Heard at Heritage

The U.S. military is pursuing innovative market-based strategies to combat declining recruitment and retention rates. Military personnel cite inadequate education options for their children as a major source of discontent. All too often, military personnel are placed in the impossible situation of choosing between their children’s future and their duty to their country. However, a recent proposal in the House and Senate seeks to alleviate this tension by offering education savings accounts to military-connected children. The new policy would allow parents to tailor their children’s education to their unique needs. These changes are imperative to ensure that the U.S. military remains an effective and ready fighting force.Please join us for a discussion about the effect of education savings accounts and the future of the U.S. military. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the United States need an American Foreign Legion, recruited globally, to fight wars that have “moved beyond lethality” and that are now firmly entrenched in what many call “gray zone conflict,” that area between conventional war and idealized peace?“Cunning adversaries like China exploit the space between war and peace for victory,” while the U.S. remains stuck in a perception of war that favors conventional military operations increasingly irrelevant to the modern age.Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Sean McFate who, in his new book, proposes the new rules of war for an “age of entropy [in which] corporations, mercenaries, and rogue states have more power and nation-states have less.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An eye-opening report that reveals the link between extensive marijuana use and mental illness, as well as a hidden risk of violence linked to such use of the drug. With marijuana use soaring, and states from coast to coast legalizing the drug, award-winning author and former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson warns that cannabis legalization advocates have misled Americans about the drug’s safety. For decades, advocacy groups have pushed dangerous myths about cannabis: it can treat many different diseases, it can solve the American opioid epidemic, and so forth. Americans have listened. Since 2006, and especially in the last few years, marijuana use has spiked. The United States now has higher rates of use than any other major country, and cannabis is far more potent than it was even 20 years ago.Unfortunately, that growth has happened in the face of powerful new evidence that marijuana can be deeply harmful to mental health. Scientists agree that, for some people whom we cannot identify in advance, cannabis use can lead to psychosis, a mental break with reality that sometimes produces terrifying violence. Berenson has interviewed some of the world’s foremost experts on marijuana and mental illness and illustrated their views with stories of the real-world harm that marijuana can cause. Berenson elegantly builds his case. Deeply researched and elegantly written, Tell Your Children makes you question whether legalization is worth the risk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. Navy’s recently released 2020 Budget Request and new Long-Range Shipbuilding Plan have created controversy and numerous questions from Congress and defense analysts. Most significant is the decision to retire several ships early while delaying other shipbuilding programs to prioritize the funding of platforms and technologies that are presumably more distributed, lethal and survivable; such as attack submarines, unmanned systems, directed energy weapons, artificial intelligence, and hypersonic missiles. While having the potential to revolutionize warfare and the future fleet, most of these systems are still in their infancy, and the Navy is only now experimenting to assess their potential. While the decision to cancel the refueling of carrier USS Truman has garnered the most attention, the delay in two amphibious ship programs, the retirement of six guided missile cruisers and other decisions will have lasting effects on fleet size and the shipbuilding industry. Although these and several other budget choices are portrayed as “investment decisions” not “warfighting decisions”, they will likely prevent the Navy from achieving the required number of aircraft carriers and amphibious warships over the next 30 years. This causes some to argue that cuts in funding for these ship programs prior to the completion of the Navy’s new force structure assessment are premature and sends mixed signals on some of the Navy’s largest shipbuilding programs. Join our group of expert panelists as we decipher the Navy’s 2020 Budget Request and its implications for the fleet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Conservative Women's Network event co-hosted by The Heritage Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The job of a prosecutor is not just to seek convictions but to seek justice. So when reports emerge of prosecutors abusing their power, it can shake public confidence in the entire justice system. Reformers argue that prosecutors exercise too much power with little or no oversight. Defenders of the current system argue that prosecutors work tirelessly to keep people safe from criminals and that abuses are extremely rare.Join us for a special screening of a short documentary, by FedSoc Films, that explores the powerful role of prosecutors in our criminal justice system. Immediately following the film will be panel discussion with several criminal law experts featured in the film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in travels to Washington to coordinate with President Trump on policy toward North Korea after the unsuccessful Hanoi Summit. Seoul had hoped a U.S.-North Korean agreement would lead to relaxation of some sanctions and enable inter-Korean economic projects. There was no agreement in Hanoi and U.S. policy on sanctions since has been, at best, inconsistent. Meanwhile, neither the U.S. nor South Korea have been willing to confront Pyongyang over its atrocious human rights record.Join us as a distinguished panel of experts discusses the U.S.-South Korean relationship and recommendations for coordinating policy on North Korea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson has given lectures all over the world—drawing massive audiences with a message that empowers and challenges them to find meaning in their lives through personal responsibility. He shared his wisdom with hundreds of Heritage Foundation supporters in New York City in this captivating conversation with Genevieve Wood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Title IX was created in order to ensure that women had access to equal opportunities as men, including in sports. Now that legacy is threatened. New gender identity policies, which allow biological males who self-identify as women to compete against biological females, put women at a disadvantage. These policies can cost female athletes the titles, records, and scholarships that are rightfully theirs and even lead to serious sports-related injuries. Now, these policies could be imposed nationwide should lawmakers pass the Equality Act, a bill that would elevate “gender identity” as a protected class under federal anti-discrimination law.A fair playing field must acknowledge the enduring biological differences between males and females. Gender identity policies ignore this fact and so erase the unique talents and achievements of girls and women.Please join us for a conversation on this important topic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Divisive politicians. Screaming heads on television. Angry campus activists. Twitter trolls. Today in America there is an “outrage industrial complex” that prospers by setting American against American, creating a “culture of contempt” — the habit of seeing those who disagree with you as not merely incorrect but also worthless as people.Brooks reminds us that today, one in six Americans have stopped talking to close friends and family members over politics, millions are organizing their social lives and curating their news to avoid hearing different viewpoints. Ideological polarization is at its worst since the Civil War. At the same time, 93 percent of Americans are tired of the country’s disunity.So, instead of retreating and hunkering down in ideological bubbles, Brooks proposes new, practical steps for healthy engagement with our opponents. Blending the latest behavioral research and ancient wisdom, Brooks offers a better way to lead by bridging divides and mending relationships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Socialists fall prey to a common mistake. When defending the superiority of socialism over capitalism, they compare an idealized description of socialism, where people are imagined to behave and institutions to function as the socialist desires, to what they take to be a realistic depiction of capitalism. They compare an ideal to the real; big surprise; the ideal wins. But if we compare apples to apples, ideal capitalism to ideal socialism, and realistic capitalism to realistic socialism, capitalism “wins” hands down.For a complete list of speakers, topics, and dates of the Free Markets: The Ethical Economic Choice speaker series visit heritage.org/free-markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is America in a cold civil war? Many prominent commentators think so. And not without reason. As the culture wars of the past several decades have intensified, the country now finds itself deeply divided. Americans disagree not just about politics, but also about foundational questions regarding the meaning of equality and very the purpose of our nation. As Americans grow apart in our understanding on these fundamentals, we seem to be becoming two distinct nations living in the same country. What remains unclear is where these growing differences will lead, if they can be resolved, and what principle will unify us in the future. Please join us as our panelists share their analysis of America’s divisions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to treating young people who believe they are the opposite sex, who either suffer from gender dysphoria or self-identify as transgender, physicians have been instructed by their professional associations to provide "affirmative care." Transition-affirming therapies are virtually untested and inflict lasting harms: decreased sexual function, increased health risks, and sterility, just to name a few. Instead of providing parents with medical information and evidence-based studies, parents are told that these risky treatments will prevent their child from committing suicide, blurring the line between “informed consent” and “coercion.”It is essential that we start a conversation about these risky hormonal treatments and irreversible surgical interventions.Please join us for a panel discussion on the medical risks associated with these therapies, the ideology driving this scientific experiment, and the need for increased transparency in the medical community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last Fall, the Secretary of the Air Force stated that, at just 312 operational squadrons, her service was too small for what the nation was asking it to do. The reemergence of long-term, strategic competition with China and Russia requires it to field a force with a robust fifth generation capability and a capacity that allows it to compete, deter, and win anytime, anywhere. To do that, the Air Force needs to expand its force to 386 operational squadrons including seven additional fighter, five bomber, and 14 tanker squadrons – an additional force structure that Heritage assesses will cost more than 80 billion dollars to acquire.And yet, the recently announced budget for 2020 did not accelerate the acquisition rate for the F-35 or the KC-46, and it added $1.1B in funding for eight new fourth-generation F-15Xs.During this engagement, the secretary will discuss the capacity and capability priorities actualized in the 2020 budget, and how it feeds her service’s quest to not just expand the capacity of the Air Force, but to give it the capabilities it needs to win a war against a near peer competitor.A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Secretary Wilson was an Air Force officer from 1982 to 1989. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You are invited to attend the inaugural session of the Transatlantic Security After the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty event series, presented by the Ronald Reagan Institute and The Heritage Foundation. On December 8, 1987, President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Michael Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, thereby eliminating an entire classification of nuclear and conventional missiles. Walking the Cold War powers back from a potential nuclear conflict remains one of President Reagan’s most important accomplishments. For many years after the Cold War, the INF Treaty effectively prevented another arms race between the United States and Russia and stood as a bulwark of transatlantic security.In response to continuing Russian violations of the treaty, the United States formally suspended its INF obligations and will withdraw from the treaty in August. The U.S. withdrawal, which comes in the context of renewed turbulence in transatlantic security, only highlights the growing need to deter a resurgent Russia. Join us for a keynote address from the Honorable Raimundas Karoblis, the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Lithuania. Sharing a Lithuanian perspective on the U.S.-European security relationship in a post-INF world, Minister Karoblis will address the challenges posed by the new strategic environment, as well as areas for continued transatlantic security cooperation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Special Policy Dialogue featuring President Tsai Ing-wen, Ed Feulner, Senator Cory Gardner, and Congressman Ted Yoho. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe remains in flux. The implications of populism, political fragmentation, and the upending of traditional political paradigms in many countries are not yet fully understood. The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union, and the continent continues to grapple with the repercussions of large-scale migration and the return of great power competition. Threats from Russia and terrorism remain potent, while Europe has only begun to grapple with rising Chinese assertiveness and economic investments. Upcoming European Parliamentary elections in May could be a defining moment. Join us as our panelists assess how EU elections could affect the future of Europe. How are shifting political dynamics in the EU influencing competing visions for Europe’s future? How will the role of the nation state in Europe likely evolve? What do changes to Europe’s political makeup mean for transatlantic relations? What areas of synergy should U.S. policymakers focus on for maximum impact? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Within the framework of “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong people enjoy the privileges of living within a free and open society governed by the rule of law and bound together by common values and respect for human rights.Join us as Mrs. Anson Chan, who the media has often called the ‘Iron Lady’ of Hong Kong discusses the challenges facing Hong Kong in holding fast to these values, both in the context of the rise of China on the global stage and in an increasingly polarized international community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have tried to expand their power to regulate waters well beyond what is authorized under the Clean Water Act. This federal overreach has hurt many ordinary Americans and trampled on their property rights. Recently, the Trump Administration proposed a new rule that will hopefully rein in these federal power grabs. While there are important legal and environmental reasons to address this overreach, it is also critical to understand who has been directly harmed. Join us for this event that will provide first-hand accounts of the real-life abuses and highlight the “horror stories” that have occurred over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The digital future will be shaped by the next, fifth generation of wireless technology, commonly known as a “5G.” With key aspects of this new digital infrastructure already rolling out, Huawei, a controversial government-connected Chinese firm has taken the global lead in critical areas of 5G technology. This has sparked an intense debate among members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S.) and beyond about the national security implications of future digital technology infrastructure and the need to develop new tools and authorities to defend against new national security threats in a rapidly-evolving environment. This debate has already produced new investment screening mechanisms in several Western capitals and new efforts to reject or better scrutinize proposed Chinese investments. Where do we go from here? Will all members of the Five Eyes ban Huawei equipment? If one member does allow Huawei to develop their 5G infrastructure, how will that affect intelligence sharing? Will the Five Eyes seek to develop alternatives, including promoting Huawei’s competitors, and how will that affect the market? What further steps must the democracies take in order to secure their digital futures? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Conservative Women's network event in honor of Women's History Month co-hosted by the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On November 2014, Dr. Wen-Je Ko, an independent and a political novice, was elected as the mayor of Taipei City, Taiwan. As a surgeon who had served as the head of the Intensive Care Unit at National Taiwan University Hospital for 17 years, Mayor Ko brings a much different set of skills and new thinking to his task than other politicians. Mayor Ko says he aims to overcome the ideological obstacles of being associated with a political party and directly appeals to the needs of the people. What does that mean for how Taiwan addresses its domestic and international challenges? Join us as Mayor Ko shares his experiences in politics, including his governing concepts and values as well as his opinions on Taiwan’s domestic and international situations and its future development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For nearly a century, the Academy Awards have been given to Hollywood’s favorite movies and the people who made them—from Casablanca and Titanic to 2018’s winner, Green Book. But a large cultural gap has developed between the awards and Middle America. Nominated movies like the pot-boiler Vice and politically-correct speeches by Oscar winners like Spike Lee have sparked questions like: Who are the members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences? What is their political affiliation? What is the process that decides the winners? Are the results skewed by the millions of dollars spent to promote this movie and that actor? And there are larger questions: Why does Hollywood avoid making movies that celebrate America’s past? Should cultural conservatives step up and underwrite up-lifting movies like It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street? Do the Academy Awards still matter or is it time for an alternative film festival?We agree with Andrew Breitbart that politics is downstream from culture and invite you to attend a far-ranging discussion of the recent Academy Awards and whether they reflect the cultural views of most Americans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Contemporary Supreme Court jurisprudence treats “property” as far less deserving of judicial protection than “life” or “liberty.” The Supreme Court, however, has misread American legal history. Anglo-American traditions, customs, and law held that property was an essential ingredient of the liberty that the colonists had come to enjoy and that must be protected against arbitrary governmental interference. The Framers' generation believed that “property” and “liberty” were equally important institutions and that neither one could exist without the other. The Framers venerated property as a means of guaranteeing personal independence because (among other things) the concept of “property” embraced the legal rights to which everyone was entitled, such as the right to governance under “the rule of law.” Property was not immune from regulation, but that regulation had to be for the purpose of promoting “the general Welfare,” not the interests of specific groups or people. It is time for the Supreme Court to revisit Anglo-American legal history and to re-examine its precedents in light of what that history teaches.For a complete list of speakers, topics, and dates of the Free Markets: The Ethical Economic Choice speaker series visit heritage.org/free-markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While Washington focuses on federal policies, the 50 states serve as an example to national lawmakers of policies that help and those that hurt. This year’s 11th edition of the Rich States Poor States, the ALEC-Laffer State Competitiveness Index, examines what states have been doing to either grow their populations and economies or to shrink them.Of particular note in 2018 was how states responded to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which brought about both unexpected revenue gains as well as a limit to states’ ability to pass their high-taxes onto federal taxpayers through the state and local tax deduction.In addition to taxes, the report examines states’ business environments, labor policies, and growing pension burdens. As the authors find, people are voting with their feet based on which states offer lower costs, fewer regulations, and greater opportunities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The House and Senate Judiciary Committees have broad jurisdiction, with both playing a powerful and critical role in Congress. In the Senate, the committee is responsible for providing oversight over key activities of the executive branch, including the Department of Justice, and is responsible for the confirmation process of judicial and many executive branch nominations. The House Judiciary Committee, often referred to as the lawyer for the House of Representatives, has jurisdiction over matters relating to the administration of justice in Federal courts, administrative bodies, and law enforcement agencies. With the beginning of the 116th Congress, and the changes that the mid-term elections ushered in, now is an opportune time to assess what’s going on and to clearly lay out a conservative agenda for both chambers.We are delighted to have Senator Lindsey Graham, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Congressman Doug Collins, Ranking Member on the House Judiciary Committee, join us to discuss their priorities for the new Congress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On February 3, 2019 Nayib Bukele was elected president of El Salvador with one of the highest majorities in the Central American nation’s history. His election also marks the first time a third party candidate won the presidency since the 1992 Peace Accords. His election takes place at an opportune moment for El Salvador and U.S.-Salvadoran relations.Come join us to hear the president-elect’s reform agenda for El Salvador. In keeping with his campaign slogan “there’s enough money when no one steals”, Bukele will discuss his plans for fighting corruption. He will also discuss his policies for strengthening the rule of law and creating economic growth. Necessary to his agenda will be deepening and broadening cooperation with the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After six years of failed attempts to get Russia to return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty obligations, the U.S. officially announced its intention to withdraw from the treaty on December 4, 2018. To date, much of the discussion surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty has focused on the implications for Russia, the European Union, and trans-Atlantic relations. Far less attention has been devoted to the implications for U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific. Specifically, what does America’s withdrawal from the INF treaty mean for U.S. partners and allies in the region? How does this decision stand to effect the conventional military balance in the region? What are the implications for U.S.-China relations and how has it been received in Beijing, which is not a party to the INF treaty and has been investing in its land-based missile capabilities for decades? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The suffering of America's working class is real. Immobility, inequality, a retreat from marriage, and deaths of despair are the symptoms. In short, for much of the country, the American Dream is dead. The root cause is the collapse of local community for the working-class. The institutions of civil society that are still strong in some parts of America, specifically among the elites, are fading away as America secularizes and the classes drift apart. Join Tim Carney as he discusses his new book, Alienated America, documenting these tragic realities, and what we can do to combat them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Equating capitalism with colonialism, Africa’s nationalist leaders rejected it and adopted socialism in the 1960s. Foreign companies were nationalized, a string of state-owned enterprises were established and a plethora of state controls on rent, prices, imports and foreign exchange were imposed to capture the commanding heights of the economy. But nowhere in Africa was the socialist experiment successful. It was a miserable fiasco in country after country including Angola (under dos Santos), Benin (under Kerekou), Ethiopia (under Mengistu), Ghana (under Nkrumah), Guinea (under Toure), Mali (under Keita), Mozambique (under Chissano), Tanzania (under Nyerere), and Zambia, among others.In 1961, workers on Ghana state farms barely produce enough to feed themselves let alone the nation. In Tanzania, Ujamaa destroyed the country’s agriculture. Ethiopia’s misguided villagization program did the same. Zimbabwe socialist experiment ended in disaster, transforming the country which used to be called the breadbasket of the region into a net food importer, with millions facing starvation. Over 4 million fled the country into neighboring countries such as Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. Tragically, South Africa is gearing up to repeat these catastrophic mistakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Six states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws providing for “physician-assisted suicide.” Sometimes proposed as relief for patients undergoing pain and suffering, physician-assisted suicide constitutes a major break with the traditional medical ethics embodied in the Hippocratic Oath that call on doctors to heal patients. Many analysts across the ideological spectrum agree: the normalization of medical killing poses a threat to the poor, disabled, and vulnerable members of society.How can policymakers address the need for persons to plan for terminal illness - and improve end of life care?Our expert panel will address these and many other questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the past few years, the world has seen the dramatic movement of Islamist terrorists to war zones around the world. While this is not a new phenomenon, the elevated level of terrorist travel to places like Syria and Iraq from many nations in Europe and North America was deeply concerning to many policymakers across the globe. Now as ISIS loses its last stronghold in Syria, similar concerns over returning terrorist fighters must be addressed. The U.S. led the way following 9/11 in its efforts to combat terrorist travel through intelligence sharing programs like the Visa Waiver Program and a revamped vetting system. Other countries are also following suit, with the EU recently implementing passenger name record vetting, but more remains to be done to ensure that terrorists are unable to travel to carry out their violent endeavors.Please join us for an address and conversation with Ambassador Nathan Sales on the status of the fight against terrorist travel and what needs be done going forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Smith has been called the “father of capitalism.” The Nobel Prize winning economist George Stigler called Smith the “high priest of self-interest.” But what did Smith really think? As a virtue ethicist Smith believed that people were good (for the most part) and that self-interest, though important and different from selfishness, was not enough to create a vibrant society. This talk will cover religion, morality, and (of course) economics.For a complete list of speakers, topics, and dates of the Free Markets: The Ethical Economic Choice speaker series visit heritage.org/free-markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though the First Amendment’s command that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” is straightforward, the Supreme Court’s Establishment Clause jurisprudence is anything but clear. To determine if a government action amounts to an establishment of religion, the Supreme Court has developed a number of tests looking for excessive entanglement, endorsement, or coercion, to name a few, that are inconsistently applied. When it comes to the constitutionality of passive displays on government property, such as the Ten Commandments, Christmas decorations, and war memorials with crosses, the lower courts are divided about how and when to apply the various tests, leading to unpredictable results. In The American Legion v. American Humanist Association, the Supreme Court has been asked to review the constitutionality of a 93-year-old World War I memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland that includes a 40-foot cross. Will the Supreme Court seize the opportunity to bring much-needed clarity to its Establishment Clause jurisprudence? What impact could a broad ruling have on religion in America? Join us at The Heritage Foundation the day after the oral argument at the Supreme Court as a panel of experts discuss these and many other questions surrounding this important issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the first submarine strategic deterrent patrol by USS George Washington (SSBN-598) in 1960, U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarines (or SSBNs) have provided the most survivable leg of the U.S. Strategic Nuclear Triad. U.S. SSBNs on patrol are virtually undetectable and hold adversary strategic targets constantly at risk. Today’s force of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs carry 70 percent of deployed U.S. strategic nuclear warheads, and when they retire after a 42-year service life, they will be the longest serving submarines in U.S. Naval history. The 12 planned Columbia-class submarines will provide an overdue modernization of the U.S. sea-based strategic deterrent force and will possess advanced stealth technologies to ensure they remain survivable against evolving threats into the 2080s. Strategic nuclear modernization critics have questioned the need to modernize the U.S. SSBN force and argued that a smaller number of Columbia-class SSBNs can provide a sufficient deterrent capability. Our panel of experts will explore the importance of a modern SSBN force on deterring adversaries and the impacts of reducing the number of U.S. SSBNs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Heritage Foundation and The Gloucester Institute present the 2nd Annual Jay A. Parker Lecture and Reception in honor of Jay A. Parker, founding father of the emerging black conservative movement. Come engage with prominent leaders about the dangerous decline in civil discourse and salute emerging leaders who are making significant contributions to our nation.As the leader of the Lincoln Institute for Education and Research, Jay Parker earned the title, founding father of the emerging black conservative movement. He shared his voice with many black conservative intellectuals as editor of The Lincoln Review. As an active member of the American African Affairs Association, he also worked to spread freedom and democracy in newly independent African nations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was over three decades ago, when then-Attorney General Ed Meese initiated an important spirited national debate about the proper application of our most important governing document—the U.S. Constitution. Since then, Originalism has emerged as a serious theory of constitutional interpretation that has permeated the judiciary and the academy. Originalists believe that the Constitution and laws should be interpreted based on their actual text and original public meaning. Conversely, proponents of a “Living Constitution,” stress the need to adapt the Constitution “to cope with current problems and current needs.” These two theories will go head-to-head in a spirited debate with two well-known constitutional scholars, John Eastman and Michael Gerhardt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The National Security Strategy of the United States (December 2017) highlighted the need for U.S. intelligence and homeland security experts to work with law enforcement and civic leaders on terrorism prevention. The National Strategy for Counterterrorism (October 2018) further stated that terrorism prevention must be an integral part of our counterterrorism strategy. Given the administration’s prioritization of terrorism prevention, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducted a comprehensive review of its terrorism prevention programs, both internally and with the assistance of an external review by the RAND Corporation.Elizabeth Neumann, Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy, will present the findings of the RAND report, followed by a discussion on how DHS is building an effective approach to terrorism prevention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The title “Bit Player” perfectly reflects Stephen Hess’s long and distinguished career as a Washington insider. As a 25-year-old, recently discharged Army private in 1958, he suddenly found himself as part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s speechwriting team that ultimately helped draft the famed “Farewell Address” warning of the influence of the “military industrial complex.” Then over the next two decades, Hess played bit roles aiding Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan—along the way observing up-close those presidents and many other senior political leaders. During his subsequent four-and-a-half decades at the Brookings Institution, Hess was well-positioned to monitor and comment on the achievements and failures of successive administrations.This memoir by a certified member of Washington’s old-guard establishment is rich with insight into contemporary American democracy, poignant in its reflections of avoidable missteps by even the best and most experienced leaders, and consistently good-humored in the author’s self-awareness of his own role behind the scenes of political power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Vladimir Putin first took power in 1999, he was a little-known figure ruling a country that was reeling from a decade and a half of crisis. In the years since, he has reestablished Russia as a great power. How did he do it? What principles have guided Putin’s economic policies? What patterns can be discerned? In this new analysis of Putin’s Russia, Chris Miller examines its economic policy and the tools Russia’s elite have used to achieve its goals. Miller argues that despite Russia’s corruption, cronyism, and overdependence on oil as an economic driver, Putin’s economic strategy has been surprisingly successful.Explaining the economic policies that underwrote Putin’s two-decades-long rule, Miller shows how, at every juncture, Putinomics has served Putin’s needs by guaranteeing economic stability and supporting his accumulation of power. Even in the face of Western financial sanctions and low oil prices, Putin has never been more relevant on the world stage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please join The Heritage Foundation and the International Republican Institute for a conversation about Venezuela with Senator Marco Rubio. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, and a member of IRI’s Board, the senior senator from Florida has played a critical role in shaping a democratic transition in Venezuela.Senator Rubio will discuss the political developments in Venezuela, the new government of interim President Juan Guaidó, and next steps for U.S. policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Socialism is a distortion, in a collectivist direction, of human beings’ natural need for familial connection with others. But socialism and the family are incompatible. The family requires independence from governmental interference in order to flourish, and parents know its needs better than government officials can. Meanwhile, the breakdown of the traditional family leads to greater need for state assistance. The ethos of self-gratification that weakens commitment to the family also leads to increased desire for services from the state. Hence it is no accident that, historically, advocacy of socialism has always tended to go hand in hand with hostility to the traditional family structure. Anyone opposed to socialism should defend the traditional family and anyone concerned to defend the traditional family should oppose socialism.For a complete list of speakers, topics, and dates of the Free Markets: The Ethical Economic Choice speaker series visit heritage.org/free-markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation with Dr. Kim Holmes and Amb. Terry Miller about why Economic freedom matters and how Heritage's Index of Economic Freedom became the measuring stick by which governments evaluate their own performance, and compare their progress to their neighbors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Threats to religious freedom in China were on the rise in 2018, especially after the Chinese government instituted its new Regulations on Religious Affairs in February 2018. Christians in China are facing newfound persecution. Between September and December of last year, three major churches, the Early Rain Covenant Church, Zion Church, and Rongguilli Church were shuttered. Muslims in Xinjiang are experiencing terrifying surveillance and between 800,000 to more than 1 million individuals are now held in political “reeducation” facilities facing unknown fates. Persecution of Tibetans likewise intensified with religious structures and homes of Tibetans destroyed. Persons of faith are increasingly under siege as China attempts to “Sinicize”, or secularize, religious practice so that it conforms to the values and priorities of the Chinese Communist Party. Promoting religious freedom has been in the U.S. ethos for generations, and over the past year the U.S. government has consistently condemned heightened threats to religious freedom in China. Please join us as we consider next steps the U.S. government can take to hold China accountable for its violations of religious freedom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are seeing a significant increase in the number of nationwide injunctions issued by federal district court judges against the federal government. Are such judges acting outside of their jurisdictional limits? Are their actions constitutional and within the procedural precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court? Do such injunctions promote forum shopping and do they violate class action requirements? Does this restrict the development of the law and violate the organizational structure of the federal judicial system by freezing legal issues in conformance with the holding of a single federal district judge, rather than allowing the 13 circuit courts of appeal to reach their own conclusions under the supervision of the Supreme Court? These important questions will be discussed in a lively forum by both academic and government legal experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, a college degree is not necessary to achieve the American Dream and live a fiscally successful life.Sure, for many, college can be the perfect launching pad. The societal aspect of school can be transformative, and the exposure to different people, different thoughts, and different ideas is crucial.But for millions of young Americans, college is not the answer. What about the teenager for whom sitting in a classroom is unfulfilling and frustrating? What about the kid with a skillset that can’t be nurtured on campus?In Class Dismissed: Why College Isn’t the Answer, Nick Adams explains how you can achieve the American Dream without receiving a traditional education. An essential tool for parents and grandparents, this book discusses how families can recognize whether their child will get more from a trade school or a mentorship than they will from four years of study. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In October 2008, as the U.S. economy plunged, the Federal Reserve began paying interest on banks' reserve balances. The resulting switch to a "floor system" of monetary control, in which changes in the interest rate on reserves, rather than reserve creation or destruction, became the Fed's chief tool for influencing economic activity, was to have far-reaching consequences--almost all of them regrettable.Besides intensifying the downturn by causing banks to hoard reserves, the floor system all but destroyed the market for unsecured interbank loans that had been banks' ordinary "first resort" source of last-minute liquidity. By depriving the Fed's asset purchases of the ability to stimulate investment and spending, it also compelled the Fed to compensate by purchasing assets on an unprecedented scale. All of this resulted in a substantial increase in the Fed's role in allocating scarce credit. Finally, by severing the ordinary connection between the stance of monetary policy and the extent of the Fed's asset holdings, the floor system risks turning the Fed's balance sheet into a fiscal-policy playground.Selgin’s book is the first comprehensive account of the Federal Reserve’s new post-crisis “floor” monetary policy operating system. Selgin will share his three-year research journey into this new experimental system, how the Fed stumbled into it, and its consequences for the economy — including how it could turn the Fed into a Trojan piggybank of fiscal profligacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taxing Wars explores how a country decides to pay for wars and how that decision shapes how the public and the military experience the conflict.Dr. Kreps explores how the way that the United States has funded her wars fluctuated through time. Government fund their activities through one of three mechanisms: taxation, borrowing, or printing more money. All three have been leveraged in different levels through American history with the noticeable use of domestic borrowing through war bonds.Those methods of raising resources to fight a war have consequences to how the public experiences the conflict and therefore on sense of shared sacrifice that they generate. In a democracy, this sense of shared sacrifice directly impacts the country’s ability to fight. Taxing Wars explores this connection and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who could be against a law that promises equality and bans discrimination? Parents who’ve already experienced grief, despair, and witnessed medical harms as they attempted to get help for their gender-confused children. Medical experts concerned about how adding "gender identity" into civil rights law would cause physical and psychological harm. People who have transitioned, and then detransitioned, concerned with what this ideology will do to children. Lesbians who have been punished for having the audacity to say that men are not women. Radical feminists concerned that nearly all sex-segregated spaces, colleges, sports, dormitories, and women's rights in general will disappear if “gender identity” becomes a protected class and the dangers this poses to women and girls.Please join us for a panel discussion featuring speakers from the political left as they share their stories of the harmful consequences of what will happen if "gender identity" ideology is enshrined into U.S. civil rights law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Index of Economic Freedom (www.heritage.org/index) celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2019!The Index evaluates government policies and economic conditions in 186 countries. Since its inception in 1995, the Index, an annual cross-country analysis by The Heritage Foundation, has tracked the progress of economic freedom around the globe and measured the real impact of advancing economic liberty.The 25th anniversary edition provides compelling evidence of the dynamic benefits for individuals and societies from greater economic freedom. Around the world, governments that respect and promote openness and free markets provide greater opportunities for innovation, progress, and human flourishing.Join us as we unveil the Index rankings for 2019 and examine the link between economic freedom and prosperity around the globe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.