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You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for October 21, 2026.  We open with a polling firm called Wedgewood Polls, which admitted to fabricating most of its published numbers and called it a social experiment. Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin has permanently banned the firm from its averages and forecasts. We talk about which way the made-up numbers leaned, which outlets ran them, and what happened in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary. We also cover FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s warning to broadcasters, how push polls work, and whether this is one bad actor or a sign of a bigger problem with polling. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, a Michigan man has been arrested for allegedly flying drones over Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana. Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher held for four years, after President Trump’s direct talks with Putin. Forty people have been charged in a $42 million SNAP fraud crackdown announced by Vice President J.D. Vance and the Attorney General. Then we turn to late night, where Jimmy Fallon has taken up the anti-Trump mantle, and we debate whether the blame lies with Fallon or with his writers and producers. Our American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, join us to settle a grammar question: “she and I” versus “her and me.” We get into grandmothers who corrected our letters, a love of commas, and what it feels like to be corrected by a loved one versus a stranger online. Next we look at oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz at near pre-war volumes. We cover why gas prices haven’t come down yet, how Saudi pipeline projects are changing the picture, and what’s happening to British maritime insurance. In Digging Deep, we look at Georgia citizen Mark Davis and his analysis of voter registration and change-of-address records. We cover the federal court ruling in his favor after the Fair Fight lawsuit, his projection of potentially improper ballots in this fall’s elections, and our back-of-the-envelope extrapolations to other swing states. We also talk about what Arkansas has done differently. We also cover Montana, where a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel running as the Democratic Senate nominee says she was pressured to drop out and endorse an independent, and was even offered a job to do it. For our Bright Spot, the WNBA has declared that Enos Cantor-Freedom and Royce White are not eligible for its draft because only women can play in the league. We dig into the question the league still hasn’t answered. We close with a Moment of Whoa. GM is dropping the traditional oil dipstick from its 2027 Silverado and Sierra V8s, and a Texas man found a bag with more than $128,000 on top of an ATM and made sure it got back to its owner. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 20, 2026.  We open by asking who will actually show up at the polls before Democrats start measuring the drapes in the Speaker’s office. Enthusiasm makes headlines, but turnout makes winners. We dig into an AARP survey of 43 competitive House districts that shows Republicans leading by 10 points among voters 50 and older, with 83% of them saying they’re extremely motivated to vote. Those voters cast nearly 60% of the ballots in the last midterm, which has us wondering whether this election is headed for a “silver wave.” We also talk about the vanishing enthusiasm gap and redistricting. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, more than three dozen members of Congress and several secretaries of state have been targeted with mailed white powder, and the FBI and Postal Service are investigating. The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into how D.C. jails treated January 6th inmates. The Social Security Administration says it has corrected citizenship data on millions of records and added 17 million numbers to its list of the deceased. Then we take on the tyranny of tipping. When did a reward for exceptional service become a ransom, and why is a card reader asking us to tip for grabbing our own bottle of water? Our American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, join us to answer the question “Are you a grudge holder?” They share stories about Halloween costumes, a two-year-old who forgives in seconds, and the difference between forgiving someone and trusting them. We also look at Jalen Hurts, who played in London with a blood clot in his leg after reportedly being kept awake for 36 hours. Was that toughness or a failure of medical judgment? In Digging Deep, we look at a Wired article about wealthy leftists who fled to Europe to escape Trump and now regret it. They cite expensive living, health care that isn’t free, a different work ethic, and a fear of being shamed if they come home. In our Bright Spot segment, we cover President Trump’s new incentive program that pays a 1% reward to anyone who uncovers taxpayer fraud that leads to recovered funds. We also cover the federal push to revive the Constitution Pipeline, which would bring Pennsylvania natural gas into New York. Finally, a Moment of Whoa. Caleb Giamonco, the good guy with a gun at Silver Rail Elementary School, called his mom after the shooting, and her five-word response will stay with you. We also share the story of a Wisconsin couple who got married a year after a lightning strike and some very timely CPR.  Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 19, 2026. We open the show with the “mostly peaceful” label that media outlets keep attaching to unrest, this time the riots in France, which have spread to Italy. We talk about the difference between a protest and a riot, and about why burning down businesses can’t make groceries, rent, or transportation any more affordable. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, a National Guardsman is shot in the leg near the U.S. Capitol after a fight breaks up, and the Guard returns fire. We also cover the arrest of 28 foreign nationals in California for registering or voting illegally, plus the DOJ’s emergency effort to set aside 20,000 ballots in a lawsuit against the state. Finally, the French riots continue, with more than a thousand police officers injured and 2,400 arrested, and we react to Rep. Ro Khanna’s comments on the unrest. Next, we look at the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case over magnet school admissions in Montgomery County, Maryland, where local norming and a lottery replaced countywide academic comparison. We ask whether that approach rewards achievement or punishes it. In American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson join us as early voting begins. They talk about the Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and Talarico, frustration with Republican senators over the SAVE Act, and why they believe the problem sits in the Senate, not the White House. In Digging Deep, we cover a new undercover video from James O’Keefe’s organization, in which a campaign field worker for Abdul El-Sayed allegedly discusses illegal foreign donations. We stress that the video does not prove the candidate knew, and we raise questions about ActBlue. Then we turn to a new Institute for Family Studies report on faith, marriage, and family stability, including its findings on church attendance, divorce, and even marital satisfaction. After that, we talk about why we believe the National Guard presence in D.C. matters, given what’s happening in Europe. In our Bright Spot, girls on a Camas, Washington high school cross-country team, joined by runners from Skyview High School, stage a walking protest after a boy who finished 76th on the boys’ JV team transferred to the girls’ team and won. We explain why we see it as an honorable form of protest. We wrap up with a Moment of Whoa. The first item is reports that federal investigators are examining DNA evidence in an immigration fraud probe involving Rep. Ilhan Omar. We note the allegations are unproven and the evidence hasn’t been made public. Then comes a Georgia couple’s October surprise, a kitten trapped in their car’s suspension, now named Friday Shadow. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 16, 2026.  We open by asking a question we’ve been asking for time immemorial: why do politicians lie? Our answer is that it works. We look at how a lie can raise millions of dollars before the truth gets its shoes on, and why conservatives should be the first to admit both parties do it. That leads us to AOC’s claim on the campaign trail in Michigan for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed that the Trump administration doesn’t want women to go to college. We break down what the administration’s student loan changes actually do, and we dig into the enrollment numbers, which show women are the majority of college students. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, the Department of Justice sues California over its voter rolls, and we ask why the state won’t simply cooperate and check them. Wildfires again threaten the Malibu area, and we ask why brush clearing and controlled burns still aren’t happening. President Trump’s newest press secretary, Kate Zacharia, is out after just five days. We also talk about President Obama campaigning for El-Sayed despite the controversy over El-Sayed’s sister-in-law and the terror watch list, and why El-Sayed may be struggling with Black Democratic voters. Then we welcome our American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, to talk about Brian Guan. The self-described atheist set out to pretend to be a Christian for 30 days by practicing gratitude, praying, reading the Bible, and applying what he read. By day 20 he was in tears and giving his life to Jesus. We talk about “seek and you will find,” what happened to other well-known skeptics like C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel, and why those four daily habits are worth every Christian’s time too. Next, we talk about the difference between compassion and telling people what they want to hear. We look at the case of a 19-year-old accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois, and the broader conversation about gender dysmorphia and mental illness. For Digging Deep, we ask whether you’re more likely to become a millionaire or to end up homeless. A Data for Progress poll found most Americans think homelessness is the likelier outcome, but the numbers say you’re about 25 times more likely to be a millionaire. We compare the U.S. to China and India, and talk about failure, discipline, and choices. Then we turn to California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, who says the state is salvageable, and ask whether the real challenge is the mindset of California’s voters. It’s Fake News Friday, and we test our real news, fake news, and really fake news instincts on headlines about flying cars, Kash Patel, Denzel Washington, the Atlantic Ocean, and more. We also cover the Maryland high school whose answer to bathroom misbehavior was to remove the mirrors, and we close with Words of Wisdom on the pursuit of truth from C.S. Lewis, Diderot, Galileo, and George Washington. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 15, 2026. We start by looking at the Trump administration’s largest-ever campaign against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, including the White House task force’s first public numbers on arrests and federal charges, the drop in violent crime, and why we think shared intelligence among law enforcement agencies matters. We also cover the Army sending hundreds of soldiers to train partner forces in Latin America, and what that could mean for going after the cartels before they reach our border. Then it’s our Top 3 Things You Need to Know. First, the Department of Justice is warning California that its all-mail midterm ballots may have gone to thousands of ineligible voters, and gave the state 48 hours to review its registration records. Second, Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s ex-fiancé has been indicted in a 2018 sexual assault case. Third, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is ending Central Park’s century-old horse-drawn carriage industry, effective summer 2028, and we ask whether that really protects the workers and the horses. Next, an AI device is pausing a six-year-old’s TV every time she sucks her thumb. We talk about why convenience isn’t connection, why efficiency isn’t love, and why no computer will replace a parent’s voice, patience, and presence. On American Mamas, Teri Netterville joins us to weigh in on the uproar over Shane Gillis’s Saturday Night Live monologue about gym attire, the double standard in the reaction, and what critics missed about who was the butt of the joke. After the break, we ask whether we’ve confused winning with greatness. A high school football team led 63 to nothing at halftime and was still trying onside kicks, and the school fired its coach over it. We talk about humility, sportsmanship, and why the first thing Christians should be excellent at is how they treat people. Then it’s Digging Deep, where a new Comptroller of the Currency report finds that nine of America’s biggest banks denied service to customers over “reputation risk” between 2020 and 2025. We go through the examples, including the closed accounts of merchants selling MAGA merchandise, and debate who was behind it. We also talk about Joe Biden’s struggling presidential library fundraising compared with Obama and Trump, then turn to a Bright Spot: 14-year NBA veteran Amar’e Stoudemire has graduated from the Miami-Dade Police Academy at 43. We also look at the warrant and seizure of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s cell phone and the Fourth Amendment questions it raises. We close with Words of Wisdom honoring the men and women of law enforcement. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 14, 2026.  We open with a new Institute for Family Studies report on “marriage deserts” and “marriage gardens,” the neighborhoods where married-couple households are rare and the ones where they’re the norm. We look at the numbers from Detroit, Cleveland and Fort Bend County, Texas, explain what the statistics do and don’t measure, and talk about why stable, two-parent homes matter for children, communities, and upward mobility. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, inflation climbs to 3.7% in September, driven by a 9.1% jump in gasoline prices. A Saudi engineer is arrested for allegedly planting a recording device in OpenAI’s executive conference room. And the Treasury Department hits Bank of America with a $1.2 billion fine over anti-money-laundering and sanctions failures. We then turn to the midterms and the affordability debate, asking what happens when voters are frustrated with the cost of living but unsure either party has a credible plan. The American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, join us to answer a listener’s question: if you’re texting in public, is it still a private conversation? We discuss the viral video of a man’s text messages filmed on an airplane, the ethics of recording someone’s phone, and why some stories spark outrage while others barely register. After the break, we talk about the Lindsay Clancy trial, where one juror held out against the other eleven, and about the difference between mental illness and legal insanity. In Digging Deep, we look at Plano, Texas, where the Dallas Stars want a new arena. The plan would put five new taxes on the November ballot and ask Plano ISD to contribute $250 million despite a $45 million budget deficit. We ask what a school district’s role really is. We also cover Netflix’s reported layoffs of about 1,000 employees and what they say about a streaming giant that has stopped growing. In the Bright Spot, Kid Rock announces a new Christian rock album, Halfway to Jesus, with a guest appearance from Eminem. We talk about what it says about friendship across political divides and about faith among young people. We also mark Italian American History Month with a look at assimilation and what it means to become an American. We close with a Moment of Whoa: a bride and groom stuck in traffic on the way to their Idaho wedding get a ride off-road from two strangers. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 13, 2026. We open by digging into the controversy surrounding Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and what some of her political allies aren’t saying. We look at the questions around her financial disclosures, including a reported $30 million net worth that was later corrected, and at a report that her listed birth year was changed from 1981 to 1982 in 2019. We explain why the date could matter under the citizenship rules that applied when her father was naturalized in 2000, and we separate the call for due process from a call for answers. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, the U.S. government says it has broken up a North Korean spy ring in North Texas and seized 185 laptops used to infiltrate American businesses, a scheme estimated to have funneled $800 million to the North Korean regime. Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle resigns as U.S. Ambassador to Greece under pressure from President Trump amid reports that she asked donors to pay her personal bills. And Pope Leo XIV undergoes surgery to remove part of his lung after a lung cancer diagnosis, with a South America trip still on the calendar. Kamala Harris is reportedly preparing a 2028 run, so we ask whether it’s about serving the country or missing the power, and we take a stab at naming the sitcom. Then the American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, join us to answer a listener’s question about the growing list of rules grandparents face before meeting a new grandchild, from isolation periods to vaccine requirements. The conversation turns to germs, social media, and trust in public health institutions after COVID. In Digging Deep, we ask why Speaker Mike Johnson is telling Americans not to believe the polls after eight states in one week on the campaign trail. We also go through the new TIPP poll on the Iran conflict and what it shows beyond the media narrative, including a 44 to 42 split among all voters, a sharp partisan divide, and a surprising result among 18 to 24 year olds. Chris Cuomo’s claim that the more Christian a culture is, the more it wants to kill people gets a fact check, including a look at Pew Research data on Christians and the death penalty. In the Bright Spot, we cover the Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act, which passed the House Judiciary Committee and would let victims of crimes by released illegal aliens sue sanctuary jurisdictions, require cooperation with DHS detainers, and redirect federal funding. We ask whether it can clear the Senate before year’s end. We also look at Iran’s claim that U.S. and Israeli strikes made its nuclear program stronger, and why we think inspectors should be allowed to verify it. We close with a Moment of Whoa: a 22-year-old co-pilot reports for a flight out of Amsterdam to find her father in the pilot’s seat and her mother working the cabin crew. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 12, 2026.  We open with Elon Musk, the modern-day Daddy Warbucks, whose political giving has reached more than $276 million since July, according to Reuters. That makes him the largest known donor of the 2026 midterms, with $366 million across the full cycle. We break down where the money is going, including $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund and a canvassing push aimed at Republican voters who are hard to get to the polls. We also revisit how Republican infighting handed Louisiana’s governor’s office to a Democrat, and why Democrats call it “buying an election” when Elon does it but “defending democracy” when George Soros does. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, Homeland Security officers raided Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s office and D.C. home under a court-ordered warrant. New York has refused more than 16,000 ICE detainer requests tied to tens of thousands of criminal charges and convictions. An American was killed in a Houthi missile attack in Saudi Arabia that hit the civilian airport in Riyadh, and President Trump says retaliatory strikes are under consideration. Next, we take on House Democrats’ push to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day. Why does honoring Native Americans have to come at the expense of Italian American heritage? Then we turn to the American Mamas, where Teri Netterville answers a listener question about Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. She covers his background, his theology, and clips of his own pastor and a fellow preacher suggesting his recent moderating is only a campaign strategy. The Mamas also ask whether voters are being told what they want to hear, and she recalls a similar experience with a former Shreveport mayor. We also ask whether we’re letting the culture reshape our faith, after reading about Rob Sand’s home church in Des Moines, Iowa, and its drag performance events. In Digging Deep, we look at Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement that the U.S. is sanctioning the International Criminal Court, the Department of Justice’s refusal of further ICC extradition requests, and why we say American sovereignty is not up for negotiation. Then, is Disney World becoming the happiest place on earth only for those who can afford it? With peak-day park hopper tickets topping $300, we ask whether Disney owes the middle class anything. In our Bright Spot, a Reason article on a Congressional Budget Office report shows Americans are wealthier than they were decades ago. Lower-income households have seen their incomes rise sharply since 1979, and the average middle-class household has gone from about $84,700 in 1990 to more than $131,000 in 2023. So why doesn’t it feel that way? We go through bigger houses, more amenities, and the cars that now drive themselves. We close out by returning to New York’s refusal to honor ICE detainers and the categories of charges involved, including homicide, sexual offenses, assault, robbery, and kidnapping. In our Moment of Whoa, 91-year-old Dale “Greybeard” Sanders finishes hiking the entire Appalachian Trail again, becoming the oldest person to do it for the second time. It gives “go take a hike” a whole new meaning. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 9, 2026.  We open with a hard look at the unrest in France, where student protests over overcrowded classrooms and crumbling schools have turned into burning cars, injured police officers, and thousands of arrests. We ask what separates legitimate protest from a breakdown of law and order, and what the United States should take from it about immigration, assimilation, and national identity. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, we cover President Trump’s announcement of a deal with Russia to ship diesel to the U.S., and what it could mean for fuel prices and for critics on the left. We also cover the ICE shooting of a man in New York City who allegedly tried to ram officers with his car, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s failed push to have him released and ICE removed from the city. Third, Trump has named a new White House press secretary. After the break, we bring you a first-world problem: a $5 million lawsuit over Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins that don’t have a jack-o’-lantern face carved into them. Then it’s time for American Mamas, where Teri Netterville joins us to answer whether she’s proud to be white. We get into a viral video, the pressure young people feel, and where pride ends and shame begins. On Columbus Day, we ask why celebrating a historical achievement has become something to apologize for, and whether we can honor what deserves honoring while learning from what went wrong. Then we dig deep into the Texas Senate race and the 13-day absence of Democratic candidate James Talarico, whom his campaign says had the flu. We look at why voters are skeptical, how politicians have handled health disclosures in the past, and what honesty from candidates should look like. Next, we revisit Cassidy Hutchinson’s January 6th committee testimony about the presidential SUV, and what it means when sensational secondhand claims reach the public before they’ve been checked. Then it’s Fake News Friday, as we sort real news from fake news from really fake news, from hurricanes and daylight saving time to a human-versus-robot fight in California. We also look at what President Trump’s packed campaign schedule says about leaving it all on the field before the midterms. We close with a tribute to Mike Ditka, “Da Coach,” who passed away this week at 86. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.    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 October 8, 2026.  We open by taking on Congressman Ro Khanna, who says he isn’t fully confident Speaker Mike Johnson would seat a Democratic majority if the party wins the House this November. We challenge him to name a single time Johnson has lied, walk through the Arizona certification timeline behind Adelita Grijalva’s swearing-in, and explain why we think this is an invented constitutional crisis. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, the administration suspends H-1B and J-1 programs for some of the country’s biggest tech companies, with Vice President J.D. Vance singling out Microsoft. The USS Abraham Lincoln returns to San Diego after a 321-day deployment, and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announces the arrest of five St. Tammany Parish men in a Medicaid fraud case, two of whom are also accused of sending more than $100,000 to Hamas. After the break, we look at Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur, who is now saying she opposes men in women’s sports even though she voted against a bill that would have banned it. Then it’s American Mamas, with Teri Netterville joining us to ask why powerful women in politics keep getting accused of creating toxic work environments. We talk Katie Porter, Mary Peltola, and what power does to people. We also get into how the left treats pro-life activists on campus. It’s Fake News Friday, and we pick apart a Mother Jones headline claiming ICE kidnapped an 11-year-old boy. We lay out what actually happened, from the father’s detention to the child’s transfer to a protective agency. In Digging Deep, New York is fining Amish communities $2,000 a day per unvaccinated child after repealing the religious exemption. We look at their faith-based objections, the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and what the case means for everyone’s First Amendment rights. We also cover the San Jose pastor facing fines of up to $20,000 a day for feeding more than a thousand people a day for free. In the Bright Spot, we celebrate celebrities who are choosing to stay out of politics, including Glen Powell, Dwayne Johnson, and Jennifer Lawrence, and talk about knowing your calling. We close with the Moment of Whoa: President Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Sergey Brin, and Lisa Su, and we celebrate the ingenuity that built this country. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 7, 2026. We open with Hollywood’s slide: President Trump’s proposed 100% tariff on foreign-made movies, and why it’s no longer a laughing matter. Movie production spending in the U.S. has dropped from 74% to 42% over 25 years, and TV from 94% to 64%. We look at the foreign incentives, California’s costs and union rules, and the surprising voice of Adam Schiff sounding the same alarm. In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, the FBI says it stopped a planned terror attack on the Mall of America. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used the third anniversary of October 7th to denounce Israel, and we have thoughts. President Trump also highlights a $3.7 billion Anduril nuclear submarine shipyard investment in Maryland, and Governor Wes Moore skips the event. Then we turn to the midterms. New York Fed numbers show Americans feeling better about their jobs and incomes, and we debate whether that means a wave, a ripple, or just a hold for Republicans. On American Mamas, Teri Netterville joins us to talk about Justin Verlander’s emotional final walk off the mound, hand in hand with his young daughter. She shares what it was like watching her own sons play their last college games. For Digging Deep, we’re joined by Jay Paterno, author of the new novel Blitzed: The All-Out Pressure of College Football’s New Era. He explains the Protect College Sports Act, why NIL and the transfer portal have athletic department finances in crisis, and why students shouldn’t be footing the bill to pay football players. We also share Stephen’s trip to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Our Bright Spot is Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech in front of the Acropolis, a call to national pride, ambition, and putting your own people first. We pair it with a conversation about what it really means to be a melting pot, and a Minnesota sheriff’s call for a Somali crime task force. We close with a plea for one day to remember the victims of October 7th. Then comes our Moment of Whoa: two adopted sisters, separated for years, discover each other on opposing high school softball teams in Montana. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 6, 2026.  We open with a heavy question: do you agree with plea deals that take the death penalty off the table in exchange for a guaranteed life sentence? We walk through the case of 29-year-old Lauren Heike, killed on a Phoenix hiking trail in 2023. Her killer, Zion Teasley, has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and will serve natural life in prison, a deal her family supports. We talk about what justice looks like when it can't bring her back, why nothing in his struggles excuses murder, and where we land on the death penalty as Christians. Then it's the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. First, a U.S. Army officer is headed for a firing squad on the order of President Trump. Former Army Major Nidal Hasan was convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood attack, and it would be the military's first execution since 1961. Second, the President signed an executive order allowing the sale of red diesel to help truckers with soaring fuel costs. Third, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a city-run program to pay for early childhood care for 10,000 kids, and we dig into the math behind it. Next we remember Jim Bakker, who passed away at 86. We look at how he transformed Christian television, what happened when the preacher became a celebrity, and where ministry ends and brand begins. In American Mamas, Teri Netterville joins us to ask whether the Cornell 7 case reminds you of the Duke lacrosse team. We compare the cases, the rush to judgment, and the role of ambitious prosecutors, and we get into what Letitia James's involvement could mean. Then we have some fun with Los Angeles, where a transportation advocacy group has released a report called "Palm Trees Are a Scam." We debate shade, water use, fire hazards, and who gets to decide what's pretty on your own property. In Digging Deep, we head to South America. Brazil's sitting president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, finished second to Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, and the two are headed to a runoff. That makes eight straight conservative wins across South and Central America since April 2025. We look at what's behind the wave, from the examples set by Argentina and El Salvador to the closing of USAID and the billions in democracy assistance spent abroad. For our Bright Spot, a jury at the University of Maryland found that a falsely accused male student faced severe harassment and that the school was deliberately indifferent, the first time a jury has treated false sexual assault accusations as sex-based harassment under Title IX. He asked for just $1 in damages. We also look at Paramount's completed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and what it means for CNN, CBS, HBO, and even HGTV under one corporate roof. We close with a Moment of Whoa from Buffalo. A valet at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, John Avery, lifted the spirits of cancer patients every day, and two of them returned the favor with a trip to a Buffalo Bills game and an autographed Josh Allen trophy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 5, 2026. We open with the voter ID fight, where polling shows around 80% of Americans, including big majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents, support photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote. We make the case that Democratic opposition isn't backed by any grassroots movement, and we point to Seattle, where you need an ID to be a poll observer but not to cast a ballot. Then it's the Top 3 things you need to know: three University of South Alabama students arrested by the FBI over social media posts allegedly plotting to kill President Trump, former Congressman David Rivera sentenced to 10 years for secretly lobbying for Venezuela's communist government, and a new round of DOJ arrests for illegal voting across several states. We then turn to Congressman Brandon Gill's investigation into birth tourism and his warning that a Democratic House would drop it, and we ask whether candidates will answer the question plainly. On American Mamas, Teri Netterville joins us to talk about the FlyDubai flight and the passengers and crew who saved it, from the wounded pilot who opened the cockpit door to the dentist who pulled the plane out of a dive. We also dig into questions about how an attacker got a knife on board and what it means for aviation security. Next, a surprising story out of Stanford, where 46 adults entered the Catholic Church this Easter, and what it says about young men returning to faith. For Digging Deep, we cover Monday's Supreme Court arguments in Boulder's climate lawsuit against oil companies, including the interstate commerce questions, Justice Alito's recusal, and what a 4-4 split could mean. We also react to Senator Tommy Tuberville's warning about furries in aviation. For our Bright Spot, Chick-fil-A's CEO says hospitality will stay human even as other chains put AI in the drive-thru. Then we weigh in on President Trump's anger over coverage of his Ohio rally and his call to arrest reporters. We close with a Moment of Whoa: FBI Director Kash Patel is engaged to country music artist Alexis Wilkins. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  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 October 2, 2026.  We open with a story we think captures the American spirit: when storms grounded Marine One and Air Force One, President Trump got in the car and made the long drive from Denton, Texas, to Durant, Oklahoma, so a packed crowd wouldn't be left waiting in the rain. We talk about why that "get in the car, we're going" mentality matters, and about the difference between adapting to the world as it is and trying to control it. In the Top 3 You Need to Know, first-time jobless claims fell to 197,000, the lowest level since 1969, and we ask why that isn't a bigger story. A Department of Energy employee from Washington state was arrested for allegedly trying to help the Houthis in Yemen improve their communications and build explosives. And the DOJ announced another round of arrests for illegal voting, including foreign nationals in Minnesota, bringing September's total to 50 nationwide. After the break, we take on a heavier subject: a culture that seems to have lost the ability to process emotions, and the tragic stories that follow. We also share comedian Jimmy Carr's suggestion to say "I'm sad and worried" rather than defining yourself by a diagnosis. Then it's American Mamas, where Teri Netterville joins us to weigh in on the Cornell 7 case and what the text messages and the public narrative say about it. Next, the House has passed permanent daylight saving time, and President Trump wants the Senate to finish the job. Senator Tom Cotton is standing in the way over dark winter mornings. We debate the concerns, the health arguments for permanent standard time, and one far-fetched solution: a fifth time zone. In Digging Deep, Gallup asked Americans which professions they consider the most and least courageous. We share the results, from first responders to politicians, and argue over where journalists, nurses, and business leaders belong. We also discuss the Portland Trail Blazers firing their new 29-year-old play-by-play broadcaster over posts he wrote at age 15, and whether that's sound business or surrender to mob rule. In Say What, we hear a politician with nothing to say, then Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's answer on connecting with Black voters. It's Fake News Friday, and we test our own instincts on real news, fake news, and really fake news. The headlines include the Fly Dubai hijacking, Iran urging American voters to vote Democrat, ID rules in Seattle, and a pet rescue's policy on adopting kittens. We close with a Moment of Whoa: a Leawood, Kansas, police officer follows a loyal dog back to its home and finds the owner on the floor, unable to get up. 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 October 1, 2026.  We open by asking whether the federal government should release the classified documents surrounding 9/11. Twenty-five years later, we say yes. We talk about protecting living intelligence sources and methods still used against terrorists, and about why the Saudi financing question and the FBI's findings still matter to the families. We also weigh whether releasing the records can calm the conspiracy theories. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, we cover the Texas Department of Public Safety stopping an alleged mass shooting plot at the state capitol in Austin, with a San Antonio-area man arrested by SWAT. We discuss Keith Sonderling's confirmation as Secretary of Labor after Lori Chavez-DeRemer's resignation. We also look at the Tennessee execution that failed to kill Krista Pike, which led Governor Bill Lee to halt all executions in the state. After the break, we ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune why he sent the Senate home until after the midterms without passing the Save America Act. We also hit the blocked voter ID bill and the stalled spending bills. Then the American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, join us to break down the Hyrox race in Beijing, where one contestant's very public digestive disaster has people talking about biohazards, lawsuits, and rule changes. Next, we take on the price of gas. We ask why the same voices who spent years pushing away from fossil fuels are now angry that gas is expensive, and we look at what that means in oil-heavy Texas. In Digging Deep, we get into the Census Bureau's proposed rules for 2030: dropping race and ethnicity questions and excluding non-citizens from the count. We walk through how that could reshuffle House seats and Electoral College votes, why the 14th Amendment fight is headed to the Supreme Court, and why Democrats will fight it so hard. We also look at Britain's prison overcrowding crisis, where thousands of inmates are being released after serving a third of their sentences, and why we say you can't be tough on crime without building enough jails. In the Bright Spot, we recognize President Trump for pressing Nigeria's government to stop a planned massacre of Christians in the Middle Belt, and we call out the media for barely covering it. We close with a Moment of Whoa: an Indianapolis mom who pulled a gun over a toy car in a children's resale shop. Then a feel-good finish, as Manville High School senior Mason Wisnowski, who has Down syndrome, takes a handoff and runs 30 yards into the end zone on senior night. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.