The Declaration of Independence turns 250 this year, and most Americans have never heard the full story of how it came to exist. Historian Dan Miller joins Chris Spangle to trace the forgotten gestational period of American democracy, from the Continental Association's economic boycott in 1774 to the moment communities across the 13 colonies first heard the Declaration read aloud in July 1776. Miller, founder of Historical Solutions and author of the weekly Americanism Redux series, argues the Declaration is best understood not as a groundbreaking document but as a catch-up document, one scrambling to match the cultural blast pattern Thomas Paine created with "Common Sense" six months earlier. He also makes the case that the most important section of the Declaration is not the philosophical preamble or the list of grievances, but the signatures, which did not yet exist when the document was first published. The conversation covers the role of women in the colonial boycott, Abraham Lincoln's discovery of consent as the core American principle, and why Lincoln located the birth of the union in September 1774, not July 1776. Miller also previews a forthcoming episode on George Washington's four pivotal goodbyes and what they reveal about leadership. Dan Miller is the founder of Historical Solutions in Indianapolis. His weekly column, Americanism Redux, is available at historicalsolutions.com. Remnant Trust Event: 📍 The Columbia Club, Indianapolis 📅 August 6, 2026 🕠 Hors d'oeuvres at 5:30 PM 🕕 Program begins at 6:00 PMThis is a free event but seating is limited and registration is required.Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/cknyyhe/lp/01c7cbec-2565-4939-9c11-bb2abd8b6a87 Dispatch Juntos - https://thedispatch.com/juntos/ Indy Junto: Inaugural Indianapolis Junto Tuesday, July 14, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Bier Brewery - Carmel 13720 N Meridian St. Carmel, IN 46032 Email [email protected] if you want to get on the list for the future. #AmericanHistory #DeclarationOfIndependence #FoundingFathers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool became the perfect case study in how the Trump administration operates: rushed decisions, ignored experts, a no-bid contract, a failed blue liner, algae blooms, and then arrests without charges. Chris Spangle, Harry Price, and Rhinehold break down the full timeline of the pool's history, from its 1923 completion and Obama-era $34 million structural rebuild to the 2026 polyurea coating job that fell apart within weeks. The conversation covers the narcissistic personality traits that define Trump's decision-making pattern, why bureaucracy exists as a check on executive power, and how the vandalism narrative surrounding the pool follows the same playbook used across every major controversy of his administration. The hosts also examine the no-bid contractor with a criminal history, the claim that a 350-foot razor cut caused the damage, and why the motorcade driving over fresh coating is a more plausible explanation than a coordinated sabotage effort. Beyond the pool, the episode covers competitive yoga, Indiana limestone in Washington monuments, the Greg Ballard Secretary of State petition fight in Indiana, Tucker Carlson's credibility shift, and what the rise of data centers means for Midwestern communities. Chris Spangle, Harry Price, and Rhinehold host the We Are Libertarians podcast, available at wearelibertarians.com. 0:00 Introduction and Show Catchup 3:45 Competitive Yoga and Harry's Morning Routine 8:30 Trump's Narcissism and the Reflecting Pool Preview 12:30 The DSM Nine Traits of Narcissistic Personality 18:30 Reflecting Pool Full History and Timeline 38:00 Matthew Visits the Studio 40:30 Obama's $34 Million Structural Rebuild 46:00 The Blue Liner, the Motorcade, and the Algae Bloom 51:00 The No-Bid Contractor and His Criminal History 53:30 Bureaucracy as a Check on Executive Power 56:30 Biden Era Failures and Mitch McConnell's Role 58:30 Tucker Carlson, MTG, and Candace Owens 1:07:30 Harry's Free Will Test for Trump Supporters 1:09:30 Death of Stalin and CCP Comparisons 1:12:30 Data Centers and Midwestern Communities 1:13:30 Final Thoughts and Indiana Ballot Access Fight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Spangle, Harry and Reinhold talk about when news breaks fast, like the U.S. bombing Iran, forcing them to toss their planned topics and react in real time. From there, they talk about news fatigue and attention whiplash, including how major developments can disappear from the public conversation and how hard it is to verify what is real online. They compare national coverage to alternative sources, argue that trust is shifting toward local outlets and in-person relationships, and share why many people feel overwhelmed trying to fact-check everything. The middle of the show turns to technology, including surveillance tools, license plate readers and the broader feeling of living inside a modern panopticon. They debate AI from two angles, one seeing a disorienting shift in online life, the other arguing hype and limits, then connect it to the flood of low-quality content and what it is doing to creativity and culture. In the final stretch, they walk through Iran and the nuclear deal basics, the long-running push for regime change, and how alliances and credibility shape U.S. influence abroad. They close with a sharp argument about war powers, constitutional limits and whether courts and Congress can still function as guardrails, followed by a practical reminder to build real community close to home. 0:00 Cold open and what the episode is about 1:15 Milestones, behind-the-scenes talk, and why they record the way they do 5:05 The day’s big breaking-news pivot 10:20 Information overload, attention whiplash, and tuning out 12:40 Trust, verification, and why people don’t believe what they see 17:35 The future of life online and why it feels disorienting 22:05 Privacy, surveillance, and how tracking is changing everyday life 26:15 AI anxiety vs AI reality and what people get wrong 29:20 The internet’s content quality problem and “AI slop” 31:30 Creativity, culture, and why modern media feels derivative 38:25 Where AI actually helps and the copyright debate 39:50 Middle East context and how big-power politics shapes events 46:50 Diplomacy vs hard power and the nuclear-enrichment conversation 56:20 Trade, alliances, and U.S. credibility abroad 1:01:05 Executive power, constitutional limits, and accountability 1:02:30 Courts, enforcement, and institutional stress tests 1:08:20 What happens next: economy, community, and staying grounded 1:26:10 Closing thoughts and sign-off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris steps back from the daily outrage cycle to tackle a bigger question: Is there a difference between caring for someone personally and how the law should be written or enforced? Using a recent ICE shooting story as a case study, he explores how government power shapes human behavior, why politics is an extension of morality, and why treating people as image-bearers of God matters in public life. He also pulls in a classic libertarian argument from Marshall Fritz on robbery vs. taxation, touches on sphere sovereignty and localism, and closes with Jesus’ model of persuasion over coercion as a guide for Christian engagement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris, Harry, and Rhinehold discuss the coming snowpocolypse and what motivates people to buy 8 gallons of milk as a response. While shooting the show, news breaks about a second killing by ICE in Minneapolis. https://youtu.be/4fXijck0ELQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Spangle is joined by Harry Price and Rhinehold for the final We Are Libertarians roundtable of 2025, recorded on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year’s. They trade Festivus-style grievances, talk life and workload, and debate Indianapolis development, public transit, and downtown design, including “no turn on red” frustrations and light rail. The conversation moves into NPR and PBS funding cuts, NOAA and weather data, and why abrupt cuts can create gaps before private solutions adapt. They also dig into “too big to fail,” stadium subsidies, wealth inequality, immigration and tariffs, and worries about an AI hype cycle that could pop. Along the way: John Bolton’s book as a Christmas gift, local versus federal power, and why history keeps repeating. 00:00 Intro & Holiday Banter 03:00 Year-End Reflections & Schedules 08:00 Jokes, Grievances & Festivus Vibes 13:00 Life Updates & Podcasting Behind the Scenes 20:00 Indianapolis Neighborhoods & Housing Market 28:00 City Development, Gentrification, and Sports Strategy 34:00 Public Projects, Taxpayer Money & Convention Economy 43:00 Transit, Traffic, and Urban Design Debates 52:00 Public Transportation & Challenges for the Poor 01:02:00 Funding Cuts, Private Solutions & PBS/NPR 01:10:00 Speculation, Tech Giants & Too Big to Fail 01:18:00 Renewable Energy, Land Use, & NIMBYism 01:24:00 American Preferences, Libertarian Values & Wealth Gaps 01:33:00 Final Thoughts, Historical Parallels & Farewell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final 2025 episode of The Chris Spangle Show, Spike Cohen shares how he became a Christian and what his first Christmas season in the faith has meant to him. Cohen explains the mission of You Are the Power, an advocacy group that pressures local and state officials to back off when families say they are being railroaded by government systems. The conversation focuses on the Hernandez family in Georgia, who faced felony child abuse charges and the loss of their children before being found not guilty and reunited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Spangle and Matt Wittlief open Season 2 with essential background for the late 1200s, tracing how the Holy Roman Empire’s electoral system emerged after the Carolingians, how the Great Interregnum unfolded and how the Habsburgs entered European politics. They also outline parallel developments in Wales, Scotland, the Low Countries, international trade, banking and the origins of English common law to set the stage for the reigns of Kings Edward I, II and III. Topics in this episode: Early imperial elections after Otto III and the king of the Romans title The Stauffers and the Welfs, plus the Ghibelline and Guelph factions Frederick II’s deposition in 1245, William of Holland and the Great Interregnum The seven prince electors and the contested 1254 election between Richard of Cornwall and Alfonso II of Castile Rudolf of Habsburg’s election in 1273, later Habsburg influence and Albert’s election in 1298 Wales from Offa’s Dyke to Gruffudd ap Llywelyn, Llywelyn the Great and the Marcher lords Scotland from the Picts and Gaels to Malcolm III, the Dunkeld line and the Treaty of York in 1237 Norway’s role in northern politics, including control of the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland The Low Countries, the county of Flanders, English wool and the trade cities of Bruges and Ghent The Champagne fairs, the growth of Italian merchant banking and the Knights Templar’s financial system The position of Jews in medieval Europe, including moneylending, Aaron of Lincoln, the York massacre and the 1255 Lincoln accusation The rise of universities in Bologna, Paris and Oxford and the development of English common law through writs, precedent and administrative expansion under Edward I Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Spangle and Matt Wittlief reunite to bring back History of Modern Politics after a long hiatus. In this episode, they explain why the show is returning, how seasons two and three are already underway, and what listeners can expect as they continue tracing political thought from the Roman Republic to the American founding. Chris and Matt share behind-the-scenes updates on research, writing, episode structure, and how their work connects ancient history to today’s political shifts. They also discuss season one, the path ahead through the Middle Ages and the Glorious Revolution, and their plans to cover the first American political systems in future seasons. Subscribe to the History of Modern Politics feed - ⁠https://link.chtbl.com/history-of-modern-politics⁠ Join the Substack - ⁠https://www.historyofmodernpolitics.com/⁠ Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@historyofmodernpolitics5701⁠https://www.youtube.com/@historyofmodernpolitics5701⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Chris Spangle, Harry Price, and Rhinehold for an unfiltered conversation exploring everything from tech “enshittification” and the work-from-home debate to the dangers of centralized government power. The trio examines how political and cultural tension mirror the post-COVID era, why Gen Z’s values echo past generations, and what the “success sequence” reveals about personal responsibility. Chris closes with a passionate critique of executive overreach, historic preservation, and America’s fading respect for the rule of law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices