Politics, Loyalty, and Survival: A Conversation with Salena Zito

Hudson’s Center for the Economics of the Internet will welcome Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to speak about pressing digital safety issues facing Congress. With Senior Fellow Harold Furchtgott-Roth, she will discuss artificial intelligence and protecting creators, the Kids Online Safety Act, the Open App Markets Act, and comprehensive data privacy. 

Journalist and author Salena Zito will join Hudson Senior Fellow Paul Sracic to discuss her new book Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland. Zito’s work offers insight into the communities and cultural forces driving American politics during President Donald Trump’s campaign for reelection and in the wake of the assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting, she explores the values, frustrations, and loyalties shaping the nation’s political realignment.

Artificial intelligence is widely recognized as this century’s critical technology. The nation that leads in AI computational power, innovation, and diffusion will determine the primary application of the technology—either in defense of freedom and individual liberty or in service of autocracy and tyranny. As the United States and the Chinese Communist Party compete to dominate AI, robotics is also emerging as a field of critical strategic value. From automated manufacturing to self-driving cars to humanoid robots, embodied AI could unlock economic growth and alleviate demographic shortages. But it could also be used for military applications and political repression. US policymakers should take steps to blunt China’s advances and boost America’s competitiveness to lead the world in developing next-generation robotics.Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik will host an event to introduce his new Hudson policy memo featuring recommendations for the Trump administration and Capitol Hill to help secure America’s innovation advantage.

Operation Midnight Hammer, the United States’ recent strike against Iranian nuclear infrastructure, and Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, which dismantled Iran’s covert infrastructure and paved the way for the US attack, have forced the Islamic Republic into a new phase of strategic decision-making.Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei now faces difficult choices. He needs to weigh Iran’s long-term ambitions for regional power against the risks of deeper military escalation and the threat of growing unrest inside the country. His regime is under pressure to project strength abroad while containing dissent at home.What is Khamenei’s calculus after these strikes? And where does Iran go from here?Join Zineb Riboua, research fellow and program manager at Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a conversation with Mariam Memarsadeghi, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and Dr. Ladan Boroumand, cofounder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights. They will examine Iran’s internal power struggles, the future of its resistance movement, and the potential consequences Khamenei’s next moves will have for the region.

In Operation Spiderweb, Ukrainian forces smuggled drones deep into Russia and used them to attack grounded aircraft. This tested a fundamental assumption about warfare: that physical distance from the frontline can guarantee safety from enemy strikes. Asymmetric warfare, waged with capabilities such as long-range drones, can change the strategic fundamentals of a conflict at relatively low human and material cost. American military planners now face the urgent question of how to secure installations and bases, both in the United States homeland and abroad, against this new threat.Join Senator John Boozman (R-AR), chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, for a conversation with Senior Fellow Timothy A. Walton and Center for a New American Security Senior Fellow Thomas Shugart on how to mitigate these risks and accelerate the fielding of forces and infrastructure that retain US advantage.Senator Boozman will take audience questions. Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m., and the event will start at 9:00 a.m.

As the Trump administration and 119th Congress recalibrate the United States’ foreign policy and national security approach, they need to maintain strategic clarity about the danger that an unchecked Chinese Communist Party would pose to US global leadership and the American homeland. From critical supply chains and artificial intelligence to nuclear deterrence, competition with China has developed into a new cold war. Amid this great power competition, policymakers in Washington have a heightened responsibility to ensure US grand strategy protects American interests against the CCP’s efforts to reshape the foundations of international relations to suit its authoritarian and autocratic vision. Join Hudson Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik for a panel discussion with key members of the House Republican Policy Committee. They will explore the full-spectrum competition between the US and China and identify how policymakers can sustain the strategic foundations necessary for American security and prosperity for this century and beyond.

Israel’s Minister of Economic Affairs Noach Hacker will join Hudson’s Michael Doran for a discussion on how Israel has fortified its economic foundations for moments of extreme crisis. Amid relentless conflict and regional instability, Israel’s economy has defied expectations, showing remarkable stability and adaptability.As confidence in Israel’s strategic trajectory grows, the country is poised for a new phase of economic expansion. Doran and Hacker will explore how Israel has built an economy capable of withstanding war and positioned itself to shape regional economics in a post–October 7 Middle East.

Institute for Science and International Security Founder and President David Albright, one of the leading experts on the Iranian nuclear program, will join Hudson’s Michael Doran for a fireside chat. They will discuss the state of Iran’s nuclear ambitions following Operations Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer and how the United States, Israel, and their regional partners can capitalize on Iran’s weakened state to promote long-term peace and stability. 

The Trump administration has vowed to make commercial engagement the centerpiece of a new United States policy toward Africa. Prioritizing “trade, not aid” in the US-Africa relationship is not a new idea. But previous administrations have tried and failed to make the pivot.Success will require a deeper commitment and understanding of the African investment landscape. Hudson’s Joshua Meservey will host a panel of investors with decades of collective experience in Africa. They will reflect on their experiences to offer lessons for future African investments, discuss what the US government can do to better support US investment into Africa, and examine how African governments can attract more external investment.

The Afrikaner community of South Africa has received significant news coverage in the United States since President Donald Trump announced he would grant members of the group refugee status. This and other issues related to the Afrikaners have been key stressors in the US–South Africa relationship and were major points of discussion between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during their recent meeting in the Oval Office.Join Senior Fellow Joshua Meservey for a panel discussion with the delegation.