Left Hook - 18 - The Hunger Games 2026
The Left Hook
Holiday Nostalgia & The Political Landscape of 2026. Hosts Mark Bland and Jason Kull kick off the final show of the year with a warm dive into holiday traditions: strict rules about when Christmas movies are allowed, mandatory Christmas Eve breakfasts, and a shared disdain for warm December weather. They reminisce about the golden age of toys, calculating that the iconic $129 G.I. Joe USS Flagg carrier from the 1980s would cost about $402 in today’s dollars—roughly the price of a modern VR headset. The conversation quickly pivots to a sharp critique of the political moment. The hosts...
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the Left hook - 17 - The Standard
The Left Hook
In this engaging episode of The Left Hook, host Mark Bland welcomes Fred Wellman, a retired Army veteran, host of the On Democracy podcast, and Democratic candidate challenging longtime Republican Rep. Ann Wagner for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District seat. Wellman, a West Point graduate, Ranger, and helicopter pilot with four combat tours—including Desert Storm and Iraq—shares what drove him to run: frustration with Republican policies that hurt working families, like cuts to healthcare and SNAP, juxtaposed against billionaire excess. He recounts personal stories, including helping...
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The Left Hook - 16 - Off the Air
The Left Hook
Mark Bland and perennial co-host Jason Kull dive into Missouri’s new porn-site age-verification law that forced Pornhub and others to block the state entirely. The duo erupts in disbelief: Republican lawmakers who scream “small government” just made it harder for adults (including themselves) to access legal porn, all while ignoring that the same voters overwhelmingly passed a pro-choice amendment the state refuses to honor. They call it peak hypocrisy: “They’ll track your porn but won’t release Epstein files or count your vote.” The rant spirals into broader MAGA...
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The Left Hook - 15 - Black Friday
The Left Hook
Mark Bland unleashes a no-holds-barred takedown of Donald Trump’s chaotic second term. Coming off a personally tough holiday, Bland argues the real “black” in Black Friday 2025 isn’t the shopping deals; it’s the darkening economic picture the administration is desperately trying to hide. He spotlights the unprecedented cancellation of the third-quarter GDP report (the third major economic indicator scrapped in weeks), blaming mass deportations, new tariffs, and a lingering government shutdown for pushing the U.S. toward recession. Bland contrasts this year’s generic, Great Value...
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the Left Hook - 14 - Illegal
The Left Hook
In the latest firestorm episode of The Left Hook, Mark Bland and Jason Kull tore into Trump’s second-term meltdown with zero apologies. Top of the list: the long-promised Epstein files. After months of stalling and letting Kash Patel twist in the wind, Trump finally signed a 30-day release order—everyone expects a comically redacted black-bar disaster because his name is all over the existing docs and the dismissed 2016 lawsuit alleging he raped a 13-year-old still haunts the files. On Air Force One, Trump pointed at a female reporter and snarled “Quiet, piggy,” with Press Secretary...
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The Left Hook - 13 - Dropped Ball
The Left Hook
Centrist host Mark Bland is done with the modern Democratic Party. In a fiery 40+ minute solo rant, he declares the 2024 loss wasn’t just Trump’s win; it was self-inflicted by spineless liberal leadership. The trigger? Eight Democratic senators (Fetterman, Kaine, Durbin, Shaheen, Hassan, Rosen, Cortez Masto, Angus King) broke ranks and voted with Republicans to reopen the government, restoring SNAP benefits but surrendering all leverage. Bland calls it the ultimate capitulation: “Checks and balances are real, but folding the second things get hard is why we lost.” He torches Schumer,...
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the Left Hook - 12 - Precursor to Change
The Left Hook
On *The Left Hook* podcast, host Mark Bland dissected a seismic political earthquake shaking Donald Trump's second term. In New York City, 34-year-old Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani demolished former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa with a commanding victory—the highest turnout in 50 years, exceeding 2 million ballots—becoming the city's first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born mayor, and the youngest in over a century. Mamdani’s victory roar, “Donald Trump, turn the volume up!”, vowed free childcare, universal buses, and a crackdown on predatory...
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The Left Hook -11 - Advance the Relationship
The Left Hook
On The Left Hook, hosted by Mark Bland, guests Producer Bobby Hickman and Jason Kull dive into a lively mix of politics, sports, and pop culture. The episode kicks off with a discussion on the World Series, touching on potential MLB expansions in cities like Nashville and Portland. The conversation shifts to global sports, including the NFL's international ambitions and a futuristic elevated stadium in Qatar for the 2034 World Cup. Politically, the trio critiques Donald Trump's claim of acing a dementia screening, which he called a high IQ test, raising concerns about his mental health and...
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the Left Hook - 10 - Retribution without Context
The Left Hook
On this episode of *The Left Hook with Mark Bland*, airing Saturdays at 9:00 AM CST on WIBHradio.com and CBS affiliates, host Mark Bland and guest Jason Kull dive into political controversies and pop culture. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 55% of Americans, including 29% of Republicans, believe Trump is using federal law enforcement to target enemies like James Comey and Letitia James, fueling concerns about political division, with 67% worried about conflict and 61% viewing redistricting as harmful to democracy. Bland and Kull criticize Trump’s “retribution tour,” noting his inflammatory...
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the Left Hook - 9- Young Republicans
The Left Hook
On this episode of The Left Hook with Mark Bland, airing Saturdays at 9:00 AM CST on CBS affiliates and WIBHradio.com, host Mark Bland tackles pressing issues from St. Louis. He dives into a Mother Jones exposé revealing racist texts from young Republican leaders, aged 24-35, including slurs and violent rhetoric like gas chamber threats. Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed these as "edgy jokes" on Charlie Kirk’s show, drawing criticism for GOP hypocrisy. Bland calls this "Hitlergate," highlighting the party’s failure to condemn such rhetoric, tying it to broader Republican embrace of...
info_outlineThe hosts of "the queue now," Mark Bland and Jason Cole, marked their show's 15th anniversary, with Bland announcing the retirement of his traditional intro for a more free-flowing approach. The main topic of discussion quickly became "Liberation Day," which coincided with the implementation of new tariffs by Donald Trump. The hosts expressed significant concern about the economic fallout, drawing parallels to the historically damaging Smoot-Hawley Act. They highlighted the negative reaction in the stock market and the potential for job losses in sectors like automaking. The tariffs were portrayed as illogical and harmful to US allies, potentially driving them towards alternative partnerships, such as with China.
The conversation also touched on Elon Musk's waning influence after an unsuccessful political investment and his reported upcoming departure from Trump's administration. A significant segment focused on Laura Loomer, who allegedly presented Trump with a list of disloyal government officials, leading to the firing of several individuals based on loyalty. The hosts deemed this a dangerous precedent.
The latter part of the show featured an interview with Dr. Julie Scott, the current vice president running for re-election to the Wentzville School Board. Dr. Scott advocated for the importance of local elections, the Propel proposition to fund schools, and a focus on students' needs over political agendas. She voiced her frustrations with the current board's functionality and discussed the negative campaigning she had experienced. Bland and Cole strongly endorsed Dr. Scott, encouraging listeners in the Wentzville district to vote for her. The hosts identified themselves as "Midwestern moderate liberals".