Podcast Episodes

I make the case that the United Nations needs a serious cleanup. It needs accountability, and it needs to stop being run as the personal preserve of a handful of wealthy, influential individuals. To understand how we got here, I trace the UN's roots back to the failure of the League of Nations in the 1930s, a body doomed from the start because the United States never joined it, thanks to a rigid Woodrow Wilson and a Senate that had soured on the whole idea of European entanglements. When Franklin Roosevelt championed a new international body built around collective security, it was actually tested almost immediately, in Korea in 1950, and worked, in large part because the Soviets had walked out of the Security Council over unpaid dues.

For 20 years I've worked across Africa, not in the capital cities where diplomats and cameras go, but in the remote interior, digging water wells, running water lines, feeding the hungry, mediating tribal wars, and helping pull 4,000 young women and girls out of sexual slavery. So when I watch old footage of Kenya on screen, it brings back two decades of memory most Americans will never have, because most Americans don't actually know what Africa is. It's not a country. It's 55 nations, thousands of cultures, and every race on earth, white, black, Arab, Indian, all of them African. In this episode of Fair Game, I'm breaking down the version of Africa nobody taught you.

I use the campy old musical Little Shop of Horrors as a way into a very real story unfolding inside the Democratic Party right now. Just like Audrey II, the man-eating plant that keeps demanding to be fed, the Democratic Socialists of America are devouring establishment Democrats one primary at a time, starting with Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City mayor's race on a platform of free buses, free child care, city-owned grocery stores, and rent freezes, and now spreading into Senate primary wins in Florida and Michigan and House primaries across the country.

We have learned, over and over, that it is easy to get into the Middle East and very hard to get out. In this episode of Fair Game, I break down how the US-Israeli war against Iran has expanded in just the last few weeks. The Houthis have announced a blockade of the Red Sea, the Saudis, who tried hard to stay out of this fight, have now bombed Iraq and signed a new mutual defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey, plus an 18-nation Red Sea Maritime Coalition. I also share sources telling me there have been attacks on the Suez Canal itself, and I walk through why President Trump is reportedly deeply frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations with Iran during the 60-day window set by his June 17th memorandum of understanding.

Who replaces the old policeman when the order of things begins to fall apart? That's the question I open with in this episode of Fair Game, and it's not rhetorical. On August 7th, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact aimed at discouraging Iran's regional ambitions, and there are now signs Egypt may join as well. Just days later, the Saudi story got bigger still, with the announcement of a 13-nation maritime defense alliance. I walk through why serious defense analysts are treating this as a potential new geopolitical alignment in the Middle East, and why the real question isn't just what the Saudis are doing, it's who steps into the role America has held since 1945.

Has immigration been a net gain or a net loss for this country? I ask that question at the top of this episode, and if you're a Native American, you'd probably say it's been a disaster. But for almost everyone else in America, the story is a lot messier — and a lot more revealing — than we like to admit. In this episode of Fair Game, I trace the roots of the immigration debate all the way back to the 1790s, when fears of French Revolutionary extremism pushed John Adams to support the Alien and Sedition Acts.

In this episode of Fair Game, I break down a Supreme Court ruling that just reaffirmed one of the most fundamental promises of American citizenship: if you're born here, you're a citizen. It's a promise that came under direct attack when President Trump issued an executive order on his first day back in office, declaring that children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants aren't entitled to citizenship — and could be deported. The ACLU sued within hours, and I walk through why this fight is about far more than immigration policy.

This episode was inspired by President Trump's recent visit to Medora, North Dakota for the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Trump has named Roosevelt one of his two favorite presidents, so I sat down with my friend, naval historian Pete Stark, to dig into what actually made Teddy Roosevelt such a distinctive figure in American history: his remarkable grasp of sea power. We trace Roosevelt's fascination back to a history of the War of 1812 he wrote at just 23 years old, and to his close friendship with Admiral Alfred Mahan, the naval strategist whose writings shaped how nations around the world thought about the role of a navy.

Today I'm digging into the memorandum of understanding President Trump announced with Iran on June 17, an agreement that has sparked outrage on both the left and the right. Beyond the headline-grabbing $300 billion in reparations, there's a far less obvious provision that concerns me deeply: the agreement effectively lifts the blockade and leaves the ultimate disposition of the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and Oman. To help me unpack what that really means, I brought in one of my oldest and dearest friends, naval historian Harold "Pete" Stark, someone I've known since high school and who has spent his career studying both the US Navy and the British Navy under Napoleon.

I'm taking on a claim that Vice President J.D. Vance made recently on Real Time with Bill Maher, where he declared that Richard Nixon was forced out of office by the "deep state" and that resigning over the Watergate burglary was "crazy." I lived through Watergate. It shaped my entire political worldview as a young adult, and I can tell you the vice president doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. So in this episode, I walk through exactly what Watergate was, how it started with burglars operating out of the White House itself, and how a "third-rate burglary" spiraled into the resignation of a sitting president.

On this episode of Fair Game I break down the memorandum of understanding President Trump announced on June 17 between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. This isn't a treaty, it's a memorandum, but I still think it deserves serious scrutiny, because the reaction against it has come from across the political spectrum, including Trump's own MAGA base. I walk through why experts like Matthew Levit at the Washington Institute argue this deal was front-loaded with US and allied deliverables toward Iran rather than the other way around, and why one anonymous European official admitted privately that Iran benefits the most even while publicly calling it a valuable first step.

I'm Dr. Gary Kelner, and on this episode of Fair Game I do something I haven't tried before: I give the United States an actual report card on its 250th birthday. It started with a memory of my own first grade report card and a crusty nun named Sister Mary Sanker, but it led me to a bigger question.

On this 250th anniversary of the American Republic, I want to ask a question that's been on my mind: do we still believe there's one American story? When I was in school, the textbook literally walked you from Jamestown to the Declaration of Independence as a single, shared narrative about freedom and opportunity — a melting pot where it didn't matter what village your grandfather came from.

This week, as America marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I wanted to talk about something that worries me deeply: we've stopped teaching our kids why history matters. I walk through the story of those 55 delegates who came together to frame our case for independency, and Jefferson's line about self-evident truths — arguably the most important sentence in the English language.

In this episode of Fair Game I want to ask a question that I think deserves a direct answer: Does anybody still remember Ukraine? Four years into Vladimir Putin's invasion — the first forcible annexation of a European country since World War II — the war has been pushed off the front pages by events in the Middle East. But Ukraine's fight for survival is not over, and the choices America makes right now will define how history judges us. This is not a partisan issue. It is a question of whether the United States of America still means what it says when it talks about freedom.

I'm Dr. Gary Kellner, and in this episode of Fair Game, I want to talk about something that sounds simple on the surface but carries enormous consequences beneath it — America First. President Trump rode into his second term on the very real frustration that America had been footing the bill for the world's security while our allies built their economies at our expense. That frustration is legitimate. But there is a significant and dangerous difference between America First and America Alone, and I'm not sure we're paying close enough attention to which one we're actually practicing.

What is Juneteenth really about? In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner shares the remarkable story of Miss Rosie, a woman born into slavery whose life became a powerful reminder of human dignity, faith, and the importance of remembering those history often forgets.

Three months in, it's time to stop celebrating tactical victories and start asking the harder strategic questions about America's war with Iran. The U.S. military has performed extraordinarily well — Iran's ballistic missile capability has been substantially degraded, most of their navy is sitting on the floor of the Persian Gulf, and their nuclear program has been set back significantly.

We spend so much time on this show talking about what pulls us apart — the controversies, the culture wars, the fault lines that run through our society. But today I want to pause on something that still holds us together. Baseball.

👇 What do YOU think? Is Trump stronger than ever inside the Republican Party?

In this season finale of FAIR GAME, Dr. Gary Kellner explores the controversial history of gerrymandering, why both political parties defend it when convenient, and what this reveals about human nature, power, and the American constitutional system.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner breaks down the real problem: identity politics, lack of vision, and a failure to connect with everyday Americans.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner explores how tariffs have been used as a tool of foreign policy, why that raises serious constitutional questions, and how the Supreme Court responded.

What is the role of the opposition in a republic? At its best, opposition keeps power accountable. At its worst, it becomes sabotage.

The Iran war has delivered military success—but is it actually a victory?

Easter is meant to be a celebration of hope, resurrection, and new life. But what if we’ve reduced faith to something rigid, predictable… and black and white?

Dr. Gary Kellner explores the history of nationalism, the moral confusion behind Christian nationalism, and the challenge of living together in a divided republic.

Harry Truman faced some of the most consequential decisions in modern history.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner examines the deeper history behind the conflict — the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s imperial tradition, and Vladimir Putin’s determination to rebuild a Russian empire.

After U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran, calls for regime change are growing in Washington. But removing a leader is not the same as stabilizing a nation.

A few hours ago, the United States and Israel launched another strike against Iran. If the objective is limited — eliminating nuclear capability — most Americans may support it. But if the mission expands toward regime change or ground forces, the stakes become far more serious.

Abraham Lincoln didn’t just preserve the Union—he modeled something our politics has nearly forgotten: the refusal to demonize. In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner explores Lincoln’s moral growth, his clarity during the Civil War, and the leadership virtue we need most right now: conviction without hatred.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner examines the roots of Iran’s current crisis — from the 1953 coup and the 1979 Revolution to today’s protests, sanctions, and nuclear tensions.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner explores why George Washington was the indispensable man of the American Revolution, and what his leadership still teaches us about character, restraint, and moral authority today.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner examines the Venezuela operation through the lens of American constitutional history. Moving beyond partisan slogans, the discussion traces presidential power from the Founders to modern precedent.

Dr. Gary Kellner will be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow for Advocacy Day. Antisemitism is no longer hiding. It’s out in the open—and growing. This is not new. That’s the warning.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner examines the growing national debate over ICE enforcement, following a fatal traffic stop involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

This episode is not about blame or condemnation. It is about understanding who we are, where we’ve been, and why the stories we tell — and refuse to tell — shape the future of a nation.

In Episode 4 of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner reflects on the life of Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French ally whose character, courage, and cooperation helped change the course of the American Revolution.

In this episode of Fair Game, Dr. Gary Kellner tackles one of the most uncomfortable questions in modern faith: Why church attendance is declining — and why so many people feel disconnected rather than inspired.

Dr. Gary Kellner examines the disturbing alliance between radical Islam and Marxism, showing how emotion-driven slogans and ideological confusion are eroding reason, moral clarity, and the cultural middle ground.

Dr. Gary Kellner argues that America’s deepest crisis isn’t political division, but an escape from reason—where emotion has replaced common sense and only wise, deliberate thinking can preserve the republic.

In this Christmas Special 2025, Dr. Gary Kellner reflects on Christmas burnout, the longing for renewal, and the quiet truth at the heart of the season — Emmanuel, God with us. A thoughtful conversation about faith, hope, and why Christmas still matters.