Matters of Policy & Politics

Delta (Variant) For Dummies

A new COVID variant raises complicated health-policy questions: should masking be mandated and proof of vaccination required to enter indoor spaces? What about the pace and imagination of research? Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of medicine and epidemiological researcher, separates fact from fiction related to the COVID “Delta” variant.  

A Recall Horse Race?

With polls showing Californians almost evenly divided on whether to recall Gavin Newsom, just how concerned should California’s governor be? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the upcoming recall candidates’ debate, plus the role of special-interest money in the special election. 

Naval Gazing

The U.S. Navy’s latest budget request, coupled with Chinese naval expansion, raises questions concerning America’s ability to project strength and respond to crises across the Pacific Rim. Admiral Gary Roughead, former Chief of Naval Operations and the Hoover Institution’s Robert and Marion Oster Distinguished Military Fellow, discusses America’s naval readiness, including doubts about a “fighting culture,” plus whether the military’s upper echelon has become too politicized.  

Garbage Time In California?

With only a week remaining for candidates to enter the race, California’s Sept. 14 recall election continues to take shape. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State, including the gubernatorial challengers’ struggles in earning media attention. 

Entitled To What?

President Biden’s American Families Plan would take Washington in a new direction: expanding entitlements deep into the nation’s middle class. Daniel Heil, a Hoover Institution policy fellow, explains the ramifications should an additional 21 million Americans – and more than half the nation’s working-age households – become dependent upon the federal government. 

Philadelphia Freedom

For some Americans, July 4^th has a special meaning. Lt. Gen H.R. McMaster, the Hoover Institution’s Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow, revisits his introduction to Independence Day as a Philadelphia native, reflects on times when the holiday found him defending freedom in the far corners of the world, plus his thoughts on how to educate young Americans on the roots of our wonderful republic. 

The Post-Heart Attack Governor

Should he survive a recall election later this year, would California Governor Gavin Newsom preside more cautiously, having survived the political near-death experience, or push even harder to the left? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State.

Party Like It’s 2010?

Five months into his presidency, Joe Biden’s poll numbers show slippage among independents. David Brady and Douglas Rivers, Hoover Institution senior fellows and Stanford University political scientists, assess Biden’s popularity, where Republicans and Democrats depart on COVID vaccines and immigration, plus whether a 2022 midterm election still 500 days away could or won’t resemble 2010’s referendum on the Obama presidency.

An Assault On Wealth

A proposed “patriot” wealth tax in Washington and the call for America’s most moneyed individuals to hand over part of their fortunes to Washington leads to questions of motivation: more revenue for federal spending, or a loathing of capitalism. Hoover Institution research fellow and economist David Henderson discusses the accumulation of wealth in America and whether the “assault” on high-profile billionaires is a mere attack or the early stage of a longer siege. 

Sweet Home Alabama

Alabama’s governor, Kay Ivey, has turned to the Hoover Institution for policy input on how to improve her state’s quality of living and economic prosperity. Stephen Haber, the Hoover Institution’s Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow and a member of the Hoover contingent advising Alabama officials, shares his thoughts on the building blocks for a futuristic American state – broadband-based education, cutting-edge university research, business incentives, better infrastructure, and access to outdoor recreation.