Dad Saves America
John Papola
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
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
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 28, 2026 • 59min
The TSA Wastes $12 Billion and Still Fails 90% of the Time
Air travel chaos, from spiraling security lines to staffing shortfalls, gets examined alongside a $12 billion federal program that still fails security checks. Political fights over DHS funding and creative offers to pay staff are debated. Privatized screening successes and research on competition are highlighted as alternatives to the current system.
9 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 2h 5min
You Can’t Simulate the Meaning of Your Life - Arthur Brooks
Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and bestselling author exploring happiness and meaning. He argues modern screen life fragments purpose. Short conversations cover masculinity, marriage habits that stick, how faith and practice shape belief, and why cultural repair matters more than policy. Practical, urgent, and personal reflections on finding a real-life calling.
Mar 21, 2026 • 1h 17min
$8 Gas. Oil Cut Off. Has Trump’s Iran Gamble Backfired?
A packed discussion of how Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz and rising fuel costs ripple through manufacturing, transport, and food. Diesel’s role as an inflation canary and why supply shocks challenge monetary policy get attention. The show compares energy strategies from California to Texas, explains refinery and crude mismatches, and traces geopolitics, pipelines, and the resource curse.
25 snips
Mar 19, 2026 • 1h 36min
The 97% Success Formula They Won't Teach in Schools - Ian Rowe
Ian Rowe, education entrepreneur and founder of Vertex Schools, argues for cultivating agency—moral free will that empowers kids. He discusses religion and family as moral anchors. He reframes entrepreneurship as problem solving, defends the success sequence of education-work-marriage, and calls for restoring standards, school choice, and virtue-based approaches to lift disadvantaged youth.
Mar 14, 2026 • 1h 30min
Islamic Terror Rising: Does America Need a New Crusade?
A wide-ranging look at recent terror attacks and whether they signal a renewed ideological threat on American soil. He examines intelligence lapses, suspect motivations, and links between radical Islam and progressive politics. Historical context and immigration, vetting, and civic cohesion are debated. The conversation ends with concerns about secular decline and calls for religious and cultural renewal.
Mar 12, 2026 • 3h 14min
Former Woke Mom Exposed "Gender-Affirming Care" Fraud
Mia Hughes, researcher and author of The WPATH Files who investigates gender-related medicine. She recounts how her reporting exposed weak science, institutional capture, and standards that pushed irreversible interventions for youth. The conversation covers WPATH’s rise, social contagion among adolescents, ethical and consent concerns, and why legal and medical systems adopted these practices.
Mar 7, 2026 • 1h 24min
Trump’s Iran Strike, Israeli Influence, and the Iraq War Hangover
A brisk tour of recent US‑Israeli strikes on Iran and the immediate regional fallout. Discussion of sectarian fault lines, oil shocks, and how neighboring powers reacted. A reexamination of the 1953 Iran narrative and the Shah’s legacy. Debate over whether Israeli pressure shaped US action and the risks of repeating Iraq‑era overconfidence.
Mar 5, 2026 • 1h 59min
Pastor Doug Wilson: America Was Built on Christian Nationalism
Pastor Doug Wilson, a Reformed pastor and author who founded ministries and schools in Moscow, Idaho, discusses Christian nationalism and American identity. He lays out how Christian moral assumptions should shape law. He talks about immigration, assimilation, the relationship of church and state, religious revival, and what a Christian-rooted nation might practically look like.
Feb 26, 2026 • 2h 50min
Lionel Shriver: The “Nation of Immigrants” Myth Makes America Weak
Lionel Shriver, novelist known for tackling controversial social issues and author of A Better Life. She questions the 'nation of immigrants' myth, argues for assimilation and selective immigration, raises concerns about large-scale Islamic migration, criticizes elite virtue signaling, and warns that immigration cannot fix demographic decline. Short, provocative, and combative conversation on culture, cohesion, and national self-interest.
Feb 20, 2026 • 2h 23min
The Old Left Understood Status. The Mamdani Left Weaponizes It. - Rob Henderson
Rob Henderson, author of Troubled and originator of the term "luxury beliefs," draws on foster-care roots and military service to explore status, class, and social mobility. He traces how elites signal status, why desire for more fuels envy, and how rituals, gratitude, and disciplined habits shape outcomes. Conversations touch on dating, military discipline, and turning a memoir into a film.
