Matters of Policy & Politics

The Supreme Court’s recent rulings on abortion, guns, and other contentious social issues further complicates an already opaque political landscape. David Brady and Douglas Rivers, Hoover Institution senior fellows and Stanford University political scientists, discuss what if any opinion shifts their polling data suggests and what other political variables (inflation, an unpopular president) might affect November’s outcome.

The Supreme Court offers landmark decisions concerning abortion, Second Amendment rights, and public prayer at school activities. John Yoo, a Hoover Institution visiting fellow and UC-Berkeley law professor, discusses whether this year’s caseload marks the beginning of a historic conservative run on the high court, plus the internal dynamics of six right-leaning justices who sometimes differ on contentious jurisprudence.

San Francisco’s economy is a shell of its former self. California throws money at its homeless problem with mixed results, and Gavin Newsom resides on Donald Trump’s social-media website. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss where the fabled “Babylon by the Bay” went wrong, the right remedies for homelessness, plus the political upside of a blue-state governor trashing America’s red states.

Inflation continues to rage as a recession nears, a market downturn erodes investments and savings, and the Biden White House struggles to find impactful solutions to America’s struggling economy. Kevin Hassett, a Hoover Institution Distinguished Visiting Fellow and past chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, explains what put America in its current economic misery, the merits of Federal Reserve policy, the outlook for investors, plus his remedies for bringing inflation under control.

Primary night in California yielded damning results for San Francisco’s now-recalled district attorney and the question of whether a law-and-order “earthquake” is afoot in the Golden State. Hoover Institution senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss their latest columns on emerging themes from Tuesday’s vote, plus what California may provide in the way of reparations for descendants of slavery.

Sacramento’s legislative deadline brings bad news for California’s affordable housing crunch (no new development on community-owned golf courses) and grim tidings for Big Tech (can parents sue for kids’ alleged screen “addiction”?) and Abraham Lincoln (will the state’s President’s Day holiday be supplanted?). Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State, including what an encounter with a parent at a sporting event says about the mood of California’s Latino population and a chance for Republican inroads.

While the war in Ukraine continues to make front-page news, a historically troubled region of the world offers its usual array of intrigue and challenges to America’s strategic interests. Cole Bunzel, a Hoover Institution fellow who studies the Islamic Middle East, gives an update on the latest developments in Iran (deal or no deal), Syria (Russia’s presence), Israel (trouble in all directions), Saudi Arabia (chilled U.S. relations), as well as the ISIS caliphate (who’s in charge?).

California’s Democratic governor questions his party’s willingness to engage in culture wars, the Golden State seeks to attract businesses offended by red-state abortion policies, and lawmakers in Sacramento quibble over what to do with tens of billions in surplus revenue. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State, including what if any progress will be achieved on homelessness, a worsening drought, and California’ stuck-in-a-rut high-speed rail project.

California’s new math standards don’t add up, Twitter’s San Francisco days may be numbered if Elon Musk has his way, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may be royally tired of California. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State, including forthcoming water restrictions in the Southland and Sacramento’s sudden complacency regarding gasoline prices.

Does a Florida judge’s decision to strike down the federal mandate for wearing masks mark a shift from pandemic to endemic thinking? Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Hoover senior fellow, a Stanford University professor of medicine, and an epidemiological researcher, discusses the efficacy of mask-wearing, the nuances of the BA.2 variant, lessons from past lockdowns, plus a proposed bill in Sacramento that would suppress COVID dissenters in California’s medical community.