The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Hillsdale College

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.

Subscribe Play latest Open in podnodRSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes20

Newest first

Friday · 43 min
Launching a Second Scientific Revolution
Guests: Jay Bhattacharya and Mark Edward Lender Host Scot Bertram plays excerpts from a lecture by Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health of the United States, titled "Restoring Gold Standard Science." And Mark Edward Lender, author and historian, discusses the keys to victory in the American Revolution and his book War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 31 · 45 min
Exposing China's Murderous Organ Harvesting Industry
Guests: Jan Jekielek and Kelly Scott Franklin Host Scot Bertram talks with Jan Jekielek, senior editor at The Epoch Times and host of American Thought Leaders, about China's state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from living donors and his new book Killed to Order: China's Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America's Biggest Adversary. And Kelly Scott Franklin, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a series on the poems of Emily Dickinson. This week, he focuses on "Tell all the truth but tell it slant." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 24 · 49 min
Life in the Reagan Administration
Guests: Donald P. Hodel and Stephanie Lauback Host Scot Bertram talks with Donald P. Hodel, former secretary of energy and former secretary of the interior in the Reagan administration, about the leadership lessons he learned working for President Reagan, as well as his new biography, Called to Serve: My Path to President Reagan's Cabinet and Beyond. And Stephanie Lauback, associate professor of physics at Hillsdale College, discusses her research into nanotechnology and magnetism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 17 · 45 min
Appreciating Homer's Odyssey
Guests: Benedict Whalen and Carson Holloway Host Scot Bertram talks with Benedict Whalen, chairman and associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, to preview his brand-new online course, “The Odyssey.” And Carson Holloway, department chair and professor of political society at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Washington fellow at the Claremont Institute Center for the American Way of Life, discusses the shortcomings of American libel law and his new book, No Liberty to Libel: The Constitutional Case against New York Times v. Sullivan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 10 · 49 min
Suicidal Empathy and the West
Guests: Gad Saad and Stephen Smith Host Scot Bertram talks with Gad Saad, professor, evolutionary behavioral scientist, and host of The Saad Truth podcast, about the potential dangers of altruism and his new book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind. And Stephen Smith, dean of humanities and Temple Family Chair in English Literature at Hillsdale College, discusses the life and teachings of St. Thomas More and his new book, The Last Riddle: Advice on Living and Dying Well from the Imprisoned Saint Thomas More. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 3 · 44 min
America 250 Independence Day Special
Guests: Khalil Habib and Wilfred McClay Host Scot Bertram talks with Khalil Habib, associate professor of politics and Allison and Dorothy Rouse Professor in Politics at Hillsdale College, about the American Founding and his recent essay, “The Importance of the Fourth of July, According to the Adams Family.” And Wilfred McClay, Victor Davis Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College, discusses the importance of measured patriotism and his recent article, “Memory and America’s Birthday.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 26 · 41 min
The Declaration of Independence: A Radical Experiment in Liberty
Guest: Brad Birzer Host Scot Bertram talks with Brad Birzer, professor of history and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, about the years leading up to 1776, the importance of the common law tradition to the American Founders, and his new book, The Declaration of Independence: A Radical Experiment in Liberty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 19 · 45 min
Why America's Elites Are So Out of Touch
Guests: Scott W. Rasmussen and Richard Samuelson Host Scot Bertram talks with Scott W. Rasmussen, legendary pollster and political analyst, about the character of American elites and his new book, Out of Touch: The Elite One Percent and the Battle for America's Soul. And Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, continues a series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. This week, the lead-up to the Declaration of Independence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 12 · 45 min
The Spirit of America's Founders
Guests: Arthur Herman and Bradley C.S. Watson Host Scot Bertram talks with Arthur Herman, New York Times bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist, about the impact of the Founders throughout American history and his new book, Founder’s Fire: From 1776 to the Age of Trump. And Bradley C.S. Watson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C., discusses the shortcomings of the conservative legal movement and his recent essay “Shock Therapy for Our Lawless Legal System.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 5 · 54 min
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 Democrats turned on them. Her latest book is The Jews and the Left. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 29 · 43 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 and how combustion works. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 22 · 54 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 series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. This week, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Abigail Adams’ admonition to “remember the ladies.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 15 · 45 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 County State’s Attorney’s Office and his new book, Felony Review: Tales of True Crime and Corruption in Chicago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 8 · 51 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 1 · 45 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: The Story of the Declaration of Independence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 24 · 49 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.
April 17 · 49 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 Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice. And we play excerpts from a speech by Scott Jennings, senior political commentator at CNN, given at a recent Hillsdale National Leadership Seminar. He discusses working for CNN, defending Western Civilization, and his recent book, A Revolution of Common Sense: How Donald Trump Stormed Washington and Fought for Western Civilization. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 10 · 46 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/listener for privacy information.
April 3 · 39 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 information.
March 27 · 39 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 Higher Purpose of Children in American Society." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.