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Florida's Future Governor 

Mike and Mark are back together again -- after Mark's successful heart catheterization! (And there are stories). Then onto the curiosities about Darline Graham and the continuing mystery of Mitch McConnell. Then the boys prepare to compare notes on The Odyssey while assessing the crazy range of reaction to it. ----- M and M EXTRA: Two iconic talk radio hosts. One unfiltered daily conversation. No scripts. No spin. Just Mike Gallagher and Mark Davis breaking down the news the way it should be — with decades of experience and zero apologies. If you love smart unscripted talk show chemistry, you’re in the right place. -- Check out our sponsor PHD Weight Loss if you're ready to finally take control of your health, PHD has the plan that works. Real science. Real support. Real results. Visit PHDWeightloss.com or call 864-644-1900 and mention Mike and Mark from M and M Extra! ---------------- Subscribe & Watch M and M Extra Live 📺 youtube.com/@MandMExtra 🕛 Weekdays at 12 PM ET Watch The Mike Gallagher Show Live 📡 salemnewschannel.com/watch-live 🕘 Weekdays 9 AM – 12 PM ET Listen to The Mark Davis Show 🎧 660amtheanswer.com/listenlive 🕛 Weekdays at 7AM - 10AM CT

LUVERNE, Minn. (AP) — Crossing the open farmland of southwestern Minnesota, you'll encounter an otherworldly sight: a massive head with a beard, mustache and red-striped top hat looming over the horizon. Pull into the small town of Luverne and the figure — a nearly 66-foot (20-meter) tall nutcracker, decked out like Uncle Sam — comes into full view. Luverne, which thanks to a local collector claims to have more of the decorative figurines than people, now boasts the world's tallest nutcracker too. And yes, the star-spangled behemoth has a working jaw. Outside a quirky rock shop in the town's center, hundreds of people gathered for a weekend ribbon cutting where the nutcracker's name and exact height were revealed to a crowd that was later served red, white and blue cookies and slushies. “Please welcome our newest Luverne resident, Verne the Patriot,” Katie Walgrave announced to cheers. It stands 65 feet and 7 1/2 inches tall, with the pedestal pushing Verne an additional 9 feet (2.7 meters) over the surrounding prairie, according to Walgrave. That's almost twice the height of a 33-foot (10-meter) tall nutcracker in Neuhausen, Germany, that Guinness World Records currently has ranked as the largest. Walgrave, who runs the rock shop called Those Blasted Things with her family, said that since the nutcracker was completed in mid-June, customers have quadrupled. Other local businesses have reported more traffic too. “Our goal is to have something that’s different and that you won’t see anywhere else. And so that’s what we have here,” she said. Given the association between nutcrackers and Tchaikovsky's namesake holiday ballet, the July unveiling seemed a bit out of season. But nutcrackers are a year-round obsession in Luverne, which also hosts a “Nutcracker Fest” every summer. It all traces back to Betty Mann, 96, and a trip that she made to a Cracker Barrel in January 2001 after her daughter and husband had recently died. “I said to my daughter-in-law, ‘I had a hard Christmas and I’ve always wanted a wooden nutcracker. I’m buying myself a belated Christmas present,’” she recalled. She got her first in the Cracker Barrel’s gift shop. She kept buying them, and Mann's collection eventually ballooned to more than 2,500 nutcrackers. In 2016, she donated them to the town’s historical society, where she was president, hoping to draw more visitors to its museum. Others also started donating and today, Luverne’s 7,554 nutcrackers outnumber its roughly 5,000 residents. No two are the same. A few years ago, when the city brought in a tourism expert to figure out how to lure more visitors, he concluded “we’re crazy if we don’t utilize the nutcracker collection,” Mayor Patrick Baustian said. A city committee came up with the idea of building the world's tallest nutcracker, and so Verne was conceived. It was timed perfectly to arrive as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary. The nutcracker was several years in the making, with the pieces crafted in Utah and assembled in Luverne. The head and hat had to be lifted on with a crane three weeks ago, completing the structure. It cost around $600,000, and was funded by donations and grants, Walgrave said. John Hawkinson of Lakeville, Minnesota, surprised his wife, Francine, with a trip to Luverne (nearly 200 miles, or 321 kilometers, away) after a house fire last month destroyed her collection of nearly 300 nutcrackers. Many represented times from their life together — a nutcracker resembling a sailor for John’s time in the Navy, and matching bride and groom nutcrackers for their marriage. “Betty started her collection as a way of dealing with grief,” John Hawkinson said Saturday. “We came down here out of loss as well. … I thought that was kind of a full circle moment.” Luverne is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from Minneapolis. One of its other claims to fame is being a setting for the second season of the TV show “Fargo.”

The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner will be held tomorrow, Friday, July 24, 2026, after being rescheduled from its original April 25 date. The annual event was postponed when a gunman opened fire at a security checkpoint outside the Washington Hilton in what authorities described as a suspected assassination attempt targeting President Donald Trump, forcing the dinner to be canceled.

The America Bashers Are At It Again

Jack Smith Criminally Referred & Rep. Brandon Gill Grills the ABA

Vance Boelter, the Minnesota man convicted of assassinating Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in prison. Boelter, 59, pleaded guilty to the June 2025 fatal shooting of the House Speaker and her husband, as well as attacking Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. By entering a guilty plea, Boelter avoided the death penalty. The sentencing took place on Thursday, bringing a measure of closure to a tragic case that shocked the community and raised questions about the safety of public officials and their families. The court's decision ensures that Boelter will spend the rest of his life behind bars, reflecting the gravity of his crimes and the need for justice.

Rep. Jim Jordan Issues a Criminal Referral Against Jack Smith

Brandon Gill Just Dismantled the ABA's President

CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. That has the potential to open a new front in the Iran war as the U.S. military conducted a 12th night of strikes against Iran and international oil topped $100 a barrel. The Houthis have threatened to shut down another key trade route, with the world economy already reeling from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and the U.S. have meanwhile stepped up their attacks as they vie for control of the strait. Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran would adopt an “eye for an eye” policy on U.S. strikes against its infrastructure. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio retorted that President Donald Trump’s policy is “a head for an eye.”

President Donald Trump says an agreement being reached with Saudi Arabia for a civilian nuclear program requires the kingdom to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. In a post on social media, the Republican president said the deal doesn’t allow for enrichment of uranium. Nonproliferation experts have raised concerns that the deal fails to include guardrails to prevent enrichment of uranium to weapons-grade levels. Meanwhile, two shootings in Maine and Houston over the span of a week have led to fierce criticism that there’s not enough oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office.

Republican Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell proposed a six-month deportation pause so illegal immigrants can register for conditional nonresident visas.

This growing radicalism threatens core American principles and the rule of law.

Radicals Dominate The Democrat Party

The Greg Laurie Show, July 26, 2026

DSA Platform Demands Sweeping Changes To U.S. Constitution

The Larry Elder Show, July 22, 2026 part 3

Two eyewitnesses have testified in federal court that a Houston immigration agent was not in the direct path of a vehicle when he fatally shot a Mexican man during an immigration enforcement operation earlier this month, challenging the Department of Homeland Security's account of the incident. According to court testimony, the witnesses said federal officers were standing to the sides of the vehicle rather than directly in front of it when the driver attempted to leave the scene. Their statements contradict the Department of Homeland Security's assertion that the driver tried to run over an officer, prompting the use of deadly force. The shooting occurred during an immigration enforcement operation in Houston and has drawn increased scrutiny from civil rights advocates and the victim's family, who have questioned whether the use of force was justified. Federal authorities continue to review the case. Investigators have not announced whether any charges will be filed, and officials have not released additional details while the investigation remains ongoing.

An independent autopsy has determined that the cause and manner of Nolan Xavier Wells' death remain undetermined, with medical experts saying additional information is needed before reaching a conclusion. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Wells' family, said the independent forensic pathologist was unable to determine how Wells died because of advanced decomposition and the lack of key investigative information. Crump said the findings should not be interpreted as ruling out foul play and called for a thorough investigation. Wells disappeared following a July 4 boating trip off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was later recovered after an extensive search, but questions surrounding the circumstances of his disappearance and death remain unanswered. Authorities continue to investigate the case, and a $125,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible if criminal activity is confirmed. Investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward as the investigation continues.