This week, Eric, Dan, and Dylan are joined by Mike Cosper of Christianity Today to discuss his cover essay in the latest issue of Religion & Liberty, “There Shall Be None to Make Him Afraid: American Liberty and the Jews.” Then they turn their attention to controversial LSU basketball coach Kim Mulkey to explore how hard-driving and tough-coaching styles fit in the modern world and what it means for a perspective on leadership.Subscribe to our podcastsThere Shall Be None to Make Him Afraid: American Liberty and the Jews | Mike Cosper, Religion & LibertySubscribe to Religion & LibertyPromised Land podcast | Christianity TodayWhy do some people hate the Jews? | Acton LineThe History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Acton LineA Christian Perspective from Visiting Israel | Acton LineThe Kim Mulkey Way | Washington PostThe Bobby Knight Problem | The Rise & Fall of Mars HillThey’re Coming After Us | John Podhoretz, Commentary Magazine

This week, Dan Hugger, Noah Gould, and Emily Zanotti discuss the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Maryland. They then turn their attention to the announcement of the God Bless the USA Bible, the only Bible endorsed by President Trump and country music sensation Lee Greenwood. What does this reveal about the state of religion, politics, and culture in America today? And finally, is it time to rethink the culture war?Subscribe to our podcasts The impact of the Baltimore bridge disaster | Economist.comLawyers Gear Up for Swift Start in Legal Fight Over Baltimore Bridge | WSJDonald Trump Is Selling a 'God Bless the USA' Bible for $60 | NPRGod Bless the USA BibleThe New Culture Warriors | Religion & Liberty Online

This week, Eric, Anthony, and Dan discuss the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple for alleged monopolistic practices in the smartphone market. They then turn their attention to a strange essay in National Affairs on the “Soft Tyranny of Smartphones” and explore whether a desire to use a smartphone less requires government action. And finally, should we be concerned about Elon Musk’s brain-chip company, Neuralink, or should we celebrate such a technological advancement?Subscribe to our podcasts  U.S. accuses Apple of illegally maintaining monopoly in broad lawsuit | AxiosThe Apple Antitrust Case and the ‘Stigma’ of the Green Bubble | WiredBrandon Sanderson Says Deal with Audible Is in the Works | Publishers WeeklyThe Soft Tyranny of Smartphones | National AffairsPatient of Elon Musk’s Neuralink Shows Off New Life With Implant | Wall Street Journal

This week, Eric, Noah, and Emily discuss the legislation moving through Congress that would force the sale of TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or ban the app’s availability in the United States. Are the national security issues serious enough to trump all other concerns about setting such a precedent? Then the panel turns its attention to Ben Shapiro’s comments about work and retirement. How should we think about work and its role in our lives—now and when we’re older?Subscribe to our podcasts  House passes bill that could lead to TikTok ban | AxiosActon Institute on TikTokTikTok Suspends a Film on Jimmy Lai | Wall Street JournalBen Shapiro on work and retirement | XClosing the Gap Between Work and Life | David Bahnsen, Acton Line

This week Eric, Dan, and Emily discuss President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and give their own takes on the state of the union, the recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that implicates IVF treatment, and the recent remarks by Pope Francis calling for Ukraine to have the “courage of the White Flag” in bringing about an end to the war in Ukraine.Subscribe to our podcasts  Remarks by President Biden in State of the Union Address | The White HousePut the State of the Union address out of its misery | Eric Kohn, Religion & Liberty OnlineAlabama Supreme Court Sparks IVF Debate | The Morning DispatchIt’s time for hard conversations about frozen embryos | Emily Zanotti, Deseret NewsAlabama Against IVF | Advisory Opinions podcastPope Says Ukraine Should Have the ‘Courage of the White Flag’ | New York TimesKremlin says appeal by Pope Francis for Ukraine talks is quite understandable | Reuters

On this special bonus episode of Acton Unwind, Eric, Dan, Dylan, and Daniel discuss Dune: Part Two, the second entry in director Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy adapting the Frank Herbert novels. The panel discusses the technical filmmaking, how this film compares to the 1984 David Lynch adaptation of Dune, how it compares to the original books, what was left out, and more. Warning: Spoilers!Subscribe to our podcasts  Dune: Part Two trailerDune: Part Two and the Death of Freedom | Joseph Holmes, Religion & Liberty OnlineDiscovering human dignity in Villeneuve’s Dune | Dylan Pahman, Religion & Liberty Online

This week, Eric, Anthony, and Dylan discuss the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell and the ethics of using his suicide to advance the Palestinian cause, the online free-speech cases that SCOTUS heard last week, and the story that the fast-food chain Wendy’s was planning to roll out surge pricing in the spirit of Uber and Lyft. Wendy’s isn’t doing that—but should it?Subscribe to our podcasts  Man Dies After Setting Himself on Fire Outside Israeli Embassy in Washington, Air Force Says | New York TimesCornel West tweet about Aaron BushnellThe History of Self-Immolation as Political Protest | TIME MagazineUS Supreme Court weighs landmark online free speech case | BBC‘Mainstream Media’ Doesn’t Have a Liberal Bias | Dylan Pahman, The FederalistSupreme Court justices raise First Amendment concerns in NetChoice oral argument | FIREWendy’s says ‘dynamic pricing’ is different from ‘surge pricing,’ but whatever it’s called may still alienate customers | FortuneConsumerism, Service, and Religion | Dylan Pahman, Religion & Liberty Online

This week on Acton Unwind, guest host Dan Hugger is joined by Dylan Pahman and Noah Gould. They begin the podcast by discussing two recent essays that call into question Hillsdale College’s “Christian College” bona fides. What makes a college Christian, and does Hillsdale fit the bill? Next, Google’s Gemini generative AI chatbot’s political biases are explored. What does AI bias look like? Why is it important, and what can be done to mitigate it? Is it inadvertent performance art? Finally, the group unpacks the recent scandal that has engulfed science fiction and fantasy’s most prestigious award, the Hugo. Is it prudent to host such awards in China? Is the Hugo scandal an indictment of democracy? How does this scandal effect the award’s credibility going forward?Subscribe to our podcasts Selling “Christian” Hillsdale | Current Some additional thoughts about Hillsdale | CurrentOn Hillsdale College and Christianity by Dan Hugger | Reign of ConscienceOn Constitutions, Confessionalization, and Gandhi | Reign of Conscience (Substack)More human than human: measuring ChatGPT political bias | Public ChoiceHugo Awards 2024: What Really Happened at the Sci-Fi Awards in China? | EsquireAuthors ‘excluded from Hugo awards over China concerns’ | The GuardianYour New Aesthetic | YouTube

This week guest host Dan Hugger is joined by Dan Churchwell and Emily Zanotti.The panel begins by discussing the recent death of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in prison. How should the international community respond? Will this tragedy cause Americans on the extreme left and right develop a more critical attitude toward Vladimir Putin? Next, recent discoveries of rare-earth minerals in Wyoming promise to give the U.S. a geopolitical and economic edge, but what tradeoffs are involved in the extraction of natural resources? Then—what does OpenAI’s plans for investment in chip production mean for our world and our home? Finally, the gang reflects on the penitential season of Lent. What’s behind its increasingly ecumenical appeal? It’s cultural, political, and theological dimensions are explored before the panelists share their spiritual practices for the season.Subscribe to our podcastsPutin critic Alexei Navalny dies in Arctic Circle jail, says Russia (bbc.com)Russian Exceptionalism | New York Review of BooksWyoming Hits the Rare-Earth Mother Lode | WSJRare Earths Discovery Near Wheatland So Big It Could Be World Leader | Your Wyoming News Source (cowboystatedaily.com)Sam Altman Seeks Trillions of Dollars to Reshape Business of Chips and AI | WSJ‘The astonishing Jensen Huang of Nvidia talks about the future of AI. Sovereign AI is the future and more valuable than oil or gold’| Twitter (X) More Work For Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave The Harried Leisure Class | Marginal Revolution 2024 Lent Project | Biola University Center for Christianity, Culture and the ArtsTuna Fish and Tollhouse Cookies | Emily Zanotti (substack.com)Catechism of the Catholic Church 

Topics discussed include the origins and influence of Wahhabism, mixed reactions to 'He Gets Us' Super Bowl ads, the effectiveness of church advertising, motivations behind ads and Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin, and the relevance of age and mental fitness for political leaders.