The Adult in the Room Podcast with Victoria Taft

Journalist Chadwick Moore is the author of the new biography Tucker, a look at the life & career of Tucker Carlson. Moore was given unprecedented, exclusive access to Carlson & his family, uncovered fascinating stories about his work, and has assembled a compelling profile of a man that some call a journalist, others call a propagandist, who was ratings gold until being unceremoniously fired by Fox News earlier this year. Moore shares some of the stories he has come across during the creation of the book, gives some personal anecdotes about his work with Carlson on the project, and also touches upon his personal experiences and issues he's faced as a gay man who "came out" as a conservative. ⁠Purchase Chadwick Moore's book Tucker on Amazon⁠: https://www.amazon.com/Tucker-Chadwick-Moore/dp/1958682012?&tag=victoriataft-20

Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley was widely mocked and derided after becoming the unwitting posterchild of the Capitol riots on 1/6/21. He became the subject of jokes, conspiracy theories, and accusations. But in this conversation, Chansley discusses a side most people have never bothered to see: an educated young man with a deep sense of spirituality and dedicated political beliefs who has been maligned by the mainstream press, fringe figures, even his own former attorney, who publicly claimed that he was intellectually disabled and mentally ill. And while his beliefs may be off-center to most people, he firmly believes in non-violence and is frustrated by the charges leveled against him, especially since ample evidence suggests he was escorted into the building by authorities. Here, in his own words, he expresses his frustration with his previous attorneys and the "diesel therapy" he received while awaiting trial, and attempts to counter some of the wilder pieces of misinformation about him and why he was at the Capitol that day, within the bounds of the legal advice he has received.

Civil rights activist & defense attorney Harvey Silverglate returns to discuss the indictment of Trump from the perspective of his years defending civil rights from the overreach of the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the current President. Silverglate also gives a small update on the ongoing John Eastman case, and also gives his thoughts on the passing of Pentagon Papers author & whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.

Jake Lang took part in the riot on the US Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021. Of that, there is no doubt. But now, over two and a half years later, Lang continues to languish in a federal penitentiary, awaiting trial at an unknown future date for his role in the fiasco, charged with an obscure crime that few have heard of. He claims he is being transferred repeatedly between facilities -- a technique referred to as "diesel therapy" -- to restrict his access to his attorneys. He accuses Capitol Police of being responsible for the death of a woman suffocated by the crowd that day. He calls himself a patriot. Is he a martyr, a madman, or a menace? You decide.

100TH EPISODE! ----- In the summer of 2013, George Zimmerman went on trial in Florida for the alleged murder of teen Trayvon Martin, a key moment in the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement. But while many still believe Martin to be an innocent victim of a racist vigilante, the trial revealed another side of the story that the media ignored: a troubled youth who had been expelled for breaking the law and had a violent personality, who multiple witnesses say brutally assaulted Zimmerman before the gun was fired. Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted, but even today he is seen by some as a murderer who escaped justice, despite the evidence to the contrary. Andrew Branca from The Law of Self-Defense joins the program to analyze the trial on its 10th anniversary, and try to dispel some of the misconceptions that still circle the case.

The Article III Project's Mike Davis joins this breaking news update to discuss the indictments handed down today against former President Donald Trump in a Florida Federal Court!

What exactly is wrong with being a man? If some sectors of our modern culture were honest with their beliefs, they'd say "everything." In her new book, The Toxic War on Masculinity - How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Professor Nancy R. Pearcey explores and examines why secular society has come to regard traditional masculine qualities as evil, and why faith -- especially Christian faith -- has led to happier couples and more satisfying relationships despite claims that such beliefs are oppressive, misogynist, and harmful. Prof. Pearcey joins the program to share some of the documented research that strongly suggests that relationships featuring traditional gender roles are happier, longer-lasting, and healthier. ⁠Get Prof. Nancy R. Pearcey's new book The Toxic War on Masculinity - How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes on Amazon⁠: https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-War-Masculinity-Christianity-Reconciles/dp/0801075734?tag=victoriataft-20

Author & documentarian Vince Everett Ellison grew up the child of sharecroppers on a cotton plantation in Tennessee, but his father worked hard to build a successful businesses that brought his family out of poverty and squarely into the middle class. He sees now in Black Americans a worrying lack of that same initiative, and he suspects a number of factors are responsible: A lack of religious faith. Promotion of gratuitous sex and violence as a cultural lifestyle. But, most of all, a wider plot among the progressive left to promote the notion that institutional racism is an inescapable fact of life, and to make Black Americans see themselves as eternal victims. Ellison shares his point of view with Victoria in this episode, and how through a return to faith, family-values and self-reliance the Black community can ascend to respectful prosperity, an argument that is sometimes controversial, often inspirational, and always thought-provoking.

The US is suffering from a homelessness epidemic. In major cities across the nation, citizens and police are dealing with spikes in overdose, thefts, violent crime, and unsafe conditions.On this very special edition of The Adult in the Room, Victoria is joined by Kevin Dahlgren, an expert in the fields of homelessness and substance abuse and a community organizer for several advocacy groups who believes two major factors are making the problem worse: drug & alcohol addiction, and the validation of homelessness as a life path by progressive groups who see capitalism as the root of the problem and will even forcibly interfere with good-faith efforts to help the less fortunate -- a policy he calls "loving them to death."

In school systems across the country, parents are fighting an uphill battle against local governments over the curriculum being delivered to their kids, from political indoctrination and activist training in-class to sexually-charged and age-inappropriate reading material. Our schools have become infested with violence and even sexual assault. Exceptional students have had recognition of their achievements withheld in the name of preserving others' feelings. And when they have objected, parents have been dubbed "domestic terrorists" by members of federal agencies, and even subjected to arrest. Ian Prior is a senior advisor at America First Legal and the author of the book Parents of the World, Unite!: How to Save Our Schools from the Left's Radical Agenda. He joins this episode to discuss all the issues facing parents of students today, and the best ways to push back against a system that insists it knows how to take care of your kids better than you do.

Tim Graham of the Media Research Center's NewsBusters joins the program to talk about the night doom came to primetime on Fox: the shocking dismissal of their top-rated host, Tucker Carlson, in the aftermath of the Murdochs' massive settlement with Dominion over Fox's claims that the company's voting machines were rigged during the 2020 elections. Was Carlson scapegoated for the lawsuit? Or was there behind-the-scenes interpersonal drama that cost him his job? Plus, discussion of the firing of CNN's Don Lemon the same day!

Author & former federal prosecutor John D. O'Connor joins the program to look back on a crucial moment in the history of governmental corruption and law enforcement, the Watergate scandal. O'Connor befriended & represented Mark Felt, the FBI associate director better known as the legendary whistleblower "Deep Throat," a revelation that O'Connor helped to reveal through a blockbuster article in Vanity Fair. O'Connor has authored two recent books on the scandal, and draws parallels between the FBI & press during that time and their modern successors. He discusses how he first came to know Mark Felt and how he convinced Felt to come clean about his role in Woodward & Bernstein's reports. He also addresses the connections between the Democratic party & current White House and Russian interests that led to the infamous and widely-discredited "Pee Tape" dossier, why China is an existential threat to US sovereignty, and why corruption in the executive branch proves that the DOJ, FBI & media have learned nothing from the mistakes of Watergate.

Harvey A. Silverglate is a prominent civil rights and criminal defense attorney, a co-founder and board member of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a former litigation counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, so he knows a thing or two about freedom of speech and abuse of power. Today, he joins the program to discuss how the Department of Justice has stoked what he considers a continued civil war in this country, leaving those with classical liberal ideals -- statistically, the vast majority of Americans -- caught in the crossfire between radicals on both the far left and far right. Meanwhile the government and the media uses the chaos to restrict rights and push its own agenda. In his book Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent, Silverglate detailed how the average American violates three obscure laws every single day without even knowing it. Currently, he's representing Dr. John Eastman, former counsel to President Trump, as he battles the California State Bar over their actions taken against Eastman in the aftermath of the 2020 election. He discusses that case, as well as others he's encountered in his long career as a champion of individual rights.

Journalist Asra Q. Nomani returns to the program to share her deeply personal story: a discussion of growing up as a first-generation American in a Muslim immigrant family from India and her first encounters with early extremism within her own extended family, the origins of Islamist extremism in the DC area, her friendship with murdered American journalist Daniel Pearl, her experience as a single mother and feminist within a deeply conservative culture, and why she believes the American left is embracing religious fundamentalism that stands in direct opposition to its stated goals of race and gender equality. Asra Q. Nomani's new book "Woke Army: The Red-Green Alliance That is Destroying American Freedom" is available now.

Author, journalist and former Texas Department of Public Safety analyst Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies has a great deal of experience observing and analyzing the unique and sometimes harrowing world that exists along our southern border. In his newest book, Overrun: How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History, he takes readers through the what, why, and how of the growing tensions at the US-Mexico border that have resulted in a humanitarian, environmental, and national security disaster that threatens the safety and political future of every US citizen, regardless of party or ideology. In this episode of The Adult in the Room, he talks about his own experiences at the border and exactly why current US policy is making the situation worse by the moment.

Mike McCormick served as part of the While House Stenographers Office for over 20 years, serving as part of the team tasked with preserving for posterity the official remarks of the President & Vice President under six different administrations. Now an author and independent journalist with a unique perspective on the Oval Office, Mike has taken on a new project: sorting through the sordid material on Hunter Biden's infamous laptop and matching it with official records and Joe Biden's own statements to establish a timeline that suggests corruption and backroom dealings during his time as Vice President that may have directly impacted Russia's decision to invade Ukraine, and may have even led to the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the deaths of millions worldwide. Mike McCormick on Substack: "Midnight in the Laptop of Good & Evil" - https://mmccormick.substack.com/

The riots at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 will forever be a controversial, embarrassing, and disturbing mark on American politics and a sign of the disintegration of civility between both sides of the aisle. But are the right people being held responsible for the mayhem that day? Darren Beattie of Revolver.News joins the program to discuss Ray Epps, an individual many believe to be directly responsible for helping whip the agitated crowd into a frenzy that day, instigating one of the most infamous days of civil unrest in modern history. Why has Epps not faced charges for his prominent role in the fiasco, and could he be getting protection from someone high on the government food chain?

This past December, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology -- a STEAM-centric magnet high school in Fairfax County, Virginia -- made waves after it was revealed that students who had been recognized by the National Merit Scholar program as Commended Students and Semifinalists had not been notified of the awards, costing them precious opportunities for early college admission, scholarships and more. Two parents of affected students, Shawnna Yashar and Asra Q. Nomani, decided to dig deeper and discovered TJ was ground zero for a systemic failure that has its roots in the so-called "equity" movement. Now it's been found that eighteen schools in four northern Virginia counties have similarly failed to notify students. Is it incompetence, or something more sinister?