Episode Details

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4: 6:05pm- Attorney Michael Rinaldi—Partner at Duane Morris LLP—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss government overreach. “A legacy federal indictment initiated by the Biden administration’s U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington is still moving forward against two small business owners (and father and son), John and Joshua Owens, for allegedly importing and distributing diesel emissions-related components without EPA authorization.1 These weaponized charges—framed as a Clean Air Act conspiracy and for which the Department of Justice has never before sought such criminal penalties—carry up to 20 years in prison. Their alleged crime? Operating in a regulatory gray zone where vague EPA guidance and unclear enforcement thresholds make compliance nearly impossible for honest entrepreneurs. The case is emblematic of the broader federal bureaucracy’s war on working-class Americans and small business operators—especially those who support the industries that power rural and agricultural communities. The targeted small business owners primarily served customers in industries critical to the American economy—agriculture, heavy construction, and freight transport. The prosecution is not rooted in any danger to the public, but in a federal bureaucracy out of touch with the people it regulates. The Clean Air Act was never intended to serve as a criminal cudgel against American tradesmen. Yet the Biden DOJ and EPA weaponized this law to send a political message. The case is proceeding despite efforts by the Trump DOJ and EPA to end the criminalization of alleged technical violations of ambiguous rules. The continued prosecution offends core American values of due process and a fair regulatory regime. Legacy federal bureaucrats in Washington State should not be able jail men for failing to navigate a convoluted EPA rulebook. No federal agency should hold unchecked power to ruin lives over arbitrary enforcement.” 6:30pm- A new clip of New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill (D) shows her stating, “I would push an LGBTQ education into our schools.”