For the first time, voters got to see the major candidates for the Republican nomination for President on the same stage, with one glaring exception. On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, GOP strategist and columnist Karl Rove tells WSJ editor at large Gerry Baker why he thinks Vivek Ramaswamy had the worst moment of the night in Milwaukee, how Nikki Haley and Mike Pence advanced their cause and says Ron DeSantis just managed to survive, albeit with a couple of difficult moments. And he argues that Donald Trump's absence exposed his vulnerabilities as the frontrunner and insists the former president can still be beaten. 

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Does the 2024 Presidential election rest on the legal troubles of Donald Trump and the Biden family? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, former Attorney General William Barr tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker why he thinks the latest indictment by Atlanta district attorney of the former president is excessive even as the federal charges he faces are stronger, but why neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump will be the respective nominees for their parties, and why Hunter Biden "would already be in an orange jumpsuit" if he was a member of the Trump family.  

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On this week’s Free Expression podcast John Bolton, who served as national security adviser to President Donald Trump tells Wall Street Journal editor at Large Gerry Baker there’s a good chance Trump will be convicted of criminal offenses ahead of the 2024 presidential election and if he is nominated by the Republican Party it will lead to unenviable defeat. He also argues the US needs to be doing much more to counter Russian aggression in Ukraine and to deter potential Chinese aggression in Taiwan. 

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Has liberalism really failed and if so, what’s next for America and other democracies? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, political science professor Patrick Deneen tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker that the promotion of individual liberty as the organizing principle of society has resulted in the destruction of social cohesion and why it's time for a new political paradigm and the creation of a new elite in tune with true American values.

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Have Democrats taken African-American votes for granted? Could ethnic minorities find a home in the GOP? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker speaks with Georgia State Rep. Mesha Mainor about her decision last week to join the Republican Party and become the first African-American woman elected representative in the state legislature. She explains what Democrats get wrong about issues like school choice and affirmative action and how they continue to look to the past instead of the future. 

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Is religious faith on the decline in the U.S.? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Catholic archbishop of New York, tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker that a lack of religion and moral conviction is to blame for our toxic cultural environment. He also discusses how Pope Francis is leading the church worldwide, the importance of the separation of church and state, and where the pro-life movement stands a year after the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.    

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As Americans celebrate Independence Day this week, the Free Expression Podcast features some of Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker's best interviews, including conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, 2024 Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., commentator Heather Mac Donald, political scientist Ruy Teixeira and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers. 

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After an abortive mutiny by Wagner Group leader and mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin, is Vladimir Putin "damaged goods" as the leader of Russia? On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, former Ambassador to both Russia and China Jon Huntsman tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker why Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus while other Putin rivals have met a far worse fate, what the U.S. response should be, its effect on the Ukraine counteroffensive and why China may already be preparing for a new leadership in Russia. 

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In this week’s Free Expression podcast Gerry Baker, WSJ editor at large, talks with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy about double standards of justice in politics, the corruption of the federal government and his plans to overhaul the administrative state. He also discusses his ideas for a radical reform of the Federal Reserve and the elimination of the FBI, how he plans to facilitate a peace deal in Ukraine to prise apart the Russia-China alliance. and whether he would consider being a candidate for Vice President for Donald Trump - or anyone else. 

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On this episode of the Free Expression Podcast, former Vice President Mike Pence tells Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker he can’t defend Donald Trump in his indictment over handling classified documents. Speaking just after Trump pled not guilty to criminal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Pence also says he will “clean house” at the Department of Justice. Pence also talks about Jan. 6 and Trump's criticism of him, says why he thinks now is not the time to "flinch" on pro-life abortion laws, and if he would support the eventual Republican nominee for President in 2024 if he does not succeed.   

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