AEI Podcast Channel

How does the Trump administration plan to counter China’s growing aggression? Following Beijing’s announcement that it would impose a new national security law threatening Hong Kong’s freedom, the administration said it would begin the process of rolling back America’s special relationship with the city.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined Dany and Marc to explain the administration’s strategies toward China, Iran, and Venezuela. He also touches on the International Criminal Court’s investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan as well as partisan attacks on his office.

Prior to serving as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo was the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from January 2017 to April 2018. He served as a congressman from Kansas from 2011-2017, and served on the House Intelligence Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, and House Select Benghazi Committee.

Download the transcript here.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of AEI’s What the Hell is Going On?, with hosts Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen. For more episodes, find What the Hellon iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. This episode was first released on June 1, 2020.

For years, the charter school sector enjoyed bipartisan support, counting among its advocates Presidents Clinton and Obama, as well as Presidents Bush and Trump.

Yet, in 2020, nearly all democratic presidential candidates advertised their opposition to charters and many called for a moratorium on their expansion. Republicans, by some folks’ estimations, also appear to be less enthusiastic about charters then they once were: Back in February, for instance, the Trump administration called for the elimination of the federal Charter School Program. How did this drop-off in support come to pass? Are charters facing tough years ahead without allies on either side of the aisle?

On this episode, Nat Malkus talks with DC Public Charter School Board executive director Scott Pearson and Century Foundation fellow Conor Williams about the shifting politics of charter schooling. Pearson and Williams discuss the factors that made charter schools a bipartisan reform in the first place, why support appears to be wavering, and what lies ahead for the charter sector.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of The Report Card, part of the AEI Podcast Network. For more episodes of “The Report Card,” find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. This episode was first released on May 28, 2020.

Millions of youth are neither in school nor working, falling through the cracks of the various systems put in place to help them transition into adulthood. The spread of COVID-19 will become another barrier in these young people’s lives as they pursue economic independence.

On this episode, Brent talks to Anne Kim, author of “Abandoned: America’s Lost Youth and the Crisis of Disconnection”. Together, they discuss the runway to adulthood, the role of public policy, and the potential impact of a global virus on emerging adults.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Hardly Working, part of the AEI Podcast Network. This episode was first released on May 27, 2020. For more episodes of Hardly Working, find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your podcasts

How is the Federal Communications Commission responding to the coronavirus pandemic? What is Ligado and why is it controversial?

On this episode, Shane Tews speaks with Joel Thayer, a lawyer and telecommunications policy expert here in DC. Together, they discuss some of the FCC’s recent policies and biggest debates — including how it has handled the current crisis, 5G policy, and the Restoring Internet Freedom Order.

Download this episode’s transcript here.

To many, it seems as though America has failed to live up to its potential over the past several decades, with far less to show for its innovative efforts than one might have expected a half century ago. But the future is brimming with possibilities, and, at the very least, the COVID-19 pandemic has signaled that “It’s time to build,” as one observer recently put it. To explore why America has failed to “build” in the past — and how it may re-prioritize innovation going forward — I’m speaking today with Eli Dourado.

Eli is a senior research fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University, where he focuses on the technology, innovation, and economic growth. Previously, he was a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Political Economy with James Pethokoukis, part of the AEI Podcast Network. For more episodes, find Political Economy on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and everywhere else you find podcasts. This episode was first released on May 20, 2020.

To say that the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most significant disruptions our education system has ever faced is hardly an understatement. Back in March, without a warning, 50 million students were shut out of school buildings and asked to engage in new modes of learning. Now, with less than a month left of school in many districts, students, parents, and educators are wondering what school will look like in the fall. Will the once familiar routine of taking the bus to school at 8:00 AM and back home at 3:00 PM return? Will students be eating in the cafeteria—or at their kitchen table?

On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with former Tennessee Commissioner of Education and current National Institute for Excellence in Teaching CEO Candice McQueen, as well as AEI resident scholar and director of education policy studies Rick Hess, about what it will take to reopen schools in the fall. McQueen and Hess, co-authors of AEI’s recently released “Blueprint for Back to School,” weigh in on the many considerations that school leaders should keep in mind when drafting back-to-school plans, from staffing to assessments to transportation.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of The Report Card, part of the AEI Podcast Network. For more episodes of The Report Card, find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. This episode was first released on May 18, 2020.

Lovers of witty banter, 7-syllable legal terms, and Tal’s “admiration” of President Andrew Jackson, rejoice!

Like a teenager leaving for college, Unprecedential has graduated from the AEI Podcast Channel, and now has our own separate podcast channel!

While you won’t find us here, we’ll still be goofing off every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month with talking with scholars, judges, and the occasional voice in Adam’s head about pressing issues surrounding American constitutionalism, just under our own name and image.

Click the following links to find us and subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, or just search Unprecedential on your favorite podcast app!

Tell your friends about us, like, rate, and share our episodes, and tweet us @Unprecedential if you have suggestions for guests or topics, or if you just think Adam could use a more robust dedication to federalism.

There were 158,000 “deaths of despair” in the US in 2018. Think of it as three fully loaded Boeing 737 MAX jets falling out of the sky every day for a year. In their new book, “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism,” Anne Case and Angus Deaton talk about the other epidemic decimating American communities, now exacerbated by the coronavirus.

What’s to blame for these increased deaths from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism? Sir Angus joined Dany and Marc to discuss his new book and the coronavirus’ likely impact on communities already suffering from opioid abuse, unemployment, alcoholism and suicide. He also explains why other countries aren’t experiencing the phenomenon and what can be done to reverse the trend.

Sir Angus Deaton, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in economics, is a senior scholar and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of Economics and International Affairs Emeritus at Princeton University and Presidential Professor of Economics at the University of Southern California.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of AEI’s What the Hell is Going On?, with hosts Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen. For more episodes, find What the Hell on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. This episode was first released on May 21, 2020.

Download the transcript here.

Federal, state, and local governments have a myriad of programs and initiatives to assist people in finding and retaining meaningful employment. Like most government programs, these systems are complicated and difficult to navigate. The question has to be asked, are these programs actually effective?

Brent talks with Mason Bishop, adjunct fellow at AEI and the owner and principal of WorkED Consulting, on the future of federal workforce development programs.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Hardly Working, part of the AEI Podcast Network. This episode was first released on May 6, 2020. For more episodes of Hardly Working, find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your podcasts.

How have regulations stymied the response to the COVID-19 pandemic? And what explains the intense regulatory scrutiny tech companies face?

On this episode, Shane talks with Adam Thierer, technology and innovation policy analyst at the Mercatus Center and author of the upcoming book “Evasive Entrepreneurs and the Future of Governance,” on regulatory hurdles to innovation during the current pandemic and in normal times. They also cover how innovators find ways to circumvent outdated regulations to deliver their products to customers.

Download this episode’s transcript here.