Newt's World

The Ukraine war has now outlasted World War I — and there's no clear end in sight. Former CIA Russia analysis director George Beebe joins Newt for a sobering assessment of where things stand. They dig into how AI-guided drones costing $17,500 apiece are reshaping the battlefield and challenging a century of military doctrine, why Ukraine's deep strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are more effective than previous campaigns b...

What does it mean to have the American can-do spirit — and who best embodied it during the most turbulent century in our nation's history? Author Richard Battle joins Newt to discuss his new book, AmeriCANS Who Made America: 20th Century — The American Century, the fourth volume in his celebrated series. Battle profiles 43 patriots, leaders, and innovators who carried America forward through the Spanish flu, two World W...

With the SAVE America Act stalled in the Senate for the third time, Senator Rick Scott is sounding the alarm. The former two-term governor and successful entrepreneur joins Newt for a frank conversation about the Senate's capacity, and willingness, to get things done. Scott makes no secret of his frustration: the Senate has been in session only 79 days this year, and the SAVE America Act — requiring proof of citizenship to re...

In January 2023, Kevin McCarthy endured five grueling days and 15 rounds of balloting to win the Speaker's gavel — the most dramatic Speaker's race in a century. John Leganski was at the center of it all. As McCarthy's Deputy Chief of Staff and the youngest floor director in House history, he watched up close as a small band of "Never Kevins" brought the People's House to a standstill. Now he's written the definitive inside a...

What would the Founding Fathers think of America today? That question sparked historian and novelist Johanna Neuman's new book, Trump's Superpower, in which George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and other founders — plus revolutionary-era writer Mercy Otis Warren — are summoned back to earth for America's 250th birthday and dropped into today's culture wars. Neuman joins Newt Gingri...

Every year, millions of Americans vote with their feet — packing up and crossing state lines in search of something better. But what exactly are they looking for? In this episode, Newt talks with Jack Salmon, research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, to dig into his new policy brief analyzing 34 million interstate moves between 2018 and 2023. The results challenge some conventional wisdom: cost of liv...

On America's 250th birthday, Newt delivers a special solo episode dedicated to the document that started it all: the Declaration of Independence. Newt sets the scene in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776 — the heat, the secrecy, the weight of the moment — and traces the path from Lexington and Concord to the Continental Congress, explaining how 56 extraordinary men came to risk everything for an idea. He reflects on the...

Newt talks with Fort McHenry National Park Ranger and historian Shannon McLucas about the remarkable story behind America's national anthem. McLucas recounts how Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer sent to negotiate a prisoner release, found himself aboard a British ship during the 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry in September 1814, unable to leave as he anxiously watched the battle unfold. His eyewitness emotional reaction b...

Newt welcomes bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson to discuss his new book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, a deep dive into the Declaration of Independence's most celebrated passage: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Isaacson traces how Jefferson, F...

Newt talks with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman about America's renewed push into space. Isaacman, a former commercial astronaut who led the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions, discusses how the Artemis program is advancing toward returning astronauts to the moon, with Artemis III testing lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin ahead of a 2028 lunar landing on Artemis IV. They explore NASA's strategy of partnering with priv...

Newt talks with Clete Willems, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Netflix, about the company's sweeping impact on the American economy and culture as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. Willems, a former Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, explains how Netflix has contributed over $225 billion to the U.S. economy over the past decade through 1,700 productions filmed in all 50 states, creating more than 140,000 jobs. ...

Newt talks with former Senator Tim Hutchinson about his new memoir, From Spavinaw to D.C.: A Conservative's Journey Through Faith, Farm Life, and the Fight for America. Hutchinson reflects on his upbringing on an Arkansas farm, the faith mentors who shaped him, and how Ronald Reagan's 1964 "A Time for Choosing" speech sparked his political awakening as a teenager. He recounts becoming the first Republican popularly elected to the S...

Newt talks welcomes Brenda Hafera of The Heritage Foundation to discuss the Heritage Guide to Historic Sites, an interactive website launched ahead of America's 250th anniversary that profiles historic sites across the original 13 colonies, with more states to follow. Hafera and Newt reflect on the power of visiting places like Mount Vernon, Gettysburg, and Independence Hall, where history can be felt rather than just read. The con...

Newt is joined by legendary documentary filmmaker Ken Burns to discuss The American Revolution, his sweeping six-part, twelve-hour PBS series exploring America's founding struggle through leaders and ordinary citizens alike. Burns reflects on what he calls "emotional archeology" — his lifelong approach to history — and shares why he considers the Revolution the most consequential event since the birth of Christ. The con...

Newt talks with legal scholar Jonathan Turley about his bestseller, Rage and the Republic. Turley reveals why Thomas Paine — flawed, brilliant, nearly impossible to like — was the most fascinating figure he's ever researched, and traces Paine's improbable rise from failed Englishman to "penman of the revolution" under Benjamin Franklin's wing. The conversation turns to the French Revolution's unbound passions versus Ame...

Newt welcomes back historian Dr. Allen Guelzo to discuss Abraham Lincoln's enduring legacy as America approaches its 250th anniversary. Dr. Guelzo, a leading Lincoln scholar, explores what makes the 16th president endlessly fascinating: his resilience, humor, and remarkable ability to learn the presidency on the job despite having no prior executive experience. They examine underexplored areas of Lincoln scholarship, including his ...

Newt talks with Bret Baier, Fox News Chief Political Anchor about his new book, “The Case for America: An Argument on Behalf of Our Nation.” Baier makes the case that the United States remains resilient and exceptional despite its flaws. Their conversation moves through American history, tracing the book's structure around six pivotal presidents, from Washington and Jefferson's bitter rivalry-turned-friendship to Lincol...

Newt talks with bestselling author Eric Metaxas about his new book, “Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World,” and the deeply Christian roots of America's founding. Metaxas explains why he titled the book simply Revolution, arguing the American Revolution stands apart from failed revolutions like the French and Bolshevik uprisings because the founders explicitly looked to God rather than...