American Thought Leaders

For decades, public health officials have promoted industrial seed oils—corn, canola, soybean, and sunflower, to name a few—as healthy replacements for traditional animal fats. Dr. Cate Shanahan, a family physician and author of “Dark Calories” and “Deep Nutrition,” believes the opposite.Dr. Shanahan argues that these oils are uniquely toxic and the primary drivers of modern metabolic and neurological disease.Seed oils are the “number one source of brain-damaging calories in our food supply,” she says.She unpacks how these oils generate toxic aldehydes when processed and heated. She reveals how the post-2000 trans-fat ban inadvertently made fried foods more unhealthy. And she examines the correlation between the dramatic rise in seed oil consumption and the near doubling of obesity rates.She answers some important questions.Do seed oils lead to mitochondrial dysfunction? Has mainstream nutrition science largely ignored seed oil risks? And what steps can people take to remove seed oils and restore traditional fats to their diets?Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

In this episode, actor Jim Caviezel reflects on his 35 years in filmmaking and takes us behind the scenes of his latest film, “Ghost Soldier.”Known for his roles in “The Passion of the Christ,” “Deja Vu,” and “Person of Interest,” Caviezel stars in “Ghost Soldier” as a Green Beret defending his neighbor’s land against a corrupt corporation.“The narrative,” Caviezel says, is about “good versus evil. If you’re into that in a movie, bring your popcorn, an iced Coke, and you’re going to have yourself a great day.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

With Democrats sweeping the House and Senate in the midterms last night, I’m sitting down with classicist and military historian Victor Davis Hanson to get his take on the results and what they mean for the Trump administration, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, and the 2028 elections.Hanson is the author of multiple bestselling books, including most recently, “The Counterrevolution: The Fall and Rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Is Beijing trying to meddle in the 2026 midterm elections in America? How has Beijing’s strategy against America changed in recent months? How have China’s economic woes and military purges altered the political landscape in Beijing? And will these change Xi Jinping’s calculus around Taiwan?In this episode, I sit down again with China analyst Gordon Chang, author of “Plan Red” and “The Coming Collapse of China.”From Chinese biolabs found in California and Las Vegas to increasing Chinese provocations in the South China Sea and East China Sea, Chang believes the world is growing more dangerous—and Americans are not prepared.Follow Gordon Chang on X: @GordonGChangViews expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

At FreedomFest, I spoke with actor Kelsey Grammer about why he believes the American founding remains a living source of wisdom. With the nation celebrating its 250th anniversary, he has been building The American Revelation, a project aimed at making American history more accessible, personal, and compelling.What happens when a society teaches its children primarily to see their country through guilt and failure, rather than through the achievements and principles that made reform possible in the first place? What does it mean to be grateful for a country while still recognizing that it is, as Grammer puts it, “a process,” one that depends on each generation choosing to understand, defend, and improve it?Join us for this conversation about history, freedom, and whether Americans can rediscover what made the American experiment worth fighting for.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

There have been eight deaths—six killings and at least two suicides—linked to a radical group known as the Zizians.Investigative journalist Andy Ngo, who has been at the forefront of studying far-left violence, reveals how an extreme version of Silicon Valley rationalist philosophy and effective altruism gave rise to a death cult.His latest book is titled “The Zizians: Inside a Trans Death Cult.”Ngo believes there’s a “clustering” effect at the most extreme fringes of transgender ideology, where psychiatric vulnerabilities, easy access to cross-sex hormones, and a persistent activist narrative of a “trans genocide” have combined to create a deadly feedback loop.In this episode, Ngo unpacks a disturbing landscape. How can online networks recruit and radicalize vulnerable youths? How did the Zizians form, and what have they done across the United States? And why have there been no trials?Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

“When you see the recent riots, destruction of stores, looting, burning [of] historic buildings, including churches ... you have to realize these things do not happen spontaneously,” says investigative journalist and bestselling author Richard Miniter.What is the link between what’s unfolding on the streets of France and the Iranian regime?Why might Iran be interested in influencing events in Europe—and is there a broader connection to the Iran war?And what is U.S. President Donald Trump’s end game for the region?“What hasn’t been explained—and is non-obvious to the American public—is that Iran is the gas station of Xi Jinping,” Miniter says. “What’s going on in Iran is designed to prevent a war off the coast of China in Taiwan.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

115 Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained have been brought home in the last 20 months—with zero ransoms paid—said Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.In this episode, Gorka takes us inside high-stakes hostage rescues, negotiation efforts, and the Trump administration’s strategy to go after radical jihadism and left-wing terrorism.In this episode, we dive into:A late-night mission to Kabul to meet top Taliban officials.The hostage cases Gorka sees as the most difficult.How many Americans are still being held hostage overseas.The single largest counterterrorism operation since 9/11.How terrorism threats have evolved since 9/11.The State Department’s new China wrongful detention advisory and what Americans should know before traveling.How the administration is targeting money flows to left-wing terrorism.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Modern industrial agriculture relies on heavy chemical inputs and is built around corporate monopolies, leaving many Americans searching for healthier alternatives, say Drs. Robert and Jill Malone.They’re co-authors of the new book, “Homesteading for Health: One Farm Family’s Guide to Food, Land, and Self-Sufficiency.” They argue that true food security and health may begin in our own backyards.Modern homesteading is not a backward-looking lifestyle, they say, but instead a forward-thinking movement aimed at restoring physical health, mental well-being, and intentional community through self-reliance and real food.The Malones walk me through a host of questions: Can young families, in practice, choose homesteading over suburban life? What are the virtues of raw milk? Why are niche markets and diversifying a small farm’s income stream critical? And what practices may ultimately lead to healthier food for Americans?Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

In 2022, New York fined three private Amish schoolhouses $118,000 in combined fines for allowing unvaccinated children to attend. This came after New York repealed its longstanding religious exemptions for school vaccination requirements in 2019.New York law allows the state to fine a school up to $2,000 per student per day for noncompliance, which could add up to multi-million-dollar fines for a single school year.In response, the Amish school administrators and parents filed suit against the state, arguing that compulsory vaccination violated their First Amendment rights and the parental right to direct the upbringing and education of children.Now, Miller v. McDonald is on its second appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.In this episode, Aaron Siri, managing partner at Siri & Glimstad LLP, breaks down the profound implications of this case.“If we can’t protect the Amish, if we can’t protect their religious freedom in the United States of America under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, then,” Siri said, “it really is concerning as to what real reach, almost if any, that right has.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.