The Daily Signal - TOP NEWS | Russia Rejects Nuclear Limits, Clergy Receive Communion Notes on Pro-Abortion Pols, SCOTUS Hears ISIS Victims’ Case Against Google | Feb. 21

Starting point is 00:00:01 I'm Samantha Sherriss. I'm Virginia Allen. And this is the Daily Signal top news for Tuesday, February 21st. Here are today's headlines. Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that the country is suspending its participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty with the U.S. Putin made the announcement during his State of the Nation address. The new START treaty, according to the State Department, enhances U.S. national security by placing verifiable limits on all Russian deployed intercontinental. Rang Nuclear Weapons. It has been in place since February 2011. Putin's move comes a day after President Joe Biden made an unannounced trip to Ukraine. The one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is Friday. Biden spoke in Poland today about the ongoing war. Let's take a listen to

Starting point is 00:01:01 some of his comments via Sky News. One year into this war, Putin no longer doubts the strength of our coalition. But he still doubts our conviction. He doubts our staying power. He doubts our continued support for Ukraine. He doubts whether NATO can remain unified. But there should be no doubt. Our support for Ukraine will not waver. NATO will not be divided and we will not tire.

Starting point is 00:01:35 President Putin's craving lust for land and power will fail and the Ukrainian people's love for their country will prevail. Democracy is the world will stand guard over freedom today, tomorrow and forever. Republican Representative Michael McCall, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led a congressional delegation to Kiev today to see what's happening firsthand.

Starting point is 00:01:59 Fox News first reported. Republican reps Darrell Issa of California, Keith Self of Texas, Max Miller of Ohio, and Jake Elze of Texas joined McCall. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today for a case related to big tech accountability. The case is called

Starting point is 00:02:16 Gonzalez versus Google and deals with Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Section 230 generally shields tech companies from liability for content published by others, according to ScotusBlog.com. A California family sued Google and YouTube over the death of their 23-year-old daughter during an ISIS terrorist attack in Paris. According to CNBC, the family argues that Google and its subsidiary YouTube did not do enough to remove or stop promoting ISIS terrorist videos seeking to recruit members, which they argue is a violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The 2015 terrorist attack killed 130 people. Now, the justices are deciding if social media platforms should be held accountable for the content that users share on the platforms.

Starting point is 00:03:10 Be sure to tune in to tomorrow's edition of the Daily Scare. Signal podcast, because I'm going to be sitting down with Zach Smith, a legal fellow here at the Heritage Foundation, to further discuss this case and its implications on social media. Tens of thousands of clergy members will soon receive a copy of Cardinal Raymond Burke's firm, but clear instructions to Catholic priests and bishops on when to deny someone Holy Communion. Our colleague Mary Margaret O'Lehann reports. The book says, the church cannot remain silent and indifferent to a public offense against the body and blood of Christ. Catholic Action for Faith and Family,

Starting point is 00:03:49 a group devoted to defending the principles of the Catholic faith, published Burke's instructions in book form in Deny Holy Communion. The organization's founder and President Thomas McKenna told the Daily Signal that he is mailing a copy to every Catholic clergy member as part of a campaign to inform American bishops, priests, and deacons on the biblical and theological basis of church teaching. McKenna said, there is a great misunderstanding and many misconceptions about the issue. It is presented by some clergy, including members of the hierarchy, that there really is never a situation where Holy Communion should be denied to a public and unrepentant sinner who professes to be Catholic.

Starting point is 00:04:32 McKenna added, most clergy have not studied the issue in a formal, canonical way, and only know what is presented in discussions and the media. Cardinal Burke wrote this study to better explain the church's history and wisdom in having canon law that addresses the issue. This is not a position of Cardinal Burke followed by others of the same bend, so to say. But this is a position that the church has upheld for 2,000 years. Cardinal Burke bases the book on formal teachings and doctrine, not on an opinion. Cardinal Burke originally wrote the book in 2007. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is seeking to improve railroad safety weeks after a train with hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

Starting point is 00:05:20 Buttigieg said on Monday, profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people. We at the U.S. Department of Transportation are doing everything in our power to improve rail safety, and we insist that the rail industry do the same. while inviting Congress to work with us to raise the bar. Buttigieg has received harsh backlash for his response to the disaster in Ohio and for not visiting East Palestine. But Buttigieg is speaking out now, saying he wants rail companies to start using sturdier, more puncture-resistant tank cars that carry volatile or toxic substances, according to NPR.

Starting point is 00:06:02 Buttigieg is also calling for greater fines, saying the maximum fine we can issue, even for egregious violations involving hazardous materials resulting in the loss of life is just over $225,000. For a multi-billion dollar rail company posting profits in the billions every year, it's just not enough to have an adequate deterrent effect. Diana Furch Gott Roth is the director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment here at the Heritage Foundation, and she told us that the U.S. Department of Transportation should wait for the results of the National Transportation, Safety Board investigation before deciding whether to impose new safety rules.

Starting point is 00:06:44 The reason to wait, she said, is because we do not yet know whether existing rules were not followed. Unfortunately, another train derailed on Monday evening in Nebraska. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thank you for listening to The Daily Signal's top news. If you haven't had 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 interview edition. I'm going to be sitting down with Heritage Foundation legal fellow Zach Smith

Starting point is 00:07:14 to discuss two very important cases before the Supreme Court that we mentioned earlier in the show that have to do with a rule called Section 230 that's going to affect social media platforms potentially in a major way. Also, make sure you subscribe to the Daily Signal wherever you get your podcast and help us reach even more listeners by leaving a five-star review and rating. We read and appreciate all of your feedback. Thanks again for joining us today. We hope that you have a wonderful rest of your evening, and we'll see you right back here tomorrow morning.

Starting point is 00:07:48 The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Bowie and Kate Trinco. 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 - TOP NEWS | Russia Rejects Nuclear Limits, Clergy Receive Communion Notes on Pro-Abortion Pols, SCOTUS Hears ISIS Victims’ Case Against Google | Feb. 21

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