Civic Outlaws

In the October 9, 2026 edition of Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp examines the lawsuit filed by Isabella O’Brien’s family following the two-year-old’s death in Camden County, Missouri. The discussion separates allegations from documented discrepancies and identifies the evidence needed to evaluate competing accounts. Samuel reviews disputed addresses and timing in the search-warrant documents, dates o...

Why do electronic gaming devices appear to face different treatment depending on where they are placed? Samuel Trapp examines Missouri’s gray-gaming enforcement through public-records responses, local coordination emails, and the unresolved line between commercial devices and constitutionally authorized charitable raffles.   In this episode: • Jefferson County’s 406-email production—and what it do...

Samuel Trapp examines reports that previously disabled gaming devices are returning, the still-undisclosed Torch Electronics suspension agreement, public-record responses from Missouri counties, and the disputed treatment of commercial locations and charitable organizations.   Then: Flock Safety automatic license plate readers. The show reviews the September 23 Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearin...

When does feeding a neighbor become an illegal restaurant? Samuel Trapp interviews Goldwater Institute attorney Dave Roland about the government warning sent to Harrisburg grandmother Kathy Kite. The program also investigates Missouri’s conflicting treatment of electronic machines at commercial and charitable locations—and identifies the documents that still have not been produced. Kathy Kite open...

Gallup reports that 89% of Americans now believe corruption is widespread in government—the highest level in the poll’s history. On today’s Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp moves beyond the poll and looks at what public corruption and government overreach actually look like in practice. The show covers the federal allegations against Missouri House candidate Thomas Christopher Ross, Catherine Hanaway’s...

Samuel Trapp follows the nationwide revolt against Flock license-plate surveillance, from Missouri cancellations and Josh Hawley’s inquiry to officers accused of tracking romantic partners. He then examines former officer Marcellis Blackwell’s guilty plea, the death of foster teen Korbin Papadopoulos, IRS property-seizure failures, federal-law-enforcement abuse claims, Camden County accountability...

Civic Outlaws returns to Malad, Idaho, where homeowners are questioning a Local Improvement District that could leave some residents owing thousands of dollars for sidewalks, curbs and gutters. Samuel talks with Virginia and Mattie about federal transportation grants, public-records requests, notice requirements, special benefits, project accounting, and the unanswered question at the center of th...

Civic Outlaws examines what happens when government power outruns evidence, neutral procedure, public records, and meaningful review. Samuel Trapp connects Missouri licensing enforcement and MOLAG’s Cole County lawsuit with Flock camera surveillance, the effort to remove Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston, federal findings involving sexual abuse in California women’s prisons, correctional-offi...

On today’s Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp examines Missouri’s VLT enforcement fight through the lens of Sunshine Law requests, ATC delays, search warrant applications, and MOLAG’s compliance-and-communication initiative. The episode focuses on whether counties, sheriffs, and agencies have actual warrant-based evidence before threatening businesses over video lottery terminals and gray-market devices....

Civic Outlaws and MOLAG have launched a statewide examination of Missouri’s electronic-gaming enforcement system. Samuel Trapp explains approximately 700 communications sent to legislators, counties, cities, sheriffs and media organizations seeking written policies, warrant applications and records of coordination with the Attorney General, DPS and ATC. Are local governments independently applying...

Samuel Trapp sits down with Missouri State Senate District 6 candidate Ike Skelton for a wide-ranging discussion of government power, constitutional limits and political accountability. They examine Skelton’s Flock-camera prosecution, qualified immunity, surveillance databases, data centers, Senate transparency and local control. The conversation also turns to MOLAG’s lawsuit, Missouri’s anti-defe...

Samuel Trapp widens the Civic Outlaws lens beyond the MOLAG lawsuit to ask three basic questions: Who has the authority, what process is provided, and what evidence exists beyond a government press release? The program examines Missouri’s inconsistent treatment of gaming machines, Catherine Hanaway’s effort to remove the elected Ray County prosecutor, a $5.89 million police-shooting settlement in...

Samuel Trapp examines MOLAG’s newly filed lawsuit challenging Missouri’s campaign against electronic amusement and gaming machines. He explains how liquor licenses are being used as leverage, questions whether search-warrant applications establish that particular machines are illegal, and challenges the unequal treatment of operators while Torch machines remain in place under a separate agreement....

Representative Jeff Vernetti joins Civic Outlaws to discuss Missouri’s VLT debate, the push for legislative clarity, and the impact of enforcement uncertainty on local businesses. Samuel Trapp examines ATC pressure, Catherine Hannaway’s “no gray area” theory, MOLAG’s pending lawsuit, and the difference between real illegal slot machines and disputed second-chance amusement devices. The episode als...

Today on Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp takes on Missouri’s gaming-machine crackdown, ATC pressure on liquor license holders, and Catherine Hannaway’s claim that there is “no gray area” for video lottery terminals. The episode examines threat letters, targeted enforcement, the Eagle Stop charges, and the danger of using legal uncertainty as a weapon against business owners before courts have clearly...

Civic Outlaws – Question Authority. Demand Accountability. Defend Liberty. Due to a technical glitch, the first few minutes of today's broadcast apparently exercised their constitutional right to remain silent. Unfortunately, that missing segment contained the setup for the entire discussion. The show began by examining a simple question: Who should be making public policy in Missouri? Samuel open...

On today’s Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp examines Missouri’s final day of legislative session and the state’s continuing failure to resolve gaming-machine regulation. The episode targets ATC overreach, Catherine Hanaway’s gaming crackdown, liquor-license pressure, HB3154/SB1407 fingerprint authority, cannabis rescheduling complications, and the broader problem of agencies using uncertainty as power....

Civic Outlaws turns its attention to Missouri’s gaming-machine and liquor-license landscape, introducing MOLAG — the Missouri Licensing Advocacy Group — as a new organized response for operators, licensees, and business owners facing regulatory pressure. This episode explains why small businesses need coordination, information, advocacy, and protection before agencies define the battlefield for th...

Today on Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp breaks down the controversial Flock camera surveillance system through the lens of the Schmidt v. Norfolk case now on appeal. From Supreme Court precedent in Carpenter to the broader implications of statewide ALPR networks, the discussion shifts to Missouri’s own Department of Public Safety funding programs and what they may be building behind the scenes. With...

In today’s Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp digs into what he argues is a dangerous shift in Missouri: the replacement of courtroom proof with administrative punishment. Using the Torch litigation, ATC enforcement tactics, and Missouri’s new affidavit-based compliance framework, the program examines how regulators can pressure businesses, threaten liquor licenses, and impose consequences without ever p...

Missouri’s legal system is sending mixed signals—and businesses are paying the price. In this Civic Outlaws episode, Samuel Trapp breaks down the federal ruling targeting Torch gaming machines, the refusal of Missouri courts to decide their legality, and the growing enforcement actions across the state. With agencies issuing advisory opinions, prosecutors acting inconsistently, and a federal judge...

The April 3 episode of Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp takes on one of the messiest fights now unfolding in Missouri: the collision between ATC enforcement, Missouri Gaming Commission positions, local prosecutors, the Attorney General’s office, Torch machines, and the broader fight over so-called VLT or “no chance” devices. The program opens with a blunt defense of liberty and non-interference. Leave...

Missouri officials promise transparency—but deliver silence, inflated fees, and bureaucratic resistance. In this episode, Civic Outlaws exposes how Sunshine Law requests are being weaponized through outrageous costs and delays, while agencies quietly push for expanded enforcement powers. From unanswered letters to the governor to a staggering $300,000 records estimate, the pattern is clear: less v...

This week on Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp takes aim at what he describes as a Jefferson City power grab: expanding ATC authority, shielding legislative communications, and tightening government control while dodging public scrutiny. The episode connects House Bills 2378 and 3154, Senate Bill 1407, Sunshine Law attacks, and Representative Benny Cook’s broad attorney-client privilege response into on...

What happens when a government agency’s authority is challenged in court — and within days discussions begin about expanding that same authority through legislation? In this episode of Civic Outlaws, Samuel Trapp examines the timeline following a December 3 hearing involving Missouri’s Alcohol and Tobacco Control Division. Using Missouri Sunshine Law requests and newly uncovered communications, th...