October 10, 2022

10-7-22 Brian on Kudlow & More Economic News, Kanye on Tucker, WWIII & Spicy Chicken Parm

WTF Happened This Week?

A newsletter from Win the Future Strategies, LLC, on politics, policy & pairings (Food & Drink) Sign up today!

See below for:

1. what’s going on with us,

2. the top political stories we’re following,

3. the top policy and business developments we’re watching,

4. the recipe and drink of the week, and

5. the “WTF Moment of the Week"

Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions, comments, or content suggestions by visiting our website or by emailing us at Victory@wtfstrategies.com.

(1) Top WTF News

Brian joined the great Larry Kudlow on Fox Business Network on Thursday to discuss the keys to a strong and inclusive economy and why the Biden team's focus is off the mark.

We’re continuing to promote our new book, Vignettes & Vino: Dinner Table Stories from the Trump White House with Recipes and Cocktail Pairings!

This week, Brian did in-depth interviews about the book on:

The Vince Coglianese Show where they discussed vaccine data chicanery, traveling with Trump the night RBG passed away, and much more.
Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla (on 10/5 at the 1:30:10 mark) where they discussed the Tiger King, drinking advice, and vaccine data tricks.

The Chris Stigall Show where they had a lengthy conversation about the federal COVID response, life in the White House, and much more.

This adds to the progress made last week:

He appeared on American Sunrise with Ed Henry, and
The Rich Zeoli Show in the Philadelphia market

The prior week, we reached "Best Seller" status on Amazon as the:

#1 book in the wine pairing category
#1 new release in the cocktails and mixed drinks category
#1 new release in the wine and spirits category

That coincided with some major coverage of the book in several big outlets:

This all adds to our prior coverage from:

SiriusXM Radio with Tim Young on The David Webb Show
Fox News, which featured our Citrus Sangria
Daily Mail, which discussed several of our stories, including the very short-lived consideration of the Tiger King pardon
Real America's Voice where we chatted with Ed Henry and Karyn Turk while they were live from Benny’s in Palm Beach, and
The Sam Malone Show where Brian discussed the book back in July

The book is available for pre-sale in the biggest retailers in America! Order your copy today at one of these fine choices:

(2) Top Political News of the Week

WWIII News

President Biden made eye-popping comments about a potential nuclear Armageddon this week. (We can only imagine what the reaction would have been had President Trump said something similar.)

He told a group of donors at a fundraiser, "First time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, we have a direct threat of the use [of a] nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they are going. I'm trying to figure out what is Putin's off ramp. Where does he find a way out? Where does he find a himself in a position that he does not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?"

Gas Prices About to Spike?

OPEC announced it is cutting its output by 2 million barrels a day, adding to economic anxiety, particularly with respect to energy prices and inflation. Republicans are renewing their calls for domestic energy independence.

Where's Hunter?

WaPo's reporting indicates that federal agents investigating Hunter Biden appear to be (finally) losing patience and feel that there is more than sufficient evidence to charge him with federal crimes.

Midterm Elections

Arizona senate candidate Blake Masters is hoping that his smackdown of Sen. Mark Kelly on immigration in their debate this week will shift this race into the R column. The key exchange was:

Kelly: I've been focused on the border since day one.
Masters: We have a wide open border, so if that' the best you can do, I respectfully request you resign.

Some more interesting polling data came out this week:

Nevada Republican candidates appear to be maintaining narrow leads in the race for Senator and Governor with Adam Laxalt and Joe Lombardo leading each of their respective races by 2 points according to CNN.
Georgia continues to show some split ticket voting. Gov. Brian Kemp leads Stacey Abrams by 5, but Sen. Raphael Warnock leading Herschel Walker by 3 points according to Fox News.

(3) Top Policy & Business News of the Week

Business & National Security

Last week, we highlighted the Senate Banking Committee's focus on a potential outwardly focused CFIUS panel.

This week, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is poised to release two new rules:

one focused on tightening exports of advanced computer chips (especially to China), and
another making it easier for BIS to blacklist foreign firms in countries whose governments do not cooperate with efforts for secure trade.

Interest Rates & Jobs

The Fed is likely to continue its pattern of aggressive 0.75 point rate hikes. Meanwhile, this month's job report shows a (slightly) shrinking labor force:

As WaPo's Heather Long noted, "Not good: The unemployment rate fell to 3.5% largely because the labor force declined (meaning fewer people got jobs or were searching). The labor force participation rate fell to 62.3%, down slightly from 62.4% in August. It's just one month, but this isn't the right direction."

As Art Laffer pointed out Fox Business Network's Kudlow, D.C. policy makers appear to be maintaining their continued focus on crushing demand as opposed to expanding supply.

(4) Recipe & Drink Pairing of the Week

Spicy Chicken Parm with Chianti & Sambuca

This is another favorite from Vignettes & Vino! We'll be enjoying it on Saturday to fuel up for the Army Ten Miler on Sunday.

To EAT: Spicy Chicken Parm

Serves 4

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 28-oz. cans whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes

¼ cup fresh basil, divided

1 Tbsp. dried Italian-blend seasoning (like Morton & Bassett’s)

½ tsp. sugar

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tsp. garlic powder, divided

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling on top

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded thinly

1 8-oz. ball of mozzarella, sliced

Pasta of your choice (preferably linguine), cooked

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a pan over medium-low heat, pour a layer of olive oil. Add in the diced onions, minced garlic, and bay leaves until fragrant.

Carefully pour the canned tomatoes over the mixture. After simmering for 5 minutes, throw in some hand-torn basil (but save some for garnish later).

While the tomatoes cook, add in the dried Italian-seasoning blend and 2 tsp. garlic powder. While stirring the sauce, be sure to crush the whole tomatoes as they get softer. Add in the sugar as well as the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Let the sauce continue to simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare 3 shallow dishes for breading the chicken. Put the flour in one dish and season with salt and pepper. In the second dish, pour in the beaten eggs (add a splash of water). In the third dish, combine the panko crumbs, chopped parsley, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and grated Parmesan.

In a separate oven-safe pan, pour in 3 tbsp. olive oil. Do not start to heat the oil yet, as it can heat fast while you’re preparing the chicken.

To prepare the chicken, take one chicken breast and dredge in the flour. After the flour, dip the chicken breast in the egg mixture. Then, dredge both sides of the chicken breast in the panko breadcrumbs mixture.

Set the pan with the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (you can test with a drop of flour—if it sizzles, it’s ready), fry each chicken breast for about 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and crusty.

While the chicken breasts are frying, blend the finished tomato sauce using either a stand blender or an immersion blender.

When the chicken is done, pour the sauce over each piece in the same pan. Then place slices of mozzarella on top. Grate fresh Parmesan over the mozzarella. Add more hand-torn basil to finish it off.

Bake the pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Then broil it for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven.

Serve over pasta with extra sauce, and garnish with more freshly grated Parmesan and basil.

TO DRINK: Chianti and Sambuca

As hard as we tried, we could not come up with a better pairing for chicken Parmesan than a full, flavorful glass of Chianti, a classic Italian red wine. Torraiolo makes an excellent, modestly priced vintage.

After dinner, chilled sambuca makes for a delicious digestif, and we’d go with Romana white sambuca. We learned years ago at an Italian restaurant that the proper way to drink sambuca is chilled, with three coffee beans floating in it to represent health, happiness, and prosperity.

Pour the sambuca in a shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into a short glass. Drop three coffee beans on top and watch them float. Then toast to la bella vita.

(5) WTF Moment of the Week

The WTF moment of the week isn't always something bad. Sometimes it's just something surprising and interesting, which is how we felt about the lengthy interview of Kanye West--now known as Ye--by Tucker Carlson.

Ye said that wearing his White Lives Matter shirt was funny because it was the "obvious thing," that "liberal Nazis" try to suppress his free thought, and much, much more.

As always, you can reach us by visiting www.winthefuturestrategies.com or by emailing us at Victory@wtfstrategies.com. Have a great week!