129 episodes
Acton Unwind Acton Institute
-
- News
-
-
4.9 • 105 Ratings
-
Acton Unwind is a weekly roundtable discussion of news and current events through the Acton Institute's lens on the world: promoting a free and virtuous society and connecting good intentions with sound economics. Host Eric Kohn is joined by Acton Institute experts for an exploration of news, politics, religion, and culture.
-
Decamping Campus Encampments
This week, Eric, Dylan, and Dan are joined by Karen Swallow Prior to discuss her essay in the new Spring 2024 issue of Religion & Liberty, “Who Will Comfort Me? The Total Care of Cicely Saunders” and issues of, literally, life and death. Then Eric, Dylan, and Dan discuss the place of free markets within the conservative movement and how college administrations should be dealing with the protest encampments being established on their campuses.
Subscribe to our podcasts
Subscribe to Religion & Liberty
Who Will Comfort Me? The Total Care of Cicely Saunders | Karen Swallow Prior, Religion & Liberty
The Conservative Movement Is Defending Free Markets — from Both Sides | Erick Erickson, National Review
Heritage Foundation’s Wesley Coopersmith’s Response
Karl Polanyi's Battle with Economic History | Alex Nowrasteh, Libertarianism.org
Texas Gov. Abbott faces backlash after mass arrest at UT Austin pro-Palestine protest | The Hill
UF threatens student protesters with suspension, banishment from campus for 3 years | WUFT -
Did OJ Simpson Break American Culture?
This week, Eric, Dan, and Emily discuss the death of O.J. Simpson and examine how the combination of his celebrity and his criminal trial launched a thousand cultural ships, including reality TV, true-crime obsession, and the 24/7 news cycle. Next, Belgian politicians tried to shut down the National Conservatism Conference, only to have it saved by liberal institutions. Oh, the irony. And finally, what can we learn from NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner’s piece at The Free Press accusing NPR of losing its journalistic integrity?
Subscribe to our podcasts
O.J. Simpson, Football Star Whose Trial Riveted the Nation, Dies at 76 | New York Times
Europe’s hard-right bags big win after ‘own goal’ by Brussels mayors | Politico
Brussels Mayor Attempts to Shut Down National Conservatism Conference by Force | Stephanie Slade, Reason
What I Saw at the National Conservatism Conference | Dan Hugger, Religion & Liberty
National Conservatism One Year Later | Dan Hugger, Religion & Liberty
I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust. | Uri Berliner, The Free Press -
Squatters’ Wrongs
This week, Eric, Noah, and David Hebert, making his maiden voyage on the podcast, discuss squatters’ rights: Do they really exist? And if so, how big a problem are they really?. Then, has the problem with industrial policy been that we just weren’t doing it right all these years? Sen. Marco Rubio thinks so. Oh, and a new California minimum-wage law for fast-food workers has taken effect. Our future fast-food robot overlords are appreciative. And finally, Sam Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for the fraud he perpetrated. Is this sentence too harsh, too light, or just right?
Subscribe to our podcasts
What’s Behind Recent ‘Squatters’ Rights’ Disputes? | Reilly Stephens, The Dispatch
Why Christians Should Be (the Best) Landlords | Rachel Ferguson, Religion & Liberty Online
Why I believe in industrial policy—done right | Sen. Marco Rubio, Washington Post
Beware the Bipartisan Folly of Industrial Policy | Noah Gould, National Revie
California’s Crazy ‘Fast Food’ Minimum Wage Takes Effect | David Neumark, Wall Street Journal
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for crypto fraud, to pay $11 billion in forfeiture | CNBC -
The Rise of Anti-Semitism Is the Fall of American Liberty
This week, Eric, Dan, and Dylan are joined by Mike Cosper of Christianity Today to discuss his cover essay in the latest issue of Religion & Liberty, “There Shall Be None to Make Him Afraid: American Liberty and the Jews.” Then they turn their attention to controversial LSU basketball coach Kim Mulkey to explore how hard-driving and tough-coaching styles fit in the modern world and what it means for a perspective on leadership.
Subscribe to our podcasts
There Shall Be None to Make Him Afraid: American Liberty and the Jews | Mike Cosper, Religion & Liberty
Subscribe to Religion & Liberty
Promised Land podcast | Christianity Today
Why do some people hate the Jews? | Acton Line
The History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Acton Line
A Christian Perspective from Visiting Israel | Acton Line
The Kim Mulkey Way | Washington Post
The Bobby Knight Problem | The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill
They’re Coming After Us | John Podhoretz, Commentary Magazine -
Key Bridge Collapse
This week, Dan Hugger, Noah Gould, and Emily Zanotti discuss the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Maryland. They then turn their attention to the announcement of the God Bless the USA Bible, the only Bible endorsed by President Trump and country music sensation Lee Greenwood. What does this reveal about the state of religion, politics, and culture in America today? And finally, is it time to rethink the culture war?
Subscribe to our podcasts
The impact of the Baltimore bridge disaster | Economist.com
Lawyers Gear Up for Swift Start in Legal Fight Over Baltimore Bridge | WSJ
Donald Trump Is Selling a 'God Bless the USA' Bible for $60 | NPR
God Bless the USA Bible
The New Culture Warriors | Religion & Liberty Online -
DOJ Takes an Anti-Trust Bite Out of Apple?
This week, Eric, Anthony, and Dan discuss the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple for alleged monopolistic practices in the smartphone market. They then turn their attention to a strange essay in National Affairs on the “Soft Tyranny of Smartphones” and explore whether a desire to use a smartphone less requires government action. And finally, should we be concerned about Elon Musk’s brain-chip company, Neuralink, or should we celebrate such a technological advancement?
Subscribe to our podcasts
U.S. accuses Apple of illegally maintaining monopoly in broad lawsuit | Axios
The Apple Antitrust Case and the ‘Stigma’ of the Green Bubble | Wired
Brandon Sanderson Says Deal with Audible Is in the Works | Publishers Weekly
The Soft Tyranny of Smartphones | National Affairs
Patient of Elon Musk’s Neuralink Shows Off New Life With Implant | Wall Street Journal
Customer Reviews
Synodality in reality
This was a well presented podcast, reflective, balanced, intelligent. Clearer on synodality than other things I’ve read. The other items were interesting as well, but the lay theology articulated gave me hope for both Orthodox and Catholic Churches.
A Critical Review
Permit me to begin on the good foot. The content or subject matter of the Acton Unwind Podast is always interesting, relevant to current events, and timely. As others have observed, the crew members are thoughtful and usually mostly well informed abut the subjects they address. My criticisms are primarily matters of delivery. Eric does a superlative job of moderating the discussions. Occassionally, rarely, his observations about a particular topic are expressed in a condescending and dogmatic fashion. The reader and he will ask for specific examples. I have one. I do not recall the podcast date or title, but he asserted tha the American Civil War was about slavery and nothing else. Then he went on to make his point. Let me just say he is not current on the subject of the causes of the American Civil War. Perhaps if he had stated that in his view of the matter the Civil War was solely about slavery, he would have been on solid grounds upon which a discussion could be had. Dan pontificates when he delivers his knowledgeable and well informed comments. Unfortunately for the clarity of his remarks, he constantly punctuates his remarks with the annoying verbal place holder "you know." Please stop saying "you know." The Buckley School of Public Speaking in Camden, SC will cure you of this awful habit. Emily's audio cuts in and out too often. I recognize this issue may not be her fault. I have a hard time following her train of thought - probably my issue. Also, her terminology frequently is incorrect. The specific example I will give is in the discussion of in vitro fertilization in episode 122 she (and Eric) referred to the Catholic Church's teaching about IVF as a stance. No, the Church has a teaching about IVF, not a stance. "Stance" communicates the idea of a negotiable position or opinion. A teaching is a firm statement of belief,and in the case of the Catholic Church a teaching is binding on the faithful. While I do not always agree with Dylan (or the others), when he is on the crew he is just about perfect. Despite my fault finding, I am a faithful listener, although I frequently fall a month or two behind in listening.
Crisis of Masculinity
Interesting pod. But, the gist of that conversation was that, yeah, there are a lot of bad things for men out there and they need to do better. So, at the end of the day, men’s problem are their own and they should get over it. Women and children hardest hit.