Qualified Opinions

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced off this week in the second Presidential Debate—and it was as lively as you’d expect. But when we cut through the noise, what do we see in terms of policy and programs? What policy direction would each candidate take the country? National Review Institute fellow Dominic Pino and Americans for Prosperity Vice President Akash Chougule join Veronique to break it down on this special episode of Qualified Opinions.

Joining the show today is Vance Ginn. Vance is the founder and president of Ginn Economic Consulting, where he leverages data-driven insights to shape economic policy discussions across the nation.  Over the course of the show, Veronique and Vance discuss state and local government spending, federal spending, and the connection between the two.

The right and the left seem to have a lot of opinions about women and fertility, most of them not super productive. What would be a productive way to approach these conversations? Veronique is joined by Clara Piano, Susannah Barnes, and Anna Claire Flowers to discuss.

For all the buzz about the Harris Walz 2024 campaign, the policy substance of the campaign has been light to non-existent thus far. What would policy look like under a Kamala Harris presidential administration? In this special episode of Qualified Opinions, Veronique sits down with Dominic Pino and Akash Chougule to break down the potential policy direction of Harris and what we saw at the DNC this week. Dominic Pino is Thomas L. Rhodes Journalism Fellow at the National Review Institute and the host of AIER’s Econception Podcast. Akash is the Deputy Director of Policy at Americans for Prosperity.

As we navigate an era where corporate influence and political power are more intertwined, scrutinized, and tense than ever, Veronique de Rugy dives into the fascinating intersection of politics and business with her guest, Tevi Troy. Tevi Troy is a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, and a best-selling author. See his latest book, released August 20th, The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry.

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a debate dividing conservatives. One side views IVF as a family-supporting technology that helps couples struggling with fertility, while the other side argues that IVF raises moral concerns about the sanctity of human life. What should we make of the debate? Vanessa Brown Calder joins Veronique de Rugy to discuss in this episode of Qualified Opinions. Vanessa Brown Calder is director of opportunity and family policy studies at the Cato Institute, where she focuses on policies that support family and increase opportunity.

What are the preconditions for a functional liberal democracy? How have our institutions lost their way? How can our divisive culture be put on the right track again? Yuval Levin joins the show to discuss. Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy. The founder and editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and a contributing opinion writer at New York Times.

Randy Barnett joins host Veronique de Rugy today to discuss the future of originalism, individual liberty, and his latest book, A Life for Liberty: The Making of an American Originalist. Randy E. Barnett is the Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and is the Faculty Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution.

The attempt on Donald Trump’s life has shocked the country—so much so that the Director of the Secret Service has resigned. The shock and fear are understandable, given this is the first major assassination attempt since Ronald Reagan. But how does the modern period compare to the rest of American history? What can we learn from assassination attempts in the past, and how do they differ from now? Tevi Troy joins Veronique de Rugy to discuss. Tevi Troy is a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and a best-selling presidential historian. Show Notes: Article: Another Chapter in a Grim History Book : Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump  

With protectionist policy on the rise both to the left and the right of American politics, we are left with a burning question: What happened to the free trade consensus? This week, Veronique de Rugy sits down with Scott Lincicome to discuss the modern state of trade policy and global economics. Scott Lincicome is the Cato Institute’s Vice President of General Economics and the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies.