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On February 22, 2026, the Mexican military successfully neutralized Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, the elusive leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The fallout was immediate: a coordinated wave of violence involving over 250 roadblocks, burning vehicles, and attacks on security forces across 20 Mexican states. In this episode, we break down the high-stakes military operation in Tapalpa, the unprecedented intelligence sharing between the Sheinbaum administration and the U.S. government, and the "ghost town" atmosphere currently gripping Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. Key Topics Discussed:The Operation: How Mexican Special Forces, aided by U.S. Northern Command intelligence, tracked El Mencho to a remote cabin via a romantic partner.The Retaliation: Analysis of the "specular violence" used by CJNG, including the deaths of 25 National Guard members and prison breaks in Jalisco.The Power Vacuum: Who is next? We look at potential successors like "El Jardinero" and "El RR" and the risk of the cartel fracturing.Travel Impact: What the U.S. State Department's "shelter in place" orders mean for tourists and the upcoming 2026 World Cup matches in Guadalajara.Political Fallout: How this "kingpin" strategy shift affects relations between President Claudia Sheinbaum and the Trump administration.Safety Alert: As of February 24, 2026, travel advisories remain in effect for Jalisco, Michoacán, and Colima. Listeners in these regions are advised to monitor local authorities and avoid major highways.

(Feb 25, 2026) A New York Focus investigation found the state police has no clear standard for disciplining troopers, and troopers found guilty of misconduct were given lax or inconsistent treatment. We talk with the reporter who sorted through the documents. Also: Some state lawmakers, including Adirondack Senator Dan Stec, are questioning the continued use of the National Guard to help staff state prisons.

Stay connected with us at americangroundradio.com, on Facebook, and Instagram. You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for February 24, 2026. In this episode of American Ground Radio, we dive into the explosive violence rocking Mexico after the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader "El Mencho." American tourists are trapped in resorts like Puerto Vallarta amid cartel roadblocks, explosions, and attacks on the National Guard—raising urgent questions about safety for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Mexico. We discuss President Trump's tough stance: if Mexico can't dismantle the cartels fueling drugs and human trafficking across our border, the U.S. may have to act decisively, echoing historical interventions like the hunt for Pancho Villa. Plus, ahead of President Trump's first State of the Union address of his second term, we break down his expected highlights: a 96% drop in illegal border crossings (from hundreds of thousands under Biden to historic lows), economic wins, and calls to keep Republicans in Congress to protect his agenda. We expose Democrat plans to bring illegal immigrants as guests—literally giving seats to non-citizens over Americans—and slam anti-Second Amendment bills in states like Virginia and Minnesota that treat gun owners harsher than violent criminals. Don't miss the fun segment with our American Mamas on what Gen X got right: killer music, real consequences, strong work ethic, and face-to-face social skills that built resilience. And if you'd like to Ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button. Tune in for unfiltered truth, bright spots in border security, and a reminder to confront reality before it confronts us. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and visit AmericanGroundRadio.com for more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last night’s State of the Union Address was, though indirectly, in many ways largely indicative of the ‘State of our Union’; irascible, beleaguered, gaslighted, schizophrenic. Despite getting sidetracked for a bit on today’s episode, below you’ll find my extensive coverage of last night’s SOTU, including a timestamped breakdown of my live observations while watching. You’re sure to find some things the MSM has obfuscated or ignored… #Links American civil religion, ceremonial deism, apotheosis American civil religion – Wikipedia The Apotheosis of Washington – Wikipedia Ceremonial deism – Wikipedia Biblical Religion and Civil Religion in America by Robert N. Bellah The Network / Enterprise / Octopus Unlimited Hangout podcast, Ep. #37, One Nation Under Blackmail[1] Bruce Hemmings quote 37-Audiogram.mp4 Linda McMahon – Wikipedia #SOTU 2026 Coverage Online sources: Video: C-SPAN LIVE: Trump delivers State of the Union address (full speech) – AP – YouTube Video + Transcript: Donald Trump: State of the Union Address – Roll Call SOTU Donald Trump: State of the Union Address – Roll Call Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address, 2026 – Ballotpedia President Donald J. Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address – The White House – YouTube President Trump 2026 State of the Union Address & Democratic Response – C-SPAN – YouTube WATCH: Trump delivers State of the Union address, Va Gov. Spanberger gives Dem response – Fox News – YouTube Rebuttal Democratic Response to State of the Union Address | Video | C-SPAN.org State of the Union Democratic Response: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to deliver party’s rebuttal | FOX 5 DC Reaction Pelosi Joins CNN Following The State of The Union Address – Nancy Pelosi – YouTube WATCH: Key moments from Trump’s 2026 State of the Union – PBS NewsHour – YouTube Key moments from Trump’s State of the Union – Washington Post – YouTube Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address 2026 – Jimmy Kimmel Live – YouTube Pod Save America Hosts on Trump’s State of the Union, the Epstein Files & Writing Speeches for Obama – Jimmy Kimmel Live – YouTube LIVE Monologue: A Dark Speech Filled With Divisive Lies | USA Women’s Hockey Gets A Better Offer – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – YouTube Fact-Checking Fact checking Trump’s State of the Union address | CNN Politics PolitiFact | Live fact-check: Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address Fact-checking Trump’s State of the Union address | ABC News Fact checking Trump’s SOTU speech live: His remarks on Iran, tariffs, ICE, Supreme Court, and more | Hindustan Times Live fact-checking Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address | PBS News Follow PolitiFact’s live fact-check of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union – Poynter A look at Trump’s false and misleading claims in his State of the Union address | AP News Fact checking President Trump’s State of the Union address A Pre-SOTU Guide to Trump’s Economic Claims – FactCheck.org The State of the Union (According to Trump): Live Updates Protests Democratic Lawmakers Protest Pres. Trump’s State of the Union Address | Video | C-SPAN.org Celebrities, Lawmakers & Fmr. Gov’t Officials Gather to Protest State of the Union Address | Video | C-SPAN.org WATCH LIVE: Epstein survivors join House Democrats ahead of Trump’s State of the Union – PBS NewsHour – YouTube Epstein Saga Lawmakers & Epstein Survivors Hold Briefing Ahead of State of the Union | Video | C-SPAN.org Epstein Abuse Survivor Attending State of the Union Asks, “Where Are the Rest of the Files?” | Video | C-SPAN.org SOTU Related Headlines Trump boasts of a ‘golden age’ in State of the Union amid sharp partisan divisions | LA Times Trump says State of the Union will be ‘long speech’: What’s the record? | The Hill Trump set an all-time record with his second joint address on March 4, 2025, clocking in at one hour, 39 minutes and 32 seconds. Viewers disturbed by Trump’s ‘joyous look’ describing graphic violence and murder | Alternet Iran reacts to Trump’s 2026 State of the Union, accuses him of “big lies” | CBS News Trump brutally shut down when he tried to give himself the Medal of Honor | The Mirror Woman severely injured by Trump’s ICE thrown out of State of the Union | Raw Story Trump’s stare down with Mark Kelly ignites MAGA meltdown | Alternet Trump defends immigration crackdown at State of Union as approval ratings plummet | LA Times Speechwriters split after Trump’s record-breaking SOTU: ‘Living in his own reality’ vs. ‘Resounding speech’ | Fox News Here are all the awards Trump announced during his State of the Union | CBS News Yelling Trump Gets Into Wild Screaming Match with Democrats | The Daily Beast I went to Trump’s State of the Union. This was the moment when the room’s mood shifted. | Business Insider Pelosi explains white buttons at State of the Union address | The Hill Takeaways from Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress | Reuters Other Headlines Regarding the ‘State of the Union’ Judge Aileen Cannon bars the release of special counsel report on Trump’s handling of classified documents | CNN Politics Ro Khanna Claimed Epstein Visited ‘CIA Headquarters.’ It Was Almost Certainly An Hermès Design Studio. Another Black Man Found Hanging Quickly Ruled a Suicide Grandfather kidnapped from his bed and murdered in case of mistaken identity, police say 4 people fatally stabbed outside home near Seattle, suspect shot dead by deputy 2 Missouri deputies killed, 2 wounded after suspect opens fire Kristi Noem, DHS violated 1st Amendment by using facial recognition software to intimidate citizens observing them, complaint says Discord cuts ties with Peter Thiel–backed verification software after its code was found tied to U.S. surveillance efforts BMW to recall nearly 59,000 vehicles in US over damaged wiring harness, NHTSA says | Reuters US senators demand answers about utility companies’ ‘secret contracts’ with tech giants: ‘Forcing local communities to sign NDAs’ Bill Gates admits he had 2 affairs with Russian women, apologizes to staff over Jeffrey Epstein ties Trump’s ICE Is Quietly Stockpiling Weaponry—and It Should Alarm Us All Trump Administration Moves to Allow Intelligence Agencies Easier Access to Law Enforcement Files Son turns on his lawmaker dad for using ‘Epstein loophole’ to avoid jail for allegedly touching kids: ‘Inexplicable trauma’ ‘This should terrify you’: Meta Superintelligence safety director lost control of her AI agent—it deleted her emails Nearly two-thirds of companies have lost track of their data just as they’re letting AI in through the front door to wander around #Fact Check Drawn from CNN’s Fact checking Trump’s State of the Union address. For more balanced, detailed coverage, see PolitiFact article. Claim Rebuttal Source Rebuttal ‘$18 trillion’ in investments CNN’s Daniel Dale “…the White House’s own website said the figure for “major investment announcements” during this Trump term was “$9.7 trillion,” and even that is a major exaggeration; a detailed CNN review in [Oct 2025] found [WH counting trillions in] vague investment pledges, pledges that were about “bilateral trade” or “economic exchange” rather than investment in the US and vague statements that didn’t even rise to the level of pledges.” Low gas prices (2.30, 1.99, 1.85) CNN’s Daniel Dale According to AAA: only 2 states w/ avg < $2.50/gal; GasBuddy: 4:150k (.003%) gas stations w/ gas < $2/gal Inherited record inflation CNN’s Daniel Dale Dec, 2024 Y-O-Y inflation (CPI): 2.9% Inherited stagnant economy CNN’s Daniel Dale False (see details) Passed largest tax cuts (GBBB) in American history CNN’s Tami Luhby “It ranks seventh in terms of share of GDP since 1918, according to Chris Towner, policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan watchdog group.” Biden allowed ‘11,888 murderers’ to enter US as migrants CNN’s Daniel Dale ““11,888” number is about non-citizens who entered the US not just under Biden but over the course of multiple decades, including during Trump’s own first administration.” Foreign countries are paying T47 tariffs CNN’s Daniel Dale “In an analysis released in February, officials at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York wrote, “We find that nearly 90 percent of the tariffs’ economic burden fell on U.S. firms and consumers.”…[CBO] wrote in a February report that “the net effect of tariffs is to raise U.S. consumer prices by the full portion of the cost of the tariffs borne domestically (95 percent)”…” Fraud in Minnesota CNN’s Daniel Dale “…Walz admin official said in December that they had “evidence of tens of millions of dollars in fraud to this point,” not $9[/18/19] billion…” US elections claims CNN’s Daniel Dale Disputed (see details) More Americans are working today than ever CNN’s Daniel Dale “The labor force participation rate, which measures the percentage of the population that is employed or actively looking for work, has been almost unchanged…” Ended eight wars CNN’s Daniel Dale Largely disputed (see details) Achieved no tax on Social Security CNN’s Tami Luhby Disputed, misleading (see details) Balancing the federal budget by ending fraud CNN’s Tami Luhby 2024 GAO estimate “found that [$233–521B] is lost to fraud annually. But the federal budget deficit came in at just under $1.8 trillion for the most recent fiscal year, which ended in September, according to the Treasury Department – more than triple the highest estimated fraud total.” #Contemporaneous Notes Duration: 01:47:43 (longest SOTU in history – breaking the modern record he set last year.) Timestamp (approx. w/ lag) CH Notes N/A No mention of Epstein or Trump / Epstein Files! Despite many survivors in chamber. No mention of Renee Good, Alex Pretti. T19:13:57-07:00 …our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before. T19:13:58-07:00 “This is the Golden age of America.” T19:14:36-07:00 “…we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages. It is indeed a turnaround for the ages.” T19:15:04-07:00 And we will never go back to where we were just a very short time ago. We’re not going back. T19:16:03-07:00 “Illegal aliens” / border T19:16:35-07:00 past 9 mo “ZERO illegal aliens admitted” T19:18:22-07:00 Inflation: 1.7% T19:18:37-07:00 Gas as low as 2.30 – 1.99 – 1.85 T19:19:08-07:00 Mortgage rates T19:20:25-07:00 $18T [in foreign investment] “pouring in from all over the globe.” T19:21:14-07:00 70k new construction jobs (AI Data centers?) T19:21:34-07:00 Oil, ‘new partner’, Venezuela: 80M barrels of oil T19:22:35-07:00 100% of all new jobs created, private sector T19:22:42-07:00 We ended DEI in America T19:23:32-07:00 The State of our Union is Strong T19:23:43-07:00 Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, please, please, please, Mr. President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore. We’re not used to winning in our country. Until you came along, we were just always losing, but now we’re winning too much. And I say no, no, no, you’re going to win again. You’re going to win big; you’re going to win bigger than ever. (Narcissistic rant) T19:24:40-07:00 U.S. Men’s Olympic (Gold Medal) Hockey Team… Connor Hellebuyck… T19:26:22-07:00 U.S. Women’s Olympic hockey team “will soon be coming to the White House” (the team declined invitation to attend WH SOTU)[2][3] T19:28:57-07:00 I will soon be presenting Connor with … the highest civilian honor in our country, the Presidential Medal of Freedom T19:31:05-07:00 World Cup and Olympics coming to America T19:36:20-07:00 …government answers to the people, not the powerful… T19:37:27-07:00 GBBB, Republicans voted for it, all Democrats voted against it. T19:38:04-07:00 only if car is made in America T19:38:29-07:00 Megan [Hemhauser]’s story (child tax credit) T19:39:44-07:00 Trump Accounts, “Tax-free child investment accounts”, supporters; Michael & Susan Dell, Brad Gerstner (“hedge fund mgr”, founder, Altimeter Capital) T19:41:14-07:00 “$100k by the time they turn 18 – or a lot more (Uh…??) – go to TrumpAccounts.gov” T19:41:55-07:00 Dow hit 50k, S&P hit 7k T19:43:43-07:00 Tariffs: ‘country-saving, peace-protecting, time-tested and approved’… taking the great financial burden off the people… T19:44:47-07:00 A POTUS who put’s America first. I love America T19:45:11-07:00 For decades before I came along… T19:45:47-07:00 11,888 (illegal alien) murders T19:46:46-07:00 “They [Democrats] knew their statements were a dirty, rotten, lie.” T19:47:13-07:00 ” The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, rent, is lower today than when I took office, by a lot. And even beef, which was very high, is starting to come down significantly.” T19:47:56-07:00 Crushing cost of healthcare. I want to stop large pmts to healthcare co’s, and give it to the people. (Isn’t it already the peoples’ money??) T19:49:25-07:00 Deflating prescription drug costs… Other presidents said they would, tried… didn’t do it… I got it done… T19:50:29-07:00 “So in my first year of the second term, should be my third term, but strange things happen.” (doublespeak, like Whitney Webb’s Bruce Hemmings quote[1:1]) T19:50:54-07:00 “… price differences of 300, 400, 500, 600 percent and more, (impossible) all available right now at a new website called TrumpRX.gov – and I didn’t name that one either, BTW.” T19:51:15-07:00 Catherine Rayner (IVF) story T19:54:34-07:00 We want homes for people, not corporations T19:54:49-07:00 Making it easier for people to save. Protecting Social Security & Medicare T19:55:24-07:00 Avg. 401k bal up $30k (How the AF can they possibly know that??? WH / POTUS should NOT know those numbers! If they know that, what else do they know??) T19:56:11-07:00 Members of Congress should not benefit (What about WH & friends???) from using inside information (ironic! Based on last point) Pass the Insider Trading Act right away. T19:57:19-07:00 MN – members of Somali community pillaging community, $19B. War on Fraud to be led by JD Vance. T19:59:32-07:00 Dalilah Coleman’s story (child, hit by illegal alien w/ CDL – interesting NOTE: spelling variations: Delilah / Dalilah Law) T20:01:34-07:00 Angel moms & families. Lizbeth Medina’s story (stabbed 25+ times by Rafeal Govea Romero) T20:04:00-07:00 Democrat(‘s) shutdown. Helping people clean up the snow. T20:05:20-07:00 First responsibility of American Gov is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. T20:07:13-07:00 You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up (Heckling: Justice Democrats [Omar, Tlaib][4][5][6][7] primarily shouting back) T20:08:11-07:00 I’m asking you to approve the SAVE America Act. It’s very simple: all voters must show voter ID, proof of citizenship to vote. No more crooked mail-in ballots, except for… Polling at 89%, incl Dems. Even Communist NY Mayor wants shovelers to show 2 forms of ID + SS card T20:11:37-07:00 Sage Blair (& mom, Michelle), gender transition story T20:13:47-07:00 Look – nobody stands up. These people are crazy. … Democrats have destroyed the country. But we’ve stopped it, just in time. T20:14:27-07:00 First Lady – now a movie star. T20:15:29-07:00 Sierra Burns (Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence Program participant) and Everest Nevraumont (11-year-old Alpha School student, AI-advocate, and TedX speaker) representing Melania Trump’s BE BEST Fostering the Future initiative.[8] T20:16:22-07:00 [Then, immediately after] …Christianity, and belief in God. … My great friend, Charlie Kirk. … martyred… Erika is with us tonight. [Fake Tammy Faye tears – and did she mouth ‘I miss you’ to Trump??] T20:17:35-07:00 America is one nation under God, and we must reject political violence of any kind T20:17:59-07:00 We love religion. It’s making a great comeback T20:18:50-07:00 [Aug 22, 2025 killing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee] Iryna Zarutska T20:20:41-07:00 Starting last summer, I deployed National Guard and federal law enforcement to restore law and order to our most dangerous cities, incl.; Memphis TN, New Orleans LA, Washington DC T20:22:15-07:00 Sarah Beckstrom’s story T20:27:23-07:00 In my first 10 months I ended eight wars, incl.; (1) Cambodia and Thailand, (2) Pakistan and India, (3) Kosovo and Serbia, (4) Israel and Iran, 5 Egypt and Ethiopia, (6) Armenia and Azerbaijan, (7) the Congo and Rwanda “and, of course, (8) the war in Gaza”. Isn’t it funny? They’re sick people. Cambodia and Thailand… Thank you Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for your help. And I also want to thank the man they report to; Sec. of State, Marco Rubio. … I think he’ll go down as the best ever. Under the cease fire, every hostage, living & dead, has been returned home. T20:31:42-07:00 And we’re working very hard to end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine… 25k soldiers die each mo. T20:32:12-07:00 Operation Midnight Hammer (Iranian attack) T20:33:57-07:00 [Iran] building weapons that will soon reach America… Renewing their sinister efforts… We haven’t heard those words; ‘We will never have a weapon…’ I will never allow the world’s #1 sponsor of terror (U.S.?!?) to have a nuclear weapon. (Are we de-nuking, then???) T20:35:43-07:00 we call ‘peace through strength’… and it’s been very effective. (and Orwellian) T20:38:06-07:00 We got a lotta money… (Really??? Not the American people???) T20:40:39-07:00 In January (Venezuela) …one of the most spectacular and impressive military feats. … Space Force is my baby. Nicolas Maduro, to face justice… New Pres. of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez. T20:42:24-07:00 Alejandra Gonzalez (Venezuela) and her uncle story. Uncle released – and here tonight! Enrique, please come down. … Thank you, Enrique. Have a good time. (CREEPY! Esp. since I was thinking ‘Epstein Files’ – unmentioned, BTW! – in back of mind as Alejandra & Enrique embraced, but mostly emotionless) T20:46:34-07:00 CWO Eric Slover (Venezuelan invasion) story, wife Amy [Slover]‘s holy water… Nation’s highest military award: Congressional Medal of Honor T20:50:19-07:00 Met w/ [Slovers] at Fort Bragg – we got the name back. … Eric’s fellow warriors will soon be receiving awards @ WH. T20:51:14-07:00 One last living legend to honor before we go… WWII / Korean ‘War’ Navy pilot, Royce Williams (100 yr-old): Congressional Medal of Honor T20:54:54-07:00 [Draft dodger!] I’ve always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, they say I can’t give it to myself. But, if they ever open that up… T20:58:18-07:00 “And when God needs a nation to work his miracles, He knows exactly who to ask. There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome, no frontier too vast for us to conquer, no dream too bold for us to chase, no horizon too distant for us to claim. For our destiny is written by the hand of Providence and these first 250 years were just the beginning.” T20:59:07-07:00 From TX to MI to FL to Dakotas, from Philly to DC, “the Golden Age of America is upon us.” The Revolution that began in 1776 has not ended… b/c Flame of Liberty and independence still burns… Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless America. #Footnotes Unlimited Hangout podcast with Whitney Webb, Ep. #37, One Nation Under Blackmail (Aug 10, 2022) ︎ ︎ Why Team USA women’s hockey turned down invitation to White House State of the Union address – Yahoo Sports ︎ Trump joked he is being forced to invite the women’s hockey team to DC. Now, they’ve turned down his request ︎ WATCH: Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib Heckle Trump During State Of The Union, ‘You Killed Americans’ | US News – Times Now ︎ Ilhan Omar And Rashida Tlaib Leave State Of The Union Early After Heckling Trump ︎ ‘You have killed Americans’: Ilhan Omar tries to shout down Trump’s immigration attacks | CNN Politics ︎ Midwest ‘Squad’ members shout down Trump during GOP’s biggest State of the Union applause lines: ‘You’re killing Americans’ | The Independent ︎ First Lady Melania Trump’s State of the Union Guests Reflect Her Impact on Education, Tech, and the Foster Community – The White House ︎

La Crosse School Superintendent, Dr. Aaron Engel, in studio to discuss the possibility of another closing school building receiving a historic designation, the prospect of building an indoor competitive pool, and he explains what the governor’s “400-year veto” means for La Crosse property taxes. We also discussed Engel taking a new role in the National Guard as Senior Army Medical Department Branch Advisor at the Joint Force Headquarters in Madison. In that regard, we discussed what a potential deployment would look like if the U.S. went to war, and the Guard's history of helping with elections. In terms of school district issues, Engel provided an update on last fall’s $53.5 million referendum, noting that the district will break ground on the new elementary school Monday. We also spent time on the proposal to build an indoor pool on the north side, including a working group exploring how the district and city could collaborate on the project. In the second half of the show, we discussed Emerson Elementary School being nominated for a historic designation. The school is scheduled to close at the end of the 2026-27 school year, and the district is currently exploring future uses for the site. Engel expressed frustration with the timing of the nomination, citing the Lincoln Middle School sale as a warning for how historic status can limit developer interest. He also floated the idea that the city could come up with a more predictable process for designating buildings as historic.. Lastly, Engel explained how the “400-year veto” works after the La Crosse School Board accepted the $325 increase in per-pupil spending. He calculated the move costs district households roughly $5 a year in property taxes for a $200,000 home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this episode of The Wright Report, Bryan provides new details on the high-stakes operation that killed cartel boss El Mencho, including CIA and Special Forces involvement, follow-on arrests across seven Mexican states, and why the crackdown could disrupt grocery prices, electronics supply chains, and travel plans in the weeks ahead. Bryan then previews President Trump's State of the Union address, breaking down the latest data on inflation, wages, deportations, crime rates, and housing, along with the psychological hurdle he faces with voters still feeling burned by the Biden-era economy. The episode closes with a stark look at what leading Democrats are promising if they retake the White House, including explicit vows of political retribution and a complete moratorium on deportations, raising serious questions about the future direction of the country.   "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: February 24 2026 Wright Report, El Mencho raid CIA Mexico operation, Jalisco New Generation Cartel crackdown, grocery price disruption Mexico trade partner, World Cup security cartel fight, Trump State of the Union economy immigration crime, inflation 2.4 percent wages up 4.3 percent, 2.5 million deportations Biden open border comparison, National Guard crime drop DC Chicago Memphis, Susan Rice retribution warning, Ana-lilia Mejía deportation moratorium proposal

Australians are being urged to reconsider travelling to Mexico after a deadly surge in cartel violence triggered by the killing of a notorious drug lord known as El Mencho. The leader of one of the country's largest cartels was fatally wounded during a military raid in Jalisco, sparking coordinated retaliatory attacks that have killed at least 25 members of Mexico's National Guard as well as several civilians.

pWotD Episode 3219: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 1,172,519 views on Monday, 23 February 2026 our article of the day is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes (17 July 1966 – 22 February 2026), commonly referred to by his alias "El Mencho", was a Mexican drug lord and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an organized crime group based in Jalisco. He was the most wanted person in Mexico and one of the most wanted in the United States at the time of his death. The U. S. government and the Mexican government were offering rewards of up to US$15 million and MXN$300 million, respectively, for information leading to his arrest.Oseguera Cervantes was wanted for drug trafficking, organized crime involvement, and illegal possession of firearms. El Mencho was allegedly responsible for coordinating global drug trafficking operations. Under his command, the CJNG became one of Mexico's leading criminal organizations.Born into poverty in the state of Michoacán, El Mencho grew avocados and dropped out of primary school before immigrating illegally to the U. S. in the 1980s. After being arrested several times, he was deported to Mexico in the early 1990s and worked for the Milenio Cartel. He eventually climbed to the top of the criminal organization and founded the CJNG after several of his bosses were arrested or killed.His notoriety was also a result of his aggressive leadership and sensationalist acts of violence against rival criminal groups and Mexican security forces alike. These attacks brought him increased government attention and an extensive manhunt. Security forces suspected he was hiding in a rural area of Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, or Colima, and that he was guarded by mercenaries with military training.On 22 February 2026, Oseguera was seriously wounded during a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco, and died of his gunshot wounds while being transported to Mexico City. The operation, aided by U. S. intelligence, triggered widespread retaliatory violence by the CJNG, including road blockades, vehicle fires, and clashes that killed at least 25 National Guard members.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:37 UTC on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Amy.

Four years ago today, the world changed as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In this episode of Ukrainapodden, we are joined by Petro Koshukov, International Cooperation Officer for the 13th Brigade «Khartiia» of the National Guard. Petro’s journey embodies the Ukrainian spirit of «horizontal mobilization»—from a civilian career in international development to conducting tactical reconnaissance with Special Operations Forces, and now bridging the gap between frontline combat and strategic reform. We dive deep into the current state of the war, focusing on the «Khartiia» Brigade's unique history. Originally a volunteer group from Kharkiv, it has evolved into a leading corps that integrates civilian management practices and business efficiency into the military. Petro explains why this human-centric approach and «bottom-up» reform are critical for survival on a «transparent battlefield» where FPV drones and advanced surveillance have made traditional maneuvers impossible. The discussion also addresses the strategic situation in Kupiansk, the limitations of Starlink in modern warfare, and the specific goals of the Ukrainian military delegation’s visit to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Petro highlights the need for faster decision-making and better «lessons learned» loops between Western industries and Ukrainian soldiers. Finally, Petro shares a moving reflection on his father’s home, Crimea, and his dream of returning there as a liberator. Keywords: Ukrainapodden, Khartiia Brigade, Petro Koshukov, military reform, drone warfare, Kupiansk, Norway-Ukraine relations, electronic warfare, Special Operations Forces, National Guard of Ukraine, 4-year anniversary, defense aid, miltech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

//The Wire//1900Z February 23, 2026////ROUTINE////BLUF: SECRET SERVICE NEUTRALIZES GUNMAN AT MAR-A-LAGO. BUILDUP CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EAST AS MASS EVACUATIONS BEGIN. CONFLICT REMAINS INTENSE IN MEXICO.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events-Mexico: Following yesterday's intense fighting in Jalisco, most airlines have canceled flights out of Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. The main hospital in Guadalajara was evacuated for a few hours, after CJNG forces threatened to attack the facility due to rumors that wounded Federal forces were being treated there. The National Guard base in San Juan de Los Lagos was attacked with explosives (possibly RPGs), which resulted in several casualties.Far to the north, schools throughout Baja and Tijuana have been cancelled for all levels of education until further notice, and various Cartel-affiliated social media pages have declared a 10:00pm curfew for civilians, announcing that anyone caught outside after this hour will be shot.Concerning casualties sustained so far, Government forces report a total of 25x KIA as of this morning, most of which occurred as a result of the attack on the National Guard base. For CJNG, casualties are not known, as they usually withdraw with their wounded/dead without disclosing casualty figures until much later (if at all).Analyst Comment: Officially, the position of the Federal government is that absolutely nothing is happening whatsoever. This morning, President Sheinbaum stated several times that no blockades were in place, no engagements took place at all this morning, and everything is perfectly calm. This is mostly a lie, as multiple arson attacks have been reported this morning, but it's the story that the federales are sticking to. It is true that the knee-jerk response yesterday was an intense flash-in-the-pan, however much more substantial resources are staging throughout the nation, as many different cartels get ready for a protracted fight, if that is the chosen course of action.At lower levels of government, officials are not taking any chances. Authorities being concerned enough to cancel classes and close businesses in Baja is interesting as most people thought that this state was entirely controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel...not CJNG. This also means that conflict is likely to spread throughout the country, not just Jalisco where the violence first began. Cross border-conflict has not yet been observed in American border towns just yet, however with the speed at which hostilities have developed, a hot, shooting war can break out in any location at any time.-HomeFront-Florida: Over the weekend, a suspected assassination attempt was reported at Mar-a-Lago, after an assailant armed with a shotgun and incendiary materials breached the inner perimeter of the compound. Sunday morning, the US Secret Service posted a press statement confirming that one suspect had been killed at Mar-a-Lago after breaching a perimeter fence.Analyst Comment: Due to the sensitivity of the site, zero details have been provided on where the suspect breached the fence, or where the individual was engaged within the compound. No information has been posted regarding the shooter's identity or motive for the attack.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: In the Middle East, wartime preparations continue as before. Meanwhile on the diplomatic front, negotiations between the United States and Iran are scheduled to resume in Geneva on Thursday. Over the weekend, the Iranian diplomatic delegation was presented with a letter from the United States, outlining the proposals for limits on the Iranian missile program. As the Iranians have stated from the very start that their missile program itself is not up for discussion in any way, they returned the letter, reportedly unopened. At the time, most surmised that this was the last chance the Iranians h

1. Criticism of Democratic Leaders on Law Enforcement Barack Obama, Gavin Newsom, and other Democratic figures are hostile toward law enforcement agencies, particularly ICE and National Guard deployments. Obama is quoted as describing some federal agents’ actions as “rogue,” which the speakers interpret as an attack on ICE. Gavin Newsom is criticized for comments comparing masked federal agents to authoritarian “secret police,” specifically referencing imagery associated with Germany’s past. Newsom’s claim that National Guard federalization was unprecedented. President Eisenhower’s 1957 use of federal authority to enforce desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. Newsom is “historically illiterate,” which later triggers a public Twitter exchange. 2. Newsom’s Response and the Dyslexia Angle Newsom accuses Ted Cruz of mocking his dyslexia. Cruz responds that “historically illiterate” referred to misunderstanding history, not reading ability. A social‑media back‑and‑forth unfolds, including jokes, memes, and comparisons of engagement statistics. Obama is: Highly partisan, Influential on younger progressive Democrats, Associated with cultural or “Marxist” ideological trends (as described by the speakers), Possibly influential behind the scenes during the Biden administration. Obama’s presidency contributed to increased political division. 3. Discussion of Tucker Carlson’s Recent Behavior Carlson has changed significantly since leaving Fox News. Anti‑Israel sentiment Hosting extremist guests Favoring authoritarians such as Putin or Iranian leadership Attacking Christian Zionists He may have ulterior financial or ideological motivations (while acknowledging no direct evidence). Carlson claimed Israeli airport officials detained him and questioned his team. Video footage showed him freely interacting with people at the airport, Israeli officials denied detaining him, A U.S. embassy statement also contradicted Carlson’s story. Carlson traveled to Israel to interview the ambassador but insisted on conducting the interview at the airport. Carlson claiming safety concerns while contrasting it with his willingness to travel in Russia or Qatar. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee set this year's first supplemental and enhancement budgets on Friday morning. Divides over the new reduction process were apparent in the debate on restoring tuition assistance for Idaho National Guard members.

It's Friday, February 20th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus 100 U.S. troops on the ground in Northeast Nigeria U.S. officials confirmed that roughly 100 U.S. troops arrived in Nigeria on Monday, tasked with a mission to train and equip Nigerian anti-terror forces in their ongoing struggle against the country's rising Islamic terrorist threat, reports International Christian Concern. About 200 troops are expected to be deployed in the coming weeks. Nigeria has witnessed an uptick in religious-based violence in the central and north by the Islamic Boko Haram terrorist group against Christians. The U.S. soldiers were sent to Bauchi State located in northeastern Nigeria at the invitation of the Nigerian government. British police arrested Prince Andrew Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the man formerly known as Prince Andrew before his royal title was stripped from him, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office at around 8:00am on his 66th birthday yesterday, reports The U.S. Sun. Andrew allegedly shared sensitive information with his pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the United Kingdom's trade envoy. He spent time in Vietnam, Singapore, China, and Hong Kong in October 2010 on taxpayer-funded official business and high-level trade talks. An email to Epstein on November 30, 2010, sent by Andrew's “Special Adviser” Amit Patel, contained four documents reporting on what had been discussed on his trip. The email and its four attachments were sent to Andrew at 4.57pm, and forwarded to multi- millionaire Jeffrey Epstein five minutes later, at 5.02pm. Cops also confirmed at the time that they were separately probing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Prince Andrew. Yesterday, police raided royal residences in Windsor and Norfolk. Andrew's brother, King Charles III, age 77, said, “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair, and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. They have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.” Andrew's arrest comes almost a year after Virginia Giuffre, a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her while she was a minor, committed suicide last April. Virginia's emotional brothers Sky and Daniel said: “At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty. On behalf of our sister, Virginia Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK's Thames Valley Police for their investigation, and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.” Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Black D.C. grandma about Trump:  “I love him!” Back in 2017, Forlesia Cook's grandson was murdered in cold blood in Washington D.C.  Yesterday, at the Black History Month Reception at the White House, she spoke glowingly about President Donald Trump's concern about her family and his willingness to send in the National Guard to D.C. to put the criminals behind bars, reports FoxNews.com. Listen. COOK: “One thing I like about him, he keeps it real, just like Grandma. I appreciate that because I can trust Him, because he tells exactly how he feel and what he think. Thank God for this President. (applause) “I am filled. My cup runneth over because he allowed his people to come to my house to interview me, to talk about the murder of my grandson. It seemed like nobody cared. I marched. I rallied. I pulled out other families in the District of Columbia that had murders and did not have answers. Ooh! We marched and we rallied. And nobody heard me, Democrats, until this Republican sent his people out there to interview me in my home. Have you ever heard of a thing? “Then they invited me twice before Congress to testify for the Beautiful Bill that's going to change crime in the District.  (applause)  If you kill somebody, okay, you take a life, you do life. Just that simple. (applause)  If you do a harsh crime, you do harsh time. Just that simple. “And then we need National Guard, and which we did years ago, he brought it on. “I love him. I don't want to hear nothing you got to say about that racist stuff. And don't be looking at me on the news hatin' on me because I'm standing up for somebody that deserves to be standin' up for. Get off the man's back. Let him do his job. He's doing the right thing. Back up off of me. And Grandma said it.” (applause) Cook cited Psalm 23:5 in her remarks.  The full verse says, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” President Trump was clearly touched by Forlesia Cook's passion and gratitude. TRUMP: “Thank you, darling. That's great, and it's from the heart. Your little baby was just so horribly taken from you. “Under the Trump administration, we believe that no community should be abandoned to the scourge of violent crime. We're saving 1000s and 1000s of lives in many cities. And frankly, if these radical left lunatic Democrats would come and say, ‘Please help us. Please,' we'd stop crimes all over the place. “Every town that we go in, every city that we go in, like Washington, Felicia, you feel much safer now, totally safe. You can walk to a restaurant. The restaurants were all closing. Now, the bad news is you can't get into a restaurant. It's a great thing to see what's happening in Washington.” American abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass remembered And finally, 131 years ago today, on February 20, 1895, American abolitionist Frederick Douglass met his maker. He was the most important leader of the American movement for black civil rights in the 19th century. After escaping from slavery in Maryland in 1838, Douglass became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. He gained fame for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. Accordingly, he was described by abolitionists, in his time, as a living counterexample to claims by supporters of slavery that enslaved people lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. Indeed, Northerners, at the time, found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been enslaved. It was in response to this disbelief that Douglass wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave in 1845.  It was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, as was his second book, written in 1855, entitled My Bondage and My Freedom. Following the Civil War, Douglass was an active campaigner for the rights of freed slaves and wrote his last autobiography entitled Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, February 20th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman join our podcast to discuss how psychedelic policy is actually moving in Washington, DC. Lavasani leads Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, a DC-based advocacy organization focused on educating federal officials and advancing legislation around psychedelic medicine. Kopelman is CEO of Mission Within Foundation, which provides scholarships for veterans and first responders seeking psychedelic-assisted therapy retreats, often outside the United States. The conversation centers on veterans, the VA, and why that system may be the first realistic federal pathway for psychedelic care. Early Themes Lavasani describes PMC's work on Capitol Hill, including hosting events that bring lawmakers, staffers, and advocates into the same room. Her focus is steady engagement. In DC, progress often happens through repeated conversations, not headlines. Kopelman shares his background as a Marine and how his own psychedelic-assisted therapy experience led him to Mission Within. The foundation has funded more than 250 scholarships for veterans and first responders seeking treatment for PTSD, mild traumatic brain injury, depression, and addiction. They connect this work to pending veteran-focused legislation and explain why the VA matters. As a closed health system, the VA can pilot programs, gather data, and refine protocols without the pressures of private healthcare markets. Core Insights A recent Capitol Hill gathering, For Veteran Society, brought together members of Congress and leaders from the psychedelic caucus. Lavasani describes candid feedback from lawmakers. The message was clear: coordinate messaging, avoid fragmentation, and move while bipartisan interest remains. Veteran healthcare is not framed as the final goal. It is a starting point. If psychedelic therapies can demonstrate safety and effectiveness within the VA, broader adoption becomes more plausible. Kopelman raises operational realities that must be addressed: Standardized safety protocols across providers Integration support, not medication alone Clear training pathways for clinicians Real-world data beyond tightly screened clinical trials They also address recent negative headlines involving ibogaine treatment abroad. Kopelman emphasizes the need for shared learning across providers, especially when adverse events occur. Lavasani argues that inconsistency within the ecosystem can slow federal confidence. Later Discussion and Takeaways The discussion widens to federal momentum around addiction and mental health. Lavasani notes that new funding initiatives signal growing openness to innovative treatment models, even if psychedelics are not named explicitly in every announcement. Both guests stress that policy moves slowly by design. Meetings, follow-ups, and relationship building often matter more than public statements. For clinicians, researchers, operators, and advocates, the takeaways are direct: Veterans are likely the first federal pathway Public education remains essential Safety standards must be shared and transparent Integration and workforce development need attention now If psychedelic medicine enters federal systems, infrastructure will determine success. Frequently Asked Questions What do Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman say about VA psychedelic policy? They argue that veteran-focused legislation offers a realistic first federal pathway for psychedelic-assisted care. Is ibogaine currently available through the VA? No. They discuss ibogaine in the context of private retreats and future possibilities, not an existing VA program. Why do Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman emphasize coordination? Lawmakers respond more positively when advocates present aligned messaging and clear priorities. What safety issues are discussed by Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman? They highlight the need for standardized screening, monitoring, integration support, and transparent review of adverse events. Closing Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman provide a grounded look at how psychedelic policy develops inside federal systems. Their message is practical: veterans may be the first lane, but long-term success depends on coordination, safety standards, and sustained engagement. Closing This episode captures a real-time view of how federal policy could shape the next phase of the psychedelic resurgence, especially through veteran-facing legislation and VA infrastructure. Melissa Lavasani & Jay Kopelman argue that coordination, public education, and shared safety standards will shape whether access expands with credibility and care. Transcript Joe Moore: [00:00:00] Hello everybody. Welcome back to Psychedelics Today. Today we have two guests, um, got Melissa Sani from Psychedelic Medicine Coalition. We got Jake Pelman from Mission Within Foundation. We're gonna talk about I bga I became policy on a recent, uh, set of meetings in Washington, DC and, uh, all sorts of other things I'm sure. Joe Moore: But thank you both for joining me. Melissa Lavasani: Thanks for having us. Jay Kopelman: Yeah, it's a pleasure. Thanks. Joe Moore: Yeah. Um, Melissa, I wanna have you, uh, jump in. First. Can you tell us a little bit about, uh, your work and what you do at PMC? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, so Psychedelic Medicine Coalition is, um, the only DC based Washington DC based advocacy organization dedicated to the advancing the issue of psychedelics, um, and making sure the federal government has the education they need, um, and understands the issue inside out so that they can generate good policy around, around psychedelic medicines. Melissa Lavasani: [00:01:00] Uh, we. Host Hill events. We host other convenings. Our big event every year is the Federal Summit on psychedelic medicine. Um, that's going to be May 14th this year. Um, where we talk about kinda the pressing issues that need to be talked about, uh, with government officials in the room, um, so that we can incrementally move this forward. Melissa Lavasani: Um, our presence here in Washington DC is, is really critical for this issue's success because, um, when we're talking about psychedelic medicines, um, from the federal government pers perspective, you know, they are, they are the ones that are going to initiate the policies that create a healthcare system that can properly facilitate these medicines and make sure, um, patient safety is a priority. Melissa Lavasani: And there's guardrails on this. And, um, you know, there, it's, it's really important that we have. A home base for this issue in Washington DC just [00:02:00] because, uh, this is very complicated as a lot of your viewers probably understand, and, you know, this can get lost in the mix of all the other issues that, um, lawmakers in DC are focused on right now. Melissa Lavasani: And we need to keep that consistent presence here so that this continues to be a priority for members of Congress. Joe Moore: Mm. I love this. And Jay, can you tell us a bit about yourself and mission within Foundation? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, sure. Joe, thanks. Uh, I, I am the CEO of Mission within Foundation. Prior to this, most of my adult life was spent in the military as a Marine. Jay Kopelman: And I came to this. Role after having, uh, a psychedelic assisted therapy experience myself at the mission within down in Mexico, which is where pretty much we all go. Um, we are here to help [00:03:00] provide, uh, access for veterans and first responders to be able to attend psychedelic assisted therapy retreats to treat issues like mild TBI, post-traumatic stress disorder, uh, depression, sometimes addiction at, at a very low level. Jay Kopelman: Um, and, and so we've, we've been doing this for a little more than a year now and have provided 250 plus scholarships to veterans and first responders to be able to access. These retreats and these, these lifesaving medicines. Um, we're also partnered, uh, you may or may not know with Melissa at Psychedelic Medicine Coalition to help advance education and policy, specifically the innovative, uh, therapy Centers of Excellence Act [00:04:00] that Melissa has worked for a number of years on now to bring to both Houses of Congress. Joe Moore: Thank you for that. Um, so let's chat a little bit about what this event was that just, uh, went down, uh, what, what was it two weeks ago at this point? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. Yeah. It's called For Veteran Society and it's all, um, there's a lot of dialogue on Capitol Hill about veterans healthcare and psychedelics, but where I've been frustrated is that, you know, it was just a lot of. Melissa Lavasani: Talk about what the problems are and not a lot of talk about like how we actually propel things forward. Um, so it, at that event, I thought it was really important and we had three members of Congress there, um, Morgan Latrell, who has been a champion from day one and his time in Congress, um, having gone through the experience himself, um, [00:05:00] at Mission within, um, and then the two chairs of the psychedelic caucus, uh, Lou Correa and Jack Bergman. Melissa Lavasani: And we really got down to the nitty gritty of like w like why this has taken so long and you know, what is actually happening right now? What are the possibilities and what the roadblocks are. And it was, I thought it was a great conversation. Um, we had an interesting kind of dynamic with Latres is like a very passionate about this issue in particular. Melissa Lavasani: Um, I think it was, I think it was really. A great event. And, you know, two days later, Jack Bergman introduced his new bill for the va. Um, so it was kind of like the precursor to that bill getting introduced. And we're just excited for more and more conversations about how the government can gently guide this issue to success. Joe Moore: Hmm. Yeah. [00:06:00] That's fantastic. Um, yeah, I was a little bummed I couldn't make it, but next time, I hope. But I've heard a lot of good things and, um, it's, it sounded like there was some really important messages in, in terms of like feedback from legislators. Yeah. Yeah. Could you speak to that? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, I mean, I think when, uh, representative Latrell was speaking, he really impressed on us a couple things. Melissa Lavasani: Um, first is that, you know, they really kind of need the advocates to. Coordinate, collaborate and come up with like a, a strategic plan, you know, without public education. Um, talking to members of Congress about this issue is, is really difficult. You know, like PMC is just one organization. We're very little mission within, very little, um, you know, we're all like, kind of new in navigating, um, this not so new issue, but new to Washington DC [00:07:00] issue. Melissa Lavasani: Um, without that public education as a baseline, uh, it's, it's, you have to spend a lot of time educating members of Congress. You know, that's like one of our things is, you know, we have to, we don't wanna tell Congress what direction to go to. We wanna provide them the information so they understand it very intimately and know how to navigate through things. Melissa Lavasani: Um, and secondly. Um, he got pretty frank with us and said, you know, we've got one cha one chance at this issue. And it's like, that's, that's kind of been like my talking point since I started. PMC is like, you have a very limited window, um, when these kind of issues pop up and they're new and they're fresh and you have a lot of the veteran community coming out and talking about it. Melissa Lavasani: And there's a lot of energy there. But now is the time to really move forward, um, with some real legislation that can be impactful. Um, but, you know, we've gotta [00:08:00] be careful. We, we forget, I think sometimes those of us who are in the ecosystem forget that our level of knowledge about these medicines and a lot of us have firsthand experience, um, with these drugs and, and our own healing journeys is, um, we forget that there is a public out there that doesn't have the level of knowledge that we all have. Melissa Lavasani: And, um. We gotta make sure that we're sticking to the right elements of, of, of what needs to happen. We need to be sure that our talking points are on track and we're not getting sideways about anything and going down roads that we don't need to talk about. It's why, um, you know, PMC is very focused on, um, moving forward veteran legislation right now. Melissa Lavasani: Not because we're a veteran organization, but because we're, we see this long-term policy track here. Um, we know where we want to get [00:09:00] to, um. Um, and watching other healthcare issues kind of come up and then go through the VA healthcare system, I think it's a really unique opportunity, um, to utilize the VA as this closed system, the biggest healthcare system in the country to evaluate, uh, how psychedelics operate within systems like that. Melissa Lavasani: And, you know, before they get into, um, other healthcare systems. What do we need to fix? What do we need to pay attention to? What's something that we're paying too much attention to that doesn't necessarily need that much attention? So it's, um, it's a real opportunity to look at psychedelic medicines within a healthcare system and obviously continue to gather the data. Melissa Lavasani: Um, Bergman's Bill emerging, uh, expanding veteran access to emerging treatments. Um, not only mandates the research, it gives the VA authority for this, uh, for running trials and, and creating programs around psychedelic medicines. But also, [00:10:00] one of the great things about it, I think, is it provides an on-ramp for veterans that don't necessarily qualify for clinical trials. Melissa Lavasani: You know, I think that's one of the biggest criticisms of clinical trials is like you're cre you're creating a vacuum for people and people don't live in a vacuum. So we don't necessarily know what psychedelics are gonna look like in real life. Um, but with this expanding veteran access bill that Bergman introduced, it provides the VA an opportunity to provide this access under. Melissa Lavasani: Um, in a, in a safe container with medical supervision while collecting data, um, while ensuring that the veteran that is going through this process has the support systems that it needs. So, um, you know, I think that there's a really unique opportunity here, and like Latrell said, like, we've got one shot at this. Melissa Lavasani: We have people's attention in Congress. Um, now's the time to start acting, and let's be really considerate and thoughtful about what we're doing with it. Joe Moore: Thanks for that, Melissa and Jay, how, [00:11:00] anything to add there on kind of your takeaways from the this, uh, last visit in dc? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, I, I think that Melissa highlighted it really well and there, there were a couple other things that I, I think, you know, you could kind of tie it all together with some other issues that we face in this country, uh, and that. Jay Kopelman: Uh, representative Correa brought up as well, but one of the things I wanted to go back and say is that veterans have kind of led this movement already, right? So, so it's a, it's a good jumping off point, right? That it's something people from both sides of the aisle, from any community in America can get behind. Jay Kopelman: You know, if you think about it, uh, in World War ii, you know, we had a million people serving our population was like, not even 200 million, but now [00:12:00] we have a population of 330 million, and at any given time there might be a million people in uniform, including the Reserve and the National Guard. So it's, it, it's an easy thing to get behind this small part of the population that is willing to sign that contract. Jay Kopelman: Where you are saying, yeah, I'm going to defend my country, possibly at the risk of my l my own life. So that's the first thing. The other thing is that the VA being a closed health system, and they don't have shareholders to answer to, they can take some risks, they can be innovative and be forward thinking in the ways that some other healthcare systems can't. Jay Kopelman: And so they have a perfect opportunity to show that they truly care for their veterans, which don't, I'm not saying they don't, but this would be an [00:13:00] opportunity to show that carrot at a whole different level. Uh, it would allow them to innovate and be a leader in something as, uh, as our friend Jim Hancock will say, you know. Jay Kopelman: When he went to the Naval Academy, they had the world's best shipbuilding program. Why doesn't the VA have the world's best care program for things like TBI and PTSD, which affects, you know, 40 something percent of all veterans, right? So, so there's, there's an opportunity here for the VA to lead from the front. Jay Kopelman: Um, the, these medicines provide, you know, reasonably lasting care where it's kind of a one and done. Whereas with the current systems, the, you know, and, and [00:14:00] again, not to denigrate the VA in any way, they're doing the best job they can with the tools in their toolbox, right? But maybe it's time for a trip to Home Depot. Jay Kopelman: Let's get some new tools. And have some new ways of fixing what's broken, which is really the way of doing things. It's not, veterans aren't broken, we are who we are. Um, but it's a, it's a way to fix what isn't working. So I, I think that, you know, given there's tremendous veteran homelessness still, you know, addiction issues, all these things that do translate to the population at large are things that can be worked on in this one system, the va that can then be shown to have efficacy, have good data, have [00:15:00] good outcomes, and, and take it to the population at large. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Brilliant. Thanks for that. And so there was another thing I wanted to pivot to, which is some of the recent press. So we've, um, seen a little bit of press around some, um, in one instance, some bad behavior in Mexico that a FI put out Americans thrive again, put out. And then another case there was a, a recent fatality. Joe Moore: And I think, um, both are tragic. Like we shouldn't be having to deal with this at this point. Um, but there's a lot of things that got us here. Um, it's not necessarily the operator's fault entirely, um, or even at all, honestly, like some medical interventions just carry a lot of risk. Like think, think about like, uh, how risky bypass surgery was in the nineties, right? Joe Moore: Like people were dying a lot from medical interventions and um, you know, this is a major intervention, uh, ibogaine [00:16:00] and also a lot of promise. To help people quite a bit. Um, but as of right now, there's, there's risk. And part of that risk, in my opinion, comes from the inability of organizations to necessarily collaborate. Joe Moore: Like there's no kind of convening body, sitting in the middle, allowing, um, for, and facilitating really good data sharing and learnings. Um, and I don't, I don't necessarily see an organization stepping up and being the, um, the convener for that kind of work. I've heard rumors that something's gonna happen there, and I'm, I'm hopeful I'll always wanna share my opinion on that. Joe Moore: But yeah. I don't know. Jay, from your perspective, is there anything you want to kind of speak to about, uh, these two recent incidents that Americans for Iboga kind of publicized recently? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, so I, I'll echo your sentiment, of course, that these are tragic incidents. Um, and I, [00:17:00] I think that at least in the case of the death at Ambio, AMBIO has done a very good job of talking about it, right? Jay Kopelman: They've been very honest with the information that they have. And like you said, there are risks inherent to these medicines, and it's like anything else in medicine, there are going to be risks. You know, when I went through, uh, when I, when I went through chemo, you know, there were, there are risks. You know, you don't feel well, you get sick. Jay Kopelman: Um, and, and it. There are processes in place to counter that when it happens. And there are processes and, and procedures and safety protocols in place when caring for somebody going through an ibogaine [00:18:00] journey. Uh, when I did it, we had EKG echocardiogram. You're on a heart monitor the entire time they push magnesium via iv. Jay Kopelman: You have to provide a urinalysis sample to make sure that there is nothing in your system that is going to potentially harm you. During the ibogaine, they have, uh, a cardiologist who is monitoring the heart monitors throughout the ibogaine experience. So the, the safety protocols are there. I think it's, I think it's just a matter of. Jay Kopelman: Standardizing them across all, all providers, right? Like, that would be a good thing if people would talk to one another. Um, as, as in any system, right? You've gotta have [00:19:00] some collaboration. You've gotta have standardization, you know, so, you know, they're not called standard operating procedures for nothing. Jay Kopelman: That means that in a, you know, in a given environment, everybody does things the same way. It's true in Navy and Marine Corps, air Force, army Aviation, they have standard operating procedures for every single aircraft. So if you fly, let's say the F 35 now, right? Because it's flown by the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force. Jay Kopelman: The, the emergency procedures in that airplane are standardized across all three services, so you should have the same, or, you know, with within a couple of different words, the same procedures and processes [00:20:00] across all the providers, right? Like maybe in one document you're gonna change, happy to glad and small dog to puppy, but it's still pretty much the, the same thing. Jay Kopelman: And as a service that provides scholarships to people to go access these medicines and go to these retreats, you know, my criteria is that the, this provider has to be safe. Number one, safety's paramount. It's always gotta be very safe. It should, it has to be effective. And you know, once you have those two things in place, then I have a comfort level saying, okay, yeah, we'll work with this provider. Jay Kopelman: But until those standardized processes are in place, you'll probably see these one-off things. I mean, some providers have been doing this longer than others and have [00:21:00] really figured out, you know, they've, they've cracked the code and, you know, sharing that across the spectrum would be good. Um, but just when these things happen, having a clearing house, right, where everybody can come together and talk about it, you know, like once the facts are known because. Jay Kopelman: To my knowledge, we still don't know all the facts. Like as, you know, as horrible as this is, you still have to talk about like an, has an autopsy been performed? What was found in the patient's system? You know, there, there are things there that we don't know. So we need to, we need to know that before we can start saying, okay, well this is how we can fix that, because we just don't know. Jay Kopelman: And, you know, to their credit, you know, Amio has always been safe to, to the, to the best of my knowledge. You know, I, [00:22:00] I haven't been to Ambio myself, but people that I have worked with have been there. They have observed, they have seen the process. They believe it's safe, and I trust their opinion because they've seen it elsewhere as well. Jay Kopelman: So yeah, having, having that one place where we can all come together when this happens, it, it's almost like it should be mandatory. In the military when there's a training accident, we, you know, we would have to have what's called a safety standout. And you don't do that again for a little while until you figure out, okay, how are we going to mitigate that happening again? Jay Kopelman: Believe me, you can go overboard and we don't want to do that. Like, we don't wanna just stop all care, but maybe stop detox for a week and then come back to it. [00:23:00] Joe Moore: Yeah. A dream would be, let's get like the, I don't know, 10, 20 most popular, uh, or well-known operators together somewhere and just do like a three day debrief. Joe Moore: Hey, everybody, like, here's what we see. Let's work on this together. You know how normal medicine works. And this is, it's hard because this is not necessarily, um, something people feel safe about in America talking about 'cause it's illicit here. Um, I don't understand necessarily how the operations, uh, relate to each other in Mexico, but I think that's something to like the public should dig into. Joe Moore: Like, what, what is this? And I, I'll start digging into that. Um, I, I asked a question recently of somebody like, is there some sort of like back channel signal everybody's using and there's no clear Yes. You know? Um, I think it would be good. That's just a [00:24:00] start, you know, that's like, okay, we can actually kind of say hi and watch out for this to each other. Jay Kopelman: It's not like we don't all know one another, right? Joe Moore: Yes. Jay Kopelman: Like at least three operators we're represented. At the Aspen Ibogaine meeting. So like that could be, and I think there was a panel kind of loosely related to this during Aspen Ibogaine meeting, but Joe Moore: mm-hmm. Jay Kopelman: It, you know, have a breakout where the operators can go sit down and kind of compare notes. Joe Moore: Right. Yeah. Melissa, do you have any, uh, comments on this thread here? And I, I put you on mute if you didn't see that. Um, Melissa Lavasani: all right, I'm off mute. Um, yeah, I think that Jay's hits the nail on the head with the collaboration thing. Um, I think that it's just a [00:25:00] problem across the entire ecosystem, and I think that's just a product of us being relatively new and upcoming field. Melissa Lavasani: Um, uh, it's a product of, you know. Our fundraising community is really small, so organizations feel like they are competing for the same dollars, even though their, their goals are all the same, they have different functions. Um, I think with time, I mean, let's be honest, like if we don't start collaborating and, and the federal government's moving forward, the federal government's gonna coordinate for us. Melissa Lavasani: And not, that might not necessarily be a bad thing, but, you know, we understand this issue to a whole other level that the federal government doesn't, and they're not required to understand it deeply. They just need to know how to really move forward with it the proper way. Um, but I think that it. It's really essential [00:26:00] that we all have this come together moment here so we can avoid things. Melissa Lavasani: Uh, I mean, no one's gonna die from bad advocacy. So like I've, I have a bit of an easier job. Um, but it can a, a absolutely stall efforts, um, to move things forward in Washington DC when, um, one group is saying one thing, another group is saying another thing, like, we're not quite at a point yet where we can have multiple lines of conversation and multiple things moving forward. Melissa Lavasani: Um, you know, for PMC, it's like, just let's get the first thing across the finish line. And we think that is, um, veteran healthcare. And, um, I know there's plenty of other groups out there that, that want the same thing. So, you know, I always, the reason why I put on the Federal Summit last year was I kind of hit my breaking point with a lack of collaboration and I wanted to just bring everyone in the same room and say like, all right, here are the things that we need to talk about. Melissa Lavasani: And I think the goal for this year is, um. To bring people in the same room and say, we talked about [00:27:00] we scratched the surface last year and this is where we need to really put our efforts into. And this is where the opportunities are. Um, I think that is going to, that's going to show the federal government if we can organize ourselves, that they need to take this issue really seriously. Melissa Lavasani: Um, I don't think we've done a great job at that thus far, but I think there's still plenty of time for us to get it together. Um, and I'm hoping with these two, uh, VA bills that are in the house right now and Senate is, is putting together their version of these two bills, um, so that they can move in tandem with each other. Melissa Lavasani: I think that, you know, there's an opportunity here for. Us to show the federal government as an ecosystem, Hey, we, we are so much further ahead and you know, this is what we've organized and here's how we can help you, um, that would make them buy into this issue a bit more and potentially move things forward faster. Melissa Lavasani: Uh, at this point in time, it's, I think that, [00:28:00] you know, psychedelics aren't necessarily the taboo thing that they, they used to be, but there's certainly places that need attention. Um, there's certainly conversations that need to be had, and like I said, like PMC is just one organization that can do this. Um, we can certainly organize and drive forward collaboration, but I, like we alone, cannot cover all this ground and we need the subject matter experts to collaborate with us so we can, you know, once we get in the door, we wanna bring the experts in to talk to these officials about it. Melissa Lavasani: So I. I, I really want listeners to really think about us as a convener of sorts when it comes to federal policy. Um, and you know, I think when, like for example, in the early eighties, a lot of people have made comparisons to the issue of psychedelics to the issue of AIDS research and how you have in a subject matter that's like extremely taboo and a patient population that the government [00:29:00] quite honestly didn't really care about in the early eighties. Melissa Lavasani: But what they did as an ecosystem is really organized themselves, get very clear on what they wanted the federal government to do. And within a matter of a couple years, uh, AIDS research funding was a thing that was happening. And what that, what that did was that ripple effect turned that into basically finding new therapies for something that we thought was a death, death sentence before. Melissa Lavasani: So I think. We just need to look at things in the past that have been really successful, um, and, and try to take the lessons from all of these issues and, and move forward with psychedelics. Joe Moore: Love that. And yes, we always need to be figuring out efficient approaches and where it has been successful in the past is often, um, an opportunity to mimic and, and potentially improve on that. Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. Jay Kopelman: One, one thing I think it's important to add to this part of the conversation is that, [00:30:00] you know, Melissa pointed out there are a number of organizations that are essentially doing the same thing. Jay Kopelman: Um, you know, I like to think we do things a little bit differently at Mission within Foundation in that we don't target any one specific type of service member. We, we work with all veterans. We work with first responders, but. What that leads to is that there are, as far as I've seen, nothing but good intentioned people in this space. Jay Kopelman: You know, people who really care about their patient population, they care about healing, they are trying to do a good job, and more importantly, they're trying to do good. Right? It, it, I think they all see the benefit down the road that this has, [00:31:00] pardon me, not just for veterans, but for society as a whole. Jay Kopelman: And, and ultimately that's where I would like to see this go. You know, I, I would love to see the VA take this. Take up this mantle and, and run with it and provide great data, great outcomes. You know, we are doing some data collection ourselves at Mission within foundation, albeit anecdotal based on surveys given before and after retreats. Jay Kopelman: But we're also working with, uh, Greg Fonzo down at UT Austin on a brain study he's doing that will have 40 patients in it when it's all said and done. And I think we have two more guys to put through that. Uh, and then we'll hit the 40. So there, there's a lot of good here that's being done by some really, really good people who've been doing this for a long time [00:32:00] and want to want nothing more than to, to see this. Jay Kopelman: Come to, come full circle so that we can take care of many, many, many people. Um, you know, like I say, I, I wanna work myself out of a job here. I, I just, I would love to see this happen and then I, you know, I don't have to send guys to Mexico to do this. They can go to their local VA and get the care that they need. Jay Kopelman: Um, but one thing that I don't think we've touched on yet, or regarding that is that the VA isn't designed for that. So it's gonna be a pretty big lift to get the right types of providers into the va with the knowledge, right, with the institutional knowledge of how this should be done, what is safe, what is effective, um, and then it, it's not just providing these medicines to [00:33:00] people and sending them home. Jay Kopelman: You don't just do that, you've gotta have the right therapists on the backend who can provide the integration coaching to the folks who are receiving these medicines. And I'm not just talking, I bga, even with MDMA and psilocybin, you should have a proper period of integration. It helps you to understand how this is going to affect you, what it, what the experience really meant, you know, because it's very difficult sometimes to just interpret it on your own. Jay Kopelman: And so what the experience was and what it meant to you. And, and so it will take some time to spin all that up. But once it's, once it's in place, you know, the sky's the limit. I think. Joe Moore: Kinda curious Jay, about what's, what's going on with Ibogaine at the federal level. Is there anything at VA right now? [00:34:00] Jay Kopelman: At the va? No, not with ibogaine. And, you know, uh, we, we send people specifically for IBOGAINE and five MEO, right? And, and so that, that doesn't preclude my interest in seeing this legislation passed, right? Jay Kopelman: Because it, it will start with something like MDMA or psilocybin, but ultimately it could grow to iboga, right? It the think about the cost savings at, at the va, even with psilocybin, right? Where you could potentially treat somebody with a very inexpensive dose of psilocybin or, or iboga one time, and then you, you don't have to treat them again. Jay Kopelman: Now, if I were, uh, you know, a VA therapist who's not trained in psychedelic trauma therapy. I might be worried [00:35:00] about job security, but it's like with anything, right? Like ultimately it will open pathways for new people to get that training or the existing people to get that training and, and stay on and do that work. Jay Kopelman: Um, which only adds another arrow to their quiver as far as I'm concerned, because this is coming and we're gonna need the people. It's just like ai, right? Like ai, yeah. Some people are gonna lose some jobs initially, and that's unfortunate. But productivity ultimately across all industries will increase and new jobs will be created as a result of that. Jay Kopelman: I mean, I was watching Squawk Box one morning. They were talking about the AI revolution and how there's gonna be a need for 500,000 electricians to. Build these systems that are going to work with the AI [00:36:00] supercomputers and, and so, Joe Moore: mm-hmm. Jay Kopelman: Where, where an opportunity may be lost. I think several more can be gained going forward. Melissa Lavasani: And just to add on what Jay just said there, there's nothing specific going on with Ibogaine at, at the va, but I think this administration is, is taking a real look at addiction in particular. Uh, they just launched, uh, a new initiative, uh, that's really centered on addiction treatments called the Great American Recovery. Melissa Lavasani: And, um, they're dedicating a hundred million dollars towards treating addiction as like a chronic treatable disease and not necessarily a law enforcement issue. So, um, in that initiative there will be federal grant programs for prevention and treatment and recovery. And, um, while this isn't just for psychedelic medicines, uh, I think it's a really great opportunity for the discussion of psychedelics to get elevated to the White House. Melissa Lavasani: Um, [00:37:00] there's also, previous to this announcement last week from the White House, there's been a hundred million dollars that was dedicated at, um, at ARPA h, which is. The advanced research projects, uh, agency for healthcare, um, and that is kind of an agency that's really focused on forward looking, um, treatments and technologies, uh, for, um, a, a whole slew of. Melissa Lavasani: Of issues, but this a hundred million dollars is dedicated to mental health and addiction. So there's a lot of opportunity there as well. So we, while I think, you know, some people are talking about, oh, we need a executive order on Iboga, it's like, well, you know, the, the president is thinking, um, about, you know, what issues can land with his, uh, voting block. Melissa Lavasani: And I think it's, I don't think we necessarily need a specific executive order on Iboga to call this a success. It's like, let's look at what, [00:38:00] um, what's just been announced from the White House. They're, they're all in on. Thinking creatively and finding, uh, new solutions for this. And this is kind of, this aligns with, um, HHS secretaries, uh, Robert F. Melissa Lavasani: Kennedy Junior's goals when he took on this, this role of Health Secretary. Um, addiction has been a discussion that, you know, he has personal, um, a personal tie to from his own experience. And, um, I think when this administration started, there was so much like fervor around the, the dialogue of like, everyone's talking about psychedelics. Melissa Lavasani: It was Secretary Kennedy, it was, uh, secretary Collins at the va. It was FDA Commissioner Marty Macari. And I think that there's like a lot of undue frustration within folks 'cause um, you don't necessarily snap your fingers and change happens in Washington dc This is not the city for that. And it's intentionally designed to move slow so that we can avoid really big mistakes. Melissa Lavasani: Um. [00:39:00] I think we're a year into this administration and these two announcements are, are pretty huge considering, um, you know, the, we, there are known people within domestic policy council that don't, aren't necessarily supportive of psychedelic medicine. So there's a really amazing progress here, and frustrating as it might be to, um, just be waiting for this administration to make some major move. Melissa Lavasani: I think they are making major moves like for Washington, DC These, these are major moves and we just gotta figure out how we can, um, take these initiatives and apply them to the issue of psychedelic medicines. Joe Moore: Thanks, Melissa. Um, yeah, it is, it is interesting like the amount of fervor there was at the beginning. You know, we had, uh. Kind of one of my old lawyers, Matt Zorn, jumped in with the administration. Right. And, um, you know, it was, uh, really cool to [00:40:00] see and hopeful how much energy was going on. It's been a little quiet, kind of feels like a black box a little bit, but I, you know, there was, Melissa Lavasani: that's on me. Melissa Lavasani: Maybe I, we need to be more out in public about like, what's actually happening, because I feel like, like day in and day out, it's just been, you gotta just mm-hmm. Like have that constant beat with the government. Mm-hmm. And, um, it's, it's, it's not the photo ops on the hill, it's the conversations that you have. Melissa Lavasani: It's the dinner parties you go to, it's the fundraisers you attend, you know? Mm-hmm. That's why I, I kind of have to like toot my own horn with PCs. Like, we need to be present here at, at not only on the Hill, not only at the White House, but kind of in the ecosystem of Washington DC itself. There's, it's, there are like power players here. Melissa Lavasani: There are people that are connected that can get things done, like. I mean, the other last week we had a big snow storm. I walked over to my friend's house, um, to have like a little fire sesh with them and our kids, and his next door neighbor came over. He was a member of Congress. I talked about the VA bills, like [00:41:00] we're reaching out to his office now, um, to get them, um, up to speed and hopefully get their co-sponsorship for, uh, the two VA bills. Melissa Lavasani: So, I mean, it, the little conversations you have here are just as important as the big ones with the photo ops. So, um, it, it's, it's really like, you know, building up that momentum and, and finding that time where you can really strike and make something happen. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Jay, anything to add there? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, I was just gonna say that, you know, I, I, I think the fervor is still there, right? Jay Kopelman: But real life happens. Melissa Lavasani: Yes, Jay Kopelman: yes. And gets in the way, right? So, Melissa Lavasani: yeah, Jay Kopelman: I, I can't imagine how many issues. Secretary Kennedy has every day much less the president. Like there's so many things that they are dealing with on a daily basis, right? It, we, we just have to work to be the squeaky wheel in, in the right way, right. Jay Kopelman: [00:42:00] With the, with the right information at the right time. Like just inundating one of these organizations with noise, it's then it be with Informa, it just becomes noise, right? It it, it doesn't help. So when we have things to say that are meaningful and impactful, we do, and Melissa does an amazing job of that. Jay Kopelman: But, you know, it, it takes time. You know, it's, you know, we're not, this is, this is like turning an aircraft carrier, not a ski boat. Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, Joe Moore: yeah, absolutely. Um, and. It's, it's understandably frustrating, I think for the public and the psychedelic public in particular because we see all this hope, you know, we continue to get frustrated at politics. It's nothing new, right? Um, and we, we wanna see more people get well immediately. [00:43:00] And I, I kind of, Jay from the veteran perspective, I do love the kind of loud voices like, you're making me go to Mexico for this. Joe Moore: I did that and you're making me leave the country for the thing that's gonna fix me. Like, no way. And barely a recognition that this is a valid treatment. You know, like, you know, that is complicated given how medicine is structured here domestically. But it's also, let's face the facts, like the drug war kind of prevented us from being able to do this research in the first place. Joe Moore: You know? Thanks Nixon. And like, how do we actually kind of correct course and say like, we need to spend appropriately on science here so we can heal our own people, including veterans and everybody really. It's a, it's a dire situation out there. Jay Kopelman: Yeah. It, it really is. Um, you know, we were talking briefly about addicts, right? Jay Kopelman: And you know, it's not sexy. People think of addicts as people who are weak-minded, [00:44:00] right? They don't have any self-control. Um, but, but look at, look at the opioid crisis, right? That Brian Hubbard was fighting against in Kentucky for all those years. That that was something that was given to the patient by a doctor that they then became dependent on, and a lot of people died from that. Jay Kopelman: And, and so you, you know, it's, I I don't think it's fair to just put all addicts in a box. Just like it's not fair to put all veterans in a box. Just like it's not fair for doctors, put all their patients in a box. We're individuals. We, we have individual needs. Our, our health is very individual. Like, I, I don't think I should be put in the same box as every other 66-year-old that my doctor sees. Jay Kopelman: It's not fair. [00:45:00] You know, if you, if you took my high school classmates and put us all in a photo, we're all gonna have different needs, right? Like, some look like they're 76, not 66. Some look like they're 56. Not like they're, we, we do things differently. We live our lives differently. And the same is true of addicts. Jay Kopelman: They come to addiction from different places. Not everybody decides they want to just try heroin at a party, and all of a sudden they're addicted. It happens in, in different ways, you know, and the whole fentanyl thing has been so daggum nefarious, right? You know, pushing fentanyl into marijuana. Jay Kopelman: Somebody's smoking a joint and all of a sudden they're addicted to fentanyl or they die. Melissa Lavasani: I think we're having a, Jay Kopelman: it's, it's just not fair to, to say everybody in this pot is the same, or everybody in this one is the same. We have [00:46:00] to look at it differently. Joe Moore: Yeah. I like to zoom one level out and kind of talk about, um, just how hurt we are as a country, as a world really, but as a country specifically, and how many people are out of work for so many. Joe Moore: Difficult reasons and away from their families for so many kind of tragic reasons. And if we can get people back to their families and back to work, a lot of these things start to self-correct, but we have to like have those interventions where we can heal folks and, and get them back. Um, yeah. And you know, everything from trauma, uh, in childhood, you know, adulthood, combat, whatever it is. Joe Moore: Like these things can put people on the sidelines. And Jay, to your point, like you get knee surgery and all of a sudden you're, you know, two years later you're on the hunt for Fentanyl daily. You know, that's tough. It's really tough. Carl Hart does a good job talking about this kind of addiction pipeline and [00:47:00] a few others do as well. Joe Moore: But it's just, you know, kind of putting it in a moral failure bucket. It's not great. I was chatting with somebody about, um, veterans, it's like you come back and you're like, what's gonna make me feel okay right now? And it's not always alcohol. Um, like this is the first thing that made me feel okay, because there's not great treatments and there's, there's a lot of improvements in this kind of like bringing people back from the field that needs to happen. Joe Moore: In my opinion. I, it seems to be shared by a lot of people, but yeah, there's, it's, it's, IGA is gonna be great. It's gonna be really important. I really can't wait for it to be at scale appropriately, but there's a lot of other things we need to fix too, um, so that we can just, you know, not have so many people we need to, you know, spend so much money healing. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Jay Kopelman: Yeah. You ahead with that. We don't need the president to sign an executive order to automatically legalize Ibogaine. Right. But it would be nice if he would reschedule it so that [00:48:00] then then researchers could do this research on a larger scale. You know, we could, we could now get some real data that would show the efficacy. Jay Kopelman: And it could be done in a safe environment, you know? And, and so that would be, do Joe Moore: you have any kind of figures, like, like, I've been talking about this for a while, Jay. Like, does it drop the cost a lot of doing research when we deschedule things? Jay Kopelman: I, I would imagine so, because it'll drop the cost of accessing the medicines that are being researched. Jay Kopelman: Right? You, you would have buy-in from more organizations. You know, you might even have a pharma company that comes into this, you know, look at j and j with the ketamine, right? They have, they have a nasal spray version of ketamine that's doing very well. I mean, it's probably their, their biggest revenue [00:49:00] provider for them right now. Jay Kopelman: And, and so. You know, you, it would certainly help and I think, I think it would lower costs of research to have something rescheduled rather than being schedule one. You know it, people are afraid to take chances when you're talking about Schedule one Melissa Lavasani: labs or they just don't have the money to research things that are on Schedule one. Melissa Lavasani: 'cause there's so much in an incredible amount of red tape that you have to go through and, and your facility has to be a certain way and how you contain those, uh, medicines. Oh, researching has to be in a specific container and it's just very cumbersome to research schedule one drugs. So absolutely the cost would go down. Melissa Lavasani: Um, but Joe Moore: yeah, absolutely. Less safes. Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. Joe Moore: Yes. Less uh, Melissa Lavasani: right. Joe Moore: Locked. Yeah. Um, it'll be really interesting when that happens. I'm gonna hold out faith. That we can see some [00:50:00] movement here. Um, because yeah, like why make healing more expensive than it needs to be? I think like that's potentially a protectionist move. Joe Moore: Like, I'm not, I'm not here yet, but, um, look at AbbVie's, uh, acquisition of the Gilgamesh ip. Mm-hmm. Like that's a really interesting move. I think it was $1.2 billion. Mm-hmm. So they're gonna wanna protect that investment. Um, and it's likely going to be an approved medication. Like, I don't, I don't see a world in which it's not an approved medication. Joe Moore: Um, you know, I don't know a timeline, I would say Jay Kopelman: yeah. Joe Moore: Less than six years, just given how much cash they've got. But who knows, like, I haven't followed it too closely. So, and that's an I bga derivative to be clear, everybody, um mm-hmm. If you're not, um, in, in the loop on that, which is hopeful, you know? Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. But I don't know what the efficacy is gonna be with that compared to Ibogaine and then we have to talk about the kind of proprietary molecule stuff. Um, there's like a whole bunch of things that are gonna go on here, and this is one of the reasons why I'm excited about. Federal involvement [00:51:00] because we might actually be able to have some sort of centralized manufacturer, um, or at least the VA could license three or four generic manufacturers per for instance, and that way prices aren't gonna be, you know, eight grand a dose or whatever. Joe Moore: You know, it's, Jay Kopelman: well, I think it's a very exciting time in the space. You know, I, I think that there's the opportunity for innovation. There is the opportunity for collaboration. There's the opportunity for, you know, long-term healing at a very low cost. You know, that we, we have the highest healthcare cost per capita in the world right here in the us. Jay Kopelman: And, and yet we are not the number one health system in the world. So to me, that doesn't add up. So we need to figure out a way to start. Bringing costs down for a lot of people and [00:52:00] at the same time increasing, increasing outcomes. Joe Moore: Absolutely. Yeah. There's a lot of possible outcome improvements here and, and you know, everything from relapse rates, like we hear often about people leaving a clinic and they go and overdose when they get home. Tragically, too common. I think there's everything from, you know, I'm Jay, I'm involved in an organization called the Psychedelics and Pain Association. Joe Moore: We look at chronic pain very seriously, and IGA is something we are really interested in. And if. We could have better, you know, research, there better outcome measures there. Um, you know, perhaps we can have less people on opioids to begin with from chronic pain conditions. Um, Jay Kopelman: yeah, I, I might be due for another Ibogaine journey then, because I deal with chronic pain from Jiujitsu, but, Joe Moore: oh gosh, let's Jay Kopelman: talk Joe Moore: later. Jay Kopelman: That's self inflicted. Some people would say take a month off, but Melissa Lavasani: yeah, Jay Kopelman: I'm [00:53:00] not, I'm not that smart. Joe Moore: Yeah. Um, but you know, this, uh, yeah, this whole thing is gonna be really interesting to see how it plays out. I'm endlessly hopeful pull because I'm still here. Right. I, I've been at this for almost 10 years now, very publicly, and I think we are seeing a lot of movement. Joe Moore: It's not always what we actually wanna see, but it is movement nonetheless. You know, how many people are writing on this now than there were before? Right. You know, we, we have people in New York Times writing somewhat regularly about psychedelics and. Even international media is covering it. What do we have legalization in Australia somewhat recently for psilocybin and MDMA, Czech Republic. Joe Moore: I think Germany made some moves recently. Mm-hmm. Um, really interesting to see how this is gonna just keep shifting. Um Jay Kopelman: mm-hmm. Joe Moore: And I think there's no way that we're not gonna have prescription psychedelics in three years in the United States. It pro probably more like a [00:54:00] year and a half. I don't know. Do you, are you all taking odds? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah. I mean, I think Jay Kopelman: I, I gotta check Cal sheet, see what they're saying. Melissa Lavasani: I think it's safe to say, I mean, this could even come potentially the end of this year, I think, but definitely by the end of 2027, there's gonna be at least one psychedelic that's FDA approved. Joe Moore: Yeah. Yeah. Melissa Lavasani: If you're not counting Ketamine. Joe Moore: Right. Jay Kopelman: I, I mean, I mean it mm-hmm. It, it doesn't make sense that it. Shouldn't be or wouldn't be. Right. The, we've seen the benefits. Mm-hmm. We know what they are. It's at a very low cost, but you have to keep in mind that these things, they need to be done with the right set setting and container. Right. And, and gotta be able to provide that environment. Jay Kopelman: So, but I would, I would love, like I said, I'd love to work myself out of a job here and see this happen, not just for our veterans, [00:55:00] but for everybody. Joe Moore: Mm-hmm. Um, so Melissa, is there a way people can get involved or follow PMC or how can they support your work at PMC? Melissa Lavasani: Yeah, I mean, follow us in social media. Melissa Lavasani: Um, our two biggest platforms are LinkedIn and Instagram. Um, I'm bringing my newsletter back because I'm realizing, um, you know, there is a big gap in, in kind of like the knowledge of Washington DC just in general. What's happening here, and I think, you know, part of PC's value is that we're, we are plugged into conversations that are being had, um, here in the city. Melissa Lavasani: And, you know, we do get a little insight. Um, and I think that that would really quiet a lot of, you know, the, a lot of noise that, um, exists in the, our ecosystem. If, if people just had some clarity on like, what's actually happening or happening here and what are the opportunities and, [00:56:00] um, where do we need more reinforcement? Melissa Lavasani: Um, and, and also, you know, as we're putting together public education campaign, you know. My, like, if I could get everything I wanted like that, that campaign would be this like multi-stakeholder collaborative effort, right? Where we're covering all the ground that we need to cover. We're talking to the patient groups, we're talking to traditional mental health organizations, we're talking to the medical community, we're talking to the general population. Melissa Lavasani: I think that's like another area that we, we just seem to be, um, lacking some effort in. And, you know, ultimately the veteran story's always super compelling. It pulls on your heartstrings. These are our heroes, um, of our country. Like that, that is, that is meaningful. But a lot of the veteran population is small and we need the, like a, the just.[00:57:00] Melissa Lavasani: Basic American living in middle America, um, understanding what psychedelics are so that in, in, in presenting to them the stories that they can relate to, um, because that's how you activate the public and you activate the public and you get them to see what's happening in these clinical trials, what the data's been saying, what the opportunities are with psychedelics, and then they start calling their members of Congress and saying, Hey, there is this. Melissa Lavasani: Bill sitting in Congress and why haven't you signed onto it? And that political pressure, uh, when used the right way can be really powerful. So, um, I think, you know, now we're at this really amazing moment where we have a good amount of congressional offices that are familiar enough with psychedelics that they're willing to move on it. Melissa Lavasani: Um, there's another larger group, uh, that is familiar with psychedelics and will assist and co-sponsor legislation, but there's still so many offices that we haven't been able to get to just 'cause like we don't have all the time in the world and all the manpower in the world to [00:58:00] do it. But, you know, that is one avenue is like the advocates can speak to the, the lawmakers, the experts speak to the lawmakers, and we not, we want the public engaged in this, you know, ultimately, like that's. Melissa Lavasani: Like the best form of harm reduction is having an informed public. So we are not, they're not seeing these media headlines of like, oh, this miracle cure that, um, saved my family. It's like, yes, that can happen psychedelics. I mean, person speaking personally, psychedelics did save my family. But what you miss out of that story is the incredible amount of work I put into myself and put into my mental health to this day to maintain, um, like myself, my, my own agency and like be the parent that I wanna be and be the spouse that I wanna be. Melissa Lavasani: So, um, we, we need to continue to share these stories and we need to continue to collaborate to get this message out because we're all, we're all in the same boat right now. We all want the same things. We want patients to have safe and [00:59:00] affordable access to psychedelic assisted care. Um, and, uh. We're just in the beginning here, so, um, sign up for our newsletter and we can sign up on our website and then follow us on social media. Melissa Lavasani: And, um, I anticipate more and more events, um, happening with PMC and hopefully we can scale up some of these events to be much more public facing, um, as this issue grows. So, um, I'm really excited about the future and I'm, I've been enjoying this partnership with Mission Within. Jay is such a professional and, and it really shows up when he needs to show up and, um, I look forward to more of that in the future. Joe Moore: Fantastic. And Jay, how can people follow along and support mission within Foundation? Jay Kopelman: Yeah, again, social media is gonna be a good way to do that. So we, we are also pretty heavily engaged on LinkedIn and on Instagram. Um, I do [01:00:00] share, uh, a bit of my own stuff as well. On social media. So we have social media pages for Mission within Foundation, and we have a LinkedIn page for mission within foundation. Jay Kopelman: I have my own profiles on both of those as well where people can follow along. Um, one of the other things you know that would probably help get more attention for this is if the general public was more aware of the numbers of professional athletes who are also now pursuing. I began specifically to help treat their traumatic brain injuries and the chronic traumatic encephalopathy that they've, uh, suffered as a result of their time in professional sports or even college sports. Jay Kopelman: And, you know. I people worship these athletes, and I [01:01:00] think that if more of them, like Robert Gall, were more outspoken about these treatments and the healing properties that they've provided them, that it would get even more attention. Um, I think though what Melissa said, you know, I don't wanna parrot anything she just said because she said it perfectly Right. Jay Kopelman: And I'd just be speaking to hear myself talk. Um, but being collaborative the way that we are with PMC and with Melissa is I think, the way to move the needle on this overall. And like she said, if she could get more groups involved in, in these discussions, it would, it would do wonders for us. Joe Moore: Well, thank you both so much for your hard work out there. I always appreciate it when people are showing up and doing this important, [01:02:00] sometimes boring and tedious, but nevertheless sometimes, sometimes exciting work. And um, so yeah, just thank you both and thank you both for showing up here to psychedelics today to join us and I hope we can continue to support you all in the future. Jay Kopelman: Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe. It's a pleasure being with you today and with Melissa, of course, always Melissa Lavasani: appreciate the time and space. Joe Moore: Thanks.  

Since the beginning of 2026, US forces have killed people in Caracas, Venezuela, on boat strikes in the Pacific, and in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is a new era, where US law enforcement kill people in plain sight and then blame it on the victims, accusing them of being agitators or terrorists — domestic or foreign — whether they are in fishing boats in the Caribbean and Pacific or protesting on the streets of Minneapolis.Today's episode turns the lens back on the United States. Because the shadow of the United States itself is hanging dangerously over US cities and communities like never before.This is episode 6 of Under the Shadow, Season 2.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration's onslaught on Latin America.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Theme music by Michael Fox's band, Monte Perdido. Monte Perdido's 2024 album Ofrenda is available on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Guests: Nikhil SinghAlexander AvinaSarah LazareGreg WilpertScript editing by Heather Gies. Hosted, written, produced, mixed and edited by Michael Fox.Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox's reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There, you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.Resources: Notes From The Palestine-Mexico Border | NACLAThe 13th Largest Army in World Is Unleashing Violence in Chicago | In These Times“You Could Be Arrested,” ICE Agent Confronts Minneapolis Resident as ICE Continues Arrest | AC1NFrom Minneapolis To Baltimore, Anti-Ice Protests Explode | TRNNU.S. Citizens Describe Surviving Violent Attacks by Immigration Agents | Democracy Now!De-ICEing The Big Easy (Documentary Report) | TRNNUNSEEN VIDEO: ICE Agents SURROUNDED by Furious Crowd After Stopping Man in Minneapolis | AC1GTrump Seizes Control of DC Police, Activates National Guard | TODAYTrump declares D.C. ‘Liberation Day' as he orders National Guard takeover | ABC10Governor Walz Addresses Ongoing Federal Presence in MinnesotaUnder the Shadow, Season 1:You can check out the first season of Under the Shadow by clicking hereThe Beginning: Monroe and migration | Under the Shadow, Episode 1Panama. US Invasion. | Under the Shadow, Episode 13The legacy of Monroe | Under the Shadow, Bonus Episode 4 Michael Fox's recent reporting on the boat strikes and the ramp-up for war in Venezuela: With the strike on a ‘drug-carrying boat,' Trump returns to a dangerous US policy for Latin AmericaCaribbean leaders call for unified Latin American resistance to US attacksTrump's Monroe Doctrine 2.0 outlines imperial intentions for Latin AmericaYou can check out Michael's recent episode of Stories of Resistance about the protests against US intervention in Venezuela.NACLA's Curated Guide to the US Attack on Venezuela Truthout's ongoing reporting on War and Peace and the US invasion of VenezuelaVisit TRNN for all of TRNN's coverage on this and so much moreBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Magazine.In these episodes, Hangar Z hosts Jack Schonely and Jon Gray are joined by pilot Scott Hines and tactical flight officer (TFO) Alex Marti from the Fort Worth Police Department's Aviation Unit. Scott brings a deep aviation background as an U.S. Army aviator who flew the Bell OH-58D Kiowa, completing two combat tours in Iraq, before later transitioning to Black Hawks with the National Guard and flying medevac for Air Methods. That experience ultimately led him to Fort Worth PD. Alex is also an Army veteran who joined Fort Worth PD and worked his way into aviation, first serving as a reserve TFO before earning a full-time position in the unit. Together, we dig into changing the culture within an aviation unit, the challenges and wins of developing and formalizing a TFO program, operating the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, and share impactful experiences flying over Fort Worth. Along the way, we also take a deep dive into the OH-58D Kiowa, its capabilities, and why it left such a lasting impression on those who flew it.Please take a moment to like and subscribe to the Hangar Z Podcast. We appreciate your support.Thank you to our sponsors Robinson Helicopter, Summit Aviation and Technisonic Industries Limited.

What great weather we have been having this February! Welcome to our Mercer County Podcast Club Episode.Student Talk 1 features John Baldwin, Emerson Price and Eddie Woeckner talking about a variety of topics.Student Talk #2 features, Elsie Cook, Molly Dixon and Trace Zeitler yelling at each other about not getting cookies.Our Faculty interview features Ms. Westfall being interviewed by Jersey Hajostek. She talks about the MC Key Club and the upcoming Community Yard SaleLastly our Student Interview features Ailye Edwards interviewing Jonah Hays about the musical, Scholastic Bowl, Bass Fishing and his recent signing up for the National Guard.Enjoy and share with others!

1. Tribute to Robert Duvall Robert Duvall passed away at 95 years old. Hosts discuss his most iconic roles, including: To Kill a Mockingbird (as Boo Radley) The Godfather (as Tom Hagen) Lonesome Dove Apocalypse Now Gone in 60 Seconds Secondhand Lions Emphasis on Duvall’s legacy as one of the greatest American actors. Noted that Duvall chose not to have a funeral, instead asking people to enjoy a good movie. 2. Gavin Newsom Controversy A previous podcast episode involving Gavin Newsom. Newsom responded on social media, accusing Ted Cruz of attacking his dyslexia. Ted Cruz replied stating he called Newsom “historically illiterate,” not unable to read. Cruz references President Eisenhower federalizing the National Guard in 1957 as historical evidence contradicting Newsom's claim. We poke fun at Newsom’s reaction and discuss how social media posts performed online. Referenced AOC, Gretchen Whitmer, and Gavin Newsom attending a meeting in Munich Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As talks between Kyiv and Moscow end in Geneva, the two sides remain at loggerheads over the status of territory in Eastern Ukraine. We hear from Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko, Commander of Ukraine's National Guard.Also in the programme: a trial in Austria raises questions about the circumstances in which mountain climbers may be held responsible for their companions; and the widow of the American actor and playwright Chadwick Boseman, most famous as the star of Black Panther, tells us how she feels about her late husband's play being staged in London.(IMAGE: Ukrainian chief of the general staff Andrii Hnatov walks outside the InterContinental hotel on the day of U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, in Geneva, Switzerland, February 18, 2026 / CREDIT: Reuters/Pierre Albouy)

This hour, Scoot recaps Mardi Gras 2026, talks about the National Guard checkpoints along the French Quarter, people who get out of New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and some unfortunate incidents that happened on parade routes.

On today's show, Scoot talks about the epic 2026 Mardi Gras season, the post-Mardi Gras traffic nightmare, if crawfish boils count as a reasonable sacrifice for Lent, the National Guard checkpoints along the French Quarter, people who get out of New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and more.

Join Jim and Greg for the Tuesday 3 Martini Lunch as they discuss California Gov. Gavin Newsom's pathetic response to being accurately called "historically illiterate," growing speculation about a possible Supreme Court vacancy, and a new clash among Stephen Colbert, CBS, and federal regulators over election law.First, they dissect Gavin Newsom's controversial comments in Germany comparing ICE to the Gestapo or the Stasi, along with his claim that President Trump was the first commander-in-chief to deploy the National Guard and active-duty military inside the United States. After Texas Sen. Ted Cruz labeled Newsom “historically illiterate,” Newsom fired back by accusing Cruz of mocking his dyslexia. Jim and Greg explain why Newsom is wrong on all counts.Next, they examine rumors that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito may be considering retirement this year. While much of the speculation appears thin, Jim and Greg outline one practical reason why Alito could decide this is the right moment to step down from the high court.Then, they dive into the dispute involving Stephen Colbert, CBS, and the FCC over Colbert's planned interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico just weeks before the Texas U.S. Senate primary. CBS and the FCC say equal time applies in this situation, meaning Colbert needed to offer an interview to Democrat Jasmine Crockett and possible the Republican U.S. Senate candidates.Finally, they reflect on the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.Please visit our great sponsors:Help protect your family with life insurance through Ethos. Visit https://ETHOS.com/3ML to get your instant, free quote.  Every missed call is a missed opportunity. Capture every lead with QUO. Start today and save 20% on your first 6 months: https://Quo.com/3MLFind your way forward with BetterHelp when you sign up at https://www.BetterHelp.com/3ML to get 10% off your first month.New episodes every weekday. 

On May 4 1970, four students were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard during a protest. What were they protesting? Why were the National Guard brought in? And what chain of events led them to shoot?Don is joined by historian Brian VanDeMark, formerly of the United States Naval Academy, whose latest book is Kent State: An American Tragedy.Edited by Aidan Lonergan, produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.American History Hit is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Valor Magazine.In these episodes, Hangar Z hosts Jack Schonely and Jon Gray are joined by pilot Scott Hines and tactical flight officer (TFO) Alex Marti from the Fort Worth Police Department's Aviation Unit. Scott brings a deep aviation background as an U.S. Army aviator who flew the Bell OH-58D Kiowa, completing two combat tours in Iraq, before later transitioning to Black Hawks with the National Guard and flying medevac for Air Methods. That experience ultimately led him to Fort Worth PD. Alex is also an Army veteran who joined Fort Worth PD and worked his way into aviation, first serving as a reserve TFO before earning a full-time position in the unit. Together, we dig into changing the culture within an aviation unit, the challenges and wins of developing and formalizing a TFO program, operating the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, and share impactful experiences flying over Fort Worth. Along the way, we also take a deep dive into the OH-58D Kiowa, its capabilities, and why it left such a lasting impression on those who flew it.Please take a moment to like and subscribe to the Hangar Z Podcast. We appreciate your support.Thank you to our sponsors Rotorcraft Support, Inc., Summit Aviation and Trakka Systems.

National news was focused on Oregon in 2025 as President Donald Trump tried to send National Guard troops to Portland to quell protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on the city’s South Waterfront. (Those protests were largely peaceful, despite the president’s statements to the contrary.) After a lot of legal back-and-forth, the Supreme Court weighed in and the president quietly recalled troops from Portland, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Trump Administration recently dropped its appeal of a decision made by a federal judge in Oregon that blocked the president from deploying National Guard Troops to Portland. But the president has made statements implying that he intends to send troops back to Portland and other cities at some point, saying he could still use the Insurrection Act to do so.    Throughout this whole saga, OPB has been reporting and adding context to a story that is both local and national. We learned a lot in the process — about the role of the courts in relation to the executive branch, about the difference between what’s actually happening on the ground, government narratives and public perception, and about the different kinds of protesters and the motivations for dissent. On this episode of “The Evergreen,” we break down some of that work with three smart journalists who’ve been in the thick of it: OPB criminal justice and legal affairs reporter Conrad Wilson, OPB public safety reporter Troy Brynelson and the editor for OPB’s public safety and health team, Michelle Wiley.  Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps: Hush Timber Wars Season 2: Salmon Wars Politics Now Think Out Loud And many more! Check out our full show list here.  

I never thought I'd be glued to my screen watching courtrooms turn into battlegrounds for America's future, but here we are in the thick of it. Just a few days ago, on February 4, 2026, in a federal courtroom in Manhattan, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein stared down lawyers for President Donald Trump with a look that screamed disbelief. According to Associated Press reporter Michael Sisak, who was right there covering the oral arguments, the judge seemed downright incredulous at the defense's push to yank Trump's infamous hush money conviction out of New York state court and into federal territory, where they hope to torch it on presidential immunity grounds.Picture this: Trump's team, fresh off a nudge from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals back in November, arguing that even though the 2016 hush money payments to Stormy Daniels were mostly about his personal life during the campaign, some trial evidence touched Oval Office chats with future administration folks like Michael Cohen. They say that makes the whole conviction—where Trump got an unconditional discharge just 11 days before his January 2025 inauguration—immune and erasable. Hellerstein wasn't buying it. Sisak reports the judge hammered them for waiting too long to pivot to federal court, calling it like taking two bites at the apple. He's rejected this move twice before, insisting the case is private scandal, not presidential acts. Trump skipped the hearing himself, but his lawyers left with the judge promising a quick ruling after thanking both sides, including the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, for their fierce arguments.And that's not all unfolding in these frantic days. Over at SCOTUSblog, they're tracking how the Supreme Court keeps slapping temporary brakes on Trump's bold plays. On December 23, 2025, the justices, over dissents from Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch, refused to pause a Chicago federal judge's order blocking National Guard deployments in Illinois by Judge April Perry. Trump pulled troops from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland right after. Then there's the mess with Venezuelan TPS holders—Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco ruled against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's termination of their protected status, but the High Court paused it twice, letting deportations roll as appeals drag on in the 9th Circuit.Lawfare's Trump Administration Litigation Tracker paints an even wilder picture: 298 active cases challenging executive actions on national security, plus suits over the Alien Enemies Act deportations. The Supreme Court's handed down 14 stays favoring the feds, but judges have ruled against them 22 times. Meanwhile, whispers of a massive birthright citizenship fight loom, with U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante blocking Trump's executive order for babies born after February 20, 2025, and the Supreme Court set to hear arguments on April 1.It's a judicial whirlwind, listeners—courts in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and D.C. pushing back as Trump tests every limit. Will Hellerstein kill the hush money bid again? Can the Supreme Court reshape immigration overnight? These past few days feel like the front lines of power itself.Thanks for tuning in, listeners. Come back next week for more, and this has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Why the U.S. military isn't supposed to enforce civilian law — and when that rule breaks down.Passed in 1878, the Posse Comitatus Act was designed to limit the federal government's use of the U.S. military in domestic law enforcement. The law emerged amid the tensions of Reconstruction, when federal troops were regularly deployed to maintain order in the former Confederate states.In this episode, learn why lawmakers drew a sharp line between soldiers and police, what the Posse Comitatus Act actually prohibits, and the major exceptions that complicate its enforcement. I also explore how the law has been interpreted over time - and why things get confusing when the National Guard gets involved. Support the show

02/13/26: Joel Heitkamp is joined in the KFGO studio by Fargo City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn to talk about his decision to run for Mayor of Fargo. Dave has been a city commissioner for 16 years. He was first elected in 2008 and served until 2012. He was elected again in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Piepkorn has been a small business owner and is currently self-employed. Others running are National Guard member Jake Coulter, Commissioner Denise Kolpack, and State Sen. Josh Boschee. (Joel Heitkamp is a talk show host on the Mighty 790 KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. His award-winning program, “News & Views,” can be heard weekdays from 8 – 11 a.m. Follow Joel on X/Twitter @JoelKFGO.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for February 11, 2026. 0:30 An unprecedented national security moment at the southern border. We break down the stunning FAA decision to shut down airspace over El Paso and parts of southern New Mexico after cartel-linked drones crossed into U.S. airspace from Mexico. Commercial flights grounded, the military quietly neutralizing the threat, and comparisons to 9/11 and historic cross-border attacks raise a chilling question: was this a probe for something much bigger? From Mexican drug cartels and drone warfare to terrorism designations and the real possibility of U.S. military action, this is not routine border chaos — it’s a warning sign of escalation that could reshape border security, U.S.–Mexico relations, and America’s response to cartel terrorism. 9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. President Trump has sent home National Guard troops deployed to several high crime cities across America.These include Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The FAA closed the airspace around El Paso earlier this week for an unspecified security reason. A Grand Jury has refused to indict six Democrats who made a video encouraging members of the military to refuse orders given by President Trump. 12:30 Get Prodovite Plus from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 13:00 House Republicans pass the SAVE Act—again—mandating proof of citizenship and voter ID for federal elections, and once again it heads straight for a Senate roadblock. We take aim at Democrats’ near-unanimous opposition, the handful of states that still don’t require voter ID, and the growing frustration with Senate leadership refusing to force the issue. Is verifying voters really “voter suppression,” or just common sense election integrity? 16:00 Did you swear you’d never turn into your parents… and then realize you already have? In this American Mamas segment, Terry Netterville and Kimberly Burleson jump into a candid, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt conversation about parenting, boundaries, and the habits we promised ourselves we wouldn’t repeat. From “because I said so” moments and helicopter parenting to free-range childhoods, united fronts, and good cop–bad cop dynamics, the discussion hits home for moms and dads alike. It’s an honest look at generational parenting, raising kids without a blueprint, and why every parent eventually hears, “I’m never doing that with my kids”… right before they do exactly that. If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button. 23:00 A blunt warning from across the Atlantic—and a debate Americans shouldn’t ignore. We react to comments from British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who says the UK is being “colonized by immigrants” and warns you can’t sustain an economy with millions on government benefits and open borders. From eye-opening wealth comparisons between Britain and the U.S. to free speech crackdowns, mass immigration, and the failure of Europe’s multicultural experiment, the conversation draws sharp lines between border security, national identity, and economic survival. Is Britain saying out loud what many Western nations refuse to confront? 25:30 A deeper dive into the jobs numbers reveals a story the headlines missed. We break down the latest U.S. jobs report and why what’s inside the data matters more than the top-line figures. Private-sector job growth surged while government payrolls shrank to levels not seen since the 1960s, wages are once again rising faster than inflation, and native-born Americans are gaining jobs as foreign-born employment declines. From shrinking bureaucracy and “deep state” influence to AI’s impact on wages, tariffs, reshoring manufacturing, and real wage growth under Trump, this is a data-driven look at why the economy may be stronger—and more America First—than the media wants to admit. 32:00 Get Performlyte from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 32:30 Hollywood accounting meets hard reality. We pull back the curtain on Disney’s woke remake of Snow White and why the numbers tell a brutal story Hollywood doesn’t want you to see. Thanks to UK transparency rules, Forbes was able to expose an estimated $170 million loss—turning a beloved classic into a financial bloodbath. From sneaky studio bookkeeping and royalty checks no one can verify to audiences rejecting political lectures at the box office, the message is clear: go woke, go broke. Audiences are finally voting with their wallets. 35:30 A shocking civics failure inside a state legislature sparks a much bigger debate. We react to a North Carolina sheriff who couldn’t identify the basic branches of government during a legislative hearing tied to a deadly crime—and why that moment exposes a deeper problem in American leadership. The conversation turns to Congressman Wesley Hunt’s proposal to require members of Congress to pass a basic civics test, similar to the citizenship exam. From constitutional ignorance and oath-taking to accountability for elected officials, this is a blunt discussion about why you shouldn’t hold power if you don’t understand the Constitution—and why civic literacy may be the missing safeguard in American government. 39:30 A Team USA bobsled athlete and U.S. Air Force airman Jasmine Jones' pride in representing her country stands in sharp contrast to athletes who criticize America on the world stage. Her words about service, sacrifice, and honor strike a powerful chord—showing what it really means to wear “USA” across your chest. 41:30 And we finish off with some words of wisdom about how the country actually works. Articles Trump Pulls Federalized Guard Troops From US Cities FAA Lifts Temporary Flight Suspension at El Paso Airport US Seizes 134 Acres in Texas Used by Mexican Cartel: ‘They Thought They Were Untouchable’ Billionaires tax appears to send Mark Zuckerberg packing FBI has 'substantiated' irregularities in Georgia 2020 vote counts, probing if they were intentional Rapid Response 47 X Post "Under President Trump, federal employment has declined to its lowest level since 1966" @earlyvotedata X Post "One important point that is huge for regular people" @RealEJAntoni "The average American's weekly paycheck, adjusted for inflation, shrunk 4.0% under Biden" Exclusive: GOP lawmaker wants Congress to take — and pass — a basic civics exam GOP lawmaker shocked after anti-ICE sheriff was stumped by 'fifth-grade civics' question Follow us: americangroundradio.com Facebook: facebook.com / AmericanGroundRadio Instagram: instagram.com/americangroundradioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On May 17, 1995, a quiet evening in San Diego turned into a scene out of a war movie. Shawn Timothy Nelson, a struggling Army veteran and plumber, breached a National Guard armory, hot-wired an M60A3 tank, and began a 25-minute path of destruction through suburban streets. --For early, ad free episodes and monthly exclusive bonus content, join our Patreon! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I never thought I'd be glued to my screen watching court battles unfold like a high-stakes thriller, but here we are in the thick of President Donald Trump's second term, with legal fights erupting everywhere from federal appeals courts to the steps of the Supreme Court. Just last Friday, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the Trump administration's immigration detention policy, mandating that people arrested in the crackdown stay detained without bond, as reported by Reuters journalist Nate Raymond. It's a win for the White House's tough stance on borders, keeping the momentum from earlier victories.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is buzzing with Trump-related pleas. On February 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, vacated a nationwide injunction blocking two of Trump's executive orders targeting what he calls illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in federal grantees and contractors. Chief Judge Albert Diaz wrote the opinion, remanding it to the District of Maryland and signaling these orders might survive scrutiny, according to Law and the Workplace analysis. Employers, especially government contractors, are on notice—DEI initiatives could face real enforcement heat now.Over in immigration again, the Trump team filed an official appeal notice in a Haitian Temporary Protected Status suit, challenging U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes' February 2 ruling that halted the cancellation of TPS for Haitian immigrants, per The Columbus Dispatch's Bethany Bruner. Government lawyers even asked Reyes to pause her order by noon that day, pushing the case toward the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and potentially the Supreme Court itself.Redistricting wars rage on too. The Supreme Court recently cleared new maps for Texas and California—Texas gaining five Republican-friendly House seats, California countering with five for Democrats—yet battles like Louisiana v. Callais over race and the Voting Rights Act continue, as detailed by Washington Examiner's Jack Birle. And get this: Trump's lawyers are petitioning the Supreme Court to toss the 2023 E. Jean Carroll civil verdict against him, arguing in their final brief that the president is too busy running the country to fight old allegations, according to USA Today's Maureen Groppe. The justices will conference on it February 20.Don't forget the bigger picture from the Brennan Center: while Trump was convicted in New York City state court in May 2024 for falsifying business records over hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, three criminal cases linger—federal ones in Washington, D.C., for election interference, Fulton County, Georgia, for the same, and Florida over classified documents. Lawfare's litigation tracker counts 298 active challenges to Trump administration actions on national security, plus 14 Supreme Court stays favoring the feds.Even whispers of impeachment surfaced, with ET Now's February 6 livestream claiming the House of Representatives is deciding Trump's fate—though details remain murky amid the chaos. From Venezuelan TPS revocations paused by the Supreme Court despite U.S. District Judge Edward Chen's rulings in San Francisco, to National Guard deployment blocks in Illinois that Trump ultimately pulled back from Chicago and Portland, these shadow docket moves have real-world bite, as SCOTUSblog explains.It's a legal whirlwind, listeners, with Trump fighting on multiple fronts, courts picking sides, and the Supreme Court wielding quiet power that reshapes policies overnight. Stay tuned as these cases collide toward 2026 elections.Thank you for tuning in, listeners. Come back next week for more, and this has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

The National Guard can be found in every state. They play a unique role in being both a federal and state government asset. In this podcast you will learn about the role of the National Guard in our national defense and also when disasters strike. Our guest represents not only the Washington National Guard, but also emergency management for the State of Washington. Therefore, we'll also examine the anticipated challenges moving forward as FEMA reduces their support of states and local governments before, during and after disasters.  Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh is The Adjutant General, Washington National Guard, at Camp Murray, Wash. Maj. Gen. Welsh was appointed as The Adjutant General of Washington on 29 June 2024. General Welsh is the commanding general of all Washington Army and Air National Guard forces and oversees the State's Emergency Management and Enhanced 911 programs. He also serves as Homeland Security Advisor to the Governor of Washington and as State Administrative Agent for all United States Department of Homeland Security grants awarded to Washington's state, local, tribal and non-profit agencies and organizations.  General Welsh enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1988. He transferred to the Air National Guard in 1992 and was commissioned as a 2d Lieutenant in 1994. He has held a variety of positions in air support operations and combat communications units, including command positions at the squadron, group, and wing levels. He is a resident graduate of the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, commanded the 242d Combat Communications Squadron and the 252d Combat Communications Group, served as the Chief Information Officer, J6, and Chief of Staff for the Washington National Guard, and commanded the 194th Wing and the Washington Air National Guard.Please visit our sponsors!L3Harris Technologies' BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: www.l3harris.com Visit The Readiness Lab and learn about our Next Level Emergency Management training! https://www.thereadinesslab.com/Impulse: Bleeding Control Kits by professionals for professionals: www.dobermanemg.com/impulseDoberman Emergency Management Group provides subject matter experts in planning and training: www.dobermanemg.comCheck out how you can use digital twins in your training, exercising, and planning using RSET https://rset.com/ For sponsorship requests, check out our Sponsorship Portfolio here or email us at contact@thereadinesslab.com

Stephen Miller has consolidated unprecedented power in Trump's second term, personally drafting or editing every single executive order signed by the president. The deputy White House chief of staff operates with virtually no oversight from Chief of Staff Susie Wiles or anyone else in the administration. Miller architected the deadly boat strikes off Venezuela that killed over 100 people without identifying victims or proving drug involvement. He designed aggressive immigration sweeps in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Chicago, freelancing policy statements without White House approval. Miller pushed for military strikes inside Mexico against drug cartels and later advocated invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy troops in Minneapolis. Trump's polling numbers have plummeted, with the president now reportedly giving Miller side eye for the political damage. Miller uses Signal messaging app illegally to avoid Presidential Records Act requirements. He communicates directly with Kristi Noem at DHS, ordering ICE operations including factory raids Trump publicly opposed. Miller moved his family from a six million dollar Arlington home to a military base after sidewalk chalk protests. He operates beyond his immigration portfolio, making unauthorized statements on Greenland, Venezuela and foreign policy. Miller pushed to investigate liberal groups using counterterrorism methods employed after 9/11. Trump has questioned why Miller speaks on topics outside his authority. The Wall Street Journal reporting reveals Miller's influence over Trump's boundary pushing impulses continues despite mounting political costs and legal questions surrounding his unchecked power in the executive branch. SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mdg650hawk - Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdg650hawk7thacct - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkeyewhackamole - Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.bsky.social - Connect on Substack: https://mdg650hawk.substack.com - Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkpodcasts - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdg650hawk - Connect on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mdg650hawk ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO- Additional Content Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts- Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuLYouTube: https://youtube.com/@hawkpodcastsiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdPPandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTB

The latest BARRACKS TALK podcast episode is waiting, press 'play' now!   In this week's episode of BARRACKS TALK from DV Radio: The Vets kick-off the smoke session with a gut-punching piece of news, 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold, the voice behind the badass National Guard anthem "Citizen/Soldier" and so many hits that we can't list them here, lost his fight to cancer at 47. After this, the DV Radio Crew kicks it into high-gear roasting Texas oil-field toys that sound like plinking laser guns (or maybe that's Nevermore's balls). Even JJ has a moment in therapy that left the entire VA and DV Radio Crew laughing, all because of a slender vegan that made him go, "OOOOHHH!" With a heavy nod to a rock legend, the crude one-liners and zero fucks given isn't missed in this latest episode of BARRACKS TALK! - Grab Your DV Radio Merch! https://bit.ly/DVR-StreamLabs-Merch - Star Spangled Brewing Co. [THE OFFICIAL BEER OF DV RADIO] https://www.starspangledbrewingco.com/ - Hard Of Hearing, Deaf, or Have Other Hearing Issues? READ THE TRANSCRIPT! https://dvradio.net/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing/ - Hope For 22 A Day https://hopefor22aday.org/ - Liberty Risk Podcast https://beacons.ai/libertyriskpodcast - INERT Mugs www.inertmugs.com - Laugh It Off https://www.laughitoff.org/ - Want To Sponsor DV Radio? No pricing model beats DV Radio when it comes to sponsorship. https://bit.ly/SponsorDVRadio DV Radio on Rumble https://rumble.com/c/DVRadio DV Radio on twitch.tv https://www.twitch.tv/dvradio - Burn It Down Change Unchained Tumbler from INERT Mugs Website: https://www.inertmugs.com/products/20oz-burn-it-down-thermite-tumbler [NOTE: Click these links!] ---------- DV Farm Septic System Fundraiser https://donorbox.org/dv-farm-septic-system ---------- Parental Control Apps https://bit.ly/ChildSafeInternet ---------- Backpacks For Life https://backpacksforlife.org/ ---------- Wah-Tie Woodturning https://wahtiewoodturning.com/ ---------- Backpacks For Life Fundraiser https://ko-fi.com/dvradio/goal?g=1 ---------- Edited by Munkee Bawlz Media https://www.munkeebawlzmedia.com/ ---------- Are you a Veteran Owned Business? Have unique, handmade items that we can buy and review on a show? Contact us, show us what you have, and we'll (at least Bo) will spend up to $50 per month and speak openly about your product(s)!! ---------- Find Out More About Betsy Ross At Her Website https://bit.ly/Fight-With-Betsy-Ross ---------- *Got an idea for BARRACKS TALK or any other show? Want to be a guest? Then please feel free to contact us by sending an email to info[at]dvradio.net or oink[at]dvradio.net.* ---------- **LINKS TO CHECK OUT** EVERYTHING DYSFUNCTIONAL VETERANS https://whereisdv.carrd.co  ---------- Grab DV Radio's Battlegrounds From Ubora Coffee At: http://bit.ly/DVR-BattlegroundCoffee  ---------- DV RADIO PARTNERS, SPONSORS, and AFFILIATES https://dvr-listen-support.carrd.co

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for February 9, 2026. You're listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for February 9, 2026. 0:30 Chicago’s murder rate is plunging—but the political fight over why is just getting started. We break down the stunning drop in homicides and violent crime in Chicago, including a nearly 30% decline and the lowest murder total in decades. While even Mayor Brandon Johnson is forced to acknowledge the numbers, the real debate centers on what caused the turnaround: tougher enforcement, consequences for criminals, and the impact of President Trump’s National Guard deployments. From Chicago to Washington, D.C., the data is colliding head-on with the narrative, raising an uncomfortable question for Democrats—do results matter more than politics? 9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. A federal appeals court has backed the Trump Administration on detaining illegal immigrants without bond. A Georgia man was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for threatening to kill President Trump. Teachers in San Francisco left students stranded today as they went on strike in the middle of the school year. 12:30 Get Prodovite Plus from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 13:00 The NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show sparked backlash after sidelining its majority English-speaking audience, despite those same fans driving ratings, advertising revenue, and the league’s bottom line. While advertisers spent millions on English-language commercials to reach the Super Bowl audience, the halftime performance was entirely in Spanish—raising questions about who the NFL is actually trying to reach. The controversy has shifted attention away from the game itself and onto concerns about brand dilution, misplaced priorities, and a league that appears more focused on symbolism than delivering the best possible football experience. 16:30 We got a question in for our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson: Why are so many young women out rioting against the police in Minnesota? We discuss the idea that women are biologically wired to nurture and protect the vulnerable—and what happens when that instinct has nowhere traditional to go. As motherhood and family life are increasingly discouraged, that protective drive is redirected toward political causes, activist movements, and protest culture. The discussion looks at how this “mama bear” instinct hasn’t disappeared, but has been repurposed, helping explain why modern progressive activism is often dominated by young women fiercely fighting for causes they believe are under threat. If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button. 23:00 As sports become increasingly wrapped in spectacle and political messaging, a rare voice cuts through with an old-fashioned reminder of what competition is actually for. Drawing on a message released at the opening of the Winter Olympics, the Pope emphasizes discipline, sacrifice, humility, and the lessons learned in both victory and defeat. Winning isn’t about outperforming others—it’s about the journey, the grind, and shared commitment. Losing isn’t failure, but a teacher. Against the backdrop of a Super Bowl dominated by controversy rather than the game itself, this moment highlights what sports are meant to be: a shared human endeavor that builds character, not a branding exercise or political platform. 26:30 Winning the Super Bowl in California can actually leave NFL players poorer than when they started. Because of California’s aggressive “jock tax,” players are taxed not just on their Super Bowl bonus, but on a prorated share of their entire season’s income based on the days they spent in the state. The result: some players owed California tens of thousands of dollars more than they earned from the game—even after winning it. We break down how state tax policy dramatically affects player earnings, why teams in no-income-tax states have a built-in financial advantage, and how the same tax logic is now being used to chase businesses and high-income earners who leave states like California and New York. 32:00 Get Performlyte from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 32:30 The Super Bowl halftime show is under fire after translations revealed sexually explicit lyrics broadcast to a national audience—hidden behind a language most viewers don’t speak. Critics argue the content crossed the line into obscene and pornographic material, violating FCC indecency standards that apply regardless of language. A U.S. congressman is now calling for formal action against the NFL, the network, and the performer, saying content that would never be allowed in English was effectively smuggled onto broadcast television in Spanish. The controversy raises serious questions about double standards, broadcast decency laws, and whether the NFL knowingly exposed families to explicit sexual content during America’s biggest sporting event. 36:00 U.S. liquefied natural gas exports are surging to record highs, marking a major reversal from the export restrictions that held the energy sector back in recent years. With LNG shipments climbing and new global buyers emerging, American energy is once again displacing Russian gas in Europe and beyond—cutting off funding for hostile regimes while strengthening U.S. leverage on the world stage. The boom is also fueling jobs at home, from drillers and welders to shipbuilders and landowners, while delivering cleaner energy with lower emissions. Rising LNG exports aren’t just an energy story—they’re about national security, economic growth, and America reclaiming its role as a global energy powerhouse. 39:30 Weight loss and self-improvement are supposed to strengthen relationships—but new data suggests the opposite is happening for many couples. A growing number of people using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs report breakups triggered by jealousy and insecurity from their partners after major physical changes. When one person improves and the other can’t—or won’t—celebrate that success, relationships begin to crack. The discussion highlights a deeper issue about modern relationships: whether couples are truly built on mutual support, or only comfortable as long as neither person grows beyond the other. 41:30 And we finish off today's show with llamas who help police catch a criminal. Articles Appeals court affirms Trump policy of jailing immigrants without bond Georgia man accused of threatening Trump sentenced to prison Blue City’s Teachers Go AWOL, Leave Kids With Empty Schools To Demand Better Pay Super Bowl Jock Tax Calculator The Tax Advantage of Playing in the AFC South U.S. LNG exports hit new high as Turkey buys big TMZ's Halftime Show Poll Isn't Going the Way They Hoped Andrew Kovet X Post: "The All-American Halftime Show pulled in OVER 25 MILLION views" Amid rampant AI and social media, Gen Z is turning to religion | Opinion Follow us: americangroundradio.com Facebook: facebook.com / AmericanGroundRadio Instagram: instagram.com/americangroundradioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A frozen pond. A perfect circle cut through the ice. And something black waiting below the surface. On this episode of New England Legends, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger travel to rural Wakefield, where a baffling winter discovery in January of 1977 launched one of New England's strangest UAP investigations. After a local farmer found a precise three-foot circle melted through thick ice on his pond, he peered into the shallow water and saw something impossible—a solid black cube resting on the bottom. Police were called. Radiation was detected. The National Guard got involved. And then… the answers vanished. Was it military? Extraterrestrial? Or something even stranger hiding beneath the ice? More than four decades later, The Wakefield UAP Mystery remains unsolved—an eerie reminder that some encounters leave evidence behind… but take their explanations with them. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Jeff Belanger here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jeffbelanger.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Wakefield UAP Mystery - A New England Legends Podcast PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS THAT SUPPORT THIS SHOW  RULA - Get the mentalhealthcare that works with you—not against your budget ⁠⁠⁠www.Rula.com/P60⁠⁠⁠ True Classic - Step into your new home for the best clothes at True Classic ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TrueClassic.com/P60⁠⁠⁠⁠  Raycon Everyday Earbuds - Save up to 30% Off at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.buyraycon.com/truecrimenetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠Mint Mobile - To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, and get the plan shipped to your door for FREE, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.MintMobile.com/P60⁠⁠⁠⁠Cozy Earth - Begin your sleep adventure on the best bedding and sleepwear with Cozy Earth: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cozyearth.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ use Promo Code P60 for up to 40% off savings!Love & Lotus Tarot with Winnie Schrader - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://lovelotustarot.com/⁠⁠⁠Visit Minnesota's premiere haunted hotel, The Palmer House -⁠⁠https://www.thepalmerhousehotel.com/⁠⁠⁠ OR Call Now and Book a Room -320-351-9100⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, host Douglas Haynes is in conversation with Chris Purdy, the Founder and CEO of the Chamberlain Network, an organization dedicated to mobilizing veterans to protect democratic values and institutions. They discuss the changing civilian-military relations in the second Trump presidency, the tradition of the military as an apolitical institution, and the militarization of ICE. Purdy is himself a veteran and says his story is an American one: his family migrated to the US due to violence in Belfast and he joined the army to serve his country. He's noticed that after their service ends, veterans often “don't feel comfortable in their veteran-ness.” So he founded his organization with the goal of creating a non-partisan but political space for veterans to work for their communities. Purdy is concerned about the misuse of active duty forces through the Insurrection Act and he breaks down what the law says about when the military can be used for law enforcement.  He says that because veterans are often credible members of their communities, they can be champions of democracy. Contrary to the way the Trump administration is “laundering military credibility for their agenda” The Chamberlain Network is organizing retired veterans, business and church leaders, and others to help their communities feel safe to vote during elections. They also discuss Trump's restructuring of military leadership, Purdy's article about the misuse of the National Guard, how ICE is acting recklessly by enforcing a political agenda, and the longstanding practice of ICE and other law enforcement recruiting from the military and the “warrior class.” Purdy insists that active duty service members and veterans aren't ICE, DHS, or other federal law enforcement agencies.  Chris Purdy is the Founder and CEO of The Chamberlain Network, an organization dedicated to mobilizing veterans to protect democratic values and institutions. A former Combat Engineer in the Army National Guard and an Iraq War veteran, Chris also has extensive experience supporting immigrant communities, having previously led veterans' initiatives at an international human rights organization. He also has a background in education, serving as a Special Education teacher and school administrator. Featured image: photo of Chris Purdy courtesy of The Chamberlain Network. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post How Veterans Can Reduce Polarization appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, a democrat, joins us to explain why she is running for governor and she is taking your questions. Listen LIVE Weekdays 7AM Central on the KWAM app, or Mighty990.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kansas native Ulrich Baumgardner found the tree industry through cutting firewood, hunting from trees, and falling down a YouTube rabbit hole. Inspired by arborist creators, he joined Wellnitz Tree Company after seeing them bid a job at his home, starting as a groundie and quickly embracing climbing. With a National Guard background, Ulrich continues to sharpen his skills through coworkers, trade shows, and YouTube, often climbing just for fun.

Join Jim and Greg for the Tuesday 3 Martini Lunch as they break down Washington, D.C.'s sharply declining crime numbers, troubling Trump administration rhetoric on guns, and House Democrats refusing to expel a colleague facing serious corruption charges.First, they welcome new data showing January crime rates in the nation's capital are significantly lower than a year ago across most major categories. Jim and Greg dig into how much credit belongs to the temporary federalization of the D.C. police force and deployment of the National Guard, and how much may be due to other factors.Next, they push back on comments from U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, who warned that anyone bringing a gun into D.C. is going to jail. While Pirro later clarified that firearms must be registered with the city. Jim and Greg still find that problematic and the wrong focus of efforts to curb crime.Finally, they react as House Democrats refuse to expel Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who is charged with stealing federal disaster relief funds to finance her campaign. Even after a blistering House Ethics Committee report, Democrats insist they won't act unless she's convicted. Is that the right standard? Please visit our great sponsors:Skip the hassle and book a top-rated doctor in seconds with Zocdoc. Visit https://www.Zocdoc.com/3ML today!Visit https://CoastPay.com/3ML to get free gas for a whole day. Terms apply.Unlock your healthiest skin by targeting visible aging signs at https://Oneskin.co/3ML with code 3ML for 15% off.New episodes every weekday. 

Send us a textPeaches runs a solo Daily Drop Ops Brief and moves fast through recruiting wins, force readiness, and why some headlines deserve side-eye. From the Army smashing recruiting goals and Fort Stewart gunnery training to debates over the Trump-class battleship, carrier flight ops, and Marines earning lifesaving awards off duty, this episode balances news with blunt commentary. Peaches also dives into Air Force leadership travel, the YFQ-48 Alpha designation, Coast Guard infrastructure investments, sanctions enforcement in the Caribbean, and NATO concerns about Russia targeting Starlink with orbital shrapnel. The takeaway stays consistent: communications win wars, space debris kills everyone, and context matters more than vibes.⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Ones Ready intro and sponsor plug 01:10 Modern Athlete Strength Systems AFSOC program 03:00 Operator Training Summit 2026 (University of Alabama) 04:45 Why OTS is training, not selection 06:00 Army exceeds FY25 recruiting goals 07:10 Aerial gunnery training at Fort Stewart 07:55 Seize the Marne obstacle course 08:40 Trump-class battleship announcement reaction 10:10 Navy & Coast Guard vertical hoist training 11:00 USS George H.W. Bush flight ops 11:40 Marines receive lifesaving awards 12:40 Shout-out to Major Josh Stevens 14:00 Mortar training at Camp Fuji 15:20 Quantico Marine Band odd timing 16:00 Air Force leadership visits CENTCOM 17:00 YFQ-48 Alpha designation explained 18:00 USAFE & AFAfrica leadership visits 18:40 Coast Guard Buffalo investment 19:10 Station Pascagoula returns to ops 19:40 National Guard support reporting gripe 20:30 Sanctioned tanker seizure in Caribbean 21:10 NATO concerns over Russian anti-sat weapons 22:30 Why space shrapnel is catastrophic 24:00 Final thoughts and wrap-up

In this episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins talks with author Linda Stasi about her historical novel, The Descendant, inspired by her own Italian-American family history. Stasi traces her ancestors' journey from Sicily to the Colorado mining camps, revealing the brutal realities faced by immigrant laborers in the American West. The conversation explores the violent labor struggles surrounding the Ludlow Massacre and the role of powerful figures like John D. Rockefeller, as well as the diverse immigrant communities that shaped Colorado's mining towns. Stasi challenges stereotypes about Italians in America, highlighting their roles as workers, ranchers, and community builders—not just mobsters. Jenkins and Stasi also discuss Prohibition-era bootlegging and the early roots of organized crime in places like Pueblo, weaving together documented history with deeply personal family stories of survival, violence, and resilience. Drawing on her background as a journalist, Stasi reflects on loss, perseverance, and the immigrant pursuit of the American dream, making The Descendants both a historical narrative and an emotional family legacy. Click here to find the Descendant. 0:04 Introduction to Linda Stasi 3:12 The Role of Women in History 7:05 Bootlegging and the Mafia’s Rise 9:31 Discovering Family Connections 14:59 Immigrant Struggles and Success 19:02 Childhood Stories of Resilience 24:04 Serendipity in New York 26:19 Linda’s Journey as a Journalist Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here.  [0:00] Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, glad to be back here in studio, Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, and I have an interview for you. This is going to be a historical fiction author. This is going to be a historical fiction book by a writer whose family lived the life of, whose family, This is going to be a real issue. This book is going to, we’re going to talk about a book. We’re going to talk with an author about the book. We’re going to talk with the author, Linda Stasi. We’re going to talk with the author, Linda Stasi, about her book, The Descendants. Now, she wrote a historical fiction, but it’s based on her actual family’s history. [0:50] From Sicily to New York to California. The wild west of colorado now get that you never heard of many italians out west in colorado but she’s going to tell us a lot more about that and how they were actually ended up being part of the pueblo colorado mafia the corvino family and then got involved in bootlegging and and then later were involved in ranching and different things like that so it’s uh it’s a little different take on the mob in the United States that we usually get, but I like to do things that are a little bit different. So welcome, Linda Stasey. Historical fiction, how much of it is true? Is it from family stories? All the stories are true. I’ll ask you that here in a little bit. Okay, all the stories are true. All right. All the stories are true. [1:41] It’s based on not only stories that were told to me by my mother and her sisters and my uncles and so forth, But it’s also based on a lot of actual events that took place while they were living in Colorado. And it’s based on the fact that, you know, people don’t know this. We watch all these movies and we think everybody who settled the West talk like John Wayne. There were 30 different languages spoken right in the minds of Colorado. So my uncles rode the range and they were, drovers and they were Italian. I mean, they were first generation. They were born in Italy and they made their way with all these other guys who were speaking Greek and Mexican and you name it. It wasn’t a lot of people talking like, hey, how are you doing, partner? How are you doing, bard? Talking like I do. Right. [2:46] But it took a long time for you you can blame the movies for that and the dominant uh uh caucasian culture for that right and you know there was that what was the movie the the martin scorsese movie killers of the flower moon oh yeah all the uh native americans spoke like they were from like movie set in color and oklahoma so he was like what. [3:13] Yeah, well, it’s the movies, I guess. [3:25] Unlike any women that I would have thought would have been around at that time. They were rebellious, and they did what they wanted, and they had a terrible, mean father. And I also wanted to tell this story. That’s what I started out telling. But I ended up telling the story of the resilience of the immigrants who came to this country. For example, with the Italians and the Sicilians, there had been earthquakes and tsunamis and droughts. So Rockefeller sent these men that he called padrones to the poorest sections of Sicily, the most drought-affected section, looking for young bucks to come and work. And he promised them, he’d say, oh, the president of America wants to give you land, he wants to give you this. Well, they found themselves taken in the most horrific of conditions and brought to Ellis Island, where they were herded onto cattle cars and taken to the mines of Colorado, where they worked 20-hour days. They were paid in company script, so they couldn’t even buy anything. Their families followed them. They were told that their families were coming for free, and they were coming for free, but they weren’t. They had to pay for their passage, which could never be paid for because it was just company script. [4:55] And then in 1914, the United Mine Workers came in, and there were all these immigrants, Greeks and mostly Italians, and they struck, and Rockefeller fired everyone who struck. So the United Mine Workers set up a tent city in Ludlow. [5:14] And at night, Rockefeller would send his goons in who were—he actually paid the National Guard and a detective agency called Baldwin Feltz to come in. And they had a turret-mounted machine gun that they called the Death Squad Special, and they’d just start spraying. So the miners, the striking miners, built trenches under their tents for their women and children to hide. when the bullets started flying. And then at some point, Rockefeller said, you’re not being effective enough. They haven’t gone back to work. Do what you have to do. So these goons went in and they poured oil on top of the tents. And they set them on fire. [6:00] And they burnt dozens of women and children to death. They went in. The government claimed it was 21 people, but there was a female reporter who counted 60-something. and they were cutting the heads and the hands off of people, the children and women, so they couldn’t be identified. It all ended very badly and none of Rockefeller’s people or Rockefeller got in trouble. They went before Congress and Rockefeller basically said they had no right to strike. And that was that. So here are all these men and women now living wild in the mountains of Colorado, not speaking the language, not. Being literate, not able to read and write. [6:44] And living in shacks on mountains in the hurricane, I mean, in the blizzards and whatnot. And then it’s so odd. In 1916, Colorado declared prohibition, which was four years before the rest of the country. [7:00] So these guys said, well, we need to make booze. We need to make wine. What do you mean you can’t have booze and wine? So that’s how bootlegging started in Colorado. And that’s how the mafia began in the West. with these guys. [7:18] It’s kind of interesting. As I was looking down through your book, I did a story on the more modern mafia. This started during bootlegging times in Pueblo, and I noticed in your book, I refer to Pueblo, this was the Corvino brothers. So did you study that? Is that some of the background that you used to make, you know, use a story? You used real stories as well as, you know, the real stories from your family, real stories from history. Well, the Carlinos are my family. Oh, you’re related to the Carlinos. Well, what happened was I didn’t know that. And my cousin Karen came across this photo of the man who was her son. [7:59] Grandfather that she never met because he was killed in the longest gunfight in Colorado history when she was 10 days old. And he was Charlie Carlino. So she came across it and we met, we ended up meeting the family. Sam Carlino is my cousin and he owns like this big barbecue joint in san jose california and uh we’ve become very friendly so i i said i look i’m looking at this and i think wait a minute vito carlino is the father he has three sons and one daughter the youngest son charlie who was the the handsome man about town cowboy, they had a rival family called the dannas in bootlegging and charlie carlino and his bodyguard were riding across the baxter street bridge driving in one direction and the dannas were coming in the other direction and the dannas got out and and killed them and it’s exactly what I’m thinking to myself, Vito Corleone, three sons, Charlie gets killed on the bridge while the two cars are… I thought, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I mean. [9:26] It can’t be that coincidental, right? No. No, it can’t be. Even the bridge. Somebody was doing their research. [9:46] And had baby Charlotte, who was only 10 days old at the time. So all these stories are true, and it started other gunfights and so forth and so on. But I thought, holy shit. That’s my family. I had no idea. I mean, I knew my aunt was married to a guy whose name was Charlie Carlino, And I should show you the picture because he looks like the missing link from the village people. He’s got big fur chaps on and a cowboy hat. I mean, he’s got his holsters on and he’s got his long gun over his shoulder. It’s like, wow. Yeah, so that story is true. And my mom was a little girl when the Pueblo flood happened. And she always recalled the story to me about watching in horror as the cows and the horses and people were floating away, dead. [10:54] So now the name of your book is A Descendant, which is you, of course. And you kind of use the situations that you just described and the real life people in this book. So then how does this book progress and what other situation do you use? Well, I used many of the acts. I used the Ludlow massacre, the flood, the bootlegging, the prohibition. I also uncovered that the governor of Colorado said. [11:30] Assigned all these guys to become prohibition agents, but they were all KKK. Yeah. So they actually had license to kill the immigrants, just saying they had a still. They had a still. And they were wholesale killing people. So there’s that story. There’s the story of the congressional hearing of Rockefeller after that. And um the the book ends up with my mother um beating my father um who was not in colorado she met him at my aunt’s wedding and avoided him and avoided him and they finally got together and it ends up the book ends up at the start of world war ii and my father was drafted into the air Force, or the Army Air Corps, as it was called that time, and his was assigned to a bomber. He was a co-pilot or a bombardier or something, I forgot. And my grandfather on my father’s side said, well, wait a minute, where are you going to do this? And he said, well, we’re going to Italy. And he said, you’re going to bomb this? Your own country? And my father said, no, no, Bob, this is my country. [12:47] So the book comes full circle. Yeah, really. You know, I, uh, uh, sometimes I start my, I’ll do a program here for different groups or for the library once in a while. And I always like to start it with, you know, first of all, folks, remember, uh. [13:03] Italians came here after, you know, really horrible conditions in southern Italy and Sicily and they came here and they’re just looking for a little slice of American pie the American that’s all they want is a some of the American dream and you know they were taking advantage of they had they were they were darker they had a different language so they didn’t fit it they couldn’t like the Irish and the Germans were already here they had all the good jobs they had the businesses and so now the Italians they’re they’re kind of uh sucking high and tit as we used to say on the farm they’re they’re uh you know picking up the scraps as they can and form businesses. And so it sounds like, you know, and they also went into the, I know they went in the lead mines down here in South Missouri, because there’s a whole immigrant population, Sicilians in a small town called Frontenac. And it also sounds like they went out to the mines in Denver, Colorado. So it’s based on that diaspora, if you will, of people from Southern Italy. And they’re strapping, trying to get their piece of the American pie. Right. And I think that I also wanted very much to change the same old, same old narrative that we’ve all come to believe, that, you know, Italians came here, they went to New York, they killed everybody, they were ignorant slobs. And my family had a ranch! They were ranchers! They had herds of cattle! It’s like, that’s just been dismissed as though none of this existed because. [14:30] Yes, they were darker, because they had curly hair. [14:34] There’s a passage in my book that’s taken actually from the New York Times, where they say that Southern Italians are. [14:43] Greasy, kinky-haired criminals whose children should never be allowed in public schools with white children. Yeah. They used to print stuff like that. I’ve done some research in old newspapers, and not only about Italians, but a lot of other minorities, they print some [14:57] horrible, horrible, horrible things. Well, every minority goes through this, I guess. Everyone. I think so. Part of it’s a language problem. You hear people say, well, why don’t they learn our language? Well, what I say is, you know, ever try to learn a foreign language? It’s hard. It is really, really hard. I’ve tried. It is really hard. I got fired by my Spanish teacher. Exactly. You know how hard it is. I said, no, wait, I’m paying you. You can’t fire me. She said, you can’t learn. You just can’t learn. My grandkids love to say she got fired by her Spanish teacher. [15:36] But it’s such a barrier any kind of success you know not having the language is such a barrier to any kind of success into the you know american business community and that kind of a thing so it’s uh it’s tough for people and you got these people young guys who are bold and, they want they want to they end up having to feel like they have to take theirs they have to take it because ain’t nobody giving it up back in those days and so that sounds like your family they had to take however they took it they they had to take what they got how did that go down for them, start out with a small piece of land or and build up from there how did that go out well from what i understand um. [16:21] They first had a small plot, and then that they didn’t own. They just took it. And then as the bootlegging business got bigger, they started buying cattle and sheep. And they just started buying more and more land. But my grandfather was wanted because he killed some federal agent in the Ludlow Massacre. So he was wanted. So it was all in my grandmother’s name anyway. So she became, in my mind and in my book, she becomes the real head of the family. And my grandfather had a drinking problem, and she made the business successful and so forth. And then I do remember a story that my mother told me that—. [17:16] Al Capone came to the ranch at some point, and all the kids were like, who’s this man in the big car? There was other big cars. And then they moved to New York shortly after that, although they were allowed to keep the ranch with some of my aunts running it. I think there was a range war between the Dana family and the Carlinos and the Barberas, and they were told, get out of town, and they got out of town. And then they made a life in Brooklyn. And then my mom went back to Colorado and then came back to Brooklyn. [17:54] You think about how these immigrants, how in the hell, even the ones who come here now, how in the hell do you survive? I don’t know. Don’t speak the language. You don’t have the money. How do you survive? I don’t know. I truly don’t know. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t either. I couldn’t either. I don’t even want to go to another country where I don’t speak the language unless I can hire somebody to do stuff for me, you know, try to scuffle around and get a job, work off the books. You know, you got to work off the books, so to speak, and take the lowest, hardest jobs that they are, that there are. I don’t know. It’s crazy. I don’t really understand. Yeah. But, uh, so this, uh, it’s really interesting this, uh, the whole thing with the ranches and, and building up the ranches out there. I know we spoke, talk about Al Capone. Well, his brother, I think it was, it was not Ralph. There was another Capone brother. Which one? Well, another Capone brother who became, came a revenuer and I’ve seen some pictures of him and he looks like a cowboy with a hat and everything. He was in Nebraska or something. [19:02] It’s so funny. And I just, when I was growing up and I would tell people that my mom rode her donkey and then her horse to school, and they’d always say to me, but aren’t you Italian? [19:19] That’s Italian. Italian. Yeah, it’s interesting. Now, of course, your mom was, I noticed something in there about being in Los Animas in that area. Yes. Was there some family connection to that? And I say that because my wife’s grandfather lived there his whole life in Los Animas. Well, Los Animas County takes in Pueblo, I believe. Oh, okay. That’s the northern, that’s the far northern edge of Pueblo. The whole big area. I didn’t realize it was that close to Pueblo. I think my mom’s birth certificate actually says Los Animas County. Uh-huh. Something like that, yeah. Okay, all right. I didn’t realize Los Andemos was that close. I think. I might be wrong. Oh, it could be. It had those big counties out west, a great big county, so it would probably do. [20:10] So let’s see. Tell us a couple other stories out of that book that you remember. Well, there’s a story of my mother and her sister, Clara. Clara was a year what do they call Irish twins you know Italian twins she was like 14 months younger than my mom and um, When my mom had to start school, she was very close to my Aunt Clara, and they refused to go to school without each other. So my grandmother lied and said they were twins. And the teacher said, I don’t think they’re twins. This one’s much littler than the other, and I’m going to send the sheriff to that guinea father of yours and make sure. Well, unfortunately, the town hall burnt down with all the records that night. So they were never able to prove that Aunt Clara was a year younger. [21:14] Interesting. And also there’s a story of how they were in school when the flood hit. And my mother did have a pet wolf who was probably part wolf, part dog, but it was her pet named Blue. They got caught in the flood because they were bad and they had detention after school. And um had they left earlier they would have um so the dog came and dragged them was screaming and barking and making them leave and the teacher got scared because of the wolf and so they left and the wolf was taking them to higher and higher ground and had they stayed in that schoolhouse they would have been killed the teacher was killed everybody was washed away Wow. Yeah, those animals, they got more of a sense of what’s going on in nature than people do, that’s for sure. But she had always told me about her dog wolf named Blue. When they went back to New York City, did they fall in with any mob people back there? They go back to Red Hook. They had connections that were told, they were told, you know, you can, like Meyer Lansky and a couple of other people who would help them, um. [22:33] But my mom—so here’s an absolutely true story, and I think I have it as an epilogue in the book. So a few years ago, several years ago, my daughter had gotten a job in the summer during college as a slave on a movie set that was being filmed in Brooklyn. And she got the job because she, A, had a car, and B, she could speak Italian. And the actress was Italian. So every night she’d work till like 12 o’clock and I’d be panicked that she’d been kidnapped or something. So she’d drive her car home. But then every night she was coming home later and later and I said, what’s going on? She said, you know, I found this little restaurant and right now we’re in Red Hook where the, and it wasn’t called Red Hook. It was called, they have another fancy name for it now. [23:32] And she said and I just got to know the owner and he’s really nice and I told him that when I graduated from college if I had enough money could I rent one of the apartments upstairs and he said yes and she said we’ve got to take grandma there we’ve got to take grandma there she’ll love the place she’ll love the place and so my mother got sick and just came home from college, and she was laying in the bed with my mother, and she said, Grandma, you’re going to get better, and then we’re going to take you to this restaurant, [24:03] and I promise you, you’re going to love it. So my mother, thank God, did get better, and we took her to the restaurant. [24:12] The man comes over, and it’s a little tiny Italian restaurant, and the man comes over, and he says, Jessica, my favorite, let me make you my favorite Pennelli’s. And my mother said, do you make Pennelli’s? And he said, yes. She said, oh, when we first came to New York, the man who owned the restaurant made us Pennelli’s every day and would give it to us before we went to school. And he said, really, what was his name? And she said, Don, whatever. And he said, well, that’s my grandfather. She said, well, what do you mean? He said, well, this is, she said, where are we? And he said. [24:53] They called it Carroll Gardens. And he said, well, it’s Carroll Gardens. She said, well, I grew up in Red Hook. He said, well, it is Red Hook. She said, well, what’s the address here? And he said, 151 Carroll Street. And she said, my mother died in this building. [25:09] My daughter would have rented the apartment where her great-grandmother died. What’s the chances of that of the 50 million apartments in New York City? No, I don’t know. And the restaurant only seats like 30 people. So… My mother went and took a picture off the wall, and she said, this is my mother’s apartment. And there were like 30 people in the restaurants, a real rough and tumble place, and truck drivers and everything. And everybody started crying. The whole place is now crying. All these big long men are crying. Isn’t that some story? Full circle, man. That’s something. Yeah, that is. Especially in the city. It’s even more amazing in a city like New York City. I know. That huge. That frigging huge. That exact apartment. Oh, that is great. So that restaurant plays a big part in the book as well, in the family. Okay. All right. All right. Guys, the book is The Descendant, Yellowstone Meets the Godfather, huh? This is Linda Stasi. Did I pronounce that right, Stasi? Stacey, actually. This is Linda Stasi. And Linda, I didn’t really ask you about yourself. [26:17] Tell the guys a little bit about yourself before we stop here. Well, I am a journalist. I’ve been a columnist for New York Newsday, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post. I’ve written 10 books, three of which are novels. [26:34] And I’ve won several awards for journalism. And I teach a class for the Newswomen’s Club of New York to journalists on how to write novels, because it’s the totally opposite thing. It’s like teaching a dancer to sing, you know? It’s totally opposite. One of my mentors was Nelson DeMille, my dear late friend Nelson DeMille, and I called him up one night after I wrote my first novel, and I said, I think I made a terrible mistake. He said, what? I said, I think I gave the wrong name of the city or something. He said, oh, for God’s sakes, it’s fiction. You can write whatever you want. [27:17] But when you’re a journalist, if you make a mistake like that, you’re ruined. Yeah, exactly. So I have. We never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Go ahead. I’m sorry. I said I have a daughter and three grandsons. My daughter is the only female CEO of a games company. She was on the cover of Forbes. And my husband just died recently, and he was quite the character. He got a full-page obit in the New York Times. He’s such a typical, wonderful New York character. So I’m in this strange place right now where I’m mourning one thing and celebrating my book. On the other hand, it’s a very odd place to be. I can imagine. I can only imagine. Life goes on, as we say, back home. It just keeps going. All right. Linda Stacey, I really appreciate you coming on the show. Oh, thank you. I appreciate you talking to me. You’re so much an interesting guy. All right. Well, thank you.

In this episode, Spencer Reese is joined by Paul, a recently medically retired National Guard officer, and Joel Petit, a military disability retirement attorney, to break down the medical retirement process, VA disability ratings, and how IDES really works. What We Cover Medical retirement vs. standard 20-year longevity retirement When medical retirement can make sense financially How the IDES (Integrated Disability Evaluation System) works Common misconceptions about VA disability and "100% ratings" The role of PEBLOs, medical boards, and appeals Financial impacts on retirement pay, VA compensation, and Tricare Why many service members are discouraged from pursuing medical retirement Key pitfalls, timelines, and why being proactive matters Advice for putting yourself and your family first during transition Who This Episode Is For Active duty, Guard, and Reserve members nearing separation or retirement Service members facing medical issues that impact continued service Anyone confused about VA disability, medical boards, or retirement options This episode pulls back the curtain on a complex system and gives practical, real-world insight into how to navigate medical retirement the right way.   Spencer and Jamie offer one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions. Get your personal military money and personal finance questions answered in a confidential coaching call. militarymoneymanual.com/mentor Over 20,000 military servicemembers and military spouses have graduated from the 100% free course available at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 In the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, you can learn how to apply for the most premium credit cards and get special military protections, such as waived annual fees, on elite cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card. https://militarymoneymanual.com/amex-platinum-military/ https://militarymoneymanual.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-military/ Learn how active duty military, military spouses, and Guard and Reserves on 30+ day active orders can get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. Want to be confident with your TSP investing? Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual.

Trump Ready to Hit Iran Again. Putin/Ukraine Energy Cease Fire? ICE Beating Up Old Ladies. Sen Redneck Hates the Super Bowl. Friday Football: Pro Bowl Edition.  This rapid fire episode is an intense real‑time situation report from Times Square on one of the wildest Fridays of 2026 so far. Paul Rieckhoff digs into the federal arrest of Don Lemon and Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort after church protests, and why Trump's push to criminalize journalism and protest crosses a dangerous new line in his war on the free press—making clear that if they can be targeted, so can any podcaster, reporter, or citizen who dares to speak out.​​ Rieckhoff lays out Trump's playbook: stoking protests to justify invoking the Insurrection Act, deploying the 11th Airborne and National Guard, and using ICE as an unaccountable strike force against immigrants, veterans, kids, and even elderly women, backed by disturbing new videos from Minneapolis, Maine, Colorado, and beyond that show a culture he argues is rotten beyond repair. He tracks how Trump is repositioning the military for a potential strike on Iran while dropping Epstein files, naming a new Fed chair tied to those documents, and counting on chaos and fear to keep him in power—all as Ukraine hangs on a fragile energy‑strike “ceasefire” and over a million independents in Maryland fight for open primaries.​ Amid the mayhem, Paul still delivers the five I's—independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact—honoring the legacy of Catherine O'Hara, previewing the Pro Bowl's flag football future, the coming Super Bowl “woke bowl” culture war, and why flag football's Olympic debut matters for the next generation. Through it all, he centers what really counts: the courage of protesters freezing in Minneapolis, the fear and resilience of kids living under ICE, and the power of joy and community as a form of resistance—arming anyone who's angry with the context, clarity, and fuel they need to push back and stay vigilant. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Ways to listen: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  Social channels: X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a textPeaches runs a solo Daily Drop Ops Brief and walks through a dense slate of defense news the internet is already misunderstanding. From the Army opening an enlisted space operations career track to Air Force debates over AI in the cockpit, munitions production modernization, and realistic BMT training ranges, this episode is all about overlap, scale, and tradeoffs. Peaches breaks down why duplicated capabilities exist across services, where AI helps pilots—and where it scares them—and why space superiority, Indo-Pacific command, and industrial base health matter more than headlines. Add in Coast Guard icebreakers in Antarctica, National Guard deployment costs, a deadly DC air collision, Venezuela fallout, and China's total-war strategy—and you've got a grounded look at what's actually shaping U.S. military readiness.⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Ones Ready intro and Daily Drop setup 01:30 OTS 2026 event rundown 03:00 Army opens enlisted space ops track 05:00 Overlapping service capabilities explained 06:30 AI in cockpits—helpful vs dangerous 09:00 Army munitions production modernization 10:30 Marine Corps leadership in Japan 11:40 Air Force BMT realism and training ranges 13:00 Electronic warfare jet debuts in Europe 14:30 Space Force SWORD platform explained 15:45 Commercial firms in classified space war games 17:30 Coast Guard icebreaker frees trapped cruise ship 19:00 National Guard deployment costs context 21:00 DC Black Hawk midair collision findings 22:45 Venezuela operation and Marco Rubio briefing 25:00 Middle East posture and allied airspace limits 27:00 China's “total war” strategy and Taiwan focus 29:00 U.S.–Philippines patrols and Japan alliance talks 31:00 Final thoughts and wrap-up

Welcome to Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu. In today's episode, Tom and co-host Drew dive headfirst into a rapidly shifting global landscape that feels like "everything, everywhere, all at once." Against a backdrop of escalating unrest in Minneapolis following the ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, Tom and Drew unpack the fragile state of world order—from National Guard deployments and violent protests in the U.S., to economic instability in Japan and rumors of a failed coup in China's military. You'll hear sharp analysis on how intertwined global economics, politics, and social forces are driving chaos both at home and abroad. The discussion explores not only the tragic events in Minnesota, but also the deep-rooted ideological battles playing out across America, the shifting power dynamics in China, and the potential for dramatic military action in Iran. Tom and Drew break down complex issues like the ethics of resistance, the role of local government in federal conflicts, and the underlying economic moves shaping the future. If you're seeking clarity in tumultuous times and want to understand the mechanisms powering today's most urgent news stories, this episode of Impact Theory is essential listening. Tune in for thoughtful conversation that encourages critical thinking, first principles analysis, and a focus on actionable solutions for navigating uncertainty. Quince: Free shipping and 365-day returns at ⁠https://quince.com/impactpod⁠ HomeServe: Help protect your home systems – and your wallet – with HomeServe against covered repairs. Plans start at just $4.99 a month at ⁠https://homeserve.com⁠ Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠https://shopify.com/impact⁠ Incogni: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code IMPACT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: ⁠https://incogni.com/impact⁠ Sintra AI: 72% off with code IMPACT at ⁠https://sintra.ai/impact⁠ Huel: High-Protein Starter Kit 20% off for new customers at ⁠https://huel.com/impact⁠ code impact Bevel Health: Visit ⁠https://bevel.health/impact⁠ and use code IMPACT to get your first month free. Ketone IQ: Visit ⁠https://ketone.com/IMPACT⁠ for 30% OFF your subscription order Cape: 33% off your first 6 months with code IMPACT at ⁠https://cape.co/impact⁠ Plaud: Get 10% off with code TOM10 at ⁠https://plaud.ai/tom⁠ Pique: 20% off at ⁠https://piquelife.com/impact⁠ What's up, everybody? It's Tom Bilyeu here: If you want my help... STARTING a business:⁠ join me here at ZERO TO FOUNDER⁠:  ⁠https://tombilyeu.com/zero-to-founder?utm_campaign=Podcast%20Offer&utm_source=podca[%E2%80%A6]d%20end%20of%20show&utm_content=podcast%20ad%20end%20of%20show⁠ SCALING a business:⁠ see if you qualify here.⁠:  ⁠https://tombilyeu.com/call⁠ Get my battle-tested strategies and insights delivered weekly to your inbox:⁠ sign up here.⁠: ⁠https://tombilyeu.com/⁠ ********************************************************************** If you're serious about leveling up your life, I urge you to check out my new podcast,⁠ Tom Bilyeu's Mindset Playbook⁠ —a goldmine of my most impactful episodes on mindset, business, and health. Trust me, your future self will thank you. ********************************************************************** FOLLOW TOM: Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/⁠ Tik Tok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=en⁠ Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/tombilyeu⁠ YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu⁠ Minneapolis ICE shooting, Alex Pretti, National Guard deployment, violent mobs, global trade war, devaluing the dollar, Chinese military purge, Xi Jinping coup rumors, illegal immigrants, law and order, economic instability, Japanese yen, yen carry trade, US treasuries, Minnesota fraud, Somali community organization, voter registration fraud, coordinated resistance, NGOs tactics, Iran military strike group, protests in Iran, regime change, international oil supply Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1. Oil Prices & National Security Lower global oil prices weaken hostile regimes like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela by reducing their revenue. The Trump administration aims for a “sweet spot” oil price ($60–$70/barrel): Low enough to hurt adversaries. High enough to avoid bankrupting U.S. independent oil producers. If prices drop into the $40s, it could collapse small oil producers in Texas and the Permian Basin. 2. Venezuela’s Oil Infrastructure Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but decades of mismanagement have destroyed its infrastructure. Estimates from oil executives: Increasing production from 1 million to 3 million barrels/day could take 10 years and require $100B+ in investment. Even going from 1 million to 2 million/day would take 5–7 years. Gulf Coast refineries can process Venezuela’s heavy sour crude, but expanded imports would mostly affect Canada and Mexico, not U.S. light-sweet crude producers. 3. Cuba’s Economic Crisis Cuba historically survived on financial support from: The Soviet Union (until its collapse). Venezuela under Chávez/Maduro (oil and money). With Venezuela no longer able to support Cuba, the island is in economic freefall. Mexico is currently providing oil that helps sustain the Cuban regime. The Trump administration may pressure Mexico to cut this supply, potentially pushing Cuba toward political collapse. 4. Jack Smith & January 6th Investigation Smith is accused of leading a politically motivated prosecution against Donald Trump. He allegedly relied on questionable or disproven testimony, notably from Cassidy Hutchinson. Hutchinson’s dramatic claims (e.g., Trump lunging for a steering wheel) were not confirmed by eyewitnesses. Jim Jordan challenged Smith in hearings, accusing him of: Using unreliable witnesses. Conducting a partisan, anti-Trump investigation. Targeting large numbers of Republicans with subpoenas. 5. Crime Statistics & Trump Administration Policies Nationwide murder rates reportedly declined ~20% from 2024 to 2025. Approx. 1,400 fewer murders. Major cities showing decreases: Chicago: 30% NYC: 20% Baltimore: 31% Oakland: 33% Washington, D.C.: 31% (after National Guard deployment) Other violent crimes also declined: Motor vehicle theft: ↓25% Robbery: ↓18% Aggravated assault: ↓8% Law enforcement stats cited: Violent crime arrests: ↑100% Gangs disrupted: ↑210% Fentanyl seized: ↑31% Missing/abducted children located: ↑22% Human traffickers arrested: ↑15% Significant increase in arrests of espionage suspects and fugitives. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1. Crime Statistics Under the Trump Administration (as claimed in the text) Murder rates dropped ~20% nationwide from 2024 to 2025. Cities cited with major decreases: Chicago: –30% New York City: –20% Birmingham: –49% Albuquerque: –32% Baltimore: –31% Atlanta: –26% Oakland: –33% Washington, D.C.: –31% (after National Guard deployment) Other crimes that have decreased in 2025: Motor vehicle theft: –25% Robbery: –18% Aggravated assaults: –8% FBI Director’s reported statistics included: Violent crime arrests up 100% Gang disruptions up 210% Major increases in fentanyl seizures, child victim rescues, predator arrests, and espionage arrests. 2. Drug Overdose Deaths A 21% drop in overdose deaths from 2024 to 2025: 2024: ~91,694 deaths 2025: ~72,836 deaths Approx. 19,000 fewer overdose deaths attributed to: 99% reduction in illegal border crossings Increased drug‑trafficker interdiction Border and cartel enforcement operations 3. Media Coverage Criticism Mainstream media downplays or avoids covering these crime and overdose statistics because they’re positive for Trump. They argue media outlets attempt to disconnect improvements from administration policies. 4. Accusations Against Democrats Democrats misreported or reclassified crime statistics to make numbers appear better before elections. Democratic-led cities or governments artificially adjusted categories of crime. 5. Jack Smith & Abuse-of-Power Allegations Conducting politically motivated prosecutions of Donald Trump. Subpoenaing toll/phone records of: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy Nine U.S. Senators Additional House members Allegedly violating the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause. Allegedly obtaining non-disclosure orders to hide his subpoenas from targets and the public. Testifying poorly under questioning by Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Brandon Gill. Accused of: Using unreliable witnesses (e.g., Cassidy Hutchinson) Making false statements to obtain judicial approvals Targeting political opponents in ways compared to abuses greater than Watergate. 6. January 6 Committee & Cassidy Hutchinson Hutchinson is an unreliable witness whose testimony was: Second- or third-hand Contradicted by Secret Service witnesses Still heavily relied on (185 times in the Jan. 6 report) She fabricated stories, including one involving Senator Ted Cruz Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement isn't some storied government agency from the 19th century. ICE was invented back in 2003 — but now it has a multi-billion-dollar budget and many officers who are undertrained at best. So, how did we get here? To find out, we spoke to Garrett Graff. He's a historian and journalist who has covered federal law enforcement for 20 years.And in headlines, President Donald Trump threatens fresh tariffs on America's NATO allies over Greenland, the Pentagon ordered 1,500 National Guard troops to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota, and a seat on Trump's Board of Peace reportedly has a $1 billion price tag.Show Notes: Check out Garrett's work – https://www.garrettgraff.com/Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.