The Glenn Show

Daniel Bessner, historian and American Prestige co-host, moderates a charged discussion with Ian Lustick, a political scientist focused on Israel and Palestine, and Eli Clifton, an investigative journalist on foreign policy and campaign finance. They examine Israel’s lobby, donor power, U.S. interests, campus antisemitism and free speech, shifting public opinion, and the connection between unconditional support and American military intervention.

Daniel Bessner, a historian of U.S. foreign policy, joins Ian Lustick, a political scientist specializing in Israel, Palestine, and nationalism, alongside Eli Clifton. They examine Israel’s influence in Washington, U.S. support for Gaza policies, and whether the alliance serves American interests. The conversation tackles a difficult question: how can criticism of the lobby avoid slipping into antisemitic tropes?

Filmmaker and educator Robert Patton-Spruill, Warren Smith’s former teacher, joins filmmaker, YouTuber, and author Warren Smith for a lively discussion of critical thinking in the misinformation age. They explore Smith’s viral classroom debate, his path from filmmaking to YouTube, Jordan Peterson’s influence, narrative psychology, audience capture, Hollywood incentives, and the challenge of applying skepticism to one’s own beliefs.

Warren Smith, a filmmaker, YouTuber, and author of A Mind of Your Own, joins Robert Patton-Spruill to discuss his viral rise and the creation of Secret Scholar Society. They explore critical thinking amid fragmented media, audience-driven incentives, and the value of intergenerational dialogue. Glenn Loury also reflects on Nikole Hannah-Jones’s essay about his daughter’s schooling.

A moving tribute recalls Robert Woodson’s vision for transforming young lives through Piney Woods School and “Josephs,” people shaped by hardship who return to serve others. The discussion explores social capital, the influence of families, churches, friendships, and neighborhoods, and Woodson’s insistence on community agency rather than dependency. Loury also reflects on their disagreements and shared commitment to recognizing existing strengths in poor Black communities.

Sean Stevens, a social psychologist and FIRE’s chief researcher, joins a wide-ranging discussion of campus speech. Topics include FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings, ideological conformity, self-censorship, protest and censorship around Israel-Palestine, and faculty viewpoint diversity. The conversation also revisits race and IQ, examines Ketanji Brown Jackson’s qualifications, and explores AI’s risks, promise, and role in education.

Sean Stevens discusses FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings, how campus speech climates are measured, and administrative overreach in debates about Israel and Palestine. Audience questions range from race and IQ discourse to AI, education, and interest rates. Ian Rowe examines Nikole Hannah-Jones’s school-choice reflections and their broader implications.

Roland Fryer, Harvard economist and MacArthur Fellow, joins Glenn Loury for a spirited conversation on intellectual courage and academic independence. They explore the $1 million Carob Trust Prize, pressures surrounding controversial research, AI regulation, and Fryer’s school experiments. Topics include cash incentives, intrinsic motivation, closing achievement gaps, and the five practices that can transform failing schools.

Roland Fryer, Harvard economist, MacArthur Fellow, and John Bates Clark Medalist, joins a wide-ranging conversation about the Carob Trust Prize and bold, independent social science. He revisits his journey into economics, early mentorship, DEI policy, addiction economics, and controversial cash incentives for student learning. He also recounts the unlikely dinner invitation that launched his school experiments.

Linguist and public intellectual John McWhorter and philosopher of biology Nathan Cofnas debate race, intelligence, and the limits of scientific inquiry. They discuss Cofnas’s investigation into alleged plagiarism by Jason Arday, the politics of “race realism,” genetic versus cultural explanations for group disparities, heritability, and whether taboo subjects should be openly examined. Glenn Loury presses the moral and social stakes of these claims.