Podcast Summary: Faith and Freedom with Shemane Nugent

Episode Date: October 26, 2025
Podcast: Real America’s Voice (iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Shemane Nugent
Main Guests: Scott Kesterson, Ted Nugent, Trennis Evans, Terry Newsome

Overview

This episode of Faith and Freedom explores themes of patriotism, media truth-telling, faith in adversity, and the present challenges facing America’s cultural and political landscape. Shemane Nugent hosts a lively and frank conversation with military veteran and BardsFM host Scott Kesterson, rock legend Ted Nugent, January 6th defendant and activist Trennis Evans, and investigative journalist Terry Newsome. The focus is on personal courage, truth-telling, and how faith equips individuals to resist corruption and societal decline.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scott Kesterson’s Journey: War, Media, and Faith

[02:53 - 11:47]

• Background and Military Experience

  • Kesterson recounts his service in the Oregon Army National Guard (1983-1991), then his transition into marketing and construction.
  • In 2006, he became the first fully embedded citizen journalist with the 41st Brigade in Afghanistan, reporting directly from conflict zones.
  • He describes harrowing experiences: "My first troops in contact... in a little fire base called Carney... a week of just very, very intense fighting. Haqqani network was in the area." ([05:15])
  • His footage with Canadian forces earned him an Emmy in 2007.

• Transition to Information Warfare

  • After his journalistic work, Kesterson was embedded with special operations, contracted under the CIA, and worked at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul.
  • He highlights the impact of leadership, notably General Scott Miller, and criticizes the U.S. government’s withdrawal plan from Afghanistan: "The debacle that ended up... that's completely a debacle on the government political side. Scott Miller had developed an amazing transition plan out of the country." ([08:57])
  • Later, at the “Asymmetric Warfare Group” at Fort Meade, he focused on identifying emerging threats and narrative warfare globally.

• A Turn Toward Public Communication

  • Recognizing growing threats to the nation after the 2016 election, Kesterson closed his defense company to focus on information warfare—informing and fortifying public awareness, especially within the Patriot movement.

• Faith as the Last Bastion

  • His experience in Afghanistan showed that religious conviction is a formidable defense against propaganda: "Faith was the hardest wall to break through." ([11:28])

2. Ted Nugent’s Reflections and Support

[12:14 - 13:37]

• Ted offers characteristic humor and gratitude, comparing the intensity of Scott’s experience to his own in the Detroit rock & roll scene.

• He underlines the importance of being a “cockroach spotlighter—otherwise known as a whistleblower,” and praises Kesterson for channeling hardship into meaningful truth-telling.

  “You have channeled and cultivated and nurtured and optimized your skills as a man who has seen the ugliest of the ugly. That through your faith, you know the best of the best...” – Ted Nugent ([12:14])

3. Faith, Betrayal, and Resilience: Kesterson’s Jail Experience and Radio Mission

[18:57 - 25:18]

• Jailed Without Charges

  • Kesterson recounts a bizarre, traumatic experience: being arrested by U.S. Marshals, publicly smeared in the press, and put on probation without ever being charged.

    "I ended up being greeted by a marshal... I'll never forget his words. He said, 'I read your file. Something doesn't add up. Trust me, I'm just the messenger.'" ([19:19])

  • He reveals the ordeal pared down his relationships to a core group: "All three of them were Delta Force... they never waver." ([22:20])

• Spiritual Turning Point

  • In jail, he had a dramatic encounter with God, which led directly to launching the BardsFM podcast.

    "I had a tremendous encounter with God in jail... Literally woke up one morning to Him saying, 'I need you back to storytelling and I need you to take this to the world.'" ([19:52])

• Restorative Justice and Media Warfare

  • Charges were dropped, his case sealed, and he points to the clear evidence of an information attack: "When you get 30 stories released in an hour, if you know anything about information warfare, that's not accidental." ([24:03])

4. Where Faith Meets Freedom: Guidance for Troubled Times

[25:18 - 27:09]

• Staying Grounded in Chaos

  • Kesterson urges listeners to stay anchored in faith and resist media manipulation: "You've got to stay focused on Christ... We have got to make sure that we are grounded because... truth is being pluralized and confused with artificial intelligence, and it's being done intentionally." ([25:18])

• Practical Advice

  • Limit social media, engage in real-world actions, and remember: "No one has sovereignty over your mind except yourself." ([26:24])

• Enduring Message

  • Ted reinforces: "We the people grounded. I've preached grounded and down to earth for the last 70 years... Never give up." ([26:24], [27:09])

5. Testimony from the “Front Lines” – Trennis Evans

[33:44 - 44:35]

• January 6th Experience

  • Evans recounts his non-violent actions at the Capitol, intense prosecution, and eventual personal transformation through faith.
  • Reflects on the presence of undercover agents and federal agencies' roles during January 6th: "We had identified... over 140 of these people that were right in the midst of things, that were instigating things that never got charged with a crime." ([38:13])

• Finding Solace in Faith

  • Describes the spiritual support he found in the Word of Faith Fellowship, and how faith allowed him to surrender fear during his trial: "I claimed that land for the Lord... all of the fear just dissipated... it was so freeing." ([41:26])

6. Investigating Radical Activism: Terry Newsome’s Undercover Reporting

[48:33 - 54:39]

• Inside Antifa and Radical Protests

  • Newsome describes his undercover activism amidst Antifa and far-left protests in Chicago, noting how some are professional agitators.

  • Outlines dangerous encounters, including nearly being shot by ICE agents who mistook him for an agitator.

    "I'm cutting through the grass... Three of them... had their weapons, right? They're, they aimed guns at me..." ([50:48])

• The Importance of Courage and Community Resistance

  • Newsome feels compelled to continue, highlighting the lack of civic engagement: "I cannot get fathers to show up to school board to hold my posters... we're in a war and we need to expose this stuff." ([51:54])
  • He warns that intimidation tactics by radical groups effectively keep concerned parents and average citizens silent.

7. Closing Thoughts: Faith, Resilience, and Community Action

[54:51 - end]

• The episode ends with heartfelt thanks and encouragement from Shemane, who underscores her desire to inspire and support her listeners with practical health/wellness tips and a reminder of Esther 4:14:

  "If you stay silent... relief may or may not come. Who knows if you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? I think you have." ([58:55])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Scott Kesterson:

  “Faith was the hardest wall to break through... They were hard to tap because their faith was so disciplined and so strong. And it’s something we just don’t do well in this nation.” ([11:28])

• Ted Nugent:

  “The most important job of a free man uniquely to America is to be a cockroach spotlighter, otherwise known as a whistleblower.” ([12:14])

• Scott Kesterson on media smear:

  “When you get 30 stories released in an hour... that’s not accidental.” ([24:03])

• Trennis Evans:

  “I simply went in, sang the national anthem, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and spoke out for the police... yet all of a sudden, it was like the crime of the century, and I was facing 23 years in prison.” ([34:56])

• Terry Newsome:

  “We’re in a war, we’re losing the war and people don’t know. Not enough people... If we don’t do it... they’re only going to see the snapshot of trying to make ICE look like the enemies.” ([51:54])

Important Timestamps

• Scott Kesterson’s military journey: [04:19 – 11:47]
• Ted Nugent on whistleblowing: [12:14]
• Kesterson’s arrest and fallout: [19:17 – 24:03]
• Advice for keeping faith: [25:18 – 26:24]
• Trennis Evans’ testimony (Jan 6, faith): [33:44 – 43:05]
• Terry Newsome’s undercover reporting: [49:12 – 54:03]

Tone & Language

The conversation is passionate, direct, and personal—mixing military veteran candor, rock-and-roll bravado, investigative urgency, and spiritual conviction. The show fosters a sense of camaraderie, resilience, and a call to action grounded in faith and American values.

Summary

This episode of Faith and Freedom offers a raw look at how faith, courage, and a commitment to truth can equip individuals to face political injustice, media attacks, and the erosion of American freedoms. Through the gripping life stories of Scott Kesterson, reflections of Ted Nugent, testimony of Trennis Evans, and frontline reporting of Terry Newsome, listeners are reminded that spiritual discipline, honest dialogue, and collective vigilance remain America’s strongest defenses against both seen and unseen threats.