She Thinks

On this episode of “She Thinks,” gold star mom Karen Vaughn join us to share her story, her son’s story, and why she’s dedicated to bridging the gap between civilians and the military. Karen Vaughn is the mother of fallen US Navy SEAL, Aaron Carson Vaughn (SEAL Team VI) who was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011. Over the past eight years, Karen has emerged on the national scene as a powerful spokeswoman for not only our defenders still fighting on foreign soil and securing peace across the globe, but also as an advocate for a better, stronger, more resilient America. Karen is the bestselling author of World Changer: A Mother’s Story, she works with the non-profit her family began in honor and memory of her son, Operation 300, and a regular guest on news programs, interviewing with well over 100 national and local radio shows.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With public trust in the media at an all-time low, Carrie Sheffield joins the podcast to talk about media bias. We break down the causes and implications of “fake news”, the blurring of news reporting and opinion journalism, and name a few outlets that still present an unbiased view. Carrie is a visiting fellow at IWF and serves as National Editor for Accuracy In Media, a citizens’ media watchdog whose mission is to promote accuracy, fairness and balance in news reporting. Carrie covered Congress for The Hill and served as a founding reporter at POLITICO. She won a Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship and has published in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, HuffPost, Bustle, American Spectator and Daily Caller.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to more She Thinks Podcast here: http://iwf.org/podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, the director of Save Our States Trent England joins to discuss the Electoral College. With November 2020 only a little over a year away, there’s a national debate heating up over whether the Electoral College is still relevant. Trent joins to defend the Electoral College and explain why switching to a popular vote to determine our leadership would cause great harm to America’s rural communities. Trent England is the director of Save Our States, is an expert on the Electoral College, and regularly testifies against the National Popular Vote as bills come up in various state legislatures around the country. From NBC News to NPR affiliates to BuzzFeed News, Trent is a sought after commentator on presidential elections. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Daily Wire, and other publications, and is a contributor to two books—"The Heritage Guide to the Constitution” and “One Nation Under Arrest.” He previously hosted The Trent England Show and has guest hosted for Ben Shapiro.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inez Feltscher Stepman joins the podcast this week to talk about the issue of free speech on college campuses. With rising tuition costs and the increasing politicization of classroom space, public confidence in institutions of higher ed are at an all-time low. Inez breaks down where we are and why the free-speech victories in the courts are being ignored by many colleges and universities across the country. Read more here: http://iwf.org/publications/2810903/Policy-Focus:-Free-Speech-on-Campus-Inez is a senior policy analyst at the Independent Women’s Forum. She has worked in education policy for seven years, and prior to joining IWF was the Director of Education and Workforce Development at the American Legislative Exchange Council. Stepman’s research focuses on educational freedom, school choice, and the cultural impact of empowering parents with control over their children’s educations.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senator Marsha Blackburn joins the podcast this week to discuss the tough issue of Female Genital Mutilation, or what’s known as FGM. She and her colleagues in the Senate have made strides to protect young girls and women from FGM in the U.S., making it clear that Americans will not tolerate the abuse. Senator Blackburn gives an update on her legislation and recommends what else can be done to fully eradicate the practice. We also discuss her tenure in the Senate as well as her work as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Task Force where she’s tackling issues related to big tech. Marsha Blackburn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, and is currently serving her first term representing the state of Tennessee. Before her election to the Senate, Senator Blackburn represented Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Her public service is dedicated to promoting opportunities for women and making America a more prosperous place to live. Marsha’s leadership philosophy is based on her experiences in the private sector as a small business woman and author, as well as being a mother and grandmother.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the “She Thinks” podcast, Jarrett Stepman joins to talk about his new book “The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America’s Past”. This is a timely topic as we approach Columbus Day. Jarrett talks about the real motivations behind the push to rewrite history and considers whether or not we can honor the past while acknowledging our mistakes. Jarrett is a columnist for The Daily Signal, a multimedia publication of The Heritage Foundation, where he writes about how American history informs our present politics. He was a 2018 Lincoln Fellow for the Claremont Institute, and has appeared on Fox News, CNN, and the One America News Network. His columns have been published by The Federalist, The American Mind, RealClearPolitics, and Congressional Quarterly, among many other outlets. Jarrett lives in Washington, D.C

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of “She Thinks,” Jennifer Braceras joins the podcast to talk about the launch of the Independent Women’s Law Center. The Center aims to influence the debate about women and the law and provide a distinctly female perspective on issues related to equal opportunity, individual liberty, freedom of association, and access to justice. Jennifer discusses how they hope to achieve that aim as well as her take on important cases in the next year and whether or not RBG should be the icon that she is. Jennifer C. Braceras is a Boston Globe contributing columnist, and a former Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. A graduate of the Harvard Law School, Jennifer often writes about issues at the intersection of law, politics, and culture. In addition to her work for the Globe, Jennifer’s columns have appeared in a variety of publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the Hill and National Review Online, the She has been a guest on FOX News and CNN and appears regularly on WGBH-Boston and New England Cable News.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I recently spoke with Victoria Vasconcellos, a former long time smoker and the owner of Cignot Inc., which is an Illinois based brick and mortar e-cigarette retail store that aims to help smokers switch to vaping. Victoria has made it her mission to insure that smokers receive support and affordable access to what she considers a life changing option to smoking. She has personally assisted tens of thousands of smokers as they navigate the path to no longer smoking. Vasconcellos is a founding member of the Illinois chapter of the Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Assiciation and is the current President of the Smoke Free Alternatives Coalition of Illinois. Vasconcellos is on the front line of the battle to preserve e-cigarette products. Like many states, Illinois is considering a ban on vaping products. Vasconcellos and I discuss this proposed ban, how e-cigarette users will suffer under these regulatory actions, and how these types of restrictions will grow the black market, which will result in more dangerous, unsafe products in the marketplace.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the “She Thinks” podcast, Claudia Rosett joins to talk about the United Nations – a timely topic given the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in NYC this past week. Claudia explains how the UN came to be, analyzes whether or not it’s been an effective body since its establishment in 1945, and reviews what happened at their latest meeting. Claudia is a foreign policy fellow with Independent Women's Forum, and an award-winning journalist who has reported over the past 37 years from Asia, the former Soviet Union, Latin America and the Middle East. She is widely credited with groundbreaking reporting on corruption at the United Nations. She has contributed to numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. She makes frequent appearances on TV and radio, and has appeared before six U.S. Senate and House committees and subcommittees to testify on such topics as U.N. corruption and reform, and the Iran-North Korea strategic alliance.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.