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Shadow Politics with US Senator Michael D Brown

Brazil's Primary Vote, Martial Law Fears, and the Politics of Fear

Michael D. Brown and co-host Liberty Jones use Liberty's Brazilian primary vote as a starting point to discuss misinformation about Sharia law and socialism, partisan division, fear-based politics, and the midterms.

Sharia Law, Socialism Fears, and a Call to Calm
Michael D. Brown opens the broadcast by welcoming listeners to Shadow Politics and introducing his co-host, Liberty Jones, whom he calls his favorite person in the whole wide world. He turns first to misinformation he sees on Instagram and Twitter, where a post asks whether President Trump wants to ban Sharia law. Brown explains that Sharia is a religious code rather than American law, that it cannot be banned under religious freedom, and that the claims are meant to frighten people about Muslims, who make up less than three percent of the population. He then addresses warnings about communists and democratic socialists. Brown reminds listeners that Social Security, Medicare, public schools, and the fire department are already socialist ideas, and he says democratic socialists simply believe government should work for the people. Brown asks Jones to move on, and she responds that both sides use fear to push misinformation during the midterms.

Division Past and Present, from Jackson to the Internet
Jones asks whether American politics has always been this dysfunctional or is simply more visible now, and Brown answers that both are true. He recalls Andrew Jackson's wife, who was hounded by the press over a brief, unconsummated arranged marriage and died the day before he was inaugurated, a story he uses to show that nastiness in politics has always existed. Brown says the 1960s were just as divided, with assassinations, a never-ending war in Vietnam, and a divided decade he lived through as a hippie. He argues that the internet is what feels new, because anyone can find thousands of people who agree with them. Brown adds that in the past, Americans had to do research to learn anything, while today a twenty-four-hour news cycle spans fifteen outlets with different prejudices. Brown concludes that the internet has made the situation more toxic than it has ever been before. He says he is an old guy, stuck in his ways, and that Jones's view as someone younger matters more than his.

Brazil's Primary Vote, Television, and Who Profits
Jones reports that she voted earlier that day in Brazil's primary elections, which Brazilian citizens living in the United States may join for the presidency. She names the top two options as Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president, and the current president, Lula, whom she calls the leftist option. Jones describes Bolsonaro as a former military man who was found guilty of trying to incite a militaristic dictatorship and imprisoned, and she says President Trump defended him and helped him get out of prison. She describes Lula as the leftist choice she is leaning toward for his environmental laws, recalls the car wash corruption scandal, and says she voted for a third candidate, Ronaldo Caiado, to defend her people. The conversation then turns to television, with Brown recalling that the 1950s brought four channels that signed off at midnight and a single set in most homes. Jones ties that to today's phones and asks whether division grows from real disagreement or because institutions profit from it.

Martial Law Fears and the Question of Who Decides
Brown argues that both parties exploit fear, and he jokes that some liberals are "liberals against going along," just as rigid as the MAGA side. He also says most people did not pass through Ellis Island, pointing to his grandfather, who lived here ten years before becoming a citizen. Brown's biggest concern is that Republicans are trying to rig the midterms and may place ICE agents and National Guard at polling places. He says martial law, which he notes has been declared sixty-eight times in American history, frightens him because a declaration would suspend the right to vote. Brown says the Supreme Court would be the arbiter if the president did something Congress considered illegal, and he doubts the courts are as impartial as civics lessons suggest. He warns that a clash of that kind could throw things into chaos, and he admits he does not know what would happen next. Jones answers that if one man can annul the right to vote, America is no longer the land of the free.

Fear, Hope, and the Politics of Words
Brown asks what lesson Brazil holds for America, and he is baffled that a promised $5,000 for voting Republican is not called a bribe. Brown wonders whether a hierarchy of needs, like Maslow's pyramid, explains which priorities voters put first, such as immigration or the economy. He concludes that fear is the greatest motivator in politics, from fascism and communism to democracy itself. Brown contrasts fear with the message of King, Gandhi, Jesus, and Buddha, who he says talked about love rather than fear. He says he gets along well with his neighbors in Trumpland, which makes him wonder why people cannot do the same on an intellectual level. Jones says the phrase "good people in both camps" means different things depending on context, and she argues Democrats have been too focused on protecting themselves instead of moving forward with hope. Brown replies that change is the only constant in the universe, and that a democratic socialist like New York's mayor frightens him a little because people do not understand the label.

Democracy's Future, Banquets, and Human Connection
Jones says young people feel democracy may be outliving itself, and she mentions a student club at her college that was trying to create a new form of government. Jones agrees that people do not truly understand socialism, but she says she still loves democracy as the best system humanity has built, even though it has been failing. Jones asks what Brown thinks of Trump's banquets with Chinese leaders, and Brown finds it strange given the tariffs and the talk of China abusing America. Jones adds that tech executives attended the event and asks what is happening behind the scenes while people feel their voices go unheard. Brown observes that people see what they want to see, recalling his grandmother's stereotypes and how people look for evidence to support their beliefs. Jones argues that Americans need one another to be happy, and she links falling happiness scores and rising suicide rates to a lack of human connection. Brown closes with a Sheryl Crow line, "It's not having what you want, but it's wanting what you have."

Financial Fitness with The Money Doctor with Frances Rahaim PhD

Turning Clutter Into Cash: Letting Go, Pricing Realistically, and Selling Smart

Dr. Frances Rahaim and co-host Jess Tyler talk about turning household clutter into cash, from the mindset of letting go to practical ways to sell, give away, or recycle what you no longer use. Frances shares stories from her own cleanout, including a cast-iron doorstop and a Santa Claus head set out at the curb, along with tips on pricing, organizing, and choosing where to sell.

A Change of Season Sparks a Cleanout
Dr. Frances Rahaim, The Money Doctor, opens the hour with Jess Tyler by describing how a change of season sets people off. Frances describes how one urge, a bee in the bonnet to clean out a single closet, can quickly turn into a whole-house project, and she admits she has been working through her own home a little at a time. The two agree that the goal is to turn clutter into cash, and Frances explains that selling, donating, giving away, or recycling are all options. Jess mentions that many people are planning tag sales before summer ends and that she spends time on Facebook Marketplace. Frances adds that most people have more stuff than they use, and that clutter often holds weight, sometimes tied to a history of scarcity. Her point is that cleaning out and getting finances in order tend to go together.

Hidden Value in Ordinary Household Items
Frances tells listeners that what they paid for an object is not what it is worth today. She describes a cast-iron doorstop she has owned for thirty-five or forty years, bought for about $10 or $15, which she looked up online at roughly $149 to $175. She stresses that asking prices only show what sellers hope for, while sold prices show real value. Frances also recalls a Santa Claus head she sculpted as a young woman, which she placed in a bag at the curb as a free item and saw vanish in less than five minutes. Jess mentions the show Flea Market Flip, where buyers profit by fixing up finds. Frances says that Facebook Marketplace works well for bulky items, that eBay reaches a wider audience for collectibles, and that she once sold her old jewelry tools to a buyer in Connecticut who was just starting out.

The Cost of Storing What We Own
Frances explains that clutter is not only a housekeeping problem, because possessions already paid for can keep costing money. She gives the example of a boat that sits unused yet is dry-docked every year, and of replacement tools bought because an original could not be found. Closets are a common trap, since people often rediscover items they forgot they owned. Frances notes that the change of season is a good moment to sell, because others are redecorating, cleaning out, or looking for bargains. Jess adds that clothing kept for a future size often never gets worn, and that a transfer station can charge around $20 or more to take an old television or mattress. Frances agrees that a fee at the transfer station pays for an item that often ends up in a landfill, while someone else might fix or use it.

Sorting Into Five Groups and Organizing
Frances recommends separating belongings into five groups: things to sell, things to donate, things to give to friends or family, items for recycling, and items to discard. She advises working one closet or cabinet at a time rather than the whole house at once. For electronics, she points listeners to the Staples website, which lists many items it will take, sometimes for free. She says she was told that Staples recycles parts and destroys hard drives, a claim she repeats only as something she heard. For storage, she recommends dry cleaner bags for seasonal blankets, laundered and fully dry, with a sachet tucked inside. She also uses Ziploc-style bags of about 14 by 16 inches, labeled with measurements such as a 52-by-52 tablecloth, so each item can be found without unpacking the whole stack.

Questions to Ask Before Letting Go
Frances offers questions to ask before parting with an item. Have you used it in the last year? Is there a realistic expectation that you will need it again soon? If you did not already own it, would you buy it today? Do you already own something that serves the same purpose, like the artist's easel she is selling after realizing she paints only a painting or two every couple of years? She warns that the hardest part is often guilt over what something cost, which leads people to list items too high. Jess agrees that sellers often ask nearly full price for used goods that a new one would beat. Frances suggests setting a time limit, such as a month, after which unsold items are dropped in price, moved to another platform, or donated. Jess adds a parenting tip: children often play with a toy once they learn it may be sold, and parents can split the proceeds among savings, a new item, or a gift for family.

Selling Venues, Pricing, and Listing Tips
Frances walks through the places to sell, including Facebook Marketplace, eBay for items with a wide audience, Vinted and Poshmark for clothing and higher-end handbags, local community marketplaces, consignment shops, yard sales, and specialty dealers or auction houses for truly valuable pieces. She mentions a paper block antique she is sending to an auction house. She tells a story about selling a camera lens to a man in Ireland, who now sends pictures he has taken with it. Jess describes a large community tag sale in Franklin County where a crowd of shoppers arrives in one day, and Frances says she attended the tag sale herself and found things she wanted. The two close with listing advice: photograph items beside a ruler, post a short video because video sells better than photos alone, and decide in advance how long to keep trying. Jess says she will be checking Frances's Facebook Marketplace listings, and the two share the phone number 413-773-3333 and the website hugyourmoney.com.

Bible News Prophecy with Dr Bob Thiel

Continuing Church of God 65

Superglue Screens, Digital Casinos, and the Armor of God

Dr Bob Thiel and co-host Steve Dupuis examine an NPR report on four design features that keep people glued to phones and apps, comparing them with video slot machines. Thiel links the trend to Bible warnings about Satan's natural-seeming ways and closes with Ephesians 6 counsel.

Phones, Apps, and an NPR Headline
Steve Dupuis opens the Bible News Prophecy program with a common observation: people in restaurants, on nature walks, and at sporting events have their noses in their cell phones. Dr. Bob Thiel agrees that mobile phones have benefits but says many people are at least semi-addicted to them. He reads from an NPR headline that describes four features that superglue kids and adults to screens. Thiel notes that two landmark cases found social media companies liable for harming children, and that Meta and Google want to appeal, disputing that their products are addictive. He then turns to the research of cultural anthropologist Natasha Dow Schüll of New York University, who pioneered work in this field. Thiel says the article's central comparison involves the casino industry, which sets up the next part of the conversation.

Digital Casinos and Video Slot Machines
Dupuis suggests that Meta and Google should simply admit that heavy use was the goal of their development departments, then asks how the apps connect to digital gambling. Thiel explains that the NPR article ties the design to video slot machines, which the casino industry gradually and purposely created in the 1980s and 1990s as what many scientists consider the most addictive form of gambling. He quotes the article's description of machines that can play for twenty-four or even forty-eight hours straight, with some players reportedly wearing adult diapers so they never have to stop gambling to use the restroom. Dupuis responds that this is sad and worse than drugs, and asks what the addiction actually consists of. Thiel answers that Schüll's research identified four key features that, combined, hold people on gambling devices and produce a trancelike state the article calls the machine zone or dark flow, in which people lose track of time and place.

Four Ingredients That Hold People
Thiel works through the article's four ingredients, which together form what it calls a superglue on apps. The first is solitude. Schüll says that when the relationship is just between a person and the machine, the social cues for stopping disappear. The second is bottomlessness, with videos on TikTok and YouTube and comments and photos on Instagram appearing automatically in seemingly endless supply. Schüll says there is no natural stopping point, so people never feel finished or satisfied. The third is speed, which Schüll connects to the gambling industry's research and to social media and video streaming, where faster scrolling makes it harder to pull away. The fourth is teasing, which neuroscientist Jonathan D. Morrow of the University of Michigan calls perhaps the most important. He explains that apps use AI to learn what a user hopes to find, then withhold the exact reward and offer something close, and a few clicks later something even closer.

Isaiah 55 and a Surgeon General Warning
Dupuis remarks that every search on his computer or phone brings up things he is almost looking for, and Thiel agrees the teasing feature shows up often in apps. Thiel says the same teasing principle drives gambling and pornography, which people spend large amounts of money on. He cites Isaiah 55:2, which asks why people spend their wages on what does not satisfy. Thiel adds that pornography was basically the major initial funding for the commercial internet, and that excessive social media use brings other problems as well. He then recalls a 2023 report from the US Surgeon General on teens and social media, which the office put out as a public statement calling for attention to an urgent public health issue. Thiel summarizes its finding that concerns about the effect of social media on youth's mental health are growing, while noting that the report did not look at everything and that its recommendations include things adults can do.

Algorithms, Bubbles, and Satan's Natural Ways
Dupuis asks whether the court rulings and the Surgeon General's call have finally addressed the risk. Thiel answers that despite the rulings, the concern remains, pointing to a second article headlined Social Media Algorithms Are Becoming Increasingly Dangerous. He reads its warning that algorithms are shaping how people communicate and behave, then quotes a first-person account of anxiety when an unanswered phone buzzes. Thiel mentions a Columbia University study finding that engagement-based algorithms amplify emotionally charged and opposing content, and quotes Jose Marichal of California Lutheran University on scrolling as a reward that frees people from boredom. Dupuis then asks whether any of this could be satanic. Thiel answers that in many ways it is how Satan works, citing 2 Corinthians 4:4 calling him the god of this world and Ephesians 2:2 calling him the prince of the power of the air. He says Satan's ways, including web design tricks, gambling, pornography, and algorithms, often seem natural and normal.

Three Steps and the Armor of God
Dupuis asks where things go from here, since everyone uses cell phones. Thiel offers three suggestions for children and adults: limit time spent on the internet or cell phones, never intentionally view pornography, and often keep mobile phones turned off. He then turns to Ephesians 6, reading from the New King James Version the call to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil, because the struggle is not against flesh and blood. Thiel stresses that Paul also urged praying always and supporting the spread of the gospel. He adds that people who do not want to do what God says cannot break Satan's influence, but with God's help they can change, citing Philippians 4:13. Thiel also recommends a video on changing one's life in five seconds, and closes that anyone can break the superglue of social media, gambling, or pornography by obeying God's word, relying on Jesus, and supporting God's work. Dupuis thanks him and points listeners to biblenewsprophecy.net.

Apple Pie Playground with Valerie

Let's go there, Christs

What does knowing that we know nothing have to do with Christ consciousness? Nothing? Let's talk.

The Value of Knowing Nothing and Witnessing Healing Through Presence

Valerie opens a solo hour on Apple Pie Playground by asking what it means to say "I know nothing," starting from a Hogan's Heroes memory and a story of healing she overheard at work. She explores justified true belief, letting go of falsehood, and why presence may matter more than knowledge when witnessing someone else's healing.

Welcome to the Playground and Hogan's Heroes
Valerie opens the hour by welcoming listeners back to the playground and thanking BBS for keeping it a safe place to be themselves. Her topic is the value of knowing nothing, which she links to Sergeant Hans Schultz, the character in the old comedy Hogan's Heroes who would say "I know nothing" whenever he had let something slip. She remembers the phrase from childhood and wants to explore what it could mean to say, in her words, I know that I know nothing. Before turning to theory, she shares a story she witnessed by accident earlier that week, which she describes as beautiful and says many listeners will recognize themselves in. She says she will be careful with the details so as not to give away too much information.

A Workplace Conversation That Shows Presence
Valerie describes a professional woman in a busy office who was approached regularly over several weeks by a client. Each visit he shared a little more of his life struggle, and she listened and encouraged him. On the day Valerie overheard them, he announced that he had been clean for over a month and wanted to share that excitement with her. The room was crowded and loud, with phones ringing and people calling for help, and the man leaned in until he stood right beside her workstation. She tried to acknowledge him, but she was pulled away, and when she returned her coffee had gone cold. She felt frustrated and bad that she could not give him the time he seemed to need. Valerie says that at one point the woman shrugged and told her, "He knows that I get it." In Valerie's reading, the woman had come through her own hardship, and the man sensed that healing energy and sought it out.

Presence, Electromagnetism, and the Law of Attraction
Valerie argues that the encounter was not an accident but the way healing is meant to work. She describes people as electromagnetic beings who send out a resonating frequency of information that others pick up without a word being spoken. When a person has healed trauma, addiction and self-doubt, she says, that healing cannot be stopped and begins to help others heal themselves. She links this to Christ consciousness and points to the golden halos in old portraits of Christ as a picture of the good work that creates a beacon for others. Valerie calls this the real law of attraction and describes humanity as a shared field of coalescing life-force energies. She then asks listeners whether Christos is only a human story in a book or something cosmic that everyone shares. She questions whether it makes sense to worship Christ as a figure set apart, since that worship keeps people separated from the Christ within themselves.

Letting Go of Falsehood Instead of Proving Truth
Valerie turns to the idea that knowing we know nothing might be a strength rather than a weakness. She suggests that the journey toward wisdom could be a process of negating falsehood rather than compiling truth, chipping away at false beliefs, views and identities by testing and observing each one. She admits that letting go is a difficult lesson for her, but says that detaching brings a sense of release, balance and an inner knowing. To examine knowledge itself, she walks through philosophy's definition of justified true belief, a belief that is accepted as true, factually accurate and supported by evidence. She notes that when proof is missing, what remains is theory, opinion or speculation, and that the definition is hard to pin down. Valerie then names the toll of prizing knowledge. She describes how arguments over who is right create social movements, political parties, religious affiliations and private clubs, and how knowledge can rank above compassion, friendship and equanimity. She says, "Somebody's right, and somebody's wrong," and calls that a heavy price to pay.

Enlightenment, Presence, and the Witness of Healing
Valerie asks whether listeners equate enlightenment with knowledge, with knowing exactly what to say and how to convince others. She wonders whether being a higher self means having to translate and sermonize grand ideas, or whether people imagine they must become a better form of perfect before they can witness someone else's healing. She asks if Christ has been misconceived as omniscient and unrelatable, and suggests he came into human history as a man so that he could relate to and understand people from within. She asks listeners to imagine a gentle encounter with him, sharing a need or a story of growth, and to ask what they would want most. Would it be more knowledge, or his presence, acceptance and compassion? She says the idea of knowing that we know nothing can fix that problem right away, moving people past words and proofs to a presence of the heart. The Dao, she adds, cautions against labeling and categorizing everything, which she says brings discord.

Imperfection, Compassion, and Changing the World
Valerie tells listeners they do not need to be clever, knowledgeable or intellectual to show up for someone who seeks them out. Compassion, openness, vulnerability and acceptance are enough, and energy does much of the work between people. She recalls that when people came to Christ they felt that energy, wanted to be near him and were moved, and that healing was a full-body experience he drew people into. She presents Christ as a model for pulling spirit into the soul and letting that flow reach those who are doing the work of healing. To those who feel they must do more and grow frustrated, she says that accepting the Christos growing inside them changes everything, and that evolution into a new age of divinity will follow. She closes with a call to be present, listen, love and witness the healing of others. The final minutes of the source transcript repeat the same few lines several times, so the exact closing wording is uncertain. Valerie thanks BBS and her listeners, before signing off.

One Voice with Dr Pastor Larry Montgomery

Israel's War

Psalm 83 and the Coming War Against Israel: Enemies, Election, and a Call to Revival

Dr Pastor Larry Montgomery preaches on the coming war against Israel, arguing from 2 Chronicles 20 and Psalm 83 that the enemies are Islamic nations descended from Esau and Ishmael. He closes by calling his congregation to revival and to falling in love with Jesus again.

Opening Words and Why This Is Not Ezekiel's War
Dr Pastor Larry Montgomery opens the hour with a greeting and a confession that he is perplexed by the circumstances facing the nation, adding that his listeners should be perplexed too. He tells them they are being fed lies from every brand known to mankind. He says he is convinced that the coming conflict is not the war described in Ezekiel 38 and 39, because the enemies are different. Montgomery explains that the wars of those chapters and of Revelation involve Russia, Iran, and even Egypt, while the nations he names in the current threat are Muslim nations. He argues that Russia has shown little animosity toward Jews, apart from expelling them during the war, and that the United States has shown the same restraint until now. The difference, he says, is religion, and he claims that more than half of the Russian army is Muslim. He admits some of what he says will draw criticism, as it has before, but says he is not fearful.

Jehoshaphat, the Singers, and the Echoing Valley
Montgomery turns the congregation to 2 Chronicles chapter 20, where King Jehoshaphat stands before the Lord as the armies of Moab and Ammon come against Israel. He reads the king's prayer, which asks God to judge the enemy and confesses that Israel has no might against so great a company. Montgomery stresses that the king's eyes are fixed on God, and he says he wishes Israel's leadership would make that same public statement today. God's answer, as he tells it, is to send singers down into the valley ahead of the army, singing that God's mercy endures forever. Montgomery describes the song echoing off the rocks until the enemy hears what seems like millions of voices and turns on itself. He notes that no Hebrew sword is drawn and that the spoil takes several trips to carry away. He says he has been telling his wife all week that he is looking for God to work a miracle, and he expects this war to draw Israel back together.

Psalm 83 and the Enemies of God
Montgomery moves to Psalm 83, which he describes as a portrait of this same war, noting that the psalms are prophecy too. He reads the psalmist's cry, 'Keep not silent, O God,' and draws attention to the words 'Lo, thine enemies.' He states plainly that the armies against Israel are the enemies of God, and that the psalm describes them making a tumult and taking crafty counsel against God's hidden ones. He quotes the plot to cut Israel off from being a nation so that its name may be no more in remembrance. Montgomery says the purpose of Islam, in his view, is to eradicate Israel, because its followers hate God and anything that represents him. He reads verse five, in which the enemies consult together with one consent, and he names Edom and the Ishmaelites among them. He tells the congregation that the Arab world, for the most part, descends from Esau and Ishmael, and that this lineage is the key to the whole conflict.

Esau, Ishmael, and the Chosen Seed of Jacob
Montgomery presses the point that God did not choose Ishmael or Esau. He says God states plainly in Genesis, Malachi, and Romans, and hints in Hebrews, that 'Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.' He explains that Esau is left out as far as spiritual things are concerned, though not as far as physical things, and that the one God hates becomes a hater of God. The promise, he says, runs through Jacob and the twelve tribes, leaving the other descendants of Abraham outside it. Montgomery claims God revealed himself only to the nation he chose and left the other nations in silence. He then turns to Deuteronomy 7, reading that Israel is a holy people, chosen to be a special people above all the peoples on the earth. He admits that Israel is rebellious and easily drawn into idolatry, yet insists God judges them and brings them home rejoicing. He says Israel has not known peace in the land since it was re-established.

A Preacher's Question and Warnings About the Church
Montgomery recounts a phone call from a preacher who asked whether the current fighting meant the battle of Armageddon and whether he was still pretribulation. Montgomery tells him it is not yet Armageddon, though this war could set the stage for it, and says the hatred of God is being uncovered both overseas and in the United States. He says that people walking the city streets, and people sitting in churches who would like to walk with them, are, in his words, children of hell. He says he told Ginger that God might open the earth and swallow these people right into hell. He says he has preached for at least twenty-five years that the church of Revelation is not the Catholic Church but the Muslim religion, and that people once argued with him. He describes Islam as beginning around 600 AD and being kept among the Arabs for years. Montgomery turns to churches, saying most groups that call themselves churches are not worshipers of the God of the Bible, and that the same spirit that drives Islam drives hatred for God in them.

The Gaza Hospital Claim and a Call to Revival
Montgomery turns to Congress and to the universities, which he calls higher schools of ignorance, and says Congress should be expelled 'not next week, but now.' He tells the congregation that the world has turned against Israel over a hospital explosion in Gaza, and argues that Islamist forces launched a weapon that ran out of fuel and fell short. He says early reports claimed more than 500 people died, but he believes the figure is closer to 200, who died in the parking lot rather than the hospital. He uses this to argue that Israel did not carry out the attack. Montgomery also mentions a figure he calls Barney, whom he says can see only one direction. He then makes a plea for revival, saying he does not want to go to heaven lukewarm but boiling, loving the Lord. He urges the church to fall in love with Jesus again, pointing to the church in Revelation that has left its first love. He closes by inviting the congregation to pray for the God of glory and for one another.