Independent Conversations

That Chinese balloon floated over the American heartland for days before it was shot down. But are concerns about it just so much hot air? And a year after Putin’s invasion, does Ukraine deserve a “blank check” from the U.S., and is there an end game? In other news, will Section 230 survive the Supreme Court? And what’s with this effort to rewrite and sanitize Roald Dahl’s children’s books? We discuss these issues and much more.

It turns out that former Presidents and Vice Presidents walk away with classified documents. But is it okay if you keep your stash in a locked garage next to your Corvette? Or maybe the issue gets blown out of proportion since the government classifies too many documents in the first place? Also, Ron De Santis is taking on the woke warriors in Florida. But is he going about it the right way? On another front, how long will government hold onto special emergency powers as the Covid crisis fades? We discuss these issues and much more.

The U.S. Supreme Court has been hearing oral arguments in a number of explosive cases, including the freedom of web designers to choose what version of marriage they will adorn through their work, plus cases dealing with Joe Biden’s executive order transferring student loan debt from borrowers to taxpayers, and Harvard’s race-based admissions policies. At the same time, Elon Musk’s Twitter revelations shed light on politicians influencing social media policies, and also we are now learning shocking back story of the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange.

It looks like American voters were not as alarmed about inflation and the sagging economy as many people thought they were. On a possibly related front, what should we make of the reaction to the despicable attack on Paul Pelosi? And what is the deeper meaning of the race-based affirmative action cases now before the U.S. Supreme Court? We will discuss these issues and much more.

Is Russia getting desperate over Ukraine? Where could that lead, and what should the US do? Here at home, what in the world did PayPal think it was doing when it announced financial penalties for any of its users who went public with political opinions that PayPal doesn’t like? And what did Vice President Kamala Harris mean when she said that disaster relief after Hurricane Ian would be allocated according to principles of racial equity?

Is President Biden’s massive student loan forgiveness really wise? Then looking at the K-12 world, teacher unions pushed hard to keep the schools closed as long as possible, but at what cost to students? We now have hard evidence that keeping kids out of the classroom tanked their test scores. Also, university history professors are going all in on wokeness. Finally, after the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, how should we assess his legacy?

When Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan, the lawless communist mainland government of China threw a fit; does their overreaction mean that the United States should now overtly pledge in advance to fight against China if it invades Taiwan? Looking back at home, is the rule of law threatened by the recent FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago? And let’s hear it for the latest miracle political words: it’s called the “Inflation Reduction Act”—even though it will ramp up inflation!

What’s one thing both parties agree on? Subsidies for big businesses with lots of employees—even if it comes at the expense of taxpayers and consumers. That’s the impetus behind last week’s semiconductor pork-barrel bill. At the same time, the Biden administration, spooked by inflation, sets out to change the definition of “recession,” apparently in hopes that terminology will ease the impact of disastrous spending and monetary policy. Then there’s Dr. Fauci, who now tells us that if he had it to do all over again, he’d insist on even more draconian lockdowns and restrictions.

Resisting unprecedented political and ideological pressure—including public violence and an attempted assassination of a sitting Justice—the U.S. Supreme Court just issued two 6-3 decisions demonstrating the majority’s resolve. In Bruen, the Court struck down New York state’s discretionary handgun licensing law, as a violation of the 2nd Amendment. In Dobbs, it ruled that there is no Constitutional right to abortion, as asserted by Roe, and that therefore states, not federal courts, have jurisdiction over abortion law. Was the Court wise—or foolish—to turn a blind eye to public opinion regarding these momentous rulings?

Inflation spirals to a 40-year high; but should we be surprised, given federal fiscal policy? Ukraine’s agony drags on; will the economic after-effects also drag on and, more importantly, will Russia’s slogging success end up triggering a Chinese move against Taiwan that puts the U.S. in a quandary? Then there’s homelessness: is there any way out for the growing numbers of people trapped in the “homeless-industrial complex”?

What’s behind the outbreak of mass shootings and what can stop it? Would banning more types of guns, or more features of guns, or giving officials more power to seize guns, solve the problem? Or is a more radical solution necessary, as argued by those who say the U.S. Constitution is the obstacle to safety? Is there wisdom in President Biden’s plan to cancel college student debt, or would that degrade student borrowers while further boosting inflation? –which now looms as Americans’ greatest anxiety.

How can it be that New York State’s gun control laws—some of the toughest in the country—failed to stop a race-crazed killer who unleashed his mania on innocent citizens in Buffalo, NY? Also, why is baby formula suddenly in short supply? How about galloping inflation? Is the U.S. Treasury Secretary right that Build Back Better’s federal spending surge played only a small part in rising prices? And looking abroad, should Americans be sanguine about NATO expansion to Sweden and Finland, under the general theme of “Serves him right!”?

In this Independent Conversation, Senior Fellow and author Stephen P. Halbrook is interviewed by Dr. Graham H. Walker (Executive Director, Independent Institute) to discuss the Supreme Court’s upcoming gun rights decision on New York State’s discretionary-license law and Ukraine’s experience with an armed citizenry during the Russian invasion sheds light on the underlying issues.

Does President Joe Biden have what it takes to “stand with Ukraine” without provoking a wider war? Will Biden’s “Disinformation Governance Board” protect Americans or quench their freedoms? How could the U.S. Supreme Court allow the unprecedented leak of its draft opinion revoking Roe v. Wade? And how will the Court navigate the apparently complex religious freedom cases now before it? We’ll discuss all these issues and more on this week's episode of Independent Outlook.

In this 36th episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker discuss if it's easy to agree that Vladimir Putin’s war tactics are monstrous and malignant. But what happens in Ukraine if Putin is getting desperate after Ukraine sank his naval flagship with Western-supplied armaments? Is U.S. President Joe Biden displaying the kind of judicious statesmanlike leadership that the moment requires? On the home front, the culture war is heating up in Florida as Governor DeSantis challenges Disney and scrutinizes Florida’s public-school curriculum. Can we navigate the hot rhetoric to see if Florida’s policies threaten liberty, or protect it? And what is the future of mask mandates, now that a federal court has pulled the plug on the CDC’s authority to require masks? We will discuss all this and more on this week's upcoming episode of Independent Outlook.

In this 35th episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker carefully examine the war in Ukraine, the folly of those pressuring for U.S. engagement, and how best to end this dangerous and horrific conflict; Elon Musk and the prospects for free speech at Twitter; the culture war and Disney's folly; media bias and cover-up with the Hunter Biden laptop; Woke Math; Critical Race and Gender Theory; and more.

In this thirty-fourth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine Biden; sky-rocketing inflation that is crushing American consumers; democracy, sanctions, energy, censorship, and the dangers of and the staunch resistance to Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine; the folly of the World Economic Forum's New World Order ("Great Reset"); the Constitution and nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court; Woke Math; Critical Race and Gender Theory; the grassroots rebellion against woke-culture elites; and more.

In this timely and insightful Independent Conversation, bestselling author, feminist and human rights activist Dr. Naomi Wolf is interviewed by Dr. Graham H. Walker (Executive Director, Independent Institute) to discuss how truth, science, ethics and constitutional rights have all been trampled in the elite media stampede and government mandates of the COVID-19 pandemic. As new revelations appear almost daily on the lies and corruption of the COVID crisis, what has happened to informed dissent in America? Have women in particular become voiceless subjects of pharmaceutical power? Are concerns about COVID tyranny overblown, or should we be worried? Is there a disturbing spiritual dimension to the individual and institutional failures we are witnessing around us? And, what can and should be done now?

In this thirty-third episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine Biden, NATO, and the U.S. in the midst of the Russia's invasion of Ukraine; the impact of the Freedom Convoy in Canada and now the People's Convoy in the U.S.; school board recalls and the rebellion against woke schooling; John Durham's indictment of Hillary Clinton's corruption; honoring the late P.J. O'Rourke; and more.

In this 32nd episode of Independent Outlook, Research Fellow William J. Watkins, Jr., joins with Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker to examine the complex issues surrounding the military tensions between Russia, Ukraine, and the West, especially President Biden's recent steps to threaten both economic sanctions and military action in response to Russian activity in the region. We also look at what the Beijing Olympics are revealing about the Chinese Communist regime, which is using the Covid crisis to implement massive and detailed social controls that are not being scaled back as the health crisis recedes—and probably never will be. We further consider the increasingly coercive atmosphere in American academe, illustrated by Georgetown University's punishment of Ilya Shapiro for expressing disagreement with the Affirmative Action policy behind President Biden's SCOTUS nomination plan. And of course, there is much more!

In this thirty-first episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine SCOTUS Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer's resignation and identity politics in Biden's nominee candidates; Biden's war drums over the Ukraine, NATO and Russia; Bidenflation, Income Inequality and the Federal Reserve; surging crime, policing and gun control; Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, ethnic studies, woke math and the failure of public schools; and more.

In this thirtieth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the rapid spread, new revelations and foolish politics of the very mild Omicron variant of COVID-19; new SCOTUS challenge to Biden's vaccine mandates; defeat of Biden's mega-trillion dollar "Build Back Better" boondoggle; teachers unions and more unwarranted and harmful school lockdowns; folly and falsehoods of the "1619 Project" and Critical Race Theory; attacks on protesting parents as "domestic terrorists"; Bidenflation; voting rights; new developments in the Ukraine and Brazil; and more.

In this far-reaching and compelling Independent Conversation, U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions interviews the innovative economist and author Dr. John C. Goodman (Senior Fellow, Independent Institute; President, Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research), in a conversation hosted by Dr. Graham H. Walker (Executive Director, Independent Institute). They discuss Dr. Goodman's widely acclaimed book, "New Way to Care: Social Protections that Put Families First," on the need to create a market-based social safety net for all Americans.

In this far-reaching and compelling Independent Conversation, bestselling author, classicist and historian Victor Davis Hanson is interviewed by Dr. Graham H. Walker (Executive Director, Independent Institute) to discuss Dr. Hanson's recent book, "The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America."

In this twenty-ninth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker debunk anti-Thanksgiving myths and examine the absurd politics of the Omicron variant of COVID-19; Biden's mandates and economic folly; oil, energy and climate issues; inflation as a regressive tax; comparative criminal justice and bail in Kenosha and Waukesha, WI, the Asbury murder case in GA, and the Jussie Smollet racialist hoax case in Chicago; organized retail crime, "smash and grab," and shop-lifting; midterm elections with Tracey Abrams in GA and Dr. Mehmet Oz in PA; the 2022 Winter Beijing Olympics and missing Chinese tennis superstar Peng Shuai; and more.

From the publisher: Rigged is the definitive account of the 2020 election. Based on Mollie Hemingway’s exclusive interviews with campaign officials, reporters, Supreme Court justices, and President Trump himself, it exposes the fraud and cynicism behind the Democrats' historic power-grab. Rewriting history is a specialty of the radical left, now in control of America’s political and cultural heights. But they will have to contend with the determination, insight, and eloquence of Mollie Hemingway. Rigged is a reminder for weary patriots that truth is still the most powerful weapon. The stakes for our democracy have never been higher.

In this twenty-eighth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the massive Red Wave in the elections in Virginia and across the U.S, including Winsome Sears as the new VA Lt. Governor; the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse and the news coverage; climate alarmism and the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland; inflation; rent control; and much more.

In this twenty-seventh episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the looming Red Wave of the elections in Virginia and across the U.S.; complicity of "progressives" and the teachers unions in the lockdowns and woke indoctrination of K-12 children in public schools; the mega-spending, mega-debt and massive regulatory measures being pushed—and argued about—among President Biden and Congressional leadership in Washington, D.C.; the lying and corruption of Anthony Fauci and the CDC and FDA regarding the COVID-19 pandemic; and much more.

In this twenty-sixth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine California's vaccine mandates for children; the weaponizing of the DOJ by the teachers unions to silence the parents of children in public schools as "domestic terrorists" by criminalizing peaceful protests of Critical Race Theory at school board meetings; the mega-spending, mega-debt and massive regulatory measures being pushed—and argued about—among President Biden and Congressional leadership in Washington, D.C.; and much more.

In this far-reaching and compelling Independent Conversation, bestselling author, economist and futurist George F. Gilder is interviewed by Dr. Graham H. Walker (Executive Director, Independent Institute) to discuss Mr. Gilder's recent book, "Gaming AI: Why AI Can't Think but Can Transform Jobs."

In this twenty-fifth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine President Biden's shameful U.N. talk, his "Wag the Dog" drone disaster in Afghanistan, General Mark Milley and Pentagon hypocrisy, southern border crisis, massive federal spending threat, failure of socialism, Gavin Newsom recall election, media bias, DC swamp corruption—and much more.

In this twenty-fourth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine President Biden's disastrous exit from Afghanistan, the folly of global interventionism and coercive "nation building," the Biden Administration's pivot to distract people from his plummeting approval ratings to a national mandate for COVID vaccines and masking, the impending recall election of California Governor Gavin Newsom, media bias and Larry Elder, teachers-union corruption and school choice—and much more.

In this very timely and incisive Independent Conversation, renowned healthcare expert and author Dr. Scott W. Atlas, Senior Advisor at the Independent Institute, is interviewed by Independent Executive Director Dr. Graham H. Walker and Senior Fellow Dr. Williamson M. Evers regarding Dr. Atlas's book, "A Plague Upon Our House: My Fight at the Trump White House to Stop COVID from Destroying America." When Dr. Atlas was tapped by President Donald Trump to join his COVID Task Force, he was immediately thrust into a maelstrom of scientific disputes, policy debates, raging egos, politically motivated lies, interest-group politics, and cynical media manipulation. Numerous myths and distortions surround the Trump Administration’s handling of the crisis, and many pressing questions remain unanswered. With conflicting, unscientific claims, is the Biden team now bungling the response to the pandemic? Are the right decisions being made about travel restrictions, lockdowns, and mask mandates?

In this twenty-third episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the new protests and public demands for liberty in Cuba; the looming Recall Election of California Governor Gavin Newsom and the prospects for Larry Elder and other challengers; "Big Teach" teacher unions and Critical Race Theory; junk science, official propaganda and the COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates; Big Tech collusion with government agencies, First Amendment, and free speech; civil liberties in China; protests in France, Italy and South Africa; FBI, IRS and the Deep State; and much more.

In this twenty-second episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine urban violence on July 4th and gun rights; public and private police and crime; Big Tech and antitrust; environmental quality and myths; Biden's radical appointees; Critical Race Theory, racialism and the teachers unions; individualism and the incoherence of collectivism; progressivism's racist past in the public schools and urban renewal; SCOTUS rulings and privacy; inflation, the failure of Modern Monetary Theory and the Federal Reserve; and much more.

In this twenty-first episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine new rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court on religious liberty, the NCAA, antitrust, and property rights; why wokeism and who benefits; rebellion against progressives in mayoral election in New York City; full forensic audit of elections, voter I.D.s and vote fraud in the U.S.; inflation and the folly of the Federal Reserve System; multi-trillions in new federal spending and debt; teacher unions and school choice for K-12 schools; and much more.

In this Lighthouse Briefing video, Dr. Magness is interviewed by Independent Institute Executive Director Dr. Graham H. Walker. They discuss how Dr. Magness was one of the first to point out the dubious scientific nature of the original COVID-19 modeling—especially the models coming from Dr. Neil Ferguson's team at the Imperial College of London—whose apocalyptic but vastly erroneous predictions of mass death influenced world leaders en masse to shut down society in their countries.

In this twentieth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the the Wuhan Lab's gain-of-function research and leak of COVID-19 in China and the elite media's opposition to investigate the matter; scientism and the hubris of Anthony Fauci; the Biden administration's massive "infrastructure" spending, debt, taxes, political pork, industrial policy, and corporate welfare; inflation and the failure of "modern monetary theory"; voter fraud and full forensic audits; school lockdowns, remote learning and the teachers unions; the fight within the ACLU over First Amendment rights vs. cancel culture; Kamala Harris's disastrous trip to Guatemala and Mexico and the failure of government foreign aid; the IRS and financial privacy; UFOs; and much more.

In this nineteenth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the scandal of U.S. funding and deliberate deception over COVID-19; shattering revelations on the Wuhan Lab in China and the mainstream media's complicity by Nicholas Wade in the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists"; Anthony Fauci, Francis Collins and the corruption of science; antisemitism and conflict in the Mideast; critical race theory and mathematics; school lockdowns; and much more.

In this eighteenth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom; school choice and K-12 school shutdowns; rebellions against "progressive" wokeness and Big Government; critical race theory and cancel culture; climate change and climate alarmism; gun control and the Second Amendment at the U.S. Supreme Court; and much more.

In this seventeenth episode of Independent Outlook, Graham Walker, Williamson Evers, and Research Fellow William J. Watkins, Jr., examine COVID-19 vaccine mandates and passports; school shutdowns; critical race theory and propaganda; Bill of Rights; border crisis; and much more.

In this sixteenth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine immigration, the unprecedented border crisis and the welfare state; the filibuster and the new threats to liberty; mass shootings and the attacks on the Second Amendment right to self-defense; woke racism/supremacy and critical race theory; the "For the People Act" (H.R. 1) partisan power grab; and much more.

Shelby Steele is the Robert J. and Marion E. Oster Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.He is the recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award for his book, "The Content of Our Character: A Vision of Race in America," the Bradley Foundation Prize for Outstanding Achievement, and the National Humanities Medal. In 1991, his work on the documentary, "Seven Days in Bensonhurst," was recognized with an Emmy Award and two awards for television documentary writing—the Writer’s Guild Award and the San Francisco Film Festival Award. Among his other books are "White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era" and "A Dream Deferred: The Second Betrayal of Black Freedom in America."

In this fifteenth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine the massive political pork in the COVID Relief Act; bailouts of insolvent blue states and cities; the looming threat of inflation; voter fraud; teachers unions and the tragedy of school closings; free speech and freedom of the press and assembly; cancel culture and Dr. Seuss, Dumbo, and Peter Pan; the growing rebellion against wokeness; and much more.

In this fourteenth episode of Independent Outlook, Independent Research Fellow Jonathan J. Bean joins with Williamson Evers and Graham Walker to examine the people and ideas of the anti-racist, classical-liberal tradition of individual liberty and equality, demonstrating how it has inspired individuals to boldly advance race relations in the United States. Rooted in the Judeo-Christian natural-law tradition, classical liberals have advocated freedom from governmental interference, abolition of prejudicial law, equality under a uniform rule of law guaranteed by the Constitution, and market-based entrepreneurial opportunity.

This Lighthouse Briefing video features Independent Institute Executive Director Dr. Graham H. Walker and Independent Research Fellow Dr. Phillip W. Magness discussing Dr. Magness's article, "Case for Mask Mandate Rests on Bad Data," including the politicization of science, the folly of lockdowns and mask mandates, and the need for "Focus Protection" to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve "herd immunity."

In this thirteenth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine: What is the second Trump Impeachment trial distracting us from? This being Black History Month, how has Big Government been used to harm African Americans? How are Biden's Executive Orders rewarding interest groups that have supported him? What is the difference between classical liberalism and progressivism? Why are teachers unions fighting against school re-openings? And much more.

In this twelfth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine: What is in store with President Joseph Biden signing a record number of Executive Orders instead of Congress acting? What is going on at America's southern border? Are California policies a model or an omen for the nation? And more.

In this eleventh episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine: Should we be worried about policy reactions or overreactions after last Wednesday’s events at the Capitol; what’s going on with de-platforming, censorship, and Parler; now that the Biden Administration doesn’t have to worry about persuading a Republican-led Senate, what will their policy agenda be; what about vaccine distribution; and more.

In this tenth episode of Independent Outlook, David Theroux, Williamson Evers, and Graham Walker examine what is going on with election lawsuits; who else is Biden considering for an administration; the $2 billion in California unemployment insurance fraud; the passing of great, free-market economist, author and columnist Walter E. Williams; and more.