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Acton Line podcast: Antifa explained; America’s Founders in the crosshairs
Acton Line podcast: Antifa explained; America’s Founders in the crosshairs
Jan 11, 2026 8:03 AM

On June 29, violent riots between alt-right groups and Antifa broke out in Portland, Oregon, leaving several people with severe injuries. Portland is ing a hotbed for violent, left-wing groups. Who is Antifa and what are they protesting? Rev. Ben Johnson, senior editor at Acton, joins the podcast to explain the events of the protest and Antifa’s objective. After that, Craig Bruce Smith, professor of history at William Woods University, joins the show to bring attention to an increasing dismissal of America’s Founders and how some are trying to erase the founders’ legacies from history. The Founders were slaveholders and not without faults. How should we approach this history of slavery in the context of America’s founding?

Check out additional resources for this podcast:

Two more Oregon men left bloody after violent antifa attack at Portland protest

Portland mayor, e under fire after right-wing writer attacked at protest

Ted Cruz seeks federal action against Portland mayor after antifa attacks journalist

The spiritual core of political hate

You Can’t Celebrate America’s Independence While Vilifying The Founders

How to Understand Slavery and the American Founding

Letter to the Editor: George Washington should be honored, not vilified

San Francisco School Will Cover Controversial George Washington Murals

Purchase “American Honor: The Creation of the Nation’s Ideals during the Revolutionary Era,” by Craig Bruce Smith

New to the Acton Line podcast? Subscribe here! We also mend starting with these episodes:

Mourning the Notre-Dame cathedral inferno; Rev. Robert Sirico on education

F.A. Hayek’s Road to Serfdom; The media vs. ‘Unplanned’

Rev. Robert A. Sirico on the reality of socialism; Interview with a Venezuelan dissident

Do you have feedback for the Acton Line podcast team? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]. If you like Acton Line, don’t forget to leave a rating and review on iTunes!

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