The Left Hook

Mark Bland
  • 2.2 (9)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Hosted by Mark Bland, The Left Hook is a current affairs and pop culture show with a political twist. Weekly the guys interview actors, writers, artist and a revolving cast of characters to bring you multiple views of some of the most controversial and engaging topics of our time.

  1. 7h ago

    Left Hook - Rotten Tomatoes

    Mark Bland and Jason Kull turn the spotlight on their own side of the aisle in this episode of The Left Hook, challenging Missouri and St. Louis-area Democrats to stop overlooking opportunities to reach conservative and independent voters. The hosts argue that their presence on Fox News-affiliated radio offers candidates a chance to speak beyond the Democratic base—and that avoiding those conversations leaves potential votes on the table. Drawing on past interviews and their involvement in local political debates, Bland and Kull make the case for more direct engagement, less political gatekeeping, and a willingness to take a message into unfamiliar territory. The conversation then shifts to national politics as the hosts criticize JD Vance's remarks about Abdul El-Sayed and discuss El-Sayed's sharp "Wolverine" response. They argue that Democrats should make room for candidates with different backgrounds and approaches, while accusing Republicans of applying selective standards of accountability. To close, Bland and Kull dissect a clip of Donald Trump celebrating the financial benefits of high oil prices, questioning who actually profits when Americans pay more at the pump. Throughout, the episode mixes pointed political commentary, irreverent humor, and a central challenge: winning over voters requires talking to people who don't already agree with you.

  2. 5d ago

    The Left Hook - Artificial Intelligence

    On this week's episode of The Left Hook, Mark Bland and Jason Kull took on President Trump's incendiary Truth Social post about Minnesota, in which he claimed the state was being "taken over" by Somali immigrants, painted Minneapolis as a war zone, called Tim Walz an "incompetent thief," and urged Minnesotans to "fight back." Bland and Kull broke down why that kind of rhetoric is dangerous: it demonizes an entire community, inflames an already tense political moment, and sets up the idea that federal force should be welcomed into Democratic-led cities. They also connected it to Trump's comments suggesting Los Angeles and San Diego could be "taken out" as a "small price to pay," arguing that he keeps testing how far he can push authoritarian language before anyone stops him. From there, the hosts covered the Arlington County lawsuit over the White House's massive construction project near Arlington Cemetery, the Justice Department's claim that Trump has final say over settlements, and the reported plan to live-stream an execution at Fort Hood—moves they see as part of a broader effort to normalize cruelty and consolidate power. Bland and Kull also hit the GOP's healthcare agenda, the fight over the Affordable Care Act, Trump's obsession with "superintelligence," the Epstein files, and the way Republican candidates are getting dragged down by statements they cannot defend. And because it is still The Left Hook, they made room for the bizarre viral trend of boiling and eating whole zucchini, the return of "Chester Cheks," and a look at the baby-name trends expected to take over in 2027. Catch the full show Saturdays at 9 a.m. Central on Fox News affiliates, and find everything at MarkBland.net.

  3. Oct 7

    The Left Hook - Super Beets and Super Powers

    The show opens with Mark Bland and Jason Kull and a quick post-season autopsy of the Cubs' loss to the Padres — Pete Crow-Armstrong vs. Fernando Tatís, and the unwritten rule that you never root for a division rival like the Brewers — before pivoting to the economy. Mark argues that voters who pulled the lever in 2024 expecting cheaper gas and groceries "on day one" got the opposite, pointing to a $41 tab at Steak 'n Shake for three people and $100-plus bills at mid-tier sit-down chains as evidence that prices have outrun promises. From there he takes aim at pressure on the Fed and Jerome Powell, the "alpha-male testosterone" branding coming out of Pete Hegseth's War Department (complete with Lincoln Memorial photo ops featuring Dana White and the Paul brothers), and the rebranding of AI as "superintelligence," which he calls the tell of someone who doesn't actually understand the technology. He also riffs — half seriously — on relocating the capital to the center of the country for security reasons, and makes the case for an age cap on the presidency, sharing personal stories about his seventy-nine-year-old father The centerpiece is a breakdown of Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt's Senate subcommittee grilling of former special counsel Jack Smith, where Schmitt pressed Smith on whether he'd attended a Warriors–Hawks game in Atlanta the day after the Fani Willis–Nathan Wade revelations, accused him of perjury, and closed by calling him a "total dirtbag." After Sen. Amy Klobuchar insisted the witness actually be shown the exhibit, Smith explained he'd attended a Maryland–Iowa women's basketball game to see Caitlin Clark — Hawkeyes, not Hawks. Mark calls it a failed "coming-out party" and a lesson in performative politics, comparing it to Josh Hawley's January 6th fist-pump. The back half lightens up with a rundown of this year's trending Halloween costumes (Freaky Nikki, Bad Bunny's halftime show, Taylor Swift and friends at the Knicks game, The Odyssey, Chad Powers, K-pop Demon Hunters, Dolly Parton, Olivia Rodrigo, Spider-Man — and a protest over Michael Jackson landing all the way down at No. 18), before Mark closes with his standing prediction that Republicans could effectively send Congress home through the midterms, leaving Trump to govern by executive order in what he's long described as "a coup in slow motion." Catch old and new episodes at markbland.net.

  4. Oct 1

    Left Hook - Midnight Attack Drones

    On this week's episode of The Left Hook, Jason Kull and I went after Trump's decision to pull White House press pool credentials from CNN, MSNBC, ProPublica, Politico, and other outlets. We called it what it is: thin-skinned, authoritarian behavior from an administration that seemingly only wants coverage from people willing to applaud. Less than 48 hours later, they announced "Trump TV" — which Jason couldn't even get to load on YouTube during the show. Then the whole thing backfired at the unveiling of the new White House helipad, where the gutted press pool left one Newsmax crew without a working microphone and the event was barely covered. We also talked about the economic squeeze Americans are dealing with, from $5.15 gas in Chicago and diesel nearing $8 to the reality of people living paycheck to paycheck. I'm old enough to remember when a $2.99 Denny's Grand Slam and a free birthday breakfast didn't feel like folklore. In the second half, we took apart Ben Shapiro's suggestion that young Americans who can't afford to live here should just move somewhere else. Keep telling frustrated 18-to-25-year-olds to leave, and don't act surprised when they spend the next two decades voting against people like J.D. Vance and Mike Johnson. We also had a good laugh at Tommy Tuberville's bizarre claim that airline workers and pilots are "furries," Trump's claim that crime in D.C. has fallen to zero, and the White House obsession with gold décor, ballrooms, and armed drones. We also ran through a Substack list of the five U.S. regions to avoid if society collapses — the Northeast, California, the Southwest desert, Florida, and the industrial Midwest — which an AI tool rated as 60 percent real risk analysis and 40 percent doom-porn. We wrapped things up debating the best sitcom friend group: I picked Friends, Jason picked The Office, and yes, he was wrong. Catch past episodes and stay up to date at MarkBland.net.

  5. Sep 23

    The Left Hook - Who is Number One?

    Grab your coffee, because Mark Bland and Jason Kull are back with a week's worth of things to be mad about. They start at the gas pump, where diesel is pushing $8 in California and the Iran war is taking the blame. Then it's on to Trump's rally joke about holding back FEMA money from flood-hit North Carolina ("I'm not sending it... just kidding"), which got the awkward silence it deserved. They play JD Vance warning of an economic crisis if we leave the war, and Marjorie Taylor Greene's viral rant about diesel prices, which is a sentence nobody expected to write. They also lay out why they think Netanyahu has had too much of Trump's ear, and give their take on the Ed Sheeran and Macklemore blowup: let the concerts just be concerts. Then comes the question in the title. With Mark Carney in Brussels and Canada cozying up to the EU, have we lost our "number one" spot, starting with our own continent? Along the way they get into why Canada's health care makes our "best system in the world" line harder to sell, and some Missouri roasting of Rep. Ann Wagner and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins over their loyalty to Trump. In the middle there's a break for a very real story about Rutgers researchers who built a 3D-printed toilet for mosquitoes, and yes, it's for science. They wrap with a midterm pep talk and a reminder that every episode, old and new, lives at markbland.net.

  6. Sep 15

    Left Hook - 54- Concepts of a Payment

    Hosts Mark Bland and Jason Kull kicked off *The Left Hook* with some lighthearted baseball talk about the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals before quickly diving into politics. Their top headline was Fox News host Jesse Watters, who admitted President Trump's campaign promise of $5,000 checks for every American likely wouldn't happen. Watters infamously compared the empty promise to "a woman showing her bra" to keep a man interested, leading the hosts to call his remarks gross, misogynistic, and proof that Trump's allies assume the American people are gullible enough to fall for it. Bland and Kull ripped the check proposal as a blatantly dishonest campaign bribe, pointing out there's no way to afford roughly $1.3 trillion in payments and that Trump's claims about tariffs funding them simply don't add up. They mocked the idea that Trump could blame Congress if the money never arrived, calling the promise a desperate "Hail Mary" as his legal troubles continue to pile up. The hosts argued that openly trying to buy people's votes was dangerous for democracy, joking that if it came down to bidding, Democrats could just promise Americans $6,000 instead. Shifting to the bigger political picture, the duo expressed frustration with House Speaker Mike Johnson for sending Congress home for recess, warning lawmakers could remain out until after the midterms and leave President Trump free to run unchecked with executive orders. They stressed the importance of Democrats flipping at least one chamber to provide a necessary check on his power. After their political rant, the hosts lightened the mood with a Reddit list of "five things every American should be able to do," cracking jokes about opening beer bottles, riding mechanical bulls, and other rowdy American staples before wrapping up the show.

  7. Sep 10

    Left Hook - 53 - Where's the Beef 2026

    Mark Bland and Jason Kull open with a genuinely fun segment: Mark joined the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and took his son to Daredevil Days at the newly rebranded Mid-America Adventure (formerly Six Flags St. Louis). Highlights included a backstage tour of Mr. Freeze, standing two feet from the track at launch speed, and a "post-touch" — feeling the coaster's vibration through the support beam. Park president Dan Snider fielded Q&A on the rebrand and ongoing DC licensing negotiations. Plus Family membership secured. Then it gets sharp. Mike Johnson went on camera calling Thomas Massie's claim that Congress would recess until after the midterms "stupid" — then did exactly that, pulling the House out two weeks early. The hosts argue the play is deliberate: run out the clock through midterms, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's until the new session starts, keeping Congress frozen while Trump governs unchecked. The suspected motive: keeping the Epstein Files Transparency Act 2 buried before November. From there: imported Argentine beef that China already rejected for antibiotic contamination, USDA gutting, soybean-bailout déjà vu, and a broader indictment — Trump has dragged the country backward while allies quietly replace us in global trade. Finally, Mark's plea to vote left-of-center in 2028 so the next president can run the "yeah, sorry about that guy" world tour.

  8. Sep 1

    The Left Hook - Lake America

    Hosts Mark Bland and Jason Kull opened their St. Louis-based show with a discussion about local news: the rebranding of Six Flags St. Louis to "Mid-America Adventure" under new parent company Enchanted Parks. The hosts covered changes to season passes, pricing, and the popular "Fright Fest" Halloween event, noting that entry will now cost extra beyond a season pass. They joked that St. Louis residents will likely keep calling it "Six Flags" regardless of the name change, comparing it to how locals still refer to the Riverport concert venue by its original name despite multiple corporate buyouts. The hosts then pivoted to sharp criticism of President Trump, using the "renaming" theme to mock reported efforts to rename bodies of water like Lake Ontario. They accused the administration of grift, questioned Trump's mental fitness and work ethic, and criticized his handling of NATO, the UN, and foreign policy—while advocating for universal healthcare. They also discussed former ICE/Border Patrol figure Greg Bovino, who claimed in a Tucker Carlson interview that the administration pulled his security detail because they wanted him dead; the hosts dismissed this, arguing he simply no longer works for Trump and faces public backlash for his controversial tenure. They further criticized adviser Natalie Harp, alleged internal White House dysfunction, and a story about Trump reportedly separating himself from his military aide on a flight. In the final segments, the hosts lightened the tone with a discussion of "rude" guest behaviors based on a HuffPost article—covering things like snooping, overstaying, and disrespecting house rules—sharing personal anecdotes. They closed by heavily criticizing Health Secretary RFK Jr., blaming him for a resurgence of measles and other previously eradicated diseases, and attacked Trump's agricultural and trade policies, arguing that tariffs and deals with countries like Argentina and China were hurting American cattle farmers. They also paid tribute to entertainers Dolly Parton and Tim Curry before signing off.

See All (503)

Ratings & Reviews

2.2
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Hosted by Mark Bland, The Left Hook is a current affairs and pop culture show with a political twist. Weekly the guys interview actors, writers, artist and a revolving cast of characters to bring you multiple views of some of the most controversial and engaging topics of our time.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Bland
  • Years Active
    2012 - 2026
  • Episodes
    503
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Left Hook