On this special year-end episode of Liberty + Leadership, Roger reflects on a remarkable year for The Fund for American Studies (TFAS). He highlights moments from the podcast that celebrate TFAS’s mission and the work of alumni, fellows, students, and friends who are advancing individual liberty, personal responsibility and economic freedom around the world. These moments feature foreign policy leaders, courageous journalists, economists, educators and student leaders. Topics range from...

Roger hosts a special episode of Liberty + Leadership that brings listeners inside the 32nd Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner and the Journalism Forum that preceded it. These curated conversations offer a look at how TFAS is shaping the journalists of tomorrow through their rich ecosystem of programs like the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship, the Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowships for Excellence in Journalism, the Student Journalism Association, the Media Accelerator Fellowship and the Cam...

Roger welcomes Amanda Stiglbauer, a longtime mentor and instructor with TFAS’s high school division, the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), for a conversation about teaching economics in a way that connects with students and helps them understand the world. Amanda, who recently joined TFAS as FTE’s economic education curriculum fellow, shares how her early love of teaching merged with a growing passion for economics and how discovering the economic way of thinking gave her a framework f...

Roger welcomes Dan Wang, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution History Lab and author of “Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future.” They discuss Wang’s perspective on China’s technological rise and the contrast he draws between China’s engineering approach to governance and the United States’ lawyerly system, which emphasizes rights, pluralism and individual liberty. Wang also explains how his life in Canada, the United States and China shaped his understanding...

Roger welcomes Ben Rothove, editor-in-chief of the Madison Federalist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Elsa Johnson, managing editor of the Stanford Review, for a conversation about their experiences as student journalists and fellows in TFAS’s new Campus Transparency Fellowship, a program created to bring accountability and openness back to higher education. They discuss the challenges of reporting on controversial topics such as DEI mandates, antisemitism, and administrative over...

Roger welcomes Daniel J. Flynn, senior editor at the American Spectator and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, for a conversation about his new biography, “The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer.” Flynn explores the fascinating journey of Meyer, a former communist who became one of the most influential conservative thinkers of the 20th century and whose ideas still shape conservative thought today. They discuss Meyer’s early years as a communist organiz...

Roger welcomes Kurt Couchman, senior fellow in fiscal policy at Americans for Prosperity, for a conversation on the risks of the nation’s growing debt and his proposal for a balanced budget amendment to restore sound governance. They discuss why fiscal insolvency threatens future generations, how intergenerational debt burdens undermine prosperity, and why Congress struggles to act despite bipartisan public support for reform. Couchman explains “fiscal democracy,” outlines his balanced budget...

Roger welcomes Dr. Mark Skousen, economist, author and the Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University, for a conversation about Benjamin Franklin’s enduring wisdom and what it means for today’s debates on liberty, economics and civic life. They explore Franklin’s defense of wealth and philanthropy, his views on capitalism and free trade, and his complex relationships with fellow Founders such as Washington, Jefferson and Adams. Skousen shares lessons from Franklin on personal ...

Roger welcomes Sam Feist, longtime journalist and CEO of C-SPAN, for a conversation about why the role of nonpartisan reporting and transparency remains essential to the future of journalism and public trust. They discuss the importance of unfiltered access to government, the challenge of maintaining neutrality in a polarized media environment, and the upcoming launch of "Ceasefire," a program designed to foster civil dialogue and bipartisan common ground. Feist also reflects on lessons learn...

Roger welcomes Dr. Donald J. Boudreaux, professor of economics at George Mason University and longtime TFAS senior scholar who teaches the economics for the citizen course, for a conversation about the enduring value of economic freedom and the importance of correcting common myths that cloud public understanding of capitalism. They discuss how misconceptions about economic history — the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression and the New Deal — have shaped misguided policies and narrativ...

Roger welcomes Lord Daniel Hannan, a British writer, historian and member of the UK House of Lords, for a wide-ranging conversation on executive overreach, constitutional principles and the ideas that preserve liberty. They explore how power has steadily concentrated in the hands of presidents and prime ministers, weakening the roles of legislatures and citizens alike. They also reflect on what America borrowed and improved on from British political traditions through its written Constitution...

Roger welcomes Dominic Pino, the Thomas L. Rhodes journalism fellow at the National Review Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation on why both political parties are drifting away from free-market principles—and what that means for the United States’ economic future. They discuss the growing embrace of industrial policy, the return of tariffs and subsidies, and the bipartisan belief that government should play a bigger role in steering the economy. Pino breaks down why this approach has his...

Roger welcomes Marian L. Tupy, founder and editor of HumanProgress.org and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, for a compelling conversation about human progress, population growth and the myth of scarcity. They explore the legacy of economist Julian Simon, the surprising data behind global trends and why more people often means more innovation, not less. They also break down how human ingenuity continues to drive prosperity across the globe and w...

Roger welcomes Dr. Jenna Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, for a timely discussion on the state of American higher education and how to restore its core mission. They examine the rise of administrative bloat in higher education, the spread of DEI bureaucracies and the decline of intellectual diversity on college campuses. They also explore how the Martin Center serves as a model to promote academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, institutional neutrality an...

Roger welcomes Ted Tucker, executive director of the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) and Lisa Chang, director of operations and teacher programs at FTE, to discuss the organization’s 50-year legacy of teaching the economic way of thinking to high school students and teachers. They share the fascinating history of FTE’s founding in the 1970s, the pivotal role of leaders like Milton and Rose Friedman and Gary Walton, and how FTE has evolved to meet the needs of a changing world. They ex...

Roger welcomes Robert Lawson, economist, author, and director of the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom at Southern Methodist University. Lawson is the co-author of “Socialism Sucks: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World.” In this episode, they discuss Lawson’s firsthand observations from socialist regimes including Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea and how central planning continues to fail the people living under it. They explore the dangerous appeal of socialism in mo...

Roger welcomes Benjamin Hall, FOX News correspondent and New York Times bestselling author, for a powerful conversation about courage, recovery and resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity. They discuss Halls’ harrowing experience surviving a Russian missile strike while covering the war in Ukraine, the loss of his colleagues that day and the long physical and emotional road to recovery that followed. Hall shares reflections from his latest book, “Resolute: How We Humans Keep Finding ...

Roger welcomes Kyle Mann, a comedian, writer, podcast host, and the editor-in-chief of the Babylon Bee. They discuss the origin story of the Babylon Bee, the creative process behind crafting their daily satirical headlines, and their expansion into film and other media projects. Plus, how they navigate the landscape of censorship and fact-checking, and why humor is such a valuable outlet when it comes to commenting on the absurdities of modern culture and politics. Kyle Mann writes and publis...

On this very special episode of Liberty + Leadership recorded at the TFAS Annual Conference in Naples, Florida, Roger welcomes Catherine Shea and Caleb Davis, two recent TFAS alumni from the summer class of 2024. Catherine and Caleb share their positive TFAS experiences, highlighting the program’s focus on fostering open dialogue, civility and respect for different viewpoints. They reflect on how their TFAS courses and internships provided them with an invaluable D.C. experience and discuss t...

On this special episode of the Liberty + Leadership Podcast, recorded live at the Annual TFAS Conference in Naples, Florida, Roger welcomes Dan Proft. Proft is co-host of the morning drive-time radio talk show Chicago’s Morning Answer and a 1993 TFAS alumnus. They discuss, Proft's successful career in radio, his experience as a TFAS student and his observations on the first months of the Trump administration and the role of the executive branch. Plus, they take a look at the changing tides in...