Defending Ideas
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The human benefits of AI | Shoshana Weissmann
Nic Dunn and Shoshana Weissmann discuss the principles that should guide smart AI policy so everyone can benefit from this technology.
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The Future of Conservatism: Principles, Populism, and the American Founding | Tim Chapman
Conservatism is at a crossroads. Does it stick with Trump-style populism, or embrace the principles of limited, effective government that led to some of the movement’s biggest victories?
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The U.S. needs a new safety net | Angela Rachidi
AEI Senior Fellow Angela Rachidi joins host Nic Dunn to discuss benefit cliffs, the Upward Mobility Act, and whether state-led innovation could help more families achieve self-reliance through things like empowerment accounts.
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The roadmap to restore trust in elections | Matthew Weil & Derek Monson
The conversation covers California’s ballot counting process, why states should learn from one another, a new survey on voter confidence, and why transparency, evidence, and citizen engagement remain essential to maintaining trust in American elections.
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Rebuilding trust in America’s elections | Ben Ginsberg & Bill Duncan
The conversation explores the constitutional role of states in election administration, the limits of federal authority, the importance of institutional trust, and why federalism may offer a better framework for addressing election concerns moving forward.
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What the Declaration of Independence still teaches us | Jay Lapeyre & Lawson Bader
Their conversation explores individual dignity, natural rights, constitutional self-government, and how a renewed focus on America’s founding principles could help reduce political division and strengthen civic culture for the next 250 years.
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Can a return to federalism fix our politics? | Rep. Ken Ivory & Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost
In this episode of Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn speaks with two Utah representatives, Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost and Rep. Ken Ivory, about polarization, congressional dysfunction, the role of states as laboratories of democracy, and why shifting more decisions to local communities…
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Who should protect kids online? | Joel Thayer & Chris Marchese
As lawmakers debate how to protect children online, a major legal and constitutional question is emerging: should app stores be required to verify users’ ages and involve parents before minors download apps?
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Are we thinking about AI the wrong way? | Bennett Borden
Many conversations about artificial intelligence focus on fear, risk, and worst-case scenarios. But what if we’re asking the wrong questions?
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Is the Supreme Court as political as we think? | Sarah Isgur
The U.S. Supreme Court is often portrayed as just another political battleground. But that is a fundamental misunderstanding of its role.