Episode #61 examines the controversy surrounding President Trump’s $200 million, privately funded White House ballroom, raising questions about the optics of opulence amid deepening political and economic divides. The hosts explore whether such grandeur aligns with empathetic leadership in a fractured era. The episode concludes with Dr. Akli Adjaoute — AI entrepreneur and founder of Exponion — discussing his book Inside AI and the future of artificial intelligence in business and society.

Episode #61 examines the controversy surrounding President Trump&rsquo;s $200 million, privately funded White House ballroom, raising questions about the optics of opulence amid deepening political and economic divides. The hosts explore whether such grandeur aligns with empathetic leadership in a fractured era. The episode concludes with&nbsp;<a href="https://cognitix.com/why-cognitix-management-team/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Dr. Akli Adjaoute</a>&nbsp;&mdash; AI entrepreneur and founder of Exponion &mdash; discussing his book&nbsp;<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Akli-Adjaoute/219938959" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Inside AI</a>&nbsp;and the future of artificial intelligence in business and society.

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation. 

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed &ldquo;man of the people,&rdquo; debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.&nbsp;

Shake It Off with Mert & Lucas Live

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.

Hour 1: Legacy or Luxury? Adding a 90,000‑Square‑Foot Ballroom to the White House.  Interview with Dr. Akli Adjaoute on the Future of Artificial Intelligence.

Our second hour opens with an interview with Dr. Ranier Zitelmann, author of New Space Capitalism: The Entrepreneurial Path to the Stars. A German historian and sociologist, Zitelmann is an internationally published author whose work dissects entrepreneurship, wealth creation, and the private‑sector forces propelling humanity into space. From the future of innovation, we pivot to the pulse of American politics with attorney, political analyst, and veteran commentator Carol Platt Liebau.  Carol is known for her crisp, accessible takes on policy, culture, and national trends, and she serves as president of the Yankee Institute, advocating for government transparency and free‑market principles.

Our second hour opens with an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rainer-zitelmann.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.rainer-zitelmann.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783377070666000&amp;usg=AOvVaw00evzXO3LhSgvedE_ou-cZ">Dr. Ranier Zitelmann</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Space-Capitalism-Entrepreneurial-Stars/dp/1510788212" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/New-Space-Capitalism-Entrepreneurial-Stars/dp/1510788212&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783377070666000&amp;usg=AOvVaw01LmtFZYOB0Zs5egiUfcyC">New Space Capitalism: The Entrepreneurial Path to the Stars</a>. A German historian and sociologist, Zitelmann is an internationally published author whose work dissects entrepreneurship, wealth creation, and the private‑sector forces propelling humanity into space. From the future of innovation, we pivot to the pulse of American politics with attorney, political analyst, and veteran commentator&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yankeeinstitute.org/yankee-institute-staff/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.yankeeinstitute.org/yankee-institute-staff/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783377070666000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1xGslKmREhoGK45jfG26v9">Carol Platt Liebau</a>.&nbsp; Carol is known for her crisp, accessible takes on policy, culture, and national trends, and she serves as president of the <a href="https://www.yankeeinstitute.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.yankeeinstitute.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783377070666000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0fOZoRzbUxyf_lq4nMfJf-">Yankee Institute</a>, advocating for government transparency and free‑market principles.

Hour 2: Ranier Zitelmann on New Space Capitalism | Carol Platt Liebau on Policy & Culture

Episode 104 opens with a sharp look at how a small Nantucket church politicized a unifying civic tradition by canceling its annual July 4th reading of the Declaration of Independence to “reflect on our own whiteness” — a move that turned a quiet island ritual into a coast‑to‑coast argument over patriotism, race, and who gets to define America at 250 years. From there, the hosts pivot to a conversation with Craig Shirley — the New York Times bestselling presidential historian and definitive Ronald Reagan biographer, whose body of work spans Reagan’s campaigns and legacy as well as WWII histories including the bestsellers December 1941 and April 1945.

Episode 104 opens with a sharp look at how a small Nantucket church politicized a unifying civic tradition by canceling its annual July 4th reading of the Declaration of Independence to &ldquo;reflect on our own whiteness&rdquo; &mdash; a move that turned a quiet island ritual into a coast‑to‑coast argument over patriotism, race, and who gets to define America at 250 years. From there, the hosts pivot to a conversation with&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Shirley" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Shirley&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783377070666000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Qp6M6TmY47cj3zduuWAy8">Craig Shirley</a>&nbsp;&mdash; the New York Times bestselling presidential historian and definitive Ronald Reagan biographer, whose body of work spans Reagan&rsquo;s campaigns and legacy as well as WWII histories including the bestsellers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/December-1941-Changed-America-Saved/dp/1595554572" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/December-1941-Changed-America-Saved/dp/1595554572&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783377070666000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2cIOd57Ydiqir6ZU2Zw5v9">December 1941</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/April-1945-History-Craig-Shirley/dp/1400217083/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/April-1945-History-Craig-Shirley/dp/1400217083/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1783377070666000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1DxyEXo_kufkm4JMI21Ony">April 1945</a>.

Hour 1: The Nantucket Declaration Controversy | Craig Shirley on America at 250

Graham Platner’s rapid rise collapses under a verified sexting scandal and a years‑old tattoo that ignites a political firestorm, splitting Democrats, supercharging the media, and turning a once‑viable Senate bid into a cautionary tale. The hosts track how party panic, relentless partisan attacks, and a credibility‑shaking news cycle expose deeper fractures in modern politics than in Platner himself. The show wraps with an interview featuring Dr. Isik Abla, a former Muslim, global Christian voice, and author of the new devotional Heavenly Whispers. She breaks down how sharia, religious authority, and ideological control shape life inside Iran’s clerical regime, and explains how the regime uses theology to justify power, suppress dissent, and maintain its grip even as more Iranians quietly reject its claims.

 

Graham Platner&rsquo;s rapid rise collapses under a verified sexting scandal and a years‑old tattoo that ignites a political firestorm, splitting Democrats, supercharging the media, and turning a once‑viable Senate bid into a cautionary tale. The hosts track how party panic, relentless partisan attacks, and a credibility‑shaking news cycle expose deeper fractures in modern politics than in Platner himself. The show wraps with an interview featuring&nbsp;<a href="https://isikabla.com/isik-abla/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Dr. Isik Abla</a>, a former Muslim, global Christian voice, and author of the new devotional&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1YC8Z47" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Heavenly Whispers</a>. She breaks down how sharia, religious authority, and ideological control shape life inside Iran&rsquo;s clerical regime, and explains how the regime uses theology to justify power, suppress dissent, and maintain its grip even as more Iranians quietly reject its claims.
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Hour 1: Legacy or Luxury? Adding a 90,000‑Square‑Foot Ballroom to the White House. Interview with Dr. Akli Adjaoute on the Future of Artificial Intelligence.

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