Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by James Davison Hunter, LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory and Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, to discuss his new book, Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis. They…

In Episode 154 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Sam Rosenfeld, co-author of The Hollow Parties: The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party Politics. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Sam Rosenfeld, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director, Public Affairs and Policy Research Initiative at Colgate University, to disc…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Sean A. Mirski, Visiting Scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, to discuss his new book, We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus. They discuss how the United States became a regional hegemon in the century following the Civil War, which no other great…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Robert K.D. Colby, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mississippi, to discuss his new book, An Unholy Traffic: Slave Trading in the Civil War South. They discuss how Southerners made the internal slave trade a cornerstone of Confederate society, a bulwark of the Rebel economy, and a central part …

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by award-winning novelist, critic, and biographer D.J. Taylor to discuss his new book, Who Is Big Brother? A Reader’s Guide to George Orwell. They discuss Orwell’s books, life and thought, including his conflicted relationship with religion to his competing anti-imperialism and fascination with empire. They also dis…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Kurt Weyland, Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss his new book, Democracy's Resilience to Populism's Threat: Countering Global Alarmism. They discuss how populist leaders can only destroy democracy under special, restrictive conditions, which many never face. They …

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by David Blackbourn, Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Chair of History Emeritus at Vanderbilt University, to discuss his new book, Germany in the World: A Global History, 1500-2000. They discuss the existence of a distinctly German presence in the world centuries before its unification. They also chat about German…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by David Stahel, senior lecturer in history at the University of New South Wales, to discuss his new book, Hitler's Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and Schmidt Unguarded. They discuss the significance of the unpublished wartime correspondence of these generals and what it reveals about their personalit…

In Episode 147 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Nigel Biggar, author ofColonialism: A Moral Reckoning. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Nigel Biggar, Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, to discuss his new book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning. They discuss whether the British Empire was driv…

In Episode 146 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Scott Walter, author ofArabella: The Dark Money Network of Leftist Billionaires Secretly Transforming America. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Scott Walter, president of the capital Research Center, to discuss his new book, Arabella: The Dark Money Network of Leftist Billionaires Secretly Tr…

In Episode 145 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Hyrum Lewis, co-author ofThe Myth of Left and Right: How the Political Spectrum Misleads and Harms America. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Hyrum Lewis, associate professor of history at Brigham Young University-Idaho, to discuss his new book (co-authored with his brother, Verlan), The Myth …

In Episode 144 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with John M. Owen IV, author ofThe Ecology of Nations: American Democracy in a Fragile World Order. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by John M. Owen IV, Ambassador Henry J. and Mrs. Marion R. Taylor Professor of Politics, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture and the Mi…

In Episode 143 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Martyn Rady, author ofThe Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Martyn Rady, Masaryk Professor Emeritus of Central European History at University College London, to discuss his new book, The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe. They ch…

In Episode 142 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with John C. McManus, author ofTo the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by John C. McManus, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of U.S. military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology, to discuss his new book, To the End of…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Peter Heather, chair of medieval history at King's College, London, to discuss his new book, Christendom: The Triumph of a Religion, AD 300-1300. They chat about how a small sect of isolated and intensely committed congregations became a mass movement centrally directed from Rome, the Church’s chameleonlike capac…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by friend of the podcast H.W. Brands, the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss his new book, Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics. They chat about how, while the Framers viewed political parties…

The Heartland Institute's Tim Benson is joined by Ian Buruma, Paul W. Williams Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College, to discuss his new book, The Collaborators: Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II. They chat about the backstory behind the three subjects of the book—Felix Kersten, Yoshiko Kawashima, and Friedr…

In Episode 139 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Ronald C. White, author ofOn Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by return guest Ronald C. White, senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, to discuss his new book, On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrenc…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Joanne Paul, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Sussex, to discuss her new book, The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England. They chat about who were the Dudleys, how they gained prominence, then lost it all, then gained prominence once again, and then finally lost it all again.…

We are joined by Senator Sam Hunt to review the legislative session just past and talk about what Olympia got from Olympia. We also delve into his political history and the history of our community as we look back on his year’s of service.By The Olympia Standard

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Laurie Winer, founding editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books, to discuss her new book, Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical. They chat about why Winer believes Hammerstein more than anyone else invented the musical. They also discuss his relationship with collaborators Jerome Kern and Richard…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Benn Steil, senior fellow and director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss his new book, The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century. They discuss Wallace’s brilliance as a geneticist, his odd obsession with mysticism, and his naivete toward the…

In Episode 134 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Paul H. Tice, author of The Race to Zero: How ESG Investing Will Crater the Global Financial System. Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Paul H. Tice, retired Wall-Streeter and adjunct professor of finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business, to discuss his new book, The Race to Ze…

In Episode 133 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Joel Selvin, author ofDrums & Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon. Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by Joel Selvin, long-time rock critic at the San Francisco Chronicle, to discuss his new book, Drums & Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon. They chat about why Selvin thinks G…

We have been slow rolling through a very large discussion on school closures since last summer. We sit down with three different community members on how we got here, where we’ve been before and what we need to do now. Guests: Maria Flores, Olympia School Board Kelcy Schaffer, OSD4ALL Russ Lehman, former Olympia School Board OSD School Efficiency R…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by Katja Hoyer, research fellow at King’s College London, to discuss her new book, Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany. They chat about the political, social, and cultural landscape that existed in East Germany, the oppressions and hardships implemented and placed on the East German population by t…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by Fergus M. Bordewich to discuss his new book, Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction. They chat about the formation of the Ku Klux Klan and the terroristic violence they committed against both new freed blacks and white Republicans, and how Grant and a Republican Congress went …

Robert Vanderpool just started his job on the Olympia City Council. So, to get to know Olympia’s new policy-maker, we asked him some questions about himself, about where he’s coming from and what he’s been up to since joining the council. And about Baltimore and about why you shouldn’t like the Orioles. The really cool Olympia City Council meeting …

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by Jonathan W. White, professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University and winner of the 2023 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, to discuss his new children’s book, My Day with Abe Lincoln. They chat about why he wanted to write a children’s book, where he drew his inspiration from, and whether …

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Stephen Walsh, Emeritus Professor of Music at Cardiff University, to discuss his book, The Beloved Vision: A History of Nineteenth Century Music. They chat about the music of the nineteenth century and the Romantic tradition and how it has moved generations of musicians and resonated with countless listeners. The…

We conducted a couple of interviews about how the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) impacts the city in terms of growth, housing affordability and finances. We sat down with Darian Lightfoot from the city in the first segment to go over recent changes in Olympia’s MFTE. In our second segment, with talked to Robert Pantley and Angela Rozmyn from Natu…

In Episode 129 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with David T. Beito, author ofThe New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance. Heartland’s Tim Benson joined by David T. Beito, Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama, to…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by Jonathan W. White, professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University and winner of the 2023 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, to discuss his new co-edited book, Final Resting Places: Reflections on the Meaning of Civil War Graves. They chat about how he and co-editor Brian Matthew Jordan thou…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by Jonathan W. White, professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University and winner of the 2023 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, to discuss his book, Shipwrecked: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade. They chat about Appleton Oaksmith, sea captain…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by H.W. Brands, Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss his book, The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America. They chat about what made both Sherman and Geronimo keen strategists and bold soldiers and how, over the course of…

Today we hear from Jess Tourtellotte-Palumbo, a candidate for Olympia School board. Interviewing Jess is Howard Rosenfeld, an old friend of the podcast who is stepping in this season to do at least one candidate interview. Jess and Howard talk about her background, the recent history of the school board and how we can find a path forward.…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Edward Achorn to discuss his book, The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History. They chat about what the scene looked like in Chicago at the GOP convention in 1860, Lincoln’s quiet strategy as a dark horse and the team that maneuvered him to the nomination, and the broader political…

We brought back host emeritus (and newly crowned friend of the podcast and I suppose city council member) Dani Madrone! We were also joined by Olympia city council member Dontae Payne! Jemmy was there and he got on mic! It was wild! And guess who else was there? So many of you! Thanks so much for everyone who came out! And thank you, listener, for …

In this edition of the Heartland Daily Podcast, Tim Benson talks to successful entrepreneur and Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute Donald P. Nielsen about the updated version of his book Every School: One Citizen’s Guide to Transforming Education. Nielsen draws on his business career and two decades as a school activist to offer innovative so…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Teresa Mull, assistant editor of the Spectator World, to discuss her book, Woke-Proof Your Life: A Handbook on Escaping Modern, Political Madness and Shielding Yourself and Your Family by Living a More Self-Sufficient, Fulfilling Life. They chat about how what exactly “woke” means, how to avoid “toxic empathy”, a…

In the primary part of this episode, we visit with Darian Lightfoot, who is leading the City of Olympia’s response to the homelessness crisis. She talks about the One Olympia plan, the city’s 2020 blueprint to respond to homelessness. We also get into housing preservation, renter protections and what we can do to open up housing capacity in every O…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by William Inboden, executive director of the Clements Center for National Security and associate professor of public policy and history at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, both at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss his book, The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink. They c…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by William Doyle, professor emeritus of history and a senior research fellow at the University of Bristol, to discuss his book, Napoleon at Peace: How to End a Revolution. They chat about how Napoleon ended the French Revolution by winning peace on the battlefield, repairing relations with the Catholic Church, and m…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Fred Litwin to discuss his book Oliver Stone's Film-Flam: The Demagogue of Dealey Plaza. They chat about what Oliver Stone has been up to on the JFK assassination conspiracy beat since his blockbuster 1991 film. They also chat about how much we should trust the Warren Commission report, what happened with Kennedy…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Holger Afflerbach, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Leeds, to discuss his book, On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War. They chat about how Sly changed the face of black music, the impact and influence his music had on his peers, and the symbolism of the interracial and int…

In the first half of this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Knutson (Office of Financial Management) and Maurice Perigo (Department of Enterprise Services) to talk about how state offices are contracting all around Olympia and our region. Second, we visit with official Friend of the Podcast Mike Reid to go over how these office contractions will imp…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Frank Costigliola, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, to discuss his new book, Kennan: A Life between Worlds. They chat about why George Kennan was one of the most important, and complex, figures in the history of American foreign policy, his diplomatic career i…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Kevin R.C. Gutzman, Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University, to discuss his new book, The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. They discuss the foreign policy, domestic, and constitutional agenda of the Virginia Dynasty, their successes and failures, an…

Today we’re doing our traditional Sine Die (end of the legislative sesssion) episode, but with a Housing Twist. The Olympia Standard sits down with Representative Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) to talk about what Olympia got from the state legislature. But we specifically detour into the long-ish history of where the housing legislation that marked th…

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Larry M. Bartels, University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Law and May Werthan Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science at Vanderbilt University, to discuss his new book, Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe. They discuss the myth tha…