Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw

Dr. John Lott is an economist and a world-recognized expert on guns and crime. What happens in communities where guns are banned? Do universal background checks really accomplish what advocates say - or are there unintended consequences? How does gun ownership empower the weakest members of society? Dr. Lott has spent decades researching the statistics behind questions like these, and his answers may surprise you. Dr. Lott is Founder and President of the Crime Prevention Research Center. He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and written nine books, including “More Guns, Less Crime,” “The Bias Against Guns,” and “Freedomnomics.”

Rep. Patrick McHenry is back to offer insight into the left’s approach to governance and the broader implications for everything from your 401k to the cost of housing in California vs Texas. What are their principles? What’s their end goal? McHenry is in a unique position to know, since he serves as ranking member on House Financial Services with Chairwoman Maxine Waters and three members of the ’Squad’ (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and, Rashida Tlaib).

What is carbon capture? Can we really use this technology to turn CO2 into a commodity? It might sound like science fiction, but it’s actually the New Energy Frontier in America. Nigel Jenvey is an industry leader and expert in Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS), having previously held roles such as the chair of the CO2 Capture Project, chair of the North American CCS Association, and program chair of the Society of Petroleum Engineers CCUS Technical Section. He leads the Carbon Management practice at Gaffney-Cline, a global oil and gas consultancy, helping clients understand the wide variety of options available that will ensure continued business success through the energy transition. He has over 23 years of global oil and gas industry experience in technology, exploration, development and production operations with major oil and gas operating companies.

Maya MacGuineas, head of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, stopped by to help us pick apart Modern Monetary Theory, which is trendy again among certain members of Congress and presidential candidates. How are debts and deficits like termites in a basement? What are realistic paths toward a sustainable budget? Maya MacGuineas is the president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Her areas of expertise include budget, tax, and economic policy. As a leading budget expert for the past twenty years and a political independent, she has worked closely with members of both parties and serves as a trusted resource on Capitol Hill. MacGuineas testifies regularly before Congress and has published broadly, including regularly in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Atlantic, and numerous other outlets.

The issue of inequality isn’t what many people think it is. Ramesh Ponnuru joins us to explain how to properly think about inequality and income mobility, and why tax increases and massive expansions of federal regulations do less to move people out of poverty and only increase wage stagnation, income immobility, the poverty rate, housing costs, student loan debt, and more. Ramesh and I discuss solutions that could actually benefit people who live in destitution, such as vocational training, occupational licensing reform, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Ramesh is a senior editor for National Review, a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. Follow him on Twitter at @rameshponnuru for more amazing facts and ideas.

How have smart phones and social media shaped the political views of Millennials? What tricks do socialists like AOC and Bernie use to emotionally engage them into supporting programs like Medicare-for-All and the Green New Deal? Kristen Soltis Anderson joined me to delve into these topics and much more, including tips on how to bring young people into the conservative movement with honesty, not talking points.   Kristen is a pollster, speaker, commentator, and author of The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up). She is co-founder of Echelon Insights, an opinion research and analytics firm that serves brands, trade associations, nonprofits, and political clients.

Jay Faison is a philanthropist and entrepreneur who founded ClearPath in 2013 to develop and advance conservative policies that accelerate clean energy innovation. Jay joins Dan on the podcast to talk about the New Energy Frontier and to discuss why conservatives are (and have been) leading the way on clean energy and reducing emissions. They talk about American ingenuity and why the best way to tackle climate change is not through a carbon tax, but through the American innovation machine. There is also much discussion about "Wet and Sandys". Listen to find out more...

Ajit Pai is Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. We talk about the future of the internet, net neutrality, rural broadband, and, of course, our favorite memes.  We also hit on how government can get out of the way of innovation, allowing for more efficient transportation, telemedicine, and small business creation.

Ray Takeyh is Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His areas of specialization are Iran, political reform in the Middle East, and Islamist movements and parties. We examined the truth behind the November uprising, how the regime suppresses the will of the Iranian people, how the strike on Soleimani will help restore our deterrence posture and the numerous flaws with the JCPOA nuclear deal. 

Shoshana Weissmann is a Senior Manager and Research Fellow at R Street Institute and the self-declared Senator of Twitter. She has helped elevate the national conversation on the weird world of occupational licensing and the needed reforms. We also discussed the best kind of sloths and the worst kind of sloths (hint: there are no bad sloths).