The Lars Larson Show Interviews

Washington’s paid family and medical leave program has seen benefit payments rise from about $613 million in 2020 to nearly $1.5 billion in 2023, while the payroll tax that funds the program is set by a formula tied to its finances. Elizabeth New, director of the Center for Worker Rights and Health Care at the Washington Policy Center, joins Lars to explain why the tax rate is increasing, what wor...

Billionaire philanthropist John Arnold has partnered with state governments on policy initiatives, including a deal with Oklahoma that could combine public and private spending on government programs. Critics question how wealthy donors influence policy without ever standing for election. Larry Behrens, communications director at Power the Future, joins Lars to examine Arnold’s energy-policy inter...

Pierce County’s spending is outpacing its revenue, and county officials plan to draw roughly $35.5 million from general-fund reserves to balance the 2026–27 budget. Mike Solan, a Pierce County Council candidate and former president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, is calling for an emergency audit. He joins Lars to explain why he believes the county faces a structural deficit, what the budget...

Republican Alaska gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson has secured a place on the November ballot under the state’s open-primary and ranked-choice voting system. Now she wants voters to eliminate both. Wilson, an Anchorage waste-management business owner who has promised to block new taxes, reduce government spending, and deliver Alaskans a full dividend from the state’s oil fund, joins Lars...

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is facing federal grand jury subpoenas after a judge removed him and a top aide from a murder-conviction case and referred them to federal prosecutors for possible investigation. The judge raised concerns about how the office handled errors in a legal filing. Cully Stimson, a Heritage legal expert, former prosecutor, and co-author of Rogue Prosecutors,...

From blaming unrest in France on President Trump’s policies to speculating about ICE agents shooting American voters and calling Trump a “Russian-owned mass murderer,” some high-profile media figures have made extraordinary claims this week. Bill D’Agostino, senior research analyst at NewsBusters, joins Lars to break down the week’s most outrageous media quotes and ask whether the press is informi...

A Southern Oregon man created Shunned at a Funeral, a Christian metal-and-banjo project that exploded online despite featuring fictional band members. Professor Ethan Howard, the project’s creator and musical director, joins Lars to explain how it grew to more than 3.5 million views, how his progressive visual impairment shaped his musical journey, and why he says people who dismiss the music as e...

Former Marine intelligence analyst and small-business owner Jake Pelroy is running for East Lane County Commissioner, Position 5. After serving three deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Pelroy went on to work on Oregon policy and political campaigns and helped form the Lane County Garbage and Recycling Association. He joins Lars to explain why he’s running, what his experience bring...

A new election complaint targets Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai over an allegedly altered flag video. Jeff Myers, an education advocate and founder of Save Oregon Schools, says he filed a supplemental complaint with Oregon’s Secretary of State Elections Division. He joins Lars to explain his concerns and why transparency and accountability matter when elected officials and political cam...

Washington spent $79 million building the Brockmann mental health campus in Clark County, but the facility remains closed and serves no patients while costing taxpayers roughly $300,000 a year to maintain. State Rep. John Ley wants to explore a public-private partnership to get the hospital staffed and operating. He joins Lars to explain why Southwest Washington needs these beds now—and why taxpay...

Higher oil prices may boost profits for energy producers, but consumers and businesses pay more for fuel and transportation, leaving less money for food, housing, and investment. Competitive Enterprise Institute senior economist Ryan Young joins Lars to challenge the idea that war-driven oil price spikes make America wealthier. Who really benefits when energy costs soar—and who gets stuck with the...

Oregon lawmakers poured hundreds of millions of dollars into residential mental health treatment, promising 689 new beds by October 2026. But the state now projects just 377 beds, with more delays ahead. Aaron Mesh, managing editor of Willamette Week, joins Lars to explain why the state is falling short, what the delays mean for people too mentally ill to stand trial who remain stuck in jail, and...

Female athletes at Camas High School walked out of a cross-country competition rather than race against a biological male. Now a rally is planned in support of the girls, reigniting the debate over fairness and the future of girls’ sports. Carleen Johnson, a staff reporter for The Center Square, joins Lars to discuss what happened, why the athletes took a stand, and whether schools are doing enoug...

Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander was detained by Israeli security forces alongside dozens of American and Israeli activists while helping Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities said the activity required prior coordination, while Lander condemned the detention and criticized the occupation. Leland Vittert, NewsNation’s chief Washington anchor and hos...

Federal agencies spent $1.4 billion on guns, ammunition and military-style equipment from fiscal years 2024 through 2026, according to OpenTheBooks.com. While some agencies sharply increased spending, others—including the IRS—cut back. Rachel O’Brien, deputy public policy editor at OpenTheBooks.com, joins Lars to break down the numbers and ask a basic question: Why do federal agencies that aren’t...

Washington lawmakers gutted key parental-rights protections passed by voters in 2024. Now, Initiative 001 aims to strengthen parents’ ability to review school materials, receive notifications about certain incidents and medical procedures, and opt their children out of some activities. Washington State Rep. Travis Couture joins Lars to push back against claims that the initiative weakens parental...

A Douglas County political fight has erupted over a school board vote on locker room privacy. Commissioner Chris Boice accused school board member and county commissioner candidate Steve Hammerson of voting to use taxpayer money to accommodate biological boys in girls’ locker rooms. Hammerson says the motion actually called for prioritizing up to $95,000 for privacy measures, and that the board un...

Frustrated with both major parties, retired Marine officer and entrepreneur Chad Humphrey is running as a Libertarian for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. He says Republicans and Democrats alike have embraced corporate subsidies, government overreach, and endless wars. Humphrey joins Lars to explain why he wants to abolish the IRS, challenge the Federal Reserve, and put more money back in Am...

Violent demonstrations in France have reportedly drawn hundreds of thousands of participants, with looting, attacks on public buildings, and the destruction of a historic city hall that survived Nazi occupation. Dr. Alex McFarland, founder and president of Alex McFarland Ministries and author of more than 20 books, joins Lars to discuss what is driving the unrest and why political violence should...

A New York woman who cares for her fiancé through a Medicaid-funded home care program has filed charges against a union seeking to organize nearly 190,000 personal care providers. The case raises a basic question: should people caring for loved ones have to surrender part of their pay to a union? Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, joins Lars to explain the...

A new private school in Chicago is charging $55,000 a year while using artificial intelligence for much of its academic instruction. Students reportedly spend about two hours a day on adaptive learning software, with human guides supervising their progress instead of traditional teachers. Sheri Few, founder and president of U.S. Parents Involved in Education, joins Lars to discuss whether this mod...

Oregon, Washington and California use federal databases to check gun buyers, yet have fought federal efforts to verify voter citizenship. Elections expert Dr. Douglas Frank joins Lars to discuss the dispute over voter eligibility, the role of government databases and why he believes election officials should take citizenship verification seriously. If the government can check who is legally allowe...

An Oregon man who reportedly intervened to stop a school shooter may have run into a legal problem of his own: state law generally restricts firearm possession on school property, even for people with concealed-carry licenses. Constitutional law scholar Eugene Volokh joins Lars to break down the legal questions surrounding the case, the limits on carrying firearms at schools and whether the law le...

Oregon lawmakers weakened laws that allowed serious juvenile offenders to be tried and sentenced as adults, despite voters having twice supported tougher accountability measures. Former district attorney Josh Marquis joins Lars to explain how changes approved in 2019 affected the treatment of violent juvenile offenders—and why those decisions matter when communities face horrific crimes. Should po...

Washington could leave as much as $1.5 billion in potential scholarship donations on the table if it declines to participate in the new federal Scholarship Tax Credit program. State Superintendent Chris Reykdal opposes opting in, while Gov. Bob Ferguson faces a decision before the January 1 deadline. Meg Goudy, education director at Mountain States Policy Center, joins Lars to explain how the prog...