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In uncertain times what’s needed is not just clarity about today’s pandemic, but insight into the challenges that lie ahead as America recovers and returns to normal. GoodFellows, a weekly Hoover Institution broadcast, features senior fellows John Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, and H.R. McMaster discussing the social, economic, and geostrategic ramifications of this changed world.
Episodes

25 minutes ago
25 minutes ago
In contrast to the 20th-century bosses of industry who ran America’s big cities, New York City seems poised to elect an unabashed socialist with dreams of government-run bodegas, rent freezes, and wealth redistribution. Rick Caruso, noted Los Angeles real estate developer and possible political candidate in 2026, joins GoodFellows regulars and Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss the future of America’s big cities—whether his other major cities will follow Gotham’s lead, plus how to bring needed change to municipalities notoriously averse to innovation (and in LA’s case, a city perhaps unprepared for the 2028 Summer Olympics).
The three fellows next reflect on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, now entering its 42nd month with no end in sight, then engage in a “lightning round” that touches on Harvard’s reported desire to create a Hoover Institution of its own; Hunter Biden’s skewed take on illegal immigration; the Epstein scandal’s effect on the MAGA movement; plus a “heated” debate over why Sir Niall and his countrymen choose to live without air conditioning.
Recorded on July 22, 2025.
Subscribe for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.

Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Thursday Jul 03, 2025
How does a promising young scholar go from dreams of designing glider planes to the study of physics and then on to a celebrated career as one of the world’s foremost monetary economists? In a “solo” installment of GoodFellows, John Cochrane—Hoover’s Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson senior fellow and coauthor of the newly released Crisis Cycle: Challenges, Evolution, and Future of the Euro—discusses his academic journey, his mentors, and the fellow economists who’ve inspired him along the way; his ongoing concerns with inflation and debt; plus his interest in penning a follow-up to Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose. Later, John takes part in a “Herbert Hoover Questionnaire,” in which he details proper airplane etiquette (if you occupy the window seat, raise the shade!), describes the virtues of his beloved family dog, and extols the culinary skills of his wife (author Elizabeth Fama, who makes a cameo appearance at the show’s end for the couple’s 39th wedding anniversary).

Friday Jun 27, 2025
Friday Jun 27, 2025
US forces launched bomb and missile strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, followed soon by an Iran-Israel ceasefire and the beginning of what could be a diplomatic realignment across the Middle East. The GoodFellows regulars and Hoover Senior Fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and former White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster discuss the collateral impact of the Trump administration’s move against the Iranian regime. The fallout includes: a possible expansion of Abraham Accords participants (as the Gulf States help Iran pursue a more peaceful nuclear program); NATO members willing to invest more in military readiness; the media’s second-guessing the effectiveness and wisdom of the B2 sorties; plus what message Trump’s use of military might—as opposed to revolving-door diplomacy—sends to the world’s various mischief-making capitals (Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang).
Recorded on June 27, 2025.

Monday Jun 16, 2025
Monday Jun 16, 2025
Israel launches air attacks intended to destroy Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, Iran retaliates with missile strikes on Israeli cities, and the world waits to see what comes next – a return to the status quo, neighboring countries drawn into the conflict, or an end to the Iranian theocracy? GoodFellows regulars and Hoover senior fellows Sir Niall Ferguson and former White House national security advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster discuss whether the Israeli goal of ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions is possible without U.S. assistance, how President Trump might respond if asked to directly engage, if the conflict will expand beyond the present bilateral exchanges, plus the outcome of regime change in a culturally diverse Iran (a peaceful transition or Libya 2.0?). After that: in honor of the 250th birthday of the United States Army, H.R. shares the thoughts of a fellow American general tasked with winning a war for liberty.

Tuesday May 27, 2025
Tuesday May 27, 2025
Is China hell-bent on a move against Taiwan, or does its saber-rattling not square with a military capability that’s perhaps overestimated? Frank Dikötter, a Hoover senior fellow specializing in the history of modern China, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to discuss his reading of China’s desire and ability to project power, including its manufacturing capability and its suppression of individual liberties, plus the durability of Xi Jinping’s rule.
Recorded on May 23, 2025.

Thursday May 15, 2025
Thursday May 15, 2025
America and China take a 90-day time-out in their dispute over tariffs; President Trump’s tour of the Middle East—the first overseas trip of his second term—raises unsettling questions about both his regional strategy and his family’s business dealings; and hostilities between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan raise questions of behind-the-scenes great-power machinations amidst “Cold War 2.”
Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster discuss what’s at stake in these various parts of the globe. After that: the three fellows debate the severity of Chinese espionage in America’s universities; and how AI’s ability to shortcut the learning process will impact the future of higher education.
Recorded on May 14, 2025.

Thursday May 08, 2025
Thursday May 08, 2025
Harvard University and the Trump administration do battle over civil rights, funding, and tax status. Europe confronts unpleasant realities as it honors the 80th anniversary of VE Day. And the Pentagon contemplates how new weaponry and technology will change the future of warfare.
It’s all part of a special “bring your own topic” episode of GoodFellows, which also examines the recent White House national security shakeup; the merits of a June 14 parade to celebrate the US Army’s 250th anniversary (it’s also President Trump’s 79th birthday); and the legacy of legendary “value investor” Warren Buffett as he steps down as Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO. Finally, with Mother’s Day approaching, the fellows reflect on the remarkable women who brought them into the world.
Recorded on May 6, 2025.

Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Rejected by voters last November, the Democratic Party is perhaps afforded new life given President Trump’s decline in popularity and economic uncertainty ahead. What is the party’s message?
Rep. Ro Khanna, a prominent progressive voice whose California district includes parts of Silicon Valley, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss tariffs and the use of executive power, “blue state” mismanagement, the feasibility of a “Marshall Plan” for economically downtrodden parts of America, plus the chances of Democrats parting ways with their “old guard.” After that: the three fellows weigh in on the Trump presidency at the 100-day mark, the future of Catholicism after the death of Pope Francis, tax exemption for universities, their go-to takeout food (pizza yes; haggis, no), plus two April landmarks—the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
Recorded on April 28, 2025.

Friday Apr 11, 2025
Viewer Mail: The GoodFellows Answer Your Questions
Friday Apr 11, 2025
Friday Apr 11, 2025
What are the economic and geopolitical effects of President Trump's imposition of tariffs on America's trading friends and foes? In an episode devoted solely to viewers' questions, Hoover senior fellows Sir Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster delve into the certain volatility (and uncertain logic) of Trump's tariff maneuvers, what the future holds for the European Union, institutional decline within the U.S., plus what if any parallels between historical periods past and present (do all roads lead to Rome or Richard Nixon?).
Also discussed: the uniqueness of a hybrid American republic/empire, "sleeper" nations that might emerge as powerhouses by 2050, and recommended biographies for secondary-school readers. Finally, as this month marks GoodFellows' fifth anniversary, the three fellows reflect on what they've learned over the course of gathering online and in-person for 150-plus shows.
Recorded on April 10, 2025.

Thursday Mar 27, 2025
Mixed Signals and Emerging Technology with Amy Zegart
Thursday Mar 27, 2025
Thursday Mar 27, 2025
Does America have a plan for winning the competition of the future—mastering artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and space, plus other material and developmental sciences? Amy Zegart, the Hoover Institution’s Morris Arnold and Nona Cox Senior Fellow and cochair of the Stanford Emerging Technology Review (SETR), explains how this one-of-a-kind partnership between the Hoover Institution and Stanford University’s School of Engineering gives policymakers the tools they need to better address the challenges facing cutting-edge industries. Also discussed: the Trump national security team’s inelegant use of a chat app while prepping for a military strike in Yemen, plus the significance (or lack thereof) of Trump’s nemeses caving in to his demands—and whether other entities (Canada, Panama, Greenland, Venezuela’s trade partners) will follow suit.
Recorded on March 26, 2025.
Download the SETR report here: Stanford Emerging Technology Review 2025