The Independent with Scott Atlas

In this episode, Scott welcomes Professor Michael McConnell, Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. From 2002 to 2009 he served as circuit judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. He teaches courses on constitutional law the first amendment and interpretive theory. He has published widely in constitutional law, especially church and state, equal protection, and separation of powers. He's written several books including “The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution.” He has argued 16 cases in front of the US Supreme Court he earned his JD from University of Chicago and served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William J Brennan. They discuss some of today's most controversial issues involving the Constitution and law in the context of presidential power and the separation of powers including immigration, censorship and free speech on campus protests.

In this episode Scott welcomes Gad Saad, professor of marketing at Concordia University in Montreal and visiting professor at Northwood University. Professor Saad has pioneered the use of evolutionary psychology in marketing and consumer behavior. His works include several books and published papers, many at the intersection of psychology, advertising, medicine, and economics. He's also working on a new book “Suicidal Empathy” which follows the 2020 release of his previous bestseller “The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense.” They discuss the psychology behind irrational behavior of the public, especially young adults, and what might come next in the interplay between the media, universities, politics, and public behavior.

In this episode Scott welcomes economist John Cochrane who specializes in financial economics and macroeconomics. He's the Rosemary and Jack Anderson senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. Previously he was a professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and before that at the University of Chicago Department of Economics. He also writes the very popular Grumpy Economist blog. His most recent book is The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level, arguing that inflation is due to government debt and higher interest rates. They discuss several of today's key and most controversial issues in economic policy which are front and center in the Trump era.

In this episode, Scott welcomes Chanel Rion, former White House Chief Correspondent for One America News Network (OAN). She now hosts her own show on OAN called "Fine Point with Chanel Rion." Chanel earned her degree in international relations from Harvard, and since then she has been at the center of exposing some of the most impactful stories in recent politics and has special insight into the transformation of America's media and the news that’s emanating from the White House. They have a great conversation about where we are with America's news and journalism, censorship, and her views on how to restore the media' most crucial role: holding the powerful accountable.

In the second part of this two part episode, Scott welcomes Kim Strassel, an award-winning journalist, editorial writer and author. Kim is a member of the editorial board for the Wall Street Journal and is a regular contributor to TV news and political shows including CBS's Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, NBC's Meet the Press and the Journal Editorial Report. She is the author of “The Intimidation Game: How the Left is Silencing Free Speech,” which chronicles recent attacks on conservative nonprofits, businesses and donors. They have an insightful conversation about the role of America’s legacy and social media and its transformation over the past several years, especially relating to the Trump election. They also discuss censorship and what lies ahead politically and as American media evolves.

In this episode Scott welcomes Kim Strassel, an award-winning journalist, editorial writer and author. Kim is a member of the editorial board for the Wall Street Journal and is a regular contributor to TV news and political shows including CBS's Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, NBC's Meet the Press and the Journal Editorial Report. She is the author of “The Intimidation Game: How the Left is Silencing Free Speech,” which chronicles recent attacks on conservative nonprofits, businesses and donors. They have an insightful conversation about the role of America’s legacy and social media and its transformation over the past several years, especially relating to the Trump election. They also discuss censorship and what lies ahead politically and as American media evolves.

In this episode Scott welcomes Britain’s Right Honorable Suella Braverman, a conservative member of the UK Parliament elected first in 2015. She served in several high posts in the UK government, including on the education select committee, as a Brexit minister, as attorney general under Boris Johnson until 2022, and as Home Secretary. Her priorities include stopping small boat immigration across the English Channel, common sense policing and safety for the British people. Suella says “you can make your life and that of others better by taking a responsibility self-empowerment and service.”

In this episode Scott welcomes Sweden's Dr Anders Tegnell, physician and epidemiologist who was the state epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Sweden for a special conversation in front of a live audience in Zurich for the Global Liberty Institute's International Rising Leader Summit. They discuss Sweden's response during the COVID pandemic basing Sweden's strategy around maintaining an open society with voluntary guidelines instead of lockdowns, mandates, and school closures. Since then, the world's data proves that Sweden's response was correct with the smallest rise in excess mortality of all developed nations and avoiding severe harms particularly to children found especially in the United States.

In the second part of this two part episode, Scott welcomes back Steve Hilton, author, news commentator, entrepreneur, and policy expert. He was born in London to Hungarian parents who escaped communism, graduated from Oxford University and served as the director of strategy and senior advisor to then-UK Prime Minister David Cameron. After coming to the US and writing for Fox News, he hosted his own popular show The Next Revolution until 2023 as a proponent of what he called "positive populism." Since then he's increased his focus on California, forming an organization called Golden Together and rumored to be seeking the governorship of California. They have a wide-ranging conversation about the role of the media in the wake of the election, censorship, and what happens next both politically and as American media evolves.