The AEI Events Podcast

In recent years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken numerous steps to ensure that the US is ready for next-generation networks — with more efficient and secure supply chains, software upgrades, and higher speeds — including 5G wireless technology. It has conducted crucial wireless spectrum auctions, significantly expanding commercially available mobile airwaves and spurring billions of dollars of investment in US mobile networks. The FCC has also reduced regulatory barriers to 5G deployment and worked with state and local governments to speed 5G deployment. 5G is poised to power the innovations and economy of the future. How can the US ensure that it continues to lead the world in 5G in the coming years?

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr joins AEI’s Shane Tews to discuss the results of the FCC’s actions over the past four years and present his vision for extending US leadership in 5G moving forward.

Watch the event here.

At a time of bitter national polarization, we need to push past empty posturing in favor of a healthy, constructive competition of ideas. Frederick M. Hess and Pedro A. Noguera, who tend to fall on opposing sides of the ideological aisle, candidly explore their differences on some of the toughest issues in K–12 education in their new book, “A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K–12 Education” (Teachers College Press, 2021).

Dr. Hess and Dr. Noguera wrestle with important disagreements regarding issues such as school choice, for-profit provision, civics, and anti-racism, in a manner that yields understanding and a sense of shared purpose. In this conversation, they discuss where 21st-century schooling needs to go and how to foster the kind of public discourse that will get us there.

Watch the full event here.

Check out Rick and Pedro's new podcast, Common Ground, on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Join AEI's Tim Carney as he moderates the panel discussion in which Dr. Rachidi, Mr. Weidinger, and Dr. Winship present arguments against the child allowance while Mr. Carney and Mr. Stone presents arguments in favor in part 2 of the child allowances event.

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are pushing to transform the child tax credit into a nearly universal, unconditional per-child benefit. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) recently announced his own version of a child allowance to mixed reviews on the political right.

A child allowance would help families raise children and balance work and caregiving while promoting fertility and reducing abortion. However, libertarians object to the government subsidizing parenting, deficit hawks blanch at the cost, and advocates of limited government warn that a child allowance is the first step toward a universal basic income. It also threatens to increase the number of families without a working parent and the number of children raised by a single parent. This event will explore the arguments for and against child allowances.

Watch the full event here.

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act required Adm. Philip Davidson, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), to provide an independent assessment to Congress outlining USINDOPACOM’s resourcing requirements for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. Adm. Davidson joins AEI to discuss its contents and outline his key priorities. He also reflects on the security, alliance, and budget issues he has faced during his three-year tenure as USINDOPACOM commander.

What investments does the Department of Defense need to make to fund a conventional deterrence strategy for defending US interests in the Indo-Pacific? How have issues along the Sino-Indian border and in Oceania shaped Adm. Davidson’s tenure? What are the prospects for further defense cooperation among the quad countries? Please join AEI’s Eric Sayers for a discussion with Adm. Davidson.

Watch the full event here.

Join Scott Winship, Director of Poverty Studies at AEI in conversation with AEI's President, Robert Doar, and AEI visiting scholar, Brad Wilcox in part one of an event on child allowances.

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are pushing to transform the child tax credit into a nearly universal, unconditional per-child benefit. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) recently announced his own version of a child allowance to mixed reviews on the political right.

A child allowance would help families raise children and balance work and caregiving while promoting fertility and reducing abortion. However, libertarians object to the government subsidizing parenting, deficit hawks blanch at the cost, and advocates of limited government warn that a child allowance is the first step toward a universal basic income. It also threatens to increase the number of families without a working parent and the number of children raised by a single parent. This event will explore the arguments for and against child allowances.

Join us again next week for part 2!

Watch the full event here.

For decades, a prevailing sentiment in America has been that the money spent on the space race would be better spent on domestic problems. As a result, the US space program has not fulfilled its potential for several decades. But this perspective is shortsighted; many technologies we take for granted came from midcentury investments in the space program, and there is no telling what innovations we forego by failing to support space exploration today.

Fortunately, private actors have begun revitalizing the US space program, and the public sphere has also shown a renewed interest. This panel discusses why America should renew its commitment to exploring space and the actions policymakers and private actors should take to facilitate America’s return to the final frontier.

Watch the event here.

Just how strong is Donald Trump’s brand, and what does it mean for the Republican Party going forward? A new online survey of 1,000 people who said they voted for Trump in the 2020 election provides some answers. This extensive poll, conducted by YouGov under the direction of the Ethics & Public Policy Center’s Henry Olsen, explores loyalty to Trump and his voters’ positions on political, economic, and social issues.

Please join AEI for a panel discussion about the survey results and what they mean for the future of the GOP, with Echelon Insights’ Kristen Soltis Anderson and AEI’s Karlyn Bowman, Daniel A. Cox, and Sean Trende.

Watch the event here.

High-level sports are integrated into US institutions of higher education to an extent that is unparalleled in peer countries. Intercollegiate men’s basketball and football, in particular, generate significant revenue from tickets sales and broadcasting rights. At the same time, student-athlete compensation is severely limited. Last year, the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that some of these limitations violate the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court will review that decision later this term in NCAA v. Alston and American Athletic Conference v. Alston.

Watch the event here.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, its end appears to be in sight. Vaccine delivery, business survival in hard-hit economic sectors, and children’s education are among the many challenges policymakers face as they strive to ensure a strong and resilient recovery. Meanwhile, a new US administration with different practices and priorities will leave its mark on the US-EU transatlantic relationship. This event, featuring Spanish Deputy Foreign Minister Manuel Muñiz and AEI’s Stan Veuger, offers reflections on these issues and the Spanish government’s approach to them.

Watch the event here.

On December 10, AEI hosted a panel of senior policy practitioners, moderated by AEI’s Kori Schake, to discuss why critical infrastructure is a matter of national security.

AEI’s Elisabeth Braw explained what gray-zone warfare is and why power plants, ports, airports, and other infrastructure are increasingly targeted by hostile actors. NATO’s Mircea Geoană discussed how NATO is addressing resilience by increasingly working with civil society across member states and industries. Tomáš Kopečný of the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Defence described why technology is the Czech Republic’s key area of strategic interest and the importance of technological resilience in the 21st century. Lastly, Olli-Poika Parviainen of Finland’s Ministry of the Interior highlighted the importance of education and trust in government and spoke of Finland’s comprehensive security model for civil preparedness against all threats — both gray zone and kinetic military actions.

The event concluded with questions on what NATO’s short- and long-term priorities will be for building resilience, the Finnish center for hybrid warfare’s mission, and how NATO can best support the Czech Republic’s pioneering work of running joint industry-military gray-zone exercises.