Author: The Daily Signal

Crime is on the rise in Los Angeles, and the soft-on-criminals policies of District Attorney George Gascon are a major cause, Sheriff Alex Villanueva says. 

When Gascon took office in December 2020 as one of the successful candidates backed by liberal financier George Soros, he issued a list of crimes that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office no longer would prosecute. 

Those changes are “unleashing a wave of crime by not prosecuting criminals who are victimizing poor people, people of color, people that live in the toughest neighborhoods in our communities,” Villanueva says. 

Villanueva, a lieutenant in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department when he was elected sheriff in 2018, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain how Gascon's policies led to criminals being released back onto the streets and how the "defund the police" movement has affected his workforce.

Also on today’s show, we cover these stories:

• The Biden administration extends the mask mandate for many travelers, especially on planes and trains, for another 15 days.
• President Biden accuses Russia of committing genocide against the Ukrainian people.
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott makes good on his promise to bus illegal immigrants to Washington, D.C.

Enjoy the show!

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The Biden administration recently sent a letter to the attorney general of each state, warning the top law enforcement officials that they could be violating civil rights law if they don’t comply with “gender-affirming care” procedures for children. 

But just what is this gender-affirming care promoted by President Joe Biden, and how does it affect kids? 

Jay Richards, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, says the term is a euphemism for giving hormones to children and, in many cases, performing irreversible surgery on them.

These hormones and surgeries have long-term consequences for a child. 

“If you give a girl heavy doses of testosterone for several years, this causes her uterus to atrophy. It can effectively sterilize her,” Richards says. “And the same thing if you’ve got a boy, especially these pre-pubescents: So you delay puberty and then you give him estrogen. This can not only sterilize the child, it can actually make them so they can’t even function sexually.”

Richards joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss gender ideology and reveal how the Biden administration is pushing it on America’s children.

We also cover these stories: 

• Consumer prices rose by 8.5% in March, the highest level since December 1981, the Labor Department says.
• New York’s lieutenant governor resigns in the face of bribery and other charges in a federal corruption probe.
• A new law in Oklahoma makes abortion illegal. 

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The left makes a big deal about teaching race in America. From the 1619 Project to critical race theory, the left claims that America is irredeemably steeped in racism and that race should be the central focus of all aspects of American life.

Delano Squires, a homeschool father and scholar at the pro-America education group 1776 Unites, says that isn’t helpful. Hyperfocusing on race and racism sows division, and also foments hatred for America, he says.

“It doesn’t matter what country or what ethnicity, because I can’t think of any institution in which a person flourishes when they hate the institution,” Squires says. “I don’t know of anyone who hates their wife that would then say that they have a good marriage, or hates their job and then turns around and says, ‘Yeah, I want to work there for the next 40 years.'” 

Squires joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss how race should be taught in our schools, and why the left’s brand of race-conscious education is a bad idea. 

We also cover these stories:

• Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first time a European leader has done so since Russia invaded Ukraine.
• President Joe Biden announces new gun control measures that he says are aimed at “ghost guns.”
• A new poll from CBS News and YouGov finds that Biden’s approval rating is at an all-time low.

Enjoy the show!

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LOS ANGELES—What is a rogue prosecutor? Why is Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon considered one of the most progressive prosecutors in America? How have his new policies led to a crime increase in Los Angeles? 

Gascon has “really completely abandoned his responsibility to the public,” says Kathy Cady, a former Los Angeles prosecutor who now works as a victim’s rights attorney. 

The ways in which Gascon is changing L.A's prosecutorial system is “negatively impacting communities of color” and “murder victims' families,” Cady says. 

Cady joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” along with Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall to explain how progressive, or rogue, prosecutors are affecting LA crime rates and crime victims. 

Also on today’s show, we ready your letters to the editor and share a good news story about a business owner who is using his love of coffee to fight for the rights of the unborn. 

Enjoy the show!

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acquired a 9.2% share of Twitter stock and joined the social media company’s board of directors. The internet buzzed with the possibility of a free speech advocate like Musk having an internal position with the tech giant.

But what does all of this really mean?

To Annie Butler, a research associate at the The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Technology Policy, Musk’s taking a more active role at Twitter is a step in the right direction toward encouraging free speech on the platform.

Butler joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the implications of Musk’s move, and how some popular tech companies focused on free speech are doing.

We also cover these stories:

• The Senate votes 53-47 to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, with three Republicans joining the majority.
• A group of Senate Democrats announce they will join Republican colleagues to introduce a bill to block the Biden administration’s plan to end use of the public heath policy at the southern border known as Title 42.
• Congress passes two bills designed to punish Russia further for its invasion of Ukraine.

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As gas and other energy prices continue to soar, Americans are desperate for relief. The question is, what does Congress plan to do about it?

Rep. Debbie Lesko, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has some answers on today’s edition of “The Daily Signal Podcast.”

Lesko, R-Ariz., pledges that if the GOP regains the majority in Congress, lawmakers will act swiftly to reduce gas prices and increase America’s energy independence.

“Republicans will introduce legislation to codify into law some of the rules and regulations that the Trump administration put forward … to reduce the time for permitting of new production facilities, reduce the time of permitting for new pipelines, and help Americans increase U.S. oil and gas production,” Lesko says.

“When Republicans come into control, we want to put America first,” she says.

Lesko discusses the Biden administration’s failure to manage gas prices, and what congressional Republicans see as the solutions.

We also cover these stories:

• President Biden extends a freeze on federal student loan repayment until August 31.
• The U.S. and over 30 allied nations impose a new round of sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
• Oklahoma is set to institute an almost total ban on abortion.

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Two decades ago, Venezuela was a thriving country. Today, Venezuela is ranked 176th on The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, just above North Korea. 

How did Venezuela fall from prosperity so quickly? How did socialist policies affect the nation’s economy? Is there any hope for its future?  

Jorge Galicia, a refugee from Venezuela and outreach fellow at The Fund for American Studies, joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to answer these questions and describe what it was like to grow up in Venezuela. 

Also on today’s show, we cover these stories: 

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on the United Nations to remove Russia from its Security Council.
• Twitter offers entrepreneur Elon Musk a seat on its board of directors after he becomes the social media company's largest shareholder. 
• Individuals who live in Palm Springs, California, and identify as transgender or nonbinary are eligible to receive up to $900 a month. 

Enjoy the show!

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From time to time, the American people elect a champion to take on the Washington swamp.

Historian Larry Schweikart joins "The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss his new book "Dragonslayers: Six Presidents and Their War With the Swamp."

The six presidents Schweikart profiles are Abraham Lincoln, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump. They came from different backgrounds and different political parties, but all had their own unique tussles with the swamp during their time in office.

The presidential historian lays out the almost cyclical nature of Americans electing swamp fighters.

"I think also we see a pattern where these guys kind of knock the swamp back a little bit, and then it crawls back to life, like some horrible monster and 10, 15, 20 years later, somebody else has to step up and fight it again," Schweikart says.

Schweikart is a historian of American political history and has written numerous books, including the best-selling "A Patriot's History of the United States."

We also cover these stories:

• President Joe Biden on Monday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal, and said evidence should be gathered in order to put him on trial.
• Biden says he is ending a COVID-19-era immigration-control policy. Title 42 was originally implemented by then-President Donald Trump. Three Republican state attorneys general are suing to block the Biden move.
• A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that billionaire Elon Musk had purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter Inc., making him the tech titan's single-biggest shareholder.

Enjoy the show!

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Media bias and dishonest journalism today seem worse than ever. Hollywood is embracing more and more explicit content, and even pushing it on our kids. And conservatives can't catch a break with Big Tech, which has resorted to censoring and suppressing content at an alarming rate.

For 35 years, Brent Bozell has taken on the elites in media, Hollywood, and Big Tech. He's built the Media Research Center into a powerhouse, created the Parents Television Council, aided grassroots activists with ForAmerica, and is now championing the First Amendment with the Free Speech Alliance.

Bozell joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about the media, Big Tech, and his new book "Stops Along the Way: A Catholic Soul, a Conservative Heart, an Irish Temper, and a Love of Life."

And click here to learn more about K9s for Warriors.

Enjoy the show!

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This Saturday edition of "The Daily Signal Podcast" features a discussion with Andy Smarick, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, on how education is evolving after the COVID-19 pandemic.

School lockdowns, masking, and other restrictions have affected how parents across America think about their children's education. COVID-19 accelerated certain trends that already were afoot, such as the demand for increasing school choice opportunities outside public schools.

Moreover, parts of America have been the scene of tremendous battles over the content of curriculum, particularly regarding critical race theory, which parents were shocked to find in their children's instruction.

So what's next?

Smarick observes that COVID-19 launched "small learning communities really oriented around the needs of families and kids" because restrictions during the pandemic resulted in "50 million students [who] suddenly had to find something different because their schools were shut down."

"And that's when we saw the rise of pods, hubs, and hybrid homeschooling and also microschooling," he says. "This is just a wonderful Tocquevillian response, spontaneous order to a calamitous situation where all these parents were saying, 'Heavens, we just need new options for our kids because they're not getting anything and I still have to work.'"

The real question is whether this revolution in education will continue. 

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