You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for July 17, 2026.

We open with the Trump administration's straightforward approach to election security funding — if your state wants federal Homeland Security dollars, it must demonstrate it is taking basic, credible steps to protect its elections. The requirement: devote 3% of the grant toward election security. That's it. We explain why this is not extreme, not unprecedented, and not controversial to anyone acting in good faith — highway funding comes with rules, education funding comes with requirements, and the foundation of our entire system of self-government deserves at least the same standard of accountability as a road project. We also walk through every argument the left makes against voter integrity measures and explain why each one is a red herring designed to obscure the only real reason to oppose them.

We dig deep into President Trump's primetime address on election security — laying out the five points he made and the documents he says back them up. China hacked voter rolls and now possesses the name, address, Social Security number, and driver's license of roughly 220 million registered American voters. China ran an influence campaign in 2020 to prevent Trump's reelection and may have attempted to create fraudulent ballots. That intelligence was intentionally concealed from Trump by U.S. intelligence agencies between 2018 and 2020. Evidence of fraud in Michigan was covered up and not robustly investigated by the Biden FBI. And more than 250,000 non-citizens are registered to vote in the United States, documented in four cooperating states alone. We note what the speech did not do — it did not claim the 2020 election was stolen or produce proof of widespread cheating. It presented declassified evidence of vulnerabilities, foreign interference, and institutional failures, and put pressure on the Senate to pass the SAVE Act. The people calling it election denialism didn't listen to it.

In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, a federal appeals court ruled that the Pentagon can require reporters to be escorted through the building and register before gaining access — overturning a lower court ruling that had sided with the New York Times, and finding that the policy was applied evenly to all media. Then Maine Democrats held a debate to replace Graham Plattner — featuring eight candidates, the first four of whom all lost their primary races this year, and a final candidate whose listed qualifications were that he writes songs and books. And Britain has a new prime minister — Andy Burnham, former mayor of Greater Manchester, replacing Keir Starmer whose Labour Party's popularity has collapsed under the weight of rising crime, mass immigration, and a government crackdown on free speech. Burnham will be the seventh prime minister since 2016. We are not optimistic about his relationship with President Trump.

Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson take on the question of whether America has canceled grandma — and the answer is complicated. There's a legitimate version of the concern, where grandparents try to override parenting decisions while the parents are present, and a much more troubling version, where adult children cut off grandparents entirely for political or ideological reasons. Teri and Kimberly draw the distinction between a grandparent who steps in to discipline when a parent is right there versus a grandparent who is being pushed out because they're Trump supporters who like guns. One is a boundary conversation. The other is a tragedy. The Constitution's preamble says we are building this country for ourselves and our posterity — and cutting grandparents out of children's lives cuts the very thread of generational wisdom our republic depends on.

We also cover what James Carville got right this week — that CNN should have aired President Trump's primetime address, even if they disagree with everything he says. Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant. Free speech works precisely because it trusts the American people to evaluate what they hear. The network that aired statements from the Chinese Communist Party without a fact-check decided it needed to fact-check the sitting president of the United States in real time. None of it holds together.

We also take on the WNBA's treatment of Caitlin Clark — the greatest female basketball player in the history of the sport, who is being harassed by fellow players, subjected to demands that she denounce her own fans, and choked on the floor with no technical foul called. We offer the only explanation that fits all the evidence: it is racism, and it is the only category of racism the left refuses to acknowledge.

Then it's Fake News Friday — including whether Trump wants to purge legitimate voters, whether a CNN poll found 125% of Americans disbelieve the election interference claims, whether Speaker Johnson has 1,500 unread texts, whether you can buy a piece of the MetLife Stadium World Cup field for $450, whether Mamdani watched the World Cup with Rikers Island inmates, whether Sacramento sanitation workers are photographing your trash, whether a man robbed a bank using a stolen kitten, and whether Pete Hegseth ordered soldiers with low testosterone transferred to the Navy. One of those is really fake news.

For our Bright Spot, Senator Marsha Blackburn is reintroducing the Ban Birth Tourism Act — in direct response to the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling — making the case that you should not be able to create a permanent legal anchor to the United States simply by giving birth on American soil without any commitment to this country whatsoever.

And we close with 92-year-old Martin Gill of Wilmington, North Carolina — who retired from the oil fields, got bored, worked as a greeter at Sam's Club until that position was eliminated, and has now been the host at his local Chick-fil-A for six years. He says if you enjoy what you're doing, it's not work. He doesn't know what 92 is supposed to feel like — but he feels great. It's his pleasure. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!

You&rsquo;re listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for July 17, 2026.
We open with the Trump administration's straightforward approach to election security funding &mdash; if your state wants federal Homeland Security dollars, it must demonstrate it is taking basic, credible steps to protect its elections. The requirement: devote 3% of the grant toward election security. That's it. We explain why this is not extreme, not unprecedented, and not controversial to anyone acting in good faith &mdash; highway funding comes with rules, education funding comes with requirements, and the foundation of our entire system of self-government deserves at least the same standard of accountability as a road project. We also walk through every argument the left makes against voter integrity measures and explain why each one is a red herring designed to obscure the only real reason to oppose them.
We dig deep into President Trump's primetime address on election security &mdash; laying out the five points he made and the documents he says back them up. China hacked voter rolls and now possesses the name, address, Social Security number, and driver's license of roughly 220 million registered American voters. China ran an influence campaign in 2020 to prevent Trump's reelection and may have attempted to create fraudulent ballots. That intelligence was intentionally concealed from Trump by U.S. intelligence agencies between 2018 and 2020. Evidence of fraud in Michigan was covered up and not robustly investigated by the Biden FBI. And more than 250,000 non-citizens are registered to vote in the United States, documented in four cooperating states alone. We note what the speech did not do &mdash; it did not claim the 2020 election was stolen or produce proof of widespread cheating. It presented declassified evidence of vulnerabilities, foreign interference, and institutional failures, and put pressure on the Senate to pass the SAVE Act. The people calling it election denialism didn't listen to it.
In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, a federal appeals court ruled that the Pentagon can require reporters to be escorted through the building and register before gaining access &mdash; overturning a lower court ruling that had sided with the New York Times, and finding that the policy was applied evenly to all media. Then Maine Democrats held a debate to replace Graham Plattner &mdash; featuring eight candidates, the first four of whom all lost their primary races this year, and a final candidate whose listed qualifications were that he writes songs and books. And Britain has a new prime minister &mdash; Andy Burnham, former mayor of Greater Manchester, replacing Keir Starmer whose Labour Party's popularity has collapsed under the weight of rising crime, mass immigration, and a government crackdown on free speech. Burnham will be the seventh prime minister since 2016. We are not optimistic about his relationship with President Trump.
Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson take on the question of whether America has canceled grandma &mdash; and the answer is complicated. There's a legitimate version of the concern, where grandparents try to override parenting decisions while the parents are present, and a much more troubling version, where adult children cut off grandparents entirely for political or ideological reasons. Teri and Kimberly draw the distinction between a grandparent who steps in to discipline when a parent is right there versus a grandparent who is being pushed out because they're Trump supporters who like guns. One is a boundary conversation. The other is a tragedy. The Constitution's preamble says we are building this country for ourselves and our posterity &mdash; and cutting grandparents out of children's lives cuts the very thread of generational wisdom our republic depends on.
We also cover what James Carville got right this week &mdash; that CNN should have aired President Trump's primetime address, even if they disagree with everything he says. Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant. Free speech works precisely because it trusts the American people to evaluate what they hear. The network that aired statements from the Chinese Communist Party without a fact-check decided it needed to fact-check the sitting president of the United States in real time. None of it holds together.
We also take on the WNBA's treatment of Caitlin Clark &mdash; the greatest female basketball player in the history of the sport, who is being harassed by fellow players, subjected to demands that she denounce her own fans, and choked on the floor with no technical foul called. We offer the only explanation that fits all the evidence: it is racism, and it is the only category of racism the left refuses to acknowledge.
Then it's Fake News Friday &mdash; including whether Trump wants to purge legitimate voters, whether a CNN poll found 125% of Americans disbelieve the election interference claims, whether Speaker Johnson has 1,500 unread texts, whether you can buy a piece of the MetLife Stadium World Cup field for $450, whether Mamdani watched the World Cup with Rikers Island inmates, whether Sacramento sanitation workers are photographing your trash, whether a man robbed a bank using a stolen kitten, and whether Pete Hegseth ordered soldiers with low testosterone transferred to the Navy. One of those is really fake news.
For our Bright Spot, Senator Marsha Blackburn is reintroducing the Ban Birth Tourism Act &mdash; in direct response to the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling &mdash; making the case that you should not be able to create a permanent legal anchor to the United States simply by giving birth on American soil without any commitment to this country whatsoever.
And we close with 92-year-old Martin Gill of Wilmington, North Carolina &mdash; who retired from the oil fields, got bored, worked as a greeter at Sam's Club until that position was eliminated, and has now been the host at his local Chick-fil-A for six years. He says if you enjoy what you're doing, it's not work. He doesn't know what 92 is supposed to feel like &mdash; but he feels great. It's his pleasure. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!

Conservative talk is the last beacon of Free Speech in America. Here on AGR, we believe the Greatness of America comes from the Greatness within you! If you're not ready to give up on your country, then this is the podcast for you!

American Ground Radio

Conservative talk is the last beacon of Free Speech in America. Here on AGR, we believe the Greatness of America comes from the Greatness within you! If you're not ready to give up on your country, then this is the podcast for you!

China Has 220 Million Voter IDs, the FBI Covered It Up, and CNN Wouldn't Air the Speech That Said So

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/68ae9ff2-ea6c-4d5a-9f62-b48d015ebecb/transcript