The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

The Making of the American Mind

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 [https://www.amazon.com/Making-American-Mind-Declaration-Independence/dp/1641774878], and the intellectual tradition that inspired the writing of the Declaration of Independence. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Scott Jennings Explains the Common Sense of Donald Trump

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 [https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Common-Sense-Washington-Civilization/dp/0063472171], 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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Iranian Airstrikes and America First Foreign Policy

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 [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/3393640/remembering-fall-of-saigon-vietnam-war/] on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Jason Gehrke, assistant professor of history at Hillsdale College, discusses his recent essay [https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/07/02/america_first_the_iran_strike_and_current_us_strategy_1120091.html] 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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Who Killed the California Dream?

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 [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/susan-crabtree/fools-gold/9781546008033/]. And Jeremiah Regan, Executive Director of Online Learning at Hillsdale College, previews the new online course documentary, Colonial America [http://hillsdale.edu/newcourse].     See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

What Makes a Great Ghost Story

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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.