Daily Signal

The transgender movement, like so many others, looks to federal courts for major policy breakthroughs. Today we talk to Alliance Defending Freedom's Gary McCaleb, who has perhaps the most close-up perspective imaginable when it comes to gender and the law. Plus: David Hogg, the lightning rod gun-control activist, goes ageist against Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats.

The Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky weighs in on the Molle Tibbetts case. The man charged with her murder is believed to be an illegal immigrant. Plus, von Spakovsky analyzes Michael Cohen's guilty plea and the implications for President Trump.

The Environmental Protection Agency has a new rule out--and unlike a rule from the Obama era, this one is friendly to coal producers. But the New York Times is reporting it could lead to more premature deaths per year. We sit down with Heritage expert Nick Loris to get the straight scoop. Plus: Facebook wants to identify malicious users, but a new initiative also raises troubling questions.

Pretty much everyone says they believe in human dignity, yet in 2018, some of our most contentious debates center on the basic question: Who really possesses that dignity? Dan Darling has a new book out on this very subject and we interview him. Plus: The polarizing comedian Michelle Wolf loses her Netflix show.

Students across America are already back in school or heading there soon. That’s once again put the focus on school safety—an issue that dominated the headlines last year in the wake of the tragic shootings in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas. On today’s show, we feature an interview with Andrew Pollack, who lost his daughter Meadow at Stoneman Douglas High School and founded the grassroots organization Americans for C.L.A.S.S. and a school safety campaign called #FixIt.

Also on today’s show:

High school sophomore Clay Sailor, a Daily Signal contributor this summer, wraps up his time with us and shares words of wisdom all Americans can learn from. Find out the valuable lessons he learned over the summer about civility, politics, and political activism.

Our favorite letters from you. Don’t forget, your letter could be featured next week; write us at [email protected] call 202-608-6205.

And this week’s good news story: an abused puppy gets another chance after a famous NFL quarterback rescues her.

The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review or give us feedback. Enjoy the show!

There's no need to hike taxes to give teacher raises. The Heritage Foundation's Jonathan Butcher outlines ways school district can costs in other areas--such as no longer operating 1,000 unused classrooms, as one district does--to free up dollars for hard-working teachers. Plus: A Mexican restaurant faces protests, online and offline, after sharing a photo of Attorney General Jeff Sessions eating at the restaurant.

We discuss Space Force with The Heritage Foundation’s John Venable. We also chat about "Crazy Rich Asians", the new romantic comedy in theaters this weekend, with podcast producer Thaleigha Rampersad.

Today, in addition to headlines, we're going to feature a podcast by our colleague, Michelle Cordero, called Heritage Explains, that features Kelsey Harkness’ reporting on the survivors of the Santa Fe High School shooting, and analysis from the Heritage Foundation's Amy Swearer.

Shelby Emmett, director of the Center to Protect Free Speech at the American Legislative Exchange Council, discusses the status of free speech right now. Plus: we analyze the media’s latest strategy on how to fight President Trump.

The Daily Signal’s all-star interns, Katherine Rohloff and Jeremiah Poff, join editor-in-chief Rob Bluey to discuss their summer in Washington. Find out why these two young conservatives are pursuing a career in journalism. Plus, highlights from the annual debate between conservative and libertarian interns and an interview with Attorney General Jeff Sessions about free speech on college campuses.