July 18, 2026
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Michael's Daily Notes
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Thursday night, President Trump asked for the nation's attention for a primetime address — a speech most broadcast networks declined to carry live. Here's what I'd have done.
If instead of speaking Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, the president had spoken at 9 a.m. ET — a time when my radio show airs nationwide — the decision would have been mine as to whether to interrupt my normal programming and carry the speech live on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel. This actually happens with some regularity. In fact, it's often the bane of my existence, because the president — all presidents — are rarely on time. But my standard practice is to take the remarks live. And it's an easy call.
Had I taken this speech, primarily on alleged election interference, I would not have been endorsing the content. And it would have been incumbent on me to offer fair comment when it ended. But if I hadn't taken the feed and merely monitored what he said, only to then offer a critique, I don't think that would be fair to the office of the president.
Consistency matters. If it's newsworthy enough to rebut, it's newsworthy enough to air first. Rebuttal alone treats the audience as lacking any filter, and I trust my audience to know better. After a decade of hearing from this president, I have more faith in the American people to make up their own minds. Some will say that's the problem — that if only the country had been shielded from his mistruths, he'd never have been elected. But that theory has been tested for a decade, in the most fact-checked media environment in history, and the voters heard it all — the words and the rebuttals — and elected him twice. Denying him 22 minutes in year ten isn't prevention. It's condescension.
Of course, unlike the television outlets, I have an added advantage: when it's over and after I have my say, I get to open 12 telephone lines and let anyone who can get through say whatever they want without fear of any derision by me.
That's the best of all worlds.
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DAILY POLL
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Do Democrats need a “Sister Souljah” break with democratic socialists?
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TOP STORY
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Smoke from nearly 900 Canadian wildfires triggered unhealthy air quality alerts across more than a dozen U.S. states, affecting over 100 million people and disrupting travel, outdoor activities, and sporting events, with the possible threat of lingering haze over MetLife Stadium for Sunday's World Cup Finale.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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As Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal prepare to meet for the first time in the World Cup final, a viral 2007 photo of Messi holding the future Spanish star as a baby has reignited fascination with the unlikely full-circle moment.
An Associated Press investigation found that the ICE officer who fatally shot a Colombian man in Maine had a documented history of alleged violent behavior and mental health struggles, raising questions about federal hiring and vetting practices.
A CNBC All-America Economic Survey found 32% of registered voters would be more likely to back a democratic socialist candidate, compared with 29% for a Trump-endorsed candidate and 27% for a self-described MAGA supporter.
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A MESSAGE FROM INCOGNI
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Unknown Number Calling? It's Not Random
The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers. Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft.
That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear.
New banners and murals displayed across Tehran depict President Donald Trump and his family in coffins alongside slogans reading "blood for blood," underscoring escalating anti-U.S. rhetoric and revenge threats following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
A new Quinnipiac University poll found that 52% of Pennsylvania voters want Senator John Fetterman to leave the Democratic Party, even as he maintains he has no plans to switch affiliations and continues to deny speculation about joining the GOP.
Appearing on CNN's 'The Situation' with Wolf Blitzer, James Carville said the network and others made a mistake by not airing President Trump's election fraud speech live, arguing that blanket coverage would have shown Americans just how far Trump has gone "down the road to insanity."
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CARTOONS
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by Jack Ohman
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MORE NEWS
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Kalshi's World Cup-fueled surge in sports-related wagers has intensified legal and regulatory scrutiny as critics argue the prediction market functions like an unlicensed sportsbook while the company maintains it operates as a federally regulated financial exchange.
Olive Garden's photo ID requirement for its Never-Ending Pasta Pass has gone viral as conservatives, including President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers, use it to argue for stricter voter ID laws and renewed support for the SAVE America Act.
Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' opened July 17 and quickly became one of the year's most sought-after movie experiences, but with just 25 U.S. theaters offering the director's preferred 70mm IMAX format, tickets are scarce to view the film, the first shot completely on IMAX cameras, as it is intended.
For the Left
Several rounds were discharged at the Enforcement and Removal Operations building in Phoenix on Tuesday following separate ICE officer encounters that left two victims dead in Texas and Maine, though authorities have not indicated a connection between the shooting and the anti-ICE protest held in the area hours later.
For the Right
California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that President Trump’s national address alleging election fraud was nothing more than an attempt to rig this year’s midterm elections in favor of Republicans, urging voters to turn out in record numbers this fall in order to “end Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it.”
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