Immigration is a key part of the American story. Many, many people have come to the United States committed to loving and serving their new country.  But nations have to exercise caution and prudence with the way that they conduct immigration. Bad policy and abuses of the system can lead to all kinds of problems, as we know well here in the United States. The Second Trump Administration has gone a long way toward improving immigration policy, and one of the areas now being discussed is that of H1B visas. These are visas intended to be issued to skilled workers, but there are serious concerns about the number of visas being issued and the ways that they affect American citizens. To understand this issue, I sat down with Simon Hankinson, Senior Research Fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation.

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Follow Simon Hankinson at Heritage.org: https://www.heritage.org/staff/simon-hankinson

Simon’s Book, The Ten Woke Commandments You Must Not Obey: https://thetenwokecommandments.com/

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This week, we honor veterans of long ago, as well as those who still live and walk among us. Their sacrifice has helped to secure the freedoms that we enjoy today. One of the key features of American democracy is civilian control of the military. We, the people, elect the Congress which controls the military’s budget, conducts oversight, and declares war, as well as the the president, who serves as the military’s Commander in Chief. 

President Donald Trump, in his second term in office, has signaled a return to the military’s core mission. Here to talk about what that return looks like is Wilson Beaver, an Army Veteran and Senior Policy Advisor, here at the Heritage Foundation.

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Follow Wilson Beaver on X: https://x.com/WilsonCBeaver

More about Heritage: www.heritage.org

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What Is Arctic Frost? | Mike Howell

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) revealed last week that ‘Arctic Frost’—the FBI's election-related investigation into President Donald Trump, launched in 2022 by the Biden administration—issued 197 subpoenas for 430 conservatives, including the late Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA, Ed Martin, Dan Scavino, and Ed Corrigan.

This investigation was used as a method to spy on the conservative movement as a whole. Mike Howell, President of the Oversight Project, joins the show to talk about why Arctic Frost demands accountability. 

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Follow Mike on X: https://x.com/MHowellTweets

Swamp Justice Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yVpKjwTCfuxwTGePiFM3h

More about Heritage: www.heritage.org

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The Affordable Care Act was signed in 2010, with President Barack Obama promising that “If you like your insurance plan, you can keep it.” Fifteen years later, we are all painfully aware that Obama’s promise was not a sincere one. The ACA’s mess of government subsidies and astronomical payouts have made the American healthcare system considerably more expensive than it needed to be. And now the Government shutdown is forcing Americans to consider the ACA in a whole new light, with COVID subsidies ending on November 1. 

Here to talk about what this may mean is Nina Schaefer, Senior Research Fellow here at the Heritage foundation. 

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More about Heritage: www.heritage.org

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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a federal law designed to end these practices, and ensure that all Americans could exercise the right to vote. It is a law that has had massive impact and been used to reshape America politically, in ways both bad and good. 

Now, the Supreme Court is hearing a case called Louisiana vs. Callais, which is calling into question how part of the Voting Rights Act is being interpreted. Here to talk about what makes this case so important is Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow, here at the Heritage Foundation. 

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More about Heritage: www.heritage.org

The Election Integrity Scorecard: https://www.heritage.org/electionscorecard/

Follow Hans on X: https://x.com/HvonSpakovsky

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On Monday, the 20 living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were returned to their families. What brought this deal about and what might we expect to see happen in the future? 

To answer some of those questions, I sat down with Daniel Flesch, Senior Policy Analyst for Middle East and North Africa, here at the Heritage Foundation.

There are certain things we take for granted in life. When we flick the switch, the light comes on. When we turn the tap, water comes out. When we take the garbage bin down to the curb on Thursdays, it is empty by Friday afternoon. 

But then a storm blows through. A pipe bursts. Heavy snowfall closes the roads. And suddenly those amenities which we took for granted are no longer there. It’s a discomforting and unsettling feeling. And one we’re experiencing at a national level right now, as we’ve now passed a week since the shutdown of the federal government began. 

Just like a burst pipe or a downed electrical line, something has gone wrong in our politics, and now we’re feeling the effects. Some government workers have been sent home. Some services are unavailable. 

Here to talk about what caused the shutdown, what it means, and what to expect fo the future is Chip Wyatt, Government Relations Director here at Heritage Action for America.  

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Heritage Action for America: https://heritageaction.com/

Follow Chip Wyatt on X: https://x.com/ChipTWyatt

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The Chinese-owned social media app TikTok collects your most sensitive information. And worse, it uses it in pretty sinister ways. It encourages self-harm and depression among youth. It interferes in elections. It compromises national security. 

This week, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing an agreement to separate TikTok from Chinese control. At the Heritage Foundation, we have been talking about TikTok policy for years, and one of the key voices is Wesley Hodges, Acting Director of the Center for Technology and the Human Person, here at the Heritage Foundation. He sat down with me to talk about exactly what this executive order means. 

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Heritage Tech Policy: https://www.heritage.org/big-tech

Follow Wes Hodges on X: https://x.com/wesghodges

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While government has the power to protect our rights, it can use that power to abuse those rights. Especially in those areas of the government which resist accountability to elected officials. The administrative state (or deep state) is a strong focus of the Trump Administration, which has taken action to reinstate accountability in the federal bureaucracy. Ryan Williams, president of the Claremont Institute and friend of Heritage, joined the podcast to talk about what to do when government stops serving the people and targets them instead. 

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Learn more about the Claremont Institute: https://www.claremont.org/

Follow Ryan Williams on X: https://x.com/RpwWilliams

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Last week, the country was shaken to its core by the assassination of Christian husband, father, and patriot Charlie Kirk, one of the most prominent voices in the conservative movement, particularly among young Americans. His death has left countless Americans experiencing combinations of sorrow, fear, and anger. How should we as conservatives respond to this tragic and politically motivated attack, and what role should policy play in our response? President of The Heritage Foundation, Dr. Kevin Roberts, joins this episode of the Heritage Explains podcast to discuss.