The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

In this special edition of The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, we honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA. Through reflections from Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, Hillsdale students, professors, and Charlie himself, we remember a voice that shaped a generation of conservatives and was silenced far too soon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Max Primorac & Christopher D. Heckel Host Scot Bertram talks with Max Primorac, senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, about the history of U.S. foreign aid and how the Trump administration is charting a different path. And Christopher D. Heckel, associate professor of biology at Hillsdale College, gives a primer on invasive plant species across the United States. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Mark Moyar, Benedict Whalen, & Juliane Malia Hillock Host Scot Bertram talks with Mark Moyar, William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College, about the legacy of the Vietnam War during its 50th anniversary. Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, discusses the themes of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald during the novel’s 100th anniversary. And Juliane Malia Hillock, founding principal at Hózhó Academy in Gallup, New Mexico, describes the unique challenges of leading a school in a remote part of the United States. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Jonathan Gregg & Daniel J. Flynn Host Scot Bertram talks with Jonathan Gregg, assistant professor of education at Hillsdale College, about efforts to improve national math standards in education and his co-authored essay, “The Alarming Decay of Mathematical Competency in the U.S.” And Daniel J. Flynn, senior editor at the American Spectator and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, discusses the legacy of conservative luminary Frank S. Meyer and Flynn’s new book, The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Sam Knecht & Allison Ellis Host Scot Bertram talks with Sam Knecht, professor emeritus of art at Hillsdale College, about how American art reflects the American character and the new Hillsdale College online course American Paintings. And Allison Ellis, founder of Mount Titano Media, discusses the power of rhetoric and her new edited collection of important American speeches, FINDING OUR WORDS: Words That Made America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Joseph Postell, Todd Starnes, & Korey D. Maas Host Scot Bertram talks with Joseph Postell, associate professor of politics at Hillsdale College, about the conservative counter-revolution against the bureaucratic state as detailed in his book Bureaucracy in America: The Administrative State’s Challenge to Constitutional Government. Todd Starnes, commentator, author, and radio host, discusses his new book Star-Spangled Blessings: Devotions for Patriots. And Korey D. Maas, chairman and associate professor of history at Hillsdale College, gives a survey of the life and work of English reformer and martyr Robert Barnes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Alex Marlow & Eric Hutchinson Host Scot Bertram talks with Alex Marlow, editor-in-chief of Breitbart News, about the weaponization of America’s legal system against Donald Trump and Marlow’s new book Breaking the Law. And Eric Hutchinson, associate professor of classics and chairman of the Collegiate Scholars Program at Hillsdale College, gives an introduction to the Roman poet Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Victor Davis Hanson & Oren Cass First, we hear excerpts from Victor Davis Hanson’s address on the subject of living an honorable and virtuous life, given at Hillsdale College's 2025 commencement ceremonies. Hanson is the Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. And host Scot Bertram talks with Oren Cass, chief economist at American Compass, about the reappraisal of free market ideas on the American right and the new American Compass essay collection The New Conservatives: Restoring America's Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Charles N. Steele, Daniel Gullotta, & Benedict Whalen Host Scot Bertram talks with Charles N. Steele, director of the Center for Commerce and Freedom and associate professor of economics at Hillsdale College, about the economic fallout of proposed Universal Basic Income (UBI) policies. Daniel Gullotta, assistant professor at The Ohio State University’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, discusses his recent essay on the growing number of young people committing themselves to Christianity. And Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, concludes a short series on the life and work of American writer Mark Twain with a discussion of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Richard Samuelson & Erik J. Larson Host Scot Bertram talks with Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, about his recent essay on James Madison and the importance of republican principles. And Erik J. Larson, author of The Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why Computers Can’t Think the Way We Do, gives a brief history of the development of artificial intelligence and explains the limitations of this misunderstood technology. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Salena Zito & Christopher Matsos Host Scot Bertram talks with Salena Zito, political reporter for the Washington Examiner, about the political ramifications of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and her new book, Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland. And Christopher Matsos, chairman and associate professor of theatre at Hillsdale College, tells us why theatre should play a role in a liberal arts education and what we can learn by studying theatre through the centuries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Matthew Spalding & Robert R. Riley We revisit two previously aired interviews for this special Independence Day episode. Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington Operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale in D.C., about Thomas Jefferson's influence on the Declaration of Independence. And Robert R. Riley, director of the Westminster Institute, gives a defense of the intellectual foundations of the American Founding as laid out in his book America on Trial: A Defense of the Founding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Bradley Watson & Michael Walsh Host Scot Bertram talks with Bradley Watson, associate professor of government at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale in D.C., about the progressive jurisprudence and the growing crisis of constitutionalism. And Michael Walsh, journalist and screenwriter, discusses the nature of warfare and his new book A Rage to Conquer: Twelve Battles That Changed the Course of Western History. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Clare Morell & Benedict Whalen Host Scot Bertram talks with Clare Morell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of EPPC’s Technology and Human Flourishing Project, about the long-term effects of smartphone use on children and her new book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones. And Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a series on the life and work of American writer Mark Twain. This week, he discusses The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Ronald J. Pestritto & Christopher J. Scalia Host Scot Bertram talks with Ronald J. Pestritto, professor of politics and Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution at Hillsdale College, about Hillsdale’s new online course, “The Federalist.” And Christopher Scalia, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, gives a defense of fiction and discusses his new book 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Adam Kissel & Christina Lamb Chakalova Host Scot Bertram talks with Adam Kissel, visiting fellow for higher education reform in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, about the decline of American Ivy League colleges and universities and his new co-authored book Slacking: A Guide to Ivy League Miseducation. And Christina Lamb Chakalova, assistant professor of art at Hillsdale College, continues a series on the history and character of American art. This week, she dives into photography and the illustrations of Norman Rockwell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Bradley Birzer & Jason L. Riley Host Scot Bertram talks with Bradley Birzer, professor of history and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, about the writings and enduring legacy of Ray Bradbury. And Jason L. Riley, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, discusses the ramifications of affirmative action initiatives in the black community and his new book, The Affirmative Action Myth: Why Blacks Don’t Need Racial Preferences to Succeed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Josh Hammer & Mickey L. Mattox Host Scot Bertram talks with Josh Hammer, host of The Josh Hammer Show and senior editor-at-large at Newsweek, about Israel’s role in the Middle East and his new book Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West. And Mickey Mattox, Flack Family Foundation Chair and professor of theology at Hillsdale College, discusses the life and writings of Augustine of Hippo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Kevin Portteus, Daniel J. Mahoney, & Brent Cline Host Scot Bertram talks with Kevin Portteus, professor of politics and director of American Studies at Hillsdale College, about how the American Founders viewed the question of birthright citizenship and a recent essay he wrote on the subject. Daniel J. Mahoney, senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and senior writer at Law & Liberty, discusses his recent book The Persistence of the Ideological Lie: The Totalitarian Impulse Then and Now. And Brent Cline, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a short series on the Harlem Renaissance. This week, the life and work of poets Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Andrew Klavan & Colin Brown Host Scot Bertram talks with Andrew Klavan, author and host of The Andrew Klavan Show, about making beauty out of the world as it is and his new book, The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness. And Colin Brown, recent graduate of the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship at Hillsdale College, discusses his doctoral thesis looking at Benjamin Franklin as a revolutionary statesman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.