You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for August 19, 2026. 

We open with President Trump's decision to pause a threatened 50% tariff on Canada as the two countries close in on a new trade deal, and we dig into what's really at stake beneath the headlines: the possible revival of the Keystone XL pipeline, Alberta's push for a independence referendum, and why NAFTA never delivered true free trade for the United States. From there we run through the top three things you need to know: Congressman Byron Donalds' commanding win in Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary, the national debt crossing $40 trillion, and a former top Fauci advisor pleading guilty to evading public records laws tied to COVID's origins.

In American Mamas, Teri Netterville joins us to react to Senator John Ossoff's insinuation that President Trump is having an affair with a young White House staffer, and why that accusation may backfire on him with his own base. We go Digging Deep on two fronts: new research showing tariffs actually spurred productivity gains rather than the inflation doom-and-gloom predicted, and the escalating legal standoff between Minnesota and Texas over an ICE agent's extradition, set against the backdrop of blue states already refusing to extradite abortion pill providers to Texas. We also weigh in on Maine's Democratic Senate nominee and her vote to decriminalize prostitution, and what that says about the direction of American culture.

Our Bright Spot looks at several encouraging takeaways from Florida's primary night, from same-night results to the defeat of extremist and corruption-tainted candidates in both parties. We close with the patriotic energy surrounding the nation's 250th anniversary in Washington, D.C., and a remarkable discovery: a seminary intern in Virginia stumbling upon the original, handwritten copy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail.