The Signal Sitdown

Congress could be heading for another One Big Beautiful Bill. Congressional Republicans are facing a double-bind of a lingering shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security and the urgent need to pass the SAVE America Act, an election integrity bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote and implement nationwide voter ID, before November’s midterm elections. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, joined “The Signal Sitdown” to discuss where the rapidly-evolving GOP strategy to end the shutdown and secure American elections is heading. This is the number one most important piece of legislation we could be working on right now, Gill told The Daily Signal of the SAVE America Act. We need election integrity because every time an illegal alien votes in our election system, it disenfranchises an American citizen by canceling out their vote. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a world where opportunity for women abounds, why are they so unhappy? Emma Waters, a policy analyst in the Center for Technology and the Human Person at The Heritage Foundation and author of a new book titled "Lead Like Jael: 7 Timeless Principles for Today's Women of Faith," has thought deeply about this question and joins “The Signal Sitdown” this week to discuss. “Women have more choices before them than ever before. And yet, despite the abundance of choices before them, they are less equipped than ever before with the life script or guidance necessary to make good decisions.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Detroit has become the poster child of American decline and for good reason: No city in what is now known as the Rust Belt experienced such soaring highs and such abysmal lows. In the 1950s, Detroit was the wealthiest city in America. By 2014, just one year after the city declared bankruptcy, Detroit was considered the poorest city in America. Detroit is starting to show signs of comeback by courting large investments from some of the companies who brought Detroit to its zenith, such as the Ford Motor Company, and balancing the city’s checkbook. But plenty of problems persist, and the whiplash has left policymakers and every day Americans asking what happened, and what is the way back for cities like Detroit. Rodney Lockwood is a member of the Board of Directors of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy with a business background in real estate. Lockwood joins “The Signal Sitdown” this week to help unpack Detroit’s collapse, the beginnings of its recovery, and share his bold plan to revitalize a forgotten part of the city. “I think Detroit is probably the most prime example,” of the Rust Belt’s collapse, Lockwood told The Daily Signal, “because other cities have not suffered as much as Detroit.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President JD Vance’s life has taken him from the hollowed out town of Middletown, Ohio to the halls of power. Between his challenging upbringing, his service in the Marine Corps, his stint in Silicon Valley, his Senate tenure, and now his vice presidency, it’s easy to lose sight of the two short days leading up to President Donald Trump picking Vance as his running mate. Reflect on those two days in the middle of July and you’ll see the distillation of a long career arc for such a young man. Author Frank DeVito joins “The Signal Sitdown” this week to discuss his new book on the vice president, titled “JD Vance and the Future of the Republican Party,” and the role Vance was born to play in American political life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Jeremy Carl, President Donald Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the Department of State, testified on his nomination in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Carl has spent the better part of the last year of his life pursuing this State Department post, at great personal and professional expense. And, fresh off of the hearing in which Senate Democrats sought to destroy his reputation, Carl joined “The Signal Sitdown.”Carl was nominated to be assistant secretary of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the Department of State in June 2025. Eight months later, Carl is still waiting to be confirmed to a role that would put him at the nexus of American foreign policy and international organizations like the United Nations. Carl explains what’s wrong with organizations like the United Nations, why international bureaucrats are willing to turn a blind eye, and what America can do to ensure its interests are protected in these forums. Democrats in Washington have also been willing to turn a blind eye to the issues plaguing these international organizations, and they were not very interested in unpacking those issues at Carl’s hearing last week. Instead, Democrats on the committee turned the hearing into a hullabaloo by repeatedly accusing Carl of racism, sexism, antisemitism, and a grab-bag of other forms of bigotry. At several instances, these Democrat senators would make these accusations without asking him a question or giving him an opportunity to defend himself. When they did ask him questions, they would simply cut him off before he could fully answer. 👉For more videos like this, subscribe to The Daily Signal’s YouTube channel and enable notifications to be alerted the second a new video drops: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been five weeks since the U.S. removed former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. But the question on everyone's mind is what comes next now that Maduro is no longer in power. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott joined “The Signal Sitdown” this week to discuss the plan to stabilize, recover, and transition power in Venezuela. Pigott explained the administration's phased approach to Venezuela. "First, the stability of Venezuela. Second, the recovery, where you might see the beginnings of investment, in oil infrastructure, for example. Then the third phase being that transition to a longer-term situation where hopefully you have a reliable partner in the region." Follow us on Instagram for EXCLUSIVE bonus content and the chance to be featured in our episodes: https://www.instagram.com/problematicwomen/ Connect with our hosts on socials! Elise McCue X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=EliseMcCue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisemccueofficial/ Virginia Allen: X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=Virginia_Allen5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiaallenofficial/ Check out Top News in 10, hosted by The Daily Signal’s Tony Kinnett: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMHBev3NsoUpc2Pzfk0n89cXWBqQltHY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices