Podcasts about National Policy

Dr. Mark Skousen, Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University and eighth-generation Benjamin Franklin descendant. Dr. Skousen is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society and the Council for National Policy.New book: The Greatest American. How Benjamin Franklin's Wisdom Can Address Today's National Challenges.

ABC News Senior national policy reporter, Anne Flaherty, joins the show to talk about President Trump's plans to build a new missile defense program. This idea was originally President Reagan's conception, but according to Flaherty, the technology has advanced enough to make what was once science fiction reality. How much might this idea cost?

  Last time we spoke about the February 26th incident. Within the turbulent “ government of assassination” period of 1936 Japan, a faction of discontented junior officers, known as the Kodoha, believed that their emperor, Hirohito, was being manipulated by corrupt politicians. In a desperate bid for what they termed a "Showa Restoration," they meticulously plotted a coup d'état. On February 26, they launched a rebellion in Tokyo, attempting to assassinate key figures they deemed responsible for undermining the emperor's authority. The young officers executed coordinated attacks on prominent leaders, resulting in several deaths, while hoping to seize control of the Imperial Palace. However, their plan unraveled when their actions met with unexpected resistance, and they failed to secure strategic locations. Dark snow blanketed the city as Hirohito, outraged by the violence, quickly moved to suppress the uprising, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Kodoha faction and solidified the military's grip on power, ushering in a new era marked by militarism and radicalism.   #151 The Suiyuan Operation Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. So we last left off with the February 26th incident breaking out in Japan, but now I would like to return to China. Now we spoke a little bit about some influential Japanese politicians in the previous episode. Prime Minister Satio Makoto oversaw Japan from May 1932 to July 1934, succeeded by Prime Minister Keisuke Okada from July 1934 to March 1936. The foreign policy of Japan towards China during the Saitō and Okada administrations exhibited a notable paradox, characterized by two conflicting elements. On one hand, Foreign Minister Hirota championed a diplomatic approach that emphasized friendship, cooperation, and accommodation with China. On the other hand, the military actively undermined the authority of the Nationalist government in northern China, creating a significant rift between diplomatic rhetoric and military action.    The Okada cabinet then endorsed the Army Ministry's "Outline of Policy to Deal with North China" on January 13, 1936. This policy document explicitly proposed the eventual detachment of five provinces, Hubei, Chahar, Shanxi, Suiyuan, and Shandong from the Nationalist government in Nanking. The approval of this outline marked a pivotal moment, as it represented the first official government endorsement of the military's longstanding agenda and underscored the army's evolution from a mere rogue entity operating in the region to the de facto authority dictating the course of Japan's policy towards China. Despite this, on January 22, during the 68th Diet session, Hirota reaffirmed his dedication to fostering better ties with China, to which a representative from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded positively. The Nationalist government in Nanjing also expressed interest in engaging in formal negotiations. However, this diplomatic initiative quickly faltered, and the expected discussions in Nanjing never took place. Shortly thereafter, a mutiny by young army officers on February 26, 1936, led to the fall of the Okada cabinet. Following Prince Konoe Fumimaro's refusal of the imperial mandate to form a new government, Hirota stepped in to establish a cabinet on March 9. General Terauchi Hisaichi was appointed as the Minister of the Army, Admiral Nagano Osami took charge of the Navy Ministry, and Baba Eiichi became the finance minister. Hirota briefly served as foreign minister until Arita Hachirö, who had just submitted his credentials as ambassador to China on March 6, returned to Japan. The Hirota Koki cabinet, established immediately following the February 26 incident further entrenched military influence in politics while allowing interservice rivalries to impede national objectives. In May 1936, Hirota, influenced by army and navy ministers, reinstated the practice of appointing military ministers solely from the ranks of high-ranking active-duty officers. He believed this would prevent associations with the discredited Imperial Way faction from regaining power. By narrowing the candidate pool and enhancing the army's power relative to the prime minister, Hirota's decision set the stage for army leaders to leverage this advantage to overthrow Admiral Yonai's cabinet in July 1940. Arita began his new job by meeting with Foreign Minister Chang Chen while hearing views from the Kwantung Army chief of staff General, Itagaki Seishiro. Yes, our old friend received a lot of promotions. Itagaki had this to say about the Kwantung Army's policy in China "The primary aim of Japan's foreign policy, is the sound development of Manchukuo based upon the principle of the indivisibility of Japan and Manchukuo. If, as is probable, the existing situation continues, Japan is destined sooner or later to clash with the Soviet Union, and the attitude of China at that time will gravely influence operations [against the Soviet Union]." The Kwantung Army's was growing more and more nervous about the USSR following its 7th comintern congress held in July and August of 1935. There it publicly designated Japan, Germany and Poland as its main targets of comintern actions. Japanese intelligence in the Red Army also knew the Soviets were gradually planning to expand the military strength so they could face a simultaneous west and east front war. This was further emboldened by the latest USSR 5 year plan. Alongside the growing Red northern menace, the CCP issued on August 1st a declaration calling upon the Nationalist Government to end their civil war so they could oppose Japan. By this time the CCP was reaching the end of its Long March and organizing a new base of operations in Yenan in northern Shanxi. The developments by the USSR and CCP had a profound effect on Japan's foreign policy in China. The Kwantung Army believed a war with the USSR was imminent and began to concentrate its main force along the border of Manchukuo. The Kwantung Army's plan in the case of war was to seize Vladivostok while advancing motorized units towards Ulan Bator in Outer Mongolia, hoping to threaten the Trans-Siberian Railway near Lake Baikal. Their intelligence indicated the USSR could muster a maximum of 250,000 troops in eastern Siberia and that Japan could deal with them with a force two-thirds of that number. The IJA at that point had inferior air forces and armaments, thus urgent funding was needed. The Kwantung Army proposed that forces in the home islands should be reduced greatly so all could be concentrated in Manchuria. To increase funding so Kwantung leadership proposed doing away with special allowances for Japanese officials in Manchuria and reorganizing the Japanese economic structure. The Kwantung leaders also knew the submarine base at Vladivostok posed a threat to Japanese shipping so the IJN would have to participate, especially against ports and airfields. All said and done, the Kwantung Army planned for a war set in 1941 and advised immediate preparations. On July 23, 1936, Kanji Ishiwara presented the army's document titled “Request Concerning the Development of Industries in Preparation for War” to the Army Ministry. He asserted that in order to prepare for potential conflict with the Soviet Union, Japan, Manchukuo, and North China must have the industries critical for war fully developed by 1941. Ishiwara emphasized the urgent need for rapid industrial growth, particularly in Manchukuo. He followed this request on July 29 with a draft of a “Policy on Preparations for War” regarding the Soviet Union, advocating for immediate reforms to Japan's political and economic systems to facilitate economic expansion and lay the groundwork for future fundamental changes. However, he cautioned that if significant turmoil erupted in economic sectors, Japan must be ready to execute a comprehensive overhaul without delay. At the same time, the Hirota cabinet initiated a review of its policy towards China. In the spring of 1936, a secret committee focused on the Current Situation was formed, consisting of officials from the Army, Navy, and Foreign ministries. Their discussions led to the adoption of the "Measures to Implement Policy toward China" by the Four Ministers Conference on August 11, along with the "Second Outline of Policy to Address North China," which the cabinet approved as part of the "Fundamentals of National Policy" on the same day. The first of these documents outlined the following actionable steps: “1. Conclusion of an anti-Communist military pact. a) To prepare for the conclusion of such a pact, a special secret committee of military experts from both countries should be organized. b) Their discussions should cover the scope and substance of the pact and ways and means of realizing the objectives of the pact.  2. Conclusion of a Sino-Japanese military alliance. A special secret committee, composed of an equal number of delegates from each nation, should be organized to prepare for the conclusion of an offensive and defensive alliance against attack by a third country.  3. Acceleration of solutions of pending questions between China and Japan. a) Engagement of a senior political adviser: The Nationalist government should engage a senior Japanese political adviser to assist in the conduct of the domestic and foreign affairs of the Nationalist government. b) Engagement of military advisers: The Nationalist government should engage military advisers, along with military instructors. c) Opening of airline services between China and Japan: Airline services between China and Japan should be opened immediately. To realize such a service, various means should be used to induce the Nanking authorities to establish an airline corporation in North China, to begin flights between Formosa and Fukien province, and to start test flights between Shanghai and Fukuoka. d) Conclusion of a reciprocal tariff treaty: A reciprocal tariff treaty should be concluded promptly between China and Japan, on the basis of the policy approved by the ministries concerned, with regard to the abolition of the special trade in eastern Hopei province and the lowering of the prohibitively high tariffs. For this purpose Japan should, if necessary, propose the creation of a special committee composed of Japanese and Chinese representatives.  4. Promotion of economic cooperation between China and Japan. Japan should promote cooperation with the common people of China to establish realistic and inseparable economic relations between China and Japan that will promote coexistence and co-prosperity and will be unaffected by changes in the Chinese political situation. “ The document also included suggestions for Japan's economic expansion into South China. This included tapping into the natural resources of the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, building a railway between Guangzhou and Swatow, and establishing air routes between Fuchoz and Taipei, which would connect to services in Japan and Thailand. It also called for survey teams to be dispatched to explore the resources of Sichuan, Gansu, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces, and for support to be provided to the independence movement in Inner Mongolia. However, these initiatives presented significant challenges. The preface to the "Second Outline of Policy to Deal with North China" cautioned, "In implementing this policy, we must carefully consider the Nanking government's prestige and avoid actions that could prompt it to adopt an anti-Japanese stance in response to the desires of the Chinese people."  On September 19th, six fundamental points for a settlement in North China were dictated to China to “establish a common defense against communism, promoting economic cooperation, lowering tariffs, initiating an airline service between the two nations, employing Japanese advisers, and controlling subversive Koreans." September 22 was set as the deadline for a response from China. While agreeing to some Japanese requests, the Chinese included several counter-demands that the Japanese found completely unacceptable. These demands required Japan to “(a) refrain from using armed intervention or arbitrary actions in its dealings with China, (b) recognize China as an equal and sovereign state, (c) avoid leveraging antigovernment groups or communist elements, and (d) remove any derogatory references to China from Japanese textbooks. The Chinese also insisted that any agreement regarding North China “must precede the annulment of the Tanggu and Shanghai cease-fire agreements, the disbanding of the East Hopei regime, a prohibition on unauthorized Japanese flights over North China, a ban on smuggling activities by Japanese, the restoration of China's right to control smuggling, and the disbandment of the illegal East Hopei government along with the armies of Wang Ying and Prince De in Suiyuan”. Now that mention of a Prince De in Suiyuan brings us to a whole new incident. This podcast series should almost be called “the history of Japanese related incidents in China”. Now we've spoken at great lengths about Japan's obsession with Manchuria. She wanted it for resources, growing space and as a buffer state. Japan also had her eyes set on Inner Mongolia to be used as a buffer state between Manchukuo, the USSR and China proper. Not to mention after the invasion of North China, Inner Mongolia could be instrumental as a wedge to be used to control Northern China. Thus the Kwantung Army began fostering a Mongolian independence movement back in August of 1933. They did so through a special organ led by chief of the general staff Koiso Kuniaki. He began work with the Silingol League led by Prince Sonormurabdan or “Prince So” and another influential Mongol, Prince Demchukdongrob or “Prince De”. Prince De was the West Sunid Banner in Northern Chahar. Likewise the Kwantung Army was grooming Li Xuxin, a Mongol commoner born in southern Manchuria. He had been a bandit turned soldier absorbed into Zhang Xueliangs army. Li had distinguished himself in a campaign against a group of Mongols trying to restore the Qing dynasty to further establish an independent Mongolia. During Operation Nekka Li had served in a cavalry brigade under Zu Xingwu, reputed to be the best unit in Zhang Xueliangs Northeastern border defense army. He led the army's advance unit into western Shandong. Afterwards Li suddenly became friends with Major Tanaka Hisashi, the head of the Special Service Agency at Dungliao where he defected to the Kwantung Army. He soon was leading a force too strong to be incorporated into the Manchukuo Army, thus it was disbanded, but his Kwantung Army buddies encouraged him to move to Tolun in Rehe province. At one point during the Nekka campaign, Li's army was threatened by a strong Chinese counterattack, but they had Manchukuo air support allowing them to capture Tolun. This victory launched what became the East Chahar Special Autonomous District with Li becoming a garrison commander and chief administrator.  Back in time, upon the founding of the Chinese Republic, the affairs of Inner Mongolia fell upon the Bureau of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs. This was reorganized in 1930 into the Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs when the provinces of Chahar, Suiyuan and Ningxia were organized. Prince De had been a member of a nationalist group known as the Young Mongols, although his aim was self-determination for Inner Mongolia within China, not independence. The Nationalist government's support for Chinese settlement in Mongol territories and its disregard for Mongol perspectives quickly triggered a rise in Mongol nationalism and anti-Chinese feelings. This was exacerbated by the government's introduction of a law on October 12, 1931, requiring local Mongolian administrative units to consult with hsien officials on matters concerning their administration. The nationalist sentiment was further fueled by the presence of the neighboring Mongolian People's Republic in Outer Mongolia and the establishment of Xingan province in western Manchuria by Manchukuo authorities in March 1932. This new province included the tribes of eastern Inner Mongolia and granted them greater autonomy than other Manchukuo provinces while banning Chinese immigration into it. When Nanjing did not react to these developments, Prince De and his supporters took steps toward gaining autonomy. On July 15th, 1933, Mongol leaders from western Inner Mongolia gathered at Pailingmiao for two weeks to deliberate on a declaration for regional independence. Although many princes were initially hesitant to take this step, they reconvened on August 14 and sent a cable to Nanjing announcing their decision to create an autonomous Mongolian government. The cable was signed by Prince So and Prince De. Over the following two months, additional conferences at Pailingmiao were held to organize the new government, which would operate under Nanking's guidance but without involvement from provincial chairmen. On October 22, Prince Yun, head of the Ulanchap League and a close ally of Prince De, was elected to lead the new regime, with Prince De assuming the role of chief of its political affairs bureau. After receiving a cable from the Mongolian leaders in August, Nanjing quickly sent Minister of the Interior Huang Shao-hung and Xu Qingyang, head of the Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs, to halt the movement. However, the Mongols declined to travel to Kalgan or Kueisui to meet Huang. In November, as the leader of a special commission appointed by Nanjing, Huang reached an agreement with Yun De and other Mongolian leaders concerning a proposal that abandoned the Mongols' demand for an autonomous government. This agreement was later altered by Nanjing, and its essential points were excluded from a measure approved by the Central Political Council of the Kuomintang on January 17, 1934. The dispute reignited, fueled by the Nationalist government's rising concerns over the anticipated enthronement of Pu Yi in Manchukuo. On February 28, the Central Political Council enacted a measure that outlined "eight principles of Inner Mongolian autonomy" and created the Mongolian Local Autonomous Political Council. Since these principles did not grant authority over foreign and military affairs, powers explicitly reserved for the central government in the January measure, they were seen as a concession to the Mongols and were accepted. On March 7, the central government issued regulations to establish a semi autonomous regime for Inner Mongolia, which was officially launched at Pailingmiao on April 23. Although the council was led by three moderate princes, Prince Yun, supported by Princes So and Sha, the real administrative authority was held by Prince De, who served as the secretary-general. Most of the twenty-five council members were of Mongolian royalty, through whom Prince De aimed to fulfill his objectives. Nevertheless, the Nationalist government seemed to consider the council merely a token gesture to placate De, as Nanking never provided the promised administrative funds outlined in the "eight principle declaration." Was not much of a shock Prince De sought support from the Kwantung Army, which had established contact with him as early as June 1934. Japanese pressures in North China were starting to alter the power dynamics, and after the first Western incident in Jehol in February 1935, it compelled the relocation of Sung Queyuan's army from Chahar to Hopei, providing encouragement to Prince De. In May, he met with Kwantung Army Vice Chief of Staff Itagaki Seishirö, Intelligence Section Chief Kawabe Torashirö, and staff officer Tanaka Ryükichi, where he was officially informed for the first time about the Kwantung Army's intention to assist him. On July 25, the Kwantung Army drafted its "Essentials of Policy toward Inner Mongolia," which regarded Japanese support for cooperation between De and Li Xuxin as part of their strategic preparations for a potential conflict with the Soviet Union. Shortly after this policy was adopted, a conflict arose over who had the authority to appoint the head of the Mongol Xukung banner, situated north of the Yellow River and Paot'ou. Following the death of the previous administrator, Prince Xu declared that he had taken control of the position. In response to a request from the local abbot, Prince Yun, acting in his capacity as chairman of the Mongolian Political Council, dismissed Xu. Xu then turned to Nanking through Suiyuan Provincial Chairman Fu Zuoyi, arguing that the central government held the authority to appoint heads of administrative units. In retaliation, Prince De dispatched troops to Xukung. On November 10, Fu presented a mediation proposal, which was rejected since it not only failed to acknowledge Shih's dismissal but also demanded the withdrawal of De's forces. De refused to pull back, further intensifying his hostility toward the Nanking government. In December, the Kwantung Army attempted to move Li's forces from eastern Chahar into the six Xun to the north of Kalgan, which serves as Chahar's granary. Following the Qin-Doihara agreement, Matsui Gennosuke from the Kalgan Special Service Agency secured a deal to separate these six districts from the southern region predominantly populated by Chinese; a Mongolian peace preservation corps was tasked with maintaining order in the northern area, while a Chinese corps was responsible for the south. During the discussions for an autonomous regime centered around Song Queyuan in North China in November 1935, Kwantung Army troops were concentrated around Gubeikou. To exert pressure on Song's rear, the Kwantung Army proposed replacing the Chinese peace preservation unit in the area north of Kalgan with Li Xuxin's army, which would establish this territory as its base.   The operation commenced on December 8. In a surprise attack just before dawn, Li captured Paochang. By December 12, despite facing strong Chinese resistance and the heaviest snowfall in sixty years, Li, aided by Kwantung Army planes disguised as those of the Manchukuo Airline Corporation, had taken control of Kuyuan. Further advances were halted by an order from Kwantung Army headquarters, and on December 13, it was reported that, had the operation not been stopped, Tokyo would have issued an imperial command. The operation had faced opposition from the Tientsin army, which feared it would weaken Song Queyuan's position just as they were informing Tokyo that the autonomy movement was going smoothly. Additionally, both Britain and the United States publicly expressed strong opposition to the Kwantung Army's involvement in the autonomy movement. However, the directive was ultimately prompted by the emperor's anger upon discovering that a unit of the Kwantung Army led by Colonel Matsui Takurö had advanced to Tolun to support Li's progress. Although Li's advance was halted, the operation undeniably contributed to the formation of the Hopei-Chahar Political Council.   Although the operation was halted, the Kwantung Army remained committed to its objectives. They contended that Li's army's advance into the six districts north of Kalgan was merely a peace preservation unit moving into territory within the truce line established by the Tanggu Agreement. Consequently, on December 29, they ordered Li to advance southward. Li peacefully occupied Changpei the following day and entered Shangtu on December 31. Manchukuo civil officials were appointed to oversee the six districts, and the currency of Manchukuo was introduced, although the existing tax system initially remained unchanged. The Kwantung Army allocated silver worth 6 million yuan to support administrative expenses. This outcome, known as the Eastern Chahar incident, marked a complete success for the Kwantung Army, which then redirected its focus toward Suiyuan Province. Each year, the Kwantung Army developed a secret plan for covert operations for the following year. The 1936 plan included strategies to secure air bases for routes connecting Europe and Asia, targeting Tsinghai and Sinkiang provinces, Outer Mongolia, Western Mongolia, and even remote areas of Ningxia province. In January 1936, staff officer Tanaka Ryūkichi formulated a document titled "Essentials of Policy Toward (Northwestern) Inner Mongolia." This document advocated for the establishment of a Mongolian military government to facilitate Japanese operations in northwestern Mongolia and suggested pushing Fu Tso-yi out of Suiyuan into Shansi province. Tanaka's proposals were incorporated into the final plan of the Kwantung Army, ultimately leading to the Suiyuan incident of November 1936. In February 1936, a meeting at Pailingmiao, where Prince De proposed the independence of Inner Mongolia, resulted in the departure of Prince So and several other Mongolian leaders from the coalition. They sought to establish a rival political council at Kueisui under the protection of Fu Zuoyi. By April, De and his supporters decided to form a military government at Tehua in Chahar, which was officially inaugurated in June as the Inner Mongolian government, headed by De with Li Shou-hsin as his deputy. This new government quickly signed a mutual assistance treaty with Manchukuo, and the emperor granted De the title of prince.   In July, at a conference in Tehua, Tanaka was appointed as the head of the Special Service Agency for Inner Mongolia with the mission of implementing the army's Intelligence Section plans. He traveled to Pingtiqüan alongside Chief of Staff Itagaki and Intelligence Chief Mutō Akira to propose a local anti-Communist agreement to Fu. After failing to convince Fu, he attempted to persuade Sun Tien-ying to form a puppet army but managed to recruit only a bandit from Suiyuan, Wang Ying. The February 26 mutiny in Tokyo heightened anti-Japanese sentiments in China, resulting in increased violence. By August, the construction of an airplane hangar in Paot'ou was halted due to riots by local Chinese residents. On August 13, a group of fifteen Japanese, led by Nakajima Manzo, was ambushed while delivering ammunition to a pro-Japanese leader who was shortly thereafter assassinated. Chinese soldiers from Wang Qingkuo's 70th Division carried out the attack, and tensions escalated as the arrival of ammunition and Japanese laborers in Kalgan prompted border villages to strengthen their defenses.   By late September, Tanaka's "Guidelines for the Execution of the Suiyuan Operation" received approval, with operations set to commence in early November. The plan evolved from a covert mission into a personal initiative by Tanaka, financed largely through funds from the Kwantung Army's secret services and profits from special trading in eastern Hopei. Tanaka claimed to have transported 600,000 yen to Tehua in October and later sent 200,000 yuan into Inner Mongolia, estimating total expenses at approximately 6 million yen. He acquired new weaponry from the disbanded Northeast Army and established three clandestine forces: Wang Ying led 500 men, including artillery; Qin Xiashan commanded 3,000 from Sun Tienying's army; and Chang Futang also led 3,000 specialized units. During strategic meetings, Tanaka dismissed proposals for unified command and refusing to integrate secret units into the Mongolian army. He advocated for the slogan "Overthrow Chiang Kai-shek," while Matsui managed to include "Independence for Inner Mongolia."   The Japanese had developed the entire battle strategy. The 1st Army, commanded by Li Xuxin, would serve as the left flank, while the 2nd Army, led by Demchugdongrub, would be positioned on the right. Wang Ying's forces were designated as the central force. Their initial targets would be Hongort, Xinghe, Tuchengzi, and Guisui city, followed by a division to seize Jinging, Baotou, and Hetao. On November 13, Prince Demchugdongrub's and Wang Ying's forces left Shandu in two columns to assault Xinghe and Hongort. By the 15th, 1,500 troops reached Hongort, where they engaged the 1st Cavalry Division led by Peng Yubin. The next day, Ryukichi Tanaka, Demchugdongrub's chief advisor, sent two cavalry brigades and one infantry brigade to capture the town, effectively overrunning its defenders. Meanwhile, Wang Ying dispatched a smaller group to secure Tuchengzi.   Fu Zuoyi established his headquarters in Jining that same day. After assessing the situation, he concluded that if the enemy secured Hongort, it would diminish his defenders' morale. Consequently, he launched a counterattack. Peng Yubin led a joint force of the 1st Cavalry Division and Dong Qiwu's 218th Brigade to confront around 400 of Wang Ying's men defending Hongort and Tuchengzi. By 7 AM on the 18th, Tuchengzi was reclaimed, and at 8:30 AM, the 1st Cavalry Division entered Hongort, charging through 500 of Wang Ying's soldiers. The struggle for Hongort persisted for over three days, resulting in nearly 1,000 casualties before Fu Zuoyi regained control.   As the tide shifted against the invaders, Fu Zuoyi initiated an offensive toward the Bailing Temple, the rear base of the enemy, well-stocked and defended by 3,000 men under Prince Demchugdongrub. Fu Zuoyi ordered the 2nd Cavalry Division, along with the 211th and 315th Brigades, the 21st Artillery Regiment, and a convoy of 20 trucks and 24 armored vehicles to assault the Bailing Temple as quickly as possible. Taking advantage of the Mongolian chaos, Fu Zuoyi's 35th Brigade executed a flanking maneuver west of the Bailing Temple amid a severe snowstorm.   At 1 AM on the 24th, the battle for the Bailing Temple commenced as the Chinese engaged the Mongolians for the fortified positions around the temple. From 2 to 4 AM, the Chinese advanced closer to the temple walls, facing artillery and machine-gun fire. They launched desperate frontal assaults against the city gates, suffering heavy losses. A fierce stalemate ensued, with Japanese aerial bombardments causing significant casualties to the Chinese forces. Fu Zuoyi subsequently ordered all armored vehicles to converge at the main city gate. Despite intense fire, the armored cars managed to breach the gate, allowing Chinese infantry to flood into the temple area. The resulting carnage within the temple walls led to 900 Mongol deaths, with 300 captured as the rest fled. The Chinese suffered 300 casualties but secured the strategically vital rear base, along with a substantial stockpile of provisions, including 500 barrels of petrol, 600 rifles, 10 machine guns, vehicles, and field guns. Following the devastating defeat at Bailing Temple, the invaders regrouped at Xilamuleng Temple. On the 28th, the Japanese sent 100 vehicles to transport 3,000 troops to prepare for a significant counteroffensive to recapture Bailing Temple. On the 29th, Wang Ying personally led 2,000 cavalry north of Shangdu to Taolin in an attempt to contain the enemy. However, after he left the bulk of his forces at Xilamuleng Temple, officers from the Grand Han Righteous Army secretly began negotiating to defect to the Chinese side, undermining the forces needed for the counterattack against Bailing Temple.   The counteroffensive commenced on December 2nd, with 10 armored vehicles and 1,000 Mongol troops leading the charge at 6 AM. They were pushed back by the heavily fortified 211th Brigade, which was well-supplied with machine guns and artillery. The following day, at 3 AM, the Mongols attempted a surprise attack but faced an ambush as they crept toward the temple. They incurred hundreds of casualties, with 230 men either captured or having defected. After this, the counterattack stalled, as the Mongol forces couldn't approach within 3 miles of the temple. Subsequently, the Chinese 2nd Cavalry Division launched a pincer maneuver, causing significant casualties among the invaders. By 9 AM, the enemy had suffered 500 casualties and was in retreat. At 7 PM, Fu Zuoyi ordered another counteroffensive. By the next morning, hundreds more had been lost, and several hundred soldiers were captured. With such heavy losses, the defense of Xilamuleng Temple weakened significantly, prompting more officers to defect to the Chinese. Late on the 4th, Fu Zuoyi assembled a force comprising two cavalry regiments, one infantry regiment, one artillery battalion, four armored vehicles, and a squadron of cars to launch a nighttime assault on Xilamuleng Temple.   Meanwhile, the 2nd Cavalry Division clashed with Wang Ying's cavalry 30 miles northeast of Wulanhua. Wang Ying's 2,000 cavalry had been raiding nearby villages to create diversions, drawing enemy forces away from the Bailing-Xilamuleng theater. By the 9th, Wang Ying's cavalry were encircled in Xiaobei, where they were nearly annihilated, with Wang escaping with around a hundred guards toward Changpei. On the 7th, some Grand Han Righteous Army officers set in motion plans to defect to the Chinese side. Early on the 9th, these officers led their men to invade the residence of Japanese advisors, killing all 27 Japanese officers under Colonel Obama. Simultaneously, Fu Zuoyi's forces executed a flanking maneuver against the Xilamuleng Temple amidst the chaos. With mass defections, the Chinese forces surged into the temple area, resulting in the invader army disintegrating in confusion and surrender. After seizing the temple, the invaders were routed, their lines of communication severed, and only isolated pockets continued to resist. Taking advantage of the confusion, Fu Zuoyi launched simultaneous attacks, attempting to capture Shangdu. However, Yan Xishan sent him a telegram, ordering him to halt, stating that Shangdu fell under the jurisdiction of Shanxi and not Suiyuan.   In response to the loss, Tanaka planned a counteroffensive with Qin's troops, but Chiang kai-shek commanded a strong defense of Pailingmiao, successfully outmaneuvering Tanaka's strategies. The resurgence of Chinese forces led to the disintegration of Qin's troops, who revolted and eventually joined the Nationalist army. The Kwantung Army aimed to redeploy its forces for recovery but faced opposition from Tokyo, which criticized the situation. After Chiang kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang on December 12, Tanaka and Prince De seized the opportunity to reassess their strategy. Ultimately, the Kwantung Army decided to abandon efforts to reclaim Pailingmiao, marking the official end of hostilities on December 21. The Suiyuan incident ultimately strengthened Chinese resolve against Japan and increased international distrust.   The defeat of Japan's proxy forces inspired many Chinese to advocate for a more vigorous resistance against the Japanese. The triumph in Suiyuan was celebrated throughout China and surprised the international media, marking the first occasion where the Chinese army successfully halted a Japanese unit. Delegations traveled from as distant as southern Chinese provinces to encourage the defenders to continue their fight. Captured Japanese weapons and equipment served as proof of Japan's involvement in the conflict, despite Japan's Foreign Minister Hachirō Arita claiming that "Japan was not involved in this conflict in Suiyuan at all." After his defeat, Prince Demchugdongrub and his Inner Mongolian troops retreated to northern Chahar, where he had to reconstruct his army due to significant losses. The Japanese implemented new regulations for the Mongolian Army to enhance its effectiveness, and efforts to recruit new soldiers commenced.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. More incidents and more battles to seize territory raged in North China. However things did not go according to plan for the Japanese and their puppets. The tides had turned, and now a more angry and invigorating China would begin lashing out against the encroachment. It was only a matter of time before a full blown war was declared. 

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 800-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ In this episode, Brad discusses the troubling rise of MAGA and far-right extremism within California's local politics, specifically focusing on the state's school boards. Brad speaks with the anonymous founder of SoCal Extremism Watch (S.C.E.W.), who highlights the strategies and impact of these extremist groups. The conversation covers recent incidents, such as a school board member casually using the N-word without repercussions, and the coordinated efforts of national organizations like the Council for National Policy to influence local elections and politics through dark money and organized activism. The episode emphasizes the importance of vigilance and active participation in democracy, even in states perceived as liberal strongholds like California. Episode links: socalextremismwatch.com Bluesky @socalextremismwatch.com The CMD Article featuring the 2022 Dana Point CNP meeting secret audio. Glendale Extremists TheChartyB Pride at the Pier The Riverside Watch Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN - In this podcast episode of the WGNS Action Line, we bring you highlights from an April 24th RoundTable discussion featuring Dr. Bill Kraus and U.S. Sen

CDR, NDRN, NLIHCDisability Right is a Civil Right BUT has "ISM" Issues I am ALL Too Familiar with I  am Saddened to say. But Hope for Positive Ways Foward.Dara Baldwin is a debut author with the book To Be A Problem: A Black Woman's Survival in the Racist Disability Rights Movement published by Beacon Press and released July 2024 in coordination with the 34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). She is a strategist, author, activist, instructor, project manager, connector, changemaker and policy wonk.Born in Torrejon, Spain to parents involved in serving their country, the desire to serve has continued through her education and current career journey. She is an activist, scholar and author. She started her first career in Healthcare Administration in executive positions. In 2004 she changed her career to public policy in the social justice/equity realm of work. Currently Ms. Baldwin the founder and Principal of DMadrina, LLC. A consultant company working with organizations around the world in the area of social impact, political strategy and policy agendas in multiple issue areas, with an emphasis on disability justice. She is also an adjunct professor at McCourt School of Public Policy and McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University teaching disability justice, equity and policy as well as Introduction to Advocacy and policy.She has held senior level positions in federal policy at multiple organizations. She was the Director of National Policy for the Center for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR), Senior Policy Analyst at National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). She works within the Disability Justice movement and with an intentional strategy to end racism and systems of oppression.She is a fellow in the Women Transcending Collecti

Marc and Kim call out the latest overreach from Illinois lawmakers—from trying to erase school mascots tied to Native American heritage and disability groups, to exposing America's declining birth rates and the push for government handouts like a $5,000 “baby bonus.” Former Senator Jim Talent joins to discuss border security failures and Biden's weak stance on foreign policy. Plus, Dylan Sharkey from the Illinois Policy Institute exposes the state's bloated gas tax, poor road conditions, and questionable spending priorities.

Raising Expectations with Pastor Joe Schofield, Stefanie and Dr Craig Thayer, Dr Paul Hall, and Ron Greer Joined by Guest, Professor Nancy Pearcey - Author of Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality Friends, we all pray you had a wonderful Easter week because you know the “Risen Jesus” as your Savior and Lord! He is risen and coming again! Amen ✝️ We are delighted to have Dr. Nancy Pearcey as our guest. She is the bestselling author of seven books, including two ECPA Gold Medallion Winners: Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity and How Now Shall We Live? (co-authored by Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett). Her other books include The Soul of Science, Finding Truth, Saving Leonardo, Love Thy Body, and most recently The Toxic War on Masculinity. Her books have been translated into 19 languages, and she has also contributed chapters to 15 books. A former agnostic, Pearcey was hailed in The Economist as “America's pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual.” She has published hundreds of articles in outlets such as The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Fox News, The Daily Caller, The American Enterprise, American Thinker, Human Life Review, First Things, Christianity Today, the Regent University Law Review, CNS News, Human Events, and The Federalist. Pearcey has been an invited speaker on university campuses such as Princeton, Dartmouth, Stanford, the University of Southern California, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Georgia. She has spoken to staffers in Congress and the White House; to scientists at Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories; to actors and screenwriters in Hollywood; and to think tanks and public policy groups such as the Council for National Policy, the Family Research Council, Faith & Law, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, and the Heritage Foundation. As always, we look for to seeing and being with you for this weeks show! Join us because God has a message just for you to clarify and strengthen your life in Him! The Team! Pastor Joe Schofield,  Dr. Paul Paul Hall,  Stef Stefanie Shaw Thayer,  Dr. Craig Craig Tank Thayer,  Pastor Ron Ron Greer.

In the last episode of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke explore the story behind a confidential letter in the SBC'S archives that leads to a pastor's wife named Maria. They also look at the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to expel churches that ordain women, critiquing the rhetoric of unity and biblical authority used to justify the exclusion of women from leadership roles Last, the episode draws on the lost portrait of Saint Fabiola as a symbol of women's enduring resistance, urging listeners to recognize the hidden stories of women who continue to challenge oppressive structures in the church. We reached out to the SBC, Paige Patterson, Darryl Gilyard, Tommy Gilmore, and the Council for National Policy for comment, and did not hear back. All the Buried Women is presented by The Bible for Normal People. Credits: Hosts: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Producer: Savannah Locke Writing and Editing: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Sound Editing and Music: Savannah Locke and Todd Locke Introduction and Closing Song: Jaded by Savannah Locke Special Thanks (in order of appearance): Leanne Friesen, CBOQ, and the many anonymous interviewees willing to share their memories of Maria Partner Organization: The Bible for Normal People Additional Thanks: Andy Clark, Systems Administrator within the University Libraries at Baylor University; Erin Smith, Marketing Manager at Baker Publishing Group; Jordan Corona; Dr. Taffey Hall, Director of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives; Brittany Prescott, Podcast Producer for The Bible for Normal People; Adam McCullough, Archivist of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Gordon Heath, Director of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Rev. Leanne Friesen, Executive Minister of Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) and CBOQ executive board; and Audrey and Alex from Lawyers for Reporters. Social Media Links: Follow us on Instagram: @alltheburiedwomen @bethallisonbarr @savannah_locke @thebiblefornormalpeople Subscribe to Beth's Substack: https://bethallisonbarr.substack.com Subscribe to Savannah's Substack: https://savannahlocke.substack.com Promo Code: Use code PODCAST40 to get 40% off Becoming the Pastor's Wife until April 30th through Baker Publishing Group's Website: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/becoming-the-pastor-s-wife/414910 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode 4 of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke share the story of Christa Brown, a sexual abuse survivor and advocate. Her experience reflects the broader issue of clergy abuse, where victims are often silenced and blamed, while abusers are protected and transferred to new congregations. The episode also highlights Pooler's research on the harmful psychological impacts of clergy sexual abuse, including PTSD rates higher than those of combat veterans, and the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) ongoing failure to protect victims. We reached out to the SBC, Paige Patterson, Darryl Gilyard, Tommy Gilmore, and the Council for National Policy for comment, and did not hear back. All the Buried Women is presented by The Bible for Normal People. Credits: Hosts: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Producer: Savannah Locke Writing and Editing: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Sound Editing and Music: Savannah Locke and Todd Locke Introduction and Closing Song: Jaded by Savannah Locke Special Thanks (in order of appearance): Christa Brown (Get Christa's newest book Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal, and Transformation!), David Pooler, Robert Downen, Rosalie Beck, Meredith Stone, and Barry Hankins Partner Organization: The Bible for Normal People Additional Thanks: Andy Clark, Systems Administrator within the University Libraries at Baylor University; Erin Smith, Marketing Manager at Baker Publishing Group; Jordan Corona; Dr. Taffey Hall, Director of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives; Brittany Prescott, Podcast Producer for The Bible for Normal People; Adam McCullough, Archivist of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Gordon Heath, Director of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Rev. Leanne Friesen, Executive Minister of Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) and CBOQ executive board; and Audrey and Alex from Lawyers for Reporters. Social Media Links: Follow us on Instagram: @alltheburiedwomen @bethallisonbarr @savannah_locke @thebiblefornormalpeople Subscribe to Beth's Substack: https://bethallisonbarr.substack.com Subscribe to Savannah's Substack: https://savannahlocke.substack.com Promo Code: Use code PODCAST40 to get 40% off Becoming the Pastor's Wife until April 30th through Baker Publishing Group's Website: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/becoming-the-pastor-s-wife/414910 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode 3 of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke explore the "loopholes" that allowed women to serve in ministry within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), despite the formal prohibition against female ordination. These loopholes included roles like professors, missionaries, and pastor's wives, which allowed women to take on leadership and preaching roles in practice, even though they were not officially recognized as ordained ministers. We reached out to the SBC, Paige Patterson, Darryl Gilyard, Tommy Gilmore, and the Council for National Policy for comment, and did not hear back. All the Buried Women is presented by The Bible for Normal People. Credits: Hosts: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Producer: Savannah Locke Writing and Editing: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Sound Editing and Music: Savannah Locke and Todd Locke Introduction and Closing Song: Jaded by Savannah Locke Special Thanks (in order of appearance): Rosalie Beck, Steve Bezner, and Pamela Durso Partner Organization: The Bible for Normal People Additional Thanks: Andy Clark, Systems Administrator within the University Libraries at Baylor University; Erin Smith, Marketing Manager at Baker Publishing Group; Jordan Corona; Dr. Taffey Hall, Director of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives; Brittany Prescott, Podcast Producer for The Bible for Normal People; Adam McCullough, Archivist of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Gordon Heath, Director of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Rev. Leanne Friesen, Executive Minister of Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) and CBOQ executive board; and Audrey and Alex from Lawyers for Reporters. Social Media Links: Follow us on Instagram: @alltheburiedwomen @bethallisonbarr @savannah_locke @thebiblefornormalpeople Subscribe to Beth's Substack: https://bethallisonbarr.substack.com Subscribe to Savannah's Substack: https://savannahlocke.substack.com Promo Code: Use code PODCAST40 to get 40% off Becoming the Pastor's Wife until April 30th through Baker Publishing Group's Website: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/becoming-the-pastor-s-wife/414910 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode 2 of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke uncover the turbulent and hidden history of women in the Southern Baptist Convention. The story begins in the 1970s, an era of progress and pushback, and follows the journey of Kathy Hoppe, an ordained woman whose call to ministry intersected with a calculated takeover of the SBC. What happens when conviction collides with politics, and how do women respond when their calling is questioned? This episode reveals the invisible threads tying women's resilience to a denomination shaped by control and conflict. We reached out to the SBC, Paige Patterson, Darryl Gilyard, Tommy Gilmore, and the Council for National Policy for comment, and did not hear back. All the Buried Women is brought to you by The Bible for Normal People. Credits: Hosts: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Producer: Savannah Locke Writing and Editing: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Sound Editing and Music: Savannah Locke and Todd Locke Introduction and Closing Song: Jaded by Savannah Locke Special Thanks (in order of appearance): Kathy Hoppe, Barry Hankins, and Robert Downen Partner Organization: The Bible for Normal People Additional Thanks: Andy Clark, Systems Administrator within the University Libraries at Baylor University; Erin Smith, Marketing Manager at Baker Publishing Group; Jordan Corona; Dr. Taffey Hall, Director of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives; Brittany Prescott, Podcast Producer for The Bible for Normal People; Adam McCullough, Archivist of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Gordon Heath, Director of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Rev. Leanne Friesen, Executive Minister of Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) and CBOQ executive board; and Audrey and Alex from Lawyers for Reporters. Social Media Links: Follow us on Instagram: @alltheburiedwomen @bethallisonbarr @savannah_locke @thebiblefornormalpeople Subscribe to Beth's Substack: https://bethallisonbarr.substack.com Subscribe to Savannah's Substack: https://savannahlocke.substack.com Promo Code: Use code PODCAST40 to get 40% off Becoming the Pastor's Wife until April 30th through Baker Publishing Group's Website: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/becoming-the-pastor-s-wife/414910 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's episode of Inside Business, we discuss US President Donald Trump's intention to impose new reciprocal tariff rates on EU countries and elsewhere from April 2nd. What are reciprocal tariffs and how will Ireland be affected? Will we be singled out? What is coming down the line in terms of ‘special tariffs', and their potential impact on big exports from Ireland to the US? And what possible options are available to Irish companies to soften the blow of all this uncertainty? Gerard Brady, Head of National Policy and Chief Economist at Ibec, joined the podcast to give a timeline of all upcoming tariffs and what they mean.And this week saw the much-anticipated arrival of Amazon.ie, a dedicated Irish platform for the retail behemoth – a move that will be welcomed by most online shoppers in Ireland with the prospect of more product choice and better value. But what about retailers who will have to go toe-to-toe with Amazon here? Irish Times Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to outline what Irish consumers can expect.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Inside Business, we discuss US President Donald Trump's intention to impose new reciprocal tariff rates on EU countries and elsewhere from April 2nd. What are reciprocal tariffs and how will Ireland be affected? Will we be singled out? What is coming down the line in terms of ‘special tariffs', and their potential impact on big exports from Ireland to the US? And what possible options are available to Irish companies to soften the blow of all this uncertainty? Gerard Brady, Head of National Policy and Chief Economist at Ibec, joined the podcast to give a timeline of all upcoming tariffs and what they mean.And this week saw the much-anticipated arrival of Amazon.ie, a dedicated Irish platform for the retail behemoth – a move that will be welcomed by most online shoppers in Ireland with the prospect of more product choice and better value. But what about retailers who will have to go toe-to-toe with Amazon here? Irish Times Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to outline what Irish consumers can expect.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the debut episode of All the Buried Women, co-hosts Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke aim to uncover women's stories hidden in the Southern Baptist Convention's archives. The story begins in an unexpected place for a podcast about Southern Baptists: 4th-century Rome with Saint Fabiola. Because Fabiola challenged religious and societal norms, her story has become a safe harbor for women with similar experiences… even women in the SBC. Fast forward to 1984, where a pivotal moment in Kansas City, Missouri, changed the trajectory of women's roles in the Southern Baptist Convention. There's a reason Orwell warned us about 1984. Listen to Episode 1 to find out more. We reached out to the SBC, Paige Patterson, Darryl Gilyard, Tommy Gilmore, and the Council for National Policy for comment, and did not hear back. Credits: Hosts: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Producer: Savannah Locke Writing and Editing: Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke Sound Editing and Music: Savannah Locke and Todd Locke Introduction and Closing Song: Jaded by Savannah Locke Special Thanks (in order of appearance): Jemar Tisby, Pamela Durso, Barry Hankins, and Meredith Stone Partner Organization: The Bible for Normal People Additional Thanks: Andy Clark, Systems Administrator within the University Libraries at Baylor University; Erin Smith, Marketing Manager at Baker Publishing Group; Jordan Corona; Dr. Taffey Hall, Director of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives; Brittany Prescott, Podcast Producer for The Bible for Normal People; Adam McCullough, Archivist of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Gordon Heath, Director of Canadian Baptist Archives at McMaster Divinity College; Rev. Leanne Friesen, Executive Minister of Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) and CBOQ executive board; and Audrey and Alex from Lawyers for Reporters. Social Media Links: Follow us on Instagram: @alltheburiedwomen @bethallisonbarr @savannah_locke @thebiblefornormalpeople Subscribe to Beth's Substack: https://bethallisonbarr.substack.com Subscribe to Savannah's Substack: https://savannahlocke.substack.com Promo Code: Use code PODCAST40 to get 40% off Becoming the Pastor's Wife until April 30th through Baker Publishing Group's Website: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/becoming-the-pastor-s-wife/414910 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for Saint Lucia's older population through a strategic consultation on the draft National Policy for Older Persons. Hosted at the Ministries conference room, the gathering brought together key stakeholders from various elderly homes and sectors to review and refine the draft policy, ensuring it reflects the needs and aspirations of the island's elderly community. The consultation provided a platform for open discussions, where participants assessed policy priorities such as age-friendly environments, integrated healthcare systems, economic opportunities, and legal protections for older persons. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Kyle Jaros and Dr. Sara Newland join us to explore the evolution of U.S.-China subnational diplomacy. They begin by examining the history and current landscape of US-China relations at the subnational level. They point out specifically that throughout the last five years, U.S.-China relations at the subnational level have become increasingly politicized. Dr. Newland explains that we are seeing a trickledown effect of local politicians weighing in on Taiwan and China issues, setting up local caucuses that mimic those in congress and notes that these actions are contributing to increased Sinophobia within U.S. local communities. Dr. Jaros further explains that in recent years, longstanding subnational ties with China have started winding down, with state and local leaders more hesitant to visit China, meet with Chinese officials, or welcome Chinese investments. They note this hesitation originates both from federal policy and from an increasingly hawkish stance at the sub-national level. However, both guests underscore that there are still areas of cooperation between U.S. and China on the local level, with one example being student exchange programs through universities. Dr. Jaros notes that it is important to continue human to human contacts with China and to be careful not to dehumanize the other side. Finally, Dr. Newland stresses the importance of the U.S. federal government creation of resources to educate local leaders on how to engage effectively with Chinese leaders. Kyle A. Jaros is an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs, where he studies the politics of urban and regional development and governance and subnational foreign affairs, with a particular focus on China. He is the author of China's Urban Champions: The Politics of Spatial Development and has contributed extensively to leading China studies and social science journals. Dr. Jaros holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from Harvard University and an A.B. in public and international affairs, along with a certificate in Chinese language and culture, from Princeton University. He also earned a graduate certificate in Chinese studies from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Sara Newland is associate professor of government at Smith College. She is a scholar of local politics in China and Taiwan, with a research focus on how local officials operate both as domestic policymakers and as participants in international relations. Her work on local governance and public service provision has been featured in The China Quarterly and Governance, and her recent research explores subnational diplomacy, particularly the role of state and local officials in shaping U.S.-China-Taiwan relations. Dr. Newland holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from UC Berkeley and a B.A. from Wellesley College. Together, Dr. Jaros and Dr. Newland spent the past year as visiting fellows at the Truman Center for National Policy on a project examining city-level US-China relations. The white paper they have authored based on this research will be released in late February. They are also co-authoring a book on U.S.-China subnational diplomacy in an era of growing great power competition.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been sworn in as the nation's next health secretary. ABC News senior national policy reporter Anne Flaherty tells us his first order of business will be to investigate America's problem with chronic illnesses. 

Ryan Greer, Vice President of Public Affairs and National Policy for the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters For more of the Shaye Ganam Show, subscribe to the podcast. https://globalnews.ca/calgary/program/shaye-ganam/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask anyone in DC for recommendations for disability advocates, and they'll likely name Dara Baldwin. She works within the Disability Justice movement to end racism and systems of oppression. She served as the Director of National Policy for the Center for Disability Rights, Inc., and Senior Policy Analyst at National Disability Rights Network.  She has worked on over 25 bills signed into law by five Presidents. She stops by the class to discuss the most important lessons learned in fighting for disability justice for all!Baldwin, Dara. To Be A Problem: A Black Woman's Survival in the Racist Disability Rights (July 2024).Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/teach-the-babies-w-dr-david-j-johns--6173854/support.

Ukupa Community in Panama Seeks Relocation After Devastating Flooding, Urging Government Action on National Policy by Radio Islam

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. Government Small Enough to Fit in Your Bedroom feat. Steven Monacelli & Dr. Michael Phillips CZM Rewind: Police Drones and You CZM Rewind: You Already Know How to Organize Anarchism in Gran Columbia feat. Andrew Anarchism in Central America feat. Andrew You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources: Government Small Enough to Fit in Your Bedroom feat. Steven Monacelli & Dr. Michael Phillips Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer, The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Roe-Rise-New-America-ebook/dp/B0CK72ZGL1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LT8GCBOTWABV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JQimtOEGy3PsNcHVXC_RzHb4-nla_0uFg_mcpTX1ogL7AlrpV8uIf5LJfxCuazgOHruVfjQvhOd-B27Yyr-vsv6Jz5Rw2iecYpzZ8X1fODwGfubBl94YbczW4lNK_68iuBj2ipBDR9JsmUFKduu54NOSAjT_zA0v4iBiASNqit03Aix2od9liGMi5jliDW7hqtT59N7-A-bQTtkL38pZeRP_lNIji1bosnq7UeWXmNM.NrfQX0Mt4qMsvR3L2hDj0RFB_7GXrOGbbHNFxP_dxm0&dib_tag=se&keywords=Fall+of+Roe&qid=1732370376&s=books&sprefix=fall+of+roe%2Cstripbooks%2C124&sr=1-1 James Mohr, Abortion in America: The Origins and Evolution of National Policy https://www.amazon.com/Abortion-America-Origins-Evolution-National/dp/0195026160/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TR1W25IRTLDR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZBOxRJsGiXDvGWbf9K1MRx7h7sn4m4_IDKwbohsbDD0.w_NHhzr7kEEWE8yR4B1rh1cuOGR8of66ZlXAvTHzxgM&dib_tag=se&keywords=James+Mohr+Abortion&qid=1732370158&s=books&sprefix=james+mohr+abortion%2Cstripbooks%2C116&sr=1-1 Leslie J. Reagan, When Abortion was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867- 1973 https://www.amazon.com/When-Abortion-Was-Crime-1867-1973-ebook/dp/B0B8TNX2MW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2S9JMDTGAJQRN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GVgbRixhq1FpPKRp5yMnMOkGBck7LhL6KpbcZwznkVsd7LzGl_DPfKYBmem066YyaLnnRv1PlQP8Ysr75l695zDs8EZVD-oM42iCfuISV0g.1k8qK_S9Vp5KaliYGNYObwpmoQUvVOmVmxULkBK2JtM&dib_tag=se&keywords=When+Abortion+Was+Illegal&qid=1732370269&s=books&sprefix=when+abortion+was+illegal%2Cstripbooks%2C102&sr=1-1-catcorr James Risen, Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War https://www.amazon.com/Wrath-Angels-American-Abortion-War/dp/046509273X Anarchism in Gran Columbia feat. Andrew Cappelletti, Angel (2018). Anarchism in Latin America. AK Press. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anselme-bellegarrigue-the-world-s-first-anarchist-manifesto Anarchism in Central America feat. Andrew Cappelletti, Angel. (2018). Anarchism in Latin America. AK Press. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Episode 178 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, economist and Vice President of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dr. Jason Henderson analyzes the current macro economy and offers farmers insights for 2025. Later in the episode, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall shares agriculture's national policy priorities for 2025 and explains why farmers can advocate for themselves more effectively through Farm Bureau. Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Contact your local county Farm Bureau.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this compelling episode of America's Heroes Group Roundtable Livestream, host Colonel Dr. Damon Arnold welcomes Stephanie Kalota, U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant First Class Veteran, founder and host of The Political Veteran Podcast, and AHG correspondent. Together, they unpack the implications of H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, and its potential repercussions for nonprofit organizations and national policy.

On Today's Episode – Mark and Matt open with the topics following the Election.  From Trump's cabinent coming together, to the absolute meltdown at CNN and MSNBC (check their viewing numbers since the election). Our guest hops on and Mark dives right in talking about Marco Rubio – Who is tagged as Secretary of State.  We then move to Ukraine – we talk many things from religion to warfighting, to the future when Trump is back in office. Tune in for all the fun Gary Marx is President of Madison Strategies and the Concord Fund and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the Judicial Crisis Network. He launched Madison Strategies in 2013 after serving almost three years at the helm of the Faith & Freedom Coalition as Executive Director. His career path has included high level postings as Senior Advisor to Scott Walker for President, Marco Rubio for President, Conservative Coalitions Director at the Bush-Cheney 2004 national campaign headquarters where he spearheaded outreach to social conservatives & people of faith. Gary is a media veteran and has done hundreds of television, print, and radio interviews including CNN, CBN, CSPAN and FOX NEWS. He has also been a featured speaker for prominent organizations such as The Federalist Society, International Republican Institute, The Leadership Institute, Hanns Seidel Foundation, AIPAC and The Council for National Policy. Marx has a degree in Political Science from James Madison University. Gary holds a Master's degree in Political Management from Regent University. He is married to Aimee and is the father of three children.   https://www.defendersoffaithukraine.com/   @defendfaitua  

In this special episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan shares his thoughts on the upcoming election and its potential impact on AI development. He explores the AI-forward case for Trump, featuring an interview with Joshua Steinman. Nathan outlines his reasons for not supporting Trump, focusing on US-China relations, leadership approach, and the need for a positive-sum mindset in the AI era. He discusses the importance of stable leadership during pivotal moments and explains why he'll be voting for Kamala Harris, despite some reservations. This thought-provoking episode offers a nuanced perspective on the intersection of politics and AI development. Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess SPONSORS: Weights & Biases RAG++: Advanced training for building production-ready RAG applications. Learn from experts to overcome LLM challenges, evaluate systematically, and integrate advanced features. Includes free Cohere credits. Visit https://wandb.me/cr to start the RAG++ course today. Shopify: Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system and exclusive AI apps like Quikly. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive Notion: Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at https://notion.com/cognitiverevolution LMNT: LMNT is a zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix that's redefining hydration and performance. Ideal for those who fast or anyone looking to optimize their electrolyte intake. Support the show and get a free sample pack with any purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/tcr CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) About the Show (00:00:22) Sponsors: Weights & Biases RAG++ (00:01:28) About the Episode (00:13:13) Reflecting on Trump (00:15:32) Introducing Josh (00:16:35) AI Arms Race Concerns (00:20:20) Arms Race History (00:22:35) Building Trust (00:25:19) Ashenbrenner Model (00:27:17) Global Good vs. Self-Interest (00:28:20) Sponsors: Shopify | Notion (00:31:16) Working with Trump (00:33:54) Media Misrepresentation (00:40:09) Cabinet Member Leverage (00:44:41) Sponsors: LMNT (00:46:23) China's Communist Party (00:48:36) AI and National Policy (00:50:14) The Reality of AGI (00:52:39) Framing the Disagreement (01:01:41) Slaughterbots and AI Future (01:04:24) Risks of Engagement (01:09:29) Sustainability of Military Tech (01:13:01) Closing Statements (01:14:55) Outro SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://www.cognitiverevolution.ai Twitter (Podcast): https://x.com/cogrev_podcast Twitter (Nathan): https://x.com/labenz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlabenz/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CognitiveRevolutionPodcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-cognitive-revolution-ai-builders-researchers-and/id1669813431 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yHyok3M3BjqzR0VB5MSyk

For this episode of the Global Exchange podcast, Colin Robertson talks with Laura Dawson, Nathalie Kinloch, and Ryan Greer. This podcast is associated with the work of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations, an initiative supported by The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. // Participants' bios - Laura Dawson is Executive Director of the Future Borders Coalition: https://www.futureborderscoalition.org/ - Natalie Kinloch is the Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Bridge Corporation: https://federalbridge.ca/ - Ryan Greer is Vice President, Public Affairs and National Policy at Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters: https://cme-mec.ca/about/ // Host bio: Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson // // Read & Watch: - "Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella": https://gem.cbc.ca/without-precedent-the-supreme-life-of-rosalie-abella - "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization", by Peter Zeihan: https://www.amazon.ca/End-World-Just-Beginning-Globalization/dp/006323047X - "The Habits That Hold Leaders Back, with Marshall Goldsmith": https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/habits-that-hold-leaders-back-marshall-goldsmith/ - "Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law", by Beverley McLachlin: https://www.amazon.ca/Truth-Be-Told-Journey-Through/dp/1982104961 // Recording Date: September 18, 2024.

On this episode of Gen X Amplified, I am joined by Stephen Bailey, Stephen is the CEO and co-founder of ExecOnline, a corporate training company that partners with the world's top business schools to offer leadership development on demand to enterprise organizations. ExecOnline is on a mission to connect all leaders to their future potential by disrupting and democratizing corporate learning. Some of ExecOnline's Partner schools include Stanford, Wharton, Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, UVA Darden School of Business, Columbia, Duke, MIT-Sloan, Yale, and others. In this episode, Stephen and I unpack: Stephen's career journey from “recovered lawyer” to startup founder and eventually becoming the co-founder and CEO of ExecOnline The “aha moment” from Stephen's experience as the CEO of a previous startup that led to launching ExecOnline Many of the high-impact initiatives the ExecOnline team are currently focusing on Why there is a meaningful difference between mentoring and learning The impact of large language models and generative AI on the learning economy And more! Stephen's Personal Theme Song “Right Above It” (feat. Drake) by Lil Wayne About Stephen Bailey Stephen is the co-founder and CEO of ExecOnline, a B2B corporate training company that partners with the world's top business schools to offer leadership development on demand to enterprise organizations. Its mission is to connect all leaders to their future potential by disprupting and democratizing corporate learning. When Stephen launched ExecOnline, his vision was to combine the engagement of traditional on-campus and role-based applied learning — with the convenience and scale of an online experience—for all levels of leadership. Therefore, creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive leadership pipeline within the world of work. ExecOnline has been named to the Global Silicon Valley EdTech 150, and also recognized as a “Technology Company to Watch” by Forbes. Prior to ExecOnline, Stephen served as the CEO of Frontier Strategy Group (FSG), a software and information services business. He grew FSG from an early-stage start-up to a company that served nearly half the Fortune 500 across a range of international markets and business functions. Prior to his role as CEO, he was FSG's first Chief Product Officer. Before joining FSG, Stephen was an associate in the venture capital and private equity group of WilmerHale. Stephen is also the Board Chair of the Truman Center for National Policy and member of the Board of Prospect Schools, a charter school network in NYC. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Emory University and holds a JD from the Yale Law School. Stephen has been an EdTech pioneer and champion of the “learning economy” ever since he recognized the vast leadership gap many years ago.   Thank you for listening! Thank you so very much for listening to the podcast. There are so many other shows out there, so the fact that you took the time to listen in really means a lot! Subscribe to Gen X Amplified!

John A. Macdonald makes his triumphant return to power on the back of an ambitious plan to save the Canadian economy through tariffs and rapid railroad construction.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support.

Kerry Hinkle of the US Hemp Roundtable discusses National Policy as the political landscape heats up. Topics include California, Florida, Texas and federal movement with the Farm Bill in 2025. Mary Miller Amendment. Russell Dowden Kerry Hinkle Rachel Nelson #media #txhempshow #podcast #hemp #cannabis #friends #Trump #Debate #Harris https://texashempreporter.com/Issuu.com/texashempreporter texashempshow.transistor.fm 

Cannabis Attorney Rod Kight appears on the Texas Hemp Show Podcast this week with Jay Maguire of the Texas Hemp Federation and AJ Velador of the Hemp Industry Leaders of Texas - H. I. L. T. Topics included The Miller Amendment, DEA Reschedule after elections, State and National Policy, The Farm Bill and recent Raids on shop owners in Allen TX. Visit us online: https://x.com/txhempreporter www.TexasHempReporter.com https://issuu.com/texashempreporter   / texashempreporter  / texashempreporter  ALL AUDIO Podcasts Available here: https://texashempshow.transistor.fm/

The president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture and the Vice President of Public Affairs and National Policy at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters join us.

When Congress returned to work after the Republican National Convention, the House held three hearings investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. In this episode, hear for yourself the facts presented by the Director of the Secret Service, the Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner, and the FBI Director during their 15 hours of testimony. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes Cheatle's Failures Rep. James Comer and Rep. Jamie Raskin. July 22, 2024. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Julia Reinstein et al. July 16, 2024. ABC News. Would-be Assassin Emily Cochrane et al. July 19, 2024. The New York Times. Bernd Debusmann et al. July 19, 2024. BBC. Gaza Death Toll Rasha Khatib. July 20, 2024. The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10449. Audio Sources July 24, 2024 House Committee on the Judiciary Witnesses: Christopher Wray, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation Clips Time stamps correspond to C-SPAN version 31:20 Christopher Wray: I'm told that the father purchased the firearm in 2013, so quite a while ago, and then he sold it to his son in October of 2023. 43:05 Christopher Wray: The reason why I've talked about how we think he got on the roof is that's based our evidence response to forensic analysis. Without getting into all the details, footprints, fingerprints, et cetera, that we can see how he got on. But we don't have an eyewitness at the moment who saw him climbing up. 43:25 Christopher Wray: A few minutes before the shooting, local law enforcement saw him on the roof. Again, no weapon identified at that point. A few seconds before the shooting is when the law enforcement officer that I've talked about already, the one who was assisted by another officer who saw up on the roof, saw the shooter in a prone shooting position with the gun. He turns… Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL): How long did that happen before? Christopher Wray: That sighting, that is the first time, to my knowledge, the first time anybody from law enforcement saw him with a weapon. That is seconds before he shot at President Trump. July 24, 2024 House Committee on the Judiciary Witnesses: Christopher Wray, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation Clips Time stamps correspond to C-SPAN version 25:30 Christopher Wray: We have recovered eight cartridges on the roof. 28:05 Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): Have you developed any evidence to so suggest that there are any accomplices or cooperators or assisters? Christopher Wray: Not at this time, but again, the investigation is ongoing. 36:10 Christopher Wray: So we have recovered a drone that the shooter appears to have used. It's being exploited and analyzed by the FBI lab. The drone was recovered in his vehicle, so at the time of the shooting, the drone was in his vehicle with the controller. In addition, our investigation has uncovered -- Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Do you know what time of day he flew it and if he flew it on the day of the shooting? Christopher Wray: So in addition, it appears that around 3:50-4:00PM, in that window, on the day of the shooting, that the shooter was flying the drone around the area. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Two hours before? Christopher Wray: I want to be clear about when I say the area, not over the stage and that part of the area itself, but I would say about 200 yards, give or take, away from that, we think, but we do not know. So again, this is one of these things that's qualified because of our ongoing review, that he was live streaming, viewing the footage from that. Again, about 11 minutes and around the 3:50-4:00 PM range. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Two hours before, he's flying a drone in the vicinity of the rally. Christopher Wray: About 200 yards away, yes. 37:25 Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): What about the bombs that we've heard about in the shooter's car? Christopher Wray: So again, the FBI lab is exploiting those explosive devices. We've recovered three devices, two in his vehicle and one back in his residence. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Are these what your experts would call sophisticated operations? I dunno. That's what I've been told by people who have some understanding of this area. Christopher Wray: Yeah, I think we've seen more sophisticated and less, I would say these are relatively, again, keyword relatively, crude devices themselves, but they did have the ability to be detonated remotely. And so to that point, in addition to the two devices that we recovered out of his vehicle, there were receivers for those two explosive devices with the devices. And then on the shooter himself, when he was killed by law enforcement, he had a transmitter with him. Now, I do want to add one important point here. At the moment, it looks to us, again, ongoing review, and I can't say that too many times, at the moment, it looks like because of the off position on the receivers, that if he had tried to detonate those devices from the roof, it would not have worked. But that doesn't mean the explosives weren't dangerous. 1:23:00 Christopher Wray: I think it's fair to say that we do not yet have a clear picture of his motive. 1:25:30 Christopher Wray: We located a number of firearms associated with the shooter and his family. I think it was a total of, I think 14 in the house. The weapon that he used for the attempted assassination was an AR-style rifle that was purchased legally that he, its my understanding, acquired, I think bought actually from his father, who was the one who originally bought it, again, legally. 1:46:20 Christopher Wray: So we do know that he purchased a ladder. I think if I recall correctly, it was about a five foot tall type of ladder. But importantly, we did not find the ladder at the scene. So it's not clear that he used the ladder to get on top of the roof. 1:52:40 Christopher Wray: The weapon had a collapsible stock, which could explain why it might've been less easy for people to observe, because one of the things that we're finding is people have observed him. The first people to observe him with the weapon were when he was already on the roof, and we haven't yet found anybody with firsthand observation of him with the weapon walking around beforehand. 1:54:00 Christopher Wray: There were no pictures or videos on the drone of the day of the rally, for example. But we have been able to reverse engineer the flight path of the drone from the day of the rally, and that's how we know that for about 11 minutes from, I think it's around 3:50 PM to 4:00 PM, somewhere in that range, he was flying the drone and we have the flight path, and it's about 200 yards away from where former President Trump would ultimately be speaking. And so that would've primarily given him a vantage point. I'm trying to think how to describe this. If the former President's podium is that way, the drone would be over here looking, say 200 yards again, off this way, looking back, so it would've shown the shooter -- we think, again, we're still doing more work on this. I really want to qualify what I'm saying, but I'm trying to be transparent and lean in here -- we think it would've shown him kind of what would've been behind him. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ): When you say behind him, behind the shooter. Christopher Wray: Correct. In other words, almost like giving him a rear view mirror of the scene behind him, except again, he wasn't flying it overhead while he was later back for the assassination. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ): But he would've had, with the drone, he would've been able to also assess, because the stage, I assume, was already set, he'd be able to assess that angle with rooftop as well, forward and backward, I assume. Christopher Wray: Well, certainly going towards the podium, again, we're still trying to figure out exactly what he saw, because having to, in effect, because there's no recording of what he saw during those 11 minutes, our hypothesis at this point, the experts think he would've been live streaming it, and so we're trying to, in effect say, okay, well this was the flight pattern. Given these capabilities of the drone, what would you have seen? What could you have seen for those 11 minutes? And again, it wasn't over the stage or kind of the hub of the rally. It was about 200 yards away, but it looks like it would've been looking, let's say, the length of a football field or so more towards the podium. 1:56:25 Christopher Wray: So again, with the caveat that we're continued to do work on it, we believe that the first time he traveled to the grounds was I think a week before and he spent roughly 20 minutes there. Then he went to the grounds again on the morning of the event. It appears for about 70 minutes, I think. But again, I qualify that. I'd have to go back and look to be sure of that part. And then he came back in the afternoon. So that would be, I guess a third time for good. But that included things like this drone activity we just talked about. 1:58:10 Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): Have you been able to gain access to the shooter's electronic communications, social media, and -- with the caveats that you mentioned that the investigation is still early -- have you been able to make any deductions or are there any indications of the shooter's motivation from those electronic holdings? Christopher Wray: So in terms of our ability to access it, we have been able to get into and exploit a number of electronic devices, digital devices, but not all of them yet. And then within his various accounts, we've been able to get access to some of them, but some of them we're still waiting on. Some of them we may never get access to because of the encryption issue. It presents an increasingly vexing barrier for law enforcement, not just the FBI, but for law enforcement all over the country. 1:59:30 Christopher Wray: It does appear fairly clear that he was interested in public figures kind of more broadly, and I think this is important, that starting somewhere around July 6th or so, he became very focused on former President Trump, on this rally. And so one of the things that I can share here today that has not been shared yet is that we've just in the last couple of days, found that from our review, to your point about devices, analysis of a laptop, that the investigation ties to the shooter reveals that on July 6th he did a Google search for "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy." And so that search obviously is significant in terms of his state of mind. That is the same day that it appears that he registered for the Butler rally. 2:15:30 Christopher Wray: So I know it was a Secret Service counter sniper who took the shot that eliminated the shooter. 2:15:50 Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): You mentioned that the would-be assassin bought a five foot ladder, you have credit card evidence of that. But it looks like on the scene there was a larger ladder that he might've used. Do you know which ladder he used to get to the roof? And do you have possession of that five foot ladder and the other ladder? And do you know how the taller ladder got to the scene? Christopher Wray: So this whole business about the ladder is something we're drilling into more. We do have possession of the five foot ladder that he purchased close in time to his attempted assassination that we've traced the purchase of that ladder from a receipt, a bloodied receipt that he had on him at the time his body was recovered on the roof. We do not yet know for sure how exactly he got up on the roof. We're looking at various forensic pieces to try to kind of piece that together. So more to come on that. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): Do you know where the five foot ladder was found or retrieved? Was it near the roof or was it still in his vehicle? Christopher Wray: Neither. I don't have it in front of me, but I know that it was not, I know that it was not on scene and I know that it was not in his vehicle. 2:17:55 Christopher Wray: From everything we've seen, which is consistent with what we've learned in interviews, a lot of people describe him as a loner. That does kind of fit with what we're seeing in his devices. His list of contacts, for example, is very short compared to what you would normally see from most people. So it doesn't appear to be a whole lot of interaction between him, face-to-face or digital, with a lot of people. 3:00:50 Christopher Wray: We now believe that the subject climbed onto the roof using some mechanical equipment on the ground and vertical piping on the side of the AGR building. In other words, we do not believe he used a ladder to get up there. 3:07:25 Christopher Wray: He was a fairly, avid might be a little strong, but a fairly avid shooting hobbyist, and so he belonged to different clubs and went to certain ranges and that kind of thing. We do believe, based on what we've seen so far, that he went to a shooting range the day before and that he shot an AR-style rifle at that range the day before. I am not sure we know for sure that it's the weapon that he used, but I think we assessed that it probably is. July 23, 2024 House Committee on Homeland Security Witnesses: Colonel Christopher L. Paris, Commissioner, Pennsylvania State Police Patrick Yoes, National President, Fraternal Order of Police Clips Time stamps correspond to YouTube version 23:35 Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Colonel Christopher Paris serves as the commissioner for the Pennsylvania State Police. In this role, he exercises command, administrative and fiscal authority over the Pennsylvania State Police, the 10th largest police agency in the United States. Commissioner Paris has served in the Pennsylvania State Police since his enlistment in 1999. 23:55 Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Mr. Patrick Yoes currently serves as the president National Fraternal Order of Police. In this role, Mr. Yoes leads the order and its more than 367,000 law enforcement members in representing police officers in the profession. Prior to taking his current role, Mr. Yoes served an impressive 36 years as an active law enforcement officer. 25:45 Col. Christopher L. Paris: Prior to the shooting, our role was to support the Secret Service with personnel and assets that they requested. Our operation plan, completed to fulfill this responsibility consisted of 32 members, and we had two main responsibilities, a motorcade operation for the transportation with the Secret Service of former President Trump, as well as manning and staffing security posts inside the secure area of the Butler County Farm Show. Additionally, we provided two marked cars with uniformed troopers outside of the secure perimeter to provide roving duties, as the name implies, responding to incidents that may occur as a large gathering of people were moving to the venue. 1:22:10 Col. Christopher L. Paris: I would say from my experience and from state police operations to include this event as planned in our operations plan, we had integrated communications by having RPSP personnel in the Secret Service Command post. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): So your person was in there, in that command post on this event? Col. Christopher L. Paris: Yes, sir. 1:22:45 Col. Christopher L. Paris: There's a lot of talk about interoperability and communications. The state police, for example, operate our own statewide radio network, so we have the ability to, if we have an incident, a long protracted incident, for example, where we need to patch other agencies in, we have the capability to do that. However, Secret Service, for example, maintain some additional encrypted communications. So the best way to integrate unified command… Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Is physically present in the command site. Col. Christopher L. Paris: That would be our, yeah. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): That's how the Army does it and the military Col. Christopher L. Paris: I would expect our commanders to have personnel in there so that we could have radio communication, as well as a redundancy in the operations plan with a telephonic backup. 1:25:30 Col. Christopher L. Paris: The final walkthrough occurred on the 11th. Present at that meeting were the two commanders that were tasked with both staffing the security checkpoints on the interior of the secure perimeter, as well as the commander who was going to be in charge of the motorcade. But in addition to that, a PSP area commander was on that walkthrough, holding the rank of Major. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Could you share a little bit of insight? I appreciate the timeline, but could you share a little bit specific to the AGR building? Col. Christopher L. Paris: So on that walkthrough, our area commander asked specifically who was responsible for the AGR building, and we were told that Butler ESU was responsible for that area by several Secret Service agents on that walkthrough. 1:26:35 Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): The slope of the roof, would that have prevented a sniper from being up there? Col. Christopher L. Paris I don't believe so, sir. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Okay. 1:29:40 Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS): President Yoes, in your comments, you talked about the need for communication. You talked about FirstNet. We have federal, state, and local law enforcement at an event like what we're talking about in Butler, but in our conversation with some of the locals, not state police, but the sheriff's department and the chief of police in Butler yesterday, those individuals did not have communication with state police or Secret Service. Would that, in your professional opinion, be a vulnerability for managing an event like this? Patrick Yoes: Well, I think we can go back to 9/11. When we identified at that time that the inoperability of different agencies to be able to communicate really was a hindrance. There's an infrastructure in place now to address these inoperabilities, but at the same time, they're not always utilized in every event. I do not have any direct knowledge whether that was the issue here, but I can tell you it is a common issue in law enforcement and an ability for our agencies not to be able to communicate, not that the technology is not necessarily there, it's because that they're not always incorporated. 1:31:10 Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS): Yeah, we passed legislation mandating, obviously, FirstNet interoperability, and we tied funding to make sure that that happens. But here we are looking at this situation and we picked up some valuable information that we are still not where we need to be on that. 1:32:25 Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS): Butler, Pennsylvania has no permitting process for events of that size, so you can announce it and hold it, and local government doesn't really have anything to do with it. And we were assured by local government that they would try to fix that. They said, we have to be more involved in events of this size, so that if this was not the best venue, then that permitting could have gotten engaged and suggested an alternate venue. 1:42:25 Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): How many rounds did the shooter fire before he was killed? Do you know? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I believe that the number is eight casings have been recovered. 1:55:05 Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): Colonel Paris, are you aware whether any law enforcement officer or officers was or were posted in the second floor window of the AGR building? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I am aware, yes, sir. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): And what is the answer? Col. Christopher L. Paris: To my knowledge, there were two posted there from Butler ESU. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): And you said Butler ESU. What does the acronym ESU stand for? Col. Christopher L. Paris: Emergency Services Unit. It's a team that's comprised of multiple agencies that pool resources on a county or several county basis in order to enhance capabilities and training and be able to respond. Basically a mutual aid agreement is my understanding of it. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): Is it sort of like a SWAT team? Col. Christopher L. Paris They are trained in SWAT tactics, to my knowledge, yes. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): So how many ESU officers were posted to that second floor window? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I am aware that two were in the building, but again, I have not seen the Secret Service operations plan. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): Do you know, you say in the building, were they in a window? A window out onto the scene? Col. Christopher L. Paris: From briefings that I have been given, I was told they were in a window, yes, sir. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): Did they remain on Post? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I was told that at a certain point they began searching along with other local officers in the immediacy after Crooks had been identified as suspicious by them. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): By them? Col. Christopher L. Paris: My understanding is that they identified Crooks for not matriculating. To my knowledge, Crooks never made it through the Secure Perimeter into the venue space itself. He was identified by those members as suspicious in part because of that. And then at some point he produced the range finder, which heightened that. 1:57:30 Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): Was it from this vantage point that those ESU officers spotted Crooks? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I don't know that particular window, but my understanding is from a second story window is where he was initially spotted. 1:57:45 Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): So are you then saying that, to your knowledge, those ESU officers left the location where they could look out the window to go in search of this person? Col. Christopher L. Paris: That is my understanding. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): So sometime between the time he was spotted on the ground and identified as someone suspicious until the shooting, they had left that post to go look for him. Is that what you're saying? Col. Christopher L. Paris: My understanding is yes. Along with other municipal officers that responded to that area. And that's based on interviews that we've conducted. And I want to be very clear that I don't want to establish a timeline minute by minute because we don't have that yet. 2:35:40 Col. Christopher L. Paris: So this goes to my earlier qualifier about the timeline, but my understanding of the sequence of events is that he was determined to be suspicious as a result of behavior that he was exhibiting, milling around that area in front of the AGR building. There was a text thread that was going, I've been briefed, between the ESU members. They identified, they took a photo of him at some point. When he utilized the rangefinder, the suspicion was heightened. So I know at a certain point in the command post, a member of PSP received a phone call and a text message from members of ESU, and I know from an interview that that was immediately relayed in the command post to the Secret Service. 2:36:35 Col. Christopher L. Paris: When the PSP member received that information and verbally turned right around, gave it to the Secret Service, our member was provided with a number to which the picture that had been taken by the Butler ESU members, or that was on that group thread, to which that should be sent. Our member did that, and our understanding was that was some element of the Secret Service. 2:37:50 Col. Christopher L. Paris: But at that point, just to be clear, he was determined to be suspicious. There was no information that he possessed a weapon. He was outside of that building where the ESU was posted. They were being vigilant. It's, I think, relevant that there were other people at the venue who were suspicious and reported likewise, in a close temporal nexus to that as well. 2:38:35 Col. Christopher L. Paris: I believe, again, I'll defer to when the President came out. I know that that was probably 20 to 25 minutes before 18:11 hours and steps were taken by the municipal officers over in that area, they were actively looking for Crooks. You saw the building yesterday. That's a pretty wide footprint. They began looking for him. There were scores of people making their way across that facility. Again, just for some context, there were over a hundred people that day requiring medical attention due to the heat. There was a missing 6-year-old. This individual was deemed to be suspicious because he was walking around and not moving into the venue. The rangefinder obviously heightened that, and they were attempting to locate him as people were moving across that space, who were attending the event, to the secure perimeter. 2:41:10 Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): You said that many of your officers, or Butler ESU officers, were looking for Crooks. That was after that photograph was relayed to the Secret Service? Col. Christopher L. Paris: My understanding is it was after the photo was relayed to our trooper in the command post. And yes, Crooks was in that area around the building. My understanding is two additional municipal officers who were on a different post responded to that area and they began actively looking for Crooks. They circumscribed the building to try and locate him. It became apparent at some point that he was up on the roof. Those two municipal officers who responded then, to their credit, actively, once they realized that he was on the roof, one boosted the other one up hanging from the ledge of the roof. By the time that officer was boosted up on top of the roof, Crooks was on it almost in that final position that you saw. He had the AR out and he pointed it at the municipal officer who was suspended from the roof, who was not in a position, feet dangling at that point, to draw a weapon or continue hoisting himself back up on the roof. He drops back down from the roof, and at this point, I believe, that's when the video that's been widely circulated with people filming Crooks up on the roof saying there's somebody up on the roof. There were other law enforcement around the building running, but their vantage point on the ground did not lend a clear line of sight to where Crooks was at the top of that building. 2:44:35 Col. Christopher L. Paris: The hoisting up of the officer occurred probably no more -- again, I'm going to give you a time, but I want to just put it in context -- Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) We understand it's not specific. Col. Christopher L. Paris: -- of a sequence of events. I would say at most two and a half to three minutes before that first shot rang out. 2:45:00 Col. Christopher L. Paris: The municipal officer saw Crooks. Crooks saw him, and Crooks turned and leveled the gun at him in a position tactically of extreme disadvantage, suspended in the air with your legs dangling after somebody had boosted you up. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): And he let go, right? Col. Christopher L. Paris: He let go and he fell back down. 2:48:30 Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA): Now emergency services noticed Thomas Crooks on the roof -- this is the timeline that we have -- took a picture and reported it. Who did they send that picture to? Col. Christopher L. Paris: Just to be clear, they were posted in the AGR building and took a picture of him. That's what you're referring to. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA): Yes, who did they send the picture to? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I only know from interviews what I can confirm to my knowledge and belief here today, that a member of Pennsylvania State Police inside of the command post received that information telephonically and by text, relayed it to the Secret Service, and then was given a number to follow up on and that was based, again, heightened suspicion. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA): How did they relay it to Secret Service? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I believe that they verbally turned and said in the command post, this is information that I just received. And then in follow up to that, as directed from the interview that I was briefed on, that was forwarded by text as requested by the Secret Service. 2:56:10 Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY): Were there other folks who were also in the crowd identified as suspicious by law enforcement? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I have been briefed that yes, there were multiple individuals, which would be consistent with normal operations for a detail like this, that are identified as suspicious. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY): Can we take that as a single digit number of other folks? Col. Christopher L. Paris: The number that I was briefed on was single digit, but I can't say definitively that I was -- Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY): What number were you briefed on, Colonel? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I believe I was briefed on an additional three individuals. 3:03:25 Col. Christopher L. Paris: I'm aware of three radio systems in operation: PSP's, the Secret Service, and Butler County's. Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX): All communicating on different channels. Col. Christopher L. Paris: Technically, yes, but, I can only speak from PSP, our integration occurs by us having somebody inside of the Secret Service Command post. Again, for an incident of this magnitude, in theory, the more people you have on the same channel, if there was a medical emergency or a lost 6-year-old and everybody keys up at once, it paralyzes your communication. 3:14:45 Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ): From the time that a law enforcement officer was hoisted up, was identified by the shooter, the shooter turns his rifle on him, how long between that encounter and the first shot? Col. Christopher L. Paris: So, I'm glad you asked me that question, Congressman. I'd like to clarify. So it was a matter of seconds. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ): Alright, because I think earlier it might've been minutes. Col. Christopher L. Paris: Correct, and I appreciate you asking that question, you allowing me to clarify that on the record. When I assigned that number, which again, I don't want get locked into a timeline, of three minutes before, that's probably a total amount of time that he was on the roof. When the one local officer hoisted the other one up and subsequently falls, releases himself after being faced with that -- Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ): The shooter shuffles across the roof and takes his first shot -- Col. Christopher L. Paris: He's already, I believe, close to being in his final position there, and I'm told it's again, sequence of events, not a timeline based on the prior criteria laid out, but seconds after that is when the first shots rang out. 3:24:20 Patrick Yoes: There's no doubt when you look at how many people are involved in an operation like this, having everyone on one channel is difficult. But there are people within contained areas and their ability to be able to communicate as things change across platforms is crucial. In this case, we know that in seconds things unfolded and in seconds getting meaningful communication out to people who might be able to act on that communication is vital. So I think there's avenues here. I agree that not everyone should be on the same channel, but there are certain people within certain areas and perimeters that should be having communication or the ability to communicate a little more freer. 3:37:20 Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ): Now that you've had a chance to go back and look over it, what is the tallest structure on that site? Col. Christopher L. Paris: The water tower, sir. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ): Absolutely. Colonel, do you know how far the water tower was from the roof where the shooter took his shots? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I do not. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ): 160 yards, sir. Who made the decision, Colonel, not to put a counter sniper team on the tallest structure by far on the site with 360 degree surveillance? Do you have any idea? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I do not know, sir. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ): Okay. We'd like to get that answer. 4:02:55 Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Was Secret Service notified that they were leaving to go look for this guy and thus those eyes on top of the building gone? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I do not know. And the other thing that I do not know is where else Butler ESU sent that information. I have not been briefed on that. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Who told them to go look? Do you know if they were told to go look? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I do not know, sir. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): We just know that they did go look. Col. Christopher L. Paris: Yes, sir. And like I said, a very concerted effort with all of those alcoves and all of those buildings was made. There were two additional officers who, again, I don't know the specifics of the timeline, I don't know the specifics of the logistics of how that information was relayed, but I'm briefed that they came and they made a very concerted effort to try and locate Crooks. 4:12:05 Col. Christopher L. Paris My understanding is the two officers that responded and one hoisted up, the second one were not part of Butler ESU. They were two separate municipal officers who were tasked with a different responsibility. I would speculate, as an example, to say a traffic post or… Rep. Mark Green (R-TN): Understood. Col. Christopher L. Paris: And they responded. I don't know, again, the specifics as to how they were alerted, but just to be clear, they were two separate. Yes, sir. 4:12:30 Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): The Butler ESU officers who spotted Crooks, do I understand correctly, they spotted him from the second floor of the AGR building? Col. Christopher L. Paris: That is my understanding. Yes, sir. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC): Okay. Were they posted there in order to maintain Overwatch on the roof, or were they generally assigned roving responsibility to be in the vicinity of that building? Col. Christopher L. Paris: I can't answer that, and I would defer to the Secret Service. July 22, 2024 House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Witnesses: Kimberly Cheatle, [then] Director, United States Secret Service Clips Time stamps correspond to YouTube version 19:45 Rep. James Comer (R-KY): A little over a week ago, Americans watched in horror as a shooter attempted to assassinate President Donald J. Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman nearly succeeded. The bullet that struck President Trump's head was less than an inch from taking his life. President Trump survived, but one rallygoer, Corey Comparatore, tragically did not. Two others were seriously injured. It was a horrifying moment in American history. The horror was exceeded only by the bravery of the law enforcement agents who threw themselves in harm's way when shots were fired, the bravery of a crowd unwavering in its refusal to panic, and the bravery of a bloody President Trump refusing to run. 32:55 Kimberly Cheatle: Today we are joined by Kimberly Cheatle, who was sworn into office on September 17, 2022, as the Director of the United States Secret Service. Prior to her appointment, Director Cheatle was Senior Director of Global Security at PepsiCo. Before her role at Pepsi, she served 27 years in the Secret Service. 35:40 Kimberly Cheatle: The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders. On July 13th, we failed. As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse of our agency. We are fully cooperating with ongoing investigations. We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and Earth to ensure that an incident like July 13th does not happen again. Let me state unequivocally, nothing I have said should be interpreted to place blame for this failure on our federal, state, or local law enforcement partners who supported the Secret Service in Butler. We could not do our job without them. 37:05 Kimberly Cheatle: I will be transparent as possible when I speak with you. Understanding, though, at times, that I may be limited in providing a thorough response in this open setting due to associated risks with sharing highly sensitive protective methodologies. 38:30 Kimberly Cheatle: The comprehensive advance process involves collaborative planning between our Secret service, the protectee's staff, and local law enforcement partners. The level of security provided for the former President increased well before the campaign and has been steadily increasing as threats evolve. The security plan included a full assessment of the Butler Farm Show grounds to identify security vulnerabilities and craft a security plan for the protectee, attendees, and the public. Immediately following the assassination attempt, I directed the activation of my crisis center. I assembled my executive team to begin surging more protective resources to the former President and to ensure the wellness of our people post-incident, all while securing an active crime scene. I immediately ordered a reevaluation of the Republican National Convention Security Plan, and I increased the security posture in the National Capitol Region for all permanent protectees and sites. At the same time, I initiated a Mission assurance investigation within our agency. 41:40 Rep. James Comer (R-KY): Let's start with the building that the shooter used to shoot President Trump from. At any point Saturday, did the Secret Service have an agent on top of that roof? Kimberly Cheatle: Sir, as I'm sure you can imagine that we are just nine days out from this incident and there's still an ongoing investigation, and so I want to make sure that any information that we are providing to you is factual. Rep. James Comer (R-KY): You can't, okay. Can you answer why the Secret Service didn't place a single agent on the roof? Kimberly Cheatle: We are still looking into the advanced process and the decisions that were made. Rep. James Comer (R-KY): Okay, okay. Wasn't that building within the perimeter that should be secured? Do we agree with that? Kimberly Cheatle: The building was outside of the perimeter on the day of the visit, but again, that is one of the things that during the investigation, we want to take a look at and determine whether or not other decisions should have been made. Rep. James Comer (R-KY): One of the things that you said, I believe in an interview, that there wasn't an agent on the roof because it was a sloped roof. Is that normal? And do you fear that that immediately creates an opportunity for future would-be assassins to look for a slanted roof? I mean, this is a huge question that every American has. Why wasn't a Secret Service agent on the roof? And there have been reports that agents were supposed to be on the roof, but it was hot that day and they didn't want to be on the roof. Can you answer any of those questions, Director? Kimberly Cheatle: So I appreciate you asking me that question. Chairman. I should have been more clear in my answer. When I spoke about where we placed personnel in that interview, what I can tell you is that there was a plan in place to provide Overwatch, and we are still looking into responsibilities and who was going to provide Overwatch, but the Secret Service in general, not speaking specifically to this incident, when we are providing Overwatch, whether that be through counter snipers or other technology, prefer to have sterile rooftops. Rep. James Comer (R-KY): Did the Secret Service use any drones for surveillance that day? Kimberly Cheatle: So again, I'm not going to get into specifics of that day in itself, but there are times during a security plan that the Secret Service does deploy an asset like a drone. Rep. James Comer (R-KY): There were reports that the shooter used a drone just a few hours before the rally start time. Is that accurate? Kimberly Cheatle: I have heard those same reports. And again, am waiting for the final report. Rep. James Comer (R-KY): If you can't answer the question, that's your answer. But can you answer this? Do you know, I'm not asking yes or no, but do you know if the shooter used a drone before the shooting? Kimberly Cheatle: That information has been passed to us from the FBI. Rep. James Comer (R-KY): How many Secret Service agents were assigned to President Trump on the day of the rally? Kimberly Cheatle: Again, I'm not going to get into the specifics of the numbers of personnel that we had there, but we feel that there was a sufficient number of agents assigned. 46:05 Rep. James Comer (R-KY): Before July 13th, had the Trump detail requested additional resources? Kimberly Cheatle: What I can tell you is that for the event on July 13th, the assets that were requested for that day were given. 46:25 Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): It's been reported that before former President Trump got up on the stage at around 6:00 PM on Saturday, July 13th, that the local police had identified and even photographed a man who was acting suspiciously. And this man, who turned out to be the gunman, had been flagged as a potential threat. Is that accurate? Kimberly Cheatle: What I can say is that the individual was identified as suspicious. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): So he was known to be suspicious before former President Trump took the stage. Kimberly Cheatle: That is the information I have received. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): Why was he allowed to take the stage with a suspicious person having been identified in the crown? Kimberly Cheatle: So I appreciate the question, and I'd like to make two points. If the detail had been passed information that there was a threat, the detail would never have brought the former president out onto stage. That is what we do and that is who we are. We are charged with protecting all of our protectees. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): So you distinguish between someone who is suspicious and someone who's threatening. Is that right? Kimberly Cheatle: We do. There are a number of times at protective events where suspicious people are identified and those individuals have to be investigated and determined what is it that identifies that person as suspicious? 47:45 Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): Did you deny a request for additional resources that had been made by the Trump campaign? Kimberly Cheatle: There were no assets denied for that event in Butler on the 13th. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): I see. So you're saying there were requests made for additional assistance for other specific events, rather than for the campaign as a whole. Is that right? Kimberly Cheatle: I'm sorry, I'm not understanding. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): You seem to say that there were not additional resources requested for that event. And forgive me for being unfamiliar with this. Is it requested event-by-event or is it requested just in general for the campaign? Kimberly Cheatle: So if I can explain the advance process. When an event or an venue is identified by, in this case, campaign staff, then the campaign staff works together with Secret Service agents who go out and conduct an advance. Generally that is a five day time period where those discussions are had about what the perimeter is going to look like, what the size of the event is, what the venue is, and then from there there is a request made to mitigate potential risk and threat. And I'm saying that on that day, the requests that were pushed forward were granted. 49:00 Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): So the Secret Service did not know that the gunman actually had a weapon before President Trump was allowed to get up on the stage. Kimberly Cheatle: To the best of our knowledge and the facts that we have at this point, that is correct. 49:50 Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): It's been reported that the shooter was not carrying a driver's license or any form of identification. They had no idea who he was, but then he was quickly identified, I think within 30 minutes, by using the serial number on the AR-15 under a tracing system that is now controversial. Some people say we should get rid of it, some people want to keep it. But is that right, that the serial number was the key information which led to the identification of the shooter? Kimberly Cheatle: That is my understanding, sir. Yes. 52:50 Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): How many times did you turn them down ahead of that? Kimberly Cheatle: I think that it is important to distinguish between what some people may view as a denial of an asset or a request -- Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Well, Mr. Guglielmi, your spokesperson, he said he acknowledged the Secret Service had turned down some requests. I'm asking how many. Kimberly Cheatle: A denial of a request does not equal a vulnerability. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Well, tell me what it is. Kimberly Cheatle: There are a number of ways that threats and risks can be mitigated with a number of different assets, whether that be through personnel, whether that be through technology or other resources. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Well tell the committee which it was. They asked for additional help in some form or another. You told them no. How many times did you tell them no? And what'd you tell them no to? Kimberly Cheatle: Again, I cannot speak to specific incidents, but I can tell you in general terms the Secret Service is judicious with their resources based on -- Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): What does some requests mean? How many times? Requests is plural. So more than once they ask for additional help and you turned them down. What did they ask for and how many times did you turn them down? Pretty basic questions. Kimberly Cheatle: So again, without having all of the details in front of me, sir, what I can tell you is that there are times when -- Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): You didn't get briefed on how many times you turned down the Trump detail when they asked for additional help? Kimberly Cheatle: I'm sorry. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): Didn't get briefed on that before you came to this hearing, knowing you were going to get asked that question? Kimberly Cheatle: What I can tell you is that in generic terms, when details make a request, there are times that there are alternate ways to cover off on that threat. 1:04:05 Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH): Director Cheatle, have you read the intelligence of the generalized threat to Donald Trump by Iran as a result of their desire to retaliate for the killing of Soleimani? Kimberly Cheatle: I have. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH): Have you read or been briefed about the intelligence of the specific recent threat to Donald Trump from Iran? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes, I have. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH): Director Wray, when we were getting our briefing, indicated that he thought the threat assessment should have included this threat from Iran. Is it your testimony today that the threat assessment, since you've read this intelligence, was sufficient to protect him from this threat from Iran? Kimberly Cheatle: My testimony today is that the information that we had at the time was known, that -- Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH): Was it sufficient, Director Cheatle? Was it sufficient for the Iranian threat that you said you have read the intelligence briefings for? Kimberly Cheatle: That information was passed to -- Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH): Well, I'm not asking the bureaucratic issue of who did it get passed around to. Director Cheatle, was it sufficient for the specific and generalized threat to Donald Trump's life from Iran? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes, I do believe it was. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH): Director Cheadle, is an Iranian assassin more capable than a 20-year-old? Kimberly Cheatle: Sir, I think we've acknowledged that there was gaps and a failure that day. 1:09:15 Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): There were some reports that the individual had a rangefinder. That would certainly raise my suspicion. Did he have a rangefinder? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes, he did. But may I explain that at a number of our sites, especially when you're at outdoor venues, a rangefinder is not a prohibited item. It is sometimes an item that is brought in by individuals if you're going to be in the back. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): Did anybody confront him on that? Anybody ask him questions? What are you doing with the rangefinder? Anybody confront him on his presence where he was in proximity to the President? Kimberly Cheatle: So again, to my knowledge, I believe that that was the process that was taking place, was to locate the individual. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): Did they confront him? Did they go up to him? Did they talk to him? Kimberly Cheatle: I do not have those details at this time. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): Yeah, those are important details. 1:10:40 Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): There was considerable delay in removing the president from the podium after the shooting began. He got shot in the ear, and it was still over a minute before he was removed from the stage. Meanwhile, this shooter had multiple clips. Several clips. He got off eight shots, and he had the capacity and the ability, if he was not neutralized, to basically mow down that whole Secret Service detachment as well as the President. What, from your own investigation, caused that delay under the circumstances. Kimberly Cheatle: What I can tell you is that when the agents identified that the shooting was taking place, in under three seconds they threw themselves on top of the -- Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): I understand that. There was heroism there. No question about it. No question about it. But protocol would indicate, and these are the opinions of various former Secret Service agents, people who have done this work in the past, that over a minute of exposure on that podium, with a shooter with a high-capacity weapon, who had already wounded the President and could have got off we don't know how many more rounds, and yet the President remained exposed even though he was joined in that exposure by the Secret Service in their heroic acts. I dunno if there's a good explanation for that. Kimberly Cheatle: Our personnel created a body bunker on top of the President, shielding him. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): I get that. Yeah. This was an AR 15 style weapon that would've made pretty quick work if he was determined and able to do so. 1:13:00 Kimberly Cheatle: As of today, the Secret Service has just over 8,000 employees. We continue to hire knowing that we need to ensure that we keep pace with a -- Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA): What would be the full compliment that you're looking for? You've got 8,000 and how many would be a full complement for the service? Kimberly Cheatle: So we are still striving towards a number of 9,500 employees, approximately, in order to be able to meet future and emerging needs. 1:25:15 Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): When this guy took the shots, he climbed a ladder to get on the roof, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: I'm unable to answer details of exactly how the individual accessed the roof at this time. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): Do you know if he did use the ladder? Do you know when the ladder was placed there? Was the ladder there two days before? Just the night before? Do you have any information at all as to when the ladder got there? Kimberly Cheatle: I would like to be able to answer those questions. The FBI is still conducting an investigation. 1:25:20 Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): Were President Trump's normal agents, normally assigned to him, there that day? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): These were the same agents that were always there? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes, sir. The people that are assigned to his detail were working on that day. 1:30:45 Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): As you know, the shooter began shooting at 6:11 PM Eastern on July 13th. NBC reported that at 5:51 PM, 20 minutes before the shooting began, the State Police informed the Secret Service of their concern. Now, the rally was not paused at that point, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: No. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): And according to NBC, just two minutes later, at 5:53 PM, the Secret Service notified its snipers about the gunman. The rally wasn't paused at that point either, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: No. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): Let me show you some video footage by rally goers. If you could play the video on the screen up here. This was taken two minutes before the shooting started. If you could turn up the volume. Rally goers: Right up here, he's on the roof. Right there, right on the roof. He's standing up now. Right on the roof. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): Ma'am, that doesn't look like suspicious behavior. That looks like threatening behavior to me. And the rally wasn't paused at that point either, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: I can tell you, as I stated earlier, sir, that the moment that the shift surrounding the President were aware of an actual threat. -- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): That's a threat, right there. The guy's on the roof and everybody's yelling at him and directing the officer's attention to him. The rally was not paused at that point, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: We are currently still combing through communications and when communications were passed. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): Well, I can point you to this communication. It's two minutes before the shots started ringing out. Director Cheatle, yes or no, was there ever a moment where the Secret Service actually considered pausing the rally? Kimberly Cheatle: The Secret Service would've paused the rally had they known or -- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): So the answer is no -- Kimberly Cheatle: -- been told there was an actual threat. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): The answer is no, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: I can speak to you in generalities. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): No, no. I don't want generalities. I want specifics. The answer is no, you did not consider pausing the rally, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: The people that are in charge of protecting the President on that day would never bring the former President out if there was a threat that had been identified. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): Well, they did because we've now identified three points in the 20 minutes before the shooting that the threat emerged. Let me point you to something else, which is the building that the shooter was perched on, seen here. This building is called the AGR building. I'm sure that you're familiar with it. It's no more than 150 yards from the stage where Donald Trump stood. Yet the security perimeter was drawn such that the AGR building was placed outside of it. Director Cheatle, according to the Washington Post, the AR 15-style rifle used in the shooting had a range of 400 to 600 yards, and therefore the AGR building was clearly within rifle range of the stage, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): NBC News has reported that in the days before the rally, the Secret Service had identified the building as a vulnerability that required special attention, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: That's reporting from NBC? Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): Yes. Kimberly Cheatle: So I am still looking into an active investigation. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): I know, but it's been nine days. I mean, you should know that, right? And yet, despite the fact that the AGR building was in rifle range of the stage, and it was flagged as a vulnerability, this building was put outside of the Secret Service's security perimeter. And I respectfully submit, the Secret Service must expand its security perimeter to account for the kinds of weapons that can be used outside the perimeter to endanger the protectees inside the perimeter. 1:34:50 Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): First, you have not found evidence that the incident was a stage shooting, right? Kimberly Cheatle: Correct. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): And you haven't found evidence that this was a result of a conspiracy of high ranking government officials, correct? Kimberly Cheatle: Correct. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): And you have not found evidence that this incident was in fact directed or perpetrated by a foreign state or entity, right? Kimberly Cheatle: Not at this time. 1:58:15 Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX): Have any employees been disciplined for their role in the Butler, PA incident? Kimberly Cheatle: No, sir. Not at this time. I am asking those questions. 2:01:30 Rep. James Comer (R-KY): It's been nine days, every American wants these questions answered. Do you have a ballpark estimate of when what Mr. Sessions asked you would be able to answer, time wise? Kimberly Cheatle: I can tell you on our mission assurance internal investigation, we are targeting to have that completed within 60. 2:02:10 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): Director Cheatle, respectfully, what you had just laid out about 60 days. We are currently in the midst of an especially concentrated presidential campaign in the moment that is also paired with, of course, elections happening across the country that are happening in about a hundred days. So the notion of a report coming out in 60 days when the threat environment is so high in the United States, irrespective of party, is not acceptable. 2:03:55 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): Director Cheatle, is there a standard perimeter that the Secret Service establishes around an event, or are those perimeters independently determined per event and scenario? Kimberly Cheatle: There is no standard. Every event and every venue is different and treated as such. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): So each event has a different perimeter that is established depending on the logistics of that event. Now, you established earlier that the building upon which the shooter operated from was outside of that established perimeter, correct, for the Butler Pennsylvania event? Kimberly Cheatle: It was outside of our secure perimeter, yes. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): Now, that building was, I believe, 500....How far away was that building from the President? Kimberly Cheatle: It was approximately 200 yards. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): 200 yards. Now, the individual used an AR 15 in order to act out his assassination attempt, an AR 15 has a range of about 400 to 600 yards. My question is, why is the Secret Service Protective perimeter shorter than one of the most popular semi-automatic weapons in the United States? Kimberly Cheatle: There are a number of weapons out there with a number of ranges. Again, an advance was completed. The determination of the perimeter, I'm not going to speak to specifics, but there are a number of factors that are taken into account when we determine our perimeter. Some of it has to do with terrain, some of it has to do with buildings, some of it has to do with assets and resources that are available. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): And so what I'm hearing is that a perimeter was not established outdoors in an outdoor venue that would prevent an AR 15, which is one of the most common weapons used in mass shootings, from being able to be within the range of Secret Service protection. Kimberly Cheatle: A perimeter was established, and even though there were buildings that were outside of that perimeter, it wasn't just that building. There were a number of buildings in the area and there was Overwatch that was created to help mitigate some of those buildings. 2:32:45 Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM): I want to talk a little bit about the timeline. Now, here's what we know, and I know, Director, you were also on the call that we had a few days ago with the FBI and other law enforcement. So I respect that you are not able to share based on your testimony, some of the details that are currently being investigated, but I know you were on the call because I heard you on the call and you heard them too. So I'm going to lay out the timeline a little bit. On July 3rd, the rally was announced that it was going to be in Butler. On July 6th, three days later, we know that the shooter searched for dates for Trump and DNC events. On July 7th, so this is four days after the announcement, the shooter went to the site. He actually physically went to the site. On July 12th, the shooter went to a gun range where he and his dad regularly go and practiced shooting. And the next day, on July 13th, he went to the site again before the rally began. We know that he then went and searched online for a gun store, where he went and he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition, went home, got his father's AR, which was legally purchased, and returned to the venue at 5:00 PM that evening. This is more than an hour before Donald Trump actually took the stage that evening. Local law enforcement we're made aware that there was a suspicious man. In fact, at 5:20, local law enforcement flagged that he had a rangefinder and they radioed their concerns and sent around pictures of the individual. At 5:40, 20 minutes before local law enforcement actually identified the shooter and at 5:51 Secret Service was notified of the suspicious person by the state police. And one minute later, they distributed that information. That was before Donald Trump even took the stage. That was 11 minutes before he took the stage. So the Secret Service was aware that there was a suspicious person. At 6:03 he took the stage. At 6:09, rally goers, as was shown in the video, identified this gentleman climbing on the roof. At 6:11, three shots were heard, three rounds of shots, and of course the president and the other victims were shot. 2:48:35 Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX): So given that there was an increased threat to President Trump's life, was he provided a full security compliment akin to what a sitting US President would receive? Kimberly Cheatle: He was provided a full compliment of security based on the threat assessment that we had and the venue. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX): That's not my question. My question is, if he'd been the sitting President, would he have had the same security he had on July 13th or would it have been beefed up? Kimberly Cheatle: There is a difference between the sitting President -- Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX): So your answer is, he didn't. Kimberly Cheatle: -- and continuity of government and the responsibility that we had -- Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX): So he did not, okay. There wasn't a full CAT team on site. There wasn't countersurveillance teams on site. 2:49:25 Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX): Have you visited the site? Kimberly Cheatle: No, I have not. 2:50:30 Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX): You said, do you remember, in an ABC interview you did, that you didn't have people on the roof of the AGR building because you were worried about safety because of the slope? Kimberly Cheatle: I recall that statement. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX): Okay. Does the Secret Service have written policy you can share with us about sloped roofs? Kimberly Cheatle: No. 2:54:00 Kimberly Cheatle: So again, I think we're talking about the distinction between suspicious behavior and a threat, and at the time that this individual was identified, they were displaying suspicious behavior. I'm still waiting for interviews from the FBI to determine what it was that identified that individual as suspicious and what those behaviors were. 2:55:05 Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA): When there are so many teams that are collaborating, who takes the lead, and how is that determined? Kimberly Cheatle: The Secret Service is responsible for the security of the site and the coordination. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA): And that was the case on July 13th? Kimberly Cheatle: Correct. 3:06:25 Kimberly Cheatle: I acknowledge that we are unaware at this time how the individual was able to access the roof. 3:06:35 Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): Overwatch meaning from other counter-sniper or other higher points. Kimberly Cheatle: Correct. 3:06:50 Kimberly Cheatle: I don't have the timeline of how the individual accessed the roof, where they accessed the roof, or how long they were on the roof. 3:13:40 Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA): Was Crook's vehicle inside any of your perimeters? Kimberly Cheatle: No, it was not. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA): It was not. Was there a device located on Mr. Crook's body to detonate the vehicle? Kimberly Cheatle: That is the information that I have. 3:26:05 Kimberly Cheatle: The allocation of resources is decided based on the availability of personnel and their location and where they are, but there were sufficient resources that were given to the former President's event that day. Rep. William Timmons (R-SC): What did you just say? Did you just say there were sufficient resources? President Trump got shot. 3:32:05 Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN): Were agents or officers inside the building? If so, what floor were they on? Kimberly Cheatle: We had local police officers inside the building. 3:59:30 Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI): Have you been in communication with the FBI? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes, I have. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI): With whom? Kimberly Cheatle: I speak with the Director and the Deputy Director. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI): Okay. And what have they shared with you about this investigation? So I'll give you an opportunity to answer again. Did they share with you how many shell casings were on the roof? Kimberly Cheatle: They have shared with me the -- Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI): Did they share with you how many shell casing were on the roof? Kimberly Cheatle: Yes. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI): Okay. How many were there? Kimberly Cheatle: I would refer to the FBI for their investigation. 4:13:20 Kimberly Che

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Anne Nelson, author of Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right, returns to the show to discuss her piece in The Washington Spectator entitled "Project 2025: The Latest Plot Against America". Nelson gives rundown of what conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation's 900-page document "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise" is all about and what Project 2025 entails for worker's rights, LGBTQ+ people, the economy, food safety, the environment, and more if it is implemented during a second Donald Trump Presidency, in full or part. We'll also discuss Nelson's research into the umbrella network of the American right-wing known as the Council for National Policy, a secretive organization that brings together right-wing billionaires, conservative Catholic, evangelical Christian nationalists, and other elements of American right-wing into a formidable network. The CNP was at the heart of her previously mentioned book Shadow Network and offers a glimpse into the American right-wing's machinations and maneuverings since its founding by conservative activist Paul Weyrich and Left Behind author Tim Lahaye in the era of the Ronald Reagan Presidency. We'll also manage to briefly discuss Catholic right-wing movements like the Opus Day and their relationship to the Supreme Court. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views!

On today's 4th of July edition of Family Talk, Gary Bauer concludes his stirring discussion with Bob McEwen, executive director of the Council for National Policy, about what makes America great. We must wake up to the warning signs as our society begins to crumble around us, and recognize the consequences that occur when a nation forsakes God. Listen as Bob recounts America's proud history recanted in the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29

1 Corinthians 3:17 says, Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Today on Family Talk, as we prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the United States of America, we will hear from Gary Bauer and Bob McEwen, executive director of the Council for National Policy. Bob reminds us that July 4, 1776, marks that momentous occasion in which America became the symbol for freedom around the globe. We must not fail to teach our children that our nation was founded on the truth and principles of the Bible or we'll run the risk of losing the liberties that we hold so dear. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad interviews Anne Nelson, author of the Shadow Network, about the modern intersection of religious movements and political campaigns in the U.S. They discuss the 'Courage Tour,' led by Lance Wallnau and Charlie Kirk, which aims to mobilize votes for Donald Trump through religious fervor and political organizing. The conversation traces the historical roots of such campaigns back to Jerry Falwell's I Love America rallies in the 1970s and explores the sophisticated strategies and technologies now employed. Anne also highlights the role of the Council for National Policy and the targeting of swing states and diverse demographics to influence the 2024 election. Read Anne Nelson: https://washingtonspectator.org/michigan/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 00:00 The Rise of Jerry Falwell and the Religious Right 00:51 The Courage Tour: A Modern Political-Religious Movement 01:19 Interview with Anne Nelson: Insights on the Courage Tour 02:51 The Mechanics of the Courage Tour 08:09 The Role of Pentecostalism and Political Strategy 13:15 Council for National Policy: Historical Context and Influence 21:14 Targeting New Demographics: Black Voters and Suburban Women 26:14 Digital Campaign Tools and the As One App 28:38 Conclusion and Reflections Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Connected Leadership podcast, host Andy Lopata investigates the power of asking "what if?" with guest Stephen Bailey. Stephen is an entrepreneur, leadership and workforce expert, and co-founder of Exec Online the pioneer of online leadership development for enterprises. He oversees the organisation's strategic vision and broader efforts to connect all leaders to their future potential through online learning and coaching. Stephen graduated from Yale Law School, and is on the boards of the Truman Center for National Policy, Match Group, Ibotta, and Prospects Schools, a charter school network in New York City. The discussion explores how Stephen's journey from corporate lawyer to entrepreneur was fueled by a profound desire to make a meaningful impact on the world, a desire that led him to choose the path of risk and innovation over the perceived safety of a traditional career. Stephen shares his experience of leaving the security of a Yale law degree and a lucrative law firm to join a startup. His decision was not driven by a fear of failure, but rather a fear of regret – a powerful insight that resonates with the podcast's theme. He reflects on the importance of fostering a "what if?" mindset, not just within organisations but also among external partners. Stephen emphasises the need for leaders to create a culture of boldness, curiosity, and purpose, where individuals are encouraged to embrace discomfort and push boundaries, leading to innovation and continuous improvement. Andy and Stephen examine how this mindset impacts Exec Online's approach to leadership development, highlighting their transition from traditional in-person programmes to a more dynamic, online-centric model. Stephen shares the challenges and lessons learned during this evolution, emphasising the iterative process of experimentation, adaptation, and learning from failures. The podcast concludes with Stephen reflecting on the impact of this "what if?" mindset on his personal and professional life. He acknowledges that while this approach can be stressful, it ultimately leads to a greater sense of fulfillment and the ability to make a positive difference in the world. This episode of the Connected Leadership podcast offers valuable insights into the power of embracing a "what if?" mindset for leaders and entrepreneurs alike. It encourages listeners to consider their own desires to contribute and make an impact, and to embrace risk and innovation as essential components of personal and professional growth. Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | Youtube Connect with Stephen Bailey: Website | X/Twitter | LinkedIn |

It is crucial to recognize fathers' impact on their children's lives. Positive affirmations from fathers can influence the trajectory of their children's lives. Conversely, negative responses, disengagement, abandonment, or hurtful comments, whether intentional or unintentional, can cause deep emotional wounds that may persist for years.  Many individuals grapple with the lingering pain of such "father wounds," but it is possible to find healing and prevent these issues from perpetuating across future generations. In this episode, Bob talks about: Helpful tips for single moms raising children without a father The definition of a father wound and how to overcome the pain of these emotional wounds Principles on forgiveness with practical steps on how to forgive Other resources: Ending the Cycle of Father Wounds: Hope for healing, and preventing infections caused by relational wounds Refuge Widowers Trail Life Fatherless events and resources Bob Reccord has been a business executive and pastor, led numerous Christian organizations, and served as Executive Director of the Council for National Policy in Washington, DC. He is a popular speaker and has spoken to thousands of men nationwide. Most importantly, he has been married to his wife, Cheryl, for 52 years, is the father of three grown children, and the grandfather of five. Mom, you are not alone!  Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom  For more information and helpful resources, check our website, PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

Imagine losing your mother to death, your father to abandonment, and feeling the absence of a disengaged adopted father—all before the age of three. “When you don't have a family, you'll find the family somewhere” is one of the lures of a gang offering “family.” The temptation for children without an earthly father is to believe the lie that they do not have a family when the opposite is true. Divine intervention with God as Father will give hope to the hopeless and bring light to the dark. In today's episode, we welcome Bob Reccord, who delves into: The crucial role of a mother's affirmation The impact of speaking positively about an earthly father, despite his absence The pivotal choice between seeing oneself as a victim or a victor Join us for an inspiring conversation that explores how faith and resilience can overcome the most challenging beginnings. Bob Reccord has been a business executive and pastor, led numerous Christian organizations, and served as Executive Director of the Council for National Policy in Washington, DC. He is a popular speaker and has spoken to thousands of men nationwide. Most importantly, he has been married to his wife, Cheryl, for 52 years, is the father of three grown children, and the grandfather of five. Mom, you are not alone!  Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom  For more information and helpful resources, check our website, PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

National policy expert, Rohini Kosoglu, joins Abhay to talk about everything from building trust with leaders to policy intersections and governance with AI to the imperatives of this upcoming election cycle.  Rohini recently served in the Biden-Harris administration as Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President. (0:00 - 3:19) Introduction(3:19) Part 1 - parenting and relationship development, additive experiences with leaders(14:29) Part 2 - intersections of A.I. and policy, innovation vs regulation, governing with compromise(32:44) Part 3 - South Asian American patriotism, election imperatives(45:37) Conclusion

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Stephen Ulaki, the director of "Bad Faith," a new documentary exploring the roots and the growing reach of Christian Nationalism. It's a film that Ken Burns has called  “a great and powerful and timely film," filled with the dread this moment engenders; the cynical misuse of religion to advance aims diametrically the opposite of Christianity's mission.    BAD FAITH endeavors to reveal how Christian Nationalist leaders have spread fear and anger for decades, distorting political issues into Biblical battles between good and evil. Financed through the secretive Council for National Policy, Christian Nationalists have succeeded in taking over the Republican Party, turning it into a powerful weapon to demolish democracy from within. The film traces the origins of this organized grasp for power and the grassroots coalition of secular and interfaith leaders bravely confronting the unholy forces threatening democracy.   "Bad Faith" is now available to stream on demand.   Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.   About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Welcome to Episode 154 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, American Farm Bureau economist Betty Resnick sheds light on key market drivers, obstacles in trade, and exciting opportunities for renewable fuels. Then Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson joins the conversation to preview some potential national policy breakthroughs in 2024!   Resources mentioned in this episode: Register for Iowa Farm Bureau's Acres of Opportunity Conference today. Learn more about online tools and services through the Farm Family Wellness Alliance.

This podcast episode originally aired May 3 2022, the same day as the leak of a controversial Supreme Court opinion that indicated Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned. Before Leonard Leo was a household name, he was on Narativ's radar and he became the main focus of our coverage the day a Supreme Court opinion leak about Roe v. Wade would be overturned, eliminating federal abortion rights protections. Eric Garland was my guest that day. We discussed the implications of this bombshell and delve into the decades-long effort by conservatives to reshape the judiciary and set the stage for such a reversal. Central to this strategy has been Leonard Leo, a religiously-motivated lawyer and operative embedded in powerful legal networks like the Federalist Society and the Council for National Policy. Leonard Leo's Influence Though not a high-profile public figure, Leonard Leo has played an outsized role coordinating the conservative legal movement's long term plans. Guided by extreme Catholic notions of “natural law,” Leo leveraged his positions within the Federalist Society, the Council for National Policy, and other networks to place ideological allies in key positions. He is also an influential member of the secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic order the Knights of Malta, which bridges his advocacy with international power centers in the Vatican and beyond. Most notably, Leo facilitated over $30 million dollars in Koch brothers donations to reshape George Mason University's law school using his influence on their board. The ultimate goal was to groom Supreme Court justices sympathetic to rolling back liberal decisions on issues like abortion rights. Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett were all vetted and promoted by Leo before their controversial nominations and confirmations. Response to Roe v. Wade Leak The hosts react to realization of Leo's goal to overturn Roe v. Wade with deep concern regarding legitimacy, given foreign meddling in recent appointments and new evidence indicating corporate capture of the judicial nomination process. More broadly, this episode encapsulates long building progressive fears that a hijacked Supreme Court could severely erode civil rights protections, privacy rights, and other pillars of equitable governance in America, jeopardizing stability and social cohesion. However, the hosts ultimately express hope that lawful accountability and democratic participation can restore rule of law and integrity to the Republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Archive:  This podcast episode originally aired May 3 2022, the same day as the leak of a controversial Supreme Court opinion that indicated Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned.   Before Leonard Leo was a household name, he was on Narativ's radar and he became the main focus of our coverage the day a Supreme Court opinion leak about Roe v. Wade would be overturned, eliminating federal abortion rights protections. Eric Garland was my guest that day. We discussed the implications of this bombshell and delve into the decades-long effort by conservatives to reshape the judiciary and set the stage for such a reversal. Central to this strategy has been Leonard Leo, a religiously-motivated lawyer and operative embedded in powerful legal networks like the Federalist Society and the Council for National Policy. Leonard Leo's Influence Though not a high-profile public figure, Leonard Leo has played an outsized role coordinating the conservative legal movement's long term plans. Guided by extreme Catholic notions of “natural law,” Leo leveraged his positions within the Federalist Society, the Council for National Policy, and other networks to place ideological allies in key positions. He is also an influential member of the secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic order the Knights of Malta, which bridges his advocacy with international power centers in the Vatican and beyond. Most notably, Leo facilitated over $30 million dollars in Koch brothers donations to reshape George Mason University's law school using his influence on their board. The ultimate goal was to groom Supreme Court justices sympathetic to rolling back liberal decisions on issues like abortion rights. Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett were all vetted and promoted by Leo before their controversial nominations and confirmations. Response to Roe v. Wade Leak The hosts react to realization of Leo's goal to overturn Roe v. Wade with deep concern regarding legitimacy, given foreign meddling in recent appointments and new evidence indicating corporate capture of the judicial nomination process. More broadly, this episode encapsulates long building progressive fears that a hijacked Supreme Court could severely erode civil rights protections, privacy rights, and other pillars of equitable governance in America, jeopardizing stability and social cohesion. However, the hosts ultimately express hope that lawful accountability and democratic participation can restore rule of law and integrity to the Republic.

Thank you so much for tuning in for another episode of Tin Foil Hat with Sam Tripoli. We hope you had an amazing July 4th weekend.  This episode we welcome Christian, researcher  and investigative journalist John Brisson to the show to discuss Christianity, the deep political ties of the Counsel Of National Policy and how we need to stop looking for politicians to save us.  This episode goes deep so buckleup, buttercup.  Thank you for your support.   Do you want to see Sam Tripoli live? Go to SamTripoli.com: July 11th- Comedy Chaos Live At The Comedy Store 8pm: https://www.showclix.com/event/comedy-chaos-july11th 10:30pm:  https://www.showclix.com/event/late-comedy-chaos-july11th   July 28th: Headlining The Lounge At The End Of The Universe in Boise, Idaho https://www.loungeboise.com/checkout?cartToken=2fMz_b3VuNY8De3nILl_PpHnXlR5yAWf63OHNtUx   July29th: Headlining Pizza Cheif In Ventura, Ca https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sam-tripoli-headlines-ventura-ca-on-july-29th-tickets-664932379647   Aug 12th: Tin Foil Hat Comedy And Swarm Tank Live In BroadBrook, Ct https://broadbrookoperahouse.thundertix.com/events/213781   Please check out John Brisson's internet: Website: https://www.fixyourgut.com/ Odysee: https://open.lbry.com/@weveread:7 Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/weveread Substack:https://weveread.substack.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/weve_read   Please check out SamTripoli.com for all things Sam Tripoli. Please check out Sam Tripoli's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/samtripoli Please Follow Sam Tripoli's Comedy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samtripolicomedy/ Please Follow Sam Tripoli's Podcast Clip Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samtripolispodcastclips/   Nuked.Social: Please check out Nuked.Social and join our decentralized social media that allows you to connect with telegram and the discord. Check out all of our premium content on ROKFIN.com. Tin Foil Hat Premium: https://rokfin.com/tinfoilhat Zero: https://rokfin.com/zero Conspiracy Social Club: https://rokfin.com/conspiracysocialclub Broken Simulation: https://rokfin.com/brokensimulation Cash Daddies: Patreon.com/CashDaddies Thank you to our sponsors: CopyMyCrypto.com: The ‘Copy my Crypto' membership site shows you the coins that the youtuber ‘James McMahon' personally holds - and allows you to copy him. 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If you discovered this series through Apple podcasts, or because you heard that we won a Peabody Award for our work; WELCOME! For our longtime listeners who have heard these episodes before, your weekly dose of On the Media will be available as ever, on Friday afternoon. Enjoy!   Episode 2: From Pulpit to Politics How did the little-known Salem Media Group come to have an outsized political influence? In this episode we trace the company's rise to power from its scrappy start in the 1970s to the present day — a growth that paralleled and eventually became inextricable from the growth of the Religious Right. We learn that Salem is tightly networked with right wing political strategists, pollsters, big donors, far right leaders and Republican party mainstays thanks to their involvement with the Council for National Policy — a secretive group of Evangelical and conservative leaders. For decades, the CNP has been working behind the scenes to get a specific, highly influential subset of voters to act. And Salem has been a megaphone for their cause. The Divided Dial is hosted by journalist and Fulbright Fellow Katie Thornton. Her written articles and audio stories have appeared in The Atlantic, 99% Invisible, The Washington Post, BBC, NPR, WNYC, Minnesota Public Radio, The Guardian, Bloomberg's CityLab, National Geographic, and others. She is a lifelong radio nerd who got her start in media as a teenager, volunteering and working behind the scenes at radio stations for many years. You can follow her work on Instagram or on her website. The Divided Dial was edited by On the Media's executive producer, Katya Rogers. With production support from Max Balton and fact-checking by Tom Colligan, Sona Avakian, and Graham Hacia. Music and sound design by Jared Paul. Jennifer Munson is our technical director. Art by Michael Brennan. With support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

If you discovered this series through Apple podcasts, or because you heard that we won a Peabody Award for our work; WELCOME! For our longtime listeners who have heard these episodes before, your weekly dose of On the Media will be available as ever, on Friday afternoon. Enjoy!   Episode 2: From Pulpit to Politics How did the little-known Salem Media Group come to have an outsized political influence? In this episode we trace the company's rise to power from its scrappy start in the 1970s to the present day — a growth that paralleled and eventually became inextricable from the growth of the Religious Right. We learn that Salem is tightly networked with right wing political strategists, pollsters, big donors, far right leaders and Republican party mainstays thanks to their involvement with the Council for National Policy — a secretive group of Evangelical and conservative leaders. For decades, the CNP has been working behind the scenes to get a specific, highly influential subset of voters to act. And Salem has been a megaphone for their cause. The Divided Dial is hosted by journalist and Fulbright Fellow Katie Thornton. Her written articles and audio stories have appeared in The Atlantic, 99% Invisible, The Washington Post, BBC, NPR, WNYC, Minnesota Public Radio, The Guardian, Bloomberg's CityLab, National Geographic, and others. She is a lifelong radio nerd who got her start in media as a teenager, volunteering and working behind the scenes at radio stations for many years. You can follow her work on Instagram or on her website. The Divided Dial was edited by On the Media's executive producer, Katya Rogers. With production support from Max Balton and fact-checking by Tom Colligan, Sona Avakian, and Graham Hacia. Music and sound design by Jared Paul. Jennifer Munson is our technical director. Art by Michael Brennan. With support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

Charlie is joined by Dr. James Lindsay and Pastor Rob McCoy LIVE from the Council of National Policy for a discussion on truth, Race Marxism, Critical Race Theories, and the first 11 chapters  of Genesis. Charlie, Dr. Lindsay and Pastor McCoy discuss why the entirety of our current cultural crisis can be explained by the blurring of God-given distinctions by the secular left. Revealing the origin for many of today's most radical ideologies, James and Charlie explain why these ideas are all linked by a common, sinister thread. Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.