The Neal Larson Show

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This episode was a whirlwind look at two big, very “right now” stories: the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on birthright citizenship (with President Donald Trump in the chamber) and the ongoing partial government shutdown centered on DHS funding. We listened in as U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer laid out the administration’s argument that “subject to the jurisdiction” in the 14th Amendment should be read through an allegiance/domicile lens—meaning not everyone born on U.S. soil would automatically qualify for citizenship if their parents were here temporarily or unlawfully. The justices pressed hard from multiple angles: whether the text supports Sauer’s “domicile” framework, how much weight to give the post–Civil War legislative record, what to do with *Wong Kim Ark*, and whether modern realities like illegal immigration and “birth tourism” should matter to constitutional interpretation. Neal Larson and Julie Mason talked through the tone of the questioning (friendly moments from Alito, skepticism from others like Gorsuch and Kagan), and the real possibility that the Court could try to thread a needle with a narrower or prospective-only ruling rather than detonating a century-plus of assumptions.

In hour two, Congressman Mike Simpson joined Julie and Neal in studio and didn’t mince words about the shutdown dynamics—arguing the Senate’s move effectively “defunded” parts of ICE/CBP, boxed the House in, and handed Democrats a win on process. He pushed reconciliation as the cleanest exit ramp, criticized the filibuster as a self-inflicted Senate problem, and tied the immigration fight to bigger issues like apportionment, sanctuary jurisdictions, E-Verify sequencing, and what he described as massive fraud in government programs. The conversation also hit the SAVE Act and voter ID, how party incentives shape immigration enforcement, and ended with Simpson’s take on Iran, Democrats’ posture toward anything Trump touches, and what the economy and political landscape might look like by November.

**Highlights**
- Supreme Court hears birthright citizenship case with President Donald Trump attending; Sauer argues “jurisdiction” means allegiance tied to lawful domicile.  
- Justices clash over text vs. history vs. precedent (*Wong Kim Ark*), plus modern pressures like illegal immigration and “birth tourism.”  
- Neal Larson and Julie Mason debate whether tough questioning (especially from Neil Gorsuch) signals opposition—or just stress-testing.  
- Congressman Mike Simpson blames Senate Democrats/leadership dynamics for the DHS shutdown mess; says reconciliation is the only realistic path.  
- SAVE Act, voter ID, census/apportionment, sanctuary cities, E-Verify, and government fraud all folded into one bigger incentives-and-power conversation.

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Today we worked through a packed slate of Idaho policy and a few national flashpoints, with the big focus on the Senate moving bills that have been stuck in the pipeline. We dug into House Bill 822—framed as closing a loophole in Idaho’s vulnerable child protections—aimed at preventing schools, counselors, and health care professionals from keeping a child’s social transition secret from parents. Neal argued this shouldn’t even need to be legislation, but said the cultural reality is forcing the issue. We also played competing perspectives, including Senator Jim Guthrie’s concerns about implementation details (like who decides what “doesn’t correspond” with a child’s sex, and what happens if parents can’t be reached within the bill’s timelines). Bottom line: the show drew a hard line against non-parents keeping significant secrets from parents, while still acknowledging edge cases and the need for clean, workable language.

From there we shifted to two other pressure-point debates: an “ICE/sheriff” approach that felt more vinegar than honey, and a civil enforcement proposal that would give the Idaho Attorney General a mechanism to enforce laws that don’t have built-in penalties (with worries about constitutional issues, weaponization, and whether voters—not the AG—should ultimately “hire and fire” elected officials). We also touched on party cohesion scores (PCI), primary race dynamics in East Idaho, and wrapped with a cultural segment reacting to *The View* melting down over a pro-marriage/pro-kids CPAC message—where we defended the value of family, motherhood, fatherhood, and the idea that not every part of life needs to be filtered through guilt, grievance, or political spite.

### Highlights
- Why Idaho is debating a bill that says schools can’t hide a child’s social transition from parents—and what “transparency” should look like in practice  
- Civil enforcement bill: helpful tool for laws with “no teeth,” or a power that could be abused by a future Attorney General?  
- Primary races + PCI gaps: why some incumbents look vulnerable, and why some challengers may not have enough runway  
- Culture talk: *The View* clip, the left’s framing of motherhood, and why family is still the centerpiece for a lot of us  
- National side notes: Supreme Court watch, shutdown politics, and frustration with using public pain as leverage

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Neal Larson and Julie Mason kicked off the week sizing up a busy weekend in East Idaho—especially the “No Kings” protests—and the bigger point they kept coming back to was this: if you’re going to rally, at least be clear about what you’re trying to accomplish. Neal argued that “No Kings” functions more like a shared expression of anger than an actionable goal, and that without a concrete objective (a real verb, not “raise awareness”), these events don’t move policy and won’t hold up historically. Julie largely agreed, adding that she’s fine with people gathering, but she wishes both protesters and the media covering them would be more genuine and transparent about motivations and bias.

From there, they pivoted into a few of the big narratives driving Idaho and national politics right now: the legislature limping toward sine die and immediately into campaign season, a heated debate over the bathroom/“women’s spaces” bill (with Julie speaking bluntly about women’s safety and how females already change their behavior in public to stay safe), and the broader problem of confirmation bias—how people instantly accept what they like and dismiss what they don’t. They also touched on questions around Ukraine funding and media silence, Democrats’ push to defund/hamstring ICE while claiming otherwise, and a larger frustration with political extremes: neither sanctifying nor demonizing Trump, but resisting the “rage spiral” that keeps people locked into one narrative. Along the way, there was a lighter thread too—Neil’s NCAA bracket somehow sitting near the top nationally—and a candid wrap on grocery and gas sticker shock.

**Highlights**
- “No Kings” protests: big crowds, but unclear objectives; “have a verb” was the recurring challenge  
- Bathroom bill debate: women’s safety vs. trans enforcement complications; Julie’s personal safety perspective  
- Confirmation bias and “rage spirals”: be skeptical of what you like, give what you dislike a chance to be true  
- Immigration politics: Democrats blocking DHS/targeting ICE; discussion of apportionment incentives  
- Idaho session + budgets: frustration with “doomsday” reactions to modest cuts and sacred-cow treatment of K-12 funding

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We spent the first part of the show chewing on the TSA/DHS funding standoff and how it feels like Democrats are deliberately leveraging airport misery—especially during a heavy travel week—to force unrelated outcomes like targeting ICE. The conversation dug into why immigration enforcement has become such a political obsession, including the argument that counting illegal immigrants for apportionment shifts congressional power. We talked frankly about compassion vs. amnesty, why “law” can’t become a suggestion, and how inflammatory labels (racism, fascist, trauma, toxic) get watered down when they’re thrown at everything.

Then the tone shifted in the best way with Studio 4 Cover: longtime friend **Allie Wilde** joined us, performed Sarah Bareilles’ “Gravity,” and shared details about the **SOS Singers on Stage** benefit concert supporting **Dom Nunez**, a Thunder Ridge High School senior battling cancer. From there, open lines took us into Idaho legislative scorecards and party-line voting, concerns about **Harriman State Park** and a bill on the governor’s desk, and even a detour into fast-food “bait-and-switch” frustrations. We wrapped with a lively back-and-forth on UFO “disclosure” rumors and whether the public is being distracted by noise while bigger geopolitical moves unfold.

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### Highlights
- The TSA funding fight as political leverage—and who ends up paying the price.
- Immigration, ICE, and the apportionment argument: power, districts, and incentives.
- **Allie Wilde** performs “Gravity” and promotes the **SOS** benefit for **Dom Nunez** (April 17).
- Open lines: Idaho legislative “party cohesion” scoring, Harriman State Park concerns, and public trust.
- UFO disappearance chatter meets skepticism: real story, psyop, or internet-fueled fog?

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Today’s show was a mix of national chaos and local accountability. We started with US Senator **Jim Risch** laying the blame for the ongoing government shutdown at Democrats’ feet, calling it completely avoidable and emphasizing how unfair it is that people like TSA and Coast Guard are being forced to work without pay. He also walked through his view of the current conflict with Iran—arguing Iran’s military capabilities have been quickly neutralized, that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open, and that there’s no plan for US “boots on the ground” because modern warfare doesn’t require it. He also gave an upbeat update on Venezuela, calling it a successful operation and saying the country is moving toward elections and a more America-friendly posture. The hour closed with the SAVE Act push—Risch and the hosts framing proof-of-citizenship voter registration and photo ID as basic, common-sense election security, while acknowledging the 60-vote Senate hurdle and exploring whether reconciliation could be a path.

Then we pivoted back home to Idaho politics with the updated **Party Cohesion Index (PCI)**—a tool Neil built to show how often lawmakers vote with the majority of their stated party on the votes that actually split the parties. We spent time stressing what the PCI is *and isn’t*: it’s a starting point, not a motivation detector, and it’s on voters (and lawmakers) to explain and investigate the “why” behind a score. That led into a deeper discussion about the bathroom bill, fairness, enforcement excuses, and why the burden keeps getting placed on women and kids instead of on adults who want the rules changed. We also took a detour through late-night politics (Kimmel mocking Markwayne Mullin), media hypocrisy (Jen Psaki suddenly wanting daily press access), and a very Trump-style cabinet-meeting moment where he openly mocked the idea that reporters should expect operational war details—while the hosts argued the press often asks questions designed less to inform than to bait.

- Senator **Jim Risch** on the shutdown: avoidable, destructive, and unfair to unpaid federal workers like TSA and Coast Guard.  
- Iran conversation: Risch says Iran’s air/naval capability has been crushed and there’s **no boots-on-the-ground plan**.  
- Venezuela update: described as a fast, highly successful operation with negotiations shaping the transition and a path toward elections.  
- The **Party Cohesion Index (PCI)**: why it focuses on party-splitting votes, and why a score demands follow-up—not knee-jerk conclusions.  
- Bathroom bill debate: enforcement excuses challenged; emphasis placed on protecting kids and fairness over ideological demands.

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We spent time unpacking the late-session Idaho housing “affordability” bills and the common thread running through them: loosening planning and zoning to allow more density—duplexes, apartments, even backyard tiny homes—plus talk of rent caps tied to local median income. It’s the kind of solution that sounds clean on paper (more supply = lower prices), but it runs straight into the real-world tension between property rights and protecting neighborhood stability and property values. We walked through why zoning exists in the first place, how quickly these ideas are moving (and sometimes stalling) in the legislature, and why giving local officials even more discretion can feel risky—especially when most of us couldn’t name who’s actually running planning and zoning in our own communities.

Then we shifted into the moment-of-silence law for public schools—60 seconds of quiet each morning—and the reaction from a loud minority of teachers online who insist it can’t be done. Our take: kids can learn hard things, and “they can’t” is the soft cruelty of low expectations. We’re not pretending the bill isn’t partially about making room for prayer, but we also think a daily pause is a legitimate skill—focus, calm, self-control—whether a student prays or just breathes. We wrapped with a lively flash poll that showed the audience genuinely split on property value vs. property rights, and we touched on broader Capitol intrigue: rumors of a behind-the-scenes push to replace Speaker Mike Moyle, plus skepticism toward hit pieces and “boogeyman” narratives (including around the IFF) that get used to manipulate voters.

- Housing bills aim to boost supply by loosening zoning, but that can collide with neighborhood expectations and property values.  
- The moment-of-silence debate: the issue isn’t perfection—it’s whether teachers will make a good-faith effort and let kids build the habit.  
- Flash poll takeaway: conservatives are split when property rights and property values come into conflict.  
- Capitol talk: rumors of a Speaker challenge, and a warning about power coalitions that don’t hold together.  
- Media/political narratives: skepticism about using groups like the IFF as a convenient “boogeyman.”

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Neal and Julie spent the morning bouncing between a few stories that all, in their own way, come back to trust—trust in institutions, trust in elections, and trust that people will be held accountable when they cross the line. We started with “Mormon Women for Ethical Government,” and why the branding feels intentionally provocative (and, in our view, politically one-directional). The bigger takeaway wasn’t their Idaho footprint—because it’s tiny—but the fact that their national funding has grown into a real war chest, which means we should expect to see them show up more often in upcoming election cycles.

From there we dug into election integrity: the Supreme Court weighing post–Election Day ballot counting, the basic logic that “election day” should mean an actual day, and why voter ID is treated like an outrageous idea—until you need it to stop fraud in something as small as redeeming cans in Connecticut. We also reacted to Ted Cruz’s comments in the “Arctic Frost” hearing (the alleged surveillance/data-gathering aimed at Republicans and Trump-world), and talked through why even “just” grabbing phone records is a major civil liberties problem—especially when it’s used as political weaponry. We wrapped with a surprisingly heated public reaction to the Utah mom accused of kidnapping her child’s bully, and the uncomfortable truth that lots of people *understand* the impulse even while knowing you can’t do that. Along the way we touched on the broken incentives in school discipline, how long justice takes (especially in death penalty cases), and why Kermit Gosnell’s death in prison still matters as a cultural gut-check the media largely tried to look past.

### Highlights
- Why “Mormon Women for Ethical Government” is likely to become more visible as their funding grows—despite limited local traction.
- Supreme Court focus on ballots counted after Election Day, and the broader argument for tighter election timelines and voter ID.
- “Arctic Frost” Senate hearing: why metadata collection and political surveillance should alarm everyone, regardless of party.
- Utah “kidnapped the bully” story: public support, the gray areas around bullying, and the very clear line you still can’t cross.
- Kermit Gosnell’s case as a reminder of what the media chooses to cover—or ignore—and why that shapes public conscience.

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Neal Larson and Julie Mason kick off the Monday show comparing March Madness notes (including a fun Idaho tie with Dylan Darling’s buzzer-beating moment for St. John’s) before shifting to the weekend’s bigger highlight: being invited to the Mountain States Policy Center dinner featuring Dana Perino. They talk about the room full of lawmakers and policy folks, the organization’s professionalism, and Perino’s steady, down-to-earth presence—especially her message about staying the same person politics-wise as who you were before power ever showed up. Along the way they share a couple of Perino stories (including the “White Hole” podium moment and “Mike Crapo” pronunciation mishap) and reflect on what they respect about Mountain States Policy Center: coalition-building, data-driven work, and advancing big initiatives like opposing ranked choice voting and helping get the parental choice tax credit across the finish line.

From there, the conversation turns into the late-session grind at the Idaho Legislature and several culture-and-family bills that are driving strong reactions. Neal and Julie dig into the bathroom bill debate—acknowledging real “edge case” emergencies but pushing back hard on using rare scenarios to undermine the entire intent of protecting women, kids, and also shielding business owners from liability. They also call out what they see as dishonesty in campaign messaging (specifically billboards labeling certain lawmakers “conservative” despite their voting records), then pivot to the new 60-seconds-of-silence-in-schools law and the broader question: when did adults become so non-resilient that a single quiet minute feels like a crisis? The hour also features a pointed exchange from a legislative hearing on parental rights (and refusal to answer whether parents are the primary authority), a call-in from Representative Barbie Hart reinforcing how these laws protect families and businesses, and a larger warning about schools and medical systems creating secret channels with minors—especially around sexuality—without parents being informed.

### Highlights
- Dana Perino dinner recap: “same person” integrity, White House stories, and a packed room of Idaho lawmakers and policy leaders  
- Bathroom bill: intent vs. edge cases, protecting women/kids, and protecting business owners from liability  
- 60 seconds of silence in schools: why it matters, why the outrage feels overblown, and what it says about adult resilience  
- Campaign branding dispute: “conservative” billboards vs. actual voting records  
- Parental rights and minors: pushback against schools/medicine creating secret relationships with kids around sexuality

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On today’s Friday show, Neal Larson and Julie Mason mixed a little “inside baseball” with a lot of local and state issues—and a fun listener perk. We set up a giveaway for two pairs of tickets to the Mountain States Policy Center dinner in Boise featuring Dana Perino, asking listeners to text a screenshot of the NewsTalk 107.9 app to enter (with the caveat: please only enter if you can truly go). From there, we dug into an Idaho House bill requiring law enforcement to record the immigration status and nationality of anyone arrested. While police and sheriff groups are pushing back publicly over “added workload,” we talked through why it may be less about paperwork and more about community trust, how the information might be used, and why immigration bills so often head to the Senate “to die in a drawer.”

We also hit the Legislature’s move to cap bill-drafting requests at 25 per lawmaker after a session producing nearly 900 draft bills, questioning whether “workload” is the real driver or whether politics and vote-avoidance are. Locally, we previewed the Bonneville School District 93 supplemental levy request—an increase large enough to create real sticker shock—and emphasized the questions voters will want answered (cuts made, administrative overhead, and whether the district has truly “DOGE’d” the budget before asking patrons for nearly double). In the middle of it all, we welcomed local performer Ralston Smith for a Studio For Cover segment—he absolutely nailed a Dean Martin-style “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime”—and later we reacted to the Taylor Frankie Paul/“Bachelorette” cancellation news and the bigger cultural appetite for spectacle. The hour also included breaking (as reported on-air) news of Chuck Norris passing at 86, plus listener calls digging into who, exactly, is responsible when bills get buried in committee.

**Highlights**
- Ticket giveaway: Dana Perino / Mountain States Policy Center dinner—how to enter via the app screenshot text-in  
- Idaho House immigration-status-on-arrest bill: workload vs. trust, database questions, and why the Senate shelves immigration bills  
- Bonneville SD 93 levy request: big increase, reserve drawdown, and why transparency on cuts/admin matters to voters  
- Studio For Cover: Ralston Smith brings the crooner energy with Dean Martin  
- Taylor Frankie Paul fallout: reality-TV incentives, brand implosions, and the cultural demand for extremes  

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Neal Larson and Julie Mason bounce between March Madness fun and a few heavy headlines, starting with the great experiment: letting multiple AIs build NCAA brackets (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok—and maybe Claude) to see if the machines can out-pick the humans. They compare how each model handled the same prompt, note some basic “bracket logic” mistakes from ChatGPT and Gemini, and laugh about the possibility of an AI humiliating everybody in their listener bracket challenge. From there, the tone shifts to real-life tragedy with the sudden passing of Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam, and they share how widely respected he was across political lines, along with sympathy for Eagle Mayor Brad Pike who attempted CPR at the event.

The rest of the hour is a mix of “what are we doing here?” political culture talk and Idaho policy. Neal and Julie unpack the exhausting conservative infighting—especially the Israel-related feuds involving Megyn Kelly, Mark Levin, Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and others—and argue it’s producing more heat than light (and maybe more clicks than clarity). They also push back on the outrage over Idaho’s proposed 60-second moment of silence in schools, calling it a wildly overblown fight. Chris Cargill from Mountain States Policy Center joins to preview their Dana Perino dinner in Boise, talk about Idaho’s policy wins (tax climate, school choice growth), reforms he’d like to see (better public notice for hearings), concerns about a proposed “unbiased AI” bill, and why he supports an Article V convention despite runaway-convention fears. The show wraps with bracket reminders, a couple of road-trip logistics laughs, and a quick riff on how high-tax states like New York practically admit why people and businesses flee.

**Highlights**
- AI bracket showdown: Grok vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini (and possibly Claude) using identical prompts  
- Remembering Nampa Mayor Rick Sogabum and the shock of his sudden passing  
- Conservative infighting over Israel: “heat vs. light” and the role of clicks/ratings  
- Chris Cargill on school choice demand, tax competitiveness, Article V, and AI regulation in Idaho  
- Idaho’s 60-second school “moment of silence” debate gets called out as manufactured outrage  

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