Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw

China expert Michael Sobolik returns to the podcast to discuss America’s new cold war with the Chinese Communist Party. Michael outlines the CCP’s strategies – imperialism, the Belt and Road Initiative, and weaponizing America’s own free speech – to displace the U.S. as the leading global superpower. Michael shares a strategic vision for how America can defeat the CCP by exploiting their own vulnerabilities and building upon our alliances with friendly East Asian neighbors like Japan and Australia. Michael Sobolik is the author of the just-released book “Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance.” He is a Senior Fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council. He previously served as a legislative assistant for Senator Ted Cruz, drafting legislation on China, Russia, India, Taiwan, North Korea, and Cambodia, as well as strategic systems and missile defense. Find him on X at @michaelsobolik and listen to him on Great Power Podcast.

There has been a lot of controversy - and lies - this week over the re-authorization of FISA (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act). Rep. Crenshaw sat down with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent and member of House Intel, to debunk the hand wringing and misconceptions about FISA. They give an overview of FISA's history and its distinction between Title One and Title Three, and delve into the role of Section 702 in enhancing national security measures. Misconceptions surrounding FISA are addressed, including the distinction between evidence collection and querying lawfully obtained data. They scrutinize proposals for a secondary warrant requirement and their potential impact on law enforcement investigations. They also discuss limitations on law enforcement capabilities and proposed reforms to prevent abuses within intelligence agencies. For 14 years prior to representing his hometown of Pennsylvania's First Congressional District, Brian Fitzpatrick served our nation both as an FBI Special Agent and Federal Prosecutor, fighting both domestic and international political corruption, and supporting global counterterrorism and counterintelligence efforts – including being embedded with U.S. Special Forces as part Operation Iraqi Freedom. Follow him on X and Instagram at @repbrianfitz.

Former Senator Rob Portman joins the show to talk about all the benefits and pitfalls of American trade policy. We examine the history and evolution of trade policy, the debate over free trade vs protectionism, tariffs vs subsidies, and finding the right balance to create fair competition and the movement of goods between nations. We also discuss the prospects for the TikTok bill passing the Senate, and get into some Civics 101 on the differences between legislating in the Senate vs the House. Prior to serving as Ohio’s Senator from 2011 to 2023, Sen. Portman served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget and United States Trade Representative in the George W. Bush administration. Today he is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at American Enterprise Institute with a focus on public policy and free trade expansion. Follow him on Twitter at @robportmanOH.

Dr. Joseph Loconte, Presidential Scholar in Residence at New College of Florida, joined Rep. Crenshaw to trace the origins of Western Civilization and America’s founding values, from Greek and Roman cultures to the influence of Judaism, Christianity, and the Enlightenment. And they examine the deep resentment against Western Civilization among the far left and increasingly among populists on the right. Joseph Loconte, PhD, is a Presidential Scholar in Residence at New College of Florida, Senior Fellow at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, and the C.S. Lewis Scholar for Public Life at Grove City College. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller "A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm". Follow him on Twitter at @JosephLoconte.

Mark Cuban joined Rep. Crenshaw to talk about his latest endeavor to bring market-based competition to drug pricing and health insurance. Mark explains how the pharmaceutical industry currently works and how drugs are priced. They explore the intricacies behind drug pricing models, insurance coverage, and the complex role that Pharmacy Benefit Managers play in all of it. And Mark shares his vision for a transparent, market-driven, and more humanitarian approach to drug pricing. Mark Cuban is an owner of the Dallas Mavericks and investor on the TV series Shark Tank. Follow him on Twitter at @mcuban.

Ioan Grillo has spent over twenty years reporting on the frontlines of the Mexican cartel wars. He joined Rep. Crenshaw’s Cartel Task Force to brief Congress on the rise of paramilitary cartels, their diversified portfolio of criminal operations (which includes tapping oil pipelines), and the complex duopoly of power they share with the Mexican government. They also discuss the challenges America faces working with Mexico to restrict weapons trafficking. And Ioan shares his methods for developing sources within the cartels, sometimes at great risk to his life.  Ioan Grillo is a journalist and author who has been covering cartels and Latin America since 2001. He is the author of “El Narco”, “Gangster Warlords”, and “Blood Gun Money.” Follow his reporting at www.crashoutmedia.com and on Twitter at @IoanGrillo.

Joe Grogan, President Trump’s former Assistant for Domestic Policy, joins Rep. Crenshaw to take a deep dive into two of the most complex policy debates in Washington: the federal budget and healthcare policy. They examine how the budget process works, the different roles that the White House and Congress play in crafting it, and the political dynamics of current budget negotiations. And they cover some of the biggest challenges facing America’s healthcare system, the regulatory frameworks surrounding it, and what Republicans’ end goal for American healthcare should look like.  Joe Grogan served as Assistant to President Donald J. Trump and Director of the Domestic Policy Council, where he was the lead advisor on a variety of domestic policy issues relating to health care and regulatory initiatives. Prior to that, he served as the Associate Director for Health Programs at the Office of Management and Budget, where he was responsible for overseeing all domestic health spending. He is a Senior Fellow at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. Follow him on Twitter at @RealJoeGrogan.

An ex-drug trafficker and former member of the Sinaloa Cartel joined Rep. Crenshaw in Washington to share his harrowing life story and give insight into how cartels really operate. From helping his father smuggle marijuana as a young boy, to moving thousands of kilos of cocaine as a teenager, to working closely with some of the most notorious drug lords in history – including El Chapo – and ultimately turning against them, our guest was witness to the inner workings and ruthless tactics employed by the most dangerous criminals in modern history.

As the House of Representatives narrowly loses a vote to impeach Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Rep. Crenshaw lays out the mechanism and constitutional history behind impeachment proceedings. He breaks down the arguments for and against impeaching Sec. Mayorkas, and explores the Founding Fathers' intentions behind the impeachment clause.

As part of Rep. Crenshaw’s work on the Cartel Task Force, two officers from the West Coast joined him to share their perspectives of how local police departments are combating the fentanyl epidemic brought on by the Mexican drug cartels. SGT. Aaron Schmautz serves in the Portland Police Department and Officer Brian Marvel serves in the San Diego Police Department. They discuss the unique challenges facing both cities: Portland being a case study in drug decriminalization spinning completely out of control, and San Diego bordering the major cartel hub of Tijuana. They also share insights into the business model of the cartels, how fentanyl took over the local drug markets, the potential to prosecute dealers for murder, what good treatment programs for addicts look like, and much more. SGT. Aaron Schmautz is a 19-year veteran of the Portland Police Department. He is the President of the Oregon Coalition of Police & Sheriffs (ORCOPS), a non-partisan organization that advocates on behalf of police officers, deputy sheriffs, and others in Oregon law enforcement organizations.  Brian Marvel is a 24-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department. He is an adjunct professor at the San Diego Regional Police Academy and President of Peace Officers Research Association.

Europe is entering its third year of the Ukraine-Russia War. There are multiple high-intensity conflicts ongoing in the Middle East. China is escalating its aggression in the western Pacific. Cartels and Marxist politicians are embroiling the Americas. Where is all this headed? Geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan returns to examine the rapidly deteriorating situations in regions around the world and their implications for global order in the 21st century. Peter Zeihan is the founder of Zeihan on Geopolitics and the author of the “The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization.” His geopolitical analysis has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The New York Times, Fox News and more. Follow his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ZeihanonGeopolitics

Everything you need to know about FISA (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) – one of the most controversial laws in the United States. FISA received a temporary extension recently as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. In the coming months Congress will debate reforms to FISA, with many populist members of both parties calling for its permanent repeal. Rep. Crenshaw joined House Intel Chairman Rep. Mike Turner and Rep. Darin LaHood to describe how FISA actually works, discuss the competing reform bills, and debunk common misconceptions about the government’s ability to use FISA to spy on Americans. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a solid grasp of Section 702, Title 1, FISA courts, the Crossfire Hurricane scandal, and, of course, what would happen if an analyst wanted to spy on Paul McCartney. Congressman Turner is the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and member of the Oversight and Accountability Committee. Follow him on X and Instagram at @repmiketurner. Congressman LaHood is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Ways and Means Committee, and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Follow him on X and Instagram at @RepLaHood.

Journalist and author Asra Nomani joins Rep. Crenshaw to examine the strange coalition between radical Islamic extremists and far-left activists, two groups that have very contradictory views about morality and tradition, yet both sharing the common purpose to destroy Israel and upend western democratic systems. They look at how this alliance was fostered in the wake of 9-11 and the violent rhetoric that has emerged since Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel. Asra also gives us a tour of the woke curriculum being promoted at all grade levels in some American public school systems – including books that teach children about gender fluidity and how to start a webcam business. Asra Nomani most recent book is “Woke Army: The Red-Green Alliance That Is Destroying America's Freedom”. She is a senior contributor at The Federalist, alumni of The Wall Street Journal, and former professor of journalism at Georgetown University. Follow her in X at @AsraNomani.

When China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, most people expected the country to be on the path to embracing western values of freedom and democracy.  But the opposite occurred – more and more countries, institutions, and individuals now find themselves forced to comply with CCP authoritarianism or face serious consequences. Army War College’s Dr. Azeem Ibrahim joined Rep. Crenshaw to examine how the Chinese Communist Party’s strategies of economic colonization and transnational repression created this dramatic shift in the global order.  Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is the author of “Authoritarian Century: Omens of a Post-Liberal Future.” He is a Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, and a Director at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington, D.C. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge after which he completed fellowships at the universities of Oxford, Harvard and Yale. Follow him on X at @AzeemIbrahim. 

Security consultant Ed Calderon returns to give Rep. Crenshaw an update on the cartel wars, what’s behind the deep cultural distrust of Mexicans towards the United States, and the political outlook for the country as AMLO’s presidential term comes to an end in 2024. What are the current tactical capabilities of Mexico’s police and military in their battles against the cartels, and what support from the U.S. military would help? How might Mexico’s private sector be the ultimate end of the cartels? What do current political trends and Mexico’s view of history have to do with their antagonism against the U.S? AMLO is on his way out, but why is his power and influence likely not going away anytime soon? Ed answers all these questions and more in this episode recorded as part of Rep. Crenshaw’s work on the Congressional Cartel Task Force. Ed Calderon started his career as a police officer in Tijuana and worked in the fields of counter-narcotics, organized crime investigation, and public safety in the northern border region of Mexico. Today he is a security consultant who has worked with the FBI, Navy SEALs, and special forces groups from around the world. Check out his podcast Manifesto Radio and follow him on Instagram at @manifestoradiopodcast.

Pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson returns to give Rep. Crenshaw her insights into Trump vs DeSantis, how abortion is affecting the GOP’s election prospects, good and bad candidate messaging strategies, and much more. What should DeSantis do if he had a time machine? How did Republicans get caught off guard by the Roe v Wade backlash and is there any hope to convince Gen Z to become pro-life? What effect is the political consulting industry having on candidate quality and the populist echo chamber of social media? They also discuss how to craft accurate voter surveys, what went wrong with the 2022 midterms, and Trump’s chances of defeating Biden in 2024. Kristen Soltis Anderson is a pollster, speaker, commentator, and author of The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up). She is Founding Partner of Echelon Insights, an opinion research and analytics firm that serves brands, trade associations, nonprofits, and political clients. Through her work at Echelon, she regularly advises corporate and government leaders on polling and messaging strategy, and has become one of the foremost experts on the Millennial generation. She also leads focus groups for The New York Times’ opinion section “America in Focus” series. Follow her on X at @KSoltisAnderson and read her Substack here: kristensoltisanderson.substack.com/

Jonah Goldberg returns for a conversation about everything wrong with the GOP and Congress today, and how we can fix it. They talk about the populist stranglehold over political institutions, broken incentive structures in the primary system, expectations vs reality in Congress, the media industrial complex, and much more. Jonah Goldberg is the host of The Remnant podcast, Senior Fellow and Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at American Enterprise Institute, and the author of Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy. Follow him on X at @JonahDispatch.

What does conservatism mean? What principles do we stand for? And what vision for conservatism is most aligned with both America’s founding and its future? Avik Roy joined Rep. Crenshaw to answer these questions and look at how the New Right has diverged in favor of populism and nationalism. They steelman and respond to all the major arguments of the New Right on trade and industrial policy, government intervention, foreign policy, and immigration.   Avik Roy recently co-founded the Freedom Conservatism project to address these questions and give us a Statement of Principles to guide the future of the conservative movement. Read their statement here: www.freedomconservatism.org/   Avik Roy is the President and Co-founder of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. He is the principal author of The Apothecary (the Forbes blog on health care policy and entitlement reform), as well as author of Transcending Obamacare: A Patient-Centered Plan for Near-Universal Coverage and Permanent Fiscal Solvency (2014) and How Medicaid Fails the Poor (2013). His research interests include the Affordable Care Act, universal coverage, entitlement reform, international health systems, veterans’ health care, and FDA policy.  

Wildly fun episode with comedian JP Sears joining Rep. Crenshaw for a conversation about using comedy to reveal truths and bridge political divides (a strategy which might come in handy at the Thanksgiving table). Along the way they also talk about JP’s prior career as a life coach, how evil captivates people, the Bill Burr joke that decimated the pro-choice argument, and – of course – how to survive bear/shark attacks. JP Sears is the author of the just-released children’s book “Chomp Chomp Chomp: The Snapfast Challenge”. Watch his insanely funny satire videos at AwakenWithJP on YouTube and Instagram.

Dr. Miriam Grossman joined Rep. Crenshaw to explain the dark origins of the phenomenon known as Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (when an adolescent or young adult expresses a sudden and intense belief that their gender identity is different from their assigned sex). We learn about Dr. John Money, a monster who pioneered gender-transition surgery for minors in the 1960s. Dr. Grossman explains how activists got once highly respected organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics to normalize transitioning minors. She covers everything that’s wrong with the studies used by trans activists and doctors to manipulate the parents of these children. And she gives guidance to parents on how to prevent schools from exposing their kids to gender ideology. Miriam Grossman, MD has a Doctor of Medicine from New York University Medical School and is board certified in psychiatry, with a sub-specialty in child and adolescent psychiatry. She is the author of “Lost in Trans Nation: A Child Psychiatrist's Guide Out of the Madness.” Follow her on X at @Miriam_Grossman.

Arthur C. Brooks returns to talk about the psychology of political movements, how fear is used as a tool to outrage and manipulate people, and how to preserve your happiness and sanity throughout all of it. Arthur explains why our brains are hardwired to emphasize negativity. He shows how politicians and influencers are exploiting that evolutionary trait to monetize your anger and gain power. He gives us some practical advice for how to disassociate yourself from outrage culture. And he gives us perspective on what real happiness should mean in work, school, family, and our purpose in life. Arthur C. Brooks is the co-author with Oprah Winfrey of the new book “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier.” He is the William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on happiness and leadership. He is the creator of the popular “How to Build a Life” column at The Atlantic, an acclaimed public speaker, and the author of numerous bestselling books, including “From Strength to Strength” and “Love Your Enemies.”

Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris is a distinguished professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and one of the foremost experts on the interplay of neuroscience and psychedelics. He studies how psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD and DMT can change the human brain and be used to treat various mental health challenges such as trauma disorders, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and addiction. Dr. Carhart-Harris joined Rep. Crenshaw to discuss the latest findings from clinical trials of psychedelic therapies, how the mind is affected by the different kinds of psychedelics, the legal landscape for these therapies, and the risks and benefits he sees in psychedelics, other prescription drugs, and alcohol. Follow Dr. Carhart-Harris on X at @RCarhartHarris.

The one-and-only Kevin Sorbo (aka Hercules) joined Rep. Crenshaw to talk about the culture war battles in Hollywood over conservatism, masculinity, and Christianity. They look at how morality and traditional archetypes have transformed in modern movies and tv. Kevin talks about the business of Christian independent filmmaking, policies that enable states like Georgia and Texas to attract film productions away from Hollywood, and just how the hell Netflix is able to churn out so many terrible new movies every month. They end with some advice for how conservatives can communicate their views more purposefully to persuadable liberals. Kevin Sorbo portrayed Hercules on the classic 90s tv show. Since then he has become one of the leading actors and filmmakers in Christian independent cinema. His first children's book, The Test of Lionhood, was just published with Brave Books. Follow Kevin's snarky conservative wit and insights on X at @ksorbs.

Foreign policy analyst Kim Breier joined Rep. Crenshaw to cover the recent history of diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Mexico over migrant flows and what we can learn from them to build cooperation between the two countries in the war against the drug cartels. They talk about her experiences across multiple Mexican administrations going back to Vicente Fox and the devolution of the country over time at the hands of the cartels. And Kim gets into the history behind Mexico’s deeply embedded suspicions about the U.S. government’s motives.  Kim Breier was Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State under President Trump. She was previously the founder and Director of the U.S.-Mexico Futures Initiative, and the Deputy Director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and served for more than a decade in the U.S. intelligence community as a political analyst and manager, primarily focused on Latin America.

Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on the Middle East. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to cover the new war between Israel and Hamas. Dr. Schanzer gives an overview of the recent history of Israel and Palestine/Hamas, how Hamas conducts terrorist operations within the Gaza Strip, and the power dynamics playing out in the West Bank. They also cover the intelligence failures that caused Israel to miss Saturday’s massive assault and what it looks like in practice to run a successful Israeli spy network in one of the most dangerous, closed-in territories on Earth. And they discuss the “what about-ism” and moral equivocation by people like Tucker Carlson who disparage American involvement in the war. Dr. Schanzer is also the author of “Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War”, "State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State", "Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine", and "Al-Qaeda’s Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror". Follow him on X at @JSchanzer.

Christopher Rufo is the author of the NY Times best-selling book, “America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything.” He joined Rep. Crenshaw to trace back modern wokeism to its 1960s cultural roots. Chris breaks down the operating cycles of race, class, and gender-based movements in progressive politics. And Chris gives valuable advice for activists and think tanks on how to work with politicians to pass their legislative priorities. Christopher Rufo is a senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute and a contributing edi­tor of the public policy magazine City Journal. Follow him on Twitter at @realchrisrufo.

Congressman Steve Womack, former Chairman of the House Budget Committee, joined Rep. Crenshaw to explain in layman’s terms what is going on in Congress right now with the budget negotiations. They cover the tactical and strategic errors that got us into this mess and why the few GOP holdouts are pushing demands that will almost inevitably lead to more liberal spending bills. Rep. Womack also lays out the constitutional reforms he would like to see implemented to fix the budget process. And they cover the #1 problem that will drive America off a fiscal cliff: entitlement spending. Congressman Womack represents the 3rd District of Arkansas. He serves on the House Committee on Appropriations and serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. Follow him on X at @rep_stevewomack.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr joined Rep. Crenshaw to cover some of the important legal considerations in America’s efforts to defeat the Mexican drug cartels. How would a second term of the Trump Administration have dealt with the cartels? What are the costs and benefits of designating them as Foreign Terrorist Organizations? What is the U.S. capable of doing to stop a Mexican politician if we have strong evidence that they are working with the cartels? What would be the repercussions if the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is not renewed? All this and more in our second episode in the series documenting Rep. Crenshaw’s Task Force to Combat Mexican Drug Cartels. Bill Barr is the author of "One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General". He was attorney general twice under both President Trump and President George H.W. Bush.

Yascha Mounk is a writer and academic known for his work on the crisis of democracy and the defense of philosophically liberal values. His new book “The Identity Trap” traces the origins of identity politics and how it’s rapidly transforming the modern world. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to discuss how identity politics grew out of postmodernism and Critical Race Theory. They talk about how postmodernists and populists are rejecting the history, institutions, and core values that make for a healthy democracy. And Yascha gives some sage advice on how to persuasively engage in debates with your political opponents.  Yascha Mounk is the author of five books, including the forthcoming “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.” He is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, where he holds appointments in both the School of Advanced International Studies and the SNF Agora Institute. Yascha is also a Contributing Editor at The Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Founder of Persuasion. Follow him on Twitter at @Yascha_Mounk.

Father Vincent Lampert is a Catholic priest and the designated exorcist of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to unveil the fascinating mystery behind exorcisms and dispel the many myths and taboos associated with exorcisms. They discuss how priests become exorcists, how exorcisms are performed, and the steps to evaluating whether a person is truly possessed by a demon. Father Lampert shares some of the extraordinary and seemingly impossible events that he has witnessed while performing exorcisms. The hierarchy of demons, how they manifest in the world, entry points for possession, the occult, and much more are all discussed in this wide-ranging conversation. Father Lampert is the author of “Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan and His Demons.” He was appointed exorcist of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 2005.

Part 1 in a series with The Dissident Project, an organization dedicated teaching American high school and college students about the horrors of authoritarianism from young adults who experienced it firsthand. Daniel Di Martino is from Venezuela. Tahmineh Dehbozorgi is from Iran. Both were once among the freest and most prosperous nations on their respective continents. Daniel and Tahmineh joined Rep. Crenshaw to describe the roads their home countries went down to end up at the same point: violent, oppressive regimes where the citizens have no hope to make their own destinies. They ask us to consider what could lead America down that same road. Daniel Di Martino is the founder of the Dissident Project and a Graduate Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He was born and raised in Venezuela and witnessed the collapse of his country under the socialist policies of Chavez and Maduro. He emigrated to the United States in 2016. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielDiMartino. Tahmineh Dehbozorgi escaped the Ayatollah of Iran on 4th of July 2015 at the age of 15. Today she is a student at the George Washington University Law School. Follow her on Twitter at @DeTahmineh.

The first episode in a special series documenting Rep. Crenshaw’s work as Chairman of the Task Force to Combat Mexican Drug Cartels. Chad Wolf is the former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Trump. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to give a high-level overview of the strategic challenges the United States faces targeting the Mexican drug cartels. They cover operational and hierarchical challenges within DHS, corruption in the Mexican government, how the Trump Administration made in-roads with Central American governments, how immigration flows are changing under Biden, the problem with designating cartels as terrorist organizations, and more. Chad Wolf is the Executive Director of the America First Policy Institute and the President of Wolf Global Advisors, a strategic advisory and public policy firm addressing domestic and international security and risk challenges. Follow him on Twitter at @ChadFWolf.

Dr. Brian Miller joined Rep. Crenshaw to talk about the coming Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution in healthcare. They cover the prospects for everything from automating mundane tasks to easing the patient experience to partially replacing doctor workload. They also talk about how to break the bureaucratic roadblocks within the Food and Drug Administration that are stalling innovation in all aspects of healthcare. Dr. Brian Miller is a Nonresident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and practices hospital medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital, where he also serves as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Follow him on Twitter at @DrBrian4Health.

For years, the scientific consensus has been that the revolutions in biology, physics, and evolutionary theory would disprove the possibility of a God-made universe. But, as it turns out, new discoveries in each field are challenging that consensus. Dr. Stephen Meyer joined Rep. Crenshaw for a wide-ranging conversation about molecular biology, self-replicating RNA, discontinuities in the fossil and paleoanthropological records, the origin of human consciousness, multiverse theory, the philosophy of science, and what it all means for the origins of life and our universe.   Dr. Stephen Meyer is a geophysicist and Director at Discovery Institute, a think tank dedicated to the study of intelligent design. He is the NY Times best-selling author of “Return of the God Hypothesis” and “Darwin’s Doubt.” Follow him on Twitter at @StephenCMeyer.

Hoover Institution’s Lanhee Chen returns to survey the current state of the American healthcare system, including Medicare/Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and private insurance programs — along with new path breaking models, like Direct Primary Care. We discuss policy reforms that could bring much needed transparency and simplicity to care delivery. And we discuss why “choice and access for all” is a better way to think about healthcare policy as opposed to calling it a “human right.” We also talk about the implications of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on affirmative action in college admissions.  Lanhee J. Chen, Ph.D. is the David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies at the Hoover Institution and Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University. Follow him on Twitter at @lanheechen.

Chloe Cole decided she wanted to be a boy when she was 12 years old. What happened next is a shocking indictment of mental health and medical professionals. Puberty blockers and testosterone therapy at age 13. A double mastectomy at 15. At every step of the way Chloe and her parents were manipulated by therapists and doctors who wanted to affirm a gender ideology which had no grounding in scientific reality. Chloe joined Rep. Crenshaw to share her journey and why she is fighting to stop minors from transitioning today. Chloe Cole is a Patient Advocate for the nonprofit Do No Harm, a diverse group of physicians, healthcare professionals, medical students, patients, and policymakers united by a moral mission to protect healthcare from a radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideology. Follow Chloe on Twitter and Instagram at @ChoooCole.

North America holds enough oil and gas reserves to provide cheap, clean, and reliable energy to the rest of the globe for many decades – so why isn’t it? Energy analyst Arjun Murti breaks down the key factors at play: capital investors who are wary of uncertain regulatory environments, countries like China and India that won’t give up on coal, and a little-known group called the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (which is actually implementing all the terrible ideas that groups like World Economic Forum only talk about). Arjun explains how America – through a new Marshall Plan of government and private sector initiatives – can overcome these roadblocks to become the leader in global energy. Arjun Murti has spent over 30 years as a global energy markets analyst with firms like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. Read his Super-Spiked substack at https://arjunmurti.substack.com/ and follow him on Twitter at @ArjunNMurti

Artificial Intelligence (AI) researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky makes the case for why we should view AI as an existential threat to humanity. Rep. Crenshaw gets into the basics of AI and how the new AI program, GPT-4, is a revolutionary leap forward in the tech. Eliezer hypothesizes the most likely scenarios if AI becomes self-aware and unconstrained – from rogue programs that blackmail targets to self-replicating nano robots. They discuss building global coalitions to rein in AI development and how China views AI. And they explore first steps Congress could take to limit AI’s capabilities for harm while still enabling its promising advances in research and development. Eliezer Yudkowsky is a co-founder and research fellow at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, a private research nonprofit based in Berkeley, California. Follow him on Twitter @ESYudkowsky

Dr. Tom Oliverson serves as a State Representative in the Texas Legislature. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to cover some of the major political battles happening in the latest legislative session. They talk about why the legislature banned transgender therapies for minors, the debate between the State House and Senate over property tax reform, the latest on efforts to pass school choice, and the pros and cons of term limits. The conversation ends with a critique of a cottage political industry in Texas, and across the country, which is monetizing conservative outrage without doing anything to actually win elections. Dr. Tom Oliverson is an anesthesiologist and State Representative for Texas’ 130th State House District. He is the Chairman of the Insurance Committee in the Texas House of Representatives. Follow him on Twitter @TomOliverson

Climate scientist Roger Pielke, Jr joined Rep. Crenshaw to talk about the intersection of climate science and politics. Roger describes what good science looks like and the challenge that climate scientists face with the unbiased reporting of facts. They examine the good and bad projections in the latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report and how confident we can feel about carbon emissions impact on sea levels, global temperatures, and extreme weather events. And they discuss how all this data should be interpreted by politicians to craft the energy policies which affect every aspect of our lives. Roger Pielke, Jr is a professor of Environmental Studies at UC-Boulder and Senior Fellow at the Breakthrough Institute. He was previously a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. His substack is The Honest Broker. Follow him on Twitter @RogerPielkeJr.

Manhattan Institute senior fellow Mark Mills is a physicist and venture capitalist in the field of emerging energy technologies. Mark joined Rep. Crenshaw to discuss the physics-driven trade-offs of transitioning to wind, solar, and electric vehicles. How many miles do you need to drive an EV just to break even on the carbon emissions it took to make one battery? How did China in one month wipe out 15 years of Germany’s carbon savings? Why do electricity rates continue to rise with the transition to “cheaper” green energy? We answer all these questions and much more as we look at how renewables rank against oil, gas, and nuclear in terms of costs, emissions, land-use impact, and net societal benefits.  Mark P. Mills is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a faculty fellow at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is the host of The Last Optimist podcast and the author of “The Cloud Revolution: How the Convergence of New Technologies Will Unleash the Next Economic Boom and a Roaring 2020s.” Follow him on Twitter @MarkPMills

Rep. Garret Graves was one of Speaker McCarthy’s lead negotiators on the debt ceiling deal with the White House. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to describe what really happened in negotiations behind closed doors, the strategies they used to maximize their leverage against Biden, and how they dealt with the blowback after false rumors about the deal started circulating among their Republican colleagues.  Congressman Garret Graves represents the 6th District of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter at @RepGarretGraves.

David Mittelman is the founder and CEO of Othram, Inc – a private DNA laboratory that invented a revolutionary new method to recover and analyze forensic evidence from decades-old unsolved murder cases. David joined Rep. Crenshaw to explain how his laboratory is solving cases which were impossible to crack using conventional forensic analysis. We learn all about the science behind DNA forensics, how law enforcement utilizes it today, and how Othram’s new technology is pushing the limits of what was once thought possible. Learn more about the cold cases Othram has solved here: https://othram.com/recent_casework.html

Dr. Marty Makary joined Rep. Crenshaw to explain how American healthcare pricing works, why the costs are skyrocketing, and what we need to do to fix it. Dr. Makary demystifies the convoluted system of middlemen, kickbacks, and hidden costs which have created so much confusion in the insurance marketplace. Rep. Crenshaw and Dr. Makary also discuss how conservatives could better articulate their vision for a more perfect system. The conversation ends with a look at lessons learned from COVID data and what it tells us about masking, lockdowns, and the vaccine.  Dr. Marty Makary is a professor at the John Hopkins School of Medicine and the New York Times bestselling author of “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It.” Follow him on Twitter at @MartyMakary.

On May 31st, Congressman Crenshaw voted to pass the Fiscal Responsibility Act, voting with more than 2/3 of the Republican conference to avoid a catastrophic debt limit default. Below is a statement from the Congressman on why he voted yes: "We vote based on realistic choices, not what we wish were true. Of course, I wish that Ronald Reagan was resurrected, and we had 60 votes in the Senate. Then we could enact massive reforms that truly put our spending on a reasonable path. But this isn’t the reality we have now. The reality we have is a slim House majority while radical Democrats have the Senate and White House. Our leverage is limited.  But even with that limited leverage, we forced Biden to give up on every single demand he had. He first wanted a clean debt ceiling increase without reforms. We said no. He then wanted tax increases. We said no. He wanted cuts to our military. We said no. In the final bill, Biden got nothing, and we got about half of what we wanted. Of course we wanted more, but again, our leverage was limited. Here are other facts to consider. Whether you like it or not, there has to be a debt ceiling increase. The economic consequences are catastrophic if you let the government default on its debt. Your 401k would crash as markets crash, the cost of borrowing would increase and make our debt worse, and recession would be imminent. Only third-world countries have allowed this to happen. Some might say, “well if we cut spending, we wouldn’t have to increase the debt!” But this isn’t really true, not unless you’re fine with abolishing our Social Security and Medicare programs for our seniors, which account for nearly TWO-THIRDS of all spending. Yes, you read that right. Nearly TWO THIRDS. That means during these negotiations we are only arguing over 11% of all spending. Why? Because no one wants to touch Social Security, Medicare, Veterans benefits, or the military. That leaves all the other government agencies and programs which only account for 11% of spending. So, even if you abolished the entire federal government apart from the military, you WOULD STILL HAVE TO INCREASE THE DEBT LIMIT! So, given that there is no choice but to increase the debt ceiling, and given we only have control of the House, where does that leave us? With what options? The options are clear. They are (1) a Biden-preferred clean debt ceiling increase with no reforms, (2) a default and say goodbye to your 401k, or (3) a debt ceiling increase with all the reforms we got. Anyone claiming there is another option is being EXTREMELY dishonest with you. So what reforms did we get? About $1.5 TRILLION dollar decrease in spending over 10 years. Not bad. Environmental permitting reform which is HUGE for our energy sector. This means Biden can’t wait 10 years to allow a permit for a new highway lane or gas pipeline. We finally forced the reforms we’ve been trying to do for YEARS. Billions of dollars in investment and jobs for Texas will be unleashed because of this. We also got some additional work requirements on Food Stamp programs and required some spending limitations (called “pay as you go” requirements) on any administrative action taken by the Biden Administration. We also cut all funding for new IRS agents this year. There’s more, but those are the basics. The complaints from other Republicans aren’t about what’s in the bill, they’re about what’s not in the bill. But this is faulty logic. I can ALWAYS vote against something because it doesn’t have something I want. And it’s true, I can come up with a MILLION things this bill doesn’t have. No, it doesn’t fix our border, nor does it cure cancer, nor does it give me a new eye. But these are ridiculous excuses not to vote for a bill. Some Republicans will nitpick each of those wins and say they’re not enough. Well, I agree! They’re not enough! But that’s not that question. The QUESTION is (1) was this the best we could get? And (2) is it better than the alternatives, which is a clean debt ceiling increase or a default? The answers to both questions are very clearly YES. Many Members of Congress are afraid to take tough votes even when they know it’s the right thing to do. I’m not. Never have been. I could EASILY have taken the easy way out and voted “no,” and kept my voters in the dark about the truth. No one would write to me to complain about a “no” vote. But I won’t do that. I can’t help but tell you the truth. And the truth is that this bill was the best case scenario given the political reality we live in. There is no evidence from anyone that we could have negotiated a better outcome. None. Therefore, I had to vote yes."

Former drug czar and president of Hudson Institute John Walters joined Rep. Crenshaw to give a comprehensive overview of the origins of the fentanyl epidemic. Walters explains how the Obama Administration’s policies made America’s drug crisis exponentially worse and he debunks pervasive myths among leftists and libertarians about President Bush’s “War on Drugs.” Rep. Crenshaw and Walters dive into the root causes of the fentanyl crisis and what policies we can implement to stop this deadly epidemic. John Walters was director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and a cabinet member during the Bush administration. As the nation’s “drug czar,” Mr. Walters guided all aspects of federal drug policy and programs—supporting efforts that drove down teen drug use 25 percent, increased substance abuse treatment and screening in the healthcare system, and dramatically dropped the availability of cocaine and methamphetamine in the US. He is now the president and CEO of Hudson Institute and director of Hudson’s Center for Substance Abuse Research Policy. Follow him on Twitter at @@john_walters_

National security expert Rebeccah Heinrichs joins Rep. Crenshaw to discuss strategic nuclear deterrence in the 21st century, the New Cold War against China and Russia, idealism vs realism in foreign affairs, and why America must re-establish itself as the global military and economic superpower if it hopes to survive. Rebeccah Heinrichs is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence. Ms. Heinrichs currently serves as a commissioner on the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission, which was created in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. She also serves on the US Strategic Command Advisory Group and the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness. Follow her on Twitter at @RLHeinrichs.

Nury Turkel is a Uyghur American attorney and human rights advocate who was born over 50 years ago inside a Maoist labor camp in China’s Xinjiang province. Life for the average Chinese citizen has improved dramatically since then, but not for the ethnic Uyghurs. Nury joined Rep. Crenshaw to describe the wide-scale human rights abuses being committed by the CCP in Xinjiang: slavery, forced marriages, compulsory tracking, censorship, re-education camps, and the erasure of Uyghur culture and religious beliefs. Underlying Nury’s story is a clear example of how Marxist ideology inevitably crushes the human spirit and compels people to commit the worst atrocities ever imagined. Nury Turkel is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. He is the author of “No Escape: The True Story of China’s Genocide of the Uyghurs.” Follow him on Twitter at @nuryturkel.

Much of what you hear about income inequality, poverty, and other measures of economic well-being in America is wrong, biased by government statistics and populist rhetoric. Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm joins Rep. Crenshaw to elucidate the real trends behind income equality in America today and why we should dispel the populist notions that some great economic injustice is occurring between the classes. Sen. Gramm also reflects on the changes he’s seen in politics since he first took office in 1979 and why Americans are so much angrier now, despite living in arguably the best economic conditions in human history. Phil Gramm is the author of the WSJ Best Politics Book of 2022, “The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate.” He was the U.S. Senator serving Texas from 1985 – 2002. He is now a Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute researching reforms to social security, health care, and taxes.

This may come as a surprise to some people, but Reagan conservatism is thriving among student activists on college campuses across America. And it’s all thanks to Young America’s Foundation (YAF). The president of YAF, former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, joins Rep. Crenshaw to talk about how this organization has had so much success bringing a new generation of high school and college students into the conservative movement. They cover persuasion techniques that work, how to engage leftists on college campuses, overcoming the challenge of making young voters interested in serious policy issues like Social Security, and what every young person aspiring to be a politician needs to consider first. In the last half of the interview, Gov. Walker and Rep. Crenshaw discuss how to solve America’s homelessness and mental health crises, and how Walker passed sweeping reforms and defeated the unions during his time as Governor of Wisconsin. Follow Scott Walker on Twitter at @ScottWalker.

Riley Gaines’ life changed when biological male Lia Thomas tied with her for 5th place at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship, an event which brought national attention to the debate over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. NCAA officials refused to award Riley the 5th place trophy and gave it to Lia instead – solely for the purpose of a photo-op. The experience inspired Riley to speak out against this attack on women’s sports, and in doing so she became a target of ridicule by the woke left, even being physically attacked by protestors at one of her recent speeches. Riley joins Rep. Crenshaw to share her story, argue for the importance of sex-separate sports leagues, and call on leaders in these leagues to have the courage to stand up for women and the biological reality of sex differences.

A human rights and environmental catastrophe is happening right now, and it’s powering everything from smart phones to electric car batteries. Siddharth Kara joins us to expose how China is using modern day slaves, including children, to turn a small patch of the Congo into the world’s largest cobalt mining operation. Siddharth shares what he witnessed firsthand from years of undercover research inside the Congo, what life is like for the Congolese who are forced into these mining operations, how China came to totally dominate the world’s largest cobalt reserves, and what Americans can do to rectify this terrible situation. Siddharth Kara is the author of “Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.” He is a researcher and activist on modern slavery, an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Follow him on Twitter at @siddharthkara.

According to a recent government-funded food pyramid study from Tufts School of Nutrition, Lucky Charms are healthier to eat than steak. So how did such an obviously ridiculous claim pass multiple levels of review at a widely respected research institution? Calley Means joins us to expose the decades-long influence that processed food and pharmaceutical companies have held over America’s research institutions, how it’s led to skyrocketing rates of obesity and other chronic health conditions, and simple reforms to programs like SNAP that could make America healthy again. Calley Means is a food-as-medicine advocate and the co-founder of TrueMed. He was previously a consultant for food and pharma companies and is now exposing practices they use to weaponize our institutions of trust. Follow Calley on Twitter at @calleymeans.

Ok y’all here it is. Many of you might follow David Goggins and may have seen his recent two hour unhinged rant against me and the SEAL Teams more broadly. It’s sad to watch, honestly, and this kind of stupid drama is the last thing I want to be posting about. But the podcast he did was sufficiently vicious and unhinged to warrant a response. I never truly understood how much he hated the SEAL teams until now. I never understood how much he saw himself as a victim. If you don’t want to suffer through his 2 hour rant, you can get the basic idea from my video here. This absurd outburst of his originates from a 2 minute answer I gave in an interview 3 years ago, where I was randomly asked about him. I wasn’t really positive about him, nor was I negative. I was apathetic. I gave the most honest answer I could about how he is viewed by the SEAL community. You’ll see the clip in my video here, and you’ll see how the podcast host misquoted it to make it clickbait. David’s reaction was pretty unhinged. Not just against me, but against the whole SEAL community. I’ve clipped certain parts of his interview in my video so you know what I’m responding to, but if you want a holistic understanding of his 2 hour rant, you’ll have to find the podcast on YouTube. It’s easy to find. (He doesn’t actually get to me until about 1 hour into the podcast. Before that, he’s just ranting about how much he hates SEALs. I don’t even bother commenting on that first hour because it’s so absurd and misleading.) The main reason I’m doing this is because Goggins attacks the men who don’t have a platform to respond or defend themselves. Well, I do. So I’ll speak on their behalf and tell all of you the truth about Goggins and what the SEAL teams are really about. 

Tax season is here, and as we subject ourselves to this perennial torture it begs the question: is there a better way to raise the money we need to fund the government without the massive compliance costs and inefficiencies? Two tax and economics experts, John Cochrane and Grover Norquist, join Rep. Crenshaw to answer that question. They take a close look at costs and benefits of the controversial Fair Tax and consumption taxes more broadly, how the U.S. tax system is one of the most progressive in the world, the political reality of tax reform, and what a perfect tax code starting from scratch would look like. John Cochrane is an economist and Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His latest book is “The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level.” His blog is the “the Grumpy Economist” at johnhcochrane.blogspot.com and he also cohosts the Good Fellows Podcast with General H.R. McMasters and Nialls Ferguson. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnHCochrane. Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform, a taxpayer advocacy group he founded in 1985 at President Reagan’s request. Follow him on Twitter at @GroverNorquist.

This is a special crosspost episode with The Rubin Report. Dave Rubin visited Washington, D.C. this week and sat down with Rep. Crenshaw for a conversation about the current political dynamics in Congress. They cover what it’s like working with Democrats behind closed doors, how politics has gotten way more extreme since 2018, why Crenshaw likes to go on left-wing shows, the Speaker’s race, Ukraine fight, the legislation Crenshaw and AOC might actually work together on, persuasion tips every Republican should adopt, and much more. Follow Dave Rubin on Twitter at @RubinReport.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD returns to look at the systemic problems within the CDC and how we might fix them. He describes how the agency’s bureaucratic glut, mission creep, and lack of transparency contributed to the disastrous COVID-19 response and America’s loss of trust in its public health institutions. Later in the episode we turn focus to the FDA and reforming its approval process for innovative drugs and technologies, and end with a conversation about drug pricing reforms. Scott Gottlieb, MD, is the author of "Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic." He is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. From 2017 to 2019 he served as the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Gottlieb is also a special partner with the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates and serves on the boards of Pfizer, Illumina, Aetion, and Tempus. Follow him on Twitter at @ScottGottliebMD.

David McCormick joins Rep. Crenshaw for a conversation about America’s downward economic spiral — both domestically and on the global stage — and how we can reverse course with fiscal, trade, and regulatory reforms that emphasize national security and push back against threats from China. David McCormick is the author of “Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America.” He served as former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest investment management firms, before pursuing a U.S. Senate seat in his home state of Pennsylvania in 2022. He also served as the U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs and held senior posts on the National Security Council and at the Department of Commerce. Follow him on Twitter at @DaveMcCormickPA.

Economist and AEI senior fellow Dr. Paul Kupiec joins Rep. Crenshaw to explain the abrupt collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. They break down in layman’s terms what caused the collapse, the failures in regulatory and management oversight, how this will affect taxpayers, and options policymakers must weigh to reform and fortify our financial systems from systemic risk. *Editor’s note* Rep. Crenshaw and Dr. Kupiec skipped the standard intro and jumped right into the conversation. Please see below for Dr. Kupiec’s bio. Paul Kupiec is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies systemic risk and the management and regulations of banks and financial markets. Before joining AEI, Kupiec was an associate director of the Division of Insurance and Research within the Center for Financial Research at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Kupiec was also director of the Center for Financial Research at the FDIC and chairman of the Research Task Force of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.  He has previously worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Freddie Mac, J.P. Morgan, and for the Division of Research and Statistics at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Kupiec has edited many professional journals, including the Journal of Financial Services Research, Journal of Risk, and Journal of Investment Management. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from The George Washington University and a doctorate in economics — with a specialization in finance, theory, and econometrics — from the University of Pennsylvania.

Trey Gowdy returns to the show to talk about the challenges facing the conservative movement today, the differences between good and bad politicians in Congress, and how the political entertainment industry is rewarding the worst tendencies in our elected leaders. We open the conversation with a discussion of one of Trey’s favorite topics: effective decision-making and how to own this gift you have called life. Trey Gowdy is the NY Times bestselling author of “Start, Stay, or Leave: The Art of Decision Making.” He’s the host of Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy on Fox News and The Trey Gowdy Podcast. Gowdy served as a four-term congressman from South Carolina. Before running for Congress, he served as a federal prosecutor in his home state and a district attorney in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties. Follow him on Twitter at @TGowdySC.

Economic historian Chris Miller helps Rep. Crenshaw deconstruct all the major arguments against American involvement in the Russia-Ukraine War. Didn’t NATO provoke Russia into war? What difference does it make to Americans what happens in Ukraine or the rest of Europe? Wouldn’t Putin stop once he has Ukraine? Aren’t we at risk of Russia using tactical nukes? Isn’t Putin just a wise Christian man who’s deeply concerned about woke ideology infecting western civilization? Chris Miller was a lecturer at the New Economic School in Moscow and a visiting researcher at the Carnegie Moscow Center. He is the author of “We Shall Be Masters: Russia’s Pivots to East Asia from Peter the Great to Putin” and “Chip Wars: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology.” He is an Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University. Follow him on Twitter at @crmiller1.

In a debate hosted by National Review Institute, Rep. Crenshaw and Cato Institute's William Ruger take opposing sides on the question of America's role in the Russia-Ukraine War. Does America have a strategic interest in providing support to Ukraine? More broadly, does America have a duty to defend liberty abroad? Do our own freedom and prosperity depend on success of these values around the world?   William Ruger is a research fellow at Cato Institute and the President of the American Institute for Economic Research. Follow him on Twitter at @WillRuger.   The moderator for the debate is Adam Klein, the Director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

Economic historian Chris Miller joins Rep. Crenshaw to talk about one of the most important battles of the 21st century: control of silicon chip manufacturing. They cover how silicon chips are made, how Taiwan gained the competitive advantage in manufacturing, China’s attempts to usurp Taiwan as the world’s chipmaking hub, how the U.S. enabled China’s development of their artificial intelligence systems, and what we need to do to catch up with Taiwan’s manufacturing capabilities.  Chris Miller is the author of “Chip Wars: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology” and “Putinomics: Power and Money in Resurgent Russia.” He is an Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University. Follow him on Twitter at @crmiller1.

Ed Calderon spent nearly two decades running counter-operations against cartels inside Mexico. He joined Rep. Crenshaw for a wide-ranging conversation about the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels. They talk about how both cartels rose to power, their battle tactics against Mexican police and paramilitary forces, using TikTok to recruit soldiers and traffic victims, their secret occult practices, how they’re infiltrating the United States, what average Mexican citizens think of the cartels, and what the future holds as the ultra-violent Jalisco New Generation makes further gains in territory across Mexico and the United States. Ed Calderon started his career as a police officer in Tijuana and worked in the fields of counter-narcotics, organized crime investigation, and public safety in the northern border region of Mexico. Today he is a security consultant who has worked with the FBI, Navy SEALs, and special forces groups from around the world. Check out his podcast Manifesto Radio and follow him on Instagram at @manifestoradiopodcast.

Paul Dabbar is an entrepreneur and researcher in quantum computing who served as the Undersecretary for Science in the Department of Energy under President Trump. Dabbar joined Rep. Crenshaw to talk about the latest breakthroughs in the quantum internet and the paradigm shift its creating in everything from encryption to genomics. They also cover the stunning levels of Chinese espionage and IP theft in America’s research facilities, what we know about the Chinese spy balloon and UAPs, and what the future holds for China. Paul Dabbar is currently developing and deploying new tech for the emerging quantum internet as the CEO of Bohr Quantum Technologies. Prior to joining the Trump Administration, he served as a nuclear submarine officer and a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. Follow him on Twitter at @PDabbar.

Economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin joins us to discuss the major economic and fiscal issues impacting the nation. We get into the Federal Reserve's policies on interest rates and money printing, what's causing inflation, prospects of a recession, the outlook for Social Security, and the case of the missing American workers. Great episode for anyone who's wanted to know more about how the Fed works or wants a better understanding of America's long term fiscal outlook. Douglas Holtz-Eakin is the former Director of the Congressional Budget Office and the President of the American Action Forum, an economic policy research institute. Follow him on Twitter at @djheakin.

Mike Mihalski is a rifle manufacturer and 2A advocate. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to talk about the ATF's recent ban on pistol braces—which effectively turns millions of law-abiding gun owners into felons—and the ATF Accountability Act, Rep. Crenshaw's bill that gives gun owners and manufacturers the means to fight back against ATF overreach. Mike also dispels myths about pistol braces, talks about the bureaucratic nightmare of dealing with ATF compliance officers, tips he's learned for persuading gun control advocates to think differently about guns, and gives advice for people who've never owned a gun before but are interested in self defense. Mike Mihalski is the co-owner and founder of Sons of Liberty Gun Works in San Antonio, TX, the fastest growing rifle manufacturer in the United States. He travels across the country advocating for 2nd Amendment rights and advising federal, state, and local officials on firearm policies. Follow him in Instagram at @mikemihalski and Twitter at @SOLGW_Mike.

Rep. Crenshaw spends almost 2 hours talking with Swift’s former team leader, “Jason,” in Ukraine. This is an intense episode that you don’t want to miss. They go into detail on what’s really happening on the ground in Ukraine, how foreign fighters like Swift become part of the Ukrainian armed forces, and the epic battles they’ve endured on a day-to-day basis. They talk about the sheer evil of the Russian military, and why Jason is optimistic about Ukraine ultimately winning this war and reclaiming their country. Jason is a Former member of the U.S. military, both in Naval Special Warfare and Army Special Operations, and a former CIA Officer. He is currently employed by the Ukrainian government.

John Bolton joins us to talk about tactical and strategic considerations in diplomacy with hostile nations, uncovering Iran's attempts to assassinate him, the story behind the Soleimani Strike, the flawed Iran Nuclear Deal, arming Ukraine, fighting narco-terrorists at our southern border, and dealing with the existential threat of the 21st century: China. John Bolton is the former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump. He served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006. He has spent many years of his career in public service and held high-level positions in the Administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter at @AmbJohnBolton.

Rep. Crenshaw gives his take on the fight over the speaker vote, the rules package, his "terrorist" comment, the funeral controversy, the first bills to pass the 118th Congress, what to expect from the House moving forward, and some of the legislation he is prioritizing in the coming weeks.

Special Operations expert Daniel Elkins joins us to talk about his on the ground analysis of the Ukraine aid distribution: where it's going, how it's getting there, what's the ROI on American military equipment, and how corrupt is it really.  Daniel gives us a window into how Special Operations and unconventional warfare works. We talk about the Afghanistan withdrawal, moving military equipment into war zones, building logistical networks, and running safe houses. Daniel Elkins is a Green Beret and founder of Special Operations Association of America. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielTElkins.

Jake Olson completely lost his vision at the age of 12 after a long battle with eye cancer. He went on to become a Division 1 college football player, golf champion, author, and motivational speaker. We talk about what it's like to go blind at an early age, how he became an accomplished athlete, developing spatial awareness and "human sonar," one-eye culture in the military, and the real reason Dan Crenshaw wears an eyepatch. Along the way Jake teaches us how anyone can overcome the toughest setbacks in life with humor, perspective, and fortitude. Follow Jake on Instagram and Twitter at @jakeolson61.

From Howard Zinn to the 1619 Project, the progressive movement has made a concerted effort for decades to rewrite history and portray the United States as irredeemably flawed in order to justify their radical changes. It's easy enough to only look at the faults in our nation's history, but Brian Kilmeade wants us to get back to learning and cherishing the good lessons from American historical figures. He joins us to talk about the most complicated period, the Civil War and its lead up, and the alliance between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  Brian Kilmeade is the bestselling author of "The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America’s Soul." He is the cohost of Fox News Channel’s morning show Fox & Friends and hosts the daily national radio program “The Brian Kilmeade Show” and the Fox Nation series What Makes America Great. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @kilmeade.

Top Gun: Maverick is arguably the greatest action movie of all time — but how accurate is it? Dan sat down with a real Navy fighter pilot, Congressman Mike Garcia, to discuss what's true, false, and somewhere in-between about the movie's technical details, mission, and the portrayal of pilot culture. Hold These Truths podcast wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. And remember: it's not about the plane, it's about the pilot. Mike Garcia is the U.S. Representative for California's 25th Congressional District (soon to be the 27th district). He was an F-18 fighter pilot with nearly 20 years of active and reserve military service, and participated in combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Follow him on Twitter at @RepMikeGarcia.

Everything you wanted to know about the dreaded 4,155 page Omnibus spending bill — but were too afraid to ask. The history of how we got here, how it's supposed to work versus how it's working now, the politics at play in Washington, appropriations and authorizations, and how the heck a congressional office even digests a 4,000+ page spending bill in just a few days. This podcast won’t go into details in what’s in it (unless you want to hear me talk for 862 hours straight), but more about the process and how appropriations even work.  Our guests today are two of Rep. Crenshaw's longest-serving legislative staffers. Matt Hodge is Rep. Crenshaw's Legislative Director and Hannah Anderson is the Legislative Director for his Energy & Commerce portfolio.

Classic episode originally published for Christmas 2021. Pastor James Emery White joins us to help answer the most common questions and criticisms of Christianity and the Bible that you would hear from skeptics. Pastor White is the author of "Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians". He is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church. Follow him on Twitter at @JamesEmeryWhite.

Congressman Michael Turner shares everything you need to know about the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act): what it is and why we need it, the House and Senate processes to pass the final version, how Democrats try to hijack it with non-defense projects, and addressing criticisms of the NDAA from the far right. Since the NDAA has broad implications for the war in Ukraine and another controversial topic — our Military Industrial Base — we get into a discussion about those too. Michael also talks about the changes we can expect on House Intel when Adam Schiff loses the chairmanship on January 3rd. Michael Turner has served as the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 10th Congressional District since 2002. He is the lead Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and also serves on the House Armed Services Committee. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @repmiketurner.

Nationwide, half of the prisoners released are incarcerated again within three years. But participants in the Texas-based Prison Entrepreneurship Program are seeing a return-to-prison rate of less than 7%. Al Massey was a graduate of that program and went on to serve as its Executive Relations Manager, helping prisoners prepare for their release by developing values-based business skills and a support structure to pursue their entrepreneurial visions. He joins us to talk about the program, the hurdles prisoners face re-integrating into society, what prison life is really like, differences between private and public prisons, and criminal justice reform. Learn more about the Prison Entrepreneurship Program at pep.org.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is on a mission to get TikTok banned from United States. He joins us to talk about how China is using the app to commit espionage, train the next generation of AI, and peddle "digital fentanyl" to America's youth. We also discuss how the CCP is essentially in a public-private partnership with Apple to crack down on Chinese protestors, Elon Musk's plans for Twitter and Starlink, and the ongoing debate over what to do about Section 230. Commissioner Brendan Carr is the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission. Follow him on Twitter at @BrendanCarrFCC.

A looming railroad strike could have disastrous consequences for American energy, agriculture, and countless other industries. One of the House's foremost experts on railroads, Congressman Rick Crawford, joins us to break down the negotiations between the railroads and their unions, why the Biden Administration is at fault, and what Republicans need to do moving forward to prevent this from ever happening again. Rick Crawford is the U.S. Representative for Arkansas’ First District. He serves on the Transportation Committee and is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. He also serves on the Agriculture Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @RepRickCrawford.

As Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, it became clear that there was no plan to evacuate our Afghan allies – including Afghan National Army soldiers who trained and fought alongside the U.S. military. Over two decades, these allies had developed strong bonds with countless American veterans, and now they were being hunted by Taliban death squads. Scott Mann was one veteran who began receiving desperate calls for help from his old Afghan friends, and he decided to take action. Working with other veterans and citizens, they called themselves Task Force Pineapple and quickly developed a network of safe passageways for allies and their families. In just three days, they helped over 500 allies escape from Afghanistan. Scott gives us a thrilling inside account of how the operation happened. We also talk about unconventional warfare, experiences with “Village Stability Operations” in Afghanistan, and what the 20-year war ultimately means for America. Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Scott Mann is a former US Army Green Beret with tours all over the world including Colombia, Iraq, and multiple tours in Afghanistan. He is the author of “Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise in Afghanistan.” Follow him on Twitter at @RooftopLeader.

This episode was recorded live at COP27—the 27th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference. Dan Crenshaw joined Reps. Greg Murphy, Garret Graves, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, John Curtis, and Tim Walberg at the conference to advocate for real solutions to America’s energy crisis. They discuss what they heard from policymakers and leaders at the conference, cover which countries are doubling down on renewables and which countries are opening up to nuclear/natural gas/carbon capture, highlight the ramifications of Biden’s energy policies on costs and emissions for America and the globe, and much more. Congressman Greg Murphy (NC-03) @RepGregMurphy Congressman Garret Graves (LA-06) @RepGarretGraves Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) @RepMMM Congressman John Curtis (UT-03) @RepJohnCurtis Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-07) @RepWalberg

President Reagan is considered one of the greatest communicators in American political history. How’d he do it? With a great team. Peter Robinson spent six years as a White House speechwriter, first with Houston-native George H.W. Bush as VP, then for President Reagan himself. Peter tells us how he got to be a speechwriter, how betting on himself gave us Reagan’s famous speech at the Berlin Wall, and his views on the Republican Party now. Peter Robinson is the Murdoch Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics, edits Hoover’s quarterly journal, and hosts the TV series and podcast: UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE.

WSJ Editorial Board Member Kim Strassel joins us to look at our mainstream media and electoral systems, why Americans have lost trust in both, and what these institutions must do to earn it back.  We cover ranked-choice voting, other elections reforms such as term limits, and the question of whether our electoral systems should be fundamentally altered—or if the remedy is better leadership.  We discuss the blurred lines between news and opinion journalism and look at how the traditionally liberal media went totally off the rails with the election of President Trump.  And, assuming Republicans win back the majority on Tuesday, we discuss how we should conduct ourselves in the new Congress. Kim Strassel is a member of the editorial board for The Wall Street Journal, co-host of Potomac Watch, and author of "Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters Are Breaking America." Follow her on Twitter at @KimStrassel.

Part 1 of a 2-part series diving into the pros and cons of rank choice voting and other election reforms. Presenting the pro-side, we have election reform advocate Nick Troiano. What is rank choice voting? How has Alaska fared with its move to rank choice this election cycle? Could the extremism we've seen take hold over both parties end if more states adopted rank choice? We also discuss voting by mail, term limits, campaign finance reform, and allowing candidates to make their pitch in 50 words or less on the ballot itself. Stay tuned for Part 2 with WSJ Editorial Board Member Kim Strassel presenting the con-side of rank choice voting. Nick Troiano is the Executive Director of the Unite America Institute and Unite America, a national organization that works to bridge the growing partisan divide by enacting political reforms. Follow him on Twitter at @NickTroiano.

Commonsense conservative leadership can do wonders for a city, and perhaps there's no better example than modern day Miami. Mayor Francis Suarez joins us to talk about the formula for success which has enabled Miami to prosper both economically and socially. We cover budget deficits and taxes, homelessness, subsidized housing, employment, energy policy, immigration, and the proper role of government at the federal vs local levels. Francis Suarez has been mayor of Miami, Florida since 2017, when he won 86% of the vote. He is the host of Cafecito Talk and the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @FrancisSuarez.

Colombia and Brazil recently elected far-left presidents, joining Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Peru in the growing leftist bloc. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar joins us to look at this Marxist resurgence in Latin America and what it means for American relations with these countries. We also talk about different approaches to solving the immigration crisis and uplifting the Northern Triangle countries. And Rep. Salazar, who spent three decades as a journalist covering politics and war in Latin America, describes what it was like to interview Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Augusto Pinochet. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar represents the 27th Congressional District of Florida. She serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Committee on Small Business. She was the Central American Bureau Chief for Univision during the 80s. Follow her on Twitter at @RepMariaSalazar.

Rice University's Michelle Foss, Ph.D. gives us an easy to understand overview of the materials science and supply chains behind wind and solar energy. The proponents of wind and solar would like you to believe that these technologies just appear out of nowhere - no resources needed. But Michelle shows us how these "renewable" technologies take an inordinate amount of finite resources to produce, and why their benefits aren't worth the tradeoffs - especially when compared with nuclear and natural gas. Michelle Foss, Ph.D., is the fellow in energy, minerals and materials at Rice University's Baker Institute, developing policies and conducting research to help build capacity on non-fuel minerals supply chains. Follow her work here: www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michelle-michot-foss

Carl Allen is a real life treasure hunter with a fleet of ships that would make Jack Sparrow jealous. He has recovered thousands of priceless, intricately crafted artifacts from ship wrecks strewn across the Caribbean seafloor. Carl gives us an inside look at how professional treasure hunters operate: Where does the research for a treasure hunt start? How does he figure out what plot of ocean to look at? What tools do you need to find artifacts buried under shifting ocean sands? Along the way we get fascinating details about lost religious artifacts, the history of the Spanish Armada, and the treacherous navigation of Caribbean waters. Since this is a policy podcast, there’s also a good lesson on the benefits of public-private partnerships. Links from the show: www.bahamasmaritimemuseum.com/ www.walkerscay.com/ www.youtube.com/c/TheOutdoorswithCarlAllen

Joe Lonsdale has dedicated his life to figuring out how the world works, and how it could work better. For over two decades he’s partnered with the brightest minds in Silicon Valley to identify conceptual gaps in everything from healthcare to education to finance to defense, and build innovative companies that push humanity towards a better future.  We talk about the early history of Silicon Valley, how everything changed when his mentor and business partner Peter Thiel emerged on the scene, building next generation defense weapons systems, frameworks to understand and invest in the next technology waves, disrupting the higher education system with the University of Austin, and much more. Joe Lonsdale is a technology entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder of Palantir and managing partner of the venture capital firm 8VC. Follow him on Twitter at @JTLonsdale.

Peter Huntsman is one of the foremost experts on energy and chemical markets. He joins us to examine the multiple crises involving energy, food, and water that are unfolding across the globe thanks to radical environmental policies. Peter Huntsman is CEO of Huntsman Corp, a global chemicals company that manufactures the building blocks for countless consumer and industrial products.

Marian Tupy debunks the persistent myth that population growth will lead to the exhaustion of Earth's natural resources and the destruction of our ecosystem. He argues there are no resource constraints on what an ever-expanding humanity could accomplish  - the only constraints are the ones humans make through their own bad governance. Marian Tupy is co-author with Gale Pooley of "Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet." He is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity and editor of the website HumanProgress.org. Follow Marian's work on Twitter at @HumanProgress.

Zuby joins us to talk about the culture wars, moral polarization between the left and right, how social media exasperates it all, and the fundamental question behind all of this cultural tension: is America a good or bad place? Zuby is an independent rapper, author, podcast host, and speaker. He is the author of the childrens' book "The Candy Calamity" and "Strong Advice: Zuby's Guide to Fitness for Everybody." Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ZubyMusic.

Dan Blumenthal is the Senior Fellow and Director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. We discuss the history that led to China's escalating tensions with Taiwan, why Americans should care about Taiwan remaining free, and the near-term prospects of a total collapse of the Chinese state. Dan Blumenthal previously served as senior director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the Department of Defense. He is the author of "The China Nightmare: The Grand Ambitions of a Dying State and An Awkward Embrace: The United States and China in the 21st Century." Follow him on Twitter at @DAlexBlumenthal.

Dr. Jacob Robinson is a bioengineer working at the cutting edge of neurotechnology. We talk about his groundbreaking research into brain-machine interfaces that will make possible everything from bionic eyes to real-life telepathy. And we discuss the limits of what we know about consciousness and how the brain works. Dr. Jacob Robinson is an Associate Professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering at Rice University, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine. His research group uses nanofabrication technology to create miniature devices to manipulate and monitor neural circuit activity. Follow him on Twitter at @JTRobinsonLab.

Congressman Mike Gallagher returns to the show to talk about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (those unexplained sightings of highly advanced aircraft that even the Pentagon admits are a mystery), the probability of secret government programs using advanced alien technology, remote viewing, Top Gun: Maverick, and Pelosi's potential delegation to Taiwan. This is a good one. Congressman Mike Gallagher has represented Wisconsin’s 8th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. Mike served for seven years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, including two deployments to Iraq. Mike also served as the lead Republican staffer for the Middle East and Counterterrorism on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Follow him on Twitter at @RepGallagher.

Noah Rothman argues that the progressive left is closer in similarity to 16th century Puritans than the free-spirited, leftist hippies of the 1960s. By judging a person's moral character based on their clothes, Netflix queue, favorite foods, and the sports they watch, they've managed to suck the fun out of everything. Noah shows us how we can fight back against these "New Puritans," and ultimately, how we can live more meaningful and enjoyable lives by rejecting their oppressive judgments of moral character. Noah Rothman is the associate editor of Commentary Magazine and the author of The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives' War on Fun. Follow him on Twitter at @NoahCRothman.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr sat down with Dan for a few rounds of scotch and a wide-ranging conversation about Russiagate, Mexican cartels, election fraud, the philosophy of law, and so much more. Pour yourself a scotch (or whatever your favorite beverage happens to be) and enjoy. Bill Barr is the author of "One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General". He was attorney general twice under both President Trump and President George H.W. Bush.

Elon Musk is building the rockets that will send the next generation of astronauts to Mars, but they won't stand a chance of surviving the journey if not for the research being done by scientists like Dorit Donoviel, Ph.D. Dorit joined us to talk about inventing new ways to keep humans alive and healthy on multi-year missions into deep space. Dorit Donoviel is the Executive Director of NASA’s Translational Research Institute for Space Health and Professor of Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Follow her fascinating work on Twitter at @DoritPhD. This interview was recorded as part of Dan Crenshaw's Healthcare Innovation Summit at Rice University in Houston, TX.

Far-left activists hold influence over the White House, Congress, the media, corporations, and our educational institutions. But the one institution that remains outside of their control - the Supreme Court - is the one stopping them from sabotaging the Constitution. Senator Mike Lee joins us to talk about the left's decades-long battle to pack the Supreme Court and remake America. Mike Lee is a United States senator from Utah and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He served as a law clerk in the Supreme Court to Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. He is the author of "Saving Nine: The Fight Against the Left’s Audacious Plan to Pack the Supreme Court and Destroy American Liberty." Follow him on Twitter at @SenMikeLee.

Theoretical physicist Steven Koonin covers what the latest climate science actually tells us versus what alarmists want us to believe about everything from melting ice caps to extreme weather events. We end the conversation with an overview of Steven's other domain of expertise: multiverses! Steven Koonin is the author of Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What it Doesn’t, and Why it Matters. From 2009 to 2011, he was Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy in the Obama administration.

Quick episode covering the Senate gun bill, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, that passed on Friday. Dan breaks down his main concerns with the bill and lays out what is true, and what isn’t, about the bill. There has been a lot of emotional reactions to this legislation, but very little objective breakdown of the substance. Here is the truth.

Geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan examines 70 years of demographic trends, economics, and history to make the case that the world is about to enter a period of massive disorder.  Peter Zeihan is the author of the just-released The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization. He is the author of numerous bestselling books including The Accidental Superpower and Disunited Nations. His geopolitical analysis has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The New York Times, Fox News and more. Follow him on Twitter at @PeterZeihan.

Crime is running rampant across the nation. Why? Democrats’ soft on crime policies are to blame. Even murderers are being released back onto our streets. For example in Texas, between September 2016 and September 2021, 133 capital murder suspects were bonded out of jail in Harris County alone. While crime trends are often very localized, there are some national trends as well that have unfolded recently. To help examine these trends, we are joined by an expert on criminal justice, Josh Crawford from the Pegasus Institute.

Rep. Garret Graves joins me to discuss an important pillar of the Republicans Energy, Climate, and Conservation task force: how to compete with China and Russia on energy production. America’s key strategic asset is its geopolitical advantage in producing and exporting resources – whether that’s food, energy, or materials, and American energy dominance is crucial to maintaining that advantage. Rep. Garret Graves joins us to outline the Republican plan to protect American energy dominance and reduce global emissions as a result.  Follow Rep. Garret Graves on Twitter at @RepGarretGraves. 

Pete Hegseth, New York Times bestselling author and the cohost of FOX & Friends Weekend, joins us to take a deep dive into our education system. It’s no secret that Progressives hijacked our education system years ago, but how can parents regain control over their children’s education once again?  Pete provided the game plan in this episode - how we can fight back, and what options we have to reclaim our education system.  Follow Pete Hegseth on Twitter at @PeteHegseth.

Author, comedian, and TV personality Dave Rubin joins us to take on some of the most complex and controversial topics in society today. Using his new book as a guide, Don’t Burn This Country: Surviving and Thriving in Our Woke Dystopia, Dave shares how he went from a left leaning progressive to using his platform to stand up against wokeism across the country.  Follow Dave Rubin on Twitter at @RubinReport.

Alex Epstein, author of Fossil Future and The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, joins us for a reality check on fossil fuels. Many Americans have been convinced by radical environmentalists that fossil fuels are bad, if not inherently evil, and that supporting oil and gas is equivalent to supporting the environmental destruction of our planet. Alex joins us to explain why supporting fossil fuels and supporting the environment are not mutually exclusive, and how fossil fuels have contributed to human flourishing. Follow him on Twitter at @AlexEpstein.

Author and social critic Os Guinness joins us to talk about the great, and the terrible, revolutions throughout human history. Every revolutionary movement has carried the banners of Justice and Freedom. But why is it that most of them - apart from the Exodus and the American Revolution - have led to unimaginable oppression and despotism?  Os Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War Two where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, he was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to Europe where he was educated in England. Os has written or edited more than thirty books, including The Call, Time for Truth, Unspeakable, A Free People’s Suicide, The Global Public Square, Last Call for Liberty, Carpe Diem Redeemed, and The Magna Carta of Humanity. His latest book is The Great Quest: Invitation to the Examined Life and a Sure Path to Meaning. Follow him on Twitter at @OsGuinness.

Psychologist Paul Bloom joins us to talk about the core human impulses that control our lives and decision making; along with their profound implications for our culture, politics, and policymaking. Dr. Paul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. His most recent book is The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning. He is also the author of the New York Post Best Book of 2016 Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion. Follow him on Twitter at @paulbloomyale.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy made headlines recently when he announced the creation of a new financial firm, backed by Peter Thiel, that would do something shocking in woke corporate America today: invest in companies that focus on profit and innovation, not taking political and cultural stances. Vivek joins us to examine the new iteration of corporate cronyism that he's fighting back against; where a small cartel of asset management firms like BlackRock manipulate free markets to implement progressive politics at the expense of companies, shareholders, and everyday citizens. Vivek Ramaswamy is the author of the NY Times bestselling book "Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam", a biotech investor and founder of the new fund manager Strive with investors Peter Thiel and Bill Ackman. Follow him on Twitter at @VivekGRamaswamy.

Michael Knowles joins us to talk about his new documentary, “Choosing Death: The Legacy of Roe” which just came out on the Daily Wire. We unpack all the moral arguments for abortion from the leftist and libertarian perspectives, and how they relate to modern society’s broader, shifting views on the value of life and liberty. Michael Knowles is the host of “The Michael Knowles Show” at the Daily Wire, “The Book Club” at PragerU, and co-host of “Verdict with Ted Cruz.” His most recent book is “Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds.” Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @michaeljknowles.

Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, walks us through Justice Alito's leaked draft opinion in Dobbs v Jackson that made the left completely lose its mind, what it means for abortion in America, and what she expects from the Court in the coming weeks. Carrie Severino is the co-author with Mollie Hemingway of the bestselling book "Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Court." She was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and to Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Follow her on Twitter at @JCNSeverino.

#1 New York Times bestselling author and former Navy SEAL Sniper Jack Carr gives us a masterclass in Creative Writing. We talk about his writing process and how his SEAL background and real-world geopolitical events inform his bestselling James Reece series. In the last half of the show we get into a serious discussion about the Ukraine-Russia War, China, and how lessons learned from thousands of years of war and diplomacy are being forgotten by our leaders today. Jack Carr's latest novel is the just-released In The Blood. His first novel, The Terminal List, is about to be released as an 8-part Amazon miniseries starring Chris Pratt as James Reece. He is also the author of True Believer, Savage Son, and The Devil’s Hand. He is the host of the Danger Close Podcast. Follow Jack on Instagram and Twitter at @jackcarrusa.

Congressman Mike Gallagher and Congressman Mike Waltz join us to talk about why Americans should support Ukraine's war against Russian invaders. We cover the $40 billion aid package which the House passed this week, fact-check the oft-repeated falsehoods about the war and America’s support for Ukraine, and take a broader look at America's Cold War with Russia and China. Congressman Mike Gallagher has represented Wisconsin’s 8th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. Mike served for seven years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, including two deployments to Iraq. Mike also served as the lead Republican staffer for the Middle East and Counterterrorism on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Follow him on Twitter at @RepGallagher. Congressman Mike Waltz represents North Central Florida, is a Colonel in the National Guard, and is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress. Follow him on Twitter at @michaelgwaltz.

This interview was originally posted on January 21, 2022. In the wake of the leak of Justice Alito's draft opinion in Dobbs v Jackson, we're revisiting our conversation with one of the most effective advocates for pro-life policies and initiatives in the history of the movement, Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser. Marjorie talks about how she went from being pro-choice to pro-life, the feminist argument for protecting the unborn, meaningful changes to adoption and workforce policies to ease the challenges of unexpected pregnancies, and the political game plan for pro-life advocates if the Supreme Court does in fact overturn Roe vs Wade. Marjorie Dannenfelser is president of Susan B. Anthony List and the author of “Life is Winning: Inside the Fight for Unborn Children and Their Mothers.” Follow Marjorie on Twitter at @marjoriesba.

Dr. Todd Rose joins us to shed light on why we fall victim to social influences and how we often misjudge the beliefs of others. We dive into the deep psychological underpinnings of America's recent cultural breakdown of public trust and why so many people on the left and right are being pressured into self-censorship. Dr. Todd Rose is the author of "Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity, and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions". He is the co-founder and president of Populace, a think tank committed to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to pursue fulfilling lives in a thriving society. He was a faculty member at Harvard University where he founded the Laboratory for the Science of Individuality and directed the Mind, Brain, and Education Program. Follow him on Twitter at @ltoddrose.

Tony Robbins joins us to discuss his research into the latest breakthroughs in health technology, how to maximize your energy potential, what the cycles of history teach us about human psychology and perspective, and how the human brain is being altered by smart phones and social media. Tony Robbins is the author of the new book "Life Force: How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love." He is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, philanthropist, and the nation’s #1 life and business strategist. Over the past four decades, he has empowered more than 50 million people worldwide through his business and personal development coaching programs and events. Follow him on Twitter at @TonyRobbins.

Douglas Murray joins us to examine the cultural revolution among Western elitists attempting to erase the traditions and moral foundations that created the greatest, most humane civilization in history. Douglas Murray is the author of the just-released book "The War on the West" and bestselling author of "The Madness of Crowds" and "The Strange Death of Europe." He is the associate editor of The Spectator. Follow him on Twitter at @DouglasKMurray.

Dr. Victoria Coates joins us to examine the decline of American leverage against Iran and how it influences our relations with Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Russia. Dr. Victoria Coates is a Distinguished Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, an art historian, and a political consultant. She previously served on the National Security Council, first as Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa and then as Deputy National Security Advisor before moving to the Department of Energy to serve as a Senior Advisor under President Trump. She is the author of "David’s Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art". Follow her on Twitter at @VictoriaCoates.

For Easter Weekend, we're revisiting a classic episode from May 2020. Ze'ev Orenstein took listeners into the historic site of Biblical Jerusalem, the City of David, to discover the cultural, political, and spiritual connections this once lost city has with our world today. How was the City of David lost and then rediscovered? What major discoveries have archaeologists recently made that link back to the times of Jesus and King David? What are the important geopolitical implications for this site which is at the heart of a city under constant threat from Palestinian terrorism? Ze’ev Orenstein is the Director of International Affairs at the City of David Foundation. Learn more at  https://www.cityofdavid.org.il/en and follow Ze'ev on Twitter at @ZeevOrenstein.

One of the main goals of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards, the latest trend in woke capitalism, is to reduce global carbon emissions. In practice, the standards have actually INCREASED emissions. Energy expert Toby Rice joins us to explain why - and lay out clear, concise arguments for why natural gas is the best solution to dramatically reduce global carbon emissions in a scalable, sustainable, and profitable way. Toby Rice is the President and CEO of EQT, the largest natural gas producer in the country. Follow Toby on Twitter at @Shalennial. Check out Toby's excellent report on LNG which is referenced throughout the episode here: https://www.eqt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/LNG_Final.pdf

Putin's de-nazification narrative, weaponized biolabs, and conspiracy theories about the atrocities in Bucha are just a few examples of the Russian disinformation campaign that a shocking number of Americans on the left and right are falling for. National security expert Thomas Rid joins us to explain the history of Russian propaganda and the current tactics used by the Putin regime to commit disinformation and political warfare. Dr. Thomas Rid is the author of "Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare" and the Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Follow him on Twitter at @RidT.

Matthew Continetti joins us to talk about the history of modern conservatism, its perennial struggles with populists and progressives, and what it means to be a conservative in America today. Matthew Continetti is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of "The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism." Follow him on Twitter at @continetti.

Just in time for tax season, we're joined by Tax Foundation's Scott Hodge to cover the Democrats' falsehoods about our tax system, meaningful tax reform that Congress should consider, and what Texans have in common with the characters in "Yellowstone." Scott Hodge is president of the Tax Foundation and is recognized as was one of the driving forces of tax reform that culminated in the historic 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Follow him on Twitter at @scottahodge.

This episode was originally posted on December 2, 2020. Dr. Gad Saad joined us for a lively discussion on identity politics, woke progressivism, antifragility, and much more. Dr. Gad Saad is an Evolutionary Behavioral Scientist, Professor of Marketing at Concordia University, host of "The Saad Truth", and author of "The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense." Follow him on Twitter at @GadSaad.

David Bahnsen joins us to talk about the war in Ukraine, the rise of populism, America's bleak productivity outlook, and the basic economic truths that so many of today's politicians and influencers fail to understand. David is a wealth manager and author of "There's No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths". He's a regular contributor at National Review and frequent guest on Fox News, Bloomberg, and CNBC. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidBahnsen. Follow Dan Crenshaw on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for daily updates on legislation and current events.

Crime is rising across the country and it's no secret why. Bail reform and leftist judges releasing murder suspects back on the streets. Two experts on crime join us to talk about how we got to this point and what we can do to stop it. Officer Ray Hunt is the Executive Director of the Houston Police Officers' Union. Rania Mankarious is the CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston, a non-profit dedicated to solving and preventing serious crimes.  This episode was recorded in front of a live audience as part of the Coffee With Crenshaw series that Dan regularly hosts in Texas' 2nd Congressional District. If you live in the district and would like to attend, sign up for our newsletter here: https://crenshaw.house.gov/

Luke Rosiak is an investigative reporter at The Daily Wire who famously broke the story of how Loudon County, VA school officials covered up a bathroom rape. He joins us to expose how teachers' unions contributed to the breakdown in public education during the pandemic, the powerful incentives behind the CRT and anti-testing movements, and meaningful policy changes parents should be fighting for at the local and federal levels. Luke Rosiak is the author of "Race to the Bottom: Uncovering the Secret Forces Destroying American Public Education." Follow him on Twitter at @LukeRosiak.

Former State Department Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus joins us to discuss the differences in foreign policy approaches between the Trump and Biden Administration. We discuss how to effectively handle our enemies, how the quid-pro-quo impeachment farce undermined Ukrainian leadership, and how to maintain America's place in the world.  Before serving at the State Department, Morgan served at the Department of Treasury and  USAID and has been an on-air contributor at Fox News. She continues to serve in the Navy Reserve and is running for the Republican nomination for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District. You can follow her on Twitter at @MorganOrtagus

AEI's Dr. Kori Schake joins us to help us understand why Putin ordered the Russian military to invade Ukraine. We discuss the Russian military's progress - and the problems they are encountering - and what likely comes next.  Dr. Kori Schake is a Senior Fellow and the Director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. She has a distinguished career serving in government and as a professor. Follow her on Twitter at @korischake

This episode was originally posted on May 15, 2020. As Ukrainians fight to preserve their freedom from Putin's invading Russian army, we're revisiting a classic interview from Hold These Truths with one of the foremost experts on Russia today: former Ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman, Jr. He took us inside the mind of Vladimir Putin, how he re-shaped the worldview and psyche of Russians during his three decades in power, and we examined the disinformation campaign surrounding Michael Flynn. Jon Huntsman, Jr. served as U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2017 – 2019, during one of the most difficult periods in bilateral relationships since deep in the Cold War. He is the only ambassador to ever serve in both China (2009 – 2011) and Russia (2017 – 2019), as well as Singapore (1992 – 1993). He was the Governor of Utah (Jan. 2005 – Aug. 2009), served as the Chair of the Western Governors Association, and under his leadership Utah was ranked as the best managed state in America by Pew Center on the States. Follow him on Twitter at @JonHuntsman.

Journalist and bitcoin advocate Peter McCormack joins us to talk about the origins of the world's dominant cryptocurrency, how it works, its potential to replace fiat currency and undermine the Chinese state, and the Democrats' baffling regulatory resistance to it. Peter McCormack is the host of The What Bitcoin Did Podcast and Chairman of Real Bedford Football Club. Follow him on Twitter at @PeterMcCormack.

What is industrial policy and what role has it played in trade, supply chains, free markets, and diplomacy? Adam Thierer takes us on a tour of the pitfalls and boondoggles that happen when government picks the winners and losers in American industry. Find out (most of) what you need to know about this important subject in less than 25 minutes - along with what happened to the flying cars we were promised! Adam Thierer is the Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Artificial Intelligence Commission on Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation. He is the author of "Permissionless Innovation: The Continuing Case for Comprehensive Technological Freedom" and "Evasive Entrepreneurs & the Future of Governance." Follow Adam on Twitter at @AdamThierer.   Subscribe and follow to catch the latest episodes of Hold These Truths featuring thought leaders and legends like Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Bari Weiss, Jocko Willink, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and many more: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hold-these-truths-with-dan-crenshaw/id1498149200 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2BbbFyOBNTLpYDzUai6ta2?si=f8iPozsGQ5CjAAammAs29g Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dancrenshawtx/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/repdancrenshaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepDanCrenshaw  

As the Olympic Games are underway in Beijing - Jack Posobiec joins us to shed light on the Chinese worldview, how the games are President Xi Jinping's "coronation ceremony", the shifting economic and military power dynamics between the U.S. and China, and how Russia fits into the equation.  Jack Posobiec is the host of the podcast series Human Events Daily. He speaks fluent Mandarin, worked for the US Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, is a former officer in the Navy Reserve, and worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence. Follow him on Twitter at @JackPosobiec.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew joins us to explain why he and so many others are giving up on the Democratic Party, share an inside look at how Pelosi keeps the Congressional Democrats in line, and describe his experience working with President Trump in the days leading up to the impeachment vote. Jeff Van Drew is the U.S. Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of New Jersey. Rep. Van Drew famously quit the Democratic Party, and joined the Republicans, due to his opposition to the impeachment vote. He is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Follow him on Twitter at @Congressman_JVD.

As Texas approaches the one year anniversary of the polar vortex that crashed the state's energy grid for days, we're joined by energy expert Timothy Fitzgerald, Ph.D. to examine what's been done to prevent a blackout at this scale from ever happening again.  1:30 - Fundamental problems that led to the blackout 7:00 - Increasing Texas' minimum capacity for baseload energy 15:00 - Debunking Democrat myths: Would Texas be better off if it was connected to the national grid? 17:30 - Debunking Democrat myths: Would the blackout have been prevented if Texas had more diversity in it's energy supply? 18:20 - Debunking Democrat myths: Did climate change cause the blackout? 19:15 - What have state agencies and the Texas legislature done to fix the grid problems? 23:45 - The Berkshire-Hathaway proposal to build emergency use gas plants 25:15 - Comparing the tradeoffs between gas, nuclear, and renewable sources of energy 28:00 - The production tax credit on wind and how it's different from other energy tax credits 30:45 - The problems with wind turbines 33:45 - Debunking Democrat myths: Would an oil export ban lower the price of gasoline? Timothy Fitzgerald, Ph.D. served as the Chief International Economist at the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) under President Trump , as well as the Senior Economist covering energy and the environment. Dr. Fitzgerald was the Chief International Economist during the USMCA negotiations. He is a professor of business economics at the Rawls School of Business at Texas Tech.

In the wake of the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, Jaco Booyens joins us to expose the reality of sex trafficking in America. Jaco talks about how predators like Epstein and Maxwell lure their victims, why justice still hasn't been served in their case, how pornography and the normalization of teen sex facilitates trafficking, and the warning signs everyone should be aware of to spot predators in their homes, schools, and community. Jaco Booyens is a filmmaker, speaker, and consultant on combatting the global crisis of sex trafficking. Follow him on Twitter at @BooyensJaco and Instagram @jaco.booyens.

Attorney and gender rights advocate Kara Dansky joins us to examine the well-funded industry, legislation, and judicial rulings which are attempting to erase the material reality of biological sex and gender differences from our laws and culture. Kara Dansky is the author of 'The Abolition of Sex: How the “Transgender” Agenda Harms Women and Girls.' She serves as President of the U.S. chapter of Women’s Declaration International (WDI), which seeks to promote the Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights. Follow her on Twitter at @KDansky.

As thousands of pro-life activists journey to Washington, D.C. this week, we talked with one of the most effective advocates for pro-life policies and initiatives in the history of the movement, Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser. Marjorie talks about how she went from being pro-choice to pro-life, the feminist argument for protecting the unborn, meaningful changes to adoption and workforce policies to ease the challenges of unexpected pregnancies, and the political game plan for pro-life advocates if the Supreme Court overturns Roe vs Wade. Marjorie Dannenfelser is president of Susan B. Anthony List and the author of “Life is Winning: Inside the Fight for Unborn Children and Their Mothers.” Follow Marjorie on Twitter at @marjoriesba.

Governor Rick Perry joins us to share lessons learned in the political arena, what it takes to make a meaningful difference in American politics, working with President Trump, and much more. Gov. Perry is an Air Force veteran, 47th governor of Texas, and the Secretary of Energy under President Donald Trump. Follow him on Twitter at @GovernorPerry.

David King is the Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at The Harvard Kennedy School and an expert on Congress, lobbying and interest groups, and election reform. He joins Dan for a look inside how Congress does and doesn't function, what it's really like to be a member of Congress, the truth about lobbyists and incentive structures in Congress, and much more. David King is the author of "Turf Wars: How Congressional Committees Claim Jurisdiction" and co-author of "Why People Don't Trust Government" and "The Generation of Trust". Follow him on Twitter at @david_c_king.

Jocko joins us to talk New Year's resolutions and staying on the path in 2022, leadership in life and combat, and answer audience questions. Jocko Willink is the host of Jocko Podcast, NY Times bestselling author, CEO of Echelon Front, and Chairman at Origin USA and Jocko Fuel. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @jockowillink.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates joins us for a candid examination of America's successes and failures abroad from the Cold War to the War on Terror to China's threat to the global order. Robert Gates was the 22nd Secretary of Defense, serving under both Presidents George W. Bush and Barak Obama. He had previously served as Director of the CIA, from 1991 to 1993, Deputy National Security Advisor from 1989 to 1991, and Deputy Director of the CIA from 1986-1989. He is the author of From the Shadows, Duty, A Passion for Leadership, and Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World.

For this special year-end solo episode, Dan reviews the major policy failures of the Biden Administration's first year. All the facts you should know about inflation, the border crisis, Build Back Better, COVID response, and much more in just 38 minutes. 1:30 - Oil and gas regulations 7:50 - COVID response 10:00 - Inflation 12:45 - Build Back Better 20:00 - Crime wave and bail reform 24:30 - Biden's administration nominations 27:30 - Biden's Supreme Court failures 30:00 - Afghanistan withdrawal 32:40 - Border crisis

Heritage Foundation's Patty-Jane Geller joins us to examine the implications of China's escalating development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons. We also look at the nuclear capabilities of Russia, North Korea, and non-state actors. Patty-Jane Geller is the policy analyst for nuclear deterrence and missile defense in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense. Follow her on Twitter at @pj_geller.

For this special Christmas episode, Pastor James Emery White joins us to help answer the most common questions and criticisms of Christianity and the Bible that you would hear from skeptics. Pastor White is the author of "Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians". He is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church. Follow him on Twitter at @JamesEmeryWhite.

Mike Sommers is the President and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, the largest national trade association for America's oil and gas industry. He joins us to examine the policies and propaganda from the Biden Administration which are causing record gasoline prices, crushing industry innovation, and (ironically) leading to greater carbon emissions. Follow Mike on Twitter at @mj_sommers.

Tech and counterterrorism expert Kara Frederick joins us to discuss what she learned working at Facebook about the ideologies and incentives driving big tech to censor conservative voices, the controversial debate over children's access to social media, worthwhile policy reforms to protect free expression online, and the potential for decentralized social networks like Jack Dorsey’s Blue Sky to end the possibility of censorship forever. Kara Frederick is a Research Fellow in the Center for Technology Policy at The Heritage Foundation. Kara helped create and lead Facebook’s Global Security Counterterrorism Analysis Program. She was a Senior Intelligence Analyst for a U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command and spent six years as a counterterrorism analyst at the Department of Defense. Follow her on Twitter at @karaafrederick.

Scientist, author, and Member of the House of Lords Matt Ridley returns to share his findings from an investigation into the COVID-19 lab-leak hypothesis. We also talked about Britain's worsening energy crisis, the differences between American and British conservatism, and much more. Lord Ridley is the co-author with scientist Alina Chan of the new book "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19." Follow him on Twitter at @mattwridley.

Josh Holmes gets Dan Crenshaw’s uncensored take on the conservative movement, what it really means to “fight,” and much more in this special crossposting with Ruthless Podcast. Josh Holmes is the co-host of Ruthless Podcast, president of Cavalry LLC, and former Chief of Staff for Senator Mitch McConnell. Follow him on Twitter at @HolmesJosh.

Elisabeth Braw joins us to discuss the tactics being used by China, Russsia, and other hostile nations. Non-military actions like cyber attacks, coercion of western companies, and disinformation campaigns may seem like minor nuisances that the United States just has to deal with - but for totalitarian regimes these are serious operations that take advantage of liberal democracies and undermine order. Elisabeth Braw is a Senior Fellow at AEI, where she focuses on defending against emerging national security challenges. She is the author of "The Defenders Dilemma: Identifying and Deterring Gray-Zone Aggression." Follow her on Twitter at @elisabethbraw.

Michael Samaritano is a sophomore at Yale and winner of the National Review's William F. Buckley Jr. essay contest. Are universities today really the hostile political battlegrounds we see playing out on social media? What are the consequences for conservatives who express their beliefs in the classroom? Who should control the class syllabus - students, professors, or administrators? How do conservatives break through the mental barriers that are holding back persuadable students from considering conservative arguments? Michael brings his experience at Yale to give us helpful insights into all these questions. Read Michael's award-winning essay here: https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/09/conservatives-dont-give-up-on-yale/

Mike Solana joins us to look at the revolutionary impact of social media on culture, politics, and the future of civilization. Americans have always been divided roughly 50/50 on partisan and ideological lines. But what happened when it became possible for a single piece of information - true or false - to reach hundreds of millions of people in minutes? Mike also gives us an insider's perspective on the culture wars playing out in Silicon Valley and explains why conservatives can and should offer a more compelling vision of the future. Mike Solana is a VP at Founders Fund, Editor-in-Chief of Pirate Wires, and host of the podcast Anatomy of Next. Follow him on Twitter at @micsolana. Read "Jump" by Mike Solana here: https://www.piratewires.com/p/jump-23d06adb4cb7

Thanksgiving dinner is coming up. Which might mean you’re about to have your annual political debate with that liberal relative at the dinner table. We’d recommend avoiding any debate at dinner, but if you absolutely must, Dan Crenshaw put together some tips and facts for the most contentious issues. Timestamped guide below. Good luck and remember: if things get too heated, break out the tequila! 1:10 – General advice for winning debates against your liberal relatives 5:00 – Climate change 8:20 – Border crisis 12:05 – Critical race theory 14:50 – Guns 20:45 – Women’s healthcare/Planned Parenthood 21:55 – Wealth inequality 26:40 – Gender wage gap

Democrats love to justify progressive policies by citing European countries as examples of socialist utopias which America should aspire to emulate. Luckily we have David Harsanyi here to debunk the left's contentions on almost every political and cultural issue which they claim Europe is beating America at. Free speech. Healthcare. Income inequality. Racial tolerance. Life expectancy. All that and more reasons why America is better than you might think. David Harsanyi is the author of "Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent" and a senior writer for National Review. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidHarsanyi.

Sean Spicer joins us for a conversation about President Trump, the Biden-Harris progressive agenda, and the future of the Republican Party. Sean gives us an inside look at what it was like to work for President Trump during the early days of the Administration. We analyze the intentions behind Biden's alignment with the most progressive wing of the Democrat Party. And we talk about the prospects for a Republican victory in 2022, along with the meaningful action conservatives can take to restore America's foundations. Sean Spicer is the author of "Radical Nation: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s Dangerous Plan for America" and the host of "Spicer & Co." on Newsmax. Sean's decades-long career in Republican politics includes serving as President Trump's first White House press secretary and Chief Strategist/Communications Director for the Republican National Committee. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanSpicer.

A conversation between Vice President Mike Pence and Dan Crenshaw recorded in front of a live audience at Texas A&M University on Veterans Day 2021. This interview was crossposted Vice President Pence's new podcast series "American Freedom with Mike Pence." Follow him on Twitter at @Mike_Pence.

For Veterans Day, Sebastian Junger joins us to look at the psychology behind the human instinct (especially among young men) to pursue war and self-sacrifice, how these motivations are inextricably linked to tribalism and community, and the tensions between the rules of community and the individual desire for freedom. We also reflect on the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal and engage in a friendly debate about the political climate in America today. Sebastian Junger has spent much of his journalism career embedded in the most dangerous places on Earth, including the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan where he made the documentaries Restrepo and Korengal with his late colleague Tim Hetherington. He is the NYTimes bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, Tribe, Freedom, and War. Follow him on Twitter at @sebastianjunger.

Bringing rational environmentalism to the conversation at COP26 (the U.N. Climate Change Conference) in Glasgow, Scotland for this special episode Dan recorded live with Rep. Garret Graves, Rep. Marianne Miller-Meeks, and Rep. John Curtis. Follow Rep. Garret Graves on Twitter at @RepGarretGraves. Follow Rep. Marianne Miller-Meeks on Twitter at @RepMMM. Follow Rep. John Curtis on Twitter at @RepJohnCurtis.

As world leaders and environmental activists meet in Scotland for COP26 - the U.N. Climate Change Conference - to negotiate policies that could accelerate decarbonization and mitigate the impacts of climate change, they are largely dismissing humanity's best shot at a carbon-free future: nuclear energy. Rep. Jeff Duncan is one of the foremost experts on nuclear energy policy in Congress, and he joins us to talk about what the world gains by embracing nuclear energy, debunk the misconceptions about its risks, and explain how we overcome the barriers to building more nuclear reactors. Jeff Duncan is the Representative of South Carolina’s 3rd District and serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, where he has been a leader on nuclear energy. Follow him on Twitter at @RepJeffDuncan.

Kayleigh McEnany joins us for a master class in the art of debate and persuasion as she recounts her time as press secretary for President Trump. She shares stories about the most infamous crises inside the White House, how to handle unruly journalists, preparing and framing arguments, and advice she would give Jen Psaki. Kayleigh McEnany is the author of "For Such a Time as This: My Faith Journey through the White House and Beyond." Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @kayleighmcenany.

Texas Public Policy Foundation's chief economist Vance Ginn joins us to examine the economic and fiscal policies that are unnecessarily burdening taxpayers, devaluing the dollar, incentivizing unemployment, and creating the current supply chain and energy crises. We discuss what an ideal tax and regulatory system should look like, and have a broader philosophical conversation about the purpose of taxation. Vance Ginn, PhD, is the chief economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the former associate director for economic policy of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the Executive Office of the President during the Trump administration. Follow him on Twitter at @VanceGinn.

Manhattan Institute economist Brian Riedl joins us for a 30 minute crash course on the federal debt, budget, and taxes. We cover budget gimmicks in the Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending bill, misconceptions about the Child Tax Credit and wealth taxes, government shutdowns and debt ceilings, and what happens when the 100+ trillion dollar debt avalanche hits the American economy. Brian Riedl is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, focusing on budget, tax, and economic policy. Previously, he worked for six years as chief economist to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and as staff director of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Riedl.

The progressive movement wants you to believe that freedom means the right to have all of your needs fulfilled by the services of others. Their rationale goes like this: with your basic needs met, you are free to pursue your dreams. It's become a pervasive talking point among the left in our cultural and political debates. On this special solo episode, Dan argues why this redefinition of freedom is wrong and the consequences for the individual and the civilization that adopts it. If America is to remain the "shining city on the hill" - then its citizens must again embrace the foundation of true freedom: fortitude.

When an ideological movement attempts to end all policing, jails, drug treatment facilities, psychiatric care, and shelters - what kind of civilization do you get? Michael Shellenberger returns to expose how progressive policies have caused the skyrocketing rates of addiction, overdoses, crime, and homelessness in San Francisco and other major cities. We also assess the current state of the climate debate as Europe and California face escalating energy crises thanks to unreliable renewables. Michael Shellenberger is the author of "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities" and "Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All." Follow him on Twitter at @ShellenbergerMD.

With the Facebook "Whistleblower" report, the authoritarian left is using a statement we can all agree with ("Teenage bullying is wrong!") to justify unaccountable government oversight and censorship of big tech. National Review's Andy McCarthy joins us to explain how some Republicans are falling into the Democrats' censorship trap, why the left and right truly do not see eye to eye on this issue, and modifications we could make to Section 230 to stop big tech's censorship of conservatives without destroying our 1st Amendment rights. We also looked at the legal implications of Governor Abbott's prohibition on vaccine mandates and Attorney General Merrick Garland's investigation of parents as "domestic terrorists" for protesting their school boards' mask mandates. Andy McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Follow him in Twitter at @AndrewCMcCarthy.

Pharmaceutical opioids and the flood of Chinese fentanyl infiltrating our southern border have created a crisis that's killing hundreds of thousands of Americans every year and leaving millions more in the downward spiral of addiction. Until recently, our only way of dealing with the problem has been prison, rehab, methadone, or some combination of the three. Daniel Powell joins us to look at how we got here, the new medical innovations in combating America's worst epidemic, and the regulatory reforms we need to keep moving forward. Daniel Powell has over 20 years in developing and selling technology-based products. He has served in multiple leadership roles including software engineering, program management, marketing & business development. Over his career, Mr. Powell launched over 18 medical device products including those for Deep Brain Stimulation for movement disorders and Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy. Most recently he co-founded and serves as CEO of Spark Biomedical, developing a novel, wearable neurostimulation solution to address opioid withdrawal and addiction.

Another policy deep dive episode that will make you a lot more knowledgable about our healthcare system and what's happening with Medicare. Lanhee Chen joins us to break down the $1 trillion component of Bernie's $3.5 trillion "human" infrastructure bill, which supposedly expands Americans access to Medicare. We also cover the funding challenges with the current Medicare program, better ideas to help the working poor, debunk some myths about Britain and Canada's single payer systems, and ask whether or not Obamacare lived up to its promise of equalizing healthcare access for all Americans. Lanhee J. Chen, Ph.D. is the David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies at the Hoover Institution and Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University. Follow Lanhee Chen on Twitter at @lanheechen.

Bernie and the Squad want you to believe poverty and income inequality are worse than ever in America. But what's the truth? Dr. Scott Winship, director of poverty studies at American Enterprise Institute, joins us to look at the current state of poverty in America. We examine Bernie's claims that the rich are stealing wealth from the middle class, assess how our social welfare programs and safety net benefits are impacting everything from employment to income mobility to intergenerational poverty, and ask what reforms we could implement to help Americans who are truly trapped in the poverty cycle. Dr. Scott Winship is a senior fellow and the director of poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he researches social mobility and the causes and effects of poverty. He also focuses on economic insecurity and inequality, among other poverty issues. Follow him on Twitter at @swinshi.

Bari Weiss joins us to look at how the woke progressives' monoculture, intolerance, and cowardice, which has been creeping into America's most treasured institutions for decades, has finally taken over. Bari describes in vivid detail what it was like to be an editor at the NY Times when their owners caved to the journalists who claimed their lives were "in danger" because of a Tom Cotton oped. And we discuss what conservatives need to do better to reach liberals and moderates who believe in the core first principles which created America, and which the progressive movement is seeking to erase from the culture. Bari Weiss is the host of Honestly Podcast and a writer on Substack. From 2017 until 2020, Bari was a staff writer and editor for the Opinion section of The New York Times. Before joining the Times, Bari was an oped editor at the Wall Street Journal and an associate book review editor there. Her first book, "How to Fight Anti-Semitism," was a Natan Notable Book and the winner of a 2019 National Jewish Book Award. Follow Bari on Twitter at @BariWeiss.

Dan joins his friend and fellow veteran LTC Daniel Gade, PhD to recount their post-combat injury experiences with the VA's perverse structure of incentivizes which cause veterans to become sicker, poorer, and disempowered. We look at the policies and culture which enable this victimhood mentality among injured and non-injured veterans alike, and what we should be doing to help our veterans thrive in civilian life. LTC Daniel Gade, PhD is the co-author of “Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy Is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer.” He is a twice wounded retired US Army lieutenant colonel, professor, public policy leader, and former US Senate candidate from Virginia. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielMGade.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD joins us to review the mistakes, misrepresentations, and institutional barriers at the CDC and other public health institutions that hindered our response to the COVID-19 pandemic - along with the tactical steps we must take to defeat the next pandemic. We also discuss reforming the FDA approval process to allow medical innovation and why the drug price controls found in the Democrats' HR3 legislation will stop the next breakthrough drugs from emerging. Scott Gottlieb, MD, is the author of "Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic." He is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. From 2017 to 2019 he served as the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Gottlieb is also a special partner with the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates and serves on the boards of Pfizer, Illumina, Aetion, and Tempus. Follow him on Twitter at @ScottGottliebMD.

This episode originally premiered on August 25, 2020. Historian Amity Shlaes joins us for a new look at the origins and aftermath of LBJ's Great Society – the massive federal poverty-reduction programs of the 1960's. The debates in that era were the same debates today: socialism vs capitalism, public-sector vs private-sector, victimhood vs self-empowerment. And the cost of these programs led to devastating outcomes which are still unfolding to this day. Amity Shlaes’ most recent book is Great Society: A New History. She is the author of four New York Times bestsellers: The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, The Forgotten Man/Graphic, Coolidge, and The Greedy Hand: How Taxes Drive Americans Crazy. Miss Shlaes chairs the board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation and the Manhattan Institute's Hayek Book Prize, and serves as a scholar at the King's College. A former member of the Wall Street Journal's editorial board, Miss Shlaes published a weekly syndicated column for more than a decade, appearing first in the Financial Times, then in Bloomberg. Follow her on Twitter at @AmityShlaes.

There are a lot of reasons being thrown around for the rising price of gasoline – inflation, COVID ending, Biden's attacks on oil and gas, decisions by OPEC – but what’s the truth? Petroleum economist Karr Ingham joins us to shed light on the current state of the domestic and global oil markets, regulatory uncertainties, and geopolitical trade wars that are affecting your costs at the pump. Karr Ingham is an Amarillo, Texas economist, and is the owner and President of InghamEcon, LLC, an economic analysis and research firm specializing in statewide, regional, and metro area economics, and oil & gas/energy economics. Since 2003, he has served as the Consulting Petroleum Economist for the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. He is the creator of the Alliance Texas Petro Index, a tool for tracking growth rates and industry cycles in the Texas oil and gas exploration & production sector, as well as the Alliance Texas Permian Basin Petroleum Index. He is a member of the Texas Comptroller’s Economic Roundtable, a group of statewide and national economists convened to offer economic insight to the Comptroller in terms of the general condition of the Texas economy and the ongoing revenue outlook. He also co-chairs the Supply and Demand Committee of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA).

You probably didn't read the recent United Nations IPCC 4,000 page report on global warming impacts. But you definitely saw the media headlines about it screaming, "A Code Red for Humanity!" But the report did not predict any catastrophic, extinction level events, and if you ask Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, it was actually quite reasonable. Bjorn returns to break down what the report actually says, the truth about heat wave and hurricane trends, and give reasons why we can all be optimistic about Earth's future. Dr. Bjorn Lomborg is president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. The Copenhagen Consensus Center is a think-tank that researches the smartest ways to do good. For this work, Lomborg was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. His numerous books include "False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet", "The Skeptical Environmentalist", "Cool It", "How to Spend $75 Billion to Make the World a Better Place", "The Nobel Laureates' Guide to the Smartest Targets for the World 2016-2030" and "Prioritizing Development: A Cost Benefit Analysis of the UN's SDGs". Follow Dr. Lomborg on Twitter at @BjornLomborg.

Two big trends have radically transformed space exploration over the past decade: the privatization of the space industry thanks to Elon Musk and the rise of the Chinese space program. What does this mean for NASA’s mission in the 21st century? Are we on the verge of geopolitical battles with China over Moon territories? Why does Elon maybe want to nuke Mars? Space journalist and author Eric Berger joins us to look at what we can expect as humanity enters the next great era of space travel. Eric Berger is the author of "Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX." He is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering SpaceX, NASA, and everything beyond. Follow him on Twitter at @SciGuySpace.

Is there an infrastructure crisis in America? Would we really need $1.5 trillion in new spending to solve it? Dr. Ed Glaeser joins us to break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of the new infrastructure bill, and help debunk the magical thinking among Democrats that if we just spend massive amounts of money on rail lines, we'll revitalize stagnant economies. Ed Glaeser is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1992. He regularly teaches microeconomic theory and, occasionally, urban and public economics. Glaeser’s research focuses on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission. He has published dozens of papers on cities, economic growth, and law and economics. Glaeser is the author of Cities, Agglomeration, and Spatial Equilibrium (2008); Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier (2012); and coauthor of Rethinking Federal Housing Policy: How to Make Housing Plentiful and Affordable (2008). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Taking orders from terrorists, silencing political opponents, and implementing unconstitutional COVID mandates ad infinitum. When a political ideology with no limiting principles controls our institutions, the inevitable outcome is tyranny. Ben Shapiro returns to show us how the authoritarian left is creating a grave danger to our republic and free societies across the globe, and what we can do to stop it. Ben Shapiro is the NY Times bestselling author of the new book "The Authoritarian Moment," host of "The Ben Shapiro Show," and Editor Emeritus of www.dailywire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @benshapiro.

Andy Stumpf joins us to help unpack the complex dynamics of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, its ramifications for America's national security, and what he learned as a Navy SEAL on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq during the most dangerous era of the War on Terror. Andy Stumpf is the host of the podcast series "Cleared Hot." He first deployed in 2002 as a member of SEAL Team Six. During his career he completed 10 deployments and executed hundreds of combat operations throughout the world. He was medically retired from service in 2013. Follow Andy on Twitter at @AndyStumpf77 and Instagram at @andystumpf212.

Revisiting our interview from last year with General H.R. McMaster where we asked the question: what does America gain by maintaining a military presence in Afghanistan? General McMaster brings decades of experience on the geopolitical stage to answer this question along with how we should address the escalating tensions with Russia and China. General McMaster is a retired Army Lieutenant General and former National Security Advisor. He is the author of "Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World." He served in Cold War Europe and led the Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment during the first Gulf War. In 2004, he led the 3rd Armored Calvary in Tal Afar, Iraq, where he pioneered a new counter insurgency strategy. From February 2017 to April 2018, General McMaster served as National Security Advisor to the President. Follow him on Twitter at @LTGHRMcMaster. This episode originally premiered on September 27, 2020.

"nO mORe EnDleSs wArs!" When your entire foreign policy is built upon an emotional slogan, this is what you end up with: a new terrorist safe haven and millions of women and children now under the rule of the Taliban. Dan and Rep. Mike Waltz react to the news that Afghanistan has fallen.

Conservatives are losing the debate over capitalism and free markets, and not just among young college students - a growing number of Americans on the right want more government intervention and stimulus checks. How can we change their minds? Dr. Samuel Gregg thinks it would help if conservatives reframe the economic argument for capitalism as a moral argument - and he joins us to show just how we can do that. Dr. Samuel Gregg is a Visiting Scholar at The Heritage Foundation's Center for American Studies and the Research Director at the Acton Institute. Follow him on Twitter at @DrSamuelGregg.

Dr. Jonathan Haidt joins us to discuss the psychology of America’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to build resilience and thrive in this volatile, uncertain world. Along the way we explore the rise of micro aggression and “safetyism” on campuses, the moral roots of conservatives and liberals, the increasingly toxic polarization on social media and college campuses, and the implications for our democracy.   Dr. Haidt is a professor of social psychology at NYU-Stern and author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. He is also the co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, a collaboration among nearly 2500 professors who are working to increase viewpoint diversity and freedom of inquiry in universities. Follow him on Twitter at @JonHaidt.   This episode premiered on March 22, 2020.

Uncovering how and when COVID-19 emerged is crucial to understanding the nature of the virus and preventing the next global pandemic. So why have Dr. Fauci and the Democrats attempted to shut down every conversation about the pandemic's origins? Congressman Mike Gallagher joins us to talk about Dr. Fauci's underlying motivations, and set the record straight on everything we know and don't know about the origins of COVID-19. He also gets Dan to answer the question on everyone's minds: who would win in a fight - Dan or Jocko? Rep. Mike Gallagher was first elected in 2016 to represent Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District. He serves on the Armed Services committee and Transportation and Infrastructure committee. He’s a graduate of Princeton (BA), the National Intelligence University (MS), and Georgetown (MS, MA, and PhD). He served in the Marine Corps as an intelligence officer and fought in Iraq. Follow Rep. Gallagher on Twitter and Instagram at @RepGallagher.

Private jets. Miller Lite. Care packages. COVID in Speaker Pelosi's office. What do all these things have in common? Texas Democrats in Washington. You've heard a lot about the chaos that's unfolded surrounding the Texas State Representatives who fled to DC in order to block election security reforms, but you probably haven't heard much about the reasons why they're against these reforms. Dan unpacks and debunks their arguments in this quick solo episode.

Matthew Lohmeier is the former Space Force Commander who was fired after speaking out against the growing influence of Marxist ideology in military training. We talk about what he witnessed while in command, how CRT and the modern left's tactics are taken from the playbook of Mao's Cultural Revolution, and what service members can do to stop it. Matthew Lohmeier is the author of "Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military." Follow him on Twitter at @matthewlohmeier.

David Bahnsen joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on the self-inflicted wounds to America's economy which could end our status as a world superpower. Why is government debt the driving force behind our declining growth? What does it mean when the Federal Reserve "prints money" - and is it really as bad as it sounds? How did our Judeo-Christian heritage lead to the greatest economic prosperity the world has ever known - and what do we lose when we separate the sacred from the secular? We cover all that and much more in less than 60 minutes. David Bahnsen is the founder of The Bahnsen Group - a private wealth management firm with over $3 billion in assets, and a frequent commentator on Fox News and CNBC, regular contributor to National Review, and the author of best-selling books including "Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It" and the soon to be released "There's No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths." Follow him on Twitter at @DavidBahnsen.

Jesse Watters joins us to impart lessons learned from nearly two decades of facing off against the most radical, far-left activists in America. Find out how to survive a cancel culture mob, what it's really like to work in news media, and why humor and entertainment are the best weapons of political persuasion. Jesse is the author of the new book "How I Saved the World" and the co-host of "The Five" and host of "Watters World" on Fox News Channel. Follow him on Twitter at @JesseBWatters and Instagram @jessewatters.

Dr. Jordan Peterson is the author of the bestselling books "Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life" & "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" and the host of "The Jordan B Peterson Podcast." Follow him on Twitter at @jordanbpeterson and Instagram at @jordan.b.peterson.

What did the Founding Fathers mean by the words, "We hold these truths to be self evident..."? In what ways did they weave the concept of equality into this founding document? How should we deal with the hypocrisy of Jefferson and others who pledged their lives to the words "all men are created equal" while at the same time enslaving people? What's the difference between our political constitution and our social constitution, and how are they aligned in America today? Dr. Danielle Allen joins us to answer these questions and explore the history, meaning, and philosophical foundations of our Declaration of Independence. Dr. Danielle Allen is the author of "Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality." She is also the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, and the principle investigator for the Democratic Knowledge Project. Follow her on Twitter at @dsallentess.

The issue of keeping our promise to our Afghan allies is personal to me. My interpreter, Raqman, made the ultimate sacrifice on the day I was injured. I survived, he didn’t. While Raqman cannot be here, two Afghan SIV recipients, Abdul Sami and Matiullah, join me to discuss the threats and perils Afghan linguist face and the difficulty of coming to the U.S. as Special Immigrant Visa recipients. Hear their moving story and help us get our Afghan’s allies to safety.

Iran is the greatest destabilizing force in the Middle East. China is waging an economic and information war against the western world. How should the United States confront each of these distinct threats to the global order? Secretary Mike Pompeo joins us to share the Trump Administration's approach and a behind-the-scenes look at the Soleimani Strike, the Abraham Accords, and checking the Chinese Communist Party's escalating aggression. Sec. Pompeo served as Secretary of State for President Trump from April 2018 to Jan 2021. Prior to serving at State, he was the Director of the CIA and represented Kansas’ 4th Congressional District between 2011 and 2017. Follow Sec. Pompeo on Twitter at @mikepompeo and on Instagram at @mikepompeo86.

John Guydon joins the podcast to help us navigate the uncomfortable topic of racism in America, the antiracism industry that’s incentivizing victimhood, and how to overcome people’s limiting beliefs about skin color. John is an entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and documentarian. Check out his TedX Talk here https://youtu.be/CxEuHNtxe2Y and follow him on Twitter at @IamJohnGuydon.

Medicaid reform is one of the most complicated and misunderstood policy debates in America today. Luckily, we have Seema Verma to walk us through it. We cover everything you need to know about Medicaid, from its origins and purpose to how it's working today. We also discuss what it will take to build a modern health care system that brings better quality, better outcomes, and lower costs for everyone. Seema Verma is a national health policy expert that served as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from 2017 to 2021, the longest tenure in modern history. As the Senate-confirmed head of CMS, Seema oversaw a budget of $1.3 trillion—nearly a third of the Federal budget—and health insurance programs for over 140 million Americans and managed over 6,000 employees.

Chef Andrew Gruel has a nuanced, pragmatic view of the causes behind America's current labor market shortage and minimum wage debate. So why does MSNBC's business correspondent Stephanie Ruhle hold so much contempt for him and every other small business owner? Chef Gruel joins us to break down the recent twitter spat with Stephanie, and the economics of restaurant management in an age of rising inflation, unemployment, and oppressive government regulations. Chef Gruel is a seafood guru, sandwich junkie, and restaurateur. He is the Founder and Executive Chef of Slapfish, which he bootstrapped from a food truck to 24 restaurant locations in less than 10 years. Follow him on Twitter at @ChefGruel.

The tenet of Critical Race Theory is that your skin color determines your fate in life. What happens when you teach children to believe that? Dr. Richard Johnson knows, and he's fighting to stop it and the rest of the woke left's Marxist ideology from being further incorporated into America's classrooms. He joins us to talk about the real change that's needed in our education culture, ending the school to prison pipeline in minority communities, and expanding access to school choice where it's needed most. Richard A. Johnson, Ed.D., is the director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Booker T. Washington Initiative which examines the effects of public policy on African-American communities. An educator for more than 20 years, Johnson has extensive experience in teaching and research. He worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas Mental Science Institute in the early 90s, studying the efficacy of counseling and pharmacological therapy on cocaine and heroin addicts. He began counseling inner-city adolescent males and founded an academy for troubled boys which provided education, discipline and residential substance abuse treatment. In 2007 he began teaching and research in the areas of psychology and academic performance. A Texas native, he grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward and graduated from Wiley College with a Bachelor’s in history and government. After obtaining his degree, he joined the U.S. Army where he not only obtained the rank of sergeant but also played for the All-Army Basketball Team. Following active duty, Johnson obtained a master’s degree in clinical psychology and then a doctoral degree in education administration from Texas Southern University. Most importantly, Johnson served as the President of the Louisiana Prison Chapel Foundation for nearly two decades, building more than 20 churches inside of prison walls. In addition, Johnson served as the co-founder and second president of 100 Black Men Metropolitan Houston, vice president of development for 100 Black Men San Antonio and co-chair of the education committee of the NAACP, Houston.  

What's the best weapon to fight poverty in America? Speaker Paul Ryan spent his career in the House, and now as a private citizen, developing policies to help people rise out of poverty and make better lives for themselves. We talk about the moral foundations of capitalism, creating anti-poverty programs based on rigorous data and analysis (instead of ideology and partisanship), and the dangerous trend of politicians on the left and right to embrace populism untethered from principles. Paul Ryan was the 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from October 2015 to January 2019. In 2019, he launched the American Idea Foundation, a non-partisan, not for profit organization that expands economic opportunity by partnering with local organizations and academics to advance evidence-based public policies. Follow him on Twitter at @SpeakerRyan.

Israeli Defense Forces Brigadier General (Ret) Amir Avivi joins us in our series examining the ongoing conflict in Israel. Gen. Avivi gives a closer look at the dynamics of the latest ceasefire and the evolution of Israeli Defense Forces operations against Hamas. After his service, Gen. Avivi founded HaBithonisti, Protectors of Israel, a group of retired and reserve officers and soldiers of the IDF who work to promote Israel’s security.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib and the rest of the Squad, along with most of the woke left, want you to think that Israel is an apartheid state discriminating against and waging war on Arabs. So let's find out the truth from an Israeli-Arab living in Israel. Yoseph Haddad is a native of Haifa who served in the Israeli Defense Forces, an activist and founder of Vouch for Each Other. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @YosephHaddad.

COVID hospitalizations are falling, immunity is rising, and a revolutionary vaccine is free and accessible to every American. So why does the fear, the call for lockdowns, and the “wear a mask at all times” doctrine – whether you’re vaccinated or not – still persist among the left and mainstream media? Dr. Reynolds Delgado returns to examine the collectivist ideology and slippery slope of social engineering which is driving much of the pandemic response, and the untold damage it’s causing our society. We also discuss how viruses evolve, the new tech behind vaccine production, and protecting the ecosystem of medical innovation which enables that tech to thrive in America. Dr. Reynolds Delgado, III, is a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and heart transplantation at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center/Texas Heart Institute. Dr. Delgado has been a Basic Science Researcher in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Texas Houston Medical School since 1997, and has held the position of Medical Director of Mechanical Support Devices in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute since 2003. His academic appointments include clinical assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and UT Health Science Center, Houston. He participates on numerous advisory boards, Including Thoratec Corporation, Medtronic Corporation, and Boston Scientific Corporation, and has been on the Medical Education Committee at Texas Heart Institute since 2004. He is also a long-standing research collaborator with NASA Johnson Space Center Human Space Flight Physiology Laboratory.

Rockets are being fired from Gaza, Israel is responding with strikes, and there are riots on the Temple Mount - but no clear answers or context on the situation. In this episode, Dan unpacks the situation and provides key context to better understand the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

The pipeline is back on line but millions of Americans are still running on empty and struggling to find gas. In this episode Dan discusses the Colonial Pipeline shut down, the Biden Administration's callous response that if people drove electric vehicles it wouldn't be a problem, and the real concerns of cyber security vulnerabilities on the American way of life.

Jonah Goldberg returns! Dan and Jonah discuss their agreements - and disagreements - on all of the important questions facing the conservative movement today. Is Congress working as intended? Who are the real DC swamp creatures? What does modern conservatism even mean? Jonah Goldberg holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute, he is the editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, and host of the podcast series “The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg.” Follow Jonah on Twitter at @JonahDispatch.

Tara and Dan Crenshaw give an update on Dan's recovery following emergency surgery to repair his detaching retina, and share the story of how it all began with the IED blast in 2012 which set them on this journey.

While the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East dominate our foreign policy debates, Latin America often seems to be an afterthought. The Heritage Foundation's Ana Quintana joins Dan for a look into the conflicts and geopolitics shaping modern Latin America, the symbiotic relationship between the cartels and the Mexican government, what's motivating Mexican President Obrador, the situation in Northern Triangle countries, and what can be learned from Colombia's transition from infamy to prosperity. Ana Quintana is a Senior Policy Analyst for Latin America and Western Hemisphere at the Heritage Foundation and previously a National Security Fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. She is a board member for the Strategic Intelligence Program at Patrick Henry College.

‪The woke mob currently running the Democrat Party can't directly censor conservative speech, but can they bully big tech into doing it for them? That was the question Dan focused on with witnesses Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey at a recent Energy & Commerce Committee hearing on social media and censorship. Dan expands on his conversation with the two tech CEOs and looks at the growing acceptance of censorship in our culture, the critical difference between how Republicans and Democrats approach regulating big tech, and why corporations absolutely must - for the sake of our 1st Amendment - stand up to the woke mob.‬ Hold These Truths | Bonus Episode 6 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CkS3aGNI9-w

We take a deep dive into everything you need to know about housing policy in America - and we promise it's interesting. The San Francisco housing crisis, NYC rent controls, the COVID-era eviction moratoriums, lumber trade wars, millennials stuck in their parents' homes and so much more. We cover it all with urban housing policy expert Howard Husock. Howard Husock is an adjunct scholar in Domestic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on local government, civil society, and urban housing policy. He is concurrently an executive senior fellow with the Philanthropy Roundtable. His books include “Who Killed Civil Society? The Rise of Big Government and Decline of Bourgeois Norms”, “Philanthropy Under Fire”, and “America’s Trillion-Dollar Housing Mistake: The Failure of American Housing Policy”. Watch the show on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lPNEqNVaftY

The CLEAN Future Act, the Democrats' legislative agenda to implement the principles of the Green New Deal, which includes "net zero" emissions, "transitioning" energy jobs, and "temporarily" banning plastic production, would in reality make electricity more expensive, erase millions of American energy jobs, shift manufacturing of critical medical devices to China, and, under the best case scenario, reduce carbon emissions by only a few percent. To help us understand why, Dan breaks down his Q&A session with the Democrats' expert witnesses on the CLEAN Future Act at an Energy & Commerce Committee hearing on March 24.

How is it possible that simple infrastructure proposals, such as installing a telephone pole, can get blocked by five year long environmental impact studies? The answer goes way beyond "government bureaucrats." Radical environmental groups and trial lawyers have made a billion dollar industry out of weak science and questionable regulations which, in the end, have no environmental benefits and make our lives miserable. To help us understand how we got to this point, and how much worse it could get under the Biden Administration, we're joined by Mandy Gunasekara. Mandy is an environmental lawyer who served as Chief of Staff at the Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump. She is the founder of Energy 45, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to informing the public about recent environmental and economic gains. Follow Mandy on Twitter at @MississippiMG.

The military, like everything else in society, is becoming politicized. Critical race theory, taxpayer-funded gender reassignment surgeries, unconscious bias training, and more priorities of the far left are radically reshaping it. It's time for our leaders in the Armed Forces to push back against the wokeism, because America's national security depends on its military maintaining a mission-focused, merit-based system of operations. To help us with this conversation, we're joined by Congressman Michael Waltz. He's a Green Beret who has served his country his entire life. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, served over 24 years in the U.S. Army, and is presently serving in the National Guard. After being commissioned as an Army lieutenant, Mike graduated Ranger School and was then selected for the elite Green Berets, serving worldwide as a decorated Special Forces officer with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. For his actions in combat, Mike was awarded 4 Bronze Stars and 2 with valor. He is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress. Follow Mike on Twitter at @michaelgwaltz.

In the aftermath of February’s winter freeze, the big debate is whether or not the Texas energy grid would have been better off if it was federally regulated and connected to the national grid. We explore those questions and more with returning guest Neil Chatterjee, former Chairman and current Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Commissioner Chatterjee was nominated to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by President Donald J. Trump in May 2017 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2017. He served as Chairman from August 2017 to December 2017 and was again named Chairman on October 24, 2018 to November 5, 2020. Follow him on Twitter at @FERChatterjee. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/w2GjSbaZSWA

Dr. Paul Kengor is the author of "The Devil and Karl Marx" and a professor of political science at Grove City College. He joined us to talk about the emergence of Marxism, how its "good" intentions inevitably lead to despotism, and the ways in which Marxism is woven into the ideology of the modern American left. Paul Kengor, Ph.D., is a bestselling author whose works also include Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century; God and Ronald Reagan; God and George W. Bush; God and Hillary Clinton; and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. His articles regularly appear in publications ranging from USA TODAY to The New York Times, plus numerous academic journals. A professor at Grove City College, Kengor is a frequent commentator on television and radio. Kengor earned his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and his master’s from American University.

Mark Morgan, former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs & Border Protection under the Trump Administration, joins us to examine how Biden’s executive orders on immigration are causing the crisis at the border. Morgan previously served as the Acting Director of ICE and Chief of U.S. Border Patrol. His distinguished career includes service in the Marines, the LAPD, and the FBI. He is now a Visiting Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

Scott Newgent is a transgender man and the founder of TReVoices, an organization working with governments around the world to develop laws and guidelines which inform and protect individuals who are considering gender reassignment surgery. We talk about Scott's near-death experience with medically transitioning, the industry and ideology that is influencing LGBT adults and children to medically transition, and the how that ideology is attempting to radically change our politics, sports, military, and culture. Learn more about Scott's work at www.trevoices.com and follow him on Twitter at @ScottNewgent.

For the next bonus episode, Dan expands on the ideas in his recent column for the Daily Wire: "What It Really Means to Fight." Read it here: https://www.dailywire.com/news/crenshaw-what-it-really-means-to-fight Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lxCkGJ65YYs

Alex Epstein and Robert Bryce join us to examine the truth about what went wrong with the Texas power grid this week. Alex Epstein is the founder of Center for Industrial Progress, co-founder of Thoughtful.community, writer at EnergyTalkingPoints.com, and the author of "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels." Follow him on Twitter at @AlexEpstein. Robert Bryce is host of The Power Hungry podcast and a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. He is the author of six best-selling, critically acclaimed books on American energy, including "Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron" and "A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations." He is the creator of the documentary "Juice: How Electricity Explains The World." Follow him on Twitter at @pwrhungry.

Robert Bryce, host of The Power Hungry podcast and a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, joins us to discuss how progressive politics is shaping energy regulations across the country, and why it is ultimately an "energy" injustice to low and middle class Americans. We also cover California's grid problems, solar subsidies, Biden's energy mandates, and much more. Bryce is also the author of six best-selling, critically acclaimed books on American energy, including "Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron" and "A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations." Follow him on Twitter at @pwrhungry.

Mike Hayes is a former commander of SEAL Team Two and one of Dan's first mentors in the SEAL Teams. They talk battle stories, taking risks, coping with tragedy, and lessons from the SEAL ethos that everyone should know. Mike Hayes is the author of "Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning." He is the former Commanding Officer of SEAL Team Two, leading a two thousand–person Special Operations Task Force in Southeastern Afghanistan. In addition to a twenty-year career as a SEAL, Mike was a White House Fellow, served two years as Director of Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council, and has worked directly with both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Dr. Bjorn Lomborg returns! We examine the impractical realities of the Biden Administration's new energy mandates, how similar mandates have fared around the world, and a few simple policies that would have an enormous positive impact on Earth's ecosystem.. We also cover the bad second order effects of "renewable" energy on nature and developing countries, the truth about electric vehicles, how to debunk the left's most common and misleading argument on climate change, and much more. Watch the video of this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Jj7WqsbOkw0

For the next bonus episode, Dan expands on the ideas in his recent column for the Daily Wire: "Democrats and Republicans Have Different Definitions of Free Speech. That's A Problem." Read it here: https://www.dailywire.com/news/crenshaw-democrats-and-republicans-have-different-definitions-of-free-speech-thats-a-problem Watch and Subscribe to Hold These Truths on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2XDiCjAHtJqnSEzrHAY5IQ

Matt Ridley joins us from across the pond for a wide-ranging conversation, including how British government works, post-Brexit Europe, vaccine distribution, and the key to prosperity in life, markets, and nations. And for all you Bridgerton fans out there - we cover what the title "Viscount" actually means. Matt Ridley is a biologist, member of the British Parliament's House of Lords, and the bestselling author of How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom, The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters, and The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature. Follow Matt on Twitter at @mattwridley.

Dan expands on the ideas in his recently published opeds in the first of a series of bonus episodes for Hold These Truths. First up is "COVID Culture Wars" - from an oped published recently in The Daily Wire - examining why policy decisions regarding COVID and lockdowns have fallen almost completely along partisan lines. Read the oped on The Daily Wire here: https://www.dailywire.com/news/crenshaw-to-understand-illogical-lockdowns-we-must-understand-the-lefts-thinking One more thing: Hold These Truths is coming to YouTube! This is our first episode with video accompanying, and soon every episode will feature video-taped interviews with Dan and guests. Over the next few weeks all 123 past episodes of the show will also be uploaded to YouTube. Follow along at Dan's official YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2XDiCjAHtJqnSEzrHAY5IQ

Lila Rose is the Founder and President of Live Action, an organization which, in just a few years, has completely transformed the way activists win hearts and minds over to the pro-life movement. Lila joins us to talk about the art of persuasion, how Live Action helped revitalize the movement, and the best strategies to pass meaningful pro-life legislation at the state and federal levels. Follow Lila Rose on Twitter at @LilaGraceRose.

Cato Institute and HumanProgress.org's Marian Tupy joins us for a look at the current state of humanity and the trends we're seeing in everything from poverty to health care to the environment. Marian L. Tupy is the editor of Human​Progress​.org, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity and co‐​author of The Simon Project. He specializes in globalization and global well‐​being, and politics and economics of Europe and Southern Africa. He is the co‐​author of the recent book, "Ten Global Trends that Every Smart Person Needs to Know: And Many Other Trends You Will Find Interesting."

On this solo episode, Dan gives you the truth about the Biden Administration's day one agenda.

For this special episode, we cover everything you need to know about what happened on January 6th. Trey Gowdy, Congressman Chip Roy, and UT Law Professor Steve Vladeck join Dan to explain what the vote was (and wasn't) really about, the lies you were told, and the constitutional arguments we heard from both sides. Trey Gowdy is a former state and federal prosecutor, as well as the former U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 4th Congressional District. Follow Trey on Twitter at @TGowdySC. Rep. Chip Roy is the Congressman for Texas' 21st Congressional District, a former prosecutor for the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, and former Chief of Staff for Senator Ted Cruz. Follow Chip on Twitter at @chiproytx. Steve Vladeck holds the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law and is a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice. Professor Vladeck has argued multiple cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court, and lower federal civilian and military courts. Follow Steve on Twitter at @steve_vladeck.

Dave Portnoy, the founder and president of Barstool Sports, joins Dan to talk about why he's raising millions of dollars to support small businesses that have been hurt by the lockdowns, and share the story of his long journey to turn Barstool from a 4 page local Boston newspaper into the media empire we know today. Follow Dave on Twitter at @stoolpresidente.

How do we get big tech companies like Twitter to abide by the spirit of the 1st Amendment, or at least moderate their users' content by a set of clear and definable standards? Canyon Brimhall joins us for the free market answer to this question, in the third episode of our series on big tech, free speech, and Section 230. Canyon Brimhall is a Federal Government Affairs Manager at R Street, a public policy research organization whose mission is to engage in research and outreach that promotes free speech and limited, effective government. He works with the Technology & Innovation and National Security & Cybersecurity teams to promote pragmatic free-market policy solutions to complex technological issues. Follow him on Twitter at @canyonbrimhall.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr joins us to talk about the awesome potential of the 5G Network (it goes way beyond your cell phone), outcompeting China and Huawei, bringing internet coverage to rural America, and the FCC's role in protecting free speech from big tech overreach. Brendan Carr was nominated to serve as a Commissioner of the FCC by President Donald J. Trump, and he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate in 2017. In 2019, Carr was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve a new, five-year term. He previously served as General Counsel of the FCC. Follow him on Twitter at @BrendanCarrFCC.

National Review's David Harsanyi returns for the first in a series of episodes with experts on the debate over internet regulation, reforming Section 230, and how big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter use their power to censor speech and amplify progressive agendas. David Harsanyi is a senior writer for National Review and a former senior editor at The Federalist. Follow him on Twitter at @davidharsanyi.

Dr. John Cochrane joins us for a look at the tradeoffs, incentives, and unintended consequences which result from the progressive economic policies championed by Democrat leaders like AOC and Bernie. Dr. Cochrane is the Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is also a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and an adjunct scholar of the CATO Institute. Check out his blog "The Grumpy Economist" and follow him on Twitter at @JohnHCochrane.

Dr. Gad Saad joins us for a lively discussion about the psychological roots of woke progressivism, how to become antifragile, and many more fascinating insights into human behavior. Dr. Gad Saad is an Evolutionary Behavioral Scientist, Professor of Marketing at Concordia University, host of The Saad Truth, and author of "The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense." Follow him on Twitter at @GadSaad.

For Thanksgiving break, we're taking a break from policy discussions for a special episode with NASCAR racer Kyle Weatherman. Kyle joins us to talk about supporting our first responders with his #BackTheBlue Chevy Camaro, the politicization of sports, and what it takes to race for NASCAR. Follow Kyle on Twitter at @KyleWeatherman.

Kristen Soltis Anderson returns! The conservative pollster and commentator shares everything you need to know about polling in 2020. How it works, what went wrong, and where pollsters should go from here. SPOILER ALERT: Dan reviews the new Star Wars - Disney ride. Kristen Soltis Anderson is the co-founder of Echelon Insights, host of SiriusXM's "The Trendline" and author of "The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up)." Follow her on Twitter at @KSoltisAnderson.

Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky returns to examine the systemic failures which led to the election chaos we are currently witnessing - and what needs to be done to restore the integrity of future elections. Hans von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Follow Hans on Twitter at @HvonSpakovsky.

This episode originally aired on June 1, 2020 - but the conversation could not be more relevant today. Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Heritage Foundation's Election Law Reform Initiative, joined us to examine how the radical Democrat reforms like universal mail-in voting threaten the integrity of our elections. Hans von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Follow Hans on Twitter at @HvonSpakovsky.

Dr. Shelby Steele, acclaimed scholar of race relations and senior fellow at Hoover Institution, joins us to examine how America's past sins are exploited by today's leftists to manipulate and disempower the minority communities which they purport to serve. Dr. Shelby Steele is a bestselling author, columnist, and documentary filmmaker. He is the Robert J. and Marion E. Oster Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, where he specializes in the study of race relations, multiculturalism, and affirmative action.

Dr. Yuval Levin joins us to examine how American politics drift towards leftism is fundamentally transforming the way institutions shape our culture, and why conservatism is the only governing philosphy that leads to a nation where everyone can live and flourish. Dr. Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy. The founding and current editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor of The New Atlantis and a contributing editor to National Review.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a research fellow at Hoover Institution, author, and humanitarian fighting to end the harmful traditional practices which shame, hurt, or kill thousands of women and girls in the United States each year. She joins us for a conversation about wokeism, the culture wars, and how the left is redefining truth and morality to make a post-Christian western society. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the founder of The AHA Foundation - an organization dedicated to ending female genital mutilation, honor violence and forced marriages. Follow her on Twitter at @Ayaan.

Dr. Avik Roy returns for a conversation about market-driven solutions to creating affordable and accessible health care coverage for all Americans. As the national conversation continues shifting towards one-size-fits all single payer systems, Dr. Roy shows us how we can provide low-cost, high-quality coverage without destroying the foundations which make this the most innovative health care system in the world. Dr. Avik Roy is the co-founder of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity – a non-partisan organization dedicated to considering the impact of public policies and proposed reforms on Americans with incomes or wealth below the U.S. median. He is the author of How Medicaid Fails the Poor, and Affordable Health Care for Every Generation: A Patient-Centered Plan for Universal Coverage and Permanent Fiscal Solvency. He is a senior advisor to the Bipartisan Policy Center, serves on the advisory board of the National Institute for Health Care Management, and co-chaired the Fixing Veterans Health Care Policy Taskforce. He is also the policy editor at Forbes. Follow him on Twitter at @Avik.

Dr. Yousif Shamoo joins us for a conversation about Rice University's cutting edge innovation in everything that has an enormous impact on your life. Rice is leading the way in the research and development of next generation clean carbon technology, vaccines and antibiotics, and agricultural production that uses less land to feed more people. Dr. Shamoo takes us on a tour of a future brought to you by the world's leading scientists - all located within Houston, TX. Dr. Yousif Shamoo has served as Vice Provost of Research at Rice University since 2014. He was appointed Professor of BioSciences in 2012, and first joined the Rice University faculty in 1998. He served as Rice’s Director of the Institute of BioSciences and Bioengineering from 2008-2014, leading the coordination of interdisciplinary research among Rice faculty. He received his Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 1988.

You may have never heard of him, but no historian has had a greater influence on modern America than Howard Zinn. His most popular work, A Peoples History of the United States, was brought into the cultural mainstream with Matt Damon's Oscar winning 1997 film Good Will Hunting. The book is a precursor to the 1619 Project - tracing the roots of America's sins and inequities to Christopher Columbus' 1492 voyage and the rise of capitalism. So for Columbus Day Weekend we invited Dr. Mary Grabar, a historian and author of "Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned A Generation Against America", to join us for an objective look at Zinn's perspective on American history, his motivations for attacking the USA and capitalism, and the ramifications of his influence on generations of academia. Dr. Mary Grabar is an author and a resident fellow at the The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization. She is also the founder of the Dissident Prof Education Project. Follow her on Twitter at @MaryGrabar.

Steven Crowder joins us to discuss the rally he's leading on Friday, October 2 outside the Michigan state capitol to pressure Gov. Gretchen Whitmer into releasing the data on the state's nursing home deaths. The COVID-19 death toll in all categories of long-term care facilities in Michigan remains a mystery. Although the state has reportedly been collecting data on coronavirus deaths since May 29, Michigan has not reported all of its data as other states have. Steven talks about this and much more, including how to grow the perfect cherry, making it in comedy, and the time he may have saved Ben Shapiro's life. Steven Crowder is the host of Louder With Crowder and the Change My Mind series. Follow him on Twitter at @scrowder.

For this special episode, Dan is highlighting a new bill he just introduced called the "Direct Primary Care for America Act." Over the past few years the concept of direct primary care has been adopted by doctors all across America with lots of success. The idea is simple: you should have an affordable monthly fee for a primary-care doctor, without extra charges for visits and without third-party insurance. You can find a doctor near you by simply going to a website and typing in your ZIP code. This new model makes health care costs more transparent and affordable, and strengthens the doctor-patient relationship. Joining us to discuss direct primary care are two doctors who have actually implemented the model in their practices - Dr. Glenn Davis and Dr. Geetinder Goyal - along with a returning guest and health care expert - Dr. Avik Roy. Visit my website http://crenshaw.house.gov to learn more about my new bill and stay tuned for exciting developments in what could become the future of American health care.

H.R. McMaster, retired Army Lieutenant General and former National Security Advisor, joins us for a look into the most critical foreign policy and national security challenges facing the United States today. What does America gain by maintaining a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan? How do we handle the escalating tensions with Russia and China? General McMaster brings decades of experience on the geopolitical stage to answer these questions and much more. General McMaster is the author of the just released "Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World." He served in Cold War Europe and led the Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment during the first Gulf War. In 2004, he led the 3rd Armored Calvary in Tal Afar, Iraq, where he pioneered a new counter insurgency strategy. From February 2017 to April 2018, General McMaster served as National Security Advisor to the President. Follow him on Twitter at @LTGHRMcMaster.

Congressman Greg Walden of Oregon’s Second Congressional District joins us to talk about the real benefits of forest management to reduce the size, intensity, and carbon emissions from wildfires in the West. What are the left’s arguments against forest management? How have radical Democrat environmental policies disrupted a healthy forest ecosystem? What laws do we need to change to fix the failed forest policies that have led to disastrous forest fires? Congressman Greg Walden represents Oregon’s Second Congressional District. He is the Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over health care, energy, environment, and telecommunications policy.

For the 100th episode of Hold These Truths - Scott Adams returns! From the California wildfires to the pandemic response to the psychological motivations behind Antifa, Scott brings us his unique perspective on the events dominating America today. Scott Adams is a cartoonist and creator of "Dilbert", writer, and certified hypnotist. He is the host of the podcast "Coffee with Scott Adams" and the best-selling author of books including Win Bigly, Loserthink, and How to Fail at Almost Everything And Still Win Big. Follow him on Twitter at @ScottAdamsSays.

Roving journalist Michael Tracey joins us to discuss what he observed on his two month journey documenting the civil unrest across America. From Seattle to Philadelphia, with dozens of small and large cities in-between, Michael saw firsthand what's really motivating the riots, looting, and violence which has destroyed the lives and livelihoods of countless innocent Americans. Michael Tracey is an independent journalist with articles appearing in The Wall Street Journal, Vice, The Federalist, and numerous other publications. Follow him on Twitter at @mtracey.

Dr. Avik Roy joins us for a pragmatic look at America’s approach to the COVID-19 response thus far and how it compares to other countries which fared better or worse than us. From lockdowns to school re-openings, there is much we can learn from the past eight months to better prepare ourselves for the future. Dr. Avik Roy is the co-founder of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity – a non-partisan organization dedicated to considering the impact of public policies and proposed reforms on Americans with incomes or wealth below the U.S. median. He is the author of How Medicaid Fails the Poor, and Affordable Health Care for Every Generation: A Patient-Centered Plan for Universal Coverage and Permanent Fiscal Solvency. He is a senior advisor to the Bipartisan Policy Center, serves on the advisory board of the National Institute for Health Care Management, and co-chaired the Fixing Veterans Health Care Policy Taskforce. He is also the policy editor at Forbes. Follow him on Twitter at @Avik.

Dr. Bjorn Lomborg joins us to continue the conversation on rational environmentalism which we left off with Michael Shellenberger. What are the second order effects of climate change policies, like the ones we find in the Green New Deal, on poor communities and developing countries? How do these policies - counterintuitively - actually hurt the environment more than doing nothing? And what are the 21st century solutions humanity should pursue to propel everybody into safer, cleaner societies? Dr. Bjorn Lomborg is president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and visiting professor at Copenhagen Business School. The Copenhagen Consensus Center is a think-tank that researches the smartest ways to do good. For this work, Lomborg was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. His most recent book is "False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet." Follow Dr. Lomborg on Twitter at @BjornLomborg.

Evolutionary biologist Dr. Bret Weinstein returns to explore the latest developments in gene splicing, stem cells, lifespan extension, the search for extraterrestrial civilizations, and the next (and perhaps final) step in human evolution - the Fourth Frontier. Dr. Bret Weinstein is host of the DarkHorse Podcast and a Visiting Fellow in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. Follow him on Twitter at @BretWeinstein.

Historian Amity Shlaes joins us for a new look at the origins and aftermath of LBJ's Great Society – the massive federal poverty-reduction programs of the 1960's. The debates in that era were the same debates today: socialism vs capitalism, public-sector vs private-sector, victimhood vs self-empowerment. And the cost of these programs led to devastating outcomes which are still unfolding to this day. Amity Shlaes’ most recent book is Great Society: A New History. She is the author of four New York Times bestsellers: The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, The Forgotten Man/Graphic, Coolidge, and The Greedy Hand: How Taxes Drive Americans Crazy. Miss Shlaes chairs the board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation and the Manhattan Institute's Hayek Book Prize, and serves as a scholar at the King's College. A former member of the Wall Street Journal's editorial board, Miss Shlaes published a weekly syndicated column for more than a decade, appearing first in the Financial Times, then in Bloomberg. Follow her on Twitter at @AmityShlaes.

Dr. Arthur Brooks is one of the world's most preeminent researchers on the topics of government, economic opportunity, happiness, and the morality of free enterprise. He joins us to talk about leadership principles that every aspiring politician needs to know, and how to use storytelling to craft a more persuasive argument for your opponent. Dr. Arthur C. Brooks is Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Arthur C. Patterson Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School. Before joining the Harvard faculty in July of 2019, he served for ten years as president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI), one of the world’s leading think tanks. He is the author of eleven books, including the bestselling "Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from Our Culture of Contempt." Follow him on Twitter at @arthurbrooks.

Michael Shellenberger is an environmental activist, TIME’s Hero of the Environment, an advisor to the U.N.’s Panel on Climate Change, and author of the new book "Apocalypse Never: How Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All." He joins us for an honest conversation about the devastating impact that wind and solar energy infrastructure is having on Earth's ecology, the sources of energy we can safely and efficiently utilize, and facts vs fiction behind everything from the rise in extreme weather events to plastics pollution. Follow Michael on Twitter at @ShellenbergerMD. Episode Timeline: 1:50   Recent Testimony at the Committee on the Climate Crisis 8:00   Climate Fatalism and the Myth We’re All Going to Die in 12 Years 21:00 Climate Change Collusion + Backroom deals 32:00 Is Solar That Great? 42:00 California and the Grid 101 1:02:00 What about Wind? 1:13:00 Nuclear Proliferation 1:23:00 Why do People Hate Nuclear? 1:33:00 Extreme Weather Events 1:47:00: Plastic Straws and Plastic Waste 1:56:00 Recycling 1:58:00 Farting Cows and Meat Eating 2:04:00 Final Thoughts 

Antonia Okafor is a Second Amendment advocate and the Founder of EMPOWERED, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, training, and equipping young women in the use of firearms for protection on college campuses. She joined us to talk about the practical reasons why young women should arm themselves, gun ownership in minority communities, and what's behind the skyrocketing demand for firearms since the rise of COVID-19. Antonia was the Southwest Regional Director for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus and was instrumental in the passage and implementation of Texas’ 2015 “campus carry” law. Read her NY Times oped "Why I Bring My Gun to School" here. Follow Antonia on Twitter at @antonia_okafor.

T.W. Shannon is the first African-American, and youngest person ever, to serve as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He joins us to share what he's learned about debate and persuasion after years spent fighting in the political arena. How can Republicans do a better job at articulating why capitalism and conservative principles are the solution? What's the message we should be making to communities which believe they are systemically oppressed? T.W. answers these questions and much more. T.W. Shannon was elected Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2013. Today he serves as the President and CEO of Chickasaw Community Bank and the State Highway Commissioner for Central Oklahoma. He was previously a Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics (where he first met Dan). Follow him on Twitter at @TWShannon.

Rich Lowry returns to examine the mainstream media's manipulative (and often absurd) coverage of the pandemic. From propagating lies about the Trump Administration's national strategy to praising Gov. Cuomo while vilifying Gov. Abbott, there is one very obvious end goal to all of this toxic spin. Rich shares his reporting to uncover the truth and what all of this means for the future of our country. Rich Lowry began his career as a research assistant for Charles Krauthammer. In 1997 he was selected by William F. Buckley to lead National Review. He is the author of Lincoln Unbound, The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free, and Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years — a New York Times bestseller. Follow him on Twitter at @RichLowry.

Allie Beth Stuckey joins us for a conversation about her new book, "You're Not Enough (And That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love." One of the most ubiquitous tenets of modern culture - preached by Instagram influencers and self-help gurus alike - is that the key to happiness is within you. All you have to do is find it. But is this quest to love yourself more actually making you miserable? Allie examines how trendy narcissism is harming individuals and society, and what we can do to overcome the trap of self-love. Allie Beth Stuckey is host of the Blaze Media podcast Relatable, where she tackles theological, cultural and political issues from a conservative, Reformed perspective. Stuckey speaks to college students, Republican organizations, Christian ministries, and businesses across the country about the importance of biblical and conservative values. She also offers frequent commentary on Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @conservmillen.

Rich Lowry, Editor-in-Chief of National Review, joins us for a conversation about the past, present, and future of American culture. What's happening to the American identity? How do we go from reasonable protests against police brutality to the firebombing of a courthouse every night? Why is a very small contingent of the political left able to wield their intolerance to dominate and coerce American society? Rich answers these questions and much more. Rich Lowry began his career as a research assistant for Charles Krauthammer. In 1997 he was selected by William F. Buckley to lead National Review. He is the author of Lincoln Unbound, The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free, and Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years — a New York Times bestseller. Follow him on Twitter at @RichLowry.

Dr. Reynolds Delgado, III, is a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and heart transplantation at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center/Texas Heart Institute. He joins us for a conversation about what doctors like himself are learning as they treat patients on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Delgado has been a Basic Science Researcher in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Texas Houston Medical School since 1997, and has held the position of Medical Director of Mechanical Support Devices in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute since 2003. His academic appointments include clinical assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and UT Health Science Center, Houston. He participates on numerous advisory boards, Including Thoratec Corporation, Medtronic Corporation, and Boston Scientific Corporation, and has been on the Medical Education Committee at Texas Heart Institute since 2004. He is also a long-standing research collaborator with NASA Johnson Space Center Human Space Flight Physiology Laboratory.

Biologist, evolutionary theorist, and member of the "Intellectual Dark Web" Dr. Bret Weinstein joins us for a conversation about cancel culture, politics, and his experience as a professor at Evergreen State College when he was one of the first people to be targeted for "cancellation" by radical progressives. Dr. Weinstein's research on human evolution gives us important insights into the impulses that motivate humans to join mobs and embrace chaos like what we see unfolding across America today - and which began on campuses like Evergreen just a few short years ago. Dr. Bret Weinstein is host of the DarkHorse Podcast and a Visiting Fellow in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. Follow him on Twitter at @BretWeinstein.

Abolish the police. Take over free markets. End the Electoral College. Destroy our health care system. It's been a long time since Democrat leaders were this far apart from their Republican colleagues in either political or cultural perspectives. On this solo episode, Dan expands on his recent thoughts about the differences between the two parties policies, and what it all means for the future of America.

Journalist Andy Ngo joins us for an inside look at the chaos unfolding in Portland, OR from the perspective of Antifa. Andy has been investigating Antifa since early on in the extremist group's history. He frequently works undercover - and has been assaulted and injured multiple times by the violent extremists. For the past two months, Andy and his colleagues have risked their lives to document the widespread burning, looting, and violence being perpetrated by the notorious anarcho-communist movement. While you're listening to this episode, visit Andy Ngo's twitter @MrAndyNgo to witness the shocking examples of what Antifa is getting away with on the streets of Portland and other major cities. Andy Ngo is the Editor-at-Large of The Post Millenial and author of the forthcoming book "Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy."

Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf joins us for an inside look at his department’s operations to enforce and (in the case of Portland, OR) restore the law across America. For weeks, the federal courthouse in Portland has been the target of escalating attacks by anarchists, criminals, and opportunists. Local and state officials have given these radicals free reign to attack the courthouse and federal officers with fireworks, molotov cocktails, high-powered lasers, and more tools of destruction. So how is Homeland Security protecting the courthouse? What's the truth behind the federal officers who Speaker Pelosi calls "storm troopers"? What's the current state of our southern border in the age of pandemic? And with the UFO bombshells coming out of the Pentagon, Dan obviously has to ask what Homeland Security is doing to protect us from aliens. Chad F. Wolf was designated as the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security by President Donald J. Trump and was also confirmed as the first Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans (PLCY). Previously, he served as the Acting Under Secretary. As the senior official for PLCY, Mr. Wolf leads the Department’s policymaking process to develop and coordinate strategies and policies that advance the homeland security mission and protect the American public. Follow him on Twitter at @DHS_Wolf.

Veteran and political commentator Rob Smith joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about identity politics, the culture war, "road trips" across Iraq, and how the far left's takeover of the Democratic Party made him question his own liberal views - ultimately leading him to become a strong voice for the conservative movement. Rob Smith is the author of the just released book, “Always a Soldier: Service, Sacrifice, and Coming Out as America’s Favorite Black, Gay Republican.” Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @robsmithonline.

Ben Shapiro joins us to talk about his very prescient new book "How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps." Ben defines the chaos unfolding in America today as a split between distintegrationists and unionists. So who are the disintegrationists? And what do they gain by stoking the tribalism, outrage, cancel culture, and invented inequalities which is taking over America? Ben is the Editor Emeritus of the Daily Wire, host of "The Ben Shapiro Show” podcast and syndicated radio, author of #1 NYT bestseller "The Right Side of History." Follow him on Twitter at @benshapiro.

Ambassador Rick Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence, joins us for an inside look at leaks, dossiers, and unmasking since President Trump's election. Ambassador Grenell gives us a clear look inside a murky world as he discusses Russia's covert operations, the truth about the Steele Dossier, the Obama adminstration's investigations against President-elect Trump, and how Rep. Adam Schiff leaks and withholds classified information for political gain. Ambassador Rick Grenell is currently the Special Presidential Envoy to Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020 and for three critical months he served as the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Follow him on Twitter at @RichardGrenell.

Mike Lindell spent decades nurturing an addiction to cocaine, cheated death dozens of times, won and lost fortunes gambling, and decimated his 20-year marriage because of drugs. Along the way he started multiple businesses, and invented a new kind of pillow which he struggled to generate interest in. Then one night in 2009, after Mike hadn’t slept for two weeks, his own drug dealers staged an intervention for him. What happened next is one of the great American stories of redemption and triumph. Mike joins us to tell the tale - and give advice for anyone who ever feels like all hope is lost. Mike Lindell is the inventor and CEO of MyPillow, Inc. and the author of "What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO." Follow Mike on Twitter at @realMikeLindell.

One month after 9/11, Robert Jordan took the job of United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia – the country where 15 of the 19 hijackers called home. From the roots of Sunni extremism to the internal conflict in the days after 9/11, Robert gives us an inside look at the greatest power player in the Middle East and one of America’s most complicated alliances. What do U.S.-Saudi relations look like today, with China and Russia asserting more power in the region, the escalating threats from Iran, and the new dynamics of the war on terror? Robert Jordan is diplomat in residence and adjunct professor of political science in the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2001-2003. He was a partner in the international law firm Baker Botts L.L.P. for many years and headed the firm’s Middle East practice based in Dubai. He is the author of “Desert Diplomat: Inside Saudi Arabia Following 9/11.”

For this very special 4th of July episode, Dr. Danielle Allen returns to explore the history, meaning, and philosophical foundations of the Declaration of Independence. What did the Founding Fathers mean by the words, "We hold these truths to be self evident..."? In what ways did they weave the concept of equality into this founding document? How should we deal with the hypocrisy of Jefferson and others who pledged their lives to the words "all men are created equal" while at the same time enslaving people? What's the difference between our political constitution and our social constitution, and how are they aligned in America today? Dr. Danielle Allen is the author of "Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality." She is also the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, and the principle investigator for the Democratic Knowledge Project. Follow her on Twitter at @dsallentess.

Is western civilization in decline? Author and political commentator Jonah Goldberg joins us for a conversation about his book "Suicide of the West" - an exploration of the history and founding principles which gave us the miracle that we call America. The progressive left has spent decades stoking tribalism and identity politics to tear that miracle apart, erase history, and remake civilization. Do the events of the past few months mean their efforts are succeeding? Jonah Goldberg holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute, is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, and hosts the podcast “The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg.” Follow Jonah on Twitter at @JonahDispatch.

Dr. Ben Carson, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, joins us to talk about lessons learned overcoming the barriers he's encountered on his remarkable journey, and the implications of the left's victimhood narrative on American policies and culture. Dr. Carson went from spending much of his childhood in poverty, written off by teachers as a below average student, to becoming one of the world's top brain surgeons, and now he leads the Trump administration's efforts to combat the inequities facing today's inner cities. Follow Dr. Carson on Twitter at @SecretaryCarson.

As the House prepares to vote on the Democrats’ police reform bill and Senate Democrats blocked Senator Tim Scott’s police reform bill from even being consider, it’s a good time to get the law enforcement perspective on these proposals from an actual police officer. Joining us is Joe Gamaldi, the President of Houston Police Officers’ Union, Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police, and an active member of the Houston Police Department. Officer Gamaldi still patrols the streets and knows exactly what our cops face up against every day and as the President of the HPOU has his finger on the pulse of the larger force. Officer Gamaldi served three years in the NYPD before coming to Houston in 2008. He’s been President of Houston Police Officers’ Union since 2017 and National Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police since 2019. Follow Officer Gamaldi on Twitter at @JoeGamaldi.

Author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza joins us for a conversation about his new book “United States of Socialism” - an examination of the twenty-first century resurrection of socialism and how the left weaves it together with identity politics to create the societal upheaval we see today.

Alex Herrgott leads an independent federal entity whose sole focus is cutting millions of dollars in unnecessary project costs that environmental groups add, while slashing red tape and preventing anti-development activists from using the court system to prevent much needed economic recovery through acceleration of investment in our national infrastructure which provides immediate and lasting economic benefits for states, local communities and small businesses. Alex joined us to explain how the Permitting Council cuts through the bureaucracy and serves as a one-stop Federal shop to provide coordination across the Federal government for America's largest, most complex infrastructure projects. Alex Herrgott was appointed by the President as the Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council on September 21st, 2018. Mr. Herrgott had been serving as the Associate Director for Infrastructure for the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) at the White House previously. Prior to his service with CEQ, Mr. Herrgott worked for Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma as Senior Staff from 2004-2011 at the Environment and Public Works Committee.

In the midst of national conversations about police brutality, violent protests, and the constitutionality of lockdowns, Attorney General Ken Paxton is responsible for finding the right solution to each problem for Texas. What would “defunding the police” actually mean for communities that are most vulnerable to crime? How should officials draw the line to prevent peaceful demonstrations from becoming destructive? What are the proper roles for federal and state governments when enforcing restrictions during a pandemic? A.G. Paxton gives his views and experiences as Texas’s top law enforcement officer during one of the most contentious times in recent history.

Dr. Scott Atlas joins us to examine the science, data, and reasoning (or lack thereof) used to justify indefinite lockdowns, school closures, and other fear-based mitigation strategies that are still happening across America. Dr. Atlas is the Robert Wesson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and a Member of Hoover Institution’s Working Group on Health Care Policy. He served as Professor of Radiology and Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center from 1998 until 2012. He is the author of “Restoring Quality Health Care: A Six-Point Plan for Comprehensive Reform at Lower Cost.” Follow him on Twitter at @SWAtlasHoover.

Professor Randy Barnett of Georgetown University Law Center joins us on the podcast to discuss some of the constitutional elements of the COVID-19 lockdowns, as well as the ideological undercurrents fueling our polarized political climate. What real, practical problems do the lockdowns pose with regards to the Fourteenth Amendment? How is the pandemic becoming an arena for the arbitrary exercise of the police power by government officials? What do the lockdowns and the recent protests reveal about modern liberalism? Are we witnessing the destruction of the “moderate left” in real-time? Professor Barnett tackles these issues and others with Congressman Crenshaw. Professor Randy Barnett is the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory at the Georgetown University Law Center. He teaches constitutional law and contracts and is the director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. Professor Barnett has authored numerous books and textbooks, including the recently published "An Introduction to Constitutional Law: 100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know," which he co-authored with Professor Josh Blackman. Follow him on Twitter at @RandyEBarnett.

Dr. Serena Auñón-Chancellor has logged 197 days in space. She joined Dan to talk all things space travel. How close are we to colonizing the Moon and Mars? What’s it like to break atmosphere and spend months in zero gravity? What’s her take on the Navy UFO footage? From training in Antarctica to fixing toilets in outer space, being an astronaut brings surprising perspectives on life.

Since 1953, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has empowered small business owners by giving them the tools and resources they need to launch and grow their businesses. With the rise of COVID-19 and the economic shutdown, the SBA is facing its most monumental challenge in generations. SBA Regional Administrator Justin Crossie joined Dan to discuss how the SBA is helping America’s entrepreneurs navigate this crisis, as well as ways the SBA can help guide entrepreneurs through the often confusing requirements for starting a business, hiring employees, and expanding operations. Justin Crossie leads the SBA’s funding programs, counseling services, and government contracting and export initiatives for more than 3.8 million small businesses in the South-Central Region - including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico.

In the wake of COVID-19, Democrat leaders are pushing for a federal takeover of the election system in order to implement some radical reforms - including mail-in ballots for all voters, voting by phone, and ending voter ID requirements. Why are these reforms fraught with potential for voter fraud? Hans von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow and manager of the Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative - which has collected 1,285 proven cases of voter fraud in America. Hans joined Dan to examine the risks and how we can better protect the integrity of our election system. Follow Hans on Twitter at @HvonSpakovsky.

Dr. Robert Kadlec is the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, managing the national response to public health emergencies - a position that deals with everything from hurricane disasters to anthrax attacks. Now Dr. Kadlec is writing the playbook of countermeasures in America’s war against COVID-19. He joined Dan to examine how the nation’s strategy for pandemic response is adapting as we learn more about the virus.  

In this special episode, Dan joined comedian Adam Carolla for a live recording at Houston Improv to raise funds for the Houston Food Bank’s COVID-19 relief efforts. Support Houston Food Bank at www.houstonfoodbank.org. Shout out to Adam Carolla for allowing us to re-broadcast this recording! Check out his own podcast The Adam Carolla Show at www.adamcarolla.com.

Robert Kaplan is the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. We’ve heard a lot about the Federal Reserve in the news lately, but what exactly is the purpose of America’s central bank? How has their mission changed since COVID-19 and the shutdown wrecked havoc on the economy? Robert joined Dan to give listeners a practical understanding of the Fed’s role in the financial system, and the pathway to economic recovery. Follow Robert Kaplan on Twitter at @RobSKaplan.

On this solo episode, Dan expands on his recently published oped for The Wall Street Journal to ponder the question, “Why do Democrats want to keep us shutdown and Republicans want us free to reopen?” The answer is part politics, part psychology. Read the oped here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-does-reopening-polarize-us-11589842995

Jon Huntsman returns to the podcast to talk China and what he learned as Ambassador to America’s greatest trading partner and emerging rival. For the first time in centuries, China is a leader on the world stage. So how do Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party view their role as a global player? What moves are they making to change the geopolitical landscape across Asia and Europe? What is their endgame with the United States – and how should we react? Jon Huntsman is the only ambassador to ever serve in both China (2009 – 2011) and Russia (2017 – 2019). He was the Governor of Utah (Jan. 2005 – Aug. 2009), served as the Chair of the Western Governors Association, and under his leadership Utah was ranked as the best managed state in America by Pew Center on the States.

In this solo episode, Dan breaks down the Democrats' $3 trillion, 1800 page spending bill which was voted on by the House on Friday, May 15.

Jon Huntsman, Jr. served as U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2017 – 2019, during one of the most difficult periods in bilateral relationships since deep in the Cold War.  He joined Dan to break down the complex foreign policy issues involving the two countries.  What’s the truth behind the Michael Flynn investigation and what would an actual Russian intelligence operation look like? How does the average Russian view America and their own country’s place in the world? Why has Vladimir Putin’s persona become so deeply entwined with their cultural identity? What is Putin’s worldview – is he Peter the Great or Ivan the Terrible – and what can we expect to happen to Russia when he does exit the stage? Jon Huntsman is the only ambassador to ever serve in both China (2009 – 2011) and Russia (2017 – 2019), as well as Singapore (1992 – 1993). He was the Governor of Utah (Jan. 2005 – Aug. 2009), served as the Chair of the Western Governors Association, and under his leadership Utah was ranked as the best managed state in America by Pew Center on the States.

Why are so many young people motivated to join the far left? Charlie Kirk talks with Dan about the shallow yet persuasive arguments used by leaders like AOC and Bernie to win over the millennial/z generations, and the best ways to counter them. What's the one issue young people disregard which matters most to their futures? How is the progressive movement doing on college campuses these days? Charlie and Dan dive into these questions and give advice every young person should know before they venture into politics. Charlie Kirk is the Founder of Turning Point USA, host of The Charlie Kirk Show, and author of "The MAGA Doctrine." Follow him on Twitter at @charliekirk11.

Economist Dr. John Diamond joins Dan to examine the current state of the American economy and what’s on the horizon for businesses and labor markets. What’s working and not working with the CARES Act? How does an extended duration for unemployment relief slow the recovery even further? Are we close to reaching the crisis point with longer-term structural issues like entitlement programs, budget deficits, and government debt? Dr. John Diamond is a professor and director of the Center for Public Finance at the Baker Institute, an adjunct professor of economics at Rice University and CEO of Tax Policy Advisers, LLC. His research interests are federal tax and expenditure policy, state and local public finance, tax reform and other policy issues. Follow him on Twitter at @jw_diamond.

Kay Coles James is President of Heritage Foundation and leads the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, an independent panel that works closely with the White House and congressional leaders to provide recommendations for the plan moving forward to protect the lives and livelihoods of Americans. What looming threats to economic freedom and liberty do we see beginning to play out across America and how can we stop them? What actions need to be taken at the federal, state, and local levels of government to get America back on track? How can private individuals and institutions take ownership of the recovery process? Kay brings decades of experience in public service to create a blueprint for restoring the American economy while also protecting public health and individual freedom. Learn more about the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission’s recommendations at www.coronaviruscommission.com.

Steven Nabil is a journalist with extensive experience covering Iraqi politics and security. He joined Dan to examine the current state of Iraq and its long conflict with Iran. What has become of ISIS? How effective was the Soleimani strike at disrupting Iranian operations in Iraq, and what does this tell us about Iran’s military power structure? What should we make of the ongoing Iraqi protests? Is it a movement toward peace and democracy or further terror across the region? Follow Steven Nabil on Twitter at @thestevennabil.

On this very special episode, Dan brings listeners into the historic site of Biblical Jerusalem, the City of David, to discover the cultural, political, and spiritual connections this once lost city has with our world today. How was the City of David lost and then rediscovered? What major discoveries have archaeologists recently made that link back to the times of Jesus and King David? What are the important geopolitical implications for this site which is at the heart of a city under constant threat from Palestinian terrorism? Our guide is Ze’ev Orenstein, the Director of International Affairs at the City of David Foundation. Learn more at  https://www.cityofdavid.org.il/en

Dr. Nicole Saphier, physician and author of “Make America Healthy Again,” joins Dan to examine the current state of the American health care system and the path to making it more accessible for everyone. Why is there a disconnect between the growing prevalence of preventable diseases in America and the culture of healthy diets and exercise which is projected on social media? Is there a difference between health care access and rights? What does the race to develop a cure for COVID-19 tell us about the rising cost of health care? Is there a practical middle ground between government-run and free market systems? Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, rising cancer rates among millennials, and the opioid crisis are all examined in depth, along with practical ways for individuals to take ownership of their own health and well being. Follow Dr. Saphier on Twitter at @NBSaphierMD.

With everyone in America so focused on dealing with the hardships brought on by the economic shutdown, it is easy to miss the disaster unfolding in Iran at the hands of their totalitarian regime. What role has China played in causing Iran to become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East? How do the Iranian people view the regime’s handling of the crisis? What is the state of the Iranian regime five months out from the Soleimani strike? Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security, where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam has authored or coauthored articles appearing in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, and The National Interest. Follow Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Twitter at @FDD.

Harvard University’s Dr. Edward Glaeser joins Dan to examine the implications of COVID-19 on the economics of American cities. Why has the role of cities in battling pandemics changed dramatically over the past century? Will urban or rural communities recover more quickly after the economic shutdown ends? What is the best way to reduce the economic harm to workers who lost their incomes because of the shutdown? Should cities approach their housing and infrastructure policies differently going forward? Dr. Glaeser also sheds light on the more fundamental question of why cities exist in the first place. Dr. Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He has published dozens of papers on the growth, law, and economics of cities. His work is focused on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago.

On this episode we dive right into the mind of Dave Rubin. How did Dave evolve from being a “woke” leftist to a free thinking defender of individual rights and limited government? What’s the difference between old school liberals and the progressive left that dominates the Democratic Party today? From starting out as a comedian struggling to make it in New York City, to the epiphany he had about the far left and outrage culture while working with the Young Turks, and now as the host of The Rubin Report and author of “Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in the Age of Unreason” - Dave has developed deep, fascinating insights into the motivations of the far left and their governing principles - or lack thereof.

Eric Hargan is the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and management of the department in addition to leading policy and strategy development. What does it actually takes to develop a test for a new virus like COVID-19? What’s the strategy for implementing nationwide testing? How are HHS regulations evolving to enable telehealth? Eric joined Dan to answer these questions and more.

Courtney Litvak was a junior in high school when her life took a downward spiral into the world of drugs and sex trafficking. With help from her faith and family, she pulled herself out of that world and dedicated her life to educating and supporting families who are affected by this crime. On April 24th, Courtney was appointed by President Trump to serve on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. Courtney joined Dan to talk about her journey, explain how sex traffickers target their victims, and the red flags to watch out for. Courtney debunks all the stereotypes about sex trafficking that we see in movies like Taken. The truth is it is a crime which can happen in any neighborhood, anywhere in America. Courtney Litvak serves as Ambassador to Childproof America, an organization which empowers families in the battle against sex trafficking. Learn more at www.childproofamerica.org.

While considerations of health are of the utmost importance during a pandemic, they may not tell the full story. Millions of Americans face increasing economic challenges in the face of COVID-19, and questions are looming as how best to respond. In this episode,  Dr. Russ Roberts of the Hoover Institution and Rep. Crenshaw discuss the current economic crisis, as well as past economic struggles. What constitutes human flourishing and truly "living"? Do our usual economic metrics take into account the "intangibles" or rather, those factors which are not traditionally quantified? Which economic policies would make the most sense right now, given the relatively unknown nature of this pandemic? How have long-standing, warped incentives within the healthcare industry contributed to our current supply chain woes? Dr. Roberts answers these questions, as well as a host of others.  Dr. Russ Roberts is a Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and hosts the weekly podcast EconTalk.  He has written extensively, including his latest book Gambling With Other People’s Money: How Perverse Incentives Caused the Financial Crisis, which examines the role that historical bailouts played in fueling the 2008 crisis. He has taught at George Mason University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Rochester, Stanford University, and UCLA. Dr. Roberts earned his PhD from the University of Chicago and his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy joined Dan to give a behind the scenes look at the negotiations surrounding the latest coronavirus relief package and to detail how Speaker Nancy Pelosi was responsible for needless delay once again. We asked Speaker Pelosi to join this podcast to offer the Democrat side of the story but the Speaker was not available. She has an open invitation.

How do you change the minds of your political opponents? Scott Adams knows. He has spent a lifetime studying psychology and persuasion to gain advantages in fields as diverse as banking, cartooning, writing, and even hypnosis. Scott joined Dan for a fascinating conversation about the differences between how Republicans and Democrats think, the top persuasion techniques you can start using immediately, and what coronavirus is teaching us about human motivations and decision-making. Scott Adams is the creator of the comic strip “Dilbert” and author of “Loserthink - How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America.” Follow him on Twitter at @ScottAdamsSays.

What would America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic look like under a Medicare for All/single payer system? Could we have responded to the crisis faster? Would we have the health care capacity (doctors, hospitals, equipment) to meet the demands of patients? How does our response compare to other countries which do have single payer systems? Chris Jacobs, author of “The Case Against Single Payer,” returns to the podcast to examine the Democrats' claims that our country would be better off with Medicare for All, or even Joe Biden’s expanded buy-in version, during the COVID-19 crisis. Chris Jacobs is founder and CEO of Juniper Research Group. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisjacobsHC.

As CEO of Huntsman Corp., a multinational chemicals and plastics manufacturer, Peter Huntsman understands exactly how our global supply chains are intertwined with our foreign policy. Peter joins Dan to talk about China, and how to deal with America’s largest trading partner and adversary. He also shares in-depth knowledge on the real cost of recycling, and Dan offers a thought experiment for how cities should choose when to lift their lockdowns. Mr. Huntsman is also the Chairman and CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, which raises funds for and supports the ongoing research, treatment and educational programs of the world-renowned Huntsman Cancer Institute. He is also CEO of the Huntsman Foundation, which, most recently, committed $150 million to the University of Utah to establish the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, which is expected to become a nationally-recognized leader in mental health research, care, education and community outreach.

In this quick episode, Dan gives the information you need to know to fire back at the left wing media’s latest talking points which claim that the White House’s coronavirus response in February is the reason our nation is suffering so much today.

Dan returns for another solo episode to answer your questions. What should Phase 2 of America’s coronavirus response look like? What about the next “stimulus package?” Productivity tips while you’re stuck in lockdown? How do glass eyes work? All that and much more! Send your questions for the next Q&A episode to @RepDanCrenshaw on Twitter or via our website www.crenshaw.house.gov.

Dr. Frank Luntz ran his first focus group in 1988 and ever since then he has made it his life’s work to understand how people think and behave. That knowledge has never been more relevant than it is today as Americans become increasingly divided over politics and now even the response to COVID-19. Dr. Luntz joined Dan for a fascinating conversation about how we got to this point and what it takes to fix it. Dr. Luntz has written, supervised, and conducted more than 2,500 surveys, focus groups, ad tests, and dial sessions in more than two dozen countries on six continents over the past 20 years. His political knowledge and skills are recognized globally, and he has served as an election consultant and commentator in Canada, Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Australia, Venezuela, and Ukraine. He has been a guest on virtually every talk show in America, including multiple appearances on The Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, Meet the Press, Nightline, The Today Show, the PBS News Hour, and Face the Nation.

Every American city is different in terms of its transportation infrastructure and population density, two variables (among many others) which have major implications for the spread of COVID-19. So to what extent should the response to this crisis be handled by the federal government vs state and local governments? Former County Judge Ed Emmett, who led the recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area in 2017, joins Dan to examine this complicated question and talk about the urgent need for governments to begin looking ahead to re-opening the economy and allowing Americans to get back to work. Judge Emmett is an expert in emergency management at the local level, serving for almost 12 years as the County Judge for Harris County - the third most populous county in the country. He currently serves as a professor of public policy at The Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University.

Dana Perino has a unique perspective of American journalism, having served on both sides of the pulpit - first as press secretary under President George W. Bush and now as the anchor of The Daily Briefing and co-host of The Five on Fox News. Dana joined Dan to talk about the coronavirus coverage, the media’s crisis of credibility, and what she learned as press secretary in the White House.

The restaurant industry is in deep pain right now and the future looks very uncertain. Dan spoke with Chris Shepherd, award winning chef and owner of four Houston restaurants that employed 200 people before the shutdown, to learn about the creative approaches his business has taken to weather the crisis. Chris explains the tough economics of running a restaurant, policy ideas that would help businesses like his survive the shutdown, and the most effective ways to support your local restaurants and their employees during this crisis. Chris Shepherd’s charitable foundation ‘Southern Smoke’ has donated more than $2 million to those in the food and beverage industry in crisis and to the National MS Society. In 2014 he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southwest for his contributions to the incredibly diverse Houston culinary scene.

A binary choice is often given in the conversations about the right pathway to defeat the coronavirus: we must prioritize lives over the economy or the economy over lives. Political theorist Dr. Danielle Allen joins Dan to describe a third pathway - treating the virus as a major national security threat and aggressively building an infrastructure for fighting and surviving the pandemic. A wartime mentality that shifts our economy to the production of testing capacity and test administration, personal protective equipment, and tools for case identification and contact tracing. Dr. Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, and Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, is a political theorist who has published broadly in democratic theory, political sociology, and the history of political thought. Widely known for her work on justice and citizenship in both ancient Athens and modern America, Allen is the author of The World of Prometheus: The Politics of Punishing in Democratic Athens (2000), Talking to Strangers: Anxieties of Citizenship since Brown vs. the Board of Education (2004), Why Plato Wrote (2010), Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality (2014), Education and Equality (2016), and Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A. (2017). She is the co-editor of the award-winning Education, Justice, and Democracy (2013, with Rob Reich) and From Voice to Influence: Understanding Citizenship in the Digital Age (2015, with Jennifer Light). She is a former Chair of the Mellon Foundation Board, past Chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Allen is also the principal investigator for the Democratic Knowledge Project, a distributed research and action lab at Harvard University. The Democratic Knowledge Project seeks to identify, strengthen, and disseminate the bodies of knowledge, skills, and capacities that democratic citizens need in order to succeed at operating their democracy.

Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban joins Dan to give an inside look into what it takes to win on the long running reality show, shares his advice for entrepreneurs and small businesses trying to make it through the economic shutdown, and talks about how American manufacturing can stay competitive against countries like China and India in the coming decades.

Nancy Pelosi accused President Trump of “delay” and “denial” in the response to COVID-19. The political media was quick to repeat these talking points. But is that really the case? Were Democrats and the media sounding the alarm on coronavirus before the Trump Administration? Where did Democrats focus their attention as the White House ramped up their efforts to address coronavirus? I answer those questions with a detailed timeline of the Trump Administration’s response to this pandemic, and compare the president’s actions with the priorities of Speaker Pelosi over the last several weeks.

Latest Gallup polling reveals that, among U.S. institutions and leaders, American media has the lowest approval rating in terms of its response to the coronavirus. Which aspects of the media's reporting on COVID-19 account for such unpopularity? How has the media's historical coverage of the Trump administration contributed to its current predicament? As we balance health and economic concerns amidst a pandemic, what kind of nuanced questions should the media be asking, but due to partisan "gotcha" games, are not? David Harsanyi shares his insight on these questions, as well as his take on the coronavirus relief package passed by Congress last week.  David Harsanyi is a senior writer for National Review and a former senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of four books. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Weekly Standard, National Review, Reason, New York Post, and numerous other publications. David has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News and dozens of radio talk shows across the country. 

With the revelation that China has suppressed and manipulated the data on COVID-19, how do we, or any nation, trust China under the Chinese Communist Party? And what are the reasons behind the World Health Organization and many American politicians and media outlets parroting the CCP’s propaganda about the virus? China expert Gordon Chang joins us to answer these questions and examine how China is exploiting the virus to its geopolitical advantage. Gordon Chang is a columnist, author, and lawyer who lived and worked in China and Hong Kong for almost two decades. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review and he is the author of The Coming Collapse of China. Find him on twitter at @GordonGChang.

In this very special episode, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers, Jr. joins Dan to talk about adapting to life in quarantine (hint: the training doesn’t stop, it just gets more creative). They dive into their workout routines, injury stories, and the right balance for celebrities and politics. Dan also shares further proof that he is in fact Wolverine.

Social Security is projected to be insolvent in 2035 - which means that millennials and gen z paying into the program today may never receive its benefits. Dr. Charles Blahous returns to the show to talk about how we got to this point, and a realistic plan to save the program for future generations. Dr. Charles Blahous is the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Chair and Senior Research Strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he specializes in domestic economic policy and retirement security, as well as federal fiscal policy, entitlements, and health care programs. Blahous is the author of Social Security: The Unfinished Work and Pension Wise: Confronting Employer Pension Underfunding and Sparing Taxpayers the Next Bailout, as well as the influential studies The Costs of a National Single-Payer Healthcare System and The Fiscal Consequences of the Affordable Care Act.

Single-payer health care systems, such as Medicare-for-All, have long been pursued by far-left activists - but until recently remained on the fringes of the Democratic Party. Now it is front and center in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and openly advocated for in mainstream media. What would really happen if we gave the federal government complete control of our health care system? Health care expert Chris Jacobs joins Dan to shed light on a policy that would have dramatic consequences for every American. Chris Jacobs, the Founder and CEO of Juniper Research Group, has spent more than 15 years studying health care on and off Capitol Hill. He has analyzed health policy and legislation for some of the leading lights of the conservative movement—including Jim DeMint, Bobby Jindal, Mike Pence, Pat Toomey, and Jeb Hensarling. He is the author of “The Case Against Single Payer - How ‘Medicare for All’ Will Wreck America’s Health Care System - And Its Economy”.

This is a special episode of the podcast. No guests this time, just Dan here to give you a very detailed overview of the stimulus bill. Find out what’s in it, what’s not in it, and how the Democrats have been lying through their teeth constantly in a game of petty politics. There is a ton of detail in this episode, so to help you sort through it we’ve included a breakdown of topics: 0:25 - Recap of what Democrats did this week to block passage of the stimulus bill. 3:12 - Why Americans need an economic rescue package and how this is very different from the 2008 bailout. 7:00 - What is really in the stimulus bill. 11:00 - The truth about Democrats claims that by delaying the bill’s passage they got stricter controls on provision of credit to big business. 16:45 - The long list of progressive items that had nothing to do with COVID-19 which the Democrats tried to add to the stimulus bill, like climate change studies and new emission standards for airlines. 19:35 - On the bill that passed the Senate on Wednesday night (almost the same bill which could have been passed last weekend but for the Democrats delays). Details in the bill: 24:53 - Individual tax rebates 27:25 - Expansion of unemployment benefits 30:37 - Small business loans 32:40 - Housing support 33:38 - Support for medical professionals on the front lines 35:30 - Loans to distressed industries 37:14 - Education and student loan relief Frequently asked questions about the bill: 39:00 - Is there really $25 million allocated to give Congress a raise? 39:38 - How does the bill help restaurants? 40:00 - What does the bill do to support airline workers and keep the airline industry afloat? 40:30 - What about the impact on non-profits like the YMCA? 40:47 - Does the bill include funding for PPE, grant CMS authority to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, and increase tele-health? 41:25 - Does the bill provide for student loan cancellation? 42:13 - Does it provide relief for health clubs and studios? 42:33 - What kind of stuff did Nancy Pelosi get into the bill that has nothing to do with COVID relief? 43:22 - Is there a loophole for Planned Parenthood to get funding? 43:37 - Will individuals who were injured and unable to work last year be eligible for stimulus? 43:51 - Is there a way for an individual to prove that their finances are substantially less than in the previous tax year, so that they can be considered eligible for the stimulus? 44:38 - Will this bill include Pelosi’s pork? Will there be consideration for the Green New Deal? 45:08 - Why are we bailing out cruise ships that are registered in other countries so they can avoid paying taxes? 45:34 - Are people that own their own businesses eligible for the crisis assistance? 45:45 - How will the assistance be disbursed? Will it be automatically deposited or will they have to apply for it individually? 45:59 - What about adults that don’t report anything to the IRS because their sole income comes from Social Security? 46:08 - Concluding thoughts about the bill and the way forward from here.

Dr. Richard Ludwick, President of the University of St. Thomas, joins Dan to talk about how his campus is adapting and responding to the threat of COVID-19, why skin in the game is so important for students choosing the major that will define their career, and how St. Thomas creates a culture of free and open dialogue among students in an era when identity politics and outrage culture are destroying many campuses.

Dan went on the Joe Pags Show to discuss one of the most cynical, disgusting, malevolent actions committed by Democrats in recent history: blocking the urgent relief needed for Americans out of work, businesses of all sizes, and our health care system. Call the office of every Democrat in Congress. Do not let them get away with this. Special thanks to Joe Pags for allowing us to re-broadcast his interview. Follow him on Twitter @JoeTalkShow.

On Sunday night the Democrats torpedoed a bipartisan emergency bill that would have increased unemployment benefits, provided payroll and rent for small businesses, and financial assistance for millions of American households. Oren Cass joins us to discuss these and other stimulus measures which would bring desperately needed economic relief to Americans in the age of COVID-19. We also have a wide-ranging conversation about everything from the real cost of climate change to whether or not the gig economy is undermining American industries, and much more. Oren Cass is the executive director of American Compass, whose mission is to restore an economic orthodoxy that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity. From 2015 to 2019, Cass was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, where his work on strengthening the labor market addressed issues ranging from the social safety net and environmental regulation to trade and immigration to education and organized labor. Cass regularly writes for publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Affairs, and National Review, speaks at universities, and testifies before Congress. He is the author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America.

Best selling author Dr. Jonathan Haidt joins us to discuss the psychology of America’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to build resilience and thrive in this volatile, uncertain world. Along the way we explore the rise of micro aggression and “safetyism” on campuses, the moral roots of conservatives and liberals, the increasingly toxic polarization on social media and college campuses, and the implications for our democracy. Dr. Haidt is a professor of social psychology at NYU-Stern and author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. He is also the co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, a collaboration among nearly 2500 professors who are working to increase viewpoint diversity and freedom of inquiry in universities.

There are early indicators that the coronavirus harms a patient’s lungs, which is why older patients have trouble recovering from the virus – they don’t have the regenerative stem cells which develop naturally in our bodies as children. How does stem cell therapy help patients with coronavirus and other serious diseases and injuries? What are the challenges in getting this treatment to patients who need it? Stem cell innovator Donna Chang joins us to explain how stem cells work, their potential to change medicine forever, and the regulatory hurdles which researchers like her go through to bring this treatment to patients. Donna Chang is the Founder and CEO of Hope Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing adult stem cell based therapeutics located in Sugar Land, Texas.

The Communist Party of China’s initial failings in their reaction to the emergence of the new coronavirus greatly contributed to the global pandemic we are experiencing today. How are the party’s leaders spinning its response to the crisis to spread propaganda, claim a global leadership role, and shift blame to America? China expert Michael Sobolik returns to the podcast to give insight into how the Chinese government thinks and operates.   Michael Sobolik is a Fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council and expert on China.

It has been exactly two months since the first case of coronavirus was detected in the United States. As the stock market continues to fall and businesses temporarily close, questions are mounting as to how to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19. How is the current economic downturn different from the 2008 recession? What should be the overarching aim of our economic policy moving forward? How can Congress target the individuals and businesses that need assistance the most – both in the short-term and the long-term? Dr. Ed Lazear offers answers to these questions and more.   Dr. Ed Lazear is Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a Professor of Economics at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He served as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors under President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009. Dr. Lazear is a labor economist by trade and is the founder of the field of economics known as “personnel economics.” His extensive research, which has appeared in numerous economic journals, has focused primarily on employee incentive structures and productivity in firms. Dr. Lazear is the recipient of over two dozen awards and fellowships and is a frequent contributor to Wall Street Journal.

We dive into the depths of the student loan debate with higher education expert Beth Akers, co-author of Game of Loans: The Rhetoric and Reality of Student Debt. Progressive politicians have made student loan forgiveness one of their major talking points this election cycle, citing astronomical numbers on student debt. But who really owes that money? Do loan forgiveness programs already exist for people in the worst financial hardship? What alternative tuition financing models are emerging in the free market? Beth also shares invaluable advice for students applying to colleges. Beth Akers is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, where her work focuses on labor economics and the economics of higher education. Previously, she was a fellow at the Brookings Institution and a staff economist with the Council of Economic Advisors under President George W. Bush. Her writing and research have been featured in, among others, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Quartz, Newsweek, and The Hill. She has appeared on CNBC, ABC News, Bloomberg TV, C-SPAN, among other TV and radio networks.

Dr. John Lott is an economist and a world-recognized expert on guns and crime. What happens in communities where guns are banned? Do universal background checks really accomplish what advocates say - or are there unintended consequences? How does gun ownership empower the weakest members of society? Dr. Lott has spent decades researching the statistics behind questions like these, and his answers may surprise you. Dr. Lott is Founder and President of the Crime Prevention Research Center. He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and written nine books, including “More Guns, Less Crime,” “The Bias Against Guns,” and “Freedomnomics.”

Rep. Patrick McHenry is back to offer insight into the left’s approach to governance and the broader implications for everything from your 401k to the cost of housing in California vs Texas. What are their principles? What’s their end goal? McHenry is in a unique position to know, since he serves as ranking member on House Financial Services with Chairwoman Maxine Waters and three members of the ’Squad’ (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and, Rashida Tlaib).

What is carbon capture? Can we really use this technology to turn CO2 into a commodity? It might sound like science fiction, but it’s actually the New Energy Frontier in America. Nigel Jenvey is an industry leader and expert in Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS), having previously held roles such as the chair of the CO2 Capture Project, chair of the North American CCS Association, and program chair of the Society of Petroleum Engineers CCUS Technical Section. He leads the Carbon Management practice at Gaffney-Cline, a global oil and gas consultancy, helping clients understand the wide variety of options available that will ensure continued business success through the energy transition. He has over 23 years of global oil and gas industry experience in technology, exploration, development and production operations with major oil and gas operating companies.

Maya MacGuineas, head of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, stopped by to help us pick apart Modern Monetary Theory, which is trendy again among certain members of Congress and presidential candidates. How are debts and deficits like termites in a basement? What are realistic paths toward a sustainable budget? Maya MacGuineas is the president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Her areas of expertise include budget, tax, and economic policy. As a leading budget expert for the past twenty years and a political independent, she has worked closely with members of both parties and serves as a trusted resource on Capitol Hill. MacGuineas testifies regularly before Congress and has published broadly, including regularly in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Atlantic, and numerous other outlets.

The issue of inequality isn’t what many people think it is. Ramesh Ponnuru joins us to explain how to properly think about inequality and income mobility, and why tax increases and massive expansions of federal regulations do less to move people out of poverty and only increase wage stagnation, income immobility, the poverty rate, housing costs, student loan debt, and more. Ramesh and I discuss solutions that could actually benefit people who live in destitution, such as vocational training, occupational licensing reform, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Ramesh is a senior editor for National Review, a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. Follow him on Twitter at @rameshponnuru for more amazing facts and ideas.

How have smart phones and social media shaped the political views of Millennials? What tricks do socialists like AOC and Bernie use to emotionally engage them into supporting programs like Medicare-for-All and the Green New Deal? Kristen Soltis Anderson joined me to delve into these topics and much more, including tips on how to bring young people into the conservative movement with honesty, not talking points.   Kristen is a pollster, speaker, commentator, and author of The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up). She is co-founder of Echelon Insights, an opinion research and analytics firm that serves brands, trade associations, nonprofits, and political clients.

Jay Faison is a philanthropist and entrepreneur who founded ClearPath in 2013 to develop and advance conservative policies that accelerate clean energy innovation. Jay joins Dan on the podcast to talk about the New Energy Frontier and to discuss why conservatives are (and have been) leading the way on clean energy and reducing emissions. They talk about American ingenuity and why the best way to tackle climate change is not through a carbon tax, but through the American innovation machine. There is also much discussion about "Wet and Sandys". Listen to find out more...

Ajit Pai is Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. We talk about the future of the internet, net neutrality, rural broadband, and, of course, our favorite memes.  We also hit on how government can get out of the way of innovation, allowing for more efficient transportation, telemedicine, and small business creation.

Ray Takeyh is Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His areas of specialization are Iran, political reform in the Middle East, and Islamist movements and parties. We examined the truth behind the November uprising, how the regime suppresses the will of the Iranian people, how the strike on Soleimani will help restore our deterrence posture and the numerous flaws with the JCPOA nuclear deal. 

Shoshana Weissmann is a Senior Manager and Research Fellow at R Street Institute and the self-declared Senator of Twitter. She has helped elevate the national conversation on the weird world of occupational licensing and the needed reforms. We also discussed the best kind of sloths and the worst kind of sloths (hint: there are no bad sloths).

Patrick McHenry is the U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District and the Republican leader of the House Committee on Financial Services. We talked about how blockchain technology and bitcoin works, why it matters, and the future of currency.  This is the authoritative podcast if you want to grasp the intricacies of bitcoin and explain it to your friends. 

Jarred “Landing” Taylor is an Air Force veteran and the President of Article 15 Clothing, the Marketing Director of Leadslingers Spirits, and works in business development for Black Rifle Coffee Company. We had a wide ranging conversation about everything from the latest frontiers in space exploration to the challenges facing soldiers coming home from combat.

Michael Sobolik is a Fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council. There is no doubt that China is our number one geoeconomic competitor, and what happens next in the U.S-China relationship may very well transform your life and how you see the world. We discussed China’s strategic goals and how America can retain its leadership of the global order.  We delved into China’s threatening behavior in the South China Sea, their abusive trade practices, and China’s harsh repression of millions of their own citizens.

Nadine Strossen is the John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, Emerita at New York Law School. From 1991 through 2008, she served as President of the American Civil Liberties Union, the first woman to head the nation’s largest and oldest civil liberties organization. Topics include the future of free speech and the role of social media companies in censorship. Nadine discussed why censorship so frequently fails and how limits on free speech were used to suppress the civil rights movement. We also debate abortion as it pertains to civil liberties. 

Neil Chatterjee is the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Texas has an abundance of clean, cheap, exportable energy and no one knows that better than Chairman Chatterjee. We discussed Texas’s unique situation with competitive retail markets and the impact of American energy in decreasing global emissions and increasing global standards of living.

Marian L. Tupy is the editor of Human​Progress​.org and a senior policy analyst at the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity. He specializes in globalization and global well‐​being, and the political economy of Europe and sub‐​Saharan Africa.  Poverty, human rights, education, life expectancy, and virtually every other aspect of our lives has improved dramatically over the last 100 years. We talked about why capitalism made this possible, and the disturbing rise in the popularity of socialism in today’s free societies.

Maria Korsnick is the President and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Clean energy is currently one of our most important conversations on Capitol Hill. Maria joined me to debunk some of the myths about nuclear energy, that there really is *no* green slime in nuclear plants, and why nuclear needs to be a critical piece of our clean energy plans.

Charles Blahous is the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Chair and Senior Research Strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he specializes in domestic economic policy and retirement security, as well as federal fiscal policy, entitlements, and health care programs. Blahous is the author of the influential studies The Costs of a National Single-Payer Healthcare System and The Fiscal Consequences of the Affordable Care Act. Medicare for All is expensive -- and Dr. Blahous tells us exactly *how* expensive this single-payer system would be. This would impact not just the very top of the 1%, but your everyday middle class family.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb is the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he continues his work on improving public health through entrepreneurship and medical innovation and on expanding regulatory approaches to maintain patient and physician autonomy.  We talked about regulatory approaches to making prescription drugs more affordable. Learn why price controls, like those which would be implemented in the Democrats’ drug pricing bill HR3, have terrible consequences for the development and innovation of prescription drugs.