Heard at Heritage

In the world of science and medicine, moral and ethical considerations abound. What does it mean to be “human?” When it comes to the promise of therapies and cures, do the ends justify the means? What limiting principles should guide research and public policy? In the pursuit of human flourishing, how do we decide what is acceptable collateral damage? Why should society approach issues such as three-parent embryos, human cloning, assisted reproductive technology, gene editing, embryonic stem cell research, and many others, with caution and restraint?Join us for an illuminating and informative discussion with leading philosophical, scientific, and public policy experts as we explore the importance of bioethics in science, culture, and the law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freedom of conscience is one of the most fundamental rights individuals have in the United States, guaranteed by the First Amendment. Understanding this, the Trump Administration has prioritized religious liberty as one of its paramount issues. In May of last year, President Trump signed an executive order creating the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative, with the goal of ensuring that faith-based and community organizations, which form the bedrock of our society, have strong advocates in the White House and throughout the Federal Government. This hasn’t just been lip service. Throughout the federal government, agencies have enacted policies and litigation strategies to protect religious freedom. Join us for a discussion with three key administration officials from the Department of Justice, Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services, as they discuss what their agencies are doing to champion religious liberty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Foreign Minister of Estonia, Mr. Urmas Reinsalu will discuss challenges facing Europe today and Estonia’s evolving role in the Euro-Atlantic community. While geopolitical changes, the emergence of new great powers and the revanchism of the old ones are testing the stability of the international order, fast developments in technology are changing the way our economies and function, the way we get our news and even the way we communicate with each other, in process creating tensions and putting domestic institutions under stress. As our institutions cope with these factors, we need to make sure no one will miscalculate the strength and commitment of the Euro-Atlantic relationship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer was born in Sichuan province, China in 1966. She was arrested four times and held as a prisoner of conscience in a labor camp for a year. In the camp, she was physically and mentally abused, and subjected to attempted brainwashing and electroshock treatment. She fled China in 2001 for Australia, wrote a book about her experiences titled Witnessing History: One Chinese Woman's Fight for Freedom. She eventually settled in the United States. There is also a documentary about her life called Free China: The Courage to Believe. Jennifer is a managing editor at Epoch Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America’s Founders understood the press as both a necessary component of republican government and a potential threat to political liberty. They counted on libel laws to restrain the press’s natural excesses. But the Supreme Court dramatically changed the nature of libel law in its landmark 1964 decision, New York Times v. Sullivan. How has this ruling changed the character of America’s press, and what have been long term consequences of this ruling? Should this decision be revisited? Please join us as our panel of experts consider whether stronger libel laws against the press should be revived. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. Marine Corps stands on the brink of revolutionary change, driven by General David H. Berger, 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Just six days after taking office this summer, General Berger issued his Commandant’s Planning Guidance, in which he made a bold break from long-held imperatives that have driven the Corps’ organizing, acquisition, doctrinal, and training efforts for a half-century. Agreeing with his predecessor’s assessment that “The Marine Corps is not organized, trained, equipped, or postured” for the future, General Berger has laid out an audacious plan to reorient the Corps and design a force to meet the demands of Great Power Competition and future war.Join us for an in-depth conversation with the Commandant, in his first presentation for the general public, to gain greater insight into why he believes such dramatic change is needed, his orientation of the Corps to the Indo-Pacific, how the service plans to move forward, and what it implies not only for the Marines, but also for the U.S. Navy, the defense industrial base, and the ability of operational commanders to meet rapidly evolving future threats. Reception to follow.The Marine Corps University Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to enhance and enrich the Marine Corps’ Professional Military Education and Leadership. For nearly 40 years, MCUF has harnessed the power of the private sector in support of the Marine Corps’ most pressing educational needs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A discussion with Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar at The Heritage Foundation on October 2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, limits on NASA funding and the lack of direction under the Nixon and Carter administrations had left the U.S. space program at a crossroads. In contrast to his predecessors, Reagan saw outer space as humanity’s final frontier and as an opportunity for global leadership. His optimism and belief in American exceptionalism guided a decade of U.S. activities in space, including bringing the space shuttle into operation, dealing with the 1986 Challenger accident and its aftermath, committing to a permanently crewed space station, encouraging private sector space efforts, and fostering international space partnerships with both U.S. allies and with the Soviet Union.Drawing from a trove of declassified primary source materials and oral history interviews, John M. Logsdon provides the first comprehensive account of Reagan’s civilian and commercial space policies during his eight years in the White House. Even as a fiscal conservative who was hesitant to increase NASA’s budget, Reagan’s enthusiasm for the space program made him perhaps the most pro-space president in American history.John Logsdon is a world-renowned historian and analyst of space issues. He is the author of John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon and After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American Space Program, both award-winning, definitive accounts of presidential space policy, and his most recent book is Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier. Professor Logsdon is Professor Emeritus at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and founder of its Space Policy Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Public diplomacy in the era of President Trump has been a subject of much conjecture. It has focused, to a great extent, on the president’s promise to “Make America Great Again” and how that idea is received around the world. Yet, little factual information has come out about the significant changes in Public Diplomacy’s place within the Department of State. Under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, streamlining and reorganization has been taking place. Most notably, State’s Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Bureaus have merged to form a Bureau of Global Public Affairs, whose mission is simultaneously to “serve the American people by effectively communicating U.S. foreign policy priorities and the importance of diplomacy to American audiences, and engaging foreign publics to enhance their understanding of and support for the values and policies of the United States.” Furthermore, some priorities have shifted to align priorities with President Trump’s National Security Strategy. In order to examine and analyze these changes, The Heritage Foundation will host a discussion with some of the key players in the Trump Administration’s Public Diplomacy work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court returns October 7th for its 2019-2020 Term, and the justices will tackle of number of important issues. The Court will consider cases involving an Obamacare “bait and switch” on insurance companies in Moda Health Plan, Inc. v. United States and the Trump administration’s attempt to roll back the DACA program for Dreamers in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California. Also coming up are cases looking at whether the federal ban on sex-based discrimination in employment extends to sexual orientation and gender identity in a trio of cases, whether states can bar religious schools from a student-aid program in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and the first major Second Amendment case in nearly a decade in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. City of New York. In addition to these and many others, what other cases might the justices add to their calendar? Join us as two distinguished Supreme Court advocates discuss what is likely to unfold at the Supreme Court next term. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.