Free Arkansas

Free Arkansas
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Politics
  • Updated Daily

Free Arkansas is a podcast dedicated to fostering a free market of ideas in the Natural State. We bring open, honest, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations to the forefront, tackling the issues that matter most to Arkansans. Through thought-provoking discussions, in-depth analysis, and engaging interviews with a diverse range of voices, we challenge conventional wisdom and encourage independent thought and critical thinking. Whether you're looking for fresh perspectives or a platform that values truth over ideology, Free Arkansas is your space for bold, unfiltered dialogue.

  1. 1d ago

    Colt Shelby on Local Control, Prison Policy & Arkansas' Governor's Race

    Colt Shelby has worked in the oil field for 24 years. He never planned to run for office, until a proposed 3,000-bed prison landed four miles from his home in Cecil, Arkansas. Now he's the Libertarian candidate for governor. In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Colt about what a Libertarian actually believes, how the prison fight turned him into an activist, and why he's running on local control and government transparency. They also dig into Arkansas' prison and parole system, the LEARNS Act and school vouchers, data centers, nuclear energy, and citizen-led ballot initiatives, before closing with a rapid-fire round on taxes, spending, and state policy. In this conversation: What the Libertarian Party stands forHow a prison proposal launched a governor campaignColt's views on prisons, parole, and public safetyThe LEARNS Act, EFAs, and school choiceData centers, energy, and economic developmentIf you want to hear from a candidate outside the two major parties, this conversation lets him lay out his case in his own words.

  2. 5d ago

    Bryan Norris on Election Integrity, Paper Ballots & Arkansas' 2026 Secretary of State Race

    Bryan Norris spent 21 years in the military before coming home to Independence County and leading a citizen initiative to bring back paper ballots, an effort that passed with 63% of the vote before the county's quorum court overturned it. That fight eventually led him to run for Arkansas Secretary of State, where he lost the Republican runoff by fewer than 1,000 votes despite facing opposition from much of the state's Republican establishment. In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Bryan about that campaign, what he says he learned about voting machine security from computer scientists he consulted during the ballot fight, and what it was like campaigning across all five regions of Arkansas and hearing directly from voters in each one. They also discuss citizen-led constitutional amendments, the role of out-of-state money in Arkansas campaigns, and ideas for growing the state's economy by attracting more business investment. In this conversation: The Independence County paper ballot fight and its reversalRunning a statewide campaign against the political establishmentClaims and debates around electronic voting machine securityCitizen-led ballot initiatives and legislative pushbackIdeas for attracting business investment to Arkansas If you want to understand the debate over election security and citizen initiatives happening in Arkansas right now, this conversation lays out one side of it directly from someone who lived it.

  3. Sep 28

    ARKANSAWYERS #3: DJ Williams on Razorback, NIL & The Business of College Football

    DJ Williams spent his career on the field, first as a John Mackey Award-winning tight end for the Razorbacks, then five seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Now, as host of the Fourth and Fifteen podcast, he's spent just as much time thinking about what's actually happening behind the scenes of college football. In this episode of Arkansawyers, Eli Cranor talks with DJ about the real story behind NIL deals and revenue sharing, why the old "student-athlete" model was built to keep players from getting paid, and why he thinks a program like Indiana's recent turnaround has less to do with money than people assume. They also get into life in an NFL locker room, why the game itself has never been more popular despite all the noise around it, and the high school coach who changed the course of DJ's life. In this conversation: The truth behind NIL, collectives, and revenue sharingWhy "student-athlete" was never about protecting playersWhat's really behind Indiana's successLife in an NFL locker room vs. collegeThe coach who shaped DJ's life on and off the fieldIf you love football, or you're just trying to understand what's actually going on in college sports right now, this conversation breaks it down from someone who's lived every side of it.

  4. Sep 26

    Y'all Hear About This? Arkansas Library Law, Peppermint Hippo & a Texas Political Scandal

    Andy McNeill and Eli Cranor are back with another Y'all Hear About This, their casual rundown of the stories making the rounds. This week: a wild scam story out of a Little Rock strip club, Arkansas' newly enforced Act 372 and what it means for librarians and booksellers, and a controversial social media post from a Texas political candidate that's drawing bipartisan criticism. The conversation turns into a bigger question worth sitting with: what actually separates a flawed politician from one who's purely self-serving, and how do you tell the difference as a voter? If you like your Arkansas news with a little banter and a lot of honesty, this one's for you.

  5. Sep 22

    Chris Milligan on Arkansas' $2 Trillion Lithium Opportunity

    There's roughly $2 trillion worth of lithium sitting under South Arkansas, and almost none of it has been extracted yet. Chris Milligan, CEO of Earth, is trying to change that. In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Chris about how lithium is actually pulled from brine two miles underground, why Exxon, Chevron, and Equinor have already locked up hundreds of thousands of acres in the region, and why every major lithium plant proposed so far has stalled before breaking ground. Chris also shares his own path from water treatment engineering to founding Earth, and makes the case that Arkansas' real opportunity isn't just the lithium itself, it's the engineering, refining, and technology jobs that could come from building the supply chain here instead of shipping raw material overseas. In this conversation: How lithium is extracted from underground brineWhy lithium prices crashed and stalled U.S. investmentThe difference between extraction and refining, and where the real value isArkansas' overlooked history in critical minerals dating back to 1947What it will take to build Arkansas into a critical minerals hubIf you've ever wondered what's actually happening with lithium in Arkansas, and why it's taking so long, this conversation lays it all out.

  6. Sep 15

    Rod Bigelow on Crystal Bridges, Alice Walton's Vision & Bentonville's Transformation

    Rod Bigelow has spent over a decade helping bring Alice Walton's vision to life. As CEO of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, he's watched it grow from a bold idea into a campus that drew over a million visitors last year, most of them from outside Arkansas. In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Rod about how Alice Walton went from art collector to museum founder, the story behind calling architect Moshe Safdie out of the blue, and why Crystal Bridges was built around a simple idea: remove every barrier between people and art. They also discuss the museum's expansion into health and well-being, and what it really means to say you can't understand American history without walking through Crystal Bridges' halls. In this conversation: How Alice Walton's personal collection became a museumBuilding Crystal Bridges around access, not exclusivityThe Momentary, the Hub, and what's next for the campusWhy Rod believes art and health are deeply connected If you've ever wondered how Bentonville became a name people recognize across the country, this conversation tells that story from the inside.

  7. Sep 9

    Hallie Shoffner on Farming, Healthcare & Arkansas' 2026 Senate Race

    Hallie Shoffner is a sixth-generation Arkansas farmer who closed her family's 150-year-old farm last year because of the economic crisis. Now she's running for U.S. Senate against Tom Cotton, and just over two months from Election Day, the race is closer than almost anyone expected. In this episode, host Andy McNeill talks with Hallie about what's actually driving her campaign: healthcare affordability, rural hospital closures, a farm bill that leaves specialty crop farmers with nowhere to turn, and the growing anxiety around data centers being built in communities that feel like they have no say. They also dig into privacy and government surveillance, immigration policy from a farmer's perspective, and what it really means to be an Arkansas Democrat. In this conversation: Why Hallie left farming to run for SenateThe failures of the current farm bill for Arkansas farmersRural hospitals, Medicaid & the coming senior care crisisData centers and who gets a say in where they're builtPrivacy, the Fourth Amendment & government surveillance

  8. Aug 31

    ARKANSAWYERS #2: Steve Straessle on Vouchers, Accountability & the Future of Arkansas Schools

    Eli Cranor spent twelve years in Arkansas public education. Steve Straessle has spent decades leading Little Rock Catholic High School, one of the state's most respected private schools. On this episode of ARKANSAWYERS, the two sit down for a conversation that doesn't shy away from disagreement, because that's the point. They tackle the real questions behind the Arkansas LEARNS Act. Where does taxpayer money actually go once it follows a student to a private school? Why do private and public schools play by different accountability rules? And has school choice actually delivered on its promise, or just shifted the deck in a way that leaves public schools worse off? They also widen the lens past education policy to talk about poverty, parenting, and anxiety in raising kids today, find out who most personifies the uncompromising "Arkansawyer" spirit in Steve's life, and hear the story of a Pope, a president, and a priest from Little Rock who never voted for him. Real stories. Real people. Unscripted transparency, one Arkansawyer at a time.

    ARKANSAWYERS #2: Steve Straessle on Vouchers, Accountability & the Future of Arkansas Schools
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Free Arkansas is a podcast dedicated to fostering a free market of ideas in the Natural State. We bring open, honest, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations to the forefront, tackling the issues that matter most to Arkansans. Through thought-provoking discussions, in-depth analysis, and engaging interviews with a diverse range of voices, we challenge conventional wisdom and encourage independent thought and critical thinking. Whether you're looking for fresh perspectives or a platform that values truth over ideology, Free Arkansas is your space for bold, unfiltered dialogue.

Information

  • Creator
    Free Arkansas
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    107
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Free Arkansas
  • Show Website
    Free Arkansas

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