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.
The Neal Larson Show
8.13.2026 - OB-GYN “Exodus” Claims | Open Records Showdown | Viability Redefined
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Neal and Julie covered a wide-ranging, high-energy show that bounced between national politics, Idaho policy fights, and a few lighter detours—while keeping a consistent throughline of skepticism toward institutions that demand trust but resist transparency. They opened with the news that White House press secretary Caroline Levitt is stepping away to spend more time with her new baby, pushing back on media speculation about “rift” narratives. From there, the conversation turned to a headline-grabbing allegation involving the Southern Poverty Law Center’s CFO, framed around the idea that some advocacy organizations have incentives to keep the problems they “fight” alive.
The longest, most detailed segment focused on Idaho’s abortion initiative and the surrounding messaging war—particularly claims about OB-GYN “exodus” numbers, Boise State’s involvement in a study, and the demand for open-records transparency around methodology and raw data. Neal argued the initiative’s “privacy” framing is selectively applied, comparing it to other areas where “patient choice” doesn’t make something legal (euthanasia, selling organs, certain off-label/controlled-substance issues, pandemic-era treatment disputes). The back half of the show mixed serious concerns about election integrity and record retention (including a Milwaukee “human error” audit-log mix-up and a Michigan lawsuit over deleting election records) with listener calls and humor—ranging from black-market kidney pricing to social media outrage cycles, tech surveillance realities, and even a side conversation on clean comedy, vacations, and what you’d do with a billion-dollar Powerball win.
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## Highlights
- Neal and Julie push back on the “press secretary drama” narrative, arguing Caroline Levitt’s exit is about family—not a White House rift.
- The Idaho abortion initiative debate gets granular: dueling OB-GYN numbers, Boise State/JAMA study skepticism, and why open-records transparency matters if the data is being used politically.
- A pointed takedown of “medical privacy” as a selective talking point—using examples like euthanasia, selling a kidney, and pandemic-era “willing doctor/willing patient” restrictions.
- Listener call sparks a surprisingly specific rabbit hole: what a kidney allegedly goes for on the black market (and how quickly that changes everyone’s “price point”).
- Election administration concerns: Milwaukee’s USB/audit-log issue and Michigan’s alleged push to delete election records—discussed as red flags for trust and accountability.
- Social media outrage mechanics on display: a caller describes a staged “no-show order” post that triggered predictable racial commentary in the replies.
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