Episodes

  • How Do You Shut Down the Department of Education? | Lindsey Burke
    Mar 12 2025

    At the direction of President Trump, Education Secretary Linda McMahon is now preparing the Department of Education for what she refers to as its “final mission”: winding down the department itself. This will be a complicated process, but here to explain what it may look like is Lindsey Burke, Director of the Center for Education Policy here at the Heritage Foundation.

    Follow Lindsey Burke on X: https://x.com/lindseymburke

    More by Lindsey at Heritage.org: https://www.heritage.org/staff/lindsey-burke-phd

    Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

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    15 mins
  • Is America Entering a New Golden Age? | Ryan Walker
    Mar 5 2025

    This week, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress. Clocking in at over an hour and forty minutes, the speech was the longest address a president has delivered to America’s legislature in recent history. It covered the president’s accomplishments so far in his administration, from DOGE to border enforcement to economic policy, as well as shedding some light on the president’s plans for the future.

    To understand some of the key takeaways from Trump’s speech, I sat down with Ryan Walker, the Executive Vice President of Heritage Action for America.

    Follow Ryan Walker on X: https://x.com/ryanlwalker

    Learn more about Heritage Action for America: https://heritageaction.com/

    Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

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    16 mins
  • Is the War in Ukraine Going to End? | Rob Greenway
    Feb 26 2025

    President Trump’s posture toward the war in Ukraine is very different from his predecessor. To understand what we might expect to see in Ukraine over the next few weeks, months, and years, I sat down with Rob Greenway, Director of the Allison Center for National Security, here at the Heritage Foundation

    Follow Rob Greenway on X: https://x.com/rc_greenway?lang=en

    Learn more about The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org

    Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

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    14 mins
  • Why is Trump Cutting NIH Funding? | Jay Greene
    Feb 19 2025

    American taxpayer money can be used to great effect, and we like to think that our civil institutions would always be dedicated to delivering such good return on investment. But that is not always so. The Trump Administration’s DOGE effort has shed much light in recent weeks on waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government. Now the spotlight has been turned on NIH.


    Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Jay Greene has been studying the federal grant process through NIH for many years, and has warned that the system has its problems.

    Follow Jay Greene on X: https://x.com/jaypgreene

    Learn more about The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org


    Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

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    24 mins
  • Will Trump’s Ban on Gender Mutilation Survive? | Sarah Parshall Perry
    Feb 12 2025

    On January 28th, President Trump signed an executive order on banning the use of federal funds for so-called “gender transitions”. But some states Attorneys general have taken exception to this, and filed suit. Here to explain their position, and its likelihood for success, is Heritage Senior Legal Fellow, Sarah Parshall Perry.

    Follow Sarah Perry on X:https://x.com/SarahPPerry

    Follow Chloe Cole on X:https://x.com/ChoooCole

    Learn more about The Heritage Foundation:www.heritage.org

    Have thoughts? Let us know atheritageexplains@heritage.org

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    15 mins
  • What’s Going On With USAID? | David Ditch
    Feb 5 2025

    $32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru.

    $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala.

    Hundreds of millions of dollars to fund “irrigation canals, farming equipment, and even fertilizer used to support the unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan,” benefiting the Taliban

    This sounds like the wishlist of a crazy progressive NGO. But it’s not. These are all grants of US Taxpayer money, made by USAID. The United States Agency for International Development. Over the last week, the Trump Administration has taken steps to rein in such questionable uses of public funds in the federal government. Here to explain what they’re doing and why it matters is David Ditch, Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation.

    Follow David Ditch on X: https://x.com/davidaditch

    Learn more about The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org

    Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

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    22 mins
  • What’s Next for Border Enforcement? | Lora Ries
    Jan 29 2025

    Over just the last week, the number of daily border crossings has crashed compared to the Biden administration. Border enforcement in the interior has been seriously undertaken. The US military has been deployed to assist Customs and Border Protection.

    Here to walk us through the details of this Sea Change is Lora Ries, Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center, here at the Heritage Foundation.

    Follow Lora Ries on X: https://x.com/lora_ries


    Learn more about The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org

    Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

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    10 mins
  • What Will Trump’s Executive Orders Accomplish? | Steve Groves
    Jan 23 2025

    The executive order is a tool the Constitution places at the president’s disposal, allowing him to effect changes within the executive branch of government. As President Donald Trump steps into office this week, he has signed many such orders, which have already had a broad impact on the way the federal government works. I sat down with Heritage Fellow Steve Groves to better understand these changes.

    Follow Steve Groves on X: https://x.com/stevegroves

    Learn more about The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org

    Have thoughts? Let us know at heritageexplains@heritage.org

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    16 mins