Today's Poll Question: Is the Jason Arday tragedy a story of affirmative action gone too far, or a racist witch hunt?

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
Get ready to vote on today's daily poll question at smerconish.com.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:05)
But first, Michael explains it for you right here.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:08)
Welcome to The Smerconish Podcast from SiriusXM.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:11)
For Independent Minds.

**Michael Smerconish** (0:14)
Hi gang, today is Tuesday. It is the 18th of August. How did it get to be so late in the summer? The 18th of August, 2026 Yesterday, huge voting at smerconish.com in the poll question. 36,726. What drew all that response on a Monday in August? How about me asking, The White House East Wing has been demolished. Should the Trump ballroom be built? 80.48% said no. 19.52% said yes. And 80-20 split. I was deliberate in my wording in saying, should the Trump ballroom, because what I was talking about, and I think you correctly interpreted this, was should he be permitted to proceed? This all began, as you will recall, back in October when the East Wing was demolished. And then the president, more recently, that was October of 2025, I should stress. March of 2026, the president begins describing this massive complex as a combination of biodefense, bomb shelter, and hospital. And that narrative continues. He's detailed that it will be six stories underground, steel roof, drone capacity, you know, research facilities.
In June, the price tab was 600 million. I'll bet in the end it's going to be a billion dollars, right, if not more. So then comes the litigation. Did he get the necessary approvals? A DC. Circuit Court, that's an appellate court, in a 2 to 1 decision on August 7, said, hey, you need congressional approval in order to do this.
The emergency application was then made to the Supreme Court just four days ago. The response comes that there needs to be briefing by today, Tuesday, today, and we're going to find out real soon exactly what's going to transpire. Chief Justice John Roberts said that the response is due today, and the halt will take effect absent congressional action Friday. Well, here's the rub, they're in recess, and nobody's rushing home to save the ballroom. What do you do if not build what he envisions? I guess you could build it smaller. I guess you could go ahead with the bunker because it doesn't seem like anybody's objecting to his authority to build the bunker and put a cap on it.
Some say rebuild the east wing, that doesn't seem practical. Others say why not repurpose that underground shell that he's already constructed. So it's a blank show. I don't know how it ends up. I do believe that the White House complex needs a ballroom. I absolutely buy into that. I'll bet we need a bunker as well. My beef is the size and scope.
When you look at the 3D models of it, it's just going to dwarf the White House. I don't think it needed to be so large. And I just think it's going to throw off the whole symmetry of the building. But is it necessary? I think that it is. Is there a proper way to go and do it? There is.
Would that have outlasted Trump and his successor? Probably. Probably.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:28)
The Smerconish Podcast from SiriusXM.

**Michael Smerconish** (3:31)
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**SPEAKER_2** (4:42)
The Daily Poll Question at smerconish.com.

**SPEAKER_1** (4:45)
A non-scientific social political question designed to spark broader discussions about current issues.

**SPEAKER_2** (4:50)
Get ready to cast your ballot and leave a rating and review of this podcast on your favorite podcast app.

**Michael Smerconish** (4:56)
So I said at the outset, I bragged about 36,726 who voted in yesterday's poll question. My hunch is we're going to do substantially, I don't know because I'm speaking before the crack of dawn, but my hunch is we're going to draw significantly fewer. And I'm okay with that. I hope I'm wrong. I always like big participation. But the subject matter today is Jason Arday, this tragedy from the United Kingdom. It's actually kind of interesting. I say I'm not sure just how conversant people are and whether they're paying attention to this case. I'm asking about his death and whether this is a story of affirmative action in the extreme, a racist witch hunt, or both. And granted, it's taking place in the UK. There there's huge interest. I'm looking at a story that will be in today's newsletter because I selected it from Al Jazeera. Headline, thousands mourn Jason Arday in London, blaming racist press for his death. Well, there is their answer to today's poll question. Dateline London, tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black have filled London's Trafalgar Square with many carrying flowers for a vigil for Jason Arday, a former Cambridge University professor who died amid weeks of media scrutiny over claims of plagiarism. The 41-year-old academic, who was the youngest black professor in Cambridge's history, was found dead at his home in South London on Friday, with many at Monday's vigil blaming relentless and racist media coverage for his death. Arday, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, had denied the allegations against him. Warners on Monday carried signs that read, Rest in power, Professor Jason Arday, or stop racist media now, and racism within mainstream media is responsible for Jason Arday's death.