On this special episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, our host Ben Domenech reflects on a year of both personal loss and new beginnings.

A Year Of Dying Gracefully

Whistleblower recordings show Delaware County, PA county election officials describing systemic voter integrity issues.

PA Election Official Describes Finding Boxes Of Voting Machine Tapes: 'It was abominable'

PA Election Workers Describe Systemic Issue With Security Of Ballots

Whistleblower Recording: PA Election Workers Discuss Voting Machine Tapes And Return Sheets

Since changing their menu, adding breakfast all day and fighting the fast-casual restaurant industry, McDonald’s has been made the news with ups and downs lately. Today on the Federalist Radio Hour, we discuss the future fast food franchise’s food and labor. 

David Freedman is a contributing editor at the Atlantic and writes on all things health, medicine and obesity. Freedman said that regulating consumer’s health through regulation isn’t going to happen because America doesn’t like regulation and it’s not what people want. 

“I think we should stop wasting time calling for more and more regulation and I think instead, let’s get everybody making smarter choices,” Freedman said. “Let’s help people to make the small changes that can actually make a big difference.”

Besides fighting the health-crazed inspired regulations, McDonald’s is also fighting off labor groups who want labor unions for the fast food industry. Spokesperson for the International Franchise Association, Matt Haller, explains how even though franchising is a classic American success story, it’s own model is causing franchisors problems, specifically with recent action taken by the National Labor Board. 

“The business model is becoming a bit of it’s own success and it’s being exploited by some special interests and some policy making in Washington that’s really becoming a challenge for the individual franchisees to navigate,” Haller said. 

Domenech echoed that franchises feel American in the standardization that they provide. There is a larger cultural issue that lies underneath all the health regulations and it shouldn’t be layed at the foot of one organization. 

“The thing that I think we ought to guard against is that is something to apologize for. It’s not like McDonald’s naturally making people obese. It is a decision on their own part to become obese and to eat the things they shouldn’t,” he said.

Why is McDonald’s changing its menu and will it work?

"It's Not My Turn": A Tribute to Hillary Clinton's Lies

“Deep work” is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task and it’s one of the most valuable skills in our economy. Cal Newport is the author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, and he joined the Federalist Radio Hour to explain how email and social media have changed the way our brains work.

Newport suggested that focusing on too much on what’s negative about distraction lead to an ambiguous muddle. “I think we have forgotten how much value we can get out of being able to concentrate intensely,” he said. “If you’re one of the few to cultivate this skill, then you’re really going to thrive.”

Newport explained “context switching” or that feeling you get when your brain reflexively moves to constantly check Twitter or your inbox. “A workflow that’s built around constant quick checks is actually reducing the cognitive capacity of your brain,” he said.

When it comes finding work you love or are “passionate” about, Newport said our desires to do so don’t match the reality of the market place. “Typically passion emerges over time,” he said. “As you do something well, as you develop a craft, as the skill gives you more control and leverage over your career...passion is a side effect.”

How To Focus Deeply In A Distracted World with Cal Newport

Today on the Federalist Radio Hour, Ashe Schow explained the latest issues from college campus sexual assault cases and recent antics from Jackie, the reported victim in the Rolling Stone UVA story. Schow is a commentary writer at the Washington Examiner and a senior political columnist at the Observer. Later in the hour, Ben Domenech gave some advice to Donald Trump in Wisconsin and described some of the more tactical errors the Trump campaign has made in the last week.

Universities are creating policies to address cases of sexual assault that eviscerate due process for the accused. “There are groups out there advocating for due process, the problem is the other side has such a prominent voice and if you dare suggest accused students deserve due process, you’re called a rape apologist,” Schow said.

This week the American Association of University Professors argued that Title IX has created a need for clarification between speech that constitutes for sexual harassment and speech that is merely offensive or upsetting. “These elite students are the kind of people being produced who have been taught lessons about the consequences of indignation, offense, and the idea that opinions that differ from theirs are things that should threaten them...and those are the kids that are going to be credentialed to become the next American elites,” Domenech said.

Bird Sexual Assault, Free Speech on Campuses and Trump's Tactical Errors

Dana Gioia, an American poet and writer, joined the Federalist Radio Hour to explain his unconventional style of poetry, his response to his academic critics, and why poetry has seemed to disappear from American culture. Gioia was previously the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and his newest book is 99 Poems: New and Selected.

Gioia said there is a paradox at the center of American literary culture. "There have never been so many people in human history who are paid to profess poetry and yet poetry seems to speak to the smallest in a possible group of people," he said. "In fact, most of the audience for today's poetry, are other professional poets."

Gioia explains his writing process and the way his experiences have shaped his writing. "I think a poem is an enchantment. You try to create a magic spell with words and the sound of the words that takes somebody and puts them in a state of heighten attention and heightened vulnerability, yourself included," he said.


Dana Gioia on The Enchantment of Poetry and American Literary Culture

Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway joined Ben Domenech in the studio to discuss Donald Trump’s sweep in the Northeastern States’ primaries, the recent death of Prince and make to make of the loss, and her reports from the most recent congressional hearing on the trafficking of aborted baby parts. 

“If he had never sung a song, he would still be one of the world’s best guitar players,” Hemingway said of Prince. “That’s how talented he was.” 

Hemingway said since Prince’s death, many journalists have attempted to characterize him as gender bending and queer. “For one thing he was a man who dressed in a feminine way frequently,” she said. “But this was a guy who did more for female self-esteem than anybody by recognizing and praising female sexuality.”
Last week, the House Select Panel on Infant Lives heard testimonies from witnesses about evidence of a widespread market for for unborn baby parts. Hemingway recapped the hearing and what the witnesses had to say. 

“The first thing they showed is that federal prohibits profiting from the sale or transfer of fetal parts,” she said. “Then they showed that abortion clinics don’t actually do any work to get these aborted baby parts. Other people come into a clinic and they do everything.”


Prince, Trump, and the House Select Hearing on Fetal Tissue Trafficking

Frank Buckley, author of The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America, joined the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss a theory of pursuing socialist ends through capitalist means and the issue of economic upward mobility across our country.

Buckley reflected on the results of the 2012 election and the way American social classes have evolved since. "We have grown a new class of aristocrats above the commanding heights of our economy a small group of people, not the one percent, so much as the two or three percent composed of academics...lawyers..trust fund babies..."

The problems effecting the white working class are of a different nature than some of the problems effecting the working class more generally, Domenech said. "When it comes to the success of Donald Trump, it seems to me it is no accident that out of the states that have voted thus far, that are in the top 20 of recipients of federal disability aid, that Donald Trump won all but three of them," Domenech said.

Buckley said the country is ready for a Machiavellian moment. "We are to understand American politics today not in terms of a Right and Left continuum, but rather a virtue-corruption continuum," Buckley said. "And that explains both the rise of Bernie Sanders and to some extent Donald Trump."

F.H. Buckley on Economic Mobility, Social Class Change, and Nostalgic America

Jonathan Last, senior writer at The Weekly Standard, joined the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss the success of the Trump phenomenon, the politics of Captain America and Iron Man in Civil War, and why the Little Mermaid is the worst Disney princess.

Trump's position as a life long New Yorker was a one point used against him but he has turned the insult on it's head to drive media attention. "It helps that he's a rich New Yorker," Last said. "Being a guy who has spend 40 or so years in New York, going to all the cocktail parties where he knows all the anchors from the network news shows, they all shop at the same stores...he has access and good will built up with these people."

Last explained how the original comic version of Captain America and Iron Man align with American schools of thought on foreign and domestic policy. "Marvel really stacks the deck here in favor of the Captain America position, which is that these guys should be free," he said. "How could liberal democracy function in a world where there were people who had the power to control thoughts? How could you trust that any election was a free and fair election?"

Later in the hour, Last ranked the best and worst Disney princess and explained his fascination with the "Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse" series. "The Life in the Dreamhouse series is a send up of not just the entire Barbie culture, but all of American culture, consumerism, local news, media, and reality television. All at once. It is genius."

Jonathan V. Last on the Trump Phenomenon, Captain America, and Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse

Matt Battaglia is a designer, illustrator, and comic book enthusiast. Battaglia joined Ben Domenech in the studio to review "Captain America: Civil War" and to explain the ins and outs of the comic book industry.

This latest superhero movie is adapted from an original story arc from the comic version of Captain America. "The movie really fleshes out Captain American's side and actually brings a lot of the political debates of personal and individual responsibility vs. the strong hand of government taking over for these heroes," he said.

The comic book industry has experienced weird shifts and changes in recent years, from the rise of self-publishing to the politically correct character trends. "Marvel and DC have turned there comics for the most part into weird political thought pieces," Battaglia said. "While I think it's fine to have a diverse cast, it seems weird when you force it in ways that aren't really story driven or if it's just done simply to do it."

Later in the hour, Battaglia explained how entertainment and fandom have changed the market for comic books and characters. "The focus has shifted where the fandom is the focus, rather than the actual product. Which is interesting in that being a fan of comics is now...has become the thing to be."

How Social Justice Warriors are Ruining Comic Books for Everyone

Yuval Levin, editor of National Affairs, joined The Federalist Radio Hour to discuss his new book, "The Fractured Republic: Renewing America's Social Contract in the Age of Individualism."  Levin explained why baby boomers are so nostalgic about the way America used to be and the frustration with the present moment.

Levin's book walks through the America of the 20th century and how it's isolated from the rest of American history. "The country that came out of World War II was an incredible cohesive and unified version of the United States, very usually so," he said. "Almost immediately after the war that began to break down."

One lesson conservatives can learn from 2016 already is that they have had the wrong impression of the Republican electorate. "Donald Trump has just run roughshod over all those litmus tests," he said. "The idea that the Republicans electorate is a highly conservative voting base strikes me as a mistake that's analogous to the mistake social conservatives make about the country at large."

Levin discussed the areas that both political parties are blind to, and how our fragmented national life can play to its strengths within it's diversity and decentralization.

Yuval Levin on a Fragmented Culture and Bipartisan American Nostalgia

Mary Katharine Ham, senior writer at The Federalist, and John McCormack, senior writer at The Weekly Standard, discussed FBI Director James Comey's testimony on the Hill today, Donald Trump's bewildering inability to attack Clinton, and the latest partisan politics.

Donald Trump could have easily picked on Hillary Clinton and her email story this week, but he is instead ranting about his Star of David tweet and the dishonest media. "It's not the biggest outrage, but it becomes a larger outrage when he continues to talk about it, when his other option is Hillary," Ham said.

Rep. Trey Gowdy challenged James Comey on the truthfulness of Clinton's email defenses. "[Comey] even said in his original presentation that yes, a normal person would be punished for this, but she's essentially too big to punish," Ham said. "She's found this great loophole whole which is being the president."

McCormack explained the Democratic Party's new abortion extremism and how Democrats in Congress are making false claims about the Zika bill for purely partisan reasons. "Planned Parenthood's stranglehold on the Democratic Party cannot be set aside for anything," Ham said.

'Do You Want to Build a Strawman?' with Mary Katharine Ham and John McCormack

Mary Katharine Ham, senior writer at The Federalist, talked to Sonny Bunch, editor at The Washington Free Beacon, and David Marcus, senior contributor at The Federalist about the DNC, Comic Con, and the protests in Philadelphia on today's Federalist Radio.

On night three of the DNC, we heard speeches from Tim Kaine, Joe Biden, and President Obama. "I thought Obama's speech was totally fine and it was very much aimed at that kind of disaffected moderate Republican, the college-educated white Republican who has not been hit hard over the last eight years," Bunch said.

Bunch recapped the all the news coming out of last week's Comic Con in San Diego, including debut of the DC Animated Universe’s The Killing Joke. "'The Killing Joke' addition to becoming a very classic and beloved Batman tale, has also become problematic," he said. "The social justice warriors really hate this comic book."

David Marcus has been on the the ground in Philadelphia this week, talking to Bernie Sanders supporters and following their protests. "A lot of them thought she got a free pass on the email scandal, but really it's just that they don't want the party going back to that third way, Clinton-Blair style of the Democratic Party," Marcus said.





DNC Speeches, Comic Con, Philadelphia Protestors, and Bernie Bros

Bill McMorris, reporter at the Washington Free Beacon, joined Federalist Radio Hour to define "bro culture" and discuss how society should rank our country's top bros.

"Bros wouldn't exist if women didn't find them attractive in some way, and one way is bros make everything fun," McMorris said. "The bros write in very direct prose as opposed to the beat poetry of the beatnik."

While swimmer Ryan Lochte has previously been considered the "platonic ideal of brodem," there is now a need for reevaluating what it means to be a bro and how the latest drama surrounding Lochte effects his bro ranking. "He got slammed in all these media outlets as an irresponsible American who left the scene of a crime, but now it seems that this is kind of a vindication that Americans are targeted around the world," Domenech said.

McMorris and Domenech verified and ranked an exhaustive list of bros including Rob Gronkowski, John Mayer, The Rock, Justin Bieber, and others. "Here's my problem with Wahlberg: He's kind of a meta bro," Domenech said. "He was orignially a bro but he got really smart and now he's the executive the producer on a bunch of shows including 'Ballers' which itself is a meta commentary on bro culture."



Defining Bro Culture and Ranking Ryan Lochte Among American Bros

James Rosen, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent, joined the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss the new book, "A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century" that collects the best writings of William F. Buckley. Rosen and Domenech also discussed Elvis, The Beatles, comedy, politics and more.

In this book, Rosen has collected 50 of Buckley's best eulogies on varied types of great figures of his time. "This is the only place in the world where you will find Milton Friedman rubbing elbows with Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead," he said. "Buckley also eulogies for John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Princess Diana, Jackie Onassis, Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, and in so many of these cases, Buckley knew these people."

Rosen, a devout Beatles fan, discussed the new documentary by Ron Howard, "Eight Days A Week." "The Beatles are universal," he said. "It's overpowering how great they were and how far away it is now, it's sad to me," he said.

James Rosen on William F. Buckley, The Beatles, and Media Today

Robby Soave, associate editor at Reason, and Ben Domenech share their Election Night experiences and to discuss how the left's culture of extreme political correctness was among the many reasons Donald Trump beat Hillary.

Soave said the people who voted for Trump have been repelled by far-left progressives who demand changing words they use and the video games they play. "I have been warning that this thing we saw happening on college campuses, and has moved onto Twitter, and is taking over lives...is going to inspire a terrifying backlash. And this is that backlash," he said.

They discuss the degree to which the Clinton relied on celebrity endorsements while ignoring the lower middle class white historically-democratic voters. "Today's modern progressives didn't want to have to cater to them anymore," Domenech They were happy catering to a more multi-cultural, college-educated, urban audience as opposed to dealing with a portion of their base, that was still from their perspective, stuck in the past."

Boys & Girls

The Voters Clinton Needed and How Political Correctness Pushed Them Away

Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, joins Ben in studio to discuss how Fidel Castro destroyed the country of Cuba and why the media has been praising the dictator since his death on Friday.

"Not only did he repress the Cuban people, he made them flee or put them in prison, and made them very poor," Gonzalez said. "But he changed the Cuba he inherited. He made it different thing and not a better thing."

On the recent U.S. deal-cutting with Cuba, Gonzalez said Obama gave up all the leverage. "[Obama] gave the Castros almost everything they wanted," he said. "Everything we are doing is putting money into the military... and is putting money into the Castro family."

How Fidel Castro's Political Persecution Destroyed Cuba

Michael Tracey is an independent writer and political reporter who joins today's Federalist Radio to discuss "fake news," the unhinged media reactions to Trump, and experimenting in digital media platforms.

Donald Trump's tweets have been consistently treated as breaking news every day sin he was elected. "A lot of these people in the media are so blinkered by rage and confusion... and they don't have a standard for how to situate themselves in relation to Trump," Tracey said. "Which is crazy because they should by now."

As a crowd-funded journalist himself, Tracey discusses the relationships audiences have with news sources and what they are willing to pay for. "I think one reason why this media class is so disposed to groupthink is that they rely on revenue from similar sources...clicks, non-profit support, or philanthropists' money."

FDRLST

Fake News, Presidents Who Tweet, and Media Groupthink with Michael Tracey

T. Becket Adams, commentary writer at the Washington Examiner, explains this trending conversation on "fake news" on the Federalist Radio Hour with Ben Domenech. They also discuss what journalists and newsrooms can do to improve their reporting, as opposed to doubling down on the approaches they had been using prior to the election.

A lot of major media outlets are talking about fake news as a way to pass the buck of their failure to fairly report on the election. On the other hand, "Fake news has become some sort of rallying cry for conservatives who have long been irked by the media's sloppy reporting," Adams said.

Adams and Domenech describe the DC groupthink and the media's blindspots that impaired their coverage. "They didn't see any of it coming. There was a reason there was a general consensus, which is got to the point where even (Hillary Clinton's) own campaign bought it." he said.

Why Is Everyone Talking About 'Fake News' and Does It Matter?

After seeing "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," Alexandra Petri and Ben Domenech discuss their questions on and initial reactions to the movie, the characters, and what this movie means for future Star Wars films. Spoilers included! 

Tony Gilroy was a writer brought in to work on Rogue One once it was in post-production. "There were enough reshoots that they actually had to fire the original composer," Domenech said. "Gilroy was mostly concentrated on fixing the third act and man, did he fix the third act."

Most of all, this movie allows the Star Wars franchise to go into different genres. "You have permission to play around in the Star Wars universe and you don't have to worry so much about proving to us that it's a Star Wars movie with all these cameos," Petri said. "Just trust the universe and have a good time, and people will come with you."

Let's Talk About 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' With Alexandra Petri

Walter Russell Mead, editor of The American Interest and fellow at the Hudson Institute, joins Ben Domenech in studio to discuss foreign policy schools of thought, Jacksonianism, and the future of education and religion in America.

Mead labels the type of people who voted for Donald Trump in key Democratic states as Jacksonians, Mead said. "Jacksonians are often, in foreign policy and domestic policy, they are often more motivated by threat than by opportunity," he said. "They're often surprisingly unmotivated by stories of political corruption, but perversion of government is a different thing and that reaches them on a different level."

Mead discusses how Trump's cabinet and national security advisors view America's role in the world, and how their views will overlap or collide. "Tillerson and Trump will both face the problem that government isn't the same as corporate governance," he said. "When you bring Jacksonians into government, they generally have less experience with government, less understanding of the people around them."

Walter Russell Mead on Jacksonianism, Foreign Policy, and American Elites

Emily Esfahani Smith is the author of a new book, "The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matter." She joined Ben Domenech in studio to discuss the psychology and philosophy of happiness, purpose, and why so many working Americans feel alone or left behind.

"One of the indicators of this meaning crisis that I write about is the rising rate of social isolation and loneliness," she said. "People list their relationships to others as the most powerful builders of meaning in their lives."

As American communities fall apart, the rates of suicide, drug-use, and depression continue to rise. "When other people treat you like you matter, then you feel like your life matters too," Smith said. "But if you have no institutions in society that are reinforcing you or giving you a role to play, then you start to wonder, 'What value does my life have?'"

The Psychology of Pursuing a Purposeful and Meaningful Life

Salena Zito spent the last year and a half driving across the country and interviewing over 4,000 Americans. Zito and Domenech discuss how blue states turned red, how the Democratic party has changed, and how politics has seemed to infest every area of our lives, including our sports. 

Zito is a CNN contributor, columnist at the New York Post, and reporter at the Washington Examiner. She said Middle America has a different idea of what they want to aspire to. "People fundamentally want to be part of something bigger than themselves," she said. "Elites do not understand that because a lot of them don't believe anything is bigger than themselves." 

As ESPN continues to loose subscribers, their programming continues to increase the amount of political news replacing actual highlights or sports analysis. "Sports have become so politicized that people have just tuned out," Zito said. "People are over saturated with politics. Everywhere they go."

Salena Zito on 2016 Voters, Blue Dogs, and Political Sports Media

Ashley McGuire is the author of the new book "Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female." McGuire explores some the areas in which culture attempts to deny any differences between sexes and how "gender neutrality" is harming children.

McGuire's book covers a range of sex and biology issues including bathroom bills, women in the military, children's toys, and women's competitive sports. "I think we have second wave feminists to blame for getting us to this point because they were the ones who pushed this idea in the first place," she said. "They pushed the argument that our maleness and our femaleness is something that's socialized, that these are arbitrary categories...and we need to eradicate the biological differences."

From "50 Shades of Grey" to John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Hollywood knows no limit to double standards. "Suddenly when you have Beyonce or other female stars literally glamorizing violence against women... we are left without any tools to say this is disempowering women when we're told that whatever choice a women makes, it's our job to support it," she said.

Gender, Sex, Feminists, and the Drive to Abolish Male and Female

Tyler Cowen, and economist and professor at George Mason University, joins Federalist Radio to discuss his new book, "The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream."

"We've had the unquestioned presumption that more safety is always better and you want to dig yourself in and have a nice life," Cowen said. "And yes, that makes sense for most individuals, but when we do that socially and give up on risk-taking, we end up with up with a kind of stultification and that leaves us with what I call the complacent class."

Domenech and Cowen discussed the ways technology, education, and American productivity have not progressed or improved and how this has lead to citizens protesting and rioting in the streets. "This is the age of the traffic jam and the horrendous commute, and that says so much about our lives," Cowen said. "It's a sign we're neglecting this notion of getting around... over time we are going to see a reassertion of the dimension of the physical."

Tyler Cowen on Complacency, Immobility, and American Progress

Alejandro Villanueva is an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, former Army Ranger, and Bronze Star recipient. He joins Federalist Radio to discuss his career in the military, the NFL, the transition between the two, and fishing in rural Pennsylvania.

Villanueva described growing up on a military base in Spain, watching Marines land and his discovering his own desire to serve. "When you see the attitude and the tension in the air of when a unit is about to deploy, you can really understand it," he said. "If I could have stolen their uniform and got on a plane, I would have done that but I had to wait for my turn."

In 2014, Steeler's head coach Mike Tomlin noticed Villanueva at a pre-season game, just before he got cut from the Eagles. "I knew it was going to be very unusual to see a football player saluting the flag, but obviously that's Army regulation and I had to follow it," Villanueva said.

Alejandro Villanueva: U.S. Army Ranger and NFL Offensive Lineman

Don Boudreaux is a Senior Fellow with the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He joins today's Federalist radio to dispel the myths about trade and how it's impacted middle class living standards. They also discuss the economics of healthcare, manufacturing, and more.

"If it is the case that trade destroyed our manufacturing, then we would have seen a decline in our American manufacturing. We don't see that," he said. "We see a decline in manufacturing employment. That comes mostly from innovations, labor-saving technology." 

Bourdreaux contrasts Ronald Reagan's intelligence on trade to Donald Trump's approach on the issue. "That level of economic knowledge and clarity is completely the opposite of what Trump and his advisors have on matters of trade."

You can follow more of Boudreaux's writing at www.cafehayek.com

Don Boudreaux on Free Trade, American Manufacturing, and Economics

Christopher Scalia, the son of Justice Antonin Scalia, is also a writer and former professor. He joins the Federalist Radio Hour to share stories of his father, to discuss growing issues in academia, and to think about literature that can help us understand the world we live in.

Scalia tells stories from his childhood and his father's approach to family and faith. "I don't remember him ever sitting me down and saying 'This is what my faith means to me.' He didn't have to. It was obvious."

A novel that explains our political landscape is not Orwell's "1984", but "Scoop" by Evelyn Waugh. "The term 'fake news' isn't used, but it's kind of throughout the novel," Scalia said. "The reporters in this novel have an agenda to push and they will push it whatever the cost."

Chris Scalia on His Father, Family, Literature, and Issues in Academia

Katherine Mangu-Ward, editor of Reason Magazine, and Mary Katharine Ham, senior writer at the Federalist, address all the buzz as of late about a possible presidential run by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. They also cover recent regulations and policy myths, such as rape touted as a pre-existing condition in the AHCA, and new laws against vaping.

"If we're going to run celebrities, let's run hotter, smarter ones. And the Rock is both hotter and smarter than the celebrities we have been running," Ham said. "The Rock is something we can all agree on, and that would probably be ruined by running for office."

The now-debunked idea that rape is a pre-existing condition is just one example of media healthcare narratives. "This idea that you take the absolute worst case of the absolute worst case ignoring a variety of political facts on the ground, as well as economic realities," Mangu-Ward said.

The Rock for POTUS, Vaping, and Vices with Katherine Mangu-Ward

Patrick J. Buchanan's new book, "Nixon's White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever," details his time as a speechwriter and senior adviser to President Nixon. Buchanan joins Federalist Radio to share stories from times of both success and defeat in media, politics, and the conservative movement. 
Buchanan describes his first interaction with Vice President Nixon at age 15, and the how it came to happenstance that he would later work in the White House. "I went up to him around midnight in the kitchen and said, 'If you're going to run in '68 I'd like to get aboard early," he said. 

This is part one of a two-part interview.

Pat Buchanan Shares Stories and Memos from Nixon's White House

In the second half of a two-part interview, Pat Buchanan sits down with Ben Domenech to discuss the his own political career, the role faith plays in politics, and how his own populism compares to what Trump offers. Buchanan's new book is, "Nixon's White House Wars."

Buchanan's speech at the 1992 RNC was a warning that American values were in jeopardy. "I really believe the West is very probably in a terminal decline," he said. "It's lost it's faith. It's lost it's empires. It's losing it's unity now. It can defend it's borders. It's demographically dying."

Later in the hour, they discuss how television has changed for the worse, leaving no space for constructive conversations. "You were part of some shows that had intelligent people on them who could talk at length about a particular subject," Domenech said. "I worry that people are becoming basically dumber because of the political television that we have on all day today."

Pat Buchanan On Our Culture War, Populism, And Cable News

Christopher Bedford, editor-in-chief of the Daily Caller News Foundation, joins Ben Domenech on today's show to discuss the escalation of political violence and protesters storming a "Julius Caesar" production. They also touch on how the business sector controlled by elite corporate leaders is another battle in the culture war conservatives have lost.

The radical left is taking to the streets claiming to fight fascism without a hint of irony. "If you think that environmentalism is your religion and you're out there fighting for your god Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders... than extremism is a lot easier to justify. It's not only required but it's moral for these people to go out and attack," Bedford said.

The staying power and political pull of corporations and crony capitalism are stronger than ever. "They have the ability to push forward their agenda regardless of who is actually elected or not," Domenech said. "They don't have to deal with cloture votes and how to get 51. They can exert their pressure often at whim in ways that can have a significant impact."

Political Violence, Economic Populism, and Corporate Political Power

Guy Benson is the political editor at TownHall.com, Fox News contributor, and co-author of the book, "End of Discussion." Benson discusses the attack on free speech, political violence, the blaming of rhetoric.

"We don't like the blaming of rhetoric. We view that as a deliberate attempt to delegitimize the other side by saying, 'Ah-ha, you're speech is causing these nutters to go crazy and therefor you better shut up," Benson said.

Tuesday's runoff election for Georgia's Sixth Congressional seat between Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff has received extensive national media coverage and is now the most expensive House campaign in history. "This is a Republican, but not Trump-friendly district," Benson said. "National Democrats are positioning this as a referendum on Trump."

An updated, paperback edition of Guy Benson and Mary Katharine Ham's book, "End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage and Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun)" is out on August 1, 2017.

Guy Benson On Georgia's Special Election and Blaming Political Rhetoric

Chuck Todd on The Tony Kornheiser Show discussing which way toilet paper should hang.

The Tony Kornheiser Show

"Chuck goes for the under"

Executive Editor Joy Pullmann interviews Senator Mike Braun. They discuss judges, Silicon Valley regulation, education, and more. Pullmann lives in Indiana and is one of his constituents.

An Interview With Senator Mike Braun

John Daniel Davidson Talking Immigration on NPR's "On Point", Part 2

John Daniel Davidson Talking Immigration on NPR's "On Point", Part I

The Federalist Radio Hour features a conversation on culture, religion, and politics with the editors and writers of The Federalist web magazine. Hosted by Ben Domenech with regular guests Mary Katharine Ham, Mollie Hemingway and David Harsanyi, the show takes on controversies in America from a contrarian point of view.

"Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray."

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