The Steve Finnegan Show

MICHAEL WHITE FILLS IN FOR STEVE FINNEGAN

MICHAEL WHITE FILLS IN FOR STEVE FINNEGAN

Steve Finnegan interviews Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack, covering an upcoming House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on defense spending where Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will testify. They discuss U.S. military munitions stockpile concerns, a proposed ~$1.5 trillion Pentagon budget, and Senator Mark Kelly's controversial disclosure of classified information. The conversation also covers the mechanics of budget reconciliation vs. regular order appropriations, the risks of eliminating the Senate filibuster, and concerns about mid-decade redistricting setting dangerous precedents.

Retired Army Colonel Steve Bucci joins host Steve Finnegan on KARN/KFAY to discuss the ongoing U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations, expressing skepticism about Iran's willingness to negotiate in good faith due to the IRGC's control of the country and the likelihood of renewed hostilities. He highlights the economic pressure on Iran — including a run on Iranian banks and oil storage near capacity — as potential leverage, while also addressing reports that eight female protesters facing execution may have had their sentences suspended, though he cautions against trusting the regime to follow through. The conversation shifts to NATO, where Bucci praises Secretary General Mark Rutte for his strong pro-American leadership, criticizes allies like Canada, Spain, and the UK for failing to support U.S. operations — including denying basing rights for strikes on Iran — and argues that burden-sharing reforms are urgently needed. He concludes that NATO still has an important role but requires hard conversations to modernize the alliance for today's geopolitical realities, while also noting positive signs from non-NATO partners like South Korea, Japan, and India stepping up on international security.

Steve Finnegan interviews retired Army Colonel Steven Bucci, a West Point graduate and former Special Forces commander now serving at the Heritage Foundation, discussing current geopolitical tensions with Iran. They analyze the U.S. Navy's blockade of Iranian ports, with Bucci expressing skepticism about reports that Iran is circumventing it, arguing that tankers already at sea were loaded before the blockade took effect. The conversation covers Iran's nuclear negotiations, with Bucci noting that Iranian negotiators overplayed their hand by revealing 60% enriched uranium stockpiles and presenting unrealistic demands, causing U.S. negotiators to walk out. They also discuss Israel's ongoing airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Bucci arguing these are legitimate defensive responses and that both Iran and its proxies will ultimately be forced to negotiate seriously under continued economic and military pressure.

Hallie Shoffner, a sixth-generation farmer from Arkansas, is running as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate against incumbent Tom Cotton, motivated by the closure of her family's 2,000-acre farm due to financial unviability and frustration with politicians she feels have stopped listening to constituents. She frames her campaign around being "Arkansas first," criticizing Cotton for voting against the farm bill twice and for being disconnected from the state's needs. Schaffner focuses heavily on agriculture and food security, arguing that Arkansas — the most food-insecure state in the country — could lower food costs by encouraging farmers to grow crops for direct human consumption rather than relying on commodity crops like soybeans that are largely exported. On immigration, she supports legal border security but expresses concern that broad ICE raids are sweeping up long-term community members, particularly farm workers, and advocates for pathways to legal temporary worker programs. The interview also covered tariff policy (she voted for Harris largely over tariff concerns from the 2018 China trade war), the SAVE Act voter registration requirements (which she opposes as burdensome for women who change their names), and social security solvency — with a follow-up interview planned to address gun control.