Billy Dees

Billy Dees Podcast: Joel Rakow on Free Speech, Censorship, the Constitution, and Life in Woke AmericaBilly Dees talks with author Joel Rakow about his novel Life in Woke America: A Family’s Story of Truth and Betrayal Under Fire, a work of fiction inspired by real events. Their wide-ranging conversation examines free speech, censorship, political polarization, institutional power, the COVID-19 era, and the importance of pursuing truth in a society where competing narratives increasingly collide.Rakow explains how real-world events, including the discovery of a Chinese biological laboratory in California and the subsequent congressional investigation, helped inspire his story. He also discusses what he describes as efforts to suppress or limit the visibility of his book and the broader implications of what is commonly called shadow banning.The conversation moves into a discussion of the U.S. Constitution and whether constitutional principles can provide a framework for evaluating political leaders, institution