
WSJ Opinion: Free Expression
Based on his Wall Street Journal Opinion column "Free Expression," Editor-at-Large Gerry Baker speaks every week with some of the world's leading writers, influencers and thinkers about a variety of subjects. Baker will welcome his guests from the worlds of politics, philosophy, and culture for wide-ranging dialogues that will enlighten and fascinate listeners. Episodes will be released each week.
Latest episodes

Jan 11, 2023 • 30min
Recession, Inflation or Soft Landing in 2023?
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.
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Jan 6, 2023 • 33min
Can Republicans Find a Way to Break the Stalemate?
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.
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Dec 27, 2022 • 31min
The Best of Free Expression 2022
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.
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Dec 19, 2022 • 28min
Big Tech’s Brutal Year
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.
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Dec 12, 2022 • 31min
Benjamin Netanyahu's Ambitions as He Returns to Office
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.
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Dec 8, 2022 • 23min
Will the Republican Party Find Its Way Again?
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.
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Nov 30, 2022 • 39min
Between Inflation and Recession - US Economic Prospects for 2023
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.
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Nov 17, 2022 • 26min
What a Republican House Majority Will Look Like
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.
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Nov 9, 2022 • 35min
What Happened to the Red Wave?
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.
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Nov 4, 2022 • 37min
Is a Second Iranian Revolution on the Horizon?
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.
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