The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour - podcast cover

The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Hillsdale Collegelp.hillsdale.edu

The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour is a one-hour, weekly radio show/podcast advancing the efforts of Hillsdale College in radiating its knowledge and teaching to the world outside of campus. Listeners will hear the arguments and debates that make up the liberal arts education and will experience the learning and teaching that happens on campus. Hosted by Scot Bertram.

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Episodes

Eric Metaxas and Batya Ungar Sargon

Guests: Eric Metaxas and Batya Ungar Sargon Host Scot Bertram talks with Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author and the host of Socrates in the City and The Eric Metaxas Show, about the events leading up to our nation ’ s founding and his new book, Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World . And Batya Ungar-Sargon, columnist for The Free Press and the host of Batya! on NewsNation, joins the show to tell us why Jews become devoted Democrats and why Democrat...

Jun 05, 202655 min

Building Practical Solutions to Homelessness

Guests: Mary L. G. Theroux and Mardi Billman Host Scot Bertram talks with Mary L. G. Theroux, chairman and chief executive officer at the Independent Institute, about working toward practical solutions to the homelessness crisis and her book, Beyond Homeless: Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes, Transformative Solutions . And Mardi Billman, associate professor of chemistry at Hillsdale College, returns for another series on drama in scientific discovery. This week, she concludes a discussion on fire a...

May 29, 202644 min

When Race Trumps Merit

Guests: Heather Mac Donald and Richard Samuelson Host Scot Bertram talks with Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor at City Journal , about efforts by the Trump administration to curb DEI programs and her book When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives . And Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, continues a s...

May 22, 202655 min

The American Book of Fables

Guests: Matthew Mehan and Randy Barnett Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Mehan, associate dean and associate professor at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., about the pedagogical power of fables and his new book, The American Book of Fables . And Randy Barnett, professor of constitutional law at the Georgetown University Law Center and director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, discusses his time as a prosecutor in the Cook Coun...

May 15, 202645 min

How To Stop America’s Leftward Drift

Guests: John Tillman and Luke Foster Host Scot Bertram talks with John Tillman, CEO of the American Culture Project, about the Left's strategies for influencing elected officials and his new book The Political Vise: How the Radical Left Controls America and the Path to Regaining Our Liberty . And Luke Foster, assistant professor of government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., discusses the spirit of a gentleman . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

May 08, 202652 min

Mollie Hemingway: How Justice Alito Restored the Constitution

Guests: Mollie Hemingway and Janie Nitze Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, senior journalism fellow at Hillsdale College and editor-in-chief at The Federalist , about Justice Samuel Alito's impact on the Supreme Court and her new book Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution . And Janie Nitze, lawyer and New York Times best-selling author, discusses her new children’s book, co-authored with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch: Heroes of 1776: Th...

May 01, 202645 min

The Future of the American Economy

Guests: E.J. Antoni and Nathan Herring Host Scot Bertram talks with E.J. Antoni, chief economist of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, about the economic impact of the Iran war and his recent co-authored report on the future of Social Security . And Nathan Herring, assistant professor of physics at Hillsdale College, discusses the life and accomplishments of physicist Michael Faraday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Apr 24, 202650 min

A Reporter's Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice

Guests: Jeremiah Regan, Anna Giaritelli, & Scott Jennings Host Scot Bertram talks with Jeremiah Regan, executive director of online learning at Hillsdale College, about Hillsdale’s upcoming documentary film Revolutionary America . Anna Giaritelli, homeland security reporter for the Washington Examiner , discusses her sexual assault, the efforts by the Washington D.C. Police Department to obscure crime statistics, and her new book, Under Assault: A Crime Reporter ’ s True Story of Overcoming ...

Apr 17, 202649 min

Religious Liberty: The First Freedom

Guests: Kelly Shackelford & Kelly Scott Franklin Host Scot Bertram talks with Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty Institute , about the current state of religious liberty in the United States and his work on President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission. And Kelly Scott Franklin, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, returns for a new series on the poems of Emily Dickinson. This week, he focuses on "Death sets a Thing significant." See omnystudio.com/listene...

Apr 10, 202646 min

Citizenship Starts in the Classroom

Guests: Kathleen O'Toole & Mardi M. Billman Host Scot Bertram talks with Kathleen O'Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, about the importance of education in forming citizens and her essay " Citizenship Starts in the Classroom ." And Mardi Billman, associate professor of chemistry at Hillsdale College, returns for another series on drama in scientific discovery. This week, she begins to discuss the discovery of fire. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Apr 03, 202639 min

Journalism “The Chicago Way”

Guests: John Kass & Matthew Mehan Host Scot Bertram talks with John Kass, an independent Chicago-based columnist and host of The Chicago Way podcast, about his legendary journalism career in Chicago and what the city’s mistakes can teach the rest of the country. And Matthew Mehan, associate dean and associate professor at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., discusses the importance of children in American political life and his report " The H...

Mar 27, 202640 min

Mary Katharine Ham and the New World of Media

Guests: Mary Katharine Ham & Benjamin Beier Host Scot Bertram talks with Mary Katharine Ham, host of the Getting Hammered and Normally podcasts and writer at Fox News and OutKick , about her career in journalism and the changing landscape of media in America. And Benjamin Beier, chairman and associate professor of education at Hillsdale College, previews the new Hillsdale online course, Classical Logic and Rhetoric . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Mar 20, 202648 min

Preparing for the Midterms with Mollie Hemingway

Guests: Mollie Hemingway & Christina J. Lambert Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, Senior Journalism Fellow at Hillsdale College and editor-in-chief at The Federalist , about the political issues that will affect the results of the upcoming midterm elections and her upcoming book Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution . And Christina J. Lambert, assistant professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a series on the life and work of...

Mar 13, 202646 min

Why Democracy Needs the Rich

Guests: John O. McGinnis, Maria Servold, & John Seiffertt Host Scot Bertram talks with John O. McGinnis, law professor at Northwestern University, about the important role that the wealthy play in our republic and his new book Why Democracy Needs the Rich . Maria Servold, assistant director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College, discusses the tension between student press freedom and institutional support from a college or university and her recent essay “ The Complex World of S...

Mar 06, 202650 min

How Reagan Liberated Grenada and Won the Cold War

Guests: John Bachman & Nathan Herring Host Scot Bertram talks with John Bachman, host of John Bachman Now on Newsmax, about Ronald Reagan's successful invasion of Grenada and his new book Turning Point: How Reagan Liberated Grenada and Won the Cold War . And Nathan Herring, assistant professor of physics at Hillsdale College, discusses the life and accomplishments of physicist James Clerk Maxwell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Feb 27, 202639 min

The Problems With Government by the Unelected

Guests: Ronald J. Pestritto & Daniel Darling Host Scot Bertram talks with Ronald J. Pestritto, dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship and Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution at Hillsdale College, about the rise of the administrative state and his recent provocation Government by the Unelected: How it Happened, and How It Might Be Tamed . And Daniel Darling, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminar...

Feb 20, 202645 min

Mob Violence and Threats to Our Republic

Guests: Shaun Rieley & Christina J. Lambert Host Scot Bertram talks with Shaun Rieley, director of educational programs and teaching fellow at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., about his recent essay "Mob Violence Is Fatal to Republican Government" . And Christina J. Lambert, assistant professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a series on the life and work of poet and playwright T. S. Eliot. This week, she discusses Eliot's Four Quartets . See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Feb 13, 202644 min

How Antonin Scalia Changed the Supreme Court

Guests: James Rosen & Matthew Mehan Host Scot Bertram talks with James Rosen, chief Washington correspondent at Newsmax, about the early years of Antonin Scalia's tenure on the Supreme Court as detailed in his new book Scalia: Supreme Court Years, 1986 to 2001 . And Matthew Mehan, associate dean and associate professor at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., discusses the unique character of the American imagination and his recent report " Res...

Feb 06, 202657 min

The History Of Western Civilization

Guests: Allen C. Guelzo & Michael P. Foley Host Scot Bertram talks with Allen C. Guelzo, professor of humanities at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, about the unique character of western civilization and his co-authored two-part book series The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition . And Michael P. Foley, mixologist and professor of Patristics in the Great Texts Program at Baylor University, discusses his collection of alcohol-fr...

Jan 30, 202646 min

The Year in Physics: 2025

Guests: Paul T. Hosmer & Ivan Pongracic Host Scot Bertram talks with Paul T. Hosmer, chairman and associate professor of physics at Hillsdale College, about the important events in physics in 2025 and why they matter. And Ivan Pongracic, professor of economics and William E. Hibbs/Ludwig von Mises Chair of Economics at Hillsdale College, discusses the history of surf rock and his career as a surf rock guitarist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jan 23, 202647 min

The Real Legacy of Jimmy Carter

Guests: Miles Smith IV & Steven F. Hayward Host Scot Bertram talks with Miles Smith IV, assistant professor of history at Hillsdale College, about his recent essay on the cultural crisis reducing the effectiveness of the U.S. Navy. And Steven F. Hayward, professor of public policy at Pepperdine University and senior fellow at Pacific Research Institute, discusses how Jimmy Carter shattered American confidence in the presidency as described in his book The Real Jimmy Carter: How Our Worst Ex-...

Jan 16, 202642 min

Americans Are More United Than We Think

Guests: John J. Miller & Jonathan Butcher Host Scot Bertram talks with John J. Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College, about his recent essay on why journalism suffers when journalists lack curiosity. And Jonathan Butcher, acting director at the Center for Education Policy and Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, discusses how Americans are far more united than the media portrays and dives into his new book The Pola...

Jan 09, 202645 min

The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour End-of-Year Extravaganza '25

Host Scot Bertram sits down with Hyperion Knight, concert pianist and distinguished fellow at Hillsdale College, and discusses the newest Hillsdale College online course: " The History of Classical Music: Chopin through Gershwin ." Also, we count down the most popular episodes of 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 02, 202629 min

The Meaning of Christmas

Guests: Kenneth Calvert & Timothy McDonnell Host Scot Bertram talks with Kenneth Calvert, professor of ancient history at Hillsdale College, about the biblical significance of Christmas. And Timothy McDonnell, associate professor of music at Hillsdale College, gives a survey of the history of the Christmas carol "Good Christian Men Rejoice." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 19, 202556 min

Why We Celebrate Christmas

Guests: Kenneth Calvert & Chloe Carmichael Host Scot Bertram talks with Kenneth Calvert, professor of ancient history at Hillsdale College, about the historical origins of Christmas. And Chloe Carmichael, clinical psychologist and USA Today best-selling author, discusses how free speech makes people healthier and happier and her new book Can I Say That? Why Free Speech Matters and How to Use It Fearlessly . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Dec 12, 202556 min

The Making of the American Mind

Guests: Mathew Spalding Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington Operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., about his new book, The Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence , and the intellectual tradition that inspired the writing of the Declaration of Independence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Dec 05, 202542 min

Scott Jennings Explains the Common Sense of Donald Trump

Guests: Scott Jennings & Ava Downs Host Scot Bertram talks with Scott Jennings, senior political commentator at CNN, about his new book, A Revolution of Common Sense: How Donald Trump Stormed Washington and Fought for Western Civilization , and the character of President Trump's first year back in office. And Ava Downs, a junior at Hillsdale College and a 2025 junior Olympic champion in international trap shooting, discusses how she trains to compete at a global level and how her Hillsdale e...

Nov 21, 202543 min

The Iranian Airstrikes and America First Foreign Policy

Guests: Mark Moyar, Jason M. Gehrke, & Tom Conner Host Scot Bertram talks with Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair in Military History at Hillsdale College, about his recent essay on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Jason Gehrke, assistant professor of history at Hillsdale College, discusses his recent essay on the nature of America First foreign policy. And Tom Conner, professor emeritus of history at Hillsdale College, gives a survey of the history of the Luxembourg ...

Nov 14, 202545 min

Who Killed the California Dream?

Guests: Susan Crabtree & Jeremiah Regan Host Scot Bertram talks with Susan Crabtree, senior White House and national political correspondent for RealClearPolitics, about her recent book Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All . And Jeremiah Regan, Executive Director of Online Learning at Hillsdale College, previews the new online course documentary, Colonial America . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 07, 202545 min

What Makes a Great Ghost Story

Guests: John J. Miller & Benedict Whalen On this Halloween weekend, John J. Miller, director of the Herbert H. Dow II Program in American Journalism at Hillsdale College, joins the show to talk about his course on great ghost and horror stories. And Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, concludes a series of interviews celebrating the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby by discussing the novel’s long-lasting legacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Oct 31, 202542 min
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