Episodios

  • A Fractured World

    A Fractured World
    Oct 15 2025
    We may be seeing peace break out in the Middle East, but it’s still trade war elsewhere - especially with China. Donald Trump has threatened a 100% tariff on the rival superpower if Beijing goes through with its plan to impose tough restrictions on exports of the rare earth minerals critical to the U.S. economy. These could well be mere negotiating tactics but they’re a reminder of the wider friction that now dominates global economic relations. On this episode of Free Expression, Gerry Baker speaks with Neil Shearing, Group Chief Economist of Capital Economics and author of “The Fractured Age: How the Return of Geopolitics Will Splinter the Global Economy.” They discuss Shearing’s argument that the world is dividing into two giant economic blocs and what that might mean for stability and peace. They also talk about some unusual developments in global markets of late, especially a weakening dollar and a soaring gold price - the last of which Shearing believes is driven by Chinese official policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 m
  • Colonialism, Reparations, and the Rise of ‘White Guilt’

    Colonialism, Reparations, and the Rise of ‘White Guilt’
    Oct 8 2025
    In America and much of the West, it's become axiomatic to regard colonialism as a stain on human history. The story told in classrooms and popular culture is one of unrelenting exploitation of hapless people of color by white imperialists. And the narrative has contemporary relevance: demands for reparations for the victims of oppression - But is the modern West's history really a litany of crimes against humanity? Should we pay reparations to the victims? On this episode of Free Expression, Gerry Baker explores these themes with Nigel Biggar, author of “Reparations: Slavery and the Tyranny of Imaginary Guilt.” They discuss Lord Biggar’s experiences in the “culture wars,” the attempts to silence him, and take a critical look at the belief that a debt needs to be paid to the descendants of slaves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 m
  • An End To Climate Alarmism

    An End To Climate Alarmism
    Oct 1 2025
    Last week at the United Nations, Donald Trump derided the climate change movement, calling it a ‘con job,’ a view that the Republican party signed onto as the president won his second term last year. While it may not be a hoax, there's growing evidence that the supposed catastrophe climate change represents has been way overblown. One person whose views have undergone a radical change in recent years is Ted Nordhaus, co-founder and director of the Breakthrough Institute. On this episode of the Free Expression podcast, Gerry Baker speaks to Nordhaus, who explains how he has stopped worrying and learned, if not to love, then at least to accept the limited cost of climate change. He argues that government incentives have created a ‘climate industrial complex’ that continues to promote an alarmist message, but says the U.S. is actually on the right track in tackling climate change Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 m
  • The Woke Revolution and the Populist Backlash

    The Woke Revolution and the Populist Backlash
    Sep 25 2025
    The murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the summer of rage that followed was a seminal event in U.S. politics. It was seized on by progressive ideologues who controlled most of the cultural and political discourse in America to assert an identity-based ideology and to marginalize dissent. But their efforts to cement a woke revolution and cancel opposition has come back to haunt them. The re-election of Donald Trump last year represented in part a counter-revolution. And now he and his MAGA majority seem to be using some of the same tactics to squeeze their opponents from the public square. How did we get here and how can we restore civility in an age of increasingly polarized intolerance? On this episode of Free Expression, Gerry Baker speaks with Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of a new book ‘Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse.’ They discuss how illiberalism turned university campuses into hotbeds of intolerance, why there is now a backlash against ‘identity politics,’ and how Donald Trump’s base is more multi-cultural than is portrayed by his critics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 m
  • Who’s to Blame for Political Violence?

    Who’s to Blame for Political Violence?
    Sep 17 2025
    The assassination of Charlie Kirk marked the latest escalation of politically motivated violence, and it may be a breaking point for the country. After the murder of Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota and the attempts on President Donald Trump’s life last year, the U.S. seems to be returning to the dark days of half a century ago when politically motivated violence was almost routine. President Trump and his allies put the blame on the radical left and have threatened a crackdown. On this episode of Free Expression, Gerry Baker discusses the deteriorating political atmosphere with Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who details his own experiences dealing with political threats. They also discuss the prospects for a government shutdown and the changes the Democratic Party needs to make if it is to re-earn the trust of American voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 m
  • A Top Banker on the Fed, Tariffs, and the Uncertain Outlook for the U.S. Economy

    A Top Banker on the Fed, Tariffs, and the Uncertain Outlook for the U.S. Economy
    Sep 3 2025
    With Donald Trump’s tariffs heading towards a Supreme Court showdown, his efforts to reshape the Federal Reserve in his own image intensifying, and another Washington battle under way over funding the federal government, the U.S. economy and markets face new uncertainties entering the fall. On this episode of Free Expression, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan tells Gerry Baker that despite the uncertainty, he sees no U.S. recession in the near future and thinks inflation remains contained. But he emphasizes the importance of Fed independence and offers his thoughts on tariffs and the growing fiscal crisis, and on the challenges and opportunities posed by crypto currency and artificial intelligence to the banking system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 m
  • Tariffs, Stagflation and the New AI-driven Economy

    Tariffs, Stagflation and the New AI-driven Economy
    Aug 13 2025
    With emerging signs that Donald Trump's revolutionary tariff regime may be starting to take a toll on U.S. economic prospects, what's the outlook for the immediate future? And how is the latest wave of technological change, allied with a new strand of government activism, going to change longer term economic performance? On this episode of the Free Expression podcast, Gerry Baker speaks with financier and philanthropist Glenn Hutchins about what the recent jobs and inflation numbers might mean for the economy, what the Federal Reserve should do in response, what the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence and the renewed focus on national priorities will mean. And as a long-standing supporter of Democratic candidates and causes, he offers a few thoughts on the future of the Democratic party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 m
  • Democracy on the Brink

    Democracy on the Brink
    Aug 5 2025
    Liberal democracy is under siege. Domestically, popular discontent with civic, cultural and political institutions is tempting voters in many democracies towards more authoritarian leadership. Globally, the axis of autocracies in Russia and China threaten to upend weaker democratic neighbors. Donald Trump’s trade policies and diplomacy are weakening alliances and undermining faith in "the west.” Is democracy in retreat? Does it matter? On this episode of Free Expression, Gerry Baker and former British prime minister Rishi Sunak discuss the state of democracy in the U.K. and the U.S, how liberal democracy can be strengthened, and how rapid technological change is affecting economics and politics. And the U.K.'s last Conservative prime minister offers his thoughts on the state of conservatism on both sides of the Atlantic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 m