Breaking Battlegrounds

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Former Ambassador Thomas Shannon, Jr discusses Venezuela, Greg Roeberg - Candidate for AZ AG, and Sheepdog the movie Jan 16, 2026

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Our first guest today is Former Ambassador Thomas Shannon, Jr, a Senior International Policy Advisor bringing more than three decades of government service and diplomatic experience to his practice, providing strategic counsel to clients across a range of legislative, foreign police, and national security issues. Thomas explains why France, Italy, and Spain have been hesitant to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, despite its extensive involvement in terrorist activity inside Iran and beyond. He notes that such a designation could complicate future cooperation during a potential political transition in Iran.

Thomas also examines the long-standing relationship between Venezuela and Cuba. After Russia withdrew support from Cuba in 1991, Venezuela emerged as Havana's primary lifeline—providing oil and financial support in exchange for Cuban intelligence officers and social programs that helped the Chávez government maintain control over political opposition, monitor the Venezuelan military, and provide security for Chávez himself. As Cuba enters a period of slow political change, the sudden loss of Venezuelan oil, gas, and cash would have profound consequences for the island.

Finally, Thomas warns that failed efforts at regime change can leave the international community worse off than before. President Trump has pursued a solution to Venezuela for more than a decade, and Thomas discusses the strategic dilemma facing Trump following plans to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife: whether to recognize a democratic opposition that claims victory in the 2024 election, or to pursue an alternative pathway for political transition.

Our in-studio guest this week is Greg Roeberg, a candidate for Arizona Attorney General. Greg is a husband, father, business leader, and cancer survivor who previously served as President Trump's campaign attorney, working to defend the integrity of our elections. During the discussion, Greg explains the role of the Attorney General and outlines how he would uphold and defend the Arizona State Constitution. He also addresses the controversial lawsuits filed by Kris Mayes and shares his priorities and plans should he be elected as Arizona's next Attorney General.

We are joined by actor and director Steven Grayhm, who has just released a new film titled Sheepdog. The movie explores the challenges combat veterans face as they transition back into civilian life. Sheepdog—sheepdofthemovie.com—premieres today, January 16th.

The inspiration for the film began when Steven met a tow truck driver who came to his aid after his car broke down. During their conversation, the driver shared his own struggles reintegrating into everyday life after military service. That encounter stayed with Steven. In 2011, he traveled across the country meeting with veterans and quickly realized this was not an isolated experience—many veterans face the same difficult challenges. Those stories became the foundation and inspiration for Sheepdog.

Our financial expert, Gary Gygi, joins us once again to break down the state of the economy. While economic growth continues, job creation has lagged. Employers aren't laying workers off—but they also aren't hiring at significant levels. As a result, many Americans are juggling multiple jobs and working 60 to 70 hours a week just to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the U.S. trade deficit has fallen to its lowest level in years, signaling a major reduction in the trade imbalance. If this trend continues, it reflects exactly what President Trump has long emphasized: reindustrializing America and exporting more of what we produce.

Michael Lieb on Solving the Housing Crisis Mar 26, 2022

Show notes

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are joined by Austin Smith, a Republican running for State Legislature in Arizona and Michael Lieb, the co-founder of Home Arizona.

Austin Smith is a proud 5th-Generation Arizonan. Growing up in LD-29, he became a National FFA Award recipient and an All-State award-winning football player at Millennium High School. Working in the agricultural industry on ranches and farms across Arizona, he saw firsthand how devastating an out-of-control government can be to water, business, and freedom. This led him to become involved with grassroots activism as early as the 2014 Midterms. Beginning in 2016, Austin joined a young team of Conservative Activists led by Charlie Kirk and helped convince Charlie to move Turning Point USA's headquarters from Chicago to Phoenix. Turning Point would go on to create over 200 Arizona jobs thanks in large part to Austin's insistence that the heart of the Youth Movement for Freedom & Free Markets be based in America's next great Battleground State. After four years working directly under Charlie Kirk—one of America's foremost conservative fighters—Austin helped him to run Students For Trump, a 501(c)4 project of Turning Point Action. In his capacity there as National Field Director, Austin organized a state-of-the-art effort, creating college chapters on over 300 campuses, amassing over 750,000 doors knocked—effectively reaching millions of voters with President Trump's America First message. Following the 2020 election, while actively engaged in the grassroots effort to Audit the Vote in Maricopa County, Austin completed a robust offensive to recruit 1,000 Precinct Committeemen in Arizona, fighting every day to take back our state from the grips of tyrannical Democrat rule both here at home and in Washington DC. An avid outdoorsman, amateur golfer, and active member of his church community, Austin spends what free time he has with his mom Sabrina, dad Rick, and brother Troy enjoying the natural beauty of the state his family has called Home since 1908.

Deemed the "King of Infill" by the Arizona Republic for over two decades Michael Lieb has been a key player in the residential and commercial development of thousands of acres located in urban and rural areas throughout Metropolitan Phoenix. In Urban areas such as Downtown and Central Phoenix and Downtown Tempe, Lieb has dedicated himself to working to attract national and international developers to achieve the vision set forth by both these cities and their downtown community of new urban scale housing and mixed-use commercial development.

His involvement in various real estate projects which include residential, retail and commercial have made him an instrument force in the success of the newly created downtown core of Phoenix known as Copper Square and made him a true pioneer in the effort to revitalize downtown and Central Phoenix into a valuable urban center. Lieb has the ability, experience, and relationships necessary to work closely with top phoenix public officials and senior staff members in the downtown Phoenix areas. Professionally Michael A. Lieb, Ltd is well known and highly respected for his real estate expertise throughout the local real estate market. This professional recognition has enabled him to establish relationships with the top real estate executives and decision makers of many local and national real estate development companies.

For nearly two decades Michael A. Lieb, Ltd has been among the Valley's leading real estate/land acquisition professionals. Lieb has been a catalyst for redevelopment by promoting and creating infill development throughout the valley including Downtown Phoenix area.

Lieb's knowledge and efforts of the urban residential and commercial real estate market alone make him as asset to the continued success of Phoenix and have resulted in over 30,000 new housing units constructed throughout the metro Phoenix and Downtown Copper Square.

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Senator Mike Lee on Inflation, the Supreme Court, and the Housing Crisis Mar 19, 2022

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This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Chuck and Sam are joined by Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Matt Gress, a Republican running for the Arizona State House in Legislative District 4.

Elected in 2010 as Utah's 16th Senator, Mike Lee has spent his career defending the fundamental liberties of all Americans and advocating for America's founding constitutional principles. Senator Lee serves as the Ranking Republican on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, and on the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining.

In addition, Senator Lee continues to lead Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee as the Ranking Member, after spending the last two Congresses as Vice Chairman and Chairman, respectively. He also serves on the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate's Special Committee on Aging.

Lee graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Political Science, and served as BYU's Student Body President in his senior year. He graduated from BYU's Law School in 1997 and went on to serve as law clerk to Judge Dee Benson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, and then with future Supreme Court Justice Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Matt Gress is an Arizona conservative, running to represent us in the State House. Matt believes in common sense principles like small government, balanced budgets and individual liberty.

From 2017 to 2021, Matt served as a Governing Board Member in the Madison Elementary School District. Where he fought to keep schools open during COVID-19, supported increased school choice and advocated for parents and taxpayers to have a seat at the table in curriculum, hiring decisions and budgeting, including expensive procurement contracts.

Matt has served as a faculty associate at Arizona State University and as a budget analyst at the Arizona State Capitol, learning exactly where our tax dollars go. Currently, he serves as the state's top budget chief in the Arizona Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting.

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Jason Chaffetz on Russia, Biden, and the Durham Probe Feb 26, 2022

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This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Chuck and Sam are joined by former Congressman and Fox News contributor, Jason Chaffetz and National Review senior writer, Charles C.W. Cooke.Jason Chaffetz is a contributor for the Fox News Channel and author of two New York Times best-sellers, Power Grab: The Liberal Scheme to Undermine Trump, the GOP, and Our Republic and The Deep State: How an Army of Bureaucrats Protected Barack Obama and Is Working to Destroy the Trump Agenda. Chaffetz was elected to Congress in 2008 and served until 2017. He was selected by his peers to be Chairman of the powerful Oversight & Government Reform Committee, where he led investigations into the United States Secret Service, the Department of Education I.T. vulnerabilities, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Benghazi terrorist attack, Fast & Furious and the IRS scandal. Prior to Congress, he was Chief of Staff to the Governor of Utah. A former placekicker on the Brigham Young University Football Team, he earned his BA in Communications in 1989 and then joined the local business community for 16 years before entering the public sector.

Charles Cooke is a senior writer for National Review and the former editor of National Review Online. He is a graduate of the University of Oxford, at which he studied modern history and politics. His work has focused especially on Anglo-American history, British liberty, free speech, the Second Amendment, and American exceptionalism. He is the co-host of the Mad Dogs and Englishmen podcast, and is a regular guest on HBO's (Real Time with Bill Maher). He has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.

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A Broken Potholes Battleground Feb 19, 2022

Show notes

With Chuck out of the studio this week, Sam is joined by his good friend and Balsz School Board Member Christina Eichelkraut. Christina is a self-described policy wonk who is quite a bit more liberal than a typical Broken Potholes guest and she doesn't shy away from a good debate. Christina has lived in the Balsz School District since she moved to Arizona from Nevada in 2010.In 2014 she moved to the Orangedale Neighborhood and became head of the Neighborhood Association as part of her efforts to get sidewalks on Virginia Avenue (an effort still ongoing -- contact her for details.) She was appointed to the Camelback East Village Planning Committee in 2019 after pointing out to the City Council her area -- south of Thomas -- had zero representation on the advisory board. Christina has lived in Arizona for the past 12 years and has been a Cubs fan her entire life.

Her passion for public education and thriving school districts stems from her experience as a community print journalist in Nevada and Arizona. During the Great Recession, she covered urban and rural school districts and saw firsthand how communities suffer when public schools shutter due to lack of enrollment and funding.

These experiences led her to become an active civic participant in the Balsz School District. She has canvassed for overrides, ranted at the podium during school board meetings and is a tireless advocate for District initiatives. Christins always makes it a point to listen to and learn from district teachers, parents and staff – who are, after all, also her neighbors.

In 2014, Christina fully transitioned from print journalism into digital communications consulting for many Valley small- and medium businesses and nonprofit organizations.Currently, she is a marketing project manager for a Valley firm specializing in small business marketing.

Latching on to any excuse to bake bread or pastries, Christina has a tendency to ask for petition signatures with Tupperware in hand. She reads well past her bedtime and is happiest when clacking on her keyboard.Connect with us:

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Podcast Exclusive: Alex Mashinsky on the Future of Digital Currency Feb 07, 2022

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In this exclusive, podcast-only episode of Broken Potholes, Chuck and Sam talk with tech entrepreneur Alex Mashinsky to talk about the future of blockchain technology and digital currencies.

Alex Mashinsky was born into communism, reared under socialism, and is currently thriving under capitalism. He is a prominent entrepreneur who has founded several companies over the years, including Celsius Network, GroundLink, Transit Wireless, Elematics and Arbinet.

Alex disrupted several industries but he is most known as the inventor of VOIP which today enables over 1B people worldwide to use free voice over the internet for free. His new startup Celsius Network, is disrupting the banks, it is a community-based Proof-of-Stake blockchain protocol allowing members to borrow dollars against their crypto assets and to earn interest when they deposit (and lend) their crypto out. he wants 7.5B people to go From VOIP to MOIP (Money over IP).

Alex's success as an entrepreneur stems from his acute ability to identify future trends, assemble world-class teams and raise enough money to fund his projects. Two of his companies, Arbinet and Transit Wireless achieved a monopolistic hold in their respective industries and pioneered new business models and groundbreaking technologies.

Alex has a long history with high tech, evidenced by his powerful intellectual property portfolio. He has authored over 50 patents that cover aspects of VOIP, Smart Grid, Ad exchanges, Groupon, Twitter, Skype, App Store, Netflix streaming concept and many other top performing web companies. He is one of the leading evangelists of web-based exchanges.

Due to his extensive experience as a prolific inventor and a business strategist, Alex has been a featured speaker at over 250 international conferences. He has also made numerous TV appearances on business networks and talk shows.

He has received numerous awards, notably the prestigious Albert Einstein Technology Medal in 2000, the Technology Foresight Award for Innovation (presented in Geneva at Telecom '99) and Crain's Top Entrepreneur Award in 2010. He has also been nominated for E&Y's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2002 and 2011. He recently was named "Top 100 In Crypto" by CoinTelegraph.

After years of entrepreneurship, Alex subsequently gravitated towards investing in startups, founding his early stage venture capital firm, Governing Dynamics. Over the years, Alex has raised over $1 billion in venture and private equity funds to help position his startups as leaders in their fields. Arbinet's fundraising efforts were even documented in an HBS case study in 2001.

Currently based in New York, Alex serves as a Managing Partner of Governing Dynamics. The firm has invested in Cryptocurencies and ICO's as well as startups focused on AI/ML, biotech and cybersecurity.

Alex has invested in over 60 startups over the years, recording many successes and an equal number of failures. As a prominent figure in the New York entrepreneurial scene, he has previously been a member of the YPO's NYC chamber. He believes that "the secret to success is finding something to do in which your skills can exceed your ambitions."

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Ben Leuschner on Police Morale and Congressman Byron Donalds on Dysfunction in Washington Feb 05, 2022

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This week on Broken Potholes, Chuck and Sam are joined by two fantastic guest. Ben Leuschner, president of the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association joins us first in the studio to talk about how the current political climate is affect our police officers and what that means for your safety. Later in the show, Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida calls in with an inside look at the political dysfunction and partisanship in DC.

Ben Leuschner has been with the Phoenix Police Department for almost 28 years, over 20 of those as a supervisor. He worked in nearly every precinct, as well as in investigations. He has been a member of the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association Executive Board since 2013 and in that time he has seen the damage that can be caused by an ineffective union and a lack of competent representation. He has been a PPSLA representative for almost 9 years and, now that he has been elected President, he is committed to providing outstanding representation to PPSLA members and ensuring that PPSLA is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs to its members.

Congressman Byron Donalds grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and he is also the proud son of a hardworking and loving single mother. His mother dedicated her time instilling in him that greatness requires sacrifice, which drives him as a devoted family man and United States Congressman.

Byron is a graduate of Florida State University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance and marketing. Byron's career led him to Southwest Florida, where he worked in the banking, finance, and insurance industries. Elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016, Byron represented Hendry County and east Collier County in the State Capitol. During his tenure in the Florida House, Byron served as the PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee Chair during the 2018-2019 Legislative Session and served as the Insurance & Banking Subcommittee's Chairman 2019-2020 Legislative Session. While serving in the Florida House, primarily focused on elder affairs, criminal justice reform, and ensuring that each child has access to a world-class education.

Byron is committed to serving and giving back to the community that gave him so much. He has served Southwest Florida in many ways, including previously serving on the Board of Trustees for Florida Southwestern State College after being appointed by then-Governor Rick Scott. Byron continues to volunteer in his church as a youth leader and a mentor. He also enjoys volunteering as a coach in youth football and basketball leagues.

Congressman Byron Donalds lives in Naples, Florida, with his wife, Erika, and their three sons: Damon, Darin, and Mason. Byron has spent his entire adult life serving others, whether it be through volunteering, business, or leadership. He is committed to representing Florida's 19th Congressional District's conservative values in Washington DC to ensure a stronger Florida and a stronger nation.

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Lacy Cooper on Border Security, Public Safety, and Civil Rights Oct 06, 2021

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This week on Broken Potholes, Chuck and Sam are joined in studio by candidate for Arizona Attorney General, Lacy Cooper. For the past eight years, Lacy has been on the front lines securing Arizona's and our nation's border. As a federal prosecutor and Border Security Section Chief in the United States Attorney's Office, Lacy fought against dangerous Mexican cartels who were trafficking drugs and humans into the United States and firearms and cash back to Mexico. She prosecuted gang members who deteriorated the fabric of our local communities, and terrorists who took advantage of loopholes in the United States' immigration system. Lacy knows firsthand what it takes to keep our country safe, and she has a record of doing just that.Lacy began her career as a Deputy County Attorney in Gila County fighting all levels of crime and defending the vulnerable. She spearheaded a task force targeting the most prevalent drug dealers. She prosecuted white-collar criminals who defrauded Arizonans. And she obtained lengthy sentences for sexual predators. Lacy ensured victims' rights were protected and justice was served.Lacy has lived in Arizona for over 30 years. She moved to Arizona in elementary school and graduated from Dobson High School in Mesa. Born in the oil fields of southeastern New Mexico, Lacy learned the value of hard work from her father's side of the family, all of whom spent their Friday nights at high school football games and their Saturday mornings on the rigs. She was also blessed to have school teachers, coaches and administrators on her mother's side who devoted themselves to her education. Lacy brings this legacy of perseverance, aptitude and servant leadership to all of her endeavors.CONNECT WITH USTwitter: https://twitter.com/BrokenPotholes

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Alexander Kolodin and Anthony Kern on the Importance of Strong Legislatures Sep 16, 2021

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This week on Broken Potholes, Sam Stone is joined by Alexander Kolodin and Anthony Kern for a discussion on the important role our state legislature has to play.

Alexander Kolodin is the president of Kolodin Law Group and has worked on many high profile cases. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Pennsylvania Law School. He is currently running for the Arizona House of Representatives in LD 23. Anthony Kern is a former Arizona State Representative for LD20 who was first elected win 2014. As an Arizona State Representative, Anthony has served on committees such as Chairman Rules Committee; Chairman Joint Legislative Audit Committee; Vice-Chair of Public Safety; Vice-Chair Ways and Means; Member Commerce Committee; Member Appropriations Committee; Member Judiciary Committee. He is currently running for State Senate.CONNECT WITH USTwitter: https://twitter.com/BrokenPotholes

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Ryan Tyson on Florida's Red Wave Jun 03, 2021

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Ryan Tyson of the Florida-based Tyson Group joins Chuck Warren on this week's episode of Broken Potholes to offer his insight into the current state of Florida politics.Also on the show this week, Chuck talks to Ryan Smith, the Director of Communications and Government Relations for Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. His responsibilities include marketing and community relations, as well as all government relations duties for the airport. Ryan graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Political Science and is a fifth generation Arizona resident. Ryan Tyson is the President and managing partner of The Tyson Group, which is a center-right polling and market research firm with polling experience in 48 states.

He serves as Executive Director of Preserve the American Dream, a Florida based 501(c4) that primarily educates the public and media on quantitative and qualitative research it conducts across the state and around the country.

As a Florida based strategist, Tyson has developed multiple organizations devoted to fundraising, research, electioneering and independent expenditure efforts. He has served as strategist and pollster on multiple statewide ballot initiatives in Florida, using his research techniques to not only to craft successful ballot titles and summaries on 'Yes' campaigns, but also exposing the weaknesses in 'No' campaigns. He has also worked for some of the largest corporations in Florida and his political acumen and prowess are known to many across the country.

Tyson's wide range of experience in all levels of national, state, and legislative campaigns and has made him a valuable asset in the Sunshine State. Having advised on multiple statewide campaigns including for former President Donald Trump's Florida campaign, Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rick Scott, Tyson's unique mix of data driven campaign strategy has resulted in Florida Politics twice naming him as one of the top 100 "most influential people in Florida Politics."

He received his Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from the University of Florida. He currently resides in Tallahassee with his wife, Mary Beth, and three sons, John David, Brennan and Benjamin. CONNECT WITH USTwitter: https://twitter.com/BrokenPotholesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/brokenpotholesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brokenpotholes/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broken-potholes

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