Author: The Daily Signal

School is back in session—or will be soon—for students across America. As they head back to the classroom, many students will encounter a different environment this year.

With debates about mask mandates and critical race theory garnering headlines, there’s another underreported story reshaping American education. Corey DeAngelis, national research director for the American Federation for Children, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share the good news for parents and students alike.

DeAngelis calls 2021 the “year of school choice” with upwards of 17 states giving parents more options to make decisions that benefit their kids. These new school choice programs fund students, giving them the educational freedom to learn in an environment best for them.

In addition to being a prolific school choice advocate at the American Federation for Children, DeAngelis is also executive director at Educational Freedom Institute, an adjunct scholar at Cato Institute, and a senior fellow at Reason Foundation. Following his work on Twitter: @DeAngelisCorey.

Listen to our interview or read a lightly edited transcript at DailySignal.com.

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Mixed messages about COVID-19 from the media, politicians, and public heath officials have left many Americans questioning what information they can trust. 

Across the nation, some political leaders and health experts continue to push for individuals to be vaccinated. We now know, however, that those who are vaccinated still may be infected by the coronavirus and contract COVID-19, although they remain far less likely to be hospitalized or die than those who are unvaccinated and contract COVID-19.

Vaccination data tells a positive story and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should relay all the facts to Americans, says Kevin Dayaratna, who is principal statistician, data scientist, and research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, parent organization of The Daily Signal.

“The safety and the efficacy of the vaccines was tested last year. And we are continuing to see data and there are overall overwhelmingly no serious effects,” he says.

Dayaratna and Norbert Michel, director of Heritage’s Center for Data Analysis, just released a new report examining the effectiveness of the vaccines against the delta variant. The report, “A Statistical Analysis of COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections and Deaths,” dives deep into the data and facts about the spread of the virus and the efficacy of the vaccines. 

Dayaratna joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what you need to know. 

We also cover these stories:

• President Joe Biden defended his handling of Afghanistan in a new interview.
• Dozens of senators are calling on the Biden administration to move faster to evacuate Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan.
• The Department of Education announced it was cancelling student loans for over 300,000 disabled Americans.

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As Afghanistan continues to dominate the news cycle, we learn more about what led to the end of America’s longest war. But sometimes lost in the discussions about strategy and tactics is the human element of the story.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Don Bolduc served 10 tours in Afghanistan and knows what daily life was like for our troops.

"This was lost at the higher levels ... unfortunately the Afghan government and military and national police have responsibility here, but not the men and women that served in our military for 20 years and went over there repeatedly," says Bolduc. "They did their job, they did it well, they did it with honor and the sacrifice out there. Their friends and family members did not go in vain despite what you're seeing today."

Bolduc joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss his experiences on the ground, and what we can do for our troops coming home.

We also cover these news stories:

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says there will be many congressional inquiries into what happened in Afghanistan. 
• Afghanistan’s deposed president Ashraf Ghani is currently sheltering in the United Arab Emirates on humanitarian grounds.
• The Texas Democrats who fled the state capital to block the vote on an election bill could now be arrested for doing so.

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The Bible and the Torah have served as sources of inspiration and guidance throughout the ages. Accounts in the Book of Genesis of the Tower of Babel and the Garden of Eden are among those that have helped people from ancient times to understand God and to navigate personal issues.

Michael Eisenberg, an Israeli venture capitalist and author of the upcoming book “The Tree of Life and Prosperity: 21st Century Business Principles from the Book of Genesis,” says he believes these stories contain nuggets of wisdom just as applicable today as they were back then.

"Wow, this is super-relevant for modern times and modern challenges, this kind of timeless wisdom," Eisenberg says about the Torah, which encompasses the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. "It has a modern feel to it, despite its nature as an ancient text."

Eisenberg joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about his book and some of the lessons we can take from the Book of Genesis.

We also cover these news stories:

• At a Pentagon briefing, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor says the U.S. military expects that one flight per hour will leave Afghanistan's Kabul airport as the evacuation continues.
• The Biden administration will recommend Americans get a COVID-19 booster shot eight months after they were fully vaccinated, government sources tell CBS News.
• A California city councilman and five others are charged with election fraud.

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The Afghanistan War appears to be over. After nearly 20 years of fighting, America's longest conflict has come to a bitter conclusion. Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul, fell to the Taliban in fewer than 72 hours. This came on the heels of a weeklong blitz that saw city after city capitulate to the Taliban.

How did this happen?

"This was an insurgency that for the past two decades was unable to capture even one of the 34 provincial capital cities in Afghanistan, but then out of nowhere, they sweep across the whole country and they're setting in the presidential palace in Kabul," says Luke Coffey, a veteran of the Afghanistan War who directs The Heritage Foundation's Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy. "It's an utter disgrace and an extreme loss of prestige [for] the United States that President Biden allowed this to happen."

Coffey joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to help explain how the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated so quickly and what the implications are.

We also cover these news stories: 

• President Biden briefly returns to the White House from his vacation at Camp David to address the nation on Afghanistan.
• Taliban leaders declare “the war is over,” just short of 20 years since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.
• At least seven are dead amid chaos at the international airport in Kabul when thousands of Afghan citizens desperately attempt to escape the invading Taliban forces. About 1,000 American paratroopers will be deployed to the airport to assist in evacuation efforts.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is going to try to advance the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and the separate $3.5 trillion spending bill together.

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Vivek Ramaswamy calls himself a proud father, a loyal husband, and a grateful son. His parents emigrated to America from India. A Hindu, he made his mark as a successful biotech entrepreneur.

Ramaswamy has joined forces with the Philanthropy Roundtable to narrate a compelling video as part of the organization’s True Diversity campaign—pushing back against the left’s narrow and divisive view of diversity and inclusion.

Debi Ghate, vice president of strategy and programs at the Philanthropy Roundtable and host of the "Can We Talk About It?" podcast, joins me on “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the real meaning of diversity.

"At the Roundtable, we believe an individualized approach is better for achieving true diversity," Ghate says. "What we mean by that is looking for the strengths that each person brings to the table, their values, their passions, their experiences, their background, their skills, and even more."

Enjoy the show!

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Americans have felt the effects of ballooning inflation as a direct result of government-mandated shutdowns of the economy. Prices on essential goods, including food and gas, have risen steadily over the past few months, leaving many wondering about the economic health of the nation.

"This past year and a half, we also saw a very sharp economic decline, larger in a single quarter than we have seen in any of our lifetimes, unless you were around back in the 1930s," says Joel Griffith, research fellow in financial regulations at The Heritage Foundation.

Griffith joins us today on "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about the latest inflation numbers and how good fiscal policy can help us right the ship.

We also cover these news stories: 

• The Taliban capture the strategically significant cities of Ghazni and Herat, marking the fall of 11 out of 34 provincial capitals after a weeklong blitz of fighting.
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton push back on Dallas County's new mask mandate. 
• A recent report details how Oregon Gov. Kate Brown quietly signed into law a measure ending graduation requirements for students to prove they can read, write, and do math at a high school level. 
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is going to step down, but Republicans and Democrats alike call for him to be held accountable for his handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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In response to The New York Times' controversial “1619 Project,” Bob Woodson, founder of the Woodson Center, launched an alternative, 1776 Unites. 

Woodson's initiative includes a series of essays and a school curriculum that recount the facts and stories of America’s founding and black history. It is from these essays that inspiration came for Woodson’s new book, “Red, White, and Black: Rescuing American History from Revisionists and Race Hustlers.” 

The stories and facts in the book, which was released in May, are important “for all people to know, to get an accurate understanding of America's past—the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Woodson says. 

He adds that the “message of the book to America is, if blacks could achieve these great things of creating their own railroad, if we were able to build our own Wall Streets, if we were able to achieve in schools, and reduce the income gap … then we need to apply these old values to a new vision.” 

Woodson joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share some of his favorite true stories of American blacks' success detailed in the book and to share a bit of his own personal story. 

We also cover these stories: 

• The Senate takes a big step toward passing Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending package.
• YouTube suspends Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., from its platform for a week.
• Conflicts over mask policies in Florida continue to mount. 

Listen to the show!

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A high quality children's TV series that teaches children concepts such as economic freedom and personal responsibility didn't exist a year ago. But now, "Tuttle Twins" is redefining pro-American entertainment for children.

The TV version of "Tuttle Twins" is inspired by the beloved book series of the same name by Connor Boyack. The TV series takes viewers on exciting adventures with siblings Ethan and Emily Tuttle and their freedom-loving grandma, who just happens to have a time-traveling wheelchair.

The vision for the crowdfunded series is "to mix the humor of shows like 'The Simpsons' and 'Phineas and Ferb' with the family friendliness and educational value of something like 'The Magic School Bus,'" says Daniel Harmon, the show's creator.

In the first episode, Ethan and Emily travel back in time to learn from famous French economist Frederic Bastiat as well as "the French Revolution that was going on around that time, and how rights are so needed to be protected by the government," Harmon says.

"Tuttle Twins" is also meant to be entertaining for parents. In the same way as "Pixar makes movies for kids, but that adults really enjoy as well," he says, "that's what we're trying to do with this."

Harmon joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about the mission of his new children's series and how families can begin enjoying "Tuttle Twins.”

We also cover these stories:

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces his resignation a week after an investigation concluded that he sexually harassed 11 female state employees.
• The U.S. Senate passes a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill by a vote of 60-39.
• A viral Instagram videos shows Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., dancing and taking photos maskless at an indoor wedding. 

Enjoy the show!

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Congress is forging ahead with a $1.1 trillion infrastructure bill. The measure has received bipartisan support, but many conservatives warn that now is not the time to put America in even more debt. 

The government has increased America’s national debt by $5.2 trillion just since the start of 2020, but “adding to that with two more multitrillion-dollar spending packages over and above what they've already spent, that threatens to return us to the kind of inflation that we haven't seen in decades,” says David Ditch, a policy analyst in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for the Federal Budget. 

In addition to the $1.1 trillion infrastructure bill, Democrats are also striving to pass a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, which includes funding for universal day care, tuition-free community college, and climate change initiatives, among many other things.

“It's important to understand the $3.5 trillion package … would be the largest piece of legislation in the history of the world,” Ditch says. 

Ditch joins "The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what’s in each bill and the effect such aggressive spending will have on the American people. 

We also cover these stories: 

• Senate Democrats announce a $3.5 trillion budget they hope to pass through reconciliation, an obscure maneuver that would allow them to get it through the Senate with just 51 votes, sidestepping Republican opposition.
• One of the women who say New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually assaulted them comes forward to tell her story to the public in detail.
• The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases a new report full of dire predictions.

Enjoy the show!

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