Tag: The Federalist Radio Hour

On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Federalist Managing Editor Madeline Osburn joins Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to answer questions from our faithful listeners and even some internet trolls.

Journalist and former academic Dr. Deborah Soh joined host Ben Domenech to discuss how she takes a scientific and research-based approach to debunking the most common misconceptions about gender identity. Soh compiled her research in her new book, “The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society.”

Soh said she’s grateful to no longer be in the academic world, where everyone is required to accept so many scientific mistruths as facts. As a liberal herself, Soh said the evolution of gender identity has been used by the radical left to further a narrative that’s harmful to children and not based in science.

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) joined host Ben Domenech to discuss the danger of big tech censorship for the American public. Rep. Buck’s new book, “Capitol Freedom: Restoring American Greatness,” is out now.

Many Republicans argue all private companies ought to remain unfettered by government intervention, but Buck argues that big tech companies such as Google don’t use the extreme level of power they wield over free speech fairly. He debunked the idea that there’s no relationship between privacy and size, saying that if these companies didn’t have a monopoly on free speech, they couldn’t get away with their actions.

Writer Abigail Shrier joined Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss the appeal of the transgender movement in recent years, particularly among minors and young women, and the unfortunate consequences girls have to pay as a result. Shrier is the author of “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters” and is a contributing writer at the Wall Street Journal.

Shrier argued the most powerful institutions — including social media and education — impose the idea that transgenderism as an inherently good thing. This is particularly harmful for young girls in partnership with the politically correct consensus that being a white person carries negative qualities such as racism and superiority.

Pastor Ché Ahn and Attorney Mathew Staver joined Senior Editor Christopher Bedford to discuss their recent lawsuit against California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his actions in banning religious worship amid the ongoing government lockdown. Ahn is the founder and head pastor at Harvest International Ministry and Harvest Rock Church, and Staver is a founding member of Liberty Counsel.

Ahn argued Gov. Newsom imposed a double standard in shutting down religious services while praising the reckless protests and looting that ensued following the death of George Floyd, despite their lack of compliance with CDC guidelines. Staver said the Constitution makes it clear the government cannot prevent citizens from gathering to worship.

Civil rights activist Bob Woodson joined host Ben Domenech to discuss the racism behind the left’s recent “anti-racist” activism. Woodson is the Founder and President of the Woodson Center, where you can learn more about his work on the 1779 Project.

Woodson said the message of the New York Times’ 1619 project takes advantage of specifically low-income black communities and falsely attributes their problems, namely the violence and brokenness of cities, as being external. The ideas lead essayist Hannah Nikole-Jones and her colleagues at the New York Times presented are “ahistorical,” he said.

Jim DeMint and Rachel Bovard joined Senior Editor Christopher Bedford to discuss socialism’s influence in America and how conservatives can combat its spread. Bovard is the founder of the Conservative Partnership Institute, of which former Sen. DeMint is the chairman, and a senior member of the Internet Accountability Project. DeMint is also a member of the coronavirus task force and the author of “Saving America From Socialism.

DeMint said he observed the first major move toward socialism when former President Obama took office in 2008, but noted democrats have now fully embraced this ideology. Now, Bovard added, since the education system has fully perpetuated the Marxist idea that there are no self-evident truths, the modern consensus devolved into accepting the triumph of the will. This is clearly reflected in the “Black Lives Matter” movement and the destruction of historical monuments.

Economist Donald J. Boudreaux joined host Ben Domenech to discuss the long-lasting economic impact of the government shutdown. Boudreaux is a Professor of Economics at George Washington University, and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center and The Fund for American Studies.

Boudreaux wrote an article earlier this week titled “Who is Making Decisions About Our Lives?” in which he outlined the limited knowledge American leaders have. The American people also don’t understand, he argued, the government’s decision to have the Federal Reserve print money doesn’t create actual wealth in the form of any goods and services.

Inez Feltscher Stepman joined Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss the devolution of fashion and its relationship to political populism. Feltscher gave her opinion on hot topics ranging from Kanye West’s deal to sell Yeezy at Gap and its impact on Gen Z style, to whether a Joe Biden presidency would affect fashion.

Feltscher argued that the new athleisure trend, which has popularized dressing in more casual, loose-fitting clothing, could be the result of an effort to hide a women’s body as seen in the “Billie Eilish style” of big jackets, Bermuda shorts, and sneakers.

Bestselling author, journalist, and environmental activist Michael Shellenberger joined host Ben Domenech to discuss climate alarmism and how the left wing media and activists have distorted the urgency of climate change. Shellenberger just published his most recent book, “Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All,” this month.

Shellenberger condemned the left’s journalists, climate activists, and malthusian scientists for promoting climate alarmism. The radical left has taken an immoral position by denying vast, inexpensive energy sources to all people, he said, which they consider to be the moral center of apocalyptic environmentalism.

Commentary Magazine’s Executive Editor Abe Greenwald joined The Federalist’s New York Correspondent David Marcus to discuss the meaning of the national re-examination of the historical value of monuments amid their destruction, the left-wing media’s handling of COVID-19 and President Trump, and New York’s policing practices.

Greenwald argued that the left’s actions have become so separated from their longstanding goals that they are actually advocating for the opposite of their former aim. Their goal is to now upend the American way of life and replace it with something completely different. This is most obvious, Greenwald said, in the change in demands regarding police reform.

The Federalist Co-founders Mollie Hemingway and Sean Davis discuss topics concerning American culture, specifically analyzing the mainstream media’s involvement in the recent defacement of historical monuments and handling of President Trump’s Fourth of July speech at Mount Rushmore.

Davis said the mainstream media has proven they will take anything that is good news for the country, because it is also a positive reflection on the president, and distort or ignore the story.  The statue destruction, Hemingway said, which began as a movement led by rioters about removing Confederate statues, was quickly compounded by the mainstream media’s defense of toppling prominent American figures such as the Founding Fathers.

Eric Kaufmann joined host Ben Domenech to discuss his work within fields of research related to populism across the world and specifically in the United States. Kaufmann is a professor of politics at Birkbeck College at the University of London and is the author of “Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration, and the Future of White Majorities.”

Kaufmann argues that the new antiracism movement worldwide, but which is specifically dominant in American culture, is a form of secular religion. He refers to the modern American sentiment as the “third great awokening,” following the former waves in the late 60s and the 90s. It stems from the idea that tradition, both religious and national, ought to be eliminated to make room for the new religion of antiracism. It resembles many historical international movements, Kaufmann said.

Parler CEO John Matze joined host Ben Domenech to discuss the features of the social media app designed to promote free speech and allow for unbiased, uncensored discourse among users.

Matze said he created the app after seeing the biased algorithms by other platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, which failed to provide people honest content. Parler, he said, serves as a town square where everyone can share their ideas without fear of being removed for disagreeable content.

Fox News Senior Political Analyst Brit Hume joined host Ben Domenech to discuss race relations in America and how the issue has been politically manipulated by the left.

Hume argued that, since the nation reached an overwhelming consensus against racism, marked by the passage of the Civil Right Act, movements such as Black Lives Matter are capitalizing on that sentiment to usher in a new era with a different agenda. A movement that was once about tearing down barriers has switched to focus on tearing down statues.

Libby Emmons joins host Ben Domenech to discuss her son’s personal experience in the New York City public school system and how it pushes the left’s narrative of systemic racism and white privilege. Emmons is a senior editor at The Post Millennial and senior contributor at The Federalist.

Emmons argued that the public school curriculum accomplishes nothing in its teaching of white privilege other than discouraging children from hoping for change. Schools ought to promote ideas of kindness and equality rather than divide children by informing specific children of their inherent racism.

Christine Rosen joined host Ben Domenech to analyze the reasons for recent protests and the chaotic aftermath, including defacing statues in an attempt to eliminate aspects of American history. Rosen is a senior writer at “Commentary Magazine.”

Rosen argued that public schools have failed to teach history to students but instead have given them a warped view of the American founding, the product of which manifested itself in the recent destruction of historical statues. Schools are to blame, she said, for how little context young people have in understanding historical events.

Shadi Hamid joined host Ben Domenech to discuss what the past few months have revealed about our country and how they have shaped public opinion about our country’s leadership. Hamid is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and author of several books, including his most recent, “Islamic Exceptionalism.”

Hamid argued that the reaction by so-called experts concerning quarantine and the recent protests following the death of George Floyd have revealed how untrustworthy they are. Their constantly changing opinion during quarantine, Hamid said, has caused him to lose faith in those in powerful positions. He added the experts have further undermined their position by putting politics above themselves in regards to the protests.

Shelby Steele joined host Ben Domenech to discuss the state of the nation and the underlying historical causes into modern tensions. Steele is a renowned author, expert, and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution specializing in the study of race relations, multiculturalism, and affirmative action.

Steele argued that today’s racial tensions are caused by an outgrowth of a change in racial understanding from the 1960s. The ’60s, he said, produced a “redemptive liberalism” in an effort to rid America of past experiences of racism, particularly on the left. The recent trend of corporations publicly declaring their support of Black Lives Matter, which reveals the incessant desire to be innocent of the past.

Jason Riley joined host Ben Domenech to discuss the recent changes in the Black Lives Matter movement and its demand to defund the police. Riley, a columnist at the Wall Street Journal, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and a contributor at Fox News, delves into how the media has influenced such ideas.

Riley argued the recent protests as well as events prior were in part caused by the media for failing to provide realistic data on police force, particularly regarding race. The media, he said, has scared people into believing a false narrative about police brutality by giving special attention to isolated incidents.