Rick Smith talks with Graham Trainor, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, who debunks media myths about “war-torn” Portland, describing a peaceful, united city resisting Trump’s attempted militarization. Trainor explains how Oregon’s labor movement and local leaders are standing firm against federal overreach and fighting to protect jobs, rights, and democracy. Later, comedian and podcaster Pete Dominick joins the show, bringing humor and hope to dark times. He argues that laughter, free speech, and community action are essential tools for confronting authoritarianism—and proves that even in chaos, collective resistance and courage can still prevail.

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Rick Smith speaks with labor attorney David Borer of Gilbert Employment Law about troubling news that the Office of Management and Budget has quietly removed from its shutdown guidance all references to the 2019 law guaranteeing back pay for federal workers. Later, Johnny Jones, President of AFGE Local 1040 and a TSA officer in Dallas, describes how “payless paydays” devastate families, forcing federal employees to rely on credit, food banks, and community support while still expected to show up and protect the public.

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Rick Smith speaks with Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works, about how the Trump administration’s government lockout is being used to undermine and ultimately dismantle Social Security under the guise of saving it. Later, Patrick Crowley, President of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, discusses his organization’s lawsuit against the Trump EPA, aimed at restoring funding for the Solar for All program. Crowley explains the program’s critical role in expanding renewable energy access and creating union jobs, and why protecting it is essential for both environmental progress and economic justice in Rhode Island and beyond.

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On The Rick Smith Show, LIUNA President Brent Booker blasts the Trump administration’s attack on working families but using the government shutdown to defund, cancel, and pause critical infrastructure projects in states like NY and Illinois that voted against Trump in 2024. Booker details how these political tactics directly harm construction workers and communities by freezing billions for transit upgrades and other publicly supported jobs. Journalist Sarah Burris joins to report on extreme federal government overreach in Chicago, including the deployment of National Guard troops and the damaging effects of the shutdown, calling for transparency and urgent resistance to assaults on labor, public funding, and local self-governance.

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On The Rick Smith Show, Rick is joined by Dave Demas, President of AFGE Local 3003, who details the immense strain placed on federal correction officers during the government shutdown. Officers are forced to work without pay, worsening understaffing, financial pressures, and dangerous working conditions in prisons, all while union contract protections have been stripped away, a blow to safety and morale. Mark Cochran, President of AFGE Local 3145 and Council 270, shares how the shutdown is devastating the National Parks Service as staff face unpaid work or furloughs, maintenance and services grind to a halt, and public access suffers, threatening both worker security and treasured public spaces.

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On The Rick Smith Show, ironworker and congressional candidate Randy Bryce discusses his campaign to challenge Trump-aligned incumbent Bryan Steil, emphasizing the need for real working-class representation and critiquing Trump and Hegseth’s political theater at Quantico as performative distraction from issues facing labor and families. Debbie White, RN and president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees, warns the looming government shutdown could devastate U.S. health care, risking pay, staffing, and vital patient services, and calls for urgent action and solidarity to protect frontline workers and communities.

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On The Rick Smith Show, Rick talks with Bobby Kogan, Senior Director of Budget Policy at the Center for American Progress, about the looming government shutdown and how Trump’s promises now lack credibility for working families. Later, Virginia Burger, Senior Defense Policy Analyst at the Project on Government Oversight, reacts to the spectacle of the Trump-Hegseth Quantico military event, raising alarms about the normalization of authoritarian displays and the real dangers of unchecked executive power in a divided nation, with both guests calling for vigilant, democratic action.

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On the Rick Smith Show, Rick discusses the backdrop of a looming government shutdown and a military pow wow at Quantico, spotlighting national uncertainty. Rhode Island AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley joins to celebrate a historic labor peace agreement between SouthCoast Wind and New England unions—the first of its kind for U.S. offshore wind operations. Crowley highlights the 2.4-gigawatt project’s promise of thousands of good union jobs, better wages, family security, and lower energy bills across three states, while addressing political resistance to renewables and labor’s resolve to champion working communities.

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