Author: The Daily Signal

A group of former Trump administration officials have formed America First Legal to stop the Biden administration’s executive actions and counter the radical left’s plans to transform our country.

Led by Stephen Miller, former White House senior adviser and director of speechwriting, America First Legal promises to turn the tables on the left, which used the court system to stymie some of President Donald Trump's key initiatives.

"The only difference between what happened to the Trump administration and what we are going to do is we're actually going to have the law and the Constitution on our side," says Matthew Whitaker, acting U.S. attorney general under Trump and one of those involved in the new organization.

Whitaker joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about America First Legal’s plans and some of the biggest issues, including illegal immigration and Second Amendment rights, to emerge so far from the Biden administration.

Also on today's show, we read your letters to the editor and share a good news story about a father and daughter who created a YouTube channel to empower special needs children.

Listen to the podcast below or read the lightly edited transcript. 

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Four Democratic members of Congress have introduced legislation to expand the Supreme Court from nine justices to 13. 

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., on April 15 introduced the bill with Reps. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y. Markey supports the high court's expansion because, he said, the “United States Supreme Court is broken.”

GianCarlo Canaparo, a legal fellow in the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation and co-host of the podcast SCOTUS 101, said that Markey and the other Democrats backing the bill are seeking to expand the court in order to advance a far-left agenda. Opponents of the move have dubbed it "court packing."

Canaparo joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain the likelihood of the Supreme Court being expanded and whether or not the Constitution even allows for adding justices to the bench. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)

We also cover these stories: 

• President Joe Biden announces a new, significantly higher U.S. goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• On a party-line vote, House Democrats pass legislation to make the District of Columbia the nation’s 51st state.
• Basketball star LeBron James deletes a controversial tweet after a Columbus, Ohio, police officer fatally shot 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant. 

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The Senate is expected to vote soon on a bill touted as targeting hate crimes against Asian Americans. The legislation, authored by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., has not received widespread conservative support. 

Why would Republicans not support a bill to address hate crimes? Because the bill's agenda extends far beyond its name, says Sarah Parshall Perry, a legal fellow in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. (The Daily Signal is Heritage's multimedia news organization.)

Perry joins the “Problematic Women” podcast to discuss the progressive aims in the bill and the similarities between the so-called COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and Democrats' hotly contested Equality Act. Perry also discusses an important federal court victory for free speech on college campuses. 

We also cover these stories:

• The Department of Justice announces investigation into Minneapolis' policing practices. 
• President Joe Biden encourages work places to offer paid time off for employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticizes House Democrats for failing to condemn Congresswoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., over her statements last week about the since-resolved trial of Derek Chauvin.

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Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of murder.

Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee against George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, was convicted Tuesday of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

For three weeks, jury members listened to attorneys' arguments during the trial in Minneapolis. On Tuesday afternoon, the jury announced that it had found Chauvin guilty on all charges.

If given the opportunity to represent Chauvin, “I would have done it very differently,” said John Hinderaker, president of the Golden Valley, Minnesota-based Center of the American Experiment and a graduate of Harvard Law School. He practiced law for more than 40 years. 

Hinderaker joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the arguments made during the trial. He also describes the atmosphere in Minneapolis as the city continues to brace for unrest. 

The interview with Hinderaker was recorded on Tuesday afternoon, ahead of the announcement of the jury’s verdict. 

We also cover these stories:

• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing to discuss voting rights and Georgia’s new election law. 
• President Joe Biden calls the Floyd family on Tuesday morning to talk with them about the trial of Chauvin.
• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declares a state of emergency for seven counties surrounding Minneapolis-St. Paul in preparation for expected violence and disorder following a verdict in the Chauvin case.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss a purported “assault on the right to vote.” 

The hearing, dubbed “Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote,” comes as the far left continues to criticize Georgia's new election-integrity law.

Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who lost the 2018 race for governor of Georgia and the founder of Fair Fight Action, and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., are scheduled to testify at the hearing. 

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow in the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what to expect at Tuesday’s committee hearing. The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation. 

Von Spakovsky also unpacks the arguments for and against Georgia’s new election-integrity law, and explains why the bill should not be likened to Jim Crow laws. 

We also cover these stories: 

• Lawyers deliver closing arguments in the final day of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin trial in the death of George Floyd.
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs anti-rioting legislation into law. 
•  The Biden administration orders Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to stop using the terms “illegal alien” and “assimilation.”

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President Joe Biden waited longer to hold his first press conference than any other president in the past 100 year. After waiting 64 days, the media had a chance on March 25 to ask the president about his agenda.

Tim Murtaugh, communications director for President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, was disappointed by what he saw. 

“I would give Biden probably about a 'C' on that press conference for truthfulness [and] for how long it took. And the press corps, I would say I would give a lower grade than that,” said Murtaugh, now a Heritage Foundation visiting fellow and Daily Signal contributor. The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation. 

Murtaugh joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the media’s coverage of Biden, the border crisis, Georgia’s new election-integrity law, and more.

Also on today’s show, we read your letters to the editor and share a "Good News Story" about a former Heritage Foundation intern who started a nonprofit organization to clean up communities in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, isn't from a southern border state, but he says illegal immigration still adversely affects the Gem State.

"I mean, drug- and sex-trafficking impacts everyone," Fulcher says.

"And we're feeling the effects of that," he adds. "Our citizens, our taxpayers as well. We have to pay for services through federal taxes that are being expended here. We have a very large dairy and egg industry. The dairy industry in particular has relied upon immigrants for a lot of the labor, and that's not always been legal."

He joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss those issues.

Plus, he weighs in on vaccine passports and his perspective of the Biden administration four months in.

We also cover these stories:

• Democrats have begun a formal effort to increase the size of the U.S. Supreme Court, proposing to add four justices.
• President Joe Biden has placed new sanctions on Russia for its election interference and cyberattacks. 
• Is there a disparity in criminal charges between those pressed against the U.S. Capitol rioters of Jan. 6 and rioters in Portland, Oregon? That was the question Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., asked FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday at a hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. 

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Arizona just became the first state to formally oppose the Democrat-backed federal election overhaul bill known as HR 1 or S 1 now before Congress. 

Arizona state Rep. Jake Hoffman joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain why he spearheaded Arizona’s resolution opposing the For the People Act.

Hoffman also discusses a new Arizona law that prevents private individuals or organizations from giving money to state election boards or officials. By passing the bill, "Arizona has put up a big sign that says Arizona's elections are not for sale," he says.

We also cover these stories:

• President Joe Biden says parts of the country are “backsliding” into the Jim Crow days.
• The Minnesota police officer who shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a black man, will be charged with second-degree manslaughter. 
• The House Democratic majority now stands at 218 to 212 following the swearing in of Republican Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana.

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A Democratic operative gained unprecedented access to the conference center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where officials counted ballots on election night, investigative reporter Matt Kittle disclosed in recent stories.  

Kittle, who is also executive director of "conservative information hub" Empower Wisconsin, obtained emails that reveal questionable activity during Wisconsin’s 2020 election. The Daily Signal has picked up his reports.

Kittle joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share what he has learned about the role that the Democrat operative and $6 million from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg played in Wisconsin's presidential election.

We also cover these stories:

• Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine likely will be "paused" because of blood clots that developed in some Americans who got the shot.
• The Biden administration announces that it will pull out all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, exactly 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
• The state of Texas sues President Biden for rescinding the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum-seekers. 

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The radical left has infiltrated corporate America and is using big business to promote a political agenda. 

Justin Danhof, general counsel for the National Center for Public Policy Research and director of the Free Enterprise Project, is a member of a new coalition called Stop Corporate Tyranny.

Danhof joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the ways in which Stop Corporate Tyranny is working to end the left’s influence on American companies, and how you can be a part of the movement for change. 

We also cover these stories: 

• The National Guard will increase its presence in Minnesota after riots broke out following a police shooting outside Minneapolis.
• Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signs significant election legislation into law.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci says it’s possible to still be infected with COVID-19 after receiving the vaccine.

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