The Charlie Kirk Show – November 28, 2025

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Host: Andrew Colvett (Executive Producer, filling in for the late Charlie Kirk)
Guest: Kelly Shackelford, President & CEO of First Liberty Institute
Special Segment: Dr. Richard Fry, Pediatric Neurologist/Autism Researcher, and Riley Marty

Overview

This deeply reflective and wide-ranging episode of The Charlie Kirk Show explores the current status and future of religious liberty in America, punctuated by tribute to the late Charlie Kirk. Andrew Colvett, joined by legal expert Kelly Shackelford, examines recent Supreme Court wins, the shifting landscape of faith in the public square, and pressing questions around religious pluralism—particularly with the growing visibility of Muslim communities. The second half of the show pivots to a medical and policy discussion on autism, featuring Dr. Richard Fry and Riley Marty, focusing on new research and FDA movement toward treatments for autism spectrum disorder.

In Memory of Charlie Kirk & Carrying the Torch

[03:18–06:51]

• Andrew Colvett welcomes Kelly Shackelford with gratitude for his ongoing support of Turning Point USA and the mission Charlie Kirk championed.
• Reflections on Charlie Kirk:
  • “There will never be anybody like Charlie Kirk. He’s once in a generation—maybe once in more than that—and an incredible loss... I know he would be so proud of what is happening and what you guys are doing...”
    — Kelly Shackelford [04:31]
• The team’s commitment to keeping the mission alive amid tragedy is emphasized. Andrew reflects on his unexpected thrust into public life and the duty to protect liberty, echoing the biblical calling: “‘Yes, Lord, here I am. Send me.’” [05:21]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unprecedented Religious Liberty in America

[06:52–10:08]

• Kelly Shackelford claims Americans currently enjoy “more religious liberty than at any other time in our nation’s history,” citing a string of landmark U.S. Supreme Court victories:
  • Carson v. Makin (Maine): Opened school choice programs to religious institutions, affecting every private school choice program nationwide.
  • Religious Workplace Rights: Overturned a restrictive 47-year-old precedent, winning 9-0 for broader accommodation of religious beliefs at work.
  • Stat: “85% of the private schools are religious schools.” [08:17]

2. Separation of Church and State: Myth vs. Law

[10:08–13:09]

• Colvett & Shackelford clarify that “separation of church and state” is not in the Constitution but stems from an 1802 Jefferson letter.
• The Lemon Test’s Downfall:
  • For 50 years, the Lemon v. Kurtzman ruling allowed legal attacks on public religious expression, leading to nativity scenes and Ten Commandments removals.
  • Lemon was overturned in the “Coach Kennedy” case: “The founders would be appalled... It was cited over 7,000 times in the last 50 years to put down religious expression in public.” — Kelly Shackelford [13:11]
• The First Amendment’s True Mandate: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

3. Landmark Supreme Court Cases Restoring Faith in Public Life

[17:28–19:42]

• Coach Kennedy case: Cemented teachers’ and coaches’ rights to private religious expression without forfeiting First Amendment rights, and finally overturned the Lemon precedent.
  • “Coaches and teachers do not give up their First Amendment rights. And that’s what most people know. What they don’t know was within that decision, they overturned the Lemon case.” — Kelly Shackelford [19:09]
• New Legal Standard: If a religious activity in government is consistent with American history and tradition, it's “presumptively constitutional.”

Religion in Public Life: Pluralism, Precedent, and Cultural Tensions

4. Islam in America: Navigating Pluralism

[19:42–41:53]

• Concerns about the Rising Muslim Population:

  • Colvett relays Charlie Kirk’s worries about Islamic cultural inroads (“Epic City” in Texas, Dearborn, MI, etc.) and the political implications.
  • The “Coach Kennedy” precedent applies: rights are granted based on practice, not just religion.
  • Shackelford: “Religious freedom to do what? To pray? Sure. To put Sharia law in. No.”
  • Calls to prayer and church bells are analyzed as noise issues, not religious preference.
  • Pushback against cultural assimilation resistance and the need for legal/neutral noise ordinances.
  • Quotable:
    “Any religion that comes into the United States that doesn’t want to assimilate, that’s the whole purpose of the United States—is assimilation. It’s the melting pot.” — Kelly Shackelford [35:03]
  • Immigration policy seen as the true regulatory mechanism to safeguard cultural norms, rather than using religious liberty law to curtail certain religious practices.

• Colvett’s blunt take:
  “We don’t have a problem with ethnic diversity necessarily. We have a problem with cultural diversity.”

5. Religious Liberty Commission—A New Presidential Initiative

[42:27–47:32]

• Shackelford discusses serving on the nation’s first Religious Liberty Commission, reporting only to the President, charged with delivering actionable policy recommendations by July 4th, 2026, America’s 250th birthday.
  • “Our job is to give him direct recommendations on what he can do to secure religious freedom for the future of our country.” [47:32]

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

1. “Every day is a battle for your mind. Raging information coming from every angle with the will to deceive... You found the place for truth.”
   — Charlie Kirk [03:18]

2. “The idea that the government can’t be pro-religion in general is ridiculous. I mean, it would strike down the free exercise clause.”
   — Kelly Shackelford [17:28]

3. “I believe, man, you allow there to be freedom. I think that I have the truth and the Holy Spirit on my side, and you got no chance on the other side.”
   — Kelly Shackelford [39:26]

4. “Celebrating anybody’s death is unacceptable. Doesn’t matter who you are. It’s unacceptable in any job in this country.”
   — Kelly Shackelford [53:55]

Case Stories: Faith in the Workplace and Schools

6. Modern Religious Discrimination Stories

[47:57–52:28]

• Case: Marisol Castro, Connecticut Teacher
  • Forced to hide a small cross beneath her desk (“Don’t put it under a bushel...”), eventually suspended for asserting her faith.
  • “They walked her out of the school with all of her stuff in a box like a crack criminal.” — Kelly Shackelford [50:29]
  • Her emotional testimony moved an entire Commission hearing.
• Contrast with Progressive Activism in Schools:
  • Instances where teachers engaged in offensive, even violent, activism against conservative students—Andrew argues these should trigger employment consequences.

7. Student Rights and Parental Rights Under Siege

[54:41–55:50]

• Preview of a Religious Liberty Commission hearing on student/parent rights, referencing issues such as secret school-facilitated gender transitions ("gut-wrenching" stories).
• A standout moment: a 12-year-old’s testimony about being forced to read gender-affirming literature in school, highlighting the broader clash over parental rights and forced political orthodoxy.

Autism: Science, Policy, and Hope

Special Segment: [60:24–100:12]

8. Interview with Dr. Richard Fry – Autism Research Advances

Background & Motivation
[62:18–65:44]

• Dr. Fry’s shift to autism research was parent-driven; a lack of helpful protocols in early 2000s neurology clinics spurred him to investigate medical (not just behavioral) underpinnings.
• Discovery of abnormal biochemistry—such as low cerebral folate—led to attempts to treat with leucovorin.

Autism Diagnosis & Prevalence – Nature vs. Nurture
[65:44–74:24]

• Autism rates have skyrocketed (“1 in 22 kids in California, 1 in 30 nationally”).
• Are rising rates due to diagnostic broadening or real increase? Fry: “I think it's a little bit of both.”
• Genetics versus environment: Most genetic mutations in autism are “de novo”—not inherited, but new, often from environmental factors or nutritional deficiencies.
  • Notably, fetal and preconception environment play roles.

Research Insights: Fetal Environment & Nutrition
[74:24–83:47]

• Environment in the womb significantly shapes outcomes. Recent studies use baby teeth as “like rings on a tree” to study prenatal nutrient exposure—deficiency in nutrients like manganese and zinc correlates with later autism.
• Emphasizes the importance of maternal health, nutrition, and supplements (folate, iron, carnitine, vitamin D, thyroid function) preconception and during pregnancy.

Genetics, Screening, and Prevention
[83:47–86:18]

• Current science can identify mutations (“mutations” vs. “polymorphisms”), but practical predictive/preventive screening is complex and evolving.
• Emphasis on optimizing maternal/family health rather than seeking a single gene solution.

Gender Disparities in Autism
[86:18–87:22]

• Boys are diagnosed more; possible reasons: endocrine disruptors, girls’ genetic redundancy (two X chromosomes), or social skill resilience.

9. FDA & Treatment Breakthroughs

Leucovorin for Autism
[88:18–97:41]

• Recent headlines (and confusion) surround the FDA’s announcement on leucovorin: now approved for genetically confirmed “cerebral folate deficiency” (about 47 known cases).
• Most children with autism aren’t eligible under this label, but many may have related, undiagnosed folate receptor antibody issues.
• How Treatment Works:
  • Some autistic children can’t get folate into their brains due to antibodies or mitochondrial issues.
  • Leucovorin (a reduced form of folate, not regular folic acid) bypasses this, boosting brain folate via a “straw” (backup transport), instead of the main “fire hose.”
  • “We say like the worst you can do is make expensive pee.” — Dr. Fry [96:14]
  • Promising anecdotal success: nonverbal children gaining speech after leucovorin.
• Mitochondria’s role is complex; mitochondrial DNA is uniquely maternal and vulnerable to stress/toxins, further complicating the picture.

Important Timestamps

• 03:18 — Opening statement on the show’s legacy and mission
• 04:31 — Kelly Shackelford honors Charlie Kirk
• 06:52 — “More religious liberty than ever before” argument
• 08:17 — School choice and religious liberty impact
• 11:31 — Constitutional basis (or lack thereof) for “separation of church and state”
• 17:28 — Overturning Lemon with Coach Kennedy case
• 19:27 — New Supreme Court test: historical consistency
• 21:29–41:53 — Islam in America: pluralism vs. precedent debate
• 42:27 — Presidential Religious Liberty Commission explained
• 47:32 — Commission’s direct reporting to the President
• 48:06 — Marisol Castro cross incident in Connecticut schools
• 54:41 — Commission hearing: student rights and transition stories
• 60:24 — Dr. Richard Fry on autism prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment
• 88:59 — Leucovorin, FDA news, and biomedical approach to autism

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Religious Liberty at a Crossroads: Supreme Court wins for religious liberty signal a “revival” for public faith but also spark complex questions as America grows more religiously pluralistic. The legal test is now tied to historical traditions, which generally favor Judeo-Christian customs but leave room for other faiths within neutral policy constraints.
• Cultural Competition and Immigration: The podcast frames America’s changing religious demographics primarily as a cultural and immigration challenge rather than a strictly legal one. The answer, hosts and guest agree, lies in assimilation and wise policy, not exclusion.
• Autism’s New Hope: On the medical front, U.S. science is advancing from diagnosis to treatment, with real-world hope emerging through breakthroughs like leucovorin (for a subset of autistic children). The importance of maternal health and early intervention is ever clearer.

Final Notable Quote

“I really believe that religious freedom wins out. It’s kind of like free speech. If somebody’s saying something you don’t agree with, the answer is not for the government to stop the other… It’s more speech.”
— Kelly Shackelford [39:24]

For a full video of the Religious Liberty Commission hearings and more on ongoing autism research, listeners are encouraged to visit FirstLiberty.org and the Rossignol Medical Center.