Matters of Policy & Politics

Latest Episodes:

California Update: New Year, “New” Newsom . . . Same Old Problems? Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

California’s new year begins with a “new” version of Gov. Gavin Newsom – offering Sacramento lawmakers a detailed and in-person State of the State Address, as opposed to recent years when the governor eschewed such pageantry. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s California on Your Mind web channel, discuss Newsom’s “rosy” vision of California versus the realities of chronic homelessness, a lack of affordable housing, slow-track high-speed-rail construction, plus a revenue stream overly dependent upon the AI boom. Also discussed: reorganizing state constitutional offices; San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s emergence as a Newsom foil and possible gubernatorial candidate; a proposed billionaire tax driving capital out of California; and a lack of Iran-related protests on college campuses despite the considerable Iranian-American population in Los Angeles County.

Recorded on January 15, 2026.

Declarations of Independence: Peter Berkowitz on America and Israel’s Origins and Evolutions Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

What do America and Israel share other, other than shared values and a strategic alliance against the forces of tyranny? Try: declarations of independence and a celebration of individual rights that have stood the test of time (nearly 250 years for the US, nearly 80 years for Israel). Peter Berkowitz, the Hoover Institution’s Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow and a celebrated constitutional scholar and lecturer, discusses what he witnessed fresh off a visit to the Middle East. Among the topics discussed: Israel at a crossroads in 2026 (peace in Gaza, perhaps another strike against Iran, a national election later this year) and its evolution as a free society versus where America currently stands. Berkowitz also reflects on his participation in the first Trump Administration State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights, building off what Thomas Jefferson penned back in 1776, plus the “Varieties of Conservatism in America” course he teaches as part of Stanford University’s Civics initiative and how it pertains to the competition (1776 and independence vs. 1619 and the introduction of slavery) to influence America’s origins to younger generations.

Recorded on January 5, 2026.

New Year, New Beginnings: William Damon on Finding a More Purposeful Life Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

Before long, holiday celebrations, family gatherings, and gift-sharing will give way to a new year and the question of resolutions and crafting a better self. William (Bill) Damon, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and Stanford University lifespan development psychologist, discusses his decades-long research into the quest for purposefulness in life, not so much self-improvement as it is being a positive contributor to the common good and the realization of purpose and integrity in work, creativity, family, and relations.

Recorded on December 17, 2025.

“A 100-Year Storm”: Ben Ginsberg on Bush v. Gore Turning 25, Restoring Confidence in U.S. Elections Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

Further evidence that time (and politics) flies by: it was 25 years ago this month that the U.S. Supreme Court settled the final outcome of both Florida’s presidential vote count and America’s choice for its 43rd president. Ben Ginsberg, the Hoover Institution’s Volker Distinguished Visiting Fellow, a preeminent authority on election law and a member of the Bush-Cheney’s legal team in the 36 days of post-election litigation and maneuvering back in 2000, discusses the two sides’ legal strategies, Bush v. Gore’s lasting impact on America’s political landscape, election-integrity matters approaching in 2026 (new voter-ID laws, the federal-state power struggle), plus his work at Hoover involving ways to restore the electorate’s trust in the voting process.

America’s Class Struggle: Eric Hanushek on Learning Declines and Hope for Revitalizing Education Dec 05, 2025

Show notes

If you think America’s schools fell into decline solely as a consequence of 2020’s pandemic and a year of alternate instruction models, guess again.

Eric Hanushek, the Hoover Institution’s Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow and a leading scholar on the economics of education, discusses misperceptions in the Covid-education debate (learning and achievement were in decline years before the pandemic struck), why education reform remains elusive despite decades of talk and treasure, a few sleeper concerns (long-term absenteeism), lessons to be learned from learning and teaching innovations in Dallas and Mississippi, plus the future impact of learning loss on earning power and America’s GDP.

California Update: Prop 50 Legalities, L.A. Fire Confusion . . . and Bad News for Billionaires? Nov 21, 2025

Show notes

After a lopsided victory earlier this month, can California’s redistricting Proposition 50 survive a legal challenge? And why do last January’s devastating fires in Los Angeles continue to raise unsettling questions?

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 product manager Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s pending retirement, what the indictment of a former Newsom chief of staff says about Sacramento’s political culture, plus a tech-rich Northern California county’s search for more tax revenue – and, speaking of wealth, the politics and sensibility of a 5% wealth tax on California billionaires possibly headed for next year’s ballot.

Recorded on November 18, 2025.

“Don’t You Dare Apologize for the Military”: Admiral James Ellis on Veterans Day, Honoring Service Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

If you’re confused about the differences between Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Armed Forces Day here in America, you’re not alone. Decades of government meddling and mixed messages have blurred the lines between honoring those who once served their country, those still on active or reserve duty, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom’s cause. Admiral James Ellis, the Hoover Institution’s Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow, reflects on his nearly forty years of service on land and at sea (naval aviator, aircraft carrier "skipper" and head of the United State Strategic Command), the challenges facing veterans as they re-enter civilian life, plus ways to properly honor and improve the lives of America’s sizable veterans community.

From Stalinism To Reaganism: Daniel Flynn On Frank Meyer And “Fusion” Conservatism Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

How does one man whose formative years are largely defined by five “s’s” – sex, satanism, suicide, secret agents, and Stalinism – somehow wind up as a defining intellectual behind the rise of America’s conservative movement? Daniel Flynn, a Hoover visiting fellow and author of The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer, takes us through an improbable journey that involves Princeton and Oxford, deportation, socialism, capitalism and Hayek, William F. Buckley and the founding of The National Review, Goldwater, Nixon and Reagan, plus a few unexpected cameos along the way (Bob Dylan, Joan Didion and the Berlin Wall’s architect, to name a few).

California Update: The 50-50 Proposition Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

As California enters the final phase leading up to its Nov. 4 special election and a vote on Proposition 50, plenty of unknowns surround the fate of the controversial ballot measure that would redraw California’s congressional districts to offset a Republican-led gerrymander in Texas.

Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s California on Your Mind web channel, discuss the tactics and messaging behind Prop 50 (does a pair of governors playing starring roles mean too much Gavin Newsom, too little Arnold Schwarzenegger?), why the upscale town of Calabasas ended up as a toxic waste site for Los Angeles fire debris, the failure of a prominent former legislator to gain traction in next year’s governor’s race despite her compelling life story, plus the travails of UCLA’s football program – what the Bruins’ struggles on and off the field say about the state of college football in the Golden State.

Recorded on September 30, 2025.

History in the Making: Victor Davis Hanson on Strategika’s Century Mark, Examining Wars Present and Past Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

For the past dozen years, Hoover’s online publication Strategika has examined contemporary conflicts and national security challenges by assembling academics of varied thought to re-examine past struggles. On the occasion of its 100th issue, historian Victor Davis Hanson, Hoover’s Martin and Ilie Anderson senior fellow and the man tasked with bringing the publication to life, discusses the institution’s growing commitment to the study of history (Hoover’s having a compliment of historians rivaling that of world-class universities) and how a Strategika-like approach explains complicated conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Also discussed: how Victor’s passion for military history stems from his male ancestors’ involvement in two world wars, his thoughts on how best to introduce young learners to classical opuses, plus the problem of university history departments discouraging intellectual diversity.

Celebrate Strategika’s 100th issue titled, The Current Status of Military History, by exploring the full collection of essays here.
For more episodes of Matters of Policy & Politics, subscribe here.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Matters of Policy & Politics

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected