Heritage Events Podcast

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.

A Special Policy Dialogue featuring President Tsai Ing-wen, Ed Feulner, Senator Cory Gardner, and Congressman Ted Yoho.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

A Conservative Women's network event in honor of Women's History Month co-hosted by the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.