CNN and ABC News both announced debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden yesterday. That doesn’t mean 710 WOR host Mark Simone believes they will be impartial events.

During a conversation with economist Steve Moore on The Mark Simone Show Thursday, the New York news/talk host stated his belief that he thought the cards would be stacked against the Republican nominee.

“It’s CNN. They’re gonna rig this debate,” Simone said. “What if they don’t ask real questions? What if they don’t ask about the economy? Or what if they ask about the side issues? Transgender, and all them.”

Later in the conversation, Simone noted that the Biden campaign laid out a list of outlets in which he’d be willing to debate Trump. Those outlets were ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and Telemundo.

Simone argued that those outlets all feature a liberal bias, and claimed that they would point to using someone like Moore, a conservative, as a contributor, but would only place him on panels with several other liberal pundits.

The Joe Rogan Experience is a podcasting juggernaut, and that remains clear after the latest podcast rankings from Edison Research.

The metrics from Edison Research include 5,300 listeners 13+ and include the total audience reach. Respondents are asked about their podcast listening habits for the previous seven days, and are also asked t o include their demographics and information about their recent purchases, as well.

Joe Rogan continued his dominance, maintaining the top spot it also held in previous quarters. In fact, the top three shows — including Crime Junkie and The Daily from The New York Times — all held their previous rankings.

Other familiar news/talk offerings in the top 50 podcasts included: Dateline NBC (#5), The Ben Shapiro Show (#13), The Ramsey Show (#16), Up First (#19), The Tucker Carlson Podcast (#24), The Dan Bongino Show (#27), and Planet Money (#43), among others.

The Q1 2024 Top 50 Podcasts in the US were:

1. The Joe Rogan Experience (Joe Rogan)
2. Crime Junkie (audiochuck)
3. The Daily (The New York Times)
4. New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce (Wave Sports + Entertainment)
5. Dateline NBC (NBC News)
6. This American Life (This American Life)
7. Call Her Daddy (Unwell)
8. SmartLess (Wondery)
9. Morbid (Wondery)
10. Stuff You Should Know (iHeartPodcasts)
11. Club Shay Shay (iHeartPodcasts and The Volume)
12. This Past Weekend with Theo Von (Theo Von)
13. The Ben Shapiro Show (The Daily Wire)
14. Mr. Ballen Podcast (Ballen Studios and Wondery)
15. Bad Friends (Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee)
16. The Ramsey Show (Ramsey Network)
17. Serial (Serial Productions)
18. The Breakfast Club (The Black Effect Network)
19. Up First (NPR)
20. My Favorite Murder (Exactly Right)
21. Huberman Lab (Scicomm Media)
22. Office Ladies (Earwolf)
23. Fresh Air (NPR/WHYY)
24. The Tucker Carlson Podcast (Tucker Carlson Network)
25. Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (Team Coco)
26. Rotten Mango (Stephanie Soo & Ramble)
27. The Dan Bongino Show (Cumulus Podcast Network)
28. The Pat McAfee Show (ESPN)
29. The Joe Budden Podcast (The Joe Budden Network)
30. Pod Save America (Crooked Media)
31. 2 Bears 1 Cave (YMH Studios)
32. TED Talks Daily (TED Audio Collective)
33. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (Armchair Umbrella)
34. Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (NPR)
35. Million Dollaz Worth of Game (Barstool Sports)
36. Distractible (Distractible)
37. Last Podcast on the Left (The Last Podcast Network)
38. Drink Champs (Interval Presents)
39. Your Mom’s House (YMH Studios)
40. The Basement Yard (Santagato Studios)
41. Murder, Mystery & Makeup (Audioboom Studios)
42. Pardon My Take (Barstool Sports)
43. Planet Money (NPR)
44. Cancelled with Tana Mongeau (Studio71)
45. Dumb Blonde (Dumb Blonde Productions)
46. Nightcap (iHeartPodcasts and The Volume)
47. Impaulsive with Logan Paul (Logan Paul)
48. The Broski Report with Brittany Broski (Brittany Broski and Audioboom Studios)
49. Two Hot Takes (Morgan Absher)
50. Radiolab (WNYC Studios)

As news came down yesterday that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump had agreed to a pair of debates, questions abounded about who would moderate for CNN and ABC News. Radio host Buck Sexton believes Joe Rogan is the perfect man for the job.

Both networks that announced televised debates with the candidates claimed that they would announce moderators “at a later date”. CNN doesn’t have as much time as ABC News, as the cable network will host its forum with the candidates on Thursday, June 27th. ABC News will host its event on Tuesday, September 10th.

However, in a social media post Wednesday, The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show co-host shared his reasoning for why he believes Joe Rogan is the top candidate for the job.

“If the point of presidential debate is to reach maximum audience so the American people can make an informed decision, you would pick a moderator who doesn’t care about his next corporate media contact, and has built a career being earnest and fair,” Sexton wrote. “Joe Rogan is the answer.”

In the comments of his post, Sexton also agreed that New York Post columnist Douglas Murray would also be a top choice for the job.

Despite Sexton’s wishes, it is highly unlikely Rogan will serve as a debate moderator for CNN or ABC News during the 2024 presidential debates.