The Lars Larson Show Interviews

 Dr. James Robbins, national security expert, former Pentagon official and Senior Fellow for National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council, joins Lars to discuss Hasan Piker’s claim that the U.S. military has committed more terrorism than Al-Qaeda. How should that claim be evaluated?  Send us Fan Mail

 Haley Strack, investigative reporter for City Journal, joins Lars to discuss Chinese nationals and other operators running illegal marijuana grows in Northern California, along with allegations involving gang activity and toxic pesticides. Who is really behind these massive illegal operations?  Send us Fan Mail

Preston Brashers, Research Fellow at Advancing American Freedom’s Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, joins Lars to discuss differences in housing and overall costs of living between states and the role of government policy in affordability. Is government policy driving up the cost of living? Send us Fan Mail

 Tyler Brooks, Senior Counsel at the Thomas More Society, joins Lars to discuss a legal demand involving a North Carolina school district and parents seeking to remove their children from a required class taught by a transgender teacher. Do parents have a constitutional right to say no?  Send us Fan Mail

Bryan Shull, founder and owner of Trap Door Brewing, joins Lars to discuss the decision to leave the brewery’s flagship Vancouver location, following backlash over a political campaign event and citing taxes, public safety, wage mandates and regulatory costs. What really pushed the brewery to leave? Send us Fan Mail

Nigel Jaquiss, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for Willamette Week, joins Lars to discuss how Oregon’s high food stamp error rate could allow the state to avoid an estimated $185 million in federal costs for one year under a provision in the 2025 federal spending law. How did one of the country’s highest SNAP error rates end up saving Oregon money?  Send us Fan Mail

Michael Pack, president of Manifold Productions and producer and director of The Last 600 Meters , joins Lars to discuss the Air Force’s disclosure that the U.S. has space-based weapons intended to counter hostile actions by adversaries. Is America already in a new arms race with China and Russia above the Earth?  Send us Fan Mail

Leland Vittert, host of On Balance with Leland Vittert and chief Washington anchor for NewsNation, joins Lars to discuss the House vote on a war powers resolution seeking to limit further U.S. military action against Iran without congressional approval. What does growing Republican support for the resolution mean for Trump’s Iran policy?  Send us Fan Mail

 Eli Arnold, Portland police officer and candidate for Portland City Council District 4, joins Lars to discuss his proposal to use Portland Clean Energy Fund revenue to make public transit fare-free. Should Portland use climate money to eliminate bus and transit fares?  Send us Fan Mail

Dan Varroney, economic strategist and author of Rethinking Economic Growth , joins Lars to discuss the Federal Reserve’s latest interest-rate decision amid mixed inflation data. Did the Fed make the right call, and what could it mean for consumers and the economy?  Send us Fan Mail

Andrew Quinio, attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, joins Lars to discuss a lawsuit brought by software engineer Stanley Zhong challenging the University of Washington’s admissions policies after he was rejected despite a 4.42 GPA, 1590 SAT score and an engineering offer from Google. Does his lawsuit show that race played a role in the admissions process?  Send us Fan Mail

 Colby Barrett, former U.S. Marine Corps captain and producer of A Faith Under Siege and Faith in War , joins Lars to discuss legislation targeting Russia’s energy and defense industries and countries that continue buying Russian oil and gas. Could the new sanctions give the Trump administration additional leverage over Russia?  Send us Fan Mail

 John Koufos, criminal justice reform and public safety expert and CEO of Cottage Four, joins Lars to discuss the first year of the Memphis Safe Task Force, which has made more than 12,000 arrests and seized more than 2,100 illegal firearms as reported crime declined in the city. What do the numbers show about the impact of the federal-state-local enforcement effort?  Send us Fan Mail

 Kelsey Pritchard, communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, joins Lars to discuss the sentencing of an Ohio doctor after prosecutors said he secretly obtained abortion medication and forced it on his pregnant girlfriend against her wishes. Is a six-month jail sentence adequate punishment for the conduct described by prosecutors?  Send us Fan Mail

Adam Guillette, president of Accuracy in Media, joins Lars to discuss how September 11 is taught in American schools and concerns that students are losing an understanding of who carried out the attacks and why. Should states require public schools to teach the history of 9/11? Send us Fan Mail

Adèle Keim, senior counsel at Becket, joins Lars to discuss a legal challenge brought by Catholic healthcare providers against provisions of Illinois’ assisted-suicide law. Where should the law draw the line between patient access and the religious objections of healthcare providers? Send us Fan Mail

 Commercial airline pilot and meteorologist Chuck Wiese joins Lars to reflect on where he was on September 11, 2001, and what he remembers about the terrorist attacks that changed American aviation and the country. Twenty-five years later, what should Americans remember about that day?  Send us Fan Mail

Daniel Mitchell, owner of Sporting Systems in Vancouver, Washington, joins Lars to discuss Washington’s permit-to-purchase program and concerns that independent NRA-certified instructors may not qualify to teach its mandatory firearms training. Who should decide which instructors are qualified to teach gun safety? Send us Fan Mail

Dr. Paul Mueller, senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, joins Lars to discuss President Trump’s proposal for $5,000 payments to adult U.S. citizens if Republicans retain control of Congress. How would the proposal be funded, and what would it mean for federal spending and debt? Send us Fan Mail

Jennifer Sey, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, former U.S. national champion gymnast and former Levi’s brand president, joins Lars to discuss a confrontation outside Portland’s The Sports Bra involving people with opposing views on transgender participation in women’s sports. Has the debate over women’s athletics moved from the playing field into everyday businesses? Send us Fan Mail

 Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, joins Lars to discuss the resolution of Jessica Bates’ lawsuit challenging Oregon adoption requirements that conflicted with her religious beliefs. When should the state be allowed to consider a prospective parent’s beliefs in determining eligibility to adopt?  Send us Fan Mail

John Lott, founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center and author of More Guns, Less Crime , joins Lars to discuss his argument that prosecuting and incarcerating people who are already eligible for deportation can impose substantial costs on taxpayers. When someone faces serious criminal charges and is also subject to removal, how should prosecution and deportation be prioritize...

 Kyler Schmitz, vice president of Patmos Tech, joins Lars to discuss warnings from AI industry leaders about increasingly powerful systems and the competing concern that strict U.S. regulation could give China an advantage. Which risks should policymakers consider as they weigh AI safety against technological competition?  Send us Fan Mail

 Micki Varney, Salem City Councilor representing Ward 8, joins Lars to discuss Salem’s debate over data centers, concerns about transparency and the city’s new task force examining future projects. Are massive data centers worth the impact they could have on Oregon communities?  Send us Fan Mail

 Nicholas Giordano, political science professor, host of The P.A.S. Report Podcast and Campus Reform fellow, joins Lars to discuss the Democratic Socialists of America’s use of events like coffee meetups, sports and social gatherings to recruit members and organize supporters. How are these community-building efforts translating into political activism?  Send us Fan Mail