The Daily Signal

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Biden’s Department of Homeland Security announces plans to begin construction of a border wall in Starr County, Texas. Elon Musk has threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League, but now it looks like a truce was reached. President Joe Biden has nominated a former colleague of his son Hunter Biden to run an internal watchdog agency in his administration. A number of lawmakers are in San Francisco today for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s memorial service. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday was historic, but now it's time to talk about the future, one knowledgeable Capitol Hill watcher says. "We are at a critical juncture in this country," says Ryan Walker, executive vice president of Heritage Action for America, an independent, nonprofit organization affiliated with The Heritage Foundation, which is the parent organization of The Daily Signal. "If we don't solve the spending problem," Walker says, "we won't have a country to issue treasury bonds for in the future." The Heritage Action leader says the job of the next speaker of the House is to rein in out-of-control government spending and "talk through this with the Senate and, more importantly, with the American people." Walker joins this episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about the official candidates for House speaker and how long the process of electing a new speaker may take. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Steve Scalise, R-La., officially announce their bid for House speaker. President Donald Trump returns to court for the third day of his New York fraud trial. Sen. J.D. Vance introduces legislation requiring a person’s actual, biological gender on their United States passports. Thousands of healthcare workers go on strike. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ew leadership is needed in America, says Spencer Chretien, associate director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, also known as Project 2025. "We see every day the effects of the current administration, whether it's the open southern border, rampant inflation, a woke and weaponized government, foreign policy disaster," he says. "And we need new leadership in this country." "And so, while that is true, it's also important that we get ready for what happens after Jan. 20, 2025, when the new president takes office," Chretien says, adding: So, Project 2025 is now more than 70 conservative organizations. It's organized here at Heritage, but it includes really a 'who's who' of the conservative movement. We have groups involved that are more establishment-friendly, more populist-friendly, more libertarian, social conservative. Chretien joins today's episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how presidential candidates have been responding to the project, what the administrative state is and what dismantling it would look like, and his response to criticism of the project. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Texas Democrat Congressman Henry Cuellar is carjacked in D.C. Hunter Biden pleads “not guilty” to three federal gun charges. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is ousted from his position. Chicago’s Democrat leaders are the latest Democrats to call on the Biden administration to intervene and take action on the current illegal alien crisis. Americans who disagree with transgender orthodoxy might face serious challenges running a business under the Biden administation due to a proposed rule. Relevant Links Leave a comment: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EEOC-2023-0005-0001 Read Tyler’s full report: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/10/02/biden-admin-redefines-workplace-harassment-force-transgender-religion-employers/ Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda The final House vote was 216 to 210 in favor of removing McCarthy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress has averted a government shutdown—for now. The continuing resolution passed Saturday keeps government agencies funded at current levels until Nov. 17. The bill passed 335-91 in the House and 88-9 in the Senate. But it’s a short-term fix, and lawmakers remain on a tight deadline to finish passing 12 annual appropriations bills. Republicans continue to demand federal spending cuts and money to secure America’s southern border, and Democrats are demanding more aid for Ukraine. “I think what’s likely here is, you’re going to get a little bit of both, not enough to make either side happy,” budget expert Richard Stern says. Stern, director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what to expect in Congress as spending fights continue over the next six weeks, and how a possible change in House leadership might affect negotiations. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Congress passes a continuing resolution to fund the government until Nov. 17. Former President Donald Trump appears in court in New York for a civil case. California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to appoint Laphonza Butler to fill the vacant Senate seat left by Dianne Feinstein. Polling shows that Americans don’t have a favorable view of the economy right now, and that could be a problem for Democrats. A Biden administration official reportedly helped to fund, support, and direct an Iranian intelligence operation. Relevant Links: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/iran-spy-ring-robert-malley-lee-smith Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Southern Poverty Law Center is notorious for branding mainstream conservative and Christian organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom and Moms for Liberty “hate groups” or “antigovernment extremist groups,” placing them on a map with chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. In 2019, the SPLC put D.A. King’s Dustin Inman Society on the “hate map,” years after it had told the Associated Press that King’s organization was not a “hate group.” King has sued, and a judge has allowed his defamation lawsuit to go forward. The Daily Signal's Tyler O'Neil sat down with D.A. King to discuss the lawsuit and what it's like to be branded a "hate group." Related Links: Dustin Inman Society website: https://newdustininmansociety.org/ Liberty Counsel website: https://lc.org/ Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Hate-Pay-Corruption-Southern/dp/1642934399 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., has died at the age of 90. A government shutdown lingers as deadline approaches. The Heritage Foundation is suing the Biden administration on behalf of the pro-parental rights group Moms for Liberty. Elon Musk visited the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas on Thursday. Over 50 people were killed in a bombing in Pakistan. A state of emergency has been declared in New York after heavy rains that have led to flash flooding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All of us encounter twists and turns every day—whether in our personal lives or at work. Steve McKee’s new book “Turns: Where Business Is Won and Lost” offers a guide for which turns to take to live a better life. McKee, co-founder of the McKee Wallwork marketing agency in New Mexico and author of several acclaimed books, has navigated turns throughout this own life and successful career. He joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to explain how he navigated the ups and downs as an innovative leader. Listen to the full interview or read a lightly edited transcript at DailySignal.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The House holds its first impeachment inquiry hearing on President Joe Biden. GOP presidential candidates take to the stage for the second debate, but former President Donald Trump is again absent. Philadelphia police say a large group of “criminal opportunists” smashed windows and robbed retail and liquor stores for the second night in a row. The American soldier who willinging ran into North Korea in July is back on American soil. The Senate passes a resolution formalizing business attire as the dress code for the floor of the chamber. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven GOP candidates took to the debate stage Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, for the second Republican presidential debate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum spent two hours answering questions from debate moderators Dana Perino of the Fox News Channel, Stuart Varney of Fox Business Network, and Univision anchor Ilia Calderón. Former two-term Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not qualify for the second debate. Former President Donald Trump skipped Wednesday night's debate, opting instead to deliver a speech at an auto parts manufacturer and supplier about 25 miles northeast of Detroit. Several significant moments stood out from the second GOP presidential debate, and Nathan Duell, the California state director of Heritage Action for America, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain how the debate compared to the first one Aug. 23 in Milwaukee and what issues moderators should have addressed, but didn't. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation. Heritage Action for America is an independent nonprofit organization affiliated with Heritage.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: If President Joe Biden wishes to avoid a government shutdown, he should sit down with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and hammer out a plan to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, McCarthy said at a news conference Wednesday:https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/27/biden-wants-keep-government-open-needs-close-border-mccarthy-says/ New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez pleads not guilty The second Republican presidential debate is taking place at 9 pm at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Dr. Robert’s article: https://www.newsweek.com/second-debate-gop-candidates-should-put-family-first-opinion-1829703 The nation’s capital hits 200 homicides Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doctors don’t have enough evidence to know the long-term effects of what happens to someone who takes puberty blockers as a child, the executive director of the American College of Pediatricians says. "We know that if you stop puberty with these puberty blockers, you stop a whole sequence of events," Dr. Jill Simons says, adding that there also are "effects on the brain." "There's effects on the biology that you need that for sexual organ development to become fertile in the future," she says. But according to Simon, "There's a lot of things we don't know about stopping puberty, and you can't get that back once you stop the puberty blockers." Given the rise in gender-identity treatments for children, the American College of Pediatricians launched a new initiative Wednesday called the Biological Integrity Initiative to provide not only medical professionals, "but also parents, teachers, policymakers, even teens themselves who are questioning some of these things" with resources and scientific data on the known effects of gender treatments on children, Simons says. Simons joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what medical professionals do and don’t know about the effects of puberty blockers and hormone treatments on young people and what resources the Biological Integrity Initiative offers. You can learn more about the new initiative at BiologicalIntegrity.org. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second Republican presidential debate is set for Wednesday night, and if Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, were the debate’s moderator, he knows what he would ask the candidates relating to China. “Maybe the most obvious question is perhaps the most important, which is: ‘Why should an average American care about the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party?'” he says. “It may be obvious to those of us who work in D.C. or people who work at think tanks in D.C., but at times I fear it can seem like a distant “over-there” threat, when my view is very much that it’s a “right-here-at-home-threat” and a threat to American sovereignty,” says Gallagher, who is also chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation. Gallagher, also member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, adds: Perhaps the most important policy question, though, is: “What is your plan for rebuilding American military power in order to deter a war with China over Taiwan?”And then, if they want to stoke debate, they can ask questions about TikTok, because candidates have different opinions about whether we should ban TikTok, force a sale, or do nothing at all.Gallagher joins today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss some key issues relating to China that he thinks candidates should be focused on and address while campaigning, along with his pitch to young voters who are on TikTok about why the Chinese app should be banned. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: President Joe Biden becomes the first known sitting president to stand on a picket line with protesters. Hunter Biden files a lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani and his former attorney Robert Costello. Sen. Cory Booker joins many of his colleagues in calling for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign. Republican lawmakers call on the Biden administration to provide detailed information on how much U.S. aid money has been sent to Ukraine. A new study finds that college admissions counselors give preferential treatment to emails from people with pronouns in their signature lines. Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The People's Republic of China "has used the power of its economy beyond its borders to push its illiberal and authoritarian geopolitical objectives and to change the behavior of individuals, governments, companies, and multilateral institutions," says Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of "Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World." "The reason I chose to focus on China's economic power is that I have covered China's power projection beyond its borders as a beat for about seven years, and I found that underlying much of China's power is its economic power," says Allen-Ebrahimian, who is the China reporter for Axios. "Whether that's its diplomatic power, it's still, to this day, a lot of the foundation of that is its economic power, what we tend to call extraterritorial censorship," says Allen-Ebrahimian, who has lived in Taiwan since August 2022, adding: I mean, the NBA and Hollywood studios will self-censor. This is an extension of China's economic power. And so I found that at least, I would say, until the first half of the 21st century, China's economy is the foundation of much of its power projection around the world.Allen-Ebrahimian joins today's episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss her new book and what she has seen as the biggest change that China has undergone since she lived there in 2004 and then again from 2008 to 2012. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Congress struggles to reach an agreement on the budget, moving the government closer to a shutdown. Democrats call for New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez to resign. George Mason University’s president fires back at The Heritage Foundation following a DEI report. Canadians upset after Parliament honors a Nazi-linked veteran. Ukraine says it killed the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a little girl, Kathy Grace Duncan watched her father abuse her mother and vowed she would never be victimized like her mom. "I didn't have the tools to realize that my dad was abusive, my mom's a victim," Duncan says, "so, my takeaway from that was that women were weak, women were vulnerable, and women were hated." Duncan realized she would grow up to be a woman and did not want to be "weak," so she says she "made a vow at a very early age, 'I'm going to be the man my dad is not.'" "I was running from pain," Duncan says. When she was 19, Duncan began to live as a man and did so for the next 11 years. When Duncan came to know Jesus as her savior, she got involved in a local church while she was still living as a man. Over the course of several years, Duncan journeyed with her church community and eventually made the decision to detransition. For Duncan, it was a five year journey to go through the "de-transitioning process, and that was undoing the thinking that being a woman is bad, that I'm not safe, that I'll be hated, that I'm vulnerable," she says. Duncan, director of gender advocacy for the CHANGED Movement, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share her story and discuss what children struggling with gender dysphoria need most. Elizabeth Woning, co-founder of CHANGED Movement, also joins the show to explain the fight to preserve counseling and therapy that affirms and celebrates an individual's biological sex amid a struggle with their gender identity. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Another IRS official has come forward regarding Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss’ ability to bring charges against the president’s son, Hunter Biden. A federal grand jury returned an indictment against New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez today Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced this week “the establishment of the Homeland Intelligence Experts Group.” Federal judge rules on a Biden administration’s upcoming offshore oil and gas lease sale Ukraine attacked Crimea in a missile attack Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Republican congressman is speaking out about how the Chinese Communist Party is influencing U.S. classrooms. "Well, they come in, and they sort of soft-pedal their propaganda, but yet, they also whitewash history by eliminating Taiwan," says Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee's early childhood, elementary, and secondary education subcommittee. “You can’t talk about Taiwan. You can’t talk about Tiananmen Square. You can’t talk about the Uyghurs. You can’t talk about Tibet, the Dalai Lama—all these things that they are influencing and really trying to grasp the young minds of young students to say how great China is,” adds Bean, who was elected to Congress last November. Bean joins today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss a hearing his subcommittee held Tuesday, “Academic Freedom Under Attack: Loosening the CCP’s Grip on America’s Classrooms”; the Confucius Classrooms located throughout the U.S.; and what’s at stake if the U.S. isn’t able to counter the communist regime’s influence in American classrooms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Encounters of illegal aliens on America’s southern border reach near record highs. Virginia’ public universities have more DEI bureaucracies than any other state in America. Rupert Murdoch announces he is stepping down from his role as Chair of Fox Corporation and Executive Chairman of News Corp. Canada experiences fierce protests in recent days over gender ideology. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Joe Biden. Poland says it is going to halt sending weapons to Ukraine. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the daily interview edition of The Daily Signal Podcast for Thursday, September 20, 2023. Managing Editor Tyler O'Neil sat down with Patti Garibay, founder and executive director of American Heritage Girls, to talk about scouting, and why American Heritage Girls provides a Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/20/garland-blames-trump-for-stalled-hunter-biden-probe/ https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/20/schumer-folds-in-abortion-military-battle-ahead-of-tubervilles-planned-procedural-maneuver/ https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/20/virginia-tech-dei-director-forwards-email-slamming-conservative-school-board-candidates-hateful/ https://freebeacon.com/democrats/ibram-kendis-center-for-antiracist-research-hasnt-produced-any-research/ Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is responsible for the illegal immigration crisis at America’s southern border? That’s a question currently being investigated by the House Homeland Security Committee, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is atop the list. “I think very clearly, Secretary Mayorkas has chosen to totally disregard the laws passed by Congress,” says Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., and chairman of the committee. Asked whether Congress will take steps to impeach Mayorkas, Green told The Daily Signal, he would “continue to hold the cards to my chest.” In June, Green announced a five-part investigation into the “Biden-Mayorkas border crisis.” The investigation is a response to the estimated more than 6 million illegal aliens who have been encountered on the southern border since the start of the Biden administration in January 2021. The first three phases of the investigation of the border crisis have included Mayorkas’ alleged dereliction of duty; how the border crisis facilitates the illegal activities of drug cartels; and examining the human cost of the border crisis. Green joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to preview the fourth stage of the investigation, which begins with a Wednesday hearing and will examine the financial cost of the border crisis. The Tennessee lawmaker also responds to questions regarding the possible impeachment of Mayorkas. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: President Joe Biden addressed the United Nations general assembly and he called on world leaders to stand in support of Ukraine and against Russia’s naked aggression. Next Thursday, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold a hearing on the possible impeachment of President Biden. The influence of the Chinese Communist Party “is rampant in America’s classrooms,” Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said Tuesday during a hearing on Capitol Hill. Mary Margaret Olohan reports that as pro-life activists face prison time brought on by Department of Justices charges, Republican members of Congress are introducing legislation targeting the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or the FACE, Act: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/19/exclusive-pro-lifers-face-jail-time-doj-charges-gop-moves-repeal-face-act/ Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman applauds updated Senate dress code. Eric Teetsel’s piece: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/18/dressing-down-unserious-senate/ Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special counsel David Weiss’ indictment of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is “a smokescreen,” according to Mike Howell, director of the Oversight Project, the watchdog arm of The Heritage Foundation. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of Heritage.) Howell says the three drug-related gun charges against the younger Biden “are the smallest things that Hunter Biden should be facing in any fair and impartial investigation. It would be like charging the Unabomber with mail fraud or stamp fraud or something.” “I mean there are serious things like running an international pay-to-play, influencing-peddling scheme involving Chinese intelligence officers in some of the most corrupt corners of the world in Ukraine, and having your father fire a prosecutor over it,” says Howell, who is also an investigative columnist for The Daily Signal, adding: So, those are the big things that should be focused on, but instead, they’re trying to get him on the small stuff here to give some appearance of the law actually being enforced.Howell joins today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the three charges, what’s next for the younger Biden’s indictment, and some of the other work the Oversight Project is doing. Link to Dr. Patrick Ho memo: https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/Oversite_Project/OP_The%20Investigation%20and%20Trial%20of%20Dr.%20Patrick%20Ho.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The president’s son Hunter Biden sues the IRS. The U.S. Senate will no longer have a dress code. Five Americans and five Iranians have been freed following a deal negotiated by the Biden administration and Tehran. The Defense Department recently clarified its “gender-neutral” language policy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to visit the U.S. this week. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration and regulators in California are “trying to force the auto industry to convert its production of vehicles from gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles,” warns Steve Bradbury, a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) “And they really have in mind a ramp rate to do that that gets to 100% electric, all-electric cars and trucks, SUVs, pickups, your crossovers. All those vehicles that American families need and love would have to be all-electric by sometime in the middle of the 2030s,” Bradbury says. “They also have that plan for big, heavy-duty trucks. That’s on a longer time frame,” says Bradbury, adding: But they are beavering away, working as hard as they can to push this requirement through and actually force automakers to convert to electric vehicles much faster and much more broadly than market demand could possibly support.Bradbury joins today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss three cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit—State of Texas v. EPA; Natural Resources Defense Council v. NHTSA; and State of Ohio v. EPA—as well as some of the issues raised in the three cases, and whether the cases could wind up before the Supreme Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The United Auto Workers union is officially on strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is taking a closer look into FEMA’s response to the catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii last month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did not hold back on Thursday when an Associated Press reporter implied the California Republican had launched the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden “without evidence.” President Joe Biden is in hot water after making comments about Hispanic and African American workers. Three men found not guilty in Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Congressmen are serious about border security, they will use the power of the purse to secure America's borders, according to Lora Ries. Congress is gearing up for debates over the federal budget and some Republicans say they won't support any spending bill that gives money to the Department of Homeland Security without action being taken to secure the border, a hard line Ries, director of the Center for Border Security and Immigration at The Heritage Foundation, says she supports. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) The changes needed to secure the border are comprised in the Secure the Border Act, also known as H.R. 2, Ries says. The House has already passed the bill. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the bill would "tackle asylum fraud" and end programs like "mass parole" and "catch and release," Ries says. "These are the types of tools that are needed to really secure the border and keep that flow stopped, and otherwise just giving more money to the administration is going to continue their current open border operations," Ries says. Ries joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to explain why the fight to secure America's border is so critical to the nation's future. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The president’s son Hunter Biden has been indicted on federal gun charges. The 19 people indicted in Georgia on claims of interfering with the 2020 presidential election will not be going to trial together. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responds to Speaker Kevin McCarhty’s comments on impeachment. The president of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten makes comments equating school choice and parental rights advocates to segregationists. A group of House Republicans introduce a resolution condemning New Mexico Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent ban on open and concealed carry laws in two counties in the state. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many parents, regardless of their religion, quote this biblical truth found in Proverbs: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” But in today’s culture, parents aren't the only ones seeking to “train up” a child in the way he or she should go. Now, perhaps more than ever, we live in a society that wants to tell your child which way to go. Even in the most radical left cities in America, however, it's still possible to raise kids who understand the truth, Katy Faust says. “If you are very intentional about training [your children] from the minute they can talk, your kids are not doomed,” Faust says, “regardless of whether you're in a red state or a blue state, your kids are homeschooled or [in] private school or public school.” Faust is co-author of the new book “Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City: Teaching Historical, Economic, and Biological Truth in a World of Lies." Also the founder of the pro-child rights organization Them Before Us, she joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain how parents can influence their kids from a young age and raise them with the values they hold dear. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the consumer price index, a key measure of inflation, ticked up 0.6% in August. The Daily Signal’s Fred Lucas is reporting that members of the House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday vowed to oppose another budget continuing resolution without changes, which they said would only promote more irresponsible spending. After nearly two weeks, Pennsylvania fugitive Danelo Cavalcante is back in police custody. The White House is attempting to shape the narrative on impeachment one day after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy greenlit Republicans to move forward with an impeachment inquiry. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two world leaders, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, did not attend the Group of 20 summit held in New Delhi, which concluded on Sunday. Erin Walsh, senior research fellow for international affairs in The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, says that "clearly, the two of them made a decision that they weren't going to show up." "[A]nd they want to create their own new rules, and new economy, and new standards, and new world, for that matter; for the world to play by the rules that they set forward, and I think that this was a first stab at that," Walsh says. "So, we're going to have to wait and see what happens at the upcoming [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] summit, but it's clear that they wanted to do that," she says, adding: And also, the fact that I think China was pouting because they are not supportive of India, there's tension between the two nations, and China wants to show that they had the upper hand and would not go to India, on [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi's soil, to pay that kind of respect. And so, that tells you something about Xi Jinping, which is more than we probably want to know.APEC will host its summit in mid-November in San Francisco. Walsh joins today's episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss President Joe Biden's recent comments that he doesn't "want to contain China" and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's meeting with Putin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Our colleague Fred Lucas is reporting that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy authorized the House of Representatives to move forward on an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden based on what Republicans have characterized as “Biden family influence peddling.” https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/12/mccarthy-endorsed-biden-impeachment-inquiry/ New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, is in hot water after issuing an order to suspend both open and concealed carry in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County for 30 days. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has introduced a bill today called Capping Credit Card Interest Rates Act that aims to to “cap credit card interest rates at common sense levels, bringing relief to working people across America,” according to the senator’s office. House Oversight and Accountability committee chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, wrote in a letter to State Department Secretary Antony Blinken today Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The battleground that the radical Left has not conquered is “our children,” commentator and podcast host Liz Wheeler says, but make no mistake—the battle is raging. “The Left has actually been trying to reengineer our society for nearly a century, and unfortunately, they have been very successful at it,” says Wheeler, host of “The Liz Wheeler Show.” The far Left has captured all but one of America’s central cultural institutions, she says. “They've captured the media. They've captured the education system. They've captured a lot of religious institutions, unfortunately. They've captured the law,” Wheeler says. And now, she adds, the Left has “just about destroyed the nuclear family as well.” But one element of the nuclear family "is left standing," Wheeler says, and "that's children, which probably explains why the Left is going after our children." In her new book "Hide Your Children: Exposing the Marxists Behind the Attack on America's Kids,” Wheeler pulls back the curtain on the Marxists who laid the groundwork for the breakdown of America’s families. She joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain the relevant history and what can be done to protect the next generation. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: President Joe Biden is absent from New York City on the 22nd anniversary of 9/11. Congress prepares for a spending fight as the end of fiscal year approaches. California’s Legislature passes multiple bills aimed at undermining the rights of parents who disagree with the transgender worldview. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un plans to visit Russia in the coming days. Morocco earthquake kills at least 2,681 people. Relevant Links: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/10/californias-coming-inquisition-targeting-anti-trans-parents/ Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Supreme Court‘s 2023-2024 term just three weeks away, there are three cases before the nation’s highest court that two legal fellows write “could shake up the administrative state.” The three cases are Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo; Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy; and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America. GianCarlo Canaparo and Jack Fitzhenry, both legal fellows in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation, join today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss each of these cases; how the cases might be decided, given the 6-3 conservative-liberal makeup of the Supreme Court; and the “SCOTUS 101” podcast, which Canaparo co-hosts. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The Biden administration considers implementing a policy that will force some illegal aliens to remain in Texas after they cross the border. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee tries to find out if the Justice Department failed to protect women who might have been sexually exploited by Hunter Biden. House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer says he thinks there are enough votes to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Rep. Nancy Pelosi is running for reelection. Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Britain's Prince Harry may have received “preferential treatment” when granted his U.S. visa, according to Nile Gardiner of The Heritage Foundation. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, publicly admitted to drug use in his recent memoir “Spare,” but it's not known whether the royal disclosed his drug use on his visa application, an admission that can slow the application process or result in its rejection. The Heritage Foundation Oversight Project filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Homeland Security asking for a copy of Harry’s application. The request was denied, so Heritage filed a lawsuit, arguing that it is in the public's interest to know whether Harry lied or not on his visa application. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) “Everyone should be treated equally before the law,” says Gardiner, who formerly served as a foreign policy researcher for then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and currently serves as the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation. “U.S. immigration law should be applied forcefully and fairly, without any kind of favor given to individuals applying,” Gardiner said. If the royal “lied on his application, that is a very serious offense," he said. "That would be perjury.” Gardiner joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain the significance of the legal fight and the possible reasons why DHS has been unwilling to release Harry’s visa application. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., blocks a vote on a measure to ban federal mask mandates. New York City Mayor Eric Adams says the migrant crisis “will destroy New York City” More than 440 reporters lose their White House press credentials becasue of a new White House policy. Coach Joe Kennedy resigns from Bremerton School District after first football game back following his Supreme Court victory. California becomes the first state to have a “Transgender History Month.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville doesn’t appear bothered by criticism from those who say his blocking of military promotions over a Defense Department policy relating to abortion funding is “unprecedented.” “I don’t care what they say. I was an elected senator from the state of Alabama,” says Tuberville, who won his Senate seat in November 2020. “Again, if I was affecting readiness … I do truly believe in our military and the things that we knew to be prepared. We’re as prepared now as we were last March, when I started this. It’s not affecting readiness at all,” Tuberville says, adding: I’ve had military personnel call me. I’ve had veterans. I had a letter from 5,000 veterans that said, “We’re all behind you, Coach. Keep on doing this. We do not need a woke military.”Tuberville joins today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss why he’s against the Defense Department policy on abortion and his subsequent efforts to block military promotions; whether he has spoken with anyone at the Pentagon about the policy; and Title IX as it relates to biological males taking part in girls’ and women’s athletics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance introduced the Freedom to Breathe Act on Tuesday. Our colleague Fred Lucas is reporting that the House Oversight and Accountability Committee is seeking to know what steps the Secret Service took to tip off Hunter Biden in the criminal investigation into his overseas business activities: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/05/house-subpoenas-mayorkas-secret-service-officials-hunter-biden-probe-expands/ Fox News has reported that federal Judge Lewis Kaplan on Wednesday found that Former President Donald Trump “is liable for damages” in yet another lawsuit from journalist E. Jean Carroll. Republican Senators weigh in on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health. Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio introduce the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "The Lord of the Rings," calls us to be heroic and to sacrifice for one another, according to the author of a new book on Tolkien's "Sanctifying Myth." "I'm very glad when I look at the numbers of how many books of Tolkien's still sell and that almost anything that is publishable has been published by Tolkien," Bradley Birzer, a history professor and the Russell Amos Kirk chair in American studies at Hillsdale College, tells The Daily Signal. Birzer, who recently published a second edition of his book "J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth," calls Tolkien's enduring popularity "a healthy sign in society." "I don't think society is healthy right now, but I think that's one of the healthier signs of society," he explains. "I think Tolkien teaches us to be ourselves in the best way, to be our authentic selves, to be made in the image of God, to do what we're meant to do. I think he calls upon our uniqueness, each of us made individually in the image of God, and I think he calls us to be heroic." "I think he calls us to sacrifice for one another, and that was as true in Tolkien's life as it was in his writing," the Hillsdale professor says. "I think one of the great things about Tolkien is, when we praise him, we can praise him as a person. There aren't real serious personal failings. He didn't own slaves. He didn't have all these other things that we can dismiss Thomas Jefferson for." Birzer addresses the "literary archaeology" of Tolkien and explains why he thinks "The Lord of the Rings" is "our great story of the modern world." The history professor also addresses his personal dislike for the Peter Jackson films, why Tolkien initially distrusted the very modern technology that led his books to become one of the most popular movie trilogies in existence, and how Tolkien addressed the world of Middle-earth. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not have a stroke or seizure Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has asked Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate conservative Justice Samuel Alito. Our colleague Fred Lucas reports that the Family and Medical Leave Act was a “first step” when it became law 30 years ago and should be expanded, President Joe Biden said earlier this year: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/09/05/exclusive-real-war-on-women-biden-team-denied-couple-paid-parental-leave-he-claims-to-support/ Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows pleaded not guilty today in the Georgia election interference case brought forward by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 100 million people. That’s how many people “communism as an ideology has killed,” says Andrew Bremberg, president of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. “I just want that to sink in. That is an incredible number to try to fathom or … imagine,” Bremberg, a former ambassador, says, adding: And that includes not just [Josef] Stalin and the tens of millions killed under Stalin’s brutal regime at the [Union of Soviet Socialist Republics], but also Mao Zedong, the … deadliest mass murderer ever, in terms of his leadership of the Chinese Communist Party that saw the murder of upward, conservatively upward of 60 million people.Bremberg joins today’s episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which received The Heritage Foundation’s Innovation Prize earlier this year; its China Studies Program; and whether it’s possible for the U.S. to move away from or lessen its economic reliance on China. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Committees and hearings play a critical role in the operations of Congress. But how are members assigned to committees? And do congressional hearings actually advance legislation and investigations? Kyle Brosnan, chief counsel for The Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project, goes beneath the surface in today's edition of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to explain how Congress really works and the critical role Capitol Hill staff play in those operations. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Justice Clarence Thomas releases his annual financial disclosure. Former President Donald Trump pleads not guilty to charges he faces in Georgia. Three people have been killed as a result of hurricane Idalia. GOP 2024 presidential candidates weigh in on the possibility of new COVID-19 lockdowns. Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Americans have seen a "Schoolhouse Rock" video explaining how Congress operates, or they may have taken political science classes in school. But neither paints the full picture of how Congress "actually works," Clint Brown says. Take the introduction of bills in Congress as an example, says Brown, vice president of government relations at The Heritage Foundation. (The Daily Signal is Heritage's multimedia news organization.) "Members of Congress introduce thousands of bills every year," Brown says, but many of them "are laying a marker for what they believe." "We call them messaging bills," he adds, "because [lawmakers] want to talk about the issue, but they don't intend it to pass." As in any office building, "there are conversations happening all the time," Brown says, and lawmakers have their own "congressional version of the water cooler" and "talk over what they're working on just like anybody else." "Sometimes there are the smoke-filled back rooms where they hatch plans, and it seems very scandalous and salacious," he says. "But most of the time, it's just normal conversation. And that's how things get done, is you go talk to people about it." Brown joins this episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" for the second in a three-part series explaining how Congress really works. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices