The Ed Morrissey Show

Will Ireland impose the kind of speech restrictions on itself as the English did for centuries? The Pipeline's Michael Walsh splits his time between the US and County Clare, and he has grave concerns about a new "hate speech" law promulgated by the Irish republic. We also talk about the insanity of Ireland's decision to destroy 10% of its cattle over climate-change fears, the issues facing the Irish language, and discuss the American political scene as well!

When Donald Trump slipped on a plane ramp, the national media covered it for days as a potential sign of decline. Joe Biden fell on stage at the Air Force Academy -- and the story disappeared entirely. Andrew Malcolm and I discuss the media's wagon-circling around Biden, their laughable contention that Biden won the debt-ceiling standoff, Biden's serial fabulism about his achievements, and more about the Republican primary fight. Who will win the debate over ... debates?

Can conservative fight and win a culture war against the extremist Left? Peachy Keenan discusses her new book, Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War, which Regnery will launch on June 6. Peachy -- her pseudonym -- was raised by secular atheists and was a liberal feminist, but changed her views after meeting her husband and having children. She talks about her journey from being a secular pro-choice feminist to a devoted Catholic mom of five and how she was treated by society for making her own choices. We also discuss all the front lines of the culture wars -- Target, Disneyland, and Dodger Stadium among them.

Juan Pablo Segura is running for the Virginia State Senate and is discussing the Loudon County parental rights movement which was sparked by a rape scandal two years ago. The Loudon Love Warriors, a Facebook group of radical activists and ideologues, were targeting parents who were speaking out for more safety in schools. Pablo discusses their connections to government officials and power brokers, and talks more about the issues that will drive the November 2023 election.

Have we ever seen a week with so many demonstrations of media double standards? From Politico's hit piece on Casey DeSantis, their aggressive reporting on Dianne Feinstein, and their regurgitation of PR lines on Jill Biden and John Fetterman, Andrew Malcolm and I are impressed with media, um ... flexibility. Plus we talk about the Tim Scott entry into the race, Andrew's latest column at RedState, and much more!

Michele Tafoya has spent her career in sports media, but has recently decided to speak out on a range of cultural and political topics. Michele tells me how 9/11 changed her perspective on what it means to be American and be engaged, especially now when our culture is in a battle over objective reality. We discuss education, sports, her move to the Salem Podcast Network, and much more!

How did America lose two years of a presidency? Andrew Malcolm discusses the Durham report, including the dirty-trick origins of Operation Crossfire Hurricane. Did Barack Obama himself know that the entire allegation was a Hillary Clinton campaign stunt? We also discuss the potential disappearance of AM radios from new cars and why that would be very bad indeed. Plus, we also take aim at the Protection Racket Media!

Has an "army of mediocrity" taken over higher education in America? Dr. Stanley Ridgely argues that's the least of the problems. His new book, "Brutal Minds: The Dark World of Left-Wing Brainwashing in Our Universities," Ridgely and I discuss the conversion of education into indoctrination, and how the Left has applied tactics of cults to succeed at it. It's a Cultural Revolution fitting of Mao himself, whom many of its activists idolize and model.

While Americans battle the government-media censorship complex at home, the news for liberty is worse in Ireland, Gript.ie reporter Ben Scallan brings us up to speed on an effort to pass a broad hate-speech suppression bill, one that essentially allows any kind of dissent on hot-button issues to be criminalized. Despite the clear public backlash to this proposal, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar intends to press forward -- and if he does, the situation in Éirinn looks bleak indeed.

Should a Catholic hospital stop seeing Medicare and Medicaid patients because it has a lit candle in its Catholic chapel? Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket Law, discusses their latest case involving HHS and religious liberty. The Biden administration has ordered St. Francis Catholic Hospital to extinguish the sanctuary candle required by Catholic doctrine while the transubstantiated Eucharist is in the tabernacle or get disqualified for any reimbursements for care. Lori talks about the absurd and capricious nature of this demand, while I argue that this shouldn't even be a matter for the federal government but rather the local fire marshal. What are the next steps -- and does Xavier Becerra really want to take another beating in the 10th Circuit and Supreme Court?

Was AFT president Randi Weingarten really trying to reopen schools? American Commitment president Phil Kerpen scoffs at the claim, pointing out that Weingarten fought for over two years to stop schools from opening. He discusses the economic and social consequences of school closures due to the pandemic, including a loss of educational attainment, lower lifetime income, lower life expectancy, mental health issues, and physical health issues. Plus, the quarter of a million kids have dropped off the radar, and the cost of that may be incalculable.

Could Joe Biden have delivered a worse campaign launch? AJ Kaufman joins me to discuss Biden's demagoguery and hs decision to get in this early. Was he afraid of a challenge? Randi Weingarten's back and on the attack, AJ tells us, which is just a defense mechanism to deflect all of her toxic leadership during the pandemic and the damage it did to millions of children. AJ and I debate Fox's firing of Tucker Carlson and especially whether his content was inappropriate for national discussion.

The pandemic shutdowns opened up the classroom for parents to see what was going on inside, and how the left has abandoned education for indoctrination. Bethany Mandel joins me to discuss the book she co-authored with Karol Markowicz, “Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation,” and why parents must prepare themselves for a battle for the souls of their children. Bethany stresses the need for active parenting, the struggle for parents to assert themselves, and why it takes both flexibility and courage to win.

It's almost all over but the shouting. Andrew Malcolm look at the most recent additions and subtractions to the GOP presidential roster. We also discuss Ron DeSantis' press conference yesterday and what that means for Disney and the 2024 race. We also discuss Budweiser's dilemma and why corporations may pay a price for all of their woke posturing.

"I told my peers men cannot have babies," Skylar Culbertson wrote at The College Fix. "They’ve threatened to kill me because of it." I speak with Skylar about the attempts to silence and intimidate people of faith at William and Mary College, the doxxing and the vitriol aimed at them for their viewpoints, and the lack of response from university administrators. Skylar talks about her experiences on campus, how the indoctrination backfired in her case, and how Academia may be lost in general as an educational force.

"I told my peers men cannot have babies," Skylar Culberton wrote at The College Fix. "They’ve threatened to kill me because of it." I speak with Skylar about the attempts to silence and intimidate people of faith at William and Mary College, the doxxing and the vitriol aimed at them for their viewpoints, and the lack of response from university administrators. Skylar talks about her experiences on campus, how the indoctrination backfired in her case, and how Academia may be lost in general as an educational force.

Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission demanded that Elon Musk "identify all journalists" who had been granted access to Twitter's internal communications. The timing on this demand hardly seemed coincidental, as Musk was exposing the government's censorship efforts on social media. Ashley Baker joins us to discuss this apparent intimidation attempt, and the surprising lack of response from journalists when it happened. We also talk about anti-trust, the FTC's resistance to congressional oversight, and our wish list of Supreme Court precedents for overturning.

Peter Grandich can say, "I told you so" about the banking crisis. The one-time Wall Street whiz kid has spent the last several years warning about debt and profligate monetary policy. Those chickens came home to roost this month in three major bank failures. So what's next? The immediate crisis may be over, Peter believes, but it's just the beginning of a long-term debt crisis in the US. Find out what Peter thinks you should know about investment strategies, too.

Will Alvin Bragg really indict Donald Trump? I'm skeptical, as I tell Andrew Malcolm, given the case and the circumstances. We discuss Ron DeSantis' response, plus game out whether Trump's latest call to the streets will work. We also take a look at the NYT's use of a notorious Rathergate source to flog the 1980 October Surprise conspiracy theory meets any journalistic standard, and then discuss another new poll showing that media credibility continues to crater. Stick around for our jokes of the week, too!

Can Academia be restored to its original purpose? Jacob Howland plans to try. Howland, the director of intellectual foundations at the University of Austin, discusses the goals and the accomplishments thus far from this new start-up in higher education. We discuss how UATX plans to restore full and free debate and discussion, how classical education will guide the curricula, and UATX's ambitious plans to open as a full-scale, four-year-plus university by the fall of 2024.

News that the FBI and the Department of Energy both concluded that a lab leak in Wuhan is the likeliest origin for COVID-19 puts bureaucrats and media on the spot. Anthony Fauci appears to have engineered a cover-up from the beginning to shield himself and Francis Collins from the blowback of restarting gain-of-function research. Why did the media actively suppress discussion of the lab-leak theory as disinformation and conspiracy theory? We discuss the death of the daily, or at least on a national-coverage basis. And why is California suffering a critical shortage of U-Hauls?

Almost exactly one year after Russia invaded Ukraine -- and after every Western leader had gone to Kyiv -- Joe Biden finally made the trip. Is this too little, too late? Andrew Malcolm and I also discuss the malevolent nature of Biden's domestic policies. Also, we both found the new New York Times approach to staff revolts to be a refreshing change. Plus, what does Jimmy Carter's decision to go into hospice show about our cultural struggle to deal with the consequences of aging and extended life?

Yet another Big Tech platform got caught suppressing debate and conservative speech -- and yet again with federal government involvement. Andrew Malcolm and I discuss the Microsoft/GDI scandal, We also take note of the dogs that haven't yet barked in the media over this smear job against hundreds of American conservative and libertarian platforms, including our own. Andrew and I also talk a little about the Super Bowl, and more about Joe Biden's prospects for 2024. If he defies expectations and chooses not to run, who emerges? I explain why I think the answer will come from the Senate rather than the states.

Whose privilege prevails these days in Academia? Follow the money, advises Jennifer Kabbany of The College Fix. Colleges and universities are experiencing a plague of "Pretendians," white women especially claiming Native American heritage for career bursts, while real Native Americans struggle with disenrollment over another set of perverse incentives. Was Rachel Dolezal merely ahead of her time?

What can we expect to see in tonight's State of the Union? Andrew Malcolm and I don't expect much other than the usual: the stomach-churning obsequiousness, the banal droning, the substanceless use of 90 minutes ... and that's just the media coverage of Joe Biden. The actual event will waaay worse! We also discuss Biden's China Spy Balloon fumble, as well as the trial balloon floated by Democrats in the New York Times about dumping Kamala Harris in 2024.