EPISODE · Apr 22, 2026 · 41 MIN
Senator Kennedy on Iran, ICE Funding, and Why You Can't Negotiate With Charles Manson
from AGR - Louisiana Edition · host American Ground Radio
Stay connected with us at americangroundradio.com, on Facebook, and Instagram. You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for April 21, 2026. We open with a deep dive into Louisiana Constitutional Amendment 3 on the May 16th ballot — the proposal to dissolve three education trust funds worth a combined $2 billion in order to pay down teacher retirement debt and fund a $2,250 permanent pay raise for teachers and $1,125 for support staff. We break down why Louisiana's teachers deserve more than what's on the table, why the mechanism being used to get there is unnecessarily convoluted, why our state constitution is a mess of special interest savings accounts that tie the hands of future legislators, and what the real risks are when you dissolve trust funds that currently support early childhood education and academic improvement programs — even when supporters promise those programs will be protected. Then we go live to Washington with Louisiana Senator John Kennedy joining us in studio for an extended conversation that covers everything from budget reconciliation to Iran to the federal judiciary. On reconciliation, Senator Kennedy tells us exactly why 60 days of negotiations with Democrats over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE was a complete waste of time — and why the Senate is now moving forward without a single Democratic vote. On Iran, Kennedy gives us the clearest explanation we've heard from anyone in Congress about why we went in, what we actually accomplished, why regime change was never the goal, and why sending in ground troops would be a quagmire nobody wants. He also explains why negotiating with Iran's leadership is fundamentally different from negotiating with Russia or China — because, in his words, you're dealing with Charles Manson. On Trump's polling numbers, Kennedy tells us exactly how much he pays attention to NBC polls and what he actually thinks is driving the dip. And on the federal judiciary and prosecutors being held up for the Western District of Louisiana, Kennedy gives us a straight answer on when those confirmations are coming and why the backlog exists.In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, the mayor of Winnsboro, Louisiana was arrested for Medicaid fraud — collecting $75,000 in benefits she wasn't eligible for by hiding her income, her marital status, and her employer-provided insurance. Her response on Facebook after the arrest has to be heard to be believed. Then a federal judge ruled that Amazon's proposed data center in West Shreveport can move forward — part of a three-project, $12 billion investment in northwest Louisiana that opponents tried to stop by claiming public health concerns about a facility with zero emissions. And a 56-year-old Shreveport man was arrested by federal officers for providing the weapon used in the murder of eight children over the weekend — a convicted felon who lied to investigators before admitting the gun was under his car seat.We also spend time on the Shreveport mass murder and the broader conversation it demands — about mental health, about the illusion of connection that smartphones create without delivering the real thing, about what happens when family structure breaks down, and about why the very worst thing anyone struggling can do is keep it bottled up inside. If you or someone you know is struggling, Louisiana's mental health crisis line is 988. We mean that.And we close with a reminder that goes back to Genesis — it is not good for man to be alone. We were created for connection. And right now, our culture is working against everything God designed us for.Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!
What this episode covers
Stay connected with us at americangroundradio.com, on Facebook, and Instagram. You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for April 21, 2026. We open with a deep dive into Louisiana Constitutional Amendment 3 on the May 16th ballot — the proposal to dissolve three education trust funds worth a combined $2 billion in order to pay down teacher retirement debt and fund a $2,250 permanent pay raise for teachers and $1,125 for support staff. We break down why Louisiana's teachers deserve more than what's on the table, why the mechanism being used to get there is unnecessarily convoluted, why our state constitution is a mess of special interest savings accounts that tie the hands of future legislators, and what the real risks are when you dissolve trust funds that currently support early childhood education and academic improvement programs — even when supporters promise those programs will be protected. Then we go live to Washington with Louisiana Senator John Kennedy joining us in studio for an extended conversation that covers everything from budget reconciliation to Iran to the federal judiciary. On reconciliation, Senator Kennedy tells us exactly why 60 days of negotiations with Democrats over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE was a complete waste of time — and why the Senate is now moving forward without a single Democratic vote. On Iran, Kennedy gives us the clearest explanation we've heard from anyone in Congress about why we went in, what we actually accomplished, why regime change was never the goal, and why sending in ground troops would be a quagmire nobody wants. He also explains why negotiating with Iran's leadership is fundamentally different from negotiating with Russia or China — because, in his words, you're dealing with Charles Manson. On Trump's polling numbers, Kennedy tells us exactly how much he pays attention to NBC polls and what he actually thinks is driving the dip. And on the federal judiciary and prosecutors being held up for the Western District of Louisiana, Kennedy gives us a straight answer on when those confirmations are coming and why the backlog exists.In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, the mayor of Winnsboro, Louisiana was arrested for Medicaid fraud — collecting $75,000 in benefits she wasn't eligible for by hiding her income, her marital status, and her employer-provided insurance. Her response on Facebook after the arrest has to be heard to be believed. Then a federal judge ruled that Amazon's proposed data center in West Shreveport can move forward — part of a three-project, $12 billion investment in northwest Louisiana that opponents tried to stop by claiming public health concerns about a facility with zero emissions. And a 56-year-old Shreveport man was arrested by federal officers for providing the weapon used in the murder of eight children over the weekend — a convicted felon who lied to investigators before admitting the gun was under his car seat.We also spend time on the Shreveport mass murder and the broader conversation it demands — about mental health, about the illusion of connection that smartphones create without delivering the real thing, about what happens when family structure breaks down, and about why the very worst thing anyone struggling can do is keep it bottled up inside. If you or someone you know is struggling, Louisiana's mental health crisis line is 988. We mean that.And we close with a reminder that goes back to Genesis — it is not good for man to be alone. We were created for connection. And right now, our culture is working against...
NOW PLAYING
Senator Kennedy on Iran, ICE Funding, and Why You Can't Negotiate With Charles Manson
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.