American Thought Leaders

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How Hollywood Alienated Middle America—And What’s Next | Nick Searcy Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

How has Hollywood changed in the last several decades, and why are film productions leaving Los Angeles and increasingly going abroad? Where is the industry headed, and what role should Trump’s “special ambassadors” to Hollywood play?

“Hollywood spent probably the last 15 or 20 years basically telling half of its audience that they don’t want them to watch, that they hate them, that they’re deplorables,” says actor and filmmaker Nick Searcy. “They’ve driven half the audience away.”

Searcy played James Baker in the Reagan biopic last year and is perhaps best known for his role as Art Mullen in the crime drama “Justified.” He’s also the director of “Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer,” a film about an abortion doctor who was convicted for the murder of three babies.

A few months ago, Searcy released his memoir, “Justify This: A Career Without Compromise.”

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

I Met the Syrian President, and Here’s What I Learned | Rabbi Abraham Cooper Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

A few weeks ago, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, a prominent advocate for religious freedom and human rights, was invited to the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, alongside fellow religious freedom advocate Johnnie Moore.

They had an intimate meeting with the new president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In this episode, the rabbi shares what he learned about al-Sharaa and whether he believes a peace between Syria and Israel is possible in the near future.

“There’s a term in Hebrew: It’s called Kabdehu ve Hashdehu, [which] means show respect and verify,“ he says. ”So, this is not a ‘kumbaya’ moment. This is a moment where there’s great leverage.”

Cooper previously chaired the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom and also serves as associate dean and director of global social action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

These Are the Signs Xi Is Losing Power in China | Gordon Chang Aug 16, 2025

Show notes

As the Trump administration gives China another 90-day extension on elevated tariffs, I’m sitting down with China analyst Gordon Chang to get his read on U.S.–China trade talks, signs of infighting in Beijing and trouble for Xi Jinping, and the recent destruction of a Chinese coast guard vessel by a Chinese navy warship.

Chang is the author of “Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America.”

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The Movie Beijing Doesn’t Want You to See | Yan Ma Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

Canadian-Chinese filmmaker Yan Ma knew from the outset that he was putting himself at risk for making a political thriller about a lab leak in China. “The Unrestricted War” is a movie that was inspired by the cover-up and outbreak of COVID-19 and spotlights how the Chinese Communist Party coerces its citizens, and even foreigners living within China, to achieve its ends.

Officials pressured Ma’s family members back in China in attempts to coerce him to stop the project. His Chinese team members faced similar pressure. Ethnically Chinese actors refused to participate in the film for fear of the Chinese regime targeting them, ruining their careers, or threatening their families. The actor cast as the lead of the project abruptly backed out just three days before filming, leaving Yan and his casting director scrambling to audition a new lead.

In this episode, we dive into some of the extraordinary challenges Yan and his team faced to make this movie a reality, and why he feels it was all worth it.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Impact of Trump’s Trade, Tax, Energy Policies | Mark Skousen Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

“As an economist, it’s extremely important to look at the data, rather than just on a theoretical basis,” says Mark Skousen. “We should be in a recession. Well, we’re not in a recession; looks like we’re coming out of slow growth, which is really important.”

In this episode, I sit down with economist Mark Skousen to discuss taxes, tariffs, trade, and energy.

“I think somewhere in between what the Fed wants and what Trump wants is a more reasonable approach to keep this economy on an even keel,” says Skousen. “The other thing that’s really positive is President Trump’s support for nuclear power, the small nuclear power plants, which don’t cost as much and can be done much more efficiently. This is a breakthrough.”

We also discuss his latest book, “The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World’s Most Versatile Genius.”

“There were many critics of Franklin, but he had a very interesting point of view. He said enemies will teach you a lot about yourself,” says Skousen. “So, you should be grateful for the enemies you have.”

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

The Silent War of Cyber, Resources, and Opinion | Gen. Robert Spalding Aug 09, 2025

Show notes

How does the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cognitive warfare manifest in the West? How prevalent is it? And how can Americans recognize it?

Few understand this elusive subject better than Robert Spalding. The CEO of Sempre, Spalding is a retired Air Force brigadier general and B-2 stealth bomber pilot, former senior director of strategy at the National Security Council, and author of “War Without Rules: China’s Playbook for Global Domination.”

“We have these enormous political warfare and psychological warfare campaigns happening in the United States. We have nobody that’s responsible for responding to them,” he says.

In this episode, he breaks down how the CCP is influencing Americans and weaponizing resources like rare earths. And he explains why key vulnerabilities in America’s networks could be exploited in ways devastating to the United States.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Is Overprescription Fueling Veteran Suicides? | Derek Blumke Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

“Veterans are not being told the risk of their medications,“ says Derek Blumke. “Doctors themselves are not aware of the risks of those medications.”

Derek Blumke served 12 years in the US Air Force and Michigan Air National Guard and is a longtime advocate for veterans. A bad experience with psychiatric drugs changed his life trajectory. He has been sounding the alarm about suicide and the overprescription of psychiatric drugs among veterans.

“If we’re going to treat a firearm with respect that we should and we do, which is making sure there’s a safety on, making sure the weapon is not always loaded, don’t point at people, this is a similar thing. If one of these medications can cause you to harm yourself or others, you should be told of that. And right now, we’re not,” he says.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

How Clay Clark Helped Small Businesses Survive—and Thrive—During the Pandemic and Beyond Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

Bob Healey was in his 60s battling terminal cancer with only a product prototype when he sought advice from business coach Clay Clark. Now, his company is booming.

It’s never too late to succeed, Clark says.

After building several multi-million dollar businesses, Clark developed a 14-step system to help budding entrepreneurs turbocharge their ideas.

During the pandemic, he helped his clients not just stay afloat but even thrive.

In this episode, we dive into how to grow a small business, what business schools fail to teach, and why America must rebuild its manufacturing and industrial capacity.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times

How Money Interests Influence the Newsroom: Sharyl Attkisson Aug 02, 2025

Show notes

For years, award-winning investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson has been tracking the rise of censorship, biased “fact-checkers,” and what she describes as narrative-enforcing journalism.

How has today’s information landscape transformed? What does she make of the recent releases of new documents surrounding the Russia investigation? And will Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration be able to fulfill their campaign promises to reform the various health-related agencies?

Attkisson is the host of Full Measure and author of a number of bestselling books, including “The Smear,” “Slanted,” “Stonewalled,” and most recently “Follow the Science.”

How One State Is Taking on the Chinese Communist Party: Oklahoma’s Gov. Kevin Stitt Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, I sit down with the 28th governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, to learn about how he’s reducing his state’s vulnerabilities and dependency on communist China.

We also dive into Oklahoma’s push toward critical-mineral production and the governor’s mission to promote economic development and reignite the American Dream.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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