One Nation w/ Brian Kilmeade 07-05-2026

Summary

Podcast Summary: Brian Kilmeade Show — “One Nation” 07-05-2026

Date: July 6, 2026
Host: Brian Kilmeade
Guests: Doug Burgum, Douglas Brinkley, Linda McMahon, Robert Davi, Eric Shawn

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Episode Overview

This “One Nation” special episode commemorates America's 250th birthday with a vibrant mix of patriotism, reflection, and debate. Brian Kilmeade and his guests examine the state of American values, the meaning of exceptionalism, the need for robust history education, the dangers of ideological extremes, and the richness (and quirks) of U.S. history. Key conversations center on whether the U.S. is living up to the Founding Fathers’ vision, threats from socialism and communism, the crisis in civics education, and the power of American storytelling.

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Key Discussions & Segments

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1. July 4th Reflections & The State of Patriotism

Timestamps: 01:09–04:54

• Brian Kilmeade launches the episode reflecting on the July 4th celebrations in Washington D.C., emphasizing the resilience and patriotism of Americans, even amid bad weather and talk of declining national pride.

• He invokes the courage and ambition of the Founders, arguing that Americans continue to embody their risk-taking spirit:

  “Despite our flaws, our failures, our divisions, our detours, there’s always been a belief among Americans that we can accomplish what we set out to do…We keep moving until we win.” (03:08)

• Kilmeade insists patriotism is alive and well:

  “After witnessing what I saw last night…that narrative couldn't have felt further from the truth.” (02:51)

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2. Honoring History: Doug Burgum & the Teddy Roosevelt Library

Timestamps: 04:54–10:50

• Guest: Doug Burgum (U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Former North Dakota Governor)

• Burgum details the President’s commitment to the July 4 festivities and honors American exceptionalism.

• Recalls moments with WWII veterans during weather delays and the honoring of historical flags and military heroes.

  “Exceptionalism doesn’t mean we’re perfect, but it means we’re exceptional in that we’re different…about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, about these unalienable rights given to us by our creator.” (05:36)

• Discusses the newly dedicated Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library as a center for inspiration, conservation, and civic engagement, featuring everything from “objects under glass” to interactive AI with a virtual Roosevelt.

  “This is a place where you’re going to be challenged by the ‘in the arena’ speech. What are you going to do to do more for our country in terms of citizenship, leadership and conservation?” (08:25)

• Stresses the importance of private donations (countering anti-wealth rhetoric) for sustaining major cultural projects.

• On President Trump’s speeches:

  “If the only thing they can say as partisan is that President Trump is delivering fantastic defense of liberty... championing what made this country great and setting us up for an amazing future.” (10:21)

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3. Are We Living Up to the Founding Fathers’ Promise? — With Doug Brinkley

Timestamps: 11:00–16:46

• Guest: Douglas Brinkley (Presidential Historian)

• Brinkley affirms the success of the Founders’ experiment but points out their concern for ongoing civic virtue.

  “They really put a lot of money on...civic virtue, that the public would be virtuous and be civically engaged…we all have to get out there and try to do more...” (12:09)

• Discusses famous Founders’ reflections on the meaning of America and their own disagreements—for example, Jefferson vs. Adams on the catalyst of the Revolution.

  “It’s really remarkable. They tried to really heal whatever political divisions they had from the 1800 campaign.” (13:44)

• Highlights Benjamin Franklin's vision of liberty as a universal cause and how the spirit of innovation (Franklin’s experiments to Apollo and Artemis II) is central to U.S. identity.

  “That innovation spirit’s a big part of the United States. It’s one of the reasons the American moonshot...stood for American exceptionalism.” (15:10)

• Kilmeade underscores space achievements as modern unifiers:

  “Artemis II has reinvigorated the love of space in our country and been a unifying force, too.” (16:26)

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4. American Civics Crisis — With Linda McMahon

Timestamps: 18:31–28:19

• Guest: Linda McMahon (U.S. Secretary of Education)

• Kilmeade plays a humorous, yet disconcerting, beach quiz highlighting the public’s lack of historical knowledge, segueing into a discussion on failing civics education:

  “Just 23% of adults and 33% of parents say the local schools teach a lot about civics in US History.” (19:15)

• McMahon reports only 25% of 8th graders are proficient in civics, laments the loss of daily Pledge of Allegiance and lack of patriotism, and shares her advocacy efforts:

  “We’re not only not teaching the history of our country, we’re not teaching love of country or patriotism… absolutely just wrong.” (20:03)

• Details state and local factors that impede teaching history and citizenship and decries disrespectful attitudes toward national symbols:

  “I think this weekend, this whole week, the celebration... has really reintroduced energizing history and civics throughout the country.” (21:43)

• Highlights declining student screen time and praises the educational benefits of writing by hand and of some AI applications—with the right guardrails:

  “We have seen studies that show that connection between actually having pen or pencil in hand writing notes. Those studies show that retention is much greater…” (23:53)

• On student loans:
  Reports systemic reforms to cap graduate borrowing, pressure universities to lower costs, and use FAFSA data to promote realistic post-graduation income comparisons.

  “By putting these caps on professional degrees and graduate degrees at universities, now we are already seeing universities who are bringing down their costs.” (25:58)

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5. The Dangers of Socialism & Communism — With Robert Davi

Timestamps: 28:20–37:22

• Guest: Robert Davi (Actor, Singer)

• Kilmeade and Davi reflect on the re-release of Reagan and the warning from former Senator Joe Manchin about “the rise of Democratic socialism—flash communism”:

  “62% of Democrats say they prefer socialism over capitalism…That is absolutely insane.” (30:25)

• Davi recounts Ronald Reagan’s decades-long battle against Communism, including his outspokenness in Hollywood.

• References Reagan speaking at Hollywood parties, with Davi noting:

  “The actor…said that Reagan was a one man wrecking crew of the Communist Party in Hollywood.” (32:13)

• Davi traces current problems to education and immigrant assimilation:

  “The educational system has continued to be hijacked by the extreme left…engender a generation…that have not assimilated nor been taught about it.” (34:41)

• Cites the infiltration of textbooks and neglect of American achievements as dangers, expressing hope with a revival of patriotic films and stories:

  “Sometimes…on social media…younger kids are getting more inspired by patriotism, by morality, by religion and understanding the American story…” (36:38)

• Kilmeade offers practical advice:

  “If you find someplace better, stay. They always come back.” (37:22)

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6. Quirky Tales of U.S. History — With Eric Shawn

Timestamps: 38:29–42:46

• Guest: Eric Shawn (FOX News Senior Correspondent)

• Spotlight on his FOX Nation series “Crazy American History”:

  • Examines the origin of the 50-star flag and the little-known fact that flag design wasn’t strictly specified by Congress.
  • Tells the story of Bob Heft, the then-17-year-old credited with the current flag’s design.

  “In 1958 and 59, the Eisenhower Library got more than almost 2,000 designs from kids…and this design…was one of those.”

• Discusses pirate lore, specifically Captain Kidd—a “power couple” in 1690s NY—and the real places where legends say he buried treasure.

• Offers tidbits that mix history, myth, and American folklore, encouraging viewers to continue exploring the country’s past.

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Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Patriotism:
  “This country has been the greatest force for peace and justice on earth in the last century. We defeated tyrants, demolished evil and saved freedom again and again and again.” — Brian Kilmeade (02:02)

• On American Exceptionalism:
  “Exceptionalism doesn’t mean we’re perfect, but it means we’re exceptional in that we’re different…” — Doug Burgum (05:36)

• On Education:
  “We’re not only not teaching the history of our country, we’re not teaching love of country or patriotism…absolutely just wrong.” — Linda McMahon (20:03)

• On Civic Engagement:
  “We all have to get out there and try to do more to help, help our country, you know, succeed in the next 250 years.” — Douglas Brinkley (12:13)

• On the Dangers of Forgetting History:
  “We have to rejuvenate the history in America.” — Robert Davi (35:55)

• On Space as Unifier:
  “There’s no politics in space. And I simply love it.” — Brian Kilmeade (16:26)

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Concluding Thoughts

The episode serves as both a celebration and a call to action—urging listeners to protect and reinvigorate American values, civic instruction, and patriotic storytelling. Guests deliver strong praise for American perseverance and innovation, while raising alarms about drifting civics standards and ideological polarization. With stories from iconic July 4th fireworks to buried pirate treasure, the episode blends reverence, nostalgia, and practical wisdom, offering a rousing tribute to America's 250-year journey.

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Transcript

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[Brian Kilmeade]

Hi everyone. Happy 4th of July weekend. Hope it's been everything you wanted it to be. It has been for me. Back from Washington here in New York, ready to go. I'm Brian Kilmeade. Coming up on tonight's show, you are going to love it. Secretary of Education doing a fantastic job. Linda McMahon. What is it going to take to get history back in our classrooms? Robert Davy. They're bringing back re releasing the Reagan book. He played Brezhnev. He's going to talk about what everyone forgot, the dangers of communism and socialism and maybe America's premier historian. For my money, he is Douglas Brinkley. We'll put in perspective what the founding fathers thought America would become and are we living up to what they did in fact envision. Meanwhile, let's begin. The nation's capital was lit up by fireworks and waving flags last night. I was their sidecar, lucky enough to host with four fantastic people as we pause to celebrate 250 years of freedom. Yes, it was some bad weather, but it could not get in the way of the President. United States touting American excellence, American strength and power is not something to be ashamed of. It is something that we are very, very proud of. This country has been the greatest force for peace and justice on earth in the last century. We defeated tyrants, demolished evil and saved freedom again and again and again. And across this great country, the turnout, the crowds were unbelievable. They were big and they were resilient. The outpouring of patriotism was on full display all weekend long. That's despite recent polling suggesting patriotism has declined, especially among our younger generation. But after witnessing what I saw last night, I could tell you that that narrative couldn't have felt further from the truth. I mean, I was there. I felt it, I saw it. I was there for the build up and the aftermath. I was there in the beginning of last week and the end of this week because there's no question in my mind that our founding fathers, in the research that's out there and available, that the first fighters risked everything for this self government, this experiment, believed that we're creating something extraordinary. And they were doing it. And while they never could have imagined every technological advance, they're not futurists. Every modern challenge or every twist in American history, as I was asked to write and kind enough to publish last week, you might have seen it in the New York Post, my editorial on this country. I said this. I don't believe they would be surprised that 250 years later, the United States stands as the most powerful and influential nation the world has ever known and we've sustained it. And not only do I feel they would not have been surprised, I think they might even have expected it. And here's why. Because despite our flaws, our failures, our divisions, our detours, there's always been a belief among Americans that we can accomplish what we set out to do. We are not afraid to fail. And that is key. We are willing to adapt. Yeah, we argue, we stumble, we regroup and. And we keep moving until we win. That was true when Washington crossed the Delaware when we needed to win desperately. It was true when his army marched to Princeton and got to win. And it was true when 13 colonies laced together and became a country. It remains true today. America has always defied the odds, taken on the impossible task, and somehow found a way to prevail. Yes, it has been hard. Yes, it's defied logic. But that has always been part of the American story. And I could not be more grateful that it remains the case today and I believe will remain so far into the future. Joining us now to expand on this, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, former governor of North Dakota. And Doug, your thoughts about everything that went into last night and the resiliency to get make sure the president was delayed but not denied of giving that speech.

[Doug Burgum]

Well, President Trump, there's no chance in the world that he was not going to have the show go on, that he was going to perform as he said in the middle. It would have been hours later, in the middle of the night, he still would have been there. And he's saying that because of his love and commitment to this country, but also respect for our military, that those guys have to fight in all kinds of conditions. And what a show he put on last night, the speech that he gave, bringing back the actual. The actual physical, historic flags that helped shape our country from the revolution all the way up, you know, through Teddy Roosevelt and him winning the Medal of Honor, you know, charging up San Juan Hill. But the actual flags and then having veterans, I mean, he had 1104-year-old veteran out there on stage, folks that had fought through the beginning and the end of World War II, reminding us of the importance of the United States and our exceptionalism. And the exceptionalism, as you talked about, a nation of risk takers, a nation of innovators. Exceptionalism doesn't mean we're perfect, but it means we're exceptional in that we're different, that we have the highest, most aspirational ideas about what a country should be about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, about these unalienable rights given to us by our creator. You know, that was the Declaration of Independence. We're still fighting for it today. And. And again, it's fantastic to have a leader like President Trump, who is right now, I believe, the greatest patriot in our country.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Governor, Mr. Secretary, if anyone wants to take a moment, just Google your background. You are also that story from the tech world to ranching to everything that you've done personally. And then you give back and you don't tell anyone. But I want you. You mentioned those World War II veterans. So we were forced, because of lightning, off the set, and we went into a trailer with these veterans, and then we put them on camera in the trailer. Here's a little of that. Corporal Wilbur Jack miles, World War II. Let's hear it. Jack, I am glad that my country has come for 250 years. How about that? And I love my country. God bless America.

[Doug Burgum]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I mean, it was just amazing to sit there with them and get their story. But, Doug, I want to talk about the Teddy Roosevelt Museum. I know how hard you worked, and you want to make North Dakota the tourists stop. The South Dakota ends with the Mount Rushmore. And by all accounts, people are telling me that you've done that. So as we see some video of the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library, tell us what we should know.

[Doug Burgum]

Well, first of all, it was such an honor to have the library dedicated earlier last week. By President Trump arriving by train, getting off the train in the Ex that Theodore Roosevelt stepped off that train in 1884 after he had lost his wife and his mother on the same day in the same house. His wife post childbirth his mother for a chronic illness. But a transformational thing which sent him to go find himself a broken and grieving man. He healed himself on the land in the wilds of North Dakota that led to his understanding. They call it the birthplace of modern conservation. And of course, our national park system, our fish and wildlife system, all of these things come from the that Theodore Roosevelt spent there. But Theodore Roosevelt himself, again, being one of the onlyone of only two father son pairs, he's the father. His son, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Won a Medal of Honor in World War II. He won one for the Spanish American War. And President Trump delivered Theodore Roosevelt's Medal of Honor to the library so they could be paired with Theodore Roosevelt Jr. S Medal of Honor. One of the hundred amazing things President Trump did last week. But what a special day. But this is a place where people should come to find themselves and ask the question objects under glass. There's amazing objects. There's amazing interactive storytelling. There's the use of the AI, the superintelligence. You can actually visit with Theodore Roosevelt the way President Trump did. But this is a place where you're going to be challenged by the in the arena speech. What are you going to do to do more for our country in terms of citizenship, leadership and conservation? It's going to challenge you to say get in the arena. You know, you don't stop being. It's not the critic that counts. You don't need to be a keyboard critic, you know, on Facebook or Twitter. Actually get out and do something to move this country ahead. That's what this library will do. And it's going to challenge people to get off their screens, get outdoors, support our national park system and a thousand stories of people that help make this a huge team success. But what an accomplishment. It's someplace that everyone in America who cares about this country should visit. And stop there when you're on your way to all of our amazing western national parks. Easy to get there right off the interstate in western North Dakota, in the North Dakota badlands, by the only national park out of our 63 flagship parks named after a person. Person Theodore Roosevelt versus named after a place. But it is a beautiful place, right?

[Brian Kilmeade]

And you had so much to do with it. And private donations, those the Democrats have been calling them the horrible rich people in equity. These horrible Rich people, the ones that made libraries like that possible. And you've raised that on the side. Governor. Mr. Secretary, thanks so much. And if anyone wants to look at those speeches and keep on hearing people say they were partisan speeches the president gave, just read the speech yourself. Don't listen to the commentary. These were unifying speeches, and you were there for all of it. Secretary Doug Burgum, thanks so much for joining us.

[Doug Burgum]

I have to agree with that, Brian, because I heard him on Wednesday at the Theodore Roosevelt opening. I heard him at Mount Rushmore. I heard him last night. If the only thing they can say as partisan is that President Trump is delivering fantastic defense of liberty. You know, he talked about, you know, communism brings death, brings tyranny. It's exactly the opposite of life and liberty. President Trump championing what made this country great and setting us up for an amazing future.

[Robert Davi]

Right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And I know he really appreciates having you by his side. Secretary Doug Burgum, thanks so much. For two and a half centuries, our American republic has stood as the crowning achievement of human history. This country is the home of freedom. This is the land of liberty, and this is a flag that's the banner of the most extraordinary, most exceptional, most incredible nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. And we're doing better now than we've ever done before. 250 years ago, a group of revolutionaries risked everything, literally their lives, to build something the world had never seen. As America marks its 250th birthday, we look back at the nation they envisioned and ask whether we're still living up to their extraordinary promise and all their hopes. Let's ask presidential historian Doug Brinkley to put this in perspective. Doug, I know this is the 4th of July is like Christmas morning for a guy like you, because everyone's looking back at how far we've come.

[Robert Davi]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Your thoughts 250 years later, with all the research you've done, are we living up to the promise the Founding Fathers laid out?

[Douglas Brinkley]

Well, in many ways, we are. I mean, they would have marveled, though, at how we'd become an enduring superpower. What would they have been concerned about? I mean, they. They really put a lot of money on Brian, on civic virtue, that the public would be virtuous and be civically engaged. And as our Secretary of Interior, my friend Doug just said that, you know, people are on their keyboards, their. Their critics, and we all have to get out there and try to do more to help, help our country, you know, succeed in the next 250 years. So start now and do something great in your own community.

[Brian Kilmeade]

One of the great things is I've got a chance to know you very well because you've been kind enough to help me with the specials revolving around my books and everything. So I know what this means to you. I'm going to throw some of these quotes at you from our founding fathers and let you expand on it. For example, Jefferson wanted to live to the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He died that day, but he wanted to get to the Fourth. He kept saying, is it the Fourth yet? And one of the things he threw out when asked about it was his quote, may it be to the world what I believe it will be the signal of arousing men to birth the change and to assume the blessings and security of self government. So people should understand that self government historically existed, but they one took the best of past government from Greece on down to the great thinkers from John Locke and said, let's give, let's give humanity a shot at governing themselves. Is that what he's trying to say?

[Douglas Brinkley]

Absolutely. And you know, more than that, talking about trying to make it to the Fourth, that I'm always amazed at the coincidence of Jefferson and John Adams dying on July 4th, as did James Monroe, as did Calvin Coolidge. But I urge your listeners and people watching to try to read some of the correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams at the end of their life. It's really remarkable. They tried to really heal whatever political divisions they had from the 1800 campaign. And it's great stuff. Adams always thought the American Revolution was triggered by the, the Boston Tea Party. And Jefferson thought it was with Nathaniel Hale in, in Virginia. And they never, never could quite agree what triggered the, the colonies pulling together.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But the thing is, you said disagree. Two of our greatest thinkers disagreeing. So don't think we cornered the market on disagreeing. Lastly, on the quotes from Benjamin Franklin. Our cause is the cause of all mankind. We are fighting for their liberty in defending our own. He saw this as a bigger picture. If we could get this right, then all the people will learn from what we do as an example and give the average human being a chance at fulfilling their potential, not staying in the spot in which they were born. Am I making too much of that statement?

[Douglas Brinkley]

No, and I love that statement. Or talking about, you know, give me liberty or give me death, what, what the term liberty actually means. But Franklin, you know, I was thinking about him over the weekend a lot. I mean, he would have been stunned by the technological Advances before that, great fireworks in D.C. you're seeing those lightning bolts coming down. And it made me remember as a kid his experiments with electricity that you'd read about in kids biographies and all. But now imagine what he would think of AI or, or Google or Apple or, you know, anything of the technological revolution or that we can, you know, do heart transplants and, and have, you know, GPS instead of having to have a compass to try to be a surveyor. So Franklin was our scientist, inventor, experimenter. It gets buried sometimes on the fourth outside of him. But that innovation spirit's a big part of the United States. It's one of the reasons the American moonshot, you know, Apollo was, was such a big deal for 1976. It only happened a few years before. And it stood for American exceptionalism because still no other country has yet been on the moon

[Brian Kilmeade]

and also because you wrote the book that. And Artemis 2 has reinvigorated the love of space in our country and been a unifying force, too. There's no politics in space. And I simply loved it. And I know you really enjoyed it, too. Douglas Brinkley, thanks so much. Always great to talk to you, especially on this historic day. Nobody better.

[Douglas Brinkley]

Thank you, my friend. Bye, Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Meanwhile, you got it. I appreciate it. Meanwhile, our nation's schools are falling behind, especially when it comes to history. But Education Secretary Linda McMahon wants to change that. She joins me next. And by the way, be sure to catch me on tour in a matter of days. That military town of Pensacola, Florida, July 11. Brian kilmeade.com Plus, I got all these dates in the fall. I mean, Chesterfield, that's St. Louis, Jacksonville, Clearwater, Westbury, Long Island, Red Bank. But I'll see you on Saturday night, July 11th. Don't move. You're watching a special edition of One Nation. I love the flags. This is not going to be a show that you expect nice people. The only thing left is, oh, yeah, the show, ladies and gentlemen. Get on your feet, Brian. Kill me. Other countries might have longer histories. They don't have better histories. We're prepared to give you life for a new country.

[Doug Burgum]

I love Brian. Then I love the comedy edition.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That is your country. That is your story.

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[Brian Kilmeade]

Why do we celebrate the 4th of July?

[UnitedHealth Group Announcer]

Um,

[Doug Burgum]

I honestly couldn't answer that.

[Robert Davi]

Well, actually, not sure.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Where do we declare our independence from?

[Doug Burgum]

Explain that a little bit further.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What do you mean by where?

[Eric Shawn]

Mozambique.

[Robert Davi]

Africa.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What was the name of the war in which we fought for our independence?

[Linda McMahon]

Civil war.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Democrats, they like to say Donald Trump is a king, but we know we don't have kings of this country because we can't. A king to the curb. What was his name? Oh, my God.

[Robert Davi]

Might need some multiple choice here.

[Brian Kilmeade]

King Tut. Julius is King Charles or something.

[Linda McMahon]

Neptune King George.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Eventually. We got it. Johnny with Jesse Water show quizzing beachgoers about the fourth of July. It's our next generation. American schools, as you just heard, are falling short when it comes to teaching history. And it shows. Just 23% of adults and 33% of parents say the local schools teach a lot about civics in US History. I mean, take a look at those numbers. It's a little scary, but it's time now to make history a priority, don't you think? Because history creates informed citizens. You can't understand today's issues without yesterday's context. So how do we bring history back to education and stop just talking about it? Let's ask the woman in charge, Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon. Madam Secretary, great to see you. You must hear this a lot. Yeah, we don't teach history like we used to in schools or at all. How do we change that?

[Linda McMahon]

Well, you have to change it by doing it. Brian. Another staggering statistic is only about 25%. You know, if eighth graders actually have any concept of civics or proficient in civics, which is really a shame. As I've toured the country already. I've been to 39 states. I'm both my history rocks tour and the 1776 civics tour. You know, what I have seen in many schools is they don't even do the Pledge of Allegiance anymore. So we're not only not teaching the history of our country, we're not teaching love of country or patriotism. And I think that that is absolutely just wrong. Now, at the Department of Education, we don't control curriculum, we don't buy books, we don't hire teachers. But I certainly am trying everywhere I can to encourage schools and states to make sure that they are teaching history, that they are teaching civics, that we are teaching love of country, and to do those practices which we took for Granted, for so long was that just. It was, you know, of course, how you started your day at school was standing on your feet pledging allegiance to the flag and it's not happening.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But when you go up to the principals or the superintendents and say that why don't you teach history, what do they tell you? Is there a universal statement they give back to you?

[Linda McMahon]

Well, there's not a universal statement. I don't ask at every school, but I did ask in one school that I went to, it was a middle school. And I was surprised that they didn't say the Pledge of Allegiance. And actually the principal there told me that he was very happy that on thethis was part of our History Rocks tour. And he said he was very happy that on two sides of the stage where we were doing our assembly that we actually had the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. And because he wasn't sure that the students in his school would know them, he said this was a school that was just outside Chicago. And I don't remember if he said it was an opt out provision in just Chicago schools or throughout the state of Illinois, but that you could opt out of saying the Pledge of Allegiance and his school had opted out. So I think we just have to continue to encourage schools that this is absolutely imperative. And when you hear, you know, one of the winners in New York who recently said one of the Democratic winners in the primary said that, you know, she didn't have anything else to wipe her hands off on, so she turned and wiped them on the flag. It's just incredible to me that I would hear that kind of a statement. So I think this weekend, this whole week, the celebration of our 250th anniversary of what we're doing on the Mall here in Washington D.C. has really reintroduced energizing history and civics throughout the country. And also, Brian, I think you'll agree with this, our FIFA contest, you know, throughout the country and all of the visitors from outside of the country and even the, the US citizens who are going and pulling for all the teams is creating this real focus on America and what a wonderful country it is. I think it's fabulous.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I would love to deny some money to schools that don't teach American history. I think that would begin to get their attention. I know the President always gets the attention, always says, who's paying them and why do we have to if they're not doing what we're telling them to? But I want to talk about something else that really concerns parents and you're on top of. And that is screen time. We also heard this with the major success of these schools saying, leave your phones in the locker countries. Leave your phones in the locker. You can't take them into the classroom. Okay, great. But what about the Chromebooks? What about the laptops? We're noticing a decrease now because teachers are finding that you're not learning as well on a Chromebook as you are in a schoolbook or writing in a notebook as opposed to a keyboard. Can you expand on that? Because the numbers of. The numbers are going down in terms of daily averages of screen time among students. And I love this trend. Could you tell me what you think of it?

[Linda McMahon]

Well, I absolutely applaud Bell to bell. No cell phones in schools. I think that was incredible. And the more I hear about that around the country, I applaud those efforts. Absolutely. I think in terms of other screen time, the Chromebooks and the computers in schools, there's always a balance. But we have seen studies that show that connection between actually having pen or pencil in hand writing notes. Those studies show that retention is much greater for the subject matter. And so there is a great deal to be said for that. Getting back to cursive writing, not just printed, you know, they've taken cursive writing out of so many schools. So I think we have to see a real combination of those things brought back, an emphasis on those. But screen time, you know, I'm also a proponent of AI used in the right way with guardrails, because it absolutely can be an administrative tool for teachers. It can help them, you know, with their school plans. But it can also be an added tutor in the classroom to enhance what the teacher is doing. She can't be everywhere or he can't be everywhere. But there has to be, you know, that careful balance. We went too far, I think. And always when you go too far, when you come back somewhere in the middle, I think that's where you get things done.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah. Little House in the Prairie, all grades in one classroom. Then we got too technical. Now let's go back to the basics, people. Well, meaning people were just wrong. I had no idea that writing by hand would be different than a keyboard, but that is indeed the case. Lastly, it is you. You've already made an impact when it comes to student loans. I was shocked to see this number. $43 million. 43 million. Have student loans to a tune of 1.7 trillion. So this week you came out and announced they were reinforced. There's going to be new student loan provisions. So you are actually saving people from themselves when it comes to student loans in a way, because parents are taking out loans, students are taking out loans to get to that college that might be unaffordable, and you got a degree you can't use and money you can't pay back. How are you addressing that?

[Linda McMahon]

Well, we released some of the greatest revisions in student loans in a long time, and it was really much needed. You know, heretofore. Brian, it was staggering for me to learn when I first took this position, primarily in the graduate programs, that you could go to a university and whatever that university said, this is the cost of attendance. This is the cost of this program that you want to study. You could borrow up to that full amount. I mean, so what incentive was there ever for universities to reduce their costs? So by putting these caps on professional degrees and graduate degrees at universities, now we are already seeing universities who are bringing down their costs. Law schools, some of the business colleges, reducing their programs by 25, 33% in different areas all across the country. So I think for the first time, we're going to accomplish what we are, what we wanted to bring down the cost of college, but also not allow these students to take out all of this money for professions that they could never pay back in their lifetime. So we were allowing them to get trapped in student loan debt that they just could not pay for. So through the total revamping of the FAFSA system, which is the loan applications for colleges which you fill out every year, revamping that so that students and parents could actually see what the profession that they were studying actually pays and compare that to the cost of what they're going to pay in college. That's a big tool for parents to have. So I think we're doing a lot of good things for students and bringing down the cost of higher education. And I'm really pleased to see it. And also, and I congratulate our teams at ED because they have done a phenomenal job in getting this done.

[Brian Kilmeade]

The previous administration said, oh, let's forgive those loans. It causes too much. And you said, no, no, no. Let's make sure people don't go get into that trap. Because you want your kid to have everything NYU says you're in now, give me $110,000 a year. Oh, whatever it takes, I'll do it. So they go into debt, they get a degree they perhaps can use, but they can never pay that money back. So you guys are preventing that. Hopefully that tuition comes down. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon. Thanks so much.

[Linda McMahon]

Thank you, Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You got it before. Same to you. Next. America's 250th birthday is shining a light on the rise of socialism and communism ideals the former president Ronald Reagan once fought so hard against. Actor Robert Davy is here to shed light on that. And please check out my YouTube channel. Everybody's talking about it. Just like The Trump watches YouTube.com Hebrian Kilmeade show. That's what I look like.

[Linda McMahon]

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[Linda McMahon]

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[Doug Burgum]

This is a FOX News alert. I'm Marianne Rafferty. Rescue crews are searching for survivors in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine, after a massive Russian drone and missile attack. Deaths, injuries and major damage have been reported. The latest strikes come as President Trump prepares for this week's critical NATO summit in Turkey. Leaders are expected to discuss several issues including ending the war in Ukraine, US Iran, peace negotiations, Strait of Hormuz security and defense spending. Trump is also set to meet with the presidents of Ukraine and Syria. He spoke with Russia's president by phone earlier today. The US Military is suspending the search for a missing sailor who was on board a helicopter that made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea last week. Three others were rescued. The days long search covering more than 14,000 square miles. There's no indication the aircraft was shot down. I'm Marianne Rafferty. Now back to one nation.

[Brian Kilmeade]

62% of Democrats say they prefer socialism over capitalism. If they do, then and by God, there's not a Democratic Party left. That's crazy. That is crazy. It's true. That is absolutely insane.

[Doug Burgum]

It's not a fox.

[Brian Kilmeade]

If you want to ask. If you want to ask me, well, that's another reason why I'm not registered as a Democrat. I can't put up with that.

[Douglas Brinkley]

Crazy.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That's nuts. Former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party, as you just heard, he was on One Nation last week warning about the rise of democratic socialism. Flash communism now after America's 250th birthday celebration, he got the re release of Reagan. Reminds us of the defining ideological battles of the last century. President Reagan made the fight against communism and socialism a cornerstone of his presidency arguing that, you know, free markets were worth defending and free people were worth fighting for. My next guest played the general secretary of the Communist Party, that place called the Soviet Union. His name, Leonid Brezhnev. Get out of Afghanistan, throw away 10 years of treaties and eliminate all nuclear missiles, as they say in America. Brezhnev's mind was blown.

[Robert Davi]

He scribbles a personal note to me, yellow paper. The president of the United States

[Douglas Brinkley]

now

[Brian Kilmeade]

we know, shot in

[Robert Davi]

State Department.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Joining us now is actor Robert Davi, who will be performing July 10 at the Foxwoods in Connecticut. You know, he's a singer as well, and a great one at that. Robert, what are your thoughts as we replayed that scene and they're rereleasing the movie?

[Robert Davi]

Well, thank you for having me, Brian. And I think it's important. Reagan seems to be having a trend, a resurgence of this American patriotism, as I think you've spoken about prior on your show and other areas. The Reagan fought the Communists in 1946 at Ida Lapino's house, before he was president, President, before he was the president of SAG or just before there was a party of the Communist Party at her house. Now, Ida Lapino was the Hollywood elite. It's like if Meryl Streep had a, had a convergence of all this socialist Marxist communists at her home. And William Holden, the actor from network and other movies brought Reagan to this party. And he spoke, they shouted him down. And one actor stood up on a chair and said he has a right to speak, we should let him speak. And he did. And years later, the actor and the Godfather that played the police officer, the captain, said that Reagan was a one man wrecking crew of the Communist Party in Hollywood. And today I have to say, Brian, I know friends of mine that were very traditional Democrats, I mean Kennedy Democrats and traditional Democrat have told me I don't agree with everything conservatives are doing, but I have to leave the Democratic Party. Just like the thing on Manchin, and it's unfortunate. Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So I want you to hear Reagan, Robert, in his own words talking at that time because we were in the midst of the Cold War and he knew exactly where he stood. Watch.

[Eric Shawn]

Capitalism, not socialism, is the most progressive, revolutionary and powerful economic force for good in the world today. Only where freedom lives is economic growth strong, does opportunity thrive and are the forces of human betterment always at work? Socialist countries are held down by a gravity of their own making. And America something like a rocket shooting to the stars.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It doesn't seem to be resonating with the party that he left and that's the Democratic Party because we won the Cold War, it's now in our rearview mirror. Is that the problem? A lot of people don't remember, especially people in their 20s.

[Robert Davi]

No, Brian, what's the problem is the educational system has continued to be hijacked by the extreme left. You know, back in the day, Russia has put so much money into the America in the educational system. When you have the wife of a president of the United States says this is the first time I'm proud of our country and continue to bash our country and continue to see that kind of thing, and the youth not really understanding what this nation is, you engender a generation and especially the influx of, of illegal immigrants and others that have not assimilated into our nation nor been taught about it. And that is the danger. You know, you had Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground. They were blowing up police stations in the 70s and institutions. They went besides underground. They went into education and started infiltrating the textbooks. And we don't look at that. We don't teach that and we don't demand that. American history as your previous guest talked about with his book. And you know, as you brought up so many times and Fox does and as President Trump does, we have to rejuvenate the history in America.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And it's a great story earlier on Fox, right? It's a great story. We should just tell it. These are stories that you could actually feel go to the sites and see what Jefferson did and see what Monroe didn't see what Washington did. But here's what gives me hope. They're releasing Young Washington over the summer. They've been prom ing it for six months. They're coming out with another Eisenhower movie that's coming out. There's another movie Pressure coming out. And I get the sense that patriotism is coming back. I don't know if you heard, but George Washington Secret six, they just bought the rights to my movie about George Washington spies. It's been out for 10 years. Why now? Do you sense that maybe congratulations is starting? Do you get sense Hollywood starting to wake up, up? Do people want to see this again?

[Robert Davi]

Well, we have again. You have to give a lot of credit to President Trump for being a president that loves this country, America first and that American first movement that started several, several years before and the continued, you know, Charlie Kirk and people that are waking up and the youth and social media. Sometimes you get this information on social media where the younger kids are getting more inspired by, by patriotism, by morality, by religion and understanding the American story and how important it is. Because believe me, it's there's no other alternative. I've been around the world as you have, and America is a wonderful place.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Robert I always tell people if they have questions, travel, if you find someplace better, someplace better stay, they always come back. Robert Davi, thanks so much. If you want to come back, you got it. If you want to see him in person, check him out at Foxwoods July 10th. He's fantastic. Great show. Foxwoods.com Robert, appreciate it. Thanks so much for joining us. Meanwhile, coming up straight ahead, Eric Shawn investigates surprising truths about America's past. Don't move. More One nation in just a moment.

[Doug Burgum]

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[Brian Kilmeade]

what better place to start than with the Declaration of Independence?

[Eric Shawn]

And this is an original, this is an original copy. This is the original printing of the Declaration of Independence, correct? The very first time.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Correct.

[Doug Burgum]

Wow.

[Eric Shawn]

How many Declaration of Independence's original copies are there?

[Brian Kilmeade]

Something like 20.

[Eric Shawn]

Like about 20.

[Doug Burgum]

Wow.

[Linda McMahon]

Yeah.

[Doug Burgum]

So this is one of those.

[Eric Shawn]

That's amazing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Pretty amazing, right? America is now 250 years old. It's got a long, rich history and some strange truths and mysteries. That's, that's what makes FOX NATION want to do a special. It's investigating crazy American history with somebody who's not crazy. FOX NEWS senior correspondent Eric Schoen is here to share some fascinating moments from our past.

[Eric Shawn]

So I don't know about that. I may be crazy, but it's a great show. Thanks for having me. Happy 4th.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What made you want to do this?

[Eric Shawn]

Well, we know about history. You know, we grow up in high school. We know about American history. But there's some crazy, I mean, crazy. Some true stories out there. Was George Washington the first president?

[Robert Davi]

Right.

[Eric Shawn]

No. According to some historians, John Hanson was the 50 star flag. I have this flag right here. This was designed in 1958 by Bob Heft. He was 17 years old. He sent this flag to the White House. He says President Eisenhower called him and said this flag will be the new 50 star flag. Is that true? Gotta watch the show.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, in fact, we have a clip of that and Bob Heft does speak about it. Yep, he did pass away. But this before he, he. He has a direct account with General Eisenhower, then President Eisenhower.

[Eric Shawn]

So, Jim, people send in flags to the White House from all over the country. They had ideas and designs.

[Doug Burgum]

Alaska and Hawaii coming into the Union sparked interest because there was. People knew that, that the flag was going to have to be redesigned. Sparked a large national conversation.

[Eric Shawn]

These are actually flag ideas that people sent in to President Eisenhower to be considered as the new flag. These kids really got creative.

[Doug Burgum]

Well, one of the interesting things is the legislation doesn't specify how the blue field, how the stars or how the stripes have to be arranged. It just specifies the three elements.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I just thought they just added two stars with two new stages.

[Eric Shawn]

No, no, they had a commission to do this and there were no guidelines. That was Jim Ginther of the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas. We went there and you saw all those flags, the bizarre ones. My favorite was the stars vertically with the stripes coming out. There was flag fever. There was patriotism, a love of this country. In 1958 and 59, the Eisenhower Library got more than almost 2,000 designs from kids in school, from adults. And this design, you know, was one of those designs that was sent in. And the question was, how was it picked? Who was it picked? And we tell that amazing story in the first episode of our show.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You know, in the beginning I found out when they had 13 states. When they'd add states, they'd add stripes. And after a while they go, this place getting too big. We got to, yeah, we got to stop with the stripes. And they did stop it at 13 and then just add stars. Now you also talked about pirates in this three part special.

[Eric Shawn]

Captain Kid, right? Pirate, scary guy who might murdered everybody. No, Captain Kidd was actually. Oh, he was a pirate. Yeah. And we grew up with books like this, Howard Pyle's books of pirates. It's all part of our childhood. Captain Kidd was a wealthy New Yorker. He and his wife Sarah were a power couple of the upper crust of New York in the 1690s. And if they were alive today, they'd be hanging out in the Hamptons with Taylor Swift and everybody else.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But they were criminals, were they? Like original mobsters.

[Eric Shawn]

He was a privateer and then became a pirate out there. And had they buried treasure, guess where?

[Brian Kilmeade]

In Long Island, New York.

[Eric Shawn]

And we're going to show you in our show the third episode where he buried that treasure. It was dug up there, but they say there's still treasure, perhaps in Connecticut, it Rhode island and out New Jersey. I went out looking for Captain Kid's treasure. We're out in New Jersey, down in Bradley beach where they say he buried his treasure. So I went out there to look for some.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Wow, that's pretty awesome. So the three part series on FOX Nation is streaming right now. What a great way to salute America by looking at Eric. Look at us in that beautiful shot. Crazy American History with Eric Shawn. Three part series. Fantastic. Good job, Eric.

[Eric Shawn]

Thanks so much.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Congratulations on it. All right. And and hope you have a fantastic weekend the rest of the way. Meanwhile, what can I tell you? Thanks so much for watching our show. I just got to urge you, when you think of patriotism, remember uniting the states, the six crucial moments that forged the American miracle. And just got to urge you to listen to my radio show from 9 to noon. It's going to be a great week, a special week as we look back at 250 years of American history as well as keep up with what's happening over in Iran. Also, catch me in a few hours on FOX and Friends. I promise to shower in between. And as always, I have a message. Make that two messages. Stay within yourself and keep it right here on FOX News.

[Doug Burgum]

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