Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw

A conversation between Vice President Mike Pence and Dan Crenshaw recorded in front of a live audience at Texas A&M University on Veterans Day 2021. This interview was crossposted Vice President Pence's new podcast series "American Freedom with Mike Pence." Follow him on Twitter at @Mike_Pence.

For Veterans Day, Sebastian Junger joins us to look at the psychology behind the human instinct (especially among young men) to pursue war and self-sacrifice, how these motivations are inextricably linked to tribalism and community, and the tensions between the rules of community and the individual desire for freedom. We also reflect on the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal and engage in a friendly debate about the political climate in America today. Sebastian Junger has spent much of his journalism career embedded in the most dangerous places on Earth, including the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan where he made the documentaries Restrepo and Korengal with his late colleague Tim Hetherington. He is the NYTimes bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, Tribe, Freedom, and War. Follow him on Twitter at @sebastianjunger.

Bringing rational environmentalism to the conversation at COP26 (the U.N. Climate Change Conference) in Glasgow, Scotland for this special episode Dan recorded live with Rep. Garret Graves, Rep. Marianne Miller-Meeks, and Rep. John Curtis. Follow Rep. Garret Graves on Twitter at @RepGarretGraves. Follow Rep. Marianne Miller-Meeks on Twitter at @RepMMM. Follow Rep. John Curtis on Twitter at @RepJohnCurtis.

As world leaders and environmental activists meet in Scotland for COP26 - the U.N. Climate Change Conference - to negotiate policies that could accelerate decarbonization and mitigate the impacts of climate change, they are largely dismissing humanity's best shot at a carbon-free future: nuclear energy. Rep. Jeff Duncan is one of the foremost experts on nuclear energy policy in Congress, and he joins us to talk about what the world gains by embracing nuclear energy, debunk the misconceptions about its risks, and explain how we overcome the barriers to building more nuclear reactors. Jeff Duncan is the Representative of South Carolina's 3rd District and serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, where he has been a leader on nuclear energy. Follow him on Twitter at @RepJeffDuncan.

Kayleigh McEnany joins us for a master class in the art of debate and persuasion as she recounts her time as press secretary for President Trump. She shares stories about the most infamous crises inside the White House, how to handle unruly journalists, preparing and framing arguments, and advice she would give Jen Psaki. Kayleigh McEnany is the author of "For Such a Time as This: My Faith Journey through the White House and Beyond." Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @kayleighmcenany.

Texas Public Policy Foundation's chief economist Vance Ginn joins us to examine the economic and fiscal policies that are unnecessarily burdening taxpayers, devaluing the dollar, incentivizing unemployment, and creating the current supply chain and energy crises. We discuss what an ideal tax and regulatory system should look like, and have a broader philosophical conversation about the purpose of taxation. Vance Ginn, PhD, is the chief economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the former associate director for economic policy of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the Executive Office of the President during the Trump administration. Follow him on Twitter at @VanceGinn.

Manhattan Institute economist Brian Riedl joins us for a 30 minute crash course on the federal debt, budget, and taxes. We cover budget gimmicks in the Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending bill, misconceptions about the Child Tax Credit and wealth taxes, government shutdowns and debt ceilings, and what happens when the 100+ trillion dollar debt avalanche hits the American economy. Brian Riedl is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, focusing on budget, tax, and economic policy. Previously, he worked for six years as chief economist to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and as staff director of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Riedl.

The progressive movement wants you to believe that freedom means the right to have all of your needs fulfilled by the services of others. Their rationale goes like this: with your basic needs met, you are free to pursue your dreams. It's become a pervasive talking point among the left in our cultural and political debates. On this special solo episode, Dan argues why this redefinition of freedom is wrong and the consequences for the individual and the civilization that adopts it. If America is to remain the "shining city on the hill" - then its citizens must again embrace the foundation of true freedom: fortitude.

When an ideological movement attempts to end all policing, jails, drug treatment facilities, psychiatric care, and shelters - what kind of civilization do you get? Michael Shellenberger returns to expose how progressive policies have caused the skyrocketing rates of addiction, overdoses, crime, and homelessness in San Francisco and other major cities. We also assess the current state of the climate debate as Europe and California face escalating energy crises thanks to unreliable renewables. Michael Shellenberger is the author of "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities" and "Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All." Follow him on Twitter at @ShellenbergerMD.

With the Facebook "Whistleblower" report, the authoritarian left is using a statement we can all agree with ("Teenage bullying is wrong!") to justify unaccountable government oversight and censorship of big tech. National Review's Andy McCarthy joins us to explain how some Republicans are falling into the Democrats' censorship trap, why the left and right truly do not see eye to eye on this issue, and modifications we could make to Section 230 to stop big tech's censorship of conservatives without destroying our 1st Amendment rights. We also looked at the legal implications of Governor Abbott's prohibition on vaccine mandates and Attorney General Merrick Garland's investigation of parents as "domestic terrorists" for protesting their school boards' mask mandates. Andy McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Follow him in Twitter at @AndrewCMcCarthy.

Pharmaceutical opioids and the flood of Chinese fentanyl infiltrating our southern border have created a crisis that's killing hundreds of thousands of Americans every year and leaving millions more in the downward spiral of addiction. Until recently, our only way of dealing with the problem has been prison, rehab, methadone, or some combination of the three. Daniel Powell joins us to look at how we got here, the new medical innovations in combating America's worst epidemic, and the regulatory reforms we need to keep moving forward. Daniel Powell has over 20 years in developing and selling technology-based products. He has served in multiple leadership roles including software engineering, program management, marketing & business development. Over his career, Mr. Powell launched over 18 medical device products including those for Deep Brain Stimulation for movement disorders and Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy. Most recently he co-founded and serves as CEO of Spark Biomedical, developing a novel, wearable neurostimulation solution to address opioid withdrawal and addiction.

Another policy deep dive episode that will make you a lot more knowledgable about our healthcare system and what's happening with Medicare. Lanhee Chen joins us to break down the $1 trillion component of Bernie's $3.5 trillion "human" infrastructure bill, which supposedly expands Americans access to Medicare. We also cover the funding challenges with the current Medicare program, better ideas to help the working poor, debunk some myths about Britain and Canada's single payer systems, and ask whether or not Obamacare lived up to its promise of equalizing healthcare access for all Americans. Lanhee J. Chen, Ph.D. is the David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies at the Hoover Institution and Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University. Follow Lanhee Chen on Twitter at @lanheechen.

Bernie and the Squad want you to believe poverty and income inequality are worse than ever in America. But what's the truth? Dr. Scott Winship, director of poverty studies at American Enterprise Institute, joins us to look at the current state of poverty in America. We examine Bernie's claims that the rich are stealing wealth from the middle class, assess how our social welfare programs and safety net benefits are impacting everything from employment to income mobility to intergenerational poverty, and ask what reforms we could implement to help Americans who are truly trapped in the poverty cycle. Dr. Scott Winship is a senior fellow and the director of poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he researches social mobility and the causes and effects of poverty. He also focuses on economic insecurity and inequality, among other poverty issues. Follow him on Twitter at @swinshi.

Bari Weiss joins us to look at how the woke progressives' monoculture, intolerance, and cowardice, which has been creeping into America's most treasured institutions for decades, has finally taken over. Bari describes in vivid detail what it was like to be an editor at the NY Times when their owners caved to the journalists who claimed their lives were "in danger" because of a Tom Cotton oped. And we discuss what conservatives need to do better to reach liberals and moderates who believe in the core first principles which created America, and which the progressive movement is seeking to erase from the culture. Bari Weiss is the host of Honestly Podcast and a writer on Substack. From 2017 until 2020, Bari was a staff writer and editor for the Opinion section of The New York Times. Before joining the Times, Bari was an oped editor at the Wall Street Journal and an associate book review editor there. Her first book, "How to Fight Anti-Semitism," was a Natan Notable Book and the winner of a 2019 National Jewish Book Award. Follow Bari on Twitter at @BariWeiss.

Dan joins his friend and fellow veteran LTC Daniel Gade, PhD to recount their post-combat injury experiences with the VA's perverse structure of incentivizes which cause veterans to become sicker, poorer, and disempowered. We look at the policies and culture which enable this victimhood mentality among injured and non-injured veterans alike, and what we should be doing to help our veterans thrive in civilian life. LTC Daniel Gade, PhD is the co-author of "Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy Is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer." He is a twice wounded retired US Army lieutenant colonel, professor, public policy leader, and former US Senate candidate from Virginia. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielMGade.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD joins us to review the mistakes, misrepresentations, and institutional barriers at the CDC and other public health institutions that hindered our response to the COVID-19 pandemic - along with the tactical steps we must take to defeat the next pandemic. We also discuss reforming the FDA approval process to allow medical innovation and why the drug price controls found in the Democrats' HR3 legislation will stop the next breakthrough drugs from emerging. Scott Gottlieb, MD, is the author of "Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic." He is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. From 2017 to 2019 he served as the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Gottlieb is also a special partner with the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates and serves on the boards of Pfizer, Illumina, Aetion, and Tempus. Follow him on Twitter at @ScottGottliebMD.

This episode originally premiered on August 25, 2020. Historian Amity Shlaes joins us for a new look at the origins and aftermath of LBJ's Great Society – the massive federal poverty-reduction programs of the 1960's. The debates in that era were the same debates today: socialism vs capitalism, public-sector vs private-sector, victimhood vs self-empowerment. And the cost of these programs led to devastating outcomes which are still unfolding to this day. Amity Shlaes' most recent book is Great Society: A New History. She is the author of four New York Times bestsellers: The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, The Forgotten Man/Graphic, Coolidge, and The Greedy Hand: How Taxes Drive Americans Crazy. Miss Shlaes chairs the board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation and the Manhattan Institute's Hayek Book Prize, and serves as a scholar at the King's College. A former member of the Wall Street Journal's editorial board, Miss Shlaes published a weekly syndicated column for more than a decade, appearing first in the Financial Times, then in Bloomberg. Follow her on Twitter at @AmityShlaes.

There are a lot of reasons being thrown around for the rising price of gasoline – inflation, COVID ending, Biden's attacks on oil and gas, decisions by OPEC – but what's the truth? Petroleum economist Karr Ingham joins us to shed light on the current state of the domestic and global oil markets, regulatory uncertainties, and geopolitical trade wars that are affecting your costs at the pump. Karr Ingham is an Amarillo, Texas economist, and is the owner and President of InghamEcon, LLC, an economic analysis and research firm specializing in statewide, regional, and metro area economics, and oil & gas/energy economics. Since 2003, he has served as the Consulting Petroleum Economist for the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. He is the creator of the Alliance Texas Petro Index, a tool for tracking growth rates and industry cycles in the Texas oil and gas exploration & production sector, as well as the Alliance Texas Permian Basin Petroleum Index. He is a member of the Texas Comptroller's Economic Roundtable, a group of statewide and national economists convened to offer economic insight to the Comptroller in terms of the general condition of the Texas economy and the ongoing revenue outlook. He also co-chairs the Supply and Demand Committee of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA).

You probably didn't read the recent United Nations IPCC 4,000 page report on global warming impacts. But you definitely saw the media headlines about it screaming, "A Code Red for Humanity!" But the report did not predict any catastrophic, extinction level events, and if you ask Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, it was actually quite reasonable. Bjorn returns to break down what the report actually says, the truth about heat wave and hurricane trends, and give reasons why we can all be optimistic about Earth's future. Dr. Bjorn Lomborg is president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. The Copenhagen Consensus Center is a think-tank that researches the smartest ways to do good. For this work, Lomborg was named one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. His numerous books include "False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet", "The Skeptical Environmentalist", "Cool It", "How to Spend $75 Billion to Make the World a Better Place", "The Nobel Laureates' Guide to the Smartest Targets for the World 2016-2030" and "Prioritizing Development: A Cost Benefit Analysis of the UN's SDGs". Follow Dr. Lomborg on Twitter at @BjornLomborg.

Two big trends have radically transformed space exploration over the past decade: the privatization of the space industry thanks to Elon Musk and the rise of the Chinese space program. What does this mean for NASA's mission in the 21st century? Are we on the verge of geopolitical battles with China over Moon territories? Why does Elon maybe want to nuke Mars? Space journalist and author Eric Berger joins us to look at what we can expect as humanity enters the next great era of space travel. Eric Berger is the author of "Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX." He is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering SpaceX, NASA, and everything beyond. Follow him on Twitter at @SciGuySpace.

Is there an infrastructure crisis in America? Would we really need $1.5 trillion in new spending to solve it? Dr. Ed Glaeser joins us to break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of the new infrastructure bill, and help debunk the magical thinking among Democrats that if we just spend massive amounts of money on rail lines, we'll revitalize stagnant economies. Ed Glaeser is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1992. He regularly teaches microeconomic theory and, occasionally, urban and public economics. Glaeser's research focuses on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission. He has published dozens of papers on cities, economic growth, and law and economics. Glaeser is the author of Cities, Agglomeration, and Spatial Equilibrium (2008); Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier (2012); and coauthor of Rethinking Federal Housing Policy: How to Make Housing Plentiful and Affordable (2008). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Taking orders from terrorists, silencing political opponents, and implementing unconstitutional COVID mandates ad infinitum. When a political ideology with no limiting principles controls our institutions, the inevitable outcome is tyranny. Ben Shapiro returns to show us how the authoritarian left is creating a grave danger to our republic and free societies across the globe, and what we can do to stop it. Ben Shapiro is the NY Times bestselling author of the new book "The Authoritarian Moment," host of "The Ben Shapiro Show," and Editor Emeritus of www.dailywire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @benshapiro.

Andy Stumpf joins us to help unpack the complex dynamics of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, its ramifications for America's national security, and what he learned as a Navy SEAL on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq during the most dangerous era of the War on Terror. Andy Stumpf is the host of the podcast series "Cleared Hot." He first deployed in 2002 as a member of SEAL Team Six. During his career he completed 10 deployments and executed hundreds of combat operations throughout the world. He was medically retired from service in 2013. Follow Andy on Twitter at @AndyStumpf77 and Instagram at @andystumpf212.

Revisiting our interview from last year with General H.R. McMaster where we asked the question: what does America gain by maintaining a military presence in Afghanistan? General McMaster brings decades of experience on the geopolitical stage to answer this question along with how we should address the escalating tensions with Russia and China. General McMaster is a retired Army Lieutenant General and former National Security Advisor. He is the author of "Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World." He served in Cold War Europe and led the Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment during the first Gulf War. In 2004, he led the 3rd Armored Calvary in Tal Afar, Iraq, where he pioneered a new counter insurgency strategy. From February 2017 to April 2018, General McMaster served as National Security Advisor to the President. Follow him on Twitter at @LTGHRMcMaster. This episode originally premiered on September 27, 2020.

"nO mORe EnDleSs wArs!" When your entire foreign policy is built upon an emotional slogan, this is what you end up with: a new terrorist safe haven and millions of women and children now under the rule of the Taliban. Dan and Rep. Mike Waltz react to the news that Afghanistan has fallen.

Conservatives are losing the debate over capitalism and free markets, and not just among young college students - a growing number of Americans on the right want more government intervention and stimulus checks. How can we change their minds? Dr. Samuel Gregg thinks it would help if conservatives reframe the economic argument for capitalism as a moral argument - and he joins us to show just how we can do that. Dr. Samuel Gregg is a Visiting Scholar at The Heritage Foundation's Center for American Studies and the Research Director at the Acton Institute. Follow him on Twitter at @DrSamuelGregg.

Dr. Jonathan Haidt joins us to discuss the psychology of America's reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to build resilience and thrive in this volatile, uncertain world. Along the way we explore the rise of micro aggression and "safetyism" on campuses, the moral roots of conservatives and liberals, the increasingly toxic polarization on social media and college campuses, and the implications for our democracy. Dr. Haidt is a professor of social psychology at NYU-Stern and author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. He is also the co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, a collaboration among nearly 2500 professors who are working to increase viewpoint diversity and freedom of inquiry in universities. Follow him on Twitter at @JonHaidt. This episode premiered on March 22, 2020.

Uncovering how and when COVID-19 emerged is crucial to understanding the nature of the virus and preventing the next global pandemic. So why have Dr. Fauci and the Democrats attempted to shut down every conversation about the pandemic's origins? Congressman Mike Gallagher joins us to talk about Dr. Fauci's underlying motivations, and set the record straight on everything we know and don't know about the origins of COVID-19. He also gets Dan to answer the question on everyone's minds: who would win in a fight - Dan or Jocko? Rep. Mike Gallagher was first elected in 2016 to represent Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District. He serves on the Armed Services committee and Transportation and Infrastructure committee. He's a graduate of Princeton (BA), the National Intelligence University (MS), and Georgetown (MS, MA, and PhD). He served in the Marine Corps as an intelligence officer and fought in Iraq. Follow Rep. Gallagher on Twitter and Instagram at @RepGallagher.

Private jets. Miller Lite. Care packages. COVID in Speaker Pelosi's office. What do all these things have in common? Texas Democrats in Washington. You've heard a lot about the chaos that's unfolded surrounding the Texas State Representatives who fled to DC in order to block election security reforms, but you probably haven't heard much about the reasons why they're against these reforms. Dan unpacks and debunks their arguments in this quick solo episode.

Matthew Lohmeier is the former Space Force Commander who was fired after speaking out against the growing influence of Marxist ideology in military training. We talk about what he witnessed while in command, how CRT and the modern left's tactics are taken from the playbook of Mao's Cultural Revolution, and what service members can do to stop it. Matthew Lohmeier is the author of "Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military." Follow him on Twitter at @matthewlohmeier.

David Bahnsen joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on the self-inflicted wounds to America's economy which could end our status as a world superpower. Why is government debt the driving force behind our declining growth? What does it mean when the Federal Reserve "prints money" - and is it really as bad as it sounds? How did our Judeo-Christian heritage lead to the greatest economic prosperity the world has ever known - and what do we lose when we separate the sacred from the secular? We cover all that and much more in less than 60 minutes. David Bahnsen is the founder of The Bahnsen Group - a private wealth management firm with over $3 billion in assets, and a frequent commentator on Fox News and CNBC, regular contributor to National Review, and the author of best-selling books including "Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It" and the soon to be released "There's No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths." Follow him on Twitter at @DavidBahnsen.

Jesse Watters joins us to impart lessons learned from nearly two decades of facing off against the most radical, far-left activists in America. Find out how to survive a cancel culture mob, what it's really like to work in news media, and why humor and entertainment are the best weapons of political persuasion. Jesse is the author of the new book "How I Saved the World" and the co-host of "The Five" and host of "Watters World" on Fox News Channel. Follow him on Twitter at @JesseBWatters and Instagram @jessewatters.

Dr. Jordan Peterson is the author of the bestselling books "Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life" & "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" and the host of "The Jordan B Peterson Podcast." Follow him on Twitter at @jordanbpeterson and Instagram at @jordan.b.peterson.

What did the Founding Fathers mean by the words, "We hold these truths to be self evident..."? In what ways did they weave the concept of equality into this founding document? How should we deal with the hypocrisy of Jefferson and others who pledged their lives to the words "all men are created equal" while at the same time enslaving people? What's the difference between our political constitution and our social constitution, and how are they aligned in America today? Dr. Danielle Allen joins us to answer these questions and explore the history, meaning, and philosophical foundations of our Declaration of Independence. Dr. Danielle Allen is the author of "Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality." She is also the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of Harvard's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, and the principle investigator for the Democratic Knowledge Project. Follow her on Twitter at @dsallentess.

The issue of keeping our promise to our Afghan allies is personal to me. My interpreter, Raqman, made the ultimate sacrifice on the day I was injured. I survived, he didn't. While Raqman cannot be here, two Afghan SIV recipients, Abdul Sami and Matiullah, join me to discuss the threats and perils Afghan linguist face and the difficulty of coming to the U.S. as Special Immigrant Visa recipients. Hear their moving story and help us get our Afghan's allies to safety.

Iran is the greatest destabilizing force in the Middle East. China is waging an economic and information war against the western world. How should the United States confront each of these distinct threats to the global order? Secretary Mike Pompeo joins us to share the Trump Administration's approach and a behind-the-scenes look at the Soleimani Strike, the Abraham Accords, and checking the Chinese Communist Party's escalating aggression. Sec. Pompeo served as Secretary of State for President Trump from April 2018 to Jan 2021. Prior to serving at State, he was the Director of the CIA and represented Kansas' 4th Congressional District between 2011 and 2017. Follow Sec. Pompeo on Twitter at @mikepompeo and on Instagram at @mikepompeo86.

John Guydon joins the podcast to help us navigate the uncomfortable topic of racism in America, the antiracism industry that's incentivizing victimhood, and how to overcome people's limiting beliefs about skin color. John is an entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and documentarian. Check out his TedX Talk here https://youtu.be/CxEuHNtxe2Y and follow him on Twitter at @IamJohnGuydon.

Medicaid reform is one of the most complicated and misunderstood policy debates in America today. Luckily, we have Seema Verma to walk us through it. We cover everything you need to know about Medicaid, from its origins and purpose to how it's working today. We also discuss what it will take to build a modern health care system that brings better quality, better outcomes, and lower costs for everyone. Seema Verma is a national health policy expert that served as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from 2017 to 2021, the longest tenure in modern history. As the Senate-confirmed head of CMS, Seema oversaw a budget of $1.3 trillion—nearly a third of the Federal budget—and health insurance programs for over 140 million Americans and managed over 6,000 employees.

Chef Andrew Gruel has a nuanced, pragmatic view of the causes behind America's current labor market shortage and minimum wage debate. So why does MSNBC's business correspondent Stephanie Ruhle hold so much contempt for him and every other small business owner? Chef Gruel joins us to break down the recent twitter spat with Stephanie, and the economics of restaurant management in an age of rising inflation, unemployment, and oppressive government regulations. Chef Gruel is a seafood guru, sandwich junkie, and restaurateur. He is the Founder and Executive Chef of Slapfish, which he bootstrapped from a food truck to 24 restaurant locations in less than 10 years. Follow him on Twitter at @ChefGruel.

The tenet of Critical Race Theory is that your skin color determines your fate in life. What happens when you teach children to believe that? Dr. Richard Johnson knows, and he's fighting to stop it and the rest of the woke left's Marxist ideology from being further incorporated into America's classrooms. He joins us to talk about the real change that's needed in our education culture, ending the school to prison pipeline in minority communities, and expanding access to school choice where it's needed most. Richard A. Johnson, Ed.D., is the director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Booker T. Washington Initiative which examines the effects of public policy on African-American communities. An educator for more than 20 years, Johnson has extensive experience in teaching and research. He worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas Mental Science Institute in the early 90s, studying the efficacy of counseling and pharmacological therapy on cocaine and heroin addicts. He began counseling inner-city adolescent males and founded an academy for troubled boys which provided education, discipline and residential substance abuse treatment. In 2007 he began teaching and research in the areas of psychology and academic performance. A Texas native, he grew up in Houston's Fifth Ward and graduated from Wiley College with a Bachelor's in history and government. After obtaining his degree, he joined the U.S. Army where he not only obtained the rank of sergeant but also played for the All-Army Basketball Team. Following active duty, Johnson obtained a master's degree in clinical psychology and then a doctoral degree in education administration from Texas Southern University. Most importantly, Johnson served as the President of the Louisiana Prison Chapel Foundation for nearly two decades, building more than 20 churches inside of prison walls. In addition, Johnson served as the co-founder and second president of 100 Black Men Metropolitan Houston, vice president of development for 100 Black Men San Antonio and co-chair of the education committee of the NAACP, Houston.

What's the best weapon to fight poverty in America? Speaker Paul Ryan spent his career in the House, and now as a private citizen, developing policies to help people rise out of poverty and make better lives for themselves. We talk about the moral foundations of capitalism, creating anti-poverty programs based on rigorous data and analysis (instead of ideology and partisanship), and the dangerous trend of politicians on the left and right to embrace populism untethered from principles. Paul Ryan was the 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from October 2015 to January 2019. In 2019, he launched the American Idea Foundation, a non-partisan, not for profit organization that expands economic opportunity by partnering with local organizations and academics to advance evidence-based public policies. Follow him on Twitter at @SpeakerRyan.

Israeli Defense Forces Brigadier General (Ret) Amir Avivi joins us in our series examining the ongoing conflict in Israel. Gen. Avivi gives a closer look at the dynamics of the latest ceasefire and the evolution of Israeli Defense Forces operations against Hamas. After his service, Gen. Avivi founded HaBithonisti, Protectors of Israel, a group of retired and reserve officers and soldiers of the IDF who work to promote Israel's security.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib and the rest of the Squad, along with most of the woke left, want you to think that Israel is an apartheid state discriminating against and waging war on Arabs. So let's find out the truth from an Israeli-Arab living in Israel. Yoseph Haddad is a native of Haifa who served in the Israeli Defense Forces, an activist and founder of Vouch for Each Other. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @YosephHaddad.

COVID hospitalizations are falling, immunity is rising, and a revolutionary vaccine is free and accessible to every American. So why does the fear, the call for lockdowns, and the "wear a mask at all times" doctrine – whether you're vaccinated or not – still persist among the left and mainstream media? Dr. Reynolds Delgado returns to examine the collectivist ideology and slippery slope of social engineering which is driving much of the pandemic response, and the untold damage it's causing our society. We also discuss how viruses evolve, the new tech behind vaccine production, and protecting the ecosystem of medical innovation which enables that tech to thrive in America. Dr. Reynolds Delgado, III, is a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and heart transplantation at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center/Texas Heart Institute. Dr. Delgado has been a Basic Science Researcher in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Texas Houston Medical School since 1997, and has held the position of Medical Director of Mechanical Support Devices in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute since 2003. His academic appointments include clinical assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and UT Health Science Center, Houston. He participates on numerous advisory boards, Including Thoratec Corporation, Medtronic Corporation, and Boston Scientific Corporation, and has been on the Medical Education Committee at Texas Heart Institute since 2004. He is also a long-standing research collaborator with NASA Johnson Space Center Human Space Flight Physiology Laboratory.

Rockets are being fired from Gaza, Israel is responding with strikes, and there are riots on the Temple Mount - but no clear answers or context on the situation. In this episode, Dan unpacks the situation and provides key context to better understand the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

The pipeline is back on line but millions of Americans are still running on empty and struggling to find gas. In this episode Dan discusses the Colonial Pipeline shut down, the Biden Administration's callous response that if people drove electric vehicles it wouldn't be a problem, and the real concerns of cyber security vulnerabilities on the American way of life.

Jonah Goldberg returns! Dan and Jonah discuss their agreements - and disagreements - on all of the important questions facing the conservative movement today. Is Congress working as intended? Who are the real DC swamp creatures? What does modern conservatism even mean? Jonah Goldberg holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute, he is the editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, and host of the podcast series "The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg." Follow Jonah on Twitter at @JonahDispatch.

Tara and Dan Crenshaw give an update on Dan's recovery following emergency surgery to repair his detaching retina, and share the story of how it all began with the IED blast in 2012 which set them on this journey.

While the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East dominate our foreign policy debates, Latin America often seems to be an afterthought. The Heritage Foundation's Ana Quintana joins Dan for a look into the conflicts and geopolitics shaping modern Latin America, the symbiotic relationship between the cartels and the Mexican government, what's motivating Mexican President Obrador, the situation in Northern Triangle countries, and what can be learned from Colombia's transition from infamy to prosperity. Ana Quintana is a Senior Policy Analyst for Latin America and Western Hemisphere at the Heritage Foundation and previously a National Security Fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. She is a board member for the Strategic Intelligence Program at Patrick Henry College.

‪The woke mob currently running the Democrat Party can't directly censor conservative speech, but can they bully big tech into doing it for them? That was the question Dan focused on with witnesses Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey at a recent Energy & Commerce Committee hearing on social media and censorship. Dan expands on his conversation with the two tech CEOs and looks at the growing acceptance of censorship in our culture, the critical difference between how Republicans and Democrats approach regulating big tech, and why corporations absolutely must - for the sake of our 1st Amendment - stand up to the woke mob.‬ Hold These Truths | Bonus Episode 6 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CkS3aGNI9-w