Heritage Explains

In addition to Russia and North Korea, nuclear bad actors can also be found in Iran, where the regime has been plotting a nuclear buildup for decades. Now, the Trump Administration has initiated talks with the Iranians. Here to explain what we may expect from these negotiations is Rob Greenway, Director of the Allison Center for National Security, here at the Heritage Foundation.—Follow Rob Greenway on X: https://x.com/RC_GreenwayMore by Rob at Heritage.org: http://heritage.org/staff/robert-greenwayChinese Nuclear Deterrence Documentary: America Is on Track To Lose a Nuclear War With China—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.This is the beginning of Article III, section 1 of the US constitution, establishing the federal judiciary. Nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and usually serving for life, federal judges serve a key role in the highest levels of the American justice system. The federal judiciary is designed to exert a check on the power of the legislative and the executive branches. Now that the Trump Administration is making sweeping changes to the way things are done in Washington, some federal judges are using this power to obstruct the President. But are they right to do so? Joining Heritage Explains today is Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky. —Follow Hans on X: https://twitter.com/HvonSpakovsky?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorMore by Hans at Heritage.org: https://www.heritage.org/staff/hans-von-spakovsky—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

It’s clear that the Trump administration’s commitment to securing the southern border is working. But the question now is, how do we keep it working? What changes need to be made to the immigration system to keep us from heading back to the uncontrolled illegal migration of the Biden years?One critical component, argues Heritage Immigration expert Lora Ries, is the reform of the asylum system, ensuring that people who are genuinely in danger have access, while discouraging fraudulent claims. —Follow Lora Ries on X: https://x.com/lora_ries?lang=enLora’s report on Heritage.org: https://www.heritage.org/border-security/report/the-us-must-redesign-asylum-law-21st-century-reality-and-put-america-first—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

In the summer of 2020, with the George Floyd Riots in full swing, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser decided that 16th Avenue would gain a new status in American history. She designated the two block section of the Avenue closest to the white house as Black Lives Matter Plaza. The slogan was painted in 35-foot yellow letters on the street. Whether they wanted to or not, DC residents and visitors were forced to see them day in and day out. No doubt, the mayor and her allies believed they were symbolically staking the nation’s capitol as beholden to that morally questionable movement forever. But it was not to be forever. In March of this year, DC workers have been seen removing the letters from Black Lives Matter plaza. The street is being returned to a normal pedestrian and traffic thoroughfare, free from political sloganeering. How did this happen? To tell that story, I’m joined on the podcast by Heritage Senior Legal Fellow Zack Smith. —Follow Zack Smith on X: https://x.com/tzsmithZack’s work at Heritage.org: https://www.heritage.org/staff/zack-smith—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

From the earliest times of the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Francis Collins, and apparently the entire scientific community insisted that the virus emerged from nature, jumping from an animal species to humans. Many pointed out the flaws in this reasoning, finding the possibility of COVID leaking from a laboratory much more likely. Scientific organizations, leftist politicians, and corporate media insisted that such an opinion was dangerous and should be suppressed. Here’s the problem: many of them were knowingly lying. Here to give the breakdown is Jeff Smith, Director of the Asian Studies Center, here at the Heritage Foundation. 

Lindsey Burke, Director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation and a noted expert in education policy, joins to discuss the divisive potential of winding down the Department of Education. She delves into its contentious beginnings, the stagnant student outcomes since its inception, and how federal funding shapes ideological narratives in schools. Burke argues that eliminating the department could empower local control and enhance educational freedom, sparking debate over the future of education in America.

This week, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress. Clocking in at over an hour and forty minutes, the speech was the longest address a president has delivered to America’s legislature in recent history. It covered the president’s accomplishments so far in his administration, from DOGE to border enforcement to economic policy, as well as shedding some light on the president’s plans for the future. To understand some of the key takeaways from Trump’s speech, I sat down with Ryan Walker, the Executive Vice President of Heritage Action for America. —Follow Ryan Walker on X: https://x.com/ryanlwalkerLearn more about Heritage Action for America: https://heritageaction.com/—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

President Trump’s posture toward the war in Ukraine is very different from his predecessor. To understand what we might expect to see in Ukraine over the next few weeks, months, and years, I sat down with Rob Greenway, Director of the Allison Center for National Security, here at the Heritage Foundation—Follow Rob Greenway on X: https://x.com/rc_greenway?lang=enLearn more about The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

American taxpayer money can be used to great effect, and we like to think that our civil institutions would always be dedicated to delivering such good return on investment. But that is not always so. The Trump Administration’s DOGE effort has shed much light in recent weeks on waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government. Now the spotlight has been turned on NIH. Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Jay Greene has been studying the federal grant process through NIH for many years, and has warned that the system has its problems. —Follow Jay Greene on X: https://x.com/jaypgreene Learn more about The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org—Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

On January 28th, President Trump signed an executive order on banning the use of federal funds for so-called “gender transitions”. But some states Attorneys general have taken exception to this, and filed suit. Here to explain their position, and its likelihood for success, is Heritage Senior Legal Fellow, Sarah Parshall Perry. —Follow Sarah Perry on X:https://x.com/SarahPPerryFollow Chloe Cole on X:https://x.com/ChoooColeLearn more about The Heritage Foundation:www.heritage.org—Have thoughts? Let us know atheritageexplains@heritage.org