WSJ Opinion: Free Expression

From government to business to the media, millions of citizens have experienced a steep fall in public trust and confidence in its key institutions. So how did it happen? On this episode of the Free Expression podcast, editor at large Gerry Baker talks about his new book, "American Breakdown: Why We No Longer Trust Our Leaders and Institutions and How We Can Rebuild Confidence," with Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul Gigot about how faith can be returned to these pillars of society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Faced with a real estate crisis, record high youth unemployment, and massive debts at the local government level, how much economic trouble is the People's Republic of China in? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, economist and China expert George Magnus tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker about whether China under Xi Jinping’s hardline approach is headed down the same road to collapse as the Soviet Union and what are the long-term consequences for the world economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Christie has fashioned himself as the anti-Trump candidate in the 2024 GOP presidential field, but can his strategy really bring down the former president and propel Christie to the Oval Office? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, the former New Jersey Governor tells Gerry Baker about how he is tackling the task of unifying the Republican Party despite Donald Trump's influence, whether the Hunter Biden investigation should lead to the impeachment of Joe Biden, and why his run for president is not the "kamikaze mission" it's being perceived as to upend the Trump campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time, voters got to see the major candidates for the Republican nomination for President on the same stage, with one glaring exception. On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, GOP strategist and columnist Karl Rove tells WSJ editor at large Gerry Baker why he thinks Vivek Ramaswamy had the worst moment of the night in Milwaukee, how Nikki Haley and Mike Pence advanced their cause and says Ron DeSantis just managed to survive, albeit with a couple of difficult moments. And he argues that Donald Trump's absence exposed his vulnerabilities as the frontrunner and insists the former president can still be beaten. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does the 2024 Presidential election rest on the legal troubles of Donald Trump and the Biden family? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, former Attorney General William Barr tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker why he thinks the latest indictment by Atlanta district attorney of the former president is excessive even as the federal charges he faces are stronger, but why neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump will be the respective nominees for their parties, and why Hunter Biden "would already be in an orange jumpsuit" if he was a member of the Trump family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Free Expression podcast John Bolton, who served as national security adviser to President Donald Trump tells Wall Street Journal editor at Large Gerry Baker there’s a good chance Trump will be convicted of criminal offenses ahead of the 2024 presidential election and if he is nominated by the Republican Party it will lead to unenviable defeat. He also argues the US needs to be doing much more to counter Russian aggression in Ukraine and to deter potential Chinese aggression in Taiwan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has liberalism really failed and if so, what’s next for America and other democracies? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, political science professor Patrick Deneen tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker that the promotion of individual liberty as the organizing principle of society has resulted in the destruction of social cohesion and why it's time for a new political paradigm and the creation of a new elite in tune with true American values. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have Democrats taken African-American votes for granted? Could ethnic minorities find a home in the GOP? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker speaks with Georgia State Rep. Mesha Mainor about her decision last week to join the Republican Party and become the first African-American woman elected representative in the state legislature. She explains what Democrats get wrong about issues like school choice and affirmative action and how they continue to look to the past instead of the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is religious faith on the decline in the U.S.? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Catholic archbishop of New York, tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker that a lack of religion and moral conviction is to blame for our toxic cultural environment. He also discusses how Pope Francis is leading the church worldwide, the importance of the separation of church and state, and where the pro-life movement stands a year after the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Americans celebrate Independence Day this week, the Free Expression Podcast features some of Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker's best interviews, including conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, 2024 Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., commentator Heather Mac Donald, political scientist Ruy Teixeira and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an abortive mutiny by Wagner Group leader and mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin, is Vladimir Putin "damaged goods" as the leader of Russia? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, former Ambassador to both Russia and China Jon Huntsman tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker why Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus while other Putin rivals have met a far worse fate, what the U.S. response should be, its effect on the Ukraine counteroffensive and why China may already be preparing for a new leadership in Russia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s Free Expression podcast Gerry Baker, WSJ editor at large, talks with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy about double standards of justice in politics, the corruption of the federal government and his plans to overhaul the administrative state. He also discusses his ideas for a radical reform of the Federal Reserve and the elimination of the FBI, how he plans to facilitate a peace deal in Ukraine to prise apart the Russia-China alliance. and whether he would consider being a candidate for Vice President for Donald Trump - or anyone else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, former Vice President Mike Pence tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker he can’t defend Donald Trump in his indictment over handling classified documents. Speaking just after Trump pled not guilty to criminal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Pence also says he will “clean house” at the Department of Justice. Pence also talks about Jan. 6 and Trump's criticism of him, says why he thinks now is not the time to "flinch" on pro-life abortion laws, and if he would support the eventual Republican nominee for President in 2024 if he does not succeed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, has Russia's invasion of Ukraine reached a critical turning point? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker speaks with House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) about the United States' commitment to aiding Ukraine financially and with armaments, whether Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO, and the concerns that European nations are overpromising and under delivering when it comes to providing support in the conflict. Plus, Rep. Waltz gives his takes on Donald Trump and the person he replaced in Congress, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert F Kennedy Jr, scion of the first family of Democratic politics, has launched an insurgent challenge to incumbent Joe Biden for the party’s presidential nomination for 2024. Early polls have suggested he has the backing of up to one fifth of Democratic voters. On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Kennedy Jr. sits down with Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker and talks about his campaign’s populist message: blasting big business and an overreaching government and a political and cultural environment he claims is characterized by official and corporate censorship and control. They discuss Covid lockdown mandates, energy policy and why he opposes US military support for Ukraine against Russia. He is also challenged about his long-standing, controversial - and widely discredited - campaign against vaccines for children and other controversial causes he has promoted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Ron DeSantis launches his campaign for president, the race for the 2024 Republican nomination finally gets under way in earnest. What does he need to do to overhaul Donald Trump’s big lead in the opinion polls? And with Senator Tim Scott also joining the fray this week and other candidates expected to join soon, is there any chance this is more than just a two-horse race? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson joins Gerry Baker, Wall Street Journal editor at large, to handicap the intensifying GOP primary race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has Reaganomics run its course as the dominant economic model for the right? On the episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker continues his look at the evolution of modern conservative thought with public policy commentator Oren Cass. The two discuss whether there is room in conservative thought for a fundamental rethinking of free-market policies that assuages some of their apparent social and economic costs while preserving the benefits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can U.S. foreign policy succeed in a new age of great power confrontation? Does the challenge of an ascendant China mean U.S. support for a European war against Russia is a dangerous distraction? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, conservative foreign policy analyst Elbridge Colby tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker what's at stake for the United States if China invades Taiwan, why it's time for Europe to step up in support for Ukraine and how Donald Trump transformed Republican foreign policy thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker speaks with All-American swimmer Riley Gaines, who has become an outspoken advocate for the exclusivity of biologically female-born athletes in women's sports. Gaines talks about how her message has been received by the LGBT community, why she no longer has sympathy for her critics, and why she says the mainstream media has unfairly labeled her opinions "hate speech." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Biden has officially announced he is running for reelection in 2024. But with his approval ratings in the doldrums, his campaign launch suggests his argument will be focused more on raising fears about the Republican alternative than on promoting his own record. Can he pull it off? On this episode of Free Expression Podcast, political scientist Ruy Teixeira talks to Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker about the Biden strategy, Republican strengths and weaknesses and why embracing identity politics is a losing approach for Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dominant ideology in America today elevates identity over individuality, victimhood over excellence and race over everything. On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, commentator Heather Mac Donald tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker why there needs to be a choice between meritocracy and equity, and why the racialization of all aspects academia and culture has caused major damage and a need for a counter-revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should artificial intelligence be embraced or feared? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, computer scientist Yoshua Bengio tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker why he joined others in the technology field in signing an open letter calling for a pause in AI development. They also discuss the potential risks that could come from a lack of a pause, and how artificial intelligence compares to the computer that is the human brain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After widespread protests against Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial reforms, the Israeli Prime Minister has put the controversial plan on hold. But what led to the eruption? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, journalist and commentator Ben-Dror Yemini speaks to Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker about the challenges of balancing the ambitions of a democratically elected government with the need for constitutional checks and balances, and what the standoff tells us about the rising tensions around the world between populism and liberal democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Donald Trump in legal peril, or is he the target of a political prosecution? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, legal scholar Jonathan Turley tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker why Alvin Bragg's pursuit of an indictment is a true abuse of the justice system, how the case can be used to Donald Trump's advantage, and why the Mar-a-Lago investigation is the legal jeopardy the former President should be concerned about the most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of a tumultuous week for U.S. banks, former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker on this episode of Free Expression why the feds were wrong to rescue Silicon Valley Bank’s depositors and how the bailout may make things worse for the U.S. financial system. She also warns that the Federal Reserve should pause its interest rate increases next week or risk tipping the economy into a deeper crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the ESG craze over? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker speaks with veteran investment manager Terrence Keeley about why environmental, social and governance-based investing is in retreat under pressure from investors, conservative critics and Republicans on Capitol Hill. They also discuss whether restoring investing for shareholder returns rather than in pursuit of political ideology should again be the proper objective of asset managers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker and geopolitical analyst Ian Bremmer survey escalating crises around the world, including China’s deepening partnership with Russia, Ukraine's need for more military and financial assistance, how Joe Biden would defend Taiwan, the growing threat from Iran, and the U.S. Energy Department's conclusion that Covid started in a Chinese lab. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker and historian Robert Kagan take stock of the war between Russia and Ukraine on the first anniversary of the conflict. After Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv this week they discuss America's large and continuing commitment to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's options as his military is depleted, China's role and why it should be wary of military action against Taiwan, and how, after a century as the world’s dominant power, the US can maintain its global status. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, president of the University of Chicago Paul Alivisatos talks with The Wall Street Journal's Editor at Large, Gerry Baker about improving the climate for free speech at American universities and colleges, creating more ideological and intellectual diversity in the faculty, and how American higher education can continue to be a force for socially and economically valuable research and discovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, economist Ken Rogoff talks to The Wall Street Journal's Editor at Large, Gerry Baker about why the U.S. faces a significant chance of recession, the risks of a new financial crisis, and how China is struggling to deal with the realities of its modern economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, international relations expert and commentator John Chipman tells The Wall Street Journal's Editor-at-Large, Gerry Baker why Ukraine is in a must-win stage in its war with Russia as the one-year anniversary of the conflict nears, how seriously to take fears of escalation, and what the world makes of the Biden administration’s handling of challenges in the Middle East and China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Free Expression, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker how much further the Federal Reserve will need to go to contain inflation, whether it will cause a recession and weighs in on the threat to expression and intellectual diversity in universities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Free Expression, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan sits down with Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The two discuss how the tumultuous vote to make Kevin McCarthy Speaker of the House could yield positive results for the Republican Party, the debate over raising the debt ceiling, and how the GOP needs to get past Donald Trump to secure a victory in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Free Expression, leading economist Jason Furman shares his outlook for the economy for the coming year with Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker. He explains why it’s unlikely the Federal Reserve can engineer a soft landing of low inflation without a recession, why so many experts got it wrong about the temporary nature of inflation in 2022, and how the labor market, China, and policy will determine the path of the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Congress ends another day without electing a Speaker of the House, outgoing Senator Ben Sasse talks to Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker about why the nation’s politics is overrun by zealots, how to heal the divisions in the GOP and restore the virtues of persuasion and pluralism to government, and why he is leaving Washington to become president of the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Expression's final episode of 2022 features some of Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker's best interviews of the year, including conversations with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, author Douglas Murray, economist Nicholas Eberstadt, author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, historian Niall Ferguson, and analyst Michael Shellenberger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Congress calling for a ban on TikTok, the release of Elon Musk's 'Twitter Files' and the collapse of FTX, the technology sector faces the possibility of regulation now more than ever. On this episode of Free Expression, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) speaks to Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker about why tech companies need to be more transparent about their policies, and the dangers of big political donations coming from the tech sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, incoming Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker of his hopes for a deal to establish normal relationships with Saudi Arabia and a wider peace with the Arab world, how he plans to prevent Iran from going nuclear and what his relationships with Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden might mean for the conflict in Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the defeat of GOP candidate Herschel Walker by incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock in the Georgia Senate runoff election, the Democrats won a 51-49 majority despite Joe Biden's low approval ratings. So what happened and how can Republicans win the Senate back? On the latest episode of Free Expression, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker about why candidate quality and Donald Trump were not to blame for the various losses, and why Republicans need to get even more aggressive about getting their message across to voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the U.S. economy facing a highly uncertain 2023, what’s the bigger threat - inflation or recession? Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is signaling slowing in the pace of interest rate increases after its fierce tightening this year, but has the Fed already gone too far? On the latest episode of the Free Expression podcast, Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerard Baker speaks to former Fed vice chairman Alan Blinder about what’s next for the economy and monetary and fiscal policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, Ways and Means Republican Leader Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker the Republican Party needs to look forward not backward as it considers its future, has admiring words for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and explains how a Republican-controlled House of Representatives can block Joe Biden's agenda and build some legislative achievements in a divided Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker talks with conservative author and commentator Matthew Continetti about why an expected dominant victory for the GOP on Election Day never came to fruition, what the results mean for a potential 2024 matchup between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump, and how Republicans can formulate a message on issues like abortion and crime to increase their popular vote numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, policy analyst Reuel Marc Gerecht tell Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker why Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime see the most recent protests in Iran as a dangerous threat to their power, why sanctions won't stop Iran's significant nuclear program, and why Iran is aligning with Russia and China in a new Cold War with the West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker about why he thinks the Russia/Ukraine conflict is an "unnecessary war," why the United States should send a strong message on defending Taiwan in the face of China, and how the left has sabotaged U.S. global power and made America look weak on the world stage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whose turn is it to run Britain? On the latest episode of Free Expression, Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker explores the turmoil in what used to be called the world’s most successful political party - the U.K.’s Conservatives. Tim Montgomerie, a leading conservative thinker in Britain, explains how after 12 years of the Tories in office, the aftermath of Brexit and the challenge that populism poses to conservatives, British politics has become so chaotic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker why there is a growing backlash to woke capitalism, why both sides of the cultural divide have embraced victimhood, and why there will be major hurdles on the road back to excellence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a new episode of Free Expression, energy expert Daniel Yergin explains to Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker the turbulence in global energy markets, how the Biden administration’s confused policies on energy are undermining America’s energy security and says a rational mix of natural gas, oil, nuclear and renewables offers solutions to our long-term energy needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, professor Steven Pinker tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker whether humans are becoming more rational, why reason should be taught in schools like math and reading, and if society is seemingly becoming more susceptible to conspiracy theories and confirmation bias. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, epidemiology expert Jay Bhattacharya tells Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker about what the world learned from the mistakes made during the pandemic, and the economic damage done by lockdowns and how to avoid resorting to them again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of Free Expression, pollster Mark Penn talks to Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerry Baker about the messages both Democrats and Republicans need to convey to voters in November, why Joe Biden's anti-MAGA speech in Philadelphia may backfire on the President, and why the GOP is still in search of a national leader to unify the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices