Next Round
Free Cities Center director and longtime Sacramento journalist Steven Greenhut joins us for a review of the just-completed 2024 legislative session. We break down the year's hottest legislative debates, including retail theft, the state budget, insurance reform, tech policy, and more. We also discuss Gov. Newsom's dwindling influence over lawmakers this year as his political ambitions turned east and the controversy over the use of NDAs in legislative negotiations.
info_outline PRI's Former Speechwriters Take on the 2024 Democratic ConventionNext Round
Tune in as PRI's former speechwriters - Rowena Itchon, Lance Izumi and Tim Anaya - review the just-completed Democratic National Convention. They break down President Biden's farewell speech, discuss whether Kamala Harris' big speech ticked all the boxes and set her on a strong path to the general election, evaluate how well Tim Walz introduced himself to the American people, and, of course, talk about whether Oprah's surprise appearance scooped up key votes for the Democratic ticket.
info_outline Victor Davis Hanson – The End of EverythingNext Round
This week’s guest is a recording of remarks by renowned historian Victor Davis Hanson. We were honored to host Victor at a recent dinner in Napa Valley attended by more than 175 supporters. Victor discussed his latest book The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation. With so many conflicts around the world – from the Russia-Ukraine War to the attack of Hamas on Israel – we wanted to take this opportunity to provide Victor’s talk to those who may have missed the Napa Valley dinner. Victor addresses all these hot topics and more.
info_outline Lord Roberts of Belgravia – Conflicts Around the WorldNext Round
This week’s podcast is a recording of remarks by acclaimed historian and award-winning author Andrew Roberts at a recent PRI dinner. He discussed the recent elections in the U.K. and the Labor Party’s victory, elections in Europe, and his latest New York Times bestseller Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine (October 2023). The book was co-authored with General David Petraeus, former commander of the US-led coalition in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
info_outline The Grants Pass Decision on Homelessness: An Inside LookNext Round
This week's podcast is a special presentation of our recent webinar following the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, moderated by Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut. Go inside the historic decision with Theane Evangelis, partner with Gibson Dunn who represented Grants Pass before the Supreme Court and Erik Jaffe, PRI adjunct fellow in legal studies and partner with Schaerr | Jaffe who authored PRI's amicus brief in the case. PRI senior fellow in business and economics Dr. Wayne Winegarden discusses what cities and counties can now do to address homelessness...
info_outline Erica Sandberg – San Francisco’s Homeless CrisisNext Round
Gov. Newsom recently ordered homeless encampments on property under the state’s jurisdiction to be cleared due to the Grants Pass Supreme Court decision that ruled that it is not cruel and unusual punishment to forbid people from camping on public property. This podcast is an audio version of Free Cities Center director Steve Greenhut’s interview with Erica Sandberg, a freelance journalist and frequent commentator on San Francisco’s homeless crisis.
info_outline PRI's Former Speechwriters on the Republican ConventionNext Round
This week, PRI's former speechwriters (Rowena Itchon, Lance Izumi, and Tim Anaya) give their take on the Republican National Convention. They analyze former President Trump's speech, given just a few days after an assassination attempt. They also discuss vice presidential candidate JD Vance's speech and weigh in on how well the other speakers at the convention set up the GOP for the fall campaign.
info_outline Lance Izumi – The Great Classroom CollapseNext Round
Lance Izumi, senior director of PRI’s Center for Education, joins us to discuss his latest book The Great Classroom Collapse, which investigates the implosion of rigor and learning in America’s schools. He shares the stories of some of the parents, teachers, and policymakers he profiles in the book and discusses what can be done to improve classroom learning and give all students a greater opportunity for a successful future.
info_outline Chris Micheli – Is the Legislative Process Fueling Grassroots Activism or Acting as a Roadblock to Reform?Next Round
Longtime Sacramento lobbyist and college professor Chris Micheli joins us to discuss his new book, The Complete Practical Guide to California Government. They discuss areas of state government that need reform, recent controversies over the use of non-disclosure agreements in the legislative process and whether efforts to enact tax and spending reform will ever succeed. Plus Tim and Ro discuss the controversy over Gavin Newsom’s aborted effort to have legislators place an alternate Prop. 47 reform measure on the November ballot and President Biden’s attempts the limit the damage after his...
info_outline Former Speechwriters on the First Presidential DebateNext Round
Who won? Who helped themselves the most in the polls? PRI's team of former speechwriters - Rowena Itchon, Lance Izumi, and Tim Anaya - analyze the First 2024 Presidential Debate. They discuss President Biden's shockingly poor performance and whether President Trump learned his lessons from his 2020 debate mistakes, plus they grade the candidates' answers on immigration, the economy, foreign policy and more.
info_outlineLance Izumi, senior director of PRI’s Center for Education, joins us to discuss his latest book The Great Classroom Collapse, which investigates the implosion of rigor and learning in America’s schools. He shares the stories of some of the parents, teachers, and policymakers he profiles in the book and discusses what can be done to improve classroom learning and give all students a greater opportunity for a successful future.