The Daily Signal

Masks have become a flashpoint in the global response to COVID-19. But what the corporate media doesn’t want you to know is: They don’t work. "I think it's one of the most consistent things we can see across locations, is that there's been really no impact from masking," Ian Miller, the author of the new book "Unmasked: The Global Failure of COVID Mask Mandates," says. "The data's publicly accessible. It's all from [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] or The New York Times or Johns Hopkins [University] or the World Health Organization. ... [People] are getting their information exclusively from either the experts like [Dr.] Anthony Fauci, who have been provably wrong over and over again, or from mainstream media outlets that have just done a really poor job of covering this and presenting the data." Miller joins the show to discuss why masks and mask mandates didn’t work, and in fact, might have made things worse. We also cover these stories: President Joe Biden says he still wants diplomacy to prevail in the Ukraine-Russia crisis, but adds that the U.S. is prepared to impose severe sanctions against Russia if it invades its neighbor. Former Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann demands that the "factual background" section in special counsel John Durham’s most recent filing be removed from the record. The Senate votes 50-46 to confirm Robert Califf as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed disturbing trends about how critical race theory and LGBT indoctrination were being promulgated in schools. Parents, infuriated that their kids are being brainwashed, went to school board meetings to express their discontent. Now, some educators are attempting to hide their lesson plans from parents who would take issue with them. But there’s pushback. Many state legislators across the country are introducing bills that would require educators to be transparent about what they're teaching kids. The director of education policy at the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute, Matt Beienburg, says these bills are simply about empowering parents with respect to their children's education. "It's bringing transparency. These are our public schools, and it's to say, 'We don't think that the content that's being taught to K-12 students should be materials that are taught in secret,'" he explains. Beienburg joins the show to discuss efforts by state governments to promote curriculum transparency. We also cover these stories: Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, says a federal filing by Special Counsel John Durham proves former President Donald Trump was illegally spied on at Trump Tower and at the White House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is walking back his earlier claim that Russia would attack his country on Feb. 16. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city soon will lift its COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The integrity of our elections is under assault from Democrats in Washington and left-wing forces across America. Using the pretext of COVID, a web of well-funded organizations, working with Democrat lawmakers and friendly judges, systematically changed state election laws in 2020. Cleta Mitchell, who has spent a lifetime fighting for free and fair elections, is calling out the left's tactics and encouraging Americans to take an active role in their local elections. Mitchell, a senior legal fellow at the Conservative Partnership Institute, leads the Election Integrity Network and hosts a podcast, "Who's Counting?" With high-stakes debates taking place in Washington and state capitals, Mitchell tells The Daily Signal that it's a crucial moment to champion election integrity. Read a lightly edited transcript of the interview at DailySignal.com or listen to our conversation on "The Daily Signal Podcast." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a conversation many have had at least once in their life. A friend or family member shares that he or she is struggling with same-sex attraction. No doubt there are countless opinions on the most loving way to respond in these moments, but a new law in Canada mandates the response to be given. Affirm the same-sex attraction—or risk jail time. Yes, Canada’s “conversion therapy” ban requires parents, pastors, counselors, friends, and others to affirm a person's gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, or face jail or prison time. Canada has surrendered “to the political sphere to let them decide how we can counsel, how we can love our LGBT neighbors in the name of Jesus, and how to teach our own kids what a biblical view of sexuality and gender looks like,” says Jojo Ruba, the communications director for the Calgary, Alberta-based Free to Care. Ruba joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss Canada’s new “conversion therapy” ban and the possibility of the U.S. adopting similar federal legislation. We also cover these stories: A group of GOP lawmakers says the FBI is refusing to take responsibility for using counterterrorism resources “to target concerned parents at local school board meetings.” Consumer prices increase by 7.5% last month compared with a year ago. Illegal immigrant deportations fell by 70% in 2021. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Stephen Skoly's request for a medical exemption to the state's vaccine mandate was denied. Then the Rhode Island Department of Health ordered him to stop his critical surgical care in October. Now, represented by the Washington, D.C.- based civil rights group the New Civil Liberties Alliance, he is suing Rhode Island to stop the state from prohibiting him from practicing medicine. Skoly shares with "The Daily Signal Podcast" why he asked for a medical exemption to the vaccine mandate, what he hopes to gain through his lawsuit, his views on the vaccines as a medical professional, and more. "I would think that in most instances a vaccination like this that was authorized under emergency use authorization, you should have some freedom of choice and some freedoms that exist still in America," he says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just over 20 years ago, the Chinese Communist Party began persecuting those in China who followed the spiritual practice of Falun Gong. Today, Uyghur Muslims face imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Chinese government. Tomorrow, more innocent lives will fall victim to suffering at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party if Beijing’s totalitarian leaders do not face consequences for those human rights abuses. In the new film “Unsilenced,” director Leon Lee tells the true story of those who were persecuted and killed by China’s government because they practiced Falun Gong. The film highlights the stories of those who “risk their lives and use their wisdom to find ways to counter the propaganda and fight for their freedom” in China, Lee says. But the threats of the Chinese Communist Party extend far beyond its borders, the film director says. It’s past time for America to recognize “that the [Chinese Communist Party] is the biggest threat the West faces,” says Leon Lee, the director of “Unsilenced.” Lee joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss China’s human rights abuses and the danger China poses to the Western world if China’s crimes go unpunished. We also cover these stories: Republican leaders call on podcaster Joe Rogan to stop apologizing. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tells truckers to stop their protests. TikTok announces new LGBT guidelines. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crisis on our southern border continues to get worse by the day, critics say. Washington's failure to control illegal immigration is resulting in an influx of drugs and gang violence that makes the country less safe. Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection during the Trump administration, is furious that a solid southern border has been transformed into the Wild West in the first year of the Biden administration. "President [Joe] Biden inherited the most secure border in our lifetime, and with the stroke of a political pen from Day One, he started to systematically dismantle it," says Morgan, now a visiting fellow in national security at The Heritage Foundation, parent organization of The Daily Signal. "And as each month in the past year has gone by," he says, "the border has become less secure and our country has become less safe because of this administration's, I believe, ideologic and politically driven open-border policies." Morgan joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how the border crisis affects Americans, and what can be done to fix it. We also cover these stories. The trucker protest in Canada, called the Freedom Convoy, is up against government opposition. New Jersey and Delaware announce timelines for ending school mask mandates. Rumble offers to pay podcaster Joe Rogan $100 million over four years to move to its platform from Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The events of Jan. 6, 2021, are often portrayed by Democrats and their friends in the media as an insurrection. It's a loaded word meant to imply that protesters were mounting an organized rebellion against the U.S. government. That description might fit the left's narrative of what happened on that day in Washington, D.C., but it's a far stretch from the truth, according to Julie Kelly, author of a new book, "January 6: How Democrats Used the Capitol Protest to Launch a War on Terror Against the Political Right." Kelly, who is also a contributor to American Greatness, joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to reveal what she's uncovered in her new book. 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

Antisemitism is a problem, not only in the Middle East, but also in the United States. It’s also a problem that some members of Congress are willing to engage in and/or are willing to ignore in their own ranks. In 2019, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., made a series of remarks many considered to be antisemitic. Rep. David Kustoff of Tennessee is one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress and was horrified by what she has said. Among other things, Omar has implied that American Jews hold a dual loyalty to the U.S. and to Israel, and stated that Jews had "hypnotized the world." "What a congressman or senator says or does or demonstrates matters, and it gets magnified," he explained. "The fact of the matter is, when you have members who say some of the things that some of their members say, people pay attention, and it gains some resonance around the world." Kustoff joins the show to discuss where Congress has failed to push back against antisemitism in its ranks and what Congress’ role in combating it is. Also on today's show: The global leader of ISIS is dead following a counterterrorism raid in Syria by U.S. special forces. Virginia's new attorney general is getting involved in a lawsuit over mandatory masks in the state's schools. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other officials emphasize the importance of mask-wearing at the Super Bowl after he was spotted not wearing one at an NFL playoff game last weekend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden has been in office for just over a year, and Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., says the nation would be better off without him at the helm. If Biden “went home, back to Delaware to his beach house … and never came out, the country would be much better off,” Good says. “Everything he's done has been harmful to the country.” As America’s national debt hits $30 trillion, Good joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain the greatest challenges facing the nation and how the Biden administration should address rising prices and the crisis at the southern border. Also on today's show: Defense Department press secretary John Kirby announces President Biden's plans to deploy 2,000 troops to Germany and Poland. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calls for state governments to stop requiring masks for children in schools. Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer for the University of Pennsylvania, is in troubled waters. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's no secret nowadays that Hollywood stars and directors slant left. But Hollywood wasn't always so woke. Years ago, actors would star in movies celebrating America. So how did we get here? Christian Toto has the answer. Toto is founder of the conservative entertainment site HollywoodInToto.com as well as author of the new book "Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul." He says Hollywood is just another casualty in the left's dominance of American culture. "It's the same way the culture went woke and lost its soul," Toto explains. "A few studio executives make a few decisions, a few actors realize if they share some woke virtue signaling on social media, they'll get more attention, more positive press. And it goes from there." Toto joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to tell the story of Hollywood’s turn to the left and what conservatives are doing to push back. We also cover these stories: Russian President Vladimir Putin says America has ignored Russia’s concerns over the West’s position on Ukraine. Senate Democrats release legislation to amend the law governing the counting of Electoral College votes. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says National Guard troops are required to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches were some of the hardest-hit institutions in terms of crowd controls. Men and women were forced out of their places of worship by onerous government-imposed shutdowns, and it seemed like they were subject to additional restrictions that secular operations like liquor stores and massage parlors weren't. In a nation that finds itself increasingly separating from the biblical principles that were the basis of its founding, those church shutdowns were devastating. Grace Church, in Maryland Heights, Missouri, is one church that has decided to take a stand against COVID-19 restrictions—and against the drift away from biblical values. Marty Haas, a biblical counseling pastor at Grace Church, joins the show to discuss the efforts his church is making to steer America back on track. We also cover these stories: During a U.N. Security Council meeting, Russia accuses the U.S. of “whipping up hysteria” over Ukraine. Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., criticize former President Donald Trump for suggesting that then-Vice President Mike Pence should have overturned the 2020 presidential election results. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, attending the 49ers-Rams NFL playoff game, is photographed not wearing a mask. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a parent of three kids, including two boys who are obsessed with the latest technology, I know how challenging it can be to keep tabs on what they're doing on the internet. So, when I recently heard about Canopy, I immediately wanted to talk to Sean Clifford, its CEO. Canopy is an app that puts parents in control of a customizable internet experience for their kids. Clifford, a father of four, wanted to create a solution that blocked the worst of the internet. His goal was to give parents peace of mind by protecting their kids from pornographic content and other explicit material. "We've really brought two amazing, cutting-edge technology advances to the problem that we're trying to confront here," Clifford says. "The first is, our software uses artificial intelligence to identify pornography with greater than 99.7% accuracy. The second big advance is, we figured out how to do that in real time, on the fly." Clifford joins today's episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to explain why an unfiltered internet isn't safe for kids and what parents can do to take back control. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem criticized President Joe Biden Thursday for his decision to pick a Supreme Court justice based on race and gender. “I think that's very unfortunate that he chose that approach,” the Republican governor said in a Thursday interview with The Daily Signal. “It almost divides people based on what they look like and their background, rather than just who's the best person for the job?” Noem also talks about why the new bill protecting women's sports she introduced. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Daily Signal has previously reported on investment giant BlackRock and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. But now, at least one state is taking action to distance itself from the China-friendly asset-management company. Riley Moore, the state treasurer of West Virginia, announced Jan. 17 that his state was cutting ties with BlackRock over its ties to the Chinese Communist Party as well as over its dedication to a goal of net-zero carbon emissions, which would hurt the state's coal industry. West Virginia is the second-largest producer of coal in the country. "It's like we're paying them with our own money to destroy us," he says, adding, "We're going to move in our direction, and ... not to continue to do business with firms like BlackRock that obviously have all the worst intentions for our industries here in West Virginia." Moore joins the show to discuss what led him to that decision and what other states should be doing about companies such as BlackRock. We also cover these stories: Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire at the end of the court's current term in June. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., calls for President Joe Biden to tap a black woman to replace Breyer. San Jose, California, passes an ordinance requiring gun owners to purchase liability insurance and pay an annual fee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden has finished his first year in office with a number of foreign policy tests he has had to confront. The Afghanistan pullout, the situation in Ukraine, and our growing rivalry with China all represent tests the president has had to face. They are tests that Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie Filipetti and Senior Policy Director Amanda Rothschild say he’s failed. "You just go around the world in every region: We're worse off today than we were a year ago," says Rothschild. "Whether it's North Korea, Afghanistan, China, Ukraine, it's worse than we were a year ago, and that's a result of his policies." Filipetti adds, "Our word mattered in the past because it was backed by our power, and we no longer have the power backing our word." Filipetti and Rothschild, both of whom served in the Trump administration, join "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss a year of foreign policy events, and how the president has failed America on the world stage. We also cover these stories: Republican lawmakers accuse the Biden administration of targeting federal employees seeking religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Fearing a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration begins planning sanctions and export controls on the Russian economy, in addition to mitigation procedures if Russia withholds energy supplies in retaliation. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announces a tip line for parents to report the teaching of anything that could be considered divisive in the classroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the pandemic, the number of Americans enrolled in Medicaid skyrocketed from 75 million to 90 million. The issue? Not everyone currently enrolled in Medicaid is eligible. And the federal government is trying to prevent states from removing ineligible Americans from their rolls. This costs the taxpayer serious money, explains Hayden DuBlois, deputy research director at the Foundation for Government Accountability. "The reality is very, very disastrous for state and federal taxpayers alike, for the truly needy who are kept waiting, for other budget priorities, which are now getting more and more crowded out by Medicaid as it's just consuming so much of state budgets," DuBlois says. "So it's really snowballed into this crisis that is quickly falling out of control." DuBlois joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how the federal government is handcuffing states to Medicaid, and what conservatives should do to respond. We also cover these stories: The Supreme Court agrees to hear a case challenging affirmative action in higher education. California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat who represents San Francisco, introduces a bill to allow children 12 and up to get a COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent. Seven Virginia school districts sue newly elected Gov. Glenn Youngkin over his executive order giving parents the right to decide whether their child wears a mask at school. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools to in-person learning in the spring of 2020, parents across America began to see firsthand what their kids were learning via Zoom meetings and other virtual platforms. One of those parents, Jill Simonian of California, didn't like what she saw. Simonian decided to speak out. She began posting on social media and raising awareness among other parents about what she calls "the radicalization in our schools." Her outspokenness eventually led to a job at Prager U, the educational organization founded by Dennis Prager. Last year, The Daily Signal interviewed Simonian about PragerU's Resources for Educators and Parents. Since then, she's helped launch PragerU Kids, which offers even more content for family and children—material many of them probably aren't seeing in school. "We do not want to radicalize our children. We don't want to indoctrinate our children. We don't want to do anything that's political. We merely want to present families and educators with resources that unite us as Americans, that provide the rightful telling of who we are as Americans," Simonian says. 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

We likely all have felt the effects of high gas and grocery prices, but what is the government doing to address inflation? Policymakers' negligence has left inflation to an overwhelmed Federal Reserve, a move that resulted in disaster in the 1970s. Four Heritage Foundation policy experts—Rachel Greszler, Katie Tubb, Peter St. Onge, and Daren Bakst—recently gathered to discuss the core factors driving inflation and what Congress and the Biden administration need to do to fight rising costs. Today on "The Daily Signal Podcast," we share their insights on how policymakers can act to curb inflation. (The Daily Signal is the multimedia news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Also on today's show, we explain what you need to know about the 49th annual March for Life taking place Friday in Washington. We also cover these stories: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, announces that National Guard units will receive certification to work as substitute teachers and child care workers, to fill holes left by COVID-19 infections. President Joe Biden responds to criticism after making comments that seemed to imply a minor incursion by Russia in Ukraine would not be met with severe consequences. The National Collegiate Athletic Association announces changes to its transgender athlete policy to follow a sport-by-sport model. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the midst of the so-called Great Resignation, the far left is calling for the abolishment of all work. Leftist politicians and activists call for the government to step in and create a massive welfare state to eliminate the need for Americans to work at all. Robert Rector, The Heritage Foundation’s senior research fellow for domestic policy studies, joins the podcast to explain that work is crucial for a functioning and flourishing society. The left’s proposals to replace work with government handouts, Rector says, can have only bad consequences. “We’re now violating that contract when you [eliminate work],” Rector says. “Those who choose to work [will] have a double obligation to support themselves and their families and the families of those who choose not to work. Society will fall apart under that, and there’s no way of stopping it.” We also cover these stories: President Biden gives his first press conference since November, taking questions for over an hour and a half. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell accuses Democrats of trying to divide the nation for their own political gain. Fearing an imminent attack on Ukraine by Russian forces, Secretary of State Antony Blinken lands in Kiev for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NBA's Golden State Warriors basketball franchise is trying to distance itself from billionaire co-owner Chamath Palihapitiya following a remark he made on his podcast that "nobody cares" about the Uyghur Muslims facing persecution in China. "Nobody cares about what's happening to the Uyghurs, OK? You bring it up because you really care, and I think it's nice that you care. The rest of us don't care," he said Saturday on the "All-in Podcast." In 2021, the U.S. government declared China's persecution of the Uyghurs people to be genocide. Team management responded to Palihapitiya’s remark Monday, saying the investor “does not speak on behalf of our franchise.” Amid criticism, Palihapitiya has since backpedaled on his remarks, writing on Twitter, “I believe that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere." Millions of Uyghurs have been forced "inside political reeducation camps in China," says Olivia Enos, a senior policy analyst for Asian studies at The Heritage Foundation. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Enos joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to respond to Palihapitiya's remark that "nobody cares" about the Uyghurs, and to explain why China is targeting the ethnic group. We also cover these stories: White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Russia could attack Ukraine at any time. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., releases a report highlighting the impact of mass inflation. A school district in Northern Virginia removes a controversial gender-identity book from its libraries. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A mere 30% of Americans think their country is heading in the right direction. President Joe Biden, elected on the promise of being a uniter with better solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic, has resorted to divisive rhetoric and a socialist agenda. It's no wonder many Americans are pessimistic about America's future. Yet, there is reason to be hopeful, says Hugo Gurdon, editor-in-chief of the Washington Examiner. Restoring America, a new Examiner initiative is celebrating what's great about America while at the same time confronting the left's assault on our values. "We think that we are at an extremely important point in the country where, as I say, the left is now triumphant and they're pushing successfully against all of the traditional values that have made this country great. We need to push back and we need to encourage people to realize that they can win this fight," Gurdon says. "We need to realize, and people need to realize, that they can steer their country where they wish it to go. Most people do not wish it to go where the extreme left is currently pushing it." Gurdon joins "The Daily Signal" to discuss Restoring America, how it contrasts with The New York Times' 1619 Project, and why he remains encouraged about our country's future. A lightly edited transcript is available at DailySignal.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 54 years since civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, his words still resound across our nation and his legacy has influenced millions. If alive today, how would King encourage us to tackle the renewed racial tensions America faces? And what would he have to say about divisive ideologies such as critical race theory? As an ordained Baptist pastor and firm believer in Jesus Christ, King would oppose critical race theory because it “was socially engineered by Marxists and socialists, by people who don't believe in God,” says Alveda King, one of his nieces. Her uncle’s message to the nation would remain centered on the Gospel of Christ because his desire was to see America “serve God [and] serve others,” Alveda King says. King, a pro-life leader who is founder of Speak for Life, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to reflect on her uncle's legacy and address some of the greatest issues facing America today. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Tech actors like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube feel increasingly comfortable banning conservative voices from their platforms. But as Big Tech is willing to censor conservatives for their speech, other platforms devoted to free expression are starting to fill the gap. The director of The Heritage Foundation's Center for Technology Policy, Lora Ries, contends that as long as these big platforms continue to censor dissent, alternative platforms will crop up to try to serve as alternatives. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) "The new CEO [of Twitter] has been quoted as less concerned with free speech and more about driving their users toward information that Twitter wants to provide," Ries said as an example of Big Tech censorship. "That doesn't bode well for free speech or true public discourse or having disagreements about difficult topics like COVID and COVID response." "So as long as that trend continues, then these alternatives, I think, will grow and compete with each other," she added. Ries joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how Big Tech censors conservatives and how platforms such as Gettr and Rumble are putting free speech at the forefront. We also cover these stories: The Supreme Court blocks the Biden administration from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., confirms she will not back efforts to alter the filibuster, seemingly ending attempts by Senate Democrats to change the procedure. The House of Representatives passes a controversial elections-related bill that would greatly expand the federal government’s control of state and local election laws. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is the latest in a string of left-wing mayors to institute a proof-of-vaccination mandate. Starting on Saturday, anyone 12 or older who wants to eat at a restaurant, go to a concert, or see a movie in the nation’s capital will have to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., is one of 19 lawmakers to sign a letter asking Bowser to reverse her decision. Norman thinks Bowser’s mandate will have adverse consequences for people living in or visiting the District of Columbia. “It’s a draconian overreach of government,” Norman says, adding: “This has been a nightmare for so many of the people that are trying to put food on the table, and they’re getting hit with cost increase after cost increase. There is a limit.” Norman joins the show to discuss Congress’ efforts to prevent the mandate from taking effect—and the consequences for the city’s businesses and residents if it does. We also cover these stories: According to the Department of Labor, the inflation rate hit a 39-year high in December. A new study out of California suggests that the omicron strain of COVID-19 is far less severe than previous strains of the virus. A D.C. administrative agency announces a policy that could serve as a model for government lists of Americans who object to vaccinations on religious grounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a country few Americans have heard of, but Kazakhstan is going through political unrest that should make everyone sit up and take notice. With Russians on the doorstep and a bevy of strategic resources on the line, there’s a lot at stake. "[Kazakhstan] has about 40% of the world's uranium. It has lots of oil and gas and big U.S. companies like Chevron are deeply involved in Kazakhstan," explains Luke Coffey, director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation. Coffey joins the "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss why Kazakh unrest matters to the U.S., and what we should be doing about it. We also cover these stories: President Joe Biden says if Senate Democrats don’t get their way on voting legislation, the filibuster needs to end. Dr. Anthony Fauci clashes again with Sen. Rand Paul as Fauci accuses him of endangering his life by criticizing him. Sen. Mitch McConnell says there will be consequences if Senate Democrats change the filibuster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer, commentator, and editor Bethany Mandel only wanted to provide alternatives to the woke books being provided to children in school. So she was shocked when Facebook took down her page advertising such alternatives due to “disruptive content.” "There was no warning," Mandel says of Facebook's action. "They told us that our ads were low quality or disruptive content, but they never actually defined what about them was low quality and disruptive content. ... This is a wholesome new children's book [series] that you can buy for your children for Christmas. It couldn't have gotten less dangerous and more innocuous than our ads. We're literally just selling children's books." Mandel joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how Facebook censored her, and the importance of having alternatives to the left's woke education materials. We also cover these stories: Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., ask D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to drop the city's vaccine mandate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell releases a memo predicting Democrats will “try to use fake hysteria to break the Senate and silence millions of Americans’ voices so they can take over elections and ram through their radical agenda.” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, says he will not willingly appear before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday was a critical day for American liberty. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases to determine whether or not a stay would be issued against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates. The high court heard arguments on the Biden COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees, and also on the mandate requiring health care workers to be vaccinated. “The courts seem inclined to strike down the mandate, probably on the lack of authority ground, that OSHA, the agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, doesn't have the statutory authority to do what they did,” says Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice. The center filed a lawsuit on behalf of The Heritage Foundation in November challenging the 100-plus employees vaccine mandate. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Sekulow joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to break down the arguments made before the high court on Friday, and explain how he thinks the justices might rule. Also on today's show, we read your letters to the editor and share a good news about a bakery that came to the aid of stranded drivers during a snowstorm in Virginia. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re just one week into 2022 and already political debates are heating up in Washington over election integrity, the Senate filibuster, and spending, among other things. It’s clear that 2022 will be a significant year in the fight for American liberty. Jessica Anderson, Heritage Action for America executive director, says conservatives will face at least three major battles in the year ahead. “The fight to protect the sanctity of life, I think, is going to be in the forefront of so many voters minds, really, throughout the year,” Anderson says. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case will determine not only whether or not Roe v. Wade is overturned, but also affect the lives of millions of unborn babies. In addition to the issue of abortion, Anderson says, election integrity and President Joe Biden’s liberal agenda more broadly are significant issues to follow in 2022. Also on today’s show: Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris deliver speeches about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Former President Donald Trump says Biden used his speech about Jan. 6 to distract from his failings as president. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis takes action to limit America’s dependence on China. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Fraud over failure.” That’s what prosecutors argued Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes chose, according to former prosecutor and Heritage Foundation legal fellow Zack Smith. Holmes was accused of defrauding investors with promises of new medical technology that would have revolutionized health care. Smith joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss the ins and the outs of the trial. We also cover these stories: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announces the state will give up to $7,000 in educational funding to families who face unexpected school closures. Americans fled high-tax states in droves last year, choosing instead to lay down roots in states with lower tax burdens. French President Emmanuel Macron says that French people who will not get vaccinated are “irresponsible” and "not citizens." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The true agenda of what has become known as the "transgender movement" is to abolish sex, according to author and self-declared feminist Kara Dansky. Dansky, author of the new book “The Abolition of Sex: How the ‘Transgender’ Agenda Harms Women and Girls," not only takes issue with the objective to destroy the concept of sex, but also with the use of the term ‘transgender.” The term “transgender” was invented, but the “word has no coherent meaning whatsoever,” Dansky says, adding that “every single person on the face of the planet, all 8 billion of us, are either female or male, and that's it.” Dansky joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the history of the term “transgender” and what she thinks the movement's ultimate objective might be. We also cover these stories: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., says he is very hesitant to consider changes to the filibuster rule sought by many in his party. A federal judge issues a preliminary injunction preventing the Navy and the Defense Department from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In November, a record number of 4.5 million employees quit their jobs. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to children’s education, parents know best, Laura Zorc says. As the mother of four kids herself, Zorc has been fighting for education reform since 2013, when her home state of Florida began adopting Common Core education goals. She successfully rallied a group of parents to stand against the federally funded learning standards. Now, she is training parents across the nation to be advocates for their own children in the classroom. “Just because we send our kids to these government public schools, that does not mean the moment they walk through those front doors that we hand over our rights as parents,” Zorc says. Zorc is the founder of Building Education for Students Together (BEST), an organization that equips parents to run for school board and stand against the far-left policies infiltrating classrooms across America. She joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the importance of parental involvement in the field of education and how parents can begin utilizing the resources offer by BEST, a project of FreedomWorks. We also cover these stories: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announces he plans on forcing a vote to change rules regarding the filibuster. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, calls on the Biden administration to distribute monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of COVID-19. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announces he will no longer be posting videos to YouTube, accusing the platform of repeatedly censoring his content. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortly after taking office as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson recruited a retired finance and strategy expert to become the agency’s chief financial officer. Irving Dennis, appointed by President Donald Trump in late 2017, stepped into the job and quickly discovered the mess he inherited. Dennis spent 37 years at Ernst & Young, a major accounting firm. He would use that private-sector experience to fix HUD. In a new book, “Transforming a Federal Agency: Management Lessons from HUD’s Financial Reconstruction,” Dennis recounts the roadblocks he faced at HUD and the bureaucratic barriers he overcame to set the agency on a better course. His story shows there’s an alternative to the financial mismanagement that plagues federal agencies—and how he fixed one of them. Dennis spoke to The Daily Signal about his experience. Read a lightly edited transcript on DailySignal.com or listen to the interview on “The Daily Signal Podcast.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 5 of 2021 Day 5: During this Christmas season, we're sharing some of our favorite interviews of the year to allow our team to take time off for the holidays. Kevin Roberts is the new president of The Heritage Foundation. Roberts says he is eager to advance the conservative movement and address some of the most pressing issues facing our nation today. “The top three [critical issues that we are facing right now] are education, education, and education,” Roberts says, adding that conservatives will miss an “opportunity of a lifetime” if we cannot come together and address what is “broken about the education system.” The immigration crisis at America’s southern border and the “administrative state, the power of the executive branch to do the legislating rather than the legislative branch [doing it]” are also critical issues Roberts says he looks forward to working to fix. Roberts is coming to the Washington, D.C.-based think tank after serving as president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin, Texas. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) He joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss his vision for the future of The Heritage Foundation and the conservative movement. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 5 of 2021 Day 4: During this Christmas season, we're sharing some of our favorite interviews of the year to allow our team to take time off for the holidays. The Bible and the Torah have served as sources of inspiration and guidance throughout the ages. Accounts in the Book of Genesis of the Tower of Babel and the Garden of Eden are among those that have helped people from ancient times to understand God and to navigate personal issues. Michael Eisenberg, an Israeli venture capitalist and author of the upcoming book “The Tree of Life and Prosperity: 21st Century Business Principles from the Book of Genesis,” says he believes these stories contain nuggets of wisdom just as applicable today as they were back then. “Wow, this is super-relevant for modern times and modern challenges, this kind of timeless wisdom,” Eisenberg says about the Torah, which encompasses the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. “It has a modern feel to it, despite its nature as an ancient text.” Eisenberg joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about his book and some of the lessons we can take from the Book of Genesis. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 5 of 2021 Day 3: During this Christmas season, we're sharing some of our favorite interviews of the year to allow our team to take time off for the holidays. Thomas Sowell is considered by many to be one of the most influential and brilliant minds of the past half-century. He is most famous for his work as an economist, but is also a bestselling author, syndicated columnist, historian, and academic. Yet he hasn’t received much recognition. “When people talk about the great black intellectuals today, you hear names like Henry Louis Gates at Harvard or Cornel West … or today you hear Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ibram X. Kendi,” says Jason Riley, a journalist, scholar, and member of The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board. “But in my view, Tom has written circles around those guys and is much broader in subjects that he’s covered as well as much deeper and his analysis is much more rigorous than those guys’,” Riley says. A new documentary, “Thomas Sowell: Common Sense in a Senseless World,” tells the story of Sowell’s life and how his logic and intellect have impacted society. Riley, who narrates the film, joins the show to discuss the documentary and the personal impact Sowell has had on his own life. You can watch the full-length documentary here or by visiting SowellFilm.com. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 5 of 2021 Day 2: During this Christmas season, we're sharing some of our favorite interviews of the year to allow our team to take time off for the holidays. What does it mean to be an American citizen today? Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor emeritus at California State University, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about citizenship and other topics covered in his new book “The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America.” A bestselling author and one of The Daily Signal’s most popular columnists, Hanson’s latest book serves as a wake-up call for citizens to take their responsibility seriously. “I think we have to just take a deep breath and say, ‘We have to reassert citizenship,'” Hanson says. “We’re starting to see it with local school boards, where somebody, somehow, thought that either school bureaucrats or locally elected people are not responsible for the will of the voters who either elected them or they were hired by elected officials through that vote. And yet parents are starting to object and hold them accountable.” Hanson also reflects on historical comparisons to the tumultuous year 2020. And he explains why, despite the challenges we face today, he remains optimistic about America’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 5 of 2021 Day 1: During this Christmas season, we're sharing some of our favorite interviews of the year to allow our team to take time off for the holidays. There’s a crisis in San Francisco. Homelessness has skyrocketed and drug use is rampant. Michael Shellenberger moved to San Francisco in 1993 to work on liberal causes, and even spent time working for George Soros’ foundation. He advocated the decriminalization of drugs and promoted drug treatment programs. But, Shellenberger says, he began to worry when he saw the number of drug overdose deaths in America rise from 17,000 in 2000 to more than 70,000 by 2017. “Clearly, we are in the midst of a massive drug crisis,” Shellenberger says, “and it felt like nobody was offering a particularly clear explanation of it or offering very good solutions.” Out of frustration over the problems he was seeing in San Francisco and other liberal cities, Shellenberger became determined to diagnose the problems driving the homeless crisis and find solutions. He presents the result of his research and investigation in his new book “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities.” Shellenberger joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss how the left’s “victim” ideology has harmed West Coast cities and what can be done to save those communities from complete ruin. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conflict between Israel and terrorist group Hamas runs back decades. But earlier this year, an 11 day conflict between the two brought the eyes of the world back onto the Middle East. Hamas has resorted to using children in its campaign to destroy Israel. "Hamas uses human shields on a regular basis," Jonathan Schanzer explains. "They actually send kids to the border fence with Israel and militants hide behind them." Schanzer is the senior vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and author of "Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and 11 Days of War," and has detailed Hamas' ongoing campaign to obliterate Israel. He joins the show to break down those 11 days of conflict, and discuss how America should be involved. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Years before Donald Trump became president, legacy media was already moving in a woke direction. While no doubt some reporters are ideological, the trend was influenced by the growing prominence of the internet. Online, articles that generated an emotional response became income generators, because they led to readers spending a longer time interacting with the article. In 2017, the New York Times launched a program called Project Feels to track how younger readers responded emotionally to certain articles. "What they found was the more emotional the reader was, the longer they stayed on the page, and the more likely they were to click on an ad," says Batya Ungar-Sargon, the author of the new book "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy." Ungar-Sargon shares why reporting on racism drives emotions, how black media differs from legacy media in its coverage, and the class issues the media ignores. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As private businesses mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees under pressure from the Biden administration, employees are banding together to make their displeasure known. In the airline industry, United Airlines pilot Sherry Walker and her group, Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom, are pushing back against what they view as an overreach by the industry to control their health and violate their religious freedom. "I cannot wake up some day in 10 years and my kid turns to me and says, 'Mom, you had a chance to fix this and you didn't and you left me this mess,'" Walker says. "So I'm going to fight till the end for my religious faith and that of my coworkers. And if that means that I'm done flying, I guess I have a bigger fight God put in front of me." Walker joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about her efforts to push back against vaccine mandates in the airline industry. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The iconic voice of Rush Limbaugh no longer graces the airwaves, but the broadcaster's legacy lives on in a new book by his longtime sidekick. James Golden, known on air as "Bo Snerdley," spoke to The Daily Signal about the man he worked alongside for 30 years. Golden recently published a book about Limbaugh, "Rush on the Radio: A Tribute from His Sidekick for 30 Years." Golden, who served as Limbaugh's call screeners, recounted, "You had people that depended on him to help guide them through when they were feeling badly about where the country was at a particular moment. We had a regular reoccurring theme amongst some callers, 'Rush, is it time to panic yet?' 'No,' he would say, 'No, there isn't.'" A lightly edited transcript is available at DailySignal.com. Would you like to participate in a toy drive this Christmas? Check out the links below. https://www.prisonfellowship.org/about/angel-tree/ https://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/angeltree/ https://givingfriends.org/ https://www.romper.com/p/10-best-toy-drive-programs-to-make-the-holidays-happy-for-everyone-19434287 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cuba's communist regime has done almost everything in its power to put an end to pro-democracy protests there. Now, the movement for freedom is fighting to stay alive even as many of its leaders and others have been imprisoned. Last month, Cubans again tried to gather and protest the regime, but the government met the effort with intimidation and force. The protest ultimately resulted in “about 80 new people that were detained and remained detained,” says John Suarez, executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba. The pro-democracy movement in Cuba gained new momentum in July, when thousands of Cubans took to the streets during several days of unplanned protests. Cuba’s communist government is still detaining over 700 of those involved in the protests. The Cuban government's motive is that "they want control,” says Suarez, who joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to describe the situation and what hope remains for a free Cuba. We also cover these stories: President Biden signs a measure, passed by Congress, to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion. YouTube cancels conservative talk show host and comedian Steven Crowder for the rest of the year. Kim Kardashian discusses cancel culture with former New York Times writer Bari Weiss on the podcast "Honestly." Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops continue to amass at Ukraine’s snowy border. A tense atmosphere permeates the cold. And one question is on many minds: Will Russia invade again? Alexis Mrachek, research associate for Russia and Eurasia at The Heritage Foundation, says she thinks it’s quite possible. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.) “I think in looking at a potential second invasion of Ukraine versus not another invasion, I think it’s more likely that Russia would invade Ukraine,” Mrachek explains. “I think it is more likely just looking at the tensions building up, and Russia is now demanding that NATO retract its pledge to admit Ukraine and Georgia one day.” “And so Russia and the U.S. and Western players keep going back and forth,” she says. “It seems more likely that Russia would invade.” Mrachek joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to detail the history of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, lay out the consequences of another Russian invasion, and explain how America and the world should respond to Russian aggression. We also cover these stories: The House votes to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., says she supports expanding the Supreme Court from the current nine justices. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, introduces a bill targeting critical race theory in K-12 classrooms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if former President Ronald Reagan was right? What if freedom really is never more than “one generation away from extinction,” as the then-governor of California said during his inaugural address in 1967. A Purcellville, Virginia-based Christian youth group called Generation Joshua has heeded Reagan’s warning and is working tirelessly to empower and educate teenagers to become future leaders of our nation. The organization exists “to teach high school students about their country, where it comes from, why it's free, and how to keep it that way,” Joel Grewe, the director of Generation Joshua, says. Through summer camps, local clubs, and other creative events, Generation Joshua has taught thousands of teens how to protect American liberties. In celebration of Bill of Rights Day on Dec. 15, Grewe and Jeremiah Lorrig, the organization’s deputy director, join “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share stories of the ways Generation Joshua is training and empowering America’s future leaders. Follow these links to learn more about Joshua Generation, Constituting America, or the American History and Civics Initiative. We also cover these stories: President Joe Biden calls on Congress to pass gun-control measures to try and clamp down on gun violence. Wholesale prices rise by 9.6% since last year. The New Hampshire chapter of the American Federation of Teachers announces it is suing the state to block a law prohibiting teachers from teaching critical race theory in their classrooms. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Americans experience inflation at a rate not felt in four decades, the Biden administration continues to promote a multitrillion-dollar social spending package. “Our spending is already out of control,” Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., says, adding that “new government spending is only going to exacerbate [inflation] and make it worse.” In an effort to get spending under control and inflation rates down, the second-term congressman says, lawmakers should “completely kill this bill.” The House passed the multitrillion-dollar spending package in November and Senate Democrats are working to gain the votes needed to pass it before the end of the year. Steil joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the likelihood that congressional Democrats will secure final passage of the social spending bill and what steps lawmakers should take to stop rising inflation rates. Steil also discusses how small businesses in his home state of Wisconsin are fairing amid economic challenges and after the riots that struck parts of the state last summer. We also cover these stories: The tornado that tore through Kentucky late Friday and into Saturday claimed at least 70 to 80 lives, officials say. The Supreme Court declines to decide whether Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers violated the First Amendment by barring a conservative think tank from attending his press conferences. California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will empower citizens to enforce a ban on the sale and manufacturing of "assault weapons." Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell—the right-hand woman of deceased financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein—continues this week, with Maxwell’s defense attorneys expected to make their case Thursday. Maxwell is charged with recruiting and grooming four underaged girls to be abused by Epstein. To better understand the details and nuance of this disturbing case, The Daily Signal spoke with Zack Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Florida and a legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. You can listen to the podcast or read a lightly edited transcript below. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Scott Atlas had a front-row seat at the White House as a member of President Donald Trump's Coronavirus Task Force. Now, he's telling all in a new book, "A Plague Upon Our House: My Fight at the Trump White House to Stop COVID from Destroying America." "The American people need to know the level of incompetence, the lack of rigor, the lack of critical thinking. I was stunned at what I saw," Atlas says of his time at the White House. "We had bureaucrats in charge of the policy and that policy was the restrictions and lockdowns. And it failed." Atlas blames three public health officials: Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator; Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about his time on Trump's task force, President Joe Biden's failures, and a new academy he founded at Hillsdale College. Watch the full interview or read an abridged transcript at DailySignal.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Venezuela used to be a thriving and prosperous Latin American nation. Its citizens enjoyed a quality of life, and immigrants flocked there to better their situation. All of that changed abruptly when socialism took over the Venezuelan government. The once flourishing country quickly became an example for other nations as to what happens when socialism is allowed to run rampant. Violent crime skyrocketed, people lost their lives and livelihoods, and neighbors began to view each other as rivals for ever-diminishing resources. Yet, many Americans, blissfully ignorant of the ravages of socialism, want to bring it to the United States. When they hear the word socialism, they think of "free" college and health care, as promised by politicians such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Venezuelan Daniel Di Martino has seen firsthand the horrors inflicted by socialism in his homeland, and wants to educate people about what it's really like. "In Venezuela, about 30,000 people get killed every year of murder. My aunt got kidnapped one time, and when she went to report the kidnapping in the police station, one of the police officers was one of the kidnappers," Di Martino said. "It's a country destroyed by socialist policies, so it's very hard to find food, very hard to find basic necessities," he added. "So, you have to make lines for hours. You have to bribe people. You have to be corrupt. It's not a good place to live. And so, that's why I'm very grateful to have been able to come to America." Di Martino joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to share his experiences with life in socialist Venezuela, as well as to offer his advice on how to educate Americans about the dangers of the ideology. We also cover these stories: President Joe Biden pushes world leaders to bolster democracy during a virtual "Summit for Democracy." The Food and Drug Administration authorizes booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 16- and 17-year-olds. The parents of two girls who survived the Oxford High School shooting near Detroit file two $100 million lawsuits against the school district in federal court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a topic that few people know about, but that has far-reaching consequences. Trial lawyers across the country are cozying up to the left, advancing their radical agendas while lining their pockets with government money. The result? The average consumer pays the price. "It affects [consumers] in part because you've got governments handing out big-deal contracts to politically active people on probably the wrong side of the aisle," says O.H. Skinner, executive director of Alliance for Consumers. "And I think that alone should be something that people pay attention to." "But on a basic level," Skinner adds, "these contracts are the kind of things where there's millions of dollars that are often not tied to individual cases, not tied to case outcomes, where consumers get money." Skinner joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how widespread the relationship between trial lawyers and the left is, as well as offer solutions for conservatives. We also cover these stories: President Joe Biden says he won’t unilaterally send U.S. troops to defend Ukraine from a Russian invasion. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol will pursue contempt charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for failing to appear for a deposition. California is positioning itself to be an abortion sanctuary if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices