The Neal Larson Show

Send us Fan Mail ## 1) Episode Summary   Neal Larson welcomes Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrain with Election Day just 11 days away, digging into unusually strong early voting turnout and what’s driving it—including the outsized impact of Prop 1, big money flooding into Idaho politics, and the practical realities county clerks are facing as voters work through multi-page ballots. McGrain also...

Send us Fan Mail ## 1. Episode Summary   With Julie Mason still out of town celebrating a brand-new granddaughter, Neal ran solo and opened the show with U.S. Senator Jim Risch. Risch addressed a suspicious campaign text that appeared to impersonate the Democratic Socialists of America “endorsing” him—something he called a dirty trick and potentially a criminal violation because it lacked required...

Send us Fan Mail ## 1) Episode Summary   Neal uses today’s show to ask a bigger question sparked by the Jim Risch–Tad (Tada) Achilles race: are political debates still worth doing—or have they mostly turned into viral “gotcha” theater? Along the way he plays a handful of classic debate moments (Reagan’s age line, Trump’s “you’d be in jail,” Rick Perry forgetting an agency, Biden’s “would you shut...

Send us Fan Mail ## 1. Episode Summary   Neal Larson holds down the show solo while Julie Mason is away awaiting baby news (a fourth grandchild — and the first granddaughter), then dives straight into what he calls “silly season” politics. The biggest thread is the Idaho U.S. Senate race: Neal breaks down an uncredited, apparently illegal campaign-style text that tried to tie Sen. Jim Risch to the...

Send us Fan Mail ## 1. Episode Summary (1–2 paragraphs) Julie’s headed out for “grandma duty” again, but not before she and Neal dug into what’s shaping up to be a huge stretch for East Idaho: the upcoming election (with plenty of fire aimed at Proposition 1), the launch of News Talk 2 next week, and the broader political energy—or lack of it—showing up in local activism. Neal argued Prop 1’s “gra...

Send us Fan Mail Neal Larson and Julie Mason announced the launch of **News Talk Two** on 105.1 FM, set for October 26, with a new lineup of national hosts and an afternoon replay of their morning show. The change also brings Markley, Van Camp & Robbins back to their former 10 a.m.–1 p.m. slot on News Talk 107.9, while Clay and Buck move to the new station. They explained how listeners can tun...

Send us Fan Mail ### 1. Episode Summary Democratic candidate for Idaho Governor Terri Pickens joins Neal and Julie in the studio for an extensive discussion on the state’s political landscape with just weeks remaining before Election Day. Pickens lays out her platform, focusing heavily on working-class affordability, the proposed repeal of the state grocery tax, local property tax structures, and...

Send us Fan Mail ### 1. Episode Summary In this lively Wednesday broadcast, Neal Larson and Julie Mason break down key local election mechanics, sparked by Secretary of State Phil McGrain’s official clarifications regarding absentee ballot verification and write-in candidates. The conversation quickly turns to a heated debate over voter initiative transparency after a North Idaho blogger published...

Send us Fan Mail ### 1. Episode Summary The tide appears to be turning dramatically on Idaho’s Proposition 1 ballot initiative, and Neal and Julie spend much of today’s episode dissecting why. Highlighting data from online prediction markets like Polymarket, Neal tracks the sudden drop in the measure’s likelihood of passage—plunging from over 60 percent down into the high 20s. The team attributes...

Send us Fan Mail ### Episode Summary With Election Day just three weeks away, Neal Larson and Julie Mason dive headfirst into the high-stakes battle surrounding Idaho’s Proposition 1. Addressing misconceptions floating around local communities, Neal and Julie break down how public opinion is shifting as voters learn the true scope of the measure beyond its advertised exceptions. Joined early in th...

Send us Fan Mail Neal and Julie introduce their new Idaho election toolkit, a one-stop resource for previewing ballots, finding polling places, researching candidates and tracking campaign funding. The conversation then turns to the reported $1 million donation to the Stop Prop 1 political action committee, which Tom Luna announced on the show. Much of the discussion centers on Proposition 1: the...

Send us Fan Mail ### Episode Summary In this high-energy, news-packed edition of *The Neal Larson Show*, Neal and Julie break some of the biggest political news in the state: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated a historic $1 million to the Stop Prop 1 campaign. To unpack what this means for Idaho’s legal and cultural landscape, Attorney General Raul Labrador joins the studi...

Send us Fan Mail ### Episode Summary In this mid-week block of *The Neal Larson Show*, Neal and Julie jump headfirst into a passionate community debate that completely lit up the phone lines: the rise of Flock safety cameras and license plate readers. While some listeners express deep alarm over privacy rights and the potential for a creeping police state, Neal and Julie push back, arguing that pu...

Send us Fan Mail ### Episode Summary It’s election season in Idaho, and the team is diving deep into the data, the debates, and the downright bizarre moments of modern politics. Neal and Julie break down the state’s high-profile Senate race between incumbent Senator Jim Risch and challenger Todd Achilles, exploring the political realities of polling numbers and the strategic calculus behind debate...

Send us Fan Mail ### Episode Summary It is a packed Monday edition of *The Neal Larson Show*, and Neal and Julie are tackling some of Idaho’s biggest hot-button issues head-on. Fresh off of an LDS conference weekend, the hosts dive into a powerful warning against the rapid rise of sports betting and gambling—highlighting shocking statistics about its hold on teenagers and young adults—before trans...

Send us Fan Mail This episode kicks off with a hilarious look at Neal Larson’s self-described "toxic relationship" with artificial intelligence. After getting locked in a stubborn, back-and-forth argument with ChatGPT over its refusal to calculate the probability of Idaho’s controversial Proposition 1 passing, Neal and Julie Mason turn to their audience to run a rogue experiment. Listene...

Send us Fan Mail Neal Larson and Julie Mason spent much of the morning urging Idaho voters to look beyond the slogans surrounding Proposition 1. Neal argued that its language on abortion exceptions and fetal viability is too vague, and both hosts questioned claims that the measure is simply about privacy, compassion, or protecting families. Listener texts added perspectives on local campaign signs...

Send us Fan Mail Neal Larson and Julie Mason move from a lighthearted riff on Kamala Harris’s brief “word salad” clip to a serious discussion of Idaho ballot measures, public policy, and a breaking aviation story. They debate proposed limits on the college sports transfer portal, arguing that transfers can create opportunity for athletes but that repeated moves can undermine team-building and the...

Send us Fan Mail Neal and Julie devoted much of the morning to Idaho’s Proposition 1, urging listeners to look beyond the measure’s “privacy” and exceptional-case messaging and focus on what Neal argued would be a broad expansion of elective abortion. They questioned whether the voter-initiative process is still serving its intended grassroots purpose amid substantial out-of-state spending, and po...

Send us Fan Mail As the November election inches closer, Neal Larson and Julie Mason take the temperature of Gem State voters with an on-air flash poll on Proposition 1. Moving past personal voting preferences, the conversation shifts to hard predictions on whether the controversial abortion initiative will pass or fail. Drawing on recent listener reactions, contrasting church statements, and a po...

Send us Fan Mail ALEXIS AMREIN: (Starts at 17:40) MELANIE FOLWELL INTERVIEW: (Starts at 36:54) On this Friday edition of the show, Neal Larson and Julie Mason dive headfirst into the fierce debate surrounding Idaho’s high-stakes abortion initiative. With religious leaders coalescing in opposition and political battle lines drawn across the state, the team sits down for an extensive, spirited conve...

Send us Fan Mail Campaign finance reports reveal a massive influx of out-of-state cash pouring into Idaho’s Proposition 1 abortion initiative, and Neal Larson and Julie Mason dive deep into the legal and cultural ramifications facing Gem State voters. Examining pediatric geneticist Dr. Leah Fleming’s stark op-ed on statutory viability and the lack of clarity surrounding critical neonatal care, the...

Send us Fan Mail A spirited Idaho legislative debate takes center stage as Neal Larson and Julie Mason welcome Republican incumbent Rep. Barbara “Barb” Ehardt and Democratic challenger Chance Marshall. The candidates draw sharp contrasts on taxes, school funding, parental choice, immigration enforcement, and transgender-related policies. Marshall argues for making affordability and working-class n...

Send us Fan Mail Neal and Julie open by digging into Todd Achilles’ claim that he’s up double-digits on Senator Jim Risch in “latest independent polling”—and they don’t just brush it off. Neal walks through why the poll being cited (Advanced Targeting Research) raises red flags: thin transparency, unclear methodology, missing crosstabs and sponsorship disclosure, and results that don’t pass a basi...

Send us Fan Mail Neal and Julie spent most of Monday digging into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ letter opposing Idaho’s Proposition 1 and urging members to push back—then watched the fallout play out online in real time. They talked candidly about what it looks like when people publicly resist church guidance, and why they see abortion as fundamentally different from past disagr...