On this episode Andrew and Beth speak with James Fishback, founder of Incubate Debate.Fishback discusses how high school debate tournaments went woke in recent years and illustrates the National Speech and Debate Association’s extreme liberal bias. He shares stories of how judges are ideologically motivated and either won’t allow certain positions to be debated or dock points for non-leftist opinions.He also talks about his recent piece for The Free Press, entitled, “The Truth About Banned Books” where he exposed the severe ideological asymmetries in school libraries around the country.James Fishback is the founder and executive director of Incubate Debate, a no-cost high school debate league that champions merit, civility, and open debate. Incubate Debate is the fastest-growing debate league in America, having tripled the students it serves in the past year. Fishback is a former high school debate national champion, having competed 2009-2013 at Boyd H. Anderson High School in South Florida. He studied International Economics at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.

After a short hiatus, we are back with Take Back Our Schools. Welcome Back!On this episode, Beth and Andrew speak with the powerhouse father-son team of Shelby and Eli Steele about race relations in America. Both Shelby and Eli share their views on the recent Claudine Gay affair at Harvard University and give their opinions on whether this event marks a turning point in the fight against the diversity, equity and inclusion regime. Shelby talks about his own upbringing and his family’s experience in the Civil Rights movement and remarks upon why the Civil Rights movement went wrong. He talks about how the idea of “white guilt” plays a prominent role in today’s obsession with identity. Shelby also shares his strong views on the similarities between how victimhood is used by race hustlers in the black community and with the ongoing events in Israel and with Hamas. Eli talks about why he, as a part black, part Jewish and hearing impaired man, thoroughly rejects identity politics and victimhood. Eli also discusses the documentary he is currently making with his father, “White Guilt.”Shelby Steele is the Robert J. and Marion E. Oster Senior Fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution. He specializes in the study of race relations, multiculturalism, and affirmative action. He has written widely on race in American society and the consequences of contemporary social programs on race relations. Shelby received the National Book Critic's Circle Award in 1990 in the general nonfiction category for his book The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America (HarperCollins, 1998). Other books by Steele include Shame: How America's Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country (Basic Books, 2015), A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win (Free Press, 2007), White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era (HarperCollins, 2006) and A Dream Deferred: The Second Betrayal of Black Freedom in America (HarperCollins, 1998). Shelby is also a member of the National Association of Scholars, the national board of the American Academy for Liberal Education, the University Accreditation Association, and the national board at the Center for the New American Community at the Manhattan Institute.Eli Steele is an award-winning filmmaker and “What Killed Michael Brown?” marked his first professional collaboration with his father, Shelby Steele. A graduate of Claremont McKenna College and Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy, Steele’s career highlights include “How Jack Became Black,” “What’s Bugging Seth,” winner of ten film festivals, and “Katrina,” an MTV Network pilot which won him the Breakthrough Filmmakers Award. Steele has written for publications ranging from LA Times to Commentary Magazine.A transcript of this program can be downloaded here.

This week Beth and Andrew speak with Maragret Busse, Executive Director of Utah’s Department of Commerce.Busse talks about Utah’s lawsuits against Tik Tok and Meta for the harms social media platforms are causing children. We discuss these harms and the algorithms that social media platforms use to hook children. She shares her views on the possible remedies of these lawsuits, and the state’s new proposed rules for social media including age verification and parental consent. We also talk about the role of parents in limiting social media use for their own kids.Margaret Woolley Busse was appointed the Executive Director of Utah’s Department of Commerce in January 2021 by Governor Spencer Cox. Under her leadership, the Department published proposed rules for age verification and parental consent in order to operationalize Utah's groundbreaking new social media law, which the department is charged with enforcing beginning March 2023.Busse holds an MBA from Harvard University, a master’s degree in Public Policy from Brigham Young University and a bachelor’s degree in both Public Policy and Economics from Brigham Young University, where she graduated cum laude and with university honors. She is a Utah native and has five children, ages 10 to 20.

Jamie Reed is a gay woman, a parent of five children and is married to a transgender man. So, what led her to publicly pull back the curtain on what was happening at the Pediatric Transgender Center at Washington University in St. Louis, MO and to talk of the immense harms being done to children, especially young girls?We discuss the reasons for the explosion of transgender cases we’ve seen in America over recent years, including the role of schools, social media, and healthcare economics. Reed also talks about how being a whistleblower has impacted her own life, and her current advocacy work on behalf of children. Jamie Reed is currently an organizer with the LGBT Courage Coalition, working to end medical transition in children and adolescents.

Beth and Andrew speak with author Alexandra Hudson about her recently published book, The Soul of Civility. She discusses the difference between politeness and civility, and shares her opinion on where today’s uncivil society stands in relation to other eras in history. We talk about the role that social media plays in modeling uncivil behavior and Hudson shares tips for how both parents and children can create a more civil world.Alexandra Hudson is a writer, popular speaker, and the founder of Civic Renaissance, a publication and intellectual community dedicated to beauty, goodness, and truth. She was named the 2020 Novak Journalism Fellow and contributes to Fox News, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, TIME Magazine, POLITICO Magazine, and Newsweek.She earned a master's degree in public policy from the London School of Economics as a Rotary Scholar and is an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy. She is also the creator of a series for The Teaching Company called "Storytelling and The Human Condition."

On this episode, Andrew and Beth speak with Dr. Brandy Shufutinsky of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values. Shufutinsky shares her views on the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel and on the antisemitism we are seeing in the United States. We discuss the roots of that antisemitism on college campuses and in K-12 schools. Ethnic Studies curricula first developed in the state of California, says Shufutinsky, has led to a generation of anti-Israel and antisemitic students. We also discuss whether or not recent events will be a wake-up call for American Jews to reconsider their allegiance to the Democratic party.Dr. Brandy Shufutinsky is Director of Education and Community Engagement for the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values. She is also a social worker, writer, researcher, and advocate. She has worked towards advancing the rights of victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through her practice, education, and research.

Andrew speaks with author, filmmaker and former gymnast, Jennifer Sey, who tells her story of being forced out of her very prominent position at Levi Strauss & Co. for her outspoken advocacy of children during the Covid pandemic. We discuss the damage that society inflicted on children due to oppressive restrictions, and how those restrictions have led to mental health issues and unprecedented learning loss, and her upcoming documentary film on the subject, “Generation Covid.”Once a proud progressive, Sey talks about how the last few years have changed her politics and about her disillusionment with progressivism, and how progressive policies have helped destroy her longtime hometown of San Franciso. She also shares stories about her gymnastic career and reveals if she has any regrets about the physical and mental toll that world-class gymnastics took on her.Jennifer Sey is an American author, filmmaker, business executive and retired artistic gymnast. She was the 1986 USA Gymnastics National Champion, and a 7-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Sey’s first memoir, "Chalked Up," was released in 2008 and detailed the coaching cruelty inflicted on children in the sport of gymnastics. She also produced the 2020 Emmy award-winning documentary film, "Athlete A," which connected the crimes of Larry Nassar to broader abuses in the Olympic movement. Sey began working at Levi Strauss & Co. in 1999, rising to Chief Marketing Officer and then Global Brand President. In January 2022, she was asked to resign because of her public opposition to the extended closure of San Francisco’s public schools. Her most recent memoir, “Levi’s Unbuttoned,” tells the inspirational story of her corporate career, search for authenticity, and ultimate refusal to bow to the mob who sought to silence her. She is a mother of four, and now resides in Denver with her family.

On this episode Andrew and Beth speak with author Peachy Keenan about her book, Domestic Extremist – A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War. Keenan speaks of her own conversion from “secular nothingness” and liberal feminism as a young woman to Catholicism and traditional values as a mother and wife. We talk about the role of feminism in our culture and the difference between boys and girls and she shares some of her tips for other parents for raising children with traditional values and for winning back the culture war."Peachy Keenan" is the pseudonym for a writer and mother who lives in Southern California. She gave up a career writing for corporate behemoths so she could devote herself to her family, post on Twitter, and write. She is a contributing editor and regular essayist for The American Mind, a publication of The Claremont Institute.

Beth and Andrew speak with author and freedom advocate Connor Boyack.Boyack talks about the need for parents to educate their children on the principles of freedom, a subject matter that children are not learning in their schools. We discuss his book series, The Tuttle Twins, and how it helps teach both children and their parents about free markets, liberty and American history. He also previews two upcoming additions to the series, including one detailing some of history’s most notorious villains.Boyack also speaks about the story he recently broke that went viral about a 12 year old boy in Colorado who was removed from class for having a Gadsden (“Don’t Tread On Me”) flag patch on his backpack.Connor Boyack is founder and president of Libertas Institute, an award-winning free market think tank. Named one of Utah's most politically influential people by The Salt Lake Tribune, Boyack's leadership has led to changing over 100 laws covering a wide range of areas such as privacy, government transparency, property rights, drug policy, education, personal freedom, and more.

Beth and Andrew speak with educator Donique Rolle on this week's episode. Rolle tells her story of what led her to become a teacher of African American history and how she realized that her our own college courses in African American studies were highly politicized. She explains the difference between African American history courses which focus on truth, facts and research, and African American studies courses which views history through a victim-based ideology.She also shares her views about the recent controversy of the state of Florida rejecting the AP African American Studies curriculum for high school students. Donique Rolle is an experienced educator in Florida with a 17-year career. For four years, she taught African American History in a predominantly Black public high school. Currently, Rolle teaches Learning Strategies and trains other educators on incorporating Black History into their curriculum and implementing effective teaching practices. Her commitment to empowering students and promoting inclusivity has made her a respected figure in education. Rolle is also the Executive Director of Putting the Pieces Together, a non-profit organization for special needs families.