Gem State Podcast

This week's legislative primary results demonstrate that Idaho is really two states in one, at least as far as politics is concerned. What does that mean going forward?Read the article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/05/the-two-idahos/Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho voter guide. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Earlier this year, the Chief of Police in Homedale, a small town in Owyhee County, issued a memo warning staff against cooperating with ICE.View the memo here: https://gemstatechronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/homedale-memo.pngWatch Chief Eidemiller's testimony here: https://youtu.be/Yqgxp-CgVBwSubscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho voter guide. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The Idaho Health Data Exchange took nearly $100 million in public funds, went bankrupt, and left questions about oversight and patient data.Read the full article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/04/what-happened-to-the-idaho-health-data-exchange/Essay by Audrey Dutton on the history of IHDE: https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/06/28/what-happened-to-the-idaho-health-data-exchange-and-can-other-states-learn-from-it/Sasha O'Connell presents OPE report and DHW responses to JFAC in June 2024: https://youtu.be/Z-DFLU9Fu6YSubscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho voter guide. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The supply of racism and hatred in America fell short of demand for left-wing activists in the SPLC, so they apparently paid millions to create it.DoJ press conference: https://youtu.be/bViWBct5FzIMatt Walsh: https://youtu.be/6lywS-Y_zRISubscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho voter guide. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Welfare is driving the Idaho state budget upwards even as the Legislature cuts where it can.Read the full article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/04/the-legislature-cut-the-budget-so-why-did-it-go-up/Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, iLuvIdaho, and New Saint Andrews College. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Idaho sheriffs and police organizations took an active role opposing immigration bills this session, raising questions about the proper role of law enforcement in shaping public policy. Read the full article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/04/law-enforcers-or-law-makers/ Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, iLuvIdaho, and New Saint Andrews College. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Are Idaho taxpayers still funding healthcare for people here illegally? Court filings from a 2025 lawsuit suggest the answer is yes.Full article here: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/04/are-idaho-taxpayers-paying-to-treat-hiv-positive-illegal-aliens/Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, iLuvIdaho, and New Saint Andrews College. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Special interests are fighting tooth and nail to maintain their foreign-born workforce, and targeting a legislator's family business is just the beginning. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Two bills aim to balance property rights with living in a community. Two bills were presented to address how much cities can regulate short-term rentals, but only one moved on.Read the full article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/02/short-term-rental-showdown-in-the-senate/Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribeNarration by ElevenLabs. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Ask yourself: Is politics a tool to accomplish defined goals? Or is it simply an outlet for anger?Narration by ElevenLabsRead the full article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/02/taking-emotion-out-of-the-equation/Please visit our sponsors: Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, and New Saint Andrews College. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The left has shown it is willing to fight and even die on the hill of illegal immigration. Are we in Idaho prepared to fight as hard to enforce the law? Narration made possible by ElevenLabs. Read the article here: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/02/the-immigration-war/ Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Two bills this session aim to clarify and safeguard the law of the land. To understand why they are necessary, first we must understand the relationship between the law and the land.Read the article here: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/02/what-is-the-law/Narration made possible by ElevenLabs. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

As the old American battle lines of liberalism versus conservatism fade into irrelevance, where will the next battles be fought? I suggest it will be over the issue of identity: Who are we? What does it mean to be an American, a human being? The Next Realignment by Frank DiStefano: President Donald Trump’s 1st Inaugural Address:Exchange between Vivek Ramaswamy and Mike Pence: Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Watching the Ada County Republican Central Committee debate on Thursday night about endorsing a Republican nominee got me thinking about how much time and energy are spent doing the political equivalent of tilting at windmills. Too much idealism can cause you to lose everything, but too much pragmatism can make you forget what you’re fighting for.History teaches us that we need a balance. What does that look like in the world of Idaho politics? Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

When history podcaster Darryl Cooper shared some heterodox beliefs about World War II in an interview with Tucker Carlson, a lot of people lost their minds. There are many historical events that have been transformed into foundational myths for societies, and questioning those myths can have unpleasant results.How should we approach history, as well as the myths that define our societies? Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

With the announcement today of Senator JD Vance of Ohio as Donald Trump's running mate, I decided to go back into the archives of my old podcast and pull out an episode I published about the status of the white working class in America. A lot of what I said at the time came out of reading Vance's book Hillbilly Elegy, about his life growing up in Kentucky and Ohio and the struggles of his people there. I thought it would be interesting to go back and remember what I thought then and compare it to where we find ourselves now.As you listen, keep in mind that this was recorded more than two years ago, before Vance won his Senate race in Ohio. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Many people are talking about how the Democrats might replace President Joe Biden, both in the White House and at the top of the 2024 ticket. Yet such a thing is not as easy as you might think. Gem State Chronicle is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

If there's one major problem on the right, it's in how we communicate our ideas to the public. How do we message our timeless conservative values without closing the eyes and ears, hearts and minds, of the voting public? Let’s talk. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

I return to the microphone to talk about free speech, anti-Semitism, and the dangers of outsourcing law to third parties. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Tens of thousands of people are migrating to Idaho from states like California, Washington, and Oregon. Are they going to upend our way of life? Or will they help us preserve Idaho values?Visit the new Gem State Chronicle at https://gemstatechronicle.comSubscribe at https://gemstate.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The removal of the reconciliation monument at Arlington National Cemetery is the latest incident of our ruling regime attempting to rewrite history. Why are they doing this? What can we do to stop it?Subscribe to Gem State: https://gemstate.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The Greater Idaho movement seeks to allow the counties of eastern Oregon to join Idaho, moving our border from the Snake River all the way to the Cascade Mountains. Is this a good idea? Does it have any chance of success? What would the effects be on Oregonians as well as Idahoans?I had a long conversation with Matt McCaw, spokesman for Greater Idaho, and we discussed all of these things and more.I will be writing more about this issue in the near future. The conversation is just getting started. To learn more about Greater Idaho, click here to visit their website.Gem State is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

A rhetorical bomb exploded in the Legislature this week when the Idaho Freedom Caucus released letters of reprimand sent to two of their members by the Senate President Pro Tempore. Join me as I discuss what that, and the reaction to it, revels about the fractures in the Idaho Republican Party.Read the IFC post: https://idahofreedomcaucus.substack.com/p/an-attack-on-elected-representationSubscribe to Gem State Substack: https://gemstate.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Dustin Hurst has been a mainstay in Idaho politics for a long time. If you only know him from his epic Twitter battles, you only know half the story though. In the nearly two years I’ve known him I’ve found him to be not only fiery and zealous, but also knowledgeable about political strategy and a gifted communicator.It was a pleasure to spend an hour with him recently, learning what makes him tick. I hope you enjoy the interview.Follow Dustin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HurstforIdahoCheck out his work at People United For Privacy: https://unitedforprivacy.com/Watch the Freedom Bros Podcast Dustin cohosts with Greg Pruett: https://rumble.com/c/FreedomBrosPodcastIf you’re not already subscribed to the Gem State Substack, check it out here: https://gemstate.substack.com Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Reading history is like a superpower in a world of ignorance. Learn how you can defend yourself against gaslighting and manipulation by cynical political actors.Subscribe to Gem State Substack at https://gemstate.substack.com Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Here is the audio podcast version of my interview with the new chairman of the ACRCC:Thad Butterworth was elected Chairman of the Ada County Republican Central Committee at a special meeting on October 24, 2023. In this interview he shares the experiences that led him to this role and his vision for the Republican Party going forward. To learn more about the Ada County GOP, or to volunteer, visit their website: https://adacountygop.com/Gem State is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The protests on behalf of Hamas terrorists and the destruction of the statue of Robert E. Lee both reveal something about the nature of our civilizational battle.Watch the Podcast of the Lotus Eaters, from whence I clipped Carl Benjamin's statement: Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The reaction in the west to the conflict between Israel and Hamas has revealed that we have lost the courage of our convictions. Americans on the right who passionately stand for Israel’s right to defend itself (as I do) find it harder to advocate for America to do the same thing. We have lost something, a sense of our own greatness and moral authority, and it is something must reclaim it if we are to have any hope of saving our country.Bonus video: I discuss the history of Israel in the Middle East and what that conflict says about America here: Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

I recently listened to an episode of Auron MacIntyre’s show in which he discussed the idea of there having been five American republics with his guests from the Good Ol’ Boys podcast.The whole thing is worth watching if you have an hour and a half to spare, but I break it down in 15 minutes and explain how it affects us here in Idaho.Auron's livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOnsCgZoq4oSubscribe to the Gem State Substack for more: https://gemstate.substack.com Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Hello, welcome to the Gem State Podcast. My name is Brian Almon.Goodness, I have been busy. Last week was the Republican State Convention, and I have covered that extensively with six separate posts plus a video, so I don’t need to spend any more time on it here. I also have the Great Reset series to finish up, so stay tuned for that. I intend to write about ESG and Modern Monetary Theory and then do at least one more post to wrap it all together.Today I would like to start a new series called Civics 101. I find that schools have done a pretty poor job of teaching citizens how our government works, or at least how it is supposed to work. Turn on the TV and you can see people who expect the president to overturn a Supreme Court decision or some who think Senate seats can be gerrymandered. I understand that most people just want to live their lives, and spending time learning about such dry subjects as the role and function of government sounds like torture.For that reason, I thought I would start this series of short, ten-minute discussions on various issues related to the constitutional structure of our government. Today I would like to talk about the US Congress, specifically the differences between the House and the Senate.The idea of a Senate comes from ancient Greece and Rome. The upper classes of each city would elect from among themselves representatives who had governing authority. In Rome, only the patrician class could vote or hold senatorial rank – these were the descendants of the original founders of the city in the days of legend. Eventually the lower classes got representation as well.The idea of a bicameral parliament can also be traced to medieval England. The House of Lords was filled with representatives of the noble classes – dukes, earls, barons, leaders of the church, etc. The House of Commons represented the lower classes, including landed gentry and merchants. The idea was that the Lords would naturally be more conservative, so as to act as a brake on the progressive nature of the Commons.Today our House and Senate are very similar to each other. Representatives are apportioned to states by population and elected for two year terms, and there is a cap on the total number of representatives at 435. Senators are apportioned two to each state, regardless of population, which means there are currently 100 members of the Senate. Both representatives and senators are elected by the people – representatives are elected by voters in their district, and senators are voted on by the entire state. Here in Idaho we have two representatives - we have the 1st District and the 2nd District, and we also have two Senators.It did not used to be this way. In the early days of the American republic, Senators were appointed by state legislatures. Why is that important? Because they were never meant to be simply uber-powerful representatives, rather they were supposed to be the voices of the sovereign states in the federal Congress. You can see this in the way the Constitution assigns different roles to the House and the Senate.  The House, which was always meant to represent the people, is where spending bills originate. Did you know that? The Senate does not write bills appropriating money, they only vote on whatever the House sends them. Also, there is no filibuster in the House. The majority party can pretty much do whatever they want. This means that the House is naturally going to be more progressive, most of the time. They are going to want to move forward making changes in our society.On the other hand, the Senate is tasked with confirming presidential appointments and ratifying treaties with foreign nations. Why the difference? Because originally this gave state governments a voice in how our nation operated. State legislatures, by appointing senators who represented their will, had a say in who the president appointed to run the executive branch as well as in how we handled international diplomacy. Of course, the Senate also has a filibuster, allowing the minority party to exercise some control, some restraint on legislation.The interplay between these two very different houses of Congress was how our legislative branch was supposed to operate.When Abraham Lincoln famously debated Senator Stephen Douglas across Illinois in 1858, they were not asking people to vote for them directly. They were instead stumping for their political parties. If the Republicans won a majority in the Illinois state house in Springfield, then they would appoint Lincoln to the Senate. If the Democrats retained their majority, then they would send Douglas back for another term. That is, of course, what happened, though Lincoln had the last laugh, winning the presidential election two years later.It was Idaho Senator William Borah, among others, who pushed for the 17th Amendment more than a century ago. Some states had already switched to direct election of Senators, but the 17th Amendment made this the law of the land throughout the entire country. The feeling at the time was that state party bosses wielded too much power over the US Senate. This was the era of populism, where men like William Jennings Bryan traveled the country giving fiery stump speeches about the power of the people against the entrenched interests in government. Sound familiar?Populist reformers like Senator Borah believed that allowing the voters to directly elect Senators would bring Congress more in line with the will of the people. I am not sure that has been the case. Once someone wins election to the US Senate, he or she becomes extremely hard to dislodge. Our current Senate delegation from Idaho is made up of Jim Risch, who was first elected 14 years ago, and Mike Crapo, who was initially elected 24 years ago, and is running for a fifth term as we speak.On the other hand, the voice of the states has become all but silent in national affairs. There is now nobody in the federal government to advocate on behalf of states themselves as sovereign entities. This is one of many reasons why state sovereignty has been severely eroded over the last century. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which was the last of the Bill of Rights, says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” That means that whatever powers are not explicitly granted to the federal government in the Constitution are the exclusive domain of the states. Yet today we have a federal government that has grown enormous and out of control, while states are made subservient to it.One of the ways the federal government has done this is through appropriations. They started handing out our own taxpayer money as grants to various state agencies, and then said well, if you don’t follow our regulations, then you don’t get to have this money anymore. State governments became dependent on the federal government to operate, and the threat of taking away that money causes them to fall in line. Would this have happened if the Senate was still representative of the state legislatures? I’m not sure, but it is a problem.Our founding fathers created a beautiful system of checks and balances in this country. Unlike in the British Parliament, where the Prime Minister is a member of the legislature, our president occupies his own branch, and is charged with executing the laws, not creating them. Our legislature is charged with creating laws, while the judiciary is independent. Our legislative branch had its own checks and balances, and the House and Senate originally had significantly different characters. The House represented the people of America in general, while the Senate represented the sovereign states. The nature of the Senate was to be more conservative, slowing down the progress of the House and allowing our country to have the necessary debates before bringing about significant changes to our society.Today, many of those distinctions are erased, all in the name of giving more power to the people. But the genius of a republican form of government is that it is not a pure democracy, it is not mob rule. Our founding fathers knew that mobs are unruly things, quickly fired up, and easily manipulated by nefarious political actors. They built a system that allowed the people to direct the course of our government while protecting it from democracy’s worst impulses. Unfortunately, that system has been systematically dismantled, both by nefarious political actors, but also by those who are good-hearted but naïve about human nature.The Idaho Republican Party platform calls for the repeal of the 17th Amendment and I fully support this idea. I doubt it will happen anytime soon, because anyone who suggests such a thing is denounced as wanting to take away peoples’ rights. But it would be a good step toward the restoration of our republic. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Today is Independence Day. 246 years ago, our Founding Fathers signed their names to a document that is enshrined beside Magna Carta in the annals of liberty. Why did they write it? What were they fighting for? What does our independence really mean?Join me for a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and a reminder of what our liberties cost then, and what they mean to us today. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

It is finally official. This morning the Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health and has officially overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The right is elated. The left is mad. But what does it all mean? Join me in the audio version of my live stream to talk about what lies ahead for the pro-life movement and America as a whole.Links:The DecisionRaheem Kassam at the National PulseGemStream: The End of Roe?Gem State: What I Saw at the Pro Abortion RallyIdaho’s Trigger Law Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The "deep state" or "administrative state" is the massive web of government bureaucracies that truly run our country. Where did it come from? How can we stop it? Join me as I take a look at the origins of the deep state, why it has so much power, and why it must be curtailed. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

On the day after our Idaho state Republican primary I sat down to look at how my own endorsements fared, and consider what we as a conservative movement can learn from both our victories and our defeats last night.Listen to the audio or watch the video! Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

On Friday, April 29, 2022, I sat down for a chat with Wayne Hoffman, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation. We covered the IFF's new freedom, spending, and education scores, how this information helps hold elected officials accountable, and how we can wrest control of our government back from the establishment and special interests who run it today. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The Gem State podcast returns after a couple of weeks off. Today I give you an update on where I have been writing lately, the issues I am looking at, and the local political races that I am still working to analyze.Check out Action Idaho here: https://www.actionidaho.org/Find my other blog and podcast here: https://declineandfall.blog/ Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

The 2022 legislative session was a huge disappointment. A lot of great bills were killed in a Senate committee room without ever coming up for a vote. The governor is crowing about how much taxpayer money he got to spend, while vetoing a bill to protect employees from oppressive mandates. How do we get these big business puppets out and good populist representatives in? Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

With primary season heating up, Republican candidates are all accusing each other of not being true conservatives. But what does it mean to be conservative? What exactly are we conserving? In this episode I look at various definitions of conservative, and look at the track record of the conservative movement over the last century. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

In episode five of the Gem State Podcast I follow up on some of the stories I discussed in this week's newsletters as well as take a look at the political games our elected leaders and their lobbyist friends play to maintain their power in Boise. If we want to restore constitutional governance and accountability to this state, we must start by removing the career politicians who stand in the way of reform.Website: gemstate.substack.com Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

In the latest Gem State Podcast I look at a few news items from the past week and discuss how we must use our public institutions to promote our values, otherwise the Marxist left will promote theirs - and their values are actively harmful to our children and to our families.(I fixed an editing issue at the end of the podcast and re-uploaded the audio file. Hopefully I caught it before too many people downloaded it.) Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Social media conditions us to feel tremendous outrage all the time, while discouraging us from actually doing anything about it. In episode three of the Gem State Podcast, I urge conservatives to take a deep breath, think clearly, read deeply, and get the full context before engaging in outrage. I specifically look at two issues that have generated anger in conservatism this week: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the appearance of Lt. Governor McGeachin at AFPAC. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

A lot of the discourse surrounding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is borderline hysteria. Are we on the verge of World War III? Do we need to stop the evil Putin before he conquers all of Europe? Is this the start of the biblical Apocalypse? Let’s take a deep breath and look at how this conflict has unfolded, before we lose our heads.(Note: At the time of publishing, all out war has not broken out in Europe. Hopefully it will not. However, even if Russia and Ukraine escalate to full hot war, the principles of what I said remain: Our primary focus should be fixing our communities and state, not looking to intervene halfway across the world.) Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Four hundred years ago, the leaders of Europe recognized the reality of the nation-state and national sovereignty. Two hundred and fifty years ago, our ancestors fought and died to preserve that sovereignty for the American people. Today, we are threatened by a system that would usurp our ability to hold our leaders accountable. ESG and the Great Reset would replace our elected leaders with an unelected technocracy, who seeks to rule us for our own good.This is the premiere episode of the Gem State Podcast. Get full access to Gem State Chronicle at newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe