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A former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan says today’s conservatives have much to learn from the 40th president.
Peter Robinson addressed what he sees as misconceptions about Reagan’s leadership in an interview with Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts—beginning with the claim that Reagan supposedly supported open borders.
Robinson recounted young conservatives as saying, “‘Well, Ronald Reagan signed an amnesty for illegal aliens. He’d be on [President] Joe Biden’s side on the border.’” But he called that “nonsense,” pointing to strict enforcement provisions against illegal border crossers in the 1986 amnesty bill Reagan signed into law.
On Reagan’s reputation for soft-spokenness, Robinson noted how that differs markedly from his historic “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” speech near Soviet-occupied East Berlin in 1987, which he helped draft for the president, referring to then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Robinson recalled that “the State Department and the National Security Council wanted that line out of the speech because it was ‘too provocative.’”
“That guy [Reagan] had the steel to stand up to the entire foreign policy apparatus of the United States and say, ‘No, I’m calling on him to tear down the wall,’” Robinson told Roberts on “The Kevin Roberts Show” podcast.
“There was a toughness, even an aggressiveness about that man,” added Robinson, a Murdoch Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
However, Robinson emphasized that conservatives face “a new moment” in history and “don’t have as much time” as Reagan had to turn America in the right direction.
Watch the full episode of “The Kevin Roberts Show” to hear Reagan’s close ally discuss the 40th president’s enduring legacy:
The post What Today’s Conservatives Get Wrong About Ronald Reagan, According to His Speechwriter appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Paul Hits 'Partisan' DOJ for Refusal To Investigate Fauci
Sen. Rand Paul said Tuesday the Justice Department’s refusing his requests for a perjury investigation into former federal health official Dr. Anthony Fauci is proof of a two-tiered justice system following a Senate hearing on the origins of COVID-19.
Paul, R-Ky., told The Daily Signal on Tuesday that it’s “disappointing” to see no action taken almost three years after he began demanding such a probe. His accusations stem from the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director’s testimony to Congress about U.S.-funded virus research in China, a central topic of Tuesday’s hearing.
Fauci testified in May 2021 that his agency never funded risky “gain-of-function” experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, but Paul has repeatedly highlighted records and emails suggesting otherwise.
“If you happened to walk in the Capitol on Jan. 6, [2021], you might get 10 years in prison,” Paul said. “But if you’re responsible for funding research that led to a pandemic and killed 15 million people, and then you lied about it to Congress, then nothing happens to you.”
Paul filed a criminal referral against Fauci in July 2021 and again in July 2023 over the perjury claims. The Kentucky lawmaker told The Daily Signal that the lack of a response from federal prosecutors indicates America has “two standards of justice.”
Paul added: “In some ways, I’m very disappointed, but it’s not that I don’t expect it.” The senator blamed President Joe Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, whom he said is “probably the most partisan attorney general in our history.”
Fauci did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Paul’s allegations.
Paul made the remarks shortly after virology experts testified to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The committee’s four witnesses gave varying narratives on whether COVID-19 was the result of a Wuhan lab accident or if it arose naturally among animals.
Paul said in an opening statement that Fauci and his “inner circle” acknowledged the likelihood of a lab leak in private messages that were released through litigation. “Despite these private doubts, publicly, these so-called experts and their allies were dismissing the lab-leak theory as a conspiracy,” he said.
Paul also told The Daily Signal last month that Fauci “could be indicted” for deleting emails about COVID-19’s origins to circumvent public records law.
Fauci has claimed the U.S.-funded research suspected to have caused the leak, conducted through the EcoHealth Alliance, was not technically the “gain-of-function” research lawmakers have asked him about. He testified to a House panel earlier this month that the experiments didn’t fit “the regulatory and operative definition.”
That contradicted previous testimony from National Institutes of Health Principal Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak, who said Fauci’s agency did, in fact, fund gain-of-function experiments at the high-risk Wuhan lab before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Paul Slams ‘Partisan’ DOJ for Refusal to Investigate Fauci appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Thousands gathered around the White House Saturday to demand that President Joe Biden stop all military aid to Israel amid its war against the terrorist group Hamas. The “Shut it Down for Palestine” movement, comprised of controversial groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine, organized the giant rally against Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.
Several organizations in the movement previously praised the Oct. 7 attack in which Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis, raped women, and took hundreds of hostages. SJP, for example, referred to the terror onslaught as “a historic win” days after the news broke.
Saturday’s gathering proved a striking display of unity between Muslim, Marxist, LGBTQ, and even Jewish activists. Many organizers and demonstrators made it clear that they were not just demanding a “cease-fire” between Israel and Hamas. “Resistance” against the Jewish state–and fierce anti-American sentiment–were the overall themes.
Here’s what I saw:
A group of masked individuals carried a sign calling for “jihad”—an Islamic term for holy war cited by those who believe God commands them to kill unbelievers—and “Al Qassam,” a reference to Hamas’ military unit.
Near the White House lawn, a group of people in head scarves hold a sign calling for "jihad" and "martyrdom" and referencing Al Qassam, the military unit of Hamas. pic.twitter.com/w3YtKv6qzk
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
A man walking by told the protesters to be careful about their “messaging,” to which one replied, “shut up.”
At least two others wore green Hamas headbands, one carrying a megaphone with a sticker on it that read, “I voted.” They frequently stuck together and led groups of people in pro-Palestinian chants.
At least two protesters are wearing Hamas-style green headbands.
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024pic.twitter.com/JwNyCUzseW
Another protester, an elderly man, attracted lots of attention by carrying a “stand with Hamas” sign. The Daily Signal talked to him to see whether he was serious.
A man who identified himself as Mike smiled as I photographed him holding this sign.
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
When I asked him about his stance, he said "resistance" is "the only way forward" against the "Jewish-supremacist state of Israel."
He denied that Hamas wants genocide against Jews. pic.twitter.com/yAHg6KwtvQ
His smile quickly faded as he declared that Palestinians are enduring “genocide” and must beat Israel “by any means necessary.” The Daily Signal asked what he thought about the genocidal elements of Hamas’s founding charter, which describes a “Day of Judgment” when Muslims will kill every Jew. Hamas is only “resisting genocide,” he said, his voice quivering and his body shaking with rage.
“Got that?” he asked sharply.
More than a few fringe actors explicitly praised terrorists at the event, however.
A leader with the Black Alliance for Peace said during his speech, "Oct. 7 was the beginning of the end of the genocide," prompting a round of applause and cheers.
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
It's safe to say this is a pro-Hamas rally. pic.twitter.com/SysIiGK8cm
Protesters celebrated other violent anti-Israel groups, in addition to Hamas.
A young person at the protest told me he is selling T-shirts of Leila Khaled, calling her an "O.G." for the "Palestine freedom fight."
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
Khaled is a member of the designated terrorist group known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and she helped hijack planes. pic.twitter.com/5P1iQxoSJc
A few demonstrators made explicit attempts to distance themselves from antisemitism. Some signs claimed that “antizionism [is not] antisemitism” or that supporting the Palestinians “doesn’t make you anti-Jew.” Still, pushback against the more radical protesters proved scarce.
The small police presence failed to stop protesters as they spray-painted historic monuments and property surrounding the White House. To date, no arrests have been reported. The U.S. Capitol Police referred The Daily Signal to U.S. Park Police for comment, and the Park Police did not immediately respond when asked about arrests.
Monuments in front of the White House are being vandalized — the second time anti-Israel demonstrators have done this in recent memory. pic.twitter.com/6JbPndiHx1
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
Protesters also left graffiti on a truck parked on a nearby curb and at least one park bench.
Activists presented the U.S. as a force for evil due to its stance on Israel.
"Death to AmeriKKKa" written on a monument in front of the White House. pic.twitter.com/6KROzNxSIW
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
Demonstrators strongly condemned “Zionism,” the view that Jews have a right to their own state in the current land of Israel. Speakers onstage told their allies to help “smash” or “abolish Zionism.” One man scrawled “death to Israel” on a monument.
A protester writes "death to Israel" on the monument to Marquis de Lafayette, a Revolutionary War figure. pic.twitter.com/wgTvamUcqx
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
Agitators wrote, “Al Qassam, you make us proud[.] Kill another soldier now!” on another monument.
After a protester wrote “all Zionists are bastards” on the nearby Treasury Department building, a woman remarked, “that’s factual!”
Protesters advocated for socialism, signaled support for the brutal Cuban Revolution leader Che Guevara, and offered copies of “The Communist Manifesto” and other Marxist writings to passersby. Protesters held signs from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a communist political party founded in 2004.
Protesters advertise communism and denounce "AmeriKKKa" in front of a historic U.S. war monument. pic.twitter.com/n5UyrjHCT3
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
A socialist group demands, "free all Palestinian political prisoners." pic.twitter.com/KthjvIXa4p
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
Another activist holds a sign praising Che Guevara, who led the bloody regime of the late communist dictator Fidel Castro. Others fly the Cuban flag alongside the Palestinian flag or display the Soviet hammer and sickle symbol. pic.twitter.com/TeEvCEGCsi
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
The crowds painted President Joe Biden as a mass murderer of Palestinians in tandem with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some held giant posters showing the heads of the two leaders with blood dripping from their mouths. Others held a small severed head of the president.
Protesters occasionally chanted, “F— Joe Biden!”
Several protesters carried signs or flags promoting gay and transgender rights as they rallied for Gaza, where male homosexual activity is illegal.
The LGBT movement also made a strong showing today alongside Marxist and pro-Hamas groups. pic.twitter.com/tcIEq7fQbW
— Hudson Crozier ?? (@L0neStarTrooper) June 8, 2024
A few people presenting themselves as Jewish joined with pro-Palestinian protesters at Washington, D.C.’s Farragut Square shortly before heading to the White House event.
A young man wearing a yarmulke also walked around White House protesters with a sign that read, “Israel uses me as a human shield.”
The number of demonstrators significantly dwindled after around four and a half hours. At that time, a young man began kicking their signs off of the grass surrounding a monument, cursing them out, and flipping them off.
“I stand with Israel!” he yelled.
Another man followed the agitator as he walked away, filming him on his phone and asking repeatedly, “Do you support genocide?”
The counter-protester declined an interview.
The post 9 Things I Saw at the Pro-Hamas White House Rally appeared first on The Daily Signal.
The organizers of an international conservative conference stand defiant after a court ordered one of its featured speakers—a former senior adviser to President Donald Trump—to begin serving prison time shortly before the conference starts in July.
A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Steve Bannon must begin serving his sentence for contempt of Congress charges on July 1. Bannon’s conviction came in 2022 after a jury found him guilty of ignoring a subpoena from the House’s Democrat-led Jan. 6 committee.
Bannon’s four-month stint behind bars is scheduled to begin just days before his appearance at the National Conservatism Conference, which starts on July 8 in Washington, D.C. The Edmund Burke Foundation, which manages the three-day event, called Bannon’s prosecution “lawfare,” a term that means legal warfare.
“Steve Bannon has been one of the world’s leading nationalists for decades,” Saurabh Sharma, the foundation’s executive director, told The Daily Signal. “The global Left knows this and thinks it can silence him with endless lawfare. It is wrong.
“His public witness has changed the course of nations, and we look forward to having him be an integral part of National Conservatism Conferences for years to come.”
The foundation declined to comment on whether it plans to deliver Bannon’s speech on his behalf at the conference.
The “War Room” podcast host is appealing his conviction.
The high-profile conference, also known as NatCon, “will feature over 100 of the most cutting-edge thinkers the national conservative movement has to offer,” according to Sharma. The lineup includes politicians from the U.S. and abroad, policy experts, religious leaders, commentators, and journalists such as The Daily Signal’s Mary Margaret Olohan.
NatCon organizers say they are no strangers to government pushback against their movement. European authorities tried to shut down the conference in Brussels in April, sending police to block people from attending and stating publicly that “the far Right is not welcome.” A Belgian court order allowed the gathering to continue, however.
“The crackdown demonstrated just what the ‘rule of law’ really means—or whom it serves,” Edmund Burke Foundation Chairman Yoram Hazony told The Daily Signal. “It was a preview of how law enforcement, which is intended to keep the public safe, can instead be deployed to shut down political opposition.”
Hazony said, “If anyone still believes that conservatives were paranoid or indulging in conspiracy theories in terms of cancel culture targeting the political Right, the attempted shutdown of NatCon in Europe’s capital removed all doubt.”
Sharma emphasized, however, “We will continue undeterred—the fate of independent nations hangs in the balance, and we will not be cowed by petty bureaucrats in Brussels or anywhere else.”
“The global Left knows that national conservatism is the greatest threat to [its] misrule,” he told The Daily Signal. “It is right.”
The post National Conservatism Conference Condemns Sentencing of Guest Speaker Steve Bannon appeared first on The Daily Signal.
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