Free Arkansas

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.

Free Arkansas is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 104 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Free Arkansas, a news show with 104 episodes published.

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  Episode #3

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

  Sep 28, 20261h 2mS1

  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 sharing Why "student-athlete" was never about protecting players What's really behind Indiana's success Life in an NFL locker room vs. college The coach who shaped DJ's life on and off the field If 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.

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  Free Arkansas

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

  Sep 25, 202618 min

  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.

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  Free Arkansas

  Chris Milligan on Arkansas' $2 Trillion Lithium Opportunity

  Sep 22, 202657 min

  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 brine Why lithium prices crashed and stalled U.S. investment The difference between extraction and refining, and where the real value is Arkansas' overlooked history in critical minerals dating back to 1947 What it will take to build Arkansas into a critical minerals hub If 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.

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  Free Arkansas

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

  Sep 15, 202651 min

  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 museum Building Crystal Bridges around access, not exclusivity The Momentary, the Hub, and what's next for the campus Why 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.

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  Free Arkansas

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

  Sep 9, 20261h 5m

  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 Senate The failures of the current farm bill for Arkansas farmers Rural hospitals, Medicaid & the coming senior care crisis Data centers and who gets a say in where they're built Privacy, the Fourth Amendment & government surveillance

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