The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

TOPICS: The statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln, reforming the U.S. Agency for Global Media, & Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Host Scot Bertram talks with Kevin Portteus, Professor of Politics and Director of American Studies at Hillsdale College, about the statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln, on this the 212th anniversary of his birth. Michael Pack, former CEO at the U.S. Agency for Global Med...

TOPICS: The 1776 Commission and its report, why literature matters, & what Americanization does to Judaism Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, Executive Director of the President's Advisory 1776 Commission, Vice President of Washington Operations, and Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, about the Commission and its report. Glenn Arbery, president of Wyoming Catholic Col...

TOPICS: Federalist 51 & the separation of powers, LAST STANDS: WHY MEN FIGHT WHEN ALL IS LOST, Victorian poetry, and climate predictions for 2020 that went wrong Host Scot Bertram talks with Adam Carrington, Associate Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, about Federalist 51 and the separation of powers in our Constitution. Michael Walsh joins the show to discuss his recent book LAST STANDS:...

TOPICS: Nationalism vs. cosmopolitanism, a response to the 1619 Project, Pico's Oration, and a Hillsdale alum digging for fossils Host Scot Bertram talks with Khalil Habib, Associate Professor of Politics at Hillsdale, to define nationalism vs. cosmopolitanism. Peter Wood, author of the recent book 1620, provides a critical response to the 1619 Project. Matthew Gaetano, Associate Professor of Hist...

Topics: Roman models for our Founders, BIG TECH TYRANTS, & Act III of KING LEAR Scot Bertram is joined by Hillsdale professor of ancient history, Ken Calvert, to discuss Roman models of government to which our Founders looked. Floyd Brown, co-author of BIG TECH TYRANTS, outlines how Silicon Valley's practices addict teens, silence speech, and steal your privacy. And Kelly Scott Franklin, Assistant...

TOPICS: CRISPR technology, a defense of the founding with AMERICA ON TRIAL, and George Frideric Handel. Host Scot Bertram talks with Silas Johnson, Associate Professor of Biology at Hillsdale, about CRISPR technology and what promise it holds in the sciences. Robert R. Reilly provides a defense of the founding with his recent book AMERICA ON TRIAL. And Derek Stauff, Assistant Professor of Music at...

TOPICS: The Great Reset, sovereignty, nationalism, and the fate of freedom, films of Werner Herzog, and a Hillsdale alum now running the Intercollegiate Studies Institute NOTE: This is the final episode of 2020. The next new show will be released on 1/8/21. Host Scot Bertram talks with Charles Steele, Chairman of Economics, Business, and Accounting and Associate Professor of Economics at Hillsdale...

TOPICS: Hillsdale's new online course on civil rights in American history, myths and lesser-known facts about COVID-19, the German philosopher Robert Spaemann, and entrepreneurship in America. Host Scot Bertram talks with Paul Moreno, William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional History and Professor of History at Hillsdale, to discuss the College's new online course on civil rights in Am...

TOPICS: Election integrity & media meddling, AMERICA'S NEW DESTINY IN SPACE, and the politics of faith during the Cold War Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, Senior Journalism Follow at Hillsdale College, about election integrity and media meddling. Glenn Harlan Reynolds discusses his latest book AMERICA'S NEW DESTINY IN SPACE. And Hillsdale history professor Darryl Hart walks us throu...

TOPICS: Woke capitalism, LINCOLN AND THE AMERICAN FOUNDING, & Peter Pan Host Scot Bertram talks with David Azerrad, Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C., about the concept of "woke capitalism" and why it's become so prevalent. Lucas Morel, Professor of Politics and Head of the Politics Department at Washington an...

TOPICS: Election analysis, contemplating a bookless future, and taking a virtual tour of Luxembourg American Cemetery Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, Vice President of Washington Operations and Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, to get insight about what we should learn from the known results of last week's election. Mark Bauerlein, English professor at Emory Unive...

TOPICS: The fall of the Berlin Wall, writing from America's backroads, The Reformation & Martin Luther, and Churchill myths. Host Scot Bertram talks with Fred Yaniga, Chairman and Associate Professor of German at Hillsdale College, about being in Germany for the fall of the Berlin Wall 31 years ago this week. Salena Zito, national political reporter for the Washington Examiner, talks about writing...

TOPICS: Plans to restructure the Supreme Court, a biography of President Donald J. Trump, and a history of October surprises. Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, Vice President of Washington Operations and Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, about his essay at RealClearPolicy, "Joe Biden’s Not-So-Secret Plan to Restructure the Supreme Court". Conrad Black joins us to di...

TOPICS: American institutions & the 2020 Election, classical education, and the Fisk Museum of Natural History at Hillsdale College Host Scot Bertram talks with Victor Davis Hanson, author, historian, and Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College, about how ideology is destroying American institutions and checks in on the 2020 election. Hillsdale assistant professor of education, Ben Be...

TOPICS: What is capitalism?, U.S. Supreme Court nominations, & pessimistic rhetoric Host Scot Bertram talks with Gary Wolfram, William Simon Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Director of Economics, and Professor of Political Economy at Hillsdale College, in an attempt to define capitalism and explain why some have an incorrect interpretation of what it is. Ilya Shapiro discusses his new bo...

TOPICS: Identity politics and the 2020 race, Amy Coney Barrett, & the writings of G.K. Chesterton Host Scot Bertram talks with David Azerrad, Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at Hillsdale College's Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C., about how identity politics have influenced this year's politics. Jeff Pojanowski, friend and colleague of Amy Coney Barrett at Notre...

TOPICS: 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope, media & the future of journalism, the Magna Carta, & excerpts from Hillsdale College's 168th commencement address. Host Scot Bertram talks with Tim Dolch, Hillsdale assistant professor of physics, about the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. Christopher Bedford, senior editor with The Federalist, discusses the media today and the...

TOPICS: Nominating a Supreme Court justice, the moral imagination, and Sparta's Second Attic War. Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, senior journalism fellow at Hillsdale College and co-author of JUSTICE ON TRIAL, about the process and politics of nominating a Supreme Court justice to the open seat. Dan Coupland, chairman and professor of Hillsdale's education department, explains what...

TOPICS: Introduction to western philosophy, Gen. Robert E. Lee, & More's UTOPIA and socialism Host Scot Bertram talks with Nathan Schlueter, professor of philosophy and religion at Hillsdale College, about the new Hillsdale online course on western philosophy. Allen Guelzo, historian, author, and senior research scholar at Princeton University, joins the show to dive into the life of Robert E. Lee...

TOPICS: New shark fossil discovered, going inside the Washington establishment's never-ending war on Trump, & how American sports are letting down America Host Scot Bertram talks with Anthony Swinehart, professor of biology at Hillsdale, about his discovery of a new shark fossil in Michigan. Byron York, chief political correspondent at the Washington Examiner, outlines his new book, OBSESSION: INS...

TOPICS: "The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return," Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," and a Hillsdale professor who also is a member of a progressive rock band. Host Scot Bertram talks with Michael Anton, Lecturer in Politics and Research Fellow at Hillsdale in D.C., about his new book "The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return". Hillsdale English professor Ben Whalen takes us through Ern...

TOPICS: Consequential national political conventions, the failure of Common Core, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Host Scot Bertram talks with Hillsdale associate professor of politics Adam Carrington about the most notable and consequential political conventions in our nation's history. Ted Rebarber, CEO and founder of AccountabilityWorks, discusses a report he authored and the data that show the fail...

TOPICS: National political conventions, rule of law in our American republic, & prepping teachers for the school year Host Scot Bertram talks with Adam Carrington, assistant professor of politics at Hillsdale College, about the history of national political conventions. Roger Kimball, editor and publisher of The New Criterion and president and publisher of Encounter Books, discusses his recent ess...

TOPICS: Preparing parents for school, getting America back to work, learning about Constantine, and training for/running ultramarathons. Host Scot Bertram talks with Kathleen O'Toole, assistant provost for K-12 education at Hillsdale College, about how parents can prepare for another unusual school year. Andy Puzder, former CEO of CKE Restaurants, discusses his new book IT'S TIME TO LET AMERICA WO...

TOPICS: Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on religious liberty, Mike Gonzalez's THE PLOT TO CHANGE AMERICA, & Hillsdale In D.C.'s James Madison Fellowship for Young Professionals Host Scot Bertram talks with Hillsdale associate professor of politics, Adam Carrington, about recent decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court on the issues of religious liberty. Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow at the Heritag...