American Viewpoints

Former Congressman Bob Barr (R-GA) has been through tumultuous times in the Capitol. He was, after all, one of the House Managers of the Impeachment of President Bill Clinton. In this discussion, he reacts to the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy from that office by all House Democrats and eight Republicans. Barr also offers advice for the GOP Caucus on how to put a coherent gameplan together from...

Dr. Bonner Cohen from the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) comments on the State of California's lawsuit against multiple oil companies and a trade group. The claim is that their production of petroleum is to blame for a varierty of environmental and economic problems. Cohen responds to the claims and argues that bad policy in California is responsible for their problems.

RedState.com writer Mike Miller discusses a recent RealClearPolitics.com survey that asked voters about freedom of speech and, in some ways, personal freedom overall. The survey shows that a surprising percentage of Americans say there's too much freedom of speech, especially on social media. While self-described Democratic voters are more likely than others to say government should do more to hin...

American Firearms Association president Chris Dorr assesses the announcement that President Biden has established a Presidential Office of Gun Violence Prevention. In his view, the office is just another effort by the Administration to push gun control legislation that's unconstotutional. * this conversation originially airs on NewsTalk STL in St. Louis.

A last-minute deal in Congress keeps the federal government functioning for the time being. The spending plan passed shortly after this conversation occured keeps the proverbial lights on for another 45 days. Bankrate.com senior analyst Mark Hamrick discusses the effect the instability in Congress can have on other aspects of the economy. This isn't the first time a government shutdown has been a...

The Heartland Institute's Samantha Fillmore takes note of the rising number of Covid infections being reported and recalls the authoritarian reaction to the illness over the past few years. In many states, state law allows governors to act unilaterally - or allow local office holders - to restrict individual freedoms. Fillmore argues that pressure should be put on state lawmakers to reform the law...

The competition for the GOP's presidential nomination moves into the next phase of the campaign following the second debate. In this discussion, FreeThePeople.org writer Dr. Aaron Pomerantz discusses his recent article challenging the party and the candidates on what they are bringing to our national discussion. In other words, what do they stand FOR? Here's the article: https://freethepeople.org/...

The R Street Institute's James Wallner explains how our national government has gotten to the point - again - where funding to run government operations could expire and cause a partial shutdown. He also discusses how a shutdown would affect most Americans.

Remnants of the Green New Deal ended up in the Inflation Reducation Act. Among those are incentives for electric vehicle production. The Biden Administration is adding to those incentives with a push for vehicle mandates that, eventually, will make it difficult to produce gas combustion engines in compliance with increased fuel efficiency and other standards. In this discussion, Phil Kerpen from A...

Earlier this month, New Mexico Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency in part of her state. The emergency she declared claimed gun violence was the health emergency and then she cited that declaration as the basis of an executive order to suspend the right to keep and bear arms in the affected area. Tom Knighton from BearingArms.com responds to the decision, which was quickl...

John Tamny, president of the Parkview Institute and editor or RealClearMarkets.com, discusses the possibility of health and/or elected officials trying to bring back Covid-era lockdowns, restrictions, and mandates. He argues for noncompliance with any orders, and there have been some issued in recent months. Tamny also argues that the use of government force during declared emergenies is counterpr...

Former Congressman Bob Barr (R-GA) was a House manager in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. In this converstion, he assesses the decision to move forward with an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, explains why he feels is is justified, and offers advice to Congress on how to handle the upcoming events.

In a new short documentary, the Heritage Foundation - through their Daily Signal news outlet - tells the story of the Tambunga family in Texas. They lost Maria and Amelia, a grandmother and granddaughter, in a car wreck caused by a human trafficking smuggler. The smuggler had crossed the southern border and was being pursued by local police. Heritage's Lora Reiss discusses the video, the story bei...

William and Mary University professor Chris Freiman argues that, at least for many people, less political engagement can be better for them, their families, and their community. He's the author of the book Why It's OK To Ignore Politics.

Former Utah State Representative Eric Hutchings discusses his state's adoption of a "clean slate" law to automatically expunge some criminal convictions from offenders' records. He explains why he hopes this approach will reduce crime by allowing more opportunities for some convicts over time.

Gretchen Smith, founder and CEO of Code of Vets, explains the non profit's mission to help veterans who are struggling after their time in uniform ends. The organization's help ranges from providing financial assistance to pay utility and rent, to providing help for life obstacles like car repairs, to helping vets navigate health care and other systems. The group usually accomplishes the task of v...

Gumption. Entrepreneurial thinking. Entrepreneur, business consultant, and author Clifton Taulbert (Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, Who Owns The Icehouse?) offers a perspective on how the disciplines and mindsets of business and entrepreneurialsm can lead to personal success and the ability to overcome systemic obstacles.

Mark Mix from the Right To Work Foundation discusses the debate over labor unions, worker freedom , and right to work laws around the country.

American Conservative magazine writer Frank DeVito discusses the key points of his recent article, Not On Their Terms. The op-ed focuses on how important terms and definitions are in the debates. For example: Devito argues that "gender affirming care" should not be accepted as a valid term. Instead, something like "altering healthy bodies" is more accurate and doesn't cede any intellectual space i...

Former police chief Joel Shults discusses his article written for the National Police Association's blog that promotes the use of "less lethal" weapons when possible. He explains what that means, why more options should be available, and why "less lethal" options aren't always the right choice for an officer. https://nationalpolice.org/main/less-lethal-options-can-save-lives/

Mark Schmitz, father of Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, discusses his frustration with the lack of information he and other Gold Star Families are getting from the Biden Administration and the US military ragarding the 2021 bombing that claimed the lives of 13 US military personnel. Lace Corporal Jared Schmitz was among this killed. This conversation was recorded as Mark Schmitz was preparing to tes...

Bankrate.com's Sarah Foster reviews the results of a survey about attitudes toward forgiveness of student loan debt. While the US Supreme Court ruled President Biden's unilateral plan unconstitutional, the ruling does not stop Congress from addressing the outstanding debt through forgiveness or any other approach.

The Center For Equal Opportunity's Devon Westhill looks ahead to how higher education can still work to provide opportunities for those in underserved communities without making race a factor. Westhill agrees with the recent US Supreme Court ruling that bans the use of race in the admissions process.

Host Mike Ferguson gives a brief overview of the recent Republican presidential debate held in Milwaukee.

The Heritage Foundation's James Bacon argues that the "administrative state" - bureaucrats in government - have become so powerful that they can affect or even stop policy agendas of presidents. Bacon explains how these unelected positions have become so strong and why he says reforms have to be made to put the authority back in the hands of the elected. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restorin...