RINGSIDE POLITICS – FEBRUARY 5, 2021
Written by WGSO Producer on February 5, 2021
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Welcome to another edition of Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere
Today’s Hot Topics:
1) U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday issued a presidential memorandum aimed at expanding protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people worldwide, including potentially through the use of financial sanctions.
“All human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love,” said the memorandum, building on a 2011 directive issued when Biden was serving as vice president.
“The United States belongs at the forefront of this struggle – speaking out and standing strong for our most dearly held values,” the memorandum said.
2) In a hearing for President Biden’s nominee for education secretary Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pressed Dr. Miguel Cardona to weigh in on the ongoing debate about how transgender students should compete in sports, describing the concept of students competing with their corresponding gender identity as “bizarre” and repeatedly mislabeling transgender girls as “boys.”
“If you’re confirmed, would you support the Office of Civil Right opinion?” Paul asked.
Cardona said while he understands “there’s a lot of concerns,” he believes it is the “legal responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for students to participate in activities and this includes students who are transgender.”
In response, Paul said he found it “bizarre” that some people believe transgender students should be able to compete with their corresponding gender identity.
3) U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is planning to cancel the permit for the $9 billion Keystone XL pipeline project as one of his first acts in office, and perhaps as soon as his first day, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, had made building the pipeline a central promise of his presidential campaign. Biden, who will be inaugurated on Wednesday, was vice president in the Obama administration when it rejected the project as contrary to its efforts to combat climate change.
The words “Rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit” appear on a list of executive actions likely scheduled for the first day of Biden’s presidency, according to an earlier report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC).
Biden, a Democrat, had earlier vowed to scrap the oil pipeline’s presidential permit if he became president.
4) A fiercely divided House tossed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene off both her committees Thursday, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she’d earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories.
Underscoring the political vise her inflammatory commentary has clamped her party into, nearly all Republicans voted against the Democratic move but none defended her lengthy history of outrageous social media posts.
Yet in a riveting moment, the freshman Republican from a deep-red corner of Georgia took to the House floor on her own behalf. She offered a mixture of backpedaling and finger-pointing as she wore a dark mask emblazoned with the words “FREE SPEECH.”
Today’s Guests:
1) Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform – joins the show to discuss the shift of power in america and Biden’s first weeks in office.
2) Christopher Holton, Vice President of Outreach, Center for Security Policy; Ringside All-Star – discusses the hot topics of the weeks.
3) Holly Harris, CEO and Executive Director of Justice Action Network – joins the show to discuss her business and their plans going forward.
4) Donna Carol Voss, Ringside All-Star – joins the show to talk about the hot topics of the week and opine with callers
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