Heritage Events Podcast

On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom formally triggered a two-year period of negotiations to exit the European Union. This Brexit process will offer the U.K. the opportunity to forge new trade relationships with nations around the world, including, importantly, the United States. Both the Conservative government of Theresa May and the Trump Administration have welcomed the prospect of a U.S.-U.K. Free Trade Area. But what might an agreement creating such a free trade area address, and what are its opportunities and pitfalls? Please join us as Shanker Singham of London’s Legatum Institute, a senior advisor to the U.K. government on Brexit, speaks on his new report on these issues. His report explores the opportunities for, and challenges facing, the negotiation of a U.S.-U.K. free trade area, and offers policy options for a trade agreement that will increase competition, open markets, and fuel growth in both nations, and thereby put Britain and the United States at the head of a movement for free trade that works for everyone.

Joshua Meservey, a Heritage policy analyst on Africa and the Middle East, discusses the airstrikes in Syria. Tommy Binion and Rachel Bovard take a closer look at the budget battle looming on Capitol Hill at the end of April.

This month, the Supreme Court hears oral argument in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, a case involving discrimination by a state against a church in giving out publicly funded grants.  Trinity Lutheran Church sued the State of Missouri for denying its application for a grant to install rubber surfaces made from recycled tires on the church’s daycare playground.  Missouri claims the state constitution required it to reject the church’s request because of its “no aid” provision that prevents public money from going to churches.  Dozens of states have similar laws, known as Blaine Amendments, which were enacted during the 19th Century to single out Roman Catholics for disfavored treatment.  Missouri argues that Locke v. Davey, a 2004 Supreme Court decision, allows it to exclude churches from state-funded programs.  Trinity Lutheran argues that excluding it from the recycled tire program simply because it is a church is irrational and demonstrates hostility to religion.  Join us as a distinguished panel of experts discusses how the oral arguments may unfold at the Supreme Court.

Congressman Ken Buck – elected in 2014 as president of one of the largest Republican freshman classes ever to enter Congress – immediately realized why nothing gets done in Congress. It isn't because of political gridlock. In fact, members of both political parties work together all too well to fleece taxpayers and plunge America deeper into debt. Buck has witnessed first-hand how the unwritten rules of Congress continually prioritize short-term political gain over lasting, principled leadership. When he chose to tangle with Washington power brokers, he faced petty retaliation. When he insisted Republicans keep their word to voters, he was berated on the House floor by his own party leaders. When other members of Congress dared to do what they believed to be right for America instead of what the party bosses commanded, Buck saw them stripped of committee positions and even denied dining room privileges by the petty beltway bullies. In Drain the Swamp, he tells the true stories about what really happens behind closed doors in Congress during legislative battles and provides the true picture of just what goes on deep inside the swamp.

Adam Michel, policy analyst in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, discusses how tax reform, if done right, can give life to the economy. The Daily Signal's Jarrett Stepman lays out how Trump can "drain the swamp" by firing federal workers.

As Congress debates defense budgets for both 2017 and 2018 in the coming months, questions on military readiness will take center stage. What actions must be taken now to ensure the Air Force remains dominant in the air, and how long will it bring readiness levels above 80%? Join us as the Nation’s number one Airman discusses readiness, modernization, end strength, and revitalization of the nuclear force.

Expanding government is frequently seen as good for those in need. Limiting government is often portrayed as hurting them. The reality is that, in many cases, government policy can make it more difficult for those striving to make ends meet. Join us as leading experts explore the damage to the poor from misguided economic policies, with an emphasis on harmful regulations and cronyism. Discussions will include how policies ranging from occupational licensure, energy regulations, and ridesharing restrictions, to land use policies create significant harm to the poor by limiting opportunity and driving up consumer prices.

The United States and Canada closely collaborate every day on critical economic and security issues. Together we face serious bilateral border challenges – as well as many opportunities – in a changing political climate. One of the most popular elected officials in Canada, Premier Brad Wall, has been a longtime leading conservative voice, fighting against his country’s national carbon tax, and for smart, fiscally-responsible economic, energy and trade policy. Join us as Premier Wall addresses these and other vital issues at a time when trade agreements like NAFTA have our relationships and agreements with our closest friends and neighbors in the spotlight and the substance of our dialogue is more important than ever.

On June 23, 2016, nearly 52% of Britons voted to leave the European Union in the “Brexit referendum.” The results were astounding, yet many are still contesting the clear, democratic choice. Iain Duncan Smith will discuss why voting to leave was a logical choice, and why a British future out of the EU will be a positive one. A focus on free trade around the world can re-invigorate the age-old alliance between the two great nations of America and Great Britain, based as they both are on democracy and the rule of law. Together the United States and the United Kingdom make the world a safer place. The Special Relationship now needs not just strengthening, but re-envisioning, as based on the common ties of free trade, common defense objectives, and the promotion of democracy and the rule of law all over the world.

Carl Lavin was a high school senior when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The Canton, Ohio, native enlisted when he turned eighteen, a decision that would take him with the U.S. Army from training across the United States and Britain to combat with the 84th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. Home Front to Battlefront is the tale of a foot soldier who finds himself thrust into a world where he and his unit grapple with the horrors of combat, the idiocies of bureaucracy, and the oddities of life back home – all in the same day.

Join us on April 4 as a panel of distinguished experts discusses the spectrum of issues surrounding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Topics to be examined will include the process itself, the history of the issue in the context of the 1982 Six Assurances and other understandings, and the influence of previous arms sales on U.S.-Taiwan and U.S.-China relations. Additionally, our panelists will review the current thinking about the defense materiel that Taiwan requires and how it can be obtained as well as offer recommendations to the new Administration going forward.

People are now exposed to more information than ever before, both by technology and by increased access to every level of education. These societal gains, however, have also helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Today, everyone knows everything: with only a quick trip through WebMD or Wikipedia, average citizens believe themselves to be on an equal intellectual footing with doctors and diplomats. All voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as undemocratic elitism.

Join us as Speaker Gingrich reflects on the principles of Trumpism from his unique vantage point, not only in this year’s election, but also as a witness and active player in achieving change in our nation’s capital.

Join us as Speaker Gingrich reflects on the principles of Trumpism from his unique vantage point, not only in this year’s election, but also as a witness and active player in achieving change in our nation’s capital.

Join us as Speaker Gingrich reflects on the principles of Trumpism from his unique vantage point, not only in this year’s election, but also as a witness and active player in achieving change in our nation’s capital.