Left Face

Hosted by Adam Gillard & Dick Wilkinson

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136

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Join Adam Gillard and Dick Wilkinson while they talk politics and community engagement in the Pikes Peak region from a Veterans' Point of View..

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60 recent

June 14, 202633 min

The Platner Problem: Is the Democrats' Best Hope Also Their Biggest Risk?

This week on Left Face: the Graham Platner saga in Maine takes center stage, breaking down the SS death's-head tattoo controversy, the womanizing allegations from a Republican lobbyist with timing that raises eyebrows, and what it means when a populist grassroots phenomenon becomes a national liability for Democrats. Then it's Hormuz Watch, where Adam and Dick try to make sense of the on fire status of the Strait, a wild story about an Apache crew rescued by an unmanned drone boat, and whether Trump's Iran strategy is coherent or just a mouse in a maze. Plus: is Elon Musk really a trillionaire, or just very good at shell games? Back home, the guys cover Colorado's primary logistics (ballot drop boxes, signature verification, and why the system actually works), Tina Peters' post-release media tour, and Polis vetoing the Hold ICE Accountable bill on his way out.

June 1, 202644 min

Staring Into the Cistern: Iran Stalemate, Conspiracy Mad-Libs, & more

Adam and Dick open with this week's Hormuz Watch — the strait is still closed, the news cycle is exhausted, and the administration has no endgame beyond getting back to where things were before. Then it's the debut of Conspiracy Corner: the Lone Star tick, Alpha-Gal syndrome, and the theory that Bill Gates bioengineered a meat allergy to save the planet (as explained by a sitting congressman on Joe Rogan, naturally). From there, the guys break down the Texas Senate Republican primary — Ken Paxton's runoff win despite Trump's late endorsement and the national Senate GOP committee going publicly against him — and what it means for Colin Allred's chances in the general. Plus: Tulsi Gabbard's six-hour news cycle, Pam Bondi on the Hill throwing Todd Blanche under the bus on the Epstein files, and RFK Jr. getting repeatedly bitten by snakes on Dr. Oz's porch. A perfectly normal week in American politics.

May 24, 202637 min

Polis, Peters, and Political Favors

A naval blockade letting every ship through, a clemency that may have been a political trade, a $1.8 billion fund of questionable legality, and one Kentucky libertarian willing to torch his career over Epstein. This week on Left Face.

May 17, 202641 min

Wagging the Dog

Project Taurus stirs up the neighborhood, Iran stays nuclear-adjacent, and Israel reminds everyone who's really driving U.S. Middle East policy.

May 9, 202637 min

The Strait is Ajar & Redistricting straight to 1984

The Hormuz situation has a third status now — not open, not closed, just barely cracked. Adam and Dick break down the asymmetric threat keeping ships from moving, the 90-day war powers shuffle, and why we're headed for Obama's deal with Trump's signature and a lot of dead people in between.Virginia let the people vote and the Supreme Court threw it out anyway. A Supreme Court nominee won't commit to the 22nd Amendment. And an untrained guy with a gun almost did the unthinkable because a cop didn't listen to his dog.

May 5, 202640 min

The War That Isn't: Dangling Keys, Distraction, and Doublespeak

Adam and Dick break down the administration's Iran war messaging — from the 60-day war powers clock getting "paused" by a tweeted ceasefire, to Hegseth's belligerent non-answers before Congress. They unpack the marijuana reclassification as a shiny distraction, dig into the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act and what Louisiana's governor did within 48 hours, and get into a genuinely interesting debate about whether racial gerrymandering — even the remedial kind — was ever the right fix. Plus: the military as an authoritarian proving ground, the "common sense" doublespeak both parties use, and why Democrats need to put the pillows down and actually throw a punch.

April 26, 202642 min

Hormuz Watch: Congress, Corruption, and a Very Ballsy Bet

Dick and Adam break down a chaotic week in American politics — four congressional departures in seven days, from Swalwell's swift fall to a Texas Republican who only left when the margin gave him no cover. They dig into the soldier who bet on his own classified mission in Venezuela, what it reveals about the dangers of betting on anything, and why the genie is very much out of the bottle. Plus: Kash Patel's lawsuit against The Atlantic, a cabinet secretary who took her staff to a strip club, and why the CD5 race is finally getting national money for the first time ever. And yes — the Strait of Hormuz is still closed.

April 19, 202641 min

Ranching While Black; The Outgroup always expands

This week Adam and Dick are joined in studio by Pablo Capistrano — 20-year Navy veteran, local activist, and co-founder of Civic Shield, a firearm safety program serving vulnerable communities in the Colorado Springs area.In this episode:We start close to home with the story of Freedom Acres Ranch — a Black-owned farm in Yoder, Colorado run by CW and Nicole Mallory. What began as a fresh start after Hurricane Harvey became a years-long campaign of harassment, a bogus felony stalking charge from El Paso County Sheriff's Office, and most recently a drive-by shooting in April 2025. If you want to support them directly, visit their website, buy their meat, book a tour, or share their story: freedomacresranch.comFrom there we zoom out — to Trump's standoff with the Vatican, JD Vance's theology takes, and what it actually means when self-described Christians tell the Pope he's wrong. Then Pablo breaks down why Orban's landslide loss in Hungary matters for American progressives and what the TISA movement's grassroots strategy can teach us. We close on FISA Section 702, warrantless surveillance, and why a 10-day extension on a spying law should have more people paying attention.

April 11, 202642 min

Supreme Court Week: Winners, Losers, and Children in the Crossfire

Adam and Dick break down a chaotic week in American politics, law, and foreign policy through a veteran lens from Colorado Springs.Topics covered:Trump's unprecedented appearance at Supreme Court oral arguments on birthright citizenship — and his Truth Social meltdown afterwardThe SCOTUS conversion therapy ruling out of Colorado Springs: what it actually decided, what it deliberately avoided, and why Justice Jackson's dissent cuts to the heart of itICE arresting a soldier's wife outside Fort Polk while he was in-processing her as a military dependent — and how ICE knew exactly where to beIran, the fake ceasefire, nuclear nonproliferation, and what it means when a nuclear nation threatens a non-nuclear oneThe "Ghost Murmur" technology claim from the downed aviator rescue — real quantum magnetism or a cover story?NATO tensions, Greenland posturing, and Five Eyes intelligence sharing concernsArtemis swings around the moonLeft Face is the Pikes Peak regional podcast for veterans and those interested in political issues affecting the military community.

April 4, 202643 min

Death Is a Reasonable Solution: Veterans on Guns, War, and the Barracks

An honest conversation about military culture, what basic training actually does to your worldview, and why arming troops on base might get people killed. Iran was built for a long war and only has to survive to win. The guys break down why the administration's victory claims don't add up — and what the real endgame looks like.