775 Alive

Crystal and Scott look back on the one year anniversary of the 775 Alive podcast and its 42 episodes. Topics of discussion include the impact of the Trump administration on our topics, unexpected issues that have arisen such as the role of AI for rural communities and the nation more broadly, podcasting as a from of media, and where we would like to see the podcast go as we enter year two and beyond.

Crystal and Scott begin analyzing the initial developments in the 2026 Midterm elections, especially given that the candidate filing deadline has just passed in Nevada. We look at the unexpected Nevada Congressional District 2 (CD-02) race, crowded with candidates after Mark Amodei's unexpected retirement announcement. We also talk about local races, the question of turnout in midterms, and where the SAVE Act might impact all of this.

On a recent trip down to the Whipple Ranch in Hiko, Crystal and Scott sat down with Lincoln County Commissioner Lisa Poulsen. Living in Alamo, Commissioner Poulsen discusses the problems of governing a large county with a relatively small population spread hours apart from each other. Other topics include problems in securing local grants, development opportunities for Lincoln County, and what makes living in such a small community so great.

Crystal and Scott discuss the recent 2026 State of the Union address. Among the topics of conversation was the delivery and Democratic response--including the Daily Wire capturing George Washington University students critiquing the speech even before it was delivered. They then discuss the various points raised, including the AI Data Center energy proposal, the extension of the Thrift Savings Plan, and the various foreign policy issues raised.
The entire State of the Union can be viewed here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu/

Crystal and Scott ask for some insights on the current situation in Minneapolis from Shawn Holster, Chair Emeritus of the Minneapolis GOP and former candidate. Shawn shares his view from the ground. Topics include how widespread the protests are, the connection with the fraud cases, the role played by Minnesota's political culture, and the impact of very low voter turnout in local elections has on all of this.

We sat down recently with Adam Swart, CEO of Crowds on Demand, a service that offers audience and crowd rentals for clients. Adam speaks on the role of paid crowds and how common the practice actually is across the political spectrum. He also discusses the role of protesting in the internet age and what makes an effective protest, from the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements to the recent No Kings Protests. Finally, he discusses his proposed "Transparency in Political Demonstrations Act" that would require public reporting of funding sources for paid protest crowds of more than 500 people.
https://crowdsondemand.com/

Crystal and Scott sit down for a conversation with Adrianne Marsh, CEO of Altum Insight and a Democratic strategist. Altum Insight recently completed an ethnographic research project in rural Nebraska on rural identity and discovered that one of the major fears identified by participants was how AI could undermine rural values.
Altum Insight: https://www.altum-insight.com/

Gays Against Groomers' Media Director Palace Leavitt and Legislative Director Dr. Rich Guggenheim join us for a short discussion from their booth at America Fest 2025 to discuss their mission and the various ways some trans-activism is having broad-ranking repercussions. #amfest2025 

Website: https://www.gaysagainstgroomers.com/
Podcast - The Dark Side of the Rainbow: https://www.gaysagainstgroomers.com/podcast

We had the opportunity to sit down at America Fest 2025 with Jacob Thifault, Founder and CEO of True Mark USA, to discuss their new Arcasya.ai launching in 2026. Arcasya promises a small-business-oriented automated AI ecosystem geared towards the trades such as plumbing to landscaping, to sales, e-commerce, and so much more, with an America-first ethos.

Digital Democracy has been a concept heavily discussed over the last 10-15 years. Travis Misurell, the Founder of the Future is Now Coalition (FiNC), sits down with Crystal and Scott to discuss a new model for digital democracy and the Digital Politics Hub that FiNC is planning to launch to support it in January 2026.

Future is Now Coalition (FiNC): https://futureis.org/join to become part of the new Digital Politics Hub when it launches.