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Greg Swenson, chairman of Republicans Overseas UK, joins Peter to examine the scale of Republican midterm losses, including Democratic gains in Texas statewide offices and the legislature, alongside continued Republican strength in states such as Florida and Tennessee. He identifies the Iran conflict and higher fuel prices as primary drivers of voter backlash, tied to affordability concerns, and argues that President Trump should acknowledge the economic effects, demonstrate empathy, and outline corrective steps. Swenson reviews the administration’s response to the results, including the Senate’s failure to advance the Save America Act, the emphasis on loyalty within the team, and constraints on military options in Iran. He discusses the difficult 2028 Senate map, the need to focus messaging on the cost of living and economic policy, lower fuel prices as a key priority, and J.D. Vance’s proposed agenda, endorsing three of its four points while raising reservations about altering the U.S. relationship with Israel. Greg Swenson is chairman of Republicans Overseas UK and founding partner of Brigg Macadam Ltd, a London-based emerging-markets investment banking firm. He previously held senior roles at HSBC Global Banking and Markets and Lehman Brothers, with more than twenty years of experience in banking, alternative investments, and global markets. He holds a BA from Boston College and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, divides his time between the United States and the United Kingdom, and regularly comments on markets, economics, and politics. Connect with Greg... X                                    @_GregSwenson  https://x.com/_GregSwenson WEBSITE                        gregswenson.org   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/ DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak                             donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Professor Norman Fenton returns to discuss his book The Capture of Academia, exploring how universities use EDI (DEI) policies, research funding requirements, and peer review to enforce ideological conformity and silence dissent. Drawing on his own career in mathematics and risk assessment, he recounts mandatory DEI statements for grants (even in hard sciences), unconscious bias training, and the dominance of identity politics over merit. He also covers the corruption of peer review—illustrated by his experiences challenging COVID-19 narratives and a high-profile Lancet paper—alongside broader issues of antisemitism, anti-Israel double standards, climate change orthodoxy, and the long-term capture of institutions by cultural Marxism, globalism, and allied ideologies. Norman also shares personal background from his family’s Holocaust and post-war experiences to his disillusionment with hard-left politics while a student at LSE. The Capture of Academia by Norman Fenton on Amazon amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HBGCDQHG# Norman Fenton is Professor Emeritus of Risk at Queen Mary University of London. A mathematician and a pioneer in the use of Bayesian networks, he has spent decades researching risk, uncertainty, and decision-making, helping governments, businesses, and courts apply probabilistic reasoning to complex real-world problems. He is the author or co-author of eight books and more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. His work spans maths, medicine, law, forensic science, computing, finance, and public policy. Since 2020 he has written extensively on COVID-19 data, scientific evidence, and public policy, becoming well known for his independent analyses and advocacy of open scientific debate. His latest book, The Capture of Academia, draws on nearly half a century in higher education to examine how ideological activism, funding incentives, and institutional pressures have transformed academic culture and, he argues, weakened the pursuit of truth. Connect with Prof Fenton... 𝕏                       https://x.com/profnfenton?s=20 WEBSITE           https://www.normanfenton.com/  SUBSTACK        https://wherearethenumbers.substack.com/   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/ DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak                             donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Brian of London - Israel Election: High Arab Turnout Complicates Netanyahu Coalition Formation Brian of London joins Peter to unpack Israel’s latest election results and the messy path to a new coalition. He describes the unusually high turnout (including a packed polling station in his local school), the gap between exit polls and the final count that left Likud ahead but without an easy majority, and why the campaign boiled down almost entirely to “Bibi or not Bibi.” Brian covers the surge in Arab turnout, the absence of a clear successor to Netanyahu, ongoing security realities in Gaza and Lebanon, the decline of the old two-state mindset, and domestic flashpoints such as the judiciary, army service, and demography. He also reflects on why the world remains so fixated on Israeli politics and how the country is quietly reducing its dependence on external support while still facing perpetual threats. Brian of London completed a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics just as the Web was emerging. But then he left academia to do management consulting and eventually moved to Israel to do business. Brian's working on the cutting edge of the new Podcasting 2.0 to make sure this relic of the early web, stays free from capture by the centralising forces of Web 2.0 and their dangerous desire to turn us all into dairy cows. Brian was also the admin on Tommy Robinson's Facebook account that had over a million followers before it was nuked! In his spare time, he assists with a gigantic class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of the entire crypto industry.   Connect with Brian... 𝕏 @brianoflondon https://x.com/brianoflondon   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/ DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak                             donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Callum Smiles joins us once again after filming the recent protests and clashes in Paris. He talks about separating real footage from misleading videos circulating online, what he actually saw on the ground (student-led socialist/communist marches that drew in other groups, organised violence, and targeted shop-smashing), the police response, the heavy rain that eventually shut things down, and the broader mood of tension and anti-Macron feeling. We also cover Marine Le Pen’s rising odds, France’s political and financial pressures, and why Callum thinks similar scenes are unlikely to play out the same way in the UK. Callum Smiles is an independent British journalist, formerly with Rebel News UK and now working under Callum Smiles Media while being lead reporter for Vox Populi. Known as “the unconventional journalist,” he specialises in on-the-ground reporting of mass migration, the World Economic Forum in Davos (where he has confronted figures including Tony Blair, Larry Fink and Greta Thunberg), and related issues across Europe and beyond. Based in the south of England, he self-films and edits his own work. Connect with Callum... 𝕏              @FranklySpeakP  x.com/FranklySpeakP                  @vpopulimedia   x.com/vpopulimedia WEBSITE     callumsmilesmedia.com Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/ DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak                             donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Rikki Doolan joins Peter to share his remarkable journey from teenage drug use and homelessness on the streets of Northern England to becoming a pastor in 2015. He recounts the moment he prayed for help inside Manchester Cathedral, his discovery of gospel music, and how faith transformed his life. Rikki discusses his involvement with the Unite the Kingdom rallies, leading the crowd in Amazing Grace, and his personal role in Tommy Robinson’s exploration of Christianity, including the prayer of salvation they shared in prison. He also responds to an Observer profile, offers practical advice on finding a church, and previews the Christmas carol event planned for 12 December in central London, which will focus on the birth of Jesus and Britain’s Christian heritage. Rikki Doolan is a British musician, pastor, and public figure based in Middlesbrough, UK. He is known for his work as a Christian gospel and rock artist, blending rock and pop elements with spiritually inspired lyrics. Connect with Rikki... 𝕏 @realrikkidoolan x.com/realrikkidoolan WEBSITE www.rikkidoolan.com INSTAGRAM instagram.com/realrikkidoolan YOUTUBE youtube.com/@realrikkidoolan MUSIC https://open.spotify.com/artist/35Obv6GhBkvu7izRAM76Rt   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/ DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak                             donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, a Brooklyn-based therapist and author, discusses Viktor Frankl’s ideas on meaning and their relevance to today’s mental health challenges. He then examines what he sees as a growing “red-green alliance” of socialists and Islamists in U.S. politics, focusing on his opposition to Zohran Mamdani in New York and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, along with shifts in Jewish voting patterns and efforts to build broader coalitions. Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, LMFT, is a conservative therapist, writer, and podcaster dedicated to strengthening faith, family, and freedom in New York and beyond. He specializes in Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy, helping individuals discover resilience and meaning in the face of today’s challenges. He is the author of Viktor Frankl and the Psychology of the Soul and other works on psychology and spirituality. Rabbi Schonbuch hosts the Viktor Frankl Podcast and The Update, where he interviews leading thinkers and cultural voices, bringing a message of meaning and responsibility to a wide audience. He is also the organizer of RallyForNYC.org, a grassroots movement to defeat Zohran Mamdani and restore safety, freedom, and common sense leadership to New York City. Connect with Daniel.... WEBSITE                                  https://rabbiforamerica.com/ Viktor Frankl and the Psychology of the Soul on Amazon                                                        https://a.co/d/05cJo0q0   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

➡️ SIGN THE PETITION End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/769589 Dr Clare Craig BM BCh FRCPath studied medicine at Cambridge University moving to Oxford for her final three years of clinical training. After qualifying she practised in the NHS for 15 years specialising as a diagnostic pathologist and becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists. Subsequently she was the day to day lead for pathology and clinical data in the cancer arm of the 100,000 Genomes Project and worked in A.I. cancer diagnostics. From May 2020, she has worked full time, pro bono, on covid research, distilling the evidence for a lay audience. Since January 2021 she has co-chaired HART with Dr Jonathan Engler. HART (Health Advisory and Recovery Team) is a multi-disciplinary body of experts who have provided an independent source of information on covid issues. Despite attempts to smear her (supported by government) she has continued speaking out and remained a consistent voice of reason and calm throughout the covid era. Her first book, summarising her findings, Expired: Covid the untold story, was published in June 2023. Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

The interview begins with James Harvey discussing a temporary Twitter ban after he posted screenshots related to an MP, saying his criticism was of unprofessional conduct rather than homophobia. It then moves to the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where he argues the Labour result reflects demographic change, block voting, and voters’ lack of policy knowledge. Harvey also comments on identity and immigration, discussing remarks by Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch and saying major parties are responding to pressure from Reform and Restore Britain. He criticises Islam, immigration, and what he describes as restrictions on speech, linking these issues to housing, wages, and social decline. The conversation ends with his comments on unrest in France and a satirical anti-Trump display in the European Parliament.   Connect with James Harvey Journalist for @vpopulimedia and @scoopurban 𝕏                    https://x.com/JamesHarvey2503   Connect with Hearts of Oak. . . 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/   Date recorded: 09.10.26   *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki returns to Hearts of Oak to discuss rising hostility toward Jews, the meaning of Zion, and the claim that Zionism is racism. He explains Zion as another name for Jerusalem and a biblical marker of what stands at the center of attention, and argues that antisemitism is not a problem Jews can solve. The conversation covers Jewish exile, survival, and return as a historical exception predicted in Scripture, Hamas’s naming of the October 7 attacks the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” and a newer Christian claim that today’s Jews are not the Jews of the Bible. It closes on political fear, demographic change, and hostility to Israel in the UK and Europe. Rabbi Pesach Wolicki is an Orthodox rabbi, author, and Executive Director of Israel 365 Action. Born in the United States and raised in Canada as the son of a rabbi, he moved to Israel in the early 1990s. He began his public work advocating for families of Israeli soldiers missing in action from conflicts in Lebanon and has since become a leading voice in Jewish-Christian relations. A former synagogue rabbi and dean of a yeshiva, he now lectures widely at Christian institutions and co-hosts the Shoulder to Shoulder podcast with Pastor Doug Reed.   Connect with Pesach... 𝕏                             @RabbiPW  https://x.com/RabbiPW                                 @Israel365News  https://x.com/Israel365News WEBSITES                 https://israel365news.com/                                  https://www.jpost.com/ Connect with Hearts of Oak… 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

David Erb joins Peter to explain how a college heart crisis led him into chiropractic care.  Told he needed immediate surgery and lifelong medication, he says structural correction of a spinal misalignment resolved his symptoms and redirected his life. He describes his practice’s focus on cause rather than symptoms through the five essentials—nutrition, mindset and hope, detoxification, exercise and oxygen, and nervous-system function—and discusses exams, x-rays, thermography, and soft wave therapy. The conversation also covers his book Chemical Religion, his Christian faith, opening a clinic in Zimbabwe, pastoring, and how COVID changed some people’s view of healthcare. Dr. David Erb, DC, is a chiropractor, speaker, and co-author, with his wife Dr. Kimberly Erb, of Breaking Free from Chemical Religion. Originally from El Reno, Oklahoma, he graduated from Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas in 1999. A college heart crisis that he says resolved after structural spinal correction led him out of emergency-room work and into chiropractic. He and Kimberly have practiced since 1998 at Erb Family Wellness in Coppell and Southlake, Texas, a MaxLiving clinic focused on corrective care and the Five Essentials. They were clinic chiropractors for several U.S. teams at the 2012 London Olympics, opened a clinic in Zimbabwe in 2010, and have also pastored. He is known for combining spinal correction, nutrition, and Christian testimony in his teaching and writing. BREAKING FREE FROM CHEMICAL RELIGION: AND FINDING YOUR WAY BACK TO HEALTH on Amazon https://a.co/d/003XLTAm Connect with David... WEBSITE                                https://www.erbfamilywellness.com/                                                 https://chemicalreligion.com/ RUMBLE                                  https://rumble.com/c/ErbFamilyWellness INSTAGRAM                            https://www.instagram.com/erbfamilywellness/                                                  https://www.instagram.com/drdaviderb/   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Dr Robert Malone joins Peter to discuss Homesteading for Health, the book he and his wife Jill developed over roughly two and a half years from farm essays, memoir, and policy writing. Robert describes recording the audiobook himself and credits Jill as the primary author and illustrator.  The conversation covers the couple’s history of buying and rebuilding distressed properties, the equity they lost in the Great Recession, and the deed in lieu of foreclosure that followed. He uses that experience to argue that debt constrains choices and that younger people should avoid unnecessary borrowing. The discussion then turns to soil health: deep tillage and intensive farming damage microbial communities and reduce micronutrients, while regenerative practices—manure, compost, clover, and livestock—rebuild land. Robert also addresses food aid, industrial agriculture, and ultra-processed foods, arguing that well-intentioned interventions can undermine local farming and traditional diets. He closes by saying people do not need a large holding to begin; allotments, raised beds, window boxes, and small hydroponic setups are practical starting points. Buy 'Homesteading for Health: One Farm Family's Guide to Food, Land, and Self-Sufficiency' on Amazon https://a.co/d/06u9CcI3 The original inventor of mRNA and DNA vaccination technologies (1989, with nine issued patents); including DNA and RNA vaccination as well as in-vitro and in-vivo RNA transfection. Dr. Malone is a specialist in clinical research, medical affairs, regulatory affairs, project management, proposal management (large grants and contracts), vaccines and biodefense. This includes writing, developing, reviewing and managing vaccine, bio-threat and biologics clinical trials and clinical development strategies. He has been involved in developing, designing, and providing oversight of approximately forty phase 1 clinical trials and twenty phase 2 clinical trials, as well as five phase 3 clinical trials. He has served as medical director/medical monitor on both phase 1, phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials, including those run at well-known vaccine-focused Clinical Contract Research Organizations. He has served as principal investigator on some of these. However, having witnessed the corruption and malfeasance by the US Government during the corona crisis, Dr. Malone has come to realize that the whole pubic health and vaccine enterprise must be re-evaluated. Connect with Dr Malone..... 𝕏                       x.com/RWMaloneMD WEBSITE           rwmalonemd.com/                          maloneinstitute.org/ SUBSTACK        malone.news Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Dr Harry Benson, research director of the Marriage Foundation, joins Peter to make the case that marriage still matters. He explains why two-parent families tend to produce better outcomes for children and less pressure on the state, and why marriage itself — not just background factors like income or education — helps couples stay together. Harry discusses the founding of the Marriage Foundation, the limits of earlier research that downplayed marriage, and the psychological mechanisms that make a public, binding commitment different from cohabitation: it removes ambiguity, signals sacrifice, and creates social accountability.  He also talks about his books What Mums Want and Reliable Love, the “Taylor Swift problem” of men who won’t commit, and three practical rules for romance: decide within two years, choose someone marriageable, and ask whether he will fight for the relationship. Dr Harry Benson is one of Britain’s leading champions for marriage. His PhD from the University of Bristol is on the psychology of marriage and commitment. His research findings for Marriage Foundation are routinely cited in the media and by politicians and have made front page news on several occasions. Formerly one of the youngest Royal Navy helicopter pilots to serve in the Falklands war, Harry has spent the last twenty years researching, writing and teaching about marriage and family. As founder of a Bristol charity, he taught hundreds of relationship courses to thousands of couples, including ‘Let’s Stick Together’, a pioneering short programme for new parents evaluated by the Department for Education and delivered mainly through NHS post-natal clinics. He also co-authored influential family policy papers for the Centre for Social Justice. Harry’s book What Mums Want And Dads Need To Know – co-authored with his wife Kate – reached number 11 on Amazon UK; in it, Harry and Kate share their own back-from-the-brink experience, demonstrating how marriages go wrong and what makes them go right. Harry’s most recent book Commit or Quit – The Two Year Rule and Other Rules for Romance is for couples starting out and covers how to choose well and how to avoid getting stuck! Harry and Kate live on a rural small holding, have been married 40 years, and have six adult children. Connect with Harry... 𝕏               @harrybenson6 https://x.com/harrybenson6                    @MarriageF  https://x.com/MarriageF WEBSITE                           https://marriagefoundation.org.uk/ BOOKS                                     https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Harry-Benson/author/B00JP1FYP6   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Lee Harris returns to look over a tense week in politics and media. We discuss the reported deletion of submissions to Angela Rayner’s working group on an Islamophobia / “anti-Muslim hostility” definition, questions over data protection excuses, and concerns that the proposed definition could be used to restrict speech. We also cover the announced National Centre for Information Defence — branded by many as a “Ministry of Truth” — and whether it is a response to the government losing control of the narrative. The conversation then turns to sentencing and policing: contrasting cases that critics call two-tier justice, the arrest and charging of Danny Tommo after he slashed an abandoned dinghy in the Channel, and Tommy Robinson’s detention under counter-terrorism powers. We close with small-boat arrival numbers, police escorts for migrant transport, and the Chagos Islands sovereignty deal. Connect with Lee... X @LeeHarris https://x.com/LeeHarris SUBSTACK https://www.leeharrisuk.org/ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@LeeHarrisMedia INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/leeharrismedia/   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Oklahoma State Senator Shane David Jett joins Peter to talk about his Cherokee heritage, Christian upbringing, and path into public service. He describes growing up in Tecumseh, the books and preachers that shaped him, his time as the first Republican elected to his House seat (2004–2010), and later service in the Navy as an intelligence officer. Shane discusses Oklahoma’s mix of tribal, state, and local politics, gaming revenue, and how tribal governments interact with the legislature. He explains how COVID-era restrictions sharpened his focus on constitutional limits and emergency powers, and how that led him to chair the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus. The conversation also covers his view that Christianity underpins Western religious and political freedom, his relationships with local Muslims, and why he sees political Islam and violent applications of Sharia as incompatible with those freedoms. Sen. Shane Jett was first elected to the state Senate in 2020 after serving in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2004-2010. He represents Senate District 17, which includes parts of Oklahoma and Pottawatomie counties. The Shawnee Republican grew up in Tecumseh working in his father’s auto-repair shop and later earned a degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in International Business. Shane is a former lieutenant in the U. S. Navy and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. In addition to serving as a state Senator, he is the former CEO of a financial institution that makes commercial loans for Native American businesses focusing on economic development and job creation in the state.   Shane and his wife, Ana, have three children. Connect with Shane... X                                              @SenShaneJettOK  https://x.com/SenShaneJettOK                                                 @shanejett  https://x.com/shanejett FACEBOOK                             https://www.facebook.com/SenatorShaneJett/ WEBSITE                                 https://oksenate.gov/senators/shane-jett   Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

American-German journalist Collin McMahon joins Hearts of Oak to unpack the AfD’s recent state election gains in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin. He links the results to public anger over immigration, a slumping economy, high energy prices, climate policy and what he calls woke politics, and argues the party is now growing beyond the east. Collin discusses Friedrich Merz’s “firewall” against the AfD, the CDU’s collapse below the 5% threshold in Mecklenburg, Germany’s proportional system and why other parties keep forming coalitions to keep the AfD out. He also covers AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, rising figure Ulrich Siegmund, the Left’s surge in Berlin, European right-wing parties’ hesitation toward the AfD, and why he sees immigration, the economy and opposition to the war in Ukraine as the party’s core issues. Collin McMahon is an American-German journalist, author and translator based in Munich. Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1968 to American parents, he grew up in Munich, studied media at Pomona College in California, and has worked as a radio reporter (including from the Yugoslav wars), Disney creative supervisor, screenwriter and children’s author. He translated the first volumes of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Gregs Tagebuch) into German. After 2015 he became a prominent conservative commentator on German and American politics. He previously worked in the Bundestag office of AfD MP Petr Bystron and now reports for the Swiss-German station Kontrafunk. He also writes for The Gateway Pundit, Junge Freiheit, Jüdische Rundschau and The European Conservative. His recent German-language books with Kopp Verlag include George Soros’ Krieg, Der Zensurkomplex, Trump gegen den Deep State, Eroberung (with Irfan Peci) and Die Akte Epstein. A German book on Tommy Robinson is forthcoming. Connect with Collin... X                                               @CollinFrMcMahon  x.com/CollinFrMcMahon RADIO                                       kontrafunk.radio   WEBSITE                                    collinmcmahon.de   BOOKS                                      kopp-verlag.de/a/trump-gegen-den-deep-state     Connect with Hearts of Oak... 𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                  heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin