We're back this week, after airing a special Fourth of July edition last week.
The week ahead should be interesting. The Senate (not the House) is back in session, and the big issue remains Biden's infrastructure plan. It's not clear what the future of that plan will be, since the bipartisan deal struck last month was undermined by Biden's insistence on passing a separate bill, the so-called "American Families Plan," which includes all of the things Democrats could not force into the deal -- and which they will bypass the filibuster to pass, using the "reconciliation" process (which will produce the opposite of reconciliation).
We have growing fears of a resurgence of the coronavirus, with the Delta variant becoming the dominant strain in many states. Already, public health experts are calling for (looking forward to?) more restrictions, and as the Biden administration defends its policy of going door-to-door to encourage vaccination, some "experts" are even suggesting making the unvaccinated suffer for their decision not to take the shot. If conservatives are supposedly the most reluctant to be vaccinated, will that kind of pressure work? Probably not.
Then there is the issue of the January 6 commission, to which House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) may nominate five Republicans. I'm not sure that's a good idea, given that the Democrats include some of the most divisive and untrustworthy people in Congress -- such as Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who led the first and second impeachment teams, respectively. But we'll take on the view of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who says that Republicans should play nice with the commission and dump Trump.
We'll welcome the following guests:
Desmond Lachman of AEI -- on Biden's spending plans, and inflation
Lt. Col. Dakota Wood of Heritage -- on Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan
Anthony Ruggiero of FDD - on Biden's attempt to revive the Iran deal
Kenny Xu, author of 'An Inconvenient Minority' -- on discrimination against Asian Americans
Jeff Brain of CloutHub -- to discuss Trump's lawsuit against Big Tech
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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