RINGSIDE POLITICS – MARCH 3, 2021

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Welcome to another edition of Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere

Today’s Hot Topics:

1) FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday repeatedly shot down claims by Republican allies of former President Donald Trump and others that antifa activists participated in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.

“We have not to date seen any evidence of anarchist violent extremists or people subscribing to antifa in connection with the 6th,” Wray said in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing to address concerns about the intelligence leading up to the riot and the domestic terrorism threat more broadly. “That doesn’t mean we’re not looking, and we’ll continue to look, but at the moment we have not seen that.”

2) Democrats across the country celebrated New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the face of governing competence as President Donald Trump fumbled his administration’s response to the exploding pandemic last year.

Now, the Democratic governor is struggling through a sexual harassment scandal that’s testing the limits of his party’s support as Democrats grapple with one of the first political headaches of the post-Trump era.

So far, few Democrats have come to Cuomo’s rescue. But they haven’t explicitly condemned him, either.

Both of New York’s Democratic U.S. senators have publicly embraced the state attorney general’s nascent investigation into Cuomo’s behavior. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday described the allegations as “deeply troubling and deeply concerning.”

3) The White House on Tuesday would not reveal its position on doctors being forced to perform abortions and gender-transition surgeries under the Equality Act.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki would not directly answer questions by EWTN News Nightly White House correspondent Owen Jensen on conscience rights in health care, at Tuesday’s White House press briefing.

Jensen brought up the Equality Act, which passed the House last week and which outlaws “pregnancy discrimination” and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

4) Houston leaders responded Tuesday to the governor’s announcement on reopening Texas 100% and ending the statewide mask mandate during the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 500,000 Americans since the start of the outbreak in the nation.

Both Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester expressed how disappointed they are with Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision, while others agreed with the decision.

Today’s Guests:

1) Lauryn Gray, Former Tiktok user – joins the show in the first hour to discuss the dangers of cancel culture and how social media controls the content we consume.

2) Antony Davies; Associate Professor of Economics Palumbo Donahue School of Business Economics, Duquesne University – joins the show to talk about the effects of Biden’s administration on the economy and the possible long-term effects that may occur.