Technology is becoming increasingly relevant to every part of our day-to-day lives; COVID-19 has shown us how necessary it is for our daily functioning. But how does it all work, and what’s coming next? AEI Visiting Fellow Shane Tews sits down with tech leaders to break down what’s going on behind your screens in the newest addition to the AEI Podcast Network, Explain to Shane!

In our first episode, Shane sits down with Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics and telecom expert. Entner explains why networks are able to handle the load of so many people teleworking amid the coronavirus pandemic.

How does family structure impact the social, educational, and economic outcomes of kids? Is the nuclear family really just a myth constructed in the 1950s? Can stable families advance the cause of social justice?

On this episode of Are You Kidding Me, Ian and Naomi are joined by AEI Visiting Scholar and U.VA sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox as they discuss the latest research on family structure, along with a recent article in The Atlantic by David Brooks that has sparked a lot of discussion on the role of the nuclear family in 21^st century America.

For nearly 100 years the Supreme Court has declined to strike down laws that it believes ‘delegates’ Congress’s legislative power to the Executive Branch. What would a more assertive “nondelegation doctrine” look like? Until then, what limits — if any — does the current nondelegation doctrine place upon Congress?

Administrative Law nerds everywhere celebrate as we welcome an indefatigable champion of the nondelegation doctrine, George Washington University Law professor Alan Morrison. Together, he and Adam discuss separation of powers, the judiciary’s role in enforcing that separation, and the timeless problem of vague laws.

On this episode, Naomi Schaeffer Riley and Ian Rowe are joined by the CEO of Spence-Chapin, Kate Trambitskaya.

Overseeing one of the country’s oldest non-profit adoption agencies, Trambitskaya explains the key differences between public and private adoptions as well as recent cultural trends toward voluntary adoption while sustaining birth-family connections. Later on, Riley, Rowe, and Trambitskaya react to a recent article from the New York Times entitled, “Why aren’t there more rich foster parents?”

From Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France to Yuval Levin’s new book, A Time to Build, conservatives have long been fascinated by the relationship between the American individual, state, and mediating institutions. Building properly-functioning institutions of all kinds – media, religious, or educational — is crucial to the politics and social lives of a self-governing people.

David Gelernter, Yale computer scientist and polymath, addresses the lack of institutions that would challenge growing left-wing domination of the cultural and educational landscapes. His Bradley Lecture, “New Institutions for a New Cultural Establishment,” examines with incisive wit how the center-right can build badly-needed institutions when they are needed most.

Prolific historian, author, and social critic Gertrude Himmelfarb (1922-2019) leaves behind a legacy of scholarship transcending time and place. Her insights into the past, such as her studies of Victorian England, help fashion a worldview for the present, one emphasizing virtue, truth-seeking, and humility.

AEI Senior Fellow Karlyn Bowman joins the podcast to memorialize Dr. Himmelfarb and discuss what lessons her life and works hold for future generations.

The first Amendment to the Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” 200 years later, the Supreme Court determined that a nonsectarian prayer at a high school graduation violated the Establishment Clause, and was not protected under the Free Exercise Clause. It was a puzzling decision for those who understood the centrality of religion to public life throughout American history.

University of Chicago Law professor Michael W. McConnell, later a federal judge, was among the puzzled. He endeavored to trace the impulse to turn “freedom of religion” into “freedom from religion” in the public square. AEI Visiting Fellow and religious freedom expert Ramesh Ponnuru joins the podcast to discuss McConnell’s argument, First Amendment Jurisprudence since the early 1990s, and ongoing threats to religious life in America today.

College campuses play a central role in shaping the thinking of future leaders and current public intellectuals. But starting in the 1990’s, campuses took a strange tack, engaging in more banning than shaping. Speech codes developed by shadowy bureaucracies restricted activities that might offend – whether speech, laughter, or even pinning up a calendar.

light on the draconian codes of the ‘shadow university,’ explaining the origins of this “betrayal of liberty,” and makes the renewed case for robust First Amendment protections for all Americans – even college students.

“Predictions are hard,” goes the proverb, “especially about the future.” But as the 2020 election season ramps up and Democrats compete for the opportunity to take the White House, it seems as though everyone will try anyway. Some predictions are based on a close look at demographic and other long-term political trends, while others depend upon the very short term – that whatever is most important to Americans in November 2020 will decide the coloration of the electoral map.

AEI Senior Fellow and public opinion guru Karlyn Bowman joins the podcast to discuss Sean Trende’s analysis of the political landscape, whether demography is destiny, and how we might discern what surprising political trends may be on the horizon.

“So much depends on our theory of human nature,” said psychologist Steven Pinker. “We use our conceptions of human nature to manage our relationships, to control our own behavior, and guide our policies in law and government.” But what is human nature?

In formulating his own understanding of human nature, Pinker rejects three popular conceptions and proposes his own framework based on recent scientific conclusions.