The National Affairs Podcast

AEI Podcasts
  • 4.6 (41)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

Hosts Daniel Wiser, Jr., and Howe Whitman sit down with the authors of National Affairs essays to discuss pivotal issues — from domestic-policy debates to enduring dilemmas of society and culture — that are often overlooked by American media. Each episode promises a fresh view on contemporary and permanent questions across a wide range of topics, all with one central theme: to help you think a little more clearly.

  1. 11/20/2025

    Federal Agencies and the Future of Presidential Power

    In principle, federal agency missions are set when agencies are created, and so remain rooted in the ambitions of the president and the Congress who decided they were necessary. But in reality, political change tends to transform agencies’ missions in both subject and scope. Understanding how this occurs can clarify the nature of presidential power and the character of constitutional evolution. Guest Tevi Troy joins us to discuss how agency missions have changed during recent presidential administrations, and how Congress can act to restore the constitutional separation of powers. Tevi Troy is a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, a former deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, and former senior White House aide. He is the author of five books on the presidency, including The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry (Regnery History, 2024). This podcast discusses themes from Tevi’s essay in the Fall 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Who Gives Federal Agencies Their Purpose?”

    30 min

  2. 10/23/2025

    Civic Education: A Path to Unity

    Higher education has a civic mission. The public knows that, but faculty and administrators seem to have lost sight of it. Instead of transmitting shared civic principles, universities often frame civics through polarized partisan lenses. Restoring civic education to its unifying role would require teaching democratic practices and constitutional ideals in ways that encourage pluralism rather than entrench division. Guest Daniel DiSalvo joins us to discuss how civic education can help university students and the broader public disagree better and act together. Daniel DiSalvo is professor and associate dean of the School of Civic Life and Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He serves on the Public Scholars Advisory Committee of the Moynihan Center and was previously professor of political science at the City College of New York-CUNY. This podcast discusses themes from an essay by DiSalvo and Carlo Invernizzi Accetti in the Fall 2025 issue of National Affairs: “Civics, Partisanship, and the Academy.”

    26 min

  3. 08/04/2025

    The Golem, Frankenstein’s Monster, and AI: Applying Ancient Wisdom to Modern Tech

    Has artificial intelligence advanced to the point where robots possess creative abilities and impulses? If so, or if that moment comes, what could it mean for humanity, and what would it demand of us? These are questions at the cutting edge of innovation. Yet to best address them, we need to look to the deepest roots of our society’s moral wisdom. Guest Michael Rosen joins us to discuss how Jewish tradition and legend can inform our approach to technology. Michael Rosen is an attorney and writer in Israel, a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and author of Like Silicon from Clay: What Ancient Jewish Wisdom Can Teach Us about AI. This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay, which was adapted from his book for the Summer 2025 issue of National Affairs: “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Tools.”

    37 min

  4. 07/02/2025

    Russell Kirk and the American Revolution

    As the American republic approaches the 250th anniversary of her birth, conservatives face a serious paradox: How can we ever hope to preserve a revolutionary foundation? The thought of Russell Kirk offers an especially rich source of insight regarding that peculiar paradox. Kirk saw the Revolution as compelling the founders to remember their great inheritance — just as we should today. Guest Michael Lucchese joins us to discuss the founders’ “revolution of memory” and how conservatives today might preserve it. Michael Lucchese is the founder of Pipe Creek Consulting, a communications firm based in Washington, D.C. He is also an associate editor of Law & Liberty, and a contributing editor to Providence. This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay in the Summer 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Russell Kirk’s Revolution of Memory.”

    25 min

  5. 05/22/2025

    The Forgotten History of the GOP: Is It Time to Bring Back Fusion Voting?

    Whether it’s foreign-policy hawks on the right, cultural conservatives on the left, or fiscal conservatives anywhere, the reductive binary of today’s electoral options can be deeply frustrating for intraparty minority groups. Considering how various 19th-century movements combined to form the Republican Party offers some paths out of that frustration. Guest Jennifer Dresden joins us to discuss the forgotten history of fusion voting and how it might serve disaffected voters today. Jennifer Dresden is a policy strategist at Protect Democracy, a non-profit and non-partisan group dedicated to promoting “free and fair elections, the rule of law, fact-based debate, and a better democracy for future generations.”  This podcast discusses themes from Jennifer’s essay in the Spring 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Strategic Fusion and the GOP.”

    25 min

  6. 04/13/2025

    The Left’s Embrace of Minority Rule

    The left in America has long accused the right of advancing minority rule and rejecting the principles of democracy. Though there is some truth to that charge, it applies as much to the left itself as it does to the right. A closer look at housing and infrastructure regulations, public-employee unions, professional licensing, and the governance of higher education suggests that “minoritarianism” pervades our politics. Guest Steve Teles joins us to discuss the bipartisan penchant for minority rule and how lawmakers might restore a more majoritarian, democratic politics. Steve Teles is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center. He’s the author of several books about topics such as economic inequality, welfare, and the conservative legal movement. This podcast discusses themes from Steve’s essay in the Spring 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Minoritarianism Is Everywhere.” Books and Essays Mentioned: -Neighborhood Defenders: Participatory Politics and America’s Housing Crisis -Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America’s Public Schools -“The Strength of a Weak State: The Rights Revolution and the Rise of Human Resources Management Divisions” -“Professionalization 2.0: The Case for Plural Professionalization in Education” -“Beyond Academic Sectarianism” -In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us -“The Rise of the Abundance Faction” -“The Future Is Faction”

    31 min

  7. 02/16/2025

    Putting Families First: Why Conservatives Need a New Technology Agenda

    Technology is a force for change in the world, both positive and negative. Its ability to rapidly transform our way of life poses an inherent challenge to families. If conservatives wish to restore the family as the foundation of our civilizational order, they must develop a comprehensive theory of technological change. Without it, new technologies will continue to heap disaster on the American family. But if properly guided, technological innovation can help uplift the family and usher it into a new era of flourishing. Guest Jon Askonas joins us to discuss what a new conservative technology agenda might look like. Jon Askonas is assistant professor of politics at the Catholic University of America and a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation. This podcast discusses themes from Jon’s essay in the Winter 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Technology for the American Family.” For more on this subject, see “A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right” in First Things, as well as “Stop Hacking Humans” in The New Atlantis. Additionally, AEI will host an event on Monday, February 24, 2025 at 11:10 a.m. titled “Dignity and Dynamism: The Future of Conservative Technology Policy.”

    33 min

  8. 01/19/2025

    Martin Luther King, Conservative?

    At first glance, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Russell Kirk do not have all that much in common. Yet it is striking that King and Kirk converged on certain first principles that rightfully mark King himself as part of a broader tradition of philosophical conservatism in America — one from which today’s left and right could both stand to learn. Guest John Wood, Jr., joins us to discuss how both King and Kirk’s philosophical conservatism transcended ideology.   John Wood, Jr., is national ambassador for Braver Angels, a columnist for USA Today, and a former Republican nominee for Congress. This podcast discusses themes from John’s essay in the Fall 2024 issue of National Affairs, “Martin Luther King’s Transcendent Conservatism.”

    39 min
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4.6
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Hosts Daniel Wiser, Jr., and Howe Whitman sit down with the authors of National Affairs essays to discuss pivotal issues — from domestic-policy debates to enduring dilemmas of society and culture — that are often overlooked by American media. Each episode promises a fresh view on contemporary and permanent questions across a wide range of topics, all with one central theme: to help you think a little more clearly.

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