Upstream Ideas

Is Trump willing to take potential legal action against the New York Times most recent hit piece about his taxes? Do CNN anchors know the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion? Where is the interest in fraudulent accounting by the government? Republicans gave Democrats the week they wanted for the FBI Kavanaugh investigation. Now what? CNN Chief Economist, Steve Moore joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Are ads filled with sexual innuendos the new hip, cool way to reach millenials to go out and vote? Is it revenge of the Exes Day in the Kavanaugh saga? Does Lindsey Graham need to do more talking and Trump need to do less? Why isn’t the FBI sitting down with Dr. Ford? Senior Editor for HotAir.com and columnist for The Week, Ed Morrissey joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Is the U.S. headed for a serious trade war? What does the national jobs picture look like moving forward? The noise around economic news can sometimes make it difficult to keep up, but Scott "the Cow Guy" Shellady – trader and Fox Business analyst – constantly has his eye on market trends. On this installment of "Against the Current," Dan Proft and Shellady explore a range of pressing economic issues – from trade and fiscal policy, to forecasting the health of manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors. Does innovation always help economic growth? Does the Trump administration inspire much confidence for free market advocates? Proft and Shellady answer all these questions and more in an in-depth look at the current state of the economy.

Democrats have run the city of Chicago for the last 100 years, and the state of Illinois for most of the last 50. But the results for taxpayers aren't there. Will anyone in the state Democratic Party ranks be willing to break away from the party bosses and the machine, and call for more reform-minded policies? On this edition of Against the Current, Dan Proft asks that question to state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, who genuinely wants to see the city's impoverished neighbors turned around, but with what policy initiatives? Proft and Ford discuss and debate property taxes, entrepreneurship and education, among a range of other topics for how to improve both the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois as a whole.

Should the FBI be conducting an extensive interview with Dr. Ford herself? Famed FBI criminal profiler, James Fitzgerald joins Dan and Amy to present some of the questions he would ask her: Had she been assaulted before or after this alleged attack? What’s her memory of the time? Questions like: Who was the president? What were some of the movies she saw that summer?

Are the Democrats going to rue the day they asked for the FBI investigation? If the left can do this to Kavanaugh, can’t they do this to anyone? Does the progressive left see themselves as the only ones worthy of power? Should this be a wake-up call to all the beltway establishment Republicans? Editor of The New Criterion and columnist for PJ Media, Roger Kimball joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Is Chicago the worst governed big city in the country? How can the City incentivize people to invest in low-income areas if they are unsafe? Is Vallas suggesting taking advantage of the tax incentives in the Trump tax bill? Why aren’t we scaling already proven successful models? Can he promise to cap property taxes if elected? Chicago mayoral candidate, Paul Vallas joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Maxine Waters' harassment protocol has been adopted by one Socialist IL politician, State Sen. Dan Biss. Why do IL politicians think they can do whatever they want and get away with it? Is this how they treat anyone who gets in their way in continuing to bankrupt the state? Was he emboldened by comments from Maxine Waters or still mad he didn’t win the Democratic gubernatorial race? President of Wirepoints.com, Ted Dabrowski joins Dan and Amy to discuss his confrontation with Biss at a local Panera.

Why are all men responsible for the bad actions of a few? Are accusers and the accused deemed credible dependent on their politics? Are the Republicans right to concede to the left and extend the process? What will be the new demands from Democrats after the investigation is completed this week? Columnist for National Review, John Fund joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Where does the FBI play in the circus? Should the White House outsource the investigation to Fusion GPS? Does the FBI investigation give the undecideds something to hang their decision on? What about Rachel Mitchell’s performance? Should White Republican men be able to ask questions? Former FBI Assistant Director, Ron Hosko joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Do even those in the center politically know we need control over our borders? Is it controversial to propose merit based immigration? What should be the GOP's strategy to peel off Latino voters in key Senate races? National Review editor, Reihan Salam joins Dan and Amy to discuss his new book on immigration policy, "Melting Pot or Civil War?"

Will the midterms now be a referendum on impeaching Trump and Kavanaugh? Was Ford ever given a hard question? Was she sincere but had no evidence to back up her emotional testimony? What does the number and quality of women who rallied to Kavanaugh’s defense show about his character? Was this a clarifying cultural moment? NY Post columnist, Michael Goodwin joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

What is the standard of analysis that should be used to inform the Kavanaugh confirmation vote? It's not a criminal trial but shouldn’t the principles that inform our justice system be the norms applied to a confirmation hearing in assessing uncorroborated allegations? Who will win greatest identity politics hustler? What level of outrage will Kavanaugh convey? Washington Free Beacon Editor, Matthew Continetti joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Is the economic impact of tariffs the only tax the DC press corps cares about? Where’s the fair and complete analysis of the tax cuts? What about the impact of tax hikes on personal, corporate, and capital? Why is Trump still misunderstanding the meaning of trade deficits? CNBC Contributor, Jim Iuorio joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

What makes Trump different than the typical president? Does Trump’s capacity for concern allow him to say what he’s really thinking? Why do things get under his skin so easily yet he’s also able to pick himself up quickly? How did the death of his brother affect him? Clinical professor and author of “Trump On The Couch,” Dr. Justin Frank joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Mike Madigan is once again pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into legislative races in support of Democrats, paying for false attacks on Republican opponents. But this time, a group of conservative reformers – including both sitting stat reps and new candidates – are fighting back. On this edition of Illinois Rising, Dan Proft and Pat Hughes hear from state Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard and one of the conservative reform leaders in Springfield, about how he and a coalition of lawmakers and candidates are standing up Madigan's deceitful campaign tactics. Proft and Hughes also tackle some of the most pressing new issues in the city of Chicago, including the disastrous Chicago firefighters' pension fund and the entrance of Bill Daley in the mayoral race.

Are FBI reports worth anything accord to Joe Biden? Will Democrats be able to focus on Ford instead of themselves? Since when does the Constitution ask for the FBI’s advise and consent on SCOTUS nominees? How can Trump keep Rosenstein on his team if he can’t trust him? Writer and columnist for the Washington Examiner, David Freddoso joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Was anyone laughing when Trump stated America is governed by Americans? Why is the left insulted by America First? What about Trump’s trade talk portion of the address? Has anyone received more federal/state money than Elon Musk? Chief Economist for CNN, Steve Moore joins Dan and Amy to discuss.

Should we be open minded to Dr. Ford’s story and allegations? Are the Democrats showing their hypocrisy by dismissing Keith Ellison’s accusers? Should everyone right or left be aware of the tactics of the left and vote Republican in November? Diamond and Silk join Dan and Amy to discuss.

Why are any efforts to try and secure elections met with cries of racism and oppression? Why aren’t elections as secure as they can be? Is voter fraud the easiest crime to get away with? How much power do social media and internet giants like Google and Facebook have on elections? Research director at the Government Accountability Institute, Eric Eggers joins Dan and Amy to discuss.