The Daily Signal - Sen. Vance Introduces Legislation Against Federal Mask Mandates, Trump Found Liable Again, GOP Senators Weigh In On McConnell’s Health | September 6

Starting point is 00:00:01 I'm Samantha Sherris. I'm Virginia Allen. And this is the Daily Signal Top News for Wednesday, September 6. Here are today's headlines. Republican Ohio Senator J.D. Vance introduced the Freedom to Breathe Act on Tuesday. The act, according to the Senator's office, would apply through the end of 2024 and would prohibit any federal official, including the president, from issuing mask mandates, applying to domestic air travel, public transit systems, or primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools. In a statement, Vance said, we tried mask mandates once in this country. They failed to control the spread of respiratory viruses, violated basic bodily freedom,

Starting point is 00:00:55 and set our fellow citizens against one another. Vance also said the legislation will ensure that no federal bureaucracy, no commercial airline, and no public school can impose the misguided policies of the past. Democrats say they're not going to bring back mask mandates. we're going to hold them to their word.

Starting point is 00:01:16 Vance's legislation comes amid a cause to reinstate mask mandates in various locations throughout the country as COVID-19 cases rise. Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said we should never put our kids back into masks during an interview with Fox News's Jesse Waters on Tuesday. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is seeking to know what steps the Secret Service took to tip off Hunter Biden in the criminal investigation into his overseas business activities. That's according to reporting from the Daily Signals, Fred Lucas. The committee issued six subpoenas to the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service on Tuesday.

Starting point is 00:01:57 The subpoenas come after DHS prevented the Secret Service from providing information requested by Congress. The subpoenas were sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to compel him to provide all documents and communications regarding the Biden transition team being tipped off about the FBI and IRS planning to interview Hunter Biden in December of 2020. House oversight and accountability Chairman James Comer said in a statement, the Department of Justice initiated the Biden family cover up and now DHS under the leadership of Secretary Mayorkas is complicit in it. Comer also said investigators were never able to interview Hunter Biden during the criminal investigation because Secret Service headquarters and the Biden transition team were tipped off about the planned interview. IRS whistleblower Gary Sharpley first informed the House Wains and Means Committee that Biden was tipped off about plans for the FBI and the IRS to interview him in December of 2020.

Starting point is 00:03:05 The subpoenas also seek all documents and communications related to Congress's request. The committee also wants depositions with DHS and Secret Service employees involved with providing the responses to Congress. Comer also noted that the Oversight Committee is working with the House Judiciary and House Ways and Means Committee in the investigation. We will include a link to Fred's full report on this story in today's show notes. Fox News has reported that federal judge Louis Kaplan on Wednesday found that former president Donald Trump is liable for damages and yet another lawsuit from journalist E. Jean Carroll. The judge said the truth or falsity of Mr. Trump's 2019 statements therefore depends, like the truth or falsity of his 2022 statement, on whether Ms. Carroll lied about Mr. Trump sexually assaulting her. The jury's finding that she did not, therefore, is binding in this case and precludes Mr. Trump

Starting point is 00:04:05 from contesting the falsity of his 2019 statements. Trump previously denied sexually assaulting Carol and said he never pressured a woman to have sex with him. CNN reported earlier this year. Fox News also reported that Kaplan has scheduled Trump's damages trial for January 15, 2024. As you'll recall from earlier this year, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defamy Carol. Carol had filed a civil lawsuit against him. The Associated Press reported at the time that Carol had been awarded $5 million and that deliberations only took a few hours. As you'll remember from yesterday's show, the Capitol's attending physician, Brian Monaghan,

Starting point is 00:04:48 said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell does not have a seizure disorder or that he experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson's disease. But not everyone is convinced. Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said on Tuesday that I think even a non-physician seeing that probably aren't really accepting that explanation. Paul also said I've practiced medicine for 25 years and it doesn't look like dehydration to me. It looks like a facial neurologic event.

Starting point is 00:05:26 The Kentucky Senator added, this doesn't mean it's incapacitating, doesn't mean he can't serve. But it means that somebody ought to wake up and say, wow, this looks like a seizure. Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley told reporters, you can't say that you're concerned about Joe Biden, but you're not concerned about Mitch McConnell. As you'll recall, McConnell froze up in front of reporters for a second time last week. The first time was in July. Some Republican senators have expressed their support for the 81-year-old senator, including Senate-Republican whip John Thum of South Dakota. The Hill reports that Thume expressed his full support for McConnell, saying that he should continue serving as leader, something echoed by other GOP senators, but declined to speculate about McConnell's future beyond the next election.

Starting point is 00:06:19 Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn also weighed in saying he told me he had been cleared by Dr. Monahan. And then, of course, I saw the letter that was released this morning following more extensive testing, and I'm glad that they were able to rule out some of the things that people had speculated might have happened. Cornyn added, it appears that it's harder to recover from a concussion when you're 81 years old than maybe he thought. But he feels like he's up to the task, and I think that's the case. And for our final story today, the Washington Examiner is exclusively reporting that Florida Republicans, Senator Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, have introduced legislation that would provide emergency relief funding for natural disasters, including Hurricane Adalia in Florida and the Hawaii wildfires, separate from increasingly controversial Ukraine aid. the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act will ensure Florida families and all Americans facing emergencies following natural disasters are taken care of, according to Scott's office. Scott said in a press release, when disaster strikes, families can't be left wondering whether the federal government is going to show up or if they'll be strung along while Washington uses them as a bargaining chip in a massive spending bill.

Starting point is 00:07:45 He added, I've been saying it for months, and I just said it to President Biden on Saturday and Chuck Schumer yesterday. We can't let Washington play games with disaster relief funds or make helping Americans contingent on helping foreign causes. Funding for Ukraine should never be paired with disaster relief for American families. Rubio said in the same press release, one of the most basic functions of the U.S. government is and should continue to be to help Americans. when disasters hit. Sadly, the Biden administration intentionally withheld a budget request for the disaster relief fund for months after acknowledging a funding shortfall to leverage it in exchange for unrelated spending.

Starting point is 00:08:29 According to Scott's office, Congresswoman Kat Kamik is leading the companion legislation in the House of Representatives. And that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening to The Daily Signals, top news. If you haven't had the chance, make sure that you just check out our morning show. It's right here in this podcast feed, where we bring you interviews with lawmakers, experts, and leading conservative voices. Join us tomorrow morning for the Daily Signal interview edition. I'll be sitting down with Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville to discuss Title IX and

Starting point is 00:09:02 why he's against a Defense Department policy relating to abortion funding and his efforts to block military promotions. Thanks again for listening. Have a great night and we'll see you all right back here. tomorrow morning. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Lewy and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop.

Starting point is 00:09:34 To learn more, please visitdailySignal.com.

The Daily Signal - Sen. Vance Introduces Legislation Against Federal Mask Mandates, Trump Found Liable Again, GOP Senators Weigh In On McConnell’s Health | September 6

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