Author: The Daily Signal

When the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools to in-person learning in the spring of 2020, parents across America began to see firsthand what their kids were learning via Zoom meetings and other virtual platforms. One of those parents, Jill Simonian of California, didn't like what she saw.

Simonian decided to speak out. She began posting on social media and raising awareness among other parents about what she calls "the radicalization in our schools." Her outspokenness eventually led to a job at Prager U, the educational organization founded by Dennis Prager.

Last year, The Daily Signal interviewed Simonian about PragerU's Resources for Educators and Parents. Since then, she's helped launch PragerU Kids, which offers even more content for family and children—material many of them probably aren't seeing in school.

"We do not want to radicalize our children. We don't want to indoctrinate our children. We don't want to do anything that's political. We merely want to present families and educators with resources that unite us as Americans, that provide the rightful telling of who we are as Americans," Simonian says.

Read a lightly edited transcript at DailySignal.com.

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We likely all have felt the effects of high gas and grocery prices, but what is the government doing to address inflation?

Policymakers' negligence has left inflation to an overwhelmed Federal Reserve, a move that resulted in disaster in the 1970s.

Four Heritage Foundation policy experts—Rachel Greszler, Katie Tubb, Peter St. Onge, and Daren Bakst—recently gathered to discuss the core factors driving inflation and what Congress and the Biden administration need to do to fight rising costs. Today on "The Daily Signal Podcast," we share their insights on how policymakers can act to curb inflation. (The Daily Signal is the multimedia news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)

Also on today's show, we explain what you need to know about the 49th annual March for Life taking place Friday in Washington.

We also cover these stories:

• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, announces that National Guard units will receive certification to work as substitute teachers and child care workers, to fill holes left by COVID-19 infections.
• President Joe Biden responds to criticism after making comments that seemed to imply a minor incursion by Russia in Ukraine would not be met with severe consequences.
• The National Collegiate Athletic Association announces changes to its transgender athlete policy to follow a sport-by-sport model.

Enjoy the show!

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In the midst of the so-called Great Resignation, the far left is calling for the abolishment of all work. Leftist politicians and activists call for the government to step in and create a massive welfare state to eliminate the need for Americans to work at all.

Robert Rector, The Heritage Foundation’s senior research fellow for domestic policy studies, joins the podcast to explain that work is crucial for a functioning and flourishing society. The left’s proposals to replace work with government handouts, Rector says, can have only bad consequences.

“We’re now violating that contract when you [eliminate work],” Rector says. “Those who choose to work [will] have a double obligation to support themselves and their families and the families of those who choose not to work. Society will fall apart under that, and there’s no way of stopping it.”

We also cover these stories:

• President Biden gives his first press conference since November, taking questions for over an hour and a half.
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell accuses Democrats of trying to divide the nation for their own political gain.
• Fearing an imminent attack on Ukraine by Russian forces, Secretary of State Antony Blinken lands in Kiev for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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The NBA's Golden State Warriors basketball franchise is trying to distance itself from billionaire co-owner Chamath Palihapitiya following a remark he made on his podcast that "nobody cares" about the Uyghur Muslims facing persecution in China.

"Nobody cares about what's happening to the Uyghurs, OK? You bring it up because you really care, and I think it's nice that you care. The rest of us don't care," he said Saturday on the "All-in Podcast."

In 2021, the U.S. government declared China's persecution of the Uyghurs people to be genocide.

Team management responded to Palihapitiya’s remark Monday, saying the investor “does not speak on behalf of our franchise.” 

Amid criticism, Palihapitiya has since backpedaled on his remarks, writing on Twitter, “I believe that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere."

Millions of Uyghurs have been forced "inside political reeducation camps in China," says Olivia Enos, a senior policy analyst for Asian studies at The Heritage Foundation. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)

Enos joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to respond to Palihapitiya's remark that "nobody cares" about the Uyghurs, and to explain why China is targeting the ethnic group.

We also cover these stories:

• White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Russia could attack Ukraine at any time.
• Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., releases a report highlighting the impact of mass inflation.
• A school district in Northern Virginia removes a controversial gender-identity book from its libraries. 

Enjoy the show!

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A mere 30% of Americans think their country is heading in the right direction. President Joe Biden, elected on the promise of being a uniter with better solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic, has resorted to divisive rhetoric and a socialist agenda.

It's no wonder many Americans are pessimistic about America's future. Yet, there is reason to be hopeful, says Hugo Gurdon, editor-in-chief of the Washington Examiner. Restoring America, a new Examiner initiative is celebrating what's great about America while at the same time confronting the left's assault on our values.

"We think that we are at an extremely important point in the country where, as I say, the left is now triumphant and they're pushing successfully against all of the traditional values that have made this country great. We need to push back and we need to encourage people to realize that they can win this fight," Gurdon says. "We need to realize, and people need to realize, that they can steer their country where they wish it to go. Most people do not wish it to go where the extreme left is currently pushing it."

Gurdon joins "The Daily Signal" to discuss Restoring America, how it contrasts with The New York Times' 1619 Project, and why he remains encouraged about our country's future. A lightly edited transcript is available at DailySignal.com.

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Nearly 54 years since civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, his words still resound across our nation and his legacy has influenced millions. 

If alive today, how would King encourage us to tackle the renewed racial tensions America faces? And what would he have to say about divisive ideologies such as critical race theory? 

As an ordained Baptist pastor and firm believer in Jesus Christ, King would oppose critical race theory because it “was socially engineered by Marxists and socialists, by people who don't believe in God,” says Alveda King, one of his nieces. 

Her uncle’s message to the nation would remain centered on the Gospel of Christ because his desire was to see America “serve God [and] serve others,” Alveda King says. 

King, a pro-life leader who is founder of Speak for Life, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to reflect on her uncle's legacy and address some of the greatest issues facing America today.

Enjoy the show!

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Big Tech actors like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube feel increasingly comfortable banning conservative voices from their platforms. But as Big Tech is willing to censor conservatives for their speech, other platforms devoted to free expression are starting to fill the gap.

The director of The Heritage Foundation's Center for Technology Policy, Lora Ries, contends that as long as these big platforms continue to censor dissent, alternative platforms will crop up to try to serve as alternatives. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)

"The new CEO [of Twitter] has been quoted as less concerned with free speech and more about driving their users toward information that Twitter wants to provide," Ries said as an example of Big Tech censorship. "That doesn't bode well for free speech or true public discourse or having disagreements about difficult topics like COVID and COVID response."

"So as long as that trend continues, then these alternatives, I think, will grow and compete with each other," she added.

Ries joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how Big Tech censors conservatives and how platforms such as Gettr and Rumble are putting free speech at the forefront. 

We also cover these stories: 

• The Supreme Court blocks the Biden administration from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees.
• Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., confirms she will not back efforts to alter the filibuster, seemingly ending attempts by Senate Democrats to change the procedure.
• The House of Representatives passes a controversial elections-related bill that would greatly expand the federal government’s control of state and local election laws. 

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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is the latest in a string of left-wing mayors to institute a proof-of-vaccination mandate. Starting on Saturday, anyone 12 or older who wants to eat at a restaurant, go to a concert, or see a movie in the nation’s capital will have to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., is one of 19 lawmakers to sign a letter asking Bowser to reverse her decision. Norman thinks Bowser’s mandate will have adverse consequences for people living in or visiting the District of Columbia.

“It’s a draconian overreach of government,” Norman says, adding: “This has been a nightmare for so many of the people that are trying to put food on the table, and they’re getting hit with cost increase after cost increase. There is a limit.”

Norman joins the show to discuss Congress’ efforts to prevent the mandate from taking effect—and the consequences for the city’s businesses and residents if it does.

We also cover these stories: 

• According to the Department of Labor, the inflation rate hit a 39-year high in December.
• A new study out of California suggests that the omicron strain of COVID-19 is far less severe than previous strains of the virus.
• A D.C. administrative agency announces a policy that could serve as a model for government lists of Americans who object to vaccinations on religious grounds.

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It’s a country few Americans have heard of, but Kazakhstan is going through political unrest that should make everyone sit up and take notice. With Russians on the doorstep and a bevy of strategic resources on the line, there’s a lot at stake.

"[Kazakhstan] has about 40% of the world's uranium. It has lots of oil and gas and big U.S. companies like Chevron are deeply involved in Kazakhstan," explains Luke Coffey, director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation.

Coffey joins the "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss why Kazakh unrest matters to the U.S., and what we should be doing about it.

We also cover these stories: 

• President Joe Biden says if Senate Democrats don’t get their way on voting legislation, the filibuster needs to end.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci clashes again with Sen. Rand Paul as Fauci accuses him of endangering his life by criticizing him.
• Sen. Mitch McConnell says there will be consequences if Senate Democrats change the filibuster.

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Writer, commentator, and editor Bethany Mandel only wanted to provide alternatives to the woke books being provided to children in school. So she was shocked when Facebook took down her page advertising such alternatives due to “disruptive content.”

"There was no warning," Mandel says of Facebook's action. "They told us that our ads were low quality or disruptive content, but they never actually defined what about them was low quality and disruptive content. ... This is a wholesome new children's book [series] that you can buy for your children for Christmas. It couldn't have gotten less dangerous and more innocuous than our ads. We're literally just selling children's books."

Mandel joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss how Facebook censored her, and the importance of having alternatives to the left's woke education materials.

We also cover these stories: 

• Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., ask D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to drop the city's vaccine mandate.  
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell releases a memo predicting Democrats will “try to use fake hysteria to break the Senate and silence millions of Americans’ voices so they can take over elections and ram through their radical agenda.”
• Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, says he will not willingly appear before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

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