Heard at Heritage

Born into a military family, Harris Faulkner revered her father, a decorated career officer who served three tours of duty in Vietnam and raised his children with the values and ideals of the U.S. military. Accompanying him from posting to posting, young Harris experienced firsthand how success in life was rooted in the knowledge, integrity, and leadership that came from her military surroundings. Indeed, these formative lessons in leadership and work ethic became the guiding principles for her career as a journalist, lessons she credits with her rise to become one of the top hosts on Fox News. In 9 Rules of Engagement, she shares the advice, wisdom, and tools that she absorbed through her military upbringing, examining how these ideals have shaped her professional and personal outlook and how everyone can incorporate them into their own lives. Using her father’s career as the backdrop to her experience, Faulkner explores the lessons in courage, duty, patriotism, and responsibility that helped her succeed, demonstrating the truth to the axiom that in military families everyone serves – together. Along the way she also interviews current and former military families, generals and other officers, and tells stories from her father’s career to illuminate how and why the message and mission of the military is so effective at changing lives both on and off the battlefield. Harris Faulkner anchors her daytime show, Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner, in addition to cohosting the talk show Outnumbered. In 2017, she moderated the Women’s Inaugural Breakfast, a bipartisan inauguration event in Washington, DC. She lives in New York City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally constructed in 1921, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is sacred ground at Arlington National Cemetery. When the first Unknown Soldier was laid to rest in Arlington, General John Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I, selected eight of America’s most decorated, battle-hardened veterans to serve as Body Bearers. For the first time in The Unknowns, Patrick O’Donnell portrays their heroics on the battlefield one hundred years ago, thereby animating the Tomb by giving voice to all who have served. The Body Bearers appropriately spanned America’s service branches and specialties. Their ranks include a cowboy who relived the charge of the light brigade, an American Indian who heroically breached mountains of German barbed wire, a salty New Englander who dueled a U-boat for hours in a fierce gunfight, a tough New Yorker who sacrificed his body to save his ship, and an indomitable gunner who, though blinded by gas, nonetheless overcame five machine-gun nests.Celebrated military historian and bestselling author Patrick O’Donnell illuminates the saga behind the creation of the Tomb itself and recreates the moving ceremony during which it was consecrated and the eight Body Bearers, and the sergeant who had chosen the one body to be interred, solemnly united. The Unknowns is a timeless tale of heeding the calls of duty and brotherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Johnson is the President of Medici Ventures, the venture capital subsidiary of online retailer Overstock.com. He played an integral role in getting the retailer known for its furniture stock to accept cryptocurrency, and he leads Medici’s efforts to pioneer growth and innovation in applying the blockchain to financial systems and beyond. Under Johnson's leadership, Medici has invested in several cutting-edge blockchain technology firms, and it successfully completed the world's first blockchain-based stock offering on its tZERO platform. Join us for a discussion of how this technology could reshape the financial industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we think of constitutional law, we invariably focus on the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal court system. Yet much of our constitutional law is not made at the federal level. In 51 Imperfect Solutions, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton argues that American Constitutional Law should account for the role of the state courts and state constitutions, together with the federal courts and the federal constitution, in protecting individual liberties.51 Imperfect Solutions addresses four different areas of constitutional law: equal protection, criminal procedure, privacy, and free speech and free exercise of religion. Traditional accounts of these bedrock debates about the relationship of the individual to the state focus on decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. But these are only part of the story. Judge Sutton corrects this omission by looking at each issue – and some others as well – through the lens of many constitutions, not one constitution; of many courts, not one court; and of all American judges, not federal or state judges. A central conviction of his work is that an under-appreciation of state constitutional law has hurt state and federal law and has undermined the appropriate balance between state and federal courts in protecting individual liberty. Several ideas for reform are also offered to correct this imbalance. Join us for an interesting and lively discussion with Judge Sutton on his new book, followed by comments by Ed Whelan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Senate Agriculture Committee has slated the week of June 11th for markup of its farm bill. Despite repeated calls for fundamental subsidy reform it appears that the Senate Agriculture Committee bill will be maintaining the status quo. One of the fighters for reform is Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). For years the Senator has been leading the charge to push for common sense reforms, such as ensuring that only actual farmers receive subsidies, and setting payment limits for commodity programs. He has also noted in the past that “there’s a problem when 10 percent of farmers receive 70 percent of the benefits. What’s worse is that the 10 percent receiving most of these benefits are wealthy farmers who use the money to bid up land prices and keep young and beginning farmers from the business.”As a farmer, citizen and legislator, Senator Grassley can provide a unique perspective on what reforms need to be made in the upcoming farm bill. After his remarks, there will be a panel of experts to further discuss farm subsidy reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rise of China is a reality. Its influence – and the opportunity it represents – is being felt from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Southeast Asia, however, is a neighbor. Indonesia, in fact, given Indonesian maritime claims, is right next door. Indonesia has a centuries-long history of dealing with China’s power. How should its government today see the balance between threat and opportunity represented in its rise? How should it make the most of China’s economic contributions to the region’s development? How should it push back on unwelcome initiatives, particularly around issues of maritime security? Where are the intersecting areas of interest with the United States and how should it view a U.S.-China rivalry? What is ASEAN’s role? These are just a few of the questions on the table for this event. Please join us we explore them and many more with our distinguished guests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grace Kennan Warnecke’s memoir, Daughter of the Cold War, is about a life lived on the edge of history. Daughter of George F. Kennan, one of the most influential diplomats of the 20th Century, as well as wife of the scion of a newspaper dynasty and mother of the youngest owner of a major league baseball team, she eventually found her way out from under the shadows of others to forge a dynamic career of her own. Born in Latvia, Warnecke lived in seven countries and spoke five languages before the age of twelve. As a child, she witnessed Hitler’s march into Prague, attended a Soviet school during World War II, and sailed the seas with her father. In a multi-faceted career, she worked as a professional photographer, television producer, and book editor and critic. Eventually, like her father, she became a Russian specialist, but of a very different kind. She accompanied Ted Kennedy and his family to Russia, escorted Joan Baez to Moscow to meet with dissident Andrei Sakharov, and hosted Josef Stalin’s daughter on the family farm after Svetlana defected to the United States. While running her own consulting company in Russia, she witnessed the breakup of the Soviet Union, and later became director of a women’s economic empowerment project in a newly independent Ukraine. Daughter of the Cold War is a tale of these adventures and much more. It is a compelling memoir of Warnecke’s path through life – a whirlwind journey of survival, risk, and self-discovery through a kaleidoscope of countries, historic events, and fascinating people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The concept of “soft power” evokes for many a benign alternative to the exercise of hard power as nations strive for strategic influence abroad. Among the United States and its democratic allies, soft power involves public diplomacy, people-to-people programs, student exchanges, cultural outreach and broadcasting news to foreign publics. For authoritarian regimes, however, the open exchange of ideas that characterize democracies is seen as a weakness and vulnerability to be exploited. In our globalized information environment, countries like China and Russia practice a very different kind of influence projection, termed “sharp power” by the authors of a new study published by the National Endowment of Democracy.As we near the anniversary of President Reagan’s address at Westminster in defense of liberty and democratic values, please join us for a discussion of the emerging “sharp power” threat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs A. Wess Mitchell will outline the Trump Administration’s strategy in Europe. He will highlight the important role of the transatlantic partnership in pushing back against resurgent big-power competition in Europe and guarding the peace, order, and prosperity the United States and Europe have nurtured since the end of World War II. Following his speech, Assistant Secretary Mitchell will be joined by Heritage Vice President James Carafano for a further discussion of these vital issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the ramifications of the sudden termination of the planned meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un? What factors led to the cancellation and has the door been permanently closed on a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear problem? Will North Korea abandon its moratorium and resume nuclear and missile tests and escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula. Will there be a resumption of advocacy for a U.S. preventive military attack on North Korea? As Pyongyang, Seoul, Beijing, and Washington engaged in summit diplomacy, Japan had been the neglected partner. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had established the closest relationship with President Trump of any world leader but then seemed ignored during the summit mania. Does the U.S.-North Korea summit cancellation vindicate Abe’s firm approach to Pyongyang or has there been lasting impact on his political strength as well as Japan’s relationship with the United States?Join us as two panels of distinguished experts discuss these and other topics as well as make recommendations for U.S. policy in the uncertain time ahead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.