Consumer activist and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader on whether the Squad betrayed rail workers, the corruptive influence of the Congressional Black Caucus, what Hakeem Jefferies means for progressives 'inside game,' the reordering the Democratic Primary, whether Dems will hold SBF accountable, Kyrsten Sinema's party switch, Tesla's quality issues, the unprecedentedly large pentagon budget, the electoral landscape for 2024, and more.
Congress has until Friday to reach an agreement on a spending package that will fund the government through the next fiscal year, but lawmakers are clashing over what to prioritize. Republicans want to invest heavily in military spending, but Democrats want to put more money toward the social safety net.
Karen Bass was officially sworn in as the mayor of Los Angeles yesterday, making her the first woman to serve in the role. Meanwhile, embattled LA City Councilmember Kevin de León is facing more scrutiny after he was involved in a fight with a local community activist.
And in headlines: American soccer journalist Grant Wahl died while covering the World Cup in Qatar, NASA successfully wrapped its historic Artemis 1 mission, and the city of Richmond, Virginia began removing its last city-owned Confederate monument.
Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee
We'll tell you about a major storm that could bring heavy snow, rain, and tornadoes to the United States.
Also, there's been a breakthrough in one of the world's largest terror investigations, and a historic NASA mission just returned to Earth.
Plus, dozens of people are getting sued, including celebrities like Madonna, Serena Williams, and Justin Bieber.
And we're talking about what Twitter is promising with its revamped subscription service and who won the most prestigious individual award in college football.
Those stories and more news to know in around 10 minutes!
As students head to college each semester, the influence of the Chinese Communist Party on their campus is an unlikely point of discussion.
However, John Metz, the president of the Athenai Institute, said his group is "committed to removing the influence of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party from U.S. college campuses."
Metz discussed some of the potential downsides to accepting money from the Chinese Communist Party.
"So, we estimate that between 2018 and 2021, U.S. universities received more than a billion dollars in gifts and contracts from mainland China, and that includes everything from funding for Confucius Institutes, which we talked about a moment ago, to research partnerships and joint degree programs and so on," Metz said.
"All of these, in our view, create a dangerous financial incentive for U.S. universities to turn the other way while the CCP censors our students, steals advanced technology, and engages in the high tech repression of its own people," said Metz,
He added:
All of these financial entanglements really are a danger to national security because they prevent universities from really doing their due diligence to make sure that the research they support is not putting that technology in the wrong hands.
Metz joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss more about the influence of the Chinese Communist Party at college and universities, what he hopes the U.S. Congress will address policy-wise next year, and the dangers of TikTok.
In an effort to address New York’s growing problem of unhoused people living on the streets, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city would start involuntarily hospitalizing people. It’s a strategy the city tried back in the ‘80s as well. Why didn’t it work then?
Guest: Sam Tsemberis, founder and executive director of Pathways to Housing, and associate clinical professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.
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The Supreme Court recently heard 2.5 hours of oral arguments in 303 Creative v. Elenis-- the case about a Colorado website designer who doesn't want to create wedding websites for gay couples. The arguments were absolutely bonkers, with justices invoking kids in KKK uniforms, Black mall Santas, dating sites for people seeking affairs, and re-education camps. Leah, Kate, and Melissa recap the arguments and what they may portend for the future of LGBTQ rights.
Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025!
We here at Opening Arguments enjoy documenting just how many different ways Alex Jones is financially f@cked. He added another bankruptcy to his collection, and like the previous ones, this one is likely part of a devious plan to get out of paying people stuff. Will it work? Links: Derkach Charged with Fraud and Money Laundering, Jones Bankruptcy, personal bankruptcy and motion
For many, recycling feels like a tangible way to personally combat climate change and to positively affect the environment. But after a years long investigation, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan finds that reality is generally the opposite: Only a small fraction of plastic is ultimately recycled. Moreover, plastic production is on the rise.
Journalist Dawn Turner grew up in Chicago's historic Bronzeville neighborhood in the '70s. Her memoir chronicles the dreams shared between her younger sister, her best friend and herself – and the disparities that Black girls experience in the quest for their own American Dream. In today's episode, Turner opens up to Here & Now's Celeste Headlee about where her path diverged from those of her friend and sister, and how transcendence looks different for everyone.
Molly Conger joins Robert, Garrison, and James to discus the recent attacks on power substations and how they relate to growing awareness of accelerationist plots against critical infrastructure.