Breaking Battlegrounds

On this episode of Breaking Battlegrounds, Sam Stone and Chuck Warren dive into the biggest legal, education, and border security stories shaping America today. First, Ilya Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute joins the show to break down the Supreme Court's major 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Calais and what it means for race-based redistricting, judicial independence, and the future of constitutional law. The conversation also explores Justice Clarence Thomas's influence on the Court, upcoming landmark cases involving birthright citizenship and presidential powers, and why public confidence in America's institutions continues to decline. Follow Ilya Shapiro Here: X: https://x.com/ishapiro Substack: https://ilyashapiro.substack.com Check out Ilya's book "Lawless: The Miseducation of America's Elites" https://manhattan.institute/book/lawless-the-miseducation-of-americas-elites Then, school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis joins the program to discuss the growing momentum behind education freedom initiatives across the country. Corey explains why even Democrat governors are beginning to embrace school choice programs, examines the ongoing failures of the Chicago Teachers Union, and argues why parents are increasingly rejecting the traditional public school system in favor of alternatives that put students first. Corey A. DeAngelis X: https://x.com/deangeliscorey?lang=it Later, retired Pinal County Sheriff and Arizona Congressional candidate Mark Lamb joins the podcast to discuss the realities of border security from firsthand experience on the front lines. Lamb shares stories about cartel activity, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and the enormous strain illegal immigration has placed on local law enforcement. He also outlines his campaign priorities for Congress, including border security, election integrity, constitutional rights, and restoring accountability in Washington. Mark Lamb X: https://x.com/sherifflamb1?lang=en Website: https://marklamb.us/home Plus, in B's Corner, the hosts revisit the disturbing D4vd and Celeste case as new evidence emerges involving dismemberment, child abuse material, and chilling foreshadowing hidden within music and social media posts. Catch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube.   Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds: • Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds • Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote • News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news • X: https://x.com/breaking_battle • Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds • Facebook: Breaking Battlegrounds

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Chuck Warren and Sam Stone are joined by Manhattan Institute Cities policy analyst Santiago Vidal Calvo and Washington Free Beacon editor and Middle East Forum junior fellow Alex Welz, plus a special radio edition of B's Corner true crime. Santiago Vidal Calvo Born in Caracas and now leading the Manhattan Institute's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) efforts, Santiago opens with an on-the-ground report from Venezuela following the capture of Maduro — including the first American Airlines flight back to Caracas in nearly a decade — and explains why Trump must press for elections in Venezuela before the U.S. midterms if his policy is to survive a potential shift in Congress. He walks through how government agencies have weaponized "privacy" exemptions and bureaucratic stonewalling to block public records requests, and why Manhattan Institute is willing to take these fights to court when ordinary citizens cannot. Santiago then breaks down his Daily Wire piece on New Jersey Transit's $150 train ticket from Penn Station to MetLife for the 2026 World Cup — versus a $60 Uber on the same route — and contrasts New Jersey's mismanagement with Kansas City's pro-tourism approach of expanded bar and restaurant hours. In the second segment, he unpacks Mayor Zohran Mamdani's "racial equity plan" and the redefinition of poverty in New York City through a $150,000 "true cost of living" benchmark — which conveniently labels two-thirds of the richest city in America as unable to afford it, justifying a massive expansion of government with 400 new indicators and 600 goals. Santiago argues the real diagnosis isn't race but housing supply, the rent freeze, and the cost of opening a business. Follow Santiago on X: @SantiVidalC B's Corner B brings the 1981 disappearance and murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh from a Sears in Hollywood, Florida — a case that took 27 years to officially close, briefly entangled Jeffrey Dahmer as a suspect, and was ultimately tied to serial killer Ottis Toole. Out of unimaginable tragedy, Adam's father John Walsh launched America's Most Wanted, founded the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and helped drive the creation of the Amber Alert system. The team also revisits the era of the Sears catalog and what that brand once meant to American life. Alex Welz, an editor at the Washington Free Beacon and a junior fellow at the Middle East Forum with a master's in national security from the University of Haifa, walks through the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, why disarming Hezbollah remains a generational challenge despite UN Resolution 1701 and the Taif Agreement. On Iran, Alex argues the regime turned out far less fragile than Venezuela-style optimists hoped, but ballistic missile capacity, the navy, and oil revenues have all been dramatically degraded, and the latest wave of protests could still force a fold. In the podcast segment, the conversation deepens and Alex shares his prediction for where Iran stands by November 2026. Follow Alex on X: @WelzAlex Catch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube. Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds: Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news X: https://x.com/breaking_battle Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds Facebook: Breaking Battlegrounds