). Trump told Hugh that it reminds him of 1938 in Germany, and it certainly has felt that way to me over the past three years, too.
The other major story is the potential end of Chuck Schumer's leadership in the Senate. Duane is highly skeptical that Chris Van Hollen can unseat him, but I argue that Schumer's twenty years of futility and fumbles may have finally caught up with him. I predict that Schumer will get rid of the filibuster to keep his grip on power, and that Van Hollen will get rid of it if he wins the leadership fight. Duane disagrees, and we may have a gentlemen's wager riding on it.
Be sure to watch it all, and extend the conversation in the comments!
