The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

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.

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.

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.

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 poet and playwright T. S. Eliot. This week, she discusses Eliot's The Waste Land.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Student Journalism.” And John Seiffertt, associate professor of computer science at Hillsdale College, explains the nature of Artificial Intelligence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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 Seminary and fellow at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, discusses the Christian obligation to patriotism and his new book In Defense of Christian Patriotism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 privacy information.

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 "Restoring America’s Founding Imagination."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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-free cocktails based on the lives of Catholic saints: Abstaining with the Saints: No and Low Alcoholic Beverages for Sober Souls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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-President Undermines American Foreign Policy, Coddles Dictators and Created the Party of Clinton and Kerry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Polarization Myth: America's Surprising Consensus on Race, Schools, and Sex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 experience has helped her.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 American Cemetery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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 information.

Guests: Dr. Larry P. Arnn, Ryan P. Williams, & Nathan Herring We hear excerpts from a speech delivered by Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn titled “Defending the American Way of Life.” Host Scot Bertram talks with Ryan P. Williams, president of The Claremont Institute and publisher of the Claremont Review of Books, about American scholar Angelo Codevilla and Williams’ new edited collection of tributes to Codevilla, Fighting Enemies Foreign and Domestic: The Legacy of Angelo Codevilla. And Nathan Herring, assistant professor of physics at Hillsdale College, discusses the life and accomplishments of physicist Sir Isaac Newton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Catherine Herridge & James Webb Host Scot Bertram talks with Catherine Herridge, Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist and founder of Catherine Herridge Reports, about the state of modern journalism and the importance of journalistic integrity. And James Webb, associate professor of accounting at Hillsdale College, tells us what’s fun about accounting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.