

The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour
Hillsdale College
The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour is a one-hour, weekly radio show/podcast advancing the efforts of Hillsdale College in radiating its knowledge and teaching to the world outside of campus. Listeners will hear the arguments and debates that make up the liberal arts education and will experience the learning and teaching that happens on campus. Hosted by Scot Bertram.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 21, 2025 • 43min
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, 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.

Nov 14, 2025 • 45min
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 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.

Nov 7, 2025 • 45min
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. 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.

Oct 31, 2025 • 42min
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 for privacy information.

Oct 24, 2025 • 48min
Defending the American Way of Life
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.

Oct 17, 2025 • 46min
Catherine Herridge on the Future of Journalism
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.

Oct 10, 2025 • 45min
How to Heal Modern Medicine
Guests: Aaron Kheriarty & Wilfred McClay Host Scot Bertram talks with Aaron Kheriarty, director of the Program in Bioethics, Technology, and Human Flourishing at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, about America's failing healthcare system and his new book Making the Cut: How to Heal Modern Medicine. And Wilfred McClay, Victor Davis Hanson chair in classical history and western civilization at Hillsdale College, discusses how the Hebrew tradition influenced the American Founding and his co-edited collection of essays Jewish Roots of American Liberty: The Impact of Hebraic Ideas on the American Story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 3, 2025 • 42min
Mollie Hemingway on the Comey Indictment
Guests: Mollie Hemingway & Benedict Whalen Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, senior journalism fellow at Hillsdale College and editor-in-chief at The Federalist, about the recent Comey indictment and revelations in a recent letter from YouTube officials to Rep. Jim Jordan. And Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a series on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 26, 2025 • 39min
The Challenge of Americanization
Guests: Mark Krikorian, Christina J. Lambert, & John T. Seiffertt Host Scot Bertram talks with Mark Krikorian, executive director at the Center for Immigration Studies, about a recent essay on how America makes assimilation more difficult for immigrants. Christina Lambert, assistant professor of English at Hillsdale College, begins a series on the life and work of poet T. S. Eliot. And John Seiffertt, associate professor of computer science at Hillsdale College, discusses the unique ways that Hillsdale College teaches computer science.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 19, 2025 • 40min
Remembering Charlie Kirk
In this special edition of The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, we honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA. Through reflections from Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, Hillsdale students, professors, and Charlie himself, we remember a voice that shaped a generation of conservatives and was silenced far too soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


