On day one, President Donald Trump began dismantling the Biden administration's costly energy agenda and replacing it with practical and sustainable energy solutions. 

Trump is restoring “balance” to American energy policy, according to Gabriella Hoffman, director of the Center for Energy and Conservation at the Independent Women’s Forum. 

The Trump administration is taking steps to increase U.S. energy production through fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, abandoning the previous administration’s green energy agenda. The president has also acted to restore common sense to America’s energy and environmental regulatory agenda, signing an executive order to end the forced use of paper straws, and discontinuing the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s investigation into gas stoves. 

The decisions made in Washington, D.C. over energy production and environmental regulations don’t stay there, they affect the price of goods at the store, gas pump, and even the availability of animal products. Hoffman joins the “Problematic Women” podcast to debunk some inaccurate but common claims about sustainable energy sources. She also explains the role of conservation in furthering a flourishing society. 

Follow the links below to keep up with Gabriella Hoffman’s work: 

https://www.iwf.org/people/gabriella-hoffman/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/district-of-conservation/id1435126030

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sportswoman-show-women-who-hunt-fish-and-trap/id1737110197

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“There’s no time like the present,” is an adage President Donald Trump appears to have taken to heart. Trump has been in office for less than a month and has successfully managed to keep every political journalist in America working overtime to keep up with the slew of actions. 

Open Google Maps on your phone and zoom out. The Gulf of Mexico is now The Gulf of America. Biden administration DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is long gone, replaced by Secretary Kristi Noem, who this week “clawed back” $59 million FEMA allocated to house illegal aliens in luxury hotels in New York City. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is exposing waste in D.C. and actively shrinking a federal government that did nothing but balloon for the past four years. So far, all of Trump’s cabinet picks, including Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have been confirmed, and all have pledged to restore common sense to the American government. 

This Valentine’s Day, “Problematic Women” is breaking down the biggest stories we are “swiping right” on. For all our readers who never had to use a dating app, you are blessed, and “swiping right” refers to letting someone know you are interested in starting a conversation. 

While Democrats might not feel the love in Washington, Americans largely appear pleased with the barrage of action coming out of the Trump administration. 

According to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll, Trump has a 53% approval rating and 70% of Americans say Trump is doing what he promised he would do. 

Catch this week’s edition of Problematic Women as we break down what Trump actions we are “swiping right” for. Plus, we share our favorite breakup and love songs, and offer some (hopefully helpful) dating tips.

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A return to common sense and traditional values remains the theme of the Trump administration. In his first two weeks, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders aimed at ending the radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling and dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.  

This fight to preserve the innocence of children is not new. Bonnie Wallace, a Texas native and Llano High School mother, has been advocating to protect children against unsolicited inappropriate content since 2021.  

As a lifelong reader and member of the Llano County Library Advisory Board, Wallace said she was shocked to discover books for children as young as 12 contained sexual content, heavy drug use, and references to suicide.  

She says that books found in Texas middle schools, high schools, and children’s sections included instructions on how to best ingest heroine, guidance on using apps like Grindr, and instructions on obtaining abortions without parental knowledge.  

Wallace explains that these same books, and others, appear on a list of 10,800 titles banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and she questions why books banned for prisoners are available in the children’s section of libraries.   

Even authors like Colleen Hoover have also addressed age appropriateness of their books. On Goodreads, Hoover stated that her books Verity, Too Late, and Ugly Love are not recommended for teens due to the adult nature of their content. 

Wallace continues to speak before school boards, encouraging them to relocate books with inappropriate content to adult sections. Since she began advocating for these changes, the Llano County Library removed 17 books due to content concerns.  

In response, seven Library patrons and at least one librarian have since filed lawsuits against the Llano County Library. Arguing that the removals violate their First Amendment rights. As of September 2024, a final ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is pending.  

Wallace joins “Problematic Women” to discuss her fight to our children from inappropriate content.  

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The relationship between Israel and the U.S. is not one of charity, according to national security expert Victoria Coates. 

Over the years, the “material assistance” the U.S. has provided Israel has shifted from largely being economic to “become security assistance,” Coates, vice president of the Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told the “Problematic Women” podcast. “This is a mutual investment in our safety, and that has borne great dividends. It's not stuff we can talk about on the podcast, but I can just assure the audience that those are real.” 

The Oct. 7th terrorist attack on Israel was not only a national security failure on the part of Israel, but also the U.S., according to Coates, who argues that the partnership keeps America’s adversaries in the Middle East at bay. 

“There's a reason the Iranians call us the big Satan and the Israelis the little Satan,” Coates said. “And everyone’s going to go after the little Satan first. But if they get the little Satan, guess who's next?” 

The relationship between Israel and the U.S. extends beyond the importance of the physical safety and survival of both nations and also includes a culture war - and issue Coates addresses in her new book, “The Battle For The Jewish State: How Israel―And America―Can Win.”

Coates joins “Problematic Women” to explain the history behind America’s friendship with Israel, and how the two nations can work together toward mutual national security and cultural interests, and to discuss President Donald’s Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Also on today’s show, we discuss why the Trump administration is dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Plus, we break down our favorite red carpet looks from the Grammys.

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The policies coming out of Washington, D.C. have the potential to affect Americans who have not even been born yet, whether for good or bad. 

The latest National Report Card from the National Assessment of Educational Progress pains an abysmal picture of education across the U.S.

The report card is published every two years and assesses the average reading and math scores for fourth and eighth graders. The report showed significant declines for students when it was published in 2022, but the decline was somewhat expected in the wake of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the assessment completed in 2024 and published Wednesday show little to no improvement for student’s math and reading proficiency. 

In 2024, 39% percent of fourth grade students performed at or above the proficient math level that is set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This is 3% higher compared to 2022, but 2 percentage points lower than in 2019. 

Eighth grade math scores are at 28% proficiency, which is about the same as 2022 scores, but eight points lower compared to 2019. 

Reading scores showed an even greater decline than math. 

In 2024, 31% of fourth grade students performed at or above the proficient level on the reading assessment. This is a 2 percentage point decline compared to 2022 and 4 percentage points lower than 2019, according to the report card. 

And 30% of eighth grade students performed at or above the proficient level in 2024, which was not significantly different from 2022, but lower compared to 2019.

But not all the news coming out of the government is negative for our kids right now. Take the confirmation hearing of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy, who President Donald Trump has tapped to head the Department of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday. He argued that the U.S. healthcare and food system needs to do a better job of keeping American’s healthy, and this can begin by taking practical steps to remove processed foods from school lunch programs. 

Or take the executive order Trump signed Tuesday to ban the use of federal dollars to fund or support irreversible transgender medical interventions for children. 

On this week’s edition of "Problematic Women," Madison Marino Doan, co-author of "Slacking: A Guide to Ivy League Miseducation," joins the show as we breakdown the ways the biggest pieces of news coming out of Washington could affect the next generation for years to come. 

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White House reporter Reagan Reese says she had more interactions with President Donald Trump in just one day than she did with President Joe Biden over the year and a half she spent covering the Biden White House. 

It was not unusual for the Biden administration to “call a lid,” a term used to dismiss White House reporters at the end of the news day, around 4:00 p.m., according to Reese. If the first two days in office are any indication, Reese says she expects to be working much longer hours while Trump is in office. 

Even after leaving the White House at 7 p.m. Tuesday night, Reese, who has worked as The Daily Caller’s White House correspondent since August 2023, said Trump was still working in the Oval Office. 

Reese joins this week’s edition of "Problematic Women" to discuss the first 48 hours of the Trump administration and Trump’s interactions with the press since he was sworn in on Monday. 

Also on today’s show, we discuss the slew of executive orders Trump has already signed on issues ranging from securing the southern border to requiring some federal employees to return to in person work. Plus, we share our favorite fashion looks from Inauguration Day!

Enjoy the show!

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California lawmakers appear almost as afraid of President-elect Donald Trump as they do of the wildfires that have raved 40,000 of their state. With fires still burning across Los Angeles County, California Democrats met to authorize $50 million in the state’s budget to “Trump proof” California.

State Senate Budget Committee Chair Scott Wiener, a Democrat, on Monday said he will amend the legislation to designate $25 million to provide illegal aliens living in California with legal services to avoid deportation. Trump and Tom Homan, who Trump tapped to be his border czar, have pledged to launch mass deportations of illegal immigrants, beginning with criminal illegal aliens.

“My GOP colleagues say we have to choose between helping LA recover from wildfires & protecting CA from Trump. But we can do both,” Wiener wrote on X.

AccuWeather estimates the total damage and economic loss from the California wildfire to be between $250 billion and $275 billion. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed at least $2.5 billion in emergency response funding in response to the fire.

But California Democrats are not the only bracing for the changes set to take effect under a Trump administration.

The U.S. military has also been put on notice regarding it’s DEI policies and previous vaccine mandates. If confirmed as Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth told senators during his hearing Tuesday that he will remove the woke agenda from the U.S. military and reinstate members of the military who were discharged for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

On this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” we discuss the ways the incoming Trump administration is putting the radical left on notice and bringing accountability back to government. Plus, we discuss the left’s reaction to the news that Carrie Underwood will perform at Trump’s inauguration. 

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It’s no secret that culture has heavily influenced politics over the years. Gay couples appeared in movies and TV shows long before the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015. Likewise, Marxist and socialist ideals have been glorified in Hollywood, making way for those ideas to be promoted by lawmakers in Washington. 

Now, conservative politics appear to be influencing culture in a way that has not been seen for some time. 

The political right watched in surprise Tuesday as Mark Zuckerberg, the chairman and CEO of Meta, Facebook's parent company, announced that Meta is embracing a free-speech model. Zuckerberg explained that Meta, which also includes Instagram, will end its use of “fact-checkers” and will instead move to a community-notes style of moderation, such as the one that the platform X currently uses. 

“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the changes. “So, we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.” 

The shift doesn't stop there. Before the 2024 presidential election season, few cultural figures openly expressed conservative views, but now everyone from Elon Musk to actor Zachary Levi to filmmaker Justine Bateman are speaking out freely about the conservative policy views they support. 

On this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” we examine some of the ways in which the 2024 election has already begun to affect American culture. 

Also on today's show, we discuss why Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chose to announces his resignation, the bipartisan passage in the House of the Laken Riley Act, and opine over the engagement of actress-singer Zendaya and actor Tom Holland.

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Crunchy moms who have spent years telling their child’s pediatrician they want to limit the vaccines their child receives may soon have an advocate in Washington, D.C. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to head the Department of Health and Human Services, is spending the week before Christmas meeting with Senators on Capitol Hill ahead of his expected confirmation hearing early next year. 

Kennedy has branded himself as the leader of the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, or MAHA, raising concerns over the obesity in this country, the processed food in American grocery stores, and the vaccines given to children. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2000, one in every 150 children had been identified with autism spectrum disorder. By 2020, this number had risen to one in every 36 children. Kennedy has voiced support for studies to examine if the rise in autism is linked to the increasing number of vaccines given to babies and children. 

“I’m not anti-vaccine, I just want good science,” Kennedy said in April during an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” adding, “I am against vaccine mandates.” 

Trump says he expects Kennedy to present him with reports on vaccines, but has assured the American people that they will still have access to vaccines. 

“You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine,” Trump told reporters during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. 

Kennedy’s “MAHA” movement comes at a time when many Americans are embracing health trends. The U.S. wellness economy is valued at $1.8 trillion, according to Global Wellness Institute. From ditching seed oils to taking a cold plunge, many Americans increasingly appear interested in living healthier lives. 

On this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” we discuss the popular health trends of 2024, how Kennedy could change the nation’s approach to health and wellness, and ways to avoid some of those Christmas goodies. 

Plus, God’s Goop founder Justyn McAndrews joins the show to discuss the surprising health benefits of beef tallow - the perfect gift for your crunchy friend or family member this Christmas.

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Like clockwork, December brings the anticipation of Christmas, holiday gatherings with families and friends, and the release of your personalized Spotify Wrapped. 

For you Pandora or Apple Music users out there, Spotify delivers a personalized “year in review” to each of its users in early December. Music lovers learn who their top artists were for the year, which songs they listened to most, and how their music preferences evolved over the year. Attend any Christmas party with those from Generation Z or Millennials and you are bound to hear at least one reference to “my Spotify Wrapped.” 

Inspired by Spotify Wrapped, on this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” we reveal what America’s Spotify Wrapped would be for 2024. First, we kick off the conversation with the top five political figures of the year, followed by the biggest cultural names, and the major events that drove the news cycle each quarter. 

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