P.A.S. Report | Political Analysis, American Politics & Constitution

Richard Henry Lee is the Founding Father who made July 4th possible, yet most Americans barely know his name. Before the Declaration of Independence and Jefferson's immortal words, Lee forced the Second Continental Congress to choose independence.

In this episode of America's Founding Series, part of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Nick Giordano marks the 250-year anniversary of the Lee Resolution, introduced on June 7, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House. Discover how Richard Henry Lee moved the colonies from resistance to separation, why Congress was deeply fractured, and how June 7th set the stage for the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, and the birth of the United States.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Richard Henry Lee deserves recognition as one of America's most important Founding Fathers
• How the Lee Resolution made July 4th and the Declaration of Independence possible
• Why June 7, 1776, forced the Second Continental Congress to finally choose independence
• How the fierce debate between radicals and moderates like John Dickinson shaped the vote
• The difference between July 2nd, the vote for independence, and July 4th, the adoption of the Declaration
• What Lee's courage teaches Americans today about liberty, self-government, and constitutional responsibility

Richard Henry Lee did not write the Declaration of Independence, but he forced Congress to make the decision that required one. This forgotten moment in American Revolution history reminds every generation that liberty demands more than slogans. It requires courage, responsibility, and a people willing to govern themselves.

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Timestamps

• 00:00 The Crucial Moment in Independence Hall
• 02:18 Who Was Richard Henry Lee?
• 04:36 The Lee Resolution and the Road to Independence
• 08:09 Delays, Doubts, and the Vote for Independence
• 11:49 July 2nd, July 4th, and the Declaration of Independence
• 14:22 Richard Henry Lee's Forgotten Legacy
• 17:28 Liberty and the Responsibilities of Self-Government

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How does a concerned father challenging a school board curriculum wind up facing federal travel scrutiny and an FBI visit? Terry Newsome joins The P.A.S. Report Podcast to expose the terrifying reality of how parental rights, free speech, and political dissent are being targeted by America's label-and-smear machine.

In this powerful episode, Terry Newsome, father of twins, Illinois Chapter President of Parents Involved in Education, and host of Behind Enemy Lines, tells his story of being targeted after challenging explicit material in local schools. The conversation breaks down a chilling timeline showing how the Southern Poverty Law Center, activist networks, legacy media outlets, and federal bureaucratic institutions can create a pipeline that intimidates parents, weaponizes labels, and silences ordinary Americans.

What You'll Learn In This Episode:

• The Local Catalyst: How Terry Newsome went from an ordinary father to a school board activist fighting for curriculum transparency.
• The SPLC Smear Machine: How a national ideological organization can turn local parental dissent into an "extremism" narrative.
• The Federal Fallout: How Terry says the SPLC campaign was followed by TSA PreCheck issues, repeated Quad-S travel screenings, and an FBI visit.
• The Media Echo Chamber: How legacy media amplification turns NGO hit pieces into public reputational attacks.
• The Fightback Strategy: What ordinary citizens can do when powerful public-private institutions try to chill free speech.

This episode exposes the SPLC machine, the weaponization of government agencies, and the growing danger of allowing unelected ideological organizations to influence law enforcement, shape public narratives, and target parents who refuse to stay quiet.

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Timestamps

• 00:00 The Fight Against Indoctrination
• 01:28 Awakening to Educational Concerns
• 03:48 The School Board Meetings and Activism
• 09:50 Targeted by the Southern Poverty Law Center
• 15:38 Consequences of Being Labeled a Radical
• 18:58 The Coordination of Antifa and SPLC
• 21:17 Legal Actions Against the SPLC
• 22:09 Personal Experiences with TSA and Domestic Terrorism
• 28:18 Engagement with Congress and Political Activism
• 31:32 The Role of Bureaucracy and Media in Politics
• 35:11 Awakening the Public to the Ongoing War

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The National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism has been rewritten and the domestic terror strategy has changed, but has the real problem actually been solved? Nearly five years after the Biden administration transformed domestic surveillance, the Trump administration narrowed the counterterrorism focus back toward violence and criminal conduct.

This episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast examines the Trump administration's revisions to the domestic terror framework, the constitutional dangers of the previous guidelines, and why the permanent bureaucracy remains one of the greatest threats to American liberty. While the revised strategy strips away vague ideological metrics like "anti-government" and "anti-authority" sentiment, the administrative machinery that enabled recent government abuses remains fully intact. From intelligence-sharing fusion centers to public-private censorship pipelines and sweeping surveillance authorities, the underlying weaponization infrastructure is merely waiting for the next administration.

What You'll Learn In This Episode:

• The Original Sin: How the 2021 Domestic Terror Strategy shifted the threshold away from criminal conduct and toward ideological "sentiment."
• The Overhaul: Why the Trump administration's policy pivot represents a necessary constitutional correction.
• The NSPM-7 Paradox: What National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 does, and how it could be turned against citizens again.
• The Surveillance Pattern: How the Patriot Act, Total Information Awareness, and PRISM reveal 25 years of expanding bureaucratic power.
• The Congressional Failure: Why Congress keeps passing clean FISA reauthorizations while abdicating real oversight.

Five years later, the debate is no longer about one president or one party. It is about whether a constitutional republic can survive a weaponized bureaucracy that treats political dissent, free speech, and ideological disagreement as predictive threat indicators.

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Episode Chapters

• 00:00 The Domestic Terror Strategy and the Threat to Liberty
• 05:44 How "Anti-Government Sentiment" Became a Warning Sign
• 08:23 The Rise of Domestic Ideological Surveillance
• 16:30 Trump's Revisions: A Necessary Course Correction
• 21:32 NSPM-7 and the Risk of Future Weaponization
• 29:11 The Permanent Bureaucracy Behind the Surveillance State
• 40:05 Why Congress Must Dismantle the Machinery

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Don't Tread on Me was never just a flag. It was Christopher Gadsden's warning about what happens when free people get comfortable with power.

In this episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, the America's Founding Series tells the story of Christopher Gadsden, the South Carolina patriot behind the iconic Gadsden flag and the enduring phrase, Don't Tread on Me. From the Stamp Act crisis to the fall of Charleston, from revolutionary defiance to imprisonment in St. Augustine, Gadsden's story reveals why liberty requires vigilance, courage, and a people willing to say no when government power goes too far.

What You'll Learn In This Episode:

• The Making of a Firebrand: How Christopher Gadsden became one of the most aggressive Patriot voices in South Carolina.
• The Danger of Incrementalism: Why the Stamp Act crisis was never just about a tax on paper, but about sovereignty, precedent, and arbitrary power.
• The Symbol of the Rattlesnake: The real meaning behind the Gadsden flag and why it was designed as a warning, not a call for conquest.
• The Test of Conviction: How the fall of Charleston and solitary confinement at Castillo de San Marcos tested Gadsden's dedication to the cause.
• The Modern Lesson: Why Gadsden's warning still matters as government power and bureaucratic authority continue to expand.

Christopher Gadsden's life was filled with contradictions, but his message remains clear: liberty dies when citizens stop guarding it. This episode connects the American Revolution, the Gadsden flag, limited government, and the founding generation's fight against tyrannical overreach to the challenges facing Americans today as we celebrate America 250.

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Timestamps

00:00 The Symbolism of the Gadsden Flag 02:59 Christopher Gadsden: A Complex Patriot 05:27 The Incremental Nature of Power 08:37 The Rattlesnake Flag: A Revolutionary Identity 11:25 Facing Consequences: Gadsden's Defiance 14:02 Lessons from Gadsden's Life and Legacy

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"Nazi" Smears & Campus Hypocrisy expose Higher Ed's Toxic Double Standard as universities preach civility while excusing ideological attacks. Universities love to talk about inclusion, safety, and respect, but what happens when a conservative professor is smeared in front of students and the university shrugs?

In this episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Nicholas Giordano speaks with professor, author, and Campus Reform Higher Ed Fellow Adam Ellwanger about his latest Campus Reform piece detailing how a colleague allegedly called him a "Nazi white supremacist" in front of an entire classroom. Ellwanger explains what happened, how the university responded, and why the incident reveals a much larger crisis inside American higher education.

The conversation goes beyond one campus smear to examine academic freedom, DEI loopholes, faculty ideological capture, declining college standards, weak writing skills, AI plagiarism, and the death of the college credential. Giordano and Ellwanger expose how higher education's toxic double standard protects leftist privilege while students, parents, taxpayers, and employers pay the price.

What You'll Learn In This Episode

• How "Nazi" smears and ideological labels are used to intimidate conservative professors and silence dissent.
• Why campus hypocrisy exposes a toxic double standard in university speech codes and professional standards.
• How DEI loopholes and faculty hiring practices keep higher education ideologically captured.
• Why the college credential is losing value as employers drop four-year degree requirements.
• How AI, poor writing skills, and collapsing academic standards are weakening critical thinking.

📲 Connect with the Show Read Adam Ellwanger's article at Campus Reform.

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Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction: "Nazi" Smears and Campus Hypocrisy
• 02:44 What Happened in the Classroom
• 05:38 The University's Response and Investigation
• 08:44 Higher Education's Toxic Double Standard
• 11:39 How Labels Silence Conservative Professors
• 18:22 DEI, Faculty Hiring, and Academic Rot
• 23:44 Is Higher Education Facing a Reckoning?
• 29:27 AI, Writing Skills, and Blue Book Exams
• 32:37 Why Writing Builds Critical Thinking
• 38:32 Final Thoughts on Higher Ed's Future

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How Government Dependency Destroys Freedom: America is being conditioned to believe dependency is compassion and success is selfish. In this episode, Professor Nicholas Giordano exposes how government growth, fraud, and victimhood politics are eroding self-reliance, capitalism, and the American spirit.

From the Vance fraud task force uncovering massive abuse in taxpayer-funded programs to New York City's fiscal collapse and California's homelessness disaster, this episode breaks down how bloated bureaucracies fail repeatedly while demanding more money and more power. The conversation explores the dangerous connection between economic dependency and political control using the ideas of Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell, while explaining why capitalism, personal responsibility, and self-governance remain essential to preserving liberty.

What You'll Learn:

• How government dependency weakens freedom and expands political control
• Why fraud, waste, and abuse are actively protected by the political class
• What Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell understood about economic freedom
• How failed government programs continue growing despite terrible results
• Why rebuilding self-reliance and accountability is essential to saving the republic

📲 If the American ethic is worth fighting for, take a moment to share this episode with friends, family, and colleagues, and leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction: When Did Success Become a Villain?
• 04:13 The Socialist Push and the Destruction of the Republic
• 08:41 The Collapse of Infrastructure and Education in New York
• 15:01 The Need for Capitalism and Free Enterprise
• 33:34 COVID, Government Mandates, and Economic Fear
• 39:44 The Dangers of the Victimhood Industrial Complex
• 44:33 The Importance of Personal Responsibility and Self-Reliance

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James Forten: From Prisoner to American Giant tells the remarkable story of a 14-year-old Revolutionary War patriot who refused to betray the American cause.

Born free in Philadelphia, captured by the British, and imprisoned aboard the notorious prison ship Jersey, James Forten returned home and built himself into one of America's most successful Black entrepreneurs. In this episode of the America's Founding Series, discover how Forten used capitalism, self-reliance, wealth creation, and moral conviction to fight for liberty and force America to live up to its founding promise.

Inside the Episode:

• The True Patriot: Why James Forten's Revolutionary War service reveals real American patriotism
• From Prisoner to Power: How Forten went from prisoner of war to dominant Philadelphia businessman
• Capitalist Liberation: Why wealth creation became a powerful tool for liberty and reform
• Reclaiming Citizenship: How Forten challenged colonization and claimed America as his home
• The Modern Lesson: What Forten teaches about capitalism, self-reliance, and America 250

James Forten's life is not a story of victimhood. It is a story of victory through courage, competence, and conviction. As America approaches its 250th birthday, his legacy reminds us why the American promise is worth knowing, defending, and passing on.

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Timestamps

• 00:00 The Courage of a Young Patriot
• 02:52 James Forten: A Story of American Exceptionalism
• 07:26 From Captivity to Success: Forten's Journey
• 11:46 Economic Independence and Civic Responsibility
• 18:47 Forten's Legacy: Building, Owning, and Leading

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Is the Deep State untouchable? Sharyl Attkisson joins The P.A.S. Report to expose how government abuse, media corruption, and bureaucratic immunity protect the powerful while punishing dissent.

Award-winning investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson, host of Full Measure and author of Follow the Science, breaks down the DOJ indictment of former Fauci adviser Dr. David Morens, the COVID coverup culture, FOIA abuses, public health fear campaigns, and the danger of partisan outside organizations influencing federal threat assessments. This episode examines how narrative control, censorship, and government immunity create a system where accountability becomes nearly impossible.

What You'll Learn:

• The Morens Indictment: How the David Morens case exposes deeper evasion tactics inside the public health bureaucracy.
• Evasion of Oversight: How bureaucrats evade FOIA and public records laws while Congress performs outrage.
• The Media Fear Machine: Why coordinated fear campaigns, including virus coverage, deserve skepticism after COVID.
• The Immunity Armor: How government immunity and legal barriers protect officials from accountability.
• Institutional Capture: How partisan outside organizations influence federal agencies and threat assessments.

Sharyl Attkisson reveals why government abuse thrives when the bureaucracy polices itself, the media protects preferred narratives, and citizens are left fighting a system designed to outlast them.

📲 Subscribe, listen, and share The P.A.S. Report Podcast to stay informed on the latest political issues shaping America.

Timestamps

• 01:30 David Morens, FOIA Abuse, and COVID Accountability
• 04:11 Why Congress Fails to Rein In Government Abuse
• 06:44 FISA, Surveillance, and Intelligence Community Power
• 10:23 Sharyl Attkisson's Fight Against Government Intrusion
• 13:40 Partisan Groups, Threat Labels, and Political Dissent
• 16:23 Hantavirus, COVID, and the Public Health Fear Machine
• 19:32 Bureaucrats Versus the President's Authority
• 23:34 Can Intelligence Agencies Actually Be Reformed?
• 26:03 Media Corruption, Narrative Control, and Propaganda
• 29:51 Conspiracy Theories and Why Questions Get Silenced

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Saving Democracy by Destroying It: The Democrat Power Grab exposes how the modern Left increasingly labels constitutional safeguards as "anti-democratic" when they block progressive power. From Hakeem Jeffries' floated judicial purge to Kamala Harris's "no bad idea" brainstorming on radical structural changes, this episode breaks down the effort to reshape America's governing framework.

The P.A.S. Report examines the Founders' original intent behind our constitutional republic and connects the dots between court packing, abolishing the Electoral College, eliminating the Senate filibuster, pushing D.C. statehood, weakening border enforcement, and mass amnesty. Host Nick Giordano explains why these are not random ideas, but part of a broader push to engineer a new country and cement permanent political dominance.

What You'll Learn In This Episode:

• The Judicial Death Spiral: Why court packing destroys the moral authority and legitimacy of the judiciary.
• The Electoral College Civics Lesson: Why the Founders rejected pure democracy and protected the voice of the states.
• The D.C. Statehood Power Play: Why the Left rejects retrocession and insists on statehood to alter the Senate.
• Reshaping the Electorate: How open borders and weakened safeguards affect American communities.
• The Linguistic Trick: How activists reframe checks and balances as "threats to democracy" to justify institutional arson.

📲 Subscribe, listen, and share The P.A.S. Report Podcast to stay informed on the latest political issues shaping America.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Democrats Redefine Democracy as Power
• 02:14 Attacking Constitutional Safeguards
• 06:55 Why the Founders Built Restraints
• 15:03 Court Packing and Judicial Legitimacy
• 19:38 The Electoral College Civics Lesson
• 34:36 D.C. Statehood and Senate Power
• 47:50 Why Civic Knowledge Still Matters

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Caesar Rodney: The Ride That Saved Independence tells the incredible true story of the forgotten Founding Father whose 80-mile midnight ride helped secure Delaware's vote for American independence.

Sick, disfigured by cancer, and battling a literal storm, Caesar Rodney rode through the night in July 1776 to cast the deciding vote that helped change the course of the American Revolution. While every American knows George Washington crossing the Delaware, few know about Caesar Rodney's desperate journey to Philadelphia to help unite the colonies behind independence. In this episode of America's Founding Series, host Nick Giordano explores the high-stakes political divisions inside the Continental Congress, the enormous risks facing the Founders, and the timeless lesson that liberty survives only when citizens show up.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Delaware's vote became a critical turning point for American independence
• How Caesar Rodney's physical suffering reveals the true meaning of sacrifice and duty
• Why George Read feared the colonies were moving too fast toward revolution
• The dramatic story behind Rodney's overnight ride through stormy conditions to Philadelphia
• What Caesar Rodney's actions teach about citizenship, courage, and self-government today

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Timestamps

• 00:00 Caesar Rodney's Midnight Ride
• 02:00 Not the Founder We Picture
• 05:45 Delaware's Divided Vote
• 07:45 The Message That Changed History
• 10:45 The 80-Mile Ride to Philadelphia
• 13:15 Rodney Arrives Just in Time
• 15:15 Liberty Requires Sacrifice

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