The Daily Signal - TOP NEWS | Protests in China, Religious Freedom Fight in Senate, and Trans Activist Becomes Hospital Chaplain | Nov. 28

Episode Date: November 28, 2022

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Protests break out in China over the weekend over severe COVID-19 lockdown measures. The Buffalo, New York gunman, who killed 10 people in May, pleads guilty.  The Senate holds a vote on the so-called Respect for Marriage Act.  A transgender activist is hired as a chaplais at a children’s hospital, The Federalist Reports.  The White House announced its Christmas decor theme Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Samantha O'Sheris. And this is the Daily Signal Top News for Monday, November 28. Here are today's headlines. Protests broke out in China over the weekend over the severe COVID-19 lockdown measures. Protests like these have not been seen for decades in China. Crowds took to the streets across China to call for an end to the lockdowns. Daily Signal senior news producer Samantha Asharis has been following this story and is, of course, COVID. hosting the show with me today. Sam, thanks for being willing just to share a little bit more of the details about what is actually happening on the ground in China. Yeah, Virginia, thanks so much for asking. This is such an important topic. And, you know, it's been an interesting couple of days in China as people continue to protest the communist regime's zero COVID policy. And these protests were

also in response to a fire that broke out last Thursday, the 24th. So when most of us here in America, we're celebrating Thanksgiving, this fire at an apartment building in Urumshi, actually killed at least 10 people and injured roughly nine other people. That's according to some reports. There could be more people that were either killed or injured. We're still waiting to hear. The Hill reports that fire engines responding to the incident were reportedly blocked by physical barriers constructed as part of pandemic control efforts and cars abandoned by owners who were placed in quarantine. So absolutely, you know, horrifying, really sad to think about people being stuck in their apartment, unable to get help. The fire occurred in the Xinjiang region of China, which

might sound familiar to our listeners. This is the region where the Uyghurs, we are Muslims, are being detained. So we're still learning more about the protests and we'll definitely keep you all updated. Just super sad to hear that news about the fire. Yeah. And Sam, we're seeing a lot of photos of these protests taking place. And some are pretty extreme as far as what we're seeing from the police response and the response from the Chinese Communist Party. What do we know about what is happening to those who are brave enough to go to the streets and protest? Yeah, I mean, these protesters are risking their lives. They're risking everything to speak out against the Communist Party.

We've seen in some images people holding white pieces of paper. And according to Axios, blank signs were pre-executive. previously displayed during Hong Kong protests in 2020 and the demonstrations in Russia earlier this year against the invasion of Ukraine. As one protester in Beijing told Reuters, the white paper represents everything we want to say but cannot say. I saw one image of a protester being carried away. He was arrested in Shanghai on Sunday. We've also seen protests not only in China, but also throughout the world. In Melbourne, Australia, there was an image of a protester with a mask over her face

holding a white piece of paper again. There was another image of protesters in Tokyo holding white pieces of paper. And then also right here in Washington, D.C., there were protesters outside the State Department earlier today over the treatment of Uyghurs, how they're being targeted in China and the fire as well, which again occurred in the Xinjiang region, as I mentioned, where Uyghur Muslims. Muslims are being detained. So Sam, what's next in all this? Do we think that these protests could actually gain momentum in China or would have an effect on the Chinese Communist Party in any way? Yeah, so it remains to be seen. It's only been a few days of protests so far. Obviously, we'll have to

wait and see them. We'll, of course, keep everyone updated. I just interviewed Michael Cunningham. He's a senior research fellow here at the Heritage Foundation to take a deeper dive into what these protests mean. Unfortunately, one thing that he said was, you know, it's very, very unlikely that Chinese President Xi Jinping or the Communist Party are removed, that we see any significant changes there. I did want to note that the White House put out a statement earlier today by Kristen Brown of CBS News. She tweeted the statement reading. We've said that zero COVID is not a policy we are pursuing here in the United States. And as we've said, we think it's going to be very difficult for the People's Republic of China to be able to contain this virus through their COVID strategy.

The statement went on to say, for us, we are focused on what works, and that means using the public health tools like continuing to enhance vaccination rates, including boosters and making testing and treatment easily accessible. We've long said everyone has the right to peacefully protest here in the United States and around the world. This includes in the PRC. So we'll see if, you know, the Biden White House has anything more to say for these people who, again, are risking their lives to stand up to a brutal, brutal regime in China. But again, as I interviewed Michael Cunningham, he gave some really great insight into what's happening. So definitely check that out tomorrow morning. Yeah, we look forward to that conversation. Sam, thanks so much for breaking this down.

Of course. Now, moving into some other news, we have an update on the shooter that killed 10 people in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York back in May. On Monday, the gunman pleaded guilty to domestic terrorism as a hate crime, attempted murder, and 10 counts of first-degree murder. The shooter will serve life in prison without the chance of parole. The May shooting was carried out in a predominantly black neighborhood. The shooter is believed to have targeted the victims out of racism. The defense attorney, Brian Parker, says the sentencing is a critical step in the condemnation of the racist ideology that fueled his horrific actions on May 14th.

The shooter's final sentence will be delivered on February 15th. The surviving victims and the victim's family members will have an opportunity before the final sentence is given to address the court and the shooter. The Senate is holding a vote on the so-called Respect for Marriage Act this evening. The bill goes beyond codifying same-sex marriage into law. If passed, the bill would place religious organizations that hold to a traditional view of marriage at risk of being so. for standing by their views. A recent Heritage Foundation poll commissioned by OnMessage, show support for the bill is lower than anticipated among American voters.

Among the 2,000 likely voters polled in a handful of states across America, 47% opposed the bill compared with the 41% who support it. Earlier this month, all 50 Democrat senators and 12 Republican senators voted to advance the controversial bill. The Republicans who voted to advance that bill are Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Shelley Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, Cynthia Loomis of Wyoming, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, Tom Tillis of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Todd Young of Indiana.

Amendments to the bill are being voted on today, and the final vote on the bill is expected later this week. A trans activist is being hired as a chaplain at a children's hospital. The Federalist reports. That's right. Wisconsin Children's has announced it is hiring Kate Newendorp as a new chaplain. Newendorp shows her pronouns as she, her, hers, in the hospital flyer announcing the new role.

The flyer also shares that Newendorp is getting married in June. She is marrying a woman who identifies as a man. A brief look at the chaplain's social media account reveals that she is committed to furthering the transgender agenda. In June, she wrote on her Facebook page, Love Jesus, Be Gay, Get Ordained. The same Children's Hospital also recently shared a flyer for a spiritual care intern named Meg Trim. Trim asked to be referred to by the pronouns they and them. An external communication director for the Children's Hospital told the Federalist that our chaplains are trained to support and engage families of various faith and personal backgrounds in a health care setting.

Adding that chaplains only interact with patients if specifically requested by a family. The Christmas season is upon us, and the White House is already decorated. First Lady Jill Biden invited press to the White House on Monday to unveil the theme of this year's Christmas decorations at the White House. We the People is this year's theme. The First Lady says the decoration. are meant to remind us of the values that unite us. Room by room, we represent what brings us together during the holidays and throughout the year, the First Lady said.

The public rooms of the White House are decorated to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away and to showcase kindness, traditions, faith, hope, and unity. Christmas trees in the East Wing hold ornaments bearing the names of fallen service members. Remember, Christmas is just 27 days away. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening to The Daily Signal's top news. If you haven't gotten a chance, be sure to check out our morning show right here in this podcast feed, where we interview lawmakers, experts, and leading conservative voices. Join us tomorrow morning for the Daily Signal interview edition.

As I mentioned earlier in the show, I'll be sitting down with Michael Cunningham to discuss the protests that broke out in force across China over the weekend. Also, make sure to subscribe to the Daily Signal wherever you get your podcast and help us read it. reach even more listeners by leaving a five-star rating and review. We love hearing all of your feedback. Thanks again for listening. Have a great night and we'll be back with you all tomorrow morning. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. The executive producers are Rob Blewey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Rank. Sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com. Thank you.