Japan’s longest serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is dead. Abe’s legacy loomed large over Japan and his untimely death sent shockwaves throughout the country and the world.
But with Abe’s death, questions arise about what direction Japan will go.
Bruce Klingner, a Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow specializing in Japanese affairs, joins this bonus episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss what the implications are for Japan, and dive into the legacy that Abe leaves behind.
In the wake of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade and returning the issue of abortion to the American people and their local elected representatives, a gaggle of leftist district attorneys said they won't enforce laws enacted to protect the unborn.
Some of those rogue district attorneys are from pro-life states and might attempt to stymie efforts by state legislatures to protect life.
Cully Stimson, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, is not surprised, and says that those district attorneys have already refused to enforce other laws, against violence and petty crime, among other things. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)
The tactic of not enforcing some of the laws that their state legislatures pass and their governors sign "is not a new play for them," says Stimson. "So, it's not surprising that they're virtue signaling and trying to [capitalize] on the anti-Dobbs hysteria on the left and hold themselves out as defenders of freedom and all the rest of it." (The Supreme Court's June 24 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.)
Worse, there's no way to get the anti-abortion laws enforced if the rogue district attorneys decide they won't cooperate.
"Remember, the prosecutor—not the police officer, not the mayor, not the governor—is the gatekeeper to the criminal justice system," explains Stimson. "So, police can arrest people for committing crimes that are on the books, but if the DA says, 'Sorry, Officer Schmuckatelli, we're not going to bring that case and file it in court.' That's the end of the line."
Thankfully, there’s a possible solution. As we've seen even in liberal San Francisco, which recently recalled its leftist prosecutor, Chesa Boudin, the people can take matters into their own hands and recall district attorneys who won't do their jobs.
"Find out from your DA whether they believe in reimagining prosecution and not asking for bail even for repeat criminals, and not fully enforcing the law," recommends Stimson. "Because if they are following [leftist billionaire George Soros'] bought-and-paid-for playbook or inspirational playbook, or the playbook from the Fair and Just Prosecution ... then you're going to know that you're going to have a crime problem in your city."
Stimson joins the show to discuss the implications of district attorneys refusing to prosecute abortion-related crimes, and what Americans can do to hold them accountable.
We also cover these stories:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces his resignation.
The United Kingdom and United States worked in tandem to capture Iranian missiles in the Gulf of Oman in February, it was revealed Thursday.
After The New York Times labels her a “far-right Latina,” newly elected Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, fires back.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday, saying his party had made it clear he should do so.
“It is clearly now the will of the Parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party, and therefore, a new prime minister,” Johnson told a crowd outside the prime minister's official residence and office at 10 Downing Street in London.
The prime minister said he would step down as more than 50 of his ministers resigned.
Among other recent missteps, Johnson was criticized for appointing a Conservative in Parliament, Chris Pincher, to a government position after having knowledge of sexual misconduct allegations against Pincher.
Theodore "Ted" Bromund, a Heritage Foundation senior research fellow in Anglo-American relations, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain why Johnson is stepping down and what his resignation means for Great Britain and for America’s relationship with the U.K.
America recently has suffered through a spate of mass shootings. Most recently, a gunman fired on a crowd of people on the Fourth of July in Highland Park, Illinois. Seven were killed and more than 40 others were injured.
Across the country, concerned citizens ask, "Why?" Why does this keep happening and what can we do about it?
Amy Swearer, a legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation specializing in firearms and the Second Amendment, views it as a deeper issue involving the mental health of those who obtain weapons and go on to commit those crimes. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)
"There is this social contagion effect where people who are disgruntled, who are not in a good state of mind, who feel rejected or outcasts want to make a name for themselves," Swearer explains.
Swearer adds that, many times, even if the person legally obtains the weapons they use in a mass shooting, it's generally because laws on the books weren't enforced or disqualifying behavior slips through the cracks.
"The problem is either no one noticed or took official steps, or they hadn't quite reached a point under existing laws where they could be charged with a disqualifying felony or involuntarily committed," she says. "All of these gun laws are only as good as their enforcement. It's the same thing with red flag laws."
Swearer joins the show to discuss the most recent mass shooting and what laws could actually help stop these shootings.
Also on today’s show, we cover these stories:
The man accused of killing seven people in Highland Park, Illinois, confesses to the crime and reveals that he had planned a second attack.
Georgia Democrats may have violated state election laws by building a field office too close to a polling place.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vacations in Montana, even though his state bans state employees from traveling there on business.
While gas prices remain at an average of $4.80 a gallon, the Biden administration continues to promote “environmental justice” policies that Donna Jackson says are harming black Americans.
“When you have someone that's spending more than 30% of their income for gasoline and they're making choices between whether their kids can have … food to eat, or medicine, or pay their energy bills, electricity, gasoline, then that is not a pain point, that's genocide,” says Jackson, director of membership development for Project 21 at the National Center for Public Policy Research.
The political left has created an environmental agenda they say will help minority communities, but it is an “agenda that black people never asked for,” Jackson says.
President Joe Biden’s efforts to lessen American dependency on fossil fuels is killing American jobs that minorities depend on and driving up the cost of living, she says.
Jackson joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain why the president’s energy agenda is so harmful to African Americans, and what the president should do to stimulate energy growth across the nation.
Also on today’s show, we cover these stories:
Police say the Highland Park shooter planned the attack weeks in advance.
Multiple Texas counties declare that they are under an invasion due to the rising number of illegal migrants coming across the border.
Twitter bans Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and conservative commentator Dave Rubin over a tweet referring to actor Elliot Page by birth name and biological sex.
Tom Lewis knows what it takes to find success and happiness in life. He's a living example.
As founder of the T.W. Lewis Co., an Arizona-based real estate investment company known for its outstanding quality and customer service in the homebuilding industry, Lewis built a thriving business while being a devoted dad. Now, he's sharing his lessons in a book, "Solid Ground: A Foundation for Winning in Work and in Life."
Lewis is a supporter of The Heritage Foundation whom I've had the opportunity to get to know over the last few years. He joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to share his insight and inspiration for writing the book. Listen to the episode or read a lightly edited transcript at DailySignal.com.
In 2018, Mississippi passed a 15-week abortion ban. The abortion clinic Jackson Women’s Health challenged the law.
“When I took office, that case had been sitting at the Fifth Circuit and it needed to be appealed,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said. “We looked at it and said, absolutely, we wanted to appeal this case to the United States Supreme Court.”
Fitch joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about Mississippi’s role in overturning Roe. She also weighs in on the Biden administration’s claims that it will continue promoting abortion.
The Supreme Court decision Friday that overruled Roe v. Wade and did away with the premise that there’s a constitutional right to an abortion was Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case originated in Mississippi and was the linchpin in one of the greatest victories for the pro-life cause in the past 50 years.
Mississippi’s governor, Republican Tate Reeves, has been instrumental in building the culture of life in his state to get to this point and hopes that Friday's victory is the first of many.
"We want to represent to the rest of the country that every single life has worth, every single life has value, and that there are people in this state, and there are people in this country, that care and love every single mom," Reeves said.
"I think we've made progress," he adds. "And the reason is because I believe in my heart that if we talk with compassion, we have the ability to win people's hearts and minds across the country on this issue."
Reeves joins the show to discuss how Dobbs made its way to the court, and what the future holds for life in America.
We also cover these stories:
President Joe Biden announces plans to increase America’s military presence in Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announces his intention to step down tomorrow.
George Washington University refuses to fire Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from an adjunct teaching position despite some students' demands.
Unilever sells its Ben and Jerry's ice cream business in Israel.
Across the nation, pregnancy resource centers are under fire. Pro-abortion radicals are increasingly vandalizing these safe havens for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, smashing their windows, spray-painting vulgarities on their walls, and even firebombing them.
The most recent target of this senseless violence and vandalism by pro-abortion extremists was the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center in Lynchburg, Virginia, which was hit early Saturday morning.
Susan Campbell, the center's executive director, is incredibly disheartened by what happened.
"We're a service that's well-known, and so our community is loving and kind and supports us at every level. We were shocked to be the target of the vandalism," she says. "We were the only center in Virginia that was hit [after Roe v. Wade was overturned], and we were just deeply saddened by that."
Regrettably, Campbell doesn't think that her center will be the last to be vandalized.
"I don't think that it's going to stop, and I think that it's only going to get worse from here, simply because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade," Campbell says. "But we've been praying for this for a long time, and we're not intimidated or dissuaded from our mission."
Campbell joins the show to share her story and offer a message of hope to those mothers and mothers-to-be looking for assistance in what can be the toughest time in their lives.
We also cover these stories:
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says "every option is on the table" when asked about whether abortion clinics could be set up on federal lands in states with strict anti-abortion laws.
President Joe Biden responds to criticism that his policies on border security led to the deaths of 50 illegal immigrants whose bodies were discovered in a sweltering tractor-trailer in San Antonio.
Hillary Clinton criticizes Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
It’s a post-Roe world and life appears to be winning.
But even though the issue of abortion now moves back to the American people to decide, there will still be women who need help and assistance with unexpected pregnancies.
Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, says that there are a treasure trove of resources available for those who need them. They just need to know where to look.
"There is a pregnancy resource center movement with well over 3,000 pregnancy care centers, pregnancy resource centers, and so typically they are in your local community," she explains. "These resource centers will provide things like pregnancy tests or ultrasounds or STD tests or health care or diapers, formula, et cetera, housing even in some cases."
There's also a well developed network to help with finding these resources, Mancini says.
"The two umbrella groups that you would definitely want to check out are Heartbeat International, which is in Ohio, but many of the pregnancy care centers are under their umbrella," she explains, "Then the second one is Care Net, which is based out of Northern Virginia, and they have a wonderful hotline."
We also cover these stories:
The Supreme Court rules in favor of Washington state football coach Joe Kennedy and his right to prayer.
Justice Clarence Thomas suggests the Supreme Court should reconsider a prior ruling making it more difficult to sue media organizations.
New voter registration data analyzed by the Associated Press finds more than 1 million American voters have switched over to the Republican Party.
