Podcasts about beltway

11.7.25 Hour 3 1:00- Wizards- Varun Shankar, CFB- Scott Dochterman, Commanders- Michael Phillips 19:00- Do you think the Commanders offense or defense will step up this weekend?

In this explosive episode, Tara and Lee connect the dots between Washington dysfunction and real-world consequences. Fox News reports that a massive shortage of air traffic controllers could make flying over the holidays dangerous — with pilots advising Americans to skip Thanksgiving and Christmas travel entirely. The ongoing government shutdown means missed paychecks, fewer controllers, and rising chaos across the skies. As Democrats vote no for the 14th time on reopening the government, Hakeem Jeffries' spin falls flat — even CNN calls him out live. Tara highlights how the political stalemate isn't just a Beltway story: millions of Americans are facing reduced or cut-off SNAP benefits right before the holidays. The conversation heats up as Dr. Oz reveals over $1.3 billion in Medicaid funds illegally allocated to undocumented immigrants across six states, a key battle in the funding standoff between Democrats and Republicans. Tara calls it “the fight at the heart of the shutdown” — as lawmakers clash over whether America should keep offering full healthcare benefits to illegal immigrants while citizens struggle. It's a wild, grounded look at how federal dysfunction, economic pain, and media spin are colliding — and why this winter could be one of America's roughest takeoffs yet.

11.6.25 Hour 3 1:00- NFL- Ian Hartitz, Commanders- Logan Paulsen 17:30- We debut a segment thanks to Dan Quinn saying "I missed it" when regarding why he didn't pull out Jayden Daniels' injury...

11.5.25 Hour 3 1:00- Caps- Sammi Silber, NFL- Mike Jones, Commanders- Chris Russell 23:15- People are upset at Joe Davis for calling the Dodgers World Series win while also being their main play-by-play guy and then hosting their championship parade.

Voters in New Jersey and Virginia went to the polls yesterday to elect their next governor, while in New York City, residents decided who would be the next mayor of America's largest city. In all three key elections, the Democratic candidate won. In New York City, self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani is the new mayoral elect, sparking significant reaction across the country. Republican Strategist and founding partner at South and Hill Strategies, Colin Reed, joined the Rundown to break down last night's results and what they could mean heading into the 2026 Midterm Elections next year.  Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a decades-long public career as a White House Chief of Staff, Republican Congressman, Defense Secretary, White House chief, and one of the most powerful American Vice Presidents ever, has died at age 84. Fox News contributor and former Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, reflects on the life and legacy of Vice President Cheney and how they became friends working together in the Bush administration. Plus, Commentary from FOX News Digital columnist David Marcus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zohran Mamdani's historic win as New York City's first Muslim mayor member of the Democratic Socialists of America has gotten a lot of reaction from all political sides. Mamdani was just one of nearly twenty other Democrats that ran pushing socialist policies. Recent polls finds two-thirds of Democrats view socialism favorably, while fewer than half say the same now of capitalism. FOX's John Saucier speaks with Mike Emanuel, chief White House correspondent for FOX News and host of the FOX News Rundown' podcast, who says the results will be studied by both parties for future election strategies. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11.4.25 Hour 3 1:00- Wizards- Chase Hughes, NFL- Eric Edholm, Commanders- Tom Schad 20:30- The Commanders decided to stay put and NOT make a trade...

The path to progressing as a leader isn't always linear. SUMMARY Col. (Ret.) Mike Ott shows how a childhood dream can evolve into a lifetime of impact—from commanding in uniform to leading innovation in healthcare and national defense. Hear more on Long Blue Leadership. Listen now!   SHARE THIS PODCAST LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   MIKE'S LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS A leader worth his or her salt should be comfortable not being the smartest person in the room. Striving for a lack of hubris is essential in leadership. Setting a clear vision is a fundamental leadership skill. Moving people without authority is crucial for effective leadership. Resource management is key to achieving organizational goals. Acknowledging what you don't know is a strength in leadership. Effective leaders focus on guiding their teams rather than asserting dominance. Leadership is about influencing and inspiring others. A successful mission requires collaboration and shared vision. True leadership is about empowering others to succeed.   CHAPTERS 00:00: Early Inspiration 06:32: Academy Years 13:17: Military Career Transition 21:33: Financial Services Journey 31:29: MOBE and Healthcare Innovation 40:12: Defense Innovation Unit 48:42: Philanthropy and Community Impact 58:11: Personal Growth and Leadership Lessons   ABOUT MIKE OTT BIO Mike Ott is the Chief Executive Officer of MOBĒ, a U.S.-based company focused on whole-person health and care-management solutions. He became CEO in April 2022, taking the helm to lead the company through growth and operational excellence following a distinguished career in both the military and corporate sectors.  A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Mike served as a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves before shifting into financial services and healthcare leadership roles including private wealth management at U.S. Bank and executive positions with UnitedHealth Group/Optum. His leadership ethos emphasizes alignment, acceleration, and human potential, building cultures where teams can thrive and leveraging data-driven models to improve health outcomes.   CONNECT WITH MIKE LinkedIn MOBE CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org Ted Robertson | Producer:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org    Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org      ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     OUR SPEAKERS Guest, Col. (Ret.) Mike Ott '85  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   FULL TRANSCRIPT Naviere Walkewicz 0:00 A quick programming note before we begin this episode of Long Blue Leadership: This episode will be audio-only, so sit back and enjoy the listen. Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. Today, on Long Blue Leadership, we welcome Col. (Ret.) Mike Ott, Class of 1985, a leader whose vision was sparked at just 9 years old during a family road trip past the Air Force Academy. That childhood dream carried him through a 24-year Air Force career, culminating in retirement as a colonel and into a life of leadership across business, innovation and philanthropy. Mike is the CEO of MOBE, a groundbreaking company that uses data analytics and a revolutionary pay-for-results model to improve health outcomes while reducing costs. He also serves as a senior adviser to the Defense Innovation Unit, supporting the secretary of defense in accelerating commercial innovation for national security. A member of the Forbes Councils, Mike shares his expertise with leaders around the world. A former Falcon Foundation trustee and longtime supporter of the Academy, Mike has given generously his time, talents and resources to strengthen the Long Blue Line. His story is one of innovation and service in uniform, in the marketplace and in his community. Mike, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad to have you here.   Mike Ott 1:29 Naviere, thanks a ton. I'm glad to be here. Naviere Walkewicz 1:31 Yes, yes. Well, we're really excited. I mean, you're here for your 40th reunion.   Mike Ott 1:35 Yeah, it's crazy.   Naviere Walkewicz1:37 You came right in, and we're so pleased that you would join us here first for this podcast.   Mike Ott 1:39 Right on. Thanks for the time.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:41 Absolutely. Well, let's jump right in, because not many people can say at 9 years old they know what they want to do when they grew up, but you did. Mike Ott 1:48 Yeah. I guess some people can say it; might not be true, but for me, it's true, good or bad. And goodness gracious, right? Here for my 40th reunion, do the math team, and as a 9-year-old, that was 1972, And a lot was going on in the world in 1972 whether it was political unrest, Vietnam and all of that, and the Academy was in the thick of it. And so we had gone — It was our first significant family vacation. My father was a Chicago policeman. We drove in the 1968 Buick LaSabre, almost straight through. Stopped, stayed at a Holiday Inn, destination Colorado, simply, just because nobody had ever seen the mountains before. That was why. And we my parents, mom, mom and dad took myself. I have two younger sisters, Pikes Peak, Academy, Garden of the Gods, Royal Gorge. And I remember noon meal formation, and the bell going off. Guys at the time — we hadn't had women as cadets at that point in time — running out in their flight suits as I recall lining up ready to go. And for me, it was the energy, right, the sense of, “Wow, this is something important.” I didn't know exactly how important it was, but I knew it was important, and I could envision even at that age, there was they were doing good, Naviere Walkewicz 3:21 Wow. Nine years old, your family went on vacation, and it just struck you as this is important and something that I want to do. So what did that conversation look like after that experience that you had as a 9-year-old and kind of manifest this in yourself? How did that go with your parents? Mike Ott 3:36 Well, I didn't say too much about it, as I was in grammar school, but as high school hit, you know, I let my folks know what my plans were, and I had mom and dad — my mother's still alive, my father passed about a year ago. Very, very good, hard-working, ethical people, but hadn't gone to college, and we had been told, “Look, you know, you need to get an education.” They couldn't. I wish they had. They were both very, very, very bright, and so I knew college was a plan. I also knew there wasn't a lot of money to pay for it. So I'm certain that that helped bake in a few things. But as I got into high school, I set my sights. I went to public high school in Chicago, and I remember freshman year walking into my counselor's office, and said, “I want to go to the Air Force Academy,” and he kind of laughed.   Naviere Walkewicz 3:21 Really?   Mike Ott 3:22 Well, we had 700 kids in my class, and maybe 40% went on to college, right? And the bulk of them went to community college or a state school. I can count on one hand the number of folks that went to an academy or an Ivy League school or something of that. So it was it was around exposure. It had nothing to do with intelligence. It was exposure and just what these communities were accustomed to. A lot of folks went into the trades and pieces like that. So my counselor's reaction wasn't one of shock or surprise insofar as that's impossible. It was, “We haven't had a lot of people make that commitment this early on, and I'm glad to help.”   Naviere Walkewicz 5:18 Oh, I love that.   Mike Ott 5:19 Which is wonderful, and what I had known at the time, Mr. Needham...   Naviere Walkewicz 5:23 You Remember his name?   Mike Ott 5:24 Yeah, he was in the Navy Reserves. He was an officer, so he got the joke. He got the joke and helped me work through what classes to take, how to push myself. I didn't need too much guidance there. I determined, “Well, I've got to distinguish myself.” And I like to lean in. I like a headwind, and I don't mind a little bit of an uphill battle, because once you get up there, you feel great. I owe an awful lot to him. And, not the superintendent, but the principal of our school was a gentleman named Sam Ozaki, and Sam was Japanese American interned during World War II as a young man, got to of service age and volunteered and became a lieutenant in the Army and served in World War II in Europe, right, not in Asia. So he saw something in me. He too became an advocate. He too became someone that sought to endorse, support or otherwise guide me. Once I made that claim that I was going to go to the Academy. Naviere Walkewicz 6:30 Wow. So you mentioned something that really stuck with me. You said, you know, you didn't mind kind of putting yourself out there and doing the hard things, because you knew when you got to the top it was going to feel really great. Was that something you saw from your father? Was that something, there are key leaders in your life that emulated that? Or is that just something that you always had in yourself? Mike Ott 6:51 I would say there's certainly an environmental element to it — how I was raised, what I was exposed to, and then juxtaposition as to what I observed with other family members or other parts of the community where things didn't work out very well, right? And, you know, I put two and two together. y father demonstrated, throughout his entire career what it means to have a great work ethic. As did mom and, you know, big, tough Chicago cop for 37 years. But the other thing that I learned was kindness, and you wouldn't expect to learn that from the big, tough Chicago cop, but I think it was environment, observing what didn't occur very often and how hard work, if I apply myself, can create outcomes that are going to be more fulfilling for me. Naviere Walkewicz 7:48 Wow, you talked about kindness. How did you see kindness show up in your journey as a cadet at the Air Force Academy? Or did you? Mike Ott 7:58 Yeah, gosh, so I remember, started in June of 1981, OK, and still connected with many of the guys and women that with whom I went to basic training and all that. The first moment of kindness that I experienced that it was a mutual expression, but one where I recognized, “Wow, every one of us is new here. None of us has a real clue.” We might have some idea because we had somebody had a sibling or a mother that was in the military or father that went to the academy at the time, but none of us really knew, right? We were knuckleheads, right? Eighteen years old. Maybe there were a couple of prior-enlisted folks. I don't recall much of that, but I having gone to a public high school in Chicago, where we had a variety of different ethnicities. I learned how to just understand people for who they are, meet them for who they are, and respect every individual. That's how I was raised, and that's how I exhibited myself, I sought to conduct myself in high school. So I get to the Academy, and you're assigned, you know, the first couple three nights, the first few weeks before you go to Jacks Valley, you're assigned. It was all a alphabetical, and my roommate was an African American fellow named Kevin Nixon. All right, my God, Kevin Nixon, and this guy, he was built. I mean, he was rock solid, right? And he had that 1000-yard stare, right? Very intimidating. And I'm this, like, 6-foot-tall, 148-pound runner, like, holy dork, right? And I'm assigned — we're roommates, and he just had a very stoicism, or a stoic nature about him. And I remember, it was our second night at the Academy, maybe first night, I don't quite recall, and we're in bed, and it's an hour after lights out, and I hear him crying, and like, well, what do you do? Like, we're in this together. It was that moment, like we're both alone, but we're not right. He needs to know that he's not alone. So I walked around and went over his bed, and I said, “Hey, man, I miss my mom and dad too. Let's talk. And we both cried, right? And I'll tell you what, he and I were pals forever. It was really quite beautiful. And what didn't happen is he accepted my outreach, right? And he came from a very difficult environment, one where I'm certain there was far more racial strife than I had experienced in Chicago. He came from Norfolk, Virginia, and he came from — his father worked in the shipyards and really, really tough, tough, tough background. He deserved to be the Academy. He was a great guy, very bright, and so we became friends, and I tried to be kind. He accepted that kindness and reciprocated in ways where he created a pretty beautiful friendship. Naviere Walkewicz 7:48 Oh, my goodness. Thank you for sharing that story. And you got me in the feels a little bit, because I remember those nights, even you know me having family members that went through the Academy. There's just something about when you're in it yourself, and in that moment, it's raw.   Mike Ott 11:13 Raw is a good word. Naviere Walkewicz 11:15 Oh, thank you for that. So you're at the Academy and you end up doing 24 years. I don't mean to, like, mash all that into one sentence, but let's talk… Mike Ott 11:22 I didn't do very much. It was the same year repeated 24 times over. Like, not a very good learner, right? Not a very good learner. Naviere Walkewicz 11:30 Yeah, I was gonna ask, you know, in that journey, because, had you planned to do a career in the Air Force? Mike Ott 11:36 Well, I didn't know, right? I went in, eyes wide open, and my cumulative time in the Air Force is over 24 but it was only it was just shy of seven active duty, and then 22, 23, in the Reserves, right? I hadn't thought about the Reserves, but I had concluded, probably at the, oh, maybe three-year mark that I wanted to do other things. It had nothing to do with disdain, a sense of frustration or any indignation, having gone to the Academy, which I'm very, very proud of, and it meant an awful lot to who I am. But it was, “Wait, this is, this is my shot, and I'm going to go try other things.” I love ambiguity, I'm very curious. Have a growth mindset and have a perhaps paradoxical mix of being self-assured, but perhaps early on, a bit too, a bit too, what's the word I was thinking of? I wrote this down — a bit too measured, OK, in other words, risk taking. And there were a few instances where I realized, “Hey, man, dude, take some risk. What's the downside? And if it isn't you, who else?” So it was that mindset that helped me muscle through and determine that, coupled with the fact that the Air Force paid for me to go to graduate school, they had programs in Boston, and so I got an MBA, and I did that at night. I had a great commander who let me take classes during the day when I wasn't traveling. It was wonderful. It was there that I was exposed to elements of business and in financial services, which ultimately drew me into financial services when I separated from active duty. Naviere Walkewicz 13:17 Well, I love that, because first you talked about a commander that saw, “How can I help you be your best version of yourself?” And I think the other piece of financial service, because I had to dabble in that as well — the second word is service. And so you've never stopped serving in all the things that you've done. So you took that leap, that risk. Is that something that you felt developed while you're at the Academy, or it's just part of your ethos. Mike Ott 13:41 It developed. It matured. I learned how to apply it more meaningfully at the Academy after a couple, three moments, where I realized that I can talk a little bit about mentoring and then I can come back to that, but mentoring — I don't know, I don't recall having heard that term as a mechanism for helping someone develop. I'm sure we used it when I was a cadet at the Academy and out of the Academy, and having been gone through different programs and banking and different graduate programs, the term comes up an awful lot. You realize, wow, there's something there helping the next generation, but also the reciprocity of learning from that generation yourself. I didn't really understand the whole mentoring concept coming out of Chicago and getting here, and just thought things were very hierarchical, very, very command structure, and it was hit the standards or else. And that that's not a bad mindset, right? But it took me a little while to figure out that there's a goodness factor that comes with the values that we have at the Academy, and it's imbued in each one of you know, service excellence, all of those pieces. But for the most part, fellow cadets and airmen and women want to help others. I mean, it's in service. It's in our DNA. Man that blew right past me. I had no idea, and I remember at one point I was entering sophomore year, and I was asked to be a glider instructor. I'd done the soaring and jumping program over the summer, and like, “Hey, you know you're not too bad at glider. You want to be an instructor?” At the time, that was pretty big deal, yeah, glider instructors. Like, “Yeah, no, I'm not going to do that, you know? I've got to study. Like, look at my GPA.” That didn't really matter. “And I'm going to go up to Boulder and go chase women.” Like, I was going to meet women, right? So, like, but I didn't understand that, that that mechanism, that mentoring mechanism, isn't always bestowed upon a moment or a coupling of individuals. There are just good people out there that see goodness in others that want to help them through that. I had no clue, but that was a turning point for me.   Naviere Walkewicz 15:56 Because you said no.   Mike Ott 15:58 I said no, right? And it was like what, you know, a couple months later, I remember talking with somebody like, “Yep, swing and a miss,” right? But after that, it changed how I was going to apply this self-assuredness, not bravado, but willingness to try new things, but with a willingness to be less measured. Why not? Trust the system. Trust the environment that you're in, the environment that we're in, you were in, I was in, that we're representing right now, it is a trusted environment. I didn't know that. And there were a lot of environments when I was being raised, they weren't trusted environments. And so you have a sort of mental callous mindset in many ways, and that that vigilance, that sense of sentinel is a good protection piece, but it prevents, it prevents... It doesn't allow for the membrane to be permeated, right? And so that trust piece is a big deal. I broke through after that, and I figured it out, and it helped me, and it helped me connect a sense of self-assuredness to perhaps being less measured, more willing to take ambiguity. You can be self-assured but not have complete belief in yourself, OK? And it helped me believe in myself more. I still wish I'd have been glider instructor. What a knucklehead. My roommate wound up becoming one. Like, “You, son of a rat, you.”   Naviere Walkewicz 17:29 So tell me, when did the next opportunity come up where you said yes, and what did that look like in your journey? Mike Ott 17:36 I was a lieutenant. I was a lieutenant, and I was looking for a new role. I was stationed at Hanscom Field, and I was working at one program office, and I bumped — I was the athletic officer for the base with some other folks, and one of the colonels was running a different program, and he had gotten to know me and understand how I operated, what I did, and he said, “Hey, Ott, I want you to come over to my program.” And I didn't know what the program was, but I trusted him, and I did it blindly. I remember his name, Col. Holy Cross. And really good guy. And yeah, I got the tap on the shoulder. Didn't blink. Didn't blink. So that was just finishing up second lieutenant. Naviere Walkewicz 18:26 What a lesson. I mean, something that stuck with you as a cadet, and not that it manifested in regret, but you realized that you missed that opportunity to grow and experience and so when it came around again, what a different… So would you say that as you progress, then you know, because at this point you're a lieutenant, you know, you took on this new role, what did you learn about yourself? And then how did that translate to the decision to move from active duty to the Reserve and into… Mike Ott 18:56 You'll note what I didn't do when I left active duty was stay in the defense, acquisition, defense engineering space. I made a hard left turn…   Naviere Walkewicz 19:13 Intentionally.   Mike Ott 19:14 Intentionally. And went into financial services. And that is a hard left turn away from whether it's military DOD, military industrial complex, working for one of the primes, or something like that. And my mindset was, “If I'm not the guy in the military making the decision, setting strategy and policy…” Like I was an O-3. Like, what kind of policy am I setting? Right? But my point was, if I'm not going to, if I may, if I decided to not stay in the military, I wasn't going to do anything that was related to the military, right, like, “Let's go to green pastures. Set myself apart. Find ways to compete…” Not against other people. I don't think I need to beat the hell out of somebody. I just need to make myself better every day. And that's the competition that I just love, and I love it  it's greenfield unknown. And why not apply my skills in an area where they haven't been applied and I can learn? So as an active-duty person — to come back and answer your question — I had worked some great bosses, great bosses, and they would have career counseling discussions with me, and I was asked twice to go to SOS in-residence. I turned it down, you know, as I knew. And then the third time my boss came to me. He's like, “OK, what are you doing? Idiot. Like, what are you doing?” That was at Year 5. And I just said, “Hey, sir, I think I'm going to do something different.” Naviere Walkewicz 20:47 Didn't want to take the slot from somebody else.   Mike Ott 20:49 That's right. Right. And so then it was five months, six months later, where I put in my papers. I had to do a little more time because of the grad school thing, which is great. And his commander, this was a two-star that I knew as well, interviewed me and like, one final, like, “What are you doing?” He's like, “You could have gone so far in the Air Force.” And I looked at the general — he was a super-good dude. I said, “What makes you think I'm not going to do well outside of the Air Force?” And he smiled. He's like, “Go get it.” So we stayed in touch. Great guy. So it had nothing to do with lack of fulfillment or lack of satisfaction. It had more to do with newness, curiosity, a challenge in a different vein. Naviere Walkewicz 21:30 So let's walk into that vein. You entered into this green pasture. What was that experience like? Because you've just been in something so structured. And I mean, would you say it was just structured in a different way? Mike Ott 21:48 No, not structured. The industry… So, I separated, tried an engineering job for about eight months. Hated it. I was, I was development engineer at Ford Motor Company, great firm. Love the organization, bored stiff, right? Just not what I wanted to do, and that's where I just quit. Moved back to Chicago, where I'm from, and started networking and found a role with an investment bank, ABN AMRO, which is a large Dutch investment bank that had begun to establish itself in the United States. So their headquarters in Chicago and I talked fast enough where somebody took a bet on me and was brought into the investment banking arm where I was on the capital markets team and institutional equities. So think of capital markets, and think of taking companies public and distributing those shares to large institutions, pensions funds, mutual funds, family offices.   Naviere Walkewicz 22:48 So a lot of learning and excitement for you.   Mike Ott 22:51 Super fun. And so the industry is very structured. How capital is established, capital flows, very regulated. We've got the SEC, we've got the FDIC, a lot of complex regulations and compliance matters. That's very, very, very structured. But there was a free-wheelingness in the marketplace. And if you've seen Wolf of Wall Street and things like that, some of that stuff happened. Crazy! And I realized that with my attitude, sense of placing trust in people before I really knew them, figuring that, “OK, what's the downside? I get nipped in the fan once, once or twice. But if I can thrust trust on somebody and create a relationship where they're surprised that I've trusted them, it's probably going to build something reciprocal. So learn how to do that.” And as a young fellow on the desk, wound up being given more responsibility because I was able to apply some of the basic tenets of leadership that you learned and I learned at the Academy. And face it, many of the men and women that work on Wall Street or financial services simply haven't gone to the Academy. It's just, it's the nature of numbers — and don't have that experience. They have other experiences. They have great leadership experiences, but they don't have this. And you and I may take it for granted because we were just four years of just living through it. It oozed in every moment, every breath, every interaction, every dialog, it was there.But we didn't know it was being poured in, sprinkled across as being showered. We were being showered in it. But I learned how to apply that in the relationships that I built, knowing that the relationships that I built and the reputation that I built would be lasting and impactful and would be appropriate investments for the future endeavors, because there's always a future, right? So it wasn't… again, lot of compliance, lot of regulations, but just the personalities. You know, I did it for the challenge, right? I did it because I was curious. I did it because I wanted to see if I could succeed at it. There were other folks that did it simply because it was for the money. And many, some of them made it. They might have sold their soul to get there. Some didn't make it. Maybe it wasn't the right pursuit for them in the first place. And if I go back to mentoring, which we talked about a little bit, and I help young men and women, cadets or maybe even recent grads, my guidance to them is, don't chase the money, chase the environment, right? And chase the environment that allows you to find your flow and contribute to that environment. The money will come. But I saw it — I've seen it with grads. I've seen it with many of the folks that didn't make it in these roles in financial services, because I thought, “Hey, this is where the money is.” It might be. But you have to go back to the basis of all this. How are you complected? What are your values? Do they align with the environment that you're in? And can you flow in a way where your strengths are going to allow success to happen and not sell your soul? Naviere Walkewicz 26:26 Yeah, you said two things that really stood out to me in that —the first one was, you know, trusting, just starting from a place of trust and respect, because the opportunity to build a relationship faster, and also there's that potential for future something. And then the second thing is the environment and making sure it aligns with your values. Is that how you got to MOBE? Mike Ott 26:50 Yeah, I would say how I got to MOBE, that certainly was a factor. Good question.   Naviere Walkewicz 26:57 The environment, I feel, is very much aligned Mike Ott 27:00 Very much so and then… But there's an element of reputation and relationship that allowed me to get there. So now I'm lucky to be a part of this firm. We're 250 people. We will do $50 million of revenue. We're growing nicely. I've been in health care for four years. Now, we are we're more than just healthcare. I mean, it's deep data. We can get into some of that later, but I had this financial services background. I was drawn to MOBE, but I had established a set of relationships with people at different investment banks, with other families that had successfully built businesses and just had relationships. And I was asked to come on to the board because MOBE, at the time, great capabilities, but struggled with leadership during COVID. Lot of companies did. It's not an indictment as to the prior CEO, but he and the team struggled to get through COVID. So initially I was approached to come on to the board, and that was through the founders of the firm who had known me for 20 years and knew my reputation, because I'd done different things at the investment bank, I'd run businesses at US Bank, which is a large commercial bank within the country, and they needed someone that… They cared very little about health care experience, which is good for me, and it was more around a sense of leadership. They knew my values. They trusted me. So initially I was asked to come onto the board, and that evolved into, “No, let's just do a whole reset and bring you on as the CEO.” Well, let's go back to like, what makes me tick. I love ambiguity. I love a challenge. And this has been a bit of a turnaround in that great capabilities, but lost its way in COVID, because leadership lost its way. So there's a lot of resetting that needed to occur. Corpus of the firm, great technology, great capabilities, but business model adaptation, go to market mechanisms and, frankly, environment. Environment. But I was drawn to the environment because of the people that had founded the organization. The firm was incubated within a large pharmaceutical firm. This firm called Upsher-Smith, was a Minnesota firm, the largest private and generic pharmaceutical company in the country, and sold for an awful lot of money, had been built by this family, sold in 2017 and the assets that are MOBE, mostly data, claims, analysis capabilities stayed separate, and so they incubated that, had a little bit of a data sandbox, and then it matriculated to, “Hey, we've got a real business here.” But that family has a reputation, and the individuals that founded it, and then ultimately found MOBE have a reputation. So I was very comfortable with the ambiguity of maybe not knowing health care as much as the next guy or gal, but the environment I was going into was one where I knew this family and these investors lived to high ethical standards, and there's many stories as to how I know that, but I knew that, and that gave me a ton of comfort. And then it was, “We trust you make it happen. So I got lucky. Naviere Walkewicz 30:33 Well, you're, I think, just the way that you're wired and the fact that you come from a place of trust, obviously, you know, OK, I don't have the, you know, like the medical background, but there are a lot of experts here that I'm going to trust to bring that expertise to me. And I'm going to help create an environment that they can really thrive in. Mike Ott 30:47 I'm certain many of our fellow alum have been in this experience, had these experiences where a leader worth his or her salt should be comfortable not being the smartest gal or guy in the room. In fact, you should strive for that to be the case and have a sense of lack of hubris and proudly acknowledge what you don't know. But what I do know is how to set vision. What I do know is how to move people without authority. What I do know is how to resource. And that's what you do if you want to move a mission, whether it's in the military, small firm like us that's getting bigger, or, you know, a big organization. You can't know it all. Naviere Walkewicz 31:30 So something you just mentioned that I think a lot of our listeners would really like, would love a little bit to peel us back a little bit. You said, “I know how to set a vision. I know how to…” I think it was move…   Mike Ott 31:45 Move people without authority and prioritize.   Naviere Walkewicz 31:47 But can we talk a little bit about that? Because I think that is really a challenge that some of our you know younger leaders, or those early in their leadership roles struggle with. Maybe, can you talk a little bit about that? Mike Ott 32:01 For sure, I had some — again, I tried to do my best to apply all the moments I had at the Academy and the long list of just like, “What were you thinking?” But the kindness piece comes through and… Think as a civilian outside looking in. They look at the military. It's very, very, very structured, OK, but the best leaders the men and women for whom you and I have served underneath or supported, never once barked an order, OK? They expressed intent, right? And you and I and all the other men and women in uniform, if we were paying attention, right, sought to execute the mission and satisfaction of that intent and make our bosses' bosses' jobs easier. That's really simple. And many outsiders looking in, we get back to just leadership that are civilians. They think, “Oh my gosh, these men and women that are in the military, they just can't assimilate. They can't make it in the civilian world.” And they think, because we come from this very, very hierarchical organization, yes, it is very hierarchical — that's a command structure that's necessary for mission execution — but the human part, right? I think military men and women leaders are among the best leaders, because guess what? We're motivating men and women — maybe they get a pat on the back. You didn't get a ribbon, right? Nobody's getting a year-end bonus, nobody's getting a spot bonus, nobody's getting equity in the Air Force, and it's gonna go public, right? It's just not that. So the best men and women that I for whom I've worked with have been those that have been able to get me to buy in and move and step up, and want to demonstrate my skills in coordination with others, cross functionally in the organization to get stuff done. And I think if there's anything we can remind emerging graduates, you know, out of the Academy, is: Don't rely on rank ever. Don't rely on rank. I had a moment: I was a dorky second lieutenant engineer, and we were launching a new system. It was a joint system for Marines, Navy and Air Force, and I had to go from Boston to Langley quite often because it was a TAC-related system, Tactical Air Force-related system. And the I was the program manager, multi-million dollar program for an interesting radio concept. And we were putting it into F-15s, so in some ground-based situations. And there was this E-8, crusty E-8, smoked, Vietnam, all these things, and he was a comms dude, and one of the systems was glitching. It just wasn't working, right? And we were getting ready to take this thing over somewhere overseas. And he pulls alongside me, and it's rather insubordinate, but it was a test, right? He's looking at me, Academy guy, you know, second lieutenant. He was a master sergeant, and he's like, “Well, son, what are we going to do now?” In other words, like, “We're in a pickle. What are we going to do now?” But calling me son. Yeah, it's not appropriate, right? If I'd have been hierarchical and I'd relied on rank, I probably would have been justified to let him have it. Like, that's playing short ball, right? I just thought for a second, and I just put my arm around him. I said, “Gee, Dad, I was hoping you're gonna help me.” And mother rat, we figured it out, and after that, he was eating out of my hand. So it was a test, right? Don't be afraid to be tested but don't take the bait. Naviere Walkewicz 35:46 So many good just lessons in each of these examples. Can you share a time at MOBE when you've seen someone that has been on your team that has demonstrated that because of the environment you've created? Mike Ott 35:57 For sure. So I've been running the firm now for about three and a half years. Again, have adapted and enhanced our capabilities, changed the business model a bit, yet functioning in our approach to the marketplace remains the same. We help people get better, and we get paid based on the less spend they have in the system. Part of some of our principles at MOBE are pretty simple, like, eat, sleep, move, smile, all right. And then be thoughtful with your medication. We think that medicine is an aid, not a cure. Your body's self-healing and your mind controls your body.   Naviere Walkewicz 36:32 Eat, sleep, move, smile. Love that.   Mike Ott 36:35 So what's happening with MOBE, and what I've seen is the same is true with how I've altered our leadership team. I've got some amazing leaders — very, very, very accomplished. But there are some new leaders because others just didn't fit in. There wasn't the sense of communal trust that I expected. There was too much, know-it-all'ing going on, right? And I just won't have that. So the easiest way to diffuse that isn't about changing head count, but it's around exhibiting vulnerability in front of all these folks and saying, “Look, I don't know that, but my lead pharmacist here, my lead clinician here, helped me get through those things.” But I do have one leader right, who is our head of vice president of HR, a woman who grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota, who has come to myself and our president and shared that she feels liberated at MOBE because, though this firm is larger than one that she served as a director of HR, previously, she's never had to look — check her six, look right, look left and seek alignment to ensure she's harmonizing with people. Naviere Walkewicz 37:49 Can you imagine being in an environment like that? Mike Ott 38:51 It's terrible, it's toxic, and it's wrong. Leaders, within the organization, I think you're judged more by what you don't do and the actions that you don't take. You can establish trust, and you will fortify that trust when you share with the team as best you can, so long as it's nothing inappropriate, where you made a mistake, where we went wrong. What did we learn from that? Where are we going to pivot? How we're going to apply that learning to make it better, as opposed to finding blame, pointing the finger or not even acknowledging? That happens all the time, and that toxicity erodes. And regretfully, my VP of HR in prior roles experienced that, and I don't have time. Good teams shouldn't have time to rehearse the basic values of the firm. We don't have time the speed of business is like this [snaps]. So if I can build the team of men and women that trust one another, can stay in their lanes, but also recognize that they're responsible for helping run the business, and look over at the other lanes and help their fellow leaders make adjustments without the indictful comment or without sort of belittling or shaming. That's what good teams, do. You, and I did that in the Air Force, but it is not as common as you would think. Naviere Walkewicz 39:11 20 we've been talking about MOBE, and you know, the environment you're creating there, and just the way that you're working through innovation. Let's talk a little bit how you're involved with DIU, the Defense Innovation Unit. Mike Ott 39:21 Again, it's reputation in relationships. And it was probably 2010, I get a call from a fellow grad, '87 grad who was living in the Beltway, still in uniform. He was an O-5 I was an O-5. Just doing the Academy liaison work, helping good young men and women that wanted to go to the Academy get in. And that was super satisfying, thought that would be the end of my Reserve career and super fun. And this is right when the first Obama administration came in, and one of his edicts and his admin edicts was, we've got to find ways to embrace industry more, right? We can't rely on the primes, just the primes. So those were just some seeds, and along with a couple other grads, created what is now called Joint Reserve Directorate, which was spawned DIUX, which was DIU Experimental, is spawned from. So I was the owner for JRD, and DIUX as a reserve officer. And that's how we all made colonel is we were working for the chief technology officer of the Defense Department, the Hon. Zach Lemnios, wonderful fellow. Civilian, didn't have much military experience, but boy, the guy knew tech — semiconductors and areas like that. But this was the beginning of the United States recognizing that our R&D output, OK, in the aggregate, as a fund, as a percentage of GDP, whether it's coming out of the commercial marketplace or the military DoD complex, needs to be harnessed against the big fight that we have with China. We can see, you know, we've known about that for 30 years. So this is back 14 years ago. And the idea was, let's bring in men and women — there was a woman in our group too that started this area — and was like, “How do we create essential boundary span, boundary spanners, or dual-literacy people that are experiences in capital markets, finance, how capital is accumulated, innovation occurs, but then also how that applies into supporting the warfighter. So we were given a sandbox. We were given a blank slate.   Naviere Walkewicz 41:37 It's your happy place.   Mike Ott 41:38 Oh, super awesome. And began to build out relationships at Silicon Valley with commercial entities, and developed some concepts that are now being deployed with DIU and many other people came in and brought them all to life. But I was lucky enough after I retired from the Reserves as a colonel to be asked to come back as an adviser, because of that background and that experience, the genesis of the organization. So today I'm an unpaid SGE — special government employee — to help DIU look across a variety of different domains. And so I'm sure many of our listeners know it's key areas that we've got to harness the commercial marketplace. We know that if you go back into the '70s, ‘60s and ‘70s, and creation of the internet, GPS, precision munitions and all of that, the R&D dollars spent in the aggregate for the country, 95% came out of DOD is completely flip flopped today. Completely flipped. We happen to live in an open, free society. We hope to have capital markets and access a lot of that technology isn't burdened like it might be in China. And so that's the good and bad of this open society that we have. We've got to find ways. So we, the team does a lot of great work, and I just help them think about capital markets, money flows, threat finance. How you use financial markets to interdict, listen, see signals, but then also different technologies across cyberspace, autonomy, AI. Goodness gracious, I'm sure there's a few others. There's just so much. So I'm just an interloper that helps them think about that, and it's super fun that they think that I can be helpful. Naviere Walkewicz 43:29 Well, I think I was curious on how, because you love the ambiguity, and that's just something that fills your bucket — so while you're leading MOBE and you're creating something very stable, it sounds like DIU and being that kind of special employee, government employee, helps you to fill that need for your ambiguous side.   Mike Ott 43:48 You're right. You're right.   Naviere Walkewicz 43:49 Yeah, I thought that's really fascinating. Well, I think it's wonderful that you get to create that and you just said, the speed of business is this [snaps]. How do you find time in your life to balance what you also put your values around — your health — when you have such an important job and taking care of so many people? Mike Ott 44:06 I think we're all pretty disciplined at the Academy, right? I remain that way, and I'm very, very — I'm spring loaded to ‘no,' right? “Hey, do you want to go do this?” Yeah, I want to try do, I want to do a lot of things, but I'm spring loaded. So like, “Hey, you want to go out and stay, stay up late and have a drink?” “No,” right? “Do you want to do those things?” So I'm very, very regimented in that I get eight hours of sleep, right? And even somebody, even as a cadet, one of the nicknames my buddies gave me was Rip Van Ott, right? Because I'm like, “This is it.” I was a civil engineer. One of my roommates was an astro guy, and I think he pulled an all-nighter once a week.   Naviere Walkewicz 45:46 Oh, my goodness, yeah.   Mike Ott 45:50 Like, “Dude, what are you doing?” And it wasn't like he was straight As. I was clearly not straight As, but I'm like, “What are you doing? That's not helpful. Do the work ahead of time.” I think I maybe pulled three or four all-nighters my entire four years. Now, it's reflected in my GPA. I get that, but I finished the engineering degree. But sleep matters, right? And some things are just nonnegotiable, and that is, you know, exercise, sleep and be kind to yourself, right? Don't compare. If you're going to compare, compare yourself to yesterday, but don't look at somebody who is an F-15 pilot, and you're not. Like, I'm not. My roommate, my best man at my wedding, F-15 pilot, Test Pilot School, all these things, amazing, amazing, awesome, and super, really, really, happy and proud for him, but that's his mojo; that's his flow, right? If you're gonna do any comparison, compare yourself to the man or woman you were yesterday and “Am I better?”. Naviere Walkewicz 44:48 The power of “no” and having those nonnegotiables is really important. Mike Ott 45:53 Yeah, no, I'm not doing that. Naviere Walkewicz 45:56 I think sometimes we're wired for a “we can take on… we can take it on, we can take it on, we can take it on. We got this.” Mike Ott 46:03 For sure. Oh, my goodness. And I have that discussion with people on my team from time to time as well, and it's most often as it relates to an individual on the team that's struggling in his or her role, or whether it's by you know, if it's by omission and they're in the wrong role, that's one thing. If it's by commission, well, be a leader and execute and get that person out of there, right? That's wrong, but from time to time, it's by omission, and somebody is just not well placed. And I've seen managers, I can repatriate this person. I can get him or her there, and you have to stop for a second and tell that leader, “Yeah, I know you can. I'm certain that the only thing you were responsible for was to help that person fulfill the roles of the job that they're assigned. You could do it.” But guess what? You've got 90% of your team that needs care, nurturing and feeding. They're delivering in their function, neglect, there destroys careers, and it's going to destroy the business. So don't, don't get caught up in that. Yeah. Pack it on. Pack it on. Pack it on. You're right. When someone's in the crosshairs, I want to be in the crosshairs with you, Naviere, and Ted, and all the people that you and I affiliate with, but on the day-to-day, sustained basis, right to live, you know, to execute and be fulfilled, both in the mission, the work and stay fit, to fight and do it again. You can't. You can't. And a lot of a little bit of no goes a long way. Naviere Walkewicz 47:40 That is really good to hear. I think that's something that a lot of leaders really don't share. And I think that's really wonderful that you did. I'd like to take a little time and pivot into another area that you're heavily involved, philanthropy side. You know, you've been with the Falcon Foundation. Where did you find that intent inside of you? I mean, you always said the Academy's been part of you, but you found your way back in that space in other ways. Let's talk about that. Mike Ott 48:05 Sure. Thank you. I don't know. I felt that service is a part of me, right? And it is for all of us, whether you stay in the military or not. Part of my financial services jobs have been in wealth management. I was lucky enough to run that business for US Bank in one of my capacities, and here I am now in health care, health care of service. That aligns with wanting things to be better across any other angle. And the philanthropic, philanthropic side of things — I probably couldn't say that word when I was a cadet, but then, you know, I got out and we did different volunteer efforts. We were at Hanscom Field raising money for different organizations, and stayed with it, and always found ways to have fun with it. But recognized I couldn't… It was inefficient if I was going to be philanthropic around something that I didn't have a personal interest in. And as a senior executive at US Bank, we were all… It was tacit to the role you had roles in local foundations or community efforts. And I remember sitting down with my boss, the CFO of the bank, and then the CEO, and they'd asked me to go on to a board, and it had to do with a museum that I had no interest in, right? And I had a good enough relationship with these, with these guys, to say, “Look, I'm a good dude. I'm going to be helpful in supporting the bank. And if this is a have to, all right, I'll do it, but you got the wrong guy. Like, you want me to represent the bank passionately, you know, philanthropically, let me do this. And they're like, “OK, great.” So we pivoted, and I did other things. And the philanthropic piece of things is it's doing good. It's of service for people, entities, organizations, communities or moments that can use it. And I it's just very, very satisfying to me. So my wife and I are pretty involved that way, whether it's locally, with different organizations, lot of military support. The Academy, we're very fond of. It just kind of became a staple. Naviere Walkewicz 50:35 Did you find yourself also gravitating toward making better your community where you grew up? Mike Ott 50:41 Yeah, yeah, yeah. One of my dear friends that grew up in the same neighborhood, he wound up going to the Naval Academy, and so we're we've been friends for 50 years. Seventh grade.   Naviere Walkewicz 50:53 Same counselor? Mike Ott50:54 Yeah, no. Different counselor, different high school. His parents had a little bit of money, and they, he wound up going to a Catholic school nearby. But great guy, and so he and I, he runs a business that serves the VA in Chicago, and I'm on the board, and we do an awful lot of work. And one of the schools we support is a school on the south side, largely African American students and helping them with different STEM projects. It's not going to hit above the fold of a newspaper, but I could give a rat, doesn't matter to me, seeing a difference, seeing these young men and women. One of them, one of these boys, it's eye watering, but he just found out that he was picked for, he's applying to the Naval Academy, and he just found out that he got a nomination.   Naviere Walkewicz 51:44 Oh my goodness, I just got chills.   Mike Ott 51:46 And so, yeah, yeah, right, right. But it's wonderful. And his parents had no idea anything like that even existed. So that's one that it's not terribly formal, but boy, it looks great when you see the smile on that kid and the impact on that individual, but then the impact it leaves on the community, because it's clear opportunity for people to aspire because they know this young man or this young woman, “I can do that too.” Naviere Walkewicz 52:22 Wow. So he got his nomination, and so he would start technically making class of 2030?   Mike Ott 52:27 That's right. Naviere Walkewicz 52:28 Oh, how exciting. OK Well, that's a wonderful…   Mike Ott 52:27 I hope, I hope, yeah, he's a great kid. Naviere Walkewicz 52:33 Oh, that is wonderful. So you talk about, you know that spirit of giving — how have you seen, I guess, in your journey, because it hasn't been linear. We talked about how you know progression is not linear. How have you grown throughout these different experiences? Because you kind of go into a very ambiguous area, and you bring yourself, and you grow in it and you make it better. But how have you grown? What does that look like for you? Mike Ott 53:02 After having done it several times, right, i.e. entering the fray of an ambiguous environment business situation, I developed a better system and understanding of what do I really need to do out of the gates? And I've grown that way and learn to not be too decisive too soon. Decisiveness is a great gift. It's really, really it's important. It lacks. It lacks because there are too many people, less so in the military, that want to be known for having made… don't want to be known for having made a bad decision, so they don't take that risk. Right, right, right. And so that creates just sort of the static friction, and you've just got to have faith and so, but I've learned how to balance just exactly when to be decisive. And the other thing that I know about me is I am drawn to ambiguity. I am drawn… Very, very curious. Love to learn, try new things, have a range of interests and not very good at any one thing, but that range helps me in critical thinking. So I've learned to, depending on the situation, right, listen, listen, and then go. It isn't a formula. It's a flow, but it's not a formula. And instinct matters when to be decisive. Nature of the people with whom you're working, nature of the mission, evolution, phase of the organization or the unit that you're in. Now is the time, right? So balancing fostering decisiveness is something that that's worth a separate discussion. Naviere Walkewicz 54:59 Right. Wow. So all of these things that you've experienced and the growth that you've had personally — do you think about is this? Is this important to you at all, the idea of, what is your legacy, or is that not? Mike Ott 55:13 We talked a little bit about this beforehand, and I thought I've got to come up with something pithy, right? And I really, I really don't.   Naviere Walkewicz 55:18 Yeah, you don't.   Mike Ott 55:19 I don't think of myself as that. I'm very proud of who I am and what I've done in the reputation that I have built. I don't need my name up in lights. I know the life that I'm living and the life that I hope to live for a lot longer. My legacy is just my family, my children, the mark that I've left in the organizations that I have been a part of.   Naviere Walkewicz 55:58 And the communities that you've touched, like that gentleman going and getting his nomination. I'm sure.   Mike Ott 56:04 Yeah, I don't… having been a senior leader, and even at MOBE, I'm interviewed by different newspapers and all that. Like I do it because I'm in this role, and it's important for MOBE, but I'm not that full of myself, where I got to be up in lights. So I just want to be known as a man that was trustworthy, fun, tried to meet people where they are really had flaws, and sought to overcome them with the few strengths that he had, and moved everything forward. Naviere Walkewicz 56:33 Those are the kind of leaders that people will run through fire for. That's amazing. I think that's a wonderful I mean that in itself, it's like a living legacy you do every day. How can I be better than I was yesterday? And that in itself, is a bit of your living and that's really cool. Well, one of the things we like to ask is, “What is something you're doing every day to be better as a leader?” And you've covered a lot, so I mean, you could probably go back to one of those things, but is there something that you could share with our listeners that you do personally every day, to be better? Mike Ott 57:05 Exercise and read every day, every day, and except Fridays. Fridays I take… that's like, I'll stretch or just kind of go for a walk. But every day I make it a moment, you know, 45 minutes to an hour, something and better for my head, good for my body, right? That's the process in the hierarchy of way I think about it. And then read. Gen. Mattis. And I supported Gen. Mattis as a lieutenant colonel before I wanted to and stuff at the Pentagon. And he I supported him as an innovation guy for JFCOM, where he was the commander. And even back then, he was always talking about reading is leading none of us as military leaders… And I can't hold the candle to the guy, but I learned an awful lot, and I love his mindset, and that none of us can live a life long enough to take In all the leadership lessons necessary to help us drive impact. So you better be reading about it all the time. And so I read probably an hour every night, every day.   Naviere Walkewicz 58:14 What are you reading right now?   Mike Ott 58:15 Oh, man, I left it on the plane! I was so bummed. Naviere Walkewicz 58:17 Oh, that's the worst. You're going to have to get another copy. Mike Ott 58:22 Before I came here, I ordered it from Barnes & Noble so to me at my house when I get home. Love history and reading a book by this wonderful British author named Anne Reid. And it's, I forget the title exactly, but it's how the allies at the end of World War I sought to influence Russia and overcome the Bolsheviks. They were called the interventionalists, and it was an alliance of 15 different countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, U.K., Japan, Australia, India, trying to thwart, you know, the Bolshevik Revolution — trying to thwart its being cemented. Fascinating, fascinating. So that's what I was reading until I left it on the plane today. Naviere Walkewicz 59:07 How do you choose what to read? Mike Ott 59:10 Listen, write, love history. Love to read Air Force stuff too. Just talk to friends, right? You know, they've learned how to read like me. So we get to talk and have fun with that. Naviere Walkewicz 59:22 That's great. Yeah, that's wonderful. Well, the last question I'd like to ask you, before I want to make sure you have an opportunity to cover anything we didn't, is what is something you would share with others that they can do to become better leaders? Maybe they start doing it now, so in the future, they're even stronger as a leader. Mike Ott 59:42 Two things I would say, and try to have these exist in the same breath in the same moment, is have the courage to make it try and make it better every day, all right, and be kind to yourself, be forgiving. Naviere Walkewicz 59:59 That's really powerful. Can you share an example? And I know I that's we could just leave it there, but being courageous and then being kind to yourself, they're almost on two opposite sides. Have you had, can you share an example where I guess you've done that right? You had to be you were courageous and making something better, and maybe it didn't go that way, so you have to be kind to yourself. Mike Ott 1:00:23 Yeah, happy to and I think any cadet will hear this story and go like, “Huh, wow, that's interesting.” And it also plays with the arc of progress isn't linear. I graduated in '85 went to flight school, got halfway through flight school, and there was a RIF, reduction in force. And our class, our flight class, I was flying jets, I was soloing. I was academically — super easy, flying average, right? You know, I like to joke that I've got the fine motor skills of a ham sandwich, right? You know, but, but I didn't finish flight school. And you think about this, here it is. I started in 1981 there were still vestiges of Vietnam. Everyone's going to be a fighter pilot. Kill, kill, kill. Blood makes the grass grow. All of that was there. And I remember when this happened, it was very frustrating for me. It was mostly the major root of frustration wasn't that I wasn't finishing flight school. It was the nature by which the determination that I wasn't finishing was made. And it was, it was a financial decision. We had too many guys and gals, and they were just finding, you know, average folks and then kicking them out. So our class graduated a lower percent than, I think, in that era, it was late '85, '86, maybe '87, but you can look at outflows, and it was interesting, they were making budget cuts. So there was a shaming part there, having gone to the Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:02:02 And knowing since 9 years old. Mike Ott 1:20:04 Right, right, right, and I knew I wanted to go the Academy. I'd like to fly, let's check it out and see if it's for me. I would much rather have been not for me, had I made the decision I don't want to do this or that I was just unsafe and didn't want to do it. The way it turned out is, and this is where I learned a little bit about politics as well. In my class, again, I was very average. Like, nobody's ever going to say, like, yeah, I was going to go fly the Space Shuttle. Like, no way, right? Very, very average, but doing just fine. And a lot of guys and gals wanted to go be navigators, and that's great. I looked in the regs, and I learned this as a cadet, and it's helped me in business, too. If there's a rule, there's a waiver. Like, let me understand the regs, and I asked to go to a board. Instead of just submitting a letter to appeal, I asked to go to a board. And so I went to a board of an O-5 five, couple of threes O-4 four, and ultimately shared the essence of why I shouldn't be terminated in the program. And son of a gun, they agreed, and I still have the letter. The letter says, “Recommend Lt. Ott for reinstatement.” Nobody in my class has that letter, nobody makes the appeal. And I'm like, I'm going downstream. I'm going downstream. And that's the Chicago in me, and that's the piece about… but also move forward, but forgive yourself, and I'll get to that. And so I, I was thrilled, My goodness, and the argument I had is, like, look, you're just not keeping me current. You put me in the sim, and then you're waiting too long to put me in the jet. The regs don't allow for that. And like, you're right. So I'm assigned to go back to the jet. My pals are thrilled. I'm going to stay in the same class. I don't have to wash back. And then I get a call from the DO's office — director of operations — and it was from some civilian person so the DO overrode the board's decision. Heartbreaking. Heartbreaking.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:04:12 You were so high, you did all of your work. And then… Mike Ott 1:04:15 Yeah, and then heartbreaking and frustrating, and I guess the word is indignant: anger aroused through frustration. In that I figured it out. I knew exactly what's happening. I made the appeal and I won. And it wasn't I was expecting to be assigned to fly a fighter. It was like, “Just let me, let me express the merits of my capabilities. It's how the system is designed.” The son of a gun, I jumped in my car and I ran to base and I waited and reported in. He didn't really know who I was. That's because he didn't make a decision. It was just it was that decision, and that's how life comes at you. That's just how it is. It isn't linear. So how do you take that and then say, “Well, I'm going to be kind to myself and make something out of it.” And he went through, you know, a dissertation as to why, and I asked him if I could share my views, and it's pretty candid, and I just said, If my dad were something other than the Chicago policeman, and maybe if he was a senator or general officer, I wouldn't be sitting here. That lit him up, right? That lit him up. But I had to state my views. So I knew I was out of the program. Very, very frustrating. Could have had the mayor of Chicago call. Didn't do that, right? Like, OK, I understand where this is it. That was very frustrating and somewhat shaming. But where the forgiveness comes in and be kind to yourself, is that I ran into ground. I ran into ground and drove an outcome where I still… It's a moment of integrity. I drove an outcome like, there you go. But then what do you do? Forgive yourself, right? Because you didn't do anything wrong, OK? And you pivot. And I turned that into a moment where I started cold calling instructors at the Academy. Because, hey, now I owe the Air Force five years, Air Force is looking for, you know, things that I don't want to do. And thank goodness I had an engineering degree, and I cold called a guy at a base in Hanscom. And this is another tap on the shoulder.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:06:24 That's how you got to Hanscom. Gotcha.   Mike Ott 1:06:27 There was a friend who was Class of '83, a woman who was in my squadron, who was there. Great egg. And she's like, “Hey, I was at the O Club.” Called her. I said, “Hey, help me out. I got this engineering degree. I want to go to one of these bases. Called Lt. Col. Davis, right? I met him at the O Club. I called a guy, and he's like, “Yeah, let's do this.”   Naviere Walkewicz 1:06:44 Wow, I love that..   Mike Ott 1:06:46 It was fantastic So it's a long winded way, but progress isn't linear. And progressing through that and not being a victim, right, recognizing the conditions and the environment that I could control and those that I can't. Anything that I could control, I took advantage of and I sought to influence as best possible. Ran into ground and I feel great about it, and it turns out to be a testament of one of my best successes. Naviere Walkewicz 1:07:17 Wow. Thank you for sharing

It is Election Day, and while each race in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City has featured issues unique to its area, this off-year election cycle is getting a lot of national attention. Part of that is because of President Trump's influence on all three contests and what their outcomes may tell us about 2026 and 2028. Co-host of America's Newsroom, Bill Hemmer, joins the Rundown to break down all three races, the surging popularity of New York City mayoral candidate Democrat Zohran Mamdani, and whether victory by him may suggest a real shift for the Democratic party. California voters are deciding on “Proposition 50” today, a measure that could push back against a mid-decade redistricting effort seen in several GOP-led states. It marks the latest chapter in the ongoing national battle over how political maps are drawn and whether those efforts will remain with changing administrations. Bruce Mehlman, founder of his own bipartisan government relations firm, joins the Rundown to explain how both parties have used gerrymandering to gain political advantage, why achieving truly bipartisan redistricting is so difficult, and how these tactics are fueling a broader loss of public trust in government. Plus, commentary from Jason Rantz, the host of The Jason Rantz Show, which can be heard weekday afternoons on KTTH Seattle.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump has put Nigeria on notice, saying they must protect their population of Christians from the slaughter by jihadists. The White House and other watchdog organizations say tens of thousands of Christians have been killed over the last several years. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz joins the FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition to discuss what action must be taken to protect Christians in Nigeria and whether military action would be necessary. Then, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas discusses why there needs to be greater attention to the threats Christians face worldwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11.3.25 Hour 3 1:00- NFL- Mark Schofield, Commanders- Mitch Tischler 31:30- Let's say Daniels comes back healthy at some point this season, would you not want to play him?

Tomorrow is election day in New York City, and Zohran Mamdani is leading comfortably in most polls. Mamdani has been the frontrunner since winning the Democratic primary this summer. He promises higher taxes on the rich and a housing reform plan that includes a rent freeze. Critics argue that these policies will hurt landlords, discourage new investment and development projects, and encourage some wealthy residents to leave the city. Real estate agents in upstate New York, Connecticut, and other states, like Florida, claim they're already fielding calls from nervous New Yorkers considering a move. FOX Business Real Estate Contributor and host of Mansion Global on FOX Business Prime, Katrina Campins, speaks with Lydia Hu about the so-called “Mamdani Effect” and the national trend of Americans leaving Blue States for low-taxed Red Ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You'll often hear people refer to "the day after Thanksgiving" as the "official" start of the Christmas shopping season. However, it's increasingly more like the day after Halloween, as holiday promotions and sales are already underway by then. By Black Friday, many items are already checked off Christmas lists. With the holiday shopping season upon us, how will tariffs, inflation, and economic concerns impact Americans' gift shopping? Geraldo Storch, Founder and CEO of Storch Advisors and former CEO of Toys “R” Us, joins the FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition to explain why retailers are starting the holiday season earlier each year and why he believes this will be a strong holiday shopping season despite some economic uncertainties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an uncommon political move, New York Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy is endorsing former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo for New York City Mayor. He tells the Rundown why he believes Cuomo is the only candidate who can defeat Zohran Mamdani and prevent what he calls a dangerous turn for the city. Langworthy also explains how state leaders in Albany could limit a Mamdani administration's power over issues like taxes, rent, and mass transit, and he shares his thoughts on the ongoing government shutdown in Washington. With Election Day just hours away, new polls show Democrats gaining momentum while Republicans look to pull off an upset. FOX News Decision Desk Director Arnon Mishkin joins the Rundown to discuss how President Trump has changed voter turnout trends, the key dynamics shaping the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races, and why affordability remains a top issue heading into the 2026 midterms. Plus, commentary from Jason Chaffetz, FOX News contributor and the host of the Jason In The House podcast on FOX News Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It has been over a month since the government shutdown began, and by Monday, it will be tied for the longest funding impasse in American history. Despite millions of Americans now facing a shortage of federal food assistance, both parties haven't budged since the shutdown began, and nothing has indicated that that will change anytime soon. FOX Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram gives the latest updates from Capitol Hill, from the likelihood of the government reopening in the coming week to what the political consequences of the shutdown might be for Congress and the current administration.  Later, Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters joins to analyze key local elections coming up in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump is weighing increased beef imports from Argentina to help bring down prices, but some U.S. cattle ranchers say the move could hurt American producers. President Trump says the move is to help the struggling nation and bring down prices here, but even ranchers who support the president and appreciate his tariffs on foreign cattle find this move a betrayal We recently spoke with Texas rancher Trent Simmons to discuss the state of the cattle industry, why some beef prices are so high, and why some ranchers oppose the new imports. Simmons also spoke about what solutions could lower prices without harming local farms. We often have to cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear the full interview. Today on Fox News Rundown Extra, we will share our entire interview with Texas Rancher Trent Simmons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a visit to Asia that included a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump returned to the White House on Thursday, dismissing proposals to impose a 100% tariff. Michael Allen, Former National Security Council Senior Director and managing director of Beacon Global Strategies, joins to discuss how the meeting between President Trump and President Xi helped de-escalate trade tensions, China's continued aggression in the South China Sea and the need to maintain a U.S. presence, and President Trump's announcement directing the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing. Later, retired U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela James B. Story joins to discuss the state of Venezuela's regime, the secrecy of U.S. military activity in the region, and the Maduro government's ties to China, Russia, drug cartels, and terrorist organizations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is time to 'fall back' as most of the United States will move from daylight savings time to standard time. The change of the clocks can result in different negative health effects like loss of sleep which can cause fatigue and irritability leading to mood swings. While many people adjust to the change quickly, others feel the effects on their circadian rhythm. FOX's Tonya J. Powers speaks with Dr. Fahmi Farah, Board Certified Invasive Cardiologist and director of Bentley Heart in Fort Worth, TX, who shares with us tips on acclimating to the time change. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New York City will pick its next mayor on Tuesday. While the Democrat Zohran Mamdani remains the frontrunner, independent Andrew Cuomo has cut into his lead in recent polls. Trailing behind both is Republican Curtis Sliwa. Critics of Sliwa, including many in his own party, say his decision not to drop out of the race despite trailing significantly gives Mamdani an advantage. Earlier this week, Curtis Sliwa spoke with FOX News Rundown host Jessica Rosenthal about the race, why he says his policies are the best to ‘save' New York City, and why he has resisted pressure from all sides to drop out. Sliwa, a former New York City talk radio host, also addressed comments that he's responsible for the ‘rise' of Democrat Socialist Mamdani and pushed back against accusations that he's running solely for financial benefit. We often have to cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear the full interview. Today on Fox News Rundown Extra, we will share our entire interview with Republican New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10.31.25 Hour 3 1:00- Hokies- Bill Roth, Nats- Andrew Golden, Commanders- Kevin Sheehan 19:15- Should the Commanders make their Super Bowl era uniforms permanent?

President Trump says the U.S. and China have reached the framework of a new trade deal that will send American soybeans to China and bring rare earth materials to the U.S. The announcement follows his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, where both sides agreed to ease tariffs and resume shipments of key minerals. Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream joins the Rundown to discuss the deal and its global implications. Plus, how the government shutdown is starting to create staffing concerns at airports, and a potential lapse in SNAP (food stamp) benefits. Cancer rates among young adults are rising at an alarming rate, sparking concern among health experts. Board-certified rheumatologist Dr. Mahsa Tehrani joins the Rundown to discuss the increasing prevalence of cancer and heart disease, the two leading causes of death. Plus, the growing impact of ultra-processed foods, microplastic exposure, and sedentary behavior. She also highlights the crucial importance of prevention and early screening in improving long-term health outcomes. Plus, commentary from FOX News Contributor Tom Shillue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In just a few days, New York City, the world's business capital, will select its next mayor. The favorite to win is Democrat Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist. This title has raised concerns among both Republicans and some Democrats. In addition to his controversial views on Israel, his platform—which includes free buses, universal child care, and city-run grocery stores—has prompted many prominent Democrats to hesitate before supporting the frontrunner in next week's NYC mayoral race. While Mamdani's focus on addressing the affordability crisis appeals to residents of one of America's most expensive cities, critics fear his use of "class warfare tactics." FOX Business' Lydia Hu speaks with Dr. Eric Patterson, the President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C., to discuss his organization, the dangers of ‘class warfare' rhetoric and policies, and why he fears Mamdani's popularity and potential victory could signal a shift in American politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10.30.25 Hour 3 1:00- Nats- Mark Zuckerman, Caps- Sammi Silber, Commanders- Chris Russell 19:00- We go over our Halloween plans here.

Republicans urging DOJ to ‘void' pardons made via Biden's autopen as the investigation into the autopen controversy involving former President Joe Biden intensifies. This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X that her "team is reviewing the Biden administration's reported use of autopen for pardons." The Oversight Project at the Heritage Foundation has been analyzing thousands of pages of documents bearing President Biden's signature, and they say they found that most were signed by the autopen, including pardons and at times when the President was not in Washington D.C.. FOX's Ryan Schmelz speaks with Michael Howell, executive director of 'The Oversight Project', who explains what his team has found while reviewing the signed documents. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

High-stakes state and local races could define both parties and set the stage for the 2026 Midterm Elections. Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters discusses key gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia, the New York City mayoral race between Republican Curtis Sliwa and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, and the GOP's 2026 strategy as President Trump ramps up voter engagement. Concerns are growing over corporate layoffs as companies cite AI and cost-cutting for widespread job cuts. Critics say some firms are using AI to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor. Former JPMorgan Chief Economist Anthony Chan explains AI's impact on white-collar jobs, the role of H-1B visas, and what it means for the U.S. workforce. Plus, commentary by the Host of the Guy Benson Show on FOX Talk Radio, Guy Benson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10.29.25 Hour 3 1:00- NFL- Frank Schwab, Commanders- Nicki Jhabvala, Wizards- Kyshawn George 31:00- With McLaurin OUT vs Seattle, can he salvage his season once he's back?

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza resumed again today after nearly 20 hours of exchanging gunfire that left one IDF reservist dead in Rafah and dozens of Palestinians. After the death of the IDF soldier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the US-brokered ceasefire by failing to return the remaining deceased hostages, and ordered the military to carry out 'immediate and powerful' airstrikes. President Trump commented on the airstrikes saying Israel has the right to retaliate if Hamas continues to murder soldiers. FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Dan Feferman, Co-Editor At Middle-East Twenty-Four and Reserve Major In The Israel Defense Forces, who says that Hamas hasn't really agreed to any ceasefire. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A high-stakes meeting with global repercussions is on the horizon as President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepare to meet in South Korea on Thursday. U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joins the Rundown to discuss how America can best compete with China, including reviving the nation's shipbuilding industry and applying more economic pressure on the country. Additionally, Sen. Young shares his thoughts on U.S. military operations targeting suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea. As early voting continues in New York City's mayoral race, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is rejecting calls to drop out despite criticism that his campaign is helping Democrat Zohran Mamdani rise in the polls. Sliwa joins the Rundown to discuss why he won't be dropping out of the race. Plus, his priorities for voters, including law and order and housing affordability. Plus, commentary from FOX News Contributor Joe Concha. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10.28.25 Hour 3 1:00- Caps- Katie Florio, NFL- Kyle Glaser, Commanders- Tashan Reed 17:15- The Commanders have dug themselves a big hole, can they get out of it? 31:10- Does it make you feel ANY kind of way with the Chiefs doing the tomahawk chop all game long?

Tensions are escalating after Venezuela's President accused President Trump of inventing a war, following the U.S. deployment of an advanced aircraft carrier to the Caribbean. This move comes amid expanded U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats off Venezuela's coast. James B. Story, retired U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, joins the Rundown to discuss the state of Venezuela's regime, the secrecy surrounding U.S. military operations in the region, and the Venezuelan government's ties with China, Russia, drug cartels, and terrorist organizations. One week until election day: this off-year election cycle includes local races, ballot measures, and more. Voters in New Jersey and Virginia are electing their next governors, while New Yorkers are following their own mayoral race. Democrats lead all of those three key races in the polls. Josh Kraushaar, FOX News Audio Political Analyst and Editor-in-Chief of Jewish Insider, joins the Rundown to break down the three races and that they mean for the overall trajectory of the country. Plus, commentary by Melissa Henson, senior policy advisor for Media and Culture for Concerned Women for America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Markets hit some record highs this week ahead of President Trump's trade negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea with expectations it will be a positive meeting. Meanwhile, Amazon is announcing almost 14,000 corporate job layoffs as the company continues its increased spending on artificial intelligence while cutting costs in other places. Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy says he is confident that generative AI would reduce Amazon's corporate workforce in the next few years, and now it looks like it has begun. FOX's John Saucier speaks with Dr. Peter C. Earle, Director of Economics at The American Institute For Economic Research, who breaks down the impact of the government shutdown, tariff negotiations with China, and what is really driving Amazon to layoff thousands. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, I don't know what's worse for Labour - the fact that they've announced a capital gains tax policy again today, or the fact that someone leaked it and forced them to announce it in a rush. Obviously, it does suck for them that somebody leaked it first, because it means that they were so unprepared that they had to rush-job announce it in an email at 3:05 this morning. And then Chippy had to cancel his morning radio interviews so that he didn't have to answer questions about this until he was ready - and then they had to get ready and call themselves a rush-job press conference where they all looked furious, and they stumbled over their words. Honestly, you haven't seen such a sad line-up of people announcing something they're proud of. This is the second policy announcement that Labour has managed to stuff up in just about a week's duration - which hardly looks convincing, does it? But then it also sucks for them that this is the policy that they're taking to the election, because I don't care what the Beltway in Wellington tells us - I do not believe that a majority of New Zealanders want a capital gains tax. No matter how many times Labour pitches it, no matter how many times they try to convince us that everyone else wants it, why don't you want it? And you know I'm right when I say this, because look at how Labour's selling this today. Even they sound like they're not so sure that we want a CGT, because they've double-policed it. Today, they've told us what they're going to spend the money on, which is three free GP visits a year for us - basically to try and sell it to us, in order to convince us that a capital gains tax is good for us. And also, just look at how gleeful the National Party sound. They know that this made 2026 just a little bit more likely for them. What I now want to know though - is who leaked this to the media? Was it someone who was just really excited that they knew something, so they leaked it to the media and blew up their own party's big announcement - or was it someone who disagrees with Labour and wanted to blow up their own party's big announcement? Either way, they've just made an unconvincing policy even less convincing today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10.27.25 Hour 3 1:00- Wizards- Bijan Todd, CFB- Denton Day, Commanders- Michael Phillips 17:30- We get to our Commanders spotlight ahead of MNF, who has to stand out vs the defending AFC champions?

President Trump says the government shutdown is threatening food benefits for millions that use food stamps. Also, TSA callouts are mounting which is expected to cause heavy delays as holiday travel begins to surge. Democrats have said they would not accept any federal funding bill that does not also include an extension of Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic and Republicans argue Obamacare has failed to reduce the deficit saying its costs have skyrocketed. Meanwhile, a pardoned January 6th rioter was arrested for threatening House Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries. FOX's Ryan Schmelz speaks with Chad Pergram, FOX News Senior Congressional Correspondent, who says things will change when members of Congress themselves start being affected. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Democrats and Republicans have each blamed each other for the ongoing government shutdown. Democrats demand Republicans negotiate over the expiring Obamacare subsidies that have kept premiums lower than they otherwise would be for those using the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have said Democrats should pass a continuing resolution to keep the government fund ed and then negotiate subsidy extensions. Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy joins the Rundown to discuss the ongoing debates about health care policy.  Each time the nation's report card is released, the assessment fuels more debate about declining test scores and how to help students do better. However, in recent years, there's been a bright spot in Mississippi, particularly in the fourth grade, where students are improving their reading proficiency. Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant joins the Rundown to discuss how his state has improved children's literacy scores.   Plus, commentary from FOX News Digital columnist David Marcus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Reserve meets tomorrow, when policymakers will decide whether to reduce interest rates again. A 25-basis-point cut is widely expected, despite a near blackout of federal economic data due to the ongoing government shutdown. Also this week, President Trump will have a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi to discuss a possible trade deal. Over the weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the countries have agreed to a basic framework and that the threat of 100% tariffs has been eliminated. Ryan Payne, The President of Payne Capital Management, joins FOX Business' Lydia Hu to preview he big week ahead and why investors are optimiistic about the two big meetings this week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Biden White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's new tell-all book, “Independent”, has created an even further divide among the Democrats. Jean-Pierre has split from the party after criticizing their disloyalty to former President Biden and accusing many members of not fighting hard enough against President Trump. Former Chief of Staff and Advisor to the Biden White House Press Office, Yemisi Egbewole, joins to discuss her two years as Jean-Pierre's chief of staff, why the party is in ‘disarray', and why the Democrats continue have mixed feelings about popular New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Later, Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) , who is a physician, weighs in on the ongoing debate over ‘Obamacare' subsidies, and offers his ideas on how to lower healthcare prices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bret Baier, Fox's Lead Political Anchor and the Executive Editor of Fox News' "Special Report", recently sat down with Fox News Rundown host Dave Anthony to discuss the government shutdown, President Trump's efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, and Bret's latest book, to rescue the American spirit: Teddy Roosevelt And The Birth Of A Superpower. Bret explained the legacy of President Roosevelt, why he was inspired to write about him, and what he and the current president have in common. It was a fascinating conversation about current events and one of America's most impactful presidents. We often must cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear more of this incredible conversation. Today on the Fox News Rundown Extra, we will share Dave Anthony's entire discussion with Fox News' Bret Baier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA is taking heat over one of its head coaches and a player, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who were caught up in a major illegal gambling bust. The league isn't accused of anything illegal, but it certainly has embraced the gambling industry. We don't know why these NBA guys may have gotten involved, if they did, but in some cases, gambling addiction is what leads to the trouble. Safer Gambling President Keith Scott Whyte joins the Fox News Rundown: Evening Edition to discuss why gambling can be so addictive and why he says there's a need to create more regulations about legal sports betting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump's proposal to increase Argentinian beef imports has struck a nerve with American cattle ranchers, who worry about the move's impact on beef prices and their profits. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins joins the Rundown to unpack why beef prices are so high, and what the Trump administration is doing to try to help both consumers and American beef industry. Rollins also explains the concerns of soy bean farmers and why she says millions of SNAP households will be harmed if the government is still closed on November 1st.  Later, FOX Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram joins to give the latest developments from Capitol Hill and the government shutdown and the debate among lawmakers over the President's crackdown on drug traffickers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This past week, FOX News' Dana Perino joined the FOX News Rundown as a special guest host to speak with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, author of the new book, “Heart of a Stanger”. As the first Asian American Rabbi, Buchdahl serves as the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, becoming the first woman to lead one of the world's largest synagogues in its nearly 200-year history. She shared with Dana what it was like to be born in Seoul to a Korean Buddhist mother and a Jewish American father, and discussed the challenges she faced on her journey to becoming one of today's most admired religious leaders. The two also discussed how our society can work to combat the recent rise in antisemitism around the world, our country's growing political divide, and our society's addiction to our cell phones. We often must cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear more of this very candid and insightful conversation. Today on the FOX News Rundown Extra, we will share Dana Perino's entire discussion with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10.24.25 Hour 3 1:00- NFL- Mike Jones, NBA- Keith Smith, Commanders- Mitch Tischler 19:15- Josh Harris provided insight on what the Commanders name is, and how it ties in some of the rich history in Washington.

As President Trump prepares for a week of international travel, his administration is zeroing in on crime both at home and abroad. The President says the U.S. has authority to strike drug-running boats from Venezuela and is considering National Guard deployments in more major cities to combat violent crime. Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and host of the Living the Bream podcast, joins the Rundown to discuss the administration's plans and the legal hurdles ahead. Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested Thursday as part of a federal investigation into a mafia-linked illegal gambling probe. The allegations, which included rigged poker games and sharing inside NBA information to sports bettors, have raised questions about the integrity of the NBA and the dangers of legal sports betting. Dan Dakich, host of Don't @ Me on OutKick.com, joins the Rundown to discuss concerns over high-earning professional athletes fixing prop bets, the NCAA's recent decision allowing college athletes to bet on pro sports, and how increased regulation is helping detect and prevent betting manipulation. Plus, commentary by Guy Benson, host of The Guy Benson Show on Fox News Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an economic data blackout for weeks, we got an inflation update this morning showing a lower-than-expected increase in the consumer price index. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of everyday goods like gasoline, groceries, and rent costs rose 0.3% in September compared to August, and the annual inflation rate rose to 3%. That is above the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2% as policymakers there meet next week to decide their next interest rate move With the Fed, CEOs, investors, and pretty much everyone flying blind in regard to economic data, thanks to the nearly month-long government shutdown, how important was today's inflation update? Kenny Polcari, the Chief Market Strategist at Slatestone Wealth, joins Fox Business' Gerri Willis to discuss how investors are navigating the current data desert, the President's latest spat with Canada over trade talks, and some of the headlines coming out of the White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10.23.25 Hour 3 1:00- NFL, Wizards- Bijan Todd, Commanders- John "Cakes" Auville 35:30- McLaurin & Deebo are expected to be active this weekend, but will they each be 100%?

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were among at least 31 people arrested as part of a widespread FBI investigation into an illegal sports betting ring. The federal investigation involved multiple agencies, including the NYPD, as they targeted the La Cosa Nostra crime families in separate operations across several states. Officials said Billups, Rozier and Jones face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. FOX's John Saucier speaks with Paul Mauro, attorney, former NYPD Inspector and FOX News legal and criminal analyst, who says he is not surprised as the gambling business is a prime target for crime families. Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10.22.25 Hour 3 1:00- Wizards- Varun Shankar, Capitals- Mike Vogel, Commanders- Ryan Fowler 31:00- What's your confidence in Jayden Daniels being available vs Seattle?

It's our final week of shows and we're playing back some of our favorite episodes. Hey Houston newsletter editor Brooke Lewis has today's pick and it's an epic showdown on where to live in H-Town! Host Raheel Ramzanali is reppin' the burbs, producer Carlignon Jones is making a case for hidden gems outside the Loop, but inside the Beltway, and Hey Houston newsletter editor Brooke Lewis is standing up for the Inner Loopers! To make things even more fun, we've brought on a special guest, Rozmin Virani, who's fairly new to Houston and deciding where to live. She'll pick today's winner, so stay tuned until the end!  This episode originally aired on August 22, 2024 Our last episode and newsletter will be released on Oct. 24. But before we go, we want to celebrate this community and our city. And we want to include you in our final episode! Tell us how City Cast Houston has been a part of your life. From your favorite episode, to a story that changed your mind, or something that made you feel more connected to our city. Please email us at houston@citycast.fm or leave us a voice message at +1 713-489-6972. Learn more about the sponsors of this October 22nd episode: Houston Cinema Arts Society Visit Pearland The Village School Holocaust Museum Houston Midtown Houston Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Photo: Houston City Skyline with Freeways Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash

10.21.25 Hour 3 1:00- MLB- Britt Ghiroli, NBA- Chris Miles, Commanders- Chris Russell 33:35- Looking at the Commanders defense, do you think they should consider benching Marshon Lattimore?

10.20.25 Hour 3 1:00- Caps- Ethan Cadeaux, NFL- Frank Schwab, Commanders- Nick Akridge 19:00- We play some of Dan Quinn's cuts from his presser to discuss the Commanders injuries, and some potential changes that could come. 32:40- We get our game balls and gassers for Commanders-Cowboys.