Lee Smith welcomes renowned political philosopher, Harvard professor, and author Harvey Mansfield for a candid conversation about the decline of one of America’s most influential institutions. Drawing from his latest book, Where Harvard Went Wrong, Mansfield reflects on more than seven decades at Harvard and explains how the university gradually shifted from a place of intellectual diversity to one increasingly shaped by political activism, ideological conformity, and institutional groupthink.

Throughout the episode, Smith and Mansfield examine the cultural and political forces that transformed higher education, from the student rebellions of the 1960s to the rise of modern campus activism. The discussion explores Harvard’s recent controversies, including leadership failures, declining public trust, grade inflation, antisemitism concerns, and the growing divide between academic elites and the broader American public. While acknowledging the serious challenges facing Harvard and other universities, Mansfield also offers a measured assessment of the path forward and why restoring intellectual balance remains essential to the future of higher education in America.

Follow Lee Smith on X https://x.com/LeeSmithDC

New episodes drop every Wednesday at 3 PM ET.

To watch Roots, Rights and Reason, visit The Roots, Rights & Reason Show: https://www.americasfuture.net/the-roots-rights-reason-show

Subscribe to our Rumble channel: https://rumble.com/c/AmericasFuture

Follow Us On Social Media
X: https://x.com/Amerifuture
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericasFutureInc1946
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americasfutureusa

Subscribe to our Newsletter to stay informed: https://americasfuture.net/subscribe/
Catch up on all past editions here: https://americasfuture.net/newsletter

In Episode Forty-Eight of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith welcomes award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and New York Times bestselling author Jan Jekielek for a sobering discussion about one of the most disturbing human rights atrocities of the modern era. Drawing from his newly released book Killed to Order, Jekielek exposes the Chinese Communist Party’s state-run forced organ harvesting industry and explains how prisoners of conscience, particularly Falun Gong practitioners, became targets of a system driven by political repression, dehumanization, and profit.

Throughout the episode, Smith and Jekielek examine how decades of Western engagement with Communist China overlooked mounting evidence of brutality in pursuit of economic partnership. The conversation explores the CCP’s use of propaganda, coercion, and global influence operations, while highlighting growing efforts in the United States to expose forced organ harvesting and hold those responsible accountable. It is a powerful discussion about morality, totalitarianism, and the true nature of America’s greatest geopolitical adversary.

Follow Lee Smith on X https://x.com/LeeSmithDC

New episodes drop every Wednesday at 3 PM ET.

To watch Roots, Rights and Reason, visit The Roots, Rights & Reason Show: https://www.americasfuture.net/the-roots-rights-reason-show

Subscribe to our Rumble channel: https://rumble.com/c/AmericasFuture

Follow Us On Social Media
X: https://x.com/Amerifuture
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericasFutureInc1946
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americasfutureusa

Subscribe to our Newsletter to stay informed: https://americasfuture.net/subscribe/
Catch up on all past editions here: https://americasfuture.net/newsletter

In this episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, Lee Smith welcomes Carson Holloway, Washington Fellow in the Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life and author of No Liberty to Libel: The Constitutional Case Against New York Times v. Sullivan. Holloway examines one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions in modern history, arguing that the “actual malice” standard established in New York Times v. Sullivan has strayed from the Constitution’s original meaning and made it extraordinarily difficult for public figures to defend their reputations against false and damaging claims.

Drawing on the Founders’ understanding of natural rights, Holloway explains that reputation was once regarded as a fundamental right alongside life, liberty, and property. As today’s media landscape is shaped by rapid information cycles, anonymous sourcing, and the widespread reach of digital platforms, the conversation raises urgent questions about accountability, public trust, and the future of American discourse, and whether the Supreme Court may be ready to revisit one of its most influential First Amendment precedents.

Follow Lee Smith on X https://x.com/LeeSmithDC

New episodes drop every Wednesday at 3 PM ET.

To watch Roots, Rights and Reason, visit The Roots, Rights & Reason Show: https://www.americasfuture.net/the-roots-rights-reason-show

Subscribe to our Rumble channel: https://rumble.com/c/AmericasFuture

Follow Us On Social Media
X: https://x.com/Amerifuture
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericasFutureInc1946
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americasfutureusa

Subscribe to our Newsletter to stay informed: https://americasfuture.net/subscribe/
Catch up on all past editions here: https://americasfuture.net/newsletter