Schools are increasingly moving in a radical direction on sex-ed, LGBT activism, and more, “When we’re talking … about the transgender issues and education, you have to realize that you can bring those subjects up in any area. It can be taught in history, it can be taught during reading time,” says Lydia Gutierrez, a second grade teacher, and chair of the National Education Association Conservative Educators Caucus.

She wants to help parents understand how to both help their own children and how to work within the system for change.

Amid declining church attendance, and cultural storms, do Americans still take faith seriously? “We’re a no longer deeply Christian country that is not yet post-Christian and is still heavily influenced by Christianity,” says Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist and author.

“After I began to volunteer with this alderman and learn the ways of the Democratic Party … I began to question some of the narratives,” says Gianno Caldwell, author of “Taken for Granted: How Conservatism Can Win Back the Americans That Liberalism Failed.” He found himself wondering, “Why is it that although these politicians come every year during election time, why is it the conditions and the communities never get better?” That was the beginning of his journey to the right.

For the past 16 years, Herbie Newell has been the President and Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services, an organization that serves vulnerable children around the world. Newell shares his views on the child welfare system, how his organization approaches finding homes for kids in need and how they train and equip parents who want to adopt.

What does it mean to truly be educated? Great Hearts Academies, a series of charter schools in Texas and Arizona, is focused on a classical curriculum. “We are trying to provide a form of education where our students’ loves are tapped into. They begin to learn to love what is true. They are drawn to what is beautiful. They recognize that goodness is desirable and they want it for themselves,” says Robert Jackson, the chief academic officer of Great Hearts Academies.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Daily Signal.

At age 19, Kathy Grace Duncan decided she was ready to live as a man. “Before I went to kindergarten, probably ages 3 to 4, I would ride my tricycle over to get my girlfriend, pick her up. We were going to get married,” she recounts. “So I knew that I wanted to be a boy and I would play like a boy.”

Andrew Beckwith calls the Massachusetts ROE Act what it is–infanticide. Beckwith, President of the Massachusetts Family Institute, explains why this bill would endanger women’s health and remove restrictions that would allow abortion up to, and even during, delivery.

As impeachment hearings draw to a close, witnesses have failed to produce hard evidence of wrongdoing on the part of President Donald Trump. Heritage Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky will join the podcast to unpack what we learned this week—and what to expect going forward.

We also cover the following stories:

“They are searching for every haystack they can possibly find in hopes that there’s a needle somewhere that they can bring forward and say, ‘A-ha, we have something to impeach him,'” says Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga. “And the American people are seeing it for what it is.” Tune in for a special bonus podcast interview.

Since the beginning of November, Cody Howdeshell has been in Hong Kong, delivering first aid to the protesters. He’s seen some of the violence first hand: the Hong Kong police, he says of one time, “went in and they beat these kids that were already half dead with their nightsticks and began to absolutely tear them out with no mercy, probably dislocating limbs, and shoved them against the wall and arrested them.” He joins the podcast to share why the protesters want freedom and more, what he thinks will happen in the long term, and what he believes Americans should learn from Hong Kong’s experience.

Health care continues to be a top issue for Americans — but it’s not getting much attention from Congress. Rep. Greg Murphy, a urologist and House member, brings a unique perspective to the health care debate.

Charles Mitchell, who leads the Commonwealth Foundation in Pennsylvania, is worried about children’s access to charter schools in the Keystone State. “Our governor has declared war on opportunity for Pennsylvania families,” Mitchell says, referring to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. “He’s issued 11 executive orders, the plain intent of which is to put the kibosh on charter schools.”

Should students go straight to college after High school? Tommy Nelson, Senior Pastor of Denton Bible Church, would argue no. “Colleges now are trying to make you a living, but not a life,” he says. To combat this problem, Nelson has created GAP, a 9-month leadership program where high school graduates can learn theology, life skills, job skills, and more before attending a university.

“Democrats are intent on impeaching President Trump for something. It really doesn’t matter to them what it is,” says Heritage Foundation legal scholar Tom Jipping. He joins the podcast to explain why lawyers, not lawmakers, are doing much of the questioning, what’s next for the impeachment process, and what the main takeaways are from the hearing Wednesday.

“I consider myself a liberal. I still consider myself a feminist,” says writer Meghan Daum. But the past few years have left her shaken. “I did not feel that the new left was necessarily representing my values all the time. There was a sort of purity-policing that interestingly we used to associate with the right,” she says. Between #MeToo, smugness on social media, the Covington high schooler incident, and an interest in the so-called “intellectual dark web”, Daum is carving out her own political path.

In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote–and lost the election. Cue a renewed interest from the left in demolishing the Electoral College. Now 15 states and the District of Columbia have joined the National Popular Vote Compact. Trent England, director of Save Our States, joins the podcast to discuss what his group is doing to increase enthusiasm for the Electoral College.

When she was 21 years old, Claire Culwell found out a huge secret about her past: her biological mom had tried to have an abortion when she was pregnant with Claire and her twin. While Claire’s twin didn’t survive, Claire did–and that revelation changed her life. “I knew that I couldn’t stand for what abortion does. And so, I chose to take a stance and to speak out,” she says.

Plus, Dan Bartkowiak of the Pennsylvania Family Council joins the show to discuss what’s going on in the Keystone State.

A 130-year-old bakery in Ohio was accused of racism after arresting an Oberlin College student for shoplifting. Hostilities and boycotts against Gibson’s Bakery have escalated into a court case debating free speech. Legal Insurrection, a must-read political and law website, has followed this case since its beginnings in 2016.