Host Mike Ferguson assesses the ABC Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

* thumbnail image courtesy of ABC News via Youtube

The Conservative Partnership Institute's Hugh Fike discusses the current debate over keeping the federal government from "shutting down". Basically, the current spending authorization to keep the government running expires at the end of this month. The continuing resolution to extend government funding isn't generally controversial but the GOP addition of the SAVE Act has Democrats (and a few Republicans) opposing the plan. The SAVE Act requires proof of US citizenship in order to register to vote.

For more information: https://www.cpi.org/2024/09/compass-the-save-act-is-a-fight-worth-having/

Depending on who you ask, Donald Trump is either the most pro life president in US history or he's unprincipled on the issue. Or somewhere in between. Suzanne Bowdey from the Washington Stand's recent article on his mixed messaging regarding abortion looks at the conflict between pro life advocates, conservatives, and Trump's MAGA movement. She discusses that in this segment.

For more information: https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/trumps-abortion-pivot-sparks-outcry-this-is-wrong--and-we-cannot-be-silent-about-it

Chris Dorr from the American Firearms Association reacts to the news of the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia and the immediate call by some on the Left to enact more gun control laws.

This discussion took place on NewsTalk STL and happened before the 14-year-old suspect's father was also charged in connection with the four deaths.

It's playing in theaters across the nation now: Reagan, the biopic about our 40th President. Marshall R. Teague plays Eduard Shevardnadze (USSR Foreign Minister under Mikhail Gorbachev) in the film and discusses his role, the effort to make a movie about Reagan that's fair, and the need for history to reflect Ronald Reagan's legacy - good, bad, and otherwise, accurately.

For more information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723808/

Is there a stealth lobbying campaign designed to bolster climate activism within the courts? In this discussion, OH Skinner from the Alliance for Consumers details the work some environmental interest groups are doing under the guise of education and training for judges.

For more information (National Review article): https://allianceforconsumers.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Climate_Activism_Coming_to_a_Courtroom_Near_You___National_Review.pdf

Congress is debating two (related) ideas for regulating what happens online. Specifically, the question is how to best protect children from the ills of social media. That includes everything from blocking ads targeting children to the dangers of groomers and traffickers. Some of the complexity lies in the need to protect freedom of speech and as open of a marketplace as possible. In this discussion, the American Consumer Institute's Logan Kolas explains the proposals and what lawmakers should keep in mind before imposing new regulations.

For more information: https://www.theamericanconsumer.org/2024/08/dc-journal-kosa-and-coppa-2-0-miss-the-mark-on-protecting-kids/

Academic freedom is important but can it be abused to the point of making taxpayers fund political activism? According to Rick Hess from the American Enterprise Institute, the answer is yes. Where is the line between respecting the right to free speech and making the public pay for specific opinioins and activism? That's the focus of this discussion.

For more information: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/scholarly-associations-gone-wild-stop-publicly-funding-scholarly-groups-that-trade-academics-for-advocacy/?mkt_tok=NDc1LVBCUS05NzEAAAGVMkC6wuPTheUgtt54HmBgxRLQLBex24qy1DJF8GvOagXLMOErmbUFatIkyy6qbF1ubyh1ZPgW1yQXl8dAUQhUXsoZJU7XyznGRKIJgOGd2szeBC5H

To some degree, there's one area of economic policy that find agreement with some Republicans and some Democrats. The problem is that area of agreement pushes prices up on things most people need to buy. In this discussion, the National Taxpayer Union's Bryan Riley discusses the effort to use tariffs (and other costs added to imports) and how that affects our cost of living.

For more information: https://www.ntu.org/publications/detail/import-taxes-inflate-back-to-school-prices-2

It's one thing to understand the issues. It's another to understand how to debate those issues, which cam be divisive. In this discussion, Mercatus Center Executive Director Ben Klutsey discusses the campaign to teach civil discourse in America. Is there a place for that in our classrooms?

For more information: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/teaching-civil-discourse-a-classroom-blueprint-for-all-america/

For More information: Mercatus.org