Michael Smerconish

Political consultant Doug Schoen has been the power-behind-the-throne to Presidents, Prime Ministers and even a politician-priest whose brother was a mafia boss. He helped Bill Clinton win re-election and navigate the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He conducted the first-ever presidential poll for Donald Trump - in 1987! He guided Michael Bloomberg to three terms as Mayor of New York. Three of his clients - Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Menachem Begin - won the Nobel Peace Prize. But two - Rabin and Yugoslav politician Zoran Djindjic - were assassinated. Here Schoen reveals the 50 truths of power he has learned in his prestigious career as a “Political Insider,” the title of his long-running Fox-TV show. It is a book for grown-ups. Power is a serious business. Good decisions can change your world - but bad decisions can too. The long-awaited life-time work of political art by one of the world's most successful political advisors. The 50 Truths about Power from the most powerful people in the world of politics and business include truths learned from these high-profile newsmakers: PART ONE: KNOW YOURSELF 1. FIRST, DO NO SELF-HARM BILL CLINTON, President of the United States 1993–2001, Governor of Arkansas 1983–1992 2. YOUR WEAKNESSES ARE YOUR STRENGTHS . . . DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States 2017–2021 3. . . . AND YOUR STRENGTHS ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES EHUD BARAK, Prime Minister of Israel 1999–2001 4. YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED CARTER BURDEN, New York City Councilman 1970–1977 5. FOLLOW YOUR MUSE SHIMON PERES, President of Israel 2007-2014, Prime Minister of Israel 1995–1996, 1984–1986 6. PURSUE A PURPOSE GREATER THAN YOURSELF MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, Mayor of New York City 2002–2013 7. USE YOUR ANGER CHARLES EVERS, Mayor of Fayette, Mississippi 1985–1989, 1969–1981 8. DEFINE YOURSELF, YOURSELF HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, US Secretary of State 2009–2013, US Senator 2001–2009, First Lady 1993–2001? 9. BE HAPPY, BE POPULAR SILVIO BERLUSCONI, Prime Minister of Italy 2008–2011, 2001–2006, 1994–1995 PART TWO: EVALUATE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES 10. SUCK IT UP JOE BIDEN, President of the United States 2021–,Vice-President of the United States 2009–2017, US Senator 1973–2009 11. THE WORLD IS EVERYTHING THAT IS SAID AND DONE . . . THE LIKELY VOTER 12. . . . AND THE WORLD IS EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT SAID AND NOT DONE THE “SHY TRUMPER” 13. PEOPLE ARE NOT NORMAL ANTHONY WEINER, US Representative 1999–2011 14. THINK WITHOUT HOPE ASHRAF GHANI, President of Afghanistan 2014–2021, and JOE BIDEN 15. PIGGYBACK THE STORY ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, US Representative 2019– 16. DISTRACT AND MISLEAD ED KOCH, Mayor of New York City 1978–1989 17. APPROACH THE THRONE RICHARD HOLBROOKE, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations 1999–2001, Balkans envoy 1996–1999 18. PREPARE FOR LUCK JOE BIDEN PART THREE JUDGE YOUR TIMING 19. TIME IS THE ONLY THING IN LIMITED SUPPLY BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 2009–2017, US Senator 2005–2008? 20. INERTIA RULES THE INSTITUTIONAL REVOLUTIONARY PARTY OF MEXICO 21. THE WORLD CHANGES QUICKLY MICHAEL BLOOMBERG 22. “WHEN AVAILABLE, TAKE CERTAINTY” SHIMON PERES 23. . . . OR STRATEGICALLY DELAY BILL CLINTON 24. OUTWORK MICHAEL BLOOMBERG 25. TAKE THE RISK MENACHEM BEGIN, Prime Minister of Israel 1977–1983 PART FOUR REWARD YOUR FRIENDS 26. YOU ARE YOUR FRIENDS “THE WEST SIDE KIDS” 27. YOU CAN EARN YOURSELF A LOT OF GOODWILL VERY CHEAPLY . . . LOBBYING 28. . . . AND YOU CAN EARN YOURSELF A LOT OF BAD WILL EVEN CHEAPER BENJAMIN (BIBI) NETANYAHU, Prime Minister of Israel 2009–2021, 1996–1999 29. EVERYONE CAN HELP YOU AND EVERYONE CAN HURT YOU LINDA TRIPP, Pentagon staffer 1995–2001, White House staffer, 1991–1994 30. YOU HAVE TO GIVE TO GET TED CRUZ, US Senator 2013– 31. FIND YOUR FOLLOWERS DONALD TRUMP

A New York Times Bestseller An intimate and powerful memoir by the trailblazing former CEO of PepsiCo For a dozen years as one of the world’s most admired CEOs, Indra Nooyi redefined what it means to be an exceptional leader. The first woman of color and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company — and one of the foremost strategic thinkers of our time — she transformed PepsiCo with a unique vision, a vigorous pursuit of excellence, and a deep sense of purpose. Now, in a rich memoir brimming with grace, grit, and good humor, My Life in Full offers a firsthand view of Nooyi’s legendary career and the sacrifices it so often demanded. Nooyi takes us through the events that shaped her, from her childhood and early education in 1960s India, to the Yale School of Management, to her rise as a corporate consultant and strategist who soon ascended into the most senior executive ranks. The book offers an inside look at PepsiCo, and Nooyi’s thinking as she steered the iconic American company toward healthier products and reinvented its environmental profile, despite resistance at every turn. For the first time and in raw detail, Nooyi also lays bare the difficulties that came with managing her demanding job with a growing family, and what she learned along the way. She makes a clear, actionable, urgent call for business and government to prioritize the care ecosystem, paid leave and work flexibility, and a convincing argument for how improving company and community support for young family builders will unleash the economy’s full potential. Generous, authoritative, and grounded in lived experience, My Life in Full is the story of an extraordinary leader’s life, a moving tribute to the relationships that created it, and a blueprint for 21st century prosperity.

An “infuriating, fast-paced” (The Washington Post) account of the Navy SEALs of Alpha platoon, the startling accusations against their chief, Eddie Gallagher, and the courtroom battle that exposed the dark underbelly of America’s special forces—from a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter WINNER OF THE COLORADO BOOK AWARD • “Nearly impossible to put down.”—Jon Krakauer, New York Times bestselling author of Where Men Win Glory and Into the Wild In this “brilliantly written” (The New York Times Book Review) and startling account, Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times correspondent David Philipps reveals a powerful moral crucible, one that would define the American military during the years of combat that became known as “the forever war.” When the Navy SEALs of Alpha platoon returned from their 2017 deployment to Iraq, a group of them reported their chief, Eddie Gallagher, for war crimes, alleging that he’d stabbed a prisoner in cold blood and taken lethal sniper shots at unarmed civilians. The story of Alpha’s war, both in Iraq and in the shocking trial that followed the men’s accusations, would complicate the SEALs’ post-9/11 hero narrative, turning brothers-in-arms against one another and bringing into stark relief the choice that elite soldiers face between loyalty to their unit and to their country. One of the great stories written about American special forces, Alpha is by turns a battlefield drama, a courtroom thriller, and a compelling examination of how soldiers define themselves and live with the decisions in the heat of combat.

Ray Didinger opens his lively memoir Finished Business with the Philadelphia Eagles’ upset win in Super Bowl LII. When the Eagles finally hoist the Lombardi Trophy, Didinger does his best to straddle the emotions of a working reporter and a long-suffering Philly fan. His ability to do that is why he has built up such a loyal following. Didinger began following the Eagles as a kid, hanging out in his grandfather’s bar in Southwest Philadelphia. He spent his summers at the team's training camp in Hershey. It was there he met his idol, flanker Tommy McDonald. He would later write a play, Tommy and Me, about their friendship and his efforts to see McDonald enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Didinger has been covering the Eagles as a newspaper columnist or TV analyst since 1970. Over the years, he wrote sports for the Philadelphia Bulletin and the Philadelphia Daily News. He later produced Emmy Award–winning documentaries for NFL Films before transitioning to sports talk radio and TV analysis. In five decades, across multiple media platforms, he has interviewed everyone from Hank Aaron, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Julius Erving, Jack Nicklaus, to Mike Schmidt, as well as writing film scripts for Hollywood stars such as Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. He went to the White House with the U.S. Olympic team and even explored the bizarre world of professional wrestling. His stories, told in his familiar, breezy style, capture his enthusiasm for sports and his affection for the fans who still mourn the pennant that eluded the Phillies in 1964. Didinger has become synonymous with Philadelphia sports, and his memoir is as passionate as an autumn Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.