Election Countdown: Expert Analysis on Pivotal 2024 Races
Release Date: 11/01/2024
Former Ambassador Thomas Shannon, Jr discusses Venezuela, Greg Roeberg - Candidate for AZ AG, and Sheepdog the movie
Breaking Battlegrounds
Our first guest today is Former Ambassador Thomas Shannon, Jr, a Senior International Policy Advisor bringing more than three decades of government service and diplomatic experience to his practice, providing strategic counsel to clients across a range of legislative, foreign police, and national security issues. Thomas explains why France, Italy, and Spain have been hesitant to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, despite its extensive involvement in terrorist activity inside Iran and beyond. He notes that such a designation could complicate future...
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Chapters of the War in Ukraine, the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis and the South African Constitution
Breaking Battlegrounds
Our first guest today is Alessandra Hay, reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine. Alessandra discusses a growing humanitarian crisis: the lack of space to bury the dead. Severe shortages of cemetery plots have forced burials outside designated cemeteries, raising concerns about contamination of local water supplies. Ukraine is now in the final stages of constructing a crematorium in Kyiv to address the issue. Hay also explains that announcements of peace talks have little impact on daily life for Ukrainians, as Russia shows no genuine interest in ending the war. Many Ukrainians believe there is no option...
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Venezuela Edition – “What the heck’s going on down there?”
Breaking Battlegrounds
On today’s special, we turn our full attention to Venezuela, exploring the need for intervention with four guests who offer varied firsthand experiences and perspectives on the country and President Trump’s role. Our first guest is Santiago Vidal Calvo, a cities policy analyst focused on government accountability and transparency through the Manhattan Institute’s Freedom of Information Law initiatives. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Vidal Calvo immigrated to the United States in 2021. He explains why President Trump’s actions were lawful under Article II of the U.S. Constitution and...
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Anna Giaritelli discusses border crossings under the Trump Administration and the Bondi attack is radical Islamic terrorism with Drew Pavlou
Breaking Battlegrounds
Happy New Year! Our first episode of 2026 we discuss the border and the focus shifting to the interior of country, the American Dream, Australia and the Bondi attacks and positive outlook forecasted for our economy and market. First, Anna Giaritelli, an award-winning journalist and writer whose reporting for the Washington Examiner, shines light on the Trump Administration’s latest effort to secure our Southern border - deploying buoys in the Texas river as a marine wall, how the immigration crisis at the border is slowing but the focus is now shifting to the interior of the country with...
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Merry Christmas from Breaking Battlegrounds
Breaking Battlegrounds
This Christmas on Breaking Battlegrounds, we celebrate the history, meaning, and enduring spirit of the season with two beloved guests. First, nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and Amerisearch president William Federer returns to take listeners on a fascinating journey through the true history of Christmas, exploring the real story of Saint Nicholas, the origins of beloved holiday traditions, and pivotal moments when Christmas shaped American history, from Valley Forge to the post–World War II era. Then, #1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Paul Evans joins the show to...
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Scott Johnson on Rep. Ilhan Omar Marrying Her Brother and Minnesota’s Somali Fraud
Breaking Battlegrounds
Scott Johnson, an original contributor to the blog Power Line, joins the show to break down his decade-long reporting on Rep. Ilhan Omar marrying her brother and the extensive fraud issues tied to Minnesota’s Somali community. Johnson walks through the documentation, court records, and investigative reporting that underpin the marriage allegations, explains why the story has been ignored or downplayed by much of the media, and connects it to broader patterns of political protection and accountability failures. He also discusses Minnesota’s ongoing Somali fraud scandals, how taxpayer...
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China’s AI War, Haiti’s Humanitarian Crisis, and Rep. Ilhan Omar Marrying Her Brother
Breaking Battlegrounds
This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Chuck Warren and Sam Stone are joined by four expert guests to unpack the biggest issues shaping national security, global stability, media accountability, and the economy. Dr. Mike Waller, national security expert, investigative journalist, and former CIA operative, explains why artificial intelligence is America’s most critical strategic asset, how China and Russia deploy espionage and “honeypot” tactics to steal U.S. technology, and why U.S. dominance in AI is essential to national survival. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald journalist and Maria...
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America’s Wake Up Call on China, Schools, and Taxes
Breaking Battlegrounds
This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we take on three of the biggest issues shaping America’s future: national security, education, and taxes. First, Dr. Meg Reiss, founder and CEO of SolidIntel, joins the show to explain how American red tape is strengthening China’s dominance over rare earth minerals. Then, National Emmy winning investigative reporter Chris Papst of Fox45 Baltimore joins to discuss his book Failure Factory, which uncovers America’s public education crisis, including how billions in taxpayer dollars are spent while student outcomes stagnate and what parents...
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Peer Review Gone Wild, the New GOP, and Trump Accounts
Breaking Battlegrounds
This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we examine the state of American institutions, the GOP, and family finances with three great guests. First, Goldwater Institute Senior Fellow joins the show to discuss his new report “,” which argues that major academic journals are prioritizing ideology over rigorous scholarship, undermining public trust in taxpayer-funded research and evidence-based policymaking. Then, , vice president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute, breaks down his new analysis “,” exploring shifting voter coalitions, the emerging Republican base, and what recent...
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Inside Gen Z Politics and What the Epstein Files Reveal
Breaking Battlegrounds
This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Sam Stone joins National Review columnist and Locked In host Caroline Downey and Manhattan Institute Fellow Daniel Di Martino in person at Arizona State University for a conversation on "Gen Z: The Future of American Politics," exploring cultural trends, campus movements, and the shifting ideological landscape among younger voters. Later in the show, Chuck and Sam are joined by investigative reporter Ben Wieder of McClatchy's Washington bureau and the Miami Herald as he breaks down the newly released Epstein files, what the documents reveal, and the...
info_outlineThis week on Breaking Battlegrounds, co-hosts Sam Stone and Chuck Warren join Seth Leibsohn in studio for a special cross-over episode discussing all things elections. The episode features a series of key political analysts to discuss pivotal national and local races ahead of the 2024 General Election. Chris Cillizza, political analyst and author at So What Substack, emphasizes the importance of winning Pennsylvania in the upcoming presidential race. Constantin Querard, a conservative political consultant, shares insights on Arizona's local and statewide races. Sam and Chuck also break down the many propositions on Arizonans' ballots with Seth. Henry Olsen, Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, offers his perspective on the national race for the White House. Donald Bryson, CEO of the John Locke Foundation, provides analysis of local elections in North Carolina. Charles McElwee, founding editor of RealClear Pennsylvania, highlights key congressional races in Pennsylvania, and Benjamin Yount, news director at News Talk 1130 WISN, discusses the Wisconsin Senate race. Don’t miss this comprehensive overview of crucial political contests shaping the nation's future.
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About our guests:
Chris Cillizza is a political analyst with two decades of experience at major outlets like CNN and The Washington Post. He now runs "So What?", a newsletter where he dives deep into the "why" behind major political events to help us understand what’s coming next.
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Constantin Querard is the founder and president of Grassroots Partners, LLC, one of Arizona’s leading campaign consulting and public affairs firms. A frequent guest on local and national media, Constantin has won hundreds of races at various levels, with notable success at the state legislative level. In fact, nearly 60% of the Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature are Grassroots clients.
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Henry Olsen, Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, political analyst, columnist, and host of the Beyond the Polls podcast.
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Donald Bryson is the CEO of the John Locke Foundation and Publisher of Carolina Journal. He writes about history, politics, and public policy and has been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, National Review, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
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Charles McElwee is the founding editor of RealClearPennsylvania. He is a contributing writer for RealClearPolitics, City Journal, and POLITICO. You can follow him on X at @CFMcElwee.
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Benjamin Yount is the news director and show host at News Talk 1130 WISN. He spent 15 years covering corruption and the daily insights at the Illinois Capitol, and now writes and talks about Wisconsin each day.
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