The Daily Signal Podcast

Description:      TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down:  Congress is back and top on their to do list is funding the government. The Harris campaign now has policy positions on its website.  The House Foreign Affairs Committee released a report detailing the failures of the Biden-Harris administration that led to that batched Afghanistan withdrawal.  Apple introduces the iPhone 16.   Relevant Links: https://kamalaharris.com/issues/      https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/WILLFULL-BLINDNESS-An-Assessment-of-the-Biden-Harris%20Administrations-Withdrawal-from-Afghanistan-and-the-Chaos-that-Followed.pdf    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

A mother in California lost her daughter to the foster care system in 2016 after she wouldn't support the then-14-year-old girl identifying as a boy. Years later, the daughter regrets attempting to transition. This mother sat down with The Daily Signal's Elizabeth Mitchell to warn other parents against allowing minors to make irreversible changes to their bodies. 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 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

Description:  TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Employers added 142,000 jobs in August, but economists had anticipated more. The 14-year-old Georgia school shooter and his father have been charged in the shooting that left four people dead.  Kamala Harris says she does not support banning plastic straws.  If Trump wins the election in November, he says he will consider appointing Elon Musk to lead a “government efficiency commission.” ABC has denied The Daily Signal Press credentials at the presidential debate.  Plus, a Friday movie review of “The Searchers.” 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

The U.S. military is only as strong as its ability to procure needed weapons systems and other defense materials, and right now, America’s defense industrial base is sorely lacking, experts say. “Unfortunately, like the armed services themselves, they have been neglected,” Robert Greenway, director of the Center for National Defense at The Heritage Foundation, says of the U.S. defense industrial base.  Instead of producing all of our defense materials at home, the U.S. has outsourced some military production, but “there are some things we don't want in the hands of our adversaries, and there's some things, many things, we don't want under their control or influence,” Greenway says.  Foreign production of defense materials is not only a risk from a national security perspective, it also takes economic opportunities away from the U.S., says Richard Stern, director of the Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. “When we're talking about what's good for the defense industrial base, we're also talking about what builds high-quality, high-paying jobs in the US, what allows the U.S. to be the most productive and advanced country on the planet,” Stern says.  Greenway and Stern recently traveled to Texas, one of the few states that have managed to build up strong military production capabilities. The Lone Star State, according to the research experts, can and should serve as a model for expanding defense production across America. Greenway and Stern join “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain why the defense industrial base is so critical to U.S. military strength, and how increased production will serve all Americans through economic stimulation.

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Former President Donand Trump was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania last night for a town hall event with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.  Hunter Biden is back in court on federal charges of failing to pay taxes.   Harvard University ranked worst college for free speech.  A gunman was killed after opening fire near the ​​Israeli Consulate in Munich. France has a new Prime Minister, and he’s conservative. Relevant Links: https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/2025-college-free-speech-rankings  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

Scott Rasmussen shares his insights on the latest polling data and discusses the political landscape as the presidential race enters the critical month of September.  With only small margins separating Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in swing states, the presidential race remains highly competitive with no clear leader emerging yet. Several of those swing states—Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia—are up for grabs, while the prize of Pennsylvania appears likely to determine the outcome of the election.  Rasmussen also examines Harris' rise as the Democrat nominee after Joe Biden's withdrawal, analyzing her policy positions and the public's reaction to her candidacy. Harris’ policy proposals, such as unrealized capital gains tax and price controls, are generally unpopular. Rasmussen notes that voters still have strong opinions about Trump, and despite his policy advantages, some remain hesitant to vote for him.  The conversation also touches on broader political themes, such as how voters perceive "progressive Democrats" vs. "MAGA Republicans." While neither term is particularly popular, progressive Democrats fare better unless specific issues like border security or parental involvement in education are emphasized.   Rasmussen emphasizes the importance of candidates focusing on issues rather than personalities, using Trump's 2016 campaign as an example where issue-based discourse proved effective.

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The Tennessee Star releases the Nashville shooter’s journal. Four people were killed and nine were taken to the hospital after a school shooting in Georgia this morning.  Brazil bans social media platform X in the South American country on Saturday.  Beer brand Molson Coors is rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.  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

The House of Representatives returns next week to Washington, and a budget fight showdown is expected. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30, and Congress is tasked with having the fiscal 2025 budget ready to go by then, but it’s all but guaranteed it won't be.  “What usually happens at this time is, we'll get to the September 30th deadline, and we've seen this happen for years, regardless of who's running the show, but we'll kick the can down the road maybe a few weeks,” Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, explains.  The “can,” in this case, is the fiscal 2025 budget blueprint, and the “kick” is a continuing resolution that funds the government, usually for several weeks or months at a time.   It has become the habit of Congress a day or two before Christmas to “have this massive Christmas tree of an omnibus bill that gets passed that few people have read [because it’s] thousands of pages long, [includes] gobs amount of money, and doesn't really do the American people the service that they deserve from their Congress,” Cloud says.  The Texas congressman says he's doing everything he can to return the nation to fiscally responsible spending, noting that members of his own party are also partly responsible for the out-of-control spending in Washington.  “With the Left in charge, they raced toward this fiscal cliff, and Republicans, when we've been in charge, we jog toward that same cliff and call that progress,” Cloud laments. “I'm not willing to settle for something that doesn't put us on the right path going forward.”  Cloud joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss how Congress can take significant steps toward balancing the U.S. federal budget, and how the election could affect the financial fight in Congress this fall.

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: A former aide to Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul is indicted for acting as an agent for the Chinese government  Republican nominee Donald Trump says reports about his staffers’ altercation at Arlington National Cemetery are a “made up story.”  Illegal immigrants make up around 75% of arrests in Midtown Manhattan, the New York Post reports. Former Democratic New York governor Andrew Cuomo will testify next week about his COVID-19 nursing home policies.  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

Demographer, historian, and author Neil Howe hasn't just coined the term “Millennial,” he's also predicted the future to an eerie degree—and he thinks America's in for very rough seas ahead. He says a civil war in the U.S. is far more plausible than most people think, and he dismisses the reasons Americans often discount that possibility. Howe sits down with The Daily Signal's managing editor, Tyler O'Neil, to talk about his generational theory, his books, and why he thinks a civil war in the U.S. is indeed possible, if not likely.

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris sat down for an interview with CNN and said her values have not changed.  Former President Donald Trump announces a major policy promise supporting IVF.  The Biden administration is unpausing an immigration program that was paused due to widespread fraud concerns.  Movie review of “Leo.”  Relevant Links https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/08/30/cnns-softball-interview-of-kamala-harris/ 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 lowdow

China's production of batteries for electric vehicles is “definitely not clean,” says energy expert Diana Furchtgott-Roth. Without its own vast natural energy resources, China is the world’s largest energy importer, but has seized on the economic opportunities of the “green energy” movement. Yet the production of products such as EVs is causing harm to the environment, says Furchtgott-Roth, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment. China produces about 80% of the world’s EV batteries and “mining for the critical minerals in the batteries … causes vast amounts of environmental damage,” she explains. Production of one EV battery involves moving “hundreds of thousands of pounds of earth to get the critical minerals for one battery,” Furchtgott-Roth notes, adding that “China is buying mines in Africa so that it can get the critical minerals, [as well as] mines in Latin America.” Furchtgott-Roth is the co-author of “How the Forced Energy Transition and Reliance on China Will Harm America,” a new Heritage Foundation report exposing the ways in which the “green energy” movement is harming America while benefiting China. She joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to explain it all.

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris will sit down for an interview with CNN. Did Harris ever work at McDonalds?  But 150 students in Massachusetts have been told there is no space for them on the county’s buses as the illegal alien population increases.  Israel’s Military operation in the West Bank continues. Two Hong Kong journalists have been found guilty of sedition.  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

A 2021 Biden administration executive order constitutes unlawful and potentially partisan interference in the election process, according to a new report from Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. President Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order 14019 directs executive branch departments and federal employees to use federal resources to get out the vote, Von Spakovsky says.

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Special Counsel Jack Smith Smith files a new indictment against former President Donald Trump. Israeli troops launch a large-scale military operation Wednesday in the West Bank. Hillary Clinton calls former President Donald Trump disrespectful after he went to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at soldiers’ graves.  Two congressmen are demanding answers about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the US Coast Guard. Tim Walz has connections to a nonprofit tied to the Chinese Communist Party.  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

Cleanup after wildfires is inherently more difficult than recovery from other natural disasters, according to Brian Cavanaugh, a visiting fellow for Cybersecurity, Intelligence, and Homeland Security at The Heritage Foundation. Unlike a hurricane, which mainly creates wind and water damage, Cavanaugh says, fires damage the structural integrity of buildings and often leave dangerous chemicals behind.  “Wildfire rolls through a community, and you essentially lose everything all the way down to the foundation,” says Cavanaugh, who has former senior-level experience serving in the Department of Homeland Security, at the White House, and at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Now, you think once you've lost everything down to the foundation, start the rebuild process, but, everything as it burns leaves chemicals and other items on the ground. You've got to pick up the personal effects that are salvageable. [There are] a lot of environmental regulations involved with wildfire, so that all takes time.” Aug. 8 marked one year since a wildfire raged through Lahaina, Hawaii, on Maui. The fire took 102 lives and “destroyed more than 2,200 structures and caused about $5.5 billion in damages,” according to the U.S. Fire Administration.  Cavanaugh, a senior vice president at American Global Strategies, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what led to the Lahaina fire and what the status of the rebuilding process is a year after the disaster.  Enjoy the show!

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Mark Zuckerbeg admits Facebook censored content related to COVID-19. The Heritage Foundation held an event yesterday covering the Secret Service’s performance before, during, and after the July 13 Trump assassination attempt. Israel rescues a 52-year-old hostage from an underground tunnel in southern Gaza. Ukraine deploys US-made F-16 fighter jets against Russia. American business faces red tape in reducing America's dependence on Chinese manufacturing.  Relevant Links https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/08/27/biden-admin-pushed-facebook-censorship-says-zuckerberg/ https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/08/26/dan-bongino-predicts-another-security-incident-says-secret-service-worse-today-trump-assassination-attempt/ https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/08/27/china-set-to-cut-off-us-military-from-key-mineral-as-americas-own-reserves-remain-buried-under-red-tape/   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

It has been six weeks since the attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the American public’s questions about the nature of the attack and the security failings that led to Trump’s brush with death largely go unanswered. Jason Chaffetz, a Fox News contributor and former Utah Congressman who once chaired the House Oversight Committee, joined The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss the apparent security failures and ongoing investigations into what transpired in Butler on July 13. “I thought the extraction was very slow. I thought it was fairly pathetic,” Chaffetz told The Daily Signal. “It’s been illuminated more now that even though he was the Republican nominee, even though he was the former president, he wasn’t getting the full protective detail that a sitting president would get. And I have a problem with that.” Chaffetz believes the failures are structural. Poor recruitment and training, as well as heavy workloads create a perfect storm for the kinds of security lapses witnessed on July 13 in Butler, Chaffetz suggested. These problems have long plagued the Secret Service. When Chaffetz chaired the House Oversight Committee, he conducted the largest investigation into the Secret Service’s operations in American history. The investigation resulted in a more than 400 page report titled, “United States Secret Service: An Agency in Crisis.” The former Utah Congressman remains “skeptical” that the current investigations in Congress will yield the policy changes necessary to improve the Secret Service without Congress using the power of the purse to “hold them accountable.” Enjoy the show!

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Monday marks three years since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan.  Rocket and drone attack between Hezbollah and Israel comes to an end.  The Trump and Harris campaigns are in disagreement over whether candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak during the Sept. 10 debate.   California moves ahead with plans to approve loans for illegal aliens who want to buy a home.  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

The U.S. is racing toward a national debt of $36 trillion and will likely surpass this benchmark before the end of the year, according to public finance economist EJ Antoni.  In homes across the country, Americans are indirectly feeling the weight of the national debt through inflation, and Antoni, who serves as a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, uses the analogy of wine to explain how.  The Federal Reserve finances a great deal of the national debt, Antoni explains, but "unlike the Treasury, which has to finance everything either through taxes or borrowing money, the Federal Reserve actually can just create money.”  When the Federal Reserve creates money, “it's like you're pouring water into wine and you're literally watering it down," Antoni says. "So yes, you now have more wine per se, but you don't have the same concentration of alcohol. So if you were to, as a bartender, pour this out to a bunch of glasses, ... you are now cheating each of your customers on exactly the amount of water you have put into all of their glasses. That's essentially what the Federal Reserve has done by creating literally trillions of dollars in just a few years in order to finance the runaway deficit spending we've seen here in Washington.”  The political environment in which the Federal Reserves operates makes it “very easy to see that these massive government deficits are really what's at the heart of inflation, even if they don't cause it in a strictly academic sense,” according to Antoni.  Antoni joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to address growing concerns over a recession and what the immediate future may hold for the U.S. economy. Enjoy the show!