Breaking Battlegrounds

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, hosts Chuck Warren and Sam Stone bring listeners a special Fourth of July episode focused on America's founding principles, political hypocrisy, civic education, and a chilling unsolved Independence Day murder case.
First, Sam Stone is joined by Jay Lapeyre, CEO of Laitram LLC, Board Chair of the Cato Institute and The Atlas Society, and a founding leader of the Free Society Coalition. Jay discusses the Declaration of Independence, the moral foundations of liberty, and why America's founding truths still matter today. He explains how the Declaration project grew out of a desire to move beyond partisan division by focusing on shared principles, civil discourse, human dignity, moral agency, and the pursuit of happiness. Sam and Jay also explore the Free Society Coalition's Declaration challenge, which encourages Americans to read, reflect on, and discuss the Declaration of Independence with family, friends, and neighbors.
Next, Chuck Warren talks with Andrew Kerr, investigative reporter at The Washington Free Beacon, about his reporting on congressional financial disclosures and the wealth of politicians who campaign as working-class champions. Andrew explains how lawmakers can delay disclosures, why some still file in analog format, and what he found in Rep. Ro Khanna's financial records, including family interests tied to private golf clubs and wealth management. They also discuss Arizona Democrat Joanna Mendoza and questions raised after changes to her reported net worth.
Follow Andrew Kerr 
X: @AndrewKerrNC
Then, Brenda Hafera, Assistant Director and Research Fellow in The Heritage Foundation's B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies, joins the show to discuss the Heritage Guide to Historic Sites. Brenda explains how the interactive guide evaluates historic sites across the country for accuracy, bias, and educational value ahead of America's 250th anniversary. She also breaks down the American Revolution, the Stamp Act, religious institutions, civic virtue, literacy, self-government, and why everyday Americans should return to primary source documents to better understand the country's founding.
Explore the Heritage Guide to Historic Sites at the website below:
historicsites.heritage.org
Finally, B's Crime Corner closes the episode with a Fourth of July true crime story: the unsolved murders of Shane Stewart and Sally McNelly. B walks through the timeline of the 1988 case, the suspects who emerged over the years, the Satanic Panic surrounding the investigation, and the lingering questions that remain decades later.
Listen now to Breaking Battlegrounds, the radio show covering Arizona politics, campus unrest, election integrity, national campaigns, and the true crime cases everyone is talking about.
Catch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube.
Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds:
• Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds
• Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote
• News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news
• X: https://x.com/breaking_battle
• Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds
• Facebook: Breaking Battlegrounds
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend. Your support helps keep the podcast growing.
Breaking Battlegrounds is one of the top 2.5% most popular shows out of 3,779,399 podcasts globally. We interview policymakers, elected officials, and nationally and world-recognized reporters about the opportunities and hurdles the United States faces.

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, hosts Chuck Warren and Sam Stone dive into the biggest political and cultural fights shaping the country.
First, Chuck and Sam discuss the controversy surrounding Major League Baseball's Pride Night events, including questions over whether players on California teams were properly told they would be expected to wear special Pride-themed caps and uniforms. They argue that most sports fans, including many gay fans, are not looking for political messaging at the ballpark and simply want to watch the game.
The conversation then turns to low voter turnout in recent New York elections, how DSA-backed candidates successfully targeted younger voters, and why traditional Democratic turnout operations may be changing. Chuck and Sam also examine FIFA's decision involving rainbow flags at an upcoming Iran vs. Egypt match in Seattle, progressive contradictions on human rights, and broader concerns about radicalism, Sharia law, and national security.
Then, B brings another edition of B's Crime Corner with the tragic case of Officer Isaiah Cordero, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop on December 29, 2022, by repeat offender William McKay. The case sparked a massive police manhunt and raises serious questions about bail practices, repeat offenders, and public safety.
Next, Tony Napolitano, Senior Attorney at the Goldwater Institute, joins the show to break down two major legal battles. He explains the Supreme Court's decision striking down Hawaii's restriction on lawful firearm carriers bringing guns onto private property open to the public without explicit permission. He also discusses Goldwater's lawsuit against Phoenix over what the group calls an illegal land giveaway in Roosevelt Row, where the city plans to sell property appraised at $4.8 million for just $1.5 million, potentially costing taxpayers $3.3 million.
Learn more about the case at the Goldwater Institute: goldwaterinstitute.org
Finally, Susan Crabtree, National Correspondent for RealClearPolitics, 2024 Dao Prize winner, author of Fool's Gold, and contributor to the California Post and City Journal, joins the show to discuss her investigation into Gavin Newsom, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and nonprofit influence in California. Susan details concerns involving corporate donations, school film screenings, taxpayer-funded nonprofit programs, homeless housing projects, illegal immigration services, and weak oversight in California's nonprofit sector.
Follow Susan Crabtree and find more of her work on X: @susancrabtree
Listen now to Breaking Battlegrounds, the radio show covering Arizona politics, campus unrest, election integrity, national campaigns, and the true crime cases everyone is talking about.
Catch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube.
Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds:
• Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds
• Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote
• News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news
• X: https://x.com/breaking_battle
• Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds
• Facebook: Breaking Battlegrounds
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend. Your support helps keep the podcast growing.
Breaking Battlegrounds is one of the top 2.5% most popular shows out of 3,779,399 podcasts globally. We interview policymakers, elected officials, and nationally and world-recognized reporters about the opportunities and hurdles the United States faces.

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Sam Stone hosts while Chuck Warren is out of studio for a packed episode covering artificial intelligence, personal autonomy, NATO's eastern flank, government fraud, gun rights, true crime, and the economy.
First, Dr. Keith Ablow joins the show to discuss the psychological impact of AI technologies like ChatGPT and what happens when people outsource creativity, critical thinking, and even their sense of reality to machines. Dr. Ablow is a New York Times bestselling author, mental health expert, and co-founder of Help22. He has appeared across national media to discuss psychology, culture, and personal growth. He also runs Pain-2-Power, a counseling and life coaching platform focused on personal and organizational empowerment. Dr. Ablow warns that technological dependence can weaken individual autonomy, increase groupthink, and make it harder for people to stay grounded in truth.
Follow Dr. Keith Ablow on X @keithablow
Check out his counseling and life coaching platform dedicated to personal and organizational empowerment Pain-2-Power: www.pain-2-power.com
Then, Alex Welz of the Washington Free Beacon joins Sam to share what he learned from his recent trip to NATO's eastern flank, including Finland, the Baltics, and Poland. Welz explains how Ukraine's resilience has shifted the center of gravity inside NATO, why Eastern Europe is taking security more seriously, and how Russia, China, and Iran are all influencing the region's future.
Follow Alex Welz on X @WelzAlex
Later, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joins the show to discuss his participation in the Trump administration's Anti-Fraud Roundtable, the fight against Medicaid and federal program fraud, Biden-era gun policies, cooperation with ICE, and Montana's new citizenship marker program for driver's licenses and ID cards.
You can follow Attorney General Austin Knudsen on X @MTAGKnudsen
In B's Crime Corner, B breaks down the 1997 Heaven's Gate cult suicide, where 39 members died in a California mansion after leaving behind exit interviews, detailed instructions, and one of the most disturbing chapters in modern true crime history.
Finally, Gary Gygi of Gygi Capital joins Sam to talk about inflation, work-from-home policies, productivity, and the future of SpaceX and Starlink.
You can follow Gary Gygi on X @GaryGygi
Website: gygicapital.com
Listen now to Breaking Battlegrounds for conversations on Arizona politics, campus unrest, election integrity, national campaigns, and the true crime cases everyone is talking about.
Tune in to Breaking Battlegrounds, the radio show covering the latest news, politics, culture, crime, and the stories shaping America.
Catch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube.
Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds:
• Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds
• Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote
• News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news
• X: https://x.com/breaking_battle
• Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds
• Facebook: Breaking Battlegrounds
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend. Your support helps keep the podcast growing.
Breaking Battlegrounds is one of the top 2.5% most popular shows out of 3,779,399 podcasts globally. We interview policymakers, elected officials, and nationally and world-recognized reporters about the opportunities and hurdles the United States faces

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, host Chuck Warren is joined by guest host Tim Mooney for a packed episode covering Arizona politics, campus protests, election integrity, the 2026 midterms, and the latest true crime case making national headlines.
The show begins with Chuck Warren sitting down one-on-one with Elijah Norton, candidate for Arizona State Treasurer. Norton discusses his background as a self-made businessman, his campaign for treasurer, and why he believes Arizona needs a leader with real finance, business, and investment experience managing the state's treasury. The conversation covers the role of the state treasurer, Arizona's $32 billion in assets, investment performance, the Permanent Land Endowment Trust Fund, Prop 123, and Norton's call for a comprehensive review of the treasurer's office and a "Doge-style audit" of Arizona's education system.
Follow Elijah Norton on X: @NortonforAZ
Website: https://nortonforaz.com/
Next, Chuck Warren and guest host Tim Mooney speak with Jessica Schwalb, staff writer at the Washington Free Beacon and a Columbia University graduate. Jessica shares her firsthand experience covering campus protests at Columbia, the pressure students faced during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and the growing concerns over intimidation, free speech, and student rights on elite college campuses. She also breaks down the deportation case involving Columbia anti-Israel activist Mohsen Madawi and explains how campus movements connect to broader radical organizations and online networks.
Follow Jessica Schwalb on X: @jessicaschwalb7
Then, Don Palmer, Senior Legal Fellow for Election Integrity at The Heritage Foundation, joins the show to discuss mail ballots, voter verification, USPS election regulations, ERIC, citizenship checks, voting system security, and foreign interference concerns. Palmer, a former Commissioner and Chairman of the United States Election Assistance Commission and retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer and judge advocate general, explains what states can do to strengthen election security and public confidence.
Follow Don Palmer on X: @VotingGuy
In the fourth segment, Tim Murtaugh, Washington Times columnist, founder of Line Drive Public Affairs, former senior advisor to the 2024 Trump campaign, and former communications director for the 2020 Trump campaign, joins Chuck and Tim Mooney to preview the upcoming midterm elections. Murtaugh discusses Republican chances in the House and Senate, redistricting, toss-up seats, healthcare costs, the Maine Senate race, Texas politics, and his recent Washington Times column on climate change.
Follow Tim Murtaugh on X: @TimMurtaugh
Finally, B's Crime Corner takes a closer look at the viral Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf case, where 17-year-old Austin Metcalf was fatally stabbed at a Texas track meet. B breaks down how the incident unfolded, the indictment, the murder conviction, the 35-year sentence, the online rumors surrounding the case, and why this tragedy became one of the most talked-about true crime stories in the country.
Listen now to Breaking Battlegrounds for conversations on Arizona politics, campus unrest, election integrity, national campaigns, and the true crime cases everyone is talking about.
Tune in to Breaking Battlegrounds, the radio show covering the latest news, politics, culture, crime, and the stories shaping America.
Catch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube.
Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds:
• Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds
• Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote
• News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news
• X: https://x.com/breaking_battle
• Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds
• Facebook: Breaking Battlegrounds
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend. Your support helps keep the podcast growing.
Breaking Battlegrounds is one of the top 2.5% most popular shows out of 3,779,399 podcasts globally. We interview policymakers, elected officials, and nationally and world-recognized reporters about the opportunities and hurdles the United States faces

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Sam Stone is joined by Jonathan Butcher, Scot Mussi, Lou Perez, and John Lee to discuss higher education, Arizona school choice, comedy, culture, and Canada's euthanasia controversy. The show is then turned over to Chuck Warren  who sits down with Dr. John Lee for a one on one talk on China, Iran, critical minerals, and U.S. foreign policy. The episode wraps with B's Crime Corner and a disturbing true crime case unravleing in Ohio.
Jonathan Butcher, Acting Director of the Center for Education Policy and Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, joins the show to discuss his book Higher Education in America: It's Worse than You Think. Butcher breaks down the rising cost of college, the unclear pricing behind tuition, the role of federal student loans in tuition inflation, and the ideological imbalance on many campuses. He also discusses threats facing Jewish students, the impact of campus culture on young men and women, declining birth rates, and why lawmakers need to enforce the law on college campuses. The conversation also looks at trade schools, career readiness, and why America needs to rethink the idea that every student must follow the traditional college path. Want a copy of Jonathan Butcher's book, Higher Education in America: It's Worse than You Think? The first five listeners to DM the Breaking Battlegrounds Facebook page with "Higher Education in America" will receive a copy. Make sure to include your mailing address so we know where to send it.
Follow Jonathan Butcher on X: @JM_Butcher
Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, joins Sam to discuss the fight over Arizona's school choice program and a ballot initiative backed by the Washington, D.C. Teachers Union that could impact more than 100,000 students. Mussi explains why school choice matters for families, including students with special needs, and why the fight over education funding is becoming one of the biggest political battles in Arizona. He also discusses Republican enthusiasm ahead of the November midterm elections, border security, cost of living, local spending, municipal budget increases, tax burdens, and what conservatives need to do to turn voter enthusiasm into turnout.
Follow Scot Mussi on X: @ScotMussi
Follow Arizona Free Enterprise Club on X: @azfec
Website: azfree.org
Comedian, producer, and author Lou Perez joins the program to discuss a troubling medical assistance in dying case out of Canada involving a 45-year-old man with inflammatory bowel disease and mental health struggles who was assessed for euthanasia outside a Tim Hortons before dying without his family being informed. Lou and Sam discuss the ethical questions surrounding Canada's MAID system, the consequences for the doctor involved, and the documentary Better Off Dead, which examines euthanasia practices in Canada. 
Follow Lou Perez on X: @LouPerez                                                                                             
The second to last segment, host Chuck Warren sits down with Dr. John Lee for a wide-ranging foreign policy conversation on China, Trump's strategy, critical minerals, Iran, and America's alliances. Dr. Lee is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, a senior fellow nonresident at the United States Studies Centre, and an adjunct professor at the University of Sydney.
Lee discusses his article in The Hill, "After the Trump-G Summit, China, Not America, is on the Back Foot," and argues that the Trump administration's reindustrialization and rearming agenda has strengthened America's strategic position rather than weakened it. He explains why Xi Jinping is now operating from a less favorable position, why America's allies may need pressure to take defense more seriously, and why critical minerals have become a major national security priority after years of warning signs from Beijing.
Dr. Lee also breaks down the Iran situation, arguing that a successful outcome for the United States would mean setting back Iran's nuclear ambitions and reducing its conventional military threat. He explains why China is a more rational negotiating actor than Iran, how regime security shapes Tehran's decision-making, and why the U.S.-Australia alliance remains strategically strong despite political tensions over Trump.
Guest: John Lee
Article: "After the Trump-G Summit, China, Not America, is on the Back Foot" in The Hill
In the final segment, B's Crime Corner returns with a disturbing true crime case out of Ohio, where two parents were convicted after their 11-year-old son, who had Hirschsprung's disease, died in a hotel room after being denied medical treatment. B breaks down the case, the 15-year prison sentences, the unanswered questions, and the psychology behind parents who harm their own children.
Tune in to Breaking Battlegrounds, the radio show covering the latest news, politics, culture, crime, and the stories shaping America. 
Catch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube. 
Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds:
• Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds
• Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote
• News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news
• X: https://x.com/breaking_battle
• Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds
• Facebook: Breaking Battlegrounds
If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend. Your support helps keep the podcast growing.