The Daily Signal - McConnell Criticizes Senate Democrats, Speaker Johnson Discusses Faith and Politics, Musk Talks George Soros in Joe Rogan Interview | Nov. 1

Starting point is 00:00:00 I'm Samantha Sherris. I'm Virginia Allen. And this is the Daily Signal Top News for Wednesday, November 1st. Here are today's headlines. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, criticized Senate Democrats over their plan to vote on issuing subpoenas to billionaires Harlan Crow and Robin Arkley II and conservative activist Leonard Leo. Our colleague Tyler O'Neill reports that Illinois, Democrat Senator Dick Durbin and

Starting point is 00:00:40 Rhode Island Democrat Senator Sheldon White House announced Monday that the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to authorize issuing subpoenas to Leo, Crow, and Arkley. During a Tuesday press conference, McConnell said, what he's targeting here is private citizens with no legislative purpose. I think it's completely and totally inappropriate. So who are Crow, Arkley, and Leo, and what is their connection to the justices. Crow has provided flights and lodge days for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and Arkley has hosted Justice Samuel Alito and Leo at his own lodge. Durbin, who chairs the committee and White House who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on federal courts, oversight, agency action, and federal rights condemned Supreme Court justices for purportedly accepting

Starting point is 00:01:31 lavish, undisclosed gifts, and thereby enabling their wealthy benefactors and, um, other individuals with business before the court to gain private access to the justices. Earlier today, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz blasted the left's attacks on Leo and other conservative friends of Supreme Court justices as an attempt to undermine the Constitution itself. Cruz told the Daily Signal in a statement today that from Franklin Roosevelt's court packing scheme to the attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas and from the smear tactics used to defame Justice Brett Kavanaugh, to the libeles against Leonard Leo, Democrats will stop at nothing

Starting point is 00:02:14 to delegitimize the Supreme Court. The Texas Republican added, see these Democrat attacks for what they are, a full-on assault on our Constitution. Democrats hate our system of separation of powers and they are willing to burn down the Supreme Court to accomplish their goals. A vote on whether to move forward with subpoenas that could happen next week. Stay tuned. Here at the Daily Signal, our colleague Mary Margaret Ollahan had the opportunity to talk with the newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson and ask him about his faith. Johnson stressed the importance of treating political opponents with dignity and respect

Starting point is 00:02:54 while adhering to fundamental truths. Speaker Johnson discussed with the Daily Signal the Christian principles of America's founding fathers, the greatest moral threats he perceives to society, double standards in the media when reporting on the religion of Republicans versus Democrats, support for Israel, and more. Addressing criticism of his faith-infused rhetoric,

Starting point is 00:03:19 Johnson said, you're seeing Washington engaged for the first time in a while, with a leader who is open and honest about his faith. Johnson continued, again, this is the way it always was until recent times. And so I don't find anything particularly remarkable about this at all. Johnson won the nomination for Speaker during a closed-door meeting with GOP members last week and less than 24 hours later, he won the vote to become the next speaker on the House floor. Johnson's assent to the speakership, of course, came after the removal of House Speaker.

Starting point is 00:03:53 Kevin McCarthy and following both Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, representative at Jim Jordan of Ohio and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, receiving that initial nomination but not gaining the support needed to win a House vote on the floor. Ask what he believes is the greatest of those social ills facing the United States currently, specifically in a moral context, Johnson responded, the lack of belief in absolute truth. And he went on to explain, we live in an age of moral relativism,

Starting point is 00:04:28 which has become postmodernism, which is gradually becoming nihilism, the idea that if there is no truth, then you can believe anything or everything or nothing. He added that in a sense, it sort of unties us from the moorings that have kept us in safe harbor as a nation. We will include a link to Mary Margaret's full interview

Starting point is 00:04:50 with Speaker Johnson in today's show notes. Our colleague Fred Lucas reports that the House Oversight and Accountability Committee released a $40,000 check, it says, was laundered through a company connected to China to Joe Biden in 2017, months after leaving office as vice president. The September 2017 check was from James Biden and Sarah Biden, the president's brother and sister-in-law, with links to the Chinese energy company, C-EF. that Hunter Biden and James Biden had partnered with. The check was marked as a loan repayment,

Starting point is 00:05:27 the same as a $200,000 check released last month. House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, said in a video message that it's also worth remembering that Biden family efforts to secure millions from this Chinese company began when Joe Biden was still vice president. He added in taking funds sourced to a CCP, linked company that wanted to advance China's interests, Joe Biden exposed himself to future blackmail

Starting point is 00:05:57 and put America's interests behind his own desire for money. The bank records showing money going directly to Joe Biden seems to conflict with the president's repeated statements that he never benefited from his family's business deals. Biden family members operated at least 20 shell companies that brought in tens of millions of dollars. Mostly during Joe Biden's time as vice president. White House spokesperson Ian Sams blasted the revelation, saying in an ex-post that Comer's lies and conspiracy theories are getting more desperate by the day. Sam's also reposted other commentators that defended the payment as a short-term loan, from Joe Biden to James Biden. We will include a link to Fred's full story in today's show notes, and of course, keep you updated

Starting point is 00:06:48 with any developments. And finally today, Elon Musk does not appear to be a fan of George Soros. Must return to the Joe Rogan podcast on Halloween, and he did not mince words while discussing the billionaire. Here's what Musk had to say via Fox News. I mean, Soros actually, you know, he is, I believe, the top contributor to the Democratic Party. The second one was Sam Backward Free.

Starting point is 00:07:15 So, and Sorry. I don't know. I mean, he had a very difficult upbringing. And in my opinion, he fundamentally hates humanity. That's my opinion. Really? Yeah. I mean, well, he's doing things that erode the fabric of civilization, you know, getting DAs elected who refuse to prosecute crime.

Starting point is 00:07:40 That's part of the problem in San Francisco and L.A. and much of other cities. So why would you do that? Was it humanity or is it just the industry? United States as a whole. I mean, he's pushing things in other countries, too. He's doing the same thing. Musk, who of course purchased Twitter, now known as X, a year ago, discussed his decision to buy the social media platform while he was on the Joe Rogan podcast.

Starting point is 00:08:06 Let's take a listen to some of what he said via the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. What was it ultimately that led you to make the decision to do it? I mean, this is going to sound somewhat melodramatic, but I was worried about that it was having a corrosive effect on civilization, that it was just having a bad impact. And I think part of it is that it's where it's where it was located,

Starting point is 00:08:42 which is downtown San Francisco. And while I think San Francisco is a beautiful city and which should really fight hard to kind of right the ship of San Francisco, if you've walked around downtown San Francisco, right near the ex-FKK Twitter headquarters, it's a zombie apocalypse. I mean, it's rough. Have you been in that area?

Starting point is 00:09:04 Not lately. No. I've heard. It's crazy. I've heard it's crazy. I've heard you really can't believe it until you actually go there. You can't believe it until you go there. So, now you have to say, well, what philosophy led to that outcome?

Starting point is 00:09:17 And that philosophy was being piped to Earth. So, you know, a philosophy that would be ordinary. quite niche and geographically constrained so that that sort of the fallout area would be limited was effectively given an information a weapon, a information technology weapon to propagate what is essentially a mine virus to the rest of both. And the outcome of that mine virus is very clear if you walk around the streets of downtown San Francisco. It is the end of civilization. And that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening to The Daily Signal's top news.

Starting point is 00:10:01 Make sure that you check out our morning show as well every weekday morning where we bring you interviews with experts, lawmakers, and leading conservative voices. Join us tomorrow morning for the Daily Signal interview edition. I'll be sitting down with the Heritage Foundation's Jake Denton to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in Israel's war against Hamas and President Joe Biden's recent executive order on artificial intelligence. Also, take a moment to subscribe to the Daily Signal podcast wherever you like to listen. We are across all podcast platforms, and we so appreciate when you take just a moment to leave us a five-star rating and review. Thanks again for listening. Have a great night, and we'll be back with you all tomorrow morning.

Starting point is 00:10:47 The Daily Signal podcast is brought to by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Luey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com.

The Daily Signal - McConnell Criticizes Senate Democrats, Speaker Johnson Discusses Faith and Politics, Musk Talks George Soros in Joe Rogan Interview | Nov. 1

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