The New England Take
News, Politics, and Policy in New England. Hosted by A. J. Kierstead. NewEnglandTake.com Follow the show on Facebook/X: @NewEnglandTake
Episodes
The VTDigger has spent months reporting on the inevitable failure of Vermont housing homeless people in motels across the state, A. J. breaks down how the program was destined to fail and how Governor Phil Scott did what had to be done.
Read the article: https://vtdigger.org/2025/07/01/we-need-a-prayer-as-executive-order-ends-hundreds-of-vermonters-exit-motels
Email the show: aj@newenglandtake.com
Join the Substack, pay if ya want: h...
A. J. breaks down the decision on Contoocook Valley School District v. State of New Hampshire to determine if Superior Court Judge David Ruoff's ruling should stand, but will anything be enforced?
"NH Supreme Court Rules Ed Funding Inadequate, But Won’t Order State to Pay" NH Journal: https://nhjournal.com/nh-supreme-court-rules-ed-funding-inadequate-but-wont-order-state-to-pay/
Read the NH Supreme Court Decision: https...
A. J. discusses the political fallout of Trump bombing Iran and whether we should leave it at just the bombing.
Check out WDEV's The Vermont Viewpoint: https://blubrry.com/vermontviewpoint/
Email me: aj@newenglandtake.com https://x.com/newenglandtakehttps://newenglandtake.com
A. J. Gives his thoughts on the United States bombing Iran. Did the neocon war hawks cause this? What about Israel? Is Trump actually in control?
Professor Seth C. Oranburg, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, breaks down NH HB 551-FN, recently signed by Governor Kelly Ayotte, and how it goes far beyond Sig Sauer, even though media outlets and Democrats pretend they are the only company involved.
Learn more about Professor Oranburg: https://law.unh.edu/person/seth-oranburg
Read 2025 NH HB-551-FN: https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2025&txtFormat=ht...
Governor Kelly Ayotte signed SB 295 and HB 10 into law, locking in Education Freedom Accounts for all and the Parental Bill of Rights in New Hampshire.
"Ayotte signs universal EFA bill, parental bill of rights," New Hampshire Bulletin: https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/06/10/ayotte-signs-universal-efa-bill-parental-bill-of-rights/
"NHGOP’s Parental Bill of Rights (Finally) Signed Into Law," NH Journal: https:/...
I called it in March that the Elon Musk's involvement in the Donald J. Trump administration would be done by the end of June! Let's dive into the chaos that is surrounding this situation.
Listen to the segment on WDEV's The Vermont Viewpoint: https://blubrry.com/vermontviewpoint/143810714/ross-connolly-talks-with-john-goodnight-rachel-burgin-rep-will-greer-and-aj-kierstead/
Regarding the Elon taking Ketamine allegations, ...
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) lists the Granite Grok, a New Hampshire based, right-wing outlet, on their "Hate Map" as "Antigovernment General" (whatever that means). Steve MacDonald, Managing Editor of the Granite Grok , talks about how the SPLC has abandoned their honest roots to become a Marxist propaganda organization.
Check out the Granite Grok at https://granitegrok.com
https://x.com/newenglandtake
h...
The Cost of Education: Part 4
Ian Underwood, a scientist and mathematician (not to mention a libertarian), breaks down why we should rethink how schools measure success and the impact it should have on education funding.
Read his books at https://www.bareminimumbooks.com
Thanks to the Granite Grok for sharing the show, check more out from them at https://granitegrok.com
Subscribe: @newenglandtake https://x.com/newenglandtakehttps://n...
The Cost of Education: Part 3
2023 Educator of the Year, Christian Cheetham of Alvirne High, gives the case that school administrators are enabling some of the worst outcomes in public education and how teacher salaries are not the real issue at hand, when it comes to education funding.
Educator from Alvirne High named 2023 NH Teacher of the Year: https://www.education.nh.gov/news/educator-alvirne-high-named-2023-nh-teacher-year
Hear ...
NH Journal's Managing Editor Michael Graham gives his opinion on New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR)'s Jim Schachter and New Hampshire PBS's Peter Frid responding to President Donald Trump working to defund NPR and PBS.
Read "IN THEIR OWN WORDS: NHPR’s Schachter/NHPBS’s Frid On Why Taxpayers Should Keep Paying" on NH Journal: https://nhjournal.com/in-their-own-words-nhprs-schachter-on-why-taxpayers-should-keep-...
The Cost of Education: Part 2
The New Hampshire School Administrator Association Executive Director Dr. Mark MacLean and Associate Executive Director Jerry Frew discuss the role of the role of school superintendents and their staff, why their six figure salary is justifiable, and their perspective on school funding.
Learn more about the New Hampshire School Administrator Association (NHSA): https://www.nhsaa.org
Thanks to the Granite ...
NH Rep. Buzz Scherr, Professor of Law at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, joins A. J. Kierstead to discuss the complicated world of immigration crackdowns and reform. Democrats play rhetorical games and President Donald J. Trump plays games with lives.
Learn more about Professor Scherr: https://law.unh.edu/person/albert-scherr
https://newenglandtake.com
A. J. Kierstead is joined by the Concord NH Patch's Tony Schinella to discuss the complicated world of covering homeless people and express concern over The Concord Monitor celebrating a man who assaulted a young child.
Check out Tony's work: https://patch.com/new-hampshire/concord-nhFollow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConcordNHPatch
Read The Concord Monitor article: https://www.concordmonitor.com/Homeless-memorials-Concord-...
A. J. Kierstead and Dexter Tarbox discuss the impact of the US Senate race for New Hampshire being a jump ball with a complex Democratic slate and weak Republican bench. Players include Lily Tang Williams, Chris Pappas, Maggie Goodlander, and Scott Brown, with Chris Sununu deciding not to run!
Follow Dexter on X: https://x.com/DSDexterTarbox
Follow A. J. on X: https://x.com/newenglandtake
Subscribe to the show: https://youtube.com/@ne...
A. J. calls out New Hampshire Republicans for their bad treatment of small, local businesses having to deal with tariffs, hurting their ability to employ locals that need jobs.
Watch the WMUR segment: https://www.wmur.com/article/concord-nh-store-concerned-new-tariffs-040325/64371485?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot
https://youtube.com/@newenglandtake
Editor in Chief Steve Robinson of The Maine Wire breaks down their investigation into the 2024 audit of the State of Maine under Governor Janet Mills, revealing blatant poor management of billions of dollars.
Steve's video on the audit: https://x.com/TheMaineWire/status/1907451022366191843
"‘Pattern of Negligence–or Worse’: Maine Republican Senators Urge AG Pam Bondi to Investigate State Finances After Devastating Audit,&quo...
After years of annoyance at their left wing politics, A. J. calls out the "nonpartisan" New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute for pushing big government, costly solutions and pushing the debunked wage gap.
New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute: https://nhfpi.org
NHFPI's, "Spotlight on Granite State Women in the Labor Force for National Women’s Equal Pay Day": https://nhfpi.org/blog/spotlight-on-granite-state-w...
The Cost of Education: Part 1
The New England Take is kicking off a new series, "The Cost of Education." Everyone focuses on the per pupil cost and what the New Hampshire Statehouse is looking at, but not why rural towns pay twice as much as cities, why cities like Portsmouth is saying they are making cuts while spending more, and what impact does special education play into it. Much more to come in the future on this topi...
New Hampshire's Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen has decided not to run for reelection in 2026. A. J. says it is time to get a pragmatic Republican in office, like former Governor Chris Sununu.The Washington Times, "Former NH Gov. Chris Sununu reconsidering run for U.S. Senate": https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/11/chris-sununu-former-governor-new-hampshire-reconsidering-run-us/NH Journal, "Testy Sha...
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