Dad Saves America
Dad Saves America is a podcast hosted by John Papola, a filmmaker, entrepreneur, and self-described arm-chair philosopher. Through the lens of fatherhood, he explores the biggest issues facing the United States each week with exclusive interviews and deep dives. The show aims to help raise the next generation of Americans to thrive in a free society and become champions of civilization. Guests have included Jonathan Haidt, Dr. Drew, Michael Shellenberger, Bret Weinstein, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Adam Carolla.
Episodes
France’s "Mostly Peaceful Jihad” Threatens the Whole Christian West
For the past three weeks, riots have spread across France. The corporate press is calling them mostly peaceful protests over school funding. Meanwhile, student rioters are singing jihadi rap.Second and third generation Muslim immigrants are radicalizing against the very country that raised them. At the same time, 800,000 French Catholics gathered in Paris for Pope Leo’s recent visit. Two Frances a
How White Guilt Became the Most Powerful Weapon in Politics - Eli & Shelby Steele
I sat down with Shelby Steele, an author and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and his son Eli Steele, the filmmaker behind “What Killed Michael Brown?” Together, they’ve produced a new documentary, “White Guilt,” that brings Shelby’s 2006 book into the present political climate. Shelby has lived the whole story, from segregation to Black Power militancy to now decades as a fearless dissent
Trump's Going All-In on AI. Will His Midterm Gamble Pay Off?
On Tuesday, the CEOs of Nvidia, Google, Meta, xAI, Anthropic, and more joined President Trump to discuss the development of AI, or, as the President has rebranded it, Super Intelligence. While they’ve signed a voluntary pledge to police AI safety, Democrats want Washington to step in instead, as if government standards do anything other than destroy innovation.Americans invented this technology, b
Bad Therapy, Gender, and Lindsay Clancy Psychosis - Andrew Hartz, Ph.D.
I sat down with Andrew Hartz, a practicing clinical psychologist and the founder of the Open Therapy Institute. His organization is working to filter out the political bias that has become endemic in mental health care and connect patients with therapists they can trust.We get into:* The woke insanity inside the American Psychological Association* How to find a therapist who will actually help you
Big-Government Progressivism Is a Su*cide Pact
1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones sent her daughter to a dysfunctional public school as a political statement, and is now paying the price. For years, socialists like Hasan Piker have flirted with banning private schools altogether under the theory that enrolling rich kids in failing schools can magically fix them. Universal public schooling, once a safety net for those who couldn’t afford
Ben Slivka Predicted the Internet Era. He Doesn't Buy the Hype About AI.
I sat down with Ben Slivka, an early Microsoft executive who led the team that built Internet Explorer, served 20 years on Northwestern University’s Board of Trustees, and has spent decades since as an angel investor across biotech, space, and software startups.We get into:* How cowardice became the norm in university leadership* Why the public school model fails so many students* His 1995 Microso
The Anthropic Whistleblower Is Not Who You Think He Is
AI researcher Jacob Coxon quit his job at Anthropic last week and became a whistleblower, warning that the race toward superintelligent AI is "gambling with our lives." Another Anthropic employee, Evan Hubinger, backed him up, putting the odds of AI apocalypse within a decade at over 10%. Then, Anthropic published a 154-page AI safety report on all sorts of alarming ways the technology is evolving
Catholic Historian: Here’s Why We Know That the Bible Is True
I sat down with historian of early Christianity Matthew Larsen, Ph.D., fresh off his shoot in the Middle East tracing the life of Paul the Apostle, to dig into the evidence for Jesus, the biblical canon, and the Catholic Church.We get into:* How historians actually know what’s true about the ancient past* Why the “Jesus never existed” theory keeps resurfacing online* Where Wes Huff’s viral apologe
25 Years After 9/11: How “Never Forget” Became “We Deserved It”
Zohran Mamdani just appointed Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer who once represented an Al Qaeda member, as New York City's chief legal counsel. This sparked outrage from 9/11 families and a petition demanding that he not attend this year’s 9/11 memorial collected more than 100,000 signatures.A hundred million Americans have been born since 9/11, and campus interviews reveal that many were never taught who a
I Interviewed the 9/11 Mastermind’s Family. Here’s What I Discovered. - Richard Miniter
I sat down with investigative journalist and author Richard Miniter to reflect on the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Richard has spent decades reporting national security and foreign policy issues and has interviewed Islamist radicals, intelligence officials, and others across the globe.We get into:* Why political radicalism and terrorism attract elites* How Western life radicaliz
Bond Market Breakdown: Are We Headed for Another Fall Financial Crisis?
The bond market wobbled this week, and Secretary Bessent is now buying back government debt just to keep long-term interest rates from climbing further. Bond market volatility in the early fall has a bad history of signaling worse to come, from 1929 to 1987 to 2008.The national debt sets a new all time high every day, recently crossing the $40 trillion mark. The U.S. dollar's status as the world's
The Sexual Revolution “Liberated” Adults. But What About the Kids? - Katy Faust
I sat down with Katy Faust, founder of Them Before Us and author of “Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City,” to talk about what adults are and aren’t willing to sacrifice for the wellbeing of children. Katy has spent her career defending children’s rights to their own mother and father, touching on adoption, gay marriage, surrogacy, and IVF. We also get into how she raised kids who think for th
The Lindsay Clancy Trial Has Exposed a Moral Psychosis in America
The Lindsay Clancy trial has exploded into the latest social media gender war over postpartum mental health, the role of mothers in society, and the nature of moral responsibility. The defense says postpartum psychosis is to blame and that she shouldn’t be held criminally responsible in the deaths of her three children. Now the jury is deciding whether they buy her story.Videos of women excusing C
How Elite Consensus Botched COVID, Climate, and the Economy - Dr. Steven Koonin
I sat down with theoretical physicist Dr. Steven Koonin, author of “Unsettled” and former Under Secretary of Energy for Science under President Obama, to discuss what he calls the “consensus trap.” He argues that the 2008 financial crisis, COVID policies, and climate alarmism all followed the same template, and the people who got it wrong faced no accountability while the costs fell on the poor. I
The Jason Arday Scandal Is White Guilt on Steroids
Last week, Cambridge’s youngest ever black full professor was found dead, days after resigning under investigation for plagiarism and his fabricated life story. Jason Arday claimed to have run 600 miles in six days, couldn't speak until age 11, and still earned a PhD by 30. When the scrutiny finally caught up with him, Amnesty International's response was to call for censorship.Meanwhile, MIT's bl
Can the West Survive Its Crisis of Faith? - Os Guinness
I sat down with Os Guinness, author of “Our Civilizational Moment,” to discuss how the West has become a “cut flower” civilization. Os argues that the slow secularization of the West has left its freedom, virtue, and sense of meaning disconnected from the foundation that sustained them for centuries.We get into:* Growing up in China during WWII and the rise of Mao* Why the West is a “cut flower ci
America Feels Like It’s Falling Apart. We Can Still Save It. - 500K Subscriber Special
Thank you to all 500K+ subscribers to Dad Saves America!This show began in response to the mental health crisis I saw emerging among my son’s peers. Then COVID lockdowns hit and turned my worst-case predictions into reality. Now, socialism is sweeping the Democratic Party and young women are marching in support of Hamas, all while social media continues to poison the minds of our kids.As I like to
We Stopped Disciplining Kids. Now They’re Destroying Civilization. - Katharine Birbalsingh
I sat down with Katharine Birbalsingh, headmistress of Michaela Community School and the UK’s most outspoken voice on education, to mark the launch of our new YouTube collaboration, Strictly Education. Katharine runs one of the strictest schools in the UK, for mostly disadvantaged students from immigrant families, and gets some of the best results in the country. Her solution to the failure of mod
The Democratic Socialists Have a Working Class Problem
Socialist Abdul El-Sayed just won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, but the exit polls tell the real story. He dominated in college towns and lost badly in the working class neighborhoods he claims to represent. The same pattern played out in Zohran Mamdani's election.The socialists calling themselves the voice of the working class have never done a day of physical labor in their lives. The wo
The Manosphere Is Only a Half-Answer for Young Men - Nick Freitas
I sat down with Nick Freitas, veteran, fellow podcaster, and author of “The Manbook,” to talk about what it actually means to be a man in the aftermath of the woke revolution. In recent years, manosphere figures like Andrew Tate have arisen as an answer for young men who feel cast out at school, at work, and in mainstream culture. Their message takes legitimate grievances and points them in unheal
“I Plead the Fifth”: How Fauci’s Lies Destroyed the Expert Class
Rand Paul just released Dr. Anthony Fauci's personal diary, more than 1,100 pages stored on government servers, and then made him answer for it before the Senate. Fauci’s response to almost every question was the same. He pleaded the Fifth, over and over again.But the real story isn’t the diary. It’s what Fauci represents. From funding offshore gain-of-function research, to soliciting cash prizes
Why Harvard Loses in the New College Rankings - Prof. Kevin Wallsten
I sat down with political scientist Kevin Wallsten to discuss his project building a new college ranking system from scratch. The standard metrics of acceptance rate, endowment size, and name recognition fail to address rising concerns about ideological bias and campus culture. With activism replacing the pursuit of truth throughout higher education, here’s what parents should know before sending
Nolan’s Odyssey: Woke Disaster or Western Classic?
Christopher Nolan's “The Odyssey” opened last weekend and sent Homer's 2,800-year-old poem back up the bestseller charts. It also became the most fought-over movie in recent memory, with accusations of woke casting and the "1619 Project” treatment of the Western canon.I decided to see the movie opening weekend. Some of the criticism lands. Some of it falls apart the moment the film starts. The rea
America Cut Off Its Christian Roots. Now It’s in Crisis. - Eric Metaxas
I sat down with bestselling author Eric Metaxas to discuss the Christian roots of America and what happens to our freedom if we forget them. His new book, “Revolution,” tells the story of the founding and the values that make America exceptional.We get into:* How the founders’ religious beliefs shaped the Revolution* The paradox of freedom and faith* Why the French Revolution ended in a bloodbath
Everyone Hates AI Data Centers. Here's Why They're (Mostly) Wrong.
New York just became the first state to halt new AI data center construction. Bernie Sanders and AOC want to take that policy national, and 63% of Americans agree with them across party lines. This has become the one truly bipartisan issue in our politics, but bipartisan doesn't mean good.The concerns range from energy costs to water use to noise pollution. Some concerns are legitimate, some have
Marx Died a Loser. Lenin Made Him a Legend. - Phil Magness
I sat down with economic historian Phil Magness to give Karl Marx the fairest hearing we could, and then find out how his ideas took over half the world and most of modern academia.We get into:* The historical context of Karl Marx’s writings* Why surplus value theory made intuitive sense and why it’s wrong* How the iPhone launch disproves Marx’s labor theory of value* The unlikely story of how Len
Mamdani's Own Mom: "He Is Not an American AT ALL”
Last week, Zohran Mamdani “celebrated” this country’s 250th birthday by sitting behind George Washington’s desk and lecturing America about who we are. His own mother once said he isn't American at all, and never wanted to be. These days, most other countries have a higher opinion of the United States than Democrats.Every immigrant who takes the citizenship oath swears to uphold values we’ve stopp
The 1619 Project Wasn’t About Race. It Was an Attack on Capitalism. - Phil Magness
I sat down with Phil Magness, economic historian and author of “The 1619 Project Myth,” to discuss how the New York Times rewrote the founding narrative of the United States, first in print but eventually in schools nationwide.We get into:* How Phil caught a fabricated claim about Excel and plantations* How the “new historians of capitalism” rewrote economic history* Why Adam Smith, the father of
The Real Reason Gen Z Doesn’t Care About 1776
Most Americans can quote a line or two of the Declaration of Independence, but almost no one has actually read the whole thing. Today I'm going line by line to unpack what Jefferson was actually arguing and why it matters even more now than it did in 1776.A generation raised with little independence and everything on demand can’t fully understand the values woven into the Declaration and how they
“It Began With a Gigantic Lie” - Harvard Western Civ Professor Resigns
I sat down with historian James Hankins, who recently resigned from Harvard after 40 years, to discuss why academia abandoned Western civilization, the institutional mechanisms that silence dissent, and how we can embrace the Western roots of America in the 21st century.We get into:* Why he left Harvard and joined the Hamilton School in Florida* How fear of student backlash silences even tenured p
Our Government Was Never Meant to Look Like This
The United States is a constitutional republic, not a democracy. Today I'm going back to the original text of the Constitution to uncover what it actually says, and just as importantly, what it doesn't.The Constitution never mentions health, education, or retirement. The president was never meant to wield this much power. The Senate was never supposed to be directly elected. And the First Amendmen
American History Has Been Weaponized Against Us - Jack Henneman
I sat down with Jack Henneman, host of the “History of the Americans” podcast, to discuss the early history of the American colonies, the weaponization of history for political purposes, and why judging the past by today’s standards corrupts our ability to understand it.We get into:* Why Jack launched a podcast to read American history from the very beginning* How the New York Times weaponized the
The UK Learned to Hate Itself. Is America on the Same Path?
The world comes to America for the World Cup and falls in love. Europeans are singing our songs, losing their minds at Buc-ee's, and telling us we don't know how good we have it. Meanwhile, Rupert Lowe just released his 200-page report on the UK’s decades-long grooming gang disaster. The UK government now wants to ban social media for teenagers and arrest people for saying the wrong words online.A
Left VS Right Is Over. Federalism Is Our Way Out. - Tony Woodlief
I sat down with Tony Woodlief to discuss federalism, the collapse of left-right politics, and what it takes to raise kids through suffering.We get into:* Why federalism was the Founding Fathers’ most important contribution to governance* Whether Mamdani’s New York will teach Americans the pitfalls of socialism* The truth about political polarization and geographic sorting* How federal agencies reg
The Race Hustler Narrative Is on Life Support
Bari Weiss fires Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes and he compares it to losing a spouse. Karmelo Anthony's supporters call his conviction racist. Black YouTubers discover that the 1619 Project history taught in school is a lie.The institutions we were told to trust have been exposed as propaganda operations. Online, people are waking up, but too many remain stuck in the legacy media echo chamber. When
George Soros, Birthright Citizenship, and the Lost Constitution - Randy Barnett
I sat down with Georgetown University constitutional law professor and originalist scholar Randy Barnett to discuss his books on his time as a Chicago prosecutor, how the Supreme Court has reinterpreted the 14th Amendment, and whether Trump’s birthright citizenship restrictions should be upheld by the Court.We get into:* How George Soros changed prosecution from a nonpartisan job into an ideologic
The Barbarians Are Inside the Gates… and We Invited Them
New York City elects a Muslim socialist immigrant as mayor. British police give preferential treatment to non-white criminals while arresting white victims as they bleed out on the street. Europe held back Muslim invaders for hundreds of years, but now its major cities are upwards of 10% Muslim.The left condemns the West while cheering its conquest by Islamic civilization. The question is, which s
“Falling Behind” Is Public School Propaganda - Graham Frey
I sat down with education innovator Graham Frey to discuss what school is actually for, how structure and choice should be balanced in a child’s life, and why the "falling behind" framework scares families into staying at failing schools.We get into:* The six habits every kid should leave school with* How standardized test hide the reality of public schools* The tension between teachers and school
"We Are Summoning the Demon." Is Elon Right About AI?
Elon Musk called artificial intelligence the biggest existential threat in human history. That was 2014. Now it's 2026, the models are writing their own code, data centers are triggering bitter political fights, and Pope Leo just made AI the focus of his first encyclical.Public sentiment on AI has cratered faster than any technology in memory. College graduates are booing commencement speakers who
How Woke Feminism Created the Manosphere - Wilfred Reilly
I sat down with political scientist and co-founder of Unified Solutions America Wilfred Reilly to discuss the state of the woke left, the toxic feedback loop between radical feminism and the manosphere, and the ongoing battle over American identity.We get into:* The SPLC federal indictment and allegations of funding white supremacist groups* Why woke isn’t dead and how society keeps moving to the
They Lied to Your Kids for 15 Years. The UN Just Admitted It.
The UN's top climate body just quietly buried the doomsday scenario that drove the past 15 years of climate panic, and almost no one noticed. The IPCC has officially declared RCP 8.5, its most extreme emissions model, implausible. That's the same model behind nearly every apocalyptic headline Gen Z has been reading since grade school.The damage is already done. A Lancet study of 10,000 young peopl
Why Africa Stays Poor (It’s Not Colonialism) - Magatte Wade
I sat down with Senegalese immigrant and entrepreneur Magatte Wade to discuss why Africa remains the poorest continent and why the most popular explanations are wrong.Colonialism, slavery, or IQ differences are the answers most people reach for, but the data says otherwise. Ethiopia was never colonized and has been the poster child for African poverty for decades. Slavery was practiced by every ra
How Nations Actually Get Rich (It’s Not Socialism)
President Trump was in China this week, negotiating with Xi Jinping over Iran, Taiwan, and trade deals. China’s economic miracle has transformed the country into a major global power over the past few decades. The American left likes to spin that success story as a win for central planning and socialism, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.Scandinavia tells a similar story. Bernie Sanders
Gad Saad: The Evolutionary Psychology Behind “Queers for Palestine”
I sat down with Gad Saad, author of “Suicidal Empathy,” to discuss the evolutionary psychology behind why the West is self-destructing in the name of tolerance.Empathy is a perfectly adaptive human trait, but like any biological mechanism, it can misfire. When ideological parasites like gender ideology and critical race theory are the basis for empathy, it stops being a virtue and becomes a civili
The Left Is Turning Our Greatest Cities Into Ruins
New York City is broke under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. His socialist buddy, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, is turning off the crime detection system and letting violent offenders walk. LA Mayor Karen Bass is still dodging responsibility for mishandling the 2025 wildfires. This is the reality of progressive central planning.Cities are the centers of civilization. Unfortunately, they’re also a breeding gro
Mollie Hemingway: Justice Alito Is the Secret Hero of SCOTUS
I sat down with Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of The Federalist, to discuss her new book “Alito” about the underappreciated Supreme Court justice’s fight to restore the original meaning of the Constitution.Justice Samuel Alito authored the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and as Mollie describes, he’s been the driving force behind the conservative majority on many important issues durin
The SPLC’s Hate-Hoax Playbook Turns Normies Into Assassins
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was cut short last Saturday by yet another assassination attempt against President Trump. A Caltech-educated game developer armed with two guns charged the Secret Service checkpoint, ending in a brief shootout that injured one Secret Service agent.This attack followed the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center over allegations of funding the very hate
How Gavin Newsom Ran California Into The Ground - Joel Kotkin
I sat down with Joel Kotkin to discuss how California’s utopian ideology and Gavin Newsom’s disastrous governance have the turned the state into a cautionary tale.Joel breaks down how one-party rule became the norm in California, with the Democratic Party tying itself to both Silicon Valley oligarchs and public sector unions and leaving the middle class to fend for itself.With welfare fraud scanda
Hasan Piker: “I’m Pro-Stealing From Big Corporations”
Communist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker stopped by the New York Times's "The Opinions" podcast to promote shoplifting, terrorism, and Chairman Mao. Joining him was staff writer for the New Yorker Jia Tolentino, who justified stealing from Whole Foods (rebranded as “micro-looting”) and banning private schools.Of course, the same people who espouse Marx’s “labor theory of value” often went to private
John Stossel: I Exposed Mainstream Media Fear-Mongering From the Inside
I sat down with libertarian reporter John Stossel to discuss his journey from pro-regulation consumer watchdog to small-government debunker of liberal economic dogma. We cover his accidental entry into journalism, his libertarian awakening, and why liberty is such a hard sell to the average person.John is a long-time critic of media fear-mongering, creating the 1994 ABC special “Are We Scaring You
First They Tax the Billionaires, Then the Millionaires, Then You.
Zohran Mamdani spent Tax Day celebrating New York City’s new tax on luxury second homes. It was sold as a fix for the city’s $5 billion budget deficit, but only covers at most 10% of the gap. At the same time, Mamdani is promising a whole new set of expensive programs that would dig the hole even deeper.California is in the same boat, pushing a 5% wealth tax on billionaires as the state budget col
America’s Oil Dominance Is China's Worst Nightmare - Trisha Curtis
I sat down with energy economist and CEO of PetroNerds Trisha Curtis to learn about the oil and natural gas industries, the global energy market, and how the war in Iran affects gas prices at the pump.Trisha breaks down how fracking revolutionized American energy production, reinforcing the petrodollar as the global reserve currency. While states like California have turned away from the energy se
California Sent Us To the Moon. Now It Can’t Even Build a Train.
California innovation sent us to the moon in 1969. Today it spends $126 billion on high-speed rail to nowhere and loses $180 billion in welfare fraud. While Artemis II circled the moon for the first time in half a century, taking humans farther from Earth than ever before, California continued on its budget spiral to hell.Chris Rufo’s recent reporting exposed that Gavin Newsom has presided over an
Matt Taibbi: Russiagate Was a Lie and the Media Knew It
I sat down with Matt Taibbi, the reporter who broke the Twitter Files, to trace how the American press went from honest journalism to deep state propaganda.Matt spent about a decade studying and working as a journalist in Russia, witnessing the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Vladimir Putin. When American meddling in Ukraine led to Russian military intervention in 2014, he was uniquel
Swallow Your Pride. Live Not by Lies.
Marc Andreessen’s claim that “introspection is overrated” sparked a predictable media backlash, but the real debate isn’t about therapy culture or woke narcissism. In a world shaped by AI, social media algorithms, and increasingly rigid ideologies, we’re losing the ability to question ourselves. That’s where things get dangerous.This Good Friday, I’m reflecting on Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s “Live No
Wall Street Executive Reveals How a Market Crashes
I sat down with investor and economist David Bahnsen to unpack what really happened in the 2008 financial crisis. Socialists blame capitalism and Wall Street, while libertarians blame the government, especially the Federal Reserve, but David argues that all of the popular narratives are missing a key piece. He places a significant amount of the blame on what he calls the “Crisis of Responsibility,
The TSA Wastes $12 Billion and Still Fails 90% of the Time
The TSA is running out of staff, airport security lines are spiraling out of control, and Congress still can’t resolve its fight over DHS funding. This isn’t just a temporary breakdown. We’re seeing what happens when a $12 billion government “solution” finally gets stress-tested. Despite collecting billions in additional fees from travelers every year, the TSA still can’t maintain basic service an
You Can’t Simulate the Meaning of Your Life - Arthur Brooks
I sat down with Harvard professor and bestselling author Arthur Brooks to unpack why so many people, especially young men, feel lost in modern life. Drawing on his new book, “The Meaning of Your Life,” Arthur explains how the digital simulation most of us live in keeps us distracted, while failing to satisfy our desire for meaning. Love, happiness, and faith are side effects of pursuing truth and
$8 Gas. Oil Cut Off. Has Trump’s Iran Gamble Backfired?
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, and gas prices are on the rise. Fossil fuels power every aspect of modern life, from transportation to manufacturing to food. If something doesn’t change fast, we could be facing an inflation crisis once again. I’m breaking down how climate extremism, price controls, and the Middle East’s “resource curse” have created the perfect storm for worldwide economic m
The 97% Success Formula They Won't Teach in Schools - Ian Rowe
I sat down with Ian Rowe, an education entrepreneur and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to unpack why raising kids with a sense of agency is the key to lifelong success. Ian defines agency as free will guided by moral discernment, closely related to the concept of “ordered liberty.” Today, low expectations and racial victimhood narratives are trapping kids in cycles they could
Islamic Terror Rising: Does America Need a New Crusade?
A series of terrorist attacks in Virginia, Michigan, NYC, and even my own city of Austin has brought the radical Islamic threat back to American soil. Rather than confronting the ideological nature of these acts, the public conversation is quickly redirected toward gun control, mental health, or non-specific “extremism.” The perpetrators, on the other hand, are usually quite happy to tell you what
Former Woke Mom Exposed "Gender-Affirming Care" Fraud
I sat down with Mia Hughes, author of “The WPATH Files,” to discuss her work exposing the junk science and corruption behind “gender-affirming care,” youth transition, and transgender activism. As she describes it, this is one of the worst crimes in medical history, made worse by the fact that the only people who’ve been punished are those who’ve spoken out against it. Mia’s exposé revealed the id
Trump’s Iran Strike, Israeli Influence, and the Iraq War Hangover
President Trump’s strikes on Iran have reignited the American foreign policy debate. For decades, libertarians like myself have hammered the mistakes of the War on Terror, especially in Iraq. Ron Paul’s 2007 presidential debate performance laid out the blowback risks of interventionism, highlighting a specific story of American meddling in Iran—one I believed until very recently. President Trump i
Pastor Doug Wilson: America Was Built on Christian Nationalism
I sat down with Pastor Doug Wilson to unpack his views on “Christian nationalism” and American identity. Every legal system rests on moral assumptions—Doug argues that those assumptions should be Christian. We discuss whether America was historically a Christian nation, how immigration and assimilation shape a country’s cultural cohesion, the dangers of theocracy, and what would happen to Catholic
Lionel Shriver: The “Nation of Immigrants” Myth Makes America Weak
I sat down with Lionel Shriver, author of “A Better Life,” to unpack why the American immigration debate has become so unreasonable. She argues that the “nation of immigrants” mythology is a kind of progressive moral blackmail, preventing Americans from asking basic questions about assimilation, national self-interest, and cultural cohesion. We also discuss whether Islamic immigration is compatibl
The Old Left Understood Status. The Mamdani Left Weaponizes It. - Rob Henderson
I sat down with Rob Henderson, author of “Troubled” and known for coining the term “luxury beliefs,” to explore how status, envy, and social mobility shape society. Rob shares how growing up in foster care, enlisting in the Air Force at 17, and eventually attending Yale and Cambridge forced him to confront what material success can—and can’t—deliver. Hunter-gatherer societies suppressed status thr
The Socialist Resurgence in Our Era of Broken Minds - Dr. Stephen Hicks
I sat down with philosopher and author Dr. Stephen Hicks to unpack the West’s trajectory from medieval Christianity to modern progressivism. We explore the psychological fallout of online information overload and a failing education system that is fueling a socialist resurgence. Dr. Hicks breaks down how the rediscovery of Greco-Roman writings by figures like St. Thomas Aquinas—and, a few centurie
“I Was Wrong”: Why the Civil War Is Running Late - Rudyard Lynch (WhatIfAltHist) 2026 Update
I sat down with Rudyard Lynch, creator of WhatIfAltHist and History102, to revisit his civil war prediction. He argues that the current psychological crisis is delaying an inevitable political crisis, drawing on the Mouse Utopia experiment, screen addiction, and the decay of internet discourse. Rudyard reflects on what he got right, what he got wrong, and why embracing honor culture might be our p
Mao Conquered China—Now He’s Taking America - Xi Van Fleet
I sat down with anti-communist author Xi Van Fleet to learn about her upbringing under Mao’s Cultural Revolution and her concerns for the trajectory of America. Immigrating from China 40 years ago, she is a blunt critic of modern progressivism and sheds light on the pervasive Marxist influences in our politics, culture, and language—even among conservatives. Xi got involved in public advocacy foll
Why We Hate the Healthcare System: Obamacare, Lobbyists, and Fraud - Michael Cannon
I sat down with healthcare policy expert Michael Cannon to unpack why the U.S. healthcare system drives everyone crazy. From exploding costs and rampant fraud to government shutdowns over Obamacare subsidies, healthcare issues continue to monopolize our politics and our everyday lives. Contrary to what Bernie Sanders might think, government intervention—not capitalism—has rigged the healthcare sys
Michael Shellenberger on ICE Protests, Censorship Threats, and His Radical Past in Venezuela
I sat down with journalist and author Michael Shellenberger to unpack the psychology of modern radicalism and why anti-ICE activists seem more interested in perpetual agitation than problem-solving. Michael reflects on his own radical past, including his experiences in Nicaragua, Brazil, and Venezuela, where socialist idealism gave way to corruption, gangsterism, and societal collapse. We also dis
AI Data Centers, Nuclear Power, and the Limits of Capitalism - Robert Bryce
I sat down with author and energy journalist Robert Bryce to unpack our society’s dependence on the electric grid and what that means for American security and prosperity in the future. The electric grid is far more fragile than most people realize—even more so given the so-called “clean energy transition” pushed throughout the 21st century. As we saw in Spain last spring, excessive reliance on re
We Broke Childhood. Here’s How to Fix It - Peter Gray
I sat down with psychologist and author Peter Gray to unpack why anxiety, depression, and immaturity are rising at the exact moment kids have more “support” than ever. Peter explains how we stripped childhood of the one ingredient that actually builds competence: real freedom. We talk about the collapse of free, self-directed play, the fear-driven culture that keeps kids under constant adult manag
We Feminized Psychology, Parenting, and Society - Dr. Camilo Ortiz
I sat down with clinical psychologist Dr. Camilo Ortiz to unpack why modern parenting has become so exhausting—and why it’s also making kids more anxious, not less. Dr. Ortiz explains why kids need daily exposure to the four D’s—discomfort, distress, disappointment, and danger—and how natural consequences teach better than nagging or punishment ever will. We explore the limits and potential harms
Build America Up—Don’t Burn It To the Ground - Doug DeVos
I sat down with former Amway CEO Doug DeVos to talk about what it means to believe in the American way in an era defined by cynicism. Prosperity doesn’t come from slogans or politics—it comes from families, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who take responsibility and create real value. We unpack why pessimism has become a cultural default, how that mindset quietly erodes ambition and gratitude
Bridget Phetasy on Hookup Culture, Divorce, and Healing Our Culture
I sat down with comedian, writer, and host of “Walk-Ins Welcome,” Bridget Phetasy to talk about how she recovered from divorce, hookup culture, and addiction—and how those experiences shaped her views on our current cultural crisis. Writing for Playboy in the 2010s gave her a front-row seat to a society going mad. Bridget’s previously mainstream liberal beliefs were shattered one by one, eventuall
Dr. Drew on Narcissism, Childhood Trauma, and the Sexual Revolution
I sat down with Dr. Drew Pinsky to unpack how a culture of narcissism is warping our relationships, our politics, and the way we raise our kids. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Dr. Drew explains how collapsing family structures create adults who are fragile on the inside but obsessed with curating a perfect image on the outside. We talk about how social media rewards performative outrag
The Neuroscience Behind the Culture War – Delia McCabe
I sat down with neuroscience PhD Delia McCabe to explore why our brains are struggling in the modern world and what that means for our kids, our politics, and how we handle the AI revolution. Delia has spent her career digging into the effects of nutrition on mental health—either optimizing cognitive function or sending our brains into disastrous feedback loops. We also discuss biological sex diff
Persuasion VS Manipulation: Why We Don’t Trust Slick-Talkers - Jay Heinrichs
I sat down with Jay Heinrichs, best-selling author of Thank You for Arguing, to explore the lost art of rhetoric and why Americans should relearn these skills. Most of us have forgotten how to persuade one another, and in an algorithmically optimized social media era, we’re increasingly vulnerable to constant manipulation. We dig into how, from Gavin Newsom to Donald Trump, our politicians use rhe
My Soviet Parents Saw Cancel Culture Coming Before Anyone Else - Katherine Brodsky
I sat down with writer and free speech advocate Katherine Brodsky to explore how fear and conformity have paralyzed honest dialogue in the West. Drawing on her own experience as the target of a cancellation mob for what should have been an uncontroversial statement, she’s been grappling with how our culture can return to sanity and re-embrace free speech as a core value. We reflect on how social m
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