HOST
Penna Dexter
Co-Host — Point of View
For eight years Penna Dexter served as co-host on Point of View with founder Marlin Maddoux. Following his passing in 2004, she has served as co-host and frequently as Kerby Anderson’s guest host. Her...
GUESTS
Dr. Merrill Matthews
Resident Scholar — Institute for Policy Innovation
Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, a research-based, public policy “think tank.” He is a health policy expert and weekly contributor at Forbes.co...
Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, a research-based, public policy “think tank.” He is a health policy expert and weekly contributor at Forbes.com. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Dr. Matthews is a past president of the Health Economics Roundtable for the National Association for Business Economics, the largest trade association of business economists. Dr. Matthews also served for 10 years as the medical ethicist for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s Institutional Review Board for Human Experimentation, and has contributed chapters to several books, including Physician Assisted Suicide: Expanding the Debate and The 21st Century Health Care Leader and, in 2009, Stop Paying the Crooks (on Medicare fraud). He has been published in numerous journals and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Barron’s, USA Today, Forbes magazine and the Washington Times. He was an award-winning political analyst for the USA Radio Network. Dr. Matthews received his Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas
Keisha Russell
Associate Counsel — First Liberty Institute
Keisha Russell is Associate Counsel with First Liberty Institute, concentrating on religious liberty matters and First Amendment rights. Russell attended Emory University School of Law, where she w...
Keisha Russell is Associate Counsel with First Liberty Institute, concentrating on religious liberty matters and First Amendment rights. Russell attended Emory University School of Law, where she was heavily involved in Emory’s prestigious Center for the Study of Law and Religion. She served on the Emory Journal of Law & Religion and two moot court teams. She was a law clerk for the Center’s Restoring Religious Freedom Project where she worked on religious liberty litigation. In her final year of law school, Russell worked as a law clerk for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) on national and international matters affecting Israel. Russell was also selected for a legal clinic with the Emory Barton Child Law and Policy Center. She trained with a political expert and advocated for children at the Georgia state capitol. Russell was selected by Emory University as a Graduating Woman of Excellence. Prior to joining First Liberty, Russell earned a Bachelor’s in Communications from University of Central Florida and a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Southern California. She was a 2011 Teach For America corps member and taught elementary special education in Atlanta. Russell is most passionate about protecting religious freedom for children in America’s schools.
Unemployment Rate
On July 2 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 850,000 in June, and the unemployment rate was littl...
Recognizing Critical Race Theory
The definition of critical race theory is a mystery, according to many educators—but they sure know what isn’t critical race theory: whatever they’re...
Christians Engaged Gets Tax-exempt Status
After sparking national backlash with its decision to reject the tax-exempt status request for a Texas-based Christian group, the IRS has now reversed...
DC Settles Church Opening Dispute with First Liberty Client
The District of Columbia won’t enforce “current or future” restrictions on worship services of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church, or CHBC, settling a fe...
Supreme Court Takes Maine School Choice Case
The Supreme Court has decided to take on a case from Maine that could permanently change how school choice programs operate across the nation.
Viewpoints
View All
Summer Jobs
Summer jobs for teenagers have been disappearing, and Harvard professor Roland Fryer has some explanations. He quickly dismissing many of the reasons given: AI, tariffs, and gas prices. He reminds us...
Downplaying “Pride”
Although it’s Pride month, June hasn’t seen much LGBT hoopla here in Texas. The Washington Stand reports that throughout the country, such celebrating “has been dialed back to a stunning degree.” The...
God in the Capitol
This year millions of Americans will visit our nation’s capital to celebrate our 250th anniversary. I have encouraged many who plan to visit Washington, DC to look for all the references to God in the...
Take Action
View All
Support the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act
The abortion pill harms women and kills unborn children. Congress must act.
Contact Congress About the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2025
Congress needs to get the job done, not run away from work.