SENIOR FELLOW BHATTACHARYA NOMINATED TO HEAD NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford and a Hoover senior fellow, was a noted critic of the federal response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Now he has been nominated by President Donald Trump to oversee an institution, the National Institutes of Health, that participated in a campaign to discredit him. Hoover Senior Fellow Paul Peterson chronicles this twist of events and presents new data showing Bhattacharya was right.

FALL 2024 RETREAT BRINGS INSIGHT TO HOOVER SUPPORTERS

The Hoover Institution hosted its annual Fall Retreat on October 17‒18, 2024, hosting talks on revolutionary technological changes, the US presidential election, and an important court case underway involving material housed at the Library & Archives. Hoover Institution Director Condoleezza Rice said that challenges at home and abroad are testing America and the scholars of the Hoover Institution are offering guidance across disciplines to help the United States navigate this crucial period. Read a briefing of the key presentations and see photos.

HOOVER LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVE TO STUDY IMMIGRATION

Hoover is pleased to announce a new research initiative, the J-P Conte Initiative on Immigration, and a senior fellowship to study the complex and pressing issue of US immigration. Paola Sapienza has been named the inaugural J-P Conte Family Senior Fellow and will focus on the multifaceted nature of the immigration issue and its nuances, which have significant implications for political economy and policy formation.

KOONIN: CLIMATE CHANGE DID NOT CAUSE THE LA FIRES

In a timely and noted interview, senior fellow and theoretical physicist Steven Koonin maintains that climate change did not cause the recent Los Angeles fires. He puts the majority of the blame on bad policy. A former resident of the burned-out areas, Koonin said, “I have friends who’ve lost their homes, and the house we lived in is gone. The recent fires are a tragedy that’s due to ill-preparedness, not climate.”

Read the entire interview here

HOOVER ADDRESSES EROSION OF TRUST IN AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS

A priority for the future of our free society is to understand the degree and causes of the loss of trust in our historic institutions of government, economy, and more. Hoover’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions is led by senior fellow Brandice Canes-Wrone, and focuses on studying institutions in depth—from their original purpose to their evolution, successes, and failings. Read the details of how the center is preparing to monitor the changes and report them to the public.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, HOOVER FELLOWS, AND SILICON VALLEY LEADERS DISCUSS COOPERATION

Fifty US government officials, Hoover Institution scholars, Stanford scientists and engineers, technology experts, venture capitalists, and business leaders convened at the Sixth Annual Tech Track II Symposium hosted by the Hoover Institution’s Technology Policy Accelerator. Chaired by senior fellows Amy Zegart and General H.R. McMaster, the closed-door symposium focused on the progress in technological innovation, identifying opportunities to grow America’s competitive advantages, and building partnerships across sectors to create actionable solutions. The outputs of the symposium include briefings for the incoming administration to advance US economic and military competitiveness. Read about this timely and strategic gathering.

HOOVER PROPOSES MASSIVE K–12 SCHOOL REFORM PLAN

The Education Futures Council of the Hoover Institution, led by senior fellow Macke Raymond, has published a massive education reform plan titled “Ours to Solve, Once—and for All.” The plan results from over two years of intensive study of decades of research into American education and its decline. The plan combines innovative, data-supported proposals to identify and remove barriers to student success within the education system. Read the report and listen to Senior Fellow Paul Peterson interview Raymond.

DEFENSE AGAINST AI MILITARY THREATS: HOOVER’S ASSESSMENT

The Hoover Workshops on Urgent Security Choices team led by senior fellow Philip Zelikow has produced an assessment of the artificial intelligence (AI) military threat, with key takeaways and recommendations. The report urges the United States to start working with allies to secure democratic advantage in the domain of frontier AI. 

SOWELL: TRUMP SHOULD SELL OFF US LAND TO SPUR ECONOMY

Senior fellow and legendary economist Thomas Sowell penned a Christmas Day article for the Wall Street Journal entitled “The World’s Biggest Landlord Is Washington.” He argues that the Trump administration could help the economy by selling large chunks of the land owned by the federal government. He asserts, “The federal government owns a little more than one-fourth of the total land area of the United States. The time is long overdue to consider whether that is the best economic arrangement. And reconsideration is especially needed at a time of urgent fiscal problems.” Read Sowell’s entire piece here.

HOOVER FELLOWS EXTEND IMPACT

How Trump Can End the War in Ukraine by Senior Fellow Michael McFaul via Foreign Affairs

AI Is the “Most Important Technological Arms Race” featuring Director Condoleezza Rice via Fox News Sunday

Got Debt? Try Some Fiscal Federalism by Senior Fellow John Cogan via the Wall Street Journal

How to Win the New Cold War: To Compete with China, Trump Should Learn from Reagan by Senior Fellow Niall Ferguson via Foreign Affairs

2025: A Year to Revive Civics featuring Senior Fellow Chester Finn via Defining Ideas

Woke DEI + Green Nihilism = Dresden in California by Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson via The Blade of Perseus

“Hate” and the Islamic Onslaught on British Values: Part One by Research Fellow Ayaan Hirsi Ali via Restoration

A China-Taiwan War Would Start an Economic Crisis. America Isn’t Ready by Hoover Fellow Eyck Freymann and Hugo Bromley via The New York Times

Explore the full line-up of recent influential articles by Hoover fellows.