Podcast
Dad Saves America
Hosted by John Papola · EN
Proud papa, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and arm-chair philosopher John Papola explores the biggest issues facing our country through the lens of fatherhood, releasing exclusive interviews and deep dives every week. We need to make sure the next generation of Americans is raised to thrive in a free society and be champions of civilization.
Dad Saves America has hosted all sorts of experts in the studio, including Jonathan Haidt, Dr. Drew, Michael Shellenberger, Bret Weinstein, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Adam Carolla.
www.dadsavesamerica.com
www.dadsavesamerica.com
32episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
They Lied to Your Kids for 15 Years. The UN Just Admitted It.
2d ago01:12:51Tap to summarizeThe UN's top climate body just quietly buried the doomsday scenario that drove the past 15 years of climate panic, and almost no one noticed. The IPCC has officially declared RCP 8.5, its most extreme emissions model, implausible. That's the same model behind nearly every apocalyptic headline Gen Z has been reading since grade school.The damage is already done. A Lancet study of 10,000 young people found that 84% are worried about climate change, 45% feel negatively affected in their daily lives, and nearly four in ten say they're hesitant to have children.The junk science and the derangement that’s followed didn't spread itself._____________________________________Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/they-lied-to-your-kids-for-15-years?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true_____________________________________See fewer carts go abandoned and more sales go with Shopify and their Shop Pay button. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/dad._____________________________________Head to cozyearth.com and use my code DSA for up to 20% off! And if you get a Post-Purchase Survey, make sure to let them know you heard about Cozy Earth right here!_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VhiPJZARbc4Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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Why Africa Stays Poor (It’s Not Colonialism) - Magatte Wade
3d ago02:40:54Tap to summarizeI sat down with Senegalese immigrant and entrepreneur Magatte Wade to discuss why Africa remains the poorest continent and why the most popular explanations are wrong.Colonialism, slavery, or IQ differences are the answers most people reach for, but the data says otherwise. Ethiopia was never colonized and has been the poster child for African poverty for decades. Slavery was practiced by every race against every other race throughout human history. Nigerian immigrants are some of the most successful people in America.Originally believing the Marxist narrative about Africa’s struggles, Magatte later realized that the truth was the exact opposite._____________________________________Head to cozyearth.com and use my code DSA for up to 20% off! And if you get a Post-Purchase Survey, make sure to let them know you heard about Cozy Earth right here!_____________________________________See fewer carts go abandoned and more sales go with Shopify and their Shop Pay button. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/dad._____________________________________Follow Magatte Wade on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/magattew?s=20Learn more about Magatte’s work: https://www.magattewade.com/_____________________________________Outline:[0:00] Why is Africa poor?[13:16] The race-IQ question[24:09] Colonialism and slavery are universal[31:38] How did slavery become about race?[48:21] Marxism tells a compelling story about Africa[0:59:59] Why its hard to advocate for capitalism[1:05:09] Survivor’s guilt from leaving Africa[1:13:26] Setting up a business in Senegal is impossible[1:22:34] Why did Marxism take over Africa?[1:38:30] How could Mamdani be popular in 2026?[1:45:55] COVID triggered a revolution in education[1:52:35] Does education or psychology drive beliefs more?[1:57:33] Agency is the key to success[2:01:31] Optimism, prosperity, and wealth disease[2:10:07] Black American vs African immigrant culture[2:23:23] Can we get over racial grievance politics?[2:30:58] America is the greatest country_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5bOQ5c8auusMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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How Nations Actually Get Rich (It’s Not Socialism)
1w ago01:16:37Tap to summarizePresident Trump was in China this week, negotiating with Xi Jinping over Iran, Taiwan, and trade deals. China’s economic miracle has transformed the country into a major global power over the past few decades. The American left likes to spin that success story as a win for central planning and socialism, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.Scandinavia tells a similar story. Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani laud the “Nordic model” as proof that democratic socialism works, but leaders across the political spectrum in those countries would disagree. During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Sweden tried going in an actually socialist direction and soon paid the price. Since then, the country has successfully backtracked, balancing budgets, privatizing schools and hospitals, lowering taxes, and enjoying the fruits of capitalism.How many supposed “wins” for socialism have to exposed as capitalism before the left updates its priors?_____________________________________Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/how-nations-actually-get-rich-its?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true_____________________________________If you (or your kids!) are interested in working at Emergent Order Foundation, click here to learn more and apply: https://www.eo.foundation/careers_____________________________________Make the switch to real oral care. Go to http://vanman.shop/dad and use code DAD for 15% off your first order._____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BztLsNyP4yEMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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Gad Saad: The Evolutionary Psychology Behind “Queers for Palestine”
1w ago01:14:38Tap to summarizeI sat down with Gad Saad, author of “Suicidal Empathy,” to discuss the evolutionary psychology behind why the West is self-destructing in the name of tolerance.Empathy is a perfectly adaptive human trait, but like any biological mechanism, it can misfire. When ideological parasites like gender ideology and critical race theory are the basis for empathy, it stops being a virtue and becomes a civilizational death wish.We also get into why intelligent people are paradoxically the most vulnerable to bad ideas, why communism keeps coming back no matter how many times history buries it, and what it will actually take for the West to rediscover its survival instinct._____________________________________Make the switch to real oral care. Go to http://vanman.shop/dad and use code DAD for 15% off your first order._____________________________________Follow Gad Saad on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/GadSaad?s=20Watch “The Saad Truth” on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@gadsaad?si=IXzOZiofEqQwjEldOrder a copy of “Suicidal Empathy”: https://a.co/d/00Nzg4h0_____________________________________Outline:[0:00] A Canadian trying to save America[2:08] What happens when empathy misfires?[8:21] Even victims of crimes feel guilty now[17:06] The evolution of the parasitic mind[31:40] Christian ethics and self-sacrifice[36:03] Can we trust evolutionary psychology?[46:18] There are different kinds of truth[54:24] Why don’t bad ideals die out?[105:04] Is comfort driving us crazy?[1:08:34] How to protect your kids from the mind virus_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fjZfv2alJaIMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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The Left Is Turning Our Greatest Cities Into Ruins
2w ago01:10:44Tap to summarizeNew York City is broke under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. His socialist buddy, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, is turning off the crime detection system and letting violent offenders walk. LA Mayor Karen Bass is still dodging responsibility for mishandling the 2025 wildfires. This is the reality of progressive central planning.Cities are the centers of civilization. Unfortunately, they’re also a breeding ground for bad ideas. Marx formulated his communist worldview while observing early industrial cities. The Soviet Union replaced organic neighborhood life with microdistricts engineered by bureaucrats who thought they knew best. Today, progressives dream of “15-minute cities” while failing to address the basic problems of urban life.America’s greatest cities have been centrally planned into the ground. Luckily, we have a chance to retake control of our neighborhoods._____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MjVY4jXlpbQMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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Mollie Hemingway: Justice Alito Is the Secret Hero of SCOTUS
2w ago01:45:48Tap to summarizeI sat down with Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of The Federalist, to discuss her new book “Alito” about the underappreciated Supreme Court justice’s fight to restore the original meaning of the Constitution.Justice Samuel Alito authored the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and as Mollie describes, he’s been the driving force behind the conservative majority on many important issues during his 20 years on the Court.We also cover the rise of the administrative state, what really happened during Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, and the conservative movement’s 50-year crusade to retake the Court._____________________________________Follow Mollie Hemingway on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/MZHemingway?s=20Order a copy of “Alito”: https://a.co/d/0aH6JTTO_____________________________________Outline:[0:00] What makes Justice Alito special?[4:16] How Roe v. Wade was overturned[20:52] Woodrow Wilson and liberal fascism[26:23] The value of “norms” in politics and on the Court[32:14] What happened to Brett Kavanaugh?[38:29] Chevron deference and the administrative state[44:19] Will birthright citizenship be overturned?[47:13] Originalism vs the “living constitution”[51:39] Attacks on the First Amendment[1:00:37] Propagandizing the American people[1:05:24] Why journalists cheer for censorship[1:07:04] The case against the Southern Poverty Law Center[1:18:49] We need principled men of action[1:22:57] What’s the deal with Ketanji Brown Jackson?[1:26:58] The Europe Union’s censorship regime[1:29:05] What happened to the ACLU?[1:31:12] Lessons to learn from Justice Alito[1:35:24] How the Federalist Society reshaped the Court[1:37:10] Take responsibility for your kids’ education_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JT0NYNpVmMkMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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The SPLC’s Hate-Hoax Playbook Turns Normies Into Assassins
3w ago01:14:00Tap to summarizeThe White House Correspondents’ Dinner was cut short last Saturday by yet another assassination attempt against President Trump. A Caltech-educated game developer armed with two guns charged the Secret Service checkpoint, ending in a brief shootout that injured one Secret Service agent.This attack followed the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center over allegations of funding the very hate groups it fundraises against. A decade of radical rhetoric from celebrities, activists, and institutions like the SPLC has broken the brains of even relatively intelligent people. The same group that shaped FBI threat assessments, debanked homeschool moms, and labeled classical liberal thinkers as white supremacists was apparently running a grift the whole time._____________________________________Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/the-splcs-hate-hoax-playbook-turns?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zRtD98JPKlwMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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How Gavin Newsom Ran California Into The Ground - Joel Kotkin
3w ago02:15:49Tap to summarizeI sat down with Joel Kotkin to discuss how California’s utopian ideology and Gavin Newsom’s disastrous governance have the turned the state into a cautionary tale.Joel breaks down how one-party rule became the norm in California, with the Democratic Party tying itself to both Silicon Valley oligarchs and public sector unions and leaving the middle class to fend for itself.With welfare fraud scandals in the news and Newsom’s likely 2028 presidential run, Joel warns America about what’s at stake if California’s institutional and cultural failures go national._____________________________________Follow Joel Kotkin on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/joelkotkinLearn more about Joel’s work: https://joelkotkin.com/_____________________________________Outline:[0:00] California’s ideology and culture[9:43] How Republicans lost California[21:45] Why can’t California have a sane election?[27:41] Hollywood stopped trying to appeal to people[34:43] Silicon Valley’s military origins[39:38] Was Silicon Valley’s utopianism inevitable?[43:46] The oligarchs and unions run California[51:58] How Gavin Newsom failed up[1:02:50] California’s fraud epidemic[1:07:02] The feedback loop of radical politics[1:15:49] Is there anything good about Newsom?[1:18:53] Can we restore the political center?[1:20:53] Is the Iran war worth the cost?[1:24:54] Trump was necessary crazy[1:35:26] Where’d the curious students go?[1:42:26] Can we have freedom without religion?[1:50:27] Community is physical, not abstract[1:54:12] What makes Judaism different[2:07:37] Are we in a civilizational clash with Islam?_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zFfNbw63_JcMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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Hasan Piker: “I’m Pro-Stealing From Big Corporations”
Apr 2401:04:10Tap to summarizeCommunist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker stopped by the New York Times's "The Opinions" podcast to promote shoplifting, terrorism, and Chairman Mao. Joining him was staff writer for the New Yorker Jia Tolentino, who justified stealing from Whole Foods (rebranded as “micro-looting”) and banning private schools.Of course, the same people who espouse Marx’s “labor theory of value” often went to private schools themselves and can easily afford Whole Foods prices. The New York Times has been running cover for communism since the 1930s, but they’re barely trying to sanitize the pitch this time around._____________________________________Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/hasan-piker-im-pro-stealing-from?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g2pISPIcVzwMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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John Stossel: I Exposed Mainstream Media Fear-Mongering From the Inside
Apr 2301:44:00Tap to summarizeI sat down with libertarian reporter John Stossel to discuss his journey from pro-regulation consumer watchdog to small-government debunker of liberal economic dogma. We cover his accidental entry into journalism, his libertarian awakening, and why liberty is such a hard sell to the average person.John is a long-time critic of media fear-mongering, creating the 1994 ABC special “Are We Scaring You to Death?” His more than 50-year career has taken him from Portland local news to ABC, Fox Business, and now his independent venture, Stossel TV._____________________________________Follow John Stossel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/JohnStossel?s=20Watch Stossel TV on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@stosseltv?si=IYpeyB-fUcmL9JNz_____________________________________Outline:[0:00] How John ended up in journalism[4:10] Has journalism changed over the years?[7:00] Liberty isn’t intuitive for most people[10:44] Exposing media fear-mongering[14:30] Was the media ever really trustworthy?[16:47] Is “corporate greed” actually dangerous?[21:40] The great communicators of economics[23:39] Conservative vs libertarians vs liberals[31:34] Steel-man the other side, then debunk it[34:38] Why government is so inefficient[39:07] Will we ever learn the lesson of communism?[42:03] Social media has revolutionized citizen journalism[46:19] The challenges facing Gen Z[48:47] Bad news makes a better story than good news[55:38] Rethinking the libertarian view on immigration[1:01:25] John’s conflicted views on President Trump[1:08:12] Kids should be working[1:14:12] John’s upbringing and religious background[1:19:42] How John approaches his interviews[1:21:41] The iconic mustache and marriage[1:28:03] Fatherhood should be playful[1:29:21] Transitioning from TV to YouTube[1:33:01] Should we be scared of AI?[1:36:04] Dealing with the mess of the healthcare system[1:39:56] Dads and moms have different strengths_____________________________________Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dYSTrFWHyqsMake a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/ Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe
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