Matters of Policy & Politics

Jaksot

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  Amidst “A World of Generational Change”: 9/11’s Lessons and Legacy 11.09.2026 56min

  Twenty-five years ago, the Free World was shocked by an attack on America in which three airliners struck New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon – a fourth plane crashing in rural Pennsylvania presumably on its way to strike the US Capitol. What did we learn from that attack, and is America better prepared to handle terror that can take more sophisticated forms? Philip Zelikow, the Hoover Institution’s Botha-Chan senior fellow and executive director of the bipartisan panel that examined the root causes of 9/11 and ways America could better defend itself, discusses the 9/11 Commission’s findings and the challenges in preventing future attacks from occurring (terrorists possibly taking advantage of emerging technology and finding safe haven in the likes of northern Africa). Also: Zelikow’s role in launching Hoover’s ambitious Commons Initiative, which studies how America can lead free societies to adapt and survive in a changing world.
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  Keeping a Cold War Chilled: Mobilizing the Modern Defense Industrial Base 11.09.2026 52min

  In a new century defined by another great-power competition, how does the United States match China in terms of integrating defense needs with its technological and industrial capacities?
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  Reclaiming Liberal Education in America 28.08.2026 1t 1min

  Across America, school is in session in many a university, but does that guarantee the next generation of leaders is receiving the experience it deserves – freedom of speech and diversity of thought amidst cancel cultures and biased faculties? Hoover senior fellow Peter Berkowitz, author of the newly released Reclaiming Liberal Education in America, argues help is on the way, but reforms will take time and won’t come easy.
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  California Update: Homeless Conundra, Bickering Billionaires, Paramount Concerns, Harry and Meghan’s “Sussex-it” 21.08.2026 39min

  The podcast’s monthly update on the state of the Golden State looks at the relative lack of political drama in Sacramento as the August 31 legislative deadline nears, why the Golden State’s homelessness problem remains a chronic headache, divisions within the ranks of billionaires financing the effort to defeat the Proposition 40 wealth tax, the odds of Paramount CEO David Ellision relocating his company to a friendlier red state, plus why Harry and Megan are giving up on their California Dream.
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  Apple at 50: Stephen Haber on Quintessential American Innovation 14.08.2026 53min

  Having recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding, what makes Apple Inc. special? Stephen Haber contends the tech giant is but one more example of America’s uniquely innovative ecosystem – a constant in the 250-year narrative of the American experience.
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  (Space) Safety First: Simone D’Amico on Safeguarding Earth’s Lower Orbit 31.07.2026 51min

  Outer space isn’t as empty as you might imagine – especially the low-orbiting space around Planet Earth heavily populated by orbiting satellites and space debris. Hoover Institution science fellow Simone D’Amico discusses how make the “space highway” safer, more secure and its platforms more sustainable.
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  Quantum Leap? How America and Her Allies Can Lead the Next Tech Revolution 17.07.2026 51min

  You’ve heard of the “AI Revolution’. Now, brace yourself for a “Quantum Revolution” – quantum technologies advancing science and industry and, like AI, affecting the world order. Will the technologies live up to their hype – and, if so, which nations are best suited to win an academic, economic and geopolitical competition?
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  “The House Always Wins”: Lanhee Chen on California-Brand Direct Democracy 07.07.2026 1t

  Over a century ago, California first began the practice of publicly approved ballot measures – initiatives and referenda – as a means of curbing special-interest influence in Sacramento. But a look at the 14 initiatives that Californians will decide this fall suggests the opposite – special interests are driving the process.
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  Taxing Silicon Valley’s Wealth: Joshua Rauh on California’s Billionaire Tax Initiative 30.06.2026 53min

  Are voters in one of America’s bluest states certain to approve a ballot measure this fall imposing a 5% “wealth tax” on its billionaire class? If so, will California have struck a blow for wealth inequality – or, instead, succeed in killing “the goose the laid the golden egg” as investors and entrepreneurs flee the Golden State for friendlier tax climates?
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  California Update: First Couple Under Investigation; Wealth-Tax Deal Underway? 19.06.2026 52min

  Monthly update on the implications of California’s First Couple under federal investigation for tax and financial improprieties; the possibility of a deal in the coming days to keep a billionaire wealth tax off the November ballot, and more.
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  A National Treasure Indeed: Michael Auslin on the Declaration of Independence’s Endurance 05.06.2026 1t 15min

  On the eve of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, how has the nation’s Declaration of Independence – drafted, debated and signed in a world shaped more by royalty than republicanism – managed to stand the test of time?
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  California Update: AI to the (Fiscal) Rescue; Spencer for Hire in LA? 22.05.2026 59min

  A monthly update on the state of the Golden State finds California no longer looking at a budget deficit, courtesy of an unexpected capital-gains tax windfall. Meanwhile, as California’s June 2  primary approaches, is reality-TV “villain” Spencer Pratt gaining ground in Los Angeles’ mayoral race thanks to his message (failed local leadership) or a new medium (attention-grabbing AI-generated ads)?
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  Declining Industry and Public Trust at the Local Level: Elizabeth Elder on America’s “Company Towns” 15.05.2026 53min

  What happens when an industry-dominant “company town” loses its primary employer? In the case of those parts of America once reliant upon coal companies to provide work and literally run small mining towns, a Hoover fellow has found economic hardship and a disturbing loss of confidence in democracy and institutions.
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  “Security Through Cooperation”: Rose Gottemoeller on US-Russian Diplomacy Past, Present . . . and Future? 08.05.2026 56min

  Before invasions of Ukraine and Crimea and various “resets” of America’s diplomatic approach toward the Kremlin, there was the “Boris and Bill Show” – two chummy and newly-installed presidents meeting multiple times at the tail-end of the 20th Century with the shared goal of bringing Russia into a post-Cold War world order as a peaceful, prosperous (and non-proliferating) society. Rose Gottemoeller, a Hoover Institution research fellow and former Clinton and Obama administration national security aide, sets the record straight on the Clinton-Yeltsin summits, what she learned as the first American woman to lead nuclear arms talks, why Vladimir Putin went from offering help in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to seeing America as a threat Russia’s security, and the challenges of serving as NATO’s deputy secretary general during the first Trump presidency. It’s all chronicled in her new book, Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations after the Cold War, a must-read for history buffs and students of the enigma that is Putin and the Russian mindset. 
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  Like Oil and Water? Free-Market Environmentalism with Terry Anderson 01.05.2026 54min

  Can America power growth, protect nature, and out-innovate the world—or will the clash between markets and mandates decide its future?
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  California Update: (Self-Inflicted?) Pain at the Pump; Governor’s Race in Flux; A Cannabis Black Market 27.04.2026 51min

  The podcast’s monthly update on the state of the Golden State finds California struggling with soaring fuel prices (the result of hostilities in the Middle East plus decades of dubious energy policy) and a gubernatorial primary very much up for grabs after one of the frontrunner’s scandal-ridden departure. Meanwhile, a new study shows California’s population centers have yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, while the dream of a flourishing legalized cannabis market goes up in smoke.
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  A Matter of Trust: Macke Raymond on “Unheard Voices” in America’s School Communities 17.04.2026 48min

  While America’s education system doesn’t lack for shareholders (parents, educators, political and policy leaders, as well as business and community activists), there’s a question as to whether all concerns are being heard and respected. Margaret “Macke” Raymond, a Hoover Institution distinguished research fellow and director of Hoover’s program on K-12 Education, discusses the findings of Hoover’s Unheard Voices report – Raymond and her research team engaged with nine communities across America, each one beset with underperforming schools. What they discovered: parents and community leaders want to become more involved in the lives of their schools but suffer from a lack of information and context – and, in some cases, educators are reluctant to listen to outside voices.  Recorded on April 9, 2026.
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  David Shribman on Journalism’s Struggles, Restoring Institutional Trust, and Life After Trump 03.04.2026 56min

  With the public’s trust in the media at historic lows and the industry trying to adapt to changing information-gathering tastes, what does the future hold for a struggling “Fourth Estate” (tradition news outlets) and an incipient “Fifth Estate” (bloggers and social media)? David Shribman, a columnist, academic and two-time Pulitzer Prize recipient, examines a changed landscape of print media ceding dominance to cable news networks, which in turn compete against an even speedier (and more reckless) social media. Also discussed: the Washington Post’s travails and how the New York Times one-upped its competitors by winning minds (puzzles) and stomachs (more food content); the future of political journalism without President Trump to entertain (and boost viewership and readership); the extent of bias within journalists’ ranks; understanding community concerns by reading (and replying to) letters-to-the-editor; what aspiring journalists should study during their college years (read the Bible, Shakespeare and plenty of history). Recorded on March 10, 2026.
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  California Update: Cancelling a Debate . . . and a Labor Icon 27.03.2026 44min

  Can California’s governor’s race get any airtime (a televised debate scratched after a controversy over four candidates who didn’t take the cut), much less any traction with a disinterested electorate?
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  Oil Shocks, Energy Strategies, And George Shultz’s Wisdom 20.03.2026 46min

  A war with Iran and a new oil shock tests America’s energy strategy.