Breaking Battlegrounds

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, friend of the show Mark Joseph Mongilutz returns to discuss the column he wrote for us recently, How to Prevent AI from Tricking Us in the 2024 Election. Later in the program, Jimmy Quinn of the eNational Review calls in to discuss the threat China poses to the US. -Mark Joseph Mongilutz is a writer, editor, author, and occasional book consultant. He is presently working as a full-time content manager for Haymaker, a finance-focused Substack newsletter, and has recently launched Opinions Impending (also on Substack), via which he will share his political/cultural writings on a semi-weekly basis. Mark is the author of Solemn Duty in the Old Guard (2018) and editor of Voices of the 9/11 Pentagon Recovery Effort: Essays from the U.S. Army’s Old Guard (2020). Originally from Western Washington, Mark now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.-Jimmy Quinn is the national security correspondent for National Review. He was previously a William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism at National Review Institute.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are honored to be joined by Oklahoma’s Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell and Alabama’s Congressman Barry Moore. Later in the show, former Fox News executive, Ken LaCorte, calls in with his take on the Tucker Carlson firing.-Matt Pinnell was elected as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma on November 6, 2018. Pinnell is President of the Oklahoma State Senate and serves on multiple constitutional boards and commissions. He is also Secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage on Governor Kevin Stitt’s cabinet.Pinnell is the chief marketer of Oklahoma and spends much of his time promoting tourism, Oklahoma’s third largest industry. In partnership with the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, he launched the Oklahoma Fishing Trail, Oklahoma Road Trip, and the pandemic driven 'OK Here We Go' campaigns, which have generated more than $91 million in revenue since 2019. He also spearheaded renovation projects within Oklahoma State Parks, providing necessary updates to bathrooms, lodges, and campgrounds. The total impact of state parks on local economies recently topped $413 million.Pinnell is a recruiter for companies looking to move or expand to Oklahoma. Each year, he hosts the Lt. Governor’s Turkey Hunt, a two-week event that showcases Oklahoma to prospective out-of-state companies and site selection representatives. He launched a statewide rebrand in 2020, a campaign that has streamlined state agency processes and saved taxpayer dollars.As an entrepreneur himself, Pinnell champions small business growth. He serves on the Oklahoma Department of Commerce committee focused on small business growth, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. In 2022, he launched ‘A Look at Oklahoma CareerTech,’ a video interview series that showcases the education and employment opportunities the state’s CareerTech system provides.Matt has an advertising degree from Oral Roberts University. He lives in Tulsa with his wife of 20 years and their four children.-Born and raised on a family farm in Coffee County, Alabama, Barry Moore is a veteran, small business owner and former member of the Alabama State House.After high school, Barry joined the Alabama National Guard and Reserves, serving for six years. During that time he also pursued a degree in Agriculture Science at Auburn University, and joined the Auburn ROTC Army Ranger Challenge Team.Barry's first job out of college was in the animal pharmaceutical industry, but Barry returned to his home town of Enterprise to start Hopper-Moore Inc., an industrial waste hauling company, which has also been an Alabama general contractor for more than two decades.In 2010, Barry was recruited to run for the Alabama State House to represent District 91 and served for eight years, including as Chairman of the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and Vice-Chair of the Small Business and Commerce Committee.Barry and his wife and business partner, Heather, are the proud parents of four children - Jeremy (married to Brittany), Kathleen (married to 1LT Jack Whitfield), Claudia and Jeb. They are active members of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Enterprise.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are joined by Congressman John Rutherford of Florida’s Fifth Congressional District and Vincent Vernuccio, a senior fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.-John Rutherford (FL-05) is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He sits on the House Ethics Committee and House Appropriations Committee, where he serves on three subcommittees: Homeland Security, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.John has lived in Jacksonville, Florida since 1958, and attended Florida Junior College and Florida State University where he studied Criminology. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, 171st Session and the National Executive Institute. He began his career in law enforcement in 1974 as a patrolman in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, working his way up through the JSO where he eventually served as Director.In 2003, 2007, and 2011, John was elected Sheriff of Duval County. For three terms and twelve years, John ran a 3,200 employee office, and due to his effective leadership, homicide and overall violent crime in Jacksonville dropped to a 40-year low. Using a model of intelligence-led and community-based policing, John and his team of law enforcement professionals dramatically improved neighborhoods and prevented crime throughout the community. He also made the mental health component of the criminal justice system a priority, reducing the recidivism rates of the mentally ill and facilitating their treatment. John also served as Chair of the Legislative Committee for Florida Sheriff's Association, where he advocated before the legislature for policies that strengthened constitutional rights, supported our law enforcement, and enhanced public safety across the state.John has been happily married to his wonderful wife Pat for fifty years. They enjoy their two children, six grandchildren and great grandson, and they are also devoted members of Assumption Catholic Church in Jacksonville.-F. Vincent Vernuccio is a senior fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He served as the Mackinac Center's director of labor policy between 2012 and 2017.Vernuccio is a graduate of the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Mich. Under President George W. Bush he served as special assistant to the assistant secretary for administration and management in the Department of Labor.Vernuccio has published articles and op-eds in such newspapers and magazines as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, The Washington Times, National Review, Forbes and The American Spectator. He has been cited in several books, and he is a frequent contributor on national television and radio shows, such as "Your World" with Neil Cavuto and Varney and Company.Vernuccio is a sought-after voice on labor panels nationally and in Washington, D.C. and as a regular guest on Fox News channels.He has advised senators and congressmen on a multitude of labor-related issues. He testified before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and Labor Policy.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, former state senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita fills in for Chuck. She and Sam are joined by Dr. Greg Autry, a Clinical Professor of Space Leadership, Policy and Business in the Thunderbird School of Global Management and an Affiliate Professor with the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University. Later in the show, Dan McLaughlin returns to give us an update on the Trump indictment. -Dr. Greg Autry is a Clinical Professor of Space Leadership, Policy and Business in the Thunderbird School of Global Management and an Affiliate Professor with the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University. He also holds an appointment as Visiting Professor with the Institute for Security Science and Technology at Imperial College London. He has consulted on a series of AI and space tech videos for the University of Oxford. He previously taught technology entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California, strategy, macroeconomics at the University of California at Irvine, and space entrepreneurship in an International Space University program at the Florida Institute of Technology. Dr. Autry served on the 2016 NASA Agency Review Team and as the White House Liaison at NASA in 2017. He was nominated by the president to serve as Chief Financial Officer of NASA in 2020. Dr. Autry also served as Chair of the Safety Working Group on the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) at the FAA. He is currently the Vice President for Space Development of the National Space Society. He has testified to the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and presented at the Canadian Parliament.His writings have been published in major news outlets including Foreign Policy, the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal and Space News. Dr. Autry has appeared frequently in major media outlets including the BBC, CNN and NPR. He has published several business case studies set in the commercial space sector available at Harvard Business School Publishing. He is the author of The New Entrepreneurial Dynamic(Flatworld 2022) and Death by China (Pearson 2011). He serves on the editorial review boards of: The New Space Journal and The Journal Space Safety Engineering.Dr. Autry started his career as a software and network engineer and has founded and managed several businesses in the technology sector. Dr. Autry holds a BA from California Polytechnic University at Pomona and an MBA and PhD from the Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine.-Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute. He was formerly an attorney practicing securities and commercial litigation in New York City, a contributing editor of RedState, columnist at the Federalist and the New Ledger, a baseball blogger at BaseballCrank.com, BostonSportsGuy.com, the Providence Journal Online, and a contributor to the Command Post. His writings on politics, baseball, and law have appeared in numerous other newspapers, magazines, websites, and legal journals.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, our friend Dan McLaughlin joins us to talk about the Trump indictment. Later in the show, we are honored to be joined by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi.-Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute. He was formerly an attorney practicing securities and commercial litigation in New York City, a contributing editor of RedState, columnist at the Federalist and the New Ledger, a baseball blogger at BaseballCrank.com, BostonSportsGuy.com, the Providence Journal Online, and a contributor to the Command Post. His writings on politics, baseball, and law have appeared in numerous other newspapers, magazines, websites, and legal journals.-Roger F. Wicker has represented Mississippi in the United States Senate since December 2007. During his time in the Senate, Wicker has championed pro-growth policies to create jobs, limit federal overreach, protect life, and maintain a strong national defense.Wicker is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee for the 118th Congress. Wicker is also a senior member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, having served previously as the chairman and ranking member for the 116th and 117th Congresses, respectively. His other committee assignments include the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Rules and Administration Committee.Wicker is a ranking member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and Vice President of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly. Wicker also serves as a member of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Congressional Board of Visitors.Wicker authored the “Securing the Homeland by Increasing our Power on the Seas (SHIPS) Act,” which made it the policy of the United States to achieve the Navy’s requirement for a 355-ship fleet. This legislation, which was designed to bolster national security and increase American shipbuilding capacity, was signed into law by President Trump as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.Senator Wicker has been a strong advocate for economic development initiatives to help keep Mississippians competitive in a global marketplace. He has been honored by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) for his work on pro-growth, pro-manufacturing policies in Congress.Senator Wicker has actively supported cancer survivorship programs and efforts to fight heart disease with the American Heart Association, diabetes, childhood obesity, and Alzheimer's. He has been recognized as a "champion" of polio eradication for his work to wipe out polio worldwide. Senator Wicker is the co-founder of the Senate Malaria and Neglected Tropical Disease Caucus and the co-chair of the Rare Disease Caucus.He has been instrumental in bringing more research funding to Mississippi universities for a wide range of health-related projects to fight disease and improve quality of life. Most notably, Wicker authored the Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education (MD CARE) Act of 2001, which created NIH centers of excellence to coordinate and enhance muscular dystrophy research. The Wicker Project at Children's National Medical Center is a leader in muscular dystrophy research.Prior to his service in the Senate, Wicker was elected seven times, beginning in 1994, to represent Mississippi’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives. Before being elected to Congress, he served in the state Senate on behalf of Lee and Pontotoc counties.Senator Wicker served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and then joined the Air Force Reserve. He retired from the Reserve in 2004 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.A native of Pontotoc, Mississippi, the Senator is the son of the late Circuit Judge Fred Wicker and Mrs. Wordna Wicker. He was educated in the public schools of Pontotoc and received his B.A. and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. Wicker is a member of the First Baptist Church Tupelo, where he served as chairman of the deacons, taught Sunday School, and where he still sings in the choir.Senator Wicker is married to the former Gayle Long of Tupelo. They have three children: Margaret and son-in-law Manning McPhillips; Caroline and son-in-law Kirk Sims; and McDaniel Wicker and his wife Kellee; and eight grandchildren: Caroline, Henry, Maury Beth, and Virginia McPhillips; Evelyn and Joseph Sims; and Philippa and Julia Wicker.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are honored to be joined by friend of the show, Congressman David Schweikert of Arizona’s First Congressional District. Later in the show, we check in with Ilan Wurman, who is working on a critical lawsuit over “The Zone,” a homeless encampment in downtown Phoenix. -David Schweikert is serving his fifth term in the United States Congress.  He holds a seat on the Ways and Means Committee, and serves as the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. Prior to his service on the Ways and Means Committee, David served on the House Committee on Financial Services.David also sits on the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, Co-Chairs the Valley Fever Task force with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and is the Republican Co-Chair of both the Blockchain Caucus, the Tunisia Caucus and the Caucus on Access to Capital and Credit.Among his legislative accomplishments, David was instrumental in authoring and passing the JOBS ACT into law. The bill was signed by the President in April 2012. Having previously served as Chairman of the EPA Oversight Subcommittee on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee; David championed key reforms such as the Secret Science Reform Act, which has passed the House of Representatives.A national leader on tribal policy, David draws on a unique background working with Arizona’s tribal communities on important priorities.   He is always eager to take on a technical challenge.As a strong advocate for efficiencies in the 21st Century economy, David collaborates with entrepreneurs and innovators in Arizona and around the world on ways to increase trade and drive economic growth.  David is the co-chair of the Blockchain Caucus, and has championed technological innovations as the solution to the problems of over-burdensome government regulations.-Ilan Wurman is an associate professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he teaches administrative law and constitutional law. He writes primarily on the Fourteenth Amendment, administrative law, separation of powers, and constitutionalism. His academic writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the Yale Law Journal, the Stanford Law Review, the University of Chicago Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the Virginia Law Review, the Duke Law Journal, the Minnesota Law Review, and the Texas Law Review among other journals. He is also the author of A Debt Against the Living: An Introduction to Originalism (Cambridge 2017), and The Second Founding: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Amendment (Cambridge 2020).-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are joined by Congresswoman Laurel Lee of Florida’s 15th Congressional District and Doug Kelly, CEO of the American Edge Project.-Congresswoman Laurel Lee proudly represents the 15th District of Florida. Prior to her election to the U.S. House of Representatives, she served as Florida’s 36th Secretary of State under the DeSantis Administration from January 2019 to May 2022.Congresswoman Laurel Lee was sworn into office in the United States House of Representatives on January 3, 2023.  She proudly represents the 15th District of Florida which encompasses eastern Hillsborough county including Thonotosassa and Plant City, and part of Brandon, as well as parts of Pasco and Polk counties including Zephyrhills and west Lakeland.A wife, mother, and daughter of a two-star general in the United States Air Force, Laurel is committed to ensuring that the 15th District of Florida’s voice is represented in Congress. Laurel grew up in a military family, born at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. As a life-long public servant, Laurel is focused on bringing common-sense solutions to Washington that will encourage job growth, limit government overreach, secure our borders, and bolster our economic and national security. Prior to her election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Laurel served as Florida’s 36th Secretary of State under the DeSantis Administration from January 2019 to May 2022. During her tenure, she worked to strengthen Florida’s elections infrastructure and cybersecurity defenses and ensured accurate and secure elections in the state. From 2013-2019, Laurel served as a Circuit Court Judge in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Court in Hillsborough County, appointed by then-Governor Rick Scott. Before becoming a judge, she served as a federal prosecutor for the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida. As a federal prosecutor, she investigated and litigated False Claims Act cases and initiated and prosecuted a wide range of criminal offenses, including white-collar crime, violent crime, and offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children. Laurel serves on House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. Her main focus on these committees includes government accountability and transparency and protecting our nation from threats both abroad and at home. During her first week in office, Laurel introduced the REINS Act to remove burdensome government regulations for Floridians. This legislation reins in harmful regulations, limits executive overreach, and protects all Americans from unelected and unchecked Washington bureaucrats. Laurel is a graduate of the University of Florida where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1996 and received her law degree in 1999.Laurel lives in eastern Hillsborough County with her husband, Tom, and their three children. -Doug Kelly is the CEO of the American Edge Project, a coalition dedicated to the proposition that American innovators are an essential part of U.S. economic health, national security and individual freedoms.Doug’s lived experience drew him to American Edge’s mission. Raised in a small Michigan town that lost 43 percent of its manufacturing jobs over two decades, he saw firsthand the painful consequences of what happens when policymakers don’t vigorously protect what gives our country and our communities a competitive edge.Concerned that lawmakers were making the same mistake with the U.S. technology industry, Doug joined AEP as Chief Executive Officer in September 2021 to spearhead AEP’s effort to protect America’s technology innovation edge.An accomplished, values-driven executive, Doug has spent his entire career as a relentless force for good in transforming lives at the national, state, and local levels. He brings to AEP a deep background in politics, advocacy, technology, and organization building.For 20 years, he served in senior leadership roles in the political sector, deeply engaged in Presidential, Gubernatorial, and other statewide campaigns. Over his career, Doug has successfully led three separate large-scale transformation efforts in technology, organization building, and fundraising.Doug also served as President & CEO of Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, & Indiana, the largest chapter of Make-A-Wish in the country and also founded a strategic consulting firm, Big Change Strategies, which coached executives to higher performance and developed growth and impact strategies for advocacy and nonprofit organizations.Doug lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, Linda. He has two college-aged children and a faithful pound dog named Tony, who has an endless appetite for chew toys and trail running.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are joined by Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri’s 7th Congressional District. He is a sixth-generation Missourian with 20 years of private sector experience as an investment advisor and software consultant.  -Congressman Burlison is a sixth-generation Missourian with 20 years of private sector experience as an investment advisor and software consultant.  He is a 1995 graduate from Parkview High School in Springfield, and he received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Master of Business Administration from Missouri State University. He was elected to represent Missouri’s 7th Congressional District in 2022.He previously represented the 20th Senatorial District, comprising of Christian County and part of Greene County, from 2019 to 2023. Before his election to the Missouri Senate, he represented the 133rd District in the Missouri House of Representatives. In his free time, Sen. Burlison enjoys hunting and fishing in the Ozarks. He and his wife, Angie, are active members of their church and passionate about supporting campus ministries. They live in Battlefield with their two daughters, Reese and Aubrey.-David Catanese is a Washington-based political writer ready to feed your political appetite but also challenge you on some of life's larger quandaries. He's written for McClatchy, The Atlantic, U.S. News & World Report & Politico.-Jon Levine is a political reporter for the Sunday New York Post. His work covers city, state and national politics. He has worked on significant continuing stories and investigations, including Hunter Biden and the 2020 presidential election. A native New Yorker, he previously worked as a media reporter for TheWrap and Mediaite. His work has been featured on CNN.com, The Atlantic, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. When he’s not working, he’s thinking about work.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegroundsAre you getting ready for retirement? Invest in a portfolio with a high, fixed rate of return, that’s not correlated to the stock market. Visit investyrefy.com or call CALL 888-YREFY-24. Make sure you tell our friends at Yrefy that Chuck and Sam sent you. Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are joined by Congressman James Moylan of Guam and Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute.-Congressman James Moylan proudly serves as Guam’s congressional delegate to the 118th United States Congress.As the first Republican to win the seat on Guam in nearly 30 years, Moylan's victory was historic.He is a strong and trustworthy leader who’s focused on issues that affect Guamanians most.Moylan believes island residents have a right to know what’s happening in their governing offices. Therefore, he has created an open door policy allowing constituents to have their concerns addressed.Moylan’s history of service includes his time as a senator in the 35th and 36th Guam Legislature, a Veteran of the United States army and a parole officer at the Department of Corrections.Additionally, Moylan has more than two decades of experience working in the private sector, including healthcare, financial services, and insurance.In his current position, Moylan serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.  Both Committees address issues that are vital to Guam.Additionally, Moylan is a native of Guam and is from the village of Tumon. He graduated from John F Kennedy High School and continued to the University of Guam where he obtained a  bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice.  Most of all, Moylan is a proud father to Abby and Krissy Moylan.-Frederick M. Hess is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he works on K–12 and higher education issues. The author of Education Week’s popular blog “Rick Hess Straight Up,” Dr. Hess is also an executive editor of Education Next, and a regular contributor to Forbes and the Hill. He is the founder and chairman of AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network.An educator, political scientist, and author, Dr. Hess has published in scholarly outlets, such as American Politics Quarterly, Harvard Education Review, Social Science Quarterly, Teachers College Record, and Urban Affairs Review. His work has also appeared in popular outlets including the Atlantic, National Affairs, the Dispatch, Fox News, National Review, the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.His books include A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K–12 Education (Teachers College Press, 2021), Letters to a Young Education Reformer (Harvard Education Press, 2017), The Cage-Busting Teacher (Harvard Education Press, 2015), Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age: Using Learning Science to Reboot Schooling (Corwin, 2013), Cage-Busting Leadership (Harvard Education Press, 2013), The Same Thing Over and Over: How School Reformers Get Stuck in Yesterday’s Ideas (Harvard University Press, 2010), Education Unbound: The Promise and Practice of Greenfield Schooling (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2010), Common Sense School Reform (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2004), Revolution at the Margins: The Impact of Competition on Urban School Systems (Brookings Institution Press, 2002), and Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform (Brookings Institution Press, 1998).Dr. Hess started his career as a high school social studies teacher. He has taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Rice University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University. He is also the senior founding fellow of the Public Education Foundation’s Leadership Institute of Nevada.Dr. Hess has an MA and a PhD in government, in addition to an MEd in teaching and curriculum, from Harvard University. He also has a BA in political science from Brandeis University.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegroundsINVEST IN A PORTFOLIO WITH A HIGH, FIXED RATE OF RETURN, THAT’S NOT CORRELATED TO THE STOCK MARKET. VISIT INVESTYREFY.COM OR CALL 888-YREFY-24. AND MAKE SURE YOU TELL OUR FRIENDS AT YREFY THAT CHUCK AND SAM SENT YOU. Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are joined first by Congressman Keith Self to get his thoughts on the war in Ukraine and the crisis at our own border. Later in show, we check in with Congressman Eli Crane of Arizona’s Second Congressional District. -Keith Self was born in a military hospital during his father’s service in the United States Army and was raised in Texas.  After graduation from High School in Amarillo, he accepted an appointment to The United States Military Academy at West Point, where he began a 25-year career of service to our country.Keith’s Army tours included Airborne Infantry Platoon Leader, Airborne Infantry Company Commander, Special Forces Detachment Commander and Special Forces Company Commander.  His service took him to Europe, the Middle East, and the Pentagon, where he worked on the most sensitive military programs.  He deployed to Grenada, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraqi Freedom. During his career, Keith received the Master Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, and Joint Staff Badge.  He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.Upon retiring from the Army, Keith was elected County Judge in Collin County, TX, in 2006.  He served three consecutive terms before retiring in 2018.Keith and his wife Tracy have been happily married since his graduation from West Point.  They reside in McKinney, TX and are active members in their church and local community.-Born and raised in Arizona, Eli Crane has the privilege of serving as the U.S. Representative for Arizona’s Second Congressional District.A week after the September 11th attacks, Rep. Crane left college during his senior year at the University of Arizona to enlist in the U.S. Navy. During his 13 years in military service, he participated in five wartime deployments – serving three with SEAL Team 3.In 2012, Rep. Crane and his wife Jen co-founded a veteran-owned and operated small business that manufactures bottle openers made from shell casings. A venture that started in their garage, the business eventually grew to employ dozens and led to a successfully negotiated deal that was televised nationally. They sold the company in 2022.Eli and Jen live in Arizona with their two daughters, Makenzie and Kennedy.-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegroundsINVEST IN A PORTFOLIO WITH A HIGH, FIXED RATE OF RETURN, THAT’S NOT CORRELATED TO THE STOCK MARKET. VISIT INVESTYREFY.COM OR CALL 888-YREFY-24. AND MAKE SURE YOU TELL OUR FRIENDS AT YREFY THAT CHUCK AND SAM SENT YOU. Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe