The lights going out is only the beginning. What happens when food deliveries, gas pumps, running water, and communications stop working?

In the final installment of GRID DOWN, Bill Walton welcomes Tommy Waller and Jonathan Hollerman to examine the potential consequences of a prolonged power grid collapse—and what families, utilities, and national leaders could do before a crisis.

Hollerman explores what the first 21 days of a catastrophic blackout could look like, including disruptions to grocery distribution, water systems, transportation, and emergency services. He also discusses why wealthy families build survival retreats and the limits of relying on government rescue during a widespread emergency. His approach to preparedness starts with understanding the threat and developing a plan before purchasing supplies.

Waller makes the case for prevention, discussing transformer protection technology, electrical equipment supply chain concerns, and his estimated $4 billion grid protection proposal. He considers whether AI companies and data center investors could help accelerate infrastructure improvements, and explains why he believes Donald Trump and Elon Musk could help advance grid security.

The guests also examine EMP threats, solar storms, utility incentives, and their concerns about spent nuclear fuel cooling during an extended blackout. Their central question: If protective solutions are available, what is preventing their deployment?

Topics include:

• The first 21 days of a prolonged grid-down emergency
• Food supply chains, drinking water, and essential services
• Billionaire survival retreats and the limits of government rescue
• EMP threats, solar storms, and vulnerable transformers
• Chinese-made electrical equipment and supply chain security
• Spent nuclear fuel cooling during extended power outages
• Grid hardening technology and Waller’s estimated $4 billion proposal
• AI data centers, Trump, Musk, and infrastructure protection
• Building a practical preparedness plan before spending on supplies

This conversation connects national security, energy security, and family preparedness, exploring both prevention and the challenges of responding to a prolonged blackout.

Listen or watch Parts 1 and 2 of GRID DOWN for the full discussion, and subscribe to The Bill Walton Show for more conversations about energy, economics, national security, and America’s future.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Billionaires and the stakes of grid failure
00:55 Why wealthy families build survival retreats
03:48 Preparing—and fighting for prevention
05:03 AI data centers and vulnerable transformers
06:45 The proposal to survey America’s transformers
07:18 Chinese-made transformers and security concerns
10:00 American innovation and grid protection
12:35 Elon Musk and the case for action
14:56 What happens in the first 21 days?
21:29 Build a preparedness plan before spending
23:51 Nuclear fuel cooling during a prolonged blackout
27:48 Waller’s proposed $4 billion grid protection fix
28:16 Briefing Trump on the EMP threat
30:05 The presidential action Waller wants
32:22 Who should lead America’s grid protection effort?
34:45 Utility incentives and the path forward

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• (00:00:01) - Threat Assessment Overview
• (00:01:02) - Military DEI and Officer Purges
• (00:03:16) - Racial Quotas Among Air Force Leadership
• (00:04:17) - Critical Race Theory and Unit Cohesion
• (00:06:17) - Dismantling the Administrative Deep State
• (00:08:18) - Civil Service Reform and Federal Grants
• (00:09:41) - ActBlue, DNC Finances, and Grant Reform Effects
• (00:10:30) - What Individuals Can Do
• (00:12:28) - Shaming the Left and Reclaiming Language
• (00:13:30) - Closing and Where to Find Wade Miller

What would happen if America’s electrical grid went down—and stayed down?

On Part 1 of GRID DOWN, Bill Walton welcomes Lt. Col. Tommy Waller, President and CEO of the Center for Security Policy, and Jonathan Hollerman, former Air Force SERE instructor and bestselling author of Grid Down: Death of a Nation, to examine the vulnerabilities of America’s power grid.

The guests offer two sobering assessments: every battery in America, fully charged, could power the country for only about one hour, and the loss of just 9–12 critical transformers could potentially trigger a nationwide blackout. They explain the reasoning behind these warnings and explore why protecting the grid is essential to national security.

This conversation examines how the electrical grid works, why massive transformers are difficult to replace, America’s dependence on overseas manufacturing, and how coordinated attacks could disrupt power across interconnected systems. Walton and his guests also revisit the still-unsolved Metcalf substation sniper attack and discuss what it revealed about infrastructure security.

A prolonged power outage would reach far beyond the lights. Food distribution, drinking water, banking, medicine, communications, and transportation all depend on reliable electricity. What could happen when those systems stop functioning—and how prepared is America?

Listen or watch as The Bill Walton Show explores the infrastructure that sustains modern life, the consequences of an extended grid failure, and the urgent questions surrounding grid resilience.

Subscribe to The Bill Walton Show for Parts 2 and 3 of GRID DOWN, and share this conversation with someone who wants to understand America’s electrical grid vulnerabilities.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
00:20 The machine America depends on
01:16 Examining the “9 out of 10 Americans” mortality warning
13:31 Why 9–12 transformers could cripple America
13:58 The unsolved Metcalf sniper attack
15:57 America’s grid vulnerability
28:55 Preview of Part 2

HOST: BILL WALTON

Podcast: https://the-bill-walton-show.castos.com/
Substack: https://billwalton.substack.com/
X: https://x.com/WmBillWalton

Find The Bill Walton Show on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @thebillwaltonshow

GUEST: LT. COL. TOMMY WALLER

Center for Security Policy: https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/
Secure the Grid: https://securethegrid.com/
Center for Security Policy on X: https://x.com/securefreedom
Secure the Grid on X: https://x.com/Secure_the_Grid

GUEST: JONATHAN HOLLERMAN

Website: https://www.jonathanhollerman.com/
Books: https://www.jonathanhollerman.com/books
X: https://x.com/GridDownPrepper
YouTube: @jonathanhollerman3854
Instagram: @griddownprepper
Facebook: Jonathan Hollerman

• (00:00:02) - Introduction: The Fragility of America's Electrical Grid
• (00:01:30) - Meet the Guests: Tommy Waller and Jonathan Hollerman
• (00:03:29) - What Is the Grid? Generation, Transmission, Distribution
• (00:07:11) - Grid Ownership and the Three Interconnections
• (00:08:38) - No Storage: Instant Delivery and the Battery Problem
• (00:09:10) - Wind, Solar, and the Challenge of AC/DC Power
• (00:10:29) - The Iberian Peninsula Blackout Case Study
• (00:11:34) - High Voltage Transformers: America's Achilles Heel
• (00:13:39) - The Metcalf Substation Sniper Attack
• (00:16:14) - Who Attacked Metcalf? Speculation on Perpetrators
• (00:18:19) - How Tommy Got Into Grid Security Work
• (00:20:07) - Remembering Dr. Peter Pry and the EMP Commission
• (00:21:14) - Jonathan's Path: From One Second After to SERE Training
• (00:22:54) - Writing Survival Fiction and Joining the Task Force
• (00:24:29) - Military Families, Desperation, and Lessons from Sherman's March
• (00:26:05) - Why a Grid Attack Could End a War Without a Shot
• (00:27:03) - Breaking Down Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape
• (00:28:27) - Introducing the Threats: EMP, Solar Flares, Cyber and Physical Attacks

What could cause America’s power grid to fail—and why is protecting it so difficult?

Bill Walton joins Tommy Waller of the Center for Security Policy and Jonathan Hollerman of Grid Down Consulting to examine threats to America’s electrical infrastructure, the potential consequences of a major blackout, and the debate over who is responsible for protecting the grid.

From electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks and high-altitude nuclear testing to solar storms, coronal mass ejections, and the historic 1859 Carrington Event, the conversation explores how different threats could disrupt the electricity that powers everyday life. The guests also discuss cyberattacks, including the Ukraine power grid attack, and the vulnerabilities surrounding high-voltage transformers.

Beyond the threats themselves lies a question of accountability. Are utility oversight, regulatory standards, and political incentives keeping pace with the risks? Waller and Hollerman offer their perspectives on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), utility accountability, and the influence of lobbying on grid protection.

The discussion also considers how artificial intelligence and expanding data centers are increasing electricity demand—and whether technology companies could become a driving force for stronger grid security.

Topics include:

• Electromagnetic pulse attacks and EMP testing
• Solar storms, coronal mass ejections, and the Carrington Event
• Cybersecurity threats and lessons from the Ukraine grid attack
• High-voltage transformers and electrical infrastructure vulnerability
• AI data centers and rising electricity demand
• FERC, NERC, and utility oversight
• Grid security advocacy, lobbying, and political incentives

Listen or watch as The Bill Walton Show examines the intersection of energy security, critical infrastructure, and national security.

Which concern deserves the most attention: cyberattacks, EMPs, solar storms, or infrastructure security? Share your thoughts, share this conversation, and subscribe to The Bill Walton Show for more.

FOLLOW THE BILL WALTON SHOW

Podcast: https://the-bill-walton-show.castos.com/
Substack: https://billwalton.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebillwaltonshow/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebillwaltonshow/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebillwaltonshow
X: https://x.com/WmBillWalton

CONNECT WITH THE GUESTS

Tommy Waller | Center for Security Policy
Website: https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/securefreedom/
X: https://x.com/securefreedom
Secure the Grid: https://securethegrid.com/

Jonathan Hollerman | Grid Down Consulting
Website and bio: https://griddownconsulting.com/bio/

• (00:00:12) - Introduction to Grid Threats and EMP Basics
• (00:01:20) - High Altitude Nuclear Tests and EMP Discovery
• (00:02:44) - Soviet Kazakhstan Test and Geomagnetic Effects
• (00:03:41) - Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and EMP Secrecy
• (00:04:37) - Solar Flares and the Carrington Event
• (00:07:27) - Modern Grid Vulnerability to Solar Storms
• (00:09:14) - Cyber Attacks and Grid Malware Threats
• (00:10:19) - Rising Electricity Demand from AI and Data Centers
• (00:12:17) - NERC and FERC Regulatory Dysfunction
• (00:14:52) - Industry Irresponsibility and the 2003 Blackout Example
• (00:16:26) - FERC Oversight, Lawsuits, and Regulatory Capture
• (00:19:22) - Lobbying Power and Political Cover-up
• (00:21:03) - Lobbyist Influence on Grid Security Legislation
• (00:22:32) - Enlisting Silicon Valley and Big Tech in Grid Security