You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for September 8, 2026.

We open with the escalating trade standoff between the United States and Canada, working through the numbers behind Ottawa's tariffs on American goods, the political timing tied to upcoming provincial elections in Quebec and Alberta, and the case for why any "free trade" agreement ought to actually be free and reciprocal in both directions.

From there we run through our Top 3 things you need to know: the Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention getting underway in Dallas, a fresh wave of illegal voting charges spanning three states, and the Smithsonian's Lonnie Bunch III announcing his retirement after years of criticism over the institution's DEI framing of history.

Our American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, join us to talk legacy, how families keep loved ones present after they're gone, and the way video, storytelling, and even social media reels have become a modern-day way of preserving memory. We also spend time on our culture's troubling habit of turning killers into celebrities while their victims fade into footnotes.

We dig deep on a new Elon Musk documentary premiering at the Venice Film Festival, the election-meddling allegations at its center, and a wilder side story involving an ex-girlfriend, a cryptic text, and "10,000 lasers in space." From there we turn to New York and Illinois, where religious orders are fighting state mandates that would force Catholic nuns to help fund abortions or participate in end-of-life conversations that conflict with their faith, and why we think that's a religious liberty problem far bigger than any one issue.

We also weigh in on the rhetoric surrounding Mamdani, Adam Schiff, and their associations, alongside Hochul's framing of division around the 9/11 anniversary, before pivoting to something a little more hopeful: Chris Rock publicly agreeing that the media pushes fake news, and what it means when someone crosses party lines to admit when the other side has a point.

Our Bright Spot this week is a personal one: American Ground Radio's ninth anniversary, grown from a single Shreveport, Louisiana station into fifty markets across the country, including morning drive in our nation's capital. We say thank you to our listeners, our supporters, and the American Mamas for making the journey with us.

And our Moment of Whoa goes to Aubrey Aldridge, a 22-year-old with Down syndrome who just became the world's first certified UPBEAT Bar fitness instructor, teaching her first class to sixty people.

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