Daily Signal News

As the national debt tick upward past $22 trillion, Congress is getting ready to pile on yet more debt as they consider a massive omnibus bill. We discuss with Heritage budget expert Justin Bogie to unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly. Plus: It looks like Republicans called the Democrats’ bluff on the Green New Deal -- and they’re relishing it. We also cover these stories: • President Trump will sign the omnibus spending, and then declare a national emergency on the border. • Former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe reportedly said that he Department of Justice was considering whether Trump could be removed from office using the 25th amendment. • Amazon announces it won't be opening a second headquarters in New York City,, after all. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Social justice -- you’ve probably heard the term. It’s a buzzword, but it’s also an ideology. When you peel back the layers, it becomes quite clear that this new social justice ideology stands directly against America’s founding principles -- things like blind justice and equality before the law. Noah Rothman writes about all this in his new book “Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America.” He joins us to discuss. We also cover these stories: • California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, pulls National Guard troops from the border. • Freshman Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Michigan, after getting serious flack from both parties after tweeting what many consider to be anti-Semitic messages, apologizes. • The National Down Syndrome Society releases a new video celebrating the accomplishments of men and women with down syndrome. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

It’s been a year since the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that took the lives of 17 people. Today, we spoke with Kenneth Preston, a student journalist from Broward County who helped shine light on the corruption in that school district after the shooting. We ask him about what's changed, and what hasn't, since that fateful day. Listen below or read the transcript a little bit further down. We also cover these stories: -Mexican drug lord El Chapo is convicted in U.S. court. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says, why not use his money to build the wall? -Mitch McConnell calls Democrats' bluff by arranging a vote on the radical Green New Deal. -The accuser of Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax speaks out. -National debt tops $22 trillion. -A zoo in Texas wants to help you celebrate Valentine’s Day in perhaps the oddest way possible. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Is 55 miles of border wall or fencing enough? Did liberals get too many concessions? The Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky joins us to discuss the proposed border deal that, if passed, would avert another shutdown. Plus: We talk about how a journalist got a department store to remove a "Fake News" t-shirt. We also cover these stories: • President Trump is calling for the resignation of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. • Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announces California will abandon a high-speed rail between San Francisco and Los Angeles. • A new study finds that voter ID laws had no negative effect on voter registration or turnout, The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

On today's podcast, we’re featuring an exclusive interview with Rep. Mark Green. He’s a freshman Republican from Tennessee who shares his first impressions of Congress and his unique role in the capture of Saddam Hussein (whom Green spent six hours interrogating overnight). Also on today’s show: • Your letters to the editor. Next week your letter could be featured on our show; write us at letters@dailysignal.com or call 202-608-6205. • A story about the grandfather of Grace Eline. She’s the 10-year-old brain cancer survivor whom President Donald Trump honored during the State of the Union address. Find out how he is paying back a nonprofit that helped save his granddaughter's life. The Daily Signal podcast is available on the Ricochet Audio Network. You also can listen on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review or give us feedback. Enjoy the show!

Are young Americans open to the pro-life message? Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, joins us to discuss the work her organization does, and how they help pro-life students reach students with different views. Plus: Justin Bieber tells Vogue magazine he decided, after he and his now wife started dating again, to wait until marriage to have sex. We also cover these stories: • Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D.N.Y., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduce the Green New Deal. • Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, is calling for a look into Vanessa Tyson’s accusation that Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of Virginia sexually assaulted her in 2004. • A new Rasmussen poll finds that 44 percent of pro-choicers would oppose a law like New York's third-term abortion law. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Now that a woman, Vanessa Tyson, is accusing Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a Democrat, of sexual assault, the left's calls to "believe all women" have abruptly stopped. Amy Swearer, a legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, joins us to discuss that and how as a culture we should respond when a woman puts forward a claim of sexual assault. Plus: Rob Bluey interviews Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., about infanticide, the wall, and much more. We also cover these stories: • Virginia attorney general Mark Herring, a Democrat, says he wore blackface while in college. • President Trump announces he’s nominating David Malpass to be the next president of the World Bank. • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump's State of the Union speech, saying, "Presidents should not bring threats to the floor of the House.” The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Rep. Denver Riggelman, R-Va. is a former distillery owner, and a veteran. "If you don't fight for what you think is right, if you're not willing to stand up, you will get rolled over," the newly-elected Riggelman tells The Daily Signal, adding that "I don't want to be in politics, but I think people who hate politics need to get involved with politics." Plus: We discuss Fox News' Tucker Carlson's proposal that the government ban smart phones for teens. We also cover these stories: • Lawmakers' guests to the State of the Union include a transgender military member, and an illegal immigrant. • New Jersey has a new law on the books, making it the second state to mandate schools teach LGBT history. • A Hawaii legislator wants to do away with cigarettes for everyone who’s younger than 100. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

In today’s special edition of the podcast, The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness sits down with a number of Heritage Foundation scholars to get their take on the policy proposals in President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. We also cover these stories: • Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., asked Neomi Rao, a judicial nominee, whether she thought gay marriage was "sinful". • A woman accusing Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault, which he denies, is now working with the same law firm that helped Christine Blasey Ford. • Ivanka Trump reacts to a new art exhibit in Washington, D.C. that features a model resembling her vacuuming crumbs visitors throw. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Building a wall on the southern border was President Donald Trump’s key campaign pledge -- and his supporters are serious about it. So how do Trump voters view the recent shutdown over wall funding? We talk to Anne Sorock of The Frontier Lab -- she’s got some interesting polling data that paints a helpful picture of where the president’s base is. Plus: We look at The Washington Post's media bias on abortion this week. We also cover these stories: • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is speaking out against House Democrats' bill that "would make Election Day a new paid holiday for government workers." • Pennsylvania confirms that over 11,000 non-citizens were registered to vote in that state. • A California restaurant owner says he will refuse to serve any customer who’s wearing a MAGA hat. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Well, if you're against murdering infants, you might have been left reeling by recent statements made by Virginia Democrats in connection with a proposed extreme abortion bill. The Heritage Foundation's Melanie Israel, an expert in pro-life matters, joins us to discuss the new radical abortion policies we're seeing in New York and Virginia. Plus: We talk about more proof that LGBT activists aren't tolerant. We also cover these stories: • A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to reach agreement on government funding, which is set to expire in 2 weeks. But the president sent a clear message to the committee on Wednesday that he wouldn’t sign a bill without border security. • President Trump congratulated the Venezuelan opposition leader Wednesday and vowed to maintain “regular communication” during what he called Venezuela’s fight to regain its democracy. • Jussie Smollett, the actor who stars in the Fox drama series “Empire,” is alleging a hate crime against him that involved assailants shouting “MAGA". The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Hawk Newsome says he often makes it a point to meet people where he grew up. So on a cold day not long ago, I made my way to Papa Juan’s Cigar Room in the South Bronx to see the man who led Black Lives Matter of Greater New York. “I appreciate you having the courage to come to the South Bronx,” he tells me as we sit down to chat. “I make it a point to bring people to the Bronx. So, they could one, see the folks that I’m a part of, see what we represent. Two, just to see how scared they get.” It really wasn’t scary, but it certainly was outside of my comfort zone. Describing himself as a devout Christian and family man, Newsome shared stories with me about his youth and why he was motivated to become a civil rights activist and organize Black Lives Matter of Greater New York. Then, in September 2017, he made headlines when he took the stage at a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C.—and won over the crowd. Today, he’s focused on studying for the bar exam and starting a new organization with the goal of finding common ground. Our interview runs about 40 minutes. An abridged and lightly edited transcript is available on DailySignal.com. Conservatives won’t agree with Newsome on many issues, but I hope you’ll appreciate the opportunity to hear a different perspective. Leave a comment and let us know.

There's a lot to like about the new United States-Canada-Mexico trade deal (also known as the USMCA), says Tori Whiting of The Heritage Foundation. But there's also some elements that should give conservatives pause, such as minimum wage requirements and liberal social policies on sexual orientation and gender identity. Whiting joins us to explain what's good and what's bad in the deal--and what lawmakers can or can't do to change it. Plus: We discuss how the new Broadway edition of "Oklahoma" will be "gun neutral." We also cover these stories: • The U.S. ignores China and Russia at its peril, warns a new report released by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats that states, “China and Russia are more aligned than at any point since the mid-1950s." • Senate Democrats have delayed a final committee vote on William Barr to be the next attorney general, pushing his likely confirmation to next week. • A Democrat-run House committee is floating the idea of removing “so help me God” from the oath witnesses take before speaking to the committee. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

Around 2 p.m. every day, some men will use their corporate computers to make an appointment to have sex with a minor--and many of those appointments will occur on corporate property. Businesses, says Geoff Rogers, CEO and co-founder of U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, are among the organizations that may seem to have no connection to sex trafficking--but can play a role in ending it in the United States, where thousands of children, many originally in the foster care system, are now victims of sex trafficking. Plus: We discuss President Trump's push for Bible literacy classes in public schools. We also cover these stories: • The Congressional Budget Office reports the shutdown cost a total of $3 billion in foregone economic activity that won’t be recovered. • Sens. Chuck Grassley, R- Iowa, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced a bill would require Congress and the public receive a report when a special counsel investigation is over or if the special counsel is fired or resigns. • The Midwest is about to be hit with a record-breaking cold snap. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!

On today’s show, we feature an interview with pollster Scott Rasmussen. We quiz him on his latest polling numbers, including the president’s approval numbers, and some surprising trends that you’ll want to hear about. Rasmussen is a renowned pollster, author, and co-founder of ESPN. He most recently wrote the book, “The Sun is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not,” and publishes new polls daily at ScottRasmussen.com. Also on today’s show: • Your letters to the editor. Next week your letter could be featured on our show; write us at letters@dailysignal.com or call 202-608-6205. • A church in Dallas is stepping up to help federal workers who missed their paycheck last week. The Daily Signal podcast is available on the Ricochet Audio Network. You also can listen on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review or give us feedback. Enjoy the show!