Politically Unstable with Andy Parks

Ukraine recaptured more of its territory from Russian forces, the Supreme Court will take up cases that determine whether internet companies are shielded from liability over the way they promote content to their users, and more on today's Front Page Podcast.

Listen below, and visit https://www.washingtontimes.com/specials/front-page-podcast/ to read these stories.

The United Kingdom will begin a week of public mourning for Queen Elizabeth II with a service of prayer and reflection, some of the most violent crimes domestically are carried out by young Americans, and more on today's Front Page Podcast.

Listen below, and visit https://www.washingtontimes.com/specials/front-page-podcast/ to read these stories.

Jeff Mordock: The latest from The White House

Washington Times White House reporter Jeff Mordock checks in with Andy with the latest, including Secret Service agents rushed second gentleman Douglas Emhoff out of an event at Dunbar High School in Washington on Tuesday after a ‘security threat” was reported at the school. And then, desperate to revive his stalled $1.7 trillion economic spending package, President Biden meets with the heads of some of the nation’s largest utility companies to renew his push for the package’s climate provisions. As Jeff reports, despite the shift in strategy, the president’s bid to pass his climate agenda is filled with pitfalls.

Stephen Dinan: Blowing money for little return, COVID cash not going to fight virus

Up first, Stephen Dinan tells Andy about the first in a six-part series on the two years of coronavirus spending. Uncle Sam has spent only a small fraction of that money — 15% or less, depending on who’s counting — on beating the coronavirus itself. Then, as Stephen reports, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued an official opinion saying the surge of illegal immigrants coming across the border meets the legal definition of an “invasion” under the U.S. Constitution. Brnovich‘s opinion is the latest salvo in a war of rhetoric over how bad the border has gotten under President Biden.

Andy Parks: Watching the left wing media destroy itself

Look no further than CNN, with the exit of Jeff Zucker. Suddenly, journalistic standards matter? And the hiatus of Rachel Maddow on MSNBC seems to be sending that network into a tailspin. And in the rules for me but not for thee, Stacey Abrams happily joined masked students, maskless. Barack Obama was maskless, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blames carjackings on empty schools. Typical liberal, never her fault. But there is a simple fix to the soft-on-crime problem. Actual laws. And a closer look at what's happening with the Canadian truckers this week. Andy Parks has all of that and more.

Stephen Dinan: Federal debt is out of control and Trump has tons of cash

Uncle Sam’s total debt now tops $30 trillion, the Treasury Department said Tuesday. As Stephen Dinan reports, it took just a month and a half to add the latest $1 trillion, after Congress approved a debt limit surge late last year to accommodate the government’s pandemic-fueled spending spree. Plus, Former President Donald Trump is sitting on an absurd amount of campaign cash — more than the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee combined. His political committees raised $51 million over the last six months of 2021, and he ended the year with $122 million in the bank, most of that in his Save America Political Action Committee.

Andy Parks: What exactly is Biden doing in the White House?
Plus, Ben Wolfgang on the U.S. role in the Russia-Ukraine fight

Why does the U.S. care about Ukraine and a fight over obscure Soviet-era borders? Why is President Biden willing to risk World War III to stop Russia from invading? Washington Times Foreign Affairs reporter Ben Wolfgang joins Andy Parks and says these questions are swirling suddenly in Washington. For Biden critics, the foreign policy establishment consensus offers little justification for putting American lives at risk in Eastern Europe or dedicating a massive amount of time, money and energy to a border dispute on the other side of the world with no direct impact on U.S. citizens.

Andy Parks: The year of insults for Joe Biden
And Jeff Mordock reports from the White House press corps

First up, get Andy's take on the craziness, lunacy, absurdity and nonsense coming out of Washington, DC. this week. So, defunding police departments have increased crime rates? You don't say! Plus, apologies to gang members in California. For referring to them as gang members. And then, Washington Times White House reporter Jeff Mordock joins Andy with more on crime rates and violent attacks on police officers. And, Jeff shares a candid peek behind the curtain of the White House briefing room. From insults to non-answers, to shutting out some media organizations, what is the relationship like for the media in this administration?

Stephen Dinan: Catch & release at the border, and big change coming to Supreme Court

As Stephen Dinan reports, a new viral video shows illegal immigrants nabbed at the border in Texas being released, ferried to airports and dropped off to catch flights taking them deeper into the U.S. Stephen tells Andy, the video comes just after Homeland Security released its final southern border numbers from 2021, showing by far the worst year on record for illegal activity. Plus, the big news out of the Supreme Court, Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, closing out a decades-long tenure for the liberal-leaning justice and giving President Biden his first chance to shape the court.

Stephen Dinan: House GOP probes historically low ICE arrests

Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee are probing the “historically low” rate of arrests of illegal immigrants by ICE, saying it appears the Biden administration, unwilling to abolish the agency outright, is instead paring it down through policy memos. As Stephen Dinan reports, Republicans are demanding data on why the agency, which has not lost any funding, is arresting and deporting people at a much slower pace than in the past. Plus, Homeland Security’s special visa program to grant legal status to victims of crime is plagued by fraud and mismanagement, according to an inspector general’s audit released this week that found the department doesn’t even know how many of the visas are issued. Stephen joins Andy to explain.

Andy Parks: Laying down the law in New York. Or not.

"Just when you think crime can't get any worse in America..." Andy takes a look a the wild week that was. New Yorkers elected a District Attorney whose "soft on crime" plan is not sitting well with voters. Is he putting up the welcome mat for thugs? Plus, the new mayor wants non-citizens to have the right to vote. If this can happen in the biggest city in the United States, will it happen everywhere? As President Biden's approval numbers sit in the dumpster, Stacey Abrams skips his visit to Georgia. Plus, the COVID debate in the US Supreme Court and much more.

Jeff Mordock: Black Americans and the surge in COVID gun sales

Firearm purchases by a record number of Black Americans have accelerated a surge in gun sales since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis of government records. As Washington Times White House reporter Jeff Mordock explains, Black gun ownership increased 58.2% through the first six months of 2020, and it's expected that number will be similar for 2021, given the trends in purchases. Plus, President Biden takes on the meat industry, and the White House press room reverts back to limited capacity thanks to the omicron surge. The Washington Times is among the news outlets with a seat in the briefing room and is a member of the WHCA.

Stephen Dinan: Illegal immigrants test limits of Second Amendment

Even as the Biden administration moves toward leniency toward illegal immigrants on so many fronts, there is a line the government hasn’t crossed: Possessing a firearm is still a serious offense. As Stephen Dinan reports, the Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms to “the people,” and a series of cases is testing whether that term also includes illegal immigrants. Immigrant rights advocates worry about the implications of a Supreme Court decision that concludes the Second Amendment’s reference to “the people” doesn’t include illegal immigrants. Plus, the questions around renaming the Russell Senate office building, the Afghan refugees processed and released in 2021 and more.

Andy Parks: Welcome to 2022
With Valerie Richardson: AOC says Republican men want her

It's another year, another COVID crisis. Andy says Dr. Anthony Fauci is lying his butt off to keep his face on television. But that's nothing compared to what is waiting for him in retirement. And in another edition of "rules for thee, but not for me," Andy breaks down all the maskless holiday parties and lack of social distancing for rich, liberal, lefties. And then, Valerie Richardson joins Andy with details on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As Val reports, it turns out there’s a reason Republicans are hostile to AOC: They want her to be their bae. The congresswoman accused Republicans of being weirdly obsessed with her. Val also has more on the direction of the House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and more.

Stephen Dinan: Critical race theory takes aim at immigration law

Forget drugs or fraud. The most common type of case federal prosecutors bring is against illegal immigrants who try to reenter the country after having been ousted — and almost all of those charged are Hispanic. As Stephen Dinan reports, federal courts are grappling with whether that imbalance means the law itself is racist. Section 1326 itself was written in 1952 and its penalties were stiffened in 1988, 1990, 1994 and 1996. Also, the Public Interest Legal Foundation went to Pennsylvania with a list of tens of thousands of people who were likely dead, but still on the state’s voter rolls in the weeks before the 2020 election.

Andy Parks: Year in Review 2021

Andy Parks takes a look at a wild and tumultuous 2021. From January's start of the Biden administration to the influx of illegal immigrants at the border, to shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline and taking away our country's energy security. Have you seen gas prices lately? Then we had masks and social distancing mandates for federal employees and reversals of everything Trump touched. He would go on to make many mistakes in office, from Afghanistan to immigration, to infrastructure and dealing with COVID-19. What a year.

Stephen Dinan: Pandemic fraud totals nearly $100 billion

First up, Stephen Dinan tells Andy that ICE said Tuesday it will begin to deploy body cameras on special agents, to be followed eventually by deportation officers. As Stephen reports, the footage will be used to assess agents’ behavior, including in use-of-force incidents. Plus, Border Patrol agents say they nabbed a “potential terrorist” trying to jump the border Friday, adding a national security dimension to the border chaos that’s erupted in southwestern Arizona this month. And finally, the Secret Service said the government has sent nearly $100 billion to fraudsters who filed bogus claims for COVID-19 pandemic benefits. More than 900 criminal investigations are active. So far, it has seized more than $1.2 billion in fraudulent payments and reversed more than $2.3 billion in automatic payments.

Andy Parks: COVID for Christmas

On this Christmas edition of Andy Parks from The Washington Times, Andy takes a wild ride through the news of the week. Up first, Dr. Fauci says we may never be allowed to fly without masks. Ever again. Where does it all end? Two shots, three shots, maybe four shots, and still people are getting the virus. And the debt is out of control. The rest of the world is watching us destroy ourselves. Is Senator Joe Manchin now the savior we need to look to? Plus the outlook for Democrats in the House, scattering like rats from a sinking ship.

Andy Parks: The good, the bad and the funny?

Andy's week in review includes the horrific storms in Kentucky and other states. And somehow President Biden and other Democrats are making sure not to let this crisis go to waste, blaming global warming at their first opportunity. Plus, the president made a late-night appearance with Jimmy Fallon. It was funny, alright. Full of flat-out hilarious spin on actual facts on energy, gas prices and who's to blame. And, did you really want to hear Hillary Clinton's unused victory speech?

Stephen Dinan: The Supreme Court takes up school funding

The Supreme Court has been busy hearing oral arguments. Maine struggled Wednesday to defend its school funding system, with GOP-appointed justices casting a skeptical eye on the program, which pays for students to attend some private schools as long as their classrooms aren’t too religious. As Stephen Dinan reports, Chief Justice John Roberts said that means the state ends up picking and choosing some religious schools and rejecting others. Stephen also tells Andy Parks the latest on President Biden’s commission on the Supreme Court, which failed to recommend any significant changes to the way the justices operate.

Jeff Mordock: Biden & Putin, Russia & Ukraine
Plus Andy's take on the news of the week

First up, Andy takes a look at the recent moves by outgoing NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, the latest on vaccine data, Chris Cuomo, Jussie Smollett & more. Then, Washington Times White House reporter Jeff Mordock stops by with the latest on the Biden-Putin call this week. As Jeff reports, there were some blunt words but no “finger-wagging” as President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked face-to-face Tuesday about avoiding a war over Ukraine. It was unclear from the public readouts whether the two leaders made much progress behind closed doors. Jeff says the readouts were all very vague, so the public doesn't really know much about what was discussed,

Stephen Dinan: What to do about Roe v. Wade

Supreme Court justices flirted with scraping away at the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that created a national right to abortion, pondering whether states should have freedom to bar abortions altogether or at least weeks before currently allowed. Stephen Dinan tells Andy that conservative-leaning justices of the court took aim at the current fetal “viability” standard — about 24 weeks of pregnancy — for when states can move to bar abortions. They suggested Mississippi’s 15-week line may be just as valid. And, as President Biden’s new coronavirus travel ban took effect Monday, security experts say he’s left a glaring hole in his scheme: the southern border.

Andy Parks: Political correctness arrives at COVID-19's door

So the latest variant is on the way. More mask mandates to follow? Apparently not for President Biden, who is iffy on when he chooses to wear a mask. What about the success rate in Florida? Is no one paying attention? Andy says, "take a hint, Dr. Fauci." Why not let nature run its course. It seems to be working in Florida. Plus, digital health IDs, travel restrictions, media coverage of the Christmas Parade deaths in Wisconsin, and much more.

Stephen Dinan: Migrants not fleeing violence or climate change, coming for jobs

Up first, Migrants from Central America are rushing to the U.S. illegally not because of violence or natural disasters in their home countries but because of jobs, a major new study found, challenging claims that they are asylum-seekers fleeing persecution. As Stephen Dinan reports, climate and the environment — a major explanation VP Harris has cited — was a reason for 3% of migrants. In other immigration news, a 17-day-old infant perished at the border after his mother carried him across the Rio Grande as part of a group of illegal immigrants, Homeland Security said this week. These stories are awful, and the responsibility rests on very many people, including the mother, the smugglers, the policy-makers and many others.

Andy Parks: 'Tis the season to be thankful?

Andy Parks breaks down all the things to be... thankful... for in 2021. Just in time for Thanksgiving, we have the circus surrounding the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict. This is what we have in America today. Subjected to labels he doesn't deserve, his life is changed forever regardless of the verdict. And then there is the fatal Christmas parade incident in Wisconsin. The suspect has been in and out of jail for half of his life. Andy has questions.

Stephen Dinan: DHS Secretary skewered by Senate and sheriffs, gives himself an A for effort

As Stephen Dinan reports, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas graded himself with an “A for effort” this week, telling senators he believes the Biden administration is on the right track to solve the border’s chaos and to make up for what he called cruel Trump policies. His defense was not reassuring to Republicans on the committee. Plus, sheriffs representing 17 states called on President Biden to oust Mayorkas and find a new department chief who will work with them to restore respect for the border and immigration law.

Dave Boyer: Shunning the VP, is there something happening behind the scenes?

Are Republicans using "wokeness" against the Dems? Andy says the short answer is yes. Plus, Washington Times Deputy Politics Editor Dave Boyer joins Andy with more on the infrastructure bill, upcoming elections and the power struggle ahead. Also, the latest from China, the economy, trade, and the big mystery of the week, what is going on with Vice President Kamala Harris?

Stephen Dinan: The Tomb of the Unknown, 100 years later

Up first, Stephen Dinan joins Andy Parks with the latest on a Supreme Court case on whether a man sentenced to death can be allowed to have his pastor in the ex*****on chamber, touching him and praying out loud as the lethal injection is delivered. And then, this week marks the 100 year anniversary of the Unknown Soldier arriving on U.S. shores. The first Unknown Soldier almost didn’t make it back to U.S. soil at all. Stephen Dinan joins Andy Parks with the story of how the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came to be. Arlington this week is commemorating the 100 years with a reenactment of the original journey and entombment in what amounts to a rededication of the resting place for unknown soldiers from World War I, World War II and the Korean conflict.

Andy Parks: The answer to America's woes? Spend more money!

The RINOS jumped to help save the infrastructure bill this week and President Biden celebrated by telling us the rich need to pay their "fair share." But, what is a fair share? According to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 50% sounds about right. What do you think? Plus, are we all too dumb to understand the supply chain? The people in charge under the Biden Administration find the supply chain problems "hilarious." Do you? Oh, and is the White House paying illegal immigrants or not? The story keeps changing and Andy asks, who's actually running things in the White House right now?