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A genuinely terrifying scene today — a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv saw its first officer allegedly stab the captain and try to crash the plane, according to Israel's Prime Minister, who called it an attempted terror attack. The aircraft lost 17,000 feet of altitude before passengers and crew stormed the cockpit, subdued him, and landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots are hospitalized; the first officer is under arrest. Real echoes of Flight 93, even with different specifics. Then RFK Jr. told a Washington summit that AI is now "better informed" than your doctor and can "free us from medical tyranny," citing a claim that OpenAI's Sam Altman called it malpractice for doctors not to check AI. Not everyone agrees — a CBS medical contributor pushed back directly, calling that idea a bad one. We break down both sides. And Robinhood just rolled out expanded AI tools that will trade stocks for you automatically, around the clock — 150,000 people are already using it. Exciting, but let's watch how it performs before diving in ourselves. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

America.gov officially launched today — an AI-powered one-stop shop consolidating 29,000 federal websites into a single chatbot-style portal for things like Medicare, passports, and federal job postings. First impressions are genuinely positive, and unlike the infamous Obamacare website disaster, this one seems to actually work — though it's worth noting the site doesn't disclose which AI model it runs on, and at launch it correctly contradicted some of Trump's own political claims before later declining to answer political questions. The launch coincided with a big White House lunch for major tech CEOs, tied to plans for a broader AI safety framework. Meanwhile, a new ban — not tariff, an outright ban — on Canadian wine, dairy, and motorcycles took effect today, covering just under $1 billion in trade. Canada's economy is a fraction of ours, the goods barely register against $880 billion in total trade, and even Trump admits "there's nothing they have that we need." So why keep escalating with one of our closest allies? All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Five young British men were arrested near RAF Fairford — the UK airbase America uses to bomb Iran — after a farmer spotted suspicious vans and masked men scrambling into the woods. Iran's IRGC had already called that base a "legitimate target." All five were released on bail Monday, and while police reportedly haven't found viable explosives, they're still investigating whether this was state-backed activity tied to Iran or Russia. Iran flatly denies any connection. We ask honestly — genuine foiled plot, or overcautious response to a suspicious but innocent situation? Then a new White House ad called "Final Battle" started airing during NFL games this weekend — Trump's own voice vowing to "demolish the deep state" and "cast out communists, Marxists and fascists," almost identical to his actual 2024 campaign ad, except this one ends with "Paid for by the U.S. Government" instead of his campaign committee. He's not even on the ballot this year. Even a Republican congressman called it something you'd see "in banana republics." We ask why this is legal and why taxpayers are footing the bill. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Xi's leaving Washington largely empty-handed — no Taiwan talk, no real deals, and most Americans never even saw the ceremony live thanks to the ongoing press ban. But here's what deserves attention — while Trump's been pushing American companies to bring business home, he hosted a state dinner Thursday night where Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Pichai, Huang, Altman, and Tim Cook all sat down with Xi so Trump could "secure business deals." That's a genuinely mixed message. Meanwhile, good news for homebuyers — mortgage rates are above 7%, sellers now outnumber buyers by the widest margin on record, and sellers are finally cutting prices and offering concessions to attract fewer, pickier buyers. After years of a seller's market, the leverage has flipped. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

The Xi-Trump summit wrapped with basically nothing to show for it — trade, AI, and rare earths got discussed, no real breakthroughs happened, and none of the five major networks even aired it live thanks to Trump's press ban standoff. Still, this was Xi's first Washington visit in 11 years, and three more meetings are already reportedly planned over the next year at different locations. Netanyahu gave a defiant UN speech today thanking Trump for "bold leadership" against Iran — but delegations from 77 countries walked out or skipped it entirely, leaving him basically speaking to an empty room. And a federal judge ordered the White House to immediately restore CNN, MS NOW, and Politico's press passes, calling the ban likely unconstitutional — but the White House still dragged its feet for hours before actually complying. This fight is far from over. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Xi Jinping is in Washington for his first visit in over a decade, and Trump is rolling out rare pageantry — greeting his plane personally, a full state dinner with Silicon Valley's biggest names Thursday night. But it's drawing real criticism, including from Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who said on the Senate floor he would have advised against inviting Xi for "such a lavish welcome" given troubling issues with China. Foreign policy experts worry it makes Xi look strong back home. Meanwhile Iran's president gave his own tough UN speech today, saying Iran "will not bend the knee," echoing Trump's own combative remarks a day earlier about a "big decision" between a deal or "annihilation." And here's the number that actually affects your wallet — the 10-year Treasury yield just hit 5.12%, its highest level since 2007. That directly drives mortgage rates and borrowing costs higher right now. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Something a little different today. Instead of our usual format, this episode is a full live broadcast — I filled in today for vacationing host Sam Shane on my old flagship radio station, so what you're hearing is essentially a live talk radio show rather than a tightly produced podcast segment. Expect a longer, looser, more conversational format with listener calls and real-time reactions to the news of the day. If you've ever wondered what the show sounds like in its original live radio form, this is your chance to hear it. Hope you enjoy the change of pace. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

After Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, all five major networks — even Fox News — banded together and completely suspended pooled TV coverage of the President in protest. That means no video coverage of his UN General Assembly speech this week, and no cameras when he hosts Xi Jinping at the White House for a state dinner, unless this standoff ends first. CNN, MSNOW, and Politico have already filed a First Amendment lawsuit. Who blinks first — the administration facing an uncovered diplomatic week, or the networks worried about losing access? Meanwhile diesel just hit another record, $6.51 a gallon. And Trump revealed his 250-foot "Triumphal Arch" near the Lincoln Memorial will now double as a military complex with drones, snipers, and ammunition storage — justified as national security, drawing serious legal and safety pushback, including concerns about a drone site sitting directly in Reagan National's flight path. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Trump announced Friday he's banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House "effective immediately" over what he calls fake news, warning more outlets could follow. Presidents have always complained about the media and vice versa, but this is different, and it's already headed to court — Schumer compared it to what dictators do, and even the White House isn't clear on whether journalists were actually removed from the grounds. Convenient timing, given both outlets have been reporting on his underwater poll numbers right as midterm voting begins. Meanwhile diesel hit a record $6.45 a gallon and keeps climbing, adding more fuel to the inflation fire the Fed just raised rates to fight. And Apple's iPhone 18 Pro launched today with new CEO John Ternus opening the Fifth Avenue doors himself to overnight campers — same scene, every September. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

People — including members of Congress actively writing AI regulation — are expressing incredibly confident opinions for or against AI without actually understanding what it is or how it works. That's a real problem when these are the people who might end up writing the rules. We call it out directly today. Meanwhile, Trump said it again — we're close to ending the war with Iran and they really want a deal. He's said versions of this for eight months now. At some point you have to invoke the boy who cried wolf. We ask whether there's any credibility left in these statements. And gas and diesel prices keep climbing regardless of what anyone says about how close we are to peace. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

The Fed raised interest rates today for the first time since 2023 — a unanimous quarter-point hike to 3.75-4%, directly against Trump's public demands for cuts. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who Trump himself appointed just months ago, said plainly that inflation is the problem, and the Fed doesn't expect it back to target until after 2028. Iran war-driven oil prices and record $6 diesel are the main culprits. Markets already expect another hike in December. We ask — is this the start of a real multi-meeting hiking cycle? Then the AI debate rages on — will it save us or end us? I'm firmly in the camp that it's going to cure diseases and genuinely improve our lives. The doomsayers remind me of the greenhouse gas predictions from years ago that never quite panned out the way we were told they would. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

The Supreme Court just handed President Trump a 7-2 defeat, ruling that his executive order did NOT give the USPS enough time to implement new mail-in ballot rules before the 2026 midterm elections. We break down the ruling, Justice Kavanaugh's key concurrence on the compressed timeline, the Thomas-Alito dissent, and why Trump says this legal fight is far from over. Plus: FBI Director Kash Patel faced an awkward and heated Senate Judiciary Committee showdown with Senator John Kennedy over the bureau's decision to loosen hiring standards tied to bestiality — a moment that quickly became one of the strangest exchanges of this year's congressional hearings. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Most Americans say they're anxious about AI — but is some of that anxiety being fed by Chinese messaging designed to slow us down in the AI race? Same question for data center backlash. And do you actually want Congress writing the technical rules for AI companies? We dig into all of it. Meanwhile gas and diesel keep climbing and here's why — Houthi rebels just seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline and a critical Saudi pipeline just got knocked offline for weeks, cutting off one of Saudi Arabia's last safe export routes. Brent crude is now over $107 a barrel. And President Trump publicly told Ukraine's Zelensky to stop striking Russian oil refineries because it's driving up diesel prices here at home — even as those strikes are one of Ukraine's most effective tools against Russia's war machine. Once again, he seems to be siding with Moscow's interests. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Twenty-five years ago today, everything changed. Those of us who were adults that morning will never forget — but a new generation is growing up knowing 9/11 only as history, not memory. Today we set the news aside and share firsthand stories from survivors, first responders, and families who lived through that day, so the memory of what we lost — and who we lost — stays alive for the people who weren't there to see it themselves. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed

Trump promised a $5,000 "Trump Dividend" to every adult American if Republicans hold both the House and Senate in November — but here's the problem. The President has no unilateral authority to issue this; Congress would have to pass a roughly $1.3 trillion bill, on top of $40 trillion in existing national debt. Vance already started walking it back within hours. And dumping that much money into the economy right now would almost certainly be wildly inflationary — just like it was under Biden's big spending, which helped push inflation to 9 percent. Speaking of inflation, PPI jumped 5.4 percent last month, driven largely by oil prices tied to the escalating Iran war. And despite Bessent tripling his bond buyback to try to push rates down, the bond market keeps winning — Treasury yields just hit their highest levels since 2023. All of it today. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tom-sullivan-show--6632619/support. Remember to call with your money and investing questions 855-295-6600 for the Financial Friday podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/show/7102919/episodes/feed