Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw

A looming railroad strike could have disastrous consequences for American energy, agriculture, and countless other industries. One of the House's foremost experts on railroads, Congressman Rick Crawford, joins us to break down the negotiations between the railroads and their unions, why the Biden Administration is at fault, and what Republicans need to do moving forward to prevent this from ever happening again. Rick Crawford is the U.S. Representative for Arkansas’ First District. He serves on the Transportation Committee and is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. He also serves on the Agriculture Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @RepRickCrawford.

As Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, it became clear that there was no plan to evacuate our Afghan allies – including Afghan National Army soldiers who trained and fought alongside the U.S. military. Over two decades, these allies had developed strong bonds with countless American veterans, and now they were being hunted by Taliban death squads. Scott Mann was one veteran who began receiving desperate calls for help from his old Afghan friends, and he decided to take action. Working with other veterans and citizens, they called themselves Task Force Pineapple and quickly developed a network of safe passageways for allies and their families. In just three days, they helped over 500 allies escape from Afghanistan. Scott gives us a thrilling inside account of how the operation happened. We also talk about unconventional warfare, experiences with “Village Stability Operations” in Afghanistan, and what the 20-year war ultimately means for America. Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Scott Mann is a former US Army Green Beret with tours all over the world including Colombia, Iraq, and multiple tours in Afghanistan. He is the author of “Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise in Afghanistan.” Follow him on Twitter at @RooftopLeader.

This episode was recorded live at COP27—the 27th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference. Dan Crenshaw joined Reps. Greg Murphy, Garret Graves, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, John Curtis, and Tim Walberg at the conference to advocate for real solutions to America’s energy crisis. They discuss what they heard from policymakers and leaders at the conference, cover which countries are doubling down on renewables and which countries are opening up to nuclear/natural gas/carbon capture, highlight the ramifications of Biden’s energy policies on costs and emissions for America and the globe, and much more. Congressman Greg Murphy (NC-03) @RepGregMurphy Congressman Garret Graves (LA-06) @RepGarretGraves Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) @RepMMM Congressman John Curtis (UT-03) @RepJohnCurtis Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-07) @RepWalberg

President Reagan is considered one of the greatest communicators in American political history. How’d he do it? With a great team. Peter Robinson spent six years as a White House speechwriter, first with Houston-native George H.W. Bush as VP, then for President Reagan himself. Peter tells us how he got to be a speechwriter, how betting on himself gave us Reagan’s famous speech at the Berlin Wall, and his views on the Republican Party now. Peter Robinson is the Murdoch Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics, edits Hoover’s quarterly journal, and hosts the TV series and podcast: UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE.

WSJ Editorial Board Member Kim Strassel joins us to look at our mainstream media and electoral systems, why Americans have lost trust in both, and what these institutions must do to earn it back.  We cover ranked-choice voting, other elections reforms such as term limits, and the question of whether our electoral systems should be fundamentally altered—or if the remedy is better leadership.  We discuss the blurred lines between news and opinion journalism and look at how the traditionally liberal media went totally off the rails with the election of President Trump.  And, assuming Republicans win back the majority on Tuesday, we discuss how we should conduct ourselves in the new Congress. Kim Strassel is a member of the editorial board for The Wall Street Journal, co-host of Potomac Watch, and author of "Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters Are Breaking America." Follow her on Twitter at @KimStrassel.

Part 1 of a 2-part series diving into the pros and cons of rank choice voting and other election reforms. Presenting the pro-side, we have election reform advocate Nick Troiano. What is rank choice voting? How has Alaska fared with its move to rank choice this election cycle? Could the extremism we've seen take hold over both parties end if more states adopted rank choice? We also discuss voting by mail, term limits, campaign finance reform, and allowing candidates to make their pitch in 50 words or less on the ballot itself. Stay tuned for Part 2 with WSJ Editorial Board Member Kim Strassel presenting the con-side of rank choice voting. Nick Troiano is the Executive Director of the Unite America Institute and Unite America, a national organization that works to bridge the growing partisan divide by enacting political reforms. Follow him on Twitter at @NickTroiano.

Commonsense conservative leadership can do wonders for a city, and perhaps there's no better example than modern day Miami. Mayor Francis Suarez joins us to talk about the formula for success which has enabled Miami to prosper both economically and socially. We cover budget deficits and taxes, homelessness, subsidized housing, employment, energy policy, immigration, and the proper role of government at the federal vs local levels. Francis Suarez has been mayor of Miami, Florida since 2017, when he won 86% of the vote. He is the host of Cafecito Talk and the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @FrancisSuarez.

Colombia and Brazil recently elected far-left presidents, joining Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Peru in the growing leftist bloc. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar joins us to look at this Marxist resurgence in Latin America and what it means for American relations with these countries. We also talk about different approaches to solving the immigration crisis and uplifting the Northern Triangle countries. And Rep. Salazar, who spent three decades as a journalist covering politics and war in Latin America, describes what it was like to interview Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Augusto Pinochet. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar represents the 27th Congressional District of Florida. She serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Committee on Small Business. She was the Central American Bureau Chief for Univision during the 80s. Follow her on Twitter at @RepMariaSalazar.

Rice University's Michelle Foss, Ph.D. gives us an easy to understand overview of the materials science and supply chains behind wind and solar energy. The proponents of wind and solar would like you to believe that these technologies just appear out of nowhere - no resources needed. But Michelle shows us how these "renewable" technologies take an inordinate amount of finite resources to produce, and why their benefits aren't worth the tradeoffs - especially when compared with nuclear and natural gas. Michelle Foss, Ph.D., is the fellow in energy, minerals and materials at Rice University's Baker Institute, developing policies and conducting research to help build capacity on non-fuel minerals supply chains. Follow her work here: www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michelle-michot-foss

Carl Allen is a real life treasure hunter with a fleet of ships that would make Jack Sparrow jealous. He has recovered thousands of priceless, intricately crafted artifacts from ship wrecks strewn across the Caribbean seafloor. Carl gives us an inside look at how professional treasure hunters operate: Where does the research for a treasure hunt start? How does he figure out what plot of ocean to look at? What tools do you need to find artifacts buried under shifting ocean sands? Along the way we get fascinating details about lost religious artifacts, the history of the Spanish Armada, and the treacherous navigation of Caribbean waters. Since this is a policy podcast, there’s also a good lesson on the benefits of public-private partnerships. Links from the show: www.bahamasmaritimemuseum.com/ www.walkerscay.com/ www.youtube.com/c/TheOutdoorswithCarlAllen