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The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour
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.
- Hosts:
Scot Bertram
Episode length: 20m
Guest: Glenn Ellmers Host Scot Bertram talks with Glenn Ellmers, Salvatori research fellow at Claremont Institute, about the ongoing creed-versus-culture debate on the Right, the scholarship of Harry Jaffa, and his recent essay, “Harry Jaffa, America 250, and the Creed-Culture Debate.” To learn more about Hillsdale College, visit www.hillsdale.edu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode length: 21m
Guest: D.G. Hart Host Scot Bertram talks with D.G. Hart, professor of history at Hillsdale College, about the history of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, America’s tradition of preserving historical locations, and his new book, Independence Hall: The History of an American Icon. To learn more about Hillsdale College, visit www.hillsdale.edu.
Episode length: 21m
Guest: Patrick Timmis Host Scot Bertram talks with Patrick Timmis, assistant professor of English at Hillsdale College, about the life and accomplishments of English poet Edmund Spenser and his poem "The Faerie Queene." To learn more about Hillsdale College, visit www.hillsdale.edu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode length: 21m
Guest: Robert Livingston Host Scot Bertram talks with Robert Livingston, former U.S. representative from Louisiana, about efforts by the Biden White House to punish political enemies through lawfare, his own experience as a target of the judicial system, and his new book: The Rainbow Chaser: The Man Who Gambled for Success and Broke Even. To learn more about Hillsdale College, visit www.hillsdale.edu.
September 2026
Episode length: 15m
Guest: Nathan Herring Host Scot Bertram talks with Nathan Herring, associate professor of physics at Hillsdale College, about the life and accomplishments of physicist Ludwig Boltzmann. To learn more about Hillsdale College, visit www.hillsdale.edu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode length: 29m
Guest: Mollie Hemingway Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, senior journalism fellow at Hillsdale College and editor-in-chief at The Federalist, about the upcoming midterm elections, Big Tech and artificial intelligence, and the decision by the Trump administration to restrict the access of certain media companies from White House grounds. Mollie’s most recent book is Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution. To learn more about Hillsdale College, visit www.hillsdale.edu.
Episode length: 42m
Guests: Bradley Thayer and Jeremiah Regan Host Scot Bertram talks with Bradley Thayer, American Freedom Alliance fellow and founding member of the Committee on the Present Danger: China, about the struggle against global communism and his new book, America's 100 Years' War: How to Win Against Communism. And Jeremiah Regan, executive director of online learning at Hillsdale College, discusses Hillsdale’s new online course, “Revolutionary America: From Subjects to Citizens.”
Episode length: 40m
Guest: Victor Davis Hanson Host Scot Bertram talks with Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow in military history at the Hoover Institution and Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College, about the unlikely return of Donald Trump to the White House, as well as his new book, The Counterrevolution: The Fall and Rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement.
Episode length: 58m
Guests: Matthew Spalding and J. A. Jackson Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington Operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., about the ideological capture of the National Museum of American History and his recent essay, “Make American History National Again .” And J. A. Jackson, professor of English and Edrie Seward Kennedy Chair in English at Hillsdale College, discusses the art of literary analysis and his new co-authored book, Elements of Analysis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
August 2026
Episode length: 41m
Guests: Todd Starnes and Julio Suarez Host Scot Bertram talks with Todd Starnes, conservative columnist, commentator, writer, and radio host, about the accomplishments of the Trump administration and his new book The Golden Age: How Trump Saved America. And Julio Suarez, chairman and associate professor of art, discusses the philosophy of teaching art at Hillsdale College.
Episode length: 43m
Guests: Stephen Smith and Sam Lair Host Scot Bertram talks with Stephen Smith, dean of humanities and Professor of English at Hillsdale College, to preview his brand-new online course, “The Iliad.” And Sam Lair, former director of The Center for American Education at the Idaho Freedom Foundation, discusses his Hillsdale College Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship dissertation on the political thought and statesmanship of James Monroe.
Episode length: 45m
Guests: Seth Barron and Elizabeth Fredericks Host Scot Bertram talks with Seth Barron, editorial board member at the New York Post, who explains how the Left is moving power away from the people and into the hands of an administrative class and discusses his new book Weaponized: The Left's Capture and Destruction of America's Sacred Institutions. And Elizabeth Fredericks, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, begins a series on the British literature of World War I. This week, she focuses on the emotional tone of British writing at the start of the war. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode length: 43m
Guests: Jay Bhattacharya and Mark Edward Lender Host Scot Bertram plays excerpts from a lecture by Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health of the United States, titled "Restoring Gold Standard Science." And Mark Edward Lender, author and historian, discusses the keys to victory in the American Revolution and his book War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution.
July 2026
Episode length: 46m
Guests: Jan Jekielek and Kelly Scott Franklin Host Scot Bertram talks with Jan Jekielek, senior editor at The Epoch Times and host of American Thought Leaders, about China's state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from living donors and his new book Killed to Order: China's Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America's Biggest Adversary. And Kelly Scott Franklin, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a series on the poems of Emily Dickinson. This week, he focuses on "Tell all the truth but tell it slant."
Episode length: 50m
Guests: Donald P. Hodel and Stephanie Lauback Host Scot Bertram talks with Donald P. Hodel, former Secretary of Energy and former Secretary of the Interior in the Reagan administration, about the leadership lessons he learned working for President Reagan, as well as his new biography, Called to Serve: My Path to President Reagan's Cabinet and Beyond. And Stephanie Lauback, associate professor of physics at Hillsdale College, discusses her research into nanotechnology and magnetism.
Episode length: 45m
Guests: Benedict Whalen and Carson Holloway Host Scot Bertram talks with Benedict Whalen, chairman and associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, to preview his brand-new online course, “The Odyssey.” And Carson Holloway, department chair and professor of political society at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Washington fellow at the Claremont Institute Center for the American Way of Life, discusses the shortcomings of American libel law and his new book, No Liberty to Libel: The Constitutional Case against New York Times v. Sullivan.
Episode length: 49m
Guests: Gad Saad and Stephen Smith Host Scot Bertram talks with Gad Saad, professor, evolutionary behavioral scientist, and host of The Saad Truth podcast, about the potential dangers of altruism and his new book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind. And Stephen Smith, dean of humanities and Temple Family Chair in English Literature at Hillsdale College, discusses the life and teachings of St. Thomas More and his new book, The Last Riddle: Advice on Living and Dying Well from the Imprisoned Saint Thomas More.
Episode length: 44m
Guests: Khalil Habib and Wilfred McClay Host Scot Bertram talks with Khalil Habib, associate professor of politics and Allison and Dorothy Rouse Professor in Politics at Hillsdale College, about the American Founding and his recent essay, “The Importance of the Fourth of July, According to the Adams Family.” And Wilfred McClay, Victor Davis Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College, discusses the importance of measured patriotism and his recent article, “Memory and America’s Birthday.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 2026
Episode length: 41m
Guests: Brad Birzer Host Scot Bertram talks with Brad Birzer, professor of history and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, about the years leading up to 1776, the importance of the common law tradition to the American Founders, and his new book, The Declaration of Independence: A Radical Experiment in Liberty.
Episode length: 46m
Guests: Scott W. Rasmussen and Richard Samuelson Host Scot Bertram talks with Scott W. Rasmussen, legendary pollster and political analyst, about the character of American elites and his new book, Out of Touch: The Elite One Percent and the Battle for America's Soul. And Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, continues a series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. This week, the lead-up to the Declaration of Independence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode length: 45m
Guests: Arthur Herman and Bradley C.S. Watson Host Scot Bertram talks with Arthur Herman, New York Times bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist, about the impact of the Founders throughout American history and his new book, Founder’s Fire: From 1776 to the Age of Trump. And Bradley C.S. Watson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C., discusses the shortcomings of the conservative legal movement and his recent essay “Shock Therapy for Our Lawless Legal System.”
Episode length: 55m
Guests: Eric Metaxas and Batya Ungar Sargon Host Scot Bertram talks with Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author and the host of Socrates in the City and The Eric Metaxas Show, about the events leading up to our nation’s founding and his new book, Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World. And Batya Ungar-Sargon, columnist for The Free Press and the host of Batya! on NewsNation, joins the show to tell us why Jews become devoted Democrats and why Democrats turned on them. Her latest book is The Jews and the Left. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 2026
Episode length: 44m
Guests: Mary L. G. Theroux and Mardi Billman Host Scot Bertram talks with Mary L. G. Theroux, chairman and chief executive officer at the Independent Institute, about working toward practical solutions to the homelessness crisis and her book, Beyond Homeless: Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes, Transformative Solutions. And Mardi Billman, associate professor of chemistry at Hillsdale College, returns for another series on drama in scientific discovery. This week, she concludes a discussion on fire and how combustion works.
Episode length: 55m
Guests: Heather MacDonald and Richard Samuelson Host Scot Bertram talks with Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor at City Journal, about efforts by the Trump administration to curb DEI programs and her book When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives. And Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, continues a series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. This week, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Abigail Adams’ admonition to “remember the ladies.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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