Heritage Events Podcast

In the early 20th century, the federal government engaged in housing “redlining”—a practice that conditioned access to federally backed home loans on the perceived economic health of a neighborhood and used demographic factors such as race in those decisions. Today, underperforming public schools are too often located in the areas “redlined” by government agencies in the 20th century. Yet local government policies largely maintain attendance zone boundaries and residential assignment, relegating students with few means to whatever public school is on their side of the street.Understanding the history of government-sanctioned redlining in the housing sector demonstrates a major problem with continuing to tie housing to schooling. This arrangement is an historical relic that impedes opportunity, limits choice, and prevents parents from selecting a school that best fits their child. There is, however, a clear policy remedy. Join us for a conversation about this history and specific remedies for addressing the lingering effects of housing redlining on education.

When the Cold War ended, many thought that democracy had triumphed over authoritarianism. However, today’s Russia and China are both attempting to undermine U.S. values and leadership and install a new world order based on autocratic values. Nuclear weapons will serve as a central feature in this struggle, presenting the urgent need to ensure America’s own nuclear deterrence remains safe, secure, and reliable. Hear about this threat and what America must do to preserve peace.Back to Reagan’s Future: The Importance of Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense for an Uncertain WorldThe American public often associates nuclear deterrence with the Cold War. Unfortunately, the nuclear threat from America’s adversaries is arguably more dangerous than ever before. In the face of strategic competitors like China and Russia and threats from rogue states such as Iran and North Korea, American nuclear deterrence and missile defense must be at the top of the national security agenda. In order to build a realistic nuclear policy for today’s world, it is important to take stock of the threat and our capabilities, and carefully consider policy options for the future. This series will convene leading experts to discuss the current nuclear landscape.

With the idea of "Democratic Socialism" becoming increasingly popular, many people question if young Americans will choose government control or individual freedom. Unfortunately, Socialism and its command-and-control economics have led many countries into a cycle of poverty and repression.Jorge Andrés Galicia Rodríguez and Andrés Guilarte are two university students who lived in Venezuela under a democratically elected socialist regime, massive blackouts, and political persecution. The increase of government social programs, the nationalization of the country's oil industry, and corruption at the highest levels of government all contributed to a once prosperous nation's economic collapse. Throughout its history, as Dr. Lee Edwards, Distinguished Fellow of Conservative Thought writes, Socialism has supported the belief that the system can make better decisions for the people than they can for themselves.Join us as Galicia Rodriguez and Guilarte speak with leading historian Dr. Lee Edwards to discuss the effects of Socialism, lessons learned, and the importance of choosing freedom over government control.Lee Edwards, a distinguished fellow in conservative thought at The Heritage Foundation, is a leading historian of American conservatism and the author or editor of 25 books. Edwards also is an adjunct professor of politics at the Catholic University of America and chairman of a foundation that dedicated the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2007.

The Czech Republic is often employed as a testing ground for Russian influence operations, many of which are later implemented against other NATO countries if successful. Hence, if one wants to understand Russia’s methods and operations, the Czech security environment provides an invaluable source of information.U.S.-Czech missile defense cooperation provides a great example of one such disinformation campaign. In that case the Czech Republic was targeted by Russian active measures, along with an influence campaign that contributed to a large portion of the Czech public ultimately opposing the idea of hosting a U.S. radar on Czech soil. These distinguished experts will pull back the curtain on just how Russia advanced its goals in the Czech Republic using original, never-before published research, and how the U.S. and NATO can work together prevent this from happening again.

The border security built by the Trump Administration has been swiftly torn down by the Biden Administration. From stopping border wall construction to ending the Remain in Mexico Program, tearing up the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central American countries, and promising amnesty and family unification in the U.S., the Biden Administration has opened our southern border. At the same time, President Biden has restricted the vast majority of ICE’s authority to remove deportable aliens. To our country’s detriment, we are seeing record numbers of illegal aliens, particularly unaccompanied alien children, at our southwest border, and our government is quickly processing and releasing them into the U.S.Join us to discuss what should be done in Congress and the Executive Branch to both stop this border crisis and prevent illegal immigration in the first place. Also, learn what states can do to enforce their laws and protect their interests when the federal government refuses to.

In order to launch an assault on the British monarchy, the American radical Left has seized upon the claims from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, that the Royal Family created a hostile, racist environment for the couple. Britain’s constitutional monarchy—among the most powerful conservative institutions on the world stage—represents everything the radical Left despises: tradition, authority, hierarchy, patriotism, and the political and religious ideals of Western Civilization.Our panel of British leaders and experts will explain what this cultural moment means for both America and Great Britain and why the Left’s attacks will fail. Please join the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom and Simon Center for American Studies for an insightful discussion about defending conservative institutions and uniting to preserve the special UK-US Relationship.