PODCAST · news
Gem State Podcast
by Brian Almon
News and analysis of issues important to Idaho as well as the country as a whole. gemstate.substack.com
Episodes
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7/27/26: What the Flock?
ALPRs, including Flock cameras, can help police catch criminals. But who controls the data they collect about law-abiding Idahoans? Come with me on an in-depth journey through privacy law and technological innovation. Watch Dave Plummer's video about ALPRs: https://youtu.be/LJSgsf9ro38 Read the...
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7/9/26: Who Is Todd Achilles, Anyway?
Todd Achilles is running for the Senate as a common-sense alternative to the two-party system. But his voting record tells a different story. Read the full article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/07/who-is-todd-achilles-anyway/ Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle:...
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6/26/26: How Much Does a Good Superintendent Cost?
Read the article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/06/how-much-does-a-good-superintendent-cost/ Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe Narration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, and New…
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6/12/26: What Hath Trump Wrought?
I’ve heard some say that President Trump’s second term has been a failure. Is that true? What has the president actually accomplished in the past year and a half? Let’s find out. Read the article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/06/what-hath-trump-wrought/ Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle:...
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5/22/26: Two Idahos
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:...
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5/7/26: Is Homedale operating as a de facto sanctuary city under Chief Jeff Eidemiller?
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.png Watch Chief Eidemiller's testimony here:...
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5/1/26: What Happened to the Idaho Health Data Exchange?
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:...
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4/22/26: The Fall of the SPLC
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/bViWBct5FzI Matt Walsh: https://youtu.be/6lywS-Y_zRI Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle:...
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4/13/26 - The Legislature cut the budget - so why did it go up?
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/subscribe...
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4/8/26 - Law Enforcers or Law Makers?
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...
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4/6/26 - Are Idaho Taxpayers Paying To Treat HIV-Positive Illegal Aliens?
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:...
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3/23/26 - The Illegal Alien Lobby at Work
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
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2/26/26 - Short Term Rental Showdown in the Senate
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...
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2/21/26 - Taking Emotion Out of the Equation
Ask yourself: Is politics a tool to accomplish defined goals? Or is it simply an outlet for anger? Narration by ElevenLabs Read 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...
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2/19/26: The Immigration War
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...
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2/18/26: What is the law?
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…
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Episode 26: Who Are We?
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…
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Episode 25: Tilting at Windmills
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...
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Episode 24: Founding Myths
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...
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Episode 23: American Elegy
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...
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Episode 22: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Joe Biden?
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…
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Episode 21: Credibility
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...
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Episode 20: Free Speech
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
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Episode 19: The Great Migration
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.com Subscribe at...
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Episode 18: Rewriting History
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...
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Interview with Matt McCaw of Greater Idaho
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...
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Episode 17: Circling the Wagons
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....
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Interview with Dustin Hurst (Audio Podcast Version)
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…
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Episode 16: Learning From History
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...
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Interview With ACRCC Chairman Thad Butterworth
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...
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Episode 15: Barbaric Iconoclasm
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...
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Episode 14: The Courage of Our Convictions
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...
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Episode 13: The Sixth American Republic
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...
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Civics 101: The Congress
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…
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The Declaration of Independence
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...
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Episode 12: The End of Roe!
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…
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What is the Administrative State?
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…
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Episode 10: A Brutally Honest Election Post-Mortem
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...
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Episode 9: Interview With Wayne Hoffman
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...
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Episode 8: Campaign Roundup
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...
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Episode 7: Power to the People
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…
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Episode 6: What is a Conservative?
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...
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Episode 5: Political Games
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…
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Episode 4: The Public Square
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...
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Episode 3: Outrage Bait
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.…
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Episode 2: Rumors of Wars
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…
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Episode 1: ESG and National Sovereignty
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
News and analysis of issues important to Idaho as well as the country as a whole.
gemstate.substack.com
HOSTED BY
Brian Almon
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Gem State Podcast have?
Gem State Podcast currently has 47 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Gem State Podcast about?
News and analysis of issues important to Idaho as well as the country as a whole. gemstate.substack.com
How often does Gem State Podcast release new episodes?
Gem State Podcast has 47 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Gem State Podcast?
You can listen to Gem State Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Gem State Podcast?
Gem State Podcast is created and hosted by Brian Almon.
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