The Daily Signal - #408: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers on Abortion, and Hayden Williams on UC Berkeley Attack

Episode Date: March 1, 2019

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a leading House member, shares how House Republicans are working to get a vote on legislation that would protect babies born alive after abortion. Plus: We also talk to Hayden Williams, a conservative who was recently assaulted at UC Berkeley while recruiting for a conservative club. He shares his account of what happened.We also cover these stories:•The U.S. economy grew by a healthy 2.6 percent in the 4th quarter of 2018, according to the Commerce Department.•Two House Republicans accuse Michael Cohen of perjury and referred him to the Justice Department for investigation.•House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was rather dismissive of a single payer health care in a new interview with Rolling Stone, saying “Thirty trillion dollars. Now, how do you pay for that?”  The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at [e-mail]. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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available on Disney Plus in Canada. This is the Daily Signal podcast for Friday, March 1st. I'm Kate Trincoe. And I'm Daniel Davis. In today's special edition, we come from CPAC, an annual gathering of young conservatives in Washington. The Daily Signal's Capitol Hill reporter, Rachel Del Judas, spoke to Kathy McMorris Rogers, a leading house member about her leadership on life, human dignity, and other issues. We'll bring you that exclusive interview. Plus, in another exclusive, Kate sits down with Hayden Williams, a conservative who was recently assaulted at UC Berkeley while recruiting for a conservative club.

He shares his account of what happened. And before we get to our headlines, just a reminder that if you enjoy this podcast, please mention it to your friends and families, please subscribe, and please leave a five-star review on iTunes. We are here to make sure that busy conservatives can get the news highlights and in-depth interviews they need every day, and we'd really love your help in spreading that word. And now, on to our top news. President Trump has left the Vietnam summit without a deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. after talks broke down Thursday over the issue of sanctions relief.

The two leaders departed earlier than expected, skipping a planned lunch and signing ceremony. At a press conference, President Trump said that Kim promised to dismantle his country's most important nuclear facility if the U.S. removed sanctions, but he wouldn't promise to do the same for other facilities. The president said, quote, it was about the sanctions. Basically, they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, and we couldn't do that. They were willing to denuk a large portion of the areas that we wanted, but we couldn't give up all of the sanctions for that. End quote. The president added that he'd much rather do it right than do it fast and said, quote, sometimes you have to walk. North Korea's foreign minister, Rhee Young-Ho, somewhat contradicted the president, saying they only wanted some U.S. sanctions lifted.

He said, quote, given the current level of trust between North Korea and the United States, this was the maximum step for denuclearization. we could offer, end quote. He added that the North position would not change. Israeli Attorney General, Abadai Mandelblit, announced changes for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged corruption and bribery. Nanyahu said, The left understands that they will not beat me at the ballot box.

They exerted extraordinary pressure on the Attorney General to issue an indictment even though there is nothing in order to influence the elections and to crown a left-wing government. Well, the U.S. economy grew by a healthy 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to the Commerce Department. That growth topped expectations, as a group of economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected 2.2% growth. The fourth quarter saw increased business investment and consumption, and that brought the full year growth figure to 3.1% just above the president's stated goal of 3% growth. The new report was delayed by a month due to the partial shutdown. Democrats introduced a Medicare for All bill this week, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was rather dismissive of a single-payer health care in a new interview with Rolling Stone.

She said, quote, single-payer is just about who pays. It's not about what the benefits are. That is, administratively, the simplest thing to do, but to convert to it? $30 trillion. Now, how do you pay for that? And one of the bill's backers, Representative Pramilla Giapple, Democrat of Washington, was explicit with reporters about how big a change this Medicare for all would be. Quote, we mean a complete transformation of our health care system. We mean a system where there are no private insurance companies that provide these core comprehensive benefits that will be covered through the government.

Well, just a day after President Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, testified before lawmakers on Capitol Hill, two House Republicans have accused Cohen of perjury and referred him to the Justice Department for investigation. Congressman Jim Jordan and Congressman Mark Meadows, both strong allies of the president, said they have evidence that Cohen made false statements in his testimony. Among those alleged false statements are that Cohen did not seek a job in the White House, his denial of having committed bank fraud, and his statement that he never had reportable contracts with foreign entities. They point to court filings from prosecutors in New York that said Cohen, quote, privately told friends and colleagues, including in seized text messages,

that he expected to be given a prominent role and title in the new administration, end quote. On Wednesday, Cohen said that statement was inaccurate. But Chairman Elijah Cummings, a Democrat, also dismissed the idea that Cohen wanted a job in the White House, saying, quote, I don't have any knowledge of that. He said he wasn't, and I believe him. There's been a series of stories about people being disappointed with how much or how little their tax refund is. Of course, a refund isn't the whole story. Plenty of people had fewer taxes withheld in their paychecks after tax reform.

However, Treasury Secretary Steve Munichin told CNBC tax refunds are up 17% week over week. That basically gets us to the same level as last year. Well, up next, Rachel's exclusive interview, with House Republican Kathy McMorris-Rogers. Are you looking for quick conservative policy solutions to current issues? Sign up for Heritage's weekly newsletter, The Agenda. Each Tuesday in the Agenda, you will learn what issues Heritage Scholars on Capitol Hill are working on, what position conservatives are taking, and links to our in-depth research.

The agenda also provides information on important events happening here at Heritage that you can watch online, as well as media interviews from our experts. Sign up for the agenda on heritage.org today. We're joined on the Daily Signal podcast today by Congressman Kathy McMorris-Rogers from Washington State. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us today. It's great to be here at CPAC with you. Well, thank you for joining us. I'd like to start off by getting your thoughts on the Senate's recent failure to pass legislation

to protect babies born alive after an abortion and what the House is trying to do right now to pass a similar measure. Right. It's just heartbreaking. I was disheartened by the vote. 44 senators that voted against legislation that would protect babies who were born alive. Babies that had survived an abortion were outside the womb, and yet they were not willing to bring in the insurer under law that they would bring in the doctor's care. In years past, this is passed with unanimous consent in the Senate.

So it really exposed the extreme position that the left is taking right now, that Democrats are saying they reject legislation to protect babies born alive. In the House, we are moving forward with a discharge petition. As you know, the Democrats have the majority in the House. One way that we can bring a bill to the floor is to demand a discharge petition. You have to get 218 people to sign a discharge petition, and then you can bypass speaker. Nancy Pelosi and bring the bill directly to the floor. We're working actively on that right now.

So if my math is correct, I think Republicans would have to acquire about 21 signatures from House Democrats to force this floor vote. Do you think it's possible to do that, given that only three Democrats voted with Republicans in the Senate? Are you hopeful? We're going to keep raising awareness. It's really encouraging to me to see the polling and the numbers that have changed, even across the country, since the born-alive legislation has been brought forward, that people across the country are looking at this vote in the Senate where senators reject born-alive legislation, and they're saying, you know, that's not right.

And we've had a dramatic shift, a 17-point shift in people in America that are now considering themselves pro-life. My hope would be that would also translate into support from legislators, from the elected representatives of the people. Why do you think it's been so difficult to gain support from Democrats on this legislation when it really doesn't have to do anything about restricting abortion or women's health, but just giving medical care to a baby that, as the abortion was failed? It's really hard for me to understand.

The science is on our side. The technology is on our side is we are able to look inside the womb now. It's very different than where we were nearly 50 years ago. We can look inside, see that device. day by day, week by week of a baby that is developing within the womb, my hope is that their hearts will be softened and that they will look anew at this issue and be willing to embrace life and embrace what every life has to offer, the potential of every life. One of your sons, Cole, is a special needs child.

How has your experience with him helped shape your view on the pro-life issue? Cole has only made me more passionate. I have been pro-life my entire life. Bringing a child and a baby into the world and getting this diagnosis, isn't anything that you ever dream. It's not what you hope for. And yet today, I, from the bottom of my heart, will say that I am thankful. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I so love this little guy, but I'm so grateful for the impact that he's had on my life in changing and just all. opening my eyes and making me more personally committed and passionate. It's like I knew it in my head. Now I know it in my heart. And I see every day the impact that he's having on me and my family, as well as my work on Capitol Hill. And for millions of others who have disabilities in America.

Last year during the tax bill, I was able to introduce legislation able to work that will now allow individuals with disabilities, with disabilities to go explore work and get a part-time job or an internship and take that money and put it into their ABLE account so it doesn't count against their disabilities. Today's economy, thanks to President Trump and the tax reform and the regulatory reform, our economy is booming. We have record low unemployment, record low with African Americans, with Hispanics, but also with people with disabilities.

That number had it changed in 40 years. And we're seeing the opportunity for those with disabilities now to work, to have a job. And a job is so much more than a paycheck is what gives you purpose and dignity and that opportunity for a better life. What do you think has contributed most to the record unemployment rates, especially with those who are disabled? Do you think it was tax reform or a mix of other things? What do you think has been one of the most substantial things to build that success?

I would credit the work that President Trump and his administration has done, yes, to partner with Congress with the House and the Senate and getting tax reform implemented, bringing down tax rates, simplifying the tax code, making sure that people have more money in their pocket, but also lifting the regulatory burden. The Obama administration had put a record number of regulations on our country, on every industry, and it was stifling our economy. And at that time, at the end of the Obama administration, they were saying, well, this is the new normal. We will never see growth above 2% GDP. And yet today, we're blowing those numbers out of the water. Just in January, another 305,000 new jobs. In January, this is right after the holidays when normally the jobs report is not as good. You recently said during a speech on the House floor, you're talking about the border wall situation.

You said you're 100% with President Trump for bullying the money. the wall, but the emergency declaration maintains the status quo. How do you think this crisis should be handled? I believe, so I made a very tough decision to not support the emergency declaration. I support the wall, and I support President Trump's efforts to get this wall built. He took an extreme measure in response to extreme tactics by the Democrats who have been impossible. They haven't been willing to come to the table. They haven't been, you know, they said zero. They want open borders. They want ice abolished. When it comes to appropriations, when it comes to legislation, it is within Congress, within

Article 1, within the legislative branch, the elected representatives of the people are the ones that are given the responsibility by the people to make funding decisions. What needs to happen is that Congress needs to, we need to strike a deal, and there's a deal to be had. I believe that an emergency order, though, is a dangerous precedent and moves too far from the bounds of power so wisely laid out in our Constitution. I'd like to jump back really quick to tax reform. Are there any stories from constituents' home back in Washington State from small business, or others where they've really seen a difference since tax reform. Absolutely.

I have so many stories. The lady who called my office and could, she was so excited when her paycheck went up. She was getting like $56 more each week in her paycheck. But she was just so grateful. And when that first, when they first readjusted her take-home pay, she was grateful for that. but also the examples of Hope House, which is a homeless shelter for women in Spokane that was bursting at the seams. I went and visited and they couldn't fit any more women into this shelter. And it was sad to see the women that were there and sleeping on the floors.

They got a million dollars from a major company in Washington State who decided, because of tax reform, they were investing in the community. And don't you think that that million dollars from a major company is going to go a lot further than if it had been kept in Washington, D.C., and then funnels through the bureaucracy, and eventually maybe pennies would have got back to Spokane. Wow, what a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing that.

I'd like to ask you, what does it like to be a pro-life woman in Congress, especially given just stuff that attacks on human life we've seen in New York State, legalizing abortion up to birth, pursuing similar legislation. What is it like to be a pro-life woman in Congress today? I'm proud to be a pro-life woman in Congress, and I'm proud to stand with my colleagues who are pro-life women in Congress, and I'm grateful for so many who have been battling and working to win hearts and minds and to compel people to embrace life and embrace what life has to offer. Every person,

And after all these years, I believe that we're on the verge of some major changes in this country. We see public opinion changing on the life issue. We are winning hearts and minds. And that means we're going to have many more babies that are saved in the years to come. Congressman, thank you so much for doing us today. Great to be with you. Thank you. Do conversations about the Supreme Court leave you scratching your head? then subscribe to SCOTUS 101, a podcast breaking down the cases, personalities, and gossip at the Supreme Court.

And with me is Hayden Williams. You might have heard about him in the news coverage this week. He was at University of California, Berkeley, last week, trying to get conservative students interested in a conservative student organization, Turning Point USA, I believe. And Hayden, something pretty dramatic happened. Yeah, so some students there asked me to come and help them set up for, for a, protest against this recent hate crime hoax with Jesse Smollett. And that's basically my job with Leadership Institute is to help conservatives, you know, recruit new members and hold events and that sort of thing. So we all met on Sprout Plaza on Tuesday around 10 a.m.

And we set up our table and brainstormed some signs that we could make. And one of them we came up with was hate crime hoaxes hurt real victims. Another one was, this is MAGA country. You know, because we wanted people to know that this, This isn't what we stand for. You know, these sorts of lies that divide people on immutable things. They're really divisive, and that's not what we're about. Because, you know, this is Magick Country is one of the lies that Jesse told about his story to try to smear Trump supporters.

So a lot of these conservatives are Trump supporters, and so they wanted to protest this. And before I know it, we're getting attacked. For that, you're getting attacked. And I believe it actually became physical, is that right? That's right. So we were there for a few hours, and I was there with the president, the vice president of the club. And when this happened, these two guys just approached our table and started cussing at us and asking us, you know, what are we doing here? And I could tell they weren't really there to have a conversation. So I was kind of worried about the safety of the students I was with and my own. And so I pulled out my can. camera, like second nature, the Leadership Institute, you know, has training that teaches you how to handle these sorts of situations. And so that's one thing they teach is, you know, just try to document everything.

Right. Don't, don't retaliate, don't, you know, egg them on, just try to record. Right. And I think that's great advice for anyone in a tense situation. Like, you know, recordings don't lie. And it's important to have them. It's completely objective. And it's crucial evidence.

So I did just that. And whenever I do that, I hope it would diffuse a situation. And most of the time it does, you know, nobody wants to be caught on camera and doing something crazy. But these guys did not care. And as soon as I pulled out my phone, one of them said, you guys, you're promoting violence. And then out of nowhere, like, my phone gets smacked out of my hand. And I go to pick it up off the ground. And then the table gets flipped over.

And I'm turning around, and this guy's just looking at me, like, with one. with flames and his eyes, you know, and he starts, he's telling me, he's like, get out of my face, get that camera out of my face, and he starts pushing me and, and, uh, it was just a really scary situation. And, uh, I've got most of it on film, but he swatted my phone down about three times in total, and, and the third time he got it, uh, I think it, I think the video stopped for whatever reason. And so, and he took my phone from me. And so luckily there was a third, uh, a third person angle. Some student who was walking by and realized what happened basically just took it upon himself to record. And so we have this angle and it starts. And if you actually look closely at the

video, you can see my phone in this guy's right hand when he punches me and knocks my hat off my head. And then it looks like I'm tussling for his, for a sweater or something. But really, I'm just trying to retrieve my phone from him. Fortunately, he drops it and it lands between my legs. And I go to pick it up and he kind of walks away. but he's still yelling, and I looked down to my phone, and then I realized he's coming back, and I didn't know if it was still recording or not at my phone, and he just gets in my face and starts yelling,

and I'm like, oh, wow, this is a really intense situation, and I looked down to my phone again after he's done yelling, and right then is when he just throws the hardest punch I've ever taken in my life. So the really disturbing part, though, was the people around us that were egging him on, encouraging to some guy was saying like I'm on your side like you're winning this fight and it was just really

demented yeah I don't care who you are what you believe if I see you in a distressed situation like that and you're being attacked I'm going to do everything I can to help you out and I wouldn't even think about you know mocking you right no one would hope that no matter what your political ideology you wouldn't support physically hurting someone over it what has the response been like has anyone been charged or what's happening well so it's still under investigation

we're not sure who exactly this individual is, but I do have, you know, pretty good evidence of, you know, face of his face. So it's my hope that the police will investigate it to the fullest extent they can and arrest a person, you know, this person that did this soon. But my beef is really with some of the people in the campus community, like faculty members and students that were really, promoting this, even on social media, kind of calling this guy a hero, you know, after it went viral saying, like, this is a good thing, basically, like, you know, we need more of this. And that's just

really disappointing, you know. And it goes to show you the kind of culture that has been existing at Berkeley and thriving, quite frankly, not just at Berkeley or not just in California, but at campuses across the country. It's kind of a problem in academia. And so that's one thing I'd like to see is kind of a self-reflection as far as, you know, the culture of hostility towards conservatives. Okay. And what has the media response been like? I saw the Washington Post had an epic headline that was something like, you know,

conservative punched at UC Berkeley. Conservatives upset or something, you know, one of those pounce headlines. Yeah, I think the same outlet that said Jesse Smollett was assaulted, said that I was allegedly assaulted. I believe that was CNN. You know, so the liberal media will not want to talk about this because it's so one-sided. There's no way to twist the truth to fit their narrative. So they just have to ignore it and hope it goes away and the story dies.

But I don't think we're going to let this die because this really exposes the double standard and the hypocrisy of the left. And it's a tragic story to, you know, I didn't want to be a victim. I don't want to be known for this. It just happened. So it's my hope that other people can, you know, realize that they can stand up for what they believe in, too. And once we hold this person accountable, that that's the proper thing. You know, sunlight is the best disinfectant. Okay.

Well, thank you so much for joining us, Hayden. Thanks for having me on. And I hope you get better soon. All right. I do too. Thank you. And that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks for listening to the Daily Signal podcast brought to you today from CPAC in Washington.

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