You're listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for January 1, 2026. 

0:30 A controversial appointment in New York City is raising serious red flags as the new mayor — Zohran Mamdani — installs a Democratic Socialist housing activist who has openly called for the seizure of private property and labeled homeownership a form of “white supremacy.”

We break down why this move goes far beyond tenant advocacy and strikes at the heart of American freedom, private property rights, and constitutional principles. From New York’s iconic skyline to immigrant success stories, property ownership—not government control—is the foundation of liberty and prosperity.

As radical housing policies gain traction in America’s largest city, the question becomes unavoidable: Is New York exporting socialism—and what does that mean for the future of the country?

9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. 

• The former dictator of Venezuela appeared in a New York City Courtroom to plead not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.
• Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has abandoned his race for a third consecutive Term.
• A man was arrested after damaging property at Vice President JD Vance's home in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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13:00 We revisit Chuck Schumer’s 2020 attacks on President Trump over Venezuela, when Schumer accused Trump of being too weak for failing to remove dictator Nicolás Maduro. At the time, Schumer demanded tougher action and mocked Trump for not delivering regime change.

Fast-forward to 2026, and the tables have turned. Trump did exactly what Schumer claimed to want—after Maduro was indicted by the Trump Justice Department in 2020 and then ignored for four full years under the Biden administration. Yet now that Trump has acted, Schumer is still unhappy.

16:00 American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson discuss the situation in Venezuela after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro. The Mamas describe watching videos of Venezuelans celebrating in the streets—both inside Venezuela and across places like Miami, Chile, and Buenos Aires—after decades of repression, food shortages, and stolen wages. 

Even as Venezuelan expatriates openly celebrate his removal, left-wing protests defend Maduro. Is this another case of Trump Derangement Syndrome? 

If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button.

23:00 Here’s something you won’t hear much about: car theft in the United States is down nearly 25%, and the timing isn’t accidental. Since the Trump administration began cracking down on illegal immigration and international theft rings, stolen vehicle numbers have dropped sharply compared to the same period last year.

25:00 There are a lot of unanswered questions swirling around Venezuela—and we're digging deep. Why did President Trump say the U.S. is “running” Venezuela? Why isn’t Washington immediately backing the opposition leaders who reportedly won the 2024 election? Why are Venezuelans celebrating abroad, but the streets inside Venezuela remain eerily quiet?

The answer is Cuba.

We lay a theory that explains the loose ends: Maduro didn’t trust his own military, so his inner security was handled by Cuban operatives, trained by the old Soviet KGB. That explains why most of those killed during Maduro’s ouster were Cuban, not Venezuelan—and why fear still grips the country. The Cubans, not Maduro alone, were effectively the deep state of Venezuela, controlling intelligence, security, and enforcement.

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32:30 About a third of Venezuela’s oil has been going straight to China—not out of friendship, but leverage, discounts, and a shot at the United States. With U.S. sanctions in place, Beijing was scooping up embargoed oil on the cheap while thumbing its nose at Washington. Win-win for China.

But that game may be ending. As global dynamics shift, President Trump signals a different approach: sell Venezuela’s oil on the open market, rebuild its broken energy infrastructure, and let prosperity replace poverty. And make no mistake—Venezuela should be rich. It has more proven oil reserves than any country on Earth and massive gold reserves, yet its people are poor because socialism turned a resource powerhouse into a failed state.

35:30 The U.S. raid to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro isn’t unprecedented—it closely mirrors America’s 1989–1990 operation to arrest Panama’s dictator, Manuel Noriega. Back then, Noriega was indicted for drug trafficking, rejected a deal to step aside, lost a monitored election, and was ultimately seized by U.S. forces and brought to trial. Sound familiar? The parallels are striking, right down to the date: Noriega was captured on January 3, 1990—exactly 36 years before Maduro was taken into custody on January 3, 2026.

39:30 The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board says Minnesota’s massive welfare fraud scandal isn’t about Somali immigrants—it’s about a bloated welfare state that invites corruption. There’s some truth there. Big government does create big temptation. But that explanation stops short of the uncomfortable question: why is so much of this fraud concentrated in one specific demographic?