Conservative Conversation and Community
With the recent report that Osama Bin Laden’s son, Hamza Bin Laden, is dead, we wanted to know what that means for the future of Al Qaeda. This week we talk with Heritage expert Robin Simcox, and dive deep into how the US is doing in the fight against terror both at home and abroad. Hint: more needs to be done.
Show Notes:
https://www.heritage.org/terrorism/commentary/osama-bin-ladens-son-likely-dead-heres-what-it-means
What happens when seeing isn’t believing? Deepfake technology has been around for a long time. It’s used in movies and we use it through apps on our phone. But this type of technology could be devastating if abused. This week, Heritage’s leading expert in tech policy, Klon Kitchen, will explain more on what deepfake media is, examples of deepfakes that already exist, and the risks this type of technology poses to our democracy and national security.
Show Notes:
Deep Fakes: A Looming Challenge for Privacy, Democracy, and National Security
https://www.heritage.org/homeland-security/event/deep-fakes-looming-challenge-privacy-democracy-and-national-security
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3213954
Nancy Pelosi Cheap Fake https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/24/facebook-leaves-fake-nancy-pelosi-video-on-site
A lot is happening in the United Kingdom. After more than three years since the vote to leave the European Union, the British still remain. Why? What’s making this process so difficult? Will the UK ever leave the EU? Who is Boris Johnson and why does he give Brexit fresh hope? This week, Nile Gardner brings us up to speed, and breaks down the complex nature of “The Brexiteer.”
To watch Nile’s recent TV appearances, and read his work on Brexit visit: https://www.heritage.org/staff/nile-gardiner-phd
More Almost every major study has concluded that Americans use firearms in lawful defense of themselves or others between 500,000 and 3 million times every year. Yet these are not the stories that make their way to the national cable channels. They are small local stories that rarely leave print.
This week, we talk to Amy Swearer, a legal expert at Heritage, who has been highlighting some of the many defensive gun uses that occur every month.
More President Trump has always been passionate about making better trade deals. The most significant deal he could make seems to be with China. But what does the word ‘deal’ mean? What does a good deal look like for the US? And what will we need to do to get it? This week, Heritage expert Riley Walters explains.
More Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and their fellow socialists like to pretend that socialism is just another political system, leaving out some of the keystone principles that came from Karl Marx, the founding father of socialism. This week our expert helps us we break down some of the fundamental principles of socialism that are carefully omitted by the mainstream media and the left.
Jordan Peterson event with Heritage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOmJx8mTnm8
More Does the United States military have what it needs to protect our interest at home and abroad? This week, Dakota Wood, a senior research fellow in Heritage’s Center for National Defense, walks us through some of the most important findings in Heritage’s 2019 Index of U.S. Military Strength.
Browse the index here www.heritage.org/military-strength
More The situation in Iran is constantly changing and the stakes are high. There are a lot of moving pieces, and many say our national security depends on the US response. But to fully understand, we need and accurate timeline, and context. On this week’s episode, Dr. James Carafano breaks it down from the start to present, reading between the lines as to why Iran is behaving the way they are, and gives an honest appraisal of how President Trump is handling the situation.
As mentioned on the show, Dr. Carafano has written several pieces tracking the situation which give incredible insight and analysis, so please check them out if you’d like to learn more:
More Recently, about 2 million people flooded the streets of Hong Kong to protest a bill that would allow for the arrest and transfer of Hong Kong residents and foreign visitors to mainland China with very little safeguards. To give you a better idea of how huge this protest was, that’s about 1 in every 4 citizens of Hong Kong participating. This week we explain why this bill is so dangerous and why this could be the beginning of the end of a free Hong Kong.
More With so much talk about socialism and programs like Medicare for all, free college, and paid family leave, it’s not hard to see that the left is trying to win people over by offering “free” stuff. But don’t be fooled, this all comes at a big price. This week, we explain exactly how much it would cost if the left got exactly what they want. SPOILER ALERT: Simply taxing the rich isn’t enough. It’s the middle and lower class that will shoulder the burden.
SHOW NOTES:
More The SAT is a big deal for many American students. The better you do on the exam, the better the school you go to. But with the new “adversity score” being factored in, this could be changing. This week, we break down what this new measure means, why it won’t help students in the long-run, and what needs to happen to fix the problem the adversity score tries to solve.
More Due to the graphic medical descriptions featured in this episode, we ask that you consider your surroundings and take caution before listening to this episode.
After over a decade of pro-life victories at the state level, liberals are now pushing back by advocating abortions on demand at all stages of the pregnancy. This week, we take an in-depth look at late-term abortion procedures, and Melanie Israel talks about what conservatives must do in order to ensure that life continues to win.
More American is known as the great melting pot. But what if we aren’t melting anymore? What if we are just staying separate? Our expert today, Mike Gonzalez, explains what patriotic assimilation is, why it’s the bond that allows America to be a nation of immigrants, and how everything falls apart with out it.
More After the recent shooting at a synagogue in Southern California, and several other attacks against Jewish people happening around the country, Joel Griffith helps explain why Anti-Semitism is on the rise, and we shed light on the lies perpetuating it.
Show Notes:
Lies Are Fueling the Rise of Anti-Semitism by Joel Griffith
https://www.heritage.org/civil-society/commentary/lies-are-fueling-the-rise-anti-semitism
A new report from the government on the Social Security “trust fund” revealed that it won’t be able to pay full benefits by 2035. So how much of the money that you have paid in Social Security taxes (and remember we all do) will you actually see later in life? If you are already receiving benefits, how much do you stand to lose? What can Congress do to fix this and why haven’t they yet? This week, Heritage’s Rachel Grezler explains.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/04/23/what-social-securitys-shortfall-means-for-you/
More During the recent NRA Convention in Indianapolis, President Trump gave formal notice that the US will withdraw its signature from the UN Arms Trade Treaty, which attempts to limit the sale of firearms and ammunition abroad. This week, Dr. Ted Bromund explains why this is a big win for our sovereignty as well as our Second Amendment rights.
Show Notes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedbromund/2019/04/30/reflections-on-president-trumps-unsigning-of-the-arms-trade-treaty/#1845ee0753a6
More The situation at the border is a hot mess. This week, we explain some of the ideas that President Trump has offered when it comes to the crisis at the Southern border. We also offer policy prescriptions on how to move the country and Congress forward on immigration reform. Helping us break it down is Dr. James Jay Carafano, a leading expert in national security and foreign policy challenges, and vice president of Heritage’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy and the E. W. Richardson Fellow.
The Border is a Hot Mess, What’s Trump to Do? https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/james-carafano-the-border-is-a-hot-mess-whats-trump-to-do-here-are-his-options
More Several leading voices on the left have joined together to call for the abolishment of the Electoral College, and replace it with a national popular vote. This week, Dr. John York debunks their arguments, and explains why the Electoral College is still the best system for electing our Presidents.
Links:
https://www.heritage.org/the-constitution/commentary/no-sen-warren-presidential-candidates-wouldnt-campaign-mississippi-if
Fact, the amount of your tax refund has nothing to do with how big your tax cut was. But if you’ve watched the news lately you wouldn’t know that. This week, Heritage expert Adam Michel explains what your refund check really is, why it has nothing to do with President Trump’s tax cuts, and the specific ways in which our tax laws truly did change for the better.
More Liberals in Congress are pushing The Equality Act, but this isn’t the first time. If passed, the bill would allow the LGBT community to be considered a “protected class” under federal law. So what’s the problem with that? This week, we sit down with Emilie Kao to discuss why the latest version of The Equality Act is no act of equality.
Show Notes: “Equality Act Would Create Inequality for Woman”
https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/equality-act-would-create-inequality-women
