National Review's Radio Free California Podcast

California Justice Center attorney Emily Rae explains Judge Roger Benitez’s blistering rebuke of California policies that encourage school officials, including teachers, to lie to parents about students’ changing gender identity. Benitez on Monday said state AG Rob Bonta's defense of those policies has constitutional law “upside down.” The judge also ordered state officials to notify parents and guardians of their constitutional right to be informed -- and of teachers to inform them -- “when the student expresses gender incongruence.” Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Judge’s Permanent Injunction in Mirabelli v OlsonJudge’s legal opinion in Mirabelli Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In their annual Year in Review, David and Will consider Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump, TikTok, Sean Penn, Nathan Hochman, the Turtle Island Liberation Front, Karen Bass, Julie Hamill, the Oakland A’s, Nancy Pelosi, the Los Angeles Times, Kamala Harris, Ivanpah Solar, the SEIU, Prop 50, Leonardo DiCaprio, the Beach Boys, Julie Su, One Battle After Another, fire, AB 218, Larry Ellison, homeless people, Lyle Menendez, Bill Essayli, Zizians, ExxonMobil, Patrick Soon-Shiong, Wiener Watch, Brian Wilson, Zohran Mamdani, Lorena Gonzalez, Mayor Amy Bublak, and more. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Wildfire of the Vanities: California’s Political Model Has FailedTrump’s First 100 Days Have Shattered California’s Left-Wing IllusionsLawmakers urge $1-billion annual investments to save high-speed railSan Diego migrant shelter hailed as national model will shut down, with 100-plus layoffsGavin Newsom warms to Big Oil in climate reversal$2B California solar plant to shut down after a decade – for the most frustrating reason (Ivanpah)California’s War on Oil Finally Prompts a ResponseThe Public-Sector Union Behind L.A.’s Immigration AgitationGavin Newsom holds mirror to Maga by trolling TrumpCalifornia Approves New House Maps in a Major Win for Democrats and NewsomLarry Ellison Retakes No.3 Richest Spot From Jeff Bezos As Oracle Shares Rise On TikTok DealHarris' score-settling, elbow-throwing, bridge-burning memoirAlready thinking about the 2028 election? You’re not aloneLyle Menendez denied parole, will remain in prison along with younger brother ErikZohran Mamdani picks failed progressive Biden nominee Julie Su as top ‘economic justice’ aideCalifornia businesses bear brunt of growing unemployment benefit debtThe Pol Who Wants to Replace Pelosi Makes Her Look NormaBrian Wilson, Pop Auteur and Leader of the Beach Boys, Dies at 82L.A. Times owner says he intends to take newspaper public in coming yearD.A. to investigate claims of fraud in L.A. County’s $4-billion sex abuse settlementGavin Newsom’s Shameless Dodge on the Homeless CrisisFor L.A.’s mayor, a Palisades recovery marked by missteps, reversals and delays Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In March, Gavin Newsom told the late Charlie Kirk that male athletes competing against females is “deeply unfair.” This week, on Ezra Klein's podcast, he told a very different story. Will and David discuss the great movies and misguided politics of the late Rob Reiner, and the role of Greg Bahnsen in David’s life. The FBI arrests four members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front who hoped to bomb multiple Los Angeles targets on New Year's Eve. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:The moment my life changed forever, December 12, 2025Rob Reiner was more than a Hollywood liberal. He was a sophisticated political operator.What did California’s novel approach to funding early-childhood programs achieve?Cigarette Taxes and Cigarette Smuggling by State, 2023Newsom taps former CDC leaders critical of Trump-era health policies for new initiativeStates Plan to Continue Regulating AI, Despite Trump’s OrderWells Fargo cuts 100+ Sacramento-area jobs as CEO says AI prompts ‘efficiency’Has Gavin Newsom really signed the most pro-trans bills of any governor?California orders Tahoe-Truckee schools to join CIF sports over gender lawsFBI Arrests Four Alleged Members of Pro-Palestinian Terror Cell, Foiling New Year’s Eve AttackWhat is Turtle Island? FBI foils Pro-Palestinian group terror attack planned for NYE in California Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Governor Gavin Newsom spent much of last week in New York City, criticizing Wall Street, Democrats, SEIU, and Trump at a New York Times books conference -- and then went begging for handouts in D.C. with predictable results. Back home in California, things got less normal. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:America 250: Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Monroe DoctrineNewsom Warns That Trump Is ‘Trying to Wreck This Country’Newsom takes it to Wall StreetGavin Newsom fires back after Halle Berry accuses him of ‘devaluing’ womenHalle Berry’s Respin HealthNewsom accuses Trump of wildfire aid snubThe Los Angeles Times Misses the Forest Fire Scandal for the TreesTo protect underage farmworkers, California expands oversight of field conditionsSFUSD escapes worst fiscal rating, but looming cuts and a strike threat cloud recoverySource: S.F. General staff raised fears about troubled patient in weeks before fatal stabbingDPH Security Services Staffing Plan ProposalSan Francisco sues nation's top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foodsWith state pushing back, Oakland delays vote on controversial homeless encampment policyStudents push for LBCC to ditch the Viking mascot, become the Dolphins Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, California's Governor Gavin Newsom had a surprisingly quiet profile, but whispers of a crashing budget and dissent from allies suggest otherwise. He made headlines by ordering flags at half-staff following a tragic shooting. Amid rising Hollywood support for a possible presidential run in 2028, he took a jab at Trump. A failed tech project and the arrest of his former chief of staff add to the drama. Meanwhile, debates around the state’s budget gap and a potential wealth tax heat up as unions voice their concerns.

California Policy Center policy genius Edward Ring discusses California’s coming energy crisis -- and why he sees signs of hope. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:The Belem-to-Bakersfield pipelineNew drilling and more spilling? New oil and gas drilling threatens Central Coast Gas lines coming to CaliforniaOil extraction reduces methane seepageSilicon Valley’s growing anti-woke, pro-abundance rebellionEdward Ring’s “Abundance California” website Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gavin Newsom faces backlash after a federal indictment rocks his inner circle. The complexities of California's Prop 50 are explored as the DOJ steps in, while political corruption is connected to one-party dominance. Interestingly, the podcast discusses the nuances of oil extraction from the Amazon versus offshore drilling. Plus, a controversial mega-development proposal in Fresno sparks union-environmentalist tensions. Finally, alumni protest a Jesuit school’s decision to admit girls, highlighting changing institutional values.

Following his big Prop 50 win last week, Governor Gavin Newsom hit the road, denouncing the Democrats’ deal to end the federal shutdown, accepting the thanks of worshipful Democrats in Houston, and appearing as the highest-ranking American representative at the U.N.’s climate talks in Brazil. In other news, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and OpenAI’s Sam Altman say they feel bad about making so much money, Santa Barbara County officials stand bravely athwart common sense and yell stop, and a federal judge orders AG Rob Bonta to explain himself on the state’s policies regarding gender fluidity in California schools. On this day in history, we remember the Rickenbackers of California -- the World War I flying ace and his guitar-making cousin. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Newsom, Eyeing 2028, Tries to Mess With Texas: ‘Don’t Poke the Bear’Newsom blasts shutdown deal‘China gets it. America is toast,’ Newsom warns, blasting US climate driftNewsom in Brazil Blasts Trump, Praises ChinaSable’s no good, very bad weekOpenAI's Sam Altman defends Bay Area billionaire when grilled over wealth gapOpenAI is asking for the federal government to help power a massive expansion of its data center networkJudge Orders California Education Officials to Explain Why They Shouldn’t Be SanctionedSacramento: Charter school renewal denied by Sacramento school district. What comes next? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jon Fleischman steps into this emergency episode to break down Governor Gavin Newsom's gangsta moves in pushing Proposition 50 over the finish line. In other news, we consider Representative Nancy Pelosi’s just-announced retirement, and the rise (again) of antisemitism. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Jon Fleischman’s “So Does it Matter?” podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

More than $100 billion over budget and five years late, Governor Newsom’s high-speed rail project has settled on a new strategy: shortcuts -- including one through the middle of Shafter, Calif. In other news: The secret life of NYC’s David Bahnsen, Newsom tells ABC’s Jonathan Karl he’s a border hawk, we remember the 1947 flight of Howard Hughes’s Spruce Goose, and what Ronald Reagan said about tariffs that Ronald Reagan Presidential Library officials can’t remember. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:New York’s Golden Handcuffs: Why the City Has a Special Hold on the RichTrump Is Mad at Canada, but Not for Misquoting ReaganNewsom says US faces '5-alarm fire' and warns 'we won't have a country'The feds want to know more about the people on food stamps. How Newsom respondedNewsom Gives Trump’s Vanity Ballroom Brutal New NicknameWhat is Gov. Gavin Newsom's role in the California Capitol Annex project?Exxon sues California over new laws requiring corporate climate disclosuresCalifornia’s War on Oil Finally Prompts a ResponseCA state retirement fund lost 71% of $468M put in clean energy, won’t say howWhy an entire Calif. town is standing up against the high-speed railIdaho official investigating Millbrae police chief over property tax breakPrincipal resigns after investigator finds Grindr app used to pursue sex with student Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.