Thirty years after his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas continues to have a profound influence on American law and culture—evident again with last week's landmark rulings.
A new book, "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words," gives readers access to hours of the exclusive content from the justice himself. Building on the success of a PBS documentary by the same name, the book chronicles Thomas' amazing life and includes unreleased conversations with his wife Ginni Thomas.
Filmmaker Michael Pack, who produced the "Created Equal" documentary, and Mark Paoletta, a personal friend and lawyer who worked with Thomas during his Supreme Court confirmation, join "The Daily Signal Podcast" to share their favorite stories from the book.
Listen the full interview or read a lightly edited transcript at DailySignal.com.
After her abortion, Harris says she felt "immediate regret, immediate just grief that fell upon me."
"I wasn't really sure what to do with it, where to put it," she recalls. "A lot of people, friends of mine had continued to tell me that's not a baby, just get over it, move on and I couldn't."
Harris joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss the Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and what the decision means for the pro-life movement.
The Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade ruling Friday with a 6-3 decision in a Mississippi case that returns the issue of abortion to the people and their elected representatives after nearly 50 years.
The high court’s dramatic and historic ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was not a surprise to either side of the abortion debate, since a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked in early May.
Tom Jipping, a senior legal fellow for the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation, joins this bonus episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to analyze the Supreme Court's ruling, its historic significance, and what comes next for the pro-life movement.
Americans have had more than a year to experience President Joe Biden's administration.
If Biden's slouching poll numbers are any indication, Americans aren't thrilled with the president's performance.
High inflation featuring rising food and gas prices, missing baby formula, and a hyperfocus on race and gender ideology seemingly are beginning to grate on the public's nerves.
In the face of such issues, the common refrain from the president has been that it's not his fault.
To Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., this is just par for the course.
"This is the Biden administration. They lie through their teeth," Palmer says. "They're lying to the American people about why gasoline prices are so high. They're lying to the American people about inflation."
Palmer continues:
We had a hearing yesterday on the energy crisis, the price of gasoline. And I made the point [that] they first blamed it on the pandemic, then they blamed it on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, then they blamed it on energy company profits. It's not the pandemic. It's not Putin. It's not profits. It's Biden administration policy. And they're not going to change.
Palmer joins this episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss the multitude of Biden's failures and what Republicans plan to do to fix the mess.
We also cover these stories:
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court overturns New York state's strict concealed carry gun law, ruling it unconstitutional.
The Biden administration proposes significant changes to Title IX regulations based on gender ideology.
The Senate advances a gun control bill, avoiding a filibuster with a 65-34 vote.
Ukraine and Moldova become formal candidates for European Union membership.
Operation Warp Speed was an unprecedented fusion of government and private industry to create a vaccine against COVID-19. What normally would take four or five years to accomplish was done in less than one.
Paul Mango, then deputy chief of staff for the Department of Health and Human Services, was there to make sure everything happened according to plan. Under President Donald Trump, Mango was the liaison to Operation Warp Speed.
Two top House Republicans say they won’t support the Senate’s new legislation restricting gun ownership.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell admits that raising interest rates could trigger a recession, but says “it is essential that we bring inflation down.”
President Joe Biden calls on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months.
Americans continue to suffer from sky-high inflation. In an attempt to avert some of the worst consequences, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell raised interest rates by .75%.
But is this enough? And what else can the Biden administration be doing to curb inflation?
Dave Brat, dean at the Liberty University School of Business and a former Virginia congressman, thinks this is a good start, but that officials must do more. Brat, whose doctorate is in economics, also says it's mostly the Fed's fault anyway for getting us into this situation in the first place.
"The Fed's had 0% interest rate for 10 years and created this everything bubble," Brat says. "So now it's not just real estate, it's stocks, bonds, commodities. Everything's overvalued and it's going to pop. And that's a disaster. So the Fed's walking a tight rope."
Brat joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss the intricate workings of the U.S. economy and what the Fed and the Biden administration can be doing to fix it.
We also cover these stories:
The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety tells state senators that law enforcement's response to the Uvalde school shooting was an "abject failure."
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor accuses the court's conservative members of eroding the barrier between church and state.
Twitter’s board recommends to shareholders that they go ahead with selling the company to entrepreneur Elon Musk for $44 billion.
Betsy DeVos started fighting for education freedom long before arriving in Washington to serve as Cabinet secretary in President Donald Trump’s administration. But what’s happened in the past couple of years—prompted by COVID lockdowns and a parents’ rights movement—has accelerated the opportunity to give students more options and better schools.
“Everything we did was focused on doing what’s right for students. And that started with talking about empowering families and students to make the choice for their right fit for education,” DeVos told The Daily Signal about her time as secretary of education. “And now with the reality of COVID, we’re at a point where I think policies are going to change.”
Many of those changes are already taking place in states across America. DeVos, who is the author of a new book, “Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child,” believes it’s time to take even bolder steps. Just last week, she embraced the idea of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education—the federal agency she once led.
Listen to our interview on The Daily Signal or read a lightly edited transcript at DailySignal.com.
Republican Mayra Flores made history on Tuesday, winning a South Texas congressional seat that had been occupied by Democrats for more than 100 years. The district, which is largely populated by Latinos on the southern border, went for President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
So how did Flores win?
"I think this speaks to Ronald Reagan's message of Hispanics are Republican, they just don't know it yet," says Cesar Ybarra, vice president of policy at FreedomWorks. "Republicans have been doing a better job at explaining the Republican Party platform to Hispanic voters. This has been amplified just by the terrible job that President Biden and the congressional Democrats have been doing with the economy."
Ybarra thinks that Flores victory is the beginning of a resurgent GOP making inroads with minority voters, but that it will take time.
"Big changes don't happen in two years, in four years. We've got to look at the long game," he says. "And what happens in politics too often is we get so bogged down in winning the day and winning the week that we forget about where we want to be in 2025, where we want to be in 2030."
Ybarra joins the show to discuss the increasing shift of Latino voters from the Democrat party to the GOP, and what this means for future elections.
We also cover these stories:
In May, there were 222,000 border apprehensions outside of official ports of entry, a new record.
The average 30-year mortgage rate rises to 5.78%, the highest level since 2008.
A group of conservative leaders writes a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke about ongoing violence against crisis pregnancy centers and churches.
America is a golden land of opportunity. Yet many of the country's young people don't see it that way. They believe the American dream is unattainable and that America is a racist and bigoted place full of evil oppressors.
Ian Rowe, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the new book "Agency," wants to change that narrative and prove to America's youth that there is something worth striving for.
"I want young people to know that they can do hard things," Rowe explains. "That they live in a good, if not great, country. That, with the right ingredients, they can lead a life of their own choosing."
Rowe thinks there's two factors responsible for American youth: a "blame the system" narrative and a "blame the victim" narrative.
"In the 'blame the system' narrative, if you are not achieving the American dream, the reason is America itself. That America itself is this oppressive nation. That based on superficial characteristics like gender or race, you're oppressed," says Rowe.
The other philosophy blames the individual themselves.
"It's your fault. It's some pathology that you have. You didn't pull yourself up by your own bootstraps," says Rowe. "But if a young person hasn't had the right kind of nurturing from a strong family, strong faith-based organization, strong educational opportunity, then it's very difficult for them independently to overcome these hurdles."
Rowe joins the show to discuss his new book and how we can inspire young people to succeed.
We also cover these stories:
President Joe Biden threatens to use emergency powers if oil companies don't boost supplies amidst growing gas prices.
Mayra Flores wins a special election in Texas, marking the first time a Republican will represent the Rio Grande Valley since 1871.
George Washington University retires its century-old Colonials moniker over outcry from student activists.
Everyday Americans are feeling the wallop on their wallets from unchecked inflation. From gas prices to food prices, the country is experiencing unprecedented levels of economic woes.
But who is to blame for this disaster?
“I think that there are two co-conspirators in this economic crime. And one is the Biden administration, for spending so much money,” says economist Stephen Moore, a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation. “And then the second would be the Fed for being so late to the game in recognizing that this inflation was real and not transitory, and taking steps to combat it.”
Although the government could take steps to address inflation and dodge a recession, Moore says, it’s unlikely that the Biden administration will act properly.
“I think, actually, that if you had the right set of policies put in place, we could avert a recession. We could get back on a good path,” Moore explains. “I think what worries me, and also worries the financial markets, is there’s not a hint out of this White House that they’re going to change strategies. None.”
Moore joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” from Heritage’s recent Resource Bank conference to discuss America’s economy and how we can get back on track.
We also cover these stories:
The man accused of planning to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh reportedly texted his sister, who convinced him to call 911 from Kavanaugh’s neighborhood and turn himself in to police.
Three Pennsylvania state lawmakers, all Republicans, begin impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who they say is soft on crime.
A new poll by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland finds that a vast majority of Americans are against transgender athletes, or biological males, competing in women’s sports.
