The Federalist Radio Hour

The hilarious Mark Normand of Last Comic Standing joins Federalist Radio. The funnyman tells Ben that today comedy has never been better and prudish political correctness has never been worse. Always funny and often politically edgy Normand says his college agent fired him. Turns out, “college used to be counter culture, he says, but now they’re the man. Students think adults are cool.” Later Robby Soave of Reason joins the program to debunk the flawed academic studies fueling the campus sexual hysteria sweeping the nation. Finally, The Federalist’s own Neal Dewing reveals the superhero alter egos of the GOP presidential primary contenders.

The White House has shifted its climate strategy to push controversial new regulation on the states. Lachlan Markay of the Washington Free Beacon joins the Federalist Radio Hour to report. According to Markay, since 2013 the White House has been partnering with several Democratic governors and donors to build a strategy preemptively “selling regulation politically at the state level.” Later in the program, Olympic wrestler and gold medalist, Henry Cejudo, explains his drive to be the best. A naturalized American citizen and the son of illegal immigrants, the Olympian tells Ben that he wrestles to share “the good news of America.” He says that he competes to share the message of freedom.

As Patriot’s Quarterback Tom Brady and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell square off in court, Ben hosts an all-star cast to discuss the Deflategate controversy. AEI economist, Stan Veuger deflates the erroneous and infamous Wells Report fueling the prosecution. After examining all evidence, he has concluded that there’s “no direct evidence that the Patriot’s balls were deflated.” Later, Houston Chronicle writer and lawyer, Stephanie Stradley sorts through the legalese of the Tom Brady suspension. Yahoo Sports Reporter, Andy Behrens, gauges how the case could impact Fantasy Football rosters this season. And the Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins weighs the potential fall out from the case.

Should the Vice President stay and run for the presidency, or he should go? That’s the trending topic of discussion that Ben takes up with Jonathan Martin of The New York Times. With a finger to the pulse of both party’s primaries, Martin explains that the “conventional wisdom has been upended this year.” As Donald Trump leads the Republican pack and socialist Bernie Sanders draws the largest crowds, the national political correspondent says the Vice President’s team must be asking, “why wouldn’t Biden have an opening?” Later, Governor Jim Gilmore joins the program to outline his vision for the presidency. He tells Ben that he’s running because, “I believe the country is in decline, and I think I can reverse that decline.”

Thanks to technology, the dating scene is a brave new world. Now Cathy Reisenwitz, editor of Sex and the State, calls for an end to “radical sexual purity” and the beginning of an era of “radical sexual honesty.” On Federalist Radio, Reisenwitz argues that, in response to market forces, new hookup technologies like Tinder have liberated women and requires a revaluation of marriage. In response to this evolution, she calls for a change in gender roles. Later Taina Bien-Aimé, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, joined the program to discuss the issue of legalized prostitution. Unlike Reisenwitz, Bien-Aimé believes prostitution is “a form of exploitation…where men purchase violence, sexual harassment; they purchase denigration and dehumanization.”

Today, The Federalist Radio Hour records its 100th episode. In celebration, Ben takes a look back through the archives to share some of the program’s best on-air moments. A daily symposium of common sense, Federalist Radio regularly features prominent journalists, influential policymakers, and Pulitzer Prize winning authors. This centennial edition of the show features some of the best so far. Before taking over as the host of Face the Nation, John Dickerson joined the program to preview his plans for covering the presidential race. On the campaign trail, Senator Ted Cruz tuned in to share his vision for the nation. And George Will explained how he’d make baseball even better. In each episode, Ben strives to bring together the most informed voices on the day’s most pressing cultural and political issues. Thank you for listening.

The stormy debt crisis crashing around the paradise of Puerto Rico perfectly illustrates the consequences of that territory’s systemic fiscal irresponsibility according to Luis Fortuńo. The former Governor of Puerto Rico explains that “bottom line, you can never tax yourself out of a hole.” On Federalist Radio, the retired pro-growth executive explains how the territory got itself into its current mess and what lessons the United States ought learn from its protectorate. “Fiscal conservative policies work,” he notes. “The opposite does not…that brings about collective despair, unemployment, and bankruptcy.” Later in the program Cate Long, founder of Puerto Rico Clearinghouse, joins Ben and the governor to report in-depth on the current state of the commonwealth’s finances.

“Hillary Clinton has had plenty of problems,” John Schindler says, but “stupidity has never been one of them.” A retired NSA counterintelligence officer and accomplished author, Schindler analyzes the growing email scandal that continues to plague the former Secretary of State. On Federalist Radio, Schindler explains how Clinton’s team decided to “consciously violate very fundamental secrecy laws of the US Government.” Later in the program, Schindler briefs Ben on the numerous threats facing the United States around the globe. Finally, David Daleiden of the Center For Medical Progress reports on his organizations continued investigation of Planned Parenthood.

More than theatrics, Donald Trumps first policy paper on immigration actually furthers the discussion of the issue according to Mark Krikorian. The Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies believes that Trump has elevated the immigration debate by barring other presidential hopefuls from offering vague platitudes in place of policy solutions. From opposed perspectives, Ben and Kirkorian discuss the challenges of legal and illegal immigration into the United States. Krikorian rejects a market-based solution arguing that immigration, unlike global trade, ultimately imports people rather than exporting products. The scholar further concludes that mass immigration is incompatible with modern society, and promotes instead what he calls, a unified theory of immigration. Together the two offer a comprehensive first preview of an issue that will continue to drive debate and produce headlines during the 2016 contest for the White House.

Several Democratic State Parties have opted to strike the names of Presidents Jefferson and Jackson from their fundraising dinners. More than a politically correct public relations move, the decision reveals the Lefts intellectual confusion, according to Arthur Milikh.  The assistant director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center at the Heritage Foundation, Milikh argues that the decision severs that institutions link with the partys founding fathers and unmoors party leaders from any meaningful tradition. Later Kelsey Harkness reports on the numerous places women could turn for healthcare should Planned Parenthood lose funding. Finally, Federalist Staff Writers, Bre Payton and Philip Wegmann square off on the relative merits and vices of Instagram. 

Donald Trump continues to lead in the polls and surge ahead of the Republican primary pack. Many wonder why though. Today on the Federalist Radio Hour, Ben speaks with Noah Rothman and Tom Nichols to figure out the phenomenon. The assistant online editor at Commentary magazine, Rothman says that Trump’s a product of the news cycle. He argues that during “a sleepy media month” news outlets have picked up on Trump’s antics to push headlines. A Senior Contributor at the Federalist, Nichols believes that the root of Trump’s appeal is his outsider status and personality, not his accomplishments or abilities

Determining whos up and whos down in the race for President of the United States is a job reserved for pollsters. Two veteran analysts, Kristin Soltis Anderson and Margie Omero join the Federalist Radio Hour to demystify the numbers driving opinion polls.  The bipartisan polling duo behind The Pollsters podcast, Anderson and Omero break down the polls that determined who made it to the main GOP debate. They explain how just 50 people picking up their phones booted and boosted candidates out of and into the limelight.  Looking forward, the cofounder of Echelon Insights and the managing director of Purple Strategies respectively, Anderson and Omero examine the challenges of increasing regulation on an evolving polling industry. 

According to the State Department’s inspector general, Hillary Clinton had two emails marked “top secret” on her unsecured personal email account. Anita Kumar, the White House Correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers, joins the Federalist Radio Hour to sort through the weeds of the story and explain its significance. Kumar reports that questions about these emails have dogged the candidacy of the Democratic front-runner and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Later Sean Trende, the Senior Elections Analyst for RealClearPolitics, examines the phenomenon fueling Donald Trump’s candidacy and what it means for the 2016 race.

John McCormack’s all for ending abortion on demand. But the pro-life reporter with the Weekly Standard opposes current efforts that would shutdown the government to defund Planned Parenthood. Today on Federalist Radio, Ben pushes this reporter on that paradox. McCormack says that defunding Planned Parenthood is “a great goal, of course,” but with a Democrat in the White House and when “the Fourth Estate [the media] is fundamentally going to oppose [Republicans] no matter what; this tactic just isn’t effective.” Later in the program Charmaine Yoest, CEO and President of Americans United For Life, voices her enduring support for ending federal funding of Planned Parenthood immediately. She says the abortion institution must answer questions raised by the undercover CMP videos. “This President, this HHS Secretary, this Attorney General won’t. So we’re depending on congress to put Planned Parenthood in front of a congressional committee...and force them to answer.”

Matthew McInnis joins the Federalist Radio Hour to disarm the rhetoric surrounding the Iranian nuclear deal and discuss the facts. The American Enterprise Institute fellow argues that, although President Obama’s negotiations “kick the can down the road,” they do restrain the Iranians “from getting a bomb for 10 to 15 years.” The scholar explains President Obama’s executive gamble: Iran will escape sanctions for at least a decade and hopefully undergo a peaceful regime change during that period. Later in the program, Managing Editor of the Federalist, Joy Pullman, reports on Hillary Clinton’s plan to make college free. And Andrew McCarthy of National Review clarifies why he thinks Erick Erickson gave Donald Trump a raw deal at the RedState Gathering.