Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News - podcast cover

Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

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The Townhall Review is a one-stop-shop for relevant news and intelligent analysis from the leading talk show hosts in the nation: Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Mike Gallagher,  Sebastian Gorka, and Charlie Kirk.

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Episodes

Seth Leibsohn: A Proper Perspective on Our Public Prayers

Numerous media outlets had a difficult time with the Rededicate 250 celebration the White House sponsored this past Sunday. One major paper reported “Until Trump’s second term in office, it had been virtually unheard of in modern times for U.S. government officials to publicly tie the nation to a specific set of religious beliefs. Trump’s cabinet members have changed that norm.” Boy that phrase “in modern times” is doing a lot of work here. Calls to prayer and thanksgiving may be new to the old ...

May 20, 20261 min

Ed Morrissey: Justice for Ethan Haim and Texas Children

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the US Department of Justice struck a blow against the trans industry in a new settlement: Ten million dollars. And a new, first-in-the-nation clinic to unwind the damage done to children caught up in the pediatric-sex-change industry's machinations. Stripping five of its practitioners of access to more potential victims. Texas Children's Hospital in Houston agreed to end its pediatric sex-change practice, pay $10 million in penalties while opening the natio...

May 19, 20261 min

Seth Leibsohn: Our Dangerous Illiteracy

Recently, a professor of Politics at Princeton wrote an op-ed pointing out how many of his students—and students at other colleges—simply are unfamiliar with the Ten Commandments. He writes, “they lack religious literacy, and their ignorance of religious ideas means they struggle to understand a wide array of Western art, literature and philosophy.” They also wouldn’t understand a great deal of art or history, never mind philosophy from Marx to Rousseau—or recognize lines from Shakespeare to our...

May 18, 20261 min

Seth Leibsohn: Our Memory of History and Memorial Day

In an age of fleeting stories fed by a constant conveyor belt of crisis and frenzy, keeping us all in a common state of agitation, with little ability to focus on the meaningful, let us do exactly that as we prepare for Memorial Day, coming up in another weekend. The great historian Wilfred McClay once wrote “Without memory, and without the stories by which our memories are carried forward, we cannot say who, or what, we are. Without them, our life and thought dissolve into a meaningless, unrela...

May 15, 20261 min

Albert Mohler: Putin Looks at an End Game on Ukraine

With the background of Russia's invasion and ongoing war against Ukraine, recently this astounding headline from the BBC: “Putin says he thinks Ukraine conflict coming to an end.” Now for perspective: Just consider last weekend's annual Victory Day parade in Moscow. It commemorates the end of World War II What's notable this year is not what happened, but what didn't happen. Russia couldn't afford to hold the parade as usual because Ukraine, as it turns out, has been so ingenious and so aggressi...

May 14, 20261 min

Ed Morrissey: Decision Points and Dire Straits

Donald Trump finally got his response from Iran. Will he act on it? Last week, Trump had sent a 14-point framework to mediators in Islamabad for reaching a peace accord with Iran. Trump insisted that the IRGC surrender its highly enriched uranium, agree to verifiably end its pursuit of nuclear weapons, and stop attacking international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran demanded that the US recognize the strait as Iranian sovereign territory and pay war reparations. Trump responded by calli...

May 13, 20261 min

Albert Mohler: Towards Moral Sanity

The Trump administration has launched an investigation into Smith College—one of the seven historical all-women colleges in the American Northeast. Why the investigation? Well, Smith College is and has been since 2015—admitting biological males. The “seven sisters” have been granted an exemption, going all the way back to the 1970’s to Title IX legislation. They were allowed to be restrictive as women’s colleges. The Trump administration’s basically saying you can’t have it both ways—that is: cl...

May 12, 20261 min

Hugh Hewitt: Trump Has the Leverage

Since the battle with Iran began on February 28, there’ve been so many reports of “deals” with the rump regime atop the ruins of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it seems almost silly to respond to another one. But I trust Israeli journalist Amit Segal. On Wednesday, Segal summed up the supposed framework. The most salient part is said to include—and I quote: “Negotiations are still underway on the duration of the uranium enrichment freeze. Three sources said the freeze would last a...

May 11, 20261 min

Seth Leibsohn: Ignorance and the Challenge of the 21st Century Citizen

Talking politics with your average young male these days, chances are you will hear all kinds of odd theories coming from the Pied Pipers of Podcastistan. You will hear them mentioning “experts” nobody heard of until about 10 minutes ago or until they were discovered by these podcasters because of their contrary, and often, conspiratorial thinking. Young men, especially, are attracted to this novel “wisdom,” and they are so prone because, as they will tell you, mainstream institutions have been ...

May 08, 20261 min

Hugh Hewitt: 'Extremist Makeover' in Maine

Today’s Democrats seem to be trying a new take on the “Extreme Makeover” reality show. Their offshoot: I’d call it “Extremist Makeover.” And we see it in their likely candidate for Senate in Maine. It looks pretty close to certain Democrats be nominating oysterman Graham Platner in the Pinetree state. He is not a "liberal." Platner is not even a "leftist." He’s an extremist. For years, he had a tattoo of a death head worn proudly by the Nazi era SS, Hitler’s worst of the worst. It was—and remain...

May 07, 20261 min

Carol Platt Liebau: Towards a Happier, More Fulfilling Life

It’s an age-old question: God or Mammon? What leads to a happier, more fulfilling life — religion, or money? Now, it seems we have an answer. According to the General Social Survey, church attendance predicts happiness more strongly than wealth does. In fact, poor Americans who attend church regularly are happier than wealthy Americans who never attend at all. Prominent behavioral scientist William von Hippel has observed, “Money buys a fair bit of happiness, but connection gives you more bang f...

May 06, 20261 min

Hugh Hewitt: GOP Better Not Go Wobbly on Iran

Many predictions about the midterm elections in the United States are dire for the GOP: a wipeout in the House, perhaps losing the Senate majority as well. The GOP could weather the electoral storm that almost always chastens the party of a president finishing his sixth year in office. But they got to do stuff. To do that weathering: Every candidate in every partisan race has to make the case, which is easy to make: The Islamic Republic of Iran is an evil regime that cannot have nukes. It seems ...

May 05, 20261 min

Carol Platt Liebau: Towards a Race-Blind, Color-Blind Constitution

With its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court took the United States one step closer to the race-blind, color-blind equal opportunity society envisioned by our Constitution. The ruling shifts voting rights law from judging maps by racial outcomes, toward a simpler question: whether lawmakers intentionally discriminated. This is as it should be. Today, there are a record 58 minority members of Congress. Most were elected from plurality white districts. America twice elected an Afri...

May 04, 20261 min

Hugh Hewitt: Learning the Lessons From the Would-Be Killers

In the wake of the third assassination attempt on President Trump in a period of less than two years, the President correctly concluded: “He was probably a pretty sick guy.” That came from his interview Sunday night on “60 Minutes.” In looking for a cause the president pointed to the changes we’ve all been living through: “The internet, maybe more than anything else, has radicalized some people. It’s made them mentally sick,” President Trump said. He’s right, of course. But how, more specificall...

May 01, 20261 min

Carol Platt Liebau: Reckless Rhetoric

Our First Amendment is a cherished guarantee. Every American has the right to criticize elected officials — even in harsh terms — so long as there’s no incitement to imminent violence. But having a right to say something doesn’t necessarily make it right to say. And too many in our cultural elite have normalized reckless rhetoric about President Trump. Among others, ABC host Jimmy Kimmel recently “joked” about the First Lady becoming an “expectant widow.” Congressman Dan Goldman called for Trump...

Apr 30, 20261 min

Albert Mohler: Everything Nearly Changed in a Moment

The nation narrowly avoided a horrific tragedy Saturday night—and history will record it as just that. The scene at the Washington Hilton looked more like a motion picture, it wasn’t. It was reality: Someone intending to assassinate the President of the United States and as many cabinet officials as possible made it past the first round of security. There was enormous attention to this particular dinner—the White House Correspondents Association dinner. This was the first of these dinners that D...

Apr 29, 20261 min

Ed Morrissey: America Has A Left Wing Violence Problem

America has once again descended into an era of political violence. And once again, the political violence originates from the American Left. This weekend, the third assassin in less than two years attempted to kill Donald Trump. The would-be assassin left behind a manifesto explaining his rationale. It echoes the Left’s “resistance” rhetoric used for the last eleven years. His argument could have easily been a monologue on late-night television or on cable channels like MSNOW. The mainstream Le...

Apr 28, 20261 min

Ed Morrissey: America Has A Left Wing Violence Problem

America has once again descended into an era of political violence. And once again, the political violence originates from the American Left. This weekend, the third assassin in less than two years attempted to kill Donald Trump. The would-be assassin left behind a manifesto explaining his rationale. It echoes the Left’s “resistance” rhetoric used for the last eleven years. His argument could have easily been a monologue on late-night television or on cable channels like MSNOW. The mainstream Le...

Apr 27, 20261 min

Albert Mohler: California’s Radical Experiment

California is governed by people whose moral sanity must be questioned. Christopher Rufo, the City Journal recently published a piece with this headline: “California provides sex-change procedures to homeless illegal aliens” The report looked like satire. Rufo and his co-author stated: “We discovered not only that the shelters were housing illegal immigrants but also that they were apparently housing a population of male-to-female ‘transgender’ illegal aliens, who had hoped to obtain ‘gender-aff...

Apr 27, 20261 min

Ed Morrissey: Trump's Blockade The Last, Best Bid for Regime Change in Iran

Donald Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran created some frustration among those who support the war. Iran has never been a reliable negotiating partner, so why keep offering more chances for a deal? Trump would likely take a deal if he could verify compliance, especially one that transfers the “nuclear dust.” However, Trump understands that air strikes are less likely to produce his real objective in the war—regime change—than the blockade of Iran. The Iranian regime spent 47 year...

Apr 24, 20261 min

Hugh Hewitt: We Cannot Have Another Munich

Americans must worry that something akin to Munich 2.0 looms. Munich, of course, refers to the summit on the eve of World War II when European leaders appeased Hitler and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned from that summit, boasting infamously about, “peace in our time.” 2026 cannot become as infamous as 1938. The whole world knows what a victory over Iran looks like. President Trump should settle for nothing less than: Iran’s abandonment of enrichment forever the return of the ...

Apr 23, 20261 min

Carol Platt Liebau: An Instructive Lesson From the American Left

In her new book titled “Alito” Mollie Hemingway offers revealing insights — not just about the Supreme Court justice — but on how the left’s take-no-prisoners mindset has infected the high court. Hemingway recounts an episode before the release of the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade. With major security concerns including—you may remember—death threats, Justice Alito asked the liberal justices to expedite their dissents. Instead, tensions boiled over. Obama appointee Justice Elena K...

Apr 22, 20261 min

Seth Leibsohn: Our Challenge in the Face of America’s 250th

A recent poll illustrates something profound about the ideological divide in America: 81% of Liberals see the 250th anniversary of America as a time “to reflect on the country’s shortcomings.” That’s a direct quote. So: Are we to celebrate a massively important anniversary about the greatest country the world has ever known or host one big Festivus party with an airing of grievances and processing of resentments? From the liberal/left/progressives in America, now we have the answer. For those pa...

Apr 21, 20261 min

Hugh Hewitt: The Pope, the President and Our Media

The practice of manufacturing collisions between the Vatican and President of the United States, has continued with Pope Leo XIV because he is new in the job. And President Donald Trump, of course, always provides copy. Take an unknown and mix in the very well-known, and a thousand columns are launched. The best commentary on this situation actually came from Vice President JD Vance more than a year ago. “It’s very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025,” Vice Preside...

Apr 20, 20261 min

Carol Platt Liebau: The High Cost of Our Social Experiment

Too many parents have faced the dilemma of how to help a child struggling with gender confusion. They’re often told anything short of affirming a new gender identity risks psychological harm—even suicide. New, comprehensive research from Finland contradicts that claim. It finds that mental illness isn’t caused by resisting transition. Rather, children who believe they were ‘born in the wrong body” are more likely to have underlying mental health issues. What’s more, those struggles don’t ease af...

Apr 17, 20261 min

Carol Platt Liebau: Seeing Swalwell Clearly

Congressman Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign for governor of California. Then, the very next day, he abruptly resigned from Congress. This followed a cascade of accusations involving sexual assault, misconduct, and unwanted, inappropriate messages. Clearly, the Democratic establishment wanted Swalwell out. The entire episode unfolded in a matter of days. But what’s most striking is that, by all accounts, people in political circles knew about Swalwell’s behavior for quite some time. Politica...

Apr 16, 20261 min

Albert Mohler: The Message of Artemis

In recent days we’ve watched the NASA Artemis II mission that successfully sent four astronauts around the dark side of the moon. Human beings have now traveled a greater distance from the earth than ever before in history. Period. We’re talking about a distance greater by thousands of miles. As we watched the mission unfold, it was interesting to note the language coming from the astronauts—language filled with wonder that at least implies a creator. And then we saw the photographs—new, high-qu...

Apr 15, 20261 min

Ed Morrissey: It Is Dangerous to Play a Game of Chicken Against Donald Trump

The Iranians had one reasonable chance to negotiate an end to the war. Donald Trump sent J.D. Vance, reportedly a skeptic of military action, to Islamabad to lead the American delegation. The Pakistan government urged the Iranians to take this seriously. Instead, the IRGC junta refused to negotiate at all on the main points of the conflict, especially their pursuit of nuclear weapons and claims of sovereign control of the Strait of Hormuz. Then: Trump ordered a blockade of all Iranian shipping t...

Apr 13, 20261 min

Ed Morrissey: It Is Dangerous to Play a Game of Chicken Against Donald Trump

The Iranians had one reasonable chance to negotiate an end to the war. Donald Trump sent J.D. Vance, reportedly a skeptic of military action, to Islamabad to lead the American delegation. The Pakistan government urged the Iranians to take this seriously. Instead, the IRGC junta refused to negotiate at all on the main points of the conflict, especially their pursuit of nuclear weapons and claims of sovereign control of the Strait of Hormuz. Then: Trump ordered a blockade of all Iranian shipping t...

Apr 13, 20261 min

Hugh Hewitt: Fundamental Things Afoot in the Middle East

The ceasefire in Iran will be a big win for President Trump if the Strait opens and stays open — and we’ll know over the course of the two weeks whether or not that happens. If it does: The world’s oil supply will surge a bit and the remnants of the Iranian regime will have a chance to inventory the destruction that has rained down on their forces for five weeks. If the Strait doesn’t reopen—or the attacks on Israel or our Gulf allies don’t cease—another round of the third Gulf war will soon com...

Apr 13, 20261 min
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