The Daily Signal

We’re teaming up with The FAMiLY Leader to livestream the 2023 Presidential Thanksgiving FAMiLY Forum on Friday, Nov. 17. Presidential candidates Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will have a family discussion moderated by The FAMiLY Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats.

“Israel is a country who cherishes life,” Yael Eckstein says, “and our enemies know that.” Those enemies use that fact as a tool against Israel, adds Eckstein, president and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, who is today’s guest on “The Daily Signal Podcast.” Hamas killed 1,300 Israelis and took hostage about 200 “elderly, babies, children, women, [and] handicapped” in its surpise attack Oct. 7 on Israel, she says, and the situation is “unfathomable.” “Even ISIS didn’t do things like this,” Eckstein says, referring to the terrorist army also called the Islamic State and adding that when Hamas describes its aim as “to wipe Israel off the map and kill every man, woman and child, we have to take that seriously.” Israel’s military is “seeking out the terrorists,” she says, “seeking out those who seek to destroy us, and we won’t stop until it’s done.” Speaking as a wife, mother, and Christian ministry leader living in Israel, Eckstein explains that Israelis are living in a paradox right now. “On one hand, we are as broken as I can ever remember the people of Israel being. And on the other hand, we are stronger than we’ve ever been,” she says on the podcast. As head of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Eckstein has her team delivering food, water, and supplies daily to those in bomb shelters, ministering love and support to families whose loved ones were killed by Hamas, and providing supplies such as bulletproof vests for firefighters who are extinguishing flames after rocket attacks. In addition to supporting the work of her organization, Eckstein is calling on all who believe in God to “follow that biblical mandate, [and] pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” On the podcast, Eckstein describes the work in Israel of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, as well as Israel’s response to the surprise terrorist attack by Hamas.

At a time when America faces innumerable challenges, Alexandra Hudson wants her fellow citizens to focus on something only they can control: civility toward others. Hudson’s new book, “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” is on sale today. She joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about something why civility is so lacking in our society and what to do about it. In this era of “cancel culture,” Hudson believes it’s critical to have tough discussions and debates with our friends and neighbors—especially those with whom we disagree—but we’ve lost sight of what it means to do so in a respectful way.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is notorious for branding mainstream conservative and Christian organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom and Moms for Liberty “hate groups” or “antigovernment extremist groups,” placing them on a map with chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. In 2019, the SPLC put D.A. King’s Dustin Inman Society on the “hate map,” years after it had told the Associated Press that King’s organization was not a “hate group.” King has sued, and a judge has allowed his defamation lawsuit to go forward. Related Links: Dustin Inman Society website: https://newdustininmansociety.org/ Liberty Counsel website: https://lc.org/ Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Hate-Pay-Corruption-Southern/dp/1642934399

The battleground that the radical Left has not conquered is “our children,” commentator and podcast host Liz Wheeler says, but make no mistake—the battle is raging. “The Left has actually been trying to reengineer our society for nearly a century, and unfortunately, they have been very successful at it,” says Wheeler, host of “The Liz Wheeler Show.” The far Left has captured all but one of America’s central cultural institutions, she says. “They’ve captured the media. They’ve captured the education system. They’ve captured a lot of religious institutions, unfortunately. They’ve captured the law,” Wheeler says. And now, she adds, the Left has “just about destroyed the nuclear family as well.” But one element of the nuclear family “is left standing,” Wheeler says, and “that’s children, which probably explains why the Left is going after our children.” In her new book “Hide Your Children: Exposing the Marxists Behind the Attack on America’s Kids,” Wheeler pulls back the curtain on the Marxists who laid the groundwork for the breakdown of America’s families. She joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain the relevant history and what can be done to protect the next generation.

The Founding Fathers feared the power of the legislative branch from its inception in the late 1700s. They did not want to trade one tyrant for a group of tyrants, one professor tells “The Daily Signal Podcast,” so they “deliberately made Congress weak by dividing it up into these two bodies,” the House and the Senate. According to Joseph Postell, Hillsdale College associate professor of politics and Heritage Foundation visiting fellow, the Founders wanted the House and Senate to “fight amongst each other” because this would create a check on power. And fight they did. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) “The early politicians were really committed to their principles and were willing to fight over them,” Postell said, adding that “Duels were very common.” Postell joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” for Part One of a three-part series on how Congress really works. He discusses the history of Congress and what the Founding Fathers would say about what the legislative branch has become today.

With the clock ticking closer to the Sept. 30 government funding deadline, the conservative House Freedom Caucus this week outlined its official position on Washington’s latest spending debate. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., a member of the Freedom Caucus, spoke to The Daily Signal about why conservatives are insisting House Republicans honor their promise to reduce government spending while also enacting three policies: - Securing the border - Ending the weaponization of DOJ and FBI - Stopping the Defense Department‘s woke agenda Good, who represents Virginia’s 5th District, explains what’s at stake and why conservatives should make this their priority.

The English Romantic poet Percy Shelley, who died in 1822 at age 29, played a significant role in developing the ideas of the feminist movement, author Carrie Gress says. Ideas of the “the occult, smashing the patriarchy, and free love” played a significant role in Shelley’s writing and ideology, says Gress, author of the new book “The End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us.” Shelley was a “barbaric man” who was “involved in the occult,” Gress says. His wife was Mary Shelley, author of the 1818 novel “Frankenstein,” she notes, and Shelley drew on the ideas of her parents—a vision of a “women’s revolution where there’s no monogamy, there’s no marriage, all of these things are just erased, and people just live this bucolic life without any reference to their human nature.” Shelley’s ideology contributed to the modern feminist movement, a movement that has led to what Gress calls “The End of Woman.” Gress, also a fellow at the Washington-based Ethics and Public Policy Center, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the history of feminism and explain how the feminist movement has harmed women and left women unfulfilled.

Chris Rufo is at the forefront of exposing critical race theory, DEI, and the radical Left’s agenda to undermine traditional American values. His new book, “America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything,” is a history of the Left’s key figures and its playbook for infiltrating America’s institutions and indoctrinating our children. The book, which debuted at No. 14 on The New York Times’ bestseller list Wednesday, profiles four figures who shaped the Left’s thinking and strategies: Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis, Paulo Freire, and Derrick Bell. Rufo’s detailed reporting and meticulous research paint a far different picture about them than you’ll find in corporate media. Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, spoke to The Daily Signal about his motivation for documenting the Left’s game plan. He also offered his perspective on the counter-revolution that he hopes will ultimately prevail.

Violent criminals are being given a “slap on the wrist” and released back onto the streets in eight cities across America, says author Charles “Cully” Stimson. Between the “defund the police” movement and the election of “[George] Soros’ bought-and-paid-for rogue prosecutors, crime exploded,” says Stimson, co-author of the new book “Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America’s Communities.” The term “rogue prosecutor” refers to “those who are funded by, or inspired and supported by, the George Soros network,” says Stimson, who is a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Stimson’s co-author, Zack Smith, is also a legal fellow there. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Soros is a left-wing billionaire who has used his vast wealth to further the Left’s agenda, including spending “$40 million in [district attorney] races,” Stimson says, adding that in cities where these “rogue prosecutors” have been elected with Soros money, crime has spiked. As an example, Stimson compares two cities, “San Diego and Philadelphia, tied as the seventh-largest cities in the United States.” “The difference between a real prosecutor in San Diego with [District Attorney] Summer Stephan and a rogue prosecutor like Larry Krasner [in Philadelphia] absolutely impacts your public safety privilege. And both big cities [have] gangs. San Diego [is] right on the border by Tijuana, Mexico. … Philly’s on [Interstate] 95; so, the corridor between Baltimore and New York City. Big highways. Last year … Philadelphia [had] over 550 murders. San Diego, guess how many? Fifty—10 times less.” Stimson joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain the spiking crime trend in cities with rogue prosecutors at the helm and to share stories of the lives of people who have been tragically affected by criminals being released back onto the streets.

U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Tarik Johnson expected a relatively easy day when he arrived at work at 7 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. It would be anything but that. This is what Johnson witnessed that day. Still haven’t subscribed to The Daily Signal on YouTube? Click here ► https://bit.ly/2oz8N1I Follow The Daily Signal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/ Follow The Daily Signal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailySignal Follow The Daily Signal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/?hl=en

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna sits down with The Daily Signal's Mary Margaret Olohan to discuss her first few weeks in congress, what she wants to get done, DC's aborted baby scandal, TikTok, Syria, former President Donald Trump, and more.

The new book “Exposing the Gender Lie” reveals the “lie” of transgender identity, the damage it does to children and families, and the money trail propping it up, authors Jeff Myers and Brandon Showalter tell The Daily Signal.

Whether it’s a family or a single male, the drug cartels play a role in every illegal crossing into the U.S. at the southern border, former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott says. “They’re either directly paying the cartels or the cartels are controlling their movements for another benefit, meaning to systematically overwhelm Border Patrol, create a gap in the border security, and then bring the narcotics across,” Scott says. Scott, who worked in U.S. Customs and Border Protection for three decades, served as the 24th chief of the Border Patrol from Jan. 24, 2020, until Aug. 14, 2021. Through his decades of work on the border, Scott says, he observed that “every single day, almost without exception until January of 2021 [when President Joe Biden took office], the border was getting more and more secure.” Still haven’t subscribed to The Daily Signal on YouTube? Click here ► https://bit.ly/2oz8N1I Follow The Daily Signal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/ Follow The Daily Signal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailySignal Follow The Daily Signal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/?hl=en

CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS: Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) WITNESSES: Mark Morgan, former acting US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner Tom Homan, former acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Steve Bradbury, distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation Robert Law, director, Center for Homeland Security and Immigration at the America First Policy Institute

Erin Friday’s daughter was introduced to gender identity ideology in a comprehensive sex-ed class in seventh grade.“The seed was planted after that class,” Friday says. “And in fact, all of her friends, there were five, sat in my front yard saying what their new labels were.” Friday says she was “alarmed by the language that they were using, including 'pansexual,' which is not a term that 11-year-olds should know.” The mother began looking into what her daughter was learning in school and was struck by the fact that other adults were not also questioning the teaching of gender ideology to middle schoolers.When her daughter said she was "transgender," Friday began taking decisive steps to rescue her from transgenderism.She took her daughter's phone, put her in a new school, and tried her best to surround the preteen with the truth about who she was as a female. It was not easy, but Friday says, as a parent, “you have to be strong enough, your love for your child has to be strong enough, to take their vitriol.”After about a year and a half, Friday’s daughter stopped claiming a transgender identity. Today, through the work of the parental support group Our Duty, Friday is helping other families navigate through gender identity ideology.Friday joins the show today to share her story, and to explain how parents can protect their children from the harms of gender identity ideology. What I've Learned Rescuing My Daughter From Her Transgender Fantasy Anime, social media, and an older teen girl all played a role in my once girly daughter's abrupt announcement that she was now transgender.

“Social media introduced this idea that I could be a boy,” Chloe Cole says. Cole began telling her friends and family that she was a boy when she was 12-years-old after she was introduced to gender identity ideology through social media. She started taking testosterone and puberty blockers at 13, and had a double mastectomy at 15. At 16, she detransitioned. “I decided to stop transitioning entirely,” Cole says. “It was too much for me, and I knew that I couldn't keep lying to myself.” Cole joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain how she because involved in the transgender movement, and why she ultimately decided to walk away. Today, Cole is working to prevent other young people from walking down the same path she did. Still haven’t subscribed to The Daily Signal on YouTube? Click here ► https://bit.ly/2oz8N1I Follow The Daily Signal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/ Follow The Daily Signal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailySignal Follow The Daily Signal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/?hl=en

America is suffering from a pandemic that is not a virus, it “is a pandemic of fatherlessness.” That’s according to Pastor Kris Vallotton, author of the new book, “Up Rising: The Epic Battle for the Most Fatherless Generation in History.” “Fifty-one percent of all children in America right now are born out of wedlock, 51%,” Vallotton, the senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, says. “In 1950, 4% of Americans were born out of wedlock.” The results of children growing up without fathers in the home are devastating, Vallotton says, with data revealing that “75% of all inmates grew up without a father,” and “63% of all youth suicides come from fatherless homes.” Vallotton also points to a rise in transgenderism and gay marriage as a side effect of fatherlessness, because “when we embrace gay marriage… what we said is that you can have two mommies and two daddies, because mommies and daddies are interchangeable.” Vallotton joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share his own personal story of losing his father as a young boy and how that affected his life, and to offer a hopeful solution for how children can experience the love of a father amid a fatherless generation.

With the start of a new year, Dr. Ben Carson says he is concerned that America’s schools have lost their vision. Americans have lost “vision of what education is there for,” says Carson, the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development and renowned neurosurgeon. “Education is there to teach you how to function successfully in a complex society,” he says, “and when you lose sight of that, then you start saying, ‘Oh, we’ve got to concentrate on what kind of pronoun you use, and whether you’re really a girl or a boy, and are you a victim?’” With the start of the new Congress, Carson says, politicians need to prioritize not only education, but the economy, election integrity, lessening America’s dependence on China, and holding Big Tech accountable. “If we can put a man on the moon, we can certainly come up with a mechanism that we have open, fair elections that are transparent, that are quick, that we have Election Day, not election season,” he says. Carson joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss his road map for America’s success in 2023.

Annabella Rockwell was thrilled when she learned she had been accepted at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, the oldest women's college in America. “I was so excited,” Rockwell said. “I was so eager to learn.” But the more she learned in her college classes, the more her joyful personality waned, her mother says. By junior year, a “serious robot came home” from college, Melinda Rockwell says of her daughter. In gender studies classes, the college student learned about the “patriarchy and the oppression that we experience in this country,” and she adopted these views as her own. Melinda Rockwell began to seek professional help from cult specialists to learn she could rescue Annabella from the indoctrination she experienced in college. Mother and daughter join “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain how Annabella found a way out of the woke cult, and ultimately became development director for PragerU. Still haven’t subscribed to The Daily Signal on YouTube? Click here ► https://bit.ly/2oz8N1I Follow The Daily Signal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/ Follow The Daily Signal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailySignal Follow The Daily Signal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/?hl=en

LIVE: The U.S. Senate considers the controversial “Respect for Marriage Act" for the second day in a row. In the first procedural Senate vote last week, 12 Republicans joined Democrats to pass cloture on the bill. Since that vote, Sen. Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, James Lankford and a cadre of other conservative Senators have urged his republican colleagues to adopt amendments to the bill that provide greater protections for religious liberty before passing the final bill. Those Senators are expected to speak on the Senate floor this afternoon.

Still haven’t subscribed to The Heritage Foundation on YouTube? Click here ► https://bit.ly/2otKliy Follow The Heritage Foundation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heritagefoundation/ Follow The Heritage Foundation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Heritage Follow The Heritage Foundation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heritagefoundation/?hl=en

LIVE: The U.S. Senate considers the controversial “Respect for Marriage Act". In the first procedural Senate vote last week, 12 Republicans joined Democrats to pass cloture on the bill. Since that vote, Sen. Mike Lee and a cadre of conservative Senators have urged his republican colleagues to adopt his amendment to the bill that aims to provide greater protections religious liberty before passing the final bill.

Abby Roth, better known as Classically Abby, says society today lacks authentic conversations about motherhood. “Motherhood has been the best journey of my life,” Roth says, but new mothers don't necessarily know that the “first 10 to 12 weeks is really hard.” As a new mom, she felt “so overwhelmed initially because it's such a huge change in your life," Roth, host of the "Classically Ever After" podcast, says. "But you are built for it. You are meant for this. And you're not alone.” Roth joins the “Problematic Women" podcast to discuss the joys and challenges of marriage and motherhood. She also explains how texting can kill a dating relationship before it even begins. Enjoy the show! Still haven’t subscribed to The Daily Signal on YouTube? Click here ► https://bit.ly/2oz8N1I Follow The Daily Signal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/ Follow The Daily Signal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailySignal Follow The Daily Signal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/?hl=en

After working in the Trump administration, Hope Harvard moved home to South Carolina unsure of what the future held. After a night of crying out to God for direction in her life, she awakened with the idea to start a makeup line inspired by the women of the Bible, and Hope Beauty was born. Harvard joins the “Problematic Women” podcast to explain how women like Esther and Mary, the mother of Jesus, inspire the makeup products of Hope Beauty. She also offers advice to young women seeking to start businesses of their own.