36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969
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The official story has Lee Harvey Oswald firing three shots from a sixth-floor window, yet the witnesses on the stairs never saw him flee, the paraffin test on his cheek came back clean, and J. Edgar Hoover himself admitted the voice on the Oswald tape from Mexico City belonged to another man.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/ConspiracyInDallasREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8hjttrFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Was there a conspiracy to murder President John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza in 1963? (Conspiracy In Dallas) *** A Weirdo family member tells of his own personal experience with what might've been a hell hound. (The Dog That Wasn't There) *** One island, one couple, one murder. We'll look at the strange life and death of Rolf Neslund. (The Rolf Neslund Murder) *** She was murdered in November of 1901. Her lover spent more than a dozen years in prison, proclaiming his innocence, before being pardoned by the governor. So why did he commit suicide soon after getting out of prison? We'll look at the strange murder of – and eventual haunting by - Nell Cropsey. (The Lingering Ghost of Nell Cropsey)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:01:09.039 = Show Open00:02:46.404 = Conspiracy In Dallas00:20:59.391 = The Dog That Wasn't There ***00:22:36.375 = The Rolf Neslund Murder 00:31:41.043 = Lingering Ghost of Nell Cropsey ***00:40:08.752 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES: “Conspiracy In Dallas” posted at The Unredacted: http://bit.ly/weirddarkness2YVxMdq“The Dog That Wasn't There” by Weirdo family member Daniel Mulberry“The Rolf Neslund Murder” by Elizabeth Tilsa: http://bit.ly/weirddarkness2KywOAX“The Lingering Ghost of Nell Cropsey” by Troy Taylor: http://bit.ly/weirddarkness2UnJ2Rb(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: November 28, 2021Weird Darkness host Darren Marlar moves from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas to a phantom black dog in the English county of Dorset, the murder and dismemberment of a retired sea captain on a quiet island in Washington's San Juan archipelago, and the 1901 killing of a young woman in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, whose spirit is said to still walk her family home.It opens in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, where President John F. Kennedy was shot and the Warren Commission, headed by Judge Earl Warren, concluded in 1964 that ex-Marine Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots alone from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Eyewitnesses undercut that account from the start: Arnold Rowland saw two men at the window minutes earlier, one holding a rifle and neither matching Oswald, while secretaries Victoria Adams and Sandra Styles and caretaker Jack Dougherty never saw Oswald flee down the only staircase he could have used. The episode dismantles Arlen Specter's single-bullet theory — the claim that Commission Exhibit 399 passed through Kennedy's neck and inflicted five separate wounds on Governor John Connally before turning up nearly pristine on a Parkland Hospital stretcher — a conclusion Connally and his wife Nellie both rejected and Abraham Zapruder's home film contradicts on timing. Oswald's negative paraffin test, his suspicious 1959 defection to the Soviet Union and fluent Russian, his leafleting against the Fair Play for Cuba Committee alongside FBI-linked investigator Guy Banister, and a Mexico City impersonation so plain that J. Edgar Hoover told President Lyndon Johnson the recorded voice and surveillance photograph did not match the man in custody all steer the evidence away from a lone gunman. The thread ends with Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby, whose out-of-state mob contacts spiked twenty-fivefold before he shot Oswald on live television and whose 1965 hint that the truth would never surface still shadows the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle that remains the strongest piece against the accused.From there the tone turns to folklore and a listener's firsthand sighting of Black Shuck, the spectral black dog reported for centuries across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and East Anglia and long treated as an omen of coming disaster. Camping alone beside a medieval moat near Raoul Castle in East Dorset, he watched the dark shape of a large dog settle on the far embankment and stare back at him, then rise and dissolve into nothing as every nearby sound of wildlife cut out, leaving him zipped inside his tent until morning.Next comes the disappearance of Rolf Neslund, an 83-year-old retired sea captain who in 1978 drove a 550-foot freighter into the West Seattle Bridge before retreating into a drink-soaked marriage on Lopez Island in Washington's San Juan Islands. When Rolf vanished in August 1980, his wife Ruth insisted he had flown home to Norway, yet his prescriptions went unfilled, his American and Norwegian bank accounts went untouched, and no Christmas card reached his relatives that December. In 1982 Ruth's brother told police she had confessed that on August 8, 1980, a second brother held Rolf down while she shot him twice in the head, after which the body was dismembered in the bathtub, burned in a backyard barrel, and scattered on the manure pile. A search turned up replaced carpet over bloodstains, spatter on the ceiling, and a bloodstained .38-caliber Smith & Wesson hidden in Ruth's dresser, tying her to a killing that began as a fight over the roughly $80,000 she had quietly moved into an account bearing only her name; convicted in 1985 and sentenced to twenty years, she maintained her innocence until her death at seventy-three.The episode closes with nineteen-year-old Nell Cropsey, who walked onto the front porch of her family's Elizabeth City, North Carolina home with her suitor Jim Wilcox on the night of November 20, 1901, and was never seen alive again. Her body surfaced in the Pasquotank River on December 27, her death caused by a violent blow to the left temple, and Wilcox — the son of the local sheriff, known for a fierce temper — was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to thirty years before Governor Thomas Walter Bickett pardoned him in 1918. Once freed, Wilcox sought out newspaper editor W.O. Saunders to reveal something so startling that Saunders began planning a book, but Wilcox killed himself with a shotgun before he could tell it, Saunders died soon afterward in a car wreck, and whatever he knew went with them. More than a century on, the former Cropsey home still answers with lights that switch on and off, doors that open by themselves, faucets that run with no hand on the tap, and a pale young woman glimpsed crossing empty rooms and gazing from an upstairs window — recognized by more than one resident as Nell, her killing never truly solved.
Darrell Castle talks about a bill currently working its way through the U.S. Congress which would, if passed, literally integrate the U.S. and Israeli militaries and would put funding for the Israeli military on auto pilot. Will it pass and be signed by the President? Many people seem to think it will so he takes a look at it today. THE ISRAELIZATION OF THE U.S. MILITARY Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 12th of June in the year of our Lord 2026. I will be talking about a bill currently working its way through the United States Congress which would, if passed, literally integrate the U.S. and Israeli militaries and would put funding for the Israeli military on auto pilot. Will it pass and be signed by the President. Many people seem to think it will so we take a look at it today. Yes, unfortunately it seems that certain members of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the United States are now ready to complete the process of uniting the two countries militaries. The first bill introduced in the House would have literally combined the two. Many of the Israel first politicians are already dual citizens so why not complete the process and stop all the hypocrisy. Just go ahead and make the U.S. military the official enforcement arm of Israeli foreign policy. The most egregious provision of the original bill is that the benefits due to American veterans like me, such as medical and educational benefits would have also been available to all Israeli veterans. That would have been a supreme insult to every American veteran who has ever served. The last time I checked there were about 15 million living American veterans so why not just insult them all while they are still alive. Just tell them all that “your service to this nation meant nothing” but certainly no more to America than an Israeli veteran meant to America. Fortunately, that portion of the bill was pulled before it advanced but there are rumors that it is still out there in Congress or at least in some of their minds and it will be added back in. The bill being considered is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would fund the U.S. military for another year. According to members of the House whose opinions I have read, there is near certainty that Section 224 of that bill will pass through the House and become law with the President's signature. Congressman Ro Khanna, Democrat, and Thomas Massie, Republican tried to pass an amendment to delete Section 224 but the amendment failed. That section will set up a “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative” that integrates US-Israeli military research and development co-production of weapons systems, licensing agreements, AI, directed energy. Data integration, and missile defense. It creates the framework for bilateral research and development, co-production of weapons, joint ventures, licensing agreements, and virtually every manner of U.S.-Israeli military cooperation. The Director of this “Initiative” who will be responsible for coordination of the work will reportedly be an Israeli. The funding will come 100% from the U.S, treasury through part of the $1.5 trillion defense budget requested by President Trump. The purpose as stated is to fully connect the functionality of the U.S. military with that of the Israeli military in what is being described as an equal partnership that will include the government of Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces as full partners. There will be intelligence sharing and in fact the bill includes a requirement that intelligence must be shared. Israeli forces will be included in the planning process of how U.S. weapons are developed and procured. This serves to explain at least in part why Netanyahu has been indicating recently that Israel might be willing to forego some of the mandatory $3.8 billion the U.S. gives it every year. He obviously knows there is an even bigger slice of American Pie coming his way via Section 224. The intelligence sharing portion of the bill was introduced by Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas which he calls “US-Israel Intelligence Sharing Enhancement.” Interestingly, at the same time the New York Times recently carried an article entitled “Pentagon Sees Growing Espionage Threat from Israel.” The article is sourced to the Defense Intelligence Agency which says that the espionage threat from Israel is at the highest possible level and even says that Israel eavesdropped on negotiations between the United States and Iran conducted in Pakistan. The senators pushing this bill often refer to Israel as our best friend and most trusted ally but at the same time the DIA has that country listed as the highest possible espionage threat. Just to keep following this espionage threat let me tell you or remind you of a couple of things this best friend has done during its roughly 78 years as a political nation. In 1984 when a man named Yitzhak Shamir was prime minister and Ronald Reagan was the US president; Israel dispatched an American of dual citizenship named Jonathan Pollard to do some spying against the US. Pollard worked in the US defense establishment and had access to some of the most highly classified military secrets. He stole and delivered the entire 10 volume DIA manual of in person or human intelligence operatives all over the world. The manual contained the names and locations of US intelligence operatives working in the Soviet Union and Communist China both countries in a desperate cold war with the US. Pollard delivered the manual along with many other vital intelligence documents to his handlers in Israel. Can you guess what our best friend and most trusted ally did with the manual and other information. Yes, that's right, they gave it to the Soviet Union and Communist China in exchange for “favors”. Thousands of US personnel along with foreign operatives working with US Intelligence were arrested and many were killed so I guess as the saying goes with friends like that who needs enemies. Pollard did his work in 1984 and in 1987 he was sentenced to life in prison and he served exactly 30 years plus five years of probation. He was then allowed to move to Israel where he has hero status. The American Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, had him over to the US Embassy for a little get together recently. That Pollard incident illustrates the one-sided relationship the US has with Israel quite clearly but as bad as it was it was not the worst. No, the worst happened in 1967 when a man named Levi Eshkol was Prime Minister of Israel and Lyndon Johnson was US President. In fact, last Monday the 8th of June was the 59th anniversary of the Israeli attack on an American ship named USS Liberty. The Liberty was an intelligence gathering ship operating in International Waters in the Eastern Mediterranean when it was attacked by air forces of Israel. This attack was not an accident or improper identification or anything except a deliberate act of murder. The Liberty, an unarmed vessel, was relentless bombed and strafed by Israeli jets while clearly flying the American flag. The attack severed the radio mast and cut off the crew's ability to send a distress call but one crewman managed to climb on deck despite strafing fire, raise an antenna and get off a distress call. Out in the Med a US carrier heard the message and immediately launched jets for a rescue effort. I can tell you from a lot of personal experience that there is nothing that motivates US soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines like coming to the rescue of brothers in trouble. Unfortunately, the US Commander in Chief, Lyndon Johnson personally ordered the Carrier captain to withdraw his jets. They left Liberty to die on its own but the little ship and its crew refused to die. 34 men were killed and 171 wounded but the ship would not sink and made it back to port. The pilots of our most trusted friend and ally even machine-gunned wounded sailors in the water something honorable men do not do even when their nations are at war. No real investigation by government investigators with subpoena power has ever been conducted to my knowledge. Oh, there was a cursory inquiry as there always is but according to reporter Donald Jeffries who did a yeoman's job of private investigation and who has written extensively about the matter President Johnson ordered the board of inquiry to rule it an accident. Why did the Israelis attack the USS Liberty. Without going into a lot of what amounts to guesswork, it was probably because Israel was fighting what came to be known as the six-day-war against a coalition of enemy nations one of which was Egypt. The Liberty was to be sunk and the incident blamed on the Egyptians which would have given the US an excuse to enter the war against Egypt as retaliation. In both the Liberty attack and the Pollard incident not a single thing regarding US policy toward Israel changed. Not one dollar was cut from the very generous support. Compare this to the reaction upon news this week that an Apache Attack Helicopter had been shot down in the Persian Gulf near Hormuz. The President said he would retaliate with a massive bombing attack and would “take over” Iran's petroleum industry. I don't believe the story which makes no sense but not much in this war makes sense. An Apache is an attack helicopter with a mission of finding and destroying enemy armor but it can be used for armed reconnaissance as well. Perhaps that was its mission over the Gulf. It landed in the water with no injuries to crew so no I don't believe it and it was probably done by Israel if it was done at all. I don't think it was more than an excuse to resume the war. Finally, folks, the US has reportedly given Israel more than $300 billion since its founding in 1948 but it is on the brink of an even more egregious relationship whereby it combines its military with that of Israel. Something causes Washington politicians to shower our money that we work for on Israel and to support it while it robs the US at home and commits mass murder abroad. Why is the question. If all our politicians are blackmailed prostitutes shouldn't we have some knowledge of our worth, How much do they get from the pimps who own them. At least that's the way I seen it. Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.
At a recent Immigration Newsmaker hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, Rodney Scott, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, joined Center Executive Director Mark Krikorian for an in-depth conversation on the challenges facing CBP and the administration's broader enforcement strategy. The discussion examined current efforts to secure both the southern and northern borders, combat human smuggling and cartel activity, expand border wall system construction, strengthen coordination with ICE, and facilitate lawful trade and travel while protecting national security.Commissioner Scott oversees the front lines of America's border and national security operations. Under the leadership of DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, CBP has taken on an increasingly central role in implementing the administration's immigration and border security agenda, making Commissioner Scott one of the most consequential voices in immigration policy today.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestRodney Scott is the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.LinksPress ReleaseVideoTranscriptIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Faithful listeners of the podcast know it has been several months since our last regular episode, but this hiatus was for a very good reason. Behind the scenes, I have been collaborating with John Clarence, the premier researcher on the Noss/Victorio Peak Gold Story, to develop an expansive new podcast series on that topic. You might be wondering why a JFK podcast is pivoting to a story about buried treasure. The truth is, the Victorio Peak gold story directly intersects with the lives of JFK and RFK, exposing hidden sides of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon that will give you serious pause and fundamentally change how you evaluate those presidencies…and perhaps for at least one of those men, how you evaluate his potential involvement in the JFK assassination.However, before we can understand Victorio Peak, we need a prelude. That prelude starts this weekend with a multi-episode deep dive into a well-documented, yet often overlooked, World War II event: the discovery of the Merkers salt mine. In April 1945, advancing American forces uncovered the staggering wealth of the Third Reich, mostly stolen from neighboring countries during the war. At this late stage of the war, it was now hidden deep underground, including 8,198 gold bars and a horrifying quantity of SS loot stripped from concentration camp victims. This well documented historical event is crucial because it goes directly to understanding how the U.S. government and our military at the time looked upon massive treasures of stolen gold, and how they may have ultimately handled portions of it. It sets the foundational stage for the Victorio Peak story that follows.If the idea of the government secretly moving and hoarding massive caches of gold sounds like a fictional tie-together, a chilling coincidence from this past week proves otherwise. In this 7-minute teaser, I weave our upcoming historical narrative covering the Merkers mine with the shocking, breaking news of David Rush. Rush, a former senior CIA officer with top-secret clearance, was arrested after an FBI raid on his home uncovered 303 one-kilogram gold bars—valued at roughly $40 million—sitting in a basement safe. Prosecutors allege that Rush created a fake, highly classified "black box" Special Access Program to request this incredible wealth directly from the CIA for supposed "work-related expenses".This modern-day scandal takes the historical rumors of hidden government gold and makes them very real in the modern realm. It forces us to pause and rethink what is possible as we begin to stitch this massive web together. The hiatus is over. Listen in to this teaser as we prepare to journey into the Merkers Mine, with four episodes due out this weekend, telling this chilling World War II story. And from there... we go to Victorio Peak, and beyond.
The latest episode of the Center for Immigration Studies podcast examines a recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memo emphasizing that adjustment of status - the process allowing certain aliens, either temporary visa holders or unlawfully present, who are eligible for permanent residence to obtain it without leaving the United States - is a discretionary benefit and not a guaranteed alternative to consular processing abroad.The discussion between Senior Legal Fellow George Fishman and Director of Policy Studies Jessica Vaughan is accompanied by a new report and a policy blog on the subject.Among the key findings:Congress created adjustment of status under section 245 of the new Immigration and Nationality Act in 1952 largely to eliminate the need for temporary visa holders already in the United States to travel outside the U.S. for immigrant visa processing to permanent status.In FY2023, which is the most recent year for which statistics on adjustment of status admissions are available, the number of adjustments was 608,260 out of 1,172,910 total immigrant admissions, or 52 percent. Of these adjustments, by far the largest share were in the category of Immediate Relatives (315,830). In contrast, in 2023 only 146,880 people adjusted in all the employment categories combined, although this represented 75 percent of all employment LPR admissions.The policy change is expected to have its greatest impact on certain family-based applicants, including some who overstayed visas, violated the terms of admission, or entered illegally and received parole.While USCIS has broad discretion in adjustment decisions, courts have held that such discretion is not unlimited and may be reviewed for abuse of discretion.Existing legal precedent does not clearly support treating the mere act of seeking adjustment of status as a negative factor weighing against an applicant.USCIS has indicated that it may exercise discretion and offer some applicants the opportunity to adjust if it is in the national interest, such as in the case of applicants with meaningful employment or for humanitarian considerations.Fishman's report concludes that the legal significance of the directive will depend on how USCIS implements it in practice. If denial rates rise substantially or applications are denied absent meaningful adverse factors, litigation challenging those decisions is likely to follow (if federal courts allow legal challenges to adjustment denials outside of removal proceedings).Vaughan argues that the policy could strengthen the integrity of the immigration system as overstayers and parolees will no longer apply for fear of being caught for extended unlawful presence.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsJessica Vaughan is the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.George Fishman is a Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.LinksUSCIS Upends the Status Quo for Adjustment of StatusUSCIS Blocks Green Card Shortcut for Overstayers and ParoleesIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In 1976 historian George H. Nash wrote The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945, a celebrated historical accounting that established much of the narrative for how we think about the development of modern conservatism even today. But much has changed since the seventies. What can the history of conservatism tell us about this present moment, and what can it tell us about where things may be heading? Dr. Nash joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to unravel the past, present, and future of conservatism in the United States. About George H. Nash George H. Nash is the epitome of a gentleman and a scholar. A graduate from Amherst College who received his Ph.D. in History from Harvard University, Dr. Nash is an authority on the histories of American conservatism and the life of President Herbert Hoover. Dr. Nash is an independent scholar, historian, and lecturer. He speaks and writes frequently about the history and present direction of American conservatism, the life of Herbert Hoover, the legacy of Ronald Reagan, the education of the Founding Fathers, and other subjects. His writings have appeared in the American Spectator, Claremont Review of Books, Intercollegiate Review, Modern Age, National Review, New York Times Book Review, Policy Review, University Bookman, Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He has lectured at the Library of Congress; the National Archives; the Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson presidential libraries; the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum; the Hoover Institution; the Heritage Foundation; the McConnell Center; and at various universities and conferences in the United States and Europe. Several of his lectures have been featured on C-SPAN. He has also been interviewed by C-SPAN, National Public Radio, numerous radio stations, and the print media. Dr. Nash lives in Massachusetts.
The New York Times‘ obituary (5/18/26) for former LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman quotes him saying that “policemen never get the benefit of the doubt.” The racism of Mark Fuhrman, the Los Angeles police detective whose involvement in the O.J. Simpson murder investigation helped sink the prosecution's case, was so well-known comedian Dana Carvey once mocked him with a Nazi salute, calling him “Mark the Fuhrer-man.” Fuhrman's death this month (New York Times, 5/18/26) took middle-aged and older Americans back to 1995, when the televised trial of Simpson, accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, dominated media for much of the year. During the trial, audio recordings and witness testimony revealed Fuhrman's use of the n-word and other racist views, sinking his credibility as the cop responsible for recovering the “bloody glove,” the key piece of evidence tying Simpson to the killings. Because he had previously testified that he never used the word, it opened an opportunity for the defense to suggest he wasn't honest about other things—and had a motivation to frame a Black celebrity. Unrelenting racism In July 2017, CNN‘s Kyra Phillips played new excerpts from the Fuhrman tapes. The tapes portrayed hours of unrelenting racism. “All these n*****s in L.A. city government…all of them should be lined up against a wall and fucking shot,” he said. And often sexism as well: “What if I’ve just been raped by two buck n*****s, and a female shows up?” During the trial, witness Kathleen Bell testified that Fuhrman had said, “If I had my way, all the n*****s would be gathered together and burned.” Bell told the court, “When he sees a Black man with a white woman driving in a car, he pulls them over,” with no traffic violation needed (Washington Post, 9/5/95). Fuhrman became the national representation of the American racist cop. He invoked the Fifth Amendment when questioned about his handling of evidence (LA Times, 9/7/95), offering the shadow of a doubt the jury needed to acquit the former football and movie star. In his fiery closing argument, defense attorney Johnnie Cochran characterized Fuhrman as “this perjurer, this racist, this genocidal racist.” Fuhrman pleaded no contest to a perjury charge a year later (CNN, 10/2/96). But there was something bigger about Fuhrman, and it's something we can deeply feel in the media environment today. ‘Unwitting catalyst’ Mark Fuhrman interviewed in ESPN‘s OJ: Made in America (2016). The legal “dream team” Simpson assembled certainly focused on pushing the jury for an acquittal—that's a defense lawyer's job. But as outlined in both the dramatized The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story on FX and ESPN's OJ: Made in America, defense lead Cochran also built a larger case for a larger audience. (Side note: FAIR's Janine Jackson briefly appears in the ESPN documentary in a segment about media coverage of the trial.) Nicole Brown Simpson was killed at her Los Angeles home, along with Ron Goldman, on June 12, 1994, just two years after the city was engulfed in racial rioting as a result of an acquittal of police officers who had been videotaped brutally beating a Black man, Rodney King. For much of America, the rioting was a dividing moment. Civil rights activists saw it as the explosion of a powder keg under pressure of decades of tension between LA's Black community and the cops. A great deal of white America saw the rioting as an inexplicable overreaction. Press voices had their doubts too. Newsweek (5/10/92) called the looting “a manic fiesta, a TV game show with every looter a winner.” Cochran set out to change the narrative, to demonstrate to the white public that Black Los Angeles has systemically suffered from racist policing. Ben Ehrenreich (Guardian, 4/22/20): “The thousands of African Americans who migrated to Los Angeles from the Jim Crow south had found similar cruel realities awaiting them.” In Set the Night on Fire, Mike Davis and Jon Weiner outline the ongoing war against the Black community by LA cops in the 1960s, erupting in the 1965 Watts riots. From the Guardian‘s review (4/22/20): LA's police make dramatic appearances in almost every chapter, clubbing peaceful protesters, brutalizing activists and killing so many Black men, and with such absolute impunity, that Davis and Wiener's claim that “the Manson gang were bit players compared to the forces of law and order” ends up feeling more than fair. In the authors' telling, the wanton violence of the police acted as a consistent if unwitting catalyst to historical change: It was the chaos that followed a ferocious LAPD assault on anti-war protesters that added to Lyndon Johnson's decision not to run for re-election in 1968, and the LAPD's murder of a Black Muslim named Ronald Stokes—seven other Muslims were shot in the same incident—that pushed Malcolm X towards a broader vision of Black liberation. The shared experience of LAPD violence, Davis and Wiener write, forged a “common culture of resistance” among Black and Chicano youth, white hipsters and anti-war activists, and the city's gay community. This situation hardly improved with the economic turmoil of the 1970s, or the reactionary retreat of the 1980s. For many Black Angelenos, the 1992 riots weren't about one videotape, but about this entire history. Cochran had an opportunity to reveal the situation in the early ’90s to America. And with Fuhrman, who was called by the prosecution to bring the bloody glove into evidence, Cochran was able to show a feverishly racist man at the center of this investigation. ‘Kill somebody and go have some chicken’ Sean Hannity (Hannity, 1/10/23) interviewing Pam Bondi (then a former Florida attorney general) and Mark Fuhrman. In the end, Simpson was acquitted, and Fuhrman became a symbol of a divided America. It’s quite telling that the disgraced cop later found a landing place on Fox News. The Murdoch media empire created the news network the year after the Simpson trial as the antithesis to what it claimed was a liberal slant in corporate television news. Bringing on Fuhrman as a recurring guest—and, later, giving him his own show on Fox Nation—didn’t just promote his own public rehabilitation, it foretold a shift in “acceptable” discourse on right-wing TV. Fox‘s Greta van Susteren (5/19/05) defended having him on as a frequent guest: Mark happens to be a very, very, very smart detective—one of the best I have ever worked with and I have worked with many. He really thinks about the investigations we book him on the show to discuss. But Fox was attracted to Fuhrman not by his smarts, but by his hate. The racism that spilled out in the Simpson trial—Fuhrman's animosity toward the people who he was sworn to protect and serve—catered directly to the Fox audience. Another Fox star that routinely showcased Fuhrman was Sean Hannity (Extra!, 9/13). On Hannity & Colmes (11/16/06; cited by Media Matters, 11/20/06), Fuhrman asserted that the the type of “people” he “dealt with … for 20 years” will kill somebody and go have some chicken at KFC. You will catch them eating chicken and drinking a beer after they just murdered three people. He added that “these people are out there. They’re all over the place.” In another appearance, Hannity (Hannity, 7/16/13) brought the ex-cop on to speculate on whether Black people would riot if George Zimmerman were found not guilty of murdering an unarmed Trayvon Martin in Florida. “Mark, it seems to me like it's going to be a dangerous scenario for the cities where this is going to occur,” said Hannity. Fuhrman replied, “I think you're right, Sean,” and proceeded to fantasize about protesters “assaulting people, assaulting officers, so when you cross that line, it's pretty obvious, and, you know, this is completely drawn on racial lines now.” ‘They just take more and more’ “You can always find something that doesn’t look like justice was served one way or another,” Mark Fuhrman tells Megyn Kelly (and right-wing novelist Brad Thor) on Fox‘s Kelly File (7/8/16). Fuhrman had nothing but contempt for the Black Lives Matter movement erupting in Ferguson, Missouri. He told Fox News' Megyn Kelly (8/10/15): Stopping traffic is not a lawful demonstration. Stopping pedestrians is not a lawful demonstration. Stopping regular traffic on sidewalks in front of buildings. That is not lawful demonstrations. And they should enforce it. And you know, when you allow some kind of, you know, leeway, they just take more and more. And now we have people that are not on the city council and they’re not on the police department, no matter how represented the Black community is. They are not there. You’re dealing with gang members and street drug dealers that are just hanging out. They’re armed and they’re taking advantage of a hesitant police department. How did Fuhrman respond to a video of “a white school police officer in a Columbia [South Carolina] classroom grabbing an African-American student by the neck, flipping her backward as she sat at her desk, then dragging and throwing her across the floor” (New York Times, 10/26/15)? He made the officer a saint on Fox. Media Matters (10/27/15) quoted Fuhrman: He requested her. He verbally did that. The next level is he put a hand on her. She escalated it from there. He used soft control. He threw her on the ground, he handcuffed her. He didn’t use mace. He didn’t use a Taser. He didn’t use a stick. He didn’t kick her. He didn’t hit her. He didn’t choke her. He used a minimal amount of force necessary to effect an arrest. In 2019, he attacked Democratic presidential hopefuls for their police reform rhetoric on the Ingraham Angle (8/2/19), saying those politicians were looking to win “that 18-to-25-year-old base that is involved in all these movements—these anti-government, anti-establishment, anti-republic, anti-Trump” movements. He eventually was given his own show on Fox News spinoff Fox Nation, the Fuhrman Diaries, which ran from 2018 to 2022. (Fox promoted him as “America's most controversial detective”—LA Times, 11/29/18.) ‘Total reputational annihilation’ Just because someone lied under oath about using racial slurs dozens of times doesn’t mean they should be canceled (Wall Street Journal, 5/20/26)—and by “canceled,” we mean given their own TV show. People can and do change over time. Fuhrman gave a somewhat nuanced view on Fox News (Ingraham Angle, 5/29/20) about the police killing of George Floyd, which resulted in widespread political unrest. He called Floyd's killing “a slow-motion homicide,” and said the video footage was “a slow and really painful thing to watch of somebody grinding somebody’s face into the pavement until they’re dead.” At the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal, columnist Matthew Hennessey (5/20/26) christened Fuhrman a victim of cancel culture, admitting that he was a “bad cop,” but that he was among the first to suffer the total reputational annihilation that has become a hallmark of life in the digital era, where everything you say—or have ever said—will one day be used against you in the court of public opinion. It’s a strange sort of “reputational annihilation” that gets you regularly showcased on a national cable TV network, and then gives you your own show. Fuhrman’s afterlife as a commentator foretold a media conservatism that flips the narrative about racist policing on its head, where prejudice becomes a sign of expertise. It’s a legacy we live with today in MAGA America, even with Fuhrman having departed this world. Research assistance: Priyanka Bansal
Send us Fan MailWe look at LBJ's Great Society and determine its legacy.
The latest episode of the Center for Immigration Studies podcast examines how the federal government can reduce illegal immigration through administrative, financial, and workplace enforcement measures designed to encourage self-deportation rather than relying primarily on large-scale arrest operations.Andrew Arthur, the Center's fellow in law and policy, joins George Fishman, the Center's senior legal fellow, to discuss what they describe as “briefcase immigration enforcement” — the wide range of legal and regulatory tools available to federal agencies that can make it more difficult for illegal aliens to remain and work in the United States indefinitely.The discussion follows recent Center blogs analyzing President Trump's Executive Order, “Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System,” which directs federal agencies to examine how banking regulations, lending practices, and identification requirements may facilitate illegal immigration and unlawful employment.The podcast examines measures such as requiring proof of legal status to send remittances abroad, restricting access to the U.S. banking system for those here unlawfully, and imposing criminal and civil penalties on aliens who fail to depart within 90 days of receiving final removal orders. The discussion covers proposals to send Social Security “no-match” letters to employers, make more it difficult for illegal aliens to obtain identification documents and driver's licenses, revoke commercial driver's licenses issued improperly, and expand employers' access to photo-matching verification to confirm worker identity and employment eligibility.In the final commentary, Mark Krikorian, the Center's executive director and podcast host, discusses a recent Center report arguing that Congress should consider increasing the waiting period for naturalization to give applicants more time to demonstrate their character and commitment to the principles of the Constitution. The “1798 Solution”, so named because from 1798 to 1802 the wait was 14 years, may be one of the most effective tools available to prevent individuals who pose national security threats from obtaining U.S. citizenship.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsAndrew Arthur is a Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies.George Fishman is a Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.LinksBig Banks and U.S. Treasury Have Been Enabling Illegal Immigration for Two DecadesTrump to Banks: Illegal Aliens are Bad Credit RisksDHS and DOJ Begin Imposing Massive Fines on Aliens Who Refuse to LeavePreventing Naturalization National Security Threats: The 1789 SolutionIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
May 22, 2026In a graduation speech at the University of Michigan in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson laid out his vision for “the Great Society,” It was a forward looking vision of a country that used its post-World War II prosperity to look toward greater things, and to advance civil rights and end poverty, Congress would pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and the Food Stamp Act, Democrats were able to pass 84 new laws to put the Great Society into place, Congress took on voting rights, access to education, health insurance, and the rights of consumers, It enacted laws protecting the environment and supporting the arts, In his speech at the University of Michigan, Johnson charged the graduates to lead America toward a new age, reminding them that Americans have the power to shape the civilization that we want.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe
As the nation awaits a potentially landmark Supreme Court decision on birthright citizenship, the latest episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features renowned legal scholar Richard Epstein for an in-depth discussion of the constitutional, historical, and legal arguments surrounding the issue.Epstein, emeritus professor at the New York University School of Law and the University of Chicago Law School, senior fellow at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, and author of the new book The Myth of Birthright Citizenship, recently filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case Trump v. Barbara. In the brief, Epstein argues that the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not automatically confer citizenship on children born in the United States to illegal aliens.During the conversation, Epstein explains that understanding the issue requires careful textual and historical analysis of the Fourteenth Amendment, particularly the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”According to Epstein, the clause requires more than mere physical presence or birth within the United States. He argues that individuals born owing allegiance to a foreign sovereign, or whose parents are not under the complete jurisdiction of the United States, are excluded from automatic citizenship.The episode also explores Epstein's critique of the Supreme Court's 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which is widely understood as establishing birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment. Epstein contends the ruling was wrongly decided and should not be extended to cases involving children born to illegal immigrants.Drawing on centuries of legal history, Epstein discusses the overlooked Naturalization Acts from 1790 to 1870, the writings of influential thinkers including William Blackstone and Emer de Vattel, and American legal practices before and after the Civil War. He argues that citizenship historically required allegiance and mutual obligations between citizen and sovereign - not simply birth within territorial boundaries.In his closing commentary, podcast host Mark Krikorian discusses the ongoing legislative battle over funding for CBP and ICE through 2029. Republicans are advancing a budget reconciliation package that could reach the House floor as early as this week or next. Because reconciliation bills can pass with a simple majority, the legislation would bypass the Senate's traditional 60-vote filibuster threshold. Krikorian highlights that the Democratic Party has embraced positions hostile to the existence of immigration enforcement agencies, creating potential political consequences in upcoming debates and elections.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestRichard Epstein is Emeritus Professor at the New York University School of Law and the University of Chicago Law School and Senior Fellow at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.LinksThe Myth of Birthright CitizenshipThe Case Against Birthright CitizenshipBrief of Amicus Curiae: Professor A. Epstein in Support of the Petitioners and ReversalIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
1964: The Breaking Point...How a Texas President Helped Reshape American Politics Forever There are years in American history that feel less like moments… and more like fault lines. 1964 was one of them. It was the year the old political order began to crack. Not overnight.Not all at once.But in ways we are still living with today. And at the center of it all stood a Texan. Lyndon B. Johnson Growing up in Texas, Lyndon Johnson was never just another historical figure to some families. People remembered him. In my own family, my great-aunts grew up around Johnson City during the years when Lyndon Johnson was still simply “Lyndon.” Before the presidency. Before Vietnam. Before history turned him into something larger and far more complicated. And that's important to remember. Because Johnson understood Texas.He understood the South.And perhaps more than anyone else in Washington, he understood political power. Especially how to use it. By 1964, America was already under enormous strain. The images coming across television screens were becoming impossible to ignore. Black students being screamed at while trying to attend school.Peaceful protesters attacked with dogs and fire hoses.Freedom Riders beaten.Church bombings.Demonstrations erupting across the South. For many Americans, the Civil Rights Movement was becoming not just a regional issue but a moral one. And television changed everything. For the first time in American history, millions of people could witness these confrontations in their living rooms almost as they happened. The country was being forced to look at itself. John F. Kennedy had moved cautiously on civil rights during his presidency. But after Kennedy's assassination in November of 1963, Lyndon Johnson inherited not only the presidency… but the unfinished battle over civil rights legislation. And Johnson knew something many younger Americans today may not fully appreciate: The bill would not pass simply because it was morally right. It would pass only if someone could force it through Congress. And Lyndon Johnson knew Congress better than almost anyone alive. Before becoming president, Johnson had served as Senate Majority Leader. He understood personalities, pressure, favors, intimidation, timing, all the invisible machinery of power. Historians would later call it “The Johnson Treatment.” He could flatter you.Threaten you.Charm you.Corner you.Convince you. Sometimes all within the same conversation. And in 1964, Johnson unleashed that political machinery behind what became the: Civil Rights Act Today, most Americans remember the Civil Rights Act as inevitable. It wasn't. The legislation faced fierce opposition, especially from Southern Democrats who viewed it as federal overreach into state affairs and Southern society. For decades, many Southern politicians had held enormous power in Congress. Committee chairmanships. Senate influence. Institutional seniority. But the country was changing. And Johnson understood that history was moving whether Congress wanted it to or not. So he pushed. Hard. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public accommodations and prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Supporters viewed it as one of the most important moral and constitutional advances in modern American history. Opponents viewed it as a dangerous expansion of federal authority. And beneath the political arguments, something deeper was beginning to happen. The old Democratic coalition, the one that had held together since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt, was beginning to fracture. Then came the election of 1964. And this is where the political story becomes truly fascinating. The Republican nominee that year was: Barry Goldwater Goldwater was a conservative from Arizona. He opposed the Civil Rights Act, not necessarily because he supported segregation, but because he argued parts of the law violated constitutional limits on federal power. That distinction mattered to Goldwater. But politically, something much larger was unfolding. Goldwater lost the election badly nationwide. Lyndon Johnson crushed him at the national level. But then something unexpected happened. Goldwater carried several Deep South states. States that had been Democratic strongholds for generations. For many observers at the time, it looked strange. Temporary, even. But in hindsight, historians now recognize it as one of the first major warning signs that the political map of the South was beginning to change. Slowly. Unevenly. But undeniably. Now, none of this happened in a single election. The South did not suddenly wake up Republican in 1964. That transformation would take decades. Many Southern Democrats remained loyal to the party well into the 1970s and even the 1980s. Local courthouse politics, state offices, and regional traditions still mattered enormously. But the foundation had shifted. The old alliances were weakening. And the issues reshaping American politics were no longer simply economic. Increasingly, they were becoming cultural. Constitutional. Regional. Moral. And perhaps no one understood the price of what had happened better than Lyndon Johnson himself. According to one famous account, after signing the Civil Rights Act, Johnson reportedly told an aide: “We have lost the South for a generation.” Whether the quote is perfectly remembered or not, the political reality behind it proved remarkably accurate. The transformation had begun. In the next chapter of this story, we move into one of the most chaotic years in modern American history: Assassinations.Protests.Riots.The Democratic Convention in Chicago.And the rise of a new political message that would reshape conservative politics for decades to come: “Law and order.” And once again… Texas and the South would stand near the center of the storm. Join me on BlueSky or Instagram Talk to me
Prager University- Black Fathers Matter, Are Fathers Necessary? John Stossel- Watt's the Problem with Data Centers? Steve Forbes- The Case for Capitalism Prager University- Black Fathers Matter | 5 Minute Video Are Fathers Necessary? | 5 Minute Videos | PragerU John Stossel- Watt's the Problem with Data Centers? The Truth About Energy Use, Costs, and the Panic Over Progress The Case for Capitalism: Steve Forbes Explains Why Free Markets Work and Socialism Doesn't A Few Moments With Ted Turner Black Fathers Matter | 5 Minute Video Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/FszQelEQ2KY?si=LHIRgWs9K_RX8eON PragerU 3.45M subscribers 4,212,596 views Jun 13, 2016 5-Minute Videos Which poses a bigger threat to black communities: Racism? Or the absence of fathers? Drawing on a sea of official data and his own upbringing, talk-show host Larry Elder shows just how important black fathers are in turning boys into responsible and happy men--and how their absence has had a tragic impact on millions of black Americans. Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2ylo1Yt Joining PragerU is free! Sign up now to get all our videos as soon as they're released. http://prageru.com/signup Download Pragerpedia on your iPhone or Android! Thousands of sources and facts at your fingertips. iPhone: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsnbG Android: http://l.prageru.com/2dlsS5e Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys Join PragerU's text list to have these videos, free merchandise giveaways and breaking announcements sent directly to your phone! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru Do you shop on Amazon? Click https://smile.amazon.com and a percentage of every Amazon purchase will be donated to PragerU. Same great products. Same low price. Shopping made meaningful. VISIT PragerU! https://www.prageru.com FOLLOW us! Facebook: / prageru Twitter: / prageru Instagram: / prageru PragerU is on Snapchat! JOIN PragerFORCE! For Students: http://l.prageru.com/29SgPaX JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2c8vsff Script: Years ago, I interviewed Kweisi Mfume, then the president of the NAACP. “As between the presence of white racism and the absence of black fathers,” I asked, “Which poses the bigger threat to the black community?” Without missing a beat, he said, “The absence of black fathers.” It was President Barack Obama who said, "We all know the statistics. That children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of school and 20 times more likely to end up in prison.” The Journal of Research on Adolescence confirms that even after controlling for varying levels of household income, kids in father-absent homes are more likely to end up in jail. And kids who never had a father in the house are the most likely to wind up behind bars. In 1960, 5 percent of America's children entered the world without a mother and father married to each other. By 1980 it was 18 percent, by 2000 it had risen to 33 percent, and fifteen years later, the number reached 41 percent. For blacks, even during slavery when marriage for slaves was illegal, black children were more likely than today to be raised by both their mother and father. Economist Walter Williams has written that, according to census data, from 1890 to 1940, a black child was more likely to grow up with married parents than a white child. For blacks, out-of-wedlock births have gone from 25 percent in 1965 to 73 percent in 2015. For whites, from less than 5 percent to over 25 percent. And for Hispanics, out-of-wedlock births have risen to 53 percent. What happened to fathers? The answer is found in a basic law of economics: If you subsidize undesirable behavior you will get more undesirable behavior. In 1949, the nation's poverty rate was 34 percent. By 1965, it was cut in half, to 17 percent -- all before President Lyndon Johnson's so-called War on Poverty. But after that war began in 1965, poverty began to flat line. From 1965 until now, the government has spent over $20 trillion to fight poverty. The poverty rate has remained unchanged, but the relationship between poor men and women has changed – dramatically. That's because our generous welfare system allows women, in effect, to marry the government. And this makes it all too easy for men to abandon their traditional moral and financial responsibilities. Psychologists call such dependency "learned helplessness." How do we know that the welfare state creates disincentives that hurt the very people we are trying to help? They tell us. In 1985, the Los Angeles Times asked both the poor and the non-poor whether poor women "often" have children to get additional benefits. Most of the non-poor respondents said no. However, 64 percent of poor respondents said yes. Now, who do you think is in a better position to know? Tupac Shakur, the late rapper, once said: "I know for a fact that had I had a father, I'd have some discipline. I'd have more confidence." He admitted he began running with gangs because he wanted the things a father gives to a child, especially to a boy: structure and protection. “Your mother cannot calm you down the way a man can,” Shakur said. “You need a man to teach you how to be a man." Are Fathers Necessary? | 5 Minute Videos | PragerU https://youtu.be/daS69gf0Tzc?si=UJ0grFAG2chSNjuM PragerU 3.45M subscribers 3,752,405 views Premiered Jun 7, 2021 5-Minute Videos Until recently, the need to explain why fathers are necessary would have been regarded as, well, unnecessary. But that's not the case anymore. Dennis Prager explains why this isn't just concerning—it's dangerous. Follow PragerU: Instagram:
SPONSORS: 1) BLUEPRINT: For a limited time only, our listeners get 20% off + free shipping at https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com by using code JULIAN at checkout. #Blueprint #ad JOIN PATREON FOR EARLY UNCENSORED EPISODE RELEASES: https://www.patreon.com/JulianDorey CLIPPERS DISCORD: https://discord.gg/8QmWEKJ3BT (***TIMESTAMPS in description below) ~ Stu Wexler is an author and researcher. Stu's investigative journalism work over the years includes the JFK Assassination, MLK Assassination, RFK Assassination, and CIA Covert Operations. STU's LINKS BOOK: https://a.co/d/0ego1NzP FOLLOW JULIAN DOREY IG: https://www.instagram.com/julianddorey/ X: https://x.com/juliandorey JULIAN YT CHANNELS - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Clips YT: https://www.youtube.com/@juliandoreyclips - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Daily YT: https://www.youtube.com/@JulianDoreyDaily - SUBSCRIBE to Best of JDP: https://www.youtube.com/@bestofJDP ****TIMESTAMPS**** 0:00 - JFK Assassination Investigation, MLK & JFK similarity, Grassy Knoll 6:26 - Sewer Shooting Theory, Stu's history with case, Devil's Chessboard 18:31 - Case Complications, “Cut the head off the dog,” Stu's father's theory 27:58 - Castro & JFK, Lyndon Johnson, the Soviets, hijacked autopsy, JFK bombshell 38:58 - How JFK Case falls apart, Curtis LeMay, Felilx Rodriguez, Truman & JFK 48:08 - CIA Cloak & Dagger Ops, Alan Dulles, 1954 Guatemalan Coup d'etat 58:54 - CIA's mask off moment, Carl Jenkins, Iran Contra, JFK vs. Castro plans 1:10:41 - Danny Jones Felix Rodriguez Sitdown, Kiki Camarena 1:24:15 - Nuclear War Threat, Harold Malmgren, Bay of Pigs 1:37:35 - New JFK Files, Why Bobby Kennedy disliked, William Harvey, Rome & the Mafia 1:47:06 - Gap in Joannides Records, David Morales 2:01:31 - Daniel Pearl, Why Bobby Kennedy taken out 2:11:07 - Lyndon B. Johnson & JFK, American Revolution post JFK & MLK, James Earl Ray 2:23:14 - MLK Assassin James Earl Ray & the gov, MLK & Charlie Kirk, Extremist Groups 2:35:31 - Extremist influence, FBI & MLK, Donald Nissin 2:46:52 - FBI Investigation, Kathy Ainsworth, Stu's take on conspiracy 2:56:35 - What was Ray supposed to do, Ray's attorneys, “Dancing on streets” after MLK 3:05:34 - Fred Hampton, FBI War, Informant knew King was going to be shot, Tommy Terrance 3:15:37 - Stu's Work CREDITS: - Host, Editor & Producer: Julian Dorey - COO, Producer & Editor: Alessi Allaman - https://www.youtube.com/@UCyLKzv5fKxGmVQg3cMJJzyQ - In-Studio Producer: Joey Deef - https://www.instagram.com/joeydeef/ Julian Dorey Podcast Episode 422 - Stu Wexler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A new episode of the Center for Immigration Studies' podcast, Parsing Immigration Policy, examines the issuing of employment authorization documents (EADs), the use of executive discretion in granting work permits, and a proposed regulation affecting asylum applicants.The episode features CIS Director of Regulatory Affairs and Policy Elizabeth Jacobs and Senior Legal Fellow George Fishman discussing how millions of immigrants, including illegal aliens, parole recipients, TPS beneficiaries, DACA recipients, asylum applicants, and temporary visa holders, have received work permits without Congress's authorization.According to CIS estimates, roughly 15 million individuals currently possess work authorization and 4.3 million illegal aliens may be eligible for work permits. As a result, USCIS reports that it faces more than 1.7 million pending EAD applications.The discussion also focuses on a recent DHS regulation that would tighten eligibility for asylum-based work permits by increasing the waiting period from 180 to 365 days and barring applicants who are prima facie ineligible for asylum from receiving employment authorization and requiring the agency to pause acceptance of asylum-based EAD applications when affirmative asylum processing times exceed 180 days. Currently, processing times average over 1,200 days, while a new affirmative asylum applicant could expect to wait decades, according to DHS, before receiving a final decision on their claim.The episode explains that lengthy asylum processing times have created strong incentives for individuals to file asylum claims primarily to obtain work authorization and remain in the United States for extended periods while cases are pending. USCIS currently faces massive asylum and EAD backlogs, contributing to longer processing times across the immigration system.The conversation also examines broader legal questions surrounding executive authority to issue work permits under the Immigration and Nationality Act and whether decades of expanding administrative interpretation have effectively allowed the executive branch to operate an immigration system outside the numerical and statutory limits established by Congress.In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, the Center's executive director and podcast host highlights Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons' recent announcement that ICE identified more than 10,000 foreign students in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program who claimed employment with “highly suspect employers” and that this represents “only the tip of the iceberg.” OPT, which allows foreign graduates to work in the United States for up to 12 months, or up to 36 months for STEM graduates, was created through executive action rather than congressional authorization. The Center has called for the elimination of the program many times in the past.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsElizabeth Jacobs is the Director of Director of Regulatory Affairs and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies. George Fishman is a Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.LinksDHS Proposes to Amend Asylum Work-Permit Rules to Reduce Fraud and AbuseDOJ: Asylum Applicants Are Skipping Immigration Court at Record Levels; Their goal all along was work permits, not protectionDHS Issues New Regulation to Automatically Extend the Validity Period of Many Work PermitsWork Authorization Expansion Attracts and Embeds Illegal ImmigrantsGovernment Data Reveal Millions of New Work Permits Issued in 2009OPT Needs to EndIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of America's best known and most popular historians, having told the stories of great American leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, and others. Now, she delves into her own life and the time she spent with her late husband, Richard Goodwin, to draw out fresh perspectives on many of the central figures of the 1960s. The Goodwins were married for 42 years. Richard Goodwin helped design LBJ's Great Society and was a close advisor to Robert Kennedy. Dorris Kearns was a 23-year-old graduate student when she was selected as a White House Fellow; she would work directly for President Johnson and later assisted on his memoir. The couple saw the momentous policies and movements of the 1960s from the inside, and they debated the achievements and failures of the leaders they served, and discussed just how much progress was made and promises left unfulfilled. Drawing on their lives—not to mention more than 300 boxes of letters, diaries, documents and memorabilia Richard Goodwin had saved for more than five decades—Doris Kearns Goodwin produced her latest book, An Unfinished Love Story. The exploration of those boxes and her shared history with her husband gave them both an opportunity to reassess some of the towering figures of the time: John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy and especially LBJ, who greatly impacted both of their lives. Join us as Doris Kearns Goodwin returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to share her unexpected discoveries, fresh appraisals, and the hope that the youth of today will carry forward “this unfinished love story with America.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ron Jacobs is a author of various works dealing with the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, he also writes for counterpunch magazine about various areas of politics. This discussion will focus on former president Lyndon Johnson and some of the evolving perspective that Mr. Jacobs has from a counterculture perspective.
The Center for Immigration Studies has released a new episode of its weekly podcast analyzing the Trump administration's use of travel restrictions and visa limitations affecting dozens of countries.In the episode, Jessica Vaughan, CIS's Director of Policy Studies, explains that the administration has implemented a series of “more expansive and more targeted” travel restrictions than seen in his first administration – affecting 75 countries through a combination of full bans, partial restrictions, and category-specific limitations.“These policies are not one-size-fits-all,” Vaughan notes. “They are tailored to specific concerns, including national security risks, weak identity verification systems, and high visa overstay rates, some exceeding 50 percent in certain categories. The restrictions are subject to periodic review.”Additionally, the podcast examines a January 2026 State Department pause on immigrant visa issuance for certain countries under public charge considerations, affecting nations with high rates of welfare use among immigrants.Vaughan's discussion with CIS Executive Director and podcast host Mark Krikorian covers how Congress has granted the president authority to restrict entry in the national interest, forming the legal basis for these measures. Currently, restrictions vary widely:Some countries face full entry bans;Others are subject to partial limits, such as restrictions on student or tourist visas;Waivers are available for compelling cases.Vaughan emphasizes that these policies coincide with a broader effort to strengthen vetting processes at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department. This includes expanded fraud detection, a new National Vetting Center, and more special agents being hired.The policies are already reducing entries and agency workload, but their full impact remains unclear, as the administration has not yet released detailed data.In his closing commentary, Krikorian discusses two blog posts this week on assimilation in Miami, by Resident Scholar Jason Richwine. The experience of Miami shows that assimilation into the mainstream is not inevitable and automatic, and that large-scale admissions can make receiving communities unrecognizable. Keeping immigration low and slow is the key to successful assimilation.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestJessica Vaughan is the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.LinksPublic Charge PauseExec Order on travel bansMiami: A Failure of the Assimilation ModelMore on Miami as a Failure of AssimilationIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
This week on Q&A, it's a rare interview with one of America's leading historians. We tour the New York City office and home library of Pulitzer Prize-winning bestselling biographer Robert Caro, who is currently working on the final volume of his 5-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson. During the tour, Mr. Caro talks about his research and writing process on the LBJ series, and the impact of "The Power Broker," his bestselling 1974 biography of NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on Q&A, it's a rare interview with one of America's leading historians. We tour the New York City office and home library of Pulitzer Prize-winning bestselling biographer Robert Caro, who is currently working on the final volume of his 5-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson. During the tour, Mr. Caro talks about his research and writing process on the LBJ series, and the impact of "The Power Broker," his bestselling 1974 biography of NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
At a recent Immigration Newsmaker hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, Andrew Veprek, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), described a complete reorientation of the bureau, shifting it from a humanitarian assistance agency toward implementing U.S. enforcement and return priorities. The discussion offered a look at how immigration policy is increasingly being implemented through diplomacy as well as enforcement.In a discussion moderated by Mark Krikorian, Veprek said PRM is now organized around three basic functions:Remigration and Returns. Veprek outlined the work of PRM's Office of Remigration, including securing cooperation from foreign governments to facilitate the repatriation of nationals ordered removed, arranging third-country transfers when return to home countries is not possible, and supporting voluntary return efforts through Project Homecoming.International Migration and Refugee System Reform. Veprek discussed reforms to the global refugee and asylum system, and U.S. reassessment of international migration frameworks, including reduced reliance on multilateral institutions and changes in relations with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.Refugee Processing. He also detailed changes to refugee admissions, including the South Africa resettlement program, the transfer of refugee resettlement responsibilities from the State Department to HHS, increased fraud scrutiny, and the removal of UNHCR from its prior referral role in U.S. refugee admissions.Among the notable points raised during the discussion:Greater foreign cooperation from “recalcitrant” countries on accepting deportees;Use of third-country removal arrangements;Consideration of refugee protection as temporary rather than presumptively permanent;Potential increases to the refugee admissions ceiling;A more selective approach to international organizations based on U.S. interests.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestAndrew Veprek is the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).LinksTranscript: Immigration Newsmaker with Andrew VeprekVideo: Immigration Newsmaker with Andrew VeprekIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
"Send Mike immediately!" the last words of Lyndon Johnson, 36th President of the United States after a sad post-Presidency. Learn about the end of his administration, his death, funeral, and burial, as well as the gravesite! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and other information!Episode Page: https://visitingthepresidents.com/2026/04/28/season-3-episode-36-lyndon-johnsons-tomb/Season 1's Lyndon Johnson Episode: "Lyndon Johnson and Stonewall" on his birthplace!Season 2's Lyndon Johnson Episode: "Lyndon Johnson and the LBJ Ranch" on his homes!Support the showAlso, check out “Visiting the Presidents” on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Send us Fan MailEpisode 444 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 25)Mr. Chairman!! The Finance Committee ChairIn Episode 444 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we arrive at a defining moment in his rise to power in the United States Senate — his elevation to Chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.For years, that gavel had been held by Russell B. Long, one of the most influential figures in the Senate and a master of its internal workings. His tenure symbolized an era when seniority and institutional control defined leadership.But with the arrival of the Reagan era, the ground beneath Washington began to shift.As the political realignment of Ronald Reagan took hold, Bob Dole stepped into the chairmanship — marking not just a personal milestone, but a broader transition in power, policy, and direction.One moment captures it all.When the new chairman was called upon for his vote — for the first time, that chairman was Bob Dole. And in a telling, almost poetic gesture, Russell Long himself responded “aye,” acknowledging both the change in leadership and the passing of an era.In this episode, we explore:• How Dole rose to claim one of the most powerful positions in the Senate • The significance of the Finance Committee in shaping national policy • The transition from Russell Long's leadership to Dole's • What this moment revealed about the changing nature of Washington in the early 1980s • How the Reagan Revolution reshaped both policy and power inside the SenateThis is more than a change in chairmanship — it is a moment of transformation.From Long to Dole… from one era to another… and from the old Senate to a new political age. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!
“White men are 29 percent of the population but hold 90 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions, 90 percent of venture capital, and 98 percent of all money managed by money managers. Is that because they're smarter? Or is it because there is preference, inequality, and active bias in favor of white men?” — Steve Phillips Are white men really smarter than other Americans? Some white men might think so, but few others are convinced. Especially the Stanford educated Steve Phillips whose new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else? is designed to “play offense” in the fight for American racial justice. The title of Phillips's new book is, of course, a provocation. White men are 29 percent of the population, he tells us, but hold 90 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions, 90 percent of venture capital, and 98 percent of all investment funds managed by money managers. Is that really because they're smarter than everybody else? Or is it because the system is biased in favor of white dudes who graduated from Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Phillips argues, there was, albeit all-too-briefly, broad agreement that systemic racism existed and needed to be addressed. Then came the 2024 election and the MAGA war against DEI. It's time to fight back, Phillips says. Rather than defending affirmative action, Phillips says that the question is why, in the richest country in the world, white men hold 90 percent of the power when they are only 29 percent of the population. Until that mathematical inconsistency is explained, there's no point in pretending that the arc of American history bends toward justice. Five Takeaways • 29 Percent of the Population, 90 Percent of the Power: The book's central data point. White men are 29 percent of the US population. They hold 90 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions. They receive 90 percent of venture capital funding. They manage 98 percent of all investment money in the country. Phillips's argument: you don't need to allege conscious racism to explain this. You just need to acknowledge that a system shaped by centuries of exclusion doesn't self-correct. The question the title asks is the question nobody wants to answer: if the system is meritocratic, why do these numbers look like this? Either white men are smarter than everybody else, or the system is not meritocratic. • Playing Offense: The book began as a study of what happened to the post-George Floyd consensus. The broad agreement that systemic racism existed — widespread in June 2020 — dissolved within months. By 2024, the political momentum had reversed entirely. Phillips's diagnosis: the left spent the intervening years playing defense — defending DEI, defending affirmative action, defending the language of equity. The result was a retreat. His prescription: stop defending programmes and start prosecuting the inequality. Make the other side explain the numbers. Reframe the question from “should we have DEI?” to “why do white men hold 90 percent of the power?” • The Biker Gang Analogy: To the objection — common from white Americans — that they personally didn't create the racial wealth gap: Phillips offers the biker gang. A gang comes into someone's house, takes all the resources, occupies the house, and passes it on to their children. The children can say: I didn't do anything. But they inherited a structurally unequal situation. The GI Bill after World War II gave billions of dollars in wealth-building to white Americans while largely excluding people of color. The average white family has more than ten times the assets of the average black family. “I didn't do it” is not the same as “I don't benefit from it.” • The Confederates Never Stopped Fighting: Phillips's underlying argument: the division in American politics is not left vs. right. It is an existential question that has never been resolved — is this a white country, or is this a multiracial democracy? The Confederates and their ideological heirs never conceded the answer. White fear and resentment at equality is the single most consistent driving force in Republican politics since 1965, the year Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act and no Democratic presidential candidate has won the majority of the white vote since. • America Can't Pass a Bill to Study Reparations: The wealth of the United States was created by the labour of enslaved black people and on land taken from Native Americans. Banks and insurance companies trace their original capital to the bodies and labour of enslaved people. The racial wealth gap is the direct structural consequence of that history. Congress has repeatedly failed to pass a bill not to pay reparations, but merely to study the question. Not a single vote to begin the conversation. Until America can have that conversation, it hasn't begun to confront what is owed. About the Guest Steve Phillips is the founder of Democracy in Color and the author of Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?, How We Won the Civil War, and Brown Is the New White. He is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a former San Francisco school board president. References: • Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else? Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips. • Democracy in Color — Phillips's organisation focused on race and politics. • Episode 2883: Melvin Patrick Ely on A Terrible Intimacy — the companion episode on interracial life in the slaveholding South that immediately precedes this one. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters: (00:30) - Introduction: from slavery to the present — has anything changed? (01:11) - The short answer: no. And what it took to end slavery. (02:03) - Why the racial wealth gap persists (03:26) - The Confederates never stopped f...
Today's Parsing Immigration Policy episode is a rebroadcast of an International Network for Immigration Research (INIR) panel that asked a difficult question: Can democracies actually deport large numbers of people, and what happens if they try? Despite years of political focus, large-scale deportation remains extraordinarily difficult to execute in democratic systems governed by courts, rights protections, and bureaucratic limits. This timely panel will explored what is politically popular, what is legally possible, and what is practically achievable.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsViktor Marsai is the Director of the Budapest-based Migration Research Institute.Matt O'Brien is the Deputy Executive Director, Federation for American Immigration Reform.Jim Robb is the Vice President of Alliances, NumbersUSA.LinksPress ReleasePanel VideoPanel TranscriptIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
This episode will be focused into some areas about Lyndon Johnson that feature two guests Luke Nichter and Thomas Schwartz who have some expertise on the problems and successes of the former president. The record of LBJ is different than the view people have of the president and through some of this discussion we will look at Johnsons administration and the president himself to understand the real proper criticisms.
Mohnish Pabrai's Q&A Session with Dakshana Scholars at Dakshana Valley, Pune, Maharashtra, India on December 26, 2025. (00:00:00) - Introduction (00:00:37) - Breaking the question pattern (00:03:22) - Overcoming hardships through learning; YouTube & Muskan Soni (00:05:41) - Mental models - take a simple idea and take it seriously; Lyndon Johnson (00:09:57) - Upanishads - Your deepest desire is your destiny (00:13:43) - Belief comes before capability; Elon Musk & the reuse of rockets (00:18:18) - Dakshana: Cloned from Anand Kumar's Super 30 (00:30:47) - Robert Caro's books on Lyndon Johnson (00:37:44) - Be a harsh grader while choosing your circle (00:40:46) - Mistakes are a blessing (00:44:04) - Attraction towards the opposite gender is natural (00:47:30) - World changes if you have a burning desire (00:48:21) - Karam Yogi: You cannot make money if you want to make money (00:51:16) – Google The contents of this podcast are for educational and entertainment purposes only, and do not purport to be, and are not intended to be financial, legal, accounting, tax, or investment advice. Investments or strategies that are discussed may not be suitable for you, do not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation, or needs, and are not intended to provide investment advice or recommendations appropriate for you. Before making any investment or trade, consider whether it is suitable for you and consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment adviser.
A new podcast episode features immigration policy expert Rosemary Jenks, Policy Director and co-founder of the Immigration Accountability Project, providing a detailed analysis of the DIGNIDAD Act introduced for the third time in six years by Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.). Jenks characterizes the legislation as a broad amnesty proposal, referring to it as the “SAW Act” - short for “Screw All American Workers,” while also alluding to the 1986 Special Agricultural Worker program associated with widespread fraud.Key points discussed include:Scope of AmnestyDirect pathway to citizenship for an estimated 2.5 million “Dreamers,” extending beyond current DACA recipientsRenewable temporary visas for individuals who entered before 2021, with weak documentation requirements that will invite fraud; these visas are indefinitely renewable, effectively allowing recipients to remain in the U.S. permanently.A “rolling amnesty” mechanism tied to family-based immigration, including marriage to U.S. citizens Enforcement and Legal ConcernsA two-year deportation moratorium, allowing individuals, including those currently in detention, to avoid deportation and applyRestrictions on using applicant information for enforcement, shielding employers who hired illegal alien workersConcerns about increased incentives for fraud, including marriage fraudSystem Capacity and SecuritySkepticism about USCIS being able to manage a minimum of 10 million applications, numbers that will grow substantially if fraud is widespreadStrict timelines with rapid processing within a two-year window, raising concerns that vetting standards, particularly national security screening, would be among the first elements weakened under pressure, echoing issues seen in past programsDoubts that application fees would cover the full cost, especially given applicants' limited financial resources; critics warn this could create openings for third-party financing, including from cartelsHistorical comparisons to the 1986 amnesty program, where rapid processing contributed to massive fraud and lack of vettingEconomic and Labor Market ImpactImpact on wages and job opportunities for low-, medium-, and high-wage American workersExpansion of legal immigration pathways, including:Doubling employment-based green cardsCodifying OPT and allowing STEM PhD and medical students to stay permanently in the countryPermitting those on the visa waiting list for 10 years to enter regardless of capsThe episode also explores the political outlook for the legislation, including the possibility of a discharge petition in the House, which would allow it to come to the floor despite Speaker Johnson's wishes.In his closing commentary, podcast host Mark Krikorian highlights the recent election in Hungary, which resulted in the defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely known for his hardline immigration stance. But his successor, Péter Magyar, is expected to maintain, and perhaps even strengthen, the current strict immigration policies.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestRosemary Jenks is the Policy Director and co-founder of the Immigration Accountability ProjectLinksImmigration Accountability ProjectThe 'Dignity Act'The Price of DignityThe DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act as ‘Rage Bait' for Those Who Want More EnforcementIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Send us Fan MailEpisode 441 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 22)The Senate (E): Stories from the SenateIn Episode 441 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we step away from structure and strategy — and into the stories.Featuring the same remarkable group of senators heard throughout this series — including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Alan Simpson, and Bob Dole himself — this episode offers a more personal and entertaining look at life inside the United States Senate.These are the moments that don't always make the history books.The behind-the-scenes exchanges. The unexpected humor. The human side of an institution often seen only through formal debate and high-stakes decisions.In this episode, the senators share stories from their time in office — anecdotes that reveal not just how the Senate worked, but what it felt like to be there. Through these recollections, we see a chamber shaped as much by personality and camaraderie as by rules and procedure.It's a reminder that even in one of the most powerful institutions in the world, relationships mattered — and sometimes, it was the lighter moments that built the trust needed to govern.For listeners who want to go even deeper, a full transcript of this episode is available on the Buzzsprout page.Part 22 brings the Senate to life in a different way — not through policy… but through story. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!
Written by Richard Bartholomew and featuring a foreword by Edgar Tatro of THE MEN WHO KILLED KENNEDY, this book examines many of underlying connections in Texas to the assassination on 11/22/1963. Not a simple Lyndon Johnson-did-it book, this is rather a potent analysis of the forces that continue to enable the kind of power politics existent even to the present day. Richard Bartholomew, a political cartoonist by trade, is a co-founder and director of the Center for Deep Political Research. CDPR boasts many of the best researchers and historians in the field on its Board of Advisors, including Peter Dale Scott, Colleen Rowley, Cynthia McKinney, and William Davy. Bartholomew's talent, education, training, and professional experience have been primarily in the visual arts, resulting in his career as an award-winning graphic designer, illustrator and editorial cartoonist. His research of the JFK assassination includes his discovery of a 1959 Rambler station wagon possibly used in the conspiracy; a study co-authored with Walter F. Graf involving a rifle clip that contaminates the ballistic evidence; a chronological reconstruction and placement of missing movements edited out of the Zapruder film; an in-depth interview of Erwin Schwartz, with author Noel Twyman, regarding Mr. Schwartz's and Mr. Zapruder's early chain of possession of Zapruder's film; and work for author Barr McClellan resulting in Bartholomew's monograph establishing the methods by which the FBI and the Warren Commission concealed and obfuscated latent fingerprints from the alleged sniper's nest.https://amzn.to/3Q7R66wBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.
Send us Fan MailEpisode 440 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 21)The Senate (D): How the Senate Has ChangedIn Episode 440 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we turn from how the United States Senate worked… to how it has changed.Building on the voices featured in the previous episodes, this installment brings together firsthand reflections from senators who lived through a transformative era in the institution — including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Alan Simpson, and Bob Dole himself.Through their perspectives, we explore a central question: What happened to the Senate?These senators describe a chamber that once relied heavily on personal relationships, bipartisan negotiation, and institutional loyalty — and contrast it with a body that, over time, has grown more polarized, more procedural, and in many ways, more constrained.In this episode, they reflect on:• The erosion of collegiality and cross-party relationships • Changes in leadership style and party dynamics • The evolving role of media and public pressure • How Senate rules and norms have shifted over time • What has been lost — and what, if anything, has been gainedThis is not just history — it is perspective.A look back from those who knew the Senate at its most functional, offering insight into how and why it feels different today.From institution… to transformation… to reflection.Episode 440 captures the Senate in transition — through the eyes of those who helped shape it. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!
The Center for Immigration Studies has released a new episode of its podcast featuring CIS experts Andrew “Art” Arthur and George Fishman, who reflect on their time working together on Capitol Hill, including their firsthand experiences on September 11, 2001, and the major immigration legislation that followed.The episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how immigration laws are made. Arthur and Fishman recount the immediate aftermath of 9/11 as staffers on House Judiciary Committee and their roles in drafting legislation that helped reshape U.S. immigration enforcement, including efforts that contributed to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the breakup of INS into enforcement and service components within the new Department of Homeland Security.The discussion also explores contentious debates over criminal penalties, interior enforcement, and proposals that sparked nationwide protests in the mid-2000s. From the USA PATRIOT Act to the REAL ID Act of 2005, the episode highlights how national security concerns reshaped immigration policy and how some key recommendations, such as the creation of a biometric entry-exit system, remain unfulfilled decades later.Podcast host and CIS executive director Mark Krikorian also reminds listeners of today's International Network for Immigration Research (INIR) event (streamed live at noon ET) hosted by the Center. Panelists from CIS, NumbersUSA, FAIR, and the Budapest-based Migration Research Institute examine whether modern democracies can carry out large-scale deportations.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsAndrew Arthur is the Resident Fellow of Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies.George Fishman is a Senior Legal Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Send us Fan MailEpisode 439 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 20)The Senate (C): How the Senate WorksIn Episode 439 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we take a deeper look inside one of America's most complex institutions — the United States Senate — and explore how it actually works.This episode moves beyond personalities alone and into the structure, rules, and tools that define the Senate — particularly during a period marked by extraordinary leadership and institutional knowledge.Drawing on firsthand reflections from many of the same voices featured in our previous episode — including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Alan Simpson, and Bob Dole himself — we hear directly from those who understood the institution from the inside.Together, they explain:• How Senate rules shape outcomes • The role of committees and seniority • The tools leaders use to move legislation forward — or stop it • The importance of relationships, trust, and negotiation • How personalities influence the pace and direction of the chamberThis is a portrait of the Senate as a living institution — one that runs not just on procedure, but on people.At a time when leadership required patience, strategy, and an ability to navigate competing interests, these voices offer rare insight into how the Senate functioned at a high level — and how it managed to govern in an era of both conflict and cooperation.If Episode 438 introduced the leaders… Episode 439 shows you how they led.A behind-the-scenes look at the rules, the rhythm, and the reality of the United States Senate. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!
Send us Fan MailEpisode 438 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 19)The Senate (B): The Senate LeadersIn Episode 438 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we move deeper into the inner workings of the United States Senate — focusing on the men who have led it, and the methods they used to make it function.This episode explores the often unseen world of Senate leadership — where influence is built not just through speeches, but through relationships, negotiation, and a deep understanding of the institution itself.We examine the leadership styles and legacies of key figures, including Lyndon B. Johnson, whose mastery of the Senate remains legendary; Mike Mansfield, known for his quiet, steady approach; Hugh Scott; Howard Baker; and Bob Dole himself, whose leadership would come to define an era.But this episode is not just about history — it's about hearing directly from those who lived it.Featuring voices from across the Senate, including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, and Alan Simpson, we gain firsthand insight into how Senate leaders actually get things done.From committee assignments and legislative strategy to coalition-building and floor management, these conversations reveal the tools of leadership inside one of the world's most complex governing bodies.This is the Senate behind the scenes — where power is exercised quietly, and leadership is measured not just by words, but by results. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!
The latest episode of the Center for Immigration Studies Podcast highlights the 13th Annual Border Tour. For the first time, the tour shifted away from land borders, bringing participants to South Florida to examine America's maritime boundaries and the unique challenges they present.Hosted with assistance from Anthony Coker, Gov. Ron DeSantis's “immigration czar”, the tour offered an in-depth look at Florida's highly coordinated, “all-of-government” approach to immigration enforcement. Participants observed firsthand the seamless collaboration between federal and state agencies operating under 287(g) authority, which allows state and local officers to carry out certain federal immigration functions.The tour began with a roundtable of federal and state partners, underscoring the strength of these relationships. Attendees later joined the Florida Highway Patrol on a ride-along, witnessing real-time coordination with ICE, including routine traffic stops that included high-speed pursuits and arrests of illegal aliens, one of whom was a convicted murderer.Participants also joined Florida Fish and Wildlife officers and State Guard units on the water, where maritime enforcement operations are supported by radar systems capable of monitoring activity as far as the Bahamas.A visit to the state-run detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” highlighted both operational capacity and humanitarian standards, including comprehensive medical care for detainees.The tour concluded with visits to an immigration court and a naturalization ceremony, where Mark Krikorian delivered the keynote address, offering a powerful reminder of the legal immigration process and the meaning of American citizenship.Florida's model demonstrates how strong leadership and interagency cooperation can deliver effective, large-scale immigration enforcement.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsMarguerite Telford is the Director of Communications at the Center for Immigration Studies.John Wahala is the Assistant Director at the Center for Immigration Studies.RelatedInside Florida's Alligator Alcatraz Detention CenterGov. Ron DeSantis on Florida's Gold Standard Immigration Enforcement ModelIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Thomas Schwartz is the Distinguished Professor of History, Professor of Political Science, and Professor of European Studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He teaches courses in the history of American foreign relations, as well as the history of America's role in the Middle East and America and the Vietnam War. Tom is the author of "Lyndon Johnson and Europe: In the Shadow of Vietnam" and he joins the show once again to discuss some questions and wrongful criticisms on LBJ and how his presidency should be given a look through a more accurate lens.
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear one of the most significant immigration cases in decades, a new podcast from the Center for Immigration Studies explores who is entitled to American citizenship at birth and which branch of government has the authority to define it.On April 1, the Court will hear Trump v. Barbara, a case challenging Executive Order 14160, which seeks to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily.In this episode, Hans von Spakovsky, Legal Fellow at Advancing American Freedom, and Andrew Arthur, the Center's Fellow in Law and Policy, examine the central constitutional question: what does the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution actually mean?They argue that the framers intended citizenship to depend on political allegiance, not simply place of birth, pointing to early interpretations and contrasting them with the broader reading adopted in the late nineteenth century in United States v. Wong Kim Ark.The Court could affirm current interpretation of doctrine, defer to executive interpretation, or return the issue to Congress.“This will be one of the most consequential decisions in years,” von Spakovsky notes.In the closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, executive director and podcast host, highlights a separate upcoming Supreme Court case involving Temporary Protected Status (TPS), where the statute states clearly that there is no judicial review of TPS designations. What are the limits to judicial review and will the judiciary allow the executive to carry out immigration law as written by Congress?HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsHans von Spakovsky is a Legal Fellow at Advancing American Freedom. Andrew Arthur is a Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies.RelatedBirthright Citizenship: A Fundamental Misunderstanding of the 14th AmendmentThe Best Aspects of the ‘Birthright Citizenship' DebateBirths to Illegal Immigrants and Long-Term Temporary VisitorsThe Supreme Court Takes Up a Vital, Slam-Dunk Immigration Case [TPS]Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
1. Geoffrey Wawro explains that President Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara exploited the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident as a political opportunity. Though the reported North Vietnamese attacks were "contrived," they were used to secure the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, providing a "blank check" for military escalation. Johnson's strategy was a delicate balance: he aimed to intimidate North Vietnam into a two-state solution without triggering Chinese intervention. Facing domestic pressure from conservative rivals, Johnson used the incident to galvanize public support despite knowing the military premise was false. This political maneuvering set the stage for full-scale combat. (1)1962
As Virginia considers limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman warns in a new Parsing Immigration Policy podcast that such policies could undermine public safety.Both podcast host Jessica Vaughan, the Center's Director of Policy Studies, and Chapman recently testified before the Senate Budget Committee on the fiscal and human costs of sanctuary jurisdictions.Chapman, a 14-year sheriff overseeing Virginia's largest full-service sheriff's office, described cooperation with federal authorities as standard law enforcement practice. He describes his 287(g) agreement with ICE, which enables his office to notify federal authorities when removable offenders in custody are scheduled for release and hold them for up to 48 hours for ICE to pick them up. In practice, he noted, ICE nearly always assumes custody without delay.“Why would I release a criminal alien back into the community to commit another crime? I'm not going to apologize for doing my job — keeping people safe.”In the discussion, Chapman also emphasized accountability in law enforcement, noting that as an elected sheriff, he answers directly to the public — not political leadership. This allows public safety to drive the mission, not politics.Key topics of the interview with Sheriff Chapman include:How cooperation with ICE reduces the need for riskier at-large arrestsThe role of detainers and advance notification in transferring custodyWhy claims that cooperation discourages crime reporting are not true in practiceConcerns that requiring judicial warrants for civil detainers would “slow everything to a crawl”Chapman warned that proposed restrictions in Virginia, including limiting agreements with ICE and curtailing information-sharing, could replicate the public safety consequences seen in other sanctuary jurisdictions. The neighboring Fairfax County has had two murders recently, allegedly by individuals released despite detainers placed on them by ICE.HostJessica Vaughan the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestMike Chapman is the Sheriff of Loudoun County, Virginia.RelatedMap: Sanctuary Cities, Counties, and StatesWhich Sanctuary Jurisdictions Have Released the Most CriminalsTestimony - Sanctuary Cities: The Cost of Undermining Law and OrderAre Immigrants Less Willing to Report Crime?Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Donald Jeffries is a author and political assassination researcher who has written on the JFK, RFK and MLK assassination and much about the dark side of Hollywood. This discussion will examine the perspective on Lyndon Johnson from Don's view who has been researching the Kennedy Assassination from the day it happened and has read the literature of authors who have an unfavorable view of LBJ.
U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (TX) joined Mark Krikorian, the Center's executive director, for an Immigration Newsmaker conversation discussing U.S. immigration policy, border security, and potential reforms to both legal and illegal immigration systems.“We've had open borders for four years, with an estimated 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants entering the United States,” Gill said. “It's the biggest political crisis we've faced in decades. More fundamentally, immigration touches everything else — it is the one issue that determines who we are as a country and as a people.”Gill addressed enforcement policy, immigration levels, assimilation, and current political debates on immigration law.Key TakeawaysWorksite Enforcement and E-VerifyGill emphasized worksite enforcement as a core component of immigration policy, arguing that job opportunities in the U.S. serve as a major pull factor for illegal immigration.He called for mandatory use of E-Verify, saying illegal employment undercuts wages for working-class Americans and creates incentives for illegal immigration and allows some industries to operate on what he described as “a lawless employment structure.”Immigration Policy and Cultural AssimilationGill argued that immigration policy should prioritize the interests of American citizens and preserve the country's distinct culture. He said the U.S. immigration system historically expected newcomers to avoid becoming a public charge and to assimilate culturally, noting that the country may need “several decades” to absorb and assimilate recent arrivals.Legal ImmigrationGill criticized the current family-based immigration system, which accounts for roughly 60 percent of legal admissions, and employment visa programs such as the H-1B program, arguing they are fraud-ridden and suppress wages.Welfare Use and Integration ConcernsGill highlighted welfare usage and English language statistics among Somalis in Minnesota, citing CIS research indicating that 78 percent of Somalis in Minnesota who have been in the U.S. for at least 10 years receive welfare benefits and that roughly half report limited English proficiency.Policy Debates in CongressGill also discussed the upcoming Supreme Court case addressing birthright citizenship and said the case could determine whether the president has authority to reinterpret existing policy or whether legislative or constitutional action would be required. He also credited the Trump administration with significantly improving border enforcement and called for codifying executive actions, including his proposed Remain in Mexico Act, reintroducing H.R. 2, and taking stronger actions against sanctuary jurisdictions, including defunding sanctuary jurisdictions and holding local officials legally liable for crimes committed by illegal immigrants released into communities.He also reminded listeners that immigration enforcement once enjoyed bipartisan support, but now moderate Democrats who supported enforcement are gone and mass migration has become a central political strategy for the Democratic Party making agreement difficult.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director at the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestU.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (TX)RelatedPress ReleasePanel VideoPanel TranscriptCIS Live StreamIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Greetings, Lowdowners—Deanna here.This spring, we're doing something a little different. Over the next few weeks, we're opening the gates a bit — giving free subscribers a taste of some of the exclusive stories, video, and behind-the-scenes Hightower that paid subscribers get regularly. If you've been on the fence about upgrading, consider this your invitation to see what you've been missing.And we're kicking it off with a doozy.Reader Elliot K. shared with us this video from C-SPAN that we didn't know existed—and it's a rollicking time capsule that you don't want to miss. Hightower hosts a storytelling evening over beers with friends Molly Ivins, Ed Wendler, Ty Fain, Buck Wood, and more, plus a surprise visit (and great story) from State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos. Scholz Garten in Austin, the setting for this gathering, is historic for a number of reasons, but it's long been a watering hole for politicos of all stripes. As Buck Wood, then the director of Common Cause Texas, explains:Some of [the legislative bills] were literally hammered out right down here in the beer garden. There's been some great political fights here, there's been some pretty good fist fights here for years. Usually over political matters.There are too many stories in here nail the spirit of Texas politics, but my favorite is a spicy one from heroine Molly Ivins that I'd never heard before:One of great ongoing literary attractions of Scholz Beer Garden is the graffiti in the restrooms. And I myself have never frequented the men's room here, no matter how serious the cause. I do remember an exchange. This was back when Frank Erwin, he was chairman of the UT Board of Regents, he was Lyndon Johnson's man, and he really was in many ways a miserable sumbitch. I went to the ladies room one night and there was a note on the wall saying, “Do a good deed today, give Frank Erwin the clap.” Underneath which somebody else had written, “Give it to him? Hell, charge him for it!”Happy Friday everyone—let us know your favorite parts in the comments. PS—If you haven't seen the documentary “Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins,” get thee to a streaming service immediately!Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe
For the first time since Lyndon Johnson was in the White House, Berkshire Hathaway has a new CEO. Greg Abel joins us in his major interview since taking over for the legendary Warren Buffett at the beginning of the year. The company has resumed repurchasing its own shares for the first time since 2024, and Abel announced his plans to use his annual compensation each year to buy additional shares in Berkshire. Plus, the latest in the he-said, he-said drama of OpenAI, Anthropic and the Pentagon. Greg Abel: 16:00 In this episode: Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A new episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features a wide-ranging conversation on national security threats tied to the historic surge of illegal immigration during the Biden administration. Host Andrew Arthur, the Center's Fellow in Law and Policy and a former immigration judge, interviews Mark Morgan, a former FBI agent who also served as Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.In the episode, Morgan warns that the unprecedented number of illegal entries during the last administration created serious vulnerabilities for the United States. Under President Biden, 10.5 to 12 million inadmissible aliens were encountered at the border, most of whom were released into the United States. In addition, an estimated 1.5 to 1.8 million “got aways” - individuals observed crossing the border illegally but never apprehended -entered the country.“These are individuals we know nothing about, and the most difficult threats to stop are lone actors or small cells,” Morgan explains.Morgan emphasizes that border security is inseparable from national security, particularly as intelligence officials are warning of an elevated terrorism threat environment. The FBI and the broader intelligence community have described the current threat landscape as the most complex since the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.The discussion also addresses concerns about potential Iranian sleeper cells and terrorist proxies following escalating tensions involving the Islamic Republic of Iran. Morgan explains that the Iranian regime was responsible for more American deaths than any other organization, and that they have historically relied on proxy groups such as Hezbollah to carry out attacks against U.S. interests.Arthur and Morgan also examine emerging threats from foreign adversaries, including concerns surrounding the entry of more than 200,000 Chinese nationals during the Biden administration and the broader risks posed by individuals arriving from 163 different countries, including individuals on the terrorist watchlist and thousands of “Special Interest Aliens” who entered daily from nations known to facilitate terrorism.Morgan concludes that the long-term consequences of the border crisis will continue to impact U.S. national security for years to come, underscoring the need for stronger enforcement, improved vetting, and policies that restore integrity to the immigration system.Host Art Arthur is the Resident Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration StudiesGuestMark Morgan isa former FBI agent who also served as Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs EnforcementRelatedMark Morgan's new book, The Biden Border CrisisOperation Midnight Hammer and Threat of Iranian Sleeper CellsThousands of Special Interest Aliens Posing Potential Security Risks Entering via CBP One AppHow to Lower the Risk of New Terror Strikes by Border-Crossing Islamist ExtremistsBiden Administration Secretly Let in Thousands of Unvetted Migrants from ‘Countries of National Security Concern'Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".
Laurence Luckinbill is an acclaimed Emmy Award winning and Tony Award nominee, actor, playwright and director. He's worked in film, television and theatre, in the latter as a writer, director and actor. He has starred in several celebrated one-man shows including as Teddy Roosevelt, Clarence Darrow and Lyndon Johnson. And he became a cult hero portraying Spock's half-brother Sybok in the film “Star Treck V: The Final Frontier”. He's been in a whole bunch of TV shows including Law and Order and the Mary Tyler Moore Show. On Broadway he made his debut in A Man For All Seasons and starred in The Shadow Box, for which he received a Tony nomination. My featured song is “Studio One” from the album Play by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Follow Your Dream Podcast:Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here for All Episodes Click here for Guest List Click here for Guest Groupings Click here for Guest Testimonials Click here to Subscribe Click here to receive our Email Updates Click here to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH LAURENCE:www.laurenceluckinbill.com —---------------------------------------- ROBERT'S LATEST RELEASE: “MA PETITE FLEUR STRING QUARTET” is Robert's latest release. It transforms his jazz ballad into a lush classical string quartet piece. Praised by a host of classical music stars. CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —--------------------------------------- ROBERT'S RECENT SINGLE “MI CACHIMBER” is Robert's recent single. It's Robert's tribute to his father who played the trumpet and loved Latin music.. Featuring world class guest artists Benny Benack III and Dave Smith on flugelhorn CLICK HERE FOR YOUTUBE LINK CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- ROBERT'S LATEST ALBUM: “WHAT'S UP!” is Robert's latest compilation album. Featuring 10 of his recent singles including all the ones listed below. Instrumentals and vocals. Jazz, Rock, Pop and Fusion. “My best work so far. (Robert)” CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS —---------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy RavenscroftKymera Films Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.comEmail Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert's band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website - www.projectgrandslam.comYouTubeSpotify MusicApple MusicEmail - pgs@projectgrandslam.com
How do you hold a country together when it's tearing itself apart? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to talk about Abraham Lincoln's self-education, his emotional discipline, and how he managed anger, ego, and public pressure without losing himself.Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning presidential historian and bestselling author. Her latest #1 New York Times bestseller, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, is being adapted into a feature film, while her earlier works, Team of Rivals, The Bully Pulpit, and No Ordinary Time, have won some of the nation's highest literary honors and inspired leaders worldwide. She has served as a White House Fellow to President Lyndon Johnson, produced acclaimed docuseries for the HISTORY Channel, and earned countless awards for her contributions to history and leadership.Doris has a new book out called The Leadership Journey: How Four Kids Became Presidents in which she shares the different childhood experiences of Abraham Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Lyndon B. Johnson, and how they each found their way to the presidency.
Israel's lighting campaign in the Sinai in 1956 resulted in a routing of the Egyptian forces and capture of the entire Sinai Peninsula in less than 100 hours. The threat of Egypt deploying its brand-new military hardware from the Soviet Union had been averted. But in a fluke of history, President Eisenhower, instead of siding with his natural allies, Britain, France and Israel, sided with the Soviet Union and Nasser's Egypt and demanded immediate Israeli withdrawal in return for nothing – or else! Eventually Israel received guarantees of right of passage through the Staits of Tiran and that the United Nations Expeditionary Force would be stationed in Gaza to prevent the penetration of Fedayeen terrorists into Israel. Israel's case against the unaccommodating Eisenhower administration, most notably Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, was assisted by Lyndon Johnson, Democratic leader in the Senate, and members of the press and Congress who were friends of Israel. The United States was employing a painful double standard by not doing anything as Hungarian protestors demanded freedom from Soviet oppression, and were murdered wholesale for their dissidence; yet the United States demanded with the threat of immediate sanctions, that Israel, which had gone to war for legitimate grievances, immediately withdraw from the entire Sinai. Israel gained from the battle a decade of quiet which was so necessary to build the State, and in the process demonstrated that the Middle East had a new military power. Credits Welcome Back Kotter theme song – The Great Take Royal Entrance Fanfare - Randy Dunn Ben Power Amen (official video) The Soviets Crushed the Hungarian Revolution by Trickery - USSR Decoded The Suez Crisis (1956): Eisenhower's Response to the Anglo-French-Israeli Action – History Central Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2026 Media Education Trust llc
SHOW SCHEDULE 1-28-20261900 PRINCETON CANE RUSHBased on your notes, here are all 16 segments formatted for January 28, 2026:1.General Blaine Holt, USAF (Ret.), outlines the mission to rescue Iran from the brutes, detailing strategic options for liberating the Iranian people from the oppressive regime ruling in Tehran.2.Michael Bernstam of the Hoover Institution explains how Russia prospers with the price of gold, analyzing Moscow'seconomic resilience as precious metals revenues offset sanctions and sustain Putin's war machine.3.Bob Zimmerman of Behind the Black explains Blue Origin and SpaceX next missions, previewing upcoming launches and milestones as both companies push forward with ambitious spaceflight development programs.4.Bob Zimmerman explains Roscosmos failures without credit, examining how Russia's space agency stumbles through technical setbacks while refusing accountability, diminishing Moscow's once-proud position in space exploration.5.Victoria Coates and Gordon Chang identify the Baltic states as most vulnerable to Russian annexation, warning that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania face persistent threats from Putin's expansionist ambitions.6.Ann Stevenson-Yang and Gordon Chang comment on the low spirits and isolation of mainland Chinese singles, examining the demographic and social crisis as young people struggle with loneliness and economic pressures.7.Charles Burton and Gordon Chang observe the contest in Arctic waters, analyzing competing claims and military positioning as Russia, China, and Western nations vie for polar strategic advantage.8.Charles Burton and Gordon Chang comment on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada's future with the United States and PRC, assessing Ottawa's delicate balancing act between its powerful neighbors.9.Tevi Troy remarks on the new book McNamara at War, exploring Robert McNamara's tenure as Defense Secretary and his controversial management of the Vietnam War under two presidents.10.Tevi Troy observes McNamara dealing with the rude President Lyndon Johnson, examining the difficult working relationship between the cerebral defense secretary and the domineering, often abusive commander-in-chief.11.Kevin Frazier analyzes how AI can fail like Western Union, warning that excessive concentration and lack of innovation could doom today's artificial intelligence giants just as the telegraph company declined.12.Kevin Frazier warns of regulatory capture in AI governance, cautioning that dominant tech companies may co-opt oversight mechanisms, stifling competition and shaping rules to entrench their market dominance.13.Simon Constable reports from temperate France with commodities analysis, noting copper and gold trading dear as industrial demand and safe-haven buying drive precious and base metals prices higher.14.Simon Constable faults Prime Minister Starmer's lack of leadership, criticizing the British leader's failure to articulate vision or direction as the United Kingdom drifts through economic and political uncertainty.15.Astronomer Paul Kalas explains planetary formation in the Fomalhaut system twenty-five light years distant, revealing how observations of this nearby star illuminate the processes that create worlds around young suns.16.David Livingston explains his twenty-five years hosting The Space Show, reflecting on a quarter century of broadcasting interviews with astronauts, engineers, and visionaries shaping humanity's journey beyond Earth.
Tevi Troy observes McNamara dealing with the rude President Lyndon Johnson, examining the difficult working relationship between the cerebral defense secretary and the domineering, often abusive commander-in-chief.1910 VIETNAM
MCNAMARA AND JOHNSON'S DANGEROUS FEEDBACK LOOP Colleague William Taubman. Following JFK's assassination, Lyndon Johnson retained McNamara, relying on his efficiency and self-confidence to counter his own insecurities and depressive episodes. A dangerous feedback loop developed where McNamara, eager to please his new boss, adopted Johnson's "tone for action" regarding Vietnam, providing brilliant arguments for escalation that reinforced Johnson's instincts to fight. Johnson came to view McNamara as his "fair-haired boy," utilizing him for everything from the war effort to domestic projects and even considering him for the Vice Presidency. NUMBER 5 1966 LBJ ;