Matters of Policy & Politics

By Hoover Institution

What's Matters of Policy & Politics about?

Matters of Policy & Politics is a Hoover Institution podcast devoted to matters of governance and balance of power at home and abroad. It is hosted by Hoover fellow Bill Whalen.

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Matters of Policy & Politics episodes:

04.18.2024
Matters Of Policy & Politics: America’s Economic Riddle | Bill Whalen and Mickey Levy | Hoover Institution
Mickey Levy on higher employment and higher prices.
04.17.2024
Matters of Policy & Politics: Revisiting Freedom’s Cause: David Davenport and Checker Finn on Rejuvenating Civic Education | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution
Better ways to engage K-12 and college students in the understanding and appreciation of the concept of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
04.12.2024
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Southbound Economy, Media Hardball, and Remembering O.J.| Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
Recent economic news out of California isn’t all that “golden:”
03.14.2024
Matters of Policy & Politics: California Update - Proposition 1 Wasn’t the Yeast of the Governor’s Worries | Lee Ohanian and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution
Election results, the controversy over Panera Bread and a gubernatorial chum seemingly exempted from a California minimum-wage increase for fast-food chains.
03.08.2024
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Rep. Mike Gallagher on Congress, China and Public Service | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution
Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher discusses what brought him to Capitol Hill and why he’s decided to depart so relatively soon; life inside a fractious Republican caucus; his legacy as chair of a House select committee examining the threat of an...
02.16.2024
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update - Mental Vs. Fiscal Health, and Remembering a Rebuilder | Hoover Institution
The latest in the California, including a campaign to turn a coastal stretch of the Golden State into a new nation called “Pacifica”; the politics of “shrinkflation”; what this year’s US Senate race says about California’s top-two primary system; plus...
01.26.2024
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: DiFi’s Void, Deficit Dismay, Urban Dreams, Barbie Dolor | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
Four US Senate candidates gathered for the first televised debate in advance of California’s March 5 primary; the state’s alarming budget deficit exposes fundamental problems with spending and taxes; and what are the odds of Silicon Valley luminaries building a...
01.19.2024
Matters of Policy & Politics: American Lion, Near East Hyenas: US Options in Yemen and Iran | Bill Whalen, Joel Rayburn, and Bernard Haykel | Hoover Institution
Strategic options for the United States in the Middle East include how to curb Iranian aggression, strengthening ties with regional allies, and reintroducing the notion of American-led deterrence.
01.12.2024
Matters of Policy & Politics: Iowa and Beyond: Three’s a (Republican) Crowd? | Bill Whalen, Dave Brady, and Doug Rivers | Hoover Institution
Some of the various political dynamics heading into Iowa and beyond include whether there’s room for three viable Republican candidates in January’s and February’s contests.
12.20.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: 2023 Ends on a Sour Financial Note (Except for Shohei Ohtani) | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The latest in the Golden State, including how California’s fiscal outlook went from a massive surplus to a titanic deficit.
11.17.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: SF Cleans Up, LA Melts Down and Arnold’s Back (in Sacramento) | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The latest in the Golden State, including the addition of “disinformation” and ethnic studies classes (the latter now a graduation requirement) to California’s K-12 curriculum as well as how SF Cleans Up, LA Melts Down, and Arnold’s Back (in Sacramento)
11.14.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative | Bill Whalen and Jennifer Burns | Hoover Institution
There’s so much to still be learned about the late Milton Friedman – his embrace of free markets and capitalism, his oft-times contrarian thinking on the likes of drug legalization, and the women who supported his research.
11.10.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Michael Boskin: Defense Budgeting for a Safer World | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution
Budgeting for two “hot” wars plus “Cold War 2.0” with China.
10.19.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Bills That Lived or Died; Single-Payer Healthcare’s Resuscitation | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The State Capitol’s annual bill-signing season ends, with California governor Gavin Newsom deciding the fate of hundreds of pieces of legislation.
10.11.2023
Silicon Triangle: Mary Kay Magistad on the Future of US-China Competition | Hoover Institution
Mary Kay Magistad and Kharis Templeman discuss four potential futures for US-China relations.
10.05.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Ukraine and Russia: Empires, Genocide and a “Greatest Generation” | Bill Whalen and Norman Naimark | Hoover Institution
The Russia-Ukraine war is less about resources and more about empire, history, and two nations’ self-conceptions.
09.29.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Inflation, Disinflation, and Spending: When Fiscal and Monetary Worlds Collide | Bill Whalen and Mickey Levy | Hoover Institution
Inflation, Disinflation, and Spending: When Fiscal and Monetary Worlds Collide.
09.28.2023
Silicon Triangle: Glenn Tiffert on Why China Struggles to Produce Advanced Semiconductors | Hoover Institution
Glenn Tiffert explains how China has struggled to develop its own semiconductor industry despite massive government subsidies.
09.22.2023
Silicon Triangle: Matt Turpin On Mitigating China’s Nonmarket Behavior In Semiconductors | Hoover Institution
Matt Turpin discusses the intensifying competition between the US and China over dominance in the semiconductor industry. He discusses the strategies and policies the US is employing, such as export controls and domestic investment incentives, to try to maintain leadership...
09.21.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: “Lee Was Wrong”, Jerry Is Right? | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The latest in the Golden State, including pending “first-in-the-nation” laws, a fast-food backroom deal, Ronald Reagan’s lessons in governing California.
09.14.2023
Silicon Triangle: H.-S. Philip Wong on the Implications of Technology Trends in the Semiconductor Industry | Hoover Institution
To read ”Implications of Technology Trends in the Semiconductor Industry” by H.-S. Philip Wong and Jim Plummer, click the following link: https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/research/docs/SiliconTriangle_Chapter2_230828.pdf
09.07.2023
Matters of Policy & Politics: Road to the White House: Is This The “Yogi Berra Election?” | Bill Whalen, David Brady, and Douglas Rivers | Hoover Institution
What/where are President Biden’s and former President Trump’s poll numbers, the economy’s role in the election, plus how “independent” are non-aligned voters?
09.07.2023
Silicon Triangle: Chris Ford on How the US Can Reduce Vulnerabilities in Semiconductor Supply Chains | Hoover Institution
Chris Ford discusses the need for an insurance policy to mitigate vulnerabilities in American semiconductor supply chains through government incentives, private sector investment, workforce development, and strategic stockpiling.
08.31.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Silicon Triangle: Semiconductors and Seminal Moments Across the Pacific | Bill Whalen, James Ellis, and Glenn Tiffert | Hoover Institution
Can America re-create a vibrant domestic semiconductor industry and, if so, what does that portend for an already strategically-vulnerable Taiwan?
08.25.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Riders on the Storm | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The latest in the Golden State.
08.17.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Healthcare Reform: In Need of Resuscitation | Bill Whalen and Lanhee Chen | Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution fellow Lanhee Chen discusses innovative ideas for lowering healthcare costs, easing the system’s regulatory burdens, and offering patients greater freedom to design their own plans.
07.25.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: The Summer of Barbie…and Curricular Backlashes | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The economics and politics of the Hollywood strike, California’s K-12 math and social-science curriculum changes under fire, plus a nascent field of Democrats hoping to be California’s next governor.
07.05.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Supreme Court Fireworks: The Future of College Admissions | Bill Whalen and John Yoo | Hoover Institution
The justices’ reasoning on race and free speech, what the future holds for college admissions (Harvard’s legacy factor now the subject of a lawsuit), plus the unusually personal nature of a few of the opinions.
06.30.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: The Beautiful People Republic | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The latest in the Golden State, including the summer’s first heat wave, the oddities of 4th of July on the West Coast, plus a Vanity Fair profile of a California overly obsessed with crime.
06.28.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Third Time’s More Charming: Macke Raymond on Charter School Progress | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution
Lessons learned and the status of the three-decade charter school movement.
06.23.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Levant Update: Tony Soprano Survives . . . in Syria | Bill Whalen and Joel Rayburn | Hoover Institution
The Arab League readmitting Syria, the significance of regional lands conducting their own diplomacy without direct US involvement, the role of a fragile regime in Iran, plus the long shadows of Russia and China.
06.21.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Hacks, Attacks, and Pushing Back: Herb Lin on Cybersecurity | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution
China in search of data, North Korea in need of cash – and the push and pull between the US government and the nation’s commercial and tech sectors over taking responsibility for future attacks.
06.13.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Cyber-Rattling: Jacquelyn Schneider on (War) Games People Play | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution
The fine art of quality war-gaming – and how the practice applies to current tensions between the US and China
06.02.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Indulgent Dodgers, Indebted San Francisco | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
Policies San Francisco could implement to rejuvenate its business sector, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dust-up, plus the left’s efforts to force a frail senator Dianne Feinstein into an early retirement.
05.19.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Eye on the Prize: John Cochrane on Monetary Policy, the Fed’s Evolution, and Career Achievements | Bill Whalen and John Cochrane | Hoover Institution
John Cochrane reflects on lessons learned from inflation, institutional drift, and the art of economic storytelling.
05.05.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: What’s a Stay-at-Home Governor To Do? | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
San Francisco’s fentanyl “crackdown” begins; California’s budget drama heats up inside the State Capitol; and Governor Gavin Newsom’s ongoing obsession with national politics prompts a media backlash back at home.
04.28.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Africa’s Future: The Great Powers’ “Second Scramble” for Influence and Leverage | Bill Whalen and Thomas Henriksen | Hoover Institution
At the dawn of the 20th Century, control of the African continent centered around European colonial desires – national pride, natural resources, and manpower.
04.21.2023
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Did He Act Alone? Kevin Hassett on the Death of Curiosity, and the Birth of Economic Policy | Bill Whalen And Kevin Hassett | Hoover Institution
One economist believes that what is lacking in America today is too little in the way of intellectual curiosity.
04.14.2023
2024’s Elephant Parade: Who Plays the Trump Card? | Bill Whalen and Ben Ginsberg | Hoover Institution
The current state of the GOP “establishment” plus Ginsberg’s current Hoover projects devoted to election integrity and re-instilling voter confidence.
04.07.2023
A California Update: San Francisco’s “Doom Loop,” Newsom’s Wanderlust, Harris’ Bad Luck | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
The latest in the Golden State.
04.05.2023
As the World Turns: Macron’s China “Sweet Tooth”; Politics or Realpolitik for Biden? | Bill Whalen and Russell Berman | Hoover Institution
The latest in Europe and the Middle East.
03.28.2023
Campaign 2024: Waiting for Kohoutek, What’s Behind Door Number 3 | Bill Whalen, Dave Brady, and Doug Rivers | Hoover Institution
The health of the two parties’ as we head into the next presidential race.
03.10.2023
California High-Speed Rail: More “Loco” Than “Motion” | Bill Whalen and Lee Ohanian | Hoover Institution
The latest in the Golden State including why Newsom chose not to deliver a State of the State address, fentanyl-plagued San Francisco revisiting its sanctuary policy, and California bracing for (sigh) another round of battering rainstorms.
03.03.2023
Chicago’s Mayor Gets Schooled | Bill Whalen and Michael Hartney | Hoover Institution
The oversized influence of teachers’ unions in policy-making, elections, and interest-group politics.
02.24.2023
A Year After Putin’s Invasion: What is Next for Eastern Europe? | Bill Whalen and Tomasz Blusiewicz | Hoover Institution
What are the prospects that the hostilities from the war in Ukraine will spread across the European continent?
02.16.2023
The Supreme Court: Student Loan Debt and “Hiding Elephants in Mouseholes” | Bill Whalen and Michael McConnell | Hoover Institution
The constitutionality of President Biden’s student loan debt-forgiveness plan, state legislatures’ roles in redistricting, and whether California can export woke business practices across state lines.
02.10.2023
Vengeance, Virtue and “Who We Are” | Bill Whalen and Zachary Shore | Hoover Institution
Lessons learned from World War II and the fine art of understanding enemies especially when dealing with the likes of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
02.03.2023
No Home Court Advantage in Atherton | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
Can California governor Gavin Newsom play a role in the congressional debate over an assault weapons ban and what is the feasibility of reparations for San Francisco’s black community?
01.21.2023
How ‘Bout Them Cowboys? | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
Lessons learned from the winter storms, what do about San Francisco’s urban blight, plus the irony of a storied Texas franchise (the Dallas Cowboys) that choose to do business in the Golden State.
12.16.2022
Make a Run for the Border | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution
How can anyone explain the Golden State’s exorbitant gasoline prices and what the future might hold for two California-based entities (Twitter and Disney).

What's Matters of Policy & Politics about?

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Matters of Policy & Politics episodes:

Matters Of Policy & Politics: America’s Economic Riddle | Bill Whalen and Mickey Levy | Hoover Institution

Matters of Policy & Politics: Revisiting Freedom’s Cause: David Davenport and Checker Finn on Rejuvenating Civic Education | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Southbound Economy, Media Hardball, and Remembering O.J.| Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters of Policy & Politics: California Update - Proposition 1 Wasn’t the Yeast of the Governor’s Worries | Lee Ohanian and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Rep. Mike Gallagher on Congress, China and Public Service | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update - Mental Vs. Fiscal Health, and Remembering a Rebuilder | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: DiFi’s Void, Deficit Dismay, Urban Dreams, Barbie Dolor | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters of Policy & Politics: American Lion, Near East Hyenas: US Options in Yemen and Iran | Bill Whalen, Joel Rayburn, and Bernard Haykel | Hoover Institution

Matters of Policy & Politics: Iowa and Beyond: Three’s a (Republican) Crowd? | Bill Whalen, Dave Brady, and Doug Rivers | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: 2023 Ends on a Sour Financial Note (Except for Shohei Ohtani) | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: SF Cleans Up, LA Melts Down and Arnold’s Back (in Sacramento) | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative | Bill Whalen and Jennifer Burns | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Michael Boskin: Defense Budgeting for a Safer World | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Bills That Lived or Died; Single-Payer Healthcare’s Resuscitation | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Silicon Triangle: Mary Kay Magistad on the Future of US-China Competition | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Ukraine and Russia: Empires, Genocide and a “Greatest Generation” | Bill Whalen and Norman Naimark | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Inflation, Disinflation, and Spending: When Fiscal and Monetary Worlds Collide | Bill Whalen and Mickey Levy | Hoover Institution

Silicon Triangle: Glenn Tiffert on Why China Struggles to Produce Advanced Semiconductors | Hoover Institution

Silicon Triangle: Matt Turpin On Mitigating China’s Nonmarket Behavior In Semiconductors | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: “Lee Was Wrong”, Jerry Is Right? | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Silicon Triangle: H.-S. Philip Wong on the Implications of Technology Trends in the Semiconductor Industry | Hoover Institution

Matters of Policy & Politics: Road to the White House: Is This The “Yogi Berra Election?” | Bill Whalen, David Brady, and Douglas Rivers | Hoover Institution

Silicon Triangle: Chris Ford on How the US Can Reduce Vulnerabilities in Semiconductor Supply Chains | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Silicon Triangle: Semiconductors and Seminal Moments Across the Pacific | Bill Whalen, James Ellis, and Glenn Tiffert | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Riders on the Storm | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Healthcare Reform: In Need of Resuscitation | Bill Whalen and Lanhee Chen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: The Summer of Barbie…and Curricular Backlashes | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Supreme Court Fireworks: The Future of College Admissions | Bill Whalen and John Yoo | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: The Beautiful People Republic | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Third Time’s More Charming: Macke Raymond on Charter School Progress | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Levant Update: Tony Soprano Survives . . . in Syria | Bill Whalen and Joel Rayburn | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Hacks, Attacks, and Pushing Back: Herb Lin on Cybersecurity | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Cyber-Rattling: Jacquelyn Schneider on (War) Games People Play | Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: Indulgent Dodgers, Indebted San Francisco | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Eye on the Prize: John Cochrane on Monetary Policy, the Fed’s Evolution, and Career Achievements | Bill Whalen and John Cochrane | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: California Update: What’s a Stay-at-Home Governor To Do? | Bill Whalen, Lee Ohanian, and Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Africa’s Future: The Great Powers’ “Second Scramble” for Influence and Leverage | Bill Whalen and Thomas Henriksen | Hoover Institution

Matters Of Policy & Politics: Did He Act Alone? Kevin Hassett on the Death of Curiosity, and the Birth of Economic Policy | Bill Whalen And Kevin Hassett | Hoover Institution

2024’s Elephant Parade: Who Plays the Trump Card? | Bill Whalen and Ben Ginsberg | Hoover Institution

A California Update: San Francisco’s “Doom Loop,” Newsom’s Wanderlust, Harris’ Bad Luck | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

As the World Turns: Macron’s China “Sweet Tooth”; Politics or Realpolitik for Biden? | Bill Whalen and Russell Berman | Hoover Institution

Campaign 2024: Waiting for Kohoutek, What’s Behind Door Number 3 | Bill Whalen, Dave Brady, and Doug Rivers | Hoover Institution

California High-Speed Rail: More “Loco” Than “Motion” | Bill Whalen and Lee Ohanian | Hoover Institution

Chicago’s Mayor Gets Schooled | Bill Whalen and Michael Hartney | Hoover Institution

A Year After Putin’s Invasion: What is Next for Eastern Europe? | Bill Whalen and Tomasz Blusiewicz | Hoover Institution

The Supreme Court: Student Loan Debt and “Hiding Elephants in Mouseholes” | Bill Whalen and Michael McConnell | Hoover Institution

Vengeance, Virtue and “Who We Are” | Bill Whalen and Zachary Shore | Hoover Institution

No Home Court Advantage in Atherton | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

How ‘Bout Them Cowboys? | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution

Make a Run for the Border | Lee Ohanian, Bill Whalen, Jonathan Movroydis | Hoover Institution