EmpowerU America Podcast

Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison acknowledged Washington to be his superior, the only “Indispensable One”. Many referred to Washington as “His Excellency”.

Learn about Washington’s early life. What experience caused the Founder Father’s to make him the unanimous choice to lead the emerging Country’s fight against Great Britain. What happened on July 9, 1755 during the battle of the Monongahela, when Washington was shot several times for people to call him “The Bulletproof George Washington”? How did the French and Indian War that help shape Washington’s character and career? Many have spoken over the years that there was divine intervention that led to Washington become our First President. (This divine intervention was talked about openly in student textbooks until 1934).

Find out about those cold winter year’s spent fighting. What happened on the night of December, 1776 when Washington led his troops across the icy Delaware River? The six-month severe challenge, an almost, unthinkable supply crisis where an estimated 1700 soldiers died from disease. Learn how Washington emerged with his troops from Valley Forge as a unified and disciplined fighting force. What surprise led to the end of the Revolutionary War where our Country ended up a Free Nation?

We’ll talk about Washington’s military years, his two terms as president. Also, the difficulties that the first executive confronted as he dealt with big personalities and adversarial factions and starting a new Country. How about Washington’s ego, what was it like, did he want to become a monarch like he had seen in Great Britain? Learn about Mt. Vernon–Washington’s incredible plantation, his wife Martha, his views on owning many slaves, and the difficulty Washington had a times managing his own large debts to British Merchants. We’ll put you in the middle of Washington’s incredible life and the founding of America.

As our Country nears it 250th Anniversary, join us for this important class that will bring Washington to life and put you inside his mind at the beginning of our Country’s life. The text for the class will be the work “His Excellency from Joseph J. Ellis” and also several other books about Washington’s life.

ABOUT DAN REGENOLD

Dan Regenold first became active in Government in 2003 when he became involved fighting Eminent Domain and helping stop it in Evendale and in Norwood, Ohio. In 2006, he was one of the founders of WeDemandAVote.com which successfully fought and stopped, by ballot initiative, a sales tax increase in Hamilton County, Ohio. Later WeDemand stopped Red Light Cameras in Hamilton County.

Regenold spoke at the CPAC Convention in 2008 to discuss major Grassroots initiative actions across the United States. In 2009, Dan was unsuccessful in his efforts to bring accountability to the Federal Government’s finances with a citizen lead initiative WeDemandABalancedBudget.com (the bill was introduced to the United States Congress). In 2010 Regenold was one of three leaders of the initiative to End Ohio’s Estate Tax which happened in 2011. The Tax Foundation called the repeal of Ohio Estate Tax one of the most important Tax accomplishments of 2011. In 2011 Regenold founded EmpowerUAmerica.org (starting it’s 31st semester in Spring 2026), a Free University offered in the Greater Cincinnati area with the goal of “empowering” citizens.

In 2014, Regenold was one of the leaders of the effort to separate Music Hall from a County Wide Sales Tax which helped the Museum Center renovation get passed by the voters of Hamilton County. Dan has also focused efforts on Public Education in Ohio and specifically on topics like School Choice and Critical Race Theory. Similarly, Dan helped led the EmpowerU initiative InGodWeTrustProject.com to teach students about the history of our National Motto.

Dan is a lover of Liberty and enjoys speaking to EmpowerU classes about subjects he is passionate about. In the past Dan has discussed: Milton Friedman, Saul Alinsky, , D-Day, The Deficit, America, Winston Churchill, Pearl Harbor, President Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Sowell and Sam Adams at EmpowerU. This semester, Regenold bring to life of story the “Indispensable one”, our first President George Washington for our Country’s 250 Anniversary. Regenold is past founder of FrameUSA.com, a Made-In-America picture frame manufacturing company still in operation.

Peter Bronson’s new book, Magical History Tour, offers readers a captivating journey through some of the most fascinating and lesser-known stories from history.Among these are the tale of the graverobbers who stole the remains of the son of former President William Henry Harrison, an incident that gripped the nation. The book also explores the story of a young man from Wilmington, who played a pivotal role in naming both the city of Denver and the state of Montana. Another intriguing topic covered is the fate of Whitewater Shaker Village. Once a thriving community, it mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind questions about its sudden vanishing. Bronson investigates the story of the first woman in Ohio to be executed in the electric chair, known as the ‘Black Widow.’ He examines why she earned this ominous nickname and the circumstances surrounding her execution. Known as “The Master of Disaster,” this Cincinnati attorney was recognized both locally and nationwide for his remarkable reputation in the field of law. His career was marked by a series of high-profile cases, making him one of the most prominent lawyers in the country.In addition to these stories, Peter will introduce ten notable places where one can discover the rich history of Cincinnati. This includes a visit to a Civil War camp, as well as several small, unique museums and other significant sites. Each location offers a glimpse into the city’s diverse and fascinating past.All of Bronson’s books will be available for purchase at $20 each.

THE FUTURE OF CINCINNATI | CHRISTOPHER SMITHERMAN

Learn first-hand tonight about what Christopher Smitherman thinks needs to be done with the City of Cincinnati for it to be successful and moving forward. Christopher’s experience with the City is unmatched and you will hear from him on many subjects. Learn about his thoughts on the current “Anti-Police”, “Anti-Cop” policies in the City. What about the current mayor, Aftab Pureval?
What about Immigration? Will the City’s position as a Sanctuary City cause it to lose important funding from the Federal Government? How about the current form of Government—does it work? Has the City Manager been successful with all the controversies involved with the Fire Department leader being fired, and now the Police Chief being shown the door. Christopher will discuss with us a new petition initiative he is advancing to take away from the City Manager the ability to Fire Police and Fire Department Employees.
After several violent attacks in downtown Cincinnati, find out about Smitherman’s Town Hall meeting with Governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. What were the results of the meeting? Should citizens be scared to visit downtown Cincinnati? What practical steps need to be taken to curb crime? How bad is the crime in downtown? Will the City and County ever be able to elect more conservative leaders? Tonight is your chance to meet Christopher Smitherman at EmpowerU.

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OHIO PROPERTY TAXES AND YOU | GREG LAWSON

Greg Lawson from the Buckeye Institute will join us tonight from 7:45-8:30 PM. He will be discussing Ohio property taxes which is a very hot issue right now given that the General Assembly has passed various pieces of legislation. The passed legislation will be discussed and what the expected outcome of that legislation is. Also, we will discuss what would happen if the potential constitutional amendment to end property taxes in Ohio would pass in the November election.
Data Centers are also a very important issue in Ohio right now. There are a lot of issues associated with Data Centers, including energy, energy price spikes, local opposition, and national security implications. Greg Lawson has been a frequent guest at EmpowerU and is always ready to share with us important information about the State of Ohio.

It's time to take a hard look at the current technology surrounding nuclear energy. To better understand Ohio's clean energy future, we'll dive into Conley's research into the safety and efficacy of nuclear energy, including small modular reactors (SMRs).We'll explore in plain, non-technical language a simple solution that resolves the bottleneck to the future of nuclear energy in Ohio and nationwide. Conley will quell concerns about low-dose radiation and dispel bad science that has slowed the progress and increased the cost of nuclear programs in the United States.

ABOUT MIKE CONLEY

Mike Conley is a writer living in the hills of Echo Park, a mile from downtown Los Angeles.Fascinated by science since he was a child, Mike was drawn to the ingenuity, simplicity and safety of the Molten Salt Reactor. To learn more, he became a member of the Thorium Energy Alliance, a close-knit community of MSR advocates. His approach to the brainiacs he’s met through the TEA is simple: If they explain their technology to him, he’ll explain it to the world. His latest book, The LNT Report, is part of that ongoing project.

Hamilton County recently has experienced a rise in incidents that have captured the community’s attention.These include large downtown brawls, murders, and disruptive street takeovers, as well as significant disturbances affecting July 4 family events in the typically tranquil city of Blue Ash. As a result, crime and public safety have become prominent topics of discussion among residents.In response to these growing concerns, the Hamilton County Association of Police Chiefs launched an initiative last year aimed at addressing the community’s needs. This effort is designed to foster open communication and collaboration among law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and the public.Evendale Police Chief Tim Holloway, who chairs the committee leading this initiative, will discuss the important work being undertaken. He will answer audience questions, ensuring an open dialogue on issues of crime and public safety in Hamilton County.
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Kim Georgeton is officially a candidate in the upcoming election for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. She is running alongside Casey Putsch, who is seeking the office of Governor. Both candidates are participating in the Republican primary scheduled for May 5, 2026

Hydraulic fracturing produces large volumes of wastewater, much of which must be disposed of by injecting it into deep, underground disposal wells.Over the past decade, Ohio has become a major center for the underground storage of fracking wastewater from the state’s own fracking operations, as well as from operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.Storing fracking wastewater brings with it many risks, including the possibility that injected wastewater could seep from storage wells and contaminate private property and community groundwater aquifers. Indeed, we have seen seepage occurring around the country, including in Marietta, OH, where Bob Wilson contends his oil wells were ruined by seeping fracking wastewater. Mr. Wilson is suing the owners of the nearby wastewater storage wells, while the Marietta community remains concerned that the wastewater could also seep into their drinking water.In this discussion, we bring in experts on both sides of the issue — Roxanne Grof, who has been fighting gas and oil industry abuses for decades, and Mike Chadsey of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association.We’ll examine how the disposal system works, what the science says about the risks, the experiences of those who have seen fracking wastewater contaminate their property, and how the state of Ohio oversees these operations.
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ABOUT ROXANNE GROFF

After graduating from Ohio University in 1972, Roxanne decided to make Athens County her home. In 1978 she became a founding member of Save Our Rural Environment (S.O.R.E.), a grassroots group protesting the permitting of strip mines in eastern Athens County. Her interest in state law and in the lack of implementation of rules by regulatory agencies led her to run for public office, first for Township Trustee, then for the County Commissioner, a position she then held for 12 years. Believing that people must have a voice in decisions made about protecting our environment, Roxanne has participated in many campaigns to raise communities’ awareness to challenge abuses by industry that affect the health and wellbeing of citizens. Most recently, Roxanne has been working with Athens County Fracking Action Network (ACFAN) to oppose permitting toxic radioactive injection wells in Ohio and the sale of mineral parcels on public lands, especially Ohio’s Wayne National Forest.

ABOUT MIKE CHADSEY

Mike Chadsey serves as Director of External Affairs for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. In that capacity over the last 12 years, he has led OOGA’s engagement with the media and continues the Association’s great work of creating and building relationships with local elected, community, and business leaders throughout the state. Immediately prior to joining OOGA, Mike served two years as the first state director of Energy In Depth-Ohio (EID), a grassroots advocacy, research and education initiative organized in support of responsible oil and gas development. Mike has served in a variety of roles over the last 20 years at both the local and state level, working for various campaigns and office holders. He was first elected by the voters of Summit County as a Board member of the Summit County Educational Service Center, formally known as the Summit County Board of Education, in 2017 and re-elected in 2021.He is a graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He lives with his wife, Jean Anne, and their daughter Madeline and son Matthew in Northeast Ohio.

Andrew Breitbart famously argued that politics is downstream from culture.That is, he said that the entertainment we consume, the stories we tell, and the celebrities we elevate ultimately shape our politics.

In this talk, Breitbart News Entertainment Editor, Jerome Hudson, will bring Andrew Breitbart's idea to life by showing how Hollywood and pop culture actively mold public opinion. From films and award shows to social-media activism and celebrity branding, Hudson will examine how cultural narratives become political outcomes.

Drawing on years of investigative experience, Hudson will illustrate how the cultural elite preach one set of values while living by another --- such as the environmental messaging of celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, contrasted with their lavish carbon footprints.

Hudson will also discuss why he and his team --- profiled in The New York Times for their impact --- haven’t “given up on the culture,” and how to push back effectively.
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ABOUT JEROME HUDSON

Prior to writing for Breitbart, Jerome Hudson worked at the Government Accountability Institute with author, investigative journalist, and political commentator Peter Schweizer. There, Hudson was heavily involved in uncovering government corruption.

In 2013 Hudson began writing for Breitbart, where today he is the Entertainment Editor, specializing in showing the vast disconnect between Hollywood and the everyday American. His team was written up in the New York Times for its effectiveness. He looks for incongruities and full-blown hypocrisy between what celebrities say and do, “like Leonardo DeCaprio, tweeting from his half-a-football-field-sized yacht, or from a private jet, saying we all have to reduce our carbon emissions,” he says.

Hudson’s most recent book, 50 Things They Don’t Want You to Know about Trump (Harper Collins, October 2020), chronicles what the establishment media withheld from the public about President Trump’s first term: his accomplishments. This book is the Publishers Weekly and USA Today bestseller that the New York Times refused to include on its book rankings, thus making Hudson’s point that the book is full of facts and analysis the establishment press does not want you to know. It reached #5 on Amazon.com.

Hudson hosts Breitbart News Tonight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on SiriusXM 125 the Patriot channel, 9 p.m. to midnight Eastern. He is a member of the Project 21 Black Leadership Network, serving on the organization’s National Advisory Council. He participated in Candace Owens’ 2019 premiere BLEXIT event where he gave a rousing speech.

Johann Sebastian Bach is perhaps the most revered composer in all of Western music. Max Reger simply stated: “Bach is the beginning and end of all music.” But what makes the music of this one composer, who toiled in relative obscurity in 18th-century Germany, so great?

In this lecture, we will explore some components that may have helped Bach’s enduring appeal: his subtle but powerful expression of sacred texts; his complete mastery of the building blocks of music (harmony, melody, rhythm); his breathtaking skill at writing complex counterpoint; and the meditative space that his music creates—always expressive, but never overbearing, allowing each listener to have a personal experience with his music.

This talk is designed to be accessible to all, regardless of musical background, and it will include musical samples to illustrate key concepts. It promises to offer both an informative overview and a deeper appreciation of Bach’s enduring artistry.
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Dr. Christina Fuhrmann is Chair, Academic Studies Department and Professor of Music History and Literature at Baldwin Wallace University. She also serves as the Bach Editor of the Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute.

Dr. Fuhrmann previously taught at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and at Ashland University, where she was the 2015 winner of the Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award. She also has experience as managing editor of the Journal of Musicology.

Her research has been published in venues such as The Oxford Handbook of the British Musical, Nineteenth-Century Music Review, The Journal of Musicological Research and The Encyclopedia of Romantic Literature. In 2012, she published an edition of Henry Bishop’s 1819 adaptation of “Le Nozze di Figaro” with A-R Editions. Her book, “Foreign Opera at the London Playhouses, from Mozart to Bellini” (Cambridge University Press, 2015) received the Diana McVeagh Prize for Best Book on British Music, awarded biennially by the North American British Music Studies Association.

Dr. Fuhrmann holds a B.A. from Marlboro College and a Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.