Luke Coffey, Margaret Thatcher Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, joins the show to talk about Margaret Thatcher.

Charlie Rangel believes that the new pope should be pro-choice and same-sex marriage. Bill Donahue calls him a disgrace. What do you think?

Louis Gohmert came on today to discuss entitlement spending and perhaps banning Obama from playing golf? Give a listen

Attorney-General Eric Holder says that drone strikes against Americans on US soil could be legal under some circumstances. CJ finds this disturbing and asks whether Lt. General Thomas McInerney agrees. Ernest and the general agree on where the boundaries must be drawn.

There's always competition in the annual Girl Scout cookie sales. But Ernest tells a story about calling the police and applying other pressure to stop one troop from being "too" successful. Is crony capitalism so rampant in business that it now infects the great American tradition of Girl Scout cookie sales?

"I don't believe people should be able to own guns," Obama told our guest. At the University of Chicago, Barack Obama was radically anti-gun and would not even shake hands with firearms scholar Dr. John Lott, PhD. Lott describes their encounters and Obama's dishonesty. (More in his new book, At The Brink: Will Obama Push Us Over the Edge?)

What some call a crisis is actually an opportunity, as Sen. Rand Paul (R, KY) explains. (WARNING: Straight talk!)

James Franco ad-libs his line to start NASCAR's Daytona 500--and disses Danica Patrick rather than giving her recognition. (Plus Ernest reveals that NASCAR is in cahoots with the EPA!)

MSNBC panelists tell racist jokes live on the air. Ernest and CJ say this is a liberal double-standard.

MD gun store owner, Frank Krazner, says Maryland cancelled his gun exhibit 30 days before the event. Now Frank is out a gig and out a paycheck. Where does it end?

Kimberley Munley tells her story on Istook Live!

We give you the big picture. President Obama used her as a political prop for his State of the Union speech, then decreed it was only "workplace violence" that killed soldiers at Fort Hood.

Her personal interview starts at 6:30, but get the full perspective by listening to our special presentation.

She asked us to encourage everyone to visit www.forthoodmovie.com, the website of the Coalition of Fort Hood Heroe, to learn about the movie that will tell the victims' stories, to provide help to the families of the 13 killed and 43 wounded by terrorist Major Nidal Hissan.

The Istook Live team questions their preparedness for disasters in America. What are you bringing to the bunker? CJ says she needs to stock and Matt just wants his blankie.

A high school coach is suspended from his job after commenting on Michelle Obama's posterior. Is this fair? CJ and Ernest don't think so!

Cj pushes for psych tests for gun owners and Ernest pushes back! Should the government require psychological evaluations as part of universal background checks? Take a listen as the gloves come off!

In an effort to appease gun toting Americans, the White House released a photo of the President's favorite pastime, skeet shooting. But they were very careful to warn against photos and captions........yeah, right.

Heritage Foundation's Jim Carafano says the latest suicide bomb in Turkey should come as no surprise.

Lt. Col. Tony Schaffer talks with Ernest about the dangerous reality of the consulate attacks in Libya and the future of our national security

Obama says illegal immigrants "broke the rules". Ernest says this isn't just a simple game of monopoly.

In NYC, Jason Mattera gets the short end of the stick after approaching Mayor Michael Bloomberg with an illegal substance

Because taking your soda wasn't enough, Bloomberg is now after your guns. But Jason Mattera says Bloomberg still wants to keep his armed security detail

Ernest thinks President Obama may be spending the weekend making Superbowl predictions. But what about his concerns over head injuries?

President Obama says that he goes skeet shooting on a regular basis, but he'd never let his son play pro football. Pull out the sandals 'cause Obama's flip flopping again!

Mary provides the perfect solution for for the moronic decisions of elected officials

Penny Nance with Concerned Women for America joins Ernest and Mary to discuss the ban lift on women serving on the front lines.

Why is the media more obsessed with Manti T'eo's "girlfriend" than Hillary's Clinton's recent testimony on Benghazi. Mary Walter says we've all just gotten lazy.

Hillary Clinton has testified in the Benghazi hearings but Ernest and Gayle aren't quote satisfied. Do we still have reason to be concerned about the security of Americans abroad?

North Korea's rockets may not be the best, but Ernest says you can't goof around with the enemy.

Gayle and Ernest discuss the things you may not have know about Monday's big inauguration, like who paid for it!

Cj says she loved Michelle Obama's inaugural ball gown by Jason Wu. Ernest says "Jason who?"

With the situation in Algeria following Benghazi so closely, Heritage Foundation's Jim Carafano warns that perhaps America has been lured into a false sense of security over time.

Guest co host Cj Wheeler tells Ernest about her fascinating trip downtown on the morning of Obama's second Presidential inauguration.

Former Attorney General, Ed Meese joins Ernest and Cj to discuss Presidential inaugurations during the Reagan years and the failures to compromise by the current administration.

Ernest's guest co-host CJ Wheeler gets into it with Victoria Jones, White House reporter with Talk Radio News, as Ernest tries to discuss whether a teleprompter was provided for the kids who were pushed out front during Obama's gun control announcement. CJ sees a problem that Victoria does not.

NRA President David Keene explains to Ernest and Gayle Trotter how mass killings are not prevented by a ban on assault weapons. He and Ernest explain the fallacy that limiting the size of ammunition clips would be a problem for killers--although it becomes a problem for those acting in self-defense.

NRA President David Keene discusses the National Rifle Association's response to President Obama's 23 new "executive actions" on gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting. This is the FULL INTERVIEW.

NRA President David Keene tells Ernest and guest co-host Gayle Trotter about the hundreds of death threats he's received since January 1. That's in addition to the "Kill David Keene" video game. He says they reflect President Obama's tactics.
Image is from notorious "Bullet to the Head of the NRA" video game.

Oops! FAA acts because two Northwest Airlines pilots flew 150 miles past their destination as they focused on laptop computers to play Angry Birds. And it's passengers whose devices are considered a safety threat? Yet Ernest and Gayle Trotter get distracted by that game, too.

According to President Obama's news conference, our Treasury must be missing $3-trillion! Before calling Inspector Closeau, listen as Ernest explains the clues to the mystery. Have we been robbed--or is Obama using imaginary savings in his speeches?

Ben Shapiro joins Ernest on the show to talk about his recent appearance on the Piers Morgan Show and the crazy twists of the liberal agenda

Armstrong confessed to doping during a taped interview with Oprah Winfrey which will air this week, but is it enough? Cj and Ernest get down to the real reason behind Lance's confession.

In the name of tolerance, a pastor was dis-invited from offering a prayer at President Obama's second inaugural--because the minister quote the Bible's scriptures against homosexuality. Guest co-host CJ Wheeler joins Ernest talking about homosexual marriage, atheist pastors, and inaugural events!

Witness the Firepower of the US Government with the team at Istook Live! Reasons White House rejected the petition: The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it. The Administration does not support blowing up planets. Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

He knows it's the butt of jokes, but Phil Diehl, former director of the U.S. Mint, defends issuance of a $1-trillion face value platinum coin, as an alternative to the political logjam on raising the borrowing limit of the federal government. He admits that this was never planned or even contemplated, but thinks it's okay to take advantage of a poorly-written law.

The Federal Reserve System would likely accept a $1-trillion platinum coin at face value, even though the Chinese and other creditors probably would not, according to Phil Diehl, the former director of the U.S. Mint who helped craft the now-controversial 1996 law.

Phil Diehl, former director of the U.S. Mint, admits that this was never planned or even contemplated

Ernest doesn't think Andrew Cuomo's theories are gun control are all that practical

Nick Tate explains the secrets behind the Obamacare law in his latest book "Obamacare Survival Guide"

Steve Forbes has a new book. Freedom Manifesto highlights the morality of the free market system and the need for competitive business

Jessica Zuckerman with The Heritage Foundation unveils the extra pork in Hurricane Sandy Aid Bill.

Al Gore and friends are selling their cable network, Current TV, to Al Jazeera. Will this add more propaganda and media bias, to compete with MSNBC and others?

As liberals and the media continue to blur the line between fact and fiction, Ernest explains how the entitlement attitude just doesn't work

Every $1 in higher taxes on $1-million+ incomes would cost our economy $20 in lost GDP, according to Will McBride, PhD, the chief economist of the Tax Foundation. His just-completed study of Speaker Boehner's Plan B shows our economy would take a $145-billion annual hit. He discusses that with Ernest. The written study is online. Click here

For 25 years, Dr. Brad Bushman, PhD., has studied how violent media increase violent behavior--sometimes in deadly ways. This Ohio State professor of communication and psychology explains why the impact from violent video games is so much greater than the influence of any other form of media. Click here for his article on the Newtown killings.

Atheists and humanists are actively pushing to end our Christmas celebrations. Why? And how does it compare to the threats of too much commercialization that promotes materialism? Bill Donohue with the Catholic League explains why the fight for Christmas rages on.

Emilie Parker's face is the most-often-seen among the children killed in Newtown, Connecticut. She is described by Brett Keller, who serves as bishop in the church her family attends, the Newtown Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Full interview with Bishop Brett Keller, as he describes the impact on Newtown, Connecticut, its people and its families, after 20 children and 6 adults were brutally killed at Shady Hook Elementary School.

Immigrants to America bring vast varieties of talents, traditions, food, music, and more. Ernest explains how the melting pot phenomenon creates a rich stew, so long as we can bind together with our common elements also, such as English.

U.S. taxpayers bailed out financial giant AIG. China is paying almost $5-billion for 80% of a major AIG asset--a fleet of hundreds of passenger jets that are leased to the airlines. The price may be fair, but when the leases expire, will those planes stay in the states? Or fly to Asia to serve the growth of aviation there? China economic expert Derek Scissors talks with Ernest.

A new book by two young scholars (one a Rhodes Scholar) and a Princeton/Harvard professor refutes the notion that same-sex marriage is opposed only by the old or supported by all intellectuals. They challenge George Will's statement that reversal of traditional marriage is "an emerging consensus" or that it is a position only of "old people" who are dying out.

By removing four House members from their committees, Republican leaders demonstrated they don't understand that loyalty is owed to the Constitution, not to party leaders, according to Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator of Tea Party Patriots.

If the NFL abolishes kickoffs--in the name of safety--they might instead give the ball back to the scoring team, 4th and 15 from their own 30. Ernest has a better option that keeps the kickoffs but improves safety. Listen and learn.

Somebody has to pay for all those gifts! Santa is re-elected by appealing to middle-class elves. He makes the privileged reindeer pay their fair share to keep the North Pole going.

Making millionaires isn't very popular in the White House these days--and the courts decided that the TV show wasn't that good at sharing the money either.

Obamacare may provide a backdoor opportunity for states to attract more jobs--by not following orders from the federal government. Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute joins Ernest to figure out how.

Powerball winners are now rich--but they didn't build the lottery! Does that place them among the wealthy who President Obama wants to punish? Obviously they should pay their fair share of taxes, but does their wealth put them on a White House enemies' list?

If taxes go up, who could pay their Christmas bills come January? We should postpone the holiday until after Congress and Obama finish their work. Use the time to watch Congress and the White House like a Holiday Elf on the Shelf!

The U.S. Department of Transportation is working to finish a proposed new rule (RIN:2127-AK93) mandated by the Pelosi Congress (one of its last acts) and President Obama: Electric and hybrid cars must make more noise. The National Federation of the Blind requested this so vehicles could not sneak up on people. You can hear some of the proposed sounds that must be emitted; then imagine how you could drive and stay sane while listening to this.

We're disguising the real name and the real voice, so this well-connected lobbyist can freely spill the secrets of what's really going on in Washington,DC.

Listen and learn! And be ready for the next installment!

"We've lost the battle in Washington" but only for now, says Senator Jim DeMint(R, SC). Obama is out to destroy his opposition. DeMint says the President wants "to steamroll what's left of the Republican Party here in Washington."
But DeMint has not given up the fight. However, he says, the states must step up to prove the strength of conservative principles, while the GOP plays defense in Washington, DC.
Text of Ernest's full interview with Sen. DeMint is available HERE

Billionaire George Soros and other deep-pocketed Democrats created a pair of stealthy new research organizations, manned by Ivy League PhD's, to find methods for turning out rare voters. The multi-million-dollar effort gave Barack Obama the edge he needed for election and re-elction. Sasha Issenberg explains to Ernest what's in his book, The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns, and more. (Part 2 of 2)

Author of The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns, Sasha Issenberg spills the secrets of the nerds to Ernest--how the Obama campaign succeeded by leap-frogging the Right with a new level of high-tech, high-touch campaigning--aided by quiet left-wing investments in campaign think tanks that mastered the questions of how and why people make up their minds about voting. (Part 1 of 2)

President Obama is involved in a cover-up and is muzzling the military. So says the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Buck McKeon (R, CA), in an interview with Ernest. McKeon says the President needs to come clean with the American people.
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Maybe the printers are to blame? Ernest frets when he can't find some of the Left's modern-day "rights" in his copy of the Constitution!
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Could we just pick one? Do we need both politicians AND celebrities? Maybe we should elect "two-fers"? But what if that might mean electing Kim Kardashian?
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Would she stick with her oath if elected? The next day Ernest learns that Kim Kardasian in fact HAS talked about running for office. Now it's getting scary!
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Ernest explains how "tax reform" is a grab-bag term used to make you expect something positive--until you get something completely different.Tweet

Heritage Action for America's Tripp Baird explains where and how conservatives fell short in the 2012 elections--and how it changes the agenda in Washington, DC.
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Former Reagan Attorney-General Ed Meese talks about how President Obama skirts our laws and disrespects the Constitution, and prospects for Obama to appoint new Supreme Court members during his second term.
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Former Reagan Attorney-General Ed Meese talks about conservatives' need to adopt Reagan's optimism, and the legal and constitutional challenges that Obama will present in a second term.
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Former Democrat Leader Martin Frost of Texas predicts a big Election Day for Democrats--and Ernest disagrees.
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Cleta Mitchell describes how liberals plot to win in court even if they don't win at the ballot box--and how lawyers are primed nationwide for court challenges to the Presidential election.
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National Review writer Deroy Murdock got through Manhattan's hurricane-caused power outage just in time to attend the huge Romney rally in Pennsylvania.
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Jenny Beth Martin, National Coordinator of Tea Party Patriots, responds to President Obama's Tea Party slams and describes how the Tea Party are quietly turning out the vote.
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Leading Catholic writer and scholar Michael Sean Williams is a pro-life Democrat. He explains how Obama has alienated a major bipartisan constituency. (And guess who HE is voting for!)

California Tea Party members can't save their own state, but Rick Crain and others welcome them to Nevada in a massive grassroots person-to-person campaign push.
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President Obama is involved in a cover-up and is muzzling the military. So says the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Buck McKeon (R, CA), in an interview with Ernest. McKeon says the President needs to come clean with the American people.
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Dr. Harvey Rosen speaks with Ernest to set the record straight and to call out President Obama for getting things backward.
http://www.princeton.edu/~hsr/bio.html

All across America, teens are protesting Obama-sponsored restrictions on what they can eat for lunch. President Obama and First Lady Michele Obama sponsored new federal restrictions on the $11-billion-a-year school lunch program. The limit is 850 calories for lunch, most of which must be fruits and vegetables. Meat and carbohydrates are restricted.

President Obama and First Lady Michele Obama got what they wanted-a law passed in the lame-duck December 2010 Congress that is now being implemented upon America's children. Strict portion controls on school lunches are totally insufficient for many active teens--and the students are in open rebellion against the law.

International Business Times columnist, Kayleigh McEnany, tells us the slogan covers up the true agenda (and conceals the left's War on Men)

Heritage Foundation's James Carfano explains the situation and the politics surrounding the murders in Libya

After the murder of the US Ambassador to Libya, Patrick Knudesen talks about Chris Stevens' death and how it underscores our needs in defense and security spending.

Istook Live! listeners get the straight story right away! The morning after the murder of the US Ambassador to Libya, Jim Phillips provides straight talk about Chris Stevens' death and its linkage to radical Islam terrorists.

Ernest discusses the meaning and constitutional right to freedom of speech.

Ernest speaks with James Sherk, Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics at The Heritage Foundation, about how Timothy Geithner and the U.S. Treasury spearheaded the cutoff of the pensions of 20,000 non-union salaried retirees at the Delphi Company.

Ernest speaks with Andrew Grossman about how welfare reform's work requirements cannot be waived.

Ernest speaks with Bill Donohue about how much the same-sex movement is targeting Catholics, and the extent to which the Catholic League might be coordinating with other groups who are being targeted as well.

Host, Ernest Istook, and guest, Hans Von Spakovsky, discuss the tax power of ObamaCare and its effect on the American people.

Host, Ernest Istook, discusses the Supreme Court's recent ruling on ObamaCare.

Host, Ernest Istook, discusses the the use of the High Way Trust fund, and it's effect on transportation subsidies.

Ernest speaks to Rep. Louis Gohmert about Friday's shooting in Aurora, CO.

Host, Ernest Istook, and Executive Producer, Kate Brewster, discuss Mayor Bloomberg's new Soda law, and America's dependence on the government.

The EPA's and Nascar's collaboration to create "green" products

Steve Cooksey, publisher of the blog Diabetes-Warrior, on North Carolina's insistence it's illegal to promote healthy living without a license.