Twenty-five years after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Roots, Rights & Reason host Lee Smith welcomes national security expert J. Michael Waller for a candid examination of the choices America made in the years that followed. Smith and Waller discuss the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the absence of clearly defined strategies for victory, America’s reliance on foreign partners, and what Waller describes as the failure of federal agencies to recognize ideological and institutional threats developing within the United States.

The conversation also considers how decades of prolonged conflict have weakened public confidence in America’s ability to defend its interests. Waller argues that the answer is not isolationism or another open-ended war, but clearly defined objectives, decisive action, stronger regional allies, and the courage to confront threats before they become crises. For the millions of Americans born after September 11, the episode offers both a warning and a challenge: learn the lessons of the past, speak out when danger emerges, and help restore the resolve necessary to keep the nation secure.

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 For decades, the Muslim Brotherhood has pursued influence in America through a strategy designed to operate gradually and often outside public view. In Episode Sixty-Two of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith sits down with Kyle Shideler, Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy, to examine how that strategy works and why he believes it represents a serious national security threat.

Shideler explains how Brotherhood-linked organizations have worked to shape public opinion, influence American institutions, cultivate political relationships, and establish themselves as representatives of Muslim communities. He also discusses the Muslim Brotherhood’s 1991 “Explanatory Memorandum,” the significance of evidence uncovered during the Holy Land Foundation trial, and what he describes as the federal government’s failure to investigate how the network has evolved. From political candidates and campus activism to Hamas propaganda and foreign policy, this conversation reveals why the Muslim Brotherhood’s decades-long campaign for influence deserves renewed public scrutiny.

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Episode Sixty-One of Roots, Rights & Reason with Lee Smith, titled “Why Left-Wing Political Violence Goes Unpunished,” features Scott Wheeler, an investigative journalist, national security expert, and U.S. Army veteran who has spent decades investigating terrorist networks, foreign intelligence operations, and threats to the United States.

In this conversation, Smith and Wheeler examine the growth of left-wing political violence, the networks operating behind groups such as Antifa and Jane’s Revenge, and the failure of federal law enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable. Wheeler also discusses his investigation into the 2022 firebombing of a pro-life pregnancy center near Buffalo, New York, and warns that extremist groups will continue escalating their tactics for as long as authorities allow political violence to go unpunished.

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More than a century after the Bolshevik Revolution, communism continues to attract followers despite its legacy of tyranny, economic devastation and more than 100 million deaths worldwide. In Episode 60 of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith speaks with Dr. Bradley Thayer, Fellow at the American Freedom Alliance, about why this destructive ideology continues to survive and find renewed support in the United States.

Drawing from his new book, America’s 100 Years’ War: How to Win Against Communism, Dr. Thayer examines how communism exploits grievance, resentment and the desire for political power. He also discusses its influence within American institutions and offers an optimistic message: America can defeat communism by restoring a strong national identity rooted in individual liberty, God-given rights, free markets and the rule of law.

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How did America’s colleges and universities move from teaching the foundations of Western civilization to promoting ideologies increasingly hostile toward the nation’s history, principles, and institutions?

In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, Lee Smith speaks with Peter Berkowitz, the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, about the rise of campus antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks and its connection to a broader rejection of Israel, America, and the West.

Berkowitz traces the decades-long decline of liberal education, explaining how universities shifted from helping students examine competing ideas to encouraging political activism and ideological conformity. He also discusses his forthcoming book, Reclaiming Liberal Education in America, and outlines how educators can restore intellectual inquiry, constitutional principles, and the study of America’s founding.

The conversation concludes with a call for Americans to rediscover The Federalist Papers and the extraordinary experiment in ordered liberty entrusted to each generation.

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In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith welcomes Dr. Ben Carson for a timely conversation about faith, religious liberty, education, and the principles that shaped the United States. Dr. Carson explains why America’s growing secularism has weakened its sense of community and common purpose, and stresses the importance of teaching children an honest and complete account of American history while preparing the next generation to defend faith, liberty, community, and life.

Drawing upon his extraordinary career as a pediatric neurosurgeon, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and founder of the American Cornerstone Institute, Dr. Carson also reflects on how his childhood faith inspired his calling to medicine, the future of artificial intelligence in healthcare, and his work empowering young people through education. Above all, he offers a message America urgently needs to hear: disagreement does not make us enemies, and restoring faith, unity, and respect for one another is essential to preserving the nation for generations to come.

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The Rise and Fall of the California Dream

In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, Lee Smith welcomes Michael Anton, former Director of the U.S. Department of State's Policy Planning Staff, former Deputy Assistant to President Donald J. Trump and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication, and Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute, for a thoughtful discussion on California's remarkable transformation. Drawing from his newest collection of essays and his lifelong connection to the Golden State, Anton reflects on the culture, optimism, and opportunity that once defined California while examining the political and economic forces that have reshaped it over the past several decades.

From the enduring influence of the Beach Boys and California's agricultural abundance to the state's changing political landscape and its impact on the American Dream, Anton offers both personal reflections and historical insight into one of America's most influential states. Blending culture, history, and public policy, this conversation asks an important question: Can the California Dream be restored, or has a defining chapter of the American story come to an end?

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 In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith sits down with Mitch Silk to explore the remarkable path that led him from a teenage job in a Florida restaurant to representing the United States at the highest levels of international trade negotiations.

Silk offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the Trump administration's landmark Phase One trade agreement with China, sharing firsthand accounts from the negotiating table while examining the strategic challenges that continue to define the U.S.-China relationship. From trade and intellectual property to Taiwan, global energy, and economic diplomacy, this conversation provides valuable insight into America's evolving role on the world stage—and the relationships, leadership, and strategic thinking required to protect its interests.

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Artificial intelligence is transforming nearly every aspect of modern life, but behind every AI breakthrough lies a technology few people fully understand: semiconductor chips. In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, Lee Smith welcomes back former University of Southern California President and engineering pioneer Max Nikias to explain why semiconductor innovation has become the defining geopolitical and technological competition of our time.

Nikias explores why the United States currently leads the world in advanced semiconductor technology, how innovation has flourished in free and open societies, and why continued investment in education, research, and entrepreneurship will determine America's future. From national security and economic competitiveness to education and small business, this conversation offers an optimistic yet sobering look at the opportunities and challenges of the AI revolution, and why every American should begin learning how to harness its potential.

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Featuring Adam Swart, founder of Crowds on Demand and one of the nation’s leading experts on organized demonstrations and advocacy campaigns, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the mechanics of modern political protest. Drawing on more than a decade of experience coordinating lawful public events and grassroots advocacy efforts, Swart joins Lee Smith to discuss how demonstrations are organized, funded, and strategically mobilized in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape.

Throughout the conversation, Smith and Swart examine the impact of social media on activism, the incentives driving large-scale protest movements, and the difference between meaningful civic engagement and demonstrations designed primarily for attention. They also explore the importance of transparency in political organizing, the role of funding and professional advocacy networks, and why Swart believes ordinary Americans are too often underrepresented in the public square.

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