The Neal Larson Show
Neal Larson is an Associated Press Award-winning newspaper columnist and radio talk show host. He has a BA from Idaho State University in Media Studies and Political Science. Neal is happily married to his wife Esther with their five children in Idaho Falls.
Julie Mason is a long-time resident of east Idaho with a degree in journalism from Ricks College. Julie enjoys reading, baking, and is an avid dog lover. When not on the air she enjoys spending time with her three children and husband of 26 years.
Together these two are a powerhouse of knowledge with great banter that comes together in an entertaining and informative show.
Episodes
401 episodes
3.17.2026 - Julie's Birthday! Plus: Bathroom Bill Vote, Party Cohesion Index
Today’s show had that classic “welcome to Idaho politics” whiplash—in the best way. Neal Larson and Julie Mason dug into a high-profile cultural bill moving through the Idaho House: a “biological sex bathroom” policy meant to stop intentional u...
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1:26:12
3.16.2026 - Budget Stalemate, Iran Messaging, Parental Rights
Neal Larson and Julie Mason kick off the week already feeling like it should be Thursday, bouncing between birthday banter and real frustration with how things are going—especially at the Idaho Legislature. They dig into the Senate’s blow-up ov...
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1:26:00
3.13.2026 - S4C: 22nd Street Jazz -- Also: Budget Showdown, Rainy Day Fund, “Voucher” Wars
Idaho’s budget fight is getting real, and it feels like we’ve backed ourselves into a corner: big tax cuts, an economic forecast that isn’t exactly inspiring confidence, and now lawmakers are acting surprised that the math is tight. We walked t...
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1:25:06
3.12.2026 - INTERVIEWS: US Sen. Jim Risch, Idaho Dem. Chair Lauren Necochea, SAVE Act, Iran
Julie was out today, so Neal Larson took the mic solo and covered two big threads: election integrity at home and Iran abroad. First up was a conversation with Senator Jim Risch about the SAVE Act—requiring proof of citizenship to vote in feder...
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1:20:06
3.11.2026 - Obergefell Revisited, Jetsons Tech, Party Cohesion Index
Neal Larson and Julie Mason start in their usual gear-shifting way—riffing on Utah potentially becoming a real-life Jetsons test lab for personal aerial vehicles (cargo first, people later) and the creeping reality of humanoid robots—before piv...
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1:26:16
3.10.2026 - NEW: Party Cohesion Index, Oil Prices, Idaho RINOs, SAVE Act
Today’s show was a bit of a whirlwind, but it all circled around the same theme: people weaponizing narratives instead of dealing in reality. We dug into the spike (and quick drop) in oil prices tied to risk around the Strait of Hormuz—remindin...
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1:28:37
3.9.2026 - Iran Operation, Idaho Democrats, Participation Trophies
This episode was a classic “big picture to local politics to cultural weirdness” Monday. We dug into the fast-moving U.S. operation against Iran and the debate over what powers the president has versus Congress—acknowledging why some people are...
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1:25:50
3.6.2027 - S4C: Musai, covering The Weather, Noem Fallout, Union Money, Open Lines
Today we dug into the Kristi Noem shake-up and the way everyone’s trying to spin it. Call it whatever you want—“reassigned,” “moved,” “Western Shield” whatever—this wasn’t a lateral move, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help. We talked about w...
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1:23:18
3.5.2026 - INTERVIEW: Secretary of State Phil McGrane, Idaho Elections, Dark Money, Immigration
Today’s show was a classic “all of the above” kind of morning. We started with a mix of Idaho politics and everyday-life tangents—everything from why the governor’s race is crowded while other statewide incumbents are basically unopposed, to Po...
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1:29:47
3.4.2026 - Party Cohesion, Lawmaker Accountability, Idaho Politics
Neal Larson walks us through a new “party cohesion” metric he built (with help from AI and the legislative API) to measure how often Idaho lawmakers vote with the majority of their stated party on votes that break along clear partisan lines. Th...
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1:22:39
3.3.2026 - Idaho Immigration Bills, Party Integrity, Clinton-Epstein Fallout
Today we’re tracking the Idaho Legislature as two major immigration enforcement bills (H700 and H704) move from the House to what Neal calls the Senate “morgue” — State Affairs — chaired by Senator Jim Guthrie. We talk through why that committe...
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1:25:06
3.2.2026 - Iran Strike, E-Verify Showdown, What We Don’t Know
Neal Larson and Julie Mason unpack the U.S. (and Israeli) operation against Iran over the weekend, arguing it wasn’t some impulsive “assassination” but a long-overdue strike against a regime they see as an active, ongoing threat to America and ...
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1:28:09
2.27.2026 - S4C: Pierce Nielsen "Jersey Giant", Short-Term Rentals, HOA Contracts, Immigration Enforcement
Today we kicked around a couple of those issues that sound simple until you actually follow them to the end. We started with a bill moving through the Idaho Legislature that would curb cities from restricting short-term rentals like Airbnb, fra...
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1:24:33
2.26.2026 - Traffic, Taxes, & Left Lane Lurkers
This episode of the Neal Larson Show, with Julie Mason, dives into a lively mix of legislative proposals and public frustrations, heavily leaning into traffic woes. The hosts kick off with Senator Mark Harris's bill aimed at tackling "left lane...
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1:27:33
2.25.2026 - SOTU Review, Clown Car, Idaho Debates
Neal Larson and Julie Mason open their February 25th, 2026 broadcast with a detailed analysis of a recent State of the Union address, which they generally praise for its solid structure and celebratory tone, rating it a B+/A-. They note the spe...
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1:24:05
2.24.2026 - Legislative Scrutiny, Political Corrosion, Enduring Trauma
This episode kicks off with Neal and Julie looking ahead to tonight's State of the Union, where the President's "America 250" theme is set to intertwine with discussions on pressing issues like tariffs, the economy, and Iran. Locally, the Idaho...
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1:28:27
2.23.2026 - Budget Battles, Political Gaffes, Community Control
Neal Larson and Julie Mason dive deep into a diverse array of topics, kicking off with a pragmatic look at state budget cuts, particularly in Idaho. They challenge the alarmist rhetoric often employed by politicians during election cycles, sugg...
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1:27:23
2.20.2026 - S4C: Tessa Cates, Aliens Exist, SCOTUS Slaps Down Tariffs
The big news dropped this morning: the Supreme Court has struck down all the tariffs enacted by former President Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, with a 6-3 decision. While Neal appreciated the reminder of checks and...
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1:28:35
2.19.2026 - Iran Tensions, Digital IDs, and voter integrity
Neal Larson and Julie Mason kicked off their show covering a broad spectrum of topics, from local politics to global affairs. They began by discussing the Kansas Senate overriding Governor Laura Kelly's veto and CNN's concerning midterm predict...
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1:27:25
2.18.2026 - Idaho Legislative Drama: Prisons, Blood, & Utah
On a surprisingly wintery and snowy Wednesday, Neal and Julie kicked off the show with a mix of local legislative updates and federal insights from Congressman Mike Simpson. Feeling the fatigue of the current legislative session, Neal first dov...
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1:16:58
2.17.2026 - Idaho Politics, AOC Gaffes, Cultural Decay
Neal Larson and Julie Mason kick off their Tuesday show diving deep into Idaho's legislative session, focusing on contentious budget cuts and the "bathroom bill." They express frustration over the perceived political theater surrounding "dracon...
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1:20:52
2.13.2026 - S4C: Luke Hoffstaeter & Kaylee Caura Lee, Would you marry your political opposite? E-verify, and voter ID
This episode kicks off with Neal Larson delving into a significant press conference about Idaho's "unauthorized immigrant workforce." He expresses strong reservations about any policies that would allow "looking the other way" on illegal immigr...
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1:24:15
2.12.2026 - INTERVIEW: IFPD Chief Bryce Johnson, Legislative Battles, Police Insights, Marijuana Morality
We kicked off with a deep dive into the buzzing Idaho legislative session, focusing on how many new bills, often with minimal fiscal impact, are moving forward. A hot topic was Senator James Ruchti's push to "gut" House Bill 93, a $50 million p...
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1:30:05
2.11.2026 - PARODY DEBUT... also Budget Battles, Woke Wars, Child Well-being
Neal and Julie kick off the show with a laugh, playing a "Great Moments in American Political History" parody before diving into the serious issue of Idaho's state budget. They discuss the ongoing legislative session, which is rushing due to ca...
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1:27:28
