This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Sam Stone is joined by Boad Swanson, Cory J. Ruth, Congressman Dusty Johnson and Max Klinger to discuss America’s crisis of character, socialism, government surveillance, rising beef prices, Washington dysfunction and ideology inside universities. Plus, B’s Crime Corner covers a horrifying North Dakota child murder case.
Author and entrepreneur Boad Swanson discusses his book, Great Souled Men: Reclaiming Aristotle’s Vision for Building Character and Virtue. He explains Aristotle’s 12 virtues, the crisis facing young men, the influence of the modern manosphere and how youth sports have shifted from teamwork toward specialization and burnout.
Facebook: Boad Swanson
Instagram: @rboads
Website: GreatSouledMen.com
Book: Great Souled Men
B’s Crime Corner examines the August 6 North Dakota case involving a 22 year old mother accused of killing two of her children and attempting to kill a third. B and Sam discuss reported postpartum depression, warnings before the killings, nine criminal charges and similarities to the Lindsay Clancy case.
Political strategist, economist and Mergence Global CEO Cory J. Ruth discusses the appeal of MAGA and democratic socialism, information overload and rapid cultural change. He also explains the growing capabilities of government surveillance systems and the need for transparency. Ruth previews Double Click: What the Numbers Really Say About Black America, examining Black America as an emerging economic market.
Facebook: Cory Ruth
X: @coryjruth
Instagram: @officialcoryruth
Book: Double Click, coming February 2027
Congressman Dusty Johnson breaks down Washington dysfunction, the Farm Bill and why beef prices remain high. He also discusses President Trump and Canada, affordability, legal immigration, nuclear power and permitting reform, warning that America is falling behind other countries in building major infrastructure.
X: @RepDustyJohnson
Journalist and political analyst Max Klinger discusses his experience studying social sciences at Cambridge and what he sees as ideological capture inside academia. He examines activism presented as scholarship, its spread into K through 12 education, pressure on academics to conform and professors who have privately contacted him with similar concerns.
X: @MaxE2review
Substack: @maxthinks
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