The Lars Larson Show Interviews

 Jeremiah Hayden, a reporter for the Portland Mercury , joins Lars to discuss records showing Portland officials coordinating with Urban Alchemy’s PR firm as the homeless-services contractor faced serious misconduct allegations. Was City Hall more concerned with protecting Urban Alchemy’s image than addressing complaints?  Send us Fan Mail

 Nick Shivers of the Nick Shivers Team joins Lars to discuss Seattle’s new ban on pet rent and other landlord fees. Will the new rules actually help renters, or could they end up making housing more expensive?  Send us Fan Mail

 Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels joins Lars to discuss the recovery from the Fairview Fire now that evacuations have been lifted. What will it take to rebuild, and how much should local and state officials cut red tape to get families back into their homes?  Send us Fan Mail

Andrew Lamb, CEO and Managing Partner of Buy and Build Advisors, joins Lars to discuss the growing trend of employers covering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs as an employee benefit. With Bank of America reportedly spending $250 million or more each year on the medications, are drugs like Ozempic becoming the next must-have workplace perk, and is the investment actually worth it? Send us Fan Mail

Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington, joins Lars to discuss the legal fight over Initiative 645 and its effort to repeal Washington’s new income tax on high earners. Did a judge lock in the state’s ballot warning before Heywood’s campaign ever got the chance to make its case? Send us Fan Mail

Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor and engineer, joins Lars to discuss growing concerns over Tesla’s self-driving technology after a record month of reported crashes. When a vehicle is operating on Autopilot or Full Self-Driving, who ultimately bears responsibility when something goes wrong? Send us Fan Mail

Daniel Mitchell, owner of Sporting Systems and Minuteman Ammunition in Vancouver, Washington, joins Lars with an update on the Spokane Freedom Restoration Project and the effort to help the community recover following the devastating Spokane-area fires. Send us Fan Mail

David Jr. Ballestrasse, Vice President of Northwest Safe, joins Lars to explain what wildfire victims should do if their safe was damaged in the Spokane-area fires and why acting quickly could help protect what’s still inside. Northwest Safe is also offering free safe openings to those affected by the fires. Send us Fan Mail

 Deron Smallcomb, founder of Modern Law Group and author of Securing America’s Future , joins Lars to discuss the Trump administration’s revocation of more than 175,000 visas. Should the U.S. be even tougher on foreign nationals who violate visa terms, commit crimes, or abuse the immigration system?  Send us Fan Mail

 Khara Boender, Director of Government Affairs for the West at the Data Center Coalition, joins Lars to discuss Oregon lawmakers’ push for a three-year moratorium on new data centers. Would a pause address concerns over energy, water and farmland, or send a message that Oregon is closed for business?  Send us Fan Mail

 Professor Peter Ward, a paleontologist and astrobiologist at the University of Washington and co-author of Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe , joins Lars to discuss why decades of searching the cosmos have produced no signs of intelligent life. Are we truly alone, or is complex life simply extraordinarily rare?  Send us Fan Mail

Randal O’Toole, Thoreau Institute policy analyst and Cascade Policy Institute adjunct scholar, joins Lars to discuss Portland’s push to move people away from cars. Are planners overlooking the economic and everyday benefits of driving while making transportation more difficult for working people?  Send us Fan Mail

Ryan Brobst, Deputy Director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins Lars to discuss the growing military cooperation between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. As America’s adversaries increasingly share weapons, technology and intelligence, is the U.S. prepared for the possibility of simultaneous conflicts?  Send us Fan Mail

 Washington State Sen. Shelly Short joins Lars to discuss the fight over wildfire-prevention funding as devastating fires hit the Spokane area. After millions in wildfire funding were cut or delayed, did government decisions leave Eastern Washington dangerously unprepared?  Send us Fan Mail

 Anthony Rispo, a Young Voices contributor, joins Lars to discuss whether resentment toward wealth, success and authority is driving today’s socialist movement. Is helping the powerless really the goal, or is grievance becoming a path to power?  Send us Fan Mail

 Dr. Henry Miller, physician, molecular biologist and founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology, joins Lars to discuss President Trump’s proposed overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule. Is it a long-overdue reset of vaccine policy, or could the changes do more harm than good?  Send us Fan Mail

 John-Logan Pierson, producer of The Brink of War , joins Lars to discuss the Reagan-Gorbachev summit that helped change the course of the Cold War. Could the diplomacy and trust built between two adversaries offer lessons for world leaders today?  Send us Fan Mail

 Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana joins Lars to discuss the WNBA’s debate over transgender athletes after two former NBA players declared themselves eligible for the league by identifying as women. Will the WNBA redefine who is eligible to compete in women’s basketball?  Send us Fan Mail

Richard Stern, Vice President of the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise at Advancing American Freedom, joins Lars to discuss the “Burrito Index” and what the price of a Chipotle burrito can tell us about affordability across America. How much does where you live determine how far your paycheck goes?  Send us Fan Mail

 Tyler Coward, Lead Counsel for Government Affairs at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, joins Lars to discuss how universities are responding to antisemitism while protecting First Amendment rights. Can colleges protect Jewish students without punishing constitutionally protected speech?  Send us Fan Mail

 Zilvinas “Z” Silenas, President of the Empire Center for Public Policy, joins Lars to discuss New York’s troubling reading scores despite spending more per student than any other state. If record education spending isn’t producing better results, where is all that money going?  Send us Fan Mail

Nearly everything Americans buy spends time on a truck, train, ship or plane, and new transportation regulations could make that journey more expensive. Will those costs ultimately land on consumers? Patrick McLaughlin, economist and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins the show to discuss the BUILD America 250 Act, new freight regulations, and what they could mean for your wallet. Sen...

More than 50,000 migrants reportedly rushed toward Spain’s border after a court ruling restricted immediate deportations. Could a similar policy change trigger another surge at America’s border? Jeremy Beck, Co-President of NumbersUSA, joins the show to discuss what happened in Spain, weaknesses in U.S. asylum law, and whether America is prepared for the next migration crisis.  Send us Fan Mail

 The Trail Blazers are pushing for major renovations to the Moda Center as questions grow about the team’s future in Portland. Could they actually break their ties with the city and move to another state? Civil rights attorney Tony Aiello Jr. joins the show to discuss the legal hurdles, the team’s agreements with Portland, and what could happen if the Blazers decide to leave Oregon.  Send us Fan M...

 Hundreds of homes have burned in Spokane, one suspected arsonist is in custody, and reports from the community suggest he may not be the only person intentionally starting fires. How widespread is the problem? Independent journalist Kevin Dahlgren joins the show from Spokane to discuss what he’s seeing on the ground, what residents are telling him, and the investigation into the fires.  Send us F...