 Warned you yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security, under Biden and Mayorkas, two absolutely corrupt individuals, are now putting out a warning. Oh, man, Election Day could be trouble. Could be some interference with hackers and stuff like that. Unbelievably, I'm putting this show together this morning, remnants of it. I put the core of it together last night. And I sent this over to Jim. Jim, did you not get it this morning? Yes, he did.  Hackers to back Kamala Harris at Vegas fundraiser. Axios, Sam Sadler. They note that this guy, who's a co-founder of DEFCON Voting Village, says he was motivated to host this event after Kamala Harris supported the election security community in 2018. Wait, it gets better. At the time, lobbyists for voting machine vendors were attacking the village for its plans to test voting machines for security flaws.  I, you know, I would never dare compare myself to patriots like Paul Revere, like and others. Right. That would be disgraceful and disgusting. But I feel like I'm kind of like the guy, you know, like when you ever go see a TV show live and noise is a guy who holds up a cue card. I feel like I'm the guy like with the cue card up, like they're telling you what's going to happen. Applaud now. Like they're telling you.  What other signal could you possibly need that they are planning some electronic attack on Election Day? There is not a single substantial, substantive, excuse me, reason for you to wait and not bank your vote early. When I say bank your vote, I mean vote early. There's not one. More on this coming up.  Using gas to heat our homes, cook our meals, or dry our clothes can be dangerous to our health, especially for kids. But we have the technology to transition the country's infrastructure to clean energy. By encouraging local government and state agencies to electrify buildings instead of using dirty gas, we can clean up a public health crisis in our housing and protect the climate. My name is Matt Vespa.  I'm a senior attorney at Earthjustice, and I'm going to court to fight for clean energy. Until safe, affordable, clean energy is an option in every home, I will never rest. Earthjustice is a national legal nonprofit defending the environment and people's health. Earthjustice is fighting to save lives, protect our climate, and strengthen our economy through the shift to zero emissions. If clean air matters to you, visit us at earthjustice.org. Earthjustice. Because the Earth needs a good lawyer.  Transitioning from being a Marine to a civilian was very hard. I lost my purpose. I lost the drive that I had. That is a very dark and lonely place to be. It took me surrendering to myself to get the help that I needed.  At my very first Wounded Warrior Project event, I met Ray Pizarro. He told me, you need to have the courage to forgive yourself for the things you've done in the past. I got it tattooed on my hand. One night, my depression kept telling me, you can end this. And just before I was about to pull the trigger, I looked down at my hand, and that's what saved my life that night.  That was the beginning of my incredible journey with the Wounded Warrior Project. See how we help warriors combat stigma at woundedwarriorproject.org. Hey, it's Dan Bongino. Let's check in with the top of the hour news and weather on WMIC 660 AM Sandusky and 95.3 FM W237 EQ Sandusky.  This is your 4 o'clock news here on WIC-WTV. I'm Erica Frisbee. Snover Road will be closed between Arnold and Wheeler Roads beginning Monday, August 12th for culvert replacement. The detour route will follow north on Germania Road to Deckerville Road, then east on Deckerville Road to Wheeler Road, and then south on Wheeler Road to Snover Road.  In other news, while several incumbents were able to hold on to their seats, yesterday's primary election saw several surprises across the Thumb area, including the defeat of several members of a Tuscola County family. With Tuscola County Sheriff Sergeant Ryan Robinson claiming victory in the primary race, outpacing his opponents by at least 1,500 votes, one member of the Putnam family was defeated as Brandon J. Putnam finished third on the Republican ballot.  However, he wasn't alone in defeat as five members of his family were rejected by Ellington Township voters, having run for four open delegate spots. While the four non-related candidates earned at least 250 votes each in the delegate race, the votes earned by the five Putnams, when combined, only totaled to 171 votes altogether.  Regarding Tuscola County, voters there passed four millage proposals, including the newest, which will fund a senior citizen home-delivered meal program. Other proposals approved by voters concerned recycling, senior citizen programming, and the County Sheriff's Road Patrol.  Meanwhile, San Juan County voters also approved a senior citizen-related millage and decided to pick current Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mark Davison as the next county prosecutor. Davison defeated Lexington attorney Robert Haybauer, with Haybauer finishing about 714 votes behind Davison, according to unofficial counts.  Another close race in San Juan County was that between incumbent county surveyor John Militics, who defeated challenger Ben Tank by less than 500 votes. In Lapeer County's Republican races, the incumbent register of D's during commissioner and road commissioner faced off against challengers, with one incumbent ultimately losing his seat.  While Road Commissioner Jim Novak defeated his opponent Justin Vincent Setti handily, incumbent Registrar of Deeds Amy Stearns had a closer battle with her opponents, finishing only a few hundred votes ahead of challenger Megan M. Lang. Meanwhile, Drain Commissioner Joseph Suma was defeated by challenger Andy Wagner, who outpaced him by over 800 votes.  In addition to the candidate races, Lapeer County voters approved the renewal of two millage proposals, one for emergency medical services and the other for Veterans Affairs. While three out of four of the proposals were accepted by voters, St. Clair County ultimately rejected a proposed millage for additional park funding. The additional parks and recreational millage would have required approval for a .4944 mill to be levied for three years as a mean to raise money for acquiring, developing, and maintaining parks and other related facilities around the county.  but it was firmly rejected with about 54% of St. Clair County voters voting against the measure. Meanwhile, county official incumbents Sheriff Matt King and Clerk Angie Waters both won their respective races, with Waters earning almost twice the number of votes as her opponent Debbie Ryan did.  In Huron County, voters were asked to renew a millage for road funding, with the plan being to renew the millage at a rate of one mill over five years. Voters agreed to the proposition, voting 4,532 to 1,658 in favor of the measure. That finishes up your 4 o'clock news here on WCWTGV. Only in the forest can you see this. And this. And this.  But nothing beats the moment you see that. Cool! That's your child's eyes opening up to a world of possibilities. I didn't know I could do that! Because one trip to the forest can spark a world of difference.  There are some moments only the forest can inspire. Find yours at discovertheforest.org. Learn about forests near you and discover cool things to do when you go, like hiking, canoeing, fishing, or camping. Or create your own adventure with family and friends, and you might just see this. Your moment's out there. Find it at discovertheforest.org. That's discovertheforest.org.  Brought to you by the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council. Our forecast for the rest of this Wednesday. It'll be sunny to partly sunny with high of 75 to 78.  Mostly fair tonight, lows 56 to 60. Sunshine for Thursday and Friday, highs 78 to 82. For the WMIC and WTGV 24-hour weather center, I'm meteorologist John McMurray.  Everybody knows that high school sports generate suspense, excitement, and drama. They also generate higher grade point averages, stronger work habits, and greater self-esteem. Everybody knows that high school sports give us more value for our entertainment dollar. They also give us leaders committed to strengthening communities right here in Michigan.  The true value of playing sports in school can't be measured in wins and losses or dollars and cents. Studies show that participation in sports, along with other extracurricular activities, is one of the best ways to teach leadership, cooperation, accountability, and other invaluable life skills. Don't just stand on the sidelines. Encourage the young people you know to get in the game. When you do, you'll be helping them get ahead in life. High school sports, a winning part of a complete education.  This message presented by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.  From the NYPD to the Secret Service to behind the microphone, taking the bite to the radical left and the putrid swamp, you're listening to The Dan Bongino Show. Here he is, Dan Bongino. Folks, these are some of the most important segments we do because they directly impact  Your wallet that Kamala Harris wants to unburden with money. She wants to unburden it by lightening your wallet, removing some of that money, and then placing it into government coffers so they can flush it down the toilet bowl. Here to talk about the current state of the economy is one of the best economic minds out there, a guy I follow on social media, and you should too, E.J. Antoni. E.J., welcome back to the show. Dan, thank you for having me again.  Well, again, I follow you on social media because you're always ahead of the curve on these things. First, let me just ask you a very simple question. I get it. You know, one can predict the future. A thousand different variables could happen. Wars. I get it. But say we're on the current trajectory we're on now, the unemployment numbers, productivity numbers. Do you sense a recession might be close or even before the November election? Because that would change everything.  I really do, Dan. I would not be surprised, actually, if they eventually backdate a recession to beginning this month in August.  And unfortunately, we're never going to know before the election whether one has actually begun or not, because we're not going to get that that official pronouncement handed down to us, if you will. But I think the American people at this point can look around and see their own personal finances, see what's going on around them and get a pretty good sense that the economy is not doing well. Yeah, we're talking to E.J. and Tony E.J.  You know, what I don't like is the Democrats trying to distance themselves from policies that have been directly implicated in this economic malaise being caused right now. And I use that word intentionally.  I am not naive. I understand that swampy Republicans for years have played into the debt crisis, and some of them are now playing into the current tax crisis as well with a lot of these manipulations of the tax code. I get it. And I just think the Democrats are far worse, and that's why I'm forced to vote Republican most of the time. I wish I could vote conservative.  But there is absolutely zero doubt that team Biden, Harris, now Tim Walz are all on the side of borderline socialist, if not outright socialist type redistribution. They want a massive increase in the corporate tax rate. They want massive government spending to not only continue to be, but be enhanced. I mean, these are the types of things that are directly causing the economic crisis we're in now through things like crowd out and productivity problems as companies have to forfeit more money over to the government.  Oh, absolutely, Dan. That's all 100 percent right. I think you're spot on. And I would add to that that that Kamala's VP pick even wants to put a surcharge tax on capital gains and dividends. Can you imagine what that's going to do to people's retirement accounts?  I mean, it's just absolutely going to wipe them out because those taxes apply not just to real increases in value, but just nominal increases. In other words, as stocks go up because of inflation, which, by the way, accounts for three quarters of all the stock gains we have seen under the Biden-Harris administration.  You don't just owe tax on the real increase. You even owe tax on the nominal increase from inflation. In other words, you add in these additional surcharges on top of that, and you end up with a negative real rate of return. You would have been better stuffing your money under a mattress.  Yeah, this isn't hard math to figure out, even if you're a leftist. If inflation is, say, well, just, you know, pick fingers, 5%, five fingers, whatever. Inflation is 5%, and you make a 5% nominal gain in the stock market, you have not made any real money. So if you're then taxed on this fake gain, you have effectively lost money.  In other words, what you could have bought before your fake 5% gain, you can actually buy less now because you've had to give that fake gain over to the government, which they then really take.  Exactly, Dan. And, you know, this is the exact same thing that we see when this administration talks about how families are making more today than they ever have before. I mean, sure, that's true in a technical sense, but it's not really true in any meaningful sense, because although the typical American family's weekly paycheck has gotten much bigger over the last couple of years, on average, it buys much less. How much less? About four thousand dollars less.  I mean, can you imagine what that does to families right now? You have countless Americans who can't even afford groceries. They're having to use credit cards. You know, Dan, I just saw a statistic. Half of American families right now can't afford back-to-school supplies for their kids. They can't even afford crayons and notebooks. This is insane. They're literally having to put this stuff on a credit card that they can't pay off. Yeah. We're talking to E.J. Antoni, economist at Heritage. You're still at Heritage, right? Sorry, should I?  I am for now. We'll see. I don't know. OK, good. But I hope they do it. Well, we love you and I follow you on social because you're always ahead of this stuff. You just said something. Oh, I want to kind of reiterate to my audience as to why I believe politically.  The economic ramifications of the Biden years have been far worse politically than they were in Obama. Obama managed to get reelected despite an economy, E.J., that you and I followed that candidly was probably just as bad. Obama in eight years never reached 3% GDP growth, the first president in modern history not to be able to do it. Productivity was in the tank. It was really a terrible economy.  But Obama managed to get reelected because it was a couple of layers removed. He managed to distance himself from it, excuse me, by blaming greedy corporations and others. The problem Biden has is inflation is a very unique economic crisis because everybody understands it just by...  It's by the cash register. I mean, you can't hide it. You can't just go, oh, my gosh, look, you know, we hiked a corporate tax on those greedy corporations instead of reinvesting the money, blah, blah, blah, and talk people into a ditch. They experience it every day. They may get a raise at work, but they realize, wow, I can't afford my insurance bill anymore. I can't afford my car payment.  Inflation is a unique crisis that Biden created through this milieu of really horrible decision making. And that's why people get it. And I think that's why they're going to have a real problem pulling the lever for him if they're not diehard Democrats in this election.  Well, Dan, and I think it's important to emphasize that this is not simply a Biden problem. This is a Biden-Harris problem. She owns this agenda. You know, not only was she the biggest cheerleader for all the runaway spending over the last several years as the vice president of this administration, but also as the president of the Senate, she cashed  Two tie-breaking votes for two of the three biggest spending bills we have seen over the last three and a half years. So she bears a tremendous amount of responsibility here. She has to own the inflation crisis because she helped cause it. And one other thing that we really need to point out, that these inflation numbers don't really capture the true cost-of-living crisis that families are facing today because they ignore regulatory costs.  The Trump administration I don't think gets enough credit here for what they did with regulatory reform.  They reduced regulatory costs on the average family by $2,000 per year every year through their efforts. Conversely, what has happened under the Biden-Harris administration, we've seen the opposite. We've seen regulatory burdens increased by $5,000 per family per year every year. That's a tremendous additional burden that isn't even counted in these inflation metrics.  I think that's important that we all understand that, folks, what E.J. just said. Government regulations are effectively attacked. I'll just give you a quick example. I have this Secret Service coin on my desk or whatever. It looks like an old badge. Let's say you work for one of these coin makers and Biden puts out a regulation saying, if you make a coin with this type of metal, you're going to have to pay for an environmental analysis.  The environmental analysis could cost $10,000, $15,000. Candidly, EJ, I'd rather pay a tax that costs me $2,000 than a regulation that costs me $10,000. So when you talk about things like Trump's deregulation and his destruction of government red tape, which is a matter of record, you can go look at the Federal Register, compared to Biden growing the Federal Register and just dramatically expanding red tape, these aren't  secondary, tertiary costs. This is real money coming out of your business's wallet and bank account that is then not going to workers to create cheaper products.  Exactly, Dan. You're spot on here. And again, we got to emphasize that when you hear in the news, oh, inflation is down, everything's fine. Really? Then why do I keep paying more when I fill up my tank or when I put groceries in the backseat? Why is it I'm driving around on bald tires because I can't afford new ones?  Why are these costs still going up when they tell me inflation is down? A lot of that has to do with the fact that they're not counting many of these costs, regulatory burdens chief among them.  Yeah, they're real. E.J., one more Biden-era initiative, which, again, no sane person can question unless you're a hyper-partisan gaslighting lunatic, is the Biden team has not been friendly to a pro-energy agenda. They just haven't. Between LNG export restrictions, refinery restrictions, pipeline permitting issues, you know, even Joe Manchin, who's a Democrat, a phony whatever, but even Manchin tried to push for a permitting restriction relief.  Because if you're not going to have pipelines, you're not going to have gases. What are you going to do? Transport it by rail? It's dangerous. It's laborious. It doesn't work. They've done this. Energy is fed into every price of everything. There's nothing out there made besides maybe you, John J. Rambo style, whittling away at a piece of wood to make a spike out of it. Everything's going to require some form of energy, petrochemicals, everything. Not to mention the plastics that come out of it and everything else.  There has not been a more anti-energy agenda team than Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. And that's another imposed tax on America as their heating bills go up, their gas bills go up. This is a de facto tax, if not a de jure one, right out of the chute that's costing people real money.  Dan, you are spot on again here, 100%. Look, not only does energy affect the price of everything we do and everything we buy, but in America, because we can get natural gas out of the ground so much cheaper than most of the rest of the world, we actually use that and not oil for a lot of our chemical blend stocks. In other words...  We use natural gas to make everything from the polyester fibers in your clothing to the plastic in your cell phone to even components in your car engine and everything in between. And so what happens is when you raise an input cost that is as ubiquitous as natural gas does,  you are going to cause costs to go up throughout the economy. And sure enough, that's what we've seen under this administration. These are the people that killed the Keystone XL pipeline literally on day one. From the beginning until all the way until today, they have been anti-energy.  E.J., I know I said it was the last question. One more. I got two minutes left. There's a thing in economics you and I both know called the substitution effect. You know, price of chicken goes up, people buy more beef. Price of beef goes up, they buy pork. You can substitute. You may not like it, but there's a way out of it. That's not the case with energy prices. What you just said is accurate. There's no way to avoid energy prices if you're going to restrict energy like the Biden administration with Harris are committed to. There's just no way. It's built into every single thing.  That's right, Dan. And that substitution effect, by the way, that happens not only at the local level. It happens not only when the individual consumer is choosing, like you mentioned, what kind of meat do I want to buy? It happens at the international level as well. In other words,  When we're not producing enough energy exports, countries have to turn to sometimes hostile nations like Iran and buy energy from them. And so now, instead of money going to put Americans to work, you're putting money into the coffers of the warlords in Iran, and you're funding terrorism.  Right. And it's just amazing how we're funding this war in Ukraine. Whatever your position is, I'm not even going to talk about that now. It's for another day. But we're funding a war in Ukraine while simultaneously restricting our own natural gas supply to allow others to buy natural gas to Russia. We're like effectively funding both sides of this war, which is an obscenity.  E.J., you're awesome. I need to follow you. E.J. Antoni, he is on social media, on X and elsewhere. Give him a follow if you want to stay way ahead of the curve on the economics news of the day. E.J., we'll have you back, as always. You're our resident economist on the show. We love you. Thanks for coming on today. Appreciate it. My pleasure, Dan. Thank you for having me.  You got it. That guy's one of the best, folks. Please give him a follow on social media. E.J. and Tony, it's worth your time. Look at all the numbers he has up there on consumer debt. The economy's worse than you think. You know I haven't been dramatic. It's not the worst we've ever seen. I'm never going to engage in hyperbole to spin your wheels. Okay? I'm not going to do that. It's bad enough that we should vote the right way.  I'm just telling you, it's not as bad as some people will tell you, but it's a lot worse than Biden and Harris are telling you and the media. You look at the numbers and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. Real wages, consumer debt. We are in a lot of trouble. More coming up next. We'll be right back. Bungino.  Celebrate more than 100 years of America's original butcher and save 50% off site-wide during the Omaha Steaks anniversary sale. That's right, Omaha Steaks is delivering unforgettable flavor with 50% off extra aged grain-finished steaks, juicy pure ground burgers, premium pork, air-chilled chicken, and so much more. Plus, as a special offer, you'll get an extra $30 off your order when you shop today at omahasteaks.com and use promo code sizzle at checkout.  For five generations, Omaha Steaks has brought you endless flavor, endless variety, and endless value with premium proteins that are sure to satisfy. And right now, they're all 50% off. Plus, don't forget, when you use promo code SIZZLE at checkout, get the extra $30 off. Shop for anniversary savings on all the legendary flavors from America's original butcher. But hurry, this offer won't last long. That's omahasteaks.com, promo code SIZZLE at checkout. Minimum purchase may apply.  Omaha Steaks, America's original butcher. Dan Bongino. You're listening to the Dan Bongino Show right here on WMIC 660 AM and 95.3 FM, the voice of the thumb.  When it comes to growing soybeans, you need an advantage. And with Zatavo Soybean Seed, you get a big one, a really big one. 3.4 bushels per acre big. It's a yield advantage made possible by BASF genetics, proprietary germplasm, and industry-leading seed quality. Talk to your retailer today about staying ahead of the game with Zatavo Soybean Seed.  The strength of America, our values, our way of life hasn't just been won on the battlefield. It's won every day in our communities when we come together, extending hands of compassion, service, and hope to those who need it most.  For over 100 years, the American Legion has been strengthening communities across our nation by providing life-saving help and support to our veterans and neighbors during times like we're facing today. It's what the Legion's all about. From blood drives to distributing food, from responding to emergencies and protecting the most vulnerable among us, our mission is making America's communities stronger.  We are one family, and therefore, we care. We are the American Legion, veterans strengthening America. To learn how you can help, visit legion.org. They say singing can help you remember things, so here's some tips for parents out there during these tough times.  Make sure your kids wash their hands for 20 seconds after they've coughed or sneezed or been outside. Virtual play dates. Social and physical distancing can help save lives. Tell them they're safe and show your love and pride. Yes, we'll get through this together. Find out more at coronavirus.gov. A message from the CDC and the Ad Council. Do you worry about how much someone drinks?  Do you feel angry or depressed most of the time? Do you feel neglected or unloved? Do you feel you attract people who tend to be compulsive or abusive? Do you have money problems because of someone else's drinking? Are you afraid or embarrassed to bring your friends home?  Do you feel that if the drinker loved you, she or he would stop drinking? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone. More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism. Not everyone trapped by alcohol is an alcoholic. Families and friends are suffering too. Al-Anon and Alateen can help. Call 1-866-200-0223 or visit al-anon.org slash help.  Four out of five Democrats secretly listen and learn something. The Dan Bongino Show. Folks, we do those economic segments on the show for a reason. You know, they call it the dismal science. I get that. I'm never going to spin your wheels on the show. Economics is not, if framed the wrong way, it could be one of the most boring subjects you'll ever take. If framed the right way, it explains everything.  And the thing I love about economics and why we do those segments about twice a month, that interview with E.J. and Tony was fantastic. We're going to put it on the weekend interview show. A couple people already requested it. Explains everything as to why the economy's in the malaise it's in right now. The reason I do that is I promise you, I give you my word as your friend, once you understand even basic economics, I'm not talking about advanced level Keynesian propensity to save stuff, just basic economics, simple supply-demand economics,  how margins work and things like that, and opportunity costs. Simple stuff you can learn in a day. I mean that in the literal sense, in a day, in a couple-hour course. You can't unsee it, ever.