In this edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” Hanson, author of “The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation,” provides an analysis of California's wildfire management and policy failures under Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Hanson discusses the mismanagement of resources, lack of effective forest management, and prioritization of diversity and inclusion over merit in firefighting efforts. He labels the situation as a “systems breakdown” and warns of the larger implications for California's future.
The Daily Signal cannot continue to tell stories, like this one, without the support of our viewers: https://www.dailysignal.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube. Vic’s back from warmer weather and ready to dive into everything the new year has brought our way. We’re talking about Jimmy Carter’s funeral, the Los Angeles wildfires, and Justin Trudeau’s eventual departure. Don’t miss it—tune in!
Gervase Phillips' bookPersecution and Genocide: A History (Routledge, 2024) offers an unparalleled range of comparative studies considering both persecution and genocide across two thousand years of history from Rome to Nazi Germany, and spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Topics covered include the persecution of religious minorities in the ancient world and late antiquity, the medieval roots of modern antisemitism, the early modern witch-hunts, the emergence of racial ideologies and their relationship to slavery, colonialism, Russian and Soviet mass deportations, the Armenian genocide, and the Holocaust. It also introduces students to significant, but less well known, episodes, such as the Albigensian Crusade and the massacres and forced expulsions suffered by the Circassians at the hands of imperial Russia in the 1860s, as the world entered an 'age of genocide'.
By exploring the ideological motivations of the perpetrators, the book invites students to engage with the moral complexities of the past and to reflect upon our own situation today as the 'legatees of two thousand years of persecution'. Gervase Phillips's book is the ideal introduction to the subject for anyone interested in the long and complex history of human persecution.
OA1110 - For the first time in US history, an American President (both former and future) is facing criminal sentencing. We review Judge Juan Merchan’s most recent ruling on Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss his conviction for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and the difficult balance that Merchan has struck in trying to weigh the jury’s verdict and the rule of law itself against the fact that the defendant will be ten days away from regaining the nuclear codes as of the time of his scheduled hearing.
We also review Aileen Cannon’s recent probably-illegal desperate order to try to stop special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump’s many federal crimes from going public before trying to understand why Democrats would even consider signing on an extremely hard-right immigration bill which can only help to fuel Trump’s mass deportation machine. How will the Laken Riley Act allow undocumented people to get away with nearly any theft offense, and give state AGs broad power over national immigration policy? Matt then drops a quick footnote on the questionable state of Rudy Giuliani’s physical, mental, and legal health as two different federal judges consider just how contemptuous he has become before we circle back for some late-breaking updates in both of this episode’s Trump stories.
The Palisades and Eaton fires that began Tuesday in and around Los Angeles have become some of the most destructive — and likely most expensive — wildfires in American history. City and county officials say more than 9,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed so far. And as the fires have spread, so too has a ton of disinformation online, some of it been fanned by President-elect Donald Trump. Scott Waldman, a White House reporter focused on climate change at Politico’s E&E News, helps us debunk some of Trump’s wild claims.
Later in the show, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs talks about the case to block her re-election to the state’s highest court.
And in headlines: Elon Musk suggests cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget might not be possible, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump’s last-ditch request to halt his criminal sentencing Friday, and a new report says that the death toll in Gaza has been gravely underreported.
We're telling you about the extent of the loss in southern California as catastrophic wildfires keep burning and how a major winter storm across the South is causing travel nightmares.
We'll also recap the emotional state funeral that brought together all five living presidents in a rare symbol of political unity.
Plus, TikTok's fight for survival is coming before the Supreme Court; a new merger creates a powerhouse of mall staples, and the NFL playoffs are about to begin. We'll tell you how they could make history.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
This episode is brought to you by Quince. Treat yourself this winter without the luxury price tag. Go to Quince.com/NEWSWORTHY for 365-day returns, plus free shipping, on your order!
The #1 in the whole App Store is Watch Duty… a hero saving lives in LA’s wildfires.
Rolls-Royce now sells 100% top-to-bottom custom cars… it’s commissioned art, like Picasso.
17% of Christmas gifts get returned… so we invented a solution: “Reverse Logistics”
This Sunday is the biggest day of the year for dating apps… Swiping is about to surge 70%.
$BMWKY $AAPL $LULU
Want more? Check out the latest episode of our weekly deep dive show, The Best One Yet. This week’s episode is on The Oregon Trail: “Tricking Kids Into Liking School Since 1971” 🐂 Subscribe at Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinks to listen.
“The Best Idea Yet”: The untold origin stories of the products you’re obsessed with — From the McDonald’s Happy Meal to Birkenstock’s sandal to Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers to Sriracha. New 45-minute episodes drop weekly.
Two novels explore the way that violence and loss can ripple across a village, town – or even entire countries. First, in Karina Sainz Borgo's No Place to Bury the Dead, a plague that causes amnesia runs rampant across an unnamed Latin American country. One mother's flight brings her to a border-town cemetery that operates on disputed land. In today's episode, Borgo joins NPR's Elissa Nadworny for a conversation that touches on the importance of death rituals, the myth of Antigone, and a real-life cemetery that exists along the border between Venezuela and Colombia. Then, Tana French has described her novels The Searcher and its sequel, The Hunter, as her take on the American Western. The novels follow Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago police officer who moves to rural Ireland. In The Hunter, the life Cal has built in Ardnakelty is complicated by an unexpected arrival. In today's episode, French speaks with Here & Now's Chris Bentley about her interest in writing from an outsider's perspective, the tension between blood and chosen family, and the particular experience of life in a small town.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
When Ross Anderson (Cheyenne and Arapaho) was clocked at more than 154 miles per hour in 2006, he set an American speed skiing record that has yet to be broken. He’s translated his talent on the slopes into outreach for Native American youth. He is among a handful of Native skiers who have made a name for themselves in competitive winter sports.
Will a First Amendment defense keep TikTok running in America?
Guest: Emily Baker White, tech reporter for Forbes.
Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.
