The Wake Up America show with Austin Petersen
Wake Up America with Austin Petersen delivers a fast, fearless daily breakdown of politics, culture, economics, and the biggest stories shaping the country. Hear sharp commentary, real data, and interviews with lawmakers, journalists, experts, and rising voices—new episodes Monday through Friday.
Kamala Harris’s Shadow Campaign Freezes the 2028 Democratic Field
Kamala Harris has not announced a 2028 campaign, but Gavin Newsom already says he would not run if she does. Austin examines how Harris's shadow campaign is freezing the Democratic field while rivals use the midterms to audition.
Jon Miltimore joins to explain why grocery bills, coffee, housing and health care still feel punishing even when inflation cools. Bill Sack of the Second Amendment Foundation then breaks down the ATF's current National Firearms Act guidance for suppressors, short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns—and the future-enforcement risks gun owners still need to understand.
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Abdul El-Sayed Says He’ll Win Big, but Michigan Is Dead Even
Abdul El-Sayed predicts a double-digit win over Mike Rogers, but Michigan's Senate race remains dead even. Austin and Stephanie examine the October 7 fault line, AIPAC spending, campaign responsiveness, economic pressure and the voters who could decide control.
They also debate Marco Rubio's case for Western confidence, war and peace, ancient Greek citizen-soldiers, taxation and private infrastructure. Justin Petersen joins to discuss woke politics inside the Episcopal Church, sexuality, faith, doubt and the foundations of Western civilization.
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Can Republicans Hold the Senate? The Midterm Math Nobody Is Explaining
Can Republicans hold the Senate through the final two years of President Trump's term? Austin maps the decisive races, runoff risk and ranked-choice uncertainty.
He also examines Kelly Carnes' claim that a Baltimore arts organization fired her after she returned from Burning Man with braids and what Maryland's CROWN Act actually covers. Camellia Peterson discusses aging parents, scams, driving, dignity and power of attorney. Andrew Moser tackles the pledge to accept the midterm results, candidate quality and turnout.
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Firing Squads Are Back: The Lie of Humane Execution
Can the state execute anyone humanely? Austin examines President Trump's approval of a firing squad for Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hasan, Christa Pike's failed lethal injection and what execution-method failure rates reveal.
Judge Andrew Napolitano joins to explain Suncor v. Boulder County, federal jurisdiction and due-process questions surrounding the Cornell 7. Jeremy Kauffman debates consent standards, online mobs, hookup culture and personal responsibility.
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Boomers vs. Your Paycheck: Who Pays for Social Security?
Should young workers pay higher taxes to protect today's Social Security checks? Austin follows the money from the 2032 trust-fund deadline to the housing squeeze facing first-time buyers.
Camellia Peterson joins to debate intergenerational fairness, reform and family responsibility. Ryan Vet looks ahead to the Class of 2039, school phone bans, AI, self-driving cars and whether the future can become more human.
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Who Owns the Moon? America’s Race for Lunar Power
Who gets to write the rules when the first permanent lunar settlement is built? Austin follows the treaties, resource claims and nuclear-reactor race behind his argument that Americans are the Moon's indigenous people.
Kathy Barnette joins for a debate over Vivek Ramaswamy, American identity and the MAGA coalition, before Joshua Abernathy reports from the midterm ground game on turnout, state races and gas prices.
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Ms. Rachel’s Gaza Activism Puts Parental Trust on Trial
When a preschool favorite enters the Israel and Gaza debate, how should parents weigh politics against the trust they place in children's programming? Austin and Stephanie Petersen examine the backlash surrounding Ms. Rachel.
They then confront the Netherlands' euthanasia of a very young child and what families, doctors and governments owe children who cannot decide for themselves. The discussion turns to Tennessee's failed execution of Krista Pike before Justin Petersen joins for a careful look at the Cornell fraternity case, due process and the difference between allegations and proof.
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Where Is the Evidence? The Lindsay Clancy Case Takes a Sharp Turn
After a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case, her defense asks a startling new question: where is the evidence that she committed the killings? Austin Petersen examines the new argument, Massachusetts' criminal-responsibility standard, double jeopardy and the next court hearing.
Camellia Peterson joins to discuss a federal fight over reimbursement for Christian homeschool curriculum, school choice and education spending. Tom Pappert then breaks down Ken Paxton's fundraiser comments, split-ticket polling, midterm turnout, prices, fuel and Iran.
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Candace Owens Under Fire: Lawsuits, Power and ’Just Asking Questions’
Candace Owens faces a federal defamation lawsuit after a private Utah man says her Charlie Kirk coverage sent millions of viewers toward him and upended his life. Austin Petersen examines what separates skepticism from an implied factual accusation—and why a question mark may not settle the legal issue.
Judge Andrew Napolitano joins to debate due process, overseas boat strikes, presidential war powers, spending and American nationhood. Andrew Follett then grades Trump's libertarian record on EPA rules, land use, USAID, the federal workforce and nuclear regulation.
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Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ Welfare Gamer Ad Splits the Right
Sarah Huckabee Sanders' welfare-to-work ad turns Brad the gamer into a political flashpoint—and starts a fight over who Republicans blame for dependency. Austin Petersen examines Arkansas' ARHOME rules and the ad's racial and generational stereotypes.
Camellia Peterson joins to debate tradwife economics, social-media algorithms and the line between leadership and control. Kurt Schlichter argues that frustrated conservatives still have to choose between imperfect options in the midterms, explains his case for the Iran war, and previews American Warlord.
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Who Counts as a Real American? Vivek vs. the Heritage Right
Who counts as American—and should parts of the right punish Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio? Austin Petersen traces the H-1B blowup, Vivek's DOGE exit and the identity fight surrounding his campaign.
Kathy Barnette joins to argue over ancestry, citizenship, assimilation, America's founding creed and whether MAGA can remain a broad working-class coalition. Austin also asks what children lose when schools ban dodgeball, Red Rover, tag and other ordinary playground risks.
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Does Iced Coffee Cost Gen Z the Job?
Is bringing iced coffee to a job interview harmless self-expression—or a warning about judgment? Austin Petersen and Allie Voss take on etiquette, ableism, classism, social conventions and whether Gen Z knows which battles are worth fighting.
Austin also tests eleven workplace phrases that drive Boomers crazy, from gaslighting to mental-health days, and examines Daniel McCarthy's warning that Republican purity spirals could cost the GOP competitive Senate races.
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Who Killed Libertarianism? Daniel McCarthy’s Autopsy
Daniel McCarthy declared libertarianism dead. Austin Petersen reads the autopsy, concedes the movement's political losses and market failures, then argues that marginalization is not the same as defeat.
Judge Andrew Napolitano joins to examine the McKenna West surrogacy dispute, competing parentage claims, due process and Justice Kagan's denial of an emergency stay. Rep. Bob Onder breaks down Missouri's congressional-map fight, the Eighth Circuit ruling, ballots already in motion and the claim that 1.2 million primary voters were disenfranchised.
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The Juror Who Wouldn’t Budge in the Lindsay Clancy Trial
One juror refused to join the 11-1 split in the Lindsay Clancy trial, forcing a mistrial and becoming the target of intense public pressure. Austin Petersen and Camellia Petersen examine Michael Desronvil's stand, attorney Edward Paltzik's defense of him and the argument over postpartum psychosis and accountability.
Austin also lays out five memories children carry from strong homes and the case of a New York honors student suspended over a latte. Jack Francis of Red Eagle Politics joins to break down the GOP's advertising advantage, Democratic midterm anxiety, Kamala Harris's tour, the Iran war and the 2028 Republican...
Ed Sheeran Defies the Stadium Speech Police
Ed Sheeran stepped onto a Philadelphia stadium stage alone after Macklemore was removed, openers quit and promoters threatened to block shows. Austin Petersen examines Sheeran's answer on Gaza, the October 7 Nova festival attack and whether venue pre-approval has any place in the free world.
Dan McCarthy of The Heritage Foundation breaks down the House and Senate midterm map, Republican enthusiasm and the GOP's post-Trump future. Colonel Rob Maness joins Austin on Speaker Mike Johnson's House recess, Thomas Massie's Pete Hegseth impeachment articles, the Epstein files push, H-1B visas, assimilation and the backlash involving Bo French, Dinesh...
Bo French’s Texas Post Ignites a GOP Fight Over Race and Citizenship
Bo French's post about South Asian students celebrating a University of Texas football victory triggered a Republican fight over race, citizenship, immigration and who belongs in the conservative coalition. Austin Petersen and Republican strategist Anang Mittal debate whether the backlash is about illegal immigration, racial identity politics or a movement turning on its own.
Austin also explains how Americans can use Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requests to learn what federal agencies have collected about them, and examines how Trump's escalating trade fight with Canada could hit exports and voters in key battleground states.
<...Why Does Sydney Sweeney’s Ad Make Women So Mad?
Why did Sydney Sweeney's Novig sports-betting ad ignite backlash from women on both the left and right? Austin Petersen examines sexualized advertising, female-athlete criticism and whether the deeper concern is the financial risk of sports gambling.
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano explains free speech as a natural right, government pressure on universities and broadcasters, and the limits of political power. Maggie Moda joins to debate the 'girl's girl' standard, sexual freedom, parasocial attention and the cultural consequences of gambling.
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Ilhan Omar Faces a DHS Inquiry: Homan Confirms the Investigation
Tom Homan confirms that DHS is investigating allegations involving Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has denied immigration and marriage fraud. Austin Petersen separates the inquiry from criminal charges and examines what officials have—and have not—disclosed.
Then: the Trump EPA's power-plant rollback, rising electricity demand and what deregulation could mean for your bill. Camellia Peterson untangles Missouri's congressional-map fight and the whistleblower allegations involving Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. Liz Mair debates SNAP restaurant benefits, the Farm Bill and ethanol mandates.
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Can a Judge Say the N-Word in Court Without Corrupting Justice?
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman insists that quoting a racial slur from evidence is part of preserving the record—even after Black public defenders asked him to stop. Austin Petersen examines where accuracy ends and institutional power begins, then turns to Fat Joe and the unwritten cultural rules surrounding language.
Jon Miltimore of the American Institute for Economic Research joins to debate catastrophic AI warnings, government regulation, China and the future of work. Liza Libes of Pens and Poison explains why men stopped reading, how publishing narrowed its audience and whether great books can rebuild a...
Trump’s $5,000 Check Promise Collides With America’s $40 Trillion Debt
President Donald Trump has put a $5,000 "dividend" into the midterm fight—but Austin Petersen and Stephanie Petersen ask who pays, whether Congress can authorize it and what another trillion-dollar promise would mean for debt and inflation.
They also discuss a United flight attendant's quick action to help an exhausted mother and the challenge of raising children with faith in a chaotic culture. Justin Petersen joins to unpack salvation, Christian traditions, Judaism and how families can introduce children to belief without coercion.
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Did Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene Misread Trump—and Fracture MAGA?
Did Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene mistake access to Donald Trump for control over his agenda? Austin Petersen examines Victor Davis Hanson's argument and the larger struggle over loyalty, influence and who gets to define MAGA.
Camellia Peterson then untangles Missouri's congressional-map standoff, where state and federal court rulings collide with a referendum and an election already underway. Comedian Geno Bisconte joins for a sharp debate over Gen Z, student debt, work and the American Dream.
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Geno Bisconte Says Gen Z Must Earn the American Dream
Comedian Geno Bisconte joins Austin Petersen for a sharp generational clash over debt, student loans, work, opportunity and whether the American Dream is still within reach for Gen Z.
Austin also tells the story of Ford engineer Jim Moylan's tiny fuel-door innovation, weighs inventions that could reshape daily life and examines the online economy of simp culture after Sara Smith's viral football-game moment.
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Will the South Become America’s New Economic Engine?
America's economic center of gravity is moving south as people, paychecks, factories, ports, film production and political influence follow the Sun Belt. Austin examines what is powering the shift and whether Southern states can preserve affordability and culture as they grow.
Camellia Petersen joins the debate over proposed federal childcare aid for married families with a stay-at-home parent, and Liz Mair explains why new 340B prescription-data demands could put patient privacy at risk.
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Can the Sandwich Generation Raise Kids and Care for Parents Without Breaking?
More Americans are raising children while taking responsibility for aging parents, and the pressure is hitting time, savings, careers, and family relationships all at once.
Austin, Stephanie Petersen, and Justin Petersen dig into the real cost of caregiving, home care versus nursing facilities, the guilt and boundaries that shape family obligations, and what grief and end-of-life decisions reveal about what matters most.
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No More Junk Food on SNAP? Debt & the 100 Million Claim
New SNAP restrictions put soda, candy, energy drinks, and the government's definition of junk food at the center of a grocery-store fight. Austin opens with JD Vance's $120,000 chicken coop and America's backyard-hen boom.
John Tamny of RealClearMarkets argues that Social Security is not the cause of the national debt and challenges the conventional case for entitlement reform. Then Joseph Wargo of the John Birch Society examines Greg Bovino's claim that 100 million illegal immigrants are in the United States, the assumptions behind that number, birthright citizenship, public safety, and economic pressure.
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Trump’s ’Backwards and Poor’ Warning: The Data Center Revolt
Donald Trump says communities that reject data centers risk becoming 'backwards and poor.' Austin examines the fight over power demand, local consent, tax revenue, China, and whether America can build the infrastructure needed for artificial intelligence.
Camellia Peterson joins the conversation on parenting culture, TikTok mothers, public shaming, and local politics. Then Russ Greene explains why libertarians and MAGA voters are turning against data centers, how surveillance fears get mixed into the debate, and why opposition to energy and industrial growth could leave the country behind.
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Milo Yiannopoulos Deported: How a Conservative Star Fell
Homeland Security says Milo Yiannopoulos entered the United States legally, missed an immigration hearing, received a final removal order, and was sent back to Britain. Austin traces the political provocateur's rise through Gamergate, Breitbart, and Berkeley, then asks Tennessee Star reporter Tom Pappert whether the fast removal was routine enforcement, political revenge, or both.
The episode also examines Hollywood's expensive culture-war hangover, including Disney's Snow White losses and whether audiences—not studios—get the final vote.
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Gen Z Says Millennials Aren’t Cool: Dolly Parton’s Lasting Legacy
Gen Z has a list of Millennial habits it wants retired, from skinny jeans and side parts to LOL, Facebook Messenger, statement jewelry, and dial-up nostalgia. Austin and his cohost decide which critiques land and which can be ignored.
The show also remembers Dolly Parton's humor, Appalachian roots, philanthropy, and Imagination Library legacy.
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Bill Gates Says AI Has ’No Plan’: Missouri’s Breakfast Crackdown and the Adoption Backlash
Bill Gates has issued a 5,784-word warning about artificial intelligence, and Austin examines Gates's proposals on employment, safety, regulation, and global coordination alongside the disturbing rise of autonomous AI agents.
Missouri attorney Jennifer Bukowsky joins to challenge Boone County's attempt to regulate a grandmother's free community breakfasts. Jon Harris breaks down the right-wing backlash over interracial adoption and explains how Christianity, masculinity, family identity, virtue, and liberty fit together.
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Target’s Blackface Backlash, the Ten Commandments, and Hasan Piker’s Charlie Kirk Problem
Austin examines the property-rights fight over a West Virginia city's attempt to outlaw backyard bees, then asks how Target's blackface-adjacent Halloween costume survived an entire corporate approval chain.
Judge Andrew Napolitano joins to break down Texas classroom Ten Commandments mandates, Supreme Court precedent, religious liberty, and government-compelled displays. Daniel McCarthy explains Hasan Piker's mockery of Charlie Kirk, the Democratic candidates who use Piker's platform, and what political streaming reveals about the American left.
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What Can’t AI Do? Vibe Coding, Property Rights, and Economic Populism
Artificial intelligence is moving software creation out of the gatekeepers' hands and into everyday life. Austin shows how vibe coding can build websites, automate work, create images, and even turn an idea into a physical object.
Camellia Peterson joins to debate marijuana smoke, neighbors, nuisance rules, and where one person's freedom collides with another person's property rights. Jon Miltimore examines J.D. Vance's invocation of Huey Long, the rise of economic populism, wealth redistribution, inflation, federal spending, and Washington's shrinking appetite for reform.
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The Tragic Tale of Jason Arday—and Cambridge’s DEI Reckoning
Cambridge professor Jason Arday’s sudden death followed a rapid unraveling of plagiarism allegations, institutional loyalty, and a university DEI success story. Austin examines what Cambridge knew, how critics were treated, and the dispute over race, merit, and academic standards.
Jon Miltimore joins to explain why J.D. Vance invoked Huey Long and to debate wealth caps, UBI, work, and opportunity. Dylan Allman takes up Anna Faris, Christian conversion, whether atheism is a luxury belief, and his book The Windowless Room.
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It’s a Boy: Lindsay Clancy and the Postpartum Debate
Wake Up America turns personal on Freedom Family Friday. Austin and Stephanie Petersen share their baby’s gender reveal and the name they chose, then take on the Lindsay Clancy case through Stephanie’s perspective as a social worker and mother.
They debate postpartum depression and psychosis, medication, personal responsibility, how life changes for both mothers and fathers after childbirth, and why class and social media shape public sympathy. Justin Petersen joins the family conversation in the second half.
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Ozempic’s Food Revolution, Disney Adults, and Lindsay Clancy
GLP-1 drugs are doing more than shrinking waistlines. Austin Petersen examines Ozempic pricing, possible side effects, and how food manufacturers are redesigning portions, protein, and marketing for smaller appetites.
He also follows the money behind Disney Adults and what the craze says about debt, nostalgia, and delayed adulthood. Camellia Peterson joins live from the Missouri State Fair for a look at state politics and the Lindsay Clancy case, including postpartum psychosis, treatment failures, and personal responsibility.
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Goldwater’s Real Record, ICE Subpoenas, and the Covenant Files
Barry Goldwater is often reduced to a caricature. Austin Petersen revisits Goldwater’s record on desegregation, civil rights, constitutional limits, and the case for reviving his strain of Republicanism.
Judge Andrew Napolitano joins to discuss meeting Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, then explains how ICE uses administrative subpoenas to identify online critics and where the legal limits stand. Tom Pappert of The Tennessee Star details the three-year court fight over the Covenant School records and the institutional failures those files may expose.
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The Lindsay Clancy Case—and the Ruling That Could Break the NFA
The Lindsay Clancy murder case raises a difficult divide: how should the law weigh psychiatric warnings, postpartum psychosis, treatment failures, and personal responsibility? Austin Petersen walks through the case and the competing arguments.
Camellia Peterson then examines the McKenna West surrogacy dispute after West refused an abortion request and traveled to Texas. Finally, Reason contributing editor J.D. Tuccille explains a Texas court ruling that could upend federal suppressor registration—and the important limits on what the decision changes today.
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Will Alberta Leave Canada? The Dollar Fight and an Israel Reversal
Alberta voters are headed toward an October 19 ballot that could begin the legal path to a binding independence referendum. Austin Petersen breaks down the verified petition signatures, Alberta's economic leverage, and the argument for becoming a new country—or even joining the United States.
Economist Phil Magness then challenges JD Vance's case against the dollar's reserve-currency status and explains why federal spending, not King Dollar, is the deeper problem. Finally, Sam Brown explains how assassination conspiracy claims pushed him to reexamine his anti-Israel views, visit Israel, and publicly call himself a Zionist.
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Fast-Food Worker Horror Stories—and AOC Freezes Her Eggs
Austin Petersen and Steffi Petersen open with a blunt debate over parenting, public shame, and modesty before turning to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's decision to freeze her eggs and what it says about relationships, ambition, and family planning.
Then they unpack fast-food workers' confessions about the menu items they would never order themselves—from kitchen shortcuts and nightmare customers to the McRib, buffets, and Golden Corral.
This focused Wake Up America audio edition removes the livestream ad break, visual-only material, shop demonstration, member pitch, and closing housekeeping. Listen now and tap Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so...
The WNBA’s Race Problem—and Massachusetts’ New Abortion Law
Austin Petersen breaks down the WNBA fight that followed DiJonai Carrington's flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham—including the ‘white privilege’ accusation, Caitlin Clark's impact, player safety, and a league struggling to turn attention into growth.
Camellia Peterson then joins Austin for a pointed debate over Massachusetts' new abortion law after Dobbs. New York Post columnist Kirsten Fleming closes the edition with her analysis of Cunningham, Carrington, Caitlin Clark, and the WNBA's activist culture.
This focused Wake Up America audio edition removes livestream setup, commercials, visual-only material, and post-show housekeeping. Listen now and tap Follow on Apple...
Austin Petersen vs. His 2016 Self—and Judge Napolitano vs. Flock Cameras
Austin Petersen confronts his own 2016 presidential-debate positions on Donald Trump, immigration, government, education, and foreign policy—and explains what changed.
Judge Andrew Napolitano then breaks down how Flock license-plate cameras enable warrantless mass surveillance and why the Fourth Amendment was written to prevent it. Erika Donalds closes the edition with a practical argument for rebuilding patriotism, civic education, parental rights, and school choice.
This commute-friendly Wake Up America audio edition removes livestream setup, commercials, shop pitches, visual-only material, and repeated filler. Listen now and tap Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so tomorrow’s edition is w...
