The Daily Signal

The U.S. military not only is weak overall but “at growing risk of not being able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests,” according to a new report from The Heritage Foundation. On Tuesday, Heritage released its 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength, a document of nearly 600 pages that assesses the strength of America’s armed forces. “In our index, we score or measure the status of American military power in the year that’s just passed. Over years, you can start to see trends and you can see the implications for the United States, and our foreign policy, and economic health, and those sorts of things,” says Dakota Wood, a senior research fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.) “I think it’s the easiest way to think about it, is how did the Army do? The Navy, the Air Force, and [other] military services? And what was the nature of the world?” Wood, who served for over two decades as a Marine, says. Wood joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to break down the findings of the Index of U.S. Military Strength, how America’s military compares to that of China, and what he hopes Americans will take away from the report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: GOP Lawmakers call to reverse the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the U.S. Coast Guard The Florida Board of Education approved a rule with a goal of protecting students’ safety, and the fundamental rights of parents Former Vice President Mike Pence called on conservative lawmakers to “flood the zone” with strong policy proposals during a speech today A Vermont school district under fire for allowing a biologically male student to use the girls’ locker room has suspended a father from his position as a soccer coach.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chinese President Xi Jinping renewed his calls for the "reunification" of China and Taiwan on Sunday during the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. "We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary," Xi said. China is "determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday."So, now it's sort of pretty clear that the Chinese are thinking seriously of making a move. So, why aren't we acting like it?" says Elbridge Colby, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development in the Defense Department. "Why aren't we acting on a national mobilization effort precisely to avoid a war? Because once we get into a war, it's definitely going to be far more expensive and costly in terms of lives and resources. And it may be too late if we wait that long," Colby says.Colby joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss Xi's comments, his recent article in Time magazine about why the U.S. should defend Taiwan, and what message could be sent if the U.S. is not able to successfully deter China from invading Taiwan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: More than 8 million people applying for student loan forgiveness  President Biden’s plan to codify Roe v. Wade A new report breaking down the strength of the U.S. military  A French cement company admitting to paying the Islamic Group millions of dollars Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end of October is nearing, which means Halloween is just around the corner for many American kids. The holiday, known for trick or treating and consuming copious amounts of candy, is a bit spookier than normal this year: Parents now have to worry about the possibility of so-called rainbow fentanyl ending up in their kids’ candy bags.“Because this has been a relatively new phenomenon regarding the rainbow fentanyl and as Halloween is so close, parents need to be particularly concerned about what their children are ingesting for Halloween, because it has been found in Nerds candy packaging as well as Skittles,” says Lora Ries, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.)Fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic opioid, has plagued communities throughout the United States. Just recently, roughly 300,000 “rainbow fentanyl” pills and more than 20 pounds of powdered fentanyl were found in the Bronx, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported. “[Parents] need to talk to their kids, as best they can age appropriately, to look out for rainbow-colored candy and two, parents themselves should be checking packaging,” Ries advises. Ries joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about rainbow fentanyl, the ongoing crisis at the southern border, and what much of the media is missing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Twenty-eight drones attacked the Ukrainian city of Kyiv.   The Chinese Communist Party Congress is underway.   Kanye West may be buying Parler. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An astonishing 675,000 children are abused every year in America. Thousands of kids in foster care disappear in the course of a year. Some are missing for days or even weeks, and tragically, others are never found.Fortunately, there’s an organization committed to doing something about these problems and other issues related to child protection in America.The Center for the Rights of Abused Children, formerly known as Gen Justice, serves in a pro bono capacity for cases involving abuse, as well as helping kids who have been abandoned and trafficked. It’s also committed to strengthening laws that can save lives.CEO Darcy Olsen, who joins this episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast," founded the organization in 2010. She’s also the mother of four children, all adopted from foster care.Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down:  Virginia delegate proposes bill that would prosecute parents who don’t treat child as the opposite sex.  Clinton ally testifies to lying about source in Steele dossier. 2023 March for Life theme announced.  British climate activists deface Vincent Van Gogh painting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday that the consumer price index rose 0.4% in September, showing that inflation remained at a near four-decade high of 8.2%. "Today’s report shows some progress in the fight against higher prices, even as we have more work to do. Inflation over the last three months has averaged 2%, at an annualized rate," President Joe Biden said in a statement. EJ Antoni, a research fellow for regional economics in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation, couldn't disagree more. "This is just the latest example of how Americans are being absolutely crushed right now by these higher prices. And it's not yachts and caviar that are driving these increases. It's necessities. It's the basic staples," Antoni says. "It's eggs, bread, milk. We're not talking about filet mignon here. We're talking about ground beef. And sadly, Americans are really paying the price for what has been going on the last two years in terms of the government just spending, borrowing, and printing trillions and trillions of dollars," says Antoni.Antoni joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to take a deeper dive into what the consumer price index means, how it compares to the producer price index, and even offer some spending advice ahead of the holiday season.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The Labor Department released the September consumer price index Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz gets a life sentence The Jan. 6 committee plans to vote to subpoena former President Donald Trump Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices