The AEI Events Podcast

Members of Congress and state legislatures are taking aim at online platforms’ ability to set and enforce content-moderation guidelines as private entities. Several proposals in Congress would scrap or amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content. At the state level, “anti-censorship” laws seek to prevent online platforms from taking down certain content — potentially violating the First Amendment.Online platforms are also struggling to produce content-moderation strategies that satisfy increasingly polarized users. How can Congress, state officials, and social media firms address users’ content-moderation concerns while preserving the free and open internet?Join AEI’s Shane Tews for a fireside chat with former Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA), who coauthored Section 230.You can watch the event here.

The war in Ukraine has raged for more than a month, yet predictions of a rapid Russian victory have proved wrong. Indeed, it now appears that by the definitions Vladimir Putin putatively set — to oust the “Nazi” regime of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and save ethnic Russians under the Ukrainian yoke — Russia is losing the war.What is the state of play on the ground? Can Ukraine win and Russia lose, or vice versa? What is the state of the information war? And what does it all mean for NATO and the United States?Event MaterialsUkraine invasion updates and mapsIf you enjoy this episode, check out Dany's podcast, What the Hell is Going On? wherever you get your podcasts.

In “The Poor Side of Town: And Why We Need It” (Encounter Books, 2021), AEI’s Howard Husock combines a critique of more than a century of housing reform policies with the idea that simple low-cost housing — a poor side of town — helps those of modest means build financial assets and join in the local democratic process.Mr. Husock shares the powerful stories of housing reformers, critiques the legacy of urban renewal policies and exclusionary zoning, and shows where American cities went wrong. More importantly, he offers solutions as to how urban planners, state and local policymakers, and concerned citizens can help their communities make housing more affordable and accessible for those of modest means.Watch the full event here.

As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to shift from an acute crisis to an endemic pathogen, AEI’s Scott Gottlieb — physician, medical policy expert, public health advocate, and former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner — is releasing a book, “Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic” (HarperCollins, September 2021), to help leaders and policymakers understand how COVID-19 was able to trounce America’s pandemic preparations.Dr. Gottlieb identifies why the United States was caught unprepared and outlines essential policies and investments to protect the United States and the world from future threats. He outlines specific steps that must be taken to protect against the next outbreak.Please join Dr. Gottlieb and AEI President Robert Doar for a discussion of the issues raised in “Uncontrolled Spread.”Purchase your copy here.Watch the full event here.

Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, the Joe Biden administration has ended the “forever war” in Afghanistan, replacing US boots on the ground with an over-the-horizon counterterrorism capability. Africa, not the Middle East, has become the next frontier for groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State. What lessons should we take from past counterterrorism efforts to address today’s and tomorrow’s threats?AEI and the Combating Terrorism Center at the US Military Academy at West Point host a discussion exploring the trajectory of the transnational terrorism threat and the successes and failures of the past two decades of counterterrorism operations.Watch the full event here.

The majority of the world’s central banks are exploring digital currency. Most proposals for a central bank digital currency could function like US dollars. It could be widely accepted, an alternative to cash in an increasingly cashless society. In the US, a digital currency could give access to the financial system to the unbanked and may increase the efficiency of financial transactions.Should the Fed launch a digital currency? Federal Reserve Governor Christopher J. Waller will give a speech on this issue, followed by a conversation with AEI’s Michael R. Strain.Watch the full event here.

The Joe Biden administration’s announcement in early May that it would support suspending intellectual property (IP) rights at the World Trade Organization for COVID-19-related vaccines and treatments provoked controversy in the US and abroad.Advocates argue that waiving Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) — as South Africa and India proposed late last year — will enable fast, safe, and cheap vaccine manufacturing and distribution to the developing countries suffering most from the pandemic. Opponents contend the waiver will harm future innovation and damage the global IP regime without actually helping those most in need.Join AEI’s Michael Rosen for a panel discussion on the TRIPS waiver from multiple perspectives, focusing on IP, global public health, supply chains, vaccine diplomacy, and other pressing topics.Watch the full event here.

The US defense budget is at its largest in decades, yet the Air Force’s combat-coded aircraft inventory, the Navy’s battle-force ship fleet, and the Army’s number of active-duty soldiers have all shrunk. Is this trend reversible?The Pentagon’s creeping bureaucracy is plagued by slow-moving acquisition processes, the rise of numerous powerful defense agencies, and climbing overhead costs. Feasible improvements exist, but as Maj. Gen. Arnold L. Punaro (ret.) warns in his latest book, “The Ever-Shrinking Fighting Force” (Punaro Press, 2021), “Bad processes beat good people all the time.”Join AEI’s Mackenzie Eaglen as she hosts Maj. Gen. Punaro — former staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee — and former Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO) for a discussion of the opportunities and challenges for securing America’s military future.

The enactment of the Budget and Accounting Act in June 1921 was a seminal event in the history of the federal budget process. It created two consequential American government institutions: the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget) and the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office). It also strengthened the executive role in the budget process and forever changed the relationship between the president and Congress regarding spending, taxation, deficits, and debt.This event explores the history of the law’s enactment, its implementation and evolution, the state of today’s budget process, and potential reforms to the process, with AEI’s James C. Capretta and one of the nation’s leading experts on the subject, Roy T. Meyers of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.Watch the full event here.

The Islamic State is gaining allies in Africa. Extremist groups linked to both the Islamic State and al Qaeda are intensifying their grip on communities across large swaths of the continent. Why do local African jihadist groups join international terror organizations, and why does it matter?Watch the full event here.