Welcome back from Thanksgiving break! Grab a stool as Jim and Greg dissect good, bad, and crazy martinis today. First, while Greg laments another Ohio State win over Michigan, they love the powerful pro-life story involving OSU’s star running back. They also slam Michael Bloomberg for saying taxes on poor people are good because then poor people won’t make as many bad choices for themselves. And they roll their eyes as LGBT activists complain about the absence of same-sex romances in Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies. You’ll also enjoy their unvarnished analysis of the Hallmark movies as they currently exist.
abortion
Attorney: Judge Forced Jury to Side with Planned Parenthood
Listen to “Attorney: Judge Forced Jury to Side with Planned Parenthood” on Spreaker.
On Friday, a federal jury in California ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood and against David Daleiden, Sandra Merritt and the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) in a civil case stemming from the group’s 2015 undercover videos depicting Planned Parenthood officials and others casually discussing the crushing of unborn babies and the selling of fetal body parts for profit.
However, it’s the Center for Medical Progress facing civil and criminal charges for exposing Planned Parenthood’s activities. The jury ordered CMP to pay Planned Parenthood more than $2 million in compensation and punitive damages. The verdict is being appealed at the same time both sides are preparing for the criminal trial of Daleiden and Merritt.
Merritt is represented by Liberty Counsel. Chairman Mathew Staver says he is not at all surprised by Friday’s verdict one he saw the jury instructions from Judge William Orrick.
Listen to the podcast to hear why Staver believes the judge left no other option for the jury but to punish CMP and why he is appalled that Orrick did not recuse himself from the case. Staver also explains the legal road ahead and what he believes the consequences will be for free speech and a free press if Planned Parenthood ultimately wins these cases.
Judge Strikes Down Conscience Protections for Health Providers
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This week, a federal district court judge in New York struck down conscience protections for health care providers whose sincere religious beliefs convict them not to participate in abortion, gender reassignment procedures, or dispense birth control.
“Health care is a basic right that should never be subject to political games,” said New York Attorney General Tish James, who brought the case, according to Politico. “Once again, the courts have blocked the Trump Administration from implementing a discriminatory rule that would only hurt Americans.”
The rule administered through the Department of Health and Human Services threatened to curtail federal funding for institutions that refused to allow providers to opt out of such procedures on grounds of their conscience. Judge Paul Engelmayer agreed with state and local officials and groups like Planned Parenthood.
But defenders of free religious expression are furious.
“This particular ruling is absolutely outrageous,” said Liberty Counsel Chairman Mathew Staver. “They’re not going to lose any federal funding as long as they simply do what they’re supposed to and that is to honor the constitutional protection to free exercise of religion.”
Listen to the full podcast to hear Staver explain that the Trump administration’s rule is not some radical departure from precedent but is actually restoring a long-held precedent reversed during the Obama administration. He also shares how he thinks this issue will be resolved on appeal.
Cavuto Corrects Trump, Dems More Extreme on Abortion, Callous Canadian
Listen to “Cavuto Corrects Trump, Dems More Extreme on Abortion, Callous Canadian” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer Fox News host Neil Cavuto for rebutting President Trump’s claim that “Fox News is no longer working for us” and for reminding politicians and media outlets what the job of the press should be. They also cringe as new Pew poll numbers show 82 percent of Democrats believe abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances – a huge jump from last decade. And Jim has a lot of say after former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell states that she hopes Hurricane Dorian hits Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
‘Planned Parenthood Has Really Shown Its True Colors’
Listen to “‘Planned Parenthood Has Really Shown Its True Colors'” on Spreaker.
On Monday, Planned Parenthood withdrew its application to be a recipient of Title X federal health care funding, following a Trump administration rule change barring recipients from encouraging patients to pursue abortions.
Susan B. Anthony List Vice President of Communications Mallory Quigley says this is a big win for the pro-life cause.
“Planned Parenthood is choosing to not comply with the rule, which is really intended to draw a bright line of separation between the idea of family planning and separation versus abortion,” said Quigley.
She also says Planned Parenthood may not have spent previous Title X funds directly on abortion but did use it to buy pro-abortion advertising in addition to paying bills that helped keep the nation’s largest abortion provider open.
Planned Parenthood is losing about $60 million in taxpayer funds as a result, although it is still getting the bulk of the roughly $500 million in total federal funding it gets every year.
Acting Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson says the lack of funding will make it harder for women to seek health care and some may forego it altogether.
Quigley wonders why an organization so flush with other money that it spends lavishly on political campaigns won’t make women’s health care a priority.
“Planned Parenthood has really shown its true colors by prioritizing abortion over family planning and refusing to comply with this rule,” said Quigley.
Listen to the full podcast to hear Quigley explain why the new rule does not constitute an infringement on the freedom of speech for Planned Parenthood personnel, where the abortion fight goes from here, and how this news shows just how big of a difference elections make.
Planned Parenthood Reveals Priorities, Sanctuary Stupidity, Mooch Madness
Listen to “Planned Parenthood Reveals Priorities, Sanctuary Stupidity, Mooch Madness” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review unleashes an epic rant about the re-emergence of Anthony Scaramucci – this time as an anti-Trump figure suddenly loved and respected by the press – and the Trump culture that created the Mooch. But first, he and Greg Corombos of Radio America celebrate Planned Parenthood withdrawing as an applicant for Title X funding for refusing to stop advocating for patients to get abortions – and saving taxpayers $60 million. And they unload on sanctuary counties in North Carolina and Maryland for letting illegal immigrants go despite them being accused of heinous sexual offenses.
Hong Kong Protests, Cuomo & Fredo, A Tribe Called Crazy
Listen to “Hong Kong Protests, Cuomo & Fredo, A Tribe Called Crazy” on Spreaker.
Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss the growing discord in Hong Kong, as demonstrators demand their freedom but also fear Chinese intervention. They also discuss CNN host Chris Cuomo’s rant at a heckler for calling him “Fredo.” And Alexandra unloads on Harvard Prof. Laurence Tribe for alleging that white supremacy and the pro-life movement are intertwined.
Blue Dog vs. The Squad, T-Shirt Tantrums, Planned Parenthood Aborts Wen
Listen to “Blue Dog vs. The Squad, T-Shirt Tantrums, Planned Parenthood Aborts Wen” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America highly enjoy the return of infighting among Democrats, as progressive House members target moderate Rep. Henry Cuellar and Cuellar slams them in return. They also unload on Yahoo! for running a story accusing actor Chris Pratt of white supremacy for wearing a t-shirt featuring the U.S. flag and the Gadsden Flag, and for labeling mainstream conservative groups as elements of the far right fringe. And they roll their eyes as Planned Parenthood removes its president after just eight months, in part because she refused to use trans-friendly language when discussing pregnancy.
Trans-Athlete Debate, Fluff NYT Questions for Dems, Biden’s Bygone Era
Listen to “Trans-Athlete Debate, Fluff NYT Questions for Dems, Biden’s Bygone Era” on Spreaker.
Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss female Connecticut athletes in Connecticut filing a federal discrimination complaint against their state’s policy on allowing biological males who identify as females to compete against biological females. They also talk about The New York Times excluding questions concerning abortion in favor of fluff questions for the Democratic presidential candidates. And they discuss Joe Biden boasting about his past work relationships with segregationist colleagues in the Senate.
Illinois: Abortion Now Legal for Any Reason or No Reason at All
Listen to “Illinois: Abortion Now Legal for Any Reason or No Reason at All” on Spreaker.
Illinois now has perhaps the most permissive abortion laws in the nation after Democrats pushed an expansive new bill through the legislature and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it into law on Wednesday.
Democrats billed the proposal as shoring up existing law over concern that the U.S. Supreme Court could soon reverse Roe v. Wade, but Republican State Rep. Tom Morrison says the legislation was far more sweeping than that, starting with how lawmakers view abortion.
“The most important thing it does is that it says that abortion is a fundamental right of women – actually not just women. The sponsor of the bill said anyone with a uterus and ovaries, so I guess that’s not just women today as they would define it,” said Morrison.
When it comes to specifics, Morrison says the expansion of abortion access is obvious.
“This bill was 126 pages long and expanded [permissiveness of abortion]. It removed clinic regulations. It removed provisions to have two doctors involved in a late-term abortion. There’s a provision for non-physicians to do abortions up to a certain point,” said Morrison.
According to Morrison, the bill also changes the definition of a viable unborn baby.
“It’s now left up to what the doctor determines at the moment, rather than having two doctors agree on a case by case basis,” said Morrison, who adds that the lone doctor can be the abortion provider and a late-term pregnancy can be considered non-viable simply because the baby would need to be flown to another facility for care in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU.
In addition, Morrison fears the legislation will be very dangerous for mothers who suffer complications from an abortion. He says the new law does not require a coroner to investigate the deaths of women who were patients at abortion clinics, essentially allowing those deaths to vanish into the wind.
Among the most controversial provisions is the provision to allow abortions at any stage of pregnancy, even when the child could survive outside of the mother. While supporters frequently refer to parents making the decision after discovering their child is severely deformed, Morrison says there’s no mention of that issue in the bill.
In fact, Morrison says reasons like “familial health” are cited as reasons for an abortion at any stage.
“It could mean anything. It could mean financial health. It could mean mental health. It could mean a mother doesn’t like stretch marks and that would impact her perception of her body image.
“It’s totally up to interpretation. Maybe it it’s that a family already has a boy and they want a girl, so they abort the child because the child isn’t the sex that the couple wants. Maybe it’s that sleep would be interrupted for someone in the family,” said Morrison.
Morrison does believe the recent string of pro-life legislation banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected played a role in the pro-abortion legislation advancing in Illinois. He says momentum for aborting viable babies was pretty tepid before that.
“Even some of of the pro-choice legislators were reluctant to support those bills. Those southern states, as they moved forward on their bills and signed them into law, then the proponents in Illinois figured they had the green light to offer a counter to what was happening in those other states,” said Morrison.
Listen to the full podcast to hear Morrison also explain how the new Illinois law could soon lead to the overturning of parental notification and consent laws for minors seeking abortions, how Illinois abortion providers are circumventing the ban on partial birth abortions and much more.