Huckabee Guests

Sam Brownback
Former Kansas Governor (R) / Former Kansas Senator (R) / Fmr U.S. Ambassador At-Large For Int'l Religious Freedom

Sam is currently a chairman for the The National Committee for Religious Freedom.  Learn more about the NCRF's work by going to https://thencrf.org/.

Sam Brownback was born in Garnett, Kansas in 1956. He quickly learned the value of hard work, responsibility and family at a young age while working with his sister and brothers on their family farm near Parker, Kansas. He began his career in leadership when he was elected state president of the Future Farmers of America, and then the national vice-president of the FFA. Brownback attended Kansas State University, where he earned a bachelor’s of science in agricultural economics. He then attended the University of Kansas Law School where he obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1982. Four years later, Brownback became the youngest secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture in state history. He strove to protect the interest of farmers, promote market expansion and foster new technological farming improvements. Brownback also served as a White House Fellow in the George H. W. Bush Administration. In 1994, Brownback was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Two years later, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Brownback returned to Kansas where he was elected governor. In his second term, Brownback committed to growing the Kansas economy by alleviating the income tax burden on all Kansans, continuing investments in K-12 education and equipping struggling Kansans with the work training needed to break the cycle of generational poverty. On January 24, 2018, Brownback was confirmed to serve as the U.S ambassador at-large for international religious freedom. He resigned as governor of Kansas on January 31, 2018.

Brownback and his wife, Mary, have five children.

Sarah Palin
Former Alaska Governor (R) / Former Vice Presidential Candidate

Palin is the author of The New York Times best-selling books Going Rogue: An American Life (November 2009), America by Heart (November 2010), and Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas (November 2013). She was named to TIME magazine’s 2010 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, the Smithsonian Institutes’s “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time” and Barbara Walter’s “Ten Most Fascinating People” list two years in a row. Sarah Palin first made history on December 4, 2006, when she was sworn in as the first female and youngest governor of Alaska. In August 2008, Senator John McCain tapped Palin to serve as his vice-presidential running mate in his presidential campaign, making her the first woman to run on the Republican Party’s presidential ticket. Palin has a long record of achievement and experience in public office. Prior to her election as governor, she served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor of Wasilla. During her tenure, she reduced property tax levels while increasing services and made Wasilla a business-friendly environment, drawing in new industry and making it the fastest growing city in Alaska. She was elected President of Alaska’s Conference of Mayors. Under her leadership as governor, Alaska invested $5 billion in state savings, overhauled education funding, reformed the state’s employee pension program, and protected Alaska’s natural resources. She created Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities, and infrastructure. In Alaska, her top priorities included fiscal restraint, limiting the size of government, resource development, education, equitable oil valuation, and transportation and infrastructure development. Palin fought for ethics reform and transparency in government. A proven fiscal hawk, Palin cut state spending by nearly 10% while also reducing federal earmark requests by more than 80%. She used her line-item veto to cut more than a quarter billion in wasteful spending—the largest veto cuts in the state’s history. During Palin’s first year in office, three of her administration’s major proposed pieces of legislation passed—an overhaul of the state’s ethics laws, a competitive process to construct a natural gas pipeline, and a restructuring of Alaska’s oil valuation formula. To eliminate waste and make government more accountable and transparent, Palin sold the governor’s private jet, eliminated the governor’s private chef, increased accessibility to the governor’s office, and put the state’s checkbook online. Palin is the former chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety, and the environment. She also served as chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) Natural Resources Committee, which was charged with pursuing legislation to ensure state needs are considered as federal policy is formulated in the areas of agriculture, energy, environmental protection, and natural resource management. Born on February 11, 1964, in Sandpoint, Idaho, Palin moved to Alaska with her family at the age of three months when her father took a teaching position in Skagway, Alaska, before eventually settling in Wasilla. A graduate of Wasilla High School, Palin was the co-captain and point guard of Wasilla’s 1982 state championship women’s basketball team. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. An internationally sought speaker and conservative leader, Palin is an influential force in the national debate. Her endorsement and support from her political action committee, SarahPAC, remain the gold standard for conservative candidates every election cycle. Sarah was named the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute’s 2012 Woman of the Year. She was also the host of the 8-week documentary series “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” on TLC and the show “Amazing America” on the Sportsman Channel. Sarah has five children and eight grandchildren. She enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, road trips, running, kids’ sports, and everything in the Great Outdoors.

Scott & Meredith Layton
Buttermilk Sky Pie Founders

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The Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop story begins in the kitchens of our maternal grandmothers Ruth and Edith. They were two Southern ladies: one from Arkansas, the other from Mississippi. Each shared a spunk best described as “whiskey in a tea cup.” Known as much for their crazy sayings and firm beliefs as for their pies, biscuits, and preserves, these two special women placed a mark on our hearts that will last a lifetime. 

Scott had the privilege of growing up on a 1500 acre second generation farm in rural Southeast Missouri. Summer days were spent working in the garden, driving the tractor, and spending time in his Granny’s kitchen canning and sampling her fruit pies and preserves. It was here that he developed a strong work ethic and a taste for fresh handmade baked goods that would set the bar for quality at Buttermilk Sky. 

Scott learned all aspects of running the farm from equipment, to livestock, to crops and basic business and brokerage principles. He followed up his “farm raising” with a degree in Architectural Engineering and a 20-plus year career in Construction Management prior to going into the baking business. Scott’s attention to detail and passion for design has been a great asset to the retail build-out process of our stores. When he isn’t working, Scott enjoys spending time with sons, Bo and Tabb and hanging out with his yellow lab, Curtis. 

Meredith grew up a city girl from Memphis, TN home of Elvis Presley and the birthplace of the blues. Memphis is famous for its BBQ and for the desserts that follow it. Memphians know a thing or two about pie, and Meredith’s Nanny (Grandmother) was no exception to the rule. Nanny was known among friends and family and to many in the community as the “pie lady.” She was often seen toting her marigold-colored Tupperware pie carrier to birthday parties, cookouts, reunions, and yes, even funerals. That old pie carrier must have had more miles on it than her Chrysler Lebaron. 

Meredith often spent Friday nights at Nanny’s house. Saturday mornings were always a treat. She made homemade “tea biscuits” cut with an old can. It was just the perfect size to make a petite three bite biscuit. If she were lucky, Nanny would have a jar of her plum jelly to top them with and life was good. Afternoons were often spent making pies. While Scott’s Granny was an expert on making fruit pies using fruits from her orchards, Nanny’s specialties were cream pies and pecan pie. The idea for our 4” Mini Pies came from a child sized cast iron skillet that Nanny always let Meredith use to make “baby pies” as she baked along side her in the kitchen. 

It is around our grandmother’s specialties that we have built our classic pie menu; the fruit pies from Scott’s Granny and the cream pies and pecan pie from Meredith’s Nanny. We never would have guessed that Meredith’s prior career as a Speech-Language Pathologist and Scott’s Construction Management career would have ended in the culmination of our childhood memories and entrepreneurial dreams in the form of a pie shop. 

We first entered the bakery business following Meredith’s sister’s lead in 2007 and opened The Cupcakery as a licensed location of her original cupcake store in St. Louis, Mo. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that we loved the baking industry and the independence that we gained from owning our own business. 

We recently were blessed to have won Cooking Channel’s Sugar Showdown, something we couldn’t have even imagined ever participating in on the day we opened the doors at the original Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop. 

APPLE PIE

Ingredients:

1 prepared pie crust

For Filling:

6 cups sliced, peeled apples

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

For Crumble Topping: 

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp salt

1 stick cold butter, cubed

Instructions: 

1. Prepare a 9" pie pan with your favorite pie crust.

2. In a large bowl, peel and slice your apples. 

3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon and allspice. Pour over the apples and mix until the apples are evenly coated. 

4. Pour apples into pie crust and use your hands to evenly distribute slices in the crust. 

5. To make the crumble topping, in a mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, brown sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Using a pastry knife, cut in the cold, cubed butter until crumble forms. 

6. Pour crumble topping on top of the apples and pack down slightly with hands to form a smooth dome. 

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes until pie is golden brown. If needed, cover edges of crust with foil to prevent over browning. Pie is done when caramelized juices start bubbling through the top crumble. 

Scott Brown
Former US Senator (R-MA), Former Candidate for President, TBN Contributor

Scott Brown was born September 12, 1959 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Scott's parents met when his mom was a waitress at Hampton Beach and his dad was an airman at Pease Air Force Base. They met, fell in love, and a year later Scott was born. When he left the hospital, he went home to his first house on Islington Street in Portsmouth. The childhood path walked by Scott was not an easy one. After overcoming a childhood of abuse and neglect, which he chronicled in his best-selling memoir, 'Against All Odds' Scott was accepted to Tufts University where he played basketball for all four years and became captain of the team. He graduated cum laude in 1981 and then went on to earn a law degree from Boston College Law School in 1985. At the age of 19, Scott joined the Army National Guard after being inspired by their emergency response efforts during the historic Blizzard of '78. Scott rose from a boot camp recruit eventually becoming an officer. He was branch qualified as an infantry, quartermaster and Judge Advocate General. For the last three years, Scott has been performing his duty at the Pentagon. In August 2012, Scott was promoted to the rank of Colonel. After nearly 35 years of service, Scott will retire from the military with honors in May 2014. Scott first got involved in elected office at the local level, as a town assessor, and his passion for public service led him to go on to serve as a selectman, state representative and state senator. On January 19, 2010, Scott shocked the nation when he won the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Senator Ted Kennedy. In the Senate, Scott earned a reputation as someone with a strong independent streak who could get things done. This included banning insider trading by Members of Congress, making it easier for entrepreneurs to raise start-up capital via the Internet, providing tax credits to businesses that hire veterans or ensuring our veterans were properly buried at Arlington Cemetery with the honors they deserve. Scott is seeking to return to the Senate to provide an important check and balance against a bloated federal government that is intruding into every aspect of our lives. One example is Obamacare, which has caused confusion and frustration for individuals and businesses. Scott wants more power to states so they can decide their own healthcare futures, instead of having a one-size-fits-all solution imposed from Washington. Scott believes in an America that leads the world, and he looks with dismay at our weak and indecisive foreign policy that has diminished America's standing in the world, emboldening our enemies and frustrating our allies. He believes the answer is a strong America with a military that is respected by friend and foe alike. Scott is a proud fiscal conservative who wants to make sure government doesn't spend more than it takes in. He believes that America's greatest days lie ahead, but that we must end the Washington culture that spends too much and taxes too much, interfering with job creation and economic growth. He also believes we have an obligation to pass on a brighter future to our children and grandchildren, resembling a nation as prosperous as the one he grew up in. For nearly 28 years, Scott has been married to Gail Huff, a well-known television journalist. The couple lives in Rye, where they have had a home for 23 years, and they are the proud parents of two daughters- Ayla, 25, a country music star living in Nashville, and Arianna, 23, who will be entering veterinarian school in the fall. Both daughters are getting married this summer.

Seamus Bruner
Director of Research, Government Accountability Institute

Seamus Bruner is the Director of Research at the Government Accountability Institute (GAI). He has worked with renowned investigative journalist Peter Schweizer since June 2011 and with GAI since January 2013 providing research & support for numerous New York Times best-sellers.

That research has been featured on the front page of top publications like New York TimesWall Street Journal and Washington Post and resulted in multiple 60 Minutes exposés. Bruner has discussed the results of his findings on national TV and radio.

Bruner published his first book, COMPROMISED: How Money & Politics Drive FBI Corruption in Fall 2018. The book was endorsed by numerous former federal prosecutors for its accuracy, thoroughness, and hard-hitting exposures of corrupt former FBI directors and deputies like James Comey, Robert Mueller, Andrew McCabe, among others. COMPROMISED became an instant bestseller.

Bruner published his second book, FALLOUT: Nuclear Bribes, Russian Spies, and Washington Lies, in the Fall of 2020. FALLOUT exposed how the Russian “Reset” appeasement strategy of the Obama and Biden administration led to cronyism and chaos in Ukraine. Co-authored by the award-winning veteran investigative journalist John Solomon, FALLOUT became a national bestseller endorsed by President Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Sharyl Atkisson, Gregg Jarrett, and multiple nuclear energy and intelligence community insiders.

 

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