Yesterday was a special day as February 2nd marks the one-year anniversary of Veriten's launch. A year ago, we hosted our first COBT at the new company and were so honored to have Secretary James A Baker join us at The Ion for Veriten show number one. During that show, Secretary Baker discussed many things, including Ukraine, the National Debt, and why fossil fuels were important to the country's security and economic health. More than anything, Secretary Baker reminded us of the power America can harness when we collectively set our eyes on "making progress" rather than simply on "making noise." 

As we reflected on our first year, we were incredibly lucky to find a first anniversary guest who could help us view today's world from a truly commanding height. Jeff Tillery and I had the honor of visiting with Eric Cantor, former House Majority Leader and current Managing Director and Vice Chairman at Moelis & Company. Eric's extensive 30-year career in politics and business allowed for a robust discussion spanning public policy, economics, energy and other industries, the markets, and the globe at large. It was a fascinating and wide-ranging exchange. 

We kicked it off by hitting the top three issues on Eric's radar including monetary and fiscal policy, the social divide in the US, and the geopolitical strains stemming from the challenging US / China relationship. These three themes remained paramount in our discussion as we covered a broad range of topics including the IRA's and the CHIP Act's international impact, Eric's takeaways from Davos, his observations on the similarities and differences with the current and last national debt debate during his time in public office, and the ever-present partisan divide in the US. He also covered implications of the new interest rate regime, impressions of the energy policy debate, the 2024 Presidential race outlook, US relationships with Latin America and India, the importance of energy security, and more. We wrapped with Eric's vision and outlook for the next ten years. On one thing Eric was resoundingly clear, that the numerous problems the US faces are outweighed by his optimism for and confidence in America and the American system of governance. 

At Veriten, we are very excited about what all of you are helping us build. We are up to 15 people and have an advisory board that brings us to 20. Our mission remains the same - save the world by saving the conversation, and help all of us create a better framework for understanding what the energy world really looks like in ten years. The first year has been great fun and a great challenge... thank you for riding with us and supporting us along the way! 

It was our pleasure to host Eric and we can't thank him enough for his time. Thanks again for a wonderful year and we hope you enjoy the discussion!