Heritage Events Podcast

~ A Russell Kirk Lecture ~ Twenty years ago, Robert Bork shocked America with his best-selling book, “Slouching Towards Gomorrah,” charging that modern liberalism was responsible for America’s cultural decline and imminent fall into immorality. Where are we today? Still slouching – or galloping – towards Gomorrah? Was George Orwell wrong and Aldous Huxley right that the real danger confronting America is not a totalitarian government headed by Big Brother but a hedonistic society tranquillized by drugs, sex and mass media? What is the conservative response to our cultural decline and fall? Drawing from the works of the historian Russell Kirk and other traditionalists, Heritage Distinguished Fellow Lee Edwards presents the conservative case for a defense of the Permanent Things – order, justice, and freedom – and the promotion of a central concept of politics: the claims of freedom and the claims of order can be kept in a healthy tension. Rejecting radical egalitarianism as well as radical individualism, Edwards offers a Kirkian solution to our cultural crisis – an ordered liberty based upon the First Principles of the Founding and the ideas of Western civilization stretching from Jerusalem, Athens, Rome and London to Philadelphia.

Many people absorb pre-packaged media mantras on watershed moral issues without being aware of their hurtful real-world implications. In Love Thy Body, best-selling author Nancy Pearcey goes beyond politically correct talking points to examine the dehumanizing secularist ethos that shapes critical moral and socio-political issues of our day. Formerly an agnostic, she argues that secularism denigrates the body and destroys the basis for human rights. In Love Thy Body, Pearcey sets forth a holistic and humane alternative available to all – one that offers reality-oriented solutions that embrace the dignity of the human body and provide a sustainable basis for inalienable human rights. Liberal secularist ideology rests on a mistake and Nancy Pearcey in her terrific new book puts her finger right on it. In embracing abortion, euthanasia, homosexual conduct and relationships, transgenderism, and the like, liberal secularism ... is philosophically as well as theologically untenable. – Robert P. George, Princeton University

Public schools across the country were put on notice in January 2014, when the Obama Department of Education issued a "Dear Colleague" letter notifying schools that differences in suspension rates among different student groups would be cause for a federal investigation. The Department forced school districts they investigated to overhaul their discipline policies, and the threat alone catalyzed changes in many others. In the wake of the guidance, suspension rates declined dramatically – and evidence suggests so too has school safety. Survey data, safety data, and news stories from across the country suggest that schools have become less orderly and less safe, leading some experts to ask whether the policy may risk leaving the students its advocates intended to help more vulnerable. Join us for a conversation on this important issue.

A new report released by The Trade Partnership examines the impact that President Trump’s proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum. The President has proposed steel tariffs of 25 percent and aluminum tariffs of 10 percent, and is expected to announce his final determination in the coming days. This new report finds that nearly 180,000 hard-working Americans would lose their jobs if these tariffs are imposed, far outweighing the modest job gains in steel and aluminum manufacturing. Join us for a discussion on this report and the real impacts for American workers.

The Three Seas Initiative, formally begun in August 2016, is an effort by 12 European nations situated between the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas to develop energy and infrastructure ties between their countries. Initiated by Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Polish President Andrzej Duda, the project has the potential to bring economic growth and increased security to Europe. President Donald Trump, while attending last year’s Three Seas summit in Warsaw, stated: “The Three Seas Initiative will transform and rebuild the entire region and ensure that your infrastructure, like your commitment to freedom and rule of law, binds you to all of Europe and, indeed, to the West.” A year and a half later, has Three Seas produced results? What does Three Seas mean for China’s continued interest in the region? How can Three Seas help loosen Russia’s energy grip on Europe? What is the political impact of Three Seas in Europe? How does it advance liberty and economic freedom? Join us as Krzysztof Szczerski, a chief architect of the Three Seas Initiative, presents a Polish perspective on what the Initiative means for Europe and the United States, and how it will strengthen the transatlantic alliance.

While the Banking Committee-passed “Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act” (S. 2155) does not go as far as the House passed CHOICE Act, it does provide some significant reforms. Additionally, having passed the Senate Banking Committee with bipartisan support, it has a better chance of making it to the President’s desk. Is this bill the new baseline for addressing the inequities of Dodd-Frank? If so, where should improvements be made and what are the consequences to the success of this legislation?

2018 marks ten years since the passing of William F. Buckley Jr. On this tenth anniversary of his death, the National Review Institute and The Heritage Foundation will host a conversation with noted conservative leaders and policy advocates reflecting on William F. Buckley’s revered life, numerous accomplishments, and powerful legacy. This program offers a special opportunity to bring friends and supporters together, not only to reminisce about his life, but also to inspire us in the continued fight for conservative principles he worked so hard to defend and advance. Join us for a freewheeling, insightful and heartfelt conversation on the life and legacy of William F. Buckley Jr.

After year of continuing resolutions and significant underfunding, the U.S. Air Force finally has a predictable and robust 18-month budget with which to work. This conversation will explore the priorities the Secretary has spelled out for America’s Air Force, and what those priorities mean for the decades ahead. Heather Wilson is the 24th Secretary of the Air Force. She is responsible for the organizing, training and equipping and providing for the welfare of 660,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces as well as their families. She oversees an annual budget of more than $132 billion. Before assuming her current position, she was President of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. From 1998 to 2009, she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Prior to her election to Congress, Secretary Wilson was a cabinet secretary in New Mexico’s state government responsible for foster care, adoption, juvenile delinquency, children’s mental health and early childhood education. From 1989 to 1991, she served on the National Security staff as Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control for President George H.W. Bush. From 1991 to 1995 and from 2009 to 2013, she was in the private sector working in development and planning for defense and scientific industry. 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.

What did President Ronald Reagan think of Rocky IV? How did the Matthew Broderick film WarGames inform America’s missile defense system? What Michael J. Fox movie made such an impression on President Reagan that he felt compelled to mention it in a speech to the Joint Session of Congress? Over the course of eight years, Mark Weinberg travelled to Camp David each weekend with the Reagans. He was one of a few select members invited into the Aspen Lodge, where the First Family screened both contemporary and classic movies on Friday and Saturday nights. Weinberg’s experiences offer a rare glimpse of the Reagans – unscripted, relaxed, unburdened by the world, with no cameras in sight. Each chapter discusses a legendary film, what the Reagans thought of it, and provides warm anecdotes and untold stories about his family and the administration. From Reagan’s pranks on the Secret Service to his thoughts on the parallels between Hollywood and Washington, Weinberg paints a full picture of the President that The New Yorker once famously dubbed “The Unknowable.” Movie Nights with the Reagans is a nostalgic journey through the 1980s and its most iconic films, seen through the eyes of one of Hollywood’s former stars: one who was simultaneously transforming the Republican Party, the American economy, and the course of the Cold War.

Historically, America’s marijuana and alcohol policies developed independently, but each one buttressed the other’s salutary effects. Today, an increase in the number of marijuana users has led to an increase in the number of marijuana-impaired or marijuana- and alcohol-impaired drivers. Society needs to be able to take steps to prevent medical and recreational marijuana initiatives from increasing the mortality and morbidity that alcohol-impaired driving already imposes. Join us for a half-day conference to discuss this important health and safety issue with some of the leading experts in this field.

This month, the Department of Defense released its evaluation of the state of U.S. nuclear forces and threats they will face in years ahead. The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review outlines the rationale for a nuclear weapons modernization program and steps the nation must take to keep U.S. nuclear weapons safe, secure, reliable, and effective. Join us as David J. Trachtenberg, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, discusses the implications of the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, what role our nuclear deterrent plays in support of U.S. national security policy goals, and how negative trends in the national security environment shape U.S. nuclear forces and policy in the years ahead.

Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, colloquially known as the Jones Act, requires that shipments between two U.S. ports be on U.S.-built, U.S.-manned, and U.S.-owned vessels. Because of the Jones Act, it is often more expensive to ship supplies between U.S. ports than it is to ship supplies abroad. The Act is often justified as a boost to U.S. shipbuilding and naval preparedness. But is it time to scale back the Jones Act? The U.S. energy export boom is leaving U.S. consumers behind because it is cheaper to ship oil and liquefied natural gas all the way to Europe or Asia than to the U.S. East Coast. And the Jones Act, long a drag on Puerto Rico's economy, is also raising the cost of all the aid necessary to help the island recover from Hurricane Maria. This expert panel will explain the Jones Act controversy and discuss whether it can be reformed without endangering national security.

For almost thirty years, Antonin Scalia was arguably the most influential and controversial Justice on the United States Supreme Court. His dynamic and witty writing devoted to the Constitution has influenced an entire generation of judges. Based on his reputation for using scathing language to criticize liberal court decisions, many people presumed Scalia to be gruff and irascible. But to those who knew him as “Nino,” he was characterized by his warmth, charm, devotion, fierce intelligence, and loyalty. Bryan Garner’s friendship with Justice Scalia was instigated by celebrated writer David Foster Wallace and strengthened over their shared love of language. Despite their differing viewpoints on everything from gun control to the use of contractions, their literary and personal relationship flourished. In this memoir, Garner gives firsthand insight into the mind, habits, and faith of one of the most famous and misunderstood judges in the world.

In a classic essay published in the Claremont Review of Books, Harvey Mansfield remarked that the "debate between the strong executive and its adversary, the rule of law is necessary, good, and – under the Constitution – never-ending.” Over time, and particularly since the dawn of Progressivism, executive power has evolved and expanded, sparking new debates over its proper limits and reach. The President has long been understood to possess inherent – and even plenary – powers in the realm of foreign affairs. The extent of those powers is a question as old as the Republic. But the contours of executive power in the domestic arena have changed dramatically with the creation of the modern regulatory state and the rise of “bully pulpit." Vast delegations of power to a bureaucracy insulated from political checks has strengthened the Executive Branch, while undermining the notion of the unitary Executive and the separation of powers. And the direct use of presidential rhetoric to shape public opinion has at once democratized and empowered the presidency. This distinguished panel will take a look at how President Trump has approached these particular facets of executive power in important and novel ways, paying special attention to how the President has asserted greater control over the administrative state, curbed the previous Administration’s use of “enforcement discretion” to effectively change law, and used the power of the “bully pulpit” to advance his objectives and inflame his critics.

In conjunction with Black History Month, The Heritage Foundation salutes the achievements of African Americans in U.S. history and recognizes some of the great leaders who, not only created change at the local level, but also grew to have a national impact. Jay A. Parker was one such American. He was among the first black leaders in the modern conservative movement. He was an early leader of Young Americans for Freedom and learned early on that members of YAF were committed to a truly color blind society. After moving to Washington, DC in the 1970s, he was active in the American African Affairs Association which endeavored to spread freedom and democracy in newly independent African nations. Through his leadership of the Lincoln Institute for Education and Research, Jay Parker rightly earned the title of founding father of the emerging black conservative movement, and, as editor of The Lincoln Review, he gave voice to numerous black conservative intellectuals. He truly was an unsung hero of the African American community and conservative thought. In celebration of Jay Parker’s legacy, we are honored to host a lecture by Robert L. Woodson, Sr., Founder and President of The Woodson Center. A former civil rights activist himself and past head of the National Urban League Department of Criminal Justice, Mr. Woodson is referred to by many as “godfather” of the neighborhood empowerment movement. For more than four decades he has had a special concern for the problems of youth and youth violence in urban America. In the mold of Jay Parker, Robert Woodson has sought to improve society through expanded educational opportunity, developing neighborhood economies, and advancing polices that protect fundamental freedoms for all people.